#making the fandom a better place

[egophiliac]

Hello! Hello! I hope your having an amazing day! Your art always cheers me up and makes me happy! Is there any character (can be from anywhere) in particular that you love but don't speak about a whole ton?

thank you! 💜🩷💜🩷 this might be cheating because I did use to talk about them a truly annoying amount, but there will always be a place in my heart for the OG bugsters, Poppy and Parad from Ex-Aid:

(Parad should be allowed to drink Baja Blast) (I don't think Emu would let him, but he SHOULD)

[ozarkthedog]

a massive thank you to all the Pedro Pascal gif makers 🙏🏻

[ripplestitchskein]

Agree with all of this. This specific gripe was really more like “as a consumer I like these things and I’m not getting them and it makes me sad” than a “the show is failing me” kinda thing just to make that a bit clearer than my initial “I am at work and I don’t want to be so I’ll make a bummer post on Tumblr instead” original post.

But definitely “playing it cool, it’s not any deeper than that” is his side of their whole vibe, or it was until it came to this point in the narrative where Blitz has a decision to either start putting forth that effort and expressing his interest explicitly, as clumsily and unsure as he will be about it, for as long as it will inevitably take, as he works through it, or to shutter it and push it down and lose Stolas forever (which would be disappointing to me and I’d feel like the show failed more than a bit in that regard but I’m not in any way worried about that outcome at this point).

Your addition is exactly what I meant by from a practical production perspective, it’s easier to convey that Blitz is denying his feelings and pushing them down if those indications: blushing, fidgeting, being awestruck, come during moments of vulnerability to visually show the audience everything isn’t what it seems on the surface. Just like how they show with dialogue that what he says isn’t always what he feels like his whole conversation with Fizz in the cage.

If Blitz isn’t visibly attracted to him, except in moments where the situation has him drop his guard either because he is surprised and can’t mask up fast enough, under the influence, or overwhelmed to the point he can no longer control himself and has to physically cover his face, it shows the audience that he IS hiding his feelings. Apology Tour really drove this home, he couldn’t stop himself from crying even though he made the rage expression he uses to replace his actual feelings on his face, and he has to pull the hood down to cover himself completely because he can’t mask up.

This difference in reaction is definitely a deliberate choice, and it’s a good one don’t get me wrong. Like it’s even reflected in Better Than Blitz guy being demonstrative and complimentary to Stolas, and basically “winning” that encounter. It’s a thread I do expect closure on based on the setup. Blitz will be a bit more explicit in his appreciation we’re just not there yet. The entire premise of Blitz “turning around” being such a big theme for them is that he’s not doing it because he doesn’t care, he’s doing it because he super fucking does and he doesn’t want to be Perceived. So it is narratively consistent and necessary.

This sadness and jealousy is honestly purely my impatience, being a huge fan of this relationship and also a person who is really sensitive to what I perceive as an imbalance. I’ve also spent a lot of time recently working on a dumb one shot that got out of hand where Blitz, internally, is extremely thirsty and I was just struck by how rarely we see that in the show. Like I said, for good reason but it’s so looooong ugh.

It might just be where my head is at today, it’s been a rough few weeks, and I might be forgetting other examples, but I do feel a little saddened or like disappointed I guess (?) that yet again we have Blitz reacting more strongly visibly or dialogue wise to a character other than Stolas when it comes to like pure physical attraction. We have Seeing Stars but I struggle to remember any other moment where Blitz blushed or indicated in anyway he found Stolas attractive. Even descriptionally “He’s tall as shit” or when he dresses up for the date and Blitz is like “You went kinda overboard” instead of showing any appreciation for Stolas’s physical appearance. Apology Tour is full of looks but more of a reverence and feelings realization sort, which don’t get me wrong is very much greater than a physical attraction, but I still want like some indicator from Blitz that he does in fact find Stolas physically attractive? Blitz obviously enjoys having sex with him, and he is jealous of Better Than Blitz guy and like Apology Tour as a whole is a lot on the looks front, so we have a lot of narrative evidence and inferred details but actual explicit attraction cues are just lacking for me personally and I was hit with like a weird jealousy about it immediately watching the short.

I think practically it comes down to the character hiding his feelings, from himself and others, like how he took the picture of them cuddling in contrast to all the ones Stolas has of him looking away, so having the character visibly react in a noticeable way might be harder to sell that aspect of their miscommunication conflict.

