How the Pin Community Functions

 

The pin community is a totally different beast from any other fandom I've ever experienced. 

I'm used to ignoring flame wars and not even stepping into grounds that I know annoy me. Curating your fandom experience is better than nothing. 

At the time of writing, there is a lot of shit going on. Fan merch makers are always treading on a wire regarding IPs. 

Hoyoverse is a-okay with fan merch, but that's not the case for everyone. Disney and Nintendo are the hard hitters of this one. Heck, even stuff like Steven Universe and Avatar: The Last Airbender have been known to be hits. 

Even in Disney fantasy pinmaking space, there is always a chance that one of them could be struck down, no matter how big or small. 

Nuwa kept the Disney pins behind a paywall, so if you want her Free to Dream series or any Disney designs like the Landscapes, which are available through other means via the secondhand market, you can buy from her through her pin club personally. Or if you are going to a convention, she'll have them there too. 

Fanmerch space is very trend-heavy. The art that was churned out for Kpop Demon Hunters and Arcane are just one of the many examples to be made in so many fan merchandise. Stickers and art prints are the easiest so if any artists have conventions, you will see them and can buy them then. Pins take months in production. Who knows what will come in once this post is up? 

That means any rare pair, less popular, or dormant fandoms will not be the focus. From a pin collector once said, Shounen is the stock market in the pin community. 

This is still a business, and fan merchandise has to go with the trends because that's what it is. 

There are pinmakers who create original art. For example, Nuwa has a line dedicated to original art. They are at least not harmed by the waves of the trends because they created a fanbase for their original art. 

Consistent fanmerch that always sells are Disney and anime like Sailor Moon and Pokemon. Heck, I don't think there is much drama in the Pokemon pin space except for Shinnoyume who has horrid customer service and I don't recommend buying from because buy with caution. He won't even ship out and refuse to entertain concern from customers. He won't update any preorders and for the pin club as well so I won't recommend him. Buy from him only at conventions only. 

I wish I could avoid just how personal the drama is. The money is personal because it's their hard-earned money, and they haven't shown shit. 

Scamming is apparently easy to spot now. But it's not always clear that they would be a scammer. I did miss a spot for a pin I wanted from a maker who would wind up being a scammer, which is disappointing. I really did like the Saturn pin, and people got theirs. 

Most of what I read about scammers used to be big makers, but one way or another, they mismanaged funds or refused to take responsibility and ran away with the money. 

I know that for some, it's a hobby or a side hustle, but they still have to treat it like a business. Being able to make it a full-time business like Mamobot and Mualcaina isn't the case, nor is it easy for everyone else who prefers their full-time jobs. 

However, even if some businesses have questionable policies, they still need to show themselves to be trustworthy. Honestly, it's better for anyone's sanity that you actually show manu updates. 

Mintyxpins, for example, has awful updates. Even when she eventually delivers on the products, she still has pretty terrible updates. I still think her pre-orders every month are way too much, even with LE. Heck, I didn't bother getting the Shugo Chara specifically of Ikuto because of this. 

There are businesses that do pre-orders every month, but they really have to limit themselves because they can't overreach and bite off more than they can chew. This is a business with lots of money involved. 

Sometimes I'm just wary of Minty doing preorders every week of the month. At least I can trust HFP and Liu because their turnaround is relatively short and timely, never exceeding three months. Minty takes a long time and still 

There’s so much drama that I feel I’m in the crossfire of flames. At least I feel I don’t need to have an opinion on those things. I understand the gripes and the ickiness of wrong actions and what was said. I simply don’t have to buy them or those particular items. 

Honestly, there is always drama, but I've seen more than I have in my more than twenty years as a fandom lurker. 

It's saying something when artists, pinmakers, and customers are fighting, I feel more at peace in my other fandoms I'm in. Again, I usually side-step anything volatile or anything that makes me take psychic damage because I curate my fandom experience. It's much more difficult, so the best I could do aside from reading up on scammers and troublesome businesses, I try to avoid pin community drama as much as I can. 

It’s a necessity to at least have a pin collection for at least a few posts. If you really want to involve yourself in some of the practices, at least have some pin posts of some parts of your collection or in your stories. It's much easier for pinmakers and other collectors to semi-relax around you. 

It’s actually easy to get pins and build a collection. Etsy and artists have storefronts on Shopify, Big Cartel, and other platforms. Put collections together on a board or try photography and plaster them on your Instagram, posts, reels, and stories, and they should grant you at least that much leeway. 

Certain artists might swing your side. Crowd pleasers like Mamobot's video game designs are always great and have lines everywhere he goes. I experienced such a line at AX. 

Considering the tariffs, if you are in the US, best shop US pinmakers for the time being, who have the deal with the burden of tariffs themselves. 

The supposed point of the tariffs was to shop American-made things. Considering how America is still unwilling to go into manufacturing and that this stupid administration is doing everything in its power to punish the American people while stealing from the poor, that's not going to happen. Businesses are still going to rely on other countries to better make them rather than being isolationist to the point of destroying allies' relationships that will take decades to recover. They're destroying everything in their path to keep their power, regarding everything that opposes them as terrorism to their 'values'. 

There is nothing wrong with relying on other countries for things America cannot do. It's okay that manufacturing is something difficult for America to even do because the infrastructure is not there. Largely, if you look at my Notion, you see mostly American-based pinmakers, but that was a thing even before the tariffs. 

Tariffs and getting rid of the de minimis are just heartbreaking as it's been the flow of so much relief for everyone. Of course, Trump had to get it of it for lining his own pockets and he's a guilty coward who loathes laws and will do everything in his power to be king. 

Anyhow, building a collection and showing some of it must be done. I have monthly pin mail that I usually show off at the end of the month. That's a great way to provide some level of semi-trust in a fellow collector. It's not much. I mean, you don't even have to be that active in your Instagram account as long as you have pins on your account to be at least semi-trusted. 

It's gatekeeping in a way, but when the small businesses have to protect themselves from losing their businesses from bad eggs reporting to the large IPs, it has to be done, unfortunately. Even Mamobot has to deal with this because he ain't making ATLA and SU pins anymore after that experience. Nuwa was able to escape, as all she puts up fanart and explains they are preorders in the post itself and as I said before, puts her Disney pins behind a paywall. 

It's an unfortunate situation for anyone unused to such things to even want to be part of a commitment group just to buy that one pin, so the best approach is to feature pins in posts or stories. It's only that much. 

There's not much that one can do besides show pins. Collectors leave every day just as pinmakers come in. This is a hobby that can be easily exploited by scammers more so than others, as frauds can utilize good artwork and open preorders, requiring no self-funding on themselves. That's a red flag and making no effort to show updates is also another. I know people are pressuring Minty to showcase more updates in the clubs I'm in for her. 

Unless they are already in the community and can be trusted, as I know is the case with one, they must self-fund. There's this one new guy who's making pins now who only opens preorders because people wanted it, and since he wanted to do good, he took a lot of advice from those in the community. He consistently updates his clients and always ensures that he showcases trustworthiness in handling business finances. 

There are lots of scammers in this, so really be careful to place your hard-earned money in the right hands. There are smaller makers out there doing their best while scammers are using art to scam people and ran off. I wasn't able to get into the Facebook group that called out pinmakers, but I've been in enough Discord servers to avoid pinmakers. 

ORV Live Action Mini Review

 

Was anyone surprised that the actual movie was shit? 

I personally wasn't. Maybe I was more tempered in my expectation, with mediocre being my guess in the end. 

I was not expecting outright bad and incompetent writing and filmmaking in general. 

The initial premise just seems like a run-of-the-mill apocalypse movie with superhero shit. There is none of what made ORV so great in the first place. Heck, the Star Stream scenarios were supposed to be humanity's punishment for some goddamn reason by the universe, I guess. Yeah, that's a thing. 

The cinematography felt more like a commercial than an actual film. I feel like the medium of film is not used at all. There is no love in the frame, not any love for anything but the director's own misguided beliefs, revealing repulsiveness. 

The dialogue is completely stilted and unnatural. There is no love in this. 

The characters are OOC if not outright in name. What the hell happened to everyone? No, KDJ won't do that. No, that's no Yoo Sangah. No, that's no Heewon either. No, that's not Gilyoung. No, that's definitely not Yoo Joonghyuk. No, that's not HyunSung. I feel like a broken record. Fuck, the villains aren't them either! 

