#so anything that get's people to engage in a heathy way and even explore more is a net positive in my book

[chrysanthemumandthesword]

I'm going a little nuts. I've just read the Odyssey (they only had me read the Iliad in high school, so I'm correcting that oversight, lol). I've looked at multiple different translations because the library/Guttenberg Project are free so comparing/contrasting is easy and fun! I've also listened to EPIC. And like... it's an adaptation with an obvious set of themes drawn from the original they want to explore over others more predominately present, so there will be differences. It's also a modern interpretation? So like... it's not going to 100% adhere to ancient Greek values? Like a modern audience is going to have some qualms about baby murder, so if you want to adapt it that's going to have to be addressed (if you don't take the coward's way out and just shove every war crime on Neoptolemus - or go the full historian route and fully write from an ancient Greek perspective which may alienate new readers but could also be dope? It's subjective).

Like, we all should know an adaptation (especially a modern one) is never a substitute for reading the original work. But adaptations can also bring new or expanded perspectives on the original work, expand on or address themes from the work in a new way, as well as inspire people to read the original. And honestly? A popular adaptation should motivate people to read/watch the original - this is exactly what kicked my ass in gear to read the Odyssey!

I'd also say don't hero-worship the original. Especially if you haven't read it in a while and have a knee-jerk negative reaction to any new adaptation. The original works should still be read but let people have fun! Don't criticize, just say if you want more content/context read the original! I would, for example, never criticize someone for loving Muppets Treasure Island or Treasure Planet even though they don't stick one to one on the original Treasure Island story - even though it was my favorite book growing up. I think they both are made with a love of the source material, but are changed for the medium + the specific themes they want to address.

I don't know. If an adaption makes a story (especially and old one) more accessible it should usually be celebrated and met with encouragement to look deeper into the source material instead of acting superior - especially if you haven't read the source material in a while either. Let people have fun and encourage them to explore! Don't shame them for liking an adaptation, especially when it's made to expand the reach of a wonderful work to a younger, wider audience.

[senlinyu]

I like a lot on DHr Twitter because I get kind of scared off by fandom discourse but ’m noticing a lot of minors who interact/follow you even though your bio states 18+. Do you try not to interact with those you know are minors? Or is it more of a “please know I will be reposting NSFW content” thing because I know some creators are uncomfortable with minors intruding into adult spaces

I'm not really sure what to do with twitter. I've drafted and then stashed about a dozen twitter threads trying to lay out why I find the twitter environment very uncomfortable specifically because DHr twitter has so many minors who openly admit to reading adult content and try to engage in conversations with the creators of that content.

Having conversations with minors on the internet about sex and adult content is already a complicated thing, but it gets much murkier when you're the creator of that content. I admittedly was a minor who read mature fanfic, and while I don't think reading endless porn is heathy for anyone, fanfic specifically was a safe haven for me and a lot of other young people who had nowhere else to turn while trying to explore sexuality in a way that we could control. HOWEVER, I never attempted to involve the authors in that by interacting with them.

90% of the reason I'm on twitter at all is because there are a couple artists who post their nsfw content there exclusively. And I have historically liked but never retweeted that content specifically because I knew that some of my followers were minors. But twitter sticks 'liked' content from people I follow into my feed, so I assume it does the same with my likes, basically defeating the entire purpose of me not retweeting it, which is what prompted me to add 18+ to my bio.

The issue I encounter most often with twitter minors is that they're really big on their own sense of consent, but don't care much about anyone else's. They want everyone to respect their boundaries and triggers, but cannot and will not be bothered to take responsibility for their internet consumption, or to respect creators who mark their bio's 18+ and rate their fics M or E. (Which is normal teenage behavior, but I'm not their parent and therefore I'm not obligated to engage with their developmental impulse to push boundaries.)

I don't have any inherent issue with minors being in fandom, or with interacting with minors. Fandom has really grown during the last year and there's a degree of necessity for older members to educate newcomers about fannish etiquette and history etc. However, the difficulty for me is that my writing is mostly adult, and so when minors on dhr twitter interact with me, it's not because we're friends, it's because I'm the author of M and E rated fics that they read, and they're trying to interact with me about those stories. In order for me to respect the boundary of their stated age, that means not engaging with them.

I try to check the age of anyone that I follow, and generally do my best to avoid interacting with minors about anything adult. But I've yet to find a solution that provides me with much peace of mind.