#what do I even do for tumblr tags these days

[ao3topshipsbracket]

Welcome to the Unofficial Top Tumblr Relationships Bracket!

Many people on Tumblr might have engaged in the practice of "shipping" in relation to "media". Some, according to legend, even have opinions on these matters.

If the above happens to apply to you, you might be eligible to vote in this bracket! We have pitted the most popular pairings of the 2023 Tumblr Year in Review against each other to see who will emerge victorious. Round 6 polls drop on Saturday, May 11th at 4PM PDT, and will run for one day.

Check current vote counts here!

FAQ:

How was the bracket made and seeded?

This bracket was made based off Tumblr's 2023 year in review ship list, and edited to fit into a workable bracket. Matchups were seeded according to ranking on the list.

What are your stances on voter fraud, campaigning, bribing people with drabbles and/or art, etc?

Enthusiastically in favor! We do, however, ask that you don't DDOS Tumblr, and ideally don't commit any murders that can be traced back to us.

Why aren't there platonic relationships in this bracket? There were in the AO3 one.

The AO3 data we were working with included all kinds of relationship tags, including platonic ones. The Tumblr year in review top ship list does not.

I have an issue with [x] being included in this poll.

This poll is a celebration of fandom and fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with some of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement of anything included in the bracket, and refrain from harassment.

In general, please remember that this is intended to be a fun time for the wide community which is fandom culture, and treat each other with respect!

Bracket Schedule!

[kidvoodoo]

When was the last time I made a text post??? Long time ago I guess

Anyway please stop sending me death threats and messages to kms I am mentally ill and at risk of self harm. this is crazy I e been on this site for over a decade and never had anything like this happen before.

Not tagging anyone or anything specific but if this has to do with art I posted recently idk what to tell you I am not on other social media platforms so idk what is going on

But at this point idc if people are going to act this way I suppose the safest thing to do is step away until everyone is calmed down

I apologize for the vague post but I’m not trying to start anything all the messages I got were anon and I haven’t replied to any of them, I guess some people are mad because I made art of Käärijä recently? People are mad at him I guess . I posted my art a while ago so I’m not really sure what has happened

Anyway for my own safety I am taking a break from Tumblr because this is a crazy thing to suddenly be told to die in my messages. Like I said I am a high risk mentally ill person who is also struggling with health issues rn and it has made me very depressed. I don’t know what to do other than try and not think about this event

I see in tags that ESC was boycotting I don’t watch because I am in America and they don’t stream it there, I watched last years but not the entire thing so I don’t know if I missed something in it? I had no intention of watching maybe only clips or peoples highlights reels truthfully I don’t have the energy to sit through a long show like that anyway

I see in tags that this is because of Israel competing and I also am mad about that I just don’t know what I personally did to warrant some people’s anger??? I don’t watch the show I made my art many days ago I don’t even get what is going on???

As I said that the beginning I haven’t made a text post in a long time I don’t really interact with anyone here so I don’t know what I even did wrong????

Please stop sending me hateful thing s I haven’t even said anything to anyone in this fandom, all I do it read the nice reblogs from people in my tags on my art I am too nervous to talk to anyone anyway

I feel like crying I’m so sorry if I hurt peoples feelings I swear I’m not trying to do anything except draw pictures of things I like and ideas in my head. I have been so happy seeing people like my art and this is like a huge shift from people and it’s really scary

Sorry if this post is long and rambling and confusing I am feeling very sick and am not okay mentally

[physalian]

Content Warnings for Original Books

Can we please encourage content warnings for smut and other triggering topics in published literature? This needs to be a thing. Everyone bashes fanfiction for being fanfiction, but I’ve never seen a fanfic where the smut or trigger warnings weren’t tagged to high heaven somewhere in the description or in the opening author’s note.

AO3, compared to FFN, even has a specific “mature” rating just for sex—”E”—that FFN didn’t have. FFN had nervous authors throwing objectively mild content into the “M” rating (e.g. "rated M to be safe"), which meant that if you wanted to read a story that was a little bit violent, you had to turn off your filters as a kid and sift through all the smut just to find that one smut-less, but violent, fic.

When I was a kid in my early FFN days, I was probably exposed to way more stuff I shouldn’t have been reading because I had to disable the mature filter, just so I could read so-called “graphic violence” from pearl-clutching authors. I’d be looking for that one action-adventure fic that happens to have a little murder in it, and sift through fifty pure-smut summaries that ranged from vanilla to straight BDSM—of which had a high chance of being incredibly unhealthy, but you wouldn’t know that at 10, 11, 12 years old.

