Today is the last day to join, so if you want in on it, be sure to read over the rules and PM Shakespearicles!School Daze Thoughts · 4:30pm Mar 25th, 2018
Just watched the season 8 premiere. I hadn't watched the trailer or read the episode summary so I came in blind. Initially, I was kind of surprised they did such a direct tie-in for the movie, but given the impact it had it makes sense. I liked that they brought in all the different creatures... But I was kind of puzzled they didn't bring in other creatures. I mean, in earlier seasons we've had buffalo, zebras, and donkeys! It just seems like if they wanted to be getting across the "inclusiveness" of the school, they could have had these other creatures in the background. (Though I guess zebras would be visually distracting? Still, one scene! Just one in the background for a few seconds!)
I also find it amusing that the show decided to make a villain out of some paper pusher with a power trip. Couldn't have Celestia mentioned to Twilight that the EEA wasn't necessary for Twilight to open a school in the first place? They made a big deal that even princesses answer to this organization, then at the end it was just, "LOL, just kidding, we don't need you nerds. We're gonna do what we want." Like... why didn't Celestia do this for herself? Who established the EEA? What empowers the EEA aside from Celestia acknowledging its authority?
My headcanon is that Twilight Sparkle basically opens up a charter school for the arts and sciences. I don't care if they say it's for "friendship." You can't build a curriculum on friendship because it is a unique and personal journey. A friendship CAMP would have made more sense.
Last thing: I'm confused about the "creatures" thing. When Naysay said it, Ember was super insulted. But then, when everyone else said it later, it was apparently no longer an insulting phrase? I just... I dunno. It felt inconsistent to me.
Damn it, Hasbro.
Other than these pet peeves, I enjoyed the episode. I hope we see more of these creatures--er, critters. Lemme tell you though, I was pretty tickled that they finally, FINALLY, acknowledged after eight seasons that saying "everypony" all the time was problematic.
On a completely unrelated note, my new fic made it to the feature box today. That's a first!
Yeah, this episode brought up so many questions regarding the Equestrian school system. For starters, the fact that your school board and accreditation board are the same body is very concerning.
I'm also wondering why Twilight felt she needed to be accredited. Even in the real world, there are many schools of all education levels (private and public) which are not accredited. Also, since Twilight's school appears to be one of a kind, it doesn't make sense for her to need accreditation. Accreditation just means that a school has met a set of standards set by its peers. I could argue the same for Celestina's school as well.
So much, just trying to wrap my head around it...
The school is about bringing friendship to creatures / countries that don't have it. Zebras are ostensibly friends given that Twilight rolled her eyes and apparently knew everything about them, donkeys (and mules) are Equestrian citizens, and Buffalo have known friendship for seven or so years now.
Also, 4.bp.blogspot.com/--nE592FCLQA/VMpO8M8mg6I/AAAAAAAADkQ/SIeTN63qVcg/s1600/How-to-make-anything-sound-derogatory.jpg
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Twilight's knowledge of zebras =/= friendly relations between Equestria and Zebra tribes. The ponies of Ponyville didn't even know what Zecora was when they first met her.
Then why are ponies there if Equestrian citizenship somehow terminates admission? They make up the main populace. And the yaks were already on good terms with ponies. We've barely heard from the buffalo since the conflicts they had to overcome. Why wouldn't their improved relations with ponies result in some of the buffalo exploring other parts of the kingdom?
It's true that spreading friendship to the outlying territories was important to Twilight, but that is her ultimate goal. What the school functions as is the means to do this. She needs to educate as many creatures as she can. Nothing bars anyone from that education...
And LOL @ dat comic.
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Fair enough. Maybe they're not barred so much as not exactly interested in attending?
With a buffalo it might make for a good The Education of Little Tree ripoff. It also just opened its doors so it's probably just "hey our most recently made friends why don't you send some exchange students".
Yeah it's probably something more like that, the reason why Ember was offended and then she wasn't by "creatures". Although Applejack does say "everyone" in Winter Wrap Up
Honestly, I think part of the reason is that they aren't 'popular' races or something along those lines. I mean, we've had, what, two episodes with the buffalo and one of those was only a small cameo. (Why is that? Makes no sense to me.) Zebras, i can see why, probably the rhyming thing is a bit too hard to pull off.