#we can be on good terms and have similar experiences and know similar pop culture references

[nohkalikai]

good evening to everyone this is your reminder that i am not a desi mutual to you, do not ever call me desi, i am a northeastern tribal and a dalit and a christian and i have never felt 'indian' my entire life. i sure as hell will not be claiming any indianness anytime soon. not when all of what is considered 'indian', 'south asian', and 'desi' is used to invisibilise the various facets of my identity. i am indian for the purpose of placing me geographically and nationally. know my place and know yours!!

[boilingpotfrog]

I know I'm a little late for day 3 of this challenge I made for myself, but I been busy with some life stuff and other projects I been planning along the way but that all I take about it now while until the next time I post but lets get start with the fandom we have for today.

🎉

ALSO SPOILERS FOR OF SWEET TOOTH

You finally get a uncle reveal!

So my plan was for this was what if they were animal hybrids? Wo7ld they be all on their own or have some sort of guardian figure like gus has? I decided to go with the guardians root since it would be more sad. So I thought that this will be a great introduction for Maitane, uncle Silvano. Mainly in his prime and glory, Note to be real I is the older brother of Maitane mom side. Mainly a detail is that Maitane was born when her mom was 18 while her uncle was 19. I don't know what age was Ramon when @queeniecore first drew him when he was a kid, but it my base is guide line whenever I spin a fandom and I going to make Ramon and Maitane as kids.

I had a hard time actually deciding what animal hybrid Maitane was going to be since she so fair it a trail and error in good way. I had to rewatch the sweet tooth since hybrids can bewild with how much animal traits can show in a hybrid child but then I remember the scene where Big man finds out that his son was a hybrid

This scene:

And I soon begin to think that it would be cool to see more hybrids was more clear animal features like animal legs so I use him as a guide and made her a goat hybrid, mainly perus national goat

This little silly.

Anyways time to get onto The Reall stars of this show uncle Silvano and Allen! Fuck the kids!

Silvano and Allen are pretty sure a nervous wreck with having to take care of kids, finding information on how to stop the virus from killing them or at least of to somehow cure it in some weird sense, making sure that their kids aren't going to get captured and experimented on and more. It got to the point the Silvano basically convinced Allen that if one of them started showing since of the virus that the other will go on and the one with the virus will be left to die alone. They do hold common ground on losing loved ones due to the virus and wearing something to remember them by. Allen being one of his wife necklaces while Silvano wears one of his sister's old scrunchies and wearing is brother in law (Maitane dad) Dog Tag necklaces.

They both probably met while Allen and Ramon were on the move, and Silvano did see that Allen had a Hybrid child with him just good old Allen and tried to shoot him so didn't meet on the best terms but it was all in the past. Silvano was more more of teaching Maitane of the outside world and got her head deep with pop culture and many other things while Allen took a similar approach like Gus dad did but them moving place to place and stay there just for a couple of days.

The both have kind polar personalities but one thing the will get Silvano to basically get him deep in a conversation is when Allen start kinda talking about his old job or of his life, science is a topic the Silvano basically married at a young age, he's happy married to Botany (The study of plants). He doesn't have the green thumb that his mom has but that doesn't mean that he couldn't just paint murals flowers to walls of random buildings. He still does it but it's small ones.

Allen doesn't really talk about his job much and more of his old life, he does miss how everything used to be from his old house to his wife. Allen had it worse, he's wife is dead and now he has a target on his back due to Ramon being a Hybrid. He wants to keep moving from place to place, is difficult to track down a target if they don't stay at one place.

Allen is basically the brains between him and Silvano, He is the one that runs away with the kids if things go south, He the one that plans how Silvano should attack. Silvano is a smart guy but that he relays on Allen for more smarter information. Allen is the reliable person between him and Silvano when it comes to decisions.

Allen and Silvano bud heads when it comes to certain situations like who the can trust, how much supplies they should use, how long they should stay at one place for, and even on the whole virus situations. Allen is a scientist but he is slowly realizing that if they were looking for a cure for the virus... how will they make it? They are nowhere near a functional lab and even if they were one of them will die from the virus before the even get close to making a milestone.

So they are ticking time bomb, just waiting for one of them to explode first.

[blog-name-idk]

Umm hello! This is very embarrassing, but someone found a racist slur I used in one of my fics. I'm now going to take some time to re-read and and evaluate my wording on my other works, but if anyone has found anything similar or concerning that they feel comfortable telling me about, please feel free to do so! I'll explain more under the cut.

TW: Derogatory slur for Inuit people. (Which, am I basically saying "The People people"? Like saying chai tea?) And other problematic names for other cultures/ethnicities still widely used in commercial culture today (as examples).

I used the term "esk*mo kiss" in Chapter 14 of Everything Falls, which in itself is generally used to describe nose kisses.

The term esk*mo itself is unacceptable/offensive to many, very understandably so because it was a colonial name imposed on them by non-Indigenous people. Here is an NPR article (from 2016 but I think it still holds up) that goes into more detail.

The currently accepted word to describe people native to Alaska/Arctic regions is Inuit (singular: Inuk), and the actual word for their nose kiss (which is a way of showing affection) is kunik.

What's even more embarrassing than being ignorant is that I wasn't even ignorant. Like I know not to use the term esk*mo by itself, that Inuit/Inuk is the correct verbage, and yet when writing the term "e. kiss" my brain just glazed over because it was such a "normal" phrase for me growing up. Even now thinking the term doesn't ring any bells or make me feel uncomfortable, which shows just how much social conditioning affects our "gut instincts".

I think it's a good lesson to always try to be mindful and really think about the things we say because no matter how educated and informed we believe we are, we're only human and thus constantly in a state of growth and learning. We are responsible when our actions hurt others, but often we're ignorant of our own ignorance (lol) until it's pointed out to us. It shouldn't be the hurt party's responsibility to do so, but sometimes that's the only way the perpetrator (me) can get a dose of reality.

I feel like this kind of thing happens all the time (just look at all the problematic "traditional" names for house plants) and our brains just skate over it because we're used to it.

Anyway I'm not trying to be preachy or overly dramatic or holier-than-thou. It's easy to look at people who get cancelled (on Tumblr or in regular pop culture) and write them off as idiots because I would never do or say the thing they did. I've definitely looked down my nose at people from my high horse because I thought I was a "better person" than them.

It was a good wake-up call to not get complacent and remember that just because I think I'm a good person/don't have bad intentions, that doesn't absolve me from responsibility. Yes, I will be going back through my old fics and current WIPs because it shouldn't be someone else's responsibility to find issues and point them out to me. However, I'm sure there are still things I'm inherently ignorant to and might miss.

No one should feel obligated to let me know if they see anything (definitely don't want to force anyone to relive trauma or bad experiences), but I will definitely appreciate anyone who does! Thank you to the anon who reached out to me and let me know about this instance.

[jasper-pagan-witch]

hellohello Mx. Jasper! I was reading through the forgotten realms wiki, specifically the page(s) on Magic and how it manifests in the world of D&D and the different types. I know you're a pop culture wizard and pagan, and thought to ask you this;

Is the way you think about magic (or religion/spirituality) influenced by the pop culture sources you work with, or vice-versa? (or none at all?)

I thought it was an interesting discussion prompt! Hope all is well (I know it's late as I'm sending this, so I hope you rest well!)

~ Pythios (they/them)

Good morning Mx. Pythios! Thank you for today's dose of enby gender euphoria, and I love your name. I slept terribly, but that's about normal for me, especially because I hiked my entire 80-acre farm twice yesterday in a desperate, divine-inspired bid to touch grass. (Gee thanks, Deer Dad.)

So let's address your question here. I'm going to break it down into two categories: magic versus religion. Let's start with magic.

Does magic change the way I interact with pop culture sources? Yes. I'm constantly on the lookout for new spell inspiration when I'm flipping through Magic The Gathering cards, looking at Dungeons and Dragons sourcebooks and homebrew, playing Skyrim (even though I enjoy Oblivion more), or learning about the newest Pokemon generation because I do not own a Nintendo Switch and at this point I'm refusing to move on because I'm stubborn.

Does the definition of magic in those pop culture sources impact my craft? Not particularly - the closest thing to that is that D&D impacted my decision to call myself a wizard instead of a witch.

Does it make me think about magic in ways I wouldn't otherwise? Yes, absolutely! Where else would you get card-based magic than MTG? (Perhaps in tarot-based spells or spell oracle decks.) Where else would you get as fascinating entities as the atronachs of The Elder Scrolls? Where else would you get a tiny Shiny Charmander as a familiar spirit?

It also leads to fun quotes such as "the Flumph made my spell do a fucky-wucky" in group chats with my pals Fool Chicken of @windvexer and Runa of @serpentandthreads.

Am I impacted by pop culture in the way I think of religion? A little bit, actually! In D&D, there's a Faiths and Pantheons web enhancement called Deity Do's and Don'ts that you can find a PDF of almost anywhere. The breaking down of signs from deities into the various categories (animals/plants, monsters, gems/precious metals, colors, and miscellaneous) inspired me to do something a little similar when I make reference documents of the deities I honor, worship, or work with.

It also impacts how I think of deities. The D&D divine power scale (quasi-, lesser, intermediate, greater, over-) doesn't translate to our world's pantheons, but I can use those terms to describe the current influence a particular deity has in my life. For instance, currently Cernunnos is sitting pretty at Greater Influence because I'm currently working with him, while Loki and their family (who I honor) are at Quasi-Influence.

There's also the whole "anyone can become a god" in D&D which affects my own deity classification thing. I draw a line between hero worship and deity worship, but where does that leave figures like Angrboda (a giantess) or Jormungandr (a huge snake)? Since I honor them both like deities, I call them deities, even though they don't have "portfolios" or "domains" in the traditional sense - just what we can scrounge up and apply to them.

Also, like...I'm a pop culture pagan. I worship Azura alongside everyone else. She's literally right there.

Does my view of my religion impact my experiences with pop culture? Yes. Fanfiction has gotten so freaking weird to write or read when it comes to Azura or even just...broad myth-based stories. I keep getting hit with the overwhelming sense of "wow, these writers could not have gotten Athena and Aphrodite more wrong" and it makes mythology-based media really weird for me.

Like...mythological figures aren't just Myth Blorbos, they are actual entities that people STILL, to this day, worship or work with - even the heroes like Odysseus, Orpheus, or Theseus.

Anyway, that's my two cents here, Pythios. I hope this was interesting for you (and everyone else!) to read and I hope I was able to clearly shed some light on my own practices and how pop culture stuff plays into them.

By the way, the dragon dividers in this post? You can find them here. They were made by @firefly-graphics who does incredible work. I recommend their dividers and their other graphics!

~Jasper

[suyman124]

                                                   IKAW na UNTA !

                                                    (by Clint)

                                                                                "As I start my writing, I just want you to know that I am the happiest and luckiest man on earth because you made the right decision in choosing me(pohon). I cannot express my love to you through physical touch or by bringing something, as you are far away from me. However, through this letter, I can express my feelings toward you and how thankful I am for having you ❤️.

   On the last day of the Jamboree, we had our pictures taken together with my co-scouts and you. As far as I can remember, it was a good shot as both of us were highlighted in the picture. At that time, I was magnetized to your beauty and my fellow scouts as well (haha, there was a beautiful lady scout). It was then that I shed my shyness just to take a picture with you, and that's how our love story began."

            Three days after the jamboree, I made the first move with you through Messenger, since I knew your account name, which was revealed by your friend. I immediately opened up a conversation with you to know more details about your life. Day by day, as we chatted and called each other, we developed our feelings, and that was the time, I felt I was the luckiest guy in the world (kilig). So, I decided to court you, and then we both became an official secret couple ❤️.

