Artcow WogglebugLoveProductions / Cynthia Hanson / Cherie Anne Hapney - One Womanchild's Fruitless Quest to Make Her Cockroach Husbando a Household Name

[ActualKiwi]

The Wogglebug isn't real, Cynthia. He has no being other than what you come up with in your own head. He's interchangeable with any other official characters or OCs.

This. So much this. he's a fictional character in a fictional story in a land that doesn't exist. Your insistence on treating him like some sort of borderline person (and with it, treating every other oz character like they're absolute assholes) just makes you look insane and/or childish. You're like a little kid who still hasn't let go of their imaginary friend..
You're just shooting yourself in the foot with your attitude towards the fandom, and going to be a disappointment to yourself and those around you..

 

[Bugaboo]

It disturbs me how close "Wogglebug" is to the racial slur "Wog"

 

[For The Internet]

I'm putting this under a tag because my posts are stupid long now and I don't want you guys to have to scroll through them. Sorry about the novellas.

Spoiler

@For The Internet you should be ashamed of yourself for jumping to conclusions and making me feel SO bad for a while when it was SO completely unnecessary. Like I said before, Voiceguy should be the one to tell me what he prefers and wants for the future of our working together, and not you acting like you want to decide it for him. I expect an apology to both Voiceguy and me.

I haven't jumped to any conclusions, Cynthia. I'm sorry, but you tend to ignore or dismiss good advice and that's fine when you're only hurting yourself by ignoring it, but when your unprofessional conduct hurts someone else - someone who has been as good to you as Voiceguy - I am going to be as blunt as I need to be to get my point across. It seems to have worked, since you've actually negotiated with him and are presumably getting right on drawing up a written contract to protect you both. I didn't set out to hurt your feelings and I'm sorry I did, but I don't regret giving you the shove you needed to realise the importance of professionalism in regards to contracts for your cast and crew. If a studio couldn't get away with it, neither should you.

I asked if you had a contract. I said if (if being the key word - I was speculating) you had a contract whereby you had stipulated a certain payment and were then reneging on that contract you would be in violation, which is fact. I then said that if you did not have a contract with Voiceguy you were being unprofessional, and as it turns out you did not have a contract. At no time did I state either of those things to be true until you yourself confirmed that no contract existed. I stated that changing a worker's payment on the fly because of your financial situation rather than halting production until you can cover your debts is unprofessional because it is. It doesn't matter that Voiceguy is a sweetheart and agreed to do so because he's a compassionate and loyal person. It's still unprofessional, you will not find professional film makers doing it without hurting their reputations.

The statements I made about how actors are paid and how important contracts are are not speculation, they are real things that I dealt with for many years in the industry. I've worked with one man operations like yours to major studios and everything in between. Part of what bothered me was you announcing those pay changes (that again, couldn't have happened if you'd had a contract without renegotiation) here before even telling Voiceguy. In fact, you pretty much jumped to a dreaded conclusion: "I am sure he will never charge me the same amount again."
Again, I am not jumping to conclusions, your post on the matter said you hadn't talked to him about it yet. So, I PMed him literally quoting what you said and telling him he should ask for a contract. At no point did I advise him on terms. I told him I was fine with him showing you the PMs I wrote him if you wanted to see them, and I am, because there's nothing in there that I haven't said here. Of course, if he doesn't want to share them that's his prerogative.

Almost everything I have said to you has been based on your own words. In my last, extremely long (and frankly, boring) post I literally quoted every word you said and responded to your statements in full.

The only conclusion I've ever jumped to regarding you was that Voiceguy was ripping you off by being paid $750 for half and hour of voice work. Even that conclusion was based on my experience in voice acting and I know how people are usually paid so it seemed abnormal. Voiceguy came along and explained the situation and I apologised for assuming he was taking advantage of you. He and I are fine, he doesn't seem to bear me any ill will based on our conversations over PM and this thread, so I don't know why you still hold that over my head, especially considering that the only reason I mentioned it at all was because I was concerned someone was doing the wrong thing and hurting you.

