#pairing wars

[asocial-inkblot]

Kataang, in fact, WAS always meant to be.

Not interested in starting a ship war, but I thought this a valuable piece of information to decide to share.

For those who don’t realize yet: ATLA (like probably all cartoons) has a pilot, and it’s easily accessible to internet users. Said pilot is, if I remember correctly, from around 2002 - 2003. (The official show aired for the first time in 2005.)

In that pilot, there’s a scene involving Sokka, Katara and Aang where Sokka and Katara make fun of each other. I added a large amount of quotes from that scene to vividly give you an idea of what’s happening. I highly recommend searching it up though.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sokka: 

[Snarky tone.] “It won’t be long before the Fire Nation sends their whole fleet after your little boyfriend.”

[Turns to find Kya (Katara) practicing her waterbending with Aang’s help.]

Sokka: 

“Kya we don’t have time for this.”

[She attempts to drop a flow of water she’s currently bending into a bag Aang’s holding.]

Sokka: 

[Annoyed.] “Hey, quit playing around!”

Kya (Again, Katara):

[Is snapped out of her focus due to what he yells, causing the water she’s bending to fall on Aang and Momo and drench them.]

Aang:

[Jokingly.] “I said keep it up.”

Kya: 

[Looks embarrassed.] 

[Sokka simultaneously can be seen and heard in the background, chuckling.]

Aang:

[Uses his airbending to quickly dry himself and Momo off.]

Kya: 

[Sassily.] “Okay, for the last time, waterbending is not playing. Braiding my doll’s hair: now that’s playing.”

Sokka:

[Visibly blushes as he looks embarrassed.]

[Defensively.] “I was six.”

Aang: 

[Grins and laughs while Kya speaks again.]

Kya:

[Calmly.] “And he’s not my boyfriend.”

Aang:

[Makes pouty face with low sound of disappointment, while Momo growls for an unknown reason and flies off for comedic effect.]

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

So there you have it. The three of them are already working together. The word boyfriend was said twice in regards to Aang as a romantic option for Katara (Kya). All three characters have acknowledged it. And although the scene has only Aang show signs of currently having a crush on the other, the fact that it was mentioned at all is clearly an example of foreshadowing. Like it or not, Kataang was always meant to be. Okay, now back to your ship wars.

[miriam-heddy]

People,

When I ask a Buck/Tommy fan a question, I am genuinely trying to understand what they’re seeing that I didn’t see, and where they’re coming from. I often ask, “Where did you see that happening?” and “what made you think that?” And sometimes, I offer what I saw that seems to contradict their read, because I wonder what they thought of *that*.

I’ve been in fandom for about 35 years. And I rarely call out anyone for anything besides saying something truly hateful. And almost never mock someone for their pleasures, providing they aren’t hurting anyone.

ETA: I’m adding the reason for this post here, because it was a response to someone who has since blocked me, and I want a record of this. Judge for yourself whether I’m an ogre or whatnot.

[kienaiomoire-blog]

Thoughts on Pairings in Boruto

It is difficult to explain this. Borusara has been around since November 6, 2014. Since practically the manga ended, people have been shipping Boruto and Sarada together like chocolate to cookie dough. I have never understood it, particularly when people shipped them together because of the power and abilities of the child they may have.

That turned me off.  

Really. It reminded me so much of Sasukarin that I didn't want to think about it. The relationship between their fathers was also a factor. And in 2018, I still don't understand. I guess I don't have to, but...the pairing is so big, and has such a strong following that I feel intimidated.

It should be the characters that matter, not the bloodline. (Except for teasing purposes)

I hear a lot that "Boruto and Sarada are perfect for each other!" and other statements similar to that. Every single interaction they have with each other, no matter how small or brief such as a stare, seems to be documented as evidence that they are perfect for one another, not for evidence that they could become a couple. Now, I can now, watching the anime, understand why people ship Boruto and Sarada. I understand, but I still don't like it.

That's okay. Don't kill me. Please.

But if a blush constitutes as a sign of Boruto and Sarada someday being together, then what about Boruto and Sumire? Why did he blush when he realized Magire was going to do?

If Boruto protecting Sarada is a sign of romantic love, what about Mitsuki protecting Sarada in chapter 23?

Borusara has as much chance of happening at the end of the manga as Borusumi, Mitsusara, and Borumitsu.

Perhaps not, because in the case of Naruto, of which all fandoms love to site as callbacks and evidence, whoever confesses first is the one whose love slowly, eventually, requited.    

(Hinata confessed to Naruto, Sakura confessed to Sasuke, ect.)

Since Sumire indirectly confessed in chapter 18, then that is an indication she is half-way there. One thing I like to note is that after she confesses that she has romantic interest in Boruto, she winks at Sarada.

Perhaps she is more confident, or believes that Sarada does have romantic feelings for Boruto and is taking a good-natured rivalry towards her.

That is what we should be doing now. I'm a Naruto veteran since 2005, and I remember the pairing wars between Sasusaku/Narusaku/Naruhina/Sasukarin, to name a few.  To those who say they don't support Borusumi because Sumire is a copycat Hinata is bullshit.

Is Sumire a cookie-cutter version of Hinata?

Was Hinata the class rep of her class?

Was Hinata raised and used as a tool to destroy the village?

Did Hinata attempt to destroy the village, have the ability to deceive her classmates around her, and to control a S rank summon at the age of six?

Was she saved by a boy who she eventually developed romantic feelings for?