       Time went by, and when I started to study my undergrad course at Mindanao State University in Naawan, I met a lot of friends online since the pandemic. One of my friends, whom I admired because she is gorgeous, smart, and helpful in terms of academics, I started to chat with her (with the intention of being friends). But, I found myself falling for her, which made me lose my feelings 😞. This was the time when you broke up with me, and of course, I felt guilty that day because I invalidated someone's feelings without knowing the huge impact it would have on you. To make short of the story I realized that her intention and I are friends only. (immature day) 

        At the end of the school year, I decided to transfer to another university and was fortunately accepted. During that time, I started to develop feelings for my close friends and confessed to her just to release what I feel without knowing that she already have a partner. Our friendship ended, and the pain was killing me. Through that experience, I realized how important friendship than a relationship.      

           After that, I developed feelings again for another person who had a similar faith as me. I thought that she could be my life partner in the future, but in the end, it was just my admiration. I never felt her love for me. I tried to spark my feelings for her again, but then I realized that maybe we were not meant to be the same way. It caused me pain, but I needed to accept that my admiration was just that - admiration only!

         College of Science and Mathematics ( CSM) days I volunteered to be a Culture and art head for the three events pop dance, vocal trio, and hallway design since I'm CUA head to our society, unfortunately, I was able to make it and I'm grateful to all my under secretaries and working comms who invest all their time to make our event successfully till the end, nevertheless all tired days of working inside the campus (biskay mag bakasyon unta Wala naalng Kay naay trabaho pero nalipay rasad ko Aron di sad boring Akong life haha) I enjoy because I met a lot of friends at the same time my co-workers from other departments, and every time I travel alone going back to my home I recall those memories we have been together thru chat and calling, we've laughed together, sending memes pictures with you 😭, sharing our problems and other things that we're comfortable with and the reason why i started to chat you hoping that continue what we had started.

    I want you to be my partner in my life in the future, not just in good times but also in bad times. we can't predict what our future will be , that's why I always have a favor with you "Ye please include me in your prayers".Trying my best not to hurt you anymore ❤️

Hoping nga IKAW na unta Ang Gihatag ni Lord Para sa akoa .Don't rush because God set a perfect time for us.

[ophiuchus-interactive]

Originality, Criticism, and Entitlement

After joining the IF community, I've come to see (and experience) the accusation that there are IF writers who steal, copy, or even plagiarize another author's work. I'm going to explain why throwing such accusations around is harmful not only to the accused, but the community as a whole.

This is also an explanation as to why they're incredibly stupid criticisms, and unless there is actual, direct evidence that the work is being copied or stolen, it is not, as such "critics" want to call it, "ripping off" anybody.

(Long read)

Star Wars (1977) is considered by many to be the world's first real blockbuster, with such sensation and hype that even over thirty years since its original release date, it reminds a key figure in our pop culture and media today. In every form or fashion, Star Wars was groundbreaking in terms of cinematic storytelling and movie-going experience.

But Star Wars is nothing new.

George Lucas, the creator, has discussed many times over the years just how precisely the world of Star Wars came to be, and its origins go back much, much farther than you think.

George Lucas claimed that the idea of Star Wars was inspired by Flash Gordon serials, a comic book series that was turned into a TV show in the 1930s. The famous title crawl that appears at the beginning of every Star Wars movie?

Look familiar?

It is also a pretty well known fact that the Galactic Empire and Rebels, along with the battle scenes within the movies, also take heavy inspiration from WWII. Stormtroopers are German Gestapo, the X-Wings and TIE Fighters are inspired by WWII aerial combat: https://youtu.be/msb8OdvBBjU

There is a clear right and wrong that is written into the Star Wars universe, and that most assuredly comes from the material and real world events that George Lucas was inspired by; serial comics and shows of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, leaned heavily into black and white morality. This is why superheroes from that era like Superman or Batman were originally written as static characters. "Superman is invincible, that's not as interesting as the X-Men struggling with their place in society!" Well, yeah, that's because Superman was meant to be nothing more than a comic book character that allows children to act out their power fantasy- "you can't make me go to bed, mom! Superman doesn't go to bed!" etc. etc.

But Star Wars has inspiration that goes back even further than the 1930s. It goes back to ancient Mesopotamia.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world's oldest and most notable form of literature that we know of. It is an epic that describes the heroic journey of one Gilgamesh, told in five parts. This is the earliest known example of what is known as "The Hero's Journey" in literature.

If you have any knowledge of the first movie of Star Wars, you're well aware of the story beats that you can read out in this diagram, as well be able to distinguish the similarities it has with The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Does this mean that Star Wars ripped off The Epic of Gilgamesh?

No. It doesn't. Because even though the story shares similar story beats, and features a black-and-white morality, a sci-fi space opera is a far cry from ancient Mesopotamian gods battling with each other. George Lucas didn't read the epic in school and decide "ah ha! I know how I'm going to make money!"

He was inspired, and he took that inspiration and created a multi-billion dollar franchise that millions love across the globe. He wrote that story and directed that movie, he put in the blood, sweat (lots of sweat- they filmed in Tunisia) and tears to make something WHOLLY NEW, and yet in some ways...similar.

Humans are very complex creatures, and our brain loves nothing more than finding patterns in things. Why is there such a thing as the Rule of Three in literature, a rule that dictates the satisfaction the reader gets when a story has a plot that occurs in three parts? Why is there traditionally only three acts? It is, simply put, satisfying. This traditional three-part structure often times creates stories that may look or feel similar simply because of how it is structured. This is not copying. This is a literature technique that humans have been using since the beginning of language itself.

And this is why I have such a problem with the people suggesting that authors are "copying" popular works- no one solely invented story beats, no one invented the supernatural fiction, no one, singular person, solely created the concepts that we are using today. No one. Not a single thing written is wholly original.

Originality is overrated. We are products of our environment, our culture, our media we consume- if an IF writer has a story with vampires and other supernatural creatures, and the MC is a detective attempting to solve crimes, was that invented by the very popular Wayhaven Chronicles by Mishka Jenkins? No. Vampires in media are nothing new, detectives in media are nothing new, and if they so happen to exist in other stories, what of it? Did Mishka invent vampires? No. They're a cultural phenomenon that has existed in multiple civilizations at once. Did she invent detectives? Obviously not.

Mishka was inspired and so were countless of other IF writers to write a story that involved the supernatural. These IF writers may have similar story beats, they may have similar themes, but that does not make it copying.

You know what makes Star Wars or The Wayhaven Chronicles or any other form of entertaining media great? Innovation.

It is how the authors tell the story, and why it is being written that creates such vast differences in genres. Star Wars isn't The Epic of Gilgamesh because its just "in space", it is the magnificent, innovative storytelling behind Star Wars that makes it so unique in our minds. The cinematography, the storytelling, the dialogue, the acting- all of that hard work into making something worthwhile and good is what makes it so unique when comparing it to other media that feature the literary use of "The Hero's Journey".

We all have something to bring to the table, to tell our stories that have a piece of us inside them. They are influenced by our laughter, our tears, our horror, our love, our rage or terrible indifference. They are influenced by our passions, our delusions, and they are written because we wish it to be so.

Are all impressionists copying Monet because he popularized impressionism? Are all artists who paint in similar styles copying off of the one who created the style in the first place? No. They're not.

To accuse IF authors, particularly the INNOCENT ones of copying others is an unbelievably insulting and ignorant statement that disregards the author's creativity and free will to write whatever the hell they want. If all you have to see out of a story is the basic, bare bones elements to it, then allow me to speak for all IF authors out there and say:

You're missing the fucking point!

We've all put our hard work into not only LEARNING a coding language (which, surprise, not ALL of us know and have to spend HOURS figuring out) but we've learned a coding language to create a game for other people to enjoy, and we'll be damn fucking lucky if we're able to get any money off of our work that we have put in it.

This criticism becomes a form of entitlement real fast, as if a reader has any say as to the pace or way an IF story (or any art for that matter) is written.

Most of us are doing this because we love the idea of putting our work out there as an IF fiction for fun. Some of us have to work jobs, some of us have complicated lives that demand constant attention, some of us wish to do this as a living, but all of us?

All of us deserve the courtesy of being a creator that is sharing their work with the world.

The next time you decide to accuse an IF writer of copying another person, ask yourself if it's legitimate plagiarism or you're just someone who doesn't have the capacity to consider that literary themes, tropes, cliches, and genres, are not the same thing as "copying".

[ddarker-dreams]

General Adult Trio Yan Hcs.

it’s been a while since i’ve gotten to flesh out my hcs for the adult trio!! my chrollo thirst has Picked back up once again, and with it, the other two hxh low-lives. 

Chrollo Lucilfer; 

Chrollo’s approach is, in part, tailored to you. The advantage in lacking a solid sense of self means the ability to wear many faces. A charming suitor, a thief willing to sweep you away into a night of thrills, a brooding yet misunderstood antihero... he can play every role perfectly. He might also take elements of each and form a perfect counterpart. 

He goes out of his way to familiarize himself with those in your close circle. Your friends, coworkers, even your family; all will experience his charisma. Chrollo acts none the wiser but he knows what he’s doing. By getting their affirmation, he has more influence in your life. It won’t be uncommon to hear people ask why you’re not dating Chrollo. 

“Oh, that?” he smiles, eyelids fluttering shut. “I ran into them by coincidence this morning. That look on your face... you don’t believe me, do you? Pity.” 

Chrollo’s end goal is to have you traveling with him. He feels confident in his myriad of Nen to keep you from acting up, believing that if worst comes to worst, a stolen Manipulator ability would get the situation under control. Traveling with Chrollo is hectic, traversing multiple time zones and cultures. He’ll teach you about every place you’re going. 

Generally doesn’t mind when you’re mouthy. Chrollo finds it amusing that you speak your thoughts so freely, but there are some subjects that remain best left unsaid. He wouldn’t care for any indication of attraction to someone other than him, speaking about past relationships in a positive light, stuff like that. There’d be a smile on his face that doesn’t reach his eyes.

Chrollo closes his book with more force than necessary. “Let’s move on from this topic, shall we?” 

He has a penchant for challenging you. Loves watching your attempts at reasoning with him, which can feel infantilizing, not that telling him this will change anything. Chrollo will shrug your concern off, saying that he doesn’t know what you’re talking about. He does know what you’re talking about...

Due to his interest in gothic style, you can expect numerous gifts relating to fashion. Chrollo’s favorites on you include colors like maroon and black, fishnets/sheer tights, choker necklaces, corset outfits, anything with lace, and off-shoulder tops. He loves whatever shows off your legs and collarbones. 

“You look like a work of art,” he hums, circling you like a predator who’s spotted its prey. “It should come as no surprise that I want to steal you.”

Hisoka Morow; 

Hisoka makes for a perplexing yandere. He’s a walking contradiction in every definition of the word, overbearing yet flaky, obsessive yet distant, and always intent on ruining your day. Being around you is thrilling and he’s unashamed of his addiction. Hisoka lives for himself and nothing else matters. 

He prances into your life intending to disturb the status quo. Just when you think you’re free, Hisoka shows up again, welcoming himself into your home. The worst part about it is that getting frustrated and lashing out is what he wants. He looks oh so pleased at prying that reaction from you, licking his lips and emanating bloodlust while you tell him off.

“[First]... I could devour you here and now ♥.”

Ignoring him doesn’t feel like a viable option. Should you rely on this method, anything that you’re paying attention to instead of him will meet an untimely demise. Whether it be a person, technology, or a book; expect cards to soon be lodged in it. Hisoka doesn’t stick around for long. So when he is lurking around your area, he expects attention.

Hisoka’s bizarre nature created a new yandere subgenre. He’s a part-time yandere, typically allowing you to live your life as you please, finding immense gratification from how on edge this makes you. It’s not uncommon for Hisoka to leave for months and then pop up at your job with a sweet smile. 

“Were you lonely without me? Embarrassing as it may be, I found myself missing you. I’m sure we have lots to catch up on.” 

Overall, you can expect your quality of life to go down every time Hisoka rears his head. The good news is that when he disappears for the next few months, you’re able to live life as per usual, no longer held captive by his whims. Hisoka is a lenient yandere, meaning, he likely won’t kidnap you unless pushed to extremes. The benefits Hisoka has to offer end there. 

