Fandom Shipper Questions

[shadowkat]

Have some questions for shippers? (I'm trying not to answer or judge here - because I want to understand perspectives that are different from my own. I'm not sure I'm really a shipper, because while I care about relationships, I care about story more. Happily Ever After is not an ending I want or crave really...although it would be nice on occasion, since tragic endings get rather old.)

Which comes first and foremost or is the most important to you: Ship or Story? Characters Emotional Arc or Ship?

*Do you read a book series or watch a tv show/series solely for the romantic relationship ignoring the rest?
* Or is the "ship" just icing, making the show that much more tasty?
* Or is the characters arcs and their story/overall plot what is important? (ie. even if your favorite "ship" never comes to pass or doesn't work out - that's fine as long as it makes sense to the character's arc and is interesting and crunchy? The story comes before the ship?)

This question is the result of latest flirtation with a fan spoiler board for a urban fantasy novel - where I noticed the vast majority of posters were saying - while the book is good, I'm frustrated because I'm not sure about my ship? Or I'm so happy - my ship may happen! Or I threw the book across the room because it killed my ship? Or my dream is for the character to have her moonlight wedding...with T or I or A? The book in question is NOT a romance novel. So this begs the question - is a happily ever after romance necessary?

Is the ship the reason you are watching or reading? OR is it secondary? Or does it depend on the story? ie. For House and Sherlock - you only watch for House/Wilson or Sherlock/Watson - ignoring everything else. Or for Buffy, you only watched for Buffy/Angel or Buffy/Spike? Yet for another show, say BSG, you didn't ship at all and watched for the entire story?

And to what degree has shipping influenced your fanfic/meta writing? Or for that matter, your abhorrence of shipping influenced your writing, involvement in fandom, and reactions to it?
If Whedon, for example, had killed Spike off in the comics and had Buffy and Angel become a full-time heroic couple - would that have influenced how you viewed the comics? Or what if it was the opposite, if Angel died or was exiled, and Buffy and Spike rode off into the proverbial moonlight (sunlight is a bit hard on vampires)? How would you view say Doctor Who - if Ten had fallen in love with Martha Jones instead of Rose Tyler? And how does this influence your reactions to other's in fandom - do you find shipping a positive or negative or a bit of both kind of thing?

Comments

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

Since none of the ships that I have preference for when I read and write fanfiction will ever happen in canon, I just tend to ignore any longings for them in the actual show/book/what-have-you. The story overall is definitely more important. I don't believe I've every been in a fandom where I was strictly in it for a romantic pairing. Any pairing could be sold to me as realistic and in-character with the right plot. However, there are certain ships that I have come to very much dislike, either because of fandom or because of what's previous happened on the show (in BtVS's case), that the writer would have to put double the effort into making it believable or "happy" to me. Of course, I don't believe in happy endings, so the closest anyone could come is a "contented ending," which I'd be okay with.

I think I see shipping as a negative thing. I think that shipping makes some people blind to the characters that may hamper their ship happening. I've seen some Spuffy shippers ignore swaths of Angel's character development just to make Spike look better, and I've seen Bangels ignore Spike in the same way to make Angel out to be the only one Buffy should be with. In the Whedonverse, most of the characters are so dysfunctional that they really need to "get right" with themselves before they drag anyone else down in a relationship with them. I'd much rather see Buffy be able to overcome her issues and stand on her own than worry about who she's having relations with. To be fair, I do have my shipping preferences that I write, but I have a wider variety that I read. For example, I don't ship Spander. I don't understand it within the context of the show, BUT I have read Spander fanfic that sells the idea to me. And that's how I'd want any relationships in the show to be- if you can sell me the idea, with the characters in character and with a good plot, I'd believe and probably enjoy just about anything. Though, in an ensemble cast, I don't like the whole of the plot to be overtaken by just one couple or character; I do want the progression of events and development to be well-rounded and natural.