Finding out what Threshold Day is just resuscitated a part of me that died when people started dropping fandoms the second the show stops airing or within a month after a movie comes out or the second they finish reading the book. I’m not even that ‘old’, and watching fandoms die so young has ruined the experience for me in ways I can’t really put into words.

Threshold Day is what all fandoms used to be. We used to, you know, linger. We’d enjoy the endless possibilities of joy and creation from the source material for years, if not decades. Now a days people drop it the second it’s not happening right here and now, which is wild because nothing is forever current. Everything ends, but that doesn’t mean your affection for it has to. It doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy it, find new meaning in it, or even come back to it later.

I don’t know, maybe the Star Trek fandom is just built different. They sure meant it when they said live long and prosper.

Gonna be honest I am really, really, REALLY not excited for this movie. It’s probably in my top 3 worst things that could possibly happen to RA. I have no confidence that they’ll do a faithful adaptation, and even if it’s a good movie, it’ll never live up to the version of RA in my mind (though, to be fair, I doubt anything can). I’ll watch it when it comes out, but the books are forever going to be the only canon for me

I know everyone on Tumblr and Twitter regards people who are 25+ or god-forbid 30+ to be in fandom for nefarious purposes only and should be doing adult things like having a shitty 9-5 office job and then getting home and staring at a beige wall.

I'm here to tell you that my experience being 30 is largely unchanged from being 20, except I now have better communication and empathy skills from years of therapy and also from gazing into the void. Also I have more bills and stress, which means I value my time being able to enjoy a hobby like playing with metaphorical Barbie dolls.

Also, I can offer you such gems of lived-experience advice like "you may have a quarter-life crisis in your twenties as adulthood comes stampeding over you, it will suck absolute ass but you are not alone and you can do this."

Anyways shout-out to the age range who are not-elders-but-regarded-as-such-online-for-some-reason. I met a 60+ person playing my cool new gardening sim game and he's legit af. I am baby compared to that guy and he's still vibing. You're allowed to be part of online communities at any age as long as you respect the people around you.

"They're not canon" has to be the worst take in shipping discourse. As if they aren't self-identified as fanon, along with just about every other aspect of fandom that isn't Strictly Canon Compliant™.

Canon to fandom is merely a suggestion that is routinely ignored, and it's a pill that has to be swallowed at some point in every participants journey. That canon couple also never went to high school together, never worked at the same law firm, never flew across the universe in a spaceship to save planet earth, and definitely never ran into each other in a meet-cute coffeeshop setting, no matter how in character they feel.

"They're not canon." We know. That's why we write fanfiction about it.

funniest thing about matt deathnote is that without reading the manga and without interacting with the fandom the amount of intellectual real estate he takes up in your experience of death note is infinitesimal. right up there with rester and gevanni and like, light's sister. nothing like the whiplash of watching death note for the first time in 2023 and having to figure out why unnamed 60 second anime boy is a disproportionately beloved collectively hallucinated fandom oc. truly the goncharov of yaoi

Ok, sorry I'll stop yapping about this topic when I'm dead, how the hell did Agent Elvis come and go in the blink of an eye. I've already listed off some reasons why it didn't quite hit, (too crass for OG fans of E and animation fans/Elvis fans don't seem to have a lot of crossover) but even so, there are plenty of 'hidden gems' that get dug up by cartoon reviewers, but Agent Elvis stays in the graveyard.

Like it's deeply stylish, ridiculous, and a fun time. Idk, maybe most youtubers are afraid to touch Elvis due to the internet's reputation around him. The fact that it's probably going to be a stand alone season 1 with a small fandom is a damn shame since there was a lot of potential in this show.

In slightly more :/ news I’m wondering today whether these assholes chasing writers out of this fandom know that this shit has a ripple effect.

I know exactly what the next parts to everything I’m actively posting AND the next section of the Reception Teacher!Regulus AU is gonna be. They’re ready to be written; I’m excited for them. When I woke up this morning I was raring to go.

