The Ash Connection

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Fanfiction
Title: The Ash Connection
Author(s): I am Lu
Date(s): 2013 (TAC), 2014-2016 (TAC II), 2018 (EE), ??? (TAC III)
Length: 340k+ words (TAC), 430k+ (TAC II), 74k+ (EE)
Genre: Adventure, Romance
Fandom: Pokémon
External Links: TAC TAC II: The Rising Everything Else
TAC Cover
TAC II Cover
Everything Else Cover

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The Ash Connection (TAC) is a Pokémon fic written by I am Lu (@pkmncoordinators on tumblr). First published on Fanfiction.Net in 2013, it is one of the most popular and well-known fics in the Pokémon Anime Fandom. The fic has been praised for its good writing, foreshadowing, and complex plot that manages to weave practically every relevant animanga character into one story.

Due to its popularity and status as a Fandom Classic, TAC has generated many pieces of fanart, recursive fics, and has established or helped popularize many tropes that were adopted by the large segments of the fandom. The author and readers of TAC have also shared their “TAC-verse” specific headcanons on social media and actively participate in meta discussions about the anime series, the games, and fandom activities in general.

Summary

Dedicated to the fans
Who have stuck with the series
From 1997 to 2013
This is for those
Who still believe in Ash

TAC takes place mid-Best Wishes and goes canon divergent from there. The story starts with Ash Ketchum having an ominous dream while traveling the Unova region with Iris and Cilan right before his trip back to Pallet Town. Little does he know that his dream is just the marking point of an upcoming series of violent attacks led by an unknown armored figure, and that in the center of it all, there's Ash, or better yet: The Chosen One. Old traveling companions and rivals are brought together for their own protection, thus starting an epic story of comradery, teenage drama, and saving the world from total destruction.

The phrase on the fic's cover image "Thus the Earth shall turn to Ash" is part of a prophecy from Pokémon the Movie 2000: The Power of One as well as an excerpt from the song Chosen One, featured in the movie's soundtrack.[1]

Lu has mentioned that the main theme of the first story is Faith. The author has also discussed other relevant interpersonal themes on her blog:

  • Faith is a powerful force. Ash’s companions are able to do incredible things because they have faith in a higher power – in other words, they have faith in Ash being the Chosen One. The reality is, however, that there is no divine power backing him up: He’s just a good-hearted trainer. Regardless, their faith in him, and in turn, the faith Ash gains in himself, empowers them to do great things.
  • Kindness/love is a divine power. Although Ash might not be supported by our traditional conception of a higher power, his kindness and his ability to love are divine qualities in and of themselves, and they make him a worthy leader and worthy of being called The Chosen One.
  • Power is a corrupting force. And in that vein, government is therefore prone to corruption. The G-Men has good intentions but it is mired by conspiracy and overreach in the name of maintaining that power. It is also incredibly vulnerable to forces that don’t have good intentions, because the power is maintained by an elite few rather than by the people, for the people.
  • Unequal power systems force the disadvantaged into crime. Most Team Rocket members are recruited as young, impoverished trainers who have no support system – family or otherwise. The crime ring, therefore, becomes their support system.
  • Family is not always biological. And biological family, in fact, can do some of the greatest damage, evidenced especially by Drew and Silver’s respective relationships with their fathers. The series features a lot of characters with unsupportive or absent families, but they end up finding family through Ash, in each other, hence the Ash Connection.
  • Youth should not be underestimated. While it’s the adults of the series who have the most power to do/change things, it’s the young characters that ultimately bring down Team Rocket.[2]

Lu said that she wanted to read an adventure that featured the entire anime cast, but finding none that satisfied her, had no choice but to write one herself.[3][4] In addition, she wanted her story to resonate with as many Pokémon fans as possible, which is one of the main reasons behind sticking to first generation features as opposed to freshly released content.[5]

The author has said that originally, TAC was supposed to be a single story but as she was writing it, saw potential ideas for more.[6] Subsequently, she ended up writing a sequel for the TAC-verse: The Ash Connection II: The Rising, as well as a spin-off: Everything Else. She has announced on her blog that she is editing some details on TAC and TAC II and is also working on the third and final installment of the series.[7][8][9] As of 2022, the third installment has not been written, and the author has not mentioned it since 2020.

TAC and its companion stories are edited by a-hex-maniac.

