#the parasocial relationship just got so much worse

[priestfrommidnightmass]

last night i had a dream that i fell in love with his ex like straight up hardcore fairy tale type fucking love and i’m not even gonna lie it is extremely fucking with my head rn lmfao

[mellosdrawings]

How are Vil's fans (and Leona's fans, as I'm sure he have some) with the n2 team? Have they had a big reaction to the fact that it's a polyamorous relationship? How does Jamil deal with this attention?

Do the Asims know about their relationship? I mean, I think Vil as a public figure and Leona as a prince would draw attention.And how does Jamil's family react? I think they want Jamil to be happy, but they're afraid of what the Asims might do. And I think they expected Jamil to end up with a servant (I'm using the reasoning that Viper is Jamil's father's last name, but his mother also seems to be very used to being a servant, so she must be from a servant family of the Asims, less important than the Vipers) or at least a commoner and lower class person than Jamil's current boyfriends.

For now I'll only answer for Vil's fans. The Asim and the Viper reactions will be coming sometime soon.

Vil dropped the news little by little. Leona and Jamil in the background of more relax pics, a couple dance sessions with Jamil, inconspicuous things. Just to get his fans used to their sight.

The he dropped hints, bigger and bigger, until the reveal. Aside from the few fans who are far too into parasocial relationships and are salty about Vil dating coz that means they have no chance anymore (not that they had any), it went relatively fine. They took one look at Leona and went "Yup, our Queen deserves a prince, good for him good for him."

The thing that surprised Vil though is that his fans latched onto Jamil more than Leona. After all as you said Leona is a public figure. They know him. Jamil though doesn't even post pics of himself on Magicam. He's a total mystery. They know he's a dancer so they try to check music videos (useless), they try finding his magicam (they don't), and eventually someone finds out those two pics taken at the Tapis Rouge event (which doesn't help much coz they still don't know who he is lol)

The mystery actually helps fans ease into it. They're just so obsessed with finding who Jamil is that they forget to (maybe) be upset about their Queen's love life.

As for Jamil... he just doesn't deal with the attention. He's not much on socials so he doesn't care, and despite being eye candy he isn't all that charismatic so people don't pay much attention to him. He got cornered by a few hardcore fans who miraculously managed to recognise him and he just plastered his best customer service smile until they left him alone. He's dealt with worse than pushy fans before. He might not be used to being the center of attention, he's still good at dealing with stressful situations.

[single-malt-scotch]

ok normally wouldnt rant about this but i got a glance at some other mcyt i dont go to and i just wanna say when it comes to cc 'boundaries' i will always be on the stance of 'ok cool. but i and other will probably do xyz anyways and its not like ur gonna know unless we go and show it to you or you decide to seek it out (and if you seek it out and get upset thats on you)'

the idea of boundary lists especially ones where people say "ask me first" is so weird. youre suddenly turning this into a direct relationship between you and fans and imo it makes fans even more attached and possibly even parasocial bc they want to make sure they dont do anything wrong to you or else you might not like them (even if you never notice them. people will still feel that way)

if we're gonna act like cc are big enough to be popular/idols/etc why would it be any different than if you asked fucking. idk harry styles his boundaries for fan content? yeah hed probably say no nsfw, its weird. but will he ever see it? will be seek it out? can he stop everyone who ever liked him?? no, hes so popular that too many fans exist to ever police it (maybe some fans never even get to hear about it and will just blindly carry on!!). and you shouldnt act like you can control it bc its not good for your mind to stress on. and you shouldnt make fans feel like you are policing them either bc that just makes fan relationship worse!!

theres too much unneeded stress feeling like cc are constantly watching and judging your fan content and imo you need to just let it go. if youre not hanging out right in front of them or literally showing stuff to them it doesnt matter. be free. stop worrying. all you gotta do is do your own thing and not be weird to the cc directly. its not hard

[moonlightspencie]

rewatched the update video, read some posts from both people who like and dislike the update, and just finished charlie’s (mo1stcr1tikal) video about watcher. here are my complete thoughts:

Video Execution

i appreciate that they seem to have consulted with a PR person, or at the very least really sat down and thought through their approach with the video.

they didn’t try to boo-hoo themselves.

they used a lot of positive “you language” for the fans (which i very much appreciate as a media and communication person myself)

they took accountability for their mistakes, and actually uttered the word “sorry”. low bar, i know, but many apology videos still somehow slip under the bar.

they very clearly put the focus on ryan and shane in the video. it sucks a bit that they probably felt they had to since much of that was probably due to the negative comments directed at steven, but it WAS a smart move. fans feel most betrayed by the two the majority connect with the most.

it. wasn’t. overproduced. (again, low bar, but it is what it is).

overall thoughts on execution? it was smart. they look uncomfortable, and whether that’s intentional or their true feelings, regardless of why they look so uncomfy, it makes it easier to watch. they don’t look pissed or smug. they look embarrassed. which, in an apology video, is a good thing. sorry to say

The Solution

i think they came up with the best alternative they could after royally fucking up with the majority of their fans.

the patreon solution… mixed feelings. i understand they don’t want to just go forward with one or the other: the patreon or the streamer. however, as ive seen some patrons say, it doesn’t make all that much sense to have both logistically. i think it’s only set up this way because they can’t go back entirely on watcher.tv now. good on them for giving a bit of a fix with the codes being sent to patrons.

i was still lost on how they weren’t “advertiser friendly”, and that’s where charlie’s video came in to affirm my suspicions. go watch his video for more information, but long story short: watcher is a GOLD MINE for advertisers. huge and loyal audience, engaging ads that make the viewer want to watch the ad, and an ever-growing channel.

on the back of the last point: how on earth were they struggling with money to begin with? it simply doesn’t make any sense. they had so many revenue streams & again, DO get sponsors and appear to be incredibly brand-friendly.

trust is still lost with most fans, and that will be hard as hell to regain. the ex-buzzfeed three-guys-on-a-couch model didn’t even work when the try guys were fucked over by their friend and brand trust was lost a little bit. and this loss of brand trust is fully on all three dudes on the couch this time

overall thoughts on the solution? it’s good for what they can do now that they obviously cannot just fully backtrack. that would arguably be a worse idea than the original idea for the streaming service itself. i think this would have worked much better and they would have retained integrity if they had done this from the beginning, and/or had a slow rollout instead of jumpscaring us like that. ghost files is supposed to spook us, not surprise paywalls.

