wishing these ships a massive "fuck you for altering my brain chemistry" /aff
dynamic is literally: secretly insecure creature (James, Soarin, Discord) x ''Im basically your cheerleader and you can't stop me'' creature (Edward, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy)
this was just supposed to be a silly post but i got carried away- i wrote some analysis on these particular stories so keep an eye for that HAHA-
originally under this post but im separating them for convenience xd
"You're the heart of the Wonderbolts, and we would not be a team without you." - REALLY wished there were moments that displayed this behavior (and expanded on the Wonderbolts since that's what RD seemed to have going on for herself for half of the series). Only time i can think of was in Newbie Dash, when he comforts her about the nickname situation after the stunt she pulled. (not my favorite episode but i'll take what i can get xd)
But when you compare him to Spitfire, Soarin having this trait makes sense, and this phrase sounds like something genuine from RD.
throughout the entire issue (Friends Forever Issue #36, my beloved), RD isn't fangirling over the Wonderbolts like she did in Newbie Dash. she's got a great casual relationship with them from the looks of things.
"Spitfire? I mean, yes' ma'am!" - She immediately called Spitfire by her name instead of addressing her as "ma'am" like usual before fixing up her mistake. There has definitely been some development between RD and the Wonderbolts since Newbie Dash.
On the same page, Spitfire establishes that Soarin has respect for RD. That he's more likely to listen to her than to Spitfire.
"Soarin respects you. He'll listen to you."
It's definitely just my biased getting in the way but something about the way these two interact clicks to me as "potential romance." Not "current romantic interest" (hardcore "please don't actually make it canon/refuses to think its part of the main series" believer here. to me, ships are better when NOT canon, hehe xd), but a potential future romantic interest. so little interactions between these two but there's always something to offer, something to expand on.
ANYWAYS
once RD finally finds Soarin, he says this
"Crash? Make that beat up... and embarrassed." - Embarrassed? as in because you're the Second in Command? or is because it happened in front of someone that your Captain claims that you respect?
and its from this point that Soarin's stubbornness kicks in. He refuses to listen, the complete opposite of what Spitfire claimed. He's so persistent in proving his worth of being a Wonderbolt but my question is, How is it meant to prove his worth of being a Wonderbolt? Did he really think twice about it? I think not.
And this is where RD comes in. After a good while of being with his own thoughts (who knows what the hell he was thinking during those deliveries. can't be anything good though), someone interferes with them and gets to the bottom of it.
"No, he's not sure!" - Rainbow Dash EXPLICITLY says that he isn't sure, and its not just about this particular delivery. it expands to the whole situation. this is the second time she tries to stop him but seeing how stubborn he's being, she decides to join him instead.
but JUST to check, she asks him again. he's response?
I find this part of their dynamic interesting. I know that they're outside of their workplace but I haven't seen RD address Soarin as his position, like she would automatically do with Spitfire. Could this be because they have a closer relationship? Or is this an indicator about Soarin's personality, establishing that he's "the heart of the Wonderbolts."
and that's the thing. what exactly did RD mean by that? Comparing him to the other Wonderbolts, Soarin's the most openly compassionate of them all. With what little voice lines we get of him, Soarin has displayed this trait a few times, particularely in "Rarity Investigates!"
As Second in Command and what we've gotten from Spitfire as a Captain, you'd think Soarin would've taken further or stricter action in Rarity Investigates. But no, he didn't.
Instead, he gave RD the chance to prove herself innocent whereas the others would've downright kicked her out. They were pretty insistent with their accusations whereas Soarin just kept questioning her. He was more focused on getting an answer, not punishing RD because doing so wouldn't have resolved the issue. he's more think first than act first.
and to me, that's what i think RD means. Soarin is that part of the Wonderbolts that is desperately needed. they need someone who's more willingly understanding, and RD was the one to recognize that BECAUSE she was shown this. she TELLS him this which she didn't need to do.
RD could've just approached this the aggressive way. Force Soarin to come back down but she doesn't do that. She gives him space to talk about how he's feeling and what he feels like every now and then.
SIDE NOTE: I find it interesting that RD hides that she was pretty insecure when she was younger. She just goes with Soarin's statement that she was naturally gifted as if being a decent flyer was never a problem for her. She doesn't give context that could take the spotlight away from him any longer than she should. Soarin later finds out in a later issue where Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof point out that RD had stage fright at a very young age. He doesn't get upset about it. He basically goes "Well, I wasn't!" to which RD didn't find amusing. ("Not cool, Soarin!")
it can easily be brushed off as "He's a Wonderbolt. Ofc, RD would do such a thing. She doesn't want to look bad and potentially be kicked out," but I think not. The vibes, the dialogue, and the interactions say otherwise. She's talking to him as a friend, not as a colleague.
HELL, she went out of her way to mail Spitfire with an update about the situation. From what they say, it sounds like Rainbow was the one to tell Spitfire to come over. REMEMBER, at the beginning, Spitfire states that she doesn't think its a good idea for her to confront him BECAUSE she's part of the problem.
No one's ASKED Rainbow Dash to do this but she does it anyways. She went through with it because she knew that Soarin needed to hear it from Spitfire. To see Spitfire show that she did care.
from this point onward, this is my HC. again, feel free to ignore
THIS is what starts the ball rolling from Soarin's side. this is what got him to pin after Rainbow Dash. She gave him the space he needed to express his struggles with imposter syndrome and his self-confidence. He was able to open up for once because this was someone he's respected. Yet this person he respected treated him like a friend. She didn't treat him like an idol or Second in Command.
And that's what got to him.
In my HC, post-Newbie Dash, they establish that they're friends. And this he tends to forget because again, this is someone he respect, but also because of their roles. I have this whole HC for how the WBs ranks works but basically, RD is in a low entry rank. not the lowest one but still pretty low, while Soarin is in the higest rank.
Which gives him reason to question if he should be pursuing RD. While dating another WB isn't forbidden, it is heavily discouraged.
another point is their age gap. Soarin is 5yrs older than her in my HC. They're 28 and 23 respectively. He thinks that those ages shouldn't be together. that life experiences between both were very different to one another.
other reasons are being thrown in his face. Seeing how RD's interaction with Zephyr Breeze went down was a big pointer as RD expressed how uncomfortable the experience was. From there, he chose to not to pursue her for the time being.
Twilight's ascension was also another reason, as in how RD was taking in the new changes, which wasn't too well. RD has a hardest time with it, compared to the other girls. She was lonely again, and it hitting much harder this time than before she met Twilight. She needed time to process these changes. The timing just wasn't right for Soarin to try and pursue a relationship with her. Instead, he supports her. HE provides a space of comfort for her, just like she did all those years ago.
there's ANOTHER big reason but its very spoilerly to my ClipperCrash storyline XD so that's all you get from me <3
that's my two cents on them. the absolute worst. fuck them /aff
