#part of my problem is I don't engage with it in the usual ''fandom'' way ... I'm not here for ships or jokes

[throughpatchesofviolet]

I'm hoping taking an extended break from Limbus (aside from dailies and weeklies, of course), helps me return to it with passion, again ... make no mistake, I am thinking about the game and characters nonstop--even when engaged in other activities--I've just been having trouble posting about it due to a myriad of things.

[sorryimananti-romantic]

to a dying? atinyblr

i don't usually speak about these things, but a lot of blogs (amazing writers) are leaving this platform or taking time off bc of lack of engagement which serves as a big demotivating factor. especially and specifically in this atiny fandom, some things have come to my attention and i just want all readers and writers to take a look at this post and refresh some reading and writing etiquettes, as well as revive the essence of being a part of this fandom.

feedback:

i understand that there are a lot of silent readers on here, but since tumblr is dying and our fandom is not very huge, the least you can do to show the writers some support is like the post. 

which brings me to the point that the like function didn't even exist in the past. this site still runs on reblogs. as readers, to show your favourite writers some semblance of support, you should be reblogging with tags. a simple ‘#ateez x reader’ or ‘#ateez fics’ is enough. it's literally not asking for much– reblogs are the only way writers can get reach.

if you cannot do that bc of your blog's aesthetic or whatever, side blogs exist. if you still cannot do that, a simple anon ask appreciating the writer sometimes saves them.

also, what has happened to the quality of reblogs? readers consume years of writers’ work and efforts in mere hours and don’t even leave any feedback? art in general in all forms is very underappreciated and with all sorts of problems like plagiarism, ai writing and everything, true art and writing is dying and needs to be appreciated now more than ever. we’re literally the last generation witnessing ai take over in all fields of arts. appreciate content creators before it’s too late, don’t be a content glutton!

updates and requests:

asking writers for updates when they specifically mention that they would prefer posting at their pace is wrong for so many reasons– we all have a real life. you, the reader, do too. just like you don't always have time to read, writers don't always have time to write. do you ever see the writers asking their readers 'why have you not read my latest chapter?' 

most of the times, writers mention in their bio/faq post or elsewhere that they do mind being asked about updates. respect your writers, please, and do a little scroll before you send such demanding asks (also, sugarcoating when asking for updates does not make it any better!)

if you are only asking about updates, it demotivates a lot of writers bc these same people will disappear when it is time for feedback. writing is a form of art. we can write, artists can paint, musicians can compose music, but all of it has no meaning unless it is shared with an audience and appreciated. readers are just as important as the writers but there is no way of knowing fics are valued unless feedback is given.

the same goes for requests. you can only send a request when the requests are open, which is usually mentioned in the writer’s bio/faq post. it’s literally not that hard to check if requests are open and it’s basic decency to not send a request when the writers specifically mention that requests are closed. when sending a request, please be courteous. a ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ are examples of being courteous when sending requests.

the fanfics in atinyblr:

i understand that you can read whatever you like, but why is it that in the atiny fandom, fics that do not contain smut hardly ever get attention? as a writer, i enjoy writing and reading smut, and while i am not specifically a smut blog, i have noticed how fics containing smut get far more reach than fics that do not contain smut– not just in my case, but other amazing writers as well. 

there are such amazing fictions in this fandom. all fics are crafted with dedication and care, yet stories without smut often get sidelined. writers are not able to express themselves in their writing freely anymore and they simply conform to a genre they know readers will consume, as they are forced to consider adding smut to their stories so they can get more reach in this fandom. i have heard accounts from a lot of writers who were inclined to add smut to an otherwise smut-free fic just for reach.

this is by no means hate to the smut writers. i am also not placing blame on them. smut drabbles have always been in this fandom, and there are amazing smut writers out there, doing their thing. it is the readers here who are failing the writers. readers are quick to talk about the lack of ‘good fics’ or ‘plot’ yet will not even bother searching for these works. there used to be a good balance and appreciation for all genres alike.

i know that smut is what's hot and trendy these days, and drabbles in general, no matter the genre, are easier to read when you want to take a short break. but there is such a lack of longfics in this fandom, especially as of lately, and as someone who has personally witnessed the ratio of longfics decrease exponentially, i felt the need to point this out. appreciate all writers! appreciate all genres! longfic writers need as much validation and encouragement as drabble writers, and vice versa! don't be too harsh on longfic writers for not pumping out fics at the same speed as shortfic writers.

and on that note, smut drabble writers experience a lack of quality feedback despite the high engagement, so readers, please don't hesitate to point out exactly what you liked about a fic, even if it's a short drabble! be kind to those writers, give them time to write and be kind when sending requests! they may post more often but they, too, have a life.

tags:

this is specifically for the people who will post a very normal picture of a member, no caption, but tag it something like #ateez smut, #ateez hard hours, #ateez x reader. and for the people who tag their asks with irrelevant tags– literally learn to tag your post properly, and stop crowding the wrong tags. you're just proving the point that if you don't tag a post with the smut tag or something similar, it won't get reach. if you've posted with a caption, that makes sense (though it still doesn't warrant some of the tags being used there).

as for writers, also learn to use your tags appropriately. fics that do not contain smut should not be tagged with smut related tags. believe in yourself. i get that there is the problem of reach but do not overcrowd tags with irrelevant material.

disclaimer:

this is by no means about me. if i cared about the notes, or lack thereof, i would have stopped writing a while ago. while it is challenging to be a writer here, especially as of lately, i still enjoy posting whatever i write no matter the genre or the word count. but it's a bit disappointing that my planned out fics get much less attention than a simple smut headcanons post that i wrote in the heat of the moment with my friend in literally a few hours as a joke (which has reached almost 10k notes btw in a span of 2 years). sure, it has exposed my blog to new readers but that's about it.

this post is for all the amazing writers who have left, are thinking of leaving, or are struggling to voice these problems because they are afraid of being marked as 'problematic' or a 'hater' or something worse. i am not afraid to voice my opinion on here, and if you think that i am wrong, feel free to interact with this post and correct me because i am not claiming that i am right about this.

these are just the observations i have made as someone who has been actively writing on this platform for about 4 years now, and since i have a decent number of followers, i hope this post gets more reach. do not be afraid to reblog this if you agree, and even if you do not, reblog this so someone else gets educated. i may have missed some points so feel free to add if you want too.