Speculation based on your own words, or on professional experience, or on easily proven fact isn't the same thing as jumping to conclusions. I have pretty extensive experience in the industry, and as an aspiring film maker I would think you could do with all the professional advice you can get. Even when I was upset on behalf of Voiceguy I still said the contract was as much about protecting you and your reputation as a film maker as it was about protecting him. When I PMed Voiceguy I said he should suggest you, not he, contact a lawyer to advise you on drawing up a contract so it will be fair to you both.

Please highlight where you believe I have jumped to conclusions. I have a fair idea of what you might say, though.
Also, please show me where I've tried to tell you or Voiceguy what the terms of your contract should be? Please copy-paste text.

I love that you think I should be ashamed of myself for telling you to be professional so you can have a future in the industry and for advising both you and Voiceguy to protect yourselves by creating a legal contract ASAP. Such shame. Much regret. I am truly a terrible person for giving you advice that will only benefit you both.


I know you think I dislike you and I want to sabotage you for some reason, but I've offered you nothing but advice that is intended to help you succeed. I'd love to see you actually get The Wogglebug off the ground. I don't dislike you. I dislike some of the things you do, but I have no bad will towards you.


In reply to your other post to me:

Good job on finding those FB groups. Try instagram and tumblr too, just make certain you actually start posting to them ASAP.

I am very, very glad that you understand how important contracts are and I also think you did the right thing by not talking shop while Voiceguy was dealing with such awful personal issues. I never said or thought you were trying to hurt him, just that you inadvertently were.

As for your issues with the Oz fandom, I've read about them at length. I will never agree with you about excluding the fandom, regardless of how you have clashed with them in the past.
Honestly, the problem with the Oz fandom seems to be you because even in that little sample above you couldn't resist insulting them instead of just saying 'Hey, I've made a film about an alternate universe Wogglebug for kids and I'd love some feedback so please check out these clips'.
Go to facebook, instagram and tumblr and find Oz groups. There's a chance a few of the people there will be from the communities you clashed with, but if you're polite, keep your cool, don't insult them or insinuate that you dislike the fandom I'm sure you'd pick up a lot of people who would be interested in Wogglebug even if he's from Genoma now. Fandoms are all very similar in that, as I explained before, you have people who like fanfic/AU stuff and people who don't. You WILL pick up fans if you blanket Oz-related social media.

I'm not trying to insult you but I think you come across better on social media, where you have less room for lengthy responses. You come across very well on FB from what I've seen, and I'm sure you could continue to put your best foot forward on twitter and the other platforms I've mentioned. Just don't respond negatively or to negativity. If you're not sure how to respond to something or you're not sure if a person is being negative you could always ask friends/family/voiceguy or even ask here.

People here really are trying to help you, even if the advice is sometimes worded in ways you find insulting. You've put in a ton of hard work and your product has improved enormously. I don't think anyone who frequents this thread would disagree with that.

 

[ActualKiwi]

It disturbs me how close "Wogglebug" is to the racial slur "Wog"

It came from an era where that was still a thing, @Bugaboo .. It's likely where the name may have come from- any Oz-ites able to fill us in on this (those who aren't WBL)?

 

[Bugaboo]

It came from an era where that was still a thing, @Bugaboo .. It's likely where the name may have come from- any Oz-ites able to fill us in on this (those who aren't WBL)?

If his name is based on the word Wog wouldn't it be wise to change it? Not so much for the North American audience but what if someone in the UK sees it and they're all like "wtf"

 

[ActualKiwi]

I'm putting this under a tag because my posts are stupid long now and I don't want you guys to have to scroll through them. Sorry about the novellas.

