#cause I’m coming in this fandom as an actor

[heir-of-the-chair]

You know for all I’ve thought about the very cool (entirely hypothetical, 100% just me over analyzing) implications of all the casting/acting within the hatchetfield shows it never fully clicked to me until now that Jon Matteson Played Both Richie And Wiggly In The Same Show

NPMD was so good because they took Jon Matteson aside and went “okay people loved it in TGWDLM when you writhed pathetically on the floor in anguish, and they loved it when you voiced Wiggly in Black Friday, so now we need you to do Both” and the son of a bitch did just that

[deadpoetsandlivinglegends]

Guys hear me out wait shhh guys listen listen reverse death anderperry like this poem but with Neil, Todd, and Jeff Anderson

[paracozmistari]

911 s8 e15 rant

This whole thing was a shitshow. Very poorly written too. And beyond unnecessary.

How dare you? How fucking dare you? I cannot even begin to list the ways you wronged everybody here.

Your main character, the heart and soul of the show deserves a proper ending. Not a last five minute out of the blue death for shock value. Bobby’s character growth and him learning to live after everything that happened to him is one of the best things in the show. And to throw that all away just because you couldn’t come up with something better and thought this was creative. Rot in hell. This sends an awfull message. Bobby Nash deserved a happy ending he deserved better. Athena deserved better. They deserved to grow old together, spoil their gandchildren together. Bobby deserved to die in a comfortable bed surrounded by his loved ones. Not in that lab in the most painful way possible while he has to worry about Athena witnessing all of it, his organs failing and him collapsing. This was just disrespectfull to both of their characters. And plain stupidity.

Cause what do you mean they didn’t rush him to a quarantined hospital in a hasmat suit? Chim had the antidote in him and the rat too. I guess it was very convinient to write it in a way that he only had minutes left and there wasn’t time, he sacrificed himself. At least the sacrifice part clicked but nothing else. Also he wasn’t showing any simptoms for so long while Chimney had been dying for hours in there. There was no lead up to this. Not in the two parter and not in the season. Bathena have been building their dreamhouse, things were finally getting back to how they should be and now Athena has to go back to that house without Bobby. Cruel, so so cruel and uncalled for.

Now the other thing that’s making me want to sue dear timmy is the amount of disrespect to Peter Krause, Angela and hell even the other actors. Peter did not want to leave. All the other actors asked him not to do this. And then he just shits on everybody kills Bobby for the sake of killing a character off, essentially firing Peter. It makes me sick to my stomach. After this much time he deserved waaayyy better. And his true character is shown in that letter he wrote, bless his heart.

Also the whole of the fandom is pissed and I mean EVERYBODY. (We are finally united in all of this madness isnt that great?) You have to fuck up real bad to make the actors not want this, the fandom outrage and even the journalists. Nobody wanted this. Nobody watches the show because it’s realistic. The reason it’s a comfort show for so many people is because no main dies. Ever. And this was taken VIOLENTLY from us. I really hope Tim gets bullied to the point where he realises he fucked up big time and goes to reshoot stuff. If not I’m done with the show as a lot of others. I may watch through the end of the season just to make sure Bobby is really dead but not the 9th season. If Bobby doesn’t get resurrected this shit deserves do be cancelled. (And for many other poor choices too)

Also i have a theory to how to make all of this right but thats for another post.

[rockscanfly]

@noshirdalal's (Charles Smith's actor from RDR2) response to the prompt: "What do you think would have happened if Jack Marston’s bounty poster had come across Sadie and Charles’ desk post-epilogue? What, if anything, would Charles have to say to Jack?"

I trimmed the video for length (damn you, tumblr), but you can find the full 15 minute version on Cameo (where all y'all should go chuck your Charles questions as soon as you get a chance) here.

As usual, Noshir blew me away with the depth and care in his response. His headcanons are one of my absolute favorite part of being in the RDR2 fandom. Highlight from the transcript:

I like to think that Charles would have—and I imagine Sadie would to, but Alex would know better—I like to imagine that Charles would have taken the time to try to find him. To learn the kind of man that Jack has become.  I can imagine Jack sitting at a bar somewhere, I mean drinking whiskey or something and noticing a really large [laughs]. A really large man sitting kind of also at the bar but much further down just watching him. I think depending on what was going on I’d like to think that if Jack was in trouble at the time Charles would try to help him. Because he, ‘cause he has to.  But I can also see him watching John—I mean watching Jack from a distance. Getting the measure of the man. Helping him when he can, anonymously. You know if there are bounty hunters or enemies that are following him maybe he thins the herd a little bit. Betters Jack’s chances. But maybe he almost doesn’t have the heart to actually say hello.  There’s also something to be said for the idea that a man pays his debts. But also, like Charles has to recognize that Jack is a grown man. And a man also walks his own path. I can’t hold his hand, I can’t change the past. And who am I to know that the path that Jack is on is wrong? Would it be fair for me to try to deprive him of the justice he seeks?  Man, I don’t know. But it would hurt Charles, real bad. I think that would hurt him real bad. That's a wound he would carry to his grave. 

Links to other Cameos and transcripts that Noshir has completed in the past can be found here.

Full transcript of full vid below the cut:

What's up, Rocks? Hope you’re doing well. Sorry, it's getting down to the wire and I’m just, just got back a little while ago from Manchester in the UK and just getting home from VO [Voice Over] Atlanta [2025]. So I’m teaching a performance capture class there so I’ve got like a handful of minutes left to get this in so I’m trying to get it in and not have it fall through. So. 

Rocks always asking the [chuckles], the thought provoking questions. So. What happens when a poster of Jack Marston comes into my possession when Charles and Sadie are—in my headcanon—collecting bounties, kinda working together?

Well, I think the first thing that Charles would do is share it with Sadie. You know, Sadie and Charles are there with John when he—when WE think we’re bringing resolution to all this strife. When we think we’re kind of closing this circle and hopefully bringing the cycle of violence to a close for the Marston family. 

I think Charles and Sadie—I’m not gonna speak for Alex, or Sadie—but I would have to imagine. I would like to think they mourn together and also mourn in their own ways. 

I don’t know if it actually made it into the game, but there was, really early on in my sessions I had, like, hours of performance capture with the young, young actor playing, like, super young Jack. Taking him through basic tracking stuff, you know, the difference between a raccoon’s tracks versus a, you know a bobcat. A mountain lion’s tracks versus, you know, various deer and bear and stuff. And I think a little bit of—I remember I researched, like you know, traps made of like rope and stuff you could find like out in the wilderness, deadfalls and stuff like that. I don’t remember if we actually did that stuff but like. 

I think the gang…Jack is kind of like the gang’s son, right? Hosea like teaches him the importance of knots by like hiding it in, like, teaching him how to fish. I think everyone kind of came together to try to equip Jack with the things he would need to know to survive while still trying to celebrate the fact that he’s a kid even in these hard times. 

I haven’t played either of the games but I’ve seen images of Jack from the end of Red Dead. I didn’t really think much of it but now looking at those images as Charles, like through the eyes of Charles—how heartbreaking, I think that would be for him. 

To know that. To know that John tried so desperately to create, to create a home for his family, right? For Jack to grow up not knowing a life on the run full of violence. He really tried to go legit. And you know, Uncle and I helped him build that house from nothing. 

That house I think was kind of the symbol of the closing of that chapter. The idea that things can begin anew, that if we’re willing to put in the work that we can have a fresh start. That we are not chained, you know, like ouroboros. Like we are not bound to this never ending cycle. If it isn't a life that we want to live. 

And, you know, my best friend…was dying, but his last moments were hard in effort to give John—and through John, Jack—hope for a peaceful life. 

And, I mean the look on adult Jack’s face? He’s so angry. He’s so angry and so hard. And I think these are hard times and there’s lots of hard men and hard women as a result: survivors. [Looks off at a car making obnoxious noise] [quietly] For fuck’s sake. 

But, um. But even if it was naive or wishful thinking or just ridiculous hope—I think Charles wanted so badly for things to be different for Jack. Especially because I think Charles leave the Marstons feeling so good about the work he’s done. And so proud of his brother John for the work he’s done to reinvent himself, you know?

They had built a place with their own hands that is worthy of bringing John’s wife and son home. They’d built them a home. And to see Jack so angry and so alone after everything that’s been done I think would be really, really hard for Charles. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if Charles has to step away and like spend a week out in the wilderness just to get away from the noise of, the noise and kind of bustle of the every day. And grieve, in his own way. And come to terms with it. 

I mean, I wonder like, the idea of like a wanted poster for Jack Marston—I wonder if like, can you imagine if somehow Charles and Sadie were just blissfully ignorant of everything that happened with John. What a way to learn. But even if they werent, I think this is probably the worst fate they could have imagined for John’s son. For Jack. 

I like to think that Charles would have—and I imagine Sadie would to, but Alex would know better—I like to imagine that Charles would have taken the time to try to find him. To learn the kind of man that Jack has become. 

