#but it was nice having a face for that kind of fandom experience lol so imma miss it 😔

[akkivee]

first experiencing hypstage loss all over again and now having to say goodbye to matpat 2024 decided to come out swinging like actually huh🧍‍♀️

[roxxiies]

First time ever requesting something haha

I've been in the MLBB fandom for years now but I never knew that there was a fanfic fandom for it??? I've been missing out for so long!

I'm attracted to so many MLBB men but I find myself being so into Yin personality wise, so I'm here to kindly ask for more fics about him.

I'm thinking suggestive but not necessarily smut. Just a dose of reader making him extremely flustered and worked up because she just read something interesting and she wanted to test it out and poor Yin goes along with it until he's hard and aching but he's too shy to ask for help from the oblivious reader who's treating the whole thing as a science experiment lol. At the end, she finally notices his pout and finds him adorable before giving him a hand job or something to help him out?

If you're not into that kind of thing, I would love a cute story from Yin's pov about how he gradually falls for reader and how she heals his trauma through the affection she shows him?

Thanks!!!

𝐘𝐈𝐍 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

TW: NSF(W), MASTURBATION. MNDI

a.n.: back and alive

To Yin's surprise, you took his debt joke a little too seriously, as he was now forced to come to your house immediately. The sun was yet to set when he made himself walk up to your house, his movement a bit sluggish from the intense training he just did as he lifted himself inside your window.

His eyes, although seemingly tired, couldn't mistake the mat on the floor as you carefully laid them.

“Hi, what are you—”

“Yin! I'm so glad you came!” You beamed as you noticed him and gently ushered him to lay on the mat. You then continued, your voice betraying your excitement, “I’m trying something out! I'll be proposing yoga exercises to my patients whenever they experience strains in their body. And since you owe me a favour and quite a regular, you'll help me!”

Yin wouldn't deny his frequent visits, he claims that he's helping you practice your healing skills. He would then often try to cause trouble or injure himself during trainings just to have your attention solely back to his.

But this was different, you were the one asking his presence now... and that made his heart flutter in his chest despite how tired he was with his earlier training. Of course, he agreed on the spot.

He carefully sat on the mat and his exhausted mind tries to comprehend your suggestion. He sheepishly chuckles at your last sentence, “But... I barely know yoga.”

“Don't worry, it’s similar to your training but more… relaxing, I guess?” You sort of assured him and lifted a paper with the listed exercises you had readied earlier. “And maybe you'll finally stop having daily trips to my house just because you have strains.”

For the last few hours, it was thanks to Yin's training that most of the exercises were finished and now suggested for your yoga plan. Then there was the ‘upward dog’ where he let out a chuckle at the name.

You scolded him immediately and he quickly frowns as you ordered him to lie on his stomach, his face showed scepticism as you moved to crouch just a few feet away from his head.

“Then, place both of your hands, laid flat on the surface, parallel to your chest below it. Then, lift your head—like, with your shoulders,” You gently guided his chin to raise until you were satisfied with his position as he let out a grunt at the effort. You smiled and moved to his side while crouching and placed a slight pressure on his back. “Does that feel good? Did you feel something on your back?”

Yin’s hands faltered briefly as he felt your gentle touch on his back, his tone barely relaxed, “Back feels nice…”

You stood up and scribbled on your notes with a hum, “Alright, next position: the plank pose. I'm sure you're familiar with this one.”

He nods as he gently shifted his position. His movements were much more shaky beneath your gaze compared to when he does it alone. He lifted his body just a few inches from the floor, and you quickly noticed the slight arch.

You slipped your hand below him and carefully made his stomach area lift up to have his back straight, his breath hitching as he shakily followed your guidance and quietly whimpered.

"Hmm, are you sure you do this daily?” 

“Yeah…” he murmurs in a shaky tone.

You only hummed and just proceeded to do more exercises. However, whenever you guide him to a pose from a pose, he reluctantly denies your help because he knows you'll notice it right away. Because one after the other, his body feels hot and hotter.

“Yin. Yin, are you listening? I said, lift your hips higher—like, push your hips outward.” 

“I… c-can’t.” He grunts. Of course, he can't do it, it'll obviously leave a mark.

You let out a frustrated sigh as you had to press his back more outward for his lower back to stretch. But once he felt your touch again, his eyes widened, and he let out a surprised gasp. He was afraid you'd see it from up close— The thought itself made the strength in his arms waver and made him fall down on the mat.

You gasped as worry took over your expression. You immediately sat beside his scrunched form and gently massaged his hips where most took the damage. He let out a quiet whimper at the touch as he tried to weakly push your shoulders, afraid that you'd see his hard on.

“Yin, I'm trying to help—”

“P-please—I can't take it anymore…”

You frowned. “I mean, we'll take a break. But why so sudden— Oh.”

Yin swallowed as he trailed where your gaze was, and he immediately tried to cover himself, his tone shaky in embarrassment. “S’rry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just that you're so close and—” and I need you badly.

It took a lot in you to not back away and disappoint your favourite patient. Even if Yin was a headache to deal with everyday, you can't deny you've taken a liking of him recently. And maybe it's the reason you've specifically called him and not your other friends. But it's like, your day wouldn't be complete without his beaming face looking at your way.

You swallowed and let out a soft sigh, “I see… do you want me to...”

You trailed off and Yin's eyes shot up at you, his expression weary as he shakes his head, “It’s fine... I won't force you to do anything.”

But once he heard your soft giggle and your reassuring words, he let out a sigh and finally let his urges take him over completely. He captured your lips in a passionate manner as you shifted to straddle his legs. Your own lips match his fervour as you briefly gasp to take a breath and back again.

He groans once on your lips as he feels your hands roam around his hips. He fumbled to open his pants and brought down his boxers. He sighs in relief as he finally lets it free.

Your hand gently wraps over his, and he groans from the touch. You admired his length and gave it a few jerks.

He moved his hands to your hips as he pulled you closer and nuzzled his face on your neck, he breathed a low sigh, “You could just give me this— I'll be, Ill be fine.”

You gave it a few more pumps as he felt his body getting warmer. You gently lifted your palm to tease his tip, and he whimpers as you feel him hug you tighter. You smeared the precum you collected from his tip across his cock as you felt its pulses under your touch, he let outs a gasp again.

Your chest was flush against his now, and you whispered, your voice sultry but soft, “Your cute sounds make you irresistible, baby. Try to slack that pretty mouth more f’me, ah?”

Yin's flustered face looks up at you briefly and his lips finds your lips once again, his breath shaky as he intertwines your tongue with his. He groans as he feels you hastening your movement, he hides his face again.

You giggled at the sight of the current state of Yin and couldn't help but remember his usual playful and carefree attitude you fell in love with. You preferred him this way, you thought.

You sped up as your other hand caressed his toned abdomen, your fingers roam around his abs and you gasped as you felt him suddenly jerk his hips to meet your hand. He muttered a quiet sorry as you licked your lips and you stilled his hips and your movement. He groans in frustration, but you only chuckled and couldn't help but tease your pretty boy, “You're close, aren't you?”

He frantically nods as his face is still nuzzled on your neck, and he shakily whimpers, “Y-yes, baby—please, keep moving.”

You huffed, continued to pump his cock again, and hastened your movements. He gasps as he feels that knot inside of him about to snap, and his abdomen tightens as he holds you tighter. His breathing quickened, and with a last jerk of his hips, he shoots pretty white strings, and he groans loudly. It coated up your hand and some on his chest. He tried to calm his breathing but whimpered as he heard your giggle again.

“You sound so angelic when you come, Yin. Makes me want to do it again.” Your soft tone made him huff in embarrassment as you gently pulled him away from your chest to see his flustered expression.

He frowned, his face still heated and he swallowed, “Don’t.. don't just casually say that.” He grunts as he feels you put himself back in his pants and wipe his waste off of him and on your hand with a napkin.

“How can I? It makes me want to keep you all to myself.” You grinned, your tone teasing as you tossed the napkins away in your trashcan. But you won't deny, keeping him to yourself is indeed such a dream.

