#entitled fan phenomena

[littleapocalypsekitten]

Oh, fuck, that's happened to other people? Alright, so a friend of mine with which I co-created a Legend of Zelda fanfiction showed me a YOUTUBE of a couple of guys analysing and complaining about our fic. I got the blame for it, because, while we both did the ideas for it, I wrote it out and it's under my name on Fanfiction dot net. The Great Desert - if anyone is interested. (I just waded through...so much cringe. My old fanfictions...ugh...) Anyway, I wrote a deeply imperfect fanfiction once upon a time. And, apparently a channel for Bronies of all people picked up on it, even though it wasn't MLP-related. (The fanfiction is Zelda, specifically, The Legend of Zelda as a magical western). So, this youtube review had this pair of guys talking about how the fic started out strong, but then they disagreed with some of our choices in the story to incorporate science fiction elements and an ending I rushed because I was getting tired of working on the fic and wanted to wrap it up according to the previous AOL roleplay logs between me and my friend I was working from. (Oh, yeah, this was Back in the Day). These guys concluded "SHADSIE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!!" because they were so upset about the sci-fi elements and the ending. My friend was annoyed at not being mentioned at all, even though I credited her on the work. She suspects that the Brony-boys left her name out of it because she'd become well-known in the MLP fandom by that time... But, yeah, they'd put our fic up on Good Reads and were criticising it like it was an actual original novella or something. I got a LOT of reviews on the damn thing after that that were very accusatory - You know, going over the problems I already knew existed in the fic and the sci-fi stuff which I do not think are problematic and enjoy having around. Very "What were you THINKING?!!!" reviews by randos as if I owed them something for a FREE fanfic posted on the Internet that they read of their own accord. Many of these happened right after that Youtube video was posted. It got to where I posted for some time, a disclaimer on my Fanfiction dot net profile (although I think I removed it eventually) that people coming to my page for The Great Desert should know that I understand the fic has some pacing problems and that no, I do not plan to change them because I've moved on to writing other things and that my library is vast, the fic was written years ago and my style has changed. Also, furthermore "What I was thinking!!!!" was "I was having fun writing a story with my friend." So, yes, I am absolutely familiar with Entitled Fan Phenomena. It is best ignored.

[kopw]

wrt “aew is the only alternative to wwe” while i would encourage people to look at wrestling in other countries (including beyond japan and mexico), even within america, this isn’t true, there’s a lot of american promotions. indie promotions are right there and they, frankly, usually treat their women wrestlers so much better than aew/wwe. if people live in america, they likely have at least one indie promotion local to them, it’s nice to support the local scene, see up and comers

exactly! i didn't really want to vague anyone in specific—because everyone's entitled to their own opinions even if they're horrendously wrong—but i saw a post talking about the negative attention tony khan has been garnering on twitter (which i have not seen because i only go on twitter to look at wrestling photography) and how people should go easy on him because some people like both promotions and wouldn't want to wish ill on aew. because if aew didn't exist they wouldn't have an alternative to wwe. and it's like... that's just wholly ignorant

and then they went on to explain how indie wrestling is way too "unprofessional" for them to enjoy. which is not something i would ever um... think. in relation to wrestling. what quantifies as professionalism? is it just having money to build nice sets which in turn make you appear more put together regardless of how you handle talent behind the scenes? looking back at phenomena like the indie exodus also proves that you can't write off the wrestling itself as not being on par with what big name promotions provide—a lot of those wrestlers came straight from the indies, after all

i don't know... there is so much more to wrestling than reducing the entire global scene to a one-upmanship between two american companies who seem to value profit over expanding the potential of wrestling. a lot of fans could benefit from a little curiosity at times

[loveoaths]

Do you actually like Anakin? You’re so critical of him

hello there! you must be referring to my tags on this post!

before i begin what will certainly be a long (and personal?) answer, let me issue three blanket statements.

one: liking anakin doesn’t make you a bad person, sympathizing with him does not mean you’re a bad person, and frankly you don’t need to do all the critical analysis and real-world linkage i’m about to do under the read-more to like a character. you can just like them, because they’re pretty, or fun, or you want to make them slob on somebody’s knob. knobs are fun to slob on. that’s just a fact.

two: the post below is based solely in my experience as a black queer man in america, and should be treated solely as my personal interpretation of anakin’s character and star wars fandom, and not as a monolithic statement on behalf of all black people and people of color in this fandom. it’s annoying that i have to say that, but yeah.

three: later in this post i mention whiteness as it relates to fiction and fandom. whiteness theory is “the study of the structures that produce white privilege, the examination of what whiteness is when analyzed as a race, a culture, and a source of systemic racism, and the exploration of other social phenomena generated by the societal compositions, perceptions and group behaviors of white people” (wikipedia).  i am applying my academic background to my reading of anakin, and to my experience in a mostly-white fandom so far. this is not a condemnation of either.

now, to your actual question.

Do you actually like Anakin? You’re so critical of him

the short answer: yes, i do like anakin.

the long answer: yes, i do like anakin, because he is messy and complex and i love rolling around in the filthy mud that is his brain.

the longer answer: yes, i do like anakin, because i am critical of him — and every other character that i like.

liking a character, to me, has nothing to do with being on their side/thinking they’re hot/etcetera and everything to do with understanding how they work, and using that understanding to gain insight into them as a character, how they function in their narrative, what characters like them mean in pop culture and to their fans, and, by extension, in real life.

but that’s a general overview. you asked me about anakin, so let’s talk about anakin.

i like the fucker. because he is passionate, and powerful, and horrifically insecure, and clueless, and competent, and desperate. anakin as a character feels so much all the time in a very similar way to how i did as a child. i have a lot of sympathy for him, especially when he’s younger. i understand loss, and pain, and joy, and losing that joy, and feeling like the universe owes you something because of everything it’s taken. i do.

but beyond that basic level of liking him, i am fascinated by how absolutely fucked up anakin is, and how a lot of his fucked-upness is a one-to-one of most shitty white manchildren in real life. (you know who i’m talking about.) 

what fascinates me about anakin is everything about him that i am not and do not agree with. anakin is an entitled white man (in space) who acts like entitled white men in real life. the jedi are not cops, they’re peace keepers and magical ombudsmen, but anakin sure as hell did not get that memo, and his behavior often mimics that of real life cops. he abuses power but does not see that as abuse, but rather as an extension of his entitlement to perceive right and wrong and mete out appropriate punishment even when his superiors and the Council do not agree with them, because anyone who does not agree with anakin is wrong.

to me, anakin is every white boy i went to school with who was nice and sweet and decent (except when you did something he didn’t like) (or when he repeated borderline racist commentary and jokes and when you got mad so he said “you’re too sensitive it’s just a joke”) (or who always sided with power and authority as long as it served him even if it fucked the rest of us over but when it didn’t he rebelled and insisted things weren’t fair) then ten years later he’s posting pro-jan 6 stuff on facebook. old (white) high school friends were quick to say “he wasn’t always like this,” “something changed,” “that isn’t the guy i knew,” while i sat there thinking, yes he was. he just got louder. he’s the same person and i’m not surprised he’s like this now. how are YOU surprised he is?

so my interest in anakin (and, by lesser extension, obi wan) is this: i want to understand the emotional thought process that turned a genuinely sweet little underprivileged boy into a self-absorbed vicious murderous fascist attack dog, and i want to understand the many layers of denial and favoritism and insecurity and exceptionalism and what the fuck else that allowed obi wan to be blind (willingly or otherwise) to anakin’s changes until they were too blatant to ignore. 

