shipping (fandom)

Shipping (derived from the word '' relationship'') is the desire by followers of a fandom for two or more people, either real-life people or fictional characters (in film, literature, television series, etc.), to be in a romantic relationship. Shipping often takes the form of unofficial creative works, including fanfiction and fan art.

Shipping may take the form of same-sex, polyamorous, or love-hate relationships. Interspecies pairings and pairings with large age differences between characters can give rise to shipping discourse related to the ethics of such ships. Shipping can also create conflict within fandoms and between a work's creator(s) and its fans. Notable cases of shipping include the fandoms of '' Daria'', ''Harry Potter'', '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''The Legend of Korra'', ''Star Wars'', and '' Sonic the Hedgehog''.

Etymology

The usage of the term "ship" in its relationship sense appears to have been originated around 1995 by Internet fans of the TV show '' The X-Files'', who believed that the two main characters, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, should be engaged in a romantic relationship. They called themselves "relationshippers" at first; then "R'shipper", and finally just "shipper".

The oldest recorded uses of the noun ''ship'' and the noun ''shipper'', according to the Oxford English Dictionary, date back to 1996 postings on the Usenet group ''alt.tv.x-files''; ''shipping'' is first attested slightly later, in 1997 and the verb ''to ship'' in 1998.

Notation and terminology

"Ship" and its derivatives in this context have since come to be in widespread usage. "Shipping" refers to the phenomenon; a "ship" is the concept of a fictional couple; to "ship" a couple means to have an affinity for it in one way or another; a "shipper" or a "fangirl/boy" is somebody significantly involved with such an affinity; and a "shipping war" is when two ships contradict each other, causing fans of each ship to argue. A ship that a particular fan prefers over all others is called an OTP, which stands for ''one true pairing''.

When discussing shipping, a ship that has been confirmed by its series is called a '' canon ship'' or ''sailed ship'', whereas a ''sunk ship'' is a ship that has been proven unable to exist in canon, or in other words, will never be real nor confirmed.

Naming conventions

Various naming conventions have developed in different online communities to refer to shipped couples, likely due to the ambiguity and cumbersomeness of the "Character 1 and Character 2" format.

The first method was using a slash, first used for Kirk/Spock. This is today mainly used for same-sex ships; fanfiction with these pairings is known as slash fiction.

Name blending is often used to refer to a couple, like ' Reylo' for Kylo Ren and Rey in ''Star Wars'' franchise, ' Destiel' for Dean Winchester and Castiel in the ''Supernatural'' TV series, Sonamy for Sonic the Hedgehog (character) and Amy Rose in the Sonic the Hedgehog series and ' Bubbline' referring to Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen in '' Adventure Time''. Portmanteaus and clipped compounds are used not only to abbreviate character pairings but also to create a name for the ship itself. For example, ' Klance' forms a clipped compound, and an abbreviated form of the complete names Keith and Lance in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender''. ' Sculder' in this case Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in '' The X-Files'', is an example of surnames being blended, although most X-Files fans use the term " MSR" (Mulder-Scully Relationship), as is "MoonBoon" to stand for Zarya Moonwolf and Kitty Boon in '' Mysticons''. In other cases, first names of characters are merged, like the ships for Marcy Wu and Anne Boonchuy (Marcanne), Sasha Waybright and Marcy Wu (Sasharcy), and Sasha Waybright and Anne Boonchuy (Sashanne) in '' Amphibia'' or between Violet "Vi" and Caitlyn "Cait" Kiramman (Caitvi or CaitVi) in '' Arcane''.

These combinations of names often follow systematic phonological principles, in which the first character in the ship's name is seen as the 'dominant' partner. Japanese ship naming conventions often attach names together without slashing or blending by using an XY name-name format. This format is ruled by boy-girl ordering, or seme-uke ( top- bottom) in Yaoi. In many East Asian countries there is a distinct difference between the pairing of XY and YX. Such as the pairing names of 'MomoYuki' (where Momo is dominant) vs. 'YukiMomo' (where Yuki is dominant) from the series Idolish7.

Many fandom-specific variants exist and often use fandom-specific terminology. These often employ words that describe the relationship between characters in the context of the fictional universe and simply add the word "Shipping" to the end (For example, AmourShipping, NegaiShipping, PokeShipping, RocketShipping, and CookieShipping in '' Pokemon''). Other terminology include using a combination of the characters' names and codes as a ship name. For instance, ship names for characters in ''RWBY'' include " Bumbleby" (Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long) and "White Rose" (Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose).

