September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 29 "Do you need to ship something to really enjoy a movie/book/tv show/comic?"

I mean. Kind of...

Don't get me wrong, if it has a super interesting story line and great writing, I'm not gonna kick it to the curb, but I am definitely more interested if there is a love story I can follow.

What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic.

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 28 "Does shipping come easily to you?"

yes...

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 27 "Is there a ship you’ve shipped for most of your life?"

Usagi x Mamoru: Sailor Moon

I've been shipping these two honey's every since I gained awareness of my surroundings. This is probably the first anime I remember watching, and I always loved these two crazy kids. So yes, I've shipped these two forever, and will continue to ship them forever. 

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 26 "Have you noticed a pattern in your shipping? Is there a romantic dynamic you’re more drawn to?"

I ship... best friends.

I ship enemies.

I ship polar opposites, mostly.

I ship fire and water. Light and dark.

I ship people who make each other change for the better.

I ship people whose personalities clash.

I ship people who fight each other.

I ship people who fight alongside each other.

I ship strength, but also strong people who show each other their weaknesses.

But overall, I ship tall and short. Short and short. Tall and tall.
___________________________________________________________________________

I do not discriminatebut...if there's any pattern, it's the one above. What can I say? There's just no topping badass opposites. My ideal pair kicks ass (probably kicks each other's ass) and falls in love along the way. They have supernatural powers, bleed a lot, have passed out in one another's arms at least once, and they most likely aren't cannon, at least not until the very end, and it's most likely due to their inability to see how perfect they are for each other...because they're simply too busy hating the other's guts and/or gunning down bad guys to notice what's right in front of them.
Yeah...*sighs dreamily into the distance* so what does that say about me? Eh, maybe I won't think about it too much.

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 25 "Have you ever shipped a pairing before you even started watching the show/movie simply because of gifs and graphics or similar?"

I mean not really.

I'm really not that active on the Tumblr, that's more of Ariel's scene, I just haven't gotten into it. And normally I get all my anime recommendations from friends or Ariel, so I typically go into all my anime's blind. And I'm cool with that.

So to answer this Q, negative, I have not.

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 24 "Do you mostly ship canon pairings?"

Yes, I've mentioned this several times actually. For me, it's easier to get behind two people who clearly have (1) chemistry and (2) visible proof that they work together as a couple. I like being able to geek out at all the moments that clearly demonstrate how crazy two characters are about each other. I like to go back and re-watch/reread the gross shippy moments that led to the realization that these two are perfect together...the blushes, obvious jealousy, longing side glances with one thinks the other isn't looking, and pretty much any moment that (if set to the right music) would make it its way into a good AMV.

Also, a lot of it has to do with great writing. If the characters are written well, if their personal development and individual story lines match up, it's almost guaranteed that I'm going to ship them. Actually, this last part is a big deal for me because even if two characters have great repartee, but they don't seem like the best fit in other departments (i.e. their life goals don't match up, they haven't finished going through their big character development) then I'm not going to want them to get together until their lives do match up. Clearly it's a delicate balance. And I take fictional relationships waaaay too seriously.

Whatever. Suck it. Great writing > Great Romance.

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 23 "Which of your ships deserve better writing?"

Don't hate me.

Asuna x Kirito Sword Art Online

I wouldn't say that the writing itself is bad, but I just don't like the way that Asuna's character has been written in the last two arcs. She started out as such a bad ass character, she was able to fight and could take care of herself. She could get herself out of anything, and I really loved that because I love when people write the women characters as OP. And also, I don't like that Kirito feels he has to hide so much from her in GGO because he thinks that's the only way to protect her. I guess it's really more of I think that they need to have personality changes than new writers... but I almost never hate the writing for any anime's that I like, if I did I wouldn't watch them, thus making me not as attached to the characters. So I guess I kind of answered this question wrong. But I thought that I would take this time to air my grievances. Froggy Out!

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 22, "Which of your ships have the best chemistry?"

I'm going to have to go with my tried and true, my go-to. Guys...it's Nalu again.

C'mon you guys. They aren't together and yet everyone knows they are so going to be together. Best friendship chemistry is the best type of relationship chemistry because they are totally in love, they will protect each other at all costs, and they can hang and can make each other laugh. I love it. They will never not be my answer.

Boom. Natsu x Lucy. Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever.

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 21 "Is there a ship you just don’t get, but have nothing against?"

How I Met Your Mother: Robin x Kevin

Nothing personal guys, I just don't see it. 

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 20, "Talk about a ship you feel alone in shipping."

Look...

it's truly a challenge for me to really relish in a ship without any of the relationshippy-cute build up. Typically, big ships have a following for a reason. They've got plenty of on screen chemistry and cute moments to keep their fans feed and happy and sleeping through the night. I need the cute moments. I thrive on them. They nourish my soul.

As a result, I habitually back popular ships and popular ships only. Although I admit, I'm probably missing out. 

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 19 "Have you ever shipped something despite yourself?"

