Miles @miles-and-friends - Tumblr Blog

Research: Understanding MCYT Boundaries

SURVEY LINK

During my time in mcyt fandom, I've watched as the fandom's perception of creator boundaries has grown and shifted into a cornerstone of our fandom, and yet we don't actually have any good data on how the fandom as a whole perceives them outside of discourse posts.

The goal of this unofficial study NOT to make a value judgement on whether creator boundaries should be respected - it is to understand how the fandom currently perceives and interacts with them.* Is respecting creator boundaries important to you? Has your favorite creator made a boundary list or spoken about it on stream? Do you find some boundaries acceptable and others not? Have you ever been the target of hate for engaging with boundary-breaking content? Whether you think boundaries should always be respected or you think they're being used as tools of censorship, I want to hear from you. What are boundaries, and why do they matter so much to us?

—

This survey is a mix of multiple choice and optional long-response questions. It should take about 15 minutes if you’re only doing the required questions, and much longer if you choose to answer the optional questions.**

If you are able, please reblog and share this survey link around. Feel free to post it on any platform, as I am currently only on Tumblr, which is not representative of the fandom as a whole. In fact, I’d love it if it reached Twitter. The more responses, the more accurate the results will be for the whole of mcyt.*** Anyone in mcyt spaces, including creators, are welcome to take the survey to share their thoughts. However, I ask that for the comfort of content creators and the spirit of good fandom etiquete, please do not directly share the survey with any creator or post the link in any creators’ official communities. Thoughtful discussion is always valued over reactionary comments.

The survey is set to close at 11:59pm EST on August 1, 2026 - I may extend this date if there is still a high volume of responses coming in, or if there aren’t enough responses yet for meaningful data. I will aim to publish the results within a month of the survey’s close, and keep you updated on the timeline if that’s not feasible for any reason.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped beta this survey- you all gave such wonderful suggestions! I wish I could’ve kept every question, but in the end a lot needed to be cut to make this manageable. Please know that I appreciate every one of you, as this survey would not exist today without you.

—

* Why I think this data is important to collect: The idea for this survey came to me almost a year ago, and I started developing it around February of this year. I’ve spoken with dozens of people about this topic with diverse opinions, read and catalogued hundreds of tumblr posts, rewatched streams and videos by creators and fans, and watched as opinions have shifted across fandoms in real time. I feel extremely confident in saying that every person on every side cares deeply about respecting others and creating safe, welcoming communities in all mcyt spaces. Where they differ is on how to show that respect, which kinds of expectations they think are reasonable in different spaces, and beliefs on how those in power should be using their influence. I don’t expect this survey’s results to fundamentally change anything - this debate has been going on longer than mcyt has existed. But I think it’s still important to analyze the actual arguments people are making and how they affect our communities, instead of focusing on expected behavior from others based on our own values, so we can see the varying expressions of humanity in each other and work towards a better future for our fandom. I don’t think we’re as different as the discourse may have us believe.

** This survey is designed to encourage all participants to think critically about their position and the effects it has. I am aware that I have my own personal biases, so I have taken steps to ensure that the survey is as bipartisan as possible and also gives participants the opportunity to explain their answers for every question if they feel the need. Because of this, there may be questions that make some participants uncomfortable. While I would appreciate knowing why a question has made someone uncomfortable, participants are always free to skip such long-response questions.

*** I’m well aware that any recent discourse on this topic may skew results if arguments on one side are more successful than another in convincing fans of a particular position. I still think the data will be valuable even with a potential skew.

rantingspade

every bit of harassment that Ive seen happening because of the "boundary" situation

This post is not to state my own opinion or anything, it is just to have a collection of all the harassment that's been happening, all in one place. This post is main tagged so taht more people see it, especially those who belive that there is no harassment happening, because there is.

If anyone else has anything they'd like me to put here (from both "sides" of the debate), feel free to send it to me! My ask box and dms are open!

All victims are are censored for their own safety and privacy, If any of them would like me to take them out of this entirely, feel free to tell me and I will do so!

Perpetrators are not censored, this is so people can block and report them. It is not an invitation to harass them back. Let's not stoop so low, please?

TW: rape, death and sa threats, mentions of sh, suicide, the r-slur

daily-cup-of-t

A recent update and clarification on the boundary situation because not all fans are in the pyroscythe.

(Original askers cropped out for safety/privacy)

Different question by a different asker

(along with some not happy reacts to the above message)

Different asker

Response from the second asker

Later announcement

waterinhell

I feel like CC's keep forgetting that they do this as a job. Like yeah they produce content for "free" in the sense that the viewers don't have to pay anything, but they still get paid. It's still their income. You don't see VA's in games or anime policing their characters. You don't see actors and film directors policing the communities around their movies or TV series. Because it's unreasonable and they will get paid less.

I completely understand feeling uncomfortable seeing certain things. That's why my "block tags" list is enormous. But that's also why the tag blocklist is even there.

I could talk about how they are misusing the word "boundary" when they actually mean "rules," but I feel like it has been talked about plenty of times already.

My main concern is that there are CC's who claim that they are "against harassment," and tell their fans "don't harass people," yet their actions prove otherwise.

