“Wait! I have so many questions!”
Twilight hurried after the other girl down the narrow aisle between the T-shirt racks, away from the sales counter and back towards the entrance. The girl managed to move faster than Twilight despite carrying an unwieldy, hard-to-fold new leather jacket under her arm.
But then, she was taller than Twilight, especially in those boots, so longer legs gave her a speed advantage, and she probably knew the territory better. And she seemed determined to leave as quickly as possible, too.
“I have just one,” the girl barked, not slowing or bothering to turn back to look at Twilight while speaking. “What part of ‘get bent’ do you not understand?”
She probably didn’t mean to sound that hostile. Most likely just had to raise her voice to be sure of being heard over the raucous music playing over the shop speakers. The first impression could definitely have gone a lot better, but Twilight was pretty sure no one would be that unfriendly for no reason.
The girl reached the shop doorway and stepped outside, still without pausing. Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but stumbled when she passed through the doorway herself, hands flying to cover her eyes.
So bright! She couldn’t have been in Nightmare Loom more than ten minutes. Probably less, given how quickly the other girl had picked a jacket and taken it to the counter as soon as Twilight introduced herself. But the human eye was an incredible thing, and hers were now paying for adapting so quickly to the gloom of the shop.
Fluttershy had mentioned bats, and how they’d inspired her own clothing experiment. Was this a good sign Twilight was on the right path, cringing away from the sunlight?
No time for that now! Shielding her eyes with a hand, she looked after the other girl, who must have already been twenty paces away.
No longer penned in by rows of dark clothes, Twilight walked as fast as she could after the girl. But she kept it to a walk, if only just – chasing strangers at a run probably wasn’t the best way to get them to like you.
She was closing the distance between them, and only then thought to look around and see where she was actually being led.
They’d left behind the winding alleys of boutiques and independent shops, where Nightmare Loom had squeezed in between much cheerier-looking storefronts. Now they were reaching the back streets, with parked cars lining both sides of the road, but no moving traffic. In the distance, Twilight heard the high whine of an engine growing nearer.
The girl Twilight was following stepped between the parked cars and out into the road, walking down one carriageway. The source of noise burst into view: a motorbike coming around the corner, now heading down the street towards them.
The bike skidded to a stop next to the girl, the rider putting a boot-clad foot down to stay upright. Up that close, Twilight could see the motorbike was a beaten-up machine with a skeletal frame turned dusty white from heavy use, something that spent more time off-road than on.
Twilight hung back, watching from the side of the street and trying to be unobtrusive, since the mysterious girl from the shop had slid her arm around the helmeted biker’s waist in a very familiar way, and Twilight didn’t really want to stand around like an awkward third wheel.
That gave her a better chance to inspect the person on the bike, too. A battered black leather coat that must have almost reached the floor even when the wearer was standing up, and big black military-ish boots to match. The coat fell open as the biker pulled the shop girl closer in return, revealing camouflage trousers and a black top of mesh-type material so ripped it looked like cobwebs, covering so little Twilight could clearly see the–
Huh. Yep, definitely a bra beneath – black, shiny and really not small.
Still processing that detail, Twilight almost missed that the girl from the shop had reached up both hands to pull the biker’s helmet off, diving into a passionate kiss the moment it came free. The girl on the bike was differing hues of grey – thankfully only two of them, though the reminder of Twilight’s sister-in-law’s reading habits still brought a shudder – with hair a little lighter than her skin.
That hair was cut short and harshly, hanging down one side but not the other. Kind of like it wanted to join the military but also not follow the rules. Twilight had been assuming rebellious hair had to be big and colourful, but this girl made it streamlined and efficient, brutal in its simplicity. A second person Twilight very much needed to learn from!
With a blush, she realised that her studying the girl had amounted to her staring at two women making out in the street. They hadn’t noticed her, but still, the implication was a lot less wholesome than she’d intended.
...Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing? She was aiming to rebel, after all, and society expected science to be divorced from sexuality or emotion.
She frowned. No… No, that would be going too far. She wouldn’t compromise scientific methods for this or for anything else. The results would never be worth that sacrifice.
