aquanut

Entertainment has a huge influence on how we view the world, so it’s really important to scrutinize it harshly because flawed portrayals or bad craft can lead to all sorts of harmful misconceptions.

MY FAVORITE ENTERTAINMENT DOESN’T HAVE FLAWS AAAAAAAAAH I LOVE IT SO MUCHHHHH LET ME TELL YOU EVERYTHING ABOUT IT it’ll only take fourteen hours!!

It’s important to recognize that you can acknowledge the flaws in something you like and still like it anyway for other reasons. Everything has pros and cons that balance each other out; you can like something even if it has problematic areas.

I just want to have fun; everyone likes things for different reasons, so I just enjoy the things I like and don’t listen to anyone who complains about them. If I don’t like something then I don’t talk about it with its fans.

I don’t care that much. As long as it distracts me from the soul-crushing obligations of work/school for a few hours and keeps me from thinking about all the problems I have that I’m not trying to fix, it’s good entertainment.

I just don’t understand why some things are so popular, but I guess at least they give me fodder for loads of great jokes at the fans’ expense.

um… sometimes I like things that other people say are stupid so I don’t want to admit I like them and if I ever do, I feel like I have to make all these disclaimers and apologies for it… does that count as voicing criticisms?

I don’t want to make people feel bad so I try not to post negativity, but sometimes I feel awkward if people think I like something that I don’t just because I’ve never said anything to the contrary.

Nothing they make nowadays will ever be as good as the stuff that was made earlier. I *want* to like it, but it’s just not the same anymore, and I have a right to express my disappointment.

lol some people hold back their opinions for the sake of other people? I just say whatever I honestly think, and how people take it is their problem.

I don’t care whether I’m popular or not. I’m just making things because it’s fun, and if other people like them that’s great, but it doesn’t bother me if I don’t get loads of attention for it.

Yes! Other well-known fans are the people who inspired me to start creating fanwork in the first place, and I dream of being just like them someday and affecting others the way they affected me, and maybe even befriending them!

No, I’m satisfied with just having a few friends in my fandom that I can show things to and have discussions with. I can already spend hours laughing with them over silly things and I don’t need any more attention.

Yes, it would feel rewarding to know that so many people enjoy my work and to get a lot of praise and support. I’m just doing this to share the things I love, and it would make me happy if my work made a lot of other people happy too.

No, because the fandom would expect me to keep producing work of a certain type and quality, and I’d feel pressured to give people what they want instead of just doing whatever I feel like. It would start to feel more like an obligation than fun.

Yes, because if a lot of people pay attention to my work I’m more likely to get thoughtful feedback from a variety of perspectives, which will help me improve faster. I just want to make the best work I can.

No, because everything I do and say will be looked at more critically. I get affected by what people think of me and my work and I just want to enjoy the things I like without feeling that everything I do is being judged by an audience.

Yes, because more people would value my opinions and agree with my interpretations. I see things differently from many fans and it’s frustrating that not many people share my views, so it’d be nice if I could influence others.

No, because with many people watching everything I do and say, any opinion I voice is bound to upset somebody and breed drama. There will be groups of fans that either like or dislike me, and nothing I do will make everyone happy.

I generate some or all of my income with my creative works, or am trying to, so it’s in my best interest for as many people to know about me as possible. Being popular in a fandom is just more exposure.

I ignore it.

Beautiful work is beautiful work. I admire it even though I don’t support the pairing.

It helps me understand why others might ship it, and although I still may not support it myself, I start to feel less negative towards the pairing.

I accidentally start shipping it in spite of myself ah whoopS

I experience a tumultous inner conflict usually reserved for being told I can only marry one of my harem of anime spouses. Don’t look at me like that, it’s legal somewhere.

I sit there wishing the artist had drawn the character with the one I prefer to see them paired with, and I keep staring at it imagining how perfect it would look if only that one person were photoshopped out.

I sit there making a mental list of all the reasons why the pairing would never work the way it’s portrayed here, but I keep staring at it because it’s so pretty.

I retaliate by typing an essay about how I don’t understand why this pairing is so popular and unleash it upon the fandom in the hopes that the artist will see it and be inspired to draw my OTP instead.

Another crust of ice solidifies over my cold and jaded heart, and I drown my sorrows in the only way I know how: staying up till 4 AM on the internet watching adorable cat videos.

I start scribbling vengeful anti-ship art or fic in which the character I despise is fittingly punished for getting close to my favorite, such as by being unceremoniously wed on a forsaken island to some random lonely nerd.

Well, let’s see… On the first of November I went out and admired all the commercial decorations…

Preparing for Christmas and enjoying the holiday spirit because I love this season so much; it’s so great to hear the familiar songs every year and see everyone getting excited and thinking of how to do nice things for all their friends and family.

Slaving away in the prison of academia that my future is riding on, subsisting on coffee and instant meals and dreaming of the upcoming vacation when I will at last be free to pursue my heart’s desires, which mostly consist of sleeping till noon.

Thinking about all the people I know and how much they’re going to love my perfect gift ideas, then looking at the calendar and deciding that there’s still plenty of time next week to order that limited edition import item.

Participating in seasonal events, such as a themed school play or helping a local organization or online secret santas or giving toys or gifts to charity.

Dropping blatant hints to everyone I know about that one thing I want so badly, practicing my best surprised expression in front of a mirror for when I discover it on Christmas morning, and hoping I’m not setting myself up for a huge disappointment.

Visiting friends and family and enjoying time together with the people I care about most.

Stressing over all the things that needed to be done in time for today so that my friends and family would have a good Christmas. As nice as it was, it was exhausting and I’m glad it’s done now.

Feverishly working on personal creative gifts for everyone I know as a matter of artistic pride.

Sitting alone in front of my computer all month photoshopping Santa hats onto my avatars and occasionally surfing through online catalogs and making a list of all the things I would buy myself for Christmas if I actually had money.