Origin of 'shipper'?

Reading a Buffy spoiler fan website today, I encountered an unfamiliar term: shipper. I know what slash fiction is (having stumbled on a book about k/s fanfic in the Princeton library a good 20 years ago), and I gather a shipper is someone who either likes to write slash fiction or who at least likes to read it.
See Carnal-Sins, for an example of a Spike/Buffy shipper site.


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2 responses to “Origin of 'shipper'?”

  1. Taper Avatar

    Shipper, or slightly older ‘shipper, is short for “relationshipper”, a portmanteau of “relationship worshipper”. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with fanfic per se, but generally depicts any fan for whom the relationship posited, canon or non, is the center of their fandom. (And of course is used in less extreme cases.)
    Ex.: “Yeah, Jill hated Riley, but then she’s a big Buffy/Angel ‘shipper.”

  2. xian Avatar

    Cool, thanks for the explanation. Have I mentioned lately that I love the Internet?