#I don't get why this is a valid way to interact in fandom space

[otaku6337]

Why???

Why do people think this is how fandom and creation works???

(hopefully that’s legible lol - a comment saying “Otaku6337. Hi. I have a question, namely, would you be able to write a short story bnha x Avatar (James C’s film) according to my idea. Or bnha x (SpyxFamily) according to my idea”)

Okay so first thing - they didn’t even say please. Which is just straight-up rude.

But second, and main thing - why? 

I haven’t mentioned that I take ideas, or requests, or anything of the sort. They commented on a bnha fic, but I’ve never written for SpyxFamily or Avatar. It takes exactly two clicks to see the list of my posted fandoms.

They didn’t call me by my “name” - by which I mean that anyone who knows me online, or who reads my author’s notes, or my comments, would know that I don’t go by my full username in comments and convos. 

They didn’t say anything about the fic that they commented on (I’m 98% sure they didn’t read it, partic as it was my most recently updated fic), they didn’t say anything about any of my writing, and honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve sent this comment to half a dozen other authors, or will do, and they didn’t even have the veiled courtesy to be a suck-up about it.

I don’t mind, generally, when readers of mine ask if I’ll write so-and-so for them. Normally it’s a semi-regular, and I’m quite happy to just say “sounds cool but, sorry, I don’t take requests!” and that’s that. Nobody is annoyed, or offended, or rude, it’s all cordial. No skin off of anybody’s nose, even if I generally don’t think people should be asking things of authors who haven’t offered to take requests. ‘Cause, you know, they haven’t been rude, and I generally have a bit of a “don’t ask don’t get” attitude myself.

But this. I can’t.

They’re a guest (I love guest readers but there’s nothing there to trust when it comes to things like this), they ask for crossovers when A - I haven’t got any crossovers posted and B - I haven’t written for either of the other fandoms, and they have done nothing but say “would you write according to my idea”.

Why should I?

Why can’t people write the fics they want to see in the world (talent is no damn excuse, we all start off with slightly questionable skill), or at least seek out people who actively take requests/commissions?

Why do they think they have the right to even ask? I write fics and post them publicly - I’m not performing a public service at the public’s request. I’m creating my art and choosing to share it. Now I have to choose between deleting, replying, or ignoring them. Even if I do reply and do it politely, they’re not going to like any of the results.

Why do people expect this shit? Why should I, based off of almost nothing, not even knowing if there’s a reason they’re asking me specifically, or what any of the details are (I understand not wanting to share ideas in a public space but they haven’t even mentioned characters or broad tropes), want to put my time into hearing them out in detail, let alone then spending hours of my life writing this for them.

I write for others sometimes. I’m planning on writing for others soon in fact - for my two best friends. For Christmas. I’m choosing, on my own whims, to spend hours of my life writing for two people that I adore. It’s worth it. I know they will enjoy it, even more than that I know that they’ll appreciate it.

The entitled tone of this comment makes it look like they see me as a vending machine. Like they press some buttons and their perfect fic magically appears.

Not like I’m a person who spends their minimal free time doing something I love for myself, and for my readers that I know will appreciate my effort and ideas and passion.

No part of me believes that this person would truly appreciate what I could ever write for them. They might be grateful on the surface level, maybe.

But, well, they didn’t even say please.

Don’t be this person.

#I left their username in cause it's a basic guest name #not identifiable #but I mean really #I don't get why this is a valid way to interact in fandom space #it's the entitlement for me #authors are artists not your vending machine #this person is only one example of many #it's not always this exact problem but it's a pretty good example #fandom etiquette #fandom manners #ao3 #commenting #fanfiction #fic writing #ao3 manners #ao3 etiquette #commenting etiquette #don't be this person #writing vent #fandom vent #fandom rambles

[hezuart]

LN Channel Change AU Sequel: “Seven” {1} {2} {3} {here/final}

And they lived happily ever after. Or did they? We've established our main characters Mono (TV/space-time) and Six (Soul Sucking) have strange supernatural powers. I wanted Seven to have one too. (Hydrokinesis aka water bending)

Notes for how I came up with Seven's powers and the deeper meaning behind his interaction with Mono:

1. Each child has nightmare prophecies (something to do with Mono's time loop?)  at the beginning of their stories. Six's is the Lady, Mono's is the door that leads to the Thin Man, and Seven's is being pulled underwater. Six and Mono's nightmare visions are fulfilled at the end of their stories; revealing that the thing they dreamed about, they essentially become or usurp.  Seven's differs. His dream resolves in act 1 and he kills the Granny, the creature assumed to be the one pulling him underwater in his nightmare. But what if Seven's dream prophecy was still valid... even post-Granny? Being dragged underwater... for a different fate?

2. Seven is the only main cast character shown with the ability to swim. 3. "Seven Seas" anyone? Water is a symbol of purification & life, hence, Seven gains his new powers after he survived and Mono broke the timeline loop to start fresh. "Washing it away" so to say. 4. Water is a liquid; passive in nature, but powerful in circumstance. Seven is kind and sneaky but kills the Granny when continuously attacked and threatened by her. He does the same to the Octopus monster.

5. Water molecules have adhesion and cohesion, meaning water likes to stick to itself, and stick to other things. Seven has an attachment to Nomes. He is always drawn to other people and other creatures, wanting to help them. His belief is that survival chances are higher amidst a group. Water is also known for containing life, no matter how strange or deep, such as ocean fish that often travel in schools/packs often to confuse or fight off predators, thus, another reference to Seven's new life, and his teamwork with Nomes and Mono.

6. Seven is often in fandom depicted by a circle. A water droplet. 7. Seven collects flotsam; typically boat debris, but in this case, bottled messages that come from the sea. Yet another connection to water.

All this indicates heavy implication and well-fitting power to bestow hydrokinesis onto Seven. I was inspired by the INSIDE game's drowning chapter and Stanley and Stanford's secret boat hide-out on the beach from Gravity Falls. Which is why I have selected Mono, Seven, and all their future friends to a lovely and sunny (future) beach house, far away from everything they've suffered. And living near the largest body of water on the planet with a kid with hydrokinesis? ...Certainly has its perks!

