#it hurts i really can't interact w others the way most ppl do. i mean i can but it's

[noxtivagus]

i'm okay

[menlove]

hey there! i’ve very recently gotten into the beatles and have been exploring their history/lore in my spare time and accidentally spiraled down the mclennon rabbit hole. reading your posts has really got me interested but i’ll admit i’m a bit conflicted, so i hope you don’t mind me asking a genuine question; how do you reconcile john’s horrible behavior to cynthia/others while also shipping mclennon? (this is genuinely not from a place of malice, i’m already attached to mclennon myself but knowing john’s past has put me in a weird headspace about the whole thing and i don’t know what to do).

oh I get that. I've definitely been in a weird headspace about the whole thing before too. recently and then it's also part of why I deeply pretended I didn't still like the beatles after my first obsession as a kid

for me personally, I think there's several ways I come at it? (and disclaimer: this is as a fan who's already decided to interact w him/his work in a fannish way. I'm NOT saying any of this is necessary or that people who can't stand him are obligated to do these things. and that's not @ u anon, I've just gotten some odd responses any time I talk about this)

first one is just that he's already dead. not just dead, but brutally murdered. he was murdered when he was 40 and so the question is like.... what Else can really be done ykwim? like there's this sense in social justice circles that people must be made to Suffer for their actions and I'd say getting murdered is right up there

I'd also say another Big One for me is that it's not my place to forgive him or not forgive him or whatever. I never knew the man, his actions didn't impact me personally. but those that they Did impact (cynthia, yoko, may, paul to an extent, etc) still deeply love the man and Have forgiven him. which obviously isn't to say that means anyone else has to, but just that like. at the end of the day, if the people he hurt have moved on & view him in an overall positive light, I don't feel like. as bad about it?

I'm trying to explain this in a way that doesn't sound like I'm excusing anything, bc I'm really not. just that To Me the most important goals of holding famous abusive people accountable is a) justice for those they've harmed and b) letting their wallets feel the consequences of their actions by not giving money to their shit. both of these points are... pretty much null with john. he's dead, in one of the worst ways possible, and the people that he hurt aren't calling for any sort of action against him bc they've already forgiven him.

ultimately I think just like....... as long as you tread a lil carefully and keep it in mind it's... the damage was already done, the people he hurt have already moved on, and the man's already dead. writing about him fucking paul mccartney isn't going to Worsen anything. as long as we aren't like. denying that he was abusive Or trying to deify him.

and like I said, this is literally only about ppl who have Already chosen to still interact w him in any fannish way like you and I. I'm in no way demanding anyone else view it like this if they don't like him or the beatles bc of his actions

[forgottencillian]

ok so i just love/agree with/etc everything in the first three paragraphs!! i think that all makes a ton of sense and is super human/in character and if it weren't ~his heart and she were just telling him abt some friend or whatever he'd be like 'oh yeah no i totally get that!' as it is he's def a lil less uhhh well even wanting to hear abt it frankly!! like, after she laughed, if she then started to explain herself or whatever he was just like back away like 'no don't wanna hear it pls don't tell me lets just agree to forget this ever happened' etc like!!! no thank you!!! he does not want to hear all the reasons he doesn't deserve them, he already knows more than enough of those!!!!

but also???? i think it left him without a lot of the closure he would've really benefitted from and i do think he's now like WHAT IS SHE THINKING!! WHY!! etc but like its been two years he can't ask now!!! so he just torments himself and yeahhh and like???? even if he did ask, he'd then immediately be like NO WAIT NM PLS DONT bc he doesn't wanna hear her say those things and also they've just gotten their relationship back on track can't go backpeddling now and ruin all that progress!!! so yeah its just a whole can of worms alksjdfklsjdf

but yeahh i ~do think he's still kinda hung up on her but he can't just do the thng that'll help him move on and yeahhh like??? part of him doesn't ~want to let go of that either bc it means its over over and yeah he's just sort of...not really been able to process a lot since the war i think which is part of why he's hurled himself into the rebellion bc like he can't let that go either he doesn't give up on things or on ppl or on what's right etc which is both weakness ~and strength??? idk alkjsdfkjsdjkf its just him ig but yeh the person i see getting most hurt bc of this is cassandra bc like...he can't help but think abt brigit still even when he's thinking of cassandra and his heart's a mess basically

