2 seconds irl between us saying good night and them suddenly answering things i never asked. Is that normal for non-insomniacs to fall asleep that fast actually? It takes me like 30 to 60 minutes on good days so idk what's normal

G.G. the Sparkle Sphinx or Con the six-inch tall robot mantis.

Like, that's not even to say you have to do a ton of research to write your fic or draw fanart for something you never actually engaged with. It's just a "you're allowed to do this" but also "other fans might not like it." But that can be said about works from fans who have engaged with things too.

But meanwhile I also see people who do deep dives into researching something they never intend to read/watch/play and craft beautiful and well-received fan works from it. Why is someone willing to research a piece of media thoroughly considered a fake fan if they can't consume the source material?

like, yeah, it's frustrating when you actually read/watched/played something and see someone take a very symbolic theme from a story and reduce it down to its base elements where it loses all intended meaning. But I've seen that happen from people who also read/watch/play the thing too.

if the story is beloved enough, people will compile wiki or meta analysis or internal research. you can find resources to understand it enough to make something from it if you want. The content you make may not be well received, even if you're upfront about your lack of knowledge, but who cares?

And then when the God of "Problem Solving" joins the cast...

do you still plan to do any based on your old night terrors?

And then when the God of "Problem Solving" joins the cast...

Stab #2! Blood has been drawn. But I will win this battle

MISSION FAILED IMMEDIATELY (minor stab, just a poke)