theowlspeaks - Tumblr blog

[theowlspeaks]

Thank you so much I love this blog!

:)

[theowlspeaks]

i cant believe you’re being accused of a zvkka shipper pretending to be a zk shipper to start drama and even if you do ship zvkka, so what??? literally doesn’t change the fact that some white bnfs don’t wanna be accountable to writing racist rape porn and people are actively defending them. i might have to start shipping zvkka out of spite.

Wait really that is the dumbest shit...

Seems like it's zutarawasrobbed saying this which doesnt surprise me since she hates that fandom and since I'm the root of all evil I must be one of them. Someone ask her why shes ok bringing in race when shes blasting zukkas for racial fetishization but gets mad when other people do it for a specific genre of creepy zutara fic. Does she think other woc aren't allowed to address racial issues with something she is willing to ignore? I guess we already know the answer is personal bias but you know.

I made this because I love zutara so much and seeing people destroy the ship and characters with their racism and violent fetish hurt too much to ignore. I joined the fandom because I loved how zutara shippers could call out Katara treatment in canon but now some of them turn around and warp Zuko into some disgusting pervert that puts her through far worse than she went through in canon. It's disgusting ooc and disrespectful to both characters and the ship (and all the young girls that looked up to them).

To be clear I don't think zukka fandom is without fault either. I don't know as much because I don't ship it and don't really care one way or another but some of them write very questionable content and engage in racial fetishization too from what I see on ao3 and past discourses.

I wouldn't even need to pretend to be zutara to rile up the zukkas. Actually it would have been easier to do that if I just said I was zukka and pointed the finger at zutara as a whole for being gross. I never did that because it isn't all not even the majority of zutara shippers. Just a few really gross ones.

[theowlspeaks]

To be honest I supported you on almost every topic but you bashing fans as if being white equals being evil is stupid. I don't care how much we have in common, I'm not ditching my white friends in the fandom because of you and your assholery.

-a Cherokee (former) Zutara fan

I'm sorry for the confusion and the people lying about what I've said. I nowhere stated that being white makes someone evil.

The only thing I pointed to was the fact that it was white people glorifying r*pe. Those white people are their defenders and the people that I called racist. I know not all white people are like that and I know many in this fandom stand against that kind of racism.

Please do not let people twist my words. I am not generalizing. I am calling out people that try to glorify r*pe and people that defend that kind of apologist attitude.

[theowlspeaks]

there should b a white woman equivalent of toxic masculinity bc the amnt of times white women have used their supposed fragile femininity to shut down any criticisms regarding their racism is fucking astounding.

it’s like,, u call them out for being racist and IMMEDIATELY the tears start to fall, they accuse u of being a misogynist, they accuse u of being anti-feminist, they pretend (or, in some special cases, genuinely believe) they’re incredibly hurt by ur words and “wrongful” accusations, and in general do everything in their power to weaponize their white womanhood so as not to be held responsible for their actions.

if you then get frustrated and/or angry at them for not getting it, you “prove their point” of being ~aggressive~ and ~unwilling to compromise or educate~. if you hold your tongue and instead console and apologize to the very person hurting you, you’re back to square one while also implicitly letting them know they can get away with being racist and even get called right for doing so as long as they play their cards right.

it’s a no-win situation for people of colour.

[theowlspeaks]

Tw rape mention

.

.

Two things: first, sure sexual assault fantasies are common and can be helpful coping mechanisms, but writing sexy rape in fiction you post publicly IS different from simple harmless fantasy that no one else sees. Second, with how racists redefine terf to be "people who dislike racism in fandom", they're purposefully cutting trans people out of the fandom experience and pretending that terfs... Care about racism OR fandom content. It's super gross to see everywhere and I wish it'd stop.

All of this. Having intrusive thoughts is completely different from broadcasting them for all to see as a positive message.

Also with the terfs it is literally shutting trans people out of the discussion around r*pe when trans people are at high risk for being assaulted and also suffer from irresponsible media interpretations of them. It is the most disgusting thing to see all the racists coming out and calling people terfs to deflect their racism when really they are just hurting trans/nb people as well as woc.