so yeah in answer to what he tells her, i think its a mixture between 'im going hunting,' 'im going to see my fam,' and just straight up making smth up on the spot tbqh -- he def does NOT want her to thnk he's still moping bc she turned him down!!! but also he does NOT want her to find out what he's really doing so i feel like he sort of teeters around and its a bit confusing which probs doesnt help him any but here we are hahaha i do think sometimes he tells her that ronan is really going through it and he has to be there for him!!!! which is true and he ~is going to see ronan too but its also just a mess bc like if she were like 'i could come along' or whatever hed be like 'NO!...its uhhh a family thing' bc obv he doesn't want her finding out and *facepalm* so yeah

also, do we think its likely that he's heard the rumor that she healed him? do we think he's heard that she did some witchcraft, even if he doesn't know what? either way he's def v protective of her (he's that way w everyone he loves! like if any of the malconaire girls were seers he'd do the same she doesn't have to worry this is just bc of his inconvenient feelings! tho that certainly is a factor ~too im sure just bc that informs ~every interaction they have for obv reasons) and defends her and thinks its v cool! i do think he'd have a LOT of confused feelings if he knew ~he were the one she healed, both positive and negative, but yeah he'd still be like 'you should know better than to address a witch with anythng other than respect' at worst and like 'we should all be so lucky as to have a true seer in our midst!' when things're a lil lighter

he's a v devout follower of the guardians/gods/astairan religion and so he'd think its frankly rad af that she's a seer! and he'd also tease her a tonnn and also ask her a constant stream of questions abt the whole thing 'what is it like? what do you see? what do they sound like? what is the meaning of life? do they prefer this bread or this bread as an offering?' etc (also the fact that she was gonna tell him she's a a seer I WEEEEEEP)

oh! and yes! i ~do think she knows abt the dressing up as lord ormond to save that servant!! i feel like he probs got rosie to tailor one of lord m's outfits for him and probs got brigit and rosie to both quiz him on lordly and ormond things and like finish off any ~lordly stuff he hadn't picked up on himself just spending like pr much every minute around the malconaires hahaha BUT, altho rosie's the only one who knows at present, as it turns out, since cassandra talks abt him all the time hahaha (cassandra being his biggest leak hahaha) the one ~he'd be most likely to tell first is brigit, if it'd been up to him, even given what's been between them, tho i do think that's probs the reason he hasn't told her ~yet tbqh hahaha

(also idk why i never thought abt this before but like...i bet that cillian having such a prominent position in lord m's household and being around his stepson's age and practically a brother to the girls and in a position of trust probs made things EVEN MORE WEIRD w cillian and @forgottencassimir than id prev considered like...they're almost but not foster brothers and they were trained probs side by side and like one got his trust betrayed by lord m/betrayed lord m's trust and the other went into battle at his side and was w him when he died, and one was his (potential) heir and one was never ever going to be, and one was the other's master and sheesh!! idk how i never considered all these implications but like...damn there's a lot more there to unpack than i realized before we'd fleshed out the fam bg ig lkajsdfkljsdkjf also yes i did just tag you in a post to you but its a different character idk alksdjfkljsdfdsf)

OOC | Cillian & Brigit

so!!!! cillian!!!! has!!!! feelings!!! for!!! brigit!!!! and unfortunately he is cruising to make it EVERYONE'S problem smdh hahaha ok so i feel like he's lowkey the laurie to their march girls and if we follow that analogy, brigit is DEF his jo, like, i feel like he grew up w them but it was always a lil different w brigit bc he was always a little bit in love w her, even before he really knew what that meant yknow like she's always just had this special place in his heart but then!!!!!!! she turned him down!!!!!!! w a laugh!!!!!

