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eradicatetehnormal · 3 years

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In The Case Of Shipping. Queer Ships and Straight Ships

A topic I will never shut up about. Before I start I will admit, I am on the queer side of fandom a lot more often than I am on the straight side and I will be speaking from that perspective. If you have another perspective to share with me, please do so respectfully.

Shipping will always be something that gray to me. I like shipping culture and enjoy certain communities around certain ships, but people getting way too defensive about it will always be something to drags me emotionally. It makes me sad especially when it's people who are like me. Fellow queer shippers trying to explain why certain things between two characters can be seen as queer coding and then being called delusional by people who are either willfully ignorant or simply don't understand the point of queer coding. That's not to say queer shippers are without fault, however. We do have a really terrible tendency of calling people who don't like our ship homophobic and ignoring characters from other media that ARE actually written to be queer, in favor of continuing to argue that there are next to no queer characters in the content they like. While they are scarce they are not non-existent. Not to mention, a decent amount of character portrayals do tend to be very extremely sexual and can be found in places that they do not belong.

That being said straight shippers aren't without their faults either. For starters, I don't really see this being brought up, but they also like to portray characters in very sexual ways as well. Particularly, male characters, with a popular means of sexualization being centered around predatorial behavior towards one of the female characters, or being a C H A D. Again, I personally don't have a particular issue with this, but just like queer sexual content, it does not belong where anyone can see it. Straight shippers also have a bad habit of calling queer shippers p*dos and perverts, even for the most inoffensive gay fan content imaginable.

With so much tension heating up between two groups, any interaction can come off as an attack even if that wasn't the intention. We queer shippers tend to get sensitive when someone has the opinion that our ship isn't real. Now sometimes we are justified in getting annoyed with these people as some of them will go out of their way to find joke posts and innocent fan art of a same-sex ship and pull that line, even though that wasn't really the point of the original post. However, even in people's own spaces when they aren't going out of their way to attack us, we still get offended. What gives? So let's take a tweet that's similar to what I'm describing:

(obviously, this is a fake image, I'm just using it to get my point across)

Now on its own, there's nothing wrong with this tweet. In general, there's nothing with this tweet. It's just showing frustration with people making every relationship a romance even if two characters only interacted for a few minutes. That's true. Shippers do enjoy pairing two people together, particularly men, who don't really interact with each other. Here's the thing though. This is an argument that's very popular and one that's been used by some not-so-well-meaning people.

Alright, it's sad people hours now, sorry sis. So for a good amount of queer people who are online or are big fans of fiction, fandom has been a big part of their lives. Shipping, in particular, holds a special place in many queer fans' hearts as, even though it's pathetic, ships were a lot of people's first exposure to genuinely queer content focused around queer characters. It would be through this shipping that a lot of people would find friends who were into the same media and fan content. Some of these people would grow up together and eventually find out that the other was queer. Some of these people would go on to have romantic relationships with each other, and because they meant because of a ship, would go on to continuously celebrate it as if it were real because part of the reason their romance is real is because of that ship. Sometimes people will hold certain ships dear to their heart because they were able to use them to not only find other people like them but explore their own sexual and romantic orientation via fan fiction and fan art.

The attachment to fictional, non-canon relationships would be met with consequences, however. A lot of people would become TOO immersed in their ship and would start to get into debates with straight shippers. Many of which were, unfortunately, homophobic or queerphobic in some way. A lot of the arguments these people would use were a lot of the arguments used today. "Said ship isn't real, you're delusional", "That wasn't the writer's intention", "Stop forcing your ship onto other people", "Two people can't be friends anymore".

It's when you look at it through this lens:

That the fake tweet above starts to look like it was trying to say something a bit different:

Now is this what the tweet is actually saying? Probably not. TityMaster69 might be someone who has faced harrasment from shippers innocently trying to vent out their feelings, but because many people with malicous intentions have said the exact same things and used it as an excuse to speak ill of queer people in fandom, it FEELS a lot more mean-spirited than it might actually be. To add to that, many malicious people have used the reactions of queer shippers as a means of giving a pass to genuine queerphobia inside fandom outside of shipping:

The screenshot ARE real this time and in are relation to this btw:

https://twitter.com/samelCamelCase/status/1382846776806412290

Now to be fair StarVolt358 did apologize to the person who retweeted the post, but the fact that they even brought it up at such an inappropriate time does still prove my point because, in a way, they did bring it up to draw less attention to the queerphobia in the KH fandom.

Stuff like this has led to queer shippers being berated and attacked by straight shippers in the community, even though in some cases they can do more damage than the people they're calling out. Let's not forget when Reylo fans doxxed and harrassed the actors because they didn't like whatever happened in the Rise of Skywalker, or when Sokai fans harrassed the voice actor SpuukyLIVE on Twitter for joking that the scene in kh2 when Sora sees Riku again was gay.