The women's struggles and their experiences are completely erased. I mean it, SA, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and the sexism the women experienced are rendered null. There is no interior to them, only them serving the main character's 'growth'. This is misogyny revealed by the director and production team, who, at best, merely reviewed a Cliff Notes version, rather than one that required critical thinking. Or, at worst, they didn't bother and just read a summary, deriving everything from there. 

Kim Dokja's victimhood of bullying was also erased because this is something they also refused to touch. There is absolutely nothing about domestic violence here, folks. Nothing about his dad being a piece of shit, and that he literally rewrote his own reality for killing in self-defense. Nothing that his mom took the fall and any of the complexity of their relationship. Honestly, the backstory of KDJ conveyed so much about KDJ's character, and they butchered it. No, KDJ is not this heroic figure who is this altruistic about the world. He would sacrifice the world for his friends and is a manipulative fucker. 

The misguidance of the roles of the reader, writer, and protagonist in this movie is a trainwreck. Those roles are of fucking importance in the original, and what do you mean KDJ is the writer??? There is no YSJ because all her stuff is going to KDJ anyway. What do you mean that YJH isn't KDJ's favorite character and it's Heewon instead? Heewon, who is only revealed to be a canon character way later? YJH is now reduced to a side character, a disservice to his protagonist status as well as one of the roles as the three main characters. 

There are no skills that made KDJ the reader here. There is barely a mention of the Constellations, if at all, honestly, because it feels like they erased them either way. What do you fucking mean that he hates the novel he's been reading since that pivotal point in his life? He's not Shen Yuan!! That removed an important part of KDJ, and they fucked it up! 

There is a removal of characters that takes away a significant portion of the story. LSH is not even here because her role was taken over by YSA for some reason, and that reason is obvious. 

Every character is a disservice to their original characterization. I feel that if I discussed more of the SA and the sexism that the female characters experienced in canon and compared it with how they are portrayed misogynistically in the live-action movie, I'm gonna explode and rant. At least I kept KDJ as a paragraph, and I was trying to not go on because I refuse to give the movie more thought than it deserves. 

It feels more like they are attempting a power fantasy because how else can the women, with the loss of their interior service nothing more than the male fantasy? Getting rid of any queerness and making everything just another matter of power fantasy for dudebros and idol fans. 

They eliminated important arcs and skills that are prevalent in future arcs and the story as a whole. There are literally no character arcs for anyone, as they are reduced to power fantasy for the dudebros to project and pretty things for eye candy because that's what they essentially reduced every single character to. 

It was not even an adaptation. How could it be when it couldn’t adapt basic elements? And the changes aren’t made due to time constraints or easier adaptation from words to the screen. It’s made because the director and production crew couldn’t be bothered to read and actually understand the source material in a meaningful gesture. As misguided as the FMA live actions are, at least they try their hands at the source material. 

Godoka, you know as well as I do that KDJ’s actor would’ve nailed the novel characterization. What glimmers we had of him were just that glimmer, but otherwise than that, he was so changed that it couldn't be helped. Of course, they would get rid of any arcs for the women. YJH’s actor tried his hardest to be as close to the original as he could, but there were so many changes that his acting didn't change a thing. 

For Arceus’ sake, this was supposed to be a five-movie franchise. With arcs that they eliminated for no good reason (they couldn't even bother doing the theater dungeon if that gives you an idea of just how fucked they are with storytelling), there is no fucking way I see them tackle any of the arcs well, seeing how they got rid of established worldbuilding and character writing to get this mess. 

I’m putting this all at the feet of the director and the production crew. The actors are hired for the shit. Yeah, it’s bad that their first introduction was to a badly written slop; they were blended from a basic summary and a horrid interpretation of said summary. Those who read the novel had fought but failed to win against an apathetic director and production crew who only used the ORV name for their own benefit of revealing everything ORV stood for. 

It is disappointing that a large part of the cast did not read the novel, but I'm firmly blaming the director and the production crew here. They are in charge of writing the shit for the silver screen and failed in adapting. There was no communication of important info such as the master-disciple relationship, but considering how much the director and production crew 'care', I doubt they were thinking about anything else but their own arrogance. 

It wasn't even their first rodeo of badly adapting either. Their previous contract had the writer in tears. 

SingNSong is diplomatic about their views on the movie since they can’t say anything bad about it. They are damning it by faint praise, and really, the faintest praise I can give it is…some actors tried their best to be as close to the actual characterization. 

Had it been original, it would just be d-tier save the world power fantasy mediocrity, which it still is. 

However, with ORV slapped on it and the ORV is in name only, then it's just stupid, mediocre, or even just plain bad leftovers that aren't even good. 

There is a part of ORV fandom that I think is toxic positive about this movie. I have to make it clear: This movie have it been a standalone and not associated with ORV would be a second-rate underwhelming apocalyptic film that does not stand out from its brethren other than having some interesting things that isn't explored that much anyways. However, it has ORV's name slapped on it, and SnS has been diplomatic, not outright approving of it but not outright hating it either, because they have to be neutral. Do you really want this KDJ associating with our KDJ? Do you really want any of the movie's superficiality associated with the novel's complexity and themes, because I hope fucking not, because the movie isn't HTTYD! The movie can't stand on its own, other than being a high-profile but lacking camp in name only movie that displayed cliché tropes that did nothing to stand out. 

Do you really want outsiders to think that this is a good taste for the source material they could take a dive into? I'll recommend the One Piece and Bleach live actions for appetizers if they really want to tackle the actual thing. I would not recommend the FMA live action to anyone to even consider watching FMA that way, nor would I recommend Death Note 2017 for that either. Fuck, even the new dub for Detective Conan is a great appetizer if they really want to tackle the series as well. Again, adaptations are great as a sample for the real thing. If people see these bad adaptations, they might not take the dive either way. The movie has the chance to show the world why ORV is so loved, and this is not it. Being toxic positive about the movie is not going to change the fact that most people won't understand why ORV has such a large following if this is the reason. 

Why else is there so much happiness when newbies come in from the OPLA and fans welcome the newbies? 

ORVLA is in the same status as these live actions. They could be appetizers for the real thing, which in this case is the novel. The live-action adaptation is never supposed to be a substitute for the real thing, but at the very least, it could've been more than just in name only and driven interest in those who would be genuinely interested in what ORV actually offers. Instead, what it looks like is that all the movie offers is a power fantasy of the lowest grade. Heck, at least Solo Leveling earns that power fantasy on the same level as SAO, admittedly, but at least those have something while this movie has nothing. 

It's not even a good movie by standards. It's just bad with all the worst elements of what ORV fought against to write their story. Do you want to be positive about that when ORV wouldn't want their themes and what they have written their characters to be associated with something so clearly misogynistic and lacking love for anything? 

This movie lacks love everywhere it has. Nothing is going for it, and why should you want to defend something that is going for the easy route of K-drama and idol fans instead of making quality films and actually using the language of filmmaking, just as ORV used the language of storytelling? 

I know the novel said that even the worst of storytelling has its own place in the world, and people use that. I would like to point out that it does not excuse the movie for being everything ORV stood against. Really, this movie's flavor of bad isn't even a so-bad-it's-good kind, just bad, with a clear display of misogyny and a misunderstanding of the source material, all on full display. I'm sure it has its lovers, but when people are putting the novel to elevate a mediocre piece of work that is the movie, then shouldn't they know the point was to adapt, not to change so radically that it's in name only? The movie production crew and director have been putting down the novel because they skimmed it instead of bothering to read it deeply. To them, it's a power fantasy that they see and change to their will. 

Do not watch this movie. It's utter trash and an affront to the novel, the very concept of storytelling and filmmaking. 

As SNS-nim said, please read it. You know it's bad that the only praise they could even utter is that they like the opening scene, and that's it. 

The State of Kid's Entertainment

 

Sadly, nowadays, the kids' entertainment space is in dire straits. Never mind that the whole entertainment space is dire, with glimmers of hope, but we're talking kids' entertainment, and that one is terrible. 

Remakes of classics, dumbing down, and refusal to engage kids at their level or at least treat them with respect so that they could gain knowledge of what is coming are just growing at an increasing pace. 