because for me, as a black queer man, there is a lot to be gained from understanding the ways in which whiteness works even in fiction, both on the page and in the fanbase around these characters. looking at what george lucas meant for anakin to be, versus how he was received by his audience, versus how he is popularly interpolated by and within fanon, function for me as an inside look at the morphology of whiteness; specifically, the way whiteness is interpreted, dissected, retrofitted, and at times supported by (primarily) white american women in defense of white men. by way of example, i mean the way fandom instinctively pits mace windu against anakin as his boogeyman, or how anakin’s genocidal and murderous actions are often ignored/dismissed/removed from canon/or excused because he “feels bad about it after.”

now, to be clear, i am not saying anyone is wrong for not engaging with anakin’s character or the above topics the way i do. most people are in fandom as a means of escapism or as a means of playing a communal fantasy game of House with thousands of online strangers. most of fandom is here for Horny Adult Playtime and not, y’know, a breakdown of everything wrong with the world today and political failures and racism and fascism and whiteness (in space or otherwise); you’re here to look at pretty pictures of boys and girls and whoever and make them kiss and hang out with friends. i get it! i don’t watch a lot of movies that are Explicitly About Racism for this exact reason. but because of who i am, i can’t help to notice patterns like these whether its in real life, fantasy, or fandom, and in noticing them i wind up analyzing them, which has honestly become kind of entertaining as well as informative for me. other people without my life experiences aren’t going to see anakin or star wars or any media the same way. you aren’t wrong for that. just like how i am not wrong for interpreting media through my experience. our lives are filters. we’re all going to see and focus on different parts of the same things as a result. for me, i tend to see how fucked up characters are and engage with the hows and whys of that. for other people, they see a pretty boy and want to see him kiss another pretty boy. that’s cool too. none of this matters. it’s all just make believe.

so, tl;dr recap: being critical of a character does not mean i do not like or appreciate them. highlighting a character’s flaws and failures is not “being mean” to them (as some of my other, unanswered anons have suggested). i personally prefer to engage with characters, warts and all. 

if that is uncomfortable for you, and you do not want to see me talk about anakin (or others) being lovable and awful and well-meaning and racist, i invite you to reflect privately on why that is, then block the tags “[character] meta”, and/or unfollow me. 

i’ll be sad to see you go, but i understand. your dashboard is your space to cultivate, just as mine is, and you’re not obligated to look at, read, or engage with anything that upsets you. again: none of this matters. this is all pretend.

to conclude, i hope i answered your question and then some.

and hey, whatever you choose to do, have fun out there!

[bridgertonopinions]

Why should Luke Newton be savvy as to covering up his entire existence online? If the fandom didn't have an entitlement to everything about him, this wouldn't be a problem, because he has done absolutely nothing wrong. He's the number 3 actor on IMBD right now, Bridgerton is a global phenomena and a huge success again in massive part thanks to him. He's one of the best actors on that entire production, and yet all anyone on here can talk about is 'oh, he's dating so and so' as if it has any bearing as to his ability to do his job. He's perfectly pleasant and kind, he's respectful and has met this fandom with more grace than we deserve. We harassed his last gf, Jade, and now any woman associated with him is under threat of the same all because what? They're not Nicola? Calling a woman who has done absolutely nothing to you 'Toilet Twerker' as a nickname? Are we in middle school? This is Bridgerton Opinions? Here's my opinion. This fandom is full of chronically online, internet poisoned mean girls who desire to know and dictate everything about LNs life unfairly. It criticizes how he does his hair, every outfit he wears, every action he undergoes, his friends, women in his circle. It made fun of his longterm ex-gf for having PCOS openly on Insta and almost certainly contributed to their breakup. It stalks his page to determine when he likes various pictures. It went after Ruby Barker for just playing a character love interest to his character. It's called him a groomer for allegedly dating a grown woman of 23. It's insisted he's had work done to his face. It calls him ugly. Makes remarks about his intelligence. Why? He was cast to do a job and he does that job well. He's a fantastic actor and a kind, attractive man who helped craft a beautiful season that we are obviously invested in. No other actor on this production is treated with the same vitriol and disrespect as he is and he has done absolutely nothing bad. He doesn't owe any of us anything outside of being a decent person and performing well. He's done that in spades. Nicola herself has said that she wants to defend him and no wonder because her own fans are a bunch of bullies. Time to do some self reflection.

This is very heated and I’m posting out letting you voice your opinion

You say all of this and yet you have come to my blog

I created this space to let people vent, speculate, give their opinion, etc

I don’t agree with everything that people say or do on here but I’d rather them vent here than to these people directly…..

This is what I mean by combative

It says in my bio this is a speculation and opinion blog, if you do not like it then you can block me, unfollow me and never come into my asks again

I think Luke is incredibly talented, kind, and generous

Am I confused by his actions? Yes

But I have not once uttered a word of hate towards him

I’ve never participated in trolling and hated on Jade nor Antonia

I simply discuss speculation by what I am seeing

If you feel the need to come to my blog, then you yourself are participating in speculation and opinion

I think someone also needs to self reflect

[mejcinta]

The stuff that happened with TCG is why I don't take this fandom serious anymore ...

For some reason we went from joking about our favorite War Criminals in the darkest humor possible to emotional weirdoes harassing actors on panels.

I blame the fucking marketing for taking a regular ass show and turning it into a goddamn litmus test of morality.

Yet, on the other hand, across the board, people are taking fiction way too serious.

Even in the Downton Abbey fandom super emotional female fans - yeah, I'll say it, fan girls - are basically holding the entire franchise hostage and not allowing any adult or darker storyline to take place because they view the characters as not just real people, but their friends. And no one can do anything but really cheesy fluff plots in the movies, because, the overly emotional wine moms will rip their shit if Lady Mary is shown in a bad light or something bad happens to one character or the other. They don't want any lasting consequences.

It's gotten so bad that even in fanfiction they black list writers if they write too dark or adult storylines with the character ... I mean actively go out of their way to try and hound them off of Reddit.

And this is Downton Abbey for fucks sake!

The level of completely out of control hate messages I still have from the HOTD fans over me defending Jaehaera as the rightful queen is insane. Over me supporting a little girl ... WHO IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER!

I know you're younger than me (I'm 33) but what the fuck happened where these people can't seem to tell the difference between fact or fiction.

It's even bleeding into actors and actresses personal lives. The TCG incident is tame compared to one actress I know who played a character on a tv show who another female character was in love with in the show ... just once - ten years ago. Now, in her personal life, she can't actually date men openly because her fans will tear her apart if she's not dating a woman. Like their entire career is based on her fangirls believing she's a real life lesbian rather than Bi-Sexual. Even now she gets shit for being a 'fake lesbian' when she never said she was in the first place.

How the fuck did we get to this place?

You were right to say it. The Fan Girl ™ phenomena has become a sweeping and overpowering threat to modern entertainment and actors' personal lives.

Yikes! I can't imagine being forced to put up a front just because fans will lose it if I don't act like the character I play in real life. Wow!

