#fanfiction is making an extension of the original media

[becaexists]

The temptation to write a new fic just about the volta siblings

[penisbrigade]

god please stop putting out more marvel movies

i think we've gotten to a point in like television media where people are far too used to downgrades in show/movie quality just for the purpose of continuing a series. producers keep making remakes and sequels and prequels and new episodes for things that dont really need to be expanded on, purely for the sake of keeping the work going.

the problem is people keep encouraging it because they value quantity over quality. ive seen shows end, full stop, the work is finished and the climax is satisfying and the show. is. over. but i get on one social media platform after a month or two of the shows finale and see people begging for the producers to continue, to bring back the show, to keep it going. they make accusations of the show being cancelled (sometimes warranted, but sometimes the show just ended and thats it). they beg and plead for there to be another movie, another episode, another season, just one more part to the story.

and i get it, some shows are incredible and amazing and wonderful and they're your favorite piece of media, and sometimes two or three seasons just doesnt feel like enough. i mean i loved anne with an E and our flag means death and lots of other shorter shows and if there was more story to be told, i would rejoice because they were so short. but with some shows, there is no more story, there is nothing more to say, theres nothing more that can be said. often for some works of fiction, the universe of it isnt fleshed out enough for any sequel or prequel or any addition to be relevant. why would i need to know about the main characters sister when i already saw what i needed to see of her in the original work and we already ended with a happily ever after.

this also isnt to say all works should stop production at a certain point. take the hunger games for example. suzanne collins made a universe that is so incredibly interesting but also vague enough in the first books for there to be plenty of room for her to tell a million more stories, each with their own meaning and lesson, each completely unique and interesting in their own way. its just that some stories are simply over, and anything that comes after that fact becomes bland, flavorless, white bread and a stale saltine.

at some point the original premise of the show is lost, the purpose of it degraded so far into oblivion that eventually its like you're watching a whole new show and sometimes it almost ruins the experience of the show in the first place. i used to be a huge fan of superhero movies, i was all up in the DC vs Marvel debates and i'd watched every avengers movie in existence. then i stopped. maybe i was too busy to keep up, maybe i had no one to watch them with, maybe i lost passion for a little while, whatever the case after Avengers: Endgame i stopped. and if i tried to pick that interest up again, i fear id be drowned in a million different new pieces of media connected to it. i dont find myself drawn to it anymore because i'd be pulled in so many different directions i wouldnt be able to keep up.

its like when "who can dress the best" became "who can have the most clothes" or when "lets talk about the books we like" became "who can own the most books". media consumption has become a consumerism hellscape and capitalist breeding ground because producers and writers know that the fans will keep watching, keep consuming, keep coming back and discussing no matter how piss poor the media dwindles down to be. its no longer "who can make the greatest movies" but rather "who can make the most movies". "most, most, most" everyone must have the absolute highest amount of something to win. to be the best. most of the original creators of this content started out telling the stories they wanted to tell, stories maybe they thought people needed to hear, stories that made them happy, that brought out a fiery passion. now they tell stories that will be quick, efficient, and satisfy the lowest of needs so the people feel like they're getting SOMETHING and wont question whether or not they're getting EVERYTHING.

thats why i've seen absolute mediocre, bottom of the mid barrel movies getting deemed as high in quality as movies that used to be considered the best of the best. and we keep consuming it. we keep asking for more, more more. and they ween us off quality like morphine, because it would be too shocking to cut us off cold turkey, we'd notice the quality dropped too significantly. but occasionally, when you go and compare a new addition to a series with the first piece of it, you'll be able to see just how low a level of production quality they've gotten us to settle for. not to go around wearing a tin foil hat butt naked screaming about the illuminati, but we are all victims of the hollywood capitalist nightmare</3

now maybe i dont know what im talking about, maybe i have no idea about any of this, maybe im stupid and dense and there is more to this than my tiny brain could comprehend, but tumblr dot com is all about putting on the dunce cap with pride and parading around the town square because if my take gets me sniped worse than the grinch x tony the tiger, i have no reason to take that seriously. in relation to that, the fact that the grinch x tony the tiger is probably one of the most interesting, unique, and creative pieces of media i've seen created in the past few years really drives my point home i think.

fandom spaces are what has kept creative works alive for centuries, i mean i can read spirk fanfic 50 years after the finale of the show aired. fanfiction, fanart, general fandom discussion, in my opinion, is almost more important than the media itself. but we seem to have lost that in the last few years. more people are joining fandoms who've never been in one before, which means they dont come to understand the importance of creating your own media from the original source. which means lots and lots of people who prioritize begging producers to continue a show over going and reading a fanfic about it or something. im not saying you cant WANT more sometimes, i just think that sometimes the more is something you can create for yourself. i swear to god i've heard at least once someone complain that there isnt more to a series of classic literature. like, if you want to know more about elizabeth bennet, go write another damn novel, like charlotte bronte did. we expect satisfaction and entertainment to be handed to us on a silver platter if we yell hard enough because we've forgotten our roots (im half joking. some people are just audaciously entitled to their preferred media).

not to be a "nobody wants to work these day" type of hard ass but lord if you want more from your media, get it done yourself! pick yourself up by your bootstraps, roll up your darn sleeves, and get to work! find some fanfiction, find some art, share and spread it and discuss amongst your peers, make some of it yourself!!! we dont need more episodes of an already perfect and finished show, that'll just make it worse because theres only so much story to be told, we need to make up things about steve rogers and tony stark making freaky passionate love sloppy style while being anthropomorphic wolves.

tldr; we need to stop coming up with more and more ways to continue a series and just start writing about the characters going at it ourselves. media has become shit because its just the same content over and over with little to no significant meaningful changes.

[lucreziagiovane]

okay i know you've mentioned/answered this a million times but i would love to get your top recommendations for borgias published books and content.

i haven't really ventured into those selections but i really want to take the leap into that realm and buy/borrow some books and read them..!

(also i'm curious if you read many fanfictions for the borgias, and if so do you have any good recs?)

💞

hi <33! no worries at all! i love being asked questions about everything related to the borgias, as i get very enthusiastic about them. now, let's start with my favorite borgias biographies:

maria bellonci's 'lucrezia borgia' because i'm very obsessed with accuracy and avoiding cliché biased narratives. it's such a solid read really! it also portrays lucrezia in a way that i've always believed she was—a completely misunderstood woman who is a pawn in the power and ambition games of her father and brother. but deep down, she's just a silly, pretty poetry lover who's guilty by association. this book also debunks cesare's supposed "jealousy" towards juan as the shows how much he loves him (based on the letters to each other) and that rodrigo has always loved his children equally, which is a cherry on top lol.

emma lucas's 'lucrezia borgia.' while it's not entirely accurate because it satisfies my beloved (but not accurate) 'lucrezia is a femme fatale and not saintly' narrative (which i love, by the way), i'm fascinated by how it unexpectedly delves deep into her family, especially rodrigo, cesare, and juan. it also provides great anecdotes about the characters so there's that. despite having negative reviews, the biography is actually very well-written and highly entertaining! fuck the gossip!

christopher hibbert's 'the borgias and their enemies.' for some reason, i keep forgetting to recommend this book to my friends. i tend to get easily investedwith any borgia book that focuses on the pope and his children, providing narratives without forcing you to choose what to believe. the author obviously conducted extensive research before publishing it because when reading a biography (not historical fiction), i prefer to avoid biased perspectives that can be heavily misleading. i also appreciate the fact that machiavelli (and other important figures) plays an important role in this biography because i'm always excited about him.

ferdinand gregorovius' 'lucretia borgia according to original documents and correspondence of her day'. it's also a very unbiased excellent piece of history that is full of validated source. and i just adore how the author is pro-lucrezia as well.

samantha morris' 'cesare and lucrezia: brother and sister of history's most vilified family' is also well documented and well researched! while cesare was given more depth than lucrezia, still, lucrezia's character in this biography is more colorful. obviously the most popular narrative for the borgia family is them being incestuous, corrupt and violent, a family to be feared, but the author suggests otherwise as she sets out to prove this is not the full story and she does make a good argument! as she detailed how they've been portrayed by mainstream media as well as detailing what happened to their descendants.

sarah bradford's 'lucrezia borgia.' okay, so this one isn't a favorite of mine, but i'd recommend it to you or anyone who's a huge fan of ceslu. it's written like a love story biography exclusively about them. while i like how she wrote about ceslu, i heavily dislike how she wrote about juan and rodrigo and how she portrayed them based on narratives from the family's enemies. the author also manipulated a letter about the envoy boccaccio, which is supposed to praise both brothers. but instead, the author just one-upped him with cesare by dunking on him, which i personally find lame and intensely inaccurate since juan borgia was pretty much loved by his wife, his family, and his friends based on the retrieved documents and letters. that being said, i do enjoy the ceslu parts, of course, and i believe any fan of showtime's 'the borgias' who ships ceslu would enjoy this book and its fluent writing and can easily ignore the negatively inaccurate narratives about the other members of the family.

