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Description
So, Element of Smash wanted a commission done of just Twilight and Luna holding a sign that said “It Gets Better.” Aside from it being Twiluna, it also hit a positive, personal note, so I offered to make it a post here.
When I asked for a description, I was given this lovely message:
When I asked for a description, I was given this lovely message:
“The last 5 years has been…tumultuous. Figuring out who I am, and what that means to me, or to the people around me. And there have been some pretty dark times in there too. Both MLP and IGB have helped me through it. And continue to do so.
Jean-Paul Sartre posited that “existence precedes essence”. That simply by existing, one creates meaning and worth, rather than ones meaning and worth being derived from labels, station, choices or circumstances. Both of these things have only reinforced this concept for me.“
Dedicated by Element of Smash to anyone who’s lost someone to suicide.
It’s cool. If you didn’t want to offend, there was no offense.
I meant that I think that what you said is true for some things but not for others. In the case of this image, no matter how much I like Silfoe’s art, I think what I said applies.
I just want to mention that it’s not like I think that people are wrong for thinking that the image is a beautiful representation of IGB and the ideal behind it. I thought externalizing my opinion was worth it because it’s good for people when they see that their different opinion isn’t alone. Of course, without antagonizing people. I’m not always good at it and the internet has a way of turning opinions into statements for the sake of “political views” instead of personal truths.
Eh… I’ll just leave mentioning that Silfoe’s art is as beautiful as ever.
Yeah, I was referring to the other folks as nihilists.
I don’t see this image as being disrespectful of real people in any way, so I disagree with you. I get to do that. People get to disagree with others here. Sorry if I misunderstood what you were aiming for. It wasn’t a personal attack, just replying to your comment.
I’m talking about this image, by Silfoe, and how they presented it. If you’re talking about something else, you shouldn’t be talking about it on this image.
Edited
My point never was to criticize Silfoe, whose art, you’ll notice, I enjoy very much. I don’t even know how can someone come to that conclusion from what I said. I’m just externalizing my thoughts on how I think it all relates to real life. That is all and, to my understanding, is what you’re supposed to do in a comment section. I don’t even think that you can equate what I said to nihilism (though looking at other comments, I can see where you’re coming from).
Am I “overthinking”? Not really. I just explained my point of view when someone showed interest in it by explaining theirs. Like I’ll do now.
“Having celebrities deliver messages certainly does work when the goal is to spread the message, and doesn’t defame the message, in particular when those celebrities – who are not real – are shown in the context of a dramatization that they are doing which is also – very – specific to the message.” It depends on the message, on the actual problem you’re talking about, and the way you present it. If you put a celebrity on anything you already ruined the message for me. I don’t want a celebrity associated with any problem I might have. I’m pretty sure that their suffering because of it isn’t like mine. Because I’m not a celebrity, I don’t have the privileges that they have and certainly don’t have the resources (material or otherwise) to deal with the problem. Considering that we’re talking about two fictional characters, I also don’t have control over magic, the moon or a whole country, because if I did, I’d fix the problem, and also, being fictional, they don’t actually feel. They don’t exist. I think it’s disrespecting of real people.
And why is it that whenever someone says something that others don’t like, people react with this mentality? It’s like if someone says that they don’t like something, will it somehow ruin other people’s enjoyment of it. Finally, if you think that I’m wrong in anything I ever say, do tell me, because I don’t want to be wrong. But please, don’t do it while belittling my opinion, in a conversation like this, by comparing me to some “whinny nihilist”. You probably wouldn’t want to know how that sounded to me, I’m not about to go on details and it is enough to say that I would be very uneducated if I wasn’t in a good state of mind right now. Specially when people punctuate it with a meme. Specially when they have a “Site Moderator” tag under their username.
<3 Wow, I’m super glad you find it useful. I’m usually pretty sucky at responding to compliments in a way I feel properly expresses my gratitude, but yeah… Thank you so much.
I am so happy that you had the chance to do this, and acted on the opportunity. I think that it all came together in a very beautiful and significant message. I’m clergy and do some counseling, and use ponies when talking about solutions that are focused on a message of happiness and friendship, and this image has come in very handy more than a couple times in the last few days.
