I MIGHT GET HATE FOR THIS

Honestly, calling this “arcane fan coded” is kind of missing the point. First of all, I’m not even watching Arcane, so the comparison doesn’t really apply to me. I’m talking about the broader issue of how some fans approach shipping—particularly when they start pushing their own interpretations at the expense of the original work.

It’s not about a specific show or fandom, it’s about how fandoms can sometimes go too far, erasing female characters, forcing non-canon relationships, and misrepresenting the story just to fit a personal agenda. This isn’t just a harmless trend—it can actively harm how people experience the original work and create an unhealthy, one-sided view of what the story is trying to say. Dismissing my opinion by calling it “arcane” doesn’t address the real issue at hand—it just shuts down a conversation that needs to happen.

i mean more so arcane's fandom is a good example of it not that it's specific to arcane rather that's the most recent case i've heard of it happening i'm not dismissing it i was just wondering if you were a part of that fandom because that's what happened in that fandom recently

ultimately my real opinions on it is that people can ship what they want but to hate the female character or to go as far as to gatekeep other ships in general is bad like people take ships too seriously and it ruins other fans experience especially if a majority ship

Sure, I understand that people can ship whatever they like, but it’s important to remember that fandom dynamics don’t exist in a vacuum. When shipping starts to overshadow the original work, it can be frustrating for those who enjoy the story as it was intended, or for fans who appreciate the balance between male and female characters.

It’s not about “dictating” how people interpret fiction, it’s about recognizing the potential impact on the overall narrative and the characters themselves. When fandoms start to erase female characters or make every male pairing romantic, they’re actively distorting what might have been a more nuanced, well-rounded story. It’s one thing to enjoy the chemistry between two characters, but it’s another thing entirely to change their entire identity to fit a specific narrative you’ve built. That’s not just “harmless fun”; it’s ignoring or even undermining what the creators intended in the first place.

The argument about "not taking it seriously" is kind of ironic, because a lot of this behavior is very serious to a lot of fans. They’ve invested in a world where they want to see complex, meaningful relationships unfold, not just reduced to something one-dimensional for the sake of fulfilling a ship fantasy. So, it’s not just a matter of “who cares,” it’s about respecting what the story is trying to do without turning every aspect into a personal agenda.

At the end of the day, it’s totally fine to enjoy shipping. But there’s a huge difference between lighthearted fun and pushing your personal interpretations to the point of erasing the story or characters that others love. If you really care about the work, then you should be willing to respect its balance and the intent behind the characters, instead of forcing it into a box that suits your preferences.

look, i get the flustration. i probably felt it myself at some point but once an author decides to share their work with the rest of the world, how people react to it is out of their hands. they can try to influence the fans behaviour by developing the characters a certain way or revealing they've been cousins all this time or whatever but there will always be people taking it out of context, making stuff up or twisting the canon to make it fit their own agenda. thats just how stan culture works.

claiming the author meant for them to be gay when they didnt is one thing but canon and fanon are two different things. these people are on ao3 spending hours upon hours writing 100k word fics for absolutely zero gain, posting on daily ship accounts, making edits etc. are you? are you creating fanart of those overlooked female characters? are you writing or supporting fics written by authors who try to explore the dynamics in a platonic context? clearly not enough people are or those fans you're complaining about wouldnt be the majority. clearly the canon relationship leaves a lot to be desired or the author's work wouldn't be overshadowed

for example, ive been in the naruto fandom for a long time. ive seen tons of people complaining about how the sasunaru fans try to push their gay agenda by erasing sakura and hinata from the narrative and shitting on the canon relationships. but the ones keeping the fandom alive arent the sakura fans or canon couple enjoyers, its the "gross delusional fujoshis."

i'm not going to deny a level of internalized misogyny involved but the reality is, the female characters in a lot of mainstream media just arent that well written. if authors want people to appreciate male and female characters alike, they should put equal effort in writing them instead of creating the bromance of the century and making them end up with bland side characters. and if the only thing you're doing to appreciate the complex and nuanced character dynamics in the original story is to go around telling people "not to make everything gay" i'm sorry but maybe theyre just more passionate about the story than you are. be the change you wanna see in the world

Yeah, I get it—once a story is out there, people will interpret it however they want. That’s just how fandom works. But that doesn’t mean every interpretation is beyond criticism. Just because you can twist canon however you like doesn’t mean you should, especially when it leads to toxic behavior—like erasing female characters, harassing fans who disagree, or forcing romance onto every male/male interaction at the expense of the story’s depth. Freedom to interpret works both ways: you can headcanon whatever you want, and others have the right to push back when certain interpretations go too far.

And this whole "are you making fanart or supporting fics about female characters?" thing is such a weak argument. You don’t have to be a creator to recognize when fandom culture has a bias. That’s like saying you can’t critique a bad movie unless you’ve made one yourself. There are people making content that respects canon relationships and explores platonic dynamics—it’s just that BL-heavy spaces often drown them out. Just because something is more popular doesn’t automatically make it better or more valid.

