#does saying I'm queer help with getting donations I'm not used to asking for help

[thejazzywaffles]

Asking for some help paying off my car

I'm currently without income and need help paying for my car for the next two months. Any help would be appreciated!

Alternatively, you can send some money directly to my Venmo: @drewjay96

#gofundme #fundraising #fundraiser #crowdfunding #donate if you can #please donate #donations #does saying I'm queer help with getting donations I'm not used to asking for help #Context nobody needed: #There are multiple names connected to these #because my Venmo has my current chosen name & my legal deadname #while my GoFundMe calls my by an old chosen name #despite me changing my name in the settings #because GFM was programmed by an oyster #venmo me #venmo #donate to my venmo #venmo donations #drew's posts

[saintqueer]

How would you feel more supportive as a queer fan from Louis? What are things you think he could do and maintain his closet? Liked your last post a lot.

this is such an excellent question! thank you for asking it so thoughtfully. i think people automatically assume when any fan says something like what i said that i mean louis needs to be screaming from the top of his lungs or acting like harry with flags on stage.

ive got so many people in my inbox saying i called louis a homophobe or that if he does anything different he will be outed automatically. so i'm glad you asked because there are so many ways that louis and his team and his promo plan can be more supportive and loving to us queer fans and cause significantly less harm than they currently do while still maintaining his closet and even his stunts.

here are some examples that i can think of off the top of my head:

- he could take actions that firmly place him as an ally, embracing or reacting to things calling him the "king of lesbians" that has no correlation to his own sexuality. ie think Hozier. this doesn't have to be yelling on stage "i'm king of the lesbians" but he could like a tweet calling him that. repeat what a sign says at the show. more instances of him thanking that fan for the lesbian flag.

- acknowledging the rainbow projects at his shows. when asked about fan projects, he can avoid only mentioning non-queer fan projects. this can be as simple and subtle as saying "it looks beautiful and colorful in here". mentioning in an interview "there are some fans that are in the LGBTQ community and they love making rainbows with the lights and i love that my concerts are a safe space for them"

- a minor comment during concerts or on twitter that he wants this to be a "safe space for everyone" or "everyone is welcome here"

- publicly donate to LGBTQ charities. he obviously does privately but some public donations won't out him to the public.

- take out the automatic correlation of larry = gay from the promo repertoire and stop directly targeting larries to tear down Larry with language that suggests he is creeped out by being called gay

- acknowledge the importance of OTB to the LGBTQ community either on stage or in an interview in a way that still separates himself from it... "some of my fans who are a part of the LGBTQ community have taken one of my songs OTB and claimed it as their own and i think that is very beautiful, im so happy they can find their own story in that song. they even have flags when i perform it, it means a lot to them and i'm touched by that"

- publicly supporting queer artists

- someone like shawn mendes has been incredibly aggressive and at times seemingly homophobic about his sexuality yet he recently raised a pride flag to celebrate his queer fans. i don't see louis holding a lesbian flag briefly as something that ruins his closet. i could only see it help to break down his asshole homophobic image that he has with the general public who think he ended up the least successful of the 1d boys which couldn't be further from the truth.

- be more openly supportive of how overwhelmingly female his fanbase is rather than appearing as if he is interested in getting the same fanbase demographic Oasis had and Liam Gallagher currently has.

- a simple "i know what this one means to you all, get those flags up" before OTB if he is still too uncomfortable to mention the importance of the song to a subset of his fans in an interview.

- thank the fans for Project OTB the way he did with Project Defenceless.

- because he has such a largely queer fanbase, it'd be perfectly accepted and typical for a straight artist to tweet "Happy Pride month to all my LGBTQ fans! I hope you feel celebrated this month."

- he retweets causes and charities and occasionally political stances, he could do a retweet or two of queer related issues in addition to all the other stuff "twitter louis" is so vocal about.

those are just a few ideas but there are plenty of others that could be even more subtle but still public rather than just one on one. yes, i know he points and smiles at flags but what about all the fans and gp who don't see that?

also i'm not saying he needs to do all of this but a couple of these would make fans feel so much more connected and not harm his closet at all. just improve his image in a society that is no longer as tolerant of homophobia as it was in 2012. he is not currently a public ally, and that's an issue imo.

we must remember that louis has so many young teenage queer fans now after the pandemic. many discovered they were gay through becoming his fan. his actions and lack of action affects them. if they see him only speaking about the kmm lights in interviews and refusing to acknowledge the rainbow lights, what might that make them feel? if they see him dming fans acting like the idea of him being shipped with another man is gross and crazy, what might that make them feel? if they see him seemingly obsessed (based on his imaging and promo) with obtaining a fanbase less female and less gay, how might that make them feel?

i don't think louis is trying to hurt his gay fans but i think he and his team are functioning within a false dichotomy of gay <--> homophobe and queer fans (both larries and non-larries) are caught in the crossfire

#anon

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Brigitte Empire! She's just done a big move to escape TERF Island, and YT (and associated donations) are her only source of income right now. Listen, like, and reply to her video (you don't have to read the YT comments - though most aren't too bad - just say "hi") to help her out with the algorithm, and give money if you can.

And, while I have your attention, how DOES one differentiate between a nice, civil protest and a lawbreaking riot?

Well, is "one" an ordinary human being without a badge - press or police/security?

Like these BLM folks right here?

...Then your input is not required. Sorry. You don't actually get to define whether you're here to be heard or to break shit and ruin it for everyone. You have no authority over your message, and we do not believe you when you express your intent, especially if there's any (I mean ANY) property damage. Human lives are more important than some light vandalism and broken windows, you say? Well, lalalalala, 'cos we're not listening.

But if "one" does have a badge...

Aha! Behold, a miscreant!

Yes. Take that, you... you building-haters!

...one is allowed, nay, expected to put the proper framework around this chaos of, uh, human beings asking for human rights with their (theoretically) protected right to protest.

And this framework is subject to change!

...like, a lot of change. Within a single human lifetime, MLK goes from commie threat to conservative icon, and the protests he helped organize go from "tut-tut, so uncivil" to a triumph of nonviolent resistance. Gandhi and his tactics have gone through a similar rehabilitation/reclaimation.

And Stonewall? It's gone from a riot to a protest to a riot, with an ever-evolving cast of heroes, villains, and participants. Brigitte up there steered clear of who was involved and what their motivations may have been, and I suppose I will too, because we're all very attached to our own personal mythology. We all want to have been there, and there's some backlash and othering for people with queer identities that aren't part of the mythos.

I will say, though, that the man-o-sphere-centric film Buck Breaking sure did cough up an interesting interpretation for us. (Don't bother to watch it, I didn't, I just read/listened about it. It seems painful.) To the brain trust behind this propaganda piece, Stonewall was a BLACK riot - with no queer folks involved at all, certainly not any Black queer folks - and we STOLE it from them. I'm not gonna take that apart either, F. D. Signifier already did, and his experiences give him a better viewpoint than mine.

