#also rambled about how his true eye colour is on a different spectrum???

[steampunkedparm]

bluh 7.30 rn and i need to go to bed but how can i go to sleep when i just had that experience at the bus stop fhfjfh

[bare1ythere]

Tape Recorders and the Broken Camera - A Theory

This came to me yesterday and I then spent ~2 hours writing this out. It’s Incredibly self indulgent and probably a bit ramble-y but sometimes you need to let yourself say and much as you want about your hyperfixation.. as a treat.

Word count is 1.5k, let me know what you think!!

TLDR: The Tape Recorders were able to manifest within Upton House as both they and the broken camera are artifacts of the Extinction. (Reasoning under the cut!)

As a start, I think it’s important to think about how Smirke’s 14 as a categorization system is more or less useless, but only about as useless as the categorization of things in real life. As much as a lot of folks’d like it to be (me included), nothing is really clearcut. In the context of TMA, consider the fear that your life, or life in general, is insignificant. Would this belong to The Vast (Insignificance and being small in the grand scheme of things) or The End (The inevitable end of your life, and the end of your impact in the universe)? Both? I think the answer to that depends on who you ask, honestly. Not only that, but there’s plenty of statements that don’t have a clear entity attached to them. Binary, Thrown Away, and Confession are a few examples of these.

The truth is that Smirke’s list of 14 isn’t as clear cut as we’d like to think. Trying to put things into clear cut boxes is something humans have been doing for forever, and Robert Smirke’s attempts at understanding The Fears are no different. The Fears are really just one amorphous thing, a spectrum (“colours except if colours hated [us]” (MAG111)) that doesn’t really fit any one definition without exceptions.

I think remembering this is important when thinking about how Jon, Martin, and co are going to try to reverse The Change. Using the Web or the Eye or some other plot-important power to reverse the apocalypse doesn’t seem likely to me since these fears don’t Really exist, and are just the names we call aspects of the one amorphous Entity that feeds on fear.

(“the Fears[…] can never be truly separated from each other. When does the fear of sudden violence transition into the fear of hunted prey? When does the mask of the Stranger become the deception of the Spiral?” (MAG160))

This is also relevant now considering how the tape recorders were still able to manifest in Salesa’s oasis, outside of the influence of both the Eye AND the Web.

So how was this possible? For the entire podcast it seemed that Jon’s tape recorders were Eye aligned. I mean, they’re an Eye avatar’s tape recorders for a reason. However, they aren’t a staple of an Archivist’s abilities; there were archivists before tape recorders existed (MAG53), and notably, Gertrude never used them when reading statements for herself (MAG111):

ARCHIVIST: Did [Gertrude] read statements?

GERARD: Sometimes. If she was getting shaky. They perked her up, I think. Feeding the Eye, you know? I’d sometimes hear her through the wall, just reading into the air, feeling it all.

ARCHIVIST: She… she didn’t use a tape recorder?

GERARD: Not when I was with her. She travelled light. Left things behind.

That means the tape recorders are unique to Jon rather than The Archivist as a role.

I’ve seen a lot of theories about the tape recorders being manifestations of the Web instead, but despite how cool these are, I don’t think thats true. For one, how do randomly-manifesting tape recorders listening in on what is happening to you feed the fear of being manipulated or losing control? The recorders themselves are passive; they almost never impact the actions of the characters themselves. In fact, most of the time they’re completely ignored - especially in S5. Though it’s true that Web-touched artifacts like Jon’s lighter often get swept past and left unconsidered to benefit the Web’s plan, that isn’t really what’s happening here. They’re very aware that these tape recorders aren’t normal (MAG161):

MARTIN: Hey – Hey, when did you start recording?

ARCHIVIST: (confusion) I – didn’t. I only brought one, and I’ve been using it to play the tapes.

MARTIN: Oh. (sigh) That’s not a great sign.

ARCHIVIST: No. No, it’s not.

And again in MAG181:

SALESA: Now tell me, do you know why there’s a tape recorder here? I noticed it just now, but I don’t believe I actually own one.

ARCHIVIST: Uh… Not really.

MARTIN: They sort of just… follow us round.

This doesn’t really sound like something that would fit the Web. You could argue that the recorders are the Web’s way of getting information on what’s going on with Jon and Martin, but they already use spiders for that. Also, the recorders were still able to manifest within Upton House (!!!) where supposedly no power could get through. But it’s not like there’s some Other eldritch entity unrelated to the Fears that the recorders could be related to, so how was the recorder able to manifest?

I think it has to do with how Salesa’s broken camera is related to the Fears. It was unclear which fear it was aligned to in this episode, only that it feeds on “the quiet worries that come from living in hiding” (MAG181). That’s why I started this whole thing talking about Smirke’s list. I don’t really know which of the fears that would apply to. Honestly, of the main 14, it could apply to a combination: The Dark (fear of not knowing what’s out there beyond your sanctuary), the Lonely (fear of hiding alone for the rest of your life), and the End (Fear of the inevitable collapse of your safe haven and your death.) I really don’t think it could be any one of these fears alone, only a combination could explain the camera’s existence.

The weird thing, though, is that we’ve never really seen an artifact this complicated before. Most artifacts had a pretty basic, non-nuanced relationship to the fears. Never as vague as this camera.

Unless!