Spoiler

I haven't jumped to any conclusions, Cynthia. I'm sorry, but you tend to ignore or dismiss good advice and that's fine when you're only hurting yourself by ignoring it, but when your unprofessional conduct hurts someone else - someone who has been as good to you as Voiceguy - I am going to be as blunt as I need to be to get my point across. It seems to have worked, since you've actually negotiated with him and are presumably getting right on drawing up a written contract to protect you both. I didn't set out to hurt your feelings and I'm sorry I did, but I don't regret giving you the shove you needed to realise the importance of professionalism in regards to contracts for your cast and crew. If a studio couldn't get away with it, neither should you.

I asked if you had a contract. I said if (if being the key word - I was speculating) you had a contract whereby you had stipulated a certain payment and were then reneging on that contract you would be in violation, which is fact. I then said that if you did not have a contract with Voiceguy you were being unprofessional, and as it turns out you did not have a contract. At no time did I state either of those things to be true until you yourself confirmed that no contract existed. I stated that changing a worker's payment on the fly because of your financial situation rather than halting production until you can cover your debts is unprofessional because it is. It doesn't matter that Voiceguy is a sweetheart and agreed to do so because he's a compassionate and loyal person. It's still unprofessional, you will not find professional film makers doing it without hurting their reputations.

The statements I made about how actors are paid and how important contracts are are not speculation, they are real things that I dealt with for many years in the industry. I've worked with one man operations like yours to major studios and everything in between. Part of what bothered me was you announcing those pay changes (that again, couldn't have happened if you'd had a contract without renegotiation) here before even telling Voiceguy. In fact, you pretty much jumped to a dreaded conclusion: "I am sure he will never charge me the same amount again."
Again, I am not jumping to conclusions, your post on the matter said you hadn't talked to him about it yet. So, I PMed him literally quoting what you said and telling him he should ask for a contract. At no point did I advise him on terms. I told him I was fine with him showing you the PMs I wrote him if you wanted to see them, and I am, because there's nothing in there that I haven't said here. Of course, if he doesn't want to share them that's his prerogative.

Almost everything I have said to you has been based on your own words. In my last, extremely long (and frankly, boring) post I literally quoted every word you said and responded to your statements in full.

The only conclusion I've ever jumped to regarding you was that Voiceguy was ripping you off by being paid $750 for half and hour of voice work. Even that conclusion was based on my experience in voice acting and I know how people are usually paid so it seemed abnormal. Voiceguy came along and explained the situation and I apologised for assuming he was taking advantage of you. He and I are fine, he doesn't seem to bear me any ill will based on our conversations over PM and this thread, so I don't know why you still hold that over my head, especially considering that the only reason I mentioned it at all was because I was concerned someone was doing the wrong thing and hurting you.

Speculation based on your own words, or on professional experience, or on easily proven fact isn't the same thing as jumping to conclusions. I have pretty extensive experience in the industry, and as an aspiring film maker I would think you could do with all the professional advice you can get. Even when I was upset on behalf of Voiceguy I still said the contract was as much about protecting you and your reputation as a film maker as it was about protecting him. When I PMed Voiceguy I said he should suggest you, not he, contact a lawyer to advise you on drawing up a contract so it will be fair to you both.

Please highlight where you believe I have jumped to conclusions. I have a fair idea of what you might say, though.
Also, please show me where I've tried to tell you or Voiceguy what the terms of your contract should be? Please copy-paste text.

I love that you think I should be ashamed of myself for telling you to be professional so you can have a future in the industry and for advising both you and Voiceguy to protect yourselves by creating a legal contract ASAP. Such shame. Much regret. I am truly a terrible person for giving you advice that will only benefit you both.


I know you think I dislike you and I want to sabotage you for some reason, but I've offered you nothing but advice that is intended to help you succeed. I'd love to see you actually get The Wogglebug off the ground. I don't dislike you. I dislike some of the things you do, but I have no bad will towards you.


In reply to your other post to me:

Good job on finding those FB groups. Try instagram and tumblr too, just make certain you actually start posting to them ASAP.

