MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

“Shipping,” or the pairing of two fictional characters into a romantic relationship, can be a highly contentious fan activity, and the “shippers” that engage in this activity are often subject to distinct and sometimes severe boundary regulation of their actions. For some, the identification of shipping as contentious may seem like an understatement, since shipping wars are now familiar features of media fandoms. However, this article will attempt to go beyond the numbers game that these wars often devolve into. This article examines the interactions of ships and shippers of the Once Upon a Time fandom on Tumblr. It will focus in particular upon those interactions that discuss and negotiate the existence of the “Swan Queen ship,” a ship that features two lead characters, Emma (Swan) and Regina (Queen). Swan Queen shippers read the subtext of the television program as a battle between two powerful women whose love for their son will result in a profound love for each other. I examine literature from the fields of fan studies and symbolic boundaries to better understand the mechanisms that dictate inclusion and exclusion within shipper communities. My research attempts to answer the following questions: What kinds of shipper activities are subject to regulation from other fans? What boundaries are being established and reinforced through this regulation? Why is a homosexual ship the target of the most vehement regulation? My findings suggest that the systematic categorization of acts committed by Swan Queen shippers as deviant has resulted in the creation of a boundary that largely separates the ship from the OUAT fandom. Additionally, the desire to control members of the Swan Queen ship expressed by other fans within the same fandom suggests that there are certain restrictions for fans that want to explore relationships that are considered alternative.