#in case this post spreads to people outside the fandom:

[charlie-rulerofhell]

via Mark Benecke‘s instagram

[starsofang]

to other cod writers/creators, apparently tiktok accounts are starting to steal tumblr content to post on tiktok and have an ai voice read it out, like those reddit stories.

me personally, i think that shit’s weird mainly due to the fact that it makes me feel out of a certain comfort zone where people outside the fandom can see. seeing how outside sources can bring toxic people/trolls if it’s not based around a certain community, i don’t want even more anon hate/trolls in my asks, which is exactly why i’m making this post to spread awareness of it.

i’ve kept the lovely person who informed me anonymous, but i wanted to let anybody else in the community know to be on the lookout in the case that you aren’t comfortable with that and do NOT want your works reposted/exploited for views of somebody else.

[eclectic-sassycoweyes]

Okay. The thing is - we’ll never get everything from this show, we’ll never get to see everything play out. The conversations will always be fractioned and half. It’s a prime time network show that gives us 45 minutes of screen time each episode spread out between a whole cast of characters and plot lines and action sequences.

And my point with that is: Everything outside of what we see in canon is >us< filling in the blanks, interpreting and basically finishing the characters and the storylines.

If you dislike a character or storyline, a large amount of what you dislike will be of your own making. Which means that you created that negative take, only to be negative about it.

If a character isn’t giving all their background and reasons, or isn’t providing what you find to be a sufficient apology for what you believe is a ‘wrong doing’ then that’s you deciding that their reasons were bad instead of valid. You deciding to go ‘I hate this character bc they didn’t apologize’ instead of going ‘I trust that this character apologized but I hate that we didn’t get to see it’ or even ‘I hate that they wrote this character as not apologizing’.

And like. Just because I love these characters and this show or a certain storyline doesn’t mean I think we can’t be critical of it. And it doesn’t mean I expect everyone else to love anything or everything about it. And mostly with this negativity for negativity’s sake, it just makes me think ‘well people are weird’.

Because I literally don’t get watching a show you don’t like and then spending time posting about it using that show’s fandom tags, or painting a character in a bad light just so you can feel negative about it. I don’t get going for drama and negativity when you can go for joy. I get criticizing or even hating the writing, talking about writing that might be problematic, and not resonating with the way a storyline or a character is written, but I don’t get hating a Character that is, in fact, not real and can never be fully fleshed out in a show like this.

But the problem is also when these takes either:

1.) are meant for and created to deliberately reach into other people’s place of joy and create drama.

And, even more so, 2.) when they are racist, ableist, misogynistic in nature and thus are doing real harm to real people. Which, is in fact very much the case when TK is called a ‘twink’ and that term is meant as derogatory or his addiction is being used against him; when Carlos isn’t being emphasized with at all, and attempted to be understood for his reasons, feelings and actions, or isn’t allowed to have complicated, ‘negative’ emotions but is expected to be there to be TK’s ever perfect and present support rock; when Iris is being called words like crazy, or other derogatory terms and her illness or trauma isn’t acknowledged, or she’s being painted stereotypically and as an un-nuanced character bc of her mental illness.

And I don’t get it bc we literally see TK being strong for and supporting Carlos several times in canon. We see Carlos developing and working on his insecurities, educating himself on addiction to best be there for TK. We are told where those insecurities come from. We saw TK’s struggles with active addiction. We literally saw Carlos’ dad being shot in his own home wearing the tux he was supposed to wear as Carlos’ best man, just when their relationship and old wounds were on the mend, heard his mother, who watched it happen, scream down the line while on the phone with Carlos, who also heard it happen. We don’t see anybody but Carlos seeking justice, and we still see Carlos making an effort to spend quality time with TK and communicate openly with him. And we saw TK going to bed without his husband not for the first time, knowing that he’s in pain and that grief has previously let him to feel alone and to close up and end up in a dangerous and unhealthy place, where TK couldn’t reach him or help him. We know that there is past trauma and experience for TK that will make him recognize patterns and make him worry for both Carlos’ wellbeing, and for their marrriage.

And, we see them loving, caring for and forgiving each other through it all. We see a relationship with two people who are not always right, not always perfect, but who are doing the best they can and being by each other’s sides through that. We see nuanced and realistic conflicts with root in both of their trauma. [And loving one character and trusting their judgement but not trusting their love and evaluation of the other is just very difficult for me to understand.]

Everything apart from that, the thoughts, feelings and motivations we assign them, the moments, conversations and apologies we imagine or don’t imagine to have taken place, how two characters came from having a conflict to saying ‘I love you’/‘I forgive you’, or to being friends and dancing at a wedding, what lead characters to say “I’ll keep a light on”/“I feel like we’re starting to drift apart”/“we’re doing great”, what else they might have said, and what they might have felt in that situation, is stuff we make up and put into the story. And so it is up to us whether we try and understand and love these characters or whether we want to make them into bad people, and then hate them for it.

[dr-spectre]

The Corruption In Splatoon.

Hypno Callie - Sanitized Agent 3 - Marina Agitando Analyzed.

(Note: this post may get edited over time if i need to fix grammar errors, get new information or anyone corrects me in a fair way. I'm not gonna listen to those who say "erm you're wrong actually." There will also be sources at the bottom.)

One of the biggest issues I've seen in the Splatoon community are the misconceptions and misinformation that spread around so quickly and i see it a lot when it comes to the corruption arcs found in Callie, Agent 3 and Marina. People throw around the words "hypnotized, mind controlled, brainwashed" interchangeably between the three, and it kind of damages the stories the developers wanted to tell. I see people say that Marina was hypnotized, which isn't the case at all, and same with Agent 3.

So in this long post I'm gonna go into a deep dive and analyze these characters, go into their personalities while under their corruption, distinguish between their "afflictions" and how they got to that point. There is a lot of depth to this and most people (not all ofc) overlook it which is a shame and i wanna change that.

We will first start off with a character i feel very strongly towards, the one i feel gets the most amount of misinformation in the community and is overlooked the most. A character, suffering from mental distress and isolation, the loser of the final Splatfest in Splatoon 1. An antagonist born out of her own volition and free will despite what many say about her.

Hypno/Octo Callie

Hypno/Octo Callie is where most people tend to slip up and only look at the surface level info the game presents, and that information barely scratches the surface into what happened to Callie and what Callie is like under the influence of the shades.

First off, how did Callie end up like this? She was isolated, got kidnapped by Octavio and then brainwashed right? WRONG! Although this is what Splatoon 2 suggests, it's entirely wrong and paints a pretty gross picture if you think about it for more than five seconds. Implying that Octavio is some freak and monster who waited for the perfect moment to snatch up Callie and then brainwash her against her consent, forcing her into things she didn't want to do, like wear that revealing outfit, brand her with that tattoo, and join the Octarians as a mind controlled slave for their goals. Yeahhhhh... you can see why i have an issue with this implication and the interpretations this created in the fandom...

It's really disgusting and I'm honestly quite shocked that people wanna paint that picture of Octavio and leave Callie as a victim with trauma from those events. Callie in her dialogue never EVER mentions being kidnapped, and only Marie says that because from her perspective, she's gonna think that's what happened cause she worries about Callie all the damn time. They only say "kidnapped" in outside media to make Octavio more of a cartoony evil villain and to simplify things which makes me kind of frustrated. If Callie truly suffered from trauma and had resentment for the Octarians, it would display in her dialogue. She would say shit like, "If i see another Octarian... oh, I'm gonna SPLAT them to pieces!" or "I'm gonna get those Octarians for what they put me through..." It also explains why she even thought about putting the shades back on because if she truly suffered from trauma, she wouldn't DARE put those shades back on. The "plenty!" Line she says in Splatoon 3 when Shiver asks what's wrong with them is a joke line and most likely references her putting the shades on again and again, but the canon on the rematches is unclear but I'm gonna treat them as canon.

However I've seen people bring up this concept art to dismiss these arguments where Callie is seen putting on the Hypnoshades without her knowledge and then is "turned evil ooooo!!"

This is just a SINGLE piece of concept art that the developers MIGHT have used to explain the rematch of the final boss. This art is disproven from Callie's dialogue in the rematch across various different languages as if Marie asked her why she put the shades back on, she would likely have a different response if the shades were put on her in that way.

There is also other concept art showing Callie being alone and comforted by Octarians which also disproves that single piece of concept art that suggests the weird gross narrative online that people push about Octavio.

Now that we've cleared up the misconceptions, how did Callie end up wearing those shades? Well, as shown with the Sunken Scrolls, Callie falls apart when she's alone, she overthinks and gets stressed out.

Callie is a person who seeks companionship and always looks on the bright side, even if it's a detriment on her mental health and causes her to bottle up her emotions to an unhealthy degree. Waking up extremely early and working all day, being surrounded by paparazzi, damaged her mental health, and Marie wasn't there for her as she had a different schedule. Their relationship slowly broke apart and the Splatfest probably didn't help with that either. There might have been some resentment that Callie hid.

At some point Callie must have met up with Octavio after she stormed off in the Squid Sister Stories on chapter 7, and Octavio, being the master manipulator that he his, probably convinced Callie to join the Octarians and appealed to her sense of isolation and pressure from being a star. He didn't force her into anything as shown with Callie's dialogue not showing any hints towards this, Octavio just pulled the right strings and Callie willingly joined to escape her life as said by her line in the official relationship chart "OK, fine, I'll hear you out."

If Octavio tried to grab her or put the shades on her by force, he would get absolutely eviscerated. Remember, Callie is not some weak little girl, she's a trained agent who's a roller main, a weapon that requires a ton of physical strength to wield. Inklings and Octolings do not have bones and are carried purely by their muscles, and because Octavio is way older than Callie and can't even walk properly due to him being stuck in his octopus form, Callie would be able to physically overpower him and turn him into a cooked octopus with rice on the side by the time she is done with him.