that's all for the biography books! now let's start with historical fiction:

sarah dunant's 'blood and beauty'. one thing about me is that i'm never gonna stop praising this book because it is absolutely my favorite historical fiction book about this extraordinary family! again, i get so invested in any book when the author does extensive research. also, if you're looking for a book about this family that reads like an episode of showtime's 'the borgias,' then this book is your go-to! full of interesting dynamics, and yes, cesare is as cruel and megalomaniacal as history and machiavelli portrayed him, lucrezia as a victim of her father and brother's political ambitions game, and juan as the flawed kid who was eventually sunk deep when he got dragged into his father's ambitions game. while the book doesn't provide a deeper exploration of the characters' psyche, it's more focused on the story by making it very engaging and sheds light on their complex relationships and their rise to power. and every character is highly sympathetic as the author brilliantly humanizes them. in short, it is emotionally intriguing and a must-read for the borgias enjoyers.

mario puzo's 'the family'. you know, i wasn't even surprised a bit that this book's writing and story being groundbreaking because after all, it is written by the author of 'the godfather'. the family is such a compelling book, such tender writing when it comes to lucrezia and cesare. the story becomes intriguing the more you read. i also loved puzo's portrayal of rodrigo as this family man who deeply loves his children yet he uses them as pawns (which is also similar to jeremy irons' portrayal). while i gotta criticize that the characters have no depth and his version of lucrezia as this damsel angel for her father and brother is, uhhh… quite boring. i like her when she's multilayered lol. i also think the way he tried to present cesare and give him the "from zero to hero" trope in order to make him relatable is also lame because cesare's success as a historical figure is because he was calculating and wicked, and definitely not a bitter loser. i mean, i could absolutely ignore the bitterness part, but at least françois arnaud's cesare added so many layers and swag in the characters, therefore you could ignore it. but i can overlook all that when there's an engaging story and great writing, no matter what the characterizations are like. so overall, it's impressive and entertaining, and you will definitely enjoy it.

regarding fanfiction; i'm sorry but i never read any because i feel quite satisfied by all 'the borgias' show canon that we have and all these historical books. i wish i could help with recommending fics :/

thank you very much for the question, and i hope this post answers it. have a great day 💕🫶

[percheduphere]

people saying, oh it wasn't intended from the beginning so it wasn't intentional thus has to stay fanfiction bug me. like, shows can develop organically based on chemistry. they can surprise you and take you in a direction that wasn't planned but now just works. like, fucking, chandler and monica wasn't planned from the beginning! but the actors had chemistry and the writers tried it out and it became iconic. you don't throw something away just because it surprised you instead of being pre-planned; you cultivate whatever gold you find!

With Hollywood entertainment in particular, I think there is a lot of ignorance regarding how the creative process, production process, post-production process, and business all work. It is readily apparent that in Hollywood, there are many hands in the kitchen when it comes to creating a movie, documentary, or show. The "Original Intent" argument is weakest when it comes to Hollywood art, and in fact fails to be a viable argument in multiple areas. I will discuss how the "Original Intent" argument fails in Hollywood in more depth under the read more, using what I know from having worked in the industry myself as a writer. And to be honest, the fact I have to pull my private professional history out online, just to prove I'm not being delulu when it comes to the importance of queer subtext in film, pisses me the fuck off.

To be clear, since this whole discourse mess on my Tumblr is likely the result of someone thinking I'm an anti-sylki: I AM NOT AN ANTI. I have an extensive analysis on Sylvie as an integral character to the Loki series, Sylki in canon, and her relationship with Mobius here.

I agree with you: a lot of amazing art deviates from the original intention, especially writing. If deviating from original intent in the writing process did not exist, we would not have DRAFT REVISIONS, we would not have IMPROV, we would not have EDITORS (whose entire job hinges on giving the writer not only grammar corrections, but feedback on how to IMPROVE character, plot, and pacing, which inherently means making changes from the original intent!). This is to say nothing of the thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of media scholars--with actual PhDs--who spend years of their lives performing meta-analysis to write academic papers on subject matters like this. Papers that become formal publications and contribute to how queer history is taught in universities! This is no different than academic scholars analyzing women and race representation and resistance in film. Why should analyzing queer representation and resistance in film be treated any less?

LET'S TALK ABOUT ORIGINAL CREATIVE INTENT VS POWER HIEARCHY & POLITICS IN HOLLYWOOD

For context with respect to this ask, a different Tumblr user critiqued against queer subtext in one of my posts using the "original intent" argument for the Loki series and Lokius specifically. By this logic, if original intent is always honored, then the original script for Loki's S2E5 (written by Eric Martin) would not have been NUKED by the executive powers that be at Marvel. [source] But no, the original intent was not honored, it was rejected. So how does one square the primacy of original intent with original intent being rejected by people who are not the artist but the people who manage Disney's finances?

In television, "Executive Producer" (i.e. Tom Hiddleston, Michael Waldron, Eric Martin, etc.) is a title that can be given to a writer or actor who has more creative say in the execution of a story than a regular staff writer or actor on crew. It also indicates that the writer or actor is in a much higher salary range compared to their professional peers. It does NOT mean the same thing as a CORPORATE "Producer" of Kevin Feige's level, who ultimately has the FINAL SAY on what does NOT end up on the cutting room floor. The corporate Producer must take into account the wishes of corporate's shareholders and board of directors, who are often multi-million if not multi-billion global investors who need the distribution of the product to succeed internationally in countries like China, which is very anti-LGBTQAI+. This is how a script like Eric Martin's S2E5 can be nuked and the writer can be contractually gagged from talking about its specific contents by Disney, lest they be SUED TO HELL for breaking their non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

This doesn't even take into account politics.

In 2020, Ike Perlmutter, Chair of Marvel, "gave $575,000 to Trump For Victory, $35,500 to the Republican National Committee in April, $5600 for Texans For Ronny Jackson in February. 2019 saw him donate $248,000 to the Republican National Committee, $466,100 to Trump For Victory, $5,600 to Donald Trump For President." His wife, Laura, mirrored those donations. "In late 2016, he also gave $5,000,000 to the Great America PAC." [source] Ike was only recently laid off from his position in March 2023 [source]. Perlmutter was in a power-struggle at Marvel with Kevin Feige for years. Feige was promoted to Chief Creative Officer in 2019, which brought the power struggle to a head, ultimately contributing to Perlmutter's departure.

There is also Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, who was famously quoted during the Writers Guild of America strike for saying, “It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption”

This is the worst time in the world to negotiate to pay your writers, YOUR CREATIVE LABOR FORCE, who entertained millions of people while they were stuck in their homes for 2 years, fairly?

And these are just two men in executive power at Marvel and Disney. We're not even talking about all the other board members and shareholders. You think Tom Hiddleston, Michael Waldron, and Eric Martin have any real power compared to these guys? They do not. They are peons by comparison. And these artists (despite their "Executive Producer" title) are always at odds with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who are ultimately not artists but FINANCIERS.

Here's another quote from a studio executive that occurred during the writer's strike:

"Receiving positive feedback from Wall Street since the WGA went on strike May 2, Warner Bros Discovery, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Paramount and others have become determined to “break the WGA,” as one studio exec blatantly put it.  

To do so, the studios and the AMPTP believe that by October most writers will be running out of money after five months on the picket lines and no work.

“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive told Deadline. Acknowledging the cold-as-ice approach, several other sources reiterated the statement. One insider called it “a cruel but necessary evil.”" [source 1] [source 2]

Fortunately, this negative press and the WGA members' solidarity led to the WGA getting everything they demanded. I still have friends in the industry, specifically in the WGA and MPEG. A lot of them were indeed starved out. My friend who's a film editor is still unemployed because pre-production has only recently started to ramp up again and her profession is all in post. She has to wait for production to catch-up and finish in order to get work.

If the AMPTP is willing to use clearly unethical tactics to underpay their writers and actors (don't forget the SAG-AFTRA strike that joined later), do we really think members of the AMPTP (the studio execs) are willing to honor artists' original intent if the original intent may be "offensive to some viewers" and therefore can potentially cut into their financial bottom line?

We're not naive. We know the answer to this.

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, KILLING EVE, AND GOOD OMENS

But what about OFMD, KE, and GO? These shows are on MAX, BBC, and Amazon Prime respectively. These corporations have a different branding image than Disney. Disney touts itself as "family friendly"; (read: on-screen LGBTQAI+ affection between two lead characters is "not family friendly"). MAX and BBC's branding type also affords them the luxury of creating content for niche audiences. Disney, on the other hand, makes additional revenue through using their plethora of licenses to make toys, additions to their theme parks, and other merch. If a parent is offended that a canonically queer character like Loki has romantic love not just for Sylvie but also for Mobius (a same-sex relationship), what are the odds of parents like them not buying Disney's merchandise? We can apply this same question to Star Wars, Pixar, and any of Disney-branded animation or live action movies. How deeply can audience offense potentially cut into Disney's bottom line? If there were no discrimination taking place, we would have LGBTQAI+ representation through a lead character in any one of their licenses already. We do not, and that is a huge red flag.

In addition, these entertainment corporations (who do not tout themselves as "family friendly") generate other sources of revenue elsewhere. Netflix generates international revenue through the production of international programming like "Squid Game" and other K-dramas such as "The Glory" or Mexican shows including, "The Surrogacy" and "Haunted: Latin America". MAX is struggling. They were bought out for that reason. With AppleTV and Hulu, their target audiences are more diverse, they offer a variety of media product, and their business strategy is ultimately different from Disney. All of this grants them more freedom in what kind of characters they choose to represent, including LGBTQAI+ characters.

