#so if you're one of my irl mutuals and saw this haha no you didn't

[minttwisted]

are you really living life if you aren't pushing yourself to write a 4 to 6 page paper with a deadline of tomorrow on the lasting, permanent impact of fandoms on the creation and societal perception of the specific content which unites them (the fandom in question), as evident through authors' character choices, and changing mainstream beliefs which adapt in a reflection of fandoms' actions ?

with your supporting evidence being og sherlock, diversity in the riordanverse, and the contrast of riordan's efforts by jkr's retroactive decisions + lack of diversity + doubling-down on both of the two, and then how such actions were met with criticism by creatives and fans alike, and so the fandom took it into their own hands as to create the change they want to see—as manifested by original fan content such as online writer mskingbean89's 529k fanfiction "all the young dudes", which centers on the era of characters harry potter's father belongs to, as well as the fan-created romance between potter's father's best friends

and how this built a community surrounding said fan-made works, which created a community where people felt and feel safe to explore and express their gender identity, sexuality, and creativity

as well as find and create a safe space derived from the work of an inhospitable creator who opts to spread their harmful beliefs over their large platform and fanbase

thereby reclaiming the work and the community and re-casting both in a positive light in the eyes of both those directly involved and those observing through consumption

[xiaowhore]

this is super random, but i noticed your pinned post is almost a year old,, im not really sure when exactly you’ve started your writing blog, but i presume it should be around this given timeframe so,, *deep breaths* here it goes

hi mao :> i think we’ve known each other for around 4 months now? lmao its funny how i still remember the first time i reached out to you, asking for advice on how to write better while i was a beginner,, during that period, i’ve never actually talked to anyone on tumblr, but i sincerely admired the way you wrote and i saw you as this really amazing person,, so i kind of thought, fuck it, i’ll just send her an ask and tell her how much i like it *cries in nonexistent social skills*

i don’t know when it started, but i think the more i sent mails, whether to ask you something or just randomly gush about shit, i just naturally looked forward to your responses because it was so nice to finally talk to someone on this app — and then i slowly began to realize that you weren’t just this great writer or artist who had a fucking fantastic way with words…you were just a person like everyone else. an equal with me, yet an undeniably nice one at that.

i seriously consider you as a great friend! we don’t always talk much and usually only communicate through asks, but it’s already enough for me to know that you’re doing okay \^.^/ you’ve been nothing but kind since we first talked, and maybe you think it’s only natural to be so, but it genuinely means a lot to me (and im certain others feel the same way about it too)!

to me, you have always been a generally cool and interesting person to associate with, and im super grateful to have met you :)) it hasn’t been long, but talking with you for me has been a fun experience! although it’s only virtual, and at the end of the day not everyone really knows each other irl — i hope you still realize how much we all truly appreciate you, even if you don’t always hear it enough <3

you’re a great person mao, really! i sincerely wish nothing but the best for you, and even better things to come :)) and if you’re comfortable with it, i hope we can also become closer friends too >.< *cries in nonexistent social skills pt. 2*

anyway, that’s all hehe *dies inside why am i so bad at this* hhh im really sorry for clogging up the inbox and the message becoming so lengthy T_T but again, happy one year bestie! here’s to the wonderful days and memories you’ve made, including so much more for you to come <33

damn it zaly you're too sweet oh my god you're killing me

i... know that im quiet, not the kind of mutual that can pop up in your inbox regularly, so im honestly......... really touched that you think of me as a friend.... even though im like this... i feel guilty every time someone tries to reach out to me and i cant do the same for them, way too inactive on social media cuz im preoccupied with other things, so messages like these really..... hh

i dont know if you actually know how much i appreciate you just occasionally sending asks??? asking how im doing?? you're too nice for me i swear. (also i find it funny you asked me for advice even though i think your writing's so much better and magical- i followed you the instant i sped through your blog haha)

i love seeing your posts on my dashboard on the times i log in!! i always read them, whether it be fics or snippets of your daily life, and im... embarrassingly... too shy to even send a simple "i hope you have a good day" or "good luck in your test" or "omg this fic you posted was fantastic!!" though i do hope you're doing well...

aaaa what is this ramble

nevertheless- i'm truly lucky to have met someone as kind and amazing as you... it means a lot to me that you send messages like this. it was such a surprise to see this in my inbox!! which makes me feel more horrible i didn't answer sooner oh my god i am so sorry

it's been one year for me yet i didn't think anyone would notice...... but from here on out, i hope we talk more bestie :)) i'd love to be closer friends!!!!

[carpisuns]

Here I am for Carpisuns Appreciation Week! Your art is amazing, your writing is amazing, you're so kind and inspiring and comforting, thank you for gracing our fandom with your self. It's amazing how much content you create and how consistently you make me smile.

