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Loryska — Marshmallow

Published: 2019-05-22 07:35:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 8877; Favourites: 305; Downloads: 0
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Description Name: Marshmallow Kiss
Parents: Prince Blueblood and Sapphire Shores
Species: Unicorn
Special Talent/Career: Pop star
Personality/Bio:
 Marshmallow Kiss is a famous pop singer who reached stardom at the tender age of fourteen. As the "Apple of Canterlot's Eye," she became the envy of many young mares and stallions who thought they they, too, had the natural-born talent and voice that she did. Every young teen in the city wanted to be Marshmallow Kiss as she set the trends, gave the public a standard of wealth and popularity, and inspired them to become just as amazing as she was. Being the daughter of wealthy diplomat Blueblood and equally talented Sapphire Shores certainly lent itself to her reputation. But of course, this tale is not so idyllic as that. She's selfish, petty and emotionally stunted with serious issues making genuine connections. Marsha thrives on making fake friends, or at least she thinks she does.   

Some say she was born a star as her debut truly took place when she was but a toddler, and her mother inadvertently pushed her into the spotlight. From then on, fame swallowed her life, and she LOVED every moment of it. She loved the bright lights, the thrills, the attention and her adoring but highly deluded fans. Sapphire truly tried her best to convince her that fame has a cost, and that being the mare with the most stallions at her hooves was not as important as it sounded, but Marsha had definitely inherited her parents' stubborness. Sapphire lost real connection with her daughter as soon as she became a teenager, and watched helplessly as Marsha fell into the crazy world of the Canterlot Elite.  

After having her father sign a music contract with veteran agent Svengallop, she fell victim to the ravenous hoards of manipulative bigwigs, the paparazzi and her thousands of fans. Being a young girl in a cruel and largely selfish world definitely comes at a cost, no matter how fun and pretty everything is in the moment. 

Notes: 

-Sapphire Shores' large family was definitely intimidating to Marshmallow when she finally met them at age ten. By then, the young mare was already well on her way to becoming a huge star, so meeting with her yokel family was pretty overwhelming and...different compared to the Canterlot lifestyle. They weren't as outgoing as Sapphire neither, and were just a bit too calm when they met Marshmallow. Like they didn't know who she was. As time would pass, Marshmallow would usually choose spending time with her father's family. Blueblood would lavish her with gifts, vacations, adventures in the tropics and so much more, so naturally the prissy princess began to develop a more refined taste than hushpuppies and ambrosia.

-Sapphire would often enlist Rarity and Sweetie Belle to babysit her daughter. Marshmallow initially made friends with Sweetie's adopted daughter Clarabelle, but the two quickly grew apart as they realized they were absolutely incompatible as friends. To this day they basically hate each other. Marshy also felt pretty ashamed of being associated with Applejack's family through Rarity, except when it came to Granny Smith. 

-Blueblood and Marshmallow have a serviceable relationship, but it's mostly subsisted by material items 

-Marshmallow seems like she has her shit together, but she's a fiery ball of stress and emotional constipation. That is until a certain jazzy teenage hearthrob is contractually obligated to enter her life, and she finally feels real love that she is totally and utterly unprepared for, and oh god why does everything hurt so much.

More info on Marsh's parents here: 
 

EDIT: Just in case anyone's looking at the comments, Marsha's original parents were Blueblood and Sweetie Belle. Due to some discomfort around the couple, I thought it would be best to change Marsh's parents.
Related content
Comments: 50

HoneyPupDragon [2019-08-10 00:57:31 +0000 UTC]

oh, I wasn't even bothered by the pair to be quite honest, but now that you mentioned the age gap I began to see and find myself feeling a bit uneasy. 
It's been a while so I don't know the official age of Blueblood but I know he's a young adult and Sweetie is still an adolescent. So I can see the discomfort and questionable choice in the pairing.

But I think what made me not too concerned with them is the way you wrote out and thought out their relationship and backstory, which made sense to them as characters. Your headcanon validated the ship and gave it more than just pony x pony (which is fine too but when it boarderline has problems or issues that can send people over the edge it can lead to unpleasant comments in the comment section). 