THE BROKEN CAMERA IS AN ARTIFACT OF THE EXTINCTION!

If you think about it, all of the aspects I mentioned above for the fear of being in hiding can be connected to the extinction.

The Dark: The Fear of not knowing what’s out there beyond your sanctuary The Extinction: The fear of what’s beyond your safe haven, what’s changed without you being there

The Lonely: The Fear of hiding alone for the rest of your life The Extinction: The fear of being the last person alive, forced to reckon with the changed world/whatever you’re hiding from alone

The End: The Fear of the inevitable collapse of your safe haven and your death The Extinction: The fear of being the last of what’s left of humanity, with the end of your life being the end of all of us

Not only that, but the camera itself is a manmade device (with the extinction having heavy technological themes). It’s also prime real estate to feed on the fears of those with bunkers/doomsday preppers, and Salesa’s acquisition of it was DIRECTLY related to wanting to survive a potential apocalypse. Even if it weren’t inherently extinction related from the beginning, its current use means that the fear it’s absorbing IS extinction related, whether or not that was the reason for its original manifestation.

So with the broken camera being an artifact related to the extinction, what does that mean for the tape recorders?

What if the reason the tape recorders can manifest within the Upton House is because they share an entity with the camera? And they can exacerbate the fear of being in hiding without removing the hiding aspect that makes it work? (after all, the tape recorders did first manifest again after the change when Jon and Martin were in hiding at the safehouse.)

Same with the creature of the Crawling Rot that paid Salesa a visit, the tape recorders can serve to remind the user of the camera that their bunker is not impenetrable. The reason it’s different from the corruption creature is that the tape recorder was Able to manifest within Upton House rather than just wander in. If it’s not related to feeding the same fear as the camera, why would the camera let it in at a risk of ruining its purpose?

The tape recorders’ connection with the broken camera seems to point to them being extinction-aligned, but they also serve as a form of record of How the World Changed and What is Left Without Us. This concept was a huge aspect of S5’s extinction statement (MAG175) as well.

This raises a lot of questions about why the tape recorders manifest for Jon specifically. Is he an extinction-aligned eye avatar? Are they not Really his, but manifest around him as they recognize his importance in the story of the apocalypse (which would make sense, since tapes have manifested for Just martin throughout S4 and S5)?  What does this mean for the extinction and how the Change can be reversed? I’m not really sure to be honest!! I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Starting at the beginning of S5, though, I thought that the podcast had to end with Jon’s death, as the tape recorders, a part of Jon, are the way we hear what actually happens in the podcast. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case anymore. The recorders, as manifestations of the extinction, wanted to drink in the fear of an incoming/ongoing disaster. It’s extremely likely they wouldn’t care to hear the relief of a saved world.

[retroateez]

Prophecy - Chapter Seven

wc; 2433

You had assumed that you'd end up in prison one day. But not the one time you haven't actually stolen anything.

"I wasn't stealing anything!" You protested loudly as the guards dragged you along. "I'm not a thief!"

Of course, they hadn't believed you, which was why you were currently curled up on the cold, stone floor of the castle prison.

According to the guards infernal teasing, you were one of multiple thieves caught that day alone, and incedently the last straw for the kingsguard. They had been instructed to bring any other thieves directly to the castle instead of the general prison in the lower settlements of the city for the irritated kingsguard to personally deal with.

Just your luck.

You sat in the tiny cell; 3 rough cobblestone walls and a dark iron gate you have to call home for god knows how long.

Huddled on the ground, your mind wanders back to Yeosang.

Back to Yeosang and how he simply abandoned you in the market, allowing the guards to drag you away and throw you in this dingy castle cellar.

You knew deep down that finding someone as generous and selfless as Yeosang was too good to be true, his immediate welcoming aura should've been suspicious to you. Nobody is ever that nice.  It was a shame that he ended up proving you right.

You just hope he didn't truly leave you here.

He's all you have.

With a groan, you haul yourself off the floor and stretch your limbs out; you can't see the outside from your cell, but you're certain the sun has set in the hours you've been confined in the castle prison.

Pacing back and forth through the cell, you don't notice two guards- different from the ones who arrested you- unlock the heavy metal door.

"Prancing about like a little fairy, are we?" One of them sneers.

The other grabs you harshly by your wrists, pulling them behind you and binding them together with a scratchy length of rope.

"Kingsguard wants to meet you, little fairy." His face contorts into the ugliest expression you've ever seen. You think it's supposed to resemble a menacing grin, but the lack of joy this vile human has ever experienced prevents him from actually being able to smile.

"He's intrigued about our sweet little thief," the other continues. "Not often we get a lady prisoner down here."

You don't need to be a genius to figure out what they're thinking.

So instead, you stay quiet and let them push you through the cobblestone hallway of the prison, up until you're face to face with giant, mahogany doors.

The guard tugs the ropes impossibly tighter around your wrists and you wonder whether or not your hands are getting any blood circulation.

Probably not.

"You try anything in front of the kingsguard..." The second guard flashes his glistening sword threateningly around the side of your neck, running the edge of the blade gently across your skin and making you shudder.

You're pretty sure you understand what he's getting at.

They carry on escorting you through the castle, through hallways lined with plush crimson rugs and exquisite paintings hanging on the walls. Floor to ceiling curtains hang on almost every wall, illuminated a deep wine red by the torches glowing throughout the passage.