This plus Mister Roger’s “Look to the helpers” really has been basically my tool box, and it’s been very effective for those for whom MLP is an important reminder of the magic of friendship.
So, for myself, thank you so much for this image and for the story you are telling in The Other Royal Sketchbook - it has been inspirational for myself and others, and I hope you will continue speaking through your art.
Not just because the message speaks to me and those I work with, but because - dang - you really have taken these characters to a whole new level. We all kind of assume that ponies will “just work” as creatures who can lift boxes and sign papers, but you’ve been able to make their bodies very believable and specific, and while the MLP:FiM ponies are a bit PowerPuffGirls in how they fit in their universe, you have created a set of characters with spines and actual joints.
I may have gotten off topic - I guess if I have any take-away, it’s “Very nice. Do more please.”
I guess I’m trying to say I’m a fan of your work.
Also it was a commission that just happened to coincide with everything I like. It wasn’t completely formulated independently by me, but influenced by things I had previously done..
If your point is to criticize Silfoe for using the two characters that Silfoe has been using to tell this story to highlight a message that is deeply specific to this very story, then …
Yeah.
You might be over thinking this. Having celebrities deliver messages certainly does work when the goal is to spread the message, and doesn’t defame the message, in particular when those celebrities - who are not real - are shown in the context of a dramatization that they are doing which is also - very - specific to the message.
And, in the context of the story that Silfoe is telling, you might have noticed that “being rich celebrities” hasn’t liberated or shielded Luna and Twilight from being attacked for their love just as any of the ponies that are actually … uhm … from … whatever the class of “if this image used these ponies instead then you would have been ok with this image but using rich royalty ruins it” that you’re talking about.
Now if all you nihilist could stop whining about how much you don’t like people trying to have a positive outlook, or Silfoe using their characters in the context of the story that this story is actually about, that would be very pic related.
Edited because: yeah, if that image could not be broken, that'd be great.
Everything gets easier when you have a boat load of money and don’t have to deal with the sort of problems real people that need this message actually have. I get that these two are a common ship, but they don’t translate very well to the kind of life the “It Gets Better” program aims at. These two are “privileged” as can be.
It’s not that I have anything against the message, characters or the program itself, but it feels like putting two Norwegians with a pro African-American slogan.
They do have feelings though. It’s not like life is easy and happy and shiny for ‘privileged’ people. Not always.
Eh, it sounds like too much work to just stop living all the sudden. Attempted suicide is a pretty terrible thing to go through if you do it in a way that doesn’t end up being painless,(no i’m not speaking from personal experience). If everyone else thinks there is some great and fulfulling reason to life, then more power to them. I’m a firm believer that life has as much, or as little meaning to it as you make of it. I just personally see it all as pointless cause there hasn’t been any compelling reasons to convince me otherwise, and while I would urge someone who doesn’t care to maybe find reasons to, I wouldn’t begrudge them for choosing to be rid of their physical connection to this world, life is pretty over rated afterall.
There’s a difference between not seeing a point to things and wanting to end your existance vs being scared/frustrated a hardship you are going through has no light at the end of the tunnel and you just want out of it.
That doesn’t really change the fact that they would have to get over it either way, it’s just their grief would come from different reasoning, depending on how you died. And we’re coming back to this very, very, obnoxious “point” where it’s commonly said you should only live for what other people want, and not yourself. Yes you could argue you’re “hurting people” by offing yourself, but if you aren’t actually hurting them on a physical level, then what does it matter? I’m sure it hurt’s peoples feelings to know that people are sinning against gawwd, but they aren’t entitled to someone acting a certain way just cause they want it that way, being family or not doesn’t matter. Being family doesn’t mean you get to dictate how they compose themselves just cause they’re of the same blood. You don’t have to like their decision, but it seems equally as selfish to make it all about you just because you don’t approve.
