AppleDash vs. FlutterDash: The Real Conflict

[BalanceBrony 259]

So, recently, I have been entering the world of Romance fanfics. I never thought I would enjoy that kind of thing, but I guess I really have a soft spot for sweet love stories. In fact, one fanfic I read, called "Unexpected Confessions," is now my favourite story of all time. I just felt the need to drop it a line. It's an excellent story, and you will have trouble dropping it to do other things. Now that my plug is over, let's move on.

 

~Introduction: A Conflict~

 

As I was on FIMfiction, browsing fanfics, I picked up on the traditional argument among shippers. AppleDash, or FlutterDash? What motivates this conflict? They are both adorable couples in their own right. So why do fans of these shippings come to heads so often, unable to enjoy the idea of their opposing ship?

 

~Dashie is the issue. Right?~

 

At face value, the answer may seem quite obvious. Obviously, these shippings come into conflict because both feature the same pony, Rainbow Dash. Right?

 

I would argue that no, is the answer. Rainbow Dash is the most shipped of all the ponies. This is a widely known fact. There just seems to be something about Dashie that makes her popular with fanfic writers. Chances are, if you can name a pony (Aside from the universal ships of LyraBon, Derpy Whooves, and Octav3) she has been paired with them, whether male or female. Yet, all of the other shipping groups don't come to grips with the fact that Dashie is in other shippings.

 

Why then is there such a conflict between AppleDash and FlutterDash? If all other Dashie ships accept every other ship, why do these two in particular argue so often? Obviously, the answer is deeper than simply Dashie.

 

~Wrong! It's deeper than Dashie.~

So, then, if the issue is not Dashie, than what is the problem? Well, to me, it is apparent that the problem lies in an ideological difference. The two shipping groups have different philosophies about love.

 

Fans of FlutterDash believe that opposites attract. They think that ideal relationships should have the ponies involved complement each other. Dashie's strength helps Flutters' weakness. Dashie's confidence is tempered by Flutters' humility. Dashie's impetuousness is held back by Flutters' calmness. Flutters' fear is lessened by Dashie's courage.  They think that FlutterDash is magical because their different strengths and weaknesses mean that, as one whole, they can handle any situation thrown at them by drawing on each other. No external conflict can penetrate their bastion of love.

 

Fans of AppleDash are of the mind that Applejack and Rainbow Dash, as very similar individuals, can be much stronger in the face of conflict. As two birds of a feather, AJ and RD know how the other ticks. They know what to expect from each other, and the fact that their strengths are the same means, when facing certain conflicts, they will have the strength of two ponies instead of one. They also have an incredible understanding of each other, able to read each other like a book, sidestepping almost all possibilities of misunderstanding. They know precisely how to comfort one another in rough times.

 

Now, these paragraphs show why the two schools of thought each have merit. But they also have their faults.

 

In the opposites attract relationship, the two ponies share all of their traits. Given their diversity of strengths, they can add to each others' weaknesses. But internal conflict can be a major issue, as their different natures make it difficult to understand each other, and therefore resolve their problems. It can also lead to misunderstanding when a pony simply doesn't get how their special somepony ticks. Within the relationship, they will be at odds with each other, and will not always be stable. This kind of relationship will be an emotional rollercoaster internally. It is strong when an external force threatens it, but does not have structural integrity in its own right.

 

Regarding the birds of a feather philosophy, the issue is that, while the similarity between ponies means that internally, they will have a stable relationship, rarely coming to odds, it also means that where they fall short, they fall really short. If an external conflict strikes which hits the pressure points of the relationship, it can crumble like a sand castle in the rain. Having the same spectrum of strengths and weaknesses means that they can only handle the same problems. If something comes around which attacks a weakness, they are unable to draw on each other, resulting in feelings of inadequacy, causing tension in the relationship, and a longing for that thing which is missing, or lacking.