His heart flutters but still embarrassed by the whole situation. You looked at his expression, and you hummed as if thinking, then you smiled cheekily and said, “How about it, Yin? Will you be my boyfriend?”

back to all my work . . .

[smallishzine]

hi i was just wondering of any of the mods have any previous experience with organising fandom zines or events in the past?

Warning! The following answer is long, boring, mostly unrelated to the question, and kind of a Debbie Downer. Sorry anon/gen. hi it’s me one of the mods. The other mods are me when I’m actually on my meds, me at 3 am, and me when I’ve had a good nights sleep. The last one has not made an appearance as of yet. No I’ve never done this before and I’m freaking out because I have no clue what you’re meant to ask people on a mod application form and what determines who I should let in once they go out. I’ve never even been in a zine before, my experience with community events consists of I’m currently working on (read: avoiding cause I’m lost on what to do for) a gift for a gift exchange. That’s it. I’ve got no clue who to ask cause I’m paranoid about internet safety and also I’ve got school on top of this and I’m just kinda lost as to what to do because I’ve started this whole thing so before I can hand off the responsibility to someone who is capable of making good judgment and doesn’t have to split their time between working on the zine and doing homework, I’ve got to make some important decisions about who on the internet is trustworthy and I’m terrified that I’m gonna screw up and face consequences a whole lot worse then just the zine doesn’t get made. I don’t know how to verify if someone is a person I feel safe contacting over the internet, and how to maintain my anonymity as a mod so that my personal blog doesn’t get the same hate mail that the zine is getting and I’m, to be maybe a bit too honest, scared. Sorry for rambling especially cause I doubt this was what was intended with the question I guess I just needed to say this somewhere lol. Did I kill the mood? Sorry. I know you all followed cause the interest form was funny and the post I linked it on was funny and it seemed like there were a bunch of experienced people working together on this who knew what they were doing and so now using this blog to vent feels duplicitous and like it could possibly kill the zine because no one is here to listen to some kid whine about high school lol. I worked hard to seem effortlessly funny and confident about my lack of a plan, and while I didn’t necessarily say that there was more than one mod, I kind of implied it, cause I thought people would only want to participate if it seemed like there were a bunch of people capable of being responsible running the zine who would be fun to work with and would be totally on top of getting things done so contributors would be able to just focus on their piece. I wanted to seem like someone people would want to be friends with, cause really I started this zine cause I wanted to make friends, and I’m worried that now that people know that it’s just some whiny screenager who’s never touched grass with no idea what he’s doing who is really not all that funny unless he’s spent hours agonizing over what to say running the zine then they won’t want to participate, and I personally can’t blame them. I’m so, so, sorry for all the times that I made it seem like I’m someone I’m not, and I hope that people will still consider contributing even if the zine’s chances are a lot iffy-er than I made it seem. I’m scared to take offers from people saying that they want to help because creeps in the past have got me paranoid. So many people have said nice things about the zine and how excited they are for it and said that I could dm them with questions and I appreciate those people so so much but it’s difficult to drown out all the hate I’ve been seeing, which I’ve been trying to ignore, but it makes me hesitant about taking up those offers for help and sending out applications, cause I don’t want to bring some weirdo into a group chat to have them harass the zine makers and I’m not sure I’m capable of making this a positive experience for people without someone I can trust helping me and getting an internet friend I trust to help would involve leaking my personal blog and I can’t handle getting hate mail from both of them.

idk im just really lost and overthinking this and needed to rant about it, mod applications will still probably go out next month, I’ll do some research into what is usually on them, and also this is a niche enough thing that I probably don’t have to be so concerned about creeps, and there are a ton of people who’ve shown their support for the zine and it would be a disservice to them to act like everyone hates me, and everything is gonna be fine and probably a fun time and I’m just tired and needed to say all this somewhere to convince my brain how ridiculous it’s being lol. I might delete this post later, cause it’s kind of a downer honestly a high schooler complaining about his anxiety on the internet isn’t gonna get people interested and excited for the zine, I guess I just wanted to be transparent about what currently my thought process is and to ask that, having read this, you guys are patient with me as I figure out what the heck is going on. I’ll be back on my being funny enough that people think I’m actually Joel game on the form I promise guys, don’t worry just needed to get sappy there for a second but that is not what the zine is actually gonna be like it’s just gonna be fun and silly, and again sorry anon for derailing your ask.

[honeyhotteoks]

just saw your response about writing a book and dreams and i wanted to ask like-- do you think you'd ever change careers to do that? im in the middle of trying to change careers right now and the market is straight doggy doodoo in the us, but also maybe egg on my face for applying right before the holidays. id like to think to those of us with wants and dreams there is a place. i think you're a bit older than i am, and i guess i want your opinion as someone a little more sage. idk sorry if this is too personal - i have noticed you like to keep your personal and kpoppie fandom life separate, so i wont press :3! happiness to all

such a great question!! so let me answer your question in a few parts bc honestly, the way careers and life work out in your twenties is so goddamn weird lol

so i went to school for literature and intended to go for the professor path, but realized pretty quick id be poor forever. so i bopped around job to job for a while feeling pretty unfulfilled, probably through my mid twenties. then i accidentally fell into a job at a small company where they let me switch over to the software dev team bc i surprisingly liked it / was good at it, and thats what ive been doing since. im 30 now, and to be honest, i make pretty good money doing that plus im able to fully work remotely and kind of have a flexible schedule.

so to answer your question….. no, i don’t think i would be willing to take the risk right now to try switching for writing but that’s largely because i finally like my job and im a little risk adverse as a person when it comes to my own finances.

i think realistically if i ever tried writing professionally it would be something i did in my off time like fic and then if i was able to make money doing that then maybe id switch paths. i have the flexibility for that given what i do, but thats just me.

for you, being a little younger in age and maybe your career though id give you this advice (as someone who changed careers) - you might need to start low on the totem poll to get into the career path you want, especially when switching, but do not let yourself work at lower pay for too long. no matter how great the company is etc., jobs that hire low experience and let you sink or swim are great for experience but they will never, ever pay you what you’re worth no matter how nice your bosses are. so if you get your foot in the door, crush it and get that resume built, and then get out in 1-2 years.

the other thing i’ll say is know your worth now. every job and degree gives you resume builders and skills you don’t even realize are marketable. focus on getting good at interviews so once you land one, you’ll get farther. people hire people they like, i guarantee im not the best developer but i am really personable and honest in an interview and it’s always got me a call back.

i would also say, career changing takes time. don’t be afraid to make money doing something you don’t love while you try for something else. it took me 2 years to transition from a job i didn’t love to doing something i enjoy for good money now, and it’s not my total dream job, but it affords me the time and money to enjoy my passions and that’s a good fit for me.

anyways i don’t know if this was helpful, but please don’t be shy to dm me here or on twt, i’d be happy to talk about my experiences or give you more advice on your situation.

i know it’s tough out there, but you got this! for the majority of my twenties i was really lost and struggling, but i promise if you stay the course and be honest with yourself the path in front of you gets clearer and easier to walk. 💗

[upward-centrifuge]

the seadweller post, aka the first and last time i will give this much of a shit about homestuck fish.

No clue how to introduce this, so I'm just going to tell you what is true about seadwellers canonically. Seadwellers are completely distinct from everyone else on the hemospectrum, including other highbloods, in a way that isn't dissimilar to the aristocracy. Only the fuschias are actually rulers, but the violets are still royalty. Like, explicitly they are royalty. The seadwellers live in their own little world that is separate from everyone else, and they are ALL royalty. They don't have to worry about culling, they don't have to worry about money, and yet they are still people in an unjust system and this does have consequences.

In fragments, for this reason, I portray seadweller society very blatantly as an aristocracy. And the thing about an aristocracy is that it is its own tiny society where the stakes are different, the rules are different, and there are countless eyes on you at all times.

Don't get me wrong, these people are immensely privileged. They experience almost none of the risks and dangers the average Alternian faces. However, they are locked constantly in a risky social game. One in which other people are often the pawns.

They live in a world of constant power struggle, turmoil, and subterfuge, where every single action means something. This is what compels people about period dramas that focus on royalty and rich people. The aristocracy suffers no real threats, so they play convoluted power games that can be much more fun to watch.