I'm not good with words but what I can say is the ship at least wasn't a 'perfect' happy family, because in very very few instances does a much older person and a much younger (say maybe 16-18 or a little in their early twenties) DO NOT have it good. The maturity gap is too large and the young tend to be impressionable and are still learning about life. So it's weird in that aspect because the older person is not only dating their younger companion but also having to balance between being a lover to a... parental figure??? Idk, it's weird and I'm not one to know all the details unless I'm watching an educational show/documentary by accident on things in daily life.

But to put it short, I wasn't too uncomfortable with the ship because you gave it a reason to be more than just ship/ship, it had a plot to it and that's good enough to respect it and be neutral with it.

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Guadisaves02 [2019-07-25 16:16:17 +0000 UTC]

ugh! don't remind me Sparity and Lunapip xT is that real about Thorax and Flurry? o_o what's wrong with people!?

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Loryska In reply to Guadisaves02 [2019-07-26 21:50:43 +0000 UTC]

A lot, and because they’re cartoon horses, it’s a lot easier to justify.

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DingoBreath [2019-06-27 19:54:47 +0000 UTC]

You definitely have a right to change her parentage but...I don't think you had to change it. Sweetie Belle was an adult when she had her daughter and it's not like Blueblood was creeping on her when she was underage. Like Lop said the relationship was very realistic because let's face it...a lot of relationships have huge age gaps with the man being way older than the woman. I'm not saying that is okay per say but it does happen and it did reflect real life a bit. It could have created some interesting conflicts in the story with Marsh.

I don't think creators should always bow down to a couple people who are uncomfortable because...uncomfortable things do exists. But this is fantasy so I can see how those people also don't want these heavier themes in stories but at the end of the day it's your story and you can do whatever you want. I think Sapphire Shores and Blueblood can be just as interesting. Sorry if I overstepped but that's how I feel...Blueblood is a hard character to tackle.

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Loryska In reply to DingoBreath [2019-07-04 15:40:38 +0000 UTC]

Thank you, and normally I wouldn’t submit to certain complaints, but this was one I grew to agree with. It was territory I was unprepared for, and while now I see it rife with potential for a good story, it was something I was kind of afraid to discuss because I could get it wrong, or accidentally come off like I’m encouraging the predators within the Brony community. In short, the ice was just a little too thin for me. Sapphire Shores and Blueblood are not as interesting per say, but there are things I can talk about. I just don’t know how dark I should get with Blueblood because he’s still supposed to be redeemable in my story.

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PardoaAviaar [2019-06-14 21:29:30 +0000 UTC]

I appreciate that you’ve acknowledged your thing, and are working to fix it! Marshmallow has a very cute design by the way, you make the little gradients blend really well!

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Nimbose [2019-06-14 20:31:40 +0000 UTC]

Unless Blueblood slept with Sweetie Belle when she was a minor, there wasn't anything bad about it. And even then, you haven't been portraying their sleeping together as something that was wonderful, romantic and healthy.

If people are uncomfortable with a potentially large age gap, despite both being consenting adults, that's their personal issue. As long as everything was consenting (if I remember correctly, it was just a one night stand? so the matter of it being a healthy or unhealthy relationship isn't valid here), there is absolutely no problem. It wasn't like you were depicting Blueblood preying on a child and you making it out to be a good thing. This is absolutely nothing like GlitchedPuppet (I've never heard of ToonKritic, however) and it's worrying that you might be thinking it is? I don't want you to think you're like them.

However! You have every right to change absolutely anything about your characters. If you, yourself, are uncomfortable with the whole thing, then no one has a right to tell you to keep it the same.

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Loryska In reply to Nimbose [2019-06-14 21:29:15 +0000 UTC]

 That's very sweet of you to tell me that. It is true that I don't think I'm ready to tackle this issue. Maybe down the line I'll be able to discuss it, but right now, I just don't have the right words to explore it in a meaningful way. I'm not really bothered by age gaps, but when Sweetie is depicted as a child, the audience is simply going to see her that way, no matter how old she is. That influence is there, even though we really don't want it to be. So if I'm going to discuss it, I need to talk about that, and I'm not really ready to do that. 

 Thank you for reassuring me though. I certainly appreciate it, and I hope this new story with Sapphire Shores is going to be better than this one! 

