#not on twitter so can't see what the consensus in fandom really is (all the worst most popular takes seem to come from there)

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

ok i love akeshu roleswap and all this new content abt it is Great but i wanna vent bc. a lot of the time when i see swap aus they don't quite gel with how i think it should be and i go :/

like idk for example i think in a swap au goro's outfit as the pt leader should be black. bc like, the pt's are morally gray/on the wrong side of the law. his outfit is white in canon bc his idea of true morality is too perfect and idealistic. too childish. he hasn't reconciled that vision of justice with reality so he ends up with these two extremes. but in a swap au, he should be able to reconcile these extremes bc he no longer has the same hangups as he does in canon. his sense of justice is more singular instead of an oppositional contradictory dichotomy.

maybe the problem is i want the swap au to be too direct. too like, exact parallel to the game. but that's kind of what appeals me about it? that akira and goro are so similar that under different circumstances their roles could swap and the story would stay the same. but people change things too much and kinda undermine what appeals to me about it. or on the other hand, they keep too much from canon. goro shouldn't be as jaded as he is in canon in a roleswap. akira shouldn't be as open. their circumstances have shaped them into different people than canon and the au should reflect that.

[sokkastyles]

I have a question, I know we know that shipping does not equal morality. And I get that, and I really like that. However, on my other blog, that should have been my main blog (yes I am that dumb). I have talked about Aang's non-consensual and criticized how Kataang is written, however, if you ship Kataang I won't come for your throat because that's not my style. I know the few misogynists/antis on here and on Twitter, and I don't want to let a few bad apples be my impression of a fandom, that's not fair, So now I'm side-eyeing myself over my past remarks. Likewise, I know shipping is not equal to morality, but I also want to criticize Kataang because of how flawed it is and how wrong that kiss was (and other things). I have no idea what I'm saying because at this point I'm rambling. What do you think?

Well, there is a difference between criticizing a ship and criticizing canon. I don't honestly care what people ship. I use the antikataang tag because I don't want to argue with people who do ship it, but that doesn't mean I won't be critical of what is in the show. I think expecting people not to engage critically with media is absolute nonsense. But there is a difference between engaging critically with the actual media and criticizing people's fanon or headcanons, which is where you get away from critically engaging with canon and move into the area of criticizing other people's opinions, which is how arguments start.

Like, there isn't really any actual concrete argument you can make to criticize zutara, because zutara does not exist in canon. It's all fanon and headcanons and speculation. And criticizing other people's opinions just makes you look like a dick.

You also have to take into account the intention behind something. The thing about the way Katara's relationship with Aang is presented is that we're supposed to root for Aang to get Katara, and every obstacle towards that end is just there to create dramatic tension for the male point of audience identification. That's the real problem with the noncon kiss, and people who are critical of it are right to point it out.

In contrast, when I say shipping isn't morality, I'm talking about people who write, let's say, dubcon zutara fics. Fanfiction as a genre is largely female-centered fantasy. Yes, even those lurid fics you're thinking of. People write and read these fics for completely different reasons and have completely different expectations than when watching a series like ATLA. Trying to say that someone can't criticize the way the show presents Aang kissing Katara after she said she was confused as a mistake to be glossed over (that is forgotten as soon as it happens) because they also happen to like reading darkfic is nonsense. There's also a long history of women's interests being policed that informs my views here, vs the fact that consent has only fairly recently become a conversation in mainstream media. You have only to look at the way the show itself portrays Katara having interests (especially in boys) outside of Aang as dark and dangerous to see this happening in ATLA itself. Or the way the creators got away with saying that zutara shippers are doomed to end up in abusive relationships while painting Aang as a typical Nice Guy stereotype who expects Katara to magically become his girlfriend (and gets angry when she doesn't) and seeing nothing wrong with it.

The thing is that zutara, if we look at the way it's written in canon as a metaphor for a romantic relationship, follows the same tradition of how fanfiction has historically existed as an exploration of romantic and sexual dynamics. Those conversations about consent are actually happening and being explored in fanfiction, even the dark stuff, whereas relationships that are presented as "wholesome" often push us to NOT have those conversations. So when I say shipping isn't morality, what I actually mean is that noncanon shipping and darkfic actually has more of a moral leg to stand on than uncritically engaging with relationships on the grounds that Aang is the hero so his goodness and worthiness to get the girl should just be assumed. Zuko has to work for his right to be in a relationship with Katara because he didn't start out from a place of goodness, and that, on its own, is very female centered because instead of starting out from the perspective of the male hero deserving a relationship by virtue of being the hero, we see the idea that a man has to work to gain a woman's respect and affection.

So it's not so much that I hate KA, but I hate the idea that we should engage in it uncritically. And that would be true even if it really was the most wholesome relationship in the world. The same thing cannot be true of zutara because even the darkest of darkfic are about women centering themselves in the narrative and engaging with power dynamics in ways that are subverting patriarchal norms about relationships by definition.

[georgiapeach30513]

I'll be honest, while Deuxmoi always and still does post a ton of BS, thanks to the development of this never-ending saga...I'm starting to really feel like she's been used intentionally to push this narrative along all the way from the very beginning. Aka 2021.

A very out there theory but hear me out: Early on, the fandom had the general consensus DM was BS. Especially in regards to CE. Because DM was the one that first started spreading his super secret GF nonsense back in 2021, right before the introduction of Soba Saga. Her almost nonsensical rants about her having legit sources on this secret GF - while doing weekly podcasts where she insisted she never got any intel on him because his circle was so tight knit (interesting how that suddenly changed out of nowhere when someone showed up) - just made her seem like crazy cat lady gossip conspiracy Marjorie Taylor Greene on steroids.

She was the first to post that "dating Soba for over a year and everyone in PT/her circle knows about it" in early 2022.

They go public in late 2022. 2023 There's some Sunday Spotted (I could be wrong) vDAY post about CE and "fiancé" being seen in town at dinner (sounds very similar to the most recent vDay sighting). That was about 10 months before the super secret wedding and there had been no announcement of being engaged, minus the Tumblr blogs and random third rate tabloids and troll twitter accounts passing on the rumors. DM starts spreading around the same time some Tumblr blogs get the intel about secret engagement, wedding, rift in the family, people on his side not liking Soba, etc. Eventually it is revealed DM was right all along???? In a complete turn of events her credibility goes from zero to 1 (grudgingly of course, while she continues to spill BS daily)

Meanwhile, DM gets the first RPatz sighting with Scarlett and crew at dinner. Nobody believed it - as Nancy mentioned, it just seemed too farfetched with the way that restaurant was set up.

