Not Like Ships In The Night: Shippers

[Rick Kitchen]

'My Immortal' wins that one doesn't it? Unless there's something worse out there? and if so, point me towards it please. :D

 

 

Aw, My Immortal is just fun to read (and to watch the fanvids)

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I'm going to guess that you weren't heavily into Harry Potter fandom and never came across Hagrid/Dobby fanfic? 

 

"Dobby stretches, sir!" 

 

No, but I have seen Futa!Hermione and Luna Lovegood.

[Chaos Theory]

I don't usually ship hetero pairings they don't need the help (plus ick boys). However there are a few I like.

Josh/Nora Being Human (American version)

Jax/Tarra. Sons of Anarchy

Dexter/Rita. Dexter.

Charming/Snow Once Upon A Time

Those are off the top of my head.

[Jipijapa]

It gets awkward in a fandom when there is a subset of fans who think Actor and Actress have awesome chemistry and are made for each other and maybe even have the secret hots for each other, and when there is another subset of fans who are aware that Actor and Actress don't get along that great in real life  (you know, it's called "acting!")   and they just have to be quiet, polite, bite their tongues and let their fellow fans have their fantasies.

[Expat]

Real-person shipping is something that I cannot get on board with. It just feels really creepy to me.

 

If the actors are actually a couple in real life and they make that clear and post like piccies and stuff, I've been known to think 'hey, they're kinda cute together'. But that's as far as it goes for me.

 

Something else that I don't get is when people start shipping characters just because two actors are involved. Like, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher being a couple has caused some people to think that Jackie belonged with Kelso after all. Well, okay then...to each their own.

[Guest]

It gets awkward in a fandom when there is a subset of fans who think Actor and Actress have awesome chemistry and are made for each other and maybe even have the secret hots for each other

 

I've never really understood how shipping characters turns into shipping the actors.

Edited January 31, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[Misslindsey]

 

Like, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher being a couple has caused some people to think that Jackie belonged with Kelso after all. Well, okay then...to each their own.

Hee! Maybe they were as irritated as I was that she ended up with Fez. I was a Jackie and Hyde shipper, but I would have had her end up with anyone besides Fez.

 

How I Met Your Mother got me to tune in again when the revealed the mother was Cristin Milioti. I loved her in the musical Once. So I did end up shipping Ted and The Mother, which did not end very well. Sigh...at least they did get together.

[Expat]

Hee! Maybe they were as irritated as I was that she ended up with Fez. I was a Jackie and Hyde shipper, but I would have had her end up with anyone besides Fez.

 

How I Met Your Mother got me to tune in again when the revealed the mother was Cristin Milioti. I loved her in the musical Once. So I did end up shipping Ted and The Mother, which did not end very well. Sigh...at least they did get together.

 

Well, since I live in denial world, Jackie did end up with Hyde. Season 8 never happened.

 

While I'm at it, HIMYM ended with with Barney & Robin's wedding and they all lived happily ever after! :D

[Featherhat]

I've never really understood how shipping characters turns into shipping the actors.

 

I'm not sure either and yet for a small portion of my adolescence it seemed  somewhat important to me that certain fictional characters had actors who had actually found true love together. I have no idea why. This was in the mid "naughties"  when Livejournal was a big thing in fandom. I think it's just another way to express human love of gossip and human tendency to ramp up everything to turbo supercharged  when sex is mentioned. Beyond some tabloid rumours it never got to be a big deal in comparison to todays RPF ships and livejournal has never had the reach of twitter.

 

With HIMYM I just don't know. I checked out in S6 because it just became boring to me. But I did watch the final season. They did the impossible and hired and actress and create a character of "The Mother" that a lot of people loved. That's actually a big achievement n TV shows today. And yet they turned it to dust, not just because of her death but everything with it. I will never believe Ted and Robin can be together, every time they try there are simply too many things they can't or don't want to compromise on. Similarly I was never a massive shipper of Barney and Robin but to spend an entire season on their wedding only to dissolve it in 3 minutes fairly casually was poor storytelling.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Featherhat

[Jipijapa]

 

I've never really understood how shipping characters turns into shipping the actors.

 

I like to think these are just the pre-teens who are doing this.  On the Internet it's so hard to tell how old people are.  Before the Internet, all age groups might have been watching a show, but they weren't generally mixing together and discussing it.  The Internet has now become a huge talk pool that is not segregated by age, which probably muddies the waters quite a bit.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Jipijapa

[Anna Yolei]

'My Immortal' wins that one doesn't it? Unless there's something worse out there? and if so, point me towards it please. :D

I'd have to go with "Subjugation" myself. It's not work safe, and even less safe for sanity. Basically, it's Snape getting raped by everyone....and I do mean just about every male character. He's forced to marry the worst rapist of the lot (Dumbledore) for reasons I can no longer remember and will not reread to find out but he also gets pregnant by him.

