clevermanka | Not what I ordered

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Not what I ordered

Ughhhh I woke up super out of sorts. Maybe I'm still hungover from Meatpocalypse, idk. I'm anxious and sad and blahhhhhhhhh. I do not like these emotions and I would like to exchange them for something less itchy, please.

At least I had a good writing day, yesterday. 1,500 words of People Having Difficult Discussions. Good times!

I'm nearly halfway done with The Untamed but the latest fuckery with people getting banned for supporting Hong Kong is making me feel gross about consuming more Chinese content. No ethical consumerism etc. etc. but ugh. I just... *sigh* Is anyone else dealing with this or am I being one of those Annoying People At Parties? Here's a list of companies who have complied with China's censorship requests regarding Hong Kong.

Spent an hour today trying to write the next (literal) fucking part of Ghost Story (I'm alllllmost in the home stretch, y'all! It's nearly Spring Break!) and I'm gonna scrap the whole scene. It's not telling the right story, you know? I'd like to use it 'cos tbh it's pretty fuckin' hot if-I-do-say-so-myself but because of Ghost Story's (obviously) weird sex logistics, it's not like I could use it in a future fic. I might see if I can get it to work for a later (unplanned) sexy scene. Dogs know I've done that at least once already in this fic and I doubt anyone will mind. If someone actually does, well, scroll bar's to the right.

Okay, self. Time to write some fuckin'. Once more, with (the right) feeling.

ETA: Thanks, Tumblr, for occasionally coming through on shit like this!

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Thanks, bb! I know my mood is largely influenced by my fatigue/energy levels so hopefully at some point next week I'll be able to turn this around...

The China business is exacerbated by the fact that

mckitterick is supposed to be going to Beijing for an SF convention at the end of the month.

Sorry for the mysterious delete - I realised I'd phrased something confusingly (I meant "media I consume fannishly" with "Chinese fannish content" not Chinese fans doing fandom things) and then it was 2 am and I was on a tiny phone screen and correcting myself correctly seemed too hard. *g*

I understood what you meant, but I also understand not wanting to let misleading statements hand out in comment sections on the internet. =D

Oh no. I am absolutely with you on the China/Hong Kong thing. Looking at that very helpful list, I can't do much about Apple (I work at a software company and we are basically a Mac shop), but I CAN buy music not through iTunes and will happily avoid the other companies. Thank you for posting!

Thank you for supporting Hong Kong!

GET INTO THE SEA, EMOTIONS

THEY ARE THE WORST

*hugs* I hope tomorrow (and the weekend in general) is better.

Thanks, bb. I woke up with a sinus migraine this morning (of course!) but I think I can beat it into submission before it gets too bad. *crossing fingers*

I totally get you on the Hong Kong thing, and I basically console myself by telling myself all the Chinese content I consume is pirated. :/

Thanks for the list! I'm happy to see that there's really only one company I ever use on it, but sad that it's the one I need to use when I see my family (Lufthansa). Meh.

Maybe you can use the fucking scene as an 'outtake' you post after you have posted the Ghost Story?

I basically console myself by telling myself all the Chinese content I consume is pirated
HA! There is that!

I will definitely post it as an outtake if I don't wind up using it elsewhere in the story bc Aggressive Dom Ghost!SW is pretty hot imo.

Here I was, scrolling through the comments because I was interested in what people thought about the whole China vs. Hong Kong issue, only to get stuck on something entirely different: I will definitely post it as an outtake if I don't wind up using it elsewhere in the story bc Aggressive Dom Ghost!SW is pretty hot imo.

Because... Yes. Yes that does indeed sound Smoking Hot. I don't even know why, cos I'm not typically into D/s (and bondage and S&M scare the hell out of me), but when this particular combination of "ruggedly handsome, rude, stubborn brat and pretty, permissive, doting love interest who lets him get away with anything" crops up, I actually find that I fancy a reversal of power dynamics in bed (but only in bed, and only occasionally, lest it lose its novelty). I wonder if that's a common kink or not...

The last - and only other - time I was into this particular brand of porn was with Merlin/Arthur from BBC Merlin. I didn't like them even 1% as much as I do these two, of course, but the relationship dynamic was weirdly similar, and, consequently, my tastes re: smut, lol.

