#especially since... fandom culture has changed so much i feel like most things i get into don't have an engaged interactive fandom

[arizariia]

Miguel O'Hara As Your Boyfriend Headcanons

This is just the first of my work from TikTok that I'm reposting here. I made a few changes, so it's not exactly the same.

Warnings: None Pairing: F/M Word Count: 691

Prepare to be treated like a princess. He's such a gentleman with you. The type to always show up 10 minutes before a date, hold open the door for you, have a bouquet ready, etc. He is the type of man who insists that you don't have to split the bill. He'll pay for you.

Miguel would prefer to sit down and plan dates with you. He wouldn't feel comfortable with surprise dates until he's known you for some time and is more in tune with your preferences. These planning sessions can result in him stressing out too much about it.

Since there's no way you wouldn't be smaller than him, he gets a kick out of picking you up. He also likes to place things on high shelves, so you'll have to stand on a chair or get him to help. He finds it adorable.

He will always be the big spoon. You'll fall asleep on your side of the bed and wake up in his arms. He's a cuddle monster, even though he doesn't want to admit it.

He wouldn't be against PDA, but the most he'll do is hold your hand and give you quick pecks on the cheek here and there. He's a bit of a prude in public.

If you have any hobbies, Miguel will do his best to get into them. At the very least, understand them better. If it's something nerdy, you'll definitely walk in on him looking at the Wiki page for whatever fandom you're in while wearing reading glasses.

Miguel is a provider, and his love language is gift-giving and acts of service.

His gift-giving can range from buying you that cute dress you said you wanted and tickets for a luxury cruise. He wants to spoil you. This results in him unintentionally becoming your sugar daddy. Since he's usually busy with work, he thinks giving you things can make up for his absence.

If he has the time, he loves to cook for you and prepare your meals. Grocery shopping is also quite enjoyable with him, and he always encourages you to come with him to the store. However, he will side-eye you if you gravitate towards junk food. Cooking is also therapeutic for him. Even if you can cook, you'll usually sit off to the side, watching Miguel work his magic.

When you start living together, he starts doing some of your chores. You'll have to tell him to divide them instead.

At first, Miguel would only call you by your first name when you started dating. It takes a few months for him to address you by a term of endearment. Usually, he would call you by a Spanish endearment, but occasionally, he'll use an English endearment.

Arguments with him aren't frequent. When they do happen, Miguel will shut down. He hates it when these scenarios, especially if he's the cause of the problem. Miguel tends to be the first to apologize in these cases. He will also cut up some fruit for you as a peace offering. However, if you need space, Miguel respects that and waits until you're ready to talk. He isolates himself when that happens.

If you're shy or are the type to withhold your opinions, he's actively encouraging you to express yourself more. He would also make jokes that you're too nice.

If you're not Mexican, he's gonna share his culture with you. If you don't know Spanish, he's gonna teach you. Don't worry. He's surprisingly patient with you. He also wants to learn more about your own culture.

He's a good singer, and he takes full advantage of it. Sometimes, it's to serenade you. Other times (AKA most times), he's just being goofy. He keeps doing it because he knows you like it. Don't mention it around his colleagues. He'll get embarrassed.

Telling you that he's Spider-Man wouldn't be something he'd reveal to you for a long time. When he finally decides to do the reveal, it's more of a spur-of-the-moment decision. But let's be honest, you figured it out months ago. There's only one man in Neuva York who's that double-cheeked up. 

[rainy-astrology]

BTS Jungkook Birth chart analysis

Based on my opinions and observations. Not an expert. May change later.

September 1st, 1997

Busan, South Korea

3:25 PM

☀️♍️, 🌙♍️, ⬆️♑️

Sun, Moon, and Mercury are in Virgo, giving him a Virgo stellium. He is detail oriented, helpful and reliable, and incredibly hard working, not a slacker at all. The downsides are that he's likely very critical on himself and others (but more likely on himself; Virgos are just...a little too self aware lol), perfectionistic, nitpicky, and can be an overthinker. E.g the time he was crying about a small mistake he made on stage that the other members hadn't seen at all. They all sit in the 8th house as well and form conjunctions to each other (sun conjunct moon and mercury, moon conjunct mercury)

Virgo Sun in 8th is very private and maybe even shy. Jungkook's not really an extrovert tbh, he has a small circle and is often seen hanging out with the same few friends. This placement is quite picky with who they choose to let into their life - they have to be extremely sure they can trust you to completely let you in their inner world.

Moon in 8th is an intense placement. Very strong feelings here. Having a Virgo moon though should help calm the intensity a little or at least help him navigate his feelings in a more structured way. Virgo moons tends to analyze and rationalize their thoughts and feelings. This could explain why Jungkook's never been the type to openly show his deeper feelings. This house can be transactional and Virgo is a sign of service, so he may find security in helping/servicing others. And people like to reciprocate the helpful energy for him too.

Mercury in 8th is a deeply curious and investigative placement. Virgo mercury is especially detailed - nothing gets past Jungkook. It's known he lurked around in fandom space on tiktok and twitter, so he most likely knows all the jokes and other things the fans talk about. This placement wants to understand things deeply.

Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter are in 1st house. Neptune (illusions) and Uranus (unpredictable and constant change) can make a person chameleon-like in terms of appearance and Jungkook is versatile in fashion. It could explain why it was a bit confusing to guess his rising sign.

Jupiter in 1st - puts in a lot of effort into everything he does, may sometimes overdo things. Tries to be optimistic and upbeat, wants to enjoy life to the fullest.

Libra Venus is domicile and in 9th. Curious and knowledge seeking, especially curious about new cultures and places

Mars Scorpio in the 10th is very passionate and ambitious. Very determined to succeed in his career and reach all the goals he sets for himself. His motto "I would rather die than live without passion" is a perfect example of this placement.

Saturn in 3rd - some sort of challenge with communication. This placement can be very shy and maybe even a bit self conscious, socially anxious. Jungkook was incredibly shy when he was younger - iirc he would even cry when asked to sing and used to be so shy around the members predebut in general.

Pluto in 11th - a strange tense relationship with the idea of friendship. He didn't have much close friends when he was young and going to a whole new city made him even lonelier. However meeting BTS gave him friendship, which helped his loneliness a lot. They even helped him get over his shyness and support him with anything he does. He cares very deeply about them, even crying when they were talking about the struggles they were going through. He considers them his family, which makes sense since he was basically raised by them. He himself is quite influential as well (a given as he's a huge celebrity though) and can pretty much make anything he likes and anywhere goes become very popular.

Chiron in 10th - worried about how his image and reputation is perceived by others. Considering how incredibly shy Jungkook was when he was younger, it's not surprising he may have had a lot of self doubt about his journey to being an idol (along with the very self critical Virgo stellium. Chiron in 10th + Virgo stellium is careful and perfectionistic in order to have a good image). There may be issues of self esteem and power (mainly with authority and/or with himself) within his life.

With North Node in 8th though, it pushes Jungkook to be more open to create relations with others. He doesn't have to do everything alone - he should learn to rely on others and be comfortable being more open, both mentally and emotionally.

Capricorn rising is a little surprising ngl...However, I think it explains his physical features well. His eyes (I've noticed many Cap placements have big eyes), his face structure, and especially his hair. Capricorn rising hair is always very noticeable considering Capricorns rule hair. And like most earth risings, he can be down to earth and reserved - he keeps to himself a lot. Definitely very hard working like a Capricorn, ambitious and strives for success.

His Libra MC could be why many people thought he was a Libra rising. It is at 29°, a Leo degree, so that could also explain why people thought he could have been a Leo rising too. Libra mc is artsy and creative, which shows in his art skills in drawing, photography, and editing. Obviously his singing and dancing as well. It's apparent in his fashion too: experimenting with his hair styles, his sleeve tattoo, his piercings, and darker yet neat clothing style.

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Other analysis:

MBTI | Enneagram

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Kpop astrology list

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[mychlapci]

people are weird about seekers. same goes for praxians. like the fandom almost treats them like entirely separate species and assigns them weird fucking headcanons. like i'm not opposed to giving the seekers some interesting cultural differences, hell i'm literally doing that in my own continuity, but i've noticed that seekers tend to get woobified and reduced down to just trines and fliers.

i'm probably just a nerd who cares too much about worldbuilding but it grinds my gears because they treat seekers like a monolith. which is not how cultures work! cultures are not monoliths! they change and grow and are ever evolving things! and culture, even in a single point in time, will always look different depending on what person is experiencing that culture!

like i always see the idea that seekers and fliers in general are only from vos. but that doesn't make any sense because there should be no reason why only that region of cybertron produces flight frames, especially since the ability to fly is incredibly useful in terms of transportation or exploration.

and it goes past just giving seekers a culture entirely separate from any other cybertronians (like seriously have people never heard of cultural drift? do seekers just never speak with other cybertronains, do they never travel?) people also make them reproduce completely separately from say, ground frames, or even other flight frames. and it's so weird. like why exactly do a pair of wings smacked onto that mech's back suddenly make them incapable of having their sparklings born with hard armour. like i know starscream is a slut but if you look at most seekers in media, they look pretty similar to most cybertronians, they just have wings slapped on.

this is probably too much information but yeah... people treat seekers weird, you're right.

what's funny is that you're talking about a whole different seeker problem in the fandom that is equally as valid. people just cannot be normal about seekers at all under any circumstances. which isn't that important, they're not real or anything but like... i personally don't like it, so i get to complain about it. we get to complain about it.

people making seekers (and praxians!) culturally monolithic and almost a whole damn separate species from grounders is odd and boring, but i especially hate it when they give them explicitly animalistic traits while the grounders remain "normal" and even imply that they keep seekers as pets and shit (not even in a porn way... i've seen it proposed as a silly haha headcanon before). transformers already has themes of oppression and slavery and this just feels iffy and uninteresting at best and offensive at worst.

there's a whole lot of things for me to be salty about.

[anonymous-dentist]

Someone has gone ahead and dm-ed me with a lengthy explanation for the Guapoverse stuff, so here is the explanation from somebody active in the Twitter community.