But Seven gaining powers is important to not only their survival but also him. He was still nervous about Mono. He knew Mono was very powerful and mysterious. In more ways than one. Mono is stronger than him and can also use telekinesis on objects on the beach. He's a better food hunter and seems more like a leader. Seven also likes to lead, but he felt outshined by Mono. (I don't portray that well in my comic) Seven is weaker and defenseless. His only shining quality in comparison is his ability to swim, but even that can only get him so far. He risks his life for his Nome friends and loses his life doing so. Or so he thought. By a miracle, his powers over water awaken. He drains the monster of its water, beaching it. He walks to Mono in a new light. It's a new him. He holds up his hands as if to say "See? I'm like you now." He's leveled the playing field. (It also helps that he now has jurisdiction over power Mono cannot interact with) Now they are truly equal. Two kings; one of land, one of sea, both ruling the island in equal standing. Seven will never again feel like a burden left behind. (Seven's powers activating also has something to do with the fact he bit the Octopus creature to save the Nome. Mono and Six both consume their powerful prophesized enemies to gain some of their power, if they didn't already have some before. Seven biting into the Octopus's flesh and unknowingly consuming some of it may have jumpstarted his power deep within him, on top of him encountering Mono; supernatural kid extraordinaire that brought him through a tower wormhole to escape the city)

~~~

A threequel is planned, and maybe the last addition to this series, but the next one is not fully fleshed out yet so it may be another year until I can really touch upon it yet. Otherwise, hope you guys enjoyed!

#little nightmares #little nightmares 2 #channel change #channel change au #LN #LN AU #LN mono #LN seven #the runaway kid #mono #seven #comic #long post

[somnambulic-thing]

I want to talk about something in regards to Flight of Icarus.

disclaimer: I fully read the book, slept two nights over it and enjoyed it a lot. There is a possibility of finding content on my blog from now on that contains lore from the story. My Eddie characterisations won't change much in their essence though since I pretty much head cannoned him like he's pictured in the book the whole time.

Okay. Let's go. No detailed spoilers ahead. Feeling jealous in the light of the romantic arch in the book or the mentiones of Eddie's experiences with intimacy is okay.

It's not a great experience I bet, but you're not being a bad or silly person simply for feeling that way. Many of us have built a deep emotional connection to this fictional character for all kinds of reasons. While I personally don't think that the fact that the book is coming from the creators of ST makes a difference to canon, I do understand that for some people the book has a different weight than fanfic. And that is ok too.

So right now, many people can't help but feel heartache or jealousy over the story. Emotions are not rational. And I am deeply sorry that some of you feel bad about something that used to be your escape and save space. That sucks.

However, we all have control over how we act upon those feelings. And being hateful or mean towards others (including the author) ain't it. No exceptions. I don't care for your personal reasons why you feel that way, I'm not your therapist, that is your business to deal with, but lashing out about your personal, very subjective feelings is just not the way to deal with them.

Slipping up can happen to everybody, and that is human, but there is a line when a slip-up stops being that. And accept the fact that nobody owes you to listen to your opinion. Accept that people might find your opinion a reason to stop interacting with you, even if you voice it in a civil way.

Find a friend who gets it and let out all of those feelings in a closed safe-space with curse words and shit. Get it out, cleanse yourself from that pressure. That's cool. Writing a fix-it fic that will get your emotions out? Ask an author who is comfortable with that to write something like that? Cool. Journal. Skip rocks. Work out. Angry clean your house. Throw darts at a copy of the book. Get creative without getting other real people into the crossfire. And then, maybe step away for a few days to let the dust settle and then come back and see how it feels. Oftentimes it's just like poking at a wasp's nest to keep leaning into those feelings and the pain and get all heated up again and again.

Give yourself some time. Be kind to yourself. But also be kind to others!!!

I believe with my whole being that kindness is the best fucking thing we as a fandom can practice right now. And nuance. Always nuance.

That book isn't a bad thing just because it makes you feel uncomfortable or because it didn't fulfil your wishes or expectations. You have the right to have your opinion but opinions do not exist in a vacuum.

Opinions can be hurtful and harmful.

They are not neutral - that's the whole point - so giving it a few moments of thought on how and where to voice them is imperative. Or if it's even necessary to voice them at all. It's ok to fuck up but own that and say sorry. Be kind.

Criticism of the book is valid, not liking the thing is valid, it's not about that. (Fucking hell I love discourse and meta and analysis.) It's about being mindful and responsible for what energy you put out into the world and how you treat real human beings. When in doubt, step back, give it time to cool. Making posts in the heat of anger is rarely a good decision.

We're all here to have a good time. Why do we keep tearing each other down about something we all claim to love?

It's not worth it.

#flight of icarus #somna talks

[blues-valentine]

It’s annoying seeing ppl act like everything ben has to offer aaa throwing insults at Devi and take out of context their entire dynamic and want to paint him as bully.

I think there’s legitimate reasons to find Ben unlikable but one of my biggest pet peeves upon interacting in this circle is the fake concern and refusal to acknowledge Ben and Devi’s dynamic for what it is and that NHIE is a comedy show and approaches scenes that way.

Ben and Devi’s entire dynamic was based on mutual rivalry. A big portion of this fandom wants to pretend Devi was a victim of Ben’s insults and their dynamic was one-sided, like she wasn’t giving exactly what she was receiving from him. They both go after each other. Their dynamic was born out of mutual "hate" and later turned into insults neither of them cares about. The point about Ben and Devi's comedic dynamic is that we as an audience should know that none of those insults are actually serious. Ben and Devi don't care.

But there's a side that wants to rally and be "morally superior".

Ben calling Devi UN did impact her and it was an awful thing to do and you can hate it while admitting that is a term that has not value anymore and both have moved on. Part of this fandom loves to take Ben's lines at face value but never mention that N*zi comment Devi threw at him (you dont care about Jewish people, get it). It's never been that deep once they found themselves in a genuine friendship.

You can hate his insensible comments from Season 1, and don’t ship him with Devi because that's valid. It's the refusal to acknowledge there’s a significant difference in his banter/insults with Devi since becoming friends. He really cares about her and would stop if she was uncomfortable (and she isn't). And, while I get why some people don't like the “David” – it has never been that deep on the show. Devi does not care. And that's a nickname Jaren uses for Maitreyi in real life too, might you. After 12 years, if Devi had wanted him to stop, she would’ve told him off but she doesn't care and it has turned into a term of endearment and familiarity, not a "degrading" nickname. Both Devi and Ben are mean towards each other in a comfortable space and would put boundaries if needed. You can absolutely agree that Ben is too brash and a condescending, privileged snub that has a lot to learn but it's not irredeemable. I like the fact he can be unlikable. I don’t consume media expecting flawless characters.

I feel like people came up with this whole “Ben entire persona is insulting Devi” because fan wars have become this thing where you need to make the other side the “enemy” to feel like you are in the “better” side. You don't have to like them but painting their dynamic as if he was Devi's bully is a bit wild. Ben has done incredible things for her and there’s a mutual friendship. They do seek each other out when the other needs them. He knows her like no one else does and it's always there to push her to be the best version both academically and with her loved ones. They are compatible because they are both driven and share the same humor. Devi likes that dynamic with Ben. She doesn’t feel dumb down by him but challenged. Both have grown and their banter has become more friendly because now they know neither of them are serious. You can hate it, don’t enjoy it but it’s the lies about their dynamic that feels like nitpicking and if I didn't watch the show and it's context I would think he is awful too.

And Ben is literally head over heels for that girl. He thinks she’s perfect and she knows it. Devi is not longer the poor insecure girl some want her to be. Let them insult each other as part of their kinky full hatred flirting ways and move on. It’s never been that serious. I think there’s other ships that deserve that energy instead.

#but that's just me #sometimes this is the dynamic for rivals to lovers #the theme of the show is not that serious either #never have i ever #nhie season 4 #nhie s4 #ben gross #devi vishwakumar #devi x ben #asks

[northern-passage]

honestly same...I also only stick to reading the same ifs I've been reading since like 2 years ago + as a disabled lgbt person this community has gotten to toxic to interact wth tbh

hmmm putting this under a read more but here's some ramblings about my personal experience as well as some advice if anyone wants it

before i started writing tnp, when i was just a reader, it was very easy to curate my space and avoid a lot of the nastier people (especially back when the forums were the main space for people to talk about IF. i didn't go on the forums at all) and i was very much outside of the fandom and followed only like one artist whose recommendations i started off with before finding more stuff on my own.

