Oh yeah, I'm in! I ship in a lot of shows/movies/books/manga/etc., so I'm just going to list Pokemon, plus stuff I'm currently invested in. Let's see what I've got:
Pokemon:
[SPOIL] Pokehipping (Ash/Misty): One of the biggest OTPs of my life. Seriously, I was stuck on them for 10 or 12 years. What do I like about it? Well, they have good chemistry, and their bickering is cute. Like, with some couples, it comes across as mean and annoying, but Ash and Misty are actually pretty funny. I love how they end up becoming friends in spite of themselves. They really do care about each other and help each other grow as people. And... I felt it really strongly from Misty's side, especially. I saw her as having a very real and strong love for Ash. She saw him as pure-hearted, and she looked out for him and was devoted to him... And I got the impression that she knew he might never feel the same, but it was worth it to her to stick with him. Why is it no longer my OTP? Because I made up a daughter for them, and someone to ship her with for fun, ended up developing those characters, and got obsessed with that instead. ...Yeah. I'm writing a fic about those characters, though I always take forever to update.
Rocketshipping (Jesse/James): Yeah, it's pretty cute, especially in that one early episode where James is supposed to get married. I don't have a whole lot to say about it, actually, but...
Contestshipping (May/Drew): I'm not gonna lie, I mainly shipped this because I was low-key anti-Advanceshipping (as in, I just really, really did not want it to happen), but it's cute on its own, too. You've got the bickering aspect going on, but it's a little different, since Drew seems more teasing with May than Misty was with Ash.
Backdoorshipping (Tracey/Gary): I see this as one-sided on Tracey's part, because I really don't see Gary being into guys. But here's what I see happening: Tracey still works at the lab when Gary takes over, and he respects him in a way similar to how he admired the original Professor Oak (only not so fan-worshippy). Gary depends on him a lot, and respects him, too. He even uses Tracey's illustrations in his writing. They know each other very well, and... Tracey teases Gary about his ego sometime, and Gary goes along with it, because he's more self-aware now. Kinda has elements that I like in Pokeshipping, like Tracey's selfless devotion. In any case, even though Gary never feels that way about Tracey, it doesn't mean he cares about him any less, and they're life-long best friends.
Cavaliershipping (Gary/Dawn): So, I definitely see the appeal of Palletshipping, but like I said, I don't see Gary being gay. But! Dawn's a lot like Ash, and I could see her and Gary having a similar chemistry. Only, it'd be different, because Gary's grown up a lot. So I see him teasing Dawn, but she doesn't really get that it's teasing. He enjoys getting her worked up, but one day he goes to far, and she really gets mad. He apologizes for being a jerk and says he didn't mean to hurt her feelings, he just thinks she's cute when she's mad. Dawn doesn't know what to do with that at all. She starts feeling nervous and flustered every time he's around, and finally, he tells her to just forget he ever said anything, since he doesn't want her to be uncomfortable. But then she finds that she doesn't really want to forget... Yeah, it's a head-canon for me.[/SPOIL]
Hey Arnold!
[SPOIL]Arnold/Helga: So I'm rewatching this series right now, and holy crap. How was this never my OTP growing up? Helga's deadly obsession with Arnold starts out played for laughs, the way she bullies him but is actually madly in love with him, how she stalks him and builds shrines to him... But then about halfway through the first season, in "Arnold's Christmas," she makes a sacrifice for his happiness that he'll never even know about; that's when you realize that she really does love him.
They have good chemistry, and they actually make total sense together: They're both sensitive, intelligent, artistic, and romantic, have a strong sense of self... Arnold's a humanitarian and a dreamer, and Helga has the soul of a poet. Sure, he's more idealistic than she is, and she's more cynical, but it's the kind of difference that's complementary: he makes her a better person (seriously, he acts as her moral compass throughout the show), and she makes sure no one takes advantage of his good nature (again, happens more than once, and sometimes when he's not even aware of it). In "Arnold's Valentine," you see that they totally click when they're both being themselves (which is kind of ironic, since Helga's posing as someone else). Oh, and in "April Fools?" This takes place after... a certain important development, and Arnold starts messing with Helga right back, even flirting with her, and oh my God, do spark ever fly!