I am very, very glad that you understand how important contracts are and I also think you did the right thing by not talking shop while Voiceguy was dealing with such awful personal issues. I never said or thought you were trying to hurt him, just that you inadvertently were.

As for your issues with the Oz fandom, I've read about them at length. I will never agree with you about excluding the fandom, regardless of how you have clashed with them in the past.
Honestly, the problem with the Oz fandom seems to be you because even in that little sample above you couldn't resist insulting them instead of just saying 'Hey, I've made a film about an alternate universe Wogglebug for kids and I'd love some feedback so please check out these clips'.
Go to facebook, instagram and tumblr and find Oz groups. There's a chance a few of the people there will be from the communities you clashed with, but if you're polite, keep your cool, don't insult them or insinuate that you dislike the fandom I'm sure you'd pick up a lot of people who would be interested in Wogglebug even if he's from Genoma now. Fandoms are all very similar in that, as I explained before, you have people who like fanfic/AU stuff and people who don't. You WILL pick up fans if you blanket Oz-related social media.

I'm not trying to insult you but I think you come across better on social media, where you have less room for lengthy responses. You come across very well on FB from what I've seen, and I'm sure you could continue to put your best foot forward on twitter and the other platforms I've mentioned. Just don't respond negatively or to negativity. If you're not sure how to respond to something or you're not sure if a person is being negative you could always ask friends/family/voiceguy or even ask here.

People here really are trying to help you, even if the advice is sometimes worded in ways you find insulting. You've put in a ton of hard work and your product has improved enormously. I don't think anyone who frequents this thread would disagree with that.

We enjoy your novellas @For The Internet . They make a lot more sense than @WogglebugLover 's unfathomable thought processes..

If his name is based on the word Wog wouldn't it be wise to change it? Not so much for the North American audience but what if someone in the UK sees it and they're all like "wtf"

She has no intention of changing it. That's part of the problem- she wants him to be all sorts of super-special-unique character with no attachment to the Oz fandom or anything to do with it, completely refuses to change his name and thinks a "universe" transplant will do the job.

 

[For The Internet]

If his name is based on the word Wog wouldn't it be wise to change it? Not so much for the North American audience but what if someone in the UK sees it and they're all like "wtf"

Wog is also a derogatory Scientology term for non-scientologists which stands for Well and Orderly Gentleman. Of course, I'm pretty sure L Ron pulled that acronym out of his ass as an excuse to be able to continue freely using a word considered derogatory in the UK (where he spent a lot of his time).

We enjoy your novellas @For The Internet . They make a lot more sense than @WogglebugLover 's unfathomable thought processes..

Thank you, that's very sweet. I was worried I was boring everyone stupid.

 

[WWWWolf]

Wog is also a derogatory Scientology term for non-scientologists which stands for Well and Orderly Gentleman. Of course, I'm pretty sure L Ron pulled that acronym out of his ass as an excuse to be able to continue freely using a word considered derogatory in the UK (where he spent a lot of his time).

As I've understood, there's a lot of that type of desperate and obviously we're-not-racist-srsly-guise retroactive prettying-up surrounding the term ("Worthy Oriental Gentleman" etc), so Hubbard was in bad company.

 

[For The Internet]

As I've understood, there's a lot of that type of desperate and obviously we're-not-racist-srsly-guise retroactive prettying-up surrounding the term ("Worthy Oriental Gentleman" etc), so Hubbard was in bad company.

Bad company pretty much comes with the territory with L Ron. In Australia 'wog' is almost exclusively applied to Italian and Greek people and often used by those people to refer to themselves. There's a Greek comedian here who is well known for his film 'The Wog Boy'. We also have places that still sell Gollywogs without much protest.

Spoiler: Gollywog

I suspect maybe Wogglebug's name at least partially comes from Gollywogs. They were very common characters in 1800's children's literature so Frank Baum probably grew up reading books with them. I believe they had a strong resurgence of popularity in the 20th century too.

