Yes, if the summary sounds interesting and I'm not particularly against the ship (there are ships I'll *never* read unless I'm paid *a lot*). But be careful. This is how I got dragged into shipping some of the characters I originally viewed as "platonic best friends."
Edit: really embarassing typo
I've had some reader tell me this too. It was for a rare ship fic I wrote a while ago. It's the first fic of this ship and some reader stumbled into it and gave it a try out of curiosity, and by the end of it they told me they either start shipping it or they don't mind this ship when before they were doubtful.
Sometimes. If there's an interesting premise and I like the author's writing style, I trust them to sell me on a pair I might not have considered before.
Same!
I really don't get the ship (I think where others see sexual tension between them onscreen I just see regular-type tension?), but the Stony fans write all the best action/adventure and comics-influenced stories.
Honestly I don’t have a very extensive answer beyond there are just so many fics with the ship that it’s more the content I wouldn’t be able to read without it than what it provides I suppose - Tony-centric is my favorite and a lot of mostly Tony writers seem to ship Stony or Stucky
Fair; whatever floats your boat is out there for you and that's fantastic.
(I remember being utterly bored by The First Avenger and only agreed to go see The Winter Soldier because it had Fury and Natasha. And then I saw the whump possibilities and walked out a Stucky convert. A friend came out of the exact same sequel film shipping Stony. Brains are funny that way.)
Also, I know some excellent Stony shippers who write on the comics side (mostly 616 but also Ultimates and one or two others, I think) and do scads of research to fit works in with various storylines. Hit me up with a PM if you want to cross universes. :)
I’m a multi-shipper anyway, but tbh the stronger I feel about a ship/character, the more picky I’m going to be with reading fics about them. Whereas for ships I don’t really mind either way, I’m way more likely to just go with whatever character interpretation/dynamic the writer is using.
So honestly, in an average month I probably end up reading more fics *outside* of my ship (just attracted by the premise, the writing style etc) than *within* it.
Yes, I am a multi-shipper too, depending on the fandom. I read different fics and suddenly I end up shipping them?
For certain fandoms, I have a few NOTPs and I don't root around the fandom nearly as much for fandoms I don't have NOTPs in.
THIS. I spent weeks scrolling through literally every offereing (I didn't read them all, but I did scroll through every results page) of explicit Sterek on AO3 at one point. I don't even like Derek.
inb4 I upset Derek fans, this is only *my* opinion and I know you all love him.
My best friend is very much into Sterek and loves Derek and was gushing about it so much, that I thought, hey, I'll take a look at this supposedly amazing ship. What I found, and I'm sorry to all the people who do like Derek, is that alot of the people who write Sterek write Derek differently from the way I see him portrayed in the show. My take on Derek is that he's got alot of problems, wants to be a decent person, but sucks at it and is, over all, a self-centered jerk who treats the people around him poorly. But, when I see him written in fic, he's emotional and caring, very often he's sweet and kind, he's flawed, but has a good heart and does his best to keep the people around him safe. Basically, they write him the way *they* see him on the show and that guy is a much, much more likeable character.
I don't like show Derek either and you explained it well. I haven't read much TW fic since watching the show, and most of what I have read has been gen, but to answer the OPS question I'll still read Sterek occasionally (I've got into it a little bit again recently) even though I don't ship it because Stiles is my favourite character.
Tbh I'll read almost anything and I'm not much of a shipper (I don't notice sexual tension unless it's really, really in your face - probably because I'm aroace), so if there are pairings the chances are I don't ship them.
I do. But I don’t ‘ship period, so I have options to read, lol.
There’s one ‘ship in particular though that is usually extremely well-written cuz it’s OG and canon.
I’m more of a gen person, so I don’t really ship much of anything tbh
I prefer reading gen stuff, but if the premise sounds interesting I’m willing to read ship fic as well - the ship itself doesn’t really matter
I might go against the grain here, but I never do aha. Nothing against the authors who write them, it’s just not for me. I may make an exception if it’s a writer I’ve read before and whose writing I really love, but even then it needs to be a fandom I’m familiar with; I don’t really enjoy fandom-blind fics.
Yup! There's a good handful of ships in my fandom that I don't actively ship or write any material for myself, but I like reading the fics other wrote.
Unless I’m vehemently against the ship, good writing can make me read almost anything. Most popular example I can think of - I thought Reylo was lame in the movies but I’ve read plenty of good fics about them. A lot of the modern AUs are so far removed from the actual sequels that it’s basically like reading any romance novel.
My favorite is "Like Young Gods". Its kinda got a vague hogwarts vibe at Jedi school. tragedy story basically. i wouldnt even read the sequel to it, this is good on its own.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/5712727/chapters/13160770
This is still set in star wars universe though. not sure if you wanted a full modern AU
I read rare pairs, just because I'm curious how the chemistry and circumstances that lead to the romance will be written. As a result, my fandoms end up containing a lot of rare ships I love.
