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Writing a compelling shipper?

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Writing a compelling shipper? written Oct 23, 2020 3:01:54 GMT
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I always struggle with shippers that are split into like...Platonic/Antagonistic/Romantic...Because I never super know how to write these sections in a compelling way? I guess I'm asking how other people approach it for ideas how to approach it myself?

I have a really good grasp of the character, so it's less not knowing how they act and more not knowing how to compartmentalize these concepts into those three sections respectively? I also never know what the actual proper way to word it is, am I writing how I think they handle these specific relationships? I'm struggle.

I'm not looking for a cut and dry answer because I know a lot of it comes down to preference and personal style, I guess I'm mostly looking for advice or ideas how to actually write these, questions I can ask myself in regards to the character in relation to the sections of the shipper.

Did I butcher this question? Yes, yes I did. I'm so sorry.
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Writing a compelling shipper? written Oct 23, 2020 4:23:40 GMT
take it easy.
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let's live our lives heroically / let's live our lives with style
maybe use them as a place to put recent developments with your character(s) + plot hooks you want to pursue (that's what i do anyway)

abandon the friends/lovers/etc. deal
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Writing a compelling shipper? written Oct 23, 2020 4:40:07 GMT
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Oct 23, 2020 4:23:40 GMT said:
maybe use them as a place to put recent developments with your character(s) + plot hooks you want to pursue (that's what i do anyway)

abandon the friends/lovers/etc. deal
Usually I do this! But I'm struggling more with shipper style apps that HAVE to have that format, so I'm mostly looking for ways to use that format...Creatively I guess?
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Writing a compelling shipper? written Oct 23, 2020 5:42:02 GMT via mobile
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what do you want to know? my height, hobbies, quirks, the color of my underwear?
real talk, i generally ask to redo (or just do) shipper app formats into the format of character summary / general location + romantic potential / various plotting hooks + premade thread ideas. worst that can happen is that i'll have to redo it imo.

in situations where i can't do that though (like profile apps with a shipper portion, which feel like they entirely miss the point of both formats but that's my personal gripe about it), what i usually end up doing is approaching it from the perspective of "okay, what are some easy ways for someone to befriend my character / most feasible avenues for them to end up clashing with each other / the available options for romance". it's definitely not perfect but imo it's still channeling the functionality of my preferred format (since imo most rpers just... don't know how to write plotters well since they're writing them for how their character will act towards people in those general categories which imo is not helpful for trying to figure out how what category the relationship will fall in and which are the most feasible ways to get there), so. yeah.
last edit on Oct 23, 2020 13:08:20 GMT by Kuroya

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Writing a compelling shipper? written Oct 24, 2020 0:02:42 GMT
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If this is not love, what should we call it?
my shippers tend to be a mess already but especially when it's restrained to those categories. usually what i end up doing is maybe a short "standard" blurb for each one like how you could become friends w/ my char, friendships that tend to form, places u can mb see them around so u guys can get to know each other but then i put a little thing after (usually a style blockquote) of "wants"

they can be just short things like + childhood friends turned penpals turned college dormate + roommates for the past x yrs or more complex plothooks

but essentially i just inelegantly jam the about/plot-hook style into the more categorical style and it usually works for me and i feel like it makes it easier for people to plot with me? b/c i can sometimes accidentally fall into the trap of how my char's treat xyz relationship otherwise because i don't know what to say

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Writing a compelling shipper? written Oct 24, 2020 7:32:03 GMT
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Grain of salt that maybe I'm the odd one out and most people find shippers great for plotting, idk. I used to say "plotter" and "shipper" interchangeably because I didn't even know they were supposed to be different, and I still kind of think they should both accomplish both. To me, they're just tools to figure out how to start threads we'll both enjoy.

But anyways, I'm one of those people who prefers to figure out character dynamics in-thread and give room to instantly hate or quietly appreciate or whatever other weird feelings two characters might have at first sight. It's okay to have an idea and all, but I don't like to overpromise on reactions and I'm not really concerned about whether my characters will be friends, lovers, or enemies with other people to begin with; any and all are good to me.

What I do need help figuring out is the "Why are our characters interacting at all?" part, and having actionable plot hooks helps. Cin had some great suggestions with a character's routine and where people can run into them; any recent goals and things they're trying to accomplish will also go well here. Basic slice-of-life-y scene startups work too, like Having A Bad Day, Found Something Neat, Geeking Out, Relaxing Chill Time - things that could be Open Threads, but instead you're saving them for at-request. I like to list the development arcs I'm planning too and the "soft wanted" openings to make them happen, but full respect that maybe I'm super forwards like that. Prior Connections are a great way to package both, giving an established dynamic and a reason to meet up. It helps cement my belief that all shippers should be at least a little bit of a plotter and vice versa.
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