i deffff think that shut him down hardddddd and, like, he probs tried to play it off like 'hahaha yeah what a ridiculous idea omg imma laugh' but then he was like 'sick for a week' and couldn't come to work bc he was too busy staring into a frozen lake and writing tragic poetry while all his dreams of his future shattered around her (he was def v dramatic abt this to his poor bro idk what to tell you lkajsdlkfjdsjf) tbh, i think he always knew it was doomed bc she was a lady and he was a servant and, like, he was ok w that...(and still lowkey held on to hope bc she was never super conventional and her dad just wanted her to be happy etc etc etc and i think he bounced between whether he thought it was mutual too all the time etc) but then to learn that it wasn't even that standing in their way, it was the thing he had loved most (her laughter) between them just really...wasn't a fun time

once he 'recovered from his illness' he def tried to pretend it was nothing by being in particularly good spirits (supposedly) when she was around, and generally tryna play it cool, but i think he ~does hold her a touch more at arms length emotionally than he ever did before bc he doesn't wanna get hurt again, but he also can't resist being around her bc he still has feelings and, even if he didn't, she'd still be his bff and he will always love her etc and it's just...extremely complicated

anyway, idk how long ago the not!breakup happened? but that would def play a role in ~where he is now~ in this emotional journey, but i can say i do think that cassandra has made it at once better AND worse????? bc, like, its really nice to feel wanted after being rejected etc and he genuinely enjoys her company!!! but then he gets back from that and he kinda feels like a jerk bc he's lying to her and using her to help destroy her fam which is obv not a great (boy)friend move lakjdsfkjldsf but also like there's brigit right there and what is he doing messing around when the person he's always loved is right there and maybe he can still convince her they belong together, and, like, he just feels like hes cruising to get EVERYONE hurt and yeah its a M E S S and i feel like the result is that he just acts kinda...strange, like kinda running hot and cold and its all v emotionally confusing for everyone probably alksdjfkljdsjkf id say im sorry in advance but i know you're not even a little bit surprised me and my characters are out here causing chaos hahahaha

[aresrl]

I hihi I am!!! A little nervous w/ doing this bc I've never done this b4 so please bear🐻 w// me💦 May I request a match up? A vision, a romantic partner and maybe a friend and/or enemy? If that's too much feel free to just assign me a vision + partner, ehe/// Preferably male for a romantic match-up, but either gender is fine with a friend and enemy match-up^^ I tried to be as detailed as possible but I think I ended up just ranting, so im v v sorry if it's long! I sort of fluctuate when it comes to being an introvert/extroverted. W// strangers and irl, I'm very introverted and shy!! Rarely speak and if I do it's just the usual "Hi how are you? That's good. I'm good too, thank you for asking:)" yeayea I'm not too. Keen on social interaction irl. But I always do my best to be very nice!! I never wanna come off as mean bc wow what a bad first impression that would be. But with friends / ppl ik online?? Whew I am very very friendly n chatty ^^ Either very high energy or very chill, there's rarely any inbetween. Sometimes I like to jokingly tease my friends but I'd never go too far / make them uncomfortable!! And if I do I always apologize right away!! I like to say that I'm affectionate?? My strongest love language is def physical affection, if not quality time. Idk man there's just something about vibing with someone or hugging them that just aaaaa/// Although I usually display affection w// words of affection bc. Literally most of my friends are online friends so I can't actually hug them, sad times. Idk if this is needed/important info but I just remembered: I'm 5'6 around??? Need glasses bc. Whew i am blind (near sighted), I'm poc (specifically black) anndd, hm. Actually I think thats it for this section, aha. As you can see I'm, not really all that organized. Also I don't have the best attention span - while writing this I'm circling between 4 different apps - and I'm a bit of a mess. And also a little stupid. Just a smidge dumb. But I have my moments - I solved like. 2 puzzles in Inazuma by myself so I think that counts for something. I also find that I tend to talk a whole lot when I have an idea or smthn to say abt a thing I'm super interested in!! That's info-dumping. I info dump. Yes. I also really like to listen to other people talk abt things they like!!!! Its so nice :) I'm protective over people I care about!! I've never done it but 100% would bark at someone who messed with someone close to be. Arf arf yaknow. I tend to he impulsive. I'll do something, and be all "YEAH>:D" and then regret it later. And then I'll do it all over again in a fun little cycle :) I consider myself an optimist, but quickly turn into a pessimist whenever it concerns myself. Fun funfun. Should probably mention that I am. A very insecure person w/ dangerously low self esteem, which is super fun esp when you mix that with the fact that I'm rarely ever motivated to improve. Yayayay Also sort of a pushover?? Like most often than not I'll be convinced to do something, even if I'm not too keen on doing it. Also afraid of confrontation when it comes to my friends and strangers (that is, if it's concerning me!! I'll order smthn for my friend but if I need to order for myself?? uhh stutter time aha). I'm also a mega simp ahah! Srsly though if I fall for someone/get infatuated with someone I. Will be so obvious abt it even though I try very hard not to be. Would gush over that person probably. I don't really like mean people tbh. Like yes I'll be nice and civil with them but!!! I cannot stand!!! Rude people!!! Esp when they're mean for no reason like sir??? maam??? homie??? chill pls ty<3 People who aren't necessarily mean, but moreso have bastard energy and are just really "hehe>:D" but playfully are p poggers tho!!! I think I get along with kids!! I have a little sister,, around like. Nine? And we get along really well!! I also try and match a kid's energy whenever I'm tasked with looking after them. I take pride in the fact that kids like me >:].... even if they sometimes scare me-- Ok, interest time!!

