Not Like Ships In The Night: Shippers

[Trini]

9 hours ago, HeroWorld said:

Speaking of another CW supehero show Im excited about seeing Barry and Iris being canon on The Flash, and I just hope they dont make the same mistake Arrow did with a main ship of the show.

I feel like since Barry and Iris were set up very differently from Oliver and Felicity (and Laurel), and the Flash showrunners have a different approach to their show it won't be the same.

[ParadoxLost]

10 hours ago, HeroWorld said:

Sounds like the fans/ Real life shippers were right?

http://www.gamenguide.com/articles/34132/20160721/sam-heughan-catriona-balfe-dating-outlander-season-3-stars-to-make-relationship-official-soon-actress-revealed-why-they-cannot-be-together.htm

There is nothing in there that confirms anything.  The idea that character shipping turns into RL shipping has always creeped me out.  But more than that, I'd rather the actors not get together at the risk of a bad break up that risks bad feelings dictating storyline in ways that it normally wouldn't go.

[GHScorpiosRule]

That article is such bullshit.  Apparently nothing will convince the people who insist Sam and Cait are romantically involved because of their onscreen chemistry.  For them, there is no such thing as being friends, which Sam and Cait are. Not even both Sam and Cait putting the kibosh on their fantasies  and hopes isn't good enough.

And the person who wrote that article needs to learn how to use proper grammar. That alone was enough for me to dismiss it, not to mention the cobbled quotes and things already published months ago.  And don't get me started on the "unnamed source" who "believes" the two are involved because Sam whispered something in Cait's ear that made her laugh, or because they were holding hands.

These people need to get a life.

[Irlandesa]

On 8/31/2016 at 8:02 PM, ParadoxLost said:

And that is the key, I think, friendships get dropped or ignored most of the time regardless of chemistry.  Romantic relationships get more screen time.  So viewers ship as a way of trying to ensure they get more of what they enjoy.

I think this is definitely one reason why some shipers ship.  Another reason is that I've noticed that shows will want to do some sort of love/romantic storyline even if their leads aren't in a romance or intended for a romance.  What ends up happening is viewers end up getting somewhat lame love interests who pop up and are often temporary.  They're often underdeveloped and not that interesting.  So if they're going to do romance, why not just do it with two characters who have been developed instead of random people we won't care about?

I know with the sadly cancelled Limitless,  I started out just appreciating the platonic partnership and not shipping the leads.  (And I'm a shipper when I like two characters as much as I liked these two as individuals/partners so this pleasantly surprised me. ) Everyone involved with the show said there would be no romance so it was all clear. But by the end of the first season, I found myself kind of feel the pull of shipping partly because of the other love interests.  They weren't as terrible as I've seen them be on shows but still, it was going to be hard for me to invest in any love stories for these two when I knew they'd never be able to accomplish the connection the leads had.

As a shipper, I think I've been happiest when TPTB work on a five year plan.  I think of Cheers and Wings as an example.  They spent the first season/season and a half building to romance, the next season in the romance, the next few seasons split up before reuniting.  At the five year mark, it was either the end (Cheers) or the end of the will they/won't they (Wings) and they just were.

[topanga]

On 9/5/2016 at 10:56 AM, DearEvette said:

It doesn't help they always seemed to be eye fucking each other or talking meaningfully about their bond while staring soulfully at each other.

DearEvette, you're going to make me cry! Weren't you one of the people who used to make those great eye-porn memes? Oh, and remember their hand porn after they were reunited??  Damn you, Sleepy Hollow!!!! *sigh*

On 9/5/2016 at 6:08 PM, Irlandesa said:

As a shipper, I think I've been happiest when TPTB work on a five year plan.  I think of Cheers and Wings as an example.  They spent the first season/season and a half building to romance, the next season in the romance, the next few seasons split up before reuniting.  At the five year mark, it was either the end (Cheers) or the end of the will they/won't they (Wings) and they just were.