A riot is defined, and fueled by the police reaction in the moment, and afterwards, the media and politicians will carve it up however they see fit. Generally speaking, contemporary sources tend to err on the side of the police, and slowly get more revisionist as time passes. If the cops don't want you where you are, they will come up with a reason to remove you, provoking one if necessary. (See, my earlier post today, responding to efforts to make it more difficult to protest in the States.)

Cops are trained to parse any disturbance (even a bunch of kids singing patriotic music at the Capitol to score cheap points for the Republican House Speaker) as a threat, and they will minimize or remove it. A protest that does not cause a disturbance is not an effective protest. Thus, ANYTHING can be a riot. And, once the cops fire a few chemical weapons into the crowd, it sure will look like one. That's nice for any newspaper photographers who happen to be in the area!

This is why, when I talk about violent protests, I say the violence happens, like a rainy day or a sneeze. Speaking as a bleeding-heart lefty progressive (I don't show up for shit like January 6th), most people aren't looking to hurt anyone, they just want to be heard. If you do look like you're just there to start some shit, or you bring a weapon, someone will take you aside and ask you to go home, or at least leave that shit in the car. People with obvious weapons make a suitable excuse for the police to start some shit of their own - and we'd all rather not be pepper-sprayed or gassed, thanks. But if the cops want you gone, they are able to turn up the pressure until someone snaps, and then they'll start doing damage and making arrests anyway.

The first Pride was a riot, and a protest, and the participants repaid police violence against them with violence against the police. Police do their violence on behalf of the State, so we tend to overlook it, or spread the responsibility around until everyone is a little bit complicit. (We live in a democracy, right? Right?) But the truth is, a riot can be self-defense. It just doesn't look like it in the papers, because systemic oppression doesn't photograph very well.

Nothing about what's happening is "civil." "Civility" is not what anyone is after, here. What they want is silence. Silence just lets them keep doing whatever the hell they were doing, while pretending we're all OK with it. If you raise your voice, they will do whatever they can to shut you down. They lie, they cheat, they wound, and they kill.

Well, you can't make any noise if you're dead. So first, stay alive. And then, if you can, yell your fucking head off. Don't quiet down no matter what label they hit you with. If you're lucky, one day you'll be a triumph of nonviolent resistance too!

#Youtube #brigitte empire #pride #the first pride was a riot #protests matter #heck riots matter too #no difference only distance #civility is a lie #silence is death #yes i drank alcohol and sugar before i wrote this #brigitte keeps releasing these on fridays and i got friday business #if there are typos it just means i'm passionate about this 'kay?

[desi-lgbt-fest]

gonna be mad on the ask box for a sec as a trans person because i'm at my wit's end now.

sushmita sen, a cis woman will play the role of shreegauri sawant, a trans woman who played a very important role in aids & hiv awareness in india in her biopic.

like is it too hard to find trans actors to play trans roles??? or are they only available when one wants to make fun of them & use them for a cheap laugh???

and i'm sick of the whole 'they're using famous actors to market this for the mass audience' excuse. it is actively taking roles away from trans people which does little for the community in & of itself. they are not even gonna donate the profit or their earnings or their loads worth of money to a single charity to help trans people. trans people are not seeing themselves represented, it's only for the cishets to pat themselves on the back for doing a 'challenging role' no matter how many platitudes of 'i'm so grateful to play her' & blah blah blah they say. i'm so fucking sick of it. first with vaani kapoor & now this.

it's like they only want to see a trans person on screen if it is played by a cis person especially because it creates an illusion as if being trans is all an act and i'm just so so so tired of it istg.

I can relate my club and I had a conversation about this a while back. I'll remind you we're all queers there. So, it wasn't exactly unreasonable to believe that everyone would agree that what Bollywood is pulling is a shit move. To my absolute surprise a good friend of mine didn't think there was anything wrong with this. (She's hella supportive and everything AND she's queer too, pretty open about it) It took a lot of back and forth within our friend circle for her to realise that it WAS actually pretty ignorant and messed up that this was happening.

The problem with cis people (even those who are queer and haven't EVER questioned their gender identity) is that they often tend to take the idea of our identity to be something... innate. Something that can be ignored. (Even if they do this subconsciously) A lot of the time in their head we are what we look like. And that shit KILLS.

So when Bollywood does this kind of stuff? It's just playing into that concious or sub concious ignorance. It's a fucking vicious cycle. And most of the time they aren't willing to break that cycle, wether intentionally or not.

So yeah, i get it. Your anger is very valid and it deserves to be heard, so don't apologise for letting it out in a place that's safe.

-Mod Raissa

#asks #anon asks #as you can tell i also have a lot of feelings about this #trans woman #Poor rep #Fuck Bollywood #As a genderqueer guy i get it #And most of the people around me find that label weird but I LIKE IT #and that's all that matters #mod raissa

[kindyu]

homophobes and transphobes keep gaslighting us. i was at church today. the sermon had a nice message, it was like an invitation to try not to get caught up in worrying about what we'll eat and dress in too much so we don't forget about giving those that need it even more. it was a call to give suffering people the help they need. it was a nice and nuanced message (i shortened it bcs it doesn't really matter in this post). HOWEVER. the guy who had the sermon just HAD TO punch down on us.

in the sermon, he mentioned that these days, there are so many people asking for their rights, but these people don't have it as hard as those who actually don't have food and shelter and clothes. and that those people are too loud and forgetting about being nice to others (???). and that we should treat others the way we want to be treated. bitch i know that, what does it have to do with anything????????

there's a possibility that it wasn't about the queer community. but who was it about? racial and ethnic minorities? still horrible. disabled people? still horrible. i can't name a single community that's being obnoxiously loud about the rights that they don't need. (maybe those cishet ppl who want straight pride, but let's be realistic, he didn't mean those) i'm sure it was about queer people bcs i'd say we're the loudest at the moment in the czech republic, but that could also be my own social bubble.

i'm appaled at the audacity of these people. yeah, of course queer people like me, who are quite financially stable, aren't in an immediate need of shelter or food and clothes donations. but that doesn't mean we don't deserve any help, for fuck's sake! you can donate food to ukrainian refugees and vote for marriage equality and against the forced sterilisation of trans people. you can house a ukrainian refugee and still respect your local trans person's pronouns. you think queer people themselves aren't helping anyone else? plus, there's so many queer people who don't have shelter or food or clothes. for example, because they've been kicked out of their home by a hateful family. often, a CHRISTIAN family. you can't ignore this shit.

we're not whiny selfish assholes. we're people who demand our rights because, well, they aren't fucking respected. WE aren't fucking respected. and by telling us we don't deserve help, you're silencing and purposefully ignoring people who need help. in your stupid fucking sermon about helping people who need it. the hypocrisy.

