How TwiDash is the Most Romantic Ship · 3:47am Nov 21st, 2014
Hey! How about one of those blog thingies I do sometimes?
Yeah, my Monday post is way late this week, but that won't hold up next Monday. It's just been a busy week and this one didn't exactly write itself. It turns out that there's not much to say about TwiDash, for reasons that will become obvious below.
First, because there have been some questions recently, I want to talk for a second about what these essays are. They are not arguments that any of these ships are actually the best. Rather, they’re examinations of how you can best show off the dynamic of the ship. I’m looking at the ship’s basis in canon, and common tropes or styles of romance, and making an argument for the specific way in which this ship shines more brightly than any of the other Mane Six x Mane Six ships. This is not to say (as will become obvious) that these ships are the only ones that can fit into these types of plots. Nor is it to say that these are the only types of plots the ship is good for. But it’s my opinion that the ship I outline is the best possible choice in terms of Mane Six ships for the types of fics I go on to talk about them with, and that the type of fic will play to all of the ships strengths; no other ship will do that plot as well as that ship, and no other plot will suit that ship as perfectly.
So today we come to TwiDash. King Princess of mane six ships. Flagship of the feature box, home to some of the best fics in fandom, the pairing that blew past ships with more logic and canon alike in terms of popularity, without so much as an episode to back it up before S4. Obviously TwiDash must have some major way that it’s the most romantic ship.
It… doesn’t… really. WAIT! Put down the pitchforks, TwiDashers. TwiDash doesn’t have any one way that it’s the most romantic. But the beauty of TwiDash is that it’s remarkably romantic across the board. There’s nothing that TwiDash does better than any other ship, but there’s nothing it can’t do. TwiDash is a unique combination of similarities and differences that can be mixed and matched, emphasized and downplayed as needed.
To start with the differences, you have the obvious laid back, rough and tumble, anti-intellectual “jock” type vs. the up-tight, everything in it’s place, school-loving “nerd” type. This is a staple of romantic comedies, and even before Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3 the show frequently used situations of Twilight’s frustration with Dash’s laissez faire attitude or Dash’s blatant amusement at Twilight’s “uncool” intellectualism for gags in episodes like Fall Weather Friends, Luna Eclipsed, May the Best Pet Win, and Three’s a Crowd. Since both are clear extremes, it’s funny to see either or both taken down a peg. That being said, if you do want to give TwiDash stakes in this, the fact that they both seem aware that they’re playing these roles and occasionally express interest in moving outside of them (Fall Weather Friends, Testing, Testing) could open up vulnerability that would allow the teasing to actually strike a nerve.
Another difference that can be milked for plots is the attitude they each have towards their own abilities. Twilight constantly doubts herself, even when she’s perfectly capable, while Dash’s bravado extends to anything and everything somepony cares to challenge her at. Whether it’s Dash getting herself into trouble that Twilight has to get her out of, or addressing the core of one or both of their problems, this combination is a good way to create conflict for a fic.
A lot of ways they’re alike are good for that as well. While they both freak out over different things, they are both neurotic ponies who are prone to overreact. If they both went off the rails at the same time, it could bring some major drama. On a lighter note, we’ve seen them bicker over Daring Do canon, so a disagreement there could add some fluffy, funny tension.
So, there’s plenty of conflict on any scale in TwiDash, but there’s almost equal room for connection. The same willingness and actual interest in moving outside of the jock/nerd stereotypes that can make them vulnerable can also give them a good reason to enjoy each other as a couple: unlike many opposites attract ships, Dash and Twilight clearly want to change for themselves, for various reasons, and they can help each other do that. The shared neuroticism that’s explosive if it goes off in unison comes from the same pressure to be the best at what they do, giving them the opportunity to understand and help each other deal with it. Fights about Daring Do canon are as likely to be fun as they are to turn into bickering.
Basically, TwiDash is all flexibility. Big problems or little problems, deep emotional connections or stuff to do hanging out, TwiDash has all the angles covered. It slices, dices, juliannes, does windows, makes your whites whiter, and teaches you Japanese in five easy lessons.
