#feel personally targeted here

[bonefall]

I understand being upset by the moonpaw dog post but i dont think talking about some random teen publicly (on a pretty big fandom blog) as opposed to like, dming them about it, is a very nice thing to do? Would recommend keeping that kinda gossip in dms going forward personally.

??????? "That kinda gossip???"

Saying that it's fucked up that a publicly posted incest joke about how deformed she should look went to the top of the Warrior Cats and Moonpaw tags, is gossip???

TRENDING TAGS?? GOSSIP?

I'm not talking about "some random teen," I have not even dropped a username and been VERY clear I don't want harassment of anyone. During this discussion about wider ableism against Moonpaw, I've directly answered two anons about the contents of a post that was/IS extremely popular to the tune of nearly a thousand notes.

One of those two asks was an anon who only stumbled in to say that the post was funny in a display of SHOCKING tonedeafness, while I was talking about how shitty it is to compare people who are the products of incest to unethical dog breeds, especially in the context of WC. The other was an actual XX/XY chimera who expressed that the extremely popular post hurt their feelings, and when they tried to express discomfort to someone, got told they "probably killed their twin in the womb."

It's not just one rando weenie little blog the minute half of the Tumblr space is openly laughing at a joke about deformed incest kids and hoping Moonpaw dies because she's so "gross." Not nice?? Your feelings are hurt? OTHER people's feelings were ALREADY hurt.

NOTHING about this was "nice" to begin with!

Difference is, when YOU cry me a river, you can build me a bridge, and get right the fuck over it. A person who's the product of incest cries and has to go right back to every shitty banjo-hunchback-hapsburg joke they've heard before, just feeling more unsafe about a space that PRETENDS to care about the abuse they experienced. If you feel guilty about that, maybe you should!

If you were under the impression I was ever "nice" about bigotry, you were mistaken. I don't appreciate calls for ME to be more polite when I'm at a trend of fandom ableism and calling it fucked up. I've named NO names. Sounds like what you ACTUALLY want is for people like me who have a platform to shut up.

[whitmore]

listen this may be a hot take that’s okay i’m fine with that i just feel that the @everyone main tag fandom vagueposts about sending admins hate and/or targeting ccs is . abyssal nonsense to post to tumblr. like you’re not wrong im not disagreeing with any of you— it just feels fruitless to post that on a website where none of us have direct contact with any admins or creators. if you see it in the main or side tags feel free to call it out, i think we should be doing that, but like the aimless vagueposting is not only reductive but directly adding to the negativity you’re trying to combat

[fiveminuterice]

controversial take i think but i don’t like when artists say “don’t like without reblogging” on their posts or say they’ll block people who like their art without reblogging. i say this as an artist, if you feel upset often enough by people who like without reblogging then that’s not on them that’s on you. and i say this is gently as possible. you are not owed engagement.

[moonmoonthecrabking]

grace chasity reads both testaments

[northern-passage]

one thing i find really difficult about navigating the IF space is the direct line of contact between readers and authors. we share the same space, and i think that plays a big part in this weird blurred line we have in this community and overall lack of boundaries.

for a lot of people this is a fun hobby and while i personally try to keep it... semi-professional most of the time, it's easy to get wrapped up in having fun on tumblr (or the forums, or reddit, wherever it is that you mainly post/interact) and have a lot of personal interactions with both readers and authors alike - which is fun! i like it more often than not, but i also think that's why a lot of comments in this space can end up being really entitled, over-familiar, and inappropriate.

it's no secret that most authors get really weird messages on here, and while this is also a problem on social media at large and not just specific to IF tumblr, it is still definitely a big problem in this community.

and to be clear i'm not saying that you can't be friendly with authors or readers (i've become friends with a handful of readers myself) and i definitely don't mean to imply that there needs to be a huge divide between us; that's silly - again, most authors are readers, most readers are authors, we’re just people on the internet sharing the same space. but all of us deserve to have our boundaries respected. this is my story, and we are strangers. as a general rule of thumb: if you wouldn't say it out loud to someone you just met, you probably shouldn't be saying it to a stranger online. especially anonymously.

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Gah, might delete (I’m a bit embarrassed that this bothers me to the degree that it does in the first place cause it’s so inconsequential), nevertheless I guess I feel the need to vent about this so

I wish people would stop being so unnecessarily rude and hateful about gothcleats? Like, in general I’ve found this fandom to be pretty decent about avoiding senseless ship hate but for some reason this ship just gets held up to a standard that none of the other ones seem to and I guess it irks me a bit. Obviously if a ship isn’t your cup of tea for one reason or another that’s cool, and I completely get like interpreting a character a certain way that conflicts with a ship… I guess what I don’t get is why with this ship in particular people feel the need to rain on other people’s parade so much??

