In fiction, I ship characters that make some sense according to canon. That being said, if I am reading fan fiction and there is a clear ship, I tend to prefer either fluffy stuff or angsty stuff in which the ship can be considered pretty much queer-platonic. I don't mind relationships at a plot device, but I don't like it when it ends up being "romantic love fixes everything," or worse, "sex fixes everything." I'm not romance-repulsed (just sex-repulsed), so I suppose it might be a bit different for me. As long as it isn't the main fixture in something, I don't really mind.
Real life? That's cringe-worthy, especially between people you don't even know. I mean, if my friends are dating and the person they are dating makes them happy, then I'll be supportive...if that counts as shipping.
