"Tragic backstory is never an excuse" · 11:02pm Apr 5th, 2021
I don't know what it is, but lately I've been seeing a lot of "sob sad story is no excuse for evil doing" in regards to Cozy conversation. First of all, we don't even know Cozy's backstory. If you wanna believe it is a sad, tragic, maybe even abuse past, then sure. Starlight Glimmer was pretty much that. (though she is often ridiculed in this regard too so it's not like there's a double standard)
I know this isn't directed at me, but it's mentioned by people who don't think Cozy can be redeemed, and directed at people who believe Cozy can be redeemed, so it kind of is. Here's what I have to say about this sentiment, since I see it so often.
(Below are somewhat vague spoilers to both Cozy Chronicles, and A Different Kind of Ending)
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In both of my fanfictions, Cozy's origin is not used as a catalyst to lead towards redemption. In fact her backstory is basically irrelevant in A Different Kind of Ending. It's there, but the thing that actually changes Twilight's mind isn't the past, it's the future. It's when Twilight sees the full implications and future of what happens in the real ending, does she decide this isn't how she wants to treat Cozy. In Cozy Chronicles, there's a different backstory, whose purpose is mostly to explain holes in canon, such as where are her parents, and why does she go to Twilight's school alone. What ultimately redeems Cozy, is when she's faced against an even greater threat than herself, who wants to be rid of her. She fights to save herself, and her friends, and in term happens to save all of Equestria in the process. When Twilight hears about this, she gains a whole other perspective on Cozy, and wishes she could speak with her, to see definitively if there's more to Cozy than she assumed.
In both instances, it's not something that happened in her past that pardons or excuses what she does, it's things that happen after that ending up making a difference. Sure, learning about her origin would give some much needed context for her actions, but no matter how sad or abusive her past may have been, that alone does not completely excuse her behavior. So no, I don't believe Cozy needs a sad backstory for Twilight to forgive her, Starlight Glimmer style.
But the main takeaway here, is that I sincerely believe Cozy could have changed if Twilight tried hard enough. She had the building blocks for friendship in Frenemies. She cares about sticking together with her teammates. My stories are me expanding on that, keeping her evil when it makes sense, but another side of her (that I believe was deep inside her all along) comes to light when the time is right. And if I hear another "Cozy didn't want redemption", then please tell me exactly what Cozy said after she was defeated in The Ending of the End. Oh wait, she didn't get to say a damn word.
I don't know if Cozy will get this kind of treatment in future media, nor am I sure if we'll see her again period. But regardless, though I am still deeply disturbed by the ending, my own stories are as much satisfaction as I'm going to get, and I'm proud of what I've written. I'm also very happy that others have enjoyed my stories. And just remember, there is no wrong way to fantasize.
So you say that to forgive someone or anyone you don't need a tragic story only to look at the present and the future?
5490987
It really does depend. I think backstories are really important into contextualizing a character's actions.
-Diamond Tiara was rotten because she took after her mother, and was never disciplined.
-Tempest Shadow was sworn to the Storm King because he promised that he would repair her horn if she presented to him the most powerful magic in Equestria.
-Starlight Glimmer got the idea for her colt from one specific incident in her life where she lost her best friend.
Backstories contextualize a character's motives, but shouldn't be used as redemption cards by themselves. Sure you can feel bad for the character, but ultimately it matters if that character in the present time wants to change going forward.
-Diamond Tiara was fine until Silver Spoon turned on her, and then she wasn't happy, and the cmc showed her a different light. She could have ignored the cmc's advice, but she grew up and stood up to her mother, showing so much sweet character development. (I love Crusaders of the Lost Mark)
-The Storm King was really foolish, and he never actually had planned to fulfill Tempest's request, so of course she was going to betray him. (I'm not actually the biggest fan of Tempest's arc tbh, but I'm not gonna get into that now)
-Starlight Glimmer, she... Twilight ended up convincing Starlight that her cult was an overreaction to what happened, and that there's more reasonable ways to move on. And ultimately, Starlight accepted what Twilight said, surrendered, and vowed to change her ways. But it didn't have to be that way. Starlight easily could have done what Chrysalis did in S6 and said screw friendship and fled. (If they weren't stuck in a time loop, which presents a whole other set of challenges and questions, and potential plot holes I'm not gonna get into now.) But ultimately she chose friendship on her own accord.