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of anti-gothcleats posts that are like “Well this [canon interaction] doesn’t strike me as romantic” and use that as a basis for invalidating the ship, but like… When has that ever been a requirement for shipping characters??? Like, idk, I think swiftli is cute, pretty fair to say that I ship it, but I’d be fucking lying to you if I said that a single one of Linc and Taylor’s interactions in canon has ever struck me as romantic… And so what? But that’s what I mean by like people hold gothcleats to a weird standard that they don’t hold other ships to. Obviously people are gonna latch on to whatever interactions they can get between two characters that they ship and roll with it, of course in practice for almost any ship very few if any of those will actually have romantic undertones… That’s normal? And you can not like a ship without going out of your way to rip those moments away from the people who do like it?

I feel like to some extent, subconsciously or otherwise, the hate this ship gets probably stems from some fear of it becoming canon. Maybe that’s wrong but that’s the impression I get. And to that I say… It’s literally not going to. No but seriously of course at the risk of being dead wrong like, it’s really not. Will ships it, I’m convinced, but Matt has shown no interest in canonizing any kind of romantic relationship between PCs, and that ultimately matters much more at the end of the day. So… Relax I guess is what I’m saying???

Blugh, might delete like I said, I hope this doesn’t feel targeted cause it’s really not meant to be, but idk I guess I’ve just been feeling a bit bummed out about this. I don’t really like having this kind of ship discourse so I tend to just keep my mouth shut with this kinda thing but… Lost the battle today I suppose, gotta vent about it. Aaand send post.

[katsigian]

Part of me wanted to leave the cp/77 fandom permanently for Obvious Reasons but then I realized something 🌚

If some of the most toxic, manipulative people can still be active in the fandom (i mean as a whole, not just tumblr) then so can I <3 and everyone else who feels like they've been left out or feel like they don't belong, you've been tricked. You do belong. Anyone who's here to create because they love their OCs and the game, belong here far more than anyone else who's hurt others or created division

So I'll still be here. I'm returning with all of my silly little pretty boys hope you missed them because I'm about to be so unhinged about them stay safe out there

Peace and love on planet earth <3

[tariah23]

It’s just annoying whenever white folks and nbs go on about how they don’t listen to rap/hip-hop, they use Megan as like, their only exception for tolerating the genre and even then, whenever she’s brought up on here by them, it’s always “I don’t really listen to her music since it’s too sexual and I can’t relate to the topics but I support her because I love women ^^-“ as if that makes their argument any better. As if they’re throwing her a bone simply because they like her style and think she’s a hot Black woman who they can support because of feminism despite not even engaging in the stuff that she raps about.

[birdmenmanga]

@raventhekittycat

hi okay so I've been mulling this one over for the past day or two and I think I have the answer. not to be using hamburger to explain anything to an american but you're my detco mutual so I'm going to try and explain it in detco terms

There's a post going around recently about how if you've read detco and only detco, the first time hakuba shows up you're going to be totally flummoxed, because damn this guy is clearly important, he gets to be even cooler than Shinichi, he's got a half-page shot of him (in such a panel-dense series such as Detective Conan, no less!!) and he's got a fucking hawk. he's CLEARLY important. everything about the narrative is indicating that you need to PAY ATTENTION to hakuba and that he's the coolest guy and he's important!!!! and then he dies in the case lol (not for real. but still.)!! and you're like huh??? what was that. why did aoyama do that.

But with the context of magic kaito this totally makes sense. He's a beloved character that people have been waiting decades to see again. Of course Aoyama is going to hype him up!! It's his big moment after years of being locked in the backrooms!!!

Anyways reading birdmen for me was kind of like that. The author's previous series, Kekkaishi, was pretty one-dimensional at the beginning, and even after the main plot started picking up at around volume 6, it still felt quite understandable. I knew what she was trying to get at, and the spectacular job she did with the anthropocene and climate change metaphor towards the end of that series really made me interested in the rest of her works. That and the way she writes familial relationships is absolutely DEVASTATING. (I mean this with the highest of praise)

But when I read BIRDMEN for the first time, I was probably in... middle school, maybe? And I read it, sure, but I didn't get it. I could see what was literally happening on the page but the narrative choices were absolutely baffling at times. Why skip over the entire part of the plot where they figure out who the birdman that saved them was? She blatantly doesn't care about that. What does she care about then?? I knew I didn't get it, I knew there were parts of it that were important and I couldn't figure out why and THAT'S how it dug its pretty little claws into me. Even after I finished catching up it nagged at me a little bit, not often at all, but enough that every once in a while I go, huh, right, that was a thing, let me go read it again.