I can imagine Jack sitting at a bar somewhere, I mean drinking whiskey or something and noticing a really large [laughs]. A really large man sitting kind of also at the bar but much further down just watching him. I think depending on what was going on I’d like to think that if Jack was in trouble at the time Charles would try to help him. Because he, ‘cause he has to. 

But I can also see him watching John—I mean watching Jack from a distance. Getting the measure of the man. Helping him when he can, anonymously. You know if there are bounty hunters or enemies that are following him maybe he thins the herd a little bit. Betters Jack’s chances. But maybe he almost doesn’t have the heart to actually say hello. 

There’s also something to be said for the idea that a man pays his debts. But also, like Charles has to recognize that Jack is a grown man. And a man also walks his own path. I can’t hold his hand, I can’t change the past. And who am I to know that the path that Jack is on is wrong? Would it be fair for me to try to deprive him of the justice he seeks? 

Man, I don’t know. But it would hurt Charles, real bad. I think that would hurt him real bad. That's a wound he would carry to his grave.

[biancasaidstfu]

I know we want to move past all this craziness. And I agree we should. But I’ve seen comments regarding A and what damage she could possibly do that would warrant things like NDAs and appeasing responses from L and N. People thinking she has no power. And I happen to know of a situation that contradicts that idea.

In another fandom (I won’t name the fandom or the actor), a young actor was accused of… let’s say bad behavior of the criminal kind… by a woman he never even met. The story made its way around the internet. People caught onto it and jumped on the hate bandwagon. He lost his job on a popular show. His career is in the toilet. And his friends/costars abandoned him.

A lie travels around the world twice before the truth even gets up in the morning. Damage can be done. Can be irreversible. And when you love someone, you’ll do all you can to protect them. A (and other side characters) can threaten and be taken seriously. It’s not a leap.

I’m not saying for sure that’s what is happening here. I’m saying that people shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the possible trouble one can cause.

This is a possibility that is very easily swept aside because people think it's too much effort or that this would never be a thing because XYZ.

Also, this is not saying for sure that's what's happening here, so before you get your thongs in a twist make sure you understand this is discussion on the idea surrounding an NDA being in place.

Let's get realistic here. People claiming Luke wouldn't be high profile enough to warrant an NDA for anything is just stupid. Non-disclosure agreements are commonplace - between civilians, businesses and clients, between celebrities and the list goes on.

If there was sensitive information, and it could ANYTHING, then a non-disclosure agreement could be handed out to protect said sensitive information.

You don't need to be Brad fucking Pitt to have an NDA.

What I believe we have seen over the summer when it comes to Luke is very much a contractual agreement of some sort. Nothing about what we saw screams hot boy summer 2.0.

You're also not going to tell me that he just said peace out to Nicola or vice versa after what we watched in Ireland and essentially the entire tour leading up to that.

Sorry. I will never believe that Luke has been with Antonia over a year or that Nicola is dating her friend Jake.

If there's proof of either of these things one day (and I'm talking actual romantic interactions in clear view of a camera, kissing, cuddling etc.) I will gladly go back and eat my words and admit I was wrong.

But I just don't think I am 🤷‍♀️

[theflagscene]

I keep seeing posts/vids (on Twitter & YouTube) about Perth being super clingy with Santa, most of them are about it being cute but some are questioning why. It makes me wonder if these are new fans of Perth, or only know him from GMMTV.

I mean, think about it. This guy has gone through nearly half a dozen acting partners since he started working in the QL industry, and he’s only 24 years old! His first acting partner was Saint, whom e formed a strong bond and friendship with when they both stared in Love By Chance, only to lose Saint as a partner thanks to Perth’s own manager. PerthSaint had the makings of being one of the long haul pairings, people loved them, they had fantastic chemistry and they were great friends. Thankfully they still are great friends, but what Perth’s manager did put a very abrupt end to PerthSaint as a pairing.

Then his managers tried to partner him up with Mark (Aran from Jack & Joker) but the pair only worked together in one series, before management could try anything more for the pairing Perth left his old management company (Mark did as well iirc) and went independent whilst also working on building up his own management company and also trying to finish university at the same time.

Once again the BL ship nearly sailed for him with Bas (North from Fourever You) with a soft launch bromance movie featuring heavily gay undertones. They got along, had people really liking them, but didn’t work out. Movie partnerships rarely transfer into BL series and vice versa, with a very few exceptions.

Soon after that he signed to GMMTV, big boost in his popularity with that, name in brighter lights, more eyes on him, etc. That’s good, he’s talented, can act, sing, play multiple instruments and is trained in media arts, acting & directing. The guy should have all the chances in the world, GMMTV instantly paired him up with Chimon. They get along alright, seemed friendly, chemistry wasn’t fantastic but it was passable. Worked twice (three times, they co-stared together years ago in a non-BL series) with Chimon, which is more than he could say for his other partners.

Note: He did work with Saint once more on a miniseries that P’New made specifically for the lead characters from Love Sick and brought in PerthSaint as secondary characters as a little farewell to their fandom. It was awkward all around and just a mess, I don’t recommend tbh. But if you have 30 minutes to kill on cringe, check it out if you’d like.

So GMMTV is gearing up for Perfect 10 Liners and bam, Chimon pulls out, he’s ill and frankly not very interested in QLs. All the respect for him btw, I’m glad he’s finally feeling well enough to return to work in any capacity.

So there’s Perth, 4th potential branded partner gone. You’ve gotta wonder how that felt to him, was he starting to feel like it was him!? The whole series is tossed for a loop, now they either need to replace Chimon as Gun or just pull Perth entirely and put in a new acting duo to play the roles of Yotha and Gun.

Then Wabi Sabi ends all their contracts out of the blue (to us, the actors probably knew for months) and shifts from production to management, only finishing up the largest of their slotted projects; The Fourever You series.

GMMTV starts snatches up ex Wabi Sabi actors like they’re Pokémon and in comes Santa, who has an odd little six degrees of separation with Perth via Cooheart, Soodyatch and Sammy. It was legit like the universe stepped in and offered up the perfect partner for Perth, both he and Santa are high quality actors, they’ve both worked with the same group of actors and director multiple times. Not to mention, they are complete opposites of one another, which in turn caused them to pull one another out of their comfort zones. They were unexpected but also made perfect sense, their chemistry was insane and people instantly loved them.

Even other actors who have known Perth for a long while have said that Santa brought light into Perth’s world, where he was very broody before he now laughs and smiles so much. So yeah, Perth is absolutely clingy, and with good reason. But Santa clings right back, he doesn’t seem to mind Perth going beyond skinship and fan service into full on clingy bestie territory.

I think finally Perth has found his pairing, and it’s brought a lot of joy and love into his life. He has close friends, works at a (mostly) decent company, and is comfortable with his acting partner. The boy is happy! Probably for the first time in a long time, it’s been a slog for him to get to where he is, so yeah, him following Santa around like a clingy puppy is both very endearing but also very understandable imo.

[tommykinard6]

Thinking lately about shipping and fandoms and all that depressing jazz.

And here’s the thing: have we forgotten that shippers regularly take the L? I don’t even know where this belief that we’re being catered to comes from; we regularly and historically wear clown noses.

When did we stop shipping for the sake of shipping and start needing to be correct? Be superior, be the main character?

I feel it’s always been like that a little, but I’ve personally NEVER seen it this bad.

And the sheer entitlement, man.

Listen, I’m not going to disturb my man JRR Tolkien to resurrect him only for the sake of putting Maeglin and Glorfindel together and have him incorporate my headcanons because Maeglin was the king of being misunderstood and really just needs to get dicked down and lovingly held after by Glorfindel, ok??

Cause that’s my headcanon and ship and I have fanfiction for it. Also Tolkien has been dead for 51 slutty slutty years, but that’s beside the point.

I’m not boycotting CoD or throwing a temper tantrum over the fact that Ghost and Soap aren’t having filthy nasty sex and heartbreaking conversations.

I’m not attacking Ewan McGregor and Temuera Morrison for not canonically getting Codywan.

And even in the height of my Buddie days, I never attacked the actors or show runners or female actresses. I’ve certainly had non-gracious thoughts, but I’ve kept it off of social media.

Please hear me out; this is not me saying I’m better than anyone. I’m not. I’m sooooo not. But I’m hoping that others might remember what shipping is about.

[valleyian]

Thoughts on Cursed Child becoming a movie

A very random late night rant, but here we go. I’ve seen a lot of fake trailers circle around the web and on social media in regards to a potential HPCC movie. And whilst that’s all fun and games, I also want to talk about the actual consequences a movie like that would have on both the fandom and people.

First off I need people to understand that HPCC is an (almost) separate entity of the Wizarding World franchise, being mostly excluded or regarded as “non canon” by the mainstream. However this does NOT mean JKR doesn’t receive royalties from the play, she still earns money from it. The ethics of spending money on the play is also something to be discussed, however I want to specifically talk about the consequences that a potential movie would have on the HPCC story and the representation within it.

