# Character "shipping" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051 "2011-06-19T18:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/1 "2011-06-19T18:04:45Z")
Do you “ship” characters from movies, TV, books etc.? (“shipping”=getting characters who aren’t couple in the work into couples) ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/2 "2011-06-19T18:13:27Z")
Yes, absolutely. I’ve been interested in fandom (and by extension, shipping) since I was a kid, before I’d even discovered the Internet. I used to ship my after school cartoon characters (Chip and Gadget were _totally_ fucking) and I wrote fanfic before I’d ever heard of the concept. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/3 "2011-06-19T19:46:23Z")
People always do it, _to an extent_, with characters in fictional works they enjoy. Just look at the other thread in this forum about canon couples that are disliked. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/4 "2011-06-19T20:07:37Z")
Oh, heck, yes. I am a mad 'shipper. I generally 'ship those with good canon support - so, often, I 'ship canon, or those with deliberate subtext, but, not exclusively.\* I also seem to be unusual among 'shippers in that, if one part of my OTP is in a canon relationship (or at least flirtation), I don’t, necessarily, hate the canon love interest - I generally want to see them out of the picture painlessly - a mutual break-up, or at least a gentle one, finding a new love interest, etc - rather than ‘grr, die!’ or ‘No! he’s EVIL, that’s why she can’t be with him!’ - unless they _are_ evil and bad, irrespective of 'ships. - I think my wackiest 'ship is Phoenix Wright/Mia Faye from the Ace Attorney games. Which is not without canon support, it’s just that Mia is killed off early in the first game. But that’s not a problem! Really! (I also 'ship Edgeworth/Kaye, even if the age difference is a little bit much. And Apollo/Trucy, until…well, if you’ve played the game, you know what sunk that 'ship. I laughed my ass off, after the reveal, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/5 "2011-06-19T20:19:43Z")
Like all other right-thinking people, I shipped Andie/Ducky HARDCORE. Blaine was a nice enough guy, but Ducky _got_ Andie in a way that Blaine never could have. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/6 "2011-06-19T20:20:19Z")
My new pet 'ships: Prentiss/Reid (“Criminal Minds”) Barney/Scooter (“How I Met Your Mother”) When it comes to the actors, THAT’S THE POINT Callie/Christina (“Grey’s Anatomy”) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/7 "2011-06-19T20:21:57Z")
As a veteran of the Spuffy/Bangel wars of the late 90s/early 2000s, I view most 'shippers with a gimlet eye. Crazy, they are. SPUFFY FOREVER!!! ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/8 "2011-06-19T21:18:56Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Like all other right-thinking people, I shipped Andie/Ducky HARDCORE. Blaine was a nice enough guy, but Ducky _got_ Andie in a way that Blaine never could have. I was discussing “Pretty in Pink” with a couple of female coworkers who are around my age, and they agreed with me that Andie should have ended up with Ducky. I wonder why they decided she should be with Blaine instead? I recently got into “Hetalia Axis Powers,” a manga and anime series in which the countries of the world are personified, mostly as good-looking young men. It started out focusing on the Axis countries and how they got along among themselves and with the Allies during WWII, but slowly started including various other countries and jumping back and forth in history. Right now I 'ship Germany/Northern Italy\* (they’re so cute together) and US/UK. Yes, all these countries are portrayed as male. \*spoiler: One of the story arcs is about how northern Italy, as a child, was a servant in the home of Austria, to show how in real life, the Austro-Hungarian Empire controlled parts of Italy. While there, little Italy met a boy, the Holy Roman Empire, and they became friends, but Holy Roman Empire had to leave. Some Hetalia fans have a theory that HRE lost his memory and grew up to be Germany, since historically, the Holy Roman Empire had its territory in what is modern-day Germany. I tend to agree with them. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/9 "2011-06-19T21:41:38Z")
“Archie was the bitch and Jughead was the butch. That’s why Jughead wears that crown-looking hat all the time. He the king of queen Archie’s world.” ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/10 "2011-06-19T21:45:11Z")
> [@Lucky\_13](#): > > I recently got into “Hetalia Axis Powers,” a manga and anime series in which the countries of the world are personified, mostly as good-looking young men… While I’m staking no position in this thread (though I expect it to end in a tearful 'shipper war somehow), on the basis of this quote, might I recommend that you check out the webcomic [Scandinavia and the World](http://satwcomic.com/)? I think the premise will appeal to you, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/11 "2011-06-19T21:51:11Z")
> [@Lucky\_13](#): > > I was discussing “Pretty in Pink” with a couple of female coworkers who are around my age, and they agreed with me that Andie should have ended up with Ducky. I wonder why they decided she should be with Blaine instead? No cite, but I’ve heard that the original ending of the movie did have Andie and Duckie wind up together…but that it tested badly. John Hughes was persuaded to re-shoot the ending, partially because he didn’t want to send a message that kids should stick to their own social class. I think it’s pretty obvious watching the movie that it was _meant_ to be building up to Andie deciding that Blaine was a jerk and that she was better off with Duckie. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/12 "2011-06-19T21:52:43Z")