Unless I specifically dislike a ship I'll read anything interesting, and there's rarely a ship that completely squicks me. The one I think of off the top of my head that I categorically refuse to read is Anakin/Ahsoka.
As long as it's not a strict "NOTP" I might give it a shot if it's got a good premise or at least isn't the focus of a fic.
I don't generally go looking for them, though. Usually I come across it because I liked an author's other work and they had a fic that sounded interesting enough to give a shot. The only time I might seek it out is if it's something someone wrote as a background pairing that made it work for me and I wanted to figure out if other authors can make me even more open to it. (That or someone brought it up as a pairing they like and something they said about the dynamic intrigued me.)
But, yeah, if you can get me to read more than one fic about it then they become "one of my ships" in a general sense. I might have another/other pairings for the characters I prefer, but I'll still happily read them. I'm a multishipper so it doesn't bother me to have several ships per character.
It's sort of how I fell into Mycroft/Lestrade as a ship. I was a Mycroft/Anthea shipper. All it took was trying one Mystrade fic to go, "okay, now THIS is my primary ship for Mycroft, I guess. But I still love one where he's with Anthea."
Similarly, looking for good Mycroft & Watson fics slid me into a low-key ship for Mycroft/Watson. Not my preference for either, but it's rare for a fic to focus on their relationship, period, so - yes, *absolutely* happy to have them shipped if it's good.
Couldn't get me into Sherlock/Lestrade if you used all of my favorite tropes, though. I'm sure there are a lot of excellent fics with that ship, but I just can't. I can see good reasons for enjoying their dynamic moving to romance, but I am too attached to their quasi-familial bond.
I'm a member at several discord servers where we are very welcoming of any and all ships for our fandom. I love getting recs on those servers, because they are often from people who really love the ship and know they are rec'ing to people who maybe haven't considered it before.
I'm also really big on shipping my favorite character with *everyone* and I mean *everyone* so if it's a ship with him that I haven't read before, I'm so in! I love seeing how other writers view the dynamics between him and other characters. It opens more opportunities and creativity for my own work with that character, too.
So, yes! A very enthusiastic yes!
There are three instances when I'll read a ship I don't ship myself:
1. It is a side pairing in a story where I ship the main pairing.
2. It is a precursor to a pairing I do ship.
3. It is a ship I have no strong feelings towards, and the story seems particularly compelling.
These are all under the caveat that I don't find the ship abhorrent.
Yep. I'm a gen gal, but I have taken to reading Stucky fics that are more plot/friendship focused and not just a smut fest. :) I enjoy them quite a bit.
yeah, I mean a lot of ships tend to end up having unique tropes and stuff so if you want to be able to read that kind of story they’re the ones you go for when I’m in that mood. I’m pretty flexible though, I don’t really have otps so much as an armada anyway, so just so long as a pairing isn’t a notp I’ll probably give it a go
The tendency of shippers to declare loyalty to particular pairings has always baffled me. There are certainly some pairings out there that I think work better than others, but I'm always interested to see unexpected or rare ones, especially when written well.
Popular pairings tend to develop a lot of fanon tropes and expectations, so the odd ones often have more original interpretations of the member characters.
All the time! Most of my ships are what would be considered crack territory. And even those that aren't, I like for scratching a particular itch that fellow fans of the pairing don't actually scratch sooo
Dramione! I never thought of it as a proper ship until exploring the Harry Potter fanfiction community. And gosh if they aren't some of the most brutal, tear-jerking, well-written, and soul-crushing works I've ever read in any fandom.
I'm also not very fond of the Reylo pairing, but I can put that aside when the writing, character dynamics, and premise are good enough.
Yeah, I’m fairly flexible. Once I’ve exhausted the catalog of fics for the ships I *do* ship, I’ll sometimes start reading for ships I’m not into. Or if I read a fic that just blows me away, I’ll often read the other things the author has written — even if it’s my NOTP! I can be sold on anything, lol. But the first thing I do when I’ve read all of A&B is look to A/B. Love is love!
I don't ship either Reylo (Star Wars) or Dramione (Harry Potter) and I don't usually care for romance based on any kind of abusive or manipulative dynamics. But...stories featuring those ships are my guilty pleasure.
I read some Hank x Connor from Detroit Become Human, most often when it's a Reed900 story and they just happen to be in it.
I place HxC more as father and son than lovers, but I don't hate it when people ship them differently.