Fanfic authors, especially when the fanfic platform gives them the freedom to tag, are very clear to let you know just what you’re getting into.

—

I doubt I need to explain what a content warning is on Tumblr, but I will anyway. A content or trigger warning is a heads up at the beginning of a work of media that there are some elements not meant for younger audiences, or for sensitive audiences, or for people who have experienced situations depicted in traumatic ways, or for people who just don’t want to consume media with such content.

In film, this is obvious. If it’s rated R, you generally know what to expect. Generally. Because an R rated film could be R because of anything from profanity to graphic sex/assault and torture scenes. The MPAA rating system is garbage and ‘harsh language’ is not nearly on the same tier as sex in terms of what we should expose our children to.

Before streaming like Amazon as a platform to get around cable censorship rules, you had premium networks like HBO for all your adult content, and then some shows greenlit on smaller networks like AMC—never on ABC, CBS, TNT, etc. HBO wasn’t only for adult stuff, I used to watch Crashbox all the time.

That was the place you went for media that circumvented foul language, violence, and nudity rules in America. It kind of came with its own built-in content warning by virtue of being on those networks, and even then they still give warnings for shows on HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc.

At the start of every episode, you either get a full screen from Starz with the little icons for profanity, nudity, violence, etc, or it would be up at the top around the episode's title. You'd know exactly what you were getting into.

—

In a fanfiction, because I’ve never seen one in an original book, much less for generic vanilla sex scenes, this is what we’re all familiar with:

A/N: Trigger warning! This story contains mentions of rape/non-con. Turn back now, don’t like don’t read.

They also tend to appear at the top of the chapter that contains said scene to double down on the warning, or will, upon completion, include which chapter or chapter section to skip in the work’s summary or opening author’s note. In the old FFN days, there might even be a 4th wall break mid-chapter. Though the terminology we use over the years shifts, we still manage to get the point across.

Like, if I turn off all the filters on AO3 trying to browse for tags and underloved characters that may be lumped in with stuff I’d rather not read, I’ll see tags like “DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT,” which was not a thing in FFN days, even if FFN had allowed things like tags.

While it’s easier to tell in movies due to that shitty-but-functional rating system, that’s not really the case with fiction books. With books, I know the genre, and I know the intended audience age group. If I pick up a book in the children’s sci-fi section, I know it’s going to be something about robots or space or the future and our characters are going to be about twelve years old.

If I pick up a YA thriller, I know I’m going to have a cast of sixteen-to-twenty-somethings and there’s going to be some violence, very vanilla cussing or the author’s own slang, and probably some murder.

Adult or new adult romance—Sex. At least one scene guaranteed.

The problem is that unlike films and TV shows, we don’t get a breakdown for books on what to expect and the nature of those scenes. There’s no little ‘R’ sticker on the back cover and there’s certainly no little insert between chapters to let you know what’s coming next. There's no "trailer" I can read to get a sense of your tone.

So if I’m in the mood for a new adult supernatural romance novel and I have to sit through a vanilla sex scene, that’s fine, that’s what I’m reading it for. But if Mr. Badboy is incredibly aggressive and dominating and being an asshole with very dubious consent, that’s different (although, objectively determining what is and isn't 'dubious' is mighty difficult).

Should I still expect that I take my fluffy or angsty romance with a fat grain of salt just in case?

What happens if it’s not a romance novel, but I get a surprise rape scene as my character’s Tragic Backstory? What if it’s an adventure novel? Spy thriller? High fantasy or historical fiction or murder mystery? If there’s no indication in the genre, summary, or by the style of the cover that I’ll have to read about two characters getting it on?

Some people don’t want to read your characters in all the nitty gritty details. They really like everything else about your book, they just don’t want to read a sex scene, and they really don’t want to be super invested, hundreds of pages and even years of series dedication in, and be massively turned off by smut.

It doesn't need to be this big to-do or hyperdetailed like fanfic. In my upcoming book, I had beta readers with personal and moral objections to some of my themes. From then on, I made sure to ask up front so I didn't trigger my betas.

ENNS is about vampires. I haven't settled on what my content warning page might look like or how exactly I want to phrase it, but it might read something like this:

Dear readers, this is a content warning for graphic violence and adult themes. This book contains mentions of assault, self-harm, and suicide. Please be warned that these themes are present and prevalent in this story and readers should take the utmost care for yourselves when approaching this book. Thank you.

Something like this, just a quick, lighthearted heads up for your novel would suffice:

Dear readers, this book ain’t for kiddies! Be prepared for some adult themes and suggestive romance between characters.

