Drarry to JohnLock to Destiel to Byler
So apparently the âUGH WHY CANT SHIP BE 4 REALZZZZâ is still A Thing and I have to write a mini essay about itâŠle sigh.
I am an Internet Fandom Old, meaning I was on fanfic websites when they were LiveJournals and FanFiction.Net, before Wattpad or AO3, and I remember the difference betwixt limes and lemons, and what âno flames plsâ meant in an Authorâs Note as long as the chapter.
Now. Come my children and let me tell you about the call that changed my destinyâŠokay not really, but I started reading Drarry fics later on in my fandom journey, when SuperWhoLock was the zeitgeist (RIP 2013 Tumblr). Thus, I missed the true Shipping Wars, but hereâs the thing: canon does not owe you anything. It doesnât owe you a ship or redemption arc because you and your online cult want it (Iâm looking at you, Snape Wives), and just because thereâs homoeroticism in the subtext, doesnât make it have to be in the main text.
Iâm very much of the opinion that everything should be more gay in general, but Iâm a leftist not a TV producer or publisher. Thus, we are left with transphobic authors and show runners who are afraid of the implications of gay teens in the 1980s. And lest we forget: there ARE gay characters in these shows and movies and books, theyâre just not necessarily the main canon ship goal. Not to mention the ableism inherent in assuming that someone being less eloquent verbally who does not have access to assistive technology in the modern age makes her less viable as a romantic prospect. (Pls note that my knowledge of this is from my friends bc I am a scaredy cat and cannot watch stranger things).
Coding a character in your mind and in your own fanon as a different sexuality is genuinely fine. Iâm of the opinion that both Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley are bisexuals and yes I do have textual evidence to back it up. What that doesnât give us license to do, though, is be assholes to people with other opinions INCLUDING THE WRITERS AND ACTORS. Like. Babes. We have people who are doing active harm to marginalized communities and thatâs where our energies should go (Gaiman, Rowling, hell even Kristin Chenoweth is apparently a fan of Charlie Kirkâs??).
If thereâs anything weâve learned from JohnLock and Destiel, itâs that white men are not going to make their characters do anything other than what they really want to do. Fanservice is not the goal of any show, except Supernatural during the last few seasons but STILL. And honestly when authors do things in fan service? It tends to go poorly (Ron was originally supposed to die in the books but JKR wanted her perfect, tidy, cishet ending that would please the fans so Fred died instead).
And going back to disability: disability should not preclude a character from a romantic arc, and just because an arc makes more sense to you because you wouldnât date a disabled person doesnât make it a bad romantic arc.
In conclusion, love your ships. Dramione and Stucky are my OTPs, but do you see me being an asshat about it and forcing those on everyone? No. Because you can love a thing in your fandoms and still be a decent human being. Good night, and good fucking luck.
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