Okay, so you know how a while back, I created a chapter for almost ships, aka ships that are desirable, but something about them prevents me from shipping them. And now... for the same concept, but opposite effect: Almost NOTPs, aka ships that I dislike, but something prevents me from all out hating or disrespecting them. A bit unoriginal? Maybe, but I feel as though I should probably get my thoughts on these types of ships out there.
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•Ichigo Kurosaki x Orihime Inoue or Ichihime (Bleach)
Let's start with the ship that got me thinking about this idea! I know that in the past that I've expressed my dislike for this ship in many forms of jokes. Heck, even a future incorrect quote from my Team SHDW Information book said "Still a better love story than Ichihime", you know, like the Twilight meme. But I gotta let you know one thing: While I don't like this ship and make jokes about it... I only do it out of humor and less out of actual dislike.
Look, I'm not gonna be dishonest with you guys. I dislike this ship with a passion at times. I find that it has little buildup and did nothing to deserve a canon ending. But perhaps those are just my Ichiruki and Ulquihime hearts screaming in my ears. Look, I will never get over the mess of plot holes and salt that is the Bleach ending, which is ultimately why this ship ended up here.
But I am not one to deny that these two had legitimately good moments when they could be. The Hueco Mundo Arc is an example, showing that Ichigo does actually care for her on some level that might be beyond just friends. Heck, he, along with Chad and Ishida, busted into JOSH GROBAN's headquarters for the sole reason of rescuing Orihime.
But afterwards, things tend to lessen for the two. Things quickly changed from "rescue Orihime" to "fight every Arrancar/Espada I come across instead of escaping with Orihime in tow because YOLO". Case in point, Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow. He's had perfect opportunities to grab Orihime and leave, but nope, gotta fight Ulquiorra, got to fight Grimmjow, etc. Heck, there was one point where he was fully willing to drop the progress of his rescue to go help Rukia. There's more I want to say, but this has been enough of a rant more than it really should have been.
But if I have to hear Orihime scream Ichigo's name one more goshblam time, I swear...
•Renji Abarai x Rukia Kuchiki or Renruki (Bleach)
The only thing keeping me from fully disliking this ship is its haters, who I have run into plenty in my search for Ichiruki stuff. And I see a LOT of undue hate thrown at Renji "kinda swell guy after turning good" Abarai.
The main and only thing I see every time someone hates on Renji is this certain set of manga panels that came from the beginning of the Soul Society Arc... the arc in which Renji was introduced at first as an antagonist. Mainly the scene where he held Rukia back from going to a post-Byakuya Ichigo by grabbing her by the neck. A horrible way to hold someone back, especially if they were a childhood friend? Yes. Proof of an abusive relationship? Not in the slightest.
Renji may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, as well as introduced as an antagonist, but he got better almost immediately, mainly after a talk from former captain JOSH GROBAN. After Team Ichigo invaded the Soul Society, Renji pretty much let Ichigo past him, wanting to help save Rukia as well, but was in no position to do anything about it until Ichigo came along.
My point is that while I don't like this ship and didn't think it should've had a canon ending, it gets WAY too much hate than it really deserves. Renji is not a bad person, guys!
•Jellal Fernandes x Erza Scarlet or Jerza (Fairy Tail)
Ah, here we are. Pretty much the final entry into the slot known as Fairy Tail's Big 4, we have Jerza. A ship loved by pretty much every Fairy Tail fan that loves the other members of the Big 4... except for me. Jerza has always been a very mixed bag for me. And mainly because of the character of Jellal.
Jellal is a very tortured character, with an "I am a sinner beyond redemption" complex, as well as a horrible liar. Heck, what he's most known for, as well as most mocked for, is his blatant "I have a fiancé" line said to Erza. Even Erza knows it's bull. He's teased constantly about it by Ultear, as well as the fan base at large. He's a redeemed villain through and through, but unlike other redeemed villains in this show (Laxus, Gajeel, etc.), he doesn't seem to get the memo that he is one, the aforementioned complex kicking in whenever someone tries telling him that, which can get a tad bit irritating.
Both of these characters are beloved by the fans, myself included. So what makes me shove away something like Jerza, a ship so big that it's part of the Big 4? Well... to put it in simple terms, I can't see these two characters in a romantic relationship, despite everything the show throws at me. Both share the same traumatizing childhood at the hands of the Tower of Heaven cultists, both fight against evil, you could practically call them childhood friends, and, heck, they nearly KISSED at the beginning of the GMG Arc. But what drives me away?
Maybe for the simple fact that a lot of people ignore: These two barely know each other in a true sense. Sure, they met in the Tower of Heaven and became friends there, but a place of slavery is hardly a place for friendly moments beyond the comfort of "It's gonna get better" speeches. Any opportunity for a true friendly moment is dashed by Ultear's possession of Jellal, which turned him evil throughout most of his life, right up until he was defeated by Natsu. And after that, when he was found to be alive, he had lost his memory, and by the time he got it back, he was being arrested. And the next time they meet, it's after the seven year time skip... where the two nearly kiss the same night they reunite. They don't have nearly as much moments as the fans would have you believe.
