How RariDash is the most romantic ship in MLP · 8:55pm Mar 7th, 2016
It’s been a very long time, but after a nudge from Tchernobog I decided to do a few more of these, at least knocking out RariDash and AppleShy, and maybe PinkieDash. If you missed them before, I tackled:
FlutterDash
RariJack
AppleDash
TwiJack
TwiDash
For those who missed the previous ones, let me explain a bit about what this is and isn’t. When I ask how is X the most romantic ship, I’m not implying that it’s actually the best ship. Instead I’m asking "in what situations or types of romance stories is X the best ship to illustrate the story?" This does not mean it’s the only story this ship can tell. It does not mean you can’t use other ships for the same type of story. But this kind of story will use the aspects unique to the ship to their best advantage.
When I first started writing these, we’d never had an episode that focused on Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Last season we finally got one in Rarity Investigates, and it was exactly what I think is at the core of a perfect RariDash story. But first, let’s talk about Rarity and Dash as characters.
On the surface, Rainbow Dash and Rarity seem like opposites or foils, but like Applejack and Twilight, beneath the surface they have a lot in common.
To start with, they’re both dreamers and romantics. At heart, they both want to be living out larger than life stories where they’re the hero; those stories differ in genre, but it’s not hard to see where there could be a meeting of the minds in an ending where the awesome, dashing hero sweeps up the beautiful heroine and flies her off into the sunset. Of course, those are just stories, but…with another pony who wants to believe, they might be able to find it in real life.
As a part of that, they both value appearance. Not to the exclusion of anything else, of course, but they see value in crafting how other ponies see them to be in line with the roles they want to play; they present the pony they wish they were and try to make that the reality. This also means there are part of themselves that are off limits to other ponies, whether it’s the sometime snuggly relationship between Rainbow and Tank or the admission that Rarity wears false eyelashes and can get down and dirty when she must, and it’s safe to assume that they each have more of the same beneath the surface. If they took a moment to really look at each other, it would be easy for them to relate and become accomplices in maintaining each other’s facades.
Another aspect of both of their masks is that they never really get under each others skin. They might trade the occasional snarky jibe, but unlike more combative parings like RariJack or AppleDash, both of them seem too concerned with looking cool or aloof to react or take serious offense. They're not the best at communicating about problems, but as very independent ponies with fairly similar goals, and without the emotional reactions in the way, there's no reason for them not to be able to explain what they're doing and why in ways that make sense to each other. And if that doesn't work, Rarity's skill at manipulation and the lack of thought Rainbow tends to put into things should let them reach a peaceful understanding without Rainbow quite understanding, or caring, how it happened.
And when it comes to those goals they have in common, where they differ is even more complimentary. Rarity is a master social manipulator who can spot both details and relationships that Rainbow would never see. Rainbow might need a knock on the head from a clue stick, but she does have a fondness for dramatic gestures and confrontations. For Rainbow to have a pony who can guide her through social intricacies, and for Rarity to have a pony who’s willing to stand up and take the (social or physical) blows head on lets them both appear to be the ponies they want to be while facing down any issue.
That’s important, because they’re both headed in the same direction in life, and it’s a morally dangerous one. They’re both incredibly ambitious, and want to get to the top of very competitive fields. And we’ve seen time and time again in canon that those fields are full of ambitious ponies who don’t always act with the generosity, loyalty, empathy, and sense of fair play that Rarity and Rainbow Dash have come to expect in Ponyville. They both need to be on their guards, to avoid being brought down by the unscrupulous, to avoid being corrupted themselves, and, as they go on, to avoid becoming jaded or disgusted or depressed as they’re repeatedly confronted by ponies and situations that don’t live up to their ideals.
So what makes them the most romantic ship?
I want to take a moment and share one my my favorite quotes. It’s from Raymond Chandler, a famous author of noir detective novels. First he described the world of the noir detective novel, then he went on to say about the main character:
“But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.”
In the world of the elite of Equestria, a corrupt and unfriendly place by pony standards, Rarity and Rainbow Dash are those mares. In fact, another noir author, Dashiell Hammett, created a very RariDash set of noir detectives in his book The Thin Man, in the characters Nick and Nora Charles.