Types of ships

Same-sex

Within shipping, same-sex pairings are popular; they are sometimes known as " slash and femslash". Within the anime/manga fandom, borrowed Japanese terms such as yaoi and yuri may be used. In the context of Chinese TV series, related same-sex pairings are also referred to as " Tanbi CP". A person who supports same-sex pairings and reads or writes slash fiction may be referred to as a "slasher", although the Japanese term " fujoshi" for women who like same-sex stories, and "fudanshi" as the male equivalent of that, are also commonly used within the community, especially by fans of yaoi (boy on boy) and fans of yuri (girl on girl).

The term "slash" predates the use of "shipping" by at least some 20 years. It was originally coined as a term to describe a pairing of Kirk and Spock of ''Star Trek'', Kirk/Spock (or "K/S"; sometimes spoken "Kirk-slash-Spock", whence "slash") homosexual fan fiction.Woledge, Elizabeth (August 2005) "Decoding Desire: From Kirk and Spock to K/S¹" ''Social Semiotics'', Volume 15, Issue 2 August 2005, pages 235–250 Other early slash pairings came from characters in '' Starsky & Hutch'' and '' Dirty Harry''." For a time in the late 1970s and early 1980s, "K/S" was used to describe such fan fiction, regardless of whether or not they were related to ''Star Trek'', and eventually "slash" became a universal term to describe all homosexual-themed fan works. It now refers to a genre of fan fiction that focuses on romantic or sexual relationships between fictional characters of the same sex,Bacon-Smith, Camille. "Spock Among the Women." New York Times Sunday Book Review, November 16, 1986. Even so, the slash mark itself is a shorthand label for a romantic relationship, regardless of whether the pairing is heterosexual or homosexual, romantic, or erotic.

The first K/S stories were not immediately accepted by all ''Star Trek'' fans. Early slash fans in England feared that they would be arrested, because slash violated the obscenity laws there at the time. Many early slash stories were based on a pairing of two close friends, a "hero dyad", or "One True Pairing", such as Kirk/Spock or Starsky/Hutch; conversely, a classic pairing between foils was that of Blake/ Avon from '' Blake's 7''. With the advent of the Internet, slash fiction writers created mailing lists (which gradually took the place of amateur press associations), and websites such as FanFiction.Net (which gradually started taking the place of zines). With the Internet, the number of fandoms represented increased dramatically, especially those devoted to science fiction, fantasy, and police dramas. The Internet also increased the level of reader interaction, making it easier for fans to comment on stories, give episode reviews, and discuss comment on trends in slash fandom itself. Websites and fanzines dedicated to fans of '' The X-Files'', ''Stargate'', ''Harry Potter'', and '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' became common, with tens of thousands of slash stories available.

Due to the lack of canonical homosexual relationships in source media at the time that slash fiction began to emerge, some came to see slash fiction stories as being exclusively outside their respective canons and held that the term "slash fiction" applies only when the characters' same-sex romantic or erotic relationship about which an author writes is not part of the source's canon and that fan fiction about canonical same-sex relationships is therefore not slash. Femslash, a subgenre of slash fiction which focuses on romantic and/or sexual relationships between female fictional characters, on the other hand, are typically heterosexual in the canon universe, but when fictions focus on lesbian characters, the stories are often labeled as femslash for convenience. Original slash stories are those that contain male/male content, based on perceived homoerotic subtext between fictitious characters. This can be sourced from a variety of media content, such as manga, TV shows, movies and books amongst others. These works are now generally published online and use the same forms of rating, warnings and terminology that is commonly used by slash writers.

In May 2020, '' She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' showrunner ND Stevenson said that while shipping has been a great tool for fans, he does not want films or shows with just occasional glances, or for all same-sex relationships to be portrayed as shipping.

Polyamory

Love triangles are commonly used as a plot device to cause conflict in the story. The easy way around this is to pair all three together, or one member with both potential romantic partners. This is not to be confused with a harem, which is usually just a single character being sought out by many others. Situations such as that may be the one to ''cause'' a polyamorous relationship or characters may be in such a relationship. Polyamory is not always caused by love triangles, but those that don't tend to be less accepted by the fandom. In some fan fictions, characters are given a polyamorous identity, including warning "poly readers that the central characters are monogamous."

Interspecies

Interspecies shipping is usually displayed in fandoms of media consisting of animals of various species or supernatural, mechanical, extraterrestrial and fantasy beings. Shipping a human character with an animal or furry character can be controversial and has been accused of treading a contentious line with bestiality.