Then in early 2024 we get an actual RPatz sighting with with Soba/CE, and separately, sightings with Scarlett and Colin. Now there's more "credibility" to that random other sighting even if it still can't be proven.

Now...possible project with RPatz and CE's name circulating. Maybe just gossip fodder, maybe some truth to it. Time will tell. Coincidences once again.

DM gets the sighting of CE in LA with Russos. He actually confirms that one himself a month later.

Simultaneously, DM gets random sightings of CE doing other stuff where soba is not mentioned. Nobody knows really what to believe anymore.

But for every 15 BS things she posts, she actually gets 1-2 right. It starts to completely make her a hit or miss source but enough to get people riled up and worried if/when she gets something related to CE/Soba.

In a way, this strategy, if it were to have any salt to it, is kinda interesting. It also sort of enforces the idea of possible foul play. Because if CE is truly in such a happy, private, loveful relationship, why use somebody as uncouth as DM to throw out breadcrumbs? Especially since, in the past, his fanbase and most Tumblr blogs believed it was only legit if it came from someone like People Mag (his team's go-to). Ironically, Page 6 has been getting most of the exclusive scoops this time around, in addition to weird low rate tabloids that eventually make its way to the top.

I know I sound like crazy qanon conspiracy theorist, but I guess people see what they wanna see. But for the people who believe this relationship isn't as genuine as some want to believe, it kind of tracks that somebody's PR team pushing this out in ways to sort of make you wonder, question, and push back on the validity. Just enough to make you think, maybe, maybe there's something going on BTS that they're not saying but they're kinda telling. But you'll never know what the truth is. At least not for now.

I do find DM’s role since 2023 to be very interesting indeed. You missed nothing. Not one thing. She’s made herself be credible enough during this, but also, she’s questionable. So of course, take everything she says with a grain of salt.

I made this comment a bit ago to someone else, he still uses People. Who got the Jinx articles first. Think about that for a moment. He. Just him.

As far as the last paragraph, what I will say is celebrities need to be talked about. Good or bad, they need the press. They need to be in the front of people’s minds. What better way to have them in people’s minds, and to have fans talk about something long past their expiration date than by playing a game. PR has become such a hot topic word, and I think very few people even understand it. But to me, if you’re having to play so many games, what really is real? Live your life. Isn’t that what we continue to be told they’re doing?

[charmac]

forgive me if i get anything wrong with what i say; i only very recently finished my first watchthrough of iasip and much more recently started interacting with the fandom.

out of curiosity, is there a general consensus on how the fandom views the possibility of macdennis being canon? it feels like scrolling through tumblr and other social media there’s people who are in love with the idea of it being canon and those who abhor it, along with everything in between. reading through your previous ask, for me it begs the question: is there any reason why sunny fans or macdennis enthusiasts would discourage the idea of the ship actually being canon?

Nothing incorrect with what you've said; great question. And the funny thing is it's so confusing because there isn’t really a (good) answer as to how the fandom as a whole views the “possibility” of canon Macdennis, because there isn’t a general consensus on whether they should be/are considered canon already.

I think, to some extent, almost everyone has their own micro interpretations on Macdennis being canon or not based on what already exists between the two of them, though there are two undeniable facts: It’s canon that Mac is in love with Dennis and it is canon that Dennis (as Johnny) knowingly became Mac’s boyfriend this season. For a chunk of people, that is canon Macdennis; for others, it’s not canon until they’re in an official relationship, and for most (?) it's an in-between that leads to micro labels and conditional sentences before and after the word "canon"

For the sake of your question, I'm going to split the difference and say "Canon Macdennis" is an undeniably-reciprocal, on-screen hook-up. And why would Macdennis shippers not want that?

In my experience, I tend to see three main/popular explanations as to why:

RCG cannot write it. This is the most simple and maybe least popular (?) reason of the three that I see. The argument being that, whether they have the inability to or people believe they don't have the right to, R(C)G as cishet (allegedly) men can't write or act a canon queer relationship in a way that would be conducive to the characters, a gay ship, and/or the show, and therefore they should not write it at all. Don't trust it = don't want it.

It will permanently alter Mac and Dennis' dynamic. This is the most based (in canon) reason as to why people don't want Mac and Dennis to more-explicitly hook up. Their current dynamic (which has arguably existed this way since before MADBU) has always been pseudo-sexual, toeing the line of "are they fucking..?" for over fifteen years. It is true that Mac and Dennis hooking up, both fully conscious and aware that the hook up is happening with each other, will alter their relationship in a way (that's potentially destroying). There's no going back once Dennis' acts on the sexual tension between them with Mac fully aware of it happening, and some people don't think on-screen gay shit is worth ruining what they currently have. Some people are satisfied with the ambiguously sexual edging of these middle aged men and don't want Canon Macdennis because, for however it's written, there's no way to have them hook-up while retaining the unique ambiguity of their sexual relationship. Don't rock the boat.

Macdennis' current relationship is too toxic and canonising them would be unenjoyable. This reason is probably the most popular but definitely the least based (to the point of canon), stemming from the fact that a chunk of the fandom only likes Macdennis based on flanderised characterisation. If you haven't encountered this (as it's really mostly on Twitter) there are people who ship Macdennis only in fanon (either they found out about the ship through edits, fanart, fics, whatever) and they dislike the toxicity of their canon relationship (and the general idea that the Gang are bad people). Macdennis in this sense is treated more as if it were a typical sitcom ship, where the idea is that they finally hook-up, become boyfriends, and (mostly) happy together. Knowing the actual nature of the show, however, they understand RCG would never "let them be happy" and thus believe Canon Macdennis would suck to watch and would only ruin fanon Macdennis. Fanon > Canon.

