DPP: The Recovery Ships (or shipping, post-pilots)

[winegums.livejournal.com]

In my entire life in fandom, there is no fictional couple that captured my heart as entirely as pilots did, and absolutely none that came even close to the kind of ruin and devastation they inflicted.



Post-Daybreak, I've been reluctant to ship, but earlier this year, after some fellow pilotshippers reported that a certain pair from the Avengers did function as a 'recovery ship' of sorts thanks to some similarities to pilots combined with the lack of epic pilots-scale heartbreak, I got curious.

So what I want to know today is, is recovering from pilots even possible? What has post-pilots shipping been like for you? And are there any fictional couples who make you feel better about it all, for even a little bit (using reasoning along the 'at least someone can be happy' lines) ? 

Or is it all just a load of ship? 

Comments

[delle.livejournal.com]

serious answer:

I have been active in fandom for 14 years. Pilots were - and are - another in a string of shipping obsessions for me.

I started with Michael/Nikita in La Femme Nikita.
Then Aragorn/Eowyn in Lord of the Rings
Elizabeth/Will from Pirates of the Caribbean
Then Pilots
Now Clint/Natasha from Avengers

do you see a pattern? I sure as hell do. I get hung on on pairings that never, ever end well* (and yeah, I'd read the books before the movies so I *knew* Aragorn/Eowyn wasn't going to work out, but my god those actors have chemistry so I fell head-over-heels anyway)

Can y'all trust me when I say that if you continue to be fannish, you WILL find another pairing that pings for you? But it may take a few years. I have dry spells. I do love the feeling of being fannishly obsessed.

*and if Clint/Natasha turns out badly in Avengers 2 I will lock myself in my room and cry. I can manage bro-mance rather than romantic. Just don't kill him, Joss!

(eta a pairing I forgot!)

[winegums.livejournal.com]

I've been active in fandom about that long too, and I don't know what kind of abnormality prevented me from really getting shippers until pilots happened to me.

I thought I could take the potential heartbreak because I was used to couples getting sad endings in all the manga I'd read as a teenager/all of Joss Whedon's shows, but NOPE, pilots were the shipper bitchslap from hell. You're right about the fact that other people have 'pinged' for me to various degrees afterwards, but never quite like pilots did (and I don't think I'll get quite this invested again).

And I feel you on Aragorn and Eowyn, she was such a badass but damn canon - actor chemistry is also what made me ship Loki/Sif, lol. Also, as far as Clint/Natasha goes, I think they should be safe for a while yet, such are the benefits of three-film franchises! (and she has to be part of Captain America 2 as well, I suspect there will be some Bucky/Winter Soldier angst to deal with, and I cannot wait)