#bc there's such a vast difference between Bad Media

[mickidona]

Genuinely makes me so sad when people’s first reaction to hearing literally anything about teen titans go is to laugh and jeer about how much of a trash rubbish show it is compared to the cinematic masterpiece of tt03.. it’s just a different cartoon

[auckie]

I think the things that offend me most nowadays in like, smaller interpersonal interactions rather than grand, sweeping trends in culture, are when people chose to not partake in a wide set of things. Like musical close mindedness, or refusal to try different foods from different cultures. Not watching an entire subset of films bc they’re ‘french’. Avoiding reading bc you say you have adhd and it’s too hard. Like dude I get it, I’m busy. I can be picky. Everyone can. But the willful ignorance of closing yourself off to those VAST portions of the human experience, and not having curiosity and a lust to learn and explore art that was made by someone worlds apart from you either in terms of their culture, era, whatever. I dunno man it just pisses me off so bad. I think it’s arrogant. Like oh you’re comfortable in your safe little bubble huh? And you’re enforcing its barriers with the excuse that you’re autistic and have sensory issues. With music made by black people?? lol okay. It is pretty presumptuous for me to assume malicious intent but I think those prejudices are borne from either the comfort of being someone who’s wealthy and probably white not feeling the need to learn past what they think is enough, or it’s a reflection of a society that’s taught you to prioritize what it shills— popular, current (white, depending where you live ig) artists who are making streamlined, easy to digest content. Often when I meet people with these issues they’ll have one particular ‘niche’, and it tends to be like. 70s music. Victorian literature. Anime and Japanese games. But they’re still not really investing beyond the media presented. Like there’s so much more to Japanese culture than liking some cartoons put out between 2010-2020. You don’t gotta become some sorta Einstein who learns the background of every little freak in FGO yeah. But don’t you wanna aim higher? Aren’t you interested in any of the historical figures? And nothings wrong with hopping onto a trend. You read Dracula bc of that Dracula daily thing. Cool! Read more. Some people will say they’re chronically ill or disabled and can’t get outside. That’s okay. The internet is full of things you can read other than fanfiction, YouTube has a shit ton of free music. There’s Wikipedia and free articles online if you have questions about things. Yeah nobody is spending four hours a day looking at the national archives website and studying art history but it’s imbued in the things around you, and youll absorb it ambiently as you go along. you dont have to be a jack of all trades and cover every major genre of every major medium, but it never hurts to try! I really love seeing ppl ask too. Bc it can be kind of humiliating to admit to what seems like some jackass hipster that you’ve never delved into, idk, Serbian films (lol not that one). And hopefully if whoever you’re asking will give you honest good recommendations and not berate you. I’m kind of berate a straw man rn I guess. The hostile tone def doesn’t lend to an atmosphere of sharing but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve rbed anything involving specifically jazz only to see someone rb and add the stupidest comment on the post, or in the tags, or go into my inbox to be like waaah I don’t like jazz bc it’s boring and old and for pretentious hypocrites who hate neurodivergent people! Like what are you TALKING about. Fine if you don’t like it but don’t try and rationalize that as a moral standing you shit lark. And just as they’re allowed to dislike jazz I’m allowed to not really enjoy people who don’t like jazz. Or country. Nautical knots. Knit wear. Watching urbex YouTubers get their shit rocked by squatters. Korean food. Pachuco fashion and stupid ugly low riders. Bollywood films. and they don’t want to try any of those things either yknow? The next thing I’m getting into is circuit bending.

[aroacesafeplaceforall]

hello, its me! the anon who asked for your opinion abt shipping Alastor with other characters :)

firstly, thank you for answering! i totally agree that, if you build on a character's canon aro/ace orientation, then shipping them would be okay. ive just heard other people say doing that was aroace erasure, and i didnt feel like i had much say, because (as previously stated) im aceflux and nebularomantic.

my sexuality fluctuates, and i cant really tell the difference between romantic and platonic attraction, which is why i didnt feel qualified to put out my opinion on such matters

i also feel like i should apologize, bc i kinda feel like my ask may have snowballed into some sort discourse? idk, just from what i saw when looking at the blog every now and then, it looked like some shit was going down, revolving around Alastor 😭

now, onto why im here: why should someone do if a person they looked up to, who outwardly supported the aroace community, turns out to be a horrible person? (im sure that some people reading this can already guess who im talking about)

i feel so icky about the situation, bc ive supported and loved this person for years. all of the songs theyve ever written have been so aro-coded (as said by aromantics), and a vast majority of their fanbase is aromantic/on the aro/ace spectrum, myself included. they even spoke about their love for the aromantic community openly, and now, with them being exposed as a horrible person, i dont really know how to feel. is there any advice you could give me and others who are in the same boat? /nf

—sincerely, 🦢🦌

No it’s all good! The discourse was started by me ducking up and some people taking it slightly to far.

Unfortunately I do know who you’re talking about. I was in that fandom back in 20-22 ish, and I couldn’t be happier that I left. Honestly. I don’t know ANYthing about the situation other then someone being revealed to be a piece of shit for some reason and I would like to keep it that way:

I don’t need to know the details about what this person did.

Small side note before I begin:

I think the problem is a lot of people have put people like that on a pedestal while not knowing anything about them. 

The big difference between e- celebrities and true (actors, singers, rich assholes ect) celebrities is the accountability of the public. True celebrities have been held accountable much sooner and to much more effect then e-celebrities due to the fact that the media cares what they do. The paparazzi ect

People talking about not listening to said persons music anymore: reminder that it’s not only them who produces and plays that music. Don’t listen to their solo shit, burn CDs rip it off YouTube, piracy is on the rise.

The rest of the people involved with the band are NOT at fault here and their career and income should not have to suffer for an asshole.

“Cancel” the person not the team.

You can still relate to something without relating to the asshole

You can still relate to something without being the asshole

Be respectful

Listen to victims

And a word for my aspecs ->

The amount of straight people who are just as bad doesn’t matter here, no matter what happens next, all people will see is “he supported aroace spec people” and will try and use it.

Ignore that block them and report harassment

Stay safe anon

[demonsfate]

Imma be honest, chief. I liked Xiaoyu in Bloodline :/ I enjoyed her moments with Jin and Hwoarang, although I understand and agree with your post. I did like her in Blood Vengeance, but that was probably one of the only positive aspects of the movie. While they got her right, they also massacred Jin 💀 Seems like they miss a lot with both of them most of the time, at least in different media. The comics are not that good either. Do you think 8 will do them right again? I know for sure they're trying with Jin. I think, from the little glimpses we've seen of Xiao, that she might be her normal game self.

She was alright in Bloodline, but I meant like in terms of accuracy to her game self... she just doesn't feel like Xiao. Though, there were moments with her were kinda a pass for me. (The whole Devil Jin fiasco scene LOL. The scene with her against King is pretty silly - mostly due to the other scenes established in the show. Jin breaking Leroy's leg to the point he has a permanent limp, but Xiao can be thrown into a tree hard enough to leave an imprint and she just has a concussion lol)

The only positive aspect in BV in my opinion were Xiao and Alisa's characterization. If they had just made the movie a full fledge slice of life comedy between those two instead of trying to shoehorn all the Mishimas in it, I think it would've been better. But yeah - it's really sad how bad Jin was in that movie. Mostly bc he felt influenced by Tek6 Jin (thank FUCK Xiao wasn't influenced by Tek6 Xiao. Then the movie would've been unbearable.) Like him saying he doesn't care if the world gets destroyed by his and Kazuya's fight. Uhhhhhhh... do the writers need to be reminded why Jin wanted to kill Kazuya in the first place? Wasn't it to... oh I don't know... save the world?