First of, HPCC although it has controversies, is in my opinion the best installation in the Harry Potter universe when it comes to representation. What do I mean by that? Since HPCC is a theatre play, it follows general casting rules which in most cases is colour blind. This is implemented in most theatre productions where ethnicity of actors do not matter, HPCC is not an exception. This means that a lot of POC actors get opportunities to be on stage and portray these characters, not to mention the deliberate casting of Hermione Granger. (Although I will note that this casting has caused a lot of stir, in addition to the fact most of the productions have yet to cast a POC lead in the role of Albus, not counting Tokyo or Brazil).

Although only speculation on my part, I can’t imagine a HPCC movie would be able to deliver on the representation shown in the play, with the numerous casts that have been. I also would assumed they’d return to the white casting of Rose and Hermione, which obviously would erase the theatre play castings purpose.

Then onto my second point; being queer representation. Although it’s not confirmed 100%, and also wouldn’t be able to be confirmed as long as JKR has her dirty grubby hands on the IP, Scorbus is as close to canon as possible. This became evident after the script rewrite, a rewrite that was deliberately written by the current queer actors of the play. It was also written as a retaliation agains JKRs bigoted statements which she had began to spread at that time. So as of now, the play leaves the relationship between Albus and Scorpius ambiguous, yet it is very obvious there is a romantic undertone. This is the closest to any LGBTQ rep in the Harry Potter Universe, (no I will not count Dumbledore and Grindewald) and it means so much to people. A movie by Warner Bros and directed by JKR would most certainly remove all aspects of this, and return to the original script with the very forced addition of Scorpius x Rose. (Nothing against the ship, but I’m against the way it was used as a last minute ploy to remove any assumed gayness).

A subsection to this topic I want to touch upon is also queer representation within the casting. It’s not uncommon for theatre to feature a diverse cast both in ethnicity and orientations. HPCC again is no exception. Over the shows 8 year long run, there has been countless of queer and trans actors who have played in it. There have been gay and trans leads in the roles of Albus and Scorpius as well as the ensemble, and this representation is crucial. Especially since this is an IP within JKRs hands, casting people of said groups is such a powerful move. I can almost guarantee a movie would NOT be as inclusive.

And lastly, if there is a movie, should you support it? It’s not my place to say, and I will also acknowledge I am hypocritical when it comes to what I chose to consume and spend money on in regards to the Harry Potter franchise. However I also want to acknowledge that when you are supporting the theatre play, you do give money to JKR, but you also give money to the numerous queer and POC actors in the cast, a lot of whom are activist. I personally will stay away from any HPCC content that erases any of the current representation added. Unless the movie follows the new script, with POC and queer actors, as well as minimal influence for JKR, I WILL NOT support it. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

Also, feel free to correct me if I stated something incorrect or false in this rant!

[lila-went-missing]

Guys WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?! Dior is canceled AGAIN because she allegedly liked Leah hate posts, said a slur, and people are bringing up the Zionist thing from like a year ago. Tamara is being thrown in too because apparently she will delete Dior hate comments, but not Leah’s. AND OH MY FUCKING LORD, they’re coming for Walker now too?? A video from months ago where he is allegedly asking a girl for nudes. You literally do not see his face once, I cant hear his voice AT ALL, and it was in Snapchat. He has stayed so many time that he doesn’t have a snap account, idk wtf is going on but literally why does it matter. Do I think it was him? No. People’s main reason is people calling him Percy Jackson in the video but you can call anyone that, it doesn’t make them the actor you know? All you see is his back and it doesn’t look like his frame or anything. I’m done asf with this whole fandom, I miss the book fandom because they didn’t fight over canceling teenagers all the time. I have no clue wtf is happening, even if Walker was doing that, it’s not our fucking business plus he’s a teenage boy. That shit is so easy to fake too. Dior is on thin ice cause this is like the third fucking time but why are people coming after Tamara for a rumor? Girlie just got casted.

[halfreal-and-halffiction]

REPOSTING THIS ON THIS BLOG CAUSE THIS SHIT HAS REALLY AGITATED ME 😑😑😑😑 I originally posted this on my fandom blog, living fiction, but I need to express it over here too

Okay Aarons Angels and Pierre princesses (just came up with those- they sounded cute ☺️) our love is a hot topic on Twitter (X-I will never call it that) right now because of his J HUD tunnel video and of course while all of us are salivating at how good he looks and his third leg here comes some annoying ass bitch(s) trying to ruin the fun 🙄 first off ppl saw ONE picture of this man with a white woman (the 2nd pic) and all of a sudden he doesn’t like black women. Like I understand that’s it’s annoying and tiring seeing celebrity black men, whether they be actors, athletes, singers, etc., primarily with non black women. And I get that even in tv shows and media it’s hard to find a black woman that’s not biracial or ambiguous looking as love internet or main character (that’s a whole other story) but I wish ppl would stop projecting this on to every black male celebrity we find attractive. I’m not naive. I know that if you look through a man’s dating history (which I have no desire to do with Aaron tbh) or even his likes and follows on social media you can tell his preference. But making assumptions like that off of ONE picture is just ridiculous. And also it really seems like ppl get a kick out of telling black women that the BLACK man they’re thirsting after would never look their (our) way. It’s like “ha ha y’all think a good looking black man would actually like you black bitches” and honestly it’s so disheartening. Like we’re not delusional (I am a little for this man but I still got my sanity 🤭) we know that we will never meet or date this man but damn why can’t we enjoy shit in peace as black women. I could understand if he was saying negative shit about black women specifically or seemed to go out of his way to exclude black women but I haven’t seen that from him. It’s like ppl can’t wait to tell black women that we are no more than support tokens or meal tickets to our race of men and that the only interest they have in us is “pandering” so that we’ll support them and give them money. Plus I haven’t seen Aaron do any “pandering”. He’s just been doing regular interviews and talking about his work. He hasn’t went out of his way to “cater” to any particular group in my opinion 🤷🏽‍♀️ I know this is a lot but this shit just really annoyed me man.

[dadattebayo]

So today I bumped on this post and wanted to share some thoughts on the subject, but the account I reblogged it from seems to be off now so I lost my post and no one sees it. Still want to keep it, so...

Sorry, with all respect, but I just don’t get it. Like … WHY should we stop asking them about the thing they actually play? What exactly so bad happens to them if we do? By the thing I mean Haladriel as a ship. They play it. Literally.

Come one, it's obvious the show itself launched the ship. Intentionally, using all classic cinematic tools to make the exact romantic subtext visible to the audience (like gestures, poses, camera angles, looks eyes to eyes, sensual whisper) so we could definitely read it as romantic even if they refuse to confirm it openly. (Due to the possible unhinged reaction of the lorebros, I’m sure) So basically the show implied romance between them from the beginning, and now since they are stepping back, we just have to be ashamed to ask questions? Surely the actors give more interviews then the showrunners, because they are the faces of the characters, their representatives, they could give you the insight no one else could give since they play it and are the most involved in their personalities and emotions. They should be able to explain their motives and thoughts. This is how the acting craft works, they must FEEL the character. This is why for fans, hearing actors discuss a ship is like hearing the characters discuss their own feelings.

See what I mean? Typical romantic cinematic hint.

So again why shouldn't we ask them? why not let the actors talk about their interpretation? Miriel and Elendil's actors shouldn't be asked about them too, or it only concerns Morfydd and Charlie for some reason?

For god sake we all know the ship is doomed, there will be no future, but still the show revolves around them, even in the end of s2 he still mentioned she's his queen. But there was not enough interaction, mostly ambiguous one that we have to explain and develop ourselves, so why should we be deprived as well of their vision and of any extra detail we would like to know from the first hands? | don't feel like it.

And I think people just need to stop decide for the actors how they feel and being overprotective over literally nothing. Shipping is a part of any fan culture. And the actors are not made of glass, they actually are even supposed to speak out. Once again: the show presented and developed the ship. The actors play the characters of this ship. They play the feelings we all see. They are aware of the subtext. They do not feel ashamed to play it. They are not ashamed to play those characters. So we don't have to be ashamed to want to know more about what they play, what they mean and what is their vision on it. There is no harm being caused.

I actually miss good all days when the actors were not considered this sensitive. like for example during the promotion of the X-MEN both Mcavoy and Fassbender got unstoppably asked like million questions about their MAGNETO/XAVIER (Cherik) ship, they were shown fanarts and fanfics, even the explicit ones, they even had to read out loud some about themselves (yeah-yeah, not their characters, but specifically real-person ship aka FassAvoy). No one got offended. One can say they even encouraged it. Homosexual ship. McAvoy was married at that time. Still they were goofing around, touching each other and hugging all the time, talking about their character bromance and generally spreading fanservice all over the fandom. They were having fun alongside with the fans. This was gold.

By the way the same story with their characters: they are a protagonist and a villain , two opposites with sort of cosmic connection, they just won’t let each other go peacefully. There is love, hate, friendship, rivalry and pain. Some fans see them as a friends/foes, shippers like me see them as lovers. This ship is giant, and thank for the actors interaction and involvement into the fandom it just got deeper and much more exciting.

Highly recommended to explore.

