In general when it comes to creator boundaries [especially in the mcyt space] I go by the same rule I go by when I consume fan content: don't like? don't watch, read or interact.
Creators not being okay with seeing their characters be portrayed in a certain way [especially characters that are so heavily tied to their personality's, have the same voice and face as the creator and often even share names with them] is completely understandable. That includes when the reason for that is tied to something very personal like mental health or other things that we, as fans, frankly have no buisness knowing details about.
But that does not give creators the right to police people's creativity and tell fans what they are "allowed and not allowed" to create. People have always created things that not everyone will like and will continue to do so. Fans have always created fan content that not everyone will like and will continue to do so. Telling someone they aren't "allowed" to do something that isn't outright hurting anyone is just taking away their freedom of expression.
Fans should not, under any circumstances, shove their creations into creators faces, especially when those creators have explicitly asked not to. Your place is the fandom space, stay there.
Creators should not, under any circumstances, tell fans what they are and aren't allowed to create, especially when the fan content has been properly tagged and can easily be avoided. Your place is the creator space, stay there.
I fear the line between fan and creator space in the mcyt sphere is being used like jumprope by both fans and creators right now, so here's a reminder for all of you:
Tagging systems are your friend, dni tags are your friends, the block button is your friend, literally just closing social media can be your best friend.
Don't like? Don't watch, read or interact.
"Respect creators boundaries" and "don't police your fans and their creations" can and should coexist. But for that we need to be respectful towards each other and if that means blocking someone for "petty" reasons, then for everyone's sake, please block them.
Okay I know I said that I wouldn't talk about this anymore but there are three additions I have after rereading my post and thinking about it a bit more.
For 1, a clarification on what I personally view as "creator" and "fandom space" because the terms are pretty loose and in retrospect I didn't really specify. To me, "creator space" is when it is in a place where the creator is almost definitely going to see it [think comment sections, stream chats, their discord servers, their tumblr ask boxes of they have them]. Meanwhile with "fandom space" I personally think of pretty much everything else, the content and things that the creators themselves have to seek out to see [think scrolling through their characters tumblr tag or searching for fan animatics]. Lots of people have very different interpretations of those terms and I wanted to clarify what I meant.
For 2, I think boundaries, separating creators from characters and the like is very difficult in the mcyt space because of how interconnected creators are with their characters [for the multiple reasons i listed in my og post]. It creates these very unique situations where there isn't really a right or wrong because yeah, you're all kind of right in a way. In the end despite how interconnected Minecrafters are with their characters, those are still vastly different- characters and creators I mean. They're interconnected yes, much more so than in many other fandoms, but they still, are not the same.
And now for 3, harassment is under no circumstances okay. Wether you choose to abide by creators boundaries [which I will, at least in my writing/creations, for anyone who cares] or choose not to, it does not give you the bypass to go and harass people. If you harass the creators by yelling at them for having boundaries, you are a shitty person. If you harass the creators by shoving content into their faces that they have actively said they don't want to see, you are a shitty person. If you harass a fan by constantly pestering them for not abiding by the creators boundaries, you are a shitty person. And if you tell anyone to off themselves for abiding or not abiding by creator boundaries, you are not just a shitty person, you are a straight up asshole.
Lastly, just to fully hammer it home:
The Block button is your friend. Tag appropriately. Don't like? Don't interact.
sigh. Just to be clear: If you as a creator encourage or even send your fans to harass people who don't follow your boundaries [and tag appropriately, always tag appropriately!], you too are a shitty person.
