[Shipping]
Author: Quotidian Torture
Description: Spitfire pretty obviously likes Rainbow Dash. After all, she kissed her. But when you grow up a tomboy with a rainbow mane, your orientation tends to be a touchy issue. Will Dash overcome her fears and give the mare of her dreams a shot? Or is the thought of what everyone else in Ponyville might think too much for her? (And a bit of LGBT/It Gets Better heavy handedness, as well.)Transparency
Additional Tags: Shipping, Internal Struggle, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, Angst.
86 comments:
Aww man, not sad Dash!
ReplyDeleteyay. shipping Dash.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Seth, can we change the banner?
This sounds good...I shall check it out!
ReplyDeleteThat's a really cool premise. I'll be sure to give this a read.
ReplyDeleteVery well written and an interesting side.
ReplyDeleteConsidering how many gay shipping FIM fics there are (read: 99.8%), its ABOUT GODDAMN TIME a fic actually addressed the issue of vile real life homophobia that real life homosexuals have to deal with. I've read about gays getting lynched in Jamaica and "Honor" killed in Turkey. Just about every other black person I know says "faggot" like its going out of style.
ReplyDeleteIt ain't no joke out there. SHIT IS REAL.
Sheeeeeit, I hope the real show has the balls of steel to address this someday. It'll piss off Conservatives, Pat Robertson, and a bunch of other assholes....but they can go fuck themselves and rot in the trashcan of history.
I'm reading it now but google docs said people are still editing it or something. Is this the final draft?
ReplyDelete@mycutiemarkisagun
ReplyDeleteI love your passion on the subject and I too have wondered why the MLP FIM world seems to be absent of real world issues like homophobia considering how many bronies are constantly trying to convince everypony that Dash is straight. Just my opinions but I feel that a lot of emotion can be brought out of a story by including real life drama.
I command thee to write more
ReplyDeleteThat is all...
@mycutiemarkisagun
ReplyDeleteThere were a couple AppleDash stories that covered that topic.
Giving this a look now. I'm still surprised that Spitfire/Dash is as uncommon a pairing as it is.
Yeah okay, usually I'll be the FIRST guy to mock the G.I Joe "KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE!" morals at the end of each ep, but Dammit, THAT LETTER TO CELESTIA NEEDS TO BE READ ON THE FUCKING SHOW.
ReplyDeleteFuck what Fox News says. Turning this into a real episode might save some 10 y/o child's life somewhere. Dan Savage started It Gets Better for a reason.
huh.... i've read over 80 shipping fics and the closest any of them came to dealing with homphobia was when rarity freaked out in one because Twi and Dash were in love.
ReplyDeleteWell, there is that Spitfire one where Spitfire goes after Dash but Dash just ends up being a complete dick about the entire situation.
I liked it but...
ReplyDeleteit was so awesome till the part she went to confess to twilight
from there it kinda felt unreal... like everything going perfect
but overall I liked it alot
@mycutiemarkisagun
ReplyDeleteRe: Homophobia and Shipping fics, agreed completely. In fact I've read a lot of AppleDash fics that touch on the subject and at least get into the fears of coming out...but completely and utterly avoid the social consequences, often making those fears seem groundless. Haven't gotten around to reading this fic, but yeah, it's a weird absence given the subject matter.
I like this fic. I like the message this fic is giving across. But I didn't like the authors notes at the end.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED THEM.
Also, it's pretty surprising how little Dashfire (Spitdash? probably not)there is floating around the place
A wonderful short story that I wholly endorse. <3
ReplyDeletei hate slashfic
ReplyDeleteAlso, I loved the author's comments at the end. I must see any other stories this person has written. I get a distinct feeling I'd enjoy them too. O:
ReplyDelete@blindredquine Well, the mane 6 don't really converse outside of the mane 6. Mane 6 would still be friends, regardless. Unless, you want a fic where it's AppleDash and the entire Apple family completely disowns Applejack.
ReplyDeleteI would just remind us all that Equestria is a _loving_ world and not meant to be truly grimdark- how the hay would we bring the love and tolerance from there into this world if it was just the same as ours?
ReplyDeleteNow, fic worlds, those can go anywhere, and maybe they should. I'm just sayin, if you was to see any hint of what you may call alternative ponies, it's gonna be:
-subtle
-harmonious
-not disruptin' anything else in the story, or becomin' its own story.
