"Shipping" - Ever heard of it? (fan fiction) (Pole) (1 Viewer)

[Plorfu]

So, I'm currently enrolled to get a Masters and I was in class the other night. The topic of fan clubs came up, and one of the younger students mentioned "shipping" very casually and went on to talk about it as if everyone in the room knew what she meant. Since it's a graduate class, you have people of all ages and backgrounds and it soon became apparent that many of us had no idea what the hell she was talking about.

The basic premise is this: Fans of TV shows, or even just celebrities, create fictional relationships (sometimes even platonic) and will go so far as to write fan fiction about this make-believe relationship.

"And then Don Draper bent Peggy over the desk and, after many years..."

I had never heard of it. It sounds stupid. Get off my lawn.

I'm 38 and have no kids, so I figure that's part of why I haven't heard of this trend. I've also been a step or two away from more mainstream things my whole life, and "shipping" seems to surround a lot of shows the masses watch and celebrities they know.

Link to Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_%28fandom%29

So, what say you?

(In case you're wondering, the class is about Nonprofits and we were just talking about types of organizations that exist just so people who have a shared interest can interact.)

 

[eoMMan]

Never heard. Dumb.

I'm in my 30s and well versed on a bevy of topics.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

I learned this from my 7th grade daughter who uses the term regularly.

 

[Guest]

South Park

Isn't this kind of how the 50 Shades of Grey writer got started?

 

[GoFishTN]

Late 30s. Learned about this when the Harry Potter books were being released.

 

[Tom Servo]

Soon to be 52 and never heard of the term, but I'm aware of the genre of fanfic.

Now, knotting OTOH....

 

[AAABatteries]

"And then Don Draper bent Peggy over the desk and, after many years..."

Has to be some kind of record, no?

 

[sbonomo]

I still don't understand what this is. Sounds pretty lame to me unless you Master's program is some sort of creative writing.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Only morons read/write fan-fiction.

You can quote me on that.

 

[Insein]

The term shipping is a more recent name but people have been wanting to see certain characters from TV shows, movies or books get together for years. The concept is not new. Just the name and delivery format (internet) has changed.

 

[Insein]

For example, before Return of the Jedi came out, how many people wanted to see Luke/Leia vs Han/Leia? Backing one side or the other is considered "shipping" that couple.

 

[Ilov80s]

It's not even just fanfic, it's just the idea someone wants to characters to hook up. It's a name to something that has been around a long time.

 

[bud29]

I don't pay much attention to the fan fiction world, but I hear it in real life - if some person thinks Joe and Betty would make a good couple, he/she says something like "I kinda ship Joe and Betty." I think it's horrendously stupid, and while the concept is not new, the phrase makes zero sense. Middle school to high school girls seem to be the most frequent offenders.

ETA: It definitely deserves a spot in the "terms/phrases that need to be retired immediately" thread.

 

[comfortably numb]

I'm throwing shade on the term shipping.

Did I do that right?

 

[Ilov80s]

I don't pay much attention to the fan fiction world, but I hear it in real life - if some person thinks Joe and Betty would make a good couple, he/she says something like "I kinda ship Joe and Betty." I think it's horrendously stupid, and while the concept is not new, the phrase makes zero sense. Middle school to high school girls seem to be the most frequent offenders.

ETA: It definitely deserves a spot in the "terms/phrases that need to be retired immediately" thread.

What doesn't make sense about the phrase?

 

[Sister Havana]

Female, 42. No kids. Quite aware of it. If you're on Tumblr for more than 3 seconds, you'll find lots of fanfic.

There is an insane amount of hockey RPF (real people fiction) out there.