A long forgotten element has been brought back, but for better or for worse?
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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I think you broke me I started leaking this liquid from my eyes.
Maud refusing to let James go almost broke me.
I was not ready for such an emotional chapter. James has slowly but surely become a very endearing character to me & that's a first for me in fanfiction history. Really enjoyed having watched his journey & I really don't want it to end in heartbreak but it'd also be next to him surving, a fitting end in my opinion. Two ways this could end & both would probably break my soul depending on how I feel.
Godspeed James...Godspeed
Another chapter of awesomeness. Can't wait to see the battle now!
He finally has the conviction to succeed, may the creators and Equis itself grant James victory and a safe journey home to Ponyville, for his beloved family is waiting for him...... Godspeed James.
11363532
Yah same here i haven't leaked like this since i was a kid
man the end of this chap hits like a freight train in full speed its hard to not have the eyes wet by it
This takes so long to read, the characters age with you while reading
11365842
Imagine how it felt to write.
11365873
More power to ya’
What chapter was it, that had the puzzle poem? Something about six pieces gaining a seventh and becoming more whole than before.
11366933
The ten year anniversary milestone.
So, here we are at the final sendoff. One way or another, this conflict is about to end.
Even though, if course, we know James will survive this (sequel, shh!), it's still tear-jerking to see so many he cares about see him for what they have every reason to believe will be the final time. Once again, writing raw emotion proves to be your strong suit. All the sweeter the good times that soon lie ahead will be. I'm sensing a novel's worth of catharsis soon.
11368291
I liked the priquil but it also spoild me and told me who he is
11368969
If you connect the dots, yeah.
11368983
Itsi think it was clear but maybe its different
holy dear sweet celestia this thing is three million words
11369080
I don’t think I should have to say that, but it has nothing to do with the main overarching plotline. If you’re bailing on The Lost Element because of that, you’re missing out.
11368291
Might later
11371380
oh, right. forgot that you started this ages ago. sorry about dat
While I am doubtful that this song entirely parallels James' character development at any one point, there are bits of it that do remind me of his internal struggle over the past few weeks in-universe.
James and Smolder is how old!?
🚩 I read a comment by someone mentioning this and... a twenty something year old having mutual feelings for a teen... no further comment will be made by doodles. 3 Million words amount to nothing if the context [”...where she exhibits traits of a young teen as well as traits of a woman several years her senior.”] has a subtext [The 6 year age gap and waiting game...] which disgusts me and others. Do better, be better.
11374718
I take it you have not read the chapters that establish the caution they are employing in playing this waiting game.
When playing the implications of dragon parenting customs in canon completely straight, Smolder would be forced to mature much faster in order to survive as a vagabond. This creates a dissonance in how she portrays herself, where she exhibits traits of a young teen as well as traits of a woman several years her senior.
It’s fine if you don’t agree with it. Your conscience is in the right place and I’m not advocating for taking advantage of the youth.
Something to keep in mind though is that everyone turns 20 someday. Even Smolder.
11374718
You've miscalculated the age gap. James is in his mid twenties Smolder is fourteen but "very mature for her age" due to neglect and child abuse forcing her to grow up more quickly.
- Chapter 65 Rekindling the Embers emphasis mine. (I recommend reading this scene with full context, including the scene with Luna afterwards where James explains his intentions for Smolder.)
They make out on the bed and sleep together as lovers from when she's fourteen, but despite their ongoing relationship James waits to tell her what sex is until she's ready to learn about it, and then they wait to have sex for a few years until James believes she is mentally developed enough (and also for legal reasons though mental maturity is the main reason cited) this is the caution and waiting game Humanity describes in his reply to you.
11375590
It’s an inherent cultural and societal issue in jumping to conclusions like that. Pedophilia is so vilified and child sex abuse cases so common in the modern world that most people are tragically, yet justifiably, instinctive in making the most basic assumptions about age gap romances like this. Often to the point where most just seem to have forgotten what pedophilia even is.
IE: Pedophilia is the compulsion of being sexually attracted to minors because of the fact that they are minors. It is not a singular act, but a deviant fetish.
Most people don’t want to hear this, but that issue is not as black and white as the public wants to believe.
Doesn't make it any less wrong. Am I assuming Humanity is writing something involving a man in his mid twenties falling in love with a fourteen year old dragon? Am I wrong about being grossed out by this predatory behavior or is that all chalked up to it being an opinion? I don't care anymore. Farewell.
11375635
It’s a shame you can’t understand that falling in love is not a predatory behavior. I’ve tried to explain the situation as carefully as I can, but the truth here is you are not willing to listen.
