Consider, If You Will... · 12:48pm Oct 20th, 2014
H'okay folks, here's a question for ya.
So reader Coolbauch sends me a message with two very interesting things. One, that the Rarity Graves pairing, in traditional portmanteu methodology, should thus be known as "Gravity." I personally think that's just the bee's knees and wanted to see what you all thought of it.
Second, he made a rather interesting proposition. What if, and I do stress IF, Graves and Rarity weren't the couple? What if Graves were wooed by some other lucky lady instead? I have to say, I really like this idea, not because Gravity isn't the best pairing in the universe because it is, but because it sounds fun. As such, I was considering writing a one shot about a potential, budding romance between Graves and another.
And thus, dear readers, I turn to you. Which pairing do you like the best? This can be Mane 6 OR ANOTHER PONY! GASP! SUCH VARIETY! Also, what sort of situation might emerge? At what point in the series would this alternative dimension occur? In this message, the wonderful Coolbauch also included examples of various likely scenarios, but I would also like your opinions on the subject. Thus, if you would oblige me by sending in your preferences below, I might just have a nifty little side project to start.
As always, thanks for reading and hope to hear all sorts of scandalous suggestions soon!
Sincerely,
GentlemanJ
GraviLight
GravDash
GravJack
GravPie
GravShy
GravUna
GravTia
GravBon
GravRa
....nope, I know! GravErpy! Now when to set it...
Aha! instead of the attack he and Armour thwarted knocking him out and that whole 'in his head' arc, what the changelings (If I remember correctly) use sends him to another dimension/reality...
...where Derpy is actually a better shot than him!
I approve of this.
As for the other woman, I honestly don't know. I don't think it should be one of the mane 6 as that's a little to obvious really. If anything, I think you should go for one of the background characters or something.
I say give Graves the option, like having someone else tempt him and he must make a hard choice. What's next is up to you.
Gravity sounds like a great name for it.
Alternate ship? Graves + Trixie for the hilarity of it.
I can't remember if Luna is back in this story or not, but that would be my go to gal to add drama. Make it during the Changling Invasion.
A young, recently ascended/returned Princess is wooed and awed by this seemingly unstoppable soldier, who himself is also a loner and could understand her.
Luna has him reassigned to the castle or some such, decreasing the time he can spend with Rarity, while Luna is always somehow around somewhere on his shifts and they can strike up a conversation.
Grave's new romantic troubles are his confused feelings for Rarity, which have slightly diminished with time and distance, his new feelings for Luna, which are slowly but surely building despite his ignorance of said feelings. On top of this, Luna is a superior/Princess and despite being Immortal (or however you handled the Princesses aging process) looks like a 17 year old girl, making Graves feel slightly ashamed of any sexual thoughts towards her due to looks alone.
.... Or thats how I would do it.
And I approve of Gravity. It is a law of the universe, it will always be despite our what-If scenarios.
I heartily support the newly christened "Gravity".
As for Alternate ships…maybe a Graves/Daring Do ship (or friendship), where one of Grave's missions happens to coincide with Daring's expedition. The two find themselves in up against a powerful opponent (Maybe linked to the Man in White), and a bond is forged in the heat of battle/escape.
Other ships I think would be cool: Graves/Gilda (Where Graves guides Gilda onto a better path of life), Graves/Vinyl Scratch (It would be an interesting pair), and Graves/Rainbow Dash (Over time, they would balance each other's personalities, and give the chance for some Graves & Scoots sibling moments!)
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I support Graves and Gilda, due to her being a combat bunny to start with, but needs serious work to truely get her to Top gun status.
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Like an episode of 'Blind date'.
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And one instance of "Danger Zone" playing.
Fluttershy seems like a good pair considering her breakup with Mac.
It would be interesting to see Graves with Pinkie Pie
A love triangle with Grave, Maud Pie and Tom.
NTR makes the world sad unless it's AU stick with Gravity.
... I could have SWORN I mentioned Gravity at SOME point... Maybe it was only in my head or in a Skype chat...
But yeah, that's actually what Team Echo calls them. XD
(Meaning I TOTES approve of the name.)
Gravheart/Graveheart. Because get injured a lot, and if the Laz. Pool didn't exist, he would become VERY good friends with the docs, so Graves x Nurse Redheart.
(Seriously, in the RPG, if Zaike were female... Graves' relationship with Rarity would be tested MANY TIMES... Speaking of, the operation will be a success! She'll be able to stand at the wedding, (Not dance, unless insanely slow.) so she'll be able to sing at the reception, and within a year no one will ever be able to tell she was ever crippled! (And she'll have extra upper body-strength to boot, due to wheelchair and crutches! X3)
Gravity is the best shipping name since the Titanic.
As for alternate ships...
Graverpy would be cute.
Gravshy would be quiet.
Ohhh! Graves and applejack, Grapple! That's an interesting name, nudge nudge wink wink say no more say no more.
I'm going to be spanked solidly for this, I just know it; but I have to say it anyway, or the idea that just occurred to me will never leave me alone. Graves... And Shining Armour. They were best mates for years, would dorm room experimentation be out of the question? Out on patrol in the mountains, sharing warmth... Essentially somewhere between "the history boys" and "brokeback mountain". Please don't kick me too hard...
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I second this possibility not only would derpy be a better shot than Graves but her clumsy bubbly nature gives her an uncanny ability to dodge most attacks. Also alternate name for this pairing Grapy.
There are two obvious options, based on the Cowboy Western stereotype around which the story is based.
1) Twilight Sparkle - the near-asexual librarian who has a lot of hidden passion;
2) Fluttershy - the warrior and the healer.