#czech republic #transphobia #homophobia #lgbt rights #lgbtq+ #armin.txt

[pensiveant]

re: the donations culture post, I've also noticed this and it does also make me wince a bit but what I think it comes down to is 'this person deserves more help because they're black/disabled/queer/etc' but that those factors make their living situation worse or more unsafe in a tangible way. some of these posts probably do rely on guilting social justice-oriented people into helping, but most of them list these identities as justification for why they're 'desperate enough' to ask for help. which itself is pretty fucked up

Yeah that's probably true, and I don't want to assume bad faith when I see it because I'm sure most people don't even think too much about it. But that's kind of my problem? Everyone sees everyone else doing it and they format their posts in the same way and it becomes a bit of a trend that you have to follow to maximize your chances of receiving help. (Immensely messed up that this is even a thing and that people without a lot of followers or those who don't know the right tags to use have next to zero chances of raising the funds they need.) I just don't think it's useful or healthy for anyone to think of and then package the circumstances of their financial struggles in the most appealing way possible. It perpetuates this culture of..... I don't want to say 'victimhood' because that's usually used to downplay the severity of systematic injustice, but I can't think of a better term right now. You get the idea. A bit more mindfulness in how we engage with and write these posts wouldn't hurt, but ultimately people getting the help they need is what matters the most so you do what you gotta do, I guess.

#asks #anonymous #just to be super clear me finding someone a little annoying on the internet doesn't mean I'm saying they don't deserve help lol

[ineffable-masquerade]

Hello, I’m Ameera a 23 years old Muslim lesbian who is trying to come out, I’ve been in the closet with my girlfriend for way too long, because of how dangerous and hard it is to come out as a lesbian to a religious Muslim family, but me and my girlfriend have decided to do whatever it takes and risk it all to come out, do you mind supporting and encouraging us?, we have the plan to go away which is why I have my donation campaign pinned on my profile, if I raise at least that goal I can start the process with my savings, I can’t come out until I’d gotten my apartment and I’m away from family, so please support by donating if you can and help reblog though I know we all have what we dealing with, so I’m not imposing we just need all the support and encouragement we can get, check my pinned post for more information on how you can support, if you are a Muslim queer and you are out, please help with tips on how to make it less complicated, any word of advice is also really needed, we really wanna come out but we need y’all 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ pride please come through for us, I believe pride is for all

TYSM FOR ASKING ME have no money but all I gotta say is that you should expect the worst and prepare to deal with the worst if you truly want to let them know. And if the worst does not happen, there's nothing else to prepare for in that case of events. I'm not Muslim and none of the people around me are homophobic (except a few great aunts and uncles) so I can't personally relate myself nor know anything about what Muslims even are. All I can say is that you should be confident with whatever you believe in and don't let the important people in your life influence who you truly are. Because if you do, I will bully you online for it for having a weak little baby mind :3

[baixueagain]

Apologies for the anon mask but I am noooot in a mental state to get swarmed for contributing to this convo.

I feel like people in this JKR conversation are losing the fact that casual / unintentional bigotry exists. Systemic issues exist. And there's a big difference between a flawed comment, or being raised with beliefs and not questioning them, to being a full fledged bigot.

(For the record, by the way, because the "minorities are immune" comment still absolutely boggles the mind, I am a physically and mentally disabled trans person, who is part of a DID system, and uses a wheelchair and cane if I go further than my front door. Being a minority doesn't mean that people can't manipulate you.)

When I was 13, my father told me that "It's unfair for Black folks to wear Black Power Tshirts and get angry when I sau White Power." As someone who knew nothing about racism in Canada, who had only been taught the softened and white washed history, I didn't question it. I actually started to repeat it, and be annoyed when I saw those shirts. It wasn't until a friend called me out on it, and I went to further educate myself, that I understood.

My mother has dated trans folks on and off, and I was around the queer community since I was young. I never questioned the validity of trans people. But my mother had a saying. "Trans people are ps*chotic when they go off their hormones." If a trans friend or partner was upset, or angry, or emotional in any way, her first question was if they had missed a dose. I got this a lot as a kid too, they had me on more uppers and downers than I could remember, and so I got the same questions. I didn't question it. Years later, when I met more trans folks that were my own friends, and I started to question my own gender identity, I repeated this to them and asked if it was true, and was quickly corrected.

Hell, I ran around using abelist slurs and language like calling people ps*cho, narcissist, bipolar, just to name a few, despite HAVING several mental illnesses myself.

The point I'm trying to make is that yes, things like goblins being antisemitic, a Black character named Shacklebolt being dogey at best, the whole mess with Rita Skeeter - these should have been indicators. But they were also likely, at first, just the same run of the mill daily instances of bigotry.

Does that excuse them? Absolutely not. But JKR didn't go from "hey, maybe having your female antagonist described as 'looking manish' and 'hiding among ~normal people~ to do them wrong' isn't great" to writing essays about the "dangers" of trans people, donating to anti-trans groups, and writing a story about a man who dresses as a woman to abduct and murder women with absolutely zero influence. Something happened in the middle.

And we watched it happen, across several years and social media platforms. TERFs got their hooks in her, and yes, she made the choice to ignore any well intentioned people trying to correct her, but she wasn't born transphobic. No one is born a bigot.

The fact that her social media history could be one of the best and most detailed examples of how TERFs indoctrinate people isn't something we should be sneezing at. I'm entirely serious when I say it should be studied, because we can start to learn how vulnerable people get coerced.

Do I think JKR is still to blame for many of the actions she's taken, especially being such a public figure? Absolutely. Manipulated or not, there were choices she made and advice she ignored, and she has and will continue to cause real, tangible harm to real, vulnerable people. I don't think anyone here is saying we need to make her in to a martyr and forgive everything she's done. But the process is important. Understanding the process is how we stop it from happening again.

I was lucky enough to have people pull me back when they realized I was starting to get pulled in to those circles. Some people aren't that lucky. It doesn't mean forgive them, or that their actions don't matter. It just means that we need more people who know what to look for, so they can help pull someone else back if they see it happening.

I don't really have anything to add to this except to thank you for your story, anon, and for your reflections on this whole issue.

And no worries about being anon, do what you need to do to protect yourself and your mental health.

#jkr discourse #ableism mention #transphobia mention #racism mention

[rpbetter]

a vent (feel free to ignore if it's too much!): so recently i've noticed psd makers getting anon asks on whether they're ok with people who write certain topics (mostly rpf, incest, rape, underage, the usual "problematic" topics) using their recourses. now, i don't roleplay any of these subjects on tumblr, so even if a content creator said not to use their stuff, it's not even something i need to worry about - but, and maybe this is me overthinking it, what if i, someday, write a noncon fanfic on ao3? i'm still not using their resources on the subject or writing it on tumblr, but i'd probably feel weird about it, like i'm crossing some boundary. what if a psd maker whose content i've already purchased suddenly goes "actually don't use my psds if you rp abusive relationships", which is probably the closest to what people consider "taboo themes" of the things that i roleplay. it just feels like a fine line between personal boundaries and a shitty situation for a customer - not wanting to cross boundaries but already having PAID for something previously, when no such rules existed. it's making me want to 1. block everyone i see saying this, because even though i don't personally roleplay the topics above, i don't feel SAFE around people who tell others what kind of fiction they are allowed to enjoy and 2. just quit using people's resources and spend years learning to make my own psds so i won't have to worry about this shit. it's just stressing me out, as someone who has been harrassed and bullied online for speaking against censorship. i've had literal sock accounts made just to spew targetted harrassment at me on twitter. i've been accused of being a pedo and supporting incest and this is??? literally for saying "i don't think real people should be harrassed for fictional shit", i've not even shipped underage or incest ships. both make me uncomfortable. but fuck, antis make me 1000000x more uncomfortable than people who ship these kinda ships. i digress, this got rambley, i just. do you have any advice on what to do with the potential psd situation, or am i really just overthinking it? (always worried i accidentally send stuff like this off anon. help)

I need you to know that I actually had to rush-scroll back up and just double check that you did submit on anon lol! I always get worried I'll miss the one person who accidentally didn't use anon, if it makes you feel any better! When someone does submit with their URL attached, I message them first to be sure they are okay with them having it posted that way/it wasn't an accident ;) That's what I would want someone to do!

