#how many cancel culture folks

[hillbillyoracle]

...

[pumpkinpaix]

Chapter Spotlight 8:

"'Censorship Made It Better': Anti-Fans and Purity Culture in English-Language Chen Qing Ling Fandom" by Abby Springman

Describe your topic/chapter in one sentence/one meme/140 characters.

Rejoice! MDZS has been cancelled!

What drew you to this topic?

When I got into CQL fandom and started lurking on its outskirts on Twitter, I started getting this weird sense of déjà vu. There was this bizarre similarity between the arguments I was seeing about the aspects of CQL/MDZS and their fandoms being "problematic" from a progressive, social justice point of view and the demands for censorship in American libraries that conservative groups were (and still are) making at an alarmingly increasing rate. In an attempt to make sense of this, I fell down what ended up being a really long rabbit hole, and, well, here we are.

Was there anything you were surprised to discover while researching?

I was surprised by the wide variety of fannish backgrounds found amongst members of English-language CQL fandom! I'm not used to seeing so many different "areas" of fandom intersect over a single piece of media like this. Some folks are primarily into the live action movies and TV shows side of things, some are mostly in bandom, some (like me) are traditionally a part of the anime, manga, and gaming contingent, etc. I think that's fascinating, honestly.

Did researching/writing your chapter change how you saw the text, the fandom, or the media? How so?

I didn't use the block button on Tumblr or Twitter for anyone in the fandom while I was working on my chapter. It definitely changed how I saw fandom on those platforms—literally. It really highlighted how much power social media algorithms have over what kind of content is presented to us front and center.

If there’s one thing you hope the fandom takes away from your article, what would it be?

I'll be thrilled if it makes people think about "problematic" content in less black-and-white terms. They don't have to necessarily agree with my conclusions! But if my words make even one person stop and think more about context before posting a reactionary comment, then that would be great.

If you were isekai-ed into MDZS/CQL, what sect affiliation would you choose and why?

The Lan. My existing skills are most likely to be applicable there (see: the library), it seems easy to find some peace and quiet when you need it, there are bunnies, and Hanguang-jun is there.

Chaotic one-sentence pitch to get your friends into MDZS/CQL?

My elevator pitch for CQL has historically been, "It's the adaptation of a book about a gay necromancer, except they can't actually show the gay romance or the zombies on screen."

What is one (1) book/media you would recommend to a MDZS/CQL fan? Tell us about it.

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling. It's probably the most accessible collection of Chinese stories of the supernatural available in English. If MDZS/CQL was your first exposure to traditional Chinese cultural beliefs about ghosts, exorcisms, and the like, this is a great introduction to the less xianxia-specific aspects. If that isn't the case for you, I still highly recommend it on its own merits!

Character you keep getting in those "which MDZS/CQL character are you" quizzes?

Wen Ning

Anything to say to potential readers of the collection?

Thank you, and I'm sorry—no, that's a joke. More seriously, I really am thankful for anyone interested in the collection. It's the product of years of hard work by many people, and I'm sure there's an interesting chapter in there for everyone.

(FAQ) (all posts on Catching Chen Qing Ling)

[khaire-traveler]

As a devotee of Demeter, I sometimes feel that people only worship Persephone for the aesthetic.

I feel horrible for saying and thinking that but I can't help but feel that way. Certain pagans portray Persephone as some overpowered Mary Sue, downplaying the importance of her mother and sometimes even her husband.

I feel like people really ignore her as a agrarian deity. They claim to love her but feel the need to change everything about her - if you need to change her did you ever like her in the first place?

It honestly just feels like they're talking about a Wattpad main character instead of a religious figure at times it's so jarring to me. Imagine if someone on tiktok described their deity as a dark and daddy figure bad boy with piercings and then its literally just Jesus Christ.

And its not just Persephone, it's the whole pantheon! Some worshippers talk about the deities and their myths like characters and tropes from a telenovela. They are rarely treated like religious figures, they are more than just their myths.

Im sorry i just wanted a place to complain and see if i am not alone

---

Khaire, Nonny,

Honestly, I agree with this sentiment. I've seen this time and time again where Persephone, and many other deities, get "fandomized" which can be problematic for others, even if it's ok in that individual's practice. Sometimes it feels like our religion isn't taken seriously, even by the people who actively practice it, but I also understand that people have different forms of practicing that work better for them. It's frustrating, however, when Persephone is depicted as this Mary Sue characterization of her where she's seen as, like, super edgy, badass, and powerful in a really fandomized way. It comes across as this person using Persephone as an avenue of self-expression rather than worshipping who she actually is as a deity (not to say she's not badass or powerful, to clarify). While it's ok to use a deity as an avenue for self-expression in worship (some trans folk, for example, view Apollon as trans-masc, and it actively plays a role in their worship), it's a lot less ok when you're making this deity into a cartoonish characterization of themselves. The gods present themselves differently to people, but I don't know; I guess I find it far-fetched to believe that Persephone would present herself in this sort of way. I can't speak for her, obviously, but I just disagree with this interpretation of who she is as a deity - putting herself above others, hating her mom, being a rebellious "wild child". I think that, psychologically speaking, some people might just find comfort in this representation of her and see themselves in it which is likely why they gravitate towards it. It's fine to have that experience, but I STRONGLY encourage these people to actually read the myths about Persephone, do the research on how she was worshipped, and actively try to better understand where she actually came from as a deity because this isn't just a character in a show that you relate to; this is a goddess that you're trying to worship, no?

Some people finding more success in their practice with this representation doesn't negate the harm these misconceptions and misinformation can cause. I've met multiple people who believe that Persephone willingly fled to the Underworld to "escape" Demeter (which is untrue), and that is endlessly frustrating to me, especially due to the cultural importance of the Hymn to Demeter (the myth of Persephone being kidnapped). The gods are not their myths, in my experience, but their myths still hold a heavy importance in the way they were worshipped in the past, and the way we worship them in the present. Demonizing an entire deity is the equivalent of trying to cancel a constellation of stars; it's pointless, extremely bizarre, and very "online" behavior.

But yeah, I think some people care more about the "character" than they do the deity, and I will say that confidently. I've met people who "ship" deities with each other, who make their experiences with deities sound - as you said - like a telenovela, and who actively spread harmful misinformation about deities in a way that legitimately disgusts and disturbs me. I've once had someone tell me that a deity [insert reprehensibly immoral act here] them, and to this day, I still cannot believe they said that to me when I was a beginner, just to dissuade me from worshipping that deity. The lengths some people will go to drag a deity is honestly both sad and ridiculous.

I wish some people took the religion more seriously in the sense that they didn't just make random shit up about deities, actively disrespect and disregard the culture the deities stem from, and demonize some deities while bolstering others. It shows a level of immaturity and indifference towards the culture these deities come from. It's not a fandom; it's a way of worship.

---

✨ Bonus round!! ✨

Some ridiculous things I've heard people say that sound like a fandom and/or telenovela (I will put the phrases in "" to express that these are things I've heard, not things I'm saying or believe in):

"Hermes and Aphrodite constantly gossip to each other about the other gods. No one fucks with Hermes because he knows everyone's dirty laundry."

"Ares is starting a revolution on Mount Olympus against Zeus to take the throne." (Yes, I have really heard this)

"Hermes is starting a revolution on Mount Olympus against Zeus to take the throne." (Yes, I have really heard this, too)

"XYZ deity has done [insert reprehensibly immoral and highly traumatic act here] to me."

"I caught XYZ deity cheating on their spouse in the astral realm, and I'm going to tell their spouse."

"The reason the gods haven't been communicating as much lately is because Hades ran away from Mount Olympus (?) and Hekate is going after him. Everyone is panicking a little bit."

"Zeus is such a playboy." (Bruh, do you really have beef with a thousands of years old god who came from an extremely patriarchal society? What, are you trying to cancel him?)

"Poseidon is such a playboy." (Now this take is wild; I don't really understand where it came from at all)

"Apollo is such an UwU 👉👈 shy boy! He's so cute and flustered all the time." (???)

