Additional Info on 'Allure' (Spoilers!) · 10:09pm Feb 13th, 2015
Right.
First thing's first. If you haven't read Allure yet, stop right here. There are spoilers ahead. This blog is for those who have just finished reading it.
Now that that's settled, I would firstly like to thank Cold in Gardez and Themaskedferret for their help with editing the story. It was made all the better for it.
Now for a few insights into the story that you may not catch the first time reading it.
1) It was originally pointed out during the editing process that it's a little out-of-character for Rarity to hold Allure in her hooves, as she tends to use her magic even more often than Twilight does to carry things around.
This is intentional, as the book's magic has already grasped her. She uses her hooves because the magic causes her to become somewhat possessive of the book, as can be seen when she clutches it to her chest several times.
2) There are little hints as to what's really going on all over the place. I even had a little fun with one of the passages in the book speaking directly to you, the reader. See as follows:
Everything has beauty, but not everypony sees it. Some are blind to the subtle details that everything possesses which, if magnified, suddenly become obvious. Others have lived too long to give such things more than a cursory glance. They have grown old and do not appreciate that which is in plain sight. But youth... youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty, and those who hold onto this ability shall never grow old.
Now replace beauty with hints, and suddenly this passage is speaking to the reader about how you can tell early on what is happening if you look hard enough at what is hidden in plain sight. In fact, the final line of that passage spells out the plot entirely.
Not that it should come as a big surprise, since this plotline is fully revealed shortly thereafter. I just wanted to have a little fun with it.
3) It was suggested during pre-reading that Rarity's confrontation with Allure might be more interesting if the book could actually speak back to her in some way.
I seriously considered this suggestion, but ultimately decided that I prefer the internal argument Rarity has with herself, as it seems like something that might happen on the show.
4) It has been mentioned that there is an Inspiration Manifestation feel to the story. I agree, though to be honest it actually didn't occur to me until pre-readers brought it up.
5) There is a bit of wordplay going on. Of course, the main reveal is that Allure was actually a mistranslation of A Lure, but that's not the only thing going on here. Allure refers to three things. Beauty, desire (shown by Rarity's obsession with wanting to cast the spell), and the aforementioned translation.
6) The book's passages are filled with real-life quotes on beauty, though some have been altered. Here is a list of some examples:
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
― Confucius
“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
― Franz Kafka
“Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.”
― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.”
― Louisa May Alcott
At any rate, I hope you enjoyed the story.
Cheers,
-Slorgy
Just out of curiosity, where can I find the story?
2793940 it's currently in the approval queue, and should also show up on EQD in the next few days.
2794035 I'll keep an eye out for it, then.
It was quite the story. I know I probably would have cast it myself, or at the very least been sorely tempted.
Guess me and Rarity have a few things in common.
I'm wondering since this book was "A Lure" all along, were the beauty tips all part of Rarity's Honey as it were, if say Pinkie Pie had picked it up would it have had stuff about parties? or lost agricultural tips and magical remedies for bountiful harvests had it been AJ?