#fandom shenanigans

[dearweirdme]

Sorry I'm sure you're tired of the airport head kiss asks. But my opinion is that if it were ANY other pairing from BTS everyone would most likely be agreeing it was a kiss. But since it's taekook ppl need to argue that it's anything but. It's exhausting being a tkkr sometimes... 🙄

Hi anon!

I think the issue is, that people think we’re claiming a definite romantic acts here.. and they’re partly right.. because within my believes about Tae and Jk I do think there’s things they do that are romantic. I don’t claim this moment as something inherently romantic though, but rather of their closeness and how they want to show that. That one anon’s ‘openly kissing in a public place’ is willfully turning our thoughts into something they are not. They wouldn’t say something like this about Tae kissing Jin on his head during a live.

Going to go a bit ranty here, because yesterday’s conversation has me thinking a lot…

None of the tkkrs I know are on here trying to figure out whether it’s Taekook or if it’s jikook. I’m sure there’s a subsection of fandom somewhere where that happens, but it’s very far from what we encounter here. It’s also not a mindset that I find agreeable, because it seems to originate from wanting to ship in general rather than actually seeing something special between two persons. What I am doing here and what most of us are doing here is looking at Tae and Jk and thinking about the extent of their relationship. Jkk is not a factor in that at all. For me Jm’s place in this is as both Jk and Tae’s friend and bandmember. Jkk as a fandom is spoken about because that fandom causes false narratives and hate, not because their ship ‘triggers me because deep inside I know it’s real’.

Talk about closeting comes with a lot of grey area imo. There’s a big deal of space between someone in a country where there’s a death penalty for being queer and who’s closeted and someone being closeted because their advisors tell them it’s bad for business. Both are horrible imo, and both can be extremely damaging on a personal level. It’s hard to speak about being privileged when it come to a closeted person, but at the same time I think such privilege does exist. It exists because aside from being queer.. there’s other factors that make up a person. Tae and Jk have the privilege of wealth and of having a great network of friends and family. I love knowing they have this privilege. I think it allows them some peace in a messed up situation that has harmed them immensely. I think they would have been out had it not been for their careers. Neither one of them is actually afraid of being seen as queer imo. What they’re afraid of is losing their careers and the effect it will have on BTS as a whole and the good they do through BTS. It’s also very much a question if their contract (which will have image clauses) allows them to be out at all. When I look at Tae especially, he’s not been afraid to show his queer self at all.. so I think there’s space that allows for signals.

I see their situation like this: there are things they definitely can’t do. Living together publicly, enlisting together, obviously romantic acts like kissing on the lips, telling the world they are queer, things that fall in that category in general.

There are also things Hybe hasn’t allowed, but that I feel would have been manageable. A taekook collab. Being portrayed as close friends throughout.

The grey area would be things that shows them as close, but not necessarily romantically involved. This is a huge area in my opinion and the reason why there’s so much discussion on ‘are they, aren’t they’. It’s why at times we see things that make us go 😳 (like hearing a person sleep next to Tae, and the sweetheart shirts, and the airport kiss, and Jk flying to Hawaii) but other times we have mentions of ‘why doesn’t Jk support Tae more’. It’s stuff that’s highly dependent on moments. Stuff that has temporary impact, but not much in the long run (like enlisting together will have).

This is what I apply to both Tkk and Jkk. There are things that I know can’t happen and there’s grey space.

Imagine for a bit being them. Being young, in one of the most popular bands in the world, still on a rise to more fame…. And you fall in love with each other. So deeply in love, it’s impossible not to be together, because you aren’t even able to stay away on a practical level. The company catches on.. what does your boss tell you? Does he tell you to hide and be professional or else you’re putting your (and your member’s) career at risk? Or does your boss go and allow you to publish footage of your romantic getaway to Tokyo for everyone to see? Does your boss give you boundaries to what you can do together or does he put a spotlight on the two of you as a duo?

It is exhausting to be a tkkr at times. I know I have gone through periods of huge fandom fatigue (honestly have only found pleasure in blogging back only recently) because of it. The exhaustion that comes from people trying to place what we say in black and whites, people willfully bending our words or only pointing out one specific sentence without looking at what we say as a whole. Tkk is a very sensitive topic for many. I try to balance my own peace and allowing for interesting conversations and different opinions, but it is hard at times. I’m at times too trusting, at times too reactive, at times I do get triggered. What’s helped me a lot though is just keeping my focus on Tae and Jk. Them together, but also them as individuals just give me such joy.. that truly trumps fandom shenanigans for me every time.

[youryurigoddess]

Homophobes: But did the plot really need a gay relationship?

Me, a gay who’s watched seasons of unnecessary heterosexual drama stretched out:

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

Apropos of nothing (totally apropos of something), if you accuse a fan of being a racist, sexist, bigot for liking a fictional character then you just suck. Like objectively you suck.