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Lopoddity [2019-06-14 19:02:20 +0000 UTC]

I really respect that you took the time to listen to fan concerns and modify your story- at your personal inconvenience- for the sake of morality. That's a really admirable quality for a storyteller. Criticism isn't always easy to listen to.



But. I'm a little concerned- because, honestly? I don't feel like you did anything wrong.



You have never depicted Sweetie Belle as anything less than a mature, consenting adult. You didn't go out of your way to depict the relationship as ideal- I was under no impression you were romanticizing a pairing with a dramatic age difference. It was actually a point of conflict in the story, with the relationship crumbling very organically, and Blueblood getting called out for being predatory. I like your portrayal of Blueblood. He's spoiled, entitled, misogynistic- it feels real, you know?


What I don't like is unnecessary moral policing of media. While it's true that fiction shapes how we perceive the world, I do not believe that expressing an unpleasant idea in fiction translates to the creator approving of that idea. I don't even believe a creator owes it to the viewer to explicitly condemn an unpleasant idea. I don't feel like media needs to be like religious dogma or a children's after-school special, where the audience is beaten over the head with "this is a BAD thing to do, this is a BAD character because he's doing a BAD thing, if you like him or imitate him you are BAD". Morality in media doesn't need to be black-and-white, there's room for nuance. Because in real life, there is nuance. The relationship between Blueblood and Sweetie is very uncomfortably familiar with celebrity relationships we see in real life, creepy older guys preying on naive girls. Should we never depict this sort of thing in media? Is only perfectly wholesome 100% sanitized content allowed? It'd be a problem if you were trying to convince the audience the Sweetie/BB relationship was healthy and totally normal, you have not. You have applied nuance.


As a disclaimer, for anybody that feels like arguing with me for some reason, I'll put it here- older characters preying on younger characters is wrong. Even if mutually consensual, there are dramatic differences in life experience that come inherent to couples with big age differences, and that can set the field for manipulation and abuse.


But I think it's foolish to demand fiction never be allowed to reflect reality, or depict a dreaded BAD thing. Authors should be responsible, absolutely, but it is not on them to hold their reader's hands and tell them right from wrong.


That being said, as an adult, big age differences squick me out, especially as I get older. There's a reason I set aside my Flurry Heart/Lord Ember ship years ago, and I ain't planning on picking it up. I wasn't on board the Sweetie/Blueblood ship (and I don't think you wanted us to be), but it did do a good job of making me empathize with Sweetie, and detest Blueblood.



Welp, I've rambled enough. If you feel this change is something you must do (and want to do), I say go for it. I've gotten the vibe you're a bit unsure in your depiction of Blueblood (I am too, he's a tricky character to nail down without going over the top), so I think this could provide a neat opportunity to flesh him and Marshmallow out more. I wish you the best of luck! And if you ever want to discuss ideas, I'm always up for a brainstorming session! :>

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Loryska In reply to Lopoddity [2019-06-14 21:24:07 +0000 UTC]

Aww thank you for the offer to brainstorm! I'm also glad you brought that up. I absolutely agree that difficult topics should be represented and explored in media and it is beyond impactful when it's done right. Bojack Horseman and F is for Family are wonderful at discussing cruel realities that exist and have existed in the past (the whole taking a Vietnamese wife thing home after the war is like...oof) and the many complexities within different relationships and the problems with self-identity. 

 I think what pushed me to make this decision was my inability to explore a Sweetieblood relationship with care. It was about to become an enormous mistake because while I did consider the tension between them and how society viewed them, I was not planning to explicitly denounce their relationship because I usually hold the opinion that relationships sometimes have age gaps and that their relationship deteriorated not because Blueblood was predatory, but because they simply never planned to be together and he was emotionally distant. I think Spiritlit was right to point out that if I was going to explore this, I needed to make it a story about predatory manipulation, and my dumb brain didn't let me see it for what it was about to become: me excusing an adult's behavior because of my personal opinion on age differences.

But I can still explore those complex ideas about gender roles and manipulation between Sapphire Shores and Blueblood, so I'm not really losing anything of true storytelling value. I always loved how you wrote Trixie and Blueblood's relationship, and that's kind of what I was going for with this relationship buuuut that's just not going to work here. I do have some ideas about a Sapphire Shores and Blueblood relationship ending in a dumpster fire, so maaybe I'll start with that and jump into darker stuff as I grow as a writer. Heh. But still, thanks for looking out for me! It is the direction I'd like to go, so it's no harm done in the end. 

