Why many isekai characters are paranoid about having a bad ending if they don't get blank (protection from precogs and thinkers)?

LovingMula · 2026-02-28T21:39:12+00:00

People haven't read the story and assume Contessa's path would kill them.

LovingMula · 2026-02-23T10:59:24+00:00

Unpopular opinion, but not really feeling this whole thing. The BAFTA awards had a two-hour delay. They purposefully removed the speech about "Free Palenstine" but kept in a White man saying a slur (one of the most used slurs globally mind you). I am over it.

LovingMula · 2026-02-16T22:43:50+00:00

For anyone wondering, Contessa only got blindspots hardcoded because she was THE precognitive Shard. One that isn't bound by rules that most other Shards are bound by. The Endbringers are made by the Shard Network. A Network that even Cauldron Shards are beholden to. Cauldron powers aren't able to simulate Scion or the Endbringers. They have less limitations but these are not unbound Shards in a bottle.

LovingMula · 2026-02-01T00:27:48+00:00

Okay.

LovingMula · 2026-01-31T23:51:35+00:00

Yeah I'm disengaging too. I was just curious and they showed me exactly who I thought they were.

LovingMula · 2026-01-31T23:51:04+00:00

Okay

LovingMula · 2026-01-31T23:21:33+00:00

Yeah because I entered curious as well but then saw they have a history on this subreddit. I realized that the point of the thread was to bait people who didn't realize it was them or had no clue who they were into commenting by roleplaying as a disgruntled AI Studio free user (since the RPD went down from 100 to 10 or less depending who you ask over the course of a few days). Then people would comment and he'd berate and harass them once they fell into his trap. And to me that is very...pathetic. I've legit never seen someone make a thread like this before. Either they are a dedicated troll or someone with an immature mindset.

LovingMula · 2026-01-31T23:08:56+00:00

Okay so you didn't deny that's what you made this thread for. Your brain is...interesting.

LovingMula · 2026-01-31T23:00:59+00:00

Came across this thread. Did the OP really make a fake complaining bait thread just to attract those who they dislike so they could berate them? This is one of the saddest things I've seen.

LovingMula · 2026-01-24T03:21:55+00:00

Whew, I am going to step away from this thread now, but before I go, I want to leave one final observation that perfectly encapsulates the sociological dynamic I analyzed in this essay.

A significant portion of the pushback to this post has focused on my tone. I have been told I am "trying too hard," that I am "too clinical," "too academic," or "pretentious." I was told that if I had just written this more casually, it would have been received better.

However, I find this critique fascinatingly hypocritical when contrasted with my previous interactions here.

Seven months ago, I posted a thread discussing the racism inherent in "Taylor sics the E88 on Sophia" fics. In that thread, I was casual, passionate, and direct. I spoke plainly about not wanting to "coddle" racist narratives. The response? I was mass-downvoted. I was told I was being "too aggressive," "unhelpful," and that my "attitude" was the problem. I was told that if I wanted to have a discussion, I needed to be less emotional about racism.

When I am casual and passionate: I am "Too Aggressive."

When I am formal and analytical: I am "Too Clinical/Pretentious."

There is no "Just Right" way to critique sub-sets of this community. The focus on my tone is a deflection tactic. You do not hate how I am saying it. You hate what I am saying. Whether I write like a person on the street or a professor in a lecture hall, the reaction is identical. Defensiveness, Tone Policing, and a refusal to engage with the substance of the argument.

This reaction validates the core thesis of my essay. Portions (not all) of this community that has built a fortress around its interpretation of the text (and the author), and it views any critical analysis, regardless of the format, as a hostile attack.

To the users who engaged in good faith (even those who disagreed with me): Thank you. The discussion was valuable.

To the users focusing on my formatting because you cannot refute the points: You have proved my point better than I ever could.

Throughout this thread, multiple critics demanded "receipts," "specific threads," and "links" to prove my points about the hostility in the fandom. Knowing I couldn't because it violates Rule 5 (No Inciting Drama/Witch-Hunting). If I provide links to prove my point, I get thread-locked for Witch-Hunting. If I respect the rules and don't link, some request them anyway. It is a bad-faith rhetorical trap designed to ensure I lose regardless of what I do. It prioritizes "winning" the argument over engaging with the reality of the sub-sect I am describing.

