Jumping ship (was What is no-shipping?)

[Ebony Elizabeth Thomas]

No: HPFGUIDX 10234

Hello, all--

Kimberly wrote:
>Susan, you have converted me!
>I am officially abandoning ship(s) of all kinds.

Is Susan a no-shipper or an R/Her?  :-)  This made me grin, 
Kimberly--although I do hate to see you cast away on the Sea of No Romance.  
Are you sure no ship will suit you... not even Arthur/Molly?  Hagrid/Madame 
Maxime?  Lucius/Narcissa?  LOL!

>If R/H is disproven, some people on
>the good ship R/H will be very, very sad, and if H/H is disproven
>there will probably be some sort of terrible cry wrenching the sky
>from the battleship H/H, so I have now decided that my preference is
>ambiguity, so that long after the stories are over everyone can
>continue to imagine what they want.

LOL!  OK, I deserved that... changing Kathy's "good ship R/H" in my reply to 
the "destroyer H/H".  I can't speak from the R/H perspective at all, but I'm 
sure there will be no terrible cry from the H/H battleship-cum-Carnival 
Cruise if H/H is disproven (partly because one of our theories-in-progress 
is "all roads lead to H/H"... but I digress).  Really, we H/Hers are 
extremely nice people.  I think I've become one of the most vocal around 
these parts, but I don't have two horns growing out of my head.  Most of 
what I post in the ship wars is tongue-in-cheek and is very indicative of my 
Type-A, quick to speak and react personality.

I think the H/H image problem stem from the fact that we... I don't know... 
we post a lot more?  We never declare that shipping is illegitimate when 
things aren't going our way?  (I see that the R/Hers are now winning the 
poll, per my theory.)  I'm sure that JKR will continue to rank among my 
favorite writers even if the next three books have no romance at all and 
everyone pulls a Hamlet in Book 7... as long as she convinces me of the 
plausibility of it all.

>Kimberly,
>hoping that no sides get offended by the implications of the other
>side/sides that they are delusional/demented/defective and/or
>suffering from a disorder because of their shipping preference.

Nah, no-shipping is not a disorder at all!  Just a preference.  Now, the 
condition known as the One Big Happy Weasley Family (OBHWF) syndrome... 
*that's* a disorder.  ;-)

In closing, I hope no one *really* thinks that we take this stuff seriously! 
  Kathy's an R/H shipper and writer, and I think she's incredibly cool.  So 
is B Bennett.  So is Zsenya.  I've read all of their fics, have reviewed all 
three, and Kathy and B Bennett read mine.  As obsessively H/H as I am, Kathy 
(Elanor Gamgee) and B Bennett are on my ff.net page as two of my favorite 
authors!

Once in a blue moon, the debates on list get heated, but most of the time 
they're very lighthearted and teasing.  I've heard shippers in other fandoms 
are not half as civil as we are.

You see, no one's lives revolve around matchmaking fictional characters and 
writing mushy fanfics (though none of the most-plugged H/H ones qualify as 
sap--most of them are action/adventure or mystery).  Most of the shippers 
I've gotten to know have families, significant others, jobs and/or school, 
social lives, etc.

It isn't that deep... but it *is* a lot of fun.

And of course no one's forced to join in... many veteran club members like 
our dear Amanda are complete no-shippers.  These members might then delete 
all ship posts the same way I skim/delete issues that hold no interest for 
me.  This is not the navy... we have no draft.

But all too often, as we float by on the Sea of Romance, we see a confirmed 
no-shipper clinging to a piece of driftwood, weary of their shipless fandom 
existence.  That's when we on the Love Boat/Destroyer H/H throw them a 
lifeline (usually the first chapter of PoU) and reel 'em on up.  Right, 
Neil?  ;-)

I'm sure we'll be throwing out more lifelines before Book 5 is out.

--Ebony AKA AngieJ

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Ebony AKA AngieJ
(H/H Special Agent, First Class)

"'We start by recruiting members,' said Hermione happily.  'I thought two 
Sickles to join--that buys a badge--and the proceeds can fund our leaflet 
campaign.  You're treasurer, Ron--I've got you a collecting tin 
upstairs--and Harry, you're secretary, so you might want to write down 
everything I'm saying now, as a record of our first meeting.'

"There was a pause in which Hermione beamed at the pair of them, and Harry 
sat, torn between exasperation at Hermione and amusement at the look on 
Ron's face."

--from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, p. 225, 1st Amer. ed.

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