Sadly, nowadays, the kids' entertainment space is in dire straits. Never mind that the whole entertainment space is dire, with glimmers of hope, but we're talking kids' entertainment, and that one is terrible.
Remakes of classics, dumbing down, and refusal to engage kids at their level or at least treat them with respect so that they could gain knowledge of what is coming are just growing at an increasing pace.
It's gotten to the point that the only family films that come out are just the remakes. Yes, I'm including the HTTYD remake too since American regard of animation is designated for children and no one else and not as a medium.
Remakes are literally everywhere. It's even infected the Japanese video game space, where FFVII and the Persona games, at least 3 and 4, are getting remakes. Hey, at least P4's spinoffs aren't getting remakes, and I can't believe that's the silver lining.
Kids' movie media is not in a good spot. Sure, for all the animation hybrid and stylization, Disney is no longer the frontrunner of ingenuity and heart.
Elio was just okay. Nothing about it offers much to adult audiences. It's just downright tragic what Pete Doctor says that Pixar will do to appeal. Like the rest of the Disney empire, they are just in either a slump era or plateauing altogether, only saved by sequels and remakes, and even that's short-term.
On a sidenote, why the hell are people supporting the movie? Don't hate-watch it. Just pirate it if you want to watch it. If you buy a ticket other than someone being an internet online critic who makes money from their reviews, you are still supporting the shit. Look at Snow White. Do that and just pirate the shit out of it.
Anyhow, I think there’s more than just stupidity behind the decision to make the live-action Lilo and Stitch get a sequel. The marketing is once again fearsome alongside serious nostalgia.
I don't count Kpop Demon Hunters as that's aimed at a teen audience. At least teens have a choice of media. Kids don't have that, never mind what parents are taking them due to nostalgia, one way or another. My cousins have their own Disney+ account for the whole family.
Aside from the 'animation is for kids' bs, the usual suspects are the ones handling the family media more than ever. However, I feel that Pixar is appealing less to adults now and more to kids. Elio was just okay, but there isn't much about it that I can recall that speaks to a more adult audience. For Pixar wanting to appeal to everyone, it just feels generic and bland, not enough bite to it. If the Disney movies of the present are toothless, then Pixar is just plateauing. At least Elemental found an audience.
I only remember the first fifteen minutes of Brave and the Merida speaking scene to the rest of the kingdoms, and even that one is just vague. And at least it has something for adults. Inside Out 2 might be the very last one with adult maturity content in Pixar's current library until Pixar gives a voice again instead of doing this generic human thing, because I have no other words to describe it.
It's gotten to the point that American kids' media is just not in a good place, and elsewhere can be found. Bluey is Australian for Godoka's sake. If that's the case, kids have to seek foreign media in a time where MAGA is in power and destroying anything they see as unfit in their regime, and the progressives have to take the win and continue to fight
Honestly, waking up to the continuous nightmare that is our current administration is just numbing. The very fact that they see anything virtuous as something awful, and can be bought by an organization, as they did.
While kids' media have their ups and downs, this feels like the lowest.
Kids only have what they can take, that isn't talking down to them. For all the advancement in Sony's direction of animation and how they are going for a wider audience in different movies they are planning, the same could not be said for animation television and movies handled by big leagues that are flooded by conservative families and investors.
Anything even has death or something 'adult' would scare the shit out of these people of the current day.
Not knowing that Disney has had deaths in the past, and they are still regarded as some of the best. Avatar: The Last Airbender's live-action show has purity culture written all over it, plus actual sexism. That show is not going to get any better.
I mean, when we are living in fascist America, there needs to be conservative values within a corrupt and cruel administration that is willing to protect the evil of their world and deny anything to those who put them there or not.
Children do deserve better, especially when they are getting better stuff. Power Rangers degrading to pure elementary school kids' stuff without any of the teeth of the good ones is just one of the many examples.
Children deserve better than what is being pumped out by the big studios and what adults say that children can't comprehend now; they misunderstand their intelligence.
With the media of today not even wanting to touch the adult subjects, even written well-written or executed perfectly, it does not matter to them.
To them, it's just something that should've never existed because kids should never learn any of this.
With PBS and so many others losing their public funding to fund their cruel initiatives, it’s more important than ever to support them.
Media literacy is at a low, American education is on the line, and AI is used as a shortcut.
Kids of this generation deserve better than to have an oligarchy that cares for itself and no one else.
I'm decidedly not a gacha person. I don't trust myself with them, and my childhood just had bad luck when it comes to luck. The only gacha I'm gambling is with Mamo pokemallows once he gets the blind bags going; I kept my Jirachi from the last one, so I could see what I could trade with it in the future.
But even then, this FOMO is not good with the hype. One really should step back and decide which ones would make you happy, and for the sake of your wallet.
Witchxing is really destroying my wallet. It was December 2024 when I last preordered from her, and now I've ordered the two Ariels in April, and now I'm going for the GWS Jasmine in June. I know I will be getting GWS Meg to make up for not getting BGC Meg. If there's a CCS Sakura or a Saturn in the future, I have to get them because it's practically a given that I must have them for my collection. I already promised to collect every single Genshin and Honkai design they ever made. Furina is absolutely beautiful.
Given the tariffs, I have to give Liu and Hunterflower only specific pins such as Aventurine, Sunday (second outfit), Neuvillette, and any I collect earnestly.
Silvy is destroying the wallet for two more Disney designs, with a confirmed Cinderella and Meg in the future. Of course I already broke the rule of only one pop for KPDH so now I will three or four more pops. If there’s a line I really like, I need Huntrix together. If Silvy is doing a Jinu Tuxedo Mask mashup, I wouldn’t pass that up and likely be the only Tuxedo Mask pin I’ll ever have.
Mamobot is obviously the winner of my wallet destroyers. I buy sets from him often, or create enough to get a freebie pin he promotes.
The merch makers and everyone else whose products are made in China are having a difficult time changing their business models just so they don't go bankrupt. They have to keep up with news of the tariffs just so they at least keep their business accounting numbers in line.
The FOMO and the hype that caused it created a lot of hype where it’s more trendy than what it actually meant to the people. Geeky things might be widely accepted now and even seem cool, but make no mistake that trendy does not equal genuine happiness. I know that I would be feeling genuine joy finally getting Noddi Saturn after waiting for it for who knows how long, and will get their own story because that wait so deserved it.
I know Labubus is so popular now that it's even trickling into other communities. I harbor no interest in them, nor do I feel any need to get any. I don't get into hype that often. Even now, while I understand the hype for Sinners, I do not understand the hype for the live-action Lilo and Stitch.
The thing is that I fear that for those who have genuine passion and love, there are those who buy into it due to its trendiness or scalpers who resell them at insane prices. Maybe those who bought into the trendiness like some of what they bought, but again, the keyword is trendy.
It's distressing to hear that people are willing to break into people's cars just to get rare Labubus. At least when I have sought after pins, I keep them and treasure them. I don’t think anyone outside of the hobby knows what it really is, because I do see scalpers raise obnoxious prices for sought-after designs.
Unless scalpers know which is which for what market, they must go deep. For small businesses, they don't make the money that should've gone to them when people resold their merchandise at high costs and not because of the value it was estimated at.
The thing about collecting is love, passion, and intentionality.
It's great to see adults openly professing their love for these instead of supposedly aging out of them. Animation in the US is still widely denigrated for kids rather than the medium it actually is.
We don't want to see adults age out into this beige nothingness. My parents might not be thrilled I'm buying pretty shinies, but between my pins or drugs, which would they prefer? Whimsy and what brings you happiness make it better. Buying stuff that brings you joy is better than not having anything that brings you happiness, than not having anything to show, except out of financial concerns where you can't afford it, where I understand.
At least that's a good thing that came out. Having pins is a great pick-me-up for me because the beauty of the art is translated so well into the pin.
There are forms of gambling with gacha games and blind bags.
People have been collecting forever, and overconsumption has been a thing since forever. They think it would make a quick profit or an investment in the short run or the long run. Given that these items have specific purposes, it's rare to see that investment pay off.
Scalpers and resellers are the ones ruining the hobby for everyone, buying up everything to the point of committing crimes and starting fights for them. All over something silly as a toy or a piece of cardboard, that brings happiness to others, but not the scalper who is buying it up for easy money. Ever since I heard of these incidents, I'm just wondering why these people are even doing this??
Why push aside kids and other grown adults just for some easy money or because you have that thing even though there is zero need to do any of these things?
It’s the scalpers who pick fights and are generally hostile because they see it as money rather than actual passion and love. I’m very sad that the fans are dealing with this.
