Luca as a film is just okay. It's more chill than others. Perhaps this is leftover from my previous experience with Pixar, the villain is usually a foil and mirror of the protagonist. Look at Up as a prime example. TS3's Lotto is more like Jessie's mirror than Woody's. This movie didn't have that mirror character to show that what if.
Luca is basically a kind of loosely based on a director's childhood slightly. That’s the inspiration.
It’s because it’s kids for kids and on top of it Disney is what makes all of this.
I really doubt Disney would be fine with queer content nowadays. They’re fine with the fanfare of first gays and shots of gay kisses but not actual exploration or just having good stories with queer characters but their queerness doesn’t define them entirely; Owl House, Heartstopper, and OFMD are some of the recent examples here. Except Owl House got canceled and the new animated film Strange World has a gay protagonist yet there is no promotion in the likes of the previous Disney films, particularly the white ones or the Lin-Manuel ones. Raya is just there and my Vietnamese is really hearing many things about beautiful leaf or shoes; Vietnamese is a tonal language and I’m better at listening so I’m just…what are they saying because it sounds like it could mean many things?! I’m sorry but as much as I am a queer Viet, I’m just unable to let go of the tonal use in that pet name I guess.
It just happens that the LGBT community sees their queer experiences.
That’s understandable and allowed. When the LGBT community doesn’t have enough mainstream material for themselves to see in, they have queer readings and that’s all they got. In the west, it often leads to backlash because ‘kids can’t be queer!’.
Queer readings are allowed. To disallow and worse demonize such readings is homophobic.
A queer reading does not take away from the story and its themes. The LGBT knows that.
Intersectionality is there. For fuck's sake, to deny queer people don't exist everywhere else that is not white makes me question your sanity.
For the love of Godoka, I am an autistic Demi Bi naturalized Vietnamese American citizen.
Queer non-neurotypical people of color do exist.
This isn't fucking sexualizing these kids. Not only does it reinforce that kids are 'too young' for queerness but also queerness equates to sex.
No, just no.
Kids are allowed to be queer. They should allow to be themselves.
The LGBT is not just sexual but also includes kids just discovering themselves. Because even when the LGBT community isn't all rainbows and unicorns on its own, it's about allowing kids to discover themselves.
Just because the LGBT pride events are sex-positive doesn't mean that we would force other people to participate like that. Asexuality and the gray spectrum exist! Ace people do have sex! It just depends on the person.
Sexuality is not inherently about sex. Spectrum and it’s not like people wear the same flags throughout their whole life.
Let me tell you what happened to me.
When I was in elementary school where I met my childhood friends, whether or not I realized it, I started to crush on some of my friends. Just a crush, not a sexual thought ever entered my mind just to be clear because I was just a kid. I just thought 'she's so smart! She looks cute...'.
I didn't know what to think about why I thought my friends were cute. From 4-6th grades, I definitely knew there was something I couldn't land a finger on.
When I was 12 or 13 but definitely leaning toward 12, I discovered fanfiction on FF.Net and it was like a pandora's box for me. I was smart enough to see lemon and lime are things that just aren't on my radar. I remember leaning toward the mxm ships but not quite as much as I did once I dove into fandom.
Fandom was definitely a safe place for me to explore. Anime definitely helped me as I was discovering that I can like girls and it’s okay.
In middle school, I started to have concrete reasoning for why I felt this way. I met more people and definitely think more girls and guys are cute. When my parents signed me up for an after-school tutoring center, there I met more people. Around this time, I had begun to read mature fics but not quite smut. I was in FF.Net then still but won't move to AO3 until the tail end of high school.
It was in high school that I started to define myself as bisexual. There was this one guy and several girls that I found attractive at my after-school tutoring. I went full smut fanfiction once I hit high school. Actually, now that I think about it, Risa Niigaki who played the Prince in the Morning Musume and Takarazuka Revue had a part too.
I didn’t discover myself to be Demi until college. When I looked back on everything when paired with my bisexuality, it was like a lightbulb. I felt comfortable saying I’m Demi because I feel it makes the most sense.
See, even as young as elementary school age, I was discovering who I like. I remember not being into that many people so it was enough for me to look back and see myself as a demi. Especially considering I developed crushes on people I know rather than having a dreamy crush on someone out of reach. I can see they are attractive but it's not enough for me to develop stronger feelings.
Queer headcanons are fine. It does little to hurt the story; what does hurt if it has stereotypes. The best I have seen from queer headcanons that don’t stereotype is whether or not it’s a heterosexual explanation for that. Seriously for friendship-based stories, it’s all fine.
For the love of Godoka, it’s fine if you don’t ship Luca x Alberto. For queer kids, it’s great to be seen. Perhaps if I was younger, I would’ve connected to the ship better as I did slowly discover myself. Shipping is not activism; you are not homophobic for not shipping something gay or for not seeing the subtext. I’m mostly eh with this ship in particular but that does not negate me, especially as a Demi bi.
All the LGBT fanbase wants to have their queer reading seen alongside the male friendship that others see. While the LGBT fanbase can be pushy though not with good reason considering that just nowadays western homophobia is refused to be acknowledged with a queer content cut left and right in streaming services, at the end of the day, they just want their queer kids and the queer reading to be seen.
It’s not horrible. What is harmful is if a headcanon overtakes the text.
I have seen this even in innocuous textual readings. Just don’t let headcanons overtake the text instead layer the headcanon onto the text if it doesn’t oppose the text. It can coexist that way. A headcanon is a coexisting layer of canon that is not denied in canon; going against canon is not what a headcanon is supposed to be.
Oh, I have queer headcanons then and I still do now.
Dabihawks, my OTP of MHA, is demi homo. Demi for each other only while homo as they previously have sex with other men prior to meeting each other.
Spinneraki, my second big ship of MHA, is demi for each other. Spinner made a convincing argument for himself in the MVA arc.
The Todosibs are queer and funnily enough furries. Fuyumi is a lesbian who dates and later marries Rumi AKA Miruko. Natsuo is bisexual and dates his mouse girlfriend. Shouto is poly and dating two men including having other people in the poly.
If you want Disney hcs, let's go!
I see Bruno Madrigal as an ace demi. Barring his powers that destroyed his romantic prospects within the town, I just don't see him as a gay man. He seems more ace to me. I repeat this is just me. You can have your gay Bruno, ya know, heck I read gay Bruno. This is just a hc. I don't mind seeing older gays because OFMD means everything to me. It's just how I see it and it's fine. It's a headcanon that coexists with canon.
I do see Isabella as a lesbian though. She's definitely a lesbian in my mind. I enjoy reading lesbian Isabella.
I do love queer hcs, especially in the ace spectrum and pan. Very rare I see demi characters because I’m Demi and I want rep damn it.
Let’s go to sports animanga hcs.
Kageyama Tobio is Demi ace. He doesn’t mind sex but he doesn’t think much of it either.
Hinata Shouyo is ace pan. Sex isn’t in his mind either but he can have sexual thoughts and get off on it. Volleyball is still on his mind but at least he knows sex intimately more than Kageyama.
Reki is Demi bi. He’s attracted to women certainly but with Langa, it’s like everything though his self-esteem issues don’t help.
Langa is Demi homo. Like Dabihawks who are Demi for each other only, Langa is attracted to Reki exclusively. Langa is not straight which I’m pretty sure everyone agreed on. He definitely thinks of sex with Reki only; he’s definitely the horny one of the two while Reki is the dominant one in the bed.
See, everything’s fine.
These sexuality headcanons are headcanons. They coexist alongside canon.
Saying these LGBT headcanons shouldn’t exist is bad, especially for working with BIPOC characters.
That is… I’m beyond angry because I’m a queer Vietnamese American and I know Vietnam has a large LGBT community. To say they don’t exist is making me see red. I know there are queer people in SEA and the global south and East Asia.
Because Japan has queer and BIPOC characters appear in their works are seen as some instead of seeing it as trying to tell a story as opposed to the mixed things we get here in the West. It’s as if Japan doesn’t have its own issues with LGBT and feminism; just to be clear, Japanese feminism is different from western feminism.
It’s not as if Korea doesn’t have a backlash against feminism right now with the incels. Oh, it’s not like antiblackness doesn’t exist considering Krap and Kpop appropriate black music all the time without giving them due credit.
Western homophobia exists. As it always does. Stop using Asia as a shield when fucking Disney nowadays kowtowed to laws that hurt queer people. Transphobia is overt but homophobia still exists obviously.
Oh, how backward the East is when the West is so forward.
Wow, I thought people wouldn’t care about the Disney live-action remakes considering the track record. Yet here we are now with the first peek of the movie. Bashing a black mermaid as if they can’t possibly exist is racist; that’s all there to it. A black mermaid is the least of the worries.
I honestly worry about what they are gonna do. Lots of the live action are turning out like the Disney DTD sequels but at least those know what they are. The live-action spent too much time correcting than actually telling a good story. The ones that survived are Cinderella and maybe 101 Dalmatians and maybe Cruella. Lion King and Beauty and the Beast do not count as they only won by name power, not of their own merit. The latter’s director is in charge of the TLM live-action so it’s obvious he was given the job because of BATB’s success.
At least we won’t see black pain in the TLM remake.
Black pain is already enough in media, we need black joy; we can acknowledge the generational trauma nor should we forget but there’s so much black pain that I want to see happiness. No historical revisionism can be malicious. Acknowledging the heroes and victims and telling their stories are one thing but it shouldn’t be the consistent thing I see in mainstream Black films. I want fun and I know good films are bubbling. Nope is great as per usual from Peele. Like, you can do social commentary intelligently but it shouldn’t just be slaves and lynching. I want romcoms and other good movies.
The West with the GOP’s regressive and power-hungry selfish fascist ways is obvious with a few sane republicans. I’m none too happy to see my brother listen to Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson; I listened to them a few times and the feelings I get were uneasiness and not wanting to listen to them for any longer than I should have to. If I were to listen to them, I’ll rather have someone suffer through them and deconstruct them.
It’s not as if Disney would raise a voice now to help the queer community even though they’ll happily up the prices of rainbow merch. I'm not buying LGBT shit from them, only from LGBT creators.
I'm going to stop talking about this now. I'm getting way off-topic.
But you get the point, don't you? About what was said before the rant?
Let me make this clear: gossip is gossip. It's natural for gossip to happen, y'know, particularly when it's messy. Don't be so far up your own ass that you can't discuss this because people are hurting right now. You aren't any better. By the by, you can keep up with current news and gossip; it doesn’t have to be one or the other.
It’s gossip to us but the guys and their family and friends are experiencing a volatile traumatic event.
I was so shocked at the news.
Seriously, the first thing I knew about this mess was a meme about Ned and Mulaney's Wife Guys' image being damaged because they cheated.
I didn't want to believe it at first. Because this is Ned, the guy who professed his love for his wife constantly. It's not like the internet has any reason to believe otherwise because the Try Guys are trying to be genuine, especially with their recent output.
Now with the confirmations, it's throwing those who grew up with Buzzfeed off for a loop. Well, excluding ex-Buzzfeed employees who are either not surprised or have suspected.
I was thrown for a loop.
For a little history, I first saw Try Guys around the time they were leaving. No video about the new business, just around the tail end as I do recall watching the Las Vegas Bachelor Party video a lot. Before that video about launching the new business launched, I was consuming a lot of their material. I was definitely there when their first new Try Guys video dropped that was not the business venture video.
While Eugene is my favorite, I found Ned likable, or at least his public persona. This fratty white man who understands their privilege and goes out of his way to be progressive and nontoxic seems good. Because Keith is the theatre kid while Zach is the shy kid who failed everything while Eugene is queer who had to perfect everything just to be accepted.
Before the scandal broke, I initially thought Ned took a backseat because he got other things conflicting with the Try Guys. It’s how Eugene did so and later explained in his Insta story. Not once did this ever crossed my mind.
