Hello! So, it's been a while since I last made a proper post on here and I've been thinking of making something like this for a little while now so here goes! Basically this is a guide to the 'main' ships in the fandom (aka the ones I've seen the most in fanfiction and fanart). Each ship will be divided into two sections-canon interaction and fandom interpretation. I figured this might be helpful to anyone new to the fandom or just interested in why people ship certain things!
(apologies in advance for any incorrect quotes, chapter numbers or other errors- I decided it would be a great idea to write this at 3am while citing everything from memory except one quote)
Easily the most popular ship in the fandom, it's not surprising to see why this is a ship given that it involves the two most prominent characters in the novel. However, there is also a sizeable amount of fans who dislike the pairing- potential reasons for this will be covered below.
Where to start with this one? Jack and Ralph's relationship is arguably one of the most significant ones in the novel, providing a source for much of the conflict within the story. At the beginning, their relationship is amicable and they consider each other to be friends- 'They were lifted up, were friends'. However, as the novel progresses their differing opinions lead to them becoming more and more at odds with one another until eventually their relationship falls into complete disrepair. In the middle of the novel their relationship goes through a period of love/hate- 'They stared at each other, baffled, in love and hate' (if you've been in the fandom for a while or are a jalph shipper you've probably seen this quote pop up a fair bit). At the end of the novel, however, it is clear that at the very least Jack seems to completely hate Ralph (throwing a spear at his chest 'with full intention', heavily implying he genuinely intended to kill him). Ralph also asks him 'Why do you hate me?' at one point, which Jack neither accepts nor denies. Ralph seems to have some regrets about the downfall of their relationship, with the memory of he, Jack and Simon climbing the mountain in Chapter 1 being the thing that ultimately causes him to break down and cry in the final chapter.
Scenes which are popular with shippers include the argument between Jack and Ralph in which the 'love and hate' quote appears, with several having pointed out that it sounds a bit like the sort of argument a married couple would have ('I work here all day with nothing but Simon and you come back and don't even notice the huts!'). Some people also consider Jack following Ralph to Castle Rock in Chapter 7 because he 'Couldn't let [Ralph] do it on [his] own' as a sign that Jack cares about Ralph's wellbeing although I personally disagree with this. The early interactions between Jack and Ralph in which they have a more positive relationship are also fairly popular. There are literally so many more examples I could bring up here, I could and probably should make a whole separate post about it.
Jalph is portrayed in a number of different ways within the fandom. Generally it is considered to be a love/hate or enemies to lovers pairing, with the relationship between the two varying from a friendly rivalry to complete enemies depending on the fic (the hate aspect of their relationship is more often toned down in modern AUs/school AUs, understandably so as it would be a bit weird if Jack was trying to murder Ralph in the middle of a normal school setting- not that I wouldn't read that fic if someone wrote it).
While some fics portray jalph as a perfectly healthy romantic relationship, others explore the unhealthy aspects of this relationship (especially fics which are closely linked to canon/follow on from canon events) and can even portray Jalph as outright abusive, although this portrayal isn't very common. Some fics involve Jack having a redemption arc, allowing him and Ralph to have a healthier relationship, while in others their relationship remains unhealthy and reliant on their 'indefinable connection' which Golding suggests binds them together.
Generally anti-jalph fans believe that Jalph glorifies and in some cases fetishises abusive relationships, and that Jalph would not last in the real world as a result of it being extremely unhealthy.
2.) Rogermon (Roger x Simon)
While this relationship has little basis in canon, it is incredibly popular within the fandom to the point that it is most likely the second most popular ship after Jalph. The ship seems to stem more from the fandom's interpretation of it more than canon, similar to Rogice.