So far, Tek8 is doing REALLY good with Jin characterization wise. Now story wise? Ehhhh... too soon to say. It has a lot of Tek6 references which kinda hinders it a bit. But so far, with the way Jin's behavior is a vast improvement and does remind me of his old self. As for Xiao, I'd say she was already improved quite a bit in Tek7. In fact, it's probably thanks to Blood Vengeance that Xiao was fixed. Considering she was massacred in Tek5, and then brutally tortured in Tek6, but it was Tag 2 where she was obviously influenced by Blood Vengeance. Instead of being a yandere like she was in Tek6, she went back to being shy about her crush regarding Jin (like she was in Tek4, just like in that game - in Tag 2, Miharu teases Xiao about her crush and she gets annoyed. Thank fuck she's not like "I'm gonna kill people so I can marry jin! :D" Jesus Christ) And Tek7 already removed her REALLY, beyond childish intros/outros that Tek5 added. (Such as the one where she's shaking and Scared, the one where she goes "uh-oh!" the one where she acts confused that she even won, and the one where she smacks her butt and says "bye-bye!" even if, admittedly i liked that one just fine. The rest were ughghughhh) And since it seems like she's gonna be important in the story this time around, I think Xiao is gonna be really good in Tek8, too. But as said - she was already being fixed faster than poor Jin was.

I think I'm gonna make a post about my opinions regarding Jin's depictions throughout all the adapted medias. (Since most of 'em are Bad, too.) but I will say the one thing I enjoyed about the comics - referring to the Tek7 one - is Jin and DJ's relationship. Whilst the comic doesn't exactly depict how I write their powers / being in control works, it does depict their dynamic quite well. It being a weird toxic one where DJ goes from being mocking to Jin, to DJ being very supportive and acting like he cares. It does that extremely well to what I've always pictured it, and I hope Tek8 will depict their relationship similar.

[golden-bubblebee]

OH MY GOD this is such a big gripe for me!! I love my baba lots, but he has this idea that

1. Animation = boring and for kids

2. Animation = it is all the same

And I'm like!! No!! I even pooled anime into it just to get my point across, comparing the storyarc of Death Note and I think Prince of Egypt. Bc there is no comparison!!! They're two wholly different movies!!

And I agree, some animation does look more 'childish' (read: more rounded out 3d animation, like rise of the guardians) and some movies are better at finding that balance between 'adult jokes and themes vs child jokes and themes'. Emperor's new groove is a film that I think is very good at it. Personally, I think frozen less so. So guess what! I'm not rewatching frozen! It wasn’t my jam! But not because of the animation. Frozen has beautiful animation! Those don't go hand in hand!

Guess what, some of my favourite movies are from 1969 and 1993. On modern tellies, they are grainy blurry films. This doesn't stop my love for them!

I tried arguing this with him again when he was watching Love Death Robots on Netflix, an adult animation series in which every episode is its own shortfilm, and they're all animated differently.

I said 'okay what abt LDR then. You like watching that. That's also animation!' To which he replied 'no but LDR is different'

Maaaan. The difference is ofcourse that LDR is not a family film. There is nothing about that animation that's meant for kids. Well guess what, neither are Death Note and Naoki Urasawas monster! Those are animations, and they are big and scary!

Plus, I do also think that automatically assuming animation is only for kids, because it is animation is just plain wrong.

I tried using Big Hero 6 as an example. 'It's a film about a guy who loses is brother in a horrible fire. It follows his story of falling into a depression because of it, and slowly crawling back out when he goes on a journey to find the cause of his brothers death, and avenge him'

Does that sound like 'kids only' to you???

He then shrugged and said 'animation just isn't my thing'. Which, I do think, to an extend, is fair. Sure, you prefer irl people films. I can’t really say anything because I personally am not a big fan of live action films.

But there is one difference that gripes me:

Animation always looks different. Look me in the eye and tell me that Atlantis and tangled are the same style. I dare you.

Ofcourse there is stylistic overlap (Atlantis, Treasure island, prince of Egypt - Moana, frozen, tangled) but the messaging and themes of each film is different. Treasure island is a darker film, with pirates and tech and futuristic objects. Prince of egypt is oranges and reds, nature and architecture and a vast expanse of nothingess. To me that's like saying 'Oh I didn't watch Into the Wild, because it has real people in it. I watched the Matrix, and that had real people, and that wasn’t really my thing.'

It's not an argument I will win with him soon, mostly because he is so strongly convinced that kids movies ≠ family movies (if it's for kids, I can't enjoy it! Even if they deal with heavy topics like bad familial bonds, mourning and depression, having your dreams crushed, losing all hope, and so on) and that animation = animation, even though there are strong stylistic differences in it.

Maybe next time I should tell him that news media and social media are the same thing and that I don't go into newsmedia bc I get all my info from social media instead. Watch him get an anheurism right there in front of me.

animation being treated like a genre instead of a medium is something that actually makes me go insane. beauty and the beast is a romance. the emperor's new groove is a buddy comedy. big hero 6 is a superhero movie. moana is an adventure film. the lion king is a drama. treasure planet is sci-fi. if i was talking to someone who hadn't seen these movies before, and they weren't specifically interested in animation as a medium, then i wouldn't necessarily assume they'd enjoy all of these. and that's just disney movies! try telling an anime fan that fruits basket and fullmetal alchemist are the same genre and see how they react!

[bookwyrminspiration]

agh it's been a long couple of days my brain is super fuzzy but i hope you've gotten some rest quil!!! and it sounds EXTREMELY fun, i've downloaded them and they are in my little electronic book library for when i gather the energy to read!!! although it is hit or miss ofc i enjoy alternating povs-- but will keep your notes in mind for the first couple of books! and ah, yeah i definitely understand the Queer Characters as opposed to characters who are queer thing, glad to know it exists in this book!! i definitely want to read them once i'm finished w this really annoyingly Mid trilogy that i have been skimming through bc i got invested 😔 rip i did not know this book was THIS kind of ya fantasy i am suffering a little bit it's got it all: random unnecessary love triangle! REALLY BADLY WRITTEN twist villain! all the mcs are either super op or super righteous for some reason! and it is written in a way that like. makes no place for queerness in terms of anything at all if u get me like. not in a hatred way but in a way of this world is a world where girls and boys are fundamentally different etc etc. it kind of sucks but i am on the last book so i might as well finish yk!

I hope you also get some rest! I am mostly recovered from my trip, no more random vertigo, and finding my routine again.

And!! hooray!! This is excellent news I'm so excited I can't even articulate. How much I love this books and want to share them with anyone and everyone who is willing. Of course there's absolutely no rush, take as long as you like--and if they're not for you, also totally okay! I will not be hurt :)

But yeah, get ready for. SO many alternative povs. Throughout the whole series. We are always jumping around between a bunch of characters--vast majority of the time they're main/recurring characters, but there's a couple of people we only get one or two povs from because they're in a unique situation to capture one part of the story no one else can. Anyway, point is: lot of pov changes, lot of characters to choose from to grow attached to.

And the series handles fantasy queerness in a way that just *chef's kiss* I adore. Gender and sexuality and romance! With different levels of social understanding and acceptance across the various fantasy countries! And how that shapes different characters and impacts their self-perception and how they interact with people from other places. Both on a personal level and a country-wide level. I think it might be my favorite exploration of fantasy queerness, but then again a lot about this book is my favorite. (oh and also! every book has a very in-depth glossary in the back for characters, world building, unfamiliar words, everything!! along with additional info like family trees, timelines, etc. they are lifesavers)

Sorry about the mid trilogy--though I won't lie my interest is a little piqued, I dabble in reading bad books on purpose from time to time. But I believe in you, you will get through it and you will find excellent media to offset and heal the wounds this one has inflicted <3.

I'm currently resisting the urge to reread a chorus of dragons so whenever you get to them I will live vicariously through you :)

[oifaaa]

(I’m sorry if this comes off as rude in advance!!!! :()

I mean isn’t the whole point of fan fiction to explore things that weren’t explored in the source material? Like, yeah, the original text didn’t originally go into how Tim felt about his parents being gone all the time, which is probably WHY people have fixated on that. We’ve all seen how he was during the Clench or how he reacted to his dad dying. There isn’t much to really explore there. But Tim never really seemed all that affected by his parents always leaving him home alone for ages, so there’s more for people to go into in a way that doesn’t feel as redundant.

