• Member Since 23rd Dec, 2017
  • offline last seen 38 minutes ago

Jade Dawn


You're a lot stronger than you think you are. Trust me.

More Blog Posts637

  • 4 weeks
    New Superman Movie now in production!

    We've gotten official word that the Superman: Legacy, now retitled simply Superman, is now filming...and we've got our first look at the new Superman's symbol!

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    4 comments · 99 views
  • 4 weeks
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    (source)

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    1 comments · 27 views
  • 8 weeks
    Notice

    [UPDATE: I can confirm firsthand that TheMysteryMuffin is alive and has been active on Discord for most of the day at this point. I have also been informed courtesy of Estee that she has apparently been in contact with a prevention hotline. As it stands now, it seems like she is currently doing better.]

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    17 comments · 212 views
  • 9 weeks
    1950s Sci-Fi Review Bundle (Part 1/?)

    So recently because I'm a totally normal person with a totally refined sense of taste when it comes to fiction, I got on a binge of going through some of those good old 1950s (and some from the 60s) sci-fi movies, rewatching ones I hadn't seen in ages and getting around to watching ones I'd never seen before, either at all or only parts of, and I thought for the heck of it I'd share some little

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    1 comments · 56 views
Aug
20th
2020

The Problem with Tempest - A Minor Ramble · 1:25am Aug 20th, 2020

Let me stress first and foremost that I do not hate Tempest Shadow at all. I quite like her. However, as time has gone on, I feel like there's a little problem with her character.

See, in both fan fictions and the spin-off comics, it seems like she can never quite shake off her past with the Storm King. Now maybe it's just because the movie is three years old now (and good Lord, where did the time go?!), but I kind of feel like she should have moved on past that now. But it keeps looping around to that. Either that or she's played up as the grump in a world of positivity. Now that isn't to say she should become all smiley and rainbows–some people just aren't like that–but still, I feel like the shadow of her past continues to loom over her, whether as a recap or mind control or a casual joke.

Allow me to make a compare and contrast. Starlight Glimmer has developed from her initial villainy to the point where I sometimes flat-out forget she started as a bad guy in the first place. Tempest...hasn't quite gotten to that point yet.

Report Jade Dawn · 193 views · #Tempest Shadow
Comments ( 15 )

The thing that kinda bothered me about Tempest was that the Storm King, a goofy, less bothersome, out-of-the-way villain hamming it up in every scene he's in, was destroyed. And Tempest, a violently disturbed, legitimate threat to the ponies throughout the entire movie, was reformed at the end.

Imagine an AU where the Storm King was reformed instead, and Tempest was banished or locked in a cage or locked in a cage in the place she was banished.

The problem is, well, the writing doesn't *allow* her to move past it. I generally do with my fanfics, with some need of atonement but I let her grow and change. The comics do sadly portray her as a bit of a grump, which can be funny if done right but... Let her loosen up just a bit.

5339212
Not to play devil's advocate, but for all the Storm King's goof, he was clearly dangerous. He already had a sizable presence outside of Equestria before Tempest.

And not gonna lie, and no offense to you, I'm not too terribly keen on that AU idea. Mostly because (A) we don't know that much about the Storm King, and (B) what we do see points to him probably not taking that path. With Tempest, we at least do know what the problem is.

Fair enough, but then again, I've never been too big a fan of the character. Leading an army against your own people and enslaving them all, children included? Not the fast or easy way to win my heart, backstory be damned. It's taken some damned good fics to make me like her somewhat, and even then I'm still picky about it.

5339878
The movie's been out for three years (holy cow where did all that time go?!); I don't think you really need to use spoilers. Minor nitpick.

At least she realized she was going down the wrong path and made a willing change.

5339881
It's less about giving away the plot and more about concern over getting downvoted for openly daring to criticize the character.

Maybe, but I still just didn't like how the movie wanted me to feel sympathetic to someone willing to sell their entire species into slavery to a blatantly evil and unstable warlord, on the off chance of getting their horn fixed. :ajbemused:

5339885
I tend to compare it to Darth Vader. He's a murderer who's slaughtered countless people in service of the Emperor. For years he was the face of the Imperial regime, feared by all. And yet, in spite of all that he'd done, Luke still saw that there was still good in him, that he still had a chance to turn his life around. And he did. It killed him, but in those last minutes of his life he turned back to the light.

I see Tempest in much the same way. She eventually saw that she was wrong, and changed for the better upon that realization. And she has the added benefit of (A) not dying and actually getting the chance to truly change, and (B) so far as we know, she never actually killed anyone. What she did was still terrible, but not quite on par with mass murder across the galaxy.

5339891
Yeah, but here's the thing... Darth Vader still died. Sure, he redeemed himself and got to be a Force Ghost and hang out with Ben/Obi-Wan and Yoda and all, but he still made the ultimate sacrifice as the price to pay for all the many, many crimes he committed. (And coincidentally sidestepped the issue of what to do with him after the downfall of the Emperor too...)

Tempest kind of sidesteps all of that, and I don't mean to sound like a heartless bastard in saying that she *should* have died, but all the same, the fact that she helps put literally everyone in Equestria in chains and cages for most of the movie and then at the very end she's there providing fireworks for the big party... kinda doesn't sit right with me. I know it's My Little Pony and all, but I don't know... I guess Tempest just kinda says to me that the "dark and tragic" villain type doesn't fit too well in that setting or world.

5339949
She would have died if Twilight and co. hadn't caught her when she took the bullet. She fully expected to pay that price. The only reason she didn't was because of the Mane Six deciding to do the unforeseeable and forgiving her, even after all she'd done.

Now there's an interesting question: does the Ultimate Sacrifice still mean anything if somebody is willing to go through with it but then is saved from doing so? Does the intent still justify what comes next or do they have to die for it to mean anything?

5340099
Yes, she was prepared to pay that price, and yes it's totally in-character for Twilight to try and save her... but I don't know, it just felt like a copout to me.

Basically, the big problem I have with her as a character is that - and this sounds unbelievably rich I'm sure - I actually think she committed worse deeds than Starlight Glimmer in some regards. Because at least Starlight's town was a small place, and the time-travel hijinks ultimately canceled itself out, so you could sort-of argue "no harm, no foul" (maybe) with Twilight forgiving her for that. Tempest agreed to have her whole species put into slavery for her own benefit. That's an act of evil that, even for a fantasy series, is pretty fucking extreme. Again, too extreme for me to find sympathy with.

Interesting question to ask for sure. One that might be too deep to be brought up in regards to this series or setting in the first place, possibly. *shrugs*

5340370
I can see that we're at something of an impasse here, so in the interests of not escalating things any further, I'd like to call it quits. We both have our stances, we both disagree, but I think it's probably better to leave things here rather than leave a hanging stalemate or escalate into a full-blown argument.

'kay?

5340441
Fine by me. If I've offended you somehow or otherwise angered you with what I've typed, then I'm sorry. I was just sharing my thoughts, and trying my hardest not to be rude or insulting about it. I don't *like* Tempest Shadow but I categorically do not believe in wishing death on her or being an asshole to those who *do* like her.

5340443
Nah, I'm not offended. Just disagree.

It's not the worst thing in the world.

5340452
Just wanted to make absolutely sure. I still remember our little tiff before in regards to Hunchback of Notre Dame and all.

5340464
Oh? Huh. I'd almost completely forgotten about that.

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