Remind you of something? 🙃

[laurelismyblackcanary]

So I read an interview of the showrunner of the Umbrella Academy and to simplify what he said was that the finale couldn’t make everyone happy and they he always wanted a non traditional ending for superhero show where the heroes were also the cause of the end to the world. He said that he’s very happy and that this is the finale he always wanted and no one said anything against it.

Couple of things:

1) It sound a lot like what Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell said about Logan’s death “it’s not what the fans wanted but it’s what the fans needed”

2) when a huge part, arguably the majority, of the fandom isn’t happy and hated the finale maybe the problem isn’t the fandom but the showrunner and maybe he shouldn’t be so happy about his works.

3) no one said anything against it, what would have been the point? I heard that the actor who played Diego vocally and repeatedly spoke against the Five and Lila storyline and yet… the showrunner wanted Five to have a love story and couldn’t come up with something better

4) also what the hell means a “non traditional finale”? The heroes who sacrifice themselves to save the world is something of the most cliches ending one can give to a superhero storyline. If the revolutionary part was that they were the problem… I’m not even going to start about how many plot holes this choice created or how stupid it is

[homestuckreplay]

Parasocial Relationships and the Author Self-Insert in Act 4 of Homestuck

On a hot summer’s day in the American Midwest, thirteen people sit around a table in a private, air conditioned room. For an hour we trade stories, take photos, ask and answer questions, give each other time to speak while waiting impatiently for our own turns, and thrill in the knowledge that today, we’re special: nobody besides us will ever experience this precise moment. At least, most of us feel this way. Ten of us have paid for the privilege of being here, seeking a social connection with people we only see through our TV screens, while the other three are being paid, their future paychecks dependent on the simulation of a friendship they can show us today. They’re practiced at this. They do their job well, and we’re satisfied with our purchase. The next time I meet these actors, they will remember my name, and I will glow with the knowledge that I am something more than their formless mass of indistinguishable fans. One decade later, I won’t remember anything we talked about, but I will remember that feeling of being known.

This is a snapshot of a 2010s fandom culture; one where the internet’s ability to break down barriers between fans and creators was seen as a universal positive, one where access to those creators was viewed as a status symbol, one where the term ‘parasocial relationship’ was safely hidden in academic literature, years away from reaching our own keyboards. This culture is in the past, now – but it is a culture that Homestuck both originated from and contributed to. From the comic’s first page, Homestuck fans have direct access to creator Andrew Hussie through MSPA’s dedicated forums, with a near-guarantee that the author will read their ideas if they’re posted to a suggestion thread. Hussie’s public persona is accessible through their forums, newsposts, blog posts, Formspring account and personal website, for any fan who wants to learn more about the comic’s creator. Then, in April 2010, the fictionalized Hussie appears within Homestuck itself, displaying this persona to all readers, even those who don’t seek active participation.

So I’d like to ask: How does Homestuck’s inclusion of a direct author insert affect the parasocial relationship that exists between creator and fans?

[disclaimer: this piece is not intended as a moral judgment towards anything discussed. I’m only aiming to describe a phenomenon and offer my own interpretation of it. to protect privacy and limit spreading old drama, I’ve anonymized all forum quotes and all names of fandoms, creators and fans, except for Homestuck, Hussie and myself.]

This essay is around 7k words below the cut and is also available on ao3. All cited articles in this post are available for free here.

Parasociality – an overview

The term ‘parasocial relationship’ has exploded in popularity throughout the 2020s, and it’s not surprising why. It describes a near-universal experience – not unique to young people or to those who participate in fandom, but encompassing the casual and one-sided intimacy a commuter feels towards the talk radio host they spend their mornings with, that a retired person feels towards the detective they’ve read so many novels about they they can predict the next words out of her mouth, or that a working-class voter feels towards a politician who presents himself as a down-to-earth man of the people. When coining ‘parasocial relationship’ in 1956, sociologists Richard Wohl and Donald Horton were most interested in applying it to television interviewers and game show hosts – people whose fame comes from the personality they present to the world – but believed it could extend to any public figure or fictional character, human or otherwise.

I’ve noticed that on social media, people describing a relationship as ‘more parasocial’ means ‘more inappropriate’, used when someone is seen as being too emotionally dependent on a celebrity or as causing that celebrity possible discomfort. In literature, ‘more parasocial’ means ‘further away from reciprocation’, and describes a spectrum that also includes mutual social relationships. So, it’s possible to have a parasocial relationship with a cool kid in the grade above at school, a singer in a local indie band, an actor in a major prestige TV show, and an elf in a fantasy novel, with each more parasocial than the last as the chances of these one-sided interactions becoming two-way social relationships decreases.

Understood this way, parasocial relationships aren’t problems in and of themselves. They’re an extremely common way humans relate to others, and can be a source of positive emotions – it has even been suggested that they are a ‘central prerequisite for media enjoyment’ (Vorderer et al., quoted in Stein et al., 2024). A meta-analysis of parasociality research (Tukachinsky et al., 2020) found that parasocial relationships were not more common among people who struggled to make social connections. They were more common when a person felt ‘long term identification’ and perceived similarity with a character or celebrity, experienced immersion in their content, was regularly exposed to the object of the relationship, and saw them as physically and socially attractive. A factor not explored by this study, but proposed by other researchers is wishful identification, where a person sees a character or public figure as someone they’d like to become.

Social media, then, becomes a fascinating site where a large portion of the social spectrum is collapsed into one. It opens channels where it’s possible for a household-name musician to create an account, ‘follow’ a number of their fans, ‘like’ their posts, and even invite the most dedicated fans to their house for a seemingly intimate get-together, creating a culture where fans define themselves by the number of times this musician has directly interacted with them. Taken to extremes, there are fan communities that seek to guide their favorite celebrity’s life and career. They feel ‘responsibilities’ and ‘duties’ towards the object of this relationship, expressing dissatisfaction in large numbers when their idol dates the ‘wrong’ partner or accepts a role in the ‘wrong’ TV show – Yan & Yang (2021) describe this in detail and interviews Chinese fans about their ‘co-creation of idols’. In 2010, Twitter, Tumblr and Reddit are all young platforms, and this new closeness and access between creators and fans is unprecedented and exciting on both sides.

Most existing analysis focuses on the parasocial relationships fans experience towards creators and public figures, but in truth, these relationships go both ways. First, many creators put in conscious work to craft a persona that will be attractive to fans, refining and updating this in line with changing demands from their audience. Perceived authenticity, for example, has long been valued among fans, so a public figure may try to cultivate this trait; however its ideal expression has changed over time. A singer-songwriter penning an ‘authentic’ pop song in 2010 might depict herself as the devastated and longing victim of a boyfriend’s cruelty who struggles to be understood by others, or conversely, as a fun-loving party girl who likes to chug beer and have casual sex – but both of these women will implicitly reassure listeners that they are heterosexual, neurotypical, and focused on others. In 2025, writing an ‘authentic’ pop song may involve the singer acknowledging her own serious flaws in her friendships or relationships, or discussing a serious struggle with mental health, body image, or the pressures of stardom. She’s more likely to describe a potential partner as ‘they’ instead of ‘he’, to be self-focused, and to use words from pop psychology. All this would have created backlash in 2010 as the ‘wrong’ kind of authenticity, but is celebrated and relatable today. In this way, a celebrity’s self-presentation merges with their fans’ beliefs and assumptions about them to co-construct a character: a fictionalized version of this real person who can be understood, predicted and judged in the eyes of the public.

Second, celebrities develop parasocial relationships with their own fans – this can be specific fans, or the ‘ideal’ or ‘archetypical’ fan they envisage. Sharon & John (2024) discusses these ‘inverse parasocial relationships that podcasters develop with their listener base. They describe how radio presenters are often advised to imagine a hyperspecific ‘typical listener’ to address their content towards, envisioning them as a full person present in the studio. Compared to radio’s broad audience and centralization, podcasters have to make names for themselves in a medium filled with options, and typically target a smaller niche of listeners – which, in itself, encourages parasociality as creators and fans can both see themselves as part of a ‘private club’ familiar with the podcast’s inside jokes and language. Interviewing specific podcasters, Sharon & John found that they conceptualize their fans in various ways, including ‘someone like themself’, ‘a specific person they know’, ‘people who really love them’, or even ‘imagined friends to assuage loneliness’. As such, public figures constructing their fans as a character often runs alongside their construction of themselves as characters.

2020s fan cultures, at least those I’ve participated in, tend to be critical of parasocial relationships and regularly challenge fans who are seen as crossing these boundaries. I believe this is an understandable reaction to the 2000s and 2010s culture where social media was in its infancy, and fans and celebrities alike were navigating how to interact with one another through these new possibilities, with no model for how best to do so. I’ve also noticed that fans put the onus on other fans to behave appropriately, and respect the real or imagined boundaries of creators. There’s far less discussion of celebrities’ roles in constructing these relationships and maintaining their disproportionate amounts of power within them, or of media platforms’ roles in encouraging these relationships in order to increase long-term engagement and ultimately, advertising revenue.

