#fiction is fiction

[ivan-braginski-2001]

I hate to sound chronically online but genuinely why do antis only go after eastern creators on the very rare occasion they go after a larger artist?? Like it's such a strange phenomenon where they'll say that Hetalia is racist or MHA promotes pedophilia or that Beastars is for zoophiles or how SpyXFamily is lolicon bait

But those SAME FUCKING PEOPLE are SouthPark fans, or Star Wars fans, or into FNaF, or they're slasher fans. Like genuinely.

Why is edgy content ONLY okay when a western artist does it?? Like I'm not trying to be rude or call people racist but I genuinely just do not understand.

#Proship #Ant anti #Pro shop #proship #profic #proship safe #ship and let ship #anti censorship #anti dni #anti harassment #pro ship #proship please interact #comship #pro shippers please interact #fiction is fiction #fiction is not reality

[sad-drake-lyrics]

what my 65yo father has to say about antis:

let me preface this by saying, i literally wish i had what just happened on video to go viral on TikTok. i was shook by this conversation down to my bones; and if you could see my father - a loud old Italian man with dramatic hand gestures - say what he had to say, i think this shit would blow up. but as i was obviously not filming him while we were eating, i will have to relay to you the story with my words.

so i'm sitting eating dinner at the coffee table with my father while watching TV, as Americans often do instead of eating at the dinner table, and since the news was on he started telling me this story that had been recently mentioned on TV once again from maybe ten years ago (it was in 2014, you can read about it here) where these two 12-year-old girls killed one of their friends as a sacrifice to the Slender Man. yeah, real thing. fucked up.

and so my father told me about how they interviewed one of the killer's mothers, and when questioned about where her daughter's motive could've come from, she said something along the lines of: you know, when i was a kid, i was into Stephen King and horror - and so when my kid was into that kind of stuff, i didn’t think it was a big deal.

so, of course, my response was "yeah, being into that stuff isn’t a big deal at all - it's normal - but being a sociopath and murdering someone is not normal; it's fucked up. but there's nothing wrong with being into horror stories - they're just stories meant to entertain - it doesn't make you a murderer to enjoy Halloween - but it would if you put on a Michael Myers mask and went out and stabbed people." and, of course, like any sane person, my father agreed with me.

then, continuing this line of conversation, i started talking about the concept of how "fiction isn’t reality," and how a frightening amount of people don't understand that; and i literally started telling him about antis - people on the internet who attack and harass others over "problematic" or "inappropriate" fictional interests.

i used well-known pop culture examples like: if you're into Game of Thrones and like Jaime and Cersei together or wanted Jon and Daenerys to end up together (i didn't think he would process the term "shipping," but clearly by the end of this conversation i think i was wrong), that people (antis) will say things like "you should die," and that you "support inc*st in real life," and that "you're disgusting."

i also used the examples of "toxic relationships" in pop culture, like the Joker and Harley Quinn, or Kylo Ren and Rey, and how if you’re into those kinds of fictional relationships that people (antis) will say that you "support toxic relationships," and that you are "glorifying abuse," and that it all "must be what you really want and believe is right or good."

and my fucking 65-year-old father literally goes: "I don’t understand. It’s a TV show. Don't they know it’s fake?"

queue my jaw dropping to the fucking ground because i'm like. YES. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT PRO-SHIPPERS ARE TRYING TO SAY AND THESE PEOPLE DON'T GET IT.

he was flabbergasted, my pals. the shock in his eyes was incredible to behold.

and, oh boy, that isn't even the best part, guys.

my father then says, "Don’t tell me it’s like that with anime too?"

and i said, "it's worse with anime."

and i fucking swear to you - no joke, on my life and baby Jesus' cradle - again my 65-year-old father looks at me and says, “It’s a fucken cartoon."

... ... ...

... i can't ...

i can't end this post better than that.

#anti anti #anti harassment #proship #proshipper #proshipping #pro ship #pro fiction #pro shipper #pro shipping #profic #comship #proship safe #comship safe #proship positivity #anti censorship #ship discourse #fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #ship and let ship

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

#ACLA24 #ACLA24Leaders #youtube #youtube video #climate leaders #climate solutions #climate action #climate and environment #climate #climate change #climate and health #climate blog #climate justice #climate news #weather and climate #environmental news #environment #environmental awareness #environment and health #environmental #environmental issues #environmental justice #environment protection #environmental health #Youtube

[tamarahtalkstv]

“Pseudo Pedophilia”

…

Excuse Me?!

So Now They’re Just Making Up New Shit Now To Sound Smart.

Now We’ve Got Sexism, Ableism, And A Very Dangerous Amount Of Idiocy.

Great.

Also If You Don’t Get The F*ck Away From Me, My Hashtags, And My Community.

That Is Not Something To Be Proud Of.

#ProShip #ProShipping #ProShipper #ProShippers #ComShip #ComShipping #ComShipper #ComShippers #DarkShip #DarkShipping #DarkShipper #DarkShippers #SelfShip #SelfShipping #SelfShipper #SelfShippers #ProFic #ProFiction #Discourse #Fandom Discourse #Ship Discourse #Shipping Discourse #Ship And Let Ship #Don’t Like Don’t Look #Don’t Like Don’t Watch #Don’t Like Don’t Read #Don’t Like Don’t Play #Fiction Is Fiction #Fiction Is Not Reality

[sharonisthebettercarter]

billy butcher and addiction--

felt there's a need for a good and proper analysis for this fucker (as well as i can manage, maybe throw in a bit of a rant on poor fandom etiquette, 'three laws of fandom' are an oldie but a goodie lol) so here we go i guess--

i wanna start by saying this is a full scope character deep dive (sortaish?? best i can do take it or leave it--lol i might go further in depth on specific scenes or whatnot later, i'm longwinded but i'm tryin' to condense as best i can for this, aaaaaaaaaaand long long post ahead--) that def includes elements solidly confirmed in dear becky and probably leans more on comics billy overall, but def does intertwine and interlock with show billy (as they are essentially the same, garth ennis' own words went something like 'he's a perfect billy butcher' lol)

i'll try to avoid spoilers (??) for the most part like dear becky, but there are some things that may need more context (there is quite a bit of in the show that works well enough to represent anyway but i guess we'll see how this goes, i may end up talking more about the show elements and how they parallel with comics billy anyway)

i also think it's worth mentioning that there's a lot to billy (especially in the comic) i feel fandom either ignores, dismisses or doesn't want to acknowledge, or just doesn't notice.

whether from personal bias/prejudice, desire (fitting billy into that 'alpha's alpha' toxic masculinity 'dom top' fever dream 'mold' so to speak, probably--no, definitely the *worst* way to interpret and easiest way bungle up his character, it completely misses the fact that billy has built *that* 'daddy approved' version of himself as a *facade* to *hide* his own shame and insecurity, and he is *so* much more complex than that nonsense (and genuinely uncomfortable and unhappy being that way-beyond the subtle guilt of a constant high). can we talk about the ways in which fandoms promote and perpetuate toxic masculinity--what, no time we'll be here all week?? oh, okay. jesus fucking christ that is exactly as bad if not worse than the maga chud interpretation and unironic worship of homelander--), lack of personal experience/familiarity, understanding--fuck it, even lack of education in media analysis or reading comprehension (if not both), and *especially* being pro-censorship/americentric/*stuck* with purity culture blinders (or even some part of them lingering)

all of those can def make media (and characters like billy) that isn't 'cookie cutter america-approved' fairly difficult to understand or accept (i guess??)