Final Thoughts

a ton of trust was lost. the parasocial relationship that specifically shane and ryan fans had with them, that was the REASON for so much of the loyalty, is fractured, and for many it will never be the same as it was. i understand their fuck up when it came to the announcement was likely just them needing more self-awareness and a professional to guide them through it, but i still question how it got to that point where they felt like their fans would enjoy this to begin with. not to mention, again, how were they not making enough? why not try other options first?

i hope sincerely that watcher truly learns from this. that they remember their business isn’t about money or ambition (in a positive or negative way), but is built on the backs of their fans’ loyalty. without that fan loyalty, buzzfeed unsolved would have been the only thing we knew ryan and shane for. we wouldn’t have followed them to a new channel if we didn’t care about them and their work to certain degree.

it was a good apology video. genuinely. i’m glad they didn’t jump into it with a bandaid solution. i just wish they had the foresight to know their fans well enough to understand that there is NO way this would be well received by the majority. and there’s no going back on that now, obviously. what’s past is past. i hope moving forward that they gain a little self-awareness and that they gain some FAN-awareness. until/unless they start working on television and movies, they have to keep their fans happy. we are the consumer, not the employee, and it feels like they started somehow blurring those lines with the original video they posted. it felt like one of the corporate ‘training’ videos for my job when we start using a new system.

fans are important in online spaces, particularly. we provide free advertising for our favorite bloggers/youtubers/etc., and willingly give up money to support them through various streams (in watcher’s case: patreon, merch, live shows). you cannot exist as a creator online and think that you don’t need to keep your fans happy when it is your source of income. it’s simply how being a successful internet personality works, for better or worse.

good job to the watcher boys on how they went about the apology/fix. i hope things go better from here on out.

[akane-kurokawa]

“Does Oshi no Ko NEED the reincarnation aspect to work” is a sentiment I’ve seen a lot lately, especially on the subreddit (which I still check regularly despite what it’s devolved into) Personally, I think that’s the wrong question, you should be asking “WHY is the reincarnation aspect present.”

First, let’s talk about parasocial relationships. The idol industry is built upon them, more-so than any other industry. Idols are supposed to be the ideal -yet unattainable- partner to fantasize about, to the point where they’re forbidden from having those kinds of connections in real life without facing scrutiny.

Ai Hoshino is the “Ultimate” idol. She doesn’t have ANYONE she has those genuine connections with, even her fellow group members hold her at the same untouchable distance that her fans do. She became an idol in hopes of loving others, and recreated the motions so perfectly that her lie became all anyone wanted from her. To the point where her true humanity was rejected, like by Nino in 45510.

Enter our protagonists (Layer One)

Sarina Tendouji is a hospital bound fan of all of B Komachi, but especially Ai. She idolizes her for being a girl her own age with a pretty face and incredible singing and dancing skills. This especially resonates with Sarina who’s studied B Komachi’s choreography non stop, but was tragically not able to dance herself due to her condition.

Goro Amamiya is an OBGYN in a small town that became a diehard fan of Ai after Sarina’s passing, superimposing the two in his head as he described it. When he met Ai in real life and became her doctor during her pregnancy, he found her off camera personality charming and internalized her philosophy about lies.

Then of course, after his death they were reincarnated as her twin children. During that time they saw her in a much more human way, worrying about money and providing for her family, harboring insecurities, being the best mom that she could be despite her circumstances.

They saw the way she gets treated by the industry and public she came up in as well, her parts cut out of her first drama due to corporate politics, her being speculated on and called a whore for just talking to an old classmate, and especially how her death was received. By this point, their relationship with her is much closer than the parasocial place it began.

But has it?

Enter our protagonists (Layer Two)

Sarina Tendouji was a girl rejected by her mother as her condition got worse. She loved her mother deeply and wanted to be just like her when she got older.

In the last few years of life she never even saw her mom, that void filled with the presence of a doctor loitering in her room to slack off work, and the idol she watched. What she wanted more than anything though was for her mother to come see her again.

Goro Amamiya was a boy born from a woman who hid her pregnancy and died in childbirth. That death painted the entirety of his life going forward.

Even then he’s haunted by his feelings of helplessness when he loses the child patient he had befriended early into his residency. He’s become a passive person, following the whims of others because of his perceived helplessness.

Both of them take these complicated feelings into their next life, and it paints their relationships with Ai after her death.

Ruby wants to follow in her moms footsteps once again and be just like Ai, to the point of naming her idol group B Komachi. Ultimately, I think she mostly takes positively from her time as Ai’s daughter, and looks more to Ai’s life rather than her death.

Aqua on the other hand, witnessed his mother bleed out in front of him in almost a metaphorical recreation of his first mother’s death, and this has shaped him irreversibly. Except this time there’s an object for his hatred other than himself. This time, his mother was murdered. He could do more than follow in the motions of preventing it from happening to others. This time he could get revenge.

Now “Why is the reincarnation aspect present.”

Ai Hoshino was never understood by anyone, her parents, her idol group, even her trusted adults. But two people, born with traumas and biases that paint their perspectives, were both brought into this world with their goal to try.

Aqua more investigatipvely, tracking down loose ends from her past, holding onto people with the ability to profile her from videos and images. Whereas Ruby is on a more personal journey of understanding her, recreating the steps of her journey more directly and coming to her own conclusions about it.

This leads us to the 15 Year Lie, the potential climax of the series as a whole, and the event referenced from the prologue chapters. The movie that began as a documentary meant to tell the true unfiltered life of Ai Hoshino as she always wanted. It had even made some headway prior to her death, but it’s hard to say how much.

This movie finds itself as the roadmap of both twins journey in understanding. Aqua now has the resources and connections to speak to anyone from Ai’s past, her mother, her fellow idol members, and likely more. But by this point, Aqua also knows the name of the man his tunnel vision hatred is focused on. And hatred is seeping into this story down to the script itself

Ruby is also now in the position of very literally playing Ai, the arguably highest point on her journey to walk in her mother’s shoes. Compared to Aqua, I think she’s getting much closer to her goal.

Of course, it’s still too soon to say how that will go for her, I expect her journey of understanding will continue for the entirety of of the movie filming process. There’s still the entirety of Ai’s relationship with Hikaru and her children as well as her death to be covered and I’m sure Ruby will have plenty of challenges and breakthroughs with those too.

In conclusion, not only is the reincarnation aspect needed, I think it’s crucial to what the story is trying to say thematically. If they were just children who lost their mom young and tried to understand her it would be compelling, but thematically it wouldn’t carry nearly the same weight as fans pulled across the parasocial line with their own projected baggage.

Remember, being ‘reborn as an idols child’ is inherently a parasocial fantasy.

