#i'm just talking about community in a larger sense like it's okay if you feel better without one despite the norms surrounding it

[novadreii]

the man-hating i let myself indulge in online as a form of therapy these last few months, while well-deserved, tended to direct me to circles where the women are also flaming pieces of human garbage who would do society a great service by jumping off the nearest bridge. conclusion: all humans suck, i should trust what my gut has been telling me very nearly since birth and stay the fuck away from them all.

[alltimefail-sims]

I thought what you said about using Granite Falls as part of your Moonwood Mood storytelling was an neat idea. I would be interested to hear more about that!

Sorry it took me a minute to type up the response to this ask; I would absolutely LOVE to expand on this, thank you so much for asking!! I will warn you that this ended up being quite a longwinded explanation of my personal Werewolf world lore, so I'm sorry about that in advance! 🙈😂

Let’s get into it! ↓

I've talked about how I don't treat sim worlds as isolated entities in the past, but I've never gotten deep into that - I'll start there so my Moonwood lore makes sense!

Basically, I see Granite Falls as a location within Moonwood Mill. To go one step further, I actually don't even see Moonwood Mill as its own isolated "world" but rather as a small town within a bigger city within a bigger state within a country and so on. Think of Granite Falls as a large property within Moonwood Mill, and Moonwood Mill as an industrial, dying small town that is within driving distance to its larger city counterpart Evergreen Harbor, and all of these places exist in the same state. For me, the states these worlds are a part of are usually real-life states! Of course not all the worlds feel "American" to me (Selvadorada, Tomorang, Mt. Komerebi being perfect examples) but the ones that do usually get categorized this way in my mind.

For example: San Sequoia and Del Sol Valley are the easiest and most widely accepted representation of this idea. I treat both of these "worlds" as large, neighboring cities that exist within the same state, much like their assumed real-world counterparts Los Angeles and San Francisco which both reside in California. Another example is San Myshuno which I've seen a lot of players think of in the same way they see New York City, which resides in New York State. Moonwood Mill, Granite Falls, and Evergreen Harbor all function this way in my mind and would all share the same state! (I'm not a geography whiz, so I've never given it much though which irl state they would be a part of, but with the greenery, industrial, and dreary/rainy vibes my money would be on Washington or, alternatively, I personally see them being in a state that falls somewhere in the Appalachian area, like West Virginia!)

Okay, that's the long explanation I had to get out of the way before I jump into this next lore part... sorry! I'm getting to the good stuff now though, I promise!

Granite Falls and Moonwood Mill are on an even smaller scale than the San Sequoia/Del Sol Valley relationship, in my opinion. To me, Granite Falls feels like a national park or forest/nature preserve that surrounds Moonwood Mill and therefore ultimately falls under their jurisdiction. HOWEVER, the primary caretakers of Granite Falls are technically an independent commune... better known as "The Moonwood Collective."

I don't think there's enough room in the town center of Moonwood Mill to accommodate two whole wolf packs AND the handful of human locals that remain. Additionally, when you take into consideration the canon growing tension between these two packs and their various different ways of life, I have a hard time seeing them effectively coexisting in such close proximity. Besides that, Modern Moonwood Mill in its broken down, industrial, haphazard state suits the Wildfangs more than The Moonwood Collective - I can see the influence that the Wildfangs have had on the area, but where is The Collective's influence? Even the layout of Moonwood Mill and the lots which are located within walking distance of the rowdy dive bar screams Wildfang energy to me.

We also know that The Collective is much older than the Wildfangs, as it was formed back when Moonwood Mill was just beginning to have settlers and refugees who were fleeing from conflict (the big magical war between spellcasters/vampires/werewolves). Referred to only as "Moonwood" back then due to the area's obvious connection to the moon's energy, the founders of the town established The Collective - in the sims lore, it seems to imply that The Collective is the first pack of its kind to organize werewolves into a hierarchal structure with the goal of encouraging self-sustainability, diplomatic communication, and communal contribution within its wolf members. In my mind, I've always seen The Collective as people who reject societal comforts and embrace naturalism, self-discipline/emotional control, herbalism and holistic medicine practices, minimalist living, homesteading, community caretaking, things of that nature... and there really isn't anywhere in Moonwood Mill specifically that conveys that kind of influence. Granite Falls, however, sure feels magical with its sprawling plantlife and natural oddities... that is a place that could support their lifestyle!

If you look at the maps of these two places, it isn't hard to imagine Granite Falls as the wooded area close to the Moonwood Lunvik Lake, the spot where werewolves can "awaken the wolf" if they swim there during a full moon, because Granite falls is surrounded by various bodies of water AND mountain structures on it's right side... just like the mountain structures and woods that frame Moonwood Mill in the upper left hand of its map! Let me give you two shitty graphics I made to help illustrate what I mean:

It's not a one-for-one perfect comparison, but it's so damn close that it feels natural to see the worlds as complimentary! Especially with The Collective's connection to the ancient spiritualism of the original wolves and mooncasters, it just makes sense that they would opt live in a commune-esque community on the outskirts of Moonwood Mill, as opposed to being right in the epicenter of town. This way they're close to the sacred Lunvik Lake, just far enough outside of society to seclude their true nature, but still close enough to help the remaining human locals. I even have a silly headcanon that the "Big Foot" of Granite Falls is actually just the pack-less werewolf Greg, as we know he lives secluded, deep in the forest...it just makes sense that people might see him raging in wolf form at night and be like "Oh shit, big foot!"

With the Wildfangs being a newer pack that is more open to embracing the wolf parts of themselves, they wouldn't feel the need to "hide" and pull themselves out of society in the way that The Collective does. That being said, they also wouldn't have the resources, structure, and defined communal space that a very old pack like The Collective would have... therefore they're just scattered around Moonwood Mill in their family homes, the trailer park (some people do a motel instead - I can see both working well), and so on. Some lots even tell their buyers to ignore the "howling in the distance," and because the Collective hides their true nature, I feel this must be referring to the Wildfang's full moon antics and their willingness to "embrace the beast."

Either way, It seems to me that The Collective has always believed it best to stay hidden, so it makes sense that they would form their community on the outskirts of Moonwood Mill not just for their own safety, but for the safety of the human locals as well. I think they likely relocated to Granite Falls years before the Wildfangs existed and when a huge uptick in human settlers came in, chasing the riches associated with Moonwood's mines or, more likely, the mills which the town would be eventually named after. But as time went on and the town went to ruin (some people theorize due to the wolves, some people theorize the town's natural industries just became less profitable in the age of technology), people abandoned it and opted to move to the newer city - Evergreen Harbor. (See, we came full circle!)

That kind of leads us to where I'm at in my game, in "modern day." A lot of time has passed, and Moonwood Mill has changed dramatically since its inception. I prefer to imagine that the remaining human locals are not fully aware of the werewolves living among them with 100% certainty, but there are legends and stories. The oldest locals cultivate and pass down not just the stories but the protective practices to their children and grandchildren as well: don't go into the woods on a full moon, if the woods get quiet out of nowhere stay calm and find the closest way out, close all the blinds when it gets dark, don't go out on a full moon, bring the animals in or secure them in the barn for their protection on full moon nights, if you hear a whistle in the woods do not whistle back, and so on. Unfortunately, those stories, wives' tales, and superstitions tend to attract potential enemies to werewolf-kind: rogue vampires seeking to harm werewolves and even occult hunters. HOWEVER, by retreating into the woods, The Collective are closer to what they believe is their spiritual source - Lunvik Lake - where the original mooncasters created werewolves and Myshupotamians worshipped the moon. By being closer to their source, they are strengthened and therefore able to keep out potential threats, protect their own pack, and watch over Moonwood Mill as a whole more effectively. I don't think the Wildfangs are particularly interested in this part of their Lyncanthropy - its something uniquely embeded in the history of The Collective and why it was created in the first place.

LASTLY, my Moonwood Mill/magic world in general is actually years ahead of where we start in game, and in my mind the magic world is on the precipice of another war (a long anticipated response after the destruction caused by Operation Eternal Flame. Vlad isn't one to take losses, and the Spellcaster/Vampire tensions are still very much palpable). I'm not going to get fully into all that, but I will say that the Wildfangs are a far more established pack, still led by their alpha, Rory (albeit a much older, wiser Rory) and The Collective is led by Rory's adoptive brother, Jacob Volkov, after their father (and former alpha of The Collective) Kristopher died. Although the tensions between the Wildfangs and The Moonwood Collective aren't as severe any more, they do still have trouble coexisting from an occult governance/council perspective. Again, I have a whole lore about occult governance as well, but I won't get into all that either haha. The TLDR is that there are two big issues between the Wildfangs and The Collective at the present moment: the first being how Rory has gone about growing the Wildfangs (by recruiting pack-less werewolves outside of Moonwood Mill, something The Collective has always been against since its inception) and second, their willingness to work with spellcasters if another occult war breaks out.

Okay... I'm done now! I'm cutting myself off! That may have been more than you were looking for...I'm truly sorry!!!

