#obviously it’s not true tho and if representation matters it stands to reason that representation of the status quo also matters

[sagemoderocklee]

adding op’s tags because they are so important to this conversation

Imagine if you were a gay or bi man who tried a certain firefighter show because of all the attention it was getting for one of its mains having a later in life bi awakening.....and between seasons you ventured into its fandom in search of material to tide you over til the next one. And you're greeted by a deluge of posts and fics that are just cheerfully homophobic towards one half of the newly out bi character's canon relationship on the basis of 'well he's not the RIGHT gay guy' and pushing the idea that actually its fine to cheat on him because Reasons and he's sexually predacious based on......behind the scenes implications people have divined like they're reading fucking tea leaves.

But don't get it twisted....this fandom, like all fandoms, really cares about representation!

Sorry not sorry, but we really need to kill this idea that fandoms are welcoming and inviting and inherently progressive when they're frequently insular and reductive as fuck. Every single fandom I've been in has had major trends of people doubling down on their own headcanons and fanon interpretations of the characters and willfully enacting trends aimed at running off people who like the 'wrong' characters (usually characters marginalized along one or multiple axes), like the characters in the 'wrong ways' or other bullshit.

Scott is a Bad Friend fics overtaking Teen Wolf fandom was not incidental, it was a FEATURE of the fandom, because the vast majority of that fandom did not want to share its space with anyone who had the nerve to like its main character. Survivors complaining about or criticizing the prevalance of rape fics in a certain fandom has in my experience always led to a reactionary UPTICK in those fics, with gems like 'this character can, will, must be raped' in the tags making it crystal clear that some of these fics exist because how fucking DARE anyone try and push forth a narrative not agreed upon by Fandom Main.

I could cite examples for so many other fandoms, with the commonalities always being that vast majorities in these fandoms are explicitly reacting defensively to being asked to be more mindful of fandom trends revolving around or exacerbating racism, homophobia, transphobia, rape or abuse apologia, ableism, etc....

With the most prolific fucking rallying cry across countless fandoms being "No the fuck we will NOT be doing that," because lolololol.....

Fandom is an inherently progressive space, didn't you hear?

[salytierra]

@hetaliafandomhub EMBASSY : SPAIN

WRITING REFERENCE: REGIONS & CHARACTER TRAITS

Spain Works a little bit like a federation… except not really. The different Spanish regions are called “Autonomous Communities” and are semi-self-governing territories that were established following cultural and historical reasons, almost 40 years ago.

This has brought some problems, but also a lot of hilarity, because the rivalry between some of the regions created a ton of funny jokes and stereotypes.

There are 17 Autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities.

So there’s no such thing as one and only, defined, version of Spain and Spanish people, rather Spain is a sum of all its differences. Like a real person, our country is polyfacetic, complex, and often contradictory in its behavior, preferences and personality. But at the core, there’s just something that we all have in common and that sets us apart.

I prepared a little, humorous piece on each region, highlighting its traits and most common stereotypes. Of course, this is oriented towards writers that want to make their character representation richer and more extensive.

You can use any of the following for Antonio and combine them at your like:

THE AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES 

Aragón: Legend has it, that not long ago the people from the aragonese Pyrenees still communicated with each other by yelling over the mountains. Whether that’s true or not, Aragón is considered the land of loud and headstrong people. And when I say headstrong I mean so stubborn that they will rather change the laws of physics than admit that they were wrong about something.

Their capital is Zaragoza and the cold is manufactured in its train&bus station. Seriously, its manufactured there and then exported to the rest of the world, I shit you not!

C. Valenciana: If orange trees disappeared from the face of the earth Valencia would cease to exist.

It’s the birth land of the paella and they won’t let you go until you’ve understood that. They are known for their corrupt politicians and have more metrosexuals for square meter than a gay gym. Speak catalan but call it “valenciano” and demand it to be treated like a completely different language. Collectively healthy and well-groomed. Valencian people are carefree, a little bit arrogant, and enjoy living the good life.

They also adore gunpowder; whether it’s a wedding or a funeral – there’s gonna be fireworks!

