Friendship is Card Games: Magical Mystery Cure · 1:32pm Jan 24th, 2016
Hello all. I…
No, no, this isn’t right. Not for this one. I'm going to need to stretch my multimedia capabilities to their absolute limit. Hang on a moment…
Well, that should tell you something about my multimedia capabilities. 
In any case, we have come full circle, and now it’s time to bring this to a close. Up until Season 6 starts, anyway. 
But seriously, after the literal thousands of cards I’ve made over the past few years, I’m pretty sure I qualify as Prince of Card Games. Hopefully, the position doesn’t come with ridiculous hair.
Speaking of earning a royal title, I think that’s enough self-congratulatory back patting for now. Let’s start looking at the actual episode.
This episode set the standard for pony musicals. If there’s a song before the theme, something is going to change Equestria as we know it. If there’s a song immediately after the theme, Weird Al is guest-starring. And he’ll provide a MacGuffin that will later help change Equestria as we know it.
Heh. Human Twilight isn’t the only one who walks around singing to herself. Though I doubt she ever got anyone to join in with the dancing. Especially not a waiter on a restaurant table. Ew.
Interesting that Twilight refers to Ponyville as hers. Yes, it could just be that it’s supplanted Canterlot as the place where she feels at home, but there may be something a bit deeper. After all the times she’s saved it, it makes sense that she’d be a little possessive, even before her ascension. In any case, it will certainly remain her center of operations. I wonder how much pressure there was for her to move back to the capital before the Palace-Tree sprouted.
The cutie mark swap is bizarre on a number of levels. The memory alteration and physical exchange of rump icons, but Rarity is a special case of further peculiarity: She develops skills she almost certainly didn't have before. Trixie has demonstrated that unicorns can employ weather magic, but Rarity never showed any aptitude for it. This could be evidence that Rarity has more magical versatility than even she realizes, or just the spell bending over backwards to justify her current role.
And while we’re on the subject, forget why Rainbow Dash isn’t handling this, where’s the rest of the weather team? I suppose that given Rarity’s difficulty with delegation and tendency to take on excessive workloads, her new memories insist that she’s Ponyville’s sole weather technician. Though that doesn’t excuse her not sticking to the already established schedule.
All of Twilight’s friends are in perhaps the worst roles they could have. Rarity has to do something that demands minimal creativity, Dash demonstrated her nonexistent ability to care for most creatures in “May The Best Pet Win,” Fluttershy has to be the center of attention, Pinkie herself bemoans how little entertainment she can get out of her work, and Applejack has to be artistic (or, from her perspective, convince ponies to give her lots of money for things they don’t need.)
It seems that Applejack’s accent briefly affected Pinkie. Also, where precisely is the rest of the Apple family while Pinkie’s breaking her hips and battling the gutters? They show up during “A True, True Friend.” It’s like the spell sequestered them in a plot hole.
This also ties into the question of how, if at all, the rest of Ponyville is affected by the spell. Do they see five pillars of the community suddenly struck with incompetence, or the Bearers acting even crazier than usual and refusing to listen to reason?
Ponies can get sunburns. Huh. You’d think the coats would preclude that. Maybe its the same fiber optic properties that allow us to see blushes and angry flushes.
Deliveries from Celestia are the only things that can distract Twilight from filling out paperwork. I wonder how long the delivery stallion tried to get her to sign that receipt.
I’ve written a story around this point, but I’m still surprised that Twilight cast the unfinished spell just to see what would happen. I suppose all the excitement got to her, but still, this seems like a violation of basic arcane safety, especially after the Want-It Need-It fiasco. Especially given that she was able to determine the effects later by reading the rest of the journal… which is something I neglected in A Moment’s Hesitation. 
Apparently, there’s a sympathetic bond between Element and Bearer. Alter one and you alter the other.
Silly Twilight, there’s always a counterspell. If all else fails, there’s Time Stop. Unless the spell has split second, in which case flip Voidmage Apprentice or Kheru Spellsnatcher.
Hmm? Oh, right. Different magic system. Never mind. In all seriousness, the story does a good job of eliminating all possible solutions that had presented themselves thus far in the series. Especially nice is that Spike is being helpful in offering those solutions.
If the group’s destinies are now changed, doesn’t that mean that they’re still who they’re meant to be? Not who they were meant to be, no, but I’m not seeing a distinction between destiny and what is meant to be.
Eh, semantics. Point is, the rest of the Mane Six are now suffering from the same problem as the Crusaders. By trying to force a special talent they don’t have, they’re experiencing a predestination backlash. Sadly, the consequences are far greater than tree sap.
Pinkie nicely demonstrates the earth pony capacity for necromancy. She didn’t mean to, but withering is as still much a part of the natural cycle as flourishing. Heck, even the trees outside of Carousel Boutique are bare when Applejack is closing the place down.
I’m not sure if Ponyville really is that dependent on Pinkie Pie for morale, if it’s the backlash I mentioned earlier, or a combination of the two. Of course, other factors like the artistically arranged weather could be contributing to the despondency of the town.
Note that it’s Spike who drags Twilight out of her funk and starts the destiny train a-rolling. Again, I really do appreciate that. I guess what I’m saying is… Well, thanks, M. A. Larson.
And so Twilight reprises the spark that awakened the Elements, now in explicit “This is her cutie mark” edition.
It says a lot that Fluttershy’s buying a balloon ride rather than flying to Cloudsdale herself. Also, she’s apparently too depressed or confused during the lead-up to the song to ask why Twilight’s wearing the Tiara of Magic.
Hmm. I can’t help but draw a connection between the glowing cutie marks here and those seen in Season 5. With or without the Elements, it seems to be a natural reaction to a destiny reaffirmed after the pony went off the rails.
"A True, True Friend" is basically a walk down the pony Hierarchy of Needs. At the top of the pyramid are pets, one of the ultimate luxuries in terms of resource expenditure. Next is weather control, an elaborate process that enhances the next two rungs down: clothing (protection from the elements) and agriculture (food, through both plants and animal byproducts.) Then, at the very bottom, is the most essential pony need: friendship, seen in both companionship and magic. It could also be seen as a walk down the pony tech tree, or the duties they took upon themselves. Whatever the case, friendship is always at the base.
