SILLY HALLOWEEN CLOAKS, JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!
Okay, let's do this. Because of the nature of webcomics being a page at a time over a long period of time, and the way that conflicts with the necessity of pacing and letting a story unfold in a natural way, it's gonna be quite a while until I'm able to make it clear what's going on with the goofy Halloween cloak in-story. So, essentially, if you want some trivial spoilers, here we go: Shine is accidentally utilizing the cloak to project a glamour, and since this accidental glamour is fueled by his discomfort and fear of attack or capture, it makes him look spoopy. Also, despite the fact that he's accidentally making a glamour happen, its not something he's particularly talented at. One of the things I hope to establish, but won't be able to get into until several issues in, given where things are with my writing and outlines as of now, is that different magical species have "base" powers or abilities that all members can perform, despite personal aptitude and talent, and that each individual has their own particular talents that may or may not align with that species' base abilities. For example, and this shouldn't be a huge spoiler because if you read any unicorn folklore it's basic: All unicorns have healing abilities. Ergo, Shine has healing abilities, whether he's discovered them yet or not. Buuut, that doesn't mean he'll ever be a particularly powerful or skilled healer, it's totally possible (as in, this is his planned trajectory) that his natural skills are entirely different from the stock unicorn box of tricks. Which happens to include glamour, because being elusive is also a standard Thing in unicorn lore. (ASK ME ABOUT THE "ONLY A VIRGIN CAN TOUCH A UNICORN" THING! I GOT AN ANSWER FOR THAT, TOO! OKAY, IT'S THE SAME OLD "THAT'S A CHANGE TO THE LORE BROUGHT ON BY CHRISTIANITY'S INFLUENCE, AND BEFORE THEN, A MOTHER OF TWELVE COULD TOUCH ALL THE UNICORNS THEY WANTED SO LONG AS THEY WERE PURE OF HEART", BUT STILL. THE LAST UNICORN MENTIONS "COMING AWAY WITH AN ASS'S HOOF FOR A HAND," AND I THINK THAT'S AWESOME, TOO.)
So, yeah, Shine is accidentally making a spoopy grim reaper-type illusory projection around himself because he feels awkward running around being an alicorn, even though he loves being an alicorn and wouldn't ever want to transform back. Mostly, he doesn't want his freedom impinged. BUT, because he has his whole thematic, "I refuse to hide," thing going on, he's forcing himself to live out in the world and not be a woods hobo. Or, yanno, a wild unicorn...or at least not too much. He does live in the woods. But, yanno, he's actively trying to be a part of the world, and started wearing the silly Halloween cloak as a sort of compromise with himself, to feel slightly better about being out there. Honestly, he thought it might be a conversation starter. He was more surprised than anyone when people started giving him a super wide berth! Eh, he'll figure it out. SPOOPY HALLOWEEN CLOAK POWERS, AWAY!
Someday, Shine’s gonna find out he has the power to imitate the Monty Python Meaning of Life Grim Reaper, and NONE will be safe from over-the-top schtick!
Someday, Shine’s gonna find out he has the power to imitate the Monty Python Meaning of Life Grim Re