Even in communities that are critical of capitalist systems and power imbalances, this is often treated as an individual issue – surprising, given that in many cases celebrities choose to retain their public facing careers, while algorithms mean that social media users on many platforms have little control over the content they are exposed to, and people do not consciously choose who to form an emotional connection with. To speak personally, I’ve definitely acted towards celebrities in ways I now see as crossing a line and would not repeat, such as writing occasional RPF (real person fiction) or visiting a podcaster’s hometown after traveling for their nearby liveshow, to see places they’d referenced on air. I’ve also experienced celebrities exploiting parasocial relationships with myself and other fans, such as a writer beginning to actively participate in an adjacent fandom to their own work, then soliciting donations from these fans for their own next project, then disappearing without fulfilling their promise of continued participation. We all exist in the same social spectrum, and we all play roles in maintaining these dynamics.

Author inserts – an overview

Parasocial relationships have almost certainly existed for as long as public figures have. Similarly, author self-inserts have existed for as long as authors have. According to Dawson (2016), in the 1700s such inserts were seen as ‘digressions’ from the main narrative, and were an accepted convention even while they were contentious among readers largely as they slowed down the pace of the novel. Digressions were used for the author to provide moral or philosophical commentary, to share information that no characters have access to, and to discuss their own story, other influential stories, and the novel as a genre. In many cases they reinforced belief in the narrative, by arguing for why character actions and plot elements were plausible. By the 1900s, these inserts were seen as ‘intrusions’ into the narrative, being a ‘lazy’ storytelling method and breaking the now-established writing rule of ‘show, don’t tell’. They were now also seen as breaking a reader’s immersion in the story, reminding them of the actual reality that exists outside the fictional reality.

As such, the author’s direct presence left the primary narrative of most fiction, with the exception of postmodern and metafictional works which directly explore the concept of the author. However, the author remained present in other ways. Authors’ prefaces to a novel or interviews placed after the main text, director’s commentary tracks and ‘behind the scenes’ footage on a DVD, and lyric booklets with production notes from the band included with a record or CD, were all ways that the creator kept their presence and interpretation as close to their work as possible without affecting the storyworld itself. However, not everyone would read or listen to these, and they are generally considered ‘paratexts’ – supplemental material that frames the main text, but is not a part of it.

It’s not always clear cut when an author inserts themself into their narrative. Almost all fiction includes characters based on the author or their friends and family, fictional worlds based on the author’s experience of the actual world, or moral and political beliefs shared by the author. These can be analyzed although not objectively determined, even when the author discusses them in a paratext, as creators have plenty of reasons to misrepresent themselves to an audience. A screenwriter for a movie also playing its main character, a songwriter sharing the circumstances surrounding the song narrator’s recent breakup, and a novelist creating a main character who also writes novels for a living, may all be author inserts, but aren’t guaranteed to be.

The first experience I personally remember having with author self-inserts was through autobiographies. As a teenager, I read these as factual accounts of their subject’s lives, and didn’t question them further. This is known as the ‘autobiographical pact’, where a reader assumes that the writer, narrator, and main character of an autobiography are one and the same, and can translate knowledge of one to knowledge of the others. In reality, an autobiography is not a perfect window into its writer’s life – even someone who genuinely intends to represent themself truthfully will remember events imperfectly, fail to notice every personal bias, and construct a narrative from a sequence of unrelated events. An author can also purposefully misrepresent their life story to, for example, downplay their own privilege and inflate their struggles to present their achievements as individual success instead of coming from luck and help from others.

The genre of ‘autofiction’ (described in Schlick, 2020), acknowledges the fictionalization of the author’s life that exists in all autobiographical works, either exploring this theme directly or giving itself the artistic license to change true events without hiding this from the audience. Put another way, the author consciously creates themself as a character. Autofictional works can be novels, but exist across genre, such as the online ‘interactive life stories’ described by Chew & Mitchell (2015). Adding interactive elements means that the reader co-constructs the author-character’s life story along with the author themself. The same is true in metafictional video games, discussed by Pekanik (2024), where games may examine the ‘inevitable bond’ between game developers, narrators and players, and developers may insert avatars of themselves as characters to push back against the increasingly high expectations of story control, open-world possibility and ‘realism’ that players have for video games.

Outside of traditional media, the ‘self insert’ character is commonly associated with fanfiction, particularly with beginner fanfiction writers. In fan communities, referring to somebody else’s original fanfiction character as a ‘self insert’ is usually shorthand to suggest that the character is poorly written, one dimensional, a ‘Mary Sue’, and a form of wish fulfillment for the author. These stories are seen as self-indulgent, and taken less seriously than fanfiction that only includes characters from the source material. This judgment involves assumptions about the fanfiction author, and assumptions that the original work’s author is not writing a self insert. It also discourages writers from making original characters, in much the same way that widespread criticism discouraged late Victorian novelists from including authorial digressions.

As a fanfiction writer in the 2010s, I never wrote a direct self-insert or original character – I’m uncertain whether this was my personal preference, or influenced by their poor reputation. However, I openly wrote stories based on my real life, and gave details of myself to canon characters. In one example, I wrote an alternate universe fic where the characters attended my exact high school (disguised under a similar-but-different name) and attended school events I’d also been part of. In another, I and my girlfriend at the time both wrote fics based on our relationship and our hopes for its future, dedicated to each other but framed as a relationship between two canon characters. Taken without context, these fics were about their reader’s favorite characters, but taken alongside our author’s notes and interactions in comments, they allowed readers insight into our personal lives, and became author inserts.

This practice of using author’s notes to control the reception of fanfiction is fairly common. Unlike paratexts such as prefaces to a novel, fanfiction author’s notes often appear at the top or bottom of each chapter, or less commonly mid-chapter indicated by parentheses and (A/N:). They are generally in the same typeface as the main text and are consequently much harder to ignore when reading through a work. Maley (2020), discussing how fanfiction authors construct a persona, points out that once these author’s notes have been read, they cannot be separated from the text.

While not a traditional self insert, the information the author shares about their intent regarding characterization, their attitudes towards the source material, their own lived experience (such as whether or not the writer of a same-sex pairing is queer themself) or their plans for future installments, all affect the reader’s reception of the work. Comment interactions between author and readers can further reinforce this, as the author has the chance to directly refute any misconceptions their readers may have. Because of this, Leavenworth (2015) believes that author’s notes are ‘ultimately about authority and control’, imposing the author’s opinion of their own work onto other ways a reader may interpret it.

Another fanfiction trend is the reader insert, seen in ‘Y/N’ and ‘character x reader’ stories, where the reader is intended to replace prompts like ‘your name’ and ‘your hair color’ with their own personal details in a Mad Libs-style co-writing exercise. This takes the literary concept of an everyman – a character created to be generic and new to the fictional world so that the reader can see themself in the character’s place – to its logical extreme. Sapuridis & Alberto (2022) analyze how reader inserts often also function as author inserts, as the author places themself into the ‘you’ position while writing, and some inexperienced authors may accidentally slip into first-person pronouns, or make assumptions about traits of the reader that are also true of the author, such as being white or being female. While there is good reason to critique these assumptions, these reader insert fics place the author and reader as symbolically on the same level, as having the same desires and interests towards their favorite fictional characters and therefore sharing the same imaginary space. This is a clear contrast to the bid for control in author’s notes.

Webcomics occupy a similar space to fanfiction, as they have a similarly low barrier of entry for their creation, a similar lack of oversight by anyone concerned with marketing who may try to influence their content (such as network executives and publishing companies), and a similar status as ‘amateur fiction’. As original works, though, webcomics make a clearer distinction between creator and fans – this is even true of sprite comics, which use existing intellectual property – privileging the author even when they regularly interact with fans. This is in contrast to fanfiction, where authors and readers are members of the same fan community. Social divisions do exist in fanfiction communities based on author reputation and number of followers, hits and kudos, but this unofficial hierarchy is far more malleable than the firm divide between a webcomic’s creator and readers.

Author inserts are very popular in webcomics, with the TVTropes pages ‘Author Avatar’ and ‘Author Guest Spot’ indexing examples too numerous to list here – the second trope is stated to primarily feature webcomics as ‘more 'professional' or serious works tend to shy away from it’. To some readers in the 2000s, the trope feels ubiquitous, with fans anticipating that the author will eventually make an appearance in any new comic they begin. Author inserts in webcomics also tend to be explicitly metafictional and self-reflexive in webcomics as compared to fanfiction, whether that involves creating punchlines based on the lack of a fourth wall (see Thoss, 2011) or seriously exploring what it means for the comic’s author to influence the story.

Reader inserts and the second person ‘you’ pronoun are far less common in webcomics, however – comics may acknowledge the reader’s presence and even insult them for choosing to enjoy the work, but rarely invite their active participation. Author inserts tend to be explicitly the author as an individual or an embodiment of the work’s creator/god, instead of a shared identity that either author or reader may embody. One significant exception – a webcomic that directly acknowledges its readers in its concept, language, panel design, and occasionally narrative – is MS Paint Adventures, which in 2010 receives hundreds of thousands of visitors embodying its ‘you’ pronoun every day.