> [@Lucky\_13](#): > > I was discussing “Pretty in Pink” with a couple of female coworkers who are around my age, and they agreed with me that Andie should have ended up with Ducky. I wonder why they decided she should be with Blaine instead? That was the way it was originally written and [filmed](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091790/trivia). The test audiences (the scourge of good movie making) hated the ending. So they reshot the ending with Andie picking the unreliable preppy. McCarthy looks noticeably different in the reshot scenes. Somehwhere on a shelf is the good version, but it’s never been released. Shame. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/13 "2011-06-19T21:54:38Z")
Rarely. I sometimes find hardcore shipping a bit annoying honestly, though I understand the motivation perfectly. I think it is pretty natural. But any fandom can get annoying if taken to extremes and regular 'shippers seem just a bit more prone to being extreme ;). That said I have done it once in a blue moon ( though not actively, as in writing fic or participating in discussions ). One notable example was Rory/Paris on _The Gilmore Girls_, a show I only intermittently watched after the first season and was never particularly obsessed with. For some reason that particular pairing just resonated with me and at times seemed to be trying to claw itself out of the subtext into the text. More so than usual. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/14 "2011-06-19T21:59:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > “Archie was the bitch and Jughead was the butch. That’s why Jughead wears that crown-looking hat all the time. He the king of queen Archie’s world.” “I feel a hate crime coming on.” ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/15 "2011-06-19T22:23:39Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > I used to ship my after school cartoon characters **(Chip and Gadget were _totally_ fucking)** and I wrote fanfic before I’d ever heard of the concept. Emphasis mine. That just… um… I think I need a lie down. > [@silenus](#): > > As a veteran of the Spuffy/Bangel wars of the late 90s/early 2000s, I view most 'shippers with a gimlet eye. Crazy, they are. > > SPUFFY FOREVER!!! Sangel for the win! (or is it Aike?) :p:D ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/16 "2011-06-19T22:50:04Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > (“shipping”=getting characters who aren’t couple in the work into couples) I consider myself a big shipper with several fandoms, and I do often do it as you describe, but I consider that a limited definition. Investing your attention into any possible romantic pairing in the fandom, or crossing over from one work into another, is shipping in my opinion. What you’ve described would be ‘unconventional shipping’, at least by the terminology in Roswell fandom. Fans of couples who are actually together in the work are conventional shippers. For instance, my ship in the Brothers and Sisters tv show would be Justin/Rebecca. That would be a conventional ship, as I understand, (though I’m not active in Brothers and Sisters fandom online.) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/17 "2011-06-19T23:34:33Z")
Yep - I’ve oficialy been a shipper since the term was defined for the X-Files, though I was never a rabid shipper and only wanted Mulder and Scully to get together at the very end of the series. I tend to like canon ‘will they won’t they’ interactions, like Beckett and Castle. Often i’m no particularly into a ship but fanfic based on it; there are lots of excellent Harry/Draco fanfics out there even though there’s not really much support for it in the books or films. > [@Lucky\_13](#): > > I recently got into “Hetalia Axis Powers,” a manga and anime series in which the countries of the world are personified, mostly as good-looking young men. It started out focusing on the Axis countries and how they got along among themselves and with the Allies during WWII, but slowly started including various other countries and jumping back and forth in history. Right now I 'ship Germany/Northern Italy\* (they’re so cute together) and US/UK. Yes, all these countries are portrayed as male. > > \*spoiler: > > One of the story arcs is about how northern Italy, as a child, was a servant in the home of Austria, to show how in real life, the Austro-Hungarian Empire controlled parts of Italy. While there, little Italy met a boy, the Holy Roman Empire, and they became friends, but Holy Roman Empire had to leave. Some Hetalia fans have a theory that HRE lost his memory and grew up to be Germany, since historically, the Holy Roman Empire had its territory in what is modern-day Germany. I tend to agree with them. My daughter and her friends LOVE that show and all have their favourite ships. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/18 "2011-06-20T00:00:16Z")
Only if there is a lot of unresolved tension. ---
**Author:** ![CorneaGenii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@CorneaGenii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorneaGenii)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/19 "2011-06-20T01:34:43Z")
Not even sure how it happened, but sometime last year I stumbled upon a story on [fanfiction.net](http://fanfiction.net). I’d never even heard of the terms “fandom” or “ship”, but I was hooked. I now sail aboard the good ship Shenny (Sheldon/Penny from Big Bang Theory) and Rayne (River/Jayne from Firefly). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051/20 "2011-06-20T01:40:46Z")
Sheldon/Penny is all but canon, IMO. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-shipping/586051.md?page=2)