Age difference

Controversial age differences have a wide range. An elderly adult with a young adult, anyone with an immortal or slowly aging being, teenagers with young adults, or even ships involving fictional children are all part of this category. Connected to this are continued arguments about which ships are "best" and "right," with inevitable shipping wars.

Love–hate

Romances between two characters who canonically hate each other also occur. It is often interpreted that the characters share sexual tension between each other, having a love–hate relationship. An example would be pairing Daniel LaRusso and his bully and rival Johnny from '' The Karate Kid'' and '' Cobra Kai''. This is one of the most popular types of shipping.

Notable fandoms

''Daria'' fandom

'' Daria'' was marked throughout its run by shipper debate, primarily over whether the title character should have a relationship with Trent Lane. A common argument was that it would signal a turning away from the more subversive aspects of Daria's character, such as bitter criticism of romantic relationships.

In a later episode, Tom Sloane, who became Jane's boyfriend, is introduced, drawing a wedge between Jane and Daria, for instance. Daria and Tom warmed up to each other throughout the fourth season, leading up to its finale. With Jane and Tom's relationship in crisis, a heated argument between Daria and Tom led up to a kiss in Tom's car. In the TV movie ''Is it Fall Yet?'', Daria decided to begin a relationship with Tom, and Daria and Jane patched up their friendship. This caused an uproar, and conversation turned to whether Tom was more appropriate than Trent had been. The debate was satirized by the show's writers in a piece on MTV's website.

In interviews done after the series' run, series co-creator Glenn Eichler revealed that "any viewer who really thought that Daria and Trent could avea relationship was just not watching the show we were making," Tom came about because "going into our fourth year... I thought it was really pushing credibility for Daria to have only had one or two dates during her whole high school career," and "teaser" episodes like "Pierce Me" were "intended to provide some fun for that portion of the audience that was so invested in the romance angle. The fact that those moments were few and far between should have given some indication that the series was not about Daria's love life."

''Harry Potter'' fandom

The ''Harry Potter'' series' most contentious ship debates came from supporters of various potential pairings:

* Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley – ' Romione'; close friend of both Harry and Hermione. This pairing is canon.
* Harry Potter and Hermione Granger – 'Harmione'; one of Harry's closest friends. This pairing is non-canon.
* Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley – ' Hinny'; Ron's younger sister. This pairing is canon.
* Lily Evans ending up with either James Potter – ' Jily', or Severus Snape – ' Snily'; the former pairing is canon.
* Remus Lupin ending up with either Nymphadora Tonks – 'Remadora', or Sirius Black – ' Wolfstar'; The former pairing is canon.
* Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy – ' Drarry'; This pairing is non-canon.
* Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy – ' Dramione'; This pairing is non-canon.

Author J.K. Rowling appeared to refute the first possibility before the debates got started following the release of '' Goblet of Fire'' in July 2000, when she stated in October 1999 that Harry and Hermione "are very platonic friends" after the release of '' Prisoner of Azkaban'' in July 1999. An interview with Rowling shortly after the release of '' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', in 2005 caused significant controversy within the fandom. An interviewer stated that Harry/Hermione fans were delusional, to which Rowling responded that they were "still valued members of her readership", but that there had been "anvil-sized hints" for future Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny relationships incorporated in the book itself, and that Harry/Hermione shippers needed to re-read the books. This caused an uproar among Harry/Hermione shippers, some of whom claimed they would return their copies of ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' and boycott future ''Harry Potter'' books. Clare McBride of SYFY described the shipping wars between those who liked Harmione and Romione, calling them the "Harmony Wars", saying they began in 1999 and 2000, and that "tension between these two factions ran hot", with specific communities and fansites for each ship. McBride noted that Harmione also came to be known as "HMS Harmony" by fans, but that the 2005 interview in which MuggleNet’s Emerson Spartz stated that "Harry/Hermione shippers" were "delusional" led Harmione fans to "openly insult Rowling" and stated that this moment gave birth to shipping that "only values a ship for whether it not it wins, not whether or not it is enjoyable."

Rowling's attitude towards the shipping phenomenon has varied between amused and bewildered to frustrated. In that same interview, she stated that she was a "relative newcomer to the world of shipping" and that it was "extraordinary" to meet the shippers, calling it a "huge underworld" seething beneath her. Rowling stated in an interview conducted by Emma Watson in February 2014 for ''Wonderland'' Magazine, however, that she thought that realistically Hermione and Ron had "too much fundamental incompatibility," that they were written together "as a form of wish fulfillment" to reconcile a relationship she herself was once in. She admitted to thinking she could have paired Hermione with Harry: "in some ways Hermione and Harry are a better fit", and that "Hermione's always there for Harry." However, in the same interview she later clarified. "Maybe she and Ron will be alright with a bit of counselling, you know. I wonder what happens at wizard marriage counselling? They'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical," Watson later clarified that Rowling's comments about pairing Hermione up with Harry were taken out of context and that she was actually joking.