Callie finds the Octarians cute and Octavio knows that if he could get her on his side, he could help his troops and save his race from destruction. Octavio uses music to motivate his troops to battle and Callie's help in this would help him a lot. And that's where the shades come in....

The Hypnoshades are very vague and we're not fully sure on the effects, however judging from their name we can guarantee that they involve hypnosis in some form. Either it's because of the animated parts at the front which Callie can see or some other sci fi bullshit that is not explained. They are not "brainwashing shades" that turn a person evil. If that's the case then they wouldn't be called HYPNO shades.

Now let's dive into hypnosis and explain what it is. Hypnosis is being described as being put into a deeply relaxing state where your mind is more prone to suggestions. It's not like in popular media where some dude swings a watch around and goes, "You are getting very sleepy oooo," and then they become a puppet and are mind controlled. No, that's not what happens. Yes, you are more prone to listening to suggestions and taking them to heart, HOWEVER! ONLY IF ITS ACCEPTABLE TO THE HYPNOTIZED PERSON! THE SUGGESTION CANNOT GO AGAINST A PERSON'S MORALS AND IF IT DOES THEY WON'T LISTEN!

If the person who is getting hypnotized doesn't wanna follow through with the suggestion by the person behind the hypnosis, they won't listen to the suggestion. If Callie didn't wanna wear that outfit, she wouldn't. If Callie didn't wanna decorate Octo Canyon, then she wouldn't, but she does because she loves art. You can't make a hypnotized person wanna murder their friends and families unless they secretly want to.... you cannot get a guy on stage to get nude in front of an audience as shown with those stage hypnosis acts, it is most likely faked or the person was in a really good mood and wanted to have fun.

Callie, while under the shades acts more like her normal self than not. She is still energetic and even decorated Octo Canyon as she is a fan of art. Her chaotic nature is still intact however she is more violent and harsh which was teased in her Splatfest dialogue in Splatoon 1. If she was brainwashed then she would be more like a mindless robot that follows Octavio no matter what, like a specialized sleeper agent. However, she snaps back at him multiple times when Agent 4 attacks the Octobot King II and doesn't even wanna kill Marie but instead get her away from her because of their broken relationship. But she tries to kill Agent 4 because she doesn't know who that is and has no personal attachment to them.

The shades do NOT control Callie and do NOT force Octarian ideals into her head. The shades are there to further manipulate Callie, and Callie heard out the suggestions by her own free will. If Callie's mental health and life were better she would probably not listen to Octavio and turn him into a paste on the road with her roller.

Hypnosis is also incredibly relaxing and helps with disorders like anxiety. Maybe it's why she kept putting on the shades again and escaping with Octavio. She might be addicted to it, as shown by her rematch dialogue. However, they don't go into any depth with it unfortunately.

I know people tend to bring up Octavio's line, "i remixed Callie's brain!" to disprove my points, however,

1. Its probably bad translation as the English localization team makes mistakes often as shown with Octo Expansion with Commander Tartar's and Marina's dialogue, and Side Order as well. The line is also different in other languages and some of those languages mention hypnosis, we also don't have a retranslation of the Japanese script for Splatoon 2 so I'm give the English script a HUGE grain of salt on the dialogue.

2. Octavio is a DJ. He says musical terms to describe things. the "remixing" of Callie's brain is to show that Octavio has got Callie on his side via manipulation and not direct brain "washing" if you get what I'm trying to say here. He didn't literally warp her brain with some bullshit evil shades. He just pulled the right strings and pointed her in his direction without directly or forcefully doing it.

There is also Marie's line, "Why would you put those stupid brainwashing sunglasses back on?" In the rematch. However, this is only in the English translation of the original Japanese script, and in other languages, Marie just calls them the Hypnoshades or glasses. The localization team of Splatoon is known to make mistakes, like I've stated previously.

I also wanna go over the design for a little bit, it's honestly really well done and aside from the weird icky implications people just love to make about it, it does a good job at being an "Evil Callie" look. The colors are really appealing to the eyes, the way the design flows together is nice to look at, the octopus tattoo is striking and has become iconic in the fandom, with some believing Callie kept the tattoo as a popular headcanon. The glittery leggings and spikes on the waist and neck are a nice addition. Flipping the grilled squid pattern and placing it on her chest. And the shades are just the cherry on top with their hypnotic patterns, giving you the feeling that a person you knew is different... and off... They took the child like and joyful design of Callie and made her into a more mature and intimidating presence.

Now i wanna quickly go over when the shades get shot off of her as some people say that Callie lost her memories when the shades were put on her and removing them brought back her memories.

When it comes to being put into a hypnotic state, it's very dream like and incredibly relaxing, its essentially similar to a flow state when you're deeply concentrated on a task. So imagine a god damn ink bullet flying at your face at incredible speed, flinging you out of that state quickly and seeping ink into your eye. Yeah, it would hurt like hell and leave you completely dazed, right?

Some people who go under hypnosis can experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, and if you look at Callie when the shades are removed, guess what, she's holding her head in pain and is completely dazed, unable to properly speak and is left to only sing and dance as it comes natural to her cause she's an Idol.

What i think is happening here is that Callie, after being removed from the hypnotic state, starts thinking more rationally for a moment and realizes that Marie does care for her and has come to get her. She remembers all the good memories they had together from hearing the Calamari Inkantation, the song doesn't free people from brainwashing or mind control as some people tend to believe, it's just an insanely catchy song that motivates those who hear it. It probably gave her mind a positive boost and she remembers all the wonderful memories she had with Marie, getting rid of the negativity and darkness in Callie's head that flooded her rational thinking and made her more emotional and impulsive. People who experience mental illness have foggy minds and you can ask someone who has or had anxiety or depression on what it's like. Trust me, it's not fun.

After Callie returns to the outpost, she shows regret and tells Agent 4 that she's sorry for trying to kill them and promises that she's on the "up and up! Promise!" If Callie was truly kidnapped and then brainwashed against her consent she would be putting all the blame on Octavio and would show some amount of anger towards him, but she doesn't. I wonder why huh? Hmm. Maybe that popular narrative online is far from what actually happened huh?

With that information laid out, it makes the Bomb Rush Blush remix, Tidal Rush and Spicy Calamari Inkantation work way more as emotional tracks. The Bomb Rush Blush remix still having it's cheery sounding elements but mixed with more sinister and dark undertones, even including the Onward! jingle to show how far Callie has descended into villainy. Tidal Rush being an emotional and powerful song where Marie reaches out to her cousin in a very sad sounding way as her voice sounds broken and desperate. Callie trying her hardest not to listen to Marie and shutting her down as she wants nothing to do with her anymore after their relationship has been damaged.

Spicy Calamari Inkantation sounds more triumphant and joyful if you take all the context into account, Callie finally breaking free from the darkness clouding her mind and singing alongside her cousin in a much more expanded version of Calamari Inkantation that sounds more full and complete, including new sections by Callie and Marie and the melody of City of Color spliced in there for good measure.

With that LONG explanation of Hypno/Octo Callie, it's now time to move on the next character, and this where things somehow get more weird than a pair of hypnotic shades...

Sanitized Agent 3

Now this is where things get really tricky because the whole concept of sanitization is quite unclear until Side Order and it's basically boiled down to "zombie mind control goop" created by Commander Tartar in order to remove "life's energies" and effectively have lifeless zombies under it's control. However Agent 3 was only partially sanitized so it's unclear on what is exactly going on here. But before we can get to that, we need to discuss how they got to that state.

Before Agent 8 and Cap'n Cuttlefish turned into a nice strawberry smoothie, Agent 3 came to save them after receiving a distress signal from Marina. Agent 3 slammed themselves into the blender, rendering them unconscious which becomes important later on.

After some time Agent 3 gets taken away off screen and then gets partially sanitized and ties up Cap'n Cuttlefish.

So what is happening here? Is Agent 3 brainwashed here? Well not exactly, what i think is going on is that Commander Tartar put that sanitized ink on Agent 3's head to have a direct connection to them to take control over their body and use them as a vessel, to protect it and stop Agent 8 from destroying it's plans. Agent 3 while partially sanitized acts more cold and aggressive, even disabling their special limiter as told by Marina.

An important line of dialogue from Cap'n Cuttlefish states that Agent 3's mind was "hijacked" meaning that Commander Tartar has taken over their body and is using them like a puppet to stop Agent 8. While i don't like to base all of my evidence on the English dialogue, from my knowledge there is no retranslated dialogue of the fight online, if there is let me know so i can have a look at it.

Agent 3 was most likely completely unaware of this as they were knocked out and only woke up at the end of Octo Expansion after the NILS Statue was destroyed. They had no idea on what happened and were probably told about it after it was all over.

Agent 3 was also NOT hypnotized as sanitization has no hypnosis element to it. People who say they were are flat out wrong. They were not necessarily brainwashed either as they were completely unconscious and could not have had their ideals and morals warped by Commander Tartar. You can't really pressure an unconscious body to follow your ideals you know?

We don't get a lot of screentime with Sanitized Agent 3 but from the small moment we did get, it definitely left a strong impression and the amazing Splattack remix helped as well. Taking the once iconic song and mixing it and blending into a distorted chaotic track with elements from the DnB genre such as fast drum beats and loud wailing sirens, showing the danger of Agent 3. It really shows that Agent 3, our player character from Splatoon 1 has been morphed and twisted into a sanitized monster that's trying to murder you. It's like a virus has invaded the song and is taking control, much like what happened to Agent 3, unconscious and put to sleep as their body is being used by Commander Tartar to carry out it's goals.