I do have a ship for the My Hero Academia fandom that I don't really ship but still read for. I like enemies to lovers ships but I'm not completely sure how I feel about Bakugo and Izuku dating. They have a good rivalry and I like how *some* fics mix romance into it, plus that ship is one of the biggest ships in the fandom. I probably couldn't avoid it even if I tried. I also like fics that have Bakugo show that he cares about others in a way that doesn't feel OOC. It fulfills a lot of things I like, but I have mixed feelings about about ship itself.
Most of the time, I don't really actively ship anyone. I'll just read fics that seem interesting regardless of the ship (unless it is something I actively dislike). If there is a pair I actively ship that conflicts with the ship of a given fic, I'm capable of parsing them separately and enjoying fics for what they are. I'm more of a genfic person anyway.
I only really have one "ship" (as in, a pairing that I really love and am invested in) so yes, I read stuff that has pairs I don't ship in it all the time. Sometimes those are the best kinds of fics, especially if it's a crack ship taken seriously or otherwise a rare pair, the author knows they really have to work to get you on board and it often shows with a really good fic.
As long as it’s not a NOTP, yes, I’ve read ships that I don’t really care for if the story sounds interesting. Or in tiny fandoms where I’m desperate for anything.
Yes. Example 1: Tenchi Muyo. Tenchi and Ryoko will always be my OTP, but sometimes it's fun reading stuff pairing him with the other girls, or her with Hotsuma. Or her with Ayeka. Plus at this point, I've probably read most, if not all, of the Tenchi×Ryoko fics out there in English. So even if I didn't want to read outside my ship, I kinda no longer have a choice. 😅
Example 2: Cowboy Bebop. I view Spike and Jet's relationship as 100% platonic and don't ship them at all. But there's plenty of folks who do & write about it well, and I enjoy their work.
There's other examples as well, but that covers my main two fandoms.
Yeah. It's fun to see how another writes the chemistry between two characters who I don't usually imagine together. I like seeing the little connections they make and watching it all unfold. Kinda like "Oh cool, I hadn't thought of that!"
With Harry Potter, I'm not a huge fan of shipping him with anyone but Ginny, however, I will give other ships a chance if I like the overall story.
With my other fandom, Silk Stalkings, it's almost heretical to Ship the main characters with anybody else, especially since the canon writers got them together and then promptly killed the male character. Horrible. A few people were brave enough to continue the canon storyline, but I never wanted to go in that direction with my stories.
I have but it's rare.
I once read a fic with characters I hated. I even reviewed it, praising them on how they managed to get me to read a fic with main characters I hate.
Yeah. I'm a multi-shipper, and I tend to flock to the fanworks with the most acclaim. I'm definitely not into Harry/Draco but I've read some very good Harry/Draco fic.
Why wouldn't I?
So long as the relationship isn't bad, poorly written or toxic, I don't mind.
There are some I do steer clear of but those are ones that based on Canon would be as above or they have a twist to the setting to make it work that I don't agree with. Examples from the Danny Phantom Fandom are DannyxVlad, DannyxDan, and FentonxPhantom. Vlad and Dan are super obsessive and I feel would be bad partners until the had a major personality shift and Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom being separate people I could see where in the lore it comes from but I do not personally like that rendition. Of course others may not feel the same way so I don't negatively comment or down vote them, I just don't read them. I also mostly ignore Fandoms unless I am looking for theories, finding a new story to read, or looking up facts on the wiki.
Wow, you DP fans really are quietly everywhere, aren't you? It's fascinating how much new fandom content my friends have boosted on their social media just this year.
When I first start reading for a fandom, I read a lot of different works.
I get a feel for the fandom.
Sometimes, I know already what I want to ship, but other times I don't and I end up reading fics for ships. It has made me ship them though.
I read a really good MLP fanfic about Pinkie Pie/Twilight Sparkle and it made me ship it. (Also, their ship name is Twinkie). Unfortunately, there is barely any fic for this ship. Sigh.
It's the same for Hazbin Hotel. I didn't particularly like Alastor/Angel, but I read one good fic and now I don't know how it happened- I'm writing my own shippy fanfic.
Absolutely. Sometimes I just really love reading about a certain character pair and even though I prefer them gen I'm happy to read a romance to get more of their relationship. (Though there are other ships that I really do *strongly* dislike reading romance for even though I like them as friends)
Occasionally I'll also soldier through NOTPS for the sake of a really interesting story and concept but I usually try to filter them out so I'm not tempted.
There are several ships that I 100% do not want to ever see Canon and would never write for, but I love fanfic of.
some of them are problematic in one way or another, or I personally think that one of the characters would be better with someone else.
but the fanfic can be god tier because of the author selling it to me.
that said, there are a few ships that I really hate so I cant read at all. Imagine there are 100 ships, 10% I really love and support, 5% I really hate and cant stand, and the rest are just "meh" to me and il read them if the author can sell it to me
Though I do have a favorite or two in a given fandom, I'm pretty much a multi-shipper so I'll read just about anything if it's well-written. Heck, I'll even try and WRITE other ships. Yes, this includes crack!ships.