For the record this type of story haunting has happened to me twice. First time was the Heart of Thomas, second time was BIRDMEN. I think the thing is that these are both stories which are not what other people say they are and I think I came into both of these stories with a misconception, trying to look too hard for things that weren't important and therefore missing the things that were.

Because sure, BIRDMEN is about mental illness. Yeah, it's about an evil scientific organization growing mutants in a lab. Yeah, it's about what it means to leave your humanity behind. That's all technically correct, on a surface level, and the fandom at large likely agrees with these takes for the most part, but in my opinion none of that really delves into what the thematic messaging of the story is about.

There are cryptic conversations about authority and human extinction and peculiar outfit and ability choices. You can tell these choices weren't made to serve the purpose of "writing exciting shonen manga" because that was what she did for the most part in Kekkaishi and you can tell she wasn't putting her whole pussy into doing that here. So what was she doing? What's like. All of this. Waves my hands at this.

The short answer is that it's really about the interplay between capitalism (represented by humanity) and communism (represented by birdmen), and explores the role institutional white supremacy (EDEN) plays in enforcing capitalism. It is ALSO about queer liberation and the importance of community, but hey, that double-stacks conveniently with the communism metaphor.

But also take this opinion of mine with a grain of salt. As far as I know I'm the only one who really truly deeply believes that it is not only AN interpretation of the work, but one that was fully intended by the author.

So basically, I like it, because I think it says something true and beautiful that I also believe in, even if I didn't have the words for it the first time I read it. But I don't really think that's what people really look for in a media recommendation.

Do I like it? Yes, I love it. Will I recommend it to others? Yeah, sure. But do I think it's deeply flawed? Yeah, absolutely. It's flawed in the same ways as The Witch from Mercury— a rushed ending, too many threads that were opened and never tied together. The pacing and characterization is perfect in the beginning, and too rushed at the end. There are prerequisites you basically HAVE to read in order to understand the story (tempest for G-Witch and the communist manifesto for birdmen). I think a truly good story wouldn't have any of these things so if people don't like it I never blame them.

It's my personal experiences that make birdmen so profound to me. If you are not queer I just don't think Eishi coming out as a birdman to his mom will hit the same, just as an example. Sorry that I wasn't the kid you wanted me to be. I know you love me and you just want the best for me and that's why you're so controlling, because you think I can be saved by conforming to societal expectations. But I can't live like that. I can't be like that. And that's why I must go. etc.

Aesthetically I do love birdmen a lot. If I had to describe it in a few words it would probably be "chilling", "beautiful", and "powerful", which nicely coincides with the type of things I personally like to draw. It's also silly to a small degree but it's so serious and I know Tanabe can be way way way funnier (read kekkaishi for this. kekkaishi and hanazakari no kimitachi he were foundational to my sense of sequential art humor) so that's not really the standout trait of this series.

I can't let it go because I'm chewing this series like a bone. And it's taking me years but I am getting that sweet sweet marrow. By god. We are on year 3 of this shit and I am GOING to understand this series. and I'm going to make 3 video essays about it

[monachopism]

being jewish with zero affiliation to israel and rather a generational line of activists for palestine is a hard line to walk and sometimes i wish i could just fall off

[tricksterlatte]

Re: the debate going on again about if Persona should focus more on adult characters, I think it's interesting because i don't have a firm stance either way. There are some plotlines that I think would hit harder if the characters were adults, or plotlines I would pursue more thoroughly if they were. For example, I think the Phantom Thieves as college students would have been amazing, but I don't know how Joker's criminal record would work with that unless he's a dropout, or if you removed the school game mechanic, which is so vital to modern Persona games?

On the other hand, I also think teen/young adult protags hit for such a wide audience because they are struggles the target audience has either already experienced or currently is. It's funny, because I think any character worth their salt will resonate regardless of age or other demographics. I'm no longer a child, but I still want to protect Maiko in P3 due to her retable familial struggle and her inability to understand due to her age, or Zenkichi's division between what is right by the law and what's right in his heart. I don't need a debilitating illness to sympathize or relate to Chidori, an outcast who finds solace in art and the only people who understand her pain.

it's a very nuanced conversation and I just don't see a right or wrong answer, the same way I feel about most anime nowadays. I think a more diverse party in general would be a dream come true (not just for age and gender either, I think it would be amazing to have someone who isn't just Asian or white, or more explicitly LGBT+ characters)! I just wanted to make a long post because the discussion is fascinating and enlightening, and 6, if they did an older cast, wouldn't be the first game to have playable adults either. What are your guys' thoughts?