Only a sudden movement snapped Twilight out of her ethical quandary, realising that both women now wore bike helmets, and the one from the shop had just swung her leg over the bike, so she perched behind the rider.
“Wait!” Twilight cried, struggling to be heard over a revving of the engine. “I need your help!”
The rider’s head turned in Twilight’s direction, a second later raising a hand to lift her helmet visor. Hard eyes in a grey face stared at her – although, Twilight did notice, those eyes were a very striking green. And vaguely familiar?
She also heard a growl of “Fuck’s sake…” from the back of the bike.
The grey girl looked back at her passenger. “Friend of yours?”
“Parasite, more like. Syphilis is easier to get rid of.”
Green eyes narrowed quizzically. “...Sonata?”
The girl from the shop still had the visor down on her helmet, and from behind it Twilight heard a snort. “Who else?”
The grey girl turned out her bottom lip and tilted her head to one side. “Not exactly a lack of options in your household.”
That prompted the visor being raised, revealing flat purple eyes. “You’re calling us all massive disease-ridden skanks.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t waste my breath stating something that obvious.”
“Call it a difference in standards. My family don’t consider smiling at a rock to be promiscuous.”
Their eyes were locked together. Slowly, a grin spread across each of their faces, the kind of grins that exposed sharp teeth and would frighten children. Then, without any warning, the girl from the shop snapped her attention to Twilight. “What?”
Twilight jumped. She’d thought they’d forgotten she was there. She’d been so engrossed in the bitter exchange of insults between a couple where one still had arms around the other that she’d almost forgotten she was there herself, too.
“I, um…” All the words left her head, as two very intense pairs of eyes held her in place. “I was hoping for some advice.” She was vaguely aware of how tightly she was clasping her hands together in front of her, fingers entwined, but ignored the discomfort to try to get the words out. “On rebelling. On being a… bad girl.”
The grey girl raised an eyebrow but said nothing, while the purple girl behind her leaned her head back and wiped a hand down her face. “My sister’s bedroom is usually where bad girls are found,” she said, more to the grey girl than to Twilight. “If the cries coming through the door are to be believed, anyway.”
Blushing and trying to lift her eyes higher than her own feet, Twilight shook her head at her choice of phrasing, realising how it’d sounded the moment she’d said it.
“Look,” the grey girl said, her voice naturally abrasive enough to command Twilight’s attention and drag her gaze back up again whether she wanted to or not, “all you really need are these – ” she counted quickly on her fingers, mouthing as she did so “ – nine words: Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me.” After a moment, she added, “Say that back to me,” which meant Twilight had probably been standing there dumbly while trying to process incoming data.
“Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me?”
The grey girl gave a weak smile. “You just did.” Twilight felt her eyes widen, but again she was struck that she’d seen her before somewhere.
“Let it sink in,” the girl added, then shifted her weight on the bike and looked ahead to the road.
Twilight quickly spoke up, before they were too set on departing. “But I don’t know any goths!” Thinking of Fluttershy’s recent revelation, she amended, “Not proper ones, like you, anyway. Who should I ask about costume tips?”
Immediately, Twilight knew she’d said something wrong. Not something that they’d mock her for, as she had with the ‘bad girl’ line, but something that made both their faces harden.
The grey girl looked down at her clothes, then back to Twilight. “They’re not costumes.”
From behind her, the purple girl followed up. “And we’re not goths. I’m a punk, and she’s a rivethead.”
Before the confusion could claim Twilight completely, the grey girl turned back to her companion and nudged her in the ribs, telling her more quietly, “You do have your cyber moments, though.”
“Oh piss off, twat stains.”
I… I don’t know what any of that means…
“Not a bad idea.”
And before Twilight had a chance to get her wits together, the engine revved again, the rear tyre screeched and span on the tarmac, and seconds later the bike was rocketing away, leaving her there at the side of the road. Still dumbstruck, she saw visors being pulled down without looking back.
When she finally returned to the moment enough to look around, to take in all that had happened and replay events in her head, Twilight hardly knew what to think.
One little thought did keep nagging at her, though. She’d seen the grey girl on the bike before. Somewhere. But she’d never seen anyone dressed like that before, so, either this was a new look for the girl – which didn’t seem at all likely, if she’d been offended by Twilight calling it a costume – or Twilight had only previously seen her face.
Wait, yes, that was it. Her face, poking around a doorway. Twilight couldn’t remember what the girl had said or why, but the doorway and wall behind it in her memory seemed more familiar.
A sleepover at Pinkie’s house. The girl on the bike… was she Pinkie’s eldest sister?
How are goths rebels?
You
You made Cadance even less appealing a character than canon does.
… I approve, but why? That's like giving a coconut crab tasers on its pincers--you're taking a horrible thing and just making it so much worse.
Ouch, poor Twilight.
Glad this is back.
Can't wait for Twilight's "rebellion" and how she goes about planning it.
9831506 There's a much more detailed discussion of it in the comments for the first chapter, which I'd suggest giving a read if you want a proper answer. But, summarising off the top of my head: a total rejection of popular music trends, a total rejection of fashion trends - even as far as the otherwise-universal idea of wearing colour - a general rejection of finding happiness in things others enjoy, and an identity happy to exist independently of what anyone else thinks of it.
I would point out, though, that it's not Inky Rose she's looking to learn from, or Moonlight Raven. It's Aria Blaze, who tried to take over two different worlds, and managed to rebel against her cohorts even when doing that. I can't think of anyone better to learn rebelliousness from.
I stay away from stories with profanity.
I will gladly make an exception for this.
I need to see where this goes.
9831559 Aww! Thanks, I appreciate the vote of confidence
I usually avoid writing stories with profanity, as it's a departure from the tone of the show that isn't too difficult to avoid. But for Aria, it's quite freeing to be able to give her free rein to use bad English. And I think it makes more sense, in a story about breaking rules?
9831553
Not to get to political, but I don't find such things to be...rebellious per se. Changing the clothes you buy and the culture you enjoy doesn't strike me as directly threatening the powers that be.
Ever watch the show Daria? The titular character, a deeply cynical and intellectual teenager, dissects this attitude as simply "teens wanting to seem cool, so they decide to buy up clothing that is marketed to them by stuffy businesspeople."
The reason why you buy "edgy" is because some rich person has marketed as such. But is that really challenging the status quo?
I consider real rebellion to be things like the Civil Rights Movement or those teachers' strikes in West Virginia. Things that directly challenge the powers that be and stand up against institutional corruption.
"Edgy" is just girls trading one type of capitalist consumerism for another "cooler" version.
9831570
Well, Aria has been a creature who fed herself off of the hatred of others.
That would not exactly create an upstanding member of society.
Her rebellion didn't come from a desire to topple a king, but a desire to replace a king.
9831529 While it wasn't intentional, I am reminded that this is the same Cadence who told Sunny Flare in the last chapter that sex was better if you waited until marriage for it. So I think it's probably fair to say she wasn't terribly into kinky things back then. But maybe that's the pick one month for her book club, and she reads it and then acts like it's revolutionary and the only sex book ever written? And Shining Armor's response to Twilight is (to quote a real life acquaintance discussing his wife reading it), "Yes, I know it's terrible, I know all the problems with it. But it's so nice to see her reading for a change."
Ok.
So.
Hmmm.
This.
Right, firstly:
Secondly, I think we were talking a couple of months ago about a fimfiction/derpibooru trend from a few years ago involving Rarity fighting a giant crab. And I hear a most esteemed author knows of a Rarity who's something of a detective with some experience involving unusual sea creatures?
So, um. Sonata caught crabs on holiday. Fluttershy thought she meant something cute. Aria thought she meant something lewd. The truth was much worse than either.
She said the words, but believing them will take longer. That's ok, though, these things take time
At first it was just a hunch needing confirmation, but this new chapter confirmed it, you're naming your chapter titles with Iron Maiden songs.
