#and have a very unhealthy relationship with stanning culture

[bandzboy]

very much this... cr.

[eff-plays]

So my problem with AA stans claiming to be "dark romance enjoyers" is that it's uuh. Incorrect.

I'm a fantasy romance writer and I have been in the same circles as dark romance enjoyers and writers. Like full on omegaverse non-con type shit. I don't like it myself and think it's wack, but the reasoning of the people who enjoy it is that they have lingering shame around wanting sex, around purity culture, potentially homophobia with men who enjoy omegaverse stuff, so a bigstrong alpha man who forces them to enjoy something they secretly want is a sexual fantasy to them. They can hold onto that "purity" and "innocence" and not have any shame around wanting sex, because technically someone else is forcing it on them. They can explore that safely within fiction, and don't necessarily want that to happen to them IRL, unless it's within kink scenes etc. And yeah I don't get it, but it is something people do and own doing, and I can't stop them so as long as they're doing it over there, it's none of my business.

But AA fans claim to love the "dark romance" of it, but then turn around and say that no!! He's NOT abusive!! He's NOT going to assault or mind-control Tav, it's NOT an unhealthy relationship, they're EQUALS and he ADORES them and won't disrespect them!! Just look at the backlash to the "kneel" kiss, people who got so mad that Tav looks distraught.

But look at what BW said in the infamous Discord screenshot: it's fine to enjoy the fantasy, but it's not healthy in-universe. The game itself says "maybe you enjoy degrading yourself."

But AA stans looked at that and went "UM NO!!! IT IS HEALTHY!! I'M BEING SHAMED!!! >:(" and "OH POOR BABY THINKS HE'S BELOW US AND THAT'S WHY HE THINKS WE'RE DEGRADING OUTSELVES!!"

And that's where my problem stems from.

An actual dark romance enjoyer would be like "ough yes Daddy Astarion brainwash me and make me your brainless little fuckdolll sex slave and make me take your cummies every day." Not "YAAS BABE YOU AND ME ARE EQUALS AND PARTNERS IN CRIME UWU UWU UWU (ignores all the red flags and pretends they don't exist)!!!"

So like. You claim you enjoy dark romance, but you're constantly, desperately trying to erase the actual, in-game, canon darkness of it. Any hint of it you try to excuse away, or blame on the writers, or say is OOC and wrong.

You whine and complain about "fixers" and "moralizers" and "fandom police," but you yourself are policing the very romance you claim to enjoy by sanitizing it and making it into something more palatable instead of accepting how dark it actually is.

I've yet to see any AA stan have a Tav who's like a brainwashed sex slave, or in an abusive relationship with AA. All of them are just girlbosses who are co-rulers, which leads me to believe you don't enjoy "dark romance," but privilege. That's the thing that gets you off, privilege and power, particularly a priveleged and powerful man putting you on a pedestal and giving you whatever you want, taking care of you, letting you get away with bad things because he has the power to make all your issues go away. (Is this why so many AA stans are also Russian ... who said that)

And that's FINE. But just admit that? Admit that Astarion's story isn't what draws you to him, that you just enjoy the idea of a beautiful man who has power sharing it with you, and AA just happens to have those surface-level traits if you don't engage with or misinterpret the source material. Hell, I'm a villainmancer myself, who's writing a villain origin story for shits and giggles where a girl becomes a war criminal with the loving help of her edgelord goblin king.

But y'all don't do that. And that's the problemo, lads. You made up a story in your head that isn't in the game, you idolize that story, and get mad when people go "Wait, that's not in the game???"

[jessamine-rose]

♫ ♪ ⊱ .⋅ Aoede ⋅. ⊰ ♪ ♫

Once upon a time, @diodellet and I joked about Singer! Reader x Stan! Pierro as the modern AU of my Yandere! Pierro fics. Fast forward to the present, I have applied my clown makeup ꒰(•́⍜•̀)꒱

Tw:: YANDERE, unhealthy relationships, toxic stan culture, stalking, kidnapping, drugging

♡ 1.7k words under the cut ♡

♡ So how did someone like Pierro become your no#1 stan? Even in his youth, he considers himself above such reprobate theatrics. But that all changes during a rough period in his life when he hears you calling out to his soul in the middle of a busy street.

♡ In actuality, you are an ordinary busker. Hypnotized by your music, Pierro stays for the remainder of your performance. You are like a beacon of hope that sprung out of nowhere, with your angelic voice and uplifting lyrics. And you’ve clearly noticed him because you cheerfully thank him after your last song.

How could he describe the solace evoked by your music? He feels calm, invigorated.

“Your performance was utterly enchanting,” is all he tells you.

He takes a few bills out of his wallet, but you quickly pack away your tip box.

“Thank you,” you reply, a bright smile on your face. “Your smile was the best payment I could’ve asked for!”

♡ Since then, whenever he visits that area, Pierro looks for you to no avail. You’ve completely vanished, leaving him to question whether you were truly some guardian angel. Then one day, out of nowhere, he hears your voice again on the radio. The familiar song is followed by your official introduction as an up-and-coming artist.

♡ As it turns out, you were scouted by an agency!! Pierro had miraculously attended your last street performance, and now he can listen to your music anytime. Your debut album is worth the purchase; it has the same divine melody…minus your presence. And so, against his better judgment, he attends your first official concert.

♡ Your second performance is just as life-changing. Onstage, illuminated by the heavenly lights, you successfully mesmerize the entire audience including Pierro. From afar, you look ethereal, dreamy, charismatic…and he also finds you pretty. Very pretty, like a god who descended from the skies to share their gift of song with the world.

♡ Pierro is not blind to the parasocial nature of your relationship. Regardless, he listens to your new albums religiously, sends you elegantly-penned fanmail, and attends a few more concerts and fan meetings. Unlike your “hopelessly degenerate” fans, he greets you in a calm, serious manner and doesn’t prolong his turn with you. His gaze is rather intense in photos, however.

♡ There is also the dark side of his adoration. Constant thoughts about you, endless loops of your songs, the urge to hunt down your undeserving stans, a suppressed desire to bridge the distance between the two of you. It is no wonder that as your career comes crashing down, so does his entire world.

♡ It isn’t your fault, of course. The paparazzi, the media’s criticisms, your exploitative agency and toxic fanbase…he sees how it takes a toll on you over the years. You can fool the entire world with a false smile, but he sees the growing dimness in your eyes. After another leaked hospital visit, your agency announces the termination of your contract.

♡ Your remaining fans are devastated, but not so much as Pierro. Yet despite his despair, a cruel part of him revels in it. He buys your discounted merch at clearance sales and writes more heartfelt letters until your agency stops forwarding your fanmail. He no longer has to share you with the world.