It's gotten to the point that the only family films that come out are just the remakes. Yes, I'm including the HTTYD remake too since American regard of animation is designated for children and no one else and not as a medium. 

Remakes are literally everywhere. It's even infected the Japanese video game space, where FFVII and the Persona games, at least 3 and 4, are getting remakes. Hey, at least P4's spinoffs aren't getting remakes, and I can't believe that's the silver lining. 

Kids' movie media is not in a good spot. Sure, for all the animation hybrid and stylization, Disney is no longer the frontrunner of ingenuity and heart. 

Elio was just okay. Nothing about it offers much to adult audiences. It's just downright tragic what Pete Doctor says that Pixar will do to appeal. Like the rest of the Disney empire, they are just in either a slump era or plateauing altogether, only saved by sequels and remakes, and even that's short-term. 

On a sidenote, why the hell are people supporting the movie? Don't hate-watch it. Just pirate it if you want to watch it. If you buy a ticket other than someone being an internet online critic who makes money from their reviews, you are still supporting the shit. Look at Snow White. Do that and just pirate the shit out of it. 

Anyhow, I think there’s more than just stupidity behind the decision to make the live-action Lilo and Stitch get a sequel. The marketing is once again fearsome alongside serious nostalgia. 

I don't count Kpop Demon Hunters as that's aimed at a teen audience. At least teens have a choice of media. Kids don't have that, never mind what parents are taking them due to nostalgia, one way or another. My cousins have their own Disney+ account for the whole family. 

Aside from the 'animation is for kids' bs, the usual suspects are the ones handling the family media more than ever. However, I feel that Pixar is appealing less to adults now and more to kids. Elio was just okay, but there isn't much about it that I can recall that speaks to a more adult audience. For Pixar wanting to appeal to everyone, it just feels generic and bland, not enough bite to it. If the Disney movies of the present are toothless, then Pixar is just plateauing. At least Elemental found an audience. 

I only remember the first fifteen minutes of Brave and the Merida speaking scene to the rest of the kingdoms, and even that one is just vague. And at least it has something for adults. Inside Out 2 might be the very last one with adult maturity content in Pixar's current library until Pixar gives a voice again instead of doing this generic human thing, because I have no other words to describe it. 

It's gotten to the point that American kids' media is just not in a good place, and elsewhere can be found. Bluey is Australian for Godoka's sake. If that's the case, kids have to seek foreign media in a time where MAGA is in power and destroying anything they see as unfit in their regime, and the progressives have to take the win and continue to fight 

Honestly, waking up to the continuous nightmare that is our current administration is just numbing. The very fact that they see anything virtuous as something awful, and can be bought by an organization, as they did. 

While kids' media have their ups and downs, this feels like the lowest. 

Kids only have what they can take, that isn't talking down to them. For all the advancement in Sony's direction of animation and how they are going for a wider audience in different movies they are planning, the same could not be said for animation television and movies handled by big leagues that are flooded by conservative families and investors. 

Anything even has death or something 'adult' would scare the shit out of these people of the current day. 

Not knowing that Disney has had deaths in the past, and they are still regarded as some of the best. Avatar: The Last Airbender's live-action show has purity culture written all over it, plus actual sexism. That show is not going to get any better. 

I mean, when we are living in fascist America, there needs to be conservative values within a corrupt and cruel administration that is willing to protect the evil of their world and deny anything to those who put them there or not. 

Children do deserve better, especially when they are getting better stuff. Power Rangers degrading to pure elementary school kids' stuff without any of the teeth of the good ones is just one of the many examples. 

Children deserve better than what is being pumped out by the big studios and what adults say that children can't comprehend now; they misunderstand their intelligence. 

With the media of today not even wanting to touch the adult subjects, even written well-written or executed perfectly, it does not matter to them. 

To them, it's just something that should've never existed because kids should never learn any of this. 

With PBS and so many others losing their public funding to fund their cruel initiatives, it’s more important than ever to support them. 

Media literacy is at a low, American education is on the line, and AI is used as a shortcut. 

Kids of this generation deserve better than to have an oligarchy that cares for itself and no one else. 

FOMO or Fear of Missing Out

I'm decidedly not a gacha person. I don't trust myself with them, and my childhood just had bad luck when it comes to luck. The only gacha I'm gambling is with Mamo pokemallows once he gets the blind bags going; I kept my Jirachi from the last one, so I could see what I could trade with it in the future. 

But even then, this FOMO is not good with the hype. One really should step back and decide which ones would make you happy, and for the sake of your wallet. 

Witchxing is really destroying my wallet. It was December 2024 when I last preordered from her, and now I've ordered the two Ariels in April, and now I'm going for the GWS Jasmine in June. I know I will be getting GWS Meg to make up for not getting BGC Meg. If there's a CCS Sakura or a Saturn in the future, I have to get them because it's practically a given that I must have them for my collection. I already promised to collect every single Genshin and Honkai design they ever made. Furina is absolutely beautiful. 

Given the tariffs, I have to give Liu and Hunterflower only specific pins such as Aventurine, Sunday (second outfit), Neuvillette, and any I collect earnestly. 

Silvy is destroying the wallet for two more Disney designs, with a confirmed Cinderella and Meg in the future. Of course I already broke the rule of only one pop for KPDH so now I will three or four more pops. If there’s a line I really like, I need Huntrix together.  If Silvy is doing a Jinu Tuxedo Mask mashup, I wouldn’t pass that up and likely be the only Tuxedo Mask pin I’ll ever have. 

Mamobot is obviously the winner of my wallet destroyers. I buy sets from him often, or create enough to get a freebie pin he promotes. 

The merch makers and everyone else whose products are made in China are having a difficult time changing their business models just so they don't go bankrupt. They have to keep up with news of the tariffs just so they at least keep their business accounting numbers in line. 

The FOMO and the hype that caused it created a lot of hype where it’s more trendy than what it actually meant to the people. Geeky things might be widely accepted now and even seem cool, but make no mistake that trendy does not equal genuine happiness. I know that I would be feeling genuine joy finally getting Noddi Saturn after waiting for it for who knows how long, and will get their own story because that wait so deserved it. 

I know Labubus is so popular now that it's even trickling into other communities. I harbor no interest in them, nor do I feel any need to get any. I don't get into hype that often. Even now, while I understand the hype for Sinners, I do not understand the hype for the live-action Lilo and Stitch. 

The thing is that I fear that for those who have genuine passion and love, there are those who buy into it due to its trendiness or scalpers who resell them at insane prices. Maybe those who bought into the trendiness like some of what they bought, but again, the keyword is trendy. 

It's distressing to hear that people are willing to break into people's cars just to get rare Labubus. At least when I have sought after pins, I keep them and treasure them. I don’t think anyone outside of the hobby knows what it really is, because I do see scalpers raise obnoxious prices for sought-after designs. 

Unless scalpers know which is which for what market, they must go deep. For small businesses, they don't make the money that should've gone to them when people resold their merchandise at high costs and not because of the value it was estimated at. 

The thing about collecting is love, passion, and intentionality.

It's great to see adults openly professing their love for these instead of supposedly aging out of them. Animation in the US is still widely denigrated for kids rather than the medium it actually is. 

We don't want to see adults age out into this beige nothingness. My parents might not be thrilled I'm buying pretty shinies, but between my pins or drugs, which would they prefer? Whimsy and what brings you happiness make it better. Buying stuff that brings you joy is better than not having anything that brings you happiness, than not having anything to show, except out of financial concerns where you can't afford it, where I understand. 

At least that's a good thing that came out. Having pins is a great pick-me-up for me because the beauty of the art is translated so well into the pin. 

There are forms of gambling with gacha games and blind bags. 

People have been collecting forever, and overconsumption has been a thing since forever. They think it would make a quick profit or an investment in the short run or the long run. Given that these items have specific purposes, it's rare to see that investment pay off. 

Scalpers and resellers are the ones ruining the hobby for everyone, buying up everything to the point of committing crimes and starting fights for them. All over something silly as a toy or a piece of cardboard, that brings happiness to others, but not the scalper who is buying it up for easy money. Ever since I heard of these incidents, I'm just wondering why these people are even doing this?? 

Why push aside kids and other grown adults just for some easy money or because you have that thing even though there is zero need to do any of these things? 

