general media What makes you Ship Characters?

[Gaines 1,110]

And you know exactly what I mean, nothing about boats or trains or containers 
Some people love shipping, and others don't really see the need to ship. Either way, what does make you ship characters or find them to be cute together? 

[flutterJackdash 218]

I dunno, I see two characters that appear to be compatible, and thinking about how happy they would likely be with each other and in what way they complete each other, and I get romantic about it.

For instance, my favorite ship is FlutterJack, and that is because Fluttershy's gentle nature is such a nice fit for the usually blunt and rough'n'tumble Applejack. It's like in the moments where Applejack is being too harsh, or too honest, Fluttershy might balance that out and this gives Fluttershy a rather firm shoulder to lean on, though she isn't weak by any means, but, there's so much about the potential dynamic there and how they would meet each other's needs and wants.

But, by the same token, I can see how Dash and Applejack make a good match as well. They're competitive, they keep each other driven to do better and be better, so this would serve Dash well in her career as a Wonderbolt, and it keeps Applejack in great shape for her life as a farmer, and then they can be supportive of each other. While I have trouble picturing the two of them having a romantic time, or being vulnerable with each other very easily, I do think it would get there and I appreciate how that might work and how worth it it might feel to the both of them for having gone through the effort to get there.

There's a lot of thought that goes into it, but mostly it's just that I enjoy thinking of the chemistry between characters and why they might make a good fit.

[Props Valroa 26,043]

It just gives me a sense of comfort to think of certain characters bonding together. I don't know why, it just does.

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

I can tell you the reason I do not ship characters. And that is this disproportionate fear within myself, which creates these extremes polarities. I go from loving too much, to becoming apathetic. From the child to the beast. And this creates an obsession with spoiling things. A part of you wants to see life tainted, so you don't have to fear the "inevitable" anymore. In other words. You learn to love "corruption".

You learn to love betrayal, abuse, and more darker things. And you start deriving pleasure from them. The fear becomes like a very potent drug.

And this is exactly why I cannot keep afloat. I continue to sink. Because I cannot "ship". I cannot even ship myself in real life. Because of this narcissistic obsession with breaking bad, which source is still unknown to me. I was the sweetest, most innocent child there ever was, yet there was always this very dark inclination since I was born. Like with hurting animals. It came naturally. I was born this way.

You have these "special needs". And eventually grow a taste for things that have not been changed by fear. Such as innocence. Because as we become adults, we learn to develop coping mechanisms and behaviours that diminished our most honest reactions. So, imagine this beautiful white canvas, and you press yourself against it, you make it yours, until there is nothing left but blackness. So sweet.

So, why do I build these monologuing walls? Because I want to get to you. To bite you so can taste my sweet poison. But at the same time. I don't want to harm people. Hence, I create walls around me. Like labyrinths for my mind. Because I truly love life, yet I want to hurt it until it feels good. But I know it is wrong. So, I am paralized. Like two arrows going in opposite directions. Because otherwise, I would have to become a predator. Thefore, I bite myself. I isolate and eventually self-destruct, because all my behaviours are precisely that. If there is no one I can abuse. Then I will start abusing myself.

It is weird, I know. But that is the reason I do not ship. Also, because seeing relatively functional people together hurts me like hell.

[Splashee 28,537]

I did not start watching MLP to make couples. Never got used to the term "shipping".

[Misty Shadow 7,084]

Nothing, I don't care for ships. I like maybe one or two that seem supported by actual evidence from the show, but the "shipping world" is just something I've never gotten into. 

[SharpWit 2,472]

Because shipping can be done anywhere in the country for a low flat rate! Haha!

I don't really ship characters though, the closest is when a unique bonding moment is expressed in the story, like heart to heart. Half the time this is just an expression of how far a relationship has grown and doesn't directly imply romance right off the bat, but it opens a window for things to go in that direction. If that occurs, then I nod my head amd think to myself, oh that could be something, and that's it.

The only example that comes to mind right now and is relevant to the spooky season, is in the Cartoon Network original mini series "Over The Garden Wall", I thought that Wurt and Beatrice were going to end up together when she returned to her human state, after they began to establish a bitbof an emotional reliance on one another, and shared many interactions I would regard as having been cute. That was all thrown out the window towards the end when they showed us the events that lead up to these characters encountering one another, and the establishment of Wurt's longing for Sarah.

[J.J 918]

