Viewing last 25 versions of post by Frustration in Excelsis in topic Shipping Thread

"[@PonyPon":](/pony/next-gen-shipping-and-fan-au-discussion/post/3564249#post_3564249

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I can see why that would make a difference, but on my own end I... well, to be honest don't really understand why it matters. He's portrayed as being just as intelligent and self-aware as every other character -- as far as personhood goes, he's no different from all the other intelligent beings. In a setting with only one intelligent race, or a few, I'd understand the issue -- but the entire premise of the show is based around real-world animals that talk. Chief Thunderhooves is a perfectly regular American buffalo... who also talks. Zecora is a a cartoon of a real-life zebra... who talks and makes potions. Sic-Twi's was a regular dog for the first half or so of _*Rainbow Rocks_*, yes, but that is no longer the case and has not been the case for a significant majority of his time as a character.


 
I think, personally, the issue is not so much Spike's status as an uplifted animal in and of itself but that he's an uplifted animal in a world filled with humans -- all other things aside, the two versions of Spike are the only talking, sapient beings in the EQG world who are anything besides physically humans. I honestly don't think this would be as much of an issue if Spike the Formerly Regular Dog lived in Equestria. There, he'd just be a talking but otherwise normal animal among many, many others.

"@PonyPon":/pony/next-gen-shipping-and-fan-au-discussion/post/3564249#post_3564249

I can see why that would make a difference, but on my own end I... well, to be honest don't really understand why it matters. He's portrayed as being just as intelligent and self-aware as every other character -- as far as personhood goes, he's no different from all the other intelligent beings. In a setting with only one intelligent race, or a few, I'd understand the issue -- but the entire premise of the show is based around real-world animals that talk. Chief Thunderhooves is a perfectly regular American buffalo... who also talks. Zecora is a a cartoon of a real-life zebra... who talks and makes potions. Sic-Twi's was a regular dog for the first half or so of _Rainbow Rocks_, yes, but that is no longer the case and has not been the case for a significant majority of his time as a character.

I think, personally, the issue is not so much Spike's status as an uplifted animal in and of itself andbut that he's an uplifted animal in a world filled with humans -- all other things aside, the two versions of Spike are the only talking, sapient beings in the EQ world who are anything besides physically humans. I honestly don't think this would be as much of an issue if Spike the Formerly Regular Dog lived in Equestria. There, he'd just be a talking but otherwise normal animal among many, many others.

"@PonyPon":/pony/next-gen-shipping-and-fan-au-discussion/post/3564249#post_3564249

I can see why that would make a difference, but on my own end I... well, to be honest don't really understand why it matters. He's portrayed as being just as intelligent and self-aware as every other character -- as far as personhood goes, he's no different from all the other intelligent beings. In a setting with only one intelligent race, or a few, I'd understand the issue -- but the entire premise of the show is based around real-world animals that talk. Chief Thunderhooves is a perfectly regular American buffalo... who also talks. Zecora is a a cartoon of a real-life zebra... who talks and makes potions. Sic-Twi's was a regular dog for the first half or so of _Rainbow Rocks_, yes, but that is no longer the case and has not been the case for a significant majority of his time as a character.

I think, personally, the issue is not so much Spike's status as an uplifted animal in and of itself and that he's an uplifted animal in a world filled with humans -- all other things aside, the two versions of Spike are the only talking, sapient beings in the EQ world who are anything besides physically humans. I honestly don't think this would be as much of an issue if Spike the Formerly Regular Dog lived in Equestria. There, he'd just be a talking but otherwise normal animal among many, many others.