(Also, as a psych major, it’s actually VERY common to find people who have emotionally neglectful parents. Many kids don’t even realize until they’re adults how it has affected them. So it’s perfectly normal for Tim to act like nothing’s wrong.)

(sorry I was meant to reply to this ages ago bc you bring up some interesting points but adhd brain forgot)

But yeah fanfiction can be used to explore themes and characters relations that don't get explore in Canon however the big thing with Tim (and to an extent the batfamily) is that a lot of people may not read the comics or only know these characters from certain media (which fyi not a bad thing) so when they read one or two fanfic exploring Tim's parents being neglectful that's okay but it's the fact that it's the majority that not only present Tim's parents as being neglectful but they present them as being intentionally cruel and hateful and when it's the vast majority presenting them this way it buries Tim's actually story and changes his character, theres also something to say about authoral intent ie the people writing Tim's parents really didn't intend for them to come off in a negative way its just a unfortunate side effect of we can't have tims parents around bc it'll look bad if they're home and don't notice Tim dissappearing for hours on end, tho like you said this still could effect Tim and could be explored it very rarely is bc there is a difference between leaving your son home bc you need to work to make money and taking him with you could disrupt his social and school life and intentionally leaving him home bc you forgot he exists and people don't seem to realise which one Tim's parents are

[ectonurites]

a very very genuine question: so its bad to repost art but no one says anything when people repost things from the source material/creator's sketches.....why?like sure everyone who likes it may recognize the style but there are plenty of fan artists i recognize immediately, new or old art, with or without. to me it just feels the same, like either dont repost art or people should be able to repost stuff, i dont see how they can work at the same time. and this isnt me saying people should be allowed to repost and all that bc i do understand the theory of why reposting hurts artists, just that the logic doesnt seem to fit once it extends to famous artists/creators. just bc its official and easily recognizable makes it okay? how does that work? again, there are plenty of fanartists who are easily recognizable and lose no money when people repost their work (bc they posted it for free) and from my own observation, it seems it just, somehow, makes them want to do art less (from what i have read from artists themselves). why do we not consider that when it comes to official creators? wouldnt they also feasibly be less motivated seeing their hard work plastered across the internet for free when thats the sole way they make their income? and its not a system where its solely sticking it to the man bc it hurts the artists income, as well. but if it makes them happy to see people enjoying and sharing their work with others, drawing interest, why isnt it the same with fan artists? people often repost art, not out of malice or intent to claim credit, but bc they enjoy it + want to share it, esp on social media where sharing isnt a feature (instagram, for example) again im not trying to justify reposting, just confused about the contradiction

First of all instagram does have a form of sharing posts- stories. Which yes they are temporary by default, but you can use the highlight feature to collect your favorite things you’ve shared from people right there on your own profile AND it links back to the original post and can permanently be on your profile as long as you keep it there. You can even label them and everything! But then moving on to answering more of your actual questions

To start: this is a very complicated thing. And I feel everyone trying to answer it might have slightly varied opinions. 

I personally see a pretty clear distinction between ‘Officially published/released’ works (like comic book [as like you’ve probably seen I frequently post comic panels] or other materials that may have been released in creator guides, official video game art, promotional art for things, etc etc) as opposed to like, personal work and fanart. Because with official works:

There’s usually a source to buy it and you should if you’re referencing it a ton (while I don’t own every comic I’ve ever read I do have a lot and if I did read something first through illegal means [because some comics are just straight up hard to find due to age/being out of print] and enjoyed it I try to seek out a physical copy after if possible)

There is a level of far wider recognition (I know you personally might find fanartists’ styles recognizable but like, things that are in mainstream media.. have just such a higher profile. it’s not really comparable) 

If you’re not supporting the official release you’re harming the big company that published it far more than the individual artist (like, the individual artist probably also wouldn’t appreciate it, because it can effect them for sure as well, but they’re not gonna be taking the brunt of the damage unless it was entirely self-published work, which I’d definitely categorize differently from what I’m mainly talking about here.)  

Often fanartists/professional artists who aren’t that well known, in addition to wanting to just create work for the sake of it, also want to build their own platform, to have an audience that they interact with. Or like, if they’re offering commissions, a bigger platform puts you in a position where people will actually see the art and want to commission you. When you say reposts of smaller artists’ fanart doesn’t ‘loose them money’ because they didn’t charge to post it, you’re missing the fact that it makes them loose out on proper linked-back-to-them exposure. Especially like, when a repost account on insta or something says ‘ah yes credit to [username] on tumblr’ the vast majority of people who see it aren’t going to then open up a whole different website and look for the artist. Some people might! but if there’s anything i’ve learned from working professionally in arts marketing it’s that people want things that are convenient and directly in front of them. Someone who wants to see more works because they liked one is significantly more likely to click on the username of someone who posted it rather than opening up a browser or a different app and searching a separate name put in the caption. 

Then honestly, I do feel weird about reposts of professional artists’ more personal works unless the artist has stated they’re fine with people reposting with credit. It should be about the comfort level of the artist. I think a lot of professional artists who aren’t in a position where they’re as worried about building a platform, because they already have one and might have professional connections/opportunities already lined up, might not really care about reposts especially on a website they don’t use. (Like tumblr. I’m coming at this mostly from a comics artist perspective here, but most professional artists I see are waaaay more active on twitter and instagram than tumblr) If it’s a website they don’t use, it’s not taking away from the platform they had been building there for themselves. And also, some artists really just don’t give a shit, which is their choice they can make with their work! But that’s not a universal thing. One artist being fine with their personal art being reposted =/= all artists being fine with it. 

In my own experience as a fanartist, when I see my art reposted without credit, especially when it’s art I’ve also already posted on the same platform... it’s definitely disheartening. Even worse is when the repost gets even more attention than my original post. (something that has happened to me multiple times!) Like, it can get so upsetting!  Because it lets me know that someone else was using my art to build their platform and I got exactly zero benefit out of it. Then when it’s reposted with credit it’s a little less annoying, but I still don’t... get much out of it. Especially if it’s an instagram repost and they credit my tumblr not my account on there, since insta captions don’t actually do links unless it’s to other insta accounts. Also with insta for example, I have a 'business’ account set up so I can look at and track popularity of my posts and see how they’re doing as something to keep in mind when considering posting times, etc etc. When other people repost my art there I have no control over it. That sucks a lot! Also, when I quite literally ask people not to repost my art (it is IN! MY! DESCRIPTION!) and they still do, it’s just straight up disrespectful. I asked for a boundary to be respected with my work and people have just completely ignored it. That doesn’t feel good at all.

But, conversely, I’m gonna talk about my more professional irl work for a sec. I’m a graphic designer, so I do things like posters, logos, etc, When I design a poster for a client that is meant to be advertising something, even if it’s got my own original illustration or something as part of it, I know my name isn’t necessarily going to be attached to it the same way as it is with my personal work. I get a credit line somewhere, but that’s in a fine print probably not even on the poster itself at all, but that’s like, part of what I signed up for. I already get paid separately, I am giving permission for my work to be out of my own hands in that way. Professional work for a client is often setup in some way similar to this. I don’t get mad when I walk down the street and see a poster I made up somewhere without it directly ‘linking’/referencing back to me (aside from maybe my signature if it had an illustration), in fact I go ‘OMG ITS THERE ugh wait i see one pixel is off oh noooooo” and then move on with my day. It’s just an entirely different situation because that kind of work has a different arrangement from the start, where you know it’s going to be put in a different type of circulation.

So yeah, my word isn’t god here, but I definitely see official releases as having a different set of permissions based on the fact that they are published in an entirely different situation. And I think reposts of personal art aren’t cool if the artist isn’t okay with them, no matter how big a platform they have. Other people probably approach this with a slightly different perspective, but that’s mine!