[lonelyroommp3]

like sorry to be A Cunt but you can almost always tell when a singular f/f fic, or even more egregiously a popular f/f ship within a given fandom, exists primarily or even solely because of dutyfic/eat your vegetables reasons. it will be extremely obvious because of one or more of the following issues

often, it will be (subtype 1) two girls/women who scarcely or never interact, and have just been thrown together because they are The Two Most Prominent Women in a given work

sometimes it will be (subtype 2) two women who interact and may even have a compelling dynamic in canon. if you are unfamiliar with the source material you will be completely unable to tell whether a given f/f ship is subtype 1 or subtype 2 because either way they will almost invariably be written with absolutely no in universe justification for why they are together besides the looming doylist shadow of "well, they're lesbians!"

their personalities will be sanded down to the point of unrecognisability beyond vague archetypes such as "girlboss" or "soft girl" or "girl who is mean because she is in love"; any conflict faced within the story will be no more significant or high stakes than what you might find in a middling hallmark christmas movie

they usually exist as B ships in an m/m fic, with the primary purpose of acting as cute perfectly functional foils to the men who are allowed to have real conflict and problems. they will frequently be called upon in this capacity to give the men advice

when an f/f ship does get to be the primary dynamic, or even satisfy the otp: true filter on ao3, you are struck with the unshakeable impression that they would much rather be in the background of an m/m fic helping two guys get their shit together, sort of like watching a semiaquatic mammal try to gracelessly make its way across dry land

Q: but shouldn't we show this kind of bad writing more grace? after all, somebody might start out writing terrible bland eat your vegetables f/f but come to actually care about women in the process and end up writing better and less covertly misogynistic fanfiction. this is such a nice and charitable thought but i fear that this quite simply does not happen anywhere near as much as we might hope because the dutyfic f/f ship process inspires absolutely zero introspection on the part of its authors and readers

Q: most m/m fic is also based on bland archetypes that show no resemblance to canon, why aren't you complaining about that? first of all i love complaining about bad flanderised m/m fic too. secondly, people do not typically view writing or engaging with bad m/m fic as proof of your inherent moral virtue, unless it is being set up in a ship war against what many regard as fandom's ultimate evil, the het ship. but that is a conundrum for another post

Q: what happened to the "do it bad" philosophy? why can't we just let people write terrible fanfictions? well once again my issue is not people writing terrible fanfictions, it is that writing this specific type of terrible fanfiction is viewed as a moral duty, and any suggestion that you don't particularly care for a badly done f/f ship even for perfectly valid reasons is deemed tantamount to proclaiming that you are a raging misogynist, which leaves fandom trapped in a vicious cycle where we will never move past bland poorly written f/f ships because just writing an f/f ship, however terribly, however much actual misogyny and inability to view women as three dimensional beings capable of conflict and nastiness and horniness and whatever else may be baked into the fanon for a given ship, is viewed as the most progressive thing you can do in fandom

[sitp-recs]

i bet you've seen this one plenty of times before, but:

can you rec some drarry fics where jealousy is an important motif? it can be infidelity if they're an established couple, or just getting with someone else while the two of them are dancing around one another. would be great to see recs both where harry is jealous and where draco is jealous. i prefer a happy ending, but i'll be grateful either way.

since i'm here let me also say i admire what you do, your incredible ability to recall and sort through so many stories. this fandom is lucky to have you! <3

Hello friend! Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it ❤️ here are some fics centered on jealousy. I did a few other lists for this trope over the years, you can find them here, here and here.

Jealous Harry:

Hourglass Heart by @bixgirl1 (E, 5k)

It only happened once — depending on how Harry counted.

Utterly Yours by @lazywonderlvnd (E, 6.5k)

Draco gets back at Harry for his late nights as an Auror by flirting with the new Arithmancy professor. Harry's not usually the jealous type, but he has his moments.

Intention by @the-sinking-ship (E, 7k)

Harry really ought to listen to whatever Ron is saying, but it becomes impossible to focus when a familiar figure across the pub curls his fingers around another man’s tie. And when that man leans in with a wolfish smile, Harry sees red, and all he can think is mine.

on the divine agony of longing by @flimsi (E, 25k)

Speaking to Draco is like poking a beehive - and Harry is a glutton for punishment. In which Harry makes some serious blunders and then tries to fix it. Somehow.

Around You Moves by ignatiustrout (E, 29k)

Harry knew Draco was gay when he invited him to move in. He’s never had a problem with this. So why does he feel so weird about Draco bringing men home all of a sudden?

Two to Lie and One to Listen by @fluxweeed (E, 84k)

It’s weird when Hermione announces that she and Ron have broken up. It’s weirder when this is followed by the revelation that she’s already moved on—and the new object of her affections is Draco Malfoy.

this heaven of mud by @garagepaperback (E, 94k)

A love story told in two somewhat unreliable parts, over six years. Featuring secret shagging, to friends, to the 'how is it fair for someone to say your name like that' sort of friends, to, finally, someone you could call a home.

Grounds for Divorce by Tepre (E, 122k)

Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter.

Jealous Draco:

Packing the Flat by marguerite_26 (E, 6k)

Months after their explosive break-up, Draco insists Harry return to their flat to remove his belongings.

Don't Stop It Before It Begins by mischieviolet (E, 19k)

“I don’t understand how this is of any concern to you, Malfoy,” Harry said, crossing his arms over his chest. Draco blinked at the use of his last name, something that Harry only used with him in jest these days. “I’m merely spending time with my Auror partner, who is from another country, and has no one here. I would do the same if it were you.” “It’s not me though, is it?” Draco all but shouted, unable to stop himself.

The Partner, The Rival and The Very Big Case by oceaxe (E, 24k)

When Harry and Nott are paired up to go undercover as fake boyfriends, Draco is disappointed not to get the assignment. It's just professional jealousy that's making him feel so upset. Obviously. He's engaged to be married to Astoria, after all.

(The Piece) I was Missing All Along by lauren3210 (E, 30k)

Draco and Harry have been flatmates and best friends for years, and Draco thinks life is just perfect that way. But when something comes along and threatens to take all that away, Draco has to decide what it is he really wants, and just how hard he's going to work to get it.

Make Me a Headline (I Want to Be That Bold) by @dictacontrion (E, 31k)

Draco never expected to see Harry doing that again. Especially with someone else, in a grainy photograph that's landed on his desk one Monday morning.

Nights With You by @the-sinking-ship (E, 58k)

Draco is mortified when moments prior to departing for the most anticipated destination wedding of the year, he is cruelly dumped. But when he learns that Harry Potter has, at long last, split with his horrible boyfriend, Draco is certain his luck has changed.

[trainsinanime]

People keep trying to explain why the ML fandom is so relatively quiet right now, and I'll be honest: I have no idea. There are parts I get and parts I don't. (Some criticism of the show below the cut)

First of all, the end of season 5 - yeah, I don't think a lot of people dreamed of this particular way to conclude the Gabriel Agreste saga. I get it.

And more in general, the ML fandom has always focused more on potential than the actual show; on the open questions rather than the day-to-day. Season 5 has answered most of these open questions, and most of these in ways that were not super satisfying.

How will Adrien and Marinette get together? — Oh, he just asks her nicely.

What impact will the tension with their secret identities have? — None whatsoever, Ladynoir are just friends now and happy that way.