You cannot create rules in your community and expect harassment not to occur. You simply cannot. Rules encourage harassment. That is a proven fact through repeated history.

You cannot say "Do not post anything that makes me uncomfortable" and not expect people to harass others over it. You can say "Please do not intentionally show me something (through @'s or in a discord server)" because that's a reasonable boundary and will not actually lead to harassment.

I think CC's who aren't used to public exposure keep forgetting that this is the career that they signed up for. You cannot enter a career space that is known for shipping (as all entertainment jobs are) and be upset when it happens. Just block tags or people as they go.

You are 100% allowed to feel uncomfortable as a creator. Your feelings are valid. What's inappropriate are the CC's actions as a response to those feelings. They can absolutely handle these situations better and learn from the past.

ferry-man-farrow

I’m not trying to attack you or anything, just trying to get a more clear idea.

But from what I’m understanding a creator posted a boundary about something they’re uncomfortable with and you’re just deciding to ignore it?? If so, that’s actually insanely disrespectful. If not, is there possibly something more clarifying to say?

I’m actually glad you asked! This is probably the last post I’m going to be making on this subject, but let me provide you with a comparison that might make things easier to understand.

This is a bit like someone you know saying; “Hey, people listening to rap music makes me uncomfortable, can you please stop?”

And it’s like… what? I mean, I can… not play it out loud when I know you’re around. A bit of a weird request to make, but if it’s really that bad, then I don’t mind making accommodations.

And they reply with; “No. The fact that people listen to it all makes me uncomfortable. I want you to stop listening to it entirely. It’s against my boundaries.”

Which like… that isn’t a boundary. A boundary is something that dictates how people interact with YOU. Like, I can’t even listen to it in my OWN privacy? How the hell does that affect you in any way, shape, or form? That isn’t a boundary, it’s an attempt to control my personal agency and interests. I don’t even have to LIKE rap music very much for this to be a problem.

Then they say; “If I catch you or anyone else in this community listening to or creating rap music, then I will be sending people to harass and excommunicate you from this space.”

like… ??? I’m sorry, but that’s absurd. You do realize how that’s entirely absurd and unreasonable, right? In a community that is known for loving and thrives off of it? It is not our job to coddle your internet experience- if something is triggering or makes you uncomfortable then it is your responsibility to avoid those things. I am not shoving these things in your face, and at this point you’re only going to find it if you are actively looking for it.

This doesn’t even begin to address the issue of queer-baiting and internalized homophobia of the matter. A fan space ultimately belongs to the fans, first and foremost. If there is something that makes you uncomfortable, then you don’t have to interact with it at all. When you share a creation, you forfeit control over how people perceive and interpret those things, that’s just the nature of art and performance. If you truly cannot handle the way people interact with the things you make, then perhaps this is not a career you are fully equipped to handle.

Hopefully this helps explain a couple things- this allegory has been floating around in my mind for a while, and I appreciate the excuse to share my perspective on things.

Let's Talk: Fandom, Shipping, Responsible Internet Usage, and Communication

Hi! Recently, two creators in the MCYT CC space have expressed discomfort with shipping. Fine, good. I don't mind that, especially if you're together and you put a bit too much of yourself into your characters for it to be comfortable. You have a right to have boundaries and dislike certain things people create using your characters. Threats of harassment (no matter how jokingly made) are serious, however. It's intolerable, and I had thought we moved past that, as someone who survived the deep trenches of the DSMP era while a teenager. Refusing to take accountability for your own internet experience is absolutely, IRREVOCABLY, on yourself. If you actively REFUSE to curate your internet experience, as a grown ADULT, maybe it's time to take a step back and think. This sort of mindset of "everything I dislike or feel uncomfortable with must be removed or never uploaded again" is EXACTLY what things like the COSA are targeting. Unless you are interacting in FAN spaces, interacting with media YOU find uncomfortable, there is NO reason for it to be a regular problem that it has an extreme and negative impact on your psyche. I can fully support keeping it out of your chats or discords, etc. but you cannot complain someone else's house has weird shit in it when YOU walked in uninvited. As for the genuine suddenness of this change, I'm not seeing ANYONE talk about it. Before, it had been "shipping of anything is fine so long as not overtly NSFW" to "no shipping full stop". You've been together TWO years. Shipping for the characters (from a CC involved) peaked around ten months ago, during the VSMP era. WHY wait THAT long to express discomfort?? Maybe I'm missing something because I'm autistic, but isn't that something you'd have said AGES ago?? Why wait ten months or longer to say something, that's SUCH a long time, especially on the internet. Or, maybe, I'm just used to HAVING to advocate my needs and feelings. TLDR; Setting boundaries (FOR YOURSELF) is fine and encouraged, curate your own internet experience like a responsible adult, threats (even made in jest) suck, communicate your needs better.

Edit: For clarification, respect other people and don't do things that make them uncomfortable on purpose. This situation is a mess of poorly worded statements, lack of proper communication between partners, and likely people needing a break from the internet. Don't send hate. Don't harass anyone. Be kind to each other. Let's hope that they take a step back and come out with a better worded statement (without threats even if jokingly made). I agree with Shubble that in the end, blocking people who don't listen is all you can really do.