Now it's time to move to the final character, the loser of the Final Fest, The Administrator of Order...

Marina Agitando

Now much like Agent 3, its sort of vague in terms of how exactly Marina ended up this way as we don't see it play out on screen. What we know is that during the development of the Memverse, Marina created an ai that would be the overseer of the Spire of Order. However due to unknown circumstances it went rogue and got into Marina's mind according to her, either she meant it literally and Overlorder possessed her, or it brainwashed her and took advantage of Marina's deep desire to yearn for a world of order and stability and warped her mind to accomplish that goal.

But, from the hints we do have as well as an interview from the developers after Side Order released, Marina was not brainwashed or hypnotized, but instead was knocked unconscious and then possessed by Overlorder. You can hear it's voice during Marina Agitando's dialogue under Marina's, heck the dialogue she says is more robotic and static, much like Overlorder's. She speaks like a robot in this form which is vastly different from how Callie speaks when under the shades where she's chaotic and loud like her original self times but on another level.

Marina being unconscious and not remembering what happened is also supported in the Side Order Famitsu interview released a while after the DLC came out which states that Marina doesn't remember making her solo song "Unconscience." When she is rescued and freed from the Controller VM, she appears like she's woken up from a bad nap.

Marina as Marina Agitando acts very robotic and cold, her movements are jittery and mechanical as Overlorder uses her body like a giant meat puppet. Her attacks are in time with the music and she shakes all about when firing attacks. It's pretty gross to see the once cheerful and adorable Marina in a state where she's this giant woman entangled in a giant pulsating tentacle that beats and restricts her. It's both sad and pretty damn scary.

She doesn't even recognize Pearl and Agent 8 unlike Callie who still recognizes Marie while under the shades. Marina just calls them "intruders" and is immediately hostile towards them.

Aside from that, there really isn't that much to talk about when it comes to Marina Agitando because she has arguably the shortest amount of screentime out of the three. But i will say that the design is excellent, using the Order outfit as a base and adding body horror elements to it, with her being trapped in a giant tentacles and weird metal pipes coming from the sides that pump out this weird red energy, like veins. Her constant smiling during the battle, the little DJ poses she does but they've become so lifeless and robotic, much like the ai possessing her. The sweet and funky girl is gone, replaced with a machine hell bent on order and will kill anything that gets in it's way.

The song too "Unconscience" is an absolute bop and is a stark contrast from Marina's usual music. It's an ear worm of a song that will get stuck in your head, and if they designed it like that way on purpose than bravo on the music team for Splatoon.

Conclusion.

Why did i make this? Why spend the time and effort to make something like this? Well, as a fan of these characters, i wanna see them well represented and their stories shared properly in the community. Seeing people use the incorrect terms when describing Hypno Callie and Marina Agitando despite the two literally being so vastly different in personality and "affliction." Making Callie's situation way worse by saying she was snatched up randomly, then brainwashed while struggling and losing her memories, treating her as some victim of abuse when the story the writers wanted to tell was a story about the broken relationship between Callie and Marie, and them finally coming together for each other and maturing, it's literally shown in the songs Tidal Rush and Fresh Start for god sake. I find it incredibly frustrating when i see people put in the effort to make these giant timeline videos, translate interviews and then they drop the fucking ball for Callie in Splatoon 2 for some god damn reason. Every. Single. Time.

While i don't feel as strongly for Agent 3 and Marina Agitando, Hypno Callie was the catalyst for me to look deeper into these corruption arcs and find all the interesting details and tidbits about these forms. Marina Agitando was such a hype moment for me when i first played Side Order and it took something we all expected to happen but gave us a little twist on it by making her the very first boss of the dlc.

Seeing Agent 3 again and the Splatoon devs wanting to look back on the past in an interesting way was so exciting to see. It paved the way for the series to reflect on itself and celebrate earlier entries.

Because of the misconceptions online about what truly happened to Callie, i felt this pain in my chest, i was unable to enjoy the concept of an evil Callie, i was unable to listen to the Splatoon 2 hero mode level music without feeling some sort of uncomfortable pain. It literally impacted my day to day living because my brain became SO attached to this squid woman. I couldn't accept the false narrative online, the abusive and disgusting view on my comfort character. A character i find joy and love in. Twisted and turned into something that brings me genuine discomfort.

Splatoon 2's story was handled poorly and caused literally EVERYONE to think that Callie is some abused victim that got kidnapped and turned evil by force by a creepy old ass octopus, when its SOOO far from the case.

There's probably people out there who feel the same way towards Marina Agitando and Sanitized Agent 3. No one likes to see their comfort character misrepresented and i hope you feel heard and that your views matter too. It's okay to look deeper into these characters, it's okay to not wanna accept the common narrative and find and present your own findings to everyone. If it makes you feel better and that chest in your pain subsides afterwards, then go for it. Please.

Thank you so much for reading this, I'm sure there's gonna be some people who disagree and share their own evidence and that is okay. As long as you don't try to push your views onto me or others then you have a right to have your own perspectives about these 3.

Seriously, thank you for spending the time to read this and hearing me out. I hope you have an awesome day : )

Sources:

[hermitdream]

about the notes thing, i think part of the reason is that some people in this fandom are scared to like things. i'm a lurker (considering making a sideblog soon!), but if i had a dream team blog i would never like anything because my main blog is a dsmp blog and as much as "likes are private!" on tumblr, if you have certain settings on you can sometimes see posts that people you follow like on your dash. and the broader dsmp community (outside of dreblr) leans very dranti... i want to be able to enjoy my dsmp content without being blocked into oblivion. idk my situation might be very uncommon and strange but even outside of mcyt many people have negative opinions of dream because of dranti propaganda spread around. like, people who have never seen a dream video but saw a google doc sent around about all the terrible things dream supposedly did, and now they have dream fans on their dni. tumblr users finding out someone is secretly a dream stan can be much worse than finding out someone is a kpop fan. idk that's just my theory. dtblr has a lot more lurkers than most fandoms, so a 100 note post could easily reach 300 people.

interesting theory, and I do think it's probably true in some cases! I wrote that post more as an appreciation for how good we are at reblogging and how it makes us feel closer as a community, like it might just be the two particular fandoms I've been in recently but there's barely any memes, discussions or textposts in general in the tags, just updates or fanfics (self inserts for the kpop group), gifsets and moodboards rarely, so the almost 200 likes to 15 reblogs (not to mention none of them have anything in the tags) also shows how there's barely any community (unless you're reading the self inserts, I imagine there would be more talking amongst others for those but idk about that I've filtered out like 30 tags to not see that stuff).

but yeah, tumblr mechanics are weird sometimes, and wider dsmp being drantis is shitty for a lot of fans and society in general given they are ignorant to learning the truth if it means they have a reason to hate dteam. looking forward to welcoming a new dteam blog! (:

[chaifootsteps]

Hi hi! It's me, Concerned Anon (Directed to the Anon who had expressed feeling threatened.). The doc I created is NOT meant to harass people. I am fine with regular people in the fandom, it's extended to people like DJ and the like. I scrolled through the Doc and there's nothing of the sorts threatening people to off themselves.

If that's the case, then I would remove it. This is towards Chai as I treat him as a source. I feel like most people assume the Doc has content that's "Extreme as all hell" when in reality my language is only directed at people who commit actual crimes, I am not that extreme with my beliefs and anyone who name drops me on twitter for "threatening behavior" is only spreading false narratives and this ask is meant to clarify some things.

I do not care for the tame side of the fandom, as long as your not doing anything shitty and bad then it's fine by me.

The beginning of the Doc has stated numerous times to not harass others or send any hate. Hence: "If you are reading this with the full intent to harass anyone in the critic community or even outside of, then don’t. Especially if you follow Viv’s work and worship her. This will only further add more to the document and cause more issues than not. This document is meant to inform and educate/help others and make sure that Viv doesn’t get away with anything, as much as you like to not listen to what has been said, just act civilly and don’t act like it’s the end of the world because someone says VivziePop’s writing is bullshit. This will also serve as an open letter of some sorts, a walking, living, reading example of what the fanbase has done, that if VivziePop tries anything, we can show this document. You can still like her work and be critical of it, no one’s forcing you to not like it. "

The end of the Doc has a harsh message to the more "messed up side" as usual, most of us cannot control who comes to who, but we can also tell people to NOT harass others.

I do not intend to spread hate, if anything I am harsh on people like DJ, Dani and the creator.

My blog is not a Critic Space, nor do I intend for it to be that way. People who clarify this post as me being "harsh" hasn't read the full doc and are going off what Fans are saying.

I am simply only harsh to people who harass others for opinions, Dox, send death threats etc. Anything as a result of my Doc is my bad. But it's not in bad faith. I am simply doing my due diligence of cleaning up the Fandom, and if you haven't done anything wrong then I see no point in worrying.

I know this ask targeted to Chai, but this is for everyone whose worried. I am not some crazy "Critic" I am just someone whose Mentally Ill, with several disabilities who have been mistreated by the fandom and keeping archives.

By all accounts I am a normal human being. I just want to post Dragon Ball, not be called someone who wants to "hurt others" (trust me, the last time I did I ended up in the loony bin. I literally had the FBI shown up to my place."

So yeah, Doc isn't meant to sent any harassment, and if there's people doing that, cut that out. I am not dealing with this shit right now, as I already got alot on my hand.

I once again want to apologize if my "posts" causes issues. Not my intentions.

--Cooler's Malewife, Anon

Passing this along even though I have absolutely no idea what doc you're referring to. It sounds fair to people who enjoy the shows though, which is the way it should be.