9831590 Absolutely, yeah. Likewise, I don't want to get much into politics here, and I appreciate your restraint on that. But I will say that the Civil Rights movement is the most positive form of rebellion against state power in recent memory. Some others, uh, well... what term do we think the Empire used for the Rebel Alliance?
I agree, though, buying from Hot Topic is making money for a big corporation just as much as buying from H&M is. But if you look at what those products are saying, I do think there's something to it.
Black, for example, is a rejection of colours that distract. It says there's no artificial happiness to be found here, so focus on your problems and either solve them or admit how miserable they are. That's not really an attitude any power wanting to keep a population idle and content wants fostered. Spikes, chains, and other fashion paraphernalia are designed to keep people at a distance. They're rejecting the idea that unity with others is desirable.
Incidentally, that's something I've been meaning to bring up in a siren story sometime - it was planned for my main one, but that got bogged down a lot. All three of the sirens wear spikes and sharp edges, which symbolise keeping people at a distance. Kind of a strange choice for creatures who lure others in, but then that's the point - the sirens are the epitome of 'You can look, but you can't touch.'
And then if you look at the lyrics found across a range of goth/industrial/metal/alternative styles, there's a rejection of authority right at the heart of it. Some might not take it too much to heart, but others might. More than that, though, there's an empowerment to it. It teaches you to know who you are, to know that independent of others, and to think for yourself. Not necessarily rebellious, but certainly less easily-led.
Definitely, yeah. We're in a weird place where goths and their ilk have been around for so long that parents are often very familiar with it, or even supportive or goths themselves. If I had a child and she got into that scene, I'd be delighted. But I think most parents would be concerned about their kids hanging around Aria Blaze, for reasons nothing to do with how she dresses.
9831593
This sounds like a pretty diabolically clever author.
Oh my goodness, I am so on board with this.
9831629 I am! And I am glad you noticed
I doubt that'll be the trend for the whole story, maybe three chapters together from different bands or something. But lots of Maiden ones fit really well, so I might stick with them. This one had a Nightwish title instead for a while, but I swapped it out as the Maiden one fit better.
I have two or three stories in the pipeline for the vague future inspired by and named after Iron Maiden songs, too. And if you're an Epica fan, I have one of those up already
9831653 So, uh, some coconut crabs are gold/orange, and others are (at a stretch) purply blue.
daily.jstor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/J_Daily_CocoCrab_1050x700.jpg
I'm wondering if Sonata caught two, naming one Adagio and the other Aria?
Aria has the tasers, I think. What would Adagio have instead?
Of course, we know what happens when Adagio and Aria get together. After the two had a vicious fight, Sonata found herself with a whole legion of small but quickly growing gold and purple crab babies.
9831637
Not sure what the term is.
But yeah, real rebellion is something that strives to improve the human condition. Not simply trade one overlord for another.
I can see your point. A lot of goth culture and dressing in scary clothing is people making statements that they will not conform to what people. True Goths are indeed people who reject the vapid values of modern society.
But I am saying a lot of that can be shanghaied by opportunists who seek to profit from it or use it for their own ends. Or people wanting to puff themselves up.
I am not being self-righteous about this. Personally, I wouldn't mind working for a company and making money.
But if we pick a trend or a subculture to follow, we need to be careful that we don't end up helping the agenda of some plutocrat.
I'm happy with a child that doesn't go on joyrides and remembers to zip their fly. As long as they do those two things, they can wear whatever they want.
Aria Blaze is not an introspective rebel. She is the magical equivalent of a high school delinquent. And while many delinquents ARE troubled souls made into outcast by society, Aria (from what we know about her) committed crimes for her own gain.
9831678
I would imagine that the Empire referred to the Rebels, who used explosive force to tear down a carefully-constructed vision of order, as terrorists. That's a much less positive view of what rebellion can look like.
Sorry, I'd disagree with that. I'd have said real rebellion overthrows the current systems of power, whether that's political, economic or social. What replaces it, and whether that's better or worse, I don't think actually comes into it.