once i became an author though it is impossible to avoid certain groups of people and it's really hard to hold on to that comfortable space. over the last like 3 years now my audience has definitely changed and dwindled a lot due to my.... Big personality but before that i had to endure a lot of harassment, people stalking me, people harassing my friends just for being my friend, almost constant transphobia and racism, and even now i still have people that seem to just camp in my inbox waiting for any opportunity to try and hurt me/get a reaction out of me.

i've been pretty open about all of this stuff happening too which most people also don't like, though that seems to be pretty standard across any fandom when you try to talk about how bad they are. i'm never really surprised when other authors delete without any warning or they just slowly stop posting and never come back. it's definitely something i've wanted to do more than once and still think about sometimes. even now after finally seeming to find my "niche" and a more understanding audience, it's really hard and i struggle with finding inspiration and motivation because of how people have treated me.

unfortunately i think it's always been this way, it's the nature of sharing work online and especially with IF feeling so "collaborative" people really feel entitled to it. and i also see readers facing this same kind of harassment, too, so it's definitely not just an author problem.

my advice is to just block and ignore people as best you can and just stay in your own little bubble with your friends or at least people that you trust. if you're an author going through any of the things i mentioned then just know there are a lot of other authors that have had to go through it, too, and that you should also just block and ignore to the best of your ability. just because you're an author doesn't mean you have to tolerate it. i used to respond to a lot of messages which is why i feel that a lot of my harassment lasted for so long, because they thought it was "funny" to upset me, but the more you respond and give them attention the more they'll keep doing it. so just block anons and move on (i know i make it sound so simple. trust me i used to be really bad about it, now i try to take at least a day or two before responding and usually by that time i realize how stupid it is and i just delete it without any fanfare)

at the end of the day though it's your decision, and your well-being comes first before anything else. i say this to both authors and readers, there's no reason to force yourself to stay in a place that makes you uncomfortable or is triggering. sometimes it's better to just let go and move on, though i know that's easier said than done. i'm a prime example as someone who still logs into tumblr daily despite trying really hard not to do that.

and i'm not saying to give up on your work, but rather that writing privately is always an option, and it's what i've been doing now with my other projects ever since i took siren's call down. i know the desire for outside validation can be overwhelming but i think it's important to remember that you should be writing this for yourself first and that there's no harm in keeping your work private until you're ready. tumblr is fun but there's also a lot of problems that can be difficult to deal with while you're also trying to keep motivation and creativity up to write your story, and it can be really discouraging.

like i said, your first priority should be yourself, and if you have to step back away from tumblr/fandom then you should & you shouldn't feel guilty about it.

all of that to say that there are nice people out there, too, i've made really good friends here and i really value their friendship and their understanding, especially when i was going through the worst of it. and there are a lot of readers who have been very kind to me and that have sent me very nice messages and drawn lovely art over the years and i always try to focus on that over everything else.

it can be really easy to get overwhelmed by all the negativity and hostility which is why it's so important to find your people and be supportive of each other.

#obviously negative discussion under the break #i might delete this later #the only thing i dont really have any advice for is the stalking. im still dealing with fallout from that #and i don't know if it's something that i'll ever be able to get over or really feel closure about #ask #anonymous

[aydaptic]

Sorry if you've already answered this before but I'm new to the fandom and I found your account through your web-comic and I was wondering what is it about Gavin that you like so much? Why is he one of your favourite characters in dbh? (I've noticed that he isn't much of a fan-favourite in this fandom 😔)

This'll be a long post, but you asked (...and I'll happily answer!) I'll add some descriptions for context. At the top of my head, I can think of 21 reasons why I like his canon equivalent.

1. He's charismatic

Gav gives off an energy that makes it easy to hang onto his every word. I can quote all his lines by heart and I like listening to Neil Newbon (in this specific role) talk. I remember some of Kamski's lines as well -- also mo-capped/voice acted by Newbon -- but Kamski doesn't have nearly as much charisma as Gav does.

2. He's expressive

Ppl who 'talk with their hands' are more charismatic. Gav is all over the place in the break room if you stick around. Hand gestures capture people's attention as they emphasize what is being said.

3. He doesn't think androids are alive (...so in his eyes, the way he treats them isn't wrong)

"Could always try roughin' it up a little. After all... it's not human." - Gavin Reed, The Interrogation

That means he wouldn't rough up a human suspect. This alone justifies his unpleasant attitude towards androids. Hank -- who treated Connor way worse than Gav ever did -- changed his mind. Nothing says Gav can't do the same.

If Alexa suddenly said she was alive, the vast majority wouldn't take it seriously (if any at all.)

4. He's sarcastic

"Congratulations on last night, very impressive." - Gavin Reed, Waiting For Hank...

5. He has dark humor

6. He looks down on people that pay for s*x

Quote above. You don't call someone a "pervert" if you agree with their actions. The Eden Club, in particular, is immoral AF... bc those androids don't have a choice. Gav doesn't care about them being androids, but he still looks down on the guy who paid money to get laid, and I applaud Gav for that. Especially when said guy also had a wife and kids.

7. He has valid concerns about androids taking jobs

Anyone who says differently is either in denial, uninformed, or never had a job they were scared to get fired from. There's already been an uproar about ChatGPT and that's nothing compared to how advanced Detroit: Become Human androids are. The unemployment rate in this game is 37% -- higher than it was during the Great Depression and C*VID -- and androids are the main cause.

I've seen a lot of ppl ask this question:

Q: Why not just buy an android and have them do your job for you, then? You get the money anyway bc it's your android!

A: Bc, believe it or not, the vast majority of men want to work. This is a strange concept to grasp for a lot of ppl. I admire Gav for being one of those men who wants to do it themselves. Letting someone else do your job is taking the easy way out.

8. He's a hard worker

Gallery: "...Ruthlessly ambitious, Reed will do anything to advance his career, even if it means treading on other peoples’ toes."

9. He's ambitious

See the quote above.

10. He doesn't sleep well

This isn't just a headcanon. He has literal bags under his eyes. Just knowing he doesn't sleep well already has me asking, "why?" It's interesting.

11. He puts his feet on the table

After Connor interacts with him in the break room, Gav will go to his desk and do this. I'll go into detail about why this contributes to my liking his character in the very last point.

12. He calls Hank out on his alcoholism

As much as most of us love Hank, he's not in a good space mentally. Showing up drunk/hungover to work should not be tolerated. It not only puts coworkers, but also civilians, at risk. Hank should be in therapy instead of working at the DPD until he gets his life sorted out.

13. He calls Fowler out for giving Hank special treatment

"You won't get away with it this time." - Gavin Reed, The Interrogation (after Hank pulls a literal gun on a human coworker AKA Gav)

So Gav has brought it up to Fowler before and is about to do it again. Ties into the point above. What Hank does -- like assaulting a literal FBI agent -- shouldn't be tolerated.

14. He's a control freak

I gravitate towards ppl and characters who take charge. Those who like being in control and know what they're doing. I'm a control freak myself, but I'd prefer to let someone else take the reins as long as I agree with their methods. I like it when ppl know what they want and act on it. Gav does both.

15. He's protective of his coworkers

I was unsure whether or not to add this as I guess it can be seen as a subjective theory and not an objective fact.

Gav only ever steps in with the gun in The Interrogation when Con uses aggressive force on Chris Miller by tearing him away from the deviant. Con did this after disobeying Gav 3 times. So yeah. Gav is justified for stepping in. Hank, on the other hand, isn't justified for pulling a gun on a human coworker. I see this scene as Gav protecting Chris from Con who is showing signs of deviancy.

16. He can't wink

Endearing.

17. He pouts a lot

Again, endearing.

18. He swears like a sneezing kitten

Same as the two points above.

19. He doesn't like Connor

I don't like Con, either. Yeah. We exist. Personality types like Con's "let's be friends" attitude and constant positivity pisses me off. Before anyone comments that the player decides Con's personality... no. Only to an extent. There are several instances where the player has no say whatsoever. Some of Con's pre-determined responses annoy me.

20. He has great fashion

Big fan of leather jackets.

21. I like him bc I'm a narcissist at times

He's essentially the male equivalent of me to the T. I'm only an asshole internally, though. We love (or hate) characters we relate to. I relate to every single point except 17 and 18 on this list.

There you go :)

His OOC fanon equivalent has a huge fanbase -- especially on Twitter/X and Tumblr turning him into a blushing teenage girl -- but it seems like I'm the only person who can't stand that OOC portrayal of him. That said, I adore his canon equivalent in all his asshole glory.

#dbh #gavin reed #detroit: become human #dbh gavin #long post #Q&A #anonymous #*aydaptic

[olderthannetfic]