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Hello! (Different anon here). So, re the recent discussions abt the MCU/Disney as imperialist propaganda, how do you think we as fans should approach the issue? Bc--I mean personally speaking I only engage w Disney properties via fandom, don't reblog (cont.)

(part 2) or promote the films/shows themselves, but still worry about the issues of fan complicity in corporate mythmaking. And I totally understand that the answer is "it's complicated", but I wanted to hear your thoughts?

Hi ^-^

It is a complicated matter and I think there’s two major perspective on which you can see the issue and I don’t think one is ‘right’ and the other ‘wrong’, they’re both valid points and sadly coexist. (Not to be like ‘we live in a society’ but we cannot decide to exit capitalism, we can only move inside it.)

One is fandom as resistance: by engaging with the text in a manner that deconstructs it and that transforms it (transformative works that queer the text up, for instance), I am doing an exercise in resistance, and my act of putting queerness in a text that evades it is radical.

The other is fandom as advertising: we’re effectively giving visibility and attaching positive connotations to a product. How many people check out shows after seeing gifsets and fanart on tumblr? A lot. We should be consuming “good” media (say, indie content over megacorporation stuff) and giving visibility to that.

I don’t think that refusing to engage with the “problematic” text at all lest we dirty our hands by making ourselves complicit of the system is a particularly fruitful approach (obviously I’m talking about collective actions, individually one can just do whatever they want within the limits of manners, it’s fandom), it seems to me more like an act of purity. Transformative works have a long, long history and I do think there’s power in that history. Transformative works do help people. And “problematic” media attracts fandoms because there’s so much fertile ground for transformation.

Also, not less importantly imo, it’s not like you can trace a line between Evil Media and Good Media. The MCU is so blatant it’s not really difficult to see it, but how much media just incorporates values that are just mainstream in the culture that produced it and are not good? How do you trace a line? Is Drarry fanfiction advertising for Rowling? Should we stop it at all? What counts as propaganda? Must it have gone through the pencil of the American military or also not?

Maybe I’m just trying to justify my own actions, but I think that maybe we kind of overstate our own importance...? Disney spends billions on marketing, and unless it turns out half of you are Disney accounts swaying the population like the Russian blogs in 2016, I’m not even sure fandom is really that big a part of the marketing strategy. (Do we stop watching actors’ interviews? Is Anthony Mackie’s face problematic during a marketing tour? We end up in directions I’m not comfortable with.) I mean, I know that social media activity is still part of the marketing strategy, and an important one at that. But social media activity comes in many forms and some of those are transformative. Where do you trace the line? Edits are good but gifsets are bad? What about a gifset with different captions that make the scene gay? Slash fanart? Non-slash fanart? Fanart of a canon straight ship? (Hint: none of those are bad.)

Something else I want to point out: this kind of talk comes up when they (not just Disney) make content aimed at progressive audiences. It’s natural. An audience that will pay attention to this kind of issues will not really care about stuff that doesn’t really ping their radar. But the result is that it seems like we’re particularly vicious against “good” things: movies with a female lead, shows with a Black lead. You’ll see arguments like “oh, you weren’t saying this before, but you’re saying it for this product about a woman/Black person so you’re misogynist/racist!”. That’s in bad faith. Of course it stands out when the propaganda is done in something that markets itself as progressive. Nobody really goes to see Macho Batman With Biceps Feels Manly Angst #37 and expects intersectional feminism in it. But they make a movie with a female lead for the first time since 1926, and you’re like “oh? Maybe good? Maybe one good thing finally?” and then brown-skinned people with beards in sandy places want more bombs. Guess which one progressive-leaning people will talk about the most?

I have one Harry Potter fic on my ao3. It’s something I wrote as a teen and found a few years ago and, while it’s not really great, I decided to publish it. I recently debated with myself whether to delete it. I didn’t want to have something related to Rowling on my account. But then I thought, then what? Should everyone delete all Harry Potter fanart ever? Sure, no one will miss my old fic because it’s bad, but that’s not the point. Do I think that deleting HP fics is a “good” gesture? Then do I think everyone should do the same? No. The world of HP fanworks is vast and rich and has a lot of beauty in it. Same with the MCU fandom.

This said, individually one chooses. If you’re personally uncomfortable engaging with a text, you stop engaging with that text. If you want to make transformative works of the most problematic text ever, you make them. (And really, who decides what is too problematic for posting on tumblr about it? Fandom’s still having debates on that nazi manga with the big monsters.) Mega-popular texts are also good collective exercises in text analysis and further debates because they become a common language for many people. (There’s also the fact that the MCU didn’t create the characters, and they have actually a long and often powerful history, although that’s not a culture I’m familiar with.)

Tl,dr... don’t subscribe to the platform :p

[leo-culture-technology]

I don't really have anything specific in mind, I'm actually kinda lost as to what to look for jkjsksjk I know I identify with some traits, like sensory issues and difficulty communicating (I do have a diagnosis of social phobia, though I've been thinking maybe autism would better explain other aspects of my life beyond social interaction). I've been reading some articles regarding late discovering of autism and mostly looking for experiences, so I can compare to my own. I feel like I should be looking for something else but I don't really know what? lmao I don't think that was really helpful, anything you can share would be good to me

This is a really long post so I'm going to put it under a read more to not clog up other people's feeds but I think the main areas to cover are:

- verbal communication issues

was your vocabulary/reading ever under/over developed as a child? Having a really advanced vocabulary is just as much a sign of autism as having delayed development in this area. Also, having a very hard to pin down accent, or taking on others' accents Really easily is common amongst autistic people. Do you ever have trouble speaking? I experience selective mutism and when I'm overwhelmed/stressed/upset I often find it hard to speak out loud and have to communicate through messages/notes, though when I'm not mute I'm very eloquent and have always had a vocabulary that was advanced, other kids found it hard to talk to me when I was younger bc they couldn't understand me, but equally comprehension/vocabulary can be delayed/compromised and you might find it hard to understand others because you struggle with that sort of thing yourself. Do you have issues with your tone of voice ever? I find that I can't read my own tone of voice or my volume, some things will come out really bitchy-sounding or angry-sounding and I won't be able to tell, or I might be shouting and not know it because it all sounds the same in my head really.

- sensory issues

do you have issues with certain types of sound? volume? quantity? volume doesn't bother me, but too many different sources of noise will send me into a meltdown so fast. Do you struggle with certain smells, bright lights, tastes, textures of food or of clothing, certain sensations, for example I get really stressed out by having wet skin/hair, and I can't stand the sound/feeling of something rubbing over carpet. I also find some tastes to be overwhelming. Under-sensitivity or processing issues can also be a symptom. Do you ever struggle to process reading/listening to something? I have absolutely awful retention for auditory information, I can't hold more than around 4-5 words in my mind at any one time, and I can't follow auditory instructions at all if there's more than one step, it needs to be written down. I also often struggle to read things because I don't process the words and they just look like meaningless letters on a page to me. I also really struggle to process my own thoughts and order them, I'm able to talk out loud but there are times where I can't write my thoughts without speaking them first because ordering my thoughts while they're still inside my head is very difficult. I also have an under-sensitive sense of smell and taste at times. I can't even smell when meat has gone bad and everyone else I know says it really stinks, and like I can't tell the difference between chicken gravy and onion gravy, for example, because they taste almost identical to me. And senses aren't just the basic five, either. Do you have a particularly high OR low pain threshold? interoception is the perception of bodily functions. Do you have trouble identifying/noticing when you're hungry/thirsty or when you need to go to the toilet e.g. you didn't need to go pee a minute ago but now you're Suddenly absolutely bursting to go because you didn't notice it earlier at all. Proprioception is your perception of your movements, balance and of where your limbs are in relation to your surroundings. Do you bump into things or fall over seemingly nothing a lot? Have you ever been told/noticed you move "strangely"? Do you ever walk sort of on your tiptoes or toes-first rather than heels-first?

