#you can use this as a reference for fanwork as well

[thecoffeelorian]

Fandom Friday: Crossing The Fandom Streams!

06/07/2024

Hello again, everyone…and welcome back to another Fandom Friday.

The purpose of these entries, if you have not yet heard it, is to bring more visibility to art and stories that might otherwise go unnoticed on the Tumblr timeline, as well as to help the creators of such fanworks achieve more followers in the process.

Today is also the day where, so that I don't stray too far from the Star Wars fandom, I start bringing in some Crossovers material in order to keep things interesting.

And third, since "The Acolyte" has just become available for streaming as of 2 days ago, this will now become a sub-category for future fanworks, as I've already found a few nice pieces so far in the fanart section, and am looking forward to discovering a lot more as time progresses.

Therefore, with these thoughts in mind, I now bring you my picks of the week!

GENERAL STAR WARS

Star Wars Fanart--By @thora-sniper:

THE ACOLYTE

The Acolyte Fanart--By @hermesdoesthings:

THE PREQUELS

The Prequels Moodboard--By @redroses07:

THE CLONE WARS

The Clone Wars Fanart--By @chiliger:

TUKK TALES

Tukk Tales Fanart--By @nevermindigotthis:

THE BAD BATCH

The Bad Batch Fanart--By @locitapurplepink:

TBB Arts And Crafts--By @dreamingfoxproductions:

THE MANDALORIAN

The Mandalorian Fanart--By @tameowzerzz:

CROSSING THE FANDOM STREAMS

Call Of Duty/Star Wars Fanart--By @journen:

Star Wars Rebels/Warrior Cats Fanart--By @spacefinch:

In conclusion, as part of my mission to poke around the Star Wars fandom and, on Friday every week, highlight those artists and writers who might otherwise go unnoticed…I hope you will check out the links I have included for yourselves and like, comment on, and reblog them, as well as also giving the artists and writers a few more followers to their Tumblr pages.

Please also like and reblog this latest installment so that these links can be spread around to as many other fans as possible, just in case not all of them can tune in at the same time.

An additional thank you goes to @djarrex for making the divider I used earlier in this post, but still want to give credit for.

And finally, so that I do not forget…thank you to my friends, thank you to this fandom, good morning, and good luck.

The No Pressure Tag List: @musicalselaw @gun-roswell @callsign-denmark @melymigo @saphiranishimurashan

@theosb0rnway @hastalavistabyebye @vaderkin-is-a-lightning-rod @vincili @tlmtwelve

@bbtechsimp @thatflatfrog @algo-o-nada @ankossss @tazmbc1

@yeehawgeek @tech-aficionado @exquisitesarcasm @korribanarchive @msknight10

@sharpasanaro @that-gay-jedi @badbatchposts @quietgingerfangirl @sunshinechildskywalker

@universitysunflowers @littlefeatherr @riverside-of-neverland @pastasmoothie @cyberscorch

@ilovemedia @cinnamonsugar-pretzel @brownielocks69 @here-comes-the-moose @skellymom

@lilithastar @maxims-multifandom-corner @serinzatravel-blog @rott1ngbra1n @snap-my-kneecaps and anybody else who might be on the lookout for new and interesting works around the fandom.

#star wars #starwarsblr #fandom friday #fandom recs #star wars fanart #star wars fandom #the acolyte #the bad batch #the clone wars #the mandalorian #the prequel trilogy #star wars rebels #tukk tales #tbb vik #commander wolffe #jecki lon #obi wan kenobi #shinies #captain tukk #lyana hazard #tbb lyana #phee genoa #fandom crossover #the acolyte fanart #mermay 2024 #mermay #obi wan aesthetic #the clone wars fanart #tukk tales fanart #the bad batch fanart

[digital-survivor]

デジモンサヴァイブ呼称表 - Digimon Survive Appellation Tables

I’m currently compiling a Digimon Survive appellation tables for the main characters—basically a set of tables containing information about how characters refer to themselves (pronouns) and how they address each other in Japanese (obviously, spoilers warning entail). As you might know already, language usage in Japan is largely dictated by social dynamics (mostly the social hierarchy or what’s known in Japan as “jouge kankei”/上下関係) due to Japanese culture focusing heavily on social harmony and collectivism. Thus, knowing and understanding how the characters refer to themselves and one another can tell us a lot about how they view themselves and their relationships. More explanation under the cut because there are potential spoilers.

First and foremost, if you aren’t already familiar with how Japanese pronouns and honorifics work and what the nuances of each pronoun/honorific suffix carry, these pages are good primers on understanding them:

Wikipedia pages on Japanese pronouns and honorifics

TV Tropes pages on Japanese pronouns and honorifics

Because Digimon Survive is quite a massive game in terms of text content and that the way characters refer to each other can change a lot throughout the game (most of the time due to the change in relationship dynamic), it can be quite a challenge to make these tables exhaustive, but I’m trying my best to include everything that I find. So far, there are characters who haven’t called some other characters by their names. For those cases, I infer the way they address the other characters from how they usually address characters of similar positions, and I indicate them with coloring the font blue.

For the Kemonogamis, pronouns sometimes change throughout evolutions and different “iterations” of characters—Story!Plutomon (Aoi and Labramon’s fusion) and Battle!Plutomon (Labramon’s evolved form) refer to themselves with the same pronoun, but different stylizations. For cases like that, I indicate the story version of the pronouns with red font color. Darker blue font color means I know how what the pronouns are from the characters’ battle lines, but don’t know how they’re written.

Aside from pronouns and honorific suffixes, politeness can also be expressed with grammar. Some characters speak to other specific characters (usually those who are older and/or higher in the hierarchy than them) in what is known as the polite language (teineigo/丁寧語), and that’s indicated with green cells. The darker the green is, the more consistently the polite language is used to said addressee.

With all of that said, I want to point out some interesting things I’ve found about Survive characters’ language usage:

The majority of the Kemonogamis share the same first-person pronoun with their human partners (just sometimes with different stylizations), with some exceptions: Shakomon-Miu, Kunemon-Ryou (because Kunemon can’t speak), and Garurumon-Akiharu. However, Garurumon (as Gabumon) used to share the same pronoun as young!Haru, which is “boku” written in hiragana—which is usually used by very young boys when written in hiragana (hiragana gives a very childlike feel to it).

Shakomon may not share the same pronoun as Miu, but she calls Kaito “Oniichan”, something other Kemonogamis don’t do because they just refer to the kids with their names without any honorifics. On the topic of this, the Kemonogamis not using honorifics might be a way for Survive to show how all of this language stuff is a learned human behavior, as Kemonogamis are meant to be the kids’ true, purest selves.

Takuma, Aoi, and Shuuji being particularly conscious of their social standings as shown in their usage of language isn’t very surprising considering their personalities (and what we know about their upbringing), but Minoru surprisingly seems to also be conscious about his position and actually adheres to the “correct” language usage most of the time despite his somewhat carefree personality. A friend pointed out how he’s always so quick to go to look up to his seniors, so it checks for him to properly address his seniors and elders (except maybe Ryou, who he teases a lot).

Saki and Miu aren’t particularly polite with her language usage, but at least they aren’t like Kaito or Ryou who seem to have no care about social hierarchy whatsoever.

In relation to the two points above, I like to think of Aoi, Shuuji, and Saki as being “Harmony-adjacent”; Kaito, Ryou, and Miu as being “Wrathful-adjacent”; and Minoru as being “Moral-adjacent”; with Saki and Miu falling somewhere in the middle of the Harmony vs. Wrathful spectrum. Most of the time this aligns with how they communicate actually!

I think it’s cute how Aoi and Shuuji call Jijimon “Jijimon-san” and constantly use polite language to him (even when Shuuji is still untrusting of him).

On the topic of Shuuji, you might notice that both Shuuji, Professor, and Aoi refer to almost everyone (or just the boys specifically in the case of Aoi) younger than them with “-kun”. However, there’s a difference in the nuance on how the “-kun” is written. Professor and Aoi use くん, which is informal and feels more familiar, usually used to address men younger than the speaker, but can also be used for girls. Shuuji, on the other hand, uses 君—which is ironically more distant, used by seniors/superiors to address their juniors/inferiors in settings like school or workplace. Given Shuuji’s position as the chaperone, it’s appropriate—I just think it’s funny that Professor (who’s much older) would use something that feels friendlier than Shuuji (I need to check how Jou’s “-kun” is written, because he does call the other kids with “-kun” and I think Shuuji doing that is meant to be a throwback to Jou).

The way Ryou and Saki (and Minoru too, to a lesser extent) call their parents is particularly affectionate that you can tell that they grew up in a warm family (we do know, though, that Minoru’s parents are divorced). On the other hand, Shuuji speaks to his father strictly in polite language, which is both a strange and rare thing to do—unless you come from a distinguished family (with the way Shuuji obsesses about honoring his family name, it checks actually). I talked more about it here.

Both Shuuji and Ryou seem to refuse calling their partners with their names until their respective character development hits in Truthful. A somewhat unknown fact about Japanese is that calling someone else with pronouns when you know their name can be considered insulting (and both of them use rude pronouns to refer to their partners too; particularly noticeable with Shuuji who’s usually relatively polite).

Wendimon speaks strictly in katakana. This kind of stylization is used to evoke an alien and uneasy feeling of the speaker. Also, he only gained the ability to speak after he devoured Shuuji. Make of it what you will.

I might add more if I notice more interesting stuff!

#digimon survive #digimon survive spoilers #this is also stuff that's largely lost in translation in the english localization #you can use this as a reference for fanwork as well

[thedrotter]

I have a gift for y'all today !!! 😊 Ever wanted to find a line in Re:Kinder in a single place for the sake of reference?? How about multiple chunks of lines. how about all the little variations that arise in the text with it's many endings, item descriptions, text that comes from interacting with the enviroment, and character info from the menu without having to boot up the game and go through it at long minutes!!???

well i sure did😊 Since I do a lot of fanart and think up my own silly theories and thoughts that need me to reference the game lines a lot, i have made a transcript for it for convenience's sake. A weirdly thorough transcript handwritten and proofread by me including all character lines available in-game. And I'm sharing it with you all today for anyone that wants it !!! :3 To use as a reference for creative fanworks or a quick search for a line in-game, whatever you wish to use it for!!

