@redweasel  

 
Yes…. I would blame them for their miraculously stupid thoughts. :\
 
Kind of like how I blame Twilight for her own absurd stupidity in this comic series.

@Darth Sonic
 
I said “some soldiers don’t know the military kills people.” can you blame them? it does seem pretty outrageous when you think about it. all those other, evil militaries, sure they kill people. but ours? no, our military only serves and protects our country!
 
I mean, most soldiers aren’t that naive, but people can be pretty naive, and soldiers are people, who had some reason to trust their military. I’m just saying twilight could love her brother, and also detest the killing of ponies, because it’s quite likely she doesn’t know that he’s killed ponies. it’s not exactly something you talk about with your baby sister.
 
@Goddess Erosia
 
the definition of terrorists is people who cause terror, to try to further their agenda. so, the taliban, ISIS, dick cheney, that sort of thing. I just didn’t want you to think I was disrespecting soldiers unduly, as if I was saying they’re retarded or something.

@redweasel  
Dude, you didn’t say ANY of this. You literally just said “soldiers don’t know they’re killing people!”

@redweasel  
Yes you have a point that most people fall into the “but that will never happen to me/it will never come to that” mentality. Your original comment seems weird and naked by itself though, that’s why I misunderstood what you were even getting at.
 
And you misquote me. I said the military would weed you out if you weren’t capable of understanding that a weapon kills people, because of what that would imply about your stability. I wasn’t exaggerating or using that as a metaphor or something. I was just trying to say that of course people in the military know that the military kills. Being naive is totally different from actually not knowing something so blatantly obvious.
 
As for the definition of terrorists, that wasn’t even the focus of what I was saying. You could fill in the blank with “the bad guys”. Just whoever our guys are being told to shoot at or otherwise stop. The label of “terrorist” is grossly overused partially because there’s no agreed on definition.
 
I’m also being pretty neutral on the morality of the military - or anyone’s military for that matter. I’m not glorifying anyone any more than I’m demonizing them. I’d like to hope I’m doing neither.

@Goddess Erosia  

woah, easy there, lieutenant!
 

I think you give even “modern” militaries too much credit. they don’t weed out every promising soldier just because they’ve contracted a touch of naivitè. soldiers have historically been pretty terrible at deciphering between friend and foe. case in point: terrorists are often not terrorists at all, but mere revolting insurgents, not even trying to cause terror. when they’re protected by the local population who are their friends and family, “modern” militaries have very few options at that point. and that’s why no nation has ever successfully established a stable government in afghanistan. they take to revolution like germans to beer.
 

I understand if you sympathize with your military, thinking them noble, selfless heroes. but I’m not saying they don’t tell soldiers how to shoot a gun. not saying they tell soldiers that guns don’t kill people. not saying soldiers aren’t trained extensively in how not to kill the wrong people unless under direct order. someone could learn all that, and still assume that they’ll never get to put it into practice. lots of soldiers are shocked when they get called to the front lines, because they may think themselves willing to kill for a governmental organization, but never expected it to actually come to that.
 
so that’s all I’m saying. I certainly hope it’s not the worst lie you’ve seen in your life, but if it is, might I recommend you check out the story of radium dial incorporated?

@AaronMk  
Completely missing my point. Everyone in the military realizes that the military kills people. Maybe that’s not its only purpose and of course not everyone actually sees combat - some jobs are obviously more “front-line” than others, but still.

@Goddess Erosia
 
While soldiers get drilled to kill or shoot it’s generally not what they all end up doing. I’ve sat down with military friends and we broke down the sort of shit the modern army needs - or any army for that matter - and generally it ends up being 10% are combat side. The other 90% fills in a range of beurecratic chores and support duties and may or may not get into combat or be within ten miles of a combat zone.

@redweasel  

 
That’s the worst lie I’ve seen in my life and I don’t even know why you would say such a thing. Every modern country I can think of trains its soldiers to use firearms. If you’re not sane enough to recognize that guns are a thing used to kill people - or don’t even understand the concept of death at all - then they tend to weed you out as mentally unfit for service and they can’t trust you with said firearms.
 
Bootcamp in the US also very specifically conditions its soldiers in training to decipher between friend and foe during various shooting range/obstacle courses, where you have to have quick enough reflexes to know when to shoot an armed foe down, but also enough control and awareness to not shoot a fellow soldier. And since the 90s especially, we’ve been conditioning our troops to not kill unarmed civilians that are caught in the crossfire among the terrorists we’re sent to take out. This is a pretty straight forward and necessary part of any soldier’s training, so I can easily assume that other modern countries at least try to do this too. Everyone in the military is by default aware that it’s a job where people die every day, especially if you’re actually a soldier. Even none-combat personnel in the most menial jobs in the Air Foce - commonly named the CHAIR FORCE, have to be aware that any military exists to kill people who are a threat.

@Darth Sonic  
I’m guessing in her mind a guard is something totally different.
 
“They’re purely defensive! That’s why he’s perfect for the job and made captain!”

@Darth Sonic
 
there are soldiers who don’t realize that the military kills people.
 
she’s regrettably naive. but more regrettably, tardy.

… Like, Twilight knows her brother is a soldier right? Does she hate him?

@Goddess Erosia  
She is really sweet here.
 
