Because I'm curious like that

[thelana.livejournal.com]

In spirit of the show hopefully coming back soon :) CM really made me realize how many great potential ships there are that I never would have thought about till I found fandom.

So wondered, do you ship?
If yes:
What's your favorite CM ship? (even if you have more, which is the one that truly has your heart)
At what point did it win you over?
Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship?
Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first?

Comments

[silver_sun]

So wondered, do you ship? Yes

What's your favorite CM ship? Hotch/Rossi
At what point did it win you over? 3x18 "The Crossing"
Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship? Angel Maker 4x02, Omnivore 4x18
Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first? Hotch.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

It's so nice to meet some fellow Hotch/Rossi appreciators. I was kinda worried that it's one of those ultra rare pairs where it's next to impossible to find somebody to squee with. :) Good to know that there are at least some :)

[sheryden.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do ship. Quite a bit, in fact. Keep in mind that I wouldn't want to see much romance on the show, but in fanfic, I quite love pairing the different characters off.

I ship Hotch with most of the cast. There's just something about him that pulls me in like a magnet. He's angsty, complex, and can be a badass when the writers let him. He (with Reid as a close second) is probably the character I fell in love with first.

Besides my Hotch ships, I also sort of ship Morgan and Garcia and Kevin and Garcia.

My top ship is probably Hotch/Rossi. It won me over last season, and I wasn't really expecting it. I became drawn to the chemistry between the actors and to the fact that when Hotch was with Rossi, we saw a side of Hotch we didn't normally get to see. I think he reveals his vulnerability to Rossi moreso than anyone else who's been on the show (even Gideon). And there was a MAN HUG when Dave was first introduced! :D

As for an episode that represents the ship... How about "Omnivore," because it features one of my favorite Hotch/Rossi scenes--Hotch is struggling with his own guilt over not accepting Foyet's deal, and he opens up to Rossi. Great stuff.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

When I started watching CM I was mostly a Gideon girl and that sort of eclipsed every other character unless they were in interaction with Gideon. I think in a lot of ways I really only starting noticing some of the characters after he was gone and by now Hotch and Rossi have definitely risen to my favorites since then (and by that actually make me see the old episodes in a very different light).

And I totally agree about Hotch. The way I see it, it feels like Hotch has slowly but surely taken over Reid's place as the resident angst monkey. I guess because to me it feels like a lot of the times when Reid now has angst stories, often there's closure. Like a smiling Morgan sitting by his bedside when he wakes up. Or him facing all this potentially horrifying past stuff that his father could have been a child molestor but there's closure in a way and the solution turns out to be still relatively benevolent (not only is his father not a child molestor, apparently he did love Reid's mom and tried to protect her). Compared to that it often feels like there are no happy ends to Hotch's stories. But of course we get to see more of Reid hanging out with the team and getting to be funny.

But the result is still that Hotch comes across as more angsty and messed up to me and since I love angst that so very much puts him on the top of my pile. And in that line of view Rossi is just the perfect foil and interaction partner in a lot of way.

Omnivore and Zoe's Reprise being the perfect examples.

[lady-lilith.livejournal.com]

I'm a big ol' lurker in the fandom. But yeah, I totally ship. I've only seen through Season Three, because I watch on DVD. (I love my library!)

What's your favourite CM ship? Reid and Morgan. (Second is Hotch and Gideon, or former them, maybe not current.)

Which episodes? The one in the hospital. (I'm sorry, I don't know them by name.) You know which one I mean, the one with the jello! And then various other scenes from various episodes. Moments, really.

Which did you fall for first? Oh lordy, Reid. I empathise with him so very very much. On a million and a half levels. I love the show, but if not for Reid, I don't know if I'd love it as much. Seeing myself in the show really made it for me.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

It's Amplification :) Reid is such a hero in that one, I love it.

[calanthe-b.livejournal.com]

Nope. I don't ship; I loathe shippery in any fandom, and particularly in CM where the source text is predicated on having no canon intrateam ships.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Well there were those hints about Reid/JJ and Morgan/Garcia, so I can get that, even if it stayed unrealized. But generally, I agree, I have too many shows ruined, at least for my taste by either a popular ship going canon or by really pushy shippers badgering the writers to include more of their ship. I'm glad that that doesn't seem to be problem so far in the CM fandom (the whole fandom clamouring for one ship and trying to impose their view on the show and wanting to make their ship canon; In my experience, in more cases than not it ruins both the show and the couple big time when that happens; so in that sense I like it when the shipping is low key and pretty diverse).

