  I present recent results studying flare emission in magnetars. Strong
quasi-periodic oscillations observed in the tail of giant magnetar flares are
frequently interpreted as evidence for global seismic oscillations. I
demonstrate that such a global oscillation is not directly observable in the
lightcurve. New work suggests the amplitude for the strongest QPO stays nearly
constant in the rotation phases where it is observed, which I argue suggests it
is produced by an additional emission process from the star.