You misuse real concepts and issues such as fandom racism because you can't stand how other people are having fun with their blorbo.

You post hate in the tags all because someone is interpreting a character differently than you.

You accuse fans of not analyzing a show properly when your own analysis has the depth of a slotted spoon.

Fandom is supposed to be a fun hobby in which a variety of people play with and engage with the text in different ways. We're not all going to agree or even like what the other does. And that's the point.

But if you can't handle that, then at least do the courtesy of not using fan specific tags and stay in your lane.

Stop spreading hate and malicious lies and recognize the harm you're causing.

(and remember: you're not a fucking activist just because you enjoy a show the "correct" way. Go out and do some canvassing if you really want to make change instead of being cringy on Tumblr Dot Com)

[sixhours]

🎁 My 2024 Fanfic Wrapped 🎁

I thought I'd put together a little celebration of the writing I've done this year in the form of...stats! My genuine love for and enjoyment of fandom can't be quantified; numbers are just numbers. But I'm a former math geek at heart and I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished this year. Maybe you're proud of what you've done this year, too.

Here's the template if you want to share your 2024 fanfic highlights! Feel free to adapt this to your needs. <3

Most of these can be found on your AO3 Statistics page. I'll tag some folks in the comments!

[sad-endings-suck]

“ew no, 😫 i hate that ship!”

okay?? so go cry about it. tf you want from me?

[thedissonantverses]

Saying that Veilguard is belittling to the Dalish is…interesting. I’ve been told by some people they prefer that “messier” world building of the older games. Like the Dalish are getting their land back but that’s not good enough cause we didn’t see more poverty and slavery. This isn’t a solution “real” fans wanted. They wanted an elf war. I’d rather not be a real fan most days.

It’s interesting because we got a great look at their culture and having a positive but nuanced relationship to it through Bellara. Or the more challenging but still equally nuanced take with Davrin and his relationship to his clan. Both Bellara and Davrin represent the past, present, and future of Thedas and reclaim parts of their heritage. Politically the elves are in the strongest place they’ve ever been and have an abolitionist archon in charge next door. The Veiljumpers, who represent elves of all types, stood up against their would-be oppressors and got their homeland back.

This is just my opinion so ya know take it or leave it but I’m glad that elves have such a bright future ahead of them for the first time. If people want the myopic, narrow view of the Dalish from previous games where they’re mostly written around being victims of humans and the Chantry….I mean to each their own…Real indigenous peoples are more than what colonialism did to them and it was fascinating as someone who enjoys history and lives with the omnipresent specter of colonialism to see this version of the elves. It’s good world building.

Oh and you’re never going to catch me mad the elves wisened up about Solas. Or didn’t follow the Evanuris. I’m like, so happy they’re smart enough not to throw in with the “gods” that enslaved and abandoned them to the Chantry for centuries. It was also way funnier the hyper nationalist stand-ins joined Elgar’nan. Springtime for Elgar’nan and Elvhenan am I right?

[guiltyasdave]

my own 2024 faves

i was tagged by the incredibly lovely @jolapeno to share some of my favorite things that i’ve made this year, so after talking at length about my faves that other people made, here’s me practicing a little self love :) thank you for this amazing idea babe!

see how to join the fun here!

thank you @wannab-urs @thundermartini & @tightjeansjavi for the tag as well <3

wildest dreams (dave york x reader, series, angst, smut & fluff)

every breath you take (dave york x reader, oneshot, dark)

the road not taken (dave york x reader, oneshot, angst & fluff)

let them feel (dave york x reader, oneshot, smut)

nights are so starry, blood moonlit (javier peña x reader, oneshot, smut)

delicate (modern!oberyn martell x reader, oneshot, smut & fluff)

peace (oberyn martell i guess you could call it a character study, oneshot, angst)

no pressure tags: @sizzlingcloudmentality @almostfoxglove @dancingtotuyo @wannab-urs @hauntedhowlett @cavillscurls @kiwisbell @alltheirdamn @mermaidgirl30 @evolnoomym @sp00kymulderr @ozarkthedog @javier-pena @javierpena-inatacvest but please please if you see this and want to share yours, consider this your tag!! <3

[tthelady]

I find people who say they want Childe to be "just some guy" really funny. If you even took a second to look at his lore, you would now he's not "just some guy", he's anything but that.

From the lore we have, we know that Childe caught the eye of the abyss and was swallowed by it and taken to the deepest and darkest part of it where he saw the endless possibilities of another knigdom. His presence woke up a primordial beast from its slumber, and it left its traces on him. He was trained by a "sinner" (Skirk). He has an abyssal transformation (Foul Legacy). He knows how to weild every weapon (except the bow, which he is learning right now). He is the only person we know of who experienced a time dilation while in the abyss. He beat multiple fatui men who were far older than him at 14. He became the youngest harbinger. He killed dragons. He's also the only playable character who doesn't have a vision story.

