#toxship

[toxship-toxy]

A new term: "Toxship"

First, here's how you say it: "tox" is as in "toxic", "ship" is pronounced the usual way. It's a combination of "toxic" and "relationship", and thus it's said that way! Someone who supports or ships toxships might call themself a "toxshipper", if they so choose.

"But what is a toxship?"

It is exactly what it sounds like: A ship (character relationship) that could be read as "toxic". This may include...

abusive ships

ships with age gaps

interspecies ships

ships that contain graphic or heavy content

But that is not all that a toxship may be, and not all that it implies! Please, continue to read, lest you miss the point utterly...

"Isn't this covered by 'comship' already?"

It is not! I was actually inspired by "comship" to make an alternative term that better suits me. You can read about comship from some of its coiners here: 1, 2. Notice in particular these quotes from those carrds: "all ships are valid and reasonable to enjoy" and "don't like, don't look". These are crucial to comship, and are to welcome in stealth proshippers to the term. These ideals are not inherent to being toxship.

"So toxshippers can be ship haters?!"

That's correct!! A toxshipper is allowed to vent their frustrations with ships they dislike and be choosy in what they support. Think of it like a real middle-ground between proship and anti. Everyone always says ships are valid, but what about squicks and NOTPs? Have your cake and eat it, too!!

Some expansion on what toxshipping espouses:

A toxship need not necessarily be "romanticized", it can just be an abusive dynamic you enjoy exploring.

Shipping discourse is stupid, but complain if you must.

Toxship art should be tagged and flagged appropriately so it can be avoided by those who might complain, or else otherwise somehow made harder to find without intentionally seeking it out. A toxshipper who puts themself out in the open should prepare for whatever ire they may draw.

Toxship leans 18+, unlike comship. Exclude minors, even if the toxship in question is "worksafe".

Toxship does not hold the same ideals as proship, like comship does. It is not meant to be "unknown/stealth" for "ease of mind" of anyone, toxship knows exactly what it is and how upsetting it might be, and it is content with this. It is simply for those who spend their time exploring unhealthy dynamics in fiction, people who are mature enough to think about such things critically but still have some kind of fun picking it apart.

"Does toxship necessarily include incest, underage, zoophilia, etc.?"

I'd say no, because I dislike these themes and think people should try harder to make their darkfics disturbing before pulling out the big guns in gruesome detail, even if they are under the "abuse" umbrella. But I can't physically stop you if you do try and include them, can I?

"Is there a flag for toxship I can use?"

Not yet! I want to make one eventually, though. Hopefully one that's not just some stripes with an emoji slapped on.

"Is there an emoji combination for toxship that I can sneak into my bio?"

Not yet! I think it'd be fun to have symbols for it, but I haven't decided on any at this moment.

Now go forth... and write the toxfic of your dreams!

[rainbowtvz]

me: im going to lurk for a while only

also me: finds an extremely triggering blog with an icon related to the e-cult i was abused by coining a new proship term called "toxship"

anyway block this fucking weirdo and be on the lookout for the new term, though i doubt it'll catch on. you never know though.

[alt-for-me]

Opinion that might get me canceled,

A proship to me is an adult x minor (Tord x Asdf kid) aged up counts as a proship to me too.

A toxship (often pushed into the proship name) is an Abusive and toxic ship that should not be shipped (i.e Valentino x Angel Dust)

For me, Torduardo, Jonuardo, and TordJon are not infact proships