I have a ko-fi fund! If you like what I write, send some love! Obviously you don't have to, I do this for the love of the game and the love of fanfiction, but I do appreciate whatever you're able to give.
Genuinely considering moving away from the mcyt community for a while, specifically the mcyt communities im in since i know its a broad spectrum.
With the whole avid and marm thing i was able to barely scrape past that since i never really consumed either of their content, only through scott's pov of vampires and i hadnt even heard of marm until the whole thing came out. I obviously do not support these people and by no means do i endorse their behaviour. It also came to quite a conclusive end since the whole community and cc's around them decided they are awful people and now they are basically cut of from the mcyt space (as ccs), but it was still quite stressfull knowing what happened to those ccs.
And then theres now the new Pryo stuff about his boundaries, which i feel as if i cant even form my own opinion about because of how intimidating and downright dangerous the mcyt community has responded to it. There is harrassment, various claims and things being said both by fans and by the ccs that i feel like were/are unnecessary.
I feel so conflicted and intimidated by a space i have previously found so much joy and comfort in, but right now i just cant find enjoyment in it fearing that whatever i say, on EITHER side of this new situation, i will be harrassed in some way for it.
I hope the community can sort itself out and become a place that is relatively safe once more. Im putting this out there so people can hopefully realise how some of the spaces have changed around this and can start to rectify things, although that is definitely wishful thinking.
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.
Some things about this post since getting quite a few notes:
1. If you see this post, highly recommend taking it as an opportunity to set a timer for 15 minutes and switch over to ACTIVITY YOU ENJOY. if after those 15 minutes, you want to go back to scrolling, that's okay!
2. Huge shout out to this popping up in my notifs often, bc I do go back to activity.
3. I think there are times where scrolling is fine. Right now, for example, I'm being connected to a machine for two hours to donate plasma and platelets. Yes this is a brag but it is also a time where scrolling is one of the few things I can do. (Though I will probably also read or watch something on phone lol)
#Helios was declawed by his former owners so he doesn't just slap things he dislikes like most cats#he really only feels confident in hissing at them#Especially because a lot of the thing he doesn't like are bugs and those are sharp sometimes :(#Selene has figured this out and now when she hears him hiss she sprints over the kill the fuck out of the bug#Helios has learned she will do this so he'll hiss at stuff louder and louder until she hears him#A nervous old man and his emotional support homicidal maniac
tags by @gallusrostromegalus
I couldn't reblog without the tags because the context is hilarious
A Nervous Old Man (right) and his Emotional Support Violence Machine (Left)
Yes, he is more than twice her size.
Yes, he is five times her age.
Yes, he cries like a big baby until she kills Unacceptable Scary Things (earwigs) for him.
to be clear, I believe younger artists and minors can write good fics (not to say “fanfic must always be good” either because it is a hobby and I still believe that as long as it’s done with love and the artist’s joy, it is good) and I believe it’s good when younger artists and minors start making art at young ages.
that said, a lot of fanfics out there that you read and love are done by adults with kids, jobs and responsibilities. adults who have years, decades of practice under their belts. adults who don’t let life and responsibilities take away their joy in creating.
someone’s love and passion don’t suddenly go away the second they reach a certain age. so if anything, I feel sorry for people who say “adults shouldn’t write fanfics or make fan art” because what these people really say is that they expect themselves to stop having fun and finding comfort in things that bring them joy and comfort the second they reach a certain age. it’s sad that they put an expiration date on their own fun and source of comfort.
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.
"Kill your darlings" means "if something is holding you back, get rid of it, even if it sounds pretty."
That's it! That's all it means! It means if you're stuck and stalled out on your story and you could fix the whole block by removing something but you're avoiding removing that thing because it's good, you remove that thing. That's the darling.
It does NOT mean
That you have to get rid of your self-indulgent writing
That you should delete something just because you like it (?wtf?)
That you need to kill off characters (??? what)
That you have to pare your story down to the absolute bare bones
That you have to delete anything whatsoever if you don't want to
The POINT is that you STOP FEELING GUILTY for throwing out good writing that isn't SERVING THE STORY.
The POINT is that you don't get so HUNG UP on the details that you lose sight of the BIG PICTURE.
On April 4, 1841, William Henry Harrison, our 9th POTUS, became shortest serving President in US history by dying in office from pneumonia wildly believed to be have been caused by his decision to give a two hour inaugural address in the pouring rain without a coat or hat. Just a fun fact unrelated to this tweet.
Harrison- it’s a common misconception that things like colds and pneumonia come from standing out in the rain; those come from viruses, bacteria or fungi, not the weather.
The Commander of Cheese could absolutely get heatstroke and die, though, that’s very realistic.
