Shipper tendencies

[gategrrl]

Can someone explain to me why there's such a compelling need to sexualize and Romantic-ize characters? I've been there myself, but I seem to have gone past that as a "serious" endeavor. I'll *play* with characters and their sexuality -- but the *need* to pair them up romantically just isn't a priority, and it seems so unnecessary, and somewhat Mary Sueish, especially if it's certain types of het and slash writing.

It's not so much the sexualizing -- that I get, it's fun to imagine your favorite characters whupping it up with the whipped cream and cherries, and get down and dirty and sweaty. But at the same time, what I'm puzzled more about is the need to Harlequinnize decent characters who already have complex, nonsexual relationships with each other, that get totally boring when they DO get together.

Anyone?

Comments

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

That is probably the most straight forward thought on the issue I have ever heard.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

Sudden thought (and then I have to pick up Mermaid from daycamp):

Could it be that current Daniel/Vala shippers, even those who weren't shippy before, esp with Jack/Sam -- are suddenly shipping because Sam was not a worthy object of projection? That Vala is sooooo much more interesting, so much more derring-do and morally gray, that this pairing has taken off, even with those who wouldn't give Sam/Jack the time of day?

Note: I am a NOROMO to the hilt.

Grac? What do you think? What's good for the goose/gander thing?

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

This wasn't poised towards me, but I can't walk away from a good conversation.

I don't think so. Because some people do project through Sam. You still have the Daniel/Sam shippers hanging on through think and thin. I know a lot of people that can identify with Sam, more so the old Sam, but still.

I do think ship in and of itself tends to have a projection issue, though.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the pause in communication, had to go to bed. ;)

I don't know about that. Certainly some shippers are into projection but I don't know how commonplace it is - there's got to be room to argue that this is a case of people projecting into a woman who has some sparkage with Daniel...

Or could it just be that there's more *onscreen* chemistry between Daniel and Vala than there ever was between Carter and Sir and people are reacting to that?

Or that they're more attracted by the roguish element of Vala's personality rather than two forty year old pluses within a military framework? It could be argued that the Daniel/Vala thing is just the traditional 'bad boy' and 'good girl' dynamic turned on its head, which in itself again is quite unusual and therefore could be appealing just because it's not that common.