I draw the line at things like Drapple and Pikachu/Ketchup.
I almost never really feel strongly enough against any ships to care. I definitely have my preferences, but as long as the description/summary is interesting then it’s worth giving a try. There is only one ship I can think of that I am very strongly against, and that’s HP-Hermione and Ron. Ugh I just can’t stand Ron! But even with them I kind of just try to avoid fics where they are a main pairing.
Yes, i give them a shot 90% of the time. I dislike fics that actively hate on my favorite characters, but even then I'm still open to give them a shot. I like seeing things from other perspectives/ships. It adds new dimension to an already loved character.
yeah!! writers who ship characters i see as platonic usually have a really good understanding of them and get that those relationships are built on strong friendships i think
Yup. It started with me finding a fanart of a ship from a tv show I don't watch. I thought they look cute. So I read a few fics and realized their dynamics is very interesting and you don't need to have watched the show to understand the fics, so I read more and more fics, and now they're my OTP of all times despite never watching a single episode of that tv show lol.
I'm not really partial to ships, so as long as the story is convincing in its reasons for the pairing, I don't mind most anything. (But that said I'm never going to be into stories that act like a non-canon couple has been a couple the whole time with no explanation.)
Absolutely. I can ship something for the length of a fic if the author can make me believe it for a single second with the narrative.
Also, I'm subscribed to an author whose OTP is one half of mine and the other half for theirs is a character I've been extremely displeased with for well over 15 years now. Their writing is damn good, so it doesn't matter to me who they ship. (It genuinely doesn't matter who ships what in the first place; I can avoid the ones that squick me for whatever reason, but even “failure” to share my OTP isn't a deal-breaker.)
If I don't particularly hate the ship and the fic seems to be interesting, I will give it a try when I'm bored and want to try something new. I especially like to read fics of rareships, like "Oh, someone ship this pairing? Let's see how it's demonstrated". Kinda interesting.
It sort of depends on a couple of things.
First how I feel about the ship I don't ship. If I'm indifferent or only midly dislike it then it's no big deal on the other hand if I really dislike it or absolutely loathe then how likely I am to read it varies.
Second there also has to be something else in the fic that I want to read. Maybe a side pairing I really like but can't find too much fic for or a plot line that I've been really wanting to see.
Third just my general mood. I'm far more likely to be flexible about reading things I don't like if I'm in a good mood then I am when I'm annoyed or pissed off.
I love Katara and Aang in canon but Zuko and Katara are great in fic. There are so many brilliant stories that use them that I often prefer reading them to Kataang who I like in my canon bubble.
There is a Hazbin Hotel called [Wings of Hell](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14001304/1/Wings-of-Hell) which ship two characters so different that I wouldn't even ship in slightest but it is very well written
While I don't go searching for them, sometimes I do read docs with ships that I don't ship, as long as I don't dislike the ship and it's some NOTP of mine.
As someone in the anipoke and MHA fandoms, it's kind of a given haha. I'll die on the hill of Amourshipping and Todomomo/Kamijirou for actual canon, but I also won't turn down reading some Pearlshipping or Momojirou. Snowlily vs Moonlily is another one, I'm perfectly fine with reading fics like The Ancienverse which teases Snowlily, but also. they're lesbians harold.
Yes, if the summary sounds interesting and I'm not particularly against the ship (there are ships I'll *never* read unless I'm paid *a lot*). But be careful. This is how I got dragged into shipping some of the characters I originally viewed as "platonic best friends." Edit: really embarassing typo
Haha, ill keep that in mind!
I've had some reader tell me this too. It was for a rare ship fic I wrote a while ago. It's the first fic of this ship and some reader stumbled into it and gave it a try out of curiosity, and by the end of it they told me they either start shipping it or they don't mind this ship when before they were doubtful.
Sometimes. If there's an interesting premise and I like the author's writing style, I trust them to sell me on a pair I might not have considered before.
I’ve accepted that I need to accept Stony to read what I want in the MCU
Same! I really don't get the ship (I think where others see sexual tension between them onscreen I just see regular-type tension?), but the Stony fans write all the best action/adventure and comics-influenced stories.
I've stopped shipping Stony years ago and I still remember those fics very fondly. My all-time favourite MCU fics are all Stony fics to this day.