''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' fandom

Within the brony fandom, homosexual relationships in fan fiction are colloquially termed "fillyfooling" for mare-to-mare relationships and " coltcuddling" for stallion-to-stallion relationships. As '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' mostly consists of female characters, lesbian stories constitute a significant portion of romantic fanfiction on FIMFiction; lesbian relationships equal or outnumber heterosexual pairings. Unlike traditional slash fiction which typically focuses on male-male relationships, ''My Little Pony'' slash fiction predominantly features female characters. These stories generally emphasize emotional compatibility and character development over explicit content ( clopfics). According to LGBTQ magazine '' Autostraddle'', fans cite personality dynamics and shared interests as motivations for their favorite pairings. Despite this, there is a documented " double standard" (as reported by Equestria Daily) where male/male homosexual stories receive less community support and are downvoted immediately by fan fiction readers without even reading the story.

''Star Wars'' fandom

''Xena: Warrior Princess'' fandom

The 1995–2001 action/fantasy TV series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' produced "shipping wars," with spillover from real-world debates about homosexuality and gay rights. The show spawned various websites, online discussion forums, works of ''Xena'' fan fiction and several unofficial fan-made productions, with members of the fandom writing numerous fanfiction stories of the series, numbering in the thousands, and popularized the term '' altfic'' to refer to fanfiction about loving relationships between women.

Shortly after the series' debut, fans started discussing the possibility of a relationship between Xena and her sidekick and best friend Gabrielle. According to journalist Cathy Young, the quarrel between fans about a relationship between Xena and Gabrielle had a sociopolitical angle, in which some on the anti-relationship side were "undoubtedly driven by bona fide bigotry", while some on the pro-relationship side were lesbians who "approached the argument as a real-life gay rights struggle" in which "denying a sexual relationship between Xena and Gabrielle was tantamount to denying the reality of their own lives". She argued that the fact that staff paid attention to fan opinions may have led to problems, with an "incentive for the rival groups to out-shout one another to make themselves heard," leading to shipping wars.

In 2000, during the airing of the fifth season, the intensity of the "shipping wars" was chronicled (from a non-subtexter's point of view) in an article titled "The Discrimination in the Xenaverse" in the online ''Xena'' fan magazine ''Whoosh!'', and numerous letters in response. The wars did not abate after the 2001 series finale. With no new material from the show itself, the debates were fueled by various statements from the cast and crew. In January 2003, ''Xena'' star Lucy Lawless told ''Lesbian News'' magazine that after watching the finale, she had come to believe that Xena and Gabrielle's relationship was "definitely gay". In March 2005, one-time ''Xena'' screenwriter Katherine Fugate, an outspoken supporter of the Xena/Gabrielle pairing, posted a statement on her website appealing for tolerance in the fandom, telling people to "allow everyone the grace to take what they need from the show and make it theirs," whether they see Xena with Gabrielle, or Xena with Ares.

''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' fandom

When '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'' ran on Nickelodeon, from 2005-2008, fans supported various different ships, such as Tokka ( Toph Beifong and Sokka), Ty Laang (Ty Lee and Aang), Jinko (Zuko and Jin), Tyzula (Azula and Ty Lee), Sukka (Sokka/Suki), Maiko (Mai/Zuko), Rozin (Roku/Sozin), Zukka (Zuko/Sokka), Yukka (Sokka/Yue), Mai Lee (Mai/Ty Lee), Taang (Toph/Aang), Zukki (Zuko/Sokka/Suki), and Azutara (Azula/Katara), but the main contention was between fans of Kataang ( Katara and Aang) and Zutara (Zuko and Katara).

Some reviewers said that Kataang fans are "blinded by their appreciation" for the ship, stated that both ships "have validity...and textual evidence", or described Kataang as "always meant to be." Rincke de Bont wrote that although Kataang became the canon ship, "heavily disappointing" Zutara fans, the latter made fanart and fanfiction for the ship, arguing why they preferred this ship, and noted that the series creators, Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino even picked up on this phenomenon "within the fandom". de Bont added that on FanFiction.Net, Zutara stories became more popular because they "fulfill the wishes" not possible with the original series. The Zutara ship has also been described as "one of the most popular" ships within the show's fandom, and having the potential to be the "perfect execution of the enemies-to-lovers trope" by fans.

