Jump to content
Banner by ~ Wizard

Thoughts on Discord's Origins?


Rainy Daze

Recommended Posts

Obviously sometimes mystery is better than knowing the exact origins of everything but I would really like to hear if anyone's got interesting theories on Discord's origins. Discord is easily my favourite villain (albeit reformed) And I think it's a shame that many of the other villains have moments where we see what made them what they are like with Starlight, Luna, even the reference to Tirek's need to please his father is more than we ever got about Discord. 

Personally, I can't even actually think about what might have led to Discord. The show seems to just act like he's a fundamental necessity of the world. I do think it would be interesting if he wasn't always the lord of chaos however, and he gained the powers through some crazy means (maybe even reluctantly?)

So if anyone would like to share please do so! <3

  • Brohoof 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

(edited)

My headcanon's about Discord change constantly, because I think his potential origins are very interesting and there's a lot of cool ways you could take it. Personally though, most of my headcanon's tend to be rather eldritch and otherworldly. Usually I tend to go with the idea that he has always been the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, that those are an inherent part of his very being. He wasn't born like other beings and very well might not even be from the same universe or dimension as Equestria. He potentially started out more akin to something like a living natural disaster, simply a mindless mess of magic that caused chaos wherever it went but over a very long period of time it began to develop a consciousness and a personality of it's own that went a bit beyond just causing chaos. He eventually gave himself a physical form like we see in the show, both so he could experience more physical pleasures such as eating and drinking, and so he could have a body to protect the core magic that makes up his very being, without said body if someone like Tirek tried to suck all his magic up he'd potentially die. 

He's not really a Draconequus, he simply takes that shape because he likes it. Sometimes I like to think there was a real tribe of Draconequus who worshipped chaos who summoned him to Equestria and he took a similar form to them for that reason. The Draconequus weren't particularly happy with what they summoned though, because they intended for the type of chaos that comes with things like destruction and war, when Discord more represents the whimsical side of chaos. He can be cruel and malicious at times, yes, but he's always considered himself more so a prankster and an artist than a destroyer. His ideal world is a surrealist landscape full of jokes and general strangeness, not a world of death and suffering.

 Discord's reformation is so rocky and he doesn't seem to be quite as remorseful as many of the other reformed villains because his mind simply doesn't work the same way other more "Normal" creatures do. He finds Chaos and Disharmony to be an almost inherently good thing in his value system and he finds it hard to regret doing it because it's such an essential part of him, without it he wouldn't even be able to continue living after all. He does value his friends and he is capable of empathy and genuine remorse for some things, he felt genuinely awful for betraying his friends to Tirek for example, but some part of him will always enjoy causing problems because that's both who and what he is, literally.

Edited by BastementSparkle
  • Brohoof 2

Twilight is best pony.

 

Why hello MLPForums! What have ya been up to?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From Wikipedia about "Q", the fictional character as well as the name of a race in Star Trek appearing in the Next Generation among more series:

Quote

He is an extra-dimensional being of unknown origin who possesses immeasurable power over time, space, the laws of physics, and reality itself, being capable of altering it to his whim. Despite his vast knowledge and experience spanning untold eons (and much to the exasperation of the object(s) of his obsession), he is not above practical jokes for his own personal amusement, for a Machiavellian and manipulative purpose, or to prove a point.

He doesn't have any specified origin. And knowing that Discord was based off this character, and the voice actor for Discord is the actor of Q, I think we can assume that he just exists.

  • Brohoof 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@BastementSparkle You have some really interesting ideas! I especially like the idea that the Draconequus are another race in the world of Equestria. I mean when Cheerilee introduces the idea of a Draconequus she says they have "the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things" as if all Draconeqi (?) are like that and not just being part dragon and part pony as the name would suggest. I also really like your thoughts on Discord's reformation. Personally, I've always felt most of the reformed characters all get some pretty unfair treatment after redeeming themselves, Discord especially. Thank you so much for the response! <3

@EpicEnergy That's a pretty cool theory! 

