I feel like people who dislike Zuko miss how important his character is, especially to IRL abuse victims. The journey from scared, angry, isolated and abused to confident, calm, loved and accepted while being handled almost perfectly in the context of his abuse is so underrated even while being hailed as one of the best redemption arcs of all time.
saw someone argue that the central defining feature of fanfiction is its attention to proper characterisation. man I don’t think you’ve read very much fanfiction
"no!!! (insert creepypasta character) wouldn't love or date you!!! they would kill you!! stop ruining the fandom!" WAH WAH WAHHHHH LET PEOPLE HAVE FUN!1!11!!! the fandom has always been silly like this although it was a bit toxic everyone was into self shipping and making OC's to insert themselves and have fun... I swear to god if I see another person talking about some "he/she would kill you irl" type of shit... YES!! WE KNOW!!!! AND WE DON'T GIVE A FUCK
i love people who write for underrated characters and fandoms. i love people who barely get 100 notes and keep posting. keep writing. keep doing what they love and not letting lack of interaction completely hinder their enjoyment on here. you’re strong. you’re valid. you’re literally the backbone of the writing community on here!!!!
It blows my mind how much credit we owe Misha Collins and the people who helped him bring the Love Confession to the screen for having some hand in the WWDITS Guillermo “im gay” coming out, the Good Omens kiss and OMFD kiss between the leads. Misha basically said to everyone including TV execs, “people want this, they want to see these relationships play out on screen, not just a couple market research individuals, there is a massive audience for these queer stories”. It’s not even funny how much he contributed to queer fandom and even more largely queer media. Props to this guy you can think what you want about him but I genuinely believe he caused waves with the confession.
To weigh in on the notes conversation, I think you have all let capitalism and grind culture rot your brain.
Fandom is a hobby not a job. It isn't unpaid labour. It isn't 'content'. It is creating for the joy it brings you. It's being so obsessed with something you feel the need to add to it or fix it or just immerse yourself in it. And that ebbs and flows, not just for the creators but for the appreciators too.
Whatever you create should fulfill you whether you chose to share it with others or not. The act of creating it is the whole point.
And that is not to say validation isn't lovely. When other people resonate with something you have made it is one of the best feelings. That is why you should talk to your favourite artists and writers and gif makers and whatever else. It's not about notes or about reach. It's about finding like minded people who enjoy things the same way that you do that you can torture with your creations.
STOP treating fanworks like products. This goes for the people making them and the people sharing them. That is what is ruining your enjoyment. Not the amount of notes you are getting.
I hate when people call Kyojuro weak for dying to Akaza.
It’s like “lol this 20-year-old human man got killed by the fourth most powerful demon on the planet that’s been gaining more power for thousands and thousands of years. Said 20-year-old man sustained what he was well aware was a fatal injury but he kept fighting up until his very last dying breath in order to ensure the survival of every other human there until the demon had no choice but to run away, which was very difficult for him to do because he punched the 20-year-old human man through the chest and the 20-year-old human man controlled his breathing so he literally trapped him there so the demon could not free his arm but yeah no the 20-year-old human man is such a loser for dying to that guy even though there were NO other casualties and he saved EVERYONE there”
Like shut up. Shut the fuck up do you hear yourself 😭
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you are allowed to have a favorite character out of a particular ship. You’re allowed to mostly focus on that character in any fics or art you create. You’re allowed to have a lesser understanding of their counterpart. You do not need to have every ounce of lore in order to ship them. Heck- you can even just like a ship for vibes.
Just because you love a ship doesn’t mean both characters are your absolute favorites. You’re allowed to relate more to one over the other. You’re allowed to make that other character your focus.