[stinklebug]

been wanting to talk about this for a while actually, and finally am because i've been watching some playthroughs i hadn't yet seen of hfr, which reminded me of the subject of this post:

the purpose of chai's core.

there's an extremely common misconception that it functions similar to iron man's arc reactor, in that it's meant to be either his new heart or act as a sort of pacemaker. but the game never makes any claims regarding this, and does, in fact, state it's Actual purpose.

before i get into where the game states this, i wanna quickly say that if you headcanon that chai has heart issues and that his core doubles as a prosthetic heart or similar, i'm not trying to shit on your hc. do whatever you want. i just wanted to clear this up because, as i said earlier, it's a very prevalent thing both in and out of the fandom

alright, with that out of the way, here:

chai himself says what it does. during the cut scene right after the first fight, he states that his player in his core is what is powering his prosthetic.

the life gauge piece description when you pick up a piece. it states that they're power cores.

battery pack production vlog. in this vlog, it explains that the electric reverb cores you collect pieces of throughout the game were made to be battery superchargers for cores like chai's

outside of this, there's also just the fact that the core itself is literally connected to his arm, both by metal and wires.

not to mention that the Actual Purpose of project armstrong itself is to provide limb prosthetics.

plus...the whole pacemaker thing is something people just keep going for when it comes to Any and All characters that have some sort of implant on their chest, but the thing is is that pacemakers are internal. they're under the skin. you can sort of see them, but they're still underneath the skin. not to mention that the placement of these chest implants never corresponds with where a pacemaker would go (on the right side of the chest)

also, i assume someone might bring up how the life gauges have a heart icon in them and also how chai's core is where his heart is, and i won't disagree with the possibility that they could be Connected to peoples hearts, but it is also important to note that these cores are likely being used by everyone (or at least, most of them) that's a project armstrong participant, and it seems strange to assume that All Of Them would have heart issues

again, though, headcanon what you wanna headcanon. at the end of the day it's not That big of a deal. it just bothers me a bit to see this be spread around as a canonical fact when that's...not really the case.

[gladiatorcunt]

Hi so this post kind of explains the situation but i just wanted to officially announce that i’m setting up comissions. Long story short, due to my health this would be my only way of getting money to support my family/have money for myself in general. I would very much so appreciate it if you would comission me or at least spread the word to someone who will. DMs & Asks are open for questions but all the info is down below! You in no way have to commission me or tip me if you don’t want to commission me but this is just something that i’ll continuously have going should you choose to.

+ RULES 🍰

ANY COMMISSION TYPE CAN BE NSFW OR SFW/DARK CONTENT(or YANDERE) OR NON DARK CONTENT, if it’s nsfw i’ll need info regarding what genetalia/kinks/pronouns/etc. that you’d be comfortable with. and if it’s dark content i need you to specify what you are and are not okay with so i don’t cause you any accidental harm. generally i’d need as much detail as possible for the matchup package comm type.

commissions take priority so if there’s something you really want to see from me, you’re more likely to get it quicker and more suited to your tastes this way. please understand that i’m getting my g.e.d and things like that so your commission will be done as soon as i possibly can.

writing commissions can be chracter x reader x charatcer, character x reader, my oc x reader, my oc x reader x my oc. (You can ask me to make ocs, for example “angel oc” “cowboy oc” “boxer oc” etc. but i do ask that you only give me the type of oc you want and not all the specifics bc then it wouldn’t really be my oc)

the reader/oc can have any genitalia/gender identity/pronouns or be gn. i will do trans readers as well.

i currently am accepting comms for characters from any of the fandoms in my rules post

there will be 10 slots for every commission type (fics, headcanons, drabbles, fic series, matchups)

if you would like to commission me, send me the request and if i accept it, you’d have to send me the required payment before you receive the final product. do not say you’re going to commission me and then pull out after i’ve accepted and would be awaiting the payment, i’m forcing no to buy anything from me but if you’re kind enough to do so, please respect me and my time. make an informed decision about this and be aware of my prices. (they’re a little high because i desperately need the money, i’m sorry)

minors (it’s literally illegal) are not allowed to commission anything involving nsfw. i have the right to say no to any commission and to use any ocs that i am commissioned to make outside of those said comms.

you may do what you want with your commission, let me post it or keep it to yourself or whatever. but do not under any circumstances use it for ai purposes, sell it/claim as your own, or claim any ocs you commission me to make as your own or use them.

+ CONTACT & PAYMENT 🍭

I’m available 24/7 through my DMs. I only accept payment to my cashapp $faetreides or my ko-finbut if you don’t want to commission me, tipping is open if it’s still available (i’m not sure what the deal is with that). You can also just donate to me on ko-fi. Once again, i must receive the proper payment if your request is accepted or you will NOT receive your commission. Only send the payment AFTER i’ve accepted your request, in case it’s a situation where i would’ve denied it. Do not make this choice on a whim and be aware of how long it may take me and have a realistic understanding of your finances. If you can’t afford it or anything like that, please don’t feel pressured to. The last thing i want to do is take money from people who are also going through hard times.

+ COMMISSION TYPES 🍮

CLICK HERE -> ⋆

[fangdokja]

General + Request Rules and Regulations

Please refer to this post on the only characters I will write for: Fandoms and Characters.

The request and asks rules are applicable to two books ONLY:

"World Ablaze: For You, I Would Burn the World." - for fanfiction yanderes

“A Heart Devoured: A Dark Yandere Anthology” - for original yanderes

But I do have other books you can check out, if you want to look for more content suited for you.

────────────

General Conduct

Messages that do not follow the rules will be ignored and deleted (or worst case, blocked).

Fix your profile, and do not look like a bot. If you follow me and look like a bot, you will be automatically blocked and reported.

Do not spam the inbox. Requests will not be taken if there is consistent spam. This only applies to the same request (same content, same character), but multiple different requests are welcomed.

If you want to remain anonymous, please specify explicitly.

I do not do follow to follow social media strategies, or anything related to it.

Do not send hate mail or nonsense offensive messages. Doing so will get an automatic block. This applies to not just the author, but in the community. (e.g. negative spamming, reblogs for hunting the blog, hateful comments, personal attacks, etc.)

Critical feedback is welcomed, but not when it's unsubstantial or simply fallacious arguments (fallacies).

Other irrelevant asks include petitions for donations, spreading information on concepts, blogs, people, religious slander, topics unrelated to the blog, etc.

No trauma dumping in any part of the blog, whether inbox or comment sections. You will be automatically blocked with your comments deleted {Trauma dumping refers to sharing one's traumatic past experiences all at once, without considering how it might impact the listener or if the timing is appropriate.}.

Spreading general negativity is unwelcome here. I'm neither a licensed physician nor psychologist. Neither is social media the best way to cope with your issues. Though, for me, number one way is Jesus and the Bible all the way to help. Just try it, instead of relying on a world that doesn't care about you. Kind of cold, but it's reality, especially if you have no benefits to offer in return.

The blog is dedicated to mostly male yandere + dead dove + psychological content. And the occasional Jesus appreciation posts and content (though this blog is dedicated to God, of course).

Do not rush me. I will have the freedom to choose what request to finish first. So, just because you asked earlier doesn’t mean I’ll get it done straight away (especially if it’s NSFW and explicit sex). Art and writing takes time, effort, brainstorming, lots of thinking in general. I want to submit quality work, not rushed faulty work. And you’ll just annoy me if you rush me. I have a life outside of writing.

NSFW requests will ALWAYS take longer to finish, even more so, if it's explicit sex. {I specialize in psychological and fantasy writing. I suck at romance and erotica genres the most out of all writing. I can do it, but it pales in comparison to my other original works. I'm using my current works to practice for these genres to add to my original epic story.}

I ALWAYS schedule work in advanced. Stories you read presently I finished over two weeks to a month ago. So when you make requests, possible times to receive it is around that time frame or longer.

Why? I always have a packed post schedule that I fill in with oldest finished works to newest works after. I always strive to get the post schedule month done before the month even begins. Patience is key here. If you can’t wait, don’t make a request.

Request Rules

I will still have the final decision on whether to make the content explicit; or just enumerated or hinted at content, if you are requesting NSFW.

I mainly designed these books to be a more lighthearted experience in general, but it can still be subject to change depending on what the readers want.

I will still have the final decision on how to conduct your request. I will do my best to make it as accurate as you want as possible, but I will make no promises. As the author, I’ll have the final say, and have the option to accept, reject, or edit it for the final output.

One-word requests will be ignored. You can add a prompt, specific short idea, or anything concise but substantial extra content to let me know how you want the story to go.

More importantly, requests that are overly specific (like fully fleshed out stories and long paragraphs) will be majorly deleted due to the lack of freedom given to me as an author.

I will only be accepting requests sent to my tumblr inbox. Requests in Messages or anywhere else will be deleted and ignored.

Each person can only send me 2 requests at once. Otherwise, the following requests will be deleted.

In my header request button, it will say if requests are open or not. If it's closed, don't message me about content related to opening it or not. Refer to the rules here.

Lastly, I do not have to reply to your request message. It's optional for me to do so.

────────────

What I will not be writing:

Anything that is meant to portray inaccuracies and degrade anything related to Jesus.

I will NEVER write about characters that remind me of my real life husband. It’s extremely uncomfortable and awkward. (To name a few: e.g. Toji from JJK, Yoo Joonghyuk from ORV, Aomine Daiki from KNB, Sung Jinwoo from SL, Wriothesley from GI, Callisto Regulus from VADTD).

Some characters remind of me of real life people too much, like for example, most “soft” and “green flag characters”. Reminds me of my friend’s boyfriend. And that person is gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. It’s fricking weird. But in general, most reasons I don’t write certain characters is because it reminds me too much of people I know in real life.

