I thought about getting anthro Sunset just to pad out Shimmy collection, but the more I look at it, the more I think I might not...

I know that this sounds like a silly question, but what if it isn’t?  Back in the episode “Over a Barrel”, Fluttershy makes a very brief mention about how she wishes that she could be a tree. This line is often taken and treated as a gag by many fans, but later in the episode “Hurricane Fluttershy”, we see her hiding inside of a tree, hoping to avoid Rainbow Dash. Why a tree? Well, we may need to look at the episode “Make New Friends But Keep Discord” to crack this theory open. In it, we are introduced to a pony named Tree Hugger that Fluttershy has made friends with, since back in the episode “Three’s a Crowd”.

Now, I find Tree Hugger to be quite the interesting character, because while she is also treated as a joke among the g4 fans, one of her lines consists of an intriguing bit of dialogue between her and Discord:

Tree Hugger: Nice to meet you. I'm Tree Hugger. Blessings.
Discord: You have met me before actually! [snorts]
Tree Hugger: Cool! Like, in another life, maybe?

Though this conversation was rather short, I feel like there is a ton to unpack in what was said. First off, this is the first ever mention of “other lives” coming into play in this series. This ties in with rebirth and resurrection, and it just so happens that the butterfly’s (Fluttershy’s cutie mark) spiritual meaning  is that of rebirth and elevation from earth matters/ transcendence to spiritual. Tree Hugger, with all her talk of seeing auras, feeling vibes, speaking of other lives, and extending blessings, seems to be a very spiritually tuned character- perhaps one that even has more knowledge of more spiritual beings and plane than we perceive. It would be no surprise if this was the catalyst to her and Fluttershy’s friendship, when they met on the trip to see the Breezies, and why there is such a connection between them now.

It could very well be that Fluttershy could have been a tree in her past life, which - unknowing to Fluttershy herself, could’ve prompted that bit of desiring to be a tree dialogue, before she had ever met Tree Hugger- and once they did meet, Fluttershy’s aura would’ve just needed to be read for long to be revealed.

But I think that there’s even more to this theory. I think to truly understand why Fluttershy wants to be a tree, we would need to look at her virtue, or her “element”- kindness. The origin of the word kindness is from the Anglo-Saxon kind or kin, which means family, as in kin, kinship, and kindred.  That Saxon word, or German word, can also mean child, as in the word kindergarten.  Kindness was gentle and caring affection toward a child, a family member, or even an animal. The Hebrew word “chesed” is used in the Old Testament to describe the loving kindness of God. Kindness is valued as a core ethic In religious views of all ilks.  It is a virtue that is the foundation of what they call “tikkun olam”, which means the repairing of the world.  Through chesed, through kindness, God repairs a broken world.  So, the importance of kindness as a Fruit of the Spirit becomes much more meaningful when we consider the Hebrew background.

Fluttershy embodies this “chesed”, this virtue of kindness to a T. She has done the most amongst her friends in “repairing a broken world”, through taming of Manticores, Draconequi, Cerberus, and many more monsters that inhabit the treacherous pony lands.

So knowing this, I don’t think that Fluttershy was just any old standard tree in her past life. No, I think that she might’ve been a very important tree- one that could’ve shaped pony history as we know it. I think that Fluttershy might’ve been the original tree of Harmony, and here’s why.....

Does anyone recall how the Pillars of Harmony had a “seed” that they were able to imbue with their strengths, for the sake of defending Equestria? It was recounted in “Shadow Play” by Starswirl himself. But the seed he speaks of looked much like a jewel- a sapphire, to be exact. Now given the composition of the modern day Tree of Harmony, it wouldn’t be a surprise, but that seed that the pillars had didn’t originate from the Tree of Harmony- it spawned it.

So, then, where did the “seed” originate? I think that it came from a divine source. Perhaps being the original Tree of Harmony that Fluttershy could’ve been in her past life.

Let’s take a look at Fluttershy once more- given her close tie in with the desire to be a tree, the origin of the name of her virtue, having a friend who can see auras and speak of past lives in a spiritual sense, do you think it is of any mere coincidence that we find that Fluttershy has a part that she named after a spiritual being- an Angel?

So what if Fluttershy- being the original tree of Harmony her past life- or rather, the Tree of Life that was created by the divine, (given her ability to “repair a broken world”, symbolizing renewal and rebirth, as her cutie mark depicts) was the mother of that seed that was given to the Pillars.

And furthermore, if Fluttershy was the original Tree, then that could explain why her modern self claims to have a fear dragons- and Discord. The etymology of “dragon”  stakes it’s roots in the Greek word “drakon” (large serpent), and the Scriptures constantly depict the Devil as a serpent and dragon. Discord’s species, “draconequis” shares the root word as as a variant spelling. So is it any surprise that, in the context of Scripture, if Fluttershy was the original Tree in her past life, that she would hold to that trauma of being afraid of dragons, and the dragonic/fallen Angel-esque serpent, Discord?

I think there is plenty of in series evidence across many episodes that lends itself to this theory as to why Fluttershy may have originally been a tree and desired for her past life as one, in that one line of dialogue. But this is just my theory. Let me know what you guys think.

I think OPs question is less about what people personally feel the value of an item is...

And more so the difference of something that toy quality vs a collector quality. That shouldn't be taken as that toys can't be collected, or are not collectable items. But there is a difference between a hand crafted resin statue (and/or mass produced) vs something designed for play.

and if those things look good next to each other.