It uses the english translation of the game by vgperson. So naturally all credit for the game lines available in here is to her and Parun who made the game.

I did my best to organize it in a way easy to digest. Do note that I'm still human, and there's still the chance for mistake in it no matter how much I've proofread it, since I'm not even an english native speaker ^^. But I hope it serves you well nonetheless if you wish to use it.

That's my gift for today!!! Not the usual art, but still a project I'm proud of. Enjoy!!! 😊

#re:kinder #rekinder #not art #now goofy commentary for those who read my tags #i may have spent at the very minimum around 35 hours on it 😁 because thats what my pomodoro timer got to count in sum #but then again i spent more time without timing it as well so. we'll never know how many hours in total I've put into this #no regrets it was fun because shocking fact of all i enjoy this game🫣 (/s) #you could say but michael there are long playthroughs available on YouTube #couldnt you reference that instead of making a transcript #to that i say... they don't play the game like i do im picky as hell they dont show me every nook and cranny possible #and also i dont like scrubbing through those i thought just pressing ctrlF on a script would be easier. AND IT IS JAJSJSJSJSJS #but thats personal preference all in all #and im used to using transcripts for fanworks coming from earthbound. like there's one for the main game dialogue online and i love it a lot #for this game to not have any felt like some sort of crime considering how cool the story and the lines it has are #its also plenty useful for a game you're writing the spanish wiki for #yes i am doing that apparently my hobby became community work since i got into this game #gotta put that free time before turning 18 and getting a job onto something why not make resources just because i can #anyway fun fact while proofreading i noticed that everytime yuuichi was on scene there was a typo because i got too excited or emotional #either i was laughing because of how evil he is or i was getting unreasonably angry at the treatment he recieved in the past #in section 9 which is true end confrontation i was doing mistakes left and right until the fabled princess line scene #there i was bawling like a baby but THE ERRORS STOPPED ABRUPTLY LIKE I WAS FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE ALL UNTIL THE SCENE ENDED #THEN THERE WERE A BUTLOAD OF MISTAKES ITS INCREDIBLY FUNNY😭 i was fighting for my life holding in all those typos because i couldnt see #so this transcript was made with a lot of emotion laugh and tears and now you know #now i can get bagk to drawing this is the thing i mentioned i was doing fot a while #content feeding schedule crazy rn

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

Exposing SVSSS Fanon: 25/∞

VIOLENCE AS COURTSHIP IS A PART OF DEMON CULTURE

Rating: CANON

A nearly universal trope, especially in Moshang fics, is the fact that courtship is performed through violence in demon culture, and that the misunderstandings between the pair are because of cultural differences. The fact that demons mistreat the targets of their affection is canon, however, it is important for fans to note that this sort of characterization and worldbuilding is rooted in racial and ethnic stereotypes.

This is one of the most-requested topics I've ever written on this blog, and I took a long time to think about how best to approach the subject in a way that both keeps to the intention of this blog (referencing canon & providing quotes) as well as raising awareness to the very real problematic aspects of what is a well-loved and often-used trope in fanon that I don't think most western fans are aware of.

First, the canon analysis:

“If you hold unique feelings for a certain person, how can you make them understand your intentions?” Luo Binghe asked. Obviously, no one dared to tear down Luo Binghe’s facade and expose him directly, but this question was really very…unsuited to the demonic approach. After a long moment, not a single person had answered. In fact, the answer was so simple that any normal human could have given it to you. If you liked someone, you should just tell them. Unfortunately, there was not a single “normal” person on the scene—and aside from Shang Qinghua, there also were no “humans” either. Mobei-Jun thought about it. With the paths his mind was given to take, there was no telling how he had interpreted “unique” feelings. “Beat them up three times a day?” (7 Seas, Ch. 26)

Most of the fandom remembers this passage, and some may think that this is where the interpretation of violence as courtship comes from-- however, that is not the case. This passage might actually not refer to courtship at all-- while that is one possible interpretation, Mobei-jun could also be interpreting "unique feelings" to mean something different than "romantic feelings," since Luo Binghe didn't specify romance directly.

The "violent demonic courtship" idea actually originates much earlier in the novel, just after the invasion of Qiong Ding Peak:

In truth, Shen Qingqiu didn’t intend to tease; he thought himself very straightforward. The one who’d tampered with Luo Binghe’s dream realm was Sha Hualing. Though she did have some harmful intentions, her underlying motive was obvious. Naturally, she was driven by a young girl’s secret yearning for love. Otherwise, she would have directed her aggressions toward others, not specifically Luo Binghe. Demons were compelled to viciously bully the person they liked. Only if the object of their affections failed to die would the demon accept them. If their target died, that meant they were useless and not worth nursing any lingering affections for. (7 Seas, Ch. 3)

This, in fact, has somewhat more serious connotations than the way I have often seen it interpreted in fanworks-- it is not merely beating up a potential partner, but pushing them to their limits, nearly driving them to death, and it is certainly implied that it is not uncommon for the object of a demon's affections to actually die.

Now that the canonical basis of the idea has been established, let us move on to the second, and arguably more important part of this post: the racism.

I would like to add a disclaimer here-- I am going to discuss this in hopes of raising more awareness in the fandom, but I am not North/West/Central Asian myself, so I will only mention things in brief and somewhat generally-- if anyone who belongs to the affected cultures would like to make corrections, or more detailed explanations, or any other additions to this post on this topic, I greatly welcome that, as I feel it is an important issue that should be addressed.

In Chinese fiction, particularly fantasy genres like xianxia/xuanhuan/xiuzhen, but also in historical and wuxia fiction, there is a pervasive, prevalent tendency for authors to use racial and ethnic stereotypes against Central, Northern, and Western Asian cultures such as Mongolian & Arab cultures in their worldbuilding regarding the North, while stereotypes against Southeast Asian cultures are used in worldbuilding regarding the South. These stereotypes are most typically applied to villains and villainous groups, and are so widespread as to be ubiquitous within the genre. MXTX has used these tropes before-- notably with the Banyue people in TGCF, with adaptations of both TGCF and MDZS including design stereotypes, such as CQL's portrayal of the Qinghe Nie (combining their tendency toward violence and 'unnatural' cultivation method, with design traits typically associated with Northern/Central Asian cultures).

It is worth noting, though, that most authors do not intentionally use these traits as racist stereotypes in their worldbuilding, especially when regarding a non-human species-- in the same way that western fantasy authors use goblin and orc characters and tropes without realizing or acknowledging their racist origins and connotiations, these stereotypes have simply become genre tropes without that direct connection to their origins. Nonetheless, it is still worth noting-- and worth trying not to fall into the trap of leaning into stereotypical traits in fanworks' character portrayals.

Stereotypes include but are not limited to barbaric and brutish cultural traits, association with animals/having animal features, dark or corrupt magical/spiritual practices, certain types of braided hairstyles & other fashion choices, and originating from the far north or south.

Some of the prejudice and stereotyping of Northern Asian cultures likely originates from the fact that in the past, China was invaded and subjugated by peoples from the north (under Mongolian rule during the Yuan dynasty, and under Manchurian rule during the Qing dynasty) as well as having many conflicts with these peoples throughout history. In fact, the Qing dynasty only ended in the early 1900s, so some of this oppression is still in recent memory-- nonetheless, people belonging to ethnic minorities in China are still affected by this negative stereotyping today, so regardless of the origin, racism is still racism and should be addressed, and China today is a majority Han Chinese nation-- even if Han Chinese are considered a minority and affected by systemic racism in other places in the world.

Additionally, many tropes specifically applied to the southern demons, but also used for demon culture as a whole, are tied to stereotypical portrayals of Southeast Asian culture, which is rooted in a long history of Imperial China's invasion and oppression.

All of those stereotypes listed above apply to SVSSS' demon culture. Even in Mobei-jun's name-- 漠北 meaning "northern desert," which is the real-world name for a region in the north of the Gobi desert in Mongolia.

Therefore, it is important to remember that though violence-as-courtship in demon culture is canonical within SVSSS' setting, it nonetheless originates from harmful racial and ethnic stereotypes. It would be a good idea for fans to keep this in mind when creating their fanworks, and to treat the topic with sensitivity-- but I will leave any direct suggestions on how to handle this to those who are actually part of the affected groups.

--

(thanks to @flidgetjerome for additional notes regarding SEAsian stereotyping and author intent!)

Also, to be absolutely clear: I am not saying that svsss’ demons are specifically coded as any real ethnic group— it’s only that in many ways the portrayal is similar to the common portrayal of various ethnic groups in cmedia. I don’t believe they are specifically meant to parallel a real life group, unlike for example TGCF’s Banyue— but it’s worth questioning why these traits, why these characters.

#svsss #fanon exposed #svsss demon culture #mobei jun #canon #I don't know if I did a good job addressing the sensitive topics here so please feel free to correct anything I got wrong #or if I've overstepped anywhere #i just want to use the platform i have to bring this to the western fandom's attention since i don't think it's widely known #i will very gladly reblog any additions from fans who wish to weigh in but definitely don't feel pressured to do so

[pixelchills]

Chill's ramblings about the DCA fandom and personal feelings and issues towards TSAMS (both positive an negative):

(I'm writing this like an essay but treating it like a diary, so if I jump from subject to another, it is because I am just typing as the thoughts hit my head. Sorry for being so wordy.)

I simply feel like I need to write my thoughts down, so why not share them with you. Maybe you can validate my feelings or something, I don't know.

Intro:

So, oof, I got a fic rec from @thedenofravenpuff and I'm loving it so much I really wanna draw fan art for it...

But the problem is that it's a TSAMS fanfic and I've sworn to my name I'll never draw anything related to the show because that will make me engage with a part of the fandom I'm not comfortable with.

My biggest issue with TSAMS:

I have such complicated feelings towards the show and its fanbase and I do not wish to make my life and work more difficult because of it as it already is.

My own work and characters are already constantly being compared to TSAMS. When I first introduced Solar to my fic, he was constantly being referred to Eclipse from TSAMS. Now that the show had a character with THE SAME NAME, it has been even worse.

Dolldrop Moon has been compared to Lunar. Even though the dolldrops existed before the youtube channel was even created (and Lunar made his debut much later).

