but anything post canon needs at least a token "..after Ron and Hermione broke up..." somewhere or I can't believe it.
Oh, I don't mean I'm one for ignoring canon completely; but I'm quite happy for AUs to branch off at any moment in time, provided they take account of what was known about canon at the time they were written. So a lot of the post Deathly-Hallows stuff I read ignores the epilogue, because the story takes place immediately following the last chapter, in which case it's often "and then Ron and Hermione broke up", or sometimes "and then Ron and Hermione got divorced" or even "and then Ron got killed". But if the story goes AU at an earlier point in time, I don't feel it necessary to explicitly break Ron and Hermione up, because it's less clear that they were a couple before then.
And, IMHO, the further from canon a particular ship is, the more I feel that the author needs to explain how the ship happened, even if I feel that it's a ship that would work... depending on the particular ship, I guess. I mean Ron/Lavender is supported by canon, but say, Ron/Luna needs at least a sentence to explain how they got together, rather than the author just assuming that it's obvious to everyone that they were Meant To Be. (Disconcerting example for me: a couple of Snape/Hermione stories I've read that had Harry/Draco as a supporting couple, and the author doesn't bother explaining it other than decreeing that they'd always been secretly attracted to each other. Whut?)
I enjoy friendship gen, and vastly prefer it to emotionless porn, but for me there is a definite distinction between close friendship and romance between characters, and if I want one then the other won't do. I can see how, for you, there'd be less need to ship almost-canon couples.
Oh, I'm not saying there isn't a difference... but most of the time, if I'm happy to see a couple in a romantic pairing, I'm also happy to see them in a friendship pairing - though not necessarily the other way around. For one thing, I don't do slash. But even with het friendships, there are some pairs of characters whom I love their friendship, but it would break my brain if they were romantically involved. Such as the Doctor and Ace. Indeed, the Doctor with most of his companions I just find brain-breaky. Romana/Doctor is good. I can just see Doctor/Rose or maybe Doctor/Martha or Doctor/Tegan, but anyone else? No. Just no.
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Oh, I don't mean I'm one for ignoring canon completely; but I'm quite happy for AUs to branch off at any moment in time, provided they take account of what was known about canon at the time they were written. So a lot of the post Deathly-Hallows stuff I read ignores the epilogue, because the story takes place immediately following the last chapter, in which case it's often "and then Ron and Hermione broke up", or sometimes "and then Ron and Hermione got divorced" or even "and then Ron got killed".
But if the story goes AU at an earlier point in time, I don't feel it necessary to explicitly break Ron and Hermione up, because it's less clear that they were a couple before then.
And, IMHO, the further from canon a particular ship is, the more I feel that the author needs to explain how the ship happened, even if I feel that it's a ship that would work... depending on the particular ship, I guess. I mean Ron/Lavender is supported by canon, but say, Ron/Luna needs at least a sentence to explain how they got together, rather than the author just assuming that it's obvious to everyone that they were Meant To Be. (Disconcerting example for me: a couple of Snape/Hermione stories I've read that had Harry/Draco as a supporting couple, and the author doesn't bother explaining it other than decreeing that they'd always been secretly attracted to each other. Whut?)
I enjoy friendship gen, and vastly prefer it to emotionless porn, but for me there is a definite distinction between close friendship and romance between characters, and if I want one then the other won't do. I can see how, for you, there'd be less need to ship almost-canon couples.
Oh, I'm not saying there isn't a difference... but most of the time, if I'm happy to see a couple in a romantic pairing, I'm also happy to see them in a friendship pairing - though not necessarily the other way around. For one thing, I don't do slash. But even with het friendships, there are some pairs of characters whom I love their friendship, but it would break my brain if they were romantically involved. Such as the Doctor and Ace. Indeed, the Doctor with most of his companions I just find brain-breaky. Romana/Doctor is good. I can just see Doctor/Rose or maybe Doctor/Martha or Doctor/Tegan, but anyone else? No. Just no.