- social issues

do you have trouble reading body language? facial expressions? figurative language? tone of voice? not every autistic person will experience all of the above, I know people who can't read body language but can read tone of voice, or can't read figurative language but can read facial expressions, etc. etc. Personally I struggle with tone of voice a lot, I can't tell when people are being serious or not, or whether they're upset or not, tone of voice doesn't really tell me anything about how they're feeling of what they mean. Figurative language varies, I understand metaphors and I often understand sarcasm, although I won't get it if it's too deadpan, and I sometimes miss hyperbole and think people are being serious. I also can't tell whether people are teasing me or genuinely being mean the vast majority of the time. I tend to rely on speech patterns and word choice a lot to understand people, personally. I pick up on what sorts of words they use in what moods and use that largely to inform my interpretations of their current mood based on the words they're choosing. Do you ever struggle understanding what is/isn't socially appropriate? I overshare a lot bc I don't rlly understand what is "too much information" and what isn't, and I also don't understand really how to treat people differently based on their "social role", like I treat someone like a friend regardless of whether they're a stranger, a classmate, a friend, a family member, a colleague, a boss, a teacher, etc.

- need for routine/dislike of sudden/significant change

this isn't always as clear as like needing an entire day to be a routine, it can be little things. I'll give some examples: I have to brush my teeth in a specific way - I count the number of passes of the brush over each section of my teeth, I have to eat a sandwich in a specific order of bites, many food places I will order the same thing every/nearly every time and I will eat that order in the same way, I wash my body/hair in a certain way/order in the shower every time, sometimes I get weirdly obsessed with symmetry and I have to walk in a certain way and if I step "wrong" I have to hop around on one leg until I feel "balanced" again, I have to do my daily tasks on genshin impact in a certain order, etc. etc. I could probably think of more if I tried. I will often get distressed/overwhelmed/upset if any of these "routines" are disrupted somehow. My original method of eating a sandwich applied to when they're cut across into rectangles, so I used to hate eating triangle sandwiches because I couldn't eat them "correctly" until I figured out a similar way to eat triangle sandwiches, and now I Have to eat them in that way because it's "correct" and I'll feel uncomfortable otherwise. Note that this isn't like OCD because it's not anxiety-based, it's based on the fact that it feels like the "correct" way to do it, and that any other way is simply "wrong" and you don't like doing it "wrong". The need for routine and dislike of change might also manifest in needing to plan things ahead days in advance, you also might be like me and be very capable of impulsively doing things like going out if You decide to do it, but if someone Else suggests it, then you need the preparation time. - stimming/special interests

stimming can be honestly anything. I tap my foot, I sing, I have a whole folder names "stim games" on my phone, I type, I eat, I chew gum, I flap my arms, I scratch fabrics, I smell blankets/clothing. Stimming just means self-stimulation and is absolutely any repeated action that you find soothing/cathartic in any way. Under here I'm also going to mention samefoods: foods that you feel comfortable eating even when you don't feel comfortable eating anything else. Like if too much flavour/smell/texture feels overwhelming, most autistic people will have food/s that aren't at all stressful to eat and they can default to at those times. Mine is a specific brand of chicken nuggets, I'll often fall back on those when eating anything else feels overwhelming but I need to eat Something, and I can usually handle those when I can't handle other things.

as for special interests, they are anything that you're kind of obsessed with. You can have multiple, they can change over your life, but your interest tends to go much deeper than that of a neurotypical person's and you feel a need to know everything about it and struggle to hold conversations about other topics because it kind of just takes over your brain. when I was younger some of my special interests were final fantasy, anime, hello kitty, languages/linguistics has always been a special interest of mine, kpop is definitely one, astrology is also for sure one. I fall in and out of being obsessed enough with genshin to call it a special interest. I had a friend in highschool whose special interest was the periodic table, for a while they were obsessed with the 8 times table, and then it became dinosaurs. My little brother is autistic and his special interest has always been video games, he's really interested in retro games, he loves Minecraft and Mario too, when he was younger it was ben 10 for a while, there was also a period where all he wanted to do as a kid was rewatch the cars movies. Media likes to portray special interests as being academic but they can truly be absolutely anything. A desire to know absolutely everything about trains or flowers or kpop is just as much a special interest as neurology or maths or physics or smth like that.

Another thing I've just thought of to be noted, is hygiene:

some autistic people might appear to have borderline OCD tendencies where they can't handle dirt/mess and need everything to be tidy/clean all the time. This is definitely one of the stereotypes. But struggling with hygiene is just as much a symptom of autism. If you struggle to remember to shower/wash hands/brush teeth/do laundry/etc. that could well be an autism symptom. I found out I'm sensitive to mint and especially to toothpaste, it makes my mouth feel like it's burning and like I'll actually cry if it touches my tongue bc it hurts that much lmao. I discovered a toothpaste that's unflavoured and doesn't foam up and now I can brush my teeth without pain but for a long time I struggled with consistently brushing teeth bc of that. I also struggle with showering bc of being stressed out by wet hair/skin. Sometimes it's also a memory thing, and I forget to do these things. I also absolutely suck at keeping my room clean, idk why I just Really Can't lmaoooooo

I'm certain there are things I haven't covered, these are mostly pulling from my own experiences of autism from myself and those around me. All of this might apply to you, it might not, but I hope it makes sense and has given you a good starting point of things to examine within yourself and questions to ask yourself <3 I wish you well bub and please always feel free to ask more questions and/or talk to me more about your experiences <3

[dreamertrilogys]

raz (whorevitz) made a callout post about you, what did you say about tswift?

bc its rly long + bc of the tws (antisemitism, racism) i’m putting it under a cut

okay so background knowledge: @/whorevitz sent me an ask here (the post mentioned can be found here). a friend of mine (gonna refer to them as z) saw the ask and the responses whorevitz left on it and dmed me on discord asking what it was abt. i told them tswift and z said that theyre there for me to talk if i want, esp since z is jewish themself. i took them up on their offer and asked them what their opinion on the whole shld u or shld u not listen to ts argument is

whorevitz then sent me an ask that said “you say you don't support her or promote her on social media then you reblog cute videos of her!!!! you don't care!!!!!! you can't just get rid of her. there's no way you haven't seen my post and it's kinda iffy you chose to ignore mine specifically as it focuses on her antisemitism... you. cannot listen to her music without supporting her at this point. she's a literal nazi sympathizer. it doesn't matter how much you reblog posts abt her bc you still post abt her and listen to her.”

i replied to the ask privately but iirc i said “okay look i talked to a jewish friend and this is what they said:” (everything after this is what z said to me verbatim)