I blame this on this growing desire in the West to tolerate and placate weak minded people, instead of encouraging mental and emotional development. The studios are no better because they pressure actors to play along with the loud and entitled audiences. Actors can't even be douchebags anymore because this obsession with image has taken over, instead of encouraging diverse views, and it's even worse when you factor in superficial feminism in stories, which has melted many fans' minds into goo!!! Literally, people stop using their brains when they see a female lead and don't allow anyone to do a fair analysis of said character because apparently "Woman can do no wrong", "Woman always right", "Woman strong". It feels redundant and cultish.

I don't know about y'all but urgent help in the West is needed. 😂😂😂 Seriously. The mental deterioration going unaddressed is leaking into entertainment and driving people into extremes as well as bankruptcy (Marvel and Disney)!! When the whole point of entertainment is to enjoy ourselves in whatever corner we choose to be and to view characters objectively and to treat them and judge them equally and humanly!

Instead we have morality Olympics on the daily, about how only one character is always wrong and another is automatically right for having a vagina. Weird behavior if you ask me. I'm sick of it.

[detectivereads]

The Swifts A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln

5/5

This review is fan entertainment, I’m not being paid.

If you looked up “amazing” in the dictionary you would find a picture of this book.

This book gave me high hopes that it would give me a challenge to enjoy reading, and for a middle-grade book, it has given me the run around. Halfway through the book I had so many emotions, a lot of the time I was feeling a lot of frustration towards some of the characters, which I will get into in a bit. What I want to say is this is one of the best middle-grade books I have read this year.

We have a very quirky family that is getting ready for the annual family reunion. This family has unique names, and some (if not most) believe that what your name means in the dictionary is how you turn out to be.

For example: one of the characters (one that frustrated me to no end and kept me questioning myself and the book of how they heck did this man get his job or clients) name is Gumshoe Swift, as his name entitles, he is a “detective” but seeing how he views matter that pertains to a crime and not really listening to advice (or use common sense). He doesn’t wear gloves when handling evidence, he is so sure that women can’t be criminals, he even questions the scientist of the group of why she was going to get fingerprint powder, now I will give him a point that the criminal could easy wipe the evidence, but he still should have checked.

 Our main character is named Shenanigan Swift. She is the youngest out of her family (not the whole family out of her immediate family) she has two older sisters, the eldest is name Felicity Swift and the middle child Phenomena Swift. 

The whole of the book is about a treasure on the family land that was hidden by their ancestor after he murdered his brother for his part of the inheritance, and when the first brother died, their sister comes back and started a family reunion to find the treasure. So, the family would get together led by either a Matriarch or Patriarch of the family.

Shenanigan is then led on the adventure of a lifetime. Where relatives are slowly being bumped off and fingers are being pointed at other family members. Family bonds between family members and Shenanigan are tested.

When I got half way through the book, my mind went into overdrive of whodunit, I was thinking about this one particular character because the clues led back to them, but when the reveal happen it wasn’t the person I originally thought but a completely different person. I was one shocked but had an inkling that it was them, and two I wanted full on deck this guy for what they have done to the people around them.

I digress, this book is an amazing read, a prefect closed door mystery where you won’t know what will happen, there is an array of characters that finding the criminal does make it a challenge.

I am hoping and praying that there is going to be more books in the series I want more thrilling mysteries!!

[thessaliah]

You know, I feel you. Some of kids of the new fandom sound like entitled morons. The code-nonsense I just read made me barf.

By kids I mean you. A 22 years old trying to pass themselves as an old fan. Lmao. I couldn't hide my shock when someone linked me to read your arrogant post attempting to pass yourself into a BNF of old yore. No babe, back off. All you address is old, good or bad, you're not a ship police, you are a nobody. A regular fan the same as everyone else. But let me introduce myself, also a fellow fan.

Hello there. I'm Thess, former administrator of all the livejournal Hellsing communities, former ringleader of all the Hellsing roleplayer community in yahoo (oooold shit), former writer with more than 100 fic under my belt (which got awarded and voted by the community and won prizes), former mod and part escalator of the Band of Hawks and other forums, and an original member of the FIRST Hellsing forum in English (formerly localed in hellsing.nu). All those shiny Young King Ours magazines? Were scanned by us, one of my friends, Taylor, owned them and shared them. I was friends with Erin of Shine too. We used to make cooperative Round Robins among all fanfic writers, we used to give giftship, we used to cooperate with artists to do mutual art-fic project frequently too.

You don't know shit. You weren't there waiting the new manga release, speculating, arguing, gushing month by month, all these ten years Hellsing run. We left once it was over. Then you came I guess.

I come from a pre-pixiv era, if you didn't know, most japanese Hellsing fanart was made in personal websites, collected in webshrines. And it was always AlucardxIntegra >>>>>>> PipxSeras >> AlucardxSeras >>>>>>>>>>> other ships popularity wise. Something incredibly novel because seinen manga and works of the era (Trigun and Trinity Blood later) had more yaoi domination. Alucard and Integra was just so amazing that all yaoi fans liked it better than the boring BL options of Hellsing. Also a phenomena noted in the Hellsing guidebook, officially published by YKO. ;)

I am The Original Integra Hellsing fangirl. Claimed her all around social media back in the day which was before Hellsing finished. Hells, my handle was SIR HELLSING lol. The person who guessed Alucard was coming back and was going straight to Integra's bedroom when he does when nobody thought so and later bowed to my actual literacy skills. Because I knew Hellsing was a tribute to Dracula, not just as novel, but as a franchise. I recognize the cliches Hirano was subverting to give the Count his happy ending.

If you call yourself a "cop", I was the Fandom Mafia Donna who literally ran a community to criticize and help fanfiction with challenges and scores (targeting those who bashed Integra because she was "in the way" of their Alucard ship). We had a good system back then, we were bitchy and ate our own. You wouldn't have survived as soon as you spouted that you shipped IntegraxSeras and AlucardxAndersen and tried to tout it as a canon sticker (no issue with those pairings, my friend Jade/DreadNot was and still is the biggest and best writer of AxAA but she knew it was a fanship; and I've written gift fic). You would have gotten laughed at and made a laughing stock.

Let's see... you are against AlucardxIntegra and AlucardxSeras? Oh shit. I might be against the later as notp, but that's bullshit to pretend is some new fan thing (even with the kissy mushy aspect, it's an old tradition, while the other pairings? Newer). This fixation with yuri and yaoi, on the other hand? Clearly a product of this new fandom. AxI vs AxS are the original SHIP WAR. The one that burned and dedicated threads of Hellsing.nu forums to argue against one or the other and you, a literal who fledgling is trying to speak about them? For real? Of course, AlucardxSeras has family-element, but so is your precious IntegraxSeras. Integra acts like her mother surrogate and is even clear in Romancia where she scolds her as she does with a child. Seras' arc, in the manga, is to follow her father figure steps (Alucard), and protect her mother figure (Integra) because she failed to do so in her childhood trauma. That's basically it. She got adopted now by Hellsing. She's the daughteru. You're just taking out of context a lame scene by otaku to titillate them as something that supports a ship. It's ok, but you're using ammo against AxS while ignoring that interaction you ship (with Integra) is also found family to Seras.

Her love interest, the couple "everyone is envious of", is Pip Bernadotte. You can't even write Seras after his "death" without Pip because he's part of her and cannot part at all as a "Combination". And there is still Gonzo show AlucardxSeras which is as canon and part of a "love triangle" officially with AlucardxIntegra even if it's in the loser side.

