shipping (fandom)

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.{{cite web|last=Owen|first=Maggie|url=https://www.fandom.com/articles/shipping-characters-sweet-science|title=The Sweet Science of Shipping|website=Fandom|date=June 29, 2018|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115111548/https://www.fandom.com/articles/shipping-characters-sweet-science|archive-date=January 15, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-the-x-files-helped-shape-modern-fandom-including-shipping|title=How The X-Files helped shape modern fandom — including shipping|date=March 20, 2018|website=SYFY|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306231135/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-the-x-files-helped-shape-modern-fandom-including-shipping|archive-date=March 6, 2021}} They called themselves "relationshippers" at first;{{cite web|last=Wax|first=Alyse|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-potency-of-fox-mulders-sportswear-from-the-red-speedo-to-georgetown-sweats|title=The potency of Fox Mulder's sportswear, from the red Speedo to Georgetown sweats|date=May 21, 2020|website=SYFYaccess-date=May 31, 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223113007/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-potency-of-fox-mulders-sportswear-from-the-red-speedo-to-georgetown-sweats|archive-date=February 23, 2021}} then "R'shipper", and finally just "shipper".{{cite web|last=Etman|first=Colleen|url=https://comicsverse.com/end-toxic-shipping/|title=Why We Need to End Toxic Shipping As A Fandom Community|website=ComicsVerse|date=June 28, 2018|access-date=May 31, 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125132943/https://comicsverse.com/end-toxic-shipping/|archive-date=January 25, 2021}}{{cite web|last=Iovine|first=Anna|url=https://mashable.com/article/ship-dating-slang-oxford-english-dictionary/|website=Mashable|title=It's time to add Internet slang 'ship' to the dictionary|date=November 20, 2019|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203003758/https://mashable.com/article/ship-dating-slang-oxford-english-dictionary/|archive-date=December 3, 2020|url-status=live}}

The oldest recorded uses of the noun ship and the noun shipper, according to the Oxford English Dictionary,{{OED|ship, n.3}}{{OED|shipper, n.2}}{{OED|shipping, n.2}}{{OED|ship, v.2}} date back to 1996 postings on the Usenet group alt.tv.x-files;{{cite magazine|last=Morton|first=Ella|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/126715/x-files-i-want-believe-posters-origin-story|title=The X-Files "I Want to Believe" Poster's Origin Story|magazine=The New Republic|date=December 29, 2015|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521112011/https://newrepublic.com/article/126715/x-files-i-want-believe-posters-origin-story|archive-date=May 21, 2021|url-status=live}} shipping is first attested slightly later, in 1997 and the verb to ship in 1998.{{cite web|last=Zimmer|first=Ben|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-the-x-files-returns-so-do-shippers-1454098144|title=As the 'X-Files' Returns, So Do 'Shippers'|website=Wall Street Journal|date=January 29, 2016|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903065708/https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-the-x-files-returns-so-do-shippers-1454098144|archive-date=September 3, 2017|url-status=live}}

"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.{{cite journal|last=Gonzalez|first=Victoria M.|year=2016|title=Swan Queen, shipping, and boundary regulation in fandom|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=22|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2016.0669|doi-access=free}}{{cite web|last=Romano|first=Aja|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/6/7/11858680/fandom-glossary-fanfiction-explained|title=Canon, fanon, shipping and more: a glossary of the tricky terminology that makes up fan culture|website=Vox|date=June 7, 2016|access-date=May 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320095339/https://www.vox.com/2016/6/7/11858680/fandom-glossary-fanfiction-explained|archive-date=March 20, 2021|url-status=live}} A ship that a particular fan prefers over all others is called an OTP, which stands for one true pairing.{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/what-does-otp-mean-one-true-pairing|title=Words We're Watching: 'OTP'|website=Merriam-Webster|access-date=May 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329034448/https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/what-does-otp-mean-one-true-pairing|archive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Ruth|url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/fandom-flames-rarepair-shipping-the-loneliest-game/|title=FANDOM FLAMES: Rarepair shipping, the loneliest game|date=March 26, 2021|website=Comics Beat|access-date=May 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327005309/https://www.comicsbeat.com/fandom-flames-rarepair-shipping-the-loneliest-game/|archive-date=March 27, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite book |last=Balkind |first=Nicola |date=2014 |chapter=Consumption Becomes Production: Fan Creations and The Hunger Games |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oberDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA133 |title=Fan Phenomena: The Hunger Games |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oberDwAAQBAJ |location=Bristol, United Kingdom |publisher=Intellect Books |pages=133, 143 |isbn=978-1783202843}}{{cite web|last=Frank|first=Allegra|url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/12/20/14030236/overwatch-ships-list|title=New Overwatch comic may have sunk your favorite 'ships'|website=Polygon|date=December 20, 2016|access-date=May 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307181806/https://www.polygon.com/2016/12/20/14030236/overwatch-ships-list|archive-date=March 7, 2018|url-status=live}}

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.{{cite journal|last=Cuntz-Leng|first=Vera|year=2014|title=Twinship, incest, and twincest in the Harry Potter universe|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=17|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2014.0576|doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|last=Callis|first=Vera S.|year=2016|title=Homophobia, heteronormativity, and slash fan fiction|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=22|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2016.0708|doi-access=free}}

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.{{cite web|last=Haasch|first=Parker|url=https://www.insider.com/star-wars-rey-kylo-ren-reylo-relationship-tumblr-top-ship-2020-12|title=A straight Star Wars pairing topped Tumblr's overwhelmingly queer 2020 relationship list|website=Insider|date=December 7, 2020|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210531041221/https://www.insider.com/star-wars-rey-kylo-ren-reylo-relationship-tumblr-top-ship-2020-12|archive-date=May 31, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Tenbarge|first=Kat|url=https://www.insider.com/supernatural-last-episode-when-destiel-queerbaiting-end-fandom-tumblr-2020-11|title='Supernatural's' queer fandom kept it alive for 15 years, but the show never gave them what they really wanted|website=Insider|date=November 19, 2020|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210531043104/https://www.insider.com/supernatural-last-episode-when-destiel-queerbaiting-end-fandom-tumblr-2020-11|archive-date=May 31, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Rude|first=Mey|url=https://www.them.us/story/bubbline-is-canon-adventure-time|title=Bubbline Is CANON: 7 Gayest Moments From Adventure Time's Cutest Relationship|website=.them|date=September 5, 2018|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312114344/https://www.them.us/story/bubbline-is-canon-adventure-time|archive-date=March 12, 2021|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|last=Baker-Whitelaw|first=Gavia|url=https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/tumblr-ships-2018-reylo-klance/|title=Fandom infighting dominated Tumblr in 2018|website=The Daily Dot|date=November 28, 2018|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418155517/https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/tumblr-ships-2018-reylo-klance/|archive-date=April 18, 2020|url-status=live}} '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.{{cite web|last=Rosenfield|first=Kat| url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/01/mulder-scully-romance-history.html|title=A Brief History of Mulder and Scully's Once-Controversial Romance|date=January 21, 2016|website=Vulture|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210406152411/https://www.vulture.com/2016/01/mulder-scully-romance-history.html|archive-date=April 6, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=White|first=Abbey|url=https://www.insider.com/why-tv-lacks-lgbtq-inclusion-according-to-experts-2021-6|title=TV animators were forced to scrap LGBTQ-inclusive storylines due to a culture of fear. Experts say fans are changing that.|website=Insider|date=June 15, 2021|access-date=June 16, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210616194517/https://www.insider.com/why-tv-lacks-lgbtq-inclusion-according-to-experts-2021-6|archive-date=June 16, 2021|url-status=live}} 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{{cite web|last=King|first=Jade|url=https://www.thegamer.com/amphibia-finale-shipping-calamity-trio-headcanons/|title=Amphibia's Finale Has Shown The True Potential Of Headcanons|website=TheGamer|date=May 22, 2022|access-date=June 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526205658/https://www.thegamer.com/amphibia-finale-shipping-calamity-trio-headcanons/|archive-date=May 26, 2022|url-status=live}} or between Violet "Vi" and Caitlyn "Cait" Kiramman (Caitvi or CaitVi) in Arcane.{{cite web|last=Colbert|first=Isaiah|url=https://gizmodo.com/arcanes-long-awaited-hookup-was-originally-longer-and-steamier-2000529735|title= Arcane's Long-Awaited Hookup Was Originally Longer and Steamier|website=Gizmodo|date=November 25, 2024|access-date=November 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126012929/https://gizmodo.com/arcanes-long-awaited-hookup-was-originally-longer-and-steamier-2000529735|archive-date=November 26, 2024|url-status=live|quote= Release the Caitvi cut.}}{{cite web|last=King|first=Jade|url=https://www.thegamer.com/arcane-reddit-ama-caitvi-horny-fandom/|title=The Arcane Crew Definitely Knows How Horny The Fandom Is|website=TheGamer|date=November 10, 2022|access-date=November 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110180138/https://www.thegamer.com/arcane-reddit-ama-caitvi-horny-fandom/|archive-date=November 10, 2022|url-status=live|quote=Even though a year has passed since the show’s debut, we’re still obsessed with CaitVi}}{{cite web|last=King|first=Jade|url=https://www.thegamer.com/arcane-season-two-finale-caitvi-scene-romance-confession/|title=Arcane Finally Gave Fans What They Were Waiting For With A Spicy Scene In The Finale|website=TheGamer|date=November 23, 2024|quote=That will be our Caitvi fill for now though, as we're getting no more seasons of Arcane.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241124023755/https://www.thegamer.com/arcane-season-two-finale-caitvi-scene-romance-confession/|archive-date=November 24, 2024|url-status=live}}