Remember House and Wilson from House M.D.? That show was on FOX. We know the political alignment of FOX. Dean and Castiel from Supernatural? WB Television. Both shows came out before streaming became dominant, and thus, these shows had to cater to anyone who might happen to land on their channels. When the market demands that you cater to the widest possible audience in order to generate the largest revenue, the creatives are forced to create relatively conservative artistic product. Hence, creative censorship and our long history of queer subtext.

At Nickelodeon, the artists actually had the support of corporate to move forward with Korrasami because the final season Legend of Korra was only available online. It did not air on their channel. If that had not been the case, corporate would not have approved Korrasami. However, that approval was contingent upon the artists being subtle subtle about Korra and Asami's relationship. Even in this canon ship, the animators relied on subtext for queer romance.

Not helping Disney's case is the cancellation of "The Owl House". Why was "The Owl House" canceled? It didn't fit Disney's "brand". [source]

THE FAILURES OF THE "ORIGINAL INTENT" ARGUMENT IN HOLLYWOOD

The "Original Intent" argument fails when it comes to art in Hollywood because:

Original Intent can change, and often does change, during the creative process. This applies to all forms of art, not just Hollywood.

Multiple artists are involved in pre-production, production, and post-production. At any point in this 3-part process of filmmaking, original intent can be changed for a variety of reasons.

Studio Executives, Boards of Directors, and Corporate Shareholders have more power than the artists in Hollywood. If they think a product will not make money, they will order changes accordingly.

Disney specifically touts itself as "family friendly". Its lack of a lead character (in ANY of its live-action licenses) being in an openly queer relationship with someone who presents as the same sex, is the direct result of not wanting to lose conservative audiences.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are common in Hollywood and prevent artists from providing specifics regarding original intent. This is done not only to safeguard corporate's intellectual property (IP), but to also safeguard their public relations image.

THE ORIGINAL INTENT ARGUMENT WEAPONIZED

The "original intent" mindset can be either very naive or very cynical, depending on the thinker's motives for choosing this belief. Naive, in that thinking creative purity actually exists (it does not) or that oppression does not still occur in Hollywood (it does). Cynical, in that either the thinker doesn't believe in artists intentionally finding ways around mass produced arts' media censorship, which has in turn created our rich history of queer subtext in film, OR the thinker wants the "original intent" argument to invalidate a change they do not like.

The last motive is the same strategy used by fans who reject Miles Morales as being a real Spider-Man. The same strategy fans use to deny that Shuri is indeed the new Black Panther. Both are tactics used to mask racism and sexism beneath the veneer of "creative purity". Fans who have internalized racism, sexism, or queer-phobia may also use this tactic at a subconscious level to protect themselves emotionally from disappointment. Finally, there are fans who use this argument to invalidate another ship, usually a queer ship that cannot be formally canonized because of corporate studio power.

Regardless of the reasoning, using this argument is frequently insidious because it perpetuates straight white male dominance in media representation.

PERSONAL LIVED EXPERIENCE

I'm an old poc queer and have worked in Hollywood long enough to know that the writers' original vision rarely ever--IF EVER--pans out as originally intended. If you ever sit through a movie and wonder why the story feels so weird in certain parts, I can guarantee you that about 2/5ths of the time, a corporate producer stepped in and messed with the original story in post-production (usually in an poor, over-worked editor's dark editing bay) and ordered reshoots the director may not have agreed with.

I've also worked in the industry long enough to know that it is an absolutely toxic work environment in which women, people of color, and queer people still struggle to get a creative foothold anywhere. My first experience pitching a script to a prospective agent involved being asked to meet at a hotel for drinks. We didn't talk about my writing at all. What I thought would be a pitch meeting was actually the writer's version of the "Hollywood casting couch". Yes, I was propositioned. No, nothing happened to me. I walked out. This happened to me in June 2008. It was not my last experience. The "Me Too" movement that came years later in 2017 was in response to situations I have encountered like this.

Those of us who succeed are very rare, and 97% of the time, the executive staff is very, very white and male. There is absolutely oppression and exploitation of all sorts still happening in Hollywood. I fucking lived it and continue to have nightmares about it.

QUEER SUBTEXT STILL EXISTS

Thus, to deny queer subtext's validity as an art form and to only accept the words of those who are either in power or limited in what they can say because of those in power, undermines not only the artists' efforts to tell the story they want to tell but cannot tell explicitly, it also undermines queer joy and queer resistance in cinema. And yes, sometimes those artists are cis straight white male allies who want to tell these stories because they simply make sense for the characters. These people are the artists, not the financiers.

It's more mature to embrace, or at least leave alone, the loud joy others experience from shipping and performing meta-analysis instead of publicly pissing on them with the profoundly weak and ignorant argument of "original intent". Don't mess with me on this. The number of scripts I have worked on that completely warped from what I wanted, and then to have my writing credit removed or stolen, still makes me sick. Yes, I'm bitter, but I'm also glad I left.

[probablytrapped]

There's been an ongoing debate for years between users on AO3 about whether or not people should be allowed to add works from other authors to collections.

Generally this debate is now over with the the default for a work to not allow others to add it to anything, meaning less and less works are available to add, which I really do think it is a shame. I understand the the general danger of losing fics since whoever was running the collection could make the works all anonymous, and the original author couldn't undo. That's pretty scary and annoying. Not sure exactly the the mechanics, but in general the issue stems from the fact collections were not designed for what users were ending up using it for.

Some argue that this is what the Bookmarks function is supposed to be, but I disagree. Bookmarks, while they can be either public or private, don't have the same social or organization power that collections had. (And if I'm remembering correctly, have a slightly stunted filter..)

Any reader could see what collection a work had been added to...And this is a bit of bad thing honestly, some fics have been added to SO many collections that it sometimes is a larger block than the actual tags. But that doesn't change the fact that it was a user built "what to read next" function.

I'm not suggesting that that's something that AO3 needs, I DO believe that a huge part of reading fanfiction is learning to fucking dig and search for what you want. But, user curated lists of recommendations? I don't see the harm in that. If often times is just a smaller pool to dive into rather than all of a specific tag or series.

Bookmarks aren't that easily delved into. Usually you might find an author you like and check out their bookmarks, but it isn't quite work the same as reading a specific fic and then seeing it's part of a collection called "NaruSasu timetravel fics I LOVE". Someone else also really loved that story! and here are some other works that they thought were similar! how nice!

If we COULD keep the collection system open and in use as it was or create something similar, I do think it would need some improvements:

Default number of viewable collections or rec lists should be capped at like 10, and then there's either a toggle to show more or a link to a new page with all the collections the fic is added to.

The ability to hide the collections list entirely from readers. It'll still be in the index page or something, but ultimately if authors don't want people redirecting to other things from their story....I get that.

I don't really love the idea of authors being able to remove their stories from a list, but that might be something to keep people appeased. But I don't think people should be able to opt out?? If there's no harm created by adding to a list I really don't see the point. Of course maybe someone starts a "Trash fic that should DIE!" kinda thing....anyway it's complicated

Being able to subscribe to a collection who be rad as hell. This unfortunately feeds into the social media aspect that I think AO3 tries to avoid, so I'm not sure if that would go over well. Maybe the people who run the collections can't have their accounts public on the collection page? dunno

And to spice things up, some general OTHER upgrades to AO3:

can i PLEASE get some easy to read indicator on a fic in the search level that i've read it before? There are so many extensions I've used over the years for this, but most of them break after a certain point...But I just need a "you've given kudos" or "you're subscribed" or SOMETHING. I don't mind rereading fics, but I don't love being Gandalf half the time!

In the same vein as above....just a personal status tracker button. Maybe it's visible on the front end, but anything really to indicate if it's "TBR", "Reading", "Finished", or "DNF". The "DNF" is kinda important to me. Since if I mark it, that means I gave up for A REASON. This should all be private an not visible to authors or anyone else.

I would like to see all the fics I've given a Kudos to. please.

[chodzacaparodia]

How many are allowed for the ao3 truth and dare? I wanna ask for:

🛼🥤💌🌻🐇🍄🧸🔪❄️🌿🏜️🦴🐝🎨🧩

(Sorry if it's a lot)

You can ask all you want hahah 😁 Thank you for your asks <3 I'm really glad you wanted ask so much ♡

🛼⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

🗣👨‍❤️‍👨🕺🥂❤️‍🩹

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

AHHH THIS IS SO HARD 😭😭

I'm looking through my bookmarks and I don't know what to recommend... Maybe this one:

The Secrets We Keep (Aren't Really That Extreme) by CheekyBrunette (Tododeku)

This is my favorite chat fic ever. I remember reading the chapters several times before the new updates came.

💌 ⇢ how many unread emails do you have right now? 

Ehhhh on the "official" e-mail I have read all of them, but on my one Gmail, which is mainly used for e-mails from ao3, I have over about 116?? 💀 Almost all of which are updates of fanfic chapters, which I will totally come back someday 🙈

🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis

Preferably I'd like just @ everyone who likes/reblogs my posts, but that's where our interactions end 😭😭I appreciate your silent presence 💖💖💖

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both? 

Original characters!!! I mostly avoid reader insert because it often makes me cringe 💀

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Maybe Ryufuyu (Ryusei Satou and Chifuyu Matsuno) from Tokyo Revengers this time?

