True, true. Too add to your statement, one must wonder what specifically spurred on his difference. I dislike the whole "hatching as a nice changeling" thing, as it is rather conspicuously sudden. Like some kind of excuse. "I was born that way" is simply a lacking way to explain how Thorax was kind from the beginning. They could have easily blessed this character with juicy backstory, like a reason why he turned out as he did. More reason to leave his old life behind would really have been important for Thorax. But, as it is as I type this, Thorax is, which I begrudgingly admit, a transparent wishy-washy and hard-to-believe character. There should be far much more to him, and, for the record, phantomlife20042016, I think I'm going to use your paragraphs as notes for the story I'm writing... In it, I plan to expand on Thorax' traits, and use some headcanons as a way to fill in Thorax' numerous gaps... And, I wonder if Thorax is even ready to rule. He simply shows off this one quality about himself (sharing love) to somehow magically persuade the rest of the changelings into leaving behind the order they had lived behind for their entire lives, and betraying their queen. Is he prepared to take over at all? After all, Thorax did want to learn about friendship just a few episodes ago (and he couldn't have learned much in the time we haven't seen him), and all he has done is make a few friends in the Crystal Empire thus far, and then suddenly, when he unleashes all that love, and transforms, he is ruler, no question about it? And he ACCEPTS IT, WITHOUT ANY WORDS AT ALL? SIMPLY A NOD TO CELESTIA?Perhaps it's just about relations between ponies and changelings, but I'm sure there are many more things for Thorax to deal with, civil and politically speaking, especially when the integration of changelings into pony society is mentioned.They had better not carry on making episodes as they please without giving Thorax any spotlight, and then a season later, he reappears, doing well, that would be the stupidest and most lackadaisical way of avoiding coming up with any other way for Thorax to develop or reveal himself to the viewers, in an emotional way. Do not get weird with what I have said.Thorax had an amazing basis to work with, but they squandered it with Thorax' transparent speech to Spike about how he always wanted a friend, him suddenly ruling, him accepting, and all the untapped potential. I dislike what they did with Thorax, and for that, they may have even ruined this wonderful idea of a character...If they want to redeem themselves (I said "they" a lot, I am insinuating the writers), they had better give Thorax a feasible backstory. Hell, in my story, I've decided that what Thorax said to Spike was a fat lie, because he didn't want Spike to be scared of him. It irks me greatly that Thorax was revealed to be just so sickeningly saintly after a minute of backstory narration, of which was inexplicably lazy. Goodness, even the argument with Spike when he returned to Thorax was poor. "I'm an evil Changeling!" Guh, child, weren't you narrating about how much of a saint you were a few minutes ago in the episode? And when did Spike say you were evil? It is obvious he didn't want to lose his fame. But when you mention the fame, you decide to continue to be that transparent saint and say "I can't ask you to give that up for me". I plan on using that idea to say something like, "I can't ask you to let go of that for me. It wouldn't be fair that I just appeared and you give that all up for me. That's selfish of me, right?" That is FAR more juicy than what we saw in the episode, even if it makes Thorax seem more saintly, but perhaps that is simply because of the fact he doesn't think he deserves help, which is far superior than under no plausible circumstances calling himself evil, even after saving Spike's life. And guess what? I came up with that in one damn sitting, just a few seconds as I was typing away. Merely because this is a kids show, you needn't add in more complicated messages and characters, such as issues with self worth and such. For goodness' sake, Thorax has had three episodes of screen time, and he's went from changeling looking for a friend to a damn king!They really needed to pace themselves, and take care of this wonderful character's potential! And, uh. I like the new design. The color pallet is bizarre and should definitely be taken down a notch. Despite its charm, it is brazen and tacky. Rarity would faint, most likely. It'd be nice if the actual backstory of the changeling race was integrated into Thorax' story, of which I plan to make use of in some fashion. The history of the Crystal Empire is integrated into the story as well, and for where it will lead specifically, I do not know. It is a catalyst in the event that sparks the story itself. I also need to wait for a few episodes more, so I don't start murdering canon. This picture of Thorax... I want to do this:. He's so charming in this picture, heh...There is so much to do with this character, and I swear, if they simply leave Thorax with his nasty case of tabula rasa, I will likely die. Though, tabula rasa is enjoyable when it comes to filling in the missing pieces with our own imagination, (if this is the case, then the writers were fair with it, though the saintliness of Thorax will be troublesome, in which case I decided to call it a fat lie in my headcanon. This tabula rasa may be eradicated eventually, though, until then, I will be entertaining my ideas with how Thorax may truly fit into the world of MLP... Though, this saintliness can appear elsewhere in other characters, though, Thorax' was far more inexplicable and unbelievable in the fashion that it simply is garbled nonsense, these characters do have their charm for a younger audience, but they truly have missed out on a mature opportunity. A metaphor for this "predicament", so to speak, would be an orange ripening, then the picker passing by, and then it rots. I truly wish that this character does not end up being a wasted opportunity. Thorax is a cutie, but he truly needs his tabula rasa filled in. In some fashions, Thorax was well done, but in many others, he is yet to be fulfilled, and missing the opportunities would be disgustingly unfortunate. I suppose I have repeated this point many times, but it is the main point. He truly must be brave for abandoning his old life. Leaving the old life behind has its pros and cons, such as possible relief for the literally never ending hunger and starvation the entire species lives with, but the risk of failure, and the risk of complete excommunication from everything he knew, which, in a way, the other changelings went through when Chrysalis was dethroned, but, magically, they have a new, better ruler, but it is still terrible that these changelings literally went through this extremely important life choice in mere moments after a pseudo speech... (Literally everything Thorax has done that we have seen has taken place over the course of three individual episodes, and a lot of it was simply infiltrating a castle. No characterization there.) Work must be done. And I, as a stupidly critical fanfiction writer, will attempt to fill in the tabula rasa. Also, back to the art once more. The shading is absolutely splendid. The coloring in the wings was a treat to look at, and the expression is just so positively charming. That is the look you would want from a romantic partner when they're looking at you when you're sad. A comforting smile... Thinking of Thorax attending to Spike after doing something like... be rejected by Rarity... with this expression makes me feel bubbly...Bubbly because I plan on using that now. Imagining what Thorax is thinking. Sympathy, joy, sadness, and overall protectiveness... Protectiveness of happiness, that is. An idea I thought of was Rarity feeling guilty for leading Spike on for so long, but ultimately knowing that she didn't want to be romantic with Spike, and being heart broken for finally telling him once and for all, "no". Ah, so sad. But so juicy, and tender! Heh, this textwall is all over. Opinion on the art, lecture on Thorax, and story ideas... Anyways, my afterword is this: Thorax X Spike is lovely, this art is lovely, you are lovely.