♡ That being said, he has no time to grieve your downfall. Stagnation would be an insult to your legacy, and now he can fully devote himself to his work. So he accepts a job offer from the Tsaritsa, moves to Snezhnaya, and establishes the Fatui.

♡ Fast forward a few decades, he has built a new life for himself. The Fatui is now a powerful organization, prestigious on paper and feared in the black market. Meanwhile, you have been reduced to an old name in music history, forgotten in favor of new talent. And while his obsession survives in personal playlists and merch collections, Pierro refuses to waste time searching for you. Rather, you return to his life on your own.

♡ He is simply browsing the drugstore when a stranger bumps into him. Just as he is about to brush off the accident, Pierro hears their apology and whirls around. It’s you, standing in front of him, this time without stanchions or bodyguards.

♡ His first thought is that you’ve changed. Older appearance, plain clothes, a quiet voice. No one else would believe that you were once a lively singer with the power to charm hundreds of people. If anything, you are the one staring at him with awe and respect.

♡ Your nervous “Do I know you?” is what snaps him out of his thoughts. Pierro quickly denies it, and your relieved expression only confirms your identity. He accepts your apology, walks past you, and observes you from a distance. Sure enough, it’s all there from your telltale mannerisms to the snack preferences memorized from magazine interviews.

♡ …Your tired disposition and purchased medications also aren’t lost on him. After following you to your apartment, he drives back to his office and enlists the Fatui in gaining intel. Within days, he catches up on your post-musician life. You laid low, moved to Snezhnaya, joined a company which lets you work from home. What a pitiful fate.

♡ Another crucial fact is that you no longer recognize him. While that stings, Pierro understands—he, too, has changed over the years, with his fine suits and dignified attitude. Actually, he could use this to his advantage. With his elevated status and the dissolution of your professional boundaries, he can entertain what was once a foolish dream.

♡ You begin to run into him everywhere—in the drugstore, the grocery, your favorite cafe. Your encounters soon evolve into brief conversations then casual dates. With each reunion, Pierro falls deeper into his obsession. Who knew that the real, imperfect you was this enchanting?

♡ Courtship aside, it’s also natural that he seeks justice for you. The companies which exploited you? Exposed for their crimes against other celebrities. Your old song favored by the YouTube algorithm? Instantly hit with copyright strike, along with your remaining legacy. Even your official channel gets hacked and deleted. In other words, Pierro gatekept his idol

♡ From your end, you don’t suspect anything. Sure, you do question your frequent run-ins until Pierro claims that the Fatui opened a new office in your area. And despite your disbelief when he formally asks you out—him, the director of the Fatui?!—you accept out of mutual attraction. You haven’t had a close companion in years, and he makes you happy.

♡ Sure, he is vague about his life before the Fatui but that’s fine, right? You’ve only started dating and he respects your own secrecy. You’re still hesitant to reveal your previous identity, given your slandered reputation. Your saving grace is that Pierro seemingly doesn’t know your stage persona at all, a rare trait for those from your generation.

♡ A few weeks into your relationship, you are invited to his home. His estate is palatial, heavily guarded, distanced from the city. And Pierro is nothing short of a perfect host as he shows you around, allowing you to admire his private art collections from Snezhnaya and Khaenri’ah. In your current state, you’ve never felt more out of place.

♡ After a few glasses of wine, you head to the bathroom. While Pierro gave you directions, he didn’t specify which door it was. Which is how you discover what seems to be a storage room for more paintings and art pieces. Oops, time to close—is that your face?

♡ Shakily, you turn on the lights. All four walls are covered in framed posters—your posters from the height of your career. The display cases hold your old merch such as vintage albums, T-shirts, accessories, fragrances, photos and magazine articles, every relic of your past. What is all of this?

♡ The answer is a familiar letter set on the table. The handwriting, the name on the envelope, the wax seal with a four-pointed star…doesn’t this belong to one of your devoted fans? You only look away when a shadow engulfs you; it’s Pierro standing in the doorway.

“Careful now, this is my most prized collection. What a shame, my surprise has been ruined.”

♡ Despite his serious expression, his gaze is absolutely terrifying. You can’t even panic before you are suddenly overtaken by drowsiness. Your vision blurs; you lose your balance; you nearly collapse if not for Pierro catching you. You can only weakly flail in his arms as he carries you to his room. The last thing you hear is his gentle humming, a familiar melody which lulls you to sleep.

♡ It was wise of him to serve the drugged wine early. With you unconscious, Pierro can proceed to the next phase of his plan. This time, he enters your apartment where Fatui employees are already packing your things. He personally sifts through the items in your bedroom and finds your old singer memorabilia stashed in your closet.

♡ Dusty instruments, crumpled sheet music, awards…and your fanmail. He feels a twinge of warmth upon finding his letters compiled in their own box; the others are burned with his lighter. See, he was truly superior to your other stans. You clearly cherished his every word over their insincere ramblings, and now he can directly profess his undying love for you.

♡ When he returns to his estate, you’re still unconscious. That is when Pierro finally allows himself to smile, caress your face, envision your new life together. He has it all planned out—a shared bed, a new wardrobe fit for a house-spouse, a wedding for when you’re more docile. You belong to him and no one else.

♡ …He does know that to hear you sing again is a wistful delusion. Your passion for music is gone; your voice has been altered by age and unuse; and you’d probably reject such a request from him. But that’s perfectly fine. You already saved him once, so allow him to repay the favor.

♡

If you liked this post, pls consider reading Disjecta Membra and Chess Piece linked above!! And don't ask me wtf I was on to make Pierro, of all characters, a celebrity stan bc idk either. I hope y’all enjoyed this :'>

Tag a Pierro enjoyer!! @frogchiro @kocherry @nicebonescomrades @mnemosyneechan @thescribeoflostmemories @victoria1676 @artiifex @pierroswife @fluffy-koalala @leftdestiny-posts @ansy-tea @oofasleep @elysiasfiance @frostedclementine

[cryforthemoon44]

I think it's time to have a serious discussion about how people treat public figures nowadays and how dehumanising them and being obsessive has been completely normalised due to stan culture.

I'm a fan of many bands that don't have huge popularity and are mainly free from crazy stans (or don't have that many), and they are able to have a good relationship with the fans and not worry about their safety too much.