Alright, so, anyhow...

I've also noticed that becoming a more common thing and it's been on my (maybe huge) list of things to look into for a bit because I really do try to make sure I'm not just noticing things in my areas of the RPC/failing to notice things that do not impact me. Since I do all my edits and graphics, it falls into the first category for me. So, thank you for moving that up the list and informing me that it really is more prevalent and not my imagination!

My take on seeing it was a combination of business logic and anxiety, not going to lie.

On the first: charging to do a psd that is just that, just a psd file being used as a template/to act as an easier version of a photoshop "action" in a way, that's 100% legal and fine. Absolutely no muddy waters there. However, charging to do things like icons, edits, etc. that include images of celebrities and stills from movies (or gifs) is quite muddy. Legally, it's not legal. It's a thing we're allowed to do and use (on most platforms) because we're not making money off of it, we're not claiming to hold rights to the images, and so on - it's ignored but illegal. Charging money for it, however, even when phrased as "for my time" (which, absolutely valid feeling), is a more serious form of illegal and potentially attention-getting. This all gets more iffy though when we add donation instead of direct commission/purchase when working with these copyrighted materials. You can ask people to donate and suggest a donation based on your time spent, and that is always what I advise people to do.

Okay, so, that preface is necessary because the thing about stipulating use-rights is that they're iffy, too, there are variables present.

Often, these same people are charging for things like icon packs as well, meaning that even if they're only charging you for a template-style psd file sans imagery they don't own, they've kind of shot themselves in the foot. Not to mention, it's exceedingly damn hypocritical to pitch a fit about someone violating your rights when you're literally using other people's copyrighted materials lmao And that does tend to occur to me, yeah, it's a consequence of attorney friends and running businesses.

The other issues with this are that usage rights have to be stated at the time of purchase and morality clause-style shit, as pertains to products, is not legally binding.

When you purchase something like a psd file, that purchase acts as a sort of contract.

Think of like...buying a photoshop brush set - the person selling it puts very simple rules as to its use, such as: non-commercial use only, brush pack cannot be resold or distributed for free, separate brushes from the pack cannot be resold or distributed for free individually. Meaning that you own the brushes you bought, but you are not legally allowed to make real-life money from anything you use them in, and you cannot send the whole pack or files individually to friends for free or charge other people for them. By buying these, you have agreed to these stipulations of use and ownership.

If the person sells psd's and you agree to what they've stated about the use (you can't use them to do commissions you make IRL money from, you can't give them away to friends, etc.), that's binding even somewhere as casual as RP Land. The exchange of real currency makes it that serious.

However, there are limits to stipulations of use! One of those things is when you agreed - this person cannot, even one literal second, later change their terms of use and retroactively hold you to them. If they were okay with you not crediting them anywhere or using them in works you will gift others or charge others something like game currency for at the time you purchased, then that's it. Tough shit for them, not you, when they decide a month later that they want credit given where the work appears, that they do not want finished products gifted, or don't want you to make even in-game currency from them.

And that absolutely would apply to the morality wank, yes.

Except that this very morality wank comes with its own issues. Reality is not tumblr. In reality, at least in most instances and countries, you can't throw in a fucking morality clause regarding the buyer, use of item, or finished product.

Think of this in this way: Chik-Fil-A starts denying chicken and waffle fries to anyone suspected of being queer. They're legally allowed to run their business (as a private business, everything does have variables) with some things that are morally objectionable that they feel morally aligns with their religious beliefs. They're not allowed to deny queer workers a job or queer customers service, however, in accordance with overarching laws.

While "being gross" online in fiction is not like, making anyone a protected status person lol this is just an extreme example to drive home the point. Legally, when it comes to items/products be they digital or physical, your rights and responsibilities as the seller don't include your moral policing.

What your right is, is to make people uncomfortable to a degree, yeah. You absolutely can do that. You can state some nasty shit about prospective buyers you don't want. For example, they should (I mean, they should just grow up and get some real concerns, but) be stating that they would not like to see their psd's used by people on this following DNI list of idiocy, and they will block those users if possible to prevent interaction and purchase. That's really it, that's what they can do and the least immature way to proceed.

On the second: none of this logic would make me feel comfortable about interacting with them and their psd's in the future once they had outed themselves as morally objectionable and dangerous to me with this nonsense. And I would still feel anxious about using things I had previously bought because once harassed...it doesn't really go away, does it? It would just give me some ease about the latter with things I'd already made. Like, I could keep using the icons I'd made with those psd's with a little bit more comfort knowing that they honestly have not a leg to stand on outside of their harassment.

I might have the tendency to respond to harassment without much upset, but that doesn't mean I want to be harassed. Especially when I am not doing anything that draws that kind of attention. Not that harassment is warranted over anything, but when I make a PSA or answer an ask that I know is likely to get their attention and piss them off? That's an acceptable risk I am knowingly taking. When I'm just going about my life as a RPer, it isn't.

So, I don't feel like you're overthinking it or being too concerned! In no way did you sign up for getting unwanted attention, and because it has happened before, of course, you're trying to insulate yourself from having it happen again. That's totally reasonable!

Now, what you could do about it...

It's another of those situations in which we're only truly capable of controlling ourselves. Everyone else is kind of a NPC.

You don't have to do anything I'm suggesting, but these are things I would do!

I would block the shit out of anyone saying these things/trying to make them stipulations, yes.

By that, I mean that I would also visit blogs they appear to interact with and they'd be blocked as well. We can all reblog something like resources or a shit post from a user we do not agree with without realizing it, but when it's frequent reblogs, direct support, and friendly vibes going on, it's safer to assume that they are aware their friend sucks. More importantly, that they do not think their friend sucks and support their views.

Even if that is not the case, do you want someone else's repeated inattention to expose you to bad actors? Nope! So, don't run the risk of paying and otherwise interacting with the one resource blog in the group that doesn't express these views/"requirements," but does involve themselves with those who do.

Try to find people selling these resources, that are not connected to the problem ones, who do not have those views. Once a trend starts, it is very hard to stop until it has run its course naturally, so, this might be difficult and take some extreme effort. You might want to consider asking like-minded friends who use psd's where they got them so you can check those users out for yourself.

If they're all the same, problem, people...