Doesn’t mean I don’t want it though and it just kind of made me a lil sad thinking about it today.

[turtledotjpeg]

@hxhbigbang24 time!!

I drew for this fic which made me SAD and also made my HEART WARM!! I will not say too much to avoid spoiling future chapters, but I illustrated a few moments from this scene near the end of the story that I loved!

[the-oracle-of-the-lost]

tbh Gallifrey is an insane series given how much stuff happens in it in 50 episodes. like the original run of the show (series 1-3) was 14 episodes and in it we cover several coups, a gay vacation bodyswap episode, a whole zombie plague, Nazi time travel episode, time loop episode, an evil ghost possessing the main character and stealing her past body, the premiere spy network collapsing because one guy committed identity fraud and abandoned his wife, and an entire Civil War. and this is just the stuff that happens before series 4.

[sleepinglionhearts]

Hobonichi updates 🖊 📖

[phoenixyfriend]

I try not to make a lot of original posts on topics I don't actually have any expertise on, but I haven't seen a whole lot of posts going around that actually... explain what happened and why? Like, the actual order of events, the history, and so on. I want to reblog reference posts and explanations by people who actually know what they're talking about, but I haven't seen anything that hits the buttons I need to actually get a political situation... but I have seen some stuff on other platforms.

So here are some videos I've personally found useful in understanding Israel-Palestine, because that's the format I've found most useful in processing information of this nature:

Why Israel was Originally Attacked from RealLifeLore (explains the decades of political dynamics, internal demographic tensions, and power shifts leading up to the current conflict; notably the best I've seen at actually explaining what 'Israeli Occupation' actually means)

Israel-Hamas War: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) (commentary on the actual current situation in terms of who's getting attacked, why, and what the international ramifications so far are)

What's Happening in Israel and Why with Nathan Thrall from Adam Conover, series Factually (a discussion with an on-the-ground journalist about what life was like on the ground for Palestinian people in the areas under Israeli control during the last few years, just up to the attacks themselves)

I'm not going to claim these are comprehensive or completely unbiased (there are a few moments where I'm not entirely sure of the bias levels myself), but for people like myself who came into all this unsure of what the actual situation even is, I think these are a solid set to build up an basic understanding from which to put together opinions on future information.

I can't tell anyone what to think about how or why any of this is happening. I can only really tell you that what's going on right now is a crime on the level of attempted genocide, and that the years leading up to that have been an absolute mess on almost all fronts.

Again, I have no expertise on this subject. I just know what kind of video essay, political commentary, and interview style makes things understandable to me, personally, and might work for others. Please be courteous and kind in the comments and tags, as I am only sharing this because I haven't seen such a resource making the rounds yet, not actually trying to sway anyone in a particular direction beyond "the mass death needs to stop."

If you know of similar, relatively unbiased* resources, feel free to share.

* By 'relatively unbaised,' I don't mean taking or not taking a side; I just mean that it doesn't try to hide some information or other in favor of pushing a narrative, doesn't try to generalize a population, or doesn't seem to be trying to use emotional gut reactions to get readers or viewers to jump past reason or compassion.

[edwinisms]

pro tip if you want a positive fandom experience: do not follow confession blogs. you’re just asking for a bad time if you do that just don’t

[crumchy-olives]

I just wanna say that if you're one of those Earthbound fans who think it's okay to hate people who like Undertale or Omori, I think you're genuinely one of the worst people to exist in fandom

[svsssfanonarchive]

I find it interesting that the most controversial/widespread posts have been those relating to physical appearance/visual medium. Lbh's hair and body type and sqq's eyes. I wonder what's the underlying cause for this. Maybe because people get attached to designs they feel more protective of them? Just a thought.

Oh, I would say this is absolutely the case. Visual design choices are, after all, often symbolic reflections of parts of individuals' own selves in some way, or of other things that are important to them. Artists will also spend a lot of time and thought on creating their designs-- and in some ways, visual media and written media are also quite different. You don't need the visual contrast so much in a book, but you do need it more when it's pictures, because characters with good contrasts are pleasant to look at together.

I actually think the donghua designs create a sort of contrast too-- both by SQQ's lighter eyes to LBH's, but as well as with the broader silhouettes, where SQQ has flowing robes and hair and LBH's silhouette is tighter. Also in general, the black robes of adult LBH vs the teal & white. Western stylization just focuses more on body type+hair texture silhouette diversity, while eastern stylization is more about the clothing and hair-styling silhouette, in a broad generalization, so it's only natural that when people create their designs, especially for a media that is only written, like SVSSS before the donghua or official cover art came out, that they will draw influence from the background of their own culture in creating these designs, in addition to their own experiences.