On a less symbolic note, Dash clears the sky in ten seconds flat when recovering her memories. Nice touch, and an important one; speed is her destiny, not weather management. Applejack’s reaction during the march to Sweet Apple Acres is fantastic: “Ah got no idea what’s goin’ on, but y’all seem to, so Ah’ll jus’ go with it.” It’s also fascinating to note that Pinkie bucks the trend: She dons her Element and regains her memories before reaffirming her destiny. Apparently, all she needed was some encouragement.
Also, I am unashamed to admit that I tear up every time I see this song, including the rewatch I did for this blog.
Wow. Another spark of inspiration. I’ve heard of a mind like a steel trap. Twilight apparently has some flint in there as well.
I want to point out something important that people seem to have missed since this episode first aired. Look carefully at Twilight when it cuts to her after the Elements start firing energy beams. She shuts her eyes and smiles. She may not have understood precisely what happened next, but she knew it would be alright.
Well, other than the cutie scorch mark. I can’t imagine how long it took to clean that off. Especially considering it may have been the only remaining trace of Twilight’s previous body, depending on how you interpret the process of ascension.
“You did something today that’s never been done before.”
Well, other than that time with Cadence and Prismia, but we’re having a moment. I’m sure Twilight won’t mind if I gloss over the details a little.
Ah, the flashback montage, another essential part of a Friendship is Magic musical episode. Also the first time Celestia sang.
Another important point that escaped some people: The ascendant energy emerged from Twilight herself. Celestia didn’t make Twilight into an alicorn, but was instead there to ease her through the process, a sort of midwife of apotheosis.
Huh. Twilight’s cutie mark form has six subsidiary stars. I’m just going to say that one of them represents Spike.
And now begins the process of the show trying to ease the fandom through the acceptance process by being as positive as possible towards the change, culminating in the last line of the season. More on that when we get to it.
Charity, compassion, devotion, integrity, optimism, and leadership. Interesting recontextualizations of the Elements.
Wow. It has got to be uncomfortable for Twilight to see her friends and her teacher bow to her like that. No wonder she asks for a book.
Oh good Lord, those coronation dresses. My headcanon is that Celestia was worried that informing anypony but Luna and maybe Cadence might have compromised the plan, which was already far too fragile for her liking. Thus, she designed the dresses (and possibly the crowns) herself. She… isn’t very good at it. Luna likely still hasn’t forgiven her. You can tell from the thousand-yard stare Moon Horse wears during most of the coronation speech. She’s smiling on the outside. She’s plotting hilarious revenge on the inside.
That said, nice touch with giving Cadence the crystal headdress from “Games Ponies Play.”
Many people have scratched their heads over the line about Twilight “creating new magic.” After all, not every deviser of a new magical technique ascended. I interpret it as Twilight violating the conservation of energy even by the standards of magical physics. She won her wings in a game of thermodynamics.
Hi, Twilight’s parents. Bye, Twilight’s parents.
Good on Twilight to acknowledge the mares who got her where she is now. I just wish her speech didn’t make me think of Lou Gehrig.
There had been some worries about never seeing Derpy again at this point. She’d barely shown up in Season 3 outside of the theme animation. It’s very nice that they were able to slip her into the coronation parade a few times.
Also, the return of manic bouncing Lyra. I wonder what Twilight’s Canterlot friends were up to on this day.
As for those last moments, one must remember that Season 4 had not yet been confirmed, even for DHX. The show had hit sixty-five episodes, the magic number for syndication. This episode had to serve as a series finale, hence Twilight gaily twirling into the camera.
That being said, I’ve never understood why people saw her later difficulty with flight as an inconsistency. This was during a musical number. Did you really expect it count?
And now, for the last time in who knows how long, we move to the cards:
Light of Destiny 1W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has renown 1. (When it deals combat damage to a player, if it isn’t renowned, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes renowned.)
Enchanted creature has indestructible as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Out of Business 1W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant nonbasic land
Enchanted land has “T: Add C to your mana pool” and loses all other abilities. (C represents colorless mana.)
Only broken dreams remain on the shop floor.
Cheering Throngs 1WW
Creature — Pony Citizen
Cheering Throngs gets +2/+2 for each legendary creature you control.
The princesses are adored by almost everypony. A new alicorn only thrills the crowds further.
2/2
Peaceful Negotiation 2W
Instant
Cast Peaceful Negotiation only during combat, before attackers are declared.
Creatures can’t attack this turn. You gain 1 life for each creature attacking player controls.
Fluttershy communed with the creatures of the cottage, and fate began to right itself.
Morale Boost 3W
Instant
Support 2. (Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to two target creatures.)
Each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it gains lifelink until end of turn.
Pinkie’s hair puffed up, and everypony cheered.
“I’ve Got to Find a Way” 1U
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “I’ve Got to Find a Way”.
Sacrifice “I’ve Got to Find a Way”: Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of verse counters on “I’ve Got to Find a Way”. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
Spit Take 2U
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 4 or U.
”I always keep a glass of water on hoof for reaction emergencies.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Fated Inspiration 1UUU
Instant
If it’s your turn, scry 2. Draw three cards. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order. You draw no matter whose turn it is.)
"What My Cutie Mark is Telling Me" 2UU
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on "What My Cutie Mark is Telling Me".
U, Sacrifice "What My Cutie Mark is Telling Me": Gain control of target creature with converted mana cost X or less, where X is the number of verse counters on "What My Cutie Mark is Telling Me".
Twilight’s Hoofmaidens 3U
Creature — Pony Advisor
You have no maximum hand size.
Legendary spells you cast can’t be countered by spells or abilities.
”I don’t really need them; I have Spike. But Luna insisted I try them out.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
1/4
Curse of Liquid Pride 3UU
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under enchanted player’s control, tap all other creatures that player controls.
”Stallions shouldn’t be afraid to express their emotions, but this is a bit much.”