 

[ActualKiwi]

Bad company pretty much comes with the territory with L Ron. In Australia 'wog' is almost exclusively applied to Italian and Greek people and often used by those people to refer to themselves. There's a Greek comedian here who is well known for his film 'The Wog Boy'. We also have places that still sell Gollywogs without much protest.

Spoiler: Gollywog

I suspect maybe Wogglebug's name at least partially comes from Gollywogs. They were very common characters in 1800's children's literature so Frank Baum probably grew up reading books with them. I believe they had a strong resurgence of popularity in the 20th century too.

Definitely somewhat of a resurgence last century- I had a Jemina doll (one of the many types of gollywog) given to me as a kid, without any big kerfuffle about it.
Even so, this is probably going to further reduce the appeal of her franchise if there's anyone who makes the association..

 

[WogglebugLover]

She has no intention of changing it. That's part of the problem- she wants him to be all sorts of super-special-unique character with no attachment to the Oz fandom or anything to do with it, completely refuses to change his name and thinks a "universe" transplant will do the job.

Thank you, @ActualKiwi on this one for more or less saying what I was going to say in response to the redundant suggestion of changing his name. It would be besides the point of everything about my franchise. Besides, I'd long ago decided what to say his name was based on in the film and books and it had nothing to do with the definitions of the word "Wog" that a few of you have described. I think I've already explained what I decided the term "woggle" (not "wog" actually) means for my own fandom and franchise starring him in the most logical and non-offensive to anyone way I could imagine.

It means wisdom and love in a collective sense and implies at the same time it can go one way or the other (for better or worse) depending on which is emphasized the most or neglected of the most. It's also an ancient Genoma word and Professor Nowitall, the Wogglebug's creator and mentor gave it to him with this knowledge while also basing it on how the wogglebugs moved about and could do humanlike activities when he saw them under a microscope for the first time.

 

[Durable Mike Malloy]

Interestingly, "wog" is an archaic term for an annoying insect that swarms to the light. That use predates the Golliwogg character, which first appeared in the 1895 children's book The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg, the Wogglebug, who made his debut in 1904, and the ethnic slur, which was first recorded in 1929.

 

[ActualKiwi]

Thank you, @ActualKiwi on this one for more or less saying what I was going to say in response to the redundant suggestion of changing his name. It would be besides the point of everything about my franchise. Besides, I'd long ago decided what to say his name was based on in the film and books and it had nothing to do with the definitions of the word "Wog" that a few of you have described. I think I've already explained what I decided the term "woggle" (not "wog" actually) means for my own fandom and franchise starring him in the most logical and non-offensive to anyone way I could imagine.

It means wisdom and love in a collective sense and implies at the same time it can go one way or the other (for better or worse) depending on which is emphasized the most or neglected of the most. It's also an ancient Genoma word and Professor Nowitall, the Wogglebug's creator and mentor gave it to him with this knowledge while also basing it on how the wogglebugs moved about and could do humanlike activities when he saw them under a microscope for the first time.

....I don't feel particularly happy about being thanked for that, given you've misconstrued what I said completely.

 

[Rin]

Thank you, @ActualKiwi on this one for more or less saying what I was going to say in response to the redundant suggestion of changing his name. It would be besides the point of everything about my franchise. Besides, I'd long ago decided what to say his name was based on in the film and books and it had nothing to do with the definitions of the word "Wog" that a few of you have described. I think I've already explained what I decided the term "woggle" (not "wog" actually) means for my own fandom and franchise starring him in the most logical and non-offensive to anyone way I could imagine.

It means wisdom and love in a collective sense and implies at the same time it can go one way or the other (for better or worse) depending on which is emphasized the most or neglected of the most. It's also an ancient Genoma word and Professor Nowitall, the Wogglebug's creator and mentor gave it to him with this knowledge while also basing it on how the wogglebugs moved about and could do humanlike activities when he saw them under a microscope for the first time.

