So if you’re in a fandom like mine that has a shitty dad character, chances are you have come across the tag “[character]’s A+ Parenting”. I’ve used it multiple times, and it’s one that I’ve seen used across fandoms.
However, in the last weeks if you’ve tried to use that tag on your fic you may have discovered it missing. I recently tried to tag a fic A+ Parenting, and it didn’t come up. It remained on my other fics but I couldn’t tag my new fic with it.
I reached out to AO3 support asking about it, and this I was I received back.
“Hello,
Thanks for writing to us. There has been a general push to rename tags like this because the sarcastic use of "A+ Parenting" might not be clear to all users. For this reason, the tag "Uther Pendragon's A+ Parenting (Merlin)" has been made a synonym to "Bad Parent Uther Pendragon (Merlin)", and you should be able to find it in the dropdown under the new name.
If you prefer to use the other tag, you are welcome to copy/paste it into the Additional Tags field when you post a new work. Because it's a synonym of the new canonical tag, it will show up under the works listing at
https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Bad%20Parent%20Uther%20Pendragon%20(Merlin)/works
Please let us know if you have further questions.
Warm regards,
AO3 Tag Wrangling Support”
Personally, I find this frustrating. It seems like a pointless consolidation that takes away nuance. For me, “Bad Parent” implies active bad parenting, or that the character’s bad parenting is going to be a core tenant explored in the fic. Whereas “A+ Parenting” acknowledges, with a comedic tone, that the character should be doing a better job. Or is behaving in a way that is contradictory to good parenting, but the parenting isn’t a focus in the fic. It’s passive.
Regardless, given the proliferation of the tag, I think most people are aware of its use. It’s a fun linguistic quirk in fandom that is now being wrangled away.
But you can tell me your opinion.
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read your post about how the atmosphere in dreblr feels a little tense nowadays. honestly when i first joined this fandom i was excited to share takes/meta but i dont do it much anymore cause of how intense ppl get when they disagree… wasnt prepared for that level of intensity
i have to say that my experience with this fandom and your experience with this fandom are ... probably pretty different 😅 (not that i know for sure, of course, so sorry abt any inherent assumptions to when you joined the fandom, i've just been here for damn near forever) and that that'll color my perspective on this, so. fair warning in advance.
to be honest, disagreement in dreblr is not a new thing. when dreblr was created there were two main "camps" of c!dream apologism that disagreed on pretty much everything to do with c!dream after novermber 16th and would write essays debunking each other's takes pretty goddamn often. here's an old post by red responding to a lot of opinions on both sides of the line which i think illustrates this well -- note the difference established between "c!dream apologists" and "c!dream enthusiasts," perhaps better known now as the "trauma interpretation" and "strategist interpretation" of c!dream back before the confirmation of staged finale during the prison break, which shows how different people's opinions of c!dream ranged at dreblr's very conception. and this disagreement ran pretty damn deep, too, lmao--some of it was reserved to debating each other in semiprivate discord servers, but plenty of it was made of vagueing each other's takes or directly debating them on each other's blogs.
i think that a source of friction, to be honest, is that dreblr started as a much more analysis- and meta-focused community than it is now. the entire dsmp fandom was very analysis-heavy in 2021-2022, and dreblr definitely reflected that culture; since the dsmp ended, the amount of active discussion about it in a meta sense has also waned, and as such dreblr and many other areas of dsmp fandom have been more focused on other kinds of fanwork. this isn't a bad thing, of course! but it has led to a shift in etiquette, and while i think meta etiquette and fanwork etiquette are very. very different things, obviously the amount of fanwork and the amount of meta that's around in dreblr spaces influences how people interact with all parts of dreblr etc etc that's just how people and communities work
but back to my point. disagreement has always been a part of this fandom, especially in meta spaces (which used to be pretty much all of dreblr, but has kind of become more of a small part of it in more recent times) and intensity with those disagreements also is kind of ... on par for the course? i mean, personally, i think disagreements ran more intense in dreblr in 2021 on average--it's not like dreblr has been as sharply divided with different "versions" of c!dream apologism since--and when it comes to the general fandom, well, any look at the inbox of anyone posting c!dream positive analysis and the formation of dreblr as a whole speak for themselves. also IFUADA and the whole attempt to like, lmanburg us out of our own house. which was hilarious btw that shit was awesome
like, at the end of the day, meta is made to be a place where people are gonna disagree. and a lot of people in meta spaces find it fun to disagree, even; there are more than a few people who will devil's advocate an argument they don't even agree with just for the sake of disagreement and debate. fandom analysis is just ... like, fandom academia lite, and it's also far less beholden to the rules of professionalism in real academia (not that real academia is free of conflict, obviously. including extremely petty conflict, as anyone who has read enough passive-aggressive as shit academic papers will tell you). this isn't to say that things don't go too far, because again, the history of this fandom proves it LOL. but while we all want people to feel comfortable in meta spaces, we also want meta spaces to be a place for people to be passionate about their opinions and to disagree about them fervently and to debate to their heart's content, bc that's kind of the point of fandom meta, yk?
