#They're not some big TV show creator for you to go 'I hate what they've done with this :/' at

[sege-h]

Alright I've not stopped thinking about this all day because I'm peeved and I guess I have things to say as someone that has been here long enough that they watched the internet go 'OCs are annoying and cringe' for a few years, enough that it scared a bunch of young artists away from ever making OCs without the fear of looking """cringe"""

If you're not someone's friend/it's not an inside joke it's never okay to go 'Kill that [OC]' especially not when you go '[not joking]' at the end of it

That's someone's little guy (gender neutral) that they've made. Something creative they've shared with the world.

Yes you're allowed to find something annoying but like. When you very publicly go 'I think this is annoying' you're telling the someone that made it 'you and this thing that brings you joy are annoying'

You are not critiquing anything by doing this- No one asked you to, and Sonic OCs aren't like a show or a comic anyone can watch and give their negative thoughts on. You're just being a jerk. OCs can be so personal and you never know whose day you might be ruining by basically going 'I hate that you're having fun, I find it and your OC annoying'

Maybe it's a budding artist

Maybe it's someone whose day was already bad

Maybe it's someone whos dealing with insecurity in their work and your words will be the breaking point that makes them quit or makes them too anxious to keep doing something for years to come

Can you tell that last one happened to me once? Lmao

The Sonic OC Tournament was so civil and that's because everyone in that tournament understands what it's like to make an OC and share it with the world. Nobody wants to go 'youre annoying, your OC should get killed in this poll' to someone else, because they understand how rude that is

People are campaigning for that OC to win a general Sonic tournament? GOOD. They're having fun! What do you expect them to do? Go 'hey everyone vote for literally anyone else but my OC, i hate them'????

When you have negative thoughts on someone having fun without hurting anyone, keep them to yourself. Or hell, maybe you have a friend that's also negative, feel free to DM each other over it instead of saying it where the artists can see. Again, the artists of a personal OC, not some piece of media that's free to critique.

I've been in this fandom for a long time. And trust me, if this is you, if you find yourself acting like this. Work on it. Grow into someone better. Because you don't wanna be the person whose impact on someone's time in fandom was 'that one jerk weirdo'

Me and the friends I've grown up along with in this fandom remember all the good times- the time someone did fanart of our OCs unprompted, the times people were nice to us, the times anyones commented so much as a 'hey! I like your fanfic/OCs!' and even though it's been years, we remember the names of the people that made fandom good for us!

But we also remember the jerks. But not their names. They're just a 'hey remember that one time this weirdo said my OC sucks?' or 'hey remember that jerk that kept insisting to critique my art even though no one asked?'

They're nameless, tiny black smudges on our experiences in fandom, people we decided to stay away from going forward. And you don't wanna be that.

I guess all I'm saying is, please learn how to act around people online. We're here to have fun, not put on a show for someone else. We're people, not content machines for you to either show amusement or disdain towards. Someone/something someone made as a fan annoys you? Stay away from it then, and don't kick someone for having fun with the characters they made

[bengiyo]

I am curious for your perspective on the way the OF creators are interacting with fans and have even admitted to editing the show based on fan reactions. It strikes me as an unusual level of interaction and capitulation, though of course TV is a live medium that is nearly always responsive to reactions to some extent. My preference is for a lot less of this kind of thing, but I know you have experience with direct interaction with media creators and have found it enhances your experience sometimes. What do you make of how these dynamics are showing up in OF and the effect it’s having on the show?

TV and Critic Background

So, I am actually the worst person to talk to if you think the creators should be quiet about their work, because I really enjoy talking to directors, producers, actors, cinematographers, and especially editors about their work. I often go to film festivals just to talk to the creators about their processes.

I've also been in the TV space a really long time, and I am used to this kind of behavior. I don't think a lot of folks who are in BL are used to being in the process of TV itself, and I think a lot of people have let the Netflix binge model inform the way they view TV. TV is not like movies. When you get a movie, you are seeing the end product of filming, editing, test screenings, re-edits, etc. TV is usually only an episode or two ahead of the viewers.

It's extremely normal for a show to respond to feedback when characters test well. The 100 did this with Jasper. He was supposed to die in the pilot when that spear entered his chest, but he tested well with audiences so they revived him.

Fun Fact: This is why Kiseki: Dear to Me didn't just move their release schedule up when episode 8 was leaked early. They probably weren't finished assembling episode 9.

I followed Sense8 through its entire development process all the way from rumors and then J. Michael Stracynski's posts about it, to the things Lana and Lily said about it, to the commentary from the cast.

I have a special hatred for Rick Behrman over Star Trek.

I absolutely hate Russel T. Davies because of Cucumber.

I bailed on Supernatural because of the way the writers condescended to us at comicon after killing Kevin.

I know some fans are upset about the idea that scenes they wanted to see got cut, but I was there for Noah Galvin opening his fucking mouth to talk shit about other actors at ABC who were playing beloved gay characters and that subsequently getting The Real O'Neals canceled. The show had a very short second season and I feel forever salty about that.

What does this mean for Jojo and Ninew and Den?

I actually think Jojo, Den, and Ninew are fine. I don't think they usually poopoo on valid reads from what I've seen, and mostly they're having fun with the fans, too. I just don't think people are used to the creators being so honest about how feedback affects the editing process.