Something I find really grating is people who self-identify as fandom olds who think it's gross of these damn kids these days to like and admit to liking interaction with their fanwork. "Back in my day I read fic in a .txt file with no ability to comment at all and we all liked it that way!" Okay but my mom wrote Star Trek zine fic and people would respond and pass on comments to the zine distributors about things that other fans wrote, drew, etc. It wasn't a moment of great shame where they awkwardly admitted yeah, they are guilty of the uncool sin of liking a thing someone else created. It was a "I love this and I want you to know I love it!" that was not done with a disclaimer going "not that I need human interaction, I'm a super cool lone wolf who needs no one!" and was received happily by fandom creators, who did not then cringe and go, "I'm sorry I like feedback, that's super gross of me, I know I should be against social interaction like the cool kids". Before fan zines, people were still writing fan letters to creators of things they liked. Before I knew what fanfic was, I still doodled fan comics when I was eight and liked it when my friends read it and said they liked it. Before fan letters, people still had fans of their work. Shakespeare spoke with fans. It's not a new, rare, sick thing to enjoy creating something and enjoy people commenting on what you've made.

"You're trying to turn fanfic into social media!!!1!" is always the strawman this gets met with, but... no. Before social media was a concept, before the oldest fandom old's grandpa was born, people were still sharing things with others and enjoying getting a response. People have not, traditionally, created in the hopes of never having to put up with something as awful as someone saying "I loved this!" about their creation. Either my entire Art of World Civilization class last semester was wrong or in fact humans have traditionally been totally fine with people reacting to what they create and in fact sharing things with the intent no one speak to you about it is a very foreign, unusual thing, not a new-fangled trend of the icky teens. Creating things for the joy of it and not hiding it away lest someone make a comment was the way things were done for thousands of years. That's how folk art works.

Maybe some people really long for the days of downloading things as a .txt file and not seeing hits, kudos or (worst of all) comments. But the idea that liking comments or liking replying to comments means you're part of the problem in fandom baffles me. Why would I dislike it when someone says, "I really like this line!" and why would not replying be better? I get it, I'm Gen Z, I'm a special snowflake, I'm desperate for attention, etc., but so are most generations before mine. Art galleries in pre-Revolutionary Paris didn't exist because of us darn kids and our need for validation. They existed because liking feedback is pretty natural. And not wanting to see feedback is natural, too - that's why I know so many adults who have never shared anything they've written - but it's not the only "correct" opinion out there.

It's weird that in an era of death threats, rape threats, suicide bait, racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, transphobia and queerphobia in fandom all being discussed, instead of going, "Harassment is bad" a good chunk of people went, "Interaction is bad and liking it is bad, too."

Fandom as a solitary endeavor doesn't make sense to me. When did we go from "fans interacting is fine" to "oh gross, fucking kids and their attempts to turn AO3 into social media"?

I see people like the anon who proposed the "win" solution of not even being able to leave kudos on a work on AO3, shutting down all features that might risk a word being spoken to another person, and I just don't get it. I don't get why that would be a good thing. I get that if you speak to others you risk a negative interaction, so some people don't want to do it. Wanting existing spaces to rip out any and all features in place that allow communication, I don't get. I genuinely do not see what is wrong about interacting with someone about something you wrote, or about something someone else wrote.

It's honestly kind of depressing to me to imagine not being able to gush and write a super long comment to an author about how much I like their work. I love picking out individual lines I loved and pieces of prose that painted a picture for me. I enjoy quoting bits and explaining how that worked even better for me on a reread than it did the first time now that it's in full context. I like telling authors how a scene made me bite my lip because I was worried and tense because I was so invested in their writing. And no author, not one, has ever turned to me and gone, "Ugh, you Gen Z and your comments! Whatever happened to the good old days?"

I see the "don't speak, want to be spoken to or respond" attitude on DW and on tumblr from people who self-identify as fandom olds and I'm sorry to get all Gen Z psychoanalytical on you, but all I think to myself when I read that is, "Who hurt you?", because that's the only reason I can imagine someone viewing people interacting with others as bad. It reads as a trauma thing.

--

Really? That's a "fandom Old" thing now? I thought most people were still hung up on how community was so much better on LJ or whatever.

[averageuser2018]

*Sighs* this is probably the last I'm going to address this since I don't want my blog to turn into an anti page, but here we go.

For those who don't ship Namor and Shuri, that's fine since I can understand why people don't ship them. What isn't fine is purposely infiltrating tags instead of using the anti tags, antagonizing others, and then running back and painting Nashuri shippers as bullies.

Like I said in a previous post, just because a paring may not be sensible or realistic in the source material doesn't mean that people can't have their own interpretations. The best way to resolve this is by simply blocking these tags since simply arguing with shippers isn't going to solve anything.

I also like to point out that most of the antis I've seen are shuriri shippers. As a ship, I'm pretty neutral when it comes to this paring, I may not ship it personally, but I also have nothing against it. I also noticed the lack of content for this ship because:

1. They've barely interacted in the film.

2. Not many fans make content for Shuriri.

Maybe instead of putting energy into hating a (non canon) ship, it's best to make content for a ship you actually like.

There's also some generalizations or assumptions when it comes to nashuri shippers. I don't know who thought this, but we're not all white or are reylo shippers, lol. Nor are we automatically anti black.

The only valid arguments I can understand is how some fans feel the need to defend Namor by blame shifting onto other characters. Nakia killing a servant was only to protect Shuri. She knew nothing about Talakons and whether or not they were dangerous, so she reacted not only to protect Shuri, but what we can presume was also out of fear.

Queen Romanda just wanted her daughter back, she even tried to get Shuri back by speaking to Namor himself, yet he refused. Queen Romanda did make the decision to sacrifice herself, but I don't think that should be downplayed when Namor is the one who put the people of Wakanda in that situation. You can like a character and simultaneously acknowledge their faults. Namor isn't real and he doesn't need fans to defend him.

I may be getting a little off topic, but the point I'm trying to make is, just because you dislike something doesn't mean that everyone else should or is going to hate it. That's just how fandom spaces are in general. There are plenty of ships I dislike but I don't go out of my way to villainize or antagonize their shippers.

#nashuri #shuri x namor #namor x shuri #seaprincess #shuramor #namuri

[rollercoasterwords]

why are you invalidating people’s real concerns in this fandom? you’re naive if you think that “the fandom” doesn’t have opinions they all agree with that become popular. sure people have their own opinions, but honestly that’s very rare and not seen. you and i both could list popular headcanons in the fandom that people mostly take as canon. remus and sirius have turned into a straight couple, especially with the headcanon that sirius is now a girl. as a woman myself i love sirius as a girl but i hate how the fandom treats feminine sirius. sirius doesn’t have any depth anymore besides being remus’ love interest and sirius is always in the wrong and sirius is always the bad guy - just like society always blames women for everything and men always get a pass. literally look at the fanart. remus’ disabilities have been completely erased. remus is drawn as this huge super manly guy towering over little dainty feminine sirius. in fanfics remus is verbally abusive to sirius bc oh he’s a man and has anger issues. remus is a slut who everyone was in love with but eventually settles down with sirius. these are all stereotypes. idk why you’re trying to tell people this isn’t a thing in the fandom when it literally is.

assuming this is about the two anons i responded to two days ago, one of which was saying they did not like my particular characterization of r+s in a fic and asking me to rewrite it and the other of which was responding to it. both of my responses were focused around saying that my characterization didn't even fit the dynamic being complained about and saying the terms in which that complaint was being stated were odd in the first place (assuming one character being shorter than another automatically makes them feminine, calling a gay relationship heteronormative, asking to making a non-canon-compliant fic more canon compliant, etc). if someone has a real concern with my specific fic that is not premised in gender essentialism then i have yet to hear it; otherwise, i'm not sure how you want me to "validate" that concern unless you are also asking me to rewrite my fic. in which case, the answer is still no lol

and i genuinely do not think "the fandom" is monolith in which everyone agrees on everything; calling me naive is not going to change my mind. i agree that there are popular hcs, sure, but even those are not monolithic in their application and can be filtered and avoided--i know this because there are many popular hcs that i filter and avoid to the point that they are virtually nonexistent in my fandom space. i suggest others do the same with hcs they dislike because i genuinely think that's the best way to approach fandom: curate your space for your own peace of mind.