[lord-squiggletits]

Your Tarn posts make me think about him more

He's a victim but he has so many victims himself, but the person that he is, that cause those victims, was delibrately cultivated. Tarn of the DJD was intentional, and that worse somehow

I have to ask, what do you think it would look like if Tarn, somehow & for whatever reason, decided to take the road of healing, to put whatever pieces of himself back together

YEAH I THINK SO FUCKING MUCH ABOUT THAT, even from my first MTMTE read when I didn't care much about him as a blorbo, I thought it was crazily compelling how Tarn was at once an absolute terrifying monster but also the most pathetic, sad little bully boy in an oversized body at the same time akldjlfksd. Like, you look at Tarn and the horrible shit he did to Pharma, all the victims of the DJD, Skids, the alt. Lost Light, etc and he seems like a completely unstoppable force. Then you actually look behind the mask and Tarn's just so... incredibly short-sighted, blindly worships, really volatile and thoughtless, and ultimately gets his shit rocked by Megatron in what's basically a no-contest loss. It feels really bad like... how can it be that someone so pathetic was able to cause so much destruction before he was put down? In the ideal world, you want to believe that shitty, weak people are powerless, but it turns out that sometimes shitty, weak people can actually be in positions of power (in terms of hierarchy, physical might, politics, etc) and when they do they can hurt an incredibly disproportionate amount of people compared to their actual strength of character as a person. As an example, pre-insanity/mania Pharma was so obviously a better person than Tarn, but look how that ended up: this absolute prodigy of a doctor, next in line to be CMO, a normal good Autobot in all accounts. Gets completely wrecked and turned into a mentally ill, insane asshole that loses everything and everyone he ever valued, and Tarn literally never even thinks about him again. God.

As to how I'd handle Tarn healing arc...

The short answer: I actually want to write about Tarn taking a road of healing, heel-face turn arc in the Pen Pals Tarnma AU I've talked about occasionally on this blog/in asks! So... when I post that fic, literally just (gestures at the whole thing)

The long answer:

If canon-divergent, it'd be Dying of the Light but Tarn and co. stop fighting Megatron bc of how pathetic he is. The DJD basically merge forces with Deathsaurus' Decepticons, and they make a sort of neo-Decepticon movement fighting the Galactic Council/Black Rock Consortia. Tarn isn't really a better person morally speaking (yknow the hating organics and wanting conquest thing), but he'd definitely be put on a path where he divorces his sense of self from Megatron and focuses more on his group of comrades: he finds meaning from a collective rather than from worshiping an individual as a god, and Tarn experiences healing from that fact bc instead of a fucked up grooming/parasocial relationship with a distant, uncaring leader, he's actually having real, tangible bonds with people who are equal to him and love and respect him. So, probably still really fanatical to his ideals, but he's a fanatic who loves his comrades as much as he loves his cause.

In a nonspecified AU, let's say during the war with Decepticon Megatron, I think the only way Tarn could get better would be if Megatron got better and then took the time/care to make Tarn better along with him. Unfortunately, Tarn has been manipulated in such a way that Megatron is literally his entire axis of morality/purpose/etc, and I think he doesn't have enough agency and independence to start healing except unless Megatron says "shittiest of my sons, why don't you deradicalize and maybe you'll calm down." It'd basically take Megatron un-grooming Tarn first, and then for Tarn to get some kind of purpose/relationship outside of him for Tarn to regain the independence he had as Damus, which would then allow him to pull the rest of the way from Megatron and go his own way. (Incidentally, this is what happens in the Pen Pals AU)

In a scenario that I don't even know how it'd happen but I desperately want it to happen: Optimus "I can fix him" Prime and Tarn are forced to work together in some capacity which leads to a slowburn mending of their relationship. Not like Tarn becomes an Autobot, or goes back to being Damus, but like... idk, Optimus is the one to deradicalize Tarn and make him realize that Megatron manipulated the shit out of him. Somehow. I would really like these two to interact so badly, and for Tarn to also have a mentor/paternal-esque relationship with someone besides Megatron. (This also happens in Pen Pals AU ldskfjlsd I told you that fic was the true Tarn Redemption Story dlksfjlsdsf)

[baenyth]

First Half of Miraculous Season 2 Done. Here's my thoughts:

The Collector: A pretty good start! They made the teens smart while still being dumb teens!

Despair Bear: Chloe needs a therapist, arguably moreso than a redemption arc and especially a downward villainous spiral. Also Dangit Grandpa

Prime Queen: Wow, this was a lot more chill than expected. Even Cat Noir was left aghast at what Nadja was doing, Nadja seemed to be pressuring Ladybug and Cat Noir more for views than anything else, and I'm not entirely sure Akuma personalities can be trusted.

Befana: Fun fact: This was the episode that got me into Miraculous in the first place because of how shocking it was. And then I discovered even more. In hindsight from watching the other episodes, it was relatively darker, but mostly because it's Marinette's friends and family that are getting G-rated killed instead of random civilians like every other episode.

Riposte: Kagami is here! I don't see too much chemistry with her and Adrien yet, but she's cool and I like her and feel like I could be friends in real life. Also this feels like a relatively uncommon trope, but I wish "X is blatantly a woman but no one notices" was spedran through by someone with brains.

Robustus: Pretty good, all things considered. From what I've heard about Miraculous lore, creating sapient or at the very least semi-sapient AI isn't that uncommon for weirdness hotspots, and I'm putting Max in the list of characters I think should have figured out Ladybug and Cat Noir's identity. (There's four now!)

Gigantitan: It turns out my favorite parts of Miraculous are the slice-of-life bits instead of the superhero bits the show is about! We got to see more of Marinette's friends! Alix! Mylene! Julie! The Eeby Deeby herself! Also it was really sweet to see Adrien's bodyguard calm down just by looking at the kid. Adrien's true daddy.

Dark Owl: No wonder these two aren't allowed to know eachothers' identities, considering how much of a loose tongue Marinette has!

Glaciator: Alright, it's finally time to talk about the sins of Marinette and Cat Noir, considering the fan content I osmosed before watching the series was heavy salt stuff, and I wanna see how much it holds up. So far Cat Noir has acted as if he's already dating Ladybug previously, and in this episode he got mad at Ladybug for not showing up at a date when she herself said she might not come due to having other plans. Isn't he supposed to be used to not-showing-up disappointment as Adrien due to his dad? Is it different because he's Cat Noir? Is this a breaking point? No matter, he eventually calms down and is ultimately the less bad member of the relationship. Marinette, meanwhile, doesn't have as many misdemeanors to her name but they're a lot worse. She stole Adrien's phone to get rid of an embarrassing message and got away with it too, what the hell, and also owns the schedule. Although I don't believe she stalked Adrien and made it herself due to how busy she is as both Marinette and Ladybug, that's just weird and wrong. I'm reluctant to call her a stalker, but her actions are still wrong. Ultimately, this relationship is going to need a lot of therapy and counseling to not crash and burn. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah. The ice cream episode. I think the ice cream guy can be wrong and he doesn't understand that.

