This post is a sequel of sorts to a broader question I submitted several months ago. Unicorns are able to cast magical spells that can perform a wide variety of actions, from simple levitation to self-defense to transforming an apple into a chariot. We all know what magic can do and what it looks like on the screen, but what is far more difficult to imagine is just how magic works. That is, what does it feel like to cast magic as a unicorn?
I got a wide range of interesting responses when I asked this several months ago. The one that I want to key in on today was one which /u/Logarithmicon gave fascinating insight on. Consider the following thought: imagining unicorn magic as like computer programs. In the same vein, imagine the unicorn as being a computer programmer, with her horn being a computer.
What do we know about magic? I'm copying from my earlier post here:
Computer programming is something that can be taught and learned. Computer programming is certainly something that one can get better at with practice, and you'll typically have to learn a little programming if you go into any kind of science, technology, engineering, or math field – but for some people, computer science is their chosen field, similar to how for some unicorns, magic is their special talent.
Furthermore:
Indeed, there are a variety of programming languages which computer programmers will use to write their code. The code that you write will then be interpreted or compiled, then executed. Imagine there being a "programming language" of sorts for unicorn magic, which unicorns can read, write, and execute via their horns.
Perhaps most critically:
This leads to a variety of interesting questions and thoughts:
lift(object) function and the release(object) function in the library. These functions have already been implemented for you by previous wizards and sages: you need only to abstract them away as levitation.
Note: I also posted this on my Fimfic blog and elsewhere in an MLP discussion forum, so if you see it twice ... eh.
Okay, so I've finished season 8, and I've got to say, it surprised me. For such an old show (especially one that's had difficulties with executive oversight stepping on the team's toes frequently) season 8 still managed to not only have some great episodes, but some solid characters and even more interesting lessons and concepts. But out of all of those, the one that shocked me the most, and ended up being my favorite character of the season?
Gallus.
That's right, the griffon member of the Student Six. Because they (the creators) played a very daring game with his character, one that caught me by surprise and increased my respect for them several notches. Sands, I'm surprised the execs or even maybe the censors didn't catch wind of his character background and go "No way. Absolutely not. You cannot put that in a story meant for all ages."
Why? Well, it goes back to what the school introduced this season is, and why Gallus is there.
Basically, the School of Friendship is a diplomat's school. Students from all over the place, coming together to learn together and build connections between them. Sponsored by ... well, we assume the Equestrian Government, since I'm not sure where else the funding would come from (they certainly don't tackle this one in the show). But that means the student's tickets are paid by scholarship (and they do mention this). Each nation Equestria knows, meanwhile, is asked to send a student to participate.
And, like in diplomatic schools of old (there may be a more proper term for them, but that's how I've always named them) we get a fairly predictable spread. Silverstreak is there because she's the niece of the queen of the hippogryphs. Connection to a royal family. Yona, IIRC, was suggested to be a relative of Prince Rutherford. Ocellus is a changeling nymph who is fascinated with other cultures and very brainy, making her a natural pick. Sandbar idolizes the Mane Six. Smolder is Dragonlord Ember's younger sister not related to Ember, as it turns out, but apparently important enough for some reason to have caught Ember's attention. At the very least Ember chose her for some reason.
Yeah, all of them have connections. Important ones. And then there's Gallus.
Gallus is there because ... he's an orphan. No, wait, that's not the worst part. He's there because the room, board, and education are free, and so the griffons shoved him off there so that his lack of a family wouldn't cost them any more cash.
Yeah. Worse, they made him completely aware of that. It's outright acknowledged and discusses in the season's Hearthswarming episode.
Whoa. Yeah, for a show that's "family friendly" that's actually pretty, well, dark. Not the orphan bit, we've all seen a TV show, even for kids, where there's an orphan character. But usually it's played light, with jokes being made about it or a TV cliche like "Oh, life is great because I don't have any family to worry about ... just kidding!"
Gallus doesn't get any of that at all. Instead, we basically got the eternally unwanted foster child. An orphan who's been shoved off from group to group because he's "expensive" only to be told that he's being shipped across the country to another nation simply to save everyone else a few bucks, because it's a paid scholarship so he can stop costing everyone else money.
Yeah, told. He's fully aware of how unwanted he is and trying to deal with it. Celestia's Beard, MLP, talk about a heavy topic! Most shows would rather run a clip episode then tackle a subject like this. And yet ...
Season 8 did. Not only that, but it gave it some weight and dared let it be part of Gallus' character. The moment that episode aired, all his prior behavior and attitudes from his very introduction made sense. As did his torn nature between actually befriending those at the school and staying disconnected and aloof.
And once that connection was made, Gallus went from "hey, new character" to quite possibly the most interesting character of the season for me. Plus, I have to hand it to the writers for MLP right now. They are not lacking in ambition. Episodes touching on subjects like racism, divorce, even parental issues where parents refuse to see that their children have become adults? That's one thing, but Gallus' situation is a couple of levels beyond that.
There's been talk of the next MLP "generation" or show, even season being a sort of Fraiser-style spin-off that follows the Student Six, and I have to admit that if this is the kind of thing it'd work with, I'd watch it. Gallus' background caught me completely off guard, but then threw me for a second loop with handling that actually acknowledged it and worked with it, rather than dodging like just about 99% of television I can think of. And at a family-friendly, all-ages level too.
Gallus: Best griffon. Claws down.
Even if it totally doesn't fit into the DGS canon at the moment, this character makes me want to make it do so.