in my post, i mentioned that i think more open disagreement will be good for dreblr, and i do stand by this point; i think that there's no real point in trying to stamp out disagreement in a space meant to be a free place for people to disagree and express their disagreements, not that that's what you're saying or anything just as a general thought. i also think that more disagreement will help with there feeling like there's less of a "correct" way to think about c!dream and the server, which i think raises the barrier of entry for people who want to post meta but don't want to be eviscerated bc they said something "wrong." of course, i can't force anyone to post meta nor do i want to--hell, i want to post more meta but am limited in time, and i know we all live busy lives 😭 (which is part of why this ask is being answered so late, sorry!) -- my point is i dont think, idk, one person being passionate abt a take or disagreement or whatever is necessarily the problem as far as upping the tension in dreblr as much as like. there's a lot of general discomfort and a lack of willingness to rock the boat in a place which should be a safe waters for everyone to take shots at any ship (er, ship to follow up with the rock-the-boat metaphor, but the secondary meaning does apply here as well) they want. we're shooting with water guns, not real bullets, and there's no fun in a splash fight if everyone's too scared of getting someone else wet, i guess.
that being said, anon, i understand that not everyone wants to participate in the free-for-all take pvp that is inherent to meta spaces...to which i say that, honestly, there's no requirement to participate in analysis spaces specifically to just, share your thoughts on the server. i think that in general, if anyone posts their thoughts on the dsmp and adds a disclaimer to the top like "not really analysis, just miscellaneous thoughts that i would prefer not to be vagued/argued against," i really just don't think that most people are gonna go out of their way to argue with that? you have every right to just yap while opting out of the possibility of being vagued or debated with, but you might have to make it clear beforehand bc vagueposting and debating is just the culture that exists in meta/analysis spaces, especially dsmp meta/analysis spaces that have been a part of dreblr since dreblr was made. and if there's anything else that can be done to make everyone feel more comfortable, i think that's worth discussing!
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That Awoooo Inside You, Pt. 1
Fandom: The Wild Robot / Fink the Fox
Pairing: Fink <3s OFC fox
Rating: G all the way, don’t worry. This is keeping in the world and disgustingly wholesome. Prolly too clean for tumbles 😆
Warnings: None. It’s for cuteness and for heart.
Summary: After the events of The Wild Robot, a new resident joins the island.
A/N: Listen. This is just for fun. I love a fox character and I love a sassmaster with a gooey center and my heart melted for Fink. He is very lovable. As @something-tofightfor mentioned in a chat with me, “he just wanted to matter to someone.” I totally agree. In keeping with the frank but sweet style of the movie, I just ached to give Fink a silly little sequel and it feels in bad practice to keep it locked up when I’ve had such blockage lately. Thank you for indulging my exercise.
It was a mild spring evening like any other, the sun going down as Fink bounded back inland, his belly nearly dragging on the ground after an afternoon of digging clams and catching fish. If it hadn’t been for Roz, he’d just be waking up for the evening, getting ready to hunt mice and rabbits. But thanks to Roz, he couldn’t bring himself to eat them anymore. He couldn’t eat his friends.
He smiled warmly. Friends.
