Anecdotes of Adulthood

the generally-agreed line in fiction that separates a wizard and a sorcerer is a wizard will study magic, while a sorcerer is born with (some) innate skill. bbc’s merlin is repeatedly mentioned to be an immensely rare and powerful sorcerer for the fact he was born with his magic and even without studying can attempt some impressive magical feats (same goes for the character of morgana)

we're looking to create an AI policy, and when we were talking about this, my boss (older millennial) was genuinely shocked to hear that younger people do not (seem) to view AI positively (a la the recent commencement speakers being booed)

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UPDATE 2024: in honour of the upcoming third season i finally gave in to my perfectionist impulses and reformatted this thing to not be fuck ugly.

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cutie marks, okay? they’re your talent+passion and demonstrably completely unique. so if you’re on the run for whatever reason, is your cutie mark put up on the wanted posters alongside your headshot?

what are the cultural attitudes towards tattooing your cutie mark? in crimes where someone might damage a person’s face, that sense of control and robbing of identity, are cutie marks also disfigured in this way? do some ponies choose to reject their cutie marks and have them tattooed over or otherwise defaced? would some cultures consider it a crime in itself to deface your or someone else’s mark, even consensually?

and if you’re in, idk, witness protection or something, do you need to get it tattooed? are you forced to abandon your greatest talent and joy because that in itself, engaging in it, could get you recognised? what life are you left with? is it even a life worth living at all?

and in areas with lots of ponies, how does the socioeconomical aspect of a cutie mark function? how does every location seem to have every individual needed to function, like food, healthcare, education, etc?

is there some latent biological hive mind that decides ‘oh this village doesn’t have anyone in the agricultural sector—we need a couple harvester or farmer cutie marks so people can still eat’? in which case, what is the nature of free will and identity?

is the concept of a cutie mark a biological incentive to make propagating the species seem innately pleasing, like the rush of hormones after someone gives birth so the pain of childbirth is offset and they bond to the baby and they’re more likely to go through it again, furthering humanity?

like, your genes making you truly, deeply believe that harvesting food is your special talent, and your favourite thing to do, but is that just because the local area needed some more food workers and your personality, your self, evolved to fit that niche?? what even is free will?! what is selfhood??

or if not, is there a concept of being ‘reassigned’ to an area because hey! this city needs more teachers so we’re forcing some teacher ponies in this area with too many teacher ponies to relocate?? or are ponies whose cutie marks aren’t particularly ‘useful’ forced to do something as a job that isn’t their passion because elsewise they can’t pay bills? what’s the cultural consensus on NOT having a job related to your cutie mark? is it viewed negatively, or is it seen as noble? if it’s negative, does that negativity fall back on the system of government forcing them into this situation, or is the individual themselves deemed as defective by denying their true self?

would hiring for a job be swayed by seeing a pony’s cutie mark and knowing how well they fit? is asking for ponies with ‘X-type cutie marks’ allowed? is cutie-mark-discrimination a thing? is it illegal? is it even frowned upon?? or is it justified as ‘you want someone who will be the best at this job’? are you required to cover your cutie mark in job interviews?

what about those whose cutie marks aren’t easily accessible? what if yours is a creative endeavour but you can’t afford to make a career out of something so fickle as writing or singing or acting? it takes time to build up notoriety/a portfolio to the point you can live off it, so are you forced to take other jobs in the meantime? or are there ‘cutie grants’ where you can apply for money to pursue your cutie mark?

in that episode with starlight glimmer we get an idea of the cultural attitudes towards not living as your cutie mark indicates you should live and work as your mark indicates, but then also you have things like prince blueblood whose cutie mark (and therefore his talent and purpose) is uhhhhh being a prince?? so is the concept of an absolute monarchy just baked in to this species’ genetics? blueblood doesn’t even rule!! what does he do? at least with bees the queen is the one giving birth to all the new bees!

what if someone’s cutie mark is just, fucking, idk, murdering other ponies?? like they get that cutie mark as a preteen-ish and… are they just locked up for the rest of their lives, as a precaution? is the nature of pony society honour bound to find a way for them to explore and fulfill their purpose in some manner? and if we refer back to the biological niche theory, what would this mean? is it a sign that this area is too densely populated and the local land cannot sustain its size?