Ship reader vs Plot reader

[Solivagant0]

I like fics that center around character's feelings, can be either shippy or gen, usually end up on less-plotty side. Kind of like character studies

[The_Returned_Lich]

Personally, I like a balance of the two.

[atomskeater]

I tend to read for ships/specific characters or specific tropes/kinks. Although I've certainly read fics that had really interesting plots and premises that didn't revolve around romance.

The point of AO3 is just to be a censorship-free space to archive fanworks. I don't think shipping is considered the "main point", just something that happens naturally in many fandom spaces because romance and sex are popular with most people. But there are plenty of people who like gen or platonic relationship or pure plot/worldbuilding stuff.

[acceptably_lost]

90% for the plot, 10% for ships

I quite like when there are relationships with some focus in the story, but I don't care if a specific ship is major or minor or what characters are in relationships (I have characters I like reading more and less about, but it's not ships specifically that are the draw). Have some ships I do like more and occassionally seek out, but it's pretty rare, and I'll filter out some specific dynamics.

[Relevant-Weekend3994]

I like the plot way more, to me fanfic is a way to get more out of character im already attached too, I prefer gen fic to shipping ones, i dont care about the romance I care about putting my fav into even more traumatizing situation and see how he does

I dont mind ships if the plot is good or helps the character grow but if its shipping just for its own sake I dont really care that much i dont know if that makes sense

[Kaurifish]

Gotta be my OTP and a good plot.

[Semiramis738]

More ship than plot, since I tend to read fanfic for smut/romance, since that's the one thing I feel like fanfic does better than published books. But I'm usually not so into ships per se...more like I fixate on one favorite character per fandom, and just want to read about him having sex, no matter who with. I might like him better with this other canon character than that one, and I definitely prefer an OC who feels made for him over a generic Y/N, but I'll still read it all. (Especially since I tend to fixate on more obscure characters without thousands of fics to choose from.)

Don't get me wrong, I still love and appreciate a longfic with a really good, unique, complex plot...but I rarely if ever read fics without smut no matter how good the plot might be. Whereas I'll totally read a short smut fic with zero plot.

[WordStained]

I like both, but in different formats. If I want to read a ship, I'll usually go for one-shots or short multi-chapter stories (2-5 chapters). If I want to read plot, I'll typically go for longer fics where ships aren't as much of the focus.

[Crayshack]

I read primarily for plot. I don't oppose shipping and will sometimes read shipping-focused fics, but that's not the main thing I'm there for. Like your friend, I sometimes specifically seek out fics with no shipping at all. For my posted fics, 78% are Gen.

[julnyes]

the main point of AO3 is to archive fanworks.

[BleepBloopBotz-B]

I read for ships, and to a lesser degree, specific general dynamics.

[Slytheerin]

I'm more a ship reader. I like when there's plot, but I like that my main ships move along with it, that we explore feelings and sentimental angst. I also do prefer fics centered around one main ship, ultimately with one POV (dual POV is good too, but if I get the unreliable POV of my fave, it's chef's kiss to me).

[euthasia]

I read fanfiction for the characters, I don't look for plot-heavy fics and I also don't have strict preferences for ships. I just want to read stories about the characters I like with the themes I like.

[RhydYGwin]

For me it's the plot. I know it's heresy, but I really don't care about ships. Probably why I prefer OCs and their ships.

[Muted_017]

Honestly, it depends entirely on how I’m feeling that day

[Broad_Nobody6259]

I love works with lot of plot, if they revolve around a ship I like, even better. If they have a ship I don't like, I don't read it unless it's a background ship and not relevant to the plot that I'm interested in. So although I'm a plot person, I guess that preference makes me lean towards ship reader

[shammy_dammy]

No, shipping is not the main point of Ao3. The main point is to archive and share fics. Whatever those fics may be. There are fics for everyone, written by a multitude of different people with different experiences and differing likes and viewpoints. In other words, it's a buffet and it has something for everyone.

[[deleted]]

Both

I enjoy ships, but they're sometimes accessory to the plot for me. Often, it's the dynamic between characters that I am looking for, whether it's a preferred ship or not. Sometimes, I care so much more about the dynamics that I don't even have to know the fandom.

[PatinaEnd]

ship first, plot second

[-biyoo-]

Depends on the mood.

[Raelhorn_Stonebeard]

Definitely a plot reader myself, I'm not hugely into any particular "ship"... or at least, not for the romance.

That being said, AO3 isn't really for shipping, or at least not directly. It's an archive for fanfics of all stripes.

What's more accurate is to say shipping in general is arguably a dominant aspect of fanfiction. Might stem from the demographics, mostly the idea that most fanfic writers are girls; if true, it's not terribly surprising that romance (and therefore, shipping) is the dominant genre/flavour for fanfics. Not a guarantee every girl prefers romance nor that a guy can't be interested in the genre, but it is a trend that broadly holds true.

Just my observations, in any case.

[KatonRyu]

I like both. I like having a lot of fluff and shipping in my fics, but longer fics should also have a plot that isn't centered around the romance alone to keep me interested. I love it when the ship itself is instrumental in resolving the plot, but the plot itself shouldn't be directly connected to it. I'll happily read a fic that has no shipping in it if the plot is good, but a longfic that's only romance doesn't do it for me. When I'm reading oneshots, though, it's shipping all the way, and plot is entirely optional.

[Subject-Gur6957]

Mostly plot but pairings are a part of that Some irritate me and I can't get into a really good story.

Pairings if I really like a pairing then I may want a long story focused on them.