Just because you come up with a (fictional) explanation for why his name isn't racist doesn't mean that people aren't going to still be aware of the real-world connotations that the term carries. This is especially relevant considering what I believe @NobleGreyHorse said about the Wogglebug being intended as a prejudiced depiction of over-educated indigenous people. I believe Baum wrote some pretty controversial essays, and overall the character carries some awkward baggage.

I'm not saying that you're racist for liking him, or that your franchise is irrevocably ruined because of it. Frankly, it's an awkward but basically insignificant situation. However, I still think you should be aware of it, because people are going to bring it up at some point, and you tend to handle this kind of criticism very badly. Getting insulted and making excuses about made-up words are just going to make things worse for you, not better.

 

[WogglebugLover]

@For The Internet, once again I am never going to expose myself intentionally to any sort of Oz social media groups anywhere. And I've no intentions of putting up anything like the facade you mentioned of being on good terms with them. Because that I'm not. I can't be. I refuse to ever be on any good terms with a group that thinks so negatively about the character I favor the most even if we are still fandoms apart. I mean it. Even if you are actually right about there being a slim chance of my gaining a few fans out of it, I still don't want them from there.

What I mean is, I can see the Oz fans just grinning with glee over the negative definitions of the word "Wog" you people have been passing around from what you know from the history of ... our world, and not Oz or Genoma in which both places the word could have a different definition. But the Oz fans hate the Wogglebug so much they don't care about the logic in what I just explained or how my definition would make sense for him most of all. They just hate him and want to do all they can to emphasize he has no loving family in Oz whatsoever, and anyone who can be considered loving towards him or family is hated by them also. Therefore they hate me. I know what I'm talking about. I've read it and seen it personally from experience.

Furthermore, what it sounds like they are really saying to me is they think it is okay to just let any other Oz characters be loved and respected, flaws and all, and believe what they want to about why they are special and deserving of being treated with respect for what makes them this way, but it is not okay to let this be the same way with the Wogglebug. Therefore it is for certain me and them can NEVER be on the same team or even in the same social media group together. And you were boring me with your stupid attempts to get me to even consider not being negative toward their fandom. Even if suppose I could pull off such a facade they would read my Oz-related novels and see what I was covering up from them. And you know the words they would have to call me for that then.

I assure the deal is that if the Wogglebug was a negative character by intention and his name could only ever mean something of negative description, not only would not have anything to do with Oz (I don't really like the fandom for other reasons) I wouldn't be having anything to do with what I am doing with striving to make a positive image of the Wogglebug that is divided from the Oz fandom for good.

 

[ActualKiwi]

@For The Internet, once again I am never going to expose myself intentionally to any sort of Oz social media groups anywhere. And I've no intentions of putting up anything like the facade you mentioned of being on good terms with them. Because that I'm not. I can't be. I refuse to ever be on any good terms with a group that thinks so negatively about the character I favor the most even if we are still fandoms apart. I mean it. Even if you are actually right about there being a slim chance of my gaining a few fans out of it, I still don't want them from there.

What I mean is, I can see the Oz fans just grinning with glee over the negative definitions of the word "Wog" you people have been passing around from what you know from the history of ... our world, and not Oz or Genoma in which both places the word could have a different definition. But the Oz fans hate the Wogglebug so much they don't care about the logic in what I just explained or how my definition would make sense for him most of all. They just hate him and want to do all they can to emphasize he has no loving family in Oz whatsoever, and anyone who can be considered loving towards him or family is hated by them also. Therefore they hate me. I know what I'm talking about. I've read it and seen it personally from experience.

Furthermore, what it sounds like they are really saying to me is they think it is okay to just let any other Oz characters be loved and respected, flaws and all, and believe what they want to about why they are special and deserving of being treated with respect for what makes them this way, but it is not okay to let this be the same way with the Wogglebug. Therefore it is for certain me and them can NEVER be on the same team or even in the same social media group together. And you were boring me with your stupid attempts to get me to even consider not being negative toward their fandom. Even if suppose I could pull off such a facade they would read my Oz-related novels and see what I was covering up from them. And you know the words they would have to call me for that then.