The touchiest yandere of three listed here. His hands are always on you: whether it be your lower back, your waist, even “accidentally” brushing over your ass. Pushing him away is not going to help. Hisoka is just waiting for an excuse to connect himself to you with Bungee Gum, don’t give him a reason. 

Illumi Zoldyck; 

Catching Illumi’s attention is akin to opening the door one day to find the Grim Reaper staring back at you. Similar to drawing the tarot card Death, you can expect your normal way of life to become a distant memory. Illumi’s view towards relationships is warped, he believes that commitment means disregarding everything else, and this intense view is forced onto you.

“There’s no reason to be upset,” Illumi reasons, blinking at your hunched over form. “I’m taking care of everything. Why are you crying?” 

He thinks in black and white terms. Illumi can provide for you in abundance, what else could you possibly need from a partner? There’s no getting through to him on this front -- no matter how much you plead -- as he feels you’re being irrational. That with time, you’ll come around. His family encourages this detrimental behavior. 

Illumi is a straightforward yandere, but that doesn’t make him any less manipulative. He uses this honesty as a cover for what he’s trying to accomplish. Drumming phrases and ideas into your head, bluntly bringing up past hurts that could be associated with your life before him. There’s a mold that Illumi wants you to fill and he’s willing to push you into it. 

He doesn’t see the point in wasting time. Illumi feels like you have the potential to benefit his family, and once he feels this way, is willing to do anything to make that vision a reality. He’ll make some stiff attempts at romance if he receives advice like that from his family. Dates will be shrouded in silence or awkward small talk, no in-between. 

You’re expected to adjust to things unnaturally fast. Illumi lays down the groundwork of what becoming a member of the Zoldyck family entails, even if you’re in a distraught state. Rules are set into place immediately with the expectation that you’ll follow them. Butlers are always around to ensure this, or return you to your room should you break them.

“Now, this is important. Hm... you really aren’t paying much attention. That’s going to be a problem.” 

Unlike Hisoka, Illumi oversees all details relating to your life. When you wake up, when you should sleep, the nutritional contents of your meals, everything is micromanaged. He claims it’s for the sake of keeping you healthy. Which it very well could be, but doesn’t excuse how overbearing he is. 

[silverandsoulbonded]

A Life of Stories - Soulbonding and My Story

It’s the late 90’s. A tiny child sits in the grip of wonder on the carpet two feet from the old, analog television screen. The volume is turned way down on a Saturday morning, so as not to wake the parents. And Digimon: Adventure is playing.

That kid was me.

I spent the next several days telling anyone and everyone I knew about the trials and bravery of my favorite new friends on the TV. Taichi and his Digi-pals.

Every Saturday morning I tuned in with wrapped attention to check in on my friends. Because that is what they were. I could not explain it at the time, and looking back I see that I did not understand just how powerful my love for them was, but over the years I began to notice the disparity between my experience and that of others. The glazed looks I received when I tried to communicate just how much the “stories” around me meant to my heart and spirit.

As I grew, so too did my well of worlds. When it was not Digimon, it turned to Batman and the DC Animated Universe. Over the years, as things became harder and harder for me in an unsafe household, I would reach out to those stories for safety and comfort. In the dead of night, listening to shouts, I would silently pray for Batman to come in and save me. I would think about Static, from Static Shock, and his bravery. I would long for the Justice League to show me hope.

I grew up in a conservative Protestant Christian household, and I was quickly taught from the moment I could understand stories that they were not real. It seemed a strange double-standard to me, as we read of Jesus and his amazing feats, recorded centuries ago by the hands of men but somehow “different” than the other stories I consumed, which also taught me and affected me just as emotionally.

It would not be until adulthood that I could finally articulate this incongruity I felt, much less possess the bravery and personal freedom to think about it on my own terms. To set aside the pre-packaged “truth” I had been fed growing up in order to find my own fresh fruits of wisdom and meaning.

Stories. Stories are what sustain humanity. All we have are stories. Even the perceptions we store in our brains are only that. Perceptions. Stories. We can never truly know what an orange is, or who a person is. We only can know our perception of them, and the story of them that lives on within us.

And, sometimes, those stories speak to us in the most fantastic and magical of ways.

Fast forward to 2021.

I am an adult. A practicing witch and pagan. An artist and writer. I am functional and thriving. And I have an unusual family.

Some of the most important people in my life do not exist on the physical plane of this Earth quite the same as other friends of mine. They exist in the subtle realms of Dream and thought and wonder. Over time I have come to find many names for them. Spirits, guides, and “soulbonds”.

I began my foray into the community of “soulbonding” when I began to sense, or rather, acknowledge the living quality of some of the “characters” I was writing about. One character in particular, a being who introduced himself to me in a dream, had me particularly flummoxed. I called him Asura, and from the moment he entered my life through that dream, my entire world changed. It was akin to stepping onto a roller coaster car while it was still moving—except this roller coaster had no track and no limits. His entire presence permeated my life, my thoughts, my daydreams. I wrote about him, and it was my writing about him that led me to thoughts, questions, and explorations I would have never dared otherwise. By finding him, he led me to find myself, and for that I shall be forever grateful.

At some point, I, and even my closest friends, became aware of a “spookiness” about my dogged pursuit of this mysterious character. I started to know things about him and his world, and make connections in his story, that seemed to come out of nowhere but which all cohered together perfectly. Without a fault, I would learn tidbits about him that would suddenly fit with another thing I learned later, though I never had to strain to achieve such things. It was not so much that I was “creating” the story so much as “recording” it. There were elements of his story that overlapped with our world’s history and it was spooky as all get out when I learned about historical facts through his story and later found them to also be reflected in my own world, which has a similar timeline to his. A sort of “sibling world” to his.

We also noticed the tremendous power of my emotional connection to him and his friends. My boyfriend at the time even became jealous of Asura, though I assured him that was absurd. “Asura is just a story,” I would say. And my boyfriend thought the same yet he, and others, seemed unable to ignore the fact that there seemed to be something weird going on.

And, one day, with horror, I realized I was in love with Asura—fortunately, by that time I had since broken up with my boyfriend—but the idea terrified me. Unsurprisingly, this sent a conservative Christian “good kid” such as myself down into a spiral of questions and disbelief.

I felt the imposter syndrome. I thought, “I must be insane.” Yet, no one, myself included, could deny the reality of this connection I felt.

Over time, Asura and his friends began to speak to me. They guided me and provided loving support to me. I, at the time, figured I was either crazy or eccentric.

“Maybe this is a writer thing,” I thought.

And it was that thought that led me to soulbonding. I learned of other writers who also had their “characters” come alive to them. Alice Walker, author of the famed American work, The Color Purple, allegedly purported that she had received her story straight from the characters’ mouths one afternoon, during which she sat down to tea with them and learned their tale. And that is when I found a forum site called “The Living Library” (now defunct), and learned the term “soulbonding”.

In that community I found others who echoed my story in various ways. Deep personal connections to entities from other worlds, many of whom they found depicted in the flourishing ecosystem of thought and imagination, stories, that surrounds the human race. Others, discovered their unconventional friends via dreams, visions, or odd circumstances just like myself. One person I met had actually found one such friend first, in this instance a version of Edward Elric from “Full Metal Alchemist”, before learning years later—with a start I imagine—that Edward actually had an entire manga and anime about him.

I say “version” because another amazing phenomenon I discovered was the occurrence of many instantiations of people, characters, from infinite worlds, all with slight variances from one another. That is when I was introduced to the idea of Multiverse Theory and Many Worlds Theory.

As my personal investigations led me down various spiritual rabbit holes, and eventually led me to spirit-working and witchcraft, I found more and more ideas that seemed to jive with my experience.

I discovered what are colloquially called “pop pantheons” in occult circles. Pantheons of spirits and deities who connect to pop culture figures in human society—and even figures from “fiction”. And there is a whole, thriving community of people who lead successful, fulfilled, and meaningful spiritual lives working with these entities. I learned that reality and “truth” are not objective like I had been taught so long ago. And I finally understood MY truth—all we have are myths and stories. Experience is subjective and the only measure of meaning and truth we have is in the effects we see in our own lives.

With tremendous wonder and happiness, and even love, I have seen the effects my unconventional friends and family have wrought in my life. Asura is my familiar spirit now, and I have a whole host of other beings whom I love. Some come from “personal gnosis”, or unique experience, such as Asura. Others are beings who have come to me from the vast world of collective Dreaming that permeates our world, evident in media sources, in the form of stories.

I still have moments of doubt. I sometimes wonder, “Gee-golly-whiz, am I NUTS?” But then I remember that my truth exists only in my own experience. My ethereal family brings me happiness, growth, and meaning. And there really is no difference between my relationship with them and the relationship I had with Jesus so long ago. Every experience is real to me, and brings with it change and good. And that is what matters.

In this blog I intend to share my experience, in hopes that it can offer a beacon to others in similar situations. Every person’s experience is unique, though I hope mine can at least offer some hope, understanding, and love to another.

Cheers.

And happy story-telling.

- Cosmic

[olderthannetfic]

It's really surprising that you're so well versed in older fandoms and yet participate in new popular ones (that cdrama, kpop) is this by design? Im in my twenties and my interest turnover is already way slower than it used to be

You know, that’s a really interesting question. I wouldn’t say it’s by design exactly in that I do tend to just follow what strikes my fancy, and I can’t force myself to want to write fic for just anything. (I find it easier to like reading fic without serious involuntary emotional investment, but writing takes more. Vidding I can do on command most of the time, but I don’t usually bother unless I have a lot of feels or I’m fulfilling someone’s prompt.)

However, me getting into BTS was 100% due to me wanting to understand BTS enough to explain to people who weren’t very interested but wanted to know what was going on in fandom lately. Under normal circumstances, I run the dance party at Escapade, the oldest extant slash con. We borrowed vividcon’s thing of playing fanvids on the wall--all of them set to dance music--as the soundtrack for the dance party. This means I’m creating a 3-hour mixtape of fannishness, which has amazing potential to make people feel in the know about Fandom Today... and equal potential to make them feel alienated if nothing they care about shows up. Only about 100-150 people attend the con, so it really is possible to make a playlist that feels inclusive yet informative--it just takes a huge amount of work.

Every year, I do a lot of research on which fandoms are getting big and look for vids from vidders people won’t have heard of, so there is an element of consciously trying to keep up with things. Generally, I only get into these fandoms myself if I had no idea what they were and then suddenly, oops, they’re my kryptonite, like the buddy cop android plot in Detroit: Become Human, which sucked me in hard for like 6 months on the basis of a vid.

(So if you’re into cross-fandom meta and associated stuff as one of your fannish interests, you tend to have broader knowledge of different fandoms, old and new, than if you’re just looking for the next place you’ll read fic. It’s also easier to love vids for unfamiliar things than fic.)

But though I was only looking for a basic primer on BTS, BTS has 7 members with multiple names and no clear juggernaut pairing, not to mention that AU that runs through the music videos and lots of other context to explain. The barrier to understanding WTF was going on at all was high enough that to know enough to explain, I had to be thoroughly exposed... And once I was over that hurdle, oops, I had a fandom.

--

In terms of old vs. new, here’s the thing: kpop fandoms in English and c-drama fandoms in English right now feel a lot like anime fandom in English did in the early 00s. I had a Buddy Cops of the 70s phase in the middle, but my current fannishness is actually a return to my older fannishness in many ways.

What do I mean about them being similar?

Yes, I know some wanker will show up to say I think China, Korea, and Japan are indistinguishable, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the way that I used to routinely meet Italian and French and German fans, Argentinian and Mexican, Malaysian and Indonesian and Filipino too. English-language fandom of SPN or MCU may have all those fans from all those countries, but it feels very American most of the time. English-language fandom of a non-English-language canon is more overtly about using English as a lingua franca.