Fluttershy gives FlutterDash an edge when it comes to sappy, star-crossed lovers plots, but replacing her with a naive, adorkable Twilight isn’t a bad choice. RariJack pumps the dramatic tension to the top, but TwiDash’s jock/nerd dynamic, combined with two neurotic ponies, can keep pace there. Twilight’s not quite as perfect a comedic straightmare as AJ, who can speak volumes with a raised eyebrow, but her frustration and snark makes it a good alternative to AppleDash for comedy. TwiJack provides the most stability for exploring other things in a fic, but as long as Dash is willing to let Twilight steer TwiDash can do that perfectly well. RariDash is superior for dealing with the effects and sympathy for Dash’s ambition and career choice; TwiPie gives Twilight more of a puzzle to solve and brings the fun to her life; but TwiDash contains elements of both of those things.
There are a number of theories about its popularity, but I think this is a valid one to add to the pile. When a reader can read a sappy romance one day, a wacky comedy the next, and an adventure the day after that, and the ship holds up just as well in every one, there’s a better chance people will ship it.
I don’t have much advice to TwiDash writers. Just pick a romance story and write it to the hilt. The ship shines anywhere, maybe not a perfectly as another ship might, but well enough to make for a great story. And you’ll probably make the feature box.
I do want to go on a little tangent about something I pointed out before, though: that Twilight has expressed an interest in at least participating in athletic contests for fun, and Dash has learned to enjoy a book series Twilight also likes, and has come to understand the importance of being able to study because you need to sometimes. This is unique among opposite attract situations between the mane six. While other pairings have learned to tolerate each others traits, or even appreciate them in others, AJ has never expressed an interest in fashion or society-- in fact the whole point of Applejewel was that it would be silly if she pretended to, and it was silly for Rarity to pretend she had any interest in farming, and they both know that.
To me, personally, this is the HUGE difference between changing for love and a relationship that will legitimately broaden each partner’s horizons: There’s actually a non-romantic reason for character to want them broader. Dash had a reason to pick up Daring Do other than “Twilight likes this thing, and I’m totally in love with Twilight.” Twilight had a reason for showing up at the running of the leaves other than “Well, I should take an interest in Rainbow's hobbies if we're going to get married someday.” That is how you do it: growth because the character decides to try something new is worth a try, and if they then learn to appreciate another type of pony more, all the better. Growth because the character fell in love with someone is creepy, even if it’s “good for them.”
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Wait... Bookplayer writing about something OTHER than AppleDash?
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Where have you been?
But, I did AppleDash too.
2607939 lol, Between running around doin this crap they call life, and editing for Cv, I've been a bit busy. (that and massively reading)
I like this blog. Nice and indepth. Also, TwiDash is my favorite inter-M6 ship
One very important way in which Twilight and Dashie are compatible is that each is a top competitor in her field, and cares very much about achievement. It's just that their fields are totally different. Another is that they both have strong codes of honor, which govern much of what they do in their lives: Twilight is extremely virtuous in many ways, and Rainbow Dash is extremely loyal. Each of them admires the other her virtues, even though Dashie teases Twilight about being an "egghead" -- and that teasing has been affectionate since it began, since Dashie actually liked Twilight on first meeting.
Haters gonna hate. Nah, I guess it is true. I checked, about 1 in every 6 twidash stories get featured. I wonder how much of that is due to the amount of twidash stories that get written.
These Blog constantly take shots at my head cannon. But they are also very accurate..... Will Rarijack Survive?
Find out on the next exciting episode... Of MLP!
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But she doesn't, until Twilight proves to her that she's going to fail. And her fear in the Young Fliers competition is in no small part because she's tried, and failed, to do a Sonic Rainboom in practice,
I do actually agree that Dash's bravado is a facade, but I think that Dash regularly convinces herself of her own hype until something happens and she can't deny it any longer. That's why I think Dash's facade is, in general, more complex than Rarity's-- Rarity can drop hers at will, while Dash actually believes that she will be a loser if she isn't awesome and cool at all times.
I do agree that Twilight is among the ponies who could get her to admit it was a facade, though I don't know that Dash likes admitting it's a facade. When it happens (Mare-Do-Well, May the Best Pet Win, Daring Don't, Testing, Testing) she's usually pretty devastated until something happens that lets her repair it. Luckily Twilight is good at that, too.
