What It All Boils Down To...
Dec. 20th, 2007 07:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonshaydeI'm talking about ships.
I've noticed that in multiple fandoms (Smallville, Stargate, X-Files, and Harry Potter for example) there may be discussions about plot, character, themes, and story, but in the end it all seems to boil down to ship. (Defining ship here in the broad sense - het or slash.) Sure, there are people in fandom that are there just for characters and plot. But those that are mainly focused on shipping is by far the majority. Once you weed through the hearty discussion of character arcs and plot, you'll see that people are arguing for "who ends up with who." Out of everything, this becomes the main focus and the most passionate for fans.
Take a look at any forum or discussion area. Doesn't matter which fandom. Most of them mirror each other.
So, I ask why? Why do we (in general) abandon everything else about the story, making it secondary to the ship? Why is it so vital to have the end goal be "so and so ends up with Clark" or "so and so ends up with Mulder" or "so and so ends up with Jack?" Why does that becoming the most defining attribute of the story or the characters? Why are we defining them by their romantic entanglements? Why are we defining them by their prize at the end of the day?
And is it the woman who is the prize in the end? Or the man? I've seen this go back and forth and it may depend on the fandom.
It happens across fandoms. I've noticed it a lot lately. As![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stargazercmc mentioned, is this something inate or does fandom perpetuate it? I wonder does this feed some basic human need or is something else going on here?
I've noticed that in multiple fandoms (Smallville, Stargate, X-Files, and Harry Potter for example) there may be discussions about plot, character, themes, and story, but in the end it all seems to boil down to ship. (Defining ship here in the broad sense - het or slash.) Sure, there are people in fandom that are there just for characters and plot. But those that are mainly focused on shipping is by far the majority. Once you weed through the hearty discussion of character arcs and plot, you'll see that people are arguing for "who ends up with who." Out of everything, this becomes the main focus and the most passionate for fans.
Take a look at any forum or discussion area. Doesn't matter which fandom. Most of them mirror each other.
So, I ask why? Why do we (in general) abandon everything else about the story, making it secondary to the ship? Why is it so vital to have the end goal be "so and so ends up with Clark" or "so and so ends up with Mulder" or "so and so ends up with Jack?" Why does that becoming the most defining attribute of the story or the characters? Why are we defining them by their romantic entanglements? Why are we defining them by their prize at the end of the day?
And is it the woman who is the prize in the end? Or the man? I've seen this go back and forth and it may depend on the fandom.
It happens across fandoms. I've noticed it a lot lately. As
stargazercmc mentioned, is this something inate or does fandom perpetuate it? I wonder does this feed some basic human need or is something else going on here?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-12-21 02:33 am (UTC)After I was surprised to discover fanfic existed at all I was SHOCKED when I discovered people were taking ficational characters who were not in an on-screen relationship and writing them in a relationship. It was a compulsion I'd never had, never even considered and it surprised me that so many people were so drawn to the idea.
Since moving into Stargate I've learned to enjoy some ship fic (generally the ones that really explore the characters and the world and aren't just about the sex or ship) and I've even written some and found it can give you a new angle with which to explore the character but...
I still really, really don't understand it and I'm still running around asking "why ship" and, well, I promise if I ever find the answer, I'll let you know. But I'm not sure everyone can necessarily articulate why it appeals to them and I highly doubt everyone's answer would be the same anyway.
It could partly be a basic human need - romantic and sexual relationships are a pretty common thread/shared experience among most humans. It's a classic storyline. I mean, in a way all stories are about people and how they interact and their relations and ship fic is just exploring one specific type of relationship.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-22 01:19 am (UTC)This is very true and is probably a huge part of it. There is no doubt that it's not classic. About as classic as they get, which tells me that is something maybe not inate but at least fundemental about it.
I just have this thing with analysis and it fascinates me why sometimes fans strip away everything else about a story and a character and focus through their own shippy lens onto a pairing and that pairing alone. It would be like reading Lord of the Rings and concluding that everything built up to Aragorn and Arwen.