Shipping and Canon
Here's a fandom question I've been wondering about.
For people who OTP or at least STRONGLY ship a non-canon, seemingly non-endgame couple on a show, why is it important for the ship to become canon? I personally ship all over the place and generally don't need to see the ships on screen. (Though I do admit I like my favorite characters to be kissing someone. I'm just not picky about who exactly that might be.) Chemistry, subtext, and imagination are what I need. :)
I can understand wanting it if the couple is canon but apart, like Snow White/Prince Charming (fans would want them back together), or when the couple is endgame, like any couple on a romantic procedural such as Castle where a good portion of the show's plot is the eventual canon romance.
However, if you are shipping a non-canon, unlikely to be endgame couple - Snow White/Grumpy, Emma/Gold, Castle/Laney, Doctor/Donna - why get caught up in wishing/hoping/begging for a canon, on-screen romance between your characters? Why do you want them to write your romance? It frequently ends, or even starts, badly and fanfiction/subtext is often so much better! Why want on again/off again until you just want them to be apart (Luke/Lorelei)? Or a nice, mutually abusive relationship which has the added bonus of fizzling out (Spike/Buffy)? Or how about skipping over the romance and going right for a baby (Bones/Booth)? Or any of the many other ways writers mess with their canon couples to create drama?
I guess the question is with fanfiction and subtext who needs canon?
ETA: This isn't about anyone doing fandom wrong or anything like that since I don't think there is a way to do fandom wrong and I'm not judging. I'm just curious since it does seem to be rather stressful.
This entry was originally posted here and has
comments. Comment here or there.
For people who OTP or at least STRONGLY ship a non-canon, seemingly non-endgame couple on a show, why is it important for the ship to become canon? I personally ship all over the place and generally don't need to see the ships on screen. (Though I do admit I like my favorite characters to be kissing someone. I'm just not picky about who exactly that might be.) Chemistry, subtext, and imagination are what I need. :)
I can understand wanting it if the couple is canon but apart, like Snow White/Prince Charming (fans would want them back together), or when the couple is endgame, like any couple on a romantic procedural such as Castle where a good portion of the show's plot is the eventual canon romance.
However, if you are shipping a non-canon, unlikely to be endgame couple - Snow White/Grumpy, Emma/Gold, Castle/Laney, Doctor/Donna - why get caught up in wishing/hoping/begging for a canon, on-screen romance between your characters? Why do you want them to write your romance? It frequently ends, or even starts, badly and fanfiction/subtext is often so much better! Why want on again/off again until you just want them to be apart (Luke/Lorelei)? Or a nice, mutually abusive relationship which has the added bonus of fizzling out (Spike/Buffy)? Or how about skipping over the romance and going right for a baby (Bones/Booth)? Or any of the many other ways writers mess with their canon couples to create drama?
I guess the question is with fanfiction and subtext who needs canon?
ETA: This isn't about anyone doing fandom wrong or anything like that since I don't think there is a way to do fandom wrong and I'm not judging. I'm just curious since it does seem to be rather stressful.
This entry was originally posted here and has
comments. Comment here or there.