Unpopular opinion time

Ring Team
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I don’t know, I think it’s a plothole just for Starlight to be in safe space. If everypony was consequent to Luna in Luna Eclipsed, Discord, Babs Seed in One bad apple, Diamond Tiara in Crusaders of the Lost Mark, Sunset Shimmer and Tempest Shadow, I don’t see why they wouldn’t do the same thing to Starlight.
 
Besides, keeping something as horrible as Starlight’s actions in secret is a very creepy thing to do.
 
That, and also the fact that she finds things and other ponies as excuses just for her to say she doesn’t like to be judged despite what she has done.
 
It’s just a diverse mix of many many things from seasons 5, 6 and 7 that are too complicated for Starlight to be a compelling character.
 
The good thing is that she’s not very present in season 8. I think the only bad thing she did in the whole season was saying to Twilight that she wasn’t a “princess princess” like Celestia and Luna, but other than that, nothing else.
Star Seeker

Annoying fan has arrived
I think it’s a plothole just for Starlight to be in safe space.
 
How, exactly? It’s not like Starlight is the only one who did bad things and wasn’t judged for them later on.
 
@Ring Team  
Besides, keeping something as horrible as Starlight’s actions in secret is a very creepy thing to do.
 
The village thing isn’t exactly a secret, anyone could go there and find out what happened, but even if they did, the residents already forgave her anyway, and everyone will probably either know she is Twilight’s student by that point or lives in Ponyvile.
 
And it’s not like Starlight wanted the alternate timelines to be like they were, most of the consequences there weren’t intentionally caused by her. She was in denial about the importance of Twilight’s Friendships after all. This doesn’t means she isn’t to blame, of course, but it isn’t downright creepy to not mention it since Twilight is trying to help her.
 
@Ring Team  
That, and also the fact that she finds things and other ponies as excuses just for her to say she doesn’t like to be judged despite what she has done.
 
I don’t think anyone likes to be judged by the bad things they did, that’s not something you need to find excuses for, it’s a awful felling even if it is justified. It merely show Starlight’s more nervous and self-conscious side, it’s not her trying to say she doesn’t deserve it.
 
@Ring Team  
I think the only bad thing she did in the whole season was saying to Twilight that she wasn’t a “princess princess” like Celestia and Luna, but other than that, nothing else.
 
I thought that was one of the funniest jokes of the episode to be honest.
Ring Team
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Ten years of changes - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of MLP:FiM!
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Artist -

I don’t know, the whole point of people judging the main character because of his previous actions is key for a redemption arc. It’s like “yeah, I did this, and some people hated me, but I can get better”. That’s what they did with Discord, Luna, Babs Seed and Sunset Shimmer. Keeping it a secret is still creepy to me, especially considering that she manipulated a whole town.
 
I think a good example of a redeemed character is Paulo from the webcomic Bittersweet Candy Bowl. In the first chapters he’s a womanizer, bigot and lazy student. However, in the next episodes he’s becoming to get better, to worry about his friends, to study harder, he has a job and he regrets some of the actions he made that affected some of his friendships, to the point where he asks to one of his friends “am I a bad person? Maybe I’ve always been a fake shitty asshole”. And despite being a better person and having really good friends, some people are still suspicious of his attitude, such as Abbey, who was acting like an overprotective boyfriend just because he’s the friend of his girlfriend.
 
A mainstream example would be Tony Stark in the first Iron Man film. He’s a playboy millionaire who wants to protect the world by using dangerous weapons. After having the revelation that his weapons are dangerous in the wrong hands, he escapes, he decides to close Stark Industries and he starts working on a suit designed to destroy weapons and to punish enemies if necessary. The film isn’t perfect, I think the last 20 minutes are too focused on the action sequences, but it’s not too distracting and it’s still a solid film.
 
The Starlight episodes don’t have that narrative progression, especially in season 5. The ponies in that town might accepted her apologies, but not only it was too quick (she needed at least 5 or 6 episodes in season 5 to get to know her, not 2), but she also doesn’t learn her lesson in Every little thing she does, because she ends up manipulating everyone in the same way she did back in season 5.
 
It’s just a whole bunch of baffling decisions.
 