Characters and Ships

Cynthia: They call themselves the “The Ash Connection.”
Lance: What a bunch of assholes.

incorrectpokemonquotes[10]

All traveling companions and rivals from the first 14 seasons of the Pokémon anime are part of the TAC ensemble, with the addition of some game characters like Leaf and Silver, as well as the champions from the four regions and a miscellaneous of older characters like Harley, Soledad, Paul's brother Reggie, and Misty's sister Daisy. Gym leaders, evil grunts, and other characters-of-the-day make some appearances throughout the story too. As new generations of the pokémon series are released, more characters have eventual cameos in the TAC-verse as well. TAC II has the addition of Clemont, Serena and Bonnie to the main cast (and Diantha gives the other Champions some assistance in the background). Ash's Alola companions show up briefly in Everything Else, and it is very likely that new characters like Goh or Leon will have at least a quick mention in TAC III.

As for ships, many of the fandom's juggernauts are present in TAC, such as PokeShipping and ContestShipping. Other ships of varying levels of popularity include: IkariShipping, LeafGreenShipping, WishfulShipping, RocketShipping, SoulSilverShipping, DarkSteelShipping, SnowpointShipping, CandycornShipping, FlarebusterShipping. Despite the author claiming that the story's main focus was not the romance between characters, there are some who still saw TAC as too ship-heavy at times.[11]

There's also a TAC-original ship called PalmGlendoShipping, which is the platonic relationship between Paul, Iris and Leaf during their overlapping tenures as Champions. The ship name comes from a mispronunciation of Paul's name and some consequential shitposts joking about it.[12][13][14]

[imaginemydragonite]

I'm seriously digging the Paul/Leaf/Iris dynamic ❤️❤️👌👌👌 I never thought these three coming together would be such a beautiful thing, thank you 😁

[pkmncoordinators]

They’re a great trio! I love writing the three of them together.[15]

Fandom Tropes

As a love letter to the Pokémon fandom, Lu includes several of the fandom's commonly used tropes and well-known theories in her series.

The author gives some characters commonly used fanon names like Misty Waterflower, May Maple, and Drew Hayden.[16][17] For others, she stuck to the voice actors' last names, a common practice in the pokémon dub fandom.[18]

Many OCs have important roles throughout the series. Notable ones include Erol Adalet, who has been present since the first story and Karina Valdis, a young trainer with a heavy impact on certain developments in TAC II. Lu also borrows Gerald Poltiere, the president of the Pokémon Connoisseur Association, from undercitizen.[19]

Lu creates fankids for many of the ships in her fic. She also borrows a few from other creators in the fandom. Some of the fankids created by kasuria and toasty-coconut in the Pokémon: Down The Line series are also characters in TAC II and Everything Else and are expected to have an even bigger role in the third installment of the series.[20]

TAC over and over advocates for the saying "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb". As the series progresses, the bond between the main 16 becomes so deep that it leads every single one of them to, without a second of hesitation, risk everything to save one another. Other notable relationships include Lance and Leaf; Solidad and Drew.

Despite the most popular ships in the fandom being usually M/F, the author still adds her headcanons for queer characters to the series. For instance, Barry is gay; Zoey and Candice are in a romantic relationship; Solidad is ace.[21]

I just realized that all my queer couples in the TAC-verse are from Sinnoh, so I guess it’s TAC-canon, folks: Sinnoh is gay.[22]

Other than the obvious names, Lu also references some anime westernizations like the rice balls that were dubbed in the US as jelly-filled donuts.[23]

  • Orange Juice

The pokémon anime has a running gag about characters (human and Pokémon alike) drinking orange juice. Whenever there's a scene with food or beverages, it's very likely that a glass of orange juice is casually thrown somewhere in the frame as well.[24][25][26][27] Needless to say, orange juice is a recurring character in TAC.

You guys think I’m joking when I say orange juice is the official drink of the Pokemon series, but as I rewatch a lot of the episodes, I find that pretty much eVERY TIME THEY DRINK SOMETHING IT’S ORANGE JUICE WHAT[28]

  • The Coma Theory

There's a part in the story where one of the fandom's most famous theories is referenced. The theory suggests that Ash actually fell into a coma on the first day of his journey and every adventure shown in the anime is actually happening inside his head.[29]

  • Giovanni is Ash's Father

A theory that comes from the Pokémon Live! musical in which it's implied that Delia (Ash's mom) and Giovanni dated when they were younger. Despite not being considered canonical to the anime universe, the theory was still very popular among fans, stimulating a fair share of meta discussions and fanworks.[30]

  • Brandon, Paul and Reggie are related

All evidence that points to this theory being canon is circumstantial,[31][32] but Lu still manages to make it fit her story and the familial relationship, albeit unexpected at first is embraced by a good part of her readers as the story progresses.