Hirano, in the Hellsing guide, already declared AlucardxIntegra and SerasxPip are the ships his manga stuck with from the beginning, dismissing the possibility of AlucardxSeras. But see that? It's always those three considered and addressed when they speak on pairings. No AlucardxYour guy of choice, or IntegraxSeras, because they are fanships without real authorial intent or substance that simply aren't even considered in the first place when he began to write the thing. He did choose to not go the AxS direction. If you want to play canon sicker and ship police as you do, you need to acknowledge that your preferences (sans HeinkelxYumie) are beneath AxS in the canon scale.

Don't even make me start on the bullcrap with Integra you brought up. Integra isn't meant to be androgynous (neither is Rip!). She's written straight out Hirano's fetishes and he gets mad when people assume she's androgynous or manly. He just finds girls in suits and with glasses and long hair hot. Rip and Integra are his taste, rather than Seras. You can say that to you she is, but framing it as authorial intent is bullshit. He has no problem to admit Alucard's not male (yes! he said so! Alucard was originally male but after his transformation he/they lose that grip of gender) and Heinkel is intersex, but the idea of anyone trying to pass Integra, his beloved waifu, as manly or androgynous makes Hirano angry. He even chose the VA of the Gundam character he has a crush on as Integra's VA. And declared her as his waifu. And won't even touch your mischaracterization of her and why she stabbed herself in the anime. The ending of both anime and manga are meant to be ambiguous of her choice because it could go either way. All old Integra fans know this if you properly have a grip of her character and notice what she wants (both in anime and manga, that are different things). But you do not have that, huh?

Tone down your arrogance and know your place. It's fine to like a fanship, and you can do it without shitting on canon ships (and try to literally pull "canon" on these while not thinking yours are absolutely outside the canon interpretation - SerasxAnyone is no go after she drinks Pip's blood because she's Pip and Seras, it'll always be a threesome unless you AU it. Period). It's fine to have the "Integra won't become a vampire" interpretation as long as you know she also can become a vampire and is as valid. Be self aware please! When your interpretation (and that "coded" new fan nonsense lmao) clashes with authorial intent, propping it as totally canon-follower is ick. No issue if it's our preference.

Also stop being so full of yourself and call yourself an "old" fan because us, the real old fans, don't claim you.

Buh-bye.

Hey op just curious what makes you hate the new Hellsing fanbase. As a fellow Hellsing fan I was wondering if I’ve completely missed something strange going on lately.

The new Hellsing fandom honestly irks me because of the surface level probing of the source material*. Yes, to most it's a hard core, dark, violent, mad and bad-ass anime but, like I've said so often, for so long on this dumb blog, it has the BEST female characters I've ever seen, recently rivaled by Arcane. Incredible depiction of platonic relationships and morally grey characters. To me, it's primarily a found family story, among other things.

The side characters are incredible, Yumi and Heinkel are the most underrated of the show. I mean come on priest and nun lesbians (lesbian used liberally). Heinkel is confirmed by the author to be an INTERSEX HUMAN. Alucard shapeshifts into a female (which, looking at the Devilman fandom, everyone took for an obvious trans metaphor, why not here?). The source material is as homoerotic as it can get between a lot of the characters (the tension between Sir Integra and Seras during the blood scene). Let's not forget Rip van Winkle, Pip, Walter, and Alexander. Alucard's teasing, Seras' naivety and subsequent maturity, Pip's endurance and playful wittiness. These characters and relationships are stuck in my head forever, they're all incredibly unique, fleshed out and worth remembering, no matter how short a time they spent on screen. And the character designs? As a long-time vampyr and catholic guilt fan, can I just say. Rawr. This show shaped how I dress like irl and my own shitty characters, as well.

Sir Integra is my favorite character of the show and one of all time. Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. Like, an actually good depiction of a no-nonsense, androgynous as hell, unabashedly commanding (dare I say) woman? And it's played completely straight? No "Whaaa that's a woman?" every 2 seconds or "heh, you will listen to me despite my womanhood" from her. Powerful in her own right despite being the few "magic"-less humans of the series. 0 sexualized Ultimate scenes (sorry Seras and the "hot down there" comment doesn't count, that was banter). She was fucking knighted by the Queen of England before she was even 25, hence Sir Integra. Canonically bi-racial and South-Asian. I'm not even going to go into her character's willpower and values but. Hellloooo??? 

Not to mention, something noteworthy about the series, but Hellsing works because Hirano made time for silly moments. I mean, hell, one of the scenes I remember most vivdly was the gag of Heinkel lighting Sir Integra's cigar and being mega-pissed about it during the final battle, it's funny yet in character, despite many fans saying the humor throws you out of the "reality" of the show.

Oh no, but what do the new fandom gremlins talk about? "Alufart rails Y/A" "OMG VLADCARD'S BARA HAIRY TIDDIES I WANNA RUB MY FACE AGAINST THEM" (you know who you are) “I drew the most fucked up version of Alucard I could think of in my twisted mind”

and my personal "favorite":

"omg 🥺 what if intewa and alucard kisswdd", it's almost as bad as Seras x Alucard.

Unfortunately, I am a part of the ship police, so I'm gonna say right now that these two are my most hated ships:

1) Sir Integra and Alucard's relationship goes beyond romance to me. Since none of the new fans know the lore, Sir Integra is and will die a virgin (canon), it's literally plot relevant because by having sex, if she gets bit she will become a zombie slave (obvious but apparently needed to be said) and, taking a note from the 2001 anime, gone is any chance to continue the Hellsing mission. If she was bitten, plot armor aside, she'd have to off herself instead of becoming a vampire. (and for you freaks out there/pos, dare I say… ace representation? you can argue about desire and subtext later)

2) Seras and Alucard's relationship was specifically noted by the author to be a father/daughter dynamic, which is kind of obvious in the show. Like I said, fundamentally a found family series. Yeah, you don't need to treat found family like family family but I gen can't stand this ship.

I know that people will ship characters who've never been in a room together before. I can't stop people from shipping them and these two ships have ALWAYS been popular in the fandom. I typically ignore this and, yes, "don't like, don't interact" is my main rule. However, new fans ONLY talk about this stuff. None of the rest of the show seems to matter, just Alucard's hairy mustached tig bitties and him fucking one of the two women in the main cast. Or someone's self insert.

((tangent but personally my favorite ships are Alexander x Alucard (obviously in an enemies to enemies way), Heinkel x Yumi, and a romance only Seras x s.Integra. Like, you want old women yuri??? There ya go! They were in a mansion for like 30 years (I forgot) together, probably going missions alone and sharing their grief over Alucard and their unique experience/history. Like I said, I can't help who people ship, I'm not trying to say the source material is in favor of my ships or "how dare people interpret these obviously gay characters as straight". like no, that's not why I'm upset and ik alucard and alexander weren't yaoi-ing it up but like. alucard and s.integra shippers dni /j))

Not to mention, I couldn't help but notice, despite this information being readily available to my middle school self, no one knows the fckn lore or background of this show?? I honest to god saw someone comment that Hellsing Ultimate™ was a bad “remake” because it diverged from the original anime.

Here's SOME fun facts:

-the 2001 version of the show has a different ending than the manga because it wasn't finished yet (duh). Hellsing Ultimate is "soooo short" because production took almost a decade and it was trying to be a faithful, well-animated (that takes time bruv) adaptation. Oh, and a bunch of directional changes that I won't get into.