It’s the scalpers who pick fights and are generally hostile because they see it as money rather than actual passion and love. I’m very sad that the fans are dealing with this. 

Sure, there are jokes about stealing other people's collections in these collecting hobbies, but one of the things people say is not to compare collections that you feel less of somehow for not having this rare item. 

I don't know why these people don't know that tenet of collecting. I made my peace that I'm not going to get some particularly rare pins from makers who made especially limited editions that aren't open for preorder. At least I know I can get Abigeyedowl and Witchxing's LE pins because they determined LE by their open preorder. 

For long-time lovers of said items, it's disheartening to see people just going with trends and insanity ongoing instead of just doing something good for themselves. 

It's gotten to the point where even Chiikawa and his friends are being eyed for stealing. Just why??? I was only introduced to them through Jaiden Animations and Emirichu and know they have been growing in popularity everywhere else, but for people to see it as dollar signs??? Just why???

These little trinkets and shinies are supposed to bring happiness. They're a pick-me-up and a hobby, not a way to make money, nor was it meant to. Though, given the way with Beanie Babies, it had always been that way for money-hungry people to see it as such. 

I don't know it's gotten this bad that it escalated to horrid fights rather than just pushing people out of the way harshly. It's downright embarrassing to see grown adults fighting what they see as a money opportunity instead of adult collectors collecting what they love. 

At least those collectors in the family who choose to only have a couple of Labubus are happy with what they have. One of my cousins wanted one based on a picture, but was extremely happy and incredibly attached to the one she pulled to the point she was happy to put on the Lakers wear on him because it's Kobe Bryant's birthday. 

I think while they do like the thrill of a blind box, they love dressing up their Labubus more. 

FOMO is a real thing. Heck, I experienced things while in the pin community. I have to separate feelings of whether I truly want it or not. 

I grew up with Disney, yes, but I harbor zero feelings toward collecting Disney merch. Never mind that I'm pirating the shit out of their movies already, my pin collection leans more eclectic when it comes to Disney, and it's all fantasy because I refuse to funnel money into them....because my cousins are with their Disney+ accounts and I'd rather not. With modern Disney the way it is, there is no way I want my money to go back to them. 

I'm open to everything, but the movies I don't care for, such as obviously Frozen and Brave. I'm very strict when it comes to Disney designs, and I know when to cut my losses more easily than I do my other collections. With the Punzie I got, Pascal was part of the design, and with the Jasmine I'm getting, Rajah is also part of the design. My Cinderella collection will have more adaptations, considering one of my favorite books is Ella Enchanted and one of my comfort movies is Ever After. Godoka, how I love the Cinderella fairytale enough that I read every single variation I could get my hands on. I still haven't found the Brandy Cindy pin yet. 

Hype is really easy, too, especially in niche interests. 

For example, HSR is still immensely popular, with each update praised. ORV is getting popular by the moment at the time of writing. 

For example, dyed soft enamel pins have been extremely popular since Mamobot's Pokemallows made them. Even if you aren't collecting them, the interest in them has grown that other previous businesses have gotten some interest. To be fair, those are popular before the mallows but kept in their own original series rather than a popular IP like Pokémon. 

Stained glass pins are also popular. Cateye effect has some level of popularity at the time of writing. 

Tried and true effects like pearl and sandblast will always be popular. The issue is that people kept throwing the effects to see which works, and testing it out is just a circle. 

Still, when competitive drops for popular things get this much, it's enough to see people feeling the FOMO and those who really do collect and love the thing. 

I've been differentiating a lot of feelings, so I know of which thing I prioritize. Mamo's Pokemallows for instance, I've been prioritizing what I feel I need more than I want which is helpful when I'm collecting the normal versions of the Eevee Fusions with the Shinies being the bonus only while the Gardevoir Fashions rely on my fashion taste with the Shinies depending if I really like the coloring. I mean I finally got a Patreon exclusive after some months after the Shiny Jirachi, so there's that. I'm hardly that big of a fan, except if there's a Ditto Dragonair, then maybe I'll get it. It's still a Ditto just as a Dragonair. 

I have to set hard rules for myself. Compared to most people, what I spend is considerably less. Even though parents do judge, what I spend is less. Even in my worst months, it’s still not even touching the piles I've seen people spend on. 

There is no way to meet supply and demand, especially for a small business. I have to make hard decisions and focus on what I need. 

There are very few pin businesses that can be made a day job. Mamobot is definitely successful enough to have accessible pre-orders and to buy in large quantities. Nuwa certainly had not changed any of their practices either. From what I heard, Sugarbones is on this level. Witchxing and Abigeyedowl had not changed their practices either. 

For multiple reasons (full-time job, family, unable to expand without losing core aspects, mental health, time, etc), pin businesses have to do what is best with them. Small businesses that are utterly time-consuming, like pottery, have to do what is needed for the sake of the artist. 

I mean, I haven't bought anything from Nuwa aside from getting two pin club spots and a Disney Landscape that is entirely Patreon exclusive, I've just been supporting her every month with just three bucks. 

My brother supported some people through Patreon as well. For me, I have to be reasonable with whom I can support. Sure, I could be joining three or four clubs within a month to get a reward or to get access to a design. I just can’t join Mamo’s Twitch subscription for various reasons, be it time or simply that I can’t join a long-term subscription outside of the Patreon I’m already giving to him. I need to allow myself to support more than one creator in their clubs. Never mind that I can’t join Mamo's Pokemallow club, which was undergoing a test run. I know he's trying to move away from Patreon and has to make the difficult decision to discontinue a tier one day because of the tariffs. He's successful enough to still make bulk orders of pre-order, but he's still hit enough to cut down the pre-order deadline to a few days instead of a week. Nuwa is still doing a weeklong preorder because I have seen no change, no discussion with Patrons. I've been a longtime Patron since 2023 and only took a few physical reward slots. I mean, I was fortunate to have the Patreon tab still there for me to nab a Goddess Tier for the US Patrons before the entire tier sold out in a few weeks, I think. I was quick enough to nab Queen tier again for KPDH reward pins. 

I have to make important decisions regarding my budget. Regarding the Kpop Demon Hunter collection, I just reduced it. My other collections deserve more attention than something I'm happy with, just a few pins. It's teeny tiny, as I have stated before. I'd rather find that money for Meg x Herc Heart, which I don't think is even finished, considering she's been focusing a lot on new ship art like Captain Swan and Rujinu. She's very slow producing, never mind that what she puts out there creatively is very nice and immaculate. 

I have to be careful with PSS, too. I have to make the decision to not collect Anaxa outside of Minty. Only Aven and sometimes Sunday get the honor of having other collectors. I still need Kakavasha in my Aven collection. Kaveh gets that distinction more as I collect him more than even Childe, and I'm still waiting for the Childe Scrapbook. Usually, the yellow Pantone colors aren't my favorite colors, which is a funny thing because a majority of my collection are blondes with Aven, Kaveh, Rapunzel, and Cinderella and Kaveh has some greens too, another color I’m strict on. Then again, it's the same thing with green and Kaveh has a lot of greens. I saw Astral Gala Jupiter, and she looks so good with the peacock gown, and I almost want to put it on my impossible ISO list. Some black hair characters have Hotaru Tomoe and the ORV main characters, the majority of the time. Due to issues, it's just sad that I can't collect all the P4Ps out there. At least I got the P4P I wanted. 

I have to force myself into a mindset that I’m okay missing out on these because of budget reasons. If I want them, I have to delay getting them at presale. 

Unless it’s design(s) I’m utterly in love with and really cannot part with, I have to ponder if I really want it or not. 

Honestly, it’s easier to convince myself that I don't need to buy it because I don’t need it. It’s also easier to simply delete the tab if I'm not buying from that maker. 

I know my method isn't for everyone. 

Sometimes, a collection can be too much for people, and they are just buying their favorites. Anything that has a large cast or a monster selection will have this. For example, Mamo's Pokemallows are getting too much for me and certain people, hence favorites. Collecting every Sailor Scout is not plausible unless you are the person who has the money.  

It all depends on needs versus wants. Little trinkets bring little happiness. Heck, my AX haul still brings me happiness after the terrible week that happens after that. 

My pins are bringing me happiness. It's a luxury as much as any hobby is now. 