Anything to do with adultery, cheating, infidelity. Loyalty (especially in the obsession phase) is one of the non-negotiable base foundations of the yandere. This also includes yanderes having no other love interest or obsession (e.g. dead past wives and spouses that they “cherish”) before the female reader.

Anything with pregnancy or children (don't trust me to keep those children safe from injury and death / tumblr policy). Including pregnancy fetishism, abortions, etc.

Sexual and Suggestive Content with Minors (tumblr policy). If the character is not of 18 years, they will be aged up.

Anything that romanticizes LGBTQ+. I will only be writing for a female reader and male yandere character, straight couples only for romance especially.

No polyamorous relationships, but love angles and love interest competitions are fine.

No divorce requests. Break-up (boyfriend x girlfriend) requests are allowed.

No requests for submissive puppy or any submissive men in general, including switches.

I do not write gentle sex, only rough possessive domineering sex. And only dub-con and non-con situations, no consensual scenarios here.

I do not write consensual SFW stories as well, all of it is either dub con, non con, or psychological in nature. Dead Dove generally.

I do not write older female tropes (e.g. MILF). I either write younger female reader or do not specify the age at all. At most, I usually write 18 to early 20’s reader.

I do not write tall, muscular, buff, or chubby female readers. I only write tiny, short, thin readers, or do not specify the height and build at all.

I do not write strong female protagonists. Like overpowered ones especially. For all my other works, except for my original epic story, I only write weak, submissive females. It’s because I focus on the male yandere’s perspective in my stories.

You are not allowed to specify how I will write the female protagonist. This will be entirely up to me.

I will not be taking requests for character or reader death scenes. Attempted death attempts or scenarios are allowed.

No Genderbent characters. No crossdressing (also includes femboys, and other concepts related to it).

No Platonic yanderes, only Romantic yanderes, if human. But, if it's monsters, animals, etc. then I can do platonic yanderes (unless stated otherwise, like Undertale AU's, where I can make romantic yanderes ; but most of the time, I will not make romantic yandere non-human appearance monsters).

Other Kinks I will not write about:

No Acrotomophilia.

No Abasiophilia.

No Balloon Fetish.

No Bestiality / Zoophilia

No Bug Chasing.

No CBT (cock and ball torture).

No CFNM (clothed female / naked male).

No Climacophilia.

No Clown Fetish.

No consensual anal sex.

No Crush Fetish

No cuckolding.

No DIY Porn or consensual pornography.

No fetish for disfigurement and/or permanent bodily injury. (non-con actions are permitted).

No body fetishes (e.g. Foot Fetishism).

No Ederacinism.

No Figging.

No Gender Bending.

No Gerontophilia.

No Group Sex.

No Hebephilia.

No Hirsute Fetish.

No Hotwifing.

No Knismolagnia.

No Latex Fetish.

No Nylon Kink.

No Objectum Sexuality / Objectum Kink.

No Pedophilia.

No Praise Kink.

No Pantyhose Fetish.

No Robot Fetishism (unless for psychological aspects like controversies)

No Sex Parties.

No Spectrophilia and anything ghost-related.

No Stygiophilia.

No Tentacles.

No Teratophilia. (romantic and suggestive moments are allowed; no explicit sexual content for non-human like monsters)

No Trichophilia.

No Vicarphilia (only allowed for psychological aspects).

No Vomit Fetish.

No Vore (non-con cannibalism is fine though).

No Yoni Egg.

────────────

What I can write (but not limited to), non-taboo / SFW:

Important Notes

I only write older male yanderes, age gap where the male love interest is older. It can be by just a few years to generational age differences. Yes. Daddies only.

I mainly write Dominant + Sadistic + Black Flag + Daddy please choke me more vibes. I can also write red flag characters as well, but mainly black flag yanderes that can and will kill you.

I specialize in the psychological genre. It's why a lot of my works revolve around that aspect, along with thriller and horror. I'm currently practicing romance and erotica (two of my worst genres).

Romance requests are only allowed to be in the "dark romance" genre at most. Comedy, slice-of-life, healing, fluffy, happiness won't be found here.

Plot Ideas

Reverse Harems: I can write reverse harems, but the reader can only end up with one guy in one ending (can have multiple endings).

────────────

Themes I can write (but not limited to), NSFW kinks:

Specify if dub-con, or non-con (consensual requests not allowed).

24/7 arrangement

Age Play (older love interest / male yandere only)

Anilingus (non-con only)

Autassassinophilia

Autoerotic asphyxiation

BDSM

Blood Kink / Blood Play

Blindfold Sex

Breath Play

Bondage

Breeding Kink (not for pregnancy and children purposes)

Cannibalism

Claustrophilia

Consensual non-consent

DDLG

Dominance

Dirty Talk

DIY Porn (non-con only)

Edge Play

Electrostimulation

Erotic Asphyxiation

Erotic Humiliation

Erotophonophilia

Exhibitionism

FinDom

Fisting

Frotteurism

Food Play

Gagging

Golden Showers

Humiliation

Hybristophilia

Hypnokink

Impact Play

Interrogation Play

Japanese Bondage

Katoptronophilia

Masochism

Money Kink

Necrophilia

Needle Play (non-con only)

Objectification

Orgasm Control

Overstimulation

Ownership Kink

Pet Play

Primal Kink / Primal Play

Public Sex

Pyrophilia

Rape

Role Play

Rope Bondage

Size Kink (larger, taller male yandere only with tiny, thin darling)

Somnophilia

Symphorophilia

Temperature Play

Urophilia

Underwear

Voyeurism

Whips

Wet and Messy

Wax Play

────────────

Themes I can write (but not limited to), controversial / taboo :

Hate, Discrimination & Oppression:

Bullying

Classism

Cyberbullying

Poverty

Sexism & misogyny

Slavery & indentured servitude

Slut-shaming

Workplace harassment

Sex and Sexual Violence:

Dubious consent scenarios

Gang Rape (reader not allowed to specify which characters)

Incest (aged up)

Necrophilia

Rape

Revenge Pornography

Sexual Assault

Sexual Harassment

Sex Trafficking

Sex-worker Shaming

Sex Work & Sex Slavery

Abuse and Relationships:

Arranged, Forced & Coerced Marriage

Domestic Abuse & Violence

Emotional Abuse

Incest (aged up)

Intimate Partner Abuse & Violence

Mental Health and Suicide:

Addiction

Amnesia & memory disorders

Anxiety & anxiety attacks

Bipolar Disorder

Depression

Disordered weight & body thoughts

Dissociation & dissociative episodes

Dysphoria

Eating disorders

Gambling addiction

Hallucinations

Intrusive thoughts

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Self-harm

Sex addiction

Sleep disorders

Substance addiction

Suicide & attempted suicide

Suicidal ideation

Alcohol and Drugs:

Alcohol consumption & abuse

Drug abuse

Drugging

Overdose

Blood, Injury & Medical:

Amputation

Blood & gore depiction

Body horror

Body modifications

Cannibalism

Chronic illness & chronic pain

Dead bodies & body parts

Decapitation

Dismemberment

Emesis

Eyeball trauma

Genital mutilation

Hospitalisation

Loss of autonomy

Loss of limb

Loss of vision

Medical experimentation

Medical treatment & procedures

Mutilation

Needles

Pandemics, plagues and contagions

Paralysis

Physical injuries

Physical illness

Scars

Starvation & dehydration

Surgery

Terminal illness

Weight loss & gain

Death and Loss:

Death from exposure

Death from falling

Death of a child

Death of a cousin

Death of a friend

Death of a grandparent

Death of a nephew & niece

Death of a parent & guardian

Death of a partner & spouse

Death of a sibling

Death of an aunt & uncle

Grief & loss depiction

Violence and Crime:

Asphyxia, strangulation & suffocation

Blackmail

Boating accidents

Building collapse

Captivity & confinement

Car accident

Disappearance of a loved one

Electrocution

Explosions

Fire & arson

Gang violence

Garrotting

Gun violence

Hanging & lynching

Home invasion

Hostage situation

Imprisonment & incarceration

Kidnapping

Knife, sword & axe violence

Maritime disasters

Murder & attempted murder

Organised crime

Physical assault

Plane crash

Poisoning

Police brutality & violence

School/workplace shooting

Stalking

Torture

Train accidents

Vitriolage

Vivisepulture

Whipping

War and Genocide:

Chemical gassing & warfare

Colonialism

Concentration camp

Conscription

Genocide

Massacres & mass murder

Military service & deployment

Nuclear disaster

Riots

War themes & military violence

Animal Death and Cruelty:

