One thing that always baffles me and that I legit continuously forget about because it’s such a weird concept to me is that lots of people think that to “ship” a pairing is to view it as completely healthy and ideal for both characters involved, and to thus want it to be canon.
But that’s… just not the case with so many ships??
Think of it this way. I could legitimately see a ship as “relationship goals” and “should be canon”, but I could just as easily see it as a thriller or toy train crash or a way to vent about my own, real issues that I’ve had to overcome.
When I watch a horror movie, I don’t necessarily want my favorite characters in it to die. And even when I do want people to die, it’s not because I think it’s a good thing?? It’s because I know it’s fake and it’s fun to watch or think about. It’s fun to play superhero punching the bad guy. It’s fun to play games where you set people on fire or make a giant fish swallow them.
And when I “ship” something ungodly toxic or downright awful, it’s not because I’m under any impression that it represents a relationship that should be imitated or strived for. It’s because it’s thrilling. It’s exciting. It’s weird. It’s even uncomfortable sometimes, but it’s uncomfortable in a therapeutic way.
I’ve never seen someone ACTUALLY glorifying the unhealthy aspects of their favorite ship. I only ever see people playing toy trains or coping with trauma.
And it’s goddamn bizarre to me that so many people think of “shipping” as an inherently prescriptive thing when it’s actually just a game.