It possibly would have been the worst fanfic idea I've come across, but then I came across Topless Robot's Fanfic Friday that featured Care Bear porn and ET/Fem!Elliot male pregnancy. I hate the world sometimes. :/

Edited January 31, 2015 by Anna Yolei

[kassygreene]

I like to think these are just the pre-teens who are doing this.  On the Internet it's so hard to tell how old people are.  Before the Internet, all age groups might have been watching a show, but they weren't generally mixing together and discussing it.  The Internet has now become a huge talk pool that is not segregated by age, which probably muddies the waters quite a bit.

 

I always hope it is the immature who are doing this.  Unfortunately there are people who stay pre-teen mentally right through social security and medicare.  I find such people scarily out of touch with how real people really are.  After all, I'm somewhat socially introverted, but when I encounter someone who has a shakier grip on the human condition than I do, I get nervous.  That is the time to keep a clear path to at least two exits, hold on to your keys, always have cab fare...  It's bizarre to me that once someone commits to such a thing on the Internet, they double and re-double down.

 

Oh.  I just realized there is a label for this - the Palin Affect.  Grammar checker wants effect, but I mean Affect.

[Expat]

I'd have to go with "Subjugation" myself. It's not work safe, and even less safe for sanity. Basically, it's Snape getting raped by everyone....and I do mean just about every male character. He's forced to marry the worst rapist of the lot (Dumbledore) for reasons I can no longer remember and will not reread to find out but he also gets pregnant by him.

 

Ugh, that sounds horrifying.

It basically amounts to torture fic and well, I'm not into that.

 

I can only handle angst in tiny amounts which is why I stopped reading Ten/Rose fic. They were screwed with enough on the show.

 

I'm a total Pollyanna when it comes to fanfic. I want everything wrapped up in a nice little bow with everyone deliriously happy. That's why I read fan fiction in the first place; to see my fave couples getting their happily ever after. :)

[Anna Yolei]

I like to think these are just the pre-teens who are doing this. On the Internet it's so hard to tell how old people are. Before the Internet, all age groups might have been watching a show, but they weren't generally mixing together and discussing it. The Internet has now become a huge talk pool that is not segregated by age, which probably muddies the waters quite a bit.

My first experience with discussing a TV show with a mixed age group was Star Trek Enterprise, and I can say with certainty that the absolute worst trolls shipper wise were the 30 and over crowd. I posted at Trek BBS from ages 17 to 19, and while I won't say I was innocent of taking unnecessary digs at the "opposing" couple...I was fucking 17! Teenage brains do that. I got the hint when I tried asking the opposite side for spoilers and got shut down for my previously shitty behavior.

But some were parents to other young children FFS!

That was nothing compared to my own side that could not accept shipping the pairing we liked without seeing it become canon. Eventually,all the ship threads about my pairing just became bashes upon the spoiling character in the "triangle" that never was, so I stopped even bothering.

[Rick Kitchen]

I never read the original fanfic that "50 Shades of Grey" started out as, but I can only imagine the horrible plot that developed from.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

My first experience with discussing a TV show with a mixed age group was Star Trek Enterprise, and I can say with certainty that the absolute worst trolls shipper wise were the 30 and over crowd.

 

*points at icon*

 

My first fandom was Buffy, and I'm still baffled by some of the logic there a decade after the show went off the air. I mean, we all like what/who we like, and that's fine, but it seems like if you're going to hate X Character because they're doing X Thing, then another character doing either the same thing (or worse) should also make you not like them.

[Chaos Theory]

*points at icon*

My first fandom was Buffy, and I'm still baffled by some of the logic there a decade after the show went off the air. I mean, we all like what/who we like, and that's fine, but it seems like if you're going to hate X Character because they're doing X Thing, then another character doing either the same thing (or worse) should also make you not like them.

You'd think that wouldn't you but gender comes into play a lot. Guys get away with things girls don't. And once you like or dislike a character there is nothing they can do wrong or right to change your mind. Other characters can do that exact same thing and you say meh but a character that you hate does it and it will drive you nuts. Edited February 1, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[Anna Yolei]

I never read the original fanfic that "50 Shades of Grey" started out as, but I can only imagine the horrible plot that developed from.

I managed to find a copy of "Masters of the Universe" (the name of the original fanfic). Apart from the name changes and very minimal changes in phrasing, the story is exactly the same..

 Bland, amateur tripe that despite the glorification of abusive relationships, I can't even get passionate enough to rant about because the writing itself was so sleep-inducing. I have technical manuals for work with for creative prose than this fic...er, book has. The editor (if there was one) needs a new job.

[Shannon L.]

I'm not going to the Arrow forum because I don't want to read any big spoilers (I don't mind minor ones, but I hate being spoiled for the big events), but are people shipping Felicity and Oliver?  We're only half way through the first season, so I have no idea what's in store for her character, but for right now, I find her adorable and want to see them together.  Whenever they are in a scene together, I say "please ask her out!".  We just saw the episode with the drug dealer and when he asked her to help identify what was in the drug (claiming it was an energy drink) and said it was because he was picky about what he put in his body, her "I noticed that..." was priceless. 

