#and i appreciate those who do ship it

[khruschevshoe]

OFMD Critique: Jim & Olu, Screentime Quality & Quantity Issues, and Fandom Engagement

It is kind of insane to me that post-Season-1 of OFMD, the tags for Jim Jimenez and Oluwande Boodhari were almost as strong as the ones for Stede and Ed. Like, scrolling back on tumblr, I'm hit by the sheer amount of content posted for them. The fanart. The gifs. The meta. The sheer anticipation of what might come next for them.

(Now, this might just be because I first started looking at the fandom a year in, but I did my best to look at time stamps and how far things were spread out over time for them.)

Now, only a month and a half out from the finale...that flood has dried up to a trickle, if that. There is very little Jim/Olu content, or (more interesting in my own opinion, at least), very little content of them individually. There was plenty when the season was airing, but now? Not so much.

This is not to say that there is no content at all- I am an absolute fan of the fanfic writers, artists, meta-makers, and gifmakers who still contribute to the tag. The QUALITY is still great! It's the QUANTITY that fascinates me.

Because I think it comes back to both the lack of payoff for the rich character writing for these two post-Season 1 AND the butchering of what they did get.

If you read my past metas for these two characters, you'll find my critique of the fact that late-season Jim doesn't feel like Jim at all, and that Olu throughout ALL OF SEASON TWO doesn't feel like Olu, but rather like the writers dumbed him down into the "himbo" role on the show just to have the badass woman x himbo dynamic with him and Zheng Yi Sao (and I am an admitted lover of said dynamic, but not when you strip one of the few emotionally intelligent, clever, logical characters on the show of his intellect and jam him into the role rather than, idk, choosing one of the actual himbos on the show and putting him into that role...wait a second. The writers already HAD the himbo x badass dynamic with Spanish Jackie and the Stede. Is that literally the only way they could figure out how to write a F/M dynamic this season?).

Also, if you pull out all of the Jim/Olu pre-reunion build up (I see you, deleted scene in the Republic of Pirates where Pete and Olu get to pine after Lucius & Jim and talk about how desperate they are to get back to them), have their reunion be rather anticlimatic, and then don't let them have any real kissing/hugging/even emotional intimacy for the rest of the season...I can see why the tag has gotten to the point it has.

A cursory glance at the Blackbonnet/Gentlebeard tags shows that at least half of the tag is just writing fix-it fics for the season, but they are at least ENGAGING with canon because they were given a lot of material (some might argue too much material, as their screentime was often VERY overbalanced as opposed to the rest, and contrary to what some believe, Season 1 WAS an ensemble show, not just the Stede/Ed show) to work with and sort through. Jim and Olu were not given that in Season 2, and thus the amount of material that those in the tag got to pick through and use was either miniscule or felt OOC in nature. So the investment in the characters and ship has rather gone down, which is sad, because post Season 1 these two had my FAVORITE dynamic on the show.

What is the point of this meta? Idk, it's just a thing I've noticed and that has fascinated me. Watching this fandom from both inside and outside has led to noticing some rather interesting patterns/responses to writing that I thought someone else might be interested in.

#jim jimenez #oluwande boodhari #jim x oluwande #tealoranges #meta #analysis #ofmd #ofmd critical #ofmd meta #i know it feels like i'm ragging on the zheng/olu ship #and i appreciate those who do ship it #but the way it handles both characters really just gives me the personal ick #fandom analysis #also just realized while writing this that the jackie x swede and olu x zheng ship dynamics are the same and that's just strange to me #because olu and the swede are specifically set up in season 1 as being almost opposite characters #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2

[winepresswrath]

Darla/Angelus is also great because the show has a competing designated OTP and they exist to serve as contrast and hateful competition to THE ship. they are soulless monsters even by the standards of soulless monsters, they literally make the other soulless monsters go "yikes... your relationship seems not good maybe." but they love each other so fucking much. the writers can't help it. they are constantly trying to find their way back to each other. the way she hits him over a head with a shovel and leaves him to an angry mob while he tries to say he doesn't mind dying if it's with her AND the way they coo about it to each other afterwards. the way she takes him back against her better judgement because she missed him so so much but then kicks him out again later because he still can't be who she needs him to be. that's just how they say i love you.