"Persephone has a lot of emotional trauma from Demeter, who was extremely controlling." (No. No for so, so many reasons.)

"Apollo is a himbo."

People say the darnedest things. You really have to wonder what possesses someone to talk about religious figures in such a way, but you know what, if it works for their practice, then good for them. I'm not a big fan of the fandomization of the gods, and I definitely agree with you, Nonny. I won't say these people don't love these deities, but I can understand where you're coming from. It feels like they love the deities in an obsessive fan type of way sometimes, but that's not for me to say, really.

[bengiyo]

Love in the Big City Part 1: It's Gay

We’ve finally made it to the Love in the Big City TV adaptation. Despite all the drama going on around this show’s release, we got the whole show at once. We won’t get canceled midway through. Though I hoped for a global weekly release schedule, I understand the decisions that led to dropping the whole thing at once. Thankfully, Nam Yoon Su is so charismatic as Go Yeong, and I have much to say about how this show doesn’t hate BL, has great regard for the humanity of its characters, and so far is one of the better adaptations I’ve experienced in my life. 

Nam Yoon Su’s Go Yeong

I just want to state plainly that I love how queer Go Yeong feels in this show. I love his pissy little expressions. I love his frustration and anger at gross straight men. I love his gay little run. I love his dancing in the street to girl pop artists. I love him making out with men in public. 

I loved opening with Yeong in the midst of a new fling and openly having lots of sex before the military boyfriend came back home. I loved Yeong ending things before later going to a club to seek new partners. We haven’t had that in so long, with Queer as Folk being the biggest cultural memory for many. 

More than anything, I love how lonely he felt. Many others have noted it in the tag, and I think that’s the part that resonates when something feels queer for a lot of us. It was notable that they brought Yeong’s friends forward this time, which gives us insight into the shallow nature of most of his relationships. His connection to them is through the club, music, and boys. Go Yeong keeps everyone at a distance. It’s the hardest part about being queer sometimes. You try to connect with others, but something always seems to come up to prevent that closeness. 

Kim Nam-Gyu

I think casting Kwon Hyuk as Kim Nam Gyu was such an excellent decision. He previously played my man Jong Chan in The New Employee, and it feels like a nod from this production that they are not opposed to BL. BL is a drama full of romance tropes and huge optimism about relationships, and they cast the actor who played my favorite version of the ideal man in a way that showed empathy for his lonely, quiet nature. Casting Kwon Hyuk feels like a tactful way for this show to say, “We’re not BL, and we respect the work others are doing.” The New Employee was directed by a Korean gay activist, and I love this show giving K-BL a polite nod.

Nam Gyu is a quiet gay. As one myself, I get a lot of what I saw in Nam Gyu. He takes pictures of hot models because it’s a socially acceptable way for him to be close to hot men. He leaps at the chance to be with Go Yeong, and speed runs the intimacy route. He missed that he was smothering Go Yeong, and I think it’s because it’s clear he lacks friends.

I feel so sad for Nam Gyu, because it’s clear he overinvested in his relationship with Go Yeong. He was so ready to give Go Yeong everything, but it was way too much for a club gay. Despite all the ways he rushed in (like a fool), he was otherwise so safe in his life. He stayed in the lines everywhere, and it’s so tragic that he died while speeding. 

I thought a lot about the lack of Kylie in this section and the health scare, and it adds a layer to the situation with Nam Gyu as @twig-tea pointed out in one of our conversations that Go Yeong asked how he died because he might already know his status. Did Go Yeong wonder if he’d infected Nam Gyu? It also makes me wonder about the sex we didn’t see with Nam Gyu and IG guy. 

Finally, the empty funeral hurts me to my core. This man was so decent, and no one was there to see him off. I am still thinking about how all of the breakups mirrored each other in this section.

Choi Mi Ae

I think @lurkingshan already covered Mi Ae in this adaptation very well. I’ve been thinking about her for a few days, and I’ve decided that I like that we get to see more of her outside of Yeong’s POV in the show. We can see how her circumstances rattled her, and how it was clear that she couldn’t make it on her own long term. 

I get her taking the cushy job. I get her finding a nice enough guy who didn’t want kids. I get her choosing to protect herself when cornered. The most tragic thing about her outing of Yeong is that she told the truth and it only seemed to make things worse. Jonho could never understand the solace she and Go Yeong found in each other, and he was not ready to ever hear the truth of Mi Ae’s life. 

I feel more sympathy for Mi Ae in this version because we can see that their relationship meant so much to her. Learning that he actually went on to become a writer touched her because it feels like he’ll immortalize a time in their lives that was mutually important to them. It also means that one of them may not have to settle for the choices available to them. The singing at the wedding hits so painfully here because it’s the last fun memory these two will ever have. Yeong goes back to the apartment Mi Ae left for him to eat the last of their blueberries, and that’s the last we’ll see of her.

Final Thoughts

I’m so relieved that we have book club discussion again. I’ll be reading and reblogging people’s posts, and I’m looking forward to the next part to see how Hyung fits into the show’s narrative. This adaptation has been so beautiful so far, and it’s been really great to see how the show has softened some of its edges by putting us in third person perspective. We are giving room to understand Mi Ae, Nam Gyu, and the T-aras by not seeing them exclusively through Yeong’s eyes.

[radfemsiren]

(This is about racist TikTok drama, just a heads up if you don’t care about gossip topics lol )

Y’know , I talk a lot about how white-guilt ridden liberals shut down valid criticism of any non white patriarchal society, esp middle eastern, but it’s not just them.

So many people sabotage these conversations, and it’s always racism against Arab people that I find at the root of this problem. It’s esp bad with non middle eastern Muslims that will go to the ends of the world to defend a culture they are not a part of. It’s pure entitlement to speak over members of a race or ethnicity about their own culture. This specific tiktoker is a prime example: layloqasim

There was an Egyptian tiktoker with a small account that spoke about his experience visiting rural Egyptian communities. He didn’t like how these rural folks would refer to women not by their name, but only by their fathers or husbands name (daughter of, wife of). He found it clearly misogynistic, which it was. He was also a tiny account, less than 50k followers.

Here comes Laylo, a Somali woman, not Arab, not Egyptian, not even North African, who attacked him. She got him cancelled and he had to issue out an apology for “Islamophobia” and “racism”. She canceled him for critiquing his own culture.

The entitlement is insane, I can’t stand when people conflate race and religion, esp. because it breeds entitled and ignorant people like her to speak over us. And get this, this was the same time she was getting mad at TikTok for not sending her as much influencer shit as white influencers, saying TikTok was racist and white creators were benefitting from racism. Girl! You’re benefiting from racism too, it’s just people are so ignorant they can’t tell the difference between a Muslim and an Arab so you can treat us however you like 😭

She’s so annoying lol, shes like the poster child of toxic Muslim TikTok

[monstersinthecosmos]

I know you probably don’t want to dwell on the show and the negative but I absolutely hate what has happened on here and how hateful people are in the VC fandom it’s just very demoralizing and makes me want to retreat from anything besides the books completely. The discourse was spicy before the show but everything is just even more divisive now and it has sucked the fun out of it. Not really an ask more of a vent sorry

Hi there!

You’re correct that I don’t particularly find it fun to dwell on the negative stuff – as you said yourself, SOMETIMES THE DISCOURSE SUCKS THE FUN OUT OF IT. But I do understand how you feel and I want to say a couple things and I hope this helps you find a groove.

First of all, I did my best not to acknowledge it too much because I didn’t want to validate the folks who were being cunts to me lol, but please know that this fandom (at least on Tumblr) has ALWAYS been kinda fucking violent towards me LOL. I started VC tumbling back in 2016 and it’s ALWAYS been a fucking trash fire. It is hard out there for Marius stans lmfao.

Like, when I was first posting on Tumblr and acclimating to the Tumblr culture it was so much of like, me feeling brave enough to share meta only for someone to be RB’ing me to tell me I’m wrong, or me talking about how much I liked something about Marius only for someone to vague me, or it was me hosting the huge fandom Discord back in 2017 only for people to then come on tumblr and complain about how the Discord was way too Marius Friendly as if like, a drama-free space where we can discuss the books makes it a harbor for predators.