Look for users well outside of your corner of the RPC(s) who are not asking to be paid. I know it sounds wild, but there really are RPers out there who just enjoy making things for others! I can think of at least one right off on my dash. They might not be advertising for doing psd's or psd packs, but either they might be willing to do so (especially if they do not appear policing-positive) if you explain what is going on, or they could at least fill some requests for you for fully made icons and such. Hell, people who love doing this work usually know others who do as well, and anti-policing people quite reasonably stick together. They could have suggestions for someone not vile selling psd's.

Depending on what it is you want your psd's to do, I promise you that it wouldn't take you very long to learn it. I know...I know lol that's both really easy for me say when I've been doing it for over twenty years and am about to piss some people off. The latter because the most common settings on popular psd's are extremely simple shit, a lot of that is the kind of thing you're expressly told not to do in design work. Like ramping up extreme contrast, pixelating the fuck out of an image, and turning up the primary colors only. Once you get to playing with photoshop or an equivalent, you will totally see what I mean. You can accidentally make an icon look identical to something that is on trend in the RPC. If that was what you were going for? You've hit the mark, and it's just repetition and tweaking it here and there!

Once you start playing with it, too, it's actually pretty intuitive when it comes to the basic things like resizing, adjusting colors and contrast, and doing easy effects like blurs and sharpening. Frankly, playing with it is better than half the tutorials you'll find because they get unnecessarily complicated when all you want to do is crop your muse's face, overlay some color, and add a damn dotted border. Listen, like I said, I have a lot of experience...and I find many tutorials frustrating and overwhelming!

It is not just you, you're not dumb or anything. People get very comfortable with something and when they try to explain it to others, they use terms and methods that are more advanced or specific to them than they realize. That's all!

If you have friends who make their own things, ask them some very basic questions about what you want to do. They know you, so, they'll know better how to explain to you, specifically. Just keep it simple until you've had some time to experiment! Ask things like, "I want to take this image, resize it to be an icon, and add an orange tint to the image while sharpening only my muse's features...how would I do that? Easy mode?"

And! You don't even have to pay for photoshop or pirate it anymore! Photopea is as an exact copy as possible entirely located in your browser for free. It's all overwhelming at first, a real case of too many options and ways to do the same thing, but the only way it gets less overwhelming is just diving into it. Dive in, get a little frustrated, have some successes, make some awesome discoveries, it gets a bit addicting in short order. Then, the tutorials and tips are so much easier to figure out and expand on, too.

If you'd like, you can always send me a pm here and ask me. I'm happy to try to explain how to do things, zero judgment or impatience. Just an additional option if you both decide to try learning and would feel comfortable doing that. Zero judgment as well on not wanting to do either of those things!

Okay, this one is much harder than learning PS basics because it's honestly a bit terrifying...the way these people are, they're going to take issue with you no matter what you do, and in the end, if they notice you and feel like bothering you, they will. There's literally nothing you can do about it. All you can do is try to buffer yourself, stay away from them, and be aware that you are not the problem.

Like with the AO3 thing or writing what could be viewed as toxic relationships. You can never write or be interested in a single, solitary thing that they're on about (and accusing you of doing in real life when the burning Eye of Moron turns your direction), but to them, you supporting the right of other people to do so is just as bad as doing it yourself. To them, the toxic relationships not only would be problematic, they'd be problematic enough. Being uncomfortable with their policing and feeling unsafe because of it is, to them, a red flag of how problematic you are. Writing anything they've deemed objectionable (or reading or viewing it, for that matter) anywhere, doesn't have to be on this platform or RP-adjacent, doesn't have to actually utilize any of their materials, is enough.

They're absolutely including you in who shouldn't use their shit. That's part of the "logic" and methodology of policing. Everyone is problematic, so, everyone can be labeled a pedo and harassed without too many people getting up in arms about it. No one is safe, so, everyone better behave. You don't actually have to be engaging with or enjoying things like underage, non/dubcon, rape, abusive relationships, etc.

It's gross, it's bullying, it's actually a problem...and there isn't much you can do.

All that is truly up to you is making an effort to avoid them, though, this is very often unfair and likely to get more unfair as resource blogs of all sorts deal in it more. At least, in this case, you do have some small bit of actionable power - by not ever buying from them. They wouldn't be charging if they did not either need or want the money, not giving it to them is a bigger hit than things like simply unfollowing/blocking, reblogging PSA's, and so on is!

Nope, it isn't like you're denying them some extreme amount of money by yourself, but every three, five, ten dollars is felt pretty hard when you desperately need money and/or are saving for something.

I know, I mean, I personally do know, that it's impossible to "get over" bullying, Anon. I'm in no way telling you to just get over it and move on, find some great well of not caring somewhere! What I'm saying is that there is power in not giving them power. The power to make you anxious, uncomfortable, unsafe, when you have every right to be here doing your thing and are not hurting anyone. And it might seem to be a deeply contrary sort of logic, but realizing and accepting that there are people out there who irrationally dislike you for literally no reason, that you cannot infallibly escape or avoid, despite doing nothing wrong is a bit empowering. Because it puts into perspective the things you can control, and when we know what is in our control, it's easier to just enjoy our time here without constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. If it drops, we can go put it back in the closet where it belongs.

It starts to put a positive spin on the whole, damned if I do, damned if I don't feeling, if that makes sense? I'm probably way too tired to try to be explaining this lol I'm sorry!

Anyway, again, I'm not implying you can or should do any, let alone all, of those suggestions! I just really hope that something will help you feel even a little bit more at ease. It's an unfair situation, it isn't right, and you have every reason to be uncomfortable and stressed. If I could make it happen, you better believe that every policing asshole out there would be writing heartfelt apology letters and sending donations to everyone they've upset lol but...since I can't make that happen, all I can do is say what I, personally, do, would do, or have done.

#answered #anonymous #purity police #resources #rp advice

[thetiredstuff]

Watching the panel through live blogs, let me see if I've got the gist of it.. so Misha loved his characters goodbye scene, but also knew that he was supposed to come back in some capacity but can't directly tell us more, just that it wasn't a bury your gays situation.

He loved the emotional climax of Dean's death and how Jared and Jensen acted it out.

He said he didn't know how the episode ended but now is worried the fans will disappear?

But he can't talk about it.

So help me out here, did he ever actually comment directly on the ending? Did he give his opinion on it? Or just comment around it.

(feel free not to post this, I'm just sad and frustrated all over again) 😔

Hi! Okay so I’m gonna be honest: I’ve spent the last 5 days (since the finale) on every social media platform (basically reading through the tears of sadness lol) and I’ve seen the panels and everything and I remember almost nothing of anything hahaha so I’ll try answering this to the best of my abilities. 

Misha loves the fact that he was able to get Cas saying “I love you” in a romantic way. For him, finally being able to actually confirm a gay Cas means a lot to him because he knows how much it means to fans. 

It’s speculation if Misha was supposed to be back as Cas in the finale but story-wise it’s pretty clear he was supposed to be in it. However, he can’t confirm that because he signed NDAs (just like every actor does) that will still be valid for an unspecified time period. 