  • Ash is The Chosen One

It references the prophecy that was one of the main plotlines of the Pokémon 2000 movie and explores how all sorts of unimaginable things happen when the boy is around, as well as how his company ends up influencing (for better or for worse) the fate of those he cares about.

The TAC-verse

Lu creates a very rich and colorful universe for her series, and she often explores intriguing parts of them more in-depth on her blog. Many systems and institutions are created by the author, but there are also those taken from the games or the anime series (like the Pokémon League) that are expanded and tweaked to fit in her worldbuilding. The lines between canon and TAC are interweaved with such dexterity that, at times, it becomes hard to distinguish one from the other.[33][34]

When inquired about it, she has also taken the time to explain certain moments that happened in the stories, written about characters' thoughts and intentions, discussed the process of writing TAC as a whole, among other things. Over the years, TAC has impactfully resonated with the fandom, influencing other fans' take on the Pokémon world, its characters, and their portrayals.[35][36][37][38][39][40]

From the many topics Lu has discussed:

  • TAC Timeline

The author acknowledges the anime episodes as generally canon in the TAC-verse, only the whens and hows, especially Best Wishes onward, may suffer some minor alterations to fit in her story. For example, not all kids leave on their journeys when they become 10 years old; anything involving Team Rocket must have happened by different means, seeing as they were disbanded in TAC; league and contest seasons are not held simultaneously, allowing a trainer to enter multiple circuits in a year.[41][42][43]

To help keep track of the timeline, Lu has also taken the time to write down a linear spread of the events that led to TAC, what some of the characters had been up to between TAC and TAC II, and details of important things that happened up to the latest released chapter then.[44]

She's also discussed how the story would be different if she had written TAC after Sun & Moon, saying that the timing and pacing of some happenings would change, but it wouldn't be that hard to add the other characters to the TAC gang. She'd also reduce Champions' and shipping screentime not to deviate too much from the main plot. On another note, she also mentioned that she'd still stick to pokeshipping even if Serena was part of the first story.[45][46]

  • Napaj

Napaj (Japan spelled backwards) is a fanon nation that encompasses the first five pokémon regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova.[47] Their nationality adjectives are, respectively: Kantoan, Johtoan, Hoenish, Sinnoan, and Unovan (Kalosian for Kalos, and Alolan for Alola).[48] The time zones for each region are: Alola -8, Kalos -6, Unova -3, Hoenn -1, Kanto/Johto 0, Sinnoh +2.[49][50][51]

  • The League and the G-Men
"I recognize that the League has made a decision, but given that it’s a stupid-ass decision I’ve elected to ignore it." -Paul in TAC[52]

Canonically, the only known member of the G-men is Lance.[53] Lu expands its membership to all the other Champions then plays with The League and the G-Men's combined roles at the top of the country.[54][55]

In TAC, until Everything Else, elections only happened at city levels at most, past and current country leaders never getting to their positions through any democratic process whatsoever. Champions, like in canon earn their titles by winning against the previous Champion. What the Pokémon society is unaware of, however, is that there are systems in place to prevent those leaders from ever losing their battles. Because of that, The G-men, and by extension, the League are seen by many of those who are in on the secret as corrupt oligarchic organizations.

The main reason that backwards system has worked for so long is that, luckily, those in power are inherently good people with the nation's best interests at heart, though there is no guarantee that will always be the case.[51]

Additional Works

The Ash Connection II: The Rising

Seven years have passed since the fall of Team Rocket. Lance, Cynthia, and Alder have left their Championship seats to a new generation of trainers who will face their first true test after Team Plasma terrorizes Iris on the day of her inauguration. Multiple pairings, including Pokeshipping, Contestshipping, and Ikarishipping, among others. Sequel to "The Ash Connection."

If the first story's main theme is Faith, TAC II's is Truth.[56]

The sequel brings back all the themes introduced in the first installment and reshapes them to fit in a more mature and dark storyline. It follows a new generation of Champions as they tread the thorny path of leadership and are forced to make hard choices, gambling everything they believe in to protect what matters the most. New characters like Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Georgia, and Burgundy also join the main cast, having their own story arcs that eventually add to the main plot.