Hopefully, with this full explanation, we can all stop fighting and being nasty to each other. Is this really the way we want to present ourselves? We're all really cool people, we shouldn't be tearing each other apart over something as silly as tags.

hey, just wanted to let you know the context of the whole guapoverse in twitter and why people are changing the tags and the ! for the cubitos, since I think the criticism from both sides is just basically miscommunication. the vast majority of the cellbit community in twt (and a lot of people from roier's) are not just disappointed or boycotting the qsmp, they just straight up dropped it (like, the most common opinions I saw regarding the future of the qsmp from both of those communities are either watching only cellbit and roier if they logged in to just not watching even them if they decided to do so). There are a lot of reasons as to why but people have lost the hope they had in the server and in quackity, especially after the way he treated the xenophobia and admins situation. people still love the characters and the story they constructed and think everything cellbit and roier put they effort in is bigger than the platform and "world" they created it. the thing with not using the q anymore and changing the tag is because the project, as much as it brought joy to us in the beggining, caused more pain and harm than good in the brazilian community, both for the viewers and admins affected, so we just really don't want to have a reminder staring at us everytime we want to talk or write about these characters we care so much for. BUT!! I totally agree that the ! system for the cubitos is super confusing, so as a chronically online person in the twt fandom I'll try to explain the system I've seen people using (is not perfect and not as consistent, it's still all very new, but I'll try to explain the patterns I've notice, also it's mostly applied to the guapoduo twt fandom I can't explain the use from other viewers.) people either use g! or just the ! to refer to the qsmp characters, some still use the q! but it's mostly those two. f! from the fuga impossível characters (like f!cell), the c! from chafaland (like c!roier) and other variations from the twt aus (like the great pretender au is gp!cellbit). so it's mostly it I feel like as someone who has not seen the disappointment in real time and seen people coming up with solutions to still enjoy the characters and their story without having to be reminded of the horrible time the community had these last few months, is very valid that you had your reservations to the many changes the fandom had, and I guess it could look like people are just avoiding the server and trying to erase everything related to it but I hope I could give you more context people are still posting under the q!, people are still posting stuff in the qsmp tag, they aren't going after people that are still using it, it's just to distance themselves from it. the whole thing is mostly a twitter thing, I think not even 30 fanfics changed the tags (last I checked), is just people there are the most affected from the xenophobia and wanted to distance themselves (again, in twitter) of the qsmp and quackity fandom. nobody wanted the whole fandom to adapt, nobody wanted a revolution in guapoduo/spiderbit media consumption, it was just a way to distance themselves on twitter. it was just this.

It's a pretty long explanation, but I think it gets everything across that needs to be said.

Nobody needs to be a dick to each other. We need to understand the Guapoverse Guys, but they also need to understand us. We've got some cultural differences between Tumblr and Twitter, and now there are more differences between Guapoverse and Everyone Else.

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

How Steven Universe Changed my Life

Aside from Ben 10, the one show I've posted the most about on this blog has been Steven Universe. I know my story may not be that unique but SU has meant a lot to me which is why I've defended it so passionately. For me, SU helped me become a better person, pushed me to explore different interests and helped me realize who I am.

I first watched the show when it was airing and I didn't know how to feel about it. Sometimes I liked it especially episodes like 'Jailbreak' or 'That Will Be All'. Other times, it felt too much like Clarence or Uncle Grandpa with the rougher episodes like 'Frybo'. As time went on I slowly stopped caring about it, partially because of the long hiatuses and because I started to think it wasn't good. At the time, I held some homophobic beliefs because of the culture I was raised in. I, thankfully, never watched Lily Orchard's video but I did watch a similar essay by Misanthropony which was just as bad.

Around 2 years ago, I started getting back into the series. At the time, I was a lot angrier and was a bit of an edgelord. A lot of that was anger at the evangelical community I was raised in and anger at feeling helpless. Kids and teachers at that school held a lot of homophobic beliefs and would often make gross jokes or talk about beating up trans people in the bathroom. I felt like a black sheep at the time, being one of the few poc there and being a dinosaur lover when many kids were creationists who'd lecture me about how wrong that is. Talk about parenting was what got me interested in SU again with the episode 'Mr. Universe'. I never finished the show so I decided to give it another chance. I started watching SU clips on YouTube and one of the first I watched was "Stronger Than You". For someone who felt angry and helpless, that song gave me something to feel happy about in that homophobic environment.

SU soon became my favorite show and I began rewatching it all the time. Characters like Lapis, Garnet and Steven quickly became my favorites because I could relate to them and because Ruby and Sapphire were important to me like most lgbtq youth. 'Mindful Education' became important to me because it helped me control a lot of my anger issues. Before, my interests were "edgy" guy things like the Star Wars Prequels and Jurassic World. But, I began to be more comfortable with enjoying "girly" things. A Wrinkle in Time became one of my favorite sci-fi books because it made a cameo in SU which pushed me to read it. By that time I had moved to a different school and was able to connect with other kids at a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) and was able to figure out more about myself without shame or as much fear.

SU was the jumping point for a lot of my current interests. Since many in the fandom liked The Owl House for its similar themes and queer rep, I decided to watch that and came away loving it with Luz and Willow being characters I could relate to. I got back into Ben 10, which I also watched growing up, because of its similarities to SU, being a anime inspired show about a magical alien boy protecting humanity while dealing with normal adolescent issues. SU was also very anime inspired which pushed me to give it another chance as I used to think it was cringe or dumb. Thanks to SU, I became a fan of Makoto Shinkai's films like Suzume and Weathering With You as well as ghibli films like Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service. I also started watching magical girl anime with Madoka Magica and Princess Tutu being my favorites and am slowly getting through Sailor Moon. Some of my other favorites include Neon Genesis Evangelion, A Whisker Away and Ghost in The Shell. I do have an interest in watching Revolutionary Girl Utena, which was a big inspiration for SU, and The Promised Neverland as well. I also fell in love with Lisa Hannigan’s (Blue Diamond’s VA) music. All that was because of SU.

Over the past year, I've been figuring out my gender identity, starting with that GSA, and started to realize I was trans (MTF), which may have not happened without SU. It's why seeing the SU critical community bash the show for its representation not being good enough or calling it fascist makes me sad as it's been important for a lot of people like me. It's also why right wing fans, who do exist, irk me so much when they weaponize the message of acceptance and characters like Andy to demand people accept their homophobic beliefs. The show has shaped a lot of my philosophy about issues with relationships, seeing Greg and Rose leave their toxic families or Connie helping her mom, Priyanka, learn to let go and stop worrying. Some may hate him, but Future Steven is an important character for me as I can relate to his anger and once being a cheerful child before growing up more bitter and weary. I know that SU isn't perfect and there is some stuff I wish was written differently but I still love it because of how it changed and possibly saved my life. It helped me get through high school and gave me something to feel happy about in a world that's filled with hate and violence.

In short, thank you Steven Universe and thank you Rebecca Sugar. I wouldn’t be who I am without you.

@ankle-beez @love-takes-work

[paperstorm]

That phone conversation between TK and Owen in 3x15 always melts me. When I first joined the fandom I was stunned by how much Owen was hated. It seriously seems like the man can't so much as breathe without people hating on him. And it's so strange to me because most of the things people seem to hate him for amount to him being a man displaying very real symptoms of PTSD and repressed trauma. I see it with TK as well but Owen out of all the characters is the one that people just seem to make up reasons to hate. It's sad actually when you think about how important a character like Owen is. A man with severe PTSD who is just trying to live with the symptoms and the damage that it has caused in his life all the while trying to be the best mentor and captain he can be to his team as well as be the best father he can be to the son he loves more than anything else. I remember people saying they wanted TK to change his last name simply to spite Owen and I just thought what show are these people watching that they think TK would ever hate his dad that much?! Or that Owen had ever done anything to deserve that?

I personally like Owen a lot! He isn't my favourite character but I like him a lot and I really like that they've made him complicated and given him flaws rather than making him the infallible hero. I think they've done generally a good job of showing that he has PTSD from multiple traumatic incidents and that it effects so many aspects of his life, as of course it would. I love that they've shown him understanding that he wasn't a good father for a long time and being so intentional about becoming a better one.

But you know what's interesting about fandom spaces is I feel like sometimes the Streisand effect is very real and very prominent. I haven't been in this fandom since the very beginning but I have been here for almost two years and while I have definitely seen some Owen hate, I have seen far more of people talking about the existence of Owen hate than I've seen of the hate itself. I do think more of it happens on twitter, because more haterism in general happens on twitter because the culture breeds it more. But as with most instances of people being rude about characters in this fandom, I genuinely believe the vast majority of people don't share those opinions and the handful who do are just really really noisy about it, and then the opinions permeate more through the action of everyone (including me lol) talking about them. I probably need to get better at keeping my side of the street clean and just loving characters even louder in response to people being nasty. Especially since a lot of the time the nasty opinions have either racist or ableist undertones that can and have hurt real people in this fandom.

[sandumilfshou]

Meta analysis/hypothesis on what is influencing the rise of anti culture

FAIRLY LONG POST.

I feel like antis (as most commonly minors) are stuck in this vicious cycle that has been perpetuated by internet culture over the last 20 years without having the advantage of the early internet etiquette/warnings/safety education that we as millennials and older got.

Kids these days are pretty much online from birth. The internet encourages people to post their thoughts and opinions at all times, often without much thought, and this norm is perpetuated pretty strongly through sites like Twitter and TikTok. So they're posting all of their thoughts and feelings and opinions left right and centre, often without privacy settings turned on, usually on social media sites where anyone can see these posts. And because the internet is a panopticon, unless you are on a private or hidden account, everyone is also able to post their own opinion about your opinion. It's easier than ever before for someone to discuss, argue, reject, and attack other people's opinions. And it's human nature to double down and defend your position instead of coming to an agreement or neutral ground (or god forbid change your mind), especially when tone is difficult to get across via text, and even so when people are often automatically argumentative and aggressive in their initial response (I have been guilty of this many a time).

This is all tied up in what I think for minors is a fundamental misunderstanding of what the internet is. It isn't a safe space, it isn't sanitized for your comfort, and it isn't censored or controlled much outside of strictly R18 sites other than literal illegal content being reported. But there seems to be this view among minors and antis that by default the internet should be safe for them to navigate, and they should not be able to stumble across, access, or engage with adult content (not even necessarily NSFW stuff either). So when they see this, they're shocked and appalled that it exists where they can see it, and because of the above, have been encouraged by the nature of the internet to post their very strong, often underdeveloped and shallow, opinion about it! They do not understand that the internet is the wild fucking west and outside of strictly under 13 sites and parental controls put on them, that it is your individual responsibility to curate your OWN safe space on the internet. Be liberal with the block button! Make use of mute functions! Set your shit to private so people who don't know you can't interact with your posts!