How will we both reveal the truth about Adrien's father while making it a happy ending for both of them nonetheless? — We won't.

There's been something going with Chloé, who has tried being a hero, sucked at it, backslid, got a little sister who loves her and might show her a better way, where is that going to lead? — She gets deported by her dad.

99% of ML fanfics are reveals, and now many feel the show has taken away the reason to care about that. Not me personally, I'm going to keep writing reveals and all sides of the love square and first kisses until I die. But I get why it's made some people less than fully enthusiastic; why there's less incentive to post theories and head canons than there might have been once. The show took most of the "wonder what happens" points and answered them, and not even in interesting ways most of the time.

Here's my problem with that theory: The finale of season 5 came out in September 2023, almost two years ago. We've discussed all this to hell and back already. And yet the numbers I have access to show a clear decline between 2024 and now. What changed lately?

The only thing I can think of is that season 6 came out, but, like… season 6 is fine? At least as good as seasons 4 and 5 on average. Do people actually dislike the new art style? To me it's better in every way, so I have trouble wrapping my head around that, but it is a take I keep seeing.

A related point I've seen is the idea that the discussion culture about the show has gone to shit, something I actually see in equal amounts both from those who are very critical of the show and those who intensely dislike the strong criticism.

Personally I am more on the second side of this divide (though maybe only 95% instead of 100%): I'm still having a lot of fun with this show no matter what anyone else is saying. But there is valid, potentially even interesting criticism. But also a lot of people who are doing criticism are going "<insert writer name here> sucks and is a lazy hack!", which is usually neither interesting nor fun to engage with. My long-standing policy is that you can safely ignore any hot take that mentions any particular writer by name, and that still feels as true today as it did back when season 3 aired.

Again, we've been having the same discussions since 2023, and it's not like there is a lot of new insight to be had. The angry people have either left the fandom or gotten angrier, the very invested people have stopped talking to them and gotten angry about the anger, and it's all gotten very polarised… but again, this isn't new. This doesn't explain a drop-off between 2024 and 2025. I think.

I'm probably missing something here, I just can't make much sense of it either way. I can find things to point to, but I have trouble forming a coherent theory. How about you all?

(Discussion, including strong disagreement, is absolutely welcome! But as I said, I'll absolutely ignore you if you mention any writer by name.)

[qoldenskies]

Hi, this is a silly question, but welp. Do you think publishing new content on ao3 pays off? I feel like the fandom is dying a bit and I don't know if it's worth writing ff :((

maybe this is just my personal opinion because i wasnt here at the height of the hype especially in 2022 (i watched the show in march 2024 and got into the fandom in june), but the rise fandom is not dying, dont worry.

there are posts here that frequently get thousands of notes, sometimes within days, fics that have gotten pretty popular that are RECENT, a whole culture of aus and events and zines that are still running.

ive been in dying fandoms (the pjo book fandom is so dead yall its joever) and in fandoms that were never even big in the first place (i was in a niche pokemon webcomic community that had upwards of maybe like 40 people active in its discord server, and most of the adults there were republicans or child groomers or usually both .... i know hell, i was there for like four years. trust me) and i havent been in a community as big as rise's since liiike. 2019, i think!

and regardless of any new official content coming out, its also good to note that there are a lot of active and dedicated tmnt fans who make official content for other, much older iterations too, and ive noticed a lot of the people who do are older which is definitely a good thing. fandoms at the peak of their hype are usually INSANELY preteen-infested and it's not a good environment i think should be desired. the discourse i see going around on tiktok right now is deranged but its not new by any means. i REFUSE to be a boomer because im only 18 and i know what its like to be 12, but i do not desire nor envy that kind of fame BAHFHDHGH

but like still. point i was getting to is that even if its not at its peak of popularity i dont think the fandom will be dying any time soon and it's not something to be afraid of. i can cite several fics that did wonderfully in numbers (although i dont recommend basing quality off that, its just important to note) despite being recent and have had the fandom in a chokehold as of late. canary continuity could probably count as one of those considering how crazy it was around november or so..... i miss november :')

i think we all kind of see ourselves like drops of water in a bucket and hesitate to come in so strong because we underestimate the importance of our own voices, especially because fandom attracts very socially anxious people, but a lot of the anxiety about engagement can be mitigated by engaging yourself and being the change you want to see! this also counts with creating content-- the thing about ao3 is that you can have completely different audiences for different fics unlike other platforms from what i've seen, so something may flop at first and then do really well later, or even take a while to kick off (cvd and coming undone have been getting some love lately ive noticed... i keep telling myself i'll continue them and then forgetting)

i'd say its definitely worth a shot to post, because ive noticed that ao3 comment sections are overwhelmingly positive in most cases. ive gotten some passive-aggressive or pushy comments before (usually out of confusion because they werent paying attention, which isnt my fault, or because theyre excited and what to see more, which i still do find flattering) but its always been in a sea of a lot of really wonderful people, which has been really helpful because i have disabling anxiety and constantly doubt myself haha.

i think the advice i see a lot of "write for yourself" is kind of unhelpful and doesn't get to the root of the problem because i think it takes away from the fact that art is such a deeply social part of human expression, and we create it to share it,,, i think a better way to put it is that you should write self-indulgently, and there's always a good chance of finding your people by the time you're finished-- i've connected with a lot of people with VERY similar tastes to me because of my writing and it's been miraculous because as great as my other friends are, their interests vary wildly from mine LOL. its worth it even if you dont kick off immediately!!! and of course i urge everyone to engage with artists and writers whenever you can, it means the world to them!!

[rozaceous]

how do u feel about batcest?

oh boy. this question feels like bait, but oh well ig. in the first place, idgaf if you ship incest bc this is fiction and not real life, and these are not real ppl. i trust that anyone who finds their way onto tumblr or ao3 or wherever has sufficient mental faculties to make this basic distinction regarding reality and fiction.

and then i kinda :/ abt the term 'batcest' in general. with some exceptions, these characters are not related and don't consider themselves to be. tho this might be different w things like wayne family adventures, or some of the animated series, idk. i'm talking more abt the comics, and while some of the more modern stuff might explicitly outline a familial bond, for the most part there's a lot of entanglement but ambiguity of roles.

i feel like the 'batcest' thing often gets wielded like a hammer in order to be homophobic, personally. no one calls 'batcest' on tim/steph, or ships w cass, it's almost always jaytim (not related and don't consider themselves to be) or jaydick (not related and only in some continuities consider themselves family) or brudick (this is an ENTIRE kettle of fish, i'll get there). but bc we all, i hope, agree that irl incest is not a good thing and is pretty universally objectionable, calling something incest is like a moral weapon. bc if you say you don't care if a ship is incest, then that means you obviously must be okay with irl incest!! what a horrible person you are!! except that's a false equivalency; fiction is not reality.

and for brudick especially, i think this is homophobic. there's a long, long history (longer than i am old, and i suspect you too, anon) of gay-coding batman and robin. some of those older comics are very suggestive abt the kind of relationship bruce and dick have. an actual gay man in my actual life who knows very little abt modern batman fandom or canon, responded to my statement of writing batman fanfiction about robin with a raised eyebrow, a suggestive smirk, and an "oooh?"

it also strongly depends what continuity/canon you're referencing as to whether or not bruce and dick view each other as more than partners in fighting crime with a long history, knowing each other better than anyone, etc. the strict father-son relationship is very modern and not universal across batman canons.

i also think the incest thing in batman fandom is particularly noxious bc it doesn't get leveled w the same, pearl-clutching fervor when talking about franchises like a song of ice and fire which has actual, explicit incest.

but ultimately, the 'defenses' above are besides the point, which is that fiction is not reality and you can ship whoever you want and no one is harmed. if you don't like it, don't read. ppl are usually p good abt tagging, so it's not like anyone is getting tricked.

am i likely to write 'batcest'? not especially. have i read it? and enjoyed! do i actively ship it? eh, not really, i need to be sold on it per fic like any other ship. i respect that it's not everyone's flavor, we all have the right to choose what we engage with. but basically, i have no problem w 'batcest' except for the term itself lol, and i understand that not everyone agrees. those ppl are welcome to unfollow me if that makes them more comfortable.

[nyandaah]

I don't know how to articulate my thoughts on it consicely (as usual, hence why I rarely ever write posts here anymore), but ever since this week's dunmesh ep I can't stop thinking about That scene between toshiro and laios and how it's been talked about as a piece of representation of the neurodivergent struggle.

I've seen those panels countless times before the anime got to it, and I can't understate how Real of a thing it is that we're seeing through laios- that pain and frustration that comes from having the rug pulled under you in being told that been getting it Wrong the whole time and nobody's bothered to point out the donkey tail pinned on your ass.

but I think that's only the first half of the statement, and the way people talk (and don't talk) about toshiro does the moment a disservice.

seeing how people talk about it before getting to the scene itself, it ended up catching me off-guard how much of a Person toshiro is. he's always talked about as the strawman or the figure representing neurotypical society- the one that others us.

I see where it's all coming from, he's not a likeable character to most of the fandom for reasons I won't hold anyone against, but again- he's an important part of the picture that dunmesh paints of the nd struggle.

I find it absurd to portray toshiro as a representation of the 'average'. being both of royalty and of a culture that has instilled upon him his own values and expectations when it comes to socialization. it's why the inclusion of his retainers (especially maizuru) was a brilliant story decision; alongside laios', we get to see HIS social ineptitudes and how central they are to HIS character.

like. a major point of grievance many of the audience has with toshiro is his rose-tinted 'romance' with obviously-uninterested falin. I get it, especially if you've experienced that type of engagement with an unwanted pursuer. but dear lord if that doesn't perfectly parallel him with laios as a fellow Socially Inept Man.

it hit me as much as laios hit me when he said he envied our boy's sincerity. because that's a true and often less talked about part of the neurodivergent struggle(tm)- the difficulty to express your feelings. just like the other end of the spectrum, it hurts yourself as much as it hurts others.

as someone whose brain problems often manifest as social anxiety and feeling like i'm either unable to or unworthy of expressing how I feel, I envy laios too.

tl;dr- there are two characters present in that scene in episode 17.

[gyokujyn]

Fic Trope Rate Game: Kink Edition

@fohatic adapted it from that other game from before -- but swapped the run-of-the-mill tropes for some spicier stuff. Remember, it's just a game, so if any of the kinks listed here are outside of your comfort zone, feel free to just skip over them!

Rate: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

-10 -> very dissuaded

0 - don’t care either way

+10 -> very enticed

nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged. Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

On to the game!

Roleplay: 0

I'm not opposed to this, but I feel like most of what would be interesting about this to me would be better served by looking for an AU. The exception to this is when it's a CNC scenario and then it's a +10, insta-click.

BDSM: +7

I love BDSM myself, so I love to see my blorbos also engage with it, especially when one or more of my blorbos are enhanced enough to do and enjoy things that are too hard for me to experience personally so it should come as no surprise that "Bad BDSM ettiquette" or "Undernegotiated BDSM" are pretty much insta-clicks for me.

Armor Kink: 0

Is this a Tony Stark thing? I think I could see it, but it's not really a draw for me... On the other hand...

Metal Arm Kink: +3

I'm adding this one as a response to the above. I love when Bucky's sex partners are hot for his robot arm.

Sex Pollen: +9

This is basically bad guys made them do it with more steps and I am here for every last one of those steps 99% of the time.

Noncon: +10

The reason Bucky is my blorbo.

Somnophilia: +9

This is another of my real life kinks that I love to see my blorbos enjoy, too!

Drunk sex: 0

So... it depends on the context of the drunk sex. Getting drunk enough for sex as a vehicle for miscommunication-based pining angst? Miss me. Getting the other party drunk enough to "consent" to sex (this is coerced consent and is not actually consensual)? Uh, yeah, I'm in.

Tentacles: +4

I am so picky about tentacles, but I DO enjoy them. Usually cosmic horror type tentacles would rate significantly higher, like a +8.

Sexting: +1

Eh, it isn't going to deter me, but if this is the only thing the fic has going for it, I probably won't be very interested.

Daddy Kink: -8

My daddy issues do not include an ability to stomach sexual partners actually being called "Daddy."

Vampires and/or Werewolves: -1

It's just not something I look for, in part because I am not really big on AUs and so many of these are very much AU, but I have read some really good ones so other tags could definitely persuade me.

Underage: +7

Personally cathartic, but it has to be handled well.

Sexual Dysfunction: 0

Not something I'm usually looking for, but not going to deter me at all. The exception is the Bucky's Broken Dick tag because that usually deals with HTP, non-con, and lots of other things I am very into. That tag is a +5 and actively looking for more tags that I might be more into.

Crossdressing Kink: -4

There are related tags that I am more or less into, but this one isn't really my thing.

Non-Sexual Submission: +6

This isn't something I usually actively seek out, but when I find it, I'm definitely interested.

Cheating/Infidelity: -9

In my experience with the MCU fandom in particular, these are so often just a vehicle for ship wank, like, with the author excitedly and actively shitting on the character that they don't like their fave to be shipped with and it just fuels feuds within the fandom 99% of the time.

That said, I have read some AMAZING infidelity fics with actually well-rounded characters where the development of the infidelity is thoughtful and I treasure those few fics.

This is basically a tag I will only read if it comes highly recommended from a source I trust or an author that I know will tackle it well. The problem is that I enjoy all of these characters and seeing them assassinated bothers me. None of these characters are perfect people. In fact, they all have their problems, that's what makes them interesting, but that's very seldom how I see them portrayed in this tag, so, yeah, I'll usually skip it.

And now just for fun, I added a few more kinks:

Watersports/Piss Kink: -9

It's not a hard no, but only barely. I have read piss kink that worked for the story and the concept, like Omegaverse with piss marking and that sort of thing, but it's honestly so uncomfortable for me. There's gotta be a whole lot else going on that I love and high quality writing.

Blood Play: +6

As one would expect from the person who is constantly saying that they've yet to make a man who doesn't look better bloody, I am very much here for blood and gore and violence but, weirdly, this isn't enough by itself to immediately draw me in. It's definitely got my attention, but I want to know more.

Gun Kink: +9

Gun fellatio is actually the one that puts me down for the count, but gun play in general is usually a winner for me every time. What's weird is that I'm not a gun person. I do not and never see myself owning a gun, ever, but... I'll be damned if it isn't hot as hell.

Asphyxiation/Breath Play: +2

Although this is a kink I love engaging with in my real life (kink responsibly, folks, and know your risks), I hardly ever see it explored in a way that feels interesting or particularly accurate to my experiences, so while I'm always willing to try another author's take on it, it's not usually what's drawn me to a fic.

No pressure tags: @katie-delaney @blackwood4stucky @stuckyfingers @amaraangelicus @thepiper0fhameln @rosduncan Feel free to add a few faves (or squicks) of your own and tag me so I can play! (I'm leaving off a couple people that I think might not appreciate getting tagged in something quite like this, lol, but if you see this and want to join in, please consider yourself tagged and tag me back so I know!)

[mxtxfanatic]

I'm not very active online socially, so I find your takes on the whole JC stans situation very helpful and interesting. It does a lot to contextualize what I see reading a lot of fanfiction, wherein I've found much MDZS fanfiction to be very divorced from the reality of the source material, both due to cultural insensitivity towards the Chinese source material, the CQL problem, and of course the ubiquitous JC apologia. I've been in equally, if not more, contentious fandoms before (the Sherlock fandom comes to mind) but, if I can be frank, to me the difference between those experiences and now is that MDZS is an actually good book! I feel like a lot of the fandom inclinations toward sanding down conflicts or exacerbating them, inventing personalities for background characters, turning all the characters into dolls and the setting into your dollhouse (which no one else may touch!) were codified for the current userbase in Superwholock, whether people realize or not. Those fandom instincts were helpful when working with source material that was shallow, inconsistent, and from the english-speaking world, but it did not equip fandom to deal with a book from a foreign culture that didn't need "fixing" for lack of a better term. It also reminds me a lot of early otaku culture in the USA, with the botched translations, weird cultural takes, and... odd characterization in fanfiction (why does Naruto need a harem???). Which, one may hope, could indicate that things will get better over time. That's just my spaghetti thrown at the wall, though.

I think it's a combination of both the quality of the book (Western fandoms are unused to having source materials with such tight storytelling where they don't have to fill in major parts of the plot with their own imaginations) and racism (Western fandoms feeling so entitled to Asian works while also not respecting their creators enough to even pretend to attempt to understand what the creators are trying to say, instead, choosing to fall back onto the orientalist "those Asians are just an enigma" stereotypes to justify superimposing their own ideas onto the text and calling it "basically the same thing").

I also believe that the sheer volume of unchallenging art that the Western world mass-produces, paired with disdain towards literary pursuits like critique and analysis, has led to a generation of "fans" who believe that the only "right" way to engage in your favorite media is to turn your brain off. "If you joined fandom to share quotes from the book and not just follow the 'incorrect-quotes-blog' and laugh at out-of-context excerpts, then what's your problem???" seems to be the consensus nowadays.

Here's to hoping one day people get over themselves and realize that just because their usual interests are careless drivel written to make money doesn't mean that everyone is writing trash stories they could care less about outside of how much money it makes them. Mxtx writes amazing stories, but you don't actually care about the story like you claim you do if everything you "love" about it can be easily just summarized in a recycled fandom trope meme.

[thethiefandtheairbender]

Hey, I have two maybe complicated questions to ask you. First, I’ve seen a criticism of the Dragon Prince that the humor isn’t that good and clashes with the epic fantasy tone of the series. Has the humor ever bothered you in that way personally? Second, do you have any unpopular opinions about Avatar? Like episodes/character moments that you’re not a fan of but others are, or ideas that you think weren’t executed well?

Np — complicated questions welcome!!

For humour: yes and no, I think. Humour is supremely subjective, and it's also not something I care a ton about in the stories I consume/engage with. I think ATLA and Gravity Falls are both funnier than TDP, which tends to be more hit or miss for me, but I prefer TDP's story and characters to both ATLA and Gravity Falls (and, to me, Gravity Falls wasn't really noteworthy on anything other than its comedy; I found the overarching story pretty weak — whoops!) and therefore think TDP is better than both those series overall, for example. 

While TDP's humour doesn't always land for me, usually I find it's the occasional reference to something I have no background in (i.e sailor moon transformations in S3). Although not every joke may make me laugh, bits rooted in character humour (i.e. Claudia's consistent potty humour) fare better for me because it reaffirms her goofier characterization, and I really value characterization in stories. Additionally, there's no jokes in TDP that I feel really undercut a dramatic moment (ie. tonal whiplash in Southern Raiders, for ex) or ones that make me uncomfortable (ie. Iroh and June), which I can't say for ATLA. 

So the humour in TDP is probably one of its weaker story components (honestly probably the only weak element to me) BUT I don't think that makes the humour bad or tonally jarring. Stories like Owl House or Shera I struggled with the humour a lot more for various reasons such as tone clashing or not fitting the scope of the story, but again: subjective opinion rules all. Someone could walk away feeling the opposite.

For ATLA, my unpopular opinion(s) has usually just been that I LIKE canon tbh. Like, I can appreciate people who don't enjoy how Jet or particularly Hama are treated, but I also enjoy the singularity of tragedy. The only good critique on Aang's / the series' pacifism in the past 20 years was from a youtube analysis on how ATLA treats prisons as non-violent even when they definitely are, and I'd agree with that. (TDP beginning to at least acknowledge in S7 that prison/incarceration CAN be / is, tbh, a form of violence is, I think, one of the many ways TDP evolves further than ATLA in some ways, which I appreciate).

I think, perhaps for ATLA, there are certain common fandom dichotomies I eschew — I'm not interested in discussing whether Ursa was a 'good' or 'bad' mother, for example, but rather the total sum of her choices within the context of also blatantly supporting imperialism, nor am I interested in, as someone who's always related heavily to this part of Katara, looking at her as a more put-upon girl who takes everyone's problems onto her own shoulders while secretly being burnt out/resentful over it (sometimes, people are just and genuinely enjoy caretaking, and Aang / Sokka are the people who take care of her the most in turn, tbh).

