#My problematic ships are in other fandoms

[damnfandomproblems]

Fandom Problem #5801:

Ya know, folks, my opinion here is specific to the South Park fandom, and I will use specific ships as examples, although I'm sure that it happens in other fandoms too. There is so much shipping discourse I'm like "OMFG" because why are you arguing about the nuances about fictional relationships, y'all?

"I like Style."

"Oh, I like Kyman, but I respect your shipping opinions."

This is how it should happen. But instead, it'll happen like this:

"I like Style."

"Oh, I like Kyman."

"OMFG WHY DO YOU SHIP THAT THEY HATE EACH-OTHER IT'S TOXIC AND PROBLEMATIC OH NO-"

Bros, they are fictional children from an adult television show. South Park IS a problematic show. Why does it matter what someone else likes, as long as you get to like your own stuff?

[sunsetzer]

On one hand, I want a final fantasy 6 remake, because the game is criminally underrated and the amount of fan content (which is all absolutely fantastic btw) is Not Enough for my neurodivergent, hyperfixating brain.

On the other hand, that would inevitably encourage more people to join the fandom, which would be great, except it seems these days the bigger a fandom gets the more toxic it becomes, and I really like what we have going on over here in our little corner. We all just love the game and its characters and nobody fights about who should and shouldn't date who or who you shouldn't like because they're ~problematique~. Nobody's trying to make one ship morally better than another, nobody's calling anyone names or threatening to doxx people who don't agree with their opinions. It's so peaceful and I love that for us. We're just vibing. Moisturized. Unbothered. In our lane. Flourishing.

[andromeda3116]

*slithers in under the door*

a ship does not have to be morally pure, you don't need to defend it in terms of its moral superiority. it can just exist without needing to be more pure than another "problematic" one. kill the puritan preacher in your head. he will not protect you. he will only strangle you with a tighter and tighter noose as you beg him to bring you perfection.

*slithers back out through the cracks in the floor*

[utilitycaster]

Were people mad about Marion x Sean not happening? I know it was popular during episode 1 but I feel like by episode 2 most everyone saw the writing in the walls with Marion and Jean obviously being into each other.

A refreshingly small number, honestly! It was one or two people in the main tags and maybe one or two more who said obnoxious things in the tags of my posts. I used that as an example because it was fresh in my mind and because that was genuinely such a great line in a fantastic arc in a fantastic series that closing yourself off to it is a miserable prospect.

Here is the thing about writing on the walls: there is a level of shipping where people will openly ignore it, eg: literally everyone who claims Beau and Yasha "came out of nowhere"; basically anyone who focuses extensively on microexpressions because that frequently goes hand-in-hand with ignoring Character A and Character B kissing each other in favor of how Character C blinked a millisecond too rapidly in A's direction; etc.

This also, honestly, isn't limited to shipping, though that's the most common case where I see it. I think part of why Campaign 2 hate is so bitter at times is because there are genuinely many, many people who watched all 141 episodes and who loved almost everything in 140 of them and then hated that the finale did not bring back Molly or did not have the ship they thought was "supposed" to happen appear - I was there, and people who claim Campaign 2 sucked were there too watching along throughout the whole thing; they just definitely thought the couples would all break up and rearrange in episode 141 for no apparent reason.

That's really my larger point: I think there is a certain kind of person who tells themself how a story "should" end, whether it's a particular ship or a particular story beat, and becomes furious when the story - which never made that promise - fails to deliver. Not only did Candela pretty clearly signal that Marion and Jean were into each other, it also told us inherently within the story and in literally every out of character interview that this was pretty much guaranteed to not end remotely close to any sort of happily ever after. It's funny - earlier in campaign 3 there was a lot of flack towards some fans' (of which I was one) frustration with the story on the basis of narrative/pacing, and I still see the inane "must stories have conflict" argument pop up. But those same people who get mad at those who talk about inconsistent themes or characterization or awkward pacing are, more often than not, people whose assessment of a story rests entirely on the incredibly narrow "did I get the exact ships and plot elements I wanted out of this and was my blorbo the coolest guy ever all the time," rather than the broad and inclusive "did this story capably deliver on an interesting premise."