[harmoner.livejournal.com]

So wondered, do you ship?
If yes:
What's your favorite CM ship? (even if you have more, which is the one that truly has your heart) Reid/Morgan
At what point did it win you over?
Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship? Sex, Birth, Death, The Instincts, Memoriam, Amplification. The ending of Fear and Loathing is one of my fave moments as well, Reid confiding in Morgan makes me melt.
Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first? Reid

[thelana.livejournal.com]

That sounds like I really have to rewatch Fear and Loathing, since I skipped that during my rewatch since I still remebered the plot of it rather well. Thanks for the reccommendation :)

[darkhawkhealer.livejournal.com]

I totally ship. But only in fandom/fanfic, because if I ever saw any real relationships beyond mild flirting in canon, I'd stop watching. But, that's what fanfic is FOR, in my opinion.

I'm a Hotch/Reid girl. I do dabble in (and read) pretty much every other type of slash, because I am a romantic idealist and believe in a world where it is not only okay but straight-up ENCOURAGED for pretty, pretty boys to kiss each other. \o/ I never said it was rational.

Um, I came into the show around mid-S2, and I remember being instantly taken by Reid. He was just so awkward and geeky and shiny and pretty and I wanted to pet him. Still do, mostly. =D

I think it was the hug in Revelations -- the secret message and the implicit trust and the passionate drive to save his team member (which, yes, okay, Hotch would have done for any of them, but that's not the point!). It all just came together to make me think they would be adorable with each other.

I never said I wasn't a sappy fangirl!

[thelana.livejournal.com]

But, that's what fanfic is FOR, in my opinion.

Wordy McWord.


and believe in a world where it is not only okay but straight-up ENCOURAGED for pretty, pretty boys to kiss each other.

Heh, maybe you should start watching soap operas. Seems like they are all in a "zmg, we all need a gay couple real quick" phase ;D

[madlori.livejournal.com]

I totally ship because I can't help myself. Am a shippy little fangirl at heart.

In this fandom, I have the sad lot of shipping a seemingly very rare ship...Reid/Prentiss. I'm puzzled why no one seems to put them together. They're both nerds, they've had a lot of good connections in canon. Why no love for this ship?

Of course Minimal Loss is a big episode for them, and the conversation they have about Gideon's letter in Scared to Death is a nice moment.

I fell pretty hard for Reid early in my CM exposure (pretty recent, just started watching last spring and am now totally caught up with all four seasons), but I love Prentiss's attitude and fire.

[heatherbird.livejournal.com]

I'm a Prentiss/Reid shipper as well! Minimal Loss was certainly the pivotal episode for me... I'd never even considered them as a pairing before. Their hug at the end was so loaded with emotion. I'd also like to mention that I wasn't a big fan of Emily at all until this episode.

[antoinettemason.livejournal.com]

another non-shipper here. maybe because i'm not the most romantic person in the first place, but i sometimes find it annoying how people seem to want to pair fictional characters up, especially in works that aren't primarily about relationships in the first place. in the case of criminal minds, i think it would be disastrous for any two members of the team to become romantically involved with each other because it would wreak havoc on the team dynamic. i certainly do recognize that these seven people care about each other deeply, but not in any romantic sense, and in fact, in some respects i think the relationship they have surpasses any romantic/sexual one.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

I agree, I think it would be bad for the team and mess with the balance of the show if they did a couple. I actually think the show had handled it rather well. The few things they did they kept subtle and unrealized (JJ/Reid and Morgan/Garcia got to the point where it might have been at the brink of something, they defused the situation gracefully by bringing on Kevin).

I actually think that the outside relationships can be kind of neat (like all the episodes where both JJ and Hotch have to agnonize over whether or not to tell their families about a certain threat), but it works because we don't see those outside characters like Kevin or Will or Haley in every episode. They are there and occasionally add some depth but they don't take over.

