man "ship and let ship" kinda stops working when ppl are actively shipping minor and adult characters together like hello?? same with the "dont like dont read" mentality, some shit shouldn't be fetishised maybe??
You've got a lot going on in this ask, anon, and it's obviously not asked in good faith. If I were a smarter human being, I'd delete it and move on with my life, but it's 9am on a Saturday morning and I'm still on my first cup of coffee so I'm just dumb enough to take the bait and respond.
Ship and let ship doesn't mean you need to approve of what other people are shipping. It doesn't mean you need to like what other people are shipping. It means that what other people ship is their business and what I ship is my business.
If I don't like a ship, I don't read it. I don't search out the tag. I don't try to find creators for it. I don't watch youtube compilations or stare at gifs or read meta analysis about how the ship is supported by canon.
If I don't like a ship, I just... don't think about it. It really is that easy. And when I do think about it, I might be annoyed for a moment, but then I move on with my life because guess what? Shipping is a meaningless hobby that I engage in during my free time and I don't want to waste my free time feeling pissed off.
I've seen a lot of bizarre definitions of "minor/adult" shipping, but even if we use the definition of an adult sexually abusing a child, it's still very easy for me not to read that story on AO3. I'm assuming this is all about AO3? It always seems to be in this kind of ask.
AO3 requires people to use one of two warnings in those cases. Either Underage or Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings - or both. I use the filter system to remove works with those warnings from my search results and guess what? Those works might as well not exist for me because I've never seen one. And I've been on AO3 since about 2013.
The thing about these kinds of opinions is that they only ever come up in relation to shipping. I never see these opinions related to violence or drugs or swearing or whatever else you might find morally repugnant. But the handy thing about "don't like, don't read" is that it applies across the board.
I don't think I'm going to like the new Jurassic Park movie, so I'm not going to go to a movie theatre, spend $15, and sit in a dark room with strangers for two hours to watch it. I'm not going to read reviews of it. I'm not going to watch the trailer. If a friend of mine invites me to go see it, I'll pass. I won't stop my friend from going to see it, though. If they're going to enjoy it then they should - and they're not going to fetishize dinosaurs or paleontologists or the tourism industry when they do.
If you're not able to control your own reading habits, then you should probably be more careful on the internet. Use Net Nanny or other content filtering tools to make sure that you can avoid the content that you're unable to resist through willpower alone. But don't make your inability to stay away from things you don't like my problem. That's all on you.
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How A Fandom's Self Destructive Behavior Nearly Tore It At the Seams
Preface
As anyone familiar with my content can probably tell, I'm a huge fan of the Danganronpa games, and I've dedicated the quite a bit of my online presence to the creation of Danganronpa fanart, theories, animatics, and other short stories. I've praised the series for its creativity, complexity, and novelty with the use of pop art in an otherwise grim setting, and ultimately, this series is quite special t me. Of course, it's by no means perfect, but I'm for the most part able to look past its many imperfections and appreciate it for what it is. Nonetheless, there's a glaring flaw within this series that, in spite of my efforts, I simply can't seem to ignore. While I typically discuss poor writing or characterization in my analyses and make up for that with which I am unsatisfied via fanfiction, headcanons, and so forth (this blog is dedicated to several characters who were underrepresented ffs!), I simply can't seem to look past this issue, as many people are aware of it, but are unable to put a stop to it. Imagination is not a magical fix, and this issue is indicative of that: the worst part of Danganronpa, t least in my experience, is the community itself.
Now, please be warned. The following post contains spoilers for all of the visual novels and anime seasons as well as the light novels. If you have not seen the aforementioned installments and you plan to, please click away now.
This post is most certainly not a positive one, and I'm fully aware that it could bring about controversy. Nonetheless, if I am able to reach out to at least one person and perhaps change the way they go about these things, I will be satisfied.
Now, disclaimer. I have met absolutely wonderful people thanks to this community. You have my deepest gratitude for your support, and I know I wouldn't quite have the courage to share my work had it not been for your kindness. This post is not directed at you or any specific individual, but rather at behaviors I have seen all throughout this fandom. Furthermore, this is not an isolated incident, but rather a pattern.
Enjoy this artwork if you don't feel like reading
The First Issue: Performative Activism
Although Danganronpa is a fairly old game (itâs having its 11th birthday this year), it gained a âcult followingâ in mid 2020. The subreddit doubled in size over the course of that summer, and it gained even more popularity when big youtubers, such as the GameGrumps, Kubz Scouts, and Bijuu Mike did letâs plays. I myself followed the games through CinnamonToastKenâs letâs plays when I discovered them in January 2020 (and yes, Iâm still subbed to Ken). Because of this radical and exponential growth, as well as the emergence of TikTok, the fandom became all the more diverse. People of all ages partook in it, and more people began to raise awareness in regards to properly representing underrepresented demographics, such as the LGBT community, individuals with disabilities, the neurodivergent community, and so forth.