It also tends to attract people who as a sideline to their fannishness are getting into language learning and translation, which are my other passion in life after fanworks fandom. (I speak only English and Spanish and a bit of Japanese, but I’ve studied German, French, Russian, Mandarin, Old English, and now Korean.)

Nerds arguing about methods of language learning and which textbooks are good and why is my jam. This is all over the place in English-language fandoms of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean media. Those fandoms also tend to be full of speakers coming from a Germanic or Romance languages background who face similar hurdles in learning these languages. (In other words, if you’re a native Japanese speaker trying to learn Korean, the parts that will be hard for you are different than if you’re an English speaker, but you’re also usually not doing fandom in English.)

There’s also an element of scarcity and difficulty of access and a communal attempt to construct a canon (in the other sense) of stuff from that country that pertains to one’s fannishness. So, for example, a primer explaining the genre of xianxia is highly relevant to being a n00b Untamed fan, but just any old thing about China is not. A c-drama adapted from a danmei webnovel is perhaps part of the new pantheon of Chinese shit we’re all getting into, but just any old drama from decades ago is probably not... unless it’s a genre precursor to something else we care about. Another aspect here is that while Stuff I Can Access As A N00b Who Doesn’t Speak The Language may be relatively scarce, there’s a vast, vast wealth of stuff that exists.

This is what it felt like to be an anime fan in the US in 2000. As translation got more commercial and more crappy series were licensed and dumped onto an already glutted market, the vibe changed. No longer were fans desperately trying to learn enough of the language to translate or spending their time cataloguing what existed or making fanworks about a show they stuck with for a bit: the overall community focus turned to an endless race of consumption to keep up with all of the latest releases. That’s a perfectly valid way of being fannish, but if I wanted that, I’d binge US television 24/7.

Anime fandom got bigger, but what I liked about anime fandom in English died, and I moved on. (Okay, I first moved on to Onmyouji, which is a live action Japanese thing, but still.)

Hardcore weeaboos and now fans of Chinese and Korean stuff don’t stop at language: people get excited about cooking, my other other great passion. Times a thousand if the canon is something like The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, which is full of loving shots of food preparation. People get excited about history! Mandarin and Japanese may share almost nothing in terms of grammar or phonology, but all of East Asia has influence from specific Chinese power centers historically, and there are commonalities to historical architecture and clothing that I love.

I fell out of love with the popular anime art styles as they changed, and I’m not that into animation in general these days. (I still own a shitton of manga in art styles I like, like Okano Reiko’s Onmyouji series.) I’ve become a filmmaker over the last decade, and I’m very excited about beautiful cinematography and editing. With one thing and another, I’m probably not going to get back into anime fandom, but it’s lovely to revisit the cultural aspects I enjoyed about it via live-action media.

BTS surprised me too, to be honest. I really dislike that early 90s R&B ballad style that infests idol music (not just Korean--believe me, I resisted many rounds of “But Johnny’s Entertainment though!” back in the day). While I like some of the dance pop, I just don’t care. But OH NO, BTS turn out to be massive conscious hip hop fanboys, and their music sounds different. I have some tl;dr about my reactions in the meta I wrote about one of my fanvids, which you can find on Dreamwidth here.

--

But back to your comment about turnover: I know fans from the 70s who’ve had one great fannish love and that’s it and more who were like that but eventually moved on to a second or third. They’re... really fannishly monogamous in a way I find hard to comprehend. It was the norm long ago, but even by the 90s when far more people were getting into fandom, it was seen as a little weird. By now, with exponentially more people in fandom, it’s almost unheard of. I think those fans still exist, even as new people joining, but we don’t notice them. They were always rare, but in the past, only people like that had the stamina to get over the barriers to entry and actually become the people who made zines or were willing to be visibly into fanfic in eras when that was seen as really weird. On top of that, there’s an element of me, us, judging the past by what’s left: only people with an intense and often single passion are visible because other people either drifted away or have seamlessly disappeared into some modern fandom. They don’t say they’re 80 or 60 or 40 instead of 20, so nobody knows.

In general, I’m a small fandoms and rare ships person. My brain will do its best to thwart me by liking whatever has no fic even in a big fic fandom... (Except BTS because there is literally fic for any combination of them, like even more than for the likes of MCU. Wow. Best fandom evar!) So I have an incentive to not get complacent and just stick with one fandom because I would very soon have no ability to be in fandom at all.

My appetite for Consuming All The Things has slowed way down, but it also goes in waves, and a lot of what I’m consuming is what I did back in 2000: journal articles and the limited range of English-language books on the history of m/m sex and romance in East Asia. It’s not so much that I have a million fandoms as that I’m watching a few shows as an expression of my interest in East Asian costume dramas and East Asian history generally.

I do like to sit with one thing and experience it deeply rather than moving on quickly, but the surface expression of this has changed depending on whether I’m more into writing fic or more into doing research or something else.

But yes, I do do a certain amount of trying to stay current, often as a part of research for fandom meta or to help other people know what’s going on. Having a sense of what’s big doesn’t automatically mean getting into all those things, but I think some fans who are older-in-fandom and/or older-in-years stop being open to even hearing what’s new. And if you’ve never heard of it, you’ll never know if you might have liked it.

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa has 8 stories at Gossamer, but there are even more X-Files fics at AO3 and her website. She writes Mulder and Scully in a very lovely way. I've recced 3 of my favorites of her fics here before: Bird in Snow, Fall: East on M St, and Skuamorph. Big thanks to Tabula Rasa for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I'm always extremely pleasantly surprised to get kudos (or, very rarely, a comment) on my old fic, but I'm always happy to see it! I did post them all (I think) to AO3. I'm not surprised people are still reading fic, though. It's an iconic show and now with streaming, it's really easy to watch older shows and natural to want fic about them!

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

XF was my first fandom, definitely my first online fandom, and so it will always have a special place in my heart. Also... I had a great time! I stumbled upon and joined the Scullyfic email list by accident, but it was the best thing I could have done. I learned a lot about how to be a writer and how to be in fandom, and those lessons are still important to me. Foundational. Also, in terms of modern fandom drama, XF was more low-key on the drama (although it didn't seem like it at the time!). But I learned something that's always served me well: find like-minded people, and hang out with them. Don't worry about the rest.

Also... you can't control the show, but you kind of can control the canon.

Because of Scully, I ended up taking a forensic anthropology class in university-- and now I have a Master's in a forensic science! Part of the Scully Effect, and proud of it!

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Definitely mostly email list! I never really got the hang of message boards. Posting fic was exhausting, and tbh I never figured out how to work Ephemeral. I checked it every day, though! I loved, after a new episode, everyone sending in their thoughts and reading everyone's experiences together. Fandom was a lot more work back then, tbh!

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

That fic can be just as good, or better, than traditionally published works. There are works of XF fic that have stuck with me for years now, far more than some books I've read. That fan writers can know the characters better than the show writers. The fandom in general was really smart, and mostly more adult than me (I joined fandom when I went away to college, so I always felt at the younger end of the scale. That was good though!).

Also, my first time reading and writing porn. Not gonna lie, I was shocked the first time I accidentally read smut. But I adjusted fast. lol

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I was still a kid (now we would say preteen) when the show premiered- I think in middle school. But I was already into ghosts, aliens, monsters, solving mysteries, and I'd already imprinted on the dynamic thanks to Square One (really)! I was also just old enough to start developing celebrity crushes. Hilariously, I did not twig to the fact that I'm bisexual the entire time I was in XF fandom, despite having enormous crushes on BOTH Mulder and Scully. Ahhhh!

Also, my whole family was into the show, but I was definitely the one with the hyperfixation. I used to take notes and record the episodes as I watched. It just had the right stuff and hit at the right time. And I've always been obsessive.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

As a kid I also really liked Star Trek, and someone had given my dad a book about the history of Star Trek, which I read. This included mentions of fandom and fanfic. As soon as I had a private-- and perhaps more importantly fast-- internet connection (in college), I went looking for XF fanfic, and that was that. Hooked immediately. Also I shipped them A LOT so that's what I went looking for.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I tend to not go back to a fandom once I have a new fandom, so I wouldn't say I'm in it. I did hang around the edges for the revival, of course, because I wanted to experience that with the same people, but since the revival was mostly not that great (with a few exceptions), I didn't get pulled back into it. But I still think of the people I knew in the fandom a lot, and always hope they're doing well.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I've never left fandom, and I've been in a BUNCH: Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Bandom, Supernatural, now CQL/The Untamed and other Chinese-media fandoms, with many smaller ones in between or on the side. I feel like at their core fandoms tend to be similar, although where you host the fandom makes a big difference: Livejournal, tumblr, twitter. I think that because fandoms now tend to be bigger and more diverse (which is good) there tends to be more wank (which is bad). In some of them I was close to a group of people, some of them not. Honestly the best thing is when someone you know from an old fandom is in your new fandom. It's so much fun. I have really good friends thanks to fandom, and I've had them for YEARS. Like. 15 years.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

I tend to focus more on ships than characters, but some of my all-time favs: Scully, Hermione, Sirius Black, Castiel, Lan Wangji, Xie Lian. That's just fandom-oriented ones, otherwise we'd be here all day. :D

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I don't often rewatch episodes any more, although if I come across an ep on tv I might. I definitely still think about them though! For example, I'm a teacher now, and just a couple weeks ago one of my colleagues mentioned he'd heard the students saying they shipped two of their classmates, and he was like "Ship? I don't get it" and I was like "HOO BOY, do I have a story for you!" And I explained how shipping came from XF fandom, and why. That was fun. I definitely still think about Mulder and Scully too-- I mean, they're cultural touchstones, so they do come up sometimes in greater pop culture. Also, I was in Hannibal fandom for a while, and Gillian Anderson is still The Best.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I haven't read XF fic in years, even the ones I remember as being really significant/important to me. I still have my all-time favs saved on an external HD though! Fic in another fandom- every day lol.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

Blinded by White Light by DashaK has stuck with me. Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the Ruby-Throated Warbler by I forget I'm so sorry -- that's lasted as my ideal post-canon MSR and as an interesting and different way to tell a story.  [Lilydale note: It’s by rah.] I was always thrilled to see fic by Brandon, JET, MaybeAmanda, Syntax6... and, frankly, everyone on the Scullyfic/ Emuse list. So many talented people in that fandom!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Things Outside, which is the only thing I've ever written based on a dream, and I'm really satisfied with it. It was hard to write but so much fun to revel in the weirdness. I always kind of wanted to write more because I know a lot more about the situation, but otoh, I like the open, ambiguous ending (usually I am very HEA).

In other fandoms, King & Country in bandom (MCR) and in Supernatural I'm very proud of Hope and Clay. I struggle to write casefics even though I love to read them, but that one really worked out.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I don't think I'll ever write something new. There is an old fic that may be done but it was smut so I was too shy to post it at the time. In theory if I find it and it's decent, I could post it!

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I do! I write fic very slowly, but I do write still! I have a million ideas for stories, but I'm so slow at the actual writing part.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I usually take a jumping-off point from canon, or of course, something I need to fix or expand on. Or sometimes I start telling myself a story as I fall asleep and the idea grabs me long enough I can manage to write it.

What's the story behind your pen name?

I was getting into fandom and realized people didn't use their real names. I flipped through my history book looking for inspiration, and decided tabula rasa was a great name for a writer. I tend to add an X because it's rare to get "tabularasa" as a username, and the X is indeed for X-Files (so I'm something like tabulaxrasa most places). I usually go by Tabula Rasa or Tab, though. And I still use it because 1) it IS a great name for a writer; and 2) it's not fandom-specific so I can keep it in every fandom.