—Cadence, Princess of Serenity
Nimbus Grid 3UU
Enchantment
Creatures each player controls get -1/-0 for each untapped land that player controls.
Ponies couldn’t believe their eyes. Cloudsdale couldn’t believe the complaints.
Twilight, Alicorn Neophyte 3UU
Legendary Creature — Avatar
Alicorn (This card is a Pony Pegasus Unicorn at all times.)
Flying, indestructible
You may cast Pony, Pegasus, Unicorn, and sorcery cards as though they had flash.
Her destiny has been fulfilled. What to do now is up to her.
2/2
Out With the Old 4UU
Sorcery
You may sacrifice an artifact. If you do, search your library for an artifact card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.)
Destiny Exchange 6UUU
Sorcery
Two target players exchange control of all permanents they control. Untap those permanents. Empty those players' mana pools.
Star Swirl’s unfinished spell gives all of the trappings of another life with none of the ability to continue it.
Amateur Execution B
Instant
When you cast Amateur Execution, any player may pay 4 life. If a player does, counter Amateur Execution.
Counter target activated or triggered ability. (Mana abilities can’t be targeted.)
”There’s a lot more to applebucking than just kicking trees.”
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Orchard Blight 1BB
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant land
When enchanted land becomes tapped, its controller sacrifices it and attaches Orchard Blight to a land of his or her choice.
Pinkie’s magic tried to remake Sweet Apple Acres into the only kind of farm she knew.
Savage Uprising 4RR
Sorcery
Each creature deals damage equal to its power to its controller.
”I’m not even going to ask why Fluttershy has a pony-sized stewpot.”
—Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of Magic
"A True, True Friend" 1G
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on "A True, True Friend".
Sacrifice "A True, True Friend": Support X, where X is the number of verse counters on “A True, True Friend.” Gain control of each creature you own that was supported this way.
Regal Fanfare 2G
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on Regal Fanfare.
G, Sacrifice Regal Fanfare: Legendary creature spells you cast this turn cost X less to cast, where X is the number of verse counters on Regal Fanfare.
Rapid Cultivation 4G
Sorcery
Return all land cards from all graveyards to the battlefield tapped under your control.
Pinkie Pie nearly killed the farm in a few hours. Applejack revived it in a few minutes.
Journal of the Bearded One 4
Legendary Artifact
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell from your hand, put a study counter on Journal of the Bearded One.
T, Remove three study counters from Journal of the Bearded One: Search your library for an instant or sorcery card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then shuffle your library.
Thermal Shock 1(br)
Instant
If B was spent to cast Thermal Shock, the next time target creature is dealt damage this turn, destroy that creature. If R was spent to cast Thermal Shock, it deals 1 damage to target creature. (Do both if BR was spent.)
Critical Malfunction U(rg)
Instant
Counter target activated ability from an artifact source. If that source is on the battlefield, destroy it. (Mana abilities can’t be targeted.)
The sewing machine gave up, and Applejack followed suit.
“Celestia's Ballad” 1WB
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “Celestia's Ballad”
1WB, Sacrifice “Celestia's Ballad”: Return to the battlefield target creature card from your graveyard with converted mana cost X or less, where X is the number of verse counters on “Celestia's Ballad”. Put a divinity counter on that creature. It has indestructible for as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
"Morning in Ponyville" 2UR
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on "Morning in Ponyville".
UR, Sacrifice "Morning in Ponyville": You may put up to X creature cards from your hand onto the battlefield, where X is the number of verse counters on "Morning in Ponyville". Those creatures gain haste and "At the beginning of the end step, put this creature on top of its owner's library."
Rarity, Storm Sculptor 2UR
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Shaman
UR, Return a land you control to its owner's hand: Rarity, Storm Sculptor deals 2 damage to target creature or player and 1 damage to you.
Heat and moisture are to her as clay and stone are to other artists, much to everypony else's despair.
1/3
Scour the Sky 2RW
Instant
Destroy all enchantments target player controls. Scour the Sky deals 1 damage to that player for each enchantment destroyed this way.
Everfree or Rarity, Rainbow Dash can take care of any bizarre weather.
Applejack, Fashionbane 2GU
Legendary Creature — Pony Artificer
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player puts a nontoken artifact he or she controls on the bottom of its owner's library. If that player does, he or she puts a colorless Equipment artifact token named Hat onto the battlefield. It has equip 1 and "Equipped creature gets +0/+1.”
2/3
Royal Destiny 3(gu)W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +4/+4 and has flying and hexproof.
When enchanted creature dies, return Royal Destiny to its owner's hand.
Fluttershy, Death of the Party 3WB
Legendary Creature — Pegasus Citizen
Flash
Flying
If another player would gain life, that player loses 1 life instead.
"Ta-da?"
1/4
Pinkie Pie, Inept Agrarian 3BG
Legendary Creature — Pony Druid
Deathtouch
Activated abilities of lands cost an additional "Sacrifice this land" to activate unless they're mana abilities. (If a cost includes more than one sacrifice of the same permanent, it can't be paid.)
2/3
Rainbow Dash, Aggravator 3RW
Legendary Creature — Pegasus Warrior
Flying
Other creatures you control have haste and vigilance and attack each combat if able.
Under her care, even the most docile animal will turn feral and savage in the hopes of escaping her care.
3/3
Tough Crowd 4(gu)
Creature — Pony Citizen
Spells that target Tough Crowd cost 2 more to cast.
Abilities that target Tough Crowd cost 2 more to activate.
”As you gaze into the ponies, the ponies also gaze into you.”
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Laughter
3/3
The Transcendent Realm
Plane — Ungula
During each of your turns, you may play one card from your graveyard. If an instant or sorcery card cast this way would be put into a graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
When you roll chaos, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield with a divinity counter on it. That creature has indestructible for as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
And once again, thank you all.
That should be [youtube=88Stp0ZSGQs] :)
EDIT: Ah, you fixed it already, sorry. A broken tag with an admission of lack of multimedia capabilities seemed particularly funny, though. :)
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Seriously? In the maybe fifteen seconds it took me to fix it, someone noticed and commented. Of course. Damn you, Murphy.