i've seen so much listed to hell and back in attempts to describe comics billy. 'he's a piece of shit' *YES*. 'he's just wish fulfillment for the author's hatred of superheroes' *no*??? let me not get into the complete hypocrisy of someone who writes or enjoys fanfic--the epitome of *wish fulfilment*--unironically complaining about other authors doing this and thinking it's a legit complaint. how does *anyone* read the entire story and come to *that* conclusion???

did you even bother reading the comic? no, i don't mean glossing over it with a completely closed mind while actively ignoring and dismissing everything important put in front of you and designed to make you think because the blood and guts or other is too distracting apparently, i mean *actually* reading it thoroughly and making an effort to think about what's being presented and why, waiting for the drop *instead* of jumping to judge (as is the american way)

and to some degree, i get it. i wouldn't say this comic is the easiest to digest (especially if completely unfamiliar with many of the themes presented, even the show has sparked some ass takes and interpretations) there's also plenty of common misconceptions, one in particular about garth ennis 'hating' superheroes. this is actually not true, what he hates is how the superhero *genre* has bottlenecked the comics industry and what is more likely to see success in it (and as a fellow creative, i completely understand how frustrating that would be, his main interest is actually war stories)

it's def one thing to say, 'nah, i don't vibe with the style' or 'it's not really for me/my taste but it's fine if others like it', i get that, satire and horror aren't for everyone. honest critique is fair even.

but it is a whole 'nother thing entirely to pretend your own personal tastes are *the only 'correct' creative law* and then *vehemently* oppose or hate something an artist created and denounce, harass, or fuck--dehumanize the people who enjoy it, if not the artists who work(ed) on it.

i'm sorry, this is a tangent cause it's def not limited to the hate the boys comics or ennis gets *at all*, it's especially prevalent in *literal* kids media like teen titans go where the thing in question is simply put--*NOT MADE FOR THE SHITHEADS NONSTOP COMPLAINING ABOUT IT* when they can literally, *LITERALLY* just *accept* that they weren't the *target audience* and move the fuck on with their day, happy as can be. *instead* of shitting on something *or the people who like it* to make literal *children* or other people feel bad about liking it.

it's one thing to try and educate people or have discourse and discussion, it is another entirely to *bully* them over something so *stupid* as *fiction*.

i especially have a problem with this shit when i have *several* artists tell me that they don't feel *safe* or *welcome* being themselves, liking or creating what *they* want to make in a fandom *because* of the fandom attitude and normalization of *hate* within that fandom.

i *thought* fandoms were supposed to be about *love* so what the fuck is this human tribalist false dichotomy bullshit??

and of course, that's not always the case. there is also an unbelievable level of respect that is given to fanartists and fanfiction writers, and that is *beautiful*. 'don't like, don't read'. *PERFECT*. curate your own content, complain or rant in your own spaces--you're entitled to an opinion, but *accept* that it still has a right to exist and other people still have a right to love it (and aren't wrong for that, opinions cannot be objective), *even if you don't like it*. just don't engage then, it's that simple.

now extend that level of courtesy to the people, artists and writers in the industry.

no, i'm not trying to shut down criticism of media, proper critique is how we learn and grow and understand better and in turn *create* better. yes, they can fumble the fucking bag too, especially when adapting something from a source material and--like *some* fanfic writers out there--think they can do it 'way better'.

but the people in the industry? who bend over backwards, going on strike in some cases, breaking their necks to work on and create the things that we *love* and latch onto?

they're people too. and whether the thing they make goes *exactly* how we want or not, however you feel about the money in the entertainment industry (which they see barely a dime of if those fucking strikes and constant mistreatment are any indication), they don't deserve to be treated like scabs.

that mentality of 'not my personal taste = universally bad' and 'anyone who disagrees with my opinion is wrong' is fucking gross and *extremely elitist*, just straight up announcing how pretentious, obtuse, willfully arrogant and ignorant, and *lacking in self awareness*--the number one easiest way to be the *shittiest* kind of artist/writer/critic--you are. it is *exactly* like cishet white men complaining about something being 'bad' because it's 'woke' or has anything *besides* a cishet white man for the protagonist.

*god forbid something isn't tailor made specifically for them.*

swear to gawd, i got a list of different bullshit and circle jerking i've seen all across different fandoms for different reasons. no i'm not mad at any one person in particular, just a little salty from recurring problems and gatekeeping (ghoulfucking-GHOULFUCKING OF ALL THINGS I--I CANNOT) if not straight up bullying (does it really make a bitch feel *so* much better to try and hurt other people for liking what they, and let's be honest, are not willing to give the time of day?) in fandoms. (the complete audacity of people to complain about a media being 'childish' or 'bad' because 'insert nonsensical trivial bullshit here that holds no weight because it's personal taste if not flat out wrong and not actual critique' and then turn around and throw the biggest fucking tantrums about it--let me not get into the whole sharon carter debacle jesus christ--)

same shit. different pile.

also, fuck me. i keep *forgetting* that genuinely valid critique (*not* personal taste/opinion, proper critique pertains to things like techniques used, composition, narrative consistency and plot holes, goals of the artist/writer, accomplishments of those goals, etc.) is something that needs proper education and understanding all on its own which not a whole ton of people get or even know, which just goes to show--i'm a dumbass too. (but i won't deny that plenty of 'critics' are full of shit and *know* this but use their 'personal taste' as 'critique' *anyway* because... they enjoy being complete assholes and discouraging other artists i guess.)

y'all, take a class or two in art critique and literature analysis. you'll learn all the cool lingo (to later forget if you're like me~), and maybe (hopefully) walk out with a bit more of an open mind wanting to encourage more art in the world, even if you don't personally like it. take a moment to *listen* to differing opinions in their *entirety* and you might even gain a new perspective.

*no one* should be ashamed to ask questions or admit they don't know or understand something and fuck the people that would make you feel that way. *we can and should help each other.*

but stagnant or hostile fandoms with no self awareness and perpetuated elitism circle jerks? *really* fucking shameful, regardless of the form or where they are.

ANYWHO--

ugh, fuck. okay. i think i'm done with that tangent, back on topic--

BILLY BEAN~<3

and i want to reiterate that *again*, dear becky *does* confirm pretty much everything i'm going to discuss here tho technically speaking, nothing is spoiled here as it's just reiterating what is implicit (if not stated outright) throughout the series.

as far as dear becky goes, it's a good final gut-wrenching piece to the series and i loved it, but it definitely leaned on more of 'tell' instead of 'show, don't tell' (no duh in context, but probably because the rest of the comic did the 'show'--very well imo but it still flew over peoples' heads and made them misplace their brains--i'm sorry, i've just lost so much patience for the lack of reading comprehension and media literacy, but honestly? ennis is genuinely too good at knowing how to spark a strong emotional reaction in readers. and can we talk about the dense mofos that *make* authors have to 'tell' just to confirm something that is heavily implied--what, no time? oh, fuck, fine.)

