How the Dazzlings in Equestria Girls: Fairly Odd Friendship are an Analogy of the Seven Deadly Sins and Satan (Spoilers). · 11:10pm Jul 24th, 2021
What Makes A Person Evil?
The idea of what makes a person a villain is an awfully complex and fascinating question. All human beings are capable of good and evil.
When do we cross that line from good to evil? When do we lose sympathy and when do we regain it and when does it become impossible to make amends?
In Equestria Girls: A Fairly Odd Friendship the lens through which I examine this question is a theme that predates animation itself: the Seven Deadly Sins.
Religious Fiction Does Not Have To Be Terrible
Let me be clear: I’m not trying to make a religious statement or proselytize to anyone.
Religious fiction has gotten a bad name in recent years, especially with films like God Is Not Dead. And Butch Hartman’s downward was because he tried to build a Christian cartoon network through duplicitous means.
But religious fiction can be really good. Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dreamworks’ Prince of Egypt are wonderful stories. As I’ve said in my previous blogs, there is no bad idea, but bad execution of an idea.
I personally think the Seven Deadly Sins are something that can be applied to real life as well, since a lot of these vices can lead a person down the road of ruin.
The Line Between Villainy and Heroism is Moderation And Remorse
To me, the line between villainy and heroism is knowing when you’ve gone too far, learning from your mistakes, and doing better in the future.
A well-written hero isn’t free of vice, but can learn to temper their vices, acknowledge their misdeeds, and grow as people.
Villains, by contrast, are often people who never question their actions, never question their choices, and keep doing incredible harm to others without self-awareness or remorse.
“Sympathetic” villains are good example of this line: you start out understanding why they are driven to do the terrible things they do, but they either lose sympathy because they never stop crossing lines and hurting others, or they learn to do better and become amazingly complex heroes.
Walter White, for example, is sympathetic at first because he wants to provide for his poor family, and his main targets are other criminals. But gradually, Walter goes from just wanting to provide for his family to wanting the power and wealth of a drug kingpin, and even begins mistreating the people he claims to care about. If he were truly interested in his family’s welfare, he would’ve taken money from his former business partner or just quietly worked for Gus for a couple of years. But Walt keeps crossing more and more lines, until he finally loses everything and dies alone.
Beatrice Horseman is sympathetic because of the genuinely horrible circumstances of her youth: her older brother was killed in war, her mother fell into depression and was lobotomized, and her father was an emotionally abusive misogynist. We feel bad for the pain she went through, but she loses sympathy because she takes her anger out her son Bojack, never stops belittling him, and refuses to apologize for causing him so many issues.
In the recent Joker movie, perhaps the most empathetic version of the Joker ever put to camera; he isn’t a sadistic maniac or monster, but a mentally troubled man struggling to find acceptance, love, and compassion in a broken-down city. And his first kills are a pretty justifiable act of self-defense. But instead of calming down and trying to retain his empathy for others, he allows his anger and rage to consume him, until he finally kills a man on live TV, cementing him as a dangerous psycho who wants the world to burn around him.
The reason why these characters are considered villains, in spite of their troubles, is because they never learn to stop their bad behavior, and hurt people who don’t deserve it.
The Dazzlings and the Seven Deadly Sins
The Dazzlings are most definitely villains in this story. They’re not just evil, they are like demons; they’re presence brings ruin to others, and they are drawn to power and evil the same way a moth is drawn to a light. They enter the story because of an act of evil: Doombringer’s kidnapping of Timmy, which attracts Adagio’s attention and reveals to her the fact that Timmy possesses magic he can claim for herself.
Even without meeting Timmy directly and having any magic, the Dazzlings are able to bring out the worst in him; Aria posting a video of Timmy’s humiliation at the hands of Gary and Betty angers Timmy so much, he drops a meteor on their truck. This act not only exposes his magic to the Dazzlings for good, but his dark side too. From there, things get even worse for Timmy and everyone else.