I like art!! Quite a bit!! Less of a realistic artist and more of a cartoonist!! Idk there's just something fun abt drawing cartoons, hehe. I also like self ships - I have quite a bit of them, actually ! Idk its comforting drawings your fictional crushes loving you idkidk. I like writing too! Both original stories, and one-shots or personal fics that are associated with already created media!! Writing character backstories and personalities and stuff is also fun too! I've even made my own fictional world with a full fledged backstory n everything! It's very fun to think about. I'm a day dreamer!!! Yea remember when I said I write stories? I day dream abt potential stories even more. Mmm daydream world so nice so warm so fun I read aswell!! Mostly fantasy books, or stories where animals are the protagonists. Think Warrior Cats. But my favorite book series has got to be Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Fantasy owl books, anyway! X Readers are also things I enjoy reading :) Again, s I m p Also gaming!!! Is something fun I do sometimes!!! Although it's usually Genshin Impact, or Wii Sports/Resort w// my little sister. Oh, also pokemon! I rlly like Primarina, Vaporeon, Sylveon and Vulpix/Ninetails! I absolutely adore sweet foods, and baking is smthn I'm def interested in! Don't like foods w// weird textures though, like beans or mashed potatoes. Also I. Love spice so much. Mmm love it when my mouth burns so bad. Don't have a favorite animal but I've had three cats in my lifetime (btw not important but my current cat is named Sylvester and. He's my baby boy) so I am. A very big cat fan. Probably not needed but I really like sword and claymore characters. Literally all of the characters I main are either sword or claymore users. Although I did get Diona, so I miiight start forcing myself to learn how to aimmm. I see that I tend to like people/characters that are a little more extroverted than me. Upbeat, happy type beat!!! Nice sunshine babies, :) I think thats it! I hope this was good enough? Again, first time doing this (at 2am nonetheless) so forgive me if I got too rambly or did anything wrong ^^ Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this! And I hope your day is good / you had a good day, depending on when you read this, ehe!

Hey! Sorry if the wait has been long! I also love Warrior Cats (I promise myself, one day I'll finish it.)