And again, I’m not mad about it, I’m just really interested about the reasoning of why this approach was greenlighted and approved in the first place.
 
There are certain animated productions that you just wanna be a fly on the wall. You want to hear the discussions that happened behind the scenes. The MLP episodes are kinda like Bee Movie in that sense. It might be very interesting for that, at least on the leadership level. And even the writing process.
Latecomer

@Ring Team  
But he was a very important wise mage long ago. That hasn’t changed at all. (If anything, the retcon is him being famous as opposed to obscure - but that came well before Season 7.) As for Maud helping Starlight - well, it didn’t contradict anything and I found it amusing, but of course with your Starlight-hate you might see it differently. And the changeling redesign is very much a matter of personal taste.
 
Regarding the difference in treatment between Starlight and Discord - Discord’s actions are public knowledge, especially in Ponyville. Between his day of chaos and his work with Tirek, it would be hard to find ponies he hadn’t caused trouble for. Starlight’s crimes (in this timeline) were restricted to a handful of ponies in one village far away, and were never publicised as far as I know. I do think that there should have been more issues between her and her victims, but there’s no reason for Ponyville ponies to call her out - if anything, they should have issues with former town-conquerer Trixie.
 
As for cutie marks and magic, the interpretation has always been flexible, because they exist mainly as devices to facilitate the plot. Just think of all the old fanfics that started with Twilight botching a spell - with great power comes great possibilities.
 
I get that you find Starlight’s redemption pretty weak. Honestly, I found it rather scattershot as well. But unlike a lot of people, I was able to move past it and enjoy post-redemption Starlight. I’m sorry you can’t - and given how she’s big in many of my favorite Season 7 episodes, I can see how it would influence your opinion.
 
 
 
 
 
@Mildgyth  
Yeah, this.
 
 
@Ring Team  
Discord did those things to them, and went back to evil even after being reformed. Furthermore, he makes very little effort to fit in (and his appearance doesn’t help).
Background Pony #3312
@Mildgyth
 
I’d go so far as to say that nothing Starlight ever did to the town of Ponyville even comes close to what Twilight did in Lesson Zero. The worst thing she ever did to the town was infect 3 people with her anger, in what was clearly an accident, that she fixed a few minutes later. She then apologized and fixed the damage she caused.
 
Starlight really does just keep to herself for the most part.
Ring Team
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Ten years of changes - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of MLP:FiM!
A Really Classy Artist - 250+ images under their artist tag
An Artist Who Rocks - 100+ images under their artist tag
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Still, the fact that not many ponies know what Starlight did back in season 5 makes the secrecy insanely scary. It’s like the ending of the first The Last of Us game: I didn’t like Joel after THAT scene (I won’t mention it because of spoilers).
Background Pony #2BCA
Starlight makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach. Everything about her, from her personality, redemption, voice hairstyle and color scheme how she was forced down my throat and attached to characters like Trixie make me feel revulsion. Haven’t watched the season 5 finale since 2015. Endured her subsequent episodes but Always muted or skipped her parts on second viewing.
 
She was the first fictional character I hated enough that I actually wished she was real so I could tell her to go fuck herself.
 
I think it was a progressive thing. Maybe if she had been the first redemption I wouldn’t have cared so much. But tolerance had been pushed to breaking point by then. Luna, discord, sunset, trixie and all the comic villains. I knew what starlight was gonna be from the moment of her introduction. I just had no idea how badly it would be implemented
 
Hate. Hate. Hate.
 
And then the show stopped caring and so did I. Take joy where you can, endure when you can’t.
Vivace
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
My Little Pony - 1992 Edition
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Artist -

“ShimSham my GlimGlams”
Point of Every Little Thing She Does: redeeming oneself isn’t really as simple as a musical montage makes it look, and if not careful, one can backslide into the habits one’s trying to break.
 
Also, while relapsing is sus, it doesn’t invalidate efforts to improve if one experiences an anagnorisis and picks themselves back up from it afterward.
Background Pony #2BCA
I think a show should have only one major villain redemption and they should always try to show that villains sympathetic good side enough that we want them redeemed. They didn’t do that with Starlight.
 