Teen Vogue noted the series had one of "the biggest" shipping wars between Zutara and Kataang, during the series original run, and stated that the shipping debate "continues to this day" among some online users. TheGamer described the shipping wars between these fans as "crazy" and "quite a big deal," noting that writers toyed with making Zuko and Katara a couple originally, and added that shippers of the latter can take "some comfort that their ship almost happened."

Later, Konietzko noted his awareness of the shipping discourse, saying he "remember Kataang vs. Zutara" and noted that the show's crew was wavering on how direct they could be with Kataang. Originally printe
here
/ref> Others criticized the show's creator for going "a little overboard" in their criticism of Zutara shippers, stating that it led to be more shipping discourse. Zach Tyler Eisen, who voiced Aang in the series, later stated that he favored the "Kataang" ship, and joked, after Dante Basco (who voiced Zuko), mentioned Zutara, "this is a Zutara-free zone. It’s all in your head, buddy." Basco and Mae Whitman (voice of Katara) were also noted as creating content for a week celebrating the Zutara ship. Other reviews said that the live-action adaptation has the possibility of canonizing the Zutara ship and noted that the shipping debate between fans of both ships, including by social media users responding to a Netflix post saying Zuko and Katara make "a good couple." However, Albert Kim, showrunner of the live-action adaptation, said he was "smart enough" to not get involved in the shipping debate because he is aware "how passionate both sets of fans are."

''Legend of Korra'' fandom

Throughout the run of ''The Legend of Korra'' there were shipping debates between those who supported various pairings, within the show's "passionate fanbase", including between those who supported Makorra (Mako and Korra), and Masami (Mako and Asami Sato) and later between fans of Makorra and Korrasami (Korra and Asami Sato) after the end of the first season. Series creator Bryan Konietzko stated that there was a tumultuous "teenage love-hate relationship" between Mako and Korra which leads to an "ill-timed kiss", disappointing Bolin. English studies scholars Rukmini Pande and Swati Moitra described Korrasami as one of the "only popular nonwhite couples occupying a primary position in an English-language fandom," which is primarily based on Tumblr, and pointed to issues such as fanart which lightened Korra's skin or whitewashed Asami's "cultural specificity." Other popular ships among fans included Borra (Bolin and Korra), Wuko (Mako and Prince Wu), Kainora (Kai and Jinora), Kyalin (Kya and Lin), and Korpal (Korra and Opal). The ship of Kai and Jinora was also described as "wholesome" along with nine other canon ships between characters in the series. Konietzko later said that the show's crew was "not easily swayed" by posts on Tumblr or Twitter even though they "changed and tweaked stuff" as they show was being developed.

Following the series finale, some accused the series creators Konietzko and DiMartino of "fan service" for making Korrasami canon, but others noted that the Korrasami ship was seeded throughout the series run, and said that it was greeted by queer fans enthusiastically, and argued that many of the show's fans were pushing for the pairing. IGN editors said that this conclusion felt "earned" and "stunningly rendered." DiMartino would say that the final scene in the episode made it clear that "Korra and Asami have romantic feelings for each other". Konietzko said he had "bragging rights as the first Korrasami shipper", note that Makorra was only the “endgame” when Book 1 closed, and added that once the series entered Book 2 they "knew we were going to have them orra and Makobreak up". In an interview in April 2015, DiMartino and Konietzko refuted charges that Korrsami was not built up through the series run. Konietzko would later draw artwork of Korra and Asami embracing as an exclusive print for ''The Legend of Korra / Avatar: The Last Airbender Tribute Exhibition'' at Gallery Nucleus, in March 2015, with proceeds donated to an LGBTQ suicide prevention hotline, and a rainbow version of the artwork posed in June 2015.

The relationship between Korra and Asami would also be developed in the canonical graphic novel series, '' The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars'', with DiMartino telling Entertainment Weekly about the ship's impact and that he had heard personal stories about how the relationship between Korra and Asami "inspired young adults to come out" to their friends or family and Koh saying they wanted Korra and Asami to be resilient heroes in the series. The ship would later be compared to other ships between female characters in '' Arcane'' and '' Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft''.

See also

* Larries, fans of shipping between Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction
* Stucky, shipping between Marvel characters Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes
* Tweek x Craig, South Park episode that satirizes shipping culture
* Shipping discourse
* Hanahaki disease, a fictional disease commonly used in slashfic

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipping (Fandom)
Fandom
Internet culture
Romantic fiction
Fan labor
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