#no other fandom I've been in nor seen from the outside has the kind of entitlement i see here and it's a fuckin bummer lol

[kindahoping4forever]

As they fucking should

My personal favorite 😌

[poisonheiress]

To start this lovely commentary, I will place my cards out in the open:

Blitzo is not the villain in his and Stolas' relationship nor is Stolas the victim in this realtionship either.

To some, this statement is a recognizable fact, one the canon caste system even supports. However, many of the current fanbase seems to disagree with this idea, comparing Blitzo to abusive characters like Stella, Crimson, and even Mammon. Others even put him on the same level as those previous characters. Besides this being one of the greater leaps of logic I've seen come out of this fandom, it is simply not true.

Yes, Blitzo does not treat Stolas kindly outside of their sexual agreement with Blitzo appearing to outright ignore him most of the time if not purposefully avoiding him. However, notice the wording I used there: sexual agreement.

Stolas and Blitzo have never been in an official romantic relationship and their current agreement is not one Blitzo entered in on equal footing with Stolas nor out of affection for him. Blitzo agreed to be with Stolas as a means of survival for his business, somethings that is extremely rare for imps to have due to their caste position.

Time and time again we are poorly shown that a rather strict caste system does exist in hell. This means that relationships with people in different castes carry different problems and consequences for those involved.

For those in higher ranking castes in a high-lower rank relationship, the worst outcome of being with a lower ranking demon appears as a diminished social standing and lack of respect, but the lower ranking partner doesn't get that. For the lower ranking demon of the relationship, they risk dehumanization by their partner with them loosing all autonomy and independence. They are no longer themselves; they become an extension of their higher ranking partner, an object that can be tossed away if the partner

Blitzo, who was raised in this system and still suffers under it, is right to fear stepping into a relationship with Stolas, and he has more than a right to refuse to be kind and gentle to a being that is literally hanging his livelihood over his head for sexual favors.

It does not matter if Stolas truly cares about him or not. Their relationship from Day 1 was not something Blitzo could walk away freely from nor even wanted to be in. In physical, social, and economical might, Stolas holds all the cards in their relationship, and nothing Blitzo can do can change that. Stolas could kill Blitzo and no one would turn an eye because he is an imp and Stolas is a Prince.

As a result, Blitzo has no obligation to be kind to someone who is a high ranking member in the system that views him as equal to dirt nor can Stolas be upset about Blitzo doing such when their relationship was born from Stolas taking advantage of Blitzo in a vulnerable situation.

Stolas is no victim here, and if Viv had researched caste systems, the true victim of the relationship would be clearer: Blitzo.

Because at the end of the day, Blitzo remains under Stolas' thumb, an unwilling subject to whatever tasks or desires Stolas forces on him. That is all the caste system of hell allows him to be.

[maniacwatchestheworld]

When there's something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call? Probably not John Constantine...?

I'm still pretty new to these DPxDC spaces, but as I've been exploring it from the perspective of someone currently deep in the throes of DC hyperfixation (and Danny Phantom being a past hyperfixation that I sometimes relapse into) one trend that I find kinda odd (but not necessarily unexpected) is just how prevalent Constantine is in these spaces that are largely dominated by BatFamily AUs and headcanons. Like, I do get it (kind of). Constantine does occasionally show up in Batman stories where Bruce encounters something supernatural and needs consulting on the case, and Constantine definitely appeals to the fandom audience in some pretty clear ways. Yeah, he's a handsome, charming bastard with a secret heart of gold. He's British, witty, cool, and an asshole. He may be one hell of a messy bisexual disaster, but he's OUR messy bisexual disaster, dammit! So we forgive him for being a cynical jerkass sometimes. I haven't consumed much media with him in it, but like... I get it and why out of all the mystical characters that DC has in their roster, why you might choose to include him over other characters. However I do find it kinda odd because like... Constantine is NOT the kind of person that I would see Batman nor anyone in his family particularly going for when they need help when something supernatural comes up... In fact the biggest reason that I haven't seen much from Constantine is that... He just does not appear in a lot of media that Batman is in! So I haven't seen much of him! (In terms of media that I've consumed for the sake of Batman being in it, he's only appeared in Justice League Action. No other animated series for Batman. And he hasn't really been in any recent comics that cross over with Batman that have caught my eye! He didn't even have a story in Knight Terrors!)

Of course there's no shame in using Constantine for your stories. He's popular for a reason, and if he happened to be in the area, then sure, the Bats might grab him to help them with their latest case. But for magic-users that the BatFamily might go to for assistance, he isn't always going to be the best choice. So for anyone who needs a magic-user in their BatPhanfiction, here are a few alternate suggestions.

(Suggestions under the cut for length)

Jason Blood

For people with magical expertise, I would expect the Bat Family to call Jason Blood before anyone else. Jason is old. How old? Old as balls. He's actually been around since the time of Arthurian legend. Apparently he was a scribe for Merlin before being bound to the immortal demon Etrigan which made him immortal too. Having worked for Merlin himself, having some level of innate magic from being bound and therefore sharing a body with a demon, and having been around for hundreds of years, this means that Jason has had plenty of ability and time to learn and practice magic and to perfect his craft. He knows his stuff and has a level of experience that is practically unparalleled on Earth. He's not a man to be trifled with and Batman has worked with him on many an occasion! The biggest reason that the BatFamily would call on him before anyone else? Location, location, location. Jason actually lives in Gotham City, so not only does he have the requisite experience and knowledge, but he's also easy for the BatFamily to get ahold of too! And as a bonus, with a simple rhyme, he can turn into the demon Etrigan who can kick ass on his behalf! Jason may seem to be a bit grumpy and stern on the outside, but he's a reliable ally to have and desires to protect others just as much as Bruce does.

Zatanna Zatara

Zatanna is a stage magician by trade, a master of tricks, illusion, and slight of hand... But she also happens to be among the most powerful actual magic-users in the known DC universe! Honestly, if you know of her and still choose to use Constantine over her in a story when either will do? You're doing yourself a bit of a disservice. Just look at her! She's gorgeous, radiant, optimistic, always has a fun trick up her sleeve, knows how to have a good time, and unlike Constantine, doesn't have the kinds nor number of enemies that he does! And best of all? She's actually buddies with Bruce Wayne! They're good friends! In fact, Bruce trained under her father for a time to learn escape artistry! Honestly it's a bit of a shame that people forget how good of friends they are... They might have dated in the past? But ever since Bruce mastered escape artistry, they've kept in touch! The two honestly would have an unspoken trust with each other and ability to rely on each other that few other characters could have with Bruce. Zatanna is usually on the road performing, but if she's available, she'd likely be more than happy to pop on over to Gotham to help Brucie out with a case! Superman may be Batman's best friend, and Harvey Dent may be Bruce Wayne's best friend... But honestly Zatanna Zatara is a close second place on both accounts! She's GREAT! I crave for her to be included in more stories! WHERE ARE MY AUNTIE ZATANNA AUs!???

Xanthe Zhou

[Image from this post.]

Honestly this is a personal suggestion that I want to see because it's just a damn shame that it doesn't already!

