Discussing of proshipping

You might’ve been scrolling through social media and stumbled on a strange word: proshipping. And your first thought is probably… “what does that even mean?” Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Here’s the quick version, in plain language.

What is Proshipping?

Proshipping isn’t a type of ship. It’s more like a stance: people can ship whatever fictional characters they want—even if it looks “problematic”—without being harassed for it.

What About Antis?

Antishippers (or “antis”) believe that “problematic” ships are harmful, and sometimes label people who enjoy them as bad actors. So instead of scrolling past something like Rick x Morty, an anti might call the artist a criminal and try to get them dogpiled. Not all antis behave like this, but it’s a common pattern online.
It might sound safer being an anti at first—until you remember that shipping is usually about fictional characters. Fiction has always explored taboo topics: movies, books, games, and fanworks do it all the time. You’ll see that across Reddit, Wattpad, Tumblr, Rule34, and more. You can dislike a ship and still recognize that making or viewing it doesn’t equal real-world harm. In short: fiction ≠ reality.
A common worry is that people can’t tell the difference between the two. Most people can. They know characters aren’t real and stories aren’t evidence of real actions. Exceptions exist—very young kids (around 3–6) or some folks with certain conditions may struggle with that line—but that doesn’t describe the vast majority of fans consuming fiction.

Is It Legal?

In most places, “problematic” fictional shipping is legally allowed as long as it does not involve real people. Drawings, fanfics, and headcanons about fictional characters aren’t the same as targeting actual humans.

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If you want to dig deeper:

• Thread by @purity_culture compiling studies, psychologist commentary, and articles about taboo content.
  

• Fictional Features video discussing fiction, anime, and psychological context.
  
  

That’s all from me! There’s a lot of misinformation around proshipping and antis. You don’t have to like every ship (I don’t), but harassing people over fiction just makes things worse. Got thoughts or tips? Drop them in the comments. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day! ^^