And thanks to Roz, there was a soft, mossy green bed for him to curl up in after gorging himself on the pantry of the sea. It was waiting for him just ahead, its siren song of comfort and sleep calling out to him. Why be a hunter in the cold night when you can fish in the warm sun and sleep in a warm basket? What a life he’d lucked into.
Suddenly though, the spring evening like-any-other shifted into something else entirely when he was hit with a scent so new and wondrous that his quick feet stumbled to a stop just before the hut came into view. Putting his nose to the wind he let it wash over him and the scent ran through him like fire, tingled like a storm in the air, chattered his jaw and set every hair on end…
But in a really, really delicious way.
Obsession was something he was used to, but this was intense. He had to find it. Had to paw at it and roll in it. He needed it ground deep into his fur and he was running full out before he realized it, not off into the woods but to familiar ground, to his very own home.
“Your tail’s all puffed out,” Thorn noted as Fink came through the opening. “Someone chasin’ you? That’s my job.”
The bear gave a low laugh and Fink ignored him, hastily scanning the hut for the source of his agitation, not caring so much that his tail was puffy, but he couldn’t stop it twitching. “What… what what is that smell?”
“Oh. That’s probably her.” Thorn heaved himself off his big furry butt and stepped to the side, revealing Fink’s bed and the creature sleeping in it. “Found her washed up on the shore. Still alive. Barely. Thought you wouldn’t mind if I brought her here–”
“It’s a…fox. Another fox.” Fink stood aghast. He hadn’t seen a fox on this part of the island for most of his life. His mother had driven him off as soon as she was going to have another litter and the only other foxes around had been bigger males or his sisters, so he had run for days hoping to find a territory where he wouldn’t be bitten and bullied and kicked around by them. He’d found this corner of the island to be lonely, but at least he wouldn’t get himself killed over territory disputes. And then, of course came Roz and Brightbeak and then this corner hadn’t been so lonely after all. It had seemed a fair trade to make; with such a warm, accepting new family, he’d never even stopped to wish for someone of his own ilk.
But now…
“She is?” Thorn mused. “Never seen a white fox before. Just thought she was a kind of weasel or something.”
Fink’s nose twitched. “No. She’s definitely fox.” Slowly approaching the bed, he craned around to get a better look at her sleeping face tucked halfway under her gray-tipped tail. She was small and her features were a little more delicate, but that scent couldn’t be denied. “Definitely.”
Another fox! Here! Where did she come from? How did she survive into maturity with that coloring in the wild? Was she friendly? She’d have to be taught the rules of their community. She’d need a place to stay…well, here, of course, with himself. No doubt. Foxes united. Was she clever? Another fox could help keep the raccoons in order. Would she be in pain when she woke up? No visible injuries. Would she be hungry?
Fink gasped.
Another chuckle from the bear. “Well that’s just great. Now there’s two of ‘em. Dandy.”
Ignoring the sarcasm, Fink turned and ran for the door. “If she wakes up before I get back, don’t let her leave!”
“Where you goin’?”
“River! Fish!”
Darting under fallen trees and skipping over the bank stones, making the grasses into a blurring tunnel of green, Fink made quick work of the path to the river. Getting a fish under duress and desperation was less than graceful though, slipping off the tree spanning the water and falling in, swimming halfway to shore before surrendering the indignity of being wet and turning around to paddle back to the center of the stream and bite bite bite at the water where the fish were jumping in the twilight as they came up to the surface for bugs. By the time he returned to the hut with a fish in his jaws the sun was finally down.
There were a number of animals sitting in the meadow outside of the shelter when he arrived, sitting up on their haunches and vying for a view, attracted by the noise of spitting and snarling, of Thorn bellowing reassurances, and a great deal of scampering happening inside. It seemed their guest was awake. Fink had to paw at the bear’s backside to get into the hut–Thorn was plugging the entrance with his body–and was able to squeeze through in a moment of silence.
The hut was in chaos, everything that could be upturned had been, and the white fox herself was at the side furthest from the door, braced and ready to spring, exhausted and panting, seemingly fighting for her life. She was now ashy as the shadows inside the hut; it seemed she’d fallen into the cold fire pit at one point, her bright coat splotched with soot.
