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This content has been automatically translated from Ukrainian.
Word spiked it appeared relatively recently, but has already become an important part of modern Internet culture, especially among young people. It is a term that comes from English shipping«, which means » maintaining a romantic or friendly relationship between two people. But if for someone this concept still remains mysterious, for fans of movies, series or video games it is an everyday term that symbolizes more than just the desire to see two people together.
Origin of the word
At first glance, the word spiked it may seem strange, because it is associated with ships (ship in English means «ship»). But in the context of relationships, this word acquired a completely different meaning. The term originated in the 90s among the fan communities of the series The X-Files, where some fans began to actively maintain a romantic relationship between the main characters of the series - Mulder and Scully. These fans began to be called relationshippers or briefly shippers. And then shiping turned into a separate phenomenon.
What does it mean spiked?
In the modern sense spiked means to create or maintain an idea of a possible romantic or friendly relationship between two characters (real or fictional), regardless of whether the relationship actually exists. These can be heroes of books, movies, series, video games or even real celebrities. Fans can actively «sipper» these characters, creating fan fiction, art, or memes that describe the development of their relationship.
How does it work?
If you've ever watched a series and thought, «These two just have to be together!», then you already know how it works. Shipers they literally imagine or dream of their favorite characters falling in love or becoming best friends. And here it doesn't matter if there are hints of such a relationship in the real scenario. Shipers often go against the canon - the official development of the plot - and create their own versions of events.
Types of shipings:
There are several forms of shipings that have already become standard for Internet culture:
- Canonical Shipping - maintaining romantic relationships between characters who are already an official part of the plot (for example, Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter).
- Fan Shipping - maintaining relationships between characters who are not officially a couple, but fans see them together. For example, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy fan shipings (Drarry) popular with fans.
- Crossover Shipping - it is the maintenance of relationships between characters from different fandoms. For example, someone might «spike » Loki from Marvel with Harry Potter.
- Real shipings - the shipings of real people like celebrities or bloggers. This is a more controversial species, as spikers can sometimes disrupt the personal space of these people.
Why do people hiss?
Shipering often arises from fans' desire to see more development of the characters they love. Fans want to see how their favorite characters interact on a new level - romantic or friendly. It is also a kind of form of creativity, when people express their emotions, fantasies and ideas through shipings.
Another reason is to create an alternate reality that reflects the desires of fans. In some cases, fans use shipping to rewrite scripts in such a way that the characters approach their own ideas about the ideal relationship.
Does shipperism have negative sides?
Although shipperism seems like innocent entertainment, it can have negative consequences. For example, in the case of real-life shipings, where people start to overinterfere in the personal lives of celebrities or bloggers, it can lead to unpleasant situations. There are also cases of conflicts within fandoms due to different couples who are being chipped by fans.
In addition, excessive focus on unrealistic relationships can create distorted expectations for people from real relationships. This can cause some gap between fantasy and reality.
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