OKAY--

addiction.

what about it, and why am i mentioning it. well. because if it's not clear by now, william butcher is an addict.

and it is one of, if not the core element that drives him to do what he does.

not becky or becca. not justice.

addiction.

and i don't mean traditional substance abuse (though he admits there has been as much in his life, especially with alcohol, his drug of choice is a bit more complex and maybe not so easy to spot on the surface for those unfamiliar with addiction).

in the show, we even see him mention that he's 'done 'em all' and there's *nothing* like temp v--and it's because temp v *amplifies* his *addiction* to the highest level it could exist on.

something else to note, there's a ton of stigma and widespread (ableist) misconception surrounding addiction still (which may be part of why people may not want to recognize it in billy), but it is absolutely a clinical mental disorder and people who suffer from it should be treated as *medical patients*, not reduced to violent criminals and scumbags. (fuck you drug war and prohibition, you are the root of organized crime and you're racist as shit.) it's also possible to become addicted to *anything*. and i mean *anything*.

if you can repeat a behavior and your brain no longer cares whether or not that behavior is causing you harm because there is a *compulsive* urge for that *repetition* or a specific result from it? that is addiction. money, anger, pain, violence, self harm, attention, love...

you'd think the last one might be okay, but it's not. it's an easy way to get caught in the infinite loop of an abusive relationship, just with promise of it. no delivery necessary.

but it doesn't have to be drugs that cause addiction. hell, gambling addiction is a thing all it's own that can get *incredibly* severe.

and listen, too much of *anything* can be horrible for you. fucking coconut will give you the runs if you eat too much that shit is *not* fun pun intended--

i digress.

in billy's case? he's actually addicted to two i just listed.

violence. and self harm.

i mentioned before that what drives billy has next to nothing to do with what happened to becky or becca.

there's a common misconception that, at the end of the day, billy does have some level of good intent behind his actions, and to a degree this is true in the *complete reverse* of what people often assume, and this is proven repeatedly in both the show (with just what we have seen) and comic (where its laid out too heavily to ignore).

setting aside the fact that there's *never* a good 'rEaSoN' to commit or even attempt *genocide* (EVER. i have ZERO patience for the constant apologism of this bullshit, SWEAR TO GAWD FANDUMB--) and billy's genocidal tendencies on their own, the idea that 'he goes after homelander for becca' or 'justice' has been completely debunked.

'justice is not vengeance'

something to always keep in mind.

but... in the first season? hughie called him out on this.

butcher calls him a 'disgrace to robin's memory', and hughie--bless his little heart, responds with 'i think i'm doing this *for* her.'

it's an interesting response, because hughie is essentially saying--

'you'll *die* for this woman, but that's not what she would have wanted. i'm going to *live* for robin, and for *annie*, because *that's* what she would have wanted.'

and he's absolutely right. billy loved becca, would have died for her. but he refuses to listen and *live* for her.

the group therapist too even before hughie. she literally laid it all out, front and center in the clearest way possible, 'it's a defense mechanism', and then butcher had his little meltdown just before telling hughie about becca, everything he can, including *using* other peoples tragedies and his own *specifically* to manipulate hughie and try and make sure *starlight* can't *save* him from what butcher is trying to turn him into.

*so that hughie stays stuck on his reason to die, instead of finding one to live.*

in the second season, *becca* herself calls him out on this, multiple times.

'you put me on this pedestal but i never knew how to save you'.

'--i didn't come to you, i went to vought--.'

and that's just it, becca (and becky in the comic) is *intimately* familiar with billy's *addiction* and the underlying mental health issues he *wouldn't address*. she didn't tell him what happened even after the shock of it because she *knew* that it would just become a reason for billy to *give in* and be his worst self to a degree where she would *lose him* regardless of what she felt or asked for from him.

she felt she had to *suffer in silence* to *protect him* from *himself*, something that ends up *destroying* her.

becca wanted to *save* billy, but more importantly, she wanted *him* to *save himself* because she *believed in him*, *so much*.

'i never wanted that for you.'

she doesn't want billy to drown and suffer or cause harm in his own hatred and addictions. she *loved* him so much so, that she was willing to *drown herself* if it meant she could save *him*. she loved him *too much*.

billy's mum too, even tries to help in her own way. (she is much less aware of billy's activity in the comic, but we'll come back to her. for the show, this was likely in response to seeing the news about *stillwell*, something his dad fucking *praised* him for)

'--that he wouldn't have this hold on you--'

billy's actions are almost entirely driven by the *addiction* his father forced on him. on doing the things that would make his 'daddy' *proud*. and the thing is, he's *fully aware* of this.

he constantly *says* that *becca* is his 'reason', that she was his *cure*, but she's the *excuse*. his *new addiction* and *self medication* (also billy, you fucking cunt you *know* what you do and have no leg to stand on when it comes to self medicating--)

both in the worst of what he does and his rejection of addressing his own traumas, and she is *unwilling* in this endeavor. she never wanted this hate to consume him, she never wanted all of this death with her name as the signature, *she never wanted billy to be his father*, much less be something much worse.

he even admits as much in the third season when he hallucinates lenny who tells him his actions would 'break becca's heart'

billy responds something along the lines of 'becca's dead, it doesn't matter what she thinks'. (a line presented in the comic even more harshly, but it drives the point home perfectly.)

when he sees lenny again in his nightmare--

'i'm not that bastard--.'

'come off it billy, you always have been. cause anyone who's ever loved you, you end up gettin' 'em killed, don't ya--.'

'--the last person on god's green earth tryin' to stop you from bein' a monster, and what do you do? drag him down to your level... when he dies... and he will... then no can stop you.'

OOF OUCH OWIE--. the lenny stuff hits so damn hard but it represents *perfectly* what butcher's own *internalized beliefs* are.

mallory calls him out on it literally every season.

'--but billy! not the others!'

'it's like asking a cockroach to not be a cockroach--'

'--because it wouldn't stop with just homelander--'

'this was never about ryan or becca, it was always selfish. the hate inside that you want to let loose on the world.'

'--i was wrong... you are your father, always have been...'

and then there's billy's subsequent impulsive reaction to push ryan away, and *be his father*.

but hell, even in gen v when mallory is speaking to shetty.

and truthfully, billy was even showing *withdrawal* symptoms at the beginning of the third season.

billy himself, even *self punishes*, picking fights he knows he *won't* win as a way to counterbalance *and* satisfy his own addiction, infinite loop. vicious cycle.. (ooh i will def be coming back to the big one here--), and we see this in one *HUGE* way, and in many many smaller ways, but even in the more literal sense of going to bars, starting trouble, and laughing or smiling when he's getting beat the fuck up or *losing*.

it's even highlighted in the show, billy *seeking out violence* and conflict whether he should or not, *especially* when unnecessary. getting his own face busted up and smiling because of it is something that happens multiple times in the comic (even on accident in one instance), and is def given a place in the show. it's easy to pass off as billy simply being a masochist (which is def true lmao he does admit as much), but there's also more to it than that and it goes hand in hand with his *addiction* and--

what he thinks he deserves.

billy *hates himself* so *severely* that he actually *does not believe* that he is capable of the *good* that others, such as lenny, becca, his mum, and hughie are willing to *see* in him. he *completely* believes it when others say that 'he is his father' (internalizes it, struggles with it, and frequently acts on it).