As I do not have a lot of energy, there are a lot of nuances I've missed, like many people who like queer m/m ships being straight teen girls and not actual queer people or queer people who like straight ships. This was, however, just a post to get my full thots out there. I'll shut up now.

#queer ships #ships #shipping #fandom #fandom stuff #fandom culture #fandom critique #fandom shipping

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ionlyknow1truth-blog · 7 years

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Kylo Ren & Rey: The Force, Destiny and their Connection

There's always been a certain passage in Alan Dean Foster's novelization of TFA that has especially peeked my curiosity. I had intended just to talk about that alone, but rereading the passage has excited me once again about other things, so I'm just going to dissect the last half of the passage some. This is the scene I'm referring to:

'Where the strength to defy him came from she did not know, but if anything her voice grew a little stronger. "I'm not giving you anything."

His response reflected his unconcern. "We'll see."

Narrowing his gaze and his focus, he locked eyes with her. She met his gaze without trying to look away. She should have looked away. It would have been the rational thing to do. The sane thing to do. Instead, she just glared, trying not to flinch, to blink.

Ah, he thought to himself. Something there, of interest. Not the image of the map. That would take another moment. But definitely something worth investigating. He shifted his perception toward it, seeking to identify, to analyze, to-

The barrier he encountered stopped him cold. And it was he, Kylo Ren, who blinked. It made no sense. He pushed hard with his mind -and the probe went nowhere.

A look of amazement replaced the fear on Rey's face as she discovered herself inside his mind. Stunned at the realization, she found herself inexorably drawn to -to....

"You," she heard herself saying clearly, "you're afraid. That you will never be as strong as —Darth Vader!"

His hand pulled sharply away from her cheek as if her skin had suddenly turned white-hot. Confused, rattled, he stumbled back from her. Her gaze followed him. Her eyes were the same, but something else had changed —something behind them, in her stare and in her posture. He moved to leave and, at the last moment, gestured powerfully in her direction. The restraints that had held her wrists snapped back into place, once again securing her to the inclined platform. Then he once again donned his mask and was gone.

In the corridor, a stunned Ren found that he was breathing hard. That in itself was unsettling. He did not know what had just transpired in the holding cell and, not knowing, was left uncertain how to proceed. He was spared further bewilderment when a trooper appeared, coming toward him. Straightening, Ren gathered himself.

The trooper halted. His evident discomfort at having to speak to Ren bolstered his superior's shaken persona.

"Sir! The Supreme Leader has requested your presence."

Ren nodded and headed off in the necessary direction, accompanied by the trooper. The latter did not pay attention when the tall figure he was escorting looked back over his shoulder.

In the holding cell, Rey relaxed against the platform. That she could relax at all was significant in itself. Something of great consequence had just taken place. How and what, she did not know. Even in her present situation she felt encouraged, though why that should be she was still uncertain. One thing was clear.

She was going to be given time to contemplate it.'

-The Force Awakens,

Alan Dean Foster

So many yummy tidbits in here, where oh where to begin! How about with the sentence I originally had in mind... like I said, this one has always been a bit of a mystery for me, but when taken in context of what's happening around it, we can perhaps glean exactly what it means. Here's what I'm referring to:

'Ah, he thought to himself. Something there, of interest. Not the image of the map. That would take another moment. But definitely something worth investigating. He shifted his perception toward it, seeking to identify, to analyze, to —

The barrier he encountered stopped him cold.'

I've always wondered what it was in her mind that drew his obvious interest, which he himself didn't understand and wanted to know. I thought at first it had something to do with her past, but from Daisy's comments, (as well as Pablo, JJ, and Rian's) it would seem her past is not really important, or at least, not vital to the storyline. Maz also tells us this, and as our wise old yoda figure, I'm going to take her words at face value: Rey's past is behind her, let's move on from there.

I think it's common knowledge now that there is a connection between Kylo and Rey. We even have a good idea of what that connection is,

-Kylo and Rey are two halves of our protagonist.... They are two halves of the dark and the light. -Rian Johnson

Official LF art by Brandon Kenney Titled, 'Call to the Light'

Two halves equal One whole. One is incomplete without the Other. Fate rests on their shoulders, equally. Their destiny is coming together to fulfill the purpose required of them. They can not fulfill their calling alone. They are equals who will also compliment one another. They quite literally need each other.

Understanding this could maybe help us to understand what it is that's caught Kylo's attention:

What if it's the connection that's between them that he's sensing at this moment?

Rey tells us there's always been something inside of her -and now it's awake. We learn in our first encounter with Snoke that there's been an awakening. This is evidence that Rey was awakened before the interrogation scene. (Side note: this would explain how Rey could fly the mfalcon so expertly without previous practice; remember her shock about it)? Here is the awakening scene I'm speaking of,

"....There has been an awakening in the Force. Have you felt it?"

Ren nodded. "Yes."

"The elements align, Kylo Ren. You alone are caught in the winds of the storm. Your bond is not just to Vader, but to Skywalker himself. Leia..."

Bond. Connection. Through the Force.