Unfortunately, most shows haven't figured this out. And while I'm sure there is turnover in the writers' room, shouldn't the showrunner/EP have a long-term master plan for the show? Not just for the romance--for the overarching story arcs as well?

[Dee]

The worst part about shipping is when morally repugnant secondary/tertiary characters become popular, by virtue of ships, so the show's writers proceed to whitewash the character onscreen, to the point where every other character on the show becomes unrecognizable.

It's a phenomenon I've come to christen 'Spike Syndrome.'

Edited September 9, 2016 by Dee

[joelene]

On 9 september 2016 at 7:59 PM, Dee said:

The worst part about shipping is when morally repugnant secondary/tertiary characters become popular, by virtue of ships, so the show's writers proceed to whitewash the character onscreen, to the point where every other character on the show becomes unrecognizable.

It's a phenomenon I've come to christen 'Spike Syndrome.'

"But he has a soooouuuul now!"

[ParadoxLost]

On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2016 at 1:59 PM, Dee said:

It's a phenomenon I've come to christen 'Spike Syndrome.'

There is another thing I associate with Spike and shipping.  Its the first instance where I shipped something and then the show did a very good job of convincing me that I was wrong to ship a couple because they weren't right for each other (the 'you should get married' episode) and then took it back once I was on board with not shipping them.

The only other show that did that was HIMYM and they did it twice with Robin/Ted and Robin/Barney.

[paulvdb]

I don't know if they really were the first, but I hate Spike because Spuffy is the first time I remember shippers using one of those annoying portmanteau names for a ship. There were probably others before them, but I only started reading tv-related forums during the later seasons of Buffy (mostly TWoP or MBTV as it was called back then).

[Jack Shaftoe]

Plus, Buffy/Spike has such a fitting acronym, to wit BS, why bother with this portmanteau nonsense?

[Dee]

Another Unpopular Buffy Opinion

I've always felt Cordy crossing over to Angel was a terrible move.

If A:tS needed a Girl Friday, Anya was the ideal choice.

[ParadoxLost]

There was some Roswell talk in the BTS thread and it made me think of something.  There was a time (and maybe just that one show) when shippers fandoms didn't just give couples names, they gave themselves names.  And that identifying as a member of a named group made for massive shipper craziness that I have not seen before or since.  It wasn't "I ship Dair" or "I ship Captain Swan".  It was "I am Dair".  "I am Captain Swan".  And then it actually subdivided. "I am Captain Swan, but only under X, Y, Z condition1'.  I posted in a forum back then where there were actually multiple shipper threads for the same couple with slightly different viewpoints. And man it was weird. There were rival ships.  Ships that formed alliances with other ships because of a shared anti-ship.

I actually came across this Roswell Max/Liz shipper definition (yes just one of the couples) , saved for posterity, while refreshing my memory on BTS gossip. 

Quote

Classification of Dreamers!
Which Are you?

Snow Dreamers/Romantic Dreamers/Cherishing Dreamers - who do not believe in cement but chaste romance.

Amour Dreamers - these are the Dreamers that believe in a passionate love between Max and Liz. As in, not necessarily chaste, but not quite as close to cementing as the Blush Dreamers.

Blush Dreamers - want passionate kissing and almost cementing but no cementing for awhile yet!!

Cement Dreamers/Sexual Dreamers who do want Max & Liz to cement but haven't quite reached the depths of depravity of the Guttercouchers!

Guttercouchers - Not only do we want cement, but we'll turn every comment into a cement-related idea.

Die-hard Dreamers - Dreamers who believe in Max and Liz's love no matter what happens

Displaced Dreamers - They're "Dreamers in the classic sense" but they explore other options when Max starts pissing them off. They bow to a Royal Court that consists of Liz as King, Kyle as Queen, and S2 Max as a royal toilet scrubber among other things...

Reject Dreamers - the slightly more laid-back Dreamers of the Jason Behr boards

Spoiled Dreamers (aka SD) - Deamers who couldn’t wait for Max and Liz to get back together so they read all of the spoilers

TNT Dreamers - stands for Top-Notch Tolerance Dreamers, they make a point of not bashing Tess or other characters

I was displaced and spoiled. 