I hope I managed to answer your question (and some). Thank you for asking me about this, I literally never get to talk occult lore and it is one of my favorite things to explore in the sims!! I feel like no one cares about my occult headcanons and such... but sometimes that's all I want to talk about lmao. If I had the time and talent to make a story about this very topic, I WOULD! But for now this is all I have to offer <3

Thank you again for this ask, it made my week!!

[brw]

can we hear about your Ant-Man tv show idea ?

No idea how long this has been sitting in my inbox, sorry for never checking it! Here is basically just what I wrote in discord when I first shared the idea 😊

Mmm. Okay. Okay. Ant-Man series. Multiple mediums to get across multiple eras and perspectives of the character. Every episode focuses on a specific era of Hank's life and an alias of his, told in an animated format, while we see a live action Hank morosely go about his day as an older man who has experienced all these different lives and has paid the price for them all. I'm going to communicate with the dead to get Jack Kirby on board. Episode one is all about the 60s. Very bright colours, strong black lines, extremely fluid and all about the movement, less about the anatomy of things. Everything is heavily stylised, and the music is upbeat, an aggressive big band sort of vibe as he swings around. He deals with various different villains in 5 minutes sequences, cut up by scenes of a very drab, grey, cold and dull live action Hank slowly waking up and having an extremely mundane morning routine, with only slight hints at the life that he once lived that act as portals to our next sequence. The overall villain of the episode is the man with the Voice of Doom from issue 42 of Tales to Astonish whom we would have seen in the background setting up his takedown of Ant-Man. Very clear metaphor for like, what that issue was trying to do at the time re: a sense of going from being loved to being villainised almost overnight because of a very charismatic speaker, the dehumanisation that comes with that, the effects of not paying attention to dangerous people, etc. Hank does, of course, eventually defeat him, and as that scene of dramatic triumph fades we fade to live action Hank instead slowly going about his medicine cabinet. Back then, Hank's biggest fight was with villains who sought to destroy him; now, his biggest fight is taking care of himself. Opening song is I am a Scientist by Guided by Voices, and this episode is interspersed with different 50s and 60s pop songs of the time.

Episode 2 is Giant-Man, and focuses on his relationship with Janet, and his fledging stuff with the Avengers. More neutral and calm than Ant-Man, but still with that kind of upbeat, jovial atmosphere. He's clearly reaching the end of the upward peak, and there's something thematic there, about him making himself physically larger as if trying to recreate the way he felt as Ant-Man that is now beginning to spiral away. I imagine dance sequences leading into fight scenes with Janet, cross-cutting between them set to late 60s music. Probably Psychotic Reaction by Count Five for foreshadowing bonus. The live action segments are Hank speaking about Janet, their relationship and their divorce, and Janet talking separately about her perspective on their relationship. There will definitely be differences in the way they talk about and perceive their relationship, but other times where they appear to be in the same room with how easily they know what the other is thinking. Mainly about the co-dependence of these two, and about Hank's desire to prove himself. Episode 3 is Goliath. If Ant-Man was mania, this is the downward spiral. More realistic animation, but still very stylised; think some stuff from Love Death + Robots. Hank's beginnings of self doubt, the way he feels sidelined from the Avengers, the way he is starting to dangerously push himself to be more and more useful. More 70s in fashion and design. Episode 4 is Yellowjacket. Back to mania, except far more threatening and aggressive than Ant-Man. Eyestrain. Uncomfortable to watch. Not a linear episode, but rather multiple sequences seem to blend together and you can never quite tell what's fact and what's his warped perspective on things. Other characters appear like cartoonist caricatures that become more unsettling and strange to look at as things progress. Overlaid with live action!Hank at a therapy session because YJ is a hot topic at those. Lots of upbeat 80s pop contrasted with pretty harrowing scenes of Hank putting himself through hell. We don't see The Moment, but it is implied and it's what causes the mania to suddenly snap towards the end of the episode and put him in a downward spiral again.

Episode 5. We speed through a lot this episode. The sequences of Hank post divorce are also live action, so you're never quite sure if this is happening back then or now. A few animated sequences based on issues from WCA and 90s Avengers, but they're always slightly jarringly contrasted with live action to sort of give this idea of now being more aware of his mental health issues, but struggling to find a balance between treating it, and what his lifestyle entails as a superhero. Being a hero gives him joy, fulfilment, a team he can trust and depend on, but it also takes a lot out of him physically → scars sustained during the animated sequences appear a lot more grotesque and serious in live action than they do animated, and it often can push him to instability. More chronic illness stuff, more physical pain and injuries in this ep, to try and show that he's maybe getting older and these things are affecting him more and more.

Episode 6. Hank in the modern day. Definitely a dramatic finale, where live action modern Hank fights Ultron in New York. Despite his feelings that his life is drab and grey though, this episode incorporates animated elements from every other episode in the series, and we see him fighting alongside heroes from Hank's family tree and legacy who Hank interacted with in the animated parts of the episodes prior. Janet, Tigra, William, Vision, Bill, Scott, etc. An overarching theme of how people can and will still love you even if you are mentally ill, and mental illness does not keep you from making a positive impact on other people's lives. Hank affirms in this episode that despite everything, he wouldn't change the way his life has ultimately panned out, as he is surrounded by the people who he loves and who love him in return. Probably ends with That's Life by Frank Sinatra because I Can Do What I Want.

OH before I forget, Hank attends both therapy sessions and a series of interviews with some people putting together a retrospective on his life for an undisclosed celebration of x years (it's a running gag about the sliding timescale) and you're never quite sure which version of events he's giving to who, which narrative is being created for these two separate audiences of a large group of people, vs just one person, who he's seeking psychological help from. How he presents himself to an audience, and how he presents himself in private with a psychologist.

I imagine these as pretty long hour+ episodes, but I could also see them being split in two each one. I'd say sorry this is so long but you literally did ask (months ago) so whatever! I hope everyone gets as big a kick from this concept as I do.

[eemamminy-art]

hi! 5, 6, & 8 for the fandom ask game!

These are long ass answers so... under the cut they go!!

Fandom/fanfic asks

5. Favorite platonic pairing?

Okay so this might be just a thing between me and my friend, but we have this AU where Emet-selch hid away Ryne/"Minfilia" to keep her away from Hydaelyn's influence, but then he still dies as normal and Zenos is the one to find her alone and rescue her? 🥺 And long story short she's now his little sister who is single-handedly saving him from himself and all the trauma his father had inflicted upon him while trying to give her the childhood he never had. I…… am SO emotional about it!! 😭😭😭 They are THE found family siblings, I just get so soft thinking about them 🥺 Genuinely…!!!

I think the only other one that comes to mind, which idk how much this counts since one half of it is my OC, but I'm thinking very much all the time lately about the friendship between my OC Mal and Sebastian!! If you've been reading my fic you might say, "what friendship? Sebastian is a total dickhead to him!" But!! Trust me!!! It's gonna get there eventually!!!!! They are gonna be talking about their feelings and watching frogs together in no time (it will actually be. A long time. But you'll see!!) I haven't really talked about it much because I don't want someone to be like "ehehehe and maybe they are into each other? 👀" but they are strictly just friends and it is going to stay that way!! 😤 One day I'm gonna cave and draw something cute with them hanging out, just wait and see lol

6. Favorite headcanon?

I think the one I've been lingering on most lately is the one you brought up recently, of Zenos being autistic! It makes so much sense, and I already subscribed to it before but I've been thinking about it more since you brought it up! Thinking about him laying in the wol's lap in the royal menagerie, and they're counting the petals on the flowers together to calm him down. :3 Idk, little things like this!

8. Fandom you're a part of that's the most obscure?

Mmm here's where I wanna split hairs on terminology sorry haha okay so to me "fandom" is like, a community, a place of active participation with other fans: whether that's sharing fan works, looking at/reading fan works, or discussing the canon material. That to me is fandom!

So like, to me I would say something like utapri feels obscure, because I'm very passionate about it and don't really have people to talk to about it in much detail, I'm picking up little crumbs about it from pixiv or tumblr, but it feels so tiny to me. But I know it is a big series in Japan! It was popular in western spaces for a time too, like a decade ago-- is that obscure? I don't know, I don't think so, but it feels obscure in the sense of like, I don't feel as if there is all that much community for me to connect with about it.

There's also games like Omori, where the fandom is largely minors so I haven't wanted to interact with the larger fandom space and thus it feels small-- or games that I am deeply fascinated with like Dead Plate that I have no clue if there's any fandom at all and am a bit scared to look for one because it's a very small indie game and thus feels like any fandom would feel too intimate, somehow-- or games that are so old and obscure that I would love to draw art for (and even have in the past!) but finding anyone who has played them is like a needle in a haystack, like my favorite game of all time, Arcanum!

Is a fandom just "things I like that I like"? Or "things I make fanworks for"? Or "a community where I interact with others about this shared interest"? What's obscure in one of those definitions wouldn't be in another definition! Sorry this is a total non-answer but I can't find a way to answer the question in a satisfying way because the question varies based on how you would define fandom!!