Even little trinkets that bring happiness are just a little luxury that not everyone can afford in this economy. I have to skip and make the decision not to buy other characters that I'm already collecting to some extent. It's better for my wallet and sanity that I just buy something that is within my collection. Even for most Disney now, it's a no-go with my budget and in general, and only going for those I truly want. 

It's better to cut back and be picky for budget's sake. 

FOMO shouldn't be the thing. Anything that is popular shouldn't peer-pressure anyone into collecting. 

It's okay to go with trends, but for the love of Godoka, please pull back and examine yourself. 

Scalpers cannot be convinced of their own bad behavior, disrupting collecting habits and trying to make money off it. However, if the businesses produce more, scalpers have less reason to sell off at a high price, which is generally undesirable for anyone. 

I really do like some cards and figures I have seen, but it's better for my sanity that I stick with pins for now. There are designs I've been wanting, so that's a priority. I choose designs that I know make me happy. 

AI ‘Art'

 

AI ‘art' isn't real art. There is no humanity in it, no slight imperfection or emotion, just robots stealing from artists everywhere. 

Art is something to be learned with patience. Why use AI when you can use your fucking imagination to make the cinema in your brain work even if you can't make it to the paper or tablet? 

I always have fun imagining scenes in my head as I read. I also have fun 

AI bro logic is insane. How is putting in the work and developing your art through learning is being ‘lazy’ and not being ‘real workers’ when mashing a myriad of art from a prompt that spits out in seconds makes them ‘artists’? There is so much projection there, it’s sad. 

So what if your first attempt is bad? It’s not perfect, but it’s yours. 

There is no such thing as imagination, apparently. People using AI want immediate results rather than working hard for the creative process. It’s really bad to use it for basic fandom things. Come on, use your mind as a theater once more than expecting immediate results from a computer. 

These AI guys are the ones trying to prove something to actual artists that they are artists who could ‘produce’ art within seconds. It’s never more embarrassing to see these guys try to act like they are artists. 

The rise of anti-intellectualism, lack of media literacy, isolation, hyper individualism to the point of lacking community, are just many of the things the far right conservatives wielded as a weapon in their utter ignorance and incompetence to walk back centuries of progress and move forward to the future. Every day, it feels like we are going back to the era of kings and peasants thrown into so many wars. 

What AI is being fed and spitting out information. All the AI 'artists' want is so their 'art' to be drawn from the pool of actual artists. 

They think they are actual artists when one of the analogies was that they are basically ordering from a list of available add-ons to a burger. Sure, they can add extra pickles or leave out the mayo, but you're not actually cooking it. 

You are not suddenly a five-star chef just because you order from a fast food joint. 

Shadiversity is so embarrassing for insisting that he's a great artist when professional artists don't even do that. 

For fuck's sake, seriously, even though I knew my drawing is shit as I come to prefer traditonal art over digital art at least in my domain, when I sketch out my Rapunzel fairytale canvas board on a piece of paper, that's me and no one's else. 

God, it was easy enough to draft it with the basics. I know I would eventually paint it on canvas for my pinboard. Honestly, the most challenging is the rampions and especially the Sundrop rampion because I do need some Tangled motifs in there, as the general Rapunzel board is supposed to be. Still unsure how I'm going to add a forest or even if I want to add lanterns and turn it into a night scene. I still want to add the Corona insignia but also the sun, so... I think I’ll stick with sunny skies because if I were to get the lanterns, it’s either part of the pin or a filler I like. I mean, I could make a single flying lantern, but again, a night sky. Have no idea how to implement Barbie Rapunzel ideas on there but I'm considering a silver paintbrush. 

There is a thought process because I want to honor the Rapunzel retellings, but at the moment, I am unsure how big I want the canvas and how many pins I'm gonna pin on it since I didn't intend to collect Rapunzel pins, but here I am. I, however, am restricting myself to open pre-orders and LE pre-orders going to Silvy.

The issue is that I know what I’m doing with my Rapunzel pins. When I tried to sketch out Cinderella, it was simply not satisfying, so I have no clue what I'm going to do with my Cinderella pins. 

I still am unsure how to display my Aven and Kaveh pins as well. Starting an unwitting Rapunzel collection and knowing how to display it first is just bad. I'm slowing down on Pokemallows and focusing on the Fashion Gardes and Eevee Fusions. Again, I don't know how to display those. 

I have even more of an idea how to display my fucking Kpop Demon Hunter pins than I do my favorite character pins. At least I have an idea about ORV with book pages as an idea. 

I'm not write down a fucking prompt and allowing of what my imagination comes to. 

Like most people, my art was not that good when I was a child. It has gotten to the point of taking any passion out of it, outside of writing. Sure, I'm still a suffering writer suffering from an eternal writer's block, but at least it's my imagination writing scenes and playing house with my ships as dolls. 

Art is incredibly accessible. The thing is that art is an ever-developing journey. There will be places where there is doubt. However, the thing is to learn and grow. Art is not this lucky thing granted to a few. What looks like talent to others is something they love and continue to love and learn. 

The artists I buy from practiced really hard to make it where they are. Fuck, it's fun to see how their art evolves through consecutive collections. I mean Mamo's wave 1 of Pokemallows compared to whatever wave that had been released. Look at Nuwa from when she started out to now. She worked damn hard to get the landscapes to eventually the puzzle pieces she's working on as a new series. It's gratifying to watch. 

I loved seeing the gratification of hard work and learning to create more art that speaks to them and to so many of their fans. I fucking loved Mamo and Nuwa at Artist Alley last summer. I cannot wait to meet them again next year. Maybe this time I’ll gather up courage to actually talk to Witchxing’s artist this time. 

Don't any of the AI bros want that? The hard work and the creation of developing something over a long period? 

To see their art style of whatever they are thinking of comes to life through practice and discipline developed over the years...

Obviously not when we're here now with these AI bros insisting they're artists, refusing to do the dirty work of actually practicing and discipling themselves over a period. 

AI is apparently the shortcut towards everything, including education. But when I have to fear future doctors and lawyers' knowledge on practical and critical matters when they knowingly use AI? 

It's all about the instant results, not the work to get to it. 

These guys calling themselves artists aren't artists. They are scammers who think they can actually make it in the art world, who let them in and display their 'masterpieces' to the public when their pieces aren't even good or passionate. It's downright embarrassing to see art galleries defend AI 'art'. To them, even welcoming, it's money. 

Seriously, a French AI 'artist's 'art' about New York is just unfailingly awful because they don't even get New York's popular foods, actual popular foods. Tiger and Bunny get that right more because Kotetsu's favorite foods includes pizza and hot dogs! We see the duo and their friends actually going out to get hot dogs! 

Even when I'm not following AI 'art' accounts, AI 'art' still pops up in my feed on Instagram, which isn't my following account. It's pretty bad that I can't block it as easily as I do on Tumblr or Ko-Fi, where I can just follow accounts and not expect to see AI 'art' anywhere. Heck, I easily block out the tag of ai art. 

I scream internally just seeing misinformation just on Tiger and Bunny AI overview. Yes, Kotetsu loves hot dogs, pizza, and fried rice but Barnaby’s sponsor definitely didn’t include or exclusively Pepsi Nex! You would think Blue Rose seen with only sole sponsors and Barnaby having fucking Bandai on his armor chest that AI would’ve guessed from photos. 

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom. Like the federal judges that stopped Trump’s unconstitutional efforts, laws, and huge corporations with massively popular IPs are taking aim at AI that dared to use their IP. 

Listen, Disney is a monster in so many ways, in just how much they consume and destroy, and how much they create with their art. Their LGBT rep is slim to none and getting closer to none by the passing second due to the extremely conservative environment, but again, I'd rather side with people who want my money rather than people who want me dead. 

Disney is in another dork era with failed movies under their belt that they are doing everything in their power for short term profit. 

AI needs to be regulated as it has so many concerns, and it is just bad for creativity and critical thinking. No shortcuts. 

Suppose people in the past have to suffer writing an essay at a shitty hour and using Wiki references at the far bottom of the page of the wiki. In that case, these people who wish to graduate should have the decency to realize that future work demands more than relying on AI. 

Seriously, I see AI ads for something that should have been done with a quick wiki search, or just seeing patterns in their loved one's behavior, or something as simple as what shop you went to. It's bad and just distressing to see how AI is advertised as something quick and easy when again Google search without the AI shit is still useful. Misinfo aside, AI should not be a shortcut for basics. 