My speculation: I doubt it was supposed to be a bury your gays' trope because Misha said that they went to Jensen about Cas’ confession and if Jensen didn’t like it, they wouldn't have gone through with it. To me, the only reason why they’d have to ask Jensen about going through with it would be if his character would say something back. I just doubt that they intended to go bury your gays because it is extremely well-known as awful and lazy writing and I doubt bobo would go for it if they couldn’t subvert it and bring Cas back in a way. But alas fucking CW. 

He cried watching Dean die because he saw Cas’ friend die. He praised Jared and Jensen’s acting but nothing about the storyline of that episode, outside of that scene, was mentioned. 

Misha said he hadn’t read the script of the finale and ep 19 (which I’m not too sure about because we know he was in Vancouver probably for the finale so he had to have read at least part of the script for his scenes)

A lot of meta writers/fans have speculated (and I agree) that the actors probably didn’t know that certain scenes would be cut. I mean we know Misha was in Vancouver during covid filming even though the CW tried to scrub all the evidence. Misha has always been afraid of fans disappearing, he’s been pretty vocal about that since the ending of the show was announced. But now he’s seen how hurt fans are. And they have all seen it. It’s too big of a portion not to see it. 

And (I’m speculating) I’m pretty sure they’re devastated as well. The devastation and sadness that’s been going around are so hurtful and bone-deep that it is the kind of hurt that would make fans disappear from the fandom. Misha knows that and so he was always afraid of the fans disappearing. This shitty finale that made absolutely no sense and that left so many people heartbreaking and angry probably makes/made him even more worried about fans disappearing. 

But yeah he can’t talk about the OG ending, he can’t talk about having filmed in Vancouver, he can’t talk about Destiel because they went ahead and basically shot that dead (again fuck the CW), he’s even being vague about who came up with the idea for the bloody handprint, he can’t mention the fundraiser The Castiel Project for the Trevor Project that’s been started by fans to donate money to and that almost raised 50.000 dollars. 

He can’t talk about any of it because all of that would imply that the ending was shit or was cut severely, or they stomped out the queerness etc. As long as he has an NDA he won’t say anything cuz he can’t and even afterwards.

(again this is me speculating) Misha has always been treated poorly by some factions of SPN/the network. For a guy who saved their rating in season 7 and who managed to get the show to 15 seasons (together with J2), he’s always been shunned aside by some. He is a pretty selfless and grateful guy so I doubt he’d go right out and say something. Maybe but I think he’s also aware of how much it would hurt the fans to know what they did to his character and destiel (we kinda know through speculation but we don’t KNOW)

Jensen is probably the one who’d open his mouth more, surprisingly. He’s extremely diplomatic in how he carries himself in this industry which is gonna get him far but his lack of posts since the finale speaks volumes. It’s a silent protest. He’s also got the NDAs. 

but (I’m speculating again) Dean is something Jensen takes extremely serious. I’m pretty sure he saw bi!dean (with ep 18) and understood that it made sense for dean as a character (which is why i think Misha said that comment about Jensen not liking it would mean it wouldn’t happen). 

Jensen already had trouble with the ending all the way in the beginning (probably dean dying). He then likely supported Destiel or at least the implication of it (ep 18). Only to then find out that all queerness was erased (which I’m guessing he saw that queernes as serving the story), Misha who played Cas a fan favorite was also erased, and Dean died (he cares a tremendous amount about dean and doing right by him). And all of that has been getting some severe reactions of people being extremely hurt. 

(Again I’m speculating) but J2 have been praised by Pedowitz for ages, and I think that all of that really soured Jensen’s view of people involved with the network that previously had his back. Jensen has been the most vocal already with his dissatisfaction with the finale/the way things were handled. Just look at his social media likes and the absence of both Jensen and Misha in the Thank You videos. 

He’s being vocal by being silent. 

Both Jensen and Misha and their characters fell victim to the CW trying their damnest to stomp out the queer. And wow did they do a brilliantly awful job at it. 

Jared you’re not gonna get anything for years because he has Walker which is on the CW so he has to keep those people happy. 

I just wrote a mini-essay again lol hahaha 

I’m sorry you’re sad and frustrated. I feel it too. Today was the first day I didn’t wake up and start crying immediately, so it does get better it’s just gonna sting for a really long time. Just know you’re not alone in your feelings. 

This ending sucked and it sucked because it didn’t make any sense. It came completely out of the left field and it was a complete injustice to the characters, the actors, and the fans. We all deserved better. 

Also: I’m not in the know so this is mostly me speculating. I hope I made that clear with all the brackets. 

#ask #cheerstofandomfamily #spn #spn ending #supernatural #me

[thisiskatsblog]

Hi Kat, I'm feeling sad and sort of mad here so I might rant, I'd like to know what you think I don't know if you're gonna post it or answer it to avoid controversy and negativity in your blog but I appreciate you got to read it bc I needed to vent, tysm in advance...

I see so many people hating on Harry because he said "clothes are fun" without "making any social statement about it and that he doesn't recognize his privilege of wearing what he wants cause he's rich and famous" and can I just say that it's because of that same privilege he's so influential and has helped so many queer fans to be who they want to be, he's using his privilege for good and also, I hate when people try to force activism out of everyone...

I understand being critical but activism should be genuine and intentional. It just seems to me that they're people from the q community who had an agenda against him before this interview got released, sometimes it doesn't even seen this is about social justice. I've seen the most cruel and hateful comments wishing for him to be miserable and unsuccessful (that's not happening anytime sooner, honey, go off)...

And they don't really know him, they don't know he does more than waving flags and putting stickers on his guitar, he has donated to non-profits, spent money on queer artists, he protested and signed petitions for BLM, he has helped fans to come out, he does have talked on social issues, they're just looking for a reason to be mad tbh...

He might not get too deeply political because he has stated that politics divide people and that is 100% true. He has INDEED recognized he is privileged on a RS interview and that he just wants to show people he sees them and he's here for them. Everybody does activism in different ways, and Harry's certainly isn't performative, he's not obnoxious about it but he's not tone deaf either, he's self-aware.Honestly, I don't understand what this people want?...

If they see this cis boy speaking on gender issues and gender expression on a Vogue interview and talking about trans/nb/gnc people who are opressed then they may fill Twitter with comments like "he doesn't do anything for us, why is he talking about it? he's not our icon" but if he doesn't do it then he's pandering? Do they want an ally who leads a movement and speaks on issues or an ally who does acts of service for the movement and doesn't speak for it? I don't understand, idk if I will..

Finally, no one should be a certain sexuality to be allowed to break gender roles, yes, straight people do have privilege even when they dress androgynous but they shouldn't be cancelled for that...

Now, entering hypothetical (basically confirmed) field, can we talk about how problematic is accusing a closeted person of pandering? If someone have ever told artists like Bowie or Mercury to "stop profiting of queer people" while they weren't out in the public eye, then no one would have paved the way for other men to express themselves, break toxic masculinity and help other gender non-conforming kids. Kids like Janelle Monaé, Billy Porter, Lil Nas, P!nk, Sam Smith and yes, Harry Styles.

