Shipping and noshipping

[heidi.h.tandy.c92 at alumni.upenn.edu]

No: HPFGUIDX 11158

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Marvin... wrote:
> 
> The last questions interests me because I wonder if adopting the 
> label "noshipper" means I'm not supposed to speculate *at all* 
about 
> the romantic interests of the characters, or if it just means that 
I 
> haven't taken up a particular match as my cause.  I lean towards 
the 
> latter definition simply because I *am* curious, and I *do* care 
> about the characters' emotions and so on, othewise the books would 
be 
> less fun.
I'd go for the latter definition as well. Speculation is just another 
way to interprit the canon - it's really no different from saying, "I 
interprit text to indicate that Percy is going to choose the Ministry 
over his family when it comes to choosing sides," of "I interprit 
text as support for the assertion that Harry may be prone to 
developing PTSD in the future if the battle with Voldemort results in 
the death, in front of him, of a close friend..."

 
> How about this analogy; I see the noshipper fan as a kind of 
literary 
> sports analyst, watching the game and trying to understand the play 
> and possibily even predict/infer the outcome without actually 
rooting 
> for a particular team/outcome.  It's like watching a game between 
> teams neither of whom is *your* team, so you don't have to be fully 
> invested in the outcome and instead you just cheer whenever you see 
a 
> good play.

I like the analogy - and if I hadn't been swayed to the H/H ship by 
Ebony, Penny, Lori and to some extent Cassie, I'd be on the sports 
deck of that submarine by this point (time for people to say, "she's 
H/H? But I thought her fanfic was D/Herm!" (to which I 
respond..."Science Project!"))