TAC II's cover image is an analogy to PETA[57][58] and the author has mentioned that the story is her take on a Zombie Apocalypse AU.[59]

Everything Else

"It's happening," Dawn told Zoey in a low voice. "They've set the framework for a new government; an election is coming."
Zoey's editor asks her to cover Junia Stevens, the candidate running in opposition to Erol Adalet in Napaj's first national election. Spinoff of "The Ash Connection" universe following TAC II. Includes Snowpointshipping and Ikarishipping, among other pairings.

According to Lu, the title of the spin-off comes from George Orwell's quote: “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.”[60]

Everything Else's cover is a fanart made by kasuria, co-creator of some of the fankids that cameo in the story like: Lizzie (IkariShipping), Briar (LeafGreenShipping), Allie (ContestShipping), Skye (PokeShipping).

Some of the social media handles used in the story come from PokeBlogs RP, a blog-style roleplay group she started with her friends.[61]

The Ash Connection III

[@pkmncoordinators]

The Middleground is the only thing I’ve ever written that I’m actually proud of; TAC can fuck off.

[@pkmncoordinators]

TBF, I’m only angry at TAC because I’m working on the final installment, and writing like 50 characters at the same time is bullshit.[62]

Lu confirmed TAC III, set after Everything Else, to be the final installment of the series. It'll take place 25 years after the first story and will have the fankids as part of the main cast.[63][64][65][66]

What to expect in TAC III

  • Main Character

If among the enormous cast, Ash can be considered the main character in TAC, and Paul, Iris and Leaf are the leads in TAC II, there's a chance that either Drew or Lizzie (IkariShipping fankid) may be the main character in TAC III.[67][68]

  • How does the new government work?

The backward functioning of the League and the need for a new system are recurring topics since the first story. In Everything Else, the current Champions lineup manages to democratically elect Napaj's first president. TAC III is supposed to explain what happens next.[69][70]

  • The Conspiracy

The faked death of 14 young trainers, one of the biggest conspiracies in Napaj history is tied to much secrecy and hidden agendas. The truth behind the G-men/League's hand in politics and the ruling of the country will be brought to the public eye, leading the 14 plus Leaf and Silver to face the unresolved issues that have been piling up since that fateful Christmas 25 years ago.[71][72][73]

From Everything Else and some information Lu has let slip over the years, it's likely that Zoey will have a huge role in reuniting the 16, and that there will be conflict to be dealt with in the reunion itself.[74]

  • Fankids

Lu's mentioned a couple of times that the fankids will have a major role in the final part of the series. Some of the new generation include: Emily Stone (DarkSteelShipping), Lizzie (IkariShipping), Skye (PokeShipping), Allie and Nick (ContestShipping), Briar (Leafgreenshipping), Cicily, Jasmine and Oliver (WishfulShipping), Carine (CandycornShipping).[75][76][77][78]

How I imagine TAC III will look from Lizzie's POV
Olivier, please don't cry again.
Nick, cut it out before you end up as a pulp.
Cicily, please control your sister before this turns worse.
Jasmine, enough. Let's not do this. Just calm down for once.
Allie, chill out and get your brother an ice pack.
Skylar, no.

toasty-coconut[79]

TAC Adjacent

Stories and scenarios that the author came up with that technically may fit in the TAC timeline but are not necessarily canon.

Gallery

The two images below, originally posted on Lu's tumblr, also exist in the story. One is a page of Team Rocket's dossier on young trainers connected to Ash from TAC, and the other is a picture from Karina's blog from TAC II.[80][81]

  • "image that looks like a profile page from a file. In it, the description of Ash Ketchum and the word 'DECEASED' stamped over a picture of his face"
  • "a shaky photo of a stack of papers held in front of the camera with the text too blurred to read"

Reviews and Comments

As of July 2, 2021, TAC has 1,401 favorites, 614 follows, and 1,070 reviews on Fanfiction.Net. TAC II: 607 favorites, 470 follows, 1,017 reviews. Everything Else: 102 favorites, 52 follows, 116 reviews. The TAC series are very popular in the fandom and seem to have been overall well received by the majority of the readers. The comments below refer to all three installments of TAC already published.