The Future Diary: Yukiteru Amano x Yuno Gasai 

Between Yuki's bitch ass whiny-ness and Yuno superior creep tactics, I should be thoroughly annoyed by this couple. And I am. Josh Grelle is very good at playing whiny good for nothing guys, and Brina Palencia is a chameleon, trick can do anything with her voice. But no, I'm creeped the f out by Yuno Gasai and want her to stay far away from me. I don't understand why Yuki would just randomly grow to love a girl who started out stalking his every move. That's creepy. I also don't get why she likes him, he has no backbone, and dating a wimpy guy only takes you so far. Plus she was totally willing to kill him. So I should be against this couple because it just doesn't make sense. 

Key word being should. I don't know why but I really like these two together. I give up, I don't understand my life. 

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 18 "Talk about a moment which made you question an entire ship"

The Mindy Project, Danny x Mindy

Another question I don't have an anime pair for. Sorry.

(P.S. Shout out to those of you whose interests crossover like this. I don't know how many of us are actually out there who will binge watch both The Mindy Project and Fairy Tail in one sitting.)

Anyway, back to the ship. Mindy and Danny. Danny and Mindy. They've been so obvious from episode one. Some characters just have the chemistry right off the bat and Danny and Mindy were totally MADE to be endgame. I hate it.

Why? Because Danny is a jerkass jerkface.

He's always been the douchebag character. The kind you can tell was supposed to have a gradual change in heart (and character) over the span of the entire series. I get that. Usually, I even have a soft spot for the Jerkass character type. However, the moment I started doubting them together as a couple was in season two, in an episode entitled, "Danny C is My Personal Trainer." We get this amazing body positive episode wherein Mindy decides that she looks great even without a stick thin figure (not that there's anything wrong with that) and yet...still it's not enough until we get tack on the "validation" from Danny...right at the end.

The big soundbite we get is when he says, "You're a woman and that's good, look like a woman." UGGHHHH. Really? We couldn't just let her love her body because it's her body?

It's supposed to be super positive and reaffirming the beauty of all body types (Don't force yourself to look a certain way only be objectified. Don't lose weight just for some guy.) but all I could do was flash back to episode 1, "You know what would look really great? If you lost 10lbs." Who said that again? Oh, right. Danny

I realize this is kind of a weird moment to make you question a ship. I mean, it's supposed to be a moment where you realize he accepts all her flaws and thinks she's beautiful just as she is, etc. But that's not the case for me. All I see is how much he hasn't really changed, and except for this one instance, you don't see Danny being any less shallow or judgmental. So you see, I don't buy his character development, mostly because there hasn't been any. All that's changed is now he is aware of his feelings toward Mindy.

This ship is ruined for me.

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 17 "Talk about a pairing you’ve stopped shipping romantically."

Soul x Maka: Soul Eater

I'm sorry. But I said it from the beginning. These two just seem like really good friends to me. I never really saw them as people who liked each other. I mainly just saw them as really good friends who were growing into best friends. I think it's easy to just throw the romantic label on two people in an anime if they are a boy/girl friendship because everyone wants to believe in love, but it will forever be my opinion that these two love each other like friends, and nothing more. 

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 16 "Talk about a ship you initially disliked"

Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me, but...

Ouran High School Host Club, Tamaki Suoh x Haruhi Fujioka

My first go-round, I was solidly on board the Haruhi-Hikaru train, but here I sit, months and months later, and I finally get the appeal of the show's lead pairing.

I don't completely take it back, mind you. I still love me some Hikaru Hitachiin, but the real question is how did we completely overlook Ouran's true treasure? The hottest of the hot. That is...

Mori-senpai. Amirite, tho? Why didn't she end up with him?

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 15 "Have you ever “shipped at first sight”?"

Yeah bruh!

Luna x Artemis from Sailor Moon. They were made for each other! And no it's not just because they are both cats.

And Mirai x Akihito from Beyond the Boundary. They just look super cute together. Not to mention every good relationship stems from one person trying to kill the other! Okay maybe not... But they're still so cute together! 

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 14 "How do you feel about Will They/Won't They?"

I LOVE IT!
MOSTLY
USUALLY, I LOVE IT.

Okay, so ...I do like it, but mostly it's because sexual tension is fun and exciting and it's a great time while it's happening. However, my problem with this trope is that once the couple actually gets together it's almost always disappointing. Like, there is just no satisfying me. I know, no matter when or where this couple finally hooks up, I'm probably going to be unhappy with the results.

Because we all know the schtick, right?

1. Sexy dramatic tension
2. Do they hate each other? Do they love each other? 
3. Sexy, sexy, cute, cute, sexy, yada yada
4. They FINALLY get together 
5. The story loses a lot of it's dramatic tension
6. You realize the couple is cheesy and weird
7. Show becomes a lot harder to watch. 

And that's if the couple actually gets it together before the actually conclusion of the whole show. The other option of course is the simultaneous ending-hookup, which you might view as a bit of a cop-out but personally I find it to be (usually) the only palatable choice.