Sure, there are jokes about stealing other people's collections in these collecting hobbies, but one of the things people say is not to compare collections that you feel less of somehow for not having this rare item.
I don't know why these people don't know that tenet of collecting. I made my peace that I'm not going to get some particularly rare pins from makers who made especially limited editions that aren't open for preorder. At least I know I can get Abigeyedowl and Witchxing's LE pins because they determined LE by their open preorder.
For long-time lovers of said items, it's disheartening to see people just going with trends and insanity ongoing instead of just doing something good for themselves.
It's gotten to the point where even Chiikawa and his friends are being eyed for stealing. Just why??? I was only introduced to them through Jaiden Animations and Emirichu and know they have been growing in popularity everywhere else, but for people to see it as dollar signs??? Just why???
These little trinkets and shinies are supposed to bring happiness. They're a pick-me-up and a hobby, not a way to make money, nor was it meant to. Though, given the way with Beanie Babies, it had always been that way for money-hungry people to see it as such.
I don't know it's gotten this bad that it escalated to horrid fights rather than just pushing people out of the way harshly. It's downright embarrassing to see grown adults fighting what they see as a money opportunity instead of adult collectors collecting what they love.
At least those collectors in the family who choose to only have a couple of Labubus are happy with what they have. One of my cousins wanted one based on a picture, but was extremely happy and incredibly attached to the one she pulled to the point she was happy to put on the Lakers wear on him because it's Kobe Bryant's birthday.
I think while they do like the thrill of a blind box, they love dressing up their Labubus more.
FOMO is a real thing. Heck, I experienced things while in the pin community. I have to separate feelings of whether I truly want it or not.
I grew up with Disney, yes, but I harbor zero feelings toward collecting Disney merch. Never mind that I'm pirating the shit out of their movies already, my pin collection leans more eclectic when it comes to Disney, and it's all fantasy because I refuse to funnel money into them....because my cousins are with their Disney+ accounts and I'd rather not. With modern Disney the way it is, there is no way I want my money to go back to them.
I'm open to everything, but the movies I don't care for, such as obviously Frozen and Brave. I'm very strict when it comes to Disney designs, and I know when to cut my losses more easily than I do my other collections. With the Punzie I got, Pascal was part of the design, and with the Jasmine I'm getting, Rajah is also part of the design. My Cinderella collection will have more adaptations, considering one of my favorite books is Ella Enchanted and one of my comfort movies is Ever After. Godoka, how I love the Cinderella fairytale enough that I read every single variation I could get my hands on. I still haven't found the Brandy Cindy pin yet.
Hype is really easy, too, especially in niche interests.
For example, HSR is still immensely popular, with each update praised. ORV is getting popular by the moment at the time of writing.
For example, dyed soft enamel pins have been extremely popular since Mamobot's Pokemallows made them. Even if you aren't collecting them, the interest in them has grown that other previous businesses have gotten some interest. To be fair, those are popular before the mallows but kept in their own original series rather than a popular IP like Pokémon.
Stained glass pins are also popular. Cateye effect has some level of popularity at the time of writing.
Tried and true effects like pearl and sandblast will always be popular. The issue is that people kept throwing the effects to see which works, and testing it out is just a circle.
Still, when competitive drops for popular things get this much, it's enough to see people feeling the FOMO and those who really do collect and love the thing.
I've been differentiating a lot of feelings, so I know of which thing I prioritize. Mamo's Pokemallows for instance, I've been prioritizing what I feel I need more than I want which is helpful when I'm collecting the normal versions of the Eevee Fusions with the Shinies being the bonus only while the Gardevoir Fashions rely on my fashion taste with the Shinies depending if I really like the coloring. I mean I finally got a Patreon exclusive after some months after the Shiny Jirachi, so there's that. I'm hardly that big of a fan, except if there's a Ditto Dragonair, then maybe I'll get it. It's still a Ditto just as a Dragonair.
I have to set hard rules for myself. Compared to most people, what I spend is considerably less. Even though parents do judge, what I spend is less. Even in my worst months, it’s still not even touching the piles I've seen people spend on.
There is no way to meet supply and demand, especially for a small business. I have to make hard decisions and focus on what I need.
There are very few pin businesses that can be made a day job. Mamobot is definitely successful enough to have accessible pre-orders and to buy in large quantities. Nuwa certainly had not changed any of their practices either. From what I heard, Sugarbones is on this level. Witchxing and Abigeyedowl had not changed their practices either.
For multiple reasons (full-time job, family, unable to expand without losing core aspects, mental health, time, etc), pin businesses have to do what is best with them. Small businesses that are utterly time-consuming, like pottery, have to do what is needed for the sake of the artist.
I mean, I haven't bought anything from Nuwa aside from getting two pin club spots and a Disney Landscape that is entirely Patreon exclusive, I've just been supporting her every month with just three bucks.
My brother supported some people through Patreon as well. For me, I have to be reasonable with whom I can support. Sure, I could be joining three or four clubs within a month to get a reward or to get access to a design. I just can’t join Mamo’s Twitch subscription for various reasons, be it time or simply that I can’t join a long-term subscription outside of the Patreon I’m already giving to him. I need to allow myself to support more than one creator in their clubs. Never mind that I can’t join Mamo's Pokemallow club, which was undergoing a test run. I know he's trying to move away from Patreon and has to make the difficult decision to discontinue a tier one day because of the tariffs. He's successful enough to still make bulk orders of pre-order, but he's still hit enough to cut down the pre-order deadline to a few days instead of a week. Nuwa is still doing a weeklong preorder because I have seen no change, no discussion with Patrons. I've been a longtime Patron since 2023 and only took a few physical reward slots. I mean, I was fortunate to have the Patreon tab still there for me to nab a Goddess Tier for the US Patrons before the entire tier sold out in a few weeks, I think. I was quick enough to nab Queen tier again for KPDH reward pins.
I have to make important decisions regarding my budget. Regarding the Kpop Demon Hunter collection, I just reduced it. My other collections deserve more attention than something I'm happy with, just a few pins. It's teeny tiny, as I have stated before. I'd rather find that money for Meg x Herc Heart, which I don't think is even finished, considering she's been focusing a lot on new ship art like Captain Swan and Rujinu. She's very slow producing, never mind that what she puts out there creatively is very nice and immaculate.
I have to be careful with PSS, too. I have to make the decision to not collect Anaxa outside of Minty. Only Aven and sometimes Sunday get the honor of having other collectors. I still need Kakavasha in my Aven collection. Kaveh gets that distinction more as I collect him more than even Childe, and I'm still waiting for the Childe Scrapbook. Usually, the yellow Pantone colors aren't my favorite colors, which is a funny thing because a majority of my collection are blondes with Aven, Kaveh, Rapunzel, and Cinderella and Kaveh has some greens too, another color I’m strict on. Then again, it's the same thing with green and Kaveh has a lot of greens. I saw Astral Gala Jupiter, and she looks so good with the peacock gown, and I almost want to put it on my impossible ISO list. Some black hair characters have Hotaru Tomoe and the ORV main characters, the majority of the time. Due to issues, it's just sad that I can't collect all the P4Ps out there. At least I got the P4P I wanted.
I have to force myself into a mindset that I’m okay missing out on these because of budget reasons. If I want them, I have to delay getting them at presale.
Unless it’s design(s) I’m utterly in love with and really cannot part with, I have to ponder if I really want it or not.
Honestly, it’s easier to convince myself that I don't need to buy it because I don’t need it. It’s also easier to simply delete the tab if I'm not buying from that maker.
I know my method isn't for everyone.
Sometimes, a collection can be too much for people, and they are just buying their favorites. Anything that has a large cast or a monster selection will have this. For example, Mamo's Pokemallows are getting too much for me and certain people, hence favorites. Collecting every Sailor Scout is not plausible unless you are the person who has the money.
It all depends on needs versus wants. Little trinkets bring little happiness. Heck, my AX haul still brings me happiness after the terrible week that happens after that.
My pins are bringing me happiness. It's a luxury as much as any hobby is now.
Even little trinkets that bring happiness are just a little luxury that not everyone can afford in this economy. I have to skip and make the decision not to buy other characters that I'm already collecting to some extent. It's better for my wallet and sanity that I just buy something that is within my collection. Even for most Disney now, it's a no-go with my budget and in general, and only going for those I truly want.
It's better to cut back and be picky for budget's sake.
FOMO shouldn't be the thing. Anything that is popular shouldn't peer-pressure anyone into collecting.