Now let's look at Kylo and Rey's very first meeting on Takodona,

'Having circled her, he moved even closer, peering into her face, her eyes. Then the red lightsaber he held came up: close to her flesh, close enough to cast a red glow on her skin.

"Something." He sounded mystified. "There is something.... Who are you?"

The connection is already there. It's not just the fact that she's a force sensitive. Why would that alone mystify Kylo? It wouldn't. He's been around Force sensitives before. He didn't have a connection with them. There was nothing mysterious there about them. We will see this connection going beyond a normal famile or master/apprentice bond.

Here's Rey's first thought when she sees Kylo,

"It was the nightmare..."

The Force vision comes into focus. A major part of her destiny is standing in front of her. The Force made sure she knew it, or is at least trying to inform her of it. That Kylo is a part of her destiny, and he hers, is certain. The question that immediately follows then is, Why?

The Force is clearly drawing these two together, for a specific purpose: to bring balance. Ah, one of the main themes of Star Wars: Balance. Snoke and his radical ways upset that balance, and Kylo as his apprentice is also a part of that upset. They must be stopped. So here we are, Rey is chosen and called (yes I said chosen). She has a specific purpose: Answer the call to your destiny and Restore the balance. BUT Kylo is the Skywalker of this trilogy. Not Rey. This story is just as much his as it is hers. He has his own destiny to fulfill, and he will meet Rey in the middle, with his other half, in perfect harmony. (And I'm not even getting into the underlying romance all this implies at the moment, I'm merely stating the bare platonic facts).

Now let's go back to the original passage. I love this, because immediately we find that Kylo Ren has met his match.

-"Where the strength came from to defy him she did not know, but if anything, her voice grew a little stronger. "I'm not giving you anything."

-'She met his stare without trying to look away. She should have looked away. It would have been the rational thing to do. The sane thing to do. Instead she just glared, trying not to flinch, to blink.'

-'The barrier he encountered stopped him cold. And it was he, Kylo Ren, who blinked.'

-'His hand pulled away from her cheek as if her skin had suddenly turned white-hot. Confused, rattled, he stumbled back from her. Her gaze followed him.'

-'In the corridor, a stunned Ren found that he was breathing hard. That in itself was unsettling. He did not know what had just transpired in the holding cell and, not knowing, was left uncertain how to proceed. He was spared further bewilderment when a trooper appeared, coming toward him. Straightening, Ren gathered himself.'

Kylo Ren is not just flustered by her. He's completely and utterly thrown off his game. Rey is different from anyone he's ever encountered, including any other person with the Force. She is unique, but not one of a kind. We are looking at two of a kind: Reylo, in its barest form, without going into subtext or parallels. Look at how drawn he is to her:

'The latter (trooper) did not pay attention when the tall figure he was escorting looked back over his shoulder.'

LMAO !!! Guys, that is truly hilarious! He is so unequivocally drawn to her he looks back over his shoulder!! That he's shocked and rattled is clear, but I'd also add curious to that mix. She's completely knocked him for a loop, mystified him from their very first encounter, and possibly even before that. The famous lines "you've bewitched me body and soul" immediately comes to my mind. Or even more dramatically "If I am the phantom, it is because man's hatred has made me so. If I am to be saved it is because your love redeems me." LOL! And though I do realize this isn't about physical attraction to her, but a mystical attraction through the Force, it appears to me only a matter of time before the latter evolves into the former as a natural progression of the story. And you can bet your bubbles Daisy and Adam had a chemistry reading, one LF/Disney is guarding with their life right now - for good reason.

What is extremely important to note in this whole passage is that Rey emerges the victor of their exchange. Yes, she's strapped down. Yes, she's afraid. Yes, she's even shed some tears. But all of that is overridden by the fact that she defies him openly with her words, meets his stare head on with an unblinking glare, succeeds on entering his mind while he fails to enter hers, exposes what must be one of his deepest secrets, leaves him confused, rattled and bewildered -while she herself ends up oddly relaxed and encouraged. Rey is the stronger one in this moment. Another interesting occurrence during their exchange is this line,

'Her eyes were the same, but something else had changed —something behind them, in her stare and in her posture.' Something changed here. She becomes calm now, staring him down. Did she become 'one with the Force' here? Was a Force bond fully tied at this moment? It's too soon to say exactly, but what is sure is he has met his match. Their connection is unlike anyone else, not just because the Force wills it that way, but because she's rising to that calling, even though she doesn't realize it yet.

This connection will not end with Kylo. Rey herself feels something there, but having no real knowledge of the Force it is even more confusing for her. Later during the snow battle, Kylo has an important revelation, coming to the realization that the Force awakening has to do with Rey. He's beginning to understand, at least to some small degree. We've only just glimpsed Rey's turmoil in TLJ trailer. It will be exciting to see how these two disparate pieces finally come together as One Whole.

Official LF art by Matt Busch

#reylo #meta #speculation #tfa novelization

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