Codex Equus / Tropes I To J

Tropes for Codex Equus
Tropes A to B (Abusive Parents, Adaptational Badass) | Tropes C to D | Tropes E to F | Tropes G to H | Tropes I to J | Tropes K To L (Laser-Guided Karma) | Tropes M To N | Tropes O To P | Tropes Q To R | Tropes S to T | Tropes U To V | Tropes W To X | Tropes Y To Z

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Codex Equus provides examples of:

I

• An Ice Person: Various mortals and divines in the Codexverse can wield ice magic.
  • Rhiannon's Moon domain grants her the use of ice magic, much like how Cernunnos' Sun domain grants him the use of fire magic. Unfortunately, due to initially living in a forested environment, she's only able to send cool breezes through hot days and keep certain foods chilled. After leaving home and becoming a Coltic goddess, she has no such restraints holding her back.
  • Prince Stoltur Skjöldur, one of Pokhot's sons, is an incredibly talented ice mage, though not to the level of High King Kaldr of the Hoyklan Deer pantheon, the latter being a much older, experienced, and powerful deity of Winter. As such, Stoltur can radiate an aura of extreme cold, freeze his opponents into ice blocks, and summon blizzards, though he is best in creating ice barriers that can withstand even the strongest attacks. He has been known to even use his barriers offensively, such as bashing and crushing his enemies, producing ice spikes on his barriers to impale his opponents, and covering his front hooves with small yet hard ice bubbles to enhance his strikes. Fittingly, he is also born with a white pelt, and his beauty is described as being incredibly handsome, yet "cold and unnatural", and on top of that he has a natural talent in magic over ice and freezing, which he could use for both offensive and defensive purposes. As his ice magic comes from embodying Pride, it is a reflection of how pride itself can empower and protect, but also corrupt and harm those who have them.
  • One of High King Kaldr's domains is Winter, so naturally he has ice powers. Among his capabilities are generating massive snowstorms and blizzards, firing beams of freezing cold, and weapons creation. Because he embodies the winter season, he's immune to cold, and is responsible for overseeing the transition to winter in his mortal realms.
• I Coulda Been a Contender!: Deconstructed; one of the Central Themes of the Codexverse is that clinging to the past will only hurt people in the long run. This includes obsessing over one's Glory Days and being bitter about its passing instead of moving on with their life.
  • Rock Opera was an up-and-coming rockstar and musical prodigy who specialized in rock ballads, and was on his way to global stardom when he suddenly died in a plane crash. It's believed In-Universe that had he lived, Rock Opera would have rivaled Blue Suede, his mentor, as the Second Age's greatest musician. Instead, it would be his oldest daughter, Melody, who became a famous rockstar in order to fulfill her father's dream. While he was glad Melody followed in his hoofsteps, Rock Opera was deeply embittered by his early death — not only because his dreams were ruined, but also because he was torn away from his family. However, even after reuniting with his loved ones in the Heaven-Realms, he was unable to let go of his resentment and bitterness over dying early, influencing his friend Moon Ray, who sympathized with his troubles, to become almost as bad as him, and alienating his loved ones to the point of straining his relationships with his wife and daughters. Eventually, it's reconstructed; what makes Rock Opera realize the error of his ways is a now mature Moon Ray pointing out he's little different from War Rock because of how they both resented not getting what they wanted. He proceeds to apologize to everyone he hurt with his resentment, allowing him to Ascend to demi-godhood. Rock Opera also admitted to thinking about what he would do once he actually achieved his dreams of stardom and came up with nothing, which contributed to his greater appreciation of all that he gained in the present.
  • Moon Ray Vaughoof was already a very famous Blues musician, but after overcoming his addictions to drugs and alcohol, he was on his way to becoming a Living Legend. An impulsive decision to try go back to Velvet Heart in bad weather, instead of listening to his older brother and waiting it out, led to him dying young in a helicopter accident. While he knew he would die someday after dreaming about his own funeral beforehand, the fact that it happened so quickly left him deeply depressed, resentful, and homesick — which wasn't helped by the toxic fluence of his friend and fellow resenter, Rock Opera, at the time. It's ultimately defied; after seeing some celebrities obsess over their Glory Days to the point of wickedness during the "Applewood Rescue", he realized there's no changing the past and acknowledges his own mistake that led to his death, so he lets it go and settles with what he has now. This epiphany actually leads to him Ascending to true godhood. He would also help his friend, Rock Opera, let go of his resentment, leading to Rock Opera's Jerkass Realization and own Ascension.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: Either played straight or averted, due to the prevalence of fraternal twins and the chances of them being born than identical twins.