I know people out there have other reasons for not wanting Canon Macdennis (i.e. Rob is too ugly to be kissing Glenn), and surely some combine a number of these reasons, but I think these three encompass the majority of what you may be seeing from anti-canon Macdennis shippers.

And I am actually interested in finding out where the divide lies over this, honestly! Right now I would predict the majority of the fandom here would like Canon Macdennis, point blank... but maybe I'm wrong.

[golbrocklovely]

Have you seen the argument that SnC can't be pulling away from the fans on social media because their 'social media stars' and that their entire job is social media so they are required to give fans tweets and instagram posts etcetc?

My opinion is no they're not social media stars anymore, they are YOUTUBERS, Instagram, twitter, tiktok and snapchat are just extras that these days they could stop if they so wanted. Their job is to create youtube videos, everything else they give us is given to us by their choice, they don't have to do any of that. They could if they wanted just use their social media accounts to promote only their videos and merch and nothing else like a lot of other youtubers do. They CHOOSE not to because in the past they have enjoyed the social side of things, but with their fans being assholes they are allowed to pull away from socials as they are not social media stars, it is not required of their job anymore. They are YOUTUBERS.

What are your thoughts?

it is very funny to hear ppl say this, especially when for years i thought the general consensus was that snc need to take a break and they deserve one. but now… no one wants them to have one. how weird.

first off, the main problem with this argument is that fans expect something for staying so long when we've never been guaranteed anything. i've been here for years, i don't expect snc to do dick all except give me content occasionally that i enjoy and continue to post on xplrclub where i pay to be/get exclusive content. that's all i'm owed. anything else is an added bonus.

fans that think they are owed something just bc they bought the most amount of merch or have been here for years or whatever other reason need a reality check. you are mistaking a past time of yours as a job. you aren't getting paid to be here. you can leave whenever. if you are no longer entertained, go.

snc haven't been consistent posters in years. like, yeah, there was a period of time from like 2015-2017 when snc were constantly posting on insta or twitter or snapchat or youtube. but it has not been like that in a very long time. snc don't have to put in that kind of work bc they have blown up already and now it's quality over quantity.

the problem i have with all of this is that snc have made it abundantly clear why they have started pulling back. EVERYONE IN THIS FANDOM IS AN ASSHOLE. what's not to get??

colby can't read comments anymore and has admitted so, he gets emails and loses followers over him growing facial hair, has been picked apart for years over his choice in gfs, got a terrible death threat a couple years ago that made him basically leave twitter, has gotten constant and dumb hate on there for years, got made fun of for being "fat" when it really him being sick with undiagnosed cancer, literally questioned even telling the fandom he had cancer in the first place bc he knew how they would react if he went bald, plus a mirade of other shit i can't get into. and even sam, the miracle child who rarely has ever had to face consequence for anything he's done or said, is now saying that fans are mean and words can hurt. so you KNOW it has to be bad for him to say something.

and they both said that they put too much of their personal life out there for everyone to see and it wasn't good for them, that they regret doing that.

this fandom thinks it "can say whatever it wants" without snc seeing it. or at the very least, they don't care if snc see. and in what universe would the idol want to stick around when it's fans are shitting on it?? you tell me. they're pulling back bc you all fucking suck. and when they eventually remove themselves entirely bc you want to bitch about their gfs or their face puffing up or whatever random other nonsense you deem worthy of a tweet, i don't want to fucking hear a peep. shut up, for once.

(none of this directed at you anon)

[alarrytale]

I really admire Gina’s presence here since her blog was my first one to follow after I became larrie and most of the larry knowledge including HL’s sexualities, industry and pr tactics and closeting I learned from her blog. And as much I appreciate and respect all her opinions and povs, I also noticed how she suddenly switched to “I don’t know if they are still together, sometimes I think they are and sometimes I think they don’t” opinion + sometimes holds her opinion back on H’s sexuality as well saying that he’s just queer (like if there’s a possibility in her believe that he might be bi/pan) and however he label himself, the most important is that he’s happy. And tbh reading this opinion switches as a still quite new larrie is just making me anxious as long as my opinions and believes are based on what old-days larries, who witnessed it all, say. But I also noticed she just started to hold her back with such a bold opinions like you, Marte, have that they never broke up/hooked up with someone else if they had some breaks and that they are both gays. So she might be bold in her believes but she doesn’t write it anymore because it became an opening a can of worms for her since she’s popular and her asks are the most flooded with antis/gf harries/trolls opinions. So imo she just decided to step on brakes, not because she’s not firm in her believes anymore but because she’s just that popular. But that’s just what I observed in the past year, there were days when she had word larrie in her bio which she also changed.

Anyway I’m still happy she’s there just like you and have a patience and kindness to answers asks because I couldn’t imagine being larrie who believe they are still together and witness their stunt shenanigans and their gaslighting on us on my own.

P.S.: I really hope we’ll get Nouis reunion since they both play the same festival in Berlin and Louis even liked Niall’s post recently and we know how much excited Louis got in Nov that he might see “my Niall” for that RS event. I’m manifesting!

Hi, anon 💜

I think it's very important to make up your own mind and do your own research on all these topics, and not rely on different blogs to tell you what you should believe and not believe. That includes me. I think it can be difficult when you haven't experienced things in person and in the context of which it happened, and the source material is gone or the bloggers that sat on the info have left the fandom. It can be hard to know where to look and who to ask for guidance. However, there are still blogs with plenty of info, blog archives and timelines that can help you make up your own mind and help you put things in context. They're just not active anymore. So the blogs that are still active gets a lot of attention and asks. That doesn’t mean their word is gospel. I see many younger blogs here giving out wrong info, because they weren't here to experience it. There are also hardly veteran blogs who are still here to contest the info being wrong. That means the veteran blogs who're active gets a lot of attention and their opinions are more valued than others. That's both a good and a bad thing.

I'm very confident in my opinions because i have been here almost every single day since 2012. Both on twitter and tumblr. I was here during all the highs and lows. I'm also very clear about what i don't know or feel like i can't confidently make a decision on because of lack of info. I also very much believe in diversity of opinon and hearing different points of view. It's fine to have different opinions or different beliefs. Us larries aren’t a homogenous group of people. So we need to respect each others differences of opinons. We don’t need to reach a consensus. We also need to respect people having a change of heart or not wanting to take a stance on a subject because they don't have enough info to be confident enough in their opinions.