I have seen the guys as groomsmen for Keith’s wedding; Eugene babysitting Ned’s kid along with TikToks of the guys playing with the kids; Ariel designing the two offices; the guys building the business from the ground up with Ned and Ariel pulling a second mortgage for the business while Ariel was pregnant with Wes; that Zach was planning to have the rest of the guys as groomsmen for his wedding and YB planned to invite Ned and Alex to her wedding; that Eugene came out and a strong advocate for intersectional inclusivity; that Becky and Keith are planning a family… The guys are a family in a way I know this to be true.
These people are best friends and brothers with their partners as best friends on top of it. They know each other for so long that being blindsided by this betrayal is traumatic as being constantly reminded of the reduction in the severity of the scandal.
To say they knew the entire time means that the partners would’ve known and the partners’ reactions would see more people fired than just that one boss. I find it disingenuous to label all of them as bad people simply because the ex-BF employees said so; just because those people saw it doesn’t mean other people saw it too.
I saw their videos on and off then and there but I will always call myself a Buzzfeed Worth It fan more than a Try Guys fan. It was perhaps seeing Asian guys at the forefront that made me attached to Try Guys and Worth It with Eugene Lee Yang and Steven Lim because it's honestly hard to see Asian actors that aren't subbed or have to prove themselves better to even be seen and even then that's not enough. I'm subscribed to Watcher and About To Eat but I'm not subscribed to Try Guys. I'm an avid Safiya Nygaard viewer.
Listen, I don't give a crap about the parasocial relationships, entitlement, and 'why would people care so much about this-' when that's not the point. Gossip and community are a thing. Not to mention it doesn't make you look any better as fans.
It's natural curiosity considering how the rumors, the implications, and everything went downhill since the reveal but this is Ned, the guy who builds up his image based on loving his family.
Ned has always had the image of this doting family man who never hesitated to break down toxic masculinity in the said group dedicated to breaking down barriers.
This isn't the dads and fathers who think they are doing the bare minimum of 'babysitting'.
I don't think people understand just how much he's putting everything on the line just by these actions. He has books, podcasts, videos, and shows about his family or their involvement in some way. Even his social media is all about his family!
He was all about love! On tour, he’s the Legend of Love! That’s how deep this is!
That's how much Ned wanted the audience to get invested in his relationship.
How can the audience not get invested as far back as the first video? How can one beg for privacy after such a horrifying thing was done to the said family when said family has been in the limelight and been part of his image forever?
Now, with that investment, how could the audience not want some more info so that their money on Patreon isn't being wasted?
Ned wasn't even hiding it too. He was making out with Alex, his fucking employee, in a public New York bar and at a fucking Harry Styles concert. Fitting considering Harry Styles' current relationship is.
Imagine Ned and Alex going on dates while at the same time Ned going on the weekly date nights with Ariel.
Ariel didn’t know until the beginning of September.
This whole affair is so messy. Ned was in the video in which engaged Try employees made the Try Guys try on potential bridesmaid dresses for their planned wedding. It’s known Ales was engaged. Ariel works with the Try Guys! She’s not a housewife but a content creator in her own right, working alongside the mistress of her husband, being friends, and knowing her! Ariel designed their offices!
Both of them have been with their partners for 10+ years! This affair probably started after Finn's first birthday because it's a year-long affair according to one rumor! If that's true, it's horrifying.
Does he not expect consequences if he's doing this so openly?
No, I am not addressing that Reddit story about the Try Guys knowing about Ned's harassment of women. It's a grain of salt in this mess because we know the Try Guys have been editing him out recently nor had Ned appeared in any promo including the new opening. We know the Try Guys had unfollowed him and cut him out of their job and life.
Ned's image was the family therefore retroactively every video involving the family and Ned is soured by this revelation.
It was a perfect life really. He has a beautiful family with a lovely wife and beautiful sons living in his wife's well-designed house. He has the best friends he could ever hope for with the business they build from the ground up. A stable job with his wife and friends. The company in itself is rising with a TV deal based on WAR with merchandise that makes sense from food to clothes. He had it all.
Why? Why would Ned throw that all away?
He's left with nothing. He has no steady income to support his children whereas his wife is still working for the Try Guys and is an interior designer meaning now his wife is paying all the bills instead of splitting it between them both. He has no friends as his friends cut him out of their lives for cheating on a wonderful friend. His wife's friends particularly Becky is not liking him at the moment or ever again. His ex-company is at risk of lawsuits and losing sponsorships. His reputation as a family man and devoted husband is torn to shreds because that's what he build his image on.
No, really it's his brand. From the Date Night Cookbook to Baby Steps to university seminars on ethics of a healthy relationship to actively showing his family life on social media involving his friends to babysit his kids while the couple goes on date nights, that's just how much Ned monetized his family. He's one step away from being a family vlogger.
Can you really fault the fans for believing this and stop trying to be a smartass with the parasocial relationships? It's the author's intent therefore you can't fault them for it.
The first videos up on the Try Guys after they left Buzzfeed were all about Ned and Ariel's new home and baby. Their old office was Ned and Ariel's old home!
What is he even going to do to sustain himself? He hasn't worked in chemistry in years and the entertainment industry is looking at him with disdain for his lies.
He needs to have child support should he ever get divorced. Where are his parents? Because they need to house him if a divorce or at the least separation occurred. He’s still living with Ariel and the kids.
While there is a possibility that the Try Guys have to pay him out not just out of his stock in 2nd Try but his ownership altogether, he probably still has money in his bank as well as the payout the guys are forced to give him.
If they have to do the same with Alex with the NDA and severance pay, they likely know she needs help finding a new stable job. Her office friends are no longer her friends with YB no longer wishing to associate with her in any way. The office is concerned about the power dynamics consent issues that Kelsey brought up in her TikTok to clear the air. However, that doesn't mean they forgave her for hurting everything. They are still empathetic enough to know that she would need help to find stability more than Ned. The world is less kind to mistresses than to the cheaters in question largely because the cheater got the family to fall back on. Morally, yes there is a backlash but privileges, the cheaters always get more stability in some fashion.
He's a Yale graduate and he can work for his old college friends given one friend group cut him off entirely.
And his apology was utter shit. People already deconstructed the apology about its non-apology and made memes about it.
Seriously, ‘may have’ is a red flag. Cheating will always cause pain. What do you mean by that, Ned?
Lose focus? Oh, I lose focus by being drawn to other things than the subject at hand, not cheating on someone! Do you need your family there at all times to remember you can’t cheat? Oh yeah, Ariel and the kids are there at work too!
Consensual workplace relationship? Whether or not Alex gave in because you’re the boss, you’re the boss! You should’ve known better! Having that power imbalance, it’s inviting a sexual misconduct lawsuit against the company you and your best friends help build. Your company is at risk!
You cheated! Just say it as it was! You broke the trust of your friends and family just for some fleeting pleasure! I hope it’s worth losing all the good love and support you got going for you!
Regardless of the power imbalance, we cannot forget that they still knowingly enter the relationship with committed decade-long significant others and friends affected by this. They didn’t consider others’ feelings at all.
Alex may not say anything but for now, she still got her job. She’s still a grown woman who willingly enters a relationship that jeopardizes everything. Even if we say she only consented because of the boss, her decision to make it an affair was hers and Ned’s decision alone. If that relationship between the apology and the boldness of the concert and club date was anything to go by, Alex is Ned’s mistress for a long time.
It's worse because they are public figures. Eugene went to the Met Gala! They called in A-list food critics and chefs for their show!
It’s just awful for everyone involved personally.
Everything is put on pause or has to take things slowly. They knew beforehand but not too far back so hopefully, they know what to do.
Eugene is planning to release a new book. Zach and Maggie are planning a wedding while YB is planning hers. Keith and Becky are planning a family. Rachel still has to take care of her twins.
The livelihoods of these people are at stake.
Not just personally but also professionally.
When the channel started, Eugene wanted to be authentic and went all out with his coming-out music video. Zach opened up about his illnesses and disabilities.
Just hope that people won’t think of the scandal when they think of the Try Guys who opened up more than they can. The other guys have more than just one thing to make them unique. All Ned got going for him during his time there was Yale frat boy family man and devoted husband. He can cook but his cookery tends to be boring but practical. That’s all for Ned. He didn’t expand like the others.
Eugene is an artist and is all about inclusivity.
Zach is a film director and talked openly about his health issues.
Keith had been about food and comedy but showed that he can be effective as a creative person by using what he has.
Ned not so much. All about the family with him but not so much creativity. Even then it’s Ariel doing the lion’s share while Ned squeals and tries his best. There is only so far a bumbling father and husband can get even in fiction. Apparently, he was supposed to expand to science stuff into the show beyond his Instagram and Tiktoks.
Ned is complete scum. He lost everything with nothing to show for it. He jeopardized his friends and company. I’m not pitying him, just disappointed that’s who he really is.
It’s up to Ariel if she’s going to have any decision after what her husband put her through. After all the support she gave him from the burgeoning startup and the painkiller addiction, he repaid her with this. He broke her trust for thrills and sex.
The speculations - if the affair indeed went on for a year or so; if the guys knew or suspected about his serial cheating womanizing ways prior to September; if Will was the one who leaked the video; if the timeline is correct; but if Will knew about the affair beforehand and attempted to get Ned to back off; if Kwesi knew - remain speculations.
For the love of Godoka, don't take gossip as gospel. Rumors have the tendency to be overblown and vilify people without context and worse empathy. I have seen more vilification of the guys than I see Ned getting blamed for abusing his power. Again, there is a difference between flirting and outright cheating. I feel people don't understand there is harmless flirting especially when the SO and friends know about that part but crossing a line is different.
It's terrible enough that people don't have enough empathy to see that just because cheating isn't a law crime and everybody acts like Ned killed someone when no, it's a betrayal of everything from friends to family to fans who thought they knew him. This was a long-time friend and business partner who had a severely inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and you aren't having any empathy to see that his actions hurt everyone.
Not just Ned’s misconduct, it’s the lack of empathy toward the guys as a whole. Suggesting that their loss of a long-time friend who jeopardized livelihoods and careers and having to use so much money to fire him and buying him out is not trauma because cheating isn’t a crime… A mix of lack of empathy towards celebrities no matter the tier is there too.
I have seen a lack of empathy towards celebrities and even then it’s selective. When BTS said about their experiences with racists or even just about negative emotions, people just don’t believe them because they’re so famous or worse because of hate. Not to mention Finneas O’Connell sent the racist tweet about BTS having Covid simply because they’re Asians which he only apologized for when BTS spoke out. ARMYs spoke out against Finneas’ racist tweet when he tweeted it and weren’t happy about his so-called apology.
People don’t see celebs as not having feelings because they’re rich and famous. Just because the Try Guys were rising doesn’t make them ineligible for emotions. They are humans so to think they aren’t just because of their celebrity status is bad. Even Youtube celebrity status counts.
I don’t ever want to interact in any form with Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, Ethan Klein, Trisha Paytas, and Dream to name several ever. Just to be clear, I saw Ben Shapiro once in high school and heard him sometimes through my brother’s laptop, and likewise with Jordan Peterson albeit with a radio lecture; I only saw the others through controversies though I only saw them in pictures once and it was like bad feelings. This is before I heard about the latter three's bad reputation. I only got bad vibes from them and I just trusted my gut feeling that I really shouldn't watch any of their content. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel pity for them and just wish they can do better.
No, Ariel and Ned don't have an open marriage. Marriage is expensive with kids in tow. There is no polygamy here. Why the hell are people bringing up an open marriage and polygamy when it doesn't apply here? Ariel and the kids seemed to wish for that traditional life that they branded.