You pass a set of grand doors on your right, only allowing you a brief peek inside, but you're stunned.

What you assume to be the grand hall of the castle, is absolutely breath-taking.

You only catch a glimpse of the polished brown tile floor and the oak dining tables stretched out from one end of the hall to the other, which seem to extend for miles. You can't even begin to imagine the extravagant balls and banquets the king holds in there. The guards quickly whisk you into a room just beyond the hall doors, ripping you from the luxurious daydream you had begun to imagine.

The room is a neat, box-shape, with pale grey stone walls and the same blood red curtains decorating the walls to your left and your right. In front of you, the stone walls are replaced with gorgeous stained glass windows, which you can only imagine filter in a spectrum of colours in the sunlight. However, the darkness offers no beauty to the glass pictures, and the colours sit stagnant, miserable and dull in their panes.

Between you and the windows, was a large, oak desk, littered with various books, letters and empty ink bottles. Whoever wrote at this desk clearly had an issue with organisation, you think.

You needn't look very far for the culprit; to your right is a very tall and slender man (not as tall as Yunho, you note) standing before a exceptionally carved bookcase, pouring over a book he's holding gently in his hands.

The guard holding your bound wrists coughs, and the tall man snaps his book shut with a start.

"Have you never heard of knocking?!" He seethes, whipping his head round to glare at the source of his interruption.

Momentarily, your brain stops and you're sure you feel your jaw drop. (It does).

He is...

"Handsome?" The man quips with a knowing smirk. "I know"

He places the book back into place with ease, slotting it between the other books like he's done it a million times before, and slowly makes his way over to you.

You watch as he moves, almost like a cat he's wary and precise, but in the same way he's sleek and graceful. He wastes zero movement, not making any unnecessary steps and always being on his guard.

His figure is tall and lean, with a narrow face and cheekbones that Aphrodite herself must've sculpted. He's got huge, rich brown eyes, piercing but you sense enough softness in them to make even the coldest heart melt. His hair is raven black, a fair portion of it hanging down over his left eye. Dressed in a fitted, raven black coat and trouser ensemble, he looks incredibly intimidating. In short, he is very, very, very attractive.

He's also far from impressed at your presence.

"So, another thief caught in our market today, hm?" He towers over you threateningly and you find yourself refusing to meet his gaze.

"Yes, sir," The guard begins. "She was ste-"

"I wasn't talking to you." The painfully beautiful man snaps sharply, his piercing glare boring straight into the guards eyes and halting his flow of speech abruptly.

"Right," the guard nods meekly; if he had a tail you're certain he'd be tucking it between his legs. "Sorry, Seonghwa, sir."

Seonghwa sighs deeply and takes a step back from you, placing his palms flat against the desk and leaning on it, observing you in a way that makes you incredibly uncomfortable.

"I'll be honest, a sweet little thing like you was the last thing I expected these lumbering fools to bring through my doors." he chuckles almost dismissively, like he suddenly thinks you're not worth the time and effort to speak to just because you aren't the typical drunken fool he usually has to deal with.

You frown as he speaks; were all royal employees patronising arseholes?

Despite your distaste for his character, you still couldn't bring yourself to look him in the eye, instead keeping your gaze fixed adamantly on the lavish carpet underneath your filthy shoes.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you." his voice plummets an octave or two, and your head tilts upwards to meet his gaze before you even register the movement.

It seems you forgot exactly who this man was. You'd never met a kingsguard before, (probably because you'd never been in a castle), but you knew he was extremely powerful and important.

Essentially the king's right hand man, Seonghwa could order you to be killed purely for his own amusement.

"That's better." He has the audacity to smirk, and you want nothing more to slap it off his stupidly handsome face. But considering how your hands are still tightly restrained behind your back, you don't.

"So," Seonghwa sighs. "Would you like to tell me why you thought stealing from the market was a good idea?"

You scan his face carefully. You can tell he's already on edge, what from the countless other thieves he's dealt with today, as well as other pressures from holding a key role in the kingdom. You don't particularly care about the condescending kingsguard has to deal with day to day and how stressed he is, but you do care about your own head, so trying your best not to anger him even more would be the safest course of action.

"I was-wasn't!" You stumble over your words, groaning internally when Seonghwa's eyebrows knit together.

"Oh?" He pushes himself off the table towards you once more, piercing your eyes with his own penetrating glare. "Now you think it's okay to lie to me?"

"No! I didn't steal anything I swe-"

Your rambling is cut off by Seonghwa grabbing roughly at your shoulders and bringing his face level with yours.

"Be quiet." He growls. "I was willing to listen to you, but clearly you think lying to me is accept"

Seonghwa turns his attention back to guards, straightening out his posture and somehow looking even more menacing than before.

"Take her back to her cell. I have more important matters to attend to at the moment. More important than some filthy street rat, anyway. I'll visit later and we can discuss the situation then."

With that he turns away from you, and you don't see what he does next because the guards have already shoved you out of Seonghwa's study and halfway down the hallway.

They waste no time locking you back up like some common criminal, although to them that's exactly what you are.

You throw yourself down into the corner and eye the guards, who are now standing on duty just to the left of your cell.

"Seonghwa's in a right foul mood today" one of them grumbles.

"King's been banging on about that fuckin' prophecy again." the other replies. "You know how hassled they get over it."

