Okay, so the subject of this poll should be pretty obvious. Let's get to the good stuff!



GENERAL QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend? If so, how many have you had? (Not more than one at once, I hope...) If not, why not?
2. What's your status right now? Single? Dating? Engaged? Married?
3. What do you look for in a romantic partner?
4. What do you think is the key to a successful romantic relationship?
5. What do you think “love” is?


POKÉMONIZED QUESTIONS
6. What do you think about “shipping” in Pokémon?
7. Do you think that any of the major anime characters will ever have a canon romance?
8. What are your thoughts about the daycare (and breeding) centers in the games?



And now for my answers...



GENERAL QUESTIONS

1. Yeah. I had a steady girlfriend for a couple of years back in high school, and I'm in the beginning stages of another relationship right now.

2. I guess I'm somewhere between single and dating.

3. Well, I didn't look for this back in high school – a big mistake on my part, if I may say so. But I look for someone with whom I can freely talk, whether it's a trivial topic or something that is very dear to me. It's great if we can really empathize with one another, in both good times and bad. And I obviously seek someone whose interests are similar to mine; otherwise, it's a lot harder to find common ground.

4. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I'm led to believe that communication is crucial. If you can't talk with someone, what do you have? There's obviously physical attraction, and you can always do things like go to movies and such. But those alone won't sustain a relationship, the way I see it.

5. I always give myself such hard questions... well, love starts with caring for another. You hope for your partner's well-being, and you want to help them succeed. There's obviously the attraction part of it; I think true love involves a lot more than physical attraction, but some might disagree with me. Nonetheless, there needs to be something that makes you want to be with that other person and to stand by his or her side. And of course, that feeling should grow to the point where it's stronger than what you feel for any other potential partner. Unless, of course, you believe in polygamy.


POKÉMONIZED QUESTIONS

6. I think it's a good way to discuss potential in the anime, even if it is unlikely to ever reach fruition. If nothing else, it can facilitate brainstorming for “how I would continue Pokémon.” But some people get carried away; listing miniscule reasons why a particular shipping couple seems real tends to do nothing but give shipping a bad name. Too many shippers overstate their arguments and end up looking ridiculous.

7. With the possible exception of Brock, no. The reason I list Brock is because one could reasonably argue that he's already had a real romance, in a sense. Some of you may recall Susie, who loaned Brock her Vulpix for quite a long time. Brock didn't haphazardly flirt with her like he normally does with his momentary crushes, but the animation still made him appear subtly distraught upon realizing that she and Zane were an item. It's hard to say whether this was truly a canon romance, but it's certainly better than his terrifying fascination with every Joy and Jenny in the world.

8. I just think it's weird that most Pokémon will freely breed with any compatible partner you provide. Enough said.



So, what do you think?