Squeeing over fandom

I love him so much

I love them so much 😭

They're everything to me

Mexico amends its constitution to cut the maximum workweek from 48 to 40 hours by 2030 and gives 13.5 million workers the legal right to ignore their boss’s calls, messages, and emails after their shift ends, in the most significant overhaul of Mexican labor law in a generation.

She's fat and gets the guy and no one bats an eye.

She's fat and the hottest chick in the sorority and that's normal.

She's fat and an actress and she gets good roles.

She's fat and she's funny and she has character depth and growth.

She's fat and the main character and no one mentions her weight once.

I ... basically just don't worry about this. Like, I really liked The Talented Mr. Ripley, which I read as a teenager, and there was not even a fraction of a second during which I had any thoughts of "perhaps i should murder my friends to steal their stuff, since this published author portrayed it", because... like I just never actually think anyone gave me the idea that books were supposed to be showing things that were good. They were supposed to be telling interesting stories, and those are often stories in which people behave badly.

I think it's possible for me to imagine a piece which I'd regard as genuinely harmful propaganda, but even then, I just... I mean, I might object to it or say "hey watch out for this", but I wouldn't want it banned, that just seems insane.

I think the big thing that a lot of this discourse misses is that people don't necessarily jump from a fictional depiction to "therefore this is okay". Sometimes they jump from a fictional depiction to "holy shit this is fucked up, and it's been happening to me for years but I never questioned it because life has just been like that".

Representation matters in bulk. One presentation of a black starship captain isn't going to single handedly end racism. Fiction tends to reflect the times more than shape it. This is absolutely true of professionally published works that make money, as well.

When stories about handsome men ravishing the book's heroine were all the rage in romance novels, it was not that writing those normalized rape. It's that rape was normalized, so no one thought, "huh, this is skeevy." It took a decade of women pushing back against rape culture via second wave feminism before those stories stopped being quite so prevalent. Likewise, it's a societal problem that many people didn't get the point of Lolita and thought it was a love story, not a horror story, but that is not the fault of the book.

Now, there are nonfiction books I kind of think should be banned. Like "To Train Up A Child" by the Pearls, which is a child abuse how-to manual masquerading as a child rearing manual for Christians. That book has caused deaths. At the very least I feel the publisher should be required to put a warning on it like the kind we see on cigarettes. "The American Pediatrics Association has found that this book has been associated with many cases of child abuse, including some that resulted in the child's death."

But as Alara said, it informs in bulk.

I like to use a specific episode of Supernatural as an example. They shot the show in Canada, but this episode allegedly took place just outside of New Orleans.

There was one named Black character, who was found dead. There was one singular black extra in the background, existing for maybe 5 to 10 seconds.

Everyone else was white, even the nonspeaking extras.

That's incredibly... Not Louisiana as a whole, let alone the New Orleans area in particular. But this one episode was just the one episode, right?

Except that there are hundreds of episodes of various shows filmed in very white places with little to no Black representation, and claiming to take place within the New Orleans area.

If you saw all of those, you'd subconsciously, maybe, wonder if New Orleans wasn't as Black as you thought, or if perhaps there was a lot of White gentrification going on (which, there is, but there's still a ton of Black people just, you know... Existing) - especially if you don't know the reality behind filming locations and such.

When we consume media for learning's sake - from the news, textbooks, etc. - we are looking for inconsistencies and lies. We have our bullshit filter up.

Buuuuut when we consume media for entertainment, that bullshit filter is borderline nonexistent! So if you see the same message repeated over and over and over again, it might begin to inform some of your subconscious biases.

There are certain things the brain looks for to differentiate between the two, as well, which has been studied at length. A lot of News Organizations use shady tactics to trick your brain into relaxing into Entertainment Mode, like having Loud Correspondants, emotional stories that feel like fiction, et cetera. Fox News is infamous for it, and it's why so many Fox viewers fall for shit - because they are being tricked into lowering that Bullshit Filter. Ancient Aliens does this kind of thing too... A lot of documentaries do. Super Size Me is one. It's... Bad.

Anyway. One episode or one movie or one book or one fanfic featuring a problematic trope isn't going to change the world.

But if it's one out of thousands, or even millions, that's when we, as writers and artists, owe it to ourselves to stop and ponder where that trope came from and why we're leaning on it so much, and if maybe we have some biases to work through.

We also owe it to the marginalized people in our lives to present them better to the world. Fanfic starts trends in writing, and I've been doing fanfic for 30 years so I can say that with relative certainty. If making something popular in fanfic happens, it starts to pop up in books, TV shows, etc.