I identify with it so much I have answered to this name in class (oops). I have a "Tab" t-shirt (as in the soda, but I have worn it to Comic-Con for ease of ID-- better than a nametag!). And my mom got me a necklace with a "tab" typewriter key as a charm, which I adore. Yes, I have accidental merch of myself.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

As you can tell from the above, my family knows (my family being my parents and sister). They are supportive! I think my mom read a couple stories? But obviously she has to know the fandom to get it... I got my sister into fic, and we even wrote a couple fics together (in Gundam Wing). She's a lot more selective about fandoms, but she's joined fandoms on her own, too. She's just not in one constantly, like me. :p

I tend not to tell not-online friends unless I have felt them out and know they're super fannish, or they bring it up first.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Most of my old fic is now on AO3 and I hang out on twitter a lot, @tabula_x_rasa

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

I'm really glad people are still in this fandom! It will always be so important to me. Thank you Lilydale, for this nostalgia trip!

(Posted by Lilydale on March 30, 2021)

[passionate-reply]

This week on Passionate Reply: We all know “Don’t You Want Me,” but the early Human League is a totally different beast, featuring a different line-up, and songs about killer clowns and wanting to be a skyscraper, on their debut LP, 1979′s Reproduction. Transcript below the break!

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums. In this installment, we’ll be investigating one of the most surprising debut LPs around: The Human League’s Reproduction, first released in 1979.

Pretty much anyone with a general understanding of Western pop will already know the name of the Human League, and associate them, rightfully, with their early 80s hits like “Don’t You Want Me.” For many, the Human League were the first genuine synth-pop that they had ever heard, and their work in the 1980s has been immeasurably influential in bringing the notion of electronic pop into the mainstream. But before they were hitmakers and game-changers, the Human League were a very different band.

Music: “Being Boiled”

“Being Boiled” was the first thing the Human League would ever press to wax, way back in 1978. In most respects, this track is everything that “Don’t You Want Me” is not: its pace is languid, its structure is shapeless and meandering, and rather than a simple and relatable love story, its lyrics offer us a strange and opaque condemnation of the tortures endured by silkworms during textile production. While fascinating, and endearing in its own morbid way, “Being Boiled” does not exactly scream “hit record.” The Human League were not only a different band in a stylistic sense, but also with respect to their personnel, driven by a creative core comprised of budding synthesists Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh. Prior to the release of the breakthrough album Dare, Marsh and Ware would abandon the group over creative differences, and go on to form Heaven 17 instead. It was vocalist Phil Oakey, and producer Martin Rushent, who would create the sound that their name is now so strongly associated with, and this early incarnation of the group is probably best thought of as an entirely different entity. This album, Reproduction, was their first full-length release, and is perhaps the best introduction to their pioneering sound.

Music: “Circus of Death”

“Circus of Death” had appeared as the B-side to “Being Boiled,” and was included once more as the second track on *Reproduction.* It has a lot in common with the other track it accompanied: a plodding pace, a dark and obtuse lyrical theme, and a sparse, fully electronic instrumentation. The Human League were among the first British groups to utilize a totally electronic sound, devoid of any traditional instruments besides the voice, though in this underground and more experimental context, it doesn’t present a threat to the status quo of pop the way that Dare would a few years later. Alongside fellow proto-industrial acts associated with "the Sound of Sheffield," like Clock DVA and Cabaret Voltaire, they dwelt on the fringes of good taste, crafting subversive music for subversive people. “Circus of Death” introduces us to a demonic figure called “the Clown,” who controls, and torments, human beings by use of a drug called “Dominion,” in a scenario that sounds a bit like Huxley’s Brave New World. It’s worth remembering that while younger generations are quick to think of clowns as icons of evil and terror, clowns were unironically beloved as bringers of joy for most of the 20th Century, and these early portrayals of clowns as killers were indeed shocking at the time. Preceding “Circus of Death,” and opening the album, is “Almost Medieval,” a track with some similar themes, but a rather different composition.

Music: “Almost Medieval”

While “Circus of Death” is slow and dirgelike, “Almost Medieval” showcases the more aggressive side of *Reproduction.* It opens the album with a starkly simplistic tick-tocking beat, reminiscent of an unaccompanied metronome, before bursting into its punk-like sonic assault--a musical representation of how seemingly predictable and deterministic machines can also create something outrageous and unexpected. The lyrics of this track seem pointed towards the past, with the narrator exclaiming that they “feel so old,” and as if they’ve died many times before. Juxtaposed against the thoroughly modern setting of an airport with tarmacs and jet engines, it might be taken as an expression of the horror a person from the past might feel if they were shown the world of the future, created by capitalism and high technology. While it isn’t very accurate, we have a tendency to think of the “Medieval” world as a barbaric, unclean, and uncivilized era, full of witch hunts, chastity belts, and the deliberate erasure of “ancient wisdom.” “Almost Medieval” turns that idea on its head, suggesting that perhaps our world is the one that’s truly barbaric. The image of its narrator, “falling through a rotting ladder,” can be taken as a rejection of the notion of a “ladder” of progress. Similar themes of open-ended symbolism, and the sorrow of modernity, can be found on “Empire State Human.”

Music: “Empire State Human”

Like “Almost Medieval,” “Empire State Human” is lively and faster-paced, with driving percussion. With its straightforward rhymes and repetitive structure, it readily encourages the listener to sing along, almost as if joining in some sort of ritual chant. It’s an idea that Marsh and Ware would return to in their Heaven 17 days, with tracks like “We Don’t Need This Fascist Groove Thang.” “Empire State Human” was the album’s only single, and thanks to this exposure, and its (relative) palatability compared to the rest of their catalogue, it remains one of the best known tracks from the early Human League. “Empire State Human” makes its concept pretty clear, with less ambiguous lyrics and an easy to follow mix that brings Oakey’s voice to the fore: the narrator wishes to become a building, and a mighty skyscraper no less, which might rival the achievements of the Pyramids of the ancient Egyptians. While it is clear that that’s what the song’s about, what we do with this once again high-concept subject matter is up to us. I like to think that this is some kind of perverse commentary on the unnatural and alienating experience of urban living, which may come with the feeling that the concrete and rebar structures that surround us are more significant to our lives than the people who may live or work in them. City life is addressed more directly by the track “Blind Youth.”

Music: “Blind Youth”

“Blind Youth” is probably the most “grounded” track on the album, in terms of its theme, making pointed remarks about “dehumanization” and “high-rise living.” It’s tempting to think of it as a sort of parallel to “Empire State Human,” with a broadly similar musical backdrop, and a more literal expression of the theme hinted at more obliquely by “Empire State Human.” With its focus on the experiences of the titular “youth,” “Blind Youth” can also be contrasted with “Almost Medieval,” whose narrator keens about feeling old. Where “Almost Medieval” deals with the disgust an older person feels at the decrepit state of the human race, “Blind Youth” shows the demented, unthinking joy of the youth, who have grown up in an industrialized and urbanized world, and don’t know different--or better.

While there have been many classic underground albums whose covers aimed to shock and displease polite society, the cover of Reproduction is one of the few that I feel would still be seen as offensive, over 40 years later. It was allegedly the product of a miscommunication between the group and the illustrator commissioned to create it; the band requested a scene in which people are dancing above a ward of babies in glass-topped incubators, and the striking angle, which seems to show people crushing infants underfoot, is an unintentional aspect of the design. Unintentional or not, this crudely violent aspect dominates the final composition, and lends it vileness and immediacy. Like the lyrics of many of the songs, the combination of the cover and title can be interpreted a number of ways. Perhaps it’s a glib commentary on human reproduction as fun and games: we partake in the “dance” of courtship and sexuality, and babies drop beneath our feet. Or perhaps it suggests a contrast between life’s enjoyments, like dancing, and its stressors, like the responsibilities of parenthood. It’s hard not to see so many crying, seemingly distressed infants without becoming upset oneself, and I think the deep instinctual revulsion that this piece inspires is part of why it’s remained so resonant in its subversiveness.

As I mentioned in my introduction, the Human League have gone down in history chiefly for the music they made later, which has largely buried this early period as part of their legacy--at least in the public eye and outside of the dedicated diggings of motivated enthusiasts. If you’re a fan of what you’ve heard from this album, you’ll probably enjoy their 1980 follow-up Travelogue, as well as their EP, Holiday ‘80. Given the emphasis on long-form albums among music aficionados, EPs and their exclusive tracks are quite frequently missed, but Holiday ‘80 is a gem from this short-lived line-up, featuring the fragile “Marianne” as well as a cover of the stadium favourite “Rock ‘N’ Roll,” made famous by Gary Glitter. Thumbing its nose at everything the culture of “rock and roll” stands for, and transposing this hymn to its greatness into an abrasive and sterile lunar landscape of synths, this is one of my favourite covers of all time, and seems to prefigure how a very different Human League would later become the archnemesis of all that rock fans held holy. It was also one of very few tracks to be performed on Top of the Pops, and subsequently see not a rise, but a drop in the singles charts!  

Music: “Rock ‘N’ Roll”

My favourite track on Reproduction is one that appears on its second side, unlike the other tracks I’ve talked about so far: “Austerity / Girl One.” Side Two of Reproduction is mainly focused on longer and more narrative-driven tracks, and this is no exception. Like the opener of the second side, “Austerity / Girl One” is a medley, albeit one of two pieces that are original compositions and not covers, as medleys usually are. This track’s story is both timeless and modern, a bit like a contemporary King Lear: the “Austerity” half deals with an aging father, incapable of understanding his children, dying alone and ignored, while the “Girl One” half puts us in the mindset of his daughter, a New Woman whose life is hectic, but also bleak. It’s a story that many of us will relate to, about people who try their best with what they’ve got, but still feel as though they’ve failed in life. Its simple, but effective musical backdrop of wan synth pulses allows the narrative, and Oakey’s evocative portrayal of it, to take center stage. That’s everything for today, thanks for listening.

Music: “Austerity / Girl One”

[hyba]

Where to Share Your Writing Outside Tumblr

This was inspired by an ask from @ficsinhistory. I have a few options to share, but I want to start by saying that it's definitely a good idea to do your own research about the safety/security of all of the following platforms before choosing which one you prefer to go to. I’m not an expert by any means and these are mainly based on my own experience. But, aside from security, there are also a lot of other things to consider as a writer, including the writing culture on the platform, what people expect on that platform, how it functions, how easy it is to connect with others, and so on.

I think you may already know this, but I spend a lot of time looking for Tumblr alternatives. While I really love Tumblr's layout and community and believe in its potential to be great, I also know that as a professional writer, I'm going to need something other than just Tumblr (and at some point, I might even have to migrate from Tumblr to a more sustainable platform that allows me more control). Because of this, I have actually tried out quite a few platforms where you can share your writing, and below I'm going to go through them and my thoughts on each. I'll go in the order that I discovered/tried them in.

I’ll be discussing:

Dreamwidth

She Writes

Prolitfic

Medium

Blogger

Twitter

More private alternatives

Dreamwidth

Dreamwidth has been around since 2008 and has a very classic blog layout. On this platform, blogs are referred to as 'journals'. It has a fairly good array of functionalities, including scheduling posts, a decent text editor, communities/shared journals, comments on posts, locked (private) posts, and a lot more that we also have here on Tumblr. In fact, in terms of functionalities, it's very, very similar to Tumblr - it's just that the layout is different and looks quite classic. (But I also see that you can code your own Dreamwidth theme, much like how a lot of Tumblr users can do the same.)

As an example, here's my Dreamwidth journal:

As you can see on the side there, you can actually access a Dreamwidth journal's "Reading" tab, which I've renamed "Dashboard" - because it does the same thing as the Tumblr dashboard! That's basically a feed where all of the most recent posts of other journals that I follow pop up. There are a bunch of other overlapping features, but I don't want to ramble here. This is a lot like Blogger (which I have way at the end of the list), but it has much easier community features. I found it easier to find others on here, simply because it has a Search function where you can search for other journals and users and groups and see which ones have been most recently active.

Dreamwidth also has a great section on their website where they discuss your privacy and how to make your journal as private as possible. You actually have the option of making your journal public or private, which means you are the one who chooses who can access it, or who can access certain posts. I think that’s pretty cool.

You can also know more about this website through their FAQs page, which is well-organized and really detailed.