It's okay to go with trends, but for the love of Godoka, please pull back and examine yourself.
Scalpers cannot be convinced of their own bad behavior, disrupting collecting habits and trying to make money off it. However, if the businesses produce more, scalpers have less reason to sell off at a high price, which is generally undesirable for anyone.
I really do like some cards and figures I have seen, but it's better for my sanity that I stick with pins for now. There are designs I've been wanting, so that's a priority. I choose designs that I know make me happy.
AI ‘art' isn't real art. There is no humanity in it, no slight imperfection or emotion, just robots stealing from artists everywhere.
Art is something to be learned with patience. Why use AI when you can use your fucking imagination to make the cinema in your brain work even if you can't make it to the paper or tablet?
I always have fun imagining scenes in my head as I read. I also have fun
AI bro logic is insane. How is putting in the work and developing your art through learning is being ‘lazy’ and not being ‘real workers’ when mashing a myriad of art from a prompt that spits out in seconds makes them ‘artists’? There is so much projection there, it’s sad.
So what if your first attempt is bad? It’s not perfect, but it’s yours.
There is no such thing as imagination, apparently. People using AI want immediate results rather than working hard for the creative process. It’s really bad to use it for basic fandom things. Come on, use your mind as a theater once more than expecting immediate results from a computer.
These AI guys are the ones trying to prove something to actual artists that they are artists who could ‘produce’ art within seconds. It’s never more embarrassing to see these guys try to act like they are artists.
The rise of anti-intellectualism, lack of media literacy, isolation, hyper individualism to the point of lacking community, are just many of the things the far right conservatives wielded as a weapon in their utter ignorance and incompetence to walk back centuries of progress and move forward to the future. Every day, it feels like we are going back to the era of kings and peasants thrown into so many wars.
What AI is being fed and spitting out information. All the AI 'artists' want is so their 'art' to be drawn from the pool of actual artists.
They think they are actual artists when one of the analogies was that they are basically ordering from a list of available add-ons to a burger. Sure, they can add extra pickles or leave out the mayo, but you're not actually cooking it.
You are not suddenly a five-star chef just because you order from a fast food joint.
Shadiversity is so embarrassing for insisting that he's a great artist when professional artists don't even do that.
For fuck's sake, seriously, even though I knew my drawing is shit as I come to prefer traditonal art over digital art at least in my domain, when I sketch out my Rapunzel fairytale canvas board on a piece of paper, that's me and no one's else.
God, it was easy enough to draft it with the basics. I know I would eventually paint it on canvas for my pinboard. Honestly, the most challenging is the rampions and especially the Sundrop rampion because I do need some Tangled motifs in there, as the general Rapunzel board is supposed to be. Still unsure how I'm going to add a forest or even if I want to add lanterns and turn it into a night scene. I still want to add the Corona insignia but also the sun, so... I think I’ll stick with sunny skies because if I were to get the lanterns, it’s either part of the pin or a filler I like. I mean, I could make a single flying lantern, but again, a night sky. Have no idea how to implement Barbie Rapunzel ideas on there but I'm considering a silver paintbrush.
There is a thought process because I want to honor the Rapunzel retellings, but at the moment, I am unsure how big I want the canvas and how many pins I'm gonna pin on it since I didn't intend to collect Rapunzel pins, but here I am. I, however, am restricting myself to open pre-orders and LE pre-orders going to Silvy.
The issue is that I know what I’m doing with my Rapunzel pins. When I tried to sketch out Cinderella, it was simply not satisfying, so I have no clue what I'm going to do with my Cinderella pins.
I still am unsure how to display my Aven and Kaveh pins as well. Starting an unwitting Rapunzel collection and knowing how to display it first is just bad. I'm slowing down on Pokemallows and focusing on the Fashion Gardes and Eevee Fusions. Again, I don't know how to display those.
I have even more of an idea how to display my fucking Kpop Demon Hunter pins than I do my favorite character pins. At least I have an idea about ORV with book pages as an idea.
I'm not write down a fucking prompt and allowing of what my imagination comes to.
Like most people, my art was not that good when I was a child. It has gotten to the point of taking any passion out of it, outside of writing. Sure, I'm still a suffering writer suffering from an eternal writer's block, but at least it's my imagination writing scenes and playing house with my ships as dolls.
Art is incredibly accessible. The thing is that art is an ever-developing journey. There will be places where there is doubt. However, the thing is to learn and grow. Art is not this lucky thing granted to a few. What looks like talent to others is something they love and continue to love and learn.
The artists I buy from practiced really hard to make it where they are. Fuck, it's fun to see how their art evolves through consecutive collections. I mean Mamo's wave 1 of Pokemallows compared to whatever wave that had been released. Look at Nuwa from when she started out to now. She worked damn hard to get the landscapes to eventually the puzzle pieces she's working on as a new series. It's gratifying to watch.
I loved seeing the gratification of hard work and learning to create more art that speaks to them and to so many of their fans. I fucking loved Mamo and Nuwa at Artist Alley last summer. I cannot wait to meet them again next year. Maybe this time I’ll gather up courage to actually talk to Witchxing’s artist this time.
Don't any of the AI bros want that? The hard work and the creation of developing something over a long period?
To see their art style of whatever they are thinking of comes to life through practice and discipline developed over the years...
Obviously not when we're here now with these AI bros insisting they're artists, refusing to do the dirty work of actually practicing and discipling themselves over a period.
AI is apparently the shortcut towards everything, including education. But when I have to fear future doctors and lawyers' knowledge on practical and critical matters when they knowingly use AI?
It's all about the instant results, not the work to get to it.
These guys calling themselves artists aren't artists. They are scammers who think they can actually make it in the art world, who let them in and display their 'masterpieces' to the public when their pieces aren't even good or passionate. It's downright embarrassing to see art galleries defend AI 'art'. To them, even welcoming, it's money.
Seriously, a French AI 'artist's 'art' about New York is just unfailingly awful because they don't even get New York's popular foods, actual popular foods. Tiger and Bunny get that right more because Kotetsu's favorite foods includes pizza and hot dogs! We see the duo and their friends actually going out to get hot dogs!
Even when I'm not following AI 'art' accounts, AI 'art' still pops up in my feed on Instagram, which isn't my following account. It's pretty bad that I can't block it as easily as I do on Tumblr or Ko-Fi, where I can just follow accounts and not expect to see AI 'art' anywhere. Heck, I easily block out the tag of ai art.
I scream internally just seeing misinformation just on Tiger and Bunny AI overview. Yes, Kotetsu loves hot dogs, pizza, and fried rice but Barnaby’s sponsor definitely didn’t include or exclusively Pepsi Nex! You would think Blue Rose seen with only sole sponsors and Barnaby having fucking Bandai on his armor chest that AI would’ve guessed from photos.
Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom. Like the federal judges that stopped Trump’s unconstitutional efforts, laws, and huge corporations with massively popular IPs are taking aim at AI that dared to use their IP.
Listen, Disney is a monster in so many ways, in just how much they consume and destroy, and how much they create with their art. Their LGBT rep is slim to none and getting closer to none by the passing second due to the extremely conservative environment, but again, I'd rather side with people who want my money rather than people who want me dead.
Disney is in another dork era with failed movies under their belt that they are doing everything in their power for short term profit.
AI needs to be regulated as it has so many concerns, and it is just bad for creativity and critical thinking. No shortcuts.
Suppose people in the past have to suffer writing an essay at a shitty hour and using Wiki references at the far bottom of the page of the wiki. In that case, these people who wish to graduate should have the decency to realize that future work demands more than relying on AI.
Seriously, I see AI ads for something that should have been done with a quick wiki search, or just seeing patterns in their loved one's behavior, or something as simple as what shop you went to. It's bad and just distressing to see how AI is advertised as something quick and easy when again Google search without the AI shit is still useful. Misinfo aside, AI should not be a shortcut for basics.
It's not even useful that day when something as basic as getting the brain going for something as basic as the last shop or the last thing you did, or even something that could've been achieved with Google search. Though with Google search, please ignore the AI up top please, because they'll spread misinfo and just get the wrong info.
It's always the tech corps and the tech bros spreading that AI is the dawn of a new era. Their marketing was enough to make those susceptible believe that it would be great, never mind the consequences. Godoka, there were stories in the Mamo Discord of many pin collectors' workplaces singing the praises of AI, heck, even their loved ones.
It's bad enough in the group chat I have with my cousins, who have one cousin AI faces onto stuff, making things uncanny with another following. It clearly wasn't photoshopped, and it was just uncomfortable to sit through. At least it was just that conversation, and they didn't do it again.
