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| A relationship that deserves to be explored. Another Side by CaineScroll |
An in-depth look at Daring Do, the mare of adventure, the hero of a seemingly simple storybook, crafted out of the ingenious mind of an unknown pony author. The profound elements of her design are often over looked by viewers. Her badassery is clearly evident, but I thought it necessary to compile that into an editorial post anyway.
Head on past the break to read about how this pony's adventures, personality, and even her design contribute to the rich storytelling of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
You remember her from Read it and Weep, right? You don't? For shame... give this text a click to refresh your memory.
Welcome back. Now let's get started...
There seems to be a dark and sinister plot brewing against Daring Do. Many have claimed she is a product of a lazy artist on the show, keen on recoloring Rainbow Dash to cut down production costs and to make deadlines for the show. The absurdity of this remark is soon to be revealed. Prepare yourself, Twilight wasn't, and look at what happened to her... wait, we don't know what happened... Err, moving along...
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| Daring Do - A Much Better Daring Do Vector by exudesaffluence Rainbow Dash - Rainbow Dash - Vector by RegolithX |
The image on the right shows a majority of the design similarities between Rainbow Dash and Daring Do. Same eyes, same race, same mane and tail; it's all there. You might think your claims have all but been confirmed at this point, right? Well, let me explain. Rainbow Dash is reading a novel, and when we soak in our favorite bedtime story, our imagination runs wild with our own perspective on the visuals and spectacle of that world. It's a hard concept for a viewer of the show to grasp, as the illustrations are explicitly presented to them, but the concept is there nonetheless. So what do all these visual similarities and pony mind analyses conclude to? Daring Do is a piece of Rainbow Dash's character.
Let's take a step back for a second and analyze some nomenclature, oh how exciting that sounds. Turns out, Daring Do's name has a bit of a hidden meaning. And when I say "bit of", I mean extremely essential to breaking her character down. A "Derring-Do" is a seemingly noble deed that pokes fun at false heroics. Sound familiar? In her own universe, Daring Do is a tried and true adventurer that defies the impossible, evident by her shattered wing (which I'll expand on later). Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash is locked away by her similar injuries. Daring's presence in a seemingly adjacent world serves as a constant reminder of Rainbow Dash's inability to be the hero or even simply be free. Indiana Jones pony's genuine heroics poke at Rainbow Dash throughout her hospital stay, especially since much of Daring Do herself is a part of Rainbow's persona and appearance. Her elevated, role model-like status combined with Rainbow's personal envisionment of Daring solidify the idea that she exists within Rainbow's self-conscious as both a figurehead and a pony to strive to be.
Does she look upset at being a cripple? Eeeenope.
MLP FIM - Daring Do by Joakaha
Another aspect of the Pegasus pair is their broken wings. Yeah, I thought there were enough "Rainbow breaks her wing" fics out there already too. In any case, both Daring and Dash have 'em. Twilight, I must say you picked a right good entry in the series for Rainbow. The broken wing on Daring shows how an adventurer, a brave pony, or dare I say, a hero, can overcome impossible odds. A Pegasus without her wings? How could she be brave enough to continue her quests? These thoughts would swarm Rainbow like a plague, sitting in the back of her mind considering how much she depends on the functionality of her wings. The two Pegasus are put on equal planes to emphasize the strength of will a pony can possess, and how much that idea effects Rainbow Dash. I hope it's clear by now that Daring Do's character doesn't exist in a vacuum. She serves as the idea of heroics, the idea of ambition for Rainbow. When Dash is brought down from her perch of greatness she gets to see a part of her that she didn't know was there: potential. And only Daring Do, a character so intimately relatable to her, could've brought that aspect of her life into consideration.