Cause lesbian ponies got lives same as anybody and are just the same people you've always known, and it's private and ain't anyone's business, specially on a kid show XD
Do you really think kickin' somebody else's hornet's nest is gonna help us teach love and tolerance? Let it be a part of the shippin' and un-hated by the show creators, and we'll never know if it's canon because we have precious little reference to ANY sorta sex in canon, anyhow.
I also remembered that fears of homophobia was a really major plot point of The Party Never Ended.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting story. I wouldn't actually call it a shipping story so much as a drama with shipping as an underlying plot point. Overall it was a nice little piece about being true to yourself against adversity.
Problem is sexuality doesn't exist in MLP, so there's an inherent vacuum there. Lesbian shipping being so prolific purely due to the female domination of characters.
ReplyDeleteI mean, look at the colts, Snips, Snails, Big Mac, Braeburn. Half of those are retarded, the other half are just "apples."
Will give this fic a look.
@blindredquine
ReplyDeleteI'd actually argue that in a close-knit town like Ponyville, there wouldn't actually be social consequences.
In fact, I'm somewhat curious by this sentiment that Equestria has to be treated as a direct parallel to our world when it comes to social makeup, unless I'm not getting what some of these comments are saying.
@CoffeeGrunt Don't forget Blueblood. He's an asshat, Spike's a dragon and Soarin's a dumbass. The only "normal" canon colt is Caramel.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I enjoyed that "Vagabond" fic, cos it's the only one I've seen that features guys who aren't mentally/socially retarded.
Multiple Response on the same post because thematically they seem to fit together:
ReplyDelete@wackyteen
Well I'm not arguing it even has to go as far as that. It could even be a minor bit of homophobia or something more serious that characters eventually have to deal with, whether it's from friends, family members, or just the general residents of Ponyville. I see it as a less of a problem where the fics don't really touch in the issue of homophobia at all. However, when some of them do so and the threat of homophobia never truly rears its head, and this ends up happening frequently, it does seem like quite a few authors aren't giving the issue sufficient weight or avoiding a potentially important story point.
@Applejinx
Well yes, Equestria is a rather idyllic place compared to our world. It also doesn't mean that its inhabitants haven't had to deal with jerks (like Gilda or Trixie), bullies (Silver Spoon or Hoops), insecurities (as Dash did in 'Sonic Rainboom' or Pinkie in 'Party of One'), or even racism and xenophobia in 'The Bridle Gossip'. So weirdly I don't consider something like homophobia to be too far off from the tone of the show. If anything it's appropriate subject matter since it's dealing with unwarranted prejudice against someone and would easily touch on the matter of friendship and being able to count on one's friends for support. More extreme manifestations of such might not be (i.e.; beatings) but the kind of bullying already seen in the show? Yeah, I could see that.
(This leads me to another rant that I'll post separately in a minute.)
@TenchiFreak5
Interesting point. I'll have to read The Party That Never Ended soon.
@Spell Nexus
ReplyDeleteWhat?
Caramel is so beta.
Just listen to that whine in Winter Wrap up.
@Applejinx
ReplyDelete"Let it be a part of the shippin' and un-hated by the show creators, and we'll never know if it's canon because we have precious little reference to ANY sorta sex in canon, anyhow."
On the other hand, in the show, Spike has romantic feelings for Rarity and Rarity has romantic fantasies about Blueblood. I'm not sure talking about gay shipping in terms of "sex" really helps clarify the issue because we don't talk about straight romantic pairings or feelings in terms of "sex" either.
Well this was...enlightening...
ReplyDeleteUmm.
I'm an asshole, because I was actually giggling through most of the angsty parts. I dunno if I'm meant to, to reflect the stupidity of Dash's fears, or if I was meant to feel humbled.
In my defense, I don't know a single human being who isn't referred to as gay. If a device doesn't function, it is called gay. If something doesn't look right, it's gay.
Ergo, I've grown up in a culture where "Gay" is a byword for broken, fag of course no longer referring to homosexuals here either. That means someone you just generally hate for being an asshat.
I have gay friends, sure. We all call them fags, they give as good back. It's part of the culture we have in my friend group where we insult each other playfully. I dunno, I'm just used to that atmosphere now, that Dash getting angry over her mane colour reads in Rarity's whining voice for me.
