i’m feeling rlly encouraged by my little corner of the internet rn, so i want to discuss something that is pretty relevant to dark content and fanfiction in general. nobody can control the things that they’re into, nobody has a say in what kinks or fetishes they develop, and finding an outlet through art and writing is absolutely wonderful in my opinion.
that being said, blanket statements condemning “purity culture” and promoting the idea that all of this art is morally neutral are very much dangerous, particularly in white fandom spaces. that is not what purity culture means.
to avoid boring you, the term "purity culture" originated from the 1990s christian movement emphasizing sexual abstinence. since then, the term has evolved to include the sanitization of art, expression, language, etc. to avoid upsetting or taboo subjects, disproportionately targeting women, queer people, people of color, and all marginalized groups who are historically seen as "inappropriate" or "unclean". the effects of purity culture are very real in both the internal and external suppression of a person's ideas and life experiences. some personal accounts of the 90s movement conclude that purity culture is the cause of ptsd in people who lived through it. people still insist that queerness should be kept out of children's media for being inappropriate or inherently sexual. clearly the effects are still here.
"purity culture" can be applied to a plethora of topics in taboo art. this includes the depiction of racism and racial violence. white creators can depict racism in their work, but these creators and by extension their white followers have a responsibility to analyze their treatment of characters of color. i’ve seen it said that fictional characters cannot be objectified because they are objects, and this is true—however, these characters can be examples of fetishization. racial and ethnic stereotypes can absolutely be applied in dark content.
racial stereotyping is what moves the treatment of fictional characters of color from "objectifying" to fetishizing. an example that comes to mind is comparing fictional men of color to animals--historically, comparing men of color to animals is a form of dehumanization and othering. it was used as an argument to support slavery in america based on the idea that black people were savage, animalistic, and less intelligent by nature, and thus require subjugation by white people as their "stewards". stephanie meyer played into this trope by making the werewolves in the twilight trilogy all indigenous people, specifically focused on portraying men of color. what makes this harmful racial stereotyping isn't that men of color were shapeshifters or werewolves. its because it was only people of color that were portrayed as animals.
racism is prevalent in fandom spaces. many creators of color have shared their experiences with this and been told to stop “clutching their pearls”. the fact is, sharing and creating racist content with an uncritical eye as a white person is irresponsible at best, and makes fandom spaces inaccessible to fans of color. we can’t cultivate online communities without care and concern for one another, and that means taking responsibility, learning about fetishizing tropes and how to spot them in your work or other people’s work.
this is not a condemnation or a callout. as a person of color in fandom, i know a lot of wonderful white allies who actively make the community accessible to fans of color. all i want with this post to help make this space safer for myself and others, and that means pointing out racism and encouraging people to educate and inform themselves.
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saw the meme and i made this
This is starting to get a little pathetic now Dean
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It's kinda weird.
Sometimes I feel like I'm being allowed to be in people's life. And that makes me very happy because I've been rejected or threatened to be rejected a lot when I was young.
Other times I tell myself that I need permission for everything. Then, I can't move, I can't act, I'm frozen where I stand.
And that's when I realise that in all these years I've never invited anyone into my own home. The door always belongs to someone else. And I'm terrified because I'm scared people will find out that I've never owned a lock.
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Wow, hate that chemistry bolt for you.
(Context: that's the landlord NPC.)
Here's Louise's new apartment. The knife rack is so she can pretend she knows how to cook.
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Both Marcille and Arshes are elf spellcasters with deep love and devotion for a human, to the point of risking their own life repeatedly to safeguard them. In Marcille's case it's great and very sweet, and in Arshes case it's just the fucking worst thing she could possibly feel and act like toward the person in question.
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I’ve come to realize that fanfic has a weird way of making me feel lonely
Like a lot of it revolves around shipping and for much of my life I was not into that
It’s better now and now I do kinda like romance but the whole thing about fic being mainly about romance is still so strange to me
Like I read fic for the plot pftftfpf
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Alison "I hang your towel on the coat rack. Since you seemed to have forgotten again."
Irida "Tch. Thank you!"
Alison It was the smart decision, Ally. If we get a breakthrough, Julian is too honest to leave my name out of the article. At that point, there will be private companies battling to hire me under the table.
And if the military lets me travel for the project, even better. They won't notice for days if my return gets delayed... I better collect enough funds to ensure I won't have to live in a trailer ever again.
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Well done ireland
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tumblrs cardinal sin is being tumblr
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Im going to disappear off the face of the earth someday unannounced
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Steve wearing a ring Eddie gifts him as a joke (so he can be less prep/more cool) except Steve ends up wearing it all the time.
Something happens-- Eddie misplaces or otherwise forgets his rings one night, and ends up having to go about the day without them.
He's so used to spinning and fidgeting with them that he feels practically naked. Keeps touching his bare fingers and wincing.
Without asking and mid conversation with Robin, Steve offerings him not Steve's own ring, but his entire hand.
Just gives his hand over to Eddie, an intrusive thought he followed without sparing so much as a second to think it through.
(Eddie plays with the ring on Steve's finger anyway, trying not to blush about it, but very much needing the distraction. )
Robin calls them out about ten minutes in, asking why Steve didn't just take the ring off.
“Oh. I didn't think about that. Sorry Eddie.”
“Don't apologize man, this is better."
Steve nods like that makes perfect sense, and Eddie refuses to elaborate further.
Robin wants to choke them both because they're fucking romance-blind idiots.
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Bruce is Clark’s “my senses/powers are going insane right now, please cover for me” person and no one in the Justice League has ever fully caught on because Bruce (as Batman) will just suddenly start picking a fight with Hal Jordan (who is always down to argue) and distract the entire League long enough for Clark to either leave or get a handle on whatever is bugging him.
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I'm not a "coffee theory" enthusiast but does anyone else feel like Aziraphale like, literally didn't hear and/or understand a word of Crowley's love confession? And I do mean literally - it seems Aziraphale did not get it at all. He never responds directly to a word that Crowley says about them. I mean Crowley says they've spent their existence pretending not to be a couple and Aziraphale doesn't address that?? Crowley says they can be like Beelz & Gabe and Aziraphale just looks at him like ????? Then Azi just goes "come with me!" almost as if Crowley hasn't spoken. What is this fuckery.
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Hypothetically if. If they had a kiddo. A puppy. Does that hypothetical child have a design in your genius artist head anywhere
.
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