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6/15/2025, 11:21:27 PM
>>42273080
>this feels like a weird AU more than a story set in the past. It felt contemporary in a bad way
I agree with the second part of that statement, but disagree with the first one; there was a lot of effort spent on tying it to the show's lore in a way that I, personally, found enjoyable and Clever.
>I don't feel I would've missed out if I hadn't read this fic, other than Star Swirl
I would say the same. It's not an amazing story, but this Starswirl is good enough that I'm glad to have read it for him. I'd honestly steal this characterization as my default one going forward.
>>42273289
>Are you sure?
100%. You're doing that thing again where there's something that logically doesn't seem to work, so you ignore a metric ton of thematic and atmospheric evidence pointing in its direction. But that's not how (good) stories are written and I think you're doing them a huge disservice by doing the "game theory" approach.
The fic starts by presenting Starswirl as this antisocial recluse, but not only is that portrayal at odds with what Clover read, we also fairly early (in the multi-starswirl arc) get proof that he wasn't always like this. The other aspects of Starswirl's psyche all seem to be gone now, which should make you to ask yourself "what happened?". The fic's writing is good enough that the way he wallows in his exile should point you in that direction. The timeline has been set to match, too. He met Luna (and Celestia), then NMM happened, and he's been a broken stallion who spent his life first trying to undo the damage and then, when it failed, to continue their legacy.
As for thematic evidence, there are probably about 10-20 moments where he either defends the Night, compares himself to the Stars (justifying his reclusive lifestyle this way), or alludes to The Unnamed Tragedy From His Past that changed him. Look at how he treats his own nightmarish transformation. I mentioned it in week 2—thinking it was clever characterization—and in this week the author made it far more visible because it's the key to understanding his character in this fic.
Furthermore, it's a piece of very-FiM fanfiction. Starswirl has been associated with C&L extremely often in fanon. And not just fanon since picrel fueled it. For you to go,
>maybe he's referencing another pair of OC day/night alicorns in an untagged AU, and that the fic neglects to mention by name
is just kind of absurd when C&L are not only there, but also really fit with the story. Celestia is literally mentioned IN THE FIC as the one who started the unicorn Prince/Princesses line (when Platinum says the last female Princess was Celestia). And that works in timeline, too.
I would even go as far as to say that C&L are absolutely paramount to understanding this Starswirl and why he's like this, and I think, writing-wise, it's the best thing the entire fic did. Without it, I would not leave an upvote on it.
>this feels like a weird AU more than a story set in the past. It felt contemporary in a bad way
I agree with the second part of that statement, but disagree with the first one; there was a lot of effort spent on tying it to the show's lore in a way that I, personally, found enjoyable and Clever.
>I don't feel I would've missed out if I hadn't read this fic, other than Star Swirl
I would say the same. It's not an amazing story, but this Starswirl is good enough that I'm glad to have read it for him. I'd honestly steal this characterization as my default one going forward.
>>42273289
>Are you sure?
100%. You're doing that thing again where there's something that logically doesn't seem to work, so you ignore a metric ton of thematic and atmospheric evidence pointing in its direction. But that's not how (good) stories are written and I think you're doing them a huge disservice by doing the "game theory" approach.
The fic starts by presenting Starswirl as this antisocial recluse, but not only is that portrayal at odds with what Clover read, we also fairly early (in the multi-starswirl arc) get proof that he wasn't always like this. The other aspects of Starswirl's psyche all seem to be gone now, which should make you to ask yourself "what happened?". The fic's writing is good enough that the way he wallows in his exile should point you in that direction. The timeline has been set to match, too. He met Luna (and Celestia), then NMM happened, and he's been a broken stallion who spent his life first trying to undo the damage and then, when it failed, to continue their legacy.
As for thematic evidence, there are probably about 10-20 moments where he either defends the Night, compares himself to the Stars (justifying his reclusive lifestyle this way), or alludes to The Unnamed Tragedy From His Past that changed him. Look at how he treats his own nightmarish transformation. I mentioned it in week 2—thinking it was clever characterization—and in this week the author made it far more visible because it's the key to understanding his character in this fic.
Furthermore, it's a piece of very-FiM fanfiction. Starswirl has been associated with C&L extremely often in fanon. And not just fanon since picrel fueled it. For you to go,
>maybe he's referencing another pair of OC day/night alicorns in an untagged AU, and that the fic neglects to mention by name
is just kind of absurd when C&L are not only there, but also really fit with the story. Celestia is literally mentioned IN THE FIC as the one who started the unicorn Prince/Princesses line (when Platinum says the last female Princess was Celestia). And that works in timeline, too.
I would even go as far as to say that C&L are absolutely paramount to understanding this Starswirl and why he's like this, and I think, writing-wise, it's the best thing the entire fic did. Without it, I would not leave an upvote on it.
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