I assure the deal is that if the Wogglebug was a negative character by intention and his name could only ever mean something of negative description, not only would not have anything to do with Oz (I don't really like the fandom for other reasons) I wouldn't be having anything to do with what I am doing with striving to make a positive image of the Wogglebug that is divided from the Oz fandom for good.

You continue to twist people's comments to your own odd head-interpretation. We're saying they're all characters with flaws and good points. Every single one, including wogglebug (the original version). Your insistence that somehow all other characters must be terrible and evil is quite seriously messed up. You're boring us with your absolute steamrolling over all the advice and suggestions offered to you and reliance on a child's arguments to "win".

 

[For The Internet]

No fandom is an amorphous hive mind blob. It's certain members of the Oz fandom who you encountered on a couple of forums several years ago, not the fandom as a whole, who disliked Wogglebug and perhaps their reaction wouldn't have been as severe if you didn't openly antagonise people who don't share your views on him. As soon as you raised your hackles there was very little chance of them ever being receptive.

If you approach a group with a humble and open-minded attitude and are friendly and non-judgemental people will generally be civil and reasonable even if you disagree on important issues. If you approach a group with a closed mind, a superior attitude and speak to them in a condescending, sneering way there is no chance they're going to embrace you.

Even if they did start it, as in you approached them in a friendly and open manner without any negativity whatsoever and for some reason they immediately reamed you for the mere suggestion that you had a different interpretation of the Wogglebug, you don't have to respond to negativity with insults and it certainly wasn't the whole fandom who did so. You're tarring everyone with the same brush, just as you do with Christians and people here on Kiwi.

You're going to accuse me of assuming things again, but based on the interactions I have seen between you and other people - Oz people, religious people - in screencaps and your own posts it seems like you have a very hard time being civil when you disagree with people unless you have a pre-established positive relationship with them. Honestly, you come across a lot like Wogglebug does in the Oz books you dislike; like you believe you're infinitely more intelligent than the people around you, somewhat arrogant and grandiose.

I'm not saying those things are definitely true and you might actually be a lovely person IRL. I know you're dealing with mental illness and that doesn't make life any easier. I'm sure the small circle of people who you respect love you and see good things from you that you don't really show people you disagree with online. You made Wogglebug different. You made him grow and learn and become humble and a good friend. You can learn a lot from your own work. It's obviously inside you if you wrote it. I'm sure Voiceguy wouldn't defend you if there weren't something about you worth that effort.

I just think your franchise would go so much further with some humility and willingness to embrace people who disagree with you who are still interested in your work. You've shown glimpses of being gracious on the few occasions that you've accepted advice from people here and thanked them.
I get that nothing any of us can say, no matter how much sense it would make for you financially, will ever move you to reach out to Oz fans. However, you also said you would never sell your DVDs to any of us, even though so many of us are invested in your franchise and genuinely interested to see how your movie turns out. If you want to be a film maker and author you can't dictate your audience or who enjoys your work. How ridiculous would it be if Suzanne Collins had let them make The Hunger Games but said 'I won't let anyone see the movie who thinks I ripped off Battle Royale or likes Battle Royale better'? Can you see from another person's perspective how ridiculous that is?

You have a lot of hang ups about certain groups of people you need to let go of if you want to succeed. It's one thing to privately dislike a group of people, but you wear your distaste on your sleeve and that's a huge red flag to people. If you can't let go of that need to control who purchases your media, then this might not be the best path for you because it's going to hurt you financially and make you stressed and unhappy.

