#fandom gatekeeping

[the-yearning-astronaut]

If there's one universal thing we all experience being queer, it's a pervasive feeling that we don't fit, whether that's in society at large or our own communities. People who decide you don't belong because you're different are doing queerness wrong.

We see you. We recognise you as one of us. You don't need to fit into a specifically shaped box to be here. If we believed you needed to change to belong we'd be no different than all the people who labelled us queer in the first place.

You've got this.

Hey anon. Just wanted to thank you for this message. I didn't post it before because I wasn't sure what to say (too many emotions lol) and because I wanted to be able to easily reference it again.

And I'm glad I waited because even though I'm still full of emotions and don't really know what to say or how to say it, I needed the reminder today that it's ok to be queer and express and explore my queerness in whatever way I wish and that there are plenty of people out there who would support me through it.

And that the people who gatekeep identities and determine who is allowed write or draw what and how they're allowed to do it... are in the wrong. I wish I could say I'm capable of just ignoring them and moving on, but I'm not. It hurts. It hurts to express myself and explore my understanding of my own identity through the filter of media and characters and have fellow queer fans say I'm wrong and what I'm doing is wrong and that my interpretation of this character is wrong wrong wrong.

And I hope one day these kinds of people come to realize their words and actions have caused harm to members of the community they profess to support. And that they're able to admit they were in the wrong and grow from those mistakes.

Anyway. I sorta did find some words I guess. 💛

[fortheloveofdeaddove]

Some things to remember about The Hobbit fandom (or any fandom) in case anyone has forgotten or never knew in the first place because I've noticed a rise in posts dripping in The Nonsense (TM):

You can and should characterize however you desire in your fanfiction, fanart, head canons, essays, shit posts, etc. Your Bilbo or Thorin or whoever, however you present them (whatever age, weight, attitude, etc) is correct, as long as it makes you happy.

Remember that other people's opinions are not fact, and if it differs from yours, just give them a Robert Redford Mountain Man style nod and move on (see gif for example):

If you see other people being negative or trashing the styling, characterizations, or head canons you like, just remember there is space for everyone, and its important that you and your ideas are here because it makes the room more interesting! Feel free to block them so you don't have to see content that is negative to you. Don't worry about not following the "most popular kid" in the room.

Learn and grow from exposure to knew ideas and concepts, but don't feel morally or socially pressured to change the things you like because of someone else's more "high-minded" interpretation.

Skinny, twink Bilbo of any age and art style is fine. Dark-Fuck-Prince Thorin of any age is fine. Accurate-to-Tolkien's-description-Hobbits are fine! Gender-bent Bilbo is fine (genderbent ANYONE is fine and is NOT inherently homophobic ffs I WILL GO OFF).

Whatever you like, however you like, is fine! I'm listing these things specifically because they've been called out in other posts in just this last week alone. I wouldn't deny those OP folks their expression, but I don't want it to be the only conversation happening.

Please enjoy yourselves, everyone!

[moved-to-piersgender]

Just saw another "if you ship or write fluff fics, you aren't enjoying thestory correctly!!!1 The author should be disgusted by all of you!!!" take and you know what, they ARE annoying. I may not like or be comfortable with all of it but you can do whatever the fuck you want forever /gen

[enby--ghost]

using tumblr more has made me see just how gatekeepy reddit can be. you can't like anything without being told why you're wrong for liking it

[greentrickster]

My secret fandom superpower is that no level of gatekeeping can keep me out, because I don’t enter fandom by the gate, I climb over the back garden wall or tunnel in through the basement.

[thefandomchaos]

Y’all when MCU finally does the X-Men i’m gate-keeping Scott and Alex Summers because they’ve suffered enough at the hands of FOX.

[arian-archivist-11]

My biggest ick is the hyper feminization of an obviously masculine character in a m/m ship. It's weird watch this happen so consistently, but then i realize that a lot of people in Fandom are young woman/girls so they project their understandings of relationship dynamics onto said ships. Or that the male artists who work in the Fandom themselves like a more masc/fem approach in their works. Fem interpretations are okay and frankly needed but for some people it seems they can't enjoy it without unesecarily projecting those qualities onto characters and take away their actual personality in doing so. A concerning amount of these people are young woman (attracted to men) who bulldoze past, and ignore the obviously queer relationship and themes they're engaging with, essentially making it cis-het light.

This isn't some "mlM FeTiShIZaTiOn" post because there are enough of those brain dead, thinly veiled misogynistic takes in fandom spaces, but that I'd really like to see more male/masculine/gay influence in fandom spaces. Because many of those girls are young, over-enthusiastic, and queer themselves.

As much as woman and girls do enrich fandom spaces I feel as if there is a lack of people who know how to handle, write, and draw masculine themes. A lot of us are in fandom spaces, but the people actually ruling narratives and influencing fandom spaces aren't us.

From tumblr, to tictok and twitter most Fandom and community accounts are rarely ever men/masculine aligned peeps and the ones that are, are usually not as popular and sometimes treated like they're anomalies. Many male accounts I follow for these ships and communities talk about how suprised people tend to be when they hear their gender because it's not common for men to be in these fandoms spaces. Even when those spaces are about us. The weirdest part is that reddit is the only solid place with gay/queer male oriented communities of large size and that is simply unacceptable. Not only because its fucking reddit. But the fact that there should be many more spaces oriented around us. God's know I need to just feel surrounded by understanding and similar people. Let alone someone in a worse position then my own.

It'd be everything to just be surrounded by people I share an essential part of me in commen with when I'm talking about silly needy stuff. And communities seem hell bent on ignoring us or being downright hostile.

This isn't even mentioning the not very disguised bigotry we face.