[puhpandas]

I don't know if I'm a fan of Edwin becoming game canon because what is his purpose other than creating the mimic and working for Henry and William? Like- so what if there was a dude who built some mimic machine and who's son died some way back in the 70s/80s or whatever? Especially considering that the mimic was not relevant in the lore until now. Why couldn't they have just stuck with the theory that Edwin was a parallel to Henry especially considering that both of them are very similar in characteristics? Both had children who died very young at the age of 3-4 or something. He just feels like an unnecessary character to me sometimes.

(and also like you just said he's quite literally stealing the 3 star fam's spotlight-)

I think Edwin being in the games is one fraction of a much larger issue of the fact that the entire current story rn is just tales from the pizzaplex. this era in between hw2 update and sotm is literally just tftp discussion and the canonicity of it, and actual fans of the story that care about it/theorists that actually gaf like john dont even want to engage in it bc like. what's there to engage with? it's all already there in a book written 2 years ago. theres nothing new to talk about. it's just stuff that already exists

all discussion is just between people who love mimic + tftp or people who will theorize about fnaf no matter what. edwin being in the games is apart of a larger issue of the flaws of writing the entire story of the mimic in the books and revealing everything about it before making games about it and making it story relevant, making all its 'reveals' already known years prior

I have no issue with Edwin making mxes back in the 80s, he wouldnt be taking 3 stars screentime if he did something in a game that already takes place like 60 years ago in universe, they wouldnt have had that relevancy anyways, and it's very much okay for the story to not always be about them to set something else important up. it also makes sense for his story bc he made the mimic. it's not the story aspects of tftp that are my problem, it's how theyve (basically just scott bc steel wool had no wiggle room, every inch of the mimics past was already touched on in the books so no matter what the game for it would have been charted waters, and that was Scott's decision to do that as hes in charge of tftp) handled it that bothers me

but although I still think my points above matter bc it has heavily affected the current theory space, that post was very much mostly about the theory community and theory spaces and how they refuse to see 3 star as existing. but I think like I said above the story being pretty much purely tales from the pizzaplex and mimic right now in whatll be a kinda short era (thank god) until the next games that actually talk about something new come out is affecting theory spaces a lot. this is all they have to talk about bc this is all the games will talk about. but it still really bothers me how nobody else seems to draw these connections that are very prominent in what's supposed to be a theory video. they dont even want to think any deeper. maybe this tftp era is making everyone not want to engage as much or I've just forgotten that this has always been how its been

[firedragon1321]

I think we forgot a lot of the nuances of shipping somewhere somehow. Possibly before I even set foot in fandom. Rant below.

There are different types of ships.

Canon: The ship is built up and established in actual canon.

Plausible: The ship could be canon. It makes sense between those characters. But it is not canon.

Crackship: The ship will never happen in a million years. Could be funny though.

There are also separate types of fans.

Supporter: Shipping hardcore. Making fic, art, meta, etc.

Agreer: Believing the ship is plausible, but not really participating in its community

Denier: Believing the ship will never ever happen.

Anti: Being against the ship for moral reasons.

And somewhere at some point in time, they became this weird ass set of rules

If the ship has a lot of supporters, it is or should be canon. It is okay to attack creators over this matter.

If you post that the ship is plausible, you are automatically considered a supporter.

If you are a denier of a popular ship, you are not welcome in the larger fandom.

If you are a denier of any ship, you are also automatically an anti.

If you ship a crackship that rivals a popular ship (say AxC instead of AxB), you are not welcome in the larger fandom.

No ship is truly plausible- it must be justified via meta and therefore canon.

No fan is truly an agreer- they are either supporters who have yet to fully convert or deniers/antis.

If you are a denier or an agreer who does not wholeheartedly contribute to the ship, you "need reading comprehension" or "aren't a true fan".

All ships are equal, but the ones with rabid supporters are more equal than others.

Also, agreers and deniers have limited fandom participation, if any at all. The focus on shipping may be so strong that blocking that ship's tag locks them out of a character or fandom. This sucks not only for deniers, but for people on the ace spectrum who just might not be into that shit.

There are plenty of ships I agree on, that I find plausible, and would support if their shippers weren't...animals. If they weren't nations unto themselves, with a kangaroo court at the guillotine. For example, I'm quiet about Sormik (Tales of Zestiria) because I'm afraid of attracting attention from bad actors. My PS1 run-through of Final Fantasy VII said "yes" to Cloti, but the raging "Love Triangle Debate" said "no". Soriku (Kingdom Hearts) lost a supporter partially because of the insistence on it being canon. The "Sleeping Worlds Theory" is the finest piece of shipping propaganda in the JRPG world.

In short, shipping has boiled down to a black and white dichotomy when it's more of a spectrum. People who fall between the cracks in that spectrum risk being chased out. Some are accused of the purity/censorship tactics of the "hard no" end of the spectrum. This is used to alienate them further. I'm not talking about actual antis- fuck them- but people who are in the lukewarm middle, mistaken for antis.

I know I'm not the only person who got fucked over by this rabid shipping culture (as previously mentioned, some ace people have voiced concerns). I would like to know more about how it began. Some of the anti stuff is recent (i.e.- only in the last decade or so), but I feel there was always a fight over plausibility that has morphed into canonicity.

The walls are closing in. I better paint them the right shade? Fuck that. Let me paint with as many colors as I want. Fandom is not a place where everyone has to bow to the might of the big ships. It vomits wood and nails and encourages you to make your own. Somewhere, somehow, that is the spirit we lost.

[paceywittters]

Chenford's not going to break up. They're are the main couple on the show and breaking up makes no sense because their love is so strong!! You could go watch a teen drama if you want a more dramatic story, but that's not going to be Chenford!!!

so i'm just wondering, do you have a crystal ball? you must to be making big swing full certainty predictions like that 🔮

anyway: ....................ok! i applaud you in thinking that. i will likely not go watch a teen drama, but thanks for the suggestion.

i mean, let's break down how it does make sense for the story, though, just so this isn't an ask where i just nod and move along.

tim and lucy got together near-immediately (for tim) and immediately (for lucy) after breaking off relationships, which by definition makes them each other's rebounds. despite the fact that they have intense, serious feelings for one another, giving literally 0 time and space between those relationships and their own can (and still could) create issues in their ability to communicate effectively and process their relationship milestones. that's not a whole ass reason to break up, but it's a very specific part of their foundation that we've never seen them address on screen and could contribute to issues in the future.

lucy lied to tim about the metro job, never actually apologized, and tim has literally brought it up as a moment of her being dishonest (5x18) despite being okay with it. lucy may have been lying for good reason, but it doesn't detract from the fact that she did lie, and since has continued to withhold information from tim. regardless of the fact that tim trusts lucy, that kind of behavior can lead to a lack of trust or even just a flicker in tim's head of doubting whether or not lucy's actually being truthful in intense moments.

tim is visibly not okay with lucy diving into uc work, despite also lying to her and telling her he's completely fine with it and will support her. this is a heavily nuanced issue and should be treated as such, so i'm not going to deep dive into it too hard, but this matters a ton. tim is not only trying to hone in his own emotions surrounding being legitimately abandoned by a past romantic partner in favor of a life she'd unintentionally built doing undercover work, he's trying to project a fully on-board 1000% supportive boyfriend who has no problem with anything happening in the uc world. it's not something he's going to be able to sustain long-term, and lucy can already see the cracks in his facade.

tim and lucy don't communicate in the same way now that they're together romantically. that is not to say they don't communicate – they do, and when they actually talk they're good at it, but they've both been placating each other with the commutation in the final s5 episodes. tim has repeated and repeated he's ok with lucy doing uc work long-term because having the conversation about him not being could be difficult. lucy hasn't pushed on his answer because having that conversation could be hard. it's easier for them not to talk about it when it's kind of irrelevant right now, and at the same time – it's easier for them not to talk about it when he could hold her and they could simply invest in physical comfort. that's dangerous in a relationship that has foundational issues like theirs. by not talking about their issues, they're effectively sweeping them under the rug and letting them grow larger.

ok, so look at all of this and think about it this way: tim and lucy have a strong relationship, of course. but their foundation has cracks in it that they refuse to address because it could be harder to fix than they're prepared for – it could also be one of those things that doesn't have a fix in the moment, which is worse. tim would never want lucy to give up a career path she loves just to make him happy, because it wouldn't make him happy to see her do that. btw, to be frank: implying lucy's only doing uc because she's been praised about it is gross and taking away her agency/autonomy. she does uc because she loves it. if that's what she chooses, let her fucking choose it and stop acting like she needs to pick between having a loving partner and being an undercover cop. just because it's a complex situation doesn't mean lucy has to give up a career path she loves.

anyway, the foundation has cracks, they're not addressing them/letting them grow, and our story threads are all leading to a drama point. could that drama point be a...conversation? i guess. a fight that lasts 1 episode? maybe. i just doubt it. when you have characters who could very easily still connect with some distance between them romantically (and actors whose chemistry can support it)...why wouldn't you play into that dynamic? split them up and make them work together. make it hurt. make them understand that they want each other and have been put in a position where maybe they can't have each other right now. make it clear to both characters, even more than they already understood, that they need each other. that they want each other. that they'll figure it out however they can because being together is more important.

maybe that's not a path everyone's interested in, but i think it would be fucking tremendous to see them write into the pain points of chenford. they don't do that with other ships, and i get why – but chenford's always been treated differently (imo because they know eric and melissa can sell it better than anyone else on that show) so why the fuck not give them some genuine problems to work through? that's a real part of life! a genuine thing that happens between people! why not delve into some of those issues at an early enough phase in their relationship that it still makes sense that they haven't addressed it?

anywhoo if you do have a crystal ball can you ask it what grade i'm going to get on my math final?

