Shipping (fandom)

Notable cases of shipping include the fandoms of Daria, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Legend of Korra.

[20][19] Name blending is often used to refer to a couple,[21] 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.

[26][27] 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[28] or between Violet "Vi" and Caitlyn "Cait" Kiramman (Caitvi or CaitVi) in Arcane.

[47] A person who supports same-sex pairings and reads or writes slash fiction may be referred to as a "slasher",[48] although the Japanese term "fujoshi" for women who like same-sex stories,[49] and "fudanshi" as the male equivalent of that,[50][51] are also commonly used within the community, especially by fans of yaoi (boy on boy) and fans of yuri (girl on girl).

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.

With the Internet, the number of fandoms represented increased dramatically, especially those devoted to science fiction, fantasy, and police dramas.

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.

These works are now generally published online[69] and use the same forms of rating, warnings and terminology that is commonly used by slash writers.

"[78] Interspecies shipping is usually displayed in fandoms of media consisting of animals of various species or supernatural, mechanical, extraterrestrial and fantasy beings.

[94] 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.

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.

"[99] The Harry Potter series' most contentious ship debates came from supporters of various potential pairings: 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.

[110] An interview with Rowling shortly after the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, in 2005 caused significant controversy within the fandom.

McBride noted that Harmione also came to be known as "HMS Harmony" by fans,[21] 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.

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.

[114] 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.

[117] The 1995–2001 action/fantasy TV series Xena: Warrior Princess produced "shipping wars," with spillover from real-world debates about homosexuality and gay rights.

[46] 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.

[118][119][120] Shortly after the series' debut, fans started discussing the possibility of a relationship between Xena and her sidekick and best friend Gabrielle.

[121][122] 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".

[121] 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!,[123] and numerous letters in response.

"[142] Basco and Mae Whitman (voice of Katara) were also noted as creating content for a week celebrating the Zutara ship.

"[137][143] 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.

[148][149][141] 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.

[150] 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.