Sapotis: Silly little fun episode, also it introduces the first new Miraculous holder! I'm honestly fine with it so far if it means more screentime for side characters. I honestly really like seeing Marinette's classmates. They're neat. Also I was this close to putting Alya on the list but she proves time and time again that she doesn't actually know Ladybug's identity.

Gorizilla: In this episode we are introduced to Adrien's deranged parasocial fanbase. I'm starting to understand some of his father's decisions at this point. This is what I was talking about with the schedule, by the way. These obsessive stalker creeps make Marinette look reasonable, and I wouldn't be surprised if the one guy who I'm pretty sure becomes Party Crasher discreetly stalked Adrien to get his schedule. Restraining orders need to be filed.

Captain Hardrock: One of the funniest episodes, up there with Dark Cupid. Also Luka is here! And he already has great chemistry with Marinette! And more Rosie and Julie content even if it's crumbs!

[dtupdates-archive]

♡—DREAM posted a thread on Twitter. Transcript under the cut

I’ve been harassed for almost a year, due to a false accusation right after my face reveal. this person publicly said they’d be “pressing charges” and “posting proof” but it could take “days” and then went silent for a year, and never did either while I waited and waited.

someone that less than a week before the accusation, was liking and replying to my tweets positively, deleted dms and called people doubting her “jealous” that I didn’t want them instead, admitted they considered lying about their age to try and dm me weeks before they turned 18.

this one false accusation turned into Dream talked to kids, there’s tons of accusations, Dream never denied it, Dream was exposed fiddling kids, and so much worse. All due to past parasocialness (that, yes, I can be to blame for)

I talked on stream about how I’m going to make a detailed video, with logs, screenshots, and evidence, and gave some bullet points, and it got completely clipped out of context and spread somehow as the lie that I “admitted everything”.

Then the moving of the goalposts started to “he may not have SEXTED anyone, BUT grooming is just messaging someone underage, and he admitted she dmd him!” and then digging into my sex life, or my relationship history (with only people older than me ??)

It’s such a shit show, and I get it. I’m the cringe Minecraft guy that was fat, that makes bad music, that’s from Florida and has said offensive things, that cheated, that’s stubborn and an asshole and racist and homophobic and doesn’t manage his rabid fans, manipulates, etc

but don’t let you thinking that I’m “bad either way” make you stomp all over real victims future stories, or devalue what “grooming” is to make sure I fit the definition. and I know I’m not convincing anyone on Twitter that’s made their mind up. Just feels right to share finally

[notthatalex]

I think the biggest difficulty with having guests on reddit stories compared to cast is that people have ranging parasocial relationships with cast and are ergo more charitable to them. Or even when they disagree, they don't mind as much. While they don't have that with guests and are much more likely to be genuinely mad.

To be fair for some people, it is actually the other way around where their parasocial relationships lead to them getting more hurt because they feel like they got betrayed by a friend or something.

And obviously, when guests are on, they always have the same opinion as Shayne and the other cast member. And fans are therefor also disagreeing with cast, but then the focus of discussion is mostly on the guest. And the focus the cast gets is in form of "disappointment".

So it is more a charitabilty issue for most I think. That people use the term "vibes" so much when talking about how they don't like guests is really emboldening that viewpoint for me. (I have a slight personal gripe with the term and people using it to express opinions tbh)

I really don't think cast has less often bad takes, but I do think people interpret that "going back and forth/ exploring different viewpoints" ping pong play they do on that show a lot way worse when it comes from guests. Or like just straight-up jokes.

This isn't a comment about if smosh should have guests in gen btw. I am kinda neutral about that. It's a comment on how peoples preemptive charitabilty influences their judgment on the takes.

I am kinda neutral/pos on the guest thing, like if it is someone I know or like I am excited and if I don't I really care. This is kinda a tangent but I also think people miss the mark when they talk about how the smosh audience doesn't care/know about tiktokers and should only have youtuber guests. The reddit stories audience definitely does care about tiktokers. It is their wide net show, like I watched the new episode with my sister today, who only watches reddit stories from smosh. She knew the guest, while she didn't know who Trevor was.

Anyway I wrote this because I go out of every reddit stories episodes disagreeing with some takes more or less, but I mostly see people voice disagreements when guests are on and this is my attempt at analyzing it. If anyone wants to chime in and disagree or add on I would welcome it. Still not fully formed opinion it. Malleable and squishy opinion one could say.

[1tz-br1ght]

ﾉﾞ✧*。Why I Relate To Capochin✨🌈

Infodumping about my life, capochin, headcannons, and other autistic things! 

TW for mention of abuse, manipulation, power imbalances, pedophilia, and parasocial (?) Relationships

Capochin! Who doesn't love him other then people who don't love him- he's such a silly little guy!! Just a grumpy old man!! A grumpy old man who I, a mentally unwell teenager relate to on a deeply personal level- definitely a bit more then I'm comfortable with- and I know what your thinking, "But Felix! Seriously how relatable can he be-" SHUT UP. SHUT. SH.

.

.

.

Allow me to explain, and I guess spill my organs just a bit- just a WEE bit! So, given only two people on this forsaken website actually know about my personal life and was there to watch it happen I have a bit of explaining to do- so, where do I start... Hm, how's about middle school! Middle school, ah, how lovely- cutting out how much I was relentlessly bullied middle school was my first exposure to this kind of unhealthy relationship that I've unfortunately grown so accustomed to. Long story short I was forced into a relationship, got extremely emotionally attached only to be abandoned and have the things I love most stolen- then people spread rumors about me and blah blah blah I was bullied in middle school and people did not stop that's the short of it!

But then it kept happening.

Again-

And again-

And again.

Each relationship was progressively worse I, being the dumbass I am, only grew more and more dependant on these people who would hurt me, desprate for the approval of people who looked down at me with nothing but hate in their eyes. Starting to see a similarity? Anyways skip to freshman year! 

Highschool! How bad could it be?? Not worse then middle school that's for sure! And believe it or not- I think I'm that loser who peaks in highschool-BUT the reason I bring this up is because of my most recent experience with an abusive relationship I could not get out of.