She was a smug, smirking child beating selfish psycho lying stalker in every scene all the way untill she was offered friendship and forgiveness to get her to stop trying to ruin the world.
Ring Team
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Ten years of changes - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of MLP:FiM!
A Really Classy Artist - 250+ images under their artist tag
An Artist Who Rocks - 100+ images under their artist tag
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I think the characters who had the best redemption arcs in MLP were Diamond Tiara from Crusaders of the Lost Mark and Tempest Shadow from the MLP film, especially the ending of that movie. Watching Tempest sacrificing just for Twilight and her friends and trying to do the right thing (because that’s what friends do) was very satisfying.
 
EDIT: Oh, and Luna in Luna Eclipsed and Babs Seed in One bad apple.
Background Pony #2BCA
I also like how the show lampshades her child like temper tantrums and entitled attitude when it turns out she came from a rich gated community and had a loving father and was still an emo turd. All the Headcanons giving her an abusive or tragic upbringing to make up for her terrible Freudian excuse in the season 5 finale went up in smoke.
Ring Team
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Ten years of changes - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of MLP:FiM!
A Really Classy Artist - 250+ images under their artist tag
An Artist Who Rocks - 100+ images under their artist tag
Artist -

Oh, yeah. There’s that “background story”. In quotes, because there’s nothing there. It’s like something David Cage or Hack Snyder would write. xD
Background Pony #2BCA
@Vivace  
 
A concussive blast is like being punched or hit by a blunt object.
 
Also, despite listening to Twilight lecture on the origin of her cutie mark, she still wanted to follow through on a plan that would effectively wipe spike from existence. No matter what future she expected, the spike we know would cease to exist as his birth would be delayed Indefinitely.
 
Even sunset prior to corruption couldn’t bring herself to hurt a dog.  
Starlight just be slapping 8 year olds and thanos snapping baby dragons from existence.
Latecomer

@Ring Team  
While not exactly the same as being a fly on a wall, you do know a massive amount of information on the show’s development through all seasons leaked online?
 
 
@Ring Team  
Spreading the news might have made sense while she was at large, but once Twilight took her in, it would have been counterproductive.
 
 
@Background Pony #2BCA  
I feel sorry for people so consumed by that - she has her poorly written points, but she’s pretty fun in later seasons.
Spinny
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Non-Fungible Trixie -
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Resident Spin Fetishist
@Myoozik
 
The point is that all of Twilight’s friends had to fail to cheer her up so that Starlight could do it instead. And I just find it ridiculous how AJ is reduced to serving Twilight apple mash, despite how she has historically been the one who’s best at snapping Twilight out of her funk.
 
@Mildgyth
 
Seriously don’t understand why Starlight’s village didn’t utterly turn on her when just considering the full scope of what she did to them, which includes this little instance of attempted murder:
 
Ring Team
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Ten years of changes - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of MLP:FiM!
A Really Classy Artist - 250+ images under their artist tag
An Artist Who Rocks - 100+ images under their artist tag
Artist -

@Latecomer  
I know there are some leaks, even before the show ended back in 2019, but I haven’t read anything because I think many people should watch a TV show or a movie without considering the leaks. Leaks kills the surprise factor, and I wanna be surprised.
 
In fact, some leaks can be just rumours. I remember there was a rumour in 2015 where Rarity would become an alicorn. Back then I was too passionated to the point where I was angry at that rumour. Then I learned that it was stupid, beause it was just a rumour. I tend to ignore these, especially in the last years, where everyone believes everything they read.
 
When I finish the season 9, I’ll read the leaks.
Background Pony #2BCA
@Vivace  
Look, like I said in the previous page, Its our fault for having such high expectations for a children’s show.
 
How much did the fandom simp for luna and Trixie in the early days? We “Draco in leather pantsed” every goddamn villain. You think the staff weren’t paying attention? Starlight was their attempt to give us what we wanted.
 
Starlight was a wish come true. A shame that wish was a monkeys paw.
Latecomer

@Ring Team  
Well, once you finish watching the show should be fine then, right? (And even now, leaks relating to Season 5/6/7 are probably OK. You can see how their plans took shape.
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