Between interpretation and morality: Anti-shippers in modern media fandom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/ll.2.2021.004Keywords
media fandom, fan studies, shipping, fandom wars, social conflictsAbstract
Shipping, as one of the most popular fan practices, is highly affective, and there are different meanings ascribed to it. Different interpretations of the source text made by fans and the different ships that are fashioned based on them create conflicts and divisions within the fandom. On the basis of this, the phenomenon of anti-shipping and shipwars has emerged. This article, focusing on media fandoms, aims to showcase this issue by presenting fandom discussions and arguments motivated by emotions around ships: from ship wars waged by shippers competing with each other, to anti-shippers driven by moral motives in the form of introducing the fandom purity wank issue and anti-shippers of celebrity pairings. By researching the field of fan studies and media studies, the authors aim to find the motivation and reasons for the sometimes extreme behavior of anti-shippers. The gool is to show the diversity of media fandoms and the importance of fans’ own interpretations of the source text and their ship of choice for the fans themselves.
References
Ang, I. (1985). Dallas: Soap Opera and the Melodramatic Imagination (trans. D. Couling). London, New York: Methuen.
Bothe, G. (2014). „If fandom jumped off a bridge, it would be onto a ship”: An examination of conflict that occurs though shipping in fandom. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268449054_’If_fandom_jumped_off_a_bridge_it_would_be_onto_a_ship’_An_examination_of_conflict_that_occurs_though_shipping_in_fandom
briarjay. (2017). Shiro is confirmed… Retrieved from: https://briarjay.tumblr.com/post/163631135563/shiro-is-confirmed-adult-everyone-else-is-a?fbclid=IwAR2AggxmBlJhBM8LMQvMoK7AFcr3jxn40Al_iT4gICM4yim0Z9xORYL_x
Busse, K. (2006). “I’m jealous of the fake me”: Postmodern subjectivity and identity construction in boy band fan fiction. In S. Holmes & S. Redmond (eds.), Framing Celebrity: New Directions in Celebrity Culture (pp. 253-267). London and New York: Routledge.
Campbell, C. (2018). Gaming’s toxic men, explained. Retrieved from: https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/25/17593516/video-game-culture-toxic-men-explained
Caron, N. (2017). Voltron: Legendary Defender ‚fan’ Blackmails Studio To Make A Gay Ship Canon On The Show. Retrieved from: https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/voltron-legendary-defender-fan-blackmails-studio-to-make-a-gay-ship-canon-on-the-show
Duffet, M. (2013). Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture. New York: Bloomsbury.
Fail_fandomanon. (2017). Re: Ask meme – antis. Retrieved from: https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/245921.html?thread=1374104481#cmt1374104481
Fanlore. (a). Anti-shipper. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Anti-shipper
Fanlore. (b). FanFiction.Net’s NC-17 Purges: 2002 and 2012. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/FanFiction.Net%27s_NC-17_Purges:_2002_and_2012
Fanlore. (c). Klance vs Sheith. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Klance_vs_Sheith
Fanlore. (d). Mulder/Scully. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Mulder/Scully
Fanlore. (e). Noromo. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Noromo
Fanlore. (f). Purity Culture in Fandom. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Purity_ Culture_in_ Fandom
Fanlore. (g). Ship War. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Ship_War
Fanlore. (h). Strikethrough and Boldthrough. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Strike through _and_Boldthrough
Fanlore. (i). The Three Laws of Fandom. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_ Three_Laws_of_Fandom
Fanlore. (j). Warnings. Retrieved from: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Warnings
freedom-of-fanfic. (2017). May you describe.... Retrieved from: https://freedom-of-fanfic.tumblr.com/post/165311193799/may-you-describe-the-current-situation-in-v0ltron
Haasch, P. (2018). The thrilling ending of Voltron was never going to deliver on fan demands. Retrieved from: https://www.polygon.com/2018/12/19/18147526/voltron-legendary-defender-ending-controversy
Haasch, P. (2018). Voltron creator addresses fans over season 7’s queerbaiting controversy. Retrieved from: https://www.polygon.com/tv/2018/8/16/17698024/voltron-adam-controversy-netflix-queerbaiting-dos-santos-letter
Howell, D. (2012). FANDOMS. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq YkERuoMN8&t=5s
Jenkins, H. (2020). An Archive Not of Their Own: Fan Fiction & Controversy in China. Retrieved from: http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2020/3/24/an-archive-not-of-their-own-fan-fiction-controversy-in-china
Jenkins, H. (1992). Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. London: Routledge.