This site I came across has compiled a history of the shows shipping for posterity with name evolution, fan quotes, and the like and the nostalgia of it is glorious.  God, we were way too invested in that show.  If you can find something like it for that show you loved way too much when you were younger, you should find it and you should read it.

I may share more after I finish my trip down memory lane.

Edited October 14, 2016 by ParadoxLost

[Enero]

I remember the Dreamers from Roswell. There was also the Rebels who supported Max and Tess. And there were other names for the fans that supported Maria and Michael and Alex and Isabel. 

This may have already been addressed but I  wonder why shipping is so prevalent now (maybe it always has been), but seems more apparent now with fan boards and social media. I can't watch a show and read a fan board on said show without the discussion turning to shipping. Shipping is oftentimes discussed more than the actual storylines. Why are we as the audience so fixated on characters finding love and the end game of that love?

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, Enero said:

This may have already been addressed but I  wonder why shipping is so prevalent now (maybe it always has been), but seems more apparent now with fan boards and social media. I can't watch a show and read a fan board on said show without the discussion turning to shipping. Shipping is oftentimes discussed more than the actual storylines. Why are we as the audience so fixated on characters finding love and the end game of that love?

It has always been around even before the internet.  People used to write into shows talking about things/couples they liked.  I think there have even been organized campaigns before the internet but I'm not sure how that was managed.

The internet helped fans discover others who liked what they liked in everythin, including ships. 

Relationships are a part of life for a lot of people so it makes sense that they're in TV shows.  I think they're popular because it's something specific to root for. 

[HunterHunted]

I'm not normally a shipper, but the only couple I'm shipping now is Rip Hunter and Jonah Hex from Legends of Tomorrow.

And I always want Ben on Below Deck to hook up with every straight single female crew member just to spite the more conventionally attractive male crew members who usually pull some douchey bro pact about which female crewmate they'll have sex with during the season. It's happening now on Below Deck and it happened on Below Deck: Mediterranean.

[Neurochick]

On 10/16/2016 at 5:31 PM, Enero said:

This may have already been addressed but I  wonder why shipping is so prevalent now (maybe it always has been), but seems more apparent now with fan boards and social media. I can't watch a show and read a fan board on said show without the discussion turning to shipping. Shipping is oftentimes discussed more than the actual storylines. Why are we as the audience so fixated on characters finding love and the end game of that love?

Before the Internet and social media, people who "shipped" characters used to think they were alone in how they felt, but with the Internet and first message boards and now social media, people realize they are not alone, there are others out here, and everything just grew from there.

[Dancingjaneway]

I have shipped many a couple in my time.

The ones that lead to some serious heartbreak:

McDanno  

Janeway/Chakotay  

Hunter/McCall

Tony & Michelle

Berena

But the ones that bring me joy are:

Doug & Carol

JB Fletcher & Michael Hagarty(played by Len Cariou)

Annalise & Tegan

Jess & Nick

Grace & Frankie

Fran & Maxwell

 

 

[Ceindreadh]

I try not to get too invested in ships, mostly because I have tendency towards the ones are at best unlikely and usually impossible.

I've been rewatching CSI New York and wishing again that they'd gone with a Flack/Stella pairing.  I think they'd have made a great couple, especially as there was a clear pre-existing close friendship to build on.  (although then they'd have to split them up when MK left the show)

And in the 'impossible' category, I would have been totally on board with a Mac/Flack pairing.  Again, there's the pre-existing friendship and of course the ep when Mac saved Flacks life.  

Another ship that should have got off the ground was Lawson and Alice in The Doctor Blake Mysteries.  It did look like they were setting the pair up as a couple in the first telemovie, and in the Blake Mysteries spinoff, I'm pretty sure that they would have gone there if more episodes had been filmed.

 

Ah well, that's what fanfic is for. 

 

[BlackberryJam]

I will always be a fan of Jaime/Brienne in Game of Thrones.

