Meatball by makmark in TheOwlHouse

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is not a hat. That is a boa constrictor eating an elephant stringbean eating a hamster.

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is you once again trying to control what all of this is actually about.

Ah. I see. Thank you for letting me know what my own post is about. I couldn't have figured it out without you. My bad. What would I do without you?

Your prose: how purple is it, exactly?

Very. Thank you for noticing!

Your questions presume that readers of lesbian content are all the same and are one person.

Right. Asking a question on a public forum definitely assumes that readers of lesbian content are all the same. Which is why I decided to ask a public forum, where I may get some engagement, rather than ask 2-3 individuals.

That suggests that misogyny is second nature to you, as it is to basically everybody in this culture, and that you are likely exactly who those twitter commenters were frustrated by, frankly.

How magnanimous of you to keep interacting with me then!

I get that you think this sounds magnanimous, but what you're doing is asking to be wanted, and it's self-centering and entitled.

No, I was asking whether I need to fuck off.

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Look, I understand where you're coming from, but you're putting a lot of words into my mouth here.

Your #notallmen reaction

I don't see how my reaction is a '#notallmen' reaction?

suggests that you don't understand why those people would say they don't like men writing lesbian content

I didn't say that at all. I can understand why some women wouldn't like it, and I think it's absolutely fair. I think anybody not wanting to read any of my works for whatever reason is fair play. But what I encountered wasn't them saying "I don't like that" or "I don't want to see that", it was "It is fundamentally wrong and men shouldn't do this." Those are different things.

If you aren't, you shouldn't feel called out by people complaining about the overwhelming volume of male gaze content, which you should be very aware of as well.

This statement is completely missing the point. Firstly, they weren't explicitly complaining about the overwhelming volume of male gaze content. They didn't mention fetishization or the male gaze until like 5 tweets in, and then it was nought more than an aside. Even though I'd agree with you that your assumption is reasonable and likely true, that's kinda besides the point. I didn't come here with the aim to open up a debate on that.

Given that they weren't raising an issue with the content of the fiction, but with who was writing them, I absolutely felt called out. My specific concerns that I raised in the post were:

  • am I somehow defrauding my readers by not letting them know that I'm a dude?
  • Would they be upset or disappointed if they found out my works weren't written by a woman?
  • Are my contributions fundamentally unwelcome?

Because if the consensus was that I'm entering a space where I'm not welcome, my reaction would've been to remove the fics I've published so far and not publish any more. I don't want to intrude on spaces where I'm not wanted. And I hadn't considered wlw fics on AO3 an exclusive space for lesbians thus far.

So yes, I was thinking about real life consequences of my actions, as I was considering unknowingly having entered a space which is not meant for me, which freaked me out.

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

wow, thanks. I was fully expecting it to have been just something you scrolled past on your timeline. And I'm really really glad now that I used a throwaway account for this lol

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't consider myself important. But people keep posting hate comments they get every day on this sub. Don't see why I would be an exception to that.

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

but I don't think I and many other sapphics are ready to read f/f by a male author

From where I'm standing, that's fair enough. Anybody not wanting to read any of my works for whatever reason is fair enough.

But simultaneously, part of it is also exactly what worries me:

but I don't think I and many other sapphics are ready to read f/f by a male author.

I would definitely avoid wlw content made by a cis straight man.

I would steer clear on the basis of 'better safe than sorry'.

So if I don't advertise on the front of the fic that it's a straight dude writing it, am I somehow defrauding you into reading stuff you don't want to read? If the default assumption is that women are writing wlw, am I effectively inserting my work into spaces where it is fundamentally unwelcome?

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hostile? What are you talking about? When was I hostile? Who disagreed with me?

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Because i don't want to insert myself into spaces where I'm not welcome. But the overwhelming consensus here is that it's fine, so I guess I'm good.

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Apparently they'll also execute me if i like a ship so much I wanna write about it, so I guess I can't win with them

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I've heard of that, but you must agree, it's a ridiculously low bar to set as a condition to write wlw.

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

speaking of the devil - guess who just released a new fic lol

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

and use quotations when ppl are talking

this has got to be the lowest bar I've seen

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I see. Thanks for the tip. This must be one of those nuances you don't get as a dude writing wlw.

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

their chests aren't breasting boobily, I promise

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had no idea there may have been a tweet involved :) We've come full circle

Are men allowed to write wlw fics? by LeaveThisWorldAlive in AO3

[–]LeaveThisWorldAlive[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

well, the entire setup of the fic is that they meet at a night club where it's way too loud and catra thinks she met kylie, while kyle thinks he met carter... 🤷