-there are multiple OVAs following Walter's youth in WW2 (Hellsing: The Dawn). Young Walter's design honestly was one of my favorites from the series so. Walter enjoyers. Check it out.

-there is a bonus book explaining a lot about the characters and process of creating Hellsing written by Hirano himself. whenever I got a hold of it, though (8+ years ago) there was no English translation.

-Alucard didn't just transform into a girl that one time, he was in his girl form the entire time during WW2 (hence why when people mention his possible affair with the Queen it might've been a sapphic thing but I think that mostly stems from the abridged series. the queen thing not the girl thing)

-Hirano used to be a Hentai mangaka and actually designed many of Hellsing's characters in said hentai or in short stories (such as Crossfire, it's basically extra, non-canonical Hellsing content) beforehand. Which, this used to be the most popular "fun fact" but has been lost to the sands of time now, so prepare for a lot of people rediscovering this.

-personal lore is I almost named myself Rip van Winkle bc of this show (quirked up Portal, Grell Sutcliff, queer-coded, rifle-wielding shawty)

Anyway, to sum it up, I hate when people don't interpret characters in the same way I do. Yes, I am a bad “fandom elder”, idgaf I am fundamentally a hater.

*I keep seeing this happen with old shows that resurface. Unlike newer or more popular shows where every scene gets scoured, characters who showed up for one scene get analyzed, and endless cafe AUs are made- older shows mostly get fan art of the main charas and the ships of the two hottest characters and that's it. Discussion of lore and themes are completely off the table. So I'm not surprised, just disappointed.

[leonalfari]

Reveal facts and political trends: Denny Ja presents the latest essay poetry for all people

Jakarta, February 27, 2022 in the growing political world, getting trusted and current information can be a challenge. However, the pioneers of Indonesian politics, Denny JA, have come with the latest solution. Through his latest essay poetry entitled "Revealing Facts and Political Trends", Denny JA brought a deep understanding and in -depth analysis of Indonesian politics. This essay poem is designed to meet the needs of all groups, ranging from students, young activists, to professionals in the political world. With a straightforward and easy to understand language, Denny JA ensures that everyone can access and understand complex political issues. "Revealing facts and political trends" not only provides a general picture of Indonesian politics, but also discusses the latest issues that are being hotly discussed. Denny Ja reviewed the topics of topics such as political polarization, public policy, the role of the media, and the dynamics of elections. One of the features of this essay poem is the focus on research and accurate data. Denny Ja has collaborated with a number of prominent political experts and analysts to present reliable and accounted for information. In the era of disinformation and false news, the presence of this essay poem is important to help people distinguish facts from opinions. In addition, "Revealing Facts and Political Trends" also offers in -depth insights about the latest political trends in Indonesia. Denny Ja explained the changes and developments that occur in national politics, including issues emerged such as the role of millennial generation in politics, new leadership styles, and identity politics phenomena. This essay poem not only aims to provide an overview of the current political situation, but also gives a view for the future. Denny Ja shared his thoughts about the direction that might be taken by Indonesian politics, as well as the challenges faced and the opportunities that could be utilized. In addition to the valuable content of the content, "Revealing Facts and Political Trends" also offers an attractive design. Illustration and graphics that are included helps bring information to be easier to understand and attractive to the reader. This makes it easier for readers to follow Denny Ja's thoughts visually. Denny Ja is not only a famous writer, but also a respected political thinker. Previous essay poetry essays, such as "identity politics" and "mental revolution", have become an inspiration for many people in understanding Indonesian politics. Thus, the presence of his latest essay poetry is highly awaited by fans and political observers. To expand the reach of his essay poetry, Denny Ja has also launched a digital version as an alternative for readers who prefer to read in electronic format. This essay poem can be accessed through a popular digital platform, making it possible for more people to access valuable political insight. In order to promote his latest essay poetry, Denny Ja will also hold a number of discussions and launch events in various cities in Indonesia. Through direct interaction with potential readers, Denny Ja hopes to encourage broader discussions about Indonesian politics and provide inspiration for the younger generation to be involved in positive changes. By "Revealing Facts and Political Trends", Denny Ja brings valuable intelligence and insight to all people. This essay poem becomes an important source of information for those who want to understand Indonesian politics better.

Check more: Reveal Facts and Political Trends: Denny Ja Presents the Latest Essay Poetry for all people

[aksaraer]

Review with completely selected work of Denny Ja 31: “Choosing a Lonely World”

In 2021, Denny Ja, a well -known intellectual in Indonesia, has launched his latest work entitled “Choosing a Lonely World”. This work is the 31st chosen work and has received a lot of attention from his fans. In this article, we will thoroughly review this 31st Denny JA selected work and explore the themes and messages contained in it.    In “Choosing a Lonely World”, Denny JA invites readers to reflect on the condition of the world that is increasingly quiet and empty. He criticized modern society that is increasingly isolated and tends to live in unhealthy loneliness. In this work, Denny JA presents various cases and phenomena that show the symptoms of lonely in society, both individually and collectively.    One of the issues raised by Denny Ja in his work is the impact of technology and social media in creating an increasingly quiet world. He revealed how people prefer to have to deal with social media rather than directly with those around them. This makes relations between people more shallow and less meaningful.    In this work, Denny Ja also highlighted the problem of loneliness in the world of work. He showed how many people felt isolated and did not get social support at work. This condition can have a negative impact on the mental well -being and individual performance.    In addition, Denny Ja also discusses loneliness in a love affair. He highlighted the ghosting phenomenon, where a person suddenly disappeared from the life of his partner without a clear explanation. This is an example of how loneliness can occur in the context of intimate relationships.    In explaining and reviewing the 31st Denny Ja selected work, we can use several subtitles that help readers to understand the contents of the article better. Here are some subtitles that can be used:    1. Introduction “Choosing a Lonely World”: Initial Exposure of the Background and Purpose of Denny Ja’s work.  2. Revealing loneliness in the modern era: Analysis of the impact of technology and social media in creating loneliness.  3. Lonitation in the world of work: exploring the problem of loneliness and social isolation at work.  4. Ghosting and loneliness in a love affair: highlighting the phenomenon of ghosting and its impact on loneliness in a love affair.  5. Finding solutions for loneliness: provide some suggestions and solutions to overcome loneliness in modern society.    In closing the article, we can conclude that “Choosing a Lonely World” is a very relevant work to the current condition of society. Denny Ja managed to completely review the phenomenon of loneliness in various aspects of life, both in the context of technology, the world of work, and in a love affair. This work gives us a deeper understanding of this problem and encourages us to find a better solution in overcoming this loneliness.    In the whole, the 31st Denny Ja elected work is a very important work and relevant to the conditions of modern society. With a professional writing style, Denny Ja managed to completely review the phenomenon of loneliness in various aspects of life. “Choosing a Lonely World” can be an interesting discussion material for readers who want to better understand and overcome the problem of loneliness in modern society.

Check the full: review with the 31st Denny JA selected work: “Choosing a Lonely World”

[eltezan]

Comprehensive review of Denny JA 60’s selected work explores the hidden meaning

In this comprehensive review, we will discuss the selected work from Denny Ja entitled “60: Exploring Hidden Meanings”. In this article, we will review in detail about the work, including introduction, content, and conclusions.