Animal attack

Animal cruelty & abuse

Animal death

Animal illness & injury

Animal testing & experimentation

Hunting

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for telling people I don't care about fandom drama unless it somehow directly involved me? Maybe some people will read this and go "what? No???" And if that's the case I'm gonna be snickering to myself but I digress. I'm a digital artist trying to find my footing in this hellscape of an online environment with tumblr being broken as it is and twitter going down in flames slowly, DeviantArt supporting AI and I don't think I need to go on. For a long, long time I was a fandom artist however and one of the 'bigger' names in a fairly small community. I've 'fell off' as they say because of some beef with people I didn't choose to have but hey, tale as old as time with fandoms am I right? We mess up and move on with our lives. SO YEAH that aside, when you've been through stuff like that and grow up a bit you realize that it was all a pretty stupid waste of time and energy and now I'm in my mid-20s and would really just like to focus on my art. I still make fan art for this specific thing and like make fan art for basically anything I enjoy nowadays and just...spread out my skills more so I got a better portfolio and all that. I'm really just vibing so to speak. Then a while ago I got DMed by someone in my server about some beef they were having with another user in my server. The kicker is that none of said beef was actually taking place in my server but in another server owned by the person DMing me. It's as if you're the manager of a starbucks and the manager from the Burger King across the street comes in like 'Yeah your employee was being shitty in my Burger King so I don't think I'll be going to this StarBucks anymore >:(" Like, what do you want me to do with that information? I can't talk to someone about behavior I didn't even see any damning evidence of and I'm not going to accuse someone of something based on something a stranger said. Somehow this conversation went from me explaining that I'm not about to ban someone or adhere to somebody else's 'blacklist' over things I have seen no proof of, to the stranger DMing me that a lot of people 'are intimidated' by me or that I have them blocked 'for no reason' setting off my paranoia like no other. I had recently dealt with being ghosted by friends who turned around and posted a call-out (with zero evidence mind you, not a single screenshot because they in fact, wiped WHOLE ENTIRE chats as they contained proof of the opposite) and those people stalking me for WEEKS, had to start over fresh and everything. So naturally I didn't like this very much and bluntly stated that if I blocked anyone, it's probably for a good reason and that it's not my problem if that somehow hurt their feelings, I need to look out for my own safety online. I fear I was a little TOO blunt because I did say something along the lines of 'I'm sorry but I do not care, I'm too old for fandom drama not involving me, I'm trying to be professional.' and cut the conversation off because I was exhausted and uncomfortable. I've been told that this was a just a weird and wacky instance and that I didn't do anything wrong, that people who do think I did need to go outside and touch grass and all that but hyea, it stuck with me because I worry that people are badmouthing me behind my back a lot. TL,DR: Got told by a follower that other people in our very small community were scared of me, had them blocked for 'no reason' and that somehow hurt their feelings and that my reputation was apparently decided by what my individual followers behaved like in other servers and spaces because apparently one little spat was enough to have someone threaten to distance themselves from me all-together while I wasn't involved at all. So, I figured if anyone is an expert at these fandom shenanigans, it's gotta be the veterans of the tumblr court.

What are these acronyms?

[rainbow-nerdss]

Fic Writing review 2023!

I was tagged by: @just-my-latest-hyperfixation @aidaronan @exhuastedpigeon @jamespearce9-1-1 @theotherbuckley @aspecbuddie @thewolvesof1998 @daffi-990 (And possibly others, i may have missed one or two, sorry if i did!)

I can't believe 2023 is over, honestly. This year has had some ups and downs for sure but overall I'm so proud of what I've achieved. I started the year mainly writing Stranger Things fics, and while I still love that fandom and all of the wonderful people I met there, my inspiration for writing it was beginning to fade.

And along came 9-1-1. I am so happy with where I've ended up, and for all the new friends I've made since I found this show back in April!

Here's an overview of my year in fic:

Words posted to ao3: 235,060

Words written: 250,465

Works posted: 38

Fandoms posted for: 3 (Stranger Things, 9-1-1, MCU/Captain America)

Specifics and tags are under the cut!

Longest fic:

Crawling on Back to You 109k words, 30 chapters Stranger Things, Steve/Eddie, Rated E

Shortest fic:

Keep on Walkin' and don't look back 521 words Stranger Things, Steve/Eddie, Rated T

Top 5 by kudos:

1. Right in front of your eyes

9-1-1, Buddie, 15k

He and Chris, and Buck. They work, they’re a unit. Why should it matter that he’s single? Buck is watching him, like he’s reading every thought on his face. “You’re already planning to lie about the date. Why don’t you just tell her you met someone yourself?” Eddie shrugs and tilts his head to the side, squinting in thought. “She won’t set me up on dates if she thinks I’ve got someone,” he muses. “But she’ll want to meet whoever it is.” “So... Introduce them?” Or: Buck offers to fake-date Eddie so Pepa will stop setting him up on dates.

2. Pinky Promise

9-1-1, Buddie, 1k

Christopher Diaz doesn't mind that his dad's dating someone new. He's not dumb, he knows there's someone. The way his dad has been smiling lately, the way Chris catches him staring at his coffee, daydreaming like he isn't a grown man. The sleepovers Chris is suddenly allowed to go to on almost a weekly basis. Chris is happy for him, really he is. He’s just not planning to let himself get attached to whoever it turns out to be, just in case. He doesn't need a step-parent, because he has Dad, and he has Buck, and that’s enough. Whoever his dad dates, well. They'll probably leave, eventually. Chris doesn’t need to worry about them. Or: Eddie and Buck come to Chris with some news, and he doesn't take it very well at all.

3. Peek-A-Boo

Stranger Things, Steddie, 1k

Eddie tried not to stare. He really tried. He didn't notice at first, too preoccupied with the tub of pringles he'd been making his way through while talking about Corroded Coffin's last gig. Sure, he'd noticed the shorts. The ridiculous amount of leg Steve was showing, the way they hugged his ass, but it wasn't until Steve moved, lifted one foot to rest on the cushion, knees spread, that Eddie noticed another feature of the shorts. Or: Steve puts on a bit of an accidental show.

4. Definition

9-1-1, Buddie, 2k

It keeps happening, time and time again. People get it wrong. Whatever people say, it feels wrong and they don't know how to set the record straight, until Chris takes it into his own hands. or: 5 times people get Buck's role in Chris's life wrong, and 1 time they set the record straight

5. take my hand (knot your fingers through mine)

9-1-1, Buddie, 4k, written with @pock-o-pea

At least Buck’s okay. He’s outside, safe, doing his job. Buck’s okay, which means no matter what happens inside this van, If the crushing weight of the fridge takes him before Buck can get to him, if the van pancakes or flips or any number of likely disasters occur, if Eddie dies in here, alone, and in pain, then… He thinks of Mallory, of Jo. How they’d called out for each other. His eyes shut briefly as Mallory’s words echo in his head. “She’s not my daughter. Jo’s mother was my best friend… she saved me so many times.” Or: what 6x18 could've been

2023 Events I've participated in: AUgust, Fandom Trumps Hate

Current works in progress:

The bodyguard fic (somebody to someone) -One chapter posted, 3 more written and (almost) ready to post!

Steve time travelling in the upside down (of moments and unmoments (of time lost)) -One posted, two more in the drafts 😁

The break-up fic (you were my town) - Two posted, the third almost ready to post

Season 7 fic: 10 chapters, currently being edited to post

and then a bunch of isolated oneshots I've yet to figure out an ending for: 5+1 times Eddie sees buck with kids that aren't his, friends with benefits, secret relationship, Teacher!Buck, Buckley siblings kiss of death, Buck in the stairs (just started this one last night!)

Goals for 2024:

I want to finish posting all of the WIPs which are already on ao3, post my s7 fic before March 14, keep working on all the WIPs I have in my docs and of course write more and keep sharing!

Most of all I want to keep participating in this wonderful fandom I've found on here, I have had *such* a good time over the past year in fandom 🥰🥰

No pressure tags (sorry if you've already done this and I missed it!)

@hellwrites @the-emdash @wildlife4life @disasterbuckdiaz @loserdiaz @jeeyuns @callmenewbie @911-on-abc @bittersweet-in-boston @kwills91 @trenchcoatsandtimetravel @spotsandsocks @devirnis @housewifebuck @lover-of-mine @gayhoediaz @mojowitchcraft @wikiangela @steadfastsaturnsrings @sunflowerdiaiz @cardamomsage @velvetjinx

Also tagging anyone else who might want to look back at the year and I've accidentally missed!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

September 2023 WOTM: lilyoffandoms

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @lilyoffandoms. We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

This month's Writer of the Month was selected a little differently than normal. We announced that we would be selecting the WOTM from the participants in last month's Writer Appreciation Event. But the eleven writers involved all agreed the honor belonged to Lily. Lily has been a staple in the Choices community for so long, and they continuously go out of their way to support creators and spread positivity while continuing to inspire and create themselves. We couldn't think of anyone better suited for the honor, so please join us in congratulating Lily... September's Writer of the Month!

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog Name: lilyoffandoms Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? Lily is fine (they/them preferred)

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played? 

Best guess would be back in January of 2018. It was a joke at first since a friend saw one of their god-awful ads and said we should both try it. Next thing you know, we were both arguing over which books were better and regretting our decision to start. Though their opinions on what constitutes good books are almost as bad as the Choices ad that got us to jokingly play (and I say this most lovingly because they are awesome and I love them). I started with Most Wanted, and my friend started with The Freshman. 

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

Oh gods! I joined back in March 2019. I know I’m a Tumblr baby by most everyone’s standards, but that feels like a really long time. I joined when Open Heart book one was released. I had lurked, reading fanfics, for a few months before biting the bullet and creating a blog and actually posting. Only joined because I was taking my editor’s advice and writing something entirely outside my norm to break a particularly bad case of writer’s block. Thought I might as well share those silly things if I was taking the time to write them. Maybe someone would enjoy them. Never did plan on sticking around, but found so many lovely people that I’ve come to call friends.

3- How did you pick your blog name? 

It was lilyofchoices. My name + Choices because I am super creative like that with those sorts of naming things 😅 I changed it to lilyoffandoms when I left the Choices fandom for a bit. I’ve thought about changing it more times than I can count but I can’t bring myself to actually follow through on it. How do y’all’s change your blog name with each new book release? You are a crazy different breed of tumblr and you fascinate me.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!  

I deleted the first one years ago. It was my first drabble. Currently, as it stands, the first thing in my archive is this post about Desire and Decorum, and it still makes me giggle.

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

I’ve only been writing fanfic since I joined Tumblr. I never really tried writing fanfic before that. Some nonfiction personal things before that but never anything like this world. It's been an adventure, to say the least haha

6- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

My favorite book is probably Blades of Light and Shadow, book one, but there are plenty that are really close behind. This is also the book I’d say I enjoy writing for the most because it is my favorite book, contains my favorite LI, and has one of my favorite OCs (Maiele) in it.