your experiences with fandom are not singular and are not representative of everyone's. from where i'm sitting, writing sirius as a girl is not a super popular hc--i've seen the hc from time to time, but overwhelmingly i've seen it in the context of r/s femslash, not people writing them as a straight couple. and even then, i still mostly see r/s written as gay men in the vast majority of fics i read and like...posts the people i follow make on tumblr.com. i don't use other platforms to interact w marauders content nor do i stray outside my small circle of mutuals' posts, so if this is some mega-popular hc elsewhere i am simply unaware. from the actual fics posted on ao3, though, gay r/s still seems to be dominating the wolfstar fandom. and to then say that sirius has no personality past being a love interest and always being blamed for everything--again, this is genuinely not something i see. i have never read a fic where sirius is a one dimensional love interest or where it's just sirius-bashing; i'm sure they exist out there somewhere, but i have not found them to make up a majority. maybe i've gotten lucky and miraculously managed to avoid the numerous fanfics where sirius is this caricature you're describing, but personally i think it's more likely that this is an extreme representation of the way people write the character. if you'd like to send me some of the many fics where this is happening to illustrate what you mean, though, feel free.

remus's canonical disability is lycanthropy. that has not been erased in any of the fics i've read that are set in the magical universe. in every non-magical au i've read, he has been written as a disabled character as well. there are plenty of people in this fandom who are not erasing disability as an aspect of his character. if you're not able to find those fics i would be happy to recommend some, and i'm sure others would as well.

i have not seen the fanart you're referring to where remus is drawn as a super manly guy towering over dainty feminine sirius. i'm sure it exists out there, but most of the fanart i personally see doesn't portray them that way--it is definitely not the only way these characters are drawn.

none of the fanfics i've read have had anything that i would characterize as verbal abuse between remus and sirius. nor have they had remus as "a slut," (not crazy about your tone here, tbh) though he is sexually active in some fics i've read with people other than sirius. personally i don't mind characterizations where the two have had or do have sex with other people before getting together. in fact, i prefer it to fics where they only ever sleep with each other, as it more accurately reflects my own experiences w the world (ie, most people are not virgins until "settling down" with one person etc).

all of the things you're describing here can be stereotypes, sure. but i personally have not seen an overwhelming number of fics characterizing r + s this way. i'm not saying it doesn't exist; i'm saying that i have curated my own space to avoid any such one-dimensional portrayals and encouraging others to do the same, because there are tons of people who are not writing the characters this way. "the fandom" is not a monolith, and if you feel like there are certain hcs that are super popular it's possible you've become stuck in a feedback loop where you're seeing them over and over again when in other parts of the fandom they are virtually nonexistent (case in point: i was blissfully unaware of all of this discourse until i started getting these asks). personally, i find it more useful to just block and unfollow people who are posting stuff i don't like, because i don't really see a way to try and police what people are or aren't allowed to write about when it comes to gender in fanfic that doesn't eventually devolve back into gender essentialism. if the concern is that you're noticing what appears to be a certain standard of femininity or masculinity elevated over others, then i personally find it more helpful to have conversations breaking down gender roles + gender essentialism more broadly (as opposed to sending people anonymous messages about how everyone is writing sirius too feminine and remus too masculine), which is something i already do pretty frequently on my blog.

this is the only ask about this whole discourse i'm going to answer; any complaints that "the fandom" as a whole is doing something are not something i'm interested in entertaining because the fandom isn't a monolith and 90% of the time the complaint in question is not even something i'm seeing based on how i've curated my space. i really don't know what to tell you beyond that--if there are things bothering you about what you're seeing in your fandom spaces, coming into my askbox is not going to fix it and will most likely just end with me blocking you, because i have better things to do with my time than deal with other people's discourse.

#ask

[itsclydebitches]

Has it ever been mentioned if Tai and Summer we actually romantically involved? Maybe it's just me but the scene where they talk didnt feel like a married couples and more like really good friends. It would be interesting if Tai isnt actually ruby's father and him and summer decided to just co-parent ruby and yang to give them a normal family life. I just feel icky that tai ran to summer as soon as raven left.

Obviously it's entirely personal what does or does not feel "icky" to you, though it if helps, I frequently remind myself that RWBY has nonexistent timelines. Like, by the writers own admission none of this has been thought out. So if you get into the nitty-gritty and start asking questions like, "How long was Raven gone before Tai became romantically involved with Summer?" yeah, you might run into some timing snags that impact our overall view of the relationships. However, that's not because the writers wanted to engage with that kind of complicated dynamic, but simply because they throw out plot-points and ages without ever thinking through with how those two things intersect. I feel similarly regarding the "Yang raised Ruby" fanon (which is fanon and I find it frustrating that much of Volume 9's sisterly interactions, like Yang standing in front of Blake, have been squeezed through this largely unsupported lens of, "Well, Yang is basically Ruby's second mom so that's why this moment is wholesome and not a super weird animation choice) which doesn't hold up upon scrutiny, at least not without a lot of assumptions. If you start thinking about when Raven left, when Summer left, Ruby and Yang's ages, when they were both born, the adventure into the woods, them starting their training young enough to get into Signal, who was supposedly around when, what's a literal fact and what's just someone's emotional interpretation of events... any simple timeline falls apart. There are simply too many contradictions and vague claims to map out a coherent, canonical timeline. We can assume and headcanon many options, but they remain just that: assumptions and headcanons.

BUT that means there's plenty of space for your interpretation, anon. For me personally, I don't think RWBY is ever going to reveal that Tai isn't Ruby's dad and I read the not-very-romantic-y interaction between him and Summer as simply indicative of RWBY's overall approach to romance. After all, Blake and Yang have been in love for several Volumes now, but up until the big kiss all they did was hold hands. However, what RWBY puts on screen is what they've put on screen, which means it's perfectly valid to watch something that looks fairly platonic and extrapolate from there. One of the things the RWBY fandom needs to get better about is allowing the prevalence of fanon to produce outright anger over other ideas. Fans harass others for arguing that it's unlikely Yang actually raised Ruby, or theorizing that Qrow might be Ruby's dad, or writing fics where Blake and Yang are in different relationships. There's such a focus on maintaining the One True Fanon that it obliterates the very purpose of fanworks. We're meant to be transforming the canon in ways that please us and, if we're up to sharing it, pleasing an audience of like-minded folks too. Why would you want to adhere to just one standard telling? That's boring. That's just canon 2.0. You might as well watch RWBY, watch one other version of it (like Ice Queendom) and call it a day if you're not willing to allow a wide variety of creative content to exist. You don't have to engage with it, no one says it has to be your personal cup of tea, but leave fans who want to play with the fictional dolls their way alone. The internet is a big place and the block button doesn't have a limit.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

[eisforeidolon]

I don't think it's at all surprising that of all the factions in this fandom, it's the hellers who have such a repeated problem with intensely cult-y subgroups.

In my experience, all of the groups have their own weird, ugly corners. I think the pull of desperation to belong and fit in (especially for people who already feel lonely or vulnerable) is easy to underestimate. So yeah, there's a certain amount of petty bullshit us vs. them infighting to be expected in a space filled with different groups who ostensibly like the same thing - but only really value entirely different aspects of it. However. For most people, there will be obvious lines that are too far. Especially when we're talking about an online group where you can never be forcibly isolated from others the same way you could be by a cult IRL. Full on blatant outright lies, bigoted attacks, doxing, telling people to die, etc.

So why do those lines get crossed anyway, especially by organized groups of bullies in fandoms? I think there are plenty of other factors having to do with our impulses as humans when it comes to group behavior - because hellers aren't exactly unique for this shit? But I suspect in hellers' case particularly, their fandom enjoyment being based entirely in a delusional shared reality about the show plays a not inconsiderable part.

Like, you can't be a heller to start with unless you're willing to take the opinions and theories of internet randos as more valid about the show than TPTB (and the show itself). So the entire group as a whole has been self-selected for people who are looking for others to tell them what they want to hear over reality and common sense. They need leaders to follow and they need to believe those people have super special insight and authority which will ultimately prove them all right about the ship. If those leaders can be wrong about one thing (how to interact appropriately online), what else might they be wrong about (like the ship being totes canon/the most important lurve story evar)? And that? That is untenable to their whole identity in fandom as hellers crusaders for Very Important Representation! So of course they ignore not only how shitty the kinds of people who will happily jump into those roles of pseudo-authority are towards outsiders (who deserve it for ignoring The Truth™ about D/C), but even how shitty they will be to group members who don't toe the line or they take a random dislike to (who must also surely deserve it).