#press says btvs #the thing i appreciate about buffy/angel the shows and the ship #is that it really does set up a designated otp. and like i would argue that for a time at least it succeeds!! who isn't #being sent to hell right alongside angel at the end of season two? #but everyone is having too much fun even in early seasons to just pick a ship and stick to it. they really say you're going to love so many #people in so many ways. sometimes you'll be in denial about it or the way you loved them will feel gross or demeaning or small in hindsight #but like. you're gonna love a lot of people. you're going to have a community. you will also have sex with a lot of people #probably. #the overlap between these two categories will be a source of much conversation on the internet #incidentally thank u to the comic strip goofus and gallant for perfectly exemplifying a particular kind of morality play and having a fun #little name. your contributions to online discourse should never be discounted #da is not the goofus to ba's gallant but you kind of expect it to be going in #anyway i'm so glad they decided to expand their family/polycule #even if the mixed metaphors got my tumblr temporarily suspended like i cannot stress how much they mixed those metaphors IN THE TEXT #I DIDN'T DO THAT. drusilla did that. Darla also did that a little

[tollsoftheclockwerkbelle]

sonadow fan-child but deadass it's just a Real Life actual hedgehog

#sonadow #i don't actually ship sonadow but i can appreciate the vibes and love the creativity of those who do #that being said it would be SO funny if they just. aquired the same Actual Pet Hedgehog #not as a couple or anything. they are just both extremely fascinated by it and he is their Son. #platonic shared-custody of The Boy

[roryintheir90s]

Ngl I feel so happy that theres now more people appreciating Jausage. I've been waiting

#wait #wher are the other solidwood shippers? #Now when will people appreciate Solidwood? /hj #I love the and they dont get enough fanmade content and when they do theyre “sibling coded” which i find weird bc THOSE MEN talked about ji #being pregnent in fucking evo smp and Martyn have been JELOUS AF of Scott about Jimmy #Dunno how that siblings dynamic but ok??? #Not to shame anyone tho #do what you wanna #and idk why did i started to make a rant about solidwood #ymmmm #draw what you wanna ship what you wanna #im just a little sad in when it comes to solidwood content #bc i had people say to me #“surely you're not the only solidwood shipper” ofc im not the only but definetly only one who shouts at the top of their lungs about it #and they always follow it with IDK??? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT TOO BC FUCK I LOVE THEEM #I mean theres doozy who i appreciate and love AND THE FICS GUYS!!! THE FICSSS!!!! #But im talkijng about people who MAIN them #anyway sorry for the solidwood rant under jausage post???

[suntails]

Hiya!

I saw your SilRuggie post and I feel you on the "Silver and his many boyfriends" part.

Idk what it is about Silver but he's so... Shippable?

Like I ship SilVil, KalimSil and JadeSil which are kinda popular. But it's also stuff like RidSil and LeoSil (oh so much brainrot currently about LeoSil,) Which aren't as popular.

He's probably my most shipped character like... EVER.

(I may have gotten some ship names wrong)

IT’S THE CHEMISTRY IT’S THE WAY HE HAS CHEMISTRY WITH SO SOSOSO MUCH OF THE CAST!!! he’s so deeply just…good, and he cares so earnestly, and he has examples of interactions with almost fuckgng everyone at this point. like i can understand why someone would ship just abt any silver ship, i GET it, bc theres so much potential. i think i have like…3? that im neutral on? maybe?

also hearing u associate silvil with the kinda popular ones, im fuckign weak at the knees. that is incorrect but im pretending ur right bc it makes me oh so happy