But what cements the Dazzlings as bad is their relation to the Seven Deadly Sins and how much they indulge in these vices.
Gluttony
Sonata is the most obvious depiction of gluttony, with her incredible consumption of taco. But the Dazzlings as a whole are gluttonous in their wishing, compulsively demanding more wishes than they could possibly need, and wearing Cosmo and Wanda out and quickly overstaying their welcome.
By contrast, Sunset encourages Timmy to live a healthier lifestyle, buying him healthy food, and encouraging him to enjoy sweets in moderation.
Greed
The Dazzlings are greedy in many ways. When they still had their magic, they used them to illicitly amass huge fortunes. When Timmy grants them wishes, they demand luxurious and pricy items from them, like mansions and fancy clothes. And when Timmy refuses to grant them wishes anymore, they resort to stealing Cosmo and Wanda just so they can keep the magic to themselves.
Sunset is content to live in a modest loft, she and her friends share with Timmy, and when Sunset gains access to a wand head, she uses it only when it is necessary to save Timmy and her friends, and immediately returns the wand head to Timmy.
Timmy himself shares his magic with those he considers his friends, and he learns to be generous toward people like Georgie.
Sloth
The Dazzlings believe themselves to be above things like housework and working for a wage, and force Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda to wait on them like servants. And when Cosmo and Wanda punish them with housework for their greed, the Dazzlings are offended that they had to do something as lowly as clean something.
The Rainbooms, however, try and pull Timmy away from sloth: Rainbow forces Timmy to get up early for track training, and works him to the bone. Sunset herself helps Timmy out with chores, gives him tutoring so he’ll get better grades, and when he sneaks out on her, has Applejack punish him with farm work. And Timmy, rather than give into despair after seeing his fairies ripped away from him, takes the initiative to save Cosmo and Wanda. He also helps out Mrs. Crocker with housework.
Envy
The Dazzlings envy the Rainbooms when they believe Timmy is supplying them magic, they envy Cosmo and Wanda for their magical abilities, they envy Sunset for having Timmy’s admiration, they envy not being able to enjoy and live large in the human world, and they envy Princess Twilight and other ponies for their cushy lives.
Rainbow, meanwhile, tells Timmy to stop trying to want shallow popularity, telling him he has better things to do than that.
Lust
Yes, I know what kind of lust you think talking about.
But I’m referring to lust as a selfish, possessive desire.
The Dazzlings are beings who crave adoration and fame: they are willing to brainwash others in order to have a legion of fans who adore him, and it becomes lust when they are willing to break the mind of others to do it.
But platonic relationships can also be lustful, if they are defined by possessiveness, control, and outright abuse.
The Dazzling’s relationship with Timmy is not remotely a healthy one: they want him to serve them, and try and push away his friends and family just so he can keep monopolizing his time, without any respect for his mental health or individual desires.
As one person wrote, they are basically Super Bike, albeit without any good intentions.
But the brief moment where the Sirens offer him the chance to join them is also an example of lust. In this instance, they become genuinely impressed with his fighting abilities and believe they can mold him into a good warrior. And yes, this might seem like a step up from Timmy’s other rogues, who often belittle and insult him for being a ten-year-old kid.
But the Dazzlings only want to keep Timmy around because they think he could be useful to them. Yes, they would’ve rewarded him and been slightly nicer to him, but only when they did what he wanted. They are functionally an example of an egotistical stage parent, who only cares about a child’s accomplishments when those accomplishments serve his or her ego.
By contrast, the Rainbooms and the rest of Canterlot High, while they entered Timmy’s life for less-than-honest reasons, all had a healthy relationship with him. The saw him as a child they had to care for, even in spite of the mistakes they made. Sunset saw her babysitter job as a mission but gradually loved being Timmy’s caretaker. But not only that, they wanted him to grow as a person and not merely serve their individual needs.
