#indiewriting

As I am able to get more books up, I will post more links. These are my universal links. I am just happy the Shadow Realm Chronicles is up! #booktokers #poetrytok #booktoker #bookish #bookworm#bookshelf #booktokfyp #bookstagram #booktok #indiewritersoftik #indiewriterlife #fyp #bookworm #booktoker#bookshelf#booktoks #writersoftiktok #writertok #indie #reading #readingcommunity…

As I am able to get more books up, I will post more links. These are my universal links. I am just happy the Shadow Realm Chronicles is up! #booktokers #poetrytok #booktoker #bookish #bookworm#bookshelf #booktokfyp #bookstagram #booktok #indiewritersoftik #indiewriterlife #fyp #bookworm #booktoker#bookshelf#booktoks #writersoftiktok #writertok #indie #reading #readingcommunity…

I feel like there’s a serious discussion to be had about oc culture, the current puritanical view of media, and how that interacts with minorities. when I say that you might think like “wtf are you talking abt” but listen, I think it’s connected.

there’s this idea in fandom spaces that there is a Correct Objective way to interpret media and, in turn, art. on the one hand, yes, we should respect the art others make, in a way that doesn’t erase their background or what the intended meaning of their art is; we shouldn’t disrespect personal pieces of queer work, of work made by pocs, of work by disabled people and their experiences. i get that; these works of art are important both personally and politically.

on the other hand, art is art. fiction isn’t real. sure it can AFFECT reality, but Blorbo From My Disney Show is not a real person. Blorbo is a narrative device used to portray real people, real feelings, real experiences, but Blorbo isn’t going to be offended if you say he’s a piece of shit and that you hate him. he’s not real. he can’t feel.

and, there seems to be this idea that if you interpret a piece of media in a different way than intended, that somehow YOU are personally ruining the work as a whole. like for instance, let’s say we have this character named Jane Randomsurname. let’s say Jane is a serial killer. the motives behind her crimes in the context of the story may be clear cut or they may be a bit more lenient, but regardless of the writers’ intentions, there will be people who interpret her character differently. this is because while the INTENTION behind janes crimes was objective, art is subjective to the interpreter, and people come from all sorts of different angles.

and, it’s one thing when we have Jane Randomsurname The Serial Killer. and it’s another when we have a character who is maybe morally grey or maybe meant to represent a minority (either implicitly or openly).

because, if Jane Randomsurname is implied or stated to be a lesbian, and a bisexual woman thinks Jane could be bisexual due to this woman sharing similar characteristics with Jane, there’s always going to be a clash of “she’s a lesbian” vs “she’s a bisexual woman.” Regardless of the authors intentions, there will be people who look at this (remember: not real) woman and interpret her story in any number of ways. i personally feel like this should be encouraged; art means different things to people, and no amount of tumblr user toenaillover836 raging over how Jane Isn’t A Lesbian will change her saying, in the book, “I’m a lesbian.” Individuals just don’t hold power like that over art; art is made by the artist, and everyone else sees what they want. That’s how it works. we can understand and respect the intentions behind that art while also coming up with our own interpretations. these things can coexist.

but there’s something to be said about current fandom culture and, as a result, what I’m dubbing “oc culture.” If we believe this previous argument to be true — that current fandom sees art as an objective thing to respect, and not an individual subjective experience — then of course it makes sense that these people care about who “owns” art or who “owns” this character.

because yeah sure, copyright laws exist. If you draw a pink mouse with green hair who’s starred in your webcomic strip since 2007, and suddenly someone ELSE uses that same concept, that’s pretty blatantly copying, yeah? But the thing is, DRAWING that pink mouse with green hair isn’t copyrighted. It doesn’t matter what you do with it if you claim it as a derivative work. You might own Jane Randomsurname, but the second the bigwigs at Randomcompany start airing her show, that art is out in the world for people to interpret. She’s no longer “your” character— you’ve chosen to share her with the world. Trying to micromanage the way people interact with Jane will not work; you’ll be frazzled at best and in a huge series of legal issues at worst. artists have tried and failed to do that exact thing many times in the past. Because Jane isn’t real, and people have a right to derivation.

Yeah, you “own” this closed species. but unless you’ve gone through all of the legal channels, you physically cannot stop someone from making their own. and you might not LIKE someone saying Jane Randomsurname The Serial Killer Is Bisexual, and you might say you’re “erasing her canon identity” (lol) but there isn’t jack shot you can do about it because toenaillover836 is legally allowed to interpret media however they want. You don’t “own” a piece of art; it isn’t an objective thing free from criticism. by definition, it CANT be.

and to expand- morally, what’s going to stop me from saying Jane ISNT a lesbian? even if she says in canon that she is, is it “erasing” representation to say she isnt? she’ll still be a lesbian in context. New readers won’t see your essay of a meta analysis on why Jane Is Bisexual. They’re going to read the book where she gets a girlfriend and go “oh she likes women.” she’s still groundbreaking by existing. In the same way that there will STILL be 100 straight characters for every queer one. In the context of Mega Corporation, she’s just as undesirable as a bisexual character as she would be as a lesbian character. Liberation isnt fought with the random fangirl online drawing her OTP. interpreting her art in a different way, or even reimagining her art into something else, will not cause the next civil war. it’s just art, man. the intention will still be there, toenaillover836 isn’t your enemy.