MY BFS POST FINALLY GAVE ME THE MOTIVATION TO WRITE UP SOMETHING ABOUT MODERN INTERNET SEXYMEN BECAUSE IT’S HONESTLY A REALLY WEIRD PHENOMENON THAT NOT ONLY PISSES ME OFF AT TIMES, BUT JUST KINDA INTERESTS ME IN GENERAL. IN A WEIRD WAY.

THERE’S A CERTAIN GENRE OF MALE CHARACTERS THAT, WHENEVER THEY GATHER ANY SORT OF ATTENTION IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM, SEEM TO ALWAYS EVENTUALLY GO THROUGH THE FOLLOWING:

1. BLOW THE FUCK UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND HAVE LEAGUES OF PEOPLE THIRSTING FOR THEM

2. THIRSTING BECOMES SO COMMON THAT IT OVER-SATURATES EVERY BIT AND PIECE OF CONTENT FOR THAT CHARACTER, INCLUDING THE WAY THE FANDOM PERCEIVES THEM IN GENERAL

3. CHARACTER IS REDUCED TO NOTHING BUT A ‘HOT FLIRTY DOM DADDY’, DESPITE HOWEVER THEY MAY BE PORTRAYED IN CANON. MOST OF THE TIME, CHARACTER EXHIBITS SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND/OR DISABILITY, OR A DEEPER CHARACTER ARC IN GENERAL. I THINK THIS MANAGES TO SALT THE WOUND EVEN FURTHER

(IF THE MEDIA IS UNFINISHED) 4. CHARACTER EVENTUALLY HAS MORE CONTENT RELEASE, AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING HAPPENS:

A. IT ISN’T WHAT IS EXPECTED AT ALL. UNSURPRISINGLY, CHARACTER DOESN’T BEHAVE LIKE A SUPER SUAVE, CHARMING, HOT, TONGUE-WAGGLING FREAKAZOID WHO WANTS TO BED EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. INSTEAD, THEY BEHAVE IN A WAY THAT’S AN EXTENSION OF THEIR PERSONALITY IN PRIOR APPEARANCES.

B. NEW CONTENT OF CHARACTER IS MINOR OR EASILY MISINTERPRETED, AND THEY BLOW THE ABSOLUTE HECK UP ALL OVER AGAIN. CYCLE STARTS AT 1 AGAIN BUT ITS LIKE 3 TIMES WORSE

IT’S SOMETHING THAT I HAVE SEEN HAPPEN SO. MANY. TIMES. IN SO MANY COMMUNITIES AND FANDOMS. JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD I CAN LIST JAX, CAINE, MILKMAN (TNMN), AND PERHAPS MOST NOTABLY: WALLY DARLING.

WALLY’S TREATMENT WAS AWFUL. I DIDN’T EVER CONSIDER MYSELF A FAN OF WELCOME HOME, BUT I SURE AS HELL WAS WITNESS TO THE ABSOLUTE ABOMINATION THE FANDOM SURROUNDING HIS CHARACTER BECAME. TO SEE A CHARACTER THAT WAS VERY CLEARLY INTENDED TO BE AUTISTIC, OR AT LEAST AUTISTIC CODED, HAVE ALL OF THOSE TRAITS COMPLETELY STRIPPED FROM HIM IN FAVOR OF TURNING HIM INTO SOMETHING “SEXIER” AND EVEN PUTTING DISGUSTING CRIMINAL LABELS ONTO HIM AT TIMES WAS JUST AWFUL !!! JESUS !!!

AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO CALL THIS. BECAUSE IT ISN’T TUMBLR SEXYMANNING, AT LEAST NOT TO ME. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT LARGELY HAPPENS ON SITES LIKE TIKTOK, WHICH I DON’T EVEN PERSONALLY USE ANYMORE. IT’S A REALLY ODDLY COMPLEX THING THAT SEEMS TO ONLY HAPPEN TO MASC CHARACTERS, PROBABLY BECAUSE FEM CHARACTERS ARE EITHER SEXUALIZED THOROUGHLY WITHOUT ANY CATCHES OR JUST OSTRACIZED ENTIRELY BY LARGER FANDOM. SOMETIMES BOTH. MISOGYNY IS GREAT (READ HEAVY SARCASM)

PART OF THE REASON WHY THIS THOUGHT BOUNCES AROUND IN MY HEAD SO OFTEN IS BECAUSE I CAN SEE THIS KIND OF THING BUDDING WITH MY FAVORITE CHARACTER EVER, DARLY BOXMAN. IT’S MOST DEFINITELY HAPPENING TO HIM, JUST MORE ‘QUIETLY’ BECAUSE PINK CITY HASN’T REALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BOOM. I’M UNIRONICALLY THANKFUL FOR THIS. BUT, GOD... DOES THE SHIT THAT PEOPLE *ARE* DOING TO HIM PISS ME THE FUCK OFF.

