Suez Canal Obstruction

Suez Canal Obstruction is an overnight fandom of anthropomorfics and memes that started on March 23, 2021, when the cargo ship Ever Given, one of the largest container ships in the world, got stuck sideways in the Suez Canal, thereby completely obstructing the canal and preventing any vessels from passing through.
The subject trended at Number 2 on Tumblr after an influx of memes and posts were created addressing it. Some pointed out the humour in seeing an actual ship trend for a change, rather than a fandom ship:
==Popularity==
Discussions and memes about the Suez Canal obstruction exploded across various online groups, some affiliated with various types of fandom, some not. This has, of course, warranted speculation about the popularity. As one tumblr user speculates, "they say disasters really bring people together and here’s one that doesn’t actually involve the death of anyone."lizardsister. Tumblr post, March 25, 2021. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021.
Within fandoms, there have been various ways of responding to the Suez Canal obstruction. FPF and RPF fandom have largely turned towards shipping with a side of shitposting. Abour 100 works were posted in the Ever Given Container Ship/Suez Canal AO3 tag in the initial week of the incident, and the fandom was nominated for the Yuletide 2021 exchange, in which two works were written. Stories continued to be posted after the obstruction was cleared, although at a much slower rate. 
 
Video game fandom (particularly on Reddit) has also used it as an opportunity for fannish memes about how to get Ever Given unstuck.Post on the /r/gtaonline subreddit. There's only one way to get the Ever Given out of the Suez Canal, March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021.
The Suez Canal debacle also intersected perfectly with the ongoing popularity of sea shanties, a phenomenon that began in 2020, and various fans wrote and recorded shanties about the situation, generally set to the tunes of existing popular sea shanties (refer to Filk & Fan Songs for examples).
===Ongoing Fandom===
During and after the actual Suez Canal blockage, fans took delight in tracking other transportation mishaps related to Evergreen Marine Corp. . Tumblr thread tracking a collision involving an Evergriven container on a Chinese highway on March 27, 2021, while the canal was still blocked.. Tumblr thread tracking an Evergreen container blocking a Chinese highway in January 2022. The boat remained current in the popular consciousness and was mixed with other memes that arose later in 2021, such as the horse plinko meme. by gothbunnyalice. Posted Januay 7, 2022. Collected over 100k notes by 6 June 2022.
Almost exactly one year after the Suez Canal Blockage, Ever Given's sister ship Ever Forward ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay. Tumblr took a similar level of interest in this story in the spirit of a one-year anniversary of the Suez/Ever Given fandom. . Posted March 15, 2022. Collected over 26,000 notes by June 6, 2022.
==Fanworks==
===Fanfiction===
* by All_My_Fandoms_Are_Killing_Me, the first fanfiction uploaded to the Ever Given/Suez Canal tag
* by galwednesday, also available as podfic
* by jeeno2, notable for the genius use of the tag 'Implied (c)anal sex'
* by Chuck Tingle
* by comrade_valerie, a collection of Suez-related memes presented in the style of Rupi Kaur poetry (some with illustration)
* by worldoshaking
===Fanart===
* by infinitejustice
* by thesquirrelqueer
*. Joke posted to twitter by Ben Jenkins, followup fanart posted to tumblr by thefirstpaleontologist, 26 March 2021
* a sea shanty-style poem by omnybus (March 25, 2022)
===Memes===
* , tweet by @krfabian. (Mar 24/21)The tweet is a play on the poetry meme, "i lik the bred." See "i lik the bred" on Know Your Meme for further info.The tweet was reposted to tumblr at least once and received over 11,000 notes. See: Reblog by inthemirrordorkly. Post, accessed and archived on March 26, 2021.
* Tumblr post by commodoregrimes. (Mar 24/21)
* by ninelanterns (Mar 25/21)
* , Tumblr post by ms-demeanor. (Mar 26/21) A reference to the My Immortal meme that plays on the infamous opening line of the fic, "Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way..."
*, Tumblr post by chaoticgouda. (March 25 2021).A reference to the Miette meme
*, Tumblr post by occassionallydiverting (March 24 2021) A reference to the ass cheeks copypasta which was written from the perspective of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid 
*, Tumblr post by johnnyjoestarrelatable (March 24 2021)
*, Tumblr post by sith-shenanigans (March 27 2021) A reference to a line from The Locked Tomb fandom
====Example Meme Gallery====
File:Its rotten work.png|A meme referencing lines frequently quoted in fandom from Anne Carson's Euripedes, by paperbullets
File:Argonath.... the gate of kings...Suez.png|An edit of Argonath, gate of kings from Lord of the Rings with the Ever Given blocking the entrance, by mirkwoodest
File:The endless stress of a global pandemic.jpg|An edit by a-kind-of-merry-war showing the endless stress of a global pandemic versus "me writing fanfic"
File:Suez trolley problem.png|An edit showing the trolley problem ethical dilemma with the Ever Given blocking the trolley, by insomniac-arrest
File:The gang gets stuck Suez.jpg|The title card from IASIP edited for the Suez Canal by beetleboo
File:Anakin_Suez.png|The confrontation between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan, but Anakin's face is replaced with Ever Given, by charlesoberonn
File:Ive_never_done_anything_wrong_Suez.jpg|An edit of a meme from Parks and Recreation showing Tumblr's response to the Ever Given, by heller-obama
File:Don't_Cry_because_it's_over.jpg|A meme from when the Ever Given was freed, created by humanstein
File:A flower a sword and a ship in the Suez canal.png|Podfic cover art by Elrohir for a Tian Guan Ci Fu/Suez Canal crossover
===Cosplay===
* by Alan Lupsha at DragonCon 2021. Cosplayer (temporarily) blocked the main doors into the event in imitation of the ship. Mirror of the post on Tumblr.
===Filk & Fan Songs===
* by Mirilya, a seashanty. Filk versions exist, with one version by JoCarthage, as well as one solo version and one 11-voice multivoice version by carboncopies
* by midweekblues, a 'canal shanty' to the tune of 'Wellerman'. One version recorded by bcbdrums (also on TikTok), and another recorded by bladeracer (Archived version)
* by hangingfire, to be sung to the tune of 'Barrett's Privateers'.
* by jaybeefoxy (tune unknown)
===Fanmix===
* by suzirya
==Links & Resources==
*Ever Given Container Ship/Suez Canal (Anthropomorphic) works on the Ao3
*Wikipedia: 2021 Suez Canal obstruction
*, Jezebel, March 26, 2021
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Anthropomorfic
Category:2021 Memes
Category:Object Pairings
Category:Tumblr