I love Daring Do. Love. But not just because she can jump over lava without a problem or trigger a huge metal lever with her hat. No, Daring Do serves as a symbol for Rainbow Dash, a figurehead. And even beyond that, Daring Do is in part, Rainbow's own creation. A manifestation of her own defeat that gives way to a tower of possibilities, even when obstacles are seemingly impassable. While my rant about Daring and her connection to Rainbow Dash seems pretty far removed from the episode itself at this point, I'm just going to end it here. Daring Do is an essential entry of the My Little Pony world, and frankly can be deeper than a majority of other characters. I'd say that's a pretty decent alternate to a lazy recolor.
Not sure if about to hug or tackle me...
Daring Do and the Last Crusade by jiayi
Authored by: Trigonometrize
Edited by: Rarity
(Bumped by Robotob123)
The image on the right shows a majority of the design similarities between Rainbow Dash and Daring Do. Same eyes, same race, same mane and tail; it's all there. You might think your claims have all but been confirmed at this point, right? Well, let me explain. Rainbow Dash is reading a novel, and when we soak in our favorite bedtime story, our imagination runs wild with our own perspective on the visuals and spectacle of that world. It's a hard concept for a viewer of the show to grasp, as the illustrations are explicitly presented to them, but the concept is there nonetheless. So what do all these visual similarities and pony mind analyses conclude to? Daring Do is a piece of Rainbow Dash's character.
Let's take a step back for a second and analyze some nomenclature, oh how exciting that sounds. Turns out, Daring Do's name has a bit of a hidden meaning. And when I say "bit of", I mean extremely essential to breaking her character down. A "Derring-Do" is a seemingly noble deed that pokes fun at false heroics. Sound familiar? In her own universe, Daring Do is a tried and true adventurer that defies the impossible, evident by her shattered wing (which I'll expand on later). Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash is locked away by her similar injuries. Daring's presence in a seemingly adjacent world serves as a constant reminder of Rainbow Dash's inability to be the hero or even simply be free. Indiana Jones pony's genuine heroics poke at Rainbow Dash throughout her hospital stay, especially since much of Daring Do herself is a part of Rainbow's persona and appearance. Her elevated, role model-like status combined with Rainbow's personal envisionment of Daring solidify the idea that she exists within Rainbow's self-conscious as both a figurehead and a pony to strive to be.
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| Does she look upset at being a cripple? Eeeenope. MLP FIM - Daring Do by Joakaha |
Another aspect of the Pegasus pair is their broken wings. Yeah, I thought there were enough "Rainbow breaks her wing" fics out there already too. In any case, both Daring and Dash have 'em. Twilight, I must say you picked a right good entry in the series for Rainbow. The broken wing on Daring shows how an adventurer, a brave pony, or dare I say, a hero, can overcome impossible odds. A Pegasus without her wings? How could she be brave enough to continue her quests? These thoughts would swarm Rainbow like a plague, sitting in the back of her mind considering how much she depends on the functionality of her wings. The two Pegasus are put on equal planes to emphasize the strength of will a pony can possess, and how much that idea effects Rainbow Dash. I hope it's clear by now that Daring Do's character doesn't exist in a vacuum. She serves as the idea of heroics, the idea of ambition for Rainbow. When Dash is brought down from her perch of greatness she gets to see a part of her that she didn't know was there: potential. And only Daring Do, a character so intimately relatable to her, could've brought that aspect of her life into consideration.
I love Daring Do. Love. But not just because she can jump over lava without a problem or trigger a huge metal lever with her hat. No, Daring Do serves as a symbol for Rainbow Dash, a figurehead. And even beyond that, Daring Do is in part, Rainbow's own creation. A manifestation of her own defeat that gives way to a tower of possibilities, even when obstacles are seemingly impassable. While my rant about Daring and her connection to Rainbow Dash seems pretty far removed from the episode itself at this point, I'm just going to end it here. Daring Do is an essential entry of the My Little Pony world, and frankly can be deeper than a majority of other characters. I'd say that's a pretty decent alternate to a lazy recolor.
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| Not sure if about to hug or tackle me... Daring Do and the Last Crusade by jiayi |