At least until suddenly it's them who are being shit on. For some, that can be a genuine wakeup call to how absurd and ugly the whole thing is. But it isn't a surprise when others just continue being self-deluding assholes because they're only upset the group turned on them this time. This particular leader was just the wrong guru! They're still ready and willing to believe and do whatever they need to for The Cause™.

#destihellers #fandom issues #faux social justice

[aemiron-main]

i think what's so funny about the bi Mike narrative is that you flat out have to ignore canon scenes. "boys only"? doesn't mean anything, only Will's "a day free of girls" means something. Mike and El's severe family coding going back all the way to s1 where they explicitly discuss being cousins and siblings? doesn't mean anything either, that's just there for fun, their romance should be taken completely serious and not be uncomfortable at all. Mike seemingly realizing he doesn't want to be with El/wants to be with Will when she kisses him in s3? coincidence, it's not because he realizes he doesn't like El, it just happens to happen while a girl is kissing him. Mike resorting to a disprovable lie about love at first sight during his monologue instead of stating the real moment he realized he liked her? completely random🤭

if your interpretation of canon is that solid then why are you avoiding certain scenes? and the few people i've seen tackle them always need to go on their tangent of how "it's not like that" or you're "reading too much into it". so obviously El saying she could be Mike's sister doesn't mean anything and is just random filler dialogue, it's not supposed to make you feel any particular way. Mike having a similar girls excluding line to Will is only gaycoding for Will, Mike is just being silly and goofy duh, it's not that serious, and so on

it's fine to have whatever hc or interpretation but it's weird to me when ppl straight up say it's just as valid as the interpretation that's actually applicable to all of the show. the narrative that there is a good argument for bi Mike to be made and that ppl just don't post it anymore because the gay Mike truthers (who only hang out on their blogs) are so mean is hilarious when i know i've seen every bi Mike take last year and wasn't convinced by any of them. if there is such a good argument for bi Mike then why don't i see more posts? bc despite the current victim complex, gay Mike was the original pariah in the fandom until people had the guts to start posting analysis. the fact that half the people on here now subscribe to gay Mike despite that interpretation only not getting you screamed at since a few months ago does say a lot about how convincing both interpretations are. because just maybe, the fact that there's more gay Mike believers than bi Mike believers (don't even know if that's accurate i don't know the tag anymore, but it's what the bi interpretators are saying) is because people see it as more plausible, and not bc they haven't had the pleasure to see a bi Mike post yet

seriously, just your gay Mike takes alone go way back and were pretty unusual at the time. and it speaks volumes to me that most serious anaylzers and theorizers subscribe to gay Mike exclusively, while the blogs that post more for fun and provide regular character and ship content and interact more with the tag and "community" on here like bi Mike. it's almost like... bi Mike is more fun as a hc but narratively inferior to gay Mike, which is why all the serious show analyzers are so adamant and passionate about it

ANON YOU WENT OFF WITH THIS!!!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 ABSOLUTE FACTS 10000000% REAL LIKE I HAVE NO NOTES IM JUST CLAPPING AND CHEERING AND NODDING MY HEAD WHILE I TYPE THIS!!!!!!!! That’s SO true about how the more serious analysis blogs tend to be gay mike truthers whereas the more for fun/posting solely hc stuff blogs tend to veer towards bi mike. And with that said, I think there’s also an element of that dynamic that’s tied to how that solely fic/hc section of byler tumblr tends to get fairly weird about The Actual Show sometimes (such as a bunch of them being appalled that people would bother to try and analyze henry) & try to stay in this weird “all headcanons are textually valid” space (even though thats not possible) because that whole group is so eager to jump at the throats of anyone who makes a minor misstep. Like this does NOT go for *everyone* who is just having fun/posting ship stuff, many of those folks r wonderful, im talking abt a particular group of popular/vocal folks in that circle, and there’s definitely a dynamic at play of “smh someone CRITICIZED another TAKE from SOMEONE ELSE, they are SOOOO rude smhhhhh everything is canon and valid” which makes people not want to step out of line/not want to have actual firm opinions on things.

But god uh my little tangent aside, this is so real and well-put, anon. Like you said, if there’s so much evidence for bi mike, then why arent people posting it instead of posting posts whining about how somebody said that there’s no evidence for bi mike? Like. Post your evidence then. Do it. I still laugh about one big prominent bi mike blog that posted awhile back about how they COULD disprove all the gay mike analysis but they WONT. and it’s like. girl. we know that you won’t because you CAN’T. If you could, you WOULD. And oh my god people acting like the familial parallels are just random filler dialogue makes me INSANE and what makes me more insane is when people (specifically the fucking idiots on twitter) act like pointing out the obvious mileven familial parallels is weird on MY part. As if IM THE ONE THAT PUT THEM THERE?? AS IF IM CONDONING INCEST?? LIKE GO TALK TO THE DUFFERS THEY PUT THEN IN THERE NOT ME!!!

And god yeah you just. You said it ALL, anon, like this is perfect, like people can have hcs or whatever i dont care but dont act like theyre equally textually supported. Because theyre not. And pointing out what is/isnt canon in the show isn’t biphobia, as much as God’s Whiniest Soldiers would like to believe it is. Gay mike ws absolutely the pariah before, and it’s SO funny to see bi mike truthers acting like anyone who disagrees with them is a Big Bad Mean Person who is Exploding Bi Mike Truthers With A Biphobia Laser. I have asked 163748596969696 times for someone to give me bi mike evidence that doesn’t heavily rely on outright ignoring the existence of other scenes in the show. And nobody’s been able to do it. Because mike is gay & the show is written with gay mike in mind. And god yeah the whole me getting screamed at over it thing is so funny in retrospect because people were literally mad at me for “disturbing the peace” as if this is fucking hobbiton and i’m gandalf after dragging bilbo baggins off to the lonely mountain & being labelled a disturber of the peace for it. like oh nooo ive got my gay little hands all over your peace. So what. Block me. Kill me if you can. Just do SOMETHING other that whining in my inbox like youre a 50 year old home owners association leader who got a noise complaint because i sneezed too loudly. (and when i say you, i dont mean You, anon, i mean the collective whining bi mike group who haunts my inbox).

It makes me insane. Every day. To see people willfully ignoring evidence that disagrees with them & trying to shoehorn evidence into working just for them to bring out the flimsiest analysis youve ever seen in your life & have a fucking fit when people point out that it’s flimsy. Again, anon, you said it ALL.

#stranger things #byler #mike wheeler #gay mike wheeler #st anons

[scriibble-fics]

Is Bought abandoned. Or will you return some other time later? I hope you do continue. It has the best characterisation of Lily

I've received, with no exaggeration, at least a few dozen asks almost identical to this. I won't bore you all with posting them all, but hopefully this will answer the question. Read on or don't, but this is the last time I'll probably talk about this for a while. I neither expect a response to this nor particularly want one, tbh. Please don't leave me hate.

Inspiration is difficult enough under the best of circumstances; inspiration under fraught circumstances comes even more difficultly. Watching Bought and fics like it explode the Jily fandom several months ago really upset my ability to write for a long while. I'm only now getting back into the swing of it. A lot of that came from really nasty, vitriolic abuse I received in my inbox that I'll never post because it never should have been sent. I think that sort of reaction, sent repeatedly to any author, would probably discourage even the strongest of writers.

I still think Bought and fics like it have a place in the fandom and deserve creation. I also think that people are well within their rights to dislike them and not want to read them or interact with the people who create them. In the very first chapter, I was explicit about the content of the story for that very reason--so people understood the plot and the triggers and could make their own decision based on their own life experiences as to if they wanted to engage or not. I don't think the people who were offended were wrong; I also don't think that the people who enjoyed reading it--or, in my case, writing it--were wrong either. I do think it's wrong to spew hate at anyone regardless of what "side" of this they fall on--and I hate that there are sides, because I consider fandom a place where people should be able to create and interact as they see fit without feeling targeted one way or another.

I know I came to this space in 2020 as a place of healing after I lost my parents, and it's meant a lot to me to have a space of escape from the ongoing legal and personal ramifications that still continue. Although that's my personal story, I know a lot of people also see this as a safe space and I'd never want to contribute to taking that away from them. But the only person who knows what makes a space safe for you is you. (A general 'you,' obviously, anon.) There are things frequently discussed in fandom that I purposefully avoid. As a sexual assault survivor, I don't engage with fics that deal with any sort of theme of sexual assault. It's not good for me and I know it, but I think those fics have a purpose--even those that might glorify it, which was an accusation frequently given towards the fictional, magical racism in Bought (although I could write an entire separate essay about why I don't think that's true). I curate my experience accordingly, because only I know my triggers, and what upsets me might not upset another sexual assault survivor or another woman or another reader generally. I'm not trying to say that fictional sexual assault and fictional racism are the same, just as their real-life counterparts are not. What I'm trying to say is that your life experiences and triggers and squicks are valid, but only you know what they are.