We larries take a breath and we get a ton of shit from antis. So i do understand why people are not always so bold and confident about their opinions. Some anons won't take "i don't know/i'm not sure/i have no opinion" as an answer. They need to know for sure and they need that assurance from the blogger. That's hard to deal with sometimes and a lot of responsibilty when you know the asker will take your word as truth. I wouldn't worry as much about what this or this blogger believes about this and that. Build confidence in your own opinions. You might know more about a subject than i do or what another blogged does. If a blogger succumbed to all the gaslighting, changed their opinons and left the fandom you wouldn't be as lost if you've made up your mind independently of them. You wouldn't be alone in your opinion either, there are loads of people still here who shares them. You just need to find them.

No one knows the full and whole truth here. We're all bound to be wrong about some things. So don't rely too much on others, find what makes the most sense to you and what your gut tells you and stick to it regardless of others opinions.

[crusherthedoctor]

It's been so weird being a Sonic fan recently. I see masses of fans praising the ever living hell of Frontiers, the movies, IDW and now Prime, and I just... don't get it? I can't really "see" what they see in these that make them the "gold standard". Couple that with the surreal amount of protection Flynn has been getting from the fanbase on Twitter and I now feel very..."alienated", thinking that maybe I'm wrong. Have you guys been feeling like that? What's the best advice in moments like this?

It also doesn't help when you're constantly subjected to grade-A shittiness and genuine harassment for having different opinions, and no one bats an eye, but the moment you vent in a mildly irritable way, everyone bands together to show their concern for your "troubling behaviour". Not that the fandom was perfect beforehand, but ever since Flynn gained as much influence as he currently has, it's only gotten worse. It really has become unbearable. People really do show cultish tendencies with that guy, and to a lesser extent the rest of the Archie/IDW crew.

I wish I could offer something more original than "don't back down", but despite all the bullshit I've seen and received, I've stood by my opinions throughout it all. Not just because I know I can back them up with logic, but also because I think it's important to hold true to one's feelings, and be honest with them, instead of parroting the popular consensus for no other reason than because it's the popular consensus. I refuse to be turned into a drone who forms their conclusions entirely around what popular YouTubers are saying.

[devsgames]

Just letting you know that some of your posts have a lot of unnecessary tags, which Tumblr doesn't allow (i.e tagging your graffiti game as Splatoon and having a lot of versions of the word "gamedev"). Your stuff seems awesome and I'd feel bad if your posts about them got taken down. Hope you're having a nice day!

Hey - thank you for the concern, I appreciate it! Honestly I'm not super worried about it myself.

As far as I'm aware using lots of tags isn't against any Tumblr rules or guidelines, it's just not recommended practice since they tend to get filtered out after a certain amount of them (please correct me if there's something I'm overlooking but my Googling hasn't lead me to anything suggesting using a selection of tags isn't allowed and I've seen it done on other user's posts on the site). The only guideline I might possibly be considered violating is spam, but honestly I feel the tags I use are all pretty related to the content I'm posting. I do consciously aim to use tags relevant to my content and to keep tag numbers under ~15 so they're actually incorporated as part of Tumblr's tag feeds too, so I don't feel I'm really 'spamming' anything.

In terms of the fandom-specific tags they're mostly there since I feel my game is related in terms of style/aesthetic/gameplay/feel and relates it to those tags as well (that's also how I tend to discover new stuff on platforms so figured it'd be handy here too). I don't really see anything erroneous or malicious in doing this since in my eyes it's pretty related to the material, though I guess since Tumblr is fandom-culture-focused so I can see how they could be seen as annoying to people specifically looking for stuff [x] game in particular. Maybe I can cut back on those ones then.

As for the reason I use so many variations of similar tags on my posts (such as #indie games and #indiegames, or #game dev and #gamedev, even #game dev and #game development)....

...as far as I'm aware Tumblr has no standardized formats for tagging, and these are all technically considered different tags being used by different people for the same purpose (I follow all of them and see much cross-posting and people using just one or the other). Since there's likely to be people who are watching one tag and not the other and my content is related to every one of these tags, I don't feel it leaves me with many options but to tag each of these variations independently since they're all used by these communities. 😐 As far as I'm aware this also isn't violating any rules or guidelines since it's all still related to content I'm posting. (As an aside: This is also one of my least favourite Tumblr tag 'quirks' which leaves multiple tags fulfilling the same function and relies communities all autonomously coming to a consensus about which tags to use. Twitter sucks but to its credit at least it broke a tag when you added a space to it, so every tag was one long word and standardized between them no matter what).

TL;DR I can't find any mention of guidelines I might be violating by operating this way, and the fandom stuff seems more etiquette than actual rules to me but I can lay off those if it's going to bother people.

Thanks again for the heads up!

[lasciviess]

my updated position on the dream situation as a victim

Back in October, I posted a very long explanation of my stance and my thoughts toward the entire situation around the grooming allegations made by Amanda about Dream. The general sentiment explained in great detail there is still true to how I feel about what's going on. That being said, I’ve pretty much been offline since I posted in early October and, in my absence, I’ve had time to think outside the echo chamber of the twitter timeline and got to weigh some of my own thoughts in peace. Turns out, there's been some change.

TL/DR: I'm maintaining my neutrality and beliefs, but resuming normal writing.

The way that I feel about Dream's behavior has not changed even remotely: he acted inappropriately in what's been confirmed, and needs to apologize and change. That being said, we know exactly nothing else, as things currently stand. Until claims are emphatically either confirmed or denied, which is going to take some time on account of legal proceedings, I still think withholding determination of guilt is the responsible thing to do. As a victim, that's the only course of action I personally am comfortable with.

I originally thought it was safest to stop writing dnf/dream altogether while we waited: I'd be protected from harassment and could still conceivably salvage old WIPs (albeit with a lot of scrapping). I wound up being just a bit wrong there. It's been practically impossible to adapt existing stories to new OCs because the prior milieu of the fictional pairing I created in my head that went by "dnf" isn't something I can just cut out. The subject of my stories wasn't really based on real people any longer: it was something I'd created, and that was all.