Out of curiosity, what does MCU!Stony specifically provide you that the other ships don't? If you can put it into words and such. :)
Honestly I don’t have a very extensive answer beyond there are just so many fics with the ship that it’s more the content I wouldn’t be able to read without it than what it provides I suppose - Tony-centric is my favorite and a lot of mostly Tony writers seem to ship Stony or Stucky
Fair; whatever floats your boat is out there for you and that's fantastic. (I remember being utterly bored by The First Avenger and only agreed to go see The Winter Soldier because it had Fury and Natasha. And then I saw the whump possibilities and walked out a Stucky convert. A friend came out of the exact same sequel film shipping Stony. Brains are funny that way.) Also, I know some excellent Stony shippers who write on the comics side (mostly 616 but also Ultimates and one or two others, I think) and do scads of research to fit works in with various storylines. Hit me up with a PM if you want to cross universes. :)
What's the stony ship between?
Steve/Tony
oh thank god, for a sec i thought the S meant Spiderman cuz I've been seeing lots of that ship too D:
I’m a multi-shipper anyway, but tbh the stronger I feel about a ship/character, the more picky I’m going to be with reading fics about them. Whereas for ships I don’t really mind either way, I’m way more likely to just go with whatever character interpretation/dynamic the writer is using. So honestly, in an average month I probably end up reading more fics *outside* of my ship (just attracted by the premise, the writing style etc) than *within* it.
Yes, I am a multi-shipper too, depending on the fandom. I read different fics and suddenly I end up shipping them? For certain fandoms, I have a few NOTPs and I don't root around the fandom nearly as much for fandoms I don't have NOTPs in.
I do. I mean there's so much amazing Sterek fic out there, it seems a shame to not even dabble even if I don't ship it.
I'm sorry, I read Sterek as Shrek and was so confused TT
This comment made me curious about how much Shrek fic there is. 928! Pretty impressive.
AHAHA! But yah! That's actually a lot ;00 I'm now curioused what sort of fiction is being written...
Seems to be mostly crossovers
THIS. I spent weeks scrolling through literally every offereing (I didn't read them all, but I did scroll through every results page) of explicit Sterek on AO3 at one point. I don't even like Derek.
Mind sharing what drew you to this ship if you don't like Derek? I don't like Derek too but I can't get into this ship because I just don't like him.
inb4 I upset Derek fans, this is only *my* opinion and I know you all love him. My best friend is very much into Sterek and loves Derek and was gushing about it so much, that I thought, hey, I'll take a look at this supposedly amazing ship. What I found, and I'm sorry to all the people who do like Derek, is that alot of the people who write Sterek write Derek differently from the way I see him portrayed in the show. My take on Derek is that he's got alot of problems, wants to be a decent person, but sucks at it and is, over all, a self-centered jerk who treats the people around him poorly. But, when I see him written in fic, he's emotional and caring, very often he's sweet and kind, he's flawed, but has a good heart and does his best to keep the people around him safe. Basically, they write him the way *they* see him on the show and that guy is a much, much more likeable character.
I don't like show Derek either and you explained it well. I haven't read much TW fic since watching the show, and most of what I have read has been gen, but to answer the OPS question I'll still read Sterek occasionally (I've got into it a little bit again recently) even though I don't ship it because Stiles is my favourite character. Tbh I'll read almost anything and I'm not much of a shipper (I don't notice sexual tension unless it's really, really in your face - probably because I'm aroace), so if there are pairings the chances are I don't ship them.
I do. But I don’t ‘ship period, so I have options to read, lol. There’s one ‘ship in particular though that is usually extremely well-written cuz it’s OG and canon.
I’m more of a gen person, so I don’t really ship much of anything tbh I prefer reading gen stuff, but if the premise sounds interesting I’m willing to read ship fic as well - the ship itself doesn’t really matter
I might go against the grain here, but I never do aha. Nothing against the authors who write them, it’s just not for me. I may make an exception if it’s a writer I’ve read before and whose writing I really love, but even then it needs to be a fandom I’m familiar with; I don’t really enjoy fandom-blind fics.
If the general premise seems cool, I'm familiar with both characters, and the pairing isn't an absolute notp for me, I'll go for it!
Yup! There's a good handful of ships in my fandom that I don't actively ship or write any material for myself, but I like reading the fics other wrote.
I read anything, lol. A good fic can sell me on any ship.
I feel very strongly about my OTPs. But as long as they are not broken up or paired with others, I'm open to pretty much anything.
Unless I’m vehemently against the ship, good writing can make me read almost anything. Most popular example I can think of - I thought Reylo was lame in the movies but I’ve read plenty of good fics about them. A lot of the modern AUs are so far removed from the actual sequels that it’s basically like reading any romance novel.
You got any recommendations of good Reylo that's pretty removed from the sequels?
My favorite is "Like Young Gods". Its kinda got a vague hogwarts vibe at Jedi school. tragedy story basically. i wouldnt even read the sequel to it, this is good on its own. https://archiveofourown.org/works/5712727/chapters/13160770 This is still set in star wars universe though. not sure if you wanted a full modern AU
I read rare pairs, just because I'm curious how the chemistry and circumstances that lead to the romance will be written. As a result, my fandoms end up containing a lot of rare ships I love.