#ask #nervouslywaitingforlife #its the way i like all of em. i love him he deserves love #silvil i have a manifesto abt #silkali i think they are best friends in LOVE with each other but specifically as friends. not that they love each other tho. theyre IN LOVE #does that make sense. IN LOVE as FRIENDS. IN LOVE. theyre married #jadesil gives me ‘theyll take rugged nature walks together’ and jade is so refreshed to have someone so sincere and sweet in his life #someone u can read like a book someone who will earnestly appreciate u. silver will love jades dedication and isnt put off by him like most #bc he sees ppl for the good in them. wipes a tear #silrid i feel so strongly abt. i firmly believe theyd be very sweet and good to each other. horse girls. riddle picked sil specifically for #his master chef partner. he chose him intentionally. silver acknowledges and appreciated riddles dedication and work ethic and talks highly #of him. in book6 ch6 iirc thats when riddle gets taken by styx and the way silver SHOUTS in worried fear. he LOVES him #i do think theyd get divorced but not in a funnt leovil way in a sad ‘things just arent working despite us loving each other’ way. adult yk? #leosil should take naps together. those are my thoughts. i want ruggie and sebek to find them passed tf out in the gardens on a reg basis #and this only scratches the surface of dear catríonas thoughts on sil ships. u didnt even mention silsebe and thats his most popular ship #i like him w ruggie too and jack and jamil and and and and AGGHHH dies #ADDING TO MY TAGS. FORGOT TO MENTION SILIDIA TOO. OH MY GOD THE FUCKING POTENTIAL AAAAAAGGHHHH take me off the stage i could ramble forever #me violently pointinh to my conspiracy board and detailing his chemistry with every single person in the cast

[blondeaxolotl]

Because of my own AU (Red Butler/Swap AU) I've become repulsed by the idea of Elizabeth and Alois being shipped together because my brain forgets those two aren't related in canon but now I can't see them having anything more than a brother and sister bond erm

#apologies for those who do like the pair. i do not #so like ermm avoid talking about that ship around me tyvm id appreciate it #black butler #kuroshitsuji #elizabeth midford #lizzy midford #alois trancy #red butler au #black butler swap au

[crescentfool]

ohh the joy of videos and streams... i like listening to people talk about things they like/think about it’s very contagious... 🥺

#lizzy speaks #THIS IS BROUGHT TO U BY THE MINATO BRAINCELLS SHAKING BACK AND FORTH.. #so so many of my interests feel like they're in some kind of hibernation lately in terms of the emotions they evoke #my brains been mostly gravitating towards formulating strategies and trying new things in splatoon right now... LOL.. so i havent thought- #a whole bunch about other things i like even if they do mean a lot to me.. #so i really appreciate being around other people who really like the things that they like because its infectious and reminds me why- #i enjoy those characters / ships / whatever else #like oh... ryomina.. minato.. ryoji... i love them very much and i like hearing other people express their appreciation for them #also yosuke.... i like hearing my friends talk about yosuke his characters a very fun one for me even if i never took the time 2 personally #analyze him its just very nice to be around that kind of energy! im so grateful! #related but unrelated squid school made a video about the splatoon manga... which i havent thought abt in a month or two #yet somehow watching that revitalized my sleeping lil braincell that loves vintage coroika... #IDK i just feel like lately ive gotten to be around a very contagious positive energy of people who appreciate stuff and i like that!! #mayb ill stream again... something about talking about things out loud and not over text evokes a certain kind of insanity #i like to draw to express my love 4 the things i've come across but sometimes i think too much abt the quality.. LOL #so maybe ill just go FUCK IT we ball!! better to draw than to not draw at all. or ill just stream 2 outlet the 'hehe i love so many things' #there is so much love stored in my heart it hurts i lov So many Things and I love Being reminded of that god i love people loving things!!!