Now, make no mistake. This is a wonderful thing. As a woman of color, I love seeing the fans come together and push for positive representation. Itâs wonderful to feel included, especially when most communities are unwilling to accept you. I have no doubt that the fans certainly care about the groups for which they advocate; itâs very noble to educate yourself on an issue and use your platform to raise awareness. However, thereâs a thin line between speaking *with* a marginalized group and talking *over* a marginalized group. Itâs easy for activists to forget that it isnât necessarily about them, but rather the group for which they are advocating. There are many instances of the fandomâs âactivismâ doing more harm than good, and Iâve dedicated the following section to the many instances of performative activism within the Danganronpa fandom.
Homophobia
A large portion of the fanbase identifies as LGBTQ+, and as such, have integrated it into various elements of the game. I myself am a part of the LGBT community, and I see absolutely no issue with this: Japan isnât necessarily known for its progressive attitude towards LGBT folks, and itâs great to see that the fandom is inclusive! Representation in fiction can be a huge source of solace, especially when an individual feels as if theyâre alone in their demographic. While this has, for the most part, stayed positive, Iâve noticed an increase in âhomophobiaâ allegations being levied at other fans, most of which is entirely unwarranted.
I have seen numerous people claim that shipping Tenko Chabashira, Nagito Komaeda, and Kokichi Ouma with members of the opposite sex is somehow âgay erasureâ and as such, a form of homophobia. Now, it is neither my right nor my place to harass other fans for simply thinking or saying this, but Iâve seen people harass other shippers for it. Iâve specially seen this with Komanami, Chabahara, and most recently, Oumeno. In fact, Iâve seen a select group claim that simply interpreting them as bisexual is a form of homophobia and warrants significant backlash.
Please understand: this mentality in and of itself is not only incredibly bi/panphobic, but also implies that the very existence of bi/pan/MSPEC people threatens that of homosexual individuals. Bi/pansexual people may have a bit more representation in media than exclusively homosexual or asexual people, the representation isnât always positive. In âcheatingâ storylines with same sex relationships, the bisexual character is almost always the unfaithful one.
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Even Danganronpa itself doesnât have the greatest track record when it comes to portraying the LGBT community in the positive light. A good number of the characters (who have been confirmed/heavily hinted to be LGBT) are portrayed as sexual deviants or other negative stereotypes:
*In the anime, itâs shown that Mukuro Ikusaba is deeply in love with her sister (anime only), and engages in mutual sexual acts with her
*Teruteru Hanamura, who by his own admission âswings both waysâ makes multiple unwanted sexual advances on his classmates, even going as far as to drug a dish he made for Hajime Hinata.
*Miu Iruma groped both Kaede Akamatsu and Shuichi Saihara during their free time events, and even attempted to âbaby trapâ the latter during a love hotel event.
Even if bi/pansexuals are arguably more represented, the representation isnât always positive.
If a person finds comfort in interpreting a character as bi, pan, or MSPEC, *let them.* Preventing them from doing so isnât âpunching up,â but instead depriving a community that still struggles to be accepted from finding solace; in addition, it further drives a wedge between members of the LGBT community as well as its allies.
Members of the LGBT community and allies alike ought to stand together. Weâve struggled enough as it is, and the last thing we need is infighting in our community. Not only are we isolating our allies, but we are making our *own* community feel targeted, attacked, and alone.
Racism
The fandom has a similar issue with claims of âracism.â I have seen people say itâs racist to make weed jokes about Yasuhiro Hagakure, one of the few black/biracial characters in the series. There are a lot of inside jokes in regards to Hiro being a stoner, and he has even been dubbed âweedmanâ in the fandom. Like Hiro, I am biracial (only black and white as opposed to black and Asian).
As of recent, a portion of the fandom has claimed that these types of jokes are racist, as they perpetuate negative stereotypes about black people, and that simply making these jokes can warrant being labeled a racist.
Itâs okay to dislike or feel uncomfortable with the weed jokes, as Hiro certainly has a character outside of that. I have neither the right nor the authority to tell people what they should and should not be comfortable with. Likewise, we as fans have no right to tell other fans what they should and should not joke about. There are some people of color, including myself, who arenât in any way offended by the weed jokes. Please donât be offended on behalf of the group for which you are advocating, and please refrain from referring to other people as âracistâ for making those kinds of jokes. If you truly believe that they were wrong in their actions, why not politely point it out via the ask box for comment section? If they respond in a hostile manner or refuse to come to an agreement, you can always block them and move on.