[electro-love21.livejournal.com]

What's your favorite CM ship? Hotch/Reid
At what point did it win you over? Revelations
Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship? Revelations 2x15 Damaged 3x14
Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first? Like most other girl, I istantly fell in love with Reid :D

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Heh, it's the Reid effect. I'm thinking it should be patented ;)

[mingsmommy.livejournal.com]

So wondered, do you ship? yes
If yes:
What's your favorite CM ship? (even if you have more, which is the one that truly has your heart) Prentiss/Rossi
At what point did it win you over? Fanfic actually caused me to ship it
episode(s) do you think best represents your ship? Demonology, Amplification
Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first? Ummm...I love them both, but I guess, I'd say Emily

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Heh, I was really surprised when I saw that Prentiss/Rossi seems to be quite popular at least based on fic output. I never really "saw" it till I saw other people shipping it (but then again for me that holds true for most CM pairings). I have to admit that Prentiss/Rossi totally fascinates me. I totally get the thing about Demonology which was just a great episode all over. It's just that I never really picked up much on their interaction before that. Though I think the thing that amazes me the most (in a positive way) is that it's not the kind of thing you'd expect. Since Rossi isn't really the conventionally attractive guy you'd expect people to pair Prentiss with. So it totally fascinates me what appeal he has to Prentiss/Rossi shippers and why they'd make a good match. (though I would totally watch a tv show that was just the Prentiss/Rossi show witch all episodes being Demonology style ;) Maybe in the spirit of the UK demon possession procedural Apparitions which is awesomecaes)

I do love me some Emily in general. I just rewatched the evil pick up teacher episode and it just boosted my Emily love sky high once again :)

[linfer.livejournal.com]

My favourite ship is Garcia/Morgan. I simply love their chemistry, although they interact mostly over the phone. It's great that they focused a lot on them in season 3, like Lucky/Penelope, but my most beloved episode so far is "Mayhem" and the dialogue they had while/after Morgan driving the ambulance, it was really touching.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Agreed, that was just incredibly touching.

[brittdavis21.livejournal.com]

I ship obessively.
Morgan/Reid.
I think the best episodes would be the one where Reid got contaminated with Anthrax and the one that Jackson Rathbone guest starred in. Can't think of the episode names though.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

The episode is Amplificaftion (4x24), I'm rewatching it right now. I think it's cool cool that this episode struck such a chord with people, considering that it's relatively late in the duration of the show :)

[amor-remanet.livejournal.com]

I do ship, but as darkhawkhealer said, I prefer to keep shipping limited to fanfic/fandom/roleplaying, rather than seeing it happen in the show. In some cases -- like House and Harry Potter, since those are two of my other fandoms -- I wouldn't mind/wouldn't have minded seeing some fanon ships happen in the source text (like Remus/Sirius or House/Wilson), because in those cases, the respective writers wound up emphasizing the characters' romantic lives for certain reasons (i.e., because it's a part of growing up for Harry and his friends, or because trust is one of the big themes of House, in general, and trust is very easy to explore in many dimensions in romantic relationships). CM, however, is not one of these cases. I think introducing intra-team romantic storylines into the show itself would seriously distract from what the show does best -- the unsubs, their different levels, finding them, the actual work of profiling, how the unsubs and the cases impact the team and the victims, etc. -- and, since, really, that's why I watch the show, I wouldn't want to compromise it just to watch Matthew and Shemar make out or similar.

Favorite ship: ...I feel like I sort of gave it away already, but I love Morgan/Reid.

When I was first won over: Honestly, it's complicated. The first episode I watched was "Sex, Birth, Death" from s2, because a friend mentioned Reid saying, "I know what it's like to be afraid of your own mind" to Morgan in the midst of some discussion about how I knew Matthew from elsewhere and rather fancied him. The quote intrigued me, so I watched the episode, which did give me some feelings of, "Oh, Morgan and Reid. I'm going to end up shipping you, aren't I?" Then I went back to the beginning and started watching from s1, and, honestly, the first time in s1 I really got shippy feelings for Morgan and Reid was in "LDSK" when Morgan comes over and puts the whistle around Reid's neck after he's just failed his firearms qualification. I really liked the apparent well-mannered, playful antagonism between them then, and since, I've enjoyed watching it grow from that into a still often playful and head-butting, but much deeper, respectful, and sensitive relationship, regardless of how much shippy-ness I tend to project on their interactions.