[SmithW6079]

I managed to find a copy of "Masters of the Universe" (the name of the original fanfic). Apart from the name changes and very minimal changes in phrasing, the story is exactly the same..

Bland, amateur tripe that despite the glorification of abusive relationships, I can't even get passionate enough to rant about because the writing itself was so sleep-inducing. I have technical manuals for work with for creative prose than this fic...er, book has. The editor (if there was one) needs a new job.

So how was it that E.L. James didn't get sued for stealing the intellectual property of "Twilight"'s author?

[Dejana]

So how was it that E.L. James didn't get sued for stealing the intellectual property of "Twilight"'s author?

Stephenie Meyer is tremendously magnanimous? Figures she has enough money, so why waste time in court? Is secretly impressed that her ode to chastity before marriage inspired a phenomenon that took BDSM erotica mainstream? Twilight itself is actually, secretly glorified fanfic of another book, so Meyer feels she can't condemn what EL James did? Snowqueens Icedragon is secretly giving Meyer a cut of everything? It's one of the great mysteries of our times.

People ship actors who play onscreen couples because it has been known to happen in Hollywood, a lot, so why not with their couple? Some fans do take it too far, but that's the internet for you. And when it turns out that the costars are involved offscreen, the "How dare you speculate about celebrity private lives!", "Can't you separate fact from fiction?" crowd never comes back around to say, welp, you were right. But that's the internet for you, too.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Dejana

[SmithW6079]

Stephenie Meyer is tremendously magnanimous? Figures she has enough money, so why waste time in court? Is secretly impressed that her ode to chastity before marriage inspired a phenomenon that took BDSM erotica mainstream? Twilight itself is actually, secretly glorified fanfic of another book, so Meyer feels she can't condemn what EL James did? Snowqueens Icedragon is secretly giving Meyer a cut of everything? It's one of the great mysteries of our times.

 

I couldn't remember Stephenie Meyer's name and I was too lazy to look it up, so thanks. But what book is "Twilight" a fanfic of? (And that's a sentence I never thought I'd write.)

[DeLurker]

So how was it that E.L. James didn't get sued for stealing the intellectual property of "Twilight"'s author?

Because Twilight fails to meet the definition of intellectual...at least the dictionary one.

[Dejana]

I couldn't remember Stephenie Meyer's name and I was too lazy to look it up, so thanks. But what book is "Twilight" a fanfic of? (And that's a sentence I never thought I'd write.)

I was just theorizing that maybe Twilight is a fan fiction of another story, but not in a way that could be easily traced (i.e. it was never posted online first as fanfic), and Stephenie Meyer kept mum about it. Fanfic roots are still looked down upon, and certainly it looks better if, say, Divergent is an original story and not an old "Hufflepuff Harriet Potter thrown into The Hunger Games" fanfic with the names changed. For the record, neither Twilight nor Divergent were fanfics first, as far as anyone knows.

On the Sleepy Hollow boards, someone posted what I've felt for a while, that there's almost this disdain that's developed toward shipping and shippers, with the "no romance" side being viewed as so much more sensible and worthy. My feeling is that, sure, romance isn't everything, but love and relationships are a huge part of life for many people. If a sci-fi/fantasy show or detective/crime series turns into a Harlequin romance, it's not because two characters developed feelings, but because the writers just aren't very skilled. Also, story developments a viewer doesn't like are magnified that much more. I remember huge complaints about Grissom and Sara on CSI...you'd think they had stopped solving murders, from all the disgust about their relationship supposedly "taking over the show". When, compared to an actual soap, the ship elements were very mild.

Edited February 27, 2015 by Dejana

[Luckylyn]

My feeling is that, sure, romance isn't everything, but love and relationships are a huge part of life for many people. If a sci-fi/fantasy show or detective/crime series turns into a Harlequin romance, it's not because two characters developed feelings, but because the writers just aren't very skilled.

That's a good point.  Romance on a show doesn't have to hurt a show, but there are writers who keep going to annoying tropes which makes the romances hard to watch.  I don't really like the derision thrown at people just because they enjoy romance on their shows.  Although I do understand that there are shippers who take things too far which can turn others off.  That isn't all shippers though.  Plus, I find there's a sexist element too since it's assumed that shippers are all female when there are men who also root for certain couples too.   I'm a shipper who doesn't enjoy poorly written romantic plots just as much as a non shipper wouldn't.  Romance doesn't have to ruin anything.  It's the writer's approach that really matters not whether or not there's romance on a show.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On the Sleepy Hollow boards, someone posted what I've felt for a while, that there's almost this disdain that's developed toward shipping and shippers, with the "no romance" side being viewed as so much more sensible and worthy.