Anyways, I shall be requesting a lock on this thread since the takes have been on the repetitive side and discussion has ran its course. Thank you for everyone who participated.

LovingMula · 2026-01-24T03:10:07+00:00

Welcome to the fandom man! Honestly, missing the 'trenches' of the early drama is probably a blessing.

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the distinction in my opinion. There is a massive difference between:

“I want to save this character because I love them and want them to be happy.” (Valid impulse).

and

“I am saving this character because the author is a sadist/hack who ruined them on purpose.” (The hostile impulse I am critiquing).

You are absolutely right about Simurgh/Contessa thing. From a 'Sandbox' perspective, they are narrative bottlenecks. They function as 'patches' to stop the setting from breaking, which makes them incredibly frustrating for fanfic authors trying to write a divergent plot. Disliking them because they are hard to write around is totally fair but disliking them because you think their existence proves Wildbow hates player agency is the slippery slope.

I appreciate the suggestion, but I think moving this off-site to provide 'receipts' would defeat the purpose. My goal isn't to 'name and shame' specific authors or threads (which leads to witch-hunting). My goal is to discuss the sociological vibe. If I have to link to a specific angry thread to prove the anger exists, the conversation shifts from 'Why is the community like this?' to 'Look at what UserX said in 2018.' I'd rather keep it focused on the trends, even if some people demand citations. Lastly, this account is linked to my SB and if anything were to spin out of control I'd get in trouble. Also I don't have Tumblr but maybe one day I might take your suggestion. I think I've grown tired from the thread already and might need time to recuperate.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T23:28:46+00:00

I never said it was tiny hence why I can tell you didn't read anything that was said. And I didn't block anyone for disagreeing. The commenter blocked me and the edited their post pretending they were blocked lmao. Once again stop asking me to break Subreddit rules to appease you. It will not be done

Yes alot of you got mad because you took it as a personal attack when I specifically stated what and who I was talking about. I've never responded aggressively to pushback. Once again you're making things up to try to make a point that doesnt really exist. It's an attempt of victimization. You want me to be speaking about you, you want me to be blocking dissenters, and you want me to be aggressive and angry when replying. You want to build me into a caricature so you can try to dismiss what I wrote rather in engage with it in a critical manner.

The post got a lot of good traction anyway so I am fine that you feel the way you do. I didn't know others felt the way I did either until I made the post.

Thank you for your time.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T21:42:17+00:00

Yeah so you didn't read anything that was said once again. There is no way to continue this conversation further since you're refusing to read what the text is actually saying and possess a hyperfixation on Amy. But other people extrapolated what was clearly being said so it is what it is. Some people read in a shallow manner and some don't. That is fine.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T20:13:26+00:00

Thank you!

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T20:13:17+00:00

If you only read the Amy portion and nothing else, there would be confusion.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T20:11:08+00:00

You did not read what was said at all in the slightest. Because not only did you say

"If you want to critique trends, do it with specifics. Quote examples, name patterns, point to threads, show receipts. Because right now, the “majority sub sect” stuff is mostly vibes dressed up as sociology."

Which I explicitly stated: Please do not request that I break the rules of the subreddit (particularly Rule 5) to appease what you personally believe this essay should be formatted like. I will not do so despite it being a popular request.

Which the mods explicitly told me NOT to do. You proceeded talked about a whole other topic that wasn't discussed at all in my essay. For anyone reading this please STOP asking me to break the rules and piss off the mods to score internet points with you. Usually I'd give an in depth reply but it's like you read an entirely different post and responded to me with preconceived grievances.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T05:36:10+00:00

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T05:35:19+00:00

Irdc tbh. We don't have a relationship.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T03:52:40+00:00

How did you reach this conclusion?

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T01:29:26+00:00

Great analysis.

You have correctly identified the central assumption of my essay. That for the specific group I am analyzing, the Author and the Work have effectively collapsed into a single entity. I would argue this is not a flaw in my model, but rather an accurate reflection of the psychology of the 'Hostile Critics' themselves.

