Expect these posts normally when not late every Tuesday at 2:00 PM PST. To submit your own, see this post.
Note: These soapboxes do not at all reflect the ideas of EQD. They are an open forum for anyone to post whatever crazy theory they want.
Headlines for the week:
- Sunset Shimmer and the Imminent Issue of Graduation
- Take It Easy, Spike Fans
- Why Was Sunset Punished But Not Starlight?
- Storm King = Hasbro Marketing Executive?
- Welcome to the Show
And get your soapboxes below!
Sunset Shimmer and the Imminent Issue of Graduation
By: Nightmare Muffin
EG movie #1: Three pictures show Sunset having attended three Fall Formals and becoming more corrupted over each one; meaning the current one she’s trying to win is her 4th, meaning that Sunset is a senior. With the early map of Equestria paralleled it to the U.S., I can assume that CHS is the same. In the U.S., high school starts a new year around Fall, meaning that the Formal takes place around the beginning of the new school year. If this is the case, then with Sunset being a senior means that her graduation is not too far off. It was briefly mentioned by Fluttershy in the first movie, that Sunset was going to rule the school until they graduate, so it’s likely that the others are, too. Summertime Shorts take place after the week at Camp Everfree’s field trip (early spring, since it was warm enough where everyone was wearing shorts, but Gloriosa still had a scarf at the end) could take place at the very start of summer. Meaning that nearly a full year has elapsed since the Formal. Sooner, rather than later, the issue of graduation will need to be re-addressed.
Take It Easy, Spike Fans
By: Impus
"Why wasn't Spike in Fame and Misfortune/Uncommon Bond/[insert other episode title here]?" "Spike is slowly being replaced by Starlight Glimmer!" "The writers hate Spike and/or don't know what to do with him!"
I don't know about all of you, but comments like these nowadays make me grind my teeth. Whatever Spike-related drama there was before has practically doubled since Starlight's insertion into the cast. Say what you will about Starlight, but she's certainly no Spike substitute. We have eight main characters now -- obviously, character focus is going to shift around a lot going forward. There are going to be times where a different character might be a better fit than the character the story makes use of. But the idea that Spike is being replaced or not getting enough screentime is, in a word, laughable.
Let's take a moment to consider Spike's strongest moments in the last two seasons. He connected with Starlight on a personal level and oversaw her reunion with Sunburst in the season six premiere. He won the Gauntlet of Fire and was prepared to become Dragon Lord to protect his friends. He was the only one to give Thorax a chance. In Triple Threat, he acted from a place of well-intentioned concern about Thorax and Ember. And in Once Upon a Zeppelin, he took over Twilight's duties while she went on a much-needed vacation. Twilight even says, "Spike, you're as much a part of my family as anypony."
You know what message this sends to me personally? That the writers treat Spike just as respectfully as any other member in the main cast. (At least when he isn't the comic relief/punching bag of the day, but really, that role tends to change hands like Hot Potato these days.) The point is, stop dwelling so much on how Spike is "underused" or "mistreated". Celebrate his accomplishments instead of griping about his shortcomings. All characters have shortcomings; Spike's just an easy target. The only bad reputation he has is the one you GIVE him.
"Replace him? Hah! That's crazy! Spike knows he can't be replaced." - Twilight, Owl's Well That Ends Well
Why Was Sunset Punished But Not Starlight?
By: Yi Tong
This is a question that has been bothering the fandom for a while. Why did Sunset have to earn the trust of others while Starlight recieved almost no punishment?
After some thought, I’ve come to a conclusion: Equestria is like Wander’s hat. It doesn’t give characters what they want or even what they deserve, but rather, what they NEED.
As a villain, Sunset was driven by her ego and ambition. As such, she NEEDED a harsh reality check. Her treatment may have been harsh but having to earn the trust and friendship of others through hard work ensured that she would never let her ego get the better of her again.
Starlight is a different case. She wasn’t driven by ego but rather by fear. She feared being abandoned again. She feared being hurt again. She definitely deserved a lot worse but that wasn’t what she NEEDED. What she needed wasn’t punishment, but a gentle guiding hand to lay her fears to rest and show her a better way.
Storm King = Hasbro Marketing Executive?
By: Drake
Reflecting on the MLP movie, I can't help but take note of how much of his character focuses on marketing himself in an almost meta sense. He talks about having a brand for himself and named himself "Storm King" to reinforce that brand, and he's interested in the power of alicorns to control the weather mostly because he thinks someone called "Storm King" ought to be able to back up that title. He plasters his logo on everything, forces the people he conquers to work for him moving product, and at one point even talks about trademarking a catchphrase he thought of for himself.
Really, the Storm King wasn't a villain interested in power and conquest. He was a businessman who used power and conquest to finance merchandise about himself. And given how MLP is well known for being centered on the toy aspect as its primary revenue stream, maybe this was intentional? Thinking about the movie from the angle of "the villain is an avatar for corporate greed and merchandising" adds some interesting meta text, even if unintentional.
Welcome to the Show
By: Gygabit the Saved Gamer
I love the Dazzlings, so when they appeared in “Shadow Play, Part II” I got ecstatic. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with that scene, given that they had no lines and that it only lasted 30 seconds, but I digress. However, that scene did bring up this question: does this prove that “Equestria Girls” is canon (as if we needed to prove it)? I believe so.
This episode does prove that at least the Sirens ARE canon; while they are not stated as being sent to the Human World, I see no reason not to believe that this is the case. I think this is proof enough to confirm that EQG is also canon. And to address those who disagree that EQG isn't canon, I believe that the only reason for there being no references to it in the show - up until now - is because not everyone has seen the spin-offs; it may be confusing for those people. I think the staff chooses not to make such references for this reason.
Also, I guess FIENDship is Magic #3 is now non-canon. Unfortunate, since I liked that story better than the one we got.
