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[Image Description: an Undertale chat box that says “CANON UNIVERSE” at its center. Surrounding it is radar on its left, and CRIME measurers and a Friendship bar from the Dating Hub on its right. End I.D.]

[Image Description: A bar graph titled “CANON CHARACTER SHIP PREFERENCES”. From left (greatest) to right (least): Alphyne, with 1641 who CONSUME it and 435 who CREATE it; Soriel, with 802 consumers and 188 creators; Papyton, with 725 consumers and 150 creators; Sansby, with 644 consumers and 140 creators; RG01/RG02, 555 consumers and 48 creators; Nicepants, 515 consumers and 61 creators; Kingdings, 445 consumers and 74 creators; Grillster, 438 consumers and 97 creators; Dogamy/Dogaressa, 427 consumers and 38 creators; Frans, 342 consumers and 107 creators; Fontcest, 310 consumers and 136 creators; Charisk, 289 consumers and 77 creators; Sanster, 271 consumers and 85 creators; Chasriel, with 212 consumers and 41 creators; Sansgoriel, 204 consumers and 32 creators; Mettaton/Sans, 127 consumers and 22 creators; Other Ships, 735 consumers and 459 creators; No Ships, 340 consumers and 1581 creators; there were 141 consumers and 117 creators who preferred not to answer. End I.D.]

Alphyne (Alphys/Undyne), as the only major canon ship confirmed in the game, understandably had the highest number of votes in the consumption category, with 61.9% of fans enjoying content about them. They also ranked highest among the specifically stated ships in the creation category, at 16.4%. (As a reminder, ship content created could be in the form of fics, art, comics, videos, or other forms of media.) The “other ships” option, while having only half the votes that Alphyne did in the consumption category, narrowly beat out Alphyne in the creation category (at 17.3%). These two questions in the survey came before the reader insert and AU ships. The “other ships” option in the survey was specifically labeled as “rarepair or ship not listed here,” without clarifying that it still only referred to canon character ships, so it is possible that content creators voted for that option in reference to reader insert or AU ships. Of course, it could also mean that the total of all rarepair ships surpasses the one major ship in the game. It is impossible to tell for sure without gathering more data.

Regardless, Alphyne is still very popular, and deservedly so. Alphyne is unique as one of the first wlw romances in popular media. In the free-response questions about favorite characters and favorite things about the game, many fans brought up the impact that Alphyne had on them. One responder said, “I think Alphys/Undyne helped me accept myself as a lesbian.” The true pacifist ending of the game cannot be reached without Undyne and Alphys confessing their feelings, and the player themself helps them to do so. All of these factors likely contribute to the interest that fans have in their relationship.

Of the ships that are not present in canon, Soriel (Sans/Toriel) ranked the highest in both the consumption and creation categories, followed by Papyton (Papyrus/Mettaton) and Sansby (Sans/Grillby).

[More analysis of these ships under the cut. Also contains mentions of Fontcest.]

Soriel’s popularity is unsurprising given their interactions in canon. Sans’s friendship with Toriel cannot be missed on any route, as he talks about her in the ending phone calls, even choosing to stay with her in the Exiled Queen ending. He also mentions her at the MTT resort if you choose to have dinner with him, which is a scene that many fans of the game love. And, of course, there is the unforgettable pacifist ending, where they meet in person for the first time while Asgore cries in the background. While none of these interactions are inherently romantic, they certainly have a deep friendship that fans can choose to make into something more.

Interestingly, Papyton is the only one of these top four ships that has not had a direct interaction in-game, though Papyrus’s admiration for Mettaton can be inferred from tidbits scattered throughout his battle (MTT brand anime powder, etc.), his date (action figures of various sexy robots), and his phone calls (“HE’S MY FAVORITE SEXY RECTANGLE!”). This ship also may have the appeal of giving both Papyrus and Mettaton a love interest, particularly if fans also ship Alphyne and Soriel at the same time. Papyrus and Mettaton both have bold, flamboyant personalities that have potential to go well together in fanworks where they have the opportunity to interact.

Sansby ranked number four, being the only popular canon ship to include a minor character. Grillby is interesting in that he only says one line in the game (“...good job.”), yet he has a large fan following in his own right. Sans jokes with him, and even if Grillby does not respond verbally, there is room for fans to headcanon a relationship between them.

The fifth ranking ship depends on whether you choose to sort by the ships fans choose to consume, or the ships fans choose to create. Royal Guard 01/Royal Guard 02 is the fifth most popular ship for consuming content, but they only have 48 responders (1.8%) who enjoy creating content about them. They are memorable and enjoyable side characters, but fans have not latched onto them and given them backstories like Grillby. In sorting by ships fans create content for, Fontcest (Sans/Papyrus) was the fifth most popular (at 5.1%). This did not come as a surprise, since discarding reader and AU ships, Fontcest has the second most tagged fics on AO3 (after Alphyne). Since Papyrus and Sans are the two most popular Undertale characters by far, is it inevitable that some fans will ship them regardless of their status as siblings.

The popularity of Sans, Papyrus, and ships involving the two becomes even more apparent in the next section: reader insert ships.

Shipping Analysis Navigation:

1. Introduction, limitations, and methods 2. Canon Character Ships (you are here) 3. Reader Insert Ships 4. AU Character Ships (to be posted) 5. Overall Shipping Comparisons (to be posted)

#shipping #undertale fandom census #undertale #soriel #sansby #papyton #fontcest #alphyne #results #royal guards 01 & 02

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