 

[NobleGreyHorse]

The people who see racism in the original portrayal of the one, single magnified Woggle-Bug aren't crazy. Have a look at this canon portrayal, or indeed, the loud, overly-flashy clothing he and his companion are wearing on the cover of the sheet music that accompanies the Wikipedia article about the character, much like the costumes of cast members in minstrel shows. I mean, look at those lips (even your version of WB doesn't have lips per se) and the dark skin tone. If you had been reading the thread on "Iconoclast," aka Jonathan M. Sweet, you could be forgiven for thinking that illustrator's WB had shuffled right out of Sweet's "Belch Dimension" comic books, which are rife with racial stereotypes.

See, that's the thing about authorial intent: it frequently doesn't matter. A significant chunk of people around the world are, in one way or another, reminded of Anglo-Saxons' disdain for literally everybody else when they hear the syllable "wog," even if you add the "-gle." You can't fix that because you can't fix world culture or go back and change history. Baum was a product of his time, and you have admitted he is a flawed author. You have also said WB does better when you write him as a Genoma bug than when Baum wrote him as an Oz bug. Do you see what I mean? Baum's flaws as an author may well translate into character naming. Why wasn't he the Wigglebug? Waggle-bug? He could have called him "Professor Splendiferous the Former Insect" or anything he wanted. For whatever reason, and please note I am being careful not to brand Baum a racist, merely criticizing some of his choices, he picked a name with, as @Rin says, awkward baggage. Again, look at the link in my second sentence above and explain, if the character isn't supposed to be racist (remember, Baum had to agree on this illustration at some point), what the character is doing with those massive lips -- much like other covers of sheet music from the Woggle-Bug musical, much like depictions of black people in minstrel shows meant to mock them.

No one is saying "change his name." If anything the users above are saying "be prepared for criticism on that front." They're not asking you to change yourself, but to prepare for possibly unfair criticism about that particular aspect of the character. We are also not saying that X is all the name can ever mean. But it can mean that. So, because you want sales, think long and hard about what you will say to people who bring up the issue of his name.

Think of this also, since your ex-friend reminded me of WWII history: Many people buy Mein Kampf today who absolutely hate its author, and with good reason. But they want to learn about how dictators rise to power, or what his thought process was and when it started including anti-Semitism, or both. Not every person who buys it is a Stormfront member or other avowed racist looking for a tract to support their hatreds. For one thing, that book is extremely long and boring. At least Mao Zedong had the charity to keep his volume of bad poetry mercifully short, whereas Mein Kampf is a giant doorstop even in paperback. But it is just an example of how people can have reasons for buying a book that don't rest on already liking the main character. Hitler is not likable, even when telling his own story. He comes over as a big whiny crybaby. Yet people who study history, dictators, the history of anti-Semitic thought in Europe, etc. still exchange actual dollars for this book. By comparison, the origins of the Wogglebug are not difficult to explain. Practice something like "Yes, I realize the word 'wog' has many negative connotations, but since children enjoy silly-sounding words -- like the names of the Teletubbies -- I decided to give 'woggle' a new definition for Genoma, a newly-created universe." People will accept your definition for it, or they won't. The point is that even having considered the issue at all, and having an answer ready at hand, makes you sound like a mature author-screenwriter who has thought long and hard about all aspects of her work, even the possibly uncomfortable ones.

 

[HickoryDickory]

@WogglebugLover, look at it this way. People who know what wog means will read the name and wonder if you are a racist... And especially if Tumblr and twitter get wind of it, be prepared for a backlash.

Tl;Dr
He may be mocked as Niggerbug in modern context and your fantasyland doesn't translate to the real world.

 

[ActualKiwi]

@WogglebugLover, look at it this way. People who know what wog means will read the name and wonder if you are a racist... And especially if Tumblr and twitter get wind of it, be prepared for a backlash.

Tl;Dr
He may be mocked as Niggerbug in modern context and your fantasyland doesn't translate to the real world.

And given that any search for WoggleBugLove/WoggleBugLover have this thread in the top few posts, chances of Tumblr and Twitter getting wind of it is pretty high