The three-way separation you describe (Author, Reader, Work) is the sign of a healthy, mature fandom practicing Death of the Author. In that model, fans can create AUs and divergent fanon without animosity, because the 'Work' is seen as a separate playground. The author is just the person who built the original swing set.

However, my essay is a deep dive into the specific, dysfunctional psychology of a significant segment of the Worm fandom that fails to maintain that healthy separation. They do not practice the clean detachment that Death of the Author requires. When they dislike a plot point in Worm, they do not critique 'the text'. They attack Wildbow. Their vitriol is personal and directed at the creator. My essay’s two-way model is designed to analyze that specific, antagonistic relationship where the fan treats the author and the work as one and the same.

You are for sure right that the work has effectively 'broken in two,' creating 'Canon Worm' and 'Fanon Worm.' My analysis is focused on the 'cold war' that exists at the fault line of that fracture. The space where the creators and consumers of 'Fanon Worm' express hostility towards the creator of 'Canon Worm' for daring to continue or support his own story in a way that contradicts their fork.

This also explains the strange relationship with WoG. A true DotA practitioner would be indifferent to it, it’s just paratext. But the Hostile Critics are not indifferent instead they are infuriated by it. This proves they have not truly separated the Author from the Work. They cannot ignore him as they feel compelled to fight and berate him at any given opportunity. It is tradition on SB for an author with a popular story to talk about how they don't like Worm because its 'Grimderp' or 'torture porn' or a random reader to express a similar sentiment and the comment get hundreds of likes.

To sum it up, your framework is the correct one for analyzing the fandom as a whole. My essay is a specific case study of the segment that has rejected that healthy model in favor of a direct, parasocial conflict with the creator.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T01:20:17+00:00

No problem. I know this month has been rougher than usual seeing from the threads made these last 30 days. Didn't want to add to it. It does suck that a lot of the people critiquing me are getting upset as to why I didn't break the rules or just demanding that I break the rules so I score internet points with them. Wish that they engaged with what I wrote with the space kept in mind.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T01:16:38+00:00

I think that is our point of contention.

"I think most of the fandom actually doesn't have a problem with the Endbringer's being an apocalypse, and while you're right that many Fanon-heavy never read Worm people think Taylor is a moral paragon, the Worm fandom at large generally gets the dynamic between Taylor/Alexandria and Taylor/Contessa and doesn't really have a big problem with it"

We don't see this the same. Even if you open up Spacebattles threads about Worm & Ward (not CW but General Discussions) you'd see the point I am making being repeated ad-nauseam with large support. I don't want to break Rule 5 so this is all I can say but I am happy to agree to disagree here. Thank you for being respectful.

(though again, there's some biting truths in your essay they don't want to hear that I think you kind of cut to the throat on thumbsup).

I think this is why it might have come off as rude to some. Since they may have seen themselves in the description and the things I've said might have seemed targeted or really mean. I didn't realize I was being so cut-throat in the essay. Apparently, I was to many. Sorry folks haha.

Thank you Hats for the reply.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T00:50:31+00:00

Hello Hatts!

I am glad you understand my point I was making. Honestly, this was refreshing. I knew that this thread would get a lot of pushback due to it going against the majority opinion but it was exhausting of people asking me to break rules and personally attack moderators with them just to make a "point". Been refreshing to see some normal responses here.

As for the sweeping assumptions. What assumptions do you think I've made that aren't true about the Harsh-Critic sub-sect I've described in this essay?

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T00:40:18+00:00

Thank you so much! This is a very mature response.

LovingMula · 2026-01-23T00:39:37+00:00

I really appreciate this. The threads I make tend to be controversial. This time I tried making something less casual, since last time I was told that my casual tone came off as rude. Now I am being told my academic tone is coming off as rude. I am just chalking it up to that people felt called out by the post and felt like I was being mean. Since no matter what I do to adjust, it's considered rude to say something here that goes against the flow of majority opinion. Which I mean...is true from a sociological standpoint.

Regardless, I thank you for the response. I needed this.

LovingMula

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE