Bakugo won and shown character development: cool At the expense of tokage : not cool I want to be happy but tokage hyped up only for it to not matter unless horikoshi pulls a surprise kinda disappointed maybe it’s cause I’m not that much of a Bakugo fan

Yeah, I can see that! I was happy with Bakugou’s development (finally development in this arc, finally, I’ve been waiting 84 years lmao). But Tokage was built up for no reason as well which is definitely frustrating. Sigh. And, to be honest, I’m still hoping for Bakugou to get even more development (and apologize to Deku).

How do you deal with shipping hate??? I tend to ignore it but recently I’m starting to get really annoyed with snk fandom. Some shippers are behaving as if their ship have been confirmed as canon when in reality no ship is canon. I’m a shipper myself but shippers should know when to draw the line and learn not to insult or degrade another shipper and their ship. I find it ridiculous!!! I’m sorry if I come off as being salty but I really needed to get this off my chest.

Is this about the SnK ship that I have like everything blacklisted for and yet still get like multiple asks per week (and have ever since July) yelling at me for genuinely thinking it has no chance of canonicity? Like that’s how you take a ship I don’t ship but think is cute and turn it into a flaming NOTP. Because it is now. A NOTP. 

Lol. In case you can’t tell, I have salty feelings on it currently as well. My opinions on shipping are that for me, it’s part of the fun in fandom, and if people want to speculate about canon go right ahead (I do), but the moment you put anything about a story–a ship, a theme, anything–about a real person and harass them and condemn them for not having the same taste as you and for expressing their opinion, you need to take a step back.

I started out on tumblr in the Reylo fandom, so let me tell you, while I was mostly a lurker, I have stories. Lol. The harassment is kind if legendary for being really, really bad. Like I said, I was mostly a lurker, and I got honest to goodness rape threats. (There’s a shipping community in the TG fandom that has sent me actual death threats, which were almost funny if they weren’t really creepy and unnerving.)

Suffice to say: most fandoms are flaming dumpster fires when it comes to ships. There is nothing new under the sun. It’s frustrating when you really like shipping though, and enjoy it, but everyone is screaming at each other and needs to take a chill pill.

I take an attitude of “ship and let ship.” I have NOTPs. I have NOTPs the fandoms have ruined for me (like the SnK one we’re both talking about), I have NOTPs I don’t like for more petty reasons (Bertolt and Annie) but am happy for people who do like them, and NOTPs that squick me out to put it mildly (Eren and Levi, Max and Ash or Blanca and Yut-Lung from Banana Fish). But why people ship what they ship is 100% not my business, and I’m not interested in policing anyone’s enjoyment of their ships.

I blacklist tags for things I don’t want to see so that I don’t have to see that content if it really squicks me out. I don’t go into tags and hate-read anything. Basically, I try to mind my own business and focus on the ships I like. Just because someone says their ship is THE BEST EVER doesn’t mean it is. You can disagree and your opinion is just as valid. Just roll your eyes and continue on to finding something you actually like.

I’ve blacklisted everything related to that SnK ship and the two other ships (from the TG fandom, one of which I ship lol!) that have spawned harassment. I recommend doing the same, but of course, blacklisting isn’t going to block everything. If I need to express my salt, I do so (privately so as not to antagonize).

People who are harassing others are the worst, so you’re already in a better place by not doing that. Encouraging people to be kind to each other and practicing that as much as possible (because no one is perfect) is a good step.

What I’ve Been Up To

Watching a bunch of anime, really. Here are some brief reviews of animes I’ve recently finished, two of which are definitely in my top 10:

Revolutionary Girl Utena (8/10):

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A lot of it is 90s kitsch, but it’s probably, along with Banana Fish, one of the animes that responsibly covers the issue of sexual abuse in an empathetic, honest, and yet not exploitative way. The last three episodes are thematic perfection and the reason why it’s an 8/10 and not a 7/10. I love the message that no matter how horrible someone acts, they deserve to be saved from abuse. The fact that Anthy betrayed Utena with a kiss and stabbed her in the back (literally), and yet when offered everything Utena ever wanted but that would come at the cost of Anthy still suffering, Utena refused and still gave all she had to save Anthy. It’s a message that means a lot to me. Akio is a great villain. I hate him. 

Anohana (9/10):

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Poignant and deeply moving, it offers a powerful message on grieving and the different paths it takes, and an honest look at the complexity of relationships as well. Anaru and Yukiatsu were my favorites, but every character was well done, and it was excellently written and excellently paced, with a gorgeous soundtrack. I bawled through the entire last episode. 

Mawaru Penguindrum (9/10):

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Penguins and terrorism, oh my. But it also looks deeply at the idea of the sins of the father still affecting their children, and indicts adults for their apathy. It’s bizarre but works, deeply philosophical, and symbolically on point (it’s remarkable how symbolism worked so well in the story). The characters are well done, framed so that you can empathize even but not condone their actions, and I found Ringo’s development in particular to be powerful (while also involving my greatest critique of the anime in a certain element of her arc). Ringo and Shouma are an OTP. I love this line:

I finally understand why you and I were the only ones left in this world. You and I were already lost children, but most children in the world are the same as us. That’s why, even once was enough: We both needed someone to tell us “I love you.”

How do you manage to deal with other people’s opinion so well? Maybe I’m just too young and naive but at times I find it hard to understand other people’s views and perspectives on matters. Is it something that just comes easier with time and experience?

Well, in my experience… honestly, yes, it’s gotten easier for me as I’ve gotten older. Time and experience are important for perspective. 

I think as you grow, you are naturally going to encounter more people and more experiences that are different than yours, and learn that your life experiences are limited. Forging relationships with people who are different than you, getting to know them as a person outside of just that opinion you disagree with (and obviously I am not taking about extreme things like racism or the like) helps you empathize and look beyond just that opinion. At least, it did for me. 

It’s also a process, and it’s important to be gentle with yourself on the process. I hope I continue to grow throughout my life–I doubt I’ll hold exactly the same opinions at 36 as I do now at 26. I definitely don’t hold the same opinions I did when I was 16. It’s always going to be hard, though, because I think it’s part of human nature to want simple answers and to leap to conclusions (and if you’re me stick your foot in your mouth in doing so, #oops). But the older I get (and I’m still relatively young compared to many!) the more I find that things are seldom as simple as I wish they were.