An impossible triple bind
I was thinking about my personal journey as a fan, and how shippers are "made", and what happens when the public connection between the stars ceases to exist after the end of the promotional period. And then it hit me: how simple is actually to set prerequisites for fan conflicts that would last for years. Only three ingredients are needed:
The requirement for the star to be (or convincingly present as) single.
The CP (shipping) as a promotional strategy for a joint production.
The complete severing of public communication after the end of the promotional period.
Voila! We are all set for ongoing conflict. The combination of 2 and 3 will create a shipping “lore”: “Their love has been real, but they are forced into hiding and invisibility, and they need us to confirm to them that we care for their love as an important truth about who they are”.
And the solos will protect the "face", the honor of their star, as they perceive it, by attacking the shippers. And both groups are going to try to prove the "other side" wrong.
Notice what is missing here? Who the stars are doesn’t matter. Their gender doesn’t matter. Whether the relationship was or is real or not doesn’t matter. Set up the three prerequisites, and you will have ongoing conflict.
On one condition: if fans are willing to participate in it.
I am always thinking of damages these ongoing conflicts create. Can fan peace be possible?