This is clearly not the case for most larger artists in the rock/metal genre, however. Bad Omens gained so many fans so quickly that it seems like they went from having a really nice fanbase (and the band was able to safely interact with fans) to having a toxic one very quickly, with many people not understanding boundaries and not regarding the band members as real people. I'm really not surprised that the band is rarely on social media anymore- the creepy fans don't know when to stop. They've stalked Noah and I've seen many fanpages post his baby pictures online when he's said he doesn't like this multiple times, and tbh it's unacceptable. I'm sure the toxic fans are a minority but they are why the band might be against meeting their fans now and why they want to be so private, since the weirdos will keep digging for information which is none of their fucking business! I've seen people on here worry that the band hates their fans and whilst I don't think that's the case I also think that they almost certainly dislike the portion of fans that don't respect boundaries or make things up about them and find them very irritating.

Not to mention that it is indeed unhealthy to obsess over a band all the time. However, I understand being autistic/ having ADHD and having special interests or hyperfixations, but you can still be respectful and understand boundaries even then- I'm ND myself and have managed to do this with my special interests.

And honestly? RPF fanfiction is another possible issue despite it being a grey area. Remember, it's for the fans only and nobody else, and keep it on designated fanfic sites only and locked on there (so you need an account to view them). Keep any fics on here out of the main tags. All it takes is a few creepy fans to send them to the band, and it would be an absolutely huge disaster and could lead to lawsuits/legal problems. I cannot imagine any member of Bad Omens not being extremely disturbed if they saw the fanfics people write about them honestly, so please be very careful (or even consider not writing rpf since that's the safest thing to do and may help if you can't stop obsessing over the band!).

Anyway, if you are exceeding famous people's boundaries, please stop and think. Would you want people doing this to you if you were famous? I don't think so. And can you really consider yourself a 'fan' of someone if you don't respect their personhood and boundaries? Please do better.

[uncloseted]

I’m all for chappel standing up for herself and not letting anyone walk all over her, but her whole attitude toward fame really just irks me lmfao. Her saying “This fame crap.” At the VMAS and “I don’t want to win a grammy.” just feels so ungrateful to me and tbh a bit bitchy (I know that was an old statement but still). I get being overwhelmed by bad interactions, and she has EVERY right to be, but jesus christ why complain about the career you are actively pursuing on a red carpet? Like girl if you REALLY don’t care that much let someone else do it who WANTS to? I know she blew up overnight. I know she’s probably very overwhelmed but fuck, her whole attitude is like a high schooler trying to pretend she’s too good for everything. It’s off putting and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

So I think a number of things can be true at the same time. She's right and she should say it, but the way she's going about it probably isn't the most strategic move she could be making in terms of her public image, and at the same time, there's no such thing as a perfect victim, so I don't think there's any way she could have asserted herself that would have been universally applauded.

As I've said on here before (here and here), I do think that fundamentally, Chappell is right. Especially in countries that have deeply ingrained stan cultures, as the US does, the relationship between celebrities and the public is kind of abusive. We’re putting these celebrities in gilded cages and expecting them to dance on command, as if they’re objects instead of people. Chappell should have the right to be an artist without being harassed every time she goes out in public and without her friends and family being stalked. I think it's really weird that we act like this treatment is acceptable for artists when it would be totally unacceptable to do to like, the barista at your coffee shop. I think she has a right to pursue professional opportunities (award shows, interviews) without also agreeing to interactions with fans in non-professional contexts, when she's not "on the clock". I don't think that's inherently contradictory. It's reasonable for her to want a work-life balance, especially since she's someone who is playing a character when on stage. I also want to point out that we don't know how much control she actually has over these public appearances. Her label may have committed her to interviews and award shows without asking her permission, or there may be a reason why she couldn't pull out of those obligations even if she wanted to.

That said, from a PR perspective, I think she should have stopped while she was ahead. Instead of posting raw TikTok videos and then continuing to double down, it probably would have been more strategic for her to work with her team to craft one single statement, and then to reiterate those same points whenever the topic comes up in an interview or other public space. The way that she's been talking about it seems like it's eroding the good will she has with the public, and, as you say, the narrative is starting to become that she's bitchy and ungrateful. I think her team should be doing a better job managing her public image and guiding her in the right direction, since they're the professionals and she's really new at this.

But that said, Chappell is an introverted 26 year old girl who struggles with bipolar disorder and only blew up five months ago. Of course she's struggling with this. Touring is grueling even for people who are really mentally healthy. It's overwhelming and exhausting and all of your routines get upended. There's an interview where she says that, "this industry and artistry fucking thrive on mental illness, burnout, overworking yourself, overextending yourself, not sleeping. You get bigger the more unhealthy you are. Isn’t that so fucked up?”, and I think that's really true. And so for people who struggle with a mental illness, touring is that much harder, and can really exacerbate their symptoms.

Plus, for someone like Chappell, who describes herself as very introverted, I think touring must be especially hard because you're essentially with your coworkers all day, every day. There's this one Vanity Fair interview that she did before Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess came out where she says that, "I found it to be pretty exhausting just interacting with so many people a night. Not anything they did wrong, but my soul was just so overwhelmed. Shows really take it out of you. It's a really emotional rollercoaster being on tour, so it's hard to play the character [of Chappell Roan] all the time." She also says that, "finally I found a place that I feel good about my meds. I'm in therapy. I really try to like, take care of myself. But, oh my god, it's so hard with this job because there's no checking out. There's no clocking in and out. I worked at a doughnut shop for a long time and I loved it because I would just leave work and I would just go watch TV and it was great. But I feel like this is just really hard to take a step away from, especially on tour."

In that context, where she's gone from being virtually unknown to not being able to go out in public without being recognized, where she, her family, and her friends are being stalked, where lots of people have an opinion on her as a publicly queer woman, where she's been touring for months on end, where she's maybe not able to take care of her mental health as well as she could at home, I think it makes a lot of sense that she's in a place of being burnt out and not quite knowing how to handle it.

To me, it seems like she's going through a very human emotion of wanting to set boundaries but not wanting to lose the fans and support she has and not knowing how to find that balance. I think especially for someone who (from what she's said) has felt ostracized and different her entire life, the idea of losing the huge amount of appreciation and support she now has is probably terrifying. She's said that this project is about "honouring the childhood I never got" and so I think it makes sense that she's both fiercely protective of it and not ready to let it go.

I've also seen a lot of people say that she should just cancel all further appearances and disappear from the spotlight for a while, but I don't actually know if she can do that. She's not really in a position like Lorde or Enya where she could just go home and everyone would treat her the way they used to. She's from a small town in Missouri where everyone knows her and I imagine, a lot of people have negative opinions about her, and now she lives in LA where everyone knows who she is. I think she would have to start over somewhere totally new, in the middle of nowhere, with no queer community and away from her family and friends. I get why she might feel like that's not really an option.