As mentioned above, Roger and Simon interact very little in canon. This may be due to them both being fairly introverted characters who typically only interact with a limited number of other characters (with Roger primarily interacting with Jack and Simon primarily interacting with Ralph and Piggy). However, they were canonically both a part of the choir prior to arriving on the island and so likely knew each other before the events of the novel. There is one scene in canon which may be relevant to mention here (although this is admittedly a bit of a stretch), and that is in Chapter 7 when Roger is the one to interrupt Ralph and Simon's conversation by the rocks (the 'I just think you'll get back alright' conversation. you know the one). I'll leave you to interpret that as you will.
Part of the reason for this ship's immense popularity is its potential. Shippers generally seem to like how Roger and Simon are portrayed as foils to one another in canon- Simon is the representation of goodness and purity while Roger is the representation of evil and sadism. I've heard the phrase 'opposites attract' thrown around in reference to Rogermon before to put it bluntly, people seem to like to contrasting edgy and soft boi aesthetics. In fanworks, Simon is often portrayed as sweet and accepting while Roger is very protective and seems to have a soft spot for Simon which contrasts his cold attitude towards other characters. They often appear in Jalph fics as a 'b-pairing'.
I don't think there's exactly an anti-rogermon part of the fandom in the same way that there are anti-jalph fans, but some people don't ship it for a number of reasons. The main reason is that there are other popular ships involving both Roger and Simon, Rogice and Ralmon probably being the most popular of these. There aren't really all-out shipping wars in this fandom from what I've witnessed (we're a very chill bunch), but I have seen some friendly discourse about Rogermon and Rogice in particular. In addition, it doesn't have much basis in canon and those who aren't a fan of Roger's personality (being a canonically violent and sadistic individual with sociopathic tendencies) may view this and other pairings involving Roger as inherently unhealthy. However, it depends on how you interpret the character and the ship- some may argue that Simon balances out Roger's more 'evil' personality traits and helps to ground him somewhat.
3.) Ralmon (Ralph X Simon)
This pairing isn't as popular as the above two involving the same characters, but still has a strong fan following of its own. Like with Jalph, there is a lot of interaction between Ralph and Simon in canon which provides some basis for Ralmon as a ship.
Ralph and Simon have been friends from the first chapter of the novel and maintained a largely positive relationship throughout. The majority of interactions between them have bee1n interpreted by the fandom as Simon having a crush on Ralph, such as when Simon stroked his arm 'with shy liking' in the first chapter. The scene in Chapter 7 in which Simom crashed into a tree because he was staring at Ralph is also a popular one, as is the slightly later scene in which Simon encourages Ralph by telling him 'you'll get back alright' followed by the two smiling at one another. An interesting point to bring up regarding the latter example is that Ralph recalls this later on in the final chapter. There are also a few examples of Ralph liking Simon at least platonically, such as when he is the one who reacts the most strongly to Simon's death (although this may be more to do with his role in it rather than Simon being the one who died). Ralph and Simon are also the only ones who continue to work on the shelters together after all the others left, something brought up during Ralph's argument with Jack in Chapter 3 ('Simon. He helps')
Ralmon is often interpreted in fanworks as being a soft and fluffy pairing, contrasting many of the other pairings on this list. Their relationship is usually portrayed as healthy and wholesome, with Simon often having the stronger feelings at first. Think slowburn friends-to-lovers type fics. The angstier fics tend to deal with Simon's death and Ralph's role in causing it, though Simon is alive in the majority of fics (as a result of an AU or the fic taking place prior to his death).
Again, there isn't really a shipping war between Jalph and Ralmon, but if our fandom was bigger and more aggressive there probably would be.
4.) Rogice (Roger X Maurice)
This pairing bears some similarities to Rogermon in that it doesn't have much basis in canon and seems to be liked largely due to the characters' contrasting personalities.
Again like Rogermon, Roger and Maurice were in the choir together prior to arriving on the island and so know each other from before the events of the novel. Their relationship in canon seems to be somewhat positive, with the two shown spending time together (aka bullying kids together) voluntarily in Chapter 4. They also both go with Jack to steal Piggy's glasses in Chapter 10, indicating they are at the very least willing to and capable of working together to achieve a common goal.