Are you hesitant to use a comic character with a huge backlog of stories that you couldn't possibly hope to get through for fear of messing them up? Do you want to use a canonically LGBT character? Do you want to use a character that's a person of color? What about a character that specializes in interacting with the spirits of the dead for your Danny Phantom crossover fics? Because boy howdy do I have you covered! Say hello to Xanthe Zhou! A nonbinary Chinese-American spirit envoy within the DC universe who first debuted in March of last year (2023)! So guess what! There is no long, confusing continuity to follow! If you want to catch up on all you need to know about them, go ahead and read their 6 issue miniseries Spirit World and you should be covered! And heeeey~ Guess who else is in Spirit World~~~?? One Cassandra Cain and one John Constantine! Plus the art is drop-dead gorgeous!

[Image from this post.]

So please! I beseech you! Check out Spirit World and get to know Xanthe! They are literally everything you are looking for in a character to add to your Danny Phantom and Batman crossover story and are brand-spanking new and it is just a DAMN shame that they aren't already in any DPxDC stories!!! And guess what! They live in Gotham City to boot! (Gotham's Chinatown to be specific.) So please! Do yourself a favor and check out Spirit World and add Xanthe to your stories! If nothing else, I'll certainly read them!

In any case, that's the list and all I can come up with for now! If you have any further suggestions, please don't be afraid to add them on in a reblog! My comics knowledge is very limited and am always happy to hear about other ideas and characters that I've missed! I've actually seen some usage of Klarion the Witch Boy in this phandom which was a pleasant surprise! But sadly, I don't know nearly enough about him to actually say anything about him. But please! Go ahead and tell me about other magic using characters that you think would be suited to the DPxDC universe! And if you make anything of this sort with Xanthe in it... Please send it to me! I want that shit pumped directly into my veins!!!

P.S. I just wanted to say... Batman miiiiight call Santa Claus before he calls Constantine for help on an investigation lol (apparently Bruce apprenticed under Santa for a time :p ).

[kitsunefyuu]

Did you notice how some AFO fans who used to like DFO Theory started to hate it and suddenly attack the same fans? Maybe this is due to generalizing DFO as OOC? I once saw someone saying that "to respect someone else's opinion, just remember that you have also changed your opinion several times" but these people only seem to attack what they once liked for no apparent reason, other than "nooooo my beautiful AFO is not like this 😭😭"

Yes, it is a trend that I did notice when I first came into the fandom that a lot of people would say they are former DFO. Then say how they realize how 'stupid' the theory was and unrealistic. As if suddenly now they are the pinnacle of rational and totally know everything about a fictional character.

I never claim my interpretation is the canon, because I know I could end up wrong. That just how it is and I'm always willing to adjust my headcanons with the source material. But honestly I think the AFO fans that liked DFO and now hate it only changed because other people started being hostile to the theory.

Like popular writers, artist, and all kinds of people begun to sneer at that interpretation beside those in the little community. Seeing it as just trying to 'soften' AFO or as something gross to do to the MC. Or worse some people like DFO but hate AFO so when the former DFO see that they change their mind to double down on disliking DFO as they LIKE AFO. As they see it as like you said 'softening' him to make him palatable. The theory itself, however, is only parentage.

Like it still be valid to assume AFO had Izuku with Inko from a One Night stand, and Hisashi Midoriya is just the guy that stepped up for single mom Inko. We have evidence of there possibly being more aware but if don't like it then that an option too.

DFO theory is simply the theory that Izuku Midoriya is RELATED to All for One. That is the bare bones minimum, I don't care if you are OH HE LOVES HIM or HE AN EXPERIMENT or whatever you want to believe. None of that really registers much to me nor should matter, like DFO can be used in many manner of ways.

The ones that seem to hate is most... Well they tend to either want Virgin All for One (for sexual reasons) or want him to be purely asshole(for sexual or just because love assholes that can go either way) or maybe fear of being the outsider. There also many who claim that every time he does a more evil act that it PROOF he never father a child.

Like tell me you never had a mentally unstable parent that does outrageous things. Anyone can have a kid, it sure doesn't take much for a guy to one and done for various reasons. We also literally been confirmed now he can change his face, DNA, and has actually done so. Also we've seen how he is with Yoichi, literal proof of his ability to love it just dark and twisted.

It why DFO is so interesting since if is the child of AFO it an avenue to explore his character. How WOULD AFO raise a child now that we knows what happened with Yoichi? Is he aware of Izuku? Does he care? We've seen him vault family and say how precious family is.

But then, none of that matters to the former DFO fans who now are DFO hates. They just don't want to be the weirdo outsiders believing in something that isn't even 'canon' and as I've said many times. I'm not exactly going to stop writing or enjoying it even if it NOT canon.

No one can dictate what I like and enjoy. And those people projecting hatred once they loved it?

I hope they know it ok to just like different things and change your mind. They should be happy with what they like instead of just wanting to be 'right'.

[shiveringsoldier]

mash and/or becket for the fandom meme

I'll do M*A*S*H. Thank you!

My favorite female character

Margaret by default. I wish there had been more than one woman in the main cast, but Margaret has some very satisfying character growth. As a bonus, my favorite minor/one-off female characters are Soon-Lee, Kyung-Soon, and Helen

My favorite male character

Hawkeye. I have nothing to say about him that hasn't been said already; he's just a wonderful character

My favorite book/season/etc

I go back and forth between season 3 and season 5. Season 3 is when the show really finds its footing. It has some landmarks with the first episode of the show to not feature a laugh track and the first episode of any sitcom to kill off a main character. It also has a great comfort episode in "Springtime" and the criminally underrated "Bulletin Board." Season 5 has just the right blend of comedy and drama. It has one of the best Sidney episodes with "Dear Sigmund," and it really hones in on Margaret's development. Season 5 is a turning point for both her and Hawkeye; as Margaret starts to grow and improve, Hawkeye (or more specifically his mental health) starts to take a turn for the worse.

My favorite episode (if it's a TV show)

I'm cheating and saying two. I adore "Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde" for the same reasons you highlighted here, and I love "Dear Sis." When Mulcahy's anger issues are brought up in the show, it's mostly played for laughs, but "Dear Sis" takes it seriously. He assaults a patient, and that has personal repercussions. Also, the scene when the 4077th sings Dona Nobis Pacem in the mess tent makes me cry almost every time.

My favorite cast member

Alan Alda by default. I don't know most of the cast members' lives outside of the show, but Alan Alda has had such an interesting and eclectic career. I like his podcast, although I haven't listened to it in a good while, and I like his memoir Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned. It has a killer opening sentence.

My favorite ship

Hawkeye and Trapper maybe, although I don't have any serious ships. I love their yes/and comedy dynamic, and I love ho much they clearly care about each other

A character I’d die defending

Klinger - not from the fandom but from the show. He is subjected to more and more racism as the show progresses, whether it's jokes about his nose or the abhorrent "Goodbye, Cruel World." His pivot from a man desperate to escape the Army to a moneygrubber makes absolutely no sense to me, and that feels rooted in racism as well. And it sucks that he is subjected to so much cruelty when he is perhaps the most consistently kind and selfless character in the show.

A character I just can’t sympathize with

Flagg. I don't even enjoy him as a comedic character some of the time. Some of his episodes I like ("The Abduction of Margaret Houlihan" makes me laugh very hard every time), but other episodes I can't stand.

A character I grew to love

Charles. I still don't love him as much as some of the fandom loves him - I think his bigotry is much deeper and more insidious than Frank's, and it seems like neither the fandom nor the show is willing to call him out - but man does he have a good arc. I didn't like him at first, but I eventually warmed up to him. David Ogden Stiers is just so good in the part. Also, his plot in the series finale is my favorite and the one that left the biggest impact on me, although that could be because I didn't know anything about his plot while other plots had been spoiled for me. I don't think I'll ever recover from the "He wasn't even a soldier. He was a musician" scene.