It's difficult too in my position, because while I genuinely want to take a neutral look at trends and history and patterns and cultural influence as a scientific sort of examination, there are so many instances of attacks on character designs, which make both the artists and designers and the people who like those designs feel bad and just isn't productive, even if criticisms are genuine. Things should be talked over civily, without bashing, because a space where people are belittled and attacked is not a space where people can learn.

Anyway, everyone has reasons for their designs. Sometimes these may be rooted in stereotyping or westernization, but other times, they're based on personal reasons and don't actually have those roots. It's not my or anyone's place to declare, definitively, that someone is stereotyping (of course, there are some instances when things are very very obvious and that's a different story), I only try to explain what things i can so that people are then able to examine things for themselves. I do think it's everyone's own responsibility to look at their own biases and think about where their portrayal choices are sourced from, especially when engaging with a culture that isn't one's own. But I don't want people to get into a justification loop, because that's not going to help anyone-- just to honestly take a look at the why of things. Sometimes there's subconscious biases, sometimes it isn't about that. I don't know peoples' own experiences, so I'm not going to say what it is or isn't.

In the end, accountability is something that is definitely needed in sensitive areas like westernization or stereotyping. However, accountability is not dogpiling on someone. Instead, it's personally being open to consideration, to change, and to growth-- and we'll never have that in a hostile environment. People need to focus more on holding themselves accountable, and less on holding others accountable-- we all have unconscious biases. It's part of existing in any culture or environment, and it's a life-long process of examining them and growing in experience and knowledge. And I hope to contribute that knowledge wherever I can, and use what platform I have to foster that sort of gentler environment, where it's not about making people who genuinely didn't know things feel bad, but where it's okay to be wrong, and to learn and grow.

It's up to an individual to examine themselves when they hear new information. That doesn't mean everyone needs to change their designs to conform with Chinese beauty standards-- which have plenty of issues of their own, and shouldn't be taken as more "morally correct!" It's just so that as many people as possible can have as much information as possible, so they can make the best and most informed judgments and decisions they can about their own viewpoints and thought processes.

But yes, even saying all this, I can perfectly acknowledge that fan-designs of beloved characters hold a bit of their creator's heart. While creators can be imperfect, the experiences and emotions and care that these designs stem from is still genuine, and should be treated with gentleness and understanding.

No matter if someone's viewpoint is erroneous or just different from yours, it's important to remember that every person on the internet is a real, human person. Fandom culture can be so notoriously toxic-- and it's high time that people remember each other's humanity, and treat one another with compassion and understanding. That's the only way to create a better fandom space-- and ultimately, a better world.

[galadriel-blue]

Why is the TROP fandom so toxic all of the sudden?

(Rant in the tags and spoilers for S2 E7 of TROP)

[nostalgia-tblr]

Oh Frigga No!

She'd been handling it fairly well up to this point (admittedly all she had to beat in the Parental Helpfulness Olympics was 'fainting at the worst possible moment,' but still). She'd said Odin lied so their son wouldn't feel different, and that they are his family. So far so not-just-fainting!

But then she tries to reassure him on the topic of Thor with this little zinger and oh well done, Frigga, now he's going to wonder forever...

I like that Frigga's mistake is an inadvertant truth at the wrong time, because what annoys me in this scene is the 'why did he lie?' and her answer which also completely sidesteps the issue of 'why did she lie?' Probably with good intentions, and even the son she lied to his entire life doesn't think to hold her responsible for that, perhaps because everyone trusts Frigga and always assumes the best of her. The opposite of how weirdly only half the characters on Asgard the audience who knows who the baddy of this movie is going to be her people view her little lied-to son.

Frigga's a liar but she knows how not to look like one and apparently she is great at it. Maybe she was lying about why Odin (and herself) lied to Loki, clever enough to conceal it if there really was an ulterior motive there. And then she immediately gives the game away, or - worse! - maybe she doesn't give anything away but manages to give the impression that she has when she tells the truth about her other son (who, we should not forget, has also been constantly lied to about all of this).

