#merchandise from a fandom with a bad reputation

[yugiohmangaoutofcontext]

template for you to decide what it is that bakura is wearing that yugi is disgusted with

[doodler16]

Hey, don't know if you had heard, but apparently, a fan broke into and vandalized a library with Helluva Boss stuff. https://x.com/JulietTheProto/status/1902484469015281781 Naturally, the stans tried to say it was a false flag thing, to make them look bad, but naw, it was an actual fan. Now, stans are downplaying it, going as far to say it's not 'really vandalism'. This stan here pretty much said to not blame all of them because that's the rhetoric racists used on pocs: https://x.com/fieosk8/status/1903163444662002144

When I saw that post it literally reminded me of Brandon Roger’s skit. Except instead of a library he’s breaking into Hot topic, plastering IMP stickers and merchandise everywhere.

That aside, I’m not surprised that it is a Helluva Boss fan. Yes, it sucks that a fan did this but at the same time the Helluvaverse fandom/Standom and by extension Vivziepop already don’t have the best reputation for obvious reasons. 😭

And yes what the fan did was vandalism. The user, Juliet literally mentions that books were thrown everywhere. The librarians and the janitors are the ones forced to clean up not only the library but remove all the pictures and tape. The fans and Vivziepop’s associates should stop downplaying it/joking about it.

If I went to this school as a fan I would be embarrassed. People already get bullied just for wearing Helluva Boss merch publicly, this situation doesn’t help the fans’ case.

As for Vivziepop, I wish she made an actual response: condemning this behavior. I get it, she can’t control her fanbase’s actions and from the meme she posted, Vivziepop seems disappointed and tired. But at the same time, this is the same person who actively enables her stans on a daily basis.

If this was any other fandom, the Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel fans/stans would rightfully point it out and criticize (insert fandom) who did this.

[dizzybunni]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐃𝐫 !

⋆⭒˚.⋆ 

None of my drawings / sketches ever look off or bad + I’m great at drawing clear, detailed and easily readable panels .

I can easily write amazing arcs / storylines ; my stories are immune to ever having plot holes . 

I always have creative and new ideas to add to my manga .

I have an easily recognizable, iconic art style .

All of my characters are well written .

I always have all the (good quality) supplies I might need to create my manga .

My series cannot get cancelled .

I have a good and non-toxic fandom surrounding my works . 

I’m always able to have a stable income that funds all my wants and needs .

I always have free time and never have to overwork myself . 

I absolutely cannot, under no circumstances get doxxed by anyone ( as a faceless creator ) .

My manga gets high quality merchandise made for them .

NO FREAKY FANS ( like I don’t want my characters getting put in jars if you know what I mean … )

I have a good, long lasting reputation in the industry and community .

I’m held in high regard by fans and fellow mangakas .

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱/ these are mainly just rules . Also I learned how to make the text a different color on mobile (aside from the preset) so that’s kinda cool ?

[cyborg00-why]

jet daki lore anon: wish i remembered the artist name!! furret was a pretty infamous and possessive fan of her husband characters, but she was responsible for commissioning the soldato j daki from that exact same artist and bragged about it lots. at least the mystery artist's effort gave people their chance to have a big beak man daki, as bad as it is for their art to be re-used w/o permission.

Who would have thought one dakimakura would be so loaded ^^; This is a bit of a can of worms situation... but there is some good in this case! With the clues from you anon, and another user letting us know that Jet's daki is still on the site:

I checked it out, and it seems moemart had updated the info on the listing between 2021 and now to include this:

So the good news is there is now a credited artist (yay!) and it seems the artist is being compensated for their work? Hopefully? But in cross referencing the artists account I can't find the art featured on any of the merchandise? A little odd, but they have a broad range of styles and some overlapping fandoms. Plus it would be weirder for moemart to credit an unrelated artist?

Which brings up another elephant in the room: moemart/hobby heart (same company different storefronts) was sort of known for being a huge bootleg/scam racket. I do not have first hand experience but I've heard horror stories from artists and buyers alike for years. So if anyone was seriously considering buying please research first.

All this to say, thank you both very much for the information and helping finally put a handle to the artwork! Wish there were more reputable sites or even a storefront for the artist that carried the same products, I know a lot of folks were curious.

The current fandom on here seems pretty respectful and chill so I don't think this needs to be said, but just in case: please do not seek out the user mentioned on this or any platform and stir the pot/harass/bully/dox anything like that. Nothing in the history of the internet or online fandom space has been solved with those means.

[toonrandytalkstoons]

I’m dusting off this blog to make a brief post about a current situation involving a popular Nicktoon. 

It’s amazing -- and sad -- that, coming from as a former fan, The Loud House has went from an animated darling before its premiere on Nickelodeon nearly seven years ago to a pariah of the online animation community. The fandom had developed notoriety for a concept called Loudcest as well as NSFW art unfortunately being pushed to the forefront. Over time, that notoriety has developed further thanks to more unhinged people being involved with the fandom and other things, which spread like wildfire and has now led to having a massive hatedom for like over a year, especially on Twitter. 

The Loud House has grown to become Nickelodeon’s cash cow franchise, with having movies, spin-offs and merchandise. However, one of the spin-offs, The Really Loud House, had an episode that gained controversy a few months ago that caused online backlash. And this past weekend (January 8), more backlash -- from some fans and non fans alike -- erupted over an video posted by TLH’s official YouTube channel. Both controversies involve the concern of whether the content would be taken the wrong way and considered fetish fuel.

Because of the hatedom, many people had simply harassed some good fans of TLH who just wanted to enjoy the show because of some bad apples that have ruined the fandom’s reputation, and I do not condone such behavior. However, when it comes to the controversies and concerns themselves, I really feel that it’s justified for the most part. You see, many people in The Loud House fandom have created fetish content, and someone who was active on DeviantArt for a long time, I had unfortunately seen such content -- similar content that the controversial Really Loud House episode and the YouTube video also have. And for those who are wondering: no, I didn’t watch both, but I have heard of them. 

These came after some more allegations about Nick and their handling of that one creator who was behind the network’s biggest live action sitcom successes thanks to Jenette McCurdy’s memoir. Nick could’ve learned their lesson and do better, but it’s still not the case. 

However, The Loud House may have lost some popularity some time ago, but it continues to make money for Nick. Despite the current situation, The Really Loud House has been renewed for a second season and the series will receive a Halloween special, a seventh season of the original animated series is on its way, and there’s also rumored yet unconfirmed reports of a sequel to the animated Loud House movie and a Casagrandes movie. How these controversies affect Nick’s current plans for the franchise remains to be seen, but I won’t be surprised that the network will keep chugging along until it’s no longer profitable. 

It’s crazy that The Loud House was once toted as the series that’s going to save Nickelodeon...

[m0e-ru]

Question! Do you actually hate Adachi or is it just a funny thing? (bad with jokes/sarcasm sorry)

don’t worry anon dear I don’t think I’ve been that clear with it either. It’s just a funny thing I really like bullying him 👍 (more bullshit below 👇)

Well, him as a character, I really do enjoy him and what he’s there for in the first place. He has his role and he actually does it, for one. His takes throughout all the official media he’s been in are something I have particularly different opinions but otherwise he’s uhh he’s pretty good.

He genuinely makes me mad because of 1; who he is as a person, like, if I ever met him in real life he’d be so fucking annoying I would never want to work with him he would literally try and cheese his way through everything but if this was a post p4 kind of thing he’s a blatant asshole who’d pull the clown act only when it’s beneficial but otherwise he still cares about things to the same extent and is still genuinely clumsy goofy no matter how much cunt he thinks he’s serving (he does NOT serve. rokuro saito is lying to you). 2, I hate how he’s the antagonist where he’s so integral and integrated within the lore and plot itself. I hate how everything clicks and he’s just part of it to keep the story moving and I’m annoyed I have to Care about him I have to Think about him I have to give him an Apartment in my Mind under Blorbo tenancy classification.

Yeah okay this is the part where I start being a hater and explain my relationship with fandom because I’m done needlessly promoting my goods now that I’ve found my bubble and literally everyone else around me is annoying and I have no more budget (energy) for marketing (making content, being active trying to reach other people).

