Do you think shipping is as big now in the fandom as it used to be?

[Cybersai]

Due to certain observations, for those of you who have been in the Pokemon fandom a long time (about 3 years or more, I suppose), do you think the fandom's interest in shipping has increased, decreased, or stayed the same since the early days of the anime?

Does shipping seem as important to this fandom as it used to be, or has it waned? Or on the opposite, due to the increase of new characters every gen, has shipping excitement in the fandom increased to phenomenal levels?

 

[Kasumi]

I think it has decreased over the years. At least, that's what it looks to me. Shipping had its peak back in the days of the Poke vs Pallet debates, imo.

 

[Candice]

It depends on what kind of interest you are talking about. Fanarts, Fanfics AMVs and fan-works in general are still a big deal for the shippers out in the internet. But in the forums, I'm afraid we don't have much to discuss about shipping at the present time.

 

[Cybersai]

^ Yeah, I think its because the D/P series hasn't really had much shipping in it at the moment. The most we have to talk about is Pikachu/Buneary, but everything else (like all the Dawn ships), are just mostly talked about using fanart rather than anything from the show.

Rocketshipping never gets hints anymore it seems, Contestshipping is off-screen for the time being, and all of Dawn's ships are rather iffy at the moment.

Maybe Brock's tag battle partner will return so we can discuss that. Not to mention with Gary making a semi-comeback into the anime it would be interesting to see those debates start back up.

 

[Melody93]

Wow read my mind.

Kanto- Very shippy for all ships
Orange- important side characters disappear for a while yet this was a pokeshippy season
Jotho- Side characters started to come back Pokeshippy sorta seem to die down till the end
Hoenn-Palletshipping went dead for this season until BF but new characters brought new shippings
BF- continue of May ships with that random anabel ship.
DP/sinnoh- New ships but for some reason not many hints for all of them.

I don't know if they realize shipping isn't important for the fandom anymore and maybe I they think pokemonxpokemon ships should be more focused on hence pikachuxbuneary. But I wonder what the next generation ships will be. I think they want to keep the same amount of shippyness through the season but with ships leaving the show it hard espeaically for pearlshipping knowing Dawn will probably leave Ash so maybe that's why that ship has few hints.

 

[phantomness]

Hmm. I'd just say that to me, it seems that the shipping level has been pretty consistent. *shrug*

 

[Habunake]

I think it has decreased over the years. At least, that's what it looks to me. Shipping had its peak back in the days of the Poke vs Pallet debates, imo.

Why did those debates even exist? Did people just want reasons to argue?

^ Yeah, I think its because the D/P series hasn't really had much shipping in it at the moment

Is this good or bad?

 

[Cybersai]

Why did those debates even exist? Did people just want reasons to argue?

Well Misty was the only main girl at the time...and there were people insisting that Ash was gay.

Its not like they had anything else to discuss back in the old Kanto-Johto era, there were no other major females to pair Ash up with at the time.

Is this good or bad?

Depends if you like shipping.

 

[Habunake]

My point is Pokeshipping totally blows Palletshipping out of the water.

Seriously, Palletshipping was probably started by some tween girls who thought making Ash x Gary was some act of Gay Advocacy.

 

[Cybersai]

I suppose someone who was around at that time could answer that (I didn't get into the Pokemon fandom until about 2002...when AG started...so I have no idea what was discussed shipping wise before that), and I even think Archaic said he archived some of those debates although I have no idea.

I think the idea behind it was that Ash didn't return Misty's affection because people believed he was gay. There are Palletshippers here right now who have the same beliefs.

 

[pixies and fairies]

Eh, I don't think Ash is necessarily 'gay', so to speak.

I dunno if you can really label someone over only a few people. I mean, if Ash violently rejected every single girl that went after him, and showed absolutely no interest in girls...

But, right now, Ash is trying to be the Pokemon Master. So, he's not paying attention to that aspect of his life right now. Realistically, he could realize who he loves at anytime, but it prolly won't happen on the show, because then there would be utter fan shitstorms and stuff.

I dunno, I just....can't see Ash with Misty/May/Dawn. Or really anyone except for Gary...which is odd, because I used to be able to see him with Misty. But, proof-wise? There really isn't much proof for Gary, but, when you consider that he's appeared in only a small, small amount of episodes, especially when compared to Misty....hmm.