ETA: I just don't agree with that if something is cheaper (original price point), it doesn't look good next to something more expensive

this exactly! Thank you for clarifying, and I hope the discussion stays on THIS topic, as it was meant. (I’m sorry if I have a Tendency to poorly convey my subjects of discussion)

Here she is with all of my other Luna’s!! 
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Have you guys ever acquired a pony that you knew would be good as a display piece, at any point in time, and knew instantly what other pony that would look good beside it-whether you had it in your possession or not?

Or have you been indecisive, always playing around with the perfect display area or accompany ponies to compliment your one (or many) ideal display piece ponies?

For me, it might be a mix of both. I have a Luna figure that I bought and could see her displayed nicely alongside a Celestia figure  of equal quality (though I am none too fond of her). But am more certain that I want her alongside another Luna figure (coughKotobukiyacough) that I have planned for purchase and isn’t even up for preorder yet! but that’s just me.

How do you guys handle your display pieces?

Many within the g4 pony community have oft wondered by Vinyl Scratch (DJ Pon-3) hasn’t spoken a single word since her initial appearance. Curious minds have led to wonder if she is, in fact mute- whether by accident or by choice. She is seen having a preference to communicate through body language, if anything.

I think this is a rather interesting development and poorly represented form of communication in media, as not everyone is either adept or willing to communicate through words.

And I think that in Vinyl’s case, it could be explained as the latter, and by doing so, could paint her as a most powerful character. How could this be so? Well,
Let’s try taking a look at what a spell” is.

The root “spellam” originally meant story, saying, tale, history, narrative, fable and then the term ‘spell’ started to take on the meaning of a charm or magical incantation in the Middle Ages.

In the Indo-European tradition, words were always viewed as having magical abilities, or possessing a dangerous magic. For example, the daughter languages of Proto Indo-European arrange the consonants in the root for the animal “wolf “ in bizarre ways. This is probably because the original speakers (before 3000 BC) feared that if they said the actual word for ‘wolf’ it would magically cause the animal to appear. It’s the origin of ‘curse words’ — the belief that the usage of particular words had powerful negative effects — the ability to curse yourself or others.

Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it. – Albus Dumbledore. So what does all this magic talk really mean? Well, for writers, it means we’re magicians; we’re powerful. We can cast spells over the world by spelling words into existence and we can change the way people think, feel, and act. That’s our ability as writers, speakers, and storytellers, that’s our gift — to influence others, to create the unexpected, to change the way people see and understand the world, to put on a show.

Still don’t believe in the power of words? Finish this sentence:

“What if…”

Oh, the endless places those simple words, those six letters, can take you. The sparks of imagination burning in your brain this very moment. Your imagination, like a child’s, explodes with unrestrained possibility. What if you could use that very power of inspiration, creation, and connection with everyone you meet? Answer: you can.

We wielders of words, we sorcerers, charmers, creative conjurers, magical beasts, we are free to spell words into existence at will — writing that’s crafted to convince, to change, to instill a sense, a feeling in someone beyond their control. There’s real power there. We are undoubtedly unstoppable.

Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little. – Tom Stoppard For non-writers, take note: that power is not held by writers alone. We’re ultimately talking about the brain — our endless canvas, where words live and breathe — and it’s open to all. Artists, designers, strategists, thinkers, and any sort of creator in this world: you’ve made it this far, so I have a gift for you: you, as well, are magical. You too have the power to create thoughts, feelings, and imagery in people’s minds in your own way. You speak, you write, you think, you are unstoppable, as well.

How? By using your passions and craft to tell stories. You are human and therefore you are a natural storyteller. It’s built into you. You can control minds. You do it for yourself without realizing. Every night your stories give you an escape, letting you play in fantasy worlds. You go to bed and your brain sits up telling itself wonderful stories, both memorable and mundane.

Mankind has spent thousands upon thousands of years developing the magic of communication and stories. How dare you not believe in it. Words are mankind’s greatest creation; capable of transcending time and space; capable of controlling the human mind; capable of anything. We see this mirrored also in how Twilight rewrites one of the greatest magicians known to ponykind’s spells- Starswirl the Bearded, in Magical Mystery Cure.

While we may look at Twilight Sparkle as a pony with an inexhaustible well of magical ability and spells through her bibliomaniacal tendencies, accesses, and lineage (Taking into account the profession of an author (and also spell crafter) her mother, Twilight Velvet has), then perhaps we can look at Vinyl as one who willingly rejects the amount of influence words , and thus, spells, might have on the world around her.   She constantly surrounds herself with the art form of music, rather than that of written word and influence.   Perhaps this can be seen as a Personal influence, as music can alter the listeners own mood and emotions.

I suspect that Vinyl may have a far greater degree of control in the field of magical manipulation than Twilight herself- not only by refraining from crafting written and spoken spells, but also by showing that with great power can come greater responsibility, she indeed conducts herself far more responsibly by comparison. Vinyl has all the power in the world to influence others around her with a single word, a single spell. But I think she is willingly choosing not to. And THAT, is why she remains mute.

I purchased a very beautiful work of art from an astounding artist that goes by the name of Shuxer59, back in June. I only recently acquired her, and SHE IS STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!! The shading and contour on every part of this pony is magnificent! Her hues and highlights are spot on. Down to the twinkles in her ethereal mane, she is perfect and well worth the $300 I dropped for her. This piece of art is leagues above FUNKO’s Luna, and while she looks pretty neat next to the GoH Nightmare Moon, this custom is still galaxies in her own league of detail, by comparison. I absolutely LOVE HER!!!!

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login