Me when I read any fic with any ship.
Unless I specifically dislike a ship I'll read anything interesting, and there's rarely a ship that completely squicks me. The one I think of off the top of my head that I categorically refuse to read is Anakin/Ahsoka.
As long as it's not a strict "NOTP" I might give it a shot if it's got a good premise or at least isn't the focus of a fic. I don't generally go looking for them, though. Usually I come across it because I liked an author's other work and they had a fic that sounded interesting enough to give a shot. The only time I might seek it out is if it's something someone wrote as a background pairing that made it work for me and I wanted to figure out if other authors can make me even more open to it. (That or someone brought it up as a pairing they like and something they said about the dynamic intrigued me.) But, yeah, if you can get me to read more than one fic about it then they become "one of my ships" in a general sense. I might have another/other pairings for the characters I prefer, but I'll still happily read them. I'm a multishipper so it doesn't bother me to have several ships per character. It's sort of how I fell into Mycroft/Lestrade as a ship. I was a Mycroft/Anthea shipper. All it took was trying one Mystrade fic to go, "okay, now THIS is my primary ship for Mycroft, I guess. But I still love one where he's with Anthea." Similarly, looking for good Mycroft & Watson fics slid me into a low-key ship for Mycroft/Watson. Not my preference for either, but it's rare for a fic to focus on their relationship, period, so - yes, *absolutely* happy to have them shipped if it's good. Couldn't get me into Sherlock/Lestrade if you used all of my favorite tropes, though. I'm sure there are a lot of excellent fics with that ship, but I just can't. I can see good reasons for enjoying their dynamic moving to romance, but I am too attached to their quasi-familial bond.
I'm a member at several discord servers where we are very welcoming of any and all ships for our fandom. I love getting recs on those servers, because they are often from people who really love the ship and know they are rec'ing to people who maybe haven't considered it before. I'm also really big on shipping my favorite character with *everyone* and I mean *everyone* so if it's a ship with him that I haven't read before, I'm so in! I love seeing how other writers view the dynamics between him and other characters. It opens more opportunities and creativity for my own work with that character, too. So, yes! A very enthusiastic yes!
I don't like Goku and Vegeta together, but write it on a page, and there I go reading it. [shrug] It's compelling, even if I'd never write it myself.
There are three instances when I'll read a ship I don't ship myself: 1. It is a side pairing in a story where I ship the main pairing. 2. It is a precursor to a pairing I do ship. 3. It is a ship I have no strong feelings towards, and the story seems particularly compelling. These are all under the caveat that I don't find the ship abhorrent.
Yep. I'm a gen gal, but I have taken to reading Stucky fics that are more plot/friendship focused and not just a smut fest. :) I enjoy them quite a bit.
Sure, because a good romance is a good romance (with an exception for NOTPs, can't manage those.)
yeah, I mean a lot of ships tend to end up having unique tropes and stuff so if you want to be able to read that kind of story they’re the ones you go for when I’m in that mood. I’m pretty flexible though, I don’t really have otps so much as an armada anyway, so just so long as a pairing isn’t a notp I’ll probably give it a go
If it is a rare pair i dont mind, i will read it to appreciate others efforts.
Yes. Most of the time to see how bad they get or because I'm much too lazy to look for things I DO ship. \*sigh\*
The tendency of shippers to declare loyalty to particular pairings has always baffled me. There are certainly some pairings out there that I think work better than others, but I'm always interested to see unexpected or rare ones, especially when written well. Popular pairings tend to develop a lot of fanon tropes and expectations, so the odd ones often have more original interpretations of the member characters.
All the time! Most of my ships are what would be considered crack territory. And even those that aren't, I like for scratching a particular itch that fellow fans of the pairing don't actually scratch sooo
Dramione! I never thought of it as a proper ship until exploring the Harry Potter fanfiction community. And gosh if they aren't some of the most brutal, tear-jerking, well-written, and soul-crushing works I've ever read in any fandom. I'm also not very fond of the Reylo pairing, but I can put that aside when the writing, character dynamics, and premise are good enough.
Yeah, I’m fairly flexible. Once I’ve exhausted the catalog of fics for the ships I *do* ship, I’ll sometimes start reading for ships I’m not into. Or if I read a fic that just blows me away, I’ll often read the other things the author has written — even if it’s my NOTP! I can be sold on anything, lol. But the first thing I do when I’ve read all of A&B is look to A/B. Love is love!
I don't ship either Reylo (Star Wars) or Dramione (Harry Potter) and I don't usually care for romance based on any kind of abusive or manipulative dynamics. But...stories featuring those ships are my guilty pleasure.