Regardless, you've received a rare read from me. I don't read other people's fics too often. Add to that five stars and a long-ass comment, and do as you will.
Also, them was some crazy, angry-ass author's notes brony!
@TenchiFreak5
ReplyDelete"I'd actually argue that in a close-knit town like Ponyville, there wouldn't actually be social consequences."
Okay, but how do you figure? I can sort of see that given the potential closeness of the residents on Ponyville. On the other hand, small towns tend towards being more of parochial and narrow-minded.
"In fact, I'm somewhat curious by this sentiment that Equestria has to be treated as a direct parallel to our world when it comes to social makeup, unless I'm not getting what some of these comments are saying."
Well see my more recent comments a few posts up in which I replied to AppleJinx on that point. Equestria does have bullying, xenophobia, and people who are just jerks...none of which was taken the extremes that these can reach in the real world. However, nonetheless they were depicted in the show and tied into a moral lesson and the show's overall themes.
There's a good Vinyl Scratch/Rainbow Dash ship fic called "Thunder and Lightning" that nudges around the concept of homophobia in Equestria in a nice way too, it's one of my favorites of this sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteThis one is also one of my favorites now too, short though it may be.
I'm not sure what mycutiemarkisagun is talking about, this fic does not address the issues of homophobia... more than most shipfics, ESPECIALLY The Party Hasn't Ended. It has it more initially via reflection, but it isn't some huge disclaimer or revelation or presentation of homophobia.
ReplyDeleteIf somepony wants to see realistic homophobia in their ponies, I recommend The Party Hasn't Ended and Rocky Road. Both are emotional roller-coasters, the former being very long and the latter being a two parter.
Also what Bryan said... how the hell did I forget that one. Thunder and Lightening is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThat one takes a more casual, but very up-front take on it. I also like it because every line vinyl says is hilariously suggestive.
@NinesTempest True, but at least he has an IQ in the double digits
ReplyDelete@NinesTempest
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reccommendations. I'll keep those in mind, :)
@blindredquine
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree, and would be in awe of the show creators if they found a way to carry it off.
I'm just sayin', anything that goes on in the show such as Spike's crush on Rarity is romance through and through, and does not touch on the sexuality part, nor should it. It's clearly okay if fanfic does, but ain't NOpony crazy enough to expect hints of that on the real show. We are 'ladies', not 'girls', so settle for that polite acknowledgement of matters.
...
Fair warnin', if my namesake (and pony-sona) on the show is caught doin' something like givin' flowers to Dashie, I will squee so bad it will crack Equestria XD
@blindredquine
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, small towns tend towards being more of parochial and narrow-minded.
That depends entirely on where the "small town" is located.
And which character from the show would be against it? The closest idea I can come up with would be someone from the Apple family, which occasionally pops up in AppleDash stories but otherwise doesn't happen (and almost never plays out the way Applejack fears it will); and even that interpretation is basically just based on the fact that the Apples have southern accents.
And none of the really popular fanon characterizations for background ponies supports such fear of prejudice either.
Now, that isn't to say that Equestria ha to be treated as a happy-go-lucky place of perfect harmony, but it seems to me that to justify such intolerance that some of the earlier comments implied should exist you need to move the characters out of the Ponyville setting; and I furthermore don't see why dealing with homophobia needs to be a straight-up requirement in the first place.
Well see my more recent comments a few posts up in which I replied to AppleJinx on that point. Equestria does have bullying, xenophobia, and people who are just jerks...none of which was taken the extremes that these can reach in the real world. However, nonetheless they were depicted in the show and tied into a moral lesson and the show's overall themes.
I get that. My point is, some of the earlier comments were discussing this story as if it is a problem with other stories for them to not deal with the implications that this one does. I find that to be an odd thing to take from this, for two reasons:
1. It implies that homophobia is rampant throughout Equestria, and I don't think the assumption should automatically be made that Equestria therefore shares all social problems with all world (at least not to the same extent).
2. This story, while pretty good, honestly suffers quite a bit by its short story roots. Ninestempest's point above is quite valid regarding Party, and I had completely forgotten about Thunder and Lightning.
This story basically rails through Dash's emotions so fast that the social aspects are only touched upon before it moves on, so I don't think this should be the rallying point in the first place if one was to exist.
I think we're all forgetting the comical, light-hearted reason that we don't see homophobia.
ReplyDeleteBecause when 90% of your population is women, there's bound to be some girl on girl goin' on.
@NinesTempest
ReplyDeleteThunder and Lightning is one of my favourites, too. Vinyl's hilarious in it and I wish I'd thought of her like that, too.
This fic is like others and it really doesn't crack new ground. It kind of covers a lot of the same ground. Has anyone really covered a pony deciding he or she is bi, other than the Romancing Quest fics?
Decent fanfic. However, as adorable as I find some pairings (Appledash), I don't support the notion of Rainbow Dash being gay.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing homophobic about it. The show could officially make any one of the other characters gay (but they won't) and the positive message would be stronger. Rainbow Dash is a tomboy with a rainbow mane, making her gay canon would confirm a negative stereotype in the process. Heck, making her straight would not only counter that negative tomboy stereotype (which is problematic in gay rights too) but promote a positive feminist ideal.
Maybe I need to momentarily turn gay to understand Dash's struggle in this fic...
ReplyDeleteThere's no bloody dance classes on this late though!
@Heimdal
ReplyDeleteActually, I can get behind a comment like this. Better than most "LOLTOMBOYSAREN'TGAY" posts.
But the fact is that people make rainbow dash a lesbian and ship her off is because Dash is a character that's very relatable, people love to write, and then people like shipping ponies. Ergo, some people will write her and ship her with the only well made characters, females.
Most of the time, author's don't assume these ponies have a sexuality specifically. I have several dash lesbian fics, as well as more in the works, but I have no conclusion on her sexuality; I just like shipping and Rainbow Dash.
I think part of the problem with homophobia is dealing with it. Most people deal with the character being a complete DICK. Like when I read potential lesbian Dash that has Dash be straight. She comes across as a complete dick.
ReplyDeleteHow do you create a character that is homophobic, 100%, and not have them be a archetypal gay basher? that's not really called for and amounts to lazy writing at worst.
Hmm... I was entertaining the idea of writing a ship fic, i might try to incoporate homophobia of some degree, in it.
I really liked this story, I've seen shipping fics that go into that whole homophobia thing, but the letter in the end here was a really good lesson. Its like in Confessions and Considerations (an Appledash fic) Applejack is afraid of "fillyfooling" because her grandfather was against it and saying it was "unnatural". However Granny Smith says to Applejack : " The only thing that matters is love, I want you to listen to your own heart, and no other voices."
ReplyDeleteThe reason they have this talk in the first place is because Applejack is afraid that she will be looked down apon by the other ponies in the town and her family.
However I think that this fic has a better ending with that Twilight letter.
@Elrond I may just be having a faulty memory here, but of the many lesbian ship fics i've read, none of them go beyond that inherent fear of being called 'fillyfoolers' and i've read C&C.
ReplyDeleteJust because she's a tomboy doesn't mean she HAS to be gay. Everyone pinning Dash into being a lesbian is giving more power to negative stereotyping and has a negative effect on the discussion as a whole. I don't care what your intentions are, or how accepting you'd be of her if she were gay, it's wrong to do that. Lauren Faust went on about this herself.
ReplyDeleteListen to it for God's sake. You're judging someone based on their looks and not being girly enough to be straight. Taken at face value, that's disgusting.
This would be like Avenue Q's 'If you were Gay', but he's actually not gay in the end. And no one let's him not be gay, he CAN'T be gay and HAS to be straight, otherwise he's lying.
It's downright stupid, mean, insulting, and in the real world, while it's an odd situation, it still happens and it's probably just as much fun as being gay and being told that you're confused is all. Dash thinks she's straight? No, she's just confused or lying. Sure. That sounds wonderful.
Why can't you just let people be people, instead of making them who you want them to be?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@xwodashinx
ReplyDeletewhy can't you just let us write fics? I don't go onto straight shipping fic comment sections and complain.
Also, is there anything wrong with making her gay? the mane 6 are set-up in such a way that they can be made into either gay or straight. Why is it such a bad thing to make Dash into a lesbian? I would make into a lesbian character because it provides a different challenge than making her straight. It presents opportunities to present challenges that a straight couple would never face. Not everypony writes lesbian Dash because she's a rainbow themed character.
@xwodashinx
ReplyDeleteIt is similarly stupid, mean and insulting to imply that the only reason people write Rainbow Dash as gay is because of her coloring.