The idea that “canon must be lacking if fanon overshadows it” is also flawed. Sometimes fans ignore canon relationships not because they’re weak, but because they’d rather invest in their own fantasies. This isn’t just about authors failing to write good female characters (though that’s an issue sometimes); it’s about a certain segment of fandom that refuses to engage with female characters just because they interfere with their preferred ships. It’s not that canon is bad—it’s that people are ignoring it unless it fits their narrative.

And saying that BL fans are "keeping the fandom alive" is such a skewed take. Yeah, BL shippers tend to be vocal and produce a lot of content, but that doesn’t mean other fans don’t contribute or that they aren’t just as important. Plus, being the loudest doesn’t mean you’re above criticism. If a majority of a fandom engages in toxic behavior—like erasing female characters, twisting relationships, or harassing people who don’t agree—then yeah, that deserves to be called out. Being passionate about something doesn’t automatically mean you’re right.

I won’t deny that female characters in a lot of mainstream media aren’t always written as well as their male counterparts. But instead of pushing for better female representation, many BL-heavy fandoms take the opposite approach—they erase or vilify female characters instead. That’s not fixing the problem; that’s just reinforcing the same misogyny that led to weak female characters in the first place. If writing is the issue, then the solution should be advocating for better female characters, not just ignoring or tearing down the ones we already have.

And finally, the idea that “maybe BL fans are just more passionate about the story” is ridiculous. Passion doesn’t mean someone engages with a story more meaningfully—it just means they’re obsessed. Some of the most aggressive fandoms—those that erase female characters, warp canon to fit their preferences, and harass anyone who disagrees—aren’t fueled by genuine appreciation for the work. They’re fueled by entitlement. Real passion means respecting the actual story, its characters, and its themes, even when they don’t align with your personal headcanons.

At the end of the day, fandom isn’t a free-for-all where anything goes without critique. Popularity doesn’t make something untouchable, and passion doesn’t excuse toxic behavior. If shipping culture in a fandom consistently leads to the erasure of female characters, the forced romanticization of every male/male dynamic, and the dismissal of canon relationships in favor of personal fantasies, then yeah, that’s a problem. And it’s absolutely something worth calling out. If you really care about a story, you should be able to appreciate it without rewriting everything just to fit a specific agenda. Passion is great—but not when it comes at the expense of the actual work and the people who appreciate it for what it is.

The same thing is happening with Spider-Man—a loud portion of BL fans keep pushing for Peter Parker to have a boyfriend, even though there’s no real setup for it in the movies or comics. It’s not about wanting more LGBTQ+ representation in general (which is a valid conversation to have); it’s about forcing a popular male character into a gay relationship just because fandom culture prioritizes BL ships over canon dynamics.

Peter Parker already has well-established love interests—MJ, Gwen Stacy, Felicia Hardy—but instead of advocating for an original queer character or better LGBTQ+ representation in Spider-Man, these fans are more interested in twisting an existing straight character just to fit their ship agenda. And let’s be real: if Peter Parker were a female character, these same fans wouldn’t be fighting for her to have a girlfriend. This isn’t about representation; it’s about a specific fandom trend that prioritizes male/male ships over everything else, even when it doesn’t make sense for the character or the story.

The whole thing ties back to the larger issue—this isn’t just about "shipping for fun." It’s about a fandom culture that actively erases female characters and rewrites canon to fit a specific preference, then acts like they’re being progressive for doing it. If people truly cared about LGBTQ+ representation, they’d be advocating for new characters, not forcing existing ones into relationships that were never intended.

i get what you mean but i think youre missing the point a little. saying ppl dismiss the canon because they "want their own fantasies" isnt some revolutionary idea. thats literally what fandom is. people engaging with media through canon divergence, post canon, pre canon etc. has existed even before BL was a thing. i think its disingenuous to say theres only one way of appreciating a story. if we reiforced this idea that reimagining the work in ways beyond what the author originally intended is disrespectful or harmful we wouldve been deprived of so many great works of literature

also, you dont have to be some immensely succesful artist or writer to support what you like. fandom is a culture of participation. you are one of thousands of people who decide what narratives gain attention. if a group of people pour their effort into amplifying, sharing, supporting something, thats obv what will thrive. of course the BL community isnt above criticism but "harrasment is wrong" is a no brainer. it goes both ways. if you think there should be more focus and appreciation around female characters and canon ships i think you should be more concerned with the lack of fan content on your side of the fandom rather than trying to silence BL fans who are interpreting the story in a way that resonates with them. i agree that the erasure of female characters is an important issue but it derives from a larger problem that expands to every part of culture. its a little backward to point the arrows at BL fans when they themselves are trying to work with what theyve been given after centuries of very little queer representation

i also think the idea that imagining two male characters in a relationship is SUCH a big deal and somehow even regresses them as people is problematic. it feeds into the stereotype that gay men are always defined by their sexuality and can't have nuance or emotional depth in a romantic relationship. thinking someones enjoyment and passion is less valid than yours just because it doesnt suit your definition of how to appreciate a story is gatekeeping yk. its a counterproductive mindset thats not going to lead to any meaningful change because youre alienating a large part of the fandom just to assert your moral superiority