The next question, of course, was why I should stop writing that because of a pending consensus on a random man I don't know. I just didn't have a good answer to that. I turned to other friends and trusted opinions on my tl and generally found that a fair bit of the creative community (and a lot of other victims) were adopting neutrality and considered the question of whether or not to keep creating to be a separate one (I of course do not claim to be speaking for everyone).

I've thought about it for well over a month now, and have come to the conclusion that I miss writing the way that I was. If Dream turns out to be guilty, I will immediately excise myself from this fandom without hesitation, but our legal system operates under "innocent until proven guilty," not the other way around. Until there is a confirmable change in status quo, I am going to continue to write according to our current status quo. I will not post much about Dream as a human being for obvious reasons, but I view my fics as just that: (fic)tion. I understand that plenty of people do not agree with this way of thinking, and that is perfectly fine. I will likely still be more open to posting OC content than I was (I'll be posting an OC commission within a week or so, actually), but I'm not going to force OCs into stories that weren't meant for them. It feels unfaithful to those story.

Sorry this got long, I just wanted to make sure I explained well enough. Ongoing WIPs like Snapdragons will be continued publicly again, no longer just on Patreon. In short: things are going back to the way they were, but we all know that the other shoe could drop at any moment. I'm still prepared for that. But, until it does, I'm staying neutral and continuing on. I hope to see you guys soon, and can't wait to start sharing with you again.

-ess <3

[ofthedarkwoods]

Questions

Platforms currently?...

Tumblr

Ofthedarkwoods :random shit all the time basically main blog

OfthedarkwoodsArtwork :Multi-fandom artwork and content

Pinterest

Ofthedarkwoods :filled w/ lots of references, art challenges, brushes, and more.

Ofthedarkwoodsfashion :different themed oufits perfect for ocs or going out.

Twitter

Ofthedarkwoods : rn all I've been focusing on is to share about Palestine hoping it'll keep spreading

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Is rebloginging your art okay?

Yes of course reblog away! The more reblogs the better!

Are you okay with me uploading your art to other platforms?

As long as you keep the watermark & give name credits i dont mind, maybe even a link so others can find me and enjoy my artwork as much as you do. If I see on any platforms where no name credit is given (watermark deleted.. ect.) I will get it taken down, so please be respectful. Also remember not every artist is like this so always find the creator and ask no matter how long it takes or how little research there is. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother posting any artwork.

Also for mature content like nsfw & gore I beg of you to put warnings. If you can't put warnings then dont bother rebloging or reposting at all. My content is not made for everyone and any mature +18 content without warning will be taken down forcefully. Anyone who sees my artwork being shared without warning let me know please.

Is dubbing your art ok?

Yes that is fine although I would still love to hear you ask so I can research your account, find out more about you, and maybe even like and support you as well. Just remember to give name credit please.

What mature content are we talking?

I wish to post more content like gore and consensual type themes in the future for other adults to enjoy. I have been experimenting with my artwork and seem to have found myself drawn to it quite literally. I have been observing pastel gore and just love it. All this type of art will have warnings and if anyone reposts this should have warnings as well or else.

OH! Please note I WILL NEVER POST ANY INCE$T, PEDØ, CØMSHIP/PRØSHIP TYPE STUFF SO FUCK OFF!

Why are you interested in drawing gore?

What can I say.. well, when I was younger, I had surgery and was always afraid of my scars opening up. It wasn't until recently I decided that my scars were something to not be afraid of and that it was all in my head, I started seeing the beauty in candy/neon/pastel/fruit gore. I saw it all in a different perspective and that other people must feel this was too. I want people who want to see it to feel the beauty and comfort like I do. I thought as though I'm reclaiming it for myself instead of being afraid but to embrace it.

I'm a minor under 18 how do you feel about that?

I'm gonna be forward and say i dont feel comfortable with minors on my page. I'm an adult I talk about mature topics and will be posting mature content (w/ warning of course). Yes I know I cant fully stop you from seeing my posts especially on other platforms but if you message me or ask any questions I will ignore/block you. The internet is a fucked up place and I truely wish more adults would take topics like this seriously. I really care about each and everyones safety so I will take measures into my own hands if i have to. I really dont want to be friends with childern so please respect my wishes and leave me alone.

Are you open to commissions?

Unfortunately no. I'm still figuring out some things at the moment but I will take suggestions for any lgbtqia+ icons to have as a pfp. I mean starting a business is tough and I want to take my time with my art on my own terms, I'm still a part time artist and on top of that I procrastinate a lot so deadlines are exhausting.

How do you feel about Spammimg?

If we're talking about DMs I honestly wouldn't really perfer a ton of text messages to reply to however you're welcome to hit the like button as much as you like. It shows your appreciation and I know what its like finding an artist with cool artwork to enjoy. Comments are fine but I dont think I can respond to every single one.

Are you trans?

Yes probably non-binary specifically with they/them pronouns because I feel like the "given" binary spectrum and "gender roles" don't really suit me. I mean most days I feel "feminine", some days I feel "masculine", and some days I wake up feeling neither, or sometimes I wake up feeling both. Gender is very confusing so for short I'm nonbinary.

Why did you quit Instagram?

Animation is one of the hardest things I've pushed myself to do. Instagram's platform wasn't necessarily fitting to my standards per say. My technology kept failing as well and made it difficult to keep a steady rhythm with posting. But also in other words I felt many users wouldn't accept my artwork as much as they'd accept my videos. I also felt that many Instagram users didn't see me as non-binary meaning many didn't use my pronouns correctly. I felt like all this together was enough to push me away. Tumblr felt more freeing than Instagram and so far its been more enjoyable, but none the less I made friends and will miss them dearly.

Will you do anymore Animation?

Yes i do animaton but wish to expand more on that later... right now it's just artwork and edits. I've thought about posting to YouTube but idk..

Why are you so political?

I think everyone is affected by politics all over the world. It's a part of our society, and I do have morals so of course I'll be evolved. Like already most of the world is against me for their own selfish insecurities and I realize that I have some privilege of my own and should stand up for others when they are faced with unjustifiable terms. I get that people need breaks and yes please take breaks and take care of you basic needs but without ever talking about any issues, wintnessing but keeping to yourself, or simply not teaching and discussing your feelings with others can lead to serious problems or issues that will never be fixed. There is always a time to bring up your concerns and make yourself feel heard but remember things like this take some time, communication on every side, and a good support group.