Can we just go back to photoshopping faces onto other stuff? Can we go back to Photoshop rather than relying on AI to do everything basic editing?
I get why people are stressed about not getting a job after college, but for the love of Godoka, does that mean to sacrifice critical thinking and learning in general just because you couldn't score a job after college? No, media literacy is at a low time, and having that for necessary knowledge and practicals for future lawyers and doctors is just a no, thank you. We do not need more people who think they can skate by with AI. AI bros and their insistence that they are true artists is just one of the many examples. The fucking administration is using AI for everything even when it's clear AI fucked up everything with their incompetent hands. The tariff percentage is a result of AI, never mind that the administration does not take care to learn because they are anti-intellectual and anti-science. Republicans really pride themselves in their ignorance and conspiracy theories.
Having an imcompetent yet cruel Trump adminsitration who obviously promised shit if you know common sense that Trump is nothing more than an amoral raving lunatic out only for himself and winning in the moment rather than thinking of the others. Unlike Disney, who at least wants my money and only leans hard onto anything that will make them money because even the slimmest of rep will get them money, Elon Musk has no such presumptions about presenting himself as one of the hateful human beings alive because Trump is up there, alright. Trump is going down in history as one of the worst, if not the most awful, POTUS ever due to his dictatorial behavior and doing every unconstitutional act ever. Our Founding Fathers would've hung him and would not have taken it lying down to have another king running them again in any capacity.
Honestly, anybody then would’ve hung the entire administration.
Going back to the topic of AI, I do want to point out a flaw in Answer in Progress' video.
What Jess is doing is not the norm. What she is doing is ethical and uses the previous generation as a reference.
It's disingenuous to not portray generative AI as something that isn't easily abused or stolen. Because, for the most part, it really is that when AI is used as a shortcut for everything from education to the joy of the creative process, even if that means blood, sweat, and tears but you are creating something of your own nonetheless.
AI can have its purposes, but the issue remained that the artists of all sorts are getting dismissed and devalued over money because that's what AI has essentially determined these art forms as.
The way society sees creative works and creativity in general is something that should be noticed, not when every artist is being tossed aside for money.
There have always been women in fandom. In fact, I think they are often an indicator of taste.
They are the first to know that the Beatles and Star Trek are good. Zines are created from them after all, as well as the Premise.
However, no matter what women do, men come in and take the credit as if it’s them that made it credible.
It’s obvious that creators like Steven Moffat are often disappointed by their female fans and do whatever it takes to be credible to their male peers. They don’t care that they are alienating female fans by playing with their hearts and crushing them.
I have no clue why women are being hammered against now openly in anime spaces. Female fans have been a thing forever.
Again, why the decrying now when women have always been shipping and creating fanfics and fanart in their own free time?
Fuck, housewives are the reason why Star Trek gotten as big as it did even before the boys came in and took it as their boys' club.
The backbone of so many fandoms is built on the backs of paying female fans with disposable income.
So what if we squeal that was mistaken for hysteria?
Hating everything that women like seems completely justified from the world's perspective. Anything girly has been justified, as seen with the case of Princess Tutu.
Princess Tutu, an underrated series, is praised for all its storytelling, but all the praise seems to ignore that it's girly with the romances and pink.
There is nothing wrong with a series intended for girls and consumed by women.
There's a reason why people begged to give shoujo and josei a chance outside of shounen and seinen if they even know about it. Just because Shounen Jump is the biggest name out there doesn't mean that other names shouldn't be given a chance.
Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice from her female lens. Mr Darcy is admired not because he's a man who was tall, dark, and handsome, he did the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, not to win Liz's heart.
Women are allowed to do what is usually done in fandom before this. To say that women are ruining porno just because they are open with their fantasy porn likes is just stupid.
I'll shield them than against someone who say they are ruining things just because of liking fantasy porn.
I don't particularly care for the romantasy as it's called, but I will make this clear: I'd rather have these women have their fun. Just like many things, there is so much trash to go through to get to the gems. There are so many trash animanga that came out that when something becomes popular, it's usually for good reason or not. Sometimes the trash is so bad it's so good.
TikTok is a messy place. There is some truth in badly written romances with all the tropes, but considering it's moreover a woman's hobby that has more backlash.
There is so much generalization of what women like that, therefore, anything they like equals nothing good.
Oh, wow, if this itches men, then about the smut in fanfiction spaces? I read fanfiction porn a lot with a stone face. if me reading porn with a stone face isn't enough, just the fact that women are getting off of fantasy porn is enough for them to say that they are ruining fantasy, never mind that these tropes have been a thing since forever and women are not ruining anything.
Women are allowed to wear things that any character would wear as cosplay. This also puts into the thing that 'women should dress conservatively because wearing sexy means that men are allowed to sexually harass and assault them just for existing' when women wearing perfectly normal clothes have and will continue to have such horrific things to happen to them.
These characters are written by a man or a team of men, so why blame women for wanting to cosplay these characters when they want to cosplay their faves? The obvious answer is misogyny.
Misogyny means not acknowledging or learning fandom history and the place women have in general from all walks of life, of colors, and sexualities.
Because, of course, fandom is a boys' space, never mind that women are the majority of it.
Fuck, in the pin community I am in right now, there are more women than there are men. Though there are famous male pin collectors in the community, as I can tell from you. One always makes pintography for his pins.
It's obvious that for these men, women shouldn't be involved in fandom because they aren't as conservative as they would like it even though fandom is ultimately a hobby space where people share in their love and joy in something they like.
That's what fandom is all about in the end: sharing in the love of something and having the right to all these things.
No gatekeeping shit.
Avoid what you don't like and don't police others, especially women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and all the intersectionality there.
Fandom has never been perfect.
I am fully aware that the most popular ships are usually the white characters. Steddie, as much as I love them, gained more of a following than Jonathon and Argyle. Reylo is more popular than Finn x Poe.
And that's just one example of the racism and misogyny in fandoms.
We do not need all this BS.
Fandoms are gaining momentum in the public eye, and being geeky about something isn't something to be bullied about anymore. You can be collecting TCG cards openly, and nobody is batting an eye.
To deny fandom history and how it has now led to all this is just dismaying to witness.
It's really a collision of the conservative values being more openly accepted and forced upon them when so many fought for their rights. They deserve to have a chance even when fascism looms over and destroys everything in their path, in their utter lack of creativity and joy, reveling in their hatred.
Honestly, this has none of the shipping rants I've done before. It has nothing to do with throwing a brick at stubborn people who are fundamentalist and conservative, whether they realize it or not. Because these young people literally don't know better than to try to prove themselves worthy of purity through purity culture, that is toxic to them and everyone.
I mean, it's slightly up to a point. Antishippers would likely still not understand crack ships, and rare ships aren't ever on their radar. They are up on their asses about purity culture, failing to see they are spewing out rot that Christian conservatives spoke all the time about porn, especially LGBT, and sex.
They don’t do shit about rare pairs because they live in the fridges of the fandom. Crack ships vary in popularity depending on the ship.
Antishippers want everything to be pure without drama and pain to show they are good people. Crack ships are not just crossover ships but ships that again don’t have any bearing on each other. The characters could’ve died in separate times, and having never ever met, and still be called crack ships. The characters could’ve never met each other in their lives, and still viable because it’s fun.
Shipping can be as easy as looking hot together, to wanting to scratch an itch on what was known about them, to develop the ship to pure character analysis through romance. All shippers do was watch their OTP fall in love again and again. I sigh with all the small gestures and care from every meaningful love they share, and falling in love.
Ah, rare pairs, the ones that, of course, get the rare fanfics and fanart that barely last a page, two at best on AO3.
The videos up there don't exactly display in some form my rare pairs: Akihiko x Minato from P3, Shirlulu from Code Geass, and Kyoraku x Aizen from Bleach.
All of these convinced me from fanfiction, no less. Yes, fanfics on AO3 that barely took up two pages alone in their tags.
It's hilarious since reading the fic that got me into Kyoraku x Aizen, the theory of the father-son just doesn't make sense. It makes sense at a surface level that doesn't require too much brain power. It's a theory that doesn't and does make sense, but considering Bleach has ended, I'm happy to have any theories with Aizen's Bankai than any of this. Fuck, Kyoraku is a better match for Aizen than anyone could expect. That is something Aizen's personal enemies like Urahara, Yoruichi, Visords, and Yhwach didn't see coming: that there is a romantic match for Aizen out there in the world that he would happily go into the institution of marriage just so he can finally have him officially as his husband.