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Dashgeta?
I think that if you were going to look for fics that are done best by Twidash you have a few niches open to you.
• They each have things they can teach that the other wants to learn. Switching from a relationship of self-improvement to a romantic one is a reasonably common idea. There is a sub-catagory of one wanting to do something difficult and the other supporting them.
• Second, adventure fics. As you said, it loses out to Twijack for allowing something else to happen. However, Applejack can be hard to drag away from her responsibilities for a long period, so that cuts out some plots.
Pretty much this.
The only thing I would really disagree with is that they didn't have an episode until season 4; Read It and Weep was pretty fertile ground all the way back in season 2, or at least the TwiDash shippers thought it was given the incredibly large number of RAINBOW DASH LIKES TO READ stories.
I think with Applejack, it is more severe than that she has never expressed an interest in fashion or society - she has. As a filly. And she decided she didn't like it at all. Applejack oddly had two episodes of this, also trying to be Rarity in MMC and failing at it terribly.
The closest other ship to this is RariShy, which does have it halfway with Fluttershy's interest in fashion and general girliness (and with the singing in the Ponytones thing as well, for that matter). However, while Rarity owns a cat she doesn't seem to be an animal pony in general (though she doesn't seem averse to them in the same way that, say, Rainbow Dash is).
I don't think really any of the others have shown this to any great extent, unless I'm forgetting something.
No it's not.
It's naive, sad, and likely doomed to backfire. But it happens all the time to misguided minds before 99% of the people in question learn their lesson. Usually with megatons of backlash.
(And hey, more power to that 1%.) Which can be interesting to explore in fiction in and of itself so long as you're aware of it.
It's perfectly fine to have one character open another's mind and heart to the option of horizon-broadening, or tempering their vices. It's not as fine to have a character channel their feelings of devotion (or worse, have the partner take advantage of that devotion) into an attempt to turn themselves into someone they're not.
Semantics, I know, but I reserve "creepy" for... well, harsher things, I guess.
Agree with the essay otherwise, though. Good stuff. There really isn't much to say about Twidash -- like you said, it's the Ginsu knife of the fandom, and like 5842397 people will be totally willing to share with you just why they think they're married forever or something.
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No, no, Jet. Accurately describing Dash
getarequires the whole thing.2608092 I think you're both making good points here about growth for the sake of the other character, and I think my mind goes to the puppeteer/writer. When Twilight asks herself, "What would a brave pony like Rainbow Dash do?" and then does it, that's not creepy. What IS a bit creepy is when the author looks at his puppets as slashed, chopped-up half-puppets that have to be sewn on to other puppets to make up for their missing bits, and excuse me, Mr. Aristophanes, you had something to say?
It's basically Aristophanes' explanation of love: people originally had four legs and four arms, and were punished by the gods by being split in half. And because of that, everyone goes around looking for his or her other half and tries to merge back together again, or just plain, "You complete me."
And while I adore Mr. Aristophanes and would much rather invite him to my dinner party than Mr. Socrates, especially if it is BYOB, the "something missing" thing is lazy and unpleasant from the author. We play Zeus and cut the puppets in half, and leave the bits of Rarity and Applejack that are good businessmares on the crafting table, and stitch the farmer and the fashionista together with a cry of "Voila! Opposites attract!" And those unused bits of Rarity and Applejack lying on the table that did not fit into the "opposites attract" mold, the bits that make them interesting and well-rounded characters . . . that part is creepy, and more than a little bit sad.
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2608092
Well, there are reasons to write stories like that. They aren't happy stories, though, not really.
This happens with real people on a near-constant basis. I am into ponies because a friend introduced me to them. In fact, this is how a lot of people come across a lot of things - someone they know was involved in it and they become involved as a result.
However, I'm into ponies on the basis of actually being into ponies; I'm not just faking it for the benefit of social interaction or because I have a friend who enjoys them, I'm into ponies because I legitimately enjoy them. The fact that my friend also enjoys them is beneficial, and I made other friends who are involved in it as well as a result.