And reading through the threads, across all three pictures (individuals and combined page), I have to agree with you. Twilight’s in the wrong, but doesn’t need to be villified for her inexperience. I just hope Vulpa’s death is not because of her. We know it’s coming eventually, and it may be this event, it might be something in the future.
 
Twi doesn’t need that kind of guilt on her conscience, Vulpa doesn’t need to be a martyr like that, and Luna doesn’t need to be caught between duty to Vulpa’s honor, and her grieving wife.
 
(And I too have found the greatest waifu, Sunbutt!)

@Goddess Erosia  
Yes. Yes we can.

@Mikey  
/////BIASED/////>>>>>>
 
She’s my second favorite and naturally was my first waifu in the series until I fell in love with the unf that was Celestia.
 
Also, more on-topic, can we all just appreciate the sweetness of Pinkie here?

@Goddess Erosia  
I’m not saying I want her to be in the right, either way this goes this part of Silfoe’s royal sketchbook series is interesting.  
And idk I guess I’m a bit biased towards Twilight since she’s my favorite, so part of me wants to see her succeed. :x  
Also I can think of a couple people here that have it out for Twilight.

@Mikey  
There doesn’t explicitly have to be death as a consequence for me to be satisfied, personally, but for a grimdark turn it would at least be….interesting. As someone pointed out, that may actually be the direction this is heading. Even if she’s not responsible for something like that, what I’m saying is I don’t want her solution to be considered correct or a typical “she was right all along” thing because of the past panels. Twilight made an argument. A stupid one, but the story could have just as easily have chosen her side. And she seems far too unlikable here for me to swallow that turn.
 
As for the aforementioned “those people” who would use this as some kind of stupid ammunition for hating the character, I say I really wouldn’t give a shit what they think. They’d be idiots if they’d be complaining about anything not contained or regarding to this specific comic and their arguments, whatever they may be, would be easily destroyed. And even if they persist, that’s fine. We’ll just like them personally a little less on the inside.
 
I want Twilight Sparkle to fail here in this comic. I don’t know exactly how grim-dark the artist will go and I don’t really know what I’d prefer for this universe, but I think there’s some interesting directions to take this story that have her come to a realization of a pretty unfortunate truth, and frankly that’d be good character development. I say all of this as a strong fan of her character. Believe me I don’t want her to suffer just because - she’s one of my favorites. Sometimes, however, I appreciate a good, sad story.
 
Also yes people have said before they want to see Twilight die for this. To that, I say they’re stupid. Because there’s no real way to move forward from that, as a story. Karma’s karma but I don’t think her learning a lesson “in her dying breath” would really work for this. I mean you could later tell the story of Luna being a grieving widow, but eh. I don’t think I’d really follow that story.

@Goddess Erosia  
Because it would put blood on her hooves? And I know some people in this fandom. Also, I don’t see how not being the cause of Vulpa’s death would put her in the right?  
Also, whatever happens is up to Silfoe, so yeah.  
Also Silfoe is a female btw.
 
@Barhandar  
I hope she doesn’t become the cause of anyone’s death.

@Mikey  

 
I find the worse alternative is putting her in the right for this comic. They’ve already taken the step in making her EXTREMELY unlikable, there’s no turning back. It’s gonna be a bitter taste in the end no matter what, I just hope Silfoe takes the direction that’s bitter but good drama rather than bitter because it’s cheap and doesn’t actually punish Twilight. I cannot stand by her in any of this.
 
Also I’m confused why you think this would “give people a reason to vilify” her as a whole. It’s a fan-comic. And Silfoe’s universe isn’t even as neutral or popular enough to be considered “fanon”. It just is what it is. I can’t see anyone being stupid enough to have a negative opinion of Twilight’s canon character just because some guy made a story where she’s an asshole - or even if there are people that…broken, they’d find a way to mindlessly rant regardless of any of this. They shouldn’t get in the way of a good “what-if” piece of fanfiction/comic

@Barhandar  
its not a flashback per say, its actual timeline. everything we’ve seen so far with pterus being adopted has been stuff from the future in the otherroyalbook blog
 
the actual royalsketchbook tumblr is the only one thats chronologically in order

@Mikey  
Yes, it’s a flashback. They’ve been engaged for only a year and don’t have any kids yet, and Pterus has his own mother (Vulpa) alive; while in the future he’s adopted by Tuna due to Vulpa being dead.  
Also Vulpa only appeared a few times anyway.
 
@Mikey  
I hope she gets appropriate consequences for her SHEER DENSITY, whether it’s guilt from getting Vulpa dead, or guilt from getting someone else dead due to thinking murderers can be _{friendshipped}.  
From storytelling perspective Vulpa is better than random ponies in nearby village because she’s an established (albeit slightly posthumously) character and thus readers will be moved by description of her death more.

♥ ♥ ♥ rarity

@Telyna  
I hope she doesn’t become the cause of her death because it would give people more reason to vilify Twi and I know how much some people take pride in bashing her all over the place.

@Mikey  
Nope, but I hope Sil doesn’t Mary Sue Twilight in this comic.

@Telyna  
Has that been said by silfoe before?

@Mikey  
Exactly. If Twilight’s friends get captured she will get captured as well since she will capitulate the moment they threaten one of them. Twilight willingly gets captured, put a ring to suppress her magic. Long story short, Vulpa rushes in to free her, gets killed to death and Twi is the one responsible.