I agree with all of this. I have nothing against people making money from that, and I imagine it's inevitable that some will do so. But I don't think that overly neuters the message, or what it inspires in the audience. I also don't think the ones making money off of it are necessarily the same forces it's talking about rebelling against.
I don't know if we really know enough about her to say that for sure. Some of the best-written siren stories out there do paint her as something of an introspective rebel. In this story, she's a... well, we'll see what she is when we get to know her better Enough of a rebel that other parties might be concerned, though.
9831760
I too am attracted to the "romantic" images of rebellion: brave souls rising up for a better world, facing down a corrupt government.
Not all rebellions have good outcomes or even good intentions.
Fair point.
MLP is a corporate property. Yet it has changed a lot of things: from what people see as "girl's entertainment" to "creator driven-animation."
Something that makes money can still change the world.
But check your goth collars and spikes for the phrase "Made In China", and ask yourself if your actions are actually rebellious or not, or whether they serve the bottom line of someone else.
We don't. Which is why fanfics fill in the blanks. And some of stories are fine, but others go for the "leather pants" treatment, which makes the Sirens completely innocent souls.
That's why I found the Sirens' appearance in Sunset's Backstage Pass to be so...odd.
They weren't repentant souls, but neither were they villains seeking world domination.
I don't know if that was a good twist or not, but it was a unique path for MLP to take.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWXazVhlyxQ&t=4m12s
9831794
Definitely, though. And this is a good example of what 9831790 and I have been talking about, in that the song was about pushing back against police brutality in early 90s LA.
9831802
Oh, I know that the subject matter of that song and this story don't entirely match up, each having very different motivations for rebellion. That specific line is just what came to mind first when I read that paragraph.
9831790
Very true, yeah. Given how the odds are stacked against rebellions by the established systems, and how often they therefore fail, I think I'd prefer the establishment figures to be the good guys in the situation.
Of course, in this day and age we tend to trade out one kind of repressive tyranny for another kind of repressive tyranny.
That's a fair point, yep! Again it's connected back to those profiting from it aren't necessarily the ones being overthrown - China would profit, where a Western government might be overthrown. One could argue that that's China pulling strings for their own benefit and profiting too, as you warn, but given that everything is made in China, I'm sure they spend just as much money exporting products that keep our systems of governance in place.
Ooh, lots to think about packed in here! Regarding Sunset's Backstage Pass, I think the production team were stifled by how established the sirens are in fanon. Nothing was confirmed, for example, about their age. Not much was said about what they've done since, and they haven't really rebelled or reformed. Just a neutral state. Like they were being brought back as a PR exercise, and didn't want to risk upsetting anyone
I wasn't a fan, if that didn't already come across. I think you should only bring a character back if you seriously think you can make them better than on their previous appearance. Otherwise you're just trading on established goodwill, and slowly running that pool dry. They handled Lightning Dust's return well, and Chrysalis is finally, finally looking up, after so long in the wilderness. But the sirens I think they should have left out, definitely.
The 'leather pants' treatment, that's a fine line to walk. The sirens, Adagio in particular, are my favourite characters in the fandom. I wouldn't want to write stories of bad things happening to them for being evil. But obviously them succeeding in their evil plans isn't much of a story option either. So you're sort of stuck in between. I think it's important to remember that a character you enjoy reading about isn't necessarily one you'd like to know in real life. Heath Ledger's Joker was universally loved, but wow that is not someone you'd want to meet ever. So I think much more important than having them be perfect and nice in a story is having them be enjoyable. I think that's why people seek them out in stories in the first place; if I want to read about a nicer character, I'll read about Fluttershy. So I think undoing a lot of their villainy is undoing a lot of what makes them different, and interesting to read about as distinct characters in the first place.
9831814 Oh definitely, yeah! Limestone was quite intentionally quoting the song. It's not really her thing (she'd rather You Know What You Are), but it's a good familiar staple of metal attitude
9831827
Well rebellion, if effective, CAN force a regime into implementing reform. The Kronstadt rebellion, though it failed, push Lenin into allowing some free enterprise in the other communist Soviet Union. Things did improve in Soviet Russia...until Mr. Stalin go in.
