Why Do You Ship What You Ship?

[pennswoods]

I posted the following question to my Tumblr a little while back in responses to some of the arguing over shipping and assumptions being made about why people ship. I'm often frustrated by the simplistic and reductive assumptions that emerge in this kind of wank and wonder where other people are coming from. I expect we all ship for a number of

Comments

[frodosweetstuff]

Ooooh, interesting! I read some of the responses to your Tumblr post but ack Tumblr makes it not easy to read them...

I would guess that shipping something because it brings you joy is probably something that everyone would agree on and the differences lie in what exactly is causing that joy?

I've had a look at who I ship and why and there's a clear pattern in my three OTPs: I always start out with admiring and loving a character who is
a) doing something idealistic/not for personal gain/for the good of others (often at great cost to himself)
b) who's a bit of a loner/standing out for being different and facing negative consequences for it and
c) not receiving much or any recognition for the good he is doing.

(And visually, it just so happens that this character always is on the pale side, is slender and has dark hair, ideally curls. Expressive eyes don't hurt either).

I fell for my first ever OTP because in his story fate had treated my favourite character very poorly (especially in the film version of his story) and I wanted a happy end for him - which came in the shape of the unconditional love of a strong, supportive partner who saw and appreciated all that my fav character did and had done and that was overlooked or not understood by everyone else around them.

The same is true for my other OTPs - my favourite character is rewarded for the (selfless) good that he does by finding love and happiness in a relationship. This is probably why I enjoy the matchmaking kind of fics the most - the fic that show us how these characters fall in love and become a couple and get their happy ending. Of course I read all kinds of fics about my OTPs but first-time or first-kiss fics are my favourite. :)

So, why do I ship a pairing? Because I fall in love with one of the characters and want a happy ending for him that I don't see in canon. This goes as far as me shipping a pairing where I never really liked the other half all that much - but he was just perfect for my favourite character and who was I to argue. - Oh, and another thing - my OTPs all have a very strong bond of friendship in their canons, I don't think it would work for me if they hadn't. I like that it just takes a little nudge to get my character from having a good friend to having a loving partner/boyfriend/husband.

As for the link to my life - I'm a fairly idealistic person and admire people who sacrifice a lot (their life, in fic) for the greater good - and I know that life doesn't always provide happy endings, but slash fic can (and not just of the sexy kind). Also, being in a stable relationship means that I don't get to fall in love and get together with someone over and over again - the way I can do via my favourite characters... :D

Thank you - this was most interesting! Looking forward to any other comments you might get here!

[teddyradiator]

I fell for my first ever OTP because in his story fate had treated my favourite character very poorly (especially in the film version of his story) and I wanted a happy end for him - which came in the shape of the unconditional love of a strong, supportive partner who saw and appreciated all that my fav character did and had done and that was overlooked or not understood by everyone else around them.

This. It's simply the reason I ship. And the reason I'm so protective of the ship, and want to keep its integrity strong by encouraging writers and artist to contribute to it. I can get horribly gung-ho about it at times, but when you love something, you want to take care of it and see that it thrives.

[akatnamedeaster]

A big heaping, helping of yes to this.

[pennswoods]

I love this enthusiasm and love.

[frodosweetstuff]

Yes!!!!! :)

[boxofdelights]

If he were slender, Benton Fraser would be right in your sweet spot. Have you seen any Due South?

[pennswoods]

Are you friends with Clevermanka? She loves Due South and adores that fandom.

[frodosweetstuff]

No, I'm afraid I haven't seen Due South but I know of it. For some reason it didn't click, even though it has been recommended to me by friends. - Apart from Sherlock, I love both Frodo Baggins and Merlin from the BBC series. And, to a lesser degree, Ben Whishaw as Q.

[pennswoods]

Oh so interesting. I need to examine whether the same might not also be true for me (find one character in an OTP that I admire and love). I know I have been unable to really ship certain characters because I find them unrelatable, but what I tend to relate to is the messy stuff. But I have never been drawn to an all-out villain, so there is no doubt a degree of admiration for the character(s) that I need to have.

I also wonder if I also have a physical type as well. I know I am more drawn to Sherlock physically and I really like reading fic where his slenderness and hair are explicitly emphasized.

[frodosweetstuff]

When you say messy stuff, what exactly do you refer to? Emotionally messy stuff for the character?

I definitely have a physical type - shallow me. Just look at these three pics:

http://frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com/714377.html

*whimpers* Especially when John is running his fingers through Sherlock's hair... *whimpers more*