It's as if not believing the friends and wife while thinking the husband was fired for an offense that doesn't equal the punishment and not thinking that he abused everything to get what he wanted. Why is it so hard to believe that Ned abused his power and privilege and that cheating isn't a crime but still bad to hurt everything?
For the love of Godoka, the SNL skit made light of workplace sexual misconduct and power dynamics, making fun of everyone but Ned. I know SNL has a history of sexual misconduct and people in power don’t like being made fun of or critical of. SNL won’t make a good satire as they will always make light of bad humor instead of doing something good. I only saw SNL once and that was BTS.
You can make fun of their content but don’t make light of workplace sexual misconduct.
No, it’s not the bare minimum. The bare minimum was Ned’s so-called apology.
What the Try Guys have done should be the standard: removal of a boss abusing his power to have workplace sexual misconduct against a subordinate. Usually, companies and such don’t do this at all because workplace sexual misconduct is normalized as seen with SNL.
No, the guys aren’t rich. Unlike Ned who got a net worth of 10 million, Zach got 2 million and Eugene and Keith got below 100 thousand. They aren’t rich enough to be other than the upper middle class at best.
We know for a fact Ariel found out at the beginning of September. We know the team has been phasing and editing Ned out of pre-recorded content prior to the leak meaning Ned was fired before the rumors. With YB’s confirmation about her not being friends with Ned and Alex anymore, we can conclude Food Babies are put on hold or outright canceled. YB confirmed they didn’t know until early September just like Ariel with Kelsey’s corroboration.
Until the Try Guys themselves clear the air, speculations are exactly that. After all, there is a difference between knowing Ned is not a good guy who's an outrageous flirt and knowing Ned is fucking an employee.
And now we know. Of course, there are legalities involved and we won't be able to know everything.
Will Thayer confirmed he didn’t know prior to May so he probably knew at the beginning of September just like Ariel and the others and not the first to find out on December 2021. May was obviously before September so it’s damning that the affair is indeed a malicious drawn-out act with Ned and his mistress. It was not a drunk one-night stand or a one-night dalliance at all. The other Try Guys confirmed that Ned didn’t deny any of it and that it had been going on for some time. That measure of time can be anything.
The affair ended in September. Ned and Alex were spotted kissing on a date on May 7. That means it has to be earlier than May at the least if they are going on dates publicly and shielded by excuses like work research.
It's definitely not an amicable friend breakup or a business partner leaving for new things. With Eugene saying they refused to brush it under the rug and Keith and Zach believing Ned copied their font so to make it look like it was coordinated when it was not, I think it's devastating for these friends. That’s a rough thing to believe someone is coordinating when they weren’t. That implied a bad breakup. Seeing their former friend refusing to admit fault for anything and going out of his way to drag them through the mud, it’s heartbreaking.
If they can’t say a positive thing after nearly a decade of friendship and thinking the worse of him (same font and format for statements; SNL skit writing), then it’s not amicable at all.
Eugene was a child of a divorce and a private person who doesn’t let people in his life. With Ned betraying everything, he’s sad and angry.
While it’s not the same, the Just Kidding News experienced a friendship breakup with Tiff and Case. Even if Tiff didn’t want to do it anymore, she could’ve gotten a head up from Bart and the others. Even in the couple’s vlog channel (as I was introduced through their wedding video), I didn’t see Geo and Tiff interact at all since the breakup. They used to have them cross over sometimes, especially when as friends.
A friend's breakup is still a breakup.
While Ryan Haywood’s actions are far crueler, they devastated his friends who now see him as a monster.
Ned jeopardized everything and put on hold everyone’s lives to clean up his mess. His friends don’t want to associate with him anymore but probably don’t see him as a monster the AH crew sees Ryan. Probably a manipulative douche who won’t take accountability.
While it’s unlikely we’ll see any continuation of the Fulmer family in any capacity, especially the kids, it’s up to Ariel if she wanted to return in some capacity as the team is leaving the door open for her.
While we shouldn’t demonize Ned as some monster, we should hold him accountable for a boss who abused his power and privilege. He's fired for having a relationship with an employee as a boss and that's unethical.
While I don't think he's a monster, he's an asshole with fucking up his family and friends' lives. He's an ass for abusing his power and privilege when he got so much going for him and losing it so arrogantly and carelessly.
As for the dying gossip, the dregs are a few people trying to question the rest of the guys as bad friends supposedly (invalidating the guys' pain about their long-time former friend and holding said former friend accountable because they're friends with his wife too and they are sticking by her side), and Buzzfeed trying to get engagement from old Ned videos. I never saw this brought up and probably it's just for clicks since it's out of nowhere. I heard about the supposed guys making it all about themselves when they didn't when you see everything from the two videos and one written statement and that's it. I have no idea where the bad friends came from unless it's the thinking the worse of Ned... Ned is the guy who they have every right to resent.
Just, Ned, do better and find work for your family.
Ariel, family, and friends are there for support. Fans are by your side. I just hope that not only do you take your children into consideration but you do too. If you stay with him or separate from him, it’s up to you.
As for old Try Guys, it’s irreversibly tainted. Fans, look back on them bittersweetly; the reason why the guys got so far was the dynamics. Despite knowing they see each other as brothers then, it’s undeniable that one is gone because his actions impacted their personal and professional lives.
The guys wanted to move on and not want to talk about the situation any more than they are allowed to. People thinking they are attention seekers that are blowing things out of proportions without taking the time to research or try to learn why it’s a scandal at all are assholes as the Internet always is; seriously, people even defending the relationship as ‘consensual’ aren’t thinking critically simply because it was normalized and really thinking they are superior.
The guys and the company doesn’t want to reduce their pain to a mere cheating scandal. They want to move on as they are reminded constantly about the loss of their long-time best friend whose wife has been there since the beginning and the big hit to their small business's reputation and brand that impacted the livelihoods and careers of everyone. They are only reacting to the SNL because the SNL unprovoked mocked everything but Ned. They don’t want any more drama. They just want to move on and tried to reduce the bubbling pot. Anyone saying they are attention seekers is the same one demanding invasive answers.
As much as I will hiss like a wet cat seeing Ned in previous videos, particularly in WAR, it’s bittersweet. WAR still holds up and I will always wait for the next WAR.
The Nedits are amusing. If you don’t want to see the new videos for any particular reason, Nedits is a new game to indulge in just for its fun.
That's all I'm going to say on the matter. Because this is the only Youtube Drama thing I'm ever going to write about because the other dramas don't really bother me as much as this does.
I often find it dismaying when people who obviously never read fanfiction in their lives or only knew about the bad ones speak about fanfiction as if it's a bad thing and only composed of just subpar writing.
Yes, there is a difference between fanon and canon.
The Batfamily webtoon has a lot of fanon stuff considering lots of canon stuff is either downplayed or referenced. It's a slice of life with some action but overall not too much drama.
Fanon has always been an uneasy part to make canon. Unless it's something funny at best, it won't ascend into canon fact.
For example, Sayoko being a ninja was fanon before it was elevated into the canon because the creators love the idea. Jeremiah is a different case where he was meant to originally die in Narita but his popularity made his survival to the point he’s one of the most beloved characters; even to this day, when people wanna rewrite the canon, Jeremiah will always prove to be loyal to the vi Britannia line.
Fanfiction in its nature is often disparaged as not true reading material or just plain wish fulfillment. After all, fanworks as a whole are often derided and have so much censorship and lawsuits. The ones that made it into the public eye are often the awful ones or taken out of context. There was this show that had people contact AO3 writers of RPF variety in the comment section so that the celebs can read aloud and probably mock it.
I won't deny there is bad fanfiction out there. You literally have to go through garbage just to get the gems. It's the same process going with animanga and movies; that's how no different as a medium it is. And even the lesser-reviewed works are just as awesome to read. If it helps, you can find fanfiction recommendations.
If fanfiction is brought up in a respectful manner, it’s depicted as either better than the source material (Miraculous Ladybug, RWBY, VLD) or encouragement (Our Flag Means Death).
It’s nice to see the OFMD crew and cast treat fanworks with all the reverence fans deserve.
Fans took time and effort out of their daily lives to write these stories. They took time to draw this art.
Fans can write novel-length stories of character development and put their faves through hell to earn their happy ending. There are fantastic stories that you know enough about and heard in the grapevine.
Even if I haven’t read them myself, I heard about Ashes of the Past and The Hills of Swords. I heard mixed things about the latter, especially the mischaracterization.
Regardless, these fics are known in the fandom from whence they came. There are even gems in the less commented and kudos section of the AO3. Hell, there are gems on other websites.
These people just have to find them and know where to look. A basic search is looking for fanfic recommendations. That’s a good starting line for beginners. Having fics recommended is a good exchange.
Fanfiction has the emotional attachment that actual fiction doesn’t give. For actual books, it has to be an interesting one if it got you invested just as you would get into any show or video game.
You are already attached to these characters. Fanfiction loves exploration in the original forgets, didn’t have time for, or glosses over. There is no big corporation holding anyone back from depicting sex, gruesome violence, and queerness. All the things society is not ready to explore explicitly but in metaphors or non-canon just for funsies spin-offs at best. The mainstream is only going about it slowly while the indie scene is wild and even then that’s not perfect. Fanfiction is character-driven stories from the emotional attachment to the original.
Yes, there can be plot-driven fics like canon rewrites but characters are the sticking point.
We are here for the characters, for what canon didn’t explore for many reasons, for the little moments and the potential. We are here for self-discoveries and for explorations. Canon is a suggestion when fanon is so prevalent. However, canon can be a launchpad as well as a model toy.
That’s what makes fanfiction. Character-driven stories about just about anything from canon to fanon.
I think that’s why people really don’t get fanfiction. Just a simple coffee shop AU with characters just meeting there for lunch is not much of a plot. The plot is basically just the characters having meetings there.
This is why fix-it fics and canon rewrites/divergences are galore. Even if those are more plotty, the readers are here for the pain before the happy ending. Where we see these characters make different choices and allowance for healthy growth and change that they never had in canon by letting them confront their demons early.
Fanfiction is works of art and expression. These people are taking time out of their work to write these beauties. It’s all for free.
People take research to the next level as I saw people research for even the littlest things. For something that is free and has no deadline.
Though only the deadlines count if there's some kind of challenge in the community.
Every time I see anybody disparage fanfiction, my blood boils for all the amazing fics and art I saw that I know took time and effort made out of love and passion. All these people’s passion and the creators aren’t appreciating creativity and love.
People use fanfiction derogatorily. Anytime even something remotely bad happens and it’s really bad in writing, it’s mocked. This show is bad fanfiction, this is so fanfiction.
It’s as if they can’t see that fanfiction can be good. It’s not as if they give the indication that they knew about the good ones.
Hey, it’s not as if some famous works aren’t fanfiction. Some of the classic literature is fanfiction incarnate.
As old as time, fanfiction has a place.
Our Flag Means Death is essentially gay fanfiction about two pirates we don’t even know. Yes, it examines the races, particularly putting the white characters as white people first which is so good. Yes, it is queer and bucks toxic masculinity even in a time where wearing fine clothes is the height of masculinity than the pirates' preference for wanton violence. Do I need to tell you that there are definite classism and racism examinations in there too? There is a sexism examination too! It also explores the patriarchy in ways it had affected Mary because Stede's abandonment is essentially a rich white man expecting to come back with no consequences and Mary is fully justified in her attempted murder. It's still fucked though they are still rich white people whose riches are made from colonization. It's even fucked that Stede as a white man had more options than Ed, a poor indigenous man who left and ran back to the comfortable white household that again Stede believed he can return to with no consequence of his actions on Mary and the kids. Yeah, I get why Stede did what he did but he is culpable yet we can still root for his happy ending with Ed. It’s still official fanfiction with research but most of the research is thrown in the garbage though there is still historical context on top of the modern sensibilities that were thrown in there. There are queer analyses about the show but I haven't seen a lot of how it also connects to the exploration of the races, sexism, classism, and masculinity. There is no way Stede is the pinnacle of healthy masculinity, given his treatment of Mary. Mary is fully justified in doing what she did. Yes, he's a gay man with issues but he seeks approval from other men whilst expecting Mary to be at his beck and call. He never once considered Mary's feelings at all because his very act of taking both the painting and the model ship was for himself only, not for her and the family. Okay, I'll stop now.