But they don't do this, because they were never taught about the dangers of the internet like we were. I remember when you should never give out ANY personal information about yourself, not even your first name, hell even saying the country you were from was often frowned against. We were taught that the internet is dangerous and you are responsible for keeping yourself safe. Now kids are putting out their name, their age, their country, all of their mental illnesses and neurodivergences and triggers all over the place! (It doesn't help that so many social media sites are encouraging linking your identity on other sites as 'verification', making it very impossible to be anonymous or fully under pseudonyms anymore.) So they think the internet is a safe and fun place to spend their time and encountering any content they dislike is free real estate to have a very loud opinion on, and are conditioned to double down on this when questioned.

This leads to two things that have become pretty rampant recently:

A lack of understanding of basic fandom culture and etiquette

The rise of puritanist views from LGBT+ youth on sexual deviance / morality / kink, and the encouragement of broad censorship.

Cancel culture is so fucking rampant these days. Kids especially are terrified to be cancelled or called out, especially since cyberbullying is so fucking common now. For kids this is often tied up in their real life school interactions, but it is rapidly becoming normal to consider your online identity and interactions just as real and valid as your physical, everyday interactions. Internet friendships are just as strong - or even stronger - as those you have in real life at school, or work, or sports clubs. It's known that people spend more time on the internet now than ever, so more and more of our time and mental energy and space is taking place in the virtual sphere. Being involved in something that negatively affects you like cyberbullying, or being cancelled or called out, or even just labeled as 'problematic' is so much bigger now, and it's not as easy to "just log off" or "just turn off your phone" as it used to be, because SO MUCH of our identity is caught up in online spaces now.

There's this dichotomy where we are encouraged to post all of our thoughts and opinions on the internet where anyone can see them, but cancel culture is also making people - especially kids - terrified to make mistakes or withhold opinions for fear of being labeled 'problematic' or 'siding with xyz if you don't post an opinion that disagrees with it'. There's a hyperawareness of what could be considered problematic behaviour, this strong need to be performatively moral, even if it means throwing someone else under the bus to prove that you're unproblematic!

This all links back to my previous two points. It means that common historical fandom etiquette - things like "don't like, don't read", the term "squick", "YKINMK - your kink is not my kink (and that's okay)" have all but disappeared from lexicon and culture. Where in the past we used to scroll past things we didn't like, kids now feel the need to call it out to prove themselves morally superior and unproblematic. They don't care that most of the time the space is NOT FOR THEM, they ignore all of the 🔞emojis and "MDNI" warnings, because of this fundamental misunderstanding that the internet is not always by default going to be palatable for them. Internet culture has destroyed any sense of 'if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it' which used to be more normal (though that didn't mean people still didn't label every fic with NO FLAMES PLZ!!!11!)

Because of this lack of 'fandom etiquette', because of this misunderstanding of how the internet works and historically has been, because of this instinctive reaction to immediately disapprove of and attack content they viscerally dislike, instead of ignoring it, this is giving rise to puritanist views and talking points amongst LGBT+ youth, minors, and antis. They are literal minors who are literally not even relevant to these conversations and concepts, as most of them are R18, inserting themselves where they aren't wanted into discussions on and posts about things that they consider sexually deviant or immoral. Because they are CHILDREN. Of COURSE they don't like this content!

I'm not a psychologist, but I wonder if developmental phases are playing a part here. Like, when you learn to differentiate concrete and abstract thinking, the ability to understand nuance and separate fiction from reality. A lot of these antis are literally too young to be able to understand some of these conversations, but don't understand this, and don't understand why they should not be involving themselves in these R18 areas that are clearly designated NOT FOR THEM, because "it's on the internet and I can find it easily, so therefore it's applicable and valid for me to have an opinion on this!"

And all of this culminates into what we are seeing now as the anti phenomenon. So TL;DR -

The internet is a panopticon. Everything you post can be viewed by everyone. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone is encouraged to voice those opinions. Opinions now must always be morally superior and unproblematic, or you risk being cancelled.

Minors are coming across content on sites they are on that is not relevant to them, and ignore R18 warnings and MDNIs to insert themselves into these spaces to give their opinion, because they have a fundamental misunderstanding of what the internet is and how it works, due to a lack of internet safety.

This means that common fandom culture/etiquette is being lost, and all of this is giving rise to youth parroting what they don't realise are puritan talking points and arguments against sexual deviance, morality, kink, and encouraging censorship. Which may or may not be exacerbated by the psychological developmental phases they are going through, which could be affecting their ability to understand abstract concepts and nuance, such as separating fictional morality and real life morality when it comes to taboo/dark/kink concepts in fan spaces.

(BTW many of my talking points above are thanks to @rainystudios' amazing academic papers which should definitely be checked out by anyone interested in this.)

[stackthedeck]

I fully recognize that being sad about losing my blorbos is not like a Real Problem, but I've decided that given the whole Sabra situation I can't in good conscience ever support Marvel again, and every day I remember another character that I'm never gonna get to see again and I get so sad. How are you dealing with it?

Okay fun answer that is like so deeply unserious but like i do think it is practical if you're like me and fandom has been your main hobby and identity for years. and then i'm putting the more political and upsetting answer under the cut because frankly they should be separate posts but I only got the one ask

I've been dealing with it but like forcing another hyper fixation lmao which you know doesn't work for everyone but like hey join me in booster gold and blue beetle brain rot!! It's super easy to not talk about marvel if all i want to talk about is other characters from dc and indie comics. I'm not buying marvel comics anymore because I've gotta save my money to buy the current blue beetle run. I can't post marvel fics right now, I'm working on boostle fics and I'm hoping that if I scream loud enough about them I'll have convinced enough people to read their comics and they'll have 1000 fics on ao3 by the end of the year

To some extent I still think about the characters in marvel that I hold dear, I'm still doing fandom for them through discord and continuing fics and i still reblog art on here. I do this because the cultural capital of those actions are negligible that the marvel brand and disney company really gaining nothing for it and i truly believe that all art needs to be discussed and thought about especially when the creator is problematic and like deeply involved in politics. I'm still thinking and talking about marvel because the space i gave it in my heart and brain never goes away and like quitting cold turkey this thing that's been in my life since i was 8 isn't super attainable. but I'm not doing these fandom behaviors on tiktok because it's a larger platform with no nuance, a younger demographic, and it's designed to sell you things. If I talk about marvel on that platform, aside from making people aware of the boycotts it is giving disney cultural capital and frankly it'll probably convince people to buy from the disney company. Still think deeply about these works because when we stop looking, we give ourselves permission to miss the actual messaging. when we say art has no value, we can't see it's values it portrays and we let too much shit slide.

I've found that the way i've distanced myself most from all my positive fandom feelings for marvel is through becoming more aware of the politics around comics. Getting really deep into the history of comics and the film making process of the mcu movies scratched a fandom itch in my brain, but most importantly I became so deeply and terribly aware of how the modern superhero genre has so deeply lost the plot. I gave a tedx speech about this on my campus and written a few papers about it but like Jack Kirby and Joe Simon made the character of Captain America to plead with their government to stop the oppression and genocide of their people in europe, they received death threats from nazis because they did that, despite the way people view the character as propaganda for the us military, steve rogers was first and foremost two men using fiction to beg for change and for their government to get involved to save lives. And now marvel studios is using the company they started to platform a character that represents the legitimacy of a settler state, marvel studios who is funded in part by the pentagon, who with every new movie results in increased enlistment in the military, is platforming a character that declares the right of israel to exist as it does now with the same tactics and symbols kirby and simon used to create a character that was made to stop genocide. It just makes me sick. It is a complete and total pervasion of who kirby and simon were and what they stood for. I respect their work too much to continue buying from marvel studios in any form and i can't stomach any of the new storylines the comics are telling because this isn't what comics are supposed to be

I think about this spider-man costume that was found in the rumble of a home in Gaza (link to original post) and i think about how these stories connect us, how there was a little boy who need to feel strong and powerful who wanted to be a hero and he was killed for the crime of being born Palestinian but he's no different than any other child i've loved in my life. and this multibillion dollar company funded his death, sanctioned the idea of it through the art they create, and my tax dollars fund every step of it. When I look at Spider-Man, a character who i grew up with, I can feel only grief and rage.

[cloud-somersault]

This is in reference to your most recent post, but I honestly get so confused when people who watch LMK haven't read or at least done research on the source material(JTTW) because I feel like it dampens their experience of appreciating the characters. 

JTTW, which is what LMK is referenced from, is rich with tradition, meaning, and culture. Not understanding JTTW gives you a very one dimensional approach to all the characters but especially Wukong since he is currently one of the only original JTTW figures from the main cast. And in misunderstanding Wukong’s source material means that people really don’t understand shadowpeach like they should. 

Even if we were to only go from the context of the show, shadowpeach started out super toxic. LMAO! These guys were at each other’s throat constantly and were not amicable at all. The appeal is the fact that it is alluded to/shown that these two used to have a very close relationship but something happened to separate them. That’s where the intrigue begins, that’s what gets the gears turning in the viewer’s head. Something happened to make them this way and we want to know! In JTTW canon, Wukong did kill Macaque and it was actively against Buddha’s requests not to. Bro did not care, lol.  I think it is also important to realize that LMK and JTTW are still different BUT it’s honestly quite foolish, in my opinion, to completely disregard the book it is based on. And there’s nothing wrong with fans taking canon things from JTTW and applying it to LMK. Especially if it’s their own fanfiction or interpretation(like your fic). It has been a common theory that Wukong killed Macaque(pretty much since the show started), especially given a lot of the evidence we have been presented with. Disregarding one of the writer’s statements, it’s completely reasonable to make the connection between JTTW and LMK that Wukong did kill Macaque. Especially considering we are shown in the third season a flashback that they did have a violent brawl before his supposed death and subsequent resurrection. 

Shadowpeach IS inherently toxic, especially before there’s any character growth between them, and I personally feel like it’s okay to acknowledge that and embrace it. I understand people tend to gravitate away from any forms of toxicity because, yeah, it feels weird saying you like a ship of two people who hate each other. But that’s the fun thing about enemies to lovers! And shadowpeach has so much more depth to it because it can be interpreted in so many different ways. I wholeheartedly believe that their versatility and depth as a ship is largely the reason why they are one of the biggest ships in the fandom. And their depth comes from the fact that they are inherently flawed characters.  

This need to uphold Sun Wukong on a pedestal he does not deserve ultimately ruins the thing that makes them special. And that's how undeniably human he is. Someone wouldn’t know that just from watching LMK, especially since the show either glosses over the darker parts of JTTW or alters them entirely. Stripping Wukong specifically of the overflowing amount of wonderful source material he has completely dumbs down the beauty of his character. I think playing around with the idea that he did kill Macaque(in regards to LMK canon) doesn’t really change where they come from very much. Idk if anyone else has noticed, but the season 4 special is obviously still not the full picture. That little fight in the mountain is 100% not what makes them hate each other so much. That much animosity for an altercation like that?? It doesn’t make any sense. We still don’t have the full picture, and people are basing their attitude towards each in seasons 1-3 on insufficient evidence. 