If what I am writing disgusts you so much, contact the site moderators and tell them to ban me if that will satisfy your self righteous indignation. I am well aware that this may be one of the most controversial plot developments I have ever written and is inherently daring, but I will not abandon the plotline and am prepared to roll with the punches.
Goodbye.
11375603
There's definitely more to consider than just numbers. The species difference alone means we have to look at this more closely.
Probably the most important factor to consider is psychosocial development and since Smolder's character is described in such great detail we can actually analyse this. The first and most glaring issue is that Smolder has been neglected by her parents and abandoned at around age 12. Children who have suffered neglect, abuse, or other adverse childhood events can be forced to take on roles unsuited to their age which often leads to them presenting themselves as very mature for their age, however their development is invariably stunted in other areas.
Humanity does a good job of portraying this. James often describes Smolder as a contradiction or a paradox, appearing sometimes as a child, and at other times as a young woman, though her true age is fourteen. We have to consider now what things a child like Smolder would have trouble with, and which she would be adept at; again Humanity provides us with insight into this.
Smolder is independent and resourceful - she knows what to say, and what to avoid saying, in order to stay out of trouble while traveling alone among strangers. What she has no experience in is relationships, and especially romantic relationships. James realises at one point that Smolder probably lacks the sex education and understanding that a child her age would be expected to have. This manifests in her not knowing what's going on when she experiences sexual feelings. The combination of her role confusion where the clings to the belief she is more mature than she actually is with her lack of experience in relationships and the absence of healthy role models makes her incredibly vulnerable to being taken advantage of by older, more experienced men.
To expand on the absence of healthy role models as noted by James, Smolder has abandonment issues. After two years of solitary nomadic travel, Smolder finds James and he takes her into his home with his wife Fluttershy, their infant daughter, and his adopted daughter Scootaloo. Despite this more stable home environment Smolder is clearly still suffering emotionally from her abandonment, she begs and pleads with James to never leave her in many scenes and at first this is treated appropriately. When Smolder starts to believe their relationship is romantic rather than parental it's very confronting for some readers, but this type of behavior is sadly not uncommon in victims of child sex abuse. Often such children will feel subconsciously that a parent-child relationship will end in them being abandoned again, or they have been victims of grooming; as a result they feel that they must romantically or sexually bond with their protector or caregiver.
While James initially tries to set appropriate boundaries it's clear that he doesn't fully understand what he's gotten himself into. What follows is a series of events which makes me concerned for what James may have experienced in his own childhood. It's always good to see authors who are willing to write flawed characters, but I'm concerned in this case that not enough care is taken to establish that his reasoning is in fact flawed, more on that later.
To put it bluntly, James falls in love with Smolder. It starts with a kiss, and then a confession of love, followed later by a passionate makeout session on the bed. With the context we have it's honestly painful to read. The dissonance between James' narration and what the reader understands to be happening is disturbing.
James' love seems to be blinding him to the fact Smolder isn't as old as her superficial 'maturity' may suggest. James tells the reader he can no longer see the child in Smolder, and only the young woman. The childish aspects are very much still there, and acknowledged in the same scene, but it's not until they are moments away from having sex that James finally comes to his senses and stops himself from acting out what he calls his dark impulses. His rationalisations that keep him from realising how much he's screwed up are no doubt intentionally flimsy (i.e. the belief that stopping short of having sex makes a relationship with this sort of power dynamic, experience mismatch and other glaring issues, appropriate), but he clings to them nonetheless.
A dream with Luna follows where she seems, bizarrely, to merely back up everything James says and reassure him that he's not a bad person. We have to wonder if this is really Luna or merely a regular dream where his subconscious is protecting itself from the truth. James has convinced himself that so long as they wait to have sex until the age of consent he's not taking advantage of her.
The next scene begins with James and Smolder waking up in bed together. James intends to ask her to keep their relationship a secret, but Smolder already knows exactly what he will say. Her immediate understanding and acceptance of the need for secrecy hints at some darker things that may have happened during her abandonment, without actually telling us which is a refreshing bit of subtlety.
James doesn't pick up on the oddity of a child being pre-prepared to keep secrets of this nature, which hints that he too may have had a troubled past. Then we get to what I believe is the best example we have to demonstrate James' misunderstanding of the issues he's dealing with.
James is putting responsibility onto a child to make sure he doesn't take advantage of them. Of course this betrays his misunderstanding. It's precisely because of her inexperience and lack of understanding that she's so vulnerable to being taken advantage of. She wouldn't even know it was happening; James points out in a previous scene that Smolder trusts him and would likely believe anything he told her about sex or relationships.