Now, I don't focus on all this much in fragments, because one, that's a lot of screen time to spend on something ultimately more or less irrelevant to the story; and two, I don't actually find this kind of subtle power play all that compelling. It's nice sometimes, as a little treat, but you're not gonna find me watching Downton Abbey. lol.

Why I bring this all up is again, to reiterate: the seadweller aristocracy is Like That because they are at the very top. They suffer no real threats, so they have to create their own hostile little society. This goes for the hemospectrum, too. When everyone in your little society-within-a-society is at the very top of the food chain, you can't use normal hierarchy as a quick way of controlling people. So you create your own heirarcies. Seadweller society in fragments is hyper-aware of physical differences. Ethnic and regional features that are just considered "people look different depending on where they're from, big surprise" by other castes become distinct ethnic groups in the eyes of seadwellers, and it's how they form their pecking order.

In the eyes of your average Alternian, if you put a member of their caste from somewhere cold and a member of their caste from somewhere hot next to each other and then asked them to tell you the difference, they might identify ethnic traits, like one of them being fatter, but they're just as likely to point out those traits as any other traits, like the two being different genders. They're also most likely not going to attribute those physical differences to anything other than random chance.

Meanwhile, if you asked your average seadweller to do the same, they'd immediately be able to identify one as a larger-than-life, brightly colored tropic-dweller, and the other as a hardy, blubbery icefish. This shit is a big deal to them, and they're pretty racist about it.

This is why I mentioned my seadweller hierarchy as something I think a larger fanbase would love to misinterpet. I fear that the collective tumblr fandom hivemind would see that and decide that rich people are oppressed on my version of Alternia. In fact, what I am actually trying to portray is the subtle power dynamics that the obscenely rich and powerful create amongst themselves, and those dynamics do frequently involve race and ethnicity. Turn away from the British/European upper class, look at Robber Barons in America or the games that politicians play amongst themselves. Hell, look at the American middle class. There's a lot to observe.

[kanonavi]

hello new mutual navi <3 what are your thoughts on tgcf <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Hiiii new mutual Star <3 It's nice to hear from you, even though Hua is a menace and is terrorizing us <3 <3 I'll have you know I was at orchestra rehearsal and was unable to defend myself from their vicious attack, this was all very rude of them lol

But yeah tgcf omg.... I have so many thoughts about it tbh. For reference, I'm currently 6 volumes in (7 is in my possession, just waiting on my roommate to finish it first. If I read past him he'll get sad) and have watched all of the donghua so far and it's like. There are few things that I have felt more like the Target Audience for. My roommate clocked me for this, so this entire thing is his fault and now I've read 6 entire not-insubstantial novels in half a year.

To get the obvious part out of the way, I adore hualian, and out of all of my ships I think they're the closest I've ever gotten to loving both characters in it equally. Like in xiaoven I have a bias for Venti and in xingyun I have a bias for Chongyun, but with hualian I really and truly struggle to pick a favorite. If I had to choose, Xie Lian would probably win out just barely over Hua Cheng, but probably only because we're in his head for the books and thus get to experience his silly thoughts and awful trauma firsthand. However, they are rightfully a set, do not separate in my mind.

I do have a favorite character outside of the main pairing though and that character is Shi Qingxuan and I love her so so so so much it's not even funny. My roommate didn't predict this even though Qingxuan and Venti are so incredibly same guy, it's like. Of course I, renowned Venti enjoyer amongst my compatriots, was going to love the character who's the master of the wind, is a bit silly goofy, enjoys their drink, and also has a cool Gender going on. I have, however, been cursed (blessed) by my roommate's takes about her that don't seem very fandom mainstream, so I am just going to be content rotating her in my brain endlessly. She is in the microwave. Also, it's been an absolute treat watching her in s2 of the donghua, she is everything to me.

The last thing I'll add for my bare minimum thoughts about this series is that I do actually like it for very similar reasons that I like Genshin Impact. In Genshin, I've always been very fond of the immortal characters because I love the way that the writers at mhy explore the humanity of inhuman characters. The Gods and Dragons and Adepti and God-made Puppets and otherwise in Genshin aren't human, but the struggles that they face are incredibly human, whether living like and alongside humanity is one of their goals or not.

Tgcf, with its humans (exceptional humans, but still humans) that ascend to godhood, is much the same to me. Most of the Upper Court officials are completely detached from humanity much of the time, but their struggles and their vices are completely and totally human. Xie Lian is the most interesting of them all to me, since he's used his godhood to live the human life that he was never allowed when he was actually human, and I could go on an entire rant about that but I'll spare you the details. Every character in the series is so interesting in the way that their human problems have been left to grow and fester over the course of the centuries, and it's both awful and enthralling to watch.

oops that was so long my head is very full of thoughts. Thank you for the ask, even though it was kind of an arranged playdate lol I appreciate the chance to ramble <3

[n0bluev]

Somehow, im inspired to write that 'revision fic'. === (EDIT : u can skip but heres another snippet for u (3 separate bits that fit together nicely, actually haha) cuz hihi. THE AU: As i said, its a failed "3"rd regression context, where yjh is now in his "4"th round. The last memory he has of kdj is him dying, and to make things worse "In this round, that guy doesn't exist." is a thing, so yjh freaks out a bit but hes totally normal about this whole ordeal & the fact that he doesnt even remembers kdj's face now. Wdym! Hes fiiiiiine!

sorry lol back to the actual post : (,hope u enjoyed that little treat tho^^)) ===

!!THAT [Somehow, im inspired to write [...]] HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE!!. I always like. do an outline for the overall story and vibe, then flesh out the start or something and cook up a little 500 (probably unsatisfying) words for fun kind of as a bonus. Keep it mostly for my private enjoyment and move on before the story comes to life. And that's okay... Yes, it would be cooler to actually write the AU ideas i get in novel or comic form instead of having them stay at just the 'sketch' & 'idea/brainstorm' phase before i get another idea and leave them to dust up in the pile,,

But yeah, its okay.

In the few years since ive started getting ideas for more elaborate aus/fics, ive noticed that my ideas improved with time. (no shit, i know, but it makes me happy! i grew up!!! i can see it.) My planning methods are better too. So all of that unfinished or abandoned stuff is not at all useless work in my eyes. And who knows, maybe one day i'll bring them back.

--> as a plus, all my fandom brainrot experiences even get transferred into my OC stuff, and frl whenever i read my notes these days (or listen to my voice memos lol) and im just like "HOW DID I THINK OF THIS WOW" or "WHEN DID I PUT THIS LIKE THIS? IT WORKS!" (not to brag or anything but my oc lore goes hard ☝️)

BUT. NOW THIS IS UNEXPECTED.

I DID NO PLANNING. I just started writing for orv and its. Lowkey, good ???? Dont get me wrong i only have 1.5k right now and there are clear holes i have to fill and stuff but... CLEAR HOLES! CLEAR HOLES. Sure Im used to being like "something of the sort should go there..." BUT THIS TIME ITS "THIS SHOULD GO THERE, ILL WRITE IT LATER BUT THE IMAGE IS IN MY MIND, CLEAR AS WATER, AND ONCE I START PUTTING IT ON THE PAGE ISTG THOSE WORDS WILL STREAM OUT OF MY FINGERS AS IF IT WAS A NORMAL OCCURENCE FOR ME" ,,- !??? Yo!

Anyways. Point is that somehow theres interesting stuff going on in my gg doc and the more i write the more i know where i want to go, so that's cool, i feel all powerfull for once

idk if that ease is going to stay once im done with the first scenes (ughh!!! theres so much potential!!!!!!!!) but hopefully yes. either way ill probably post it so im not baiting yall with a "um actually im writing smt rn --- *never shares with the class*" --- either 1) things go well and i write a "real fic" (!? wtf that wasnt my plan!) --- or 2) i only post the finished version of what i have now (expect around 5k? (i have no idea actually)) and we wait together to see if i pick up the idea again haha. (i do wish to write it tho! im not a 'writer' writer but i want to be one, u get me?)