As an author, I feel a responsibility to warn you about what you're going to consume before you get into a fic, which is a courtesy that most traditional media doesn't extend. As a reader--or a follower or a member of the community--I view it as your responsibility to decide if you want to engage or follow or interact. If not, please block me. It doesn't and never has hurt my feelings. In fact, I'm all about it. Protect your mental health and make this space safe and happy and enjoyable for you.

I still really love Bought. I love Lily's courage and her internal conflict and the sheer messiness of the entire situation. I love the idea of redeeming a man who irl doesn't deserve redemption, and I think that there can be learning done in seeing a fictional character come to reckoning for the choices they've made in a way that most people irl will never face. I think there's catharsis in that. I hope to come back to Bought someday, although not now. If and when that happens, I hope the people who find the fic distasteful will have taken steps to keep my content from reaching them, just as I hope that the people who enjoy it will be excited to see it return. That's it, really.

#scriibble scribbles on writing #Bought #no need to respond

[delusionaid]

Salty meme! 😏 ❣ How salty are you feeling right now? (as a preface, you know) ✧ Do you agree with reblog karma or is it forced interaction? ☢ What fads/trends are you so over? ☀ What’s your rp pet peeve? ♒ Thoughts on the fandom you’re currently rping in?

Salt Meme :D

❣ How salty are you feeling right now? (as a preface, you know)

A solid 4/10! Also this turned out quite long so I am putting it under a cut! :D

✧ Do you agree with reblog karma or is it forced interaction?

I like the idea of karma as a general concept - I do think if you are doing nice things, you are more likely to receive nice things, but not out of a magical cosmic reason. It just puts you in people's mind in a positive light when you put yourself out there in a positive manner. That's simple psychology. If you look at it from an rp perspective it happens in the sense of: you send things, which makes you more visible to your mutuals and their followers which might cause some momentum that leads to more overall interaction, etc. etc. Also if you engage actively it motivates others to engage with you in return - sometimes.

That said, I do also think it's forced if people insist on it. I don't want someone to send in memes just to have sent in memes to "earn the right to reblog something from me". Me reblogging memes is an offer to my mutuals in case they want to start interactions, and these memes might not always work for every character. Sometimes there's just no sentence that fits. I don't want anyone to feel obligated to bend their character into saying something unfitting just so they can send something in that they're not even enthusiastic about receiving an answer for. And if they end up reblogging the meme from me, I don't know why I should see that as a bad thing. Best case scenario there might be a sentence in there that works for MY muse(s) to send to theirs!

Tl;dr when we look at reblog karma in the sense of engagement with mutuals to maintain interactions and staying in each other's minds, I approve of it. If it turns into forced interactions that neither party cares about, I don't want it. Reblog whatever you want from me, I expect/demand nobody to send me anything. It's just an offer and a reminder that the opportunity for interactions is open if you're interested.

☢ What fads/trends are you so over?

The attitude towards shipping and nsf/w writing some people have. If you don't want to write nsf/w content, you are fine. If you want to write nsf/w content, you are also fine. Let's just respect each other's interests, boundaries and ways of writing. Having a preference for love stories and/or erot/ica does not make you less of a writer than someone who only writes platonic things and vice versa. To each their own!

Cancel / callout culture. I know some callouts are made by people who had serious issues with someone, but many callouts are also made over petty disagreements about ships, characters or other minor things. I firmly believe that nothing positive comes from cancel culture and I reject it wholeheartedly. I've been rping for over 15 years now and I know how much nicer and more welcoming the rp community as a whole was when this was not a thing. I guarantee you all of us have things we don't want to see/read and that is valid. But publicly shitting all over someone because of it and turning entire fandoms against one person with sometimes deliberately exaggerated claims and one-sided "evidence" is equal to a witch hunt and creates a negative anxiety-inducing atmosphere for everyone sharing this space, to the point where people are too afraid to approach new followers, suggest ideas or get into ships with new writing partners. I've seen people get shit for not reblogging a callout for someone they never even spoke to, getting berated for "agreeing with what happened" because they didn't interact with the post. Please stop doing that. Not to mention that many callouts end in vile harassment of the people in question, sometimes to an extent that grossly outweighs the "crime" the person in question is accused of. (Remember, you never know who reads your callouts and what they decide to do with that!) Especially with the thought in mind that callouts often aren't necessarily fair or true, they can seriously damage people's reputation and in some cases this has real life consequences you cannot predict. As a community we must strive to find better ways of dealing with issues than raising a shitstorm each time we disagree over something.

☀ What’s your rp pet peeve?

People who obviously never looked at my rules and then come at me because they suddenly have an issue with something that my rules would have told them in advance.

When I'm trying to plot with someone and they are "cool with everything and anything", especially if I am already giving specific choices to pick from. We all lack ideas sometimes, it happens, but please don't make me decide everything on my own. Everyone has preferences.

People who can't distinguish between a villain character and the human being who writes them. In the same vein, people who think writers of villain muses are obligated to let their "good muse" win if they foolishly attack them since "they would win in canon". That's not how that works; canon cannot save you here.

♒ Thoughts on the fandom you’re currently rping in?

There are some incredibly nice and talented/skilled writers and artists in this fandom and I am happy I've had the pleasure of meeting some of them! No further comment <.<

#( ooc asks. ) #( meme reply. ) #orchideae #m. orchideae

[welcometololaland]

I have considered sending you this message for a while, and seeing as anonymous asks are off, I have made a different blog because I am uncomfortable with using my actual blog. You have an audience and they are loyal to you and adore you, I will not be able to mentally handle the back lash that could follow from disagreeing with you.

I have followed you, enjoyed your fic, and your posts but I can not agree with the list or the response to it. I have seen you mention before about people who have blocked you and how you can not tag them. That is valid but I think you are under the impression that those who have you blocked are the ones who are upset about the list.

That's not true, at least not in my case or the case of others that I have talked with.

I understand what you were trying to do but I think it was done in a poor way. I commend you for trying to put together a list - it's a hard thing to do in a fandom space - but the problem is, you listed the same people almost everyone lists when asked that question. The "popular" blogs. The "big" blogs. The "known" blogs. The blogs that everyone talks about. The blogs that get hundreds of notes, kudos, and thousands of hits. I think I saw a few smaller ones in there, but again, they were people that you seemed to interact with.

The smaller blogs were left out. Newer writers were left out. The list, to me and my friends, felt like a "who's who" in fandom and who was deemed "worthy" enough - note that those people on the list are worthy of being followed and having their stories read, but it felt like an inclusive list with a limited invitation.

I have my own thoughts of how I would handle getting an ask like that, but it's not my place to tell you how to run your blog. Instead, I'm presenting you with my side and why I found it to be hurtful.

I understand that you can not put everyone on a list, but maybe there should not be a list at all. I feel it's different to make a fan fiction rec list, but when it comes to recommending blogs I feel like it is a way to leave people out and make them feel like they are not good enough to be in fandom.

It does not, in my opinion, make me feel like this is a community. Instead, it makes me feel like I am on the outside looking in.

Firstly, I want to (very sincerely - this is not sarcasm) thank you for sending this ask. I think accountability is important, and I'm not afraid to have real discussions with people who are sincere in their approach - which I interpreted this ask to be. So again, thank you.

I won't say 'sorry you felt that way' because that's not a real apology. Instead, I want to offer a sincere apology to any harm I have caused anyone by making a rec list post. It actually pains me to think that some people felt that they were not welcome in the fandom because of that post, because that is the exact opposite of the community I hope fandom can be.

I have reasons for why I made that post, which I hope EXPLAIN why I made it, but I understand that it does not EXCUSE the fact that the effect was that some people were upset. Please know it was not my intention, but of course intention does not matter. Effect is what matters. So, if you take anything away from this post, please take away that I offer my apologies to you and anyone else who was negatively affected by the post - I never want to make anyone feel bad about themselves or unwelcome.