Anyway, sorry lol. Seeing people not appreciate shadowpeach for the mess it is makes me so unbelievably disappointed and frustrated(especially if they know nothing about JTTW) and the internet is a great place to bounce off opinions. I promise this isn’t directed towards anyone in particular and it doesn’t come out of anger, I just think there is a common misunderstanding of shadowpeach’s complex foundation and I refuse to stand for it. /lh /nm

Okay, my weird rant is over, haha. I completely understand your irritation with comments like that, though, and I am so sorry you have to deal with them. 

Damn, I don't really have anything to add to this. I think you said it all. I can pack it up and go home LMFAO Can this be my new pinned post

Oh, I will say one thing. The fandom is def afraid or in denial that shadowpeach, in any iteration, is toxic. In order for it not to be, they'd have to be grossly out of character, and then guess what friends? That's not shadowpeach!

But a lot of people do that and are content with that. Which, okay, but stay off my porch LMFAO

[awesomesaucem]

My Tallest

Dib Membrane X Invader Zim

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 5,432

Warnings: Sexual content and mildly dubious consent.

Other Tags: Blow Jobs, Power Dynamics, Dom/sub, Master/Servant, Angst

Summary:  It’s Summer. Normally this meant Zim wasn’t quite as angry at the world, but this summer’s heat was particularly unforgiving. Sticky and miserable, he contemplates his place in the world since his long abandoned mission leaves him feeling empty. What else is there to do but look for a sense of purpose?

Read it on AO3!

A/n: Here’s my shameful idea I’ve had for a while now since I’m still rusty with writing and a total newbie when it comes to writing smut. I have a bunch of one shots planned for a bunch of fandoms that I think would be great practice for my slow burn. I tried to keep things close to the canon with my own little creative liberties. Takes place way after the show so both boys are adults and Zim has not-quite-defected from the Tallests. More like was abandoned and doesn’t know what to do other than assimilate into human culture. Enjoy!

Usually summer was Zim’s favorite out of all of the stupid earth seasons. Spring was always so wet and disgusting with new pollen coating everything and a thin layer of yellow grime that made him sneeze for days. Winter just made the whole planet sleepy. Humans somehow didn’t inherit the ability to hibernate alongside their mammalian counterparts – actually it seemed almost all animals in earth's nature slept for the winter months, except for humans. Unfortunately for him, that meant he was forced to spend the same insufferable months indoors. Any task outside would leave him half-frozen and trapped with a dozen humans in whatever errand demanded his attention. GIR and his circuits loved the snow. The powdery flourish that rained down from the clouds always got a more illicit reaction than their warmer counterparts. It was always a struggle to drag him back inside but at least the cold did him some good. Fall was tolerable. Summer heat paved the way for hayrides and Halloween when they would run around hoping to scare each other intentionally either from works of fiction or simply screaming in each other's faces. It was nice for Zim to take a break from it for a change. These were all acceptable. The bitter winds that would cut through with no warning and chilling him to the bone only to vanish suddenly as it appeared, were not.

Most of earth's weather came and left without any sort of reason. Location mattered most of the time-down to even states and provinces deferring in climate, but it rarely obeyed the rules humans made themselves. The heat was biting long before the calendar said it was ever time, and Zim learned from all his years spent on the pathetic rock that it would stay long after the next season was falsely announced. Even summer, Zim’s favorite among the seasons, had its faults. The insects he once hoped to relate to became most insufferable. Wasps, ants, and mosquitoes seemed to target him especially no matter the crowd or repellent almost as if they saw him as a threat. Maybe they did. Zim could be very threatening.

Today, however, he did not care very much for summer. Usually content in taking GIR for a walk or sightseeing, he was rewarded with suffocating humidity that left him sticky and sweating with no hope of relief. With the air conditioning as high as it would go and every fan in the house turned directly to him, he dozed on the sofa fanning himself. The heat almost stole his energy as even the lazy flicking of his wrist tired him out. Maybe his brain was slowly cooking. He’ll accept anything to get out of this heat. GIR somehow didn’t seem to notice the misery and was fairly content making noises into the box fan sending mushy chips and cheese breath directly into Zim’s face.

“GIR, can you find literally anything else to do right now?” He begged, not even able to turn his head to the side and speak to him directly.

The only response he received was GIR chanting “wawawa“ in various pitches and giggling at the distortion caused by the spinning blades.

He opened his mouth to spout yet another pathetic plea to his servant, but was interrupted by his phone buzzing from where it was wedged in between the cushions. Cursing, he scrambled to retrieve it from the prison followed by crumbs of every kind. God, how long has that stuff been here? He really needed to clean this thing more often. Not even bothering to look at the screen, he answered-only one human had this number after all.

“Greetings, Dib – stink,” he groaned.

“Get dressed, I’m at the pool!” Was loudly heard over the joyous laughter and splashing of the town’s children enjoying their summer. Disgusting.

“Why would I do that, pig?” With shut eyes, he questioned. A bead of sweat reached his temple.

“Because it’s hot as balls out today?” Correct. “And the heat index is 107.”  Ugh. It was 102 this morning. “Plus you’re bored so hurry up!”

“You don’t know that. I could be busy, you know!” Flecks of mechanical fluids fluttered out from the fan. Looking at him just made him spit harder. “Very, very busy.” A particularly shrill scream followed by a splash sent Zim’s phone away from his antenna, which was admittedly difficult. All this sweating made the perfect substance to plaster the screen to the side of his face. He grimaced and wiped it on his shirt before holding it just above his cheek. 

“– here already!” Dib shouted over the line.

“What?”

“I said hurry up and get here already!”

The line clicked and the call ended. The smeet hung up! Elongating his spine and reaching out with all limbs to cat stretch he let out a frustrated groan, then swung his legs over the side of the sofa to free himself to stand.

“GIR, put on your disguise. I guess we’re going swimming.”

“Oh wahawa,” sang GIR.

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The city pool was somehow even more crowded than it sounded over the phone. So many humans packed into one place with damp children everywhere you go with Dorito fingers and juice-stained faces. If this was anyone’s idea of fun, they should babysit GIR who loved the pool for that exact reason. Unfortunately, the chlorine messed with his sensors and he kept getting stuck in the jets. Then the city started enforcing their “no dogs” policy-not that they actually followed their stupid rules. Management didn’t understand GIR was much safer here than home alone. Unsupervised. He suppressed a shudder. Zim hated swimming now even more than he did as a smeet back when he was forced to learn as part of his intense military training. Of course water wasn’t used, but something about flailing in a glorified bath with a bunch of strangers just didn’t sound appealing to him. He still managed to pass that portion, just barely, during training. His awkward bobbing-turned-breast stroke only served to keep him from drowning in emergencies and his commander was feeling particularly forgiving that day. Human school wasn’t that much different if he thought about it. At least as a smeet, his arrogance blinded him to the ridicule of his classmates. High school was kinder in the sense he could blend in more. It was more forgiving to his pride than it was to stand out. No longer an awkward teen, he blossomed into an even more awkward adult. At least he was quieter now. 

Dib, however, flourished. His hyperactivity in his boyhood afforded him the energy to seek out a physical outlet. Since Zim’s mission was dismissed, he was no longer a threat to Earth; no longer something to waste time on. Now by day he was a personal trainer and even started his own paranormal investigative podcast. It actually was decently popular – he even had merch with his smug little logo on it. It was pathetic really, but Dib would never know of the T-shirt hiding in the back of Zim’s closet. 

“Zim!” Called a voice somewhere in the sea of people. Squinting, he could just barely make out Dib standing and flailing his arms around. His continued annoyance started to attract attention as everyone here wondered just who this psychopath was. Zim raced over quickly, stepping over pool goers and trying not to slip on the wet concrete until eventually he reached the offender to clamp a hand tightly around his mouth.

“Cease and desist, you cretin!” He hissed. “I did what you asked. Why must you humiliate me in the process?”

Dib laughed as if Zim told a joke which is odd, because he did not. “Lighten up, Zim. It’s summer vacation!” He exclaimed, prying the hand away. Reaching behind him, Dib pulled a can of some beverage and handed it to him. While he didn’t care much for carbonated drinks, alcohol or otherwise, ice clung to the aluminum, providing him some relief from the bitter heat.

“Why is it called summer vacation if the only thing different is the weather?” He asked no one in particular. “I mean you aren’t in school right? What vacation is there to be had? And why not acknowledge the vacations taken in other seasons for that matter?” Dib’s friends all stared at him. Someone might have coughed. For a moment, Zim was the new kid again weaving through much taller crowds trying to pretend to be human. Pretending to be likable; to blend in unsuccessfully. But Dib smiled.

“You’re right, it’s just a day at the pool. But that can be a kind of vacation too, right?”

Grumbling in response, he cracked open the mystery can and tossed back a swig without so much as a glance to the label. Expecting some shitty light beer or seltzer, he was surprised to be drinking some kind of fruity canned cocktail. It was definitely alcoholic, but pleasantly sweet. There was no complaint to be had. In no time at all, he had crushed several of the provided beverages favoring the ‘strawberry-a-rita’ flavor. Whatever that was. He wouldn’t even have registered the time if not for an alarm on his phone reminding him to reapply his skin paste. It took some time to develop it, but he was proud of himself for once. Something that protected him against the sun's harsh rays as well as creating a thin, yet sturdy, hydrophobic layer. To others, it appeared he was just using regular human sunblock. He honestly didn’t even need to reup since he was still firmly seated outside of the water, but he would rather be greasy than literally melting away if he did eventually decide to get in. 

“Zim’s got the right idea,” Dib observed rather loudly from the water, directing everyone’s attention his way once again. “No melanoma for him.” Dib wasn’t one to think too much about his own skin care, but his clients had children who frequented the neighborhood pool and he had to set a good example. 

Wiping the residue on his trunks, he sneered and dipped back into the cooler to retrieve another can ignoring the hoots and whistles clamoring from the pool. They all seemed to be loudly reacting to Dib who must have emerged from the surface. Peeking up, he saw the water and sweat alike that shimmered like fractured light on his dusky skin revealing sinewy muscles that peered through the streams. Zim’s can hissed at the claw sliding to pop its tab.  Further splashing and laughter faded to the back of his mind as the plat plat of Dib’s sodden feet drew nearer. 