And for the record, Hiro isnât the only character that the fandom labeled as a stoner. Rantaro Amami is also on the receiving end of those types of jokes, even if itâs not quite as often as Hiro. I donât think it has anything to do with race, and moreso to do with their personalities.
Offensive Humor/Remarks
Now, if someone personally stops asking you to make a joke with/around them, then thatâs a different story, and I believe that their wishes ought to be respected. For instance, if you were in a DM with someone and you made a dark joke and they asked you to stop, then it would be best to simply respect that and move on. Otherwise, you donât have to interact with people who are making the jokes in general, and that goes for anything controversial (in my personal opinion). I believe that jokes and genuine beliefs, while not mutually exclusive, are very distinct in nature.
The fandom has levied various accusations against people who make dark or otherwise questionable jokes, which include but are not limited to abuse apologists, racists, pedophiles, abusers, and ableists. Iâve seen this quite a bit with âAlabamaâ jokes about Korekiyo Shinguji and his sister, to the point where fans sometimes go out of their way to hurt the person making the joke.
Thatâs not to say that the fans have no right to be offended. Just as you can joke about whatever you want, you are allowed to feel uncomfortable or even offended by anything. Nonetheless, thereâs no reason to dox, harass, or otherwise harm an individual/group of individuals simply because their jokes are upsetting or offensive to you.
Also, please donât take offense on behalf of another individual or demographic. As person belonging to various minorities, I find it uncomfortable and even a bit irritating, even if I know thereâs good intent behind it.
No one should have to be so fearful that they act offended on behalf of another demographic in order to avoid having the aforementioned accusations levied at them. I think we ought to break the cycle and start by handling disagreements and disparities in a more mature manner.
If some content truly causes you discomfort, you can do one of two things.
1. Block the user.
The block button does wonders; I wish we had one irl.
2. Download Tumblrsavior.
Thereâs an extension, tumblrsavior, that allows the users to âblacklistâ certain tags so that theyâre less likely to come across any uncomfortable or triggering content. While I donât personally use it, Iâve known about it for quite some time, and Iâm happy to see that itâs still on the chrome store. Iâm not sure if itâs accessible on the mobile version, but the block button is always a great idea.
TumblrSavior for Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tumblr-savior/oefddkjnflmjbclpnnoegglmmdfkidip?hl=en
TumblrSavior for Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tumblr-savior/
Failure To Distinguish Fiction and Reality
Furthermore: This fandom fails to distinguish the line between fiction and reality. While itâs true that fiction and reality can mirror one another, itâs important to remember that theyâre ultimately different mediums. What one finds acceptable in fiction rarely matches what they find acceptable in the real world, and I feel that the fandom tends to forget this. Even worse, they take the accusations mentioned in the previous section, apply it to people who they feel are worthy of it, and even go out of their way to âcancelâ these people. The following paragraphs discuss the importance of recognizing the boundary between imagination and reality.
âAbuse Apologistsâ
Korekiyo Shinguji is a controversial character to say the least. In chapter 3, it was revealed that he had an incestuous relationship with his late sister, and has since dedicated his life to meeting 100 âworthyâ women and murdering them one by one so that his sister could have 100 worthy friends in the afterlife; Angie Yonaga and Tenko Chabashira were his unlucky victims. While little is known about Korekiyoâs sister in canon (including her name), there are various hints that she may have been a controlling person, and that her relationship with Kiyo was unhealthy to say the least. As such, it is a widely accepted notion that the relationship was abusive, and that Korekiyo was the true victim of chapter 3.
If Iâm being honest, I think that this is a viable theory, and had it not been hammered home so haphazardly, I might have explored/accepted it. What put the icing on the cake was that the fandom accepted this as canon and was quick to label anyone who disagreed or even joked about the relationship as an âabuse apologist.â I have seen various people on the receiving end of harsh criticism and even harassment for simply making a *joke* about the situation. Now, itâs one thing to dislike or feel uncomfortable with that type of humor, but we as an audience have no right to tell others what they can and cannot joke about, especially if it wasnât directed at us personally. But at the same time, itâs incredibly presumptuous to assume oneâs moral code or past based on a snarky comment they made on YouTube.
You donât know these people or what they have been through. And theyâre in no way obliged to disclose their experiences, especially not to a group that was willing to cast judgement on them for a single opinion on a fictional character. You canât necessarily judge oneâs character based upon their fictional preferences, but the way they treat other people certainly says a lot.
Vigilantism
In a similar vein, youtuber Bijuu Mike received harassment because he was *suspected* of shipping Byakuya Togami with Toko Fukawa. While I personally dislike the relationship for a variety of reasons (and think that *both* parties were in the wrong), that in no way justifies what Mike and many other people in this fandom had to endure for simply liking a ship.