I'm definitely not in the camp of pearl-clutching suburban conservatives, but if I'm browsing for a new novel for my tweenage bookworm and I opened up a book with an intriguing summary, and saw that warning? I'd be much happier with the author for their consideration, instead of buying it blind for my kid. You have no idea why someone wouldn't want to read a sex scene. They might be prude, or they might be a survivor just trying to enjoy a new book.

Because romance and sex is taken for granted, most people are at least going to be open to the possibility of sex, but not everyone will be expecting it or wanting it or think it warranted. It’s not spoilery, it’s not revealing some surprise plot twist, it’s a kind and considerate gesture for those members of your audience who just don’t like sex scenes. And heck, maybe they don't want to read it right now, but they'll remember you and pick your book back up later because you tried.

—

TL;DR: I don’t mind smut. When done well.

There’s a reason romance such a compelling story and why it dominates fanfiction and original works leagues ahead of all other plotlines.

But it still needs a content warning, even if you think it’s obvious, or spoilery, or patronizing. Because if I’m not in the mood for it, it just drags and I want to put the book down instead of reading all your hard work to completion.

[snowmewkat]

Not me forgetting that tumblr exists. But I drew some crows! We like crows right now. They're just done in pencil - 2H though 6B - drawn in my sketch book.

[komododraggggqueen]

tumblr ain’t what it used to be

[roadstostray]

don't smoke, kids. that means there's ghosts nearby

[odakota-rose]

leaving this on my tumblr where i can actually find it bc i posted it on twitter last week and it's already evaporated into the void lmao

[simgerale]

me after attempting to get back into sims and realizing i had a lot more to do than play the game

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

.....you good? You lost it a bit in those tags

this is the "losing it in the tags" blog

it's what we Do

[ao3topshipsbracket]

Welcome to the Unofficial Top Tumblr Relationships Bracket!

Many people on Tumblr might have engaged in the practice of "shipping" in relation to "media". Some, according to legend, even have opinions on these matters.

If the above happens to apply to you, you might be eligible to vote in this bracket! We have pitted the most popular pairings of the 2023 Tumblr Year in Review against each other to see who will emerge victorious. Round 5 polls drop on Friday, May 10th at 2PM PDT, and will run for one day.

Check current vote counts here!

FAQ:

How was the bracket made and seeded?

This bracket was made based off Tumblr's 2023 year in review ship list, and edited to fit into a workable bracket. Matchups were seeded according to ranking on the list.

What are your stances on voter fraud, campaigning, bribing people with drabbles and/or art, etc?

Enthusiastically in favor! We do, however, ask that you don't DDOS Tumblr, and ideally don't commit any murders that can be traced back to us.

Why aren't there platonic relationships in this bracket? There were in the AO3 one.

The AO3 data we were working with included all kinds of relationship tags, including platonic ones. The Tumblr year in review top ship list does not.

I have an issue with [x] being included in this poll.

This poll is a celebration of fandom and fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with some of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement of anything included in the bracket, and refrain from harassment.

In general, please remember that this is intended to be a fun time for the wide community which is fandom culture, and treat each other with respect!

Bracket Schedule!

[andy-clutterbuck]

Simon Casey | Teachers | requested by Anonymous

[novelconcepts]

The fucking choking noise I made when I tuned into a podcast for my run and heard a recent favorite actor go, “I’m still on Tumblr, don’t tell anyone.”

[oceanwithouthermoon]

kubosai... save me...

kubosai

save me kubosai

[milimeters-morales]

for the strike, i’m only gonna be on tumblr once a day for the week to fill my queue with info about Palestine (ranging from the genocide to the culture) and a bit of what i’ve learned myself , so if a post turns out to be debunked, elaborated upon, or the op turns out to be antisemitic and/or pretending to be an ally to Palestinians, please just dm me and i’ll check it out 👍🏾

[goldkirk]

When did the latest 1,000 of you follow me??? good lord hi and welcome, I should maybe pay attention to my notifications and activity page more 😭

[remusjohnslupin]

Hey, Tolkien fandom!

Do you guys ever just sit there, as peaceful as a hobbit in the Shire, lost in your own thoughts in a beautiful place, thinking about how blessed we all are to have read J.R.R Tolkien's writing, to have received the blessing of Christopher Tolkien's continuation of his father's work, and to have seen Peter Jackson's glorious adaptation of it all? Your chest expands whenever you think about the Battles of Beleriand (for good or ill), Beren and Lúthien's journey and how their love changed the course of Middle-earth, Theoden's speech when they were about to save Minas Tirith. Right?

But then...

You remember that Rings of Power exists. That it's a thing that's been made.

That's just sad. And an outright desecration.