Fanfiction as an official medium has existed for a long time. Public domain characters are used in official media as fanfiction material all the time. Just look at Arthurian legends which in itself is fanfiction.
We can argue the difference between those and fanfiction but go to Sarah Z's video on the topic.
At the same time as disparaging fanfiction, people not in fandoms will try to profit from them. No, this is different from commissions and making some specially made hardcovers and zines that are only limited and trying to make money off it on official grounds such as a show.
Fanfiction must never be within reach of capitalism.
That's why AO3 is considering one of the last havens because nobody is making money off it.
AO3 fics must not be allowed onto shows that can profit from them. People can recommend them but don’t use them, especially for mockery.
AO3 is a non-profit. Ads ruin the point of AO3. AO3 is an archive and a site of enjoyment, not money-making.
No, AO3 does not need an algorithm in the likes of social media. Fanfiction writers aren’t content creators as social media sees it. Fanfiction writers write in their time and do not need an algorithm to stay relevant. Certainly, there should be improvements but creating an app and making an internal algorithm isn’t what AO3 is supposed to be as a non-profit.
While Thomas Astruc didn’t like how his fans preferred fan content over his own, he always tried to say that his writing was maltreated even though there was a lot of valid criticism of his writing and showrunning. I never liked how he self-inserted himself to make it like he’s a misunderstood artiste than a bad writer who couldn’t make a coherent story to save his life.
I don’t want to talk about that guy who dislikes fanfiction because his work is criticized for not taking potential and just being a badly written series.
Anyway, getting back on the subject.
AO3 is about a safe place from previous attempts of censorship and lawyers. From the start, it was meant to be safe from that stuff, not the internal fandom drama and the assholes.
Hence why the OTW election debacle involving a certain Tiffany G invigorated people.
Fanfiction is not supposed to make a profit except only in zines and the occasional hardcovers where it's limited. Because that's the point. The hardcovers are mainly just special keepsakes. Fanfiction bookbinding is the same albeit for one usage since I don't see anything about it for sale outside of commissions.
I can recommend amazing fanfics to back off anybody who says fanfiction has no place or is not good writing. Even those who outright say no beta they die like insert characters have far better effort in their storytelling. I will not hesitate to point out fanfiction to which fandoms they like if people want to read them.
Every time I see fanfiction get disrespected, it’s just headache-inducing and I want nothing more than to tell them they don’t understand anything about how much time and passion they have when it’s all for free.
The point isn't to compare books to fanfiction. All I just want to point out is that fanfiction has a place in this world and that there are great fics out there.
There are great books out there if you can find them. Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch is an incredible book for example. At the same time as bad fanfiction that does exist, published books are the same where it is absolutely bad. Colleen Hoover’s books are terrible.
Yes, you can write the problematic stuff and examine it but cannot glamorize it. Just make sure that it’s clear that this is bad. Colleen Hoover has some bad books.
At the same time, the classics today should at least have understood what the book is supposed to be telling. Again, it's not like the Great Gatsby's themes and what it is trying to tell aren't out there. I think reading comprehension and critical analysis have been in a downward spiral since Twitter became the most popular social media platform. Enemies-to-lovers ships have been hit hard purely because people are unable to get past the enemies part and just the purity bullcrap.
Seriously, I think MHA and SNK/AOT were hit hard by this and anything on Twitter because of its word limit. At this point, I think people think they are being critical when it's actually just not what they want the story to go. Fuck, I was never like this because I understand the series isn't done and while MHA could've done better in some aspects, I understood what the story direction is.
Again, fanfiction is meant to explore things that canon didn't or just go off really. That is meant to be fun and not meant to be a stickler with canon unless canon plays a major part.
Just please understand what the classics are for and why they are in the curriculum.
Anyway, I have been very strict when it comes to the fanfiction that makes it into my Marked For Later and bookmarks. Those categories are the equivalent of my Favorites and Story Alerts back in FF.Net.
For example, let's look at a few ships that are on my radar.
Narumitsu, Akeshu, and Dabihawks.
Narumitsu is one of my OTPs since I got into Ace Attorney. I got one really good fic but the others are more Klapollo.
For P5 ships, I was just neutral just as I am with other Persona series excluding TatsuJun which is my OTP definitely. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Yu x Yosuke either but I can read them if tangentially; in a P4 crossover with DRRR, the fic got Shizaya with definite friendship kindlings start for that ship when they spent it as enemies as per usual. Akeshu was only swayed because it again hit my preferred things after a while when I realized in Royal. Even platonically, it’s still a far more interesting relationship than other Joker ships. It’s not quite OTP but I still prefer reading them. So…second ship after TatsuJun I guess even though Akeshu still hit many of my requirements for a preferred ship.
I read a lot of Dabihawks as I was previously in the MHA fandom for Tododeku. Dabihawks very quickly became my OTP faster than even Tododeku that I still hold a soft spot for.
Like as soon as I saw them interact in that warehouse without ever seeing the bodybag and the PLF, it just clicked. It was like jackpot noises when I saw them together. It’s how I certainly felt when I saw Shizaya.
I know my shipping tendencies. I know that when I ship OTPs, that's it and I read more Dabihawks than Tododeku ever since.
While there are a total of four Dabihawks fanfics in my Marked For Later, only one of those and the same author will go onto my bookmarks. One fic is just there just in case there are any updates (not helping that the author is more an Endhawks fan than Dabihawks fan in the author notes so yeah...) and the other is to see the second story. The other fic is there for updates too and in the bookmarks there are Endhawks there too so ugh. Technically there is another fic that isn't in my Marked For Later that is for consideration but if it's updated in my cursory looks then I'll see. There's a long one-shot, but I'm just waiting for that author's friend, the same author far ahead in the race to get into my bookmarks, to continue their writing. At least, those authors are ahead on the Dabihawks race to get into my bookmarks.
As I was saying, the one fic and the same author are on the way to bookmarks as long as I see more of their writing. My feelings are screaming at me that this is the fic that I was searching for the time I was in the Dabihawks fandom. I know to trust my feelings about fanfiction. Sometimes my favorite fanfics aren't the most popular but decently popular at most if you scan the comments section of those in the ships I got. Sometimes the most popular fic just happened to scream at me that yes this is the fic I have wanted since I got into the fandom. That depends of course.
For example, Icarus' Dilemma is in my bookmarks and Marked For Later. The latter is for updates while I got the entire series in my bookmarks. Yes, Icarus' Dilemma is the top commented fic in the Suzalulu section by far but it hits everything I was looking for.
I have read a lot of Dabihawks Hawks betraying HPSC fics but for some reason, there is something nagging at me that it's not right. Sure it's fun what-ifs but my feelings are screaming at me that it's just not the right fic to sit beside my favorites. Again, my Marked For Later is there for the fics I got my eyes on and often forget to check for updates.
That’s the same thing I felt with the other couples that I haven’t mentioned yet.
Recently an Addams Family crossover got added to my bookmarks. If you think I'm strict with my Dabihawks feelings and what gets through into my lists, then you should've seen my Persona series list. Sure I got Akeshu fics but they are far stricter to even get in there.
I’m just strict. Very strict.
Even now, I can’t help my standards. There are feelings that scream at me that yeah this is the fic I was looking for.
Like yeah, I have a distaste for This Bites for sinking NamiVivi in a stupid fashion that it’s why that’s a flaw. I never wanted to strangle a fic so much for that because it was unnecessary. I wasn’t expecting Namivivi to be canon anyway and the way the fic sunk it was just stupid. I already dealt with the Tashigi x Zoro ship teases aka a ship I really don’t like, I don’t have to see a popular ship sunk in a fic where it’s not necessary to mention. You can have the Kohza x Vivi ship teases aka a ship I don’t care about, you don’t have to sink NamiVivi. Godoka, just recounting the chapter just makes me want to scour that ship tag.
Still, This Bites only claimed the bookmarks section in the penultimate chapter. That’s how strict I am to even the most ship-free fics. It’s not easy. I mean it took deliberation for that Luca fic to make it and Luca while a chill film overall is only a film I want to watch when I just want something light instead of something full of morality shades and critical thinking. I can want something that can require thinking but still chill all the same. Luca is still better off than Miraculous Ladybug because the latter’s so-called slow burn is not impressive. I’d rather watch Aluca grow up and fall for each other while exploring different avenues before finally choosing to be together after working through themselves as people than two badly written characters with so much potential individually and as a couple doesn’t have anything written that would make sense for them other than they’re endgame. Seriously, I have lost all interest in the love square when I just want anything to advance correctly because it feels like I’m not getting anything that could be considered any development other than making the kids out as props than actual characters.
I understand that there are side characters but as much as MHA has a character focus issue too, at least the themes make tight in conjunction with the characters. It’s just ML barely has any themes when the story’s cohesion is already a mess. All the characters are not developed and what little development we even got was the kind they should've never gotten (it's not even the positive version of negative character development) or just made them out to be so stupid or jerks who won't listen to reason. It's astonishing they are willing to listen to Lila's lies and believe the worst of their bestie when they should know their bestie. That's just how bad the writing can get when characters who would trust Marinette with their lives would turn against her.
Godoka, fanfiction and other fan creations are a way for fans to take back what was lost from them or simply give the original creator the middle finger should they show extreme far-right beliefs. I’m gonna talk about JKR one day, just wait. Boy I have seen lots of AO3 author’s notes from fans that expressed their disappointment in her and I remember an HP fic that I’m trying to remember in my already backlogged History have distinctly rewrite as I recall Harry commenting on the goblins which one of the goblins said that the young ones are right; there was a definite Tumblr links to an HP critical tag on a tumble or a post about it.
Anyway, just read to know what fanfiction is and that it's a medium on its own like every other medium in the world, it has its trash and it has its gems. In every fandom, no matter how obscure, you can always count a well-written omegaverse fic.
From the mainstream queer media that we get, this one sticks out. The cast is largely older and middle-aged at best.
Now, everyone has already talked about the queer text of the series, from its diverse cast to how the story is written. I don't think I need to elaborate just how extraordinary the showing had been as the lived experiences of the queer community.
I think a great example of trusting the show to handle the queer characters is Lucius interacting with Fang at the chore of washing the portholes. It's very easy to play the 'gay manipulative' but the show made it pretty clear that Lucius was genuine and formed a friendship with Fang afterward. I'm pretty sure Fang is sneaking food to Lucius in the secret passages because it just makes sense.
However, at the same time, it also examines race, sexism, classism, and masculinity. These are just as connected to the queer text. The diverse cast is definitely part of why these examinations came through thoroughly.
Due to its diverse cast, we see how BIPOC characters react while the white characters particularly Stede didn't react to the microaggressions. Even Stede abandoning Ed have the added text of how the colonizer affected the colonized as Stede a rich white man with more options ran back to his household, leaving Ed a poor indigenous man in the dust. Yes, I understand why Stede did what he did but he still is culpable as a white man. Even Jackie in her own establishment was forced to accommodate Izzy and Chauncy when she was the not one who called the meeting; she gave Izzy a listen but in no way did she willingly let them take over in her own establishment. At least, Jim treated her as an equal as they are both BIPOC when Jim went to confront her.