@wackyteen
ReplyDeleteI don't care if people write fics. Obviously you missed the point. I've read a few shipping fics with Dash, whatever. That's not my point.
My point is focused on those who won't be satisfied unless Dash is gay. She HAS to be gay. Say otherwise and you're a homophobe. I'm talking about those people. Write fics, whatever. I like reading fics. Shipping isn't my thing, but sometimes I read 'em.
I'm just saying that those who want lesbian Dash as canon and shove her in there 100% just because she's a tomboy and rainbow colored disgust me.
Fanfic is all about makin' ponies be who you want them to be. See the wonderful-yet-horrifyin' 'Pinkamina' on Tumblr for evidence o' that! XD
ReplyDeleteAnd remember, on the show the only ones that even GOT an orientation is Rarity and Spike- Spike 'cos he's in love with Rarity, and Rarity 'cos she fell for that prince there. It is a mite presumptuous to insist the 'real' ponies are any particular answer to the question, when in the show there can't really be an answer in the first place. I b'leeve the phrase is 'moot point'!
In _my_ fanon world, Pinkie is a loving friend who don't eat anybody or wear 'em as coats, and what me and Dashie git up to ain't yer business XD but that said, that is only MY fanon world and I tolerate and respect others, even the strange and scary ones, if they'll tolerate me.
It would be a strange kinda world if we tolerated each other only when we DIDN'T disagree! The whole point of tolerance is that somebody's doin' somethin' that makes you real upset, and you find a way to get along even when you can't change them.
I wouldn't hold out for ALL the fanon worlds keepin' Dashie un-gay. Just sayin' :)
@wodashin724
ReplyDelete*Deliberately starts writing DashiePie back into Allegrezza chapter 5, while looking up a glossary of lesbian tropes.*
@wodashin724
ReplyDeleteI don't think Dash needs to be lesbian. I don't think people who are anti-gay Dash are homophobes, unless they're going about like 'ew, gay'.
I'd like Dash to be canonically lesbian, but that doesn't mean I won't be satisfied if she isn't. I'll be somewhat disappointed, but I can live with a straight Dash. Unless she's a raging homophone.
I avoid straight ships cause of the straight sex. <.<
I implied that some people say that. If she weren't rainbow colored, she would not have been so hurriedly shoved into that position. That is pretty much a fact. It's not the only reason, but it's a huge factor. Case in point, that one article where that journalist criticized the show for negatively portraying lesbians with Rainbow Dash. The woman assumed she was a lesbian character simply because of her coloring. Seriously. And she's getting paid to do that.
ReplyDeleteI'm fine with lesbian Dash. I mean, everyone pretty much ships them as lesbians because there aren't any good male characters, save for Ace. Ace is the best male character in the show, and 4th best tennis player in Equestria.
For what it's worth, I have two good friends in real life (whom I've tipped off- hey, they made you into PONIES!) who are exactly Rainbow Dash and Rarity- both female- both in relationships with men, heterosexually- but they have a 'het lifemates' thing going on with each other that is arguably stronger than with their lovers (who are always more temporary). They adore each other, it works just like you'd imagine (the Dash says the Rarity is the other half of her brain, remembering things for her with that attention to detail, and the Rarity uses the Dash as a reality anchor). They love each other as much as any two 'nesting' lesbians who don't get around to sex anymore.
ReplyDeleteLove is complicated and yet so very simple, and love isn't the same thing as sex. There's going to be plenty of pairings in canon who love each other, and AJ and Dashie absolutely qualify.
What they git up to in fanon and in private is a whole other question :) my friends do not have sex, being both het, but you would find it easy to be fooled if you half-knew them and misinterpreted the signals, because you'd see how deeply they love each other real quick :)
Great story, I enjoyed reading it all, even up to the author's notes. I think Twilight's letter to Celestia was the best part.
ReplyDeleteSO MANY COMMENTS.
ReplyDeleteFirst off! Thanks, everyone. I'd been having a pretty shitty day up until now. Seeing this kind of response to something I wrote is awesome.
Now, since I seem to have stepped into a minefield, let me try to hop my way to the other side without blowing off a limb.
I didn't write this with the intention of saying 'hurr durr Dash has rainbow hair so she's a lesbian'. I was trying to say that the very existence of those stereotypes can be damaging to young people, regardless of their sexuality. In this story, Dash is bi, but she's had it beaten into her head that she can't be. That allowing herself to be who she really is would be giving into the stereotypes that other ponies have pinned on her, because she's never been given the opportunity to figure out her sexuality on her own terms.