This always bugged me. Shippers make them out to be childhood friends, but in reality, they were barely that. These two barely know each other, and that could cause quite a lot of strain in a relationship... which, now that I think about it, is probably something Jellal realizes as well, hence his panic and fiancé lie. They barely know each other, it's been more than seven years since he last saw her, and now they've almost kissed? Something like that seemed a bit toxic, so he pushed himself off and panicked his way out of it. That's my personal theory anyway. It's not that he doesn't like her, it's just that the reality of their situation hit him like a speeding magic-mobile.
That's just my thought on the matter though. To me, it just seems like shippers are over-romanticizing this ship, and it really doesn't deserve a spot in the Big 4. I cannot bring myself to ship it, despite my love for both of these characters, but I'll accept the canon that has practically thrown itself at me.
The only Jerza I will accept is the version where Jellal realizes he'll always be second best to strawberry cake.
•Barry Allen/Flash x Iris West or Westallen (The Flash TV Show)
Oh boy... I have never seen a fan base that is so war-wrought. The Snowbarry vs. Westallen War is one of the worst ship wars I've ever seen. And it was ultimately the one where I decided I had enough, and I dropped out of the Legends of Superflarrow fandom entirely. I do not have fond memories of my browsing through Tumblr and seeing the massive amounts of tag invasion and hate. And it is through this war that this ship ended up here.
Since I grew up in this fandom on the side of Snowbarry, I grew up seeing Westallen fans hatefully fighting us, and none of them showing any signs of understanding. I'm sure there are some out there who do understand and respect us, I just haven't seen them. The hate is a bit justified in some regards though, as the prospect of Snowbarry actually kinda founded on racism of all things. The earliest of Westallen haters threw racist insult after racist insult at Iris West's actress, who is a woman of color. Whether this hate was based off of comic book fans being snooty at the fact that it wasn't like that in the comics or just racists being racists, the fact of the matter was that most of those people were Snowbarry shippers. Sure, I don't ship it because racism, but Snowbarry will forever be defined as the ship founded on racism, and that's just a bit unfair.
But now for the actual reasons I don't like the ship itself, and it mostly hinges on the fact that Barry was adopted into the West family after his mom was murdered. To be fair, Iris was his crush at the time and nothing changed as the years went by... and that bothers me. Look, I've got little against adopted siblings in a relationship, heck, one of my favorite ships is Eremika... but notice the "little against". There's always been an exception that really borderlines that concept: The fact that they grew up together under the same roof with everyone under the impression that they were siblings.
There's a big difference between Eremika and Westallen. With Eren and Mikasa, they barely lived under that roof together before Eren's mom was killed by a Titan, not nearly long enough for really anyone to consider them blood siblings, and, if anything, it's the only excuse Mikasa has for denying any romantic feelings for Eren. But with Westallen... it's a different story. Barry and Iris pretty much grew up doing what siblings do, living under the same roof just like regular siblings do. To others, that shows their closeness. To me, it's crossing a line and border-lining incest.
Now, yes, I am aware that since they aren't blood related, it's technically not wrong. And it would be fine... if Iris hadn't said sincerely before in the show that she considered Barry her brother. Until she realized that Barry was the Flash did she show any signs of a romantic attraction, which really doesn't seem to be means to a healthy relationship. Not to mention that she was already engaged to Eddie Thawne... but then the writers killed off Eddie at the end of Season One. RIP. After that, it was pretty obvious how the show would go.
And the woman who told her late fiancé "screw destiny" became a girl who told her boyfriend/adopted brother "we're destined to be together". You can see why I would have a problem with this. Horrible buildup with a disappointing payoff. Heck, I can't even remember the circumstances of them getting together, just that one day, they just... got together. Not really memorable. Yes, I know it's canon in the comics, but that's no excuse for this show. You know what else was canon in the comics? Green Arrow and Black Canary. And we all know how that went down in the show.
Though I do find it a bit amusing that both Snowbarry and Westallen were founded on things that are hated in society today: racism and incest.
•Clint Barton/Hawkeye x Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow or Clintasha (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Man, I am just ticking off all of the fans today! Sorry Clintasha fans, but this is the only place in this book where you'll see this. Now, normally, a ship like this might've actually ended up in my "Almost Ships" chapter, but... Age of Ultron happened. And Clintasha REFUSES to die.
Now, I never shipped this in the first place, though they did have a few good moments in the first Avengers. But then along came Age of Ultron and introduced Laura Barton, aka Hawkeye's wife, along with a couple of Barton kids. Now, normally with a reveal like this, you'd expect that to be the final nail in the coffin, along with the (horribly decided) choice of Hulktasha (which is a NOTP all the way).
But NOPE. This ship has refused to die, the fandom in complete denial... which is something that gets on my nerves for whatever reason. Probably due to the salt that I've seen Clintasha shove in the faces of everyone. And they really have no right to, considering their ship is pretty much already dead, and those fans really shouldn't be talking because of that.
So yeah. Clintasha: I respect it, but please just let it die.
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So that's all I'm gonna mention, considering every one of these has their own rant attached to it. Hope you can respect my opinions. Till next time guys!