Prophecy? What on earth were they talking about?

"It's a load of horseshit if you ask me. Written in the stars? There's more truth in the shit on the bottom of my boots." the guard mocks with a short laugh, which sounds more like the grunting of a very large pig.

"Whatever it is, the king goes mad over it so shut your trap. If he catches you takin' the piss he'll have your head for it."

You tune out the rest of their conversation, wondering whether or not the plan formulating in your head could work. It's not like you have any other choice though, is it?

Yeosang left you here, in the clutches of the stuck-up royal assholes. You doubt he knew they took you directly to the castle, but that was besides the point. He left you. And you didn't know if he would try and get you out. So the only person who can help you, is yourself.

And you had just the plan.

---

Hours pass until you hear the unfamilar clacking of shoes echoing through the prison hallway, bringing you out of your slumber.

"Sleeping, little thief?" your sleepy eyes snap open and you find yourself staring up at Seonghwa, who is unfortunately, still as stunning as before.

You pick yourself up off the floor, moving slightly closer to the iron gate, but not too close.

"Scared?" he questions mockingly. "I won't bite".

You remain silent, only eyeing him with a steely gaze.

"We have two options here, my love." Seonghwa looks at you with an expression you can't quite read. All you can tell is that the kingsguard loves to mock and play mind games with you. And this is a game you do not have the time, nor the patience for.

"I can let you go, at the price of risking you stealing from our poor merchants again, which, and I'm sure you'll understand, is something I and the rest of the royal court do not want."

You raise an eyebrow, waiting for the catch. There's always a catch.

"Or... I can order to have you killed. Meaning there's zero possibility of you thieving, bothering, or annoying me ever again, which, and once again I'm sure you'll understand, works out much better for me."

He stands on the other side of the gate, a smug smirk painted on his face. You'd love nothing more than to punch him straight between the eyes.

"I'm not too sure you'd want to have me killed though, Mr. Kingsguard." you quip, watching his face contort into one of both intrigue and confusion.

"And why would that be?"

"Because I have information I'm sure the king would be thrilled to have." Seonghwa's face drops somewhat, the traces of sarcasm wash away and are replaced with caution. He's wary of you; you can see it in the way he's standing with his arms folded tightly across his chest, signifying he doesn't quite believe you yet, but the way he's ever so slightly leaning forward towards you shows you that just one more tiny push and the kingsguard will be wrapped around your little finger. Here goes nothing.

"Information regarding what exactly?" he asks.

"The prophecy, of course." you reply matter-of-factly.

Seonghwa's jaw falls open and his eyebrows band together. His deep hazel eyes lose their patronizing glint and he stares at you in bewilderment.

There's a brief pause and a tense silence between you while the kingsguard collects his thoughts.

Suddenly, he clears his throat and straightens his posture, tugging the collar of his smart, black uniform around his neck.

"Very well," he responds at last. "I'll arrange a meeting with the King himself, and if I catch even a whiff of bullshit from you, little thief, you'll be buried six feet under quicker than you can say kingsguard." Seonghwa departs with a growl, turning on his heel and marching out of the prison, his polished, heeled boots clacking against the stone as he strides.

You exhale heavily, letting out a breath you didn't even know you were holding.

You didn't know whether meeting the King and attempting to convince him you were an expert on something you had literally never heard of before was better or worse than being executed and buried six feet deep underground, but now it was clear you really had no choice.

What on earth had you gotten yourself into?

Chapter Eight

[marvelandponder]

You Might Wanna Stop That, Glim Glam

Or maybe not? 

Dark magic in Equestria is a subject I’ve been pretty interested in since its first appearance in The Crystal Empire Parts 1& 2. Especially seeing how our introduction to it involved this:

And, what’s scary about all that is that it’s pretty easy to pick up. Just based on that very vague description about hatred and fear and the demonstration, Twilight was able to replicate the spell later in the episode (keeping in mind she’s still a unicorn, so it doesn’t even take alicorn power levels).

So, not only is Princess Celestia able to cast some dark magic, our main character has been capable of casting dark magic spells for 3 going on 4 seasons now. A fact which has never been questioned once.

Dark magic, as the name so helpfully suggests, usually has some morality issues attached to it. Or at least some grey areas. As opposed to white magic (which Wikipedia tells me is what it’s actually called), dark or black magic is often depicted as some kind of ritualistic practice usually used for sinister and/or selfish gain.

Hell, just look... pretty much anywhere else in pop culture. In the Harry Potter series, the dark arts are practiced by Voledemort and his sordid crew, it’s something to be defended against if you’re a good wizard. In Lord of the Rings, dark magic is used to forge the One Ring---’nuff said there.

And yet, there seems to be some grey areas when using dark magic in the land of Equestria.

Often, enchanted objects like the Alicorn Amulet or the cursed spell book use some form of dark magic to corrupt the user. I mean, at one point Trixie wanted Rainbow Dash to “writhe in agony.”

And yet using dark magic in small doses like Celestia and Twilight do in The Crystal Empire doesn’t seem to have consequences. It also takes a while to be addictive, like it is for Rarity, because Twilight uses it at least twice in the episode, and then again a season later to use Zecora’s memory potion in Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1.

So with that established, it seems to be a powerful, non-alicorn could learn to use dark magic in small doses and not feel the effects Trixie, Rarity, or even, to use an extreme, King Sombra did.