Ryseui often makes fun of Chifuyu and his love of shoujo manga and romance. But he finds it super cute. And since he also has a huge weakness for Chifuyu, he arranges for him various "scenes" typical of shojo mangas or dramas (like "rescuing" Chifuyu from a cyclist who is riding a good few meters away from them), which are more like pranks and cause Chifuyu's irritation and frustration. at the beginning, but then Ryusei makes up for everything and Chifuyu admits that he is a very charming bastard.

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

The fastest way is to follow me and create some interactions through e.g. reblogs? Comments? When I see that someone is excited about what I like, I start to feel a connection hahah.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Idk, I can't remember. All I can remember in my head is how I looked for information about what diseases etc. kissing can bring 💀

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

I would love to write a Hanahaki Disease fic! I already have it in my head, but this idea will have to wait. Hmmm, who could write it well? Maybe Julie Kagawa could create something good? Her "The Iron Fey" and "Shadow of Fox" series convince me she could handle it. Or Colleen Hoover hahah. She would definitely dramatize this theme even more. Her Hanahaki Disease book would definitely be a bestseller

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

Honestly, it helps me to read fics or books where the characters are also fans and create something themselves, mainly fanfiction. I can identify with them and feel solidarity. Their passion is contagious, their doubts are my doubts. Stories like this make me feel motivated.

Sooo reading 💖📚

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

I love long comments where readers quote fragments of my Fic and write what they liked about them 🥺💖 They make me so happy that my cheeks hurt from smiling! I really appreciate that someone liked my story so much that they devoted so much time and energy to such an extensive comment 😭

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

Hmmm I don't think so? Mostly ideas come to me randomly. But "Fruits Basket" was my inspiration to write one fic

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

She doesn't even use tumblr anymore, but I have to tag @twojastarasiostra! She's my friend who I met at university and she was my beta for a long time (now I don't want to burden her with work because of her normal work, soo No beta we die like our free time 💀) Thank you so much that you took the time to read my works under pressure and that you sent me fragments that you liked. I'm so grateful for what you did ♡♡♡ Now you don't have to read anymore, but you still have to deal with me talking about struggling to write hahah

Speaking of struggling, I would also like to thank @lostsowly for our conversations during TR Rare Pair Week ♡♡ Mutual motivation gave me a lot ♡♡ In my heart there will always be the fact that you wrote that I am one of your favorite writers 😭

I have to also tag @matcha-meow who always informs me about writing events that I don't know about because I don't have Twitter 💀 If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have created many of my works. Thank you very much for your extensive comments, which always make me happy ♡♡♡

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like

This is my favorite Kuroken fanart ever (I hope it opens because it's on pinterest)

I love everything about this fanart. Versions of Kuroo and Kenma at different ages, their adult versions looking at each other so tenderly, this background, these colors 😭😭😭

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

When I see some incest tags 💀 If in the fic the romantic relationship is between siblings, I have *ABORT ABORT*. Just like there is a threesome with siblings in the main role. If there are love triangles between a character and two siblings - that's cool, but God forbid such a threesome 💀

If I see that the text is written in a sequence and there are no paragraphs, then I often give up reading

Have a nice day! 💖

Writers Truth & Dare Ask Game

[olderthannetfic]

I think the idea that MCD shouldn’t be a major archive warning alongside rape, GDOV and underage is a misunderstanding of what those archive warnings are for, and that they weren’t originally intended as “trigger warnings” in the way we think of them now, where it’s about shielding people with trauma around those topics. Trigger warnings got their start online on feminist blogs in the mid-late 2000s, which was before online social justice and fandom had much in the way of overlap, so correct me if I’m wrong but when AO3 was created, trigger warnings weren’t really a thing that was on most of fandom’s radar. Anyway, what the archive warnings have in common is they are all things that make fic “dark” or, for some people, “kind of a bummer,” and that the sort of “default” shipper who prefers things on the up and up (which varies across fandoms but I feel like in most, those people predominate and people who prefer darkfic/whump tend to be in the minority, at least that’s been my experience across several fandoms) sees as ruining the romantic fantasy they’re looking for in fic. I count myself in that category; I am not triggered by any of the archive warnings and in fact I’ve read plenty of original fiction that deals with each of them extensively, but I tend to go to fanfiction for warm fuzzy romance so both RNC and MCD are no-goes for me for whatever is my current big OTP: I want them to like and respect each other and not hurt each other (and also, not be rapists), and I want them to have a happy ending. And conversely, if you ARE into darkfic (which I am occasionally for some other fandoms, just usually not whatever is my current Big Ship), then you will want to know if some particular dark feature you might be looking for is in there. I hope I’m making sense here, I just get the sense that those big four are things that fandom tends to be sharply divided on in terms of whether they want it with a particular pairing or story or not, and so it makes sense for the four to be listed. But yeah, the idea that it’s somehow portraying character death as “triggering” to put that in that category, or that you’re so put-out by putting CNTW on your fic with a death you don’t want to spoil (which, well, as a person who actively looks up spoilers for original media and has read some great fics that gave away a death that still managed to be full of twists and turns and surprises, I’ll leave my thoughts out about that and “spoiler culture” more generally, but it is ultimately up to the author)…. I think that’s really missing that those were not originally intended to be a list of “triggering” things. Also, some other triggering stuff isn’t in there, because it’s not a common thing that fic readers tend either really want or really NOT want. (Like incest, which also is usually pretty obvious from the ship in question, or if they’re making two people related who weren’t in canon, from additional tags.) Anyway, the “but if I put CNTW on my fic they won’t know which one” whine is a problem with all four of the archive warnings. Maybe you CNTW for noncon but you don’t want people to think the character doesn’t survive. Maybe you CNTW for underage but are worried that people might think it’s nonconsensual. Idk, I think there are ways around that regardless via the author description. Also, sorry, but as someone who doesn’t like character death…. I like the idea that people who want to be coy about if it’s happening or not are forced to put a tag that raises that possibility! So i can just avoid it! If it wasn’t a major archive warning, a lot of those “don’t want to spoil” people would just not tag it at all, bumming their readers out if they feel like they weren’t anticipating it ahead of time. That’s a legitimate preference for readers to have!

--

We weren't consciously thinking of it in terms of "dark" fic.

Frankly, ye olde slash fandom was full of extreme hurt/comfort scenarios that nobody batted an eyelash at as long as the ending of the fic was happy.

These were simply a shortlist of things that are easy to enforce and that at least some archives and other fic spaces had had as important warnings in the past. MCD was like 100000000x more common than the others.

[ironrye-afterdark]

Welcome to my OC Blog

Hello Poppies! I'm IronRye. I make Original Characters, Fan Characters, a sona here and there. This is my art blog! Exclusive place for some of my most proud art pieces, links to my fanfictions, and even a roleplay blog. Basically it's an oc centered blog because I make a lot of ocs!

My current hyper fixations are constantly bouncing back and forth depending on what draws my attention.

Main Blog: @popironrye

Open to any and all questions. Can be general questions for me in general as well, not just about these characters. No ask is off the table. 😉

✨Come with me, and you'll be

In a world of pure self-indulgence.✨

I have a large extensive list of original characters and fancharacters.

Over 70 characters. Over 30 OCxCanon ships. 9 OCxOC ships. 7 self-insert Sonas at the time of posting.

I thought it'd be cool to lay out a list of sorts for my tumblr page as I'd like to continue posting other media related fandom stuff on here as my other socials are pretty quiet and the idea of running a different blog for every fandom I've ever been in and ever will be in sounds dreadful.

Starting with a visual! My collection of personas, this list is gonna be long and my sonas are the only ones that come with art, but I hope you find some enjoyment out of this.

To start with, I have a handful of self inserts!

Emma, Eva, Erin, Rye, Eden, Elaine, and Eileen.

🩸 The Lost Boys 🩸

Judith Alana Fairbourne: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Maxwell 'Max'

Aubrey Eliza Fairbourne:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Layla Brynn Fairbourne: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Alisha

Hailey Penelope Fairbourne:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Heidi Clara Fairbourne: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Alisha Barbero: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Layla

Barbara 'Blair' Whitman: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Lost Boys Poly Ship

Stevie Holloway: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Lost Boys Poly Ship

Maryanne 'Mavin' Briggs: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Lost Boys Poly Ship

⚰️ Hellsing/Hellsing Ultimate ⚰️

Luciana Rosa: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- The Captain. (Hans in my AU)

Ilona Szilgyi: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Alucard

Henry Hinoto Hellsing: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Integra

Eloise Rosa: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Giles

Annalise Hellsing:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Felicity 'Lady' Hellsing- OCxOC

Favorite Ship WIth- Paige

Sir Giles Hellsing- OCxOC

Favorite Ship WIth- Eloise

Thomas Hellsing- OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Salvador

Paige Farley: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Felicity

Salvador Bittercomb: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Thomas

❓ Gravity Falls ❓

Wanda Lovelace: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Stanley Pines

Frida Guevara: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Stanford Pines

William Wix: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Florence

Florence Wixx: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With-Willaim

Vega Wixx: Minor OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Wendy

Belladonna Wixx: Minor OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Dipper

Corbin Wixx: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Gina Pines: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

🪳 Renfield 🪳

Anastasia 'Stasya' Zbikoski: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Tedward 'Teddy'

Veronica Lobo: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

🌪️ X - Men 🌪️

Savannah Lane 'Panthera': OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With: Laura 'X-23'

Janet Lane: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Victor 'Sabretooth'

