09-11-2014, 07:35 AM
Okay, this rant has been brewing in my mind for a while, and I will try to write it carefully, because I might come off seeming narrow-minded or seeming like I'm telling other people what they can/can't ship, and that's not my intention. It's a sensitive subject. Anyway, here goes:
I find "multi-shippers" irritating. And when I say "multi-shippers", I mean people who make statements like "I ship Sheldon/Penny...and Sheldon/Amy, and Penny/Leonard, and Penny/Stuart, and Sheldon/Leonard, and Leonard/Amy, Stuart/Raj, Raj/Howard, Raj/Penny, Penny/Leonard/Sheldon and Penny/Amy/Sheldon and Leslie/Penny and yadda-yadda-yadda-yadda."
The characters are not interchangeable. "I ship each and every character with each and every other character" is not a ship. If you just enjoy reading/writing shippy scenarios and you're not picky about which characters are involved, fair enough, but at least be honest about it. Each and every character has a fascinating sexual and interpersonal chemistry with each and every other character? No.
Now, please let me clarify. I like unusual ships. I like slash. I like (and prefer, obviously) non-canon ships. This is not a question of canon versus non-canon. I do not presume to tell other people what they can or can't ship, although, like everyone here, I think some ships are unpleasant or unconvincing or incompatible, and I'll say so.
Putting all the characters together in a blender is not a ship. If someone was honest enough to say "I just like reading/writing porn and I'm not particular about which pairings are featured", that's legit. "I ship Shenny but I also find Shamy interesting" would likewise be a legit statement. "I ship Sheldon/Penny and Leonard/Penny and Sheldon/Amy" is a nonsensical statement. Something like "I find all of those possible ships equally interesting" would be a more logical way of putting it.
Maybe the definition of the term "ship" is changing and I'm not aware of it, but I was under the impression that when you say "I ship X and Y", you mean that those two characters are the *most compatible* and their relationship is the most positive or the most exciting or the most entertaining, compared to the other options.
Yes, yes, there are countless possible universes, like Sheldon told us. Yes, people can write or ship whatever they want. But "I ship it" means that the pairing in question is *superior to the other options, in your opinion.* It means you feel invested in that pairing. "I ship everyone with everyone" is meaningless.
Again, I know this might make me sound narrow-minded or grouchy. If there's a pairing that doesn't work well in canon and someone wants to make it work better in fanfiction, good for them. Go for it. But I am not impressed with people who seem to just toss random combinations of characters into sexual situations like they're pulling names out of a hat....
It just seems show-offy and silly, like "Look what I can do!!!"
The characters are not interchangeable. If they were, then the canon ships wouldn't be as awful as they are.
ETA: I am not arguing against obscure pairings. If you want to ship Captain Sweatpants/Katee Sackhoff, be my guest. But "I ship Shenny and Shamy and these two things can co-exist and are equally valid in my mind" is, at best, a rather strange attitude. It's almost like you're unwilling to express a strong and definite opinion. It's like you're hedging your bets, like "Well, I ship everything, so nobody can disagree with me or criticize me, because I've got all my bases covered."
I find "multi-shippers" irritating. And when I say "multi-shippers", I mean people who make statements like "I ship Sheldon/Penny...and Sheldon/Amy, and Penny/Leonard, and Penny/Stuart, and Sheldon/Leonard, and Leonard/Amy, Stuart/Raj, Raj/Howard, Raj/Penny, Penny/Leonard/Sheldon and Penny/Amy/Sheldon and Leslie/Penny and yadda-yadda-yadda-yadda."
The characters are not interchangeable. "I ship each and every character with each and every other character" is not a ship. If you just enjoy reading/writing shippy scenarios and you're not picky about which characters are involved, fair enough, but at least be honest about it. Each and every character has a fascinating sexual and interpersonal chemistry with each and every other character? No.
Now, please let me clarify. I like unusual ships. I like slash. I like (and prefer, obviously) non-canon ships. This is not a question of canon versus non-canon. I do not presume to tell other people what they can or can't ship, although, like everyone here, I think some ships are unpleasant or unconvincing or incompatible, and I'll say so.
Putting all the characters together in a blender is not a ship. If someone was honest enough to say "I just like reading/writing porn and I'm not particular about which pairings are featured", that's legit. "I ship Shenny but I also find Shamy interesting" would likewise be a legit statement. "I ship Sheldon/Penny and Leonard/Penny and Sheldon/Amy" is a nonsensical statement. Something like "I find all of those possible ships equally interesting" would be a more logical way of putting it.
Maybe the definition of the term "ship" is changing and I'm not aware of it, but I was under the impression that when you say "I ship X and Y", you mean that those two characters are the *most compatible* and their relationship is the most positive or the most exciting or the most entertaining, compared to the other options.
Yes, yes, there are countless possible universes, like Sheldon told us. Yes, people can write or ship whatever they want. But "I ship it" means that the pairing in question is *superior to the other options, in your opinion.* It means you feel invested in that pairing. "I ship everyone with everyone" is meaningless.
Again, I know this might make me sound narrow-minded or grouchy. If there's a pairing that doesn't work well in canon and someone wants to make it work better in fanfiction, good for them. Go for it. But I am not impressed with people who seem to just toss random combinations of characters into sexual situations like they're pulling names out of a hat....
It just seems show-offy and silly, like "Look what I can do!!!"
The characters are not interchangeable. If they were, then the canon ships wouldn't be as awful as they are.
ETA: I am not arguing against obscure pairings. If you want to ship Captain Sweatpants/Katee Sackhoff, be my guest. But "I ship Shenny and Shamy and these two things can co-exist and are equally valid in my mind" is, at best, a rather strange attitude. It's almost like you're unwilling to express a strong and definite opinion. It's like you're hedging your bets, like "Well, I ship everything, so nobody can disagree with me or criticize me, because I've got all my bases covered."