I think ultimately what she wants is for people to view "Chappell" and "Kayleigh" as two totally different entities, where Chappell is a celebrity but Kayleigh isn't. And I think that's a totally fair thing to want, especially because Chappell is a very easily identifiable character, so it's easy to know when she's "at work" and when she's "off the clock". I think it's super reasonable for her to want to do the things she loves to do- make music, perform, play the character of Chappell on stage- while also having a private life. I think she does really want this career as a pop star. But I don't think she wants the career of "celebrity" and I don't think she's actively trying to pursue that (beyond what her label is obligating her to do).

The last thing I want to say is that I think, as is typical for the internet, a lot of her statements are being taken out of context. For example, the Grammy's thing she said was, "my mom would love to go to the Grammys or the Brits... but I’m kind of hoping I don’t win, because then everyone will get off my ass: ​‘See guys, we did it and we didn’t win, bye’! I won’t have to do this again!” I think what she's talking about is the process of campaigning for a Grammy. Those awards don't just go to the artists who are the "best" in some kind of objective way. Labels campaign hard for those awards, which means that their artists also have to campaign hard for the award, whether that's something they really want to do or not. So I think she's saying "if I lose, we won't have to do the campaigning for this award the next time I put an album out," not "I don't appreciate the recognition and appreciation I'm getting." In general, I would really recommend reading that entire interview, because it gives good insight into where her thinking is right now, where she is emotionally, and what these interactions that she's talking about are actually like.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something I wanted to say about this, but I guess all I'm really trying to say is that I think Chappell (and all celebrities) are put in a really difficult situation, and I don't blame her for not being able to handle it perfectly. I think her team should be doing more to shield her from some of this and to protect her image so that she doesn't have to deal with people hating her on top of dealing with the people who love her too much.

[mrchalamet-mrstyles]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/timothee-chalamet-kylie-jenner-club-chalamet-stan-culture-controversy-1234820673/amp/

Club Chalamet mentioned in rolling stone magazine.........

She keeps having the day she deserves 🤣

A fan account run by a Gen-Xer, coupled with a reference to a beloved fast-casual Italian eatery chain, was more than enough to make Club Chalamet go viral. The drama has obviously reignited a long-running internet discussion on parasocial relationships, a term used to describe fans investing immense emotional time and energy into a famous or fictional person without the other person even knowing they exist. But what most people have failed to address is the real problem in the room: stan culture’s intimate relationship with misogyny, and how it bleeds into real life.

...

Fandom starts to get messy, however, when misogyny plays into it, especially when it comes to celebrity relationships. Stans are upset with Chalamet for dating Jenner, but their vitriol is aimed firmly at her. They think he’s a serious actor, and Jenner is a vapid Instagram model. “Kylie doesnt have anything to offer Timothee on an intellectual level,” reads a now-deleted tweet from a stan account,” while a Club Chalamet post wrote, “[Kylie] attracts a certain crowd that has very low IQs.” How could these two equally famous 27 and 26-year-olds, respectively, possibly enjoy each other’s company? She must be the problem. Some fans, Club Chalamet included, have even referred to the social media star as “Slurpee,” because they believe that like the drink, she is “artificial” and “unhealthy” for their favorite actor.

...

There’s a real-life consequence to this narrative. Once it becomes acceptable for misogyny to be weaponized against celebrities’ new partners, it’s easier for those views to become mainstream in the court of public opinion. Most infamously, that is exactly what happened last year, when fans of the actor Johnny Depp started attacking his ex Amber Heard during her defamation trial against him, which she described as “humiliating and horrible.” Ironically, fellow Chalamet stans have even been misogynistic toward the woman who runs Club Chalamet, attacking her for her age rather than critiquing her seemingly unhealthy obsession with the actor’s personal life.

[gaykey]

Imagine being fatphobic at the ripe old age of 32… what’s awful is that Narae looked so hurt and vulnerable at all the comments and it’s sad to think of all of Kibum’s large bodied fans who are going to watch this show where he’s doing this. Some lockets are already defending this behaviour. Terrible all around.

Kibum bodyshaming Narae and this is not the first time he has behaved this way towards women he is often talking shit about women’s bodies and larger bodies how many times this guy is going to be given grace idek anymore

Kibum has said something problematic on those variety shows and no one on twitter will say what he said exactly. Do you know what he said? It’s possibly something to do with body shaming coz they are saying it’s something Kibum has faced before but then he’s saying it to someone else but I am not sure

helllooooo

so, i saw a lot of people talking about this, but i have only just seen the actual clip-

yeah, idk, maybe it's because i stanned him for so long, but his commemt was not at all shocking to me. like yeah, that's a thing key would say.

not defending it!! but i see some shawols really shocked and disappointed, and i'm here like.....that checks. even despite the other shitty things he's done/said lately, this is the least surprising.

the man has always had a very unhealthy view/relationship with body image and diet culture. for most of his career he's spoken about weight loss, and extreme dieting, and even about taking diet pills...he's always promoted that. most of the time, it's in regards to himself and his own body image, but he has made a few comments in regards to others before.

most infamously, about nicole way back, when his comments anout her weight, made her turn to unhealthy weight loss practices. which i talk more about here.

and yeah- i had thought he'd maybe grown out of making comments about peoples bodies but again, not surprised to be wrong.

in regards to the situation, for context for you anon, and anyone else that doesn't know (tw fatphobia): in a clip from a narae segement of ila, (and i have only seen the short few second clip, so i don't know if, or any more context has been cut) there's a shot of some plates of really tasty food that she's about to eat i think, and in the studio, narae watching, says, she had the thought of 'can diet food be this good?' and another cast member says 'more like 'are you allowed to eat this much?' and they all laugh and agree. then key comments 'no wonder you're not losing any more weight (implied: if this is how much you eat).'

it's said in that flippant, jokey, whiny voice way kibum does. and that's that. nothing is mwntioned after.

i'll be so real, this is something that is only going to be seen as an issue, mostly amongst international fans.

within the industry, and amongst a lot of korean fans, and the general public - this will raise absolutely no eyebrows.

it's no secret that weight, and diet culture, and body image, and the idea that being thin is the bwst way to be, is very much the norm in s korea, for the most part. and that mindset is even more present in the entertainment industry. that's the beauty standard.

kibum, despite saying this about a woman, who is his friend, (people using the fact that their friends, and it's probably just a joke, does not excuse his comments. like anon above said, as a public figure, he needs to think about how what he says effects many many people. his words have impact, and someone his grown age who has been famous this long should know that.) will probably not see anything wrong with what he said.

even narae, though she is probably hurt by the comment, will not say anything.

as we are all aware, it's all part of a way larger issue about how bodies, and beauty standards, especially for women, in s korea, and the industry, are scrutinised, but it's too much to get into right now.

this doesn't make any of it right, or excuse what he said, though, of course. to reiterate, nothing i'm saying here is in defence of him.

i'm mentioning it all, because i doubt it'll make more than a bit of a buzz on a small portion of int fan twitter before it dies off.

sometimes the netizens surprise me though so?

but again, doubt it, because once again, i see it barely talking about in shawol twitter.