[usernose]

Don't you ever have the motivation to do something just to piss off some people.

[minakoaiinos]

Lost my original post of this from the other day but I genuinely don't understand how Black Butler discourse ever shifted into the does Sebastian ~really~ like Ciel or is Ciel just dinner line of conversation that is pervasive as it is because Sebastian is the one that has absorbed his whole existence into Ciel's. Sebastian's face is what Ciel wants Sebastian's whole purpose is doing things for Ciel Sebastian's every hell of a butler yes my lord speech is about how he's Ciel's and Ciel is the one going around saying shit like whatever Sebastian is just my pawn 💅

[seiya-starsniper]

.

[notmoreflippingelves]

So apparently, there is a second Sofia the First spinoff in the works right now. And so while this is still admittedly hardly the ideal time for me to get unnaturally and unhealthy invested in the Ever Realm Cinematic Universe (and especially in Elena of Avalor) , it's also not hypothetically the worst time for me to get invested in it either.

[chushanye]

i recently remembered that svtfoe existed. and then remembered i was actively in the fandom for most of the shows run. and it just....completely left my memory. like i remembered being OBSSESED with it but the moment it ended its like my brain put it aside and i immediately forgot all about it. im shocked cause NOTHING like this has ever happened before. like ever

[rosesradio]

it’s still wild to me how many people in fandom that will have that one ‘problematic’ ship, be it a slight age gap or a far-from-romantic canon character dynamic, and they’re just filled with this aching, exhausting guilt. they’re filled with this constant need to defend themselves with “i know it’s messed up but here look i changed this aspect please forgive me” and “i’m not like those nasty proshippers!!” like are you tired. don’t you want to lay in the grass on a nice autumn day, taking in the breeze and letting your mind wander without burden? the only reward for all this guilt is more guilt.

[toytulini]

name some canonically nonbinary characters why dont you

[catcake24]

In my opinion the worst feeling is when you get into something and it resonates with you, like on a deeper level, only to log online and see the fandom is…. Like that.

[petrellicest]

People who like/rb my heroes gifsets (from my main tbf) and then I go on their blog and they’re like NO INCEST NO PETRELLICEST EW GROSS BAD. Buddy this is the freaks n degenerates fandom. cmon man

[lucy-ghoul]

i think i finally found a semi-famous (?) blog that blocked me lmao

[sapphire-weapon]

Just wanna thank you for being nice to new fans and leading me away from some fanon bullshit.

Also, didn't expect to be more into Eagleone bit here I am. I was indifferent to it before (definitely didn't see it as sibling coded, that's weird) but now I see the appeal.

New fans are the lifeblood of this fandom. Any old guard who don't understand that are people who are actively working towards their own extinction.

Real shit, anon, the reason why I started to get loud and obnoxious and aggressive for a bit was because I learned how new fans were being treated and fed lies and fanon bullshit from the actual goddamn wiki, of all places, and that just felt so fucking wrong to me.

RE is, by fandom standards, an ancient series of labyrinthine proportions. It'd be so easy for someone in the old guard to just tell all the newbs that their own headcanons/personal interpretations were actually what the real canon said, because there's no way for new fans to have the ability to reasonably fact-check every little thing -- and that's exactly what ended up happening.

It's not fair to you guys, and it's so wrong. And I know that nothing that I do/say can undo the damage that's already been done and continues to be dealt, because I don't have anywhere near the reach that the wiki does, but like. Man. I couldn't just say/do nothing.

You new fans keep this fandom alive. We old guard should be grateful. We owe you far more than you owe us. And to engage with you in bad faith like the way some people in this fandom do is just...

I just wish I could do more.

[daisy-mooon]

"I LOVE problematic ships" thats great! Let them actually be problematic instead of woobifying them please