Let’s talk about shipping in different fandoms. I've already written similar post before but I keep seeing things which are frustrating, so here we are.
For example, I’m still not over Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. And yeah, I’m probably that weird, messed-up, unhinged person in the fandom who fell hard for the Verso/Maelle ship. To 99% of the fandom it’s straight-up nightmare fuel—“she’s only 16” or “they’re literally brother and sister.”
For me, though, the ship hit like a truck before I even realized Verso wasn’t some random replacement for Gustave—he’s actually a massive, story-critical character. I thought the whole thing was about betrayal, reincarnation, and his mission somehow being tied to Maelle. We all know how the story actually played out and how it ended… but the ship never left me.
And yeah, I’ve written (and still write) fanfics about them, and no one is going to stop me. Because these are two fictional characters, and in fandom literally any pairing is allowed. Even this one.
There are pairings I personally don’t get at all, but you won’t catch me running into comment sections screaming “Hey, Monoko is Verso’s dog, so you’re clearly a zoophile for shipping that!” I don’t do that because I respect other people’s tastes—even when the pairing feels completely wild to me. If someone caught real chemistry and it works for them? Hell yeah, more power to you.
Take the biggest ship in the fandom—Verso/Gustave. These two have never even spoken. Not once. Where’s the spark supposed to come from? And yet so many fic writers and artists are all-in on it… and honestly? That’s awesome. It keeps the fandom alive and growing, and I’m genuinely thrilled the Expedition fandom is blowing up.
This post is coming from the fact that I’m tired of feeling like a pariah in a fandom I adore, just because some people have nothing better to do than harass anyone who likes a niche ship. Usually the loudest screamers are the ones hiding their own guilty-pleasure tendencies they’re scared to admit.
But let’s get one thing straight first: this is a game fandom. These are made-up characters. Everyone already knows incest is a hard taboo in real life. The only thing I’ll add is—go flip through some classics or even modern literature on your day off and you’ll be shocked how many way more disturbing things are sitting on those pages. Or just look at actual history and you’ll find endless examples of incest and all kinds of other wild stuff.
If we’re talking about the game’s historical setting, relations between relatives were still a thing in the 20th century, but it was always a tragedy—bloodline degeneration, the whole nightmare. And for me, above everything else, Verso and Maelle’s relationship is exactly that: a tragedy. One with no future.
If my words somehow trigger you, maybe pause for a second and ask yourself: is the problem actually me… or is it you?
Maybe it’s time to touch grass and get a real life instead of dumping all that aggression on me—or on any other Verso/Maelle shipper.
I’m not here for drama or hate. I’m here for the inspiration, for finding and supporting other fans who love the exact same pairing I do.
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