And then I saw Anauro has left Tumblr and is thinking about deleting all their fic and my motivation to write just fucking... died. Just, kaput, gone. And I don’t even know Roc, I don’t think we’ve ever crossed paths on here; but god. What the fuck.

Witnessing the harassment other writers receive is demoralising as a whole, even for people who’ve never been on the receiving end of it. It’s never just about the person you’re being awful to; it shows an open disrespect for writers in general, and also? It’s just horrible to watch someone be harassed like that, actually.

IDK I just. When you come in here being a jerk to one writer while enjoying another, you should know that first part will affect the second person. Your actions don’t exist in a vacuum. We all see it. We all feel it.

Obviously in the first place you shouldn’t be shitty to writers bc it’s just. Not nice? But if you can’t bring yourself to adhere to ‘if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all’, maybe the knowledge that your favourite writers are probably collateral in your campaign against the writers you don’t like will get you to rethink your choices.

More "Tissaia, but a gentleman" folly for @ehay in fandomtrumpshate. If anybody can still recall it, I did some doodles for the same subject last year.

They are all Leyendecker studies. For those who are interested:

The teal dress with lattice pattern: is "translated" into a late Victorian/Edwardian suit with the same decorations, a high-buttoned waistcoat, plain shirt with winged collar and white cravat. Just another casual day dress.

The crimson ascension ball gown: hoo boy this gown was a tough one to design, the easy flow of the material gave it a more sensual, almost seductive feel compared to the rest of Tissaia's wardrobe, yet the deep colour and silver leaves decorations made it unmistakable a ball gown, or at least one for special occasion. My best bet was to go with "luxurious, seductive yet formal enough", and put "him" in dress uniform from the same time period, with a lot of leaf motif embroidery. A jacket draped over the shoulder making up for the lack of flow. Inspiration was mainly Hussar uniforms, which I think would fit well with The Witcher books' Central European/Slavic elements.

The comfy sleeping gown: Men also wore nightgown back then, so this was an easy job, no comment

salty that toby stephens will not be destruction of the endless tbh

Tag what is your opinion on fandom cliches and hierarchies? There’s been talk on Twitter about how hard it is to break into the obikin community (which I disagree wkth) but I wondered if you had saw this going on and what your thoughts are as someone who’s been here longer than me

*sighs for a solid 10 minutes* I’m going to sound extremely grumpy answering this and it’s because seeing this kind of stuff pisses me off like nothing else in fandom. I wholeheartedly disagree,as I’m sure you guessed I would,and I have seen similar arguments on tumblr,as I avoid fandom Twitter like the plague. I’ve never seen a more welcoming,friendly,community driven fandom space as I have in the obikin community,and I’ve been in a lot of fandom spaces for a long freaking time. Back in 2019/early 2020 when I made my existence known in obikin,I felt like I was welcomed with open arms and a heartwarming level of love. For the vast majority I’ve found this space to be extremely uplifting,supportive,and positive. And I’m not saying this now as a creator who’s well known in some circles, I’m saying this as the nobody who everyone was extremely kind to when I wasn’t known from Adam,I have been treated the same way from my first chapter to now in regards to peoples’ welcoming kindness.

I’ve seen a couple people on tumblr complain about how hard it is to break into the obikin space and how they feel like nobody cares about them or what they create,and that they feel there’s cliques guarding the supposed gates of…obikin success? I don’t even know. But in my opinion that’s folks waltzing into fandom with an agenda and need that just isn’t compatible with the community spaces of fandom. If you come into a space with the expectation of accolades and popularity you’re not here to actually make friends and have fun,you’re here as a popularity contest.