While it was played for laughs, the first plundering we see from Stede was him stealing from poor fishermen, punching down basically on the poor from him, a still rich man who pays his crew handsomely. While real pirates do steal from poor people at times, often to get necessities, this case is to show just how Stede is unable to plunder his former peers until that party where he revealed his own form of violence. Aside from that French ship but that was only because Ed wanted to teach Stede and his crew.
It's just great to see the white people depicted not as the default but as a race as we see these white characters are put first as white people first just as much as their queer characters are too in defining them. Of course, they are cool and complex characters who made mistakes and hurt other people physically and emotionally but they're flawed and are culpable for the mistakes that they had to make up for.
Heck, the allowance of Roach getting away with his violence towards his oppressors is played off as great. Roach experienced no consequences for basically slapping the officer in the face.
Stede is not the pinnacle of Healthy Masculinity, considering his treatment of Mary. In Stede's world, the woman is expected to care for the kids and be at his beck and call. When Stede got back, all Mary sees is a self-centered lazy man who expected no consequences from his abandonment which Mary took personally. Stede is a rich white man who of course expects no consequences for such a thing because consequences mean facing the fact that his family was better off without him. Mary had every right to kill him and not just the party was the breaking point for her to commit murder. She had more willingness to kill than Stede and Ed combined and I think Stede knows it even with the fact he had grown so used to attempts on his life at sea that Mary's attempted murder on him was nothing.
Izzy Hands even if he's a pirate still showcased his privilege as a white man. Even with his soured relationship with Blackbeard, it's clear that he doesn't want Ed. The writing on the wall with his classism and homophobia shows in a different light than Stede. Stede is not perfect but at least he will own up to those mistakes when appropriately called out for them as a white man. Izzy is a white man who has a sour relationship with his so-called love interest.
Izzy supposedly belongs in another genre where the ho yay remains that. I guess that's mainly what everyone sees even though his narrative role as an antagonistic force is there. He won for fuck's sake! He loved the fact he lost a toe because the Blackbeard he wanted is back and doesn't care what his fellow crewmates think. Ivan and Fang enjoyed the atmosphere and they were in the coup to throw him overboard.
Every time I see Ed x Izzy fics, I feel they miss the point of the relationship and what Izzy is supposed to represent. I'm not bashing Izzy, just pointing out what Izzy is in the narrative.
Just… white people fans, please understand that Stede and Izzy are white men and are being held accountable for their actions. Hold them accountable for their actions that hurt others instead of saying he went back because of trauma when he should’ve communicated to Ed instead of running back to the other option that he has more than Ed. Even if Stede is far nicer on the surface level and Izzy got the shield of the white man & genre, the story of OFMD made it clear they are white men with privilege that unwittingly or not oppressed their crew and women, especially Ed one way or another. Yes, we got the talk it through as a crew that everyone loves but at the same time, Stede still shows he’s a white man who still got more than his queer BIPOC crew who rightly pointed out they didn’t turn to piracy on a whim but as a way to live. As much as it is funny to see Stede read bedtime stories to his illiterate crew, he is still acting as an authority as a white man instead of teaching them. Much later on, we see the crew share stories instead of bedtime stories read exclusively by Stede.
About the historical aspects, it's clear they have done the research yet thrown out a majority of it.
About the pirate aspect, there is violence and killing. The Badminton brothers' deaths are treats for the bullied Stede. It's like hey, these guys are bad with their homophobia, racism, and white privilege and they are especially hard on Stede and Stede a treat with not even regretting their deaths because deep down he has no regrets. Honestly, more Badminton extended family deaths would be welcomed at this rate because it's just funny for Stede to accidentally kill or involve in some way with the Badminton annihilation in the same place.
It's not as if we can't have killers be complex characters. In the same series, Ed, Izzy, and Jim with Olu murdered people in the past therefore it's obvious they have blood on their hands. Stede didn't murder but it was accidental manslaughter at best. Olu is telling Stede what it is, not murder when Olu himself assisted in a murder. The rest of the crew before joining perhaps had killed or done bad things like torture with Roach’s apparent relaxing torture comment and Buttons’ cannibalism; those things don’t come out of nowhere.
The fact Ed murdered his dad adds to his complexity as does Jim's revenge murder. It's part of their arc as Jim doesn't define themselves as all dark as Ed and Izzy do. The Badminton deaths impacted Stede but he doesn't regret their deaths at all.
It’s just for this series, it’s a dramedy but for the sake of complexity, they’re not completely unsympathetic. Unlike other series where terrible people do terrible things and people analyze them without excusing their crimes as critical analysis though technically this series still does it with the trauma Ed harbors and his crimes even if he killed one guy and indirectly killed others like that French captain, this series just examine all kinds of violence even violence that we don’t consider like passive aggression.
Because the series examines violence thoroughly on how it comes through in various ways.
Again, look at Roach who got away with fighting his oppressors so lightly that it’s a wonder he wasn’t beside Stede at the firing squad execution.
This is not a story that is trying to tell the actual or even the fictionalized version of Stede Bonnet. While it is valid for historians to feel that it's irresponsible, OFMD from the get-go is basically fanfiction with these historical characters basically dressed up as OCs. Unlike Hamilton which is not telling these guys as loosely based on a true story type of deal, this one was made explicitly clear that when it does stick to history, it's only the important bits.
I mean we certainly haven't got the over 100 crewmembers the real Stede got. We instead got fictional crew members who probably didn't exist. Just know that while there will be queer BIPOC pirates but we don't know for certain similar personalities did exist. Stede Bonnet is not a good person in real life, just to be clear.
The showrunner made it clear that things won't end in tragedy for these characters. With the retirement brought up when they first met, retirement from piracy and into a leisureful life floating at their boathouse at some secluded place somewhere is the happy ending they want with their crew maybe. The crew probably wanted that relaxing life without any more attempts on their lives, just living to old age and not worrying about any enemies coming for their heads.
At this point, just take the historical inaccuracies as just funny things. Things that are made centuries later would mean nothing in a world that runs on its own logic. Sometimes characters die for real and some won't. Lucius won't be killed off that easily and that was made obvious in his so-called death scene; that's too Looney Tunes that makes no sense for an actual death when Geraldo's death was made clear with Jackie killing him instantly.
It's a rom-com. It's still a rom-com. Lucius is not gonna die when this show is just so queer-friendly and won't touch the negative aspects of queer rep that have been known.
We're not in the resolution stage of the rom-com yet. We're getting it considering those nicknames we got from the showrunner.
For season two, I think we'll see Ed having to work it through with the rest of the crew for forgiveness though not after some vengeance from them. I want to see Lucius having a ghost fuckery until he finally revealed himself to be alive and messed with him as just revenge for attempted murder. With the other queer couples as guides, I'm sure Stede x Ed will be okay. Stede will have to fight for Ed and prove how far he is willing to go as well as the depth of his love. Stede also has to apologize and prove to Ed he means his love for him.
New characters could be other famous pirates like Hornigold, Kidd, Anne Bonney, and Mary Read with Chinese pirates thrown into the mix. The mention of China from Blackbeard raises good flags for potential Chinese pirates to come. Even pirates that aren't exactly known since Stede Bonnet himself have grown in popularity more than his scant appearances elsewhere like in the Assassin's Creed games; I can see the show adding in lesser-known pirates and privateers. While One Piece never mentioned Stede Bonnet in any capacity, there are references to lesser-known pirates and privateers in the likes of Bege.
While we do get queer rep, we haven't got a lot of lesbians or of the ace spectrum. We got an example of polyamory. Godoka, there aren’t a lot of demisexual rep; as a Demiromantic bisexual, I hope to see it. I’m hoping to see bi, pan, and ace rep.
While I’m not asking OFMD to portray the entire spectrum, I hope to see these nonetheless. I’m hoping to see them fight against biphobia at the very least. Stede is gay definitely so it’s unlikely he’ll provide the bi rep. Vico Ortiz did say the main cast of characters is queer.
While Frenchie and Wee John are now roommates, they are often paired off together anyway; we don’t know their story.
I just hope to see more when the series had done such an amazing job at the queer rep.
Outside of asking for that, I hope to see more meta and contextual applications of white privilege as well as the BIPOC experiences.
Really, what I first said above applies such as the examination of masculinity, sexism, and classism too.
The intersectionality of these topics created an efficient story with loads of meta. I’m not expecting to tackle every social subject under the sun as Glee demonstrated that it’s a terrible thing to do too overtly and hit over the head with PSAs. OFMD is smarter than Glee.
While Glee was written by a team of white men, OFMD is written with lending from a diverse cast and voices. Jenkins certainly knows better than Murphy.
For future pirate and queer media, I hope to see what the showrunner offers next that is unique from OFMD. I’m not going to bet if others started to copy OFMD in some capacity since the queer community had called OFMD unique among the first gays and young coming-outs.
Nobody expected OFMD and its deserved popularity so there’s a possibility of following the leader. That’s what happened when someone tried something new, got famous, and someone else tried to do the same. Look at BTS where their peers and juniors wanted to copy them. The Fake Love copycats had gone on for years. I saw BWL copycats too. One spectacular one, SuperM’s We Do, had a combo of BWL and Dynamite even Spring Day thrown in the mix. That was the most embarrassing one; the paltry streams are just a cherry on top of a trainwreck of a single. At least, their juniors make sense given how much they admire them. Their peers are partly due to studio pressure; SuperM is completely studio pressure because it's all LSM chasing the gravy.
Anyways, I don't think we'll see a lot of pirate media any time soon. POTC and OFMD are exceptions, not the rule. At large, I don't see pirate media coming back in a big way. One Piece is a different case, of course.
Really, it’s a great series and I can’t recommend it enough. It has layers as it has more than just the queer text.
I have so much nostalgia for the series. The fandom itself is still going strong and active in both the West and Japan. Imagine my surprise to see the fanfics still alive when I saw fics for series that long since ended decades ago dwindle or have very few fanfics.
It's nearly a decade since its finale yet people still have so much fondness for it.
Seeing people wanting either a continuation ala Bleach or a reboot ala FMAB, it could go either way frankly.
The last two arcs haven’t been animated. However, remaking the anime would mean new fans and also cutting off fillers, and consolidating it into a cohesive work.
Both have their pros and cons. I mean I got into the series while the manga was during the Future Arc because I know I was waiting for future updates on the Inheritance Ceremony arc. I was around for the anime finale.
I really hope that the anime returns so there can be a wave of new fans.
While I can't say the writing isn't that great, I can say the characters are great. I still love the colorful personalities and the devastation they wrought. I think the appeal of the characters and the Dying Will Flames made it so enduring. The Vongola insanity had always been such a big part of the found family that it's no wonder that people love it.
Really, I still remember the number shorthand nicks today. Ah, 1827 my beloved. How I still love that ship.
I have a lot of nostalgia for this series and still hold love for it.
When Bleach is returning, a series that had been previously criticized heavily in the tail end of its run especially, then KHR has a chance of coming back as an anime.
Akira Amano was surprised when she saw fans showing off their rings on Twitter and expressed gratitude to those who remained stalwart to the series long since it ended.
The fandom is still active and going strong. I got KHR fics on my backburner as well on my bookmarks. Imagine my surprise given its activity. Sure there are daily updates on series such as Code Geass and Hunter x Hunter but this is KHR, a series that while popular isn’t popular enough. It didn’t reach JJK acclaim or was particularly infamous.
I remember the sexism criticisms very well. But that alone doesn’t make it infamous.
I remember how hyped everyone was for the arcs.
KHR was popular but not popular enough. People in Japan remembered it fondly but I don’t think it was notorious or famed for something groundbreaking or a good story. FMA is beloved the world over and has better things than KHR.
Still, KHR has an active fanbase.