The biggest issue I've had has always been the fanbase, that takes the show as the canon for Sun and Moon from FNAF and uses it as an excuse to harass shippers like me because they think Sun and Moon are brothers.

I've first handedly seen the damage the fanbase has done to some of my friends who draw, or have previously drawn art for the show besides their own AUs and personal headcanons of Sun and Moon as lovers. I'm sorry to tag you, but @kriimhild and @fablekitty : I've seen how the immature side of the show's fans have treated you, I am so terribly sorry you've had to defend yourselves over and over again for things that were not meant to be mixed up.

I have posted some ideas of a possible Animutant Moon and Sun forming a polyamorous relationship with Solar in the future of "My Dear Daffodil" on my personal/adult Twitter account. Someone kept commenting on my posts that I was glorifying incest, because Sun and Moon were brothers and Solar was their cousin.

The post had "Animutant" in it. Not "TSAMS". These comments came from a person saying they were 19 in their profile. So it's not just kids who can't tell not every fanwork is about TSAMS. It's starting to be some adults too.

Vice versa I've had another person comment on my very clearly SFW Twitter how they're following me because I am an adult artist who draws TSAMS incest. I have never drawn TSAMS art. I ship Sun and Moon, but they're never related with family bond, because I love presenting them as lovers.

Why I ship Sun and Moon:

Because I am a hopeless romantic. I love romantic love. Every single story I write is always about love.

The only exception to this is the Poppy Playtime comic I am doing. But even then, I was originally planning for a romantic love between Dogday and the Player. Yet, I decided to leave it, and keep the relationship open for any type of representation the reader themselves will prefer.

I used to watch The Sun and Moon Show when it first started airing. I loved their playthroughs. I had a big distaste for them calling each other brothers, as well as some of the first "lore" videos they had. My biggest issue at the time was how Moon treated Sun, though. As someone who grew up with an abusive sibling, it sometimes just hit a bit too hard at home.

But it got better after Eclipse and Lunar appeared. Moon was more caring, and I started to really like his character development. There was one episode where Sun explained to Lunar that he and Moon had simply just "decided" to be brothers, despite not having a canonical relationship.

This actually made me really happy. Because the Old Moon was aroace, the love he felt was simply never meant to be romantic, but platonic. And by making Sun his brother by choice clearly indicated that Sun was always the one he loved the most - in a way that was suitable for aromantic person like him.

And it really made me enjoy the show for a while. Sun is my favourite character, and despite not always liking the way the show presents him, I always feel so much love for him, no matter the AU he is in. So I loved that Moon loved him more than anything, even if it was just platonic. Because I've always been under the impression that the canon Moon loves Sun, and is only under a virus to protect him. For me, the best part of any Sun and Moon AU is to know that Sun is the most important thing to Moon.

Why I stopped watching TSAMS:

And then that Moon I had really started to like, who loved Sun more than anyone else but just platonically, died.

It hurt so much I simply stopped watching the show. I've watched a few episodes here and there after that, but I am having a hard time liking the show the same as I did before.

Partially it's because of the fanbase. Partially it's because I don't find the lore very interesting and some of the stuff a bit repetitive. Partially it's because I am scared to see Sun eventually crumble up into madness, because he has been through so much.

I like the New Moon. He is funny and nice, what I've seen. His relationship with Solar has been interesting, and I genuinely hoped they would've been able to take the romantic route after Moon said he wasn't sure if he was aroace anymore. But as I said, I've only watched a few episodes after the old Moon died, so I don't know either of their characters that much to form any strong opinions about them. I just listen to the Monty and Puppet podcast once in a while and get a little inside to some of the lore that has been happening.

But hey, at least there's fanfics. Which is why I am rambling here today.

Fanfics:

It is a rare treat to find Sun x Moon fanfics that aren't simply just porn, or do not include reader inserts. So since my romance-filled brain needed something to fill the void, I've started reading some TSAMS fics with romance (that wasn't between Sun & Moon) and plot in them.

I know Solar was settled to be a "cousin" to the weird family tree of TSAMS. But I simply crave for Solar and New Moon to be at least queerplatonic. Solar is not from their dimension, no matter how much they decide they're 'cousins' it doesn't make him their real cousin or relative because they're not from the same world.

Sun and Moon are brothers but they technically gave birth to Eclipse, who then created Lunar so Eclipse is technically Lunar's parent and then brother and Lunar is Sun and Moon's brother and... do you see what I'm trying to say?

The family tree is so complicated that I don't think I'm a horrible person for shipping Moon and Solar and reading fics about them. Tell me if I am wrong though.

The FIC that is making me question everything:

So Puffy recommended this fic by @theinfamousdoctorf , "Eclipse Meets His Match".

I'm currently on chapter 40, and I am genuinely surprised how much I am liking this fic so far. It got everything; redemption and character growth, the representation of Sun as the good, glowing angel he is in my mind (for canon, and every AU. He is always perfect in my eyes I love him can you tell lol), slow-burn romance, drama, excitment, plot, jokes and funny moments... even if there are a lot of mentions of sex and sexual pleasure, it doesn't feel out of the place as there is so much more to it too.

Eclipse's redemption to become better and realising he is in love with Sun has been so interesting to follow. Sun deserves the love. I love when Sun is getting loved. I literally ship him with every other animatronic in the games and love it when people ship him with their self-inserts and OCs. Because I love him so much I want him to be loved in every possible universe he is in.

Even bigger bonus to this fic is the second pairing, Solar and Moon, which I already opened up about above. I don't know how much the fic is truthful to the canon lore of the show, but I wish to pretend this fic is the canon now /hj.

I love the characters and how they're written. I love the descriptions of their flaws and hopes and dreams. How vulnerable they can get. How closely they stick together. And as an appreciation for making me tearful and excited about fanfiction in such a long time, I would hope to be able to gift the author some fan art for their fic.

But I've sworn to not draw anything for the show. For my own good. I've got too many awful comments already from the fans of the show despite never doing any art for it. I am just scared it will turn things worse.

End words:

I don't know if creating a new alias would be the right choice. So my main name/account would be spared from the confusion that the show's fans seem to stirr into, where one tsams artwork turns all of the artist' work into tsams.

I don't care if the art style would be recognisible. The artist would be me, but not PixelChills. Just so I could gift something to the author of this fic that is currently saving me from the boredom of being unable to write my own.

Thank you.

(This text has been typed on my phone, so pardon for any typos).

-Chill

#pixel talks #rambles #tsams #fic rec #essay #sorry my head is simply just confused

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

*Please note the use of guy yuri is in reference to the Ineffable Husbands presenting as men most of the time, I'm not trying to erase they're both canonically nonbinary.

Propaganda:

For Bingqiu: "One is a housewife and the other is a trophy wife. They both want to be each other's wife so bad (even though Shen Qingqiu would never admit it)"

"Where do I even start... Housewife x trophy wife. Every gender havers. Shen Qingqiu can't decide if he himself is wife or mommy, but is convinced his husband is a delicate lovesick maiden. Luo Binghe has self-assigned himself all of the wifely duties of an ancient Chinese wife years before Shen Qingqiu has become remotely aware of his crush. Also later in the novel he acts like a jealous girlfriend. And specifically girlfriend, like it was an important part of his arc that he stopped acting like a jealous boyfriend and started acting like a jealous girlfriend instead. This has won him his man."

"They're insane, fucking unhinged"

For Ineffable Husbands: "Well due to neil mentioning that they was plans for a fem presenting 1960s scene of the two of them that never ended up happening, there's a lot of fanart of that. Plus, they are an angel and a demon, and both technically don't follow the gender rules of humans and many other species on earth, so while they do present very masculine throughout the show, they could be any gender and therefore they seem very fitting for this.(I do apologize as I don't quite understand what guy Yuri is despite your definition so I am guessing and have no clue if they count."

"Looks like m/m on first glance but they don't actually really have gender and Crowley dresses as a woman for a good few years canonically"

"theyre male presenting in the show but they dont really have gender so they could be wlw if they wanted to"

"While both characters spend most of their time presenting as male, they are supernatural beings without any real sex or gender. Crowley appears as a woman multiple times, and one scrapped scene included both Aziriphale and Crowley as women in the 1960s. Additionally, it’s very common to find “Ineffable Wives” fanworks, with both characters appearing as women. As well as having been an immensely popular fandom ship for many years, it has been confirmed that Aziriphale and Crowley are canonically in love with each other."

"Regularly turned into women in fanart. Both Aziraphale and Crowley are incredibly gender. They have been together in some sort of way for 6000 years. Heavy yearning. Cringefail. Divorced and married at the same time. Literally an angel and a demon. What more could you want?"

"theyre literally genderless and can be anything ever!!!"

"Their genders are ineffable and they have hopelessly pined for centuries"

#guy yuri round 2 #good omens #ineffable husbands #svsss #bingqiu #the scum villain's self saving system #crowley #aziraphale #luo binghe #shen qingqiu

[mightymizora]

Feel free to ignore but: do you feel that gortash is - I guess the word I'd use is "good" - at sex? By whatever metric you'd judge that?

Hey anon I LOVE THIS QUESTION and I can't be normal about it!

So I have to dive into it a bit into sections because there's a lot going on here for me and obviously the caveat here is this is my opinion, this is my opinion from inferences from the text, this is my opinion.

So in order to do this we need to cover a few sections: sexual education, sexual agency, sex as tool and sex as desire.

All of this is going under the cut for discussions of childhood abuse, canon inferences, decisions he makes in game, and some headcanons around agency and dub/non-con that readers may find uncomfortable.

so, let's start at the very beginning with:

Sexual Education

There are two things we know about young Enver Flymm. One is that he was raised in a small cobblers workshop where he shared a single room with his parents. The other is that at some point, he was taken to the literal hells where he suffered an incredibly physically abusive situation.

We don't know for sure the exact age he was taken, but I think it's easy to infer that he was prepubescent when he was taken from the way he is spoken about as a snot, a boy etc. by Nubaldin. Even if he was a little older, it's safe to infer that he didn't have a particularly healthy environment to learn about sex and sexuality either at home or in literal hell.

