I do not understand Twilight Sparkle.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

I will preface this by saying I like Twilight, I do not dislike her, do not get the notion that I am going to bash her

 

Alrighty now that that is out of the way: I do not understand Twilight Sparkle's character. I am currently delving into the characters of mlp and figuring out what makes them tick (at least in the most plausable close to canon way possible) But I am hitting a brick wall with Twilight.

 

I know facts about her (She was foalsitted by Cadence, has a brother who became captain of the guard, auditioned and won the right to be Celestia's apprentice, got spike as an egg, made friends with the other mane six, became an alicorn, yada yada yada) but nothing there gives me a clue as to what makes her tick. I know she gets stressed out when it comes to Celestia but really that is some of the only times you see something other than her being this... I am not sure what exactly.

 

I am not saying she doesn't have a personality, but its one I am having a hard time getting that empathic vibe from. When I think Rarity I can get into her character like that, I understand Applejack and Rainbow Dash as well, heck I even have a passing grasp of Pinkie Pie and Flutters and I are so similar it hurts.

 

Its like she is just... experiencing what is going on and reacting to it because she is ordered too (if that makes sense). Like in lesson Zero, she could not find a "friendship problem" so she made one by force. She had no problem with flutters getting traded off or blasting away Pinkie Clones even though she stated the real Pinkie could get lost.

 

Again I am not bashing her character, I am just wondering what events led to her being the way she is? Of the mane six I think we know the least of Twilight. Even Flutters backstory is heavily implied by the way she behaves (a la ptsd ridden soul with a cruel past who for the longest time could only feel empathy for anything that was not her own kind or dragons) but Twilight just feels... off to me.

 

What am I missing, what thing or scene in the show truly and completely defines who she is at her core? Help a dude understand Twilight.

[Visual Spectrum 1,932]

Twilight is what you think of when you think of someone with OCD. She's organized, sometimes too much. Something out of place can cause problems. She can be very focused on something, but when she notices something is not right, she goes to fix it. (This is seen in Lesson Zero and Spike at Your Service.) Her character is book smart, organized, and sometimes blind from things around her when something is wrong. She will have a check list for everything.

 

When she created a friendship problem because she couldn't find one, she did it because she was afraid that if she didn't fix a friendship problem by sundown, she will get sent to magic kindergarten. She held her reputation for being Princess Celestia's star student for so long that she is afraid that one late letter would destroy that, and Princess Celestia would take pride in her anymore. 

 

Her beliefs on what is right can blind her from other things. For example, she knew about the rules, and since both partners were happy with what they got, no one was breaking any rules. She was too occupied in that aspect to realize what was going on. That blindness could be seen in "Look Before you Sleep" where she was too focused on making her slumber party good that she didn't noticed that Applejack and Rarity weren't getting along until night time. That episode also shows her being too reliant on books. 

 

In Pinkie Pride, she was more focused on having to get rid of the Pinkie Clones that she didn't think too much about losing her friend. She did think about that, though. The real Pinkie gave her the suggestion on how to find the real one. 

 

In "Return of the Crystal Empire Part 2" she had a hard time breaking Princess Celestia's rule. She did do it, but it was hard for her. 

 

Twilight is a bookish mare with OCD tendencies who focus more on rules than personal value most of the time. 

[The Crimson Cross 7,532]

Twilight is complicated.

People are complicated.

 

If it was so simple, I don't think it would be very relatable now, would it?

It's one of the things I like about MLP, is for a family show, it covers a vast majority of social dilemmas! 

[Time Shield 402]

I think the fact that you can't pin a specific defining personality trait on her is what makes her more "human" (for lack of a better term), and thus more relatable.

[Leonard Smix 421]

I'm not going to really comment on how you don't understand Twilight, but how deeply we look at characters in general. I LOVE IT.

 

the show was made for little girls, no little girl is going to think about a developing character. But us as a fandom kinda give the extra push toward MLP having developing characters that make sense. Its great!