Another concern is that a will-they-won't-they runs the risk of having the story become heavily reliant on the romance. And you guys know how I feel about the show becoming all about the relationship (if you don't, you could say I see it unfavorably, to say the least). Of course, in a story intended for the romance genre, that's kind of the point, so I won't argue with you there. Overall, ships that blossom from a will they/won't they plot device, while they're fun to root for, typically won't be topping any of my OTP lists any time soon.

Will -they-won't they? Example: Nisekoi, Raku x Chitoge

(they're my favorite)

(also, I love her hair) 

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 12, "Have you ever been disappointed when your ship finally got together?"

Toradora! Taiga x Ryuuji

Most recently, the biggest disappointment I've had was in Toradora! Taiga and Ryuuji.

They had so much promise. I loved getting to see their relationship grow out of a deep friendship. In so many ways they compliment each other perfectly, there was no pretense, and most importantly they didn't put each other up on pedestals. By all standards their relationship should have work out beautifully...plus the show itself was highly entertaining, funny, and also incredibly heartbreaking at times...

BUT! And a huge but here (haha, big butts) the ending just seemed so rushed. And I'm mostly just talking about the last two episodes here. I think maybe it's like their relationship was built up so much that by the time they got together maybe there was nowhere else to go but to get WAY TOO AHEAD OF OURSELVES...

WARNING: SPOILSIES!

#Is this really the best course of action...are we not going to talk about this first? 















I just- it breaks my heart to think these two characters, which I've now spent countless hours growing attached to, are just setting themselves up for disaster.

*Sigh* Buuuut in retrospect, maybe it's just that these two characters could never have achieved a "normal" happy ending. Their personalities simply have too many sharp edges for a clean, pretty wrap-up.

That being said, I'd still watch it again. And again and again. I mean look at these cuties.

Should've been perf, no?

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 8, "Have you ever shipped yourself with a character?"

*Sigh* Once, and only once.

And that, my dears, is thanks to Zombies, Run!

Zombies, Run! for those of you not in the know, is an immersive running app that (like most fitness apps) tracks your runs, mile time, speed, etc., with one important difference: it also uses audio clips to tell the story of Abel township, one of the last surviving human settlements remaining after a zombie viral outbreak that wiped out the majority of the human population, yada, yada. You know the drill.

You play as Runner 5, a survivor in a zombie apocalypse where people survive in little townships by employing "runners" to go on running missions to face and evade the zombie hordes, in order to collect food, fuel, ammo and other supplies needed to keep your community alive.

Most missions are about 30-ish minutes long, and you get to meet new and eccentric characters and learn their story/uncover the secrets surrounding the viral outbreak whilst collecting supplies, sprinting away from enemies, and just being a general zombie-slaying badass.

BUT! Returning to the titular topic, there is, in the midst of all the chaos and danger, one radio operator who stole my heart...Sam mutha-humping Yao.

Sam's voice kind of guides you throughout all your missions and there's an inherent sense of trust, mutual respect and (I think) obvious potential chemistry between the two and yeah, it's probably because you get to play in the (nearly literal) shoes of Runner 5, but it's just so easy to self-insert in this ship.

Anyway, it's super fun, I highly recommend it.

Available for both iOS and Android in the app store. Get it. I implore you.

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 6, "How Do You Feel About Love Triangles?"

Rarely, if ever, am I a fan of three or more characters getting caught up in a love poly-whatever angle. Ever.

I'm a fantasy-adventure type girl, honestly. I'd rather two characters slowly develop feelings for each other as a sweet, sweet side dish to of all the main action rather than have the romance become the center and sole purpose of telling the story. Don't get me wrong, I can get on board with a good romance every once in awhile. Plus, jealousy, overprotectiveness, argumentative relationship drama ...all good things that can give me the warm and fuzzies about two highly shippable characters. All these things that add tension and interest, and that's great. What isn't great is dragging one or more of your characters through the dirt for a prolonged amount of time just because you can't think of anything else interesting that might happen in the story.*

It's just that I like to know that these people have lives apart from their romantic interests. If they don't, it just kind of depressing. Like maybe they don't have two legs to be able to stand on their own. It makes it harder to imagine them as "real" people when we don't know much else about them. I need my characters to be whole and not just someone else's love interest.

Sorry, I have a lot of feelings about this one.

*There are, of course, exceptions to every rule...and please let me know if you have any die-hard ships that fit this description.

September Shipping: Tumblr Challenge, Question 4, "Who's your NOTP?"

NOTP Mako x Korra

NOTP Mako x Asami

Mako

I don't trust anyone with bad eyebrows. Mostly Mako. I mainly don't trust Mako.

 I still think Korra hasn't finished going through her own personal transformation, figuring out who she is, independent of her identity as the Avatar. She'll need to come to terms with who she is before she even thinks about pursuing her romantic endgame (not that she even needs one).

The first two seasons definitely didn't do it for me in terms of romantic pairings. Nothing seemed to fit right and honestly their relationship(s) seemed forced. Plus, Asami kinda got dragged through the mud a lot in their wrongity-wrong, so wrong love triangle, and I believe she deserves way better. 

I don't know if you can tell, but I'm just not down with pointless love triangles and relationship drama. But actually. We ain't got time for this! There's too much at stake and the world needs the Avatar!