Asturias: “Spain is Asturias and the rest is reconquered land” and no Astur will ever let you forget that. They consider themselves the reason Spain exists in the first place and love reminding it to the rest of the country, whether it’s in the parliament or heavy metal songs.  They really love their land, carry an Asturian flag everywhere they go, take pride in their history, landscapes, nature and… milk.

Anyway, their superiority complex is legendary and the worst part is that you can’t even pick on them for that because it’s all mostly true.  

La Rioja: If you’ve got a wine mom, have ever been in the alcohol section of any supermarket, or studied the wine selection in a restaurant menu out of boredom, you probably know the word Rioja. It’s one of the most famous Designations of Origin in the world, which often leads to the assumption that Riojanos are drunk 90% of the time. Wrong. They are only drunk 70% of the time. They’ve also got a festival that is just like one giant water battle… but with wine instead.

Okay, jokes apart. Rioja has a lot more than just wine; its people will take you in with open arms no matter where you are from and make sure you never want to leave. 

Andalucía: What the rest of the world thinks is Spain. Every stereotype you can think of? Surprise! Turns out it’s only applicable to Andalucía. Flamenco, frilly dresses and women called Carmen come from there. Sadly, they are often treated like a joke by the rest of the country, but to give them credit: take it really well.

Although in the rest of Spain we are convinced that the religious devotion is actually an excuse for huge parties and let’s be fair – you’d also siesta if the temperature outside got to 50ºC in summer afternoons.  Andalusians are also everywhere; wherever you go you’ll find hordes of them and recognize them by their funny accent.

Galicia: Other countries have china-town. We have one giant Ireland-town and it takes up this entire region. Galicia is extremely beautiful, has a lot of forests and a very unique culture, not to mention a very sticky accent and their own language; which is so closely related to Portuguese it’s difficult to tell them apart.

Now, the Galicians are the human form of “to be or not to be”; or alternatively the object of Katy Perry’s “hot’n’cold” song. You won’t find more indecisive bunch on the face of the earth. They’ve also got collective “morriña” which nobody is really sure what it means but it’s sort of a good-melancholic feeling.

Cantabria: In Cantabria, one in every four habitants is a cow. Also, the last time something metal happened there, it was in the times of the Roman invasion.

They have the best anchovies and will not tolerate any offense against them. Apart from that, they are fine people that may be a little bit cold but talk in sing-song and work very hard and a lot. A little bit hard to crack maybe, or that might just have been my former housemate.

C. de Madrid: So… turns out there’s an entire Autonomous Community surrounding the capital. Although, to be fair, the city takes up most of it.

The Madrileños are always stressed out, always! They are always rushing everywhere like devil’s got their pants on fire and still get there too late. In an eternal competition with Barcelona about literally everything. They are also really prideful, but I’ve said that just about any region till now. Also, it’s the capital, they are supposed to believe themselves the shit xDDD

País Vasco/Euskadi: The special snowflake of Spain and the entire Europe now that we are at it. Actually rumored to be aliens. Their language doesn’t come from indo-european, their genetic code is different, there’s a hereditary disease similar to chronic insomnia that only affects Basques…  What even are these creatures?

It doesn’t matter; we still love their pinchos, and making jokes about their brute strength. Because believe me when I tell you: there’re no humans on earth as BRUTE as the Basques.  Yes, I also thought that was an exaggeration, until I started sharing an apartment with one.  

Navarra: Are they actually Basques? Are Basques actually Navarros? We might never know. The truth is that the Kingdom of Navarra was one of the cool territories during medieval Iberia and now they are famous for their Asparagus.

Okay that was mean. Navarra is actually a beautiful place (with fiscal privileges) full of history and people that might never win a subtlety and delicacy contest, but party like no-one else on the face of the earth!

Murcia: When Spanish kids are little and learning the Autonomous Communities they always forget one while counting on their fingers. That one is always Murcia. Nobody knows why it’s even a region on its own. Maybe it’s because of the language? Although make no mistake, they don’t have another language, they speak Castilian… probably, but nobody understands them anyway.

I know I’m being quite rough, but my former step-dad, the man that raised me, was originally from Murcia. They are admirably good at making jokes on their own expense. Let’s give them credit for that, at least.

Islas Baleares: *currently under the occupation of German tourists*

There’s not much to say about the Balearic Islands. As any overly-touristic place, they’ve lost a bit their essence, but some charm still remains. They are also paradisaically beautiful. I remember Formentera looking like a real-life movie poster with see-through water and marine animals swimming between your feet.

