#cf analysis

So let me start this out by saying that this is a personal opinion and people can seriously ship whatever they want. As long as you’re having fun and not being a jerk, be happy with your ships, love your ships, write fic for them, draw art. However, this is why I, personally, have an automatic gag reflex for all things Jackim…

In order for me to fully explain this, let me first say that I usually like or dislike a ship based on the potential I see it has to develop the characters involved. That is, there is nothing better for a ship, in my opinion, than for it to make both characters better in some way. I want them to teach each other things, force the other to rethink the way they view something, grow past some insecurity, overcome some demon— develop. Conversely, the worst thing for a ship, imo, is when the characters involved work detrimentally toward each other. They bring the other down, reinforce insecurities, OR WORSE, are a couple purely to be a couple with either flanderization or no development at all.

Next let’s look at what, I think, each character needs in order to develop.

For Jack, this is, imo, positive affirmation. His main flaw at the moment is a desperate need for praise, attention, and unconditional affirmation of his intrinsic and extrinsic worth as a person. We know he’s neglected by his parents, constantly treated terribly by both the villains and the heroes and that this affects him. The reason he wants power is because it is a sure fire way to A) get attention and B) achieve some objective standard of worth. (He parallels Omi here, in some ways, but that’s a different analysis) In short, in order to develop in a healthy way, Jack needs someone that will value him on some deeper level, appreciate his genius and tell him this consistently— affirm him of his worth.

Kimiko on the other hand needs someone that will challenge her. In my opinion, Kimiko’s biggest flaw is adamant independence. She refuses help or support because she wants so badly to prove that she is capable all on her own. So likewise, in order to develop in a healthy way, she needs someone, I think, that will simultaneously challenge her extreme view on the subject and yet support her while she figures it out. (This is also why Raikim is my OTP— there’s an entire mini version of this exact thing playing out in Tangled Web)

So now let’s take a look at how I see it playing out with Jackim.

To me, as they are now, they would never be able to give the other what they need to develop. If Jack were fully developed past his fear of worthlessness, then sure, maybe he could give Kimiko that challenge. If Kimiko were fully developed past her fear of dependency, then sure, maybe she could give Jack that affirmation. But as it stands, I cannot see them being able to develop each other. Kimiko can’t give Jack affirmation because she’s still not comfortable with the idea of a supportive and open relationship yet. A relationship Jack would need to help him become healthier. The outcome that I would predict for them would be that both would undergo either flanderization (to try and make things work when their personalities and problems are incompatible) or de-development where Jack would become even more insecure and Kim would become even more distant.

Then you add in the fact that Kim is, currently, really creeped out by Jack? How is that going to affect Jack’s insecurity or Kimiko’s discomfort with relying on someone else?

Could it work under the right circumstances? Honestly, people are creative and intelligent and awesome and yeah, someone can absolutely come up with a great way to make it work. HOWEVER, it WOULD take a LOT of work and creativity, imo, TO make it work in a believable way that stays true to both characters. It isn’t a natural progression of events that I could ever see taking place and this is precisely the reason I dislike it so much. I see things on my dash all the time that make me very uncomfortable because it’s mischaracterized or destructive. Is that to say all of it is? Not at all. But the vast majority of what I’ve seen is.