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.{{cite journal |last1=DiGirolamo |first1=Cara M. |title=The Fandom Pairing Name: Blends and the Phonology-Orthography Interface |journal=Names |date=2012 |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=231–243 |doi=10.1179/0027773812Z.00000000034|s2cid=62182458 |doi-access=free }} 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.{{cite tweet|number=1129596782932090880|user=chronoa01|title=Naming ships is a sensitive fandom culture in Japan and Korea.(I'm not sure about cases in other countries) Many fr...|date=May 18, 2019}}{{better source needed|date=January 2023}}{{cite journal |last1=Zheng |first1=Guang-Quan |last2=Lee |first2=Ya-Ching |date=October 2014 |title=Do Only Fujoshi Enjoy Tanbi? A Study of Chinese Fudanshi's Motivations for Liking Tanbi CP in Domestic TV Series |url=https://mcr.nccu.edu.tw/web/backissues/backissues_in.jsp?pp_no=PP1667186878370 |journal=Mass Communication Research |issue=153 |pages= |doi= |access-date=November 27, 2024 |language=zh}} Note: only the abstract is in English. The article is written in traditional Chinese characters.{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.lunaescence.com/index.php?cat=9|title=Dictionary of Anime Fandom: Fanfiction & Literary Terms|website=Lunaescence Archives|date=2005|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704015723/http://dictionary.lunaescence.com/index.php?cat=9|archive-date=July 4, 2007|quote=[Pairings are] used in fandom to refer to accepted relationships...between characters. It can either be used in general...or for specific, named couples. For YAOI couples you typically write the seme’s name first separated from the other name using an x. So if you want to write that your favorite pairing is Heero as the dominant (seme) male and that Duo is the passive (uke)...However, in writing pairings for slash or femslash couples, you usually use a slash ( / ) to separate out the couples, and...there really isn’t a rule about who comes first."|url-status=dead}}

Many fandom-specific variants exist and often use fandom-specific terminology.{{cite conference |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268449054 |title='If fandom jumped off a bridge, it would be onto a ship': An examination of conflict that occurs though shipping in fandom. |last1=Bothe |first1=Gemma |date=July 2014 |pages=7 |location=Melbourne, Australia |conference=Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference (ANZCA) 2014 |id= |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015185434/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gemma-Bothe/publication/268449054_'If_fandom_jumped_off_a_bridge_it_would_be_onto_a_ship'_An_examination_of_conflict_that_occurs_though_shipping_in_fandom/links/546c150a0cf2f5eb18092cf2/If-fandom-jumped-off-a-bridge-it-would-be-onto-a-ship-An-examination-of-conflict-that-occurs-though-shipping-in-fandom.pdf |archivedate=2022-10-15}}{{cite journal | last1 = Williams |first1= Rebecca | date= May 2011 | title= Containing the Audience: The 'Room' in Stand-Up Comedy | url = http://www.participations.org/Volume%208/Issue%201/PDF/williams.pdf | department = University of Kent, UK | journal = Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies | volume= 8 | issue= 1 | pages= 271–272, 275–278 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200717231746/http://www.participations.org/Volume%208/Issue%201/PDF/williams.pdf | access-date= May 31, 2021 |archive-date= July 17, 2020 }} 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).{{cite web|last=Nicola|first=Alison|url=https://www.cbr.com/pokemon-relationships-fans-behind-arent/|title=Pokémon: 5 Relationships Fans Were Behind In The Anime (& 5 They Never Want To See)|website=CBR|date=October 9, 2019|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122221844/https://www.cbr.com/pokemon-relationships-fans-behind-arent/|archive-date=January 22, 2023|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/amourshipping/|title=Amourshipping|website=Dictionary.com|date=March 1, 2018|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122221844/https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/amourshipping/|archive-date=January 22, 2023|url-status=live}} 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).{{cite web|last=Hale-Stern|first=Kale|url=https://www.themarysue.com/2019-most-popular-fandom-ships-tumblr/|title=Let Us Gaze Upon 2019's 20 Most Popular Fandom Ships on Tumblr|date=December 5, 2019|website=The Mary Sue|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215051609/https://www.themarysue.com/2019-most-popular-fandom-ships-tumblr/|archive-date=February 15, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Grimes|first=Hannah|url=https://www.cbr.com/rwby-weiss-cosplay-stunning-see/|title=RWBY: 15 Stunning Weiss Cosplay You Need To See|date=March 1, 2021|website=CBR|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727200337/https://www.cbr.com/rwby-weiss-cosplay-stunning-see/|archive-date=July 27, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Darcy|first=Diane|url=https://www.cbr.com/blake-yang-kiss-wlw-romance/|title=RWBY's Blake and Yang Is WLW Romance Done Right - Here's How TV Can Learn From Them|website=CBR|date=March 31, 2023|access-date=September 18, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901115218/https://www.cbr.com/blake-yang-kiss-wlw-romance/|archive-date=September 1, 2024|url-status=live}}