he puts on a show. bravado, posture, and 'confidence'. and he's so good at putting on that front, that he can fool himself, even for a moment. and those that believe it will even *enable* him. and the people he feels *nothing* for? again, he maintains the front. he lives his life *masking*, *faking it*--so fucking hard. homelander could never--

and it's not even necessarily the result of toxic masculinity. don't get me wrong, he def has some issues with that lingering (y'all, if you have *say* you're an 'alpha' and posture out your sweet little ass off 24/7, you're def *not* an 'alpha' lmfao), but it's more so his own *trauma* that forces him to *cling* to that.

but when he *loves*, and he loves *deeply*, he completely rolls over and shows his belly like a kitten<3... when he was with becky, he was happy and comfortable, and all of that *ridiculousness* just melted away completely... he didn't feel any need for it because he felt *safe*, because this constant *insecurity* and feeling of being *threatened* all the damn time looming overhead had suddenly cleared up with becky there.

it's not even so much that billy doesn't feel fear. he might not traditionally (at all if his amygdala is damaged), but considering the fight or flight response, billy's *default* setting literally *is* that *fight* response. he's the way he is because he is *always* afraid and he's been conditioned for it to manifest itself as *rage*.

we see bits of his love come through in a few moments he has with people he has genuine care for. (the way he loves his mum and she instantly calms him down is genuinely so sweet.)

but it's always gonna come back down to 'daddy dearest'.

because of him, *billy is afraid of living*.

and--

his father. *is proud of him*.

billy is *just like him* or *everything he wanted to be* as a *man*, or at least is compelled to *project* this on the surface. and everything in *billy* that *is* his father, *just like him*, is *everything* that billy *hates*. so it manifests into an *intense* self loathing and spiraled addiction that magnifies the worst of what his father *forced* on him.

he *doesn't want* to be *his father*, but he feels, and fully believes that *he already is*. his self hatred is another form of *hating his father*, because *he is that man's legacy*.

so *billy* doesn't *believe* that he deserves love or goodness or care from other people (a parallel we see in homelander, presented a bit differently.) so he 'doesn't care'. makes excuses to not care (about people in general, if not just the very *prominent* antisocial tendencies), or leave, or push them away, lashing out to give *them* the excuse to leave him, because he is *afraid* and in his own mind, *unworthy*.

he's *afraid* of being loved, of *losing* that love, of *hurting* those he loves. he is *afraid* of being his own father.

but it's all he's ever known, all he's ever been *conditioned* to be. intoxicated, ever present, it's this terrible thing that destroys him but he *can't* stop. *addiction*.

and what better way to protect those he loves than to keep himself as *far* away from them as possible? than to *make* them hate him. than to do the *wrong* thing, to *disappoint* them. self sabotage. self punishment.

he can't stop himself. he deserves it.

lather, rinse, repeat.

so what does that mean for homelander, or even the reason he goes after homelander? the *real* reason.

'there must be *some* good in him because homelander 'must be' this 'ultimate evil that *must* be stopped', right?

not really. he's a symptom of a much greater evil, but he was never the root of it. if billy really wanted to solve the problems at hand and get *justice*, he'd go after *vought*, NOT homelander.

homelander is not even the real villain in *billy's* mind, in all actuality.

what homelander *is*?

temptation.

he is... the *ultimate* final high for billy. in terms of addiction to both *violence* and *self punishment*.

he doesn't actually go after homelander because he wants to 'stop him' or even kill him. not really. there are times billy starts a fight *expecting* to *lose*, *wanting* it. homelander *is* one of those times to the most intense degree that billy could find. and he even senses this when they first meet--unnecessarily, privately insulting the man because why?

because he feels *threatened*. because he feels *insecure*. because if homelander is *truly good*, even with *all that power*--

then billy has no fucking excuse--

it is, in essence, the same exact reaction that lex luthor has to superman. forcing himself to *challenge* him because of a *constant* sense of *fear*. (except lex *is* afraid of dying, so 1000% a huge coward lmao--)

but~, when he finds out homelander is *bad*?

homelander is billy's *failsafe*

to stop the person he feels is the most terrible evil of all *and* to set the world on fire in the process. a way for billy to kill two birds with one stone. compelled by his addiction to *chase* this ideation relentlessly.

homelander is to billy--his ultimate end, self punishment, a death wish, a *suicide attempt*.

and a way to *unleash his hatred onto the rest of the world*, *to make it burn*, even after his death. (this would be why despite many many MANY warnings to *not* push homelander *because of the catastrophe this will ultimately instigate and the loss of life this is bound to result in*--billy does not give a shit about the potential consequences. he welcomes them--)

if homelander were a *nuke*, billy would want to *launch* him. right now, homie is more like the *demon core*, incredibly dangerous and in some instances lethal, but not *yet* explosive.

billy *wants* the *warhead*.

it was why he got *so excited* at the *chance* of homelander offering him 'scorched earth'.

the man read billy like an open fucking book, and set the bait--

y'all, in other words, homie straight up went to billy's house and offered *crack* to the *crack addict*--fuck yeah he's gonna take that offer!

homelander never actually perceives billy as a real threat *at all* (safe to say, this is the main reason he doesn't kill him. there's a bit of personal complex combined with the deals/blackmail/request involved, but this would also be why he doesn't *hesitate* to 'kill' billy at herogasm. he genuinely gives no fucks about this poor man or his many anal complexes and daddy issues beyond the mild entertainment he gets from him and just how *easy* it is to read billy or rile him up. maybe a *dash* of novelty being found in billy's obsession with him. i'll go into the homie side of things in depth maybe someday soon lol but for now--)

and here's the thing, homelander isn't the *only* failsafe. he is simply the *ultimate failsafe*

included in all the possible bad habits billy has is pawning off his *responsibility* and personal accountability, even his *will to do good* onto others.

i mentioned before that becca (becky) was like a new addiction for him. and she was. in a sense, billy was using her to self medicate. she loved him, gave him love and made him feel good, no pain, no shame--but also no pause to think about that pain, self hatred and self doubt and actively address it. she was a way to not worry about his own *goodness* because she was an *easy* reason for him to *want* to be good.

and something important to note?

billy feels that he has *cheated* on becca/becky *since* the day she left/died. (there's a whole ass deliciously intricate story there but i'm trying to avoid the spoilers lmao. kind of a freebie hint i guess.)

lenny and hughie similarly make an effort to *hold butcher back* and reach out to him. (everyone does honestly, but not everyone is so successful with it). and butcher lets them, but *also* removes the agency of his own choice in the matter.

he doesn't just *let them* make him *good*, he doesn't believe he's capable of stopping himself on his own--but he believes in *them* because they *are* good, *truly good*.

hughie all on his own is *another kind of failsafe* and lo and behold, even calls butcher out on this by the end of the third season (theme is prevalent in the comic a lil different but again spoilers lol):

'i don't think you want to do this. i think you want me to stop you.'

