openingyourselfuptojoy | WANK IS ONLY FOR THE CHARACTERS

We only have one cardinal rule here at Opening Yourself Up To Joy, but we your local mods have put together a list of some guidelines to help us stick to it. The important thing is, that this is a space free from antagonism. It’s not necessary, it demonstrates that you’ve completely missed the point of the show, it’s not fun for everyone, and it makes it harder for everyone to enjoy both the show and fandom. It’s actually not that hard to disagree about or not like something without being a dick; here are a few simple hints.

1: We are a gen and multishipping comm, and our only sanctioned ship, if we must have one, is ND/Orgy. Members are encouraged to ship whatever/whoever they like, so long as

a) shipwars and ship bashing stay off the comm. At the end of the day, it’s a bunch of pretty people screwing around inside our heads. Let’s just have fun with it.

b) everyone remembers that there is SO MUCH MORE to this show than shipping

c) the focus of the comm stays gen, because these characters are amazing and there’s no such thing as too much gen.

2: We like canon.

a) Not every plot line will satisfy everyone, but canon gives us a reason for fandom, and the writers do a good job making sure there’s something for everyone. It’s easy to focus on the things that work for you, and let other people do the same!

b) Sometimes canon changes. Sometimes it changes every week. This is a natural occurrence in a canon that evolves with its storyline and keeps making itself bigger, not a “continuity fail.” (Hint: these are continuity fails. Quinn pretending she never had a baby? Is known as a “plot.”)

c) Glee moves very, very fast, and has some obscenely large number of characters. Plots either build very, very slowly or are blink-and-you-miss-them, and characters and their stories rotate in and out of focus. Some characters and plots get more overall focus than others. At the end of the day, Glee is an ensemble show, where the actual surface plot is often the least serious or important part of an episode.

d) Glee has a broad, diverse audience and a lot of different stories to tell. No one fan is more entitled to get what they want than any other, and it’s impossible for the writers to please everyone. Remember: when canon isn’t catering to your specific needs this week, there’s always fic!

e) Glee is written by Ryan Murphy. Murphy’s law clearly states that “if anything can go wrong, it will.” If it exists, it can be made angsty. If there is a character, they have problems. If it seems good, it will break. There may eventually be a victory, but we’re going to have to earn it.

f) This is a gen comm--all of this just means we get a bigger playground. It’s all good.

3: Spoilers belong in marked threads, behind cuts. There will be a weekly spoiler/spec thread for all your prognosticating needs, so save the eyes of our poor spoiler-phobic fellows.

4: No character bashing.

a) Saying a character screwed up is fine. On this show, who hasn’t, it’s so often the point--but this isn’t the place for pointless hate.

b) Different people see different characters, well, differently. This makes for awesome discussion and the best stories.

c) Remember that this is a fictional show about fictional people, but the value judgements you make and the things you say about those fictional people and their stories can affect real, actual people.

d) Remember: Glee doesn't punish any of its characters, ever, no matter what they do. 90% of fandom agrees that that is the Biggest Thing It Does Wrong...but 100% of those people disagree on who should be punished for what and how.

e) The vast majority of these kids are teenagers, and no one hates teenagers more than teenagers themselves. Let’s be kind, even when they can’t be.

5: It’s okay to critique the writers. They’re not perfect.

a) It’s okay to say “I think X was probably what they meant, but they might have mostly succeeded in conveying Y”. We can’t ever know what the writers meant, but it’s worth taking a second or even a third look at something, to look at the difference between intention and communication.

b) It’s equally important to remember that the writers may have a perspective we don’t. They’re not perfect, but we have our biases too, and they’ll always know more about the long game they’re playing than we do.

c) It’s okay to say “they consistently do this thing and it serves this purpose in the story, but it’s kinda fucked.”

d) It’s also worth remembering that Glee is not supposed to be a guidebook for living your life, and reducing every plot to a proscription cheapens any story and insults everyone’s intelligence.

6: Fandom should, above all, always be fun. Make fic, make art, follow your bliss. That’s the entire point.