Some experience micro-agressive, and even bigoted behavior from peole who interact with them or their work. I hardly interact with anyone to avoid this kind of shit but I see it all too often around me.

Fandom is lacking a masculine presence. Even when we're the ones making the art and writing the fics, the people who run the massive blogs and accounts are usually never us. And when we make blog spaces and run them our precanse is treated as unusual or even met with varying degrees of indifference and anger.

Fandom has a problem with anti-masculinity and heteronormativity in how it enteracts with male/queer male stories. We owe ourselves some basic self respect to push back against unhealthy narratives and to let stories that value our masculinity thrive. And for younger guys in fandom to feel safe in being themselves when they interact with our spaces.

I've heared to many stories of guys pretending to be more fem or swallowing down complaints about content made for m/m relationships because they feel like their "taking up space" and "being too loud" by voicing their concerns.

I'm a pretty fem gay boy but I still desire to have a more masculine presence in queer spaces that are oriented around fiction. The sheer amount of nerdy accounts that are ran by really masc guys who think no one in non dudebro, cis-het spaces would be interested in them is heartbreaking.

Masc or fem you're appreciated and talente and you deserve to express yourself however you want. Trust me every time time I see a content creator post and image of themselves in a skirt or another showing off his jacket or fitness gains it acts as a little more inspiration to me.

Ideas of masculinity being threatening or incompatible with our communities is crypto-terf bullshit. If you want to be an openly masculine/male blog, account, or personality then be just that. One of the greatest barriers for masculine queer people is feeling out of place no matter where you go, so they deserve a space to be at home. To feel like their masculinity isn't dampened by their queerness or that they cause problems by being masculine and queer. Masculine queer people are my fucking world. Healthy masculinity that's unafraid to be itself is something I wish I had in my male "role models" growing up.

It's fun watching my favorite streamer talking about how hot boys are in the most manly-man, guy-dude way ever. Young guys deserve that recognition and relatability. We deserve role models and inspiration.

No more about, us without us. Even for simple shit like fandom.

(Also i find it really fucking interesting that with a rise of terfy, right wing puritinism in fandom there is also a rise of conditional ecceptance, homophobia and trabsphobia towards anyone male aligned. This is more widespread problem then I think is fully realized. There's an abnormal amount of push back to just our precanse.)

[waifstuff]

promise you you’re everything i want

[thesebright-lights]

I’m usually pretty anti-gatekeeping but some Shadow and Bone fans are really testing my patience

[open-your-heart-and-your-eyes]

In 2023, we end cringe culture and gatekeeping.

You never know where someone is in life, and you have no place to judge.

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

idk if anyone needs to hear this, but if you're in a fandom revolving around a game, and watched a playthrough or something instead of playing the game, you are so valid, despite what any gatekeepers may say!!

there are so many reasons why you may not have been able to play the game, perhaps you were unable to afford it, perhaps you find the game difficult, perhaps you don't have the required device, perhaps you simply don't enjoy playing games yourself!!

whatever the reason, it's okay. you are allowed to prefer plot, characters and/or art to gameplay. you are allowed to still call yourself a fan of the game. don't let anyone tell you otherwise

[mcbangle]

My hot take:

You don’t have to like all of the Star Wars movies to be a “real” SW fan. You’re not a hypocrite to call yourself a fan if you dislike one or more of the movies - even the popular movies. Even if you prefer the unpopular movies over the popular movies. Or if you don’t like any of the movies but you like the books or the video games or the shows. Or if you only like one part of SW canon or if you prefer fanon over canon.

If anyone tries to tell you that there’s only one right way to be a “true” fan, then they’re the wrong one, not you.

[type-goblin]

Anyone can wear the mask.

T​oday is the first showing of Spider-man Across the Spider-verse, and my friend won't watch it with me. He says he won't watch the movie with someone who doesn't read the comics because they're "not real fans" the dumbest thing ever, mainly because you don’t have to read the comics to understand the movie.

 I watched the first one, so ill get the second it isn't rocket science my other friend told me the time they were going to go watch it, and I secretly bought tickets that same time, so I’ll be there whether he likes it or not. because I want to watch it with my friends. my spider-man gatekeeper friend has no idea.

P​. S yes, I know the official date isn't until tomorrow, but you can watch it early if you order the early viewing tickets (which I did) looking forward to this movie.

[laschatzi]

Gatekeeping is not cool.

I'm enjoying the new Obi Wan Kenobi series, and looking for gifs to reblog I've stumbled over quite a few posts complaining about the montage at the beginning of ep 1, because "what business do you have watching that show if you haven't already seen Episode I-III before??"

No, guys.

You're not a better or truer Star Wars fan, just because you have been there from the beginning and/or seen every snippet of material.

Someone isn't a lesser fan, just because they've only gotten into Star Wars when Episode I came out - hey, maybe they weren't even born when the original trilogy came out? Also, someone maybe wasn't even born when Episode I-III came out and got into it only when Episode VII came out? They're not a lesser fan than you.

Someone might not or might only like the original trilogy or any of the later ones. Someone might only like the trilogies and none of the other movies from the SW universe. Someone might only like the movies and none of the other material. They're not a lesser fan than you.

Hell, someone might even just care for the new show because they find Ewan McGregor hot, and they have no idea what Star Wars is all about and are very grateful for the montage at the beginning. Maybe they get into it, maybe they don't - but that doesn't give you the right to ridicule them and tell them they have no business watching the show.

You're not a better or truer fan than them, you're just gatekeeping. And that's not cool.

[genderforthepoor]

I'm not one for gatekeeping, but i will not hesitate to gatekeep Mononoke from the people who are seeing it on Netflix. T-T

[waifstuff]

HE SAID HE LIKES CRAZY GIRLS, BUT HATES WHEN I ACT CRAZY