Amy Adams 'Gyro': OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Pietro 'Quicksilver'

🕸️ Addams Family 🕸️

Danica Juniper Verlane: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Wednesday

Ruby Weaver Addams: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Fester

Ronnie Addams:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Lillian Addams:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Vivian Addams:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

🌻 Original Characters W/ No Fandom 🌻

Vasira 'Vex' Vanzare: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Serafeim

Serafeim Moonshire: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Vasira

Rosalina Moonshire: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Odena

Odena Snow: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With: Rosalina

'Lady' Nemra: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Tharamaul

Tharamaul 'The Mighty': OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Nemra

Elysia Day:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

(Piers) Annora Beauvais:

Favorite Ship WIth- Undiclosed

Loretta Norvell:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

📕 HelluvaVerse 📕

Georgina 'Georgie' Satin: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Loona

Morrigan Mayday:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Carmine:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Kimberly Rodman:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

🐍 Good Omens 🐍

Harper Buckley :OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Shiloh

Shiloh Fernsby: OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Harper

Peter Fernsby: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Miriam Buckley: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

🎮 Overwatch 🎮

Bonnie Finch 'Marigold': OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Gabriel 'Reaper' (Divorced)

Maddison Reyes Hall 'Jaybird': OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Elizabeth 'Ashe'

Jordan Hall: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Elijah Hall: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Eshima Ou Yang:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Andrea Ortega 'Chase':

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Audrey Moore 'Axel':

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Heidi King 'Groundhog': Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Jinani Alvi Golo 'Gama':

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Ira Bennet 'Livewire': OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Shawna

Shawna Bennet 'Ibis': OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Ira

💫 Other Marvel and DC Properties 💫

Evelyne Palmer 'The Wraith' (Avengers): OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Loki

Erica Palmer: Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Lucy-May Lee 'Briar' (Venom): Minor

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Eleanor Murray 'Robin/Eagle Eye' (Batman):

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Joanne Alma Octavius (Raimi Spider Man):

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

🍿 Other Movie/TV Properties 🍿

Penelope Bexley 'Penny' (A Goofy Movie): OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Roxanna

Thanatos 'Thana' (Disney): OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Cassim Jr.

Cassim Jr. (Disney): OCxOC

Favorite Ship With- Thanatos 'Thana'

'Captain' Caroline Reed (Pirates of the Caribbean): OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Jack

Mara Ishani (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles):

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Abigail 'Abby' Masters (Danny Phantom): OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Valerie

Jacquelyn Loughran (Hotel Transylvania): OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Mavis

Dai Lu Chen (Earth Bending Avatar):

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

Hsui-lan Chen (Earth Bending Avatar):

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

🕹️ Other Video Game Properties 🕹️

Poppie Honeycomb (Mario): OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Bowser

Spinerella Noxide (Crash Bandicoot): OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Cortex

Edith Winters (Resident Evil Village): OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Karl

🐉 Dragon Ball Z 🐉

Beruta Galalang: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship With- Raditz

Tabaga Galalang: OCxCanon

Favorite Ship WIth- Trunks

Kya Galalang:

Favorite Ship With- Undisclosed

[mitziholder]

apologies for being weird and hogging your inbox like this but i LOVE your thoughts on fandom and i think very few people talk about it in a critical way without completely condemning the entire occupation. in my experience people (not just on this website but in general) tend to take a very black and white view of fandom/fic, probably because it can feel like a very personal thing for many; either they're 'normies' who think all fanworks are 'cringe' or they're the anything goes kind of person. radfems seem to me to be the only ppl who aren't overly defensive of the enterprise but can still enjoy fanworks critically. its nice to see women who aren't like. Fandom Moms talking about these things at length. i think you're one of the few people i've agreed with regarding this subject so far :/ your analyses are very much appreciated and i'd love to read more of what you think (especially regarding the point about navigating trauma). have a good day!

oh and also regarding the whole 'i want women to read better thing' ive always felt this idea that fandom culture is above criticism (or criticising it is inherently misogynistic) is in some ways an extension or at least related to the societal notion that women should be confined to the fluffy feeling aspects of writing and art and aren't as capable of intellectually engaging with things (and of course some 'criticisms' of fan culture ARE misogynistic but i'm not referring to those atm). and obviously there isn't anything inherently WRONG with silly fluff novels or romance (especially romance of course as one can certainly explore that subject in depth and i actually think there's a lack of well written romance out there) but it still feels like a limitation on female growth to normalise women ONLY reading fanfiction or even only certain brands of genre fiction i guess? and i find it sad that so many women seem to almost buy into that idea nowadays or shoot down any sort of criticism with the 'stop shaming female desire' catchphrase. and considering that there is still a dearth of well made original female work for women in pop culture (that act as cultural touchstones in the same way a lot of male works do) it's even more depressing that a lot of fanwork centers men. sorry if this comes off as insufferably pretentious lmao! i'm not even against fanwork i mean this is tumblr i still enjoy things but hopefully you know what i mean lol

like i mean. there's a reason why fanfiction is seen as primarily a female affair (even though a lot of the highly regarded published fanfics are by men. u know the neil gaiman stuff or whatever). its sort of a reassurance that women are 'limited' to writing fanworks. idk. i guess i want women to do better idk if im making any sense

ok, mandatory disclaimer that what I’m describing here is a series of trends, trends I’ve observed within fandom at large including both fanfiction readers/writers and fujos more broadly. obviously, not everyone who reads fanfic or yaoi is a woman (though the vast majority are). obviously, not every woman who reads fanfic or yaoi is a stunted teenager who refuses to engage with any other media. I will also admit that not every fanfic is jimin ABO. I don’t think that fanfic is inherently cringe or low-quality, and there are certainly a lot of respectable published works that have been created with other people’s characters or settings. but, as I’ve said, the vast majority of fanworks in the modern day are essentially pornographic mad libs. I find that disappointing. and there’s no reason it has to be this way… except for all the reasons I’ve outlined in my other posts.

things that are lazy and thoughtless and easy, that provide instant gratification, are generally more popular than things that are difficult or uncomfortable. clearly. but people who denounce all fanfic/fanfic writers and pigeonhole it as low-effort slop are not actually interested in helping the women who write it achieve their fullest potential, because they do not believe those women have any potential. it’s true that some criticisms of fan culture and fanworks are purely misogynistic… but I care about women’s voices, and I do want women to be able to express themselves. I’m not on a quest to stop women from writing or reading fanfic. I’ve been slightly flip about the subject, but truthfully, not everything that is “derivative” is bad, and there’s no reason that fanworks couldn’t be good. it’s just that the culture around them is so intensely sensitive - anti-“shaming” - that women are terrified of saying anything about the level of quality or the potentially harmful nature of most fanfiction because they don’t want to devalue media created by and for other women.

I think that’s a disservice to women as a whole. not everything we write is valuable. I’ve written plenty of crap in the pursuit of getting better - plenty of crap I currently disagree with. and if our work can’t withstand criticism - if we shut down immediately at any hint of a deeper, more unflattering analysis of what’s really going on… then what’s the point? what are we communicating? that female fantasies exist in a compartmentalized bubble far and away from our politics and intellectual pursuits? that we should be able to j/o to rape fantasies without question because it’s not that serious? that the personal is political, except for when it isn’t… and we should all be quiet and let women write whatever they want free of criticism lest we shame them so hard they go into hiding? my standards might be a tad high, but that is setting the bar… dangerously low. it’s also patronizing. since when has “just let women enjoy things!!” ever gotten us anywhere? since when has that been a cornerstone of feminist thought? is that really the best we can do? are we really so fragile?

I’ve seen a glut of posts about how useless and harmful constructive criticism supposedly is. the reasoning is always basically the same:

criticism is mean/toxic/discouraging

maybe I’m too hardened by countless death wishes I got on my old blog, but, in my experience, whenever I have something I want to say or a point I want to make, very little can keep me from doing so. I can’t imagine being so bothered by what random Internet people think. it’s important to remember that being able to determine what criticism is valuable is a skill in itself. disavowing criticism as a whole because some of it is “toxic”/discouraging is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

criticism is pointless; perfection is unattainable

of course nothing is ever going to be perfect. but if that’s your attitude, why bother editing? (rhetorical question. some fanfic authors do post unedited works… just because they can.) hell, why write? why get up in the morning? why make your bed? why try anything new at all? it’s a completely absurd, defeatist attitude. like the first point, it also reeks of intellectual laziness and self-satisfaction.

you could just be nice and say what you liked instead because that’s helpful too

please don’t blow smoke up my ass. in editing, I want to fix things that don’t work and to trim the fat. is it “kind” or “helpful” to let me do something completely stupid because you’re too afraid of embarrassing or offending me to say as much? also, knowing what people like is useful in producing more of what people like - it doesn’t help me do anything new or different. there is nothing less helpful to me than saying “good job!” when I ask you to read my work. it’s certainly nice (as long as you actually read it), but it’s not helpful.

it’s published, the author is through with it, and they don’t want to touch it anymore

I plan to do everything I can to edit and improve my writing before the thing is drawn and published, but I’m sure some flaws will inevitably slip through the cracks. currently, I’m rewriting entire chapters from the beginning because they became incompatible with what I wanted out of the series as it progressed. considering that a lot of people write fanfic on a chapter-by-chapter basis with only a very vague trope-strung outline, I have to wonder why they’re so averse to major overhauls. sure, it’s not pleasant, but don’t you want your writing to be the best that it can be? what is the purpose of uploading it if you don’t want the thing to be responded to as it is, warts and all?