{{Main article|Slash fiction}}

Within shipping, same-sex pairings are popular; they are sometimes known as "slash and femslash".{{cite journal|last=Russo|first=Julie Levin|year=2017|title=Femslash goggles: Fan vids with commentary by creators|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=24|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2017.01026|doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|last1=Pande|first1=Rukmini|last2=Moitra|first2=Swati|year=2017|title="Yes, the Evil Queen is Latina!": Racial dynamics of online femslash fandoms|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=24|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2017.01026|doi-access=free}} Within the anime/manga fandom, borrowed Japanese terms such as yaoi and yuri may be used.[https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-daring-appeal-of-yaoi-and-yuri-manga The Daring Appeal Of Yaoi And Yuri Manga The Culture Trip. Retrieved 30 December 2016.{{cite journal|last1=Ng|first1=Eve|last2=Russo|first2=Julie Levin|year=2017|title=Envisioning queer female fandom|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=24|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2017.01168|doi-access=free}} In the context of Chinese TV series, related same-sex pairings are also referred to as "Tanbi CP".{{Cite journal |last1=Zheng |first1=Guang-Quan |last2=Lee |first2=Ya-Ching |date=2022 |title=Do Only Fujoshi Enjoy Tanbi? A Study of Chinese Fudanshi's Motivations for Liking Tanbi CP in Domestic TV Series |url= |journal=Mass Communication Research |volume=153 |issue= 153|pages=141–194 |doi=10.30386/MCR.202210.0019}} A person who supports same-sex pairings and reads or writes slash fiction may be referred to as a "slasher",{{cite journal | last = Allington | first = Daniel |date= March 2007 | title = "How Come Most People Don't See It?": Slashing the Lord of the Rings | journal= Social Semiotics | volume = 17 | issue = 1 | pages= 43–62 | doi = 10.1080/10350330601124650 | s2cid = 143324395}} although the Japanese term "fujoshi" for women who like same-sex stories,{{cite thesis |last=Wang |first=Yiran |date=2017 |title=Resistance and Compromise under Power Structures of Sexuality: A Case Study on Real Person Slash Fans in China |type=Masters |publisher=Lund University |docket= |oclc= |url=http://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8911918&fileOId=8911922 |access-date=May 31, 2021 |pages=1–3, 8–10}} and "fudanshi" as the male equivalent of that,{{Cite book | last1 = Ingulsrud | first1 = John E. | last2 = Allen | first2 = Kate | title = Reading Japan Cool: Patterns of Manga Literacy and Discourse | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-0-7391-2753-7 | page = 57 }}{{cite book|author1=Kazumi Nagaike|title=Boys' Love Manga and Beyond : History, Culture, and Community in Japan|date=2015|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|location=Jackson|isbn=9781626740662|chapter=Do Heterosexual Men Dream of Homosexual Men?: BL Fudanshi and Discourse on Male Feminization|page=192}} are also commonly used within the community, especially by fans of yaoi (boy on boy) and fans of yuri (girl on girl).{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/02/1072908900255.html|title=Fanfic: is it right to write?|website=The Age|date=January 2, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120011048/http://www.theage.com.au/index.html|archive-date=November 20, 2010 }}Woledge, Elizabeth (August 2005) "Decoding Desire: From Kirk and Spock to K/S¹" Social Semiotics, Volume 15, Issue 2 August 2005, pages 235–250 {{doi|10.1080/10350330500154857}} Other early slash pairings came from characters in Starsky & Hutch and Dirty Harry."{{cite web|last=Watson|first=Zebbie|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/16203-on-star-trek-sherlock-holmes-and-the-origins-of-slash-fiction|title=Exploring the First Frontier Of Slash Fiction|date=May 27, 2016|website=Inverse|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115182646/https://www.inverse.com/article/16203-on-star-trek-sherlock-holmes-and-the-origins-of-slash-fiction|archive-date=January 15, 2021|url-status=live}} For a time in the late 1970s and early 1980s, "K/S" was used to describe such fan fiction,{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/star-trek-spock-kirk-and-slash-fiction-79807|title=Star Trek: Spock, Kirk and Slash Fiction|website=Newsweek|date=May 4, 2009|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126112805/https://www.newsweek.com/star-trek-spock-kirk-and-slash-fiction-79807|archive-date=January 26, 2021|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|last=Morrison|first=Evan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/13/fan-fiction-fifty-shades-grey|title=In the beginning, there was fan fiction: from the four gospels to Fifty Shades|website=The Guardian|date=August 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209041853/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/13/fan-fiction-fifty-shades-grey|archive-date=February 9, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Davies|first=Morgan Leigh|url=https://the-toast.net/2013/09/19/brief-history-slash/|title=A Brief History of Slash|website=The Toast|date=September 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126181857/https://the-toast.net/2013/09/19/brief-history-slash/|archive-date=January 26, 2021|access-date=May 31, 2021}} 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.{{cite book|title=Visual Culture: Images and Interpretations|author1=Norman Bryson |author2=Michael Ann Holly |author3=Keith P. F. Moxey |name-list-style=amp |pages=304–305|chapter=Feminism, Psychoanalysis, and Popular Culture|year=1994|publisher=Wesleyan University Press|isbn=978-0-8195-6267-8}}{{Cite book|last=Döring|first=Nicola|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1109843175|title=Encyclopedia of Sexuality and Gender|publisher=Springer|year=2021|isbn=978-3-319-59531-3|editor-last=Lykins|editor-first=Amy|edition=Living|location=Cham|pages=1–8|chapter=Erotic Fan Fiction|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-59531-3_65-1|s2cid=229183598|oclc=1109843175}} 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.{{cite web|last=Sinclair|first=Jenna|title=Short History of Kirk/Spock Slash|url=http://www.beyonddreamspress.com/history.htm|date=October 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128160929/http://www.beyonddreamspress.com/history.htm|archive-date=January 28, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=May 31, 2021}} Early slash fans in England feared that they would be arrested, because slash violated the obscenity laws there at the time.{{cite journal|last1=Falzone|first1=P.J.|title=The Final Frontier Is Queer: Aberrancy, Archetype and Audience Generated Folklore in K/S Slashfiction|journal=Western Folklore|date=2005|volume=64|issue=3/4|pages=243–261|jstor=25474751}} 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.{{cite journal | last1 = Tosenberger | first1 = Catherine | year = 2008 | title = Homosexuality at the Online Hogwarts: Harry Potter Slash Fanfiction | journal = Children's Literature | volume = 36 | pages = 185–207 | doi = 10.1353/chl.0.0017 | s2cid = 143937185 }} 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{{cite book |title=The Cambridge history of twentieth-century English literature |last= Laura |first= Marcus|author2=Peter Nicholls |year=2004 |publisher= Cambridge University Press|page= 798|isbn=978-0-521-82077-6}} (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.{{cite journal | last = Kustritz | first = Anne

|date=September 2003 | title = Slashing the Romance Narrative | journal = The Journal of American Culture | volume = 26 | issue = 3 | pages = 371–384 | doi = 10.1111/1542-734X.00098 |url=http://www.asu.edu/courses/fms351vm/total-readings/fms351-L14-reading01.pdf}} 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,{{cite web|editor-last=Lo|editor-first=Malinda|date=January 4, 2006|url= http://www.afterellen.com/Print/2006/1/fanfiction.html|title=Fan Fiction Comes Out of the Closet|page=1|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080117044113/http://www.afterellen.com/Print/2006/1/fanfiction.html|archive-date=January 17, 2008|url-status=dead|website=AfterEllen|access-date=November 27, 2024}} 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.{{cite thesis |last=Herzing |first=Melissa Jean |date=April 2005 |title=The Internet World of Fan Fiction |type=Masters |publisher=Virginia Commonwealth University |docket= |oclc= |url=https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://duckduckgo.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2045&context=etd |access-date=May 31, 2021 }} Original slash stories are those that contain male/male content, based on perceived homoerotic subtext between fictitious characters.{{Cite book|title=Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays|author1=Hellekson, Karen |author2=Busse, Kristina |publisher=McFarland|year=2006|location=Jefferson}} 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{{Cite journal|last=Thomas|first=A|year=2006|title=Fan fiction online: engagement, critical response and affective play through writing|journal=Australian Journal of Language & Literacy|volume=29|pages=226–239}} and use the same forms of rating, warnings and terminology that is commonly used by slash writers.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

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.{{cite web |last1=Elderkin |first1=Beth |title=She-Ra's Noelle Stevenson Tells Us How Difficult It Was to Bring Adora and Catra Home |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/she-ras-noelle-stevenson-tells-us-how-difficult-it-was-1843419358 |magazine=Gizmodo |access-date=May 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520025223/https://io9.gizmodo.com/she-ras-noelle-stevenson-tells-us-how-difficult-it-was-1843419358 |archive-date=May 20, 2020 |date=May 18, 2020 |url-status=live}}

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.{{cite web|last=Steele|first=Amanda|url=https://screenrant.com/mcu-polyamorous-fan-fiction-ships-fans-love/|title=MCU: 10 Polyamorous Fan Fiction Ships We Wish Were Real|website=Screen Rant|date=February 7, 2021|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207223839/https://screenrant.com/mcu-polyamorous-fan-fiction-ships-fans-love/|archive-date=February 7, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Lawrence|first=Briana|url=https://www.themarysue.com/super-mario-bros-ot3/|title=Super Mario Brothers Is the Story of a Polyship in the Middle of an Epic Roleplay, in This Essay I Will—|website=The Mary Sue|date=March 10, 2021|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316061607/https://www.themarysue.com/super-mario-bros-ot3/|archive-date=March 16, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Steele|first=Amanda|url=https://screenrant.com/mcu-polyamorous-fan-fiction-ships-fans-love/|title=Lord of the Rings: 10 Polyamorous Fan Fiction Ships We Wish Were Real|website=Screen Rant|date=April 29, 2021|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507085129/https://screenrant.com/lord-of-the-rings-polyamorous-fanfiction-ships-fans-love/|archive-date=May 7, 2021|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|last=Mandelo|first=Lee|url=https://www.tor.com/2010/08/31/queering-sff-wheres-the-polyamory/|title=Queering SFF: Where's the Polyamory?|website=Tor.com|date=August 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125001909/https://www.tor.com/2010/08/31/queering-sff-wheres-the-polyamory/|archive-date=November 25, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Shawl|first=Nisa|url=https://www.tor.com/2016/08/29/five-books-about-loving-everybody/|title=Five Books about Loving Everybody|website=Tor.com|date=August 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227101556/https://www.tor.com/2016/08/29/five-books-about-loving-everybody/|archive-date=February 27, 2021|url-status=live}} Polyamory is not always caused by love triangles,{{cite web|last=Mandelo|first=Lee|url=https://www.tor.com/2018/09/20/book-reviews-strange-grace-by-tessa-gratton/|title=Life for Death for Life: Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton|website=Tor.com|date=September 20, 2018|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519191456/https://www.tor.com/2018/09/20/book-reviews-strange-grace-by-tessa-gratton/|archive-date=May 19, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Polo|first=Susana|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/16/20916145/x-men-1-wolverine-cyclops-jean-grey-love-triangle-hickman|title=X-Men #1 might have solved the longest-running mutant love triangle|website=Polygon|date=October 16, 2019|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218053545/https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/16/20916145/x-men-1-wolverine-cyclops-jean-grey-love-triangle-hickman|archive-date=February 18, 2021|url-status=live}} 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."{{cite journal|last=Hampton|first=Darlene Rose|year=2015|title=Bound princes and monogamy warnings: Harry Potter, slash, and queer performance in LiveJournal communities|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=18|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2015.0609|doi-access=free}}