“I keep tryin’ to tell her she’s safe but she doesn’t wanna believe me,” the bear moaned, his defensive roar shaking the walls.
Dropping the fish, Fink rolled his eyes. “Gee. I wonder why.” He took a few steps toward the newcomer. “Hey, hey, I’m sorry this big lug scared you–”
“Oh right,” she panted. “Why would I be afraid of two predators that are keeping me trapped in a cave and won’t let me leave????”
“Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa,” Fink flinched at her ferocity. He couldn’t blame her for going on defense, but he knew he had to calm her down fast before her flight instincts led her to hurt herself. He put on his gentlest voice. “You can leave, I promise you. But? Weeeeee need your help first.”
This threw her off, her breath catching and her eyes darting between Thorn and Fink in the darkness.
Her eyes— one dark and one light–
“Help you? Help with what?”
It was working. Her panting slowed and her shoulders began to relax. Fink sneezed in a show of playfulness and gave a sideways glance to his quarry. “I came all the way back from the river to bring you this feast and it’s just gonna rot and stink up the hut if you don’t eat it.”
“I’ll eat it,” Thorn offered, earning a jab in the belly from Fink.
She continued to watch them a moment before slowly sitting back on her sooty haunches and considering. “I don’t get it. What’s the catch.”
“Trout, by the taste of it,” Fink sassed, sighing in mock dismay. “A little embarrassing, if I’m being honest. I’ve caught bigger, but I was in a hurry and they tend to be slippery. I had to take what I could get and–”
“I mean, what do you want?” She wasn’t amused. But she was calmer.
“I…want you to…eat the fish?”
She huffed, squinting at them. “Why don’t one of you eat it?”
“Because we’re not hungry.” Returning to sincerity, Fink took up the fish and walked it around the central fire pit closer to her, stopping just as a twitch in her side warned that she might run. Laying it on the ground gently and turning his back on her to show trust, he resumed a sitting spot near Thorn at the door. “You’re new here. A guest. And we have rules. And rules are, the animals around here are all friends. Well, mostly. We don’t eat guests. And we don’t eat friends. And we don’t let guests eat friends. Or squirrels.”
“But… you’re predators,” she countered weakly, the fish beginning to pull her focus.
“We aaaare,” Fink conceded. “But? There’s enough bugs and shellfish around here for everyone, and plenty of good roots and berries. Someone really special made us understand that we survive better when we’re counting on each other instead of chomping on each other. My big friend here found you and brought you here to help you survive. You seem to be doing nicely with that and you can go, but we’d like to send you off with a full belly so you’re not tempted to eat any of our pals on the way out, capiche?”
“So you’re not going to kill me.”
Fink and Thorn’s heads swung in unison.
“Too pretty to kill,” Thorn mumbled. Both foxes stared up at him. “What. I’ve never seen fur so white. She glows in the dark.”
They followed his gaze up to the round vent hole in the roof where the moonlight was shining in. The parts of her coat that weren’t besmirched with soot reflected it brilliantly, bluish-white in the darkness of the hut.
And perhaps it was the moonlight or perhaps it was her hunger, but something in her changed just then, grew softer, let go. And thanks to Roz, Fink had learned to see it.
“I’m Fink,” he said. “This collection of fur and odors is Thorn. You can stay as long as you want. Or you can go…but there are more who would probably like to meet you. Thorn? Move it. Let the lady pass if she wants.”
The bear stepped away from the door and let more of the moon in, catching the fish in its sparkling light. Beyond, it also illuminated the clearing outside and the crowd of animals there, predators and prey alike, peacefully side-by-side, trying to get a peek at the newcomer.
Her eyes–one dark, one light– reflected the moon and her tentative decision not to run. “I’m Farrah,” she said with careful unveiling trust, before settling down and digging into the meal.
A collection of tiny possum voices called from outside. "Nice to meet you, Farrah! Welcome! We're glad you're not dead!"
Thorn bumbled about the hut, tipping things back into place with his nose, trying not to amble too close to Farrah or scare her while Fink simply laid down and, crossing his paws in silence, watched her eat.