And who do we know that can justify the use most any kind of magic, if put under enough pressure?

Starlight Doesn’t Play Well with Others--- Just Magic

I think in particular there’s three aspects of Starlight’s character I personally like most and that’s:

1) The snarky and even cynical sense of humour she manages to sneak into the most optimistic show I know (without taking away from the light-heartedness), 2) The anxiety she has about socializing in general despite being a Friendship student (this, as Gamelink Reviews so awesomely pointed out, makes the most sense as Social Anxiety Disorder)--- which kinda helps explain the whole never tried visiting Sunburst thing, by the way. and 3) Her fun interpretation of morality when it comes to magic.

Every Little Thing She Does was a lot of fun for me because of how it incorporated all three. She’s very obviously in the wrong, but as the episode shows you instead of just telling you, she’s still extremely dependent on her natural aptitude towards magic, so that’s the solution that makes the most sense to her.

Especially when she’s anxious about disappointing her teacher and new friends (seriously, go watch Gamelink’s theory, it makes so much sense). She means surprisingly well for someone who can justify actual mind control to get a task done.

And, by the way, that habit of combining spells seems to be something she and Sunburst share. If you remember, Sunburst’s solution to the problem in The Crystalling was to combine the relic reconstitution spell with a whole whack of other spells and the Crystalling itself. Plus, Starlight never would’ve been able to do all that time-travel magic if she hadn’t combined Starswirl’s time-travel spell with the map’s Harmony magic!

This, by the way, makes me wonder if Starlight was ever really as powerful as Twilight. Like, it kinda makes you scratch your head when you see an alicorn and a unicorn reach a stalemate in a magic duel--- Twilight should be more powerful than Starlight, right?

But perhaps Starlight’s natural abilities in magic are actually just about the same as Twilight’s were when she was unicorn---except, when Starlight uses strategies like combing spells to make them more powerful, she can match wits with her.

That would certainly make more sense to me (you would have to be a very masterful spell caster to do that, so she’s still quite a powerful unicorn and it’s not something just anyone could do---in fact, in the Crystalling, Sunburst gives all those different spells to a number of different magic users).

Combining spells is a simple yet awesome concept, but that does bring me back on topic, at long, long last: Are any of the spells Starlight has used so far dark magic? And if so, are there any implications to that?

[Light spoilery sentence ahead] I might need to update this post when season 7 comes out judging by those spectacular teasers, but for now, how’s about we go for a spin on Glim Glam’s wild ride?

Starlight, Starbright

Let’s start back at the most logical place to start: the beginning, and Starlight’s Cutie Mark Stealing spell.

By the way, should any of the spells she uses be dark magic, it might explain why she’s able to perform them. Like I alluded to earlier, as naturally gifted a magic user as she is, she’s still just a unicorn. Dark magic spells, on the other hand, seem to give the user access to a greater amount of power that they wouldn’t have previously been able to use on their own. Just look at Trixie.

It’s sort of like the Dark Side of the The Force from Star Wars, except it’s used a lot less frequently in MLP.

So, the Cutie Mark Stealing spell.

Watch this scene again and tell me if you notice any out of place details.

Wow, you already caught it? Geez, you guys are smart, what am I even here for?

Well, I’m still going to ramble on, just so I can hear myself type! As you remember from watching the episode, the Staff of Sameness there is just an old piece of driftwood Starlight found in the desert, just a lightning rod for her magic---meaning, all magic used in this scene comes from her.

But not all magic she uses in this scene is the same colour.

We can see that the light from the Cutie Mark vault is thrown over everything, so it might be easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, but when Starlight levitates the staff of sameness, the magic she’s using is her own light teal.

However, when she uses the Staff of Sameness as a conduit for the Cutie Mark Stealing spell, the magic is an entirely different colour and comes out in a powerful blast. It’s more... baby green, if you will. Kinda sickly looking.

Kinda exactly like the magic Rarity used in Inspiration Manifestation, or at least the parts around her eyes.

Sure, they’re different spells, and dark magic has come in a few different fashionable colours, but that’s a pretty dead on match in my books.

But... the eyes have it, don’t they?

Whenever dark magic has been used by someone in this series, there’s usually a pretty easy tell, but Starlight’s eyes are clear. Welp, that’s my theory busted. Go home, everybody!

But, then again, this isn’t the Alicorn Amulet, Rarity’s book of curses, or the hate and fear thing. It’s not coming from an external source, and it’s not coming from emotions deep within. This is a specific spell with a specific purpose.

In the same way that Friendship and Love magic turns the users’ eyes white, it might be true that there are some spells more powerful than others on either side of the spectrum, and those are the ones more likely to have an effect on your physical appearance.

There’s also the fact that Starlight’s very methodical about how she presents herself to the ponies in her village. Every night, she uses make-up to cover up her cutie mark.

Starlight’s magic being in two different colours is a small detail, but if her eyes were to glow green or something of that nature, don’t you think that would make it harder for her villagers to buy into her beliefs? Oh, we’ll definitely trust the pony with the sinister glowing eyes!

... Unless there’s an added bonus to using that piece of driftwood. Some way to hide the effects so if she is using dark magic, ponies can’t see it in her eyes.

Maybe the only reason Starlight is levitating that stick is so she has something to levitate. As in, maybe she’s using a levitation spell to cover up the fact that she’s using dark magic.