This pairing, as mentioned above, has a focus on Roger and Maurice's contrasting personalities, with Maurice being cheerful and good-humoured while Roger is more cold and aloof. Their dynamic is often used for comedic purposes, with Roger using sarcasm in response to Maurice's memeing. They seem to balance one another out, with Roger being the straight man minus the straight part obviously to Maurice's wise guy.
In fanworks, the pairing isn't portrayed very often within the canon universe from what I've seen, generally appearing within modern AUs and as another b-pairing to Jalph fics. It is usually fairly fluffy, but in fics where Roger is portrayed as more emo or with a tragic backstory, it can be more angsty with a hurt/comfort edge to their dynamic.
I've mentioned this pairing being at odds with Rogermon before, but the closest I've seen to a shipping war was one that took place between the characters themselves in a fanfiction.
An interesting pairing because while it does have a decent amount of canon basis, it isn't nearly as popular as some of the ships which don't. This may be because there are a fair few fans who dislike one or both of these characters, or because the pairing isn't usually as fluffy as some of the other popular pairings. Even so, it's popular enough to be considered one of the 'main' pairings in my opinion.
Firstly, the obligatory 'they were in the choir before the island so they already know each other'. Jack and Roger's canon relationship is difficult to interpret. It seems that they get along at least somewhat since they often spend time together, with Jack deliberately seeking out Roger to show him his face paint in Chapter 4. I'd also like to point out that the only time Roger smiles in canon is when he's making fun of Jack in this scene ('You don't look half a mess'). Roger also voluntarily accompanies Jack and Ralph up the mountain to look for the Beast, and by the end of the novel he appears to be Jack's second-in-command of sorts. I'm going to drift into speculation for a moment here- personally I interpret this relationship as Jack seeing Roger as one of the only people (if not the only person) who truly understands him- in one scene Jack 'looked round for understanding but found only respect', which could suggest that this is something he values. However, Roger's values seem to differ from Jack's and I think Jack starts to realise this towards the end of the novel- he appears to be afraid of Roger after discovering he was directly responsible for Piggy's death ('the hangman's horror clung to him'). I also don't believe Roger sees Jack in the same way- Roger seems to only be tolerating Jack's position as Chief towards the end of the novel, internally questioning his authority in Chapter 10 and almost pushing his shoulder when walking past him in Chapter 11. It is implied that he dislikes Jack (or at least has bad intentions towards him) in Chapter 4 as well- 'a darker shadow crept across the swarthiness of his face' upon seeing Jack, which could be foreboding.
As mentioned earlier, Jager is not always portrayed as fluffily as other pairings. It seems to often be portrayed as quite unhealthy, or sometimes it involves Jack and Roger, for lack of better words, being gay and doing crimes. Their relationship seems to bring out the worst in one another in these sorts of fics. However, a popular headcanon amongst Jager shippers seems to be Roger having a one-sided crush on Jack. Sometimes they have a friends-with-benefits style relationship in works featuring this headcanon, but I've also seen ones where they are regular friends. This tends to appear in Jalph fics in which Roger is not already paired up with Simon or Maurice. Another interesting take on the Jalph side of this pairing is Jalger, or the polyamorous ship between Jack, Ralph and Roger. I've weirdly seen multiple fics in which Jack and Ralph become aware of Roger's crush on Jack and they end up in a three-way relationship. That's technically a whole different ship though so I won't talk about it in depth here. Fluffier Jager fics are often friends-to-lovers, with the two being very close friends in the beginning if not best friends.
Well, that's all I've got for now! Thank you very much for reading and I hope you found this guide interesting. Apologies for it being an absolute mess by the way, it's 4am and I have no idea why I decided to write the whole thing now (we love insomnia). If you have any requests for ships I haven't covered here, feel free to shoot me an ask and I'll do my best to cover them! I might end up making a second part at some point anyway since there are still ships I want to talk about (e.g.- ralphiggy because it's super underrated)
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