3709187
Consider also the fact that I've spent the last three hours mucking around with a markdown renderer that would render footnotes into Fimfiction bbcode, in such a way that they wouldn't make the reader want to destroy the monitor, and most of it was spent experimenting with every possible variation of bbcode. The synchronicity is kind of uncanny. :)
I've always liked that little detail.
I've wondered if it should be meaningful in some way that the energy in particular came out of Twilight's chest, as if it was from her heart or something like that.
People used to get so pissy about the rest of the mane six bowing to Twilight, I have to wonder if they just ignored that Celestia was bowing too.
"didn't"?
No! Bad FanOfMostEverything. Flip != turn face up. Rules say so. See 707 and 709.
Speaking of the rules, I swear "Support" was somewhere in them (probably under 701), but Ctrl+F disagrees...
Okay, that's pretty insightful. You're partially forgiven. Partially.
Edit after watching first 20-something seconds of video: Okay, you do not look or sound like I thought you did. (Doesn't everyone on this site look and sound like their avatar?)
Twilight's ascension to princesshood does feel like a school graduation ceremony. The way Celestia explains to her: this is something you have worked for; this is an achievement you can be proud of. If you're going to let little girls dream of being princesses, this is the way to do it. In Equestria being a princess is not a birthright, or about wearing the right clothes, or about always being nice to people even when they are mean to you.
So on that note, all hail the new Prince of Card Games. Does the post come with a personal joker?
This is a point I always drive home. The magic, and indeed her destiny, came from her. Celestia's role, as always, was just to open the door for her to go through it. No one put that book in her hands and said "Find elements, be badass", no one told her to stay in Ponyville, and no one told her to go into Everfree. That...was all on her own. Celestia may have trained Twilight to harness and focus her power, but it was always up to Twilight to claim it.
Am I the only one who basically considers it that Twilight created a new mana pool? That she created a school that requires >1 pony to weild the power properly?
>Tries hard not to be jealous of that glorious facial hair.
>Fails.
>MFW
What's next? A new story? FiCG bout the comics and books? Whatever you choose I really liked this set of cards.
Now the wait begins...
It was Luna Eclipsed and this episode put together that inspired my Star Swirl the Bearded, and which got me to write fanfics for the first time (excluding a few abortive attempts around the year 2000). It was in the hiatus between seasons 3 and 4 that I began writing them, and because I am horribly slow and they have turned out to be horribly longer than I thought at the time, I am still at it.
As I've said before, I honestly think this is the best season finale to date. Spectacle may be enjoyable, but it's just not what the show is about. This is what the show is about: heart. Friendship. Understanding.
I have said to some of my friends that "A True True Friend" is the entirety of the show in a few minutes of singing. It's not just a good song, it's a dazzlingly intricate story resolution. Twilight isn't just finding a solution: she's demonstrating an understanding of harmony so profound that she can use it to rewrite destiny itself. And the way to do that is for each of her friends to not just try what they're good at, but by trying to help each other. It's a multi-layered construction that works so seamlessly that it's hardly noticed if you're not looking for it. For each of the mane six, including Twilight herself who apparently hadn't been affected by the spell, they find themselves only when they are helping others. We saw the same theme two seasons later when the CMCs got their marks not by "finding their special talent" at all, but by learning to understand and helping the one pony who had been their worst enemy.
I like to think of it like this. Star Swirl the Bearded, troubled and grumpy fellow that he was, tried to create a spell to take harmony itself apart and put it back together. He could only get the first part to work. Twilight learned not just to use harmony, but to repair and improve it. And that is what made her a Princess.
It also amuses me to note that Star Swirl had basically created a "make destiny manifest itself" spell, and in its unfinished state it was so powerful that it broke destiny. Oh Star Swirl...
Phew. Forgive me if that was somewhat rambling. I just feel really strongly about this episode.
ETA: and it's always weird the first time you see and hear the real person after reading their words for a while...
I love flavor text. I especially like that one about Star Swirl's spell giving all the trappings of another life without being able to continue it.
Magical Mystery Cure is a rushed episode, but it works. Had the show ended there, at the 65th episode, it would have been a fine capstone to the whole thing, showing Twilight's journey from a friendless shut-in who didn't see the point of friendship, to the Princess of Friendship itself.
On the issue of mixed cutie marks and destinies, the best explanation I've seen for the whole thing is that Starswirl's spell creates changes in the present, the effects of which propagate into the past. That's why nobody except Twilight, who cast the spell, and Spike (who either gets her saving throw bonus for being a familiar (
) or isn't affected because as a dragon he's not tied into the cutie mark destinies), notices anything is wrong or off with Rarity shuffling the clouds or Fluttershy doing deflated comic routines. It also explains how the Boutique gets so run-down so quickly, or why the Apple family isn't there, and why the farm is ruined: it's Pinkie's farm, so the Apples are having been lived somewhere else the whole time, and by the time Twilight figures out how to knock things back on rails, Pinkie has been running the place down for years. (It ties nicely into Starswirl's experiments with time magic.)
(Also, I've got this itching to do a fictional essay about cutie marks and destiny, and what they mean; possibly as written by Sunset Shimmer while she was Celestia's student, with commentary by Twilight and perhaps Celestia herself. )
Yes, exactly! I admit that there have been a few good fics about Twilight not wanting to ascend and all, but for the most part the whole alicorn drama was a massive overreaction. And so much of it was based on the idea that Celestia "forced" this transformation on her; or berating Celestia for keeping alicornhood in a small circle, instead of sharing with everyone. The show makes it clear that these arguments don't hold water.
The coronation dresses... yeeeeah, I just don't know what went wrong there. It's especially weird, considering how good outfits the show has generally had whenever it's put the ponies in dresses! I do like the identical singing hoofmaidens, though.
Finally, "True, True Friend" is hell of a song. Much like "Smile, Smile, Smile" sums up Pinkie in one musical number, I think this one provides the whole show's core idea in one song.
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I have waited long for the perfect moment to unveil my mustache unto the masses. I am pleased to see that I chose wisely.