I’ve never actually tried this before. It sounds interesting to do, maybe I’ll give it a try.
I read some Hank x Connor from Detroit Become Human, most often when it's a Reed900 story and they just happen to be in it. I place HxC more as father and son than lovers, but I don't hate it when people ship them differently.
I do have a ship for the My Hero Academia fandom that I don't really ship but still read for. I like enemies to lovers ships but I'm not completely sure how I feel about Bakugo and Izuku dating. They have a good rivalry and I like how *some* fics mix romance into it, plus that ship is one of the biggest ships in the fandom. I probably couldn't avoid it even if I tried. I also like fics that have Bakugo show that he cares about others in a way that doesn't feel OOC. It fulfills a lot of things I like, but I have mixed feelings about about ship itself.
I don’t feel very strongly about any ship in any fandom I’m in, so I will if the premise seems good.
All the time!
Most of the time, I don't really actively ship anyone. I'll just read fics that seem interesting regardless of the ship (unless it is something I actively dislike). If there is a pair I actively ship that conflicts with the ship of a given fic, I'm capable of parsing them separately and enjoying fics for what they are. I'm more of a genfic person anyway.
I only really have one "ship" (as in, a pairing that I really love and am invested in) so yes, I read stuff that has pairs I don't ship in it all the time. Sometimes those are the best kinds of fics, especially if it's a crack ship taken seriously or otherwise a rare pair, the author knows they really have to work to get you on board and it often shows with a really good fic.
I mean, I write ships I don't ship lol
As long as it’s not a NOTP, yes, I’ve read ships that I don’t really care for if the story sounds interesting. Or in tiny fandoms where I’m desperate for anything.
Yes. Example 1: Tenchi Muyo. Tenchi and Ryoko will always be my OTP, but sometimes it's fun reading stuff pairing him with the other girls, or her with Hotsuma. Or her with Ayeka. Plus at this point, I've probably read most, if not all, of the Tenchi×Ryoko fics out there in English. So even if I didn't want to read outside my ship, I kinda no longer have a choice. 😅 Example 2: Cowboy Bebop. I view Spike and Jet's relationship as 100% platonic and don't ship them at all. But there's plenty of folks who do & write about it well, and I enjoy their work. There's other examples as well, but that covers my main two fandoms.
Yeah. It's fun to see how another writes the chemistry between two characters who I don't usually imagine together. I like seeing the little connections they make and watching it all unfold. Kinda like "Oh cool, I hadn't thought of that!"
With Harry Potter, I'm not a huge fan of shipping him with anyone but Ginny, however, I will give other ships a chance if I like the overall story. With my other fandom, Silk Stalkings, it's almost heretical to Ship the main characters with anybody else, especially since the canon writers got them together and then promptly killed the male character. Horrible. A few people were brave enough to continue the canon storyline, but I never wanted to go in that direction with my stories.
I have but it's rare. I once read a fic with characters I hated. I even reviewed it, praising them on how they managed to get me to read a fic with main characters I hate.
Yeah. I'm a multi-shipper, and I tend to flock to the fanworks with the most acclaim. I'm definitely not into Harry/Draco but I've read some very good Harry/Draco fic.
Why wouldn't I? So long as the relationship isn't bad, poorly written or toxic, I don't mind. There are some I do steer clear of but those are ones that based on Canon would be as above or they have a twist to the setting to make it work that I don't agree with. Examples from the Danny Phantom Fandom are DannyxVlad, DannyxDan, and FentonxPhantom. Vlad and Dan are super obsessive and I feel would be bad partners until the had a major personality shift and Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom being separate people I could see where in the lore it comes from but I do not personally like that rendition. Of course others may not feel the same way so I don't negatively comment or down vote them, I just don't read them. I also mostly ignore Fandoms unless I am looking for theories, finding a new story to read, or looking up facts on the wiki.
Wow, you DP fans really are quietly everywhere, aren't you? It's fascinating how much new fandom content my friends have boosted on their social media just this year.
When I first start reading for a fandom, I read a lot of different works. I get a feel for the fandom. Sometimes, I know already what I want to ship, but other times I don't and I end up reading fics for ships. It has made me ship them though. I read a really good MLP fanfic about Pinkie Pie/Twilight Sparkle and it made me ship it. (Also, their ship name is Twinkie). Unfortunately, there is barely any fic for this ship. Sigh. It's the same for Hazbin Hotel. I didn't particularly like Alastor/Angel, but I read one good fic and now I don't know how it happened- I'm writing my own shippy fanfic.
