I feel like ever since normies started to come into fandom spaces they ruined it for everyone else, like what happened to don't like don't read or how about an artist draws a ship or character you don't like you just block them or better idea just scroll away.
Tumblr getting rid of NSFW didn't help with this, either. I started the blog the year it happened lol so I have no idea how things would've turned out, back then was rough, but nothing like it is today. People are reactionary to things they see first online, so if they see "This fetishizes this-" they don't look into it, they simply agree.
They don't even care to look into any studies saying that what we do is harmless. They don't care about being right, they care about being superior because they have an identity complex and can't handle that people enjoy things in a way they personally don't like. They bring up arguments that can be easily disproven, and when they're cornered, they call you an abuser or pedophile to further weaken the meaning of a serious crime and continue to hurt victims like myself.
Taboo fetishes of all walks of life are harmless, especially in a fictional world. Humans have always had ways of imagination to escape. It's been like this since we could walk upright. Thought crimes aren't a thing, and expression in art and writing as well as sexual endeavors have been demonized through all of history.
Saying anything else makes it sound like my mom when she thought listening to angry music would make me evil rather than actually giving me a healthy outlet to heal some mental wounds. No, I just like the aesthetics, and think blood and yandere's are neat.
I don't think people into Yangire and gore are actually out here trying to "normalize" murder. I think they're neat individuals who are into stuff I get squicked about, and that's it. I don't think furries want to have sex with actual animals, and I don't think people into diaper play want to do anything other than live their lives in a safe place.
So I block and move on. (Not the furries, I love furries <3 )
This goes for things that make anyone uncomfortable. Minor x adult is another one, often compared to the horrors of actual child abuse, which as a victim myself, I don't appreciate the term being watered down.
It's just art you don't like, plain and simple. It's often a tool used for therapy from other victims, but even if it isn't, I don't care. No one real being hurt? No signs of concerning real life danger? Then leave it alone.
I don't want people thrown in jail over cartoons, I want them in jail for actual crimes. This goes for everything in fandom and fiction. Monster fucking is bestiality, gore is murder porn and snuff, and I've been told in MY OWN INBOX that I glorify rape and deserve what happened to me when I was stalked and harassed, on top of being assaulted. Anything in fandom is illegal under the guise of what these people put it under, and it's legitimately the video games cause violence argument but remixed.
These tropes and creations are things that could be considered grounds to arrest someone for art wise, which is never ok, because no one in these scenarios are REAL. (not to mention conservatives use it as a way to harm queer and trans creators, especially if they're POC.)
It also takes the responsibility away from actual monsters, pointing fingers at art and saying "This made me do it!" Rather than accepting the fact they made the full cognitive decision to do what they did. The people who hurt me didn't hurt me because art and fic told them do, they hurt me because they wanted to.
Fiction hurts no one. If someone pulls the evangelical "if someone reads it they want to do it." card, it's bullshit. It's used to infantilize AFABs mostly, as anything dark romance or otherwise is seen as enabling abuse instead of a fun steamy scenario to have fun with, or even to help with trauma.
To some, BDSM is considered noncon and rape despite it being around for as long as humans have been, and adults who consent to it are still seen as horrible people despite it just being Matt from accounting who likes hot wheels and ropes. Calling someone Daddy/ Mommy has incestuous terms and vibes, yet we all know it isn't anything more than some roleplay with power dynamics.
Supernatural has millions of incest fics and everyone knows incest IRL isn't ok. Game of Thrones has nothing but rape, incest, war and murder, and the millions of people who watch still know it's fantasy, and therefore, not ok to implement in real life.
I write for incest. I write for noncon / rape, as that's literally tied to what yandere's do. I write for bull hybrids and werewolves and scp monsters. Y'all know this shit isn't ok in real life and are able to enjoy a fantasy setting, so why other people can't, is frustrating. They're looking for a scapegoat and don't realize that the "freaks" they hate so much are the ones trying to keep fascism out. I can't sit on a soapbox and pretend I'm some holier than thou writer when my shits on the chopping block too.
I'll always stand by the ship and let ship, and stand by anti censorship. Even the shit I find gross deserves a place to be labeled appropriately and exist in a way I can block it out, and leave it be.
Even saying this, right now, this lukewarm take of "Well if no one who is real is hurt who cares." has me questioning if it's even safe to post over harassment. Fairytales and playing dolls has become so vile and toxic I can't even say the bare minimum of fandom rules.
TL;DR: You don't have to like something that brings genuine discomfort, but acting like real crimes are happening isn't ok. It waters down the severity a lot of actual crimes deserve, and makes freedom of expression, even expression you dislike, more and more conservative and fascist. Don't like, Don't read, and move on.