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The physicist in me wants to say the power just emerged from her center of mass, but the author appreciates the more poetic aspects of friendship energy emerging from the heart.
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Omission addressed. Thanks for spotting it.
You know, I chastised someone in the previous blog for saying that all Magic players are persnickety rules lawyers. You aren't helping my case. (And yes, I'm well aware of the distinction between flipping, turning face up or down, and for that matter, transforming. I was being colloquial.)
Support is covered by CR 701.32. (And now I'm not helping my case.
)
And I've found that mental images of people you only know through textual conversations on the Internet very rarely line up with their actual appearances.
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Well, Celestia did say that Twilight wouldn't be her student in the same sense as before. Still, it's probably a good thing that most graduations don't involve vaporizing the valedictorian.
Also, I'm pretty sure I get to be my own court jester.
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Could you explain this in further detail? I'm not sure what you mean, but I'm very intrigued.
Out With The Old: I think a Time Vault and a Voltaic Key would really liven up the place. And if I'm feeling daring, maybe a Blightsteel Colossus.
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See my reply to Verbose Mode two comments down.
3709256
I wouldn't have made such a production of this one if I planned on continuing with secondary materials. Bad news, Friendship is Card Games is going on hiatus until Season 6. Good news, this may free up my card game-related creative juices for pony fiction.
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Hey, I like thoughtful rambling. I wouldn't fill half of the blog with it if I didn't.
And yes, I can definitely see how the Star Swirl who scribed this spell would contribute to your vision of him. And "A True, True Friend" does a magnificent job of demonstrating the literal magic of friendship.
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I've never heard the tachyonic destiny propagation hypothesis before. It does address some questions, but it raises others. I'll have to think about it.
When most people are angry about something, no amount of inconvenient facts will stay their ire. Not when they can warp, recontextualize, or slap on the AU tag.
And I hold by my "Celestia-made fashion disaster" hypothesis for the coronation dresses. There's a reason she usually sticks to the crown, peytral, and hipposandals.
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"It's a conversation piece."
"It's a horrific, implacable titan of utter destruction!"
"See? We're already talking about it."
3709348 Ah, found Support. I was reading the old rules.
You know how the comprehensive rules are "not meant to be read from start to finish"? Despite not owning a single card, I once did just that. For fun.
Yes, I am being entirely serious. I blame FiCG for piquing my interest.
A long mane, in which cards briefly shimmer ...
I think that it's temporal magic and that basically works by swapping elements of alternate timelines, as Alex Warlorn suggested. I have the Princesses talk about this in Post-Traumatic. It's akin to the Spell of Sameness (both were derived from Starswirl the Bearded's unfinished spell), but more powerful and deeper in its implications. I call it the "Spell of Destiny."
I'm guessing Pinkie married Big Mac. Though that does leave open the question of just where he is at the moment.
Most languages do not have enough tenses to describe events at the Cosmic level, or anything really which involves time travel and the resultant complex causality chains.
That's a very insightful point. It can also be conceptualized as a circle, because the love of pets can also be seen as a direct outgrowth of the same tendency toward Friendship. And the basis of Friendship -- the social instinct which would have led their ancestors to herd and watch each others' backs -- is indeed fundamental to the later evolution of their elaborate culture and civilization.
This is the point Sunset Shimmer fails to get. That one can't simply "make" someone else an Alicorn. It's a process of growth from within -- what Celestia can do is help ensure that it doesn't go wrong. What's actually been holding Sunset Shimmer back in An Equestrian Gentlemare is that she's friendless ... what she doesn't realize about her power surges around Flash is that it's not sex magic, it's friendship magic. Flash is her best friend since entering the Humanoid world, maybe her best friend ever (before she makes friends with the Humane Five), and her caring for another is opening up some of her (tremendous) potential.
Your descriptions of, and titles for, the destiny-swapped Ponies were hilarious.
Okay, I am seriously jealous of you. I can't even get a decent mustache going, and meanwhile you're over there with that beautiful face of fur!
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The way I see it, its just basicall saying becoming the big cheese of something. Essitnitally Twilight ascending to princes is just the same as becomeing: The head writer, head excutive, the lead programer, the lead producer, the publisher, you get the idea. Heck the fact that there are princesses out there who ae owners of their own companies show this.
Much like you said, in Equestria, being a prinsess is earned, much like knighthood or land being granted for proving yourself to being a great person of heroic and moral character
3709348
Certainly!
Where know of the five mana pools (Blue, white, red, black, and green) magical users tap into one at a time or two in their decks. What Twilight did, when she created new magic, was create a sixth pool that combined the traits of the other pools while remaining unique. Much like an alicorn, or even Twilight, takes the traits from weach tribe, Twilight took the magical fields from her friend's each respective pool (Pinkie-blakc ect) and put them together in a pool that allowed them to defy the possible, changing their own cutie marks based on an inner leve-friendship. You'll note that they only used the elements to exchange cutie marks, no words or horn glowing.
Thus, Twilight used their inner magic and her own pool of mana to help fix the problemm. As such, she created a pool that allows her to act as a conduit for other mana pools. This is why, when she was hyped up on Alicorn power, sh only matcched Tirek but when she opened her mana pool to the others and acess the rainbow power, she was able to surpass him without much effort. Its a mana pool based on connections, bonds, and friendship. Heck her cutie mark is a sign of this, one star connected by five. Dimmer without its friends, but together its bright.
Well, at least that is how I see it.
Oh god, you really went all out.
You never go all out when cards are involved!
Still, dat +1 Mythril Beard of Charm tho
I find myself pleasantly surprised by your singing voice, despite the suboptimal sound quality. (this says more about my typical expectations of how well a given person can sing than anything to do with you)
For some reason, I find it incredibly amusing that if you choose not to cast the card you search for with the Journal of the Bearded One, it gets shuffled back into your library without even being revealed. (wait... without paying its converted mana cost?)
Oh hey, Fluttershy kills Oloro.
When I showed my online friends a picture of myself, they were floored by how darn pretty I was. The hilarious part is that I and my friends are heterosexual males.