Michael. 

At the time I was 14, Michael was 17- he guilt tripped me into dating him, used me for what he wanted and smothered me with 'love' if you could even call it that and at some point in this endless loop of hell he turned 18 while I was still 14- a lot more happened in that relationship but the important part is that this is when I hit an all time low and I didn't mention this but I have always been big on cannibalism metophors- and this is around when those cannibalism metophors stopped being uhhh, metophors let's say! 

Yeah things got real bad but I managed to crawl away mostly unharmed-

And I know because that was genuinely a lot for HORRIBLE shit to read I'll give everyone a bit of fluff in my life, I'm doin fine and I'm in a very happy polyam relationship !! I love my boyfriends very much!

Back to the horrible shit!

This kinda manic desperation got really bad after I got away from Michael, my brain immediately opting to viewing my current boyfriend, Oco as a savior of sorts- given hes known me since middle school, got me out of the abusive relationship with Michael and kinda is the only reason I haven't DIED yet- holding him up on this mental pedistal where no matter what he did he would always be perfect and amazing and I would do anything anything anything for him!! 

Yeah, that... That kinda fucked me up- I mean, go figure-

ALL THESE MANY MANY PARAGRAPHS OF TRAUMADUMPING TO SAY, DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN??? GOD this isn't even scratching the surface of the shit I've been through that contributes to why I relate to Capochin so much!! This is leaving out like ALLLLLL the cannibalism and self mutilation metophors I've found myself associated with, pretty much everything that happened that lead up to me holding just... SOME GUY on a mental pedistal for god knows how long- I could genuinely just go on and on and on about it!! But honestly I don't think anyone would really be interested in listening to me info dump about my life more then I already have- we're here for the CAPOCHIN!!! And honestly- I don't really know what to say- I mean I feel like this all kinda speaks for itself, y'know? I mean- fuck man, he just hits a bit too close to home for me sometimes- I love him tho, he's very important to me

If you actually read this far- Uhm, thank you!! You really didn't need to read all this shit- I know it's a lot to take in but I uh- yeah- if you read all this thank you it genuinely means a lot to me <3

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

It's time to add batch number 3 of asks and this concludes my little experiment. Unfortunately, it's not the most conclusive one and the analysis is superficial at best (I wish I had this idea when I was feeling better), but I'll try to write a few words.

First, the asks:

I've observed some common themes throughout all the messages I've received.

I think our opinions regarding the topic of dating and what we think of these idols is obviously influenced/determined by our cultural understandings of relationships, our gender politics and relation to our own gender because we interpret and give meaning to what we see through those frames.

Another interesting result was to see how obvious it is now that our rational arguments are so deeply connected to what is actually an emotional response that on the surface, doesn't contain much logic, but then it ends up being used as a logical argument. I would say that the fuckboy allegations about Jungkook are ilustrative of this and I'll try and explain why. Once again, this shouldn't be seen as me being judgemental or pushing my own position at the front, but merely an exploration of that response.

Calling someone a fuckboy without having any actual insight into his dating history is indeed an ilogical reaction that is not based on facts. I find that most likely comes from disappointment and that it is a label used in opposition to ideas of what people understand as commited relationships and partners. In this particular case, JK hugging a woman turned him into a fuckboy for those who used to believe in jikook as a long-term relationship, while those who were not exactly shippers were influenced by their already formed opinion of JK as more of a superficial person.

It doesn't follow a logical train of thought, as it actually translates into frustration, anger, a difference in morals, etc. It's interesting how such words were not really found in some of the asks.

Someone said that a lot of those who sent their messages tried to rationalize their thoughts anyways, instead of focusing on their feelings. It is true, but it's also something that I expected. We tend to do that, not only for those that get to read, but also for ourselves. There is a constant need to make sense of whatever we see, we look for explanations because not knowing might be worse than the actual outcome.

I'd like to go back a bit to the fuckboy label. Would someone think the same if Jungkook was filmed in his house backhugging a man? How do we know that the woman in question was not a long-term partner? How do we know that Jungkook jumps from partner to partner, without caring about their feelings and uses them for his own gratification? Isn't that what the label implies? My point is, we don't know any of these things and yet it is a simple way for some of us to explain our disdain towards what we see. Perhaps the voyeuristic angle (looking at it through a window from outside) has had a significant contribution to these judgements. Then there is also our own bias and other feelings we might have harbored already.

In opposition to that, Jimin gets a pass a lot more which based on the responses I got, shows the difference in the way he is perceived compared to Jungkook or Tae.

As I've mentioned from the beginning, this is just a small glimpse into how we process and express what we feel in connection to some people that we've formed a parasocial relationship with. Amongst the reasons why I said early on that this will be a judgement-free zone is because I find that it is inevitable in most cases to not be affected in any way. A reveal that shows a part of someone that had been kept hidden due to industry practices and behaviors is not something that can be looked at as a mere fact, without anyone being affected by it. The secrecy nature of it can have an effect on all of us, regardless if we're happily married or not, regardless of our gender, age or if our day-to-day happiness is dependent on some idols.

[caroletheperfumeaddict]

Maya Henry interview with The Internet Is Dead, 14 October 2024.

MAYA HENRY INTERVIEW WITH ‘THE INTERNET IS DEAD’ (My notes taken while watching, not a full transcription)

Maya had a sheltered upbringing - travelled a lot, so homeschooled

London was a massive shock

Was not a fan of 1D - went to the meet and greet reluctantly because her friend had tickets. Then became a fan because the guys were so great. 

Did not have a conversation with Liam at the meet and greet. 

Was not a stan of the boys as solo artists

Was at a D&G fashion show and Liam was a performer - that’s how they met again. 

He was nice and normal at home and she’d forget he was famous. 

Got together in August 2019. 

Got engaged in November 2019.

He got abusive before lockdown. 

When sober he’d be kind and nice but over time he used being drunk as an excuse TO abuse her and not take accountability. Doesn’t care and isn’t remorseful. He talked about getting help to stop being abusive but he never did it. 

He is so famous that he can do things and they don’t get out. 

His power dynamic is his celebrity status and his team are invested in that. 

She doesn’t think the age gap was an issue. 

Did not know how manipulative people with addiction issues can be. 

Also Liam is media trained. 

[Keeps saying he’s in his 30s, 30-something.] 

They all had a squeaky-clean image in the band. 

(Presenters say the fandom was very against the management of 1D and would say ’the management is trying to push this narrative’ “Which is crazy, like what?”)