(that was the end of my rant btw, it was like 8 asks, I think, hope nothing got lost, sorry for the length but this people literally want Harry to fail because of freaking wearing a skirt and not getting too political about it and I was certainly not having it)

----------------------- Hi anon,

They all arrived! 

I’m glad it helps you just to be able to vent, without expecting to be published, so anyone who needs a vent: do feel free to use the service of my inbox 😊

I will publish because I think you are making a few interesting points.

It’s true that Harry can do the things he does because he is privileged – and I completely agree with you that it’s a good thing he is using that privilege to the fullest and thereby changes things for the better for other queer people.

On the other hand, I do understand the frustration of queer people who are less privileged when they wish he would recognize that privilege. It isn’t true that in this day and age anyone can dress the way Harry does on the cover of Vogue, and it could make his “statement”, which in itself is positive for queer people, all the more powerful if he recognized it and expressed his wish for that to change. To me, it’s a question of gradation. Wearing a ruffled dress is really good and changes lives; saying that you wish everyone had the freedom to wear that dress in the way you now have that freedom is even better and raises awareness of intersectionality (when you are LGBTQ and poor, being LGBTQ is more difficult than when you are LGBTQ and rich).

I don’t think Harry is the kind of person you’d need to force activism out of, I do see him as someone who has been activist as well as political on many occasions. Maybe not as political and activist as I’d like him to be, maybe not in the way I would be in his position, but definitely committed to the same causes that I find important, and not afraid of using the position he has to influence when he feels comfortable to do so. I wish he’d been more vocal on a great number of occasions, but I agree with you in that you cannot look at your idols in music and simply expect them to be fervent and perfect political activists. Art can be activist, but it doesn’t have to be, you cannot expect it to be.

Furthermore, I think Harry definitely has some privilege that he’s shown to be unaware of, and I’ve also seen him take things in, learn, change his position (see the RS interview you also mention), and become more vocal politically. In other words: Harry is human.

I have not seen the criticism you are talking about, and it seems there have been various different ones, so I won’t be going into them, some seem more valid, others are not. In any case I would be very hesitant to put it all aside as “queer people who had an agenda against him” or “they’re just looking for a reason to get mad”. That thinking may put you at ease, and stay on your side of things, but it won’t help the conversation. I think it’s important when you’re on two sides of an argument, to try and understand where the unmet need is on the “other” side.

Since I haven’t seen the original arguments, I am not completely clear on this – but it seems that the common thread in your understanding of the criticism he receives is that Harry’s ambiguous identity (while having amply suggested he may be not cis/straight, he hasn’t been straightforward about it) makes it possible for people to criticize him both ways.

I agree with you that you do not need to be queer to be allowed to break gender norms, and that closeted people should not be criticized for breaking gender norms and paving the way, to come out themselves, and for others. But I do see where the frustration on the other side comes from – I don’t think it’s necessarily evil willed towards Harry. What I see, a strong wish and urgent need to have out and proud role models who do these things; and – guessing that a lot of the people criticizing him suspect he is indeed closeted – an enormous frustration that closeting still happens, and about the mixed messages Harry, as a role model, may implicitly gives to queer kids in this way. It’s okay to dress outrageously and challenge norms but it’s not okay to be explicit about your identity and orientation, do keep that vague. I personally feel extremely frustrated about that, even if I also believe this is outside Harry’s will.

“We don’t talk enough, we should open up, before it’s all too much…”

Anyway, long story short anon: I get you. And I think I get the other side too. In the end we all choose whether we want to see the glass as half full or half empty. And I’m siding with you that it’s half full, and with the critics that I wish it were completely full, but then again with you that you cannot really fault Harry for that not (yet) being the case... But it’s okay for it to be said: I wish the glass were full.

#i hope that addresses it all #this was a long ask #ask #anonymous #coming out #gender #vogue #harry #Anonymous

[debunkingtaytaysbeard]

Well 90% of gaylor and kaylor blogs I follow ARE talking about BLM and the stuff happening in the US rn. In fact, the only people I'M seeing turn this thing into bs fandom drama abt the taylor's tweet is TTB and YOU. So maybe you should ask yourself why you're spending more energy on shaming TTB then on genuinely discussing the issues themselves. Cause from where I'm standing you are doing basically the same thing, making this about taylor when it's not.

First, if that’s what you’re seeing on your feed. That makes me incredibly happy and I’m glad to hear that. From what I’ve been seeing from my old Kaylor blog (who I still follow new Kaylors on to keep up with things) & my sisters Kaylor blog, it’s not being discussed outside of its connections to Kaylor and Taylor herself. As I stated before checking every Kaylor account is not my main concern nor focus right now, so I was asked to kindly be corrected. I’m not going to sit her and wag my finger at you say “No, no, no.”

Secondly, I have addressed the issue at hand, I have taken a break from her, I have reblogged as much as I can when I am on here. As I’ve stated before my baby cousin is black. Everyday I sit with the idea in my heart and mind that this is the world is has to grow up in. So excuse me if addressing how wrong it is to tie something back to a made up narrative that plays upon the privileges of two wealthy white women, born into privileged lives is being seen as the same thing as the people doing the former.

Thirdly, I have made this about Taylor by addressing that she should be doing more and address the true value of her voice. Look at GiGi Hadid, that girl has not stopped posting, helping advocating. Her following and reach maybe smaller than Taylor’s, but it’s still bigger than others, and she’s hasn’t stopped speaking. Her voice isn’t valued any less because she’s making more posts. It’s teaching more and more people. To brush off the amount that Taylor could be doing is conforming to the idea that most Taylor Swift fans have, and that is, oh she did this once, that’s enough. I know she’s donating money too, she may not show it, but I know Taylor’s action from the past, and I don’t need to see it. I would love to see her advocating for more black voices, restaurants, businesses, etc. those things are important at this time. Moreover, for people to say, that she doesn’t want to allinate her fan base by speak up more.....how can you be okay with that? This isn’t about allinating, it’s about ADVOCATING. By not speak out more in order to not allinate her non BIPOC, then she’s allinate the other half that’s currently suffering right now. Is that okay with you? It’s not with me. So don’t accuse me of making it a Taylor thing, because when you have a fan base that pays into your wealth & you don’t stand up for them more, it is a Taylor thing.

Finally,

I don’t stand. I will never stand. With a fandom that is built around the speculation about someone’s sexuality, trying to force someone out of the closet with their long letters on how they’ve “had enough”, who know that someone is in the closet yet still comments on their socials to come out and that they are gay, who speculates on someone’s sexuality based on their mannerisms, characteristics, and self expression, who thrive on the tearing down of people because you chose to make them the villain of your story, who go against the LGBTQ+ community’s efforts to breakdown the stigma and stereotypes around their sexuality. I also will not stand by a group of people calling others homophobic for believe the words that are coming out of Taylor’s mouth.