That said, I don't think I really had my moment of, "Oh, yes, I could totally see you two in a functioning, romantic/sexual relationship" until about "Elephant's Memory," and in my personal slant on things, I'd even go a step further and say that I wouldn't put them as really in said relationship until after "Minimal Loss." Up until "Elephant's Memory," the respect they have for each other was obviously growing -- but there are still a lot of instances where one will make an assumption about the other (usually Reid making one about Morgan) that, regardless of the intent or veracity, is still disrespectful, c.f. Reid challenging Morgan's religious beliefs in "Lucky," Reid going off on what he assumed Morgan would have had on his childhood bedroom walls in "Elephant's Memory." But once they have that beautiful moment of sharing, where Morgan admits to having been bullied as a kid and Reid shares his horrid experience for the first time, a lot of their personal walls start to come down with each other, and the fact they now trust each other enough to share those things was fundamental to really making me ship them the way that I do (which is to say: as something I could see working, and write about as working, rather than something I'd mostly write as wish-fulfillment).

Favorite episodes for shipping: "LDSK," "Sex, Birth, Death," and "Elephant's Memory," as said above, but besides those... "Revelations" and "Profiler, Profiled"; "Amplification," "Conflicted," "The Instincts," "Memoriam," "The Instincts," "Fear and Loathing," "The Popular Kids," and... to be honest, I could stick shipping into most episodes, so I'm just going to cut it off there.

First fell in love with: Reid. At first, Matthew was the big reason why, but then I watched the show and totally fell for the nerdy genius and all his different levels.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the great and detailed response :) I'm with you, I think it would distract if any of the pairings really became canon. One thing that's so great about CM is that it's so well balanced and if two characters got a romantic storyline, I think it would take away the spotlight from both the cases and the team to some extent? It just wouldn't fit.

Though there are times where I think that maybe there should actually be more outside the team significant others. I mean, ok, as much as we as shippers might loathe them because they might "get in the way", there a moment where it feels almost unrealistic to me that all these people would be this single at their age/level of pay/level of looks/level of intelligence.

But I love how good the show is about Reid/Morgan. I remember when I first peeked into the fandom it seems like everybody was shipping a combination of Hotch/Reid/Gideon, but to me it came out more and more that a lot of the good stuff was given to Reid/Morgan. Popular Kids being the first "major" one to me (as opposed to cute subtle subtext ones).

You bring up a really interesting point about Reid making assumptions about Morgan. I never really thought of that and how it might be a problem in a closer relationship. Interesting food for thought.

[lysachan.livejournal.com]

Yes, I ship.

What's your favorite CM ship? I only have one. Emily/JJ all the way!

At what point did it win you over? "Revelations" (2x15), especially the scene in the barn at the beginning of the episode. And it was all downhill from there (http://vesikirppu.livejournal.com/15809.html).

Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship? "Revelations" (2x15), "Children of the Dark" (3x04) and "Penelope" (3x09).

Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first? Emily. She's been my favourite character of the show since the moment they introduced her. ♥

[edit] Oh, yeah. I meant to say that I very much prefer Emily/JJ subtext. You get much more out of that than from canon.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

And it was all downhill from there.

Ain't it true?

I actually had a lull of CM watching after Gideon left where I wanted to give the show up. Then after a while I found the JJ/Emily manifesto on ship_manifesto and it just wowed me. In a "wow, that's incredibly smart and thought out and I never thought of that". It really made me want to go back to the show and rewatch it. See, see! (http://community.livejournal.com/ship_manifesto/190550.html?thread=4994390#t4994390)

And like shortly after I did, well, uh-oh.

I still think it's one of the best written and most compellingly thought out manifestos I've read. It really sold me on the pairing even without necessarily "seeing" it. How did they say in X-Files "I want to believe". I really, really liked it and by now I totally get why the personalities sold the shippers to an extent that fic is still written today quite a bit. And for me it really sold me on the idea of paying more attention to all the characters of CM when previously I had really been mostly focused on Gideon and his main interactions with people.

(though it makes me kinda sad that there aren't more CM manifestos, I'd love to read some more)

[guad.livejournal.com]

Lol, I'm probably going to make myself impopular here, but no, I don't ship and tbh, I never quite understood the necessity to slashify everything. Don't get me wrong, I think it's perfectly fine and also read occasionally stuff, but in fandom there's a tendency to ship every single character with every one, and sometimes I don't get it.