Kyoraku is laidback, but he hides his competence behind an effective facade. Aizen likewise has a facade of calmness and affability, but make no mistake that underneath it all hides someone who distanced himself from his own humanity to the point that he achieved his goal of immortality. His true personality is a fiery and passionate control freak who has issues three times the size of the afterlife with his emotions, including his pride and bonds in general, due to his sheer independence and feeling he should do things alone, and zero troubles with committing atrocities for his outcome.
Shinji and Kisuke, as much as Aizen admits Kisuke's wit and smarts are equal to his, have too much baggage (normally, I like baggage in ships, but I never shipped Aizen with these guys, even when I was watching and reading Bleach; something about these guys didn't call to me. Notably, UraAi also counts as a rare pair, considering it's 128 fics on AO3, but we still have more than the 31 for KyoAi. I believe the most popular Aizen pairings are either with Ichigo or with Gin, which is more power to those shippers.) and clashing personalities. Aizen needs someone laidback and calming, whereas Kyoraku needs someone fiery and unpredictable. Kyōraku and Aizen felt more plausible.
Again, this is fanfiction. We can get any pairing we want as long as we write it right. Aizen is a difficult character to write. I simply want Aizen to drop his mask and involve himself more on an emotional level that he couldn’t comprehend.
Like I said, I do have my preferences, but I don’t ship all of them. If I could find THE Seishiro x Subaru pin for my OTP board, I’m gonna be so happy. It’s the ship that got everything going, so I have to find a pin for that. If a ship calls to me, it comes to me. I wouldn’t be a Dabihawks shipper had it not been for the warehouse meeting after the Nomu fight.
Getting convinced on a ship through fanworks is no easy task. Like most things, you have to get through the trash to get the gems. Believe it or not, not everyone will be swayed.
Even today, people stubbornly hold onto popular fanon beliefs that clash or negate the canon. Canon is not the end-all, but for the love of Arceus, there should be a balance, as well as the knowledge that canon has its place and basis in the fandom.
Sometimes, fanon simply isn't enough or is so pervasive that it damages the actual intent. Fanon Tim Drake doesn't come close to the crazy canon Tim Drake is capable of. Heck, even adaptations don’t even come close to the insanity YJ98 is capable of. Give me my teens with no adult supervision. Even Red Tornado went along with it.
Rare pairs are exactly that. They have so few crumbs in fanworks that people do it themselves. I’m pretty sure that in one fandom, can’t remember what it was, there was one writer who basically wrote all the fanfics for the rare pair and it’s amazing dedication for such few people but awesome for the love poured into it.
Heck, there was one Dabihawks writer who was outright surprised by the reception of her Dbhks fics when she wrote for rare pairs before writing for a popular ship.
I’m not even sure that Kyoraku x Aizen counts as crack shipping when the father-son theory isn't even that pervasive enough to be fanon. I saw YouTube Shorts (I did not actually watch them, but the theory is spelled out by the title), but it's certainly not enough to be a popular theory. Seriously, I've seen more theories that became so pervasive that it became fanon, such as what happened with so many things I'm not a fan of. Even Dabihawks was once a crackship for no other reason than they look hot together as nobody at the time would think of Hawks meeting Dabi as his contact for infiltration or that Hawks would be a spy at all.
KyoAi counts as a rare ship primarily because of the TYBW arc, where we see them interact at a certain level. Those are crumbs that a shipper can extrapolate and build upon. I mean that aforementioned theory is well known, but that has been called into question, not helped that we know nothing of Aizen’s mysterious past. They have chemistry there that is tantalizing now that I see it.
Unfortunately, it’s rare. At least ShirLulu has close to 90, but I’m also adding where the ship is included in some capacity. It is not at the crush level, but Lelouch actually sees Shirley as a love interest and pursues her. As for KyoAi, even with the fanfic series I’m into (it would definitely have multiple arcs which include the relationship landmarks for KyoAi, including their daughter's first birthday and their wedding, possibly) wouldn’t even scratch 50. We haven’t reached the canon arcs yet, so until we reach the drama of the canon arcs, the fic will remain in Marked For Later till further reading; honestly, I do look forward to the Zanpakuto Spirit filler arc because that's the most salivating considering Aizen's character development and relationships with others. Akimina is so close to 200, but it's still a rare pair that isn't getting any names on par with SatoSugu or at the very least MiyuSawa.
The popular ships will always get regular updates on their tags, food everywhere for everyone, sharing in the love of the ship. I know this so well.
The rare ships, on the other hand, have crumbs, if even that. I also know this.
Crack ships have zero crumbs, and they go off based on imagination. At least that's a fun place to be. I think the crack ship I am fond of is Jim Hawkins x Melody, the crossover ship from two Disney films, Treasure Planet and TLM2.
Unfortunately, the one that people would remember the most is Jelsa. I'm decidedly not a Jelsa fan, never mind the fact that I'm not a Frozen fan. I believe the popular one now at the time of writing is Cinderella x Sukuna??? I mean power to them. I don’t particularly care for Disney ships that much or JJK outside of some in that series but more power to the shippers, go and ship to your heart’s content. Outside of confusion upon seeing their sudden art, I just shrugged and moved on with my tasks. I see no reason why I should have an opinion on a measly ship, nor would anyone else, except apparently antishippers who cannot see reason. Even non-seasoned shippers shouldn’t be expected to give opinions on every damn ship in a fandom. I don’t have the time to give a blog post the time and dedication to every ship in a fandom. I don’t think I can make a tier on that level. I care so little about that, I’d rather focus on better stuff than that. Unless a ship caught my interest, I usually don’t care much. I’ve been focusing more on story potential than shipping, which is just a bonus if I love the ship.
And I still don’t think anyone outside of those who understand fandom gets it. If they cannot understand even a basic ship like Sterek, they are not surviving.
By AO3 fics from lowest to highest, it's KyoAi, Shirlulu, and Akimina in that order in terms of my rare pairs.
I should note the caveat that it depends on the size of the fandom, too. Akimina is definitely a rare pair in an extremely popular fandom. Bleach, too, is extremely popular, and we can definitely say KyoAi is a rare pair, never mind that the fics aren’t approaching 40 fics anytime soon.
It’s just that the rare pair, as it often does, make us feel like Charlie with his Pepe Silvia rant. I'm picking at the crumbs like a bird and trying my best with the fics and fanart I do have. All rare pairs shippers have to deal with that. While they do have the benefit of having fun, the fact is that it's not popular enough.
Even in rare pair fandoms, there'll be famous fics and authors that are only known to the fandom. Some are the result of one being there to write them, and couldn't draw them. I admire the dedication of rare pair writers, where they are truly the ones baking the bread to the hungry small base or no base at all, considering some I've seen are on a canoe or a paddle boat alone in a lake.
Non-seasoned shippers or worse normies wouldn’t understand the difference between a popular ship to an actual crack ship. Seriously, the answers of Sterek, Zutara, and Wincest show that these normies wouldn’t survive mild weather in summer fandom. Seriously, here I am knowing the popular ships, and they see it as crack ships. By Arceus, at worst, they don’t see shipping as fun but as some sort of lab experiment for research from the outside.
Ships certainly aren’t the be-all end-all of fandom. Again, shipping can happen for various reasons, but seeking validation from the creators isn’t the way to go. Shipping is fun.
To devolve a piece of entertainment to shipping is pretty sad. Given how focused I am on stories, it's a given that I would love them and their themes.
Fandom is about a community brought together by a piece of media one loves and shares. Shipping is just one part, but it shouldn’t take over as much as one seeks validation for their headcanons that somehow in their mind overtook canon. Seriously, I see people decry canon just because their headcanon isn’t canon, instead of either ignoring it or accepting it and evolving their headcanon, they decide that it doesn't make sense with their fanon.
It’s not substituting with interesting ideas, but rather forcing in where it shouldn’t with no balance or effort to understand to be transformative.
I hardly ship anything nowadays unless it’s within my purview, does it shoot up, such as Joongdok. Look at me watching Bleach and you hardly see me ship anymore than Death Strawberry and KyoAi. I certainly don’t need canon validation. You can just write the damn thing.
I feel off recommending rare pair fics since all writers from rare pairs are trying their best to feed their small, hungry base, but at the same time, they are so small and deserve all the support they need. If I could convince you to ship them through these fics that did to me, then here's to hoping that you can enjoy them. I think I'll be better off recommending the fics that got me shipping them and the fic I'm currently reading. For KyoAi, it's an ongoing series.