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Cutest-Support [2019-06-14 18:07:48 +0000 UTC]

I just wanted to say I agree and disagree with a few things said.

Blue Blood wouldn't have know sweetie from a young age I don't thing they meet at all in the show? Though I am behind.
There CAN be functioning large age gap relatoinships. I personally know one thats about 15 year gap and have been married for 20+ish years.

I understand why you did undo it and respect that fully.
I just see how your much further in the future option where they are both adults, is okay as well.
Obviously in your usual timeline with the grown adults having kids sweetie would be an adult at that point.

And also. People just hook up some times? Age gap or not. I've personally hooked up with someone 16 years older than me. If they're both adults. I do think its okay and a valid option you originally had as the situation.

Again. I completely respect the route you went with though and love the design.

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Loryska In reply to Cutest-Support [2019-06-14 19:59:33 +0000 UTC]

 This was my initial line of thinking which allowed this to happen, but it's a lot of complex work to sort through circumstances that would make this acceptable enough to write about. In the end, I thought it would be best to just make it a simple moment between adults that had complex consequences, but at the same time, it neglects the important age difference and possibly predatory behavior that would exist between Sweetie and Blueblood. There is no doubt that Blueblood would have selfish motives.
 I made unrecoverable mistakes in how I've approached this - namely in how I described the foundation of their relationship and how it seemed like I was forcing them together for very little reason. There are much more natural relationships that could still end in disaster, so there is no need to add the "edge" of a significant age difference, where Blueblood could be her dad at that point. While there were interesting ideas to explore with it, especially as a reflection of male celebrities in Hollywood and the stigmatization of female sexuality, I think there is greater potential with a relationship between Blueblood and Sapphire Shores. I can still write about toxic masculinity and feminism without dipping into territory I don't think I'm personally ready to talk about yet. 

 That being said, I think adults should be allowed to do whatever they want behinds doors as long as it is consensual, there's no extreme violence which results in death or mutilation and no children nor animals are involved. 

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Angryginger24 [2019-06-14 17:07:33 +0000 UTC]

I understand I would love you to keep her maybe Prince Blueblood and Sapphire Shores like MishiKorra said 

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MishiKorra [2019-06-14 16:43:39 +0000 UTC]

My suggestion for Marsh if anything would be to maybe find a pony thats adept in music to make the mother? It might help the changes better as it would also still explain her being a pop star and her fondness for music. Maybe an obscure music pony most dont think about?

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Loryska In reply to MishiKorra [2019-06-14 16:53:02 +0000 UTC]

Sapphire Shores was a suggestion! I’m really liking that one at the moment, although she’s not very obscure lol.

Another I was considering was Octavia because I love the idea of her being adventurous like Blueblood.

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MishiKorra In reply to Loryska [2019-06-14 16:57:45 +0000 UTC]

Octavia was actually the one on my mind or DJ-P0N3/Vinyl Scratch for him. Both arent obscure but Sapphire Shores may also be a best bet, due to her being a pop singer already. She would of given her daughter a huge love of music as well as her flair!

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Pens-Art [2019-06-14 16:15:03 +0000 UTC]

I love your art and I read the description, I think you should've left it. It's your ship and just because of one little comment, you shouldn't have changed it.

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Loryska In reply to Pens-Art [2019-06-14 16:24:47 +0000 UTC]

Thank you, but sometimes we have to listen to that one little comment because it speaks an important truth. While I believe in the freedom of art, I also believe that creators should think about the impact of their work and the ideas they express. It was my choice to change, so don’t worry about me. c:

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Pens-Art In reply to Loryska [2019-06-14 17:37:38 +0000 UTC]

Sometimes.
And I do support what you choose to do, I just get a bit triggered when someone tells someone else what to and not to ship, ya know?