So no, like. One instance isn't gonna be a huge issue.

It's if your instance is one of thousands or millions. And really, you owe yourself and those around you better than that. Not from a writing standpoint, go ahead and publish whatever (personally, I like to try and make the text point out, in some way, that what happened was Not Okay, even if it's just an idle thought a character has. Just so the cycle of bullshit gets interrupted a little).

But from a growing up and doing better standpoint.

Do better.

Grace: Hey, uh, Rocky…

Rocky: You have a question, Grace my best friend Grace?

Grace: yeah. um. Why does everyone else wear clothes and you. Don’t.

Rocky: oh. That’s because they’re mostly from 🎵🎵🎵 and people are weird about clothes there.

Grace: what

Rocky: in 🎵🎵🎵 they think it’s wrong to have your carapace uncovered in public. Which is stupid. It’s a CARAPACE who cares if your carapace is out. We all have one. My country understands this. I can’t help it if the space program was primarily organized by the 🎵🎵🎵 government because they’re the ones with power and resources so everyone who works at the space elevator thinks they need to wear clothes even when they don’t actually have to.

Grace: Rocky are you a nudist

Rocky: don’t know word. I’m 🎶🎵🎶 and also the Savior of Erid so the 🎵🎵🎵 guys can’t tell me I have to wear a shirt anymore. SUCK IT

What makes the villain the villain (inasmuch as it's useful to examine TLT characters through that kind of simplistic lens) is that when the chips are down and he has to choose, his priority is punishing the wicked, not saving the people left behind.

I would invite anyone whose engagement with their cause consists of finding the 'correct' group of people to hate, to consider whether 'evil emperor' is the next career move you see yourself taking, and if it isn't, to gently suggest disembarking from the hate train.

➡️ Not every medium of fiction and storytelling has or is expected to have content warnings or extensive tagging.

➡️ Print novels do not traditionally warn for content in any way.

➡️ Until AO3 came along, fanfiction did not traditionally warn for content in any significant way.

➡️ An author is only obligated to warn for content to the degree mandated by the format they publish their fiction on.

➡️ Content warnings beyond the minimum are a courtesy, not an obligation.

➡️ 'Creator chose not to warn' is a valid tag that authors are allowed to use on AO3. It means there could be anything in there and you have accepted the risk. 'May contain peanuts!'

➡️ Writers are allowed to use 'Creator chose not to warn' for any reason, including to maintain surprise and avoid spoilers.

➡️ 'Creator chose not to warn' is not the same thing as 'no archive warnings apply'.

➡️ It is your responsibility to protect yourself and close a book, or hit the back button if you find something in fiction that you're reading that upsets you.

Not only was I not freezing anymore, I was not sweating and overheating either. The horrible sensory nightmare of winter clothes disappeared.

In particular, I bought a pair of wool pants. They were a thrifted pair of fancy dress pants like you would wear at an important office job, and they were easily the most comfortable pair of winter-appropriate pants i'd ever worn. I wore them Every Single Day.

From that point on I realized a lot of my clothes were making me feel bad, and the common thread was polyester. Especially polyester blends.

It's a trap because the polyester clothes are the ones that always feel sooooo silky soft when they are in the store, whereas cotton, linen and wool can feel comparatively rough and scratchy. But when actually wearing them for hours throughout the day, it's the natural fibers that feel more comfortable.

Maybe the secret to sensory comfort is not about the presence of softness, but the absence of overloading sensations. Or maybe the sensory stress and agony is not triggered by texture of the fabric, but by how it breathes and regulates temperature.

Then there's the problem of clothing life span: polyester blends, no matter how soft they seem at first, become rough and scratchy and covered in hard, itchy pills after wearing them 10 or 20 times, whether or not they have been tumble-dried or even washed at all. (I tested it!) Linen and cotton become softer and more comfy the more you wear them, polyester but ESPECIALLY polyester blends become a constant stressor. Polyester blend t-shirts I used to love for their softness now feel bristly and irritating.

Alpaca- my all time favorite. It is both warmer and lighter than wool, and if you have allergic reactions to wool, as I do, this is a great substitute. Alpaca socks are so great.

Cotton- the common fabric. Good for shirts, underthings, socks, pants, you name it. Good at wicking moisture and letting skin breathe, but can also be woven into warmer items such as sweaters. Good all around fabric. Can be strong and used for heavy duty clothing as well as delicate clothes.