 

I don't watch Sleepy Hollow, but I do notice that there's a lot of anti-shipping sentiment lately. Good romances,  bad ones or indifferent ones, the new rallying cry seems to be "keep the characters out of relationships, full stop!" I find that its particularly genre shows, cop dramas and sci fi, who get the wish for a "no romance" ban, but IMO what's being missed is that they should be rooting against badly-written couples, not couples in general. Poor writing can make anything suck, not just a pairing. With good writing, shipping doesn't have to be awful.

[Irlandesa]

I don't watch Sleepy Hollow, but I do notice that there's a lot of anti-shipping sentiment lately.

It's not just lately.  I've been a shipper since before I knew what a shipper was and I think shipping and anti-shipping have gone hand-in-hand online.  I didn't watch the X-Files but I did know there were a lot of shippers for that show.  But I also remember quite a few "don't ruin it" anti-shippers.  I think background relationships typically get ignored but once it becomes buzzworthy and focused on, then more passionate feelings both ways emerge.

 

I've been on both ends.  There have been times when I don't see romantic chemistry between two leads and would prefer that they be a way to showcase platonic partners/friends.  But if I see the chemistry, I suddenly am all about romance being a part of life. 

 

I've shipped things I hope to see happen on the show and I've shipped things I knew never would come to be.  The only time anti-shippers annoy me is when they try to convince me not to like what I like.  If I see chemistry, I see it.  And if there are true barriers to two people getting together, they don't need to point out those obvious barriers because I likely see them. They're related?  Yes. I know. I know it won't happen for real but if two unrelated actors happen to generate some non-related chem, I'm giving myself permission to have fun with it.  or They're two straight men/women?  Yes. I know. I know a network show likely won't go there.  But if I don't think it's a waste of time to enjoy the undercurrents just for the hell of it.  I'm not crazy, just imaginative.

[DeLurker]

I was just theorizing that maybe Twilight is a fan fiction of another story, but not in a way that could be easily traced (i.e. it was never posted online first as fanfic), and Stephenie Meyer kept mum about it. Fanfic roots are still looked down upon, and certainly it looks better if, say, Divergent is an original story and not an old "Hufflepuff Harriet Potter thrown into The Hunger Games" fanfic with the names changed. For the record, neither Twilight nor Divergent were fanfics first, as far as anyone knows.

On the Sleepy Hollow boards, someone posted what I've felt for a while, that there's almost this disdain that's developed toward shipping and shippers, with the "no romance" side being viewed as so much more sensible and worthy. My feeling is that, sure, romance isn't everything, but love and relationships are a huge part of life for many people. If a sci-fi/fantasy show or detective/crime series turns into a Harlequin romance, it's not because two characters developed feelings, but because the writers just aren't very skilled. Also, story developments a viewer doesn't like are magnified that much more. I remember huge complaints about Grissom and Sara on CSI...you'd think they had stopped solving murders, from all the disgust about their relationship supposedly "taking over the show". When, compared to an actual soap, the ship elements were very mild.

Sleepy Hollow has been nutty this season but the reasons are not just shippers versus anti shippers.  The two leads, Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie, have some off the charts chemistry and TM had no chemistry with the woman who played his wife (which was a mystery because TM has shown immense charm with disembodied voices, inanimate objects, and red shirt one shot characters).  The writers were actively trying to avoid the dreaded triangle and promote the epic twu wuv of Ichabod and his wife, but not many were buying it.  Layer on top of that the race issue and some fan sectors got down right ugly (not here though).

 

TM & NB could be the leads in a romance/relationship show easily, but I don't want SH to become a relationship show.  Should the relationship develop without overtaking the original premise of the show, I gots no problem with that.

 

ETA:  TIIC have brutally mishandled this season so I have absolutely no confidence that they would be able to manage an organic progression.  Of course, they haven't been renewed yet for S3 so it may not matter.

Edited February 27, 2015 by DeLurker

[GHScorpiosRule]

I was trying to think the other day what my first ship was and I realized I was indoctrinated pretty young.

 

Gem / purple haired guy.  Sailor Moon / black haired guy.  Elisa/Goliath and Demona/Xanatos (Gargoyles).  Rogue/Gambit and Jean/Logan (X Men).  Yes, I apparently shipped cartoons.

 

HAH! So did I! Actually, I think the only couples I shipped and still ship are cartoons!

 

I will say that for me, in the 'toons, it was always Jean and Scott. Because Scott wasn't a whiny little putz. Well, at least not in the '90s series. And Demona DESERVED Thalog, that twat.

 

Ahem

 

Lady Jaye/Flint, Duke/Scarlett, Diana/Bats (Justice League), Dick Grayson and Barbara (Robin/Nightwing/Batgirl)...

 

Okay, I lied. For a short while I shipped Chloe and Clark on Smallville.

[galax-arena]

So how was it that E.L. James didn't get sued for stealing the intellectual property of "Twilight"'s author?

The fanfic version of Fifty Shades was so AU to begin with that the only thing the story had in common with Twilight were the names. So once those names were changed, I'm not sure a case could be made for intellectual property theft. It's more like the story was simply ~inspired by Twilight. 