Also, sorry about sounding like an... you know (idk how you feel about cursing, lol)

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Loryska In reply to Pens-Art [2019-06-14 17:44:29 +0000 UTC]

Haha cursing’s totally cool. This is not a matter of someone just disagreeing with my ship, but rather someone pointing out my ship is immoral and me recognizing they’re right. If it was the former, I would have certainly politely turned them away lol

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Pens-Art In reply to Loryska [2019-06-14 17:56:47 +0000 UTC]

True, but I'd hate to realize something and then my ideas go down the drain. BUT, good thing there are more characters, lol

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Vtoony [2019-06-14 15:55:30 +0000 UTC]

To be perfectly honest, in the beginning when I saw your character, I immediately fell in love with her design and her bio, however when I saw that Sweetie Bell and Blueblood were her parents this fact made me feel rather unsure and a bit nauseated, yet I said nothing, as a lot of people do when they come across such things. I'm admit, over the last few years in the fandom, I have come across some less-then-wholesome things come up, the aforementioned ToonKritic be one of them, but also the casual, almost celebrated idea of pairing characters together with no concern for their relation to each other(e.g Pound Cake X Pumpkin Cake, an incestuous relationship) or for, yes, age difference (e.g Luna X Pipsqueak), as though while excuses and alternate versions can be made to make pairing seem acceptable, that does not make things any better and should not excuse people from getting away with it or for people like us, the reviewers and fellow artists, from letting them get away with such things.

I admire your action in taking responsibility and admitting your mistake and explaining why what your action was wrong, though I must also come forth and apologize for doing nothing to have speak out about this issue earlier. I could have explained that this pairing was wrong for reasons that you now have later explained yet I remained silent about this whole issue. As Edmund Berke quoted, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.". There is a real issue here within the fandom that need to be fully addressed, more now then ever, about the content that is being placed online and how immoral and how utterly wrong it is to take serious, offensible and illegal issues and to play them off as normal without any real care for them.

So, to summarize, I fully appreciate and commend you for realizing and taking full responsibility for your mistake and I am truly sorry for not saying anything earlier and condemning the aspects of this that were not acceptable. I hope that the biggest things we both take out from this is to be more aware of our surroundings, to not just silently pass by without condemning these issues and holding people accountable as if these things took place in real society. Hopefully, things will only get better from now on.

One last thing, I still find the character of Marshmallow to be interesting and I still adore her design and such, however if you could perhaps change who her parents are, this change might fix the issue with her character. If you need recommendations, how abut Blueblood X Cheese Sandwich or Sweetie Bell X Button Mash, or heck, your picture "Teenage Heartthrobs" suggested at a Sweetie Bell X Pipsqueak shipping. You could definitely move on from theses. Anyways, best of luck with you.

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Loryska In reply to Vtoony [2019-06-14 16:32:42 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for telling me, although the responsibility is really mine. I’m definitely going to have fun picking out a new parent for Marshmallow. She’s not going to be changing much herself - except for her familial relationships - and her design will be tweaked to suit the new parent, so I hope you still like her after I change her. ^^

Again, thanks for telling me. I’ll be more careful in the future.

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darlingfoxes [2019-05-26 18:06:39 +0000 UTC]

gosh i LOVE her!!

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spiritlit [2019-05-24 10:18:43 +0000 UTC]

her design and personality's well developed and all but the sweetie belle/blueblood parents thing is creepy. I think the only way you can present this is as sweetie belle having been an victim of abuse by someone  MUCH older than her at any given age. Since sweeties about 13 or 15 in show and blueblood is a clear adult. shipping thems bad...aging up characters to ship them leads to stuff like sparity being a widespred ship. even if spikes just a little boy with a kid crush on Rares. But you have people saying things like 'she would wait until he gets older' and ' he only LOOKS young' to justify it romantically which is bad. Don't romantically ship sweetie/blueblood pls.

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WinterCritter In reply to spiritlit [2019-05-24 19:10:56 +0000 UTC]

It's cartoon ponies. Maybe stop telling artists what they can/can't draw.

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spiritlit In reply to WinterCritter [2019-06-11 08:33:53 +0000 UTC]

Art is a powerful thing, m'dude.

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WinterCritter In reply to spiritlit [2019-06-12 01:53:11 +0000 UTC]

Uh, don't call me that.

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spiritlit In reply to WinterCritter [2019-06-12 10:39:07 +0000 UTC]

Ok, I'm sorry.

