SHIP: How Shippers Come to Be

[Kathleen Kelly MacMillan]

No: HPFGUIDX 13870

Well, this has been an interesting day for shipping.  I am finding myself too
worked up at the moment to respond to many of the things that have been said
recently, but I had to reply to this:

MC wrote:
>R/Hr shippers tend to be newer fans of the books. They went from one book to
>the next, and so on, not re-reading a million times * before * moving on.
>They make their opinions, then go back and re-read the books, pulling out
>what supports R/Hr, and convince themselves that Is The Way It Is.
>The idea is - there has been subtle H/H overtures for a long time. But you
>only catch them when you *really* look. Now, obviously, there will be a
>bunch of people yelling "no, no, I have thought it was R/Hr and I was
>reading HP before it was cool!" or "I am a H/H shipper, and I just started
>reading them." I know. It's just a theory. I'm certain there is an exception
>to that rule.


I realize this is just a theory, but I must whole-heartedly disagree with this
interpretation of the Good Ship R/H, at least.  (I obviously cannot speak for
anyone on the SS H/H.)  I, for one, have read each book multiple times and
analyzed and re-analyzed them just as closely as any H/H-er, and I know this
to be true of many of the others aboard my ship as well.  As I said, I know
you were just throwing this out as a theory and I am not trying to flame you
or anything, but I had to respond because, quite frankly, I am really tired of
the insinuation that R/H-ers are somehow not reading the books with same
heightened perception and advanced reasoning as H/H-ers.  True, many younger
fans are R/H, perhaps because it is "the more obvious interpretation", as
H/H-ers might say.  Personally, I see just as many young fans who are H/H
because of the whole Hero-Gets-the-Girl thing, which is a less well-reasoned
position as well.

I completely disagree with the idea that there are "subtle H/H overtures"
(obviously) and I have detailed my reasons for this countless times, so I
won't go into it here.

As long as we're analyzing ship preferences, I would be interested to see how
many other vocal shippers have jumped from one major ship to another at some
point.  I have admitted, reluctantly, that I once was half-heartedly H/H (Hey!
 Admitting is the first step to healing!).  Ebony has said the reverse, as she
went from half-hearted R/H to out-and-out H/H.  What about other people?

And by th by, Firoza has officially been promoted from Bouncer to
Sergeant-at-Arms of the Good Ship R/H, with a Special Service Award for
extreme valor in the face of enemy fire. :)

Captain Kathy of the Good Ship R/H
AKA Elanor Gamgee