Terminology assistance, please!

[graculus]

Someone over on OS is claiming that Trek fandom was responsible not only for the terms 'slash' and 'MarySue' (neither of which can be disputed) but the term 'ship' as well, when used to describe m/f fic.

I was under the impression this term originated in X Files fandom and that 'adult' was the preferred terminology prior to that for fic which had a m/f relationship and sex.

Anyone out there who's been in fandom longer than me (or those fandoms in particular) care to share their opinion?

Comments

[emony.livejournal.com]

I don't recall ever having referred to my pairing of obsession as a "ship" when I was in Trek fandom, but that was pretty late down the line - DS9, not TOS, or even TNG - so I don't know how relevant it is to the argument in question.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I was in Trek fandom, and I don't recall 'ship' until around the time of the X-files/Due South.

[amycooper.livejournal.com]

As far as I know "ship" came from the X-Files.

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

I go back to TOS days. "Ship" was never used in anything I ever saw. First place I saw it was X-Files.

[atdelphi.livejournal.com]

I definitely recall 'shipper' originating in the X-Files fandom - directly or indirectly after a kerfuffle over whether Mulder/Scully could be classified as 'slash'. I also remember the unsuccessful attempt at installing 'slipper' to mean a non-explicit slash pairing :-P

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

As you know, I am not nearly old enough to know the answer to this question, *young and snotty look* however, I have asked several older classic fans, and they all report that there was no such catagory as ship back in the day (ship originates with X-Files). There were some fics that focused on Kirk/BOTW or Kirk/ThatBlondeEnsignWazzername or Spock/Chapel, but they were very small in number.