Introduction:  Denny JA is known as a well -known writer and writer in Indonesia. His works often describe social and political life in Indonesia, as well as the phenomena that occur in society. One of the chosen works that we will discuss this time is “60: Exploring hidden meanings”.    Contents:  In this work, Denny JA described the daily life of the Indonesian people by using events that occurred around the 1960s as their background. Through the characters he made, Denny JA invited the reader to see the social and political phenomena that occurred at that time, as well as exploring the hidden meaning behind it.    In “60: Exploring hidden meaning”, Denny Ja uses various literary techniques to turn on the story. He combines a narrative storytelling style with a living dialogue, so that the reader can feel the emotions displayed by the characters in the story. In addition, the use of straightforward and crowded language makes this story easy to understand and interesting to follow.    In this work, Denny Ja also highlighted various social issues that were relevant to the present. He raised themes such as corruption, injustice, poverty, and social inequality. Through the stories and characters, Denny Ja invites the reader to reflect and question the existing social conditions, as well as find solutions to the problems encountered.    In addition, Denny Ja also uses this work as a means to introduce Indonesian culture and history to the reader. He described people’s lives at that time with details, including habits, traditions, and values that exist. This not only presents interesting stories, but also provides new insights for readers about Indonesian history and culture.    Conclusion:  In his elected work entitled “60: Exploring Hidden Meanings”, Denny Ja succeeded in describing Indonesia’s social and political life at that time intelligently and impressively. Through the characters he made, he invited the reader to reflect and question the existing social conditions, as well as find solutions to the problems encountered. In addition, the use of straightforward and crowded language makes this story easy to understand and interesting to follow. Denny Ja also succeeded in introducing Indonesian culture and history to readers with interesting details. Thus, “60: Exploring hidden meaning” is one of the works that should be considered by fans of Indonesian literature.

Check in full: Comprehensive review of Denny JA 60 selected work: Exploring hidden meanings

[nyxelestia]

It's about validation; from fandom as a singular collective, and from canon itself. When your ship has it, fans defend it; and when your ship could have it, fans will scrabble for every inch of it they can get.

Queer ships have historically been on the sidelines of ship wars simply because most canons would never have a queer ship in the first place. (This does not mean queer ships cannot be part of a shipping war. Teen Wolf is my primary example; but even that was only because a confluence of circumstances led to a lot of fans believing a queer ship could end up canonized.) Most of the time, queer ships are not even in the running, and therefore people who have a stake in external validation perceive no threat from queer ships.

That said, the real divide is between fans who do value external validation versus the fans who don't.

You know the common criticism that a lot of mainstream movies treat female love interests of male heroes (especially action heroes) as a reward or entitlement? Yeah, female characters/action heroes with male love interests aren't immune from that phenomena.

IMO, the real divide in fandom comes from people who view ships as "a neat story for these two characters" and people who view ships as "a validation of or a reward for a specific character."

What we've got is a bunch of shippers who've spent ~20 years feeling like their favorite character didn't get the right validation/reward. Now, not only do they expect that canon will repeat this 'robbery' from their favorite character, but that they can no longer rely on the fandom to validate them where canon will not.

Zukka is a threat to their sense of external validation.

Not because Zukka is likely to be canon - I really doubt they'll depart from the ships from the animated original - but because we are just not participating in this pursuit of external validation in the first place nor are we humoring the idea that a given relationship is rewarding a given character.

idk of it's just me but i don't understand, the atla fandom, from all ships existing would just slander zukka out of nowhere. like mf i just want to see my boys being silly and in love in fanwork, why they need to be so mean lmao

I think it's because for close to 20 years, Kataang and Zutara were reining supreme in ship wars and fandom space. Jetko was the main mlm ship before but it didn't have nearly the same popularity. No other ship could even touch those two and those two continued arguing about what's best for canon.

Now though? Zukka's the second most popular ship on ao3- all of those fics and content showed up in 3 years. And suddenly the Netflix actors are pushing for Zukka practically every interview while actively dissuading Zutara(and hinting strongly at Kataang- thanks Gordon & Kiawentiio going "he/she's my.....family, yeah let's say family *wink* *wink*"). They're getting extremely popular and now fucking Netflix, Entertainment Weekly and Deadline are tagging #zukka in the year of our lord 2024(thank you for your service Dallas Liu, braver than the marines). Popular ships unfortunately get hate, especially queer ships, like just as a baseline regardless of if it's a canonically supported or unsupported ship, if it's "morally correct or incorrect".

This 'crackship' that no one took seriously suddenly feels...like a threat to these people??? Like we can joke about hahaha zukka gayyyy but we all know that's just silly gobbledygook right? (Not saying Zukka should or could be canon, but just the fact that people are seriously considering it as a ship option in fandom makes people act weird)

A lot of the the points made for "why Zukka is bad actually" are so funny though, that my initial irritation is fading and I'm just laughing at it. Some highlights that made me actually lose it:

Zukka is misogynist to Katara because, and I shit you not, they think that we think Katara is homophobic sdjfhbbgvh. I was shook when I discovered this was a thing.

Zukka bad because Klance bad (war flashbacks to Voltron)

"Everyone just wants a gay ship smh the chronically ONLINE FANDOM BRAIN HAS ROTTED THE SANCTITY OF HETEROSEXUAL-[EXPLODES]"

Zuko is a colonizer who's oppressing Sokka by dating him (i have no stats but this sounds like a white person trying very hard to sound like they're super inclusive and understand the plights of the colonized and oppressed. and the best way to do it is shit on a fake ship about lines on a page)

Zukka bad because it makes no canon sense

I think people who are Big Mad don't get that we're genuinely just chilling and making silly stuff without thinking too much about what SHOULD happen in canon. Everyone in ATLA fandom takes the show and the fandom far too seriously, like losing a fan discussion is somehow a slight upon their personal morals.

We coasted along without much hate for a good while but the increasing popularity means Zukka as a ship is going to get bashed ;_; I think the best we can do is block and ignore instead of engaging(very hypocritcal of me rn tbh, I'll try to stop).

I don't think you expected this....giant wall of text but thanks for sending me the ask and I totally get your frustration" Just let us enjoy our silly hcs and content!!!

[reaccounting-the-purge]

A Brief Summary

For my college final on the History of the internet, I chose to make a critical analysis and semi-historiography of the Tumblr adult content ban. Here is my pinned post that details the summary of my research.

The Basics:

Tumblr as a platform first came into existence in 2007 by David Karp as a very "web 2.0" setup. This included a lax policy on adult content, seeing as the website was for everyone. The TOS prior to late 2018 was literally "go nuts, show nuts" as long as it wasn't illegal.

Tumblr was bought by Yahoo in 2013 for 1.1 billion dollars, seeing the site as integral to internet fan spaces and culture, with the CEO Marissa Meyer promising "not to screw it up". However, this would soon be a mistake. While tumblr was beloved, it was not profitable. Eventually in 2016, Verizon acquires Yahoo, and thus, tumblr. There was a bright idea somewhere in there to put the app on the Apple store in hopes of producing some money. Yahoo falls as tumblr's Domain Registrar, while Verizon works as it's Internet service provider. Apple in this case is something of a CDN or a Cloud Service of some kind- not being the end all of tumblr's existence, but not having zero power either. You can read more about what those terms mean in Fowler's article on TWP here.

