What is a shipper? My my my, this is something you should understand. I hereby turn the soapbox over to MySti, our resident Shipper Queen.
:::climbing on soapbox:::
Ahem.
It has come to my attention that there is some confusion as to the beliefs of the seperate shipper factions. I, as Captain of the Shipp, feel the need to attempt to clear this confusion up.
Now, the term shipper is a generic term for anyone who believes in three basic principles. 1) Mulder and Scully love each other in a romantic way and 2) Mulder and Scully were made for each other and should therefore become a couple at *some* point in time (it doesn't matter if you think it should happen right now, at the end, or just in some random point in the future) and 3) Mulder and Scully can never have a relationship with anyone else. Seeing this makes true shippers physically ill. The difference between a shipper and a fencesitter is that while a shipper is completely secure in their beliefs and cannot be swayed from the aforementioned principles, a fencesitter is one who sees some proof as to Mulder and Scully's love but is not completely convinced, or one who, while they see the proof that Mulder and Scully are meant for each other and in love, they are not sure if they would like to see them become a couple. They think that the non romantic really close relationship (henceforth the NRRCR) that Mulder and Scully have right now is a good thing and fear that making it romantic would possibly ruin it--but they also see how romance could improve it. They are weighing the evidence and consequences still. Fencesitters also tend to be more open to Mulder/other and Scully/other relationships. A true shipper on the other hand, unfailingly believes that raising the M/S relationship to the next level would only *improve* it. A noromo is one who believes that 1) Mulder and Scully share no romantic feelings toward each other and doesn't believe that sexual tension exists (*cough* denial *cough*) or 2) see and admit the UST and possible romantic feelings, but are dead set against a relationship because they completely and totally believe a romantic relationship would ruin the NRRCR. They see the NRRCR as the best thing Mulder and Scully will ever have. A romance, in their opinion, will ruin everything, no ifs ands or buts, so it can *not* be allowed to happen. Noromos like Mulder/other and Scully/other relationships, for the most part, but there are some who believe while Mulder and Scully shouldn't have a relationship together, they shouldn't have one with anyone else either. I personally find this rather cruel. =) OR they believe that the cases and paranormal are the *true* focus of the show, not Mulder/Scully (once again, proof they are blind) and feel that any excessive focus on Mulder and Scully's personal lives (either together or apart) is unnecessary and detracts from the quality of the show.
Now, choose the description that best describes you. If you find you are a shipper, stay tuned as I describe the subsets of shippers. If you are a fencesitter, keep watching and weighing the evidence. It is my experience that most fencesitters are shippers at heart and after seeing more shows and such they fall onto the shipper side. If you are a noromo, get your eyes checked. =)
Okay, moving on to shipper subsets. Different people have different preferences on how they'd like to see Mulder and Scully's relationship progress. There are several distinct factions:
Finis shippers wholeheartedly believe in the two main shipper principles, but they also enjoy the UST and banter that comes with the NRRCR. They would like to see Mulder and Scully become a couple, but not until the end of the show--hence the term "finis". End of the show, though, does not imply "only the last episode". A more realistic goal for finis shippers is to have the MSR really kick up halfway through the last season, with them being a "couple" for the last 4 or 5 eps and the movie sure to follow the last season (looking like season 7). This way, finis shippers believe, they can enjoy the UST, get their MSR, and avoid any pitfalls that would happen to the show by causing an MSR too soon.
Wannabe shippers (I promise I didn't make this up) are those who believe in the shipper principles, but their basic premise is, "If it happens, great. I couldn't be more thrilled. If it doesn't, I still have UST, fanfic, and the knowledge that they love each other." Basically, they put all their trust in CC to make the right decisions. Do we have to go over the "Trust No One" rule again?
Soulmate shippers are a faction invented by this cabin. From what I can tell, this group is for those who once again, believe in the shipper principles. However, they think that the intellectual/emotional soul mate connection that M/S have is fabulous. They want to enjoy that. They don't want to see Mulder and Scully jump into bed, until possibly the end. They are kind of like wannabe shippers.
Thoroughbred shippers (I made that name up) are people like me. Now, you people think I just want them to jump right into bed *right this minute*. And while I'm sure there are people out there like that, I'M NOT ONE OF THEM. And this faction is not them. People like *me* truly, wholeheartedly believe the principles. We *definitely* want to see M/S together (unlike Wannabes and possibly soulmates people) and we refuse to be responsible for our actions if CC doesn't put them together. However, we enjoy and love UST, DAL, and GTMs. We love the tease as much as anyone. What we want is a gradual intensification and build in Mulder and Scully's relationship, as much as on the emotional and intellectual level as on the physical. We want to see it carried off with style. And while sooner is better, we would rather wait for a M/S coupledom rather than see it carried off stupidly right now. So basically, we want them together DEFINITELY and we would be welcome to it at any point in time, provided it was done well.
Choose the description that fits you best. However, not everyone is going to fit perfectly into any one of these categories. You may have overlapping preferences, or you may not fit into any of them. These are just the major preference groups. There are a lot more to be discovered. All beliefs and preferences are respected in this cabin, unless they involve insulting Umbra.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
:::steps off soapbox:::
Mysti
--the long winded one
Thank you, Mysti! :::applause:::
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