SheWrites

This one is basically a blogging platform for female writers from around the world. The layout and setup of it is really cool (and actually, you can be a male on this website, last time I checked, so it's not entirely exclusive anymore). However, it's a pretty quiet place to be. You won't get a lot of engagement, and it seems like a lot of people create an account on here and then disappear within a few weeks/months. It's very different from Tumblr, with a lot of functionalities missing, but the basics that you really need are still there. Here's what mine looks like:

I'm not very active there myself because the website, in my experience, is a bit glitchy, and the last time I tried to reach out to their support email, it turned out to be fake or not functional. Either way, my message didn't get through. I'm sort of half-half on this one. I see great potential and it has a clean, professional design, but I feel it’s a bit too empty and engagement is very low - a lot of people only advertise their books on here. Still, you can improve engagement by leaving comments on others’ posts and engaging with them.

Here’s their privacy policy. In general, I wouldn’t post your actual writing on here (except maybe excerpts). It’s more of a blogging platform, not really one where you can share your writing, in my experience. It seems that professionalism and respect are the general culture here.

Prolitfic

This one is actually a great platform to share writing if you're okay getting serious constructive criticism. Everybody on this platform seems committed to helping their fellow writers improve their craft, and it's a super honest (but not mean) community that I think is rare to find online. However, that being said, it's also limited in terms of community. Not only is it still currently small, it also doesn't have chatting/messaging functionalities. It's really more of a place where you post stories and other people read them and leave reviews and constructive criticism. There's no personal connection, so if that's what you're looking for, this isn't the place. But it is the place if you want engagement with your writing that will help you improve.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been active on it in about a year, which is a big shame because it’s really an amazing platform to get solid reviews and support from other writers. It also has a cool analytics feature for you to check out with each story you write and share:

I think this one seems to me like a great place to be. The community is small, but really cool and respectful, and that’s the culture there, so I don’t think anyone who is not mature and respectful to their fellow writers would do well at all on this platform.

Here’s their Privacy Policy.

Medium

This is one of those platforms that’s really popular, but I don’t really get how it works. It’s a super big community, and everyone on Medium is writing. The only issue is, the fact that everyone is writing makes it super hard for you to get any engagement. I’m sure that if you work hard at making your stuff easily discovered through using specific tags and words, you might be able to get a lot of readers, but I don’t really have the patience for that and soon gave up. I might return some other time. 

Here’s their Privacy Policy. In general, you’ll find a lot of professionals active on Medium, so I would imagine that their security has to be pretty top-notch, or else people would be very angry. So that’s a possible plus for this platform, despite how hard it is to get your stuff noticed.

Blogger

This is a Google-owned blogging platform. It also features a really classic blog layout, much like Dreamwidth. In fact, if you like Dreamwidth, you’ll probably like Blogger. It’s easy to use, and the layout is really simple, as you can see:

People can subscribe to your blog by email, or they can follow you if they have a Google account using the Blogger platform. Here’s what it looks like to you as the blogger when you log in:

As you can see, it’s a simple layout. You can see your posts, your statistics, comments, and a lot of other stuff. You can also choose/customize themes. And, at the bottom left hand corner, you’ll see something called “Reading List” - that’s where you can access all of the latest post by all of the blogs that you follow.

While I still think that finding a community is easier on Dreamwidth, I have to admit that the fact that the “Reading List” remains private on Blogger is really cool, because in Dreamwidth, anyone can see your “Reading” list (which I called ”Dashboard” in mine), but on Blogger, it’s private and can only be seen by you (unless you somehow want to share it).

Google usually has good security, so I don’t think you have to worry about Blogger. If anything, the main concern is actually getting people to read your posts. As you can see, over the past few months, I’ve had minimal engagement - but to be fair, I haven’t told a soul about my Blogger blog, so I guess that makes sense. Make sure to have a place where you can actually share your blog for people to come read it.

Twitter

Ah, finally, we get to one of the most popular social media outlets for writers. I personally find the Twitter writer culture a bit difficult to get used to - it’s all about getting followers and not really about writing, which bothers me a bit. However, it’s a good place to easily connect with others and built a platform of followers. You could use this in conjunction with something like any of the previous platforms and share links to your blog posts through it.

I’m personally still getting the hang of it, so I can’t say much, but what I’ve experienced on it so far is not very inspiring. I don’t think this is a platform for writers who want to share their actual writing - sharing your writing gets you very little engagement here. Most people engage with question posts, polls, and funny posts.

As for security, here’s their privacy policy. Here’s what they say about keeping your account secure. Someone mentioned that there is also a mirror site for Twitter, but I couldn’t find it, so maybe there is, but maybe there isn’t.

More private alternatives

1. Wordpress: I have no experience with this one, but a lot of writers and bloggers use it, as well as very professional people - I’m guessing they have to have pretty good security because of how widely used Wordpress is.

2. Discord (and alternatives): It’s more of a big chatroom, but it’s a good alternative if you just want to have a writing group or be a part of a writing community. You can share links to private blog posts with your writing, or even to Google Docs and other platforms. That’s a pretty secure way of sharing your writing, but it requires you to have a community that you trust and that would be willing to be on Discord or any of its alternatives.

3. Google Groups/Docs/Drive: If you already have a set of trusted writer friends, why not just move things to Google? You can create shared Google Drive folders where you can share your writing and comment on each other’s works. You can send each other emails with updates and as a way of discussing topics of interest. And you can start Hangouts - basically chats - with your writing group. Anytime you want to stop sharing your writing, you can do that.

4. Mastodon: I honestly don’t know much about this one, but it seems lauded for its security and a lot of people use it to create things called “instances” which allow them to have their own social media communities. It seems to function a lot like Twitter.

5. Create your own website: If you have a website created, you can make sure that it has all the security features you need to keep your writing safe. The only thing here is that I’m sure there will always be someone finding a way around your security, so I would still be a bit careful with what you share regardless. Plus, not everyone knows how to make a website or has the money for it (I’m in the same boat!).

As a final addition, here’s a post I found online about how to keep your blog secure. It might come in handy depending on which platform(s) you are using.

Concluding Remarks: Here’s how I’m dealing with it currently, and it might or might not help you. I’ve decided to keep Tumblr to Tumblr, and not share any more original writing on the platform, unless it’s in the form of writing prompts and discussion pieces. Aside from that, I have a writing buddy and friends that I trust completely who I share my writing with via email/Google Docs. I will still talk about my WIPs, but I won’t share any actual writing. I’m also trying to become more active on some of these platforms, partly because I want to reach other communities, and partly because I want to have a backup place to go in case Tumblr becomes too insecure for me to stay.

I hope this has helped a bit! There are probably a lot of other platforms out there, like online writers’ workshops and such, so don’t feel forced to choose one of the above - it’s completely up to you and I really urge you to do more research online to find the best fit for you. Also, if anyone has other suggestions, please share them!

[cherriesink]

Defrott - Murmurs

Murmurs are snippets of character reflection earned by increasing Explore Points during Exploration. They usually include 6-7 monologues about other characters and 3-4 monologues about things important to the specific character.

These lines are taken straight from the English translation of the game, so fair warning of bad grammar.

About Yatsufusa “Yatsufusa is also a new type of vampire different from Shutaro Kurusu. He enjoys plays, literature, and music... Rich slacker was the term, was it? It probably means that they are the wealthy enough so they can do what they want. Like aristocrats back in the days. 

But that’s a suited way to live for vampires. Because the key to a long life is having a hobby.

And above all, Yatsufusa has a unique skill. It’s probably his ability to reason... but it’s as if he’s an actor acting on stage with a script in hand. He can reenact the crime scene just by looking at the remains. Very fascinating.

It’s also elegant how he uses his brains when fighting in a battle, unlike other vampires. I’m curious how he is 100 years from now, so I want him to live long. But from my experience... boys like him sacrifice themselves for somebody else and end up dying. Just like Mercutio...”

About Kurusu “Shutaro Kurusu... He’s not an exception, but Japanese people are interesting. Because they call themselves monsters. In Europe, we called ourselves God. Both humans and vampires will suffer if they cannot find their raison d'être.

Frailty, thy name is vampire. Vampires like Kurusu were mocked in the ages I’ve gone through. Being mocked is still cute... Worse case, you’d be killed. I wonder if his type are mainstream nowadays? It must be the age of time...

Things rarely surprise me since I’ve gone to different countries. But usually, A-Class vampires will become full of themselves. And... how do I say it- think themselves as God.

But I guess Kurusu is different. A vampire that fears his own powers... quite interesting. He is just like Hamlet. Because he is struggling how to utilize his own powers.”

About Maeda “Maeda from Code Zero... I don’t like him. He’s not elegant. 

I think our time is coming close to an end. We do not belong anywhere in the future that’s filled with rationalization. We will become extinct...

So I want to disappear gracefully when my time has come. I want vampires to be spotless when we must go. But- he and his unit are treating vampires like toy soldiers for modern warfare. That is not how vampires should end their lives, absolutely not.

...But I can still tolerate with their nonsense. After all, they’re still a tiny unit with Kurusu, Yamagami, Suwa, and Takeuchi. If they grow bigger to the point where they look hideous, then I must crush and erase them from this world.

Yoshinobu Maeda will be the Macbeth... who goes first on the list.”

About Yamagami “Unranked vampires are no different from ordinary human beings. That guy in Code Zero- Yamagami was it? He always looks at me with frightened eyes, but he doesn’t interest me at all. 

Everyone fears us, but S-Class vampires are apathetic about most things. We don’t fear people, we don’t get upset, and you even forget how to cry when you live as long as me.

So, unranked vampires arent that different from plants to me. I’d be interested in him if he was a really good actor, or something about him was elegant and beautiful. 

I’ll tell him that he doesn’t have to be so scared of me next time. And that I’ll won’t kill him unless he coughs during my stage.”

About Takeuchi “Takeuchi makes me feel sad. The world should have mysteries that we cannot understand. Because that is how great poems are born. Beautiful Greek mythology or the story of Icarus wouldn’t have been born if people understood what the sun was. 

Beauty lies within the darkness. Art forms through our imagination and what we find in that darkness. But the light of civilization swept that darkness and snatched away beauty from this world...

Takeuchi would’ve been dead a long time ago if killing him was my solution. But things are changing rapidly throughout the entire world since the Industrial Revolution. So in the end, the light will vanish us because we are vampires.

But I think science is dangerous in its own ways. Because you can die from getting too close to the sun just like Icarus did.”

About Suwa “Suwa- an underaged vampire that’s been living a long time. Just like me. He must be wise if he managed to survive this far being a C-Class vampire.

He also enjoys plays- so he’s checked off the list to longevity, I see. But he is too aggressive for a vampire his age. I think he can be a bit more laid-back. 

But I guess the humanness left inside him is what keeps him going. Vampires that have a strong feeling towards something tend to keep up their sanity just like me. Although, that is the same for humans as well...

I heard he was attacked by a group of vampires disguising themselves as a missionary. If he has 11 sitgmatas in total, that means he was bitten by 11 different vampires. I heard the classless ones that got banished from Europe went to Asian countries east of India. So I guess they were some of them.”

About Tenman-ya “I must say that Tenman-ya is quite interesting. There was something similar in Europe called guilds. Although, it was a place where people paid their blood in exchange for getting rid of someone they loathe.

But Tenman-ya pays with blood if vampires help out with carpenters or craftsmen. I have never seen vampires work for blood until I ran into them. That is why I never get tired of this world. Is it a cultural difference? I’m sure vampires in France won’t use it even if a shop with the same concept opened its doors. It takes too much time. I am... an actor myself, but it’s more like a hobby to me. 

To top it off, I heard their master adores vampires and despises humans... Different things pop up at different times and countries indeed. So it it very fascinating. 

However, it seems my time is almost up. I can’t keep up with this era anymore.”

About Family “My younger brother is quite famous- but I do not brag about it in public. My brother is a hero. But it will only hurt his reputation if the world finds out that his older brother is a vampire.