Adachi’s like mass produced doll merchandise and literally everyone has one, where they might’ve bought it from Atlus (however the fuck he got depicted by official media, fan service or not), or got it dealt to them by other people (popular people in fandom where their interpretation of the character is a fucking consensus), or his product reviews are Like That (some sort of collective idea of him whether influencing other people who haven’t even played the game or actually properly looked into his character), OR you make your own fucking doll (individual interpretation may or may not have been influenced by others; highly volatile)

To me it’s like jumping on the bandwagon late (2020 Steam release) except I don’t buy the recent doll editions I go all the way back and get some of the older more carefully produced editions that aren’t as glitzy well sculpted airbrushed well articulated as the newer ones (made my interpretation based off of official and older media compared to the newer ones where he becomes a fan favorite and that influences however and how frequently he’s marketed which might’ve warped who he’s supposed to be in favor for the audience). From there I just polish him myself or dunk him whole in a tub of hot water and bleach entirely whenever I want to but otherwise I have my own stupid Thing to play with.

There may have been people who’ve modified the doll the same way I don’t know (also handles him and thoughts about him carefully). Everyone around me carries the same thing (same stupid collective interpretation) and fling him against the wall until his head flies off too yeah (also hate him but you can see they’re horny or something) or smack him against another doll so fucking carelessly it makes me gag (braindead shipping and proshitting).

Majority of everyone in the playground are gross or don’t have a brain that I don’t want to associate with them and probably go home and play by myself again for another six thousand years (keep away from the fandom radar no matter how lonely I’ll get because I think it’s a good exchange not to be with Freaks). Because of this reputation “Adachi fans” have, I’m too afraid to show anyone else I have the doll and that it’s so embarrassingly well kept. Too tired to make the stance that “I’m not like other girls” I either avoid the topic or make it look like I want to constantly hold him over a fire and smack him against the wall to see him miserable when in fact I do want to treat him nicely sometimes but I’m a coward and too proud for my own good I act like a Hater.

There are only like eleven people in this world I can accept to play with said mega popular mass produced Tohru Adachi from the hit game Persona 4 doll and three people that I myself can play with or at least be comfortable enough to show them I have one myself.

No I don’t condone his actions, no I don’t Want him. He is my terrible uncle who’s murdered people and has a terrible sense of humor and his sense of pride is something I still need to understand and he’s smart and he’s so fucking stupid but I laugh with him and smack him on the back so hard his face crashes against the concrete floor and he breaks his nose and a passerby has to call the ambulance instead of me because I Won’t. I keep him in a bug cage and rattle it vehemently before taking him out onto a petri dish to put under a microscope and when I get mad I toss him back into the enclosure until I violently capture him again.

[rachelca1]

I posted 20,490 times in 2021

26 posts created (0%)

20464 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 787.1 posts.

I added 2 tags in 2021

#youtube - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 7 characters

#youtube

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Yeah, umm it’s nice that BTS got the performance nom… but not the song it Artist noms?!? I REALLY think they need to get rid of these old white guys making these decisions bc it does NOT follow with the rest of the IS or the world. The Grammys just should NOT have the prestige and reputation that they with this kind of record. Sooo…

F*CK Grammys! 😡

7 notes • Posted 2021-11-23 18:56:06 GMT

#4

*sigh*

Okay..... Here’s my rant about labels and toxic people that are within the fandom. Take it as you will...

I do not think it is okay to call all members within a fan groups as all haters/akgeas.

There are toxic/problematic/haters who LABEL themselves as ARMY, BTS fan, ot7 fan, Tae/JM/JK/HOBI/YG/NJ/Jin fan, and of course being a member of a shipping group. And easily, people within the fandom decide to label THOSE groups as akgeas giving respect to these accounts and presuming that they represent all of those in that group. No, these akgeas are NOT representatives of the groups that they say they are a part of. I’m sure the “solo stan” conversation has gone around before, so, I’m sure this subject may not be new to some. News flash.... They don’t. These problematic and toxic accounts are just as they are just AKGEAS. Please understand that there are so many different kinds of fan groups within the fandom and on the fringes. You’ve got the fringes that are just different levels of fanning from the general public to a casual fan to a solo stan to a BTS fan with a natural bias to committed ARMYS. All are normal groups that help out every once in awhile and may help out with hyping comebacks, buying merchandise and music for different reasons. All fine. Please don’t think that it is okay to tell people how much to support the group. We all have lives and some may have just come in for one member and still support their little part in their own way. It’s not hate. ARMY does have a bad reputation of being a bit authoritative and intense bc of this unrealistic view of what’s acceptable to being called a fan or being included in fan activities thst have scared off some people in the general public. Now, I am ranting now bc a few accounts that I follow just accused whole individual fan groups as akgeas which is obvious not true. I think it’s wonderful that each member within BTS has fan groups that work very hard to hype them up, organize bday ads, charities, and report hate and call out complacency that can lead to toxic narratives within the fandom. But these achievements are taken away by akgeas who falsely identify as a part of these groups and start fan wars and hate among and within the fandom. Shipping wars also have the same issue. For example, one of the tactics that haters use is to pretend to be Jikookers (create troll accounts, put Jikook pfp or have jikooker in the bio) and give jikookers a bad name and purposely setup them up for the fandom to hate Jikookers bc they think that that one account represents all Jikookers... which obviously isn’t true. Specifically, my issue was PJMers being called akgeas. Just so you know, PJMer reputation came from haters. I say this proudly, bc of the work that they have done for YEARS calling out haters and bringing receipts. We have a powerful reputation amongst the haters. Haters usually bring up our name bc they know we are out there, we are strong and we fight hard to keep back their hate out there against Jimin. During the times that I was doing mass reporting work for the Jimin report accounts, I’d see the conversations between the haters/akgeas. They’d warn each other to not post the toxic hate posts and/or delete them bc the PJMer will come and mass report them. But PJMers DON’T shade or hate on other members bc we’re spending too much time either enjoying/hyping/praising Jimin or fighting back the constant hate with PLENTY of receipts and mass reporting. We’re like Jikookers. If that helps. I just think it’s ironic when Jikookers, who go through the same thing call PJMers akgeas. Seriously?!? Like does none of it look familiar? You know that toxic shippers and Jikook haters have been spreading a narrative that we are a toxic bunch of shippers. That out of all the shippers, were the worst. Not to say that there aren’t problematic shippers and Jikookers. But can you say that a few problematic Jikookers represent all of us? No, obviously. So, maybe we shouldn’t let akgeas/problematic/toxic accounts have the power to represent fan groupings and be a part of the unnecessary fan wars that they create. 🤷‍♀️

11 notes • Posted 2021-01-22 09:08:49 GMT

#3

It’s ridiculous that they only have the Back Stage Interviews on YouTube but not the actual award shows. What a joke. 🤦‍♀️

11 notes • Posted 2021-01-10 09:52:40 GMT

#2

Their voices sound wonderful in this ad for Seoul. It came out on YouTube today. 🥰💜

14 notes • Posted 2021-01-10 02:00:47 GMT

#1

Hello!

If you are in twt, dodo know why jkkers accounts have been receiving hate lately, especially from tkkers?

See the full post

15 notes • Posted 2021-01-13 02:08:12 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[mandaloriangf]

I think that what a lot of online geeks (like me, admittedly) forget is the fact that the people who talk about a franchise online comprise a VERY small percentage of the overall fandom/audience. MOST people in the fandom/audience don’t talk about what they’re fans of or what they’re willing to watch online, and that can skew perception of a franchise as a whole

So when a lot of these hardcore SW sequel trilogy fans smugly crow about how popular the sequel trilogy (especially TLJ) must be because ReyloFan01 and PretentiousWhiteFilmMan69 talked about how it was a big success with audiences and because it’s soooo popular on Twitter, I think that they forget that most of an audience/fandom isn’t online??