I suppose maybe for ATLA my hottest take is that while I Adore Katara/Aang as a ship and I think some aspects of their development (i.e Katara's POV) are actually Very well done, I think they're not spectacularly well written/consistently integrated into each other's overall arcs as a (relation)ship. After S2 their connection is never Plot Relevant again, and while S3 is my favourite season, we probably could've tied their growth more explicitly together than we did (even if I think their interactions in Ember Island players make them a Lot more interesting to me as a ship > turning me off, which is unpopular opinion, probably. What can I say: I love mess). This "lack of integration" stance was, ironically perhaps, brought about by seeing just how much Rayla and Callum and their relationship (romantic or otherwise) is tethered to like, every significant jump or change with their characters as individuals and how effective it is, and it makes me wish Katara and Aang got that treatment a bit more in a defined manner, but c'est la vie — & still love them, of course.

If you want more specifics and/or have more questions, absolutely feel free to ask!

[hirakiyois]

I just started watching S2 a few days ago and the very first episode, sorry I'll be frank, pissed me off. I'll tell you why.

I, as a competitive person myself, respect those who work hard and are at the top of their game because of that. So, PitBabe losing in the very first game in the very first episode at the hands of, I assume, a newbie was the first turn off for me. I don't want my winner stripped of his hard-earned title in the very first game!

Secondly, Charlie is always using the same way to help Babe "relax" is another turn off. Like my guy, don't you know something else that you can do to help your boyfriend relax? Even Babe said that. (Though he still went with the act seconds later 😮‍💨).

So, what you're liking might help me focus on the good part. I stopped at the beginning of ep 2, I guess? I really wanna watch it but I just can't continue like this.

Also, sorry if it was too long or annoying. You can ignore it if it is bothersome.

Have a good day/night 😊

hi hi! this could never be bothersome, i love hearing from people in the same fandoms and spaces. i'll just reply to this ask since it came in later but im so glad you're having fun with TEM. singto is always a joy to watch and being able to see the improvement in all aspects of a show from sotus to now is absolutely phenomenal.

now about pit babe! im thoroughly enjoying season 2 but i absolutely think pit babe as a whole is an acquired taste. i also think that going into the show as a whole and week-by-week episodes blind is how i usually roll with it. sometimes teasers spoil much more than i want them to and i like the general suspense that pit babe comes with too.

i completely get what you mean about the winning part too - im a habitual f1 fan so the competition keeps me glued to the screen more than id like to admit. but i find it easier to accept that the end result of these races is important for the progress of the story. if they were done for naught id be madder but all the results have a direct impact on how babe's story progresses so i keep them aside for the most part.

charliebabe... im obsessed with them this season. i obviously think the way they relax or solve their problems is in any way healthy but i think it's very them. the way i, and thankfully a few others, see it, both of them weren't really raised in an environment where any sort of healthy communication or care was encouraged. they're doing what they know best. it's easier for them and for us as the audience to see the larger ways in which tony has impacted their lives but it's these more subtle things that i think would be harder for them to shake off, both because they're used to it and because they don't really see what's wrong with it.

i do think that we see a stark difference in the styles of communication for all couples - chris drawing some pretty strict boundaries against pete, kim trying to hammer his way through to understanding kenta while kenta sort of just lets it happen, jeff and alan being the rarity in actually communicating (at least for now), and north and sonic both not even acknowledging they have a problem. so really i think the sex is kind of part and parcel of charliebabe.

as a casual viewer and someone who wasn't the biggest fan of s1 because of certain inconsistencies, i can honestly say the improvement in s2 is tangible and right up my alley. from what the teasers for part 2 of the season show, it looks like things are going to pick up pace and i really do think they'll stick the landing this time (although bl endings have been my enemy for a long time now).

another selling point for me is obviously the fact that there's so many more relationships going on here, romantic and otherwise. if charliebabe aren't your flavour this time around, there's greener pastures with others.

lastly, i do find it fun to just engage with the fandom when the show is airing and in the week after. that's a big determinant for me and it's important no matter which platform i use.

i don't know if i was able to answer your questions but im glad we could chat! i hope to hear from you again 💕

p.s. if things don't land for you by the end of episode 4/5 but you still would like to watch, maybe the best option would be to watch in 1.5× or stock up the episodes and watch after the season ends. i don't usually recommend this because i think any art form should be given its space to exist as intended but i understand that that's not possible all the time.

[kiisaes]

tell us about vld 👁️

(only if u want to)

i'll spare you a truly unhinged ranting for perhaps another time (even though this is gonna be long anyway) but tldr: vld is a show that could have been really good if it just stuck to its direction from the first two seasons!!! and also if its crew didn't accidentally breed the worst possible fandom ever!!!

it had a really good identity at the start— its characters were entertaining, its art and animation were charming if anything, the VAs were genuinely excellent picks and in terms of story it was simple (considering it's a kids show) but effective. the first two seasons focused on one-off, character-driven episodes that gave room for a lot of character writing, team bonding, and tone establishment. i believe that the reason why vld shipping was already so aggressive since s1 — without crew interference — was because the character writing was like, actually good. good enough where people could take their starting characterizations + team dynamic and run wild with it

vld was never going to be an enlightening, mature, groundbreaking show about anything super deep; it's a Y7 show about robot lions in space. but i'm sure most ppl going into vld didn't expect a piece of art, they just wanted to have fun with an atla-adjacent show, or they watched previous voltron iterations. and for what it was, it was very successful at the start! and one of the more popular netflix originals at its time!

but then vld tried taking itself more seriously in s3, and changed its primary storytelling method. now the episodes weren't usually problem-of-the-week, but each episode's plot had to feed into the next episode in line. which would've been fine, if the crew planned ahead and kept track of its characters and plot

but since the lion switch was also conveniently during this season (which inevitably implied switches in character arcs), keeping track of everything suddenly got way harder. also, the lion switch was ass. breaking my silence: that shit made no sense. why didn't they make allura the black paladin??? why do all those mental gymnastics with moving keith from red to black and lance from blue to red just to give allura blue, which was a lion that didn't even really fit her??? (i know the reason was cuz dotf did this lion placement, but is vld dotf? are the characters archetypes the same? no? i didn't think so!!!)

anyway because of the new serialized storytelling format, vld had to follow this really serious, high-stakes, even occasionally dark narrative to keep viewers engaged, and it just .. wasn't the same? like not only are characters' arcs dropping like flies, we're introducing new characters with barely any development or even personality, and it's not even that fun to watch anymore. what happened to my silly guys. what happened to goofin off in the castle. what happened to episode-long missions. this is not avatar. if i wanted to watch avatar i would just watch avatar.