Spoiler

It's a shame we never got to really see much of Grogar. This theory would work really well considering Discord is likely to be one (if not the only) character in the show who knows anything about Grogar and would have been there in the past to actually see him.

Thank you for responding! :fluttershy:

  • Brohoof 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Splashee I've always felt really conflicted about the conflation of Discord with Q. I obviously can't deny the obvious and intentional influence the Q character had on Discord's development but I personally prefer to think of Discord as his own being removed from what inspired him. Obviously that gets hard when considering their similarities like them both living in alternate realms of existence. 

Thank you so much for responding! :mlp_yeehaa:

  • Brohoof 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is probably my third time doing this.

Option A: Basically, he was put together by the Trickster God from leftover animal parts after creation even.

Option B: Blame Harmony for everything.

  • Brohoof 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Rainy Day said:

@Goat-kun Thank you very much for responding! I like this whole pieced together theory, although it feels very macabre compared to what we usually expect from the show.

This is me being all sunshine and rainbows. Option A is based on many RL myths and tales about why certain animals are the way they are. Option B is the one you should be concerned about as it is eldritch in the most Lovecraftian sense of the word ;)

  • Brohoof 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The human mind sometimes forget the universe is beyond the perceptual limitations we believe to be laws. Given how "reason" can often limit the nature of reality to our detriment. I think Discord is a primordial manifestation beyond our definition of time, much like our measurement of universal phenomena and heavenly bodies in the personification of deities.

  • Brohoof 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, CloudMistDragon said:

EpicEnergy already stated what I thought, but I also believe that he and Celestia totally dated. :maud: When that didn't go well, that's how he became evil. 

Celestia did always seem to act weird around him :mlp_huh: And it would explain the sudden change of heart to releasing him from his stone state, especially so soon after he had just escaped.

26 minutes ago, They call me Loyalty said:

The human mind sometimes forget the universe is beyond the perceptual limitations we believe to be laws. Given how "reason" can often limit the nature of reality to our detriment. I think Discord is a primordial manifestation beyond our definition of time, much like our measurement of universal phenomena and heavenly bodies in the personification of deities.

Weirdly enough, this is probably the most likely explanation given everything we see in the show :adorkable:

  • Brohoof 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Rainy Day said:

@Splashee I've always felt really conflicted about the conflation of Discord with Q. I obviously can't deny the obvious and intentional influence the Q character had on Discord's development but I personally prefer to think of Discord as his own being removed from what inspired him. Obviously that gets hard when considering their similarities like them both living in alternate realms of existence. 

Thank you so much for responding! :mlp_yeehaa:

They are very similar, even in "return of harmony", where De Lancie claimed he didn't know what he was voice acting for. I don't believe his story. I think he made the story more interesting to bronies at the time, in order to get to do a documentary.

Q does things very randomly and chaotically as well, with similar motives.

But where Discord came from, and what he was, that kind of information doesn't exist, just in the same way Q's doesn't exist. That's the magic of his being, to be all powerful with an unknown history

  • Brohoof 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Splashee said:

They are very similar, even in "return of harmony", where De Lancie claimed he didn't know what he was voice acting for. I don't believe his story. I think he made the story more interesting to bronies at the time, in order to get to do a documentary.

Q does things very randomly and chaotically as well, with similar motives.

But where Discord came from, and what he was, that kind of information doesn't exist, just in the same way Q's doesn't exist. That's the magic of his being, to be all powerful with an unknown history

Aww I like to believe his story in the doc. I really love how much he came to care about the show, makes it sadder to think he isn't voicing Discord anymore :(

  • Brohoof 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Rainy Day said:

Aww I like to believe his story in the doc. I really love how much he came to care about the show, makes it sadder to think he isn't voicing Discord anymore :(

It's just my personal feeling. He might have told the truth. Not knowing he voiced a character for a MLP show, and not knowing to act similarly to Q, it is just hard to believe :confused:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Join the herd!

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...