Well no, the tv, or video game comparison falls pretty flat for me cause they don’t even get close to comparing to the experience of life, for better or for worse. Those things are just forms of entertainment, and while I am sad to see a favorite game or tv series end, that’s not comparable to being upset over the fact that life has no clear cut point to it and each one of us is going to end up dead at some point anyways. I play video games/watch the shows to escape reality and entertain myself, and I honestly don’t care about spoilers too much.
I don’t know what the point is, and that’s the problem. And it’s one of the biggest reasons I can’t be bothered to find a reason to care a lot of days. Even if there was “a point” i’m not sure that would even be compelling for me.
@The Smiling Pony
Apparently I missed some amusing threats. But I would like to clarify that just cause I have a certain view on how people should have certain personal freedoms, the emotional impact it would have a on a family be damned, doesn’t mean i’m going through a hard time. I’m just looking at this from a,(probably too coldly logical for some peoples taste) point of view. Not sure there is much more to say on the matter.
Twilight: almost commited social suicide (see; Moondancer)
Now? Thanks to SilFoe’s canon… they’re happy.
[checks comment history] Too much to hope it was true.
Bite me.
I’m done. I can’t deal with this shit.
Threats are not tolerated.
Saying “Be glad there is a screen protecting you.” is basically a veiled threat. You are not the wronged party, stop playing the victim.
I suggest you cool it.
Edited
>threaten violence on someone that’s clearly going through a rough time because they think they don’t matter
>get comment deleted
>continue to be oblivious
>is clevertwist
Are you serious? Deleting my comment because, what, I didn’t tell them to fuck off nice enough? Yeah, let them prattle on about how suicide should be commended and how giving up is a perfectly reasonable idea to have towards life. But no, MY comment was deemed “too offensive” to be seen so I needed to be censored.
Thanks a lot.
Cool it, alright?
The difference being if you intentionally kill yourself, your family can’t even hate the person who killed you, because it was you.
Trust me, intentionally killing yourself fucks things up for the survivors for years to come.
Are you in the “why bother watching a show or playing a game, it’s just going to eventually end” crowd?
If you don’t see the point in anything, even in existing, then why did you bother to get out of bed this morning? What’s the point of even typing a comment on a forum somewhere, when eventually the universe will end?
Edited
My biggest question to that kind of thinking is: what’s the point of worrying about living longer if you’re just gonna die later? Why does it matter if you die now versus later? I guess if you believe in an afterlife or whatever, then that’s one thing. But as far as I can see, there isn’t anything more after you’re dead. And saying your family would miss you isn’t really that compelling of a reason, if I’m being completely honest. If I was gonna off myself I would make it look like an accident, less grief and possibly complications. They’ll have to get over your death either way, whether your death was due to an accident or an intentional action. It’s just, if they knew it was on purpose, they would blame themselves for some reason. When it probably wasn’t their fault in the first place,(barring each individuals own string of events that makes up their life).
I’m just speaking as someone who doesn’t see a point to anything when the end comes for all of us on an individual level anyways. So telling me that my fairly rational opinion of not seeing a point in everything and not seeing why it matters when someones life ends and choosing to end it, is bad, is annoying. So we’re only living our lives for the benefit of other people? What we want as individuals doesn’t matter if it goes against the grain of what other people want? Fuck that. Even if we are “snowflakes” we’re still replaceable in what our overall function is,(which sad to say, mostly seems to reproduce and continue on the species. For some overarching reason non of us even begin to know for sure).
Chances are any shitty situation will even out to a decent level later. But honestly, what’s the point of holding out for the possibility if we’re all just gonna end up dead anyways?
The only case I’d really make an exception for is if someone has an incurable disease that’s more or less a slow death sentence anyway. And even then, I’d encourage those people to stay strong if they can possibly find it in their hearts to do so. New treatments happen, and doctors continue to be amazed at the degree to which such diseases can be fought by someone who’s really determined to live, against “impossible” odds. And beyond that, as much as it might hurt, if you still have a chance to spend more time with your friends and family, wouldn’t it feel better to go out knowing you did everything you could to be brave and share a bit more love with others before the end?
Without it… well, I’d be gone a long time ago.