You received... A Pyro vision! Optimistic, enthusiastic, impulsive, reckless, and a lot of energy are the general characteristics held by the Pyro vision. • I hesitated between the Pyro and Hydro vision, but your energy distinguishes you from the Hydro vision. • You said you were impulsive, always doing something you might regret later but still doing it. • You react quickly: as you said, if somebody hurt someone you love, you won't think twice before barking. Your partner would be... Xingqiu! “This feeling was unexpected.” • At first, you were just friends, and Xingqiu really loved to tease you. Actually, you both teased each other. But eventually, a feeling of love towards you grew into Xingqiu. And that was reciprocated. • Your relationship is filled with teases, jokes, and good/funny moments where you mostly share what you commonly appreciate. • He also knows when to get serious: for example, he does everything to support you during your moments of struggle concerning your self-esteem. Your friend would be... Childe! “Luckily, I'm here!” • You two also share funny moments, especially during situations where your “stupidity” is overtaken by his insight. • Sometimes, he finds you cute. • He likes the fact that you get along well with kids. It leads you to great moments with him and his siblings. • You're quite the opposite in terms of self-esteem. I think it's a good thing because it makes you complementary. Your enemy would be... Albedo! A misunderstanding. • You wouldn't hate each other, but I think Albedo wouldn't like the way you use your energy, and when you're more in a chill mood (meaning you're more available for him to talk), he could get pissed at how much times he'd have to repeat himself for you to understand something. • He's very patient, but he understood quickly that his interests would maybe not be within your reach. • You would just be too different. Worth to mention • You and Venti are like drama queens in Mondstadt. You are good friends. But you both know that you can't be more, as it would eventually both drag you down (because of similar problems). • Klee is also your best friend: both of you share decisions that you definitely will regret later. Or maybe not. • Hu tao and you are kinds of silently competing over who's the best tease, and she beats you. My goal is definitely not achieved. I hope I can catch up tomorrow. And don't worry, it was surprisingly good for a first description!

[lesbiancarat]

Book anon here to say today is a happy day because it is dk and vernon day ^0^ the fact they share bdays makes my heart so big like djakdnaks that's the best thing really! (I say this as I don't like celebrating my own birthday lol but that shiz makes me soft) like how can it not get better than sharing a birthday with your fellow bandmate who is also your buddy :'))

Back on topic, I am happy that in the fandoms I'm in, update blogs or accounts are well loved so no drama there but I agree on cc peeps, my gosh the decline of them is obvious for the past 2 years =/ I remember 2018 the carat fandom here was HUGE with creators and lots of notes but now...its hard to see more than 200 for some and while numbers don't matter because you should ALWAYS be doing this for fun, its so shocking to see the interaction go so low and its more likes. I do have a theory as to why this is the case and it might be due to nowadays, people on Tumblr find reblogging alot to be "too much" akaspamming. I would know because some told me I do this and I'm like ??? I am simply reblogging content I like and if it means hitting the rbelog limit so be it djajdjw. Legit idk why its seen as bad nowadays when everyone used to reblog alot and no one complained so maybe this could be why? Again a theory but it would make sense and its a shame if this is the case :c I admit I like stuff because I sometimes do reblog it for a color theme but mostly I hit the reblog limit so I want to reblog it later xD

But let's not get into people that take others work as their own -.- now I get giving credit for say icons (I do this for icons and headers I use because its the least I can do. I would link it but idk how to do it on Tumblr lol) but taking someone's say gif and just posting it on twitter to share is like ??? You do know there is a share button that SHARES THE ORIGINAL LINK BACK RIGHT? Smh i can't with people. That's why I try to make sure for icons at least I know its not a repost and try to stay away from pintrest as best as I can (also svt on pintrest? Are they making moodboards or smth? I leave Tumblr for a bit and this is what I come back to lol)

Oof I wrote too much again sjamdna I'm living up to my emoji huh? XD but yes my tooth is better! It hurt again last night but today we are good!