and! in later seasons i think the crew caught on to how fans loveddd the episodic narratives in s1 and 2, so they tried bringing back one-off lighthearted episodes (dnd episode, game show episode, clear day episode, etc.) in an attempt to relive the old glory— and they were fun to watch on their own, sure, but were completely detached from the rest of the story atp. literally the only reason why i even remember these episodes is because they weren't a part of the narrative's incomprehensible sludge

don't even get me started on how the crew hated its audience. don't get me started on the ship bait, the weird canon queerbait situation(s), the irresponsible encouragement of parasocial fan relationships with VAs, artists, creators, you name it. it's how we got one of The worst fandoms in recent history. it's how vld was one of the newer fandoms that started an whole new era of fandom etiquette — namely, disregarding all previous fandom norms in favor of the most childish, pearl-clutching, moral-panicky discourse you'd find daily, and consequently you wouldn't EVER dare bring up to a normal person who exists in the real world.

the crew hated its audience so much, it essentially punished its fans by shutting down all fan theories, purposefully writing AROUND plot twists THEY SET UP, leaving a really messy and plot-hole-filled final script. they especially hated the shippers so much that they shut down BOTH main camps — klance and sheith — for canon allurance, a truly horrible way to end both their character arcs since neither character gets all that satisfying of a conclusion (lance becomes a farmer, allura fucking dies)

this is already long enough but i hope this gives you a general idea :') i have so many emotions about vld. someday i'll make the retrospective video essay of my dreams. this was my nonstop fixation for two straight years. i wasted two years on this shit.

also this show's 8 seasons were released all in a span of 2 and a half years.

[eri-pl]

@edennill I just had an… well, not epiphany because it's not theological, but an insight or something. Tagging, you, because a) it may be interesting b) you often wonder (in frustration, I think) why do people make so much fanart of the bad guys. (Tagiing you doesn't mean the later rhetorical "you" is you. It's a different you. Huh. Maybe we should start using "thee", it would make things easier.

Why do we deny canon characteristics of characters?

(long post below cut, no triggers, kind of fandom discourse-related but tries to empathise with both sides?)

(It's rhetorical "we", I am trying to not do it. But I'm 40 and got many things sorted out. Probably still do it anyway, esp around kidnap fam)

Imagine: you suffer. You read about a character that suffers in the exact same way, or at least a way that rings a bell in your heart.

This is you.

So you love them, you try to defend them, they didn't deserve it — you didn't deserve it — extept it turns out they kind of did deserve it. And all the unsaid accusations you felt from people — well turns out for the character they're true. So are they true about you?

Of course it would be most natural to unlink yourself from the character, but that's not how human brain works. also, unlinking it would be very painful and take a lot of time and effort (and still may not work) and often feels like betraying yourself.

So you fight. For your dignity.

So you fight against people correcting you with things that are actually in the book.

…I legit think it's how it works usually. (Of course, echo chambers and unwillingness to factcheck are a thing too, depends on the person probably.)

So when we engage with someone speaking about their beloved character and it's OoC — there are, at least partially, speaking of a part of themselves. And, while it's technically true, telling someone "a part of you commited [insert a Silm-typical deed here] is very painful.

(Aaaand now the rhetorical "you" is again my friend Edennill, because I can't into rhetorics…) When you engage with someone hyping about Sauron, there are two three Saurons in the conversation: yours (obvious. the Númenor stuff and all other stuff), canon (very similar, maybe with more focus on other evil stuff and not Númenor on top position, idk, anyway close), and theirs (a child who wwas told too many times that they are unforgiveable, or something like that + also has flaming hair and cool ring).

What to do with it? I have no idea what to do with it, except the obvious.

I'm looking for ideas.

And yes, people do project on the good characters too, and criticizing those characters hurts in the same way, only it's also factually false (usually, because not all characters are black and white). I know. I don't mean to say that the "good guys" are ok to criticize and the "bad guys" not, or that book canon should be not spoken about.

Maybe the answer is just "don't hate characters to their fans"? (Facts and hate aren't the same, but with facts, there's still a need for compassion and getting a feel when to say what)

Truth is an important thing. Yes. Truth about what's in a book…. still it is a thing worth saying. Especially when the book is as good (even with it's problems and kitchen sinks) as Silm is. But as I said, empathy or something is needed?

IDK, I'm still figuring it out.

I think I've kind of know this for a long time, half-consciously, but today I had a moment when something clicked and things started making much more sense. Like: why people do have takes that are so far from canon and still call the character the same character. It does make sense in the contaxt...

(Also, no: I'm not like that with Melkor, I'm much more aware of my stuff and of what's canon and what not and I can switch between perspectives… But as I said, I'm old. It comes with some amount of wisdom. Funnily I can deal much better with people hating him than hating Maglor. But I can deal with people hating Maglor (filtering too counts as "deal with" ;D) and I can admit all the stuff he did in the book and that he's a coward, and all that (relateable). I just feel sad when people say he deserves all the worst.)

[david-talks-sw]

any new Star Wars essays in the making, or are you moving on?

I don't know, honestly.

Part of it is "life gets in the way," I'm working a lot and so whatever time I have left is spent just messing around or meeting with my loved ones.

I've got a bunch of stuff in my drafts. I don't mind sharing it here, most recent to oldest:

Sort of a joke post of me pointing out how stressful being George Lucas' producer must've been, like this guy really DIDN'T WANT to write his fucking scripts, did he? Poor Rick McCallum. Abandoned because who gives a crap.

'Ask' reply on how EU-fueled fandom perception of the Jedi was flipped by the prequels.

'Ask' reply about the themes in Ahsoka and why the show doesn't know what it's about. Problem is, I go about it starting from the basics, so nobody's gonna sit through reading a tematic breakdown of the first Pirates of the Carribean movie, The Batman and the original six Star Wars films before I even get to the show at hand.

"Part II" post about what Ahsoka, Rebels and TCW get right about lightsaber duels, which the Prequels never did.

Quote collection & analysis on just how complex the Prequels were meant to be (in the late 80s, Lucas intimated that the Sequels were the story that was supposed to have gray morality, not the Prequels)

Quote collection on how the themes and principles of Star Wars align with Lucas' own opinions and philosophies.

Quote collection on Lucas defining Anakin's flaws.

Quote collection on Lucas talking about the fact that we need to be more proactive, which aligns with what Lumi points out sometimes about the Jedi: they should've been more politically engaged because we all should be.

Why I approach Lucas as "word of god".

Personal life/joke-y post dating from the time of the WGA strike about how Jack Black's School of Rock lyrics "In his heart he knew, the artist must be true, but the legend of the rent was way past due!" applied to me. Abandoned because I didn't wanna bum everyone out.

Correcting the notion that Dark Times-era Jedi such as Kanan or Ezra or Ahsoka represent what Jedi were supposed to be.

A comprehensive end-all outlook on how Anakin's flaws all tie together. I've written this one twice and I don't know how to differentiate it from my other posts.