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Loryska In reply to spiritlit [2019-05-24 11:31:15 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I completely understand where you’re coming from, and I’ve been thinking a lot about how this would look. In the end, I decided that Sweetie being manipulated would be much worse than just making it a consensual moment that had genuine feeling behind it when they’re both near middle aged, where Sweetie is in her late twenties and Blueblood in his forties. This is certainly not to say I in any way ship them the same way I would Discord and Fluttershy because Sweetie is still, through our lens of the show, a child. It is undeniable that I’m treading on thin ice here. Sparity creeps me out to no end, but I think the difference here is that people want Rarity to return those feelings as both she and Spike are now in the show. I would never, ever ever accept myself or anyone suggesting that Sweetie and Blueblood have a connection now as they are in the show. That is bad. What Hasbro does with Spike and Rarity is bad.

I’m going to be very careful where I step from here because the last thing I want is for people to think I’m in any way considering Sweetie Belle and Blueblood a cute couple based on what they’re like in the show. I really hope Im making sense here, and I hope you understand why I’m uncomfortable making this a story of abuse. It seems like it would only make the problem worse when I’m trying to make it clear that my version of Sweetie is not equivalent to canon Sweetie. My Sweetie is not a child. She’s only ever been an adult in my universe.

Although if people do accuse me of condoning pedophilic relationships, I will accept those consequences, and try to atone for my mistakes. It is still very possible I could be wrong for writing this at all, and I may make a separate piece talking more about it, since it is something that concerns me too. I could be oversimplifying this whole thing, forcing it into a vacuum conveniently separated from the show and making it a situation where it’s a relationship between adults with an age difference. I don’t know if I have the luxury to do that. All I know is that an age difference where one member is under 18 is unacceptable, but one where both parties are over 18 is acceptable regardless of age difference as long as the relationship is healthy. But if this thing between Sweetie and Blueblood becomes something I can’t look at in good conscience, then I will make the appropriate changes and issue an apology.

Thank you for voicing your concerns. Hopefully I’ve spoken my piece clearly.

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spiritlit In reply to Loryska [2019-06-11 08:32:12 +0000 UTC]

I mean, I really think the simplest thing to here would be change Sweetie Belle being one of the parents. Like you said, she is a child to most everyone watching the show. And as for alternate universes, they're still fan-creations. If someone created an AU where say, Celestia is a remorseless Sombra-like tyrant ( some people really took it too far with the whole Trollestia character) , it would be still open to criticism because it doesn't exist in a vaccum..we know Celestia is kind to her ponies outwardly, at the very least.
So to me it still looks like a child has been aged up for a ship in your universe. Also 29 and 40 would definitely be too much of an age gap..Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey were this exact dynamic and they broke up due to age-related issues. Age differences still definitely carry weight in a relationship. Imagine a 20 year old (fresh out of collage) dating a 54 year old( probably preparing for retirement ). Would not work out. I'd say after someone's late 50s a bigger age gap( to someone older than them) would be acceptable. Thanks for being reasonable. ^^ If you look into it, fandom culture makes people normalize a lot of things they wouldn't in real life.

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Loryska In reply to spiritlit [2019-06-11 17:03:58 +0000 UTC]

I mean, I personally don’t see an issue with an age gap as long as all involved are over 18 - over 20 is even better - and it’s a healthy relationship. Sweetie and Blueblood are never really together in this anyhow, but I can assure you it was just a normal moment between adults that are prolly like ten to fifteen years apart. I don’t plan on changing it at the moment.

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spiritlit In reply to Loryska [2019-06-11 22:14:02 +0000 UTC]

Honestly the top answer for this:  www.quora.com/What-is-the-%E2%…  put it a lot better than I can on age gaps. 
As for this ship, the thing is that Sweetie is a child, man. If I told someone who didn't know about the conditions in your AU, "I think Sweetieblood is cute." This is the image that would pop into their mind : derpibooru.org/1169400  and it is creepy. Shes Vanellope Von Schweetz, hes Prince Eric.
Its normal in this AU because of aging up, and thats the issue here. Could it be legal to have them romantically/sexually involved without aging up? If no, then let it go..you could make this character an adopted child of Sweetie's. Writing an one night stand with a canonical child is not a good idea. Just..remember the context provided by canon in a story, and a lot of uneccesary pitfalls can be avoided.