My anti OTP

I'm glad the show had the sense to not make Margaret and Hawkeye a couple; they're much better as friends and wouldn't be suitable romantic partners. In terms of ships I've seen in the fandom, I can't get behind Charles/Klinger at all. I know they have some moments of connection in the show (I love their last scene in "Death Takes a Holiday"), but I don't understand why people are shipping Klinger, a Lebanese, working-class man, with someone as egregiously racist and classist as Charles.

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 25/8

Aw, thank you! Sometimes I actually think I overdo it a little - that my dives are a little too deep. This is how I consume media IRL, though, so if nothing else, it's authentic.

The Battlefield is definitely growing. The spatial warping makes it hard to measure how much it's growing, so it could definitely be exponential, especially if we keep adding higher dimensions.

As for how Jack matches up against Bec - Jack is definitely smarter, but he's also a lot more vulnerable, since losing the Ring will render him powerless. He'd have to be incredibly careful in a fight, especially against someone just as fast as he is.

I still think Bec has the edge, but his victory is far from guaranteed. I totally understand why Jade wouldn't want to risk it.

Imagine what Eridan would have said to a 'lowly greenblood' like Jade.

Yeah, there's no way trolls have therapy.

I hate to say it, but the Alternian version of therapy is probably moirallegiance. You're supposed to rely on this one person to keep you emotionally stable - and if you're not outgoing or charismatic enough to find a moirail, you don't even have that.

Of course, this system has nothing in common with the relationship dynamics of any culture on Earth. We really dodged a bullet there!

Gamzee really leans into the 'court jester' aspect of being a bard. He doesn't take anything seriously, nor is he expected to do so - he's just off to the side, dancing.

Yeah, my prediction is that Vriska is going to use him.

If she can manipulate Tavros into trying to control Jack, she might actually be able to remove his Ring. I speculated that she might use some sort of cheat to gain an advantage in their fight, and I think we may have found it.

He casually controls Becsprite later on, so I don't think he needs their goals to align.

As for why Bec didn't try to save Jade - I think he knew instinctually that someone was going to make him save her, so he didn't need to do it manually. That's Alpha, baby!

I can't tell if I've reached the controversial part, to be honest. Was there discourse about whether Tavros had done anything wrong?

Personally, I think it's hard to argue that he didn't, but other characters have done much worse - and in much more ambiguous scenarios, too.

Lord English is coming, send help plz

Thank you! It's kind of funny actually - I know that Homestuck's irregular update schedule used to drive people mad, but I'm reading it at a similar pace, with similar irregularities, and it really has been a chill experience on my end.

Maybe it's because I'm not participating in the fandom the way live readers were, and therefore, I'm not subject to the weapons-grade hiatus brain that Cat has war stories about.

Poor Kanaya - she really knows how to pick 'em. Rose is definitely less stressful to crush on than Vriska, though.

I recently saw this quote for the first time in a while. Excited to learn which of the comic's several thousand plot points it's referencing.

@spyril4132 asked: i have seen this in my youtube recommendations and must now share [s] descend but with silvagunner's high quality nuclear rip - YouTube

Legitimately amazing, and perfectly timed.

For anyone doesn't know about Silvagunner, please take a dip down this rabbit hole.

I do wonder how she's getting physical details about the Sun. Isn't it, like, fully outside of conventional reality?

Maybe the Sun is physically real, despite being in an unreal location. Technically, that's also the case with sessions.

I do like the 'music player' metaphor from an earlier ask. You don't necessarily have to use discs - a cassette player is also a good choice, or maybe an older variety of music box.

If you want to stretch the symbolism a little, your Time Player could wield something really kooky, like an iPod Nano, MIDI keyboard, or analog radio.

(Sally the Time Player would wield Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS.)

It's been years since I've watched Primer, actually. I remember enjoying it, but I don't recall enough to give a proper review. Rewatch time!

Yeah, the rules for Captcha codes are all over the place. This example implies that they hold the general idea of an object, without any 'corruption' - but when John's Ghost Dad poster was defaced, its code did change.

The implication, I guess, is that defacing a poster counts as changing its nature, but spilling oil on a pogo ride does not. It's weird.

It is odd that it's marketed as a beta. Sburb and Sgrub seem almost identical, the latter's bifurcated session notwithstanding.

The human session failed, yes - but it failed due to manipulation, sabotage, and a generous helping of terrible luck. If Gamzee prototyped one of his clown posters, Jack's regicide could just as easily have happened in Sgrub.

All that said - when it comes to software development, I'd trust Sollux over Grandpa any day. If one of those games is more stable, it's Sgrub.

Alright, that one's actually pretty great lmao

[brainrotallthewaydown1312]

I've been seeing more and more people recently compare the current Good Omens/Our Flag Means Death/What We Do in the Shadows fandoms to the build up from the Superwholock days. and let me tell you, as someone who was just getting into fandom during the height Superwholock but was observing from outside those fandoms, i definitely see it.

similar amount of crossover within the fandom, similar types of crossposting. similar formats of engagement (response gifs, edits, and metas regularly breaching containment and being seen and engaged with by people outside the fandom) and similar intensity of theorizing and analysis. similar desire for comments and responses from writers and actors involved. I can even point out how they are analogous to each other as crossover fandoms.

good omens is the most obvious . it has the angels and demons and religious/mythological imagery of supernatural as well as the fandom engagement and irl stanning with the creators. it shares David tennant and several actors with doctor who. and you cannot look me in my face and honestly tell me that coffee theory and the similar theories don't have tjlc vibes and that the way we talk about and engage with Neil gaiman doesn't have the vibes of how sherlock fans engaged with Steven moffat and Mark gatiss if they weren't massively weird cunts to his fans and kind of homophobic.

our flag means death involves fictionalized and revised history as well as having several stories/arcs that feel like they are coming from different genres but that still fit together like doctor who. it also has the giffability and similar types of analysis for characters and relationships. it has both the capacity for mundane lines delivered so uniquely that they become deeply quotable like doctor who and lines that are so absurd that they are imminently quotable like Sherlock.

What We Do in the Shadows has the long running with a few different iterations thing that doctor who has. to a lesser degree, but still. it has the absurd dialogue and situations that Sherlock had but without the distain for its fans or weird homophobic subtext and queerbaiting. it has the wide representation of mythological and folkloric creatures and stories and consistent random out of context lore notes that supernatural had.

the most entertaining part of this is how deep we all seem to be falling into this. the depth of this crossover fandom hole definitely seems to go as deep as superwholock. I mean I've seen several friend groups that have a similar breakdown to what is going on in my house right now which is

me: has been a Tumblr kid since before the height of superwholock, escaped the curse of supernatural

roommate 1: was a supernatural fan on the Internet during the height of superwholock, escaped the curse of tumblr

roommate 3: was neither a supernatural nor a Tumblr kid but was in the Voltron Instagram fandom and has read more fanfic in total than the rest of us combined

roommate 3: has been busy playing Minecraft and Lego star wars the whole time all that mess was happening. knows nothing about fandom.

all of us right now: losing our collective shit about gay angels and pirates and vampires. at least one person in this house cries about them daily. there is at least one tortured wail echoing down the hall when someone gets a sad edit on their fyp/feed every day. we have regular in depth discussions of characters and head canons and different interpretations. we bribe each other to trade chores or do favors or let us win games by offering one shots of the other person's preference.

and I haven't seen this many people go this feral in this way since superwholock died down. and I'm having fun actually participating this time around

[taehyungfirst]

(sorry this is long)

as a boycotter who's stopped music, and almost everything from the entertainment industry across the globe (particularly songs with zionist writers/producers/singers) I just wanna say, this whole "armys only boycotted taehyung" or "armys are silent about the boycott now when it's the fav" is disingenuous at best.