Wrath
The Dazzlings themselves embody this more than any other sin: they bring wrath out of others, and they feel it themselves. They get mad and furious when they don’t get their way, they are consumed by their sheer contempt for others, their hatred of the Rainbooms. And when Timmy mouths off to them and refuses to join them, they beat him to a bloody pulp.
Their transformation is the result of an act of wrath: Aria destroying Cosmo and Wanda’s wand. The three-headed form is a reference to a version of Satan: a three-headed beast. And once they gain this new form, they plan to destroy Timmy in every single way to pay him back for damaging their egos; destroy his friends, destroy his family, and keep hm locked in a cage forever.
By contrast, the Rainbooms try to keep Timmy from giving into his wrath. Fluttershy tries to teach Timmy the value of kindness, Pinkie helps Timmy laugh after he is savagely humiliated and hurt by Crocker’s scheme, and Sunset’s transformation into Daydream is driven, not by blind rage, but her desire to righteously defend Timmy and her charge.
Pride
Pride, the unstoppable belief in ones’ own superiority, is considered to be the worst sin, since it is from where all others come from.
The Dazzlings believe themselves to be deserving of power and glory, and believe other beings not themselves should be subservient to them. All their horrible deeds, all their crimes, all their cruelties, are born from this inflated ego and entitlement.
By contrast, Timmy and the Rainbooms learn to feel regret for their actions, and this brings them back together after their falling out.
Other Examples of Imperfect Heroes
Even the more morally ambiguous characters embody that goodness is not the absence of flaws, but the ability to prevent those flaws from consuming.
Gilda’s sin is Wrath. She pulls mean pranks on other people, calls them names, and can have a bad temper sometimes. But Gilda can understand when a prank has gone too far, control her temper, and can be a righteous person when the situation calls for it.
Zephyr’s sin is Lust. He has a horrible habit of objectifying women and stalking his crushes. But he manages to fight off the sirens’ manipulations out of love and care for his sister, and this love for his older sister motivates him to help save the day.
Moondancer’s sin is Pride. She despises Sunset for having humiliated her in the past, and believes she has every right to take vengeance on her. But when she sees how evil the Dazzlings are, and how they tormented Timmy, she lets go of her pride, realizes how her vengeance was wrong, and helps the Rainbooms save Timmy, even putting her own life on the line so Sunset can protect Timmy.
Mr. and Mrs. Turner are Sloth. They are downright neglectful of his needs and frequently dump him so they can go out and have fun. But they can be decent parents and are willing to defend Timmy when they see he is in danger.
All of these characters do have serious vices, but unlike the Dazzlings, they aren’t consumed by them and are thus capable of being decent people. The Dazzlings can’t escape their vices, and are thus so dangerous to others, they need to be locked up in Fairy World.
Conclusion
All of us feel sin, but what separates a decent person from an indecent person is the ability to learn from mistakes, take responsibility, and do better.
The Dazzlings are evil because they never learn to not harm others. And Timmy, the Rainbooms, and the rest of Canterlot High, while they do make mistakes, are considered redeemable because they learn to do better.
To wrap this up with a bow, I’ll leave you this message:
We live in tough times, and because of that, we are tempted to do harm to others. But however tough times may get, let us never forget our responsibility to ourselves and to those around us.
AMEN, BROTHER! AMEN!
Great analogy man.
I approve of this journal!
Dang. While I really need to make time to finish binge-reading your story, I will be forever glad I started it if only because it means I keep an eye out for your blogs.
After Reading this it just wants me to see how would you handle the dazzling in a redemption story
I must ask you sir, In all of the Dazzlings portrayal, Why did you keep Sonata Dusk irredeemable until the end? I would know Sonata's character and that she's a lovable girl with a crazy love for tacos who's just roped in and forced into her sister's plan because she doesn't have anywhere to go. Another question I would ask is what's wrong with Gluttony? I consume lots of rice, meat, soup etc at lunchtime and when I decide to watch a favorite show or movie, I can indulge all the junkfood and soda while consumed in my entertainment. I eat food because it makes me happy and because it fills a hole in my stomach with satisfaction. There's nothing wrong with Gluttony like I'm not hurting anyone. I can see and understand how you would characterize Adagio and Aria but why Sonata? Its not in Sonata's character to be heartless like Cruella De Vil. Does Sonata really not process a conscience in this universe? She could have been redeemed and be a friend to Timmy and who would synced well with Cosmo.
