Is Discord Being "Redeemed" Bad?

[Hive King 2,001]

 

Discord is an abusive, manipulative character and the fact that in this CHIDLREN’S SHOW aimed at LITTLE GIRLS viewers are taught to tolerate and befriend him is infuriating

You are setting up little girls to see behavior like that as an annoyance not as a danger, when doing shit like that is signs of an abusive relationship

What do you think of this? Before anyone asks, this post came from Tumblr.

 

This is actually somewhat insightful, why do they keep Discord around when he's shown himself to be a prick?

[Adachi 772]

I think it teaches that everyone is capable of change if given a chance. Sure, some people take more love and compassion than others, but in the end, nobody is outside of change (except maybe a few people who let their hearts get so clouded with darkness, that they're incapable of love, possibly even emotion)

 

Also, Discord never meant to be a dick. I'm sure he thought of himself as a lighthearted prankster.

Edited April 20, 2014 by Princess of the Sun

[Scootalove 10,692]

I wouldn't say that it was a bad move. They keep Discord around, because it teaches a lesson where someone can change if they are given a change. Change is not always good, but if it is executed correctly then it can be different.

[Revertz 159]

He's not really "reformed" it was just an excuse to give discord more screen time and i think it was a excellent idea.

 

And can't we just enjoy the show instead of worrying whats better for the younger audiences guys and girls im not sure if you are aware but the internet exists theres no such thing as moral lessons or innocence anymore. and if you do anything about it they will get teased for being sheltered. maybe i'm exaggerating just a little but you know what i'm getting at. 

Edited April 20, 2014 by Revertz

[Mywas 687]

Didn't Discord show a sad face when Twilight Didn't answer him in RoH Part 2? He is not really evil but more like a smart version of fat buu

[Ianpiersonjdavis 514]

I think the original mentality was to bring him back because he was a fan favorite, but if they didn't make it LOOK like he was trying to be redeemed, then he would have been blasted back into stone with no real incentive for anyone to free him again.

 

Plus, he's only 'GOOD' when he's not trying to keep his friendship with Fluttershy, which is why he took full advantage of the opportunity to mess with Twilight and Cadance as soon as she left to take care of the Breezies.

 

This is also a good way to keep him around, since even without the Elements, we are not sure what kind of effect 'Rainbow Power' will have on him (if any).

[Adachi 772]

I just hope he doesn't turn into another Terra, where he befriends the protagonists, then ends up turning on them, then ends up sacrificing himself in the end.

[Castle Bleck 19,523]

Star Trek did the same thing with Q, so...

[BastementSparkle 20,335]

I don't think Discord is that bad of a guy anymore. He was even pretty tame for a villain. He mostly just plays pranks and messes with ponies nowadays, he doesn't seem to have any real malicious intent. I don't really see him as abusive.

Edited April 20, 2014 by BasementPony

[Ribbonfree 2,384]

That's definitely overreacting to it. A lesson I think Discord teaches is that even people who are seemingly bad have a good side to them that can be brought out. It's a classic trope, a hero befriending a villain or a bully and realizing they're less harmful than it initiall seemed. Discord's a troll, sure, but he's not actively malicious.

[silvadel 1,394]

You actually believe him?

[Discordian 6,023]

It's kind of in his nature to switch back and forth between good and bad. He's just made the conscious decision to be more good than evil overall but that won't stop him from being himself.

Edited April 20, 2014 by Discordian

[NavelColt 22,883]

I think someone needs to get the piss out of their cereal, and stop taking things too seriously. One can, and many people have, argued that Discord's actions in Return of Harmony were just as a part of his core nature as they were malicious intent. The only reason Discord isn't still trying to take over the universe with chaos and reshape it to what he thinks is best, is because Fluttershy showed him that friendship means something to him.

 

i.e, "I liked it better my way, but I suppose when you're friends, you can't always have things your way all the time."

 

I wonder if Discord will be able to deal with Fluttershy's and by extension everyone else's eventual death, and move on to find new friends, or if his deppression will trigger a reversion back to his antagonistic tyrant ways. Would make a good fanfic, if it isn't already.

[Castle Bleck 19,523]

@~Chaotic Discord~,

 

Alternately, he'll just conjure up one last glass of chocolate milk... laced with cyanide...

Edited April 20, 2014 by Anti-Villain

[pony.colin 156]

What do you think of this? Before anyone asks, this post came from Tumblr.

 

This is actually somewhat insightful, why do they keep Discord around when he's shown himself to be a prick?

Interesting, a couple of ideas.

 

1. As others have said, it was more or less an excuse to bring back Discord and give him some more screen time. Being an omnipotent trickster with deity powers to bend reality (I've never watched Star-Trek, sorry). You know, it's always fun to have those types of characters to screw around with all the others. So it should be regarded as such

2. Addressing the tumblr post, I have to ask, which relationship with Discord are we talking about? The one with Fluttershy? The one with Twilight or just the mane cast in general? You are going to meet jerkwadish people in life. And it requires a bit more digging to know what extent you would like to still keep them in company or ignore them and move on. Perhaps their jerkwadish nature might be justified for some reasons, other times not. It's still kind of early to say how this will turn out, we've only seen the case with Three's A Crowd where Discord is clearly going to be a jerkwad deity in this relationship. But then again, the relationship hasn't really been fully accepted. Sure Fluttershy accepted Discord, but that's Fluttershy, she's the welcoming, open, accepting kind motherly figure who will give anypony a second chance. Twilight acted the way I was expecting her to, ignore him and let Fluttershy handle him. It's not like the mane cast said with open hoofs “hey, you're part of the gang now”. Generally speaking then, will Discord change? Maybe? Still too early to judge I would say. Getting people to change is difficult, they can be capable of it, it just might turn out slower than what you would expect.