 

It's like all those Xena "Uber" fanfics that have been since repackaged as profic.

[Anna Yolei]

Encyclopedia Dramatica has a funny enough (by their standards) article on shipping. I'm not sure if NWS links can be posted here, but if you want to risk the banner ads and such, the article summarizes practically every 'shipper battle I've seen online ever.

[Rick Kitchen]

TVTropes (warning! The site is a time suck from which you will never escape!) has an entire page on "Shipping Tropes":

 

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShippingTropes

[Expat]

Okay, so I'm soooooo on board with Liv/Artie (Liv & Maddie). I imagine it's not likely, but until this show ends, I will be rooting for him to win her heart.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

You'd think that wouldn't you but gender comes into play a lot. Guys get away with things girls don't.

 

Not when it comes to Buffy, I've noticed. If anything, there's a particular male character who can't do one thing right according to a fair majority of the fans, usually because he didn't like the romantic interests of the main female character. Because they're hot, or "hot", at least. Or something.

[Chaos Theory]

Not when it comes to Buffy, I've noticed. If anything, there's a particular male character who can't do one thing right according to a fair majority of the fans, usually because he didn't like the romantic interests of the main female character. Because they're hot, or "hot", at least. Or something.

I see your Connor and raise you Dawn Summers, Jenny Callender and Kennedy. But I get your point. One of the things I loved about Buffy was it was female centric with males as the supporting characters. It was a nice change of pace.

[galax-arena]

Because they're hot, or "hot", at least. Or something.

That's not why so many people had a problem with Xander's attitude towards Buffy's love interests.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

That's not why so many people had a problem with Xander's attitude towards Buffy's love interests.

 

I was being mostly facetious about the being hot, but now that you've opened the door, let's review a bit -

 

Buffy was, what, fifteen or sixteen when Angel first started lurking around? We never officially learn how old Human!Liam was when he was turned, but at a ballpark estimate let's say he was at least in his early twenties, if not older. So he's this college-aged guy, at least, who's hanging around a high school girl being at best mysterious and at worst creepy. Then it turns out that he's actually a hundred and fifty year old corpse who will later turn into a psychopathic monster who wants to kill everyone and destroy the world. Is Xander really the one with the problem here?

 

Then there's Spike, and, well....if you watched the show, you know what happened there.

 

What's ironic is that he does come to accept Riley, but of course that turns out to be wrong too because Riley becomes an asshole in order to eventually make room for Spike (IMO). Regardless, the idea that it's supposed to be a black mark against Xander because he didn't think that Captains Forehead and Peroxide were the absolute best Buffy could do leaves me boggled. And if you think about it, if the circumstances re the Master had been different (non-superpowered Xander cowering in a corner while Handsome Hero Angel rushed off to Buffy's aid without a thought for his own safety) we'd have never heard the end of it.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Cobalt Stargazer

[Minneapple]

Regardless, the idea that it's supposed to be a black mark against Xander because he didn't think that Captains Forehead and Peroxide were the absolute best Buffy could do leaves me boggled.

I wasn't aware that it was any of Xander's business to decide who was good for and not good for Buffy. He did it when Willow started dating Oz too, and was rightly cut off by Buffy, who told him it's not up to him who Willow likes or dates. So what if Xander accepts Riley? That doesn't mean anything in terms of Buffy's relationship.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I wasn't aware that it was any of Xander's business to decide who was good for and not good for Buffy. He did it when Willow started dating Oz too, and was rightly cut off by Buffy, who told him it's not up to him who Willow likes or dates. So what if Xander accepts Riley? That doesn't mean anything in terms of Buffy's relationship.

 

With respect, that's a false argument. Buffy considered it her place to disparage Xander's relationship with Cordelia when she found out they were dating, and Cordy actually wasn't undead, she was just a typical high school Mean Girl who was rude to Buffy. And she would again consider it her place to caution Xander against getting too comfortable with the idea that he had a connection with Faith because he'd had sex with her. Because obviously it would have just caused her to stroke out if she'd left him under the impression that him losing his virginity meant something, particularly since she reacted so well to Angelus' cruel taunting before she realized he wasn't actually Angel. With that said, one of two things is the truth - either Buffy was a super-sized hypocrite who couldn't take criticism, or Xander was actually allowed to voice a negative opinion about her less than stellar choices. YMMV.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Cobalt Stargazer

[Chaos Theory]

When it comes to Buffy the things I ship and don;t ship I think I might be in the minority at time.  I HATED Buffy and Angel.  I actually preferred Buffy and Angeles.  I think Buffy and Angeles started my love affair with twisted and tragic love stories.  I never understood why people disliked Xander and I actually loved him with both Cordelia and Anya.  I was pissed when both relationships ended.  I loved Giles and Jenny Carpenter and always hoped that Giles and Buffy's mom would get together.   Although I liked Willow with Oz I LOVED her with Tara.   I think Willow and Tara was my first real ship that I had so when people try to mess with it I get a little annoyed.  I was sad when the show killed Tara not angry  I get angry when people try to downgrade the relationship Willow had with Tara as something less important then it was because it was very important to me at the time.   Times change and the way people see things change but at the time what I saw was my very first lesbian relationship on television that was portrayed as nothing different then the heterosexual ones standing right next to it.  