Whelp, I have to put my vote (are we voting?) in for Twi and Graves.
Unfortunately, no divergent point I can think of, but that just means I clearly need to read everything all over again! No worries there.
Gotta be one of the princesses man, that royalty/loyalty conundrum. I feel it'd give you a lot to work with
Graves and erm.....
(I'M A MUTHAF*CKIN') TIREK
Fluttershy, definitely. They're pretty good friends for starters. Then there's the whole animal sympathy thing that Graves has (I say "sympathy" because, as he says, they "just seem to have an understanding"). Also, she seems to warm up to him fairly quickly.
A brief romance(-1 Point Cliche) with Daring Doo. But make the entire story like really long, and dramatic.(-1 Point Cliche) Revolving around some plan to stop the end of the world(-1 Point Cliche)........and give Graves a whip at some point(+5 Points Awesome).....I would read it for the Whip.
Total +2.
1. I like Gravity, but that doesn't stop it from being both difficult to decipher for the uninitiated and a bit ... off(?).
2. I have the perfect partner for Graves, and very good reasons for this
- this character shares Graves rather rough exterior as well as the hidden gems to be found underneath
- this character has been left by the wayside before, put on a yoyo of emotions that have torn them up and left them hurting and in need of someone to care for them
- this character has a history with Rarity that could lead to a great conflict and romantic tension between the three
I feel that these three points make Tom the best character for Graves to enter into a relationship with, even though the similarities between the two would inevitably cause them to break it off, though a platonic friendship might be salvaged from the ashes.
If nothing else it would (probably) be the first cargo crack slash ship fic on the site.
Please GentlemanJ,
Please.
First, Gravity = Awesome Sauce
Second, Graves x Derpy. All day, every day.
Luna!
Or Discord because that would be the second most awesome thing ever, with the first being Gravity.
To start, I love the Gravity idea, it has an elegant yet dynamic ring to it. Not to mention you could pronounce it like the force itself, or use the long a sound. Either way, me gusta. On the secondary, I suggest pairing Graves with Equestria's greatest dj, Vinyl Scratch. That would be something I'd find interesting. Or maybe Octavia
I love the Gravity idea, make it so!
In order of preference:
1) Twilight Sparkle -- besides the whole cute bookworm juxtaposed with the stone-cold soldier thing, the fact that she's his best friend's little sister adds a whole new level of awkweirdness.
2) Pinkie Pie -- mainly because I'm curious how Pinkie PIe would handle trying to kindle a romantic relationship, given how committed she is to making people happy. Especially when the target is as introverted as Graves.
3) Rainbow Dash -- I imagine a relationship between these two would consist of frequent bouts of competition and equally frequent make-up makeout sessions.
4) Applejack & Fluttershy -- honestly, the reason these two aren't higher is because they and Graves are too similar. Graves has a LOT in common with these two. Applejack's an earnest hard-worker -- and like Graves, sometimes she's too hard a worker for her own good. Two workaholics in a relationship? That rarely works out well in the long run. Fluttershy's an inherently good-natured but introverted person who gets along better with animals than people. That's also Graves. Didn't Big Mac and Fluttershy break up in one of the earlier stories because they were too similar as well?
5) Celestia or Luna -- an interesting idea, but the power dynamic and age difference make it a bit squicky. Then there's the whole "one partner's immortal, the other's not" issue. Though I guess it would allow Graves a chance to commiserate with Shining Armor over what it's like being married to an immortal quasi-deity.
Of course, I'd love to see a story showing all of these pairings. Say, a chapter depicting a day in the life of each couple. But I know that'd be asking for too much.
Gravity is
an awesome moviea great name.Here's a scenario: Graves and the character look into each others eyes, and they realize that there can be no other person for them. They don't say a word; they just kiss, and the planets align because the universe has finally reached the perfect state. So yeah, Gunmetal Mac, because they can't not allow such perfect manliness to go unfulfilled.
Nah, I'm actually thinking Gunmetal Pie, or Pinkie Graves, or whatevs. Because Pinkie grew up on a rock farm, all she knew was that family is important and so is work. Graves could only get along with his "family" (and to some extent, Shining Armor) and dedicated his life to be the best at his job.
Pinkie then learned how to smile and make friends, but Graves didn't, which could prompt her quest to show him how to be happy. Also, Pinkie may need to have so many friends because she never wants to feel alone again, while Graves is comfortable being a lone wolf, which could prompt a bit of conflict but also an attempt of them trying to understand the other.
I created a monster....
My original idea was to have the AU set between stories 2 & 3, in order to keep a sense of plausibility. After reading the comments, I think there is a way for this to be part of the canon Graves-verse. A very big-lipped alligator moment, but canon nonetheless. Consider for your approval:
The Flim-Flam brothers stroll into town, peddling their latest concotion, "Heart's Desire In A Can". Basically, the story follows the same formula used by Tenchi Universe, and Futurama. With everyone living out their wildest dreams, the only common element is that Graves is the love interest, the possibilities are boundless.... RD is a Wonderbolt. The CMC are Magical Girls. Lyra imagines a world in which they are... um... let's say... anthropomorphic, technicolor, talking ponies.
All that being said, Go Team Gravity - FTW.
Gravity? Like Ollanius Pius, I will stand by this no matter the outcome.
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I don't get it, why would you want to make something like this canon?
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I know it's an older post, but I couldn't resist.
This is a book about possibly...
Badum tish.
As for alternate Graves ships, let's go with... Gavinkie! GravesxPinkie, though I think GravesxLuna would be funny. Though in all seriousness, the other one I could honestly see him with nopony else.... My vote, though, is FluttershyXGraves that would be cute. So, there's my vote. Graveshy.