Homestuck, 2010

If public figures become characters by developing fictionalized personas of themselves and having these adopted by fans, and creators of fiction insert themselves in and around their work in both subtle and overt ways, it seems likely that these phenomena influence each other. Theory directly exploring this link is very limited, although one exception is Perot (2025), who discusses early twentieth century modernist novels’ exploration of the difference between a person’s public and private selves, their authors’ embodying this idea as ‘characters in real life’, and both of these as an early form of parasocialism. While Perot explores the author as a character and protagonists who are often read as self inserts, they don’t discuss explicit author inserts, and their work covers a time period long before the Internet.

Andrew Hussie’s MS Paint Adventures grew from the promise that readers could also be co-creators, symbolically placing them as equals in the relationship. It also grew from a forum community of friends – people with a direct, mutual social relationship – to a community of fans with widely varying levels of connection to the creator. Homestuck and its predecessor Problem Sleuth both attract large numbers of readers previously unfamiliar with Hussie, but if they choose, they can easily access a wealth of information about Hussie’s broader online persona as a larger-than-life Internet user via newsposts, interviews, blogs, a personal website, Formspring, and forums as either a reader or participant. All this is entirely optional, and fans can also choose not to engage, reading the work by itself while knowing very little about its author.

With Hussie still an active presence on their own forums, regularly making reference to taking ideas from fans even when they’re not posted directly in suggestion boxes, and with forum users becoming more ‘official’ collaborators by joining the music team, being asked for art and programming help, and having their forum adventures declared ‘semi-canon’, Homestuck involves a fairly unprecedented level of communication between creator and fans, especially for an audience of its size. The closest analogy may be early alternate reality games, such as 2001’s ‘The Beast’, promoting the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence, written about by Janes (2020). In this game, participants solved three months’ worth of puzzles in 24 hours, forcing puppetmasters (game designers) to create content in real time as the game progressed, resulting in a dialog where creative solutions and fan speculation could be acknowledged within the game. However, these puppetmasters remained mysterious figures detached from real world identities until the game’s conclusion, unlike Hussie’s very public persona.

It’s clear from reading forum posts and Formspring questions that MSPA readers have a collective understanding of Hussie’s persona – a ‘fanon interpretation’ of their character in much the same way that they have a ‘fanon interpretation’ of John Egbert as a silly goober, Rose Lalonde as a delusional badass, Dave Strider as a genuinely cool guy, and Jade Harley as a ‘Mary Sue’. They view Hussie’s behavior as understandable, predictable, in some cases controllable, and worthy of admiration. There’s a few categories that posts tend to fall into, which together describe the parasocial relationship fans tend to have with Hussie.

1. As a creator, Hussie can do no wrong. This is the most common type of post by far, coming from fans who are completely in awe of Homestuck, blown away by flashes and plot twists, and awaiting the next update in full confidence that it will be just as good or better than everything up til now. Runs a full spectrum from seeing Hussie as a person who happens to be good at their job, to portraying them as a god worthy of worship.

‘I think I have to start worshipping him, or something soon, if not now.’

‘Using only his computer, Andrew has done what M. Night Shammy failed to do multiple times with a good budget and live actors.’

‘Is it ever disconcerting to think about exactly how many people idolize you or think you are incredibly awesome?’

2. Hussie’s such a dick (affectionate). Arguably the same as above, but filtered through ironic internet-speak, this typically occurs when fans notice a small detail (such as a hidden 413 or SBAHJ reference) and express this as mock-annoyance instead of amazement. Full spectrum from casual exclamations of frustration over cliffhangers to expressing concern over the state of Hussie’s mental health.

‘God damn it Hussie. You manipulative cur.’

‘Alright, it's things like that that make me afraid for Hussy's sanity.’

3. Hussie works ridiculously hard on this comic. People who are absolutely blown away by Homestuck’s fast update schedule and the high quality of its animations given their associated timelines, often involving personal comparison between Hussie’s constant output and their own procrastination or lack of motivation on tasks. Can include high hopes that eventually aren’t met, especially the belief that a Flash update will magically appear when one hasn’t been announced.

‘Hussie seriously puts more effort into every flash page than I ever have put into anything ever.’

‘Bugger me. The man is a machine!’

4. Actually, Hussie isn’t working hard enough. This includes people who are sad, annoyed, or even worried when a day goes past without updates, or express ‘it’s about time!’ when an update is finally posted, and people who attribute their own need to constantly refresh the MSPA website to Hussie. Also includes people who think Hussie is working on the ‘wrong’ things, such as too many ‘filler’ updates and not enough Flashes.

‘Good Gods but that was a long text update. I wondered what was keeping him!’

‘The cold gaze of the untouched >_ command line below has paralyzed us. The unending possibilities of it's blinking, flashing existence fall in perfect rhythm with time's pocket watch, until completely unexpected by it's naive perfection, the breakdance of Andrew's majesty manifested in flash will end it's tiny little life, only for it to be reborn on the next page, and so the cycle repeats’

5. I can/did predict what Hussie will do next. Successfully predicting a twist, especially with proof, is seen as an achievement and the mark of being a ‘truer fan’ than somebody who can’t do this. Posts like these tend to play up the poster’s understanding of Hussie, referring to them as a known quantity or stating that they’re now acting differently, and might suggest that it is a true fan’s ‘job’ to predict their moves in advance.

‘anyone who knows Andrew should've already guessed that he was going to cut away right then’

‘Considering that, spread across two posts I somehow still managed to accurately predict his entire behavior, I am going to consider myself double-right.’

‘i thought the self-insertion was pretty out of character for you’

6. I can make Hussie do the thing that I want. The active equivalent of the above passive category, these posts make demands or requests of Hussie. Full spectrum from wishes that don’t necessarily expect fulfillment to bids for control addressed directly to Hussie. Includes requests for more reader control of the story in general, as well as requests for specific story twists or retcons to existing story details.

‘AW, you should retcon Dave's birthday to Dec. 4th instead of 3rd, if it doesn't interfere with plans. Why, you ask? Because you are reading a question from a Dave who lives in Texas and has a birthday of Dec. 4th. I am clearly your character come to life!’

‘Remember when you said you were going to re-open the suggestion boxes? You should go do that.’

7. I want a deeper understanding of Hussie as a person, not a creator. Another very large category, this includes most posts and questions that don’t directly relate to MSPA, including speculation on Hussie’s life outside of the comic, requests for personal information that would usually only be shared between friends, a desire to meet Hussie in person (or a worry about the poster’s own self control if they did), statements about Hussie’s morality, offers to give Hussie a job or money, speculations about Hussie’s sexual interests or relationships, comments on Hussie’s physical appearance, direct acknowledgments of trying to impress Hussie, and more.

‘I want Andrew to read me a bedtime story.’

‘Do you ever let people ever call you "Andy"?

‘You've got the most weird haircut, man.’

These categories aren’t exhaustive, and many posts fall into multiple. Although some posts and questions tend towards extreme and inappropriate things to say, the majority of posts are innocuous – admiring the skills of a favorite artist is extremely common, and speculating on a story’s future is a core component of fandoms for ongoing works. In many cases (though not all) I don’t see any problem with the parasocial relationships fans have with Hussie, but I find it useful to see these common threads, especially when they appear in both the casual and extreme contexts. Specifically, discussion of Hussie is almost universally positive, and when it’s negative it revolves around wanting more from them. I couldn’t find any examples of fans disliking or criticizing Hussie as a person, and posts about disliking story decisions are a minority. The ‘reader co-creation’ aspects of Homestuck actually contribute to this, as story decisions that fans dislike can be blamed on ‘MSPA forum users’, leaving Hussie blameless in the eyes of fans.

There’s also a strong current of emotional dependence on Hussie and MSPA, with people framing their ‘daily fix’ as something necessary. Failing to get an update on their birthday is a source of disappointment, while getting an update right after submitting a big paper is framed as being done ‘for them’. Homestuck as a work and Hussie’s external content appear to contribute fairly equally to the fan understanding of Hussie, with a lot of wonder over their capabilities and speculation on the twisted mind behind it coming from the work itself, while personal speculation and beliefs about Hussie’s knowability come from their personal statements elsewhere.

Perceived similarity and wishful identification, two proposed factors in the development of parasocial bonds, are definitely at play here. Posters think of Hussie as having a similar sense of humor to themselves, and as coming from a similar Internet culture – true, as Hussie was previously a participant on the Penny Arcade and Something Awful forums. Hussie’s blog posts and Formspring answers often present them as someone who understands Internet humor and culture and therefore exists ironically above it, which is how many long-term Internet users in 2010 like to see themselves, too. Becoming a webcomic artist or other online creator feels like an achievable goal to some people, and Hussie is a model for success in this way: someone who can potentially be emulated or whose talent can somehow be grasped. As a person with full creative control over their work and financial support from their fans who is also perceived as funny and likeable, it’s no surprise that Hussie in 2010 has a life many readers envy.

