i've been in fandom since i was born

aqueenvictorious, once

[wizzard890]

We Actually Do Have To Talk About The Pitt Fandom

I just want everyone who watches TV to like.....marinate in this essay.

[carys-the-ninth]

Scifi is full of male protagonists who are pulling babes in situations in which no reasonable person would ever be able to pull babes, but Miles Vorkosigan is exempt from this criticism. "What else that mouth do" eminently plausible reaction to his whole deal

[ao3commentoftheday]

I'm loving the discussions about the role and purpose of fandom, as well and what activities are needed to keep fandoms alive and flourishing!

However... as a fandom creator (writer and artist), I sometimes feel like too much pressure is concentrated on creators. I don't know if this is a frustration others share? Not only should we keep making things, but somehow we also end up becoming these central fandom figures who can feel pressured into responding to comments (or else we're called arrogant or ungrateful), making friends (or else we're rude for ignoring well-meaning people who reach out), and being the drivers and pillars of that community (running events, responding to memes, etc. – and everything falls silent if we stop). It's a lot of work!! I don't always have the time and energy to make things for fun and then also engage in all the ways people might sometimes feel entitled to because they enjoy my works.

I really wish that more "non-creating" fans in the community would discover their fandom power!! and not just rely on the visible "producing" creators to be the only people worth engaging with. It takes nothing more than passion to write a meta-post about a character or a plot point, or to create an ask game, or to DM someone else who you see posting funny tags – not just the creator! Maybe your followers have other tips for evening out the balance a little more?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, anon. This is an observation I've seen in many parts of life, not just fandom.

A lot of people feel as though they need permission or an invitation of some sort in order to contribute. That's why I always end my answers by asking people to share their thoughts. I want to make it explicitly clear that I want people to add things into the reblogs (which I can then share out for more people to see) and the replies (which people can at least read even if I can't reblog).

I have heard fans who are readers but don't write fic say that they think they can't get an AO3 account unless they plan to post something. This is incorrect, of course, but a lot of people make that assumption.

I think at least some people (I don't know what kind of percentage) assume that someone who is writing fic or posting art or making podfics and video edits etc. has some sort of expertise that "allows" them to post.

People with less confidence or with less practice etc. sometimes need an extra nudge before they realize that they're welcome to contribute too. If that's the case for you, please allow me to say:

You are welcome to post in your fandom, even if no one invites you to. Even if you think you're not good enough. Even if your idea isn't "popular."

Start a conversation. Share a thought. Talk to folks who reblog cool shit. Be a folk who reblogs cool shit. You don't have to do everything in order to do something.

As mentioned above, please do share your thoughts in the reblogs and replies to keep the conversation going.

[velkynkarma]

You can absolutely have an AO3 account without posting! It is an archive and tons of people use it precisely this way. Pure readers can still use the tools to:

Bookmark fics they enjoy (privately or publicly)

Leave notes or tags on fics that have been bookmarked to remind themselves of plot points or things they liked

Use the "marked for later" system to keep track of fics on their "to be read" lists

Subscribe to fics, series, or authors so they are automatically notified when the next update arrives

Comment on fics (even if anonymous comments are not permitted)

See privated fics or fics locked for accounts only

So even if you never plan to post a single fic, it's still worth an account!

[blended-ice]

Happy Valentine’s Day!

clothes are inspired by the pink and red valentines ship tag colors

[chosominous]

Episode 15 sums up my thoughts on S2 well.

You can still see what made S1 such a gem, except this time, you notice it mainly through what S2 lacks to shine the same way.

[love-quinn]

the real mass casualty of the pitt season 2 were all of the women who got let down this season

[chosominous]

It’s sooooooo frustrating.

I love Robby, I love what the character represents, I love how he’s written.

So WHY did the production have to ruin that with borderline comments, really poor handling of the main WOC cast members, and lame excuses that show they don’t really know where they’re going unless it’s about Robby et. al

What happened between S1 and s2...the overall quality is still good, but it’s disappointing knowing what they’re capable of and the directions they chose to take instead

And stop saying the criticism isn’t legitimate just because there are a lot of WOC on screen. Being on screen isn’t enough — you need solid narrative consistency, otherwise it’s just tokenism, I really thought The Pitt wouldn’t fall into that

[lady-orchis]

Well, that was underwhelming.

[lannisten]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug + scenery

[thesassycat]

what if all the scenerios we make up in our head are actually real events happening in an alternative universe and we’re actually connecting with our alternate self’s mind

[this-slag]

my alternate self is getting some serious dick 

[creativepromptsforwriting]

What is... a squick?

Squicks are similar to disgust. But it differs from it in that a "squick" usually refers purely to the physical sensation of disgust and repulsion. It's more or less just the reaction of the body, not a morally judgement on something.

In regards to writing and reading it means that a specific topic is not something the writer or reader is feeling comfortable with. 

[cassiesinsanity]

It is NOT the same as a trigger.

And squicks are judgement free. "I don't like this thing and I'm not going to engage with it in any way, shape or form, but you do you! Yay you!"

I don't know why we stopped using squick as much as we used to, but we need to bring it back big time.

[fanlore-wiki]

Learn more about the term Squick on Fanlore!

[bundibird]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We need a "This is absolutely NOT mature content" feedback button on posts. You can report a post as missing a community label. We should also be able to report posts as having a comminity label when they dont fucking need one.

[lady-orchis]

@staff the community is willing to do the work but you have to LET us

[elodieunderglass]

The grim young lord whom everyone follows / his brother whom everyone loves

I don't know what's going on in their medieval AU, but Charlie's been rescued from a pickle.

...Possibly a literal actual pickle. Vinegar all the way home.

[elodieunderglass]

Oh my God @chameleonsallinvermillion

[lady-orchis]

Saving up the last two episodes of The Pitt to watch at once and it is murdering me dead. I had to block every single character name and I've still run into a spoiler. AHHHHHHHH.

I will not survive the week.

[before-you-say-no-dont-say-no]

„Darling… I need your help. I can’t seem to die without you.“

The Decameron (2024)

[alicerohrwacher]

Tony Hale as Sirisco

in The Decameron (2024)

[hellosweetie99]

Panfilo is just a guy who’s queer platonic soulmate died and has been driven mad with grief and decides to be so honest and free until it destroys him