Googling Shit Like "why Do I Feel Bad After Hanging Out With My Friends" And All Of The Answers Are Either

hey i love these guys

im not ok. this ship and this au got me in a headlock

Trigun Stampede | s01e07

“Something he’d never forget. Right.”

the thing about the “oh of course fandom gravitates towards pretty white boys & ignores female characters and characters of color and especially female characters of color, it’s the creators’ fault because they don’t give those characters any depth/plot relevance!!!” argument is that it’s just….. not true. sure there are lots of shows where that happens but there are also LOTS where it doesn’t and fandoms still behave exactly the same. it doesn’t matter how prominently the creators place women of color, because you all will still fight to ignore them at any cost in favor of white men. despite what you might think from looking at tumblr, prominent & complex main characters of color exist–& in tons of popular shows!–and yet the fandoms are consistently, overwhelmingly saturated with white characters because FANDOMS ARE RACIST, and it’s frankly annoying as hell for you guys to try and blame that exclusively on the creators. own up to that shit.

oh wow! um, thank you for the new follows and reblogs/likes. i barely have the time/energy to draw souharu lately (grad school+depression lolz) but i have been thinking a lot about getting back into drawing my fave free characters (esp since ka effed up their dynamic again AND ruined continuity...idk how i feel with a new free series....) anyways, hi!! you can find me on twttr and curiouscat.me mainly @aomine_ebooks if you want, but no pressure to follow! i just thought if anyone wanted to idk chat and stuff i'm down with that :) feel free to message me here as well

“everyone interprets characters differently” unfortunately so true! thankfully I was blessed with an intense preternatural insight into their core beings (watched and paid attention) and I don’t have to worry

Many transformative works fandoms start with the assumption that they are part of an aggrieved minority that's the target of unjust persecution, given:

- homophobia at large in the wider world (many polls indicate that fandom has a larger-than-average percentage of queer people);

- misogyny at large in the wider world (most polls over the years indicate that fandom is majority female);

- regressive conservatism across the board regarding (but not limited to) media content.

And in the wider world: yes, transformative works fans are a minority, and often each individual has trauma, baggage, &/or a history of being marginalized and oppressed, if not outright harmed, in "real world" spaces.

However, within the communities of fanspace, I have rarely seen any subsect of fandom acknowledge that it is the dominant force within that fanspace in a responsible way beyond the occasional fundraiser (that benefits third party charities and not marginalized individuals within the fandom) or campaigns to get continuations of their preferred media or for their ships to get canonized (which is, ultimately, self-serving).

Instead, we get:

- defensive posturing every time even the mildest thoughtful critique of their favorite ships/characters/fandoms enters their awareness;

- widespread harassment campaigns framed as "victims" just "fighting back" against "oppression" (when the "oppressors" have fewer numbers, smaller reach/social capital/etc within that space);

- a very Americanized blend of "staunch individualism" (where one's own actions should be judged on their own and not as part of a wider pattern across fandom(s)) and "White Girlboss Choice Feminism" (where "if a (white) woman chooses to do something, it is inherently progressive for her to do it, without regard for her positionally or impact within an intersectional framework").

And so on.

What would "responsible ways" of acknowledging one's power within fanspace look like, you may ask?

- donating directly to and signal boosting mutual aid links, especially for fans of marginalized identities;

- taking hard public stances against bigotry of ALL kinds within the ranks of your fellow fans, by sharing information about bad actors, deplatforming and disengaging with bad actors even if they make fanwork you enjoy, and protecting/standing up for targets of harassment outside your fandom coterie(s);

- openness to thoughtful critique of your circle within fanspace (rather than being defensive and assuming victimhood by default) and sharing same, encouraging both yourself and others to learn and improve;

- actively taking steps to read/share/create fanwork (which includes meta, media analysis, etc) that embraces/uplifts a diversity of perspectives beyond your own.

If we can't be responsible with our social power *within the spaces where we do hold that power,* we're no better than those regressive white nerdbros complaining about "woke invasions" of "our spaces" - when the reality is, nerds won the culture war and have way more social capital than some John Hughes-style archetypes of the Bullied Nerd.

We can be better than them. Our fanspaces can be better than that. Let's work together to make that happen.

& ofc he dreams of her

im playing ffx 😳 i love this silly guy

okay finally getting my ass to watch bkg. i’m. charmed. 80′s an*me is something