[johaerys-writes]

do you think patrochilles are becoming less popular? nowadays i see more people on tumblr complaining about the ship than i see shipers posting about them

I'm not... sure? In my experience there's always been weird complaints about the ship or about this interpretation or other, and that sort of fluctuated with time for reasons that are unknown to me. What makes the complaints more visible is perhaps that there aren't as many people posting about them as there used to be, and I think that's to be expected when there’s no new content. Like, the Iliad itself has always been there but I think the reason so many of us are in the fandom in the first place is because we found out about them either through TSOA or Hades or some other adaptation, and even those are "old news" now. So perhaps what you're noticing now is what happens to most fandoms with time: when there’s no new stuff to talk about and analyse, people tend to go over the same things and nitpick the source material and get into dumb arguments with whoever cares to listen.

#patrochilles #fandom wankery #i do think that patchilles is fairly popular still. and that new ppl get into the ship #which is remarkable for such an ancient ship lol #and i cherish each and every person who appreciates them in any way #but like... yeah unfortunately there's quite a bit of discourse these days #the funniest thing is that there's ALWAYS been discourse when it came to patchilles. it just never stops #ppl are obsessed with those messy bitches lmao 🫶 #love to see it

[allegorism]

dungeon meshi teaches a very valuable lesson in life: yuri shippers can be just as annoying as yaoi shippers.

#i do love farcille and i appreciate how one of the most important dynamics in dunmeshi is between two women #but then people completely forget about laios and falin which is the MOST important relationship in the manga #or don't even begin to talk about marcille and her father and how that relationship affected her #how that is the root of her fears #how laios is both the person who first witnesses those fears #and one of those who help her to get out of her own spiral #the most important relationships in dungeon meshi are platonical #yes i think there ARE reasons to complain about m/m ships because most of those ships were pretty niche before the anime dropped #so those growing and getting more shippers than f/f ships is... yea. yea. #but why are ship wars the focus. #mona.txt

[pjo-fan17]

how can you not see how ableist some of you guys are? can we stop dehumanizing El and using her trauma as “proof” that Mike and her don’t work out? can we stop using El’s trauma as an excuse to say she’d be better on her own? can we stop using El’s trauma to say she can’t be in a romantic relationship until she is healed? can we stop using El’s trauma to say she can’t be independent and in a relationship? can we stop using El’s trauma as an excuse to hate both on her and Mike? can we stop using El’s trauma to “prove” your ship is canon? can we please! can we please stop using her trauma!!! Please!

I have trauma because of years and years of being bullied and gaslighting/manipulative friendships, and I’m still healing. Does that mean I should stop forming friendships until I’m completely healed? (which isn’t going to happen bc trauma doesn’t just go away).

*read tags please*

#Mileven #I understand she’s a fictional character but still that’s not okay #And there are many traumatized people in the fandom including myself (and even some who see themselves in her) who don’t appreciate it #And those people who do see themselves in El you realize how hurtful your comments are right? #To say a traumatized girl needs to heal before being loved romantically #To say a traumatized girl is better on her own #To say a traumatized girl doesn’t deserve love #To say the boyfriend of said traumatized girl is only using her #You don’t see how screwed up that is? #El being in a relationship with Mike (or anyone!) does NOT take away her independence #You can be independent and in a relationship #And El proves her independence every single season #Yet you all just focus on that she CHOOSES to be with a Mike #Please leave her alone and stop using her trauma to prove Mileven is bad and your ship is canon #This doesn’t even have anything to do with shipping #I could care less you you ship or who you think should be with who or who you think is canon #I could care less #this is about using El’s trauma as ammo #So stop #please

[memes-saved-me]

I only support M*ngrove because it pisses people off lmao

#i don't ship it but appreciate those who do #you're doing God's work and everything is so well made

[birbfeeder2artisticboogaloo]

could someone. PLEASE walk me thru what the fuck happens in 'the devil in me'. what the fuck is going on. hh holmes wasn't even a serial killer??? WHO IS HECTOR. WHY IS HECTOR.

i need a fecking TIMELINE or sth idek. some of the ~aesthetic~ choices, with the short video/audio clips and newspaper bits are very interesting and creative and fun, but unfortunately they are also SO CONFUSING. what is happening. WHAT IS HAPPENINGGGG