Besides, getting into rare pairs or small fandoms will humble people who had spent time in popular fandoms. There is nothing more humbling than just having a small group discussing and making fanart and fics for the series with all the passion and love, without all the drama of a huge fandom that you feel people visibly spend time on. Yeah, all fandoms have their disagreements, but since it’s small, they have to acquiesce.
The Galavant and Schmiga-(doon/go) series is this for me. Nothing is more than sharing in the love of the musical comedy series that is cut too soon. Not even Crazy Ex-Girlfriend could've saved them even though I love CEG too. However, it doesn't help that people barely know that those series existed in the first place. I knew that it existed from YT ads. I mean, even Blue Flag is unlikely to get an anime adaptation because of its LGBT roots, but it's still a small fanbase. The fics in total at AO3 are 70. Galavant on AO3 has 321 fics.
Even with Daiya no Ace and KHR, both reasonably sized fandoms, are considered medium-sized by comparison to truly larger fanbases. MiyuSawa is without a doubt a very popular ship, but by comparison to even the most popular influential ships or ships that people at least heard of, Daiya no Ace ships aren't that widespread by comparison.
On a side note, since I'm not gonna find pins on the smaller fandoms I'm in (I already accepting I won't find any pins from them the moment I was putting down a list of potential collections and they were an immediate no), I am forced to find separate pins for KyoAi if I want them to be on my OTP board. But for now, Seishirou x Subaru is the foremost one primarily because I can put that collection in the backburner and that would be hardest to find, so I guess I could find others, but definitely not my rare pairs at the moment because I don't have money for two pins. I paused my Cinderella collection until I got Abigeyedowl Ever After Heart first before getting original/adaptations. I would love Abigeyedowl's Cinderella 2015 if they ever consider making it because I need something to represent that.
Reborn from the Shadows: Aizen's true motivation was absolute control. Having power was not enough; it was essential to shape beings, manipulate lives, to create something that was entirely a product of his own will.
Yet, as his cold eyes observed her, a shadow of disappointment clouded his thoughts. She was not perfect.
"No... not perfect," he thought, a silent whisper laced with subtle bitterness. Hinamori had indeed been shaped, but not from the beginning. Her mind and heart had already been touched before he intervened, formed by other hands. She was an incomplete vessel, a useful tool, but limited.
Perfection... True perfection would be something he had crafted from birth, something pure and malleable, like clay in the hands of a sculptor. A life that he could shape in every detail, free from external influences, without prior marks. A life that existed solely to serve his design, breathing only to fulfill his will.
A child.
Twilight of Truths: Aizen Sousuke sat on the engawa of the Eighth Division’s traditional house, watching the garden bathed in pale afternoon light. Nearby, Sayuri played on a mat, laughing as Shunsui entertained her with clumsy but charming fan tricks. To anyone looking, the scene was idyllic—the picture of a harmonious family. Yet, within Aizen’s mind lingered a restless void.
He had always had plans, intricate schemes that bent situations and people to his will. Even in chaos, he thrived on direction, on the clarity of his goals. Now, for the first time, he found himself adrift and unanchored.
Now, he lived on autopilot: caring for Sayuri, addressing trivial matters with Shunsui, and occasionally advising his companions. But beneath it all, he felt like an actor reciting lines he hadn’t written.
"Is this what normal people do?" he murmured, gazing at the sun’s reflection in the calm garden pond. "Do they simply... exist? No plans, no goals, just moving moment to moment?"
Mini-Review: I'll probably put this in another fic recs alongside my other OTPs, but considering this is focused on long-time OTPs, this rare pair fic recs still count as the same, even if they are only one fic out of everything. Given the small base, I believe anyone can jump in and consume the limited food we even got in the first place.
It's still ongoing and very long, considering it will tackle arcs way later in the series. Also, whatever theories I said are on a previous post I made, so I won't do it here. I barely said what I liked about the fic.
If you know my preferences, you know why this fic made Shunsui Kyoraku and Aizen a compelling ship. I'm hardly a friends-to-lovers type, hence why I'm not all over those types, even though some ships could be called friends-to-lovers that I do ship, even though there are several factors I don't count them.
Technically, this could be called a work military romance, with both of them as captains, one of them more technically high-ranking due to him being the choice of the new head of the whole military. Heck, Aizen didn't even choose him because he was the next Commander, or because he could use that inner circle to his advantage. He realized it afterward, but I do think by then, he had fallen hard for Shunsui.
Shunsui might not be as crazy intelligent as he, Urahara, and Mayuri, but he's intelligent and perceptive enough to impress with their verbal sparring, giving him a challenge. He recognized that Shunsui hides behind such an effective mask that it starts to affect him. Their chemistry is really good as a result of Shunsui giving Aizen both the challenge and the love he longed for. Shunsui could get under his skin that Urahara cannot do in those terms of closeness.
Urahara is always adaptive to these plans because his chess game with Aizen is complicated now, particularly since Aizen became Shunsui's husband. Even if he is essentially demoted to Vice Captain, he still has major influence as the future Commander's husband. Ironically, it's better and easier to convince Shunsui of anything lax than his husband, who is learning to relax and take things slow.
A major part of it was a character-centric approach based around his relationships with others and his character development with major therapy and friendship.
And it's not just Aizen. It's Momo, Shuhei, and anyone who has a chance of getting character development.
It’s like Icarus’ Dilemma, where characters get character development and their paths change as a result of a character getting what they needed.
Yes, it’s Mpreg, but that only sets the stage where Aizen gets the love, friendship, and therapy he needs. Sayuri is her own character, growing throughout the story since her conception.
Given the expansion of the whole series including some fillers, I'm considering to build a progress review of it.
New Game+ by EmpyrealFantasy: Given a chance to start all over again, will Minato be able to make a difference in his future?
[When you start a New Game+, you retain your levels, your inventory, and the items that you get from maxed Social Links. This stands to reason that the memory would remain for the MC as well. What if gameplay wasn't linear…? An exploration of what a New Game+ could really mean.]
Review: This is the fic that got me into the ship. I read the FF.Net first version before the AO3 edition added new stuff.
Our protagonist and Akihiko had been distant. Friends as we can say hang out together with the rest of the group but never quite alone. Reload fixed that but obviously not enough to get the ship out of rare pair. Shinjiro x Kotone is still far more popular.
I don’t quite put down my finger why exactly I love it and why it started my love for the ship, but the chemistry of the two, as well as what Akihiko does, was so amazing. The path in which we see the characters change from canon allowed for such good.
I think that it has well-written changes as well as the development of the main pair vibed with me so well, it remained a favorite.
I didn’t grow up with the initial books, but I distinctly remember the Deathly Hallows book fanfare. I wasn't paying attention to the release date then, as I was in primary school and didn’t read the Harry Potter books until I hit 4th-6th grade around that time.
I read books because I love them. I prefer finding myself lost in books. If I can’t go to the library, I just read fanfiction.
I just need good recommendations for books nowadays.
I’m not planning to read Rowling’s new book at all. It’s not gonna go into my bucket list as the One Piece, FMA, and Ouran collections are. It’s not gonna be on the to-read section like R.F. Kuang’s Babel or any of the classics of Japanese literature. It’s hell for not sure, as I was recommended Donna Tartt’s books, and I’m just loving the snippets I get.
I already knew laughable things about the new book, like how Twitter managed to invade her brain with all the criticisms, and less laughable like ableism. I heard of her cozying up to anti-LGBT, anti-abortion, and other hate group,s including throwing a lunch for a TERF thing against the backdrop of people protesting conversion therapy. Another is about giving lunch to a fellow TERF in the crowd for some bad protest that they’re obviously using for their bad purposes. Yeah, a just hateful lady. I hope her brain from Twitter melts even more.
If you want Harry Potter but better, go see Owl House and Witch Hat Atelier.
I mean, you can still read HP fanfiction. It’s still being updated daily, free with new content. I don’t read it often,n but I know it.
Fans are trying to take back their lives from bad creators. Writers who are terrible at their job and writers who are just darn terrible. Even with child pornography crimes, just expressing far-right extremism in any way is a one-way ticket. Well, except for the bigoted one,s that’s for sure.
Okay, just to get this out of the way. I used to admire it just a tad. It wasn’t worship. I remember seeing that unauthorized biopic of hers and avoiding lots of Rowling videos and news about her. I wasn’t that dedicated that she should be this good wonderful person,n but I didn’t look up Kenshin’s mangaka news either.
I mean I already heard enough of what people have to say about them without going into videos.
I was detached and attached. I understand authorial intent but at the same time, the death of the author is another route.
I prefer to admire writing before the author. I hardly kept up with any of my fave authors if I have any.