The overall message is that stereotypes hurt everyone. Especially kids, who build their self-image around them.
Oh, and before the discussion gets too heated, remember: We're all in the same boat, here. I'm grasping at the edges and clinging to cracks, trying to feel my way around concepts that are really too big for any one person to grasp. Just the same as everyone else is.
I think what's important is that we try to work through this together, instead of dividing ourselves into little tribes: 'Dash is gay grrr' or 'Dash is straight argh'.
Also I hope I'm not being a pretentious dick again.
@Quotidian Torture
ReplyDeleteNow we know!
And knowing is HALF THE BATTLE!
G.I. JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOE
THE OTHER HALF IS LASERS
ReplyDeleteAHH I really enjoyed this! I feel like Spitfire/RD is one of the more plausible ships along with Gilda/RD (and I say this as an AJ/RD fan). This was well-written and funny and warm. Obviously, Dash doesn't like fillies. OBVIOUSLY.
ReplyDeletePoor Dash :( I just loved her talk with Twilight.
"“Rainbow, you really aren’t a clever pony, sometimes.” She said, ruffling Dash’s mane. “Did you seriously think the rest of us hadn’t figure this out already?”"
TWILIGHT, WHY SO AWESOME. A few of my best friends have come out to me, and it broke my heart seeing how nervous they were. It's inconceivable that anyone would treat a good friend differently after finding out that friend was gay.
Finally got around to reading it. While it didn't go quite in the direction that all the comments and discussion had initially led me to believe, I have to say it's hard to complain. If nothing else that was one of the more serious, plausibly written MLP fics that deals with the anxiety of sexual confusion and coming out. In terms of portraying the psychology of someone who's boxed in and wounded by the stereotypes that has been inflicted on her, the story certainly succeeds admirably.
ReplyDelete@Quotidian Torture
"The overall message is that stereotypes hurt everyone. Especially kids, who build their self-image around them."
Word.
And having very close friends who identify as queer (in more ways than one) I can actually identify with some of the anger in your afterword.
When a fic has a homosexual pairing that doesn't seem to have any negative social consequences, I don't think of it as the author avoiding the subject, I see it as the author casting Equestria as a place where such issues are completely and totally irrelevant to the population at large.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good thing IMO.
Now if a fic mention that homosexuality is a social issue in the world of the story and then nothing comes of it, then the author may be avoiding the subject.
thought it was great nice story progression and nice message
ReplyDeleteI love Dash-being-nervous-about-her-sexuality fics. I have since reading Thunder and Lightning, and this one nearly measures up to it.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the reasons that Rainbow Dash gets the focus of these stories so often is because she has blatant issues with insecurity and self-image, which are very fun to play with. Lesbian Twilight fics can play with that too for a lot of the same reasons.
I will say that this fic could have used a bit more interaction between Spitfire and Dash, which could have been accomplished (and the gala plothole fixed) pretty easily if Spitfire had only got to know Rainbow Dash after the competition, but decided to try moving on her after the Gala, especially if she saw her efforts to impress them as endearing.
Lets please not all get angry at each other for perceived assumptions, and just accept that while a given person may choose to view Dash a certain way, or write her a certain way in fanfic, doesn't mean that they necessarily feel that she MUST be that way because of external characteristics and stereotypes.
wow, this story is really powerful and moving.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that letter sounded like it came from twilight herself!
One more thing. Dash is a girl, so how does her having rainbow hair constitute being gay?
ReplyDeleteI mean, aren't girls supposed to like rainbows and stuff?
(please correct me if you think I'm wrong)
@Lightning Thorn
ReplyDeleteRainbows, and specifically a Rainbow Flag, is a popular symbol of gay pride.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_%28LGBT_movement%29
This seems exactly like this story.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/07/story-fire-and-rainbows.html
Except that story left on a cliffhanger and hasn't updated since D:
Hopefully this will.
Oh god please don't tell me I accidentally copied someone. That might actually kill me.