But I also wanted to thank you for something more personal to me: mentioning that you're a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in your blog description. It probably seems small--it almost feels stupid to say it--but seeing that one line helped me so much. I was feeling very conflicted over my identity as both a Mormon and an ally (I now know I'm actually ace, but that happened later), because I saw so much homophobia in our church and it made me ashamed. I felt like I had to choose one side of me, and I hated that. Seeing a kind member who isn't just an ally, but openly LGBTQ+, made me so happy. It reassured me that I can be both at once, and I can be proud of both parts of myself.

So thank you. Thank you for being brave and living a contradiction that I long feared wasn't an option. Thank you for teaching me that we aren't contradictions. Even if it might have seemed small to you, even if it didn't take the courage it took for me, thank you. You're amazing.

It's so late here and I'm so emotional at night and I'll probably regret this in the morning but I just had to say thank you. So thank you.

Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot 💜

I’m going to put the rest of this under a cut for people who would rather not read about religion haha. I was going to answer on priv but in case this would be helpful to anyone else in a similar boat I decided to post on main

I’m so happy to hear the effect my bio had on you. Tbh it did take courage, but it was important to me to have both of those parts of my identity side by side. When I was younger, I wasn’t very open about my faith because religion is something so deeply personal and also divisive, depending on who’s around you. And I hate conflict so I just wanted to avoid it at all costs, haha. But eventually decided that my faith was too important to hide like that. I thought, if I’m going to put a few words up there to introduce myself, it just doesn’t feel right to not mention it. My belief in Jesus Christ and my commitment to follow Him in many ways defines who I am as a person. So I decided years ago to put it in my bio and have always felt good about that. I’m not here to shove religion in anyone’s face or preach at them or judge them or anything like that—I’m just saying, “This is me and it’s important to me.”

As for the bi part, that is a lot more recent haha. It’s almost embarrassing that I didn’t identify as bi until I was 25, but the comphet is strong lol. I think it took me a lot longer to realize/accept my attraction to women because I am still attracted to men, so I can “pass” as straight and always assumed I was, and it was easy enough for a while to brush aside or repress or misinterpret my same-sex attraction. I questioned for years before I finally decided to try out the label “bisexual” in my head. And it felt right to me. It felt good to be honest about that part of myself. I am still not out to the public or the rest of my family, but I’ve told a few close friends and I wanted to at least be able to be open about it in my separate online spaces, to get more comfortable with the label as I figure out how to handle it with people I actually know IRL. But mostly I wanted to add those two extra letters to my bio because I feel like it’s important for other people to see them next to the name of the Church—and important to me most of all. To remind myself, yes, I can be openly bi and a faithful member of the Church. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive. I am still committed to the teachings of the gospel, so I will not pursue relationships with women, but I can still be open about my experience and supportive of my LGBTQ siblings both inside and outside of my faith. I find it pretty freeing to be bi on the outside and not just inside my own head, you know? I’m not sure how it goes for other people but a lot of my early experience was wondering if I was faking it or tricking myself into thinking I was bi for attention or something. But literally why would I do that lol. This in-between space of being queer and a member of the Church has not been an easy place to live, but I’m trying to make a home here and I’d like to invite others too if I can.

And I guess that’s another reason it’s important to be open about both things. As I’ve been learning more about myself and my relationship with others and the Church and the world as a bi person, I’ve come to really crave a space where I can feel comfortable and open with both of those aspects of my identity—my queerness and my religious faith. I haven’t really found a space yet that supports both. Generally in queer-positive spaces, religion is (very understandably) a point of contention and pain, and I get why, as a Christian/Latter-day Saint, I may not be welcome to everyone in that space. But then within the Church and other Christian spaces, I have a hard time finding support or understanding at all. People don’t want to talk about it. They don’t know how. I think to some people in either space, my existence doesn’t really make sense lol. Like, how can you say you’re bi if you’re a member of the Church? Or how can you be queer and stay in that church? But I’m here and my experience is real and I know I’m not the only one. So part of my reason is to say to others like me, “Hey, me too. You’re not alone.” And I’m really really glad that it could speak to you that way.

For many years before I realized I was bi, I was drawn to the LGBTQ community and felt a desire to be an ally. I just didn’t know how. I felt like I had to walk some kind of line and support but not be too supportive, to love but not too much. But I’m not here to put limits on my love anymore. I don’t think that is what Jesus Christ taught. I am making the choice to stay committed to the teachings of the gospel, and I hope people respect that because it’s important to me. But other people will choose differently from me, and that’s okay and I will still love them and we will still be part of something together.

Sorry to say so much about this haha especially since as an ace person your experience is not quite the same as mine. But I have a few close friends who are ace and are also members of the Church and the space we’ve shared has been incredibly meaningful for me. I’m grateful you reached out and I hope my rambling helps you somewhat haha. If you ever want to chat, please feel free to message me! 💜