If we assume Enver was in hell, we know that the sex he would have potential been aware of was largely non-consensual. There's references all over the place about his fellow detainee Hope being sexually and physically assaulted as well as psychologically manipulated. We don't know with Enver if he ages in the hells (I assume he does, and that it is only those who sell their souls and end up there after death that do not age) but if he does, he goes from childhood to early adulthood, ten years, in this space (mirrored in Karlach spending ten years there as well, interestingly.)

We also don't actually know how he escaped the hells, and it is a niche headcanon (which I have also put into my works) that he as a young adult learned about sex and traded with Haarlep to find his route out (in my stories, this directly feeds into Mephistopheles being interested in the potential of this boy, and letting him steal the crown.) There's no text basis for this, it just neatly ties up some thematic threads and I think can be put aside and it still doesn't change the core that:

Enver Gortash had no way of having a healthy understanding of sex as a teenager. There isn't really any way that he could have! Either he's living in a one-bed apartment with abusive parents who hate his existence, or he's learning from Raphael's example in literal hell.

Sexual Agency

This is where a lot of people feel differently, but again, we can look at things as they are and then make some inferences.

Enver Gortash does not have a named spouse, or any named mistresses/side pieces/conquests. Anything. There is no evidence of anything (we will come to Durge later.) Compare this to Sarevok, who has two named partners and is inferred to have had others, and it is an interesting choice to have zero ties. It's particularly interesting because as a Lord, he would be expected to be thinking of siring a house, and as a man in power, the narrative expectation would be to find evidence of sex as a benefit of his position. We don't see any evidence of that.

There is a read that many, including me, bring to the fondness that The Dark Urge and Gortash have for each other, but again, there is no evidence that this is sexual or if it is, that it was ever something than a mutual pining. That's the joy of fanworks, you can grow on what's there, but it's not explicit that it's anything more than mutual admiration.

So for me? I think that there is significant evidence that he doesn't prioritise sexual attraction and fulfilment over other areas of reward.

Sex as a Tool

What we do know though is that he has used his body to get things he wants. The Jannath letter, which I love, makes it clear that he had sex with her for financial favours and clout, and that she indulged him in this. He's also more than happy to trade on his image in every way he can. I think it's easy to infer from this that he is, at least in one setting, able to give people what they want out of sex. Whether that means he's technically good OR he's good at constructing and fulfilling the fantasy, I think that's up to interpretation, but I think he knows what to do when it is a performance, and if there's something he can tangibly get out of it like money, power, the ability to blackmail somebody later, then that is the element that is getting him off, not the sex itself. Sex for gain is just another part of his arsenal, to be refined and researched like anything else, and picked up and put down as useful to him.

Sex as Desire

And this is --and it is completely up to interpretation here, I'm just rolling with the other things I see -- where it can potentially all fall apart for Gortash. If he actually likes somebody, if there is a desire or an affection or anything like that, and if he is able to even feel emotions like that, what does he do with them? It's not useful, it's not contained, it's not part of the punishment he learned in the hells or the seduction he learned in the patriars. If he does find himself genuinely fond of another person, how can that fit in his ideas of sex? Personally, I don't think it can do, and there's lots of ways to play with that. In my own stories, the sexual contact he has with Manva is brief, quite one-sided, and quite regressive. He is no charming seducer, but instead taken back to something much simpler that he likely didn't have space for when he was young. He has other encounters where he can't get it up, or can't climax, because the circumstances aren't quite right, the promise of power is not enough, or the partner is too willing (not like he has learned of in the hells at all.)

I think personally that if he does seek out recreational sex, then it is primarily going to be motivated by power play. And I don't think this is well negotiated kink territory. He plays with the player character constantly, testing them, destroying their reputation in the press quest, always vying for more power even when you are apparently allies. This is a man who always, always needs to know he can change the tide.

I think of the woman whose voice was used in the necrotic laboratory, who was stolen away with a promise of a better life. I think of Fariza Linnacker. There's no evidence either were sexual, but we do know that he took great pleasure in manipulating and destroying their lives.

Gortash has so much going on around sex as a tool, as a weapon even, that when it comes to a genuine connection, there's every possibility that he cannot perform at all.

And would that make him embarrassed? Angry? Would he blame? Lash out? Would he seek out professionals to replay old traumas as a "safe space"? Would he avoid all intimacy because he sees it as weak and disgusting? I think there's a lot of scope within this.

So the short version is... I think he's able to be good at sex when it's FOR something. But I don't know if he's even interested when it's not, and if he is, I think he has a long way to go to actively want to seek it out. And is he good in the way that it is connected, intimate? Probably not.

#something something some astarion parallels in there to probably #enver gortash #rotating him around like a rotisserie chicken every day #bg3

[godbirdart]

You don’t have to answer this question as it’s probably dumb to ask…but do you know what platform(s) would be a good starting point? Particularly for original content rather then fanart? I heard deviantart is a good place where alot of ppl got there start on but there’s lots of art thrives and such.

don't even worry, it's not dumb at all! it's hard to gauge where to Begin in the vast hellscape that is the online world. i do get this question [and some adjacent questions] often so please allow me to use your ask as an excuse to post a few of my site rankings for various art things!!

for reference, these are the sites I'll be addressing because i have used them at some point within the last year. please note: my information on Cohost and Itaku specifically may be out of date as I haven't used them in a long while. naturally, this is all solely my perspective. i run both a furry/original content account and an anime/fanart account on most of these sites and run them reasonably independently from one another. these rankings are based on how well each account fares on each site.

I will be talking about Patreon and Ko-Fi as if people will only be posting paywalled content there. you Can publicly post on both sites, but for the sake of this post i'm only going to treat them as paywalled sites since well, that's kind of their purpose.

POSTING ART IN GENERAL

the A-tier list sites here are the ones that are most practical, with a decent member presence and little to no algorithms impairing your reach. the only sites here with any sort of algorithm are tumblr and deviantart, but i feel they don't ruin your reach that much.

B-tier list is mostly centered around popularity. there are massive audiences on both masto and twitter. twitter can be really good if you're posting certain content. mastodon has countless instances [read: servers / subdomains, however you want to call them] that can help narrow down an audience and like-minded people. for example, i use mastodon.art whereas many furries may use meow.social. you Can be discovered by people on other servers than yours.

C-tier has been sorted in accordance to audience. this is solely in my experience, but not a lot of new people are flocking to cohost and itaku. we also just hate facebook in this house and i will never give a facebook products a high rating.

F-tier: if you are a new or growing artist, putting your art behind a paywall or making it a chat platform exclusive thing can really hinder your growth. you can still do this of course, but you won't get as many eyes on your work as you would on a public gallery. threads is there solely due to privacy issues that Cannot be overlooked. i will not recommend it.

POSTING ORIGINAL CONTENT / CHARACTERS / NON-FANWORKS

here's how i'd grade these sites for posting Original content, characters, stories, etc. your best sites will likely be furaffinity, deviantart, and tumblr. i've put these three here for their tag use, discoverability, and audience presence. tumblr can be a little glitchy with its tags, but they DO function.

A-tier is entirely centered around audience presence. these sites are great for showing off your work, but they don't have the same population as the S-tier. mastodon can be good as the quieter instances give you more discoverability. bluesky has been THRIVING when it comes to the furry community as of late [i'm personally on there daily] - the only reason i don't put it as S-tier is because it's invite-only AND you need to rely on your work being found through the Feeds feature if you aren't an already established artist.

B-tier: useful, but population may hinder your growth. toyhouse is GREAT for posting your original characters and stories, but it is invite-only and not necessarily gallery-focused [it can be USED for a gallery, but it's not the main purpose]. you can also post stories and lore to toyhouse. discord and telegram are Good, but again it can be hard to gain an audience through sites that require invites.

C-tier: it is DIFFICULT to grow on paywalled sites with original content. cohost [to my knowledge] has been stagnating with the release of bluesky.

F-tier: threads sucks, the end.

POSTING FANWORK, FANFIC, FANDOM CONTENT IN GENERAL

S-tier here is sorted because of audience presence. while twitter does suck, i'm finding a LOT of success there with fanart. tumblr is The fandom site of course. furaffinity is great for a surprising range of fanart that isn't exclusive to furry, and deviantart's Groups feature is still going strong which can give you that extra exposure.

A-tier is: fans Go here, but the population or algorithm can make things tricky. instagram is good for fanwork but the algorithm and the speed that things are posted there can make discoverability an uphill battle. patreon; if you make comics or art with fan characters [especially 18+ content lmao] you can grow pretty rapidly there. patreon, like any other paywalled site, should be a secondary site and not your Primary posting location. artfol and pillowfort are still growing. pillowfort has a Communities feature - sort of like deviantart groups - that you can submit your art to which gives you that extra exposure. artfol is just a nice gallery site and the tagging system is,, decent enough. a little confusing because the tag system looks up keywords in posts and titles First, you have to tab over to hashtag searching specifically.

B-tier: invite only and audience reach. again, bluesky relies on your art to be picked up in Feeds, as there's currently no tag search. inkblot is growing but has a decent audience. ko-fi isn't as known as patreon for exclusive content but it's still a good site. mastodon has tagging that makes discoverability easier, but mastodon and its many servers can make things confusing for some people. itaku's not as commonly used so it may be harder to gain new eyes there once you establish yourself.

C-tier: posting fanart to these sites Can Work. toyhouse focuses on posting and sorting original characters, so treating it as a gallery site won't get your far fast. it isn't impossible to grow as an artist there, but the site isn't intended for fanart posting. i cannot say much on cohost here. telegram and discord, again, it's harder for people to discover you out of the blue unless you mention your server / channel on another site.

F-tier: fuck threads.

lastly, to address thieves,

thieves are gonna be everywhere. i'm sorry to say, but there will always be shitty people. i recommend the following:

watermark your art. not in the corner, don't just sign in one spot, place a Huge translucent watermark over the WHOLE art. i recommend making it a colour gradient too instead of one solid colour or greyscale.

also: sign your goddamned art! put your username on there!

post a low resolution when sharing online. less than 1200px wide or tall. 72dpi. JPEG format. keep the high res privately for yourself.

add a subtle noise filter over your art. it doesn't have to be high opacity, and it'll make your art a little grainy, but it's good for fucking with AI bots and ruining any print quality potential.

i hope this offers some insight! if you have a different experience on these sites, please feel free to add your testimonial in the replies or reblogs! not every artist is going to have the same experience and growth rate.

