To my ship, the S.S. Guns'n'Handcuffs

There's no denying that the sailing aboard the S.S. Guns'n'Handcuffs on the SCUSA seas has been a bit rough lately.  However, the past is the past... but then, that's exactly where we're about to go.  What am I talking about?

In an attempt to raise spirits and foster a much-needed sense of INTRA-ship unity, I'm proposing a thread entitled "H/D: A History".  This thread will have two closely intertwined themes.  First, we're going to be examining the history of the pairing, starting around the time Goblet of Fire was published.  The first wave of serious H/D fics began around that time, and with the end of the HP series rapidly approaching, it'll be exciting to look back and see where this pair of characters has been, in BOTH canon and fanon, and how the former has affected the latter.  Second, we're going to look at the history of the ship itself.  For the better part of the last two years, there's been a strong sense of continuity on the G'n'H.  People came and went, but there was never a strong break between groups of shippers, and as a result, the shippers held an understanding of the history of the ship, which fostered a sense of community.  I believe that this continuity has been lost in recent threads, and to bring people together again, it might be a good time to look back at where we've been.

I do NOT want a Question&Answer format.  I would like to see open-ended discussion from a few starting topics that will be presented in the first post.  If you want to present an idea for a topic, please post here and let me know!  I'll include it if the topic fits the theme.

To fuel discussion, I'd also like people to volunteer for certain jobs.  I have two in particular.  "Ficlet Writers" and "Thread Historians".

"Ficlet Writer" is self-explanitory.  On the threads, we're allowed to have one ficlet or cookie per page.  Once upon a time, we used to do those more often, and they were a lot of fun.  Now, we do more skits, but very few well-developed ficlets, or developed skits.  So, I'd like people to volunteer to write cookies.  If you do, please tell me which page you're going to post your cookie on, so that the thread doesn't get thwapped for posting two cookies per page.  Only ONE per page!  I'll post the list of Ficlet Writers with their assigned pages on the first post of the thread.  Ten cookies per thread, maximum, but we don't need to have one on *every* page.  As long as there are enough to enrich the thread.

For "Thread Historians", the task is a bit different.  Although I'd like as many people as possible, recent shippers and long-time posters alike, to go back to our earlier threads and read through a little bit of our history, I know that not everyone has that time.  I'd like for individual people to take groups of threads, by number (for example, threads one through five), and go back and read them carefully.  Dig a little bit.  And then, select the topic of discussion that seemed to be the most interesting, and bring it to light again, in face of our changing ship.  Start that round of discussion.  OR, alternatively, give a brief synopsis *(keeping it light-hearted) about the "era" you read about.  Look back on where we were and talk about it in relation to where we are now.  The purpose is to give people a sense of their own ship's history, and who we are as a community. 

Now, a few things I'd like people to remember for this thread, and hopefully future ones:
~ The ship race has hurt our ship far more than helped it.  Forget about racing the threads.  Don't post just to finish the thread.  Post because you want to interact with your fellow shippers!
~ Your post doesn't have to be long... just thoughtful.  It can be humourous or serious... just make sure that your post is part of the continuous discussion.
~ Continuous discusssion... yes... read what other people have written, and then respond to them.  Remember, you're not answering questions on a school exam.  You're talking to your fellow shippers.  Remember that this is a conversation!
~ One major topic of discussion at a time!  Part of where people tend to lose each other is when we're doing ten different Q&A topics at once.  Yes, talk about different things in your post, but try to keep it as part of a cohesive discussion.
~ The only difference between an "oldbie" and a "newbie" is when that person happened to find the fandom.  If you're a current poster, revel in the richness of the history of the community you've joined!  If you're coming back after a period away, enjoy the nostalgia!  There's a lot to share, and lots of stories to tell.
~ It doesn't matter if a person is a writer, artist, reader, or confirmed lurker.  We're all shippers, regardless of notoriety, and no person is more or less important than another.
~ Keep it fun, keep it guttery.  There's a LOT that can be done, said, and shared within the rules and *cough* rating guidelines.  Vive la subtext!

If the History theme ends up needing more than one thread, and if we're having fun with it, we can extend it a bit!   There's no rule that this has to be only one thread.  After the History theme has run its course, and everyone is back on the same page again, I'd like to start the reunion thread for the season.  This year, the tentative title is "H/D Reunion: Home for the Holidays".

There's a lot of fun to be had.  And isn't that the point, after all?  This is for fun.

~P, Captain, S.S. Guns'n'Handcuffs