Mwa ha ha! Lofty political focus derailed by the sexxy (story of my life tbh). I used to be on the fringes of kink culture, but was never really in the scene so obvs I'm not frightened by it, it's just that most of it doesn't turn my crank as a general Thing. But DAMN I am here for exactly that dynamic that you describe.

Dom/sub stuff outside of a sexual context actually kinda squicks me. More power to the people who enjoy living it as a lifestyle, but it's definitely not my kink.

I didn't let myself get even tempted by Merlin because I know exactly how that story ends (I've read soooooo much Arthurian literature--even took a class in college that was nothing but). I'm usually here for the emotional sadomasochism, but I just wasn't up for that particular one, again, with such magnetic actors playing those characters. =/

Aggressive Dom Ghost!SW does show up in other sexytimes scenes besides the one I cut, so no fear, it'll be in there!

Dom/sub stuff outside of a sexual context actually kinda squicks me.

Me, too. (I am, of course, speaking only about fiction - I can't say a word about real-life BDSM/kink culture, since I have no personal experience in it.) Because the interesting thing, to me, is the contrast between how a character behaves outside the bedroom - or, hell, even in the bedroom most of the time - with how they act within a very specific instance. A dom is only appealing if they neither look nor act like a dom usually, and likewise, a sub only if they're ultra-confident, stubborn and headstrong. One main reason I'm super into Japanese/Chinese/Korean fiction is how they tend to have lots of delicate-looking, unmasculine-by-western-standards characters (like Shen Wei, not to mention countless anime boys!) who're actually very tough emotionally and physically. That contrast between looks/mannerisms/hobbies and personality/powers/fighting prowess hits me in a very particular way, lol.

Ahaha yeah I'd been warned about BBC Merlin, but one look at Merlin himself (also, Morgana; wow, Irish people <3) and I was sold. Colin Morgan, Zhu Yilong...clearly, I have A Type. It's a problem ^^

Aggressive Dom Ghost!SW does show up in other sexytimes scenes besides the one I cut, so no fear, it'll be in there!

\o/

A dom is only appealing if they neither look nor act like a dom usually, and likewise, a sub only if they're ultra-confident, stubborn and headstrong.

That contrast between looks/mannerisms/hobbies and personality/powers/fighting prowess hits me in a very particular way

*hugs*

I deal with the China thing on and off...but being European, I've had to do the same with American content already? Like, every single US procedural (and some comedies I very much enjoy) are pretty much "Police Good" propaganda in a country where police very much not good? And the MCU is doing a lot to make the Military-industrial complex look very heroic.

So at this point shitty governments being shitty is something I can usually separate from the entertainment manufactured in said country - you just won't catch me watching the more overt Chinese propaganda shows or most MCU movies, and seeking out the ones that subvert government censorship. (I've heard really intriguing things about Bureau of Transformers, for example.)

Congratulations on all the words, though! I am constantly impressed with your productivity while writing something that sounds really logistically and emotionally complicated!

And may I suggest keeping the scene for a DVD outtake if nothing else? I can't see anyone not wanting to read some nice, hot PWP that couldn't fit into the story...!

Basically, this. All of it. Every single word.

I so much appreciate fandom friends who talk me down from my high horses. I know I get on them, which is why I (try to remember to) ask for input on this sort of thing. I really do want to get other perspectives, and hearing them from people outside the U.S. is extra helpful. So thank you! <3

And thanks also for your constant, continued support of my writing--I couldn't have picked a better author to remix for my first fic-writing experience. You're a gem.

I don't think it's a high horse? The situation in Hong Kong is genuinely terrifying for the people who live there - and that's not even touching on the whole actual cultural genocide China is not-so-quietly engaging in with their minority Muslim population. Being entirely opposed to pretty much everything the Chinese government stands for is not a far out stance! Quite on the contrary. But I think there are more valuable ways of engaging in that sort of activism than through denying yourself entertainment produced in China?