Interspecies shipping is usually displayed in fandoms of media consisting of animals of various species or supernatural, mechanical, extraterrestrial and fantasy beings.{{cite journal|last=Kies|first=Bridget|year=2011|title=One true threesome: Reconciling canon and fan desire in Star Trek: Voyager|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=8|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2011.0248 |doi-access=free}} Shipping a human character with an animal or furry character can be controversial and has been accused of treading a contentious line with bestiality.{{cite journal |last1=Zekany |first1=Eva |date=December 30, 2015 |title="A Horrible Interspecies Awkwardness Thing": (Non)Human Desire in the Mass Effect Universe |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0270467615624565 |journal=Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=67–77 |doi=10.1177/0270467615624565 |s2cid=147533261 |access-date=May 31, 2021|url-access=subscription }}{{cite journal |last1=Roberts |first1=Sharon |last2=Plante |first2=Courtney |last3=Gerbasi |first3=Kathleen C. |last4=Reysen |first4=Stephen |date=December 2015 |title=The Anthrozoomorphic Identity: Furry Fandom Members' Connections to Nonhuman Animals |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2015.1069993 |journal=Anthrozoös|volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=533–548 |doi=10.1177/0270467615624565 |s2cid=147533261 |access-date=May 31, 2021|url-access=subscription }}

File:Wikipe-tan and Adult Commons-tan Yuri.png mascots of Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons respectively, sitting together in a romantic subtext. Such significant age gaps in fan works have been subject to shipping discourse.|alt=Wikipe-tan, the unofficial mascot of Wikipedia, sits in a park setting with an adult version of her sister, Commons-tan. The two are holding hands, and Commons-tan looks down at Wikipe-tan. They are both blushing.]]

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.animefeminist.com/roundtable-age-gap-relationships-fiction/|title=Roundtable: Age-gap relationships in fiction|date=January 26, 2018|website=Anime Feminist|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203000408/https://www.animefeminist.com/roundtable-age-gap-relationships-fiction/|archive-date=February 3, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Tsintziras|first=Aya|url=https://screenrant.com/dawsons-creek-best-no-sense-couples/|title=Dawson's Creek: 5 Couples That Are Perfect Together (& 5 That Make No Sense)|date=December 3, 2019|website=Screen Rant|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204133716/https://screenrant.com/dawsons-creek-best-no-sense-couples/|archive-date=December 4, 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Bulten|first=Izak|url=https://www.cbr.com/demon-slayer-potential-ships-good-bad/|title=Demon Slayer: 5 Pairings That Would Make A Lot Of Sense (& 5 That Would Be Awful)|date=March 13, 2020|website=CBR|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314172616/https://www.cbr.com/demon-slayer-potential-ships-good-bad/|archive-date=March 14, 2020|url-status=live}} Connected to this are continued arguments about which ships are "best" and "right," with inevitable shipping wars.{{cite web|last=Steele|first=Amanda|url=https://www.themarysue.com/must-ships-not-be-problematic/|title=Shipping Discourse: Do Ships Need to Be Unproblematic?|website=The Mary Sue|date=April 15, 2020|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220115558/https://www.themarysue.com/must-ships-not-be-problematic/|archive-date=February 20, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Wyatt|first=Cat|url=https://www.cbr.com/inuyasha-best-and-worst-relationships/|title=InuYasha: 5 Relationships Fans Got Behind (& 5 They Rejected)|date=December 17, 2019|website=CBR|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327123829/https://www.cbr.com/inuyasha-best-and-worst-relationships/|archive-date=March 27, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Peters|first=Megan|url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/avatar-the-last-airbender-netflix-katara-aang-zuko-ship/|title=Avatar Fans Are Going to War Over Katara Ships All Thanks to Netflix|date=July 28, 2020|website=ComicBook|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828060847/https://comicbook.com/anime/news/avatar-the-last-airbender-netflix-katara-aang-zuko-ship/|archive-date=August 28, 2020|url-status=live}}

Romances between two characters who canonically hate each other also occur.{{cite web|last=Wyatt|first=Cat|url=https://www.cbr.com/my-hero-academia-best-worst-potential-romances/|title=My Hero Academia: 5 Potential Romances Fans Love (& 5 They Can't Get Behind)|date=February 10, 2020|website=CBR|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312061852/https://www.cbr.com/my-hero-academia-best-worst-potential-romances/|archive-date=March 12, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Wyatt|first=Cat|url=https://www.cbr.com/pokemon-relationships-fans-behind-arent/|title=Pokémon: 5 Relationships Fans Were Behind In The Anime (& 5 They Never Want To See)|date=October 9, 2019|website=CBR|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413113410/https://www.cbr.com/pokemon-relationships-fans-behind-arent/|archive-date=April 13, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Cohen|first=Sarah|url=https://screenrant.com/tv-show-romances-couples-never-saw-coming-predicted/|title=15 TV Show Couples NO ONE Saw Coming|date=June 22, 2017|website=Screen Rant|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628021658/https://screenrant.com/tv-show-romances-couples-never-saw-coming-predicted/|archive-date=June 28, 2017|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|last=Ridgely|first=Charlie|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/cobra-kai-season-3-daniel-johnny-working-together/|title=Cobra Kai Season 3:Ralph Macchio Addresses if Johnny and Daniel Will Work Together|date=December 20, 2020|website=ComicBook|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121054058/https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/cobra-kai-season-3-daniel-johnny-working-together/|archive-date=January 21, 2021|url-status=live}} This is one of the most popular types of shipping.{{cite web|last=Torn|first=Simone|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-ships-romantic-pairings-every-fan-loves-make-no-sense/|title=Harry Potter: 5 Ships That Every Fan Can Get Behind (5 That Make No Sense)|date=January 15, 2020|website=Screen Rant|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116134654/https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-ships-romantic-pairings-every-fan-loves-make-no-sense/|archive-date=January 16, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Daley|first=Katerina|url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-best-fanfiction-ships/|title=Star Wars: 10 Fan Fiction Relationships We Wish Were Real|date=October 31, 2019|website=Screen Rant|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210601041352/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-best-fanfiction-ships/|archive-date=June 1, 2021|url-status=live}}

Daria was marked throughout its run by shipper debate, primarily over whether the title character should have a relationship with Trent Lane.{{cite web|last=Hair|first=Michelle|url=https://www.fandom.com/articles/6-things-we-want-in-the-daria-reboot|title=6 Things We Want in the 'Daria' Reboot|website=Fandom|date=July 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109034655/https://www.fandom.com/articles/6-things-we-want-in-the-daria-reboot|archive-date=November 9, 2020|url-status=live}} 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.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In a later episode, Tom Sloane, who became Jane's boyfriend, is introduced, drawing a wedge between Jane and Daria, for instance.{{cite web|last=Chavez|first=Danette|url=https://www.avclub.com/10-episodes-of-daria-that-prove-she-gave-a-damn-1798251858|title=10 episodes of Daria that prove she gave a damn|date=September 13, 2016|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317005244/https://tv.avclub.com/10-episodes-of-daria-that-prove-she-gave-a-damn-1798251858|archive-date=March 17, 2018|url-status=live}} Daria and Tom warmed up to each other throughout the fourth season, leading up to its finale.{{cite web|url=http://www.outpost-daria.com/ep413.html |title=Episode #413: "Dye! Dye! My Darling" |publisher=Outpost Daria |date=August 2, 2000 |access-date=July 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217202103/http://www.outpost-daria.com/ep413.html|archive-date=February 17, 2012|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/onair/daria/chapter2/guy.jhtml |title=DARIA Definitive Chapter 3 |publisher=MTV |date=March 9, 2006 |access-date=July 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102140841/http://www.mtv.com/onair/daria/chapter2/guy.jhtml |archive-date=November 2, 2012 }}