Even if you don’t go with a noir tone, RariDash is a couple that’s perfectly suited to stare down and buttress each other against the corruption and ill-effects of fame and fortune. They provide for each other another pony who’s in the fray: Of course it’s easy for Applejack or Fluttershy or Pinkie to not be corrupted or cynical; they’re outside of it in friendly little Ponyville. Of course it’s easy for Twilight, she’s above it, never having to worry about her position depending on ponies worse than herself. Only in each other among their friends can they find another pony who can completely understand the question of how dirty to get their hooves in pursuit of their dreams, or how to deal with the reality in the place of the ideal without giving up.
In terms of stories, this can be played several ways, either already in a relationship or falling in love in the process. Like Nick and Nora Charles, they can team up to take down outside forces. Like Rarity Investigates, either one can try to act interference or come to the aid of the other. They’re also perfectly positioned to be the first to notice and come to one another’s rescue if either of them starts slipping into being a pony they don’t want to be, jumping in with a minimum amount of judging and and plenty of commiseration.
In any case, through it all that romance they’re both chasing should shine through. In a RariDash story, they both get to step into the spotlight while heads turn and jaws drop, while they remain aloof and cool on the outside. They offer each other grande gestures, and appreciate them in a way their more practical and understated friends wouldn't. And alone, Rainbow Dash gets to be the dashing hero of her and Rarity’s dreams, while Rarity gets to be the beautiful heroine to be kissed passionately in an appropriately gauzy, flowing gown, even if it’s only in their imaginations. And that’s exactly how they both want it.
Since this is a Monday Blog Post, a big thank you to: bats, diremane, First_Down, sopchoppy, Bradel, stormgnome, jlm123hi, Ultiville, Singularity Dream, JetstreamGW, Noble Thought, horizon, Sharp Spark, Applejinx, Mermerus, Super Trampoline, Quill Scratch, Peregrine Caged, blagdaross, Scramblers and Shadows, BlazzingInferno, Merc the Jerk, and LegionPothIX.
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I do love reading these. Please tell me you will eventually do a Twinkie version?
3796233
I'll add it to the list.
3796247
Gleeeee!
i37.photobucket.com/albums/e96/Thanquil/twonk_zpsy6phmru2.png
3796247 Considering what I've seen you say about that, that will be an interesting blog.
3796289
I though about that, but I think I gave a pretty fair shake to FlutterDash and RariJack. Mostly. Kinda.
RariDash had been my favourite ship for a long time for many of the reasons you've articulated here. Recently Ive taken a shine to RariLight so I would like to see your thoughts on that ship some time.
3796301 You better not say one mean thing about my perfect pink pony, book.
I'm watching you...
3796365 Oh yeah, I forgot about Pinkie fans all being crazy.
Seriously, in terms of Mane Six rabid fanboying/girling, it goes:
Pinkie
.
.
.
Fluttershy
Applejack
Rainbow Dash
Twilight
Rarity
(Of course, Spike fans are enough above Pinkie fans you'd need to scroll down for a while.)
I'd never say anything against Pinkie anyway, of course. I like my kneecaps just fine.
3796391 You have to be pretty dedicated to be a Spike fan. That poor dragon gets shafted in his episodes.
And, yeah. I won't deny it. I love that pink pony with a nearly religious fervor. I'm waiting for the Rarity/Pinkie analysis, since that's the only race I have a horse in.
And by waiting, I mean standing off to the side cracking my knuckles and growling softly while half hidden in the shadows.
But on the serious tip, I am actually very interested to see what you have to say about Pinkie's interactions with the others.
And sold.
No seriously, I have a huge, huge love for romantics. It's been kind of a driver for my own life (even if more than half the characters I write are cynics); I am a sucker for characters that dream of a greater tomorrow. It's why I've always been more of a Trekker than a Star Wars fan, DS9's latter seasons notwithstanding. Characters that look at the world and say "how can this be better; how can I be better" just appeal to me in ways that are hard to describe.
Plus the whole mediaeval concept of The Romance, but that's another discussion entirely...
Romantics they may be, but what windmills will they fight? To what shall Dash er and to whom shall Rarity sway? In what manner will their mettle be tested, found wanting and be put through fires to become stronger? Who will fall and who will save, only to be saved in turn?
I don't really consider myself a "shiper" but I do like reading shipping stories. These blogs on the various two pair couples are quite the interesting read.
Have you given any thoughts on doing any writeups about multiamory sets by chance? Herd dynamics if you will. That I'd be interested in.
3796561
The issue there is that there are a lot of ways they can work. Even in triads, you can have three equal partnerships, you can have a core ship plus one, you can have a core ship with one of them having a second relationship... and even if you stick to three equal partnerships you still end up with exponential relationship dynamics.
It would be easier to look at triads with equal partnerships where I've covered all the ships individually already. I might consider that, at least for ones like AppleDashLight that seem to be fairly popular.
As a Raridash fan, this post is everything I could have hoped for.
3796577
The interactions of the pairs is often a good means of determining how it would work in a triad.
I think AppleDashRarity is a good triple because AJ is a good grounding force for the other two while both of them would get her to have a bit more fun and excitement in her life through various means.
AJ is actually a good "and other" for any of the various pairs. She's an understated character that just makes myriad dynamics work when by all accounts they shouldn't.
Pinkie is also someone that could fit in any other two-set, as long as you don't go with the common "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" portrayal. I consider her to be an often miss or under used character in fanfiction.
But yes, there are so many ways relationships can go with just two people that adding in a third makes everything go crazy.
I was just curious on how much thought you had given the general idea of such a thing, what with all the thought you've put into the pairs and all
3796603
I've given some thought to AppleDashLight (I'm actually an admin of the AppleDashLight group) and RariJackDash.
The problem here is that RariJack and AppleDash are the two ships where AJ is most likely to lose her cool, so it's likely to be an eternal game of Rarity and Dash having to pick sides. And since that's even more true of RariJack than it is AppleDash, it actually makes Dash the element of the ship that's most stable, having no problem relating to Rarity and, by pressure or the nature of the ship, at least keeping things with AJ down to periodic bickering and competition. And while Dash being the stable one is unique (well, not totally, we'll get to PinkieDash) it's not a natural fit for her. I'm not sure she'd be able to handle the boom/bust cycle of RariJack.
Both RariJack and AppleDash need a grounding partner if you're going to add a third, and to that end either Twilight or Fluttershy tends to work well. Fluttershy works a little better for RariJack-- they're both protective of her, and she's more of a bridge between them. Twilight works better in AppleDash because she acts as a bridge between them, and is a firmer presence for Dash.
RariDash, as a ship, needs a pony to keep it more lighthearted, so I think Pinkie or Fluttershy make the best thirds. Rarity, for all her romanticism, is fairly down-to-earth in her day to day life, so I think she could handle keeping them all in reality. She's actually the most unflappable of the mane six when it comes to Pinkie, and she has close bonds with Fluttershy. Dash has close bonds with both Pinkie and Fluttershy, and while they both annoy her at times Rarity's superior social skills could probably smooth that over.
That's my quick take on those, at least.
I feel like, nearly six seasons into the show, Raridash has lately become the new Twidash. For me personally, it's not a full replacement, but I'm always happy to see it written, and it seems to have picked up a real head of steam after being neglected for so long. (Indeed, Raridash was the subject of the very first, horrendously pathetic scene of The Combinatorics Project way back when.)
And now I want to see a fic with both of them dressed to the nines, Rainbow doing that "taking social blows head on" thing as you put it. :D
3796399
3796391
This is precisely how this works, yes.
Pink Pony is best pony. *hefts tire iron*
I may or may not style my hair IRL to look like Pinkie Pie's hair
3796644
It's been a while since I had read the blogs about AJ+Rarity and AJ+Dash pairing so I had forgotten your take on their various dynamics. All valid points.
and
I immediately took note that with those threesets of three each has one of every tribe. Pre-wings on Twilight of course.
This is something I've given a bit of thought on when it comes to a triple-pony relationship, That often they either need to be all of the same race or one of each race.
If you have two-and-one race split you might run into problems with the two being accidentally exclusive of the one because "it's an earth pony thing" and the like. But when you have one of each everyone brings something totally unique to the table.
The so called "alicorns" are too rare to really be part of the case study but they could probably act as a sort of "bridge" to the others.
I agree with a lot of this. The ship has grown on me over time, and has moved into a tier 2 position for me. Except for Spring Is Dumb, which is like, the best thing ever and everyone should read it.
Clearly, it is all HoofBitingActionOverload's fault.
Really, it is his kind of ship.
3796765
Clearly, that means it is time for me to finally write another RariDash shipfic.
After I finish like a billion others
I need to finish my Princess Flurry Heart story this week.
