When an author has notes like "IDK who to ship X with, there's so many options! Let me know in the comments!"
Author and I ship in very different ways, let me just say.
@Betty Is this usually about main pairings or side pairings? Because I've seen it with side pairings, and while I wouldn't ever outsource that to the comment section, I understand not having strong feelings about every pairing in a fandom.
But they're talking about the main character of the story...that seems wild to me.
@lirazel Like, if I don't have strong feelings about a character I will probably... leave them single? I guess unless they really need to be paired up for story reasons? But yeah, I've seen this with main characters?
Like, if you don't ship them, don't... ship them?
If you ship them with everyone, also valid!
But shipping by poll is a weird approach.
@Betty I also would leave them single, but some people have a pathological need to pair the spares.
I can't imagine wanting to write about a relationship (of any kind) that I didn't have strong feelings about. They don't necessarily have to be strong positive feelings, but there would have to be strong feelings!
@lirazel Yeah, like, maybe I pair them up because I think it's funny, but that's a feeling!
@lirazel But also it's so weird to set out to write a story, knowing you want it to be shipfic, but now what ship. Surely who they are entangled with will change the shape of the story?
@lirazel Like: "I'm writing a story where Wei Wuxian is a paleontologist, but I just don't know if I want him to end up with Wen Ruohan, or Lan Qiren!" Like, those are different stories, my dude!
@lirazel (although now I've low-key nerd-sniped myself.)
@soph_sol @lirazel I guess in whatever era of paleontology "I found it!" meant "It's mine," WWX has found some kind of amazing specimen and both LQR and WRH are wooing him for their institutions. WWX is like "Well, WRH wouldn't get in my way, but LQR does have that beautiful specimen collection, and ruffling his feathers is so fun!" and in the background LWJ is just turning puce at the DISRESPECT while WWX flirts with his uncle.
