Selfshipping For Dummies
Hi, I'm Mari! I've been selfshipping since I was around 11 years old. For those unaware, the term "selfshipping" means to ship a character— A video game boss, a cartoon protagonist, your own OC, ANY character— with your real-life self. Lots of people do it, and yet some don't even know it has a name! Some selfshippers may indulge in OCxCanon, as it involves shipping a noncanon character (typically a self-insert or sona) with a canon character. It's been around for longer than the internet has, and OCxCanon content has fueled fandoms for ages.
Fan content has always been important, but selfshippers have carried it since the early days! Think of Y/N fanfiction, "Mary Sue" OCs, the likes. All these hallmarks of fandom culture are rooted in selfshipping.
So, you may have some questions, obviously. But fret not! I'm here to answer them! It's QnA Time!~
Q: Why do people selfship?
A: For most, selfshipping is a way to be with their favorite character. But anyone can selfship for any reason! It may be because they have a deep bond with the character, relate to them, like their appearance or personality, really anything! You can like a character for all the same reasons you'd like a real person. Some neurodivergent selfshippers love their F/Os because of an attachment to them caused by neurodivergency.
Q: How does sharing work?
A: Most selfshippers online will have their boundaries put somewhere on their page regarding their fictional partner and sharing. The most common terms you'll see are nonsharing, selective sharing, and sharing. Sharing selfshippers do not mind doubles, AKA those who selfship with the same character. Selective sharing selfshippers are picky with who they share their fictional partner with, and may not want certain doubles to interact. Nonsharing selfshippers do not want doubles to interact at all. It's important to respect peoples' boundaries! There's also mirrorsharing, in which a selfshipper mirrors the other persons' sharing status, and hypersharing, where a selfshipper loves sharing their fictional partner and wants doubles to interact!
Glossary
Selfshipper: A person who ships themself with a fictional character.
F/O: Fictional other. A selfshippers' fictional partner.
OC: Original character. A character not from any media.
Self-Insert: A character used as a stand-in for someone's real life self. Usually with a similar appearance and/or personality, but not always!
Double: Used by some selfshippers to talk about those who share a F/O with them.
Sharing Status: A selfshippers status on doubles and whether or not they can interact.