The tendency of "full-circle revolution" is all too common. But it doesn't have to happen. The 1989 Revolutions did have positive changes, despite the troubles Eastern Europe had with abandoning communism.
The issue is that the great socialist revolutions were almost always so badly run, that somewhat regulated capitalism effectively became the lesser evil to many people.
Deng Xiaoping's "a good cat catches mice" philosophy has done more to help the Chinese then any of Mao's harebrained schemes. China is a place where capitalism-albeit under a centrally planned version-has been to the benefit of most people.
The fact that it has contributed to the deindustrialization of America has not led to really anything positive in America. Instead, it led to the election of an orange jerk whose solution for the American worker is MORE upper class tax cuts.
Then again, the low cost labor has made those spikes and collars much cheaper for working class teenagers to afford
So...
....blessed the oppressed sweatshop laborers for making goth culture more accessible, I guess.
Yeah, if you do bring a character back, do something different with them. Chrysalis and Lightning Dust showed you can do that without making them morally better.
Yeah, Heath Ledger's Joker is a good example of how a good character can still be a horrible, horrible human being we should never emulate. We're fascinated by this man in a clown suit, even as we despair over him turning a public servant into a vicious killer. Adagio Dazzle is a wonderful manipulator, but we shed tears as tears into a girl finding redemption.
Of course, a heel face turn also works, as long as, as you say, the heel face turn doesn't destroy what we love about the character, nor does it come across as hackneyed.
Sunset Shimmer is the best example of that: she became popular in the fandom because she had to experience the alienation and mistreatment she doled out to others. She had to struggle to gain acceptance. And even after becoming a better person, she still is capable of being angry and harsh.
Discord too is also a good example: he acts like a hilarious troll, slips back into villainy after being manipulated by Tirek, is still disliked by others, but still can provide genuinely touching moments.
If the Dazzlings get the "reformed villain" treatment, have them still be, you know, the arrogant, argumentative, and cool divas we know and fear.
In a story I plan to publish (once I gain a large enough following), I plan to have them be villains again. But I hope to keep the traits that made them good villains.
I'm not going to lie, I completely forgot this existed
And suddenly, I just lost all respect for Cadence.
Ah, I had forgotten about this, but I enjoyed its return. :)
9831660
Aria would definitely wear the tasers in that relationship, yeah. Adagio would, uh... I'm less sure about her. Maybe she's got thumbscrews hidden somewhere, so you see this cute crab chick batting its eyelashs and you go to pet her or ask her out and she slowly crushes your thumbs.
AdAria-spawned little crabs sound painfully adorable
9831912
9831977
I think forgetting about this one between updates might not be such a bad thing - there aren't too many details to keep track of, and it's probably better to forget than to be eagerly awaiting more and continually disappointed
9832390
True words right there
9831948 Yeah, I wish that line didn't feel so in-character for her, but I think it totally does
9832046
That is an excellent way of putting it!
I think Sonata would probably come back through airport security with just Aria and Adagio, and maybe get pulled into the security office to answer some questions from suspicious customs officers. By they run out of time when the baby crabs emerge and swarm the room?
Aria is in a relationship with Limestone?!
Does she not know that Pinkie’s her sister?
Glad to see this updated. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.
9832390
Heh, well, thanks. :)
man am I glad to see more of this, and I can't wait to see where this goes (the real scene I can't wait for is when sunset and the rest learn WHO Twilight is learning to be a rebel from)
I had hoped there would be more of this, and I was not disappointed! Looking forward to more!
Twilight, meet Aria, who is that unfriendly for no reason.
9835292
Hey, she has a reason! She doesn't like you!
9832046
Adagio = clover clamps, cause she's a kinky little sex monster.
Not the pairing I expected, but I can see it working as a sort of interpersonal equivalent of a raised middle finger at the world in general.
As for Twilight, she has all the data she needs. The question now is whether she realizes that, and how she'll apply it.
9832451 Thanks!
Hmmmm, I'm currently thinking that'd be good to answer in the next chapter. And, weirdly, either answer could have interesting results.