“I always see this online and I see it to this day even with them as like solo…”

Liam has control over his management, not the other way round. 

Dismisses the idea that her dad paid Liam to be seen with her or that their relationship was fake or that his management was trying to sabotage him. He can fire his management if he wants. 

Has not talked to her dad since she was 18. 

Management controls what the artist wants controlled, such as stuff coming out about them. 

(Presenters dismiss Larry, etc. Call it teenage. Crazy. Say that they did it as teens and bought into the conspiracies. Crazy. Insane to look back on. Crazy that it’s still a thing. Crazy that it’s still a point of discourse. [NB: they are all 23]) 

Ridicules ideas about Modest Management’s handlers controlling their lives and Liam’s manager being in the background controlling everything. “No, he just worked for him and he’s with us. There’s not much more to explain about that.”

(Presenters say people used to have outlandish ideas about management because they just didn’t understand it especially with One Direction coming up so fast. People were so young and didn’t really have a grasp on how the music industry really works or how celebrity really worked. Ties back to the idea of parasocial relationships. )

Hadn’t heard of parasocial relationships until a few weeks ago. 

(Presenters say she has nothing to gain from making these claims.)

Making false accusations is detrimental and illegal. 

People with less money can’t speak up on these issues. 

‘They’ can prey on women like that. 

(Presenters ask about her saying Liam can prey on 1D fans. Why do fans go to such lengths to defend him?) 

Has seen messages to fans on his phone - it’s not a fake account. 

Liam would message her, post breakup, talking about not doing well and death. 

He called her mum to say he wouldn’t be around much longer when she announced her book. 

She said she would help him get to rehab. He is somebody’s child after all. 

Recent events. Can’t speak legally. It’s gotten worse. 

His behaviour is a manipulation tactic to keep her on his good side. 

(Presenters agree 100%.)

You only see 1% of someone’s life on SM - you don’t know what’s going on. 

“I just want to help.”

“I have to help him because if something does happen to him I won’t be able to live with myself.”

[At 27.35-ish. “Even one of his friends was calling me and my mom saying it’s not a good time for him, I don’t think you should put the book out.” 

Says his friend did this on purpose - ie: not out of real concern. 

(Presenters say [Liam's] silence means he’s guilty. )

If if she was him, she would address the kind of claims she has made. 

(Presenters say he’s cancelled his album in order to make THAT the headline rather than her allegations.) 

Whenever he’s in a scandal he plays a sob story to manipulate his fans, it’s sick – just take accountability. 

(Presenters say he went to Louis’ show in order to change the headlines on the day her book was published.) 

Agrees. The friend said Li wasn’t well and then there he is, flying 11 hours to Argentina to go to a concert. Liam is not supporting Louis here, he’s trying to get himself out of shit. 

People didn’t want her to mention Liam in interviews or podcasts for legal reasons. Thinks his team have managed to suppress what interviews she did manage to do. HAS been trying to say it was him but couldn’t do it until the TikTok. 

Understands that media are afraid of getting sued but is willing for her lawyers to send over proofs for the allegations she’s making. But media are too scared. 

(Presenters say society tries to protect men, esp men who are loved)

(Presenters mention the Zayn wall incident)

Didn’t realise the reaction would be so huge. 

(Presenters ask about the book.)

Some of the things that fictionalise the book are name changes, cities, skewed timelines, Oliver saying he’s not ready for a kid. 

If you write non-fiction, you can’t leave anything out [??] and obviously there are things that are worse that she did leave out. 

So it IS fiction, inspired by true events. 

It’s not about 20 other people in one book. 

She liked the After movie, so when the sequel came out, she and Liam went to see it after lockdown. Did not know it was based on a fanfic. She was writing children’s books and taking a degree in creative writing, so Liam suggested she write a book about them. “I thought that was crazy, I never thought of that.”

Started writing but separately was journalling what she was going through, during Covid, so decided to use her experiences to finish this story to help other women, like a real-life version of a fanfic, as those always have happy endings. 

When they were together she never knew how to finish it. When they split up, decided to work on it as a project. 

Took a long time because she self-published but it’s useful because when it was happening to her she felt alone but it happens to a lot of women and she wants a girl to read it and know what’s happening to her is not her fault. Not to find comfort in it, but feel less alone. 

(Presenters ask if it helped her process everything). 

Yes, definitely. Went to therapy but isn’t much of a therapy-type person. Felt weird talking to someone about it. But almost rewriting what was going on and putting so much emotion into it, in first person, brought back up a lot of emotions she was suppressing. So it was therapeutic. People need to share their stories to help others.

(Presenters say they assume all the events in the book are true. Maya nods.)

Specifically addresses the axe incident - why would she make that up, her mind isn’t twisted enough, why would she say that if it wasn’t true? 

Would sue if someone wrote something like that about her. 

(Presenters say people used to literally write fanfictions like the book Maya wrote and it has desensitised young girls to abuse. )

People say “It’s so unbelievable she must be making this up.”

“People are like ‘is this true’ and I’m like ‘yeah’.”

“Looking back now I’m like ‘oh my gosh’.”

“I never cared or worried about myself.” Only cared and worried about Liam. “Let me pick up his mess. Let me clean up his mess. Let me worry about him and do everything for him.” 

Never had time to sit back and think. Later, she was exhausted and phoned her mum, her kindness had been taken advantage of.

(Presenters tell her she should be proud of herself.)

When the relationship is so toxic and they don’t leave you alone, you can’t move on from it. When he went to rehab for three months, she had no contact with him and was able to process things on her own. She was grateful for that. 

(Presenters come back to After the fanfic and say the film version plays down the abuse)

She looked at the fic on Wattpad after seeing the movie. 

Harry was the bad guy and Liam was the nice guy. (Makes a switching gesture with her hands). It’s like they switched characters. 

(Presenters chat about the fandom and how they think their idols will never see what they write. People were mean to the girlfriends, Eleanor, etc.)

When you’re so famous so young, you think you can get anyone you want and do whatever you want and it gets worse and worse and you end up like Liam saying ‘our fans are going to believe us…’. His head got so big and he feels so inferior [invincible?] that he can do whatever he wants. And that’s what’s so dangerous. 

(Presenters - he went on the Logan Paul podcast…)

Mentions the ‘that tweet didn’t age very well’ [about Gigi getting a respectful man in Zayn] ‘when you do what you do’. [IE: Liam is a hypocrite]. 

(Presenters ask if the stuff about Zayn and Gigi is hard for her to see)

Didn’t really see that on her TikTok before and her Twitter is a fake account that she just uses to look at things, same with IG. Only began seeing Liam when people posted about Niall’s concert. 