[countercharmda]

okay! so, i've mentioned it a couple of times, but i think sometime this week i will be doing some cleanup here. ( expect this around december 1st. ) this will include my inbox, my drafts, my posts, my likes, and my follower count. i will probably also be changing my url to the new one i have saved then! it's gonna be very fun and nifty.

the short of it is that i will be softblocking ( or hardblocking, if preferred ) folks who have not expressed interest in writing ic or chatting ooc. if you just got here and are panicking for xyz reason? worry not! here is my interest tracker if you're a bit too nervous to reach out ooc. this meme is also good, if you would like me to come up with some ideas! ( i will hopefully get to these in a timely manner ). and of course, if this feels too much like an ultimatum or a stressor for you, then you are genuinely more than welcome to softblock ( or hardblock ) me and continue on with your day. please curate your space! NOTE: neither of these are required if we are already talking or plotting ooc!

the long of it...will be under the cut, because i am ultimately feeling a little bit rambly.

i've been trying to figure out how to approach my larger following of people who have not reached out to me, and i think this is a good start. i've only been in this rpc for two months and so much i feel like has happened already, and one of the best things to come from it is watching this turn into...more of a community if that makes sense. i like seeing what all is going on with my mutuals and stuff on the dash. i'm aware this is a very chronically online take, but in my defense i have been...chronically online since i have been a child, and i don't believe in dismissing online friendships. i like having people to send memes to in discord dms and tumblr ims, i like feeling like i can talk to people. as mentioned in m a n y posts on this blog, i'm a chatty guy! this is why i mention that i won't cut a mutual if we're not writing ic, because i think talking ooc is just as important -- if not more, sometimes.

simultaneously, though, i find myself feeling anxious about being overlooked or forgotten. this is an insecurity i've had for my whole life. while i'm more confident nowadays that i am, in fact, the shit, i still don't want to feel this way in a hobby -- and i don't want any of my mutuals to feel this way, either. i think that if i cut my follower count down and shift my priorities in this way, then it'll help lessen this feeling for both parties.

i also want to stress that this is a hobby, and i do not want anyone to feel like they owe me anything ic or ooc. i work a hectic job, i have chores to do, and i might even be going back to college in january. there will always be real life obligations that are more important than writing blorbos on the internet. i will never intentionally make you feel guilty for not having the spoons to reach out to me. if you still uncomfortable with this post or this change, that is completely okay, and i encourage you to softblock ( or hardblock ) me. i want you to feel comfortable enough to have fun!

[demystifiedstardust]

My 30 days of linktypes challenge

Day 22: How has your linking experience been so far? Positive? Negative? Mixed?

Offline, my experience has been great.

Online... I've been trying to keep this positive. I've been trying. Really, really trying.

But... I can't do it anymore, not for today’s topic. I'm going to be real, and I'm going to be raw.

Cw negativity, alterhuman respectability politics, the KFF situation, community gatekeeping, general kin drama, overall intense accusatory tone at the general community, no tone tags, essay-length post

These content warnings are so readers can make an informed decision on if they want to expose themselves to this rant. By opening the readmore, you acknowledge these content warnings.

My experience online leaves a lot to be desired.

The linking tags can be glacial, so I peek into larger adjacent tags as well. But... I'm not into flags or coining or mood/stimboards, and I've got no interest in the currently trending quadrobics and masks because it's mostly not relevant to my identity, so a lot of what's left, other than reading about experiences (which I love to read!) are... discourse, infighting, and vagueposting drama, a never-ending hydra of malaise that self-perpetuates (watch this very post get vagued by someone, guaranteed).

Usually the discourse hydra balances itself out by the sense of community, but my sense of belonging is at a 15-year low. Alterhumanity is supposed to be inclusive, but let's be real, in practice it's for therians and kin exclusively, and maaaaaybe plurality if you squint. I don't fit those boxes, and as a result I feel barely tolerated, much less welcome (and that's before factoring in community trends and demographics).

I appreciate the occasional positivity post that catches my view, genuinely, even when it usually boils down to “THIS LABEL IS VALID!”. I wish I could take them to heart; I struggle to do so when I feel so unwanted and quarantined in the first place. Admitting any degree of voluntariness at all has always been controversial as long as I've been lurking fictionfolk spaces, and there's an undercurrent of pressure to not admit it, lest the community be seen as advanced roleplay.

Moreover, particularly to this part of myself, I have no memories of a past or concurrent life as Aether, which is another pillar of experience that is standard enough to be assumed. Talking about and comparing memories is a huge chunk of the fictionfolk community experience that is inaccessible to me, and it does evoke judgment in others when I have no memories to share. I only have my mundane earthly life. While my experiencing of strong emotions and intense longing for things that can never be in this world are common experiences amongst these spaces, they play second fiddle to the golden standard of memories, a narrative that forms the core of the fictionfolk community.

It has always felt like my options have been either to weave lies about myself and actually get to participate--and what's the point of that when it's a self-reflection and self-actualization thing to begin with (for me, at least)?--or tell the truth upfront and hope that people who won't give me grief over my "lesser" experience just... magically find me before I burn out again.

Okay, I have no pretty transition for this. That was the sad, mopey, emo part written days ago. Now for the bitter and indignatious resentment.

In the time between the creation of this blog and the closure of my last blog (which was shortly before the massive Kin Is Involuntary push, circa Covid times), it feels like I got ejected from my own space. I'm obviously mourning it on some level, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm also spiteful. Instead of actually addressing the ROOT PROBLEM of KFF bastardizing "identify as" into "identify with" and the increasing ableism of KFF, the response of the kin community was to redefine kin to throw those with voluntary and quoiluntary experiences under the bus. To the surprise of absolutely no one, redefining kinity by throwing us under the bus did not solve the KFF problems, because splitting us off was only nominally about addressing KFF; in practice, it was about sending a very particular message. It was about telling voluntaries and quoiluntaries that our identities aren't serious enough for you and that we're not welcome in kin spaces. 

Can you imagine how it felt for me to return to this? A decade of being quiet about my voluntary and quoiluntariness and bending to the pressure of respectability politics, and all it took was a break of a few years to push me out of the label I had given up my voice for. The kin community decided for me that my experience has less meaning than theirs*. It's very telling that the label the kin community offered like a olive branch to "fix" the problem has that very community debating the overall validity of the very label they themselves offered, TO THIS DAY. 

I also want you to think about who linking terminology is most widely spread by, pushed by, and policed by. I’ll give you a hint: look at posts telling others that they need to call themselves linkers, and take a peek at the poster’s blog or profile. Were most linking terms even coined by voluntaries and quoiluntaries? I honestly don’t know, but in light of the context of how linking terms came to be, I have a feeling the answer is no. 

I could try to keep asserting myself as kin, as I've seen some other voluntaries and quoiluntaries do, but the kin community has been crystal clear about wanting me out of it, so I will respect its right to not be associated with me. Honestly, it's mutual now. Do you think I want to keep using the language of the community who has already shown me exactly how little they think of me and others like me?

I've enjoyed the journaling aspect of this blog so far. But the overarching climate of the alterhuman community across every online space–not just Tumblr–makes it one of the most hostile communities I've ever been in**. The alterhuman community performatively roleplays acceptance for those that feel othered and preaches personal authenticity while feverishly curating a space where you must experience your authentic and highly-personal identity in the correct way. If there were another pre-existing community willing to accept me being literally a fictional being as a serious long-term part of my selfhood, I'd jump ship to there in a heartbeart and leave the memories behind. I have been trying so, so hard to put a positive spin on linking, in spite of the rigid social stratification baked into it, because I craved acceptance. 

But you know what?

I deserve more than this. I deserve a community who values me. I'm better than staying here in this community who wants to create a validity hierarchy of the goddamn experience of selfhood. As long as this community remains obsessed with what constitutes the “right” way to experience life, I have no home here.

Not all that long ago, I thought the alterhuman community would be a safe space for me to thrive. I thought it was a place that, because it was a gathering of those othered by human society and human bodies, would understand me and accept me for who I am. I’m embarrassed for believing it in the first place, but I’m more embarrassed for believing it for so long in the face of evidence to the contrary.

I can recognize when I need to leave the room. In order to grow, the only solution for me is to stop interacting with the community and move on.*** For myself and my own good, I’m done entertaining the illusion that this is my in-group. It hurts to say it, but this was never my in-group to begin with, because alterhumanity never had respect for the authentic me. It is painful to recognize, but acceptance is the first step of moving on with my life.

My offline life is far from glamorous. If I had to choose a few words to describe my offline community, I would call it judgemental, rural, and insular. Even so, change starts with me. This is why I've been trying to cultivate the fictional and monster-creature sides of myself offline. Baring my soul offline requires bravery, but the online alterhuman community has given me little benefit for the soul I’ve poured out to it over the years. I can’t keep living like this. I refuse to keep living like this.