“well it's like, complicated, you know? i think there's a big push to not listen/"support" anyone who's ever done anything problematic or this "if you do, consume critically!" as if that's not, like, the base for how to engage with everything & the thing is i think when we start nitpicking activism as a thing of "i don't stream taylor swift on spotify and this makes me a good person" we forget that that's actually very performative at its core i dont actually really care if you listen to taylor swift bc if we cut out all media and content that's been antisemitic etc we'd be left with nothing & that's arguably an issue as well but we aren't going to fix it boiling it all down to something so easy to digest as "just don't listen to this music and you're fine" yk? at the end of the day i literally don't care as long as you're aware of what the problems are with these things, and honestly? not listening to White Woman Singer #37374 isn't the progressive activism you think it is i'd much rather that you share the things that uplift and support the people who are affected than that you pat yourself on the back because you didn't listen to folklore when it came out and think that gives you a moral highground & of course nobody speaks for everybody. and it's more important that we acknowledge and respect differences rather than denounce and punish anyone who does not conform without question to our personal ideals because it's, like, there's a vast sea of difference between being a nazi and thinking Love Story is a good song with a shitty artist behind it and this nitpicking doesn't actually do anything for anyone. it's actually very self centered imo to expect people to uphold your personal performative standards so there's nuance here, and that nuance is rarely examined because there's just this expectation that conversations should never be difficult or multi-faceted that like...if someone says this thing is bad it should be outcast completely without question, and then anyone who does question it is suddenly on par with the bad things that made the bad thing bad and that's a horrible way to encourage growth or critical thinking, in fact, it actively discourages anyone from questioning reactionary material and becoming better, more insightful people idk if any of that makes sense[3:46 PM]but tldr: it doesn't actually matter very much if you listen to taylor swift or "platform" her. it DOES matter if you support and uplift jewish ppl/poc and ALSO im ngl you're like 15/16 iirc and so a lot of activism stuff like "support poc/jewish people materially" doesn't even apply to you because you're a minor who can't and absolutely should not be expected to open your wallet to adults, no matter the issues they are facing and it's this thing of i'm not going to speak down to you or coddle you or insult your intelligence or personhood by saying you aren't responsible for Anything At All on the basis of being a minor but at the same time, holding you to activist standards of an adult (like going to protests, for example) is dangerous and wrong activism like this is definitely not one size fits all and it's so important to keep that in mind so that you don't encourage any mindset of making kids (kids!!) have to be more mature than they are able to be at their age it just feels maybe a little silly to shame a minor for listening to taylor swift like.........can we talk about real problems? please?”

anyways thats basically it feel free to unf if u dont agree with me but thanks for taking the time to ask me 

[fearfulkittenwrites]

Their first walks on the Wayne’s garden - Chapter 1: Dick Grayson

A glimpse into Bruce's relationships with his kids, seen through the first time he took each of them on a walk through his garden.

Or: Bruce Wayne actually tries to communicate and care for his children. Because fuck canon.

Word count: 1806

Notes: Hello! This is a multi-chaptered work. It doesn't exactly follow canon (bc canon had Bruce being an awful dad) but also doesn't disagree with most of it. It's simply short stories of the batfam, all set in the same environment. Each chapter will focus around Bruce and a certain kid. This one, as the title says, is focused on Dick and Bruce.

TW// This chapter talks about racism and bullying. I used a slur in one of the characters lines, but in no way do I (or the character) condone it's use. It's there because said character is reporting a bad event. Those mentions are not graphic and shouldn't make your experience reading this unpleasent, however, if you feel unconfortable with this, please, skip this chapter.

Bruce Wayne is an introspective man with too much to do. Inside the manor, there was usually this unspoken pressure he put on himself and other to always be occupied with something. Of course, living alone, that was probably due to the fact that everyone but him was working on something - working for him. So he felt his quiet restlessness was only fair. If he ever needed to be alone with his thoughs, he would take walks around the garden, when the gardeners – who also worked for him - had already left. Every afternoon, just before the sun would set, he’d stroll through the vast green area that surrounded the building, appreciating every tulip, lily and carnation planted there. He particularly liked the roses Alfred cared for.

He jokingly called them Alfred’s children once. The buttler had told him that if this were true, then Bruce could consider himself the plant’s foster brother.

When Dick moved in, he also took a liking of the garden, although for very different reasons. He liked to be there early in the morning, basking in the sunlight before he went to school, when it was brimming with life and movement. The gardeners treated him like a son, showed him how to care for all the different flowers and plants they had and allowed him to check the bushes for bugs he could save before they’d prune and shape them. Of course, Alfred wasn’t exactly pleased with the habit, since he would always get dirt all over himself before school, and would need to change into a new uniform after being called back inside. However, no matter how upset the extra laundry made him, he would never deny the boy such a simple pleasure; when he first got to the manor, his smile was a rarity to be cherished. Alfred kept a brief mental list of everything that could put a grin on Dick’s face.

One day, after school, Bruce’s stomach felt cold and tight. Something was up with Dick. He knew it, but couldn’t explain why the small boy was gloomier, less fidgety and more still than usual. When inquired, his answer would invariably be:

“It’s nothing B, I’m fine.”

After the third attempt, he decided to approach this matter through a different strategy.

Dick was sitting next to him on the couch, pretending to watch a movie.

“Come with me,” He said, extending his hand to him as he got up “Let’s take a walk.”

He hesitated for a moment, but decided to go. The sun was starting to set, but the clouds still painted the sky white. Bruce’s pace was slow; he wasn’t in a hurry. Dick kept his head down as they walked in silence, but grew more and more nervous by the second. He couldn’t bring himself to speak right now, even if he wasn’t the type to enjoy quiet. Thankfully, Bruce noticed his discomfort and started to talk.

“I do this every day.” He explained “For some reason, it’s almost like I can’t think properly inside. Like there’s not enough room.” Dick kept himself quiet, wich scared the man a little “Of course, that sounds a little silly considering where we live.” At least he could bring a little smile to the boys face. Good. Keep going. “Still, for some reason, my head clears out when I’m outside. I noticed that when I was sixteen, and then the walks became a habit. It’s almost like my version of venting.” The sky was starting to turn pink at that point, and the clouds took on warmer colors to match it “Sometimes, everything can be so chaotic. But here, it’s always so quiet. So beautiful.”

He stopped and kneeled down, examining a pink carnation between his fingers.

“I know something’s up Dick.” He said, trying to sound understanding and caring, unsure on whether he was succeeding in it or not. “You can talk to me, if you want to. Or Alfred. It’s also okay if you prefer to deal with it on your own, but you don’t strike me as the type to keep things to yourself.” He smiled a little, standing up.

“You think I’m a crybaby, don’t you?” Dick sounded more doubtful and hurt than angry as he asked.

“No.” Bruce answered “I think you have a healthier approach to life than I do. You share things. You learn to let go, eventually. I keep silence and carry burdens because I don’t have that skill anymore. You know how to trust people in a way I’ll never be able to. I don’t want you to lose that because you don’t think I want to hear what you have to say.”

“Do you?” He asked, still uncertain and scared. “Want to listen to me, that is?”

“Of course I do, Dick.”

“Okay.” The boy still reflected for a couple of moments “It’s... silly. Some kids at school are making fun of me, and, well, it was harder today I guess.” Bruce had questions. Who were these kids? For how long had this been going on? Why were you keeping it a secret? Still, he bit his tongue. He knew he had to listen now, the questions could come up later “There’s this girl, Lisa. Mr. Hans, the gardener, he told me to give her a flower and tell her how I feel, and Alfred gave me one of his red roses for me to give her. She’s really pretty.” He sighed, ashamed “But she didn’t want it. She laughed and...” His eyes got a little teary and he choked on the words, words that tasted like iron on his mouth and felt like poison on Bruce’s ears “And she told me she’d never be with a dirty gypsy like me.” Dick couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, so he hid his face in his hands before finishing “It’s just... I never thought she’d think like that too. Just the boys was bad, but... It hurts. It hurts so much.” Bruce kneeled down to be at his height, and placed a hand on his shoulder “And then Thomas came up and stomped on the flower, called me a charity case, a circus freak, and pushed me down, and I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t want the reporters to talk about me like they did last time.” He was sobbing now, and Bruce pulled him in a hug, wrapping his arms so tightly around him, desperatly holding his child as he fell apart in front of him.

The last time he mentioned was when he got in a fight at school for the same reasons, on his first week with Bruce. The newspaper wrote a small commentary on him, titled “Richard Grayson-Wayne: Perfect heir or Problem Child?” Dick was so angry. He cried himself to sleep that night. He didn’t tell anyone, but Alfred heard him as he walked away from Bruce’s room.

“I miss... I miss the circus Bruce.” He went on “I know it’s been years now, but I still miss it. I miss moving, and I miss performing there, and I miss my mom and my dad. I wish I could have it back.”

“I know kid.” Bruce said, rubbing circles in his back.

“It was so much easier. So simple.” After a while, the tears subdued a little “I’m sorry Bruce. I don’t want to sound ungrateful. You gave me so much...”