Though I can see myself drawing the line at watching more Chinese dramas based on BL content...I can't help but feel it hurts, seeing canonical same-sex couples shoved into the government closet? (I have not yet jumped on the Untamed bandwagon for a number of reasons, and this is definitely one of them.) But then there is fandom, and what Chinese fandom does, and how subversive that is and what kind of bravery it takes... So when the party line gets too much, looking to what the people do to limbo under it an jump over it and wind themselves around it does a lot of my fannish love.

Your writing is amazing and I'm so glad you found the courage to try fic and discover that you have this absolutely fabulous talent for it, as well as the creativity and persistence to really dig into this intricate story you want to tell. ♥

I think there are more valuable ways of engaging in that sort of activism than through denying yourself entertainment produced in China?
Good point.

I'm enjoying The Untamed, but it doesn't push my buttons like Guardian. I'm halfway through, and I don't see myself seeking out fan-generated content for it, although I don't mind seeing gifs and occasional vids on my Tumblr dash. Lola's The Archer is stunning and I watched it about ten times even before I decided to start watching the show.

Also, aw. *blush*

For what it's worth – how many cents have you paid those creators? We live in a capitalist society, where media conglomerates count things by the currency unit and how they can best get the most of them. (They also look at social media metrics as a proxy, I think, but re: Chinese media, I think they only look inside the walled garden of Chinese social media. If you aren't posting about stuff on weibo, they don't know or care you exist.) I don't think fandom should be activism, since we all deserve our time off, but if you want to feel like you've done something, then just do your best to not line the pockets of media conglomerates who make decisions you disapprove of. Be a pirate of the online seas!

(I do acknowledge the whole "I cannot separate the creation from the creators' views" thing, but I don't think e.g. Guardian's creators have particularly icky views, given that the thing functions as an allegory for migrant workers and is in some ways very critical of the status quo, albeit obliquely. If it makes you feel better, you could try to seek out media specifically from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or other non-mainland places the CCP would like to swallow up?)

Thank you for this! As I said to

naye, I'm not just looking for people to support my views when I post questions like that. I appreciate the different views people have brought to this discussion.

And I'm usually okay with separating art from artist. I'm just unused to doing it on such a large scale, if that makes sense? But that's a good way to look at it. In situations like this, it's (maybe) not even the artists.

I loved History 3 Trapped, but wasn't a fan of the previous series (I didn't find them as engaging and some of the story lines bothered me). The second History 3 doesn't look like my thing, either (no more high school love stories for me, thanks). If you have recommendations for other Taiwanese or Hong Kong productions, especially ones that feature queer love stories, or older adults, and with happy endings (this is a tall order I know), hit me up!

In situations like this, it's (maybe) not even the artists.
It isn't, necessarily. For example, in the US, how many of the artists support the policies of the government re: climate destruction and the treatment of immigrants at the Mexican border? Higher-ups and the people they employ can have radically different opinions on things.

I haven't watched much TV, but someone on the internet has a directory of East Asian LGBT dramas/movies, subcategorized by place of origin. Taiwan and Hong Kong both have their own pages. That should give you at least a listing of titles to google? The comments have additional notes on whether the stuff is worth watching/ends happily. Wikipedia also has (incomplete) lists of Taiwanese and Hong Kong TV series. But you'd be better off asking for recs from someone else entirely. :P

Oh, thank you for that link!

ALSO! Not to be too much of a bummer harpy about it, but I also wonder about (mainland) Chinese entertainment stars who speak out in favor of the one China policy. How much of that is leveraged by the people who (basically) own them?

I also wonder about (mainland) Chinese entertainment stars who speak out in favor of the one China policy. How much of that is leveraged by the people who (basically) own them?
I have no clue whatsoever! Someone Chinese/diaspora might be better able to answer? Though I think that if it sounds like boilerplate/the least enthusiastic endorsement ever, it's probably mandated by someone or butt-covering. There's also the propaganda angle to consider – the censors have had basically all the country in the party's grip for decades.)

(The one China policy is also technically part of the Mandate of Heaven, and thus over 2000 years old. There's an international agreement between China and Taiwan that basically goes "We acknowledge that there can be only one China, and we both claim to be that, but we shall tactically forget about enforcing that" IIRC. But this goes much deeper into Chinese history & culture than I'm qualified to speak on.)

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