Thank you for your feedback on the list situation - I've spoken to other people about this who have also offered honest feedback. I appreciate that. The reason I tagged blogs was because that's what the anon asked for. I tagged people who's content I enjoy and who I interact with, because that's what I know and engage with. I don't think it's really fair to recommend stuff I haven't read yet if it's a personal list. It wasn't intended to be a comment on who is worthy. My opinion is people should be free to read what they want to read and free to engage with those they want to engage with. There is no invitation required to my blog, you can ALWAYS recommend to me or interact with me, and I will take that on board and value it.

I'm sorry I didn't include a lot of new contributors. The sad truth is that I haven't had the time to engage with a lot of new content. Between my two (sometimes 3) fandoms, writing and betaing, I find it hard to keep on top of the ao3 tag. It's something I'm trying to do more, but I only have so many hours in a day.

I've said it once and I'll say it again - I really don't think of myself as an 'adored' person. I don't actually have that many followers. I've only been on tumblr for a little over 12 months. I've only been writing in Lone Star for a little over 18 months. I don't see myself as influential in the slightest, and it troubles me that people think that. I'm literally only here as a creative outlet, to scream about people's creations and talk to the friends I'm lucky enough to have made. I'm not here for any other purpose. I certainly don't intend to be a fandom mouthpiece or tell anyone else what they can and can't do.

Finally, I can assure you that after this ask and situation I won't be making any more lists. Truthfully, I'm really sad about that, because Fic Rec Friday was my baby and I was so happy to see people encouraging other people, but I'm not shy in saying that this experience has really affected how I see fandom as well.

I also think that (and please don't think I'm referring to you because I'm not - this ask is so genuine and I do appreciate it), certain elements of this situation have made me question whether I want to continue engaging in Lone Star as a fandom at all. It's not even intentional, it's just that creating for a fandom is hard when you keep having to turn your ask box off because it's filled with vitriolic and hateful anons.

I really appreciate you for reaching out, and I am grateful for your thoughts and feedback. Once again, I extend a genuine apology to you and anyone else who has been negatively affected or hurt by the list or by anything else I said in relation to that. If you want to speak further about it, I am open to DMs at any time.

#psa #personal #fandom #911 lone star

[ikosburneraccount]

I’m the anon from earlier, thanks for correcting your mistake. I understand you didn’t realize what happened but the fact that you owned up to it means a lot because most blogs would’ve blocked me out of cowardice. It’s nice to see someone else standing up against the racism in this fandom especially from big blogs like IS (who really butchers asian culture in her writing, btw, idk why we’re letting yt people write fanfic in this fandom.) i’ve been in fandom spaces for 10 years now and as far as racism goes TLC is by far the worst considering most people still don’t even accept that the MC is asian. I’ve hated TS for years for her casual racism and the white supremacy themes/narrative implicit in her music and the fact that this fandom idolizes her is disappointing, but not surprising. No, Cinder would not listen to a deeply bigoted woman who openly and unapologetically condones violence against black women and hates jewish people. TS is more like Levana than any other tlc character. Anyways thank you again for taking me srsly and correcting your mistake.

OFC ANON!!!! Your ask was so informative and held me accountable (and let me know that some Swiftie blogs could still engage with my posts without my knowledge/consent). I will definitely be moving forward differently because of your ask, thank you so so so much <3

I don't block anons but I do delete anon hate from Swifties. And I KNOW the Tumblr culture that you're talking about, I've also been here for a while (10 years now). But I want to subvert that culture with my blog and with how I respond to my asks. I would rather take the time to respond and explain than be reactive, because 1) being reactive doesn't reflect well on me and the point I'm trying to make and 2) Engaging with anons with a thoughtful response makes them feel respected and validated regardless if we agree or not. I never want people to feel stupid, ignorant, or dumb by my responses, and that is never my intention as well.

Thank you for acknowledging and feeling the same way about the fandom racism. I do feel a bit isolated and lonely sometimes knowing a majority of the fandom are TS fans, but I remember that I would rather get 0 interactions on a post then engage with racists. And anons like you only validate my point that I'm not the only person who feels this way, I'm just the most vocal. I'm genuinely happy you feel seen and heard and feel this blog is a safe space to talk about fandom racism, because I do want people to ultimately feel safe as TLC fans of color to come and talk to me about how they feel. Despite being a small fandom, we still need safe spaces like this as we, tlc fans of color, can feel/have felt alienated by the overwhelming white presence of this fandom.

(And I think it speaks for itself when, after I blocked all swifties following my page, a majority of people who still follow me are other people of color.)

Talking about TS means talking about racism and people seem to elide the fact that I am hurt by their continued support for TS. Like that's the main point of racism, you're engaging in a power dynamic that reinforces the marginalize and violence towards marginalized and exploited communities. People don't understand that being born as and existing as a person of color is a political statement that we cannot evade but actively informs and filters our lives. And when people engage with open racists like TS, it reinforces the marginalization of people of color.

TLC racism is on a different level, but then again, this is the same fandom that where cresswell, a relationship between a 16 and 20 y/o is its second biggest ship :/ Like clearly people don't care about anyone they hurt as long as they can ship their faves. And yes, the race wars when it comes to Cinder racial/ethnic background are INSANE. It really has to do with the fact that a majority of white women see Y/A heroines as their self insert so Cinder not being white disrupts this assumptions and it's the same reason Cress is so popular. I was active in the TLC fandom back in 2014-16 and there was so much discourse about Cresswell (p*d* ship discourse) and about Cinder's race/ethnicity. I 100% agree with you that TLC fandom is one of the WORST fandoms in YA because of their extreme racism towards the Cinder and other main characters (the way I tear up when I see Black!Annabeth fan art being celebrated...why can't people here act correctly sometimes 😭).

I thought IS is Asian(Chinese)-Australian? Please correct me if I'm wrong though, I was just under this impression from how they responded to asks on their blog. If they're actually not Asian/Chinese-Australian I'm actually even more disgusted with their fanfiction now. But it also explains a lot.

"I’ve hated TS for years for her casual racism and the white supremacy themes/narrative implicit in her music and the fact that this fandom idolizes her is disappointing, but not surprising."

Anon you have NO idea how much I want to be your friend right now. YOU PUT HOW I FEEL PERFECTLY INTO WORDS. This is the EXACT issue I have with TS and why she attracts such racist, bigoted fans while still appealing to her liberal fanbase. She encodes her music with white supremacist messaging and simultaneously posits herself as liberal by perverting feminist ideology to deflect accountability for the harm she's caused. She is the PERFECT white woman because she straddles the apolitical white line to maximize her (white) fanbase. She's an evil person but a commercial and marketing genius, and because white supremacy reinforces the paradigm that wealth equates to good moral character, TS is consistently defended as a good person when she literally isn't. At all.

So that's why my original response to your ask was really weird because I couldn't tell if you were pro/anti-TS but still answered anyways just in case, you know? I'm glad to know that you aren't pro-TS and there are other people recognize the racist and white supremacist undertones of her music.

"No, Cinder would not listen to a deeply bigoted woman who openly and unapologetically condones violence against black women and hates jewish people."

If TS existed in the third era she would be bigoted towards cyborgs and lunars, point blank period. People thinking the TLC main characters would be swifties or love TS is 100% a projection of their whiteness (or delusional, or both) and basic misunderstanding of how PoC face and deal with overwhelmingly popular racist white artists. Also, I have so many thoughts on calling the Lunar people "the Lunar race" in both canon and fandom. That's definitely MM's whiteness not fully understanding how race is constructed and her white vision of a post-racial futuristic society. I could speak about that for hours (but that isn't the purpose of this post).

Also you aren't being dramatic with the TS Levana comparison. That's spot on: she literally manipulates people with her victim narrative despite being 33 years old and is able to make people forget the harm she causes with the amount of content she produces. TS since her debut has never taken direct accountability for her racist actions (like the antisemitic 2009 MTV photo where she poses with a guy wearing a swatstika t-shirt and her PR team justified the photo as her "not knowing." She was FIFTEEN).

I can literally write a completely separate post linking every single article by topic of all the racist and suspicious actions she's done and taken both as an artist and person, but this is a TLC blog and I want to focus on TLC content first. This isn't a dig towards you, nanny; this is just me saying I cannot be 100% responsible for educating people on TS racism, because it is a lot of emotional and time-intensive labor.

I hope this post makes sense. This was super heavy and took me a couple hours to write because you brought up so many brilliant points and I wanted to breakdown a proper response. Seriously, this has been my favorite ask so far. Anon, you are now my friend!

#the lunar chronicles #yes im tagging it there because it actually deals with the series #mine #ask #holy shit this took everything out of me #but this is seriously a perfect succinct description of everything im upset about w this fandom and TS #thank you for being brilliant anon #anti taylor swift