Shipping and Creation in general

Hi all :)

The MLP fandom is kind of infamous for all different types of shipping combinations. Fluttercord, Appledash, Rainbowpie are some pretty well-known ones.

I've noticed sometimes when people create content based off the more popular, or "done to death" shipping models, sometimes they can get flack, either from someone bored with or disliking the idea, or because they might feel there are so many ideas one can come up with based off a combination. I dig.

If anything you've ever written has been criticized for this, I feel it's not as important as some people might think (which is not to invalidate those who don't like certain combinations at all). It's not about what person is using to explore ideas, but how well the person conveys the ideas he/she wishes to share.

Personally, I dig combinations based off a shared interest, because frequently that's how relationships (friendship, romantic) are formed -- Appledash, Twilightpie, Fluttermac, Rainbowpie, and the recent Huggershy are all based off compatibility. I like that. I can see Fluttercord, I just don't care for the combo personally, as it's based partially off... well, discord ^^

To me, some of the best shipping can be written with little to no sexual content, but it gives the audience the right vibe that these two ponies are... well, quite special to each other. You get the feeling of love and that's incredible when the author can do that. If it's been established, even without explicit descriptions, any encounters the characters have generally are quite powerful (and quite playful ^^). If anybody's ever been in love, you get a certain feeling towards that person that you can't quite describe (to say anything other than it's powerful); it's expressed in your actions and how you think about them, and it's much more than a sexual attraction (they can have physical flaws you see, but it doesn't matter because it's them and they're so awesome just the way they are).

In closing, I don't write for views or likes/comments/favs, but I do enjoy knowing others appreciate my works. Heck, I'd totally be stoked if someone read something of mine on youtube (I'm so getting side-tracked here ^^) ... what I'm trying to say is, if you have ideas you're afraid might not get attention because of them being done to death or boring others, don't worry about it. Seriously, write for you, put your own spin on things, have fun and explore. Sometimes you'll be surprised what happens if you set all that aside and just do your own thing.

Peace out!