Homestuck’s Author Insert

On April 15, 2010, Andrew Hussie publishes pages 1669 – 1683 of Homestuck, which comprise the work’s first explicit author insert: a stylized cartoon depiction of a person who looks similar to the real life Andrew Hussie, referred to in-text as ‘AH’. He’s shown creating Homestuck, writing a recap of events so far, interacting with characters and fans, and exerting his influence on the story. With this context, it’s possible to re-read earlier sections of the story as AH’s direct presence, when previously they could have been any narrator-character. This particularly applies to use of the first person pronoun, such as ‘I’m afraid I can’t ‘HAVE THE BOY’ do that. Tell him to do it yourself!’ (p.253), or other direct addresses from narrator to named character.

Writing after Homestuck’s end with context for the AH character’s later arc, Andrew Hussie describes AH in his initial appearance as ‘the cartoon avatar for The Creator’, ‘the supreme goofball-savant in absolute command of his craft’, and ‘supremely enamored of art's ability to let them conjure anything out of thin air, manipulate people's emotions in any direction on a whim, and to revel in this whole process as some sort of innate celebration of their ingenuity’. Hussie further claims that ‘this preposterously megalomaniacal, self-absorbed, power-drunk persona… is often the motivating force behind an individual's desire to create certain things in the first place’ (author’s commentary, Homestuck Book 3, 2018) but speaks in general terms, and does not make an explicit link to their real world self. Interestingly, this analysis is fairly close to the fan understanding of Hussie’s persona at the time, though slightly more distant and untouchable.

My personal read of the first AH insert is a little different. Intentionally or otherwise, I believe that Hussie presents their fictional self along five interwoven dimensions in these pages, as follows.

1. The ‘reluctant self insert’.

AH expresses the opinion that a self insertion arc is ‘always such a terrible idea’ (p.1674), and appears annoyed at being disturbed by the ‘player’ switching on the fourth wall. He emphasizes that it won’t be exciting for the reader to watch him type or draw, asks to be left alone, tells the reader to ‘shut the hell up’ (p.1675), calls the self-insertion arc ‘disruptive’ (p.1680) and pushes for it to be over quickly. The AH character pre-emptively counters criticism towards this self-insertion arc, aligns his desires with the reader’s (continuing the main story), and creates an introverted persona who wants to remain behind the scenes, with a dislike of distractions and direct communication with readers.

2. The extension of a broader persona.

AH wears a shirt with a Homestuck design on its front and a Problem Sleuth design on its back. He directly cites a series of ‘Need For Steed’ blog posts previously made by Andrew Hussie outside of MSPA. This suggests that AH is not an entity designed specifically for Homestuck, but a broader Internet persona constructed by Hussie, which may or may not represent their behavior offline. Intimacy between AH and the reader is restricted to this fictionalized and computer-mediated self, and does not extend to the real world, shown by the fact that this section includes seemingly authentic screenshots of Hussie’s computer and work process, but acknowledges that AH’s physical location is one he’s been Photoshopped into.

3. Serious, but not too serious.

AH’s study is old-fashioned, filled with books, portraits and wood paneling, suggesting a place for serious and literary work. He expresses opinions on how stories should be told (ie. without self inserts) and writes a long recap in plain, earnest syntax, without any ironic deflection or making fun of his own story. He displays mastery over Photoshop and an organized workflow, suggesting and then implementing a clever way to transition away from this arc. However, he calls the Photoshopped study ‘ridiculous’ (p.1674), includes vast hyperbole in some of his other narration in this section, and is commanded to ‘stop being a wiseass’ (p.1679). As such, AH presents himself as a serious creator making a valuable and meaningful work, but somebody who isn’t afraid to laugh at himself when necessary. Irony is a component of his work, but not the main element underpinning it.

4. Struggling for control.

AH is depicted with head in hands, poor posture, bags under his eyes, pressing against the confines of the fourth wall he’s trapped behind. It’s stated that the ‘player’ has full control over the wall’s on/off switch. He appears tired and overworked, beholden to fans and perhaps overwhelmed by their demands. (In truth, fans actually helped with this section by providing all the hyperlinks in the recap, although this is only acknowledged in paratexts). He’s also bothered by a real life Lil Cal, a physical doll made by a fan and gifted to Hussie, representing the intrusion of Homestuck into all areas of AH’s life. As such, his overblown rant about having ultimate control over the work and readers’ ‘captive mind[s]’ (p.1678) reads as overcompensating, hiding a genuine fear that he does not retain full control over Homestuck or its role in his life.

5. The Andrew Carnegie of webcomics.

Although not stated in-text, a reverse image search reveals that AH’s Photoshopped study belonged to Andrew Carnegie, a historical figure who notably shares a first name with Andrew Hussie. Carnegie was a free-market capitalist and a magnate of the steel industry, who at one point was the richest man in America. He claimed to be against retaining large amounts of wealth and became a philanthropist, donating large amounts of money and using the study to ‘interview’ potential recipients. While much of his money went towards the public good, Carnegie continued to live in luxury, and controlled who would receive his gifts. This constructs AH as a mythic figure with creativity and ideas far surpassing the average person, distributing them out of kindness and goodwill to fans for their own enjoyment and use via a highly successful webcomic, but ultimately retaining creative control – a best of both worlds scenario that paints AH in a positive light, but does not threaten their copyright or financial profits from their work.

While writing this section, Hussie was almost certainly aware of how fans talked about them, and was likely responding to this in some ways – particularly as they’ve mentioned previous efforts to consciously develop their syntax and Internet persona. With the AH character’s insertion into the work, readers can no longer choose not to engage with the person behind the story. For non-participatory readers of Homestuck, this character is their first introduction to Hussie’s online persona, while to fans already familiar with this persona, some elements may be emphasized, downplayed, or reconfigured. In one example, the belief that Hussie is creates like a machine and is deserving of hero worship is countered by AH being presented as tired, reluctant to do his job, and frustrated with fans. In another, the constant requests for personal information about Hussie outside of Homestuck is countered by AH being linked to Hussie’s online self and creative work, but not to their physical location. In yet another, the idea that readers have control over Hussie is countered by AH’s extensive rant about their mastery over the narrative.

Without saying it directly, the author insert carries an undercurrent of AH being good but not perfect, being willing to assert himself when necessary, and feeling both beholden and resistant to expectations. It also contains a depiction of an archetypal MSPA reader – characterized here as someone who is often in conflict with AH but ultimately retains their role as co-creator, and as someone who is lucky to have the opportunity to read MSPA, but should only be interested in its most exciting parts. Broadly, the reader is characterized in line with the forum posters who are more critical of the story, have high expectations of Hussie, and seek a more personal connection than is necessary. Their characterization doesn’t match the forum posters who are in deep admiration of everything Hussie does, or believe themselves capable of predicting what will happen next. However, it’s uncertain whether Hussie sees this depiction as the archetypical MSPA reader, or just one type of reader who best supplements their self-depiction here.

There’s surprisingly little forum discussion about the AH insert (or reader insert), with most comments focusing on the usefulness of the recap and its confirming or subverting prior suspicions, or comparing the section favorably to other webcomics’ author inserts. AH is seemingly read as ‘literally Hussie’, with nobody suggesting that they might have differences in personality or opinions. In my opinion, whether or not AH is a ‘true’ representation of Hussie is ultimately irrelevant – either way, the AH character is a declaration of how Hussie wants to be seen at this point in relation to their work. Whether AH’s statements are to be taken literally or read as ironic or tongue in cheek, the goal of creating a persona remains – one that supersedes the character found in paratexts and provides an introduction for fans only reading the main story.

By being placed within Homestuck itself – Hussie’s most successful work to date – this AH characterization privileges itself above other depictions of Hussie. AH is closer in proximity to fans than Hussie is, and is shown visually as well as in text. So in answer to my original question, I view the author insert section of Homestuck as an attempt to create or reinforce an authoritative persona, and a way for Hussie to control the reception not just of their work, but of themself as a person. On the MSPA forums, there is theoretically no boundary between creator and readers, and the possibility of forming a genuine social relationship with Hussie exists, however small. In Homestuck, the boundary is very firm. Once a page has been posted, fans cannot change it. Hussie may be accessible, but AH is not, and the depiction of both AH and the MSPA reader within the comic is fixed.

An author insert also freezes the author in time at the moment of writing. Between writing about themself and any given person choosing to read their work, an author may change in any number of ways. They may end a relationship with a partner they cite as supporting them with the work, come to disagree with a political opinion they once saw as unshakable, or change their own opinions about what makes a good story, whether their work is effective, or if they should have written it in the first place. In the absence of updated versions, such as a second edition with new author’s notes, the original version continues to define them and shape the audience’s opinions of the creator. Even if this updated version exists, readers can choose whether they see the author’s real-time or retroactive opinions as more important.

Put another way, by close reading these pages and conducting this replay project where I near-exclusively read real time paratexts, I have developed a parasocial relationship with the version of Andrew Hussie who existed in 2010, while knowing and caring far less about whoever they may be in 2025. The distance between fan and public figure in a parasocial relationship is often one of time, as well as one of space, and as Hussie retreats from public life and paratexts such as forum posts are either lost from the internet or preserved without context, still without guarantee that new fans will look at these supplemental materials, the Homestuck author inserts increasingly become one of the only ways to understand Hussie’s online persona.