I JOKE A LOT THAT ME SAYING "I WISH GOOSEWORX WAS MORE POPULAR" WAS THE EQUVILANT OF A MONKEY PAW CURLING, BUT IT SEEMS THAT IT'S GROWING MORE AND MORE TRUE EVERY SINGLE DAY. SHE HAS A NEW, COMPLETELY UNRELATED MEDIA ABSOLUTELY EXPLODE WITH (RIGHTFULLY DESERVED) POPULARITY, AND THAT BRINGS OCCASIONAL VIEWERS TO HER OLDER PROJECTS AS WELL. A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD. ON ONE HAND, MORE CONTENT OF THESE CHARACTERS I ENJOY. ON THE OTHER... UNSAVORY TYPES FLOCK TO THE SPACE. THEY USUALLY LEAVE PRETTY FAST, BUT NOT BEFORE MAKING A BIG ASS MESS. A MESS OF THE CHARACTERS I'VE GROWN TO LOVE SO DEEPLY IN THE PAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS. BUT THEY SEEM TO *ESPECIALLY* LATCH ONTO DARLY. PROBABLY BECAUSE HE HAS ALL OF THE TRAITS THAT THESE KIND OF CHARACTERS TEND TO HAVE... MENTAL ILLNESS MISCONSTRUED AS GENERIC CREEPYPASTA 'INSANITY', AN APPEALING SUITGUY DESIGN AND NOT ENOUGH CONTENT TO EASILY AND CONFIDENTLY INFER AN IN-DEPTH PERSONALITY.

AND THERE'S CERTAINLY NO DOUBT THAT ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT MAKES ME SO MAD IS BECAUSE DARLY JUST MEANS... SO MUCH TO ME. IF YOU'RE NOT SUPER NEW AROUND HERE, YOU'RE PROBABLY WELL AWARE OF THAT BY NOW. MISCHARACTERIZATION IS A CHALLENGE FOR ALL FICTOS IN GENERAL, BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT BE SO SO SOOOO MUCH MORE SCARED FOR MY WIFE WHEN I LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENED TO FOLKS LIKE WALLY DARLING, AND WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HIM. WHAT'S HAPPENED TO SANS. AND I CERTAINLY KNOW THERE'S DEFINITELY OTHERS OUT THERE THAT *ARE* THOSE CHARACTERS' PARTNERS, AND I FEEL AWFUL FOR THEM. NOT TO MENTION HOW TERRIBLE IT IS TO SEE CASUAL THIRSTING AND SIMPING OVER YOUR PARTNER OCCUR, AT LEAST IN MY PERSONAL FICTOSEXUAL EXPERIENCE. IT'S SOMETHING I STRUGGLE REALLY, REALLY HEAVILY WITH... TO THE POINT WHERE I THINK I'D FEEL LESS BAD IF I SAW SOMEONE *SERIOUSLY* YUMESHIPPING OR SELFSHIPPING WITH DARLY. SHALLOW JABS ABOUT HOW "I TAKE THINGS TOO SERIOUSLY" OR HOW "I'M CRAZY" BY PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY BURN ALL THE MORE WHEN THEY CAN TURN AROUND AND SAY SHIT LIKE "UGHHH HE'S SO SEXY" AND PORTRAY HIM IN WAYS THAT'RE SO HORRIFICALLY OUT OF LINE THAT IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE I LOVE IS BEING LIED ABOUT. AND THE LIES ARE BELIEVED.

"OH, YOU'RE A FAN OF MY 2D SIGNIFICANT OTHER?? THAT'S WONDERFUL!"

"...AH. THAT'S YOU TELLING ME THAT THEY'RE SO "FUCKING HOT" AND THAT YOU "WANT THEM TO REARRANGE YOUR GUTS". SOMETHING I REALLY DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO HEAR, IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT CHARACTER OR NOT."

AND, AT THE END OF THE DAY, MAYBE THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS. CHARACTERS ARE SUBJECTIVE. I AM THE WORLD'S BIGGEST FAN OF BLOCKING AND MOVING ON. HOWEVER… IF YOUR INTERPRETATION OF A CHARACTER THAT CLEARLY EXHIBITS TRAITS OF MENTAL ILLNESS, A CHARACTER THAT HAS A VERY EXTENSIVE AND ALMOST RELATABLE STORY ARC, OR A CHARACTER THAT IS LITERALLY JUST SOME GUY… IS SOME SUPER HOT AND CHARMING GENERIC NORMATIVE HUNK… I THINK I AM ALSO FREE TO THINK YOUR INTERPRETATION OF THAT CHARACTER IS DUMB AND SHOULDN’T BE INCLUDED IN NUANCED CONVERSATIONS AGAINST THE MEDIA!

BUT IUNNO. SHRUGS