#long post #art website posting #art sites

[khalidistan]

It seems like every year I end up writing an iteration of the same idea. But here I am! Writing it again! If you haven’t seen the tweet that sparked this conversation, I’ve screenshotted the tweet and artwork below. It’ll help inform this discussion. Full piece under the cut.

It would help to check out my essay from 2021 about the emasculation of Abdul Ali from Squid Game, since both pieces share similar references.

Maryam Khalid writes “Orientalist notions of the masculinity of the ‘Eastern’ male as uncivilized also inherently ascribe primitiveness, ineptness and a certain amount of weakness to the barbarized ‘other.’” Those doomed to the mythical Orient are automatically placed lower in masculinity than their white and colonial counterparts.

The reason for this emasculation is to defang them, to ensure they can never attain the same power conferred by white masculinity and to maintain racial purity: “This feminizing divests the male body of its virility and thus compromises its power not only to penetrate and reproduce its own nation (our women), but to contaminate the other's nation (their women) as well” (Puar, 99).

To be South Asian is to be pathologically queer, irrespective of the one’s true sexual orientation. “The Orient becomes a living tableau of queerness” by virtue of being from the Orient (Said, 103). There is already a robust amount of artwork depicting Pavitr with tons of gold jewelry and piercings, which to the West are typically feminine accessories. This essentially reduces Pavitr to a stereotype of South Asian culture.

Fanworks use the bejeweled, indulgent, exotic, and sultry attitude as a short-hand for their perception of South Asia. They are “caricatures stripped from movies like Disney’s Aladdin, the Arcana or people’s sexual fantasies about our men,” as allahrakhi writes in her essay on fandom's reception of Claude von Riegan from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a character similarly mischaracterized by virtue of his brown identity.

Puar describes that the (implied white) nation defines “upright, domesticatable queernesses that mimic and recenter liberal subjecthood, and out-of-control, untetherable queernesses” (47). Nonwhite queerness is “untetherable,” leaving white queerness as “domesticatable.” This inability to engage brown queerness forces brown queer people to assimilate into white queerness.

In fandom’s and society’s mind, there is no such thing as a queer South Asian without them discarding their brown identity and adopting white queer practices, behaviors, and aesthetics. Queer South Asians are “either liberated (and the United States and Europe are often the scene of this liberation) or can only have an irrational, pathological sexuality of queerness” (Puar, 13).

Which brings us to the recent depictions of Pavitr in fanworks, stripping him of his masculinities to render him as a vapid, neutered, and yes, whitewashed queer boy, completely unrecognizable from the source material.

Interestingly, this reduced masculinity co-exists, paradoxically, with the idea that men from the Orient are simultaneously aggressive, belligerent, and violent. Elgin Brunner writes: “Such a framing—the association of the enemy with barbarism, as opposed to the self, which is civilized—includes two, often simultaneous, moves, that is: the ‘hypermasculinization’ of the enemy on the one hand, and his ‘effeminization’ on the other… The very same opponent is, by virtue of being categorized as a cowardly barbarian, rendered effeminate.”

The flip side of the effeminate brown man is the hypermasculine brown man, which can be seen through Miguel, one of Across the Spider-Verse’s antagonists. Both instances of brown masculinity confiscate personhood from characters who would have otherwise offered rich, nuanced, interesting perspectives to the story and to the audience.

It would be myopic of me to not mention the implicit genderings of other nonwhite ethnicities in this discussion. Brown men hold a unique positionality to other nonwhite men in a racial triangulation I’d like to examine further in another essay for the future. Brown men can either be gendered the way that East Asians are (feminine, asexual, neutered, timid, obedient) or the way that Black people are (hypersexual, predatory, dangerous, aggressive). Both misgenderings are in opposition to the “ideal” male gender, which is of course, the white man. This fallacy is why we see Hobie depicted as cruel, mean, and irritated in the exact same artwork from earlier.

Many people in this artist’s quoted replies have accused the artist of being white. I have seen some criticisms of the backlash, that people shouldn’t assume the artist’s ethnicity. I think both opinions miss the point: anyone can be orientalist. Membership within a nonwhite ethnic identity does not absolve the individual of perpetuating orientalist or racist depictions of characters of color.

As Edward Saïd said, “Everyone who writes about the Orient must locate himself vis-a-vis the Orient” (Orientalism, 20). That is to say, if you write and depict the Orient and people from the Orient, you have to consider your positionality in relation to the Orient. Naturally, this would mean that white people should always be cognizant of their depictions of Orientals. But East Asians can also orientalize, whether it is other ethnic groups like South Asians; or self-orientalization. Similar can be said for South Asians who self-orientalize.

Khalid writes “Gendered identities do not exist independently of other factors, and must be viewed as intertwined with, for example, race or ethnicity if we are to understand the hierarchical organization of identities.” There is no examination of gender without an accompanying racial context. And Pavitr’s emasculation in fandom certainly requires a critical eye for both race and gender, lest we repeat the same dehumanizing characterizations of him in further fanworks.

Works Consulted:

Brunner, E. M. (2008). Consoling display of strength or emotional overstrain? the gendered framing of the early “War on terrorism” in transatlantic comparison. Global Society, 22(2), 217–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600820801887223

Khalid, M. (2011). Gender, orientalism and representations of the ‘other’ in the War on Terror. Global Change, Peace & Security, 23(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/14781158.2011.540092

Puar J. K. (2007). Terrorist Assemblages: homonationalism in queer times. Duke University Press.

Said, E. W. (1994). Orientalism. 25th anniversary edition. With a new preface by the author. New York, Vintage Books.

#pravitr prabhakar #across the spiderverse #spiderverse #meta analysis #critical race theory #gender studies #queer studies #khalid text

[texas-chainsaw-fanworks]

Upcoming Event for the TCM fandom!

After the success of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Fanworks event back in December, this blog has been relaunched for a new upcoming event!

For one week in July, there will be a corresponding series of prompts and themes relating to disability and disabled characters in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1, 2, and the game. However, as long as disability is the primary focus of the piece, there is no requirement that these prompts must be followed.

By piece, this means that all kinds of fan content are accepted. Fics, art, writing, playlists, covers, edits, moodboards, and so on. Anything you can dream of. I simply ask that no AI generation is used in the process of the creation.

Then, when it’s time to post, participants just use the event hastags! #tcmfanevent AND #tcmdisabilityweek

Additionally, dark and disturbing content will be allowed due to the nature of canon, but with limitations. My harsh limitation is that no proship pairings be featured. This means absolutely no family x family or adult x minor ships. In the case of past trauma or references to unwanted events like these, I ask that the piece be tagged and adorned with warnings accordingly.

If a participant has any questions on limitations or otherwise, this blog is open for messaging and inbox submissions, as well as the moderators own blog @charleslee-valentine. I will answer from any of those places if questions arise.

Finally, I want to clarify that this event is neutral on disability. I am disabled myself and find joy in my life in different ways because of it. Please do not use this event as an opportunity to bash a disabled identity. This is a celebration of the canonically disabled characters in universe first and foremost, like Bubba, the Sawyer twins, and Franklin. Personal frustration, ableism, and difficulty are obviously allowed, and the content doesn’t have to be all sunshine and rainbows, as long as the line into intense and unresolved self-hatred isn’t crossed.

Again, if this leads to any questions, please just let me know.

Onto Prompts! The image below has a least for ease of saving, and there is also a text version down below.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Disability Pride Event Prompt List

Day 1- Alternate Communication

• Bubba Sawyer is nonverbal. What other ways might they speak with their family?

Day 2- Weird Lookin’

• Nubbins Sawyer stims and plays freely, but faces ableism. Feature his relationship to disability in this piece.

Day 3- ‘Nam Flashback

• Chop Top Sawyer has PTSD and head trauma. Explore his experience with disability.

Day 4- Gonna Be A Fun Trip

• Franklin Hardesty is a paraplegic wheelchair user. Highlight mobility aids for him.

Day 5- Victims

• Stretch, Sally, Franklin; How might TCM victims be disabled after their time with the Sawyers? Remember the Sawyers themselves may also be victims in the right context.

Day 6- Underestimated

• Times when a disabled character wasn’t taken seriously.

Day 7- Headcanon Disability

• Your favorite headcanon/interpretation for TCM character disabilities.

_____

The reason this event is limited to TCM 1 (1974) and TCM part 2 (1986) and the 2023 game is for ease of moderation, since these are the only TCM media I, the event runner, am familiar with.

With that said, I hope you’re all as excited as I am for this event during disability pride month! See you July 1st-7th!! No sign-ups required! Just create and post if you’re interested!!

#tcm #tcm 1974 #the texas chainsaw massacre #tcm 2 #the texas chainsaw massacre part 2 #tcm game #tcmfanevent #tcmdisabilityweek #tcm fanfic #tcm fanart #bubba sawyer #nubbins sawyer #chop top sawyer #franklin hardesty #drayton sawyer #sally hardesty #stretch tcm2 #vanita stretch brock

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

Exposing SVSSS Fanon: 14/∞

ALL DEMONS NATURALLY HAVE MARKS ON THEIR FOREHEADS

Rating: FANON - CONFLICTING

In SVSSS, heavenly demons like Luo Binghe, Tianlang-jun, and Zhuzhi-lang have a vermillion mark on their forehead. In fanworks, other demons such as Sha Hualing and Mobei-jun are also depicted as having such a mark.

This conflicts with canon, as the mark is exclusively a symbol of the Heavenly Demon Bloodline, rather than all demons:

“You are no simple demon,” Shen Qingqiu said. “That mark on your forehead is a mark of sin—the mark of the demons who fell from the heavens." (7 Seas, Ch. 4)

I have often seen this mark referred to erroneously as "huadian (花钿, literally "flower ornamentation")." Though there are similarities in color and location between the two, huadian is a type of traditional-style makeup worn with hanfu, while the mark on a heavenly demon's forehead is 罪印 （Zuì yìn，literally "criminal seal" or "seal of guilt”), translated to english as "mark of sin."

It is a very specific, distinctive feature that heavenly demons have-- one that is most likely well-known to both demons and cultivators alike.