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,"{{cite web|url=http://www.the-wildone.com/dvdaria/glennanswers.html |title=Twenty (Nineteen) Questions with Glenn Eichler |publisher=The-wildone.com |date=March 16, 2005 |access-date=July 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822210542/http://www.the-wildone.com/dvdaria/glennanswers.html |archive-date=August 22, 2015 }} 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."{{cite web|url=http://www.the-wildone.com/dvdaria/glennfollowup4.html |title=Follow-up Questions (Set #4) with Glenn Eichler |publisher=The-wildone.com |date=January 2, 2006 |access-date=July 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225142030/http://www.the-wildone.com/dvdaria/glennfollowup4.html |archive-date=February 25, 2012 }}

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

• Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley – 'Romione';{{cite web |last1=Redding |first1=Shane |url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-ron-hermione-soulmate-proof-moments/ |title=Harry Potter: 10 Scenes That Prove Ron & Hermione Were Soulmates |website=Screen Rant |date=April 14, 2021}} close friend of both Harry and Hermione. This pairing is canon.
• Harry Potter and Hermione Granger – 'Harmione';{{cite web|last=Kircher|first=Madison Malone|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/what-shipping-means-to-teens-2015-8|title='I ship them' — the strange concept that's changing the way people talk about relationships|website=Business Insider|date=August 3, 2015|access-date=May 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112141747/https://www.businessinsider.com/what-shipping-means-to-teens-2015-8|archive-date=January 12, 2021|url-status=live}} one of Harry's closest friends. This pairing is non-canon.
• Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley – 'Hinny';{{cite web |last1=Graceling-Moore |first1=Rose |url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-ginny-harry-relationship-each-movie/ |title=Harry Potter: Tracing Harry & Ginny's Relationship Timeline, Movie By Movie |website=Screen Rant |date=April 16, 2021}} Ron's younger sister. This pairing is canon.
• Lily Evans ending up with either James Potter – 'Jily', or Severus Snape – 'Snily';{{cite web|last=Sanderson|first=Sara|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-snape-lily-couple-relationship/|title=Harry Potter: 24 Crazy Revelations About Snape And Lily's Relationship|website=Screen Rant|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003111113/https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-snape-lily-couple-relationship/|archive-date=October 3, 2018|url-status=live}} the former pairing is canon.
• Remus Lupin ending up with either Nymphadora Tonks – 'Remadora', or Sirius Black – 'Wolfstar';{{cite web|last=Sharp|first=Nathan|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-important-details-about-sirius-remus-friendship/|title=Harry Potter: 10 Important Details You Didn't Know About Sirius and Remus's Friendship|website=Screen Rant|date=July 14, 2020|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208175406/https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-important-details-about-sirius-remus-friendship/|archive-date=December 8, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Littlechild|first=Chris|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-reasons-sirius-lupin-arent-real-friends/|title=Harry Potter: 10 Reasons Why Sirius & Lupin Aren't Real Friends|website=Screen Rant|date=February 1, 2020|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411033918/https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-reasons-sirius-lupin-arent-real-friends/|archive-date=April 11, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Sims|first=Andrew|url=https://www.hypable.com/tonks-lupin-relationship-history-remus-patronus-pottermore-jk-rowling/|title=J.K. Rowling reveals detailed story of how Tonks and Lupin met, Remus' patronus|website=Hypable|date=July 31, 2013|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210531200513/https://www.hypable.com/tonks-lupin-relationship-history-remus-patronus-pottermore-jk-rowling/|archive-date=May 31, 2021|url-status=live}} The former pairing is canon.
• Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy – 'Drarry';{{cite web|last=Steele|first=Amanda|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-draco-malfoy-couple-shipping-drarry/|title=Harry Potter: 5 Reasons Harry and Draco Would Make a Great Couple (& 5 They'd Be Awful Together)|website=Screen Rant|date=December 20, 2019|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531200836/https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-draco-malfoy-couple-shipping-drarry/|archive-date=May 31, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Leroy|first=Kath|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-best-draco-harry-drarry-ship-memes/|title=Harry Potter: The Best Harry/Draco Ship Memes|website=Screen Rant|date=February 15, 2021|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531201155/https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-best-draco-harry-drarry-ship-memes/|archive-date=May 31, 2021|url-status=live}} This pairing is non-canon.
• Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy – 'Dramione';{{cite web|last=Tanjeem|first=Namera|url=https://bookriot.com/dramione-erotica/|title=15 Must-Read Erotic Dramione Fan Fictions|website=Book Riot|date=December 11, 2019|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128132457/https://bookriot.com/dramione-erotica/|archive-date=November 28, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Moghbelpour|first=Zarreen|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-best-fremione-fred-hermione-ship-memes/|title=Harry Potter: 10 Best Fremione Ship Memes|website=Screen Rant|date=April 17, 2021|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428233635/https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-best-fremione-fred-hermione-ship-memes/|archive-date=April 28, 2021|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?152987-1/harry-potter-prisoner-azkaban|title=Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban|website=C-Span|date=October 20, 1999 |access-date=July 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004631/https://www.c-span.org/video/?152987-1/harry-potter-prisoner-azkaban |archive-date=July 2, 2022 |url-status=live}} Quote at 34:15. 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,{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Stephen |year=2011 |orig-year=2007 |chapter=Harry Potter and the Fandom Menace |chapter-url=http://www.sundigital.uk/Journals-other/Consumer%20Tribes%20By%20Bernard%20Cova,%20Robert%20Kozinets,%20Avi%20Shankar.pdf#page=189 |editor1-last=Cova |editor1-first=Bernard |editor2-last=Kozinets |editor2-first=Rober V. |editor3-last=Shankar |editor3-first=Avi |title=Consumer Tribes |url=http://www.sundigital.uk/Journals-other/Consumer%20Tribes%20By%20Bernard%20Cova,%20Robert%20Kozinets,%20Avi%20Shankar.pdf |url-status=live |location=London |publisher=Routledge |edition=Third |page=189 |isbn=978-0-7506-8024-0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531203325/http://www.sundigital.uk/Journals-other/Consumer%20Tribes%20By%20Bernard%20Cova,%20Robert%20Kozinets,%20Avi%20Shankar.pdf |archive-date=May 31, 2021}} 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.{{cite news |last=Chonin |first=Neva |title=If you're an obsessed Harry Potter fan, Voldemort isn't the problem. It's Hermione versus Ginny. |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/If-you-re-an-obsessed-Harry-Potter-fan-Voldemort-2650652.php |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=August 3, 2005|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126094723/https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/If-you-re-an-obsessed-Harry-Potter-fan-Voldemort-2650652.php|archive-date=January 26, 2021|url-status=live}} 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,{{cite book |last=Schwabach |first=Aaron |date=2016 |title=Fan Fiction and Copyright: Outsider Works and Intellectual Property Protection |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hn8GDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA11 |location=London |publisher=Routledge |page=11 |isbn=9781317136453 |quote=Ships are often given names, such as HMS Harmony (for Harry Potter and Hermoine from the Harry Potter Universe) or Zutara (for Zuko and Katara from the animated television show Avatar: The Last Airbender).}} 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."{{cite web|last=McBride|first=Clare|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-fall-of-fandom-etiquette-and-the-rise-of-the-ship-war?amp|title= The fall of fandom etiquette and the rise of the ship war|website=SYFY|date=May 16, 2018|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216234100/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-fall-of-fandom-etiquette-and-the-rise-of-the-ship-war?amp|archive-date=February 16, 2021|url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite web|last1=Anelli |first1=Melissa |last2=Spartz |first2=Emerson |url=https://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/extras/aa-jointerview2.html |title=The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Two |website=The Leaky Cauldron |date=July 16, 2005 |access-date=July 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050723003347/https://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/extras/aa-jointerview2.html |archive-date=July 23, 2005 |url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|last=West|first=Kelly|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/What-J-K-Rowling-Actually-Said-About-Hermione-Relationships-With-Ron-Harry-62153.html|title=What J.K. Rowling Actually Said About Hermione's Relationships With Ron And Harry|website=Cinema Blend|date=February 7, 2014|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227023828/https://www.cinemablend.com/pop/What-J-K-Rowling-Actually-Said-About-Hermione-Relationships-With-Ron-Harry-62153.html|archive-date=February 27, 2021|url-status=live}} 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,"{{cite web|last=Flood|first=Alison|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/10/jk-rowling-harry-potter-heresy-ron-hermione|title=JK Rowling backtracks on 'Harry Potter heresy'|website=The Guardian|date=February 10, 2014|access-date=July 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111222222/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/10/jk-rowling-harry-potter-heresy-ron-hermione|archive-date=November 11, 2020|url-status=live}} Watson later clarified that Rowling's comments about pairing Hermione up with Harry were taken out of context and that she was actually joking.{{cite web|last=Erbland|first=Kate|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/o2ndjb/jk-rowling-emma-watson-harry-potter-oscars|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022114352/https://www.mtv.com/news/o2ndjb/jk-rowling-emma-watson-harry-potter-oscars|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2022|title=Emma Watson Defends J.K. Rowling's Controversial Ron And Hermione Comments|website=MTV.com|date=March 2, 2014|access-date=October 21, 2023}}