  • Played straight with Blue Suede Heartstrings and his older brother, Bossa Nova Heartstrings. Due to being identical twins, they look almost exactly the same in both their mortal and divine forms, save for a few differences - Blue has a dark blue mane and tail, and his Cutie Mark depicts a red, heart-shaped guitar. His true form as an Alicorn god has wings with a dark blue gradient, and his hair is made of dark blue energy soundwaves with light blue musical bars and notes running through them. His Cutie Mark has the same halo of notes as Bossa Nova's does, except the guitar part of his Cutie Mark is flanked with white wings. Meanwhile, Bossa Nova has a dark red mane and tail, and his Cutie Mark depicts a skull-shaped guitar. His true form as an Alicorn god has wings with a dark red gradient, and his hair is made of dark red energy soundwaves with bright orange musical bars and notes running through them. His Cutie Mark has the same halo of notes as Blue's does, except the guitar part of his Cutie Mark is flanked with black wings.
  • Played straight with Changeling Queens Mara and Bunta. Mara and Bunta are considered rather unusual among Royal Changelings in that they're born identical twins. Because of this, they look exactly the same, except for the colors of their magic - Mara's is red, while Bunta's is blue.
  • Played straight with Belyolen and Temnobog, co-rulers of the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon. They look almost the same due to being two halves of the god they should've been, except while Temnobog is a dark-furred, red-eyed stag with sharp, jagged antlers and iron armor, Belyolen is a white-furred stag with slender antlers and golden armor.
• I Have Many Names: Equus, the world of the Ponies and other races, has have many, many, MANY different names throughout the aeons, including 'Terra', 'Harmonia', 'Faera', 'Eternia' and more. This was Played for Laughs in one instance, where the multiple names of Equus left the Extratellusian witch Rita the Repulsive very confused, and when she finally returned after her sealing in the 'Second Age' to conquer 'Tellus' (its name when she arrived), only to hear from one of the locals in the 'Fourth Age' that the world is now known as 'Equus', an exasperated Rita the Repulsive implored the world's inhabitants to just "Make up your minds already!".
• I Know You Know I Know: A more serious example than most: Blackthorn notes that Dr. Toxikon revealed his plans to the Summer Court prematurely and thus knows they'll plan around his plans, and thus all he has to do is plan around their plans. He then notes he's probably planned for them planning around him planning around them planning around his plans. This is more serious as it shows how much of a battle of wits it is.
• Immortality Begins at Twenty: Subverted with the deities of the Codexverse. As a general rule, deities possess immortality, but because their biology is completely different from mortals', they still 'age' by growing in size and power the longer they live, all while becoming increasingly eldritch. Depending on the race the deity takes after (or Ascends from), eldritch traits can range from an increased number of wings, magical hair/fur/feathers made of energy, wing gradients, Holy Halos, and so on. As a result, older deities are incredibly powerful, huge, and incomprehensible to mortals and even young deities, with "Primeval"-ranked deities like the Grand Primevals showcasing this the most. While most deities usually get older the natural way, prodigy deities age faster due to possessing abnormal magic reserves and growth rates... and then there are deities who end up having their ages accelerated through various circumstances, like absorbing huge amounts of magic/energy, eating other deities, or (in Moon Ray Vaughoof's case) re-Ascending by having their core divine nature warped into something completely different.
• Immortal Genius: Many gods become this by default between their age and instinctive understanding over their respective Domains, although some stand out even by divine standards.
  • Changeling Emperor Blackthorn is widely considered to be one of the greatest schemers and manipulators in the current generation of gods, having together with his Summer Court move entire nations like pieces on a board and made pawns out of other pantheons. His talent in manipulation is such that even the Grand Primevals themselves are impressed by him, and even seek out his aid in various crises, such as "Final Ragnarok".
  • Emperor Golden Scepter is already a psychic prodigy and peerless genius even by Alicorn standards, and this has only increased with his ever-expanding knowledge and experience throughout his millions of years of existence. His empires are noted to be extremely advanced in terms of technology and magic/psionics compared to other civilizations ruled by his fellow Alicorns, with the Fourth Age's Terran Empire being the birthplace of many psionic and technological wonders. Even his golden Powered Armor, implied to be another one of his creations, is such an advanced piece of work that Crazy Ant went absolutely gaga upon seeing it in person.