*ding*ding*ding*!

nail on the head, hughie... butcher does not believe he can stop himself. so he sets up *failsafes* to do as much.

and let me just say, it is *unbelievably* shitty of him to do that, to pawn off the responsibility of his own behavior, whether good or pure evil onto other people. but i get it. and it fucking breaks my heart for him.

because *that* is addiction. it feels like mind control. aggressive compulsion. you feel ashamed, and hate yourself, and don't care if you hurt yourself or even others. but you keep *hoping*, *wishing*, *leaving a breadcrumb trail* so that *someone*, *anyone*, will come along and--

*save you. from you.*

and when you stop believing in yourself, in your own willpower to fight against this *thing* that just completely *destroys* you from the inside out... without *anyone* on your side, what else is left to do but to numb the pain?

i was able to recognize billy's addiction right off the bat because i've *been* to a lot of the places he has been. including the addiction. and he makes me so *fucking* mad because it's like seeing a version of myself *still stuck*, *still lost*, *still trapped* by my own issues and self loathing, and all of the abuse i've gone through--

and the biggest fuck up, the biggest *abuser* is me.

i can't *escape* me. *no one* can escape *themself*.

that fucker breaks my heart to pieces because *i have been there*, and i know just how fucking hard it is to *be* there, just how much harder it is to *get out* and start to *learn*--*who is it you really wanna be? who are you without this drug?*

and something he even says in the comics on a few occasions is--

'i'm not really here, i'm somewhere else watching this happen'

asserting that he *truly* believes that he has *no control* over *what* he is. (in contrast with homelander, who feels the weight of something similar but more literally in some regard, and in relation to so many other aspects in his life with the world around him.)

billy butcher *is* the *true villain* of *his own story*

of his own making.

he's not after homelander or even vought. he doesn't blame society or even his father at this point. he blames himself. and he's *given up* entirely on fighting himself. he's looking for his *overdose*.

*that's homelander*

ain't that a kick in the head...

it's part of what makes their relationship and dynamic so incredibly electric and titillating. it's got nothing to do with becca or becky.

butcher sees homelander as an easy way out. as a way to control the narrative, *maintain his own*, and *stop the bad guy* without bringing someone *good*, like *hughie*, down to his level.

he *sees* the parallels, a kindred spirit. he *knows* the potential. and he wants to be the *spark* to light all that *gasoline*.

because then it won't be his fault anymore. his *guilt*. he'll have passed on his *curse*.

likewise, he actually goes after supes in general for a similar enough reason, and it ties in with why he *doesn't* go after vought directly.

billy actually *likes* the status quo. to a degree, *needs* it, *needs vought*

because *vought* is the *creator* of his *supply*, feeding this addiction. and we hear billy say this in both the comic and show--

'with great power comes the absolute certainty that you'll turn into a right cunt.'

and billy actually believes this--about himself.

when he says it about other supes and even his intense hatred of them, it is a *projection* of his own issues and what he believes to be true for himself (that he would do the absolute worst thing imaginable given the opportunity). and in a way, going after them is in some ways a metaphor for stopping and destroying himself, hating himself, as much as it is a way to maintain his addiction.

and--

maintain the narrative he has built--that he is the true villain.

and if that's the case, well... it takes a *hero* to stop a *villain*, right?

but also--y'all remember that scene in the suicide squad where polkadot man imagines everyone as his mum? how he imagines starro as his mum?

yeah, that.

that's basically billy. every fucking supe, including starlight, and kimiko, and let's *really* not talk about what this means about him sleeping with maeve in context with his 'supe=daddy' issues, but even the person he sees in the mirror. *all of them* are *his father*.

listen, i'm not kidding. billy's daddy issues are seriously severe, so fucking bad, i--

his actions aren't for becca or becky or ryan or justice. even he *knows* that's bullshit and admits as much (which just makes fandom denying it that much more fucked). but they're not even *just because* or because he's genocidal, antisocial, or anything else. he *does* want someone to stop him. he's sane enough to recognize his actions for what they truly are *behind* the mask.

billy's actions are a volatile and violent *cry for help*, because he never learned how to *ask*, or even how to *believe in himself*.

he never truly learned that *he never had to be his father*, and he didn't *need* becky or becca, lenny or hughie to *be good*.

i actually think billy's greatest magic trick is convincing even the audience and readers that he is a *total*, complete piece of shit. and don't get me wrong, he is *def* a huge, massive, incredibly rank and ripe piece of shit--.

and y'all, i'm sorry if you believed him and got played like a damn fiddle, him and homie def throwin' in some hard balls--

but he's also still human. he also still needs just as much if, honestly? maybe even more, fucking *help* than homelander. which kind of draws back into their parallels. the tomfoolery of fandom might have you believe that billy is less complex or more put together than homelander, but their situations go hand in hand and the evidence suggests (if not confirms) something quite different.

billy's plight and even goal in some sense is *convincing the rest of his world that he is a monster*. driven by the addiction his father gave him. enabled by the world around him.

homelander's? it's actually the complete opposite. his struggle is with *his world convincing him that he is a monster*, and in turn, against his own instincts, *growing* into that role. when in reality, he never got the chance to decide for himself, it was decided *for* him a long long time ago.

'i think, therefore i am.'

'i can, therefore i must.'

however, *our actions cannot define who we are, because we can choose our actions*. good or bad are not something you inherently *are*, they are something you *choose to do*.

it paints what in turn becomes quite the brutal and tragic picture when these two forces meet. homelander and billy are both of the mindset that they *don't have a choice*.

and this bit is a bit more of a personal thought, but regarding billy's mum, she was *becky*. she was sweet, and kind, and cared for her family more than anything. *it didn't matter what she suffered, she was willing to drown if it meant saving the people she loved*.

as much as i adore how cute becca and billy were, i don't think she would have saved him.

i think the implication is that she would have either 'drowned' trying and become his mum, history repeating itself in a vicious cycle as billy spread his disease to any child they could have.

or that she would have lost her mind. and in turn *become* the person billy spread his disease to, if not another enabler for him. if not billy's choice of drug, maybe she would have taken up something else and eventually overdosed. i would even say the show implies this outcome with both becca and hughie, as the more butcher pushes--the more worn down they get.

if you put enough pressure on someone--they break.

becca was *good* for him. but billy was so, so fucking *bad* for her.

it begs the question of whether or not billy *is* right, if he really is this monster, *fated* to become his father in the worse of ways. of whether or not it's too late for him.

he's certainly not 'normal' or 'right' or 'good' or even an 'anti-hero'. at best, you could maybe call him an 'anti-villain', he is meant to be the deuterantagonist.

it def doesn't help that every time he has the *chance* to do the right thing, *someone* goes and enables him, gives him a reason to do the *wrong* thing.

fucking maeve in that last episode of the third season. but she's def not the only one, and def not the only time. (and yes, if it wasn't clear enough, being completely fucking indifferent to killing *thousands* of people to go after *one* fucking guy is in fact, the *wrong* thing to do.)

butt.

rewatching the scenes with lenny and billy's reaction, and even the final fight, showed something of a *possible* silver lining.

billy *enjoys* rejecting his father. actually pretty fucking greatly if we're being honest. generally speaking, it's when he *rejects* his father and everything that man represents that billy is at his *happiest* (lmao the epitome of an unfulfilled submissive sweetheart and bratty bossy bottom~<3<3<3)

there's a moment, where soldier boy says something along the lines of--

'--fuck you. you're weaker than he is.'

in regards to homelander. it's sort of glossed over, but this is billy's reaction to essentially being called a 'disgrace' so to speak by a toxic 'alpha male'.

y'all see that? it's a smile. lmao a smirk.

this is a moment where billy is protecting *ryan* and keeping his promise to becca. it's a moment where billy is *doing the right thing*, all on *his own* (mostly lol i'm sure there's a roundabout way to justify it in his head). and i think that's key.

it's not just a moment he's proud of himself and has a legitimate fucking reason to be proud of himself, (oh btw, we shoulda *all* been proud of billy in this moment), it's a moment he's *breaking through what his father made him* and his own *addiction*.