ReplyDeleteThis was a nice story, but it has a lot of missed potential. It's amazing until Dash starts talking to Twilight, and then the whole thing goes way to fast from there. I didn't really like how Twilight was just basically "lol, we know"; that didn't make much sense to me, nor did Dash's quickly subdued reaction. Twilight was saying almost the exact same thing as the bullies, just framed in a nicer way of putting it. Their conversation was over way to soon, and we didn't even get to see what happened between Dash and Spitfire. In short, the first 2/3rds of the story set up expectations that the last third didn't, and couldn't hope (due to length), to deliver.
ReplyDeleteIf you reworked and added onto Dash and Twi's conversation a little, and expanded this story with the actual FireDash (and maybe the reaction to it throughout Equestria), I could see it being one of the best shipping stories in the fandom.
@Supreme Commander of Brony Mountain
ReplyDelete...and I will strongly second that.
Personally, I'm straight, but I despise anyone who takes the piss on gays, and some people think that's me, whatever I say. Good subject to chose and well-conveyed.
I didn't feel like you were being pretentious in the story. The digs at Southern stereotypes and conservatives, I can live without, but unfortunately those exist for a reason.
ReplyDeleteANYWAYS...on to more important things. I quite liked the story. Sure, neither Soarin' nor Spitfire really talks like they did in Best Night Ever, but you can't base their entire characters around just a few lines of dialogue from an even where they were formally appearing as the Wonderbolts, so it didn't bother me at all. Now, I admit I chuckled a bit during Rainbow and Twilight's talk. I don't know if that was intended, but it came across as a very sweet moment all the same.
Oh, and bonus points for Dashfire. It's an underrepresented ship, for sure (as is its cousins RainbowSoarin and Soarinfire), and a nice change of pace from the usual Sparkledash and Appledash fics.
gay Caramel reference = automatic 1 star
ReplyDelete@Eclipse
ReplyDeleteMy heart. She bleeds.
2029: SERIES FINALE OF MLP
ReplyDeleteDash: I know there's been a lot of speculation as to my sexuality. Personally, I think it's kinda silly, but if you MUST know I'm----
*CREDITS ROLL*
Loved it. Just wish it didn't end so fast.
ReplyDelete@Quotidian Torture
ReplyDeleteWhy'd you go and make Caramel gay though?
@Eclipse: Because he could. There is already a Caramel/Big Macintosh fic on this site, so I don't see the problem with having it again here, if just in passing.
ReplyDelete@starcat5
ReplyDeleteExactly.
@b4nd1tAww man i'd rage so hard
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@Quotidian Torture
ReplyDeleteWell, this comment was very helpful to me. A lot more than the ones after the story; Those sounded a bit like telling poeple to shut up because you don't like their opinion.
That's probably not what you wanted to say, but that's how it sounded to me.
For the record, I don't hate casting Rainbow as lesbian; I do understand why some folks have problems with that. Look at the controversy surrounding the last US supreme justice candidate: There was a picture of her playing softball, so some (idiots) began speculating about her sexual orientation. Stereotypes are like that; Often hurtful, often stupid. You said so yourself. Dismissing other people's worries about them the way you did in the story though... I'm not sure that's the best approach.
@Nickel Gunner
ReplyDeleteYeah, thanks. I am sorry if it sounded like I was telling people to shut up for not agreeing with me. I just tend to get a little oversensitive when it comes to the social acceptance of non-heterosexuality. (I live in Texas, if that explains anything.)
I totally understand someone not wanting Dash cast as a lesbian because she fits into certain stereotypes. What pisses me off is when people don't like it because 'eww gay gross'. That makes me want to start giving out fists, free of charge.
Oh, and thanks for all the ratings, everybody! 100+ and it's still at 4.6? Talk about a self esteem boost.
I can't help laugh every time someone tries to debate these characters' sexualities.
ReplyDeleteDash is not gay, straight or bi. She's all of them.
Each depiction of a character is a self contained universe that operates on a one way street with the show. AKA derivative fiction.
Anyway, this story was great.
Stereotypes... Celestia, do I hate 'em!
ReplyDeleteWell, it was a great story, but if felt short. There was a lot of room for development but well... It was a great story nonetheless.
5 stars from me!
>What pisses me off is when people don't like it because 'eww gay gross'. That makes me want to start giving out fists, free of charge.
And that just won you the Kickflank Author award!
Excellent, well written, fantastic!
ReplyDeleteNOH8 all the way!
Absolutely loved this story! Very well written, and exactly how I would see Rainbow handling something like this!
ReplyDeleteThank you soo much for sharing this!! ^.^