Kobus, A. (2018). Fandom. Fanowskie modele odbioru. Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UMK.
Kohnhorst, A. (2020). Actor Xiao Zhan Apologizes After Fans Get Fanfiction Site AO3 Blocked. Retrieved from: https://radiichina.com/ao3-sean-xiao-zhan-apologizes/
McGee, J. (2005). „In the End It’s All Made Up”: The Ethics of Fanfiction and Real Person Fiction. In P. M. Japp, M. Meister & D. K. Japp (eds.), Communication Ethics, Media, and Popular Culture (pp. 161–180). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Mithen. (2013). In Defence of Feels. Retrieved from: http://mithen.dreamwidth.org/42784. html
Morell, M. (2017). Voltron NYCC 2017 Recap. Retrieved from: https://letsvoltron.simplecast.com/episodes/a1b737ef-12b73dc1
Orson, E. (2016/2017). Exploring Abusive Shipping in the Jessica Jones Fandom. Focus Media Journal, 37, 73–84.
ozhawkauthor. (2016). The Three Laws of Fandom. Retrieved from: https://ozhawkauthor .tumblr.com/post/136380833197/the-three-laws-of-fandom
Sean, Z. (2018). Toxic Fandom: When Criticism and Entitlement Go Too Far. Retrieved from: http://archive.is/zPOnC
ShippersGuideToTheGalaxy. (2018a). Klance – Voltron – Love & Blackmail [video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCaSRuQPCkA&ab_channel=ShippersGuideToThe Galaxy
ShippersGuideToTheGalaxy. (2018b). Sheith – Voltron Legendary Defender Brothers or Lovers? [video file] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAJR2dq1rA8&t=0s&ab_ channel = Shippers GuideToThe Galaxy
ShippersGuideToTheGalaxy. (2018c). Why Voltron Shipping Is So Hard To Talk About? [video file] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8aJQTPEaDs&ab_channel =Shippers GuideTo TheGalaxy
squirenonny. (2017). WARNING: GORE IN VLD TAGS. Retrieved from: https://squire nonny.tumblr.com/post/163610592354/warning-gore-in-vld-tags/amp
Sridhar, P. (2018). Voltron Fandom, Teens, and Questions on why Shipping is a Problem. Retrieved from: https://bookriot.com/voltron-fandom/
stupidpekopon. (2012). Do you have…. Retrieved from: https://stupidpekopon.tumblr. com/post/ 38559952633/ do-you-have-that-one-otp-where-you-love-them-so
Tosenberger, C. (2008). Homosexuality at the Online Hogwarts: Harry Potter Slash Fanfiction. Children’s Literature, 36, 185–207.
Xuejiao, C. (2020). Fan-Fiction Site Blocked in China After Celeb’s Stans Complain. Retrieved from: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1005262/fan-fiction-site-blocked-in-china-after-celebs-stans-complain
Downloads
The publisher's shop:
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Dominika Ciesielska, Maria Rutkowska
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
1. The authors give the publisher (Polish Ethnological Society) non-exclusive license to use the work in the following fields:a) recording of a Work / subject of a related copyright;
b) reproduction (multiplication) Work / subject of a related copyright in print and digital technique (ebook, audiobook);
c) marketing of units of reproduced Work / subject of a related copyright;
d) introduction of Work / object of related copyright to computer memory;
e) dissemination of the work in an electronic version in the formula of open access under the Creative Commons license (CC BY - ND 3.0).
2. The authors give the publisher the license free of charge.
3. The use of the work by publisher in the above mentioned aspects is not limited in time, quantitatively nor territorially.
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 666
Number of citations: 0
