Lunchtime Posty Thing

[tree_talking]

Things with Dad's lack-of-will proceed apace. Which is to say, slow as molasses running uphill at this time of year. *sigh*

The Tarot reading classes are really awesome! I did a practice reading (my first!) the other day and even though I still had to use my notes on meanings, I was still able to open up to my intuitive side and give a halfway decent reading. I guess with some things you just have to jump in with both feet!

I am still writing every day, though I have not posted anything yet this year. This needs to change soon. I have a few feelings about fandom (not specifically Homestuck, but it's my main fandom these days) in general.

I've seen some pretty nasty things go on, not just lately, but in every fandom I've been involved in or witnessed or just heard of. I just wonder what makes some people act so nastily to each other. I wonder about people who will go on anon-commenting and tell someone who has been talking about suicide to "just end it all already".

I wonder about shippers. I mean, I consider myself a shipper but what makes people get so up in arms over it? I mean, you're shipping fictional characters (or real people used as fictional characters)! Why does it have to be something to argue over to the point of threats and serious meanness?

It might have something to do with the age of the participants, I suppose, but I don't really take that as much of an excuse to just not be civil. I really do try to treat anyone I comment to online as if they are sitting right in front of me (ok, with a little more bravery, since in Real Life [tm] I am kind of awkward).

I know meanness happens outside of fandom, but I just...wonder at it on the inside. Because this is something we do for fun, so why can't we just...let it be fun?

Related Tumblr thoughts:

Tumblr, to be honest, is a really lousy platform for fandom. It's hard to have a decent discussion without clogging up the dashboard--and to follow a discussion you are not necessarily a part of is annoying as hell. It's great for sharing art and pictures...but not so great for anything else. I enjoy Tumblr simply because of the visuals, but I am not fond of the Tumblr "social justice" memes, and definitely not a fan of how difficult it is to get to know people on there or have a conversation!

That said, I have been considering making some sort of blog/Tumblr called "Miss Shelle's guide to Fandom Manners" or something. Knowing me, it would never get off the ground, though.

Comments

[waddledoodles]

Oh Tumblr and Homestuck.

What is it about the social justice memes that you don't like? Asking as someone who got all up in a Hamsteak Justice debate recently. I'm not even mad about it...it was pretty fun, if a bit exhausting, and sad to see so many people frothing at the mouth over how much racism wasn't a big deal.

[tree_talking]

It's mostly the guilt-trippy way that people on tumblr deal with it. Lots and lots of people being THOROUGHLY unpleasant about things. And the biggest trouble is that when there is an argument, it's REPEATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN because you can't have a conversation without it being all over the dashboards!

Debates are fine as long as people are LISTENING but damn. How was the discussion on the forum, btw? I'm signed up on there but in general I don't like reading arguments unless everyone is respectful and this is the internet so unfortunately, I'm used to not expecting people to be respectful. *sigh*

[waddledoodles]

It was, uh... eye opening. In a bad way.

[tree_talking]

Awww, crap.

Yeah, that's why I don't go on the forums. (what's your username there, btw? I...dont' even remember mine...LOL)

On the one hand, I liked Hussie's initial announcement about "whatever you decide is what it is". I thought his *intentions* were good in saying that, and that he just wanted people in the fandom to have fun with it and draw and play as they liked.

The problem comes in when he tries to say that that's how it was all along, unfortunately. There are subtle and not-so-subtle indicators that the authorial thoughts were of the kids as caucasian. Intentions = good. Ultimate delivery = problematic.

It doesn't trouble me very much, because I've always liked the particular headcanon that John and Jade are/could be biracial at least, but I feel SPECTACULARLY unqualified to speak on ethnicity issues. I would like to talk about them, though, simply because I *am* unqualified as a white, middle-aged, cis-gendered straight female. But I am worried about getting it wrong, or offending someone, so I shut up.

[waddledoodles]

waddledoodles, of course *g*

And that's what I was trying to argue--that his execution was not as flawless as he made it seem. Personally I don't really care if they're all white. Yeah I'll probably roll my eyes and think "another all white cast savin' the world", but Andrew Hussie's just a guy with a computer and a web comic; I wouldn't be as demanding about diversity on him as I would, say, someone producing a major motion picture. He writes what he knows and that's white, video game-y suburbia. And he writes it very well!

[tree_talking]

Heh, yep. He lives around here, and up till about 20 years ago or so, this was the whitest area you could ever wanna see, really. If he grew up around here, I'd say he's probably not at all racist, but honestly, most of his friends were white growing up. Most of mine were, and it's because I could count on one hand the number of PoC in my graduating class (1987). The racial makeup of this area has completely changed since then.

(it's only recently that some of my original characters in my fiction have started coming to me as people of color, tbh. This is a Good Development, and I like it a lot.)

[waddledoodles]

OMIGAWSH YOU SHOULD TRACK HIM DOWN AND DEMAND HE MAKE ROXY A KIRBY FAN

FOR REASONS

But yeah I definitely don't think he's racist, he's just another dude who's not too keen about the subtleties involving race. *shruuug* There's plenty of people who aren't and few of them are bad people because of it.

[tree_talking]

Hee, I saw your post on that. I think you should make art to that effect. *nods* I know you can art. You should do it.

Agree with you 100%. :D

(It's so awesome that we share a fandom again, btw. LOL)

[waddledoodles]

ikr I keep forgetting how fandom makes it easier to actually talk to people about something other than, idk, your cats

of which i have none ;-;

[tree_talking]

lol that icon.

...clearly, you need some cats. *nods*

[tree_talking]

oh and if someone is saying that "racism wasn't/isn't a big deal" GOD how ignorant is that?

Oy!

[waddledoodles]

They were arguing that it wasn't in the realm of Homestuck, which I doubt anyone would seriously argue; it's just Hussie going "MY WORK IS TTLY COLOR BLIND GAUISE ANYONE WHO THINKS OTHERWISE IS WACIST" that made people go "lolno"

[tree_talking]

...yeah, that's problematic, right there. Admit your failures, hussie. You don't lose as many readers if you admit your mis-steps...

[waddledoodles]

I think that his second post on the issue was much better than the first. At least there he admitted that his execution wasn't as flawless as he claimed it was. I'm waaaay more willing to be easy on him than I am on the fans.

[tree_talking]

Yeah, I agree. The man is only human, after all. We all make mistakes and unfortunately, with the internet, our mistakes are FOREVAR.

The fans can be a spectrum between awesome and annoying. Yep.