flavor profile

preamble

I’ll be honest, I don’t usually engage with fandoms, just because for me, my enjoyment of things has, for a long time, been private. Beginning at a young age, I learned that people found my taste cringe or unnacceptable (or both) and thus have always use fandom as a place to escape inward, to reflect, or to imagine things.

I’ve written fanfiction in the past, and consume a moderate amount of it, but my interest in it isn’t as strong as it used to be. If I happen upon fanart, I usually enjoy it, but it’s not something I really go out looking for. I used to draw quite a bit of fanart, but depression killed a lot of my expression of fandom in my late teens/early adulthood. That being said, I’m in the process of rediscovering old interests I had abandoned out of fear (therapy win!)

what I enjoy

at a glance

GL/yuri, slow burn, friends to lovers, cute girls doing cute things, slice of life, iyashikei, magical girl, empty spaces, psychological horror, mystery, supernatural, magic, cosmic horror, thriller, science fiction, cyberpunk.

more in-depth

I love media that makes me feel nostalgia for a time when I was small that is also excessively joyful. I did not have the best childhood and avoided a lot of series like this growing up because they made me feel depressed. I think part of healing is allowing myself to enjoy the things I always wanted to when I was younger.

I also like surreal fiction and cosmic horror; visiting strange worlds or interacting with unknown creatures, trying to understand them…things like that. I don’t care for excessive violence or sexual content, not out of any kind of judgment, but simply because it’s not my preference. The world can be a vile and awful place at times, and I would rather the media I allow to occupy my mind be thoughtful and introspective rather than gratuitous violence or power fantasies.

I prefer GL media or any kind of non-male-centric stories, as I find men extremely difficult to relate to, and am frankly bored by most male-centric media. If a ship features a man, I tend to enjoy dynamics where he spoils the other character and is extremely loving, doting, and protective, or the traditional roles are shaken up in some way. I prefer that men respect the femme characters in stories, and if a male character is morally grey/ambiguous or evil, I find them reprehensible. It’s a bit odd to me that I do not experience the same sort of upsetting feelings about morally grey/ambiguous/evil women in media. shrug

Anything exploring the human psyche, be that psychological horror or mellow day-to-day life, is interesting to me. I love learning more about the human condition and discovering our differences and similarities, as a result, I find myself most drawn to compelling characters, (whether or not their source material is really that interesting to me) so I suppose you could say I enjoy media that is character-driven.

I like stories about romance, specifically tender moments that blossom into something more as the story progresses. I’ma huge fan of the pure love boom, and really enjoy mellow slice-of-life stories where characters get to know each other over time and fall in love slowly, maybe without even realizing it. as for shipping, I don’t like to envision myself as a participant, so I don’t enjoy projecting myself onto any characters. I mostly enjoy relationship dynamics that are wholesome or sweet, or explore themes of trauma related to my own.

I don’t have any strong opinions on polyamory in fiction, but I don’t find myself seeking it out. Also, not every ship I enjoy is a “coupling,” sometimes I just enjoy two character’s dynamics together, more of a “combination.” Therefore, I enjoy stories exploring other dynamics, like an intense platonic friendship, or familial relationships (parent-child, siblings, etc.). Being demi myself, I don’t seek out erotic stories, though I do enjoy romance (such as “pure love” or “fluff”).

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