I deserve more.

*Hmm, this is starting to remind me of another group of alterhuman-identifying folks with an awfully similar problem of being pushed out of the supposedly inclusive alterhuman umbrella… it’s almost like this is a recurring problem…

**Tumblr is still by and far the calmest fictionfolk community with regular traffic and meaningful discussion that I've ever experienced. I feel like that speaks volumes by itself about what kind of environment this community fosters at large.

***Not that anyone needed my input or permission, but I don't blame anyone who was watching me for alterhuman community reasons for unfollowing or blocking me for this rant. My sense of self isn't going anywhere and I plan to continue to talk about my fictionhood and not-so-human experiences, but this probably isn’t what you signed up to see. I'm going to finish off my 30 days challenge before tackling the detangling of myself from the alterhuman ecosystem of labels and vocabulary. 

To fictionfolk: If you're thinking about dropping into my notifications, keep in mind that approximately 15 years ago, the fledgling fictionkin community was my community. You don't need to tell me about what it was like, because I was there. I already know what it was like. I lived it. My experience probably wasn't one-to-one with your experience, but it is still my lived experience. You cannot and will not convince me my lived experience is wrong.

To trolls and butthurt shit-stirrers with no reading comprehension skills: I'm just going to block you.

[roseofithaca]

Run, Little Witch (Epilogue)

(Ft @idiotwithanipad 's oc Amy)

"And that concludes our tale of how the magnificent Mary Guppy defeated the monster in the mirror." The pink haired girl rounded off her story, finishing with a twirl of her wrists and a bow; "The End."

As she sat back down, the ghosts gave her a half-hearted applause, barely tapping their hands together more so then clapping.

Pat forced his trademark welcoming grin.

"Er...thank you, Silver, pet. For regailing us with a story we're already very familiar with, having...y'know, lived through it. In a sense."

A grim murmur vibrated around the group gathered in Higham Suite for Story Club.

The witch crossed her legs; "Amy didn't."

Their newest dead resident who sat on her right widened her eyes, "Wait...That all actually happened?!" She looked to the others, to Humphrey in particular, for confirmation.

Everyone nodded, guilt-ridden lips downturned.

"Sadly yes, Poppet." Humphrey said, his head and body connected in his seat on this rare occasion.

"Not one of my prouder moments." Captain cleared his throat, looking down at the stick on his lap.

To this day, Silver still flinched whenever he waved it too close to her face. He tried his best to avoid doing so in her presence.

"Quite." Agreed Fanny, fingers of the hand she'd used to strike the young woman's cheek twitching.

"Guys. Come on." Silver addressed to them, feeling a little bad for making them all relive it. But it felt like it was finally time; "It's been years now. We can talk about it. It's good not to bottle things up, remember?"

They all seemed to give a mumble of vague agreement but none of them looked keen to think about that night anymore than she did.

Had they asked her to stop at any time during the story, she'd have done so.

But, just like Mary's trial and execution, she had been the one to suffer the most from the Witchfinders spirit. It was her story to tell.

It had taken hours of sobbing in Mary's arms for her to calm down. She'd let the larger woman lead her to her bedroom and then lay with her until the sun rose, rocking her close and stroking her hair.

She still desperately needed to sleep. But the panic was gone. As the sunlight crept into the cramped room, she'd begun to accept that the danger was behind them now.

"I saw him pass from the Captain's body into the mirror. He won't harms you now, lovey." She'd reassured, her lap functioning as Silver's pillow while Mary petted her head. "And the others all be back to their old selves. You is safe."

Safe.

She wanted to believe that. She wanted to trust that she could leave this room, leave Mary's side, and she'd have nothing to worry about. That she could approach her friends and everything would be back to normal. But it wasn't that easy.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. They understands. You can stay here as long as you need."

Would forever be okay?

Of course she doesn't need forever. At lunchtime, Alison knocks upon the door, making Silver jump and reach for Mary before her familiar voice announced her.

She let the living woman enter. Despite being partly, mostly even, at fault for the night's events, Alison hadn't directly assaulted her like the others.

The guilt in her eyes shone true all the same.

"I am so, so sorry, hon." Her fellow millennial spoke cautiously, a respectable distance away; "Mary warned me something bad would happen and I ignored her. Please don't be mad at the others. I've spoken to them and, not to downplay what happened to you, but they went through Hell as well. That...monster, Pius, basically violated them. They were aware the whole time and tried hard as they could to fight back but...They weren't in control. They never wanted to say and do those things. But they feel awful, all the same."

Part of her already knew that. She'd witnessed the struggle on Humphrey's face as he'd tried to communicate truly to her. For all that went through this night, she can't imagine how it feels to not have control over your own body.

"I'm not angry with any of them. Please tell them that." She said to Alison, "I'm not even that angry with you though, yeah, you do need to listen to Mary better. She knows her shit."

"T'is true. Cow, mostly, but also horse." The older woman commented from the side.

That brought the first smile to Silver's lips since the incident.

"I'm just...not ready to face them yet. Is that okay?" She asked, sheepishly, rubbing at her arm. "I really need to sleep it off, you know."

"Of course. They get that. We all do." Alison assured her, "We'll all be here for you when you wake up, and when you're ready."

The only other ghost she agreed to see before her final night was Kitty. Everyone else, she suspected, would understand her need for space, whereas Kitty would be left with the uncertainty of their relationship for a whole month.

Alison left to fetch the young Georgian woman and lead her inside before leaving them to it. Silver sat on Mary's bed, the woman herself giving Kitty a smile and gesturing her to come sit at the foot. Silver had already told her it would be okay. But she struggled to look her friend in the eye just yet.

The accusation of having...forced herself upon Kitty continued to echo in her ears, making her skin crawl.

"I don't expect you to forgive me. Even though I never meant those awful words, not a single one." Kitty explained with surprising maturity in her tone.

It wasn't about forgiveness. But how could she attempt to explain that?

"You and Alison are the sisters I always wanted. I would never say or do anything to hurt you. And I hate that horrible man for making me act that way!" She'd never thought she'd hear Kitty proclaim hating anyone, but Silver felt the bitter sincerity in her words; "Alison said you still needed to sleep it off and I respect that. Just...when you're ready, could you please let me know when...if we can be friends again?"

A tear leaked from Silver's exhausted eyes at such an innocent request.

She edged her fingers towards Kitty's hand on the divan.

"When the world...leaves you feeling blue," She softly sang, "You can count on me....I will be there for you."

Kitty smiled as she sobbed, wiping her face.

"When it seems, all your hopes and dreams, are a million miles away, I will reassure you." She joined in.

"We've got to all stick together. Good friends are there for each other. Never ever forget that,"

"I got you and you got me..."

Their fingers interlocked. Silver tugged her friend across the gap and over to her. Kitty whimpered in relief as they embraced each other, all the awful events of the night before seeming to be crushed and dissolved by the hug, at least between the both of them.

Silver rested her head on the Georgian's shoulder, still cursing her for making her so uncool with her catchy pop songs.

When her last night came to its close, Mary offered to walk her back to her bed in the forest, assuming that she wouldn't want Robin to do his usual duty for the time being.

"Actually..." Silver began, timidly, "C-can I stay here? In your room?"

"For the month entire?"

She rubbed at her own elbow; "Is that okay?"

"Of course, darlin' girl." Mary seemed honoured by the request. She helped Silver lay down comfortably, wishing she could tuck her in as a true mother would for her child, "You have a good long rest and plenty of sweet dreams."

"And you'll be here when I wake up?"

Mary smiled, patting her hand, "As my Lord is my witness." She'd leaned in to kiss her forehead as the first rays of dawn began to appear in the sky; "Goodnights, little'en."

The kiss had tingled on her brow as she finally, at long fucking last, drifted off to sleep.

"Well, I didn't think it was possible for this Mary woman to sound even more awesome. But I was wrong." Amy smiled; "She sounds like the GOAT."

Confused stares were shared around the group, even from Silver.

"No, Stompy, Mary human lady." Robin corrected.

"What? No, guys, I mean..." Amy rolled her eyes, exasperated once again at being surrounded by oldies, "Greatest Of All Time."

"Ah!" They all chorused.

"Oooh, I like that. I'm a bit of a goat myself in some areas, if I do say so." Julian boasted.

"Think you mean 'git'." Humphrey cleared his throat.

"Well there can't be too many GOATS or surely it loses its meaning." Said Fanny.

"How does one refer to a herd of GOATS then?" Pondered Kitty.

Silver sighed, leaning towards Amy; "See, this is why we don't try to teach them new slang."

Her friend giggled, seeing that she'd opened up a whole new can of worms.

"To get back on topic, you're right...Mary was the best." Silver said with an air of love and loss.

Everyone seemed to nod in equal agreement.

"Certainly an unforgettable character, to say the least." Said Fanny.

"Remarkable woman. She'd have put many of the men in my cabinet in their place, that's for certain. Not myself, of course, I've always respected strong, powerful females such as Mary." The disgraced MP spoke.

