#my take on the ship wars

[violetasteracademic]

I saw a reddit post a while back talking about how “obvious” gwynriel is, with hundreds of upvotes and everyone agreeing, saying that it’s exactly how SJM sets up her love interests, and it makes me feel like a crazy person.

I agree that SJM is obvious with her couples, but for me the only logical obvious answer is elriel. The entire time I was reading the series it couldn’t have been more obvious, and all my irl friends feel the same. We didn’t even know gwynriel was a thing. They barely interact in the books, and even then it’s only vaguely friendly and mostly one-sided. Then I get online and see all of these people who genuinely believe it’s gwynriel that’ll be endgame and I can’t understand how we’ve read the same books.

This is the only reason I question elriel at all; am I somehow missing something? What the hell are these people seeing that overshadows elriel’s foreshadowing? I just can’t see it from their point of view, no matter how many theories or analyzing I read from them. I almost wished I could so that this ship war wouldn’t be so frustrating, but I just can’t.

Sorry to throw this rant at you, your posts and explanations are just very comforting and you explain things so well. I read them whenever I’m worried to assure myself I’m not crazy :,)

Hi sweet anon!

I certainly don't think you are crazy or missing anything, and I'm glad to know that some of my posts have brought you comfort. That is my one and only goal.

I've been getting more and more messages like this in my inbox, and I've been struggling with how to answer them because I've learned that a lot of my thoughts don't really fit in with the fandom at large. I don't mind that other ships exist. I have real life G/wynriel and E/lucien friends that are very chill and wonderful and not knee deep in the online fandom and don't think horrific misogynistic things. I stay out of spaces where I'm bound to see something hurtful, and I scroll so fuckin fast when I see the Elriel community screenshotting and reblogging bad takes cause I *don't wanna see it.*

I'm just a girl, and while I'm honored that this little weirdo's opinion has become of some value in this little comfy cafe corner I'm trying to build here, I don't want to say the wrong thing and make people feel discredited and invalidated. I've learned that people really like being in the drama and venting and focusing on how badly the other side is behaving, which I don't really like, and it often leaves me at odds with my own "side" of the war. But since you are here in my asks, I'll share my thoughts. Please know I am saying this with all the tender love and care in my heart, but I say:

Just let them exist. You don't need to understand. You also don't need to let it worry you. None of us are in control of the ships that are sailing in this war. So for whatever it is worth, I want to encourage you to try to stay away from the spaces that make you feel upset, confused, hurt, or angry.

We are all honestly similar in ways that might be hard to admit. If we are here, deep into this fandom, we are probably connected in a number of ways. Maybe we're a little bit lonely (me), a little bit mentally ill (me), a little bit hyper-fixated (me). Maybe we are easily consumed and obsessed, and don't have anywhere for that energy to go in our real lives and so we live on in a chronic state of escape and disassociation (yep, me).

We are also an exceptionally small percentage of SJM's readership, and we take things as far as a fan could possibly take them. This is not how most readers are interacting with her work. So to see hundreds of upvotes on something, even thousands, yes- it seems like a lot. But it's not actually that much in terms of SJM's actual numbers. Anyone on reddit, tumblr, tiktok, ect, is looking for community and people who share their thoughts and likes and dislikes. I think this is often why a lot of non canon ships actually grow more popular than canon ships, because people are here looking for a road the written story will not take them down.

I don't think it's strange or offensive or unhinged that ships other than Azriel or Elain exist and are popular. I *do* think its a little odd that this fandom has taken the stance of proving non-canon things as canon instead of just enjoying crackships, but I can't honestly sit here and say my posts proving "canon" to try to comfort people who want the same fictional couple as me is not the exact same behavior. I think I'm right. They think they are right. There will come a day when Sarah lets us know what she has decided, and it's out of our hands. But the ships will live on.

I love so many non canon ships, and I engage with them here every day. This is what fandom is for. I think this fandom in particular would be a lot less toxic if we would just live and let live and leave each other be. I am gonna keep making theory posts and writing fanfic. They are gonna keep making theory posts and writing fanfic.

Take care of yourself. Rock the block button. Strangers on the internet do not get unfettered access to me or you or anyone else just because we are online. Set some boundaries for yourself. Lurk where you feel good.

I hope my page continues to be one of those places where you can lurk to feel better. And if that ever changes, block me. I encourage it deeply. I actually feel relieved when I can see that someone has blocked me, because I know they are taking care of themselves and also saved me the time and energy of trying to diffuse an argument.

I hear your frustrations. I know it sucks to want to go on reddit if that has been a fun and comforting space for you, and now it feels overrun and not safe and not fun. Grieve that. We obviously all care very deeply, and that's okay. It's nothing at all to be ashamed of.

But at some point, we are all gonna have to learn to live with each other, because no matter what happens in canon, the ships are not going anywhere.

Take care of yourself, anon. And I hope you continue to find comforting spaces to rest.

[chyarui]

Hair model who???