[jennyfromthebes]

HEY. did you know about the unreleased "stack em up" song banter in north carolina about john darnielle pronouns.

i am Aware of it, yes! a friend sent it to me last year, it's a very good song and I like it a lot. i will say, since you ask specifically about that banter, that I have complicated opinions on it (for those unaware, he dedicated the song to the person in the second verse, who was someone he was friends with when he was 19 in portland, and says that the friend in question was the first person to use feminine pronouns for him and did so the entire time they knew each other). i think it's a really lovely anecdote, and it isn't the only time he's talked about how during that time of his life he was adjacent to the queer scene and friends with a lot of queer people (off the top of my head, there's a really good steal smoked fish banter where he talks about it, and says that the queer community isn't one he can claim for himself but it's one that was an important part of his life). I think it's also important to recognize that, hey, we as a fandom are not remotely on the same level as an old friend who shared part of his life and it isn't really our place to decide to use feminine pronouns/terms of address for him! like, far be it from me to tell anyone what to do ever, it isn't my place to try to say what you can and can't do, but I do feel like maybe that one isn't really for us; we can appreciate and respect it without making it a big deal or trying to imitate it or make it mean something more, I think. and even when it's meant in a positive/endearing/fannish way, using different pronouns for an actual person who you do not know makes me personally uncomfortable and as such I try to steer clear of it. i do hope that makes sense because I've really never figured out how to put it into words very well, and please know I don't mean it as a slight in any way towards anyone just an expression of my opinion here, but, yeah. jd has always been an ally to the trans community and I appreciate it really deeply and think it's important to recognize that you don't have to personally be queer for the community to mean something to you.

thanks for the ask!! really sorry that I ended up getting on a bit of a soapbox about it lol (oh holy shit this is two full screens long on my phone I will shut up now) but yes I do know and love that song :)

[ezraphobicsoup]

can i please request a fun fact about anything ever

[saetoru]

although i dont appreciate the way karma tried to befriend you, her having to quit tumblr because of you being this drama driven rly isnt the vibe and its an ungoing theme of yours whenever you feel threatened, just saying…

girl i don’t have the time or energy for you people. i didn’t drive anyone off the app bc if you look at my blog, there has been no post before yesterdays ask that indicated anything about her to send her any anons. and before i posted the ask (which was threatening and harassing me btw) she’d already closed her inbox from anons harassing her. wtv anons were harassing her are not due to me bc idk this girl and quite frankly, i don’t care about some girl i hardly know exists 💀✋🏽 you know what i do care about tho ?? not getting asks sent to me that are obviously her. and not having asks answered ab me that are also obviously her sending them to herself. that’s weirdo behavior and yall will blame the person dragged into things unnecessarily before actually holding the person who started it accountable. if i wanted to send a whole army of ppl to bug her i would’ve said something a long time ago about the multiple anon asks that she’s been sending but i simply blocked and moved along bc i didn’t want to spark anything—and contrary to what most of you think, i don’t actually enjoy dogpiling a bunch of anons at a specific person. but i am also not a silent taker of weird ass anons in my inbox so when i receive an ask like “oh ur gonna be in trouble if ur jealous ass doesn’t watch it” i’m gonna set my boundaries. it’s ridiculous. one thing about me is i at least say everything with my whole chest on my own page, i don’t sneak around on anon on multiple pages because i have some self respect and i encourage you to develop some too bc speaking on something you have not the full story too is mainly embarrassing on your part

[songofsaraneth]

thought to myself "maybe there ARE things to do out here in the boring suburbs in winter since I don't have time to transit all the way to/from the city the next few days" and looked up things to do in the larger town next to mine. and number 7 on the list is just Go To Kohls, so, so much for that plan

[tibli]

It feels voyeuristic to share videos/images of the brutal suffering the Palestinian people are going through every day, and I hate that it's come to that. I hate that these people are forced to display their loved one's mangled corpses for everyone to see, in the desperate hope that it will convince the governments of the world that they don't deserve to be treated like vermin to exterminate.

I want to be clear, they are not wrong for sharing these things, and it is paramount for us to show it to others. It is deeply upsetting and troubling to see these things, but that's exactly the point- that's the purpose. If they have to live through it, if they themselves cannot escape it, then it is our obligation AT THE VERY LEAST, to listen to them and look at whats happening, even if it disgusts us. ESPECIALLY if it disgusts us. We owe them that much. We owe them our anger and rage on their behalf. We owe them our full attention. Genocide is everyone's issue, and to look away is to help the perpetrator.