hi mousie.

i think a lot of it simply comes down to people's preferences. if you're a mnh bias but you don't like darker fic, bdsm stuff or just seeing mnh as a dom in general, then you're more likely to feel like those kinds of depictions are mischaracterised. and vice versa. if the kind of mnh content they you enjoy is when he is being silly and goofy and cute, then they're more likely to see that in their feeds (because we all curate them to our tastes) and less likely to see other content where it might suggest another aspect of his personality. or if you do see it, you're less likely to read it that way.

i do think ff is different. as you say au fics can cause you to change up how you write them as a character. but just in general a writer will take liberties with how they write a character to fit their narrative or what they find fun/exciting. so sometimes you might get a fic where you are only seeing a darker more dominant side to mnh's personality. and thats ok imo! thats the beauty of writing and then you can always click away, or filter out certain tags, if its not to your taste.

i like it when people incorporate both mnh's weirdness and his more dominant/possessive side - and i love to see the different ways people do that. i think thats good writing. that includes for me when people do write him with a mysterious and serious aura. like its the beauty of ff to me to see the different ways people will characterise their personalities. if i think its totally mis-characterised, or otherwise not to my personal tastes, i just click away.

and tbh i think there can be a lot of confusion in general about d/s relationships. not all sex in them needs to be a scene, d/s aren't synonymous with t/b, some people switch ect. if there is a general belief you can't be a dom in the bedroom and a goofball on the streets that doesn't surprise me.

i agree, that you can be a silly goofy guy and be a dom. they definitely aren't mutually exclusive. i will be honest and say i've not seen much discussion of real mnh being/not being a dom so i can't respond to that directly. i think a lot of this comes down to all of us being in our own echo chambers online.

hi mousie.
yes!! lots of reasons, i am sorry you find it intimidating. i can understand that, and especially i think sometimes people are scared to give feedback that feels negative. i will tell you some of my reasons and i hope maybe that makes you feel excited enough to give it a try in the future. if not that's ok, its not for everyone and you shouldn't feel obligated. <3

1) it's a creative process, but it stretches slightly different creative muscles than writing. other people may disagree but i find the process of beta reading, going over something that is already there, really different to writing. i am not good at any creative pursuit outside of writing, despite my efforts, so it feels nice to have another outlet for that.

2) it takes a lot of trust for someone to let you into their docs/to ask you to beta for them. it can be quite a vulnerable feeling. i know from the other side, asking is hard. even from people who i talk with regularly or have beta read for me before. perhaps that is my own inability to ask for help... but to be entrusted with that is special and i think another way to build connection and community.

3) its like getting an out of town preview to a movie. getting let in to read a tasty little treat before other people is very cool. seeing other people's writing/planning processes is so fascinating.

4) i genuinely think it makes you a better writer. again, seeing other people's planning/writing process can be really educational as well as interesting. plus i think beta reading forces me to sit and think more actively about how a story comes together. sometimes when i write my own works i enter a kind of fugue state where i'm not necessarily thinking actively about how the work is coming together. i feel like beta reading for others helps me train my brain to keep more active throughout the writing process.

5) i love helping people/my friends! i know how much beta reading has helped me on individual works and my writing as a whole. if i can provide even a tiny bit of that same help to others thats great.

6) i love really thinking and digesting what i'm reading. seeing the metaphors someone has written in, or the deliberate choices they have made to create a specific characterisation. really digesting what i'm reading isn't always something i'm good at, so i'm happy beta reading gives me an excuse to do that.

7) it often leads to talking to people about their writing, and i love talking to people about their writing. going through and helping them solve problems or just share a mutual interest/passion.

8) this is going to sound dramatic, and like i think highly of myself. please no i don't lol. but, it really hurts me to see people be down on their own work. i have seen so many people give up on creative pursuits that brought them joy because of mean comments/unasked for criticism/a general belief in a lack of worth or value to their works. i know how easy it can be to stare at something for hours/days/weeks/longer and only be able to see the flaws. i love beta reading as an opportunity to come in and remind someone of all the good work they've done, point out the good bits that they maybe can't see at that moment. good beta reading, that is kind and constructive and honest, imo can do a lot to fight the bad voices that sometimes live in our heads.

thank you friend! i'm sorry i missed this for so long, there was a lot of not nice messages to get through and delete...
i agree, they're missing out on the best part of fandom spaces, which to me is connecting with others who share this interest. i guess especially for me as someone who can't always put a lid on their excitement, its so fun to have a space where it feels like i can be openly enthusiastic about things i love, and be met with equal energy.
i really do worry the problem comes down to people disconnecting the work they enjoy from the people who create it, treating everything like a commodity (like the latest t/b tagging 'discourse' - the og twt to me read more like a demand to have a product they want to consume wrapped more appealingly to them). it's a shame, but i'll make it my mission to be even more open with the things i enjoy in 2025. fuck it.
ahhh thank you for being so kind! i'm happy if it felt good to hear that, i'm glad that there are others around that think like that. <3

i usually just delete these kinds of questions, but you know what, i've had a shit day, and i have a LOT to say on this matter, so i'll bite. count yourself lucky x

firstly, some of us are capable of romance and passion and are willing to let the world know when we're obsessed. maybe i want to woo them because i think they're cool and hot af? did you ever think about that huh? some of us are capable of appreciating other people's work without desiring more out of them than what they are willing to give. and have a genuine desire to support and encourage people. posting something you created is brave, opening yourself up to being perceived or to receiving other people's commentary/criticism can be very vulnerable. why wouldn't i want to encourage someone, especially if i've enjoyed their work? if someone tells me they're encouraged by me keysmashing or growling at them, i'm a happy gal. don't even get me started on how geared up i get when i get let into someone's docs or on a wip. and when i get to beta!! ahhh!