 

 

 

Twilight is complicated. People are complicated. If it was so simple, I don't think it would be very relatable now, would it? It's one of the things I like about MLP, is for a family show, it covers a vast majority of social dilemmas!

 

Very True!

[Buck Testa 5,505]

Twilight is what you think of when you think of someone with OCD. She's organized, sometimes too much. Something out of place can cause problems. She can be very focused on something, but when she notices something is not right, she goes to fix it. (This is seen in Lesson Zero and Spike at Your Service.) Her character is book smart, organized, and sometimes blind from things around her when something is wrong. She will have a check list for everything.

 

When she created a friendship problem because she couldn't find one, she did it because she was afraid that if she didn't fix a friendship problem by sundown, she will get sent to magic kindergarten. She held her reputation for being Princess Celestia's star student for so long that she is afraid that one late letter would destroy that, and Princess Celestia would take pride in her anymore.

 

Her beliefs on what is right can blind her from other things. For example, she knew about the rules, and since both partners were happy with what they got, no one was breaking any rules. She was too occupied in that aspect to realize what was going on. That blindness could be seen in "Look Before you Sleep" where she was too focused on making her slumber party good that she didn't noticed that Applejack and Rarity weren't getting along until night time. That episode also shows her being too reliant on books.

 

In Pinkie Pride, she was more focused on having to get rid of the Pinkie Clones that she didn't think too much about losing her friend. She did think about that, though. The real Pinkie gave her the suggestion on how to find the real one.

 

In "Return of the Crystal Empire Part 2" she had a hard time breaking Princess Celestia's rule. She did do it, but it was hard for her.

 

Twilight is a bookish mare with OCD tendencies who focus more on rules than personal value most of the time.

Alright that seems to mesh with what I know about her. Her world view and need for rules and order overrides her empathetic abilities at times. That makes sense. Pinkie gets that way with trying to make people smile.

[Simeon Leonard 119]

I think Twilight sometimes has to put her personal feelings aside when it's decision-making time. Like in "Trade Ya", she wouldn't have made a very good moderator at the trader's exchange if she had shown favoritism to her friends, even if it was pretty lousy of Rainbow Dash to trade Fluttershy into servitude. 

 

And in "Too Many Pinkie Pies" she did agonize over how to find the real Pinkie and reel at the thought of accidentally sending her back instead of the clones. Don't forget it was Pinkie herself who suggested the contest.  

 

I think Twilight is best described as driven, definitely a type-A personality. Her motivation seems to come from a love of knowledge. She loves to learn and seeks answers relentlessly. She believes staying organized and regimented aids in those pursuits. Since discovering the magic of friendship, she has faced some conflicts of interest between doing what seems right and what seems best for her and her friends. You mentioned some perfect examples of that. I see obsessive tendencies as being her greatest flaw. Of the things I admire about her, courage tops the list. I really admire Twilight, even to the point of trying to emulate her in real life. I think she's a great role model. 

[Nature's Spell 526]

I agree with the other posters that she's complex. Very complex. The other thing about Twilight is that she's an amalgam of her friend's friendship traits. To a certain extent the mane five are designed to be one dimensional: loyalty, compassion, etc. As Discord said, Twilight represents the most elusive and powerful element of all-magic! As a result she is herself elusive.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Nature's Spell

[Giygas 40]

Even though Twilight Sparkle is rule-based and a control freak, I think the way that she handles situations with her friends is that she is able to emotionally disconnect herself from them and think through solutions reasonably and logically without letting her emotions get in her way (which is definitely a positive attribute), but in my opinion, her major weakness (apart from her OCD) is that she sometimes uses force in certain situations where it is unnecessary and can ultimately backfire when trying to control others (i.e. Bird in a Hoof).