 

~So, what does this mean?~

Both relationship types, as we have seen, have their strengths and weaknesses. AppleDash works nicely internally, but similar strengths mean the ponies have similar weaknesses. And when those weaknesses need strength, they have nopony to draw from. At best, the two deficient ponies can hope that they just barely have enough strength to at least be worth half a pony against their opponent. FlutterDash is an emotional rollercoaster, but complementary traits mean that they can draw on each others' strengths when one of them is deficient, forming an unmovable wall against external conflcit.

 

Where does that leave us? It leaves us with the knowledge that neither relationship is inherently functional or dysfunctional. But we also know that their is still plenty of ground to cover regarding where the relationship falls short. I would argue that, given what we've seen above, the ideal relationship will have the ponies not be polar opposites, nor birds of a feather.

 

For a relationship to work the best, there needs to be some shared traits and some different traits. A delicate Balance, which does its best to draw on the two relationship types. And indeed, the best fanfics I've read have focused on finding this middle ground between the two philosophies, where different ponies found out how to accept their differences, and similar ponies learned how to overcome their weaknesses. And I think this middle ground is where the relationships become as functional as possible, and approaching this middle grounds is what makes both pairings attractive for me. Harmony and Balance applies to all things, love included, and seeing ponies approach the golden realm of Harmony in their relationship makes for great reading, whoever you ship.

 

What do you guys think? Which relationship do you think would have its issues resolved easier? Do you think that they are about equal, or that one is superior? Have you noted characteristics about the two philosophies which I haven't covered? Who do you ship? And why? I look forward to reading your schtuff. And make sure to check out my other philosophical meanderings at http://balancebrony.tumblr.com.

 

I can't wait to read your responses everypony!

 

 

[Moonlight 7,279]

Out of the two ships, I would probably ship Flutterdash. Seeing as how Rainbow Dash acts a bit more delicate around Fluttershy than any other pony (as seen in "Hurricane Fluttershy"), they would get any arguments or fights fixed easily. While Applejack and Rainbow Dash are both fairly stubborn ponies who would probably need the opinion of a non-biased character (like Twilight, for example) in order to see who is in the right and who is in the wrong of the argument or fight. Plus, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash play off each other's strengths and weaknesses easily so they can overcome anything together.

 

[Scootalove 10,684]

Well, let's agree to disagree. I think that FlutterDash is a shipping that shows Rainbow Dash's sensitive side when she is with Fluttershy even when they do argue with each other. So, the conflict is not necessary really.

[BalanceBrony 259]

Well, let's agree to disagree. I think that FlutterDash is a shipping that shows Rainbow Dash's sensitive side when she is with Fluttershy even when they do argue with each other. So, the conflict is not necessary really.

I ship FlutterDash as well. Personally, I think you guys are right, because there is evidence that RD acts differently around Flutters. Even though they're different, they have the bonds of a long term friendship which means that they understand each other better than standard "opposites attract" ships. So, it wasn't the best example to use to represent the "opposites attract" school of thought.

 

This particular relationship seems to have already found a decent middle ground. But such is not the case with most ships from this school of thought. And, even if they overcame their differences, there was still an initial issue with their differences, and they still fight from time to time. While they do get over it quickly, there is still internal conflict, due to their differences. So, while it still works very nicely, we can't downplay the issues which still do come up.

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

I personally ship AppleDash because, I don't know I just love the dynamic between the two and how it's like an "I hate you but I frickin love you" type of thing. Don't get me wrong, FlutterDash is cute too, and probably the ship that makes most sense, considering Rainbow Dash and Flutters bring out the best in one another...Fluttershy brings out Dash's sensitive, caring side and Dash teaches Fluttershy to be stronger and get past her fears, and to stand up for herself. 

But, I'll always be an AppleDash fan. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Lucky Bolt

[Thrond 3,257]

Cool beans. 