  • Princess Twilight Sparkle (now Princess Amicitia Sparkle Equestria) is a mix of both this and Emperor Scientist. A magical and scientific prodigy even as a mortal, she Ascended to demi-godhood by finishing a spell created by the Pillar of Equestrias' Starswirl the Bearded, who notably had trouble with completing it himself. Following her first Ascension, she would create and pioneer various spells and Magitek well into the Fourth Age. After Ascending to true godhood and becoming Mana Equus' reincarnation, she would continue her work, all while being humble royalty. Indeed, she would earn her reputation as being one of the most powerful and accomplished divine mages alive.
  • Vicearch Iniquitous is widely considered one of the greatest Dark Magic practitioners to ever arose in the Ages of Known History. Her power and skill can be traced back to spending countless millennia devouring various supernatural beings - including whole pantheons, legions, and nations worth of gods - and assimilating their power into Herself, while devoting considerable time and effort in learning, studying, and experimenting with hundreds, if not thousands of divine domains she inherited as a consequence. Her magical magnum opus is a series of infernal spellbooks titled the Seven Keys of Iniquitous, each book containing both powerful spells and philosphical essays written by Her and others. Due to Her being extremely security-conscious, only those Iniquitous has deemed worthy can access the original books, like Karaldina de Hex and Blue Suede Heartstrings/King Caerulus Melodia Equestria-Corporatum.
• Immortal Ruler: There are plenty of divine sovereigns in the setting, due to Equus having dozens of divine pantheons that are not seen in canon. Most deities even have their own realm which they rule over.
  • The Alicorns are Ethnic Gods of the entirety of Ponykind, including its mutated subraces, and during pre-Known History, they lived as part of a divine civilization where they ruled over empires, kingdoms, and realms. Above them were the Hierarchs, ancient Alicorn rulers of the entire Alicorn Civilization itself, and above them are the Thirteen Empyreans, precursor Alicorn deities who were the first sapient Equines to be created by King Equus, The Maker of all Equinekind. Even in the present Age, most Alicorns recorded in the Codex usually bear a royal title and/or are official rulers of a certain country. Prime examples of modern-day Alicorn rulers are Princesses Celestia and Luna of Equestria (later succeeded by Twilight Sparkle/Princess Amicitia Sparkle Equestria following their abdication), Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire, Emperor Golden Scepter of the Terran Empire and Imperium of Ponykind, and Queen Dazzleglow of Kerajaan Cahaya.
  • The Changeling Progenitors, Empress Blackrose/Rosedust and Emperor Blackthorn, have ruled over Changelingkind for millennia since the founding of their race. Their children, the Royal Changelings, help with the ruling by establishing their own Hives, although in their case they're Semi-Divine due to one parent being mortal.
  • King/High-Prince Thorax of the Autumn Court is an unusual example, since he's a newly-ascended Royal Changeling. Nevertheless, due to the unique circumstances of his rise in status, he has the same agelessness that is shared by his fellow Royals. He also is largely inexperienced in ruling due to his origins as a lowly drone of Chrysalis's hive, which has caused both Blackrose and Blackthorn to send him their children so they could advise him on how to rule.
  • The Dragon Lords of the Dragonflights could also fit the bill, as Dragons in general are The Ageless, though their subjects are similarly long-lived and they have a term-limit.
  • Subverted with the sibling co-rulers of Bitaniya, King Strazha and his younger sister, Queen Vesna. While they had respectively been blessed by Temnobog and Belyolen to be their divine champions, they are simply Long-Lived and thus can still die despite each possessing a much longer lifespan than their mortal subjects. Belyolen states that both Strazha and Vesna can become immortal, as several similarly empowered individuals had done in the past, but the choice is really up to them.
  • As an Ascendant Godling, King Aspen possesses the same immortality as other divines, allowing him to rule the Everfree Alvslog kingdom of Thicket for so long. This wasn't apparent in the IDW comics he originated from.
• Immune to Fate:
  • Luminiferous, as a God of Self-Determination, has the ability to 'Reject Fate.' This amounts to being able to break prophecies and reject any inevitable fate he doesn't want to happen. It's also a major influence on his philosophy that anyone, mortal and divine, has the power to Screw Destiny and make their own fates in order to grow into their own potential.
  • As a god of Fate, Prince Varázsló can break fates by 'denying' them. This by virtue makes him immune to fate in general. He can also magically make someone, usually a hero, immune to fate, which grants them protection from certain events. It's one of his favorite ways of playing pranks on malicious individuals/groups that are utterly obsessed with fate and prophecy (or wield powers related to them).
  • As a goddess of Defiance, Princess Winter Opera has the ability to break malicious prophecies and ward off Doom-related powers, which makes her immune to fate by default. This is thematically tied to how she overcame her father's villainous legacy and negative public expectations of her to become a benevolent heroine/goddess.