Though recently, I’ve been writing more for Crimes of Passion because it's more of a challenge for me. It's a different vibe between the MC and the LI and it's one I don’t often explore so I’m here for that right now. But I have a sneaky suspicion once Blades 2 drops I’ll be back on my bullshit with that again.

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

I don’t think it exists on this site anymore. Maybe in someone’s reblog? I still have it in my files. It was an Ethan x MC drabble featuring my MC, Merida. I still like it. I’d not change it cuz I’m a firm believer in writing it and don’t look back haha.

This is it:

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to form in his eyes. There it was. He had told her. Dr. Banerji was dying and Ethan was at a loss as to what was ailing his mentor and friend. Ethan stared at the young woman in front of him and then to the floor. He cleared his throat and made a small motion to turn back into Naveen’s room but froze instantly the moment he noticed her take a step towards him.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him, wishing to take away all of his pain, all of his loneliness. Silently willing him to understand that she cared for him. Cared deeply for him and much more than she should. “Ethan. I’m so sorry,” she whispered, one hand stroked through his hair while the other grasped his neck and slowly bent his head toward her shoulders as she raised herself to her tiptoes to meet him halfway.

He tensed upon feeling her arms around him. Arms, he thought to himself, that he had imagined holding him for a number of weeks now. Ever since that night spent sitting up with her watching little baby Ethan. “Merida,” he sighed as he gradually relaxed into the embrace.

She didn’t let up on the hug, squeezing him to her just a bit more tightly. God, she had wanted to comfort him when Dolores died but she didn’t know how he would respond. Now, he was facing the possibility of another friend dying and she couldn’t help herself.

He responded to the increased pressure of her hug and tightened his own hold upon her. Finding himself tracing circles up her spine and imagining what it would feel like to move his hands to tease along the skin of her back where her pants met her shirt.

Her breath caught when she felt his hands move lower. No longer making gentle movements along her spine but increasing their pressure upon her body, nearly massaging their way lower. She brought one of her own hands around to his chest, lightly bunching his white coat in her fist to try and pull him closer to her.

A loud crash echoed down the hall. “Shit!” a construction worker cursed. The two doctors jumped back from each other both staring into each other’s eyes seeming to question if they had both felt the same in the other’s arms. She blushed slightly. “I should see to my other patients. Dr. Banerji’s condition stays between us. Understand, Rookie?” he stated, his eyes narrowing. She nodded and he turned and marched down the hall.

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

I love asking this question of others but don’t like it asked of me. I’m so bad at self-rep and advertising my wares 😂 But if I had to pick one, I’d say this one. It was so far outside my comfort zone when it came to writing that I almost abandoned it two paragraphs in. But I’m a stubborn person, and I refused to let it beat me. Plus, I had been wanting to write a noir fic for this book since it was released. Furthermore, I adore Hayden’s work too much not to gift a little something back for all the art he shares with us, so I knew I just had to make it work.

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

I didn’t expect last year’s Luck of the Draw fic to garner much love. Attention? Maybe. But not love and definitely not the response I got. I really enjoyed writing that one. 

10- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? 

Fluff. I’m a sucker for happy-ever-afters and an endless hopeless romantic. Give me the fluff. All the fluff. 

I pull a lot of what I toss into my silly drabbles from real life. Always been a believer in writing, most often what you know, and sprinkle that all with a dash of the stuff you don’t as a treat. And my life is pretty fluffy thanks to my incredible partner. 

However, I do so adore angst I’m just not able to write it often because it hurts more to write. But I’ll always always read it. That pain is *chef’s kisses*

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Maiele, my Blades MC, is most definitely me coded. His whole personality, his choice of partner when it comes to personality, his constant flirting with said partner, his sense of humor, his lack of a filter most times, it’s all pretty much me. Gabriel, my CoP MC, is me when it comes to romantic gestures and Valentine’s Day. I may be a romantic, but I get weird when it’s aimed at me 😂 

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Editing. I refuse to do it. I hate it with the burning light of a thousand suns. Those of you that manage to edit your fics have all my admiration. I honestly don’t know how y’all do it. Doesn’t it just bore you to no end? 

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

I have more drafts than I care to admit. I would like to complete a series I started long ago for Ethan x Merida, but I don’t know if I’ll ever do that. I’d settle for finishing one of my drafts 😅

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first? 

Nope, haha, I’d not be able to do that. If I were that brave, I’d recommend this one maybe. I do so love Flynn. Or this one, mostly because I do so love the idea of Gabriel just pouting on the couch.

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

Not really. I mean all of em probably. I read a lot of books in a lot of genres. Mostly I use my drabbles as morning warm ups for my day job. 

There are definitely fanfic writers I admire around here that encourage me to share my silly things everyday. Especially all those queer writers out there that have a rather thankless existence sometimes around here but keep sharing their stories! They are all my heroes!!

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series? 

Any and all of my Maiele and Tyril stories. I just love them sooooo much!!

17- Do you write original fiction? 

Yes, but until recently, I wrote mostly nonfiction.

I do have a fic I began a few years back when I was still teaching. I had a student who hated their writing class, so I promised to write a short story alongside them and read it to the class like all the students had to if they gave it an honest go. 

They did and so I did too, and I was asked the following year to do it again by more students and so I continued the same story. I’ve since continued that same fic, and maybe someday I’ll actually go looking to publish it. 

18 -  What other hobbies do you have?

I love the outdoors. Hiking, spelunking, kayaking, gardening, camping, anything and everything outdoors. My other favorite hobby, which I've done for years and years, is fencing. I still am part of a club and teach a few levels. 

19 - What’s your favorite emoji? 

😅 because it’s legit my state of existence at this point in life. 

20: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

I want to send a special shout-out to all the absolutely lovely participants of August’s writer appreciation event I hosted. I still cannot believe y’all did this for me. 😘 These are each of my favorite fics you’ve written. Thank you for making our fandom a little brighter each and every day!

@aallotarenunelma Bathed in Sunlight @coffeeheartaddict2 Moths to a Flame @karahalloway A Leviathan Surprise @jerzwriter A Mother's Journal @ladylamrian Ma Cherie @mydemonsdrivealimo Run, Run @peonyblossom We're Gonna Get Married @petiteboheme Familia @storyofmychoices Passing Shower @tessa-liam All is Fair in Love and War @trappedinfanfiction What's In a Name? Lily's Top Three Commissions can be found here:

Crimes of Passion by @javsarts

A Year of Kisses by various artists: @lethendralis-paints @cashweasel @kundool @deheerkonijn @javsarts @weetlebeetle @kollapsar @mooreaux @rosefuckinggenius @/ArtbyAinna (IG) @littlestpersimmon @callmebeem

Trystan x Noel by @rosefuckinggenius

[twopoppies]

I 100000% do NOT want Harry or Louis interacting with fan fiction. If they’ve chosen to snoop around, whether they enjoy it or not I hope they keep it to themselves.

There’s something.. very delicate when dealing with ships of real people (as opposite to fictional characters) and I find it a really sensitive subject— and I imagine this to be true to writers, readers and in the case the subject realises they’re written about, then them too. And if it’s to be discussed about then it would have to be threaded carefully, and with respect.

I fully understand it might be unsettling and strange to find out one’s a subject of fan fiction, especially the spicy kind. But it’s important to understand it’s never been meant for their eyes, like a daydream in anyone’s mind. Posting ff to public places like twitter is a disservice tbh. Because it’s a place with no boundaries, there’s no way to control how far it spreads. And people from outside fandom don’t really understand it, and shouldn’t be subjected to it. Media meddling in between is really unnecessary, and if you’re not part of the fandom you should shut up. If you are then come to the fandom spaces, don’t drag us into the lights where we don’t want to belong.

There is such great talent amongst fan fiction writers, there are such amazing, long (as well as short!!) stories that have taken so much time and effort to write. That absolutely deserve the respect published works get.

(And there is smut which honestly, doesn’t get the praise it deserves. I’ll say it out loud: it’s oftentimes better than your p0rn videos or whatever. No one is harmed, no money gets exchanged, no one gets exploited and imagination is so often better than reality. It can be a great place for learning and self discovery. To try and instil shame in this part of fan fiction is shit.)

I lost my train of thought, I think I had some point going into this but.. well. Idk. It is what it is…

I love everything about this. Thank you!

[aspaceformbf]

YB / Beauty and the Beast - Analysis Essay

(Im going to put tumblr and lore posts here later and there so this is considered incomplete!)

---

I've been thinking about the parallels between YB and the Beast from the beauty and the beast. Specifically how the layers between the Beast and YB relate to each other.

The Beast (outer surface layer / reputation)

The Prince / The Human (inner layer / his purpose / personality)

The Selfish Man (catalyst / also personality)

The Witch (Fuboo / Greta)

---

1. The Beast

The Beast is like the surface layer and represents how casual enjoyers, people on the outside see him. When you come across him on.. say, Youtube or Tiktok you're usually seeing a crazy, unhinged or violent depiction of him.

One reason why his fame exploded was when popular YouTube streamers started posting themselves playing his game. They would usually describe him as some creepy incel, stalker, murderer or kidnapper in the thumbnails, their description and generally the way they react to him.

So there's always going to be a huge subset of people who are going to..

> Define him for his worst qualities (murder, kidnapping, stalking)

> Make up stuff that he doesn't do (rape, cheat on you)

> Exaggerate existing traits into something worse (making him a serial murderer or depicting him as some horrific abuser that beats up his partner for talking to him wrong)

---

The Beast's reputation with the villagers and how they turned him into some terrifying boogeyman parallels with how he's treated and depicted by a large part of the audience and how many people choose to depict him in fanart.