! thank u see u byebye

[keepmeinmind-01]

Hello! You should know that I’m literally months behind on reading your fics, because every time I start a chapter or one-shot of yours, I immediately get bowled over by either emotions or the quality of writing and become frozen. Like, I read 1k into “world insured” tonight and started crying and was like “nope, I cannot. Maybe I’ll be more emotionally stable tomorrow”. 😆 And I read another chapter of NLAA about 2 months ago and concluded “this was so excellent I don’t even know what to write in a comment, so I guess I can never read or comment on anything they were ever again obviously”.

This is clearly entirely irrational, but — then again — I don’t pretend to be entirely rational.

Anyway, I just felt compelled to share with you how appreciated your work is! And how intensely beautiful & artful i experience it as! Writers aren’t told that enough, I think; and since I “owe” you approximately 7 comments and can’t bring myself to emotionally face the rest of WI today, here you are.

Thank you for your insight and your gifts to fandom!

-uefb

@unnamedelement ahhh thank you so much for this message, it’s incredibly kind and I’m so touched/honoured that you’ve enjoyed my writing and found it has such a strong effect (for better or for worse, LOL!). it means a lot to hear this as a writer, especially because I’ve also loved following your FB fics too 💕

I completely understand getting overwhelmed when reading! I also have this, like if I read something that particularly gets me in the feels or I don’t like, I go all funny for days hahaah ruminating on it or feeling sick. and if I’m being honest, while I didn’t do this so much at the start of NLAA, now that I’m further along, sometimes I get a little emotional too because I just want newt and theseus to have a better life hahaah. I am a bit selfish on this front because I as the writer get to imagine all these fixits and hurt/comfort drabbles in my head after it’s done to soften the blow of the quite heavy material, but I never get around to writing them up or sharing xd

so I completely understand and please don’t worry about needing to read or comment at a certain pace! take all the time you need :) your irrational appreciation is rationally appreciated haha

theseus and newt are on a big overall healing journey in ‘keep me in mind’ and it does end very happily ever after. I can’t make any promises with the dozens of other fic ideas I have (which I sort into ‘angst’ and ‘not angst’ , I do think about fluff too now and then 💀) but they will be okay, their bond and love for one another will get them through 😌 I also really like your interpretation of both of them and their relationship as siblings, it’s really nice to see where they’re both fleshed out and Theseus is trying his best 🥺

thank you for sharing this, it’s made my day, and I’m so grateful you took the time to let me know because ahh it means a lot!! <3

[pan-de-queer]

20 Questions Game

Tagged by @jadedloverart! for once, i've finished work early and am free to write fic and answer tag games today hahaha thanks for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

31 lmao, feeling a lil fandom old or whatever haha

2. Total AO3 word count

157,459 ??? wild considering i mostly post one-shots hahaha

3. Fandoms you write for

for the past few years it's been supercorp but you can also find bechloe, junksen/embry, some choices (the cyoa game), and les mis sprinkled in my ao3. all wlw too

4. Top 5 fics by kudos -

ruined nights make for perfect first dates (bechloe)

'cause you know all of my secrets (supercorp)

maybe i matter (because i knew you) (bechloe)

love tastes like spring and blood (bechloe)

kept my face to the sun (you drive away my shadows) (supercorp)

most interesting thing for me abt this is that ruined nights is the shortest one out of all five of these??? love that ppl liked it so much tho

5. Do you respond to comments?

as much as possible yeah! which reminds me that i haven't replied to @jadedloverart's comment on my fic. and other comments. i should do that hahaha

6. Fic w/ Angstiest Ending -

i don't end with angst haha i'm angst with a happy ending or bust lmao BUT the closest to angst would probably be love tastes bc the issue isn't solved until the very end

7. Happiest ending? -

all of them 💕 but if i had to choose then probabbbly cause you know

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not that i'm aware of!

9. Do you write smut/what kind?

nope! never been interested in writing it mostly bc my brain sees it as "action with even more emotions" and i have a hard enough time with action as it is lol

10. Do you write crossovers?

used to! and if you count the mcu+comics!marvel crossover i only posted a tidbit of, then yes, i still do

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

again, not that i know of

12. Ever had a fic translated?

yeah! can't remember for what tho but someone very kindly asked and i said ofc!! and then they sent the link but i can't remember where lmao

13. Ever cowritten a fic?

a long long time ago haha, wouldn't be opposed to doing it again though!

14. Favorite ship?

it's been supercorp since the pandemic! but who knows where the winds of my silly lil whims might take me?

15. A wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

all of them 💕 lmao jk jk but seriously i have a LOT of wips and i put them all under ONE file so it's like wading through a garbage dump trying to see what i'll do next and that's just for supercorp, i have separate untouched wips for allll my other old fandoms too lmao (some wips i doubt i'll ever finish for sc though are the undercover fake lovers one, the coastal cleanup one even though it SHOULD be easy in theory, the hanahaki au that's lena's version instead of kara's, and the one based off of emily the song by jeremy zucker)

16. Writing strengths?

anything descriptive! i can go in depth about shit forevveeerrrr

17. Writing weaknesses?

dialogue. like i can WRITE it and i can even write it WELL but that dialogue came from the bloodbath of thousands of drafts so

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in a different language?

many thoughts! number one being that if you don't know it, get someone who's above average fluent to help you if you feel like the language is needed in the story! and if the language is fake (like using kryptonian) then make the inclusion of it make sense! other thoughts are for my thinking only 💕 (and my unfortunate friends who have to listen to me lecture)

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

MAYBE ranger's apprentice or percy jackson

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

i can't pick favorite for my babies but i'm hella proud of all my supercorp fics rn! it had been so long since i joined a new fandom that i felt suuupppeerrr awkward posting at first! but it's been a nice experience shifting fandoms ever since :)))

for the no pressure tags! @nostradamus0 @sssammich @ridiculously-over-obsessed @tiny-maus-boots and anyone else who wants to join!

[hopeymchope]

re: toxic fanbases. I'm not good at telling what fanbases are toxic. I'm both a doormat ("that rando who started yelling at me all of a sudden probably has a good reason and I'm dumb for not seeing it 👍") and a weirdo who tends to stay within very small circles. With Danganronpa, I feel like there's *something* that makes it a little jarring compared to other communities, although it's by far not the worst community I've personally interacted with.

Its popularity definitely plays a massive role; it's actually impressive to see how active Danganronpa circles remain after all this time, but the downside is that there's a lot of brainrot, distant memories, and most importantly people who've been involved with it for WAY too long. I myself have definitely grown horribly bored of having the same tired debates be brought up time and time again - I can imagine people with a different personality from mine getting very upset over that.

Though I don't feel a connection to that aspect at this time, the prevalent young fanbase also comes with its qualities and flaws.

I could go on, because this community is so large and so old that it's genuinely, like I already mentioned, jarring at times. I'll turn my back from being told DRAE is irredeemable media because it uses dark humour to see someone draw a Komaru with giant tits requesting coitus. There are times when interacting with Danganronpa fans has made me wish I'd just never known about Danganronpa at all, so all things considered, even if I can't put words on it, there's a strong negative aspect to it.

At the same time, I don't know how it being Danganronpa specifically relates to some negative experiences I had - was some of the abuse I endured as a Wiki admin related to the way the DR fandom is? Or did it have to do with Wikis more than it did with DR, with French users more than it did DR? Maybe the problem is that this series has given so many of us such intense brainrot and we can't stop getting involved with it.

Sorry if this long ask is annoying in any way - I figured you might be interested in exploring the conversation around how the DR fandom might come across as toxic, objectively or subjectively OTL

One thing I remember for sure is that when I posted Akudama Drive LGBTQ headcanons, I felt perfectly fine and happy about it - but when I decided to post my Danganronpa headcanons too, I had a strong feeling that I was taking a risk, however small. That's not a very nice feeling to get as an adult who's just trying to be a little happy and silly with PNGs.

Oh, I don't mind a long ask at all! I'm grateful for the detailed thought you put into this, honestly. :) I'm a pretty wordy person myself — you may have noticed.