Come to think of it, Starlight’s now famous for combining spells, so we know she can cast more than one at once. If a simple levitation spell keeps the magic around her horn bluish teal, maybe it can also keep her eyes clear.

When she had it, Rarity used her dark magic for everything, including levitation, but Starlight has reason to hide it. So, she’s really just levitating the staff to appear as if the dark magic in the Cutie Mark Stealing spell isn’t effecting her. Both hiding the fact the she’s not all that equal to the others and that she’s using something far more sinister to take away their cutie marks.

So, the first spell we’ve examined and already we found our answer: Starlight has used dark magic. We’ll talk about what that means in a sec.

For now the question becomes, does she still use it, even after being reformed?

We already mentioned how the time-travel spell she uses is really just a combination of two powerful types of magic (hence how she could do it and not another great wizard like Starswirl the Bearded), and both of those are on the up and up, I think. The map’s Harmony magic doesn’t need our scrutiny, and Starswirl’s time travel spell originally didn’t do any harm---it’s supposed to be a paradox-correcting time-spell.

But that’s not the last time Starlight dabbles in powerful magic, and here’s where things get even more interesting.

You would think the spells Starlight’s using in Every Little Thing She Does would qualify as dark magic. Together, they make a mind control spell, and even on their own they sound pretty sketchy. Fiducio Compellus? Persaudari? Those sound like the kinds of spells some evil royal adviser would use in a Disney movie.

But, even when those spells are combined, Starlight’s magic doesn’t change appearance in any way. And in fact, when Starlight completes the spell, her eyes go white.

Now we’ve definitely seen that before:

But hang on, that doesn’t mean Starlight’s spells are necessarily good---this just in, mind control: still evil, free will: kinda important.

Instead it seems to indicate “white” or Harmony magic we would normally classify as good, and the dark magic we know corrupts most every user it comes in contact with after prelonged exposure, aren’t necessarily coded as Good magic and Evil magic.

One tends to be righteous and good and the other not so much, but there can be grey areas. Less powerful spells here and there that fall under the categories of either white or dark magic, but can be used in ways other than they were intended to be used, if the magician is resourceful like Starlight. 

This is important because, this sort of gives us some context as to why Starlight would try to combine these spells. They’re not inherently bad---none of them are dark magic spells. It’s just, the way she uses them that makes them a wee bit evil.

That makes a ton of sense, given her experience. Back when Starlight was a dictator, she used a dark magic spell to get what she wanted, but, she felt, in small enough doses or infrequently enough that it wouldn’t effect her too much.

We can’t know how much it actually affected her but even if it did, Starlight’s always been good at justifying morally questionable things for a good cause. And especially if there are smaller less powerful dark magic spells that don’t corrupt the user---meaning, it’d be easy to justify using Evil/dark magic if you can use it in a good way. 

... She’d kick ass in debate club, let me tell you.

In my recent Top 10 Reformed Villains list, I suggested Starlight might have developed this debate-winning ability because of the cycle she trapped herself in after Sunburst left---which was a catalyst, to be sure, but not the actual reason she was alone. With Gamelink’s helpful diagnosis of Social Anxiety, I would wager Starlight developed that reasoning the more she isolated herself.

After all, even in real life the more you isolate yourself, the more insecure you get that if you did try to reach out, you’d only be rejected. Which means you go into social situations looking for that rejection, and that in turn makes social situations a much more nerve-wracking process.

But, knowing Starlight, I suggested in those lonely years she’d be looking for something to blame other than herself or Sunburst, who she still thought fondly of, it seems. And that’s where the cutie mark thing slowly developed---as a way to push the blame anywhere but on herself.

It’s why Twilight’s line at the end of the Cutie Remark is so effective in getting Starlight to reform:

Twi: “So try again! Make new friends! And if something happens that you can’t control changes things, work through it together. That’s what friendship is! ... Just imagine all the friendships waiting for you if you just give them a chance.” Star: “How do I know they won’t all end the same way?” Twi: “I guess it’s up to you to make sure they don’t.”

And at that point, Starlight decides to take responsibility for her relationships, for everything. Even though she ended up getting off too easily in the punishment department (probably), she wasn’t going to blame anyone or anything else for her failures.

No more going after Twilight in a twisted, sadistic way to get back at her for ruining her perfect village (eye for an eye justice; how Babylonian of you, Starlight)---she knew she was a dictator/cult leader, and the ponies took their marks back by choice because they wanted to.

And even though she’s had to deal with her fair share of anxieties going forward into season six, she’s still living by that motto. 

She reunited with Sunburst. She made a new friend in Trixie decided to followup after their first fight. She, uh, tried to follow Twilight’s instructions and not let her down (even if she still misses the point sometimes). And in the end, assumed the responsibility of a leader again without the crutches of magic or throwing the blame elsewhere if something were to go awry.

So, knowing that, it’s easy to see why she could justify some messed up spells.

First and foremost, like we said, they probably aren’t dark magic, if for no other reason than the fact that I think after taking responsibility for her usage last time, she’d probably want to avoid it. At least, so long as the situation isn’t truly desperate. 

Second, justification should really be her special talent. She can convince herself of anything.