I don't go out of my way to "ship" characters but sometimes there is an inevitable chemistry that two characters share that can not be mimicked by other character dynamics within a show, they just have a better connection, they have stronger bonds, like I have on my profile, Starlight and Trixie are like a default ship, but sometimes there are other character dynamics like, can you Canon that two ponies or two characters from any world for that matter would arguably just inherently be better friends with each other than other ponies? Like romantically Starlight and Trixie make sense to me in a way, but that's not to take anything away from their friendship, people need to remember that in any real or healthy relationship you have to be friends with your partner... It's just Starlight and Twilight have a very special connection as well that is on a different level of understanding, I mean if it's just "cute personality contrast" and ponies sharing sentimental moments we could literally ship Luna and Celestia, it's like that episode of Gumball, "The Shippening" sometimes shipping gets ridiculous and crazy, like you just know somebody ships Discord and Spike bc they have a game night and hang out sometimes and that is insanity, look what happened with Star Vs the Forces of Evil, sometimes shit gets out of hand, but I'm so glad that ended how it ended... And now with the prominence of the online presence of "Owl House Fandom" everything is gay, bi, trans, gender fluid, non binary, they kidnapped Amphibia fandom half way along and we're just like, nope, we're doing this it's like wtfff next thing you know there's a picture of Anne's mom with Hop Pop somewhere and you are vomiting in your mouth nah not all ridiculous ships are gay, but people try really really really hard for gay ships, and I'm totally cool with it when it's suggested by the source material and there is chemistry, like Amity is everything and I do support Lumity completely, but just that fandom can see any two individuals of the same sex being friendly with one another and all of a sudden there is a gay ship, in so glad they decided to keep Hunter straight and not gay him out with Gus, that probably would have been it for me, but I think Gus has some type of ridiculous sexual proclivity I dont know ppl say he's gay, bi, pan, idgaf, sometimes it's just like bro, even some actual gay and bisexual people gotta be like, "dude, there isn't this many gay people. Lol" but I'm getting off topic 

I support ships, I even think with MLP: ANG I can even kind of feel the Sunny x Izzy vibes, but very close connections don't always mean we want to be romantically involved, it's just cute sometimes, but AGAIN, I say "sometimes", go watch "The Shippening" episode of Gumball if you don't know what I mean about all this, and you will instantly

[Treeglow Flicker 13,027]

I've just always found shipping entertaining and something fun to play with. I tend to lean towards a lot of romance genre related stuffin general, so my interest in it also ties in with that. There's a creative exercise I used to do where I would take two random characters and then challenge myself to write a scenario where it leads to romance between the two of them. Or maybe even just a strong friendship if they are naturally complete opposites that hate eachother. That's pretty much it to be honest.

[Venomous 18,813]

Letme  tell you what doesn’t make me ship:

Those characters interacting once in a completely normal manner (greeting each other, giving a high five, etc.) I absolutely cannot stand when people ship characters based on something so trivial with no romantic vibe whatsoever.

“He told her to have a good day. That must mean they are meant for each other. I ship it!”

It’s one thing to match characters because you just like the idea of them together but it’s a whole other thing to match them after seeing them associate with one another in totally innocent situation with no indication of romance.

I remember when some bronies/pegasisters paired Sunny Starscout and Hitch Trailblazer simply because the two were playfully shoving each other in a promotional clip. Not only that, but some confidently insisted that the two were going to be in a relationship in the series. It infuriated me.

Don’t even ask me why I get so worked up over this.

Edited October 19, 2022 by The Wife of Douma

[Figgy 40]

I don't ship at all personally, I get sick of watching fights over that crap.

Get enough the best pony arguments it's quite sad.

That being said I do like a ship Fanfiction, if it's a cute story that's all that matters, same policy on shipping art.

[Splashee 28,537]

I only shipped Sunny and Hitch because it was fun to mess with people.

[Shadowmoth2011 146]

Most of my ships are canon, lol.

But my OTP is Jen/Caitlin from 6teen - simply because I get the feeling they are at their happiest when they are together. They go through a lot of pain throughout the show but at the end of the day, being together shows them at some of their absolute best. In Caitlin's endless pursuit of love, I can think of no better person for her than her own best friend. 

...Of course many of my other non-canon ships are crack-tacular. I'm looking at you, Crash Bandicoot. 

[TBD 17,228]

If they have a good duo dynamic otherwise I don’t ship.

[Clawdeen 12,110]

If I think they’d be cute together based off of interactions. Mine are typically ships where at least one character has already shown interest with the other. 

[Megas 27,064]

1) Do I like their interactions?

2) Do I think they look cute together?

Fans can get annoying with shipping, but the only thing that can kill a ship for me is when the writers decide to play shipper themselves(of course not going for an obviously going with a pairing they were always planning, I'm talking they actually ship themselves)

Edited October 31, 2022 by Megas

[Dreambiscuit 8,024]

I don’t make a point of shipping characters. But sometimes, when two characters have such a strong chemistry with each other that I just want to see them happy together, I sort of ship them. For example, Marble Pie and Big Mac have lovely chemistry, and they should have ended up together. I would have enjoyed their happiness vicariously. But instead Big Mac got the one-dimensional Sugar Belle, who has no chemistry with him whatsoever, and I vicariously feel the injustice of it. Sugar Belle is the product of writers who didn’t care and didn’t know the show well enough to remember Marble or even Cheerilee, and decided instead to ‘insert pre-fab romantic interest character here’ which doesn’t serve anyone. Other characters like Starlight and Trixie have a great rapport, and even though I don’t ship them, I like them as a team.

[KatonRyu 1,026]

My rules for shipping are basically that I need to like all the characters involved, and I need to see some kind of chemistry between them. Even then, though, I might not ship them for whatever reason. Take Zuko and Katara. I think they've got great chemistry and I like both, but I just don't ship them, even though I completely understand other people do.

Oh, and I'm very guilty of pairing the spares, too.

Oh, and I might ship characters if I like their fanon personality or even just their name. I ship Harry Potter x Daphne Greengrass just because I like her name.

[EpicEnergy 22,082]

Not sure, probably because I hardly ever ship characters. When I do ship characters, I guess it's because they have good chemistry with each other.