The anxious friend you didn't know you had

Shipping is a huge part of being in fandom spaces. People are passionate about what they ship, and it’s perfectly normal to get hyped about it. However, with that passion also comes “shipping wars”, or disagreements on which ships are “better” than other ships, which ships are and aren't "healthy", etc.

In recent years, the “shipping wars” have evolved into something far uglier. It used to be okay to just say, "I don't like that ship" and leave it at that, without having to jump through hoops to justify that opinion. But shipping is now often seen as a 1:1 reflection of one’s character and morals (ie “what you consume in fiction must be what you enjoy in real life”). "If you like this bad thing in fiction, then you're an equally bad person!" An example would be like... if you happen to ship two characters who are very toxic with one another, and then someone else claiming that this means you support toxic or abusive relationships irl. It’s essentially the “playing violent video games causes violence” argument. This has led to many frustrations, as some fans feel as though others are policing fandom or it's not safe to indulge in fiction. You’re not alone in feeling that way, but unfortunately this is the culture of current fandom spaces and you must adapt by curating your own bubbles.

People who disparage and shame your interests aren’t your real friends. A real friend shouldn’t make you afraid to be around them, and a real friend’s approval isn’t conditional on whether you agree with them or not. A real friend doesn’t make up excuses or redefine words or tropes to try and justify why one ship is or isn't okay. A real friend would let you be excited, even if they personally disagree with whatever it is you’re excited about. A real friend is someone you can disagree with without fear or rejection or being harassed, someone who recognizes there aren’t any objectively “correct” ships. You should reevaluate if you want to stay friends with a person that makes you feel bad for exploring different kinds of dynamics with fictional characters.

Fandom means creativity, freedom, and a near-unlimited escape from perhaps a not-as-pleasant reality. It’s supposed to be fun, not stressful, and is no different than a kid being unhinged while playing with their Barbies and Kens. Ask yourself: Is this relationship worth maintaining if all it does is bring me stress and worry? If I have to constantly look over my shoulder? Then decide what to do from there. Regardless of what you do next, realize that your place in fandom won’t vanish; there’s many like you, and you will eventually make friends who will accept that.

I’m flattered that so many of you see me as someone you can trust to speak with on this matter. It’s difficult to find places where you can feel safe and secure enough to share feelings you think you cannot share elsewhere 💦 That being said, I want to reiterate that my blog rules state I don’t want to discuss shipping discourse on this blog. (This is why I tried to speak vaguely and give general advice rather than discuss specific ships or examples.) Please be respectful of that and engage in shipping activities in your own spaces!!

Twisted Wonderland isn't an otome game, however I believe the creators like to subtly create the illusion of that possibility. Therefore, I don't believe they would create two distinct characters with the background of the characters they're inspired by being a couple, as that would also create the idea that they are destined for each other.

Therefore, and from what I can already see in a character like Silver, Yana Toboso ends up mixing the two elements of the couple to create a single character.

Silver, in my opinion, is already a mix of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip. He has narcolepsy, parallel to the spell that put Aurora to sleep, the animals adore him, he's practically the definition of a Disney princess. On Phillip's side, he has horsemanship and swordsmanship skills. Even his battle against Malleus is a parallel to Phillip's battle against Maleficent at the end of the film.

And that's why I also believe that Neige is a mix of Snow White and Prince Florian (apparently he has a name). But since we don't know him well yet, and let's admit that the prince hardly appears in the film to the point of not having a distinct personality, we still don't know which parts of his personality and appearance are from Snow White and which are from the prince.

Following this logic, Prince Rielle (or whoever Twst-Ariel is) will be a mix of Ariel and Eric in terms of appearance, personality, and probably even backstory. The same goes for Twst-Jasmine, which will somehow be a mix of Jasmine and Aladdin. And Twst-Meg will be a mix of Megara and Hercules in some way. This last one might have Meg's silhouette, but Hercules' color palette, for exemple. And the same can happen to the other in terms of appearance.

So that's my theory, let's see if it turns out to be right in the future or not.