#do not misinterpret

[the-flying-lemur]

Hey yeah actually Alastor is ace wtf yall shipping him? Like im not an anti, ship and let ship for sure. This is all I’ll say on it. But like. That demon is ace and like. There’s so few characters that are outwardly stated as ace in shows. I’d like to keep one from being shipped with other characters like that.

[wolfdadjr]

if u need porn to be happy/have fun/relax/function, you have an addiction. yes this applies to erotica and x rated fanfic.

[withtheship]

i normally dont involve myself in things like this tm, but i really have to say... people are truly out here complaining about the ‘support female muses’ post by saying its alienating to trans etc. this is not being inclusive the way you think it is. this is doing the opposite of that. cis female muses, esp ocs, are the least popular of all muses. by saying it’s offensive to say ‘i support female muses’ to everyone else, you’re just perpetuating the cycle of not supporting cis female muses and promoting exclusion within the writing community. 

i support all kinds of muses, but i will also specifically say that i support female muses and i will also say i support trans muses.

it’s important in this day of  “including” and “supporting” everyone that we don’t forget to actually include and support everyone. 

just because i say ‘i support female muses’ does not mean i don’t support any other kind of muse. there are people out there who do NOT support female muses, cis or trans or what have you. by saying you support one thing it does not mean you don’t support another as well. it’s important to remember that. true equality and inclusion is not this. 

[middle-eastern-queen]

The Problem with Stanning Foreign Media

I’ve been avoiding saying this, cause I was afraid that people would antagonize and think badly of me. But I think it seriously needs to be addressed, especially from someone like me who is a dual citizen, who is bicultural and has three languages as my mothers tongue.

When you consume foreign art and media, you need to put aside your Western values and ethics. Because the reality is, these cultures and traditions don’t share the same values whatsoever. Especially when you’re talking about the Middle East or Asia. These are very conservative, traditional, religion/cultural based societies. They are not progressive, they are not liberal, they are not woke.

No matter how “woke” YOU think something is, the realities is that in their culture its actually pretty conservative and benign. You just view it as that and project “wokeness” on to a culture where that discussion doesn’t even exist.

One example I always give is Kpop. People see the dancing and men wearing make up, and they think “oh how progressive!”. Meanwhile, in Korean culture, that actually isn’t viewed as progressive AT ALL. In fact, to them it’s very conservative cause men and women in Korea have a long history of dancing and wearing excessive makeup that goes back centuries. Their definition of masculinity is completely different than of western culture. To them, these men are actually very masculine, manly and sexy. I always see western stans go on and say “these Kpop dudes are defying gender norms!” And I’m sitting here saying, “um...no... they’re not.” That's how men have looked like in Kpop (and Korean culture in general) for generations. That’s what a “normal” Kpop idol is supposed to be and look like. It’s a conservative and a long-established tradition TO THEM. It’s new and progressive to YOU cause you’re culture is different and you completely disregard that difference by saying things like that.

And this mentality then goes on to become very problematic. Because out of ignorance, you view something to be very progressive when it’s not, and then you start imposing much more bigger and more controversial progressive views onto a culture that is the exact opposite, and they frankly, don’t want to hear any of it. Yet you are not aware of that because of your ignorance. So you start meddling in conversations that you don’t belong in, and start saying things that you shouldn’t say in a conservative society, because YOU don’t get it. And that is very offensive for natives of said country. There is a reason Korean Kpop stans who are born and raised in Korean absolutely DESPISE international fans. Because they legit find you offensive. That’s really it. There is no other justification. They think your overstepping your boundaries and outright disrespecting their culture.

This is also very prevalent in the Dizi fandom. People constantly forget that Turkey is actually a very conservative country. Their every tradition is deeply engrained in their culture just as South Korea or any other middle-eastern or Asian country. And so people start critiquing or saying very progressive things that legit don’t even exist in Turkish culture. For example, I’ve seen people go on and say certain cultural practices are “toxic”. And I’m here sitting saying “excuse you?” Like how dare you? You CANNOT analyze a cultural based on YOUR cultural norms and morals. The reality that isn’t even toxic or anything in this culture. It’s how they are. In academics and post-secondary education in psychology and social sciences, they call that Ethnocentrism. Meaning the “evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture”.

So friends, if you are going to Stan a foreign show, movie, band, singers or whatever, That is all you’re allowed to do. You stan, you listen to the songs, you watch the video, and you walk right out. You don’t get to meddle in sociopolitical affairs of other foreign cultures. Especially cultures like South Korea or Turkey that are legit the EXACT opposite of Western cultures in all aspects. That is not your place. It is offensive to people who are part of those societies. And I’m speaking as someone who is, too.

By meddling and criticizing these cultures you’re basically subtly and indirectly saying that your culture is better than someone else’s. You’re saying your right, and they’re wrong. What’s even worse that you’re from a western, White culture. So from the other side of the world, it looks really bad and it screams imperialism to native people who unfortunately know EXACTLY what that is and how it looks like. They have lived the results imperialism in one way or another. And everyone HATES it. They want to preserve their cultures, and avoid trying to westernize it. So these kind of discussions done by international fans are very triggering for these cultures who have lived through imperialistic agendas. They see a bunch of white people telling a bunch of ethnic/people of colour how they should function and how they should run their culture. It’s HIGHLY offensive. I can’t stress that enough. It basically screams a western superiority complex. The Western idea that we’re great, we’re the best, we need to “fix” and “help” everyone else who we deem needs it.

That’s the EXACT mindset that got you involved in the Middle-East. You thought you knew better. And now, the entire region hates you and wants you to get the hell out of there.

You may not be physically invading these countries, but you’re definitely invading their cultural space by doing everything that I’ve mentioned above. It’s inappropriate.

So please, understand that if you’re going to Stan something foreign, you have to be very aware of everything you say and do. Ignorance causes a lot of problems, as seen in the hella toxic/ offensive Kpop fandoms and even in Dizi fandom as well. An analogy I give is: it’s like you sign an invisible contract. You sign the contract to watch and enjoy said media, and move out once it’s done. That’s it. Anything further than that can be problematic to the very basic existence of these cultures. Understand that these cultures are actually entirely different than your own. People seem to constantly forget that and white-wash and westernize them. Which is why these problems occur in the first place.

So please, do better.