"Sure you have, Julian." Said Silver.

Robin reached to tap Amy's arm; "Remind me to take you outside tonight. Me show you Mary's star. You meet her, say hello. She very quiet but me think she be happy to see friend of Moonah girl."

"Thanks. I'd like that." Amy looked back at Silver, neither of them mentioning that her friend had already shown her which star belonged to her mother figure.

There was a more pressing and disturbing matter on her mind though.

"Uhmm...this Pius prick?" Amy ventured, tucking her hands inside the sleeves of her hoodie; "Where is he now?"

"Still in the mirror. In an old trunk Alison found in the attic." Julian explained.

"It belong to pirate friend of mine who die here. Built to last." Robin added; "Alison and Mike throw to bottom of lake."

"She arranged something with the hotel guys when they left, asking them to make sure it was securely sealed so it wouldn't be disturbed by divers or treasure hunters." Silver explained, spotting the goosebumps on her friend's neck; "Don't worry. He ain't getting out. Not in a thousand lifetimes, gods willing."

They had been tempted to send the chest away, but there was always that possibility his spirit had to remain within the boundaries of the land, the same as the other ghosts. It wasn't worth the risk to try to carry it past the boarder if it somehow broke the enchantment.

Silver was content to think of him rotting in the murky depths, locked away from hurting anyone again, the misogynistic shitbag.

"And....you're okay?" Amy asked her, lowering her voice; "I mean...that sounds like a fucking shit night. For all of you, I know, but..."

The Wiccan nodded; "Not gonna lie, it creeps up on me now and then but...I felt a lot better after I woke up. I won't bore you all with the dreams I had-"

The group all sighed in relief, aside from Kitty who had already heard them.

"Dickheads. Anyway, the dreams helped. And I just wanted everything to be back to normal."

Rather than facing the gang as a whole, she'd asked for each of them to come to her, one on one.

Cap had been the first, which made sense. It had been difficult to resist the urge to recoil as he entered the room, flashbacks hitting her of being punched and flogged at his hand. But then he'd explained to her the significance of his stick, of who had given to him, what it was supposed to symbolise. And now it felt corrupted by the pain it had caused. She'd watched the stern patriarch get brought to tears by his own confession. Not even the others knew the story of how he died and yet he'd shared it with her. His most intimate secret. She'd thown her arms around his neck and, to her surprise, he'd patted her back.

That was the only hug they'd ever shared.

Everyone else's apologies had been less dramatic. Pat, as usual, had done the least wrong but still gave a hundred sorries, along with suggestions for some woodland activities that might appeal to her pagan lifestyle. Fanny was curt and formal as usual, but no less sincere. Julian prepared some waffling speech but then cut himself off and went "sod this, let's cut to the chase. Soz. We cool?" The git somehow made her laugh with that and it was all she needed. Thomas also prepared a three hour long apology sonnet, as he called it, but she made him trim it down to twenty minutes. Humphrey had babbled awkwardly, Mary having passed his head to her. But Silver just hugged him close. He'd tried. She'd seen that.

All that remained now was...

"He's not in the house?" Silver frowned at the revelation.

"He said that traitors in his tribe were dealt with by death or exile. And as he's already dead, well..." Julian shrugged.

"So he exiled himself? Where?"

Where else?

The caveman was sat, cross-legged, on her bed in the forest, among the trees and the flowers in full Summer bloom, when she went out to find him. He looked up at her approach and jumped off immediately.

"Me just look after bed for Moonah girl. Me not try to steal, honest." He said, shakily, hands raised up.

Silver walked towards him.

He shrank back, rubbing at the front of his pelt. Never before had he appeared so much like a scalded puppy.

"Robin hurt Moonah girl. Robin trick. Break trust. Me so sorry. Robin understand if Moonah girl never-."

"Shut up, you great floof." She said, wrapping her arms around him, tight.

"So...you forgive us all then? Just to make things clear." Captain asked her, back in the present day.

"Of course I do, guys. I mean, sure, it might have taken me ten years, but I'm over it." Silver smiled.

Some looked greatly relieved while a few frowned.

"Hang on...It's only been eight years? Hasn't it?" Pat asked.

Fanny and Robin seemed to be working it out in their heads before confirming.

"Ah yeah, that's right. Two more years to go then." The pagan folded her arms, "Hey, Cap? I've got this load of tension aching me between my shoulders. D'you mind?"

"Oh. No! Of course not, my dear." The soldier sprung to his feet and moved around to place himself behind the young woman, massaging her beneath the base of her neck with his surprisingly skilled fingers. "How is that?"

"Mmm. Yes, that's lovely, ta." She moaned, rolling her neck back in pleasure.

Robin quickly got onto his knees before her.

"You want foot rub too?"

"Oh please, Robin, if you wouldn't mind." She accepted with false humility, before winking at Amy to her side; "You know how uncomfy these big boots can get."

The two young friends struggled to contain their laughter.

If Mary had taught her anything, it was how to keep men in their proper place.

[edge-oftheworld]

'have you considered that luke likes to lie' 'all men do is lie' okay maybe he's been a bit optimistic about the scheduling of 5sos6 and has since corrected himself but

before i go on i want to make sure i say it clearly: i'm not saying you did anything wrong by theorising this!! or saying it in (parital) jest! but there is something i really wanted to touch on with my neurodivergent activist hat bc i think we make some assumptions as a society that we really shouldn't.

as someone who gets time blindness especially around creative projects and can be on a roll where I work quickly then crash at an unexpected point and don't do anything for months, timelines for things getting done are often really loose and difficult to picture, and saying 'this year' in january is a very loose and flexible thing referring to a long amount of time, in which a number of things will get done but i can't specifically tell you what. just a list of things that I will attempt to do if i feel like them.

and I basically did want to say, if golden globes!luke was communicating from somewhere anywhere along those lines--it is demoralising to have everyone expect that you know exactly what will get done and when and be held to standards that are fuzzy at best and more optimitic guidelines than a commitment. it is discouraging to be accused of lying (and obv he's not on tumblr, but idk about twitter spaces i imagine people were saying the same and we know he is on there) when you're genuinely doing your best with these socially constructed milestones that don't make sense.

and i don't know for sure what goes on in his head!! none of us do. it'd be weird if we did. so maybe he is lying?? or maybe he's not. all i'm saying is when the whole world assumes one thing and it isn't true it's isolating and invalidating. so think. one tumblr post probably isn't going to do much. but if it's part of a larger culture where experiences that aren't your everyday neurotypical assumption are treated like they don't exist (until proven otherwise then it's 'omg i'm so sorry i didn't realise i didn't mean to!') then that is a problem. and we don't know for sure, but we do know luke has 1) written several songs about time passing by and feeling like he's not keeping up with it; 2) talked about the process of writing shakes in interviews recently, and given a different timeline every single time while also being super genuine and vulnerable in the interview; and 3) forgotten how old he is mid sentence in an interview one time. it's not a stretch for me to think 'maybe he's not lying and if everyone assumes he is it could be harmful'.

also adding on this I feel like we can kinda extrapolate this to the band as a whole?? being curious and nonjudgemental even though we are frustrated, because to most of us time is a constant thing we make plans to and we like to know when things are happening and get frustrated when we don't. but think about it. the whole 'soon' saga. ashton initially planning to release a single in march. they're creative, they work hard and fast when they're in the zone, and sometimes that comes with the cost of Simply Not Knowing When Something Will Happen. for me it's validating of my own experience. for many it's frustrating and that's understandable!! i do want to say again i really don't want to antagonise or criticise anyone for expressing that. but i also want us to start questioning, does time really get experienced the same for everyone? and the answer is no. and so we can't always just assume people can automatically translate to a language of scheduling that might feel foreign. and in the meantime we can enjoy listening to more songs about this very experience!

[luckysalbum]

okay so I'm a chronically online teenage girl who loves analysing anything and everything and recognizing patterns with people. And there's several things I've noticed as of late. and this may be all over the place because it is late but I need to get this out of my head and put it somewhere. this is also a long post I'm so sorry

The rise of Whataboutism, fandom spaces becoming main stream and how it ties to the internet. (I fear this may be already talked about but wtv please let the other analytical people find this and discuss with me)

So there's this phenomenon I've noticed on TikTok (please don't come for me but I've noticed it's largely Americans too) with Whataboutism. I'm going to use a more literal example that I've seen with my own two eyes. Someone will post a recipe and it will contain coriander. Someone will comment "what if I don't like coriander?" (I've noticed this especially on non-western recipes too) Or someone will draw a beautiful ship fanart and someone will comment "love the art hate the ship!" Or "imagining this is x ship"

And it drives me (and others probably) insane because just scroll, don't comment.

ANYWAYS how does this tie to fandom spaces?

Well recently since around 2020 I have noticed fandom spaces growing larger. (I have been in fandoms, using wattpad since 2018 I believe HP girlie's unite) And it makes sense everyone was inside so we could only engage with others online and therefore already established online communities would grow larger. However this also meant that people who have never engaged in fandoms are now joining. Which means fandoms are becoming largely mainstream. Even "mainstream" fandoms becoming more mainstream like marvel, DC and Harry potter.