A) The reason most taehyung fans even heard about the boycott in the first place, is because tae's content was included in it.

tae fans focused on what Palestinian armys were doing only when it affected tae, and were completely ignorant otherwise (for the most part).

So why do some of these fans think that just because they personally haven't seen anything, that the boycott has somehow ended, or isn't going just as strongly?

Those fans haven't seen much cause those fans don't focus on much outside of tae.

Tae has faced lots of sabotage by company/industry over the years, but reducing the boycott, which was made by those who don't hate tae at all (or any of the members) as some sort of ploy to sabotage tae, is ignorant af. especially when the movement was created by actual Palestinians trying to get HYBE to fire an actual extremist zionists who is directly complicit with what's going on.

Scooter isn't just a guy who believes in Israel, he's actively worked hard to benefit Israel. Mf got a shoutout from Israel. He visited occupied Syria and posed with the same tanks that have killed innocent people. Not to mention where he spends the money he earns, and the effort he's put in to spread dangerous propaganda worldwide.

His influence in Hybe is also growing, and that's exactly what we were afraid of.

Hybe's done nothing except ignore us and try to silence us, and continue to have their artists collab with the biggest zionist brands, and work with zionists.

Idk, Tae is my bias and I always thought a lot of tae fans were kind of smart, but seeing how literally all fans, whether they're ot7 or solos or akgaes, behave in the same exact way, has shattered that belief.

Pal armys could call out every member, but every fan will choose to be blind during that UNTIL the member they bias or stan is the one being called out, then suddenly it's "oh you only focus on X, but not on *insert other member* who did so and so"

literally every time.

Like right now, Tae just posted about McDonalds. majority of ta fans ar gonna go 'y'all have a problem ONLY with tae. Y'all HATE Tae. This fandom is ANTI Tae, and you didn't say anything about other members..." which is immediately just clown talk, considering how much Jin was being called out for being a torch bearer in the olympics (olympics was officially on the bds list) and for signing with a zionist brand very recently.

B) Perhaps part of the reason y'all haven't heard more about the boycott this time around (despite more and more people actually joining the movement) is because while before, fans would boycott but still talk and be excited by the content, now a lot of fans are focusing more and more on things outside of Kpop, so less and less boycotters have even spoken about Jm's albums (although files have been shared, and boycotters have been reported and suspended for it, still)

Idk, if you don't agree with the boycott movement , that's one thing, but to play sabotage olympics specifically about this, when it has nothing to do with biases or whatever, and everything to do with not wanting to give a dime to HYBE's greedy, capitalistic, zionist ass, is frustrating.

No one is exempt from being called out, and doing so isn't because "we're anti", and nor is any specific member, or group, or artist being specifically targeted, everyone is.

Also, OP, the harshness of my ask isn't directed at you at all, you've said nothing wrong, but this idea seems prevalent with a lot of tae fans, and I've seen this take too many times today.

No one bothers listening to Palestinians fans to learn what's actually happening. Everyone just makes their own assumptions to suit their narrative and then runs with that :/

Hi!

I’ve seen lots of people saying “you only focus on x member instead of…” and I assume it’s because of laser focus: your tl is all about your bias so you see people complaining about it making it seem like they’re only calling him out, kind of like an echo chamber. But they really all got called out, be it Jk with Golden, Jin and his new brand/olympics, Nj and his daily posts, the zionist collabs…

Now this case specifically, the mcd picture, I think it was just to show how tiny were the fries compared to his hand and considering he took that one year ago it’s harmless, the problem is choosing to post that RIGHT NOW, with an active boycott going on. So I do agree on educating him, that’s the best thing you can do. I don’t agree with it being used for fanwars, for a dick measuring contest where you wanna show that x is better than y, that’s not activism, that’s you trying to win a moral competition in a stan twitter fanwar. That’s the furthest you could be from activism. I also won’t stand with armys who have tried to make him a scapegoat for months and are now resorting to call him with the worst names and throw the worst allegations on him, that’s not educating. Don’t hold him to standards you don’t even hold yourself to, that’s what I’m saying. But I am 100% in for educating him.

[lean-mean-demon-genevieve]

Hello, I've recently started reading your blog and am enjoying it so far. I'm curious on your thoughts about a few things. What is your overall opinion on Jared? I've been noticing lately that Jared has been looking more miserable lately and looks a good bit thinner than he did a couple years ago. I also noticed his hair doesn't look as soft and shiny as it used to.

I watched the Mens Health video of an interview with him on what he eats and his workout routine. I noticed there was relatively little protein outside of him mentioning chicken, cheese and sometimes eggs and bacon. I also recall him mentioning he doesn't really eat carbs either. Do you think Gen is perhaps trying to control his diet and that it's possibly impacting his health mentally and physically? I know of people who do keto right and are healthy but I'm wondering if Jared is really doing that right, especially with what I've noticed and also tends to get sick a lot. I'm also wondering why he had to use a hyperbaric chamber to get more oxygen to his brain at one point.

Also, I saw a post of yours where you mentioned your first disdain of Gen is much stronger than it is towards Danneel. Would you be kind enough to tell me why you hate Gen a lot more than Danneel?

Thank you for your time in reading and hopefully answering this all.

Oh man, I’ve been super busy for the past several weeks, then sick, and haven’t gotten around to responding to asks in any particular order. But I’ve also been hesitant to touch this one because anyone that comes anywhere close to Jared critical content is immediately chased with pitchforks around here. It is so divided and therefore people are defending their faves to the death. Especially since Prequelgate, Jared, and thus Gen, are the current Prom King and Queen in the areas of fandom I most often see. And let me be clear that I’m not a Heller nor am I anti-Jared but I’m just also not a stan…of anyone. Honestly, I’m an “eat the rich” leftist at heart who believes anyone’s choices can be looked at with a critical eye.

(Long post under the cut)

To answer the easy stuff first, I don’t feel as strongly about Danneel because, except for a few appearances here and there, she keeps to herself lately and doesn’t give me a reason to really analyze her behaviors. I wasn’t deep into fandom during the early days of her and Jensen getting married and all of her territorial behaviors, so I don’t bring all of that with me to the present day. I do hate the way Danneel panders to Hellers and I did pick up on some irritating comments in her most recent OTH podcast appearance. The response from a fan question at HonCon about how Jensen can never impress her makes me roll my eyes and is part of their schtick that feels very tired. I don’t think we would be friends, but Danneel doesn’t get under my skin quite the same way Gen does. I think in some ways, Danneel has been more openly who she is (even if it was bitchy and unlikeable) whereas Gen has hidden behind a Mary Sue persona of golly-gee-whiz perfection…and I just respect that authenticity more.