(They all spend some time ridiculing Liam’s dancing etc.)

“I have a good sense of humour about things.”

(Presenters ask about fiction and true story and whether Liam can sue)

That’s why she said ‘inspired by true events’. The story itself is almost like a fanfic. Didn’t want the book to be a boring memoir.

(Presenters ask if she can get in trouble)

Comes from a heavy legal background. Is cautious. Had lawyers in the US and UK read the book and showed them proof when they had questions. You can’t sue for libel or defamatory [word unintelligible] because it’s all true. In the UK they have privacy laws “because there’s no freedom of speech” and the lawyers said that the way Oliver is portrayed, for instance in the abortion chapter, Liam could [sue] because [it breaches] his right to privacy.  

“But I’m willing to take that risk.” 

“I’m not going to let you stop me using my voice.” 

“You don’t care to lead a private life.” 

“If you’re gonna Snapchat strangers then…”

(Presenters talk about other girls claiming Liam messaged them.)

A lot of girls have messaged her privately about terrible nasty things - not towards her [words unintelligible] but saying they were fans and then THIS happened and the whole power dynamic is fucked up. When you know someone’s your fan and you’re gonna prey on them.

Dismisses the idea that a fan being of age is relevant - still predatory behaviour. 

(Presenters say it’s literally grooming.)

(Presenters speculate on how much of this is innate to a person’s character and how much is to do with fame.)

If Liam’s willing to do some of the things he’s doing, whether he’s famous or not … maybe a person has that kind of mentality. 

(Presenters raise the abortion chapter again.)

Wanted to do it surgically in hospital because it’s scary. “‘No, do it at home, I don’t want people to find out’...Then I do it at home and then he leaves.”

Added that in the book because women have told her online that they’ve had the same experience. So many men act like that. They like to downplay everything. They don’t understand being a woman. If they went through it they’d be a mess. 

(Bit of chat about how crap men are.)

Men have never had their rights limited since the beginning of time. 

Men have never had to feel any sort of restriction. 

(Presenters say men fear having their power taken away.)

(Presenters ask about law school)

Is applying to law school - lot of the family are lawyers, always wanted to do it. Been through such horrible situations with her ex - other women don’t have help and financial means to leave. Wants to help women for free, start a foundation to help women legally. 

(Presenters give her a lot of praise.)

Wants to help women for free. 

(Presenters say they respect her and she’s very mature and kind)

Reads out scripted request for another guest on the podcast. 

(Presenters thank her for being a guest)

Thanks presenters for having her on and for being willing to talk about the fandom because it’s an important part of what is going on. 

(Presenters say it explains why people are still defending him and there is obvious misogyny and people don’t believe women.)

ENDS

[add-v-bae]

Hi. I'm sure that nobody expected me to come back, and I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to. I'm just so disgusted with recent events that I want to post my thoughts in a location where anybody will understand what I'm talking about, as nobody in my day to day life even really tolerates kpop

As everybody knows, a lot has happened recently. And yeah, I've got a lot of emotions. I'm devastated to find out how much of a disgusting human Taeil is, and just in general, the wave of disgusting misogyny that's been going on in South Korea is absolutely horrifying.

However, I'm here to talk about my disgust in the state of kpop fans and the abysmal behavior some show. Mind you, i know very well that its very much not everyone. I've spent enough time in the community to know that there are plenty of people who are capable of being normal about their relationship with the idols, even while being a stan who cares about nothing but them. I have a history of parasocial relationships and I firmly believe that you can absolutely obsess over celebrities without being a psychopath. That being said, it's also a very fine line and I've seen some absolutely disgusting shit here.

None of these men belong to you. None of these men owe you a fucking thing. They are there to make you music, give you dances that you can enjoy, and serve you looks, depending on your style per era. They don't owe you abstinence and this is frankly something I've hated even while I was frequenting this site. I know full well that i personally have gotten a little too deep into shipping and crushing on idols. Do you know what happened during the two time an idol that i obsessed over/shipped with people referred to being in a relationship while being an idol? I felt a pang of disappointment and then I decided that as long as they're happy, I'm happy. Do you know what happened to them? One of them could only talk about it after leaving the industry, and the other lost their contract at their company. There's absolutely zero reason why an idol can't live their life alongside being an idol. They're not dolls, they're human beings with human lives.

Now, I left the community years ago. I still listen to the songs I used to listen to, but that's about the extent of where my kpop Fandom journey is anymore. I've also technically started rewriting some of the story ideas I had while excluding the kpop aspects, but that's an entirely different thing.

However, I do still like the occasional kpop post on Twitter, and today, my page was full of learning of a man named Seunghan from a band Riize. I've never heard of him, nor have I heard of this band prior to this controversy. However, the shit that's going on with this is unreal. You're telling me that this 21 year old got bullied into going on hiatus because he smoked a cigarette and dated someone? And then as soon as he came back, people sent funeral wreaths to SM over it? That's abhorrent. The girlfriend thing I've already touched on, he doesn't owe you anything, let alone abstinence from a time before he was famous. The cigarette, sure that's not good. Death threats are so much worse?? Most people have done something bad at some point in their life that doesn't at all reflect who they are now, and frankly, even if he still smokes, what the fuck are you helping with this behavior? Show concern, don't act like he's your fucking doll who's not acting how you want.

I'll be honest, I don't think the people that have or currently follow me are the kinds of people to do this thing. However, if somehow one of the people who engaged in this see this (especially those girls dancing in front of the wreaths uggggh), in complete, 100% seriousness, get some fucking help. You're entering into a parasocial state that is far beyond the acceptable state and has passed into psychotic behavior, and you need to find how to work that out because you've already emotionally hurt people and you're well on your way to physically hurting people, if you haven't already.

And if you haven't been one of the people who have been doing this but you don't see a problem with it, you get some help too. You might feel that you're not doing anything to anybody but as far as I'm concerned, you're just as part of the fucking problem. You might not have engaged in this action, but you very well could to other idols in the future, or God forbid people in your life. This kind of obsession can very easily translate over to behaviors and entitlement to partners, friends, family, none of which are people you're entitled to either. I couldn't fathom looking at this and feeling like this is at all okay.

