Talk:Self-Sustaining Ships

Towards a Working Definition

The page needs a better definition but copy-pasting the discussion felt more to-the-point than trying to summarize it. IME the characteristics of self-sustaining ships are:

• juggernaut ship
• built on extensive fanon with little canon support (so things like Stucky or even Nick/Monroe are out)
• data supports the theory that they defy the usual trends in fannish output, resulting in a more steady flow of fanworks (see graphs linked on page)

What a self-sustaining ship is not:

• synonym for White Cock. All (current) self-sustaining ships are White Cock, but
  • not all White Cock ships are self-sustaining
  • fandom racism hinders POC ships in becoming popular but that doesn't permanently rule out the possibility of a POC self-sustaining ship in the future

TL;DR "A pairing that would have been an unconventional rarepair in normal circumstances got ridiculously popular and has its own widely-accepted fanon worldbuilding fueled by a steady supply of fanfic." Migratory Slash Fandom and BNFs may or may not play a big part in determining what ships become this.