Apple's Pressure:

However tumblr had an issue. It kept getting taken down from the App store for having "illicit materials"- aka, CP. Which was not unfounded. Tumblr had a heavy history with unsavory characters (p*dos, n*zis, b*stiality) and no matter how hard people complained, the content would not be removed. Usually what would happen is tumblr staff would go in, remove a good amount of the content requested, and wait to see if Apple restored them. This worked most times. However, in 2018, the app was removed once more, and staff at Verizon and tumblr were beginning to see this as a pain. Tarleton Gilespie brings this up in their chapter of SAGE, entitled "regulation of and by platforms". So what was Yahoo and Verizon's idea to make things easier?

Purging the Site:

In December of 2018, staff released an update on their blog detailing changes being made to Tumblr's TOS. Mainly: no more adult content. At all. Ever. The ban was to be instated December 18th 2018, and it... was a really bad idea. Staff underestimated how much of the site consisted of adult content posters. Most of them used their adult content for income- commissions, SW'ers, models, etc. And those who didn't were enthusiasts happy to have a platform where they can enjoy their interests and hobbies like writing erotica or posting nsfw GIFs of their favorite adult films.

Not only did tumblr ban adult content, but also any tag that could be in any way related to adult content. Words such as "donate" "girl" "bald" "sad" and "testicular cancer" were purged from tags.

What is a Female Presenting Nipple?:

And, memorably, tumblr defined in their new TOS that "images, gifs, and illustrations of any human genitalia or female-presenting-nipples" would be banned. Which also caused a lot of controversy of it's own for being sexist, transphobic, and downright confusing language. After all, what makes a nipple female? Naturally Tumblr users did what they did best when an odd and strangely offensive phrase appeared: they spammed memes about it for the next few months.

The Terrible, No-Good AI:

How the ban worked was that an AI, which was a hybrid of machine learning algorithmic and classification to determine what posts, specifically images, violated TOS.

The problem? It sucked. Really bad.

Many images that had nothing to do with nsfw content was flagged as explicit, such as a collage of Steven Universe expressions, fruit, fine art, a car, Joe Biden's face, stockings, you name it, it was deleted, especially if it had a woman or femme-presenting person in it. This is known as biased AI, and the phenomena has happened multiple times in the past. Most notably, Amazon having the issue of it's hiring AI discarding all female applicants, and Google's Algorithm having an issue with associating women of color with pornography in it's search results. Safiya Noble writes about the latter here.

Naturally, users were not happy, and even before this came into effect, they made their stance known.

Log-Off Protest:

In an effort to combat the new terms, those using the site did many a thing to stop it: posting copious amounts of nsfw content to try and overwhelm the site's new algorithm, spreading information on what sites allow nsfw content, making a whole tumblr clone site called pillowfort, and most notably, a black out.

A black-out refers to the act of a widespread amount of users on a website logging off, all at once, for a set period amount of time to reduce site traffic a noticeable amount.

Tumblr user yueqingyan posted this, saying that a user-held black-out would be held December 17th, 2018, one day before the TOS updated and the ban went into place. This blog archives the various phases the tumblr black-out went into. Thanks to the efforts of users, and the combined exodus of people leaving, the black-out worked, and site users and unique user numbers plummeted.

The Exodus:

Another way that people protested was... well, they didn't. They just left. Left where? Well, mostly to Twitter or Pillowfort, or for those with commissions and needing money, Patreon. And when the content creators left, so did their fans. Because if you are an nsfw enthusiast, and all the adult content is gone, why even stay on the site? So they, too, left. This caused massive issues: if your userbase straight up leaves, and people are no longer encouraged to join the app, you're going to lose money.

Effects on Revenue:

When a site loses traffic, it also loses money. So when the exodus happened, tumblr lost a lot of money, and it was already not that profitable in the first place. August of 2019, Automattic, Tumblr's original parent company, reacquired the site for a measly 3.3 million USD because of the loss of site revenue. Automattic said that while tumblr has changed, they are now focusing on the future of the site, but what does that entail?

Merch and Advertisements:

How does a failing meme site make back all it's money? Same way every cash grab does. Merch of the many funny moments it had. Everything from actual tumblers to the iconic shoelaces from the "tumblr code" stolen straight from the president. Tumblr has even started collaborating with artists on the site. For a short time, they even included the "blue checkmarks" that twitter had for 8 dollars, but you could get multiple checkmarks for your account, and even a whole rainbow of checkmarks to remain next to your name. Overall, it's been pretty successful in making some revenue back. However, what tumblr really needed was people to buy the merch and stay on the site. They needed nudity back.

Reversing, kinda not really:

In September of 2022, Tumblr rolled out "labelled content". What this means is that you can label your posts into two categories: For Everyone, and Mature. The mature label was then divided into 3 subcategories which you could tag one or multiple of: Drug/Alcohol addiction, Violence, and Sexual themes. You can set your blog in your settings so that you do not see mature content of one or all categories, going back to the original idea of curating your own dash of what you want and don't want to see. Tumblr also updated their policy on nudity, saying that it was okay, as long as it was tagged as mature, and, you know, not actual acts of sexual intimacy. This satisfied a lot of previous users, who after seeing Elon Musk destroying Twitter, decided to come back here.

What Have We Learned?

TLDR: Tumblr was bought by yahoo, which was then bought by Verizon, and attempted to put it on the app store. This failed many times, until they literally were backed into the corner. They didn't have enough manpower to go through and delete all the problematic content so they had an AI delete all the nsfw. Except it did, and deleted anything that resembled a woman or a nipple. People got mad, left, and tumblr lost a lot of money, got bought by the original company at a massive discount, and now we can once again send nudes.

[forwantofamohawk]

I rise from the grave to drop what I think is a genuinely flaming hot take: Cody relapsing into his lust for Gwen wasn’t a regression of his character development in Island, but rather a natural progression of his character based on the events we see occur between seasons.

What a lot of people, most prominently the Total Drama writers themselves, seem to forget is that Cody wasn’t simply sitting idle between seasons. He was in a band, canonically. In Celebrity Manhunt Reunion Special, the Drama Brothers are consistently talked about as this major phenomena, fans swarm around them to steal clothes off their bodies, and they talk about how the group has sold out entire stadiums for their concerts. While it’s scantly if ever referenced in the actual competition, it is referenced in World Tour via the aftermaths.

The point I’m getting at with all of this is that we know Cody is famous. He’s no longer just some obscure early boot from Season 1 who didn’t show up in the sequel, he’s a proper musical superstar. And that would have a profound impact on him psychologically, especially if you add that to the existing analyses I have published on this blog regarding his childhood issues of neglect and entitlement.

So now you have Cody suddenly thrust into the spotlight of fame and fortune. Someone who has never received healthy attention, now is inundated with more of it than he could possibly know what to do with. A guy who has tried and failed to land girls since he could conceive of dates, now has them falling at his feet every time he shows his face on stage. Cody loves the attention his fans give him, and craves it more than any other member of his band. And so he’s the one most actively interacting with the fans, hyping up the crowd so they give him more adoration and affection. He’s the one who will pull random girls from the crowd onto the stage to dance with the band, he’ll take pictures with them backstage, everything he can to give everyone in that faceless mass of followers the illusion that he cares about every single one of them. Because he wants them to care about him, because nobody else ever has.

This is going to massively inflate his ego, he’s going to think he’s actually cool now. He’s no longer a dweebish nobody, he’s a Drama Brother, he’s an accomplished musician, he’s somebody that women want. The kind of guy Gwen would want.