 

I find Twilight Sparkle the most admiring character not only because I relate to her on many levels such as her curiosity and neurotic tendencies, but because she is able to develop a deep, intimate relationship with her friends despite her setbacks. The secure attachments that she develops with her friends, her siblings and possibly her family is the one thing that separates me from her.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Giygas

[Fractured 2,684]

 

I will preface this by saying I like Twilight, I do not dislike her, do not get the notion that I am going to bash her

Alrighty now that that is out of the way: I do not understand Twilight Sparkle's character. I am currently delving into the characters of mlp and figuring out what makes them tick (at least in the most plausable close to canon way possible) But I am hitting a brick wall with Twilight.

I know facts about her (She was foalsitted by Cadence, has a brother who became captain of the guard, auditioned and won the right to be Celestia's apprentice, got spike as an egg, made friends with the other mane six, became an alicorn, yada yada yada) but nothing there gives me a clue as to what makes her tick. I know she gets stressed out when it comes to Celestia but really that is some of the only times you see something other than her being this... I am not sure what exactly.

I am not saying she doesn't have a personality, but its one I am having a hard time getting that empathic vibe from. When I think Rarity I can get into her character like that, I understand Applejack and Rainbow Dash as well, heck I even have a passing grasp of Pinkie Pie and Flutters and I are so similar it hurts.

Its like she is just... experiencing what is going on and reacting to it because she is ordered too (if that makes sense). Like in lesson Zero, she could not find a "friendship problem" so she made one by force. She had no problem with flutters getting traded off or blasting away Pinkie Clones even though she stated the real Pinkie could get lost.

Again I am not bashing her character, I am just wondering what events led to her being the way she is? Of the mane six I think we know the least of Twilight. Even Flutters backstory is heavily implied by the way she behaves (a la ptsd ridden soul with a cruel past who for the longest time could only feel empathy for anything that was not her own kind or dragons) but Twilight just feels... off to me.

What am I missing, what thing or scene in the show truly and completely defines who she is at her core? Help a dude understand Twilight.

Before the show- contrast with Sunset Shimmer. They're similar, but the main difference is Twilight valued knowledge, while Sunset valued power. In the second episode, she realized there's something more valuable to her than books-friends. By choosing to stay in Ponyville and devote time to her friends, she chose to give up a chance to devote full time to her studies.
Swarm of the century- Important because we see that Twilight is not infallible. She is prone to mistakes, and her magic won't always save the day. Additionally, we see she has some insecurities, namely disappointing her princess. More on that later.
Lesson Zero- Here we see exactly how far Twilight's dependency to please Celestia can go. She almost destroys the entire town in order to avoid being tardy for one of Celestia's friendship assignments. This puts Twilight's character in serious doubt, as at this point, she's not worthy of being the element of friendship; Celestia outweighs anything and everything she does. Which brings us to...

Return of the Crystal Empire- We see the Twilight from Lesson Zero, who still puts her studies over her friends (namely, Spike). She leaves him to the side for most of the episode, and decides to leave her friends outside to deal with the townsfolk. It works well, until she's trapped by Sombra. in the crystal cage, Twilight has to make a choice. She could give Spike the crystal heart and save the Crystal Kingdom, but she would risk disappointing Celestia, and losing her status as her student. Or she could attempt to find a way out of the cage, which might be possible, but would probably end up dooming the entire kingdom and her friends. She decided to pick option A, even though it meant disappointing Celestia, who we've established means almost everything to her. When she gives Spike the crystal heart, it signifies that she's finally willing to give up the thing she loves most for what truly matters- her friends. Even before Magical Mystery Cure, this is when Twilight proved herself worthy to be Princess of friendship.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

 

 

 

Before the show- contrast with Sunset Shimmer. They're similar, but the main difference is Twilight valued knowledge, while Sunset valued power. In the second episode, she realized there's something more valuable to her than books-friends. By choosing to stay in Ponyville and devote time to her friends, she chose to give up a chance to devote full time to her studies.

