Must Love Frogs
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Retrospect: Let's Not Do This Anymore
🕑 Added 2022-09-18 15:35:50 +0000 UTCLet me start with a story about one time when I actually made a decent decision. When I was in my 20s I was casually involved in the Sailor Moon fandom (don't act so surprised). I was young, queer and Haruka (Uranus) and Michiru (Neptune) were everything. When people online would badmouth them--or worse--break them up--OR WAY WORSE--straighten them out, I would become apoplectic with rage. Those were OUR out queer Senshi and they were all we had, and they meant so much to me. Outta nowhere, I actually made a good choice (in my 20s, no less!). I could be as mad as I wanted to be, but I did not abuse or otherwise antagonize other Moonies on the internet, even if they were wrong (and they WERE wrong, obviously). I somehow kept it in my broiling brain that this was a fictional TV show and fans could interpret it any way they wanted, regardless of canon, and regardless of my feelings. I, meanwhile, would do the same. It wasn't just my shining good nature at work; Liz talked me down from a lot of my rants. And thus we Moonies existed in harmony, even though those HarukaxMichiru detractors were wrong. Which they were.
Which brings us to the Gen4 Brony fandom. While I endured this on occasion, most of the infighting I saw was second hand. But the gatekeeping (especially when it came to deciding what horses were kissing what horses) was intense. I'm almost glad in some ways that Gen4 has passed, and now maybe we're all mature enough to realize that some people don't like or don't care about your ships, canon or otherwise. And that's OK. We can all revel in our favorites and ignore what doesn't interest us and all hold hands and WTF DID I HEAR SOMEONE SAY MICHIRU IS STRAIGHT BECAUSE SHE SMILED AT SEIYA ONCE I WILL FIND YOU AND COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND EAT YOUR PETS
Comments
Must Love Frogs
They've been around longer than people think. Even pre-internet, you either shipped Chip and Gadget or you were a degenerate. Meanwhile, suggesting that Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon could have a cute puppy love romance, that's weird...but if you aren't shipping Lock and Shock, the villain-children from Nightmare Before Christmas? DISHONOR ON YOU! DISHONOR ON YOUR COW!
Jonathan
Ah, 'shipping wars. I remember those in Star Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am just... DONE with them.
Must Love Frogs
Oh you silly things. You wacky, zany nutty funsters. Rainbow Dash isn't gay because she has a rainbow mane. Any Johnny Heterohooves can dye their hair. Rainbow is gay because of her ravenous hunger for the hairy humuhumunukunukuapua’a. No, it's ok. You're welcome.
Lopoddity
But....! But! But Big Mac married her and had a kid with her and they lived together in happily wedded heteronormative bliss! You CAN'T ignore that! How DARE you have Big Mac not married to a woman?! Living single and yet....somehow content?! Impossible! >:O I'm glad the brony fandom chilled out with the shipping wars. The fandom was so.....male-centered in the beginning, I remember a whole lot of arguing all the time, a lot of content policing, a lot of harassment over ships. I remember deleting a post or two because it featured a gay pony kiss and I got a ton of backlash, like straight up dudes sending me death threats over two horses smooching. Now that group has largely retreated and the fandom is full of queer folk and kids happily drawing whatever silly ship or idea strikes their fancy. Hopefully nobody's still blowing up at anybody because Rainbow Dash isn't married to Bland Stallion #6 in their story verse. Speaking of, um, why is Rainbow Dash married to Fluttershy in your verse...? Isn't it like, reverse racism to assume Rainbow is a lesbian just because she's a tomboy and has rainbow hair and is a lesbian? Can't two women just be friends??? >:C I'm not homophobic buuuuuuut-
Tineid
I'm glad I came into the brony fandom with a little patience previously learned. People's headcanons make them happy and don't hurt anyone, so it's good to leave them to it. Especially when they're headcanoning in the minority representation that's otherwise thin on the ground.