#birb still says #the dark pictures anthology #the devil in me #fUCK THIS GAME >:V #but also. this game sort of fucks??? #i don't care for edgy mcedgelord #i do not TRUST anyone who wants their 'art' to be 'pure' #and the curator is OBVIOUSLY DEATH i mean COME ONNNN #but like #the actual sequence of events in this game. escapes me #am i dumb #it's ok u can tell me if i'm dumb i won't be mad #i appreciate the old film homages tho #those are very nice :D #also why do ppl ship THE KILLER???? #we get no lines from him?? we never see his face??? #we don't KNOW HIM at all #just some of the things that have happened to him #i suppose ive seen ppl build ships out of less #and i certainly don't MIIND!!!!! ppl can ship anything they like!!!! #i just wonder WHY that's all 😅 #since there are a lot of other characters who we DO know that could be shipped instead lol #no hate tho!! fair play to u!!! sure i don't mind!!! lol

[crowdsourcedloner]

2. What was the first moment that they knew they were in love with their LI?

13. How do they react at being away from each other?

26. How important is the romance in your OC’s overall story?

these are going under a cut for length, but thank you!!!

2. What was the first moment that they knew they were in love with their LI?

There were a lot of little moments for Nailah, but if one had to be chosen as the moment... it'd be the one they shared before scaling Mount Gulg. She pieced together who the Exarch was shortly before then, and though she still didn't know why he was doing what he was, hearing someone she deeply trusted speak so warmly to her after some of the worst experiences in her life set her heart on fire for him.

It's a similar story for G'raha - several smaller moments rather than one big one - but the through-line of all of those bits was seeing Nailah let down her walls and just be herself. He fell in love with each glimpse of her gentle nature, each quiet chuckle he heard, each shy smile he caught... it was a slow, inevitable love for him.

13. How do they react at being away from each other?

If he's not kept busy, G'raha falls into wistful pining pretty quickly. His thoughts regularly drift to thinking about (or worrying over) Nailah, and he writes letters when his yearning becomes too much to bear. The letters rarely get sent - apparently postmoogles don't accept 'nondescript Eorzean wilderness' as a valid mailing address - so he stores them in Nailah's annex room for her to read when she returns.

While Nailah likes having time for herself, she doesn't like staying away from G'raha for too long - he's one of very few people she's comfortable being herself around, and going back into the public eye alone isn't something she enjoys. Tiring as it is, she retreats to her colder, distant professionalism, fighting off her yearning with her poetry in dark inn rooms or secluded camps while collecting stories and trinkets as gifts for her lover upon her return. The longer she's kept away, the colder she comes across to those around her - though admittedly, it's hard for strangers to notice the difference.

26. How important is the romance in your OC's overall story?

it's important, but it's not the be-all end-all if that makes sense? it's the culmination of lessons she learns through her journeys, but it's not the point of her story. the romance is supposed to represent Nailah finding her own self worth and choosing to pursue something for herself, even if that something is as small as loving someone else. she needs a space to figure herself out and just... be Nailah, and G'raha gives her that and more, while she gives him just as much support and encouragement in his own choices - choices that he also is starting to pursue for himself.

...i think that's as good an explanation as i can give without incoherently rambling tbh.

#answered asks #thank you for the asks!!! im sorry they took so long!!! #oc: hrothwol #ship tag goes here #lil more context bc i cannot stop myself and clearly dont understand formatting #nailah held a candle for g'raha since the very end of the crystal tower raids #but she was in no state to recognize those feelings or do anything about them at the time #(the first spark here was hearing him talk about his dreams with such conviction and warmth - #- she wanted to hear him speak of her like that one day... but didnt understand why) #so she chalked it up to missing someone she was unexpectedly attached to #g'raha was convinced nailah hated him at the start of the ct raids since she kept him at arms length #and she kept wandering off to be alone (her echo was acting up and she needed a lot of breaks) #...it was a whole thing but they eventually talked it out and she started opening up to him #the whole 'century alive with only stories of the Warrior of Light' thing did mess with his memory of her #so there was a little culture shock(?) when he sees her again in shb #(nailah was pretty frustrated during early shb so he got a pretty skewed first impression again lol) #he fell in love with who she actually was over the shb story and as he fully remembered their time together #...holy shit thats a lotta tags... #i appreciate any of y'all that read these #and apologize for exploding your dashes it will happen again ;-;

[whirling-fangs]

🚩 Whatever's on your mind bc I can't think of a topic. c':

send me a 🚩 and i'll share my unpopular rpc opinions and hot takes.