It is entirely realistic for someone to acquire new interests as a result of someone that they know, or to pursue some pre-existing interest a bit more because of it. All of Rarity's friends are probably more aware of fashion as a result of their friendship with Rarity, and it is easy to imagine that if someone ended up with Rarity, they might become a bit more interested in/used to fashion and being fashionable - especially Twilight and Fluttershy. All of them likely know more about science and magic than they did to start out with due to hanging out with Twilight, who is a fountain of random knowledge and books. It is easy to imagine anyone who ends up with Twilight romantically to have her rub off on them a bit.
But there's a difference between that and character derailment or cutting off a piece of a character for the reason of the ship. And yet it is very common:
Rainbow Dash frequently gives up the Wonderbolts for the sake of twuu wuv.
Twilight often ends up stuck in some weird living situation which doesn't make much sense for her given her position, ambition, noblesse obligee, leadership ability, and authority.
Applejack often ends up having whoever it is she is in a relationship with end up on the farm, however improbable that might be.
Fluttershy has the same effect, with whoever it is she is in a relationship with ending up living with a bunch of animals, not infrequently in her house.
I've not really seen any consistent issues with Pinkie Pie or Rarity in this regard, though that isn't to say that people don't screw them up; it just is that they don't do it for really consistent reasons as far as I've seen.
That's not to necessarily say that the above things are always bad (all of the above have been done well in some stories), but that they often are done for bad reasons and are done poorly, and not infrequently involve lopping off of one character or another to make them "fit". Rainbow Dash is probably the #1 victim in this regard, while with Twilight it seems to just kind of be ignored and sit around like a big plaid pachyderm on your couch.
One of the advantages of TwiDash is that there doesn't have to be any real conflict in this regard, so it can be ignored without being a problem or lopping off chunks of the characters haphazardly, but simultaneously you can create conflict in this regard pretty easily - Rainbow Dash, Wife of Princess Twilight Sparkle instead of Rainbow Dash, totally smoking Captain of the Wonderbolts who happens to be married to Princess Twilight Sparkle would be pretty upsetting for Rainbow Dash. Likewise, Rainbow Dash, the Captain of the Wonderbolts whose head doesn't fit in through the door anymore due to her ego could be a problem. And of course, the fact that the Wonderbolts ultimately work for the princesses might be more than a little awkward. That is beside the obvious "no time for each other" plot device.
That doesn't mean that TwiDash authors don't rain blue and violet body parts when they ship, it just means that they don't have to resolve something like this. This means lazy writers don't have to do so innately to circumvent the issue, just leaving the usual characterization derails that are wont to happen.
It's like you planned to make this my best Birthday year ever, Bookplayer.<3
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I'm not sure I buy this one on the same level. From the start of the show up until the Princess Twilight Sparkle Castle Playset, Twilight's been living in a weird living situation that doesn't make much sense given her position, etc., even after becoming a princess. While there are some things in fics that made more sense than canon (moving to Trottingham to be a college professor in Yours Truly, for example,) I think the only thing I would have blinked at would have been her not having enough room for her books and Spike.
Part of it is that, aside from princessing, her career has always seemed to be academia with a potentially unlimited research grant from Princess Celestia. And prior to the S4 finale, she admitted herself that she was a spare royal with nothing really to roy. That makes for some pretty flexible living situations. Now we have a castle and some actual royal duties, but even then I might be convinced that she'd move out of it and use it more as an office, depending on what the set-up these seems to to be once we get a better look at it.
I became a TwiDash shipper after reading Campfire Stories. The idea that Twilight and Dash are each independent mares who have their own things going on but some shared experiences and interests makes them, IMO, great partners for a healthy relationship.
This is where you're wrong: all episodes back up TwiDash because they were literally made for each other since day one don't you remember the steamy makeout scene that was nearly cut from Feeling Pinkie Keen?
:V
I hope that one day I can actually write a TwiDash that I feel proud of. :|
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Dash wasn't in Feeling Pinkie Keen, but Applejack was, so clearly you meant TwiJack.
It's cool, typos happen.
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Obviously, you're not paying attention. :V