You mean forcing Timmy Turner to ways to an Equestrian Diet even though Timmy hasn't been the Equestria before and that he has never been a pony in all of his life? It will be like if in a short film, Twilight Sparkle forces me to eat salad, flower sandwiches and hay burgers no matter how much I try to explain to her that salads are not my thing, flowers are not in my diet and that I don't eat hay. She forces, The key word is FORCES Timmy to her other world Pony Equestrian Diet even though Sunset Shimmer supposedly learned to eat burgers and hotdogs by now. It would be same as Fluttershy forcing a tiger to eat a salad even though its not in his diet. I don't think a vegan forcing a person who eats meat to have the same diet as that person is a healthy relationship. Not at all.
As a victim of bullying in all of my entire school life, I would also despise someone if they try to humiliate me in the past, especially if they brainwashed the entire student body to be mindless zombies to take over another world and not to mention seeing a girl transform into a demon before trying to murder Twilight Sparkle and her six friends with a fire blast. Yeah. Attempted Murder is not something to be joked about.
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If you read the story, you would know that Sunset's trangressions against Moondancer were different.
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Well...
Sonata may be adorable, but that's not the same thing as moral.
In Rainbow Rocks, Sonata still revels in sucking negative energy, and she also taunts Sunset and deliberately bumps into her.
I can picture her liking Timmy, but at best seeing him as an adorable pet. Underneath her adorable exterior, she is still just as cruel and power-hungry as her sisters.
If this is a sequel to the first Equestria Girls movie then it would be a transgression nevertheless as the other girls would explain to Twilight that Sunset Shimmer had everyone in Canterlot High feared her as the Bully Queen of the Fall Formal as Sunset Shimmer wasn't a very nice person back then. It would make sense that not just Moondancer and everyone else would hate her just as much in that situation.
About Sonata Dusk, I could also make the same argument that in the first Equestria Girls movie, Sunset Shimmer revels in sucking up the magic from Twilight's crown before attempting to murder the Humane 6 with a fire blast Not to mention she also Taunts Fluttershy and bully her about the girl's love for animals whenever she deliberately bumps into her or anyone else for their hobbies and dreams. Because thats what a bully does.
Sonata Dusk liking Timmy but at best seeing him as an adorable pet and underneath her adorable exterior, she is still just as cruel and power hungry as her sisters. Hmmm.. I could also make the same argument for how Sunset Shimmer treated Flash Sentry to take advantage of him for power and cruel influence around the school. That's why Flash Sentry would be seen as Sunset's Ex boyfriend and why they broke up. Sunset Shimmer is worse than the Dazzlings since she had been ruling the halls of Canterlot High as a cruel tyrant for YEARS even before Twilight Sparkle came to the Human World to get her crown back. Based on the number of times that she has been Queen of the Fall Formal then its confirmed that she has been making everyone's lives miserable for YEARS while the Dazzlings had success in their schemes after a day or two after the Battle of the Bands. It would then confirm that Sunset Shimmer is worse than the Dazzlings.
You made a good theory about the 7 sins on characters. But I have a something against that their demons; what is their backstory? I mean the 1st time Twilight learn about them was a history book and barely bother to learn or discover any Sirens that are still in Equestria. I mean who decided that the Siren species should be evil and ponies should be good? I mean have you wonder why the pony species can control nature, the weather, talk to animals and have more magic than the other species? What if there was a natural order and the pony species destroyed that order? And before anyone say that's impossible; what if Adagio steals Timmy's Time Scooter and try to change her in the human world but accidently went to Equestria's past? I mean no one records history millions of years ago or know how to write except draw.