I think a lot of what you're describing as negatives within the DR community are unfortunate constants with fandoms of ANY popular media these days. Not ALL of it, but....

Every piece of media is gonna be declared irredeemable/offensive/problematic by some parties now if it delves into any kind of darkness or deals with any kind of major crimes, it seems like I've seen more than one person online state — with a straight face, mind you — stuff like "Danganronpa is toxic AF, many of those characters are LITERALLY murderers" and I'm just over here thinking are you fucking serious? I don't remember seeing people say stuff like this in my fandom circles before 2019 or so, but I see it everywhere now. It seems to have grown more prevalent since the 2020s hit? There are people who just can't stand to deal with any moral grayness, any dark theming, etc — and they don't think anyone else should allowed to enjoy that stuff either. (Now I'm wondering whether there are people similarly dismissing Akudama Drive. Much smaller fandom, so maybe you don't see that. But I can imagine someone grumbling "These characters are LITERALLY criminals, wtf." LOL)

We all know Internet Rule 34, but I feel like there are certain built-in multipliers to it that increase how widespread it is. Animated media? That's a multiplier that will cause even MORE porn to exist. Japanese media? That's another multiplier. Which means there's tons of porn of DR characters — even for the teen characters that're underage in most countries like Komaru. At least I've never stumbled across porn of the small children like the Warriors of Hope, THANK FUCKING GOD. I sadly don't doubt that it exists, but I hope to god it remains in a dark corner, out of my goddamn sight.

And I definitely feel much, MUCH more afraid to say anything about LGBTQ headcanons for popular media than I do for relatively small fandoms. Maybe that's partly symptomatic of being American in an era where tolerance and acceptance of LGBTQ people is sliding horiffically backwards? At least I think I'm safter to share such things on Tumblr than I would be on Reddit. I'd be afraid to talk about my personal DR LGBTQ headcanons, too. I've even drafted a post about that once and then been like "You know what? No. I'm not opening myself up to abuse for this," leading me to delete it. I've done similarly for the Madoka Magica fandom as well... too active, too big = too likely to result in blowback. I believe Akudama Drive is a pretty small fandom, though, so it makes sense to me why that'd feel like a more comfortable place to talk LGBTQ concepts.

But with all of that said, I can't claim that the infighting over interpretations of characters and events that I see on the DR Wiki is something that every fandom deals with. Maybe some of them do; honestly, Fandom Wikis weren't really so huge a thing before I got deep into DR in the back half of the 2010s, and I haven't really gotten involved with any of the Fandom Wikis I've come across afterwards either. So I don't know for sure! But it seems like that could be uniquely unpleasant about the DR fandom — the way people define "canon" as a matter of personal interpretation.

Since I'm stuck on the English side of the DR Wiki, I'm not certain whether you deal with the same stuff in the French incarnation. Characters like Komaeda and Ouma are especially difficult to police — they have so many fans who think they are pure of heart, and so many fans who find them loathesomely manipulate, and you can't necessarily be certain what about them is true or false. Put all that together, and it's hard to keep things to "Just The Facts" when people fundamentally disagree on what the facts ARE, which can lead to a lot of infighting among the people editing the thing! God... even deciphering the truth about what's going on in V3 and determining how we should or shouldn't explain that haziness is an awfully sticky wicket all by itself.

[ignitesthestxrs]

I may have missed it but did you watch Shadow and Bone on Netflix? What were your thoughts on it?

i watched the first season! i think i have spoken about it on here before but i didn't tag it because i wasn't very nice, and i didn't want to like, spring that on the greater fandom tag lol

uh overall i think that the show flattened a lot of the things that i enjoyed about the books, and did not improve on anything i disliked from them.

the way the show engaged with race was deeply performative and one dimensional, like, jump-scaring the viewer with ISN'T THIS RACISM SO BAD AND AWFUL in a way that seemed intended to induce the viewer and the show itself to feel good about having noticed that they just got punched in the face.

like right before six of crows came out, i did Representation Math to figure out who was going to die lol and i was Correct and that's the kind of ethos that the show persisted with. coupled with the vibe from the books that has been increasingly sinophobic, i just uuuh Didn't Like It, it left a bad taste.

(obvs i am White and it is not my job to claim Good or Bad Job overall, or assign myself Progressive Points for having this take, but it is the way it hit me at the time of watching and after discussing with friends who are better positioned than i am to comment)

the casting of nina really bothered me, and bardugo's open support of it, while i get that it was probably a sensible choice for her, REALLY bothered me. like if you're going to create characters based on which Diversity Niche they fill, then it's incumbant on you as a creator to hold firm to that vision and use your power and your voice to push back on attempts to uuuuh hollywoodify fatness. like it was just a fundamental betrayal that...sure, i get, that's hollywood, but also this character was explicitly created as a balm to the hollywoodification of fatness, and the response to her casting was basically 'well so long as she's plus size that's what is important'. idk like this is not the fault of the actress at all, but it is: tiresome. the actress is not Fat.

also her costuming was terrible in a very un-nina way that felt like it was trying to disguise how unfat she really was/frumpify her

but aside from That Stuff, i also think that the show misunderstood the fundamental point of two of the core Alina relationships in a way that was deeply boring and in fact more of a problem in the case of the darkling in particular.

like a thing that the books does really well actually is the arc of mal and alina's relationship? in which they start off with a fundamental misunderstanding of what they mean to each other that results in them growing further apart to the point where they both have to change who they are as people to actually fit together properly again. it's a really good example of like, puppy love not working out because values and life circumstances change, but then character growth enables the characters to come together as new people with a different perspective.

because the show starts mal off in his Clear Devotion phase, it makes a lot of the potential growth in that relationship way less meaningful? lol i know a lot of people don't like book malina and...whatever to that, frankly, but from a Craft Perspective, they gave this man his character from the Third Book without giving him any of the Growth Triggers that got him to that point. i only care about I Am Become A Blade mal because he had to fight to get to that point.

re: the darkling on the show lol the show has this weird ethos that their relationship is somehow more ethical if the darkling is Really No For Real In Love With Her from the beginning, which is just SO off base with what the actual problem is with that relationship. the show tries to girl bossify Alina by have her take the darkling off guard/having him experience Real Emotions For Her without considering the fact that this just means that,,,someone who loves her is using her? that's not better! she doesn't have More Power in this relationship because she's shown to be more proactive in the romance side of their relationship, because he's still using her! she hasn't won something from him by making him experience an emotion or desire, she's just wound herself deeper into his web - but the show presents these moments as though she has gained some kind of control over a situation that she literally cannot have control over.

like the whole point of the relationship in that first book is that alina is being groomed, but instead of showing that, the show said 'oh grooming is bad, alina should have more agency!' and shot a situation where she literally cannot have agency because vital information is being kept from her, as a 'yas queen make him obsessed with you!' kind of situation. he's already obsessed with her! because she's a tool to him! it's not agency to make a man want you when he is already using you for his own purposes, it's being groomed!

i need shows that are engaging in depicting problematic relationships to fucking lean into that rather than wriggle out of it. because when they try to wriggle out of it, they always, always end up depicting something that's still fucked up, only now the narrative doesn't seem to be aware of its fucked upness.

anyway uuuuh those are my main thoughts on show, i did not watch the second season and probably never will lol

[banavalope]

It's been very interesting reading your responses to all the questions about that Japanese article. You speak really well and I've enjoyed reading your POV. I find the whole discourse kind of wild because I've been in fandom for 16+ years. I'm a multishipper and I've always had a 'ship and let live' kind of view to things. There are absolutely things I'm not comfortable with reading/seeing, but the back button and block function are wonderful tools. Plus with fanfiction having such multitudinous tagging options available it's easy to avoid things I don't like.

To me something enjoyed in a fictional space has little correlation to things enjoyed in IRL spaces, but I do have understanding for peoples' reservation when encountering certain topics and being unsure how the creator stands on those topics in a non-fictional space. I try very hard to see the best in people and assume people are good until proven otherwise [and yes this has bitten me in the ass before, but I will continue on].