“That’s your third one,” he whispered, nodding at the collection of empties on the table.

“You’re counting my drinks? I thought this was ‘Summer Vacation’, was it not?”

“No, nothing like that, I’m just glad you like them. It was between those or Ranch Waters, but I know you don’t like tequila.” 

Zim scrunched his nose. He did not. “It is an adequate poolside beverage,” he muttered into his can.

“Membrane!” Shrieked the lifeguard, pulling them out of their bubble.  “How many times do I have to tell you!” 

The boys followed her pointed gaze as well as that of almost everyone on the South end of the pool. It seemed GIR had found the jets again. 

Dib huffed an annoyed sigh. “And how many times do I have to tell you he’s not my dog?” He shouted across the water, looking expectantly toward Zim who was deflating as the moments went on. 

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The walk to Dibs house was surprisingly comfortable given the circumstances. GIR was rebooting just as he did every other time he’d gotten into too many chemicals and eventually kicked out for the day. That dumb robot never learned. Between the two of them, they reached Dib’s house without a thought, simply walking and talking about nothing in particular and halfway there they took turns carrying (aka dragging) the unconscious bot. Dib was the one to plop him down on the living room couch before heading upstairs to change with Zim following close behind. All things considered, they were each other’s oldest friends which made any amount of self consciousness shrivel up years ago. Even if they didn’t have all six years of gym class together, Zim still spent most Summers on the Membrane couch. Sleeping alone in an empty house got old a lot quicker than he thought. He took his usual perch on his flaking leather desk chair while Dib changed out of his trunks and into a pair of faded blue jeans; both pairs of shoes and socks lay forgotten at the door along with Zim’s wig. Somehow the topic of conversation escalated to whatever diminutive little projects they each had going on. Dib was more than eager to ramble on and on about the latest pre-workout flavor his gym had stocked up on recently. Something or other with berries. Zim wasn’t really paying attention. But then it was his turn in conversation. 

“What about you, Zim?” Dib questioned. “Anything crazy planned for this year?”

“Not really,” Zim answered, occupying himself with the various posters on the wall. Some things really do not change. “Not anymore.” 

He cringed and wished he could retract the words as soon as they left his mouth. Irk was an unspoken off-limits topic between the two of them. Don’t ask, don’t tell as they say. It was just one of those things. Dib knew it was a sore subject, but other than the childish fights they had as kids, he didn’t know much about it as a whole other than his juvenile energy was wasted on it. Years spent chasing and planning used up on a mission that would never come to fruition. After Zim had finally (finally) given up on taking over Earth, he was lost. Without Zim, Dib could redirect his efforts to something more productive. Without Irk, Zim was nothing.

“So what was it like?” Dib pondered aloud, ignoring the inarticulate rule.  They both knew exactly what he meant. 

Zim fiddled with his hoodie strings. “Which part?”

“Oh, all of it I guess. How did it feel to be a part of something bigger than yourself?” Wow. What a question. The Irken Armada was something he thought about every waking moment. He was programmed to. His very reason for being was thanks to his Tallests. Every breath was a gift for the Armada. Every day a reward and a privilege. Existing for the Tallests transcended human emotion; it transcended words. It was unlike anything he could’ve experienced or hoped to experience again. Zim told him this much.

“After a while, you learn you never really were meant to be an individual. Your wants and needs were irrelevant as an Irken. You just become part of the collective,” he stated.

Dib coughed uncomfortably.

“That’s, er, disturbing,” he offered, laughing; sobering up quickly in the silence that followed. “So your whole life has been for someone else?”

“Yes.”

“That's just so horrible! You basically worshiped these people!”

“Yes.” He echoed, looking up with solemn eyes. “The Tallests gave us life, a purpose. Every Irken was sworn to them.” 

“So like,” Dib struggled to understand. “They have omniscience? They literally create life?”

 Zim’s synthetic eyebrows furrowed.

“No, they would put in a request at the smeetery for a number of soldiers,” he thought. “Actually they would put in an order for the request.”

“So someone else did it?” He squished the last drops of water from his hair as he listened. 

“After they were ordered by a Tallest, yes.”

“But then they train the armies then? Or supervised the plans?”

“No, that’s what the generals and war technicians were for.” He huffed with the same air of condescension he would have if he were explaining how a block fits in a square-shaped hole.

“Did they do anything directly?”

“Oh, yes!” His eyes lit up with a distant admiration. “We were allowed to worship them freely and bring them gifts from our missions. Uhm, I was allowed to stand next to them once. It was truly one of the greatest moments of my life.” 

Dib snorted. “Wait, just standing next to your leader, who doesn’t even do anything, was the greatest moment of your life?” He laughed.

“No, I said it was one of the greatest.” He brought up a knee to hug to his chest. “And my Almighty Tallests did plenty. I owe them everything I am.”

Dib couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He always thought of the Irkens as some intense dictatorship but this was more like religion. A cult really. He stood to look at Zim directly.

“You do realize how crazy that sounds right? You’re totally brainwashed.” Zim stood to meet him.

“I am not! The Tallests are the smartest and greatest Irkens which is why they are more than fit to rule!“

“And what makes them so great huh? How did they end up in charge?“

“Well t-they,“ he stammered.

“You really can’t say? Don’t tell me it’s because they’re literally the tallest Irkens.”

He was met with silence.

“Oh my God, you leave leadership up to a height lottery.”

Zim spoke flatly and sternly, almost dangerously offended. “Height among Irken elites is a sign of status. Something akin to your human intelligence quotient points.”

“Well, how tall are these Irken elites? Maybe I could be your ruler, Zim.” Dib puffed his chest and straightened his back. Stepping closer, he towered over him.

“You could never!” Zim spat as he struggled to take in the epic size of the human in front of him. As kids, only Dib's hair gave him a slight height advantage, but now he had a good foot on Zim who’s mouth suddenly had gone dry. “There is more to Irken leadership than height,” he grumbled, standing down and diverting his gaze. Dib, of course, was loving this.

“No really!” He laughed. “How much taller do I have to be to allow you to worship me?” It was meant as a joke. Yet the thoughts being forced into his head were anything but funny. After a beat, Zim genuinely humored him. 

“Since I am no longer a member of the Armada, as horrible as it is, I no longer answer to the Tallests.” He slowly circled Dib, considering his stature among other things. “That being said, you are currently the tallest being I know, so,” he thought, shifting on his toes. “Your current height is sufficient.” 

“Oh my god, really? That’s all it takes?” Dib’s hands went to his hair in disbelief. “Oh man, think of the stupid little rivalry we had before. I just needed to be taller than you!”

“Not taller,” Zim corrected. “Tallest.” Still reeling, giddy, Dib wasn’t paying attention.

“Sorry Zim. I can’t hear you from all the way up here. You’re going to have to speak up,” he snarked, bristling past Zim. 

“Tallest!” He whimpered loudly, casting the room in a blanket of stunned silence. Both boys stared, a flush of muted pink dusting their cheeks.

“I was just kidding, man,” Dib sat down on the bed, taking his turn to look up at the Irken. “I don’t want to rule you, we’re friends.”

“You joke about my reason for life, Dib-filth . You asked a question and I answered. That’s how your stupid human conversations work, right?” His embarrassment quickly turned to anger as he shot his eyes up in defiance.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know–didn’t mean.” He couldn’t find the words, but Zim wouldn’t let him escape so easily. He strode forward to crowd Dib’s space, throwing his hands to the comforter with Dib right in between.

“You didn’t know what, pig? You’ve had 25 stinking, inferior Earth cycles to know exactly what you mean.” Wide-eyed, Dib watched as Zim sunk to the floor at his feet with an impassioned sort of glint in his eyes that was terrifying yet incredibly alluring. This was a look Zim only wore in Dib’s wildest fantasies. One he wasn’t sure was even physically possible for him to wear.

“Then what are you-”

“Silence, you pathetically tall worm. You wanted to know what it takes to rule over Zim and now that you’ve found it, you aren’t satisfied?” He rubbed his cheek on Dib’s knee like a cat marking its scent. “As you stupid humans like to say,” He leaned just enough to eliminate the remaining existing space, forcing Dib to spread his knees further. “You've opened this can of worms, human. Now it’s your turn to lie in it.”

“That’s not – Zim seriously, I was just playing,” Dib stammered, turning a satisfying shade of red as Zim dipped down between his thighs and feigned a gasp of understanding.

“You were playing? Then let’s play, oh Tallest Dib.” His antennae explored to taste the air between them causing him to scoff. “Lie to me if you must. But I promise your pheromones don’t have that luxury.” He pressed further. The liquor-loosened tongue came out of hiding to trace just the hint of outline of Dib’s stiffening cock; a trail of saliva dampening the denim there. Dib flinched. 

“Zim-ah! We don’t have to do this, you don’t actually…” he trails off, mesmerized by the absolute filthy show Zim was putting on nuzzling his half-hard cock in his jeans like it was the only thing he’d ever want. Dib gripped the sheets half terrified and the most turned on he's ever been in his life. 

“Dib,” he groaned, peering up at the human with utter fire. “Soldiers have either succumbed to war or ended their own miserable lives from their Tallests’ absence. Service and loyalty is what I was bred to do and if nothing else,” Dib shivered at the hot breath between his thighs. “I was damn good at it.” 

“What are you trying to say?” He panted. “For now, you are my Tallest.” Dib watched his tongue dart out once again to wet his lips. “That means you tell me what to do. Please.” The waver in his voice affected Dib more than he was comfortable with. Childhood nemesis turned friend and now whatever this was? How would this even work? Alien biology aside, this was horribly wrong and he needs to stop this now before it gets even further out of hand. If it wasn’t too late already. If Zim wanted this half as bad as he was implying, Dib had zero control over the situation, service programming be damned. Dib might be the “Tallest” or whatever, but he knew Zim held all the cards. They both knew. It all came down to who would crack first and Dib had an idea that it would be himself. Trying to formulate a plan became increasingly difficult with the insisting presence at his groin. He can’t say he didn’t try. 

“Z-Zim are you- fuck.” A particularly languid lick with the flat of his tongue broke his concentration. Against his will, Dib was now fully hard and far too gone to stop it. 

“You know, for a Tallest you're not very smart.” He replaced his tongue with his much firmer hands that gripped and squeezed overtop the fabric pulling a shaking whine from his throat. “You act like you don’t want this.” Dib’s hips bucked and stuttered at Zim’s meager ministrations. “You’re already falling apart, look at you!” He laughed. “On Irk you would be the superior mind. Strong willed enough to lead armies who would never give your word a second thought. Mindless obedience at your command, Dib. What will you do with it?”

