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Tumblr Fandom

Fan: So I headcanon them as queer aromantic platonic partners. Me, an intellectual: The correct term is "FRIENDS"

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I agree with all the above.

In all honesty I’m more worried about Yamamoto…

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Not direct sequels but “alternate stories”. Would these have anything to do with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire’s Dimensional Shifter?

Global simultaneous release

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The list that would send adult-minor-ship-anti’s blood pressure soaring

I have been following the Voltron, Kuroshitsuji, and Yuri!!! On Ice fandom discourse regarding adult-minor fanon ships quite often recently, and couldn’t help wondering how antis would react when coming face to face with the following canon adult-minor ships (some are only adults in strict technical sense) .

Note 1: For ease of comparison, here’s the ages of the problematic ships in the above fandom to the best of my knowledge:

Shaladin: Shiro is 25 and the paladins are in their late teens (assumably 16-19).

Sebaciel: Sebastian is an ageless demon in the form of an early 30s man, while Ciel is 14 (In Kuroshitsuji, the ship Soma x Agni is also potentially problematic, with Soma being 16 and Agni 31, but they are not discussed as often as Sebaciel).

Otayuki: Otabek is 18 and Yuri P. is 16.

Note 2: All of the following are canonically depicted as romantic and not sexual. Pedophilia, hebephilia, and ephebophilia pertain to sexual interests only. However, several antis seem to believe that romantic relationship is inseparable from sexual one and thus are against any depictions of ship deemed problematic.

From the classic hetero ships:

Many Disney princesses and their princes:

Snow White is 14 and her prince is 18.

Aladdin is 18 and Jasmine is 15.

Ariel is 16 and Eric is 18

Aurora is 16 and Phillip is in his early 20s (#unrelated but can I just say that Sleeping Beauty is the most gorgeous Disney princess movie? Look at the screenshot!).

Mulan is 16 and Li Shang is in his early 20s.

Belle is 17 and Adam is 21.

Rapunzel is 18, so technically she’s an adult here. But Flynn is supposedly animated to look 26, so they have the biggest age gap among the Disney princess and prince couples.

Of course you can always argue that since the ages of the princes have never been officially confirmed, this doesn’t count. But then so are Shiro’s and the Palandin’s ages...

Sailor Moon: Chiba Mamoru and Tsukino Usagi

Mamoru is 17-21 in the first anime, 17-19 in the manga while Usagi is 14-16 in both the first anime and the manga.

(Technically they first met as minors, but Mamoru crossed both the Western and the Japanese threshold into adulthood in the manga. I have seen several posts asking if it’s legal for these two to date, but none describing the relationship as gross or accusing Mamoru or shippers of pedophilia(?) or ephebophilia or abuse.)

Glass Mask: Kitajima Maya and Hayami Masumi

Maya is 13 at the beginning of the manga, 20-21 in the last chapters, while Masumi is 11 years older than her.

(There were ship wars back then, and their age gap was a major source of angst.)

to the more recent examples:

Vampire Knight: Kurosu Yuuki and Kuran Kaname

Yuuki is 16-17 while Kaname is 10000+.

(The suggested incestuous elements might have eclipsed the age factor here to be honest.) 

Skip Beat: Mogami Kyoko and Tsuruga Ren

Kyoko is 16-17 (standard shoujo heroine age) and Ren is 20-21.

And then there is CLAMP.

CLAMP is notorious for their adult-minor relationships. I guess their “love transcends anything and everything” motto wouldn’t sit well with antis.

Cardcaptor Sakura: CLAMP’s wholesome manga and anime has several adult-minor relationships.

L: Kinomoto Nadeshiko was 16 and Kinomoto Fujitaka was 25 when they got married.

M:  Mizuki Kaho is 35 while Hiiragizawa Eriol is physically 13 (his actual age is unknown).

R: Tereda Yoshiyuki is in his mid 30s while Sasaki Rika is 10.

(Back then, most fans paid no attention to Nadeshiko and Fujitaka’s relationship, since in Japan (and most states in the US, many of which have no legal minimum age of marriage), 16-year-olds can get married with parental consent. Kaho and Eriol’s relationship were also ignored, since it’s barely mentioned and Eriol plays the older than his look card. Yoshiyuki and Rika however got their share of critics, ranging from protest posts expressing their discomfort on forums to hate messages left on personal website.)

X/1999: Nekoi Yuzuriha and Shiyu Kusanagi

Yuzuriha is 14-15 and Kusanagi should be in his 30s, based on his occupation and appearance.

With the exception of the most controversial ships (looking at you CLAMP), all of the canon ships above have met with minimal rumpus from their fandom. 

Is it because they are hetero?

Actually, CLAMP’s shounen-ai adult-minor ship -  Sumeragi Subaru (16) and Sakurazuka Seishirou (25) also didn’t quite attract the same kind of criticisms that Shaladin or Sebaciel do.

Because they are canon?

Well, one of Pandora Hearts’ most popular fanon ships - the source of many ship wars - is also an adult-minor one, and few fans raise their eyebrows because of that.

Throughout most of Pandora Hearts, Oz is supposed to be 15, while Gilbert is 24.