Humanity is absolutely unflinching in the destruction of this character we've had so long to get to know. There's no easy justifications to be found here; Smolder isn't an adult in a child's body, or a species that matures faster, or any of the other excuses authors sometimes use to justify minor-adult relationships. Smolder is a heart wrenching depiction of an abused child clinging desperately to the first person to show her kindness, and unfortunately for her that person was James.
I can understand what Humanity is attempting with this flawed protagonist (to humanise a person most would find too abhorrent to empathise with), but the fact that other characters constantly condone his actions seems to give the false impression that Humanity believes this is all okay.
It may be a critique on the dangers of an overly permissive society, a demonstration of the problematic side of the halo effect, or perhaps a comment on the lack of accountability for those in positions of power or authority (James is literally in bed with the royals). Whatever the case I hope Humanity can address this soon, since what we have so far could be interpreted as condoning the pursuit of romantic relationships with abused foster children under your care.
11376450
I’m grateful that you’re being as understanding as you are about this. It is a very tricky subject to write and I’m hoping I’m handling this topic with grace. The way you describe the implications of how their relationship could be a result of does make me deeply uncomfortable and fearful of what may happen if I screw this plot point up at some point and makes me more determined to be as careful with it as possible. There are things that need to be addressed with this and thank you for inspiring me to plan that out.
Another thing to keep in mind is how commitment works in dragons, even in younger ones. Even Spike displayed this to a certain degree in show canon at times. Where loyalty of love is in their very blood. Like with Ember, Smolder’s mental maturity has resulted in her viewing an ideal man as a potential mate later in life and she’s fearful of what passing up the opportunity could mean for her and she’s wise enough to not be hasty in spite of how difficult it can be. Having gone without anyone to turn to for two years has made her much more appreciative of those who care about her. Even Ember, a fellow dragon and an adult, can see what those two solitary years has done to Smolder.
There’s no easy way to describe this scenario and it’s not one I encourage others to pursue. It’s just the result of very unusual circumstances and I hope I can stick the landing as time goes by. I also appreciate the points you have brought up and I’ll see to it there are addressed at some point.
If you actually do want to look into an in-fandom actual pedophile who advocates for and repeatedly tried to rationalize sexual attraction towards minors in spite of his lack of malice, I advise looking up Flutterpony and the various observations about the folly of his rationale in the comments.
11376450
Let me get this straight. This dude not only has a wife and two daughters but is banging the Royals as well and still isn't satisfied? Enough so to go full pedo? Da fuck does anybody see in this guy? Just because he's the only being walking on two legs or some shit?
11376720
Read the entire story to get the full context. I’ve seen what’s been posted elsewhere and will not be entertaining these knee jerk responses.
I am going through severe depression and anxiety right now and this is one of the only things keeping me going. Thank you for making this amazing story.
11376562
Child abuse and trauma are indeed sensitive subjects to write about. The way James is handling this situation is not acceptable. He's not acting in malice, but frankly he should know better, and the supporting cast certainly should.
The way in which Smolder is acting is inappropriate for her age. James has recognized this, but has taken the wrong message from it. He believes that since she presents herself as an adult she can be treated as one when this is very much not the case. Smolder's neglect and abandonment make her less ready for a romantic relationship, not more.
I'm glad that you're taking this seriously.
While Spike did have a crush on Rarity, Rarity was aware that such a relationship would be inappropriate and harmful for his development. Even if she had wanted to, which I presume she did not, she knew better.
That Smolder believes she wants to marry James is understandable. Teenagers, especially those with troubled backgrounds, having role confusion is nothing new. James is the adult in this situation and should have enough life experience to know that becoming romantically involved with a teenager he's effectively adopted into his family is not the right thing to do.
For one thing there is the power dynamic to consider. Smolder is his dependent. She lives in his house, she eats his food, she (at one point) sleeps in the same bed with his adopted daughter, and she depends on him for emotional support and to teach her about the world. Smolder is effectively his daughter.
Scenes like this illustrate the problem well. Their power dynamic is completely skewed to James' side. Smolder isn't mature enough to know why this is a problem, but James should be. Even with no malice at all, James is grooming her. He's made himself her parent/teacher/mentor while at the same time becoming her lover.
What Smolder needs is therapy, a stable home environment, and a positive role model she can rely on and emulate. She's not ready to have a lover at all, and certainly not one who is so much more experienced than her. Whether or not they have sex is not the point, it's the nature of their relationship that's inappropriate. Heck, even if she was nineteen it wouldn't be appropriate with the context we have, at fourteen it's beyond doubt.
