Post by Scootaloo on Jan 5, 2014 15:51:03 GMT -5
Hey there!
As I'm sure many of you know, I play Scootaloo alongside Vinyl and my other characters. And for those of you who don't - Hi. I'm Scootaloo.
This post is a bit overdue, but after just watching it again for the billionth time I want to explain to you why this episode, personally, is one of my favourites.
Before I start, this post contains spoilers for the episode 'Flight to the Finish' and... some personal information about Scootaloo's player.
If you're not cool with either of those things being revealed to you, my advice is to make like a Fluttertree.
...
Still here? Okay! Good.
So, how do I start? Some of you know this about me, and some of you don't, but Scootaloo and I actually have something very distinct in common. We both suffer from physical impairments.
"Why is this important again?"
It isn't, you can go ahead and stop reading if you want. All I'm trying to do here is inform you about what it feels like for kids like me and Scootaloo, and why this episode struck a particular chord in me. You never know, it might help you understand something about me, yourself, or someone else you know who has or is affected by a disability of any kind.
"So... you're disabled? What do you mean?"
Well... for Scootaloo, that's obvious. Her wings don't work all that well. But for me... it's a little less obvious. I have a condition called hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which basically means the left side of my body doesn't work as well as the right. This includes: regular muscular pain, limited walking distance, virtually no use of my left hand or arm, and various other stuff that's just a bit... annoying.
"So Scoots is basically your spirit animal?"
Pretty much, yeah. In 'Flight to the Finish', Scootaloo goes through a lot of what I've been through in my childhood and growing up. Feelings of fear, anxiety, rejection, failure... all this is things I've experienced as a result of being disabled. Let's put the spotlight on a few of them.
1) Difference: "A pegasus who can't fly?"
It hurts not being able to fit in, you know. In this episode, Scoots is targeted (as normal) by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon; but instead of their usual taunts, they pick on something which Scootaloo knows she can't help. She denies this, however, and pushes herself to the limit in order to look like a normal pegasus able to fly. Flashback to those primary school days where I almost broke a few bones trying to do cartwheels in the yard like all the other little girls, and was almost always 'it' in tag because I couldn't catch anyone. You can say all you like about individuality, but sometimes being isolated due to a physical fault is impossible to ignore.
2) Rejection: "We don't want a quitter."
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle aren't mean to Scootaloo on purpose, of course. It's simply because they don't understand how important flying is to her, and how helpless she feels to change her situation. A lot of the time, friends are brilliant and awesome about things like disability - but sometimes, and especially with young kids, ignorance can lead to unkind behaviour. Scootaloo isn't the only one who has been called self-centered as a result of her disability, and shut out because of what her friends don't understand.
3) Doubt: "What if my wings never grow? What if I never fly?"
Scootaloo feels trapped in her own body when she knows she might never fly. When I was younger, I'd hope and pray that one day my own physical condition could be cured, but the truth is that it won't ever be. Rainbow Dash encourages Scoots to look past all of that and focus on what she is: tough, a talented athlete and an awesome friend. While I'm probably not quite like that, I have my talents and in some ways, my disability has helped shape who I am. I'll always have doubts about myself, but at least I have friends who can prove to me that it's what I can do that matters.
TL;DR: The writers of Friendship is Magic are incredible for putting together such a touching episode. I can rarely put into words exactly what it feels like to be like Scootaloo, but this episode did it perfectly, and in a way that people who haven't experienced similar things can understand. It's just awesome that we have that level of talent, thoughtfulness and sensitivity in a show about rainbow coloured ponies. This, my friends, is why I'm a brony.
Also, the song rocked and I may have it on repeat for the rest of ever.
Wub wub!
Vinyl xXx
As I'm sure many of you know, I play Scootaloo alongside Vinyl and my other characters. And for those of you who don't - Hi. I'm Scootaloo.
This post is a bit overdue, but after just watching it again for the billionth time I want to explain to you why this episode, personally, is one of my favourites.
Before I start, this post contains spoilers for the episode 'Flight to the Finish' and... some personal information about Scootaloo's player.
If you're not cool with either of those things being revealed to you, my advice is to make like a Fluttertree.
...
Still here? Okay! Good.
So, how do I start? Some of you know this about me, and some of you don't, but Scootaloo and I actually have something very distinct in common. We both suffer from physical impairments.
"Why is this important again?"
It isn't, you can go ahead and stop reading if you want. All I'm trying to do here is inform you about what it feels like for kids like me and Scootaloo, and why this episode struck a particular chord in me. You never know, it might help you understand something about me, yourself, or someone else you know who has or is affected by a disability of any kind.
"So... you're disabled? What do you mean?"
Well... for Scootaloo, that's obvious. Her wings don't work all that well. But for me... it's a little less obvious. I have a condition called hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which basically means the left side of my body doesn't work as well as the right. This includes: regular muscular pain, limited walking distance, virtually no use of my left hand or arm, and various other stuff that's just a bit... annoying.
"So Scoots is basically your spirit animal?"
Pretty much, yeah. In 'Flight to the Finish', Scootaloo goes through a lot of what I've been through in my childhood and growing up. Feelings of fear, anxiety, rejection, failure... all this is things I've experienced as a result of being disabled. Let's put the spotlight on a few of them.
1) Difference: "A pegasus who can't fly?"
It hurts not being able to fit in, you know. In this episode, Scoots is targeted (as normal) by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon; but instead of their usual taunts, they pick on something which Scootaloo knows she can't help. She denies this, however, and pushes herself to the limit in order to look like a normal pegasus able to fly. Flashback to those primary school days where I almost broke a few bones trying to do cartwheels in the yard like all the other little girls, and was almost always 'it' in tag because I couldn't catch anyone. You can say all you like about individuality, but sometimes being isolated due to a physical fault is impossible to ignore.
2) Rejection: "We don't want a quitter."
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle aren't mean to Scootaloo on purpose, of course. It's simply because they don't understand how important flying is to her, and how helpless she feels to change her situation. A lot of the time, friends are brilliant and awesome about things like disability - but sometimes, and especially with young kids, ignorance can lead to unkind behaviour. Scootaloo isn't the only one who has been called self-centered as a result of her disability, and shut out because of what her friends don't understand.
3) Doubt: "What if my wings never grow? What if I never fly?"
Scootaloo feels trapped in her own body when she knows she might never fly. When I was younger, I'd hope and pray that one day my own physical condition could be cured, but the truth is that it won't ever be. Rainbow Dash encourages Scoots to look past all of that and focus on what she is: tough, a talented athlete and an awesome friend. While I'm probably not quite like that, I have my talents and in some ways, my disability has helped shape who I am. I'll always have doubts about myself, but at least I have friends who can prove to me that it's what I can do that matters.
TL;DR: The writers of Friendship is Magic are incredible for putting together such a touching episode. I can rarely put into words exactly what it feels like to be like Scootaloo, but this episode did it perfectly, and in a way that people who haven't experienced similar things can understand. It's just awesome that we have that level of talent, thoughtfulness and sensitivity in a show about rainbow coloured ponies. This, my friends, is why I'm a brony.
Also, the song rocked and I may have it on repeat for the rest of ever.
Wub wub!
Vinyl xXx