Third, she obviously shouldn’t have used magic at all, but that’s the point: we know her anxiety (whether you agree that it’s actual Social Anxiety Disorder or not) clouded her ability to see what Twilight actually expected of her was just to spend some time with them. 

Starlight’s anxieties and doubts can still make normal social situations into pressure cookers, if she worries enough. It really does make her a regular Crazy Twi.

You know, season 2 Twilight, who famously decided to make a friendship problem by... using a ‘Want it Need it” spell which... in hindsight seems a bit close to mind control in and of itself.

And that time she was so stressed about and impending disaster she wanted to stop time itself forever?

On Equestria Daily, (correct me if I’m wrong) but I believe it was Sethisto who explained that Starlight’s appeal to him was that she reminded him of the mad scientist aspect of Twilight’s character from the old days. I, for one, definitely agree.

Starlight’s unique in other ways (for instance, a constant fear of rejection that Twilight never really had), but in that respect she really does take after her teacher. An anxiety-prone lunatic with god-like powers and the intellect to work around their own limitations.

That’s what makes this snarky maniac so interesting to me. She’s certainly complex. Despite the fact she means well and genuinely does want to make friendships, she’s our gateway into some really dark, questionable areas. Or, depending on how she uses magic and why, maybe just grey areas. It’s what makes her redemption worthwhile to me.

Well, that, and the cute friendships she’s made along the way, of course.

And with that said, here’s to a new season! May we see her wrestling match with morality and friendship develop new and interesting ways.

MLP editorials? You want them? I’ve got loads! In fact, this post marks the 20th MLP editorial I’ve written (I just get a kick out of the fact that it’s releasing on March 20th), and you can find them all right here! Or if you’d rather, here are the most recent three, right here for the clicking:

IDW Comics, Derpy Editorial, and Top 10 Redeemed Villains

Year of the Pony

Header Image Wouldn’t be Possible Without...

Magic Circle by BlackPaperMoon-95 Canterlot Background by EStories Starlight Vector by Osipush

All the part of that image were edited to fit together, as usual, but these are the people who made them beautiful to begin with! Go check out those talented artists!

Transmutation and Summoning Circles Only Ever End Well, Obviously

[yeozus]

[ 18, 19, 22, 33, 46, 50 ]

출처 :  SUPER DETAILED QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR OCS !지위 :  ACCEPTING !

18.  WHAT’S THEIR FAVOURITE GENRE OF :  BOOKS,  MUSIC,  TV SHOWS,  FILMS, VIDEO GAMES  &  ANYTHING ELSE ?

⸢  †  ⸥       hunter tends to be very finicky  when it comes to personal entertainment - as he is someone woven into the industry,  he draws inspiration and ideas for his own  livelihood  from that with which he surrounds himself.  in the realm of  music,  however,  he’s the most versatile ;  as he’ll listen to nearly anything that creates a sound of which he is fond.  genres closest to his heart tend to identify themselves as either rap or r&b,  with rock as a very close third.  he likes upbeat music,  though often does indulge in tracks with which he can emotionally relate.  

               never was he a very avid reader,  as his attention span is somewhat short.  thus,  a  book  often needs a suspenseful or mysterious factor to keep him interested,  though he can’t ignore the ache of his heart that ensues with well articulated romance,  as he himself wears his heart upon his sleeve.  films,  for hunter’s love,  must be of a similar caliber - though with the added requirement of eye-catching and memorable visuals and aesthetic qualities.  he’ll easily write a film off as boring if the story and the visuals lack - he feels as though these enhancements of the ordinary should live up to that standard,  for viewing pleasure and memorability.  

               he watches  television  only slightly more than he reads - and solely because he has to supervise what his daughter ingests from the colorful screen plastered against the wall.  he finds most shows too bland to watch religiously,  aside from a few particular series that have earned a place beyond his heart - though,  he doesn’t hold tv shows to the same standard as movies,  since they are meant to be simpler and build over a much longer duration.  he likes shows that have a sustainable plot or premise,  though have aspects of life to which he can relate or  ponder over.  he likes when a show gets him thinking.  

               and with what little time he has on his hands,   video games  are a rarity,  though he enjoys them.  the recurring theme applies - a strong,  developing story with appreciable characters and emotional value.  this considered,  he tends to like action and adventure games,  though he does like competition based games when friends are around to play them with - as often they leave space to create fond memories. 

19.  WHAT ARE THEIR LEAST FAVOURITE GENRES ?

               he has no distinct  “least favourite”  label  for anything he is unfond of - because it often fails to follow any true regularity or pattern.  albeit,  similar to most anyone else,  his dislikes tend to  negate his likes  in some ways - music that is too slow without an emotional appeal,  books that progress far too slowly or not at all - those lines tend to be adhered to in most instances.  however,  there are quite a few exceptions,  and this is because hunter’s soul is too free to really define or encapsulate within just a few descriptive words.  to put it most simply,  he likes what he likes.  he’d prefer not to strive too hard to contain what he prefers and its inverse beneath any labels or collections.  

               there exists,  however,  one  thing that never fails to have his nose turn up or his eyes narrow with distaste - and that is anything that constricts  (  or attempts such  )  his freedom.  it may seem unheard of for any form of media to carry out such a detrimental outcome,  but as before stated,  for hunter the majority of these preferences are wells from which he draws up inspiration - a  massive  factor in his life and career ;  too massive to be compromised in any way.  an example of this may be a piece of music that attempts to force some ideal onto him,  or even the opposite - music with no intent at all,  but only seems to be thoughtless rambling over a beat.  this standard is applicable to all selections of created media,  and in the age of yellow journalism in all its forms,  it is certainly less than difficult to come across - although  difficult to detect  at times.  