  • As a goddess of Defiance, Princess Grizelda II's powers are similar to Luminiferous' in that she can defy fate and break things that bind people to a specific fate, such as prophecies and those who possess Doom-related powers such as Surtr, the Jotunn god of Doom and Destruction. This means that she herself is Immune to Fate in general.
• Impossible Theft: King Asbolus Lyonesse is known for this, often stealing weapons his brothers intended to use to kill him before they even knew he was aware of their presence.
• Impossibly Cool Weapon: Crazy Ant brought a 'gatling crossbow' to the Battle of Infernos, which is a gigantic steam-powered weapon with multiple full-sized crossbows on a rotating center axis. As if that wasn't enough to qualify, he made all the heads explosive to compensate for poor accuracy. Notably, it's this trope In-Universe, as said weapon was so oversized he needed a steam powered Powered Armor just to use it... and not only was it a prototype that was deemed unfeasible to ever make more of, but every attempt to replicate it resulted in catastrophic failure. It is deduced the only reason Crazy Ant was able to use it effectively was because he's insane, which Crazy Ant himself agrees with.
• In Harmony with Nature:
  • Ironically enough, Indostruus, the God of Industry and Modernization is this. He originally was smug and self-righteous, but seeing his concept abused and misused to destructive ends by groups like the Cloven Empire caused him to realize he was wrong. He now works in harmony with the nature-aligned deities to ensure progress happens, but in such a way to not cause havoc with nature.
  • Befitting their name, Nature Giants are greatly attuned with nature, and even worship Gaea, a nature goddess, with their society being heavily matriarchal on the reason that Women Are Wiser due to Gaea's influence. While they're the most dedicated to protecting Equus's ecosystem, this trope also makes them extremely haughty, isolationist, xenophobic, and distrustful of "smallfolk", seeing themselves as the rightful caretakers of nature while the other mortal races are uncaring, selfish, and destructive.
  • This is the Alvslog Deer Herds' hat. In their eyes, all forests and the animals that live in them are considered sacred and must be protected. Many Alvslog Deer also make their homes and palaces in trees, essentially living off the land. Ironically, because of the Elternteil Deer Pantheon's toxic influence, the Alvslog Deer Herds are fanatically devoted to nature to the point where they staunchly oppose anything that might 'threaten' the natural order; some, like King Aspen, even promoted the rise of eco-terrorists, a huge act of hypocrisy to their pro-nature beliefs in the eyes of many. They're also deeply xenophobic towards non-Deer and willing to persecute/kill Deer hybrids, seeing them as 'impure'. Some, like King Aspen, are devoted to nature to such a degree that they gave rise to eco-terrorism, being willing to harm innocent creatures if it'll 'protect' nature from anything that will threaten it.
  • Many divine members of the Städterhirsch believe in protecting nature, but unlike the Elternteil Deer Pantheon and their Alvslog Deer followers, who are fanatically protective of nature to the point of harming innocent creatures and stagnating themselves, they're far more reasonable about it. They believe that nature can coexist with technology, as they are both beneficial concepts that can help others massively when combined, such as using science to create powerful medicine from natural ingredients. That being said, they do acknowledge that Nature Is Not Nice and actively work to help prepare people in facing such dangers.
• Inherent in the System: One Central Theme and driving question of the Codexverse is whether or not the moral/natural evils and disharmony of the world and sapientkind that our heroes frequently confront is inherent to the world/sapientkind's nature, and what to do about it. Given the ultimately optimistic tone of the setting, the answer is usually nothing is immutable and things/people can be changed for the better, and even if it is in the system, the system itself could and must be changed. And even if nothing can ever be changed, to try and change it anyway is better than just accepting it simply because it's the right thing to do. And usually, it's when characters devote every ounce of their determination and effort into challenging the Crapsack World no matter the odds that things do change for the better.
  • Queen Majesty, one of the Sensei (children of Emperor Golden Scepter), found the galaxy she lived in during the Imperium Era to be such a horrific, dystopian mess that it contributed to the 'Law of Despair', where things like war, death, and suffering practically became a cosmic inevitability. Out of love for both mortal Ponykind and the creatures that coexist with them, she deiced to defy the 'Law of Despair' and did even things that were thought to be impossible at the time, such as befriending creatures that were normally written off for instant extermination. Eventually, she succeeded by building the Galaxy Forge with all the friends and allies she gained over the years, granting her enough power to rewrite the universal laws itself just to ensure all of sapientkind got a happy ending.