and he's doing it *selflessly* and--*without setting that responsibility on another person*.

so we *know* he has it in him, he always has. even becky *in the comic* kept trying to convince billy that *he is capable of good without her*. and again, we actually saw this in the second season when becca and ryan were reunited and billy *changed* his plans, *for becca*, instead of doing the selfish thing and selling ryan back to vought.

but if billy doesn't believe it himself...

i don't think billy is right about himself. but it is very *very* difficult for someone to *correct course* so to speak, once they have their *core beliefs*, lay out their own destiny and start along a *self fulfilling prophecy*, something him and homelander *both* do.

enter ryan.

and suddenly (lol probably in part due to reading dear becky lol), there was a bit of... not so much new, as *confirmed* perspective in play after that rewatch, something to *look* for and ponder in regards to *why* ryan may have been added for this story, a question in mind--

'would it be wrong of *ryan* to want to save his father?'

was it wrong of becca or becky, hughie or lenny, even his mum, to want to save billy?

how would *billy* even begin to answer such questions?

a different answer for the two would be a clear hypocritical bias (which lol i would not put past billy, but i also wouldn't be surprised if he maintained consistent thinking by answering *yes* to both)

. . .

y'all...

i still can't say i'm particularly optimistic about things turning out alright for either gent or ryan, butt~<3

garth ennis literally made the saddest, most pathetic, deliciously sweet, perfectly precious, extra emo tsun tsun baby boi ever, and put him right under our noses.

some a y'all fucking sneezing all over him, straight up sleepin' on all his *best* bits. how are we not utilizing billy butcher *properly~<3<3<3*????

;)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

#billy butcher #billy butcher meta #the boys #the boys comics #the boys tv #the boys amazon #butchlander #homelander #ryan butcher #the boys meta #media literacy #reading comprehension #fandom wank #fandom entitlement #garth ennis #tw addiction #tw abuse #psa #long post #fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #please #never harass or bully people over your own personal preferences in fiction #sad precious emo baby boi

[lexyscross]

Horror fans will nut over brutal murder and gore, but then insist on shipping only the most vanilla ships you've ever seen and pitch a fucking fit over any ship they deem Problematic™. 🙄

#POV: They don't even know what the word “problematic” actually means. (Google is free Pookies. 🫶🏽) #horror fandom #fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #anti censorship #anti fanpol #anti purity culture #txt

[jayzelnut]

The saddest part about seeing people getting swept up in anti rhetoric is knowing how many of them are hating themselves for no reason.

I used to be full in the anti mindset from about 16 to 21-ish, and it made me feel as if I were inherently a horrible human being for something as simple as shipping the ninja turtles or finding an anime character attractive.

It took finding the right community and discussing at length with my therapist to accept that fiction is indeed fiction, and the fact that I can explore certain things within a fictional space is okay and healthy.

ESPECIALLY as a CSA survivor (though I think it's bs that people feel required to share their trauma with strangers in order to justify enjoying "problematic" fiction, cause hot take: someone does not need to be a victim of SA to enjoy non-con fiction. They just don't.)

If you are hiding part of yourself because you're afraid it makes you a bad person, or that the people in your life will find out and hate you for it, I want you to know there's nothing wrong with you.

There is a community for you. Space for you. People who will not judge. People who will understand.

The worst part about the anti community is that they make you believe no one will accept you. They make you believe you are a monster for something so unbelievably human and then tell you anyone who disagrees is out to hurt you or others.

It's manipulative and almost impossible to escape from without feeling like you're doing something horribly wrong.

If you're reading this and you don't understand where I'm coming from, that's fine.

Kink is not for everyone. You don't need to enjoy media like that to accept that there are people who do and that kink can actually be incredibly positive and healthy when explored safely.

Extreme gore in horror isn't everyone's thing either, but that doesn't mean it's wrong or that the people who enjoy that content are actually serial killers.

It's fiction. It's not hurting anyone.

If you're an adult and you've got some problematic fiction you love and you can't talk to anyone about, I'd love to hear about it. I won't judge.

If you're a minor, please talk to an adult you trust about this topic. Don't take these things at face value (including this post. I'm just a stranger on the internet, my opinion should hold no weight for you. The purpose of this post is to get you thinking, not to brainwash you lmao)

And if you're a big ol' freak like me? I see you. Enjoy your day and keep being freaky :)) 💕

#proship #pro ship #proshipper safe #fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #bagel talks #csa mention #sa mention

[cityofasphodels]

💜 A message to all cookie run proshippers and selfshippers

You are valid! You are heard! We accept you!

Even if cookie run is technically a "kids game" (though the adult fanbase is massive), you are still allowed to enjoy it, its characters, and its darker themes.

Your ships are valid, even if they are "illegal" or problematic.

The discourse around the conceptual ages of these baked goods is a bit silly. You should be allowed to headcanon things as you'd like regardless.

Keep enjoying fandom the way you want to. Fiction is not reality.

And as a bit of self promo, if you're ever looking for a space where you will be heard— we're a 16+ cookie run themed server accepting of proshippers and selfshippers~ Just check our pinned for more. 💜

#profiction #proship #proship positivity #proshipper #proshippers are valid #proship please interact #proshippers please interact #proship safe #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #cookie run ovenbreak #ship and let ship #fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

... I have a bad idea but would Ruby or Weiss have any cubs or no?

Technically, no. Cheetahs are the only species in their genus, so they can't procreate with the other big or small cats. HOWEVER, this is fiction. I'm willing to bend the rules of Mother Nature.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Cheetah!Ruby: Guys! Guys! Guys!

Tiger!Yang: What is it, Ruby?

Panther!Blake: (nursing the cubs) Is everything okay?

Cheetah!Ruby: I overheard the vet talking to Weiss's keeper. Weiss is pregnant!

Panther!Blake: That's awesome! .....wait....hasn't she been sharing an enclosure with you for the past month while hers has been under construction?

Cheetah!Ruby: (smiles)

Tiger!Yang: Huh... Not gonna lie. I did not think that was possible.

Cheetah!Ruby: I'm gonna be a daddy!

#fiction is fiction #fiction is not reality #bumbleby #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #ruby rose #weiss schnee #white rose #snow leopard weiss #cheetah ruby #tiger yang #panther blake #big cat au #thanks reddinodigimaster

[longtallglasses]

i feel like i need to do my due diligence in the byler tag. it’s getting sad, here’s some lightly fluffy sweet stuff not really it’s from horror

“Can we stop for a bit?” Mike asks when it’s clear they’re still getting nowhere. If they had been going in the right direction they should have reached a road or at least the river.

Will nods and they sit down. He notices that they both gravitate towards hiding away, between a tree trunk and a shrub, like they want to close themselves off from everything else.

They’re silent for a bit. Resting their eyes. Listening to the trees. If it was any other day it might’ve been quite peaceful. Sitting under a tree with Mike like old times. He’s about to break it by mentioning Dustin and Lucas again.

Crunch, Crunch.

Will looks over to see Mike with a leaf in his mouth.

“Are you seriously eating a leaf right now?”

Mike looks at him and shrugs, “What? I’m hungry.” He holds out the leaf to Will, “Want some?”

