Here we go again:
On the last week, we (@takemetomyfragiledreams, @chubby-p1nk, and I) received a series of disturbing comments that were both uncalled for and extremely rude to make in general.
First, Chubby received a comment basically telling her that her art looked like 90âs yaoi. And we all know the ask was talking about the huge hands, tiny heads, and enormous eyes that characterized certain 90âs styles. Then they added, âitâs just criticism,â as if that magically made the whole comment not outright rude. This ask came right after she posted a drawing she had graciously made for The Lie in Temporary.
And today, Kayla and I received a comment saying two things. First, that the fic was misogynistic and homophobic because it depicted Tim and Dannyâs relationship as straight. It ended with, âthis is criticism, donât take it wrong.â The second claim was that because the fic depicted these supposedly âheteronormativeâ views, it must be AI-generated.
I will address these two comments in a short version and a long version.
The short version is this: Fuck you, and get the fuck out of my house. You are NOT welcome here.
The long version is a bit more nuanced.
First: your view of the world, society, and how life works is not my problem. I am not blind; I wonât pretend the world isnât divided by gender norms, roles, and preconceptions about how certain genders have to dress, act, and exist. And yet, in terms of fictionâespecially in the worldbuilding Kayla and I are creatingâgender and expression are not limited to human preconceptions. Of course we will have certain biases regardless of what we write, because we are humans writing fantastical stories. But if you try to impose your worldview onto our stories without engaging with the subtle nuances, and then feel mad about it, that is on you. Not on us.
Kayla has made a much more detailed and well-worded comment about it here: https://www.tumblr.com/takemetomyfragiledreams/810174421449965568/the-lie-in-temporary-controversy?source=share
Just know I support them wholeheartedly in what they say. They have a better way with angry words than I do.
And I hate that this whole mess has spilled over onto poor Chubby, who is drawing whatever the hell she likes because she likes Tim and pretty things. For realâleave her alone. If you have something to say about her art and itâs unwarranted, or she hasnât asked for help improving, then donât. No one wants to hear âcriticismâ without examples or usefulness. As someone once told me: a critique is only a critique if the person can change whatever theyâre being criticized about in less than five minutes. If they canât, then itâs just a rude comment, and you can shove it up your aâ
Okay. Okay. I am calm.
Itâs just that comments like these read like ship wars on Twitter circa 2019â2022. The kind usually fueled by fandom leaders and their sequit of fifteen-year-olds. All full of righteous anger and narrow worldviews. It genuinely feels like being back in the Genshin fandom and watching people call short male characters âshotaâ and short female characters âlolitaâ just because they wanted to justify their OTP.
And then, the accusations of being AI-generated.
Surprisingly, this isnât the first time Iâve been told that. Iâm sure it wonât be the last. There are a million things I could say about itâmost of them very mean about native English speakers and their occasional inability to use proper punctuation (again, very mean of me; forgive me, I am quietly angry right now). But I think it boils down to this:
ESL speakers are taught to write in proper English mostly because we are learning the language in classrooms and from textbooks. That, combined with the fact that non-English languages are often so nuanced that punctuation and precise wording are necessary to explain ideas clearly, makes for storytelling that is detailed, deliberate, sometimes long, and often emotional.
I personally speak Spanish first, then Portuguese. I can speak Polish (though I canât write it, some of my thoughts are translated from it). And finally, I speak English. Being my last language, you might understand why I draw inspiration and structure from the others when I write.
If none of that makes you understand, then know this: I have taken multiple classes in writing and editing in English. I have a perfect score on the TOEFL. I write academic papers in both Spanish and English.
What does that mean?
It means sometimes I sound like a posh Englishman in his 60s. Sometimes I sound like a 12-year-old writing One Direction fanfic on Wattpad. Sometimes I say âforgorâ so often my co-writer threatens to throw their computer at me if I say it ONE MORE TIME. I donât always know whether the correct plural is âpeoplesâ or âpersons.â I struggle not to write grand descriptions because my first English novel was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
So please, take your AI allegations and shove them up yourâ
Okay. Okay. I am calm. I swear I am not getting mad over a fifteen-year-old who just discovered how to clean themselves.
As Kayla says: If anyone has additional comments or questions about this, we are happy to respond furtherâso long as theyâre respectful. Any hateful responses will be blocked and ignored.
And to anyone who doesnât like our stories or has issues with them? The door is wide open. Just be careful it doesnât hit you on the way out.