Of course I also had the gaggle of fucking morons who were constantly stalking me, catfishing their way into my servers to try to take screenshots and write call outs and cancel me, who would not stop preaching about how “all these big blogs” are “actually such terrible people” because “look at the things they ship” even when I’d never been unkind to them, even occasionally donated to their GFMs. These are folks who think they’re morally in the right for protecting the virtue of Armand’s poor teenage asshole and executed this justice by stalking and harassing an ACTUAL PERSON LOL. Like, listen. I’m sorry to burst ur bubble, but Armand doesn’t exist. He’s letters on a paper. I’m actually a real person and you’re up my fucking ass because I don’t’ even fucking know why, you’re jealous of my fucking Tumblr engagement or something? Which one of us is actually the creep here lol?? Is this a race to the bottom to be the valedictorian of clown school on the website for homeschooled clowns?

I’ve also had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of acephobic discourse, being told I don’t do enough to protect every individual in fandom from their own bullies as if it's my job to do that, being called ableist for how I wrote Daniel in my fics even though I was projecting and discussing my own personal experiences – I’ve also had a project collaborator have a tantrum and try to steal my work until I had to threaten with legal action, I’ve been put on block lists, I’ve had many people consume my fics in secret without actually leaving comments because I’m too toxic for them to communicate with in public.

BLAH BLAH BLAH.

This was all before AMC showed up LMFAO. It was not easy for me! It’s still not always easy!

And so yeah like, by nature of the fandom EXPLODING we are going to see more drama. More people is more drama. The nature of the discourse often hedges into real life issues that people are very opinionated and passionate about and there are conflicting needs inside the same space about how to hold conversations. Even just the other day I RB’d a joke about Anne Rice and OP got upset with me because they didn’t want actual fans interacting with it. Whoops! I didn’t know! I just thought it was funny. ;.;  

Even in good faith and with the best of intentions we’re going to step on each other’s toes, and we’re gonna find people we don’t vibe with. And that’s normal and it’s fine.

What ISN’T normal is this inability to disengage that I think we see often in online space, and I don’t want to get into a whole side essay about all the reasons why I think that happens. But sometimes you gotta be the bigger person and take it on the chin.

Like, yeah, it sucks. It sucks the fun out of the room when you share a space with such bitter people who can’t be kind to each other. But like. THAT’S A THEM PROBLEM, YOU KNOW? And I think we gotta remember that sometimes people like that do it for the attention or the spike of dopamine when they can pick a fight and honestly like, you don’t need to waste YOUR OWN time on it, but you’re also doing that person a kindness if you don’t enable the bad behavior.

And it sucks that Tumblr’s mute tools are awful!!!!! It would make navigating so much easier to be able to curate the dash a little better and keep the bad actors out of your space. I sometimes just fuck off and don’t even come online for days if I know I’m not in a good headspace and won’t have the strength to just fucking ignore it, because sometimes drama catches my eye and I get nosy and go down the rabbit hole, too – having ADHD makes it really hard to avoid sometimes LOL – but like I try to be reasonable and love myself enough to avoid it when I can help it. I’m not willing to make my own problems everyone else’s problem, and I hope that some of these shit starters in fandom will get there, themselves.

So yeah it blows when the vibes are fucking atrocious, and it REALLY blows when it’s a fandom this small where you can’t avoid it. Even when it’s a vocal minority it really just kills the fucking mood.

BUT WHAT I WILL SAY.

Whenever I say shit like “write what you want to read” and we’re talking about fanfic, or even meta or even silly headcanon posts or jokes, that also means draw what you want to see, it also means make what you want to hold, apply it to any creation you can think of. Put the thing you want to see into the world. And it counts for fandom, too.

I don’t want to be part of a fandom that’s constantly infighting and attacking people, so I don’t fight and attack people. I don’t want to be called a predator for being a Marius fan and so I don’t engage in posts that say as much, not even to argue, because I don’t want my followers (who might also be Marius fans!) to have to see that on their dash. I want us to protect our peace and create a space we want to be in.

Like I have a policy that any time someone says I’m a freak or any time I see truly godawful word salad discourse, I go out of my way to post something kinky and offputting about Marius LMFAOOOO  because I want to be surrounded by reasonable fun people who share my sensibility for fiction. AND SOMETIMES IT’S CRICKETS, AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD TO FIND YOUR PEOPLE. But at the end of the day I know I’m being my most sincere self and I’m trying to have a good time and just post fun things that I enjoy. And like, the book fandom is small as fuck and we’re all famished, but I think if more of us did that, we’d build a much more productive and tolerant space.

And for all the shit I’ve mentioned, all the drama and attacks and all the times people have harassed me or tried to make me feel small, you know what? I just got back from @apoptoses & @cup-of-lixx 's wedding and they met in VCblr! We spent all week with our VCblr friends! We all went to New Orleans together last Halloween !

When I used to work on ships it was like a fandom friend world tour! I had so many coffees in port with my vampire friends!

I’ve learned so much about writing from all the time I’ve spent here and the community of writer friends who supported me! There’s folks I met on VCblr that I talk to LITERALLY every day! They are such huge parts of my life and genuine life-long friends!!!!!!

Sometimes it seems like the ROI is garbage but like, so much of finding the joy is also learning to protect yourself from the negativity.

It IS out there. It DOES suck. And it’s lonely when you haven’t found your people yet. But fandom doesn’t have to be the 500 angry assholes arguing with each other about a fucking TV show, it can be your 3 besties in a private group chat having a great time.

Like I just drove @hekateinhell to the airport (met THROUGH TUMBLR!) and on the way back I was listening to an episode of Last Day and they were discussing the concept that “community is a life raft” and it hit me so hard man!!!!!!!!!!!

Find your people! Block the shit starters! Mute discourse buzzwords that you know are going to upset you!

Keep! Posting! What! You! Want! To! See!!

Fandom is self-generating, we can do this!

My inbox is always open and BELIEVE ME I have been motherfucking persona non grata in this place before and I know how rancid the vibe can be so please come talk any time it's grinding you down, I got you!!!!!!!!!!!!

[glompcat]

I am curious about the longevity of things like this:

For some context - the lesbian toaster joke originated on the sitcom Ellen during 1997's oh so famous The Puppy Episode. This is the big two part episode where both the sitcom character Ellen and the rl Ellen DeGeneres (who, of course, played the character) came out. It of course almost directly led to the show's cancellation and many years of blacklisting from work in Hollywood for the people involved with said episode.

In that episode the character Susan (played by Laura Dern, one of the people blacklisted for a time as a result of her involvement with The Puppy Episode), a lesbian Ellen had a crush on which caused her to admit her lesbianism, is at the end of the episode gifted a toaster. Susan is gifted the toaster by a character played by Melissa Etheridge after she brings Ellen in to sign the official coming out contracts and paperwork.

This was a play on a practice banks had at the time where they would gift people toasters when they opened a new account, but of course people have interpreted it in a ton of ways over the years especially as it become something of a community in joke.

The joke is sometimes that newly out lesbians get a new toaster as a welcome gift, or that the person who "turned" them gets the toaster. Regardless, I am wondering who had encountered any variation on this joke prior to engaging with this post as I really am curious how long things like this last as the pop culture moment they are referencing fade from memory.

Feel free to share in the tags if you can remember the context you first encountered the joke in. For example I remember reading a ton of Buffy fics where Tara getting a toaster during S4 was a very prevalent recurring thing.

[kdinjenzen]

on the same topic of "why no werewolf art"- as an artist who'd love to draw more werewolves and the FUN FUN THINGS, the teens breathing down necks to cancel any artist for drawing more than two people snuggling or kissing definetly don't help either, especially when one is a 'beast'

Here’s where I drop the fun-silliness entirely and start talking very seriously.