Not so long ago, he was just like her. They all were. In one short year, a robot–a machine with a heart–had come and shown them all a better way to live. And for a while, Fink was happy. He had love and family; he mattered to someone. To many someones.
But he hadn’t considered that he might ever matter the most to one specific someone.
Not until now, at least.
It was spring on the island. And he was a fox. He did foxy things. And maybe one of those things was finally considering what it might be like for a specific someone to matter the most to him.
---
PART 2
MAIN MASTERLIST
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xposting from twitter but
kinda related to my other post, but guys can we please be more considerate about camp entre fanworks? i’ve seen people be unhappy with this or that being focused on (swagtre. it’s swagtre.) and wanting this or that but like
1. there’s /plenty/ of old art (and some new! i’ve drawn some!) where they’re solo
2. be the change you wish to see in the world
i don’t wanna be a dick but like i can see what you guys say pretty easily. im not some huge media producer who doesn’t pay attention. im a small creator who draws his oc kissing another oc 😭 (im not even indie!!! i’m even smaller than that!!! i don’t make ANY money from truffula flu or anything like that!! to some of you guys i might feel like a big deal but im just some guy in a niche fandom of a niche fandom of a niche fandom. i’m an absolute nobody outside this teeny tiny corner of the internet!!)
be polite, please
ever since camp entre picked back up last year i’ve seen ppl get more and more uh…bold i guess..with what they say and i just want to nip that behavior right there in the bud bc camp entre (or any truffula flu story for that matter) is not Big Media
none of us get or have gotten royalties or whatever from it. camp entre was a former-friend group’s public rp. keep that in mind when you say stuff in tumblr tags or use searchable words/phrases please. any one of us could be looking at any time
if you want more solo entre stuff, you can find it in my #entre tag (it’s all entres but there’s that truffula flu guy is in there) or #swag for that guy
yes there’s still a lot of ship art in there but it’s how i tag so…my bad
OR you can head to this old blog where the whole point was to be a place for me to reblog ALL the stuff that had entre in it and i even avoided reblogging most swagtre (because, go figure, there were ppl complaining about the amount of swagtre back then too) so it’s entre-focused stuff, check it out if you haven’t:
also if anyone dislikes swagtre so much i got bad news for them abt what was canon & continues to be canon 😭)
but either way let’s kinda…lay off the people creating things for fun and for love because we aren’t seeing what we, personally, want to see
and i especially won’t let anyone make ME feel bad for drawing something that brings me joy. i got enough misery in my life as it is
i got reasons and such for why i only draw/reshare/talk abt what i do but it’s nobody’s business tbqh. like i know it’s rough when im basically the only one of the original group that’s available because most (if not all) of the rest want to lay it to rest (as is their right) and so im the only one making “canon” stuff for camp entre anymore and i have a very loud muse for swagtre
but like idk i just want ppl to have fun so like
if you aren’t seeing your fav/ship enough then draw, write, or commission it! more stuff is always good stuff!! do macaroni art, edits, cosplay! whatever u want! it’s all cool!
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nobody asked me to do this so i'm doing it anyway. here's one of those otp ship questions things with strongstar.
questions brought to you by @/enbyleighlines
some of the questions are suggestive but i wont be answering them just for the comfort and safety of everybody here. cool? cool!
The basics
1. When did you start shipping them?
Surprisingly, I wasn't immediately drawn to them. I don't remember if it was at the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021 for me. But I remember feeling pretty embarrassed about it. The Homestar Runner fandom wasn't as active as it is now. So, it was hard trying to find people who also shipped them or, you know, cared.
2. What do you like about them as individuals?
What’s there not to like about Homestar? He’s just this big, stupid, friendly guy. I think, out of all the characters, he’s the most likely to be your friend. Unfortunately.
I think me and Strong Bad are alike. But if you ask the right amount of people I'm sure you'd get a lot of people saying the same thing. He's just a very relatable character. It's nice having representation for us who bring our bazookas to the movies!
3. What about their dynamic appeals to you?
Homestar’s kind of got this weird obsession with Strong Bad. He’s convinced of everything Strong Bad says about himself, and he’s STILL enamored by him even when he knows it's untrue.