also, not all criticism is limited to the specific work it’s derived from; many things can be extrapolated to future works as well. how are we supposed to correct trends that could lead to a decrease in the quality of future works if we can’t even point them out?

fanfiction is a hobby, and hobbies should be fun

I’m not under the impression that I’ll ever be able to make a living from my writing. I do it as a “hobby” in my spare time simply for the fact that I need an outlet for my thoughts - I need to organize them in some way. writing is an art form that we use to communicate meaning and to make sense of the world around us. your goal as a writer may be to have fun, but it isn’t mine. overgeneralizing and building an entire subculture around the pursuit of mindless fun limits what fanfiction and amateur writing have the potential to be.

you could just go read something else that you like more

actually, no. I don’t like any of it. I’m sorry if saying that is offensive to the 38-year-old she/they whose blog post I grabbed this from. most fanfic is bad. I yearn for the exploration of topics that are categorically not explored in fanfic - because the scope of what fanfic is interested in is constantly narrowing, feeding on itself, like an ouroboros. this problem is only going to get worse over time. why wouldn’t I be bothered? why can’t I say it’s a shame?

mass media and tiktok are worse!

maybe, but so what? at least the majority of people who spend their time watching tiktok videos and bad TV don’t act like it’s a suitable replacement for real literature. and at least there aren’t tiktok compilations being listed on goodreads(?)

anyway, more to the point, fandom is full of technically competent writers. but if they continue to insulate themselves within fandom or fandom-adjacent offshoots, they will never be great writers, because great writing requires tight editing (the elimination of things that are pointless and redundant), syntactic fluency, organizational skills, and, most importantly, an individual voice - an artistic vision - interpreting individual ideas… things that are born of criticism and a diversity of influences that are not present or valued within fandom in its current state. great writing cannot be made in a vacuum. great writers don’t allow themselves to be broken or stifled by criticism they disagree with.

sure, no one has a responsibility to be a great writer, and mediocre writing isn’t a moral failure… but I’m certainly not going to be happy about it, especially when the prevailing attitude is “fanfic is art… but I make what I want for myself and sharing it with you is a privilege and therefore you can’t criticize it!” how boring! how utterly conceited! my god. throwing a temper tantrum because you’re not 100% in control of how others perceive or respond to your creation. put it in a diary and not on a public forum if that bothers you so much… (but then, of course, you couldn’t count kudos.)

I do have a plan to touch on some of my other gripes since you asked so nicely. but this response is, once again, getting too long, and those things have little to do with what I was complaining about here. I’ve got an outline for a post I’ll develop and publish later as a final note on this convo, since at that point I really will have said all that I have to say… thanks again for writing in :-)

[icharchivist]

part of what makes fic so interesting to me is that it’s like… supplemental, rather than interchangeable with canon? like, even fix-it fics are a /response/ to what happens in canon. an alternate take rather than a total replacement. so fundamentally they’re the kind of thing that exists and plays with the context of the original media. so a lot of fanfiction works really well as good fanfiction, but if you suddenly canonize it and make an original thing, it’s suddenly a lot less enjoyable because it can’t use that context it had to make its story work. that’s my two cents at least

100% agreed, totally

I feel like... it's also canon imposing a reading too which doesn't have to be there, while fanfic can do the job.

like i really think a lot about the ff7r in this because in its position as a remake (ie, supposedly exploring the plot of the 1997's game), for a lot of people it's a replacement to the OG. Some additions can be felt as great character exploration! but some others additions, especially those rooted in fanservice (like making Sephiroth appear a LOT during the Midgar portion of the game) end up just.... being wrong. Like it's not the Sephiroth we actually learnt about.

and it's its own hell because as the remakes were designed to be 3 games, they really wanted to engage people by challenging that, perhaps, things aren't going to happen the same way, and from what i've heard even Rebirth, ending on the City of the Ancients scene (you know the one) left the scene ambiguous specifically so the player would feel the need to buy the third game just to know "so they did it or they didn't?"

and it sucks because it's canon, for crying out loud. It's rewritting a story from 1997 and calling it a "remake" so some people are going to go into the remake thinking they're getting the 1997's experience, but instead of trusting its story the game is obsessed about surprising its audience, which is. wild!! to do about one of the most beloved and well known game in gaming.

and it really removes so much of the wiggle room fanon can give like. There's extensions i really like and all but from what i've seen of Rebirth there's an extensively long section where they take a vacation break when they drop by the Costa Del Sol and it's mostly there to advance the romance with the girls (which goes ways farther than it does in the OG because i genuinely think the OG gives you a lot more room to read those as platonic if you don't want to think about the romances, but also kinda take away from hcs you would have about how the romance could go by imposing a clear path about it) and just whyyyy why whywhy--

sorry i'm getting lost in my thoughts everytime and ff7r is so much the example of it that i can't stop thinking about it, but yeah, like. fanfic is great!! it's a reaction to canon but canon doesn't have to live up to fanfic. but when canon undermine its own writing, replace stuff, especially in a way they think would please the fans it just.... feels like it doesn't understand why people were emotional about it to start with yaknow?

mopes.

[magioftheseas]

I want to write a letter of appreciation on how you might be the only one in the entirety of the danganronpa fandom to write kamukura correctly and especially with relationship with komaeda in a way that just makes sense and is in tone with the original media despite being canon divergent.

Despite being not as active in the fandom anymore, but you still stand as the only one to have ever gotten his character. the fandom writers old and new never seem to properly get his character, he is either Completely stoic and emotionless therefore his relationship with komaeda doesn't make sense or he is Too emotional and is overall a different character. It is also obvious when someone who ships hajime with komaeda as their OTP think of kamukura is a lesser character and therefore kamukoma as something with less substance than the former. Your fanfictions never had that feel and instead you definitely do respect each ship you're writing for, which is rare and admirable trait.

Your fanfictions really do feel like an extension of canon, or things that could've happened but the narrative simply did not show it to us. Even your AUs feel like the original author would've given them a thumbs up on their characterization.

What more.... i could gush about my favourite fanfictions from you or go on a seperate essay about how your komaeda's characterization is superb too but that'd be too lengthy and I'll leave it as this. I geniunely thank you for your writing and for sharing them with us. I myself have long left the fandom but i still can't let go of your fanfictions, definitely my favourite fanfiction author.. ever.

That's super nice of you...!

I do get nostalgic for dgrp sometimes lol and I did enjoy a lot of the writing I did. Kamukura in particular was a character that really deserved a lot more attention and care, too, so I'm glad to hear that I handled him well hehe.

Even when I do have clear favorites, if I'm writing about a certain ship I want make sure it feels like, the most important. I wouldn't be writing if I didn't care a lot!

[culpeppercheckers721]

Turn Week 2024– Day 6: Crossover

Ok I initially came up sort of empty on this prompt again, but I give you a few things now!:

I know this isn’t really a proper crossover since Hamilton was in the show, but something that would’ve been fun to see in Turn for me was Abe and Hamilton getting to interact (even if it was totally plot irrelevant)!

I feel like they actually have… a decent amount in common, if you know what I mean. (At the very least, they’re both small and angry 5”7 men 🤪)

Now for something slightly closer to a crossover with other pieces of media, though both of these examples are closer to just regular AUs than crossovers I think(???) I want to shout out a Turn/National Treasure style AU fanfiction that I will simply never get over, Of Treasure & Treachery; this fic is honestly one of the funniest and cleverest concepts I have seen in this fandom so far, and not only does it have me laughing my ASS off every time I read it and picture Abe doing dumb shit as always (though you may say stealing the Declaration of Independence is particularly wild even for him 😂), it also has me going feral over the Townhull dynamic (since sometimes, you just wanna see your ship in ridiculous scenarios from pop culture films), and living for all of the Abe & Anna friendship it contains because that is a dynamic I cherish so much! It’s like I didn’t even know what I was missing before reading this fic, but genuinely, I wish we could have canonically seen them just be friends more, since when they’re not committing adultery together every five minutes, I do truly believe that Anna and Abe had underrated and wonderful platonic chemistry, if that’s a phrase, and I just enjoy their childhood friends connection and banter so much.

Once again, I cannot stress enough how hilarious this fic was to me. Maybe that’s because my sense of humor is wildly specific and unhinged, but I thoroughly enjoyed this writing so much, and I totally recommend this rollercoaster ride of a story for anyone seeking a good time!

(And an edit since apparently today was national kissing day, as much as I don’t want to spoil specifics there will be kissing in that fic!! Just go check it out!)