You are welcome to block, ignore, or mute me but I'll always keep posting important topics.

[kharmii]

Thanks for answering!

Mmm i mean yes im a bit uncomfortable with the more explicit incest art, considering there are some very obscure kinks i just don't like to partake in, but what i meant is i kind of feel sad that it's mostly Emmet the one who starts the intimacy, when i believe Ingo, with his confidence, would probably do the same. It makes me feel the popular interpretation of their relationship is that without Emmet pressing Ingo further, the relationship wouldn't move.

But i do admit I don't understand the full message of most fan works as most are in Korean or Japanese, so maybe there's a more leveled one where they are on even ground because i really appreciate when both parts participate and work towards their romance and not just one forcing everything on the other :(

Thanks for the art, all those are lovely, I'd like to clear up that the only works that just irk me are the dubious or non consensual ones, that's probably why I can't get into Volo/SubMas hahaha.

Thanks for taking your time to read, i know i may sound kind of vanilla? But i guess it's because i just want this brothers to have soft, tender moments, they have suffered enough.

Kind of vanilla is fine with me. I'm all about it. I used to ship a rare pair, and it would thrill me for days when I'd be able to take a screen cap and edit it to have them holding hands or touching in some way. I like the explicit yaoi okay, but the reason I'm not into the edgier aspects of the fandom is because twins being intimate with each other IS the edge for me.

Too bad there's such a disconnect in the submas fandom between blankshippers and not because the autistic head canons the antis have would fit more into Ingo starting the intimacy. He's shown as the protective older brother, and Emmet is given more of a benign, child-like innocence. I don't mind trainwreckshipping because it comes across as unresolved sexual tension. Volo is obviously more than a match for Emmet physically, and he knows he screwed him over, whether intentionally or not, so his violent behavior is an amusement.

I too want to see more soft, tender moments. I also want to see more upbeat stuff. I'm not into the depressing head canons where Ingo is in a dissociative state letting Emmet have his way with him -or- Ingo being in Hisui long enough to have seen Irida and Adaman as children. I want to see more god-slayer goofball Emmet finding his way to Hisui one way or another, or if they are separated, having them both with strong support groups to get them through it. That's why I like all the Emmet ships. Ingo has his new Pearl Clan family, and Emmet has all his friends and love interests. They are made for each other though, so hopefully we’ll see a resolution in canon. 

No, srsly, I want a sequel to Pokemon: Legends Arceus with a resolution for Emmet because the game was so FUN. I’m holding off on the Volo battle and doing massive mass outbreaks right now because I don’t want it to end. I thought SWSH was the most fun, but PLA is better than that.

Art credit to:  asino@asino_2 Twitter.

[my-mt-heart]

Between the hate getting lobbed at Diane Kruger because Norman proposed to her & Maggie getting dragged all over Twitter, I'm pretty much beyond exhausted by this fandom & how misogynistic it still is, all these years later. I can't even have a constructive conversation about the episodes of characters without someone saying something like, "ugh what a dumb bitch" or clinging super tightly to their double standards.

"Maggie is an evil bitch for still being angry with Negan"

"Michonne is a terrible mother"

"I'm so glad Rosita is wearing normal clothes this season instead of dressing like a whore"

"Diane is ugly & idk why he'd wanna marry her."

It's all weird and gross. And it's from fellow Carylers. It's just so disheartening & frustrating.

To be very clear, I don’t blame any specific part of the fanbase, but I agree the double standards and misogynistic/sexist comments that female characters get is really upsetting. And because I’m getting messages now from people claiming their hatred for a female character doesn’t mean they’re misogynistic…well, no, it doesn’t necessarily, however, comments like “Maggie's a bitch for leaving a kid to die,” “Michonne’s a bad mother,” “Rosita’s a slut,” “Carol’s too old” are all rooted in deeply problematic expectations of women in general to be young, beautiful, nurturing, conservative, etc. Negan had every intention of killing Carl; where’s the everlasting outrage over that? He had non consensual relationships with multiple women at once; where’s the resentment for that? Daryl can be linked to a seventeen-year-old girl, but falling in love with a woman his age is gross?  

AK and the writers do such an amazing job of showcasing complex, powerful women and I wish the haters out there could see that instead of never letting any of them live down their mistakes and/or “flaws.”

Investment in an actor’s personal life is another rant entirely, but in short, there is no excuse for that level of petty hatred. Congrats to them.

[msgrumpygills]

I think Jared has more crazy and arrogant Stans and those Stans have superiority complex like Jared. I have seen many Jared fans shitting on Jensen bc Jensen is not the lead on a show and he's just gonna be a side character in The Boys, but Jared has his own show Walker and he is the lead there so that makes Jared more successful and an A-list actor. They were actually using the same arguments about SPN, saying Jared was the number #1 on the callsheet.

I can't begin to explain how wrong that is, and i can't begin to point out how wrong their opinions are. They think being on a failing show as a lead is the proof of success, they don't even realize that to a larger extent Jensen's career will get more recognition with The Boys (a successful show liked by the critics and got to be nomited for the Emmys and were praised, meanwhile Jared stands tried soooo hard to put Walker on the Emmy nominations... which was really ridiculous and an epic failure).

They think their echo-chamber Jared wank is the proof of realities and of world. They think just because they try so hard to make Walker seem good, that proofs that Walker is a successful show. Nevermind that outside of Jared stans' echo chamber, Walker basically gets no praise or recognition on the media or by the critics. They think just because they are stanning for Jared makes Jared truly the #number 1 best at anything!.... but the realities don't work like that. Any logical person with a brain could see that Jared's shitty mantrums and his twitter meltdown was pathetic and unproffessional. Outside of Jared Stans' ankle, people will look at Jared's behaviour and see how mess of a person he is.

Not to mention their attempt at making everything Jensen's mistake and trying to portray Jensen and everyone else as backstabbers. Oh, really? So, Jared gets to be the number1 all the same, gets to make everything about himself when it comes to SPN and everything else, but when Jensen gets to do something about SPN and his character (Dean), wooooo what a bad person Jensen is!!1!!1! Burn him at the stake!