Describing why I am anti Gen is…honestly difficult to summarize. I will link some of my other posts to help. Right away, it’s not because I’m jealous and she gets to be married to Jared. Overall, it lies in all the inconsistencies and hypocrisies which, honestly, I wouldn’t even be aware of if she wasn’t so set on proving her worth to herself by building a platform to manipulate her fans with sales pitches. She preaches sustainability while also jet-setting constantly. And she’s more of a flip-flopper than a preacher, so understanding what she even stands for is difficult. She wants to sell you 6 different supplements for the almighty gut health while also being seen drinking alcohol regularly. And when she laments about being stressed I lose my entire mind because most of us could only dream of having her version of stress. In one of her most recent IG story ads she complained that 2 trips out of the country (and away from her children) were just SO HARD to deal with! To me, instead of the relatable vibe she’s going for, she regularly comes off as entirely ungrateful and unaware of all of her privileges.

When I look at Gen, don’t see the same “goofy, light-hearted mom who is altruistically trying gosh darn hard to save the world with recycling and kindness” that her fans see. I see an uptight yet insecure grifter who skates by in this fandom by doing the bare minimum while being praised like a saint. And I think that it is her connection to Jared that affords her all the fandom grace. When people still refer to this grown man as one of their “boys” and liken him to “literal sunshine,” puppies, and sunflowers…well, imagine the positive assumptions we make about a partner that person chooses.

(I hate referring to either J as a boy, don’t come for me…and I’ve seen Jensen receiving the same stanning that also makes me gag lol)

While I hope Jared is not struggling with any other underlying health issue, his frame has appeared to change in recent years. But I’m definitely not here to say that this is due to Gen “controlling” him in any way. I do think Gen has/has had her own issues with eating (she admitted to having history of an eating disorder in a podcast once) and excessive exercise, but Jared is a grown man who makes his own decisions. Jared himself has alluded to insecurities in his body image over the years, praised what I would call disordered eating practices like fasting, and his bulked up frame as Soulless Sam was suspected of having anabolic help at the time. I do think he dabbles in manipulating diet and exercise in different ways like every one else in The Biz and I think he has a naturally lanky frame. So if he doesn’t want to work out constantly in order to stay swole, then I fully respect that. There is also the issue of his knee that no doubt impacts his capabilities as well.

As for the hyperbaric chamber (mentioned during Jared’s appearance on the Inside of You podcast on 5/24/22): he didn’t need it and the evidence that it even fixes anything just isn’t there. That doctor is a known quack, and he sucked Jared right in. At these clinics they take specialized (and not widely accepted in the field of actual neuroscience) scans of your brain and present you with scary results in order to sell these expensive chambers and their own supplements. It’s a racket. Now, how did he find his way to an Amen Clinic in Costa Mesa, CA? I really couldn’t tell you, but it does sound like the shifty, woo woo alternative medicine that Gen has also been pursuing for her “brain fog.” But then again, his supposed buddy and co-star Keegan Allen is also a health and wellness wackadoo, and we’ve seen Jared get sucked in by the likes of that young lady with the boutique IV drip clinic too. Jared has also shouted out Joe Rogan multiple times. He’s got multiple influences.

If Gen and/or Jared is concerned about their cognitive functioning, as a person with connection to the world of eating disorders, my opinion is that they invest in less oxygen chambers and instead at least consider more carbohydrates and overall calories. You’d be amazed at how much less foggy your brain feels when it’s properly nourished. And no, I’m not diagnosing anyone here, but I am saying that people with access to these expensive specialists are sometimes overlooking an answer that is right in front of their faces simply because eating a wider variety of nutrients would betray their brand. And sometimes people are scared to eat more when they can no longer workout like they use to and have an image to maintain.

[scarlet--wiccan]

do you know if there's a reason pietro has white hair? i've seen people say he's albino but is that based in canon? more recently he's been drawn with darker skin (like in the new SW comic/no surrender) which doesn't line up with that. before looking into it i always assumed it was just some kind of mutant thing, especially since later tommy has his powers + white hair. any thoughts?

It's meant to interpreted as his "mutation," and, to my recollection, there's never been any real evidence otherwise.

I don't know for sure if it was originally intended that way-- none of the other mutants in 1964 had special hair or skin colors, and that didn't really become a thing until the Bronze Age. It's never been attributed to anything else, though, and I think Tommy's introduction solidified it as part of their super-speed "mutation." Young Avengers and Children's Crusade put so much emphasis on the younger twins having identical powers and appearances to the Maximoffs, that I feel this is the only way to interpret it.

There's been a lot of back and forth in the fandom about Pietro's hair, Tommy's hair, and even Magneto's hair being similar, and what that's supposed to mean. The problem is that most of these people are citing Uncanny Origins: Quicksilver (1996) and Avengers Origins: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver (2011). These are both retellings of Wanda and Pietro's backstory, and like most special origin-story issues, they both contradict canon, even for the time at which they were written. The 2011 one is worse, in terms of continuity, but the 1996 is particularly egregious to me in the way that it depicts the Romani community Wanda and Pietro grew up in.

In this comic, the narration states that Pietro, unlike his "darker sister," has a harder time being accepted by Romani people due to his fair hair and light skin. Keep in mind, Wanda and Pietro are drawn with the same fair skin tone on the actual page.

I don't believe this difference has ever been mentioned anywhere else, and considering all of the inaccuracies and inauthentic depictions going on here, I just don't think readers should put any stock in what this comic has to say about Pietro's appearance, intracommunity issues, or the way Romani people are racialized in Europe.

Now, Wanda and Pietro aren't identical twins, and they've always been presented as mixed-race. It's entirely possible for them to look different, or have different skin tones, and there is something to be said about diversity in the diaspora and the different experiences people might have based on proximity to whiteness. Adoption from outside the community is also a complicated subject-- depending on which version of canon you're working with, Marya and Django might not have known who the twins' birth mother was, and may have assumed that the children were from a gadje family.

These are really sensitive topics, though, and I just don't think that non-Romani writers or fans should be tackling them-- nor do I believe that it's helpful or constructive right now, when we've advocating for so long for more inclusive, authentic portrayals of Romani people of color. That's just a personal opinion! And yes, having a visible mutation would have affected Pietro growing up, but you can talk about that without litigating his racial identity or presentation.

Also, this is important to note, albinism is a lot more complicated than most people-- at least, people who don't have it-- tend to realize. It impacts more than just your appearance, and it's statistically unlikely for somebody to have stark-white hair without other affected features or complications. The people on comic book twitter aren't really talking about that, though-- they're mostly just aestheticizing the condition and using it as an excuse to draw Pietro like a white guy.

[anongalactic]

As I've been getting back into Black Butler after all these years, I have noticed something among the wider fan base (and among modern fan culture as a whole).

Warning, im talking about yee old anime fujoshis and sebaciel. Both these things are very bad and I will be talking about that.

The anime and the early manga (cannot speak for the manga as a whole as I have not read it all), is rife with weird fujoshi-bait fanservice moments. This is an UNDENIABLE fact. Yet I have seen so many people deny its existence outright; particularly in comments on youtube videos, tiktoks, instagram posts, etc., where people will outright say that there's nothing to have ever given people the idea to ship characters like Sebastian and Ciel together. Which is just,, flat out wrong?? Admitting it exists because you have eyes and can see does not mean you condone it or are some weirdo. Scenes like that and every other eyebrow raise kinda moment we're included for a reason, that reason being appealing to fans of that kinda content. It's a definite flaw of, at the very least, early Black Butler. Denying the existence of these scenes does not mean people who are skeeved out by it/want to address it are somehow the bad guys here.

