A Yume Infographic
SELF-SHIPPINGwv
What exactly is it?
Selfshipping is exactly as it sounds- shipping oneself with a canon fictional character or persona. A harmless phenomenon seen in fandom lexicons since the ‘70s, most people don’t typically take it seriously. Other ways people refer to the phenomenon include Self-Inserting, Reader-Inserting, ‘X Reader’ fiction, Self-loving, and fanfic. The original word referring to self-shipping is ‘Yume shipping’. Yumejoshi, Yumedanshi, and Yumejin are the labels associated with Yume-shipping. The root ‘Yume’ means ‘dream’, while the following word is the gendered term- Dream girl, dream boy, dream person. It refers to somebody who daydreams about their love with a fictional character.
Yumeshipping is typically romantic- however, it is not limited to just that. It can be familial or platonic as well. ‘Ship’ doesn’t just entail a romantic relationship- however, this zine will be focused on Romantics.
Are there different ways to ship?
Both Fortunately and Unfortunately, like with most things, there are no set ‘rules’ to yumeshipping. You can pair yourself, your oc, or a self insert with any character you wish. Even if that character already has a canoni-
cal pairing in the media they’re from, you can ship with them, because... well, really, who cares? You write the story now. Do what you wish.
The only hard limits most Yume’s have are the basic ‘hell-no’ criteria of dating – no shipping yourself with a child as an adult, no pairing yourself with a non-humanely-sentient animal (anthropomorphic creatures are a different story) OR a feral animal, no pairing family members together, and no shipping with characters with ACTUAL problematic characteristics (such as, a rapist or a pedophile).
What are the labels?
The two most popular labels used by people who pair themselves with fictional characters are Self-shipper or Yume-shipper. However, Yume-shipper and Yume as a whole is an umbrella term. There are many ways to Yume.
SHARING YUME : A Yume shipper who is okay with having doubles / people who share a romantic interest in the same character as them.
NONSHARING YUME : A Yume shipper who is uncomfortable with doubles / people who share a 4
romantic interest in the same character as them. ‘Sharing NG’ is the common abbreviation, meaning ‘Sharing No Good’.
RIAKO / GACHIKOI : The labels associated with Yume’s who fully ship themselves with a character – there is no self-insert or OC used, but rather themself.
SOULBOUND : People who are soul-bound with their fictional partners have formed a strong enough connection to the partner where they are able to talk to them regular in a way of their own. This label is more spiritual.
Other Vocabulary
F/O (FICTIONAL OTHER) : The label associated with a romantic Yume’s fictional partner- Some people use s/o instead of f/o.
S/I (SELF INSERT) : A character or interpretation of one’s self that appears in a canon universe and plays a part in a canon universe that they are not originally part of. Can fully represent one’s self or can be exaggerated.
Gijinka Ludwig and Cicada
DOUBLE/DUPE : A ‘Double’ or ‘Dupe’ refers to somebody who shares the same fictional other(s) as somebody else.
FAMILIAL SELFSHIP : A selfship where the shipper claims a fictional character(s) as a family member and finds comfort in seeing them as a family member.
PLATONIC SELFSHIP : A selfship where the shipper claims a fictional
character(s) as a friend and finds comfort in seeing them as a friend.
ROMANTIC SELFSHIP : A selfship where the shipper claims a fictional character(s) as a romantic partner and finds comfort in seeing them as a romantic partner.
Why do people do it?
There are many reasons as to why people can be a yume. People can use it as a coping mechanism for personal traumas, pairing
themselves with a character and displaying their relationship as one that comforts them. They can feel a deeper connection to the character they like because of things like a special interest, and therefore, pair themselves up with them. They could simply do it for fun, creating a little character to pair up with their favorite character because they think they’d be cute together. There is no one reason to do anything in this world, just as there is no one reason as to why people pair themselves with a character.