It's not even useful that day when something as basic as getting the brain going for something as basic as the last shop or the last thing you did, or even something that could've been achieved with Google search. Though with Google search, please ignore the AI up top please, because they'll spread misinfo and just get the wrong info. 

It's always the tech corps and the tech bros spreading that AI is the dawn of a new era. Their marketing was enough to make those susceptible believe that it would be great, never mind the consequences. Godoka, there were stories in the Mamo Discord of many pin collectors' workplaces singing the praises of AI, heck, even their loved ones. 

It's bad enough in the group chat I have with my cousins, who have one cousin AI faces onto stuff, making things uncanny with another following. It clearly wasn't photoshopped, and it was just uncomfortable to sit through. At least it was just that conversation, and they didn't do it again. 

Can we just go back to photoshopping faces onto other stuff? Can we go back to Photoshop rather than relying on AI to do everything basic editing? 

I get why people are stressed about not getting a job after college, but for the love of Godoka, does that mean to sacrifice critical thinking and learning in general just because you couldn't score a job after college? No, media literacy is at a low time, and having that for necessary knowledge and practicals for future lawyers and doctors is just a no, thank you. We do not need more people who think they can skate by with AI. AI bros and their insistence that they are true artists is just one of the many examples. The fucking administration is using AI for everything even when it's clear AI fucked up everything with their incompetent hands. The tariff percentage is a result of AI, never mind that the administration does not take care to learn because they are anti-intellectual and anti-science. Republicans really pride themselves in their ignorance and conspiracy theories. 

Having an imcompetent yet cruel Trump adminsitration who obviously promised shit if you know common sense that Trump is nothing more than an amoral raving lunatic out only for himself and winning in the moment rather than thinking of the others. Unlike Disney, who at least wants my money and only leans hard onto anything that will make them money because even the slimmest of rep will get them money, Elon Musk has no such presumptions about presenting himself as one of the hateful human beings alive because Trump is up there, alright. Trump is going down in history as one of the worst, if not the most awful, POTUS ever due to his dictatorial behavior and doing every unconstitutional act ever. Our Founding Fathers would've hung him and would not have taken it lying down to have another king running them again in any capacity. 

Honestly, anybody then would’ve hung the entire administration. 

Going back to the topic of AI, I do want to point out a flaw in Answer in Progress' video. 

What Jess is doing is not the norm. What she is doing is ethical and uses the previous generation as a reference. 

It's disingenuous to not portray generative AI as something that isn't easily abused or stolen. Because, for the most part, it really is that when AI is used as a shortcut for everything from education to the joy of the creative process, even if that means blood, sweat, and tears but you are creating something of your own nonetheless. 

AI can have its purposes, but the issue remained that the artists of all sorts are getting dismissed and devalued over money because that's what AI has essentially determined these art forms as. 

The way society sees creative works and creativity in general is something that should be noticed, not when every artist is being tossed aside for money. 

Women in Fandom

There have always been women in fandom. In fact, I think they are often an indicator of taste. 

They are the first to know that the Beatles and Star Trek are good. Zines are created from them after all, as well as the Premise. 

However, no matter what women do, men come in and take the credit as if it’s them that made it credible. 

It’s obvious that creators like Steven Moffat are often disappointed by their female fans and do whatever it takes to be credible to their male peers. They don’t care that they are alienating female fans by playing with their hearts and crushing them. 

I have no clue why women are being hammered against now openly in anime spaces. Female fans have been a thing forever. 

Again, why the decrying now when women have always been shipping and creating fanfics and fanart in their own free time? 

Fuck, housewives are the reason why Star Trek gotten as big as it did even before the boys came in and took it as their boys' club. 

The backbone of so many fandoms is built on the backs of paying female fans with disposable income. 

So what if we squeal that was mistaken for hysteria? 

Hating everything that women like seems completely justified from the world's perspective. Anything girly has been justified, as seen with the case of Princess Tutu. 

Princess Tutu, an underrated series, is praised for all its storytelling, but all the praise seems to ignore that it's girly with the romances and pink. 

There is nothing wrong with a series intended for girls and consumed by women. 

There's a reason why people begged to give shoujo and josei a chance outside of shounen and seinen if they even know about it. Just because Shounen Jump is the biggest name out there doesn't mean that other names shouldn't be given a chance. 

Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice from her female lens. Mr Darcy is admired not because he's a man who was tall, dark, and handsome, he did the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, not to win Liz's heart. 

Women are allowed to do what is usually done in fandom before this. To say that women are ruining porno just because they are open with their fantasy porn likes is just stupid. 

I'll shield them than against someone who say they are ruining things just because of liking fantasy porn. 

I don't particularly care for the romantasy as it's called, but I will make this clear: I'd rather have these women have their fun. Just like many things, there is so much trash to go through to get to the gems. There are so many trash animanga that came out that when something becomes popular, it's usually for good reason or not. Sometimes the trash is so bad it's so good. 

TikTok is a messy place. There is some truth in badly written romances with all the tropes, but considering it's moreover a woman's hobby that has more backlash. 

There is so much generalization of what women like that, therefore, anything they like equals nothing good. 

Oh, wow, if this itches men, then about the smut in fanfiction spaces? I read fanfiction porn a lot with a stone face. if me reading porn with a stone face isn't enough, just the fact that women are getting off of fantasy porn is enough for them to say that they are ruining fantasy, never mind that these tropes have been a thing since forever and women are not ruining anything. 

Women are allowed to wear things that any character would wear as cosplay. This also puts into the thing that 'women should dress conservatively because wearing sexy means that men are allowed to sexually harass and assault them just for existing' when women wearing perfectly normal clothes have and will continue to have such horrific things to happen to them. 

These characters are written by a man or a team of men, so why blame women for wanting to cosplay these characters when they want to cosplay their faves? The obvious answer is misogyny. 

Misogyny means not acknowledging or learning fandom history and the place women have in general from all walks of life, of colors, and sexualities. 

Because, of course, fandom is a boys' space, never mind that women are the majority of it. 

Fuck, in the pin community I am in right now, there are more women than there are men. Though there are famous male pin collectors in the community, as I can tell from you. One always makes pintography for his pins. 

It's obvious that for these men, women shouldn't be involved in fandom because they aren't as conservative as they would like it even though fandom is ultimately a hobby space where people share in their love and joy in something they like. 

That's what fandom is all about in the end: sharing in the love of something and having the right to all these things. 

No gatekeeping shit. 

Avoid what you don't like and don't police others, especially women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and all the intersectionality there. 

Fandom has never been perfect. 

I am fully aware that the most popular ships are usually the white characters. Steddie, as much as I love them, gained more of a following than Jonathon and Argyle. Reylo is more popular than Finn x Poe. 

And that's just one example of the racism and misogyny in fandoms. 

We do not need all this BS. 

Fandoms are gaining momentum in the public eye, and being geeky about something isn't something to be bullied about anymore. You can be collecting TCG cards openly, and nobody is batting an eye. 

To deny fandom history and how it has now led to all this is just dismaying to witness. 

It's really a collision of the conservative values being more openly accepted and forced upon them when so many fought for their rights. They deserve to have a chance even when fascism looms over and destroys everything in their path, in their utter lack of creativity and joy, reveling in their hatred. 

Rare Pairs, Crack Ships, and the Joys of Small Fandoms

Honestly, this has none of the shipping rants I've done before. It has nothing to do with throwing a brick at stubborn people who are fundamentalist and conservative, whether they realize it or not. Because these young people literally don't know better than to try to prove themselves worthy of purity through purity culture, that is toxic to them and everyone. 

I mean, it's slightly up to a point. Antishippers would likely still not understand crack ships, and rare ships aren't ever on their radar. They are up on their asses about purity culture, failing to see they are spewing out rot that Christian conservatives spoke all the time about porn, especially LGBT, and sex. 

They don’t do shit about rare pairs because they live in the fridges of the fandom. Crack ships vary in popularity depending on the ship. 

Antishippers want everything to be pure without drama and pain to show they are good people. Crack ships are not just crossover ships but ships that again don’t have any bearing on each other. The characters could’ve died in separate times, and having never ever met, and still be called crack ships. The characters could’ve never met each other in their lives, and still viable because it’s fun. 