[Guest]

Buffy and Angel was an odd case.  I can't recall another show where the spinoff decision was to break up the main couple (actually two main couples).  I generally found their attempts to sort of maintain or recognize the ship killed my ability to watch Angel. 

 

Angel seemed to feel the need to comment and angst over the major events on Buffy.  It spiraled down the drain from Buffy visiting to Angel which was a great episode shrugging over Buffy's death and resurrection.  I just remember Angel generally caring less (unless he was doing a crossover), which is normal, as the series went on and it pissed me off for reasons I can't explain.  Meanwhile, on Buffy they didn't seem to care that much about what was up with Angel.  And I was fine with that.  He would visit and it would be all about his reaction to Buffy. I was fine with that.  Buffy would choose someone else.  I was fine with that.  They seemed to forget about Cordy and Xander and I was fine with that.

 

I guess it probably comes down to me being in a shipping phase.  On Buffy, I latched onto Xander/Anya and Buffy/Spike so their relationship or non-relationship with Cordy and Angel didn't bug me.  But simultaneously there was no ship on Angel that I invested in so I had a double standard about Angel respecting his past with Buffy while giving Buffy a free pass. 

[Enigma X]

Although this happened weeks ago, I just want to say I am so happy that Richonne finally happened!

[DearEvette]

People ship actors who play onscreen couples because it has been known to happen in Hollywood, a lot, so why not with their couple? Some fans do take it too far, but that's the internet for you. And when it turns out that the costars are involved offscreen, the "How dare you speculate about celebrity private lives!", "Can't you separate fact from fiction?" crowd never comes back around to say, welp, you were right. But that's the internet for you, too.

 

Not only has it actually happened in Hollywood, but studios, agents and even the actors themselves have been complicit in participating in faux relationships. Sometimes it was done in order to hide gay actors/actresses sexual orientation.  But most often it was employed as publicity to use the off-screen "real life" romance to create more interest and investment in the on-screen pairing a la Lina Lamont/Don Lockwood in Singing in the Rain.  For a more IRL example there has always been speculation that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's real life relationship wasn't completely authentic considering they supposedly never verbally confirmed it and they broke up just before  the final movie premiered.

Edited March 27, 2016 by DearEvette

[Dejana]

Not only has it actually happened in Hollywood, but studios, agents and even the actors themselves have been complicit in participating in faux relationships. Sometimes it was done in order to hide gay actors/actresses sexual orientation.  But most often it was employed as publicity to use the off-screen "real life" romance to create more interest and investment in the on-screen pairing a la Lina Lamont/Don Lockwood in Singing in the Rain.  For a more IRL example there has always been speculation that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's real life relationship wasn't completely authentic considering they supposedly never verbally confirmed it and they broke up just before  the final movie premiered.

 

Kristen called Rob "the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most" in that desperate, embarrassing public apology she issued after getting caught in a "momentary indiscretion" with the director from Snow White and the Huntsman.

 

My original post was more about how some anti-shippers out there are quick to label the real-person shippers not only 100% wrong, but also crazy and unable to distinguish fiction from reality. And I do think that analyzing every look co-stars exchange in an interview as a sign of their undying love on your ~secret shipper forum~ is excessive, that the people who bug actors about it on Twitter need to stop, and the Robsten shippers who think they're secretly married with children really need to let it go.

 

Sometimes, on-set relationship rumors are played up for publicity, but sometimes actors in a project together end up going out, because co-workers have been known to date each other, in many walks of life. Sometimes co-stars end up being romantically involved, even if they were in other relationships first. With the leads on The Americans, I remember some fans speculating about their chemistry spilling into real life, but others would say no, it's fine to enjoy their acting on the show, but Keri Russell is married! Except now, she's not, and she and Matthew Rhys are having a baby together.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Dejana

[topanga]

Kristen called Rob "the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most" in that desperate, embarrassing public apology she issued after getting caught in a "momentary indiscretion" with the director from Snow White and the Huntsman.

 

My original post was more about how some anti-shippers out there are quick to label the real-person shippers not only 100% wrong, but also crazy and unable to distinguish fiction from reality. And I do think that analyzing every look co-stars exchange in an interview as a sign of their undying love on your ~secret shipper forum~ is excessive, that the people who bug actors about it on Twitter need to stop, and the Robsten shippers who think they're secretly married with children really need to let it go.

 

Sometimes, on-set relationship rumors are played up for publicity, but sometimes actors in a project together end up going out, because co-workers have been known to date each other, in many walks of life. Sometimes co-stars end up being romantically involved, even if they were in other relationships first. With the leads on The Americans, I remember some fans speculating about their chemistry spilling into real life, but others would say no, it's fine to enjoy their acting on the show, but Keri Russell is married! Except now, she's not, and she and Matthew Rhys are having a baby together.