[theowlspeaks]

Rape porn is unfortunately nothing new in the Zutara fandom. On AO3 you can find literal romanticized rape dating back to 2013. On fanfiction.net one of the first rape stories is from 2011. This is probably never going to be properly resolved.

This is the first time I've seen it openly promoted in an event. I'm aware of it's existence in the history of this fandom I just mistakenly believed we could move on from that. Fandom was notoriously racist and white dominated back then and we really did come so far. It's sad we have people around ("fandom olds" I might add) trying to revive those terrible ooc tropes in 2021 when people really should know better. We have been talking for years about how the r*pe/capture trope was damaging and these gross white fans think they can just slink back in and start pulling the same shits that made woc uncomfortable in this space for years. I don't care if they convinced their bootlicking friends to shield them. It is not ok and never was.

We cannot prevent people from behaving like this but we can call them out. Keep an eye on them and don't allow them in your space. Do not platform them or anything they're writing. We have their number now and we are not forgetting what they did.

[theowlspeaks]

Gee, I wish that the bloggers that have been calling anyone interacting with you swerfs & radfems could see why that leads to lack of outright support for your posts. You do have support from me and, judging from the amount of other anons reaching out to you, other bipoc aswell.

It's like the other anon said. White feminists have a pattern of silencing woc in feminist spaces by throwing around terf/swerf/radfem accusations.

You really have to question people that immediately start calling you a radfem or terf when the issue you're talking about is R*PE. They should be careful giving out the impression only radfems care about r*pe because that is one sure way to turn people toward radfem ideology.

[theowlspeaks]

i’m seeing a lot of posts against you in the zutara tag and one thing they have in common is that they swear up and down that anyone who is supporting you is white. me being me, i check the notes and lo and behold, the people who are mainly interacting with your posts are black people and people of color. i, myself am a black person and i 100% agree with you but i guess that makes me white now 🤣

Some of the most loudmouth people with their apologism in this fandom are white. In typical white feminist fashion they prioritize their own needs and hide behind the few woc willing to back them up. They have a narrow perspective and refuse to acknowledge the broader social context of their actions.

Don't let them shame you or any other poc for standing up for yourselves. Just remember what this is all about. One side is trying to justify white people glorifying r*pe and ruining an event for a romantic pairing with it. We are calling those people out and shining light on the harm this causes real life woc especially dark skin indigenous women.

[theowlspeaks]

I've written dark stuff before, and as much as I support the general exploration of all sorts of topics in art you really do have to read the room. You can't protect everybody of course, but it pays to sit back from your work for a bit, read it with fresh eyes and have a better idea as to how itll look to a stranger before you put it in a public space. I know you can't manage everybody's needs and experiences but damn, you can at least be reasonable about what you can put out to help that.

And sometimes with art you really have to interrogate why you're making something.

I've talked to a bunch of people that write dark fic and they seem to have the same attitude. Exploring things is good but certain topics need to be approached with care.

The fact that someone posted something completely carelessly and even admitted they had no idea what they were doing is terrible. It's an insult to dark fic creators everywhere. This is something I would expect from a middle schooler not someone that is allegedly an adult and allowed to run a smut event.

[theowlspeaks]

whoever sent the anon about you hating white people was definitely one of the people who harassed young content creators of color and a brown woman who said she didn’t trust white zk shippers last june 😭 the fact that some white shippers actually believe that reverse racism exists

It's amazing to see the lengths they go to when they feel the need to justify their trashy behavior

[theowlspeaks]

I just find it funny how the white mods haven’t said shit throughout all of this, instead letting the WOC mods deal with it. Where’s the accountability? I mean, they’re the ones who wrote the r*pe fics after all. But they’ve been oddly quiet…

They are sitting back and watching as the woc mods try to clean up their mess for them. They could have taken the fics down. They could have apologized. But no as always they are fine to hide behind woc and treat them like shields.

