My Testimony; FinesseMalkin

I only became a Pearlshipper a few years ago, when IceArceus introduced me to her somewhat surprising interest, Pokemon. Before this, I never gave Pokemon a second glance: to me, it was just another gaming franchise which Asian children played on their nifty DSes, comparable-but-not-really to Nintendo’s Super Mario. I didn’t even know it had a TV series or girls.

IceArceus was an avid Pearlshipper, another surprising thing I learned about her that day. It felt as though she’d been interested in telling me for ages but had never been able to tell me. Now, as a Pearlshipper too, I can understand that feeling: being a Pearlshipper isn’t really something you can be on your own- you need someone irl or on the internet somewhere where you can fangirl/boy over the hints with and rage against Ash’s new female companion and hence, it can be lonely. There is no doubt in my mind that there are others like me who thought that anime and shipping was merely a pitiful affair for hormonal teenagers. The more prominent fandoms with ships like the Harry Potter franchise never have this problem. Sure, we have Serebii, but that tiny corner of Pearlshipping could never be enough. I like to think that that was why we began Project Pearlshipping- to create a community of like-minded individuals- but if I had to be totally honest, I can’t remember why it began. It just sort of happened.

I must admit that my experience was very biased. I only had IceArceus to talk shipping with and those conversations must’ve turned me against all of the other Ash ships, but I genuinely thought- and think- that Ash and Dawn’s pairing is the logical and therefore legit path to follow, not least because of High Touch, the anthem of Pearlshipping, since I was then dedicated to music. Through reading Ice’s new analyses of episodes I had since watched at her command, I was fully converted. My shipigion was reinforced by the confidence and detail in the ‘duels’ she had with those of other ships on our forum Pearlshipping Vault (I don’t know if the threads are available anymore).

Yes, I’m totally sucking up to IceArceus; something I’d never have done those years ago. Judge me.

What would I advise potential Pearlshippers? If you’ve made up your mind that you want to dedicate part of your brain to enjoy seeing two fictional characters pair up in a romantic relationship, first, choose one that you like. It’s not like religion- choose the wrong one and you suffer for eternity- it’s a hobby. Choose one you like the look of first- for example, I can NOT stand Serena and I never could. This is my revised testimony, so now that I’ve seen that clip in XYZ 28 when Serena assumed that she knew Ash’s fine feelings as Ash’s FIFTH female companion, I know that I can never be an Amourshipper, because of Serena’s assumptions.

Once you’ve decided on the select few ships that you ‘like’, choose the one with the best evidence and hints. As a shipper, you may one day have to prove your worth in a debate or a discussion. Study your ship (too bad no ships but Pearlship has quite the amount of resources to suffice for this step!). Then, know your enemy. Do the same for other ships for the same reasons.

Because being a Pearlshipper IS ultimately meaningless, I cannot say that you SHOULD BE a Pearlshipper. I would only say that, given the evidence given on this very website, it would not be smart to say that any other ship was correct.

Thanks for taking the time to read my testimony; I hope that it has given you a bit of insight into why I’m here and maybe I’ve helped some of you ship-nostics in finding your ship as well. Meanwhile, I’ll be on Vault and Facebook if you want to know more.

I feel like a bloody TV evangelist.