Swarm of the century- Important because we see that Twilight is not infallible. She is prone to mistakes, and her magic won't always save the day. Additionally, we see she has some insecurities, namely disappointing her princess. More on that later.

Lesson Zero- Here we see exactly how far Twilight's dependency to please Celestia can go. She almost destroys the entire town in order to avoid being tardy for one of Celestia's friendship assignments. This puts Twilight's character in serious doubt, as at this point, she's not worthy of being the element of friendship; Celestia outweighs anything and everything she does. Which brings us to...

Return of the Crystal Empire- We see the Twilight from Lesson Zero, who still puts her studies over her friends (namely, Spike). She leaves him to the side for most of the episode, and decides to leave her friends outside to deal with the townsfolk. It works well, until she's trapped by Sombra. in the crystal cage, Twilight has to make a choice. She could give Spike the crystal heart and save the Crystal Kingdom, but she would risk disappointing Celestia, and losing her status as her student. Or she could attempt to find a way out of the cage, which might be possible, but would probably end up dooming the entire kingdom and her friends. She decided to pick option A, even though it meant disappointing Celestia, who we've established means almost everything to her. When she gives Spike the crystal heart, it signifies that she's finally willing to give up the thing she loves most for what truly matters- her friends. Even before Magical Mystery Cure, this is when Twilight proved herself worthy to be Princess of friendship.

*slow clap*

Well then. That was artfully said and opened my eyes to Twilights character in ways I did not see before. Bravo to you, have a brohoof.

[Shanks 10,816]

Twilight seems to express her feelings differently than her friends, she is much more introverted than most of them and this can make her seem detached at times but just because she seems that way dosen't mean that she dosen't care or is simply going through the motions. We learned this in the episode Maud Pie with Pinkie Pie's very different sister, granted her differences are much more drastic but I think this still applies to Twilight. Twilight is also very logic and detail based, she is very good at detaching herself to a certain extent when it is in fact necessary and thinking things out which is a bit of a double edged sword. In Lesson Zero and Its About Time we clearly saw Twilight over think things and let her OCD like tendencies grab hold of her, but in Bridle Gossip we at first saw her use this to be a voice of reason yet also saw her literally judge a book by its cover when she refused to read the book that she later found out contained the cure for poison joke because "it seemed too weird". In Winter Wrap up Twilight got things back on track and got it to be on time for the first time in at least a few years.

[Shift 4,274]

Twilight is an introvert, so we don't see her feelings a lot usually. She might seem detached but that's how us introverts roll. She's also more logic-based. Introverts and nerds like mwah usually are the ones to get the empathetic vibe from her, while usually others with hyper, sporty, extroverted personalities don't feel it as strongly.

[sweetolebob18 728]

I'd say Twilight would be most like Hermione from the Harry Potter novels, but much more introverted.  She is the class nerd, the one who always knows the answer.  She knows because she doesn't actually have a life, she just spends all her time studying.  In some ways like Fluttershy but with books instead of critters.  Look at how irked she gets in the pilot because she doesn't get the other ponies.

[UnknownFry 169]

Amending Fences might be one of the finest examples of the show demonstrating the growth and complexity of Twilight's character as it was able to depict her as being the bad friend she once was, and how she changed while realizing that her actions impact someone else.

 

She may be emotionally detached at times as her nature tends to be scientific and methodical leading her to seemingly have a cool head in comparison to her friends, however she does her have passionate and insane moments on the side, so she is still quite neurotic despite seemingly having it all together on the outside. She also succumbs to personal pride at times in thinking that she is the only one that can do it when expectations are heaped upon her as such as she does not want to let anyone down especially herself as she has a mean perfectionist streak to contend with, and yes she overthinks to a point where it becomes a problem.

 

She might not be the  character in the show that people empathizes with the most, but she is not as cold as some people accuse of her as well as she handles things in her own way.

Edited July 27, 2015 by UnknownFry