The mark of sin can be repressed, however it will reappear when angry:

For a split second, Luo Binghe’s expression was puzzled, causing his face to appear to soften, just a little. But soon this sliver of softness dissipated without a trace. His pupils contracted, and a red mark flickered at the center of his forehead in a burst of light. (7 Seas, Ch. 10)

Or when weakened:

When he looked, though Luo Binghe’s eyes were closed, the heavenly demon mark of sin had appeared on his forehead, lines of crimson pulsing along with his breaths. The red glow flickered on and off along with it. (7 Seas, Ch. 16)

Which suggests that it takes some amount of conscious effort to suppress and conceal.

Heavenly Demons (天魔，天之魔） are somewhat set apart from the demon race (魔族）as a whole, despite both being called demons. Heavenly Demons specifically did not originate within the demon world, but instead fell from the heavens:

Legend had it that these denizens of the heavens had fallen to depravity and become demons, so they were called “heavenly demons” for short.  (7 Seas, Ch. 2)

Falling to depravity here is the same as succumbing to heart demons (心魔), which aren't altogether easy to explain, but can be thought of as mental and spiritual instabilities resulting from negative emotions and obsessions. This is the same "Xin Mo" as the name of the sword.

In the Xianxia genre, anyone can "become a demon" in this way-- a similar (almost identical, since based on similar philosophies) trope in western fiction would be in Star Wars, where one "falls to the Dark Side."

Therefore, the mark of sin or zuiyin if you wish to use pinyin, is linked to the heart demons and corruption of the heavenly demons and their descendants.

This is evident from the first moment when the seal on Luo Binghe's bloodline is removed:

Once that stream of light touched Luo Binghe’s brow, it seeped into his skin, turning into a fiery red mark. Luo Binghe was lost to his bloodlust. He didn’t know why, only that his head ached like it was about to explode, and he nearly collapsed to his knees. His entire body roiled with a desire to inflict savage cruelty.  (7 Seas, Ch. 4)

This sudden bloodlust is a result of the unsealing of his demonic bloodline-- with the mark of sin appearing along with it.

The mark of sin does not have one fixed appearance, either:

When he tested Luo Binghe’s forehead with the back of his hand, it was still scalding hot, and the mark in the center of his forehead was growing even redder and brighter. (7 Seas, Ch. 16)

This occurs after Luo Binghe has been injured and poisoned, and is unconscious. The change in the mark's appearance is likely due to his weakened state.

The most significant example of this, however, is at Maigu ridge, when Luo Binghe has been entirely overtaken by Xin Mo's (the sword and the internal) corruption:

The dark-red mark of sin crept over his forehead, expanding outward until marks covered the entirety of his snow-pale face, then continued spreading down his neck. Xin Mo had fallen beside them, and it seemed to respond to the marks on Luo Binghe’s body: it glowed and dimmed, its purple light and black miasma circulating endlessly. (7 Seas, Ch. 21)

By the end of this, the marks extend all the way down his arms:

Luo Binghe’s arm around him slowly tightened. As his tears continued to flow, he suddenly noticed that the marks on his arm were rapidly receding.  (7 Seas, Ch. 21)

From this we can conclude that heavenly beings succumbed to their heart demons and fell from the heavens to become the heavenly demons. Their demonic power originated not from their species alone but from their heart demons, which their descendants inherited as their own source of demonic power which is why LBH suddenly was overcome with bloodlust when his bloodline was unsealed. The mark of sin appears as a curse to mark those who succumbed to heart demons and fell from the heavens, but it can be suppressed through self control (i.e. controlling those heart demons）while it will reappear when that self-control is compromised in some way. When Xin Mo preyed on LBH's fears and insecurities, it caused him to fall entirely under the control of his heart demons-- which lead to the mark of sin spreading over his entire body.

Now that the origins and nature of the mark of sin have been explained, it's easy to say that other demons will not have such a mark, since they are not from that same cursed bloodline.

Of course, does that mean that everyone who draws Sha Hualing and Mobei-jun with marks on their forehead is drawing them incorrectly?

No, not necessarily.

The only thing this tells us is that ordinary demons do not naturally have this mark, and it will not have the same features (such as glowing, spreading, responding to emotional state, etc.).

It is entirely possible and believable that demons, especially demon nobility, would paint or apply a mark to their foreheads as part of their fashion and a status symbol.

For an explanation of this, let's go back to the huadian. While the exact origins of huadian ornament and makeup are unknown, there is a folkloric origin story to it. In this origin story, a plum blossom was blown onto the forehead of a princess while she was out on a walk (or alternately, fell onto her face while she was taking a nap). Afterwards, she was unable to wash it off, but because it looked strikingly beautiful on the princess, it became a new popular fashion trend for women to apply flower ornamentation or makeup to their foreheads.

Something similar could have happened with demon culture.

Of course, the ancient heavenly demons from whose lineage Luo Binghe hailed were the most elegant and traditional of the demonic bloodlines—equivalent to the Demon Realm’s blue blood nobility. (7 Seas, Ch. 6)

The heavenly demon bloodline is the most noble and high-ranked in the demon realm, with heavenly demons considered princes and princesses：

As the future princes of demonkind, their bloodline was first-class. (7 Seas, Ch. 2) Tianlang-Jun’s younger sister counted as something like the demon race’s princess. (7 Seas, Ch. 12)

Therefore, it wouldn't be strange for other lineages of demon nobility to attempt to imitate their appearances-- this may have something to do with noble demons appearing more humanoid as well. It could also mean that a similar thing to the huadian origin story may have happened and demon nobility took up the fashion of wearing forehead ornamentation or makeup to denote their status, perhaps even having various specific marks to denote clans or individuals.

Of course while this is a possibility, it is not something that comes from canon itself and would still be a headcanon or fanon, so it should not be used in an argument for a canonical depiction of Sha Hualing and Mobei-jun with marks on their foreheads.

While a depiction of demons wearing marks on their foreheads is not necessarily without basis or explanation, the idea that they have these marks as a natural physical feature is canonically inaccurate.

One footnote: while heavenly demons do not originate within the demon realm, their bloodline would still be counted as part of the demon race-- this is evident in the fact that Zhuzhi-lang, also a mixed-bloodline heavenly demon (but half snake-race rather than half-human), has a bloodline more pure than Luo Binghe's and is able to suppress LBH's blood in SQQ's body (perhaps the fact that the demon race as a whole utilizing demonic qi instead of spiritual qi for cultivation is what creates the divide). Zhuzhi-lang is still considered mixed-heritage, though, so it is unknown where the boundaries within the demon race itself lie. It is also possible that there is an entire untold story about the origins of the demon race which would change up various arguments here, but we don't have that origin story, and therefore there is no context aside from what's in the novel-- we can only assume that demons originated within the demon realm, while heavenly demons entered it later after falling from the heavens-- but they are still considered part of the demon race despite a different origin.

#fanon exposed #conflicting #svsss #heavenly demon #luo binghe #sha hualing #mobei jun #tianlang jun #zhuzhi lang

[virtualrealityshow]

✦ WELCOME TO THE HOME OF VR-TV! ✦

HI! this is the vr-tv blog! second time im writing this since first time i wrote it tumblr just chucked the whole thing out the window. BUT THAT ASIDE welcome! :D

to clarify this isnt a narrative/interactive/arg blog but rather a dedicated blog for the vr-tv universe and just storing info, art, writings - whatever about it! yknow, for documentation's sake.

if you'd like to check out more of my work, my art blog is @y2kazoo . my main is @acnitemare if you wanna give me a follow there!

✦ THE BASICS ✦

(gonna keep this short and simple!)

TLDR: it's the 80's and a bunch of world-famous musicians across various genres have agreed to go on this experimental reality tv show hosted by a sentient AI named I. M. PEACEMOUTH. (he's up there waving & peeping over in the blog's icon!). the guy is formal and professional and a smooth talker, but clearly has shady intentions.

(to preface, this version of the 80's is way more technologically advanced than ours was, so in this timeline, around this time technical capacity for 3d virtual reality exists - albeit in a primitive form!)

the company that hosts this show is called CONGLOMOCORP and they're a massive enterprise with a big hold over a lot of markets but they've recently become pioneers in the field of music video production (think mtv type stuff).

they got the idea to make the 'ultimate music video', which is where we circle back to the musicians and the tv show thing.

you see, this 'ultimate music video' is actually a televised broadcast of a virtual reality simulation of this big, huge house thing that all the musicians live in for their time on the show - and the feed on it is always running (well, most of the time.)

in order to get on this show, all the musicians have had to go out to conglomocorp's studio and get put into a coma-like state; and from there, they were hooked up to these machines and their consciousnesses are the ones in the virtual reality. their avatars are shaped around the content of their souls, which is why a lot of the characters you'll see around here look kinda wacky and abstract!

conglomocorp sold the musicians on this idea by claiming that it was just going to be for 'about a year' and that their only intentions behind this project - named VR-TV - was that they just 'wanted to push the limits of technology to its fullest extent'. butttttt you know how it is with stories like this...

⚠️ WARNINGS ⚠️

a list of content warnings for things you might see on this blog! (just so you know, if this stuff ever pops up it will be tagged accordingly.) if more things come up that need to be added, i will put them on the list in due time.

✦ references to drug use

✦ unreality

✦ themes involving loss of agency

✦ body horror

✦ digital horror

✦ blood/gore

✦ mental manipulation & other people being manipulated

★ OTHER THINGS TO KNOW!!! ★

✦ i LOVE getting fanart for my projects! if you make any fanart for vr-tv, be sure to send it in!!! i would LOVE to see it!!!

➢ side-note: the easiest way to get me to see your fanworks is by submitting it directly to this very blog! i dont check my notifications very often so if you just mention this blog or post it in a main tag for it, chances are i won't know. BUT if you just submit your fanart here, that's a surefire way to get me to see it AND i can display your work for all to see!!! it's a win-win :D

✦ fancharacters for vr-tv aren't just accepted, they're encouraged! if you want to make a wacky little guy for this thing then be my guest!