22. WHAT ARE THEIR FAVOURITE INSULTS TO USE ?   WHAT DO THEY INSULT PEOPLE FOR ?   OR DO THEY PREFER TO BITCH BEHIND SOMEONE’S BACK ?

               if approached personally on the matter,  hunter would somewhat proudly imply that he is  fluent in talking shit,  which though this is an exaggeration of sorts,  does harbor some truth.  if he feels that he is wronged a great deal  (  more often than not,  those who are not as close to him would feel the sting of his words,  as his heart is often too soft to upbraid those nearest to it - most of the time,  )  than he will hardly hesitate to express this in a manner most likely directed by impulse.  while lessening impetuous anger is a feat that he has diligently attempted to eradicate from his set list of tendencies and behaviours,  he has his moments of outburst.  he would not  openly  admit it,  but he can hold quite a grudge if the subject truly harmed or wronged him to a considerable extent - most of which cases involve deceit,  violence,  or unexplained betrayal on part of the other party. 

               his most frequent insults are  bitch  or  cunt  by far - which may seem like feminine derogatory terms at first glance,  but to hunter they are gender neutral and he would use them for someone he sees as deserving,  regardless of gender or sex.  on a lesser scale  (  though he tends to use the aforementioned two in a jovial manner as well,  )  he may utilize  bastard  or  hoe  in playful banter or in expression of a light,  but very temporary displeasure with someone whom he is comfortable.  there is a wide spectrum of words he may use altogether,  but these are substantially more likely to flow with little thought past his lips.  

                 on the matter of  confrontation,  he is more likely than not audacious enough to approach someone with which he runs into a problem.  his position of authority in his career allows him to do this with little nerve  (  in light of the issue,  of course  )  though if the issue at hand is heavier or deeper than the standard miscommunication,  he may take a moment to dwell on it or vent to a trusted loved one and absorb whatever advice they may offer him.  he rarely talks behind others’ backs,  at least not before he has approached the subject of his words first  (  or before he has planned to.  )  

33.  WHAT UNDERWEAR DO THEY WEAR ?  BOXERS OR BRIEFS? LACEY ?   COMFY GRANNY PANTIES ?

               aligning with his gender identity,  hunter is comfortable in either men’s or women’s underwear in a general sense - most casually,  he could be discovered wearing a pair of  designer  boxer-briefs.  he strays away from regular boxers because they are too loose,  as even with undergarments,  he likes a tight,  somewhat customized fit.  for a  special occasion  (  often a sexual encounter or solely because he just wants to feel  sexy,  )  he will indulge in lingerie - as he owns quite a few pairs of panties falling into this category.  this collection ranges from lace to see-through to a combination of both - he likes to accentuate his  assets  in a way that he would deem irresistible,  or tantalizing.  he doesn’t find comfort to be an issue with any of the underwear he owns,  however,  as he’s grown accustomed to the way they fit him  (  or his  endowment, rather.  )  

46.  DO THEY MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION ?  DOES THEIR FIRST IMPRESSION REFLECT THEM ACCURATELY ?  HOW DO THEY INTRODUCE THEMSELVES ?

               usually, he makes an amiable or charming  first impression - though obviously,  this is not always the case.  he makes a rather subconscious attempt to make a good first impression,  for he abides by the philosophy that  trying too hard  diminishes its intended effect,  and being natural or mostly natural is the best option.  that being said,  he is typically genuinely himself and not much will change as he and the other party grow closer or see each other more frequently - at least in terms of how hunter presents himself,  as it takes him quite a while to trust or open up to an individual.  though it will be understandably different if said introduction takes place in a casual or business setting - the way he speaks or carries himself may differ between these two realms,  though his self-reality will not see much distortion.  

               despite his free-spirited or  conform-less  tendencies,  hunter actually does follow a pattern when introducing himself,  though he hardly realizes it.  usually when giving his name,  he emulates the  james bond-esque  style - given name - surname,  given name.  he finds that saying his given name twice and placing a bit of emphasis on his surname increases the probability that his name will be remembered  (  though with fame,  that’s hardly ever an issue for him.  )

50.  IF THEY COULD ONLY TAKE ONE BAG OF STUFF SOMEWHERE WITH THEM :  WHAT WOULD THEY PACK ?  WHAT DO THEY CONSIDER THEIR ESSENTIALS ? 

               hunter would fill his bag with supplies he needs to work -  a sketchpad,  a pencil and a set of coloured pencils or watercolors,  one of his cameras,  and if he could fit it into his bag,  his laptop  (  or tablet,  if more convenient.  )  he would also prepare however many outfits he would need,  and surely have them fit the occasion or the aesthetic of the place to where he is travelling.  with that,  he’d bring quite a bit of jewelry since he tends to change his mind about what goes the very  best  for the look of choice,  and a backup pair of shoes for each outfit.  he’d,  of  course,  bring his phone and its charger,  necessary undergarments and toiletries,  and grooming supplies.  needless to say,  if he had a one-bag limit,  he would take advantage of that and use a rather  large  bag.