The idea that there is some sort of need or desire for a puritanical sanitation of art, of queer people, and of society as a whole propelled forward by certain people will ALWAYS be a fact of life.

This, unfortunately, is how so many marginalized groups have become policed in their own spaces.

You can easily see this, almost constantly, with people trying to force arbitrary rules upon queer labels. Labels that we, as queer people, have made for ourselves. And when these things “don’t fit perfectly in a societal box” they are torn apart and people get hurt.

There is no progress gained in these moments of infighting and they only serve to suffocate diversity and marginalized people as a whole.

It’s very much why the idea of “kink at pride” being a bad thing was tossed around and is now propelled forward by some people within the queer community because “if this is here, the cishet people won’t accept us”…

NEWS FLASH MY LOVELY DEARS, DARLINGS, AND DEGENERATES! The people who want to sanitize who you are as a person, and show no sign of learning to be a better human being, will NEVER accept you even IF you decide to bend the knee and give into their suspicious and ugly demands.

So while I said ALL THIS I’m going to also point out my post about “Why Is Bridget (Guilty Gear) SO Popular While Catalyst (Apex Legends) Is NOT” and here’s some VERY SIMILAR reasons as to why that happened:

While Guilty Gear, as a whole, is one of the most average to low selling fighting game franchises of all time. Strive was the first game in the entire series to break 1 million sales across all platforms. Which, if you know anything about game sales, is ABYSMALLY small in sales.

On the other hand Apex Legends has an active “average monthly player” count nearing 65 million, meaning people (by overall numbers) are FAR MORE ENGAGED in the Apex Legends fan base, game, and community.

Which means that Apex is far more popular than Guilty Gear, by sales, by players, and by active users.

Now I have always loved Guilty Gear AND have very much enjoyed my time with Apex Legends. But, again, numbers show Apex is more popular.

So with that said… don’t you think that it FAR more likely that Bridget is more popular than Catalyst because she’s “tiny and cute” and has decades of hyper fetishistic art and culture built around the fact that she was originally billed as “a little boy who cross dresses” until JUST recently and showcases just how much people infantilize trans people as a whole?

Meanwhile Catalyst, at launch compared to Bridget, is an actual adult woman who doesn’t lean into a “cutesy” stereotype or caricature of trans people and is actually portrayed AS TRANS and BY A TRANS PERSON… but is far less talked about or cared about?

Now add in the additional fact that so many white people also love to hyper fetishize AAPI culture and people, especially when it comes to Japanese culture and people? Of which Bridget also falls under because of where and by whom the game and character were originally designed and created by?

SO I ASK AGAIN…

What is stopping people from actively doing things that support queer culture and queer people? What is stopping people from actually supporting the various cultures of BIPOC folks without whitewashing or bastardizing it?

Nothing but self or societal imposed bullshit because “not adhering to the white cishet guidelines” set out in front of the world makes people afraid they will not be accepted.

And thus, marginalized people suffer and feel they cannot BE THEMSELVES while White CisHet folks profit off of the stories and suffering of diverse peoples.

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

Thank you for your reply! Once again I've written a ton - I've spent the last few weeks so curiously immersed in this. It's so interesting to discover all this later on, it feels a little like being a cultural anthropologist. 

On Louis' management/team and ineptitude. I wonder if some of this is because Louis seems to surround himself with more mates than business people? 

We know from AOTV that he's close with his band/team and doesn't see himself as above them (in contrast with Harry on Graham Norton admitting the band stays in a separate hotel). Say what you will about Ben Winston, Stringer, and Azoff, but they are shrewd and know what they are doing. 

Obviously Louis has suffered from personal setbacks, lack of confident, and clearly during the Walls era, sabotage from his own label and management. 

It's interesting to see how the others have succeeded/failed. I tend to think the recent example of Harry attending Niall's concert was for PR benefit (he's not touring and clearly the movie career was a debacle) more than anything. Niall was never a threat to Harry. It's surprising how successful he's become but his fan base skews older (there's a video of him interacting with a fan's sign saying her mom loves him) since they've marketed him a lot in the folk/adult contemporary genre. Also, while I think he's an opportunist, he's also genuinely been himself throughout everything - a little boring, uncomplicated, not controversial. 

Zayn was always the biggest threat to Harry - better looking, unarguably the best voice in the band, strong celebrity ties. Zayn struggled with his own insecurities, racism and islamophobia, personal setbacks, and also not having the kind of team Harry has. 

Liam also would be a threat - in the early days he and Harry are so similar. Similar haircut, sharing the solos, etc. Louis commented in the Guardian article about their shared stage presence. But management destroyed Liam by giving him too much responsibility, and his own addictions, demons, and poor choices did the rest. 

Because of Zayn and Liam's own struggles, and because of the undefinable nature of his relationship with Harry, Louis emerged as the greatest threat to Harry's career. I imagine that even if Louis was more confident in going solo in 2017-2020, even if his team was better and he wasn't with Sony/Syco in those years, he would've struggled against the HS machine. 

You've mentioned this before but Louis also traffics a lot in nostalgia. It's clear that the 1D days were so important and meaningful to him (he mentioned reminiscing on the phone with Liam in his tribute). He still sings the songs and talks openly about the band in interviews (although less so with FITF). It is worth noting that along with the band camaraderie he misses, those were the last years he had with his mom and sister. I can't imagine that those losses haven't shaped his opinion of that time period as well. 

I imagine, especially with possible 2025 releases of LT3 and HS4, we'll see a lot more 1D talk from all the band members in future interviews. As long as Zayn tours with his eloquent tribute, the investigation continues, and the media exploits grief and loss, Liam's death will loom large over all of them.

“Cultural anthropologist” made me laugh a little! Going through fandom lore is a little bit like sorting through mountains of ancient data— mostly expired and irrelevant, myths indistinguishable from fact. There’s no Rosetta Stone alas!

Just to clarify, I believe Harry showed up to Niall’s concert (the only one of his bandmates he ever attended) because Niall was playing at the Co-op that Harry co-owns. The Co-op opened after a lot of technical failures and delays this year, many cancellations of concerts. Even Harry’s mom was promoting the heck out of it.

My gut tells me that Matt Vines is not one for taking big risks. Besides Louis, his clients have niche audiences that are mostly built up from touring Europe. He isn’t familiar with the Asian markets, and is not comfortable pushing for expansion into the United States and Canada. I also doubt he has any trustworthy partners in Asia, so maybe this is why Louis’ Asia tour was cancelled with no explanation. I think Louis is canny enough to understand Matt’s nature and strategy. He appreciates that bigger managers and bigger labels often mean less attention paid to him … and more deception. There aren’t many managers who want to go head to head with Stringer/ Azoff etc., and Louis has already been there.

I also predict that for the first time since 2015, Harry will speak kindly and nostalgically about Liam Payne and One Direction to promote HS4, and will probably change the focus of one of his songs / maybe a single to dedicate to Liam. Again, I’ve been here a long time, I’m a realist, I know how Columbia Records marketing works. Harry might have a smidge of warm sentiment and a heck of a lot of guilt toward Liam, but he will find a way to market it. This is a man who marketed himself using BLM and feminism, and sold COVID t-shirts. In 2021, Harry went to Jeff Azoff’s LA wedding to debut his new director/ girlfriend when Los Angeles ICUs had run out of beds because so many people were so ill. Shame is not in Harry Styles’ vocabulary. But will it work for HS4? Of course. I suspect they’re only delaying the album for an optimum time to market him.

On the other hand, we will have to wait a while for Louis. I love that he may be working but it’s not a quick process.

I think Niall is essentially himself too— he is who he’s always been, the one with the guitar. We see him a bit more clearly these days.

[crackdaddycaine]

About the Leftöver Crack song “Shooticide” & its inspiration by Stza Crack

When I was 12, my step-father killed himself & the news was broken to me by an NYPD officer that was just inside of the apartment door when I got home from school. I was shocked, saddened & surprised. It felt like an ambush & they had no business being in our home. It was not a crime scene & was it the officers place to tell me this news when my mom was already there?