What a person ships in a fictional series rarely, if ever, reflects what they believe to be ethical in reality. The majority of shippers understand that fiction and reality are two entirely different mediums, and as such, donât necessarily condone in real life what they might explore in fiction. Thatâs not to say I support certain ships or charactersââ actions, but the people who do shouldnât have to face harassment, doxing, or even death threats for it.
Doxing is in no way warranted, and it has the potential to ruin a personâs livelihood for years to come. If you see something that you believe is questionable/against a websiteâs terms of service, report it, perhaps block the user, and move on. If you see something illegal or believe that there are actual people/animals being harmed (and not just fictional ones), report it to the proper authorities. Itâs easy to forget that carrying out justice over the internet does very little for the actual victims/potential victims. The justice system rarely, if ever, takes internet vigilantism seriously, and behaviors like the aforementioned can jeopardize a potential court case. When reporting a crime (as a third party), it isnât about you, but rather the victim(s) and those close to them. You have to act with their best interest in mind; otherwise, you could have potentially stopped a victim from getting the justice they deserve.
In addition, reporting something like a drawing or fanfiction to the police only wastes their time. Several organizations have asked
Also- do you really think that this behavior is going to change someoneâs mind? If anything, theyâre more likely to oppose your idea, as theyâll associate it with the harassment they endured.
We donât have the right to control what other people post, so long as they donât violate the TOS, harm other people, or violate any laws. If someone ships Toko and Togami, youâre entitled to dislike it, but theyâre entitled to discuss it without having to fear harassment or being called an âabuse apologist.â Once again, if it truly upsets you, youâre more than welcome to blacklist the tags via tumblrsavior and block the user.
Chihiro Fujisaki
While Iâve discussed Chihiro discourse in the past, Iâd like to raise a few points here that I failed to mention in that post. Another great example of this is the Chihiro discourse. As some of you may know, two trans artists ended up being on the receiving end of some harsh, unwarranted, and quite frankly asinine harassment for headcanoning Chihiro as a transgender woman. Someone even used the âtâ slur against one of the aforementioned artists. On the flipside, I myself have received flack for referring to Chihiro with male pronouns (though it isnât nearly on the same level as what Plumb1tes and especially Tea0-0stache dealt with), and Iâve refrained from discussing Chihiro frequently for fear of getting caught up in unnecessary drama. I quite frankly think that most everyone in this debate is in the wrong simply because they refuse to listen to any opposing arguments, but thatâs simply my viewpoint. So long as you go about it respectfully, I have no problem with interpretations of Chihiroâs character.
People can interpret Chihiro however they choose. I see Chihiro as a boy with Klinefelter Syndrome (discussed here), but that doesnât necessarily invalidate other interpretations. A lot of trans men/AFAB people on this site identify with Chihiro because his dysphoria was, in their words, quite similar to theirs. Some trans women identify with Chihiro and his struggles. We as the public have no right to take that comfort away from them, especially when theyâre already a marginalized group. I understand that it may not necessarily align with canon, but the beauty of it is that *your* interpretation of a character or arc does not have to be the same as someone elseâs interpretation. Otherwise, we wouldnât be able to share ideas, discuss, and perhaps come to an agreement while celebrating our difference.
Oh wait-
When you attempt to force your personal headcanons/interpretations on other people, thatâs exactly what youâre preventing them from doing.
For instance: I identify a lot with Mondo Owadaâs character (even if our upbringings, principles, and personalities are incredibly different) because his survivorâs guilt. Itâs highly personal to me, and I donât feel comfortable disclosing the details on this platform. Imagine if I found the courage to finally share this story only to be shot down because it doesnât fit someone elseâs interpretation. That would suck, right?
Thatâs exactly what some of you guys are doing to each other. Itâs as if protecting a fictional characterâs feelings are somehow more important than a real personâs wellbeing/emotional state. As I mentioned previously, we are in no position to dictate what content another user can and cannot post, and we ought to cease this behavior.
When integrating fiction and reality, itâs easy fo forget that fictional characters are merely the byproduct of imagination. You wonât hurt their feelings, but you can certainly hurt someone elseâs feelings. I frankly find it asinine that numerous people have been bullied off of this platform for the sake of a character who, while endearing and sweet, isnât real.
To Conclude
Some of the behavior i have witnessed in this fandom is nothing short of abhorrent, and this is simply scratching the surface of it all. Iâve merely addressed the points that I believe are understated.
If you are partaking in these behaviors, just stop. Instead of writing that caustic comment or publishing that âcalloutâ post, why not just try to have a discussion with that user? If nothing else, please think before you post.
This debacle has been plaguing the fandom for years, and I think itâs high time we put aside our differences and do what we know is right.
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