And finally, I’d like to introduce another AU based on a piece of media, this my own concept that I will hopefully finish someday— a crack-treated-seriously type parody of The Afterparty (the Apple TV series). The idea of matching each character to a specific film genre was something so inexplicably fun and exhilarating to me, so I do have a HEAVY heavy work in progress of this AU in the making right now, featuring, similarly to the original, a high school reunion afterparty turned murder mystery when one John Andre “mysteriously” dies 👀 Once again, it’s a very loose story as of now (though I do have a pretty extensive murder timeline written out 😂), but I figured this a somewhat fitting occasion to mention it given all the other creative combinations of Turn and other series that I’ve seen so far! If anyone is interested, I may very well talk more about it haha. Until then, I wish you Turn folk good luck on your other (more legitimate crossovers than this lmao) pieces of crossover content! 💕

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

didnt want to get into it too much in this post (in fact i originally wasnt gonna get into it At All but it didnt feel right to say "i think it's fine if ppl rlly like playing make-believe with their noncanon gay ships" without mentioning the Many Many Problems that arise in fandom spaces that are dominated by that activity) but at the end of the day the Slashfic Multiverse aka the whole extensive body of work dedicated to making men in fictional media fall in love is like the post that calls fandom a knitting group. as in i don't think the existence of this sort of fandom activity is an inherently good or inherently bad thing it's just a hobby that ppl have. it can be a place where ppl find community and discover things abt themselves and their sexuality and where ppl express their creativity and many ppl have honed their craft on writing fanfic and drawing fanart. it is also a place where female characters and characters of color and female characters of color are often sidelined and casual racism and misogyny and racism and homophobia and racism again often runs rampant, and i think the more time a person spends with Slashfic Multiverse as their main hobby and source of entertainment the harder it is to not perpetrate those things themself. but you're not like a bad person for reading slashfic. you're not a virtuous person either! it's just a thing people do sometimes, and real-world issues often gets dragged into it just like they get dragged into everything else. nobody's exempt from accidentally being racist bc of their silly hobbies, and that includes knitting clubs and it includes gay fanfiction.

[themarkedhunter]

Introduction &. FAQ

HELLO!

By no means am I new to this site. The loyal followers that are somehow still around waiting on me can vouch for that. Yet I am back once again for another go at what I consider to be a passion project of mine. But how can this be a passion project if you aren’t very far? I can hear you say. How is it a passion project if you keep restarting? How is it a passion project if you disappear for months and years on end? Well, that’s just it, isn’t it? I keep coming back! I might not be the most consistent writer, but Supernatural means a lot to me, and a venture such as this has always been in the back of my mind. I want to write this. I want to work on it from start to finish but I am comfortable enough to say that I needed to work on myself first.

For those that are new or in need of a re-introduction, my name is Faith. I used to write this project under the title of “You’re in Supernatural '' around 2013ish, I believe, and made it about halfway through season one when I decided my writing wasn’t up to par. I disappeared then but tried to rebrand a second time during 2020ish when Supernatural ended. As we all know, that was a troubling time, so I didn’t make it that far either. Eventually, I made a tertiary post in spring of this year about how I felt a call back to this project once more, and now, I am here to finally put my foot down and make an effort with it. I feel I have grown as a writer and am proud of the general direction I have planned for this character. Third time's the charm, right? I have truly missed writing, this platform, and interacting with all of you!

WHAT IS THIS?

What is this project in mind? The series I am writing, referred to frequently as both Tribus or The Marked Hunter, is a reader insert that creates an original character within a designated fandom and rewrites episodes so the created character is in canon media. Starting from Season One and moving forward, I will try my best to ensure you are part of as much of the action as possible. While your character follows many of the chronological and canon storylines the Winchesters do, you have your own storylines to deep dive into as well, and I cannot wait to show you the ideas you have, as well as ideas you might request! As of the current moment, I do not plan to skip any episodes, and will do my best to tag accordingly to fit potential reader’s needs.

This blog will feature episode inserts, backstories, original series, and little one shots and imagines in-between. The limits are endless, and I cannot even begin to explain how thrilled I am to be back. I hope that you all enjoy the character I have created for this universe and my writing as well!

MAKE NOTE!

Before I introduce you to your character, which will appear in a separate post, there are some things that I wish to make known in regard to my particular take on a reader insert and how updates will go.

Firstly, this rewrite will solely be presented on this tumblr blog, under The Marked Hunter / plaidandantlers as well as on Wattpad, under plaidandantlers. I have run into my stories being stolen in the past, and therefore, if you see the contents of my writing anywhere else without my notice or explicit permission, it is not mine, and I’d appreciate it if you'd let me know about it.

Secondly, fanfiction and the reader insert community has grown and changed so much since I initially started writing, and a big thing that I’ve personally noticed is word count. Personally, I have never really taken part in that. I will say that I have been known to expand, and over detail as some would say, in my old run. I tried to make each rewritten episode about five parts each if possible, with no telling if I were to add extra parts on the side or in between episodes. The parts themselves would be quite extensive! I can’t say that that is going to change this time around.

If this is not your preference, no worries. I know that tumblr isn’t the easiest platform to write upon, especially when it comes to reading fics, but regardless, we are so lucky there are so many talented writers here! There are so many to choose from. This is why this story is also available upon Wattpad, as I feel keeping the story altogether and not by separate post may be a bit easier upon. Have you seen my masterlist? Yikes.

Third, I welcome ideas, questions, and suggestions! My ask box will always be open. As for the first episode, I am regaining my footing and have plotted it out thoroughly. I perhaps won’t start taking requests for episodes until Wendigo at the earliest, but by all means, do not let that stop you if you have an idea for the Woman in White! I try to incorporate as much as I can, but sadly, please also note that not everything can be added into the story. I will either place them in separate series or one shot, or highly encourage you to attempt to write your own! Even if you don’t share it, these are so fun to make.

Fourth, and most importantly, I am not ashamed to admit that this reader insert originally derived from an original character concept into this wonderful fandom. This character means a lot to me, but in order to share my writing, it was most comfortable for me to convert it into a reader insert. There may be slip ups in regard to posting content. I dislike writing in the first person, and second point of view makes me feel that I’m tearing out chunks of information. I tend to write from a third point of view and edit it later, so be prepared to see some slip ups in regard to seeing OC names or third person pronouns. If you notice an error, please be kind in pointing it out to me so I can correct it.

This also being said, as the insert is based off of an original character, this particular series is intended for female audiences. In my old run, I had a lot of confusion as to whether it was gender neutral or if I could make a different version to fit a specific gender. While I would love to do that, I barely keep up with my project as is, and that would be a lot of extra work for me. I am absolutely not against it, but given my limited free time, I would like to present it as close to my original vision as possible. I have no intention to disappoint or offend anyone, therefore, if you would like to create your own version, or would like to take my writing and submit it under new pronouns, etc. I would be happy to see your vision come to life!

This reboot also features a face claim for the reader but is not necessary to use at all. I enjoy making edits from time to time and find that quite difficult to do when using an anonymous face. The original character’s face claim is Jenna Louise Coleman, and I will continue to be using her for various creations outside of the writing. There are even a couple that have already been posted in regard to her face claim being used in various episodes upon my page. Never fear, descriptions of your appearance will be made in multiple segments to make it individualized as much as possible. Examples such as (eye color), (hair color), etc. Therefore, if you see any mistakes in editing, such as described above, please be polite in correcting my errors!

This also being said, I welcome seeing edits and descriptions of your own fancasts as well. Genuinely, I will beg for it. I enjoy seeing how people envision themselves when reading or whatever face claim they cast as themselves when reading.

Lastly, it needs to be said. I claim nothing of the following project as my own except for the creation of (Y/N) Summers and the surrounding plotlines. Any other characters, settings, and plots belong to Supernatural and all other rightful owners! This is only meant for the intent of entertainment, and I shall never claim any of it as my own.

FAQ

Why is this referred to as The Marked Hunter and Tribus?

I guess you’ll just have to find out! There’s a reason for it, but of course, I don’t wish to disclose all my secrets right away. I wish to present this like a book as much as possible, and therefore some things need to be revealed in their own time.

Why is the first season titled ‘Enigma’?

This part I can easily share. An enigma is a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand. I feel this particular word fits the reader and their plot for this season swimmingly. The reader is known for being after similar things the brothers are, but of course, is an individualized person, and will find things about themself along the way they have yet to grasp.

Will your series have the reader end up with Sam or Dean? Will they end up with (So and So)?

Only time will tell! I understand there are many Sam-Girls and Dean-Girls, trust me, but I want to keep a few surprises in store for all of you. You may end up with one, both, or even neither. Nothing is set in stone just yet. I will state that while there may be little implications here and there for your reading pleasure, a majority of the first season will feature no romance. Given this is the beginning of the show and my story, there is so much that can and needs to be introduced to use canonically as well as with your character, and I’d rather focus on the build up of friendships and plots before anything gets too deep and heavy.

Will you have a word count?

Briefly stated above, I do not have a word count and that is a personal preference. I often feel too pressured to hit a certain amount of words, or in different settings, feel I have written too much or too little. I want this to be a fun project, and I wish to present my writing and my ideas to the best of my abilities, regardless of how long or short a full rounded idea may come to be.

My initial plan is to make each episode about five parts each. I feel this breaks up the episodes nicely, and seeing as the length of each part is unknown, even more so. We’ll just have to wait and see! Please also note that I will also be making extra parts, backstories, original series, and imagines on the side. While having a basic outline, anything can happen. Little details don’t tend to speak to me until the time comes. Let’s see where this goes.

I have an idea for this episode, may I submit it? I have a headcanon for the reader’s backstory, may I share it? I have an edit I’d like to share with you, would you like to see?

Yes, yes, yes! Despite my basic outline and twists and turns along the way, the main concept is that this is made for you, and I’d love to see how people interpret my writing and their character. I value ideas, feedback, and anything else you wish to share with me. My ask box is always open. I have always loved interacting with my readers and answering their questions, it’s a majority of the reason why I keep coming back. Sadly, I may not be able to incorporate every idea I receive, but I most certainly will try my best!