Growing up a block from Bellevue hospital, I saw police corruption, brutality & the victims of their violence up close all of the time & although I was “taught” that the police were there only to help us, as I grew, I soon learned to only loathe & fear them.

In 2014, with the public's access to video camera's on their smart-phones & with the advent & simplification of social media posting, holding police accountable for murdering people seemed to almost become a reality when news coverage momentarily shifted from the police departments “official” stories to the documented stories of civilian eye-witnesses. The evident & widespread abuse of police power & their flagrant lack of respect for human life started to trend until it was part of mainstream media & and unavoidable national conversation.

Then, all of a sudden, the "fad" waned, the media moved on to something else & nothing changed at all. Mandatory body cameras were either not worn or routinely shut off &/or "broken" at critical moments during confrontations with often unarmed black individuals many of whom were not even suspects in any crime.

With the botched “no-knock” raid that left Breonna Taylor murdered that March in Kentucky to the surfacing of footage of Sandra Bland’s arrest in Texas years earlier that led most people to the conclusion that she was murdered by the same police that had her detained illegally in a jail cell, by the time that George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, the people witnessing his mistreatment knew what to do & their film proved what most of us already knew, that the police were cruel & sadistic, but, as filming police violations became the norm & police started going on public trials for murder, the disturbing trend became more & more evident: the police were not only poorly trained & often racially motivated, but, time & time again, they explained that they were "scared". Now, this could seem like a "strategy" to get a police officer out of a murder charge, but, in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting & in light of the evacuations of their own precincts during national anti-police protests in major cities like Minneapolis & Seattle, even leaving behind guns, ammo & prisoners without food or water, a veritable checklist of state-irresponsibility, it became painfully obvious that police were very rarely "heroic" & almost always cowards.

Shooticide is about how the police in America have undermined their own authority by "outing" themselves as terrified of just about everything & that the farce of the slogan "to protect & serve" only applies to themselves & that 9 times out of 10, when they have their guns drawn, they are all pissing themselves in panic & afraid of their own shadows. Emptying their clips & their bladders simultaneously.

That's why "Defunding" the police is such an ill conceived idea (besides the fact that one vowel changed turns that slogan into “Defend the Police”, coincidence? Nobody’s that stupid, not even the cops), when these officers are so badly trained, less money means even less training. We believe that fundamentally, in its wide-spread corruption & systemic racism, policing needs to be abolished & people need to figure out a way to elect folks from their own communities to actually keep "the peace" instead of sowing chaos & fear through corruption & violence. The war on drugs needs to be suspended & condemned. And the judicial system needs to be reimagined & not as the even less equitable, zero tolerance of the cancel culture that is an essentially fascist style of moral policing that relies entirely on one person’s own testimony while ignoring any & all forensic evidence & the testimony of the only other witness present. Corruption & injustice collide with social media & the back lash of moral outrage & misinformation that used to set the dissenting & bigoted right apart from logical thinkers, but is now reserved for leftist activists in a political ruse to destroy us & our goals.

These are the themes in the song lyrics of “Shooticide”.

[fountainpenguin]

My brief reviews on movies I watched this week (Mostly Disney-Pixar):

Dug Days: Carl's Date (Short, not a movie) - Very cute. I liked the earlier Dug Days shorts and this one was no different. I like how Alpha Beta has a squeaky cow toy and is living his best life.

Very much enjoyed Dug telling Carl to bring his date a toy so she would wag her tail. And Carl turning Ellie's picture around on the mantle when he was embarrassed. And Carl practicing his small talk on Dug who doesn't get what's going on so he just sits at the table with his fancy hat saying things like "I like bugs" with the most serious expression and eye contact.

Elemental [2nd watch since release] - Enjoyable. I went in hoping this time I'd connect with Ember/Wade as a ship and tbh I still don't - I don't know why, they're just... there to me - but I greatly enjoy this movie for showing them working hard to figure out their relationship. I enjoy the look Wade gives his uncle when the microaggressions start coming out. King.

I think I'd enjoy this movie more if they didn't find a way to get around the touch issue? I know it was a big deal for them, and I know they have other elements of their cultures they can still explore with each other, but they seem to have fixed the issue easily and they're a pretty standard couple after that.

There's nothing wrong per se with the direction the movie went, but I would've loved an ending where they choose to date even knowing it means giving up hugs, kisses, and other touch-related intimacy. Just would've made my aspec heart happy and been really neat to explore.

Also, this time I realized the Fire folks are eating wood, not charcoal like I thought, so that's nice in case I ever want to write something about this show. I have many questions about Wade's life that are still unanswered (Sir, why did you have two airball tickets and who did you cancel with to give one to Ember? Sir, that's a big table and a lot of chairs for a guy living alone in his apartment), but I like this movie.

I like Wade's mom. I think she oversteps a little, but I like that for her because it's not too in your face, and she really is just trying to help. Movie hurts my eyes a little to watch directly, but I spent the week playing movies on my second screen while focused more on my first. Good watch. I cracked up when I got another look at Ember's bed and realized she doesn't have blankets because she doesn't get cold.

Lots of nice worldbuilding. I'd like to learn more about her trip with Wade to her internship as I assume they're sharing a room (and a bed?) on the ship for at least a week and there's so much potential for how nerve-wracking that would be for them when they're still trying to figure out how to not, y'know. vaporize each other with touch.

Luca [3rd watch since release?] - This is a really good movie and I like it. I don't have much to say; I think it does everything it's trying to do really well. Plot, emotions, and character work together nicely. This one hits hard.

I would really like to know if someone's written an AU where Luka doesn't run away and has to spend 2 seasons in the deep with his uncle. Lots of potential there.

Finding Dory [2nd watch since release] - It's neat. Again, I think it does what it's trying to do, though this one doesn't hit me like some others. Also Hank is a flippin' liar for saying he can't fit in a pipe, but I support him and his wrongs.

Years ago I tried writing a character with short-term memory loss (which would be the big reveal the reader didn't know unless they'd picked up on it), and it was very difficult. I think they do a good job moving Dory forward and showing her struggles, especially when she pleas for help and backs away from things because she doesn't have a caretaker with her.

And you can see Marlin struggling with his new life as Dory's caretaker, which is interesting. I would have liked to see more Nemo-Dory interaction since that was limited in the first movie. There are a few times Marlin says something ableist and Nemo calls him on it in defense of Dory, but it would've been really interesting to see Nemo call him on it and relate it to Nemo himself being disabled. That said, it's good that Marlin realized he was hurting Dory and not just "Oh, I hurt my son because I hurt Dory."

I'm still glad that Marlin and Dory don't flirt. Also, the Bailey-Destiny friendship is very cute and honestly it's so sweet that he offers to be her eyes if she escapes with him to the ocean. This is a movie about disability and it's super interesting. Literally most of the characters have a disability (Nemo's fin, Hank's tentacle, Dory's memory, Destiny's eyes, Bailey's sonar, etc.) and that's really cool.

Turning Red [2nd watch since release] - One of those movies that I'm glad exists, but I definitely don't connect with it since it's nothing like my experiences as a teen. That's okay though and I'm glad it's there for other people. It does second-hand embarrassment in the beginning really well.

When I first saw this movie, I thought it was entirely about Mei becoming a red panda when she's embarrassed, and I thought that was unique because that's an emotion never tied to shapeshifting in my memory. I still think it's disappointing that embarrassment goes out the window into "all emotions" early on, and then very quickly into "Nah, she can just control it without issue." Eh.

I think Elemental hits the vibes of carrying the weight of tradition a little harder for me, but I'm not sure I could put a reason into words, and it's worth noting I'm not the audience for Turning Red. I like the ending scene where Mei's father is wearing the cardboard costume that Mei used to wear- that one glimpse says so much. Yes, there was a solution to who would help out. Very nice.

Soul [3rd watch since release?] - Always a good watch. It's very enjoyable with some clever twists, great humor, and spooky moments. I like it a lot.