Linen- the original warm weather fabric. The more it is washed, the softer it gets. Fabulous in the heat. Use it for bed sheets in the summer and you will never be hot in bed again. It can be used to make shirts, pants, shorts, and underthings.

Silk- great for warm and cool weather. Cool in the heat, warm in the cold, and beautiful no matter what. Can be made as a washable fabric, but usually hand wash or dry clean. Will wear like iron. If you treat it right, you can have silk for 20 years or more. Gloves, socks, underthings, shirts, pants, dresses, jackets, you name it.

Hemp- less well known but a great fabric. Resists mold like you would not believe! Used to make sails for sailing ships, as well as ropes during the age of sail. It was stronger than cotton when wet and would last longer due to the no molding thing. Less water intensive to grow than cotton, with many of the same properties of both linen and cotton. Can be used to make bed sheets, bath towels, shirts, underthings, pants, socks, pretty much anything.

Cashmere- Super luxurious! It is the shed hair of the Cashmere and pashmina goats. Usually made into sweaters, scarves, hats, gloves , and shawls. Super warm and soft. Hand wash or dry clean.

Angora- Also super luxurious. The shed fur of the angora rabbit. Can be used to make sweaters, hats, gloves, shawls, socks, and shawls. Warm, soft, and fluffy.

Mohair- The fur/hair from angora or mohair goats. Used to make sweaters, socks, gloves, hats, scarves, and shawls. Soft and warm.

There are also natural blends. These include (but are not limited to, and are not a complete list): cotton/wool, cotton/linen, cotton/silk, linen/silk, wool/silk, alpaca/wool, cashmere/wool, mohair/wool, etc.

Other natural fibers can include camel, yak, and other animal hair that is shed or clipped and then spun into yarn. Some are more available in certain areas of the world than others. I did not include bamboo due to the massive amount of chemical processing that it takes to extract the fibers. I also did not include lotus silk, byssus silk (sea silk), or any other experimental animal silk (such as the golden orb weaver spider silk) that has been made/created.

Natural fibers cost more to harvest, process, spin, and weave. They can be more difficult to color evenly, because like any natural material they have flaws and variations. This makes them more expensive to work with, which makes the clothing more expensive to produce and sell. But the items produced will last longer (theoretically), will feel better against the skin, and will be better for you in the long run for both you and the planet than clothing yourself in plastic. Microplastics will rub off on your skin, washing away in the washing machines and getting into the water supply. As the fabrics break down, they will become not only rougher against the skin, but also more difficult to mend and patch, limiting their wear life. But because they are plastics, they won't decompose and break down, continuing to pollute the environment unless they can be recycled.

Natural fabrics, in comparison, will become softer over time. They can be repaired more easily as they get holes or tears because the fabric will not have pieces break off like plastic will. It can be easily recycled, and will eventually decompose (which is why archaeologists rarely find clothing and textiles at dig sites), causing little to no damage to the environment. Rarely will a person be allergic to a natural fabric (WOOL! Argh!!!), and when they are, there is usually a protein, emollient, or fabric composition which can be a factor and can (usually) be mitigated, unlike with a synthetic fiber.

Don't get me wrong, synthetic fibers have their place and they have become very useful for certain things. But, we live in a time of fast fashion and high consumerism fueled by synthetic fabrics and exploited labor. Being conscientious of what your clothing is made of, what natural fabrics can do, how long they can last, and why and when you should wear them is a good way to start cutting down on waste while helping your body feel better. And you may find that by limiting the amount of synthetic materials you put on or near your body, that certain things might start to clear up (acne, rashes, etc.).

Bast fibers like linen and hemp usually have a fair number of slubs and are usually woven for durability, because lightweight knits tend to unravel near the slubs just around the same time that the wear level starts to get Perfect.

If you're running through the racks and find a nice hand, remember that synthetics tend to absorb water poorly. Holding the fabric for just a moment and then rubbing the fingers together usually tells me if the moisture was absorbed, or if my hands are still sticky. Fabric softener and dry cleaning can fool me sometimes.

Same as the above, synthetics tend to reflect heat. If a fabric feels soft to the hand, hold onto it a moment. Silk and wool warm up slowly, but synthetics feel "warm" almost immediately. Plant fibers also warm pretty quickly in the hand, but will still absorb water.

Silk and wool are HEAVY on the thread level. A tightly woven silk jacket is way heavier than a poly or nylon one of similar thread gauge.