• Innocent Aliens: The 'Visitors' appear to be this, having no ill will towards Equus despite being a race of high tech aliens. They even saved the life of Spitfire's grandfather, Firestorm, during a sighting. One evidently did attack a Clovenist base, but is believed to have very good reasons for doing so.
• Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Averted and deconstructed. In the Codexverse, disabled people are depicted as well-rounded people with their own strengths and flaws despite their handicaps, and are no more good or evil for it. While some are willing to joke about themselves, generally they hate being treated as 'inspirational' as it's demeaning and implies they're lazy wastes of spaces who can't look after themselves if they don't work to compensate for their disabilities. Some deities who have some kind of handicap, like albinism, blindness, and mutism, have accepted their handicaps as part of them and use their powers to make their own lives a little easier.
  • Prince Healing Song is a Blind Musician who lost his sight during infancy after undergoing a medical operation to prevent the spreading of a rare ocular cancer. While he's a famous musical prodigy-turned-teacher who learned from the likes of Blue Suede Heartstrings, and later became an Alicorn on his deathbed, he isn't treated any differently for it and his Ascension happened purely because of a Karmic Jackpot for his good deeds. He also feared dying one day, but his friends helped him accept his mortality. In-Universe, Healing Song himself hates the 'inspirationally disadvantaged' trope because of the toxic mentality it promotes, and helps students defy this by teaching them how to succeed while also acknowledging their own limits. If they manage to Ascend like he did, then it happens, but it's still an achievement worthy of praise.
  • Guiding Light is also a blind Alicorn and has several abilities/skills to make up for it, but it's noted his Ascension came about solely because the Shinseina Pantheon was impressed by his compassion and altruism. And like his friends in the Black Heron Corpse Investigation Team, he's a cynical person with a morbid sense of humor (due to being around corpses all the time) and opportunistic greed, which his divine peers genuinely find off-putting and potentially detrimental to any good he might do in the future. Despite their constant ribbing, Guiding Light is close to his friends since they treat him as part of the gang instead of a helpless invalid.
  • Spell Cyclone of the Nightmare Breakers is a paraplegic Magical Filly and requires a wheelchair to get around. This would normally make her an easier target in Meridia, with Everything Trying to Kill You in full force, so she developed her sniping skills and magic to make up for this. She hates the idea of pushing herself beyond her normal limits in order to be something of worth to others, a view shared by Prince Healing Song, who is blind and would later become her friend. She welcomes Maelstrom's insults because it means the latter really cares for her and treats her like an equal.
  • Prince Crimson Star originally wasn't blind, but he was such an Insufferable Genius that after he was blinded saving a classmate from a runaway carriage, he was rather depressed by it, and eventually saw his blindness as a "punishment" for his own foolishness. He did manage to become an Alicorn demigod later on, but it's because he made amends for his bad behavior and used his knowledge and talents for good, not because he became disabled. In addition, despite his royal demi-divine status and great power, he is flawed like any other person, and his relationships with his brothers, like Fanged Paw, can get vitriolic.
• I Reject Your Reality: Generally held in utter contempt in-universe, especially when done willfully and not due to insanity, and almost always a major characteristic of an unsympathetic, destructively evil villain.
  • BrutalityInc has stated that this is the deal with tribalist Evil Reactionary factions such as the Scions of Hurricane, the Children of Platinum, the Guardians of Puddinghead, and so on. They will deny everything that contradicts their worldview, denying them as "Fake Information", and even blame others for their own problems. Lying to themselves is also almost second nature to them and likely contribute to their undoing.
  • Grey Hoof genuinely believes that he's doing good by "protecting" ponies from Cutie Pox infection, which actually means he kills them just like he did Ruby Heart. However, he's so deeply insane that he constantly rejects Ruby's attempts to redeem him, still seeing her as an infected monster that needs to be killed. Ruby would later admit to her friends, Midnight Bell and Crystal Prism, that as much as she's dedicated to being a Confessor and helping redeem people, she eventually gave up on Grey Hoof after realizing that he wouldn't change.
  • Averted with Changeling culture and society, which abhors anyone of their own race doing this to the point of considering it an offence punishable by exile to the Winter Court. Because Changelingkind values survival above all else, denying reality is seen as detrimental to their own kind's survival, since reality will never accommodate their worldviews. This ironically makes Changelingkind, which thrives by necessity upon deceiving non-Changelings, one of the more (internally) objective and honest cultures on Equus as much as it is among the most secretive and mysterious.
• Ironic Hell: Because the concept of Hell exists in the Codexverse, there are many pantheons who have Hell-Realms specifically designed to punish the wicked for certain sins they committed in life. For example, a greedy person is forced to live in abject poverty, toiling for riches they'll never earn, while a prideful person has their ego broken in horrifying ways. Temnobog and his infernal children from the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon are perhaps the most well-known examples.
