#fandom in general

[justchillandshipit]

There is some confusion about the meaning of The Fourth Wall and a theory.

I've seen this a lot today and from multiple people, so I'm not calling anyone out about it. Just a little information dump.

The term "breaking the fourth wall" refers to when actors/actresses acknowledge the audience. This can be done by speaking to the audience or acknowledging the script. 

As far as I know, there is not a specific term for when fans cross the line with actors. (Other than occasionally creepy or disturbing.) It certainly happens though. My theory is that a false sense of familiarity is the main reason it happens. Most of us know the difference between actor and character, but even the most diligent fan can fall victim to this false sense of familiarity. I've often joked around about climbing Oliver Stark like a tree. I would never do this in reality. I make the joke based on a false perception I have of the man through his character. Whatever my motivation for saying this, I'm self-aware enough to never say it where I think he will see it, at least I try to be.

Actors often put part of themselves into a role, and in interviews, they talk about various things. However, even in interviews, they are sometimes directed to lie because of spoilers. Even when it strays to the personal, no actor or actress completely reveals their inner self. Why would they? They don't know us, and that's the heart of it. As much as fans think they know the actor/actress, the actor/actress does not know them. They don't know when we're joking, being sarcastic, or anything else.

Pointing out behavior that will get them in trouble or pointing out behaviors and insinuating what you think those behaviors mean are not always going to be appreciated. If a fan doesn't know them in real life, then they don't know for a fact that the actor will not be offended. That's why it's best to save some remarks for fan spaces. A lot of people in fandom share the same level of freak so it's easier to laugh about it and move onward. Now, if an actor hangs out in those places, that's their choice to make. They will see what they see and hear what they hear, but please don't seek them out in their personal space and say offensive things you would never say to a stranger. LOL

Sometimes Oliver Stark does those question-and-answer sessions. Maybe the next time - if someone is brave enough - they should ask what his boundaries are. Not me, I'm not made like that.

[yesimtrashforit]

Me realizing that I'm probably going to be embarrassed of the edits I make eventually and how obsessed I was with Byler bc I always end up looking back on how obsessed I was with a ship that I used to be obsessed with and realizing how embarrassing I find it now (*cough cough* Prinxiety *cough cough*):

[cranberryspringart]

Looking back at homestuck and specifically Vriska

I think as a preteen at the time, I misinterpreted a lot about her character in seeing things in them that I saw and hated in myself. I'm afab, and I have a dominant personality, I get ahead of myself a lot and I can come off as bitchy.

I by no means consider Vriska someone redeemable now, but back then I think I projected my own feelings on them a lot the pressure of living up to family expectations, the wierd dark supposed family lore that I was incouraged to look up to, the getting ahead of myself and taking control in situations I really shouldn't have put my nose in then regretting it when it all crashed and burned.

I feel like a lot of afab characters with dominant personalities fall into this weird bully troupe that can be seen in quite a few things.

Vriska is the absolute worst case of the bully troupe, but it's been seen in a lot of media, especially within kids media in the 90s and 2000s. I think there's something bigger to be said about afab people with dominant personalities and how media portrayal is just reestablishing a sexist stereotype about afab individuals who take charge.

[mikauhso]

Small fandom rant, feel free not to read.

I don’t really care what an artist has done as a person, unless they’re like literally hitler or someone who you’d punch in public for their crimes, I find it a bit sad and annoying how so many artists online are willing to tear down someone else’s art to say “I did it better.” It’s one thing to give constructive crit in good faith, and it’s another to make an OC-ified version of canon out of your love for something, but creating something out of spite will almost always ring hollow for me. I see so much good art duct taped to posts about how “here I fixed it” or “lol you can’t draw” and I think back to the time when I learned the phrase, “you’ll attract more flies with honey than vinegar.” It disheartens me to see artists and people I’d know to be kind and constructive not extend the same kind of care hey show irl to someone online based on their parasocial relation to them. It’s such a low-stakes game and people will act like a mid show having characters they enjoy is the end of the world, and in doing so will take personal snipes and make insults at the art instead of addressing the actual problem head on, because it’s easier to derail and funnel attention and love towards yourself instead of ask that others improve. I love redesigns born of love. I love rewrites that try to see an artist’s vision, but at a certain point I wonder if people even like what they’re making art about or if they’re slapping something recognizable over top of it in order to ride trends.

