Ship Wars

Ship Wars is a term for the tendency towards conflict between fans of different pairings. 
The term is wider than the South Park fandom and is used for conflicts between pairings in multiple fandoms, a situation which is not uncommon, especially for ongoing, serialized works which often use love triangles as plot devices and where shipping is often but not always based on an expectation of a canon result and eventual confirmation of the shippers' beliefs or desires.
Within the South Park community, Ship Wars often spark in the wake of an episode which prominently features a nod or 'hint' towards a major fan pairing, which will trigger dialogue between fans who are happy, but often invites backlash from fans who find the nod to be trivial, or feel the pairing may be problematic in nature. For example, some readers feel that certain ships may romanticize abusive relationships and are troubled by this.
Popular ships often promote senses of community and can be the foundations to building friendships in the community - prominent Style authors or Kyman authors are often friendly with one another - but this can also lead to a ship becoming a part of one's fandom identity. This can lead to conflict between individuals who may feel threatened if their pairing is criticized, as these ships have become part of their identity.
Examples of 'Ship Wars' can be seen in comments on high-traffic pairing pages like Style, Kyman, and Creek.
Category:Terminology