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.
Also, I think people forget that Hawks does not condone nor apologize for his actions. His actions toward Endy are projections and denial of his own victimhood and misguided hero worship with utilitarianism because having therapy now would kill them, needing to prioritize heroism over what is needed. Godoka, they are so bad for each other because both of them need to prioritize themselves/their family because Hawks need to be selfish for once in his life and Endy needs to take the consequences of his actions and know what it actually means to atone. Hero worship is comparable to Deku and Bakugou's toward All Might and Eri and Kota's toward Deku. Also, Hawks is not a prize for Enji’s so-called happiness because that’s the ship that essentially reduced Hawks to a prize. It ruins what little development Endy has with his family because who wants to date someone the same age as their eldest abused and neglected children. All they care about is the fanon stupid one-sided celebrity crush and cheerleader aspects which in itself is gross because of Hawks’ emotionally stunted from abuse and grooming that crushing on the guy who saved you is unhealthy when he lacked no identity outside of hero work. Because a so-called changed Endy would be able to understand the abuse and grooming Hawks went through, of course, when Endy wouldn’t know what to say and just go into self-pity. Every time I get reminded of putting an emotionally stunted abuse victim with an ex-abuser who would purportedly date someone the same age as some of their eldest children which in real life is terrible and I heard in real life children cutting off all contact from their parent when that happened. Everything about this ship is gross. I have seen messed-up ships in my fandom experience before but EndHawks with its inescapable popularity made it top of my list to avoid at all costs. That’s a dubious honor I never thought I’ll give to a ship so here’s the poop emoji 💩.
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.
