The Three Laws of Fandom

If you wish to take part in any fandom, you need to accept and respect these three laws.

If you aren’t able to do that, then you need to realise that your actions are making fandom unsafe for creators. That you are stifling creativity.

Like vaccination, fandom only works if everyone respects these rules. Creators need to be free to make their fanart, fanfics and all other content without fear of being harassed or concern-trolled for their creative choices, no matter whether you happen to like that content or not.

The First Law of Fandom

Don’t Like; Don’t Read (DL;DR)

It is up to you what you see online. It is not anyone else’s place to tell you what you should or should not consume in terms of content; it is not up to anyone else to police the internet so that you do not see things you do not like. At the same time, it is not up to YOU to police fandom to protect yourself or anyone else, real or hypothetical.

There are tools out there to help protect you if you have triggers or squicks. Learn to use them, and to take care of your own mental health. If you are consuming fan-made content and you find that you are disliking it - STOP.

The Second Law of Fandom

Your Kink Is Not My Kink (YKINMK)

Simply put, this means that everyone likes different things. It’s not up to you to determine what creators are allowed to create. It’s not up to you to police fandom. 

If you don’t like something, you can post meta about it or create contrarian content yourself, seek to convert other fans to your way of thinking.  

But you have no right to say to any creator “I do not like this, therefore you should not create it. Nobody should like this. It should not exist.”

It’s not up to you to decide what other people are allowed to like or not like, to create or not to create. That’s censorship. Don’t do it.

The Third Law of Fandom

Ship And Let Ship (SALS)

Much (though not all) fandom is about shipping. There are as many possible ships as there are fans, maybe more. You may have an OTP (One True Pairing), you may have a NOTP, that pairing that makes you want to barf at the very thought of its existence.

It’s not up to you to police ships or to determine what other people are allowed to ship. Just because you find that one particular ship problematic or disgusting, does not mean that other people are not allowed to explore its possibilities in their fanworks.

You are free to create contrarian content, to write meta about why a particular ship is repulsive, to discuss it endlessly on your private blog with like-minded persons.

It is not appropriate to harass creators about their ships, it is not appropriate to demand they do not create any more fanworks about those ships, or that they create fanwork only in a manner that you deem appropriate.

These three laws add up to the following:

You are not paying for fanworks content, and you have no rights to it other than to choose to consume it, or not consume it. If you do choose to consume it, do not then attack the creator if it wasn’t to your taste. That’s the height of bad manners.

Be courteous in fandom. It makes the whole experience better for all of us.

apply for jobs you’re not qualified for! audit upper-level classes! get drunk with your TAs! see that poster advertising that lecture series? go there take notes and ask questions! thank the presenter for talking about this topic you love! if the class is full before you register, email the professor and ask if they can squeeze you in! RAISE YOUR HAND! tell the disability accomodation office to do their goddamn job! ask for help! file complaints! go to class in your pajamas and destroy the reading! you got this! you KNOW you got this! be arrogant enough to learn EVERYTHING! take your meds! punch a velociraptor in the dick! fear is useless and temporary! glory is forever! shed your skin and erupt angel wings! help out! spread your sun!

i had a really good morning! you deserve a really good morning! kill anyone who says you don’t and build a throne from their bones!

Oddly inspiring

“Fear is useless and temporary.”

Holy shit.

Yo Would ya ask me questions on UtM?

Does everyone live? :)

What do you mean? Raymond is already dead

…everyone ELSE?

Yo Would ya ask me questions on UtM?

Does everyone live? :)

doing some shopping

It’s that time of the week again. Happy Caturday from Silver!

Tumblr user who said something problematic: I see now that what I said was wrong and how it was offensive/hurtful, and I appreciate the people who came forward to educate me on this

some of y’all:

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The year is 2018. Your bills are on autopay. You just got paid and you still have $1200 from the last check. When you want something, you buy it without moving money around. Your credit cards are paid off. You and your friends have 2 international trips planned and paid for this year. Your parents are in great health and you’re able to help if they need anything. You love your job. Your desired creative career is falling into place and you get to take your little cousins to Six Flags and Universal Studios over the Summer. Your relationships are healthy and supportive. All of the toxic energy from the past 6 years is gone. You going to concerts, eating good across the states and your crib has art and warmth throughout. 2018 is going to be so good to you.

reblogging this for that 2018 good luck

Speaking this into existence.

Speak to your future, watch it speak back.

THAT PART!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

Gonna post this on my bathroom mirror as an affirmation

guys im crying

I’m a social vampire u gotta invite me into ur conversation or I cannot enter

hehehe

a blog: *follows me*

me, an aged monarch lounging on my fur-strewn throne, gesturing for my servant to bring me my monacle: Bring them here! Bring them here, I say. Let me look at them.

guards: *drag the unwitting blog before me*

me, peering intently at the new blog and poking them with my scepter: Is this a real person? Hmm? What have you to say for yourself? What are your fandoms? Your interests? Speak up, these old ears aren’t what they used to be.

guards, tentatively: they do seem to be a real person, sire. We found them in possession of several memes and a fandom rant.

me, subsiding back into my sumptuous furs and waving them away: most extraordinary. It has been an age since there was a real person, but just as well, the dungeons have been overflowing with those tacky pornbots. This newcomer may remain in my domain. Make them welcome. And fetch me a quill! I feel a ficlet coming on…

this is the funniest thing i have ever read

Reblog if you're a fanfic writer and you wanna know what your followers' favorite story of yours is ❤

DO IT FUCK YES

Also, you may have noticed that Emmy isn’t the greatest spy—she puts up a decent front (for Bronev as well as for Layton & co. IMO), but she’s a little impulsive (offering to kick children’s doors down…) and plainly gets attached to Layton and Luke, which had to be breaking a cardinal rule of intelligence agents. I like to think Layton was her first serious mission; Bronev might have been hoping to recruit Layton eventually, but I doubt he ACTUALLY expected his son to literally stumble over all three of the Azran sites he needed. Maybe Emmy even had to fight to stay on the mission once it became clear that Layton was A Person To Monitor.

My headcanon is that Bronev heard about him at some point (being the youngest professor at Gressenheller should have gotten some attention) and originally planned to force Hershel to join Targent (based Desmond and Mackintosh, it looks like that is his usual methods with archaeologists), but Emmy heard about it and as a repayment for Hershel helping her, volunteered to be a spy, so Hershel wouldn’t be threatened.

Sold, headcanon accepted and I may even write fic of that later.

It’s not Christmas without this perfect rendition of ‘Carol of the Bells.’

Ah yes, the one entertaining version of my least favorite Christmas carol. :D