[...] I don’t usually invest in long fanfictions, and it took me a while to even start reading this one even though I saw tumblr updates of it every Friday. But eventually I just had to check it out after seeing so much of it on your blog, and I just got so hooked. And I’m glad I did, because while reading it, it just makes me remember everything I love about Pokemon and what it means to me, as cheesy as that is to say. All of the characters were portrayed so well and the romance was perfectly woven into the story without taking away from the main drive. I sincerely am looking forward to a sequel, and well, anything else you write in the future![...][82]

This story was an incredible undertaking, and as a reader, I am eternally grateful that it was shared with the world. It is a gift and one that should not be taken lightly. If you enjoy The Ash Connection, Lu has other works that are also incredible and worth checking out. Thank you @pkmncoordinators for all your hard work and for sharing this with us. It will always remain a favourite of mine.[83]

[...] If I were to take just one thing away from this story though, it would be that faith in those you love, and faith in yourself, is very powerful. [...] This is probably one of the few fanfiction stories would recommend to anyone, regardless of how much or how well they know Pokemon. Lu takes real world problems and applies them in the story well. It’s something that could work just as well with original characters, but the familiarity of Ash and friends helps, even if they’re not exactly the same at the end of the story. I wouldn’t expect them to be though, they grow, just like real people and it happens naturally. Lu has an amazing talent and if you would like to check out her work you can do so here. You can find The Ash Connection here and Lu’s Tumblr page is here. If you do read the story, please leave Lu a review letting her know what you think.[84]

I would suggest The Ash Connection and it's sequel, The Ash Connection II. Both are well written and the characters are enjoyable to see interact with each other, but the writing is well over 10,000 words at this point, rivaling some novels at this point. The characters are all anime based (Save a few based of the games and a low number of OCs), and they deviate slightly from the source material, but for the better.

Ash is the main focus in the story, and Team rocket is the evil team. Ash and his friends from all his adventures (Minus XY) are under attack from a mysterious pokemon, and the champions from the various regions step in to help get the kids out of danger.

Also just as a warning, this fanfiction uses a lot of shipping, but it doesn't detract from the experience I find (though that might just be me). It is all fairly tame as the author does keep the relationships realistic for none of the characters being over 15 in the first fic. Overall, I don't want to say more as the story is better unspoiled, but I suggest it to anyone who wants to read it.[85]

TAC is my standard for fanfics. Everytime I come across a fanfic that I REALLY like and I learn people love to read as well, I say 'This is the TAC of *insert fandom* TAC is that great. Thank you for writing it![86]

You wanna know what I find memorable about your writing? Well, here we go. Honestly, most of the non-TAC things I read...weren't super memorable. Very sorry. Still enjoyed some of them, though! But TAC!! Amazingly memorable, mostly because of the outstanding plot (especially in TACII!). Also memorable because of the nuance of character, believable development, yet close canon relationships. Not to mention how you weaved so many elements together like characters being related and I'm out of space[87]

Can I just give you props for being the foreshadowing master. Currently re reading TAC and I'm literally astonished about how much you foreshadow within the entire story. You are absolutely brilliant! *bows down before the master*[88]

This story was so much fun! I honestly couldn’t put it down at multiple points and it’s given me so many ideas for snippets extra scenes Id love to write up. It’s been an absolute delight watching Paul try to avoid the romance subplot like the plague before he gives in to the inevitable. I can picture him ending his argument with Kenny saying, “And for the record, I didn’t even want to play this stupid game in the first place. I’ve seen what it does to the rest of you idiots and it’s horrifying!” Dread them, run from them, hormones arrive all the same. All the other characters had plenty of awesome and fun moments too. Although, the Pokémon themselves don’t get much screen time. But that’s to be expected given how big the cast already is and the focus is on human connections.
My one minor gripe is the “G-Men” and invoking Pokémon names for swears are a tad silly and hard to take seriously. I honestly laughed out loud when I first read “Government Men agency” in some press conference or something. Maybe discussing the bus crash? But as I said, it’s a minor problem.
The one thing I cannot excuse though, is the criminal lack of Paul and Shinx content! That precious bean is a One Scene Wondercat and I need more content of it defrosting our favorite perpetual grump. That one chapter was just too cute to leave it as a one-off and I can’t stop thinking about how Shinx could have earned itself a place on Paul’s team during the expedition and gotten more scenes in the future.