9832739 Thanks, glad you're still liking the story
What is it you think that will most freak the others out? That it's a siren she'll be learning from? That of the three it's Aria? Or that it's Sci-Twi who'll be doing the learning, with the combination of a dark past and kind of lacking 'street smarts'?
9834151 Thanks! I was hoping there'd be more talking about goth/metal/alternative stuff here, but that got shifted towards the next chapter or two instead. Hopefully they won't be too long coming
9835292
9835612
I think that might be something brought up in the next chapter! Of all characters, you'd think the one from Crystal Prep would take it more in her stride.
9835619 I don't have a better alternative, but I don't know if they're on quite the same level as tasers? Even knives wouldn't really be up to that standard
I was rummaging through the notes document for TSTMYLI the other day and came across something I wrote down as what the sirens might suggest if Rarity mentioned something being the worst. possible. thing:
9831893 Sorry for my slow reply - I don't have much to add here beyond agreement
I was thinking of things like the Arab Spring, where long-term dictators have been overthrown by the only institutions powerful enough to do so - either the country's military, or religious conservatives. Either way, the people end up with a new problem from a different angle, those liberators quickly become oppressors, and many have in turn fallen and left their countries in chaos. At least the dictatorships were stable.
This is definitely true! Online shopping has helped a lot, too. It used to be that only sizeable towns had a big enough subculture to support a gothic shop, but now something like Kate's Clothing is equally accessible for all.
I agree, but I've also read enough Reformed Chrysalis stories to know how easily that kind of behaviour can come across as empty bluster if there's no actual level of threat to back it up
Sirens as villains is always a good way to go, usually the best. It's just a matter of finding an ending that works.
9836383
Hahaha, the best part is, "Drinking my wine" is obviously Adagio's, but I'm not sure which of the other two contributes the spider and the chainsaw
9836394
I think the other issue is the nations of the Middle East aren't exactly natural or organic.
Many of them had lines drawn for them by European powers. Libya, for example, was a bunch of tribes forced to live with each other by Italian colonialism. Having a maniac like Gaddafi is, sadly, the only way order can be maintained.
Of course, that fact that Tunisia has done OK proves not all hope is lost in that part of the world.
Online shopping, however, has created a new kind of oppression: the Amazon Fulfillment Centers.
Well, one example of a reformed antagonist, who still retains his villainous traits, was Harvey Bullock. In the comics, he starts out as typical corrupt cop. But then he becomes a supporter of Gordon. But he is still mean-spirited, clumsy, and more then willing to bend the rules.
The Dazzlings could remain good guys. But still not be above personal gain, ruthlessness, and outright cruelty. In essence, they become the allies you need, but not the ones you want.
Well, in my story, they're not exactly going to be sunshine and lollipops.
9836366 Did you watch the latest EqG short? "The Road Less Scheduled"? You might like the Fluttershy ending.
9836402 Totally! I think Sonata is the more likely of the two to be afraid of spiders, though. It occurs to me that about the only spider that could wield a chainsaw is Rarity in that story of yours...
9836440 It's a whole mess, yeah But one that's become more and more volatile, I fear. I agree Tunisia has come out better than many places, but it's still got a state of emergency declared, and travelling there isn't all that advised.
The main problem with buying goth-type apparel online has always been that you can't try it on before buying. But I think online clothing businesses now just accept that more than half the things bought will be sent back, and that if they don't provide free returns postage, no one will buy from them. Probably still much cheaper for them than renting a storefront, though.
It's definitely not impossible to do well, yeah. Terminator 2 provides a good template, where the villain was chilling, but the reformed villain was badass.
If Celestia and Luna ever form a ukulele cover band during their retirement on a beach somewhere, that's definitely what it should be called!
9836441 That's amazing!
I'd heard it mentioned, I think, with someone saying that Skullcrusher were canon now. But I hadn't seen it.
Goth/punk/metal just being a normal thing that anyone can do and is completely ok has always been something MLP is very good at, and I'm glad to see them continuing that angle. I really want to see a young Starlight with her skull guitar, though.
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