First drawing for my MLP art collection! Starting off with Dashie!
As a kid, I was never really interested in Dash. I think I had a "connection moment" with every member of the mane six except for her. I wasn't a particularly sporty or tomboyish kid, and I found her cocky personality a little off-putting. That said, she was undoubtedly the icon of the early brony fandom. She was everywhere. I specifically remember those neon-on-black desktop wallpapers, that one very specific fanmade RD energy drink, that iconic nightcore version of "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" (to this day, only the low-quality nightcore version of that song makes me nostalgic), and, of course, the god-awful "20% cooler" joke. In my opinion, she was even more of a mascot for the fandom than Twilight herself.
Despite all that, she never really clicked with me, and honestly, she still doesn't. I actually find myself enjoying various fandom interpretations of Rainbow Dash far more than her original characterization.
For example, I absolutely love Dawn Somewhere's "Rainbow Dash Presents" version of her. She's a bit gormless in an incredibly endearing way. She means well, she's sweet, she's funny, and the voice acting gives her such a unique charm. As a kid, I watched Dawn's parody of the "My Little Dashie" fanfiction. Funny enough, I absolutely hated the original story, even back then. Even as a little kid, I could tell it was ridiculously melodramatic and existed solely to be the "sad fanfiction" everyone cried over. The parody, though - I had the weirdest connection to it. I still watch it every now and then, and I still think it's brilliant. It's clever, genuinely funny, and surprisingly subtle. I adore Dawn's habit of casting female voice actors as male characters (and vice versa), turning all the human characters into monkeys, and drawing everything in that ridiculously adorable, cartoony art style. The whole series has so much personality.
What really fascinated me as a ten year old was its reinterpretation of Rainbow Dash being teleported into the human world as a baby, then spending her entire life hidden away inside a house, never allowed to go outside. For whatever reason, that premise absolutely scratched something in my brain. I'd roleplay in my room pretending I was that baby RD, trying to come up with ways I'd keep myself entertained if I were trapped inside a house for the rest of my life. I know that sounds completely unrelated and maybe a little insane - but that's just how my imaginative little kid brain worked. I'd latch onto the strangest, most specific ideas and become completely obsessed with them. I even made an entirely new MLP OC based on that concept.
Another fandom interpretation I love is Rainbow Dash from Vylet Pony's album "Colourless". She's pathetically in love, flustered, angry, and absolutely drowning in angst. She wants so badly to be cool and nonchalant that she can't bring herself to admit how she feels, and there's something incredibly cute about seeing this tough, confident tomboy reduced to an awkward, romance-ridden mess. It's a surprisingly vulnerable take on her character, and I think it's really sweet.
That's about the only connection I've ever had with Rainbow Dash. I was never interested in buying toys of her as a kid - I always preferred the other ponies. I do have to admit, though, that she's incredibly fun to draw. I mean... I love rainbows (clearly), and they work so well with her sky-blue colour palette. It's a genuinely fantastic character design, and she really is adorable.