And Strong Bad’s not exactly the most popular or… liked. And popularity and being liked is something he definitely wants. But Homestar likes him either way. Strong Bad’s just a guy who needs a lot of love, and Homestar’s a guy who’s got a lot of love to give.
4. What are their favorite things about one another?
Homestar’s obsessed with just about everything about Strong Bad, I think. He's funny, and cool, and really smart, make shifting fun things to do practically out of thin air just for them to pass the time. Strong Bad likes how much Homestar likes him. And, secretly, thinks he's a bit cute.
5. How do you envision them getting together?
Two words: Dr– unk. Oh wait, I mean: Cold. Ones.
The fluff
6. What would their dream home look like?
For Strong Bad, some kind of bachelor pad in L.A. with robot assistants and the whole place is on top of a really high mountain that people have to use helicopters to get to. And you KNOW thems people rich if they got helicopters. So he’d be hanging out with the coolest and richest people only. All the time always.
Homestar will go anywhere Strong Bad goes. But he might like to live in a shoe.
7. How do they split up housework and other chores?
Homestar does everything but he can't complain. Strong Bad might get up every now and then and do something useful. But only just enough to say, “See? I’m helping.” Homestar’s happy either way.
8. What are their love languages, and how do they show each other affection?
Strong Bad shows affection mostly through actions. Especially if he’s been a jerk somehow. I think he has trouble saying things that are “nice.” Let alone “romantic.” Romance that is below PG-13, that is. So if he feels like being nice he might get Homestar a new pair of shoes or bake him something sweet. Maybe he’ll let Homestar have the TV remote for the day or let him ramble on about something stupid for however long as he wants.
Homestar’s bilingual to love languages. Need some encouragement? He’s got you. Need a hug? Absolutely. Want something nice? He’s got Marzipan’s credit card still. He’s pretty much the whole package.
9. Do you see them getting married, and if your answer is yes, what would their wedding look like?
Strong Bad would probably want his wedding to be the greatest, most memorable, and physically assaulting wedding ever. Maybe instead of a wedding ring they have a wrestling ring. Everybody would be punching each other and throwing cake and setting things on fire. Homestar would be okay with that but he might want something simpler.
10. Can you imagine them having any kids and/or pets?
For my own amusement, yes, they'd have kids. Homestar’s alright with kids and wouldn't mind a few babies running around. He might hide in the bathroom and get on his phone for a few hours at the first chance he gets, though.
Strong Bad’s not great with kids and probably isn't intent on having any. His life as Vance Mudgeman may have… put him off. But Homestar’s a good guy. He might could just want to have his babies!
No pets. The Cheat couldn't handle it.
The angst
11. How do they comfort each other?
I think Homestar’s a bit tough to comfort. Unless whatever’s bugging him is taken out back and put out of its misery then he’s pretty much a mess for good. Strong Bad is maybe a little less than willing to tackle the job. But he'd probably do it as long as it means Homestar’s happy. Wether that be saying "Homestar you still have feet even if you can't see them. No, look, see. Look they're right there, stop crying." or buying him his favorite ice cream flavor from out of town when Bubs is all out.
Not to sound too sappy or anything, but Homestar’s just there for Strong Bad. He’s nice and stupidly optimistic and Strong Bad always ends up smiling by the end of his sulking, I think.
12. Is there anything you don’t like about this ship?
Hahahahaha. No.
13. What would be their least favorite things about one another?
Homestar’s stupidity and Strong Bad’s lack of a moral compass. But it’s nothing they can't get over. Homestar dabbles his tortilla chips in a bit of crime himself, you know.
14. What sorts of things might they argue about?
Do dogs have lips?
15. Do they face any pushback from friends, families, or society over their relationship?
I think everyone’s just mostly annoyed by them. They're pretty annoying individually. If they’re dating they can harass other townsfolk TOGETHER. WHILE GAY. Strong Bad's side of the family might have a few words to say about Homestar, though.
this has just been an excuse to talk about strongstar. thank you for reading. o7 <thats me saluting those who survived all those words
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