[theowlspeaks]

I have to roll my eyes at that person accusing you of using race as a shield. You never even said anything about your race until some Anon brought it up. Meanwhile that person has her whole ass identity in her bio and can’t seem to get involved with any sort of discourse without bringing in her race. Such a hypocrite and I can’t believe she’s pulling this bullshit to defend people glorifying literal r@pe

She's having a tantrum because she knows she made the wrong choice in allowing her white friends to post their r*pe but now is doubling down and won't admit it. She thinks she being ok with something makes it automatically not racist.

What blows my mind is how these same people are willing to point to things like the wrong words being used to describe skin color (which is also an issue don't get me wrong) but completely refuse to acknowledge the violent racism of showing an indigenous woman r*ped by her lover. It's so hypocritical and shows how they only bring in race when it fits their personal narrative.

[theowlspeaks]

A lot of people self harm in various other ways but that doesn't make it healthy or justified especially in a broader social context where predators are in constant search of excuses to justify their actions. "She liked it"/"Women like this" is one of the most common defenses rapists use in court.

i can't wait until you eventually get board of this specific purity crusade and move on to another fandom. keep crying about rape fiction, it has existed for hundreds of years and your little blog is going to do jack shit to stop it from continuing to exist. the block button is a great tool btw. i suggest you utilize it before you drive yourself insane over something you'll never be able to control

It's bored not board

[theowlspeaks]

Not people calling me a race traitor because I called out white people using indigenous trauma and violence for sexual gratification...

[theowlspeaks]

thank you sm for calling out the bs in our fandom but for future reference please don’t use the term “bipoc/biwoc” or even “poc” in regards to black people because many of us don’t like to be called as such 😭 instead, just specify when you are talking about one group of people (i really hope this doesn’t come off negatively, i really do appreciate what you’re doing)

Oh no not at all thank you for letting me know. I used the term because I'd seen it used that way before but I will make sure to be more specific in the future.

[theowlspeaks]

Please just admit you hate all white people and stop pretending it's just the older white women of this fandom specifically because it's obvious

I never said that? Are you really going to pull reverse racism shit to justify writing r*pe porn?

I pointed out race because it is relevant to the fact that the people that wrote it are white and being very insensitive to the racist tropes they were glorifying. I have nothing against white people that are able to think critically and not support tropes that actively endanger indigenous women. Unless you think all white people like watching brown girls get assaulted you are being dishonest about what I have been saying.

[theowlspeaks]

I'm scared,many people are leaving the fandom and I don't want to have my ship ruined for me. We need to find a way to make this fandom safe for woc again

That is why I made this blog. I saw dangerous people going completely unchecked and putting themselves in positions of authority in these events so I said something about it. This turned into a shit show but at least the gross people have revealed themselves. Block them, do not interact with anything they post. They are not welcome and they are finally seeing that.

Rest assured there are still good people and creators here. Seek them out and leave the gross ones in their corner.

Generally though here are some red flags to watch out for:

1. White people bragging about being a fandom old. They try to use their supposed status to act like authorities and are often manipulative. Be most careful if they talk about how things were so much better in the past because this is usually code for wishing they could be more openly racist and gross without consequence.

2. People inserting themselves into every discourse aggressively. They might suck you in by loudly defending your favorite ship but be warned. They will use the same energy when defending their own racism or other flawed beliefs. They will bring up race and gender issues when it benefits them but turn on you when they are questioned.

3. Calling people terfs and radfems with little to no context. This is a tactic commonly used to shut down criticism or discussion surround various dangerous sexual behaviors. It is a nuanced discussion but be wary of people that refuse the discussion entirely and call you a terf for questioning them. Often they are hiding their own toxicity or predatory desires and will get aggressive when questioned.

However there are green flags too. Good things to look for:

1. People willing to admit when they did something wrong and take accountability.

2. People that don't get in a lot of discourse. There are exceptions of course but generally they are less aggressive with their opinions and open to ideas.

3. People posting good content. It is easy to tell when someone creates content with love and care. Look for people like that that see the pairing for what it is and spend their time contributing loving and respectful content to the fandom.

I hope you are feeling better and I want you to know that despite all the dirty laundry coming out there is still a place for you here. There are still good people here that respect you and stand against the violence and r*pe apologism we have seen so much of lately.