The way that most of the fandom/audience communicates is with their wallets, and because TLJ suffered the steepest box office drops in history, caused Solo to bomb by association, and killed off merchandise sales for the sequels, and because TROS barely broke a billion (an absolute EMBARRASSMENT for a mainline SW film), we can see that the overall audience just didn’t really enjoy the sequels

And that really bodes TERRIBLY for the rest of their movies and for a LOT of their TV shows. In the general audience’s eyes, the sequel trilogy was as much of a shitshow as the prequels were. The main reason why people were interested to see TFA, even though the general public considered the prequels a laughingstock, is because they were interested to see if Disney could handle the franchise better than George Lucas did and give us good SW movies. But after the vast majority showed that they were NOT impressed with Disney’s SW trilogy through their wallets, many of these people will now no longer feel compelled to see other Disney Star Wars movies because, well, they didn’t like the SW that Disney gave us before, so why would they be interested in any other SW thing that Disney has to offer??

Which is an ESPECIALLY big problem because they already squandered the nostalgia and goodwill that a lot of older fans had through the sequel trilogy’s destruction of the OT, so now a lot of older fans won’t feel the need to watch their newer movies, so they lost a big chunk of the audience already. Also, because the sequel trilogy cast said that they won’t be returning to SW, Disney will have to sell us on a new cast of characters AGAIN. (I know that people point to standalone successes like Aquaman and Wonder Woman in the disreputable DCEU franchise, but they’re long-established iconic characters, so of course a lot of people will be interested in seeing them. The upcoming Star Wars movies won’t have that benefit). So now, the newer Disney SW movies won’t have nostalgia, long iconic characters, OR a good reputation to fall back on. That’s already affecting them. I no longer hear the general public talking about SW anymore. They talk a LOT about the MCU, but among regular people, you hardly hear anyone so much as mention Star Wars

Just... Disney Star Wars lost a lot of the general audience with their mismanagement of the sequels, and that puts the rest of their upcoming Star Wars properties (ESPECIALLY the movies) in a bad financial place. It’s no longer an age where you can slap “Star Wars” on a movie and expect it to churn out a profit (as TLJ, Solo, and TROS proved), and Baby Yoda can’t swoop in and save all of their movies

yeah its easy to forget that our online communities are only a slice of the star wars fanbase. this isnt something like supernatural where much of the fanbase comes from fandom and thats how it grew in popularity so much despite running for so long. 

my parents are both sw fans and have been since 1977. neither of them are connected to internet fandom so its actually kinda valuable to me to talk to them about it. they both hate tlj (but love tfa). after tfa came out my mom started buying lots of sw related stuff again (she has an r2d2 cutting board and salt/pepper shakers, bb8 pizza cutter, etc) and even had a tfa flag hanging from the house that she took down once tlj came out. i have a feeling a lot of people their age feel similarly. 

[reachexceedinggrasp]

"And tros is at HIMYM levels of toxicity as far as the surviving characters are concerned, never mind how poorly the shitshow press tour reflected on most of the participants’ reputations within the industry." Really? Do you think TROS is going to have that bad an impact on the surviving characters (not just the actors)? I feel like they could recover with some graphic-or-regular novels or many even an animated series, the SW fandom has low standards and most of the ST fans looove the trio.

Do they though? Tros was banking on that and the concept was a giant flop. If there were a robust market, they wouldn’t have cancelled all the merchandise and be wholesale pivoting away from the st era in their major projects.

Sure, they’ll keep doing pre-tros comics probably, but the comics are such a tiny niche audience that that’s really not going to affect anything else.

[cgmayra]

Hello, I love your way of writing your fanfics in the matter of Amy and Sonic. Lately I have seen a video about denying what was something of Sonic's fandom, and seeing a comment and its chains I have seen so much negativity on the ship. How: "Missing and belies the SonAmy" And then continued: "SonAmy doesn't exist in games or comics." "Just by playing the games that shit is already denied." What do you think about this, miss Mayra?

Thank you! :D

There will always be negativity. Everyone has so many opinions, but I love that the world can still form friendships even with different tastes and preferences!

I have not seen any of that but according to my research the main officials, company, games, and most -owned- media do reflect that there was meant and always was a bond of somekind between the two.

Officially speaking, Amy always chases Sonic but he’s too young and uninterested in anything to do with romantic intent. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the potential to, it just means he’s 15 and heads to the next adventure more so than the ‘domestic’ storytelling or storyline.

Here are some links about this very topic!

(x) Evidence of Advertisement.

(x) Moments within Games and-

(x) The differences in Japanese and English Sonamy portrayals.

(x) Cultural interpretations of Sonamy.

(x) The Star Rule (Still have yet to find where I read this… sadly T-T)

(x) Script: (x) Characterizations and ideas for creating Amy Rose by her creator.

(x) More research with facts and my interpretations and explanations of them.

(x) (x) Just more I found, there’s too many, okay!?

Okay, there were a lot of links so I hope I got the best ones!

There’s a lot I’ve done lol, please be satisfied with this list for now! You can search my blog for more if you’d like :)b

Now I’m not perfect but these are things to help separate the fact from the fiction. I know SEGA is growing and shifting to make themselves new and competitive, so I only hope the future is bright! But as long as we fans hold ourselves respectfully and not go crazy or anything, we should be able to show them it’s a good marketable direction for the series. (If done well and within character–we want the growth to be natural, not forced–then it should be okay :)b) Just always strive to be sensible! lol If we have a good image, it won’t be looked down upon so much. <3 )

If I must give some advice, which I’m a pretty peaceful person, is that you shouldn’t fight hate with fire. These people usually want a fight and have prepared things to counter you. If you ignore them, they get bored and go to a fandom they think is more combative. Some people get a high out of making others upset, so don’t fall for those baits.

The best way to help Sonamy is to professionally introduce your passions in positive ways. Support by commenting good and wholesome things, like content with Amy in it, buy Amy merchandise, and add your unique talents in non-confrontational or hostile ways. Be smart in how you talk about things, and discuss rather than argue. Marketing ploys–eh, more like their strategy– consists of seeing what’s selling well or getting the most attention. If that attention is negative but high popularity results, it’s noted as bad publicity. If you have attention that is positive and high in popularity, they then start to find ways to build that momentum and get higher ratings or in this case, marketable profit from it.

Shipping is already free advertising, but it has a bad name for itself. The Sonic fandom is actually full of wonderful and creative people. I’ve made many friends through it! If we present ourselves in ways that influence marketing in subtle and cute ways (Such as with Twitter’s Sonic Takeover where Sonamy Questions were answered in light-hearted but cute hinting moments) then our reputation will start to increase as ‘not psychotic’ or ‘childish’ but actually as something that can be beneficial to the brand.

I won’t go into detail about this, because I’m honestly someone who is cautious with what I say online (I used to not be, but I’ve had character development since then lolol) so in my humble opinion, be smart as you love and advertise your joy in something. Every little bit of changing the atmosphere or reputation counts, but so does the opposing side. So make sure you don’t fight, but keep posting wonderful fanart or fanfiction or whatever else you like to do but make sure it’s in a positive light.

I love you all so much! Let’s root for a better perceptive on romance in video game media that is appropriate for its characters and audiences! (I like the idea that Sonic doesn’t know his feelings cause he hasn’t explored them but there is a soft side for Amy. Likewise, him reacting positively to Amy or being impressed/touched by her strength and loyalty at times would be helpful too. Amy could be more universally ‘cute’ in a sense so that both Japanese and American audiences are satisfied without changing her character too much or drastically. There are so many ways to take this discussion and where the characters could end up but it’s honestly a choice we don’t get to make, only help influence in our positive approaches to the fandom ship :)b)

[spaceorphan18]

front 13

the thing that I was thinking about while watching this time around -- i know it’s something we’ve all talked about, i know i’ve done a few podcasts even about it -- but ten years later, I’m a little perplexed (and/or amused?) that this show was a hit right out of the gate.  And part of it was the merchandising/marketing -- they pushed this show so hard on people that I think the hoopla around it was bigger than the show itself.  

I know there are a lot of people who LOVED the front 13 -- and part of the reason they’re not in fandom anymore is that the kept hoping the tone would shift back to that time, and it never did. 