All of the things I have listed expect the primordial beast lore, is lore which we have known since he was released. The funnier thing is this just the surface of his lore. We only have just recently in Fontaine have started diving deeper into his lore. There's still so much more we need to know about him, theres still so many unanswered questions regarding him.

[the-way-astray]

i don’t want to name names but some people (alayda) deserve to be punted out of this fandom. we all need to collectively block these people (alayda) so that they can participate in fandom activities no longer

[dearweirdme]

We often talk about not being able to be a hundred percent sure on anything, but I don’t think that is true for me. There are certainly things I am sure about, and I think it’s possibly more than I at times fully realize myself. For instance, I am a hundred percent sure that Jk and Tae find each other attractive on a non platonic level. That does not automatically translate to them being in a relationship ofcourse, but when I do combine that with everything else.. it makes for a pretty solid base.

To me this is clear physical attraction from Tae’s side, and moreover.. I don’t think him sighing and ducking his head is to hide it, but rather resigning to not being able to act on it.

We hear all these arguments about them with girls, but I think it’s things like this, actual visible signs of attraction (and of other significant signs of closeness) that speak for there being more between Tae and Jk. And they don’t look at other members the same way, they don’t act the same with their close friends. And it’s not Tkkrs imagining things, had either of them been a woman and giving the same looks… we’d be having different discussions on here.

[youryurigoddess]

[writeraid]

Started a Moon Knight save on the Sims 4, for sillies and some stress relief and uh..this popped up less than five minutes after starting it. I'm actually going to cry. Like actually. wtf.

[sixhours]

tootin' myself in 2024

@jolapeno started this epic "tootathon" (hehe) so we can all brag ourselves up a li'l. Thanks for helping us spread the love, Jo. <3

I know the tag was for things I've made, but I'm gonna be a sap and say I'm proud of all the lovely people I've met through this fandom and the fun we've had this year. I'm not an outgoing person by nature, I tend to lurk and stay on the sidelines, but I went from reading fanfic by mind-blowingly talented writers to actually chatting with them and making friends and that's an amazing feeling. So thank you for sharing not just your work but yourselves and being so welcoming and kind to this fandom newb.

OK, mushy stuff aside, here are my favorite fanfics from this year, in the order they were written. I'll say I'm proud of every single fic I've written but these ones are my extra favorites (please don't tell the others, they're tender-hearted babies).

One Day at a Time - Knocked Up, but make it *post-apocalypse*. I just needed to imagine Joel holding a baby so I wrote a whole fic around that premise.

Walls of Glass - Ellie and Joel deal with the aftermath of Silver Lake as they overwinter in an old, small-town library. They even have a lil Christmas together.

Looking for the Light - Joel has a rough night with baby Sarah.

i know you by heart and who knows where the time goes - I'm including both because IKYBH Joel/Ezra captured my imagination and my heart, then the one-shot follow-up practically wrote itself and I love how it came together. I'm still writing for this universe in my head all. the. time.

haunting me - Joel is a ghost. Particularly proud of this one because it's a slightly different style from my other work, and I think I captured Joel's inner voice pretty well.

Tagging @oonajaeadira @hellfire-state-of-mind @evolnoomym @chronicallyonlinewriter @bumblepony and anyone else who wants to play, PLEASE SHARE, I want to see what you're most proud of this year. <3

[herrmannhalsteadproduction]

Big Brother is Watching You (and Giving You Kudos) - The Agents

So today, I posted a birthday fic for my lovely friend Jo and it was a sequel to this bit of insanity right here. Tommy's fanfic writing adventures continue in the sequel, but we also get to meet some new friends. Please welcome, from top to bottom: Agent Ortiz (Niko Pepaj), Agent Ogawa (Sonja Sohn), and Agent Olinsky (Joe Lo Truglio).

You can read about the fandom hijinks they get tangled up in here!

Read both fics here!

[peachjagiya]

Two guys - noted for being pleasant, kind and down to earth - having a friend is not a drama or unexpected.

Nor should that friend be harassed to also be friends with five other people they work with. That is insanity.

AND YET Army continues to try to ruin every moment Taehyung and Jungkook have as individuals.

Fed up with Army being so thankful and grateful for the oldest five but paying Tae and JK dust as if they owe Army the world.

Guessing they'll start harassing Taemin to collab with J-Hope. Any minute now, I'm assuming 👍

[azurecanary]

Interesting how the D20 Reddit conflates "critique" with "why wasn't this season written solely for me?"