I am not the anon that sent that CoDawn ask, but I got a notification that you posted and saw your reply.
I understand very much why you wanted to pause posting them, which is so sad because you seem very passionate about them and draw them so adorable. Like you said, itās truly not a simple āoh, I donāt see how this could work,ā ānot my thing but cute.ā Itās complete disdain more often than not.
I saw that there was literally a Reddit post about CoDawn a few days ago, inspired by seeing your art, with tons of comments about āself-insertā and dismissiveness. I can only imagine how discouraging it is for you, and I must say you handle things with grace. This fandom ships anything that breathes, and you know what? I love that. Have fun! Be creative! But when it involves Cody the shipper immediately āself-insertsā and itās ādisgustingā and Codyās a āterrible person who shouldnāt be around girlsā¦ā
Within the past year, the hate for Cody and anything surrounding him has gotten so extreme that it is completely discouraging to say or post anything related to him unless the only people seeing it are others who view him positively. Iām afraid to even say this because of his history as a fan favorite, that people who dislike him would simply roll their eyes as such an accusation, but itās true. It really is. I get anxious (so embarrassingā¦) when a post of Cody comes on my feed, or check the tags, because I know I wonāt be able to escape some negativity, to the point where Iāve started blocking tags. Itās like, not enough⦠I feel so much shame honestly saying (which is now internalized as just thinking!) anything about him because I immediately start thinking negative things about him and how others will perceive it poorly. Apologies if thatās a bit much but itās gotten to that point and your mention of feeling like a bad person resonated with me.
I know this wonāt change anything, but if it provides any comfort, you can NEVER be a bad person for enjoying them, or anything even just related to Cody. It is not possible. You deserve to find comfort in it whether you decide to post them or not. Iāve started feeling the same way about Cody in general, so I seriously understand. Itās an awful feeling and I actively try to feel better because I feel so foolish being upset over these things but itās a real feeling and you are not alone if it does make you feel down in general or about yourself.
Cody and Dawn have incredible potential. Them both coming off odd, but meaning well, having sweet hearts that are a bit buried under layers of attempting to connect in ineffective or generally unintentionally intrusive ways. They work well together, and I think theyād bring out the best in each other and find a lot of joy and peace once they actually get to know each other. I think Cody would be mesmerized by Dawnās beauty too, ha. Iām not so sure why thatās even questioned, Gwen is beautiful but sheās supposed to be a bit of a loner outcast in universe! Especially in Island. Heās not against unconventional girls one bit as long as theyāre treating him like a person and not a toy⦠I hope you keep drawing when you feel ready, and take care!
Thank you so much for your wonderful words!
I know this might be odd to say, but reading through this really validated a lot of the feelings I had about the fandom skewing heavily towards negativity and dismissiveness, especially towards anything related to Cody. You basically articulated everything that was storming inside my mind that I would have made a mess of if I tried to do so for myself. I feel like I got everything off my chest without having to string the words together for myself.
2 vents for the price of 1! LOL
But yeah, the Cody hate as of recent has been really intense and vicious. The worst part is that itās almost always interwoven with contempt for his fanbase as well, like the haters canāt separate the character from the fans. And yet, if you point it out, youāre called the sensitive one who ācanāt handle criticism directed towards your favourite characterā, ugh.
Yes, I know he was rather creepy with Gwen. How he treated her wasnāt right. And I know he acted entitled and jealous about her in TDWT. I know heās hypocritical in not considering the creepiness of his actions towards Gwen when Sierra does the same (and worse) to him.
But by golly, these people wonāt ever let you forget.
I, for one, am rather sick of feeling like I have to put up a disclaimer for liking a cartoon character. And Iām sure you are too.
But alas, the hate train doesnāt seem to be coming to a halt anytime soon. How long do we have to wait until Codyās no longer āoverratedā?
Iām glad you seem to be on board with CoDawn. Once again, articulated my own thoughts for me. I really do love the ship, as unusual as it is, and I donāt want to completely give up on it yet.
Thank you again for the lovely submission!