Question Question for ALL Shippers

[StarSlayer]

Note: My question is not posed to start any shipping wars. I'm sincerely interested in what people think and how they interpret their ship. So, here's my question...

No matter what ships you sail, do you ignore (either consciously or without realizing it) what happens in other ships to support your ship? Or to give a reason for liking your ship even more?

 

[zobothehobo]

I don't consciously do this but I probably do somewhat. The first time through, I don't think I ignored any of the good in any of the ships because my favorite ships happened to be the ones at the end (Spuffy, Xanya, Tillow). Although I may have ignored the good in Killow because from where I'm sitting, there is none. haha no... in all seriousness, I even see the good in Killow. I don't think I did the first watch because I was still so hung up on Tara but now that I've seen season 7 about 6 times, I can see it. So I don't think so... not consciously. However, I will say that since I know Spuffy exists and I love Spuffy to death and I will ship Spuffy until I die now, I do kind of tend to feel less connected with the emotional stuff of Bangel than I did on my first watch. I remember on my first watch, I had cheated and looked on the IMDb page and found out Angel would be back in Pangs... I was SO excited for that because I believed they belonged together. Now I look forward to seeing Spike tied to a chair.... and more importantly, Something Blue.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I can honestly look at almost every 'ship in the Buffyverse and see both the good and the bad to it. I have to admit I'm a little more partial to Bangel than Spuffy, but I don't hate Spuffy at all. I remember fans being outraged when the show was airing and people getting all pissed 'cause Buffy was with Spike. I admit I didn't understand it at first, but by the time Season 7 was over I totally understood it and I could see the good in it. And even though I love Bangel, I have to admit a lot of their romance (especially in season 2) was so overdramatic and cheesy, but back then I was a high school girl with dreams of this big romantic relationship, so maybe that's why that particular ship holds a special place in my heart.
However, my favorite ship in the whole 'Verse is probably Giles and Jenny, because I thought that they were so cute together and brought out the best in each other. They were real and honest (well, after Jenny admitted she'd been sent there to watch Buffy) and adult but still cute and adorable in their early stages of their relationship. That, to me, is what makes a pairing great.

 

[caitaintdead]

I'm really trying to stop hardcore shipping one ship or the other.

I believe that in the Buffyverse there is a place for almost every single relationship we are shown. Yes, I like some ships better then others. I prefer Spuffy to Bangel because I find bangel boring. I prefer some fire in the television I am watching and so I prefer to watch them interact.

This doesn't change the fact that Buffy and Angel loved each other and may one day get back together. This is fine... As long as I don't have to watch it 😉

I tend to pretend that Killow never existed, and maybe this a subconscious decision due to the fact that I truly believe Tillow was a true love. Although I don't pretend that Willow cared deeply for Oz, so maybe not?

Hrm... I'll keep thinking about this.

I don't really think I do let other ships influence my choice in relationships I prefer over others.

 

[msfantastico87]

Ok so everyone here know's that I ship Tillow hardcore. However, I do still love Woz. They were so cute together! Almost perfect for each other!


I don't shut out the other ships. I think that even when you ship something hardcore, you can still appreciate the smaller things from the other ships. It can help you understand how they grew to be the ship they are today and what not.

I don't think i'm making nay sense.... so I think i'll just say that I love all the ships in one way or another, but Tillow will always have my heart 🙂

 

[prophecygrrl]

I don't shut out other ships. I might look at what happened or what's said in each ship differently after settling on an OTP, but I don't (or at least, try not to) ignore anything.

 

[Justme]

I loathe to use the word "ship" but I think it's fair to say I ship Cordy/Angel.

I don't hate Buffy/Angel at all, I quite like it in fact. I don't think because he loved Buffy so much it would stop him falling in love with Cordelia. The only thing I hate is his S7 appearance, but that was just lousy writing.

 

[BananaBuffy]

I can't honestly say that I do. Because I find that I actually support often more than one ship even if the same person is in two. I support Tillow and Woz, sometimes even Bangel AND Spuffy. I don't shut anything out because I believe that every ship has their good and their bad. I'm sure I might have blocked one or two things out from certain ships, probably more noteably Riley and Buffy but I don't feel guilty for doing that because so far it's only been little things. I can appreciate Briley to an extent, ya know?

 

[Kean]

No, I don't think I do. I've been shipping B/A hardcore since '98. I still feel the same way about them now as I did at the very beginning. There are ships I dislike and don't believe in at all but I don't use those ships to bolster my own.

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

No, I don't think I do.

Every ship is different and I look it with the different eyes and rarely compare with the one I'm shipping.

 

[Nikkolas]

I have my OTP (Buffy/Faith) but I still support Bangel.

I think there are different kinds of love. Buffy and Faith could never be the same way Angel and Buffy were but that doesn't mean they don't love one another.

My rabid shipping teeth do come out at times though. For instance, Faith/Wood and Willow/Kennedy NEVER happened. It was a horrible fanfic that someone confused my brain into thinking actually took place on the show.

That said, I think it's only the unbelievably bland and pointless ships I'm against. I acknowledge Spuffy happened for instance even though I think it was gross and unhealthy. No offense to any Spuffy fans.

 

[white avenger]

No matter what ships you sail, do you ignore (either consciously or without realizing it) what happens in other ships to support your ship? Or to give a reason for liking your ship even more?

