"Shipping" in My Little Pony fanfictions is ...

It is my pleasure to debate with you, IX; I can't turn down a friendly request, one you've derived from my having stated in a public portion of the Internet that I dislike shipping. Though, to address your arguments, I have never considered the practice of shipping inherently bad or problematic, nor that the nonsensicality that I perceive as commonly part of this genre is inherently bad, either, and I am not here to argue that it is. The statistics I have decided to point out are simply to inform, and little more. (I'll admit that I included them because I was bored and had nothing else to do.) Still, this leaves me with the burden of proving why I believe the practice of shipping to be two things: illogical and repetitive. Interesting usage of my language to challenge my views on 'random' stories. On that subject, returning to my assertion that nonsensicality is not inherently problematic, I shall simply state that the very intention of stories classified as 'random' is to not make sense in some way, or to have events twist in unrealistic ways to provide entertainment. It is when such things come up in more serious tales that it strains the suspension of disbelief of a reader. Speaking of which, 'citing suspension of disbelief' is a very much valid point to make in countering my points. I shall say, as a pre-emptive response, that my arguments are based on that it stretches my own too much for my liking. Addressing another point you have made, the advancement of the skills of writing prose are inherent in many other types of story. For example, one with significant worldbuilding will challenge the writer to provide glimpses of said world without outright telling them what it is, just as a romance story will delve into the minds of the characters and their views on conflicts. Speaking of telling, many stories of this genre detail an unexplained and unbackstoried basis for one character falling for another, which begs the question of [i]'Why?'[/i] Of course, characters are tools for the author, and one can make characters to bear romantic attraction or feelings to another. However, the usage of established characters with established relationships is where this presents logical problems. For example, there are two specific characters very often placed in relationships with others in this particular fandom; Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. The latter is the source material's primary protagonist, while the former's mannerisms arguably lead people to assume that she is a bisexual, and thus, shall be paired with the other female members of the main cast very often, which includes all but one [1]. Sometimes, they are formed into the same couple, popularly known as 'TwiDash'. In this particular example, the former is defined as a prideful, brash, competitive athlete, while the latter is a modest, (yet extremely powerful) intellectual. There is, arguably, little to no specific evidence (there is a concept of a 'ship tease', which is, most often, playfully hinting in the source material that two characters have romantic interest in one another, but has the pairing never actually made 'canon', in which case it becomes a case of foreshadowing. Such an example is the case of Spike and Rarity, char of this very show, whose being shipped with one another makes more sense as there is confirmed attraction of the former to the other, while the other latter's position is dubious) to prove that these two are romantically compatible, but it's one of the most popular pairings in the entirety of fimfiction.net and Equestria Daily, sites that house fanfics surveyed in [1], (as is Rainbow Dash and just about any other major character. Again, see [1]). Then again, one can, with ease, state that love isn't a logical thing, and can happen to anyone, at anytime, regarding anyone else. Repetitivity doesn't mean bad, either, but is one of the reasons why I find such stories tiresome. Of course, this leads to thought on whether fanfiction writers should bend or outright break established canon elements (the 'alternate universe' tag I mentioned in round one is specifically intended for this) to achieve the goal of the story. I can argue to the affirmative, as I picture the MLP universe as defined by the show as a template on which interpretations can be made and put into written form, or many other forms, such as music, art, or simply 'headcanon'. Now one can respond to this statement of mine saying, 'but doesn't that just make shipping another take on the universe?' and I shall concede that, but this does not mean that it makes more sense, nor does its repetitivity. [1]:http://fc03.deviantart.net... I hope you're enjoying this debate, IX, as I have been. How I do like a good one, which I do hope I can provide.