But it’s funny -- just, a person from 2020 looking at a show from 2009, it seems... quaint over ground breaking.  And it doesn’t necessarily seem like a show that everyone would lose their shit over.  (Just talking about the Front 13, and not later, when I feel like the show was more deserved of that title.)  hmmm.  

hello

Next time I do a rewatch, I should just start here.  THIS. SHOW. GETS. SO GOOD. The back nine deserves all of the praise. 

Jesse St. James has grown on me so much.  It’s such a relief to hear Jonathan Groff sing. 

the power of madonna

this episode might be the objectively (?) best episode of the season.  Glee discusses women’s rights and sex in a mature and realistic manner.  Something they’re never capable of doing again at the same time.  

this is also the first episode of this rewatch where I was like - oh yeah, this is why I really enjoy this show. 

home

Yes. good.  I like April in this one more than her first appearance.  I’m so glad they never made her a real love interest for Will.  

Finn is so much more interesting when it’s not about Rachel. 

bad reputation

You know what’s interesting... at the time the whole Jesse/Rachel stuff seemed muddled - did he care? did he not care? Maybe since I’ve given it more thought and/or developed my own headcanons, I think it works.  And honestly -- I think there’s a fascinating love story with Jesse/Rachel that’s lives behind Finchel.  I’m not compelled to write fanfic for it -- but if anyone’s ever interested, I’d love to meta it a little.  

laryngitis

i love my kurt, that is all. 

[forlornmelody]

Kord Center Mall: Rose Takes Bart to a Rave

Rating: Explicit (there’s smut, and drug use, and lots of swearing)

Fandom(s): Mass Effect, DC Comics

Ship: JayRose (Jason Todd/Rose Wilson)

AO3 Link: Here

Summary: Even the best-made plans go sideways, sometimes.In which Rose plans to have a good time with her NOT boyfriend, but ends up watching over the most annoying and most adorable kid working at Kord Center Mall.

Note: This is a cross over, mall-verse AU concocted by @scifi-ginger and myself. You’ve been warned.

-*-*-

Rose Wilson has three stops she makes on her hour-long lunch break. How she managed to get an hour instead of 30 minutes like most part-timers, no one seems to know. Her desk partner, Cassandra Sandsmark--regular employee of the month and all-around wonder girl, has definitely noticed, and she protests every time Rose leaves. Their manager likes Rose, so he never says anything. Or maybe he’s terrified of her dad like everyone else. Getting into his scheduling software is easy enough, especially since he has the password on a sticky note behind his monitor. It’s not Rose’s fault if he doesn’t bother to memorize it.

First she goes to Joey’s counter at MAC. For someone who’d rather sign than talk, Joey sure sells a lot of beauty products. It’s probably the way he smiles at his customers, giving them bedroom eyes regardless of their gender. When Rose spots him, he’s chatting up some twink who has trouble standing still. Joey lays a steadying hand on his shoulder, applying the liquid eye liner like he’s still in art school. He waves at Rose when he’s done with the makeover, walking the guy over to the counter to what’s surely going to be a big sale. When the customer signs his receipt, he also jots down his number. Taking the receipt, Joey nods at the guy, then at Rose.

“Oh! Sorry. Didn’t realize you’d been waiting.” The twink stumbles out of the store, leaving Joey and Rose alone at the counter.

Joey punches the guy’s number into his phone and Rose rolls her eyes. Her brother sets his phone down, and his hands flurry into signs. “What? Was it something I said?”

Rose leans across the counter, so his co-worker can’t hear her talk. “Really? Are you going to seduce every single person who comes in here?”

Waving his hand dismissively, Joey snorts. “He was cute.”

“You say that about everyone, Joey. And I won’t let you tarnish my reputation as the skankiest Wilson.”

Leaning back towards her with a wicked gleam in his eye, Joey slaps his hand on the counter. “I’m pretty sure Pop has us both beat there.”

“Gross.” Rose starts to walk out, but her phone pings. 

I still want Vega’s number.

Rose turns back to face him, grinning widely as she moonwalks out the store. “Fucking a personal trainer won’t get you a free membership!” She calls out.

Joey’s hands move so big Rose is convinced the department store across the hall can see. “But it will get me some exercise!”

 Shaking her head, Rose moves on to the crystal shop three doors down. Rachel, or Raven, as most call her, is busy ringing someone up, so Rose peruses the tea selection. She isn’t really sure what to make of the supernatural or the paranormal, to be honest, but she humors her friend--getting palm and tarot readings from her so Raven can practice. Every so often she’ll even join her meditation sessions, though Rose has the worst time sitting still. Her latest mantra is “I’d rather be punching a bag” over and over until Raven shoves her away.

Ignoring the names of the teas, Rose takes her time sniffing each jar for the one’s that’ll taste best. She picks one up that smells like almost nothing. What’s the fucking poi--

“I don’t think you need anything for erectile dysfunction.” Raven drawls from behind her. “If you do, we really need to talk.”

“Jesus.” Rose jumps a little, slamming the lid back down. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”

“Are you actually going to buy something, or are you just here to fuck off?” Raven folds her arms, eyeing Rose with a smirk. 

“What’s a good compliment to some dank weed?” Rose leans back against the shelves, jostling several jars in her wake.

Raven scoffs, but digs out a couple jars, pushing Rose out of the way. “What does Joey think about you partying with the mall’s resident bad boys?”

“And girl.” Rose holds up a finger like a kindergarten teacher. “Don’t forget the girl.” As if anyone could forget Jack Nought. With her mohawk and tats, she looks like she walked off the set of Mad Max. Maybe she did. Jack can do whatever the fuck she wants. “And Joey trusts me to take care of myself.” She pokes Raven in the nose. “Unlike some people.”

“Har har.” Raven waves her off like a fly. “And your dad?” Her voice lightens, and her eyebrows knit together, all airs of indifference falling away. She moves behind the counter, measuring and weighing the ounces of tea, only to toss the generous amounts in the bags anyway. Samara lets Raven do what she wants, too. They should start a club.

“He can go fuck himself.” 

“You know, I have an extra room available if you--”

“Don’t.” Rose eyes the register to see what total Raven rang up, and slams extra down on the counter.

“Fine.” Raven starts to count out her change. Rose leaves before she can put it in her hands. Good thing she was already on her way to the punk store.

Jack is chewing and blowing bubblegum when Rose walks in. “Hey fucker,” she calls out affectionately.

“Fuck you too, Jack.” Rose circles the counter, squeezing Jack’s butt in her usual greeting--her eyes searching the merchandise.

“Looking for Jason?” Jack slaps her ass in reply. He’s running inventory in the back.”

“No, your other boy toy.” Rose quips as she heads towards the backdoor. She’s not allowed back there, but she’s on good terms with the management team.

Jason is waist deep in open boxes when she finds him. “Hey asshole,” she says to his back as he studies his clipboard. 

“Jesus.” Jason slips and falls back against one stack of merchandise. His clipboard goes flying. Peanuts rain down on their heads. “Hey bastard.”

Rose picks the peanuts from her hair, squishing one between her fingers. “Excuse me? You’re the one who’s adopted.”

Jason pulls her down with him. “You’re the one who disowned her dad.” 

Plastic bags squeak underneath their feet as she settles down next to him. “He deserved it.” Next to Jason isn’t close enough. Rose crawls into his lap.

“Rose, I’m a little--”

“Busy?” Her breath ghosts across his lips. “Not busy enough.” His body always feels so warm beneath her hands.

Jason’s lips part, and his hand wanders back and forth across the top of her shoulder, like he can’t decide between pushing her away and pulling her closer. “Jack will kill us if she finds us goofing off.”

“Since when do you care about the rules?” She kisses him once, long and slow, one hand scratching the back of his neck. “And she won’t kill me. I’m on break.” 

Jason swears. “I’m already behind today.”

“Does that mean yes?”

“You asked?” He kisses her this time, pulling her tight against him. They fit together like puzzle pieces. 

Rose trails her other hand down his side, sliding it between them. She drinks in his groan, sliding her tongue into his mouth, and her hand into his hoodie pocket. 

Jason seizes her wrist, pulling away from her mouth. His breath comes out ragged. “Really?”