I get the impression that they're both lonely at heart. Because Arnold doesn't have his parents, which does bother him. He has his grandparents, but... I noticed that he idealizes sibling relationships, and this is something I did. For me, it was because I was the only child of older parents, and I worried about ending up on my own, without any family. Could it be the same for Arnold? It'd make sense. Also, could that be one of the reasons he was resolved to reunite Mr. Hyunh and his daughter in "Arnold's Christmas?" Anyway, it's more obvious why Helga's lonely: her family pretty much ignores her. This is something you see throughout the series, but then you get to "Helga on the Couch." This is where you really see how it's affected her, and you finally see how she fell in love with Arnold, and oh my God. Like, it's kind of how you thought it was, but seeing it is just... it's just the sweetest thing ever. One thing I love about it that, I think it's really beautiful that Arnold's small, thoughtless acts of kindness ends up changing both of their lives for the better. I mean, I totally see the two of them finding the family they've longed for in each other.
I especially want that for Helga, since... Well, Arnold's family is non-traditional, and he's had to grow up fast because most of the adults in his life act like kids. But even so, at least they always show him they care about him. Helga's been neglected for so long, but you just know that when Arnold gets to know who she really is, he'll love and treasure her so much. It's interesting, because after that certain development I mentioned, you do see him start to look at her differently, albeit on a sub-conscious level.
And besides all the reasons why it's a great ship? It has a lot of personal meaning to me. Because... Well, I've been an obsessive shipper since early childhood, but I grew up before the internet was wide-spread, so I didn't have any way of seeking out people like me. It was always very beautiful and meaningful to me, but at the same time, I realized it was odd and that the people around me would probably think it was weird. I didn't want something so important to me to be thought of that way, so I told no one. So there I was, an elementary school girl, carrying around these intense feelings that were at the same time awkward and meaningful, hiding an important part of myself from the world, and... You see where this is going? Yeah, I'm not sure I was wholly conscious of it at the time, but I identified a lot with Helga and her secret obsession with Arnold. I'd never seen a character my own age before who I could relate to on that level.
So, that turned into kind of a shipping manifesto... But I can't help it, I'm absolutely in love with this ship! The Jungle Movie is finally coming out on November 23! I actually get to see them get together! Even though it's only recently become kind of a COTP for me, this ship stuck in my head for all those years; I'd occasionally have dreams that the movie was going to happen, but I didn't think it actually would. So it's literally a dream come true for me.[/SPOIL]
Star vs. the Forces of Evil
[SPOIL]Starco (Star/Marco): Star is just... Well, she's Star-- enthusiastic, hyper, wild, just kind of out of control, but with a cheerful outlook. Marco is more grounded, and I like how sarcastic he can be. I like how close they are as friends, how they know what to say to encourage each other, how they'd do anything for each other. For me, friendship is the most important part of any ship. And they have good chemistry besides that, I think. In the episode "Blood Moon Ball"...Its not the dance scene that I liked the most, but afterward, when they keep saying the same thing at the same time, and then they were all awkward about it... That was what made me think, yeah, this is gonna be canon. And after that, developments in season 2! Star trying to reconcile her feelings for Marco while still supporting his feelings for Jackie! And the beginning of season 3! Can't wait to see where it's going.[/SPOIL]
Miraculous Ladybug
[SPOIL]Marinette/Adrien (Adrienette)/Ladybug/Chat Noir (LadyNoir): It's interesting, because... Well, they're superheroes, but don't know each others' secret identities (somehow; it's really freaking obvious who they are, and the biggest flaw in the show is that it makes no sense that they haven't figured it out). So, Marinette is a sweet but kind of awkward girl. She's in love with Adrien, but she's too shy to talk to him very much. He's cool and kind, but seems kind of lonely. Because his rich dad is so controlling, he doesn't feel free to break out and be himself, so that's where a lot of his reserved nature comes from. He's in love with the superheroine Ladybug, whom he works alongside as Chat Noir. Marinette is much more confident and brave as Ladybug. And Adrien feels much more free to cut loose as Chat Noir, joking around a lot, coming onto Ladybug... But she's having none of it. Even so, they're close friends and work well together. Ugh, the whole thing is just awkward and adorable.[/SPOIL]
Stardust
I think Leon thought that Locasta was cute