• Irony:
  • Despite the ancient, bloody feud that lasted for eons between their species, it's suggested the Dragons and Changelings actually complement one another extremely well and would be better off allies instead of enemies. It seems Luminiferous has specifically chosen Thorax and Ember to raise up as proof of this fact, empowering them twice to act on it. Notably, when lent his future potential, Thorax became a Changeling Divine, something even the power-hungry Summer Court had long wrote off as impossible for anyone to achieve, implying the feud really is just holding everyone back.
  • Golden Scepter initially hated Luminiferous for looking exactly like his old enemy, Morning Star, an evil Alicorn who betrayed his people and ruined the Alicorn Civilization out of deep narcissism. However, after going through Character Development and becoming much kinder through his journeys across Equus, he would accept Luminiferous as the noble person he really is and become one of his close friends.
• It Is Beyond Saving: If a Erobreseg Deer kingdom is falling deep into sin enough to catch the attentions of Temnobog, the Bogolenya deities will send a warning, with Zmluva, Mier and Válka's youngest son, serving as the herald who offers a Last-Second Chance for the kingdom to change its ways. If it doesn't, then the good citizens are evacuated before Temnobog marks the sinful kingdom with his "Black Sigil" and sets the Four Terrors upon it. What happens afterwards is considered so horrifying that the kingdom is nothing but a gigantic scorch mark that remains cursed for several generations, serving as a dire warning for those who fall into sin.
• It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: The concept behind the Second-Age frozen dessert, 'Dragon's Breath'. The original version, based on the real-life Dragon's Breath, called for dipping fruit-flavored cereal balls into liquid nitrogen, seemingly for no other reason than to be trendy. While it was a hit among young, adventurous Ponies, it also attracted controversy for its health hazards and incidents where Ponies were hospitalized for mishandling/consuming it incorrectly. Hawkers tried putting up instruction signs to inform customers how to eat/handle Dragon's Breath correctly, but some Ponies either ignored the signs because they assumed nothing's going to happen, or, according to Blue Suede Heartstrings/Prince Caerulus Melodia Equestria, couldn't be bothered to read anything in the first place. When information about Dragon's Breath reached the Fourth Age, many correctly pointed out how dumb it is to lace food with dangerous chemicals to make it more 'exotic'.
  Princess Amicitia Sparkle Equestria: Who thought it was a good idea to put liquid nitrogen in FOOD?!
• It's Personal: Generally deconstructed, as Codex Equus shows how nightmarish, vicious, petty, and brutal a grudge can be to both sides of the grudge (as well as those completely outside of it) when taken to the worst possible extreme.
  • The Changeling-Dragon Conflict shows the sheer nightmarish horror this sort of attitude/grudge would lead to when taken to literally racial/historical levels, with both races having wronged each other and refusing to let go of their grudges. This resulted in terrible consequences for both sides and the world as a whole, with both mortals and non-Changeling/Dragon divines calling out both sides for their extremely petty and shortsighted behavior, no matter how justified they were.
  • During Changeling King Xestobium's rampage, he executed a friend and associate of his air pirate renegade brother, Prince Polistes, after interrogating him for information that would aid his genocide of Dragonkind. Needless to say, despite Polistes being one of the few brothers that Xestobium actually liked, Polistes swore revenge and become one of the central participants in the efforts to stop Xestobium. This also extended to Princess/Captain Mimetidae after he beat her in battle and destroyed the island she was trying to stop him from blowing it up.
  • Prince Fanged Paw hated his younger brother, Prince Crimson Star, for arrogantly and coldly mistreating him just for developing Disruption magic, which led to their interactions becoming increasingly violent. Later, Fanged Paw took Crimson Star's accident and resulting blindness as a chance to bully his younger brother in turn, culminating in him, Red Blade, and Death Shroud giving Crimson Star a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown that prompted Blazing Hoof and Golden Scepter to intervene. Upon being forced to experience everything Crimson Star was going through following his accident by Golden Scepter, Fanged Paw was so horrified that he accepted his punishment of exile (and being chewed out by his other brothers) without resistance. While in exile, he learned to let go of his grudge and forgive Crimson Star for what he did, allowing them to reconcile once he Ascended and his punishment was lifted.

J

• Jerkass Gods: Naturally, some evil/corrupt deities exist, though it's Deconstructed since in the Codexverse, such deities inevitably lose their worshipers to more benevolent deities and meet a Karmic Death for their heinous actions.