Still surprises me that the only time 22 is addressed with gendered pronouns, it's near the end of this nearly 2-hour movie and it's only like, twice. Despite being asked why she uses a woman's voice, I didn't really see her with a gender on my first watch and I remember it really caught me off guard when they revealed so late that she uses she/her. idk why they didn't just go all the way without gendering her, especially when she hasn't been born yet and has no body, but okay.

Raya and the Lost Dragon [2nd watch since release] - There's some neat lore here, but the tone and jokes don't fit well for me. This movie definitely gives me the vibe of someone who very badly wanted to see "hot girls fighting" and made it their mission to do so, but maybe that's just me. seriously why so many fight scenes between Namaari and Raya when they're unarmored especially when their main bonding moment was that they prefer weapons over hand to hand, it just seems so impractical sldkfj

Kind of confused as to what the droon are since they're clearly not eating people. Why do the statues make a cupped bowl pose with their hands? I'm curious to know if this is just symbolism for the rain at the end of if it's a symbol for something I'm not familiar with.

I kind of wish Raya had more of a relationship with Namaari in the beginning, like if they'd grown up together, because Raya REALLY holds a grudge about Namaari betraying her despite the fact that, like... they knew each other for about 10 minutes. The baby's definitely not one of my favorite characters, but I like Boon. Obsessed with his commitment to selling food.

This is a movie that I don't love, but I do love the climactic scene because it hits brutally hard and plays with something I've never seen another piece of media play with, and I think that's super cool.

I think I'd be more interested in seeing a story about what life is like during these hard times rather than saving the world, which... isn't really something a movie would follow, but that's why we have fanfics. I like Namaari's relationship with her mom. I think I missed how her mom turned to stone because I didn't see any droon make a move for her? Did that happen 5 seconds after the canals were drained? Might've missed it.

I'd love to see this kind of concept (people turned to stone in a desert), but set it up so people are revived by dunking them in water and there's no easy access to water, so all you have is a small amount that you can rub on their lips or eyes so they can briefly see or talk to you before falling into corruption again. It wouldn't work well with the Raya plot, but I think that's sad- Little glimpses of hope, but then you slip away again. I might play with this kind of idea in some other magic system.

Frozen II - Not really what I expected? I liked the girls' dresses towards the end and I appreciated her continued naivety. Fascinated by Elsa's decision to move to a culture she knows nothing about, especially after showing the kingdom she can protect them from natural disastesr that might happen again.

Absolutely on the floor over the fact Kristoff spends the whole movie as a sexy lamp. There's a huge chunk of the time in the middle he's not onscreen at all. Yes, king, give us nothing!!!

10/10 hilarity in one of Anna's opening lines to this movie being "Who backstabs you after you give them a gift?" 5 minutes after watching Raya.

Big Hero 6 [2nd watch since release] - I'm not the audience for superhero movies so it's a bit meh to me, but I do think it's hilarious that Hiro upgrades his friends to superheroes because....... he just thinks it would be cool? If you went into this movie not knowing it's about superheroes, it comes out of nowhere and that's so flippin' funny. The scene where Wasabi stops at a red light during a car chase is always a good laugh.

Thoughts I had: "Hiro is so ready to put construction companies out of business and everyone in the crowd is okay with it" / "TADASHI how are you this smart and yet you still don't know that breathing in toxic gas will kill you? Did no one teach you why you don't run into a burning building without a suit?" / "Were there really that few people who died in the fire or is the person making the memorial doing it only for people they care about? That wasn't a long evacuation."

I don't really get the justification for them becoming superheroes in the end, like... I don't know who they're fighting? They just kind of do parkour? But good for them.

Baymax! Shorts - Pretty cute; I especially enjoyed Mbita developing a fish allergy while running a restaurant called Just Fish Soup. Devastating. I like how in the finale, you can see he changed the name to Smorgusbus.

Also I personally liked when Hiro went looking for Baymax's recent patients and that girl tells him he helped her with her period and Hiro doesn't think it's gross. Baymax's point in helping her was that it's natural and she shouldn't worry people will think she's gross for having one, so I'm glad Hiro didn't react badly to her.

Baymax's battery really does not give him enough warning to plug himself in if he can't even walk to the wall. I really thought that cat was going to plug Baymax in when he passed out, but it didn't... brutal. This cat has enough dexterity to make complex sculptures and I really thought it would help him but it left him there? Fantastic. No notes.

Strange World - Not one of my favorites and probably won't watch again, but interesting. I don't really have anything to say about it. Searcher and Meridian were cute; I really liked Mer'.

I wish Ethan's desire to live in harmony with creatures had been a little more pervasive, as it doesn't show up until late and doesn't really come up again. I don't think I understand what he's doing in the very last scene (I think he's gathering resources?)

"Interesting" and "Huh" are probably the words I'd use to describe this one.

100% Wolf - I didn't love it; emotions didn't hit right for me, MC was needlessly mean, plot twists a bit predictable, but it had some neat lore. I liked the housekeeper who isn't a werewolf. That makes so much sense. Absolutely wild to see the dog pound lady dancing while a human got sucked into the dog-killing machine.

Also I correctly identified Cripp as sharing his VA (Rhys Darby) with Neal the Eel from Carmen Sandiego (2019) and I thought that was funny.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Wow, this was a very loud opening sequence that switched into very quiet mumbling and the entire movie is like that.

Milo: /writes "coast of Ireland" on his whiteboard while talking about where he thinks Atlantis is.

Me: HY-BRASIL???

[It was not]

Very lively and interesting, detailed movie. I'd not seen it outside previews from VHSs or DVDs when I was a kid and I always wrote it off as "not interesting for me because it's about adults." Pretty cool to watch the snippets I remembered come together now that I'm an adult. Beautiful settings; I loved the cabin and bunks.

I really liked Helga. Set up with femme fatale vibes, out here making sure the crew eats healthy meals. A+ character. I have no questions.

One of my favorite tropes is forced proximity, especially when those involved have unique skills.

I'm a little surprised the Atlantean natives have such dark skin for living near Iceland before they went underground, as I thought skin tone was darker towards the equator. I remember reading recently about some exceptions, though I forgot what they were. I'll have to brush up on my knowledge for future worldbuilding projects.

Milo deep-diving with his glasses on... Sir? Also, what exactly is letting the plants bear fruit underground without the sun? The life force crystal can replace that too? Why are the clouds so low?

For a culture with ambiguous understanding of guns, I'm surprised how much the many, many Atlantean people held back when the item whose removal will literally kill them all was taken away from them. All of them against two guys and they didn't try to stop the Commander from driving off, even knowing they'd die anyway?

A lot more mechs than I expected and I don't think I understood a lot of what was going on with the magic or why. Not the biggest fan of how Milo/Kido is written; seems like they fell for each other after just an hour or so, but... guess it's only to be expected. I don't think I'll be watching the sequel.

Pocahontas II [2nd watch, 1st was maybe 8 to 10 years ago] - Intriguing to watch. I don't have much to say. I think they do disrespect and microaggressions well. Pocahontas calling them out is always funny. She's witty and I like that.

Also I thought it was funny when the king made a sexist remark and the scene cuts to the queen just looking at him sadly. Interesting to see how the length of some of these older movies differs from present-day Disney works.

It's SUPER interesting to see a sequel depict the MC falling in love with someone other than her love interest from the first movie, as that's not really something you see... ever, really. I wonder if this got a negative reaction when it came out and what the reaction would be for something like this in present day.

And whether it makes any difference to people considering that John Rolfe is who IRL Pocahontas married, though ofc this is a fictional interpretation of things.

I really like how John Rolfe was portrayed as being more understanding of Pocahontas whereas John Smith was still pushing at her to do things his way. Again, it's something I can see not going over well among those who don't like to see a character / main love interest with flaws, but this was an interesting movie to revisit.

Mulan II [2nd watch after many years] - It was nice to revisit this one. I remember not liking it much, but it's amusing to watch. Mushu's brutally selfish in this one, but that's in character. I still think it's funny that Mulan's dog is named Little Brother. I like the first song in this movie, but that's no surprise since I listen to it on occasion.