Loki moves away because it seems like it must be the truth, because he trusts her. Dad must have been lying because Mum never would. Except she did, without any loss of reputation, often and apparently well, but not this one time when complete concealment of what she knew might actually have been the wisest option.

Oh well, at least her little boy is at last about to graduate from Frigga's School of Lying Like a Liar Who Lies and go out into the big wide world! I'm sure that will go well for everyone!

[all-pacas]

morning! like probably the rest of you i both slept and feel like shit. In a way, that’s why this tumblr exists for me, to detach: I’m on a personal level going to take a couple days off of news and phone alerts and block the politics tag, just to level out and calm down. And that means I’m also going to go back to my usual spam here. Disassociation. 🙃

[alizaphale]

I spoke to a good (male) friend today about the new Doctor Who episodes and he said how much he disliked the new doctor, and that they really have to "go back to the doctor being a real man", and I'm afab and dumbstruck. Because a) the doctor's always been goofy, and b) wtf is a real man anyway and c) I can't stop thinking about how much safer I would feel if every man in the world would be a bit more like Ncuti's doctor and how beautiful the world would be if we got rid of all that fucking toxic masculinity that still roams the earth.

And I can't believe one of my best friends can get hung up on the image of a "real man". I think I need to educate him more on what it's like to be a female presenting human. Wtf.

15 for male role model. Just saying.

[teapot-of-tyrahn]

hello !!! i'm ...

➟ sugar !! i also go by charlie , echo , scott , timmy -- call me whatever's more comfortable for u !!

➟ i'm genderfluid, asexual and biromantic + greyromantic !!

➟ my CURRENT hyperfixations are on NINJAGO and the TRAFFIC LIFE SERIES !! if you're seeing THIS pinned introduction, TRAFFIC LIFE SERIES is currently the MAIN brainrot !

➟ i am a 🚸 MINOR ⚠️ !! please interact with this in mind !!!

➟ i have GAD [ generalized anxiety disorder ] , separation anxiety disorder , social anxiety disorder , selective mutism , depression , DPD [dependent personality disorder] , ARFID [ avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder ] , and involuntary age regression ! though these topics probably won't be discussed at length , please keep them in mind when interacting with me !! at times i may go NON-VERBAL or slip into LITTESPACE , and i ask you be patient with me at those times, thank you !

➟ this is a FANDOM SIDEBLOG - my main blog is @sugrx !! here is where i post FANFICTION, FANART, ANALYSISES , AUS, USERBOXES,,, etc !!

➟ basic ! queerphobes, xenophobes, misognists, sexists, ableists, racists, terfs, maps, pedos, fatphobes, etc - any and all bigots of ANY shape or form !! ➟ nsfw / fetish / kink blogs !! again , i am a MINOR , and though i'm fine with having mutuals who ARE 18+ , i'd rather avoid 18+ content , thank you !!

[iamhereinthebg]

This may be a strange question but have you ever been bullied in the tbhk fandom? I am having a hard time here

Heya no worries at all for the question! This is an important thing and if you needed to have a place to say it I am happy you did!

I really hope people will be nicer to you :// There is never a good reason for bullying unfortunately it happens a lot on internet QvQ my only advice would be to block those people and/or delete anonymous asks for a while if people are just putting stuff as anonymous :///

To answer your questions, idk if it counts as bullying but I was the target of some stuff like that yep, and tbh I don't really know why. People can have the opinions they want but I will be honest in the tbhk fandom you like a character or a ship that is not 'what everyone in the fandom should like' and people start menacing you for no reason.

A lot of people in this fandom are kids who sometimes don't get what insulting people do. (and not only kids but it is one of the reason, I feel like a lot don't have 'internet basis' like not saying everything about yourself on twitter help.)

Which is also one of the reason I am taking my distances with anyone in this fandom because I had too many unwanted stuff like when I was just trying to be nice and answer messages. It's not because we are in the same fandom that we are bffs.

This is sad to say but yes I don't think you can just have fun 'fun' in this fandom anymore, people will make sure you have a hard time for no reason and honestly I am tired of people who are unable to understand that we aren't just bots on the internet and that Surprise! people have feelings wow

I hope you will be better but don't hesitate to take some time off the fandom a bit ^^ I am being overly dramatic here because I had some bad experiences (I've been in the fandom since the start of 2020 so welp) but a lot of people are really nice and I am sure you can make some friends too ^^ (I did too! even if a lot aren't in the fandom anymore, it's nice seeing mutuals from far away doing their lives)