A secret "Part 3" to my TLJ Luke post, in which I point out that RJ's being too "indie", while being a strong point for a big chunk of the film, hampers the film's ability to make Luke feel as badass as he does on paper. I want to illustrate a storyboard for this one, but that takes time.

The evolution of Star Wars' approach to transmedia.

Debunking Star Wars myths: a (very) comprehensive outlook on children in the Jedi Order.

Problem is that only like 2/3rds of these are fully-written... and I still need to find the relevant clips, turn them into GIFs, etc etc.

There's many other interesting Asks in my inbox btw. But I'm already behind on all these, so I haven't begun to touch them.

Then there's the drawings.

I wanna draw a comic of the meeting between Yoda and Dooku in Dark Rendezvous. I wanna finish the comic fight between Maul and Ben. I wanna draw Mace, Shaak Ti, I've got a Luminara fan-art that was supposed to be ready for Jedi June 2022 and an Anakin drawing that looks weird. No time, nor am I skilled enough. (Like, I trace, that's what I do, it's not a secret I've said so before... but it takes me a long while to do so. I'm not fast at drawing, let alone coloring.) I could commission some of these, but there are obvious obstacles there.

There's fun tidbits I've discovered here and there but nobody will care about them and I usually try to not drown my blog with bs posts.

Then there's the bigger problem.

All the things I've listed above? I'm not 100% motivated to finish. But a lot of the new stuff I wanna write about is hella negative.

I had a lot of stuff I wanted to say about Ahsoka. But it wasn't all good. It was mostly me bitching, be it about the show or the fandom's reactions to it.

I've also got more stuff to say about Filoni's take on Star Wars, but I've talked about why it's inaccurate like 8 times already, and I don't actually dislike the guy, like there's plenty of things he knows and does that I think are awesome but also people won't stop putting him and his takes on a pedestal and--

oh shit, there's Acolyte too, I forgot about that, gray morality galore, here we come. But here too, like... I've talked a couple of times about why this entire gray morality thing is actually just the gen X-ers trying to make the prequels "cool" and "complex". but I've never explored properly, with quotes and research and shit. but i've talked about it so many times that at this point it'd end up like the Filoni rants, redundant. "we get it already." as if this show didn't have haters lined round the block for absolutely sexist reasons.

Don't get me started on the mountain of lies and/or idiocy that is the YouTuber Star Wars Theory.

And yet he said one thing a few months ago which struck a chord within me and it's the fact that Andor is awesome, excels on all levels because it's treated seriously, like a proper show, not a Disney Plus one... why wasn't Obi-Wan Kenobi? Why wasn't Book of Boba Fett? And I've already established multiple times that I enjoyed Kenobi (yes, including the Reva parts) and I've established that I know what they were going for in Fett and I've established that this is mainly a "Disney Plus didn't know how to structure a fucking show pre-WGA strike" issue more than anything else... but when I think about how these could've been treated instead? When I look at the characterizations and emotional stakes of like Fargo Season 5? It's infuriating. Because it's not bad (talking about Kenobi, BOBF is awful)... but it could've been EXCELLENT and instead it was just "okay" to "good".

I just miss live action lightsaber duels, man. Like, good ones.

and i dunno. maybe I should just let it rip on all this. "go off, king!"

but I think there's so much negativity re: Star Wars that adding my thoughts on these subjects, no matter how structured and reason, will just blend into a wave of needless, un-constructive hate.

maybe I should finish the writings in the drafts and just post them with no gifs, maybe just still images?

but doing any of that feels like a step back.

So that's where I'm at right now.

[patchwork-crow-writes]

hey, welcome back, patch!

when you first announced your break, i definitely considered information overload to be at least one of the culprits; when the media i enjoy get new content, i find myself wanting to run away from it, sometimes, and that often leads to me having to consciously diagnose why it makes me feel that way, and what steps to take to reduce that feeling, because usually actually running away just makes me feel sad. these are things i love, after all!

as for feeling like you needed to "defend" your headcanons and viewpoints, OH MY LORD i completely understand! honestly, i feel like defending one's headcanons has kind of become the norm within fandom as a whole, and that is just poison to mental health. no one should have to feel like they need to justify why they like or dislike something, or why they believe a certain headcanon. the eggshell walking is everywhere. and so are the people who attack others over different opinions and ideas, so despite me even being aware of the problem, it's still easy to fall into that mentality where you think you need to aggressively defend yourself, even just through passing by someone else's opinion. as is the case me with me, anyway, haha

usually what works for me is receding out of fandom spaces and surrounding myself with the source material and/or my own works. i find that fandom spaces, while fun to participate in, can be a huge stress-inducer. but seeing as avoiding the thing i love altogether still doesn't make feel better, i just return to the things that drew me in in the first place. taking a deep breath and acknowledging that there's nothing to flip out over also works pretty well for me LMAO

anyway, i'm very glad to hear that you're (kind of) back! i really missed you! wishing you all the best in this crazy world <3

-🪥

Hey there, Tooth! It's good to hear from you again!

(Is it alright to call you Tooth, in lieu of an actual handle? I don't feel anon quite fits the bill here anymore, haha!)

Yeah, you kinda hit the nail on the head there, for sure! The sheer amount of new things to analyze and dissect, combined with the fact that there's only around six weeks to go until the new chapters drop, definitely made me want to step back, and part of getting back to this point was really looking inward and figuring out why I felt that way. Because it's as you say, it's sad to feel like you have to retreat from something you love, and I wanted to understand why. Perhaps there wasn't all that much to understand, but you can bet I really sat with that feeling for a while, haha!

Argh, yeah, it really does feel like that a lot of the time, and feeling myself succumb to that "silo" mentality with my thoughts and headcanons was kind of frightening, actually! I really want to try and embrace the wide diversity of opinions and thoughts that exist, regardless of whether they align with my feelings on the subject or not - that's how new and interesting perspectives come about, after all! Plus which, I feel like most theories and character interpretations have something to them that makes them really enjoyable to consider. Everyone has something to gain from stepping outside their comfort zone from time to time :)

And that can make brushing up against the more entrenched, militant aspects of fandom quite jarring to experience - like a snail being poked in its eyestalks, it sometimes makes you want to retreat into your own shell... but I firmly believe that nobody wins when that happens, and I try to resist the impulse where I can. You're right in that engaging more with the source material can be useful - in my case, I actually started watching Princess Tutu, which has many really interesting parallels to Deltarune, and am even writing a fic for it. It's been really enjoyable to hone in on something different-but-similar for a while, and in my case it definitely helped to remind me what I love so much about the game. And it IS just a game, at the end ofit all. As you say, it's nothing to get too worked up over, however passionate we might be in our devotion to it!

Thank you for your message, Tooth. I'm really touched that you took the time to tell me that. It's always a pleasure to hear from you. I hope that you're doing well out there, despite everything that's been happening. You're always welcome to talk or ramble if you want to, about anything you like. Take care <3