At one point in my life, meeting celebrities was important to me. If I were engaging with Homestuck in 2010, I would have wanted to meet Hussie. I would have wished I could go to a convention, ask them to sign something funny and unique that might fix me in their mind, if only for a moment. I don’t want those things now, though it’s impossible to stop myself forming a perceived understanding of and identification with 2010 Hussie. I remember, though, times when source media for fandoms I grew up with would acknowledge the presence of the author or readers. I remember knowing how important these stories were to my reality, and feeling like nods to their creation legitimized their importance as more than ‘just fiction’. I remember crying after a conversation with a friend in 2013, because I preferred for the author-fan relationship to be misrepresented, criticized or ridiculed than ignored entirely, and was told I was wrong for this preference.

Back then, I did seek closeness with characters and especially creators, but above that, I sought recognition. An author insert, implicitly or explicitly addressed to the reader, allows a reader to recognize the person behind the work and to be recognized in return as someone to whom the work is important. For a moment it appears to remove the mask of the narrative, and provide a brief moment of what feels like human connection.

[tm-trx]

Pit Babe 2, ep 1

Pit Babe is back and I decided to do recaps again because I had so much fun doing it last time.

Notes from the TV journal:

it’s been a year and Babe is still having nightmares about Way :( - kudos to the production team on the nightmare sequence though

“Mama loves Papa” and we’re back \o/

that’s right, defend your boy Charlie

Willy creeps me out and I hope that’s the point and not a misread on whatever’s going on with him and the “tick tack” mumbling - creepy mysterious racer out to cause trouble is way more fun to me

I probably should have done that rewatch of season one because I didn’t remember anything about who has what senses so all this serum stuff is confusing

but also, Charlie is on board with human testing now? and they’re trying to develop a serum to remove the special senses? or trying to give them back to Babe? am confused

I know it’s for plot purposes, but if Kim has always wanted to be number one on a team then why’d he join X-Hunter in the first place? He is now doomed to be the third wheel once again, with this new kid gunning for Babe - I like Kim, so I’m hoping for more for him

the Chris face reveal was disappointing and confusing - the camera work was great but the writing (subtitles?) dropped me out of the scene because Chris’ reactions felt off and I kept trying to figure out if he knew ahead of time that he looks like the dead friend of his new employers and that’s why he’s not reacting to the situation - the subtitles seem to suggest he did, but that whole scene still came across weirdly anticlimactic

whatever is going on, it means more angst for Babe so I am here for it; also I really like Nut so I’m glad they found a way to bring him on to season two

Final thoughts:

Who else is now thinking about that comment one of the cast made about Babe/Charlie NC scenes being reduced this season because they’re “old marrieds” now? Can’t help thinking they front-loaded the season when I realized how much we got this episode. I find it both interesting on a production/actor level and amusing on a fandom level at the same time.

Is Dean actually dead?! That whole breakout setup was so weird. I hope Dean's not dead.

I’m not super invested in the serum/Tony’s back plot threads, but hopefully it makes sense in-universe at least - I’m definitely going to go back and rewatch bits of season one to refresh my memory of the lore

I am all in on aggressive!Charlie in defense of Babe - jealous!Charlie is fun too

Relatedly, it is still so refreshing to have a “little guy on top” pairing, after all the nasty fandom wars over the very idea.

I am so so curious about what direction they’re going to take with the new racer. The trailer didn’t give us much but hinted at multiple possibilities. (Please let him be creepy and not just arrogant.)

Edited to add: I completely forgot to point out how great the race was. One of the highlights of the episode for sure.

This was a great start to the new season and a really fun episode. I’m excited for whatever’s coming.

[allaboutalf]

At this point Buck & Tommy shippers/multi shippers just need to not engage with the toxic buddie shippers at all. That’s what I’m going to do.

They’ve reached a level where there’s no reasoning with them and the negativity is off the charts. Anything you do now will just egg them on. Don’t quote them, don’t screenshot the weird things they say, don’t argue their theories, don’t post the anon hate, don’t try to argue sense to them. Just let them be and close the door to them so they can’t impact enjoyment of the show. Leave them to their echo chamber. Block them and don’t engage.

Instead be loud and proud about what you enjoy about the show in your own spaces and around the general public, on official accounts, and when relaying your appreciation to the cast/producers/crew/writers. Create the art and write the stories and talk to people who enjoy what you do too and let’s get back to the relatively positive space we were in just after 7.04.

The only thing I think you should still do when it comes to any toxic people is call out when they attack real people like fans, fan artists and actors and writers. When they do things to bully and harass. I think it’s good to not let that slide. I’ll still call that out.

But anything else, it’s just not worth putting yourself in that space. Let them act like toxic children over a TV show and just feed their misery to each other.

And the few extreme people on the Buck & Tommy side, I hope you can take this onboard too. Cause at first I did get it. I still do get the want to defend yourself and to push back when you’re being bullied just cause you enjoy something. But the few who are basically the Buck & Tommy version of toxic buddies now are making it harder for us all. The negativity hypes up the negativity of others, especially when you’re seeking them out to argue with no cause. The whole thing is starting to annoy those in the fandom who are neutral and those who agree with you but feel like it’s going too far now and leaving a bad taste in the mouth.

I think it’s doing the ship a disservice to be exactly the same as toxic buddie shippers cause all it does is turn people off the ship like the toxic buddies are doing to the buddie ship. And personally I just want to enjoy the ship for however long it lasts and look back with positivity whenever things are done (be it soon or way down the line).

Look obviously you do you, I’m just saying my piece and you can ignore it but I really recommend just leaving them be beyond calling out the truly terrible, toxic stuff. For your own mental health and for everyone’s enjoyment of the show.

[doodler16]

I feel super bad because Valentino is a character I really like visually and conceptually but he is such a horrible character.

I love Moths, moths are my favourite insect probably, so a character inspired by moths is already up there for me (I wish Vaggie had a better moth motive tbh) PLUS I love the whole Heart theme he also has going on, I feel like it actually justifies him being red, and the purple makes a really nice analagous color scheeme.

Then there's his POTENTIAL as a villain. Out of all the Vees he is the one who clearly has a more presonal conection to a main character of the cast (Vox and Alastor just have weir beef with eachother, and Velvette has no relation with any of our main cast) and I feel like if he wasn't written like a volatile stupid clown (Cause let's face is in all his scenes he is either super dumb, or super agressive) but more of a suave manipulative person that doesn't inmediatly come across as an abuser but more of a smart manipulator. He could possibly be one of the best antagonists in the show. There are a lot of stuff about him that make me go "Yeah I like this character" but I also feel like I can't say I like him because people will think im a rape apologist, which I'm not. I just like his design and potential, I don't condone his actions at all and obviously Angel doen't deserve to be trapped with him.

It's just the fandom/criticdom is so strict that I feel like the moment you compliment/like Valentino for whatever reason they all jump at you and consider you a rapist by defect. When people don't do this with let's say Alastor, who is ALSO an abuser, yet people never hate on his fans for "Being slave owners" or "having control/powerhungry fantasies" or whatever. I find it very hypocritical and double standarish, if I'm honest.

Yeah, liking Valentino is a double edge sword. If Valentino’s whole personality wasn’t a rapist personified then I’m sure at most or half of the fandom would openly like him. I do see YouTube comments walking on eggshells when it comes to him.

Even I will admit when watching the show with my brain off, Valentino was at least top 5-10 characters I enjoyed. At the end of the day, me personally I don’t care if people like or compliment Valentino. You can obviously like an evil character and still acknowledge they are bad.

Though, there are some people in the standom who are very protective and say very questionable things regarding Valentino which do not help their case. Obviously there are bad actors in the fandom who go way too far.

Valentino is supposed to be a suave manipulator:

💀 But the show doesn’t illustrate that aspect. Season 1 just showed a man-child rapist who complains and beats up his sex slave any chance he gets. He has so much potential. Valentino could’ve been the Slade of the Vees. Getting into the Hazbin Hotel squad’s heads, planting seeds of doubt: especially to Angel Dust. Indirectly cause drama in the hotel, the possibilities are endless.

The difference between Alastor and Valentino is the way they conduct and interact with their slaves. Valentino uses any chance to beat, exploit, rape Angel Dust. Valentino is super aggressive and annoying to deal with. Alastor is also a loser but he has a prim, proper, mysterious reputation to uphold.

Alastor’s interaction with Niffty and Husk are practically nonexistent. When Niffty and Alastor do interact, they are pretty chill so far. Husk and Alastor’s only interaction is in episode 5, where Husk expresses concern about Mimzy to Alastor and brushes Husk off. Alastor teases and mocks Husk similarly to another overlord (wink, wink nudge nudge) does to him. Then Husk exposes Alastor’s ass, causing him to forcibly use the chain and threaten him.

Whether you see Alastor threatening and dragging Husk with chains is abuse is up to you guys. You guys can argue about it. Me personally, I want to wait because Husk, Alastor, and Niffty’s dynamic is so nonexistent that’s hard to put a read on how Alastor treats them especially Husk. The other big difference is that Valentino is rapist and Alastor isn’t.