HIIIII! How are yoy, I hope you're having an amazing day!
I'm sure you've been asked this before, buuut I'd love to know how you came to fall for The Warden from SpongeBob (as a selfshipper. Tho you can use this ask as a pass to gush about ship lore if you'd like!!)
I think your ship is so cute. It's always fun to see background characters get love!
Oh, boy. You want the IRL story? It's actually really crazy.
I'll just put a small trigger warning here: TW: weed.
I don't condone drugs whatsoever (seriously), and I don't really do them, but it has something to do with the story.
In early February 2026, I clocked out of my manual labor job. My best buddy invited me over to his house to chill for a bit. When I arrived, he offered me an edible. At this point in time, I'd NEVER been high because it's not really my thing. I ate it and waited for a bit, feeling absolutely nothing. Not expecting much.
About maybe 45 minutes later, my OTHER buddy came in with a bunch of different strong alcoholic beverages. Like I said, I don't even drink often (I'd been drunk a few times before, so I already knew what that felt like), I thought that I deserved a little treat that night. I took a few shots to test out flavors. I didn't feel anything because it was quick. Then my friend offered me a hit of the bong.
That's when it ALL hit me. HARD and HORRIBLE. "I need to sit down." It was a feeling I never really felt before, and it was sickening. It felt like my throat was closing up and I was REALLY freaking out. I was all, "You do this kind of thing for fun???" I felt trapped in the physical feeling.
My first buddy, in an attempt to help me calm down, turned on SpongeBob SquarePants and handed me a glass of water. Of course, it was the fateful season 5 episode "Inmates of Summer". In a state of feeling weird both in the body and mind, I was LOCKED IN to the episode. Upon seeing the warden, I was all like, "woah". His strong aura emitted from the screen. Absolute Chad.
"That is one fine fish." My buds thought I was joking. I wanted to watch the episode again, but I didn't say anything.
Arriving home, I couldn't stop thinking about this fish. I started sketching him casually, just referring to him as my "favorite SpongeBob character".
I went for a run that week, just planning on doing a simple 4-miler, but ended the night off with 15 miles because I kept imagining the warden. "This might actually have the potential to be good for me if I'm normal about it".
I would be on break at work, reading all information I could find about the episode. I can even name release dates and background songs. I know the warden's lines word-for-word. Of course, I didn't share this with any of my friends because it is a little embarrassing.
February 13th, I made a silly wallpaper of him for my computer, just thinking "oh it's just my favorite character".
February 14th, I had covid-19 and stayed home from work, uncomfortably sick and bored out of my mind. That's when I drew myself hanging out with the warden on Valentine's Day. I created a Reddit account and accepted the self-ship.
Honestly, I do like the warden more and more every day. He's just a drawing created in a studio, but he has such personality, even if he's in only one episode. He's entertaining to watch, he has a great design, and the voice acting is amazing (RIP R. Lee Ermy). It's funny to think I'm some 21-year-old blue collar girl obsessed with a fish drill sergeant caricature. I think I'm the only one who makes fan art of this character in 2026, ugh he's so great.