i don't think i'm particularly good. i don't expect to ever receive art from someone. you're really underestimating my self-esteem issues if you think for a second i would ever even entertain the notion that someone would want to do that for me or be inspired by something i wrote. i can't even accept compliments babe.

my recent comments about supporting artists (and writers, and anyone else making things you like) comes from my concern at the way fanworks are increasingly being treated like a commodity and divorced from the real work and effort that goes into making them. you might breeze through a 5k fic in not time at all, but depending on the writer it could have taken them hours and hours to write. time spent not doing other things. a piece of art on your tl you look at and like and scroll past? could have been hours of someone's time bent over in shrimp-mode. i think that time should be respected, especially if that work has brought you enjoyment. i personally really admire that commitment to realising something, it's something i personally struggle with a lot. and when it comes to drawing, i truly have no skills in that area so how that final image is created is honestly amazing to me.

this idea that festival runners, participating artists/writers, or just generally people in the fandom are at fault for not creating content you yourself enjoy is so gross and entitled. i see it time and time again with top/bottom discourse, when people talk about pairings ect. none of us are entitled to anyone else's work, outside of specific scenarios like commissions. fanworks, whatever they are, are the result of real people's time, energy and skills. that should be respected and acknowledged.

i think sometimes it's treated like this dirty thing for creators to want some recognition for their work. and while i do feel you should create for yourself, and cater to your tastes and that chasing numbers is bad for you mental health and creativity, its stupid imo to think a creator is bad for wanting to hear from you if you have connected with their work. you spend a lot of time creating something, thinking about it, putting work into realising your vision. then you work up the courage to share it, which again people are note obligated to do no matter the size of their following, why wouldn't you want some recognition for that? it might not be the end goal, but its fucking nice. it can lift your spirits when you're having a bad day or doubting your own skills. i can't speak for anyone else, but when i see a piece of art have 100s of reposts but only 10s of comments i get a little sad. likes/kudos are lovely, but i think leaving a note to say you enjoyed something or why you enjoyed something is wonderful. it builds connection and community and thats so fucking cool! thats the point of creative works imo.

i know it can be scary to do this, i've worked through that a lot and still sometimes struggle to leave comments on fics ect. i sometimes worry i'll say the wrong thing, that im annoying to the artist/writer, or that im not saying enough. but i rather say something and let them know that their work is appreciated, than say nothing. i try not to look at follower counts ect. because i don't think its good for my brain. but i have noticed as i've gotten larger that people seem to interact/talk less - and that can feel really isolating.

supporting work you enjoy is a good way to see more of that kind of work! way better that whining and being entitled over wanting to see something else. curate your online experience, support the people whose work you enjoy and build your own community. i don't have a ton of group chats im in where i can do that, so i mainly do it on the tl. sue me x

and to be clear. creating fanworks is not the price that needs to be paid to be in this community. again, artists/writers/other creators aren't obligated to share that work with other people, or outside of their own small/comfortable circle. when i say support the stuff you enjoy i also mean commenting/liking tweets you enjoy, socmed aus ect.

finally,

i'd definitely want to tell my past self one thing, i even know exactly what i'd say. i have the benefit of hindsight and could really positively change the course of my life. with the future, well i don't know what i don't know. i wouldn't know what to ask that might help me.

for the 'who in skz?' part of your question:

chn - past.
i think he's want to tell him self to be kinder/gentler to others in his younger days. not that he was horrible, but he clearly regrets being more hot header when he was younger.

mnh - my gut instinct was 'neither'.
i just think he wholly accepts himself and therefore his past. so, i think, he doesn't necessarily feel the need to guide or support his younger self - he knows he will be fine. and i don't think he cares about the future besides what he is shaping for himself.
if you twisted my arm, i'd say future. but he'd ask his future self something very random/out of pocket. probably something like asking his future shelf to show him a photo of chngbin with all his hair cut off for the military.

chngbn - future.
another one i see has having accepted himself and his past, and not feeling the need to guide baby chngbn because he knows if he sticks to his principles he'll be fine. but i do think he'd be tempted to ask about his future. where his career is, who he is with. something like that. i think he's a romantic at heart, so probably something about that. but maybe just something sweet about if his family is happy/healthy, i think he'd be comforted and happy to know they were.

hynjn - past.
this one was harder for me, and i made it a bit sad in the end :/ but i think hynjn has suffered from being under public scrutiny, thinking about his suspension... i think he would be tempted to warn his younger self, or at least comfort them and let himself know it would be ok. he get to be with his found family again, that they held that space for him while he was away.

jsvng - past.
i think the teaser we got for the hold my hand mv answers this enough. nodding at a younger version of himself, as if to tell him it's all be ok? yeah... i think he would want to tell his younger self it would be ok too, that he has good people that will look for him when he is lost. or, maybe, he'd tell his younger self to be kinder to himself.that he wasn't a volcano hurting everyone around him. or that if he's an alien its ok, he's found his planet and his fellow aliens. <3
honestly if i think about this too long i'll write pages about this....

flx - past.
i think he'd just want to comfort his younger self. tell him it would be ok, he'd settle in and learn korean and get through his adjustment period. i think, maybe, that he'd tell himself to trust chan. tell him to look for him, that he will always be there for him...

svngmn - future.
another tricky one for me. but while i see him as introspective, i think he'd be quite pragmatic and ask how best to impove his singing. or something else like that.

imie - future.
again, i see him as kinf of pragmatic. so i think he'd be focused more on guiding the course of his current life, than editing what has already happened to him. i think perhaps he'd ask if skz was still going strong, his found family and support system <3 (interestingly, i wondered briefly if chn would be tempted by this option, but i think he is incapable of envisioning a world where that isn't the case)