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Loryska In reply to spiritlit [2019-06-12 03:32:40 +0000 UTC]

Like I said, it is my personal belief that any age difference can date as long as they are both 18 and committed to a healthy relationship. Frankly I find it disturbing that you’d rather see a youth be manipulated by an adult into sex instead of consenting to a one night stand between two adults. I get that Sweetie is a kid in the show, but in no way is she a child in my art and I would never, ever depict imagery that encouraged romantic adult-child or adult-teen relationships. I am very unhappy that such art of Blueblood and Sweetie exists, but it is distinct from mine because Sweetie and Blueblood are never shown together when Sweetie is young. That is not how it happens in my verse, nor was it even a thing until Sweetie was waaay older than she is in the show. I will denounce any art that encourages pedophilic behavior, I can promise you that.

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spiritlit In reply to Loryska [2019-06-12 12:33:42 +0000 UTC]

I never said I'd 'rather' see her being manipulated..but considering their canon ages, that is the most likely scenario? You could just avoid this whole thing and take one of the parents out of the equation or change them? Sapphire Shores color scheme also fits well with this kid, she could be the mom. Plus shes a famous singer so Marshmallow will grow up in mostly the same circumstances.  
Yes, shes not a child in your verse but shes a child in the show. So that is what I am seeing her as. Like, there are people shipping SansXPapyrus out there who will say "just imagine that they AREN'T brothers if it bothers you''. 

But that's wrong. They ARE brothers and its incestuous. Fanon is always secondary to canon. 
Maybe this art doesn't directly condone pedophilic behavior, but young fans will take it as a big 'OK' to start aging up kid characters to ship them with adults. This has already happened throughout the MLP fandom as a whole of course, what with all the PipLunas, Sparitys, BloomZecoras, ScootaDashes, Flurraxs and other assorted crapola floating around. Just because its 'popular' doesn't mean its good though..
You say they met as adults in a consensual moment in your AU. OK. Common features of AgedUpKidXAdult ships though are often-
1) The adult knew the kid from a young age, but doesn't 'see' the kid as a romantic partner until they're older.
eg;-Twilestia(even if theyre adults now. have these people even noticed how high she holds Celestia?10/10 recipe for an unhealthy and mentally taxing relationship), Sparity, BloomZecora, pretty much every ship I listed a few sentences back

2) They're both adults(Aged Up Kid) and have always been adults. But theres often a lot of shippy stuff centered around how youthful the Aged Up kid is in relation to the older partner. Oh, they don't understand a lot of things! The adult is always a step ahead of them, chuckling about them because they're so childish sometimes! Always so shy at times like a schoolgirl. Oh so inexperienced, joyful, impish and full of life. Easily carried away by the experience of The Adult.
I mean, whatever right? That's just a normal relationship dynamic and...oh wait that's actually

''Personality wise if they're somewhat reserved I'll usually develop a fast crush on them. Just the kind to smile a lot, really. I like being able to do things for them like make food for them and read to them or watch television together.''

''When I see a child I see someone that doesn't have the stress of what adults have to go through, I see someone that is carefree and playful and just themselves and don't try and be someone else just to please other people''

''Physically, I liked their energy, lack of body hair, more boyish looks and faces and their overall style. Otherwise, I'm drawn to their sense of youthful humor and spirit, the way they all are in the midst of discovering who they are, their poetry and art, and the strength and power of their emotions. How they see the world really appeals to me for some reason because though I'm adult, I still feel I often think like a teenager and I sometimes have related to them better than some older adults I know.''  

''I enjoy their natural beauty as well as how soft and squishy they are. Baby fat, pudgy limbs, and undeveloped proportions are appealing to me. Small like a plush, but alive'' (source; a disturbing thread on psychfarms )

...what pedophiles find most attractive in children. Immaturity.

I see an echo of this dynamic in your story for Sweetie Belle and Blueblood as well.
The two had a genuine connection - Blueblood delighted by her unusual playfulness and Sweetie admiring his keen sense for adventure - but what was supposed to be a one night stand somehow resulted in Sweetie's pregnancy.
God, so swept away by That Adult and in such a fast-developing and passionate relationship that it became a one-night stand. Uncomfortable parallels to how children can be groomed by online predators when put like that.