A vampire named Clotide turned me into a vampire. She was someone who I used to call my sister... She mastered ancient Greek and, her abilities were top-notch out of all the vampires I’ve seen. Her levels surpassed the ranking system. I am one of the oldest vampires, but even those vampires called her the “Ancient Vampire” or the “Ancient Goddess.”

An ancient code of vampires goes: “Thou shall not breed children or animal vampires.” If broken, the new life shall be ended. My sister broke the code and protected me. She protected and hid me. We traveled the entire world together...

I did not hold a grudge against her for making me into a vampire... Yet, she never forgave herself. She never did... until the end...”

About Japan “I was always interested in Japan. It all began when I watched “Madama Butterfly” at La Scala. Puccini is fascinating. I do not agree with the ending most of the time, but his music is fantastic. It makes you forget that fuzzy feeling you get.

I have never been to Asia in my life even when being alive for hundreds of years. I had nothing to do... after losing my sister. So, I first went to Beijing where “Turandot” took place. I stayed in Shanghai for awhile, and I said to myself, “Might as well visit Japan since that’s where Madama Butterfly took place...”

But it was disappointing since it was nothing like the Japan depicted at La Scala. I was expecting something more oriental but the country was busy constructing western-style buildings. I should’ve come 100 years earlier... 

But it ended up being a country that provokes my curiosity.”

About Vampires “Most vampires are terrified of me and stay away from my territory. Vampires rarely come near the Imperial Theater since they know that it’s my home. Excluding Code Zero and Yatsufusa... that is.

Those that hide in caves deep inside a mountain and come down for blood once in a while are the most dangerous vampires. Because most of their humanness has long been gone, and some of them have not spoken to anyone for hundreds of years. They forget how to speak. Not elegant at all. Plus, they are only a pain that calls for attention. So I sweep them up.

Vampires are not widely known because they are faithful to their principles to an extent. So boorish ones are even hated by their own kind... Why can’t we all live elegantly?”

[jasonskysys]

Week 9 - Fandom

Fandom is the state of being a fan over someone or something but in the case, I will be touching on fandom towards celebrities regardless they are singers, dancers or bands. Although I personally have almost zero experience with fandom, I can still see why certain group of people are obsessed with who they like and what they are doing. There's nothing wrong with it when you're trying to support someone just because you love the songs they wrote or just their personality, but if you're going overboard with it and starts to influence people around you, the person you're support will sure be upset too. Being the most powerful fandom - a south Korean boy band, BTS, according to MTV (2018), has achieved a global success with two consecutive number 1 albums on the billboard charts, a sold-out world tour, and a historic stadium show at citi field in which had over 40,000 fans in attendance. They named their fan base ARMY just like Beliebers for Justin Bieber, Swifties for Taylor Swift and Arianators for Ariana Grande (Ross, 2020). This creates a bond between fellow celebrities and their fans indirectly.

Impact of social media towards Fandom

In the presence of social media, there is also where fans will be able to get an update on what their idols are doing. But through social media, there are always pros and cons. Are these fans being too extreme and weird? One of the example for pros is that sometimes ‘Emotional support K-pop boys’ can help fans with their mental health (Yeo, 2021). He or she will be able to motivate their fans to do better and aim bigger in their lives. Laffan is from the National Anti Bullying Center at Dublin City University stated that Emotional attachment to an idol can be fairly healthy too. Although it might sound ridiculous but some fans are really living for their idols.

Way back in 2017, Jonghyun from SHINee had passed away at the age of 27 and according to BBC (2017), the hashtag #YouDidWellJonghyun and #StayStrongShawols went viral on Twitter (shawols is the term what fans of SHINee called themselves) as they have come together to pay tribute on social media.

Yes Spread Love but...

Through this, fans can unite as one and continue to spread love just because they have so much love towards the same idol. But here also comes the cons of it. For example, some might be expressing their negative sides on social media too. Especially when their idols passed away or found out actually taking drugs, they might act differently and somewhat being over extreme on social media platform. This negative energy will then influence everyone else that have the same thoughts on the incident and some might try to hurt themselves or commit suicide due to disappointment or when they are not able to accept the fact. Dam-young (2017) stated that an Indonesia fan attempts suicide following the death of Jonghyun. As mentioned by the fan who attempted to suicide in her Twitter post that she had lost both her parents and now her idol, she is thinking of giving up her life instead.

Extreme? "Weird"? Social Media Abuse?

Some extremist might even post pictures of them hurting themselves on Twitter or Facebook just to let the community know how upset they were and how important this idol is to them. This is totally against the law as some other people that are thinking of committing suicide might have really done it after seeing someone with similar experience had already done so, therefore following on attempting suicide.

Fandom Wars

Another effect of social media is that fans tend to abuse social media by using it to leave hate speech on posts by other celebrities that they either don't support or their competition such as the rivalry of EXO-Ls and VIPs in 2015 according to Koreaboo (2018). They often compare to each other and argue which is better.

This really creates a bad trend on the social media as you're scrolling your new feeds, you see hate speeches everywhere, attacking, insulting each other. It acceptable to support who you love but don't hate because they are your rivals. In fact, some of these groups are from the same entertainment company and are good friends, so why should fans hate each other for no reason at all. Fans get raged when their group did not win any awards and get jealous when other groups won the title and start backlashing them through social media behind screens.

Conclusion

So is fandom normal? Are they extreme and "weird"? According to Arzadon (2020), there is nothing wrong with fandom culture and to be a fan of someone or something but most importantly there are still standards of behavior that needs to be met and understood by everyone involved. We shouldn't be over obsessive, violent and bully because in the end, everyone is still a person that needs to live a normal life.

Lastly, is fandom a beautiful thing?

Yes!

Is it dangerous?

Yes!

List of References

Arzadon, L., 2021. Is Fandom Culture Bad?. [online] The Tower. Available at: <https://sbadamsthetower.com/4622/ae/arts-entertainment/is-fandom-culture-bad/> [Accessed 9 May 2021].

BBC News. 2017. Jonghyun fans take comfort in 'pearl aqua Moon' images. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42436476> [Accessed 9 May 2021].

Dam-young, H., 2017. Indonesian fan attempts suicide following Jonghyun‘s death. [online] Koreaherald.com. Available at: <http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20171221000714> [Accessed 9 May 2021].

Koreaboo. 2018. 6 Biggest Fanwars In K-Pop History That We’re Thankful Are In The Past. [online] Available at: <https://www.koreaboo.com/lists/kpop-history-remember-biggest-fanwars/> [Accessed 9 May 2021].

MTV. 2018. ARMY: Inside The World's Most Powerful Fandom - | MTV. [online] Available at: <https://www.mtv.com/video-clips/romgsq/army-inside-the-world-s-most-powerful-fandom> [Accessed 7 May 2021].

Ross, A., 2020. The best fandom names in pop. [online] Planetradio.co.uk. Available at: <https://planetradio.co.uk/hits-radio/entertainment/music/pop-fan-nicknames/> [Accessed 7 May 2021].

Yeo, A., 2021. ‘Emotional support K-pop boys’ help fans with their mental health. [online] Mashable SEA. Available at: <https://sea.mashable.com/social-good/11974/emotional-support-k-pop-boys-help-fans-with-their-mental-health> [Accessed 8 May 2021].

[lamortexiii]

Cryptic Mystic: Who Do? Voodoo!

Who Do? Voodoo!:  Voodoo rituals date back centuries ago and hold root in many different cultures, including Creole, Hatian, and Afro-Caribbean. Most see Voodoo as a dark art - which like any form of craft, it very well can be - but there is more than meets the eye here. Firstly, the term “voodoo” is derived from “voudon” which originated from slaves in Haiti and is an Afro-Caribbean religion. You can find voudon in other places such as Jamaica, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. During the 1600s when voudon first began, any religion other than Catholicism was seen as evil and punishable by whippings, beatings, and even death. At the time, religion was something that slave-owners took very seriously. Most slaves at that time were forced into Catholicism and made to worship and believe in those ways. Because all other religions were believed to be such a disgrace, slave-owners wanted to discourage anyone from believing any other way than what they saw as “right.” Even after slavery ended in the 1800s, the same principles stuck within society, and other religions were still looked down upon and unsupported by the masses. Thus began the rumors of cannibalism, human sacrifice, and zombies to further discourage others from supporting voudon and other religions. Even today, some of this insanity still spills over into society as voudon has been a pop-culture sensation otherwise known as voodoo, and often associated with black magic and other religions such as Satanism - which has absolutely nothing to do with voudon. Voodoo does carry some original aspects of voudon, but most of what we know as voodoo in America simply isn’t what it was meant to be, or even still is for that matter.

Voudon is not what American culture has portrayed through voodoo at all. There is little to do with voodoo dolls or zombies, as portrayed in pop-culture throughout America. Zombies or formerly known as zombi, were seen as solely a West African deity rather than the living dead who have a hunger for brains. Voudon revolves heavily around medicinal practices, songs, stories, and folklore - it is very much a culture and a lifestyle. Bondye is the higher-power found within voudon, although many spirits are worshiped within this religion. These spirits are referred to as loa, and each control a different part of life. For example, if you wish to be more wealthy, then you would give praise and offerings to the spirit of prosperity. If you seek love, then you would give praise and offerings to the spirit of love, and so on. Additionally, loa can possess the bodies of those who worship them. In Christian religion possession is seen as something evil and unwanted, whereas in voudon, possession is highly sought after and seen as a great experience connecting oneself to the spirit world.

But where does Louisiana tie into all of this and at what point does voudon become what most of us know today as Louisiana Voodoo? It all starts with the Atlantic slave trade. During this time people from west and central Africa were brought to French Louisiana, after which large populations of central and west African’s settled there and within the greater Mississippi valley. Voudon was a heavily practiced religion in west Africa and parts of central Africa that was brought to the state of Louisiana. Along with voudon, other similar religions and practices were brought to America as well including Hatian Vodou and Deep Southern Hoodoo. There are many variations of these religions, and what they may look like within a particular community varies in several ways. Louisiana Voodoo was most prominent and attracted the most attention, which is why it is the most well known of all African religions brought to America during that time. Americans have become fascinated with hearsay and stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, and soon Louisiana Voodoo was exacerbated into the way most view it today. Louisiana Voodoo was commercialized and began rising in popularity in the 1930’s after the movie White Zombie misrepresented Louisiana Voodoo as solely being about sticking pins in voodoo dolls and putting hexes on people. Louisiana Voodoo was further exploited by those who profited off of superstitions, turning voodoo into a business model by selling fake elixirs, candles, charms, and items of the like. Voodoo as we know it now has become a part of Louisiana tourist attractions, as businesses have capitalized on this religion.

What we know voodoo as today is a perfect example of cultural appropriation and industrial psychology working hand in hand. This shows how easily the masses can be manipulated through playing off of human emotion and cognition. You see this every day in most advertising and marketing ads. If there is a market for something, there is money to be made there. Businessmen and businesswomen have profited off of these religions for decades, playing off of the curiosity of the masses and what they do not know. Voodoo has piqued many an interest as it has grown in popularity. In spreading information more people can acquire knowledge about the culture and heritage of those who brought these religions to America. Given someone is provided correct information and for good reason, therein lies one of the important ethical factors. False and misleading information has been spread about these religions to the point to where most people who fail to conduct their own research solely see it as one religion; when in fact there are so many more similar religions all brought to America around the same time that no one is aware of. What we know as voodoo plays off of all of these religions in some way and stretches the truth to fit a certain narrative. Is this right or wrong? I’ll let you be the judge of that in forming your own opinion. The psychology behind how voodoo has developed is most interesting, and there is so much more to be said about all religions that make up what we know today as Louisiana Voodoo. If this topic interests you, I encourage you to do your research and dive deep. I can assure you, voodoo is nothing like what the media has portrayed it to be for the last century. What you find might surprise you...

