It was clearly meant tongue in cheek, but I think the deal is that there are, in any close platonic relationship, elements that could be emphasized or reinterpreted to indicate attraction. Especially, if it's an old friendship, it will resemble in some ways an old happily married couple, because I can't think of any longterm happily married couple that are not also good friends. I think that drives most shipping fic, heterosexual or homosexual. If a character cares for a sick character, it doesn't matter what the author's intention was... there will be things there that someone, somewhere, will seize upon and start shipping the characters.
Although fandom is crazy. Characters don't have to interact in canon at all to paired in fanfic!
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It was clearly meant tongue in cheek, but I think the deal is that there are, in any close platonic relationship, elements that could be emphasized or reinterpreted to indicate attraction. Especially, if it's an old friendship, it will resemble in some ways an old happily married couple, because I can't think of any longterm happily married couple that are not also good friends. I think that drives most shipping fic, heterosexual or homosexual. If a character cares for a sick character, it doesn't matter what the author's intention was... there will be things there that someone, somewhere, will seize upon and start shipping the characters.
Although fandom is crazy. Characters don't have to interact in canon at all to paired in fanfic!