And I think the fundamental misconception people have is that they are inherently deserving of space and attention just for them coming in and existing. And like, I’m sorry but you have to put in the groundwork to make friends and connections and to find a place you feel you belong. It goes both ways, you have to reach out to people and be friendly and chat,don’t just expect people who have been in this space to magically be your friend and know you when you’re brand new and haven’t made an effort to flag you exist. And that’s what people call “it being hard to break into the space and it’s cliquey.” Because no,that’s how socializing works, you introduce yourself and you chat and you get to know people and you put yourself out there and engage with others. Sometimes you create art and people engage with you over that,sometimes you have funny things to say and people can laugh and bond over that,or sometimes you let other artists know you love what they’ve created. Imagine it as going to a cocktail mixer at an art gallery, you can’t just stand in a freaking corner staring at everyone talking and interacting and then get mad and storm out like “those people are such a clique and not welcoming!!!!” Like bro did you make an effort?

And if you’re coming into fandom as an artist or writer or gif maker or whatever,not everyone is going to like or engage or interact with you and what you create. People in your fandom space are not obligated to reblog your posts or comment on your fics. Especially a space like tumblr,it can take a while for people to notice you and start interacting with you,it’s how algorithms work and is just one of the pitfalls of an online community space. If you make a fandom tumblr I think it’s extremely conceited,self-centered,and like weird to expect to be a popular creator instantly. I’m sure there are people who think I ignore them or am cliquey and barring the door for them when in fact it just takes me a while to notice people. I’m not going to magically remember your username,but what I will notice is you making posts and tagging it in my ship tag, I’ll notice you systematically engaging with people and creating stuff,and l’ll notice if you engage with me. It takes time to build connections,and it takes work.Friendship and community is not owed to you, you must be the second half of the bridge and you must build those relationships and that space for yourself.

We’re a small community, this isn’t a huge popular ship. And it always boggles my mind when people are like iTs sO hArD tO bE iN oBiKiN. Like I notice new artists and writers and gif makers after they’ve made a couple things. We don’t ignore new people but on the flip side it’s not a popularity contest and you’re not owed fame and worship because you were popular in another fandom or because you create art. If you’re here for those reasons then you’re not going to be happy in fandom,especially a small niche part of it where you’re not going to get anywhere near as much attention as you would in a big popular ship.

And I don’t completely buy into the write for yourself mindset and ignore all else. I get what it’s like to want people to enjoy the art you pour yourself into,that’s not a crime. The very act of putting something on tumblr or ao3 means you’re not just creating for yourself. But the key it not to just “create for yourself” but to create what you love. We’re here because we love the same characters and the same world,we want to share that love! And be excited over pouring our love into our art and sharing it with other people who feel the same way!Create and engage in fandom not for popularity or attention,but because you love this thing and it’s inherent human connection with other people who feel the same way. That’s how you build friendships and a community. That’s what fandom is,connection with others over shared love. So engage and create and participate and laugh and chat and cry and connect through shared love. It’s not about our differences,or how we sometimes like different things or find different meanings,that’s what makes these spaces eclectic and fun,it’s not about liking the wrong thing or liking it in a wrong way. If fandom isn’t fun for you because you can’t stand people loving what you love in a different way,or not giving you the attention and praise you want for creating what you love,then that’s a you problem that you should self examine about.

We’re treated like lepers in a lot of spaces for liking the “wrong” thing,and we’re tight knit because of that. Which just means all the more that we can’t afford to be cliquey snobs about “allowing” new people into our space. From every avenue I’ve seen obikin fans are ecstatic to welcome new faces in,it’s just more friends to connect over what we love. Sometimes you like parts of this world or dynamic others don’t,sometimes you create art that means a lot to you that doesn’t mean a lot to everyone else and that’s okay. We’re allowed to have our personal preferences and our likes and our dislikes. But when you start treating other people in the same community like they’re bullying you for not liking the same thing as you and engaging with your content simply because they don’t vibe with it and then accuse the entire fandom of being a gatekeepimg snobby clique,then that’s you just being a whiny baby and I’ll say it to their faces. Your are not oppressed or being bullied because people in obikin don’t like what you do and you’re the one creating divisiveness by saying it’s a problem,no one is obligated to love what you do. And for those who are saying their content isn’t welcome,we’ll that’s just a further cry for attention because there will ALWAYS be someone who will enjoy the dynamic you do,and just because everyone doesn’t,it doesn’t make you a martyr.