[notasimpleslater]

If there’s anything that ‘Stan’ culture has taught us, it’s that 1) people who fall into ‘Stan’ culture are often not very inclined to think independently, critically, or even logically about their favourite idols because they see any criticism of their idols as a direct attack on themselves; and 2) these stans don’t see their idols and their idols associates as real people. Much like I think Ariana herself does, I believe that a lot of her stans view her partners as extensions of her image, props to her current aesthetic (just look at how some people STILL talk about Mac Miller); hence why I think some people are latching onto her and Ethan still being together- she’s launched this cutesy little balletcore musical theatre summer camp ingenue persona, and Ethan fits very neatly into that given his background. Also, due to the MASSIVE, almost sickening power imbalance in the relationship (like in that video you posted; we’ve already seen how the power imbalance is playing out unfairly in the media), and how so many people view Ethan as being “below” Ariana in terms of fame, wealth, appearance, and social relevance (I feel like Ariana herself also probably feels that way, hence why she felt safe to do the abhorrent thing that she did- if you’ve watched Succession, this is a classic NRPI), they think that he’s “safe” for her to date, so that when they inevitably break up, amidst this very messy situation in which Ariana looks very, very bad; her stans can just pretend it never happened as Ethan fades into obscurity to them since he’s nowhere near her level of fame, which means they never have to analyze their own parasocial relationships, they never have to hold Ariana accountable, which adds up to their own views and values and perceptions of themselves never being challenged. Which is just deeply unhealthy.

This is so true. The amount of stans on twitter STILL denying that Ari did anything wrong is astounding to say the least (a lot of them are clinging on for dear life to the "they were both separated from their spouses before they started dating" story, but the timelines are so muddied that there's no way of knowing if that's true or not).

Something interesting that I noticed is that Ethan is so small compared to Ariana's fame that his fans are in the minority of people saying stuff about this, and everyone else is either an Ariana stan or people who hate her. Like people are over here making these wild assumptions about him, and I'm just like "umm??? There's no way that even remotely true??"

And thank you for bringing up the power imbalance because I feel like people are completely ignoring that even though it's very obviously there.

[consumeroflemoans]

i want to hear you talk about parasocial relationships if you feel up to it

Sure! I can totally talk about parasocial relationships. Just keep in mind, I am in no way an expert and most of what I talk about is a culmination of what I have witnessed and information I have gathered from videos covering the topic. If you want to learn more, there are plenty of more qualified people discussing the topic out there.

Also as a warning, this isn’t going to be very structured, it’s just kind of me rambling and going off on whatever tangent my brain takes me.

Parasocial relationships are essentially a one sided relationship with someone you don’t actually know. It can extend to any sort of celebrity, content creator, or even fictional character.

It’s near impossible not to develop one nowadays with how widespread the internet and fan culture is. I’ve mentioned this before, but I think the growth in popularity of streaming in particular has contributed to the boom in parasocial relationships. People can now interact directly with people they deep as popular or ‘famous’ in some regard.

Now, I’m definitely not saying that’s a bad thing. Parasocial relationships can allow you to form a community of fans and get to know people with similar interests. Feeling that sense of belonging is very important. I’ve just had my share of parasocial relationships, some of them even bordering on unhealthy for myself, so I’m a big advocate for learning to recognize when your parasocial relationship is bordering on unhealthy.

I feel like whenever you get invested in a person online, whether it’s a streamer or even someone on social media, it’s important to take a step back and remind yourself that you don’t really know them and they don’t really know you.

I’ve seen too many horror stories of fans believing they’re owed something because they gave something (whether it be time, money, or gifts) to someone they adore.

As an example, one of the worse things I’ve seen has been in the VTuber community- Vox Akuma from Nijisanji in particular. I’m not super into the VTuber community, so apologies if I get something wrong. This is entirely an outsider’s perspective from what I have seen.

Vox had somewhat suggestive content in the past along with ‘boyfriend experiences’. (I believe some things like his ASMRs have now been deleted). As a result, he drew a crowd that wanted that content. Unfortunately, many grew possessive of him, even attacking many of his fellow VTubers and friends for even speaking to him.

Another one that I still have Vietnam flashbacks from was the boom of Dream stans several years ago with the dramatic growth in popularity of the Dream SMP. (Absolute no hate to Dream stans btw, I’m just calling out the toxic ones (: ). This one was definitely more mainstream than the VTuber example, at least from what I’ve seen. The ‘Dreamsexuals’, the obsession with knowing Dream’s face, the incessant shipping of him with his friends, and much more. I don’t really want to touch the scandals that have revolved around that group, but it’s filled with toxic parasocial relationships.

The last one that I’ll touch on is one I have much more personal experience with, because one of my best friends is in the community. Taylor Swift. (Please do not doxx me ty, I am a simple guy /j). I’ve seen quite a few unhealthy parasocial relationships revolving around her. Many people are so invested in her life, obsessing over her relationships, deciphering her music, and genuinely considering her like a best friend. Being a fan of her is great! Have fun, enjoy her music, it is really good. It’s just the digging into her life, even competing over who knows more of her personal information, it’s really…odd. It’s important to remember these are real people and they’re not your best friends.

There are many, many more examples I could list just from what I’ve seen. I usually don’t pay much attention to celebrity’s lives and I rarely watch streamers. These are just things I’ve heard and witnessed from more popular content creators.

There’s also the point that it doesn’t have to be a real person to be a parasocial relationship! Getting obsessive over a character can be unhealthy for you and fellow fans of that character. One of the more extreme examples I can think of is Sans fangirls (One again, only calling out the toxic ones, a lot of them are chill). Also no specific examples, but generally anyone that attacks another person for enjoying a different ship or not subscribing to their personal headcanon about a character. There’s people on every fandom, I’m sure you know of one.

Enjoying characters and content creators is great! Even obsessing over them can be fun (everyone knows I have experience with that lmao). It’s just important to check yourself on occasion, make sure what you’re doing isn’t potentially harming the creator, your fellow fans, or even yourself.

This topic is honestly fascinating for me to explore. Dynamics between fans and creators have changed quite a bit now that people have more access to each other and it’s important to recognize and explore them.

Please let me know if you have any comments or corrections about any of these topics! I’d love to know what others think and maybe their own perspectives.

I’m gonna go study for my calc test now 🫠

[serenhiscoxcgi]

Interactive graphic novel project.