“It’s okay Dick, you’re not ungrateful. It’s normal to miss it.”

They held each other for a little while longer. Dick was the one who let go, when he was ready to. The sky was almost entirely navy blue when they resumed walking. This time, Dick lead them to the white roses and sat down in front of them.

“They are my favorites.” He smiled, taking in their strong scent. “At least for now.”

Bruce sat down next to him and placed a hand on his back.

“Dick, I don’t want to upset you,” He started “But I need to know who’s been making fun of you.”

“It’ll only make things worse Bruce.” He answered, looking down.

“Dick, this is serious.” Bruce insisted.

“It’s just bullying Bruce, I’ll be fine. If you do something, it’ll get worse, trust me.”

“It’s not just bullying Dick.” Bruce turned around to face him, but the boy averted his eyes “Dick, those kids... I know it’s hard, but... Lisa said a very racist thing to you.” His eyes were still fixated at the ground, avoiding Bruce’s “I’ll understand if you don’t want to take action against it Dick, and I’m only trying to protect you, but...”

“It’s Thomas Kline.” Dick interrupted “Thomas Kline, Matthew Peterson, Calvin Harrington and... Lisa Randolph. They are the ones who call me that.” Both of them kept silent for a while, Dick writting patterns on the dirt while Bruce watched him.

“Thank you Dick. I’ll talk to the principal tommorow. And if those kids ever treat you like that again, well...” He smiled “You are Robin. And the media would surely belive you have jiu-jitsu lessons, should things get out of hand.” Dick chuckled a little at that.

“Thanks Bruce.” Dick launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist and burrying his face in his chest.

“No problem.” Bruce smiled as he ran his fingers throug Dick’s dark, messy hair.

...

“Alfred,” Bruce called as he pulled his suit on “I just tucked Dick in. I need to go out for the night.”

“As Bruce Wayne? Or should I worry, master Wayne?”

“Andrew Randolph is throwing a party. I wasn’t planning on attending, but due to current events...” He smoothed his shirt and he walked through the door, Alfred following suit. “We need to talk about his parenting skills.”

...

The next morning, Bruce made the front page. Dick woke up to “Good Morning Gotham!” showing picture’s of him punching Andrew Randolph’s teeth in, in the middle of the socialite’s ball room. The kid’s hair was still smushed on the side, his eyes were a bit puffy and he wore his pajamas as he watched it.

“I don’t know, Charlotte,” One of the anchors commented “The attack seems completly unprovoked.”

“Well, Peter, we have no clue on the content of that conversation.” Charlotte answered “What happened that led the sociable and easy-going billionaire to lose his temper like that?”

“Actually,” The third person, a woman named Nadia, began speaking “When asked about the incident by one of our reporters, Bruce Wayne answered with a simple ‘I don’t appreciate any kind of prejudice. Especially if it’s directed towards my son.’ It’s safe to say that what provoked the fight was, most likely, an unnapreciated comment on Richard Grayson-Wayne’s romani heritage.”

Dick turned off the TV and turned to the man queitly sipping his coffee behind him.

“What did you do last night?”

[jangofctts]

Hi! I’m quite nervous about asking this, but I mean it in a respectful way - I just kinda want to be sure I’m not contributing to the problem you know? Just concerning what’s happened today

I was wondering if you could tell me what the difference is between fetishing something (eg POC, the LGBT+ community) and just portraying them having sex was?

Obvs no pressure to answer this if you don’t want to, lots of love xx

hey!

so im gonna provide you with a couple links to articles that i highly recommend reading because i am NOT an expert and i dont feel comfortable telling you information that may or may not be true!! (below the cut)

https://collegian.com/2019/04/category-opinion-mcwilliams-fetishizing-people-of-color-isnt-a-compliment-so-dont-act-like-it-is/ (this one is on fetishizing POC)

https://collegian.com/2019/04/category-opinion-mcwilliams-fetishizing-people-of-color-isnt-a-compliment-so-dont-act-like-it-is/ (also about POC and lgbtq+)

https://magdalene.co/story/fetishizing-gay-relationship-when-ship-and-fan-fiction-turn-toxic (this one is about fetishizing lgbtq people in fanfic)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.themarysue.com/fetishizing-slash/amp/ (also about fetishizing lgbtq members)

in MY opinion (do not confuse this for fact please) personally, i don’t want a straight person to treat my sexuality as something that they can get off to, or see me as a sex object or dehumanizing me and using me as fuel for fem x fem fantasty, yknow? like, tbh i write fanfic for the character, ive never been interested in celebrities bc it is none of my business to know anything about their personal lives. if you write a celebrity x SIF you’re quite frankly, part of the problem and it’s just...idk it’s weird and intrusive and quite honestly gives the rest of the fandom a really bad name. objectifying someone bc of their skin color and or sexuality is disgusting and making “theories” about real life people should not be a trend in fandom. it hurts those people and makes the space extremely toxic and not fun to be around.

fanfic for me has always been an escape, i enjoy writing about the CHARACTERS and the world that they’re in bc SW is so cool and vast and i really like being able to tell stories. imo my stories, while they are technically an “x reader” i have never once used “y/n” and i always tend to give them a nickname bc i seem them as an oc and not a SIF. some people literally just wanna write about sw and certain characters and not “thinly veil it” as a RPF (that’s not to say some fics arent)

anyway, i think there’s a difference between appreciation media and the characters in that and actually fetishizing and being creepy. additionally im not even sure what the actual discourse is, ive only seen one post and i really dont want to be involved

[loregoddess]

you know, having now read Dracula, I am so upset that pop culture’s takeaway was the “sexy vampire” trope and not like, tropes for a vampire hunting squad formula. Like we literally get the ideal vampire hunting party in Dracula, and yet I have never seen any archetypal “vampire hunting group” in pop media.

So, anyhow, here’s how I’d codify the tropes/archetypes for the vampire hunting party, as based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula (under the cut bc I don’t know how to be brief):

Legal Knowledge Person (Jonathan Harker): Knows their shit about any and all laws for their locality, they help the group do vampire hunting (probably very questionable as to the legality) using legal loopholes so that the squad doesn’t get like, arrested for seemingly murdering corpses and destroying property. Also has good connections so they can find out information about other official business stuff, like what spooky houses were recently purchased. Strong of heart and brave, albeit a bit emotional. Not weak mentally, but not exactly mentally strong either.

Common Fucking Sense (Mina Harker): May not be wildly knowledgeable about any particular field (unless it’s a super niche thing that ends up helping out later in the narrative, like train schedules), but has the best common sense of the entire squad, and is the most clever and intelligent when it comes to arranging information and connecting events. Probably has the greatest compassion, and also possesses the greatest mental strength, capable of holding their own in a prolonged psychic battle with a vampire. Pretty damn stable emotionally as well, only getting overwhelmed by things that would overwhelm any average person. Gets left in the dark for stupid reasons (is a woman, is physically weak, whatever) and this causes issues for the entire squad bc why would you keep the only person capable of common sense in the dark you idiots, but as soon as they’re included in group stuff, their contributions will allow the squad to make like, actual progress.

Medical Knowledge Person (John Seward): Knows a lot about science, probably medicine, biology, or psychology, and is very grounded in the “real” world. Very observant and keeps notes of things in a scientific manner, but is very unwilling to believe in the supernatural until a vampire all but slaps them in the face. General medical knowledge is probably good later on for identifying and disposing of vampires (depending on rules for the vampires), but their greatest contribution is usually just taking really, really detailed notes on stuff. Will not recognize vampire activity stuff until much later when they are in the know. Probably knows the Folklore Knowledge Person from a shared medical past. Not to rag on Seward, but has the emotional range of a wet rag, and reacts to everything with a sort of scientific coldness. (If the vampire hunting squad had ever taken off as a set of tropes, this member of the group might have had some more interesting adaptations).