Specially in CM, what I like about the series is that there is no particular romance focus between the characters - they are mostly friends and collegues and that's a nice contrast to other shows IMO. :)

Other than this, ship and let ship is my philosopy ;)

[thelana.livejournal.com]

I actually have to ton of theories on why people do it but most of them are boring or would get my smacked over the head by fellow fans ;) Not to mention that I think they've probably all been said and discussed before many times.

As far as the show in concerned, yes, I totally think that the lack of sleeping and romancing around is a very large part of the appeal and what makes it so good. It's so rare that you find shows that write truly good friendships. Like if you watch CSI and two characters have a fun scene, it usually feels like it only happens because the writer currently on call felt like it, and if the next writer for the next episode has different taste then the next episode the character interaction will be completely different. While on CM you really feel like the characters are slowly growing closer as friends and become more familiar with each other.

At the same time it's not like they are completely outlawing any type of personal relationships, they usually just do them tastefully in the background like Garcia and her boyfriend.

[sleifa.livejournal.com]

So wondered, do you ship? Yes but not so extremely than at (in??) other shows; I like it but I'm not obsessed with it. I think they all are more friends and collegues.
What's your favorite CM ship? In a love way Elle & JJ. (friendship Gracia & Derek, what else *g*)
At what point did it win you over? it starts with a fan-video, it growed slowly and once a day I woke up and realized it :D
Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship: Don't know.
Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first? Elle

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Heh, it's funny how fandom can do that to you, make you pay attention to things you wouldn't have before. :)

[lovepb.livejournal.com]

So wondered, do you ship? Yes

What's your favorite CM ship? Emily/JJ of course!



At what point did it win you over? "Children of the Dark" On the plane it was just undeniable.



Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship? "Revelations", "Children of the Dark" and "Penelope"



Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first? Emily. Her character is just so mysterious and interresting. It was only really after Emily became part of the team that we got to see more of JJ.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Wow, these are gorgeous icons. Did you make them? Because I feel very tempted to snag one. (btw, what does the pb stand for in your name?)

Her character is just so mysterious and interresting

It feels kinda poignant that the episode that maybe revealed the most about her past ended up being a borderline supernatural one.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

I just finished watching Ashes and Dust and I couldn't stop thinking that it felt like an excellent Hotch/Prentiss episode. It definitely feels like after Gideon and before Rossi he did confide in her more than in the others.

[scarimor.livejournal.com]

In fanfic - Emily/JJ, and Hotch with either girl :)

I can't tell you when I was won over or what represents them because I'm so new to the show I hardly know which ep is up, and I've seen them hopelessly out of order.

I fell for Emily first - such an intriguing character. I don't usually like romance in my TV shows - watching non-romance writers making a mess of it in genre shows is painful, really (stick to the crime/scifi/whatever you're writing, please, lol.) But seeing some sweet, angst-free Emily/JJ on screen would be fun.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Heh, that just means that you have plenty of more fun ahead of you :) I assume you've read the awesome JJ/Emily ship_manifesto already? Love that thing!

[ivy-b.livejournal.com]

* So wondered, do you ship?

On the show? No. Fics? I prefer gen Hotch-oriented case-fics, but since you can barely find those, I tolerate a few ships. I know it's popular, but I just can't stomach Hotch/Reid. I don't know why, it feels so very wrong. Maybe it's the age difference and Hotch being his boss. I'll even tolerate Hotch/Morgan, Hotch/JJ or Hotch/Prentiss, but not Reid.

* If yes:
What's your favorite CM ship?

It used to be Hotch/Gideon but now it's Hotch/Rossi all the way. I love how they're basically equals and support each other and sorta complete each other- Rossi giving Hotch some tough love, and Hotch being stoic and sensitive.

* At what point did it win you over?

I think it was around the time of "The Crossing", I'm pretty sure it started when I saw someone writing a fic about them. Then I went "Hotch/Rossi? Hmm, might be worth a read".

* Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship?

"The Angel Maker", "Zoe's Reprise", "Omnivore", probably a few from S3 as well.

* Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first?

Hotch. It's funny, I started watching CM because of Mandy Patinkin, but fell head over heals in love with Hotch. I liked the dynamics between Hotch and Gideon, but it's so much healthier and not as one-sided with Hotch and Rossi.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

I liked the dynamics between Hotch and Gideon, but it's so much healthier and not as one-sided with Hotch and Rossi.