For our next project we would be using the website Eko studios to create interactive graphic novels involving multiple choices and endings as well as incorporating animated elements. For the story of our novel, we were given a list of social topics we could create commentary on for our graphic novel. After reading through the different subjects, I decided I wanted to use social media as the crux of my novel.

I've noticed that stories that shed light on the harm of social media are very oversaturated right now, and to try and do something different- I wanted to take a more light hearted approach. I decided to focus on obsessive fan culture online, and how social media can foster unhealthy parasocial relationships with celebrities where fans feel entitled to know everything their idols are doing, as well as cyber bullying those who disagree with them. I felt like this would be a good area to explore as I am active in social media and online fan culture, and so I've seen firsthand the interactions that take place and the lengths 'stans' (super fans) will go to.

To achieve a more comedic stance, I decided to push the idea of the 'obsessed fan' even further, to the point where the main character steals their idols cat. I thought I had read a similar story about a fan stealing Lady Gaza's dogs however that turned out to be false, but there is stories of fans stealing and keeping quite odd souvenirs such as water bottles. I thought stealing a pet would be a hyperbolic display how fans can rob celebrities of their privacy and personal life. The next steps for me are to work out the story if my novel, and then work out the endings and choices the audience will have the opportunity to take.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I use media like twst as wish fulfillment and escapism but I have to say I derive a lot of masochistic pleasure from your character romance analyses and how angsty the truth is because realistically speaking, a lot of these guys would be terrible partners or you just won't be able to be together. even with trauma and emotional constipation aside, circumstances/lifestyles will probably make it impossible to healthily date others. like with malleus and his duty as crown prince, and vil and neige would be difficult too, since they're both extremely popular celebrities. real life idols are even forbidden to date in order to sell the fantasy that they "belong" to the fans. their darling won't be able to survive the cruelty that is the public eye 💀 you just know that their fans would be cancelling their s/o every second of every day or doxxing even. I would love to see your take on vil as a partner someday but THIS IS NOT A REQUEST, just expressing how much I love your analyses on the characters! keep it up miss raven!!

[You can read my TWST analyses here!]

abhldiulaidadyasdi I’m happy to hear that you like my analyses so much! 🥺 As someone that also looks to fiction for escapism, I think it’s fun to reexamine media through a critical and sometimes more realistic lens. I can still enjoy the source material as it is and imagine whatever I like with it, but I also like to analyze the characters and their lore to gain new perspectives on them.

Maybe I’ll do an analysis on Vil as a “realistic” love interest someday, but it’s a topic that I’ve admittedly avoided discussing in detail due to personal discomfort I have on the subject.

I’ve mentioned before that celebrity characters aren’t something that I like, and it’s namely because of the fostering of extremely unhealthy parasocial relationships (depending on the genre and the nature of the media in which the celebrity is presented). While TWST isn’t a dating sim, the fact remains that a significant portion of its fanbase does, in fact, choose to enjoy its characters through the lens of romance. I don’t fault anyone for enjoying TWST in this way (as it’s something I do myself from time to time), but I think real issues can arise when it leads into romanticizing certain things without realizing or acknowledging how toxic those ideas can be, especially when taken to an extreme. It is this lack of self-awareness that can become frightening, particularly when generalized to a real-world context 💦

***CONTENT WARNING: I will be discussing bullying, harassment, doxxing, stalking, self harm, suicide, and parasocial relationships (as they pertains to celebrities) below the cut!!***

Stan culture in general can get so intense at times that it honestly scares me  😔 and it’s something that I feel is greatly perpetuated by the idol industry. I don’t know how widespread this is (as someone who is pretty ignorant to the inner workings of idol culture), but even I’ve heard of the contracts which prevent idols from dating, especially for female idols. It’s to retain their ‘purity’ and to sell the image that their fans are the ones that ‘own’ the idol... and that’s a level of intimacy and possessiveness that just feels off-putting to me. It becomes particularly dangerous when some fans (NOT all fans) start to rely on an idol for their happiness, or when they start taking extreme measures to be ‘closer’ to the object of their affections, such as stalking and/or threatening harm upon or harassing the idol’s friends, family, and other loved ones. This is something that is very real and has the potential to hurt real people, and it personally makes me really uncomfortable when these kinds of things are translated into tropes for fiction in a romantic context.

I understand that there is a line that divides fiction and reality, and I don’t necessarily take issue with the topic of parasocial relationships being brought up in literature and other forms of media (in fact, I think this is one of the few ways the topic can be safely explored and discussed). Where I start to have problems is when intense parasocial relationships are used as a plot device to further a polarizing romantic narrative. It typically paints the fans of a fictional celebrity as ‘crazed’ and ‘jealous’ rivals, sometimes even making them act comedically evil and straight up spiteful. I don’t condone any of the bullying or harassment tactics they employ, but I also think that this kind of a portrayal is extremely unempathetic.

In these kinds of scenarios, the S/O of a celebrity is treated like a saint that has done no wrong, they’re just being bullied by hateful people for no real reason (often without taking consideration that those ‘crazy’ fans may also be in a fragile mental headspace and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect just the same as any other human being, regardless of their terrible actions). This greatly oversimplifies the matter and portrays the S/O as someone who is purely good and “just a victim” and the fans as people who are clearly bad and “catty/petty rivals”. It creates the fantasy that you can have a celebrity partner and gain notoriety through them, while also having that partner defend you and stay at your side despite all the backlash--but it also ignores the real pain that comes with being a public figure. Idols and/or their partners have actually been put in unsafe situations, self-harmed, or even ended their own lives because of things like this, and at the same time, this kind of portrayal doesn’t show empathy towards those suffering from their intense parasocial beliefs (which can sometimes tie into poor mental health or a general lack of happiness with one’s own life).

This is something that’s so integrally tied to the real world, and in this context, it’s being used in a way that I disagree with. I don’t like that demonizing either side of a very complex problem is considered a “proper” solution to a story, and nor do I think it should be done, even in a fictional setting, to push the idea of a romance with a celebrity character.

It promotes this unhealthy idea that being bullied and harassed by others is just another means of strengthening your romantic bond with a partner. It ignores so much nuance in favor of propping up one side over another. It’s just not something I can ever find myself standing by or being entirely comfortable writing about 💦 Of course, that’s not to shame anyone that does happen to enjoy these tropes, it’s just something that I don’t personally vibe with 😅

[sneezemonster15]

What bothers me the most about SS and NH fans (stans?) is that they can't accept the plain truth from both narrative's and fandom ship's perspective. Nobody is stopping you from writing fics/ self inserts/ porn / whatever but please do say "yes it's a fragment of my imagination, ship's not like that in canon".