Cryptic Mystic Blog by PsychVVitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com

[mthought-s]

The Truth Behind Unpopular K-pop Opinions (video essay transcript)

[Voices voicing unpopular K-pop opinions]

[Unpopular k-pop opinions in robot voices] x3

An unpopular K-pop opinion is made up of three things:

An opinion

K-pop

And asking: Is it unpopular?

If a statement checks these three boxes, congratulations you have an unpopular K-pop opinion.

They started off being posted on anonymous confession blogs and forums. Some of the oldest Tumblr blogs and posts for these opinions are from 2011 to 2012, documenting over a decade of K-pop opinions. Unpopular opinions and confession blogs aren’t anything new. It's been a practice in online spaces for a long time for people to anonymously share opinions that could potentially be problematic or offensive towards others. Sometimes the opinions are completely neutral. Websites like Tumblr even have these anonymous options built into their websites with anon asks. It’s an opinion with no consequences, a statement for people to debate and discuss.

Today, they have spread to Twitter threads and YouTube videos. And they’re super popular. Actually, popular isn’t the right word. They’re super controversial. They’re provoking—not necessarily thought provoking—just provoking. They garner hundreds of thousands of views, if not millions, on YouTube. Then for Twitter threads, these opinions are capable of starting fanwars and conversation with possibly thousands of quote retweets.

Many fan accounts use them to stir up views and engagement, having thumbnails and threads that feature controversial topics. At times, these unpopular opinions aren’t actually unpopular. Unpopular becomes synonymous with negative where these pieces of fan content and engagement contain negative opinions to discuss, not necessarily ones that are unpopular and go against the majority opinion. For these opinions, it is also difficult to actually determine if an opinion is unpopular because K-pop fandoms are so large and diverse. In a way, these opinions are incorrectly labeled as unpopular. Instead, they are controversial. These are controversial K-pop opinions. For the sake of simplicity though, I will continue to refer to them as unpopular for the remainder of this video. Unpopular K-pop opinions are our gateway into conversation in K-pop spaces.

There’s many pros to these opinions.

They provide a place for people to express an opinion opposing the majority opinion. The majority opinion is very powerful because it leads to agreement and consensus. Unpopular opinions shake things up. They go against the majority. They cause people to question their biases and further research for reasons to defend their own personal opinion. That opposition against the majority can create conversation, leading to fleshing out people’s thoughts on their stances and deepening the understanding behind the topic that those opinions are based on.

Unpopular opinions can also bring light to issues. It provides a platform to be honest. At times, people don’t want to challenge the majority opinion in fear of being witch hunted and dogpiled on for pointing out an issue. For example, people in the fandom space might be using a potentially offensive term. The anonymity of unpopular opinions can provide a spark to a conversation where alternatives to a term can be found and the community can educate themselves further.

One more reason is that unpopular opinion Twitter threads, YouTube videos, blogs, and forums all provide avenues for people with similar opinions to find each other. People can build relationships with each other and create long, lasting friendships. It enhances the community experience of a fandom, providing a sense of commaderite between fans.

There’s also many cons to these opinions and platforms though.

These opinions are essentially gossip. Gossip has a thrill to it. It feels good, but it can be harmful to others. At times, unpopular opinions can begin to cross personal boundaries where they discuss the mental health, sexuality, political opinions, and other invasive topics of K-pop idols and the K-pop industry. Many people in K-pop communities find unpopular opinions invasive of the privacy of idols and disrespectful of their personal lives. Unpopular opinion accounts and blogs encourage people to speculate and possibly spread mis- or dis-information around the online space. This can harm the perception of a celebrity, causing discourse within the fandom.

Unpopular K-pop opinions can make people feel like they’re right for having the opinion they have too. These opinions are no longer viewed as opinions, but as facts for many people. They confirm biases and can create echo chambers where people say the same thing again and again. There’s no deeper thinking, only confirmation bias and ostracization of people who disagree.

While these anonymous platforms can be used to shed light on issues, they can also be abused to say things that are genuinely problematic and offensive without consequences. In some instances, unpopular opinion blogs have been automated where opinions are not reviewed by an actual person or a moderator before being posted. This can lead to opinions being posted that have slurs in them and viewpoints promoting harm to others.

Unpopular K-pop opinions exist in a limbo where there is both good and bad to them. They will always exist for a hot take rant or a structured essay. Although, there’s something shifting and changing in fandom spaces that has changed the view on them in recent years. There’s a new truth to what these opinions represent and why there’s so much push back against them now in particular. Let’s break down the truth behind unpopular K-pop opinions.

The current state of fandom is not ideal for these opinions to exist in. In the past, fandoms have been largely disconnected from each other. Instead of a fandom being one, cohesive group of people that coexists in one space, fandoms look more like this:

Online fandoms are separated by websites. There is overlap of users, but fans are usually mostly active on one website or platform for fannish activities. This would be called their main platform. Then, fans are further divided on websites by their interests. For instance, if someone is a fanartist, they’re usually around other fanartists because it’s the same interest. Overlap is more common with interests where someone can be a fanartist, but also a fanfic author. Someone can be into critical analysis of a TV show, but also be a merch collector. No one is ever in fandom for only one thing.

This is how fandom is usually organized. It differs from fandom to fandom, but this is the bare system of organization. Now, take this organization we’ve discussed already and increase its scale and intensity significantly. That’s what fandoms look like now. Instead of a disconnect between groups though, everything melts together. Cross-platform discourse, especially between Tumblr and Twitter, has become increasingly more common along with cross-interest discourse. Many spaces such as fanart spaces that would have their own discourse and are disconnected from the main fandom space, now meld into the main fandom space anyway. Discourse and discussion is not divided depending on what your interests are anymore, everyone is partaking in it whether they actually care about the interest or not.

In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in people joining online fandom spaces. Many old, already established fandoms and franchises such as Harry Potter and Star Wars had reboots. This allowed a wave of new fandoms to learn from them then build themselves. Add on an increase in internet usage over the years with the appearance of new media to support these fandoms and you have a much larger fandom subculture. Where a majority of fandoms used to be smaller, more tight knit, fandoms are increasingly becoming humongous, interconnected online communities.

And these communities don’t only exist online. In real life, we can see this fandom growth with the expansion of fan events. We see fandoms represented in concerts, passionately singing along to their favorite artist’s song. We see them in conventions, cosplaying and going from panel to panel to meet other fans. We see them in meet and greets, competitions, tours, and so much more. Fandom is bigger than ever, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to millions of people having more free time and spending that time getting into fandom and learning fan culture.

More people means more problems though. Fandoms have never had a good track record of trusting each other in the first place, but more people leads to more mistrust. Stances and opinions in fandoms become more complex. There’s a necessity to clarify and thoroughly explain oneself in order to not get “cancelled” for failing to acknowledge something. You can’t just say anything because people that don’t know you will assume you said something else from what you did say.

In online fandom spaces, people assume intent and decipher posts in order to ensure the original poster’s morals are aligned with their own. Many look to not take the post at face value and look further to ensure the post they’re sharing has an author they agree with. This desire to know the original poster or op’s original intentions pushes people to fill in the blanks with assumptions.

Fandoms begin to generalize and hard-line opinions to compensate because taking the time to learn hundreds of thousands of people’s full, thorough opinions on increasingly complex and multifaceted topics has become more difficult. It’s easier and takes less mental strain and energy to assume intention than actually learn it.

This trend of an increasing interest and population in fandom culture has also led to other trends and changes in how fandoms protect themselves as opposition and complexity in opinion grows.

The fandom police or fanpol are a group of people within a fandom who engage in policing. Policing is to regulate, control, or keep people in order. In fandom history’s past, fanpol have existed with smaller groups trying to bring their version of order to a fandom. Usually these fanpol groups censor other people in the fandom by dogpiling, using disinformation in expose threads, and mass reporting. They’re not favorable groups of people, being unpleasant and downright vile in some cases where they dox and cyber stalk people who disagree with them. Fanpol has become synonymous with fandom bullies.

In today’s current fandom era, these smaller fanpol groups have expanded to where they’re not small, specialized groups anymore. These censoring and policing ideologies have become ingrained in the majority of a fandom or large, overwhelming groups of the fandom. It’s no longer just policing, it’s an entire change in how fans interact with each other. It’s an ideological change. Fandoms essentially police themselves now, no small group of people needed.

The truth behind unpopular K-pop opinions is that they are subject to a changing fandom environment.

Opposition is seen as hatred with hidden agendas to defame and slander. Fandoms want to protect themselves. They’ve begun to police each other on a large scale to do so instead of community building and actually knowing each other. Fandoms have become hypersensitive to opposition because more often than not, that opposition turns into hatred, harassment, and eventually a person who has awful, malicious intentions gains a platform and can’t be taken down. That hostility is a safety measure, a precaution that compensates for a fandom’s failure to bond with each other. It’s not necessarily their fault that they have failed though.

Unpopular opinions have always existed, but even though they’re unpopular they’ve become popular to do. In the face of growing hostility to opposition, the anonymous platform of unpopular K-pop opinions allows for expression. It allows for opposition to exist that isn’t malicious. Sometimes people just don’t like things that are popular or want to criticize something properly without fear of being sent death threats or being constantly harassed for that criticism. Mild unpopular opinions and criticism cannot exist in this current environment.

We are in a state of fandom where mild disagreement is treated the same as downright hatred. It’s faced with hostility and aggression for the reasons I specified earlier. Eventually, we’ll reach a state where mild agreement is treated the same as downright hatred. Where anything that isn’t enthusiastic, gleamingly positive support and showers of love are seen as malicious and attacks against a celebrity or interest.

And it’s so complicated. On one hand, we want to let these milder opinions exist and allow people to express how they truly feel. However, there’s more often than not, hidden agendas behind these milder opinions. There’s agendas to hurt and harm fans and idols.

The truth behind unpopular K-pop opinions is that they exist and have become increasingly more common to express because of this conflict. Fandoms do not know each other anymore and aren’t focused on community building, leading to a spike in hostility to opposition to protect themselves. K-pop fandoms don’t actually care about K-pop anymore in the way they’re supposed to care about it. They should care about their groups and want to build a fandom that loves that group. They’re not doing that though, so when they’re faced with harm from outsiders they don’t know how to combat it as a fandom. K-pop fandoms don’t care about each other. They care about clout. Unpopular K-pop opinions are used to gain their clout through rage clicks and clickbait. That’s why unpopular K-pop opinions have become popular. That’s the truth.

I was originally going to end this video right here. However, I don’t think I can end on such a depressing and hopeless note. If you look at my channel, I haven’t uploaded anything for weeks (months) because I’ve been consumed trying to figure out how to end this without sounding defeatist. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.

So, here goes:

K-pop fandoms can break away from this fandom state where truth seems almost impossible to obtain and clout is seen as king by just choosing to be true to themselves. Be true to their goal as K-pop fans. Their goal is to love their idols, love the thing that brought them into the fandom in the first place. That’s the goal of every fandom. You’re in a fandom because you want to talk about things and enjoy something with other people.

It’s about appreciating the music, content, and interaction groups give fans. That’s why streaming and voting is so amplified to K-pop stans. They stream and vote to show love to their groups because their individual words and actions might never reach them. It’s how the fandom is capable of expressing themselves en masse to their favorite group so that way their favorite group can feel the love they feel for them.

And you can express that love in different ways too. You don’t need to vote and stream, that’s just one of the unique and direct options K-pop stans have. Fanartists express their love by creating art. Fanfiction writers write fanfiction. Editors make edits. If you’re not a creative, simply listening to the music, reading the lyrics, and engaging with others about the music and content is a way to express your love.

The truth behind unpopular K-pop opinions doesn’t need to be the truth anymore. We can change the fandom state by choosing to be ourselves. We can build a community and bond. We can protect our fandom spaces from malicious people and trust each other. You and I are K-pop stans, fans, whatever you want to call it, because we love our groups.

And if you’re just a random person watching this video, you can be in on this too. I hope you’re feeling what I’m feeling right now. I hope you’re feeling it, okay? We love them for who they are, okay? That is our truth and we should live it.

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