It's long past it's sell-by date, but I loved when they tested out Robin Scorpio/Nikolas Cassadine as a couple. Two big power families. It would have been great. 

It would never happen books or show, but I loved the idea of Anthony Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington.

 

 

[ESS]

I have so many ships/pairings from different fandoms that I love some canon and some not, but right now my main focuses for me which are both canon:

Gemma/Nero (Sons Of Anarchy) I love everything about these two so much the only thing really wrong with their relationship was they didn't get together and meet way earlier. 

Dan & Louise (The Conners) I love these two so much! and I love how I got my wish for them finally. I usually don't really like slow burn relationships, but for these two it made sense to do their relationship like that and it was perfect wasn't too slow or too fast. 

[partofme]

My top 3 ships:

Robbie & Laura (Inspector Lewis)

Chandler & Monica (Friends)

Tony & Zika (NCIS)

[Ambrosefolly]

Someone on tumblr.com made a good point about Fez and Lexi from Euphoria; in show filled with so many graphic sex scenes, the reason people are losing their minds over Fez reaching out and tendely holding Lexi's hand is because it is one of the few times, in maybe all of current tv, where we see some actual intimacy between two characters. The blogger commented we are intimacy starved nation (years of apps like Tinder and two years into a pandemic, is it any wonder?). I think that is why I like Mike & Eleven on Stranger Things too. It wasn't their make out scenes that I thought was their most intimate, but in episode 3x06 when Mike tries to talk El out from trying to reach Billy with her mind by comparing him to El's mom (showing that they have been having conversations in all their kissing) and El holding his hand and asking him earnestly to trust her. It almost like everyone else in the scene was intruding on an extremely private moment between those two. 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Ambrosefolly

[roamyn]

As an addendum to Mt March 2016 post,  I am adding the following ships:

Daemon/Rhyenna

Cormac/Cassie (Big Sky)

Dean/Cas.  DESTIEL ❤️ 

Edited January 9, 2023 by roamyn

[Ambrosefolly]

It took me a few years, but in regards to Rhaegar and Lyanna: I've grown to pity Lyanna and see her as a young girl that was taken advantage of since she was 16 and after interacting with teens for so many years, they are quite stupid, no matter how smart they are. Of course, I've now grown to hate that grooming, cheating bastard Rhaegar even more. 

[Affogato]

On 9/15/2016 at 3:08 PM, joelene said:

"But he has a soooouuuul now!"

In actual fairness Spike, when he didn’t have a soul, still did participate meaningfully in social interactions, appeared to love and have empathy, although somewhat twisted. He didn’t realize he wanted a soul when he went to fight for it, but he wanted to be a better person. Compare this to Angel, who was utterly horrible when he didn‘T have a soul, only wanting to hurt and control people. At the time I wanted Buffy and Angel together, but reasonably Spike was presented as the better individual. I really wanted Buffy with a human.

[JustHereForFood]

10 minutes ago, Affogato said:

In actual fairness Spike, when he didn’t have a soul, still did participate meaningfully in social interactions, appeared to love and have empathy, although somewhat twisted. He didn’t realize he wanted a soul when he went to fight for it, but he wanted to be a better person. Compare this to Angel, who was utterly horrible when he didn‘T have a soul, only wanting to hurt and control people. At the time I wanted Buffy and Angel together, but reasonably Spike was presented as the better individual. I really wanted Buffy with a human.

Their canon about souls was very inconsistent. Angel was a completely different person without a soul, but Spike didn't really change much.

[Affogato]

1 hour ago, JustHereForFood said:

Their canon about souls was very inconsistent. Angel was a completely different person without a soul, but Spike didn't really change much.

I think the explanation is that the vampires were demons that could inhabit the shells of the humans once the souls were gone. Not all demons are equal. We did kind of see this throughout the series. Not that this makes a whole lot of sense, either, of course. Perhaps they were forced into the shape of their human form. I think there may have been an implication that Spike the person may also have been a better person than Liam, or at least had a stronger sense of self. I’m guessing.