I swear Star Wars robbed us of giving quin some more interesting hairstyles. I’ve always found dreads to be some of the most beautiful and versatile hairstyles out there, so I hope I did them some justice here 💛

Quinlan I think would have def braided aaylas silka beads into his hair before he took her on as a Padawan, ya know just for safekeeping 🩵

Also just lemme know if you guys want more info on wth I mean by “married vos” and his tattoos cuz I have some THOUGHTS (inspired by fic Resilience on ao3, though the account is unfortunately orphaned)

[corsairspade]

there are many reasons I like the "Erestor son of Caranthir" headcanon but secretly the main one is that I'm imagining all of the remaining noldo auditors sighing of relief when Caranthir dies and they don't have to try play 4d chess with multiverse time travel trying to catch this guy doing tax evasion. life is good for exilic auditors now.

and then suddenly Elrond and Elros turn up again! even better! oh who's this, Elrond? your good friend Erestor? he's helping you with your taxes? oh how swe- what is this Elrond. What is this. your paperwork for your taxes you say. not a declaration of war? because it looks like a declaration of war on the exilic auditors, Elrond.

and then all the auditors are so busy doing "extreme tax auditing™" for the first time since the second Kinslaying that they don't tell anyone they're pretty sure there's another scion of the house of Fëanor running around.

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

Ignoring the haters who would win in said fighting match for Ethan 🤔

[holocrone]

Band of Brothers | Part 2: Day of Days The Pacific | Part 5: Peleliu Landing

[rexscanonwife]

Brea and Rex in 'civvies' inspired by @antisocial-mariposa!

I imagine she convinced him to sneak off to Batuu for a day to get away from everything and they're enjoying a bit of ice cream together to beat the heat! She told him he had a bit on his face but it was just an excuse to fluster him > w < ❤️💙❤️💙❤️

Taglist♡: @me-myself-and-my-fos @tiny-cloud-of-flowers @sunstar-of-the-north @dearly-beeloved @adoredbyalatus @changeling-selfship @crushes-georg @miutonium @cherry-bomb-ships @rosieaurora @rejaytionships @sunflawyer @in-true-blue-love @tropicalgothships @little-miss-selfships @hotrodharts @cupiidzbow @frozenhi-chews

[omaano]

♥ Ace Wolffe My Beloved ♥

[transformersbrainrot]

Gay gay homosexual gay...

[plasticbabyart]

Idiot boy failure and his lesbian girl best friend, who’s gonna tell him ?

[coffiicorgii]

Oh hey look! Married people!

Just some little doodles of my comfort ship :’] been a little nervous about posting them but here they are lol

[chocomars]

taking a break from drawing by sketching the babes 💙

[leafsfromthevine]

i don't care that sokka and zuko have like negative chemistry. of course i pick on their hand on shoulder moments but i am fully aware they give us nothing. i am not a zukka truther i am a zukka "i believe in this because i can and that's enough." zukka is real to me because i think they're both neat. now kiss.

[yonpote]

ok its honestly hilarious how #for the fandometrics is now a secondary phan tag. like noooo other fandom is being like "guys im just tagging this ship for metrics okay!!!!" even other rpf ships arent doing all that 😭 we just have such bad phan-related trauma that we constantly have to be like "no no you guys its just a bit its for metrics i dont SHIP phan guys i swear its ironic its just a joke we're doing this as a joke"

[dfwbwfbbwfbwf]

Things would not have been better if Fëanor hadn't burned the ships.

I'd actually argue that things would've ended up worse.

For one, we know Fingolfin was angling to be High King of the Noldor, hence his adoption of Finwenolofinwë. This wasn't something that he started doing on the Helcaraxë - he started using it after Alqualondë.

Maybe it wasn't intentional on his part, but he also didn't speak out against it, and he would have known his people called him that. Fëanor knew about it.

This power struggle was bad enough in Aman. Can you just imagine how much worse it would've been in Beleriand? Two sects fighting each other as much as they fought Morgoth. It really would have been a disaster. They probably wouldn't have fought each other physically, but they would be weaker together than apart.

One of them had to go.

Happenstance chose Fëanor in canon, but in this scenario, it could go either way.

But even if one of them died or, in a very unlikely scenario, gave up their claim, I doubt the other's people would follow whoever ended up king. Especially if the king they followed died.

It was probably for the best that Fëanor burned the ships tbh.

[necrotic-nephilim]

What's so fun about BruJay as a ship is Jason's sheer obsessive devotion to Bruce. Jason is possessive over Bruce, to the point he doesn't care about the deaths of others so long as he has Bruce's attention. A part of the UTRH arc this isn't talked about enough is that Bludhaven fucking explodes mid-way and Jason won't let Bruce see if Dick is alive.

batman (1940) #650

A lot of discussion about UTRH paints Jason as this anger-driven cold, calculating machine up against Bruce when it's so clear that his love for Bruce is what drives him at his root, even if he won't acknowledge it. He says it himself, he would've done anything if it was Bruce who'd died instead of him and his anger is rooted in that possessive devotion not being reciprocated.

batman (194) #650

BruJay as a ship always to be, to some level, unrequited. Even if Bruce loves Jason back in that way, he'll never be that obsessed with Jason. Jason will always view Bruce's love for Dick or Tim to be a distraction, proof that Bruce isn't dedicated enough to him. Jason has the need to always have Bruce's attention, even when it could come at the cost of Bruce's other loved ones. Something something cannibalism as a metaphor for love in how Jason wants to consume Bruce's whole existence. He can't let Bruce leave him again, can't let Bruce love or grieve anyone else. Forcing Bruce to choose between Jason and the Joker isn't just about confronting Jason's killer, it's about confronting the other person who exists as this duality with Bruce and consumes so much of Bruce's life. That's the role Jason wants to fill, calling himself Red Hood and forcing Bruce to look at what he's become. But still loving Bruce and wanting more than anything for Bruce to reciprocate that love in the way that Jason understands. I just think it's good soup and rife with Dynamics that are underexplored with them.

[damagedfletching]

I feel like I keep having to check which blog I’m logged into- I haven’t seen this much hate in a fandom towards a Love Interest since Supernatural 🙄