Sitting back, she pouts. “Empty? Nothing? Nada? Zilch?”

“I’m working.”

“Not even one joint? You disappoint me, Todd.”

“I’m not going to get arrested at work, Wilson.”

“At least tell me there’s a party this weekend.” Rose traces the lines of Jason’s jaw. She could do it all day. It’s not her fault he’s so easy on the eyes. 

Jason leans back against the boxes, pulling Rose with him. “Mm. I think there’s a rave.”

Grinning slowly, Rose braces her hands on either side of his head, letting her hair drape around their faces. “Please tell me we’re going.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll get a group together.” He slides her hoodie’s zipper down. “Get a couple cars going.” His eyebrows scrunch together as he grins up at her. “Shouldn’t you be thinking about right now?”

“Depends.” Her hand slides underneath his hoodie and his shirt, shivering at the way his skin jumps. It should be illegal for someone to be this perfect. “Is it going to be more fun than this weekend?”

Jason rolls them over, pushing her shirt up. “Depends.” He lavishes her middle with kisses. “On.” A breath. “Where your head's at.”

If anything, Rose doesn’t like where her thoughts are headed. It’s all too easy to imagine dinner dates and long walks on the beach, or whatever it is couples do. So, she plays with the hair on the back of Jason’s head as he makes his way lower and lower. No matter what happens, no one can take this moment from them--from her. Maybe Jason’s right. 

“Rose?” Jason’s hands let go of her jeans, and he’s watching her. Shit.  

Shaking it off, Rose pulls him back to her. “C’mere.” Her lips crash into his, biting his bottom lip until he hisses into her mouth. “You’re short on time, right?” She slides her hand down, unbuttoning his jeans.

It’s a bold face lie and they both know it. “Yeah.” Jason gulps, sliding his hand inside her jeans. He pauses at what he finds or doesn’t find there. “Rose?”

“Shhh.” She shoves her jeans down, guiding his fingers. “It won’t take long, I promise.”  Rose grins against his lips. “Especially with you.” 

Jason’s kiss is a little too tender, his touch a little too reassuring, so Rose goes in hard. Her lips crash into his and she bites his bottom lip. As he moans into her mouth, she yanks his jeans out of her way, feeling along his length. 

“Mm.” Rose tugs his ear lobe between her teeth, shivering at his sharp breath in her hair. “You are all I need right now. Just you.” 

“Fuck, Rose.” Jason rocks into her hand, gripping her shoulders hard. “I need you, too.” He just manages to get beneath her underwear again, snickering between moans. “That’s more like it.” 

“Nng.” Rose leans her head against Jason’s shoulder as his knuckle digs against her clit. It slips a little against her soaked skin. This is what she needs. “Just like that.” Panting, she bites his neck where it meets his shoulder. 

Jason shakes, shakes under her touch. “Rose--” Her name isn’t a question this time. It’s a plea. 

Rose snickers. “You want me?” Fuck, the way he whimpers as she shoves his underwear down. “You need me?”

“Rose, please.” Jason kisses her hungrily, fumbling as he pulls her underwear past her hips. 

Swallowing hard, Rose digs through his pockets until she finds what she’s looking for. There. She grins, holding up the condom where Jason can see. He nods, and she slides it on him. Together they slide him inside her, and together they are a mess of limbs and teeth. 

“Oh, fuck.” Rose whimpers, falling back against one of the stacks. It’s a little soon and a little rough, but it’s exactly what she needs right now. “Fuck, yes.”

“Y-yeah.” Jason drives into her, gripping her hips so tight she’ll have bruises later. He bites her neck, marking her in kind. Oh fuck, the boxes are going to fall over. 

Moaning into his ear, she slides her fingers beneath his shirt, skimming her nails down his back.

“Rose,” he gasps. Now it’s a statement. A warning.  

“Jason, I need--” Rose whimpers. She’s so close. 

“Shh.” He catches her lips, taking her hand and putting it between them. 

Rose circles her clit quickly, closing her eyes as Jason pulses inside her. His fingers slide over hers, and he pants into her neck as her world tilts on tilts on its axis. 

Seconds, minutes, hours? Later she turns her head and finds him lying next to her, and they snicker together. Rose pushes a sweaty lock of hair out of his eyes. 

“How the fuck am I supposed to work after that?” Jason traces her bottom lip with his finger. 

“There’s a Starbucks across the hall.” Ah fuck. There’s that feeling again. Rose kisses his finger once, then sits up, grabbing her clothes and throwing them on. “What time on Saturday?”

Jason blinks up at her, pushing himself off the floor. “....Eight, I guess? It’s out of town.”

Rose snatches one last kiss from his lips. “See you then, asshole.”

“Catch you later, bastard.”

_____________________

 Fuck him. Fuck Jason Todd. Fuck his entire fucking family. Rose stares down at her phone, the bass of the warehouse thumping even from across the field-turned parking lot. 

“What’s wrong?” Bart leans over her shoulder, reading Jason’s text message. 

Stuck at Bruce’s party. I’ll make it up to you later, I promise. 

Rose swats him away. “He fucking bailed.” 

Jack and Roy had already gone inside. They wouldn’t be able to find them til sunrise. And Jason wasn’t coming. That just left her and Bart “I can’t shut up” Allen. Two hours in the backseat doing her best to ignore him. Oo! What music are you listening to? Can I share? Lemme make you a playlist. Do you like Kesha? I LOVE KESHA. Rose didn’t even need to respond. He’d just keep talking. 

“Jason bailed? What happened? Was it one of those Wayne Manor parties? Maybe we should go there.”

“It’s two hours away and we’re not invited, dumbass.” Rose made her way to the door. “You got your ID?”

“Well. Oh! You mean that ID.” Bart waggled his eyebrows. “Yeah. Tim made me one.” He pulled it out, waving it in front of her face.

“Gimme that.” Rose eyed it. “No way you’re passing for thirty.” She shoved it in her pocket. 

“But how am I going to get inside?” He trailed after her.

“Lemme worry about that.” Rose spun around, and Bart ran into her. “But you need to let me do the talking. Kay?”

“Kay.”

“How’d you get invited, anyway?” Rose stomped toward the doors, doing her best to put on a winning smile. She needed something good, stat. 

“Oh! Tim invited me. But he had to go to Bruce’s party too.”

“So I get to babysit you instead. Fucking fantastic.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault Jason flaked.”

Rose stopped, glaring at him. “I was supposed to get high and laid tonight. But no. I get stuck with you.”

Bart flushed as red as his hair. “I mean. You still c-can. I won’t stop y-you.” 

“Wally would turn me into a statue and put me in a museum, so no. That’s not happening.” The Wayne boys owed her big time. 

“ID’s?” The bouncer shined a flash night near their faces, eyeing them. 

Rose pressed her ID into the guys hand, biting her grin. “Hey there.” 

The bouncer smirked. “Who’s the kid?”

“Oh, him? He’d just here to drive us home. Just got his license, right Bart?” Rose giggled. “Hey, you busy later, or--?” She swiped the sharpie from his pocket, scribbling a phone number on his arm. 

“Have fun. But keep him out of trouble.”

Rose threw him a mock salute, shoving Bart inside before the bouncer could change his mind. “Whew. Okay. Just promise me you won’t do anything--”

“Oo. What’s this?”

Turning around, Rose caught Bart popping a brightly colored pill into his mouth. “Bart, no!” Shit shit shit. She grabbed his wrist.

Bart’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Too late.”

“You don’t know what’s in that!” Fuck. Wally was going to kill her. 

“I’ll be fiiine. You worry too much. Let’s dance!” Bart tugs her to the middle of the room, oblivious to the strangers he’s running into. Yup. If Wally doesn’t kill her first, Bart is first on her shit list.

At least the music’s nice--loud and thrumming through her entire body. She would almost enjoy it, if it weren’t for the looming feeling of shit about to hit the fan. It’s one thing if Rose gets high and gets sick and wakes up in the ER--Bart’s just a kid.

 After a few songs, Rose starts to think maybe Bart just found some candy and is just messing around to piss her off. 