I'm not quite sure where I was going with this, but yes, I wanted to say thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic. I've recently returned to Tumblr after a brief stint on Twitter and it's nice to see people talking openly and calmly about things C:

Thank you! As strange as it might be to say, I'm glad the initial anon sparked the discussion at all, because this is the kind of stuff that will gnaw at me pretty often. I've been around in fandoms for over 20 years and enjoy the community aspect, part of that experience has always been in discussing what we enjoy, don't enjoy, enthusiasms, takeaways, and the thrill in the variance of opinion it all has. I love when I have a difference in opinion with somebody in fandom because I want them to have that opportunity to talk about their headcanons. It's enthusiasm! I love creating and being part of collective enthusiasm! Pretty sure that's a shared sentiment by just about anybody.

But then I see the way fandom communities have become increasingly more hostile over time, especially to differences in opinion, and I have to wonder why that is. I've got some good guesses, but then I would have to write a book.

In the event people who haven't left yet are getting sick of this talk, I'm gonna put it under a read more lmao

One thing I've seen go nearly extinct in many areas of fandom has been the concept of agreeing AND disagreeing, both at the same time, with something. I haven't really paid any words to what I disagreed about with the initial article, mostly because I was already saying so much about all that other stuff lol, but like I didn't agree with everything that was said. I had questions of my own.

Overall, I thought it was a good critical look at how I should really just say "I hate pedophiles and other types of sexual abuse" in my tumblr about page, instead of using non-words like proship or anti. I hadn't ever considered how unhelpful it might be, to overseas fandom especially, using hyperniche american slang about something so important to convey.

An outside perspective looking in on my country in a way I could never replicate, afforded me the ability to think about how we can't be compared to Japanese fandom, the artist can take the perspective of a pro shipper to mean someone who's sensible (ship and let live, as you put it) because Japan has entirely different social norms to America. I can't agree with their take on that, but I agree with their take on that at the same time. I would love to know more about the history of japanese online fandom so I could compare and contrast it with my knowledge of american online fandom. I wonder what their biggest problems are with other fans, what their "toxic fan traits" are, if any.

It also got me to think about terms like "block and ignore" or "ship and let live", and how those are sentiments I agree with in core concept, but disagree with at face value. Maybe they've become too vague, like proship and anti. Maybe it's time to change the dialogue to say we should understand that when people fetishize children, the focus is entirely on the age of those characters, how actual predators won't age characters up or talk about aged up versions of characters if their interest in those characters is the fact they're canonically underaged; or establishing that if you as a minor are having issues with seeing something dangerous, when blocking and ignoring is not enough for you as a minor to feel safe, making fandom mentors aware of the dialogue you want to have can help us set a precedent.

I have no idea how many conversations it's going to take for fandom to get to a point where we start being more analytical, but one of these days it would be nice if we could stop painting the flags unanimously red.

[scrunkly-cherry]

Here it is! Some splatfest-screenshots and my overall thoughts!

(warning, I might sound a little cranky at the start, but ofc I'm grateful for the results and had otherwise lots of fun!)

I didn't fight much, the first day atleast, since I was at a convention. I wore a little "Go Team Keyboard"-Sign around me 24/7 tho :D even ran into another Splatoon-Cosplayer! (Had a closet cos of agent 8)

I'm not sure if the complaints are still getting to me, but the amount of times I've lost to spawncamping made the first and ¼ of the second half... Not that much enjoyable. I got pretty heated, to be fair, but it's honestly just a silly squid game, so it's not that deep. I'm tbh a little embarrassed :'] Especially when you lose 3 out of all the 5 10x battles they gave you. It's just not fun to run out of your spawn and get instantly downed again, but it's not something I'd blame a specific team on. (And you shouldn't aswell!) I got friends on both Drums and Guitar (I was almost alone on keyboard :')), so GG to them ofc! Sorry if I got a little toxic in the first half :( (But just saying - having this kind of battle experience, then miraculously winning, only to come online to get insults thrown at your face because youre so "toxic" and "tryharding"... Less fun. But more on that below.)

Alright, enough with the negatives! Let's focus on the stuff I actually liked!

Walking around the plaza, as always, was very fun! I love almost all of the first half songs so much :'D (with the exception of City of Color, which I don't hate, but I love Tomorrows Nostalgia Today too much lmao). I honestly wish I could put more than one video in here.

In the first half I played as my side order octoling "Reed". Need a bit more lore on him. I had a few ideas but wasn't sure on going through with it. Second half however...

DUDE WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SPLATFESTS TO HOST

I decided to cosplay as sury! It indeed made things a little more fun, although I had to choose Mel's weapon instead because I couldn't deal with the slow, large splatana :'D

Usually I make OCs out of my Splatfest-Teams, but using preexisting characters is even more fun! Let's see if I can use Mel in the future too :D

I don't have the oth amiibos

It was at the second half, but I did manage to win some 10xs in the end :] (Which means I've officially heard all three singular idol win themes in-game)

To come back to the results-thing, I expected everyone to be bitter as usual, but everyone was... strangely nice and happy for the win. At first I was kind of annoyed, but if it continues like this, I feel Splatfests might actually get excited for everyone again. (I was actually pretty optimistic and fine with every decision so far, but it's even better if I can actually agree with the fandom lol)

Again, good job to Team Drums and Guitar! And Overall, good job team! Excited for the next splatfest :D 🩷💚💜

[crowandmoonwriting]

This or That? Tag

Tagged by @writernopal! Thanks, ily!

Historical or Futuristic

Historical, definitely! I’ve written on my blog before that sci-fi disturbs and sometimes frightens me, and not in the fun way. I am a professional historian, so I’m very comfortable writing about several periods and places I’ve studied, in academic settings but also through my personal studies. I’ve written about ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China, the Byzantine Empire, Middle Ages Europe, Renaissance Europe, Feudal Japan, 18th century Europe and the Americas from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Currently I’m playing around with an idea about or based on Tudor England.

Opening or Closing Chapter

Closing chapter! It’s finally over, lol. And you can torment your readers with a little cliffhanger for the next book ;)

Light and Fluffy or Dark and Gritty

A good mix of both, but I suppose I lean juuuust slightly towards dark and gritty. I write a good deal of horror, and that is definitely a factor. But light and fluffy definitely comes in! It can’t be grimdark all the time.

Animal Companion or Found Family

Found family! I turned away from animal companions after Robin Hobb’s books lol. If you know, you know. (I do love them but that one scene…oof.)

Horror or Romance

Horror AND romance! The horror OF romance! The romance OF horror! It’s difficult for me to write one without the other. They intertwine so perfectly, and together they can have strong emotional impact.

Hard Magic System or Soft Magic System

It depends on the WIP, but I do like a hard magic system sliiiightly more than a soft magic system.

Stand-alone or Series

Series! When I fall in love with a story (particular with the characters), it’s hard to let go. I like to give them more adventures, see how they grow and change, or how their world changes around them. As a historian, I’m very interested in the latter, in how political and social tides rise and fall.

One Project at a Time or Always Juggling 2+

Always juggling! I love to explore different genres in particular, so although I have a fantasy world I’ve been working on for more than a decade, I write southern gothic, ocean gothic, historical fiction, and horror often as well. I have so many WIPs it’s not even funny lol.

One Award Winner or One Bestseller

That’s tough. I don’t particularly care about accolades of any kind, but I do like to know that people like my work. So I’ll go with bestseller. If I impress critics, that’s nice, but I want to make an audience happy more than anything.

Fantasy or Sci-Fi

Fantasy, 1000%. My first real fandom experience was in the Tolkien fandom. I loved Lord of the Rings when I was a child (I collected all the action figures, and like a the red-blooded gay boy I was, Legolas was my favourite <3). I fell in love with Elves in particular, the beauty and elegance of their faces, forms, architecture, clothing. I wanted more of their lore. So I went to The Silmarillion, and that was it for me. I do like some sci-fi, but it’s not as escapist as fantasy for me. And fantasy, particularly Tolkien’s and Tolkien’s followers’ fantasy, is heavily based on historical Europe, which is my primary academic study.

