#on fandom

…how else have we got to the point where that is a response?

The question is clear. It's polite. And yet this simple request gets a response of "Excuse me?" as if they were asked something rude or someone demanded an unreasonable amount of effort be put in. It's not even a hard concept. It's part of being in a community! And it helps everyone!

Say I like Warhammer 40K and want to see posts on it, but I think the Necrons faction are overrated. I can follow #Warhammer 40K and block #Necrons.

Or say I want to see Warhammer 40K art. But I only want to see official art, not fan art for some reason. Then I can block tags like #fanart, and as long as fan-artists tag their art with "fanart" then I won't see it (and it also benefits them because people who want to see fanart can find it more easily!)

GenAI is the same. I love seeing what fandom creators create. I want to see the beginners with more ideas than skill, and the ridiculous ideas of artists who have spent years going deep with their works. Fandoms can be amazing and creative places.

But what I don't need in my feed is superficial engagement with the fandom by repeatedly pressing "regenerate image" until some low-quality, derivative and often flawed image is spat out that they're happy to post to try to claim kudos while crowding out real artists.

Hey everyone! I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about fandom etiquette, especially when it comes to headcanons, creative writing, and fictional anatomy.

Lately, I've seen a bit of over-correcting in the community regarding fictional/supernatural elements, and I think it’s time for a gentle reality check:

Fantasy does not Real-World Biology: Characters like Sephiroth (or characters with angel, demon, or pegasus wings) are supernatural beings. They do not have to adhere to real-world bird biology. If someone wants to write about a character and their feathers, using magic or having a friend help them preen, that is completely valid!

Let Creativity Breathe: Fandom is a sandbox for imagination. Applying strict, literal scientific rules to fantasy tropes and policing others over them ruins the fun.

The Golden Rule of Correction: If you have a neat real-world fact you want to share, share it as a cool "fun fact!" rather than an objective correction. No one should ever be made to feel embarrassed or "wrong" for a harmless, creative idea.

Let’s keep this space supportive, imaginative, and kind. At the end of the day, we are all here to have fun with fictional characters we love. Let people write their magical headcanons in peace, just as you might expect for others to respect your own headcanons in peace.