There's a similar issue among villain characters in media as well. Just because a character, written as a villain and clearly shown to be in the wrong, does something morally fucked up, does NOT mean the writer nor the fans condone that behavior. There's a difference between romanticizing or trying to act like a characters actions are okay vs. when its clearly a villain doing villainous things. On the fandom end, there's a difference between analyzing a characters actions and condoning them. My favorite character of all time is Dio from jjba, that doesn't mean I condone all the bad shit he's done, in fact I love to discuss his motivations and actions because he has a lot of depth. Does that mean I think any of what he's done is okay? Absolutely fucking not, obviously.

It's basic critical thinking skills and media literacy that seem to be lacking amongst some fandom spaces today, and I've been seeing it more and more. But don't use this as an excuse to bully newer people in fandom, stfu we've all been there before. Just as I was a preteen kid watching Black Butler in 280p on Youtube, there are also new kids on the block when it comes to anime. The issue arises when it's people who HAVE been around the block, or are grown ass adults, trying to act like every interaction Sebastian and Ciel have had ever is completely innocent and lacked any kind of ulterior motive. Try to show someone the corset scene and tell them that there's absolutely nothing weird going on there. Yes it was a joke scene, but what was the intent?? fujobait. fanservice. THATS the joke, the joke is FOR those audiences. And yet there is so many people just flat out saying that interpreting these scenes for what it was intended to be, fujoshi bait, and pointing out how weird it is, are wrong. They're saying that only weirdos would be able to see it at all, like its a reach to say that the gross fanservice scenes are, in fact, gross fanservice.

Before I conclude this rant I'd also like to point out that there are some series that I believe are indefensible with its questionable-at-best content, and i don't think Black Butler is one of those. Black Butler actually has a plot outside of the fanservice moments, and from what I've heard about the rest of the manga, those moments are now few and far between. It's when a series has little to no plot, or a lack thereof, aside from the gross stuff that being a fan of it is inexcusable.

This is getting long but i assume you get the gist at this point. Acknowledging that something problematic is present in a series does not mean you condone it, nor is it bad for people to recognise the issues in the first place. You can address a series' flaws, it doesn't mean that you are weird for seeing those flaws in the first place. Rant over.

[kurokoros]

I like Robin in canon, specifically season 3. (I am not huge fan of her in season 4 and for some reason the airiness of the actress's voice just bugs me) But I found her character interesting in season 3.

And then I came to fandom. Specifically, her and Steve's relationship as portrayed in fandom. People see them as codependent and really close and I struggle to wrap my head around that. Do I see them as close friends? Yes. But I see them more as me and my friend, where they're good friends and talk almost every day but aren't codependent on each other. And it's also the superiority with their favorite pairing of characters being platonic, if that makes sense. Like they see Platonic Stobin as the best ship for Steve and I hate it when people do it in general, like when they say that Jancy is the best ship or Stancy or Steddie. Like yes, some would make more sense canonically but sometimes people don't like ships for various reasons. But with Platonic Stobin, it feels like they are untouchable because they are a platonic relationship vs all the romantic ones.

I definitely agree with most of this!

ngl I was doomed to dislike Robin from the start. I don't like any of the main characters or major secondary characters introduced post-S2. S3 is my least favorite season of the series, and both Robin and Erica were involved in the plotline I think had the most bullshit premise, so I'm just painfully indifferent to both of them lmao So, yeah, I never cared for Robin. And it really rubbed me the wrong way that they had Robin rant about how much of an asshole Steve was after he woke up from being beaten unconscious like wtf???

(listen if we needed Russian soldiers in S3, I would have adored new deputy!steve and Hopper having a run in with a small group of soldiers or something. That would have been more interesting than a full scale invasion under the mall but I'm not going to get into how shit that plot point is)

I'm also kind of meh about MH as an actress. It just kind of seems like she tends to play herself, from what little I've seen. There's not much range to her performances imo

Fandom definitely ruined Steve and Robin as friends for me though. I hate the "codependency" angle. I don't see the whole "platonic soulmates" thing. They're just normal friends who went through something traumatic together. And they weren't even really friends when that happened. The show kind of makes it seem like they'd been coworkers forever, but Dustin congratulated Steve on getting the job at Scoops after he came back from camp, so Steve and Robin had only been working together for like... a month. At most. And it doesn't seem like they hang out outside of work in S3. Their friendship really is nonexistent in S3 outside of Steve saying he's laughed more in the last month than in a long time (even though all they have is teasing but vaguely-antagonistic banter)???

The whole "platonic ship is inherently better than a romantic one" argument is also one I don't care for. Like... Steve has already had platonic relationships. In S1 he was friends with Tommy and Carol and the show never implies that Steve is only friends with Carol because he wants to fuck her, if the point of Stobin was to be "boys and girls can just be friends!" He has platonic friendships with the kids that could have been developed more. We could have had more interactions between Steve and Jonathan. Or Steve and Hopper. Or they could have kept Tommy and Carol around and actually developed that friendship.

Neither platonic nor romantic relationships are inherently better than the other. All that matters if is how that relationship is nourished on screen, and I simply do not find Stobin to be as deep as the show and fandom want me to believe.

(Like, unpopular opinion I guess, but I wish they had introduced a new love interest for Steve at some point that wasn't a surprise bait and switch. I would have rather seen Steve move on from Nancy completely, than put up with whatever the hell the Duffers were doing in S4.)

I don't know where I was going with this, but yeah, I simply do not care for Robin or platonic soulmates stobin

[purrincess-chat]

I feel like I've been hit by a sledgehammer bc of this ep. Understandably so that people who didn't want pre reveal Adrienette dating are upset and I can get behind that. But I feel like I'm bummed out bc now I think that pre reveal Adrienette dating is not well and terrible. I do enjoy it, but seeing other people's opinions just made me disheartened. Makes me feel like I'm the best who's dumb or stupid for enjoying it.

So, a couple bits of advice that I find work quite well for me:

Stop reading people's salt posts because they're almost always written in bad faith from places of anger, meant to antagonize, and they pass their opinions off as fact, so of course anyone who dares disagree is a fucking idiot because they deem their opinion as the only valid one. (which people like that in general are just yikes)

Filters are your friends. Tumblr has a quite effective filtering system. You can filter words, phrases, usernames, tags, literally anything you don't want to see. If it's someone that you generally like and don't want to unfollow them because of their opinions, ask them nicely to use a specific tag for those kinds of posts so you can filter them. Now you don't have to look at them.

If fandom is stressing you out, take a break. It's the holiday season. Go visit friends and family, decorate some cookies, eat something delicious, go outside and go for a walk and get some fresh air. I am a strong advocate for taking breaks from fandom to clear your head and realign your priorities. Fandom is supposed to be fun. Sometimes people just forget that and take things way too seriously. Take a week off. If that's too much, take a day. Do something else for a bit, and I promise when you come back you'll realize how silly it is to let other people dictate your feelings.

And if anyone is angry at you for having the audacity to *checks notes* enjoy something and is telling you that you're stupid for enjoying something, then that says a lot more about them than it does about you, babe. People can vague post about me until their fingers fall off, but I have neither the energy nor desire to care because I'm not sorry for enjoying what I enjoy. Art and media are subjective, and plenty of people enjoy different aspects of the same source material based on their personal experiences, beliefs, and preferences. One idea isn't better than the other, no matter what anyone says. If you like something, that is totally and completely valid. You don't need to justify it to anyone. (not to mention arguing over the same two ass people has always been and always will be silly to me like the reveal is gonna happen and everything is going to be one dynamic anyway so why are yall pressed)

Additionally, if it helps, I can tell you the reasons why I love their development this season.

