r/pokemonshippinghub

This is a comparison I see a lot, especially in defense of Penguinshipping, and I think it’s past time someone set the record straight. These two ships, although not without their similarities, are NOT the same and people need to understand that

To be charitable, I get why some people would believe that they are similar: the male rival acts somewhat antagonistic to the female companion, said antagonistic behavior being essentially to mask their true feelings for her. They share the same archetype, but there is a major difference between them that should not only make equating then next to impossible, but highlights a clear difference in why only one of them is straight up toxic

Kenny bullies his crush, Drew pushes her. There’s a difference

Both of them tease their crushes a lot, and there’s usually heat whenever they interact, but the difference is what this behavior actually does for them and what goes on underneath

When Kenny “teases” Dawn (and I’m using that term very loosely), it’s literally just a form of belittlement. He calls her “Deedee” as if it’s cute, but what it really did was contribute to her childhood trauma, which was at a point where seeing Plusle & Minun again basically gave her a panic attack, and belittle her in their interactions. It somewhat reminds me of that one scene from TAWOG when young Herald is saying mean things to young Nicole, and Nicole describes it as “that thing where guys say mean things to girls to lower their confidence so they’ll go it with them”, and while I wouldn’t necessarily take it far enough as to equate them, I do believe it is similar at the very least

Meanwhile, Drew does what he does because he sees the potential in May and wants her to get reach it. He gives her someone to strive against and pushes her in the right direction, as rivals are meant to do, and while Kenny literally does nothing for Dawn at all, Drew actually helps May on various occasions. For example: when Harley manipulates May into only relying on one move for her contest, Drew exposes him and tells May to quit relying on other people’s advice and just trust in herself and her Pokémon. Y’know, something that’s actually constructive and good for her development

The difference is that while Drew does what he does with May, it’s out of actual kindness, and I mean the real kind of kindness

He’s not always as nice to her as he should be, but he helps her progress as a coordinator and wants to see her succeed. Kenny just does and says whatever he thinks will give him “good points” with Dawn. Even when he actually is nice to Dawn, that’s all it is, niceness, it’s not out of genuine respect or care for her, because to him she’s just something he wants. It’s shallow and does nothing for her, and while I’m not saying that he shouldn’t be nice, there is a difference between that and actually going out of your way to help someone, which is what Drew consistently did for May

That’s just what I had to say though. I think equating these two ships is ridiculous, and comparing them reveals important differences between pushing someone and bullying them, and being kind vs being nice. Kenny and Drew may both tease a girl they like, but only one of them does it FOR her, and I hope I’ve made that difference clear

That’s all from me. Tootles

Enjoy!

Lillie explains to Lana that nothing she’s done for waking up Magearna has worked, and Ash instantly tells her to not give up, and that everything’s gonna be alright

It’s also worth noting that not only is the first thing we see after that is Lillie staring at her with a visible blush on her, but she continues to stare at him like that while everyone else is encouraging her too, as if she’s locked on Ash specifically

Added with the fact that this is literally the episode before she leaves (and was totally gonna confess, who are we kidding), I’d argue this is a clear sign of her liking Ash, even if she herself may not fully comprehend that yet

Tootles!

I like to think that this similarity was something that was done deliberately to draw a parallel between Ash and Lillie. Both of them having the special evolution stone that would make their starters bigger and stronger than before, but letting their partners themselves decide and ultimately deciding not to do so for the sake of their happiness and pride

That’s all for right now, tootles!

I watched a video recently that argues that the 3 most essential things for a good relationship are vulnerability, kindness, and understanding, and based on what was said in that video, Ash and Lillie fit that perfectly

In both scenes above, Ash and Lillie show a clear ability to be vulnerable around each other. Lillie’s talking about how she feels about not knowing her own past and not being able to touch Pokémon, Ash is talking about him being saddened by Rotom choosing to leave him for a TV show, and both are responded to with genuine kindness and understanding

Ash gets Pikachu to make funny faces to cheer Lillie up so she doesn’t feel so gloomy over her regression from being able to touch Pokémon, which cheers her up and makes her realize that she wants to remember everything, even the bad stuff. Lillie tells Ash how she felt when she had to move away from her mother and gives him meaningful advice that helped make things better between them

Both of these actions were kind, and both of them came from a place of understanding what the other was going through. Ash has felt like a failure before (after the battle of Lake Acuity, after losing to Wulfric with Ash-Greninja…) and he’s already traveled with girls with their own phobia of Pokémon (Misty with bugs, Dawn with Plusle & Minun, Iris with Ice types…), he knows what it takes to cheer someone up in a state like this and he knows better than to ask Lillie to be someone else or to change who she is, and Lillie knew the same when talking to him on the beach. She’s not yelling at him to “bring back the Ash I know m” nor to fit an image she has of him, she’s just giving him the support and advice he needs to do something constructive about his issue and not put himself down over this, while also showing him that she can relate with his struggle

And all of this applies to their dynamic in general. Ash practically held Lillie’s hand throughout her entire journey, boosting her confidence and taking important steps with her, being the only one to cheer her on when she was about to try a Z-move for the first time (granted, everyone else was quite cause she needed focus, but still), and Lillie returns the favor by giving him necessary council and always supporting him in the things he does. They don’t wear fake smiles nor do they carry imaginary versions of each other in their heads and try to force that image into reality, they are genuinely kind to each other, they’re able to be vulnerable with one another, and they understand each other very well…

But that’s just what I had to say. Tootles

Art by Yusuke Oshida