I think this is the first time we've had a big show in a while where the creator was fairly active on socials about the show. Aof and Au are usually pretty quiet when their shows are airing, and only give small tidbits while they show is airing. Jojo is silly and likes to play with fans. Den is feisty and has a gay agenda to pursue.

Truly, I don't think Jojo and friends are that bad about anything with this show, because they're mostly just laughing and stating things that are obvious to people who pay attention to how the sausage is made.

Shipping

That being said, the biggest struggle OF is having is shipping. The FK girlies are so loud and their heavy breathing has likely influenced the way Jojo and friends decided to write Ray. The FB girlies are so into them that it's made Jojo and them dial back some of their Top content because the audience hates him so much. Only Boston and Nick feel like they've made it through the shipping gamut intact because Neo and Mark aren't bringing a bunch of preexisting shippers to the table.

Coming off of episode 10, you can see this plainly with the nasty4nasty dynamic with Boston and Nick. The emotional core of their dynamic feels true, even down to the way their moments in the store mirror their first interactions again. Boston came in for service about his phone and intentionally showed Nick something on it.

I don't think Jojo has ever had to work with multiple acting pairs that were big branded pairs prior to this, and this is only his second time really dealing with that. With Never Let Me Go, Pond and Phuwin weren't that big yet, and he wasn't threatening their ship with anything complicated. OF is challenging for people who just watch BL as fap material and have to deal with their faves not being easy people to parse.

As usual, we go back to that post that goes around all the time, thought I think the OP deleted it:

"Never ever be normal about fictional characters but please GOD be normal about the people who play them, I am begging you" -tumblr user mantorokk-writes

[tinyowlthoughts]

Bury Your Gays by @drchucktingle

I laughed. I cried. I read it in one sitting and will read it again before the week is over.

Holy fuck.

The horror is exquisite. Not just that people are dying (both in-story but also fictionally through film) in fascinating and creative ways, as well as being stalked/threatened/jump scared/etc., but in the way that the horror characters are connected to the protagonists history. Habits, smells, sights - everything is part of the whole.

There are no throw-away details in this book - everything has meaning, everything connects in some way. This is the kind of tapestry woven that would take up an entire wall of a castle, the kind with so many small, intricate details that it would take you hours of examination to notice and appreciate all of them. The matchbooks, the phones, the crossword with pen - all of it has a meaning that reflects on the overall story. It's insane.

Misha is fantastic. He's smart and successful, but also a deeply flawed character in that he can't accept praise, not to mention being so deep in the closet for half the book he's having tea with Aslan and playing bridge with the Babadook on Thursdays. (But hey, double date potential for Misha & Zeke with Babadook & Pennywise!) His flaws aren't just 'he's in the closet', either. No, he's forgetful at times, not always great at communicating with his boyfriend (another great character), or with his employers. It's mentioned he has a snappy, harsh history with the paparazzi. Still, he's someone you want to root for throughout the book. He deserves to win, after you see his inner turmoil over everything going on.

Zeke, Tara, and Jack are all fantastic as characters as well. Zeke is adorkable, Tara is kick-ass, and Jack is - well, I spent most of the book HATING Jack, but he's a symptom of a larger problem, and well he is an asshole, he's not a complete one.

Also, FUCK YEAH ACE HERO! As an asexual, I'm used to not seeing myself in media. Having such a kickass aroace character was AMAZING, and she made me so happy. I've already started doodling some of her fantastic outfits.

The plot was fascinating. It started with this 'big corp v little guy over profits' idea, and it carries it through, but there is so much more to it than that. It touches on the effect of AI in Hollywood/creative endeavors, on how authors don't always own their characters in the same way after they've been franchised, on how important tech privacy is in a world where we just let cell phone towers do what they want. The horror characters are great - they're terrifying, lurking in the shadows, waiting to spring out at the most inopportune time - but they're a small part of the bigger threat - a symptom of the big bad evil guy. They're creative and fascinating and I really, really want to cuddle Black Lamb even if that is a supremely bad idea (as demonstrated by Josiah). Honestly, the Smoker stole the show for me. I loved when he showed up - an amazing character.

At one point in the story, Misha gives a speech. I'm going to be 100% clear here: I cried. I cried because I understood it. I cried because I grew up thinking I was broken, thinking there was something deeply wrong with me, that I was unworthy of love and acceptance, because I didn't feel romantic feelings towards boys. Because I didn't want to date or kiss or have sex. I didn't see characters like me on TV or in movies or in books. Just like Misha, I didn't see myself.

I am so fucking thankful that is changing. I'm so glad that media is going from 'queer coding' to overt 'be gay and slay'. I'm so happy to see the younger generations rising up and replacing the boomers with stories that preach tolerance and love and queer joy. I'm ecstatic that creators are changing entertainment media to include queer characters. I'm so hopeful that in the next few years, I'll be one of them.

Most of all I'm glad I read this book today. I'm glad I saw the post on Tumblr this morning and got it on my Kindle. I'm glad I got to experience the heart-pounding terror Misha went through because he wanted his two characters to kiss. I'm glad I've experienced a whirlwind of emotions in the past few hours as I dove into this experience headfirst.

I'm glad Chuck Tingle wrote this book.

And I'm ecstatic that he's proving Love is Real.

Thank you for another amazing novel, Mr. Tingle.

(And, should Mr. Tingle ever read this: what happened to the people injured on the plane? Did they recover in the end? Did poor seat mate ever finish his crossword?!?!)