I’m sorry that being queer is lonely. I’m sorry you feel desperate. Yet, putting yourself in Taylor’s shoes, according to your narrative, if you weren’t ready, weren’t able to, weren’t coming out soon, would you be okay with a fandom trying to push you out? Getting upset at you for not doing so. If you put yourself in Karlie’s shoes, would you liked to be painted as a liar, an insulter of a religion who doesn’t care enough about it that’s she’s willing to fake a conversion. Put yourself in the shoes of any closeted person who isn’t ready to come out. Do you think you would like to carry around a fear that one day someone is going to out you because all these people keep saying you are gay/lesbian/bi, etc. put yourself in a man’s shoes, who’s masculinity is being questioned. Imagine being told you’re not manly enough, or too soft so that makes you gay. What good does doing any of these things bring?

I’m an advocate. I always speak up and out. It’s who I am. I call things wrong as I see them. I call out rasicsm, homophobia, classism etc. that’s who I am. Sure it’s just Kaylor and honestly it’s not that serious, but you all are playing with people’s life’s. You are throw out ideas that young readers will inherit and not all of them are okay. Also don’t take that as me saying two women being together is not okay because that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about everything I stated in the paragraph above.

This probably has a shit ton of grammar and typos & I don’t care. It is what it is.

#ttbask #taytaysbeard #ttb #kaylor #debunkingtaytaysbeard #dttb #dttbask #spade stopped by #spade #taylorswift #gaylor swift #gaylorswift #karliekloss #karlie what you want

[itsclydebitches]

How do you feel about derivative art? I'm guessing you approve since you're big into fanfics. Is art that's derivative as good as original art? Could a well made video critique of a film be better then the film? Or a fanmade rewrite be better then the original book? And yes I know nothing "original" exist, but that's not the same thing as art that is obviously derivative. And the big question. Should artist be allowed to make money off derivative art?

For me it’s an all around “Yes.” I’ve read fics leagues better than published novels. I’ve seen fanvids far better than films. Granted, when you get into the subject of visual media you run into things like finances and access to technology. Anyone can craft a story with words, but only a few have the budget and tools required to re-create the sort of Blockbuster films we’ve grown used to. But why in the world would that very specific style be the only “good” art out there? Obviously it’s not. If anything, we value limitations in our art. Six second vines shot on cell phones are adored and can lead to lucrative careers. Films like the Blair Witch Project want to mimic an armature cinematography, like these people really were just shooting what they could while running for their lives. Amateur does not in any way equal lesser. To say nothing of the fact that fans have shown time and time again that a passion for the material and a huge amount of work ethic is more than enough. As the recent Loki logo abomination attests, all the money and resources in the world doesn’t guarantee taste---or success. Outsiders to fandom love to criticize the “horrible” fics they found when they dove into AO3 for all of ten minutes, but fail to acknowledge that you’re just as likely to find a terrible book when you pull one randomly off of B&N’s shelves. If derivative art is somehow lesser than we need to re-evaluate the comics industry. And every formulaic western, rom-com, police procedural. And every great author (there are a LOT) who wrote “classics” based off of other’s characters and worlds. Art is art. Mainstream art is in no way superior to fan art, no matter how much people still want to convince us of that. 

The money question is, admittedly, waaaaaay more complicated. For me though it’s still a “Yes” simply because of how fandom functions. That is, we need the canon. Even if it becomes outdated, or is considered offensive, or is absolutely terrible compared to what the fandom has now produced, people will STILL consume that material (and more importantly buy it) in order to get access to all the good fan stuff. I’ve simply never bought into the argument that derivative works are a threat to the livelihood of the original piece because they depend on that piece. All my friends are in a fun discord for TV Show X. They’re producing all these fics I want to read. I’ve heard that Show X is actually pretty bad, but I’m going to watch it anyway because that provides me with the context that produced all this other stuff. It’s the foundation, the blueprints, the golden ticket to get inside the fandom. Will every fan do this? No, some do bypass the canon and just dive right in, but the majority of them will. Meaning that rather than posing a threat to the original author’s livelihood as most people assume, fanworks help keep mainstream content alive. Adding a price to that doesn’t change anything. If someone offers me a fic for free I’m gonna tackle the canon book first. If someone offers me a fic for $10... I’m still gonna tackle the canon book first. Either way the author gets paid and are likely to get more if fans use their work as an entry point into the fandom. “I wouldn’t have read/watched your stuff at all, if it weren’t for the fact that I want to read the stories my friend is now producing.” Giving that friend some rent money is the least we can do. 

(There are obviously other arguments against making money off of derivative works, two of which boil down to “It’s against the law”---which funnily enough we create and control and can change if perspectives change---and “They’re my creations and I don’t want you messing with them, let alone making money off them.” I’ve got a lot of feelings regarding that one and in an effort to save a bit of space I’ll boil it down to a very unkind response: Too bad. Transformation is at the heart of human interaction with art. If you didn’t want that you shouldn’t have given it to the public in the first place. Authors don’t get to police how fans interact with their work: “I love it when you take the time to write me glowing reviews! .... oh, but not when you write another story. Please continue making awesome fan posters that promote my work! ... but not one with those two characters kissing ew.” Authors don’t get to dictate how fans interact with the art they’ve put out there; how much of it is active and in what ways.) 

We also have to consider that we’re already in a world where those lines are irrevocably blurred. Why does E.L. James or Anna Todd get to make a fortune off of their barely changed fics? Why do artists get to sell their fanart but fic writers are still largely terrified of lawsuits? Fans are already making money off their work---always have, really---and I doubt that’s something we can reverse. Whether or not it continues to grow is the real question. 

Personally, I wouldn’t want to see derivative works commercialized, not because fans don’t deserve to earn money for their labor (we do), but just because that would irrevocably change fandom dynamics. We’re a gift economy and we’re built on that. Fandom has always been about progressive acts: be it writing about queer identities, providing accessibility accommodations decades before mainstream art did, or (and this is the kicker) helping to level out class differences. Meaning, mainstream art is often for the rich and the elite. Broadway shows are insanely expensive and impossible for most to get to. Movies prices have skyrocketed. Every company is creating their own streaming service, requiring that you pay three or four $20+ monthly subscriptions instead of just the one. It’s all about money and fandom is one of the few places where we still exchange art for praise and more art, rather than a paycheck. Fic is free. Fanvids are free. You guys want a cute drawing of this couple? All you have to do is send in a prompt ask and I’ll draw it! Sure, I’d also love it if you paid for a commission, but I’m going to keep creating free drawings on the side. When was the last time we saw a mainstream author go, “Please continue to buy my last story, but in the meantime here’s a free novel I’m putting up on my website. Hope you enjoy!” I mean yes, we do get things for free (especially when it comes to many games, apps, and some short stories), but not like in fandom. There’s a culture of giving that I never want to lose. Are we already doing commissions and con sales? Yes. Do we often ask for donations and payment? Yes. Should we be able to continue doing so without fear of legal action? I think so. But I don’t want a general sense of “I should be allowed to earn money off of this” get turned into “Well if I can earn money off of this why wouldn’t I?” I never want our work to exist fully behind a wall where the key in is your credit card number. Fandom is unique in its, “I made this thing because I wanted to and I shared it with you because I wanted to do that too, no strings attached” and that, I think, is worth protecting. 

#fandom #fic things #mymetas #Anonymous