3797243
You and me both D:
Going off on a tangent...
I'm not at all surprised to see that he wrote that. It describes everything wrong with Raymond Chandler.
Chandler was an amazing writer who combined fast-paced action with moral philosophy and poetry. But he comes across as vile to me, and it's because of this. His hero, Philip Marlowe, is so perfect, so morally superior to everyone else, untarnished and untempted in a world where everyone else disgusts him.
It makes Chandler's writings repulsive to me. His hero comes across as one of those Bible Belt fundamentalists who believes everyone but him is going to Hell. The books are full of contemptible beautiful women who throw themselves at Marlowe, overcome with lust by his manliness (Mary Sue much?) He shrugs them all off with loathing for them and for sex in general, and they shriek with rage. The books drip with misogyny, misanthropy, contempt for the entire human race from one who is above it all.
I'm a little bitter about it because they could have been really great books if he'd made his protagonist human, or been aware of and explored his deep psychological sickness as a human who doesn't want to be human.
It gets a little better in "The High Window", where a few other characters have some humanity, but "The Big Sleep" is hard for me to stomach.
3797666
That may be among the reasons Hammett's works ended up better known. They both owe their staying power to Hollywood, but even with both The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep being classic, I'm pretty sure everything I've ever read puts The Maltese Falcon on top, and I'm also fairly certain that Sam Spade is more iconic than Phillip Marlowe. Being a more interesting character probably has something to do with that.
3796233 I was just working on a Twilight/Pinkie story yesterday, and I counted and realized I have 3 Twilight/Pinkie short stories, and wondered if I should put them all into one compilation and call it "Twinkie".
Then I wondered if that would annoy people, since they don't kiss.
Then I wondered if I could write one where they do kiss. Not that I'm into that sort of thing, you understand. Just to justify the story.
Twilight & Pinkie go together well, but I think I'd have to keep writing it until the characters themselves take it past "Pinky and the Brain" to more of a ship for it to convince me.
Pinkie may be the only pony who can rouse Twilight's curiousity, and who knows things Twilight doesn't know.
(Also, I bet there's Pinky/Brain slash out there.)
I knew there was a reason I liked these two nerds together so much. Thanks for a thought-provoking read.
Thanks for making these blogs! I'll try to keep them in mind when I finally get to penning my ideas.
I wonder, have you read Salvation, by Cold in Gardez? It perfectly illustrates many points made in this blog, especially :
(No link because it’s rated M)
3799907
I haven't read it myself, though I've heard of it and have several friends who have read it.
3796391
Did you get attacked by a rabid pinkie fan? Because I think rainbow dash fans are the craziest since they threaten rape and murder if you don't like dash and talk negative about her.
3799937
I've never met a Dash fan like that. On the other hand, even the friendly Pinkie fans tend to be kind of obsessive when Pinkie is involved, though I love them anyway.
And the unfriendly ones... well, one of the few people we've banned from any of the shipping groups I've been an admin of was a rabid Pinkie fan who's continued to stalk Rainbow Dash fans and AppleDash shippers by constantly spamming death and rape threats across FimFiction, tumblr, and deviant art. For literally three years.
3799950
Oh goodness! That's terrible I am sorry I had no idea rabid fans can get THAT scary. Of course there was the fanboy who stalked the voice actor for babs bunny but that was so long ago. As for the friendly fans they are more respectful to other view points. The fellow who stalked me was from 4chan so he may of just been a troll.
3797666
I've never read that author's stories, so to me the quote seemed to be talking about a character who's able to act in defiance of the corrupt, Noir world that they're part of. I'm rather surprised to find that it's the opposite: A character who's completely apart from the story's setting to the part they don't even seem human.
...
Conclusion: Lyra (and Lyra) would make a fantastic Noir detective.
3800117 I don't think they're opposites. Saying which one you're looking at is a judgement call. Marlowe is most extreme in his disgust at women and sex, and the women are presented as the stereotypical hell-and-brimstone preacher's nightmare / wet dream.
RariDash is an expert level ship. It's rare and non-obvious, so you know that an author tackling it really gets it. It was cynewulf who put it best that this ship works for the same reason cheerleaders and jocks go together. The same drive to strive, one is delicate, the other rough and tumble.
3802695 You totes should have told me about this blog, ponygrad. I'm shocked I didn't notice it earlier.