As someone who has always related to their dynamic in particular, and whose favorite part of their side is watching Adrien fall for her, the whole shift this season has had me really giddy. From the very first episode of this show, Marinette has been scheming and planning ways to get Adrien to notice her/tell him she loves him. We've seen her grow and overcome her jealousy, we've seen her put him first, we've seen her care about him when no one else did, we've seen her fight for him, which most of those he never even knew because she didn't do those things to make him love her, she did them because she loves him. I've loved the direction they took their dynamic this season with Adrien finally realizing that Marinette means so much to him and coming to understand those special feelings for her are love at the same time that Marinette is dealing with heavy trauma surrounding him. And just the absolute tender way Adrien approaches her and tries to help her through all of that is just *chefs kisses*

It shows huge development on their part for Marinette to even be able to admit that she loves him and wants to be with him (even just by raising her hand). And Adrien meeting her where she is and not putting her down for not being able to speak her mind, but instead being so incredibly patient and gentle and understanding. Adrien loves her in spite of all of her antics. He finds her quirks charming, and he sees through all of it to the girl underneath. She didn't need to go through with some crazy scheme or grand gesture to confess her feelings to him. They just needed to get down on each other's level and talk and communicate with each other and learn to understand each other. It's high time that the show brought the two of them closer and let the two of them work through her anxiety around him together. I completely love the two of them ditching their friends' ideas of what their relationship needs to look like and instead opting to figure out what works best for them together. Having the two of them date pre reveal and sort through that trauma together and learn the ways that they need to be loved is going to help them tremendously when the reveal eventually happens, and I can't wait for that!

And that's just a portion of my feelings for them this season because I don't want to spoil later episodes that people haven't watched yet, but yeah, I think their development is so sweet and satisfying to watch. And if anyone is mad at me (or anyone) for just enjoying the show, then that's their problem. I have better things to do than worry about people being mad at me for liking something because imo, that's a really dumb reason to be mad at someone. Like can you imagine someone being like:

"Hey, I really like chocolate milk."

Then someone else being like:

"Um, how fucking dare you? Strawberry milk is the only good milk, and anyone who likes chocolate milk is fucking stupid and should feel bad for liking it."

You see how silly that sounds? Don't let other people convince you that chocolate milk is gross if you like it. They can get over it or die mad, either way you have a tasty beverage. Let them ruin their own day, not yours. But that's just my approach. I am a very laid back person who's never really given a fuck about what other people think of me tho. That portion of my personality has only strengthened with age because I find that it rarely truly matters, especially when it comes to fandom. If they're not paying my bills or putting food on my table, then I don't particularly care if they don't like the way I feel about fictional teenagers. But I get not everyone is like that, so go with my 3 tips above. Subjecting yourself to salt posts is only going to warp the way you view the show and ruin your overall enjoyment of it. (trust me, I've been there) Leave the salters to their bitterness, and just enjoy the show. You'll be better off for it.

[amazilla]

In the read more, a few choice thoughts for you on the subject of being a fictive and how that affects my view of things.

I came into being because Tsukasa already existed. As far as our system goes, Tsukasa is as close to a "core" as we can get, and I exist to protect him. But when I first gained awareness, I was angry that I was me, especially because I knew I was only taking on this form and personality because of someone else. I've gotten over that, though, and come to find some joys in being a fictive.

Over the last several years, I've been able to expand my view of the world with help from other parts/personalities/headmates, whatever you want to call them. In particular, the last few months, our Angel has helped me realize my role outside of our system as well, to exist and enjoy existing. That my purpose isn't only as a guard dog for the others, nor even just as a peice of a whole. While I do still view us, as a system, as parts of a "whole" out of nessecity (one body and all that, got to see things this way) I am still allowed to exist as myself and make myself as an individual seen and understood. Life doesn't have to be strictly as part of someone else.

Tsuki has since taken an extreme backseat in our life, leaving me and two other parts to take over physically. We do take turns, although not really on purpose or anything, it just sort of happens. It can be jarring to suddenly realize you are the one present fully when you thought you were floating by watching as someone else did the work. Switching can feel so smooth and gradual like this, but it can also be jarring and feel like whiplash. Sometimes I'm able to step back and sleep, not be present at all.

I'm still pretty unsure exactly how we function, but it's something I'm interested in observing and attempting to describe, for the benifit of understanding. Of course it would be helpful to recognize patterns, predicting things is preemptive damage control.

That's a lot of words to say I've been enjoying being in control and dominant and present much more than I have in the past. lol

In this time I've come to an understanding of why I was Amane to begin with, and also understood I don't have to fit some kind of narrative for the sake of others. Angel is similar, he won't even use his canon name because he wants to be able to enjoy the fandom and the character he is based off of without immediately associating them with himself. But he will still respond if we call him that name, its still his.

With that being said, I'm going to be doing a re-read of the source material that Tsuki and I are sourced from. With fresh eyes, maybe I won't feel so strongly about the events and can enjoy them as a story?

But let's talk about that, about how the story is completely different from my "canon" which I associate myself with. For me, it feels like if I am a fanfiction version of Amane, essentially. It's not that I come from a fanfiction, I'm pretty sure this story doesn't exist IRL just in my head. Tsuki said one day he'd write it and post it anonymously. Since I'm an AU from the Amane in JSHK, it's easier to look at fandom. I can enjoy fanart and fanfics knowing that there is no way that these people are making this about me, like me me specifically.

I may see myself as Amane, but the reality is I'm nobody, and I am not the guy in all those fanarts and stories that get posted. I can project myself on them if I want to, but I can also disengage easily if I see something I don't like. This is, in my opinion, the way fictives and fictionkin should approach fandom if they're interested in taking part, either as an observer lurker or an active member in some capacity.

I thought maybe if Tsuki does write that fic based on our "canon" that if anyone got inspired by it and drew art of it, would I then have to admit they were finally depicting me and Tsuki as we exist now, or could I still divorce myself from that? I think I would try my hardest to separate myself from it, no matter how close it feels. The artist would have no way to know it was meant to depict the fictionalized mythology of two members of a plural system, unless there was a note on the fic and then that could be dangerous.

It's wise to be careful what kind of information you give out to anyone, especially things that could impact your health or safety. Some details of our canon would give away information on manipulating us, and so it would be something we should take care to replace and re-write for the fic. Even if nobody knew, I'd still have it be changed. The fic would be a sort of way to share, catharsis and venting, or getting it out on paper. For me and Tsuki, keeping everything a secret forever when it impacts us so greatly is frustrating. And part of why I made this blog.

[headspacedad]

I leaped head-first into the rabbit hole that is all things Jason Todd and found myself woefully unprepared for the horror that is the more cruel portrayals of his and Bruce's relationship

Safe to say I'm glueing myself in the corner where everything is sunshine and roses and Bruce is a actual good parent, can I have that? T^T

First off - welcome to the rabbit hole! Its always nice to find friends in one of these. And second -

dang.

yeah.

just -

dang.

I too was pretty unprepared for the absolutely horrid mess that is the Batman and Jason relationship. I'm not quite sure in what world slitting your own son's throat is considered okay. I'm guessing a LOT of comic book writers have shitty relationships with their fathers and don't realize that's Not Standard Practice, nor does it make Bruce look like a 'badass'. It just makes him look bad.