Then he steps inside her bubble. She can’t hear what he’s saying, so Bart yells in her ear. “You’re really pretty.”

Fucking fantastic. “And you’re high. Fuck off.”

Bart moves back, only to dive in closer, tripping over Rose’s feet. “This stuff is great. I can see why you wanted it. I can fly.” He scrunches his nose. “No. I could run. Run right across the ocean something.”

That’s a mental image that will haunt her later. “You’re not even close, kid.” It’s then Bart decides to grind up against some dude twice his age. It’s then Rose decides to steer him outside.

“Ro-ose.” 

“Shove it, Bart. We can still hear it out here.” 

“Oo. It’s so nice and cold out here. You’re right.” Rose has to peel herself out of his hug. He only hugs her again, spinning them around. “You’re the best.”

“And you’re still high.” How long does that shit last, anyway? Time drags on so much longer when she’s sober. 

“Noooo. I mean it.” Bart pokes her nose. “You’re watching out for me. You’re like my big sister.”

“Your big sister that will kill you if Wally doesn’t get to you first.”

Bart stares at her jacket, running his finger along stitching on her sleeve. 

“You okay?” Rose has no idea how it’s possible, but quiet Bart is worse than talkative Bart. 

“You got any gum?” Bart doesn’t wait for her answer, digging through her pockets until he finds some. He then unwraps the rest of her back before shoving it in his mouth.

“Yeah, sure. Have some gum.” It’s going to be a long night--Rose can tell.

“Got any water?” Bart fiddles with the zipper on her pocket. “I’m so thirsty. Do you get thirsty on this stuff?”

Rose groans, dragging him back inside. “Let’s find you some gatorade.”

------

Hours, maybe centuries later, Bart sits with Rose outside, snuggled up to her as close as he can get. Her tiny leather jacket doesn’t really work as a blanket for them both, but it’ll have to do. “Still cold?” She asks. 

Bart’s voice is muffled against her collarbone. “Yeah. But it’s better.” 

Rose rests her chin on top of his head, rubbing her head down his back. She’ll probably never know what having a little brother feels like, but this will do. Damnit. Bart might be the stupidest little fuck, but he’s her stupid little fuck and she will fucking murder anyone who hurts him. Her knuckles will have bruises by morning, but she’ll feel better than the creep with the freshy broken nose.

“Rose?” Bart sighs, and Rose feels him tremble.

“Yeah?”

“You ever like someone who didn’t like you back?”

Rose chews her lip, remembering Dick and his impossibly blue eyes, and his stupid grin. How she’d move the world for him and he’d still just pat her on the head like she was his kid sister. Bart didn’t need to know about that. “Yeah.” The whole world didn’t need to know it either.

“Why does it hurt so much?” Bart breathes in like there’s ice in his lungs. 

“Fuck, Bart. What did you take?” Rose tilts his chin up, studying his face, as if that will give her a good answer. It won’t.

“No. I mean. When you lo--like someone, and they think you’re best friends. Why does it have to hurt like this?” Bart sniffs. “How do you people deal with this all the time?”

Rose stares at him. Not once has she ever seen Bart cry. Bart isn’t the kind of kid who knows how to cry--not because he’s some bro-ner clutching his man card. Sadness and Bart just don’t go together. He has one mode, only one, and that is pure joy and smiles and energy that usually makes Rose want to hurl. What the hell happened to the kid who came with her to the rave? Only when her mouth feels dry does Rose realize that her jaw fell open. She snaps it back shut. “Do you need me to kill someone?”

“What? No. No. He’s perfect. He just doesn’t like me back.” Bart shakes, vibrating through his entire body. “Of all people I could finally fall for--why’d it have to be him?”

“Him, huh?” Rose smirks, handing him yet another tissue. “Do I know this him?”

A sniff. “Yeah. I think he parties with Roy and Jason sometimes.”

“That really narrows it down.” Rose rolls her eyes.

“He’s got this great tan, and he always smells like taco seasoning.”

“So romantic.”

“And when he speaks Spanish it’s like--” Bart laughs “my brain finally stops, you know?” He stares up at the sky as if the object of his affection can be found among the constellations. “I used to think he looked kind of funny, I mean, who spends that much time on their hair? But now? I can’t stop thinking about how I want to mess up that hair. Run my fingers through it, I mean.”

“Wait. Jaime? The kid who works at Taco Bell?”

“You’re the same age as him.”

“Yeah, but the way he kisses R--never mind.” Rose coughs. “Have you told him yet?”

“Told him what?”

“Told him how you feel?”

“Jaime? No. No. I can’t.” Bart jumps out of her arms, pacing back and forth so fast he almost seemed like a blur in the low light. 

Rose smirked. “You both speak English, you both work at the same mall. There is no reason you can’t tell him you want to jump his bones.”

“But what if he doesn’t like me back? He’s my best friend Rose! What if it gets weird??”

“Then find someone else to bang?”

“I can’t.” Bart stops, biting his lip so hard it turns white. “...This isn’t so easy for me.” He scratches his scalp, his skin turning as red as his hair. “The last time I dated a friend...he didn’t feel the same way. And now it’s weird.” Bart sniffs.

Oh no. Not again. “Bart--”

“I can’t lose Jaime like that.” And there he goes. “I don’t want to.”

“Oh Bart.” Rose hugs him, patting the back of his head. He’s probably going to outgrow her in a year. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“I hardly ever feel this way about anybody. I just--”

She pulls away enough to stare him in the face. “Bart. You work at Kord Square. Everyone there is queer. You have lots of friends.”

“But--”

“Bartholomew Henry Allen II, you will be fine. I promise. Let’s go hang out in the car, yeah?” Bart mutters an okay, rubbing his eyes, and Rose guides him back, a plan already forming in her mind. She can practically see the outcome. Those two love birds won’t know what hit them. 

[bulbasaur-propaganda]

Bulbasaur and Gundam X are twins from different worlds

This might sound crazy but it’s really interesting.

Bulbasaur is a creature in Pokemon and Gundam X is a mecha robot from a series of the same name.

1- Similar users

Ash Ketchum and Garrod Ran are incredibly alike.

Both are naive, happy-go-lucky, cheerful, friendly, food maniacs, and don’t go serious unless the situation goes bad.

Despite that, both value their friends as top priority, always ready to put their life in danger for their friends.  

2- Solar Beam and Satellite Cannon

Bulbasaur and Gundam X both carry super powerful beams launchers on their back.

And both weapons also require charging before shooting. 

Solar Beam was described as the “Grass-type strongest move” as it was able to make large explosion with high damage on contact, and Satellite Cannon was also desribed as the strongest weapon in the whole show, which was strong enough to destroy space colonies and vaporize large islands in one shot.

3 - Warrior of Sun and Warrior of Moon

Bulbasaur, being a grass type has a Sun thematics going on. 

Bulbasaur becomes more powerful under the sun, its Chlorophyll ability gets activated, its speed doubles and it gets infinite energy to the point it doesn’t need to eat food to live.

While Gundam X requires the Moon to activate its signature power, Satellite Canon. In Space, under the help of the Moon Sattelite, Gundam X can get extra power from a bot army, all equipped with Satellite Cannons.

As you see, both are the same yet opposite of each other.

4- Sunny Day and Mini-Satellite

Being restricted to Sun and Moon proved to be unreliable for both weapons as they need charging before being usable.

Pokemon Gold and Silver introduced Sunny Day to summon the Sun weather to eliminate the charging from Solar Beam, while Gundam X Under The Moonlight introduced the mini satellite to allow Gundam X to shoot its Satellite Cannon during anytime of the day.

Both Gold/Silver and UTML are the direct sequels of both characters’ debut entries.

5- Both gets bulkier as they get “upgraded”

Bulbsaur evolves twice, as Ivysaur and lastly as Venusaur.

Similarly, Gundam X gets upgraded into GX-Divider and lastly as Double X.

Ivysaur was more stronger, more agile, faster than Bulbasaur but lost the ability to stand. While, GX-Divider was also faster and more agile and also lost an ability with that upgrade.

