sorry guys, I'm just gonna rant to myself for a bit about the AoT twt fandom. So, there's a post EMs are sharing around of an Eremin shipper saying Eren hugged Armin tighter than he did Mikasa, multiple times. They're angry, saying it's a misrepresentation of Eremika and that it's "clearly shitting on Mikasa." (Apparently this was the impetus for the "half of Eremin's content is talking about Mikasa and fighting" post I responded to earlier)
And I must ask, how is it a misrepresentation of the story (and Eremika) to say Eren hugged Armin tighter? That's just what happened. It's canon, plain for anyone to see, and it's not derogatory towards Mikasa to say so. Eren and Mikasa's moments are more subtle and tender, and more rare. Eremin has a fierceness to it; Eremika has a steady comfort. It is certainly a slight slight (lol) to EM, to use the tightness and number of hugs as a comparative metric for romance - so, their argument should focus on breaking down that premise, if they care to make it.
It's a fairly simple takedown: different people find different things romantically compelling. So, if Eren and Mikasa's tender hug appeals more to you, that's wonderful! If Eren and Armin's fierce hugs appeal more to you, cool! If both appeal to you, even better! Best of both worlds :D Accept your differences and move on.
My personal view of what is romantically compelling is shaped by being queer, a lesbian on the aro/ace spectrum. Ships between friends, with high levels of understanding, honesty, support, intensity, shared goals, casual physical affection - those are what appeal to me most (a ship being queer is also enticing). But I understand it's different for every person and I don't expect everyone to adhere to my standards.
Someone responded to me, saying: "The tweet is obviously shitting on Mikasa, but you're too much of a fake-ass hypocrite to ever judge anything fairly. Btw blocking me like a coward, proves how insecure you are. Hope this help"
I have no idea who this person is. I did not block them - they blocked me. Someone's alt account, maybe? I just blocked a bunch of people who were denigrating Eren and Armin's bond under a different post, so perhaps I blocked their main. Maybe this was a poor move on my part, but I've responded to their (now unblocked) main: "who are you? I just blocked a bunch of people being cruel/misrepresenting canon on another post, so perhaps I caught you there. It's called curating your timeline so you can coexist in peace. If you think that post is shitting on Mikasa, take it up with Isayama for writing it so"
It's more combative than I like to portray myself, and I don't have hope for having a civil discussion anymore, so why did I say anything at all? I don't know. I wish character limits were longer so I could add my piece acknowledging the slight to EM and fully elaborate the flaw in the premise...but they wouldn't take it in good faith regardless, seeing as they ignored my previous (neutered) attempt: "...Eren & Armin were very physically affectionate throughout the series. it's not delusional, it's canon & it isn't derogatory to Mikasa to say so. Eren & Mikasa have tender moments too, just differently"
What if I told them I don't even primarily ship them romantically, but as queerplatonic soulmates? Think it would break their brains lol
Wish I could simply block every (obnoxious) EM on that forsaken app, but that doesn't stop people from seeing you now, and I do want an audience for my Mikasa posts, lol. Legitimately, I've had my post about Mikasa's growth and perception of Eren - a fairly straightforward reading, emphasizing Eremika's bond - in my twt drafts for months. I'm nervous to post it, lest I be harassed for acknowledging the darkness in their relationship. Then I feel bad for saying so, because I've also encountered many lovely, normal Eremika enjoyers :/
With all of this said, I'm very thankful to the people of Tumblr who've interacted with my thoughts in good faith. I truly appreciate every person who takes the time out of their day to add their thoughts, ask questions, send an encouraging like. Y'all are the best :)
take me back to the days of twt EMs largely leaving us alone because they were too busy fighting EH and JK shippers I'm so serious (this is a joke, I don't wish anyone to be harassed). the price of EA becoming slightly more popular on twt </3