From one bearer of the glorious goatee to another (though yours may technically qualify as a Van Dyke), congratulations on creating so many cards from so many wonderful things.
Your 9 drop destiny exchange spell works most flavorfully in EDH precisely because of how much less viable it is there, just sayin'.
P.S. Your singing voice ain't bad.
I had a thought about Twilight's dancing. What if she is actually a skilled dancer, but chooses to be a poor dancer out of spite towards rich jerks that bullied her in school and/or an overbearing parent.
I have a headcanon that there is a lingering herd mentality, and an associated Alpha Complex. Ponies with the Alpha Complex instinctively lead and guard the individuals they have taken under their control. Ponies without the Complex unconsciously notice the dominance of AC and obey such natural leaders.
Always ripe ground for fics.
Since the spell was cast by Twilight, what if the magic flow didn't stop? Rarity could have been drawing on the power that was coming from Twilight to warp reality into the altered mark future.
I think the Element of magic took it out of her hooves and cast it simply because she was near it. She blames herself because she didn't realize the crown was acting up (albeit with benevolent long term intentions). (I would need to watch the scene again, but wasn't Twilight drawing on the power of her crown while Sunset had it on her head? That would show that the Element is able to act while at a distance from Twilight. It may also have a mind of its own.)
I also hypothesize that the spell was never broken or incomplete.
"The mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled."
The spell was meant to force a scenario to bring an individual's destiny to fulfillment. In Twilight's case, the most efficient way of fulfilling her destiny was a Mega-Friendship-Problem.
I have a thread where I offered evidence of Pinkie being a necromancer (in the older meaning of the term. [creeky old stallion voice] None of this raising zombies nonsense). In summary, everything that makes Pinkie, Pinkie can be easily explained by her being an untrained necromancer and having no idea how to interpret the signals she is getting from her ESP.
I hypothesize that Twilight rewrote the laws of magic to make an entirely new branch. To put it in computing terms, she upgraded the old hardware and installed new hardware into the MagicTron 1.0.
With how often Twilight wears a groove into the floor, she probably has a floor-renewing spell. It might have been more efficient to cut out the scorched floor, store that panel in the basement as a memento to her old body, and replace it.
I see it as the first flight being fueled by instinct. Sorta like a baby pegasus flying on pure power and reflex, but scaled up to an adult mare powered by alicorn strength and excitement. Besides, flying is the easy part. Takeoff and landing are where the crashes happen, meaning that there was an epic crash offscreen.
"I declare myself Prince of Card Ga...."
"Counterspell."
Since I assigned the D&D schools of magic to Equestrian magic, I figured that what she did was make a new school. Starswirl was trying to make the spell a transmutation or divination spell, but Twilight made it into a friendship spell. In Magic, this would be akin to what you have of the spell being in Blue, when Twilight's finished version is a Purple-mana spell.
I think Out With the Old needs to cost more, since it's a Tinker-storm.
Oh, and you could have asked me for the artless versions of the cards you were going to put up. MSE2 is a bit more authentic looking and I have well over half of your cards made up with it (I kinda stopped doing them some time last year. Maybe now would be a good time to catch up?)
Your new mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take all these cards you've made and construct a Cube from them. It shall be glorious.
Let's be fair, crown jewels are always gaudy.
The rediculous hair gives you super strength, though.
Spit Take should have an alternate counter cost - making it cost U wouldn't fly for the same reason Islandwalk has depriciated.
In another card game, there's a way to make yourself prince.
vteschecklist.com/images/library_set/card_image/2574/2574-large.jpg
3709382
Heh. Not what I meant, but still funny. I can only imagine what the facial hair would be like. Or what Cosmic Concept I'd embody. Strategy? Recombination? Overanalysis?
Time magic would certainly make sense for the nature of the unfinished spell. This is Star Swirl we're talking about. Spacetime manipulation is generally involved when he is.
Not the first time I've seen that guess. This comic actually offers an explanation: A crippling injury that left Pinkie as the only thing resembling an able-bodied adult on the farm. Obviously, she couldn't ask Applejack back, not when she had moved on to the world of fashion.
Of course, that raises the question of whether Big Mac actually experienced that injury outside of Pinkie's memories. Imagine if she could see her husband healthy, but unable to remember her. No wonder she threw herself into her work; she may have been trying to distract herself from heartbreak as much as because she thought it was what she was meant to do.
Very true. What I wouldn't do for an early edition of the Time Traveler's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations.
Given her plot arc over the movies, I wouldn't be surprised if Sunset will find she has some extra limbs if she ever returns to Equestria. At the very least, she experienced a temporary ascension similar to Trixie's in An Extended Performance when she became Daydream Shimmer.
Fun fact: Applejack was originally going to be "Applejack, Shoddy Seamstress," but that proved to be a bit too long. Thus, she became the slayer of style.
3709413
Luck of the genetic draw. I come from a hairy family. My mustache is actually a sort of memorial for my paternal grandfather, who had an even nicer one.
3709449
That would certainly qualify as creating new magic. Heck, it would put alicorn Twilight on the same level as the Eldrazi titan Kozilek, altering the fundamental nature of mana simply by existing. Fortunately, Twilight's gluttonous urges are limited to hayburgers and not the fabric of reality. For now.
3709454
Is that meant to be an observation or a warning?
Also, you would not believe how much they charge to coat a beard in adamantine. And that's just the place down the road; don't get me started on certified dwarven salons.
3709465
I recorded the first part about a week ago. Since then, I've never been able to find the right confluence of acoustics and opportunity that would both provide good sound quality and keep me from embarrassing myself in the process.
Heh, yeah. I... really don't know anything about recording.
Also, that "converted" was the product of habit. Thanks for catching it; it's since been fixed.
3709557
An EDH Destiny Swap is especially hilarious if you imagine that the generals are convinced that they should each be in the other's shoes.
3710102
Celestia, i wish I played more magic.
That and her humbleness is over the top!
One last note...I think we just saw Twilight mastering Takeoff for the first time. We didn't see her landing, her falling, and her breaking the window of the Mayor's house.