But if you really want to learn about Spain, our culture and people – don’t choose Mallorca for your vacation. I’m sure at this point the locals will thank you for that too.

Castilla-León: The buffer between the green north and the barren south. Those scholars that are trying to discredit the “Duero Desert” theory obviously never had to drive through the area itself for hours. It is still pretty much a desert full of wheat and olive trees. And the occasional city from time to time. 

Now, that region is old Spain, Valladolid used to be the capital before it got shifted to Madrid, as León was before that. If you want a lungful of history – just visit any town in that region, it’s bursting with it. Also they are supposed to have the most perfect, correct Spanish and its people love visitors.

Castilla-La Mancha: Even more wheat fields… wheat fields as far as the eye can see. Finally, after days of wheat fields you see a town on the top of a hill, it’s surrounded by a medieval wall and in its heart a castle stands tall and mighty. You climb the hill and enter the city. Everyone is carrying a sword.

You stand there thinking whether you are hallucinating from the heat or just time travelled. Until a fuckboy with a Vespa almost runs you over. Turns out that’s only their aesthetic™ and you haven’t left civilization at all. Enjoy your stay, it’s f*cking magical. (srsly tho: I really want to visit Toledo again)

Extremadura: I don’t know what’s in the water in Extremadura but its natives are always ready for battle. Seriously, almost all the famous (and universally despised) Spanish conquerors in history were from Extremadura.  They are direct, opinionated and blame Portugal’s entire existence for not having a beach.

I mean it, never cross an extremeño, but having one as a friend is probably the best investment you can make. They also work the earth a lot, remain unusually religious and have a weird obsession with making dick jokes about their own region’s name. Oh, and they also make ham!!

Islas Canarias: Their days last 23 hours, shipping companies ignore them, the magazines are more expensive, and you never know how to find them on a map. No, I mean they are pretty visible on a map of Spain, there down in a small square shape reserved only for them. But try to find them on a world map, I dare you…

Anyway, they officially have the best climate on earth, receive loads of tourism, and grow the famous “plátanos” ­– Spanish-branded bananas, and I’m pretty sure also that weird bunch-y shape on the top of Toño’s bangs – along with many other things. The highest mountain in Spain is there and it’s a volcano.

Cataluña: Saving the best for last. And if that sentence is not the epitome of Catalan character then I don’t know what is. Seriously, my dearest home region needs to chill and a lesson in humility, but we are not that bad. The bit about us being hard workers is relatively true, as well as the stingy bit. We’ve got 99 problems but a lack of imagination is not one of them, for better or worse.  Hipsters be here.

And finally; we like taking risks, as evidenced by our “castellers”: human towers as high as possible and on the top, 15m from the ground – a four year old kid with a bike helmet.

Take that one, Spiderman!

THE AUTONOMOUS CITIES

Ceuta and Melilla: Established like at VII B.C. by the Phoenicians, they passed through a lot of hands.

Melilla became Spanish in the latest stage of La Reconquista, in 1497. Since it used to be a Visigoth territory too, it was symbolically important for the Catholic Monarchs to take particularly that one city, and so they did. 

But the custody of Ceuta was won in the divorce from Portugal. When in 1640 Portugal decided that the Iberian Union sucked, Ceuta, a formerly Portuguese territory, demanded to stay with Spain. Aww, such a cutie!

So this is it! I hope you enjoyed this wild ride. Aren’t we just a lovely bunch? xDD Anyway, as I already said – you can combine and extrapolate from any of these to form your preferred version of Spain.  Just don’t forget that they are still only stereotypes! ;)

Please reblog to spread the word (and so I don’t feel sad because this was quite hard to make...) 

Header and references: (x)(x)(x)(x)

And now a private word to the Spanish people around here:

¡Que nadie me venga ahora quejándose, que esto lo he hecho pa hacer guasa! Y si no os gusta, pues no haber dejado la imágen del país en manos de una catalana, cony xDDD

Será posible, que algunos países tienen como de 3 a 5 representantes y a mí me habéis dejado sola, panda de vagos. Venga, que presentarse a portavoz no cuesta nada… (porfii~ me siento solita 😢)