But really I think it comes down to tropes. "Tragic" backstories, and redemption arcs sort of go hand in hand. If we had one without the other, it would have been jarring. Why bring up someone's backstory if they don't change? Conversely if a character was redeemed without a backstory, you could ask: Why does this character feel like changing? We saw them be evil, what changed in them?
The main example that breaks away from this trope is Discord, (and "jarring" sums him up perfectly) whose redemption arc has been questionable since the beginning. Despite supposedly being redeemed in Keep Calm and Flutter On, he strait up betrays his friends in Twilight's Kingdom, and even afterwards, he continues to do questionable actions as the show goes on. Discord has no backstory to contextualize what he does. He just is what he is.
Cozy Glow could have a reason why she acts the way she does. Did the environment she was raised in turn her into a monster? Did a specific incident happen to her that made her want to erase magic? (a la Starlight Glimmer and her cult?) Again, is she evil in nature or nurture? That is the real mystery. And going back to the trope, it works the other way around. No tragic backstory means no redemption arc, and visa versa. But can the trope be subverted? Could we have had Cozy beg for forgiveness, and Twilight forgive her, all without a backstory? I honestly believe so. You don't have to follow the trope. And again, I believe that she could have changed, and maybe she would have enjoyed redemption. Who knows. Maybe they didn't feel the need to redeem her since they never got around to explaining her background. Sad they didn't have enough time to complete her character, but at least we get to have fun and tell our Cozy tales.
I will continue to fight against the current, and cling to the idea that Cozy could have changed if she was given more time. There is simply not enough weight in the notion that "she didn't want redemption." Maybe if School Raze was the last of Cozy, this would have a point, (she doesn't really express any remorse at the end of that episode) but considering what we saw in Season 9, she definitely had something. Maybe not Elements of Harmony style friendship, but she managed to make teamwork work with two of Equestria's biggest baddies. There has to be something there. I believe. But unfortunately, she wasn't given the opportunity to say much of anything at the end of the series. And I'm still sad about it to this day.
You can look to the past for clues, but ultimately, we are prisoners of the present, constantly racing into the future of our own making.
5491060
All 3 had something in s9. The reason Chrysalis snapped out of it is possible trauma with friendship. I mean she did lose everything and she was going insane when she was alone and in frenemies, she did say it felt good to have others there for you she was reminded of her hive. If they were irredeemable as people say those thoughts would never cross their minds. I usually use this fact to explain why non of them are psychopaths. A psychopath would never doubt.
I like your stories keep up what you believe morally you are right! But please don't forget the other two.
(sorry for that late reply lmao)
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Thanks for enjoying my stories.
Right, I mostly considered Cozy for this blog post, but you're right. All 3 of them have merit, and I thoroughly explored them all in Cozy Chronicles. I guess I typically argue so adamantly for Cozy, because with her, there's a lot more gaps to fill. Not to mention, of the 3 villains punished in the end, she definitely sticks out like a sore thumb for obvious reasons, and she has the least complete story. We know what motivates Chrysalis and Tirek for the most part, but with Cozy we literally have nothing to go off. (Edit: We know she craves power, but we don't know what exactly motivates her desire). Like you said, they aren't psychopaths, they think, have morals, have limits, and have reason. Chrysalis is afraid of friendship because it changed her hive completely. She's slower to change than the rest of her hive, and that is no reason to write her off as forever evil.
Thanks, I continue to fight for what I believe is right because I simply can't stay silent after such questionable morals were displayed in MLP. I don't believe a filly should be turned to stone for any reason. Especially not before finding out what her motivation was. The ending was rushed, and Cozy got done really dirty because of it. But at least the fans get to pick up the torch, and either redo the ending, or write continuations that have much more satisfying endings.
Exactly. I know that feeling of being disturbed and disappointed by the trio’s ending and working on fanfics to cope with it. At first in my main trilogy, I was gonna have Chrissy accept while not entirely, but still enough of her daughter’s offer to friendship after defeating her. But now I’ve fixed that error in my writing and saved a much slower and harder acceptance for Chrysalis instead of accepting it about as easily as Starlight did. The important key when reforming a antagonist or villain at the end of the day is responsibility upon that foe who decides to take a turn for the better.