By the by, Sky Harmony isn't a thing in canon but a popular headcanon and pervasive enough that fanon thinks it to be true. This is the same extent for quirk suppressant cuffs. Seriously if that were the case, Twice would've been saved with a literal slap on the wrist with handcuffs instead of murder. That way he can't use his quirk that would've killed everyone. The key would've been elsewhere or a needle in a haystack so that way Twice or any of the LOV can't get a hold of it to free himself. I'm sorry but no quirk suppressants exist in canon because if that was the case, Twice would've been saved in that way at least.
I'm digressing but just know that fanon can be pervasive to the point that something like Sky Harmonization isn't a thing in canon. Sky Harmony isn't a thing, okay, just keep it in mind if you see it in fanfiction.
While a new anime won’t be announced anytime soon, I know that the anime company behind them and Akira Amano know people want KHR back in some new anime form.
Still, I see fans speaking up on AniTube and anime social media about the possibility of a new anime and seeing people discuss and reminisce about KHR. If anything, the demand will keep on growing.
There’s new merch coming out and supposedly a Twitter account for the anime so there’s a definite yes in the future.
We don’t have any actual confirmation now but it’s possible. We might have to wait two to three years at most since it took virtually that long for the new Bleach anime to be announced.
I really hope with everything I could gather that it’s completely viable we are getting a new KHR in the future. I’m excited if muted about it but I hope we see further news about it.
Godoka, I hope to get my hands on the new KHR merch, specifically Hibari. KHR merch was very few and in between and I felt like I have to search for a needle in the haystack for a good one. The only KHR merch I got is Gokudera’s Vongola Storm ring.
You know I never thought I’ll have to discuss shipping again. I'm mainly concentrating on animanga fandoms here but still, the same thing remains for other popular ships such as Hannigram and Cherik.
Shipping is just fun. It’s not meant to be activism. You are basically playing with Barbie dolls and Power Ranger figures as you did.
It’s fine if you don’t ship something. I hardly ship anyone in Zero no Tsukaima. I only liked Saito x Louise if it’s written right.
But it’s another to mock shippers who by the end of the day are just having fun. You do not see me mocking shippers of TodoMomo even though I vastly dislike the ship for its sheer blandness.
My shipping tendencies tend to lean towards belligerent with the enticing quality of attempted murder yet understanding each other and bettering the other in a way they never thought before. The trust in the act of attempting to kill the other and expecting the same act. I like to see potential in ships and the underlying subtext. Godoka, I love the couples that make each other their best so much that it's understandable MiyuSawa and Contestshipping are my faves.
As this quote perfectly shows what kind of narrative foil enemies-to-lovers preference I love said, "enemies to lovers who push each other to do better and better, two sides of the same coin who challenge each other, the sheer vulnerability of trusting somebody and being trusted by somebody who has tried to kill you and would it again if you irrevocably changed for the worse."
That says everything about why I love Akeshu and Dabihawks so much. That they can understand each other in that no other person can't. That they're seeing in a mirror of themselves in someone who loves them. That they're worthy of love.
Just because they’re enemies now doesn’t mean they can’t reach an understanding or rebuild their relationship afterward. Akeshu and Suzalulu certainly did. Hawks never hate Dabi as, despite his inability to accept his abuse, he wanted to see the best in his parents and never hate them including the desire of wanting a rebuilt relationship or some kind of reconciliation with them despite thinking he failed them by turning his back on them even though we never saw redeeming qualities in them. L and Light never did but Light certainly grieved as much as he gloated so they did reach something.
Buddy, you never understand foils as those above are narrative foils.
I’m sure even platonic enemies to friends can show ya too like KHR, One Piece, and more.
I’m not sure why you think people can’t reconcile or reach an understanding even as former enemies that can help each other or even rebuild a relationship.
Every time I see people decry Dabihawks, I seriously wonder if they ever experience Suzalulu and Shizaya. These ships are rampant with betrayal and death threats. Shizaya avoided each other in the light novel yet they are popular enough for the author to write a gag short. Shizaya in the original ending Izaya rendered immobile by Shizuo. Suzalulu has them attempting to kill each other many times and betrayals are common in R2. I’m just… what on earth are they expecting from obvious enemies to lovers ship? What about L x Light? That’s a popular ship in DN. That ship has Light kill L for the love of Godoka.
I’m just so confused about the reception to Dabihawks after the betrayal. A possible factor is people's preferences for either character. If you like Hawks more, you'll hate Dabi for what he did to Hawks. If you like Dabi more, then you'll hate Hawks for what he did and continues to do. I guess in this instance, it's just all that, and people jumped ships. Yet from what I've seen, while EndHawks are just full of NSFW and fewer emotions because if people really think of the emotions and the logistics the ship falls apart, Dabihawks is just full of angst.
Because Dabihawks shippers aren't romanticizing the fight at all. The possibility of them being a couple and them breaking up in that pivotal scene just add layers of angst. Dabihawks shippers just love the angst and heat because that's what makes the ship on a surface level at least.
Honestly, I have not seen any enemies-to-lovers ship romanticized because typically the fighting is seen as an angsty layer. I have no idea why Dabihawks haters think the shippers are romanticizing when all I have seen from Dabihawks shippers are them crying at the angst and saying they’re not okay. They indulged in the what-ifs just as much as they loved the divorce arc.
Really, even in the angsty and messed-up ships of ASOIAF, I saw nobody romanticizing the ships. At least there people understand their faves are flawed and not saints. Though Ron the Death Eater and Draco in Leather Pants tropes are still in full force regardless.
Why not appreciate the angst? I know my fair share of angst in ships. Better angst than whatever stupidity lies in a ship that offers NSFW porn and nothing else *cough*EndHawks*cough*. I want my ships with substance and full of possibilities than just mindless porn! I want porn with feelings! Porn that invokes a variety of emotions! I don’t want porn for the heck of it because I could just go with actual porno for that. I want my fanfiction porn to have feelings! I want the undercurrent of angst or trauma or just assholes learning together in this new sexual relationship. I want complications!
…I mean when I dealt with enemies-to-lovers, betrayals, attempted murder, and actual murder in ships before, Dabihawks is a gentle wind. Please, I ship Orion Pax/Optimus Prime x Megatronus/Megatron from Transformers Prime which involves a friends-to-enemies betrayal and so much murder that many in the fandom interpreted as lovers-to-enemies; I mean this is the staple Optimus and Megatron depicted as friends when the entire franchise is about them being enemies so really fuel for the fire. Optimus x Megatron has always been a popular ship in the Transformers fandom even before Prime. Dabihawks is nothing unusual from my shipping tendencies and from any ship really. I don’t know where the hate is coming from when it’s normal shipping during my over-decade-long fandom participation.
Do they not understand the difference between rivals-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers? The latter will have murders and attempted murders. That's the point. They're in opposition to each side with differing ideologies yet with understanding and empathy, they can have that happy ending. I have never seen enemies-to-lovers ships romanticized because the shippers understand the enemies part and find the attempted murders in both parts to be an attractive feature.
Rivalry is different because it means respect rather than murdering each other. Rivalry meant roasting each other because you can see rivals-to-lovers in ships like Contestshipping. They aren't killing each other but working for the same goal in the same field. They respect each other.
Either way, the betrayal is full of angst. Please, Suzalulu is a breeze with trying to kill each other and many betrayals. R1 finale had them pointing guns at each other. Even when Lelouch was brainwashed, Suzaku still tried to strangle him. Unwittingly with Schneizel's interference, Suzaku betrayed Lelouch.
I developed a liking for calling the fact two men trying to kill each other their divorce/breakup arc, involving the rest of the world in the world's messiest breakup. I think it's funny that involving the rest of the world in the private matters of two guys breaking up publically and messily with all the attempted murder. While the rest of the world doesn't know it, they just got involved in private matters and it's funny.
Stede x Ed from Our Flag Means Death is in their breakup divorcees era but they’re not trying to kill each other. I don’t think they’ll try to kill each other now considering what happened. S2 will definitely have Stede prove how far he’s gonna go for Ed as S1 is about Ed’s love for Stede. They certainly got the rest of the crew involved much to their exasperation and I’m certain Lucius will chew them out when he finally reappears.
I know it’s not canon except Gentlebeard there but I’ve been in the shipping game for years. I know many of my preferred ships are not canon and know what happens canonically. Does that mean I can’t ship it because it’s not canon? Have they heard of fix-it fics or AUs? Fuck, I have seen people write ships around what happened in canon and it’s all fine. Have they heard about crack ships where people ship characters from different franchises?
EndHawks is not canon because the stupid fanon celebrity crush is somehow canon when it’s not, just misguided hero worship - just because Hawks is an adult does not negate the fact that the hero worship came from freaking abuse and a desperate need for parental support. I legit think EndHawks shippers forget Hawks is an abuse victim who desperately craved a supportive parent figure so they go through mental gymnastics so that not even the fact a platonic Dabihawks are able to reach an understanding can interfere with their stupid ship. - yet these guys seemed like they’re too delusional to think otherwise that it ain’t happening either. Go play on your side of the playground and let others play just because somehow the canon events are far too debilitating for any relationship or if they even have one.
I just… Again have they witnessed popular ships like Suzalulu, Shizaya, Lawlight, and so many more? I’ve been in the fandom for over a decade. I know more shit so can these guys who want to effectively shut down Dabihawks shippers shut their pretentious mouths and listen that this is not abusive as they always say when it’s just a measly ship? How can it be abusive when we know both of them are abuse victims who would rather break the cycle than continue it? Do you know what abusive means? Why throw it at a ship that would definitely not be abusive because the two are abuse victims? Move on and ignore anything ships you don’t like. Block and curate your own experience instead of verbally abusing others just for shipping something you don’t.
Is Suzalulu abusive? Fuck no.
How on earth attempted murder is now abusive? When both are trying to kill the other? For good reason or not? Do they even know what the word abusive means? The point of enemies is exactly that of enemies. It’s not having a rivalry where you can respect the skills albeit begrudgingly. Enemies means attempted murder at the very least.
You can say toxic or whatever but not abusive. Don’t throw around the word abusive like it’s candy. Just because you don’t like a ship doesn’t mean you have to justify your hate by throwing around words you clearly don’t understand.
Because I saw Dabihawks haters throw around the word abusive when it’s clear they don’t understand anything at all. They don’t understand the basic concept of enemies-to-lovers, especially the enemies part.
There are ship dynamics that work if you can write them. Just don’t use those words to justify your hatred. Just say your piece and move on. Heck, I don’t even have to say much about my loathed ships beyond a few here and I move on with my life because I ignore the heck out of those loathed ships. I rarely hate ships but it's a dubious honor. At least TodoMomo is still received better from me than EndHawks because TodoMomo is just so stupidly bland.
Dabihawks are nothing unusual especially given the popular ships I came across in other fandoms. Why the harsh reaction? Are they really that naive or just stupid because their reactions are nonsensical when I know ships before Dabihawks even existed? I experienced Shizaya at its most popular. I just don’t understand why Dabihawks is singled out when it’s nothing unusual in the grand scheme of shipping. Is it their few interactions? Because Shizaya has even fewer in the light novels.
Besides, I've seen one fic that explores what if Dabihawks were in love during canon and follow it until a certain point where it diverges because it’s a fix-it but still in character? The same author planned to write ways Hawks can justify leaving the war effort for a life with Dabi and Twice Lives fics one day too. I mean the way that it would be in character is working with heroes and villains alike to expose Enji and the Commission and change hero society before eloping and leaving for the quiet life. Though what would be definite for a potential happy ending with no escalation of violence would be being emotionally honest with each other about their feelings and telling the truth, just being honest with each other… Who knows what would happen. That could lead to reaching a compromise and working together because Dabi won't be able to leave without having some justice done and Hawks can only leave when the country is in a safe state without feeling all the guilt and burdens on their shoulders. That would mean being emotionally honest though and I'm hoping to see this author tackle that to lead into this the other choice had Hawks chosen Dabi over the mission because I really want to see this in a separate story of its own. Because I rarely see Hawks choose Dabi over the mission written well and I really want to see that compromise. Honestly, to see the other choice written well is something I want to see and I want to see them talk before the betrayal could happen because they’re working together to save Twice. I just want to see them honest with each other in a way that the other choice is and can work.
