11-20-2015, 08:41 AM
Resurrecting this thread again, after an interesting talk with WPP, where it was noted that folk HERE were more upset by Sheldon renouncing Spock, and the show referring to his previous self as "half a man" etc, than they were about him actually having sex with Fowler, or indeed Leonard and Penny getting married.
It does seem, as I've always suspected, the presiding interest here is Sheldon himself, and more importantly, what he REPRESENTS. Ie, the variously entwined concepts of individualism, pride, the quest for truth, faith in oneself, eccentricity, the strength and clarity of the outsider etc.
And thus the recent attack on his character by the show's creators is felt like an attack on the concepts themselves.
I mention this, because a recent trip to another forum (my first in over a month!) made me realise that the canon shippers have very little idea of this focus of ours. Possibly because most of our talk goes on in the Grumblebox, or Time Machine, or Snake Can, or Green Lantern's Buttocks (how the fuck did we name that last one? Mea culpa I suspect...), but possibly also because it's an alien notion to them (at least in regards to TBBT).
I don't see much (or any) talk about what characters represent philosophically on any other TBBT site. The talk seems to revolve entirely around the romantic relationships. Oh, and what delusional bastards the Shennies are.
On that note, I'm interested in what a "Shenny" actually is. I'm technically a "Sheldon Purist who ships Shenny" so what does that make me?
I've only ever seen variations of one definition by canon shippers, who seem to be projecting their own endgame-fixated thought processes here, which is, "Someone who (delusionally, they always add) thinks Sheldon and Penny are secretly in love and will end up together".
Now, I'm not really sure this fits more than a handful of Shenny fans, at least in my observation, so I'd like to classify the subsets of Shenny, if you chaps could help me out here. These are my main groups (based on 2 years vague observation of 3 forums and multiple social media accounts), followed by a percentage. Please correct me.
A) Wouldn't mind if Sheldon & Penny got together - (17%)
People who enjoy S/P scenes beyond all pairings, and thus within the context of the show, "ship" the friendship. Reads Shenny fanfiction, and enjoys the concept in an alternate universe, and loves the innuendo and ambiguous scenes, but would prefer Sheldon remain single on the show. If PRESSED to choose an on-show girlfriend for Sheldon, would choose Penny, absolutely.
B) Would LIKE Sheldon & Penny to get together - (17%)
People who enjoy S/P scenes beyond all pairings, and thus within the context of the show, "ship" the friendship, and if it changed to romance, would thus ship the romance. They have no preference whether it's romance or friendship, they just like the interplay of the characters on every level. Want more scenes above all. A romance would mean more scenes. Will happily read Shenny fanfiction for the same reason.
C) Think Sheldon & Penny SHOULD get together - (60%)
People who think S/P would have made an extraordinary romance, and that the show missed the boat there (whether deliberately and perversely, or just through an artistic cock-up, or through wanting to write for certain actresses *cough*), yet are very aware that TPTB had and has no intention of ever hooking them up, despite plenty of ambiguous scenes and innuendos, and the fact that the early years were essentially structured in a way that almost demanded that Penny and Sheldon, the jousting opposites, get together. If in charge of the show would absolutely put them together immediately.
D) Think Sheldon & Penny WILL get together - (6%)
People who think S/P has consistently been portrayed as the most honest and intimate relationship on the show (although I think all groups agree on that) and that TPTB are just biding their time to get them together romantically. Either in an organic, traditional way, as the current poisonous relationships dissolve, perhaps even unacrimoniously, and Sheldon and Penny whilst supporting each other, or whilst getting up to hijinks as pals, realise they're the only ones who have ever been honest with each other, and who challenge and complement the other character, OR as a twist at the end, or something equally spectacular.
NOTE - These are CURRENT self-identifying Shenny fans...I believe during Season 3 that about 90% of Shenny fans were "D"...The natural progression of which, if you're still a fan NOW, would be "C" - That TPTB missed the boat. And the mark. The mark ON the boat, dammit.
So...Thoughts? Group A and B could be lumped together, although I do think there's a distinct brand of Shenny fan (I'm one, for example) who simply doesn't want any sort of romance for Sheldon ON THE SHOW, but bloody loves all the near misses and dodgy scenes with Penny regardless. And I could be WAY off about the percentages of D...