As a matter of fact
Equestria's newest princess: Home Wrecker?
Only hours after her coroniation, Twilight Sparkle tried flying today and took out her wrath on the mayor of Ponyville by destroying her home. Celestia was not available to comment.
3709564
Hypothetically possible. I prefer the idea that she just can't dance outside of a musical number. That kind of lasting, vengeful passive aggression doesn't feel like Twilight. She barely remembers her friends from Canterlot; I'm not sure if her would-be bullies even registered in her mind, especially since any bullying likely stopped once she was under Celestia's wing.
The Alpha Complex hypothesis is an interesting one. I am a sucker for artifacts of equine behavior in pony psychology. Trixie having an complex of her own would do a lot to explain her need to constantly assert her dominance. You know, in addition to the overbearing personality.
An intriguing possibility, but one with no apparent evidence. I still like the idea that Rarity underestimates her own magical capabilities. She sees herself as a lady and an artiste, not a wizard.
Given how the Element of Magic vanished until Twilight monologued it back into existence, you may be onto something with it taking matters into its own tines. There was definitely a flow of energy going from the Element to Twilight during the battle against Sunset Satan. It's possible that it knew that the Tree was weakening. Given the closing window of opportunity to make Twilight ascend, it needed to take action.
That being said, if Star Swirl himself described the spell as unfinished, at the very least, that meant it wasn't doing what he meant it to. He may have devised a complete spell, but not the one he wanted.
An interesting idea, but you're really stretching it in order to justify Pinkie's use of hammerspace, to say nothing of her incredible flexibility and fourth-wall awareness. She may well be a medium, but all of her abilities taken together are at least a large.
If so, Twilight Velvet likely claimed ownership of it shortly after she learned of its existence. It's now kept in the heavily shielded chamber that also contains all of Twilight's embarrassing foal photos.
3709673
Last Word.
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Sorry. I wanted to keep this a surprise, which meant working with what I could scrounge together.
Also, Out With the Old now costs six, and you're apparently far from the only one who likened Twilight's ascension to creating a sixth color of mana. As I did with Alchemystudent, I have to compare her to Kozilek, altering the very nature of magic just by existing. Thankfully, Twilight isn't the lovechild of Yog-Sothoth and Flowey the Flower.
3709724
No, it will be nigh-unplayable. I may not have tabulated everything I've made, but I know that there's barely any black, and likely a glut of blue. Still, given the 360 card minimum, I could probably assemble a "Greatest Hits" sort of thing...
Darn it, Thought, stop tempting me.
3709815
True.
3709978
I can neither confirm nor deny that my facial hair presently gives me super strength.
As for Spit Take... you make an entirely valid point. I'll address that right away.
3710025
If I have to be a part of the World of Darkness, I want to be a Genius. Though I suppose I actually could be a Prince.
3710157
Poor Mayor Mare. Couldn't even enjoy her last day of relevance.
3710217
*wiggles eyebrows while smiling madly*
3710217
Redirect Last Word to Redirect.
What a lovely mustache you have
I've said it before and I'll say it again: you're awesome
3710392
Thanks.
3710341
Dispel.
3710425 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir.
3710425
Dang. We've got more blue magic flying around than a game of Final Fantasy V.
Dat mustache. Seriously, you've got great twirling material there FOME. You don't happen to have a felt cloak and a black top hat do you?
I'll say you don't look like my mental image of you but your voice is pretty spot on to what I had been thinking so half and half on that isn't bad.
There are ways to make a split second spell uncounterable.
I'm a Blue (-Black) mage at heart but I'm also the first to admit that Blue doesn't have all the answers.
You can't rely on just counter-spells, a good Void Mage knows this and is prepared to deal with the things they couldn't stop from happening.
She destinied all over the floor, in front of her friends no less. Very embarrassing.
Was it you that said that? The "She destinied all over the floor" line that is. I got it from somebody but I can't remember who.
Soooooo, Out With the Old is kinda almost a Storm Tinker, sans mandatory breaking of toys to get a new one. You can chose not to get a new one but to get something new you've got the break the old. That's... something. I could see this being used in any number of tool-box style decks.
I know what you were going for but when I read the name Amateur Execution my first thought was of a botched public sanctioned killing, which fits in Black. It'd probably be some sort of neg power and toughness thing, but with a restriction that the creature's toughness could not be lowered to less than 1.
I think Orchard Blight's wording needs to be more like Necrotic Plague's wording.
I don't know if you want to limit Orchard Blight to only being placed onto an opponent's lands or not.
Sadly it looks like "dies" is only for creatures.
The glossary has
and rule 700.4 is
So, just going by the rule any permanent can "die" but going by the glossary definition it can only be a creature and so far all card that use "dies" has only been when a creature "dies".
It makes sense flavor wise but restricts card design. But that's not really a bad thing.
Too bad you can't use "A True, True Friend" in a Zedruu deck.
Normal comment about Regal Fanfare not following song naming convention.
I just watched the clip, is "Behold, Princess Twilight Sparkle" the official name? You just could call it "Behold! Behold!" which is a bit of a fudge sure but better than not following the same format the majority[1] of other songs do.
[1]I'm still saying that all songs should follow this naming format, even if their "titles" have to be fudged a little.
Did you intend for Thermal Shock to be able to target two different creatures? I'm just checking on this, I can see the use of such utility but it's a bit odd to not be forced to have the same creature be the target of both effects.
Well, "Morning in Ponyville" is a game ender if you use it right. And Blue and Red are two colors that are very good at removing blockers or making things unblockable.
Rainbow Dash, Aggravator made me think about it but the "attack each combat if able" rider with vigilance is an interesting idea that they haven't done yet. Not sure how you'd flavor it though.
Now you can work on more Plainswalker Bubbles and her little Void Mage.
MMC remains best musical. Celestia's song does indeed remain most moving song
Regarding the video, I have only this to say:
i.imgur.com/wW1dH66.gif
What an amazing capstone to the series.
And I think, o Prince of Card Games, it might be time to alicornify your user icon. I'm not quite sure how to do that, seeing as how Derpy already has both wings and a horn. Maybe give her a shimmermane?