Ships: yes you're free to ship what you want, canon or not, but please do accept both relationships are dismissive and not satisfactory (for neither four of them) at best, plain dysfunctional and implicitly toxic at worst (and yes, you can still ship them if you want, it's not a "sin"). The fact that theyre canon is actually more damaging than good as an argument. I don't think people can comprehend that being married does not equal being in love with that person. As a person who grew up with dysfunctional relationship between my parents, resemblance is uncanny. Like... please try to pull yourself away from emotions and attachment and look objectively on things. And if what I said angers anyone, do try to ask yourself why is that the case before attacking anyone.

Naratives: I won't say no development, because there is, just instead of climbing up stairs they fell all the way to the bottom. Both were one-sided affections/ obsession, and just sends a bad message? Like yea do chase after someone, do not accept no as an answer, yes do ignore other's person feelings and opinions, yes do be a nice guy TM, do guilty trip. At the end of the day, one of keys to a healthy relationships is emotional conection and reassurance, and SS and NH have exact opposite of that. This isn't even about SNS, just for both of them ending up with someone who actually actively tries and wants to understand them would be far better ending. And for Hinata and Sakura to stop falling in love with concept of love and obsession and actually rethink if they want a thropy or a genuine connection with another human being.

I'm not an anti nor a pro ship for both SS and NH, but it's concerning that today's generations lack critical thinking this much.

Hi. I agree with everything you said anon.

It is very disappointing that the canon pairs give out such harmful messaging, but they are still being perpetuated constantly in this day and age. We as the consumers of this media should have the objectivity and conscience to reject such unhealthy portrayals of female characters and pairings. But instead, they have huge fan followings who not only approve of them, but harass those who don't.

Like who exactly is in the wrong here?

Media is a reflection of our lives and that's how we come to enjoy it, by this suspension of disbelief availed by the makers through storytelling and characters that we relate to and invest in. They influence us heavily.

Do I blame Kishi? He is a misogynist, so yes. But really, I blame the entire culture that lets these portrayals out into the world willy nilly without condemning them explicitly.

And look at the result. Lots of women think Sakura and Hinata epitomize feminist role models and SS and NH are couple goals.

Shounen has a clear pedagogical element, it's a supporting pillar of this genre that shapes its characters and story and imparted values according to the age group it caters to. It's a particularly delicate age and most people in this age group are pretty impressionable, throughout cultures, there can be difference in degrees. So you give them characters like Sakura or Hinata as 'heroines' ( I say heroines not because they had any significant part but because they were matched up with the two main male characters), without redeeming them or explicitly condemning them, they would think they are good and worthy of idolization. Critical thinking takes time to develop and that's why it is important to be exposed to media that imparts correct values early in life.

Perhaps these fans are the ones who consumed Naruto as kids and now are adult women, who continue to idolize them?

I won't comment on how these stans are in their personal lives but given their content on online platforms, I doubt they are ideal.

I also don't know how much to blame them, I constantly struggle with my need to understand where they are coming from and the repulsion that I experience while communicating with them, what with their vile attitudes, lack of comprehension and stubborn denial.

It's just a sad state of affairs, isn't it?

If I ever raise a daughter, I would not let her watch Naruto until I have exposed her to realistic and healthy portrayals of women, love and friendship in books and on screen, and have had a full fledged discussion afterwards over custard apple ice cream and butter palmiers. Starting with Anne Shirley series by L.M. Montgomery perhaps, hehe.

If she decides to ship Naruto with Sasuke afterwards (for the right reasons of course), she will have my blessings. :)

[normal-horoscopes]

can you elaborate on what you mean about fandom/fanfic and peoples' unhealthy relationship with it? youre always so well spoken and im interested to hear your thoughts here

PERSONALLY I FIND BASING A PART OF ONES IDENTITY AROUND CONSUMING A PIECE OF MEDIA TO BE UNHEALTHY BUT BEYOND THAT I HAVE SEEN MANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE PEOPLE WILL ASCRIBE A FALSE IMPORTANCE TO FAN CULTURE PUTTING IT ON PAR WITH VERY REAL POLITICAL STRUGGLES AKIN TO LGBTQ RIGHTS OR THE PLIGHT OF BLACK AMERICANS

WHILE THIS COULD JUST BE SIMPLE IGNORANCE I FEEL IVE SEEN PEOPLE EQUATE THEIR PARTICIPATION IN FAN CULTURE WITH POLITICAL IDENTITY OFTEN ENOUGH TO CONSIDER THIS A PATTERN

THIS MAKES ME THINK THAT SOMETHING ABOUT FANDOM CULTURE CAUSES IT TO ENCOMPASS SOME PEOPLES ENTIRE LIVES TO THE POINT WHERE THEY VIEW THE WORLD THROUGH THE CONTEXT OF FANDOM

AN EXAMPLE THAT JUMPS TO MIND IS THE APPLICATION OF "STAN CULTURE" TO POLITICIANS WHICH HAS BEEN AN OBJECTIVELY IRRESPONSIBLE AND DAMAGING THING

I THINK IT TIES IN TO A LARGER PROBLEM OF CELEBRITY WORSHIP AND PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN WHICH A PERSONS RELATIONSHIP TO A PIECE OF MEDIA IS SUBSTITUTED FOR ACTUAL RELATIONSHIPS THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON ARE NOT BEING FILLED

IN SHORT I BELIEVE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF IT IS SOCIAL MALNUTRITION A SELF-MEDICATION FOR THE CRIPPLING ALIENATION OF CAPITALISM

[dragynkeep]

"she fucking said it in the video."

Hm. Interesting. It's almost as if....

Actions speak louder than words.

Hey Other Anon, let's play out a hypothetical: let's imagine there's a person who's making a video promoting a brand of cigarettes in exchange for money, but in the video, they say "by the way I don't condone smoking."

Or if somebody's robbing a bank but then they say "now before this goes any farther, I gotta admit I don't believe in robbing banks."

Or even if somebody is doing something completely innocent like, idk, attending a party. But while they're at the party, they tell you "Of course, I don't approve of parties."

When somebody says something that contradicts what they are doing, that's called "hypocricy." You mighta heard of it.

You acknowledge that Arryn Zech was intentionally promoting a dangerous "weight loss" tea that preys upon suffering young women and contributes to a viciously unhealthy culture, and that she knew that it was wrong at the time (both because she was actually recovering from being preyed upon by that exact culture at the time AND because she specifically claimed to not believe in what she was promoting in order to cover her own ass from having to face the music) but she did it ANYWAY in exchange for money. That's what you're admitting to.

But since she said the words "oh btw I don't approve of this dangerous thing that I am deliberately selling to you," you refuse to admit that she shouldn't have done it.