Word, I was such a Gideon girl when I started out, but now that I rewatch those episodes, I find myself getting mad at Gideon rather often when he fails to properly respond to Hotch when Hotch is obviously in a sucky situation. In retrospect he comes off as a lot more tender and thoughtful in his interaction with Reid though that could be more in hindsight since Reid was also the one he left the letter for.

If nothing more, the different personalities of Hotch and Rossi lead to some really interesting scenes and interactions. (though I too didn't notice it till somebody else mentioned shipping them) And in a way I think it made me appreciate Hotch more because though it's wasn't like I didn't like it before, for me it was almost like I was given additional pieces of the Hotch puzzle I hadn't had before.

[dakotamystic.livejournal.com]

With so many great characters, the ships are endless. My personal favorites are: Morgan/Garcia, Hotch/Rossi and Emily/Rossi. The episode, "About Face" not only did a great job of introducing Rossi's character, it established the fact that Hotch and Rossi have known each other for several years. While it was clear that Rossi and no intentions of wanting to lead the team, he really created friction within the team by stepping out of line a few times but in the end, I think even Hotch learned just how invaluable Rossi was to the team. Rossi isn't the type of guy to wear his heart on his sleeve but he does care.

I think the biggest difference between Hotch and Rossi is that Hotch is more of an idealist and Rossi is more of a realistic. What makes Rossi so interesting is the fact that he has such a huge ego but he isn't comfortable with the responsibilities that come with being a BAU icon. On several occasions, we've seen him question whether or not the books he's written have actually benefited anyone but in the end, Rossi seems to be all about teaching and I really think he's happy to share his experiences with anyone who asks about them.

I think my favorite Hotch/Rossi moment was in The Crossing, when Hotch and Rossi were discussing their failed marriages. While I don't believe that Rossi or Hotch will ever give up on the idea of being in love, they both have come to the realization that their job is a dealbreaker for a relationship. One thing that really made me fall in love with Hotch is the fact that he really did give 100% to his job and his marriage but Haley really wasn't the type of woman who supported him 100%. Hotch learned that he's not infallible to the hazards of the job and in some ways, the break up of his marriage humbled him.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Agreed, one thing that Rossi has really added to the show in my eyes is that he brought some conversations that previously weren't done in this particular way. I really give kudos to the writers to how they pulled that off.

[wonderssap.livejournal.com]

So wondered, do you ship? Yes

If yes:

What's your favorite CM ship? (even if you have more, which is the one that truly has your heart): Hotch and Prentiss.

At what point did it win you over? Fanfics actually caused me to ship it and then I started to pay attention on their scenes together.

Episode(s) do you think best represents your ship?: "In Birth and Death", "The Angel Maker", "Minimal Loss", "52 Pickup". In "Minimal Loss" it's pretty awesome to see that Hotch was about to cry while listening to her beating up. And I think they could be good for each other.

Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first? Emily. She completely fascinates me.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Fanfics actually caused me to ship it

Oh, any recs by any chance?

Emily. She completely fascinates me.

Emily is without a doubt made of awesomecakes ;)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nextboldmove_/]

I think this season it might be Reid/Garcia...think about it. Reid's spending more time at the BAU because of his knee injury (which MGG has in real life) and an awful lot of time with her...

I also thought in season 2 they shipped a little.

I like Hotch/JJ and Prentiss/Rossi a lot too

Morgan/Reid would be perfect but it would never, ever happen...

[dragonladyk.livejournal.com]

So wondered, do you ship?

In canon, very rarely. In fanfic/iconage, all the time. I love gen, too, though. It's a lot harder to find well-written gen than well-written shippyfic, perhaps because fewer people are trying.

I know that quite a few commentators are pretty hard on shipping, and, well. *pffft* Shipping allows me to explore both other aspects of the characters than what we see on-screen, as well as the pscyhology and concepts that catalyze and form a deeply committed pairbond.

That, and Gregory House is completely, absolutely, 100% right: it is all about sex. Even if you're asexual. (I love House, but he needs to lose the minions. They're dragging him -- and the show -- down.)

What's your favorite CM ship?

Het: Hotch/Prentiss.
Slash: Rossi/Reid.