But we know that isn’t the case. He’s not cool, he never stopped being uncool, he never stopped being Cody. But he doesn’t see it that way, he now thinks that getting with Gwen is a sure thing, and pursuing her in WT he just can’t see why she isn’t falling at his feet like one of his fangirls. Suddenly, in this context, his creepy persistence makes perfect sense. Gwen liked Trent because he was a cool music guy. Now Cody is a cool music guy, so he’s bound to like him if he just tries hard enough. And eventually he learns that no matter how successful he is, he can’t change who he is, and Cody just isn’t her type. Wouldn’t that be something?

None of this is in the show. This isn’t why he simps after Gwen in World Tour, it’s because the writers thought (incorrectly) that it would be a funny gag to have him constantly thirsting over her. But that doesn’t mean it can’t make sense when approached from the right angle. 

[allamericansbitch]

tbh, what rubs me the wrong way the most is how ppl think taylor left tumblr because of how “rude” and “mean” ppl were being about her not speaking up about blm, like with everyone changing their URLs to no longer be associated with her and the excel sheet to keep track of everyone’s new URLs etc. Because if that’s true, that would honestly completely change my perception of her. No question about it. If it was just because the editing of the liked post scared her because she realized ppl could edit whatever they wanted and make it look like she liked stuff she didn’t it, I get that. But if she saw ppl being upset over her lack of involvement with BLM and decided to as a result cut tumblr out as part of her whole new positive mindset or whatever, I would have to drop her. because ppl providing CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM over an issue as important as that is not the same thing as hate or negativity. I’m not saying that certain things ppl said couldn’t have stung a bit, but in the grand scheme of things, those stings are coming from a much larger phenomena that ppl were dying from, and desperation of ppl who she promised she’d fight for.

yeah i agree. i don't think that's why she left at all. i personally think she didn't fully 'leave', i just think she stopped liking posts and other public interactions. i do think she still lurks and checks out peoples blogs. the reason i think she stopped all the public interactions was because she realized how much it blurred the lines between her and fans and had strong parasocial relationship vibes. some fans were becoming way to entitled to knowing everything about her including the people in her life, her location at any given moment, threatening her safety etc. she became more private after 1989, but still came on once and awhile until the end of lover. her interacting with us was something she wanted to hold onto but still keep hr life private until she realized she couldn't have both. i think her tumblr interactions where the last straw and she saw she needed just to cut all ties in order to have healthy boundaries. i don't think editing posts or people critiquing her actions had anything to do with it, people are just taking the easy way out and looking for people to blame.

[meandmyechoes]

Dear Anon about the Video:

First of all, thank you, anon, for brining this to my attention.

Rationally, the gif probably went out of hand when it past 1k notes. The one before mine is made by @/mlmanakin​ from this set. They are the first two results on google when you type 'ahsoka and rex gif'. Just let it be known they couldn't bother to make their own clip or screencap but took two gifs off the internet. What does it say when a rex*oka shipper knows to credit a rex*oka fanartist but does not extend the same courtesy to gifmakers?

Can't believe I'm saying this again in 2022. I literally do not care about your shipping activities. I can only pray that newcomers have enough independent thinking to interpret canon without being misguided of what is mainstream in the fandom. Seeing Rex and Ahsoka romantically involved, as contradictory to canon as it is, it’s still an interpretive freedom I hold everyone to. However, what I find intolerable of the shippers, is how often they appropriate edits then put on such combative but hollow defence.

I can understand 'death to the author' but a gifmaker/fanartist/fan writer is literally NOT the author?? They are just a fellow fan and shouldn't you extend the same respect to their boundaries and intentions? It is as if they are entitled to any one making Ahsoka and Rex content having the same single point of view — theirs.

For me, every time conversation starts only after the hijacking of my non-ship post. As much as most in the fandom disapprove of it, there isn’t some kind of manifesto circulating condemning people for it. It comes up in individuals’ blog descriptions, but you don’t see a long post in the public TCW tag justifying why you should not ship it. The phenomena is definitely more prominent back when Season 7 was airing and there were just more traffic, as well as instagram algorithm allowing people to abuse irrelevant tags. Luckily or not, two years later, I haven’t seen a strong enough pro-ship argument based on canon character traits or interactions.

I literally cannot care because I've stopped making Rex and Ahsoka gifs/content for a while. The shippers as a catalyst withstanding. Which is terrible, because if I don't contribute to the sum of platonic Ahsoka and Rex content, the fandomscape will indeed by monopolized by the romantic stream I hate to see. Gresham's Law... how does one fight it...

It's a paradox. If I don't act on the problem, the situation deterioates, yet it is at my own expense and risks that I'm doing a 'public service'. I know I'm heavy with those words, but I also feel a sense of duty somehow. Not policing who you should or should not ship, but fandom etiquette about engaging with others' work.

I keep telling myself 'I don't fucking care' I start believing that lie (hoping to do that with live-action asherka), but things like this come back up and you either submit to reality or make a stand for yourself. I'm *this* close to quitting Star Wars (as an almagation of factors). The core of it is I'm SICK of tying a world I love, and has changed me for the better, with negative emotions anymore. Since the live-action debut, more than half the time I'm dealing with feelings of betrayal, anger, confusion, accusation and unfairness. I have enough in my life to feel sad about, thank you.

But I want to emphasize, anon, if you've read up to this part, that in no way you made a mistake in letting me know. It's not your fault, I don't blame you. Something like this is bound to happen, more than once, the moment I open the canvas. Heck, even before that because I kept seeing it happen to other gifmakers. I perhaps just underestimated how long that period would last. These thoughts were simply buried and made light of day only because of you informing me that. It's good to let things out.

[greywindys]

helloooo 2D kinnie here! i really like this chat we’re having about 2D not being nice. tbh the reason i kin him is that he’s definitely someone who is “loopy, eccentric and fun to be around” but if you dig a little deeper there’s definitely a side to him that’s snobby, manipulative and selfish. he’s made a lot of mistakes and has let people down, and it definitely makes him more human to me. cause people irl are not like “cinnamon roll” 2D, they’re more like “canon 2D” where you’re selfish, ignorant and have some sort of entitlement to you.

i really wish the writers would focus on that aspect, and try to understand, why is 2D so shitty and flaky sometimes?

Hello! Thanks for stopping by and sharing some thoughts. I agree with them. I prefer the version of 2D you describe 100%. However, you and I aren't in the majority, idt. The writers respond to what they see, imo, especially lately. I have to say that it's an interesting phenomena - Gorillaz fans and 2D fans alike seem to speak out against cinnamon roll!2D with more frequency, but the fan content by and large doesn't reflect this*, at least not that I know of.

I have a few theories on why this is, but one I've been thinking about lately is how fans avoid leaning into 2D's privilege as a wealthy white man. When the majority of fans aren't rich white men, but also want to relate to him, it's hard to think about him being entitled, sexist, racist, ignorant on social issues etc when it's likely that he probably is a lot of those things. This seems especially true for 2D because people simultaneously cast him as the "good" to Murdoc's "bad." It's like, because 2D is a victim, portraying him in an unfavorable light becomes "problematic," so no one does it (which is weird because Murdoc is also a victim, but ig it doesn’t matter as much since most of it happens offscreen? Who knows...) The potential for nuance just goes out the window. It's a bummer imo! He's more interesting as a flawed and at times unlikable character. There are incredibly immersive, emotional and relatable stories about people who you feel bad for, but also make terrible mistakes. But yeah, none for 2D ig.