Dib felt like he was losing his mind. Never in his life did he think he’d ever see Zim on his knees speaking such filthy things. He was barely touching him but here he was; hardly able to string enough words together to form a coherent sentence.

“What will you do?” He repeated. Zims own cheeks were dusted a pink almost as pretty as his words. Together they sat in a sort of silence just considering each other. Zims gaze was unfaltering and Dib finally realized he was expecting an actual answer. He could end this if he wanted. Just a few strong words would put this whole obscure moment behind them. Zim would listen to whatever he said, do whatever he wanted. So what did he want? His confidence found him when he spoke. 

“If you're going to do this, you’re going to do it right.” He releases his white knuckled grip on the sheets and with mindful hands, undoes the fly of his jeans. Zim’s own hands are heedlessly shoved to the side as Dib carefully pulls his cock, angry and blushing, from his boxers to settle directly in his face. Wide eyed, Zim stared up in disbelief but acceptance at both boys seemingly calling each other’s bluffs. “This is what you wanted, right?” He gave himself a few strokes. “To serve? To please?” 

Zim could only nod and stare. 

“Then get on with it. Open up, soldier.”

Obeying, Zim showed off his glistening tongue, sticking out on display along with his blunted teeth. The tint to his cheeks deepened as he opened his mouth wide. He peered up with a look that would appear to anyone else as obedience, but Dib knew better. He was quite familiar with this look. Hiding behind obedience, Dib could make out the barest hint of defiance. Of a challenge. Even in this moment of vulnerability, between the two of them there was a shred of uncertainty. Pushing past his reservations, he fit his fully hard cock against his tongue, giving it a few taps for good measure. 

“You want to serve? You want to be good?”

Zims only response was a hot, breathy moan through his open mouth. 

“Then prove it.”

The last of his resolve crumbled as Zim surged forward enveloping Dib in his mouth; tongue gliding against the hardened flesh. Dib couldn’t help but reach out and shove his head down even further earning him a satisfying choke. Not to be outdone, Zim buried his nose in the dark tuft of hair in front of him and swallowed. 

Bottoming out in Zim’s tight throat, Dib was reduced to a stuttering mess. His canting hips lurched up into the pleasure consuming him as Zim licked and sucked in earnest. The soft keening moans and wet slurping were the only sounds to be heard before Dib had enough. Zim was enjoying this far too much. Roughly, he tore him off with an obscene pop! while they both struggled to catch their breath and his thumb reached out to mop up the string of dribble that clung to his lip. 

“You’re getting sloppy,” he said, stroking himself much easier with the copious amount of slobber Zim insisted on tossing around. 

“‘M sorry,” Zim panted beneath him, following each movement with rapid fascination and splaying his palms flat to his thighs.

“No you aren’t,” he nudged his hips forward into the silken heat before him. Zim had the courtesy to take his time, to savor his instruction. Gently, he urged the head past his swollen lips with a far too generous tongue.  Kitten-licking  proved faultless as he lapped at it, earning a breathless noise from above. Sucking and benevolent, he resumed. With no hands and more intention he hollowed his cheeks and sank down further engulfing him in incandescence. Zim focused on his breathing more than anything. As long as he could keep his throat from spasming, things should be enjoyable for the both of them. The shameless moans and huffs did little to remind him of his task at hand, however. As much as he’d hate to admit, each and every sound ricocheting off the walls made him more and more eager to please. Weary of his teeth, he licked and sucked and sopped up each bead of precum he was awarded as he continued his assignment. If Gaz’s TV wasn’t as loud as it was, the whole house would’ve heard her brother’s undoing in the next room. Mantras of “fuck” and “god, yes” echoed off each surface to chant for their endurance.

Before long, the fire pooling in his gut reached its peak as he came with a roaring groan, holding Zim’s head tightly in place so as to not spill a single precious drop. Ropes upon ropes sputtered down Zim’s throat one after another which he greedily swallowed down like the good little soldier he was. He hummed at the taste which sent vibrating shockwaves up the pulsating shaft causing Dib to flinch away with a hiss. But Zim wasn’t quite done yet; he wasn’t about to let his prey go. With a much softer tongue, he laved at the slit delving inside to retrieve any missed spend- it was his prize to claim and it would not escape him. 

Once satisfied, he released the belt loops he hadn't realized he was holding from his demanding grasp and carefully pulled away from the tender, softening flesh. Flushed, yet level headed, he peered upward at Dib who was nowhere near as coherent. Overheated and overstimulated, he had no choice but to lay back in rapture; encompassed in post-orgasm haze. Never did he think a simple blow job could be that incredible or that Zim would be the creature to give it. That such a being of destruction could also be one of depravity. 

“Was that to your liking, My Tallest?” His voice was gruff with both use and lust as his shoulders heaved, panting. Dib propped himself up on his elbows to at least try to have some semblance of sanity. His hair stuck up in all directions giving him a mockery of a dark halo and his voice came almost as dark. 

“To my liking?” He parroted, dazed. 

Zim stared. 

“You nearly sucked out my soul through my dick and you want to know if you did a good job?” 

Finally sitting all the way up, Dib tucked himself back away, chuckling to himself in disbelief. 

“Yes, Zim. You did a very good job. Your, heh, Tallest is quite impressed.”

Of all the time exchanged, it was this moment that caused Zim to be well and truly bashful. Shoving himself away from the spread knees in front of him, Zim leapt to his feet and tried to compose himself; cheeks cherry reddening at the praise. 

“Of course I did well, pathetic worm-smeet. My superior Irken flesh had to demonstrate a pleasure you would not have found elsewhere.” He tried his best to adjust himself discreetly, but remained just as successful as Dib was at hiding his amusement. “You jest, but I’ve seen the vile ‘pornography’ you watch in your free time, human. I will never understand the appeal of a group of “backdoor sluts” or how there are somehow nine installments.”

 Dib flushed abashedly. “When did you snoop around on my laptop?” He shrieked. 

“Know thy enemy, beast,” he shrugged, unperturbed, moving toward the door. 

“You’re leaving already?” Dib cautiously asked, disappointment evident in his voice. 

“Well, yeah,” he shifted on his toes. “The ritual is over, yes? Am I forgetting something?” He narrows his eyes. “Are you being untruthful about your satisfaction?” 

“No! Nothing like that, I just,” he combs his damp hair out of his face. He really was getting more disgusting by the minute. “You didn’t, you know. Er…” he flounders. 

“Achieve orgasm? No. I didn't. But I don’t understand how that’s relevant.” He toes on his shoes and stuffs his socks into his pocket to deal with later. 

“Would you like to? Usually this sort of thing is mutual.” This time he managed to hide the nervousness in his voice. “Traditionally,” he added. 

It was such a bold question. One Zim was ready to dismiss if it weren’t for the steady ache he felt. He contemplated giving himself over to a Tallest entirely-the pleasure that would hold. The emotional gratification. Was he really about to grant himself such pleasure? 

“No. I’ll be fine.” The air shifted through the open door giving them both the grace to breathe. “Bye, Dib.

Much later in the night, two friends sat alone in their beds biting back urgent moans and painting their sheets and bellies; replaying the events of the evening in their minds until there was nothing left for their bodies to give. Spent and exhausted, they would each stare at their ceilings and think independently together the same refrain they’ve uttered for years:

Tomorrow. 

Tomorrow, I’ll tell him. 

[wangmiao]

Shipper Tag Game

thanks so much to @godotismissingx for tagging me again!

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care anymore?

i'll be honest LOL i was oblivious in stuff like this when i was a teenager. yes, i'd drool over celebrities and characters, but i never knew shipping was a thing.

2. Which ship would you consider your first one?

i got into the fandom culture very late, so my first ship was joseph chandler x emerson kent from whitechapel

3. Your first fanfic belonged to which couple?

i honestly don't remember. i got into fanfic pretty late too. maybe whitechapel as well?

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw a fanart over?

nope

5. Did you ever get into ship discourse?

i don't really do discourse most of the time.

6. Did you used to have any no-otp or have it currently?

i don't know how you define no-otp. like is it just something you don't ship, or you hate? there are ships that i don't like, and i just don't mention them at all on my blog. if you know that i've watched a show or film, but i never mention or reblog a popular ship from the show/film, that's probably my no-otp...

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

LOL i'm predictable, shi qiang x wang miao (shiwang) from three-body. i'm especially into reading fanfic recently. one of the first things i check every morning is if there's new shiwang fic.

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs?

shiwang has been living in my mind rent free for an entire year now, and i haven't gotten tired of them yet...probably never will...

recently i'm into cheng bing x pan dahai from the lonely warrior and tang chuan x shi hong from the devotion of suspect x.

and just to name a few other otps: guang hongfeng x zhou xun in day and night, lee joongyeop x cha jaehwan from chimera, lee chang x youngshin in kingdom; cheng fengtai x shangxirui from winter begonia, agron x nasir from spartacus, jack x ianto from torchwood, and my first whitechapel ship is always very important to me.

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

i'm used to not having ships be 100% canon. what can you do? sigh!

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

can't really think of anything

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, was considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

can't think of anything either...

12. What was your favorite crack ship?

i don't really have one...xD...

13. Who is the couple you read more fanfics of?

definitely shiwang...i kinda stopped reading fanfic in early 2019 due to the original sin/原生之罪 drama and a family incident...i might have tried some fanfic occasionally, but i generally wasn't in a mood for fanfic until three-body aired in 2023.

another reason is back then, most chinese fanfic writers don't really use ao3, so lots of fanfic for day and night and original sin was on lofter and weibo instead of ao3. and it's a pain in the ass trying to track fic on those sites. but now, most of the shiwang fic would be on ao3. and because shiwang is very loved in cfandom, new fic never stops coming.

i do read western fandom fanfic too, but definitely not as much as the chinese ones ever since i got back into cdramas in 2017.

14. What most of your ships usually have in common?

give me all of the dilfslove or dld (dilf loves dilf) LOL.

enemies to lover is something i always like. though how you define "enemy" would be very different in different ships. i also tend to ship work partners (detective duos; cop & some kind of consultant; villain duos)

15. What you absolutely hate in a ship?

maybe the lack of chemistry? if i can't feel the chemistry between the actors, no matter how romantic or hot the plot is between them, i probably won't ship them.

tagging @bahoreal @xinxiaojie @yohankang @zhivchik @a-very-fond-farewell @randomingoftherandomness only if you haven't done this and want to do it; also tagging any followers who want to do this.