In terms of over analyzing co-stars, I witnessed that obsession during the first few seasons of "Scandal." (I don't watch the show anymore, so I'm not sure if it still happens). But early on, Kerry Washington was single and Tony Goldwyn was (and still is) married. People insisted that Tony didn't bring his wife to public events because he and Kerry were in love with each other and were destined to be together. Every look they shared during an interview was scrutinized, the time Kerry cried and looked at Tony Goldwyn when the entire cast and crew threw her a surprise birthday party, and their hot on-screen chemistry--these were all supposed to be signs that they really were an item. I don't know if people still feel that way now that Kerry Washington is married. I don't keep up with the fandom anymore.

 

And with co-stars becoming involved in real life, I wonder if that happens more because 1) When you spend lots of time around another person, you get to know that person well, and there might be qualities about that person that literally rub you the right way, or is it because 2) You're around that other person a lot, you're both horny, and you've already kissed and pretended to have sex on-screen, so what the hell?--the real thing isn't a big leap. And I want it to be #1, but so many of these on and off-screen couplings end after the TV show/movie shoot ends, making it look like there was no real relationship but just two horny people who were around each other for 12 hours a day and just happened to hook up. 

 

And what about people like Julia Roberts? Over the years, she broke up more than a few marriages/relationships on the set of movies. I'm not saying the breakups were her fault per se', but for a long time, Julia Roberts would develop relationships with married/coupled men on movie sets. And the relationships never lasted long. So was she seducing and leaving these men? Or was she just having fun (as many men do), while the married men made a bigger deal out of their hook-ups than was warranted? 

Edited March 30, 2016 by topanga

[Minneapple]

In terms of over analyzing co-stars, I witnessed that obsession during the first few seasons of "Scandal." (I don't watch the show anymore, so I'm not sure if it still happens). But early on, Kerry Washington was single and Tony Goldwyn was (and still is) married. People insisted that Tony didn't bring his wife to public events because he and Kerry were in love with each other and were destined to be together. Every look they shared during an interview was scrutinized, the time Kerry cried and looked at Tony Goldwyn when the entire cast and crew threw her a surprise birthday party, and their hot on-screen chemistry--these were all supposed to be signs that they really were an item. I don't know if people still feel that way now that Kerry Washington is married. I don't keep up with the fandom anymore.

 

Maybe it's a Shondaland thing, because I remember this exact situation with Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey in the early days of Grey's. People were 100 percent convinced they were in love -- they have onscreen chemistry, and just watch Oprah for the evidence! She was only engaged because his wife was pregnant with twins. Oh and her fiance/boyfriend was a creepy stalker. 

 

With the leads on The Americans, I remember some fans speculating about their chemistry spilling into real life, but others would say no, it's fine to enjoy their acting on the show, but Keri Russell is married! Except now, she's not, and she and Matthew Rhys are having a baby together.

 

I think it's fine to speculate. A similar situation happened on Parenthood, when pretty much everyone was speculating because Lauren Graham and Peter Krause, even playing siblings, had better on-screen chemistry with each other than they did with any of their romantic partners. Turned out they were dating. But what creeps me out is the "shipping," actively cheering for a real-life couple to get together, particularly when one or both of the people are in relationships not with each other. Saying nasty things about significant others. And taking that behavior to twitter/Tumblr/etc. is just all kinds of wrong. I always wonder what a celebrity's child would think if they googled their parent's name and found that creepiness. 

 

(Is Keri Russell a serial costar dater like Emily Van Camp or Maggie Q? I remember her dating Scott Speedman when Felicity was filming.)

Edited March 31, 2016 by Minneapple

[roamyn]

I can't stand when people ship or slash characters just to do so.

I have rarely shipped anyone:

Mulder/Scully

Jack/Kate (LOST)

Jack/Sawyer also have tremendous chemistry

Howard/Bernadette (TBBT)

Charlie/Kirsten (Party of Five)

Doug/Carol (ER)

Casey/Dawson (Chicago Fire)

Starsky/Hutch

No one on Friends had the chemistry I look for.

[HalcyonDays]

But early on, Kerry Washington was single and Tony Goldwyn was (and still is) married. People insisted that Tony didn't bring his wife to public events because he and Kerry were in love with each other and were destined to be together.

 

I see this from certain hard core shippers in the Sleepy Hollow fandom. They ship the actors like no tomorrow and are 100% convinced that Tom Mison is in twu luv with Nicole Beharie, just because his character excels at the heart eyes and meaningful looks and seemingly romantic gestures. It's called excellent acting.

 

Not saying actors don't date each other  - happens all of the time - and countless marriages have broken up over the cheating. But certain fans seem to not be able to diferentiate the character on the show with the actor portraying them.

 

But what creeps me out is the "shipping," actively cheering for a real-life couple to get together, particularly when one or both of the people are in relationships not with each other.

