I’ll never forget the fanfic space on wattpad back in 2016-2017’ish where its culture was that writers would not post their new chapters until they reached x amount of votes (kudos) and comments. I mean I’d never judge anyone for how they chose to update their fics even though I didn’t agree with them. but like. it was the entire wattpad fanfic culture back then that made most writers believe they had to set these specific numbers of votes and comments that they must reach first before they posted the next chapters. so if you were on the fanfic corner of wattpad during that time, you’d most likely have seen fics where it said in the chapter something like “50 votes and 20 comments for the next chapter!” and it was literally the norm and so normalized that I didn’t see anything weird about it back then. but looking back, years after I’ve left wattpad for ao3, yeah that culture as a whole was weird and it shaped writers into thinking that they wrote for the sake of shallow engagement instead for the joy of getting to create, it shaped writers into thinking that their fics’ worth was decided and dictated by strangers’ approval. and then tiktok became a thing and this mindset continued. not to mention how wattpad is full of ads now unless you pay the site monthly for a premium, ad-free service.
so like. man, this is why I love ao3. there’s none of these capitalism or algorithm bullshit on ao3. just writers creating out of love and passion. everybody say thank you ao3
(Gather around the fire, children, as this grandma millennial tells you about the early days of fanfic on the internet.)
2016? Dude, we were doing this stuff in the 2000s, and even earlier. It was extremely commonplace to use author notes to say you were holding a chapter hostage until you received x number of reviews. We didn't have an algorithmic-based feed, but everything else was the same.
I can guarantee that every single thing you think is stupid about what you say, say, ten years ago, was done twenty, thirty, n-ty years ago. People really, really don't change much.
Okay, so this is for all my current followers: I've decided that I'm going to start a blog dedicated to watching anime!
@mikeysakuga
I've always wanted to really get into anime, but never made the time nor the commitment to watching or talking about it to anyone. But to put it shortly, the little I've looked into the anime fandom in the last year really blew me AWAY - and I just can't stop thinking about it and how there are so many cool stories I need to catch up on. I want to see more than just Ghibli, and a part of me also wants to study and really look at it in a way that really just encourages me to write in long lengthy blog posts and reviews. And so with this, I'm going to give myself the chance to do that and dive in deep to the medium of anime.
So... if you're interested in reading about me writing about it (especially from a newcomer's perspective, and mostly spoiler free!) then please feel free to follow the new blog. I don't know how it's going to go as I start, but if enough people see and engage through the comments then that would be wonderful to keep me going.
This post reads more like a ramble, but it's (meant to be) a semi-analysis of why the queer side of the ST fandom is so devastated by the non-existence of Byler and the existence of an epilogue boyfriend for Will. Spoilers are a given; continue at your own risk.
In a way, I guess I got what I wanted. In the end, everyone lives, and everyone is happy. They're growing, and they're moving on, and each of them will go on to live happy lives.
But what I got from Will's character was not what I wanted. It's fantastic, yes; it's the story of a boy who learns to accept himself and be who he is in a time where the world will hate him for it. It's another story about self love. In the end, he accepts himself for who he is, he eventually is able to find love, and he continues to grow as himself, free of the rule of an abuser.
He's another character to teach self-love. And I don't need that anymore. A large amount of us know how to do that now. This might help people come out to their parents, this might help people work through internalized homophobia -- but the people who are watching? Who have been waiting for years for blue and yellow to finally meet in the west, to show us "love like yours can be shown"?? They know how to do that already. They don't need to be told time and time again "love yourself, accept yourself", because they already know how.
Shows and stories have taught me how to love myself. Now, I need one to teach me how to be loved. How do I let someone else see me? How do I let go of the ledge and let myself fall without worrying if the other person will catch me? How do I let myself feel these things without hesitance, without fear, without trying to jam myself into an expectation of "good" or "worthy" or "pure"? Teach me. That was the lesson I was expecting. That was the lesson we all signed up for.
Some may think "oh, he found love in the end!! See? Isn't this what you wanted?" And to that I ask, "did you really think the destination was the point?" It could've been mike. It could've been a new character that we got to hear speak even once. It could have been anyone. The point is that we were never shown how he did it. We had a whole story set up for it: one of a boy who has loved his friend for years, is terrified of saying it, and eventually works up the courage to drop off that ledge and admit who he is. But instead of being caught -- instead of the message being "take the risk, don't be afraid; you can be loved if you only let yourself be" -- he landed in a clearing on his own two feet and was told "you don't need anyone else right now. For now, loving yourself is enough. Sit down and take a break." Which is all well and good, except we are sick of waiting. We want to move on; we're on our feet ready to go, and we are sick of characters finding this clearing and having to wait for someone else to come get them. We wanted one -- just one -- person to be caught in this trust fall, and for the person who caught them to grab their hand and take off running down the path so we can finally have someone to follow. We thought we'd get that. We didn't.
So, that's it. Will's story is a good one. It's a version of the queer experience that I'm sure someone will relate to. The issue is that it's a stage of the queer experience that's been covered over and over and over again, and we're sick of reviewing material. Give us a new textbook already. We're done with this lesson. We learned this last year. Move on with the course.
Since this is probably the last time the Stranger Things tags are going to pop off, I just wanna ask the more chronically online how I can get my Instagram page to stop showing nothing but clickbait posts and memes about this show thankssss
Byler fans, I found a post on the r/Byler subreddit from an outsider's perspective that is really sweet and reassuring! I hope it brings a much-needed smile to your face :)
Anyway, we'll see what happens on New Years Eve...
aight I’ve just seen the three and a half hour avatar movie and am too tired today for anymore screen time, and considering the things I’m hearing on here about stranger things I think I should probably wait for the finale to finish it all off next week
ilyaaaa ☺️<3 ... concussion >:[ and a fractured collarbone :/ out for the playoffs but 🤗 could have been worse 😌☝️ ... i know 🙄 part of the game 🙄 we all get our bell 🔔 rung eventually right? 😊 ... heyy:) heyyyyyyyy:))) ... yes<3 bet-ter🥰🥰 ... i'm sorry i didn't text you last night 😔 ... i was excited about last night ☝️ i'm mostly mad 😠 at marleau for fucking that up 🙄😏 ... you know i had a whole plan to ask you something❗️... i was gonna ask you ☝️❗️ Will You cometomycottage this summer? 🥰🏡 ❌️don't❌️ go to russia🇷🇺 come to my houseee 😤💞 we'll have so much fun :D it's so private :D no one will knoww :D ... mmmwe could have a week💕 or even two✌️💕 we'd be completely alone 👯♂️💞 ~✨️together✨️~ ... oh no 🙄😒 ... ok bye bye 👋☺️ ... 🫡see you next season🫡 ... thank u😊<3 i appreciate it😤<3 ... hellooo😁
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