  • The Abyssinian Pantheon was lead by these who would treat their subjects spitefully and cruelly to the point of abandoning them to the Storm King for giving them poor worship services. They were overthrown by the benevolent members of the Pantheon for this.
  • The Old Orosian deities were based off the Greek Pantheon, so naturally, like their real-life mythological counterparts, the old Orosian gods acted like irresponsible, arrogant, and spoiled children who waged wars and severely punished their worshipers for minor/perceived infractions. As with the previous leaders of the Abyssinian Pantheon, this inevitably bit them in the ass and resulted in their demise, whether by their own mortal worshipers they often abused and forced themselves upon in their own lust, or by other divines they similarly mistreated. As noted in Canteros' entry, those of the Pantheon who were genuinely benevolent and/or remorseful survived the event and later founded the Pramanthan Pantheon.
  • It's implied that for all their benevolence, wisdom, and power, and despite being the "greatest" children of the ancient god Equus, the father of all Equines, the Alicorns still fell to stagnation and corruption, becoming arrogant, high-hoofed, and distant from their mortal subjects. This is what gave rise to Morning Star, who tried subjecting the planet Equus and its surrounding universe to his own twisted ideas of perfection. The result was ten Ages of civil war that wiped out most of the Alicorns and utterly destroyed the Alicorn Civilization, causing the survivors to retreat in complete seclusion to replenish their numbers.
  • Despite Golden Scepter's good intentions and efforts as a ruler, PTSD, loneliness and other untreated issues would gradually bring out his worst flaws and influence him to become little more than a divine tyrant during the Imperium Era. The departure of his old lover, Midday Messenger, didn't make him snap out of it - it only made his downward spiral worse. Eventually, his terrible mistakes would provoke his closest subordinates to launch a bloody coup against him, leading to him being sealed away and his Imperium collapsing under its own weight. When he was found in the Second Age by Luminiferous and Dazzleglow, he was essentially a broken stallion who still acted unpleasant to a degree at times, but was able to realize the error of his ways and atone for his sins thanks to Luminiferous' positive influence. By the time the Fourth Age started, Golden Scepter has averted this trope, having atoned for his past and sought psychiatric help from Mentálne that allowed him to heal from his traumas. He is now a truly benevolent god and ruler of the Terran Empire, and the loving father of nineteen demi-divine sons, whom he helped Ascend at some point in each of their lives. It also became the reason why he rejected his Alicorn name, Auriolus Scaeptrum. As he explains to Twilight/Amicitia Sparkle years later, he committed so many atrocities as Auriolus that he later saw his Alicorn name as everything wrong with the ancient Alicorns and their civilization, motivating his decision to go by his birth name as Golden Scepter from now on.
  • Averted with Blue Suede Heartstrings. One in-universe backstory theory depicted him as this, ala Galactus. According to that backstory, he was once an apathetic and selfish god who constantly ate populated worlds, so he was transformed/reincarnated into an amnesiac mortal and forced to live on Equus as punishment. He gradually Took a Level in Kindness after coming into frequent contact with a single Pony mother and her young son, causing him to appreciate his fellow mortals, and ultimately chose to stay on Equus even after his memories were restored. The reality is that Blue is very humble and compassionate, and only appears in his true form as an Alicorn god when it's absolutely necessary.
  • While presenting themselves as 'good', the Elternteil Deer Pantheon's experiences with non-Deer individuals/races under Irminsul and Arvan's co-reign (especially Grogar I) slowly transformed them into a group of haughty, puristic, reactionary, and xenophobic Deer deities. They're extremely traditional and devoted to nature to the point of fanaticism, and they're extremely intolerant of anything they consider 'evil' or short of their standards. As a result, Deer who leave the forests are seen as abandoning their birthright as 'children of the forest', while hybrids and 'evil' beings are treated with extreme hostility, regardless of what they actually did. They also support 'good' magic to the point of being willing to use it in 'evil' ways. These attitudes caused many of Irminsul and Arvan's children to be abused for not fitting their standards, such as Temnobog and Naur, and eventually it splintered into sub-groups after said children grew sick of their parents' behavior and left. The pantheon itself also developed an extremely poor reputation among both divines and mortals, who are disgusted and outraged with them for various reasons.
  • Emperor Blackthorn of the Changeling Summer Court doesn't go out of his way to cause evil (and views himself Above Good and Evil), but is still an extremely amoral chessmaster who had manipulated entire civilizations and even pantheons of gods over throughout history to advance his own inscrutable agendas, caring little for anyone else other than his female counterpart, Empress Blackrose, and sees everyone who doesn't have his genuine respect to be little more than pawns for his schemes. Most of his own Royal Changeling demigod sons are also ruthless schemers, conquerors and tyrants to a fault.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Some heroes and divines in the Codexverse have very prominent flaws, yet they continue to remain benevolent and heroic despite it, even become even greater individuals by overcoming their flaws.
