Why do we ship?

An age-old question: Why do we ship?

As seen above, the artwork portraying Greek Gods Persephone and Hades showcases a softer, dually consensual and overall more romantic storyline for the least likeable and more tragic circumstances that originated in Greek mythology. The particularly gritty and heartbreaking story that is usually titled The Abduction of Persephone, is not for the faint hearted. To get yourself properly acquainted with this raw and unapologetic tale, please refer to this link:

The web-comic that is the luxuriously illustrated and spun with a modern perspective, Lore Olympus, has become a much more powerful story that updates on the old myth, creating more interesting and in depth characters, with devotion to developing those characters into something more grounded and real.

It is also an extension of shipping.

Hades and Persephone are canonically a power couple in the original Greek myth, but not in the sense that is written for the comic, which is exactly why most people ship characters as passionately and as wrecklessly as they do.

Sometimes, after a piece of media has ended, we find ourselves to feeling unresolved. Unresolved and a bit emotionally dysphoric over what may or may not have happened—and of course we can pick out our favorite characters and see how much they meant to us. These specific characters usually remind us of ourselves or of very important people in our own life, or of retaining characteristics that we enjoy and respect. Even as we close that book, turn off the TV, radio, or exit out of the webpage, we find ourselves missing something. Maybe your most favorite character died before telling his crush how he feels, or two supporting characters both had amazing chemistry, but never actually had that moment of reconciliation and confession of romance.

These very potent emotions, in my very humble and honest opinion, are why we ultimately ship fictitious characters in situations they would have never been in otherwise. It gives you a sense of fulfillment, emotionally and viscerally, after a piece of media you have been following with zeal and devotion (TV series, comic, book series, movie, Etc.) has officially ended. And in some cases, still going on, but that particular “ship,” hasn’t (or never will)taken off yet.

So, without all this extra fluffy, overtly saccharine verbiage, you still might be wondering…

What the heck is Shipping?

According to Wikipedia for the word Shipping(fandom), this is what it means:

Shipping (derived from the word relationship) is the desire by followers of a fandom for two or more people, either real-life people or fictional characters (in film, literature, television series, etc.) to be in a romantic and/or sexual relationship.

And as you might’ve guessed, shipping is a huge part of why fanfiction and fan art was created. Not the whole reason, but I’d say it is pretty darn close to being the biggest chunk of what composes it’s(metaphorical) guts and brain. The rest being Alternative Universes, crossovers(different films, books, fantasy universes crossing over and meeting in a original way through the medium of fanfiction) and just in general, adding onto a canonical storyline without changing anything too drastic.

This is particularly true when it comes to the ingenious and diverse Series that makes up George Lucas’ (Ahem! Now Disney’s) Star Wars.

I used to understand this timeless and classic story line as being built by one quirky and interesting man, but as it turned out, Star Wars has a huge expansion of universes, stories and books. These other books, such as Thrawn by Timothy Zahn, all work in accordance with the Star Wars Story Group, a division created by Lucasfilm, to create a consistent link to the original source material. All of these writers, to some degree, are professionals born out of a need to attach their own original ideas and possibly new outcomes to an already amazing idea. A strong idea that doesn’t need much help, to be fair, however—-unique voices can always give something we cherish a new flair and perspective that can revive it to even greater heights.

Here is an article outlining how these stories from other writers have contributed to the Star Wars expanding universe:

All of this comes from a strong and powerful need to creatively tie together something that just didn’t quite fit; plots with loose ends, or a messy, rushed ending resulting in confused and broken relationships, canon character deaths that seemed unnecessary (I.e Bury your gays) or just.. hey, you might be like me:

A mushy, corny, occasionally fan-girlish(or boy/person) down to earth, crazy, romantic fool who enjoys finding characters who fit together and giving them a bit of happiness.

Now I’ll outline just one of my absolute favorite fandom ships(it was hard to narrow it down! Lol), just to clarify why these particular ships meant to me.

Tweek & Craig, South Park

Over twelve years ago, I was into fanfiction and fan art heavily. I wrote many stories for many fandoms and many different types of media. I still do today. It helped me cope with stress, anxiety and occasional deep depression. Not to mention it was and is fun, relaxing and keeps my writing skills honed and more in tune with my feelings.

In a strange way, it really is like my own weird way of journaling. Stepping into the characters I love and adore, and by channeling my own emotions or traumas, and writing it in a fictional narrative, I find it is highly important to my overall mood and healing process.

One of favorite relationships to write about was Tweek and Craig from South Park. However, at that time, Tweek and Craig were not a canon couple(though they were very popular within the fandom and fanfiction world). In fact one of the first episodes that have Tweek and Craig actually interact, was Tweek Vs. Craig in season three, episode five. This episode entailed a fight between the two titular characters, set up by the various other boys in the school. The ironic part of this ship actually becoming something more was out of the joke that fanfiction and fan art seemed to be prevalent in more ways than anyone could ever imagine, especially by having the whole entire town of South Park in love with the idea of these two together, forever. The unabashed fan art showcasing these two generally overlooked characters in love sparked a wave of empathy and love throughout the town of South Park.

Here’s an article I wrote detailing how this situation that at first feels forced and oddly uncanny(and pretty hilarious) turns into something real for Tweek and Craig:

And here’s a video of a Youtuber’s opinion on what he describes as, South Park’s best relationship:

In conclusion, shipping is a powerful and effective tool to help understand the human need to create something beautiful and meaningful out of nothing, out of something that seems uneventful or not important, and drawing up a proper way to grapple complex emotions to create a productive and healthy relationship.

Give yourself a breather from everyday writing woes, stress and writer’s block, and write yourself a fanfiction today! Paint and draw up some fan art of your favorite characters from your favorite show or film. Use your skills to create a great story that showcases your talent in a new way. You may actually be proud of what you create.

Sincerely, a writer of fanfiction and original fiction!