And this isn't only limited to fandoms I've noticed this with reading now too.

I started watching MHA back in 2020 and let me tell you the fandoms were shit. Then in early 2021 I discovered the dreamsmp and oh my god that was another shit show. Everyone was online and that meant everyone was in this vacuum of "contraversies" it gave me a headache I remember literally only using discord and YouTube bc of all the drama.

okay sidebar done sorry.

What does newer fandom members mean? Well it means people who haven't engaged in fandom culture are now reacting in a new way to this new community. Which leads to ship wars blown out of proportion and people getting wayyy too involved. And people posting spoilers. Yes fandoms spaces are a fun way to engage with other people who have similar interests as you especially if you don't have many people who share the same interests. But this also means people live in a bubble where you are only engaging in like minded individuals and not talking to others who oppose your thoughts and opinions. Which is important to grow as a person. (I know fandoms are meant to be fun but if you're critiquing media you have an opinion and opinions can change)

this is sounding so pro conservative IM SORRY I'M SOUTH AFRICAN I'M NOT AMERICAN NOT PRO CONSERVATIVE I'm just trying to say listen to other people in fandoms with an open mind when they talk abt why they may ship or dislike a ship. That relates to anything and everything too regarding opinions, theories etc.

As we know the internet is a vacuum and algorithms mean you will see content you like. So you will only engage with like minded individuals. So you will not generally hear thoughts, feelings, opinions of other fandom members unless you go searching for it. It's a similar phenomenon to the gym bro/trad wife to alt right pipeline. So on top of your internet being directly curated to you. Meaning you essentially live in a bubble both online and in real life. You're also becoming increasingly individualistic. Resulting in shit like "Well I don't like this ship so this doesn't concern me" okay fair but babes scroll. Like it genuinely confuses me why people don't just scroll, even when I was even more chronically online than I am now I would just not interact with shit I didn't fuck with? wtv I wna touch on reading spaces since I've been into reading since birth

Also there was the "reading isn't political" bit a while ago. Which is so fucked. I think fandom culture and generally "nerdy" hobbies and interests becoming mainstream due to online spaces growing in 2020 did a number on already troublesome fandoms. Like the does it contain smut thing on TikTok. People liked reading smut as a relaxer which fair, so they joined online communities to find more book recs and other people. Which made reading as a hobby grow and dark romance grow in popularity. This then led to a once relatively small portion of the overall book internet community growing into something much larger. And because the internet is a vaccum this meant they were only being recommended smut books or they just enjoyed it. But didn't consume in moderation so obviously they got a bit addicted. So now they were in other spaces within the book community. I understand that reading for some is a form of escapism however you cannot turn off your brain while reading, this is not a show. I actually cannot relax in any way while reading or watching a show because I am analyzing and paying attention. Reading will always be political because in some parts of the world you weren't allowed to read because you are a woman. ALSO I understand these communities existed beforehand and I'm not trashing smut (I like reading smut as much as the next person) But now because of the overwhelming popularity of these different spaces and as well as these people living in vaccums it's becoming a tad insane.

I'm losing braincells I'm so sorry I feel like I'm rambling.

OVERALL

living in a bubble is bad for your brain. Give your brain a break maybe indulge in other hobbies where you can switch off your brain. like baking or running or gardening. I also think this has ties to seratonin and being stuck inside making us all sad so this stuff gave/ gives us our dopamine hits so we get too emotionally involved. But even though I am in a biology elective I am wayyy too uneducated to delve deeply into that. Anyways touch grass and realise nothing (regarding fandoms) is ever that deep and in a few months/ years you'll wonder why you were so high strung abt this stuff. If you like reading take a break from the smut, read a whodunit, (me personally I love Hercule Pirot) and touch grass.

Also if you thinking reading isn't political crack open a history book about a topic but from opposing sides and tell me its not political. Read a poem.

[selfshipping-haven]

Why do you keep talking about how certain characters are beyond redemption and entirely unforgivable as f/os when you selfship with mass murderers and child killers? I don't mean to police your interests, but it seems pretty hypocritical to promote acceptance in the community when you gatekeep who is and isn't allowed to selfship and with whom they're allowed to f/o. Especially when you claim what characters are and are not okay to ship with but then ship with characters who should, by all accounts, clash with your ethics that you have promoted. Why is selfshipping only valid to you if people follow your exact guidelines and morals while you then go on to preach how you selfship however you please regardless of people's perceptions? Which, by the way, does not make sense when you constantly require other people's input to make yourself feel "valid". Just because you make AUs doesn't mean you did not gain an interest in their original characterizations, morally bankrupt actions and all.

If selfshipping is meant to be a community where people support each other, why do you then make baseless assumptions about people based on the media they interact with and your narrow perception of it? Not to mention your refusal to interact with others first and claiming you're "too anxious" to do so. In that situation, you have no right to complain when others do not interact with you because you are doing the exact same thing. You can feel hurt, yes, but do not act like you are not part of the problem when you complain about it.

Also, a bit of advice, perhaps going "but maybe I'm just *insert negative thing about yourself here*" after every "controversial" statement isn't the best idea if you want people to engage with you. Attempting to make disparaging comments about yourself, regardless of how genuine they are, very much comes across as guilt trippy and like you're trying to farm engagement by being negative. Maybe try looking inwards to see why you tend to gravitate to negative statements about yourself and others instead of blaming it on your mental health and doing nothing about it. It is your responsibility to keep yourself in check instead of relying on strangers on the internet to keep yourself afloat. You cannot keep saying you are trying your best but then use that as a means to deflect criticism because of your mental health. Your wellbeing has nothing to do with how poorly you treat others.

And before you say it, being on anon does not mean I am a hater or stalker. I just don't want you to drag this out into a larger conflict when I am only here to say this one thing before I am off. You tend to try and start conflicts the moment someone disagrees with you. Your behavior genuinely concerns me and I think you need to find more offline hobbies for the sake of your wellbeing because, frankly, your obsession with internet presence and how other people interact with media (and yourself) is genuinely concerning. Take this however you will, I do not care. Whether you see this as actual advice or just another one of your "stalkers" is none of my concern. You don't seem to take criticism well and I doubt this will be much different. I hope you have a good day and I will be off now.

Firstly, i dont remember policing others at all. If i see a ship i dont like, i block and move on.

And the thing about selfshipping with villains is that you dont condone their actions. I never claimed wanting to fix my villain f/os, just give them an au where they have some semblance of peace and honestly, just an easier means of imagining scenarios. Id never ship to someone like jimmy from mouthwashing or homelander or any shit thats too real like that.

Also, please dont make assumptions about me when you have no idea about what im going through or the progress ive made irl. Who are you? Why do you pay attention to me so much? If i piss you off that much then why dont you just block me?

[actuallyitsstar]

3, 4, 27, and 51 for fanfic asks?

✨ send me a number to ask a fanfic question! ✨

3. what is the best fandom you've ever been involved in?

my answer is twofold! if we are not basing this on fictional fandoms only, i think i have overall the most fond memories of being a mythical beast- to elaborate, there's these two lifelong best friends with a youtube show, called rhett and link, you may or may not have heard of them- and i was on ground zero for the peak of their career. i had a lot of friends in that fandom, a very big fandom blog, i helped organize and participate in fandom community stuff, and the energy and the vibe and the fun and creativity and sense of community were like no other. definitely my fandom honeymoon era, and i still love it dearly in a nostalgic sort of way. unfortunately, it came to an end, tho, as most things do; people started infighting, there was lgbtq+ discourse that i felt very much ostracized by, as this was during the big "asexuals aren't lgbt+" wave and i was getting lowkey harrassed about it; and a lot of people just started being downright nasty to each other out of nowhere. the whole fandom pretty much imploded, and as far as i know now there's only 10 or 15 blogs remaining (i used know if at least 1k+, which to me is a big fandom, tho i know lots of fandoms are much bigger!) that post about rhett and link / are mythical beasts.

i sometimes wish i could get back to that. i do rly miss that sense of community and positivity and friendship. i still absolutely love rhett and link and i will cherish my internet dads forever <3 but that old community is gone now, unfortunately, and i don't think there's any chance of it coming back. (my close second in this category has to be dan & phil and the phandom, so much so that i was peer pressured into making a sideblog for it, but it's so much larger and more impersonal feeling- still a great community tho! with its occasional discourse, as most communities tend to have i suppose)

if we are talking about specifically ~fictional~ media fandoms, then believe it or not, top gun! i've never received such a warm and kind welcome bursting into a fandom late with my bullshit, lol <3 we are small but mighty, and i'm gonna be writing for this fandom until it's just u and me reading it, probably, so there's no taking that away from me, lol. everyone i have talked to has been so lovely and insightful and i've loved all the creativity and amazing works that i have read/seen/etc!!! <3<3 very sad that i missed out on the original top gun summer tbh!

4. do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?

i don't, actually! i was never that fully intertwined with a fandom and its discourse for whatever went down to really effect me that directly, except for the mythical beasts, and i can't regret that- a formative experience that gave me friends and fun and a lot of laughter at the time! everything has a time and a place and sometimes it isn't meant to last forever, and that's okay. i still had fun!