  • Prince Fanged Paw, Golden Scepter's second son, is loud, boisterous, blunt-tongued, and hot-tempered, and often disregards the rules and social niceties he must abide by as a Prince by acting like a total party animal around his mortal subjects. This annoys his brothers as his actions can sometimes create rather embarrassing situations. However, he's very fond of children, and is a talented poet and musician. He also loves his family and is incredibly loyal to them, including Crimson Star, even though they annoy, bicker, and snark at each other a lot.
  • This is what Prince Steel Barricade, Golden Scepter's eleventh son, became after his exile. He is a stoic and coldly logical stallion, but it's made clear that his demeanor is a psychological defense mechanism he developed to cope with witnessing the horrors of war and brutally murdering the corrupt king/nobility of a Tauren Pony city-state he once stayed in. Deep down, he's emotionally broken, suffers from anger issues that he constantly tries to repress, and is haunted by his past actions to the point where he fears relapsing into his old behavior. But, having finally learned the value of humility and empathy, he became a benevolent figure whose notable accomplishment was teaching his former Tauren Pony subjects how to govern themselves, inspiring them to create a highly successful democracy. He also participated in various crises such as the "Storm King Crisis" event, where he protected one of his older brothers, Clear Heart, who he once bullied, from Hydianite covens and their demonic allies. It's noted that he had been receiving psychiatric help from Mentálne, the young Bogolenya Deer goddess of Mental Healing, so he could recover from his traumas and learn how to forgive himself and be more emotionally open.
  • All five members of the Black Heron Corpse Investigation Team are cynical and morbid to varying degrees, and due to living in poverty because of a floundering business, they are incredibly opportunistic and greedy. However, deep down, they are very compassionate and altruistic, and it's mentioned that they collectively suffer Chronic Hero Syndrome and thus they can't bring themselves to say "no" to a person in need, both dead and living, even if it'll inconvenience them financially in the long run. The Shinseina pantheon is currently working on getting rid of the "Jerk" part of the trope so the BHCIT make use of their full potential and become truly benevolent deities.
  • Downplayed with Prince Crystal Clear. Unlike his adoptive father, who is a Nice Guy and All-Loving Hero, he's blunt, rough-tongued, and outspoken. He's also hot-tempered, something he struggled with since the Second Age. His entry notes this stems from Blue Suede/Caerulus raising him normally like he would any other foal despite being a god, making his son's behavior unrefined by divine standards and thus making Crystal come off as rude at times. Despite this, due to Blue Suede's positive influence, Crystal is just as compassionate and tolerant as his father, and is very much a Benevolent Boss to his backstage co-workers/crews.
• Jigsaw Puzzle Plot: On the surface, Codex Equus is just that - a collaborative encyclopedia that takes place in a fictional world, focuses on Worldbuilding and character expansion, and rewrites certain things that didn't make sense or were poorly executed in canon. However, the various profiles and entries contain snippets of a larger story, allowing readers to piece together what happened. For example, many characters, both heroes and villains, have been mentioned to have participated in the Storm King Crisis because the titular villain attempted to take over the world, making direct involvement global. There are further pieces hinting at a story line of cosmic proportions pertaining to the Void Aeon and the Void Sovereign.
• The Jinx:
  • Woe-Be-Gones can turn the victim in this, due to the pollen being able to spread to others.
  • Tikuri, the Abyssinian God of Bad Luck, is a black cat capable of cursing those he crosses the path of with bad luck. However, he has a lot of control over it and reserves it for those who deserve it or a weakened version for pranks.
• Just Eat Him:
  • It is mentioned that eating your opponent is a common tactic among gods, made possible and necessary thanks to the gods' divine powers and nature, just like in Classical Mythology.
  • One in-universe mythical example of above is Deer god of darkness and evil Temnobog's attempt to get rid of his father, High King Irminsul of the Eltenteil Deer Pantheon, swallowing him whole in the form of a dragon after depowering him. He also ate his divine nephew, Narren, who witnessed the act, to stop him from telling anyone of his deed, but that turned out to be what Narren intended all along.
  • Also, the Giants' solutions to many problems involving "Tinies". While most do it out of arrogance and cruelty, some benevolent Giants only restrict their eating habits to evil people and realms that have fallen to corruption.

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