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 or sexual relationship. Shipping often takes the form of unofficial creative works, including fanfiction and fan art.
Etymology[edit]
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.[1][2] They called themselves "relationshippers" at first;[1][3][4] then "R'shipper", and finally just "shipper".[4][5][6]
The oldest recorded uses of the noun ship and the noun shipper, according to the Oxford English Dictionary,[7][8][9][10] date back to 1996 postings on the Usenet group alt.tv.x-files;[11] shipping is first attested slightly later, in 1997 and the verb to ship in 1998.[12]
Notable fandoms[edit]
Daria fandom[edit]
Daria was marked throughout its run by shipper debate, primarily over whether the title character should have a relationship with Trent Lane.[86] 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.[87] Daria and Tom warmed up to each other throughout the fourth season, leading up to its finale.[88] 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.[89]
In interviews done after the series' run, series co-creator Glenn Eichler revealed that "any viewer who really thought that Daria and Trent could [have] a relationship was just not watching the show we were making,"[90] 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."[91]
Harry Potter fandom[edit]
The Harry Potter series' most contentious ship debates came from supporters of various potential pairings: