Behind The Story: Are You Bored Yet?

This story’s weird in that I don’t have a lot to talk about regarding it, but I will start at the beginning.

So, a year or so ago, a song came out and the local Alternative station started playing it. The song is called Are You Bored Yet?. It’s by Modern Alternative band Wallows ft. Clairo (who had a sleeper hit with Sofia a little bit later). I first loved the song because it felt like a young couple living in the moment, much like me and my boyfriend. Then, I learned the actual meaning behind the song, of wanting to say something but being too terrified to speak up, with fear that it could ruin the entire relationship.

After learning this meaning, I really liked the song… for much the same reason. Not because my relationship is in dire straights or anything, but because I sometimes feel like I’m being a terrible girlfriend and that my boyfriend is losing interest in me.

Now, this is all bs, the Honeymoon Phase has just ended, and I just have a really weird relationship (in a positive sense), but it sometimes feels that way.

So, I decided that I could channel those feelings into a Flutterdash story. I didn’t only choose this because I really like the ship, but because both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are terrible with talking to ponies and I feel like that’d emphasize the emotional crux of the story.

Now, Rainbow Dash, in my headcanon, has AD/HD, which is usually not something that makes you a social person. Fluttershy just has social anxiety and is incredibly shy, which also doesn’t make you a social person.

AD/HD also comes with anxiety, so Rainbow Dash would naturally be pretty nervous. Her fears might seem unfounded… but that’s kinda the deal with anxiety. There isn’t necessarily a reason why you’re worrying, you just are.

I’m not gonna say Are You Bored Yet? is a bastion of representation or anything, it’s pretty clumsy and Rainbow Dash having AD/HD and anxiety is implied and not stated. However, I could see it genuinely affecting her in that way.

So that’s the pattern the story follows, Rainbow Dash grows increasingly more nervous, remembering all the little things she did in the past which she thought she screwed up, and worrying Fluttershy thinks less of her for it.

Prior to writing the story, they were both supposed to have doubts about the relationship, but after I started writing it, I figured Rainbow Dash was the better vessel. Besides, given the POV swapping between the two heads, it would create a juxtaposition of someone who’s worrying the relationship is falling apart and one who thought the relationship was completely fine. This, in the process, underscored the theme of communication in the story, as they very clearly have different thoughts.

Most of the story was playing around with that juxtaposition. I don’t know why I made it exactly 1k words, it’s barely an artistic statement to do so. I guess I wanted to make it a nice round number, and try and keep the story snappy. I didn’t want to make it too long because then I’d be covering the same ground over and over.

I figured the Trade Ya incident was reason enough to make Rainbow Dash worried, so I included that.

Besides that, there was really nothing else to the story. It’s a short and there isn’t too much beyond the theme of communication.

I drew the minimalist Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on the cover over a stock sunset photo, if you were interested in that.

Influences for this story included Are You Bored Yet? (of course) and Baby, You’re Out of Time by Seer.

And until next time; be awesome!
-Dashie