All of that is from one author and I just want to see more of her writing before I can bookmark or mark it for later anything. I’m really looking forward to how she can execute those ideas because it's the other choice and they want to keep it in character so I'm especially wondering how especially the Twice Lives fic which I hope would see in the near future. She had recommended another author but that author wrote too small word count one-shots for me when it’s too spread out.
You guys have no idea how picky I am with bookmarking and marking for later fics. I have seen good and great Dabihawks fics but it’s still in the process of needing to see the writing more if they can get past it. Those fics in my AO3 bookmarks had a process that unless I trust the author well enough it’s there. Just look at Love Psycho and tastewithouttalent’s fics because I trust them.
I know Love Psycho before with myself reading Magical girl AUs. When I randomly checked the Suzalulu tag, I was surprised to see her on there so why not? Because I trust her, I don't need her to go to Akito and R2 already to know this fix-it fic is in good hands and immediately bookmarked it. The other CG fic she wrote I bookmarked took some time but it got there.
So really that Dabihawks author is in a good spot right now for her multiple stories to enter the ranks of the aforementioned authors.
I'm digressing.
Shipping has nothing but a few interactions we see. They have to know people will ship characters even remotely mentioned or just have one interaction at best. Mycroft and Lestrade in BBC Sherlock is a prime example. Even freaking All Might x Inko is such a popular ship.
Or not at all. I saw ships that had no interactions at all, just the ‘they look hot together’ mentality. And it’s okay in the end because shipping is really fun and games. Just as you can curate your experience.
Why is All Might x Inko okay but Dabihawks isn’t? Ah, the lack of understanding of what makes enemies to lovers ship and that even in the few interactions people see the potential on how they could work as people see they are foils.
This is a problem I run into seeing enemies-to-lovers ships these days. I see it in Akeshu arguments against it then why are people even arguing against it? I state my reason for not liking TodoMomo and ShuMako but I will never argue against people who like them. If anything, I try to put aside my dislike and be as diplomatic as possible or just avoid them. My dislike for these ships is known but I never bother to press people about why they shouldn’t ship those ships. I avoid ships I don't like or don't see the appeal of. You never catch me reading EndHawks ever.
Why are you trying to make me ship something I clearly state I don’t see the appeal of or try to dissuade me from shipping what I ship? It’s as if you can’t curate your fandom experience and see fandom shipping as activism. I have been in fandom for over a decade already. I know my fandom navigation and to see these people try to police my fandom experience is aggravating. I'm a veteran compared to those newbies who think they're pure and progressive through their shipping.
Listen, I know my preference for ships isn't everyone's cup of tea but for the love of Godoka, I never try to think of myself as pure with my fanfics and shipping. Because it's supposed to be fun. Even back when I was 12 to 13 when I first went deep.
It took some time for me to not blush when reading smut. Godoka, I remember the days of lemon and lime. I'm so old just remembering those phrases. Certainly, I remember I was like their youngins about the healthiness of a ship but I ditched that. I mean I technically care about it but my ships are those I’m drawn to.
I’m drawn to MiyuSawa over ChrisSawa and you cannot make me change my mind. I cannot see why FuruMiyu is such a popular ship because it’s just not for me.
I have gotten a soft spot for Spinneraki and I do want to read them if there are any good ones. I can get soft spots for certain ships if they strike my fancy like Spinnaraki. Another example of a ship that piqued my interest but not enough to OTP levels like the other ships I mentioned here is Katsuya x Maya from P2. While TatsuJun is my OTP of P2, I do like KatsuMaya.
Why are you even arguing against the existence of AO3, huh? I moved from FF.Net when that site became too stringent and too difficult to navigate. I only read fics there if fanfics are only uploaded there. If someone recs a new fic from there, I'll go there and read it.
I haven't used AO3 long but I know enough fandom history to know just how important AO3 is. AO3 is significant and to have these stupid people even try to destroy it is just grating.
Seriously, all the criticisms are just nonsense. For the love of Godoka, why don’t you make your own website instead of attempting to bully the admins and donators to fit your demands of shutting it down or making it as pure as possible? Make your own website or head on over to FF.Net. Just get over your self-righteous ass and just learn. Honestly, I haven’t seen these people bother much about FF.Net, just shows how ignorant they are. Then again, I don’t want them to attack that site, so I’m just thankful it’s not on any of their radars. The last thing I need is more deletion of my fave fics over there as I had to learn about George Devalier’s fics being deleted and having to find them on Tumblr.
These people don't care but their own selfish need to prove themselves pure through their fandoms. They don't care enough to learn about fandom history. Why should they when they took everything for granted when veterans have to deal with lawsuits and censorship? Did they experience Livejournal? Tumblr is the most recent in history with its purging of NSFW but now Twitter is following, leaving many to find ways so they can post NSFW.
If they’re that bothered, go and make their own website and let’s see how they fare. Instead of being aggressive to significant pieces of fandom history, they should go do their own thing. If it will make them learn fandom history the hard way, then they shouldn’t be so selfish to demand something futile and protected by everyone.
Why prove themselves pure and lambast adults in the fandoms and anyone for wanting to read dark shit? If anything, they prove they are selfish and unable to understand basic fandom stuff that was seen as normal before this whole purity thing blew up. Dark shit doesn’t have to be just channeling their trauma into catharsis, can just read it for fun. One does not need to have a traumatic experience to love reading dark shit. Of course, that depends on whether or not they executed fine or even greater.
Let me tell you that was a period in time when I wanted only healthy ships. It was a phase that I don’t remember that vividly but I still remember it. I phased out of it when I forget what I was doing and just liked the fics with my preferred ships. If I wanna read porn, I read porn. If I wanna read dark shit, I read dark shit. It does help that I’m particular about what I consume so whatever these guys pushing is just stupid. Just don’t read whatever you’re arguing against because with published fiction that involves similar topics as fics, it’s nonsense.
It’s just that fanfiction involves emotional attachment from characters that franchises people like and fanfiction means exploring stuff either canon left behind or didn’t bother. That’s the beauty of fanfiction and these people are just too naive to see it include dark stuff too. Buddy, I saw fics that explore characters healing from trauma up to including making the characters suffer; I saw characters put through hell out of love from the author and eventually granted relief and happiness afterward after earning it. Humans are supposed to explore and experience stuff hence creativity. These guys want to be incurious in order to preserve their so-called purity, only wanting fluff and healthy ships without pain.
People even arguing against Akeshu's and Dabihawks’ existences makes me question their fandom experience. They gotta have a preference for gen fics or moreover young. Mostly the young ones because it's the young ones who are pushing the purity thing for shipping and fandom overall as if other people in the fandom can't explore dark topics. I'm just in awe at these young people's naivety and insistence on thinking they're pure through their fandoms when it doesn't work like that. I read dark shit because I want to, not because of some traumatic experience. I’m not asking people to like my preferred ships but good Godoka aren’t you being pompous about what I like in just a measly ship by the end of the day?
Why are you doing all the ship hate instead of doing the sensible thing and saying it's not your cup of tea and avoiding it? Because I avoid the shit out of my disliked ships because you never catch me reading or writing or seeing any fanart about these ships.
Asking people to block you if they ship a certain thing is just stupid. You are supposed to curate your own fandom experience. You block the tag and whoever is associated with it. Others on the freaking internet aren't your parents or guardians. Why the fuck are you asking me to block you if I ship whatever you don't like?
I would’ve been fine with the ship had it not been for the Enji apologists and the ship getting popular and inescapable. I’m violently ignoring all art and fics regarding this ship because it’s a ship I really feel an increasing loathing and brain damage from it. If there are Dabihawks fics that feature EndHawks, you never see me touch it.
I fully understand if aspects of a ship just make you uncomfortable. That’s okay and we can just relax and move on our separate ways regarding what we ship. I won’t hammer you for shipping whatever you like that I don’t because it’s just shipping.
I harbor no love for Naruto x Hinata and that ship just makes me shiver after The Last movie. I was mostly eh until that movie which makes me uncomfortable with the ship. I avoid the ship and disliked the movie since. I was fine with the ship when I watched Naruto, but that movie made me uncomfortable just thinking about it.
Unlike TodoMomo which I said is just painfully bland, EndHawks earned my ire just by looking at the logistics and emotions involved. The ship involved the NSFW romanticization of an abuse victim and an ex-abuser aka sexualization of trauma from daddy issues; that's all there is to it to this ship, just NSFW porn. Atoner or not, Endeavor cannot relate to Hawks' experience should Hawks open up about his past. It's really bad for Endy should he date Hawks as it's the worst thing for an abuser to date someone the same age as his neglected daughter and an abuse victim on top of it too. Hawks already lacked an identity outside of his hero work and involving himself with his idol would make Keigo nonexistent. Hawks cannot heal with Endeavor in any way should he tell him about his past because Endy would just go into a pity party, forcing Hawks, an abuse victim, to comfort a fucking child abuser. Endy just sees Hawks not as a second chance at fatherhood but merely as a colleague except when Endy has a tendency to freeze up, forcing Hawks, a victim of the hero system, to support someone who abused the hero system. Had Hawks interacted with Endy before the Hero Billboard, he would have had the same experience as Inasa. Even though there are fans who love that type of behavior, I think Hawks who clung to the idealization of Endy as his savior and support through his days for comfort would have his illusion broken because he was treated so badly despite knowing Endy doesn't exactly have the best outward presentation; his support after learning of the abuse was to ask if Endy was responsible for Shouto's burn and as we see his support was utilitarian, projections of his abuse that he's denying, and misguided illusions about Endy. Endy offered Hawks nothing in return but shallow one-sided support when Endy never cared for him that way simply a coworker, not when Endy doesn't try to get to know Hawks better, unlike Tokoyami. Hawks is trying his best to support him to his detriment because he wants to be useful to someone and that's the cruelest part of all when we know that's a result of his abusive parents.
Now then, now you know my opinion on ships I don’t like. I won’t bother with other ships I don’t like because these are just two examples and I explicitly said that I don’t want to read these ships.
Now how is that so hard just avoid ships by curating your own experience instead of lashing out at people for shipping you don’t like?
Not to mention the potential of a ship. People are drawn to ships because of their potential and what they could mean.
Listen, I'm drawn to Dabihawks because of its sheer potential the layers in which it was presented were just interesting. These two are flawed broken and suffered from the same wounds of being unloved they shield themselves from it and identity issues and their place in the world, foils from the hero society that created them. They have hurt other people as well as each other yet upon finding each other, they see themselves as who can understand their pain no one else can by looking into a mirror. Quite unexpectedly, they found themselves worthy of the love they crave for so long because someone can see them. It's messy but messiness is what I like in my ships. There's not just pain and pleasure but also joy and happiness that they found each other in what life they have carved out with each other.
Foils and enemies-to-lovers are just cherries on top of a sundae.
Dabihawks is a ship I'm used to shipping because when I have shipped assholes together before Dabihawks ever existed, then it's nothing out of the ordinary. Seriously, one of my bookmarked fics for Soukoku is specifically about these two assholes being asses and trying to navigate their assholery for a better relationship from the trauma that they endured.
Honestly, that kind of fic is not that unusual considering my fave Tokyo Babylon fic has the famous Seishirou x Subaru ship with all the entails. Honestly, Dabihawks fit right beside Suzalulu. It’s truly nothing unusual in the grand scheme of things.