Do you write anywhere else?

I only write on this tumblr blog and on Wattpad, under plaidandantlers. If you feel this story has been copied in any way without my knowledge of explicit permission, please let me know so I can handle it.

When will you start?

My goal is sometime within October. I am currently working on an outline of the first season as well as a rough draft of the first couple episodes being written out. September is a busy month for me, as well as the first few weeks of October, but I want to get this going as soon as possible. I appreciate and value your time and patience.

Will you have consistent updates? When will you post?

Undetermined at this time. I used to post every day and queue up some parts and pieces, but I felt my writing lacked when I tried to hold myself to a daily deadline. I am not going to hold myself to a deadline this time, but just hope and work hard on progressing in general. Updates may be every day, every couple days, every week, etc. but I am bound and determined to keep up with this project this time around.

I have a question not listed here!

I plan to make a FAQ page eventually, and as the series is ongoing, will obviously update it as necessary. Please submit any questions you ask and refer to the page often.

[daisywords]

Hi Marguerite

Multi-part question. Fo you ever see a trope (on tumblr, in media, etc) and think "oh I wanna include that in a story" or "I wanna do a twist on this" and then do you, most of the time, actually include it or just hoard it in your stash for an ambiguous later?

Hi Sleepy!

Interesting question! I do have a very very extensive stash for an ambiguous later, so I would say things go in there by default.

I will say I think one of the reasons that I'm not motivated to write fanfiction is that usually when I come across a story element that I really like, my first instinct is to put that element into a new context where I can engage with it with the ultimate freedom. So if I'm like reading a book or watching a show or something, and there's, let's say, a character dynamic between two background characters that I find really interesting, I'm much more likely to immediately take that idea out of context and imagine original characters with a similar dynamic in a world/narrative that is catered to exploring that dynamic in particular, rather than imagining scenarios with the already existing characters. If that makes any sense.

My wip Deep and Dark, Beautiful and Bright is a shining example of me stealing smaller elements of other works of fiction and making them central to the narrative/characters. literally it's a collage of so much theft from the most random of sources that I can't describe the genre very well.

My wip The Long Long Way to Kaminatra is kind of the opposite. The central premise/twist at the center of the plot is stolen from an old comedy action movie (that was not good imo) that my dad made me watch. But I was like hmm. what if this thing but it wasn't played for laughs and also I crafted a world around making this into something that would make sense for someone to do. And now I have like 5 named countries and layers of intersecting intrigue plots and at least 3 languages oops.

[mica-dmss]

Blog Post - 06

Transmedia and Synergy: The Never-Ending Plot

When we are asked about the most iconic fictional characters, most people would probably answer with Superman, Batman, or of the sorts; whatever notable character there is from a well-known series. It may not be specific to comics, but characters from any popular title can also be examples. Media products deemed as 'famous' overtime will urge in new consumers, even if their origins are dated from way back.

People become familiarised with notable stories and grow up alongside consuming similar plots of which are eventually popularised, with the potential to be reintroduced or elaborated upon further to a new audience for more exposure, be it sequel or prequel. Thus, a community of fans will be formed, sharing common interests, theories and ideal execution of their favourite stories. This in turn leads to a continuation of a product, now regarded 'famous' enough to be considered iconic within media.

In the practice of Media, this process is referred to as commercial intertextuality, which is "the production and interlinking" of main texts such as blockbuster films or TV series, with para-texts of other mediums like spin-offs, promos, online media, books, games, and merchandise." (Hardy, 2015, p. 327) When one generation gets to experience a phenomenal product, another reinvigorates it after in order to keep it relevant within the media. Thus, this method of popularising products leads to an accumulation of branch narratives, which could extend to other possibilities, thus making a product not just any product, but a cultural phenomenon.

While examining the theory of intertextuality, I will be referring to the famous franchise of Spider-Man. With his first debut in Marvel's comic, Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), the character Spider-Man had become a big hit and has since grown to be a famous feature within Marvel's universe. Over many decades, the creation of this character has spawned many products across various media; films, games, television series and merchandise had arise as the story of Peter Parker grew overtime. To this day, many theories and reviews revolving around Spider-Man are produced and shared by his massive fanbase on social media, as well as memes and fanfictions revolving around his narrative still remain relevant for comedy and relatability, further reinforcing the mass' affinity of Spider-Man and his world. (Figure 1)

Figure 1

In what makes a product of intertextuality, professor Sara Gwenllian-Jones (2003) wrote about the qualification of its properties by describing its overall function to be 'centripetal', in a way that its references branch out many possible meanings towards a single text (Gwenllian-Jones, 2003, p.186), which explains the extension of references like memes and parodies from online in relation to Spider-Man scenes or concepts. Gwenllian-Jones also referred to media scholar John Fiske's (1987) analyses of intertextuality, which he explains that intertextual knowledges "pre-orient the reader to exploit polysemy by activating the text in certain ways, that is, by making some meanings rather than others."" (Fiske, 1987, cited in Gwenllian-Jones, 2003, p.186). The key word being 'reorient' describes the relationship between small products and the bigger narrative; what loopholes are there in its plot? What else could be uncovered from the story provided to us viewers who might want more from a sequel? Maybe a prequel? Or perhaps something more alternative?

Products that are popularised to the point of continuing plots deemed as unnecessary could branch outwards, in order to explore more of the universe of its concept rather than its character, which leads to the idea of transmedia. So, in theory, what is transmedia?

Through the works of media scholar Henry Jenkins (2011), transmedia refers to a by-product of "a radically intertextual story" played out across different media; with each new text further adds to the clarity of a story "as a whole" (Wall, 2019, p.2) In other words, following the impact of an original media, this content 'moves' into future textural structures within a similar medium. This can explain existence of remakes, sequels and prequels based on the original source. However, this does not inherently make a product a transmedia. Rather, it is also the dependence on multimodality that results in transmedia, being that the content's 'movement' would involve having separate representations distinguished from the original plot.

One profound example we can take of transmedia is Sony Pictures' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), which explores a new reality of character Miles Morales following the death of the initial Spiderman, Peter Parker. The plot within this film series is separate to the narrative explored within the comic series, of which both of Miles face different relationships and fates. However, the unravelling plot within the film's sequel ties in both of these products, by revealing that a dimension paradox is what caused Miles to become Spiderman. At the beginning of the film, the spider that bit Miles Morales (Earth-1610) originated from a different dimension (Earth-42). This point is clarified through a cliff-hanger ending, where a brand new character is introduced. This character was none other than Miles Morales, but from a Spiderman-less reality, had instead adopted the alias Prowler (Figure 2 and 3).

Figure 2

Figure 3

This expansion on Miles' story arc had been highly appraised by long-term critics and reviewers of the Marvel's products, as well as became a hit in the Box Office regarding its recent release in theatres, grossing $690.5 million at the worldwide box office (Wikipedia, 2023). The reason could likely be that this narrative addition to Miles' story adds further sophistication to the Spiderman timeline, of which the original comics failed to represent in the past.

In the context of comics alone, Miles' narrative was initially a minor concept that delved into an alternative reality of Spiderman's fate. Marvel's Ultimate Comics was essentially a product to explore 'reimagined' versions of their different characters, leading to Miles' very first appearance in Ultimate Fallout (2011) #4 (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Furthermore, this representation of Spiderman could be what has led to an open interpretation for Miles' purpose in the entirety of Spiderman's arc, thus leading to potential plots yet to be discovered. The film adaptation was brought with this notion in investigating what Miles could truly contribute to the Spiderman franchise.

While the extensive exploration into Spider-Man alone could last someone a while of catching up to date with the current theories revolving around the story, such a feat in media could never be possible without the prospect of capitalism. How is the success of Marvel's work possible in the world of capitalism, and what business does it have in the lives of its consumers? In Gender, Race and Class in Media: A Critical Reader (2015), Jonathan Hardy elaborates on the current media fanbase's obsession with brands like Marvel. He describes the formation of supporters in the setting that nurtures it as "consumer culture", where we fixate on an environment that is "saturated with advertising imagery urging us to buy and consume products as a path to future happiness and self-transformation" (Hardy, 2015, p. 241). As result, fans buy a product and indulge in it until they grow bored and request for a new an improved piece. The entertainment industry takes advantage of this and formulate a means to produce further profit off successful releases. However, is it so bad when people genuinely enjoy the products they purchase?

In conclusion, we are a generation that has the capability to take products we admire and further develop them to create something new. Within this time of media, we can look back many works over the last few decades and pick out aspects that could reinvigorate them, or maybe even invent the next best thing in media, as creators of our own 'consumer culture'. For as long as the entertainment industry manages the distributions that feed the cost of productions, do we get to savour the memories of our favourite stories and characters once more.

Sources:

Brooker, W. and Jermyn, D. (2003) The audience studies reader. London: Routledge.

Dines, G. and Humez, J.M. (2015) Gender, race, and class in media: a critical reader. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

Reddit (2022) Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ytmjse/spiderman/ (Accessed: 7 January 2024).

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Directed by J. Dos Santos [Feature film]. Culver City, LA: Sony Pictures Releasing.

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Across_the_Spider-Verse (Accessed: 7 January 2024).

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Directed by J. Dos Santos [Feature film]. Culver City, LA: Sony Pictures Releasing.