Will just stares at him and the leaf looking perplexed, “Um, no I’m good…”

“C’mon,” Mike spurs, “give it a try,” he tries to incentivize Will by wagging the leaf in front of his face, and Will can’t hold back his laughter.

“No,” he tells him, giggling. Mike doesn’t relent with dragging the leaf over Will’s face, which tickles and only causes him to laugh more. So much for trying to be a petty bitch, Will thinks.

Mike does eventually stop and drops the half eaten leaf on the ground. Will catches his breath, and when both their smiles die down, it feels like sinking back into quicksand. They’re so lost. They’re so out of hope to get out of here. The only bit of hope Will has is that maybe they can get their friends back, they could not be dead.

“I think Dustin and Lucas are probably in the-”

“Can we talk about something else, like literally anything else?” Mike cuts in before he can get out his thoughts. Will looks at him almost hurt. “It’s not that I don’t care, I do. It’s just, I can’t handle it right now.”

Will considers him. He could be mean and demand they do, he could, they kind of really do need to talk about it. But he sees the look of a forlorn puppy in Mike’s brown eyes and can’t bring himself to. He sighs, “Yeah, sure,” and he resigns himself, leaning back on the tree trunk and crossing his arms across his chest.

“What do you wanna talk about?” He asks.

Mike hums, “I don’t know, um… How’s school?”

Will side eyes him, “You wanna talk about school right now?”

Mike gives a slight smile, “Uh, yeah, I don’t know,” shrugging, “like how is art school? I know you told us it was going well, but like how is it really?”

Will doesn’t say he could’ve already known if he had bothered to call or hang out, that he had wanted to invite Mike to countless shows and parties to show him around, but he holds his tongue. Mike’s asking now and he seems like he really wants to know.

So he tells him. He really really tells him. “It’s, like…” he lets the huge smile take over his face, “so amazing. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Mike’s face lights up, “Really?”

Will nods.

“Ok well, say more,” Mike eggs him on, “tell me.”

He tells Mike about all of it. The teachers, the students, his new friends, the atmosphere. How he felt nervous in his first class when they all went around the room to introduce themselves and their art, but hearing everyone talk and reveal how much art means to them in their lives the nerves just evaporated. How his teachers actually understood him, something that before was absolutely unheard of, they gave him the advice he needed, they saw him.

“And it’s like, everyone gets it you know,” he continues to blabber on, Mike leaned in nodding at everything he says, “I always felt so weird but there I’m like so normal. I’ll talk about something I have an idea for and how it’s like a need that I need to make it or how I’ll talk about things through art and some things just have to be through art and everyone understands me, it’s crazy. I mean the only other person I’ve been able to talk to like that has been you, but now it’s everyone, it’s surreal. And every time I go to class or I’m on campus it’s like I’m so excited for something, I don’t know everything. I’m excited about everything.” He focuses back on Mike who smiles at him.

“I’m so happy for you, Will,” he says a little bittersweetly. “I mean, if there’s anyone who deserves the best college experience it’s you.” Will gives him a small smile back.

“Thanks, yeah, I’m glad too… You know, I think you’d really like it there, there've been a bunch of shows I saw, where I was like, oh Mike would be obsessed with this.”

“Yeah? I’ll have to come then,” and Will feels something wanting to stitch itself up inside himself. “Are you gonna have any shows?” Mike asks.

“Mm, not any time soon, don’t think I have anything ready.”

“Bullshit,” Mike looks appalled, “I know for a fact you do, but also I’d really wanna see your new stuff too…”

“Oh, I would’ve shown you, but I forgot to bring any sketchbooks with me,” he says regretfully.

It looks like Mike almost starts to blush a little bit when hears this, “Actually um, ha… I totally forgot but… hold on a sec,” and Mike gets up to reach around to his pack on the other side of the tree. When he comes back around he’s holding an old beat up notebook.

Will’s eyes widened, “Is that mine?”

“Uh, yeah… When I was packing it was just there on my dresser and I thought, in case you forgot to bring a sketchbook you could use one of your old ones, I mean it’s probably already pretty full but,” he shrugs, “in case you really wanted to draw something.” Mike stops fidgeting with the well worn pages hanging off it and hands it to Will.

Will studies it in his hands. It’s at least 5 years old. He cringes at some of the drawings inside, he’s so glad he got over shading in that weird cross stitch. He noticed a lot of the pages are dog eared, he assumes because they were favorites but he doesn’t remember doing that. There are a few blank pages, surprisingly. He looks back up at Mike who won’t catch his eye, his face completely red. It’s in moments like these, when Mike just absolutely blows him away that he thinks, it can’t just be me right?

“Mike, that’s so… that’s so nice of you.” His voice is quiet, if he’s any louder or says anymore he’ll give away just how much this means to him.

Mike still can’t meet his eyes, but he tries to get out, “Nah, no, it’s nothing it was just there you know, it was…” he tapers off.

“I can’t believe you still have this, it’s so old, and most of these suck,” He jokes.

“They do not suck!” Mike finally turns to him. The way he sounds you would think he was defending his own work.

Will laughs at him, “No they really do suck. I appreciate you thinking they don’t though, even if your opinion is uneducated and wrong.”

Mike scoffs, “Oh shut up, my opinions are great, my opinions are law if you ask me.”

“That might be true, but not when it comes to this.” Will says.

“Whatever, I like these,” Mike rolls his eyes and takes the book back like a little kid in a huff.

Then Mike looks abruptly back up, “Wait do you want this back?”

Will shakes his head laughing, “No you can keep it, I didn’t even bring pencils.”

“Oh. Ok, thanks.” Mike smiles and flips through pages.

Mike goes through the book with him and points out all his favorites, the dog eared pages, and describes in detail what he likes about each one. They get a good laugh at the page where Will was learning Morse Code, which was completely for Mike at the time. “I can’t believe you forced me to learn that shit.” “Hey! It’s useful!” “When would it ever be useful?”

With every turn of the page Will feels like his heart is being pressed down on harder and harder. Every word Mike says it feels like the sweetest slash of a knife. Why can’t he just be grateful? Because now he’s bleeding out and he’s gonna drown in all this want. Mike is killing him and Will is letting him.

#byler #will byers #byler fanfic #mike wheeler #stranger things #fanfic #i hope one takes this the wrong way #fiction is fiction #fiction is not reality #writing #longtallglasses #my blair witch

[ivan-braginski-2001]

Just saw an anti on TikTok that was responding to someone saying that proship content is indeed fictional (a conversation Abt loli/sho)

And the anti's response was

"Oh yeah, it's just fiction? Well, what about what happened to them?"

*shows a slideshow of real cases of kids being hurt*

Genuinely what the hell is not clicking? How do you not realize you're literally proving their point? How are you going to respond to a conversation about FICTION by using REAL kids to prove your nonexistent point? The hell?

#Profic #Proship #pro fiction #proship do interact #proship safe #Pro shop #Anti anti #🍖🌈 #🌈🍖 #fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #Yeah you care Abt kids so much you exploit real cases for your petty drama online #Antis sure do care about real kids guys #Sure do #😁😁😁

[sad-drake-lyrics]

i love how when i come across antis i simply block them & move on but the only reason i come across them is because they’re tagging proships on their anti post lol

#proship #proshippers are valid #proshipping #proshipper #anti anti #anti harassment #fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #just saying #nezutan #kamadocest #i can be petty and tag my ships too lol

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

#ACLA24 #ACLA24Leaders #youtube #youtube video #climate leaders #climate solutions #climate action #climate and environment #climate #climate change #climate and health #climate blog #climate justice #climate news #weather and climate #environmental news #environment #environmental awareness #environment and health #environmental #environmental issues #environmental justice #environment protection #environmental health #Youtube

[tamarahtalkstv]

Did This Dumb Anus Licker Just Call Innocent People Pedophiles And Then Say Bullies And Cyberbullies DNI After?