When I first got into shipping, AppleDash was my ship of choice, and alongside SunsetSparkle* it's probably one of the ships I got the most invested in. At this point I've backed off from it a bit, since I prefer the mane six as friends, but a large part of what made me choose one relationship over another was just that I enjoyed Applejack and Rainbow Dash's dynamic a lot. My reasons for choosing weren't that deep, I just liked their playful, lighthearted rivalry with each other, and anything deeper just came from me reading a lot of AppleDash fanfiction. 

I'm also a bit weird in that, nowadays, I sort of prefer my shipfics to be less realistic and more idealized. I just think that kind of sweet, low-tension relationship is charming. So I don't think that much about how either of them would handle conflict, and more about how conflict would arise between them; to me, the instability of "opposites attract" ships just isn't what I'm looking for. 

With that said: FlutterDash is easily the least irritating "opposites attract" ship in this show, because I feel like the two of them pretty consistently accommodate each other, rather than bicker all the time like RariJack.** I think the latter would have demonstrated the difference in philosophies more, because I feel like RariJack and AppleDash are diametric opposites to each other.  FlutterDash, meanwhile? It's sweet and gentle, and there's plenty of moments in the show which make it seem sensible to me. 

Around season 5-6 I was starting to really get into RariDash, in part because they seemed more similar than you'd think, and in part because they seemed to get along better than you'd expect. But that was a ship which operated mostly despite their differences, so one bad episode in season 8 diminished my interest in it somewhat. It was basically a "birds of a feather" ship in disguise for me. FlutterDash isn't like that. Those two seem to understand each other and respect each other to enough of an extent that I don't think their personalities would clash too seriously. People are right to suggest that FlutterDash is already a nicely balanced ship. 

For whatever reason, I still prefer the "birds of a feather" ships, though.

* To this day, I still headcanon that Sunset has a crush on Princess Twilight. 

** I really don't get RariJack.

[TBD 17,228]

I don't mind of either of these ships, as long we're not talking about SoarinDash.  

[Conred 274]

AppleDash wins by default because Fluttershy in canonically involved with Discord

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

I think those both ships works on similarities and differences.

AppleDash's relationship focuses on their similar physical strength and love of competition, but they also have very huge differences and that is what sticks out even more. FlutterDash have similarities. They have the same background and shared history together.

I think AppleDash's primary value is parallel companionship, FlutterDash's biggest premise is their shared background and that they are childhood friends, covering each other's weaknesses.

I think AppleDash is the only popular MLP ship that focuses on similarities. But that's because their differences work. Rarity - Twilight - Fluttershy isn't the most polurar ships. Apple-Pie also. When it comes to fanfic, the primary concern is about how interesging it is. Two different characters are more fun than two similar characters. Two characters chemistry is as good as how good their differences are.

Unfortunate for this topic, I ship RariJack and PinkieDash.

Edited October 16, 2018 by Sepul-Coloratura

[Megas 27,064]

FlutterDash is better, I think AppleDash works best as a friendly rivalry rather than a ship, FlutterDash on the other hand has better chemistry and the two bounce off each other really well, definitely the best opposites attract pairing in the show imo

Discord needs to fuck off, ever since he appeared it feels like they've been pairing these two a lot less, and FS feels like Discord's exclusive buddy instead

[Midnight Solace 5,129]

Twidash is best ship.

[Thrond 3,257]

3 hours ago, This Whomps said:

FlutterDash on the other hand has better chemistry and the two bounce off each other really well, definitely the best opposites attract pairing in the show imo

I mean they don't bicker constantly whenever they're on screen together, so that already puts them way ahead other "opposites attract" pairings. 

4 hours ago, This Whomps said:

 Discord needs to fuck off, ever since he appeared it feels like they've been pairing these two a lot less, and FS feels like Discord's exclusive buddy instead

I feel that, in general, the show doesn't seem to experiment with character pairings as much as it used to. I'd like to see Fluttershy interact with, say, Twilight or Rarity more often.