Cassianna

Umm. I really don’t know what to make of all this. For the past couple days, I’ve just been scrolling on Tumblr and reading about all the drama with Von and Tetro. After reading all the docs and VA testimonies and trying to avoid any leaks (unsuccessfully), I’m left feeling hollow and disappointed.

I’m not really good at explaining my thoughts so this might be incoherent. But I remember getting into Tetro Pink during ch.2 with the Ice Fairy episode just being released. I remember feeling excited about weekly uploads and seeing new fanart on the tetro tag. I remember feeling a bit embarrassed when I saw my first Tetro art post being featured on stream, but from then on Tetro became part of my week. It was fun to come back from school on a Friday and binge the episodes from earlier in the day. I enjoyed reading reblogs on my art and seeing so many other artists share their artwork of characters we all loved. For me, Tetro and the tetro fandom were the biggest motivators for my digital art journey. I was a complete stranger to digital art, but seeing all the likes and reblogs from other Tetro fans encouraged me to keep trying and share my love for Tetro. It was my first time being so involved in an online community.

Now, with all the drama and proof that AI was used in Tetro, I feel guilty and upset. I feel guilty because I feel like I was supporting AI art whenever I liked designs and such even if I didn’t know at the time. But I also feel upset because something that inspired me so much since Pink won’t give other fans the same experience since they joined during Blue. Newer fans won’t get to experience all the celebration streams and fun collab events because Tetro is turning into a dumpster fire. What once was a great, fun, well-connected community is now an endless pit of betrayal in disarray.

I don’t think I can support Tetro in good conscience. Throughout all the allegations and drama, I’ve been trying to separate the art from the artist and just been continuing to create fanart for other fans who want to see art of their favourite characters. However, now that Tetro Blue is on indefinite hiatus, I think it’s best for me to step back and simply focus on supporting other artists in the fandom. I’m disappointed and heartbroken by all the evidence of AI usage in Von’s art, since as one of the younger fans in the fandom I really looked up to her as a role model. I don’t support AI, I don’t support sexualizing minors and I don’t support any of the bad things that are coming out about Von. Mistreating VAs who don’t even get paid for working on Tetro? Awful. But I hope things get better soon.

To all the VAs and fans: thank you for making Tetro and its fandom so welcoming and fun. Even if things get worse, I’ll still look back at everything (..most things?) with nostalgia and gratitude.

I hope that fans who are sticking around aren’t discouraged from making art about Tetro. To fans who are leaving the fandom: your decision is completely valid. I might be in some corner of the Tetro fandom, but I’ll probably take a break from digital art until I get something else to spark some inspiration (likely another fangan or killing game thing).