[broke-on-books]

☕️ + the Scooby Doo fandom in general

Hmm okay so this is a very broad question to me and that really means it's going to recieve a broad answer, especially to me as "Scooby fandom" really has differing levels in my heart etc.

For example with my friends and the smallish community of fellow Scooby fans I've found here on tumblr (the Scooby Dootuals!!!) I really love and like! Everybody is so nice and it's cool that people have various levels of knowledge about different series and iterations. Like I really enjoy that on here Scooby fans (as in, like my friends and people who regularly post scooby) have such differing levels of experience with this huge huge franchise as it makes it so much more interesting. Like we have people out there who have seen almost every episode (or feels like it) and can seemingly remember the smallest of things from them, and then we have people who weren't into Scooby as a child but are exploring it now, and then we've got people (like me) who did like it as a child and kind of know a bit of everything, with huge areas of weakness in Scooby they haven't seen, (for me APNSD, anything more than the premise of 13 Ghosts, the 80s trio minus Boo Brothers, anything past s1 of bcsd, much of the 70s era movies, SD & SD, Guess Who, SDMI details, like the list goes on, people!!! I've only seen a Scooby series in order in its entirety one time in my life and that was SDMI age like 12) while also having a few areas with greater knowledge or familiarity and a few spots where they just know a ton/are constantly rewatching. (Me with Goes Hollywood for sure) anyways I don't really remember where I was going with this but uhhh I like that my buddies and whatnot all know different amounts with many being chill or knowing a little bit of everything so we can still like each others posts and talk about Scooby with there still always being so much more to discover <3. So like basically thoughts on the besties are that besties are cool

However I know anon that by sending this you likely mean "Scooby fandom" as in people outside of this insular little bubble so let's talk about that. I think I'm reluctant to really label this group "Scooby fandom" as for ME PERSONALLY fandom really means a kind of engagement with the work beyond what most general Scooby fans do. Like what I'm trying to say is that this group of "wider Scooby fandom" liked Scooby and watched it as a child and consider themselves a fan of Scooby but they aren't rotating Scooby characters like blorbos in their mind too much. Or if they are, it's generally in the creation of like dark!Scooby aus or the live action Scooby show pitches that blow up on here every time Scooby is a topic of general coversation. I guess for me personally the line between this "Scooby fandom" and my own little bubble of people I'm chill with gets drawn based on what fans want out of Scooby. Like do they love Scooby as it is, or do they want to change the audience to create a new Scooby for themselves. Hm, I'm not really phrasing this right. What I mean is like we're all Scooby fans. If you've ever liked Scooby, at any age, however long ago, you're a Scooby fan, I'm not trying to like, gatekeep Scooby fandom or whatever. I just think that differing groups of fans have different pictures in their head of both what Scooby Doo IS and what they want from it based on their familiarity with it and how long it's been since said fan has watched Scooby.

And that's kind of wherein my frustration with "wider scooby fandom" lies. It's really in the fact that there's thousands upon thousands of these "sleeper fans" (which in my mind is really a better term for it) who awake when I or the popular culture mention Scooby, to share their opinions. And these opinions just frankly drive me up the wall. This is because when confronted with a real life Scooby fan (me) there's generally 3 things they want to talk about: 1) SDMI and how it's the greatest thing since sliced bread 2) Doesn't HBO Velma suck 3) (once they learn I like Scrappy) Scrappy hatred and copious references to his portrayal in the Gunn Movies. Plus MAYBE a bonus 4 of other miscellaneous takes that get on my nerves (stuff like Shaggy always smoking weed, Fred and Daphne splitting up together to have sex, just all sorts of things I do not for the life of me want to talk about).

So I guess my take on the wider scooby fandom is as follows: there are positives like some genuinely funny SD posts once a blue moon, or people to share things like concept art and leaks to much of the content canceled by HBO Max, but the vast vast majority of the time it kind of gets on my nerves because people always want to talk about the same few things (which I feel have been talked to death already or I highly disagree with OR BOTH) and it's just really tiring to deal with. Idk I don't think I'm going to go into it to much more here because this post isn't too coherent to begin with (I'm blaming it on like 70% of this being written before work this morning) but there's so many people out there who think so similarly about Scooby (and SO differently from how I think about it) that it feels like I'm getting talked over constantly whenever I have a discussion about Scooby with someone from this group. And that's just like not fun for me? It's just like for me, Scooby Doo is my number one thing. Like I'll be in different fandoms concurrently or whatever and I don't really read fic for scooby but I will for other stuff etc. But like scooby is always there for me like MY MAIN turned into a scooby doo blog like honestly while that's just not the case for some other people. It's very much a difference in the value and time put into the franchise, (which like you can just like things casually that's not a bad thing) it's just that it's frustrating for me talking to sleeper fans about Scooby because I get trapped (literally, like irl) in the exact same conversation that I don't even want to be having(!!!!!) pretty much all the time.

[londonspirit]

Paste Magazine: Going back to the fan reaction to Season 1, a second season seemed assured. But then major management and content shifts were happening at WBDiscovery and Max, which delayed the pick-up. When you finally did get the Season 2 order, did you fundamentally change your thoughts about the story you wanted to tell?

David Jenkins: No. I think they’ve been a dream to work with. Every time I’ve made something, there’s been major corporate upheaval and I am starting to think that every time anybody makes something, particularly now, there’s major corporate upheaval. The first season of this television show took place in one era. The second took place in still another era that has since ended. And if there was going to be a third season, it would take place in an entirely new era.Throughout it all, we’ve had the same execs. Suzanna Makkos has been with the show for both of those seasons and they’ve been nothing but supportive. 

In terms of us in the [writers’] room, we just try to mind our own business, and make sure we can pay for everything.

Paste: As the season has progressed, have you been surprised by the audience’s reaction to any particular story lines?

Jenkins: Well, I’m not trying not to be as plugged in as I was in the first season. I’m just trying to let it have its own life. But I love how excited everybody was about Izzy (Con O’Neill) singing. Everyone wants the full “La Vie en Rose” recording from Con, which is beautiful. 

I love that Ed and Stede getting together and having sex was not a titanic explosion. It was more like, “Of course they’re gonna have sex. They’re together, so that beat is gonna happen.” And I love the general acceptance of Buttons (Ewen Bremner) turning into a bird, which is the most ludicrous story point. 

Paste: Our Flag Means Death has such a passionate LGBTQ fandom and that audience has been burnt many times before with promised “ships” that have ended badly, or with the painful “bury your gays” trope. Going into “Mermen,” this fandom was sweating with anxiety, but you gifted them a love letter. Did their expectations feel especially weighty when writing the finale?

Jenkins: It felt like the opposite, and the wind was in our sails. We could fully go into these storylines with all of these different characters and [know] people are invested in all of these relationships. Doing things when we’re writing that excite us and guessing—most of the time, correctly—that fans will love it is a great feeling. The thing we’re trying to do, in the room, is [ask]: do we like it, does it surprise us, and does it feel exciting? And the room has a spectrum of sexualities, so it’s just making sure that, “Hey, we doin’ okay? Does everybody feel good about what we’re putting out there?”

When you have a show, you run the Deathstar, essentially. You’re shooting this beam out into the culture, that if you aren’t paying attention, you could do a lot of damage. I think particularly for this season, that “bury your gays” thing… I didn’t want to end on a downbeat for Ed and Stede. We did that in the first season. I like that there’s a lot of different flavors. It’s even a little melancholy because the Republic of Pirates got blown up. But there’s still more good things.

Paste: In the breaking of the season, how much changed while plotting out the season to the finale?

Jenkins: I wanted to start at the Republic of Pirates this season and end at the Republic of Pirates. And I knew I wanted the Republic of Pirates to be destroyed, ultimately. Within that, we are making a one-hour show on a half hour budget, on a half hour schedule. The questions then become: if we have a bar fight, and you have everyone fight, how big can we make it? And if we have everything blow up, how much can we blow up? Or if we have a fight, how big of a fight and what parts of the fight can you actually show? It’s about making something that felt like it had some heft and size to it. In the room, talking through it, as a showrunner I’m thinking, “Oh, man, we’re gonna put these department heads through hell. They’re gonna have to work so hard.” You already feel bad. 

Paste: That beach battle with Ed, Zheng, and Stede fighting in parallel with the moving cameras was impressive. 

Jenkins: It was the entire team working so well together when everybody’s fried by the end of the season. Like you hand the script to [costume designer] Gypsy Taylor and she sees that she has to come up with 200 English uniforms. She blanches, but then she nails it. And it’s an amazing team across the board. I think we all pull together because we like it. We want it to feel epic.

Paste: Was there much debate about any particular story line for the finale?

Jenkins: In terms of ending this season, it all felt right just in talking through it when we were in the room. It felt pretty intuitive. When you get to the third act of the story, things kind of settle in. There’s gonna be a funeral. We always knew we wanted a wedding at the end of the second season. And I knew that I wanted Stede and Ed to start an inn together. So once you have those beats, it’s kind of locked in. But I wasn’t prepared for the emotional weight that I feel when the crew sails off together and the parents are watching from the inn. It’s just lovely. 

Paste: Speaking of that funeral, Con O’Neill played Izzy’s journey across two seasons so beautifully. When did it come to you that his last words to Ed about just being himself were going to have such an impact?

Jenkins: It’s kind of a strange arc in that I knew we were going to put him through all these things, and I knew he would ultimately die. But I think him becoming a father figure to Ed in the last episode didn’t really dawn on us until we were breaking the last episode. Asking what would this man say to Ed at the end because they’ve been together through everything? He went from a troubled and downtrodden employee to a jilted lover to a discarded employee, to someone that is just trying to find his footing again—no pun intended—to actually becoming this guy’s parental figure on some level. And he’s one person who kind of raised Ed right, because Blackbeard usually kills his parental figures. So, it felt right and it felt like that’s how the mentor dies. The mentor in a story usually dies in the second act and then our hero has to go on and try to do it without them. It felt like the right journey for Izzy and a gratifying one for Condon.

Paste: OFMD doesn’t have a third season pick-up yet, so it’s a difficult feat for writers to thread the needle in a finale that gives audiences closure but also leaves enough story to continue. 

Jenkins: I don’t think it was a very hard thing to do. I think it was more that I felt a responsibility to leave Ed and Stede in a good place, at least for now. It’s not gonna go well. They’re not going to run a business well. Ed’s too much of a talker. Stede can’t focus. It’s gonna be challenging. 

Paste: So you have more stories to tell?

Jenkins: For a third season, I have a clear idea of the way through that so it will be good, big, and interesting. But not too big, Max. 