Thanks again for a beautiful, addictive story. I was also delighted to discover you have more works building on this one and dove right in to many of them.[89]

You got me hook up since Book 1 and this, it's nearly perfect! I love the narratives how you portray the characters here like even if they are jus the minor ones, you give them some relevance in the story. And the wits that always make me laugh and the feels! Uggh there are parts that I tear up and cry. I can really feel your passion as a writer and a Pokemon fan pouring in the story. In addition, the best thing about here also is you made me fall in love with the pairings. Overall, I enjoy the story just like how I enjoy the first part. I dont think I can find another Pokemon fanfic that can really blow my mind like how this fanfic did to me. I'm looking forward for the third installment![90]

Words cannot describe how utterly amazing this is... Seriously. This is probably the first time I have ever felt so emotionally invested and at a literal loss for words for a fanfic in my life. Pokemon was technically the first anime I ever watched so I have a strong attachment to it as a series and have read so much fanfiction for it its got to be unhealthy(lol). But I do have to say how incredible this story was and it is without a doubt the best Pokemon one out there. I am so insanely happy that you’re making another one and trust me if I could count the days down I would. Your writing is awe inspiring and it astounds me that you could a) make a story so perfect with so many characters that somehow all tie in together and b) keep all those characters in character and create a story that revolves around them all so fluently. It was simply perfection and am so happy you shared this one with us. Thank you for an amazing job well done and good luck with number 3![91]

This story is years old, but I’m going through a bit of a Pokémon fanfic Renaissance right now starting with the Ash connection and just had to reach out to tell you how beautifully woven every element of your stories is. The richness of each chapter is absolutely amazing, and while I’ve read the AC and the AC II, this is the first time I’ve read this companion piece and I was blown away. I felt like I was unraveling the mystery with Zoey every step, and if you ever decide to write the third installment of the AC I assume it would involve the theme of facing the truth where we would finally get to see Silver again and this story would be an absolutely amazing lead into that. I truly hope you do decide to write a third installment of the AC and turn the piece into a trilogy, because I would hang on each and every word! (Although I may not every forgive you for the suffering Paul went through in the AC II, as an avid ikarishipper it was hard to read sometimes!) Thanks for bringing this story into the world, it’s truly touched me as someone who loved the Pokémon anime![92]

Criticism

  • Ash is irrelevant

The cast is so big, many readers have pointed out that Ash has too small of a role in the story for being tagged as one of the protagonists. Some have even claimed that the author goes out of her way to depict him as useless in comparison to the other main characters.

OK, so while I do like TAC, it seems Ash doesn't do anything significant other than dreaming. I get that you're trying to balance a large cast, but he only shows up for a few lines of dialogue in a chapter sometimes. As the main protag, shouldn't he doing more?[93]

Ash didn't even do anything... He just... stuck around for the whole thing except a the end... Then why list him as one of the main characters? Iris's role was much better than Ash's role in the fic... He was even silent throughout the whole fic and didn't play any part in important decisions. You gave the other characters importance but you did it at the cost of taking away Ash's importance...[94]

  • Leaf is a bad character

Leaf is a game character that has no counterpart in the anime. Because of that, there is no obvious reference point to Leaf's portrayal in TAC. She is also one of the characters in the series who can be considered morally gray, her behavior coming off as cold and manipulative when confronting the other characters, despite having good intentions at heart.

Ok, well after 8 chapters, I can just say I can't stand Leaf. I really can't lmao it's to the point that all I was hoping was that someone puts her in her place so that she can just shut up because it's so annoying seeing her pretending that she is better than everyone else. Leaf who was one of my faves from TAC, now is probably my least favorite. However, I will keep an open mind and see how everything turn out and if she can climb up the chart lmao I am still enjoying the fic. Even if Leaf rubs me the wrong way, there is no way it's affecting how much I like this story though.(...)[95]

  • Should May become Champion?

Fans seemed split about one of the choices Lu made in the story referring to the character's future. Some people liked the idea of May taking the leadership role, others claimed that somebody else should be champion instead.[96]

I should do a critical analysis of my reviews to see which I hear more: “I don’t think May should be Champion because she’s a coordinator/not strong enough/not Champion material” or “Ash isn’t even a main character in this story/you always ignore Ash.”[97]

(...) Is May going to be the one that will give the G-men a better image because of how May is? May is able to lead and direct things into order because she did fill in for Drew when he went home O:[98]

  • Every character has family problems[99]
[cannockprincess-deactivated2014]

I'm reading TAC and wow everybody has daddy issues...