➢ side-note: it bares clarification here that vr-tv isn't a collaborative project, it's just something i make on my own. you're welcome to make fancharacters BUT they won't be considered canon! (it's just too much work for me to include multiple people's fan lore in with my own for this project, sorry!) you can still by all means draw canon characters hanging out or even draw oc x canon if you really like, but don't do so with the expectations of them being canonized if that makes sense! like with fanart, i encourage you to submit fancharacters here directly in the case that you make them!

✦ do NOT create nsfw content of vr-tv characters!!! that's just crossing a line that i am not comfortable seeing my characters depicted in. please dont :c

✦ ASKS ARE HEAVILY WELCOMED!!!!!!!!!!! if you send me an ask about this thing i will do everything in my power to answer it to the best of my ability. you can ask me anything about this thing, what certain character's favorite foods are, how the VR-TV virutal reality works (but keep in mind i am bad at describing technology things lol), your headcanons/theories, questions about the lore or character's motivations.... PLEASE ask me any of those and so much more! i will be glad to divulge information to you!

✦ in the case that you want to make ship art between two characters, please reach out to me thru the ask box beforehand to get my approval before you start making anything. i wouldn't want you to draw something i don't approve of especially between certain characters, my characters are precious to me and im admittedly very finicky about how my characters get depicted. (and me giving approval isn't a sign that the relationship will become canon, it's just a signifier that im okay with seeing content of those two characters in that sort of relationship. just thought that was worth adding!)

so yeah - that should cover all the bases!

enjoy your time here!!! buh bye!!!! hope to see you around soon! 👋 ★

[slenderboo]

putting in my two cents as an aroace hazbin fan to the whole alastor shipping debate (adding a cut below because this got long-)

before I start, it's important to remind everyone:

alastor is canonically ace and (semi)canonically aro, and that should be respected the same way we'd respect angel dust's identity as a gay man, or vaggie's as a sapphic woman.

"ace" and "aro", while also functioning as labels unto themselves, are umbrella terms for a lottt of identities. Some of which do include the ability to experience sexual and romantic attraction, in different ways and at different levels (demi, cupio, lith/lithro, grey, aro-and aceflux, the list goes on).

So, given all that, is it possible to interpret alastor as experiencing some level of romantic attraction, or sexual attraction? Of course, identities like the ones I listed above are just as valid as any other acespec and arospec identity.

So, what's the issue then? Right now, a lot of fans are using the breadth of aspec identities and experiences as a shield, to excuse them shipping him like they would an allosexual/alloromantic character.

Just to make it clear, that in itself is erasure. And I know that's a strong statement, and that there being such a broad aroace experience adds nuance to any statement you can make on that, but we have to acknowledge as a fandom that there are objectively wrong ways to handle aspec characters, both in the way we discuss them and in the way we portray them in fan works.

And before anyone says it, saying "alastor isn't real" or "fanon content won't change his canon sexuality" doesn't work when real life aspec people can't even look in a tag of a character that's supposed to represent them without seeing their identity erased. It's the way I feel attempting to engage with a lot of hazbin content, and I know a lot of my fellow aspec hazbin fans are feeling it as well.

So, what's the solution to all this? That's unfortunately kinda complicated. Everyone has a different opinion on what constitutes as erasure, what is good rep, how much benefit of the doubt we should give people, et cetera, and so everyone's solutions look different. In a way there also isn't a way to solve it, since aroace erasure is so normalized in fandom culture (not just the hazbin fandom; fandom culture as a whole) that there will always be a significant portion of fans who will ignore, erase, or otherwise deny alastor's or any other aroace character's sexuality.

So, to put my two cents on it:

My philosophy is that if you're going to ship alastor (or any aspec character for that matter), it's best to have an identity in mind for him to use as reference. For example, I think of alastor as sex-repulsed aroace, and I write him with that in mind. Whatever you pick can be a steadfast headcanon, an identity tailored to the story you want to tell, or one you want to explore in your fanwork, whether for fun or to educate yourself on it better.

What's better is that you don't even need to mention the sexuality itself in the work! Show don't tell is a great writing tool, and for alastor specifically, who canonically isn't aware of his sexuality, it works perfectly. Just simply creating with it in mind, asking yourself, "how would someone with [insert identity] experience this?" and going from there, makes a world of difference.

Just in terms of good fanfic etiquette, I'd also make sure to include it in the tags if you're posting it on ao3, just to make sure your readers know what's up and to help with filtering (I personally don't read any alastor ship fics that don't include the asexual or aromantic tag at this point). Bada bing bada boom, that's representation right there!

Since Alastor is one of very, very few ace characters in mainstream media, and even less aro characters in media period, us as a fandom creating good representation with him is really important, especially in terms of the breadth of aspec identities. We don't get much representation, so claiming he's definitively one label or another isn't productive, and hurts the community in the long run. Fanfiction is first and foremost an exploration of canon, so why not play around with what "aro" and "ace" can look like for him?

Case and point, I've seen some incredible ship fics that headcanon him as demisexual and/or demiromantic, and do a great job representing those identities. I've also seen some really good fics that portray him as sex-repulsed, and others that portray him as sex-neutral or positive. All of that is great, and again, even if it isn't directly mentioned: adding subtext, putting it in the tags, and even simply writing the fic with the sexuality in mind does wonders.

Me personally, I headcanon Alastor with the same identity as me; sex- and romance-repulsed aroace, but open to queerplatonic relationships. That doesn't mean fics that interpret him with a different aspec identity are less valid, or are interpreting him wrong. All of it is valid representation.

And that's not even getting into queerplatonic relationships, which is what I put Alastor into for my own headcanons (queerplatonic radioapple fic when). For that, please do your own research, but remember that queerplatonic relationships tend to look different for every couple. They can be poly, include kissing and physical intimacy, or look just like what most people would consider a regular friendship or regular romance.

So, can you ship aroace characters? Sure you can, as long as it isn't at the expense of their sexuality, or more accurately, the representation their sexuality gives to a historically underrepresented group.

That's pretty much it from me, please remember to support aspec fanartists and fanfic writers, and happy (early) aromantic spectrum awareness week for all my fellow arospecs!!

#not adding the aromantic or asexual tags to this #those tags shouldn't be flooded with ship discourse #so please stop doing that guys #also not joking about the queerplatonic appleradio fic #I may or may not be working on one rn but knowing my writer's block (read: seasonal depression) I won't actually finish it #their dynamic is so much fun to write let me tell you #hazbin hotel #alastor #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #hellaverse

[edalynn]

hii hope you don't mind me asking but why do you hate huntlow?? (genuinely curious) I personaly love the owlhouse and kin hunter and it's one if my favorite ships :0

I was just going to not answer this ask as I feel like I've repeated the many reasons I hate hunt/low in the past, but I realize I've never put it all in one place. I'm going to start by linking some asks or posts of mine that are a smorgasbord of things I or others have pointed out regarding what's wrong with the ship itself for some reference points.

X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X

And I'll add my "Hunt/low Trope Bingo Card" that gives us a fun diagram of multiple problematic tropes that Hunt/low falls under

Let me start of with the ship itself. Hunt/low quite literally makes both characters' arcs irrelevant. Willow's entire arc about learning to be confident in herself, overcome her bullying, and be strong for herself and her friends is basically entirely erased when you put her with Hunter. Her whole arc is that for a lack of better words, she saved herself and is her own person. Yes, she had the help of Luz and Gus, and later Amity after they began mending their friendship, but her whole thing was being strong and confident on her own. In concept, giving Willow a pretty boy boyfriend immediately makes her arc less impactful than if she's never paired with anyone in the story, because her story is about her own self growth. Not being saved by having a conventionally attractive boyfriend. And in practice, we actually see it happen. Willow is dumbed down and made insanely out of character in almost the entirety of the third season, particularly in FtF. She's shown multiple times throughout the end of the season (Actually, in S2 as well) needing to be physically saved by Hunter specifically when she's always been shown she can stand up for herself before. And, yes, you could argue that "Willow doesn't always need to be the strong one!", and you'd be right! But the fact that the second she becomes friends with Hunter, the way her character is written changes dramatically. We see her need to be saved over and over, and it is literally only by Hunter. If this wasn't the case, I would agree with that, but unfortunately it's not. Her growth and "revolutionary" strong-on-her-own arc is entirely negated if she is put in a relationship with Hunter.

On the flipside, Hunter's arc is just as equally, if not more, irrelevant. Hunter's arc is also about finding himself and finding a group of people that are his pseudo-family. His growth is his journey to becoming his own person, away from his abusive parental figure. In concept, Hunt/low makes all of Hunter's trauma, abuse, and loss meaningless by falling into the trope of "romantic love heals all", which is both dangerous for young fans who will believe that and a slap in the face for every abuse victim that relate to Hunter. It's like saying that nothing bad he experienced mattered or had any lasting impact, because you give him a strong girlfriend and poof! All the problems go away and are solved! And I shouldn't have to explain why that message is insanely harmful. As with Willow, we see this happen in action as well. Any time there's a nod to Hunt/low in the show, Hunter's trauma immediately doesn't seem to matter. This is shown the clearest when he is literally not allowed to grieve Flapjack's death because it "upsets" Willow and he has to run after her to comfort- and later save- her. The writers actually made it so that Hunter is made to feel guilty for showing sadness about Flap because it made Willow feel like she "can't do anything right", making the entire scene about how he had to save her and put his grieving of Flapjack to the side. I think as an abuse victim, this is the one thing about Hunt/low that makes me the angriest. And to dip my toes into a later point- fan creators that ship Hunt/low also do this in their fanworks. Moringmark is a BIG perpetrator of the Hunter abuse denial rhetoric.