I see that Anon 100% subscribes to the RWBY narrative of "whatever the *Protagonist* says is automatically the truth, and if it contradicts what you see on the screen, it must be your eyes that are lying."

One might argue that it's actually kind of weird, how much these stans treat Arryn Zech like some kind of fictional heroine who can do no wrong and whose only flaw is that she cares too much and is just too good for this cruel world. One might even call it, dare I say it, "parasocial," but here we are I guess.

absolutely all of this. arryn doesn't get to hide behind her mental illness or her "telling people that she doesn't support tummy teas" when she is doing exactly that, photoshopping her pictures & getting fillers while not telling her fans. these are all things a ton of influencers are getting called out for, not just arryn. lindsey in the 100 fandom also got called out for selling weight loss gummies so this isn't a targeted attack against her; the very first instances of this came from rwby fans who had eating disorders & were disappointed in her. now it is being used to show a very glaring hypocrisy in her behaviour & the fact that she lies as blatantly as she breathes puts everything she says into question; & this doesn't even address her other lies. the fact that she defaulted to blaming fans of her ex when the call was coming from her own fans shows a lot about her character.

nothing is her fault, & the types of fans that obsessively flood the inboxes, replies & dms of those calling her out like this weirdo has been consistently for a week +, do nothing but enable that harmful mentality she has. she hasn't worked on any of her bad behaviour; she just gives a myriad of excuses.

it wasn't really cheating, miles said it was okay, just ignore that he only said that after she cheated on him & he's a biphobic fetishistic incel.

she didn't really say multiple ableist things, she was just quoting the office. ignore the entire context around that quote & the fact that it was never just a one time thing & that she concocted a whole story of abuse just to cover the fact she was being called out for being ableist to her mentally ill ex who she praised to the high heavens while with him & shit talking her last ex. almost like this is a pattern.

& so many other examples. this is absolutely a parasocial relationship between her & her most deranged fans, just like the parasocial relationship between rooster teeth & their fans that means no one can criticize the show or even look at it wrong for fear of death threats. no one can criticize arryn's bad behaviour without being told they're "biphobic, ableist, abuse apologist" whatever & ever lmao. ignore the fact that she's all of that & more.

[1eos]

What's your theory on why black ppl (predominantly black girls) continue to stan kpop groups ? I remember i had a phase that correlated with my lowest points lol but I cannot understand continuing to listen to and promote groups that are constantly anti black? How does it not get ruined after that ? You reminded me of them got7 twins and them youtube twins and it genuinely made me so sad . I wonder why so many ppl accept behaviour from Asian musicians that they never would for other non blacks

i lowkey hate it when y’all ask questions like this bc 1. what genre of music doesnt hate black women specifically?  2. why is everyone acting like kpop fans are the only ppl defending racism? why is kpop this big bad everyone keeps centering the discussion on? nd 3. why is it that black ppl aren’t ever allowed to have fun--even if its flawed nd why are we always supposed to be focusing on the burden of racism 24/7?

to expound: 

first of all imma say it again: there is no industry in the world that doesn’t demean black women nd use them as a prop. 

american pop is full of blackfishers but would u ask a black ariana stan why she’s still loving her? the rnb scene is full of so much misogynoir its ridiculous nd its not just the men go check summer walker’s tw for proof of that. modern american music was BUILT on shitting on black women like u can find so many stories abt motown stealing songs from folks nd not paying them royalties but are u asking black folks why they aren’t denouncing ALL of music?

secondly the way kpop fans defend racism isn't even new. chr*s brown got bitches defending him. there are folks out there right now blaming megan for getting shot by t*ry lanez. dr*ke used to get accused of being a predator every couple of months nd ppl (black women included) STILL was stanning him 😭😭😭😭😭 

these are patterns of behavior that is deeper than just koreacoons it’s engrained into the very fiber of society. the first pattern is that black women should protect men nd defend them at any cost. AND the behavior of parasocial relationships nd protecting celebrities bc we feel that when THEY’RE attacked WE’RE being attacked

kpop fans are just doing the same thing in a different ocean with a group of mostly men that aren’t black. i won’t deny that the fact that these kpop boys aren’t black can play into the equation on a deeper level bc there is a subset of fans that may have been othered by their black peers for having different hobbies nd subsequently turn to alternate hobbies. 

like when i was in high school the alt black girls were into white rock bands. nd just like then ppl now try to other themselves from blackness by using kpop but still its nothing new just a new model race of nonblacks to fawn over. which is mega creepy nd should be called out but fetishists be the most popular folks on social media. 

nd my last point is.......kpop is fun nd provides an abundance of content with comebacks weekly nd constant fanwars nd arguments and drama. kpop is also trendy nd promotes u to be connected to these groups for the long term. like are black ppl supposed to be magically immune to the appeal of kpop? just bc of racism that they’ll experience somewhere else? 

nonblacks get to enjoyed flawed media but we can’t? do u know how many white gays r on here saying twilight is gay culture nd no one coming for them or asking them why they're reading that when the book straight up spread negative misinformation abt a real life native tribe nd promotes very strange nd unhealthy relationship tropes? 

why is the conversation ALWAYS centered on how black ppl can lower themselves to enjoy a certain kind of media when nonblacks can mindlessly consume nd defend racism nd no one is asking them why they’re giffing cultural appropriation or ignoring the voices of their black ‘friends’ nd still spamming mamamoo gifs on the dash? ofc black ppl need to have self love but a lot pressure is put on us to engage in this mythical media purity nd no one else which i have a problem with. like we do deserve to fucking have fun

tl; dr: all industries are racist nd no matter who u ‘stan’ u will encounter racism. black ppl are defending misogynists nd racists even outside of kpop. black kpop fans see kpop as an alt hobby nd this can be in a normal way or a fetishy way. nd a lot of black ppl just want to have fun nd jump into the endless content of kpop and its unfair that only black ppl get questioned endlessly on what they like

[butmakeitgayblog]

Tumblr isn't for celebrities in the same way that Goodreads isn't for authors. That said, there are absolutely drawbacks to having such instant access to celebrities on Twitter/insts and feeding this idea of a false sort of relationship with/entitlement to celebs and producers etc for many

I think the whole setup is bad tbh. There's one thing to be said for having accessibility to your fans for feedback purposes and being "held accountable", but lbr that's not actually what happens with internet culture. The reality is that most celebs are so far removed from the reality that you and I live on a daily basis that even with that accessibility things don't get through. So then you're left with whaat actually happens: a weird amalgamation of very intense stan culture that creates an echo chamber for celebs to only hear what they want, and platforms for people to harass/be inappropriate/create unhealthy parasocial relationships with basically complete strangers

That being said, I made Alycia laugh by calling her an m&m so I'll take it 😌