You’re The Bully Here.

I Really Didn’t Want To Read The Full Thing So Here It Is For You Guys To Read If You Want.

#ProShip #ProShipping #ProShippers #ProShipper #ComShip #ComShipping #ComShippers #ComShipper #DarkShip #DarkShipping #DarkShippers #DarkShipper #ProFic #ProFiction #Ship And Let Ship #Fiction Is Fiction #Fiction Is Not Reality #Don’t Like Don’t Look #Don’t Like Don’t Read #Don’t Like Don’t Watch #Don’t Like Don’t Play

[milaisreading]

This came into my mind, since I got a lot of people telling me yandere content and anything similar to that is encouraging that behavior irl. And no, it doesn't. That's like saying video games encourage school shooters. Fiction is fiction, and that realm doesn't fall under the rules of real life. You can have a discussion over the characters, which is common, but implying that anyone who reads it or writes that stuff will commit to those things in the real world is insane

If you are one of the people who can't see the difference between the real world and fiction, stay away from that sort of content. You can argue that children are probably reading yandere, gore, non-con, and similar content. And yes, they probably do. I was a child ones who read that stuff. But, the authors are not the ones responsible for those kids, nor are they supposed to walk on egg shells on the internet. The responsibility lies on the parents to teach the difference between right and wrong, fiction and reality. I am sorry, but it's not my responsibility. And if you as an adult can't tell the difference between reality and fiction, then avoid, block, or ignore content you don't like.

Honestly, it's just tiring seeing the same 5 arguments on the internet. And it's not even an argument, it's just an echo chamber and full of yes people. Just enjoy what you want and leave others alone.

#fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #please stfu #venting a little

[shrimpmandan]

I honestly fucking hate when antis bring up that fiction DOES affect reality as a counterargument to proshippers bc the thing is they’re not even technically wrong. Fiction and reality are inherently intertwined on some level. For example, fiction often depicts the ideals and standards of the time, or the creator’s lived experience. Fiction can impact reality in the form of individual people, both positively and negatively. For example, a propaganda cartoon vs an educational cartoon. The thing is, antis refuse to acknowledge that the “fiction =/= reality” argument (in the context of proshippers using it) is a direct response to the incorrect assertion that fiction will make people act against their morals. This can be about anything from “incest/abuse/age gap relationships in fiction will normalize it irl”, “video games cause shootings”, “porn causes violence”, or any other amount of honestly baseless and reactionary assertions about the world.

I see propaganda brought up a lot, which is especially frustrating, because antis don’t understand how propaganda works. Propaganda is not something that you watch and suddenly, you’re racist. Funnily enough, propaganda on its own isn’t particularly persuasive or logical in how it’s presented-- it’s just manipulative. Propaganda specifically takes advantage of preconceived ideas, fears, and prejudices-- for example, anti-gay propaganda would play into the idea of gay men being predatory, deviant, and mentally disordered, because that was already the general consensus of the time. Propaganda, by nature, plays into existing emotions, or preys on the human fear of the unfamiliar. This is why the best combatant to propaganda is education.

You can apply this same thing to taboo fiction, violent video games, and violent porn. You could make the argument that these things could have negative influences on children, seeing as they’re much more impressionable and may have a harder time distinguishing between fiction and reality, but the bottom line is kids are not the target audience for any of these things. They are not supposed to be viewing NSFW writings, videos, or games. We already have things like ESRB ratings, “are you 18?” verification checks (as paper thin as they may be), and tagging systems in place for the express purpose of deterring kids (or parents of kids) from seeing something that aren’t meant for them. After a certain point, you really just have to place the responsibility on the parent for either not monitoring their children, or being careless about what kind of content they consume. Aka: NOT the fault of the adults who make or enjoy violent or explicit media.

Going back to propaganda for a minute, with taboo fiction in particular (incest, age gap, etc.), it’s already, y’know, taboo. Meaning people are actively discouraged from participating in, or even just talking about it, since things like incest and pedophilia are already largely considered immoral. Most Western citizens would agree that irl abusive relationships, rape, and the like, are all immoral. So why would reading about it suddenly make them go against the entire worldview and moral upbringing they had? That’d be utterly absurd! However, if someone who was already considering or apologetic towards something like pedophilia were to consume media depicting it positively, it might, and I repeat, MIGHT have a chance to influence them into actually committing an offense. And even then, any evidence of that is extremely flimsy.

There’s been a small handful of IRL cases around fiction and reality. One that comes to mind is the murder trial of Scott Dyleski, wherein the prosecutor asserted that the Invader Zim episode Dark Harvest inspired Dyleski to commit murder. However, this statement was hardly backed up with any kind of proof, and in my opinion, is a weak argument on the prosecution’s end. There just isn’t any psychological evidence that makes a strong connection between dark/violent/explicit media and moral degradation, and while there have been studies done surrounding things like “do video games cause violence?” and “is porn making young men misogynistic rapists?”, these studies either came back inconclusive or even outright stating that no, these things do not lead directly to IRL violence. Simply googling “do video games cause violence?” or “does porn cause violence?” will yield countless articles stating that there’s no strong link between the two things. And, at its core, this is what proshippers mean when they say that fiction =/= reality. To say that fiction is responsible for all of society’s ills, instead of the fact that fiction takes inspiration from the tragedies of the real world, is an absurd take.

Overall, I think I’m still happy with the “fiction =/= reality on a 1-to-1 level” wording that’s since replaced “fiction =/= reality”. It’s far less generalized and overall more difficult for antis to counter with actual evidence (which, let’s be honest, they barely use anyways), even though the only reason proshippers were using such a generalized statement to begin with was to counter another generalized statement: that taboo or violent fiction will always, or almost always, lead to irl crimes and normalization.

#proship #pro ship #proshipping #pro shipping #proshipper #pro shipper #anti anti #shipping discourse #fiction =/= reality #profic #pro fic #profiction #pro fiction #anti censorship #fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #proshippers please interact

[cityofasphodels]

As a poc running a server with many active poc members I think it's insane how much racist rhetoric gets passed around in anti spaces. Especially towards easterners. Like??? I'm not the only person who has noticed this yes?

#profiction #proship #proship please interact #proshipper #proshippers please interact #fiction is not reality #pro fiction #fiction is fiction #shipcourse #discourse #ship discourse

[multifixwritings]

I know this is a controversial discussion for some reason—or at least it was a few months ago—but fiction does not equate to reality. If you are unable to discern between the two, that is your problem and yours alone. Writing is a pastime that helps a lot of people escape their own reality and cope with their struggles, and if what someone is writing poses an issue for you, then just please keep scrolling. Block the creator. Blacklist the tags. Nobody is forcing you to consume their content. You never know what someone is dealing with in their life. What someone depicts in a fictional outlet does not always mirror their actual views or beliefs.

#fiction is not reality #fiction is fiction #reality vs fantasy #live and let live #controversial #multifixwritings