[japaneesee]

this was like the first observation i made while reading this fanfiction[100]

  • IkariShipping is toxic

Shipping in the Pokémon fandom has always been polarizing, what with every new pokegirl replacing the previous one (and starting their own ship followings with homeboy Ash), but IkariShipping was one to receive rather harsh criticism because of Paul’s questionable demeanor in the anime.[101] Preconceptions of him being an abusive character or not having enough chemistry with Dawn caused backlash even when it came to fanworks, and TAC was not exempt from the drama.

[...]Ikari is unrealistic in the eyes of many fans because the pairing has unfortunately been bastardized by a decent portion of the Ikarishipping fandom. TAC attempts to present a honest portrayal of what Ikarishipping would actually look like with consideration to both Dawn and Paul’s characters—meaning that I try very hard to stay true to their canon personalities.

Moreover, Paul’s more than just a “jerk" both canon-wise and in TAC. In TAC, he’s a classic anti-hero. Several of his peers are unwilling to let go of their bad impressions (ahem, Zoey), and as a result, wear blinders when it comes to the very good things Paul does for not only Ash and Dawn, but the whole group. [...]

As it stands in TAC, Ikari is actually pretty one-sided romantically. Usually in your typical Ikarishipping portrayal, Dawn has feelings for Paul and he has to warm up to her. It’s the other way around in TAC: Paul has feelings for Dawn and she has to warm up to him. The problem is that he doesn’t really act on his feelings; the one time he does (in the newest chapter) is because he’s in weird place physically and mentally—so it’s almost a mistake, and it feels like it’s from left field for Dawn.[102]

Fanworks

Fanfics

Fanart

Edits

Cosplays

Miscellaneous

Links

References

  1. ^ The Chosen One. Bulpapedia.
  2. ^ pkmncoordinators, Tumblr ask, archived, posted December 5, 2015.
  3. ^ pkmncoordinators, Tumblr ask, archived, posted March 13, 2014.
  4. ^ pkmncoordinators, Tumblr ask, posted August 23, 2015.
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  9. ^ tweet by pkmncoordinator, posted December 8, 2019.
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  32. ^ Paul looks like Brandon by zdude18, The PokéCommunity Forums. Posted April 29, 2013.
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  35. ^ pkmncoordinators, Tumblr ask, posted December 17, 2015.
  36. ^ rossquirtle, Ursula in 'The Ash Connection', posted March 19, 2014.
  37. ^ mokkemusic, Tumblr ask from dbzebra, posted November 9, 2019.
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  39. ^ pokexlove96, TAC Headcanons, Tumblr, posted June 22, 2015.
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  81. ^ Tumblr post by pkmncoordinators, posted September 21, 2017.
  82. ^ Tumblr post by kasuria, posted November 11, 2013.
  83. ^ The Ash Connection (I and II) by nicolewrites, Tumblr. Posted July 12, 2016.
  84. ^ Fanfiction Review: The Ash Connection by I Am Lu by AkaShika, Tumblr. Posted April 9, 2017.
  85. ^ toxicsnivy, reply to Reddit thread. Posted March 10, 2015.
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  89. ^ TAC review from Zakeraz on FanFiction.Net, posted May 29, 2021.
  90. ^ TAC II review from BlackStellar on FanFiction.Net, posted September 10, 2018.
  91. ^ TAC II review from krsw1151 on FanFiction.Net, posted March 4, 2018.
  92. ^ EE review from Believe-daydream-Fly529 on FanFiction.Net, posted April 7, 2021.
  93. ^ pkmncoordinators, Tumblr ask, posted June 21, 2013.
  94. ^ TAC guest review on FanFiction.Net, posted April 18, 2014.
  95. ^ TAC II guest review on FanFiction.Net, posted November 19, 2017.
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  97. ^ Tumblr post by pkmncoordinators, posted November 11, 2015.
  98. ^ pkmncoordinators, Tumblr ask, posted January 3, 2015.
  99. ^ Why everyone in “The Ash Connection” has “daddy issues” by pkmncoordinators, Tumblr. Posted February 9, 2014.
  100. ^ pkmncoordinators, Tumblr thread, posted February 8, 2014.
  101. ^ KittyJewelpet78, (Request) Anti Ikarishipping Stamp, DeviantArt, posted August 24, 2014.
  102. ^ pkmncoordinators, Tumblr ask, posted June 28, 2013.
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