#idk ml is the only other fandom i like actively made content for and it was soooo different whe i did

[gentil-minou]

I can't imagine anyone is getting as much engagement on Twitter as they did pre-Musk, with the exception of anybody who was getting no engagement on Twitter until Musk unbanned them

thats definitely true but also tumblr is being a mess too and im at a point where i don't want to be a lurker anymore so where do i go, if all the sites are trying to basically out do the other in terms of making themselves awful? where does that leave me?

[carpisuns]

Hello there. I'd like to give you my two cents. I got into this fandom in 2016 after I lost my job. Things were going rotten in the country, so I was depressed, but then I stumbled across fandubs of fanon content. I loved it. It helped me feel better, and I didn't even watch the show. Over time, I observed the fandom, and engaged in spoilers. Eventually, I learned to love it so much, I became a creator of content myself.

As someone who genuinely loves miraculous ladybug a whole whole lot (both canon and fan content), i really am happy that you found this fandom when you needed it and that it helped you feel better. i also discovered miraculous when i was in a low and it has been a huge source of comfort and excitement for me ever since then. we're lucky to have such an active fandom with so much amazing content, and it's only natural that great fanon will draw new people in—and i love that!

i do hope, however, that people who get interested in ML through fanon will give canon a real chance. the people who have nothing but negative things to say about the show do not represent the fandom as a whole. there are many, many of us (i hope the majority skljfjladskf) who are here not despite canon but because of it. the fanon that drew you in was most likely made by people who have a great love of the show and characters, to the point that they wanted to make something to show their love for it. that's why i personally make fan content. and although i'm glad people can still enjoy it when they haven't engaged much with canon, my intended audience is people like me who love the show. everything i make for this fandom is rooted in my love of canon—even AUs or canon-divergent stuff—so i feel that my work (and other fan work) is best enjoyed when you have a good understanding of the source material.

the thing is, when you don't engage with canon, all your opinions have to be formed based on other people's opinions. and you're only getting bits and pieces instead of the full picture. in my experience, that kind of half-formed understanding is often what leads people to salt, which then just kind of feeds on itself? idk, typically the saltiest takes i see, the ones that misrepresent characters/dynamics the most, come from people who don't really watch the show (either they used to and stopped or they never watched at all). and if you don't watch the show yourself, you can't really know what is a misrepresentation and what isn't.

of course, this is tumblr, and it's just fandom, and everyone is free to participate/not participate to the extent that they wish. i'm not here to be the fan police or tell you how to participate in fandom—that's totally up to you! and if you ML sparks joy for you then i'm glad, because me too :) i'm just saying that personally, my greatest joy comes from the combination of canon and fanon. i would encourage you to not let people's negativity about canon keep you from enjoying it. sure, it's a kid's show and there is plenty of stupidity and cringe lol but that's also part of what makes it endearing and fun, imo. and there's also so much depth and creativity in it. fan content wouldn't exist without canon, so if canon has inspired creations that you love that much, there's gotta be something worthwhile about it!