I favor Hotch/Prentiss the most because on the very, very last episode of the show that will ever be made, I want Hotch/Prentiss to be made canon. Because every Big Name Fan in this fandom's head would explode exactly at the same time, CBS.com would implode under the weight of the Hotch/Reid contingent's paroxyms of unbridled rage and the Morgan/Garcia complaints of how unfair it was, the resulting LJ wank as the H/P folks strive to defend their ship from attack would make the GSR wars of CSI look like a fricking English tea party, and I would be sitting there in the chaos, laughing, as the fix-it fic came flying in from all sides as fast as people could type.

You'll note that I said this is my wish for the very, very last episode. The show ending in a bang of wanktastic explosion from every corner because the most hated pairing in the entire fandom was made canon is funny, like a building exploding or fireworks lighting the bushes on fire. A wanktastic fandom war that drags on for seasons while the show plummets into the depths of suck (Buffy, CSI, SGA) is just plain miserable.

Nobody wants that, and I don't want my ship to be the ship that started that off. As long as there is a future for CM, it needs to stay ship-free, IMO, and especially Hotch/Prentiss free. Because JJ/Will and Garcia/Kevin pretty much proved these people can't write decent shipping to save their mortal souls. Canon shipping among the team would drag this show down to the depths of suck so fast it would leave a whirlpool in its wake.

That being said, Morgan/Reid being made canon in the last show ever would be funny, too. (Or Hotch/Reid, I'm not picky, even though the feminized-Bella-Swan!Reid of H/R fanfic makes me want to kill Reid off in a myriad of painful ways.)

The Moral Guardians' Sekrit Gaye Agenda Wank is always a five-bucket-o-popcorn show.

At what point did it win you over?

Hotch/Prentiss: In Birth and Death. "Hatred of politics" my ass, Em. You ain't foolin' nobody. And then there was the way Hotch spent two seasons afterward dragging Emily around like a security blanket.

Rossi/Reid: It was really Inner & Severity's fic that won me over, then I started seeing the subtext everywhere in the show. Rossi has a passion for beautiful things, Reid craves stability, and they have complimentary issues -- neither of them zens easily.

Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship?

Hotch/Prentiss: "In Birth and Death," "Ashes and Dust," "Honor Among Theives," "Angel Maker," "Demonology," "Minimal Loss," "52 Pickup," "Mayhem," and "The Instincts."

Rossi/Reid: "Limelight," "The Instincts/Memoriam," "Masterpiece."

Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first?

Hotch, who I have loved from the moment I first saw the show onward. I hated Emily with a firey passion when she first showed up. Around "Honor Among Thieves" she stopped being annoying, so I forgave her. And now I love her.

Reid. I adored him from "Derailed" onward. The writers are currently trying to turn him into a helpless butt-monkey, so he's lost some serious cool points in my book. Still, when they let Reid kick ass without going on and on and on and on about his issues or how much danger he's in, I like him. I wanted to drown Rossi in a bucket up until "Limelight," but he's stopped being a Grade AA Jackass, so I forgave him.

DragonLady

[electricchicken.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, I think I'm the only person who's responded who ships the way I ship. Some day I am going to like popular pairings! I swear!

What's your favorite CM ship?

Believe it or not... Spencer Reid/Nathan Harris. I know, I know, I know.

I really love Reid's points of commonality with serial killers, though. The way different members of the team empathize with different victims, or unsubs (and what it says about them) pretty much makes the show for me, especially on weeks where the case itself is weak.

And like a few people on here, I'm not so interested in pairing anyone in the BAU. I read Morgan/Reid, think Hotch/Rossi is delicious, nutritious crack, but I don't want to play with it myself.

But that weird, inappropriate chemistry between Reid and a 16 year-old would-be sadist? Best mental toy there is.

(I think it has a lot to do with what I like to write - in as much as I write. I'm a big fan of the 'but what if this had happened like this?' school of thought. I like AUs. It opens up a lot of weird fandom possibilities that more traditional shippers don't get.)

At what point did it win you over?

"I know what it's like to be afraid of your own mind."

Which episode(s) do you think best represents your ship?

Sex, Birth, Death, obviously. But also Elephant's Mind and the Big Game/Revelations arc.

Out of the people involved in your ship, which one did you fall in love with first?

I always liked Reid. Audience identification character, and all that. But I pretty much bled for Nathan that episode, so it's kind of a toss up.