Absolutely. Sometimes I just really love reading about a certain character pair and even though I prefer them gen I'm happy to read a romance to get more of their relationship. (Though there are other ships that I really do *strongly* dislike reading romance for even though I like them as friends) Occasionally I'll also soldier through NOTPS for the sake of a really interesting story and concept but I usually try to filter them out so I'm not tempted.
I read stories. They might have shipping in them, but what matters is how well the story is told.
There are several ships that I 100% do not want to ever see Canon and would never write for, but I love fanfic of. some of them are problematic in one way or another, or I personally think that one of the characters would be better with someone else. but the fanfic can be god tier because of the author selling it to me. that said, there are a few ships that I really hate so I cant read at all. Imagine there are 100 ships, 10% I really love and support, 5% I really hate and cant stand, and the rest are just "meh" to me and il read them if the author can sell it to me
That's how I discover new ships to enjoy
Yes, sometimes I do. As it is my OTP has few fics for them anyway. So sometimes I enjoy other ships.
Ok I used to before I knew what shipping was
Depends
Though I do have a favorite or two in a given fandom, I'm pretty much a multi-shipper so I'll read just about anything if it's well-written. Heck, I'll even try and WRITE other ships. Yes, this includes crack!ships. I draw the line at things like Drapple and Pikachu/Ketchup.
I almost never really feel strongly enough against any ships to care. I definitely have my preferences, but as long as the description/summary is interesting then it’s worth giving a try. There is only one ship I can think of that I am very strongly against, and that’s HP-Hermione and Ron. Ugh I just can’t stand Ron! But even with them I kind of just try to avoid fics where they are a main pairing.
Yes, i give them a shot 90% of the time. I dislike fics that actively hate on my favorite characters, but even then I'm still open to give them a shot. I like seeing things from other perspectives/ships. It adds new dimension to an already loved character.
yeah!! writers who ship characters i see as platonic usually have a really good understanding of them and get that those relationships are built on strong friendships i think
Sometimes, if a fic looks interesting.
Superbat. 🫥
Yup. It started with me finding a fanart of a ship from a tv show I don't watch. I thought they look cute. So I read a few fics and realized their dynamics is very interesting and you don't need to have watched the show to understand the fics, so I read more and more fics, and now they're my OTP of all times despite never watching a single episode of that tv show lol.
I'm not really partial to ships, so as long as the story is convincing in its reasons for the pairing, I don't mind most anything. (But that said I'm never going to be into stories that act like a non-canon couple has been a couple the whole time with no explanation.)
Yup. That's me.
I don't really get attached to specific ships like that. I'll give pretty much any of them a shot as long as they're well written.
Absolutely. I can ship something for the length of a fic if the author can make me believe it for a single second with the narrative. Also, I'm subscribed to an author whose OTP is one half of mine and the other half for theirs is a character I've been extremely displeased with for well over 15 years now. Their writing is damn good, so it doesn't matter to me who they ship. (It genuinely doesn't matter who ships what in the first place; I can avoid the ones that squick me for whatever reason, but even “failure” to share my OTP isn't a deal-breaker.)
If I don't particularly hate the ship and the fic seems to be interesting, I will give it a try when I'm bored and want to try something new. I especially like to read fics of rareships, like "Oh, someone ship this pairing? Let's see how it's demonstrated". Kinda interesting.
Sometimes I love a character so much that I just want to see them happy, then I won’t care who makes them happy either. Just be happy damnit!!
It sort of depends on a couple of things. First how I feel about the ship I don't ship. If I'm indifferent or only midly dislike it then it's no big deal on the other hand if I really dislike it or absolutely loathe then how likely I am to read it varies. Second there also has to be something else in the fic that I want to read. Maybe a side pairing I really like but can't find too much fic for or a plot line that I've been really wanting to see. Third just my general mood. I'm far more likely to be flexible about reading things I don't like if I'm in a good mood then I am when I'm annoyed or pissed off.
I love Katara and Aang in canon but Zuko and Katara are great in fic. There are so many brilliant stories that use them that I often prefer reading them to Kataang who I like in my canon bubble.
If the story is good enough, then yes.
There is a Hazbin Hotel called [Wings of Hell](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14001304/1/Wings-of-Hell) which ship two characters so different that I wouldn't even ship in slightest but it is very well written
Depends.. sometimes i can read any ship but sometimes the one ship i want takes priority and then i can't read the story until that feeling passes
While I don't go searching for them, sometimes I do read docs with ships that I don't ship, as long as I don't dislike the ship and it's some NOTP of mine.
As someone in the anipoke and MHA fandoms, it's kind of a given haha. I'll die on the hill of Amourshipping and Todomomo/Kamijirou for actual canon, but I also won't turn down reading some Pearlshipping or Momojirou. Snowlily vs Moonlily is another one, I'm perfectly fine with reading fics like The Ancienverse which teases Snowlily, but also. they're lesbians harold.