 

I totally agree. Like others, shipping the actors together and claiming how in love they are in real life based zero evidence and personal fantasy just creeps me out. And makes me feel bad for the actors, spouses and/or significant others. Chemistry is all subjective. There are examples of on-screen couples who dated in real like, but had zero chemistry on screen. Then there are those pairs with amazing chem, who are just friends or even hate each other.

[zxy556575]

I don't watch many dramas and my shows don't tend to have rabid shippers, but I do have some newly-formed empathy since falling victim to it myself. There were two series where I wanted the leads to get together so badly, but it never happened (one was cancelled and the other was satisfied with teasing after 3 seasons). All I got was a kiss in one and an interrupted about-to-have sex scene in the other. It was really annoying!

 

I honestly don't know the relationship status of any of those four actors and didn't bother to look it up. I was interested in the characters, not the people. I don't think I'd ever wish actors to be together IRL based on their ... acting. I actually tend more to "tsk tsk" when marriages break up because of set romances (eg, Men in Trees).

[Dejana]

In terms of over analyzing co-stars, I witnessed that obsession during the first few seasons of "Scandal." (I don't watch the show anymore, so I'm not sure if it still happens). But early on, Kerry Washington was single and Tony Goldwyn was (and still is) married. People insisted that Tony didn't bring his wife to public events because he and Kerry were in love with each other and were destined to be together. Every look they shared during an interview was scrutinized, the time Kerry cried and looked at Tony Goldwyn when the entire cast and crew threw her a surprise birthday party, and their hot on-screen chemistry--these were all supposed to be signs that they really were an item. I don't know if people still feel that way now that Kerry Washington is married. I don't keep up with the fandom anymore.

And with co-stars becoming involved in real life, I wonder if that happens more because 1) When you spend lots of time around another person, you get to know that person well, and there might be qualities about that person that literally rub you the right way, or is it because 2) You're around that other person a lot, you're both horny, and you've already kissed and pretended to have sex on-screen, so what the hell?--the real thing isn't a big leap. And I want it to be #1, but so many of these on and off-screen couplings end after the TV show/movie shoot ends, making it look like there was no real relationship but just two horny people who were around each other for 12 hours a day and just happened to hook up.

And what about people like Julia Roberts? Over the years, she broke up more than a few marriages/relationships on the set of movies. I'm not saying the breakups were her fault per se', but for a long time, Julia Roberts would develop relationships with married/coupled men on movie sets. And the relationships never lasted long. So was she seducing and leaving these men? Or was she just having fun (as many men do), while the married men made a bigger deal out of their hook-ups than was warranted?

Ah, the SS Terry....the last time I went down that rabbit hole on Tumblr, Tony was still the father of Kerry's child, not her husband, with the marriage being a part of the cover story. Genetics are a funny thing, but you'd think she'd have gone in a...how shall we say, different direction than the husband she picked, for a "pretend" baby daddy...

I think co-stars having a real-life romance that spans the duration of filming is not a lot different than tweens/teens falling madly in love at summer camp, regardless of the attachments going on at home. They always say that Hollywood is just high school with money.

I think it's fine to speculate. A similar situation happened on Parenthood, when pretty much everyone was speculating because Lauren Graham and Peter Krause, even playing siblings, had better on-screen chemistry with each other than they did with any of their romantic partners. Turned out they were dating. But what creeps me out is the "shipping," actively cheering for a real-life couple to get together, particularly when one or both of the people are in relationships not with each other. Saying nasty things about significant others. And taking that behavior to twitter/Tumblr/etc. is just all kinds of wrong. I always wonder what a celebrity's child would think if they googled their parent's name and found that creepiness.

(Is Keri Russell a serial costar dater like Emily Van Camp or Maggie Q? I remember her dating Scott Speedman when Felicity was filming.)

One person's speculation is another person's over-invested shipping... I've been in different fandoms and the "obsessed" label can get applied very liberally among the different factions. Even so, I don't get the need to make the boyfriend/spouse out to be the devil or some frump in order for the twu wuv of the marriage-breaking real-person ship to be real, but it seems some fans need that level of justification. Much easier to ship star-crossed lovers than heartless cheaters, I guess.

I don't mind a degree of real-person shipping in the "They'd be so glamorous and witty!" or "Imagine how cute kids of theirs would be" sense, a passing thing you give a minute or two of thought before moving on with your life. OTOH, the internet helps the more...dedicated of fans fuel their..intensity in a way that's not the most rational. Family/friends of stars can have it rough because they didn't sign on for the spotlight, but get dragged into it anyway. Even before the days of social media I wouldn't have recommended the wife/brother/cousin of some star reading the uncensored fanmail, which is kind of what you get on Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Keri Russell also dated Tony Lucca from her Mickey Mouse Club days, so that's at least three co-stars but in 20+ years in the business, spanning most of her adolescence and adulthood so far, I don't think that's a lot.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Dejana