I am someone who generally listens to creator boundaries and does my best (without breaking my back hunting for things) to follow them. My policy has always been that following cc boundaries is a nice thing to do especially when they ask nicely. I never make my content for the ccs, I always make it for myself and likely they will never see it.
I don't really support Maddy Millkberry and Jack Pyroscythe's new boundary against romance. Which is strange given that my previous feelings have not changed. This feels different for many reasons.
1) Most cc boundaries in the spaces I'm currently in are specific.
A blanket ban on all romance is too broad and non specific, which makes it impossible to enforce or to follow willingly. I've read too many fics and seen too much art where the author/artist needs to put a "not shipping please don't tag as shipping" tag/note for me to believe that there isn't a large portion of fanworks that live in a subjective gray area.
Even if you don't think you're making shipping content, someone else might.
If the boundary was: no kissing, I might be more willing to stand behind it because it's simple and easy to understand and implement. I'd even be okay with multiple specific and clearly stated boundaries like that and would be willing to follow those guidelines myself. (Note: I would be doing it because I think it's nice, not because it is a moral obligation or the pinnacle of morality.)
2) The boundary was not just "no romance" the ‘boundary’ was "throw away all works currently with romance regardless of how important they are to you."
Yes yes, Pyro and Maddy have both stated you don't need to delete old works, but I have a project I've been working on for seven months. This project has gotten me through some rough mental health moments. This project has made me a better writer, friend, and person.
Selfishly, I don't want to give that up for a stranger who would have never seen it. Giving it up would make my mental health worse and remove one of my coping mechanisms.
But of course, because I'm not an influencer, my mental health as a fan is less important. Thanks.
3) Lack of clear communication from Maddy and Pyro to the community at large.
I'm not in their discords, I can't watch their streams because of time zones. The lack of communication on the platforms they are trying to enforce these boundaries on means that rumors, clips, and screenshots are the only ways most of us are getting any information. Pyro's pinned boundary list last I checked still has "shipping allowed" on the preview. You have to hunt for their boundaries on Tumblr.
Maddy was right, she does not owe anyone an explanation on why romance for her or Pyro's characters is bad for her mental health right now. There is no part of me that wants any of that information. That's for her and people she chooses to share that with.
But when you are making a drastic demand of a fandom like this, it should not be like pulling teeth to get a clear statement to the public of "please don't harass or hurt people"
3.5) We are not reading between the lines trying to justify breaking boundaries when we as fans are worried that Pyro's statements could be taken as an endorsement of harassment.
The reason we are "reading between the lines" is because many fans have gone through this before. The people who will and are currently harassing people don't need a direct statement from Pyro or Maddy saying "please go harass people" they already want to send violent images to the "guilty parties" they just need a whisper of endorsement. They just need a quick "won't someone rid me of this priest" and they are on it.
Hell, have you seen how many time Jimmy Solidarity has to defend the right of his friends to make fun of him because he finds it funny? People have used less to justify harassment than what Pyro has given these people.
We are not looking for justification when we say that Pyro made ambiguous statements that will be taken as endorsement of harassment. I'm glad they specified that they don't endorse harassment, again it should not have taken as many times as it did to get a clear "do not harass anyone" without the ever present caveat of "who isn't currently breaking boundaries"
The fact that they either don't understand or don't care about the very real risk of harassment, bullying, and literal crimes that people are willing to commit in the name of creator boundaries means that once again, the mental well-being of fans is less important than Maddy's.
The goal is to support Maddy's mental health, remember? We've shifted so hard into discourse land that the conversation is no longer about helping and it's now about control, being right, and "look how evil the other side is." No one on any side that I've seen or talked to wanted it to come to those three things.
4) Lack of accountability.
Every time someone has brought up a concern or clarifying question, Maddy and Pyro have shot it down, stepped around the question, or straight up banned or blocked the asker. Even fans who are being sincere and want information. I'm not looking for a youtube apology. A simple "I didn't word that quite right, here's what I actually meant" would have been fine.
Ideally an occasional "I didn't think about that" or "I haven't thought about it that way" would be nice, though I'm not holding my breath. The blatant "us vs them" of it all means that Pyro and Maddy aren't listening. I don't need them to agree, just to listen to the people who disagree.
The worst offending action on the front of the lack of accountability is when a fan brought up in the discord that historically, banning romance in fandoms has been an act of queerphobia (many people have written about that better than I can). Maddy did not address the concern and said that saying so was very hurtful because neither her nor Pyro are straight.
You can be queer and queerphobic. You can be a woman and do sexist things. You can be a racial minority and do racist things. Just because you are a member of a community doesn't mean you can't harm that community, even unintentionally.