It seems like they truly have a superiority complex going for them and it fits with the overall image of Jared's. He also tries to make everything about himself and be innocent UwU baby boy when in actuality he's basically a man child.

I can't wait to see Jared stans shitting on Jensen and Jensen fans once The Boys season3 is out. They will continue to spew bullshit about Jensen and start to invoke drama there as well and say 'how Jensen is a failure or not as successful as Jared because he's not a lead and does not have his own show'.

Their echo chamber will never end. They'll continue with excusing every one of Jared's shitty and obvious crappy behavior, and continue to just destroy everyone else's fun. Whether be about Jensen's role on The Boys and his production company Chaos Machine or his work with the prequel, or something else really.

So, get ready because we will see more of their wank, toxicity and shittiness in the coming days.

When it comes to Jared stans, look at their role model. Mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery and all, right? I think arrogant and having a superiority complex are perfect ways to explain them! 

I’m not involved with acting and never have been, outside of a sketchy audition but that’s not relevant! Being first on the call sheet means that you’re the first person being billed, right? And I don’t remember (it’s been a long time since I watched Supernatural) but I could have sworn that the credits said “Starring Jensen Ackles”? That could be wrong so I apologize for that one! 

I think all of this has been showcasing how different J2 are when it comes to decisions and strategy. Jensen (seemingly, I don’t hangout with him so wouldn’t know the deets) took his time with work post Supernatural. I know he announced it fairly early, but he didn’t start actually working for a while. Again, I don’t know the deets so he might have been working on this for months beforehand with Kripke. Now sure, it wasn’t a “starring role” and it wasn’t a show “made for him”, and I know the Jared stans love to bring that up and that Jensen is just a guest star and yadda yadda. But what better way to get your foot in the door and market yourself to other potential employers and show off your chops to some big-wigs, than to get a fairly big role on an already loved show that just so happens to have Emmy noms? 

On the other hand, you have Jared who was chomping at the bit the be a “lead” and a “star”, so much so that he replaced Jensen with himself as the role of Walker. Technically, him wanting to be the start was also exhibited in the finale and how that was handled, but you get what I mean. What did that get him? His stans being deluded into thinking that he’s more successful because he’s starring in his own #1 show. 

I can vouch for the fact that being outside of the fandom, I’m realizing just how little people actually care about J2 and Supernatural. Yes, they have big followings, but the fans act like they’re at the level of the Marvel actors or something.  It also doesn’t help that outside of the fandom, the general consensus is that Jared is a douchebag with a tragic hairline and a fake looking wife. He’s not the big star that everyone in his echo-chamber think he is. 

I wonder how the stans will react when everyone inevitably loves Soldier Boy and the articles that will be published about how great he is doing. I’m sure they’ll find something to try and use against him or to tear him down. 

[iamanartichoke]

Maybe your mutuals, who might already be accepting of of ships like thorki, aren't outraged about sylki, but there's a lot of that going on in the wider fandom on Twitter and Tumblr. Apparently it's basically incest (no one tell them about thorki) and also homophobic and can cause a lot of harm to "communities and minorities". It's all fun and games until someone thinks it's morally acceptable to dimension jump and fuck their alternate self. I swear antis can't hear what they sound like lol. 1/2

I don't remember what I posted to prompt this ask, so I'm sorry if my reply feels a little disjointed! But re: Sylkie - I mean, I can't really speak for my mutuals but the general consensus on my dash has nothing to do with any ~problematic~ elements and everything to do with how cliche and unnecessary the ship is. I'm not really sure how the ship is basically incest?? I mean, I know where the show has landed (that she's a Loki) but interpretation-wise in the fandom, either she is a Loki, or she isn't. If she is, then it would be selfcest, not incest, and if she isn't, then she's basically just some woman he met and fell for. They didn't grow up together, they don't share any genes, they aren't siblings.

Also," the ship is homophobic and can cause harm to communities and minorities" - okay. Lmao. Calling Loki/Sylvie homophobic is, I'm assuming, stemming from outrage that a confirmed bi character would be interested in someone of the opposite sex - but, I mean, what do they think bisexual means? Calling Loki/Sylvie homophobic is actually biphobic af, tbh.

"It's all fun and games until someone thinks it's morally acceptable to dimension jump and fuck their alternate self" should be embroidered on something, bc that is one of the funniest and also "out of context, this would be really fucking weird" comments I've ever seen on this hellsite. Lmao. Bless.

But, yeah. I'm not super here for the ship, but it has nothing to do with any 'cesty reasons. Insofar as it getting in the way of Mobius/Loki - I mean, if you're gonna boycott and hate a ship on behalf of the oppressed, you gotta at least be consistent about it. Mobius/Loki could be (and is, by some) considered an abusive ship. Not only is Mobius verbally abusive to Loki, but Mobius is - and never stops being - in a position of power over Loki. They're not on an even foundation, and furthermore prisoners can't freely and willingly consent to sex/relationships with those holding them prisoner so, congrats, there's your problematic, abusive, r*pe apologist ship, my purity loving friends. Enjoy sitting with those rainbows and candy canes for awhile.

(^^ I don't necessarily see Mobius as abusive toward Loki, for reasons I can't articulate, and I don't feel it's a problematic ship (though the power dynamic actually is a factor), for the record. But this was a fun exercise in critical thinking.)

Anyway, so yeah, I'm not surprised that the purity culture antis are raging, I'm just glad to not be seeing it. Like I said, in my corner of the fandom, the issue with Sylkie is just the context of it - it being cliche, it coming out of nowhere, and it being a plot at all bc Loki didn't need a love interest and Marvel sucks, consistently, at writing good love stories.

I'll probably expand on this in a separate post, but those are basically my issues with the ship as well. I don't really have a problem with it, in theory. I don't disagree that the characters have chemistry, and that they've trauma bonded, in addition to sharing the variant bond that allows them to skip right over a lot of those 'let me slowly trust you and let my guard down as I reveal more and more of myself to you' steps; they get to skip those steps bc each variant already knows them. They know their own walls and protective layers, and they know what's at the core, just by virtue of being two versions of the same person. And in that sense I don't even really have a problem with how quickly it came about, I guess.