Smolder's appreciation of those that care about her need not (and should not) be displayed romantically. Her desire to be as emotionally close to James as possible combined with her rejection of seeing herself as a child makes her decision to be his lover rather than his daughter understandable, but James going along with this cannot be similarly forgiven. Rejecting her advances may make her unhappy in the short term, but doing what's best for her is more important in the long run.
To sum up, "age-gap romances" are not just frowned upon for their association with pedophilia. There are clear, well researched, and well understood reasons why they are likely to be problematic. There is some gray area. There are times where the numbers don't tell the whole story. This is not one of them. When we look beyond the numbers here we see on full display some of the reasons for the conventional wisdom against romances with this sort of age gap:
1. Smolder is fourteen, she's an adolescent, James is a fully grown adult.
2. Smolder has been a victim of child neglect and abandonment which gives her even less understanding of healthy relationships than the average fourteen year old.
3. Smolder's psychosocial development is not at a point where she's ready for this kind of relationship; she lacks knowledge and experience and is relying on James to teach her about both love and how the world works.
4. Smolder is a dependent, effectively a child in the care of her 'lover'.
If you're trying to demonstrate why age-gap relationships are harmful even when both parties have the best intentions, you have done well. If you were looking for a way to have an age-gap relationship that challenges peoples preconceived notions, this ain't it.
I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me.
11377414
I appreciated it. I feel like I needed to hear this and want to improve wherever I can.
Ok, I don’t want to add to the text walls that’ve taken over the comments here lately, but I’m compelled to throw my hat into the equation before anything else can happen.
There’s been a lot of bile being thrown around here regarding the age gap romance between Smolder and James as well as attempts by some readers to psychoanalyze the former through her behavior and age. From what I can see, these arguments are backed by modern western values and modern understandings about adolescent human psychology and sexuality. These are commendable groundings for a side in an argument. Except there’s one element of this plot point that literally everyone here has overlooked.
Smolder is not, never has been, and never will be, human.
As even Ember has stated regarding how dragons handle romantic pursuits, their minds just do not work in ways that a human‘s does. A dragon’s genes dictate their behavior in ways ours do not and their brains are wired differently from ours. No matter how humanized someone like Smolder acts, expecting her to conform to all human expectations just isn’t realistic and realism is an aspect this story appears to try to convey at all times.
I do believe the arguments that the author should handle the situation between James and Smolder can and should be handled a bit more carefully and he seems to agree with that sentiment too, but it surprises me how many are imposing the expectations of human psychology onto a character who was never even human in the first place.
On top of that, in regards to the age of consent issue, a lot of people tend to forget that while MLP is an American property, the world of Equestria takes next to no inspiration from North American fiction and mythology. Equestria as a whole most heavily borrows from European mythologies with Greece providing the majority of the world’s origins. The age of consent in European territories differs greatly from North America with many having it set at 16. Greece in particular has its age of consent at 15 years of age. And when considering that the nonhuman people of Equestria develop a bit more quickly compared to humans with real world equines needing to be able to stand and run on their first day, and even having the Cake twins able to stand, run, and even talk at 30 days old back in season 2, it’s not a stretch to say that age of consent laws in Equestria would not meet the expectations of those from North American territories. It’s basically a meta form of culture clash with the reader depending on how they think.
I’m not saying the situation between Smolder and James couldn’t be handled better. Because it can. But I can’t help but notice how there are aspects of the situation here that literally everyone talking about it now are completely overlooking.
Sorry to add to these stacks of text walls with another text wall by getting all philosophical, but I felt compelled to say something here. I hope this gives everyone here some food for thought.
11377954
Before commenting on what I have written I suggest you read the story for context.
I treat smolder as human because the text treats her psychology as human. She reacts the same way to situations we would expect a human would. I expect James to have the cultural upbringing and understanding of a human from North America because he *is* a human and spent all of his formative years growing up in America.
I state the age of consent in Equestria as sixteen because the text explicitly states that it is sixteen. Other characters who have grown up in Equestria are concerned that James will get into trouble for dating someone as young as Smolder and Smolder, having grown up in the dragon lands, knows that they need to keep their relationship a secret because what they're doing is presumably culturally unacceptable there too.
Does any of this sound like the cultural situation surrounding this issue is substantively different to that on Earth in North America? No, it does not. I can cite examples from the text if you're having trouble remembering it.
Here's one:
If the setting were not intended to be a close approximation of North American culture, Smolder wouldn't be talking about her "sweet sixteen".