It’s really hard to ethically consume her products, particularly the theme park. Even without the Fantastic Beasts franchise dying, the theme park is a large draw and is the major reason Nintendo allowed Universal to make their parks.
With Hogwarts Legacy running afoul of its own controversies in spite of Rowling’s nil involvement and the new TV series with Rowling’s involvement, Harry Potter is just…too big and has a life of its own.
Regardless people making Harry Potter ‘cringe’ by saying ‘Oh that wizardry school boy? You’re still watching that kiddy?’ or whatever on those lines, the Harry Potter legally belongs to Rowling through IP. Rowling wants the extreme end of IP, aligning herself with Disney on that mentality.
Just to be clear, this is radically different from the Bear and Barlow who monetized something with actual lines and in no way a parody.
The Etsy and commissioned merchandise from fans for fans won’t hurt the bottom line. Though Disney attempted to do that, the Etsy train is still running. I haven’t heard that many lawsuits against these tiny creators that often. It helps that it’s not that well-known or seems like a viable purchase compared to the many merchitems alone in many retail and online stores.
For Godoka’s sake, here’s the list of the highest-grossing media franchises. None of these have been affected by Etsy or commissions at all.
It’s just that Rowling wants the monopoly that she earns from her work. Just look at the Harry Potter Lexicon incident. The Lexicon is still here, though there is an official Lexicon book.
Rowling still gets the money because legally it belongs to her through copyright.
That’s one of the main issues.
Harry Potter became a behemoth that is far beyond the author’s imagination. No matter how much people censor the franchise's name, it’s inescapable.
It’s not just hers but it also belongs to the fans and the people. The people won’t know the difference between the adaptations, but the diehards and Rowling will.
Because IP will eventually go to the public domain. Not that the companies and houses won’t try to do something about it once it goes to the public domain.
Harry Potter is taken back by the fandom from the overlord Rowling. The real Quidditch game changed its name to Quadball yet it’s inclusive. Outside of Rowling loyalists, the big names in the HP fandom distanced themselves from her.
Rowling will be making bucks off her property even when others are making spin-offs and other related material. When she does, it’s awful. Her screenwriting is horrendous, with The Cursed Child being the biggest indicator.
Honestly, I’m not looking forward to the TV reboot. So many things could go wrong with the time and Rowling’s stringent stubbornness after the backlash to her screenwriting.
She’s no Louis Sacher.
It doesn't help that she will funnel the money to fascists who want to rid the world of those she hates.
It's honestly difficult because one way or another, the money spent on her books and merchandise will funnel to people who don't believe in hurting others she deems hateful.
When she is this far-right fascist supporter of all things hating Jews, the Scotland independence movement, the trans community, and so on, the hate she vibrates from her braindead tweeting to the point she seemed to want to make those who call her out the villains in her latest book or make comment on them which amused her Twitter critics to no end.
Honestly, TERF is just white supremacy and fundamentalism at its core.
However, TERFs don't seem to realize it or perhaps do.
For Rowling, it seemed that she felt her abuse as a (white cis) woman is being seen as lesser against the trans.
Lots of factors of intersectionality impact how they are treated in the system. The whole suffragettes are white women, which does not include BIPOC women.
To TERFs, it came down to feeling the misogyny they feel is invalidated or seen as lesser when nobody said such things. They are merely pointing out intersectionality and do not weigh trauma against trauma.
The point is for white people to recognize their privilege and white supremacy, because giving it up means losing a lot.
Rowling herself is friends with fascists. She knows what the fuck she is doing which makes buying her products and even attempting to boycott a juggernaut much more difficult.
However, as much as Rowling only legally owns HP and gets money off it, and wants to keep her hands on it, fans will say otherwise.
To them, the fandom had long since done things that she won't approve of even before the TERF reveal.
Make Sirius gay? Good!
Make Tonks trans? Good!
Make Hermione black? In official media, if done that way, the Mudblood and the whole slavery wasn't abolished thing for SPEW's cause... People point that out. Unless it's done well to change and express the revolution in fanworks, the canon won't be changed.
The best fans can do is make anything and everything with HP in fanworks. Zines and other commissioned works won't even make a dent in the pockets of Rowling and whoever wanted to work with her.
I don't think Rowling is aiming at any fan-created merchandise. It's not like it hurts her bottom line in any way, considering her wealth came from her merch sales alone.
The fandom belongs to her fans, not to Rowling. It was not she who created the real sport of Quadball.
Whether or not anyone realized it, just because one owns the legality of it does not mean it isn't the fandom's either. It’s just so big that at this point, JKR only owns the legality.
Just like Disney, who was responsible for the years-long wait for their products to enter the public domain, JKR has to learn that one day her works are gonna enter the public domain.
Again, fandom explores things that have so much potential. It’s a hobby for them.
Rowling seemingly accepts her loyalists and hates her critics to the point of her consuming their every critique into her writing.
I mean that part will always amuse me.
It's inescapable at the end of the day. Even as the fandom public culture seemed to collapse and move away from JKR.
The culture had undoubtedly collapsed as a result of her bigotry. Fans felt like they wasted years of their lives on a product that ultimately promoted bigotry and hate. They can take it back by rewriting and writing things JKR would disapprove of.
While the public fandom that had done so much in the mainstream collapses with only the online fandom still there, just not as loud, it's mainly the normies buying the Harry Potter stuff now and the diehards.
Even when the TV and the movies are up in the air, the fact the game still did fine made it clear just how inescapable Harry Potter really was.
Also, I have just this to say. While HP is inescapable from the public consciousness, having just a subset of people protesting isn’t going to put a dent in it.
However, even not buying something from Harry Potter and Chick-fil-A is a privilege.
Fuck, I haven't bought anything Harry Potter in literal years and that's because I have the privilege to just ignore her to oblivion.
When people talk about ethical consumption, they are talking about common brands like Walmart and Amazon. Do they go in as poor as they are just to have basic needs at the cost of the environment, and the overall capitalistic and systemic nature of why they remain so poor?
Anyone with money can choose to support or simply play something that has nasty or good messages with the brain being either someone who supports or does not support certain causes.
Those in poverty don’t have the luxury. Getting basic needs is a priority, but does it also mean they should support this capitalistic system that kept them so poor in the first place? Even if they have jobs, it’s still not enough to support basic needs.
That’s why anyone even protesting Rowling is just well-intentioned, but when it's a juggernaut, it's hard to boycott. As one of the highest-grossing media franchises, one way or another money will make its way to her.
This is in no way defeatist.
I have to point out that JK Rowling was radicalized into the ghoul she became. She definitely had unexamined biases when she wrote HP, but the same JK of today won't write the HP of then. She was a white woman of her time, writing a product of that time. HP is not without flaws but at the end of the day milquetoast white British liberal product of the time. Lots of white writers wrote the common fantasy tropes that obviously didn't examine much further. To say HP was also some kind of crypto-fascism won't do anything to help that anyone can be radicalized by a hate group.
What one must do is to keep a check of own biases and behavior. JK Rowling is a cautionary tale of a decent person falling down the rabbit hole of a hate movement with just a bit of nudging.
And she did it all in real time. Once upon a time, she really would have walked amongst the trans community in support.
Saying that HP was always bad from the start won't make anybody feel better when anybody can be radicalized into the cruelty they are capable of. Surely, they might not have JK Rowling's power and money, but still, the cruelty will be there.
Yes, it is hard to seperate from art from the artist but 'read another book' is not the way to go when to always remain check with your biases and always try to do good every time you see yourself diving into the crueler option because there's always a hate group out there having your name.
This is a capitalist society, which means that just working means that there’s not much to try to juggle between living a healthy lifestyle and a place to live.
There are ways to protest, like strikes and looting, which is a totally legit rebellion.
It's just going to be really hard as the rich get richer, the middle class gets smaller, and the poor and homeless get nothing more than they usually have.
I agree to ignore everything about the new show to oblivion and make damn sure that not more money goes to her to direct her hatred.
Anything to do with HP, any fandom stuff that people still enjoy, can still make sure they profit out of it, not her for fan merch, while fanfiction can write whatever they want alongside fanart.
For official stuff, ignore them and do not give them attention. Do it after she is buried and whatever her will states to do with her blood money.
What she is doing with the money now that her fans send to her through the many revenues she has is just awful. At this point, when one is being so uncritical of what she is even doing by funding her through the money revenues that she has, that will hurt and is hurting a community that won't ever hurt her.
She's a ghoul but do not fund her or be uncritical of her just because you like her work. What I think of being uncritical or not being thoughtful at all is the death of the reader.