3710425
3710467
Assert Authority on Alaborn's Teferi, and Dinky Doo, Spellbreaker on FoME's Dispel.
I'm not sure if this was addressed in another card blog, but do you know where you are going from now on?
3710467 Not entirely sure what Teferi does for you in this scenario. Do you maybe mean Venser, Shaper Savant?
While I like this episode when considered on its own, as part of the My Little Pony mythos it really confuses matters for fanfic writers. It doesn't at all explain how alicornificiation works, in general or in this specific case.
If the Elements of Harmony are an essential component of the spell, as they seem to be, how could Star Swirl have even developed the unfinished version? What did the unfinished version do when Star Swirl cast it, since he wasn't an Element-Bearer himself?
How does the same spell switch destinies (and memories/pasts) in one form and trigger Twilight's ascension in the other? How are these two effects related?
Was Star Swirl's masterpiece a "turn into an alicorn" spell, that any unicorn of sufficient magical prowess could cast? That seems unfair on our earthpony and pegasus friends. I like the other interpretations in this thread, that it's more of a powerful magical source or catalyst - but that's pure fanon and we're simply never told what it was ever supposed to do.
Finally, why did Twilight ascend, if that wasn't the intended effect of the spell? Did she need to perform a great feat of Magic, her cutie mark and Element of Harmony, to set it off? Could any other pony ascend by affirming their own cutie mark in such a strong way? (Could Derpy tune into the awesome power of the Seven Bubbles and get a snazzy new horn?) Or is it just the Element-Bearers? Or specifically the Element of Magic? Or any mage as powerful as Twilight? How does all this tie into Cadence's ascension? What about Celestia and Luna's?
Compare and contrast the Cutie Mark Crusaders. At this point, the end of Season 5, we know how cutiegenesis works in general: it's triggered when a pony simultaneously discovers and demonstrates their special talent, and the mark is a symbol which represents that talent. We also know how it worked in this specific case: the Cutie Mark Crusaders diagnosed Diamond Tiara's self-image troubles, and discovered their shared talent for interpreting cutie marks. That's much better storytelling.
3711011 Once Teferi resolves, then I can use my counterspells to deal with that Dispel.
3710467
3710574
Normally, I'd cast a Mindbreak Trap, but given how wulf95 used one of my cards, I'm pretty sure that that affirms my royal status anyway.
3710653
Focusing more on stories, which hopefully will include getting back to my FiMtG crossovers.
3710531
I don't have any villain couture, but I do stroke my beard at times, and twirling is an essential part of the regimen that keeps my handlebars in shape.
Pretty sure I didn't provide you with "She destinied all over the floor," which is a shame, because it's a fantastic line.
Orchard Blight: The thing is that Necrotic Plague's sacrifice and attach effects are part of different abilities, which means that there's time for state-based effects to apply between their resolutions. Orchard Blight behaves more like Breath of Fury.
Royal Fanfare: I don't think we're ever going to agree on this one.
Thermal Shock: Well, there were multiple ponies in the "I just gave them frostbite over top of their sunburns" scene.
Rainbow Dash, Aggravator: Actually, there has been one instance where both abilities were on the same card: Ruric Thar, the Unbowed.
3710566
Something like this glorious effervescence?
3711101
Let's take this in steps. I'll try to work solely within canon as much as possible.
Assuming that the Elements are a vital component of the spell, we know the sisters knew Star Swirl personally from "Luna Eclipsed" and "Twilight's Kingdom." It's possible that they bore the Elements while he was alive, which meant that he could analyze them, and perhaps the Tree of Harmony itself.
Possibly nothing, given how he didn't bear an Element. It could have scrambled how the Elements were assigned to the diarchs, which would likely have played merry havoc with their personalities. Alternatively, Star Swirl might never have cast the spell for the same reason a programmer doesn't run an unfinished script; it wasn't ready yet.
Celestia explicitly mentions destiny during her song. The intent of the spell appears to be fulfilling the target's destiny to the utmost degree. In its incomplete form, that means assigning destinies and compulsions to fulfill them to the subjects at random.
I think it would only work for Twilight. Consider the corrected incantation: "From all of us together, together we are friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end!" That's a pretty specific scenario there, and accurately describes what happens just after Twilight places that last fateful period.
Basically, assuming that it wasn't the intent of the spell.
We actually do have an answer for these, which ties into your next question.
Remember that Prismia pony I mentioned? Yeah, Cadence did something similar in one of the chapter books, performing an incredible feat of love that warmed the heart of a witch while in the prescence of a piece of "cosmic spectrum," an incredibly potent magical mineral. This seems to be the rule: If a pony fulfills her destiny to an incredible degree in the presence of a potent magical catalyst, her body can no longer contain its own magic and she gets the full alicorn package.
That remains a mystery.
Granted, a lot of this is still speculation. And you know what? That's not a bad thing. Ambiguity is a wonderful, precious thing for fan fiction. It gives us the wiggle room needed to form headcanon, explore the setting, and characterize blank slates. I would've never been able to create Ditzy Planeswalker if Muffins had been fleshed out in the series premiere.
3711189
I totally didn't see Ruric when I did my Gatherer search. That's been happening to me a lot lately when I do a Gatherer search... .
I had forgotten about Breath of Fury. Necrotic Plague is always the first thing my mind brings up when it comes to on an aura that jumps targets when the current "infectee" is no longer around.
That makes sense on Thermal Shock, I was rather sure it was intentional but I just wanted to make sure.
At least we can understand where the other is coming from about the songs and don't get into a big caps lock match over it.
At this point it's almost a running joke between us.
I wish I could remember where I got that line from, because I really do want to give proper credit. I know I got it from someone on this site but can't remember if it was in a story about the ascension or a blog review about the episode. I'm leaning more towards it having been in a story.
You should try the villain role, it's great fun. I can get you an official League of Dastardly Rogues membership card if you'd like. The application process is simple; tie someone to an active railroad and monolog for at least five minuets. Proper attire is not required but gives you a better chance of being accepted.