I dooooon't totally get why the princesses were so drastically against marrying "men they'd never met," yet immediately fell for men they hadn't even spoken to and were willing to marry them within 3 days?? That just seems too soon to know if you like someone? Gurls, these men got thrown of the matchmaking because they were self-absorbed and wanted women to fawn over them. please make sure you know what you're getting into.

Guards flirting with people they should strictly be platonic with and care for is one of my least favorite tropes, as doctor/patient is just so ingrained in me as an ethics violation :P That said, I think it works in some parts of this movie; I appreciate how the guards take the princesses to a town where they're interacting on equal playing field instead of while on duty. Yes, they were supposed to be on duty, but-

Okay, but... it just seems so unlikely for 6 people to fall for someone they've known for under a day, especially when the princesses are already engaged?? that's just so wild to me. The guards on like, Night 1 chatting that they think the princesses like them and I'm just holding my head like "Why would you ever think it's okay to flirt with them when you are literally on the road to their weddings and they haven't confessed their hesitations to marry the princes?" You are all soldiers; why can't you follow instructions? Ahhhh...

I did remember Mulan preparing to marry a prince in place of the princesses, but I forgot she thought Shang died, so that makes more sense than I remembered. All in all, nice to see again, but not one of my favorite romance stories.

Cars 3 - I went in not expecting much and I really liked it (Way more than Cars 2). I think more movies should showcase the struggle of accepting you've gotten old, actually. Every time an adult told Lightning that they grew up watching him race and he mentally bluescreened, I found it hilarious.

Lots of neat worldbuilding and details. I liked him struggling to learn to take naps and draft off other cars in a way he didn't need to when he was young. Very sweet movie. 10/10, would watch again and I look forward to Cars 4.

My one gripe is that Lightning doesn't look old so for most of the movie I thought people were exaggerating his age (I mean, he's in a sport and retirement age is lower there), and it's not until the end you really get the fact that oh, they weren't joking around with him- he is actually old... but I can forgive that since his job is to upkeep his appearance and he has a crew of people that do that for him.

I like how Lightning and Sally seem to be a couple, but they don't have kids even though baby cars and family lines are a thing in this world. Also I am dying to know how he fixed a broken trophy when he has no hands. I'm having some flashbacks...

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

since I wasn't a fan of Evan back in the day ,I'm kinda curious how the internet reacted when the DV incident happened?

to be honest, the only waves i ever saw were on websites like ohnotheydidnt and the gossip forums. everyone covered the arrest because of emma being emma, and it was a juicy story.. but it went nowhere. emma’s PR buried it and made it so that the topic was never broached once the dust settled. a joint statement was issued and everyone moved on. right around that time emma had done an interview where she alluded to like, being a public figure and possibly messing up, and i remember the timing of it did strike people as ironic because it was done just before news broke if i recall correctly. but it wasn’t really any different than now; tons of people made excuses and essentially turned a blind eye, like “oh it’s another toxic hollywood relationship”. things were also vastly different as far as the internet landscape, cancel culture, accountability, etc. and i do think things would be somewhat different today if it was a breaking story.

fan reaction was mixed. i think that the emvan train has always been manned by the “same” group of people. not literally, but just younger people who have no idea what they’re speaking on. back then we were all a decade plus younger and many immature folks simply romanticize(d) them with absolutely no regard for the seriousness of what happened.. all they saw was emma crying in evan’s arms and their statement that was a united front 🤷🏻‍♀️

[bison-appreciation-club]

wait how have you been hated on for liking Native American history??? That's so weird 😭😭

oh boyyyy do I have stories for this.

I've never received any online hate, for which I am extremely grateful, but people have been exceedingly weird about it in real life, ranging from bizarre to just plain racist. I can't remember all of it, so I'll just take you through the highlights.

My grandmother never quite knows how to introduce me to her friends (because she has a lot of friends and is quite the social butterfly) so she often introduces me as 'her grandchild, who knows a lot about Native American history'. Which isn't really true. I know a little (well, maybe more than a little) about a very specific area of Native American history. So most of the following things have come from my grandmother's friends.

Native Americans aren't actually American *smug face* they actually come from Nepal. *smug face again*. She seemed so pleased with herself to know something I didn't. And honestly I didn't know how to react. I think that one was more funny than anything. Why are you trying to out-knowledge someone sixty years younger than you. why.

*Accusingly* I suppose you hate Columbus, then. Yes. Yes I do

You're only interested just because you like the aesthetic the what now?

It's just because you're woke why do conservative people have to use the word woke so many times. hey, sorry folks, researching cultures different to your own is WOKE. Proper right-wing fellows are INSULAR. they don't CARE about the rest of the world.

You're disrespecting and abandoning your white heritage ok. Tbh if you consider yourself peak white heritage, I'm glad to be out of it. Seriously tho, how do you think race and nationality works? I can be white and interested in Native American history. The two don't cancel each other out.

Similar to that one, is my personal favourite:

You're committing cultural appropriation by being interested in Native American history. What. This was also said to me by some rando in a bookshop when I was buying a book on, well, guess what topic. I thought they were one of the staff at first, but looking back at it I think they were really Just Some Rando. Why would you say that to someone who is just trying to buy a book. You don't even know me. I don't want your opinion.

That one really worried me for a while, I'm gonna be honest. I had to send a particularly grovelling anon to some Native American I found on Tumblr. And they said it wasn't cultural appropriation. AND they gave me book recommendations. So yeah.

(PS I can't remember who you are, but if you see this, then you metaphorically saved my life and literally saved my dignity)

That's all the specific incidents I can remember, but there have been a lot of other things. Jokes, mostly. Quoting westerns. Speaking like the Native Americans from Peter Pan or some shit whenever I enter the room. I once had someone make those western style war cries at me for five hours.

Making fun of their names is a big one. (Guys, there are only so many times you can make fun of anyone's name, and that amount is zero. even if they're called some shit like techno mechanicus -looking at you, Elon Musk. I literally don't see what's so funny about the name Black Kettle anyway. Either I've been reading about him too much, but it's not a weird name?? Also. He got fucking murdered. I'm researching how he got murdered and you're taking the piss out of him. Get some respect and dignity).

Also. If I have to hear one more joke along the lines of 'did you ever have any reservations about studying this topic' I am going to wring your neck.

So uh I'm sorry I turned your question into a bit of a rant but if I've learned one thing it's this: researching non-white history really shows you people's hidden racism. The amount of shit people have said to me about the Native Americans. My guys your opinions belong in a Victorian dime novel about the frontier. And that's not a compliment.

[christmasintheloonybin]

saw this the other day on Instagram

which I found funny, so I started researching fascism in Iran and there were a few fascist movements! more than one! I found some great pictures and posted them here but promptly deleted because I don't want to get canceled again.

it's funny also how, like, even me as the understander and correct opinion haver, you get these ideas shoved down your throat long enough and it's weird to see Iranian fascists when really there is nothing weird about it at all. it makes perfect sense and it was happening all over Europe at the same time, same with communism, here's a new system, its brought about prosperity in these other countries, let's give it a try. because you have this idea that national socialism was about white power and also the idea that everyone in the middle east is like living in caves and they're all nutjob fundamentalists. both false.

it's interesting also that for some time in the middle east Arab socialism really won out. I'm curious about this stuff because I wonder if the success of an ideology, not just Arab socialism any ideology, can be attributed mostly to 1. the idea that some political systems just work with some groups of people, they line up with the culture and values of a people and so they're successful. for example, fascism could not succeed in Russia and never will, but communism was quite successful, and in China as well, where there is a lot of racial diversity, versus Ukraine or something which is more homogenous 2. the force behind the movement. how many powerful people are advocating for an idea, military involvement etc. 3. security, I feel as if most people, especially if they have become used to insecurity will align with whatever prevents harm being done to them actively. and so in this way everything is neutral, people really don't care they're not involved. for example, in Afghanistan there were a lot of shepherds and other rural people who were in support of the Taliban only because they provided some stability to the areas they controlled. in contrast to warlords or American soldiers or more recently ISIS who come to towns and destroy everything. and these shepherds are not fundamentalists at all. actually there is still a lot of folk practices done which are deeply un-Islamic, but they still support fundamentalism because it brings some peace to the area.