No, I neither ignore or try to belittle what happens with the "other ship," but I also try to never lose sight of why I support my chosen ship (I'll not mention it here, in the spirit of this not developing into a ship war) and that is that I most fervently believe that it is possible to earn another person's love through determination and hard work. That becoming a better man by overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to accomplish your goals, by making yourself a better man, the kind of man "that she deserves" WILL be rewarded. Maybe not as much in the real world, but, hey, Buffy, Spike, Faith, Angel, and the others live in a fantasy universe, so anything is possible.

 

[white avenger]

Kean agrees: You just described the root of our eternal disagreement because I passionately disagree with that stance in its entirety! Problem solved, we don't have to dance anymore!

Okay, we can finally reach an agreement. I'll admit that I'm right if you just admit that you're wrong. Problem solved, dance over.

 

[Marisa]

I do try to look at all the ships even though I know my favorites.
It is weird because when I first seriously watched Buffy I loved Buffy and Angel I still do during those early years. I see so much in their relationship. The thing is I ship Spuffy and don't think in the long run they compare. Still when I watch I try to see the points and I do see the cute factor and the love factor.
I don't know if I necessarily ignore ships. I didn't like Gunn and Fred to much but I did not ignore them. I see that Gunn is what Fred needed at that point.
I feel even if I downright dislike them a lot every couple does have something no matter if I try to deny it 😛.

 

[Manderz]

I've always tried to look at every couple on the Buffyverse in their own special way. For instance if you know me and look at my banner and stuff you can obviously see I totally ship Bangel. That couple just holds a special place in my heart for the buffyverse. however doesn't mean I dispise Spike and hate Buffy getting with him. Infact After Angel's departure and all the guy's buffy got with parker/riley/spike, Spike was the one I saw and they really grew on me. So really I don't look negativly on any ship realy except one to be honest. Cangel, and it isn't cause of Bangel or anyother other ship'. Heck I liked Dangel alot in season 2 Ange & Spuffy, but the reason I hate Cangel is simply cause I just don't see it. I never saw them as a couple and them falling in love to me was eww. They made great friends and i really liked her on Angel I just didn't see them falling in love. That really is the only ship' I look negativley on.
-manderz

 

[StarSlayer]

Thanks for all the responses so far! I've really enjoyed reading what everyone has to say 🙂

For me, I don't ignore other ships. Like others, I prefer some ships over other ships (like I prefer Spuffy, Cangel, Tillow), but I don't ignore the ones that aren't my favorites. I also do see the good in the ships I don't particularly like, but I just see more good and beauty in the ships I do like. 🙂

Actually, not ignoring the ships that I don't like makes me love my ships even more, as weird as that may sound, lol! Like, as you can tell by my banner, I'm a hard-core Spuffy shipper. Yet, I wasn't always. When I first started watching (from s1 onward), I knew Buffy and Spike later got together. However, even when I watched them in s2 and into s4, I still couldn't picture them as a romantic couple. And it really wasn't until "After Life" in s6 that I 100% sailed the Spuffy ship. I actually did like Bangel in s1 and in s2, but s3 changed my opinion on them. So, knowing what happened with Buffy and Angel, and even with Buffy and Riley, made me fall in love with Spuffy even more as I watched their relationship unfold 🙂

 

[Nikkolas]

StarSlayer agrees: Yeah s7 Spuffy is so gross and unhealthy

Touché.

 

[Summerlilly]

For me, Buffyverse is about having an appreciation for all the ships! Sure, I like some more than others but I wouldn't say I ignore any of them. Maybe thats my favorite thing about both shows.....all the passion, love, angst, saddness, anger, betrayal and humor of the relationships. Each in their own way, they ground a television show in something real that I can identify with or just plain fantasize about! 🙂

I would have to say the only three ships I feel really passionately about are Bangel, Spuffy, and Cangel. I have a love for all three and can see the beautiful parts of each. For me, I know there's truly only one that ranks above the rest. I think its because I'm a hopless romantic and I believe in passion and true love!

---------- Post added at 09:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:34 PM ----------

zobothehobo agrees: Wow. you're really passionate about both Bangel and Spuffy? I wasn't sure that was possible.

Yes, I am passionate about both but I'm really a Bangel at heart. There's just something about Spike and Buffy that keeps me wanting more....😎

 

[Nikkolas]

I just want to point out something that I noticed and also found on TVTropes.
They have an article called Die For Our Ship and the article discusses how...determined fans of Bangel, Spuffy, Cangel, etc.. are. Under all that though, there's this notation.

Oddly enough, while I'm not sure if I just have looked hard enough or if I'm right, it seems that Fuffy shippers seem to not really hate on any of Buffy's canon love interests (except for the occasional Riley hate and even that's rare).

I know this is definitely true for me and it does seem to be true for others as well from what I've read.

We Fuffy supporters are the voices of peace and reason.

 

[Tome]

StarSlayer agrees: Yeah s7 Spuffy is so gross and unhealthy

Touché.

At Nikkolas:

How was S7 Spuffy gross and unhealthy? They actually had a much healthier relationship in that season... I'm not a *Spuffy*, but I can admit that was the best season for their ship. Spike got a soul, he went through a lot of shit and came back stronger, up to the point he sacrificed himself for the world at the end of the season. On the other hand, Buffy started to appreciate him much more, she realized what he did for her, what he went through. She finally gave him some credit... even more than what he thought he deserved(like in the scene in Buffy's basement when she tells him she believes in him and he says she shouldn't). I actually quite liked Spuffy in s7. It was one of the good things about that average season. They also had plenty of touching scenes, starting with 'Touched'(no pun intended)... I don't think there was a Bangel or Riley scene that got close to that one. Spike's speech was amazing, I'm sure everyone got a bit emotional about it. 🙂