Wheres the healthy age-gap relationship to be found here? In a ship like Soriel, one is clearly older than the other, but they're both mature individuals emotionally and physically and both see each other as equals. Sans might be a little more in the know than Toriel about some things, but their overall status in the 'texting shenanigans' scene was more of 'Best friends goofing off'. And ultimately they're kind of both dad-joke making old timers. Theres no pseudo Kid-Adult dynamic going on here. 

Even if you fix all the flaws in AgedUp Sweetie X Blueblood and make it the most healthy relationship ever, it would be kind of like writing a story about how twins separated at birth found each other again, unaware they were twins, fell in love, had angst about it, and eventually came to accept their relationship as normal 'despite what society says'. Its not worth it and it sends a pretty bad message. 
Please..if you will truly denounce such art as you say, then do it. Don't find loopholes.

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Loryska In reply to spiritlit [2019-06-12 12:56:33 +0000 UTC]

You bring up a good point about the description of their relationship. That aspect was unintentional, so I apologize and I will change that. I do see the parallels you talk about. I’m going to think about this more overall since I don’t want to condone this behavior. There are many reasons why I had this relationship happen in my story, and none of them were to promote toxic and predatory attitudes. I don’t have intent to make the relationship more serious, and I definitely have no interest in making Blueblood predatory or Sweetie naive.

I do like the Sapphire Shores idea though, and I’ll be thinking more about this. Thanks for your input.

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spiritlit In reply to Loryska [2019-06-12 14:08:25 +0000 UTC]

One more thing I forgot to bring up, Sweetie and Blueblood not meeting in show. Suppose, by chance they met in a future episode. What then? Its an unscrupulous line to take. Again, thank you for actually hearing this out. Most folks wouldn't and I appreciate your response to criticism. 

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Loryska In reply to spiritlit [2019-06-13 20:05:05 +0000 UTC]

Yeah...frankly I should have thought about this more before posting, but it was truly an act of carelessness on my part. Sometimes we just make poor choices without considering the implications. Thanks for bringing this to light, and I apologize for being stubborn about it.

I’ll be changing Marshmallow for the better.

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DingoBreath [2019-05-23 04:43:40 +0000 UTC]

she's so pretty!

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Nixxygirl [2019-05-23 04:03:17 +0000 UTC]

So cute!!!!!

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Pone-Dancer [2019-05-23 01:18:04 +0000 UTC]

I've always felt bad for the kids on the show 'Dance Moms' or something like that. The poor kiddo...

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EqDBot [2019-05-22 21:21:16 +0000 UTC]

This Deviation was featured in the following Equestria Daily Post www.equestriadaily.com/2019/05… Thank you for providing pony material for all of us to enjoy
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Loryska In reply to EqDBot [2019-05-22 21:25:53 +0000 UTC]

Wow! Three deviations in a row? I am truly blessed

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unoriginaI [2019-05-22 20:16:24 +0000 UTC]

Rarity must be pissed

She's gorgeous!!!

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Loryska In reply to unoriginaI [2019-05-22 21:26:29 +0000 UTC]

Haha maybe a little bit from time to time, but luckily she kind of grew out of the whole petty jealousy thing

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unoriginaI In reply to Loryska [2019-05-23 04:54:10 +0000 UTC]

I figured it would be more like "Oh God my lil sister is fucking a DOUCHEBAG OH GOD"

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Nightshade2004 [2019-05-22 12:36:07 +0000 UTC]

Such an aesthetically pleasing design and colors. Great job👍.
Also sweetie and blue blood? Now that’s a story that I’d like to hear

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Loryska In reply to Nightshade2004 [2019-05-22 17:49:56 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!! Their story is nothing so complex, I’m afraid. Sometimes people are just drawn together for a moment, but rest assured you’ll be seeing more of them.

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OwlTheSilent [2019-05-22 11:45:23 +0000 UTC]

I love your pony next gens and stories!

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Loryska In reply to OwlTheSilent [2019-05-22 17:50:05 +0000 UTC]

Yay! I’m so glad!

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