#and some opinions that idk if they're unpopular but they r the words of a hater

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[angeloncewas]

hot take: the dwt2 subreddit was extremely overhyped and is pretty much a circlejerk of dream stans who think they’re better than other dream stans because they use reddit. i thought it’d be a cool place of discourse and instead it just feels like a different a set of edgy teenagers who don’t know what they’re talking about. also yeah it’s actually kinda anti-black. ppl weren’t lying about that bit it just took a while for it to really come out.

SPICY. Especially on this blog because I think I've got some lurking Redditors on here (unless they fled at some point LOL).

Hot take: I actually very much agree (though I would've worded it a bit differently... stan circlejerk... /lh)

There was a period of time where I would stop by the Reddit every so often out of a mix of curiosity (what's up) self-interest (do they talk about me) and genuine engagement (tea). I fell off these past couple of months (? maybe month singular, idk) as I've been busy - and when I went back and checked the other day the vibes were so... off. Everything about it, from the posts to the comments to the kinds of conversations there were having, felt very strange to me. Rougher, almost - especially with all the posts lamenting r/dwt2's glory days.

I admire everything that the subreddit is meant to be and I commend them in many ways for sticking to their convictions. They do as they will do and they don't often let shit get in the way of what they think is right or correct (it seems). Not to mention the knowledge that Dream lurks sometimes - while I do my best to stick to my "don't change for anybody" policy, I don't know what this blog would be if I knew Dream checked up on it (not that that would happen, but yk).

That being said, I think they've fallen into the anti-mcyttwt-trap (a la Jawsh) where instead of just being wary of the more aggressive critics on Twitter, they are largely dismissive and seek to always have the "unpopular" opinion. I saw a lot of posts talking about how everyone's a Dream stan on the Reddit now and how frustrating that is, but I think that isn't the problem so much as their mindset itself - why is it a problem that people like Dream if it's still just a place for open discussion? You can like Dream and be validly critical of his actions or opinions. It felt, to me, more like a frustration toward the way some people don't constantly go against the grain anymore. It reminds me of the days when I was sucked into exclusionary circles and we thrived off of disagreeing just to disagree - it's not that we didn't buy it, I think r/dwt2 is honest about their opinions - but I think their long-standing (and very justified) animosity toward people outside of their circles has led them in what's essentially the opposite direction. And I really think they could stand to take into consideration what people on Twitter are saying/why/what they mean/etc (for example - there's loads of little things like that and it's not always Twitter); sometimes the popular opinion is popular for a reason, and sometimes creators fuck up and should acknowledge it.

I am an outsider, so I want to make it clear that it's possible they're thriving and I'm just not getting it. I'm sure there's mcytblr jokes/culture/etc that would make people in the other parts of the fandom go ???? But - as someone who really tries to curate a variety of viewpoints and discuss the goings-on in the fandom (and who admired the r/dwt2 community for that shared interest) - I see them doing exactly what I worried a lot of these people turning on the "rabid twt stans" would do - and not even recognizing that they're doing it.

(I won't speak on the anti-blackness specifically because I haven't seen any of it and don't feel fit for that, but I'm sorry you've had to deal with that if so.)