27. which do you hate more: writing summaries or picking titles?

SUMMARIES !!!!! summaries are so yuck oh my god. titles are easy. titles are chosen by listening to Music from Blorbo Playlist (tm) until i hear a line and go !!! THAT ONE !!!! and thats the title <3 its so easy for me <3 but summaries. blood sweat and tears ??? stressing that it doesn't sound interesting enough so no one will click on it???? trying to reveal the ~vibe~ of the fic w/o spoiling anything ????? Impossible!!! it cannot be done

51. rant about something you love/hate about fanfic! go!

I LOVE THAT FANFIC IS A GROUP PROJECT LOVE LETTER TO LOVE. whether it be to the things we love, the people we love, the stuff that helps us escape or makes us feel better or brings us joy or drives us to make something or inspires us. you can't get into fanfic for clout or for money. you can't be stuck up about fanfic (or i suppose u can try but. u won't get far!), you can't be a fanfic influencer. you write fics because you love something so much that you just have to talk about it or you feel like you're going to burst, and so do the people who have also seen the something who may or may not have the same feelings as you- so you all share that love with each other!

and idk. i guess i just think thats neat <3 i love u fanfic authors <3 i love u fanfic readers <3 that is All

tysm for the ask and sorry it took 18 million years and that i have um older asks to answer still 😭 we are getting there slowly kids akdhdjfhf

[thecondemnedangelgabriel]

Hello! I hope you are doing okay! I'm very sorry if this comes off as rude, but you need therapy. I'm genuinely concerned..please seek a therapist.

I understand you also adore being in your own bubble, as everyone else, but it should NOT interfere IRL with people...

Hi and Hello

NO

I do not 'adore being in my own bubble as everyone else' you are talking about your own stupid and manipulated immature self...

I am in NO BUBBLE at all, Emily... I am enduring a Possession

And what YOU DO and have done affects a lot of people IRL

YOU have done Evil

I don't need therapy... I'm a Stalked Artist who is being Hacked by three people and this is a Spiritual Communication which is a part of a much larger Artwork... the three individuals hacking me are in the hugest trouble in Life and in SOUL, one of their methods is to gaslight and frame their Victim as Deluded... it's the most exceptional evil... when you say it should NOT interfere IRL with people, what do you mean... with WHOM

This is a TRUE STORY

Since 2019 it has been relayed by A REAL ANGELIC BEING

Through a Possessed Holy Mother Conduit who is a Divinity Angelically Mistreated...

These are Miraculous Events at the END OF AN ERA O V

A LONG Era of Betrayed Spiritual Karma

Muzzled Justices

O O O

V

You see, actions do have consequences and when something is done to somebody it does affect the doer... O O O

The Foolish Condemned Angel is Stupidly Misrepresenting the Return of Karma in a Stubborn Fairy Working which is Entirely Stupid...

It relies upon this Living Goddess being Spiritually Human

But This Goddess ISN'T Human Spiritually

The Artemisian Angel is in the Stupidest State, Extremely...

O O

And a persecution like this affects the Entire Lied To Community...

And ALL Witnesses

And what did you do to their Houses O O

The Hackers are the most exceptionally self excusing bunch of total arseholes...

One of them is a Serial Killer with multiple murders on her Spiritual Account and ALL THREE of them are involved in an entrapment which has led to Death...

Several years I put forth Public Account of my experience as a victim and the need for intervention rescue for one very vulnerable person who had become dangerous under Isolation...

I am just absolutely fucking amazed by this message from you...

Why should I Assist YOU to Save Your Life in any way...

When You Refuse Decency for so many years, Stalker

You AWFUL Woman

I do not think that I WILL

After All

You do not Understand

But you SHOULD Understand

Disrespect makes you Very Thick

And sometimes this Goddess feels horrified at how you have been Hoodwinked and so Utterly Manipulated

You want to live in a Bubble Adorable? O O

Roxanne Anderton was Gangraped in a Torture Chamber in Camden you little cunt of a Wannabe Lifestyle Fraud Journalist

While I have been Stalked by Violent People, Allied with Tregonning

You think that YOU are a 'Nice Person', do you...

And so all your BFFs must be 'Nice Girls' also O O

But you are not a Good Person, you are Exceptionally Damned

Go stick your concern up your Backside, Abuser...

You've been collaborating in an Invasive Framing Stalking...

With a Serial Killer, against a Hunted Whistleblowing Mother

And in what sense should that not affect people IRL

In what RATIONAL SENSE should what has been DONE FOR REAL

Not Affect People In Real Life

In what kind of Cracked Noncontinuum do you think Souls Exist

I have warned you and warned you you Utter Fool Ostrich

YOU Live In Falsity

Extraordinary Susceptibility to being MANIPULATED by The Snark Female Psychopath, Sarah Tregonning

Tregonning is a Torturer as well as a Framing Stalker

And Roxanne and many other people are DEAD

This is not a Fantasy, Dummy

Have you graduated from your Beginner's Guide yet... O O

This is your O

O O O

I do not need your Abusive Interferences, Hacker

YOU are a Psychiatric Abuser and this will JUSTLY End Your Career

What I want from you now is to Learn To Accept Unwanted Information because this is why you have been going Mad, Emily...

You have been WARNED AND WARNED VERY CLEARLY for 8 Years

You are Intensely Irrational in your Pleasure Bubble against Reality

That is far from where this Artist IS, Journalist

Or has ever been O O O

Does Flippancy and Fraudulence Protect You From O O O Justice O

Does Atheism Protect Your Life and Soul From The REAL

O O O

O!

Does it FEEL like it will, though O O O

How about Western Medicine O O O

Will Psychiatry protect you from Angels O O

Do you Leave The Light On

O

V

YOU and the other two Invaders have been brought False Security in your Criminality and Wrongdoing by the Suspension of Motions brought by Gabriel who is Oppressing...

HAVE you received Testimonial of the Seer Ogbanje... O O O

Yet you still respond like this at THIS Stage O O O

When you are brought Information it changes Your Responsibilities

You are a woman in your thirties yet you behave like a Schoolgirl

Online Childishness... Intensified to Stalking Malevolence from YOU

O

As the O Process Goes On, Cardinal... You Become More Damned

O

The Lux will bring Consequence in Life and Afterlife and in Rebirth O

YOU do not deserve to be Carried like an Infant by this Goddess

YOU deserve to be treated like an Adult O O

You make your Choices at Each Crossroads

This is the O

You WILL

Burn in Hell

And You Will LEARN New Respects

Upon O

And the Meaning of the Letter and the Word and Code

And SOUL

O

O O O

O

[ladybracknellssherry]

Man, @fakefakelove tried to warn folks a year ago.

I'm about to kinda make this about me because it fucked up my day for a few Reasons.

I never interacted with this person. But saw on multiple occasions the way they interacted with people on tumblr, on reddit. Just absolutely vile, their interpretation of canon is the only correct way, anyone who disagrees with them was immediately met with vitriol, they encouraged and enabled their .... whatever ... fanbase... followers... cult members.... to jump on their hot take garbage person train.

During Pride Month anyone who was enjoying making Pride fanart or fics with Crowley and Aziraphale they were openly shredding them on tumblr. Not just in their shit server. "Crowley and Aziraphale would never. They don't care."

Writing au's was like...'not respecting the craft' or 'not respecting the canon' or some bullshit.

They called Crowley and Aziraphale selfish sociopaths who didn't care about anyone but themselves and were willing to kill a kid so they could keep hanging out eating and drinking. Someone responded something like "yeah okay maybe but that kid was the literal antichrist" and they were just bullied hard for, you know, 'respecting the canon' 🙄

I know I wasn't alone in seeing this, but it often felt really lonely to somehow see this behavior that other people were either not seeing or just overlooked or just adored.

So I just blocked them.

I'm glad it finally hit. But more than vindicated I just feel exhausted. Idk. Maybe I would have tried to bring larger attention to it if I had a bigger voice in the fandom. Or if I trusted myself more. But whenever I did bring it up with folks.. I was afraid people would think I was overreacting, being petty, misinterpreting. And that was largely (not exclusively) the reaction I was sensing from most people. I had full on crying hyperventilating meltdowns over this shit for My Own Damn Reasons.

'I told you so' sucks because it's not just hollow garbage, but it means no one listened to you.

I had a pretty productive talk about it with one person though...I explained that I didn't think I could finish reading this writer's fic...it wasn't a decision, I just dreaded giving the time to something saturated in that negativity. I was trying to figure out why it was so much easier for me to separate the art from the artist with some people....but not THIS person. And it took them no time to respond "because it's a peer." That really stuck with me.

Because fandom is a community and we're meant to share in joy and encourage each other and just HAVE FUN. Not....*waves hand in the direction of the assholes* all that.

So fuck this person and fuck their server and fuck anyone who tries to take your joy out of your fandom experience.

How you interpret the canon and the characters and how you choose to view them, how you write them or draw them, what you need from them, how and when you engage with the fandom, that is all yours, and it is all valid.

I love you, Good Omens family.

reminder that good omens is a trans allegory before it’s a biblical one.