Some shippers take things a step further, however, compiling meticulous research-footage of a clutched elbow in an interview, GIFs of lingering glances at a show-in an attempt to prove that their fiction is based in reality. It’s the rare unorchestrated, participatory byproduct of One Direction that costs nothing to fans. Just as stereotypical boy band personas encourage fans to fantasize, shipping affords its pseudonymous authors the chance to explore their own sexuality in a safe environment.
In the case of the band, that often means matching the bandmates up with one another.
short for “relationshipping”-a short fiction genre that imagines celebrities in relationships with each other.