I can't say if I'm gonna uninstall Tumblr and go back to staying my nose out of things or if I'm going to pop in once and a while as a casual, especially since I'm sure my page has been dead long enough that nobody cares if I come back but I got so heated over this that I needed to put all my thoughts out there, even if nobody sees it

[randomdragonfires]

I'm truly sorry for the hate you've been receiving on your recent chapter. I have to be real, those types of comments really make me cringe and want to distance myself from these reader/oc fics. As someone who's typically shy, I'm trying to be better at leaving comments, but then I see these individuals getting way too personal about fictional characters and it reminds me of creepy men's comments on my OF account. It's when parasocial relationships and self-inserts become too intense, and I always see the same culprits leaving bizarre remarks about Alys under these stories. It takes away from the enjoyment of reading modern adaptations featuring Aemond who is already a complex enough character. Knowing that the reader or OC will most likely be portrayed positively, it's insane how possessive they become over Aemond in these situations. I only got into Hotd after season 2 and just started reading Aemond fics a month ago, but every time I come across a reader story involving Alys, there's always some obsessive commenter losing their mind because Aemond isn't treating the reader like they want him to.

Hi anon!

First off, thank you so much for reaching out. Although, I feel the need to let you know - I've seen horrible stuff in this fandom, and even though what I got was a bit mean, I'm quite comforted by the fact that it could be much worse haha. Probably not the right way to look at it, but that's all the space I'm willing to give to strangers on tumblr lol.

I don't know if it's a parasocial relationship so to speak; honestly, I don't know the subject well enough to even see if it is that, actually. But I can see that people are usually very inclined towards the OCs/readers - and perhaps that contributes towards their feelings.

I've been talking about the unwarranted Alys Rivers hate that I've been seeing, especially since I posted the last chapter of Time Can't Stop Me.... One thing that came up in every conversation is that we tend to look at fantasy or period dramas through a modern lens. It is automatically assumed that our values are a part of the construct of the fictional world - when in fact, grooming, as a concept, did not exist at all in Westeros. Doesn't make grooming okay - I'm just saying that it wasn't even recognized as a crime in the canon setup.

Westeros is a male-dominated world, and an absolute monarchy at that. Doesn't matter if you're eight or eighty, if a prince stands opposite you, you have absolutely no power unless you're a bloody king. Because grooming was not a concept in Westeros, I don't understand how people blame and hate Alys, rather than the unhinged killer prince who rode a sentient war machine lmao - anything she had over him was purely her own, and was she was definitely not helped by the society or people around her.

But maybe that's just me wdyk.

The show's portrayal of Alys is clearly far from the negative connotations that have been associated with her here. The book doesn't divulge much. I'm genuinely confused as to why this is happening lol

Anyway - so sweet of you to check in. Thank you!

[slavghoul]

Is it just me or do some other people also find it really weird how some fans talk about Tobias in a really "infantilizing" way? Yes, trying to "reduce" the negative reactions is... good, I guess? But Tobias is a grown man who has been dealing with the music industry for years, I'm sure he knows how to deal with negative reactions (and I'm sure he doesn't even know about SO much, it doesn't matter). The internet makes people react in some crazy ways. Chill out, guys. You don't have to worship everything a band does, control your parasocial relationships.

I mean, I think they mean well? It surely comes from a place of love and appreciation so I can't hate them for it, but yes, sometimes it gets to a point where it turns into coddling. He's a 42 year old man not a helpless baby, no need to walk on eggshells around him.

I know many of you haven't been here yet when the lawsuit happened, but lots of people turned on him then, things got extremely ugly fast. So he has been through far worse things than a bunch of fans not liking a video/song - those are always hit or miss, you never know how people will react. But then life goes on.

[starryknightwrites]

Does anyone else think the Miraculous writers let a few loud minorities impact their writing to the point of stunting it?

*Leak Spoilers Ahead*

I think there's a reason why Season 1 and 2 are more beloved than the rest. The showrunners let their audience get into their heads and they took all the wrong advice- in the last two seasons especially. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it's difficult to ignore at this point.

A part of the fandom thinks Marinette is a creepy stalker? Let’s explain that away with an unnecessary but sympathetic backstory we never alluded to before, stretch it out for several episodes and make what used to be comedic teen girl hijinks super traumatic so no one can ever interpret it in bad faith again.

 A part of the fandom thinks Chat Noir is an entitled sexual predator who is a brat to Ladybug? Let’s cut his screen time and make sure he never disagrees with her again (unless he’s under a spell we can blame it on) so that he’s the perfect love interest and no one can ever interpret his normal human reactions in bad faith evermore.

A part of the fandom thinks Adrien is so passive he needs to replaced? Let’s have him apologize for his compassion first method and maybe throw a chair or something to prove himself. In the name of love.

A part of the fandom is harassing us about redeeming Chloe? Let’s make it painfully clear how evil she is in a glorified salt fic so that no one can ever interpret her in good faith again.

When people misunderstand your intentions, you don't scramble to "fix it" and try and make things black and white for easier digestion. You stick to your "problematic" guns, dammit. In trying to be perfect and play to everyone, you appease exactly no one.

I think this is partly an unfortunate side effect of the social media era of television. Showrunners never used to interact this much with fandom. Public forums like Twitter are a double edged sword because nowadays they’re a necessity for marketing, but everyone has access to you on there. Every Tom, Dick and Jane with an opinion and no boundaries can rage at you to their heart’s content at all times of day. And it’s easy for us to say “Well, why didn’t they just walk away/delete Twitter?” but even Tumblr users with 80 followers will lose themselves a bit on a bad anon day. I can only imagine dealing with that hundreds and hundreds of times over while also having the pressure of writing the trajectory of a worldwide acclaimed television show on your shoulders that EVERYONE has an opinion about that they are more than happy to rant at you. I think more of us might crack than we expect. And TA cracked.

People with a following have spoken time and time again about how they were unexpectedly affected severely by public ridicule and toxic parasocial relationships on social media. It’s terrible for anyone’s mental health and I think the Miraculous show runners are no exception. The pressure and the push and pull got to them and I think we’re seeing the results of that here. It’s good that TA is stepping away from the show- at least in part from what I gather- after Season 6 because I don’t think it’s healthy for Miraculous or him if he stays onboard. He’s seeing the show now through a filter of all its criticism, of a hundred random takes, and it just comes across incredibly stunted, unnatural and resentful in his writing. Like walking on eggshells and being bitter about it the entire time.

I understand they want to take input from their audience and feel pressure to write the show "correctly", but sometimes fandom ideas- especially the saltier ones- are worse. Sometimes you should just ignore criticism, no matter how loud and long it’s screamed at you, do your thing and hope for the best. At least you'll reserve your energy and passion that way and someone's going to bitch regardless. Sometimes you should write that salt fic just to get your frustrations out and then delete it.