MY SHIP wc
My ship is with Ludwig Von Koopa from the Super Mario series (Nintendo). The role my insert, Cicada, plays in his story started from just him wanting to prove his worth to his father, King Bowser, in hopes to secure his spot as the next heir to the throne. The King holds a competition leading up to the eventual capture of Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, who Bowser takes a romantic interest in through the game. Seeking a thrill, and something more complex, Ludwig sets off to the mysterious Tethered Vinelands Kingdom to capture someone he believes will interest Bowser more. Upon breaching the Kingdom, flying through their security like nothing, he finds himself face to face with the strongest opponent he has faced yet. After a nearly fatal battle, Koopa Keep’s mage, Kamek, steps in after suspecting Ludwig had gone rogue, effectively knocking out the opponent. Kamek reveals to Ludwig that his enemy, much to his dismay, was Cicada, the very ruler he set out to capture for his gain. Luckily, no real damage was done to him. The relationship Ludwig and Cicada have is only established after Ludwig learns a few unsavory details about Cicada’s previous home life in his old kingdom. The two traverse a rocky, slow-burning
relationship, after Cicada settles in a little too quickly to his new life in Koopa Keep. Then the rest is history, or whatever they say! The shipnames used for them are Trilltune, Organic Harmony, and Biomusic (or, the simple name-mash, Ludcada). The current sticking name is TrillTune, which is a play on their musical abilities- because Cicada has insect features, he can make insect sounds, like the trill an insect makes. Ludwig is known to be a musical prodigy, playing piano and a multitude of other instruments, even using them as a weapon in battle. He writes symphonies and, if he chose, could be his own ensemble. Therefore... TrillTune!
In the story I currently write of us together, there are 29 chapters and counting. I am barely halfway through writing our tale together! There are still many plot-points and fluffy things that need to be written. SO many angsty subplots that lead to bigger things... So
much angst. They’re so doomed.
I haven’t really posted much about us and our story, considering i’d like to post it all when I’m done writing it... BUT if you’re interested in lore tidbits and art about my relationship with Ludwig, come visit my tumblr!
@ludwigslovebug
MY EXPERIENCEwx
The reason as to why I personally selfship is more complex. I have paired myself with fictional characters since before I knew there was even a proper word for it. Starting at 7 years old, I always did tend to favor fictional characters a little too much- sometimes, more than real people. I never felt truly connected to human beings because, no matter how hard I tried to hide it, I was always different. Being Autistic separated me from people a lot, even when they didn’t know I was Autistic. I started pairing myself with Ludwig, the character shown beside mine, many years ago, at about 9 years old. I had no set reason as to why I liked him so much other than the fact that his sass eluded me. Other than that, his character was given no real personality- yet, even with that fact, I fell in love with his character.
I created my own humanoid (gijinka) design of him, wrote stories as I do now, and drew art of us together. The storylines I created in my head and on my writing program could extend miles away. This obsession with him would gradually dive down, yet never fully fade over the years. July 7th, 2024, it came back in full force. Still recovering from a less-than-great relationship, and just entering a new one, I carried a lot of stress. My ex-partner would get upset at me for the smallest things, including my obsession with fiction. Even though I was very devoted to the characters and stories I found interest in, it never overrode my real relationshipseven now, it doesn’t. He wasn’t the best man. After falling for my new partner, I felt like I could really exist again, though it is still difficult. He allowed me to love my interests again, and in turn, find love within fiction again. My attraction for Ludwig grew much larger over time because of how much of a supportive force my partner has been. Even with how mad he gets at me for not making my story with Ludwig happy, he still supports every plot point I make, even helping me with ideas for chapters and animatics. He has his own character in my story as well. Eventually, my love for him progressed further. I used to be under the ‘unlabeled’ sharing umbrella. Then, I found a community of lovers with the same character as me. They are all kind people. However, meeting them, I realized I like him more than I thought, breaching the same kind of affection I hold towards my partner. On account
of me being Borderline, I should have seen it coming. Since then, I have considered Ludwig a FP (or, Favorite Person) on the same level I hold my partner.
This proves to both be beautiful yet detrimental to myself. Being a more serious, nonsharing gachikoi who suffers from BPD, my mindset can easily be rocked by even just somebody else mentioning him highly. It is the same way with my partner- if anybody shows more than a normal amount of interest in him, I get ticked off, becoming internally defensive or splitting on them. I can have high high’s, but also, low low’s. Having a high is one of the better sides to it- able to create as much art as my heart desires, writing for hours on end and happily breaching 4,000 words at a time. Then, I have a low. Suddenly, all I can do is lay down, barely even thinking. Both my partner and my F/O save me from times like this, motivating me to get up and be a person again. Even if it is deemed weird, or unconventional, or everything under the judgemental sun, I can’t find it in me to care. I am happy. I am becoming happier. As long as I am not harming anybody, really, who’s to say what I should and should not do?
This applies to YOU, too. If you like a character a little too much, why not love them exactly as you were meant to? I’m sure they’d love you back :)
Scoopers’ TRILLTUNE
A Yume Infographic
Come learn about what it means to be a Yume! Get a close look at the author’s personal magnum opus, his own Yumeship!
Be Cringe, Be Free