I definitely do think Arab socialism was the most natural thing to come out of the situation that existed. what else could have happened? and just to clarify, I am not talking about Iran, this is something people try to gotcha me on all the time, omg you said Arab but Iran is not an Arab country. I know, I'm not talking about Iran, fuck off.

[roo-bastmoon]

Reliable real-time translators

I speak some Japanese and very little French, but I know barely a word of Korean and I'm nosy... so when our boys do Lives, I like to try to follow along by using notifications on certain real-time Twitter translators whom I find to be reliable*.

I'm listing the real-time translator accounts I know of here in case anyone else finds it useful. Please also feel free to comment if you know of others--but read below for the types of accounts I cannot in good faith promote, okay?

SEL and also SEL but for WeVerse stuff

MIINIYOONGS

YOONSEO

KOO PICASSO

CLAIRE

CHARTS K

BANGTAN SUBS

Use this list at your own discretion.

*Please note: I am not a cancel-culture type of person. I'm a Gen Xer and I highly value independent critical thinking skills. I will never throw stones, nor do I typically grab a torch or pitchfork and go after someone in public.

If you're a fascist, racist, sexist, any kind of queerphobic, an anti, a manti, hate on a member, or are a rabid cult member, I will quietly report and block you and then just turn my attention to what I want out of life, not what I don't. (When I say anti, I'm also including people who post sasaeng-type content that endangers our members.)

But I do sometimes follow people I don't agree with, because I don't want to live in an echo chamber. I'm not out to police people--not their thoughts or ships or personal lives. I also allow for people to make mistakes and have flaws, because that's how humans learn, and it's especially commendable if they apologize and are working on changing.

You have to demonstrate to me the active will to lie or cause harm for me to completely reject you--and once I do that, we're done done. So please know, I am very, very careful about how I judge others. Because...

Why am I telling you this?

Because some of these translators post hurriedly and make mistakes, or they mishear, or they have to work or study and cannot always translate for all 7 members every hour of the day. Sometimes they just get it wrong. And I can absolutely forgive that. They are providing a free service, they always apologize for errors, and I know to do my due diligence and get translations from many sources, because Korean is nuanced and tonal and therefore open to some interpretation. Whenever there's a doubt, I ask a native Korean.

What I won't tolerate is a translator picking fights with native speakers, being rude to questioners, or skewing a translation in favor of their ship (or not-ship). Nor will I follow a translator who has hinted at disliking a member, no matter how far back in their past. That's where I draw my lines.

But some folks listed above may be problematic for you. That's cool. If you want to DM me with evidence of intentional wrongdoing, I will listen with an open mind and decide if I need to stop following them or listing them here. But so far, I've been following these folks for months--many of them have been systematically attacked by the cult specifically because they love Jimin or view Jikook positively. They get absolutely railroaded if they get a single phrase wrong and ratioed as antis or liars sometimes. And I'm sorry, but I know from working as an editor of translated novels back in the day, translation is HARD.

Please do your due diligence and police your own internet experience. I cannot judge for you what you find acceptable. There are big accounts that translate but also post hotel info and flight info and photos of the Tannies' homes and family and friends and vacations and rumors and if that sets right with you, that's your business. It's human to be curious and I'm not trying to be judgey, because I've honestly been curious about some of that stuff too, but that's not a loving way to be an ARMY and I'm not gonna promote those accounts.

I will say that in my experience, all humans are flawed, all money is dirty, and all life is about compromise. It's always good to ask people where they stand before making assumptions. Text errors I can forgive; malintent I cannot.

At the end of the day, people who translate with good intentions genuinely amaze me and have my respect.

It's totally fine by me if you don't agree. But don't bring drama to this post. People who bring drama will be forced to ride the drama llama, you hear?

Love, Roo

[magnoliamyrrh]

@73ghosts ya this is what i was going on abt, you're totally right!

the internet and the younger generations have just completely bastardized the concept of cultural appropriation. i believe it was originally developed in north america, and it was meant to critique the way in which dominant white culture would take elements from opressed cultures, without credit, claim them for themselves, and benefit off of them while still shaming said opressed culture.

ie black women were being shamed for their hairstyles which were seen as unprofessional/dirty/weird/etc and have historically been banned by white americans as a way to dehumanize africans and rupture them from an important and even spiritual part of their african heritige, but when white models would do it for modeling agencies it was cool and trendy all the sudden and they'd make money off of it. in general white dominated media&companies talking black culture and claiming it for themselves with 0 credit and making millions. another well known one, native american hollowen costumes, which turn someones sacred culture that they faught to keep alive into a stereotyped costume. another example closer to home which still makes sense would be big western clothing agencies very clearly taking designs from romanian folk clothes, and with 0 credit remaking them, branding them as african clothing, and selling them for hundreds - while much poorer peasants who make them and romanians in general get 0 credit or benefit or exposure, and while also managing to appropriate/use the "exotic" perception of africans at the same time as well

this makes sense. in a system of racial supremecy, in a country known for an incredibly ridgid racial hierarchy and harsh history, it totally makes sense as a critique and it is an important one. cultural appropriation was about taking someones culture in this hierarchy, using it to your own benefit with 0/little to no credit, while still hating said culture

this. is different from normal day to day cultural exhange. this is different from people willingly sharing their culture with others, as well as the very natural blend of cultures, ideas, customs, etc which happen when people live together for prolonged periods of time - something seen everywhere, absolutely everywhere in the old world and the indigenous americas, and frankly in the current western world as well. this is also different from cultural appreciation, a concept which seems to no longer exist frankly. its funny frankly how many times western people will be getting pissed off that someone buys clothes from another culture and wears them bc they genuinely like them, without claiming it for themselves, while people from said culture who still live in said country will say "actually we think its cool people like our clothes/things so much they want to wear them :) and its cool that theyre exposing others to our culture bc they think its beautiful :) stop being offended"

cultures are fluid, as you said. there is no such thing as pure culture, Very few things belong in actuality to one completely separate culture and group, and it is very, very normal and basically unavoidable that humans exhange culture with each other. its normal that people get influenced by the people they live around, their friends, the country they may migrate too, that trade brings parts of cultures to other places. its literally the most normal thing and weve been doing it for forever

the current-day understanding of cultural appropriation has just been bastardized to such an extent that its no longer about critiquing what it actually was, its no longer an important point of analysis and self awareness, its been taken to a ridiculous degree of performative wokeness and endless western offense about everything on this planet. the idea that Ever in Any context in Any way blending or exhanging or etc cultures is cultural appropriation, means we should twitter cancel all of humankind on this planet, for all of history in actuality. its unrealistic and useless and stupid frankly

and yea, the food thing is ridiculous. or "listening to music from other cultures is appropriation" or ive talked abt this on here before, me bringing my american ex to romania, willingly sharing my culture with her, and being asked several times by her if shes not actually appropriating my culture and its not okay,,,, like,, girl..... idk another common example someone having a cultural wedding, Asking the guests of all ethnicites to dress a certain way and participate, and the internet losing its mind. or americans seeing ppl wear/do their OWN cultuture but bc theyre so closed minded and dont know shit they get offended at them bc they think their appropriating some other culture who soley has ownership i guess (the evil eye charm thing is like, an actual common point of offense, and its so stupid bc like half the planet has had it for like hundreds of years. ive seen balkan ppl latin ppl arab ppl and others all complain abt getting this by now usually from some white american lmao rip)

we are living in an increasingly multicultural world. the last possible thing we should be doing, as far as im concerned, is all closing ourselves off from each other, never sharing anything, never exposing ourselves to anything else, and pretending we all exist in neat little separate groups with no relation to each other whatsoever. getting offended over every possible similarity but prepetually disecting all the ways were different. this..,,,, helps absolutely noone as far as i can see