hold space to slow down!

If you prioritize your own comfort and "rights as a person" (read: repeatedly demean/mock fanwork and endorse the harassment of other real human beings for things you personally dislike, including while actively seeking out things that distress you) over the wellbeing of others, you are being an asshole. If you are willing to flirt with other people as a joke but balk at people taking that (frankly tired and at times downright homophobic) joke seriously, you are being an asshole. If you are willing to take inspiration from fanwork that you enjoy, with or without crediting it, and still insist on being able to dictate what people can and cannot make based on your own moral standards, you are being an asshole.

Distress and disgust at fanwork you do not enjoy is completely valid. Requesting that it not be taken into spaces you manage or otherwise shown directly to you is totally fine, and if people insist on breaking the rules of your community space then that is absolutely a bannable offense. We would even personally go so far as to say that, should you be the type to "lurk" in your AO3 or Tumblr tags and happen to by sheer bad luck stumble on something that you dislike to an immense degree, quietly and without fanfare blocking/banning someone that you are personally uncomfortable with being in your community spaces is, in the grand scheme of things, relatively inoffensive. If you are actively seeking out things that distress you for the purpose of crossbanning those who create it, however, you are -- once again -- being an asshole.

We do not say this oft-tread punchline lightly: you are going to lose subscribers. You are going to lose the core backbone that makes up fandom, you are going to lose any respect your audience has for you, and the spaces you frequent and manage will begin to be considered unsafe by others. There are plenty of people who are the most polite, respectful, well-meaning, and boundaries-following individuals you could possibly want in a fandom*, and many of them will be driven away by this sort of behavior. You will instead be curating a fanbase full of those who can tolerate and potentially even engage with stalking, harassment, threats, and outright harm to others that you personally deem unacceptable.

*(We're talking model citizen by even the strictest standards. People with next to no interest in shipping (or smut, or RPF), who are actively engaging with community and seeking to bring in new fans, whose fanwork all falls fully within the bounds of the "acceptable" even when posted in private spaces, who are loudly and proudly allies for marginalized folks and are invested in deterring bigotry whenever possible.)

We are already seeing people actively distressed by the actions and behaviors of people they assumed they could trust (as role models or otherwise) -- and while the refrain no one you look up to is better than you are still applies here and may be cold comfort for us, that does little to alleviate the very real and material impact of people being soured on your work for good.*

*(And also, people will get hurt. Doxxing, persistent harassment, stalking, death/assault threats, falsified accusations, bigoted comments, the whole works. But even if that's less important than your own comfort so long as that stuff never touches you directly, it still hurts your bottom line and broader reputation to be associated with this sort of thing.)

We do not think having engaged in this behavior makes someone a bad person. We do not think having outdated, iffy, or misinformed beliefs makes someone a bad person. We do not consider speaking overly harshly at times or having an unawareness of one's impact on others to be a cardinal sin. It is, however, room for improvement and growth.

Now I didn't share his name in that original post, but I'm going to share it now.

Anathra, in a stream shortly following Pyro's boundaries announcement, was talking about his feelings surrounding the whole situation, as well as his thoughts on fanwork in general, especially where shipping is involved.

These thoughts included, but were not limited to:

Comparing fans to 'karens' and other people who mistreat food and retail workers, saying that "they treat people with contempt and as inhuman"

Saying that fans don't respect creators when they make fan works

Fans creating fanart and fanfic of characters they play is "weird and unhealthy behavior", regardless if it's posted publically or privately between a group of friends or in a private server.

"You have to try to make people understand that even if they're doing it in private it's weird and wrong"

Comparing fanart and fanfic to AI generated work

In response to a comment asking "Is it not a bit disingenuous to compare fan work to a climate killing water guzzling art stealing machine?" doubling down on his comparison and saying "It's not necessarily the climate side of things, its the same morality being used. If you take the climate thing into account, AI is worse. Using just the 'creative' side of AI, is what I'm talking about."

In regards to his fans "The most you can do is get most people to listen, there's always going to be weirdos out there we all know that."

Now why am I posting this now? It has come to my attention that the clips I got of these quotes from Anathra's VOD have been taken down, along with the original VOD as well. As such, I have no concrete evidence of these quotes, however below is the proof that the clip and VOD links once existed and no longer do.

Why did you remove these clips and VOD from your channel Anathra? Did you realize that these were awful things to be saying about your fans, people who support you and love your characters, SO MUCH SO that they dedicate time and effort to create wonderful works of art inspired by your stories and characters? I have to imagine you do realize, or else you wouldn't have taken these clips down at all.

Why are you trying to hide? If you were so brave as to say these things on stream, doubling down even, then own them. If you regret speaking your mind in a stressful situation, then take accountability for your harmful words. You don't get to just say these things and ignore the consequences. I'm sick and tired of creators thinking of fans and fan*work* as something they *deserve* and can control to their own liking. Fans create these things selflessly out of a love for your storytelling, only to be told that they're "weird" and "wrong" for it? That the hours they spend working on a beautiful piece of art or incredibly complex prose and fiction is equivalent to instantly generated ai slop? AI Slop that learned FROM FAN WORK? It's incredibly demoralizing for fans who are creating these things FOR FUN with no personal gain to be hearing that the creators they look up to see them so low.

Stop hiding. Your fans deserve better than a creator who will insult them behind their backs.

the way a content creator reacts to boundary discourse says a lot about whether or not you should be supporting them. there is no reality where allowing a child to get hurt by your entire fandom is warranted.

For day 284, we have CANON AUTOPILOT !! LETS GOOOOO!!!!

Those stained with death have arrived at Hollows Ground. Arriving to the last stop. Will these Humans make it out of Hallows Ground? Or will their past crimes come to light? Find out during Cryptids SMP

@rubycowashere @noodlethegay

Art by Lunar and @justarobowren