The way they are intended to be written, these two arcs contrast each other, not complement them. It makes no sense for them to be shipped. And further, the context & content we get in the actual show has a staggering lack of depth or intention. Every interaction they have feels out of character and as if their personalities have to be entirely re-worked for them to even interact- and those are just the miniscule amount of times they actually interact. There's almost no actual content for Hunt/low in the show, it's never acknowledged by other characters how they do with Lumity and Raeda, and they literally almost never interact in the show until FtF. There is no logical reason that anyone should assume they were even interested in each other (aside from Hunter's blink-and-you-miss-it blushes) and you could probably count on both hands how many times they actually interacted with each other on screen both before the Day of Unity, and until FtF. And I'd go as far as to say that when they do interact, they barely even act like friends. Willow spends almost the entirety of TtT ignoring Hunter (assumably unintentionally, but they almost never interact and the episode was literally based around Hunter as one of the main characters in it) aside from the hair cutting scene- which contextually made no sense to be done by Willow- and the after-possession scene- also made no sense contextually for him to have his head on Willow's lap. She literally makes fun of him at one point, with Amity being the one to basically say "guys that's mean, Hunter I don't want you to get made fun of by others please change". How does any of that read as a healthy or loving ship? Much less even a friendship. By the time they get to the Human Realm, Willow and Hunter have interacted, what, maybe three times? Once during ASIAS (Where Willow forgives him way faster than she should have for her character, when she literally took months to fully forgive Amity- and Ami didn't kidnap her), Once during LR (Where Willow literally is shown as not caring, liking, or trusting Hunter until he says something that proves he was with Gus), and then on the mission with Luz & co. to rescue Amity leading to the Day of Unity. The ship both in context & in practice completely obliterate not only both characters' arcs as stated above, but also wreck their personalities, making them every other generic girl and boy in a generic m/f ship.

Moving onto the fandom in relation to Hunt/low. Let me set the scene. This show, The Owl House, in and of itself is for a Queer audience. That doesn't mean cishet people cannot enjoy it, but it is a silent "stay in your lane". TOH was REVOLUTIONARY for Queer mainstream media with the main character being the first main character on an animated show by Disney to be openly Queer. Luz is openly bisexual and has a girlfriend! She comes out to her mom! Her adoptive mother, one of the other 3 main characters, ends up in a canon relationship with her Highschool Sweetheart, a nonbinary person, and is ALSO openly bisexual! So why is Hunt/low treated as if it is the "third main ship" on TOH, when it ISN'T EVEN CANON. Why is it treated as if it's on the same level as Lumity and Raeda!? Why are there fanartists and other creators that ONLY draw or write Hunt/low!? It's insulting honestly! And I, as a queer person, am being so dead serious. it's fucking insulting. And the way Hunt/low shippers treat people that don't ship it is disgusting. Their go-to defense tends to be "Crying Wolf", or claiming any kind of "-phobia" they can to make their ship seem "more valid". You have no idea the amount of times I and my mutuals have been called "biphobic" or "fatphobic" or any number of other insults. When more often than not, It's Hunt/low shippers that I see ignoring Hunter's bisexuality, or worse, disparaging people for shipping Hunter in a mlm relationship. Or worse- saying certain ships (Huntric/Goldric) are inc/estuous because of Aladarius, which also is not even canon (And neither is "Dadrius" while I'm at it, but that's a totally different argument for a different day.). I see them use his bisexuality as fodder constantly. And I won't even mention the mischaracterization by every single Hunt/low fan I've ever seen, making Willow anywhere from Girlboss to Tradwife or Mom Girlfriend, and Hunter from Malewife to Wet Cat to Protector Boyfriend.

The crew also did not help the situation at all. Multiple Storyboard artists or other crew members have openly admitted to attempting to (or succeeding to) force Hunt/low into the storyline, always at the scolding of Dana who would make them remove it or tone it down as it didn't fit her vision of the show. I've seen multiple crewmembers say this- it's not just a one off thing. Or the crew member who once said she didn't care that the ship name "Winter" (the crew's ship name for Hunt/low) made it hard to block/tag because she liked how it sounded. It's just. I've seen so many instances of Dana's crew being that disrespectful to her and attempting to push their own personal feelings and ideas into the show against her wishes.

I could probably go on forever, so I'll stop here. But yeah. That's the basics of why Hunt/low is a shitty, harmful ship.

#taako talks #asks #anons #the owl house #toh #huntl0w negative #toh hunter #hunter toh #hunter noceda #hunter wittebane #hunter clawthorne #willow park #toh willow #long post

[clareguilty]

AO3 Election Candidates!

If any of you are members of AO3 and eligible to vote in the election this weekend I would highly encourage it! The site has a great webpage (https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/22947) where you can do your own research on candidates, and I would definitely recommend everyone to check that out!

What sparked my interest in the first place were other people raising concerns about Tiffany G who is running for the board but does not seem to stand for the positions that AO3 is most known and loved for.

My personal impressions of the candidates will be down below, but please take these opinions with the understanding that I'm not attempting to sway votes (except for maybe away from Tiffany) and just provide my thoughts. These are also the notes I'll be using to cast my personal ballot

Natalia G - Fourth pick I like her Q&A answers well enough. She emphasizes the legitimacy of fanworks and references the terms of service. She does reference the attacks against AO3 which shows an awareness of the issues that are relevant, but doesn't make any strong statements that show a firm stance. Her diversity responses emphasize the push for a blocking feature, but nothing super concrete beyond that.

Noemie B - Third pick Noemie explicitly warns of the dangers of censorship and references that every platform has specific terms of use and committees in place to protect and develop. She cites a personal affection for AO3 which is important to me, but she also doesn't cite a negative experience and idk if thats a kind of willful positivity or not?

I do like that she cites user responsibility in exposure to problematic content and again points out the dangers of censorship. She also recognizes anti-blackness and transphobia as issues and cites specific actions and events to combat that.

Michelle S - Second pick Michelle also emphasizes the TOS and states that she has no plans to prescreen content or increase moderation, but she doesn't directly address concerns regarding censorship or the abuse towards the PAC team.

her diversity responses, like Noemi, reference the push to hire a diversity consultant. She specifically references AO3's existing features to handle harrassment and curate content, but doesn't take credit or promise any specific new features. Instead, she points out that the AD&T committee are the wizards who do that. She mentions maximum inclusivity and stresses user responsibility which are plusses in my book. She states she signed the June 2020 statement on racism as a chair

Heather M - Likely my first pick Heather is more user-focused in her response surrounding frustrations with the OTW. She also mentions the attacks against volunteers and has a nice statement about the response following the attack. She also cites a personal affection for AO3 and states that monitoring content is a ridiculous standard.

Her diversity responses are very strong to me as she shows an awareness of the racism in fandom but also an understanding of how systemic the issues truly are. She specifically references the proposed block feature and even cites a difference between active harassment and unintentional ignorance. She also cites specific features available to users to curate content and stresses the stance of maximum inclusivity. Her experience on the policy and abuse team is also a big plus. She also speaks about the history and purpose of the OTW.

Tiffany G - last pick She is definitely the most concerning of the candidates. Her statements are pretty sweeping and general and she doesn't list a lot of concrete stances or experiences except for personal anecdotes that dont always support her points. She is just as worrisome as the other posts make her out to be and doesn't answer with the same maturity and experience as the other candidates. I know im not saying as much about her specific stances but its hard to find anything of substance to even pull over into this post.

also in one interview she was weirdly against NSFW content which like... is kind of the whole reason AO3 exists

Obligatory Disclaimer: this is purely my personal impressions and opinions. I have been using AO3 for at least 5 years now (likely much longer) and been a member for over three. I've donated a considerable amount to the organization since AO3 in turn supports my livelihood as a writer, so i do have a vested interest in the well-being of the website also i think free speech and transformative works are important

#ao3 #ao3 elections #heather m #tiffany g #michelle s #noemie b #natalia g #otw elections #OTW #ao3 election candidates #clare screams

[thewritingheirsofslytherin]

[Closed] Introducing a new kind of Harry Potter fest…

Ready to prove how much you love your favorite Silver Trio Slytherins?

Then join us in participating in the first ever fest hosted by The Writing Heirs of Slytherin Discord Server!

Silver Trio Fest is a Harry Potter fanworks fest dedicated to the main Slytherins in the Lightning Era of the Wizarding World!

Fest Information

Originally, the Silver Trio, the Slytherin version of the Golden Trio, referred only to Draco, Pansy, and Blaise. However, with our fest, we decided to include characters such as fan-favorite Theodore Nott as well as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

The premise is simple: Create any fanwork (fic or fanart) you like! However, and this is where the challenge comes in, the main characters of the ship you include in your fanwork must be a Slytherin from the Silver Trio crew!

The Slytherins you can choose from are the following:

Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe!

+ A few more Slytherin characters that are listed in our official rules document linked below!

How to Sign-Up

Fill out our sign-up form: (Sign-ups are Closed Now)

Claim your ship prompt on AO3: (Claiming is Closed Now)

Join our 21+ Discord server (optional, but highly encouraged): The Writing Heirs of Slytherin Discord

Fest Schedule

Sign Ups & Claiming Due: January 15th at 11:59pm PST

Fanworks Due: February 20th at 11:59pm PST

Fanworks Revealed: February 23rd at 12PM PST

Authors & Artists Revealed: March 1st at 12PM PST

For the remainder of our fest rules, read on!

Fest Rules

All genres, tropes, and pairing types (platonic, couples, and polyships) are allowed in this fest.

All levels of writers and artists are welcome too! Even if this is your first fest!

Your main characters and the main ship/pairing in your fanwork can only be Slytherins from the Silver Trio as outlined in our rules doc listed below! No exceptions!

Authors: there is no maximum word count for your work. But we do encourage you to submit a fic that is at least 1,000 words.

Artists: As long as you follow the guidelines above, you may submit any form of fanart you like, including moodboards! However, AI-generated work and commissioned work from other artists may NOT be submitted!

This fest is an Author/Artist Revealed event. Your fanwork will be revealed on the dates listed above. When the fest is over, we will highlight your fanwork on our discord and our tumblr throughout the month of March.

You do not have to be a member of The Writing Heirs of Slytherin Discord to participate in this fest. However, we do recommend joining so that you can be in contact with other Silver Trio Fest participants! It’s also the quickest way to get a hold of the admin team!

Note: Our server has a 21+ age requirement to join, but this fest is open to fic writers and artists of all ages!

For a complete list of our rules and submission guidelines, please click here

Important Links

Sign-up Form

AO3 Collection

Discord Server

#hp fests #hp events #hp fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #draco malfoy #theodore nott #pansy parkinson #blaise zabini #hp rare pairs #dreo #dransy #thansy #slytherin fics #slytherin fanart #slytherin moodboard #ao3 fests #hp fest announcements #hp silver trio fest #silver trio fest #the writing heirs of slytherin