big man from splatoon is a trans man!! (headcanon BUT his legs he stands on are actually his back fins. male manta rays typically have 4 while females have 2. he has 2)
Aroace Big Man headcanon: Where does it come from? Why is it used as a shield? Why does this matter?
From one aroace perspective
CONTENTS
I. Terms and definitions
II. Who is Big Man?
III. The Non-human stereotype
IV. The Shield across fandoms
V. Why it matters
VI. Conclusion
—TERMS & DEFINITIONS—
Rose: An abbreviation of ROmantic and SExual
Allorose: Someone who experiences Rose attraction. The allo prefix is also used for terms like “alloplatonic” and “allofamilial” however, we will only be using the allorose label since it is the most relevant to this conversation
Aroace/Arose: Someone who feels little to no rose attraction. However, we will make emphasis on the “no” part of the definition since people often hc Big Man as experiencing no attraction at all
Amatonormativity: The idea that everyone experiences romantic attraction, desires a romantic relationship and that romantic bonds are higher above other types of relationships
—WHO IS BIG MAN?—
Big Man is part of the Splatoon 3 idol group known as “Deep Cut” he’s a sweet lovable guy as well as being the first male and non-humanoid idol.
Because of this, people are uncomfortable with the concept of shipping him as he has no visible human features unlike his group members and previous idols. A lot of people have resorted into hcing him as aroace to prevent this, most people see this as a simple solution but it unfortunately falls under a famous stereotype and a certain trend across fandoms
—THE NON-HUMAN STEREOTYPE—
The non-human stereotype, as its name says, is a common aro/ace stereotype that portrays arose people as something non-human (alien, robot, etc) that allorose people often fall in when either creating or interpreting characters as aro/ace. It’s harmful because it portrays rose attraction as something inherently human, which obviously dehumanizes aro/ace individuals.
Why do I think Big Man falls under this? Because most of the people with this hc are allorose and when they mention Big Man being aroace its always followed up by “He’s a manta ray I don’t like shipping him” or “Big man is OBVIOUSLY aroace BECAUSE he’s a MANTA RAY” and they often ship Shivrye and/or the other humanoid idols with each other. Leaving the only non-humanoid character as aroace
—THE SHIELD ACROSS FANDOMS—
This is not exclusive to the Splatoon fandom, I’d say Big Man is part of a larger trend across communities
The label is never treated as an identity but rather as a shield, a solution to shipping discouse, something you can put onto characters you hate to keep your dearest away from them. Aroace hcs are never born from love but rather from hate and/or carelessness
Big Man is a prime example of this
A solution: He’s a Manta Ray which stirs controversy in shipping contexts
Carelessness: He’s often pushed away from the other two members as he simply isn’t interesting enough in others words
Hate: I’m not saying he’s the most hated idol but he is definitely hated by most people putting the aroace label on him
—WHY IT MATTERS—
The Splatoon fandom is a predominantly queer one, and like real life lgbtq+ spaces, aspec people are often pushed aside and alloroses often negate our queerness.
Big Man may be a fictional character, but the biases that people have towards aroaces are very present in this hc, especially if they ship the other idols except Big Man. I think it’s important to call out trends like this even in fandom spaces because it can help people unpack their internalized aphobia and be aware of amatonormativity. Helping them understand experiences better and opening up minds even more
—CONCLUSION—
The aroace Big Man hc is not inherently harmful, I have that hc for him and the rest of Deep Cut as well due to the fact that I can see how a lot of their themes can be related to my experience as aroace (my bio), but the notion of “he’s not human therefore I can’t ship him so I’m making him aroace” is
I think the Splatoon fandom has the right to be proud of how much it is a safe space for queer individuals but we can’t do that fully without working on our biases and prejudices against arose individuals. This post is not meant to villainize or attack anyone who happens to have hcs like these but more so educate on why it can be unintentionally harmful. Im willing to answer any questions anyone may have