I'm late answering this but yeah the fact that dk and vernon share a Birthday is super sweet! it's fun that they get to do their birthday live together as well ^^

but yeah i joined carat tumblr around late 2017/early 2018 (i made this side blog during oh my era but I'd been reblogging svt stuff on main before then) and I'm p sure most if not all the cc's i originally followed are inactive now :( obviously like you said content creators should make content for fun and bc they want to and not for the notes, but it's understandably disheartening when less people are interacting with it and even the people who do still see your content are (at least seemingly) less enthusiastic about it (ie liking but not reblogging it, less ppl writing things in the tags or replies, etc.)

but that's so wild to me? I've never heard anyone say someone is reblogging too many things like... how do you expect to see posts if people don't reblog stuff?? id welcome that extra content on my dash dhfjfh. i guess you can go in specific tags but like. idk reblogging is the main function of tumblr i don't know why there are people sort of against it/not as willing to use it (i mean... i suspect at least one factor is other social media platforms relying more on algorithms and likes to show people new content and ppl are just more used to that maybe?)

i feel like to some extent people feel entitled to have every or any gif or fanart or fan content on their platform of choice, but like if an artist posts something on tumblr but not on twt or instagram it doesn't HAVE to be on twt or insta. people can make a tumblr (or whatever platform) account if that's the only place a creator is active and they really want to see their content. and if people want to share something cool to another platform it is not hard to just post a link to the original post and tell people to check it out. like i do that every once in a while if there's a translation that doesn't allow reposts, but i still want ppl to know that trans exists if they wouldn't normally. and yeah!! you're gonna get less engagement that way!! but that's when you need to question whether your intention is really to share something cool w people who wouldn't normally see it or if you just want clout from this cool thing for yourself

and obviously not everyone who reposts things wo credit or permission has such innocent intentions as "i want to share this cool thing" but i think in a lot of cases it is something similar to that where ppl see something and they want to use it or share it for whatever reason and they just forget that it's something an actual person took the time to create and chose to share it. fan creations, unless otherwise specified, are not like memes in that they're intended to be shared and edited and copied to hell and back

but yeah pinterest is the worst in terms of reposts. like very little if any of the content on there (at least that's fandom related) is original content. the vast majority is reposts from other platforms without credit. a few weeks ago i saw someone on twt post like an old SVT photo or something and someone asked where it was from and they were like 'idk i saw it on pinterest' and when i tell u my blood boiled dhfkfj like!! ok!! so you're reposting a repost and u have no idea what the original source is... great

but yeah i have no idea what SVT is gonna do with pinterest... guessing it's just gonna be pledis posting official/behind photos that they also post on twt anyway. it really looks like it's something bh made them create given other bhl artists also have pinterests they're all following each other. also pledis didn't even officially announce the new account opening anywhere as far as I've seen so like. i think they really don't care dhfkfj

i really don't know what bh thinks they're gonna gain though like. ik there are active fandom pinterest users but i think most of them also have other social media like twt or insta. like they're not cracking open a huge new market, and LITERALLY NO ONE expects any musician or celeb to have an official Pinterest so. it's just so unnecessary dhfkgj

I'm glad your tooth is feeling better!!!

[jinlian]

i dont know if you're the right person to come to but i kind of have some thoughts on fandom women writing m/m sex. im def. not saying women can't write it (esp. considering theres a whole industry filled with men fetishizing lesbians, but thats for another time) but if all they talk and focus on is the sexual aspect and dont care abt anything else, it feels almost fetishy and dehumanizing? there's intersectionality btwn how women creators and gay people are treated but i cant quite grasp it.

i also forgot to mention in the last ask but i feel like the line btwn fetishizing and exploring can be awfully blurry and it’s kind of hard for me to consume media as a result. it’s weird, but i feel the need to look at the person and see what context it’s written in, what their background is, etc. i want to be critical of what im consuming and the person who created it and how im consuming but it’s just kinda weird and causes cognitive dissonance a little. sorry for the ramble.

hey, so, there’s definitely a lot that can be said on this topic! there’s a lot to unpack in your ask both regarding the fetishization thing and how you’re interacting with media. i think what you’re doing is important and you’ve definitely got the right idea but i can also really see where the dissonance comes in a little bit. it’s tough, because you sort of have to walk the line between “everything we consume is problematic, sometimes i just need to enjoy things” and “media doesn’t exist in a vacuum and we need to criticize things when they deserve it.” which – yeah, is a tough line to walk! 