[[ It's okay to have favorites. Everyone has favorites. People should understand that sometimes you just have muse for a certain thread/type of threads for a few days and that's completely okay.

But if you ignore certain people for WEEKS all while being active every single day... Just be honest and admit you're not interested. Be honest with them and be honest with yourself. You have to make this into a comfortable place for you first and foremost, but being a decent person is actually super easy. Honesty hurts but it's 100% better than leaving people hanging and waiting and hoping for something that you cannot provide for them. ]]

#mask off / ooc post #[[like man. if you're only here for ships and the other person doesn't have the sort of muse for that just be upfront about it #you can't just feed people crumbs every month or two and still expect them to grovel at your feet #we are all equal here. we are all just nerd losers who care too much about ficitional characters #it's not hard to be respectful and to treat others like humans with feelings]] #[[like idk i have real nasty rsd i feel like people hate my guts and talk about me behind my back all the time but also #i'm adult enough not to listen to those impulses and appreciate when people do reach out to me #i balance between quick replies to threads i hyperfocus on and queue system to make sure i get back to everyone within 2-3 weeks #because if i don't see myself writing with someone i just. don't follow]]

[zappedbyzabka]

#my pages for those who like my rare ships and content. But also those who come for lawrusso #even if it’s a smaller amount of people than other blogs. I appreciate yall so much #I would have stopped posting a long while ago if I didn’t have my anons and those people who go through my page liking everything #like no joke I get emotional because I spend time on my content even if most of it is smut #so when people are liking and it’s not a mutuals just liking to be nice (❤️which I appreciate too) #but it’s someone who actually enjoyed the content/what I wrote im like 🥹🥹🥹 like wait you like this too?? :3 #I want to know the amount of people that come here for my other stuff. or lawrusso #and see what I’ll do from there #Don’t lie!

[spotsupstuff]

I think this is the one show where I don’t care about shipping. Because LMK doesn’t really encourage you to ship since romance isn’t a key plot point here. Like the few ships I like are just kinda fun to think about or are just cute, but I won’t care too much about it otherwise. (Unless It’s ships like Shadowpeach that are discouraged, then I’ll care. I understand why people don’t like it, and I’m in the same boat.)

🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝 BIG SAME, MAN

LMK is SO MUCH about platonic relationships that honestly if i actually saw a romance plot pop up itd prolly feel like a straight up punch to the throat lskgmlsgl not gon lie, i May be rotating inkypages and freesquidinknoodles like wild in my head here on tumblr but if i see even a sign of them possibly becoming canon im goin to be straight up fuckin sad rather than happy bout it

the only exception to this is prolly like freenoodles cuz like... lookit them. theyve been technically canon from the very beginning. its two older people loving each other n bein minor bitches to each other, its a dream come true

#Spot says stuff #the only ships i turn away aggressively from r yea shdwpch any more adult/older peep x ona the youngsters n funnily enough- #-im incredibly cautious bout peeps who ship skull/plum. like if its outside of the FT au im like 🤨 #i really do appreciate the idea that LMK would be specifically only bout platonic relationships cuz like.. as someone who never really- #-learned how to make friends irl if lmk goes the way of exploring How to make a friend in the first place thru Red for exmaple its... #gon be of big help to me not gon lie. absence of any romance means deeper dive into friendships which i wish more shows did cuz like!!! #the damb thing is complicated!! i dont kno what the fuck exactly goes on in those!!!! the general friendship is magic or whatevs cartoons- #-aint helpin chief!!!!!!!!!! gimbe a shot of knowledge 👁