Incidentally, I'm getting all pedantic and niminy-piminy because I'm currently ordering my book characters into little subsets, and this has evidently spread and infected my forum posts...
It does seem, as I've always suspected, the presiding interest here is Sheldon himself, and more importantly, what he REPRESENTS. Ie, the variously entwined concepts of individualism, pride, the quest for truth, faith in oneself, eccentricity, the strength and clarity of the outsider etc.
And thus the recent attack on his character by the show's creators is felt like an attack on the concepts themselves.
I mention this, because a recent trip to another forum (my first in over a month!) made me realise that the canon shippers have very little idea of this focus of ours. Possibly because most of our talk goes on in the Grumblebox, or Time Machine, or Snake Can, or Green Lantern's Buttocks (how the fuck did we name that last one? Mea culpa I suspect...), but possibly also because it's an alien notion to them (at least in regards to TBBT).
I don't see much (or any) talk about what characters represent philosophically on any other TBBT site. The talk seems to revolve entirely around the romantic relationships. Oh, and what delusional bastards the Shennies are.
On that note, I'm interested in what a "Shenny" actually is. I'm technically a "Sheldon Purist who ships Shenny" so what does that make me?
I've only ever seen variations of one definition by canon shippers, who seem to be projecting their own endgame-fixated thought processes here, which is, "Someone who (delusionally, they always add) thinks Sheldon and Penny are secretly in love and will end up together".
Now, I'm not really sure this fits more than a handful of Shenny fans, at least in my observation, so I'd like to classify the subsets of Shenny, if you chaps could help me out here. These are my main groups (based on 2 years vague observation of 3 forums and multiple social media accounts), followed by a percentage. Please correct me.
A) Wouldn't mind if Sheldon & Penny got together - (17%)
People who enjoy S/P scenes beyond all pairings, and thus within the context of the show, "ship" the friendship. Reads Shenny fanfiction, and enjoys the concept in an alternate universe, and loves the innuendo and ambiguous scenes, but would prefer Sheldon remain single on the show. If PRESSED to choose an on-show girlfriend for Sheldon, would choose Penny, absolutely.
B) Would LIKE Sheldon & Penny to get together - (17%)
People who enjoy S/P scenes beyond all pairings, and thus within the context of the show, "ship" the friendship, and if it changed to romance, would thus ship the romance. They have no preference whether it's romance or friendship, they just like the interplay of the characters on every level. Want more scenes above all. A romance would mean more scenes. Will happily read Shenny fanfiction for the same reason.
C) Think Sheldon & Penny SHOULD get together - (60%)
People who think S/P would have made an extraordinary romance, and that the show missed the boat there (whether deliberately and perversely, or just through an artistic cock-up, or through wanting to write for certain actresses *cough*), yet are very aware that TPTB had and has no intention of ever hooking them up, despite plenty of ambiguous scenes and innuendos, and the fact that the early years were essentially structured in a way that almost demanded that Penny and Sheldon, the jousting opposites, get together. If in charge of the show would absolutely put them together immediately.
D) Think Sheldon & Penny WILL get together - (6%)
People who think S/P has consistently been portrayed as the most honest and intimate relationship on the show (although I think all groups agree on that) and that TPTB are just biding their time to get them together romantically. Either in an organic, traditional way, as the current poisonous relationships dissolve, perhaps even unacrimoniously, and Sheldon and Penny whilst supporting each other, or whilst getting up to hijinks as pals, realise they're the only ones who have ever been honest with each other, and who challenge and complement the other character, OR as a twist at the end, or something equally spectacular.
NOTE - These are CURRENT self-identifying Shenny fans...I believe during Season 3 that about 90% of Shenny fans were "D"...The natural progression of which, if you're still a fan NOW, would be "C" - That TPTB missed the boat. And the mark. The mark ON the boat, dammit.
So...Thoughts? Group A and B could be lumped together, although I do think there's a distinct brand of Shenny fan (I'm one, for example) who simply doesn't want any sort of romance for Sheldon ON THE SHOW, but bloody loves all the near misses and dodgy scenes with Penny regardless. And I could be WAY off about the percentages of D...
Incidentally, I'm getting all pedantic and niminy-piminy because I'm currently ordering my book characters into little subsets, and this has evidently spread and infected my forum posts...
"WHERE THE HELL'S MY PARACHUTE?"