i think at a certain point it unfortunately comes down to individual judgement. i can think jk rowling is pretty shitty while still loving harry potter and what i was able to take from it as a child, while still acknowledging she could have pushed the envelope further. i’m having a much more difficult time knowing what to do with my feelings about rurouni kenshin. et cetera. basically, i try to enjoy things while still being willing to talk about the bad shit, but if i’m feeling like the harmful things way outnumber the good then i’m out of there.

so unfortunately all i can tell you about how you’re consuming media is just to  to use your best judgement. we all need to let ourselves enjoy things. but enjoyment and criticism can and need to go hand in hand. so – just keep being conscious of it. engage and have fun, step back when you feel you need to do that. 

when it comes down it, cishet women writing m/m sex is always going to send off a lot more danger bells to me than wlw doing it. which isn’t to say that all straight women shipping and writing m/m ships are bad, because that’s definitely not true! the answer isn’t to desexualize the ship completely any more than it is to point fingers at any straight girl daring to ship two men together, both options are bad. i’ve definitely seen straight women fans interacting with victuuri for example in a way i felt was very genuine and heartfelt and not creepy at all, and that’s awesome. the weirdness comes in context.

because you’re right – there’s a lot of bad crap out there that does come off as dehumanizing. the fics that completely toss aside any semblance of characterization for the “hot smut” or have clearly done no research into how (cis) gay men have sex and really are just there to focus on the banging. there’s way too much of that – and they’re often the most popular things in fandom (mafia aus, nympho yuuri, that rival au, etc). it’s gross, it’s uncomfortable. so i agree w you.

it gets complicated when you introduce 13-14 year olds to fan spaces occupied by 30-40 y/o women who are producing some of this content. it’s difficult to blame teens when adults should know better. yes, adults belong in fandom spaces. i’m an adult, i like having fun with nerdy things too! but adults also have a responsibility not to be fucking weird about it. younger people will try to emulate the older ppl and get wrapped up in fandom culture, which perpetuates itself, and it’s just a big cycle. sex in fanworks is fine, it really is. but adults in particular need to start doing some critical thinking about who’s sharing fandom space as well as whom their content might be harming.

so there’s an exploration aspect of young teens testing out sexual content, which isn’t inherently bad, but adults producing some of this gross fetishy “what is characterization i just want hot inaccurate unsafe sex smut” should know better. it’s harmful and hurtful. our sexuality does not exist for your entertainment and consumption.

to an extent this can be said of wlw as well, i’ve seen my fair share of it (especially wrt ~omegaverse stuff). this is not to say that trans men and mlm can’t and don’t enjoy this stuff, but they cannot fetishize themselves, that’s totally up to them to create and consume content about their own lives. but there’s an inter-community discussion, as i know there are differing opinions there. which just comes down to this imo: if you’re a cis/cishet woman, just…. think more critically about what you’re doing.

it gets more complicated with wlw i think because we don’t have a lot of stuff that reflects our own stories. i’ve talked a little bit before about how there’s a reason we latch onto male homosocial relationships in media, platonic or otherwise. at least for me, it’s because there’s just a dearth of women in media who even have characters, let alone unique or individual stories, let alone really fleshed out relationships with other women. male relationships are often given so much more depth, exploration, and respect in storylines that i think it’s easy to find ourselves gravitating towards that – especially when we’re looking for relationships of the same gender.

it doesn’t mean that women in media don’t exist or that it excuses any gross things produced by those wlw, because it definitely doesn’t. but i understand why we find those stories compelling. in my experience wlw tend to be more careful and aware of how they’re producing fan content for mlm (though of course not all of us!) simply because the stories feel more personal and they understand how it feels to have their sexuality and identity fetishized for consumption, and are actively trying to avoid it.

none of this ofc applies to every person belonging to each identity, so there are bound to be outliers and aberrations here. that’s fine! i guess this is kind of more of my rambling about general trends and observations.

basically – i think i share your concerns while recognizing that it’s a complicated topic. i like seeing people loving a ship for what it is and wanting to engage with it. gay ppl in particular are looking for stories about ourselves. and all ppl should be fine writing sex and exploring those aspects of relationships in fan content! it just comes down to being aware and responsible and knowing that media and fandom do not exist in a vacuum.