Venusaur and Double X were both “fatter”, bulkier behemoths and carry twice as much power as their predessors.

Much later in the series, Venusaur gets Mega Evolution which raises its offensive and defensive power to high degrees, which also only possible with Mega Stone, while Gundam Double X gets G-Falcon to raise its power and speed.

Mega Venusaur loses two of its weaknesses, while G-Falcon allows Double X to safely enter Earth without getting crisped to ashes.

Both weren’t progressive upgrades, as Mega Stones and G-Falcon are seperate upgrade tools used on the users.

6- Both lived through bad times

Gundam X is infamous for being the only show that was canceled for low ratings, though mainly for poor timeslots. It was unpopular In Japan enought to doom its run. It didn’t see its last of planned 10 episodes.

Meanwhile, the other Gundam shows (G Gundam and Wing) which preceded Gundam X saw much larger success.

Similarly, Bulbasaur is famous for being “The least popular starter of Gen1″.

Both were labeled as the “The Black Sheep” of their series and both.

7- Don’t live up to their bad reputation

Despite both characters being not much popular with the fandom of both series with many wrong thoughts regarding them, both characters are incredibly powerful in the games for their reputation.

Double X is constantly ranked among the best in Gundam VS. series, a competitive battle arena series.

While Venusaur is known to be the most consistent and competitively viable of the starters, being highly ranked and more viable than its more popular competitors Charizard and Blastoise through the series.

8- Stuck in Japan

Gundam X’s low popularity prevented it from going overseas while almost every  Gundam show got a US release shortly after their Japanese airing. which made Gundam X the only Gundam X to never been officially translated or dubbed for the U.S TV or market until 2016.

Pokemon Green faced the same fate, as it still the only Pokemon game to never recieve an English release to this day. Green however got a remake in 2004, the same year Gundam X’s sequel was released.

9- Bad Marketing

It’s also interested that both fandoms agree that Gundam X and Bulbasaur came at the wrong time. Gundam X was heavily overshadowed by Evangelion and Gundam Wing, while Bulbasaur was heavily overshadowed by Charmander and Squirtle, but most of that were because of marketing issues.

Gundam X had modest TV ratings until they decided to change the airing timeslot to 6AM, which made it viewed by few people at that time, losing interest from the public.

While Bulbasuar didn’t get its game marketed everywhere as it was Red and Blue that everyone outside Japan, being far less exposored to the public in comparison to the other two starters.

Neither enjoyed a good mainstream run.

10- Underground love

While both are being considered as marketing failure in their comapnies eyes, Bulbasaur and Gundam X are regarded very highly by many fans.

Many people consider Gundam X to be very underrated and even one of the best in the series (I do too).

While it’s the same for Venusaur line.

Sadly neither convinced the companies that these two are really loved, as both Nintendo/TPC and Bandai most of the time don’t feature them in most of their animated works or merchandise, sometimes they don’t appear at all.

11- Spiritually Twins

Coincidently, both Bulbasaur Green and Gundam X made their public debut in the same year in Japan... 1996.

They function the same, they lived the same, they had similar fate and development, and they were both born in the same year.

[two-leeps-blog]

Popularity of K-pop fan culture activities

By Lau Zhi Xin

U1630093E

Introduction

In May 2018, hit K-pop boy group BTS took their first top spot on the Billboard 200 chart with their Love Yourself: Tear album. This is also the first time any K-pop album has clinched the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart. BTS albums have also continuously topped iTunes Top Album charts across different regions, with their latest album Map of Soul: Persona dominating the charts of at least 86 regions.

The success of BTS in international markets outside of South Korea has been described as “breaking through the glass ceiling of Asian pop in the United States”, and has earned BTS the title of “the biggest boy band in the world.” While BTS’ music and performances are key reasons to their popularity, it is undeniable that their fans and the Internet have a hand in propelling them to these successes.

K-pop fandoms have become such key contributors behind the success of K-pop idol groups that they can potentially determine whether K-pop groups or idols survive in the industry. Along with their K-pop idol groups, K-pop participatory fan culture is also gaining prominence worldwide, and it is thus crucial to examine the extent of their popularity.

Background

The idea of fandom was defined by Jenkins (2010) as a social structure and cultural practice conceived by engaged consumers of mass media properties, and “participatory culture” is explained as a method used by fans to claim their rights to participate in media culture by creating new works out of materials originally produced by the culture industry (Jenkins, 1992).

In the case of K-pop, Jung (2012) described participatory fan culture as an example that distinctively brings emphasis to the fan groups’ initiatives, as well as their active and collective involvement in online activities. Devoted fans often participate in various fan support activities to show their affection and support for their idols, as well as help to keep them in the news.

Participatory fan culture in South Korea is not something recent, but it rose to prominence only in the 1990s with the fans of popular K-pop groups such as Seo Taiji and the Boys, H.O.T and Sechkies, also known among K-pop fandoms as the first generation K-pop idols. Participatory fan culture has also evolved with each generation of K-pop idols and has taken many forms across the years – coloured raincoats, balloons and fan chants in the 1990s, lightsticks, fan banners and mass dances in 2000s, fan support events and projects of the 2010s.

Popularity spanning across different types of activities

While traditional participatory fan culture remains relevant in K-pop today, it has gained such immense popularity that products of today’s participatory fan culture have taken on many new forms including fan slogans, cup sleeve events, subway station advertisements and involvement in good causes in the name of their K-pop idols. These fan support activities vary in terms of number of fans involved and engaged, as well as the amount of money spent.

Fan slogans

Fans slogans can be viewed as an evolution of fan banners used to cheer for K-pop idols at concerts and weekly recordings. Fans are involved in the entire creative and sale process, from taking photos of their K-pop idols, to designing fan slogans and selling them to other fans. Fan slogans are sold to fans in South Korea as well as across the globe with the help of other fans acting as group order managers (GOM) who will coordinate the sale and order in their respective countries. Fan slogans offer a more individualised option than traditional fan banners to a small extent, as there are many varied designs of slogans that fans can purchase, depending on what they like.  

Cup sleeve events

Fan support in the form of cup sleeves is a relatively new addition to this participatory fan culture as it only started to grow alongside the strong and still expanding café culture in South Korea. As with most products of participatory fan culture, cup sleeves and cup sleeve events are designed and organised entirely by K-pop fans themselves. Cup sleeve events are typically held at cafes to celebrate an idol’s birthday, anniversary or achievements. With the café decked in merchandises and posters of a K-pop group, fans can collect specially designed cup sleeves with a purchase made from the café. Such events often see a high turnup as they also act as a venue for fans to gather and get to know the community, as well as sell or trade their own merchandise

Subway station advertisements

Besides the typical advertisments for brands and organisations, subway stations in South Korea also frequently feature fan support advertisements for K-pop idols. These are typically put up to celebrate an idol’s birthday, anniversary or achievements as well. Collectively, fans will raise funds to buy advertisement spots at different subway stations. Such subway advertisements contributes to K-pop idol’s popularity and are effective methods to show fans’ support. In 2018, NU’EST’s JR showed his appreciation to L.O.Λ.Es for the love that he has received by going around subway stations in Seoul displaying his birthday advertisements to greet fans, and repeated this once again in 2019. Trainees who appeared on the recent Produce X 101 were also gifted with their own subway advertisements by their fans even though they have yet to officially make their debut.

Involvement in philanthropy work in the name of their idols

Perhaps the best outcome of participatory fan culture is fans’ involvement in good social causes in the name of their idols. Ever since 2007 when fans of Shinhwa’s Shin Hye-sung donated “fan rice” to celebrate his first solo concert, this charity trend has now become widely popular and common. These are carried out to celebrate idols’ birthdays, anniversaries and achievements, but they also serve to make K-pop idols look better to the public and create a better reputation of the fandom itself.

Popularity in terms of scale of projects

Fandoms and individual fans have to pay for such fan projects, usually through donation drives carried out among the fandom or from their own pockets. A whole-page coloured advertisement in a daily newspaper in 2014 cost about ₩10 million and a subway advertisement can cost between  ₩1.5 million and  ₩4.5 million, depending on its location. According to Seoul Metro, there were 1,576 subway advertisements dedicated to K-pop idols, a sharp increase from the 76 in 2014.