Personally I do feel that this treatment does actually get to him and makes him a lot worse in canon as well.

Like how the amputation was initially just a commission and fuboo even mentioned that it's wasn't canon on Twitter. 

But the image spread like wildfire in the fandom and because it was so prevalent with the audience, the amputation eventually became something canon.

---

This beast's reputation also reflects a lot in the fandom because many fantasy aus depict him as this primal monstrous animal thing that is dangerous to YN or is to be tamed by YN. 

Which.. if I look at his actual characteristics, it should be the opposite case. He should be the corrupt human, he's no beast. He's intelligent and capable and will dote on you the way a specialized zookeeper will dote on an endangered animal.

He is the seemingly harmless guy who will shelter a brutish killing machine (werewolf/zombie) and quietly assassinate anyone who gets in his way.

He is the android hardwired to fully serve you but his programming doesn't factor in the complexities of human moralities and he takes it too far and becomes a danger to the people around you.. for your sake, it believes.

---

There's even a beauty and beast meme that I feel relates to some of the fandom. In the meme when the beast turns back into a normal guy, Belle gets the ick and is like

"no I liked you specifically because you're a beast"

It kinda reminds me of the side of the fandom that got attracted to him BECAUSE of the whole "crazy leg chopping kidnapper murderer theme".

---

2. The Prince

The prince is his inner quality because.. he's literally a guy who's designed to love you.

His life purpose is to take care of you. He doesn't want to hurt you, he wants to be your life partner. He just wants to shower you with affection, gifts, kisses, he wants to give you a happy life.

(Insert wholesome and caring tumblr compilation)

He has a job, he takes good care of rat, he is the kind of nerd that likes to collect bottle caps, he plays the piano, he writes poetry, his teeth is literally pristine because he takes such good care of it.

This is not the qualities of some brainless beast, this is literally prince-like. Human.

---

I remember there was a lore drop or q&a or something that mentioned that if YN was someone who was stable, loyal and supportive.. he literally wouldn't hurt a fly. 

(LOOK FOR THAT AND LINK IT)

They mention he CAN be a very good boyfriend it's just he has some instabilities and can go too far if anyone crosses you or if things go bad. He is also mentioned to be a very good dad, he will be equally loving even if the kids technically aren't his. 

Unfortunately this wouldn't reflect in the games plot because of the Witch.

---

In the game, for the most part he doesn't WANT to kill people, he doesn't WANT to hit you or cut your leg off. But he does it because he is too desperate to keep you (Selfish Man) and because of the Witch's influence (Greta, Fuboo wanting to keep the game as a horror game) forcing him to be worse than his usual.

He was definitely far more Princelike in the past, especially if you compare the Tumblr to the game after Day 3.

He definitely had his creepy and suspicious moments, but there was a lot more depiction of him being polite, loving, generous, romantic, doting and supportive. 

Patient YB Posting

But as time passes by, his character took a turn for the worse, the cruel, the Beast, especially that turning point in Day 3.

---

There's still a large subset of the fandom that love him for his more loving qualities though personally I don't really know where to slot this into the essay.

I mean I literally thought, hm, the Beast, The Prince, and the SELFISH PRINCE HAS A PATTERN THAT RELATES TO HIM. I HAVE TO WRITE THIS DOWN!

doesn't mean it describes ALL of the fandom but like.. a pretty big chunk. big enough to identify. in my personal opinion.

---

3. The Selfish Man

The selfish man are negative or imperfect qualities he always had even before he turned into a beast.

For example, he is someone who looks down or doesn't care about other people.

In fact, he finds other people irritating. In the Tumblr, he only cares about you and would only get along with say, your family because he wants to be closer to you.

(Posts! ALL THE POSTS!)

Of course this doesn't make him a BEAST because he can still technically get along and be civil with others and he likes and is nice to animals. But he would not do well in say.. a customer service job because having to deal with people OFTEN would be unbearable to him.

And he has no interest in forming any bonds with anyone other than you or unless it's to foster a relationship with you and even then he definitely won't accept a polyamory.

---

This quality of his does NOT help him when he later turns into a beast.

In the case of Beauty and the Beast, instead of trying to communicate with people and clearing his air and working on his reputation, the beast just locks himself up in the castle and whatever rumors people spread about him based on his appearance just gets worse. 

YB CAN read people, but he does not have the social skills to properly manipulate them. He can get along with people casually but other than that, his social skills just.. kinda suck.

---

I think another example of the selfish prince is the way he treats his sister in the Tumblr. He would call her names like whore and slut and would literally wish her dead and would definitely kill her given the chance. Even before he met YN, he and his sister would never get along anyway.

---

4. The Witch

The Witch is represented by Fuboo and Greta. They use his "selfish man" aspect to transform him into the beast. If the witch wasn't there, he wouldn't be as MONSTROUS as he currently is. They purposely bring out and amplify his worst qualities.

YB Regarding Fuboo

[akookminsupporter]

I honestly don’t care too much about the whole jk 🚬 thing, just like I didn’t care with V nor with Suga. I can not like something and still love/like and respect the people who chooses to do those things. Like me not liking the idea of vaping and my sisters doing it — you do you I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️. Also, don’t know why people are so surprised about the fact and the possibility of him and any other member/idol smoking, because just like drinking is very popular in Korea, as far as I know smoking rates are kinda high too. So yes I was surprised at first, for reasons like the ones you’ve mentioned (his voice, health and smell sensibility), but overall I was like “oh, okay so he does that too”. We also need to remember and understand that even if we see it on footage and/or by hearing them talk about it —still we will never know the pressure, exhaustion and stress they go under on a daily basis, and because of that, it is never our place to judge how they choose to enjoy and release themselves, specially if it’s not affecting/hurting anyone. Now, the only thing that intrigues me about this whole thing is why now are we being bombarded with so much… idk a good word so I’m just gonna name it “crude/sensible/private moments” of them (all of them in a way). Like the V and Jennie video, I just don’t see how 10 years in the industry have been so relatively “smooth”, but now in this second chapter it feels like we have had one revelation after another ? I’m not saying it’s planned, but I also don’t think it’s entirely coincidental, specially with how the members (like RM and JK in recent lives) have been expressing themselves and slowly removing/breaking the “idol standard” frame.

Let's talk a bit about the last part of your message.

I think I mentioned in one of the Asks I posted a couple of hours ago, that I think the reason we are seeing more of the guys' private lives is because fans are not respecting those moments like they used to. I don't think it's because the guys are now doing this or that, I want to believe that no one is naive enough to believe that before those 7 men stayed at home doing nothing, apart from working. Now the lack of content has caused many to look for any way to find out about them. And now they are quicker to justify why a video or photo etc. spreads much faster. Many don't care about the guys and respecting their private lives, many care about feeding the parasocial relationship they have created with them. Or feeding that obsession. That addiction; because what's the point of knowing what they do in their spare time if we're supposed to be fans of their music and variety content?

"specially with how the members (like RM and JK in recent lives) have been expressing themselves and slowly removing/breaking the “idol standard” frame."

As for this part, I think it's because they really understand the power they have, not just in Korea but in the industry in general. I don't know much about other kpop groups but it's clear to me that no other group has the power that bts has. And it's important to clarify that I'm not talking about popularity, that's something different although no one has the popularity that bts has but in this case, I'm talking about power. Of influence.

Although there are some groups that are quite popular globally they don't have the power and influence that bts has and this is proven by the participations that bts has had in important stages outside of music. Yes, those appearances are also due to the popularity of the group but mostly due to the power and influence they have. Even if that influence was only on their fandom, that would be huge because bts fandom is huge and that's something that I think everyone with full knowledge of the facts recognises.

And BTS knows it. The members know it. They are positioned enough in the industry and society I think, to shake up the status quo - once again - of what it is to be an Idol. A kpop artist and even a Korean artist. I think that also applies to their relationship with the fandom. Joon and jungkook particularly, they're more vocal in expressing what they don't like, in calling out the fandom for doing or saying something they don't agree with and that's important. I think they've understood that the image that we had of them and that maybe they were projecting was a little bit unrealistic and in this new stage of their careers, they're trying to be more honest or honest enough. Real.

[simplepotatofarmer]

dream has posted on reddit and twitter, spoken abt it on his stream and in his discord but clearly he isn't queer *enough* until he picks a label and puts it on a billboard or something. the nerve of some people...

a lot of it just smacks of old ace-discourse talking points of "but are they queer enough? have they proven they are sufficiently oppressed (and do i like them enough) to join our club??" and we all know that that shit originally came from terfs and right-wingers. every day i am more disgusted by how many self-proclaimed left-wing people are really just looking for acceptable targets that they can actually reach and who can't or won't fight back

yeah, honestly.

it's not even about dream, really.

it's about people spouting off, in this case, basically biphobia by saying someone isn't 'queer enough' because liking both girls and guys is too straight. and you're right, as an ace person, i have absolutely noticed the similarities and it's probably why i'm so vocal about it.

because there's so so many people doing this. and it's hurting others, it really is. you're not just doing it to dream, you're doing it to everyone who might see or hear it and feel as if they're not 'queer' enough. you're isolating people from a community that they need. it's not okay. maybe those people don't have the support that someone like dream has. (and to be clear, it doesn't matter that he may not seem bothered by it to us, that doesn't make it alright, it's just that it has repercussions outside of him.)

anyway.

i'm really horrified by the state of fandom/online communities these days because it's all about '''punishing''' acceptable targets with no concern for how much it hurts others and how they're spreading hate rhetoric.