Because the majority of them predate Tumblr, and have never been Tumblr famous? Probably. 

Forums and Livejournal were nowhere near as efficient and accessible a platform for fans/antis to band together (at least for young fans from a rural backwater like myself in the 90s/00s). 

And because their fans and antis are from a less “woke” generation, and were not steeped in the SJW movement or the “call-out” culture, and nowhere as militant as today’s fan? Highly likely. 

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#bored observer #fandom discourse

reminder that

your fandom is only as shitty as the minority makes it. they speak for the entire fandom.

(minority as in the people that are extremely extra and make it look as if the fandom is terrible.)

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My new hero is the police officer dancing with the kids at the one love concert omg

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I low-key have a conspiracy theory that MAPPA purposefully used low-quality skating animation sequences in the TV version because they wanted to boost the sale of their Blu-rays/DVDs.

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On Sense8′s Cancellation

It pains me that my swanky new blog’s first post is a response to Sense8′s cancellation. 

Sense8 is the magical show that first enchanted me with its aesthetic self-indulgence, then kept me spell-bound with its transhumanism.

Sense8 showed me the beauty in being human, and gave me unbridled joy and optimism, a feat few live-action shows can manage.

Yes, it has its flaws. The most often critiqued aspect of the show is its dragging plot, which is so dense and complicated that it baffles many viewers. Its sci-fi components lack much sense, and viewers who wish to understand the world of Sense8 are left frustratingly confused. 

But what it lacks in reason, it makes up for in unbelievably diverse and complex characters with compelling stories that implore viewers’ empathy. 

Speaking of the show’s diversity, I have seen many Tumblrs criticising the show for using postcard racial stereotypes and tropes. They imply that such stereotypes are creations of American mindsets, and go on to accuse the show of being racist and cultural imperialist.

I beg to differ. The so-called racial stereotypes in the show are not just mere projection of American racial perception. These stereotypes are true; they do exist in their respective cultures. By using those tropes the show resonates with global viewers.

Take Sun Bak. She’s a Korean genius martial artist trapped in a patriarchal, sexist culture, torn between asserting her identity and her familial loyalty. Mulan-esque stereotypes much?

Well, as someone who comes from the same culture, who has experienced first hand what Sun experiences in the show (except the kickboxing part), I can confidently tell you that all of these stereotypes are 100% true. 

Sun is the first East Asian character in a Western show that I can identify with straightaway. 

Calling the show racist for portraying an East Asian female having to submit to her patriarchal society to fulfill her duty, an Africa boy with a mother dying of AIDS, an religious Indian scientist facing cultural oppression, is essentially denying my existence, and the existence of real people who happen to match these so-called stereotypes. 

Sense8 never implies that all East Asian females are like Sun Bak, as critics imply. It just acknowledges that East Asian females like Sun Bak exist, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.

That’s why it breaks my heart when Netflix decided to cancel the show. 

However, amidst my woe, I have noticed that many fans of the show are venting their frustration on Netflix and 13 Reasons Why. 

They have called Netflix “racist and homophobic”, and 13 Reasons Why “the white straight dumb show that romanticizes suicide”. This is problematic.

First, I don’t know why Netflix cancelled Sense8, but this decision is no proof of its racism and homophobia. Accusing Netflix of such evils only makes all of us Sense8 fans look unreasonable, and robs Netflix the credit it deserves for other diverse and representative shows, such as Orange is the New Black, and Dear White People. 

Second, you might feel bitter when 13 Reasons Why, an adaptation already done with all the source materials, gets renewed, while Sense8 is cancelled on a cliffhanger. I certainly do. 

You might also have low opinion of 13 Reasons Why, and take huge issue with how it handles sensitive subjects.

However, I don’t think it’s fair or sensible to describe it as white, straight, and dumb. 

13 Reasons Why, for all its flaws and controversies, touches upon a crucial but thorny subject: teenage suicide. It has opened conversations about bullying and the mental pressure that teenagers have to endure not only in the US, but also around the world. It’s certainly not dumb, and calling it so makes us appear callous and apathetic. 

13 Reasons Why also has an incredibly diverse cast.

Yes, it still has 2 white straight teenagers as the main characters.

And yes, it sets most characters of colour and LGBTQ characters up as antagonists, with varied levels of arsehole-sery. 

But bad guys or not, the fact remains that all of these diverse characters have ample screen time, and are fully-realised, complex, and engaging in their own ways. Within this show, we have:

- a Catholic gay Latino who embodies the struggle between his sexuality, his culture’s gender expectations, and his religion.

- an Asian lesbian raised by two gay dads who refuses to come out for fear of subjecting her dads to more stigmas and bullying.

- an Asian jock whose main concern is basketball, not maths. 

- two popular black cheerleaders

- a black honour council president

The diversity in 13 Reasons Why is impressive and laudable. It deserves more than the insults many Sense8′s fans, who extols the latter’s wonderful diversity, are throwing at it.

We fell in love with Sense8 for its unconditional love, limitless compassion, and transcending empathy. Don’t lose ourselves to callousness or hatred in a fit of rage and despair.