Folklore Knowledge Person (Abraham van Helsing): Knows all the folklore about vampires, knows how to identify the signs of vampire activity, how to ward against and fight off vampires, basically knows ALL the vampire lore. Probably has a background in medicine as well, since knowing how to tell the difference between a living person, an actually dead corpse, and an undead vampire is probably useful. Might have a background in all sorts of academia bc they possess knowledge of many things (they’re probably old as well). Very healthy emotionally and strong mentally, being able to steel themselves against the various horrors of vampires and the undead, while also remaining a decent person. Despite being very knowledgeable about a lot of shit, they may make incredibly stupid decisions (like failing to communicate that there is a threat from the supernatural bc no one present currently believes in the supernatural, or deciding to keep the Common Sense Person in the dark). These decisions result in something bad happening to the squad, but they’re probably able to rectify their mistake with their vast knowledge and desire to undo the harm of their decision.

Rich Person (Arthur “Lord Goldaming”): Is rich, and also holds a high rank in society. They make it easy for the squad to get or do things that not-rich people would be questioned about, or simply not have access to. Very emotional, and kinda weak mentally, but ultimately their heart is in the right place. Believes in the supernatural surprisingly easily. Mostly just there to provide resources and easy access to anything and everything, bc they are rich. Also probably has some useful connections due to their status.

The Gunslinger (Quincy Morris): Knows their way around weapons, especially firearms, and has a lot of knowledge of fighting. Brave, strong of heart and mind, and generally a very good person with the resolve to get done what needs to get done. Willing to risk life for the squad. Doesn’t question a whole lot, probably more “action over thought”. I’m sorry, Quincy Morris wasn’t that present in the story, that’s all I have to go on, he was just a nice guy who also acted as sorta the muscle (future adaptations could have expanded this role so much more as well).

obviously these roles would have changed, been re-imagined, re-adapted, expanded, and/or condensed, as what happens with tropes and archetypes, but this is how I’d try to boil down the essentials for a vampire hunting squad a la Dracula.

[jungxk]

hello, you don’t have to answer this bc it may be a difficult topic, but i wanted to ask how you would advise someone who deals with mild jealousy over idols? i don’t feel anything too severely but sometimes i find myself feeling jealous when they interact with others and i recognise this is bad so i want to unlearn this behaviour and correct bc i know these feelings will never come to anything more. we are the same age so i feel stupid still having these emotions. ty for reading this!

first of all thank u for sharing this and being honest and ready for change bc that’s the hardest part! i used to have a similar problem but it wasn’t rlly jealousy more like sadness lol.

there are 2 main things that rlly helped me. the first was understanding that everything u know about idols/celebrities, literally EVERYTHING, is only bc they - meaning them and an entire production team that is funded and spend hours perfecting every detail - want u to see that. at the end of the day this is a business, it’s their job. they are paid to be charming flirty cute and relatable bc they get money for it. the moral implications of emotional exploitation of fans is another topic to discuss but just make sure you’re aware of it. bc the truth is the VAST MAJORITY of kpop fans feel this way bc the industry WANTS you to feel this way. the more you feel like you know them the more attached you are and the more attached u are the more likely u are to pay money. it’s psychology. do some research abt ex-trainees/idols and the elaboration-likelyhood model you’ll see what i mean. so much of kpop personalities are fabricated and i’m not saying just bc it’s fake u can’t enjoy it but just remember it’s fake lol. they are literally trained to make ppl like them. from the way they sit speak act nod eye contact eat gasp laugh chew sneeze stand EVERYTHING so it’s not ur fault. some idols are more natural than others so it’s harder to tell the difference between what’s really them and what isn’t and if u look closely the most popular idols are usually the ones who are good at this. like any occupational field it’s a skill that they are paid for and those that are more skilled earn more (theoretically). once you actually realise this u will see that ur perception of idols is all in ur mind, you filled so many blanks in urself bc that’s what the human psyche does and u fell in love with what they represent instead of them as real ppl. the difficult thing is that this is rlly hard to undo bc that is the industry’s EXACT goal but it can be done and u will do it.

the second thing is to stop consuming their media for a while. almost like weaning urself off lol. if u can delete ur blog/account great but that’s ur call and u understand ur issue more than me or anyone else but don’t underestimate the power of pulling away for a while. that idol/group is always gonna be there. remember that this is ur life, u are in control. if u say no and want to stop then stop. you are not indebted to anyone but yourself. make smart decisions and spend time with urself, pick apart ur thought processes as objectively as u can and meet each stage with empathy and understanding for yourself bc, and yes i’ll keep saying it, this is not your fault. i rlly hope this helps and i’m already proud of u just for sending this mssg x

[shiny-eyed-babies]

Damn guys, remember when I was active on this blog?? Takes me back....

For everyone who is still here, I hope you're doing well!! Of course, I still love Bent Knee (it's the kind of love that never fades), but for one I've gotten pretty busy with college and whatnot. And for two, I've spent a while contemplating the ethics of fandom - especially in terms of Bent Knee, bc I have spent more time and energy on them than any other band (which is saying a lot). I had to stop and ask myself, what does it mean to be a good BK fan? How do I support a band I love while still respecting them as people and musicians? The question is surprisingly difficult to navigate. This is the main reason I backed off from this blog a bit.

The relationship between artist and fan, especially in the age of social media, is quite a complex one. Bent Knee have one of the largest online footprints I have ever seen from a band, between their Instagrams, their Patreons, their musical side projects, and Ben and Jessica's YouTube channels. That means that, over the years, I've been able to learn tons of info about them. I know all their zodiac signs, I know most of their favorite bands, I know their relationships with each other more or less, I can follow pretty much every step of their tours (I loved when they did livestreams in the van, that was an awesome time). And this whole time, they have learned very little about who I am. It naturally creates an imbalance; I feel free to talk to them as if they're my friends, yet the interactions were never mutual, and thus were inauthentic. That's the challenge of "fandom" in the 21st century. You must have the self-awareness that the relationship is one-sided, and that boundaries must be maintained, even if the knowledge online is vast and readily available.

Bent Knee are also the friendliest band I know, and I've talked about this many times before. I think they realize the artist-fan imbalance, but they also make a concerted effort to demystify their artistic process. This is apparent from their social media presence to the way they conduct themselves onstage; they have always believed that music is a team sport, so they try their best to act accordingly. Where the realm of artistry has so often been gatekept and glorified, they succeed as artists specifically because of their authenticity and openness to the fanbase. And that presents an interesting dichotomy: sharing all aspects of your art vs maintaining reasonable boundaries. Let's not forget that the sharing of art, in itself, is an incredibly vulnerable act. It often requires both selfishness and shame - the selfish desire to be unconditionally heard and accepted, and the shame of baring your soul, of opening your weakest parts to judgment. The ironic reality, though, is that fans don't often care about the artist's original intention, they simply seek the parts that resonate with them and twist it to fit their personal story. That's the business of music in its simplest form: selfishness, shame, empathy.

I know that sounds a bit cynical, but I mean it genuinely. I don't think selfishness or shame are intrinsically bad things; in fact, they can be highly productive emotions. And what's so interesting is that I've heard more than one BK member openly discuss this topic. Which is honestly very bold! Onstage personas are a way to limit vulnerability, to protect yourself from revealing that difficult concoction of emotions that goes into the creation process. But rather than protect themselves, BK generally chooses to accept and share in those emotions, all for the principle of sharing. And that's what makes them feel so special, so different from other bands. But it's just as much a risk for them.

I don't intend to stop being a fan, nor do I intend to stop sharing the things I love about BK here. But I've just been thinking about this a lot, and I think it should be discussed more often. I think all members of a fanbase should mutually encourage self-awareness. That's the best way to be a fan, I think; to consistently maintain respect and understanding for the artists you love, in addition to the art itself. BK has done so much for me over the years, but most of all, I think they've taught me the difficult truth about the artistic process: it must be shared.