K-pop fandoms, similar to K-pop itself, thrives on competition. Such activities of participatory fan culture only continue to expand in scale and popularity, as it is often seen as a competition between and even within fandoms. Subway station advertisements dedicated to K-pop idols have already taken step further to include an entire cabin in subway trains itself. In August 2019, fans of BTS, also known as ARMY, decked out subway trains in Seoul to celebrate Jungkook’s 23rd birthday. In honor of RM’s birthday, ARMYs also donated a total of ₩1.994 million to build a forest of 1,250 spirea prunifolia in the Jamsil Hangang Park.

Popularity on an international scale

K-pop participatory fan culture is not limited to South Korea alone and has spread across the globe. International K-pop fandoms often replicate these activities of participatory fan culture in their home country, or they may change it to be relevant to their location. In order to match the donation made by Korean ARMYs to build a forest in honor of RM’s birthday, international ARMYs also made a donation of ₩9.12 million to build a second forest. In Singapore, subway advertisement for BTS was put up by local ARMYs in June 2019 at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station to celebrate BTS’ 6th anniversary. This was the first of its kind in Singapore, but is unlikely to be the last.

K-pop fans have also managed to put up advertisements on Times Square ads promoting their K-pop idols, and according to Branded Cities Network who have worked on multiple K-pop advertisement campaigns in Times Square, these are usually sponsored by fans in China, which further highlights the international popularity of such activities. K-pop idols who have been featured on Times Square advertisement spaces include EXO, BTS, Wanna One’s Kang Daniel and NCT’s Taeyong.

Instead of donating rice or planting forests that are now common charity trends by fandoms in South Korea, French ARMYs have recently organised a litter picking activity. This was in part an effort to counter the bad press that Korean ARMYs received for littering outside cafes after celebrating Jungkook’s birthday. French ARMYs picked up cigarette butts littered on the streets in France and stored them in plastic bottles.

Conclusion

As the popularity of K-pop continues to grow across the globe, we cannot say for sure when the craze will burn out. However, it is clear that the popularity of K-pop fan culture has also grown tremendously with the idols. In terms of variety and number of activities, financial scale and manpower involved, as well as countries and regions which they take place in, activities of K-pop fan participatory culture are likely to continue to grow and fandoms compete to outshine one another.

References

Jenkins, H. (1992). Textual poachers: Television fans & participatory culture. New York: Routledge.

Jenkins, H. (2010, January). Fandom, Participatory Culture, and Web 2.0 - A Syllabus. Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2010/01/fandom_participatory_culture_a.html

Jung, S. (2012). Fan Activism, Cybervigilantism, and Othering Mechanisms in K-pop Fandom. Transformative Works and Fan Activism, 10

Koh, V. (2015). Exploring participatory fan culture of Korean pop fans in Singapore. Retrieved from https://repository.ntu.edu.sg/bitstream/handle/10356/62443/GP_HSa14_55.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=n

[rachelca1]

*sigh*

Okay..... Here’s my rant about labels and toxic people that are within the fandom. Take it as you will...

I do not think it is okay to call all members within a fan groups as all haters/akgeas.

There are toxic/problematic/haters who LABEL themselves as ARMY, BTS fan, ot7 fan, Tae/JM/JK/HOBI/YG/NJ/Jin fan, and of course being a member of a shipping group. And easily, people within the fandom decide to label THOSE groups as akgeas giving respect to these accounts and presuming that they represent all of those in that group. No, these akgeas are NOT representatives of the groups that they say they are a part of. I’m sure the “solo stan” conversation has gone around before, so, I’m sure this subject may not be new to some. News flash.... They don’t. These problematic and toxic accounts are just as they are just AKGEAS. Please understand that there are so many different kinds of fan groups within the fandom and on the fringes. You’ve got the fringes that are just different levels of fanning from the general public to a casual fan to a solo stan to a BTS fan with a natural bias to committed ARMYS. All are normal groups that help out every once in awhile and may help out with hyping comebacks, buying merchandise and music for different reasons. All fine. Please don’t think that it is okay to tell people how much to support the group. We all have lives and some may have just come in for one member and still support their little part in their own way. It’s not hate. ARMY does have a bad reputation of being a bit authoritative and intense bc of this unrealistic view of what’s acceptable to being called a fan or being included in fan activities thst have scared off some people in the general public. Now, I am ranting now bc a few accounts that I follow just accused whole individual fan groups as akgeas which is obvious not true. I think it’s wonderful that each member within BTS has fan groups that work very hard to hype them up, organize bday ads, charities, and report hate and call out complacency that can lead to toxic narratives within the fandom. But these achievements are taken away by akgeas who falsely identify as a part of these groups and start fan wars and hate among and within the fandom. Shipping wars also have the same issue. For example, one of the tactics that haters use is to pretend to be Jikookers (create troll accounts, put Jikook pfp or have jikooker in the bio) and give jikookers a bad name and purposely setup them up for the fandom to hate Jikookers bc they think that that one account represents all Jikookers... which obviously isn’t true. Specifically, my issue was PJMers being called akgeas. Just so you know, PJMer reputation came from haters. I say this proudly, bc of the work that they have done for YEARS calling out haters and bringing receipts. We have a powerful reputation amongst the haters. Haters usually bring up our name bc they know we are out there, we are strong and we fight hard to keep back their hate out there against Jimin. During the times that I was doing mass reporting work for the Jimin report accounts, I’d see the conversations between the haters/akgeas. They’d warn each other to not post the toxic hate posts and/or delete them bc the PJMer will come and mass report them. But PJMers DON’T shade or hate on other members bc we’re spending too much time either enjoying/hyping/praising Jimin or fighting back the constant hate with PLENTY of receipts and mass reporting. We’re like Jikookers. If that helps. I just think it’s ironic when Jikookers, who go through the same thing call PJMers akgeas. Seriously?!? Like does none of it look familiar? You know that toxic shippers and Jikook haters have been spreading a narrative that we are a toxic bunch of shippers. That out of all the shippers, were the worst. Not to say that there aren’t problematic shippers and Jikookers. But can you say that a few problematic Jikookers represent all of us? No, obviously. So, maybe we shouldn’t let akgeas/problematic/toxic accounts have the power to represent fan groupings and be a part of the unnecessary fan wars that they create. 🤷‍♀️

[professional-anti]

So I usually don’t do this, but I saw a Stan post that annoyed me so much.

There’s no reason to call sj/m toxic? What abt the horrendous amounts of racism, mysogyny, and homophobia in her books? And doesn’t th fandom basically support that? I’ve never seen a stan call her out on it, at least.

No anti (that I know of, anyway) is a prude morality-police. The issue is that these books are marketed as YA. These books are taking up space that does not belong to them. The fact that the books are “smutty” enough to inspire dick soap means that they are not YA. They’re erotica. Anyone can read erotica, but it should not be taking up space in meant for teens. I am a teenager, and I’m mad that sj/m is corrupting industry standards for books meant for us. The Stan who wrote this is a teacher, according to her bio, so she’s definitely not a teen. And the fact that the fandom reads and writes smut “all. The. Time.” PROVES the books aren’t meant for a YA audience.

As to the illegality of the fanfiction versus the trinkets, the Stan is actually right. Selling the trinkets is actually illegal merchandising, something I haven’t seen come up at all.

Moving on to the dick in the box, ppl were definitely not expecting a soap dick, which is very clear if you watch the unboxing videos. Sj/m’a books are nsfw, after all, and they aren’t soap lovingly crafted into dildos. The “wingspan” joke did not have to end up as a soap. Dildo. And all of this could be fixed if sj/m stopped invading teen spaces! Just admit it’s erotica and move on!

This situation does affect me bc sj/m’s books literally stop better authors from being published in YA. Manuscripts that share so much as one theme or magical creature or anything in common are told they are too much like sj/m’s works to be published. And that is not ok. Sj/m is a bad erotica writer, not a good YA author. So why is she published as YA? I doubt the erotica community would accept her at this point, though, considering her reputation.

/rant