In light of the recent Jiyong Jupal Dispatch dating rumors, I feel the need to write but unfortunately I don't have the time or the energy to write a full chapter for any of my stories and so I settle with just writing this blog post.

Shipping is not a new concept for me. I've shipped other OTP's before but none as actively as Daragon. I'm a new appler. 2017 gave me my first taste of a "shipwrecker". The pictures of Jupal and Jiyong that were stitched together by non-applers shook me to my appler core. But other applers more experienced than me who have weathered stronger storms than Jupal strengthened my resolve to stick with Daragon. Thank you for demonstrating to me your nerves of steel because I feel I am now starting to grow my own set of weatherproof nerves. I was surprised to find that waking up to the Dispatch news didn't faze me. I'm no longer an appler baby. I have matured and gotten myself some firm resolve because of veteran applers. So thank you.

But some more senior applers resort in bashing the personalities of Jupal, Jiyong or even Taehee. The nerve of these people make me cringe. I feel that bashing them drives more people away from the Daragon fandom even more rather than convincing them to transfer to our side. There were applers who took the news with amazing grace and dignity worthy of our OTP but some applers reacted in varying levels of crazy.

Sure I might not like the subtle but still obvious way that Jupal feeds the rumors but I don't think it's advantageous for applers to berate her outright on socmed about it because it'll only make her look more of a victim than she actually is and the daragon fandom only becomes the bully in the minds of those who are uninitiated. I'd rather leave her alone than credit her with more attention than she deserves. 

With regards to Taehee, some people bashed on his accounts because of speculations involving him and Jupal. The man was judged with just circumstantial evidence. He might or might not be guilty but lashing out at people based on possibilities no matter how plausible is not a mark of a mature person. I'm a little ashamed to find that the daragon fandom is littered with immature people. If the theories about him and Jupal are true then it'd be pointless to beat him up with words because he's already ruined himself. By involving his boss with his own scandal he has complicated his boss's life more instead of making it easier, which is supposedly his role as manager. If that is the case, why dirty your hands with beating him up when he already did a good job of it on his own?

Some also bash Jiyong. It's too much. I hope all the time with 1000% of my appler heart that Daragon is real. Still I hope with a little grain of salt to ground myself. The evidence for Daragon I believe trumps any other fandom shipping Jiyong with anyone, still these evidences are all circumstantial. None of them no matter how numerous or how spazz worthy will stand in court because our OTP have never officially acknowledged it. But one thing gives me hope, neither Jiyong or Dara have officially owned up to dating someone else. So I stand firm with other applers with nerves of steel, as long as no one is married I shall stand firm. If Daragon is real I believe Jiyong will keep mum until they both are about to get married because Dara was very vocal about not sharing the truth about her relationship unless she was about to get married. Why bash someone who is only trying to respect his love's wishes? Also why should I bash him when none of the picture evidences showed him to be actually together with Jupal? If I bash him it only shows that my faith in Daragon is never in fact based on nerves of steel because I was shaken merely by a poorly constructed evidence that even an elementary student with half a brain, a low tech digital camera and a collage app could do.

With regards to shippers of other fandoms, it's not worth it arguing with them. They won't listen anyway. Besides some of these hardcore anti-daragon people thrive on the attention applers give them. A child with a tantrum will eventually tire himself out when no one's paying them attention. Leave them alone and they'll eventually shut up. I'd rather let them bash daragon now with every last bit of steel that they've got because it would be the best revenge if time proves in the future that daragon is the reel deal. By then their ships would be wrecked beyond repair, and the weights of their nerves of steel for their own fandom will only pull them down into the depths of the ocean called Humiliation.

I have not disregarded the possibility of my appler heart getting crushed by the truth in the end but I signed in to this fandom with eyes wide open. I have my delusions that's why I write here and I can still see the line that separates reality and my imagined reality. Still despite the possibilty of me hovering on the realms of disappoint I maintain my stand. I am an appler and I will not be shaken and if time proves me wrong I know I can move on with my head up knowing that I have shipped well with the grace and dignity that my OTP deserved. For now, I'll just sit calm and stay quietly afloat because I have appler nerves of steel.