So create what you love,put forth a fucking effort to connect with people who like the same shit you do,and don’t push half your fandom away by being a negative black hole in the tags and acting like everyone is out to get you and being mean.

Twitter is becoming such a shithole.

As an internet elder, I remember when twitter was fun. I remember being in many fandoms and sharing whatever I wanted because it's my page, i can post what I want (within reason). if you don't like it, don't read it, or unfollow/block me. it was simple. trolls and bad people always existed. But it's somehow gotten massively worse in the last few years. A basic disagreement seems to be grounds for comments to k*ll yourself, which is absurd and horrific. But it happens so often, it's commonplace.

I remember when twitter was the place to go during important crisis events because regular people on location were sharing more accurate content and it hadn't gotten to the news sources yet. I truly was a source for information. There was a sense of community online. And I feel like that has been completely ruined. Kids today are getting completely wrong information from who knows where, and outright believing it. No sense to question it or do the research before blasting it everywhere, putting others down for disagreeing with it, and continuing the spread of misinformation. They seem to just want to be LOUD. What happened to the basic internet rule of if you don't like it, just ignore it. or block the person and move on. it's basic internet etiquette.

I was just planning on ranting, but as a Good Omens and Michael Sheen fan, this has touched a nerve. it makes me sooo angry that Michael is no longer active on twitter or in the fandom because these people called him out (wrongly) and now think he's a zionist. Because he doesn't want innocent people to die. He's been a humanitarian and given so much of his life to charity causes. Like for YEARS. probably longer than these kids have been alive. He's kind and wonderful and the world needs more people like him.

I'd really love to tell Michael that the Good Omens fandom misses him and his fandom interactions and wonderful chaos. Those assholes are a very small minority. Maybe Mr. Gaiman could persuade him to come to tumblr. (I can dream).

And while I am dreaming - I'll be going to see him in March in Nye in London. And visiting Cardiff for 3 days after. Maybe I can figure out some way to buy him a beer. 🍻 He's wonderful.

*pic of michael with a beer added because he's cute*

I am glad that there's a re-examining of how John Green was treated and all, it was long overdue, but it's not enough to just go "That was wrong I guess" years after the fact. I'm begging people to think about this going forward, to think the next time a post crosses your dash saying so-and-so is a bad person and you shouldn't support them, to do at least the bare minimum of wondering why the post doesn't have sources or whether there's context that's missing. I'm saying check that kind of thing out before you reblog. I'm asking people to think twice before publicly fantasizing about violence against people for "crimes" like writing a book or a video game character you didn't like, before ascribing to them the most malicious motives possible and spreading those loudly. Like maybe we could do the re-evaluating of these patterns and behaviors before subjecting more people to vicious harassment and then offering up a decade-late "sorry."

just saw a femslash ships poll that was "what was your first femslash ship" and i want everyone to know it's totally okay to have a ship that isn't canon, that was never recognized by the showrunners or the actors or canon, that you don't have to view your own queerness through the lens of getting a little kiss on the forehead from mommy and daddy showrunner telling you that they've found a way to monetize your identity.

like listen we're all consumers of media and other things, we live in a society of consumption (no you live in a society i live in debt to a raccoon etc) but you are more than allowed to enjoy your identity in a way that doesn't treat each facet of your personality like a social currency coin. it's okay. fanfiction is supposed to be transformative. you don't have to sit with those people

Maybe this is showing my age, but I really hate how social media platforms have normalised having 100 different apps to talk to people.

Specifically, I hate how it's normal to have people you only talk to on one platform, but you'd have no way of contacting if either of you stopped using that site.

I miss exchanging email addresses and phone numbers and addresses. I miss having people's contact details outside of a social media site.

I miss fandom pen pals. We should bring that back.

I’ll be trying to reblog other people’s hard work more regularly and “|| The Neverending Journey” is my tag for it. OC related content especially.

saw a torchwood rarepair bracket poll bc of a tag i follow and i'm sorry but gwack isn't a rarepair, come on