Shipping can be as easy as looking hot together, to wanting to scratch an itch on what was known about them, to develop the ship to pure character analysis through romance. All shippers do was watch their OTP fall in love again and again. I sigh with all the small gestures and care from every meaningful love they share, and falling in love. 

Ah, rare pairs, the ones that, of course, get the rare fanfics and fanart that barely last a page, two at best on AO3. 

The videos up there don't exactly display in some form my rare pairs: Akihiko x Minato from P3, Shirlulu from Code Geass, and Kyoraku x Aizen from Bleach. 

All of these convinced me from fanfiction, no less. Yes, fanfics on AO3 that barely took up two pages alone in their tags. 

It's hilarious since reading the fic that got me into Kyoraku x Aizen, the theory of the father-son just doesn't make sense. It makes sense at a surface level that doesn't require too much brain power. It's a theory that doesn't and does make sense, but considering Bleach has ended, I'm happy to have any theories with Aizen's Bankai than any of this. Fuck, Kyoraku is a better match for Aizen than anyone could expect. That is something Aizen's personal enemies like Urahara, Yoruichi, Visords, and Yhwach didn't see coming: that there is a romantic match for Aizen out there in the world that he would happily go into the institution of marriage just so he can finally have him officially as his husband. 

Kyoraku is laidback, but he hides his competence behind an effective facade. Aizen likewise has a facade of calmness and affability, but make no mistake that underneath it all hides someone who distanced himself from his own humanity to the point that he achieved his goal of immortality. His true personality is a fiery and passionate control freak who has issues three times the size of the afterlife with his emotions, including his pride and bonds in general, due to his sheer independence and feeling he should do things alone, and zero troubles with committing atrocities for his outcome. 

Shinji and Kisuke, as much as Aizen admits Kisuke's wit and smarts are equal to his, have too much baggage (normally, I like baggage in ships, but I never shipped Aizen with these guys, even when I was watching and reading Bleach; something about these guys didn't call to me. Notably, UraAi also counts as a rare pair, considering it's 128 fics on AO3, but we still have more than the 31 for KyoAi. I believe the most popular Aizen pairings are either with Ichigo or with Gin, which is more power to those shippers.) and clashing personalities. Aizen needs someone laidback and calming, whereas Kyoraku needs someone fiery and unpredictable. Kyōraku and Aizen felt more plausible. 

Again, this is fanfiction. We can get any pairing we want as long as we write it right. Aizen is a difficult character to write. I simply want Aizen to drop his mask and involve himself more on an emotional level that he couldn’t comprehend. 

Like I said, I do have my preferences, but I don’t ship all of them. If I could find THE Seishiro x Subaru pin for my OTP board, I’m gonna be so happy. It’s the ship that got everything going, so I have to find a pin for that. If a ship calls to me, it comes to me. I wouldn’t be a Dabihawks shipper had it not been for the warehouse meeting after the Nomu fight. 

Getting convinced on a ship through fanworks is no easy task. Like most things, you have to get through the trash to get the gems. Believe it or not, not everyone will be swayed. 

Even today, people stubbornly hold onto popular fanon beliefs that clash or negate the canon. Canon is not the end-all, but for the love of Arceus, there should be a balance, as well as the knowledge that canon has its place and basis in the fandom. 

Sometimes, fanon simply isn't enough or is so pervasive that it damages the actual intent. Fanon Tim Drake doesn't come close to the crazy canon Tim Drake is capable of. Heck, even adaptations don’t even come close to the insanity YJ98 is capable of. Give me my teens with no adult supervision. Even Red Tornado went along with it. 

Rare pairs are exactly that. They have so few crumbs in fanworks that people do it themselves. I’m pretty sure that in one fandom, can’t remember what it was, there was one writer who basically wrote all the fanfics for the rare pair and it’s amazing dedication for such few people but awesome for the love poured into it. 

Heck, there was one Dabihawks writer who was outright surprised by the reception of her Dbhks fics when she wrote for rare pairs before writing for a popular ship. 

I’m not even sure that Kyoraku x Aizen counts as crack shipping when the father-son theory isn't even that pervasive enough to be fanon. I saw YouTube Shorts (I did not actually watch them, but the theory is spelled out by the title), but it's certainly not enough to be a popular theory. Seriously, I've seen more theories that became so pervasive that it became fanon, such as what happened with so many things I'm not a fan of. Even Dabihawks was once a crackship for no other reason than they look hot together as nobody at the time would think of Hawks meeting Dabi as his contact for infiltration or that Hawks would be a spy at all. 

KyoAi counts as a rare ship primarily because of the TYBW arc, where we see them interact at a certain level. Those are crumbs that a shipper can extrapolate and build upon. I mean that aforementioned theory is well known, but that has been called into question, not helped that we know nothing of Aizen’s mysterious past. They have chemistry there that is tantalizing now that I see it. 

Unfortunately, it’s rare. At least ShirLulu has close to 90, but I’m also adding where the ship is included in some capacity. It is not at the crush level, but Lelouch actually sees Shirley as a love interest and pursues her. As for KyoAi, even with the fanfic series I’m into (it would definitely have multiple arcs which include the relationship landmarks for KyoAi, including their daughter's first birthday and their wedding, possibly) wouldn’t even scratch 50. We haven’t reached the canon arcs yet, so until we reach the drama of the canon arcs, the fic will remain in Marked For Later till further reading; honestly, I do look forward to the Zanpakuto Spirit filler arc because that's the most salivating considering Aizen's character development and relationships with others. Akimina is so close to 200, but it's still a rare pair that isn't getting any names on par with SatoSugu or at the very least MiyuSawa. 

The popular ships will always get regular updates on their tags, food everywhere for everyone, sharing in the love of the ship. I know this so well. 

The rare ships, on the other hand, have crumbs, if even that. I also know this. 

Crack ships have zero crumbs, and they go off based on imagination. At least that's a fun place to be. I think the crack ship I am fond of is Jim Hawkins x Melody, the crossover ship from two Disney films, Treasure Planet and TLM2. 

Unfortunately, the one that people would remember the most is Jelsa. I'm decidedly not a Jelsa fan, never mind the fact that I'm not a Frozen fan. I believe the popular one now at the time of writing is Cinderella x Sukuna??? I mean power to them. I don’t particularly care for Disney ships that much or JJK outside of some in that series but more power to the shippers, go and ship to your heart’s content. Outside of confusion upon seeing their sudden art, I just shrugged and moved on with my tasks. I see no reason why I should have an opinion on a measly ship, nor would anyone else, except apparently antishippers who cannot see reason. Even non-seasoned shippers shouldn’t be expected to give opinions on every damn ship in a fandom. I don’t have the time to give a blog post the time and dedication to every ship in a fandom. I don’t think I can make a tier on that level. I care so little about that, I’d rather focus on better stuff than that. Unless a ship caught my interest, I usually don’t care much. I’ve been focusing more on story potential than shipping, which is just a bonus if I love the ship. 

And I still don’t think anyone outside of those who understand fandom gets it. If they cannot understand even a basic ship like Sterek, they are not surviving. 

By AO3 fics from lowest to highest, it's KyoAi, Shirlulu, and Akimina in that order in terms of my rare pairs. 

I should note the caveat that it depends on the size of the fandom, too. Akimina is definitely a rare pair in an extremely popular fandom. Bleach, too, is extremely popular, and we can definitely say KyoAi is a rare pair, never mind that the fics aren’t approaching 40 fics anytime soon. 

It’s just that the rare pair, as it often does, make us feel like Charlie with his Pepe Silvia rant. I'm picking at the crumbs like a bird and trying my best with the fics and fanart I do have. All rare pairs shippers have to deal with that. While they do have the benefit of having fun, the fact is that it's not popular enough. 

Even in rare pair fandoms, there'll be famous fics and authors that are only known to the fandom. Some are the result of one being there to write them, and couldn't draw them. I admire the dedication of rare pair writers, where they are truly the ones baking the bread to the hungry small base or no base at all, considering some I've seen are on a canoe or a paddle boat alone in a lake. 