Just because something hurts your feelings doesn't make it untrue. The fact that her feelings matter more to Maddy than acknowledging the history of these actions is enough for me to no longer want to be associated with this community. Especially since the defense of "all romantic relationships go against our boundaries including straight ones" was right there. I don't agree with that argument, but it's better than "I'm gay so nothing I do is homophobic" as a free pass.
5) An Ending.
Thanks for reading to the end. On top of all of these arguments are the ones that have been stated over and over, that ccs do not control fan spaces. My stance on boundaries is still "it's a nice thing to do." This boundary is so unreasonable both in its ambiguity and how Maddy and Pyro have communicated it, that I am not willing to break my back to do the "nice thing."
In regards to Legundo's post this morning I think getting banned or blocked from actual cc spaces is perfectly fine. I question the logistics of it, many people (myself included) have different usernames on different platforms so for instance if they want to ban me on discord because of my ao3 fics I have no clue how they're going to do that, but sure. Getting blocked is harmless and ultimately what many pro-shipping fans have been advocating for. Our main concern has always been censorship, control, death threats, and harassment. Again, not an exaggeration or to paint Maddy and Pyro in a bad light, but because it is already happening. We have been here before and we are here now.
Banning and blocking is a reasonable boundary and I wish them all the luck in the world. I also wish their mods luck, they're going to need it in this logistical nightmare.
I know that there is a lot of young people in the mcyt fandom, who have not developed and learned how to pick apart texts and notice specific things in them yet. So, because of recent stuff and the words "boundaries", "rules" and "censorship" being thrown around like candy, here's someone who has these skills (me) going through Millkberrys and Pyroscythes statements.
(TW for death, rape and sa threats, mention of sh and harassment, use of the r-slur)
First off, the actual official definitions of the words:
(The first one is from wikipedia, the other two from the Cambridge dictionary, you can look them up if you'd like full confirmation on the sources.)
(notable, fan works such as fanart, fanfiction and headcanons or shitposts are considered a work of art and/or kind of communication with other fans.)
(notable #2, the ideas people are allowed to express and the certain ideas that are included or supported in this case is the shipping of the creators characters.)
(notable #3, content creators / mcyts are minor celebrities and with that have authority over their fan communitys. If you disagree, feel free to block me, I will not be arguing over this.)
And now, me marking/highligthing things in the statements that fit those definitions/descriptions:
What's a boundary or implies one is marked with green.
What's not a boundary is marked with yellow.
What's a rule or implies a rule is marked with blue.
What's censorship is marked red.
I want it to be noted that the only times boundaries are implied or mentioned by either of them, is the word, regarding that this is for Millkberrys mental health or when the actual act of setting boundaries is dismissed (as a past action or entirely).
This is not to mention Pyroscythes literal thread of harassment and policing people, which has already taken action through other fans putting death and rape threads in peoples ask boxes:
(If any of the victims of the threats want me to take them out of this, feel free to tell me and I will do so!)
Apparently one of Pyroscythes mods claimed on Twitter that it was meant as a joke. However, considering the very serious nature of both the stream segment and his expression as well as the fact that it came from a mod and Pyroscythe has yet to actually say anything on this themself, I'm inclined to not believe it.
Lastly, my opinion on this:
Harassment is never okay and no matter how many times these creators have said in the past that they don't endorse it, reality is looking different right now. You cannot tell your large audience what Pyroscythe has told his and expect it not to listen to you, no matter if it was meant as a joke or not.
This is not a boundary, it is a rule at minimum and censorship at worse. Censorship is rampant right now and fandom spaces are some of the few spaces that allow free expression, trying to take that away is not okay. If you cannot handle seeing ship content of your characters, then you should block people who do make art of it, block the shipping tags and not go out of your way to look for it. You can ask people not to show that art to you, and that is completely valid. It is also completely valid to ban people from Stream chats and discords if they do show it to you. It is not valid to tell people what kind of art they can and cannot create however. And if you can't handle the idea of ship content of your characters existing at all, then maybe you should rethink your career choice as a content creator who focuses on roleplay and character creation.
i think if you are in a position of power and use that power to tell people that you see their every move and are going to do what you deem "appropriate reactions" to them breaking your personal preference rules in private spaces AND ALSO tell them you have spies watching them just in case they try to hide then that makes you a bad person
Writers have two modes and they are "i haven't written in three weeks and i am rotting from the inside and everything feels wrong and i don't know who i am anymore" and "i wrote for four hours straight and forgot to eat and it's dark outside and when did that happen and i feel like a god" and there is nothing in between. no chill. no medium setting. just famine or feast and a very confused nervous system.
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