{{See also|My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fan fiction}}

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{{cite web|url=https://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/02/story-social-standards.html|title=Story: Social Standards (Update Part 10!)|first=Shaun|last=Scotellaro|website=Equestria Daily|date=2012-02-02|access-date=2025-06-01}}) where male/male homosexual stories receive less community support and are downvoted immediately by fan fiction readers without even reading the story.{{cite web|title=My Little Pony: Lesbianism is Magic|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/my-little-pony-lesbianism-is-magic-138465/|author=Rose|website=Autostraddle|date=2012-05-30|access-date=2025-06-01}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.xwpsubtextvs.com|title=Xena Virtual Seasons|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914044723/http://xwpsubtextvs.com/|archive-date=2008-09-14|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://personales.ya.com/bibliotecaxff/relacionadas/articulos/historia.html#arriba|title=Xena Fanfics|publisher=Eidel|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701211353/http://personales.ya.com/bibliotecaxff/relacionadas/articulos/historia.html|archive-date=July 1, 2008|url-status=dead|language=es}}{{cite web|url=http://www.afterellen.com/Print/2006/1/fanfiction.html |title=Xena Fanfics out of the closet |publisher=AfterEllen |access-date=January 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117044113/http://www.afterellen.com/Print/2006/1/fanfiction.html |archive-date=January 17, 2008 }}

Shortly after the series' debut, fans started discussing the possibility of a relationship between Xena and her sidekick and best friend Gabrielle.{{cite news|url=http://archive.salon.com/july97/21st/article970703.html |title=Who Owns Xena |access-date=June 1, 2021 |last=Leonard |first=Andrew |date=July 3, 1997 |work=Salon |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402054058/http://archive.salon.com/july97/21st/article970703.html |archivedate=April 2, 2008 |url-status=dead }} 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".{{cite web|title=What we owe Xena |url=http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2005/09/15/xena/index2.html |work=Salon |first=Cathy |last=Young |date=September 1, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206134719/http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2005/09/15/xena/index2.html |archive-date=December 6, 2008 }} 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!,{{cite magazine |last=Lorenz |first=Nancy |date=2000 |title=The Discrimination in the XenaVerse: News and Views from the Great Divide |url=http://www.whoosh.org/issue43/lorenz1.html |issue=43 |magazine=Whoosh! |location=Online |access-date=June 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125145348/http://www.whoosh.org/issue43/lorenz1.html |archive-date=January 25, 2021 }} and numerous letters in response.{{cite magazine |date=2000 |title=Letters to the Editor |url=http://whoosh.org/issue44/letter44.html |issue=44 |magazine=Whoosh! |location=Online |access-date=June 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308013642/http://whoosh.org/issue44/letter44.html |archive-date=March 8, 2021 }} 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".{{cite magazine |url=http://lucylawless.info/articles/lesnews03/index.html |title=Lucy Lawless [Interview] |magazine=Lesbian News |publisher=lucylawless.info |date=January 2003 |volume=28 |number=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040305010153/http://lucylawless.info/articles/lesnews03/index.html |archive-date=March 5, 2004 |access-date=June 1, 2021}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.katherinefugate.com/katresponds/katherineresponds30.htm |title=Katherine Fugate Responds |website=Katherine Fugate Online |access-date=March 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230022649/http://www.katherinefugate.com/katresponds/katherineresponds30.htm |archive-date=December 30, 2007 }}

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),{{cite web|last=Balino|first=Thomas|url=https://www.cbr.com/avatar-last-airbender-stunning-suki-fan-art/|title=Avatar: The Last Airbender - 10 Suki Fan Art Pictures That Are Stunning|website=CBR|date=June 11, 2020|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514225903/https://www.cbr.com/avatar-last-airbender-stunning-suki-fan-art/|archive-date=May 14, 2022|url-status=live|quote=...Suki and her husband [Sokka]...often called “Sukka” when together by the fandom}} Maiko (Mai/Zuko), Rozin (Roku/Sozin), Zukka (Zuko/Sokka),{{cite web|last=Stewart|first=Brandon|url=https://www.cbr.com/zukka-tumblr-favorite-avatar-ship-2020/|title=Avatar: Sokka Has Beaten Katara Where It Counts - Tumblr's Shipping Wars|website=CBR|date=December 10, 2020|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216213849/https://www.cbr.com/zukka-tumblr-favorite-avatar-ship-2020/|archive-date=December 16, 2020|quote=With Tumblr's 2020 Year in Review, however, it looks like increasingly Avatar fans are moving beyond the shipping wars of years past and taking a third option: Zuko and Sokka are the hot new ship setting sail.}} Yukka (Sokka/Yue), Mai Lee (Mai/Ty Lee), Taang (Toph/Aang), Zukki (Zuko/Sokka/Suki), and Azutara (Azula/Katara),{{cite web|last1=Radulovic|first1=Petrana|last2=Millman|first2=Zosha|last3=Diaz|first3=Ana|url=https://www.polygon.com/24068164/avatar-last-airbender-best-pairing-ship-relationship|title=Let's settle this: Who had the best relationship on Avatar: The Last Airbender?|website=Polygon|date=February 14, 2024|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312105644/https://www.polygon.com/24068164/avatar-last-airbender-best-pairing-ship-relationship|archive-date=March 12, 2024|quote=The battle between shippers has calmed, somewhat, in the years since the show went off the air. But these are still deeply held beliefs about how AtLA should’ve paired people off}}{{cite web|last=Kemner|first=Louis|url=https://www.cbr.com/avatar-most-wholesome-ships-ranked/|title=The 10 Most Wholesome Avatar Ships, Ranked|website=CBR|date=June 23, 2022|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617135232/https://www.cbr.com/avatar-most-wholesome-ships-ranked/|archive-date=June 17, 2024|quote=Some ships may be downright weird or unpopular, but plenty of other ships are wholesome, healthy, and even inspiring to think about, with plenty of Avatar's main ships being "relationship goals."}} but the main contention was between fans of Kataang (Katara and Aang) and Zutara (Zuko and Katara).{{cite web|last1=Bruce|first1=Amanda|last2=Roehler|first2=Stephanie|url=https://screenrant.com/avatar-last-airbender-aang-katara-relationship-hidden-trivia/|title=Avatar: 30 Wild Revelations About Aang And Katara's Relationship|website=Screenrant|date=March 15, 2024|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422123015/https://screenrant.com/avatar-last-airbender-aang-katara-relationship-hidden-trivia/|archive-date=April 22, 2024|url-status=live|quote=Fandoms can be contentious when it comes to relationships among the main characters, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to fans who might prefer Katara with Zuko, or fans who prefer Katara with Aang.}}{{cite web|last=Perez|first=Rosa|url=https://www.cbr.com/atla-why-katara-should-have-ended-up-with-zuko/|title=10 Reasons Why Katara Should Have Ended Up With Zuko|website=CBR|date=August 25, 2024|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826160856/https://www.cbr.com/atla-why-katara-should-have-ended-up-with-zuko/|archive-date=August 26, 2024|url-status=live|quote=The series ended with she and Aang kissing in front of a beautiful sunset, but in spite of the two having gone on to live a happy life together, fans—to this day—are still reeling over the fact that Katara should have ended up with Zuko.}}