But it's like - yeah, this definitely needs its own post, lmao, but basically I feel like it could make sense in theory but doesn't follow in practice. But maybe it will over the next two episodes, who knows.

On that topic, though, I like your speculations. Somewhere between yesterday and today I gave up on my own speculations, though, bc the showrunners confirmed it was romantic and I don't feel like bothering anymore. It would have been cool to see some kind of magic or a plan or even something a little more surface-level than 'I love you bc of reasons,' but, well. Sometimes you order eggs off of the menu and you meant scrambled and you're expecting some fluffy, hot, cooked to near-perfection scrambled eggs and the waiter comes out with a runny sunny-side-up dish and when you're like the fuck is this? they just shrug and say, I don't know, you ordered eggs? And looking at it on the plate - technically not wrong but unappealing, bland, and not what you expected - just leaves you feeling like, oh. Okay. I can plainly see there are no hidden scrambled eggs here, so I guess I'll just eat these.

I'm not longer sure if the ship or the show or both are the wrong eggs, lmao. This shit is why I really enjoyed Loki's love metaphor, even though later interviews w/ the showrunners and Tom framed it as not really being great or profound. Which adds more credence to the possibility that I might just have shit taste in general, but well, there we are.

Thank you for the ask and sorry it took awhile to answer!

[twilightknight17]

I don't know what I think, I do know most fans think he's just a bastard and he can't be friends with anyone else but Akira and his relationship with Akira will always be antagonistic, there's a lot of twitter discourse about it so I was curious about your opinion because the consensus is that he's just a jerk who can't care for anyone. Post canon might have the greatest chance for him to learn how to express affection to Akira?

Okay, Anon. Under a cut for length.

I’m going to be frank, because I’m not in an awesome headspace.

I’m not sure what to think of you.

Because I’ve had anons (and it’s always anons) ask me questions like this before, only to immediately turn and twist my words around to claim things that I never said. The only reason they’re asking is to find out what I think so that they can pick it to pieces. Hell, people have come after me for the joke ship tag that I use on my blog. So I have no idea what you actually want from me, and I’m not sure why you picked me in particular to ask. I do hope you can understand why questions like this make me leery, because a lot of us are very tired of having to defend a character that we like over and over to people who have already made up their minds.

I would disagree that “most fans” have a “consensus” that Goro is an uncaring jerk and nothing more. I see far more sympathy for him. But it might just be a question of what part of the fandom you’re exposed to. There’s a significant amount of us that just want to see him be happy in the end.

If you want what I think, the short answer is, I think that post-canon, he needs time, space, and a lot of therapy. Because he has a multitude of emotional problems and abandonment issues, and he’s never really had complete control over his life. But without the threat of death and the fate of the world hanging over him? I think he’s perfectly capable of learning how to really connect with other people. And I think he would be capable of it during the canon timeframe, too, if people other than Akira made an effort, or something significant enough to knock him off his rails happened.

If you want a long answer, look at all of my fic. Especially Cascade. It was written before Royal was even announced, but Goro’s fate in that is ultimately the sort of thing that I think he needs, even if that specific situation would be impossible in canon.

[alarrytale]

another anon here! I'm not a public person, obviously, but I work in advertising and omg I'm one of the most discreet and shy people, so even if his husband doesn't care about photos in the feed or exposing his image because of work (just like me ), I would understand if he was averse to people speculating about their private life, because if they keep it low key, people will comment or if they admit it, people will comment even more lol it will be more invasive, so if this is In any case, living in silence is one of the best ways!

Lol, here we have one vote for staying silent, one vote for testing the waters and one for making him straight. No consensus then. More under the cut.

I think he's testing the waters! They're probably seeing that people didn't react badly to the rumors and will comment on it at some point, in a delicate and beautiful way, just as their relationship should be. I see him being an actor similar to Jonathan from the Bridgerton series.

With Tpz it feels to me like they are trying to make him look straight but I really hope I'm wrong. They were pushing the S*brina C*rpenter thing a bit. If he does start performing heterosexuality I think the lgbtq+ community should call it out on social media. I don't blame him but his representatives and the industry. This is going to continue happening but if people call it out and bring attention to it then it may go viral and his representatives might think twice about it. I HATE the closet defenders, they're everywhere. Stop defending the closet. It's okay if it's entirely the person's decision to be closeted but when it comes to celebrities it is usually the industry's doing. These celebrities are made to feel that they can't be successful if they're queer. How does the industry know queer people can't be successful if they don't give queer people the same opportunities that they give straight people, they don't invest as much money into them. People might think they're helping by defending the closet but it does more damage because the industry will see it and continue what it's doing. The silence around Tpz and his husband on twitter from fans is crazy. Stop pretending that his husband doesn't exist??? I completely agree with you that if Tpz asked for privacy from fans/gp then people would respect it. He could make a social media post and say that he has a husband but his husband doesn't want to be in the limelight, please respect their privacy thank you. People would respect it. People like transparency. It's all the lying that makes people dig more. Just be honest with people. But me being skeptical, I think that they're going to try and hide this husband so women can project heterosexual fantasies on to Tpz. He's a good looking guy. But I hope I'm wrong. It's like with Harry and Louis. All this rubbish about them wanting a private life. All they would have to do is CO and say that they're in a relationship but could people please value their privacy. The majority of people would. It's not quite that simple with HL but you get my point. Another thing that drives me crazy is the twitter purity police telling people not to speculate on someone's sexuality. Harries especially (but I've seen this with Nick fans too) will preach about not speculating about his sexuality and they'll scold fans who are doing it but then they'll turn around and say that he's sleeping with every woman he is standing next to. How is that any better? Sorry this is long!

Hi guys!

First of all, i've seen the promo for tzp's other projects were they tried to connect him to joey and sabri*a etc. I haven't seen that this time around. That was also before the fandom found out he had a husband.

Testing the waters would be a good plan! Jonathan bailey is actually a good example because he has a long time partner! That nobody knows that much about. Jonathan doesn’t have a fandom like tzp does though.

And staying slient and being in a glass closet can be a good idea. I'm just not sure if it'll work now that the husband is known. I think that's the most likely course of action, at least for the time being.