I mean, I'm used to a bit of comic book whiplash. I used to get all four Spider-man comics every month back in the Way Back Times and I remember there were absolutely times you could tell the writers weren't on the same page about how things were supposed to go. In fact, before my time, the story was that MJ and Peter only got married because Stan Lee wrote it happening in the Sunday newspaper comic and surprised more than a few writers who were working on comic books for the character. So I thought I was used to things varying from point to point but - DANG! I was not prepared for the amount of 'Bruce is a supportive dad who still shares burgers with Jason' to 'Bruce beats the shit out of his son to a level he won't even use on the Joker'. Some people who are claiming to be professional writers need to figure out how to make a character bad ass and put conflict in a relationship WITHOUT just resorting to senseless physical violence every single time.

Now fandom - fandom's always been about exploring the side angles and reconstructing things. And I do think a lot of people are either 1. working through their own family trauma in a cathartic safe way through fiction 2. are absolutely disgusted with the way Jason and Bruce's relationship has been treated in canon and just went 'fuck it' and figured if that was what canon was going to give them then fine, that's how canon would get treated and 3. hates either Bruce or Jason and needs to punch downward on the one in order to make the other look better (that last one is a sign of poor writing and a personal pet peeve of mine that's way too common in fanfiction). From what I've seen at least in the corners I lurk in, its usually the first two though and I can respect both of those. I can even enjoy reading both of those if they deal with what that kind of relationship means and does to the characters (usually Jason).

But God bless the writers who look at canon, reach down and pick up Bruce and Jason and carefully wash the yuck off them like they're little fairy penguins caught in an oil spill. Who get them scrubbed clean of canon yuck and then put them in little cute knit sleeveless sweaters somewhere safe where they can recover and feed them tasty things so they thrive together. Bless the Wayne Family Adventures comic creators for it, bless every single one of the fanfic writers for it, bless the fan artists for it and bless the meta writers too. Bless every single person that looks at the mess canon is and goes 'not on my watch'. And bless them for sharing so the rest of us can read something that's healing for our souls and gives us some respite from the world outside our doors. Sometimes all we want to read is the dream of a good father and its wonderful that fandom gives us so many great fics and art of that. Canon may not give it to us but

yeah.

We can have that.

[jerzwriter]

Hi I hope you don’t mind me asking. I’ve been wanting to write Ethan x MC fics. But I feel like I don’t see Ethan in the “conventional” way people here in the fandom do. I know everyone writes their own version of him but honestly I’m kind of scare people would reject my stories if I don’t write him as lovey dovey as the rest. Idk why but I have a fascination for book 1 Ethan with just a few twists.

Do you think making friends is more important to have engagement on fics? I’ve seen people in the fandom RB fics that are different from their own HC, but only from people they’re friends with. If it’s something different & it’s coming from someone they don’t like or talk to, it gets rejected or ignored. I really hope this doesn’t offend anyone. And I know there’s a few people (you included) who are on both sides of the border (with more known and liked creators & those who aren’t) and RB a variety of fics. 

Hey Nonny,

Thanks for feeling comfortable enough to reach out to me about this. Unfortunately, I don't have a crystal ball, so I can't say what will happen. But I can share my personal experience and what I've observed in my time here, and hope it helps you. Then, I'll offer you my advice (which you can take or leave). 😊

There is a more "popular" version of Ethan in the fandom, and it is a romanticized version. This is not right or wrong, nor good or bad. It just is. No one dictates that it must be this way, but there are more readers that seem to want that content. These are just facts. I can attest to that because I write different versions of Ethan and, by and large, the mushy Ethan is always the most engaged with.

Personally, I think it's because people want escapism - hell - I do, too, at times. But keep in mind if your version falls outside of that (especially if it is drastically different), you may not get tons of engagement - especially with numbers so low today. And that's not an attack - it's not a judgment - it's just that's not what the majority of people are here for. People attack from both sides. Trust me, I know. My first fanfics on Tumblr were my original OH alternate ending and Delaying the Inevitable. You cannot get more sugary and sweet than the former, and the latter has sweet moments, but it is an angsty roller-coaster of emotions. The first is perfect, Ethan, and the second is very broken, Ethan, who does some really hurtful things to MC, to his father, and to others.

I've gotten anon hate for both versions. Yes, I've gotten hate for mushy Ethan, too - mocked terribly for it, actually. Have I gotten more hate for the DTI version? Yes. Absolutely - but see point #1. I believe it's just a numbers game. Yet, with that said, DTI stands in a class by itself compared to anything else I've written. I've never seen that loyalty, that excitement, and that level of interest. So, obviously, not everyone hates it. Friends and support on Tumblr can go hand in hand, but they don't always - and in my opinion - they shouldn't. Let's say you meet someone here. You have similar personalities, like the same music; you just click and become friends. But you have totally different writing styles/approaches to fanfic. Should you both be required to read a ton of fics that aren't your thing just because your friend wrote them? No. Does that mean you don't like each other and can't be friends? No. Does it always work that way? No. Are there friend groups that will RB everything someone in the group posts? Sure. Is that good? I mean, that's each person's personal opinion. I am in the camp of, no, it's not good. Why? From a writer's perspective, I don't want a bunch of empty notes. If I have 10 notes from people who are TRULY enthusiastic about my work, who I truly brought something to, it beats having 50 notes from people who skimmed my work, don't really care for it, and aren't giving me honest feedback. But that's just me. From a reader's perspective, I don't think people should be forced to read things they don't particularly care for just because they're friends. We read for enjoyment, right? I can be friends with someone and not necessarily love their style of writing. I can not be very fond of someone and think their work is spectacular. Work should be judged on taste and merit, IMO. I know it doesn't always work that way here, but that's my approach. You have to determine what's most important to you. If notes are the most important, then write what people want. But I think that gets pretty empty pretty quick. Writing is personal. Do I wish the works that were most important to me and brought me the most personal fulfillment got the most notes? Sure. And sometimes, they do. But often, they don't. I'm still going to write them. To me, it's not about a popularity contest. And if there is anyone who will stop being your friend because they disagree with your version of Ethan (or anything else), sweetheart, they're not your friend to begin with, and you're not losing a blessed thing if they walk away. My advice to you? WRITE WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE. It will make you happiest, and I assure you, it will be your best work. DON'T MAKE NOTES YOUR GOAL. Notes are fickle. I don't know if you saw my post-Sunday, but I have had people outright tell me they have not RB me because I was getting too many notes or I was too new and had to pay my dues. I have seen people who RB just because they're friends, and I have seen people who will NOT RB just because they're not. It's a fucking game here (a stupid one), and it's gotten worse as the fandom dwindles. But that game impacts the number of notes any creator gets. If you tie your self-worth as a person or as a writer to number of notes, you're setting yourself up to be hurt needlessly. Make your own fulfillment the goal. Don't be mad if what you imagine/write isn't the most popular. We can't tell other people what to like or read. But does it make you happy? Are you proud? Do you have at least one other person excited about it with you? Then you're golden, in my opinion.

NOW ONE WORD OF ADVICE FOR EVERYONE...

I recommend one weekend when you're free. Take the list from @openheartfanfics. Or if you're not in OH's fandom, take the list from @choicesficwriterscreations. And read every single fic. Why? You are likely to find something you like that you would not have otherwise. If you don't, don't do it again - but give it a shot. Oh, and while you're there? Give each writer a ❤️. Show them love and support for taking the time to write and then sharing it with us. I know this is long (dude, it's me lol), but I think this is very important. Always happy to chat if you like - anon is here, but DMs are open, and I won't share anything discussed with others.

Hope you do what's best for you, Nonny!