Would Hinata have the confidence at the age of twelve to confess that she liked to the teammate of the said person?

 At first glance, Sumire does look similar to Hinata. Their hair colors are vaguely similar, and their eyes have no pupils in them. However, it would be bullshit to say that Sumire is a Hinata clone.

Sarada too is her own person. But she deserves to be loved be someone who we knew who loves her with the facts to back it up.

And to have enough variety to sustain the possibility that neither pairing will become canon. Can you really imagine Ikemoto ending Boruto with the same ending as Naruto?

[tumblrhalix]

Authors and shipping

The other day I found this link on a Bleach forum, that it explains pretty well fans' attitude with shipping, and why has become a problem: http://www.vox.com/2016/8/7/11950648/fandom-shipping-social-justice-ideological-warfare

I also found what a very well known author, Hiro Mashima, author of Fairy Tail, had said on his twitter regarding pairings (because of some problem because of something said by the voice actors of the anime Fairy Tail):

“I see requests regarding pairings almost daily. Even authors who don’t use SNS (social networking service) might see it through their FL (fan letters). But authors can’t meet all the demands of the fans. Because we draw with our own convictions. I’m very happy that fans get excited over the pairings, but there isn’t any author who wants to see fans quarreling.” source

And seeing what is happening now with the end pairings in Bleach, I only can imagine how many requests Tite Kubo must have seen on his Twitter account when he had it (he closed it 1 year ago), and in fan letters, especially about a certain most popular pairing, and even so, he wanted to draw the end pairings according to his own convictions (shocking, I know). Is so hard to grasp that authors don’t have the same ideas as you (shocking again)?

Some people actually believe that they know the story better than their own authors, the person who made the characters, gave them a personality and know how they would act, they know which choices the characters would do in their lives, how are really the relationships between the characters, what character is in love with who, and know exactly how the manga must be interpreted.

And no, a pairing being popular it’s not because is the intended romantic pairing and the one that the author was writing but then he “suddenly” changed his opinion. Sometimes there isn’t even a coherent reason for the populatity of a pairing. Massive pairings with a big fanbase, much more than Ichigo x Rukia, are Kakashi x Iruka, Sasuke x Naruto, Levi x Eren, Harry x Hermione, Zuko x Katara, and many others in other fandoms, that never were the intended romantic pairings. Some didn’t even have almost interactions or a base for their popularity, others had a close or meaningful relationship that some fans confused (or they wanted to use it) as romantic, or they had many scenes together that some fans wanted to use to try to prove that they should be canon simply because they were their prefered pairing. And besides, when people see close relationships, the fact to convert them in romantic is very habitual in fandom, and this happens even with relationships between brothers.

And when the characters are a boy and a girl is far worse because then the fans demand to the author to make the pairing canon. Some people can have been confused, because they aren’t used to see close platonic relationships between a boy and a girl,  but others are obviously using it to claim their favorite pairing to be canon.

And if some people still had doubts, they should at least have LISTENED TO THE AUTHOR when he said, already 8 years ago, that in that relationship there aren’t romantic feelings and precious nakama explains their relationship well. When these fans tried to change his words in the interview, never quoting his exact words, because if not their ship was obviously sunk, so they prefered, on purpose, to lie to themselves, was obvious that the problem has always been on them, not on the author trying to deceive them. They didn’t need anyone else other than themselves to be deceived. And when the fandom of a pairing is large, those fandom’s lies and theories spread everywhere and people don’t listen and don’t want to listen to anyone else.

And when the end is not like they wanted then they insult the author, insult the characters, make up conspiracy theories, etc, which it seems it’s the standard procedure of the sunken ship fandom in almost any fandom.

[tsukiiro]

It seems one of upcoming Naruto Shippuuden’s fillers will be about Karin’s dream and her meeting with Sasuke. I’d better start building a bunker ‘cause shitstorm’s gonna be strong with this fandom.

[xylune]

So what does it mean...

When you ship both Levi/Erwin and Levi/Eren? No, I will not use that weird shit they go for in this fandom…don’t even know how it connects. “Eriru/Ererin or whatever the hell…I can’t even connect those with the characters. Don’t know where they came from and not even Google can tell me, so screw that. Why is the SNK fandom soooo aggressive about pairings, and how screwed am I that I support both?

[reis-imagination]

EVERYBODY SHUT THE FUCK UP! *cough* I mean, please stop tearing at each others throats.

Pairing wars frustrate me. They make me realize how much more I could do with my life than read through metas/essays why this ship sucks and that ship doesn't. I am an SS fan and it disappoints me that a lot of SS and NH are agressive towards each other. Really people? Really? Makes me want to unfollow a couple of people to keep my dash clean and positive, but I'll respect their opinions anyway. This seriously puts me off of my writing mood, which sucks since it's SS month. NARUTO is fiction, and as fixated I am to almost every fandom I fall for, I know I have to stick to reality and avoid attaching my emotions. Don't tell me I 'don't understand', for fuck's sake I have been on the SS ship for close to 10 years, of course I fcking understand. I just wish people would stop the petty childish arguements because for one thing, NARUTO is over (atleast for me, Kishi's retirement seals the deal, Boruto movie can fuck off for all I care.) and it does nothing to improve your lives, other than making you either a well spoken Naruto debate expert, or an Otaku with no life, which either way won't pay rent and bills. So yeah. SHUT. IT.

[shamanofanimation]

My new post is here on its on a...”controversial” topic of sorts: Shipping.