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."{{cite web|author=CBR Staff|url=https://www.cbr.com/avatar-aang-katara-weird-relationship/|title=Avatar: 20 Weird Things About Aang And Katara's Relationship (That Fans Ignore)|website=CBR|date=January 26, 2019|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708031157/https://www.cbr.com/avatar-aang-katara-weird-relationship/|archive-date=July 8, 2022|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Steele|first=Amanda|url=https://www.cbr.com/avatar-katara-aang-zuko-ship-better/|title=Avatar: 8 Reasons Why Katara Should Be With Aang (& 7 Why She Should Be With Zuko)|website=CBR|date=March 9, 2021|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406103915/https://www.cbr.com/avatar-katara-aang-zuko-ship-better/|archive-date=April 6, 2023|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite thesis |last=de Bont |first=Rincke |date=September 2014 |title=The Appreciation of Storybending: An Exploration of Reviewing Practices in Online Avatar Fan Fiction |url=http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=134944 |degree=Master's |chapter= |publisher=Tilburg University |docket= |oclc= |access-date=November 27, 2024 |pages=29, 40, 45, 49, 51, 67, 72, 76-80, 88-92, 98-9, 101, 103-5, 116 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427145349/http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=134944 |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.themarysue.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-reflecting-on-zutara-and-what-could-have-been/|last=Cross|first=Taylor|title=Avatar: The Last Airbender: Reflecting on Zutara and What Could Have Been|date=May 21, 2020|website=The Mary Sue|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529025248/https://www.themarysue.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-reflecting-on-zutara-and-what-could-have-been/|archive-date=May 29, 2024|url-status=live}}

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.{{cite web|author=Stitch|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/on-shipping-ship-wars-and-the-fight-to-be-right-stitch-fan-service|title=On Shipping, Ship Wars, and the Fight to Be Right|website=Teen Vogue|date=February 25, 2022|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403030429/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/on-shipping-ship-wars-and-the-fight-to-be-right-stitch-fan-service|archive-date=April 3, 2024|url-status=live|quote=When Avatar the Last Airbender was on air, it was the source of one of the biggest ship wars between 2005 and 2008, so much so that it continues to this day on some parts of the internet.}} 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."{{cite web|author=TG Staff|url=https://www.thegamer.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-20-surprising-facts-about-katara/|title=Avatar: The Last Airbender: 20 Surprising Facts About Katara|website=TheGamer|date=November 8, 2017|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329063153/https://www.thegamer.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-20-surprising-facts-about-katara/|archive-date=March 29, 2024|url-status=live}}

Later, Konietzko noted his awareness of the shipping discourse, saying he "remember[s] Kataang vs. Zutara" and noted that the show's crew was wavering on how direct they could be with Kataang.{{cite journal |last1=Pitre |first1=Jake |date=2017 |title=Rated Q for Queer: The Legend of Korra and the Evolution of Queer Reading |url=https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/6a58c084-8445-4b4d-b5fb-2bc65b9a6026/downloads/Pitre%20%20RF%20V8I2%20FA2017.pdf?ver=1719329219116 |journal=Red Feather Journal |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=29–30 |doi= |access-date=November 27, 2024 |quote=There were plenty of Makorra shippers out there, so if we had gone back on our decision and gotten those characters back together, would that have meant we caved in to those fans instead?….Trust me, I remember Kataang vs. Zutara}} Originally printed [https://web.archive.org/web/20200711080516/https://www.redfeatherjournal.org/volume-8-issue-2.html here] 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."{{cite web|last=Stevenson|first=Rick|url=https://screenrant.com/avatar-last-airbender-aang-zuko-katara-relationship-actor-opinion/|title=ATLA Star On Whether Katara Should've Ended Up With Aang or Zuko|website=Screenrant|date=September 15, 2021|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805093414/https://screenrant.com/avatar-last-airbender-aang-zuko-katara-relationship-actor-opinion/|archive-date=August 5, 2022|url-status=live}} 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."{{cite web|last=Clute|first=Emily|url=https://screenrant.com/avatar-last-airbender-katara-zuko-romance-live-action/|title=Why Netflix's Avatar Cast Means A Katara/Zuko Romance Is Actually Possible|website=Screenrant|date=August 16, 2021|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616172906/https://screenrant.com/avatar-last-airbender-katara-zuko-romance-live-action/|archive-date=June 16, 2022|url-status=live|quote=...with that adaptation comes the possibility of a romance between Katara and Zuko...The ship...has become one of the most popular in the Avatar fandom; thousands of fanfictions for the relationship can be found across multiple platforms, and fan art and cosplays can be found across the internet.}}{{cite web|last=Peters|first=Megan|url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/avatar-the-last-airbender-netflix-katara-aang-zuko-ship/|title=Avatar Fans Are Going to War Over Katara Ships All Thanks to Netflix|website=ComicBook|date=July 28, 2020|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723092938/https://comicbook.com/anime/news/avatar-the-last-airbender-netflix-katara-aang-zuko-ship/|archive-date=July 23, 2024|url-status=live|quote=This post immediately piqued interest as the shipping war between Katara x Zuko and Katara x Aang is still going on today. Despite the show’s age, the fandom is not over the heroine’s love life, and Netflix reopened the wound.}} 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."{{cite web|last=Lacson|first=Therese|url=https://collider.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-showrunner-albert-kim/|title='Avatar: The Last Airbender' Showrunner Teases Hints to Katara's Future Romance|website=Collider|date=February 26, 2024|access-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618003019/https://collider.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-showrunner-albert-kim/|archive-date=June 18, 2024|url-status=live}}

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),{{cite magazine |last=Ung |first=Lily |date=August 3, 2012 |title=Weekend of Awesomeness Weekend! |url=https://issuu.com/cnhcirclek/docs/sunburst_vol.52_issue_1/12 |magazine=Sunburst |volume=52 |issue=1 |location= |publisher=Issuu |access-date=November 26, 2024 |quote=Joining together in the living room we all enjoyed our morning breakfast with a side of Legend of Korra (um, team Makorra) }} and Masami (Mako and Asami Sato){{citation needed|date=November 2024}} and later between fans of Makorra and Korrasami (Korra and Asami Sato) after the end of the first season.{{cite web |last1=Mak |first1=Philip |title=Five family-friendly LGBTQ animated series for Pride Month |url=https://blog.toonboom.com/lgbtq-family-friendly-animated-series-pride-month |website=Toon Boom |access-date=March 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713120757/https://blog.toonboom.com/lgbtq-family-friendly-animated-series-pride-month |archive-date=July 13, 2019 |date=March 26, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} 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.{{cite book |last1=DiMartino |first1=Michael |last2=Konietzko |first2=Bryan |last3=Dos Santos |first3=Joaquim |year=2013 |chapter=The Spirit of Competition/And the Winner Is... |title=The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book One: Air |publisher=Dark Horse Comics |isbn=978-1-61655-168-1 |pages=88–89}} 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."{{cite journal|last1=Pande|first1=Rukmini|last2=Moitra|first2=Swati|year=2017|title="Yes, the Evil Queen is Latina!": Racial dynamics of online femslash fandoms|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|volume=24|issue=|doi=10.3983/twc.2017.0908|doi-access=free}} Other popular ships among fans included Borra (Bolin and Korra), Wuko (Mako and Prince Wu), Kainora (Kai and Jinora),{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} Kyalin (Kya and Lin), and Korpal (Korra and Opal).{{cite web|last=Grimes|first=Rae|url=https://www.cbr.com/avatar-korra-non-canon-ships-fans-love/|title=9 Avatar: The Last Airbender & The Legend of Korra Relationships Fans Wish Were Canon|website=CBR|date=May 3, 2024|access-date=November 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512191326/https://www.cbr.com/avatar-korra-non-canon-ships-fans-love/|archive-date=May 12, 2024|url-status=live}} The ship of Kai and Jinora was also described as "wholesome" along with nine other canon ships between characters in the series.{{cite web|last=Locke|first=Alexandra|url=https://www.cbr.com/wholesome-legend-of-korra-ships/|title=The 10 Most Wholesome Legend Of Korra Ships, Ranked|website=CBR|date=June 18, 2022|access-date=November 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620173030/https://www.cbr.com/wholesome-legend-of-korra-ships/|archive-date=June 20, 2022|url-status=live|quote=Kai and Jinora began an adorable romance that reminded audiences of what it was like to fall in love for the first time. Even though they faced many challenges, they managed to stay together through it all — further emphasizing the power of young love.}} 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.{{cite interview |last1=Konietzko |first1=Bryan |last2=DiMartino |first2=Michael |interviewer=Matthew Berg-Johnsen |title=The Legend of Korra: An Interview with Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino |work=Sequart Magazine |date=April 19, 2015 |publisher= |location= |url=http://sequart.org/magazine/56585/legend-of-korra-interview-bryan-konietzko-michael-dante-dimartino/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422165751/http://sequart.org/magazine/56585/legend-of-korra-interview-bryan-konietzko-michael-dante-dimartino/ |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |url-status=live}}