3. If Discord comes off prickish, it's because he's a deity with powers that can get away with it.

 

[Hive King 2,001]

@@~Chaotic Discord~,

I doubt he'd turn back, Fluttershy would make him promise on her death bed. In any case, there are other powers at work that can defeat him anyway

@,

That is one of the few ways to kill him, he is vulnerable to poison and disease 

 

Why is it assumed that Discord is immortal? We know from the very non-immortal Twilight that being encased in stone isn't a big problem, same with Sombra(ice in his case). Suspended animation maybe?

Edited April 20, 2014 by Evil Dragon Master

[NavelColt 22,883]

@@~Chaotic Discord~,

I doubt he'd turn back, Fluttershy would make him promise on her death bed. In any case, there are other powers at work that can defeat him anyway

 

Not that we know of xP Elements of Harmony is the be-all-end-all for stopping him, thus far.

[MarcelineA 126]

I feel like Discord is just a trouble maker trickster XD he's fun ^-^ I like him more than Diamond Tiara or Trixie not that I hate Trixie I'm neutral with her but I do hate Diamond Tiara .___. XD she makes me have deja vu ._. XD

[Soulcrifice 21]

I like Discord being in the show more now, and I do believe the reason he's "reformed" is for more screen time. I also acknowledge that the message could be perceived as negative for little girls, i.e to try and change a bad relationship that they should get out of. I don't think their intention was this and I think this is where parenting comes into play. My son is too young to really understand this show yet but when he does, if this ever becomes something I think he'll misunderstand, I'll be sure to fill him in that while some people can change, it's about knowing when someone has changed. When Discord talks to interacts with Fluttershy, I think he's the most genuine. He knows her friendship is nothing but genuine and without having any other friends he doesn't want to lose that. That is a quality of discord's that's worth the effort to help him change. 

This is just my opinion of course but there's my two cents. 

[Yellow Diamond 7,579]

I don't have the sense Discord is truly "good", even if he did reform in some manner. His actions during "Princess Twilight Sparkle" and "Three's a Crowd" suggest he doesn't necessarily go out of his way to be malevolent, but he has few qualms with placing the ponies in danger. The season finale may at last reveal whether he's running a long con or just happens to be a morally ambiguous entity. For me Discord's effectively Chaotic Neutral -- not a bad person, per se, but he still enjoys screwing with everypony around him.

[Hive King 2,001]

Not that we know of xP Elements of Harmony is the be-all-end-all for stopping him, thus far.

Demon Shimmer, the green virus, and the Tree of Harmony also outstrip him

[NavelColt 22,883]

Demon Shimmer, the green virus, and the Tree of Harmony also outstrip him

I'm not seeing how Demon Shimmer can overcome reality-warping powers, a sickness does not 'defeat' someone, and of course the Tree of Harmony does, that's where the Elements came from :3

[TheSupremeLeaderOfChaos 1,215]

I think attempting to reform Discord was one of the smartest things they could have done with the show. It proves that everyone can be given a chance, and that you should attempt to look for the good side in people. It also shows that some mean people are mean for a reason, and if you can figure that out, you might just find yourself a friend.

Aside from the lessons it can teach, it also brings a great potential to the show. A character whom the main characters do not like, but have to tolerate. I do not think Discord is as mean as he seems. Snarky, yes; critical, yes; but mean, no. Discord will never, ever act like a pony. But with time, they may just learn to get along. I think it is the potential for a great friendship.

Love/hate relationship, ya know?

 

Spoiler for S4 finale ahead.

 

As you may know if you read the synopsis of the finale, Celestia is going to choose Discord to help find and/or defeat a villain instead of Twilight. Many people think Discord is going to turn evil again. I find this very unlikely. I think we may finally see a true good side to Discord in this finale. No, he's not suddenly going to become the nicest, kindest guy ever, but I really hope we will see his actual feelings for a moment before he puts up his wall of snark again. :comeatus:

 

[Hive King 2,001]

@@~Chaotic Discord~,

We see perfectly well that Discord's reality warping is fruitless against certain things, diseases for one. And Sunset Shimmer's magic took more effort to dispatch, requiring a specific shot from the Elements 

[NavelColt 22,883]

@@~Chaotic Discord~,

And Sunset Shimmer's magic took more effort to dispatch, requiring a specific shot from the Elements 

 

That's speculation :3 That can quite easily be chocked up to a simply different animation style of the Elements' useage. I can never concede to the idea that Shimmer is in any way shape or form more powerful than Discord x3 If she -did- take more effort, it's from the fact that Discord's defeat has to come easy to the main characters, because since he's such an overpowered character, the writers' more or less make him stand there and not do anything when he's defeated. If they didn't, it'd be simple for Discord to do any number of things to not get hit by the Elements.