Character Description or Setting Description

Both! And like horror and romance, they intertwine. I like to match my character’s inner world to the outer world, and have their appearance hint at their location or place of origin. The people of Merovyn, for example, have very pale skin, a reflection of the snow around them, and the people of Heledd tend to have richer coloured hair and eyes, a reflection of the jewels and gold and other wealth of their country.

First Draft or Final Draft

Final draft! Ugh, first drafts are the worst! Sure you have more freedom, but editing is far easier for me than drafting. I am a freelance editor, and have even worked on a now published book as an editor. I love doing it, as it’s sort of like a puzzle, and also a refining process that I liken to the final polishing of a marble statue. That image appeals to me lol.

Tagging my mutuals! @chromehoplite, @silvertalonwritblr, @thewardenofwinter, @sam-glade, @jasmineinthenight, @elshells, @words-after-midnight, @lola-theshowgrl, @moonshinemagpie, and anyone who sees this and wants to do it!

[themsource]

Hi! I'm new to fandom and I am going around asking different creators if they have any advice for me if that's okay

First off congrats, that's really awesome that you've discovered a passion for something enough to engage in the fandom space! ❤ I hope you have a wonderful experience in whatever fandom you're joining ^^ (If it's UT—YAY! XD lol)

Anywho, sure I can give some. But uh, it'll be derived from what I've experienced and won't be pretty. There's nothing guaranteeing you'll experience it at all as I have but still it has some stuff I wish I'd been told before getting heavily involved and learning stuff the hard way.

Placing it below a cut so people can easily avoid reading if they wish.

Be careful who you interact with. (People that frequently bad mouth others—make callout posts with no hard evidence.) And don't take someone's word on a person's character as truth.

You could become a victim of callout posts/drama no matter if you've spoken to the person or not. If it's someone you've been talking to a while or have only been kind to in interactions. Unfortunately people can be quick to jump on anything that has the slightest possibility of being taken negatively and spin it that way even if there's no ill intent or maliciousness behind it. Or they can paint you as negative just because.

You will face labels such as "Problematic" or "Toxic" to name a few, and once you get associated with those you'll see that a large portion of a fandom can and will blacklist you over it for their own mental safety, and/or to avoid potential drama you carry with you by probable association (such as "my idol creator hates you so I will too so they don't dislike me." or "I heard from someone that you think people that like this shipxship are stupid, and I like that ship so no bueno." Etc.)

Things I've said that people have called me "problematic" to my face for over the years:

"It's entitled and selfish for a following/fan base to get upset because the creator wants to explore a new genre the fanbase isn't comfortable with or used to, especially when they've labeled and warned so it can be avoided. Those aren't real fans or supporters."

"I ship Frans."

"The content you make doesn't matter when it comes to fiction. It's not real and neither are the characters. It's dumb if someone judges you over it."

"I don't believe hearsay without proof." (Twitter drama for example about someone)

"Denying where an idea comes from just so you can feel valid and good about yourself is wrong, especially if you're wrong in what you thought you knew and just don't want to admit it."

"I just wanted to be a Hufflepuff."

"I love pinapple on pizza."

"He said, she said, is a political debate. Because all it is is throwing words and accusations around without any evidence to back it."

"Chara is evil."

"Fluff is nice but sometimes you just need really dark unhinged stuff to balance it out otherwise it'll get bland."

"You can like content and not like the creator. And vice versa. I will always separate the art from the artist."

"I don't believe in the term 'problematic' when it comes to fiction."

"Toriel was just as much in the wrong as Asgore was."

There's probably more but these are the ones I was made aware of.

Other labels that have been pushed on me because of what was said above that fall under "problematic": P*do, Weirdo, Freak, R*p Apologist, Transp*be, and Exclusionist just to name a few.

Though none of those labels remotely align with my personal views and stances. It won't matter to a lot of people though if you've been "warned" for with those labels used. This world currently is very "Guilty until proven innocent" instead of "Innocent until proven guilty." Which means it'll be very hard or impossible to change someone's mind especially if they were "warned" by a friend.

You'll also find a lot of people will isolate and detach from you if you disagree on something such as how you view a certain creator or their work, so a lot of the time people will keep their mouth shut just to fit in or to not experience rejection, or will go so far as to say things they don't mean to appear as if agreeing. This is called an "echo chamber" and if you don't fit it, you'll likely get booted. Be prepared for people to maybe DM saying they agree with you, but ultimately not speaking up for fear of backlash for themselves. If someone does speak up? Cool! That's an awesome person and you are lucky to have found them.

So am I problematic given the examples above? To some maybe, others no, some definitely yes, and everyone has the risk of being viewed that way too. Thankfully just like most things in this world though, online you'll find not everyone will share the same viewpoint or opinion. You will undoubtably find at least one person that won't care how others label you.

I have a really small, really closed, friend group. There are six people I know for sure are lifelong friends that I've made through fandom. They took the time to get to know me, listened to my views even if they disagreed and did so amicably (as I've done too), and if there was an issue always talked to me about it. Six may not seem like much but you'll find a smaller number of people who truly understand you vs a crowd that you have to say the "right thing" or make the "right content" for is so much more fulfilling.

The golden rule is something I try to live by: "Treat others the way you want to be treated."

And the best way to determine that is through interaction. If they reciprocate the golden rule that is a positive indicator that they might be safe to interact and eventually open up to. It's best to decide for yourself what a person's character is like and if they're safe rather than having others decide for you by word of mouth, including the very person themselves because you'll find a lot of people in fandom tend to have terrible self confidence.

Unless there's hard proof like an admittance or gloat that someone can provide, then oh boy—the block button is a friend.

Personally, I've learned it's best to just post your stuff, give someone a like or reblog here and there, and answer any legit asks if they're received to try avoiding unnecessary conflict. But that's just me.

Don't get involved in "picking sides". (You're with us or against us nonsense)

This is a quick way to get you avoided and blacklisted because you'll either disturb someone's echo chamber or you'll be seen as a drama mama when people are here for content and fun, not the latest issue or gossip going on.

The world isn't black and white, and that includes the issues and viewpoints in it. It's shades of grey. By viewing it as black and white you leave no room for nuance, and people that use the "with us or against us" arguments so vocally expect 100% percent compliance or none. You're not allowed to agree on one thing pertaining to a topic but disagree on another thing on the same topic because then "you're adding to the problem".

Now this isn't to scare you into thinking that you can't trust someone you want to be friends with by opening up to them with your opinions. No, please do, that's how friendships are made, but if you feel like there is the slightest risk they'll drop you like a sack of potatoes then you probably shouldn't. It's 50/50 gamble sometimes. And if they do well they weren't your friend to begin with and you're better off without them. Bizarrely some in the "with us" camp believe having you around with a viewpoint they can't stand will somehow influence them in a way they don't want. Which is honestly just ridiculous to me because that eliminates the principle of free thought and will.

So I advise just enjoying the content you see and making it yourself if that's what you want to do. Don't turn yourself into an advertisement board for free harassment from those who actively want to pick a fight and make you look like a bad person somehow on top of it. Some get joy out of just destroying people.

Ignore the trolls

Every fandom has trolls. People who like to give shit and bully just for fun (for them) aka harassment. This can include "kys" messages or other negative things in your inbox from anons, comments on your post bashing a ship though it was clearly marked so it could be avoided, etc. These come in all ages and demographics, from minors and yes even from grown ass adults in their 40s and up. Sadly trolls can't be avoided no matter how popular you are or how wholesome the stuff you engage with is. You could be a mute virgin nun and still be attacked for something.

The only thing you can do is ignore them. If they get bad, really bad like do doxing (the exposure of your real identity), report them. They've been around since even before the invention of the internet and will be around even after.

Don't take being blocked or muted personally.

Some just block or mute to avoid content they don't like, and with how algorithms work on certain websites just you liking something without reblogging or sharing can make it show up on their feed, especially if you share mutuals or are gaining traction in a tag or whatever. This doesn't mean they dislike you personally.

And if you find someone does block or mute you over a comment you made recently or what have you, still don't get hung up over it. Chances are you probably wouldn't have a very productive conversation in the first place. Unless it's a case of misunderstanding since online text boxes can be too limited to get your meaning across, then I rec either reaching out a quick message via an alt to clear it if you truly care enough about the person.