Following the series finale, some accused the series creators Konietzko and DiMartino of "fan service" for making Korrasami canon,{{cite web |last1=Chirdo |first1=Maggie |title=Feeling Sapphic: How Velma Shaped Lesbian Culture |url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/scooby-doo-velma-influenced-lesbian-culture |website=Bitch |access-date=September 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914234648/https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/scooby-doo-velma-influenced-lesbian-culture |archive-date=September 14, 2021 |date=July 21, 2020 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web|last=Ehrhardt|first=Michelle|url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2014/12/23/understanding-legend-korras-queer-ending|title=Understanding Korra's Queer Ending|website=Out|date=December 23, 2014|access-date=November 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810080437/https://www.out.com/popnography/2014/12/23/understanding-legend-korras-queer-ending|archive-date=August 10, 2021|url-status=live|quote=Dubbed "Korrasami" by fans,}} 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.{{cite news|last1=Robinson|first1=Joanna|title=How a Nickelodeon Cartoon Became One of the Most Powerful, Subversive Shows of 2014|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/12/korra-series-finale-recap-gay-asami|access-date=November 26, 2024|work=Vanity Fair|date=December 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712194716/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/12/korra-series-finale-recap-gay-asami|archive-date=July 12, 2015}}{{cite web|last=Asher-Perrin|first=Emmet|url=https://reactormag.com/legend-of-korras-finale-and-the-problem-with-qfan-serviceq/|title=Legend of Korra's Finale and the Problem With "Fan Service"|website=Reactor Magazine|date=December 22, 2014|access-date=November 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127032158/https://reactormag.com/legend-of-korras-finale-and-the-problem-with-qfan-serviceq/|archive-date=November 27, 2024|url-status=live|quote=But some people are calling it “fan service” because plenty of LoK fans were pushing for the Korrasami pairing, and the creators knew it}} IGN editors said that this conclusion felt "earned" and "stunningly rendered."{{cite news|last1=IGN Staff|title=The Legend of Korra: IGN Editors React to the Ending and Korrasami|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/24/the-legend-of-korra-ign-editors-react-to-the-ending-and-korrasami|access-date=November 26, 2024|work=IGN|date=December 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328132502/https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/24/the-legend-of-korra-ign-editors-react-to-the-ending-and-korrasami|archive-date=March 28, 2019}} DiMartino would say that the final scene in the episode made it clear that "Korra and Asami have romantic feelings for each other".{{cite web|last1=DiMartino|first1=Mike|title=Korrasami Confirmed|url=http://michaeldantedimartino.tumblr.com/post/105916326500/korrasami-confirmed-now-that-korra-and-asamis|website=Tumblr|access-date=December 23, 2014|date=December 22, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223022012/http://michaeldantedimartino.tumblr.com/post/105916326500/korrasami-confirmed-now-that-korra-and-asamis|archive-date=December 23, 2014|df=mdy-all}} 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 [Korra and Mako] break up".{{cite web |last1=Konietzko |first1=Bryan |title=Korrasami is canon. |url=https://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace |website=Tumblr |access-date=April 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208061839/https://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace |archive-date=February 8, 2020 |date=December 22, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} 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,{{cite news |url=http://screencrush.com/the-legend-of-korra-korrasami-art-bryan-konietzko-official/ |title='Legend of Korra' Creator Reveals Official Korrasami Art, You Gotta Deal With It |date=March 4, 2015 |first=Kevin |last=Fitzpatrick |publisher=screencrush.com |access-date=March 18, 2015 |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316030610/http://screencrush.com/the-legend-of-korra-korrasami-art-bryan-konietzko-official/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://www.idigitaltimes.com/legend-korra-korrasami-konietzko-reveals-official-korrasami-artwork-gallery-exhibit-420611 |title='Legend Of Korra' Korrasami: Konietzko Reveals Official Korrasami Artwork, Gallery Exhibit Profits To Go Towards LBGTQ Suicide Prevention |first=Xavier |last=Harding |publisher=iDigitalTimes |access-date=March 18, 2015 |archive-date=March 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309153803/http://www.idigitaltimes.com/legend-korra-korrasami-konietzko-reveals-official-korrasami-artwork-gallery-exhibit-420611 |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=DiMartino |first1=Michael |last2=Konietzko |first2=Bryan |last3=Dos Santos |first3=Joaquim |year=2022 |orig-date=2015 |chapter=Ancillary Art |title=The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Four: Balance |edition=second |publisher=Dark Horse Comics |isbn=978-1-50672-187-3 |pages=184–185}} and a rainbow version of the artwork posed in June 2015.{{cite web |url=http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/122533734322/onward-and-upward |title=Onward and Upward |date=June 26, 2015 |publisher=Tumblr |first=Bryan |last=Konietzko |access-date=July 1, 2015 |archive-date=July 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702204407/http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/122533734322/onward-and-upward |url-status=live }}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/drawn-to-comics-legend-of-korra-turf-wars-answers-your-korrasami-prayers-by-being-really-gay-388940/|title=Drawn to Comics: "Legend of Korra: Turf Wars" Answers Your Korrasami Prayers by Being Really Gay|publisher=Autostraddle|date=August 1, 2017|author=Mey|access-date=August 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805141227/https://www.autostraddle.com/drawn-to-comics-legend-of-korra-turf-wars-answers-your-korrasami-prayers-by-being-really-gay-388940/|archive-date=August 5, 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/books/2017/08/08/legend-of-korra-comic-team-talks-korrasami-queer-representation/|title=Legend of Korra comic team talks Korrasami, queer representation|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=August 8, 2017|first=Christian|last=Holub|access-date=August 3, 2018|archive-date=March 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330082539/http://ew.com/books/2017/08/08/legend-of-korra-comic-team-talks-korrasami-queer-representation/|url-status=live}} The ship would later be compared to other ships between female characters in Arcane{{cite web|last=Colbert|first=Isaiah|url=https://gizmodo.com/arcanes-long-awaited-hookup-was-originally-longer-and-steamier-2000529735|title= Arcane's Long-Awaited Hookup Was Originally Longer and Steamier|website=Gizmodo|date=November 25, 2024|access-date=November 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126012929/https://gizmodo.com/arcanes-long-awaited-hookup-was-originally-longer-and-steamier-2000529735|archive-date=November 26, 2024|url-status=live|quote=Their love scene is already being regarded among queer fans with the same enthusiasm as The Legend of Korra‘s Korrasami ship. Knowing that what fans saw was the watered-down version will only lead to them feeling as thirsty as they were before they received the big moment.}} and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.{{cite web|last=Patches|first=Matt|url=https://www.polygon.com/animation-cartoons/464452/tomb-raider-camilla-conrad-roth-lara-relationship|title=Netflix's Tomb Raider takes Lara Croft out of Conrad Roth's shadow with a long-lost BFF|website=Polygon|date=October 10, 2024|access-date=October 20, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241020152747/https://www.polygon.com/animation-cartoons/464452/tomb-raider-camilla-conrad-roth-lara-relationship|archive-date=October 20, 2024|url-status=live|quote=Between Camilla flustering Lara with “Are you dating anyone?” to the occasional caress that snaps into fist-pump, the repaired relationship has Korrasami vibes.}}

• 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

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Fandom}}

{{Fan fiction}}

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Category:Fandom

Category:Internet culture

Category:Romantic fiction

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