Non-seasoned shippers or worse normies wouldn’t understand the difference between a popular ship to an actual crack ship. Seriously, the answers of Sterek, Zutara, and Wincest show that these normies wouldn’t survive mild weather in summer fandom. Seriously, here I am knowing the popular ships, and they see it as crack ships. By Arceus, at worst, they don’t see shipping as fun but as some sort of lab experiment for research from the outside. 

Ships certainly aren’t the be-all end-all of fandom. Again, shipping can happen for various reasons, but seeking validation from the creators isn’t the way to go. Shipping is fun. 

To devolve a piece of entertainment to shipping is pretty sad. Given how focused I am on stories, it's a given that I would love them and their themes. 

Fandom is about a community brought together by a piece of media one loves and shares. Shipping is just one part, but it shouldn’t take over as much as one seeks validation for their headcanons that somehow in their mind overtook canon. Seriously, I see people decry canon just because their headcanon isn’t canon, instead of either ignoring it or accepting it and evolving their headcanon, they decide that it doesn't make sense with their fanon. 

It’s not substituting with interesting ideas, but rather forcing in where it shouldn’t with no balance or effort to understand to be transformative. 

I hardly ship anything nowadays unless it’s within my purview, does it shoot up, such as Joongdok. Look at me watching Bleach and you hardly see me ship anymore than Death Strawberry and KyoAi. I certainly don’t need canon validation. You can just write the damn thing. 

I feel off recommending rare pair fics since all writers from rare pairs are trying their best to feed their small, hungry base, but at the same time, they are so small and deserve all the support they need. If I could convince you to ship them through these fics that did to me, then here's to hoping that you can enjoy them. I think I'll be better off recommending the fics that got me shipping them and the fic I'm currently reading. For KyoAi, it's an ongoing series. 

Besides, getting into rare pairs or small fandoms will humble people who had spent time in popular fandoms. There is nothing more humbling than just having a small group discussing and making fanart and fics for the series with all the passion and love, without all the drama of a huge fandom that you feel people visibly spend time on. Yeah, all fandoms have their disagreements, but since it’s small, they have to acquiesce. 

The Galavant and Schmiga-(doon/go) series is this for me. Nothing is more than sharing in the love of the musical comedy series that is cut too soon. Not even Crazy Ex-Girlfriend could've saved them even though I love CEG too. However, it doesn't help that people barely know that those series existed in the first place. I knew that it existed from YT ads. I mean, even Blue Flag is unlikely to get an anime adaptation because of its LGBT roots, but it's still a small fanbase. The fics in total at AO3 are 70. Galavant on AO3 has 321 fics. 

Even with Daiya no Ace and KHR, both reasonably sized fandoms, are considered medium-sized by comparison to truly larger fanbases. MiyuSawa is without a doubt a very popular ship, but by comparison to even the most popular influential ships or ships that people at least heard of, Daiya no Ace ships aren't that widespread by comparison. 

On a side note, since I'm not gonna find pins on the smaller fandoms I'm in (I already accepting I won't find any pins from them the moment I was putting down a list of potential collections and they were an immediate no), I am forced to find separate pins for KyoAi if I want them to be on my OTP board. But for now, Seishirou x Subaru is the foremost one primarily because I can put that collection in the backburner and that would be hardest to find, so I guess I could find others, but definitely not my rare pairs at the moment because I don't have money for two pins. I paused my Cinderella collection until I got Abigeyedowl Ever After Heart first before getting original/adaptations. I would love Abigeyedowl's Cinderella 2015 if they ever consider making it because I need something to represent that. 

What shines doesn’t always need to be seen by Nai_asobrab:

Reborn from the Shadows: Aizen's true motivation was absolute control. Having power was not enough; it was essential to shape beings, manipulate lives, to create something that was entirely a product of his own will.

Yet, as his cold eyes observed her, a shadow of disappointment clouded his thoughts. She was not perfect.

"No... not perfect," he thought, a silent whisper laced with subtle bitterness. Hinamori had indeed been shaped, but not from the beginning. Her mind and heart had already been touched before he intervened, formed by other hands. She was an incomplete vessel, a useful tool, but limited.

Perfection... True perfection would be something he had crafted from birth, something pure and malleable, like clay in the hands of a sculptor. A life that he could shape in every detail, free from external influences, without prior marks. A life that existed solely to serve his design, breathing only to fulfill his will.

A child.

Twilight of Truths: Aizen Sousuke sat on the engawa of the Eighth Division’s traditional house, watching the garden bathed in pale afternoon light. Nearby, Sayuri played on a mat, laughing as Shunsui entertained her with clumsy but charming fan tricks. To anyone looking, the scene was idyllic—the picture of a harmonious family. Yet, within Aizen’s mind lingered a restless void.

He had always had plans, intricate schemes that bent situations and people to his will. Even in chaos, he thrived on direction, on the clarity of his goals. Now, for the first time, he found himself adrift and unanchored.

Now, he lived on autopilot: caring for Sayuri, addressing trivial matters with Shunsui, and occasionally advising his companions. But beneath it all, he felt like an actor reciting lines he hadn’t written.

"Is this what normal people do?" he murmured, gazing at the sun’s reflection in the calm garden pond. "Do they simply... exist? No plans, no goals, just moving moment to moment?" 

Mini-Review: I'll probably put this in another fic recs alongside my other OTPs, but considering this is focused on long-time OTPs, this rare pair fic recs still count as the same, even if they are only one fic out of everything. Given the small base, I believe anyone can jump in and consume the limited food we even got in the first place. 

It's still ongoing and very long, considering it will tackle arcs way later in the series. Also, whatever theories I said are on a previous post I made, so I won't do it here. I barely said what I liked about the fic. 

If you know my preferences, you know why this fic made Shunsui Kyoraku and Aizen a compelling ship. I'm hardly a friends-to-lovers type, hence why I'm not all over those types, even though some ships could be called friends-to-lovers that I do ship, even though there are several factors I don't count them. 

Technically, this could be called a work military romance, with both of them as captains, one of them more technically high-ranking due to him being the choice of the new head of the whole military. Heck, Aizen didn't even choose him because he was the next Commander, or because he could use that inner circle to his advantage. He realized it afterward, but I do think by then, he had fallen hard for Shunsui. 

Shunsui might not be as crazy intelligent as he, Urahara, and Mayuri, but he's intelligent and perceptive enough to impress with their verbal sparring, giving him a challenge. He recognized that Shunsui hides behind such an effective mask that it starts to affect him. Their chemistry is really good as a result of Shunsui giving Aizen both the challenge and the love he longed for. Shunsui could get under his skin that Urahara cannot do in those terms of closeness. 

Urahara is always adaptive to these plans because his chess game with Aizen is complicated now, particularly since Aizen became Shunsui's husband. Even if he is essentially demoted to Vice Captain, he still has major influence as the future Commander's husband. Ironically, it's better and easier to convince Shunsui of anything lax than his husband, who is learning to relax and take things slow. 

A major part of it was a character-centric approach based around his relationships with others and his character development with major therapy and friendship. 

And it's not just Aizen. It's Momo, Shuhei, and anyone who has a chance of getting character development. 

It’s like Icarus’ Dilemma, where characters get character development and their paths change as a result of a character getting what they needed. 

Yes, it’s Mpreg, but that only sets the stage where Aizen gets the love, friendship, and therapy he needs. Sayuri is her own character, growing throughout the story since her conception. 

Given the expansion of the whole series including some fillers, I'm considering to build a progress review of it. 

New Game+ by EmpyrealFantasy: Given a chance to start all over again, will Minato be able to make a difference in his future?

[When you start a New Game+, you retain your levels, your inventory, and the items that you get from maxed Social Links. This stands to reason that the memory would remain for the MC as well. What if gameplay wasn't linear…? An exploration of what a New Game+ could really mean.]

Review: This is the fic that got me into the ship. I read the FF.Net first version before the AO3 edition added new stuff. 

Our protagonist and Akihiko had been distant. Friends as we can say hang out together with the rest of the group but never quite alone. Reload fixed that but obviously not enough to get the ship out of rare pair. Shinjiro x Kotone is still far more popular. 

I don’t quite put down my finger why exactly I love it and why it started my love for the ship, but the chemistry of the two, as well as what Akihiko does, was so amazing. The path in which we see the characters change from canon allowed for such good. 

I think that it has well-written changes as well as the development of the main pair vibed with me so well, it remained a favorite.