And although your assessments are largely excellent, pyroteknich, I have a few nits to pick:

Cotton gets WET and holds 36x its own weight in water, compared to ~6x for bast fibers and a little more for wool and silk. When it's wet, the water clogs the gaps in the clothes and prevents airflow. I mention this because I live in a humid subtropical area and sweat basically doesn't evaporate. Cotton means a swampy underside, or all-over-side if you're working hard enough or get caught in the rain. A notable exception to this is very loose and billowy clothing like gauzy skirts. I generally avoid cotton entirely because of its water-holding capacity.

Silk does wear like iron unless it gets wet, then it's very weak and abrades easily. Normal activities in my area will cause sweat to build up and that moisture will shred silks. Again, the solution is loose and billowy, and being choosy about which fabrics during particular times of year. I tend toward bast fibers in the warmer months and silks in the cooler ones. Reconstituted cellulose fibers like "bamboo", ramie, rayon, and so on have similarly poor durability when wet. Silk also stains very easily and HATES being in the sun to dry or for too long period, as UV light breaks it down, just something to be aware of.

And also unsolicited, I would like to share a few tips I've picked up for keeping natural fibers in good shape so they can get to that delightful broken-in level. We have very, very soft water in my area, so your mileage may vary.

If not handwashing, a top-loading washer, filled up completely with cold water, is pretty close to handwashing, on delicate settings.

Most of the time, "dry clean only" is a bunch of nonsense, except with suits or dresses made with water-soluble interfacing. People washed these pieces for how many centuries before dry cleaning existed? Yeah. Unfortunately, I don't know an easy way to find out if interfacings are water-soluble, except to give the piece a wash. I've restored dozens of stinky natural-fiber pieces that were discarded because the original owner's dry cleaning didn't remove the water-soluble odors, and I "restored" them just by giving them a nice wash. Sometimes a pair of suit pants or a jacket will start poking out the plastic interfacing after the wash, so yknow. Caveat washor.

Even if handwashing, strongly alkaline detergents or high heat will cause protein-based fibers like wools and silks to denature and degrade rapidly during the abrasion of washing. Vinegar will help, and mild curd soaps are best. If only washing wools, a little liquid lanolin mixed well with hot water and curd soap prior to adding to the wash water will help restore the fibers, making the garment more water-repellent, stronger, and more durable. Small amounts of detergents can be used to boost the efficacy of the wash if there is a lot of oil in the laundry soils.

Inversely, plant fibers prefer hot water and can withstand alkaline detergents well, making washing soda and borax viable additions, but hot water will often cause stains to set. I like to help remove the alkalines from the fabric by using vinegar in the rinse. Machine drying, even on "air dry" settings, will still cause static buildup in the fibers, making them slightly water-repellent and for myself, an extremely unpleasant sensory experience. I try to line-dry everything, which is difficult when showers and storms are unpredictable and frequent, and the humidity is 70%+ most days during the hottest part of the day. Still worth it, and indoor line-dry is an option.

Wools and silks are magnets for carpet beetles and clothes moths. When I'm storing clothes for the season, I wash them, gently lanolize the wools, make sure they're 100% dry, then heat up an oven with a baking stone to 200F (90C), line a metal sheet pan with parchment paper, cut the oven, and then leave the clothes in the oven for 30min to kill any eggs. Then I wrap them tightly with plastic bags and put them in plastic bins for storage, and I've never had a problem with insects since. I got the idea from bedbug treatments.

But...they're written for children. That means complicated topics are simplified, sharp corners are rounded, and the narrative holds your hand to help you understand. These aren't flaws - they're what children's entertainment is for. It gives kids a safe place to be introduced to serious themes without freaking them out with, for example, graphic violence. Inclusion of adult material makes it harder for kids to engage with the story because they're prone to being overwhelmed and their still-developing brains aren't ready to handle it yet

But if you want to discuss adult topics in a mature way, it's extremely silly to reference children's shows. Like for example, with a:tla - it's a show about war in which no on-screen war deaths occur. The subject of people being killed is talked about, like with the genocide of the air nomads and the death of Katara and Sokka's mother. But we never see any actual on-screen death (or dismemberment, or other serious injuries). The show goes out of its way to show that everyone's okay - for example, when Sokka and Toph steal the airship, we see the soldiers dropped safely in the water.

Again, this isn't a flaw - it's a strength of the show. Because it's written for children. Graphic violence is too scary and would throw them out of the story. But a major part of seriously discussing war IS the horrific violence. You can't just leave it out if you want to actually explore the topic with any depth

Of course that doesn't mean that all adult media deals with serious subjects in a serious way - there are plenty of goofy war movies for adults. But with adult media, all of the tools for storytelling are at least available in a way that they simply aren't for children's entertainment