[skrunksthatwunk]

alright (functionally) day 2 of lad7

the can collection mini game is fun and I'll begrudgingly admit that, even though I think the way they implement homeless people into the side activities in general is a bit tasteless and tone deaf (like,, are we going to treat it like this difficult to escape, soul-crushing thing that no one deserves, or are we gonna call the enemies "hungry hungry homeless"? i don't think you can have both on this one but it feels like you're shooting for both)

the scene of ichi being like "ACTUALLY I DIDN'T MIND BEING RAISED BY SEX WORKERS" and threatening to dump a bunch of "used" tissues on those guys is so iconic of him to me tbh

(i don't really like having activist groups be villains, especially without positive rep, and especially in a series that tends to prefer "bad apples" narratives over systematic change in its politics (literally the same corruption shit will happen in government/police forces and the characters will be like "ah mann,, corruption's not cool >:/" and not question the fact that this happens like once every 3 years. there's more to that thought but eh), but i also like the stance that demonizing groups like illegal sex workers who often have no alternative and trying to arrest/uproot them rather than addressing the things forcing them to that lifestyle in the first place is bad!! bc it is. that obsession with purity from nonviolent crime rather than solving people's problems is gross)

nanba and ichiban..... and they were roommates

and also their talk about dreams and whatever and nanba being like "actually yeah if viewing yourself as a video game protag keeps you going do it!! hurts no one" and ichi embracing that is very very cute to me. the way the people who affect him most relate to him through his interests is nice (sincerely, someone who legitimately perceives themself and the world through like,, character arcs and dramatic irony and shit. like it's only around 40% a bit the rest is real)

anyway i think they should kiss about it

OH their little convo about ichiban's dragonfish? cute. can't wait for more of those and glad we can replay them GAH i love it when bonding w people is important to the mechanics. love seeing ppl interact in goofy low stakes ways man. literally my favorite thing in media ever

also the system of having multiple jobs/classes per character means that you actually get to bond with them without losing out on strategy, so instead of getting like 30 guys you get like 5. it makes it easier to get attached to them as an audience and facilitates the bonding mechanics, giving you actual room for character instead of a fade to black "wow you're closer now ig" style you'd need if you had said 30 guys. and while there's mechanical incentive for spending time with these guys (which, personally, i don't think cheapens it), there's also like,, the conversation playback mechanic. they expected you to want to hear these buds talk to each other and spend time together, thought it was important to give you the option to spend time with them. and i do!!! so it rocks basically. and i think that kinda team energy is really helped by the fact that it's an rpg in the way that it is. i don't play a lot of them, but the team dynamic on its face seems rife with potential for endearing group dynamics in a way the kiryu saga's beat em up style doesn't. and the limited cast approach further emphasizes this. it really feels like the friendship of the team was a priority in designing this, and i think that's so cool

also!! karaoke!! adachi goes kinda crazy on machine gun kiss like wow ok grandpa,, and nanba has a certain clarity to his voice that reminds me of like,, disney voices?? does that make sense?? like musical shit where the words being understandable is important. anyway i like all three of their voices :) (also i got perfect first try on their three songs which like,, maybe its an undeserved ego boost but I'll take it) ALSO sidenote but the STAY bit in dragon engine karaoke is so funny to me. go girl give us nothing fr. like they could've just not done anything but no we have to inform them that they aren't doing anything kdjdhsj. also also a lot of the interjections being this group of voices is so warm to me. once again it's about the found family guys

RETURN OF THE BABY MEN :00 (so mad i got spoiled for it though bc i actually probably woulda pissed myself laughing if i hadn't)

anyway not done for today but I'll send this part off ✌️✌️ having a good time :)

PS so glad ichiban got his excalibur moment that's so main character of him

PPS the future i dreamed of is nice good addition :)

not to bury my art post immediately but I'm about to start lad7 my evening is cleared i will never piss I'm ready