But don't ever try to not be yourself just to please someone. If after talking they still want nothing to do with you based on differences in views, drop it. It'd just stress you out in the long run to linger over it.

And if you make an honest mistake, sometimes people will hold that against you, but it's best to just let that go too, because not everyone will hold that against you, and given time a few will get over it and even see where you were coming from after the anger dies down. Mistakes happen and they will happen. You can't hold that against yourself. Tagging can be confusing, the wrong word could be used when describing something, etc.

Just stay calm, take a deep breath, and compose yourself before you react. It's a mistake, not the end of the world. Let people block that need to block, don't take it personally because odds are they're hurt just like you are, apologize where you can, and just try to do better.

In the great words of The All-American Rejects, move along.

Don't do DNIs if you can help it (Do Not Interact lists)

I don't recommend having DNIs, I see it as a bar to what could otherwise be a good friendship so long as you simply tell them your boundaries.

DNIs can be taken as a red flag by some that if you see anyone that fits the labels you choose for your list that you automatically see them as a bad person, regardless of nuances or discussion, and that you'll likely target them for harassment if you come across them in a mutual's post or share a space for a community event. Obviously this is for the mundane labels, I've seen people list "Apple Lovers" (yes the fruit), and Vegetarians, to name a few.

I'm not saying that people who use DNIs will harass, just that I've seen it happen and have been targeted over it too as have others.

Seriously harassment can and will happen from anywhere, it's the internet, better prepared than not though.

But if you really feel you need one to feel safe. Please make sure you research the true meanings and definitions behind the labels you select. Otherwise people will stare out of confusion, or block you over more misunderstandings.

Have fun

Create and curate, for you.

Make the type of stuff you want to make or engage with without fear of judgement. Be shameless in what you enjoy because that's the only true way you'll enjoy being in a fandom. People will judge you anyways, no matter what, so don't get hung up on it.

Out of my friends there's some that absolutely loathe some of the content and ships I enjoy, so they don't follow my socials to avoid that content, but they still encourage me to be happy and to keep "doing me" with what I write or draw, because they know my character isn't reflected in my consumption. And the right people will see that with you, and encourage you if you're honest and happy with yourself even if they may disagree with it or not.

This is the most important bit of advice I want to give. Given the other stuff I know it may seem overwhelming but trust me it really is worth it in the end once you find a rhythm, and pretty soon after enough time you'll find yourself roiling your eyes over the other stuff when you've reached a place of comfort and contentment. Because once you have that none of the other stuff matters. Ultimately that's what every decent person strives for in a fandom. It may be easy or it may be difficult to reach but it's possible.

No one can hurt you when you're having fun and you're happy with yourself. Words will roll off like water on plastic after a point and trolls/bullies will largely disappear if they realize their name calling and words can't hurt you or sow doubt.

You also won't feel as lonely if you don't receive interaction on something once in a while because you'll still feel the joy from having made it. That's another thing, don't join a fandom just for attention and validation from others. That's the number one way to find disappointment and to end up dropping from a fandom in the end other than simply losing your hyper fixation after a while.

With that I wish you luck! Sorry if this was long winded ^^ and please don't take this as a be all end all guide, this is all just personal opinion and interpretation meant to help. (I also am terrible at discussing my thoughts cohesively and accurately so I apologize if anything is confusing.)

I hope you live your best fandom life, I'm rooting for you. ❤

[skania]

Replies to ONK Asks

If you've sent me an ONK-related message these past two days, the reply is below the cut!

Since ONK is taking over my blog, I'll work on a Masterlist so stuff is easier to find. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to use the search bar at the top of my blog to check if I've already replied to a particular topic!

Indeed, the fandom at large seems to be hit with a very serious case of confirmation bias. It doesn't only apply to the ships, either. For example, those who want Aqua to be Light-lite will let this bias cloud their interpretation of Aqua's every action lol

The obsession thing is genuinely hilarious though because of the cognitive dissonance 😂

You and me both! If Akane has to play one of the B-Komachi members, it would be nice to see Kana sharing her experience with her so Akane can understand her better. I'm also curious as to how their dynamic will be affected now that Akane has hardened up. I don't even know if Kana will be able to get a rise out of Akane anymore, but I kind of hope she does because Akane has been looking so stoic lately 😭

Aka's pacing is a hot mess. Sometimes the story moves at a snail's pace, and sometimes it moves at the speed of light lol

I'm glad we're finally diving deep into Ruby's mental state and her past as Sarina!

Thank you for this first ramble! I'm glad it worked 😂 I completely agree with you, the intimacy between Aqua and Akane really stands out and it's difficult to ignore. I think this is precisely why some feel the need to deny as much of it as possible: they have convinced themselves of the outcome of the manga, but still feel threatened by Aqua and Akane's dynamic. So, they try to explain it away in a fashion that won't question their desired endgame; hence all the bad takes about how Akane was just a tool to Aqua, etc.

I get how frustrating it can be, but I think that at the end of the day it's up to Aka to prove these people wrong, not us. All we can do is try to provide our perspective, but some people won't change their minds unless Aka delivers an Aqua/Akane ending. And even then, some people will still be in denial until the end of time lol

Re: your PS, I think that if Aqua/Akane happens, Aka will necessarily have to revisit their relationship before then, so people will be able to see it coming and will have time to come to terms with it. I imagine the 2nd Season will help as well because it's the Akane season, so anime-onlies will realize things aren't as set in stone as S1 may make them seem.

Hi there, anon!

On Akane and Ai

On Akane and being "obsessed" with Aqua

I haven't written anything on the third reason because I've thankfully never seen it, but I agree with everything you said!! Besides, the manga itself explains that Akane is hit harder than your average person because of how earnest she is. Instead of tuning out those messages, she felt like it was her duty to face those comments head-on. If anything, I feel that this only makes her even more amazing because she was able to come back from that stronger than ever 😭

Not at all anon, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me! ❤️

I've given my opinion on the former here and here. As for Aqua's happiness being "fake", the lie lies in the fact that Aqua was building his happiness on running away from the truth. Aqua's "freedom" period and his relationship with Akane during it is something I'd love to write about properly later though, so I'll make a mental note to address this then!

and what's your opinion about people saying akane is crazy which is why she's "flawed?"

My opinion is that this hot take is not worth engaging with 😂 It's funny to see people wasting time with made-up flaws instead of discussing Akane's actual flaws though.

I imagine they'll announce S2 next week, so hopefully they also give us a tentative release period! I don't mind waiting for a bit as long as the quality is as good as S1's. If they go for 2 cours this time, Season 2 will truly be the Akane season.

I think the confirmation bias is likely even stronger in manga readers because they've been along longer. I've practically stopped checking OnK out in social media because some takes are just way too bad lol

Hi anon! I'm sorry, I left out the Kishimoto-related stuff because I didn't want to get sidetracked 😂 but to be perfectly honest with you, I'm not an Aka expert. I've only read one other work of his, Kaguya. I have no idea of whether he can be influenced by popularity or not because, in Kaguya, the intended ships also happened to be the most popular ones. The closest thing to a love triangle was pretty much just a distraction and a means for him to explore admiration and unrequited love lol

I do think that Aka is the type to go with whatever suits his vision/fancy best, though. I think he is more likely to be influenced by his own wants rather than the fandom's.

As for the anime, I'm honestly not sure how the merch gets decided. My best guess is that this season they're focusing all the marketing on the "Idol" side of the story, while next season the marketing will highlight the "Acting" side of it. There's no denying that it's pretty disappointing to see collab after collab with no Akane in sight though. I also think they shouldn't have added the recap episode right in the middle of Akane's arc; they should've waited and aired it one episode later. I feel that it kind of stalled the momentum Akane was building with the anime-only fandom, but that may be just me lol

However, what we need to pay attention to is how the anime handles certain scenes. The music cues. What they add, what they cut, what they change. Aka is the type to work very closely with the anime team and to give them information about the story in advance. So if they highlight certain scenes or make them more/less impactful than they were in the manga, it could mean something.