The internet normalizes clout chasing to the point where I feel like we do it almost instinctively. That little insult or sly comment at the end of a post, that’ll sway people to your side. Saying why you don’t like some person despite not knowing them. It’s valid to have your opinions but I wish people would act like they would in the real world. You wouldn’t go around and scream at someone who you saw post this one thing one time. You wouldn’t punch someone based on a rumor, or verbally berate them in a restaurant. Yet people post so much shit online and it’s so normalized that we don’t even register it as a sign to log off anymore.

I feel like social media is something incredibly important for communication, but it’s currently designed in a way that centers ourselves and how much dopamine we can get, whether it’s at the expense of others, ourselves, etc. And we’re part of the problem too, we refuse to change and recognize that maybe internet points aren’t worth it and maybe it shouldn’t matter what people think of us. And maybe it’s an opinion I have but I shouldn’t judge someone based on what fraction they put out on the internet of themselves. Maybe I should cook myself a snack or go out for a walk or sit on the balcony or in the yard, talk to a friend face to face. Again, I love what the internet has done for accessibility but every accessible thing is locked behind a service designed to ignore vitriol and anger towards one another.

I guess I fall prey to this too, but I’ve seen this pattern happen again and again and again. There are people behind everything that’s made, and unless it’s ai or something stolen, an artist put their time and heart into it. It’s part of the game to have tough skin but I wish it didn’t have to be a necessity because of spiteful people.

I guess I should add an addendum, this is about a pattern I’ve seen in many a fandom. This isn’t about the morality of a show’s crew or whatever, that’s a conversation for another day that I’m not getting involved in because the personal lives of others are no business of mine. Hah, there I go again. But in all seriousness. I’ve seen it in Hazbin Hotel. I’ve seen it with High Guardian Spice. Velma. Steven universe. The owl house. Any new show I’ve seen come out where someone decides to have a moment and say “I will create out of spite and a need to be seen.” I wish artists didn’t feel the need to ride trends and that we’d value each others’ work as much as something put out by Disney. But that too, is a post for another day.

[i-am-trans-gwender]

Sometimes I see a ship and I think to myself "I don't have a problem with this existing but I do have to wonder if were watching the same thing."

[gatergirl79]

Reminders for those who have forgotten.

KEEP IT IN FANDOM. DO NOT TAKE YOUR FRUSTRATION TO THE ACTORS. THEY'RE DOING THEIR JOBS. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH YOU SCREAM AT THEM LIKE TODDLERS IN SUPERMARKETS IT WON'T CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE SERIES. IT ONLY MAKES FANDOM LOOK BAD AND STOP THE ACTORS WANTING TO SHARE THEIR STUFF WITH US. AND FINALLY, WHEN IT STOPS BEING FUN WALK AWAY!

[snarky-magpie]

I don't think I'll ever understand what compels people to post critical reviews under fics. AO3 ain't goodreads, pal. I'm sorry the free entertainment I provided for you (and poured hours of time and effort into) didn’t live up to your discerning standards. What should I do to compensate you, return all the money you didn’t pay?

[spaceyeehaw101]

Random talk, this might be me talking in the void but still. Does anyone else ever get distressed by the media they're obsessed with to a point? Like for example for me: Marvel Movies can be hard, I feel i have to mentally prepare before and during the movie even though I've seen the said movie tons of times. But in cases like this, someone would put it on just either for noise or casual watch, for me it's more intense and my full attention is on it, and it can be painful.

Like someone casually watching an episode of Loki in the background, I'll immediately be on alert and will be distracted/have to turn off everything else around me to attempt to pay attention even though I don't want to. It's a weird and kind of bad feeling, especially when the media is something Ive dedicated tons of time to. I hope this explanation of my dilemma makes sense.