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Have you seen the latest shitshow of the CBX SM drama bpp? When you said you expect the drama to drag on till May/June I was surprised, but it seems you were right --- again. Baekhyun just revealed SM hurried him to renew his contract despite some time left, because of the Kakao deal. He also said SM kept all the artists in the dark and they had to find out about HYBE's offers from the news. Bang PD was apologizing to the SM idols, while Chris Lee treated them like they were invisible, but Exols, Mys, Shawols, NCTzens, Reveluvs, and the whole kpop, claimed no company was more evil than HYBE. Armys were called every name under the sun for pointing out how many things from SM didn't make sense and now less than 1 month later, CBX are exposing their slave contracts and fighting for transparency. I feel so bad for the idols but SM stans don't even care? I was in a space yesterday and all they were saying is HYBE is worse, HYBE is a slave company, HYBE is this and that. And I'm just like ---- when do they fandom feuds end? IF THE WELLBEING OF THEIR IDOLS ISN'T ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM STOP HATING BTS ARMY AND HYBE, WHEN DOES IT END?

***

Hi Anon,

Before getting into it, I want to be clear about one thing: HYBE has its own problems.

BigHit was an efficiently run company that balanced artist wellfare and development alongside commercial targets, very well, and Bang PD has managed to bring over many of those best practices to HYBE. Also, HYBE’s acquisition of American music labels early on the company’s lifetime, necessitated it being in-line with international corporate governance best practices under SEC guidelines - something no other k-pop agency has had to do. So at the most basic level, HYBE is easily the best run k-pop agency in Korea and this has been true for a long time.

But even then, the expansion of BigHit to HYBE meant pulling manpower and staff from other k-pop agencies especially Big 3, and there was a huge hiring of ex-SM staff that happened in 2020 - staff who brought over their own bias, work practices and culture. They’d have to adjust to how things were done at HYBE, but culture flows both ways so I suspect it also affected many things in HYBE, and it’s no secret there’s been an uptick in issues for BTS since HYBE’s creation that weren’t there under BigHit. But again, overall, HYBE is still one of the best run companies in Korea.

Here’s an excerpt from a proprietary research done on idol contracts in Korea basically showing as much (though HYBE isn’t explicitly named, also note the share of revenue SM takes from their artists relative to other companies):

*

A lot of this information is old news, but as I keep saying, nothing in k-pop can be understood outside of the context of this being an ultra-, hyper-competitive space. That alone should explain the crux of k-pop stans’ behaviours to any issues that arise if something connected to BTS is involved. For as long as I can remember, BTS / BigHit and ARMYs have run counter-cultural to the norms here (until recently), and that has earned them being enemy numero uno. Nothing is more important in this space to k-pop stans, than hating the scapegoat - BTS and anything related to them by proxy and no that’s not an exaggeration.

ARMYs don’t make it any easier for them though (lol) when too many people are using this situation as a gotcha, but it’s also true there wouldn’t be a gotcha to be had now if k-pop stans had put aside their fear-mongering over ‘monopoly’ and whatnot in HYBE in the first place, to just think for a bit when Chris Lee was peddling tales of Pink Bloods in alliance, while Bang PD was drawing attention to the abysmal corporate governance in SM.

Everything SM is doing now, they’ve done before, many times, successfully, because the stans would rather excuse it and redirect blame on every other company, than on SM. The only exception to this pattern was in 1st and 2nd gen where fans supported the idols without compromise so SM had to change a bit. But lol, that was also before BTS - once BTS was introduced into the mix and it was clear they were an anomaly, the priorities of many stan communities in k-pop changed, and this has only gotten worse over the years. Everybody who has been here long enough knows it, including SM, and these behaviours have only been reinforced by most companies in this space because they know it takes the heat off them.

I mean, you all witnessed that this is exactly what SM did during the takeover drama.

If you go on YouTube right now, you’d see 10s of videos made about...

how HYBE is a monopolistic hydra of an evil company intent on ruining k-pop;

about HYBE having a girl group curse (not the companies that blacklisted female idols who have written books about abuse under SM, not the companies that female idols took to court over pimping, drug use and coercion, not the K-pop companies working with R Kelly to groom female minors, later having agency executives marry former female trainees, and so on that happens in Big3);

production and audio mixing problems (that none of these critics can actually explain);

about rumours of enslavement in BigHit for BTS;

...from 10s of accounts by k-pop stans, not just one source, based on barely cohesive fan theories, common vanilla business practices, and vibes. You won’t find anything nearly as close to this on SM, JYPE, or YG - even at the height of the Burning Sun scandal.

Selective amnesia is a coping mechanism for many k-pop stans, and a part of me is sympathetic towards some fans since many of them just want to support their fave idols and may feel like they have no choice when SM is involved. And like I've said before, all corporations have their own issues, but again, there's levels to this madness, and it has been clear to anyone with half a brain that SM is the worst of the bunch. And so it's also true SM stans have enabled a lot of this insanity.

CBX seem to be in good hands, so I hope it really works out for them. Their stans will find ways to cope by latching onto any mildly negative news out of HYBE for the next 12-ish months (again, we saw SM encourage this sort of thinking during the takeover drama), and things will chug on as they do here.

[peppertaemint]

I joined tumblr ‘cause of Shinee just recently and was a babywol (2022), really admired them, especially Key. I feel lost, and like such a fool for feeling this conflicted. As a poc, I’m so done with making excuses for people, it’s always heartbreaking to tell people how I feel, be dismissed or worse just be heard and then they do nothing about it, not even stand by you. It’s gutting when it keeps happening, just never gets easier- like I know they’re going to hurt me, but I also love them because there’s a lot of good to them? Also, how many people can I cut out from my life? I don’t want to see Taekey dragged, it’s just so much worse knowing they’re fully capable of learning and growing from this, but they most probably won’t bother, especially with a lot of the fandom trying to bury our comments. It’s just infuriating when taekey have talked about what it feels like with people commenting about their image/ weight, and they turn around and do the same thing to their own friend. I can’t believe just last week I was all happy for Key being called a ‘safe and comforting presence for fans’ in some article. Do you think they’re likely to apologize/change? I’ve heard some comments about a concert where one of the members apologized in the past. again, feel foolish for holding out hope, but I’m just so tired and feel so torn.

Hi Anon,

I am dictating this, so apologies if any of it comes off weird. I don't think you have to make excuses for people and I don't think it's a matter of them not wanting to learn. My own take is that it's a cultural difference that is difficult to bridge. That's not an excuse that's just a reason; that being said, when I watch old Korean stuff like TV et cetera versus what is out now there is a big difference. That doesn't mean it's perfect, but to me, I see it going in the direction that is what I want and expect.

Basically, I think you can respect someone's art and like their art but acknowledge that you don't like every part of them or everything that they do, the same as the way you love a family member, but you don't like everything that they do. The problem in these spaces, These online spaces, is that People associate an artist with their own identity, and then that artist's failing becomes their own, and it's not, it is theirs for them to own and keep. And it is enough for you to say I'm not cool with that and make your thoughts known.

I think that everyone is capable of making mistakes and mistakes that are hurtful, and it's up to us to decide what we have as a boundary and what we don't. And honestly, I've been a fan of shinee since late 2019, and this is the first thing like this that I've seen go on. I saw the old stuff but I wasn't surprised because I've seen that with every single group that I've looked into and I've seen it in almost every Korean show that I've watched. But they have apologised about things and they are people who self reflect.

not a lot of fans have watched it, but the interview in 2018 with radio star.... There's so much reflection in discussion of changing as people, about growing up and understanding when you've hurt someone, and changing your behaviours, so I just think out of everyone that I've seen, I see a lot more of that with this group than other groups. And it is specific. Key went on about how he used to hurt peoples' feelings. Then it's something that he has to watch out for. Obviously it is something that he probably still struggles with for whatever reason and I think we've all seen that, if you're a fan and you've watched enough stuff. I feel more comfortable with artists who are honest and make mistakes and discuss those things whether it's tomorrow or it's like six months from now. Then people who purposely ignore it or make disingenuous comments. I don't think this is a group that ever makes disingenuous comments, I don't know if that's helpful, anonymous, But that's my two cents.

[sissytobitch10seconds]

I think that sometimes, especially with binge-culture surrounding shows and media in general, people get under the impression that a new season of something has completely changed how the characters act. I consume content very slowly because otherwise I get all de-realization messy in my head so for a long time I could never see what they saw. Shows that have huge in-universe time gaps between seasons (such as every season of Stranger Things and the gap between S1 and S2 of The Umbrella Academy) have it worst of all, I think.

My hypothesis is that a lot of people begin to consume content all at once and then immediately log onto a fandom so that they can continue to get content even if they consumed all of the canon. This means that slowly, over time, their ideas of who the characters are begins to warp and change. When they log back onto the show after the new season releases they believe that the writers/actors/producers have completely changed how the characters acted in the first place because they’ve grown overly attached to the idea that their favorite blorbo was one way when in reality he was another.

I bring this up because I saw someone claiming that the S3 cast of Umbrella Academy had people acting out of character when in all reality, I think they just went through massive amounts of character development in the time that they were stuck in Dallas (with the exception of Five, who got no time off, and Viktor who had his character development happen on screen with his transition). Luther has always been kind of an adorable himbo who’s super in love, going back to watch his interactions with Allison in S1 prove that even if he is blinded by his loyalty to Reginald and struggling to adjust to life around people again. Diego has always been headstrong and a little arrogant, he’s just also trying to juggle a kid with that. Klaus has always been an utter wildcard and his character has big ups and big downs. Allison has always been self-centered and believed that her life is the most tragic thing to have ever happened (I give her a pass in S2 because, y’know, racism and segregation allows any person of color to act however they want to their white oppressors). Viktor acts pretty much the same in late S1 as he does throughout the rest of the series. 

Stranger Things is also a fandom that warps the characters pretty significantly. Eddie especially since he became the fandom darling. When you look at what we were given in the show and then what the steddie people turned him into (I love that interpretation of him, don’t get me wrong) they’re nothing alike. 

I don’t think that the writers of the show are warping characters or turning them into someone else, I think that binge-culture has made us associate a specific type of character to our first impressions of them when we watched the beginning part of their media and how we felt when we watched it. Characters go through growth and changes, just as we do as people, which makes them feel almost completely different than they did when we first started. The binge model around media has ruined character development because we can’t process it when we’re consuming so much content that quickly.

There’s no conclusion to this, I think. It was just something I felt like pointing out after seeing a couple of posts about it! Feel free to discuss this with me either on this post, my DMs, or my inbox if you want (I will be deleting/ignoring people that just want to yell or be mean).