When Seishirou x Subaru is the beginning of my MxM shipping, then really why else do a lot of ships including the current ones have common elements? For the love of Godoka, Seishirou killed Subaru's twin sister! That is not unusual considering Lelouch killed Euphie and Hawks killed Twice. Really, it's not that unusual for my ships to involve murder in some way. I’m used to tragedy and angst in my ships. I love both hot and angst because feels there! I like my smut with feelings even comedy such as in Battlesleep. Soukoku is definitely the kind of ship that is my alley over Shin Soukoku.
I mean really if these purity shippers even bother, then they should learn just that betrayal and killing each other isn't that toxic, or rather their definition of toxic? It's part of the enemies-to-lovers aspect? Or just friends-to-enemies in the likes of Suzalulu?
Have they experienced the continuous tragedy of R2? I have seen betrayals in there a lot and not just with Suzalulu. Dabihawks is a breeze after Suzalulu. At least they got two while Suzalulu got loads of it and not just in R2 but Akito too. Suzaku tried to kill Lelouch there too! I’m used to seeing my ships attempting to kill each other and betraying each other and it takes work for them to reconcile and rebuild.
When I like my pairs of assholes, why shouldn't I expect any less about belligerence?
If I want sickening sweet, I turn to the couples who are sickeningly sweet or from franchises that aren't that entirely painful.
Like you don't have to turn to ships you think are toxic. You can just ignore them instead of lambasting them and their shippers for even considering it.
I mean I ignored whatever outcries when the Dabihawks betrayal and attempt to kill each other happened. When I was there with Shizuo leaving Izaya without the use of his legs, then isn't it easy for me to ignore the noise? For the love of Godoka, LawLight is still the most popular ship even after L was murdered by Light's machinations.
What are their opinions about popular ships in relatively inactive fandoms? How about active fandoms like One Piece and KHR? They’re mainly lambasting ships from currently popular fandoms like MHA and P5. I seriously wonder what is their reaction to ships like Suzalulu and Lawlight is because those ships don’t seem to be on their radar at all. Dabihawks and Akeshu are just similar to them and are immensely popular just like the ships I mentioned. If anything, it’s logical given how I have been in fandoms for over a decade already. Had they ever experienced ships long before Dabihawks and Akeshu ever existed? Because I remember everyone was fine with those ships barring ship wars. I don’t remember too much vehemence about its so-called toxicity when everyone knows just what kind of relationship they have. Seriously, these ships I mention still got fresh daily content of fics and so forth up. What are they even doing when old ships like Suzalulu still got daily updates alongside Dabihawks? It’s just stupid.
I still read Dabihawks long after the betrayal happened. None of the current situations with the canon bothers me because I'm used to it with the other popular ships I knew for over a decade. Please, when S6 airs, I'm betting that we're gonna see an increase of Dabihawks fics with the usual shtick of what happened when the manga event occurred.
You should too because this is nothing unusual.
Not to mention how Dabihawks started out as a crackship. A crackship is a ship that is far more funsies than any other because of its sheer implausibility and ridiculous even by normal ship standards. Think Jack Frost x Elsa as what a crackship usually looks like.
Yes, one of the most popular ships in MHA started out as a crackship because people thought they look hot together. A crackship so I wonder what would happen had canon not had them interact at all? I know Dabihawks from way back weren’t expecting them to interact because crackship.
Seriously, ships don’t have quite the same history but what remains is that it’s a ship that people think is hot. People just like seeing how they are together and that’s the point of shipping.
I honestly don’t like EndHawks and the recent spoilers made it even worse while the Dabihawks foils are just getting good and will remain fuel for the fire.
And that’s how shipping can work depending on your preferences.
Just you do you. Don’t pester about ships you don’t like when you can curate and just don’t bother people. Stay in your lane.
I know ship wars are a thing. I’ve been there on the sidelines. You can just ignore the war and do your own thing. I have seen nowadays those who shipped enemies to lovers often ignore the character hate and discourse. You don’t have to participate in the war with the war acting as the main deterrent for most people who aren’t seasoned shippers. And even the concept of shipping is a deterrent because people don’t see the point when it’s just plain fun Barbie dolls marrying each other in your backyard thing. Most people don't see what shipping is.
It’s really a loss that meta is no longer viewed with an open mind. On Tumblr, the full context and disclaimers are there to emphasize storytelling even if one doesn’t particularly like it. I really can’t talk about Endeavor’s arc which is honestly more consequences arc than redemption honestly without people saying I’m an apologist when I’m not. Please, I hold Dabi, Hawks, and Endeavor for their sins and they need to atone. I won’t even deny the former two committed atrocities. Endeavor losing his victory arm is just delicious on top of his mental breakdown. All I’m saying is that this arc got something good for his development. Again, he needs to put his family first over heroics and do something so that someone like him doesn’t happen again. When he’s this purportedly useless in one of the biggest fights (and only got up not because he wanted to save anyone in the field right now but for his own selfish thoughts with only a teeny tiny thought about Touya who he still used golden child and scapegoat rhetoric which is a win and he’s almost there) while his youngest son scored the first big win for the heroes whilst saving his eldest brother from suicidal vengeance and giving him validation for his abuse and the unconditional love he craves, then Endeavor has a lot of work to do. I’m not an apologist because why would I apologize for him when he became an atoner just as he sees All Might in his skinny form? Yeah, I’ll rather someone look deep into his soul and rip his world to pieces and reconstruct it before Kamino happened on top of losing his arm later on. I want him to have an existential crisis as everything is throwing him for a loop. Yu Narukami seems to be the person as he won’t take nonsense from this guy. He won’t care if he’s the number two hero because he sees past it and rips his world apart.
It’s just a ship at the end of the day. Nothing to get your panties in a twist. Seriously even a cursory look at a certain ship’s history shows just how nonsensical ship hate is. Avoiding ships is better for one’s health because I really don’t like EndHawks and NaruHina and avoid those like it’s a plague. I'm better for it really because as much as my face scrounges up, I will never bother with it in any capacity. You would see me block liberally.
I know my ships like Dabihawks and Suzalulu aren’t canon and that’s okay. We got fans for that. All I want out of canon is a good execution of a story’s potential.
When Dabi is the only one that knows just how deep Hawks’ backstory goes, then I would love him to get through to him and just understand each other. They’re foils. In canon, Hori intends them to be read as enemies as foils with both of them determined on their goals and warped perspective due to said goals and that’s it; he has no grand plans of romance. They might act differently with each other but we don’t really know for certain if they developed an emotional bond or not if they even did. Maybe Hawks' infiltration would include more moments than Hawks overhearing randos' conversation about heteromorphs because we need more moments when that's a failing of Hori's writing for Hawks.
We as a fandom are allowed to have our fun with the potential of how they met and so on. We are allowed to have that emotional bond between the characters and see what we can do to fix it.
I saw Dabihawks shippers say they doubt they have a bond with each other being too suspicious and paranoid to even bother with hate sex and too wrapped up in their missions while other Dabihawks shippers say the opposite that they did develop a bond only for Dabi to lash out twofold for a hero letting him down for Twice and using him for their own benefit again with the purpose of cruelty and intent of murder. We can still say Dabi really never trusted Hawks with his snooping into the files but at the same time, we can still say Dabi’s outright declaration he never cared for Hawks was needless because if they really did just have a coworker relationship he didn’t need to say that as Dabi has a tendency of saying he doesn’t care for someone out loud he cares for that someone too much. You would not have me say that I care for a colleague out loud at my workplace because the guy is my coworker and nothing else when basic human decency would see; he’s not a friend, just someone at my workplace who I treat civilly. There’s a reason why there are Giri chocolates given, ya know.
Both are valid headcanons because the Dabihawks relationship is ambiguous due to their low screen time together with what little we got.
On a softer headcanon piece, I adore the Dabihawks pet names a lot, particularly if those names progressed as the relationship deepened. Like, Dabi can still call Hawks pretty bird regardless of angel and dove are just as viable nicknames at the time. I have seen a lot of sweet nicknames Dabihawks shippers came up for Hawks but not a lot for Dabi outside of Dabs, hot stuff, and maybe firefly. Also, they definitely eloped and will be spending the rest of their days together in a private beach house they own and yes, they did marry young and were the first of the Todosibs to marry. TouKei is the spontaneous elopement type so they invited nobody to witness, just them. This drives the Todofam and the LOV nuts that they weren't even considered when the two just eloped without telling them.
On a slightly funnier note, the Todoroki siblings have a type of part furry and part 'surface level the opposite but upon closer inspection more similar than they look'. Touya marries a hawk heteromorph Keigo Takami/Hawks, Fuyumi dates a rabbit heteromorph Miruko, Natsuo dates a mouse heteromorph, and Shouto dates either or both Deku and Bakugou who has a rabbit and a pomeranian with rabies symbolism going on. Of all the siblings, Touya and Shouto are the ones who fall the hardest. Of all of them, Touya and Keigo are the most sexual because there are very few places they haven't had sex in their own house, Hawks' apartment, and Gunga Villa.
Also, it must be embarrassing for Endy to realize that two of his coworkers are dating and eventually married his eldest children. The fact Hawks fucked his son during the whole spying thing must be really awkward, knowing that Hawks truly loves his son.
Then again, it was really awkward for the heroes to know that Hawks fucked Dabi and loves Dabi with all his heart and soul. The last thing the heroes expected was star-crossed lovers.
It’s a hell of a lot better than the nightmare of an endgame couple with poor execution.
NaruHina, SasuSaku, the Star vs the Forces of Evil disaster, the VLD madness, the increasingly poorly written MLB love square that many at this point are just writing their own when the plot and characters aren’t moving…
Thank god for fandom because when writing just isn't enough, then fandom can just fill it in or rewrite it. I have seen a lot of spite rewrites for VLD since the finale because the entire VLD fandom is less than impressed with the writing just for its reduction of characters and plot.
Leave the ships to the fandom including non-canon ones like Dabihawks, Shizaya, Soukoku, and Suzalulu. When canon ships can be disappointing with their execution, ships with little basis yet overflowing with potential are ripe for picking.
This is what shipping is like. Fun potential flavorful dynamics. Canon can provide a basic structure but a basis nonetheless. Shipping is wild and free just as long as you stay in your lane. We get some amazing ship fics and art out of the deal. Even from my lookover of ships I either don't see the appeal of it or just don't like it, I saw amazing art but I avoid them. If I do see them, there's a chance I'll get queasy (EndHawks got me to this level when no other ships had done and I have seen messed-up ships. Sure some ships get me uncomfortable like NaruHina but even NaruHina never drove me to the point EndHawks does that I utterly refuse to see anything from it and I don't hate ships when I've been in fandoms for over a decade and EndHawks shouldn't have been that much of an impact but given how much of that ship involves things I see just wrong for the characters alongside the apologists and its undeserved popularity, I just won't touch it) or just make me sigh because I don't want to see them.
It’s not meant to be this grand purity activism. I've seen some messed-up ships over my time though EndHawks get a rather unusual loathing from me when I've been in fandoms for over a decade yet EndHawks with everything from its fandom and the Enji apologists just elevated it to something I never thought I would see a ship: absolute utter trash that I refuse to touch with a ten-foot pole. Supermartian due to the insistence on DC's end in New 52 and WFA where the YJ cartoon made it popular but as the seasons go on, extremely toxic but the writers lack self-awareness on that. It's inching so close to not touching with a ten-foot pole that Endhawks have been alone for so long. Honestly, given how Kon was treated in new 52, it's probably close to the finish line anyway.
You can think my ships are toxic yet here I am unbothered and just reading my preferred ships. You should stay in your lane and focus on your experience rather than force others to curate your experience for you or even think about shutting down sites after what fandom went through and achieved the Hugo award for it. I still love seeing everyone applauding AO3 at the award show.
It’s just Barbie dolls at the end of the day. Don’t need to kick the sand up into their faces and laugh at them for it. Stay on your side of the playground.