Yet, at this point, there's really only, so far in DP, one episode that would even have anything that could possibly hint at Pokeshipping, and that's kinda a long shot, too...and then a Hunter J episode that was...kinda rushed, so there wasn't that much time for any sort of shippy hint.

As far as being canon, I don't really care, because that'll most likely never happen. But, when you look at the hints, it's not like Palletshipping is completely baseless, which I don't really think that Pokeshippers choose to think.

Some of the hints are....iffy, even I have to admit. Like, some people think Gary's gay because he wore a pink Hawaiian shirt in one episode. (which is stupid, really). But, the two evidently are at least good friends, just judging by the way they act. They haven't forgotten each other, even after not talking through the whole AG saga. And, Gary, moreso than in the past, seems like he's looking out for Ash.

But we all have our opinions, and I'm sure mine are probably pretty airheaded and baseless themselves, but whatever.

 

[A Concerned Solomon]

There's no telling preferences either way...but seriously, trying to prove something based on a Hawaiian shirt is a huge stretch.

 

[Habunake]

Scott wears a Hawaiin shirt. ALL THE TIME!

Scott therefore is the catalyst of every ship.

 

[Whiscash]

Well, I haven't been in the fandom very long at all...but I've read a lot of the past debates (Poké/Pallet from Kanto, and Poké/Orange and Advance/Contest from AG) and it seems to me that those debates were a lot fiercer...There haven't been many ships to debate in DP and a lot of the characters from the formerly major ships are offscreen now. So I don't know about interest in shipping as a whole, but the debates certainly seem to have changed, from what I can see.

I think the idea behind it was that Ash didn't return Misty's affection because people believed he was gay. There are Palletshippers here right now who have the same beliefs.

I thought it was strange that people were actually trying to find *evidence* for Ash being gay to validate Palletshipping...I mean, there are still plenty of Ash yaoi ships around today and no one seems to care about labelling him (or any of the other characters for that matter) any more. And also, there are an infinite amount of reasons Ash could have had for not returning Misty's (or...any of the girls who've crushed on him, really) affections besides being gay. =/

And the Hawaiian shirt thing, although funny...they can't *really* have counted that as a hint, surely?

 

[pixies and fairies]

And the Hawaiian shirt thing, although funny...they can't *really* have counted that as a hint, surely?

Most didn't, even though they had it as a "GARYS TOTALLY GAY, LOOKIT THAT CAMPY SHIRT LOLOLOL" point on like....half of those palletshippy shrines I've seen.

I did run into one that seriously said that, though. x:

 

[AnimeDutchess]

My point is Pokeshipping totally blows Palletshipping out of the water.

Seriously, Palletshipping was probably started by some tween girls who thought making Ash x Gary was some act of Gay Advocacy.

*several slow eye-twitches* 'scuse me?

okay, you like Pokeshipping, that's cool, but to say one ship is better than another is rather cruel and almost...i dunno, asking for a chewing out, don't you think? no need to be elitist...

and i rather like the Hawaiian shirt thing, and i'll gladly use it as a hint. XD and i honestly don't care if you think i'm a stupid noob for saying it, because frankly, I am really new to the shipping scene.

but yeah, shipping's still popular. i think the popularity has shifted moreso to the newer ships to the older ones, however. besides...i'm still not sure why the old Poke v.s. Pallet debates were so fierce, but i wish i could read some; there must be a lot of debate techniques to be learned from them.

 

[Habunake]

okay, you like Pokeshipping, that's cool, but to say one ship is better than another is rather cruel and almost...i dunno, asking for a chewing out, don't you think? no need to be elitist...

No it isn't.

It's the damn truth.

 

[AnimeDutchess]

o rly? who says it's the truth?

 

[Kasumi]

Okay guys, let's not turn this into a "this ship is better than that" debate.

Also, I don't remember Habunake being a pokeshipper at all. Seriously. I think he's just stating the fact that Pokeshipping had all the hints back in Kanto and Orange, while Palletshipping never got ANY.

 

[AnimeDutchess]

i'm not saying anything like that! i'm just trying to say that no ship is better than another, whether evidence is involved or not, and a person shouldn't go around saying that their ship is best. it's mean-spirited and makes people not want to ship anymore.

Although, I do think there's evidence for Pallet in Kanto and the last episode of Orange, but that's beside the point. and i still want to know; who's actually stated that Poke is the ultimate ship, and are they some kinda official out in the real world or something?