Readers must have critical thought of what they are reading, and beyond that, see what is happening. Media literacy is down the drain to the point that black and white reading of a text lacks any nuance. Just this guy is the true villain, even though they could see the throughline of the themes from what one character is doing to the one at up top doing it masterfully.
Not having any critical thinking of just beyond the text and actions caused not by the text but how the author benefited from the text, is just the thing.
Yes, it's fiction. Fuck my rarepairs won't hurt anyone. Harry Potter in itself is milquetoast when it's all said and done when seeing the other white writers at the time.
However, seeing the cause of this fiction in which the author is benefiting from hurting a community should be an reason to step back and really think of the real-life consequences of an author doing everything in their power with the money they get.
Since the whole Gaiman debacle, I should say something.
While there has always been the issue of the death of the author and how the support meant funding them, the revisionism of ‘of course all long they were a terrible artist’ going on is very degrading to art in general.
This mentality will not help you at all. Yes, you could look back and see now red flags that foretell their thoughts. But creativity and imagination are a thing. While you can put down your own experiences, there is nothing wrong with imagination written from the heart.
Dungeon Meshi is written by a woman who is admittedly not a good cook nor an adventurous eater but her imagination is so well done. She still loves the series but being the opposite of the creation does not negate her as a creator especially when she didn’t experience these in the so-called right manner such as being a good cook and adventurous eater. Having the imagination to provide a fantastical world with its own ecosystem and overall world makes good fiction.
Art is subjective. ORV and Princess Tutu hit the things I love but it might not sway others. Code Geass regardless of nationalism claims is still a classic series that still deserves its place in history. Kenshin is still excellent despite knowing that the author had actual child porn and got off scot-free because of his connections.
People have to reckon that talent is not a measure of being a good person and good art from bad people. Simply connecting with the good art written by bad people does not automatically negate you as a person trying to uphold a puritanical view of yourself.
Neil Gaiman has done horrible things to people from women to fans to colleagues to BIPOC people. He is still a very talented writer whose art has impacted a wealth of people.
John Lasseter is well past his prime but he’s still well-known for actually having a hand in his creation. Film is a collaborative work and Lasseter is not the only voice just as Butch Hartman was as Thomas Astruc was. They might have called most of the shots and controlled the general story but they literally weren’t the one.
Talent is not meted out to the purest. It’s simply a skill.
Bad people make good art as good people make dark art. Good people can still write all those triggers in stories and still be good. Bad people can make creatively impactful art and it’s still aged well.
Vic Migogna is a very good actor and his voice for Ed Elric and Tamaki are perfect. HP Lovecraft managed to make a whole new genre of his own.
I haven’t met any people in the pin community who are personally bad people. I only ever heard of their bad business and the jerk attitude they employ. I won’t be naming any names but using a business as a side hobby is not a good way to make business because people buying the art are your customers and you would want to establish that customer base’s trust in actually getting the products. Money is involved and the moment you have the money, you must make and deliver the product as a business.
Still those are businesses. Outstanding small businesses will take constructive criticism and mobilize their business to actually have great customer service.
Just because a person you admire and even like is nice to you does not mean that you are bad for not recognizing it. You might not even be the intended target yet you were treated so nicely.
The point for these criminals is to hide. Blaming others particularly fans for their creator's secretive nature is not good.
Just let people and yourself off the hook for simply having flawed judgment. We might never know literally everything about the person who interacted with us nicely. We won’t ever know and that’s alright.
To say after the fact when it’s all revealed and it’s obvious you didn’t catch the hints that you never liked it in the first place is disingenuous to the time you spent on it. You shouldn’t have to take the way out by not admitting just how much it hurts you and owe up to it instead of making a proud face.
Having pride just to keep from the feeling of hurt is valid to some extent but still feeling hurt from something you love that you didn’t ask for
A large part is to uphold a puritanical view of oneself by wanting healthy and pure relationships with no drama.
What is bad about wanting all those things without acknowledging the flaws. These people want the sake of literally everything they consume to be good and pure.
This is a bit of an extension from the ship rants I did before but these people shouldn’t be expecting that for their own self-congratulatory puritan. What they spewing is what conservatives used against anything they deem horrid.
Grappling with these thoughts in regards to creator and creation has been a thing forever. Meting out cowardice like saying it was bad when reading comprehension and media literacy are a thing. English classes teach you these things.
There is nothing wrong with admiring art but there is zero need to idolize the author too when it somehow connects to your politics and whatever you see fit.
My cousin still loves Harry Potter given how she asked our niece a question relating to it. I don’t think she’ll ever support the transphobe in any way.
This is just one case.
I don’t really read up a lot on the author’s thoughts too much. In the case of SBS, I cannot know everything. I’d rather have compiled links so I can make the decision myself whether I appreciate the intent versus the interpretation. I rather not misinterpret the text but extrapolate meaningful readings from subtext and text. Shipping I see is again fun and derived from whatever is there or not at all to have Barbie dolls playing.
JK Rowling’s intent very much differs from her execution and worst yet the things that are foreboding to her radicalization. She speaks of bravery and such but the execution speaks that she’d rather not change the status quo.
Neil Gaiman’s style leans more into headcanon territory where the actual canon answer can waver and isn’t set in stone. Again, this is a perfectly fine applicable way without forcing headcanons into the canon. Acknowledging canon without letting the image of whatever is in your head take over.
It’s okay that you cannot or no longer interact with the art you used to love because there is so much baggage associated with the creator in question. It’s okay that you can divorce yourself by other means such as buying them a third party and making sure your money doesn't go back to them.
What we ultimately interact with art that has been damaged by cruel creators is to find in ourselves not cowardice but to confront what we wanna do in the face of it.
While the creators are ultimately unwelcoming, the space created by fans and the circle thereof is better than anything a big creator might say to hurt people.
Hurt fans can gather up their spite and pour it into their fanmade merch. Fans who refuse to contribute to the creator's money often go for fanmade merchandise. For some, it’s completely guilt-free.
Personally, if I ever buy Harry Potter and Twilight fan merch which I never will, I’ll donate to the trans community and the Quileute tribe. For me, it’s not guilt free at least when it comes to those.
I completely understand that the media I love is not without flaws. That’s why I say Aven is Romani rather than to use the in-game word which is a real Romani word.
It’s another when the work isn’t tainted not by flaws intrinsic to the storytelling but by the fault of the creator who used the prestige the works grant access to for their horrid cause or to victims.
For others, the thing they have loved since forever will forever be tainted and they can’t ever see them interact positively again. They can try with other fans reckoning in their shared grief and rage
I roll my eyes whenever I see news regarding JK Rowling. Since in her mind is anti-trans to the point it’s all she ever talks about, she of course never brings attention to serious matters women are facing except her own. She is only about Neil Gaiman now because he supports the trans community and nothing else.
Anybody who tried to bring attention to that woke crowd going after leftist Neil Gaiman is stupid. Wokeness was the buzzword they used to get attention without any nuance or empathy toward fans. Usually, the 'woke' crowd has more legitimate criticism than that crowd because it's down to something as simple as empathy.
Godoka, while Trump will be having some infighting dogs and that his Executive orders are nothing more than force, there will be ways to fight back than roll over and comply with fascism. They want us to give up on the onslaught of laws that Trump is in a hurry to act and harbinger as a king rather than a functional governing body that only won not by a landslide.
Remember that Democrats don’t even broadcast their wins they absolutely have to. We are heading into a dreadful conservative era in which the dominant white Christians are relishing their supposed take back of power from their supposed oppression and persecution. They have always been in power and the clear division of BIPOC was their gains to divide. These guys felt so safe in their bubble that even a demand for rights for BIPOC people was seen as a threat to their privileges. Even now these guys still feel they can trademark the word pho and go after actual Viet for it and trying to appropriate Agua Fresca and boba is just sickening.
I know both sides are always bad things but for the love of Godoka, which of the lesser evil will you pick? Complaining about how both sides are doing bad things with such cynicism would not help the movements. We need to stick together and be loud in every available route we can to tell our government that we don't want this and they will be forced to change their tune with the overwhelming lawsuits. We'll be hurt on the way to our future but it's better than seemingly declaring everything is bad because both parties' actions are bad. It is unhealthy and we must focus our energies on gaining ground on what we can do.
It's harsh now in the conservative fascist era we're entering but we cannot let this get us down. Go and be involved and do something instead of just dumping it all on a story and expecting the worst from it instead of actually doing something such as putting up links where people can actually help against the said disgusting act from the government administration.