[imhereformysciencefriends]

1, 8, and 12, por favor!

the character everyone gets wrong

Philza Minecraft!! He's not A Dad™ he's not a stick in the mud he's not a nuturing presence he's not even the one keeping things in order. Yeah he fills in creeper holes and he's friendly and offers advice when people ask for it but that man is 10,000% a chaos bird who'll murder your turtles murder your iron golem and then murder you for looking at him wrong. This man airstrikes his surroundings for fun. He joined a secret organization and made the base spookier for funsies. He saw 1,000 wither skulls and *laughed*. He loves chaos he loves destruction he loves having a goof people make him so BORING

common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

The need to Meticulously Replicate traditional nuclear family roles onto "found family" characters is. THE WORST. just because someone is the "mom friend" doesn't mean they're the actual literal mother of the group have any of these people ever gone outside??? I know this many people cannot have been homeschooled. Romantic might not be any better than platonic but platonic is NOT better than romantic either and familial is neither better nor worse than either of those I am Weirded Out by people joining the "shipping little dolls" website in the "shipping little dolls" hobby trying to tell other people not to ship stuff. Dare I say I hate it even.

the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Elro, justice for my man Elro he was trying his best under extenuating circumstances. Dare I say the Most Extenuating circumstances. His father recently died, he feels helpless in the face of a religious fascist regime, he just murdered someone who was sympathetic and kindly towards him, he endangered his sister's life, his wife and daughter died in front of him and he wholly blames himself (it doesn't help that if he Hadn't acted, that wouldn't have happened)(not his fault it's definitely the fascist regimes fault but still. Hard to assuade guilt like that), his sister is RECKLESSLY ENDANGERING herself, he lost an eye. He lost an arm. He lost his house. He has literally NOTHING left to his name EXCEPT for his sister and he has lost. So much blood. OBVIOUSLY he's not behaving rationally. OBVIOUSLY he is clinging to his little sister with all the force he has left trying to prevent her from dying doing something he considers stupid and suicidal. My man was wrong but like who can claim they'd do better in his shoes.

[squigglysquidd]

Being 33 and looking back at a fic from 2017 I wrote is just wild?? Like ... I still feel the love for it so much that I'm currently updating it to match current me.

It just makes me happy to know that whatever your age, Fandom is there. Whether you're a veteran (which I am definitely not) or completely new to the Fandom, you belong.

You belong.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[come-chaos]

I think there’s a fundamental aspect of redemption arcs that a lot of people in fandom get wrong, so here is an attempt to verbalise my thoughts on the matter:

If people in fiction can be stronger, smarter, more resilient, and more pure of heart than people in real life, if they can survive injuries that no real person could survive and pull off world-changing heroics that no real person could ever dream of,

and if we can still relate to these fictional people and find their stories meaningful, then maybe it’s because we, on some level, understand that we’re not supposed to take them literally.

In fiction, a good person saves the world, but being good in real life is usually about the little things. A villain in fiction sets worlds on fire, but being a bad person in real life is also something that usually happens on a smaller scale. In fiction, everything is larger.

All of us, every single one, have done things we shouldn’t have done. We have all hurt others in one way or another, at one point or another. Some of these wrongdoings may have been minor. Others may have been severe.

When we do bad things that hurt others, this corresponds to being a villain in fiction. Which is why redemption arcs aren’t saying that committing horrendous atrocities is a forgivable offence.

They’re saying that our actions can be forgiven.

They’re saying that we, out here in the real world, can become better people if we try hard enough. That our past will not define us forever. That we can change.

[k4txlulzz]

fandom police will never catch me

[crayonsandclovers]

I'm going on my first fantasy con this weekend and I'm going to meet people standing behind my favourite ttrpg campain. I don't want to come out as weird or rude so I'm asking here some questions about savoir-vivre on this type of events.

Is asking for both the autograph AND a picture a lot? Should I just pick one or is asking for both alright?

I'm going to have a notebook and I want to collect autographs from not only creators but also other fans (this show has pretty small community and I mostly know them at least by their nicknames). Is that okey? Is that cringe?

I will have merch of one specific character and I wish I could come to the guy who plays him and ask for an autograph on the merch. Is that alright? Is that cringe?

I'm also going to have some references to the other character he had played in their previous campaign in my outfit, is that alright? is that cringe?

Should I introduce myself by my nick on their discord server or my real name?

The con is tommorow and I don't want to do something weird or inappropriate. Thanks for the answers guys!

[fannishknits]

1:30 / 8:37

Writing Out-of-Character Fanfiction is Fine, Actually