#as long as you can distinguish fiction from reality

[darling-zain]

(I'm 14) guy on bus tells me I look old enough

That's all he said???

"You look old enough"

CREEP CREEP CREEPY CREEP WHAT THE FFFUUCCKKKKKK

that's so EW

that's so GROSS

you're literally a CHILD what the FUCK

get as far away from him as you can kiddo just do not even look at him

[drop-dead-dropout]

Fuck's a pro shipper?

We've got a new one boys try not to scare em off /j

Okay but seriously, I'm more than happy to explain. I assume that if you're asking this question you're not aware of the proshipper vs antishipper, uh, "conflict", I guess. So, here is what both of those terms mean, to the best of my descriptive abilities:

Antishipper (often just "anti"): someone who vaguely believes that consuming problematic fiction (usually specifically problematic sexual fiction like lolicon or incest) is either a true reflection of them as a person or a corrupting force that will cause them to play out these desires in real life, onto real people. Basically, if you read age gap, you touch real kids in real life or secretly want to.

Proshipper (sometimes "profic"): someone who does not believe the above, and believes that fiction is not the same as reality because it doesn't harm anyone and therefore people should be left alone as long as you have no reason to believe that they would ever do something like that irl. Often hand in hand with things like anti censorship, kink positive, etc, though being a proshipper does not necessarily mean you have a problematic ship or kink yourself (example: me).

You're probably asking this question because you saw me day in my bio that I am a proshipper. I've tried to stay neutral in this initial description, but obviously I probably didn't manage to be completely unbiased considering that I believe myself to be right (most people do) so if you want to ask further questions after this that's perfectly fine. That being said:

Why am I a proshipper?

So, to understand this, let's first look over the issues within both communities— every group has issues, after all.

What problems do proshippers have?:

- sometimes 4chan assholes co-opt the label "proshipper" just because they're lolicons, even though there's good evidence to suggest that they would do or even have done criminal sexual acts in real life, or that they possess actual csam (child sexual abuse material, a term being used in favor of "cp" these days as porn implies consent). Proshipping has nothing to do with the harmful idea that you should be allowed to exploit and abuse real children.

- there are still many gray areas which proshippers themselves don't agree on. For example: I've seen a bunch of arguments about if writing fanfiction of live action shows or movies changes the equation. The general consensus of proshippers is that writing fanfiction of a character played by a child actor is definitely a more delicate situation and should not be sexual as it's inextricably tied to the image of a real child, but there are others who believe differently.

- I'm genuinely struggling to come up with more of these. Um, sometimes lolicons are really shitty people, like in point 1. This isn't SUPER relevant though cause in reality the overlap between predominantly queer or female proshippers and Reddit incels who just wanna jerk off to a petite anime girl is pretty small, though I'm sure it exists somewhere .

Now, what problems do antis have? (Fair warning, this is gonna sound even more "biased" but I hope my logic is still sound from the outside :p):

- I don't have any statistics on this (haven't exactly been many research papers on fandom drama), so you're going to have to trust me when I say that antis are absolutely NOTORIOUS for extreme harassment campaigns. The first time I was exposed to the word "antishipper", it was attached to a story of a former animator committing suicide because antis had gotten them fired by "exposing" their porn alt on Twitter and they could no longer afford medication for their disability. So, hell of an intro!

- their opinions are, in pretty basic ways, not backed by science or even practical common sense. The human brain can distinguish between fiction and reality after around age four or five

and people certainly aren't trying to hand nsfw content to children that age so I think it's safe to say that the people who are reading these things won't be "confused" by them or whatever. Also, even just using your brain and talking to these people, you find out most of them project onto the YOUNGER character.

- they claim to support victims but often simply don't. I won't keep dragging threats into the spotlight because I know there are probably antis who aren't as violent, but it's honestly astonishing to me how often they jump straight to wishing death and terrible things on people, and this has included more than once telling a rape victim they hope they get assaulted again just because they're a proshipper. See, a lot of these "taboo" sexual fantasies like age gap and incest actually themselves stem from a traumatic experience, and any therapist will tell you that fiction is a much healthier way to explore intrusive thoughts and urges than more dangerous coping mechanisms like self harm or substance abuse. And when confronted with this, in my experience and many others', antis will simply ignore that fact or say that the therapist is some sort of evil enabler.

-the general cognitive dissonance of believing an incest fanfiction will make you "forget" that incest is bad vs being fine with horror movies and slashers speaks to a deeper and honestly kind of worrying anti-sex mindset. I'm not sure I'm qualified to tackle this particular topic, but I definitely agree that it's a thing; after all, I have no idea how else those two things could coexist.

Anyways, I'd like to close this off by saying not everyone is as crazy opinionated as I am, I'm just autistic and like talking lol. A lot of people who id as proshippers just have a sort of minding their own business, ship-and-let-ship mentality, and a lot of antis are unfortunately just teenagers who were told proshipper = evil pedophile groomer and thus they put "proship dni" in their bios just cause they don't know and don't really care what it means. It is undeniable that many antis are kids themselves, and that does worry me, because fandom drama (especially Twitter fandom drama) is dangerous and vitriolic and also they're putting extremely serious threats on their digital footprints at the tender age of 14! But whatever, I'm not their parents, that's just my worry. Sorry for rambling this long lol, I wouldn't blame you if you dropped out halfway through but this is basically my summary of this whole thing. Do with this knowledge what you will! Or, you know, don't! I'm not a cop!

[thoughtportal]

Speech in Acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters

To the givers of this beautiful reward, my thanks, from the heart. My family, my agents, my editors, know that my being here is their doing as well as my own, and that the beautiful reward is theirs as much as mine. And I rejoice in accepting it for, and sharing it with, all the writers who’ve been excluded from literature for so long — my fellow authors of fantasy and science fiction, writers of the imagination, who for fifty years have watched the beautiful rewards go to the so-called realists.

Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We’ll need writers who can remember freedom — poets, visionaries — realists of a larger reality.

Right now, we need writers who know the difference between production of a market commodity and the practice of an art. Developing written material to suit sales strategies in order to maximise corporate profit and advertising revenue is not the same thing as responsible book publishing or authorship.

Yet I see sales departments given control over editorial. I see my own publishers, in a silly panic of ignorance and greed, charging public libraries for an e-book 6 or 7 times more than they charge customers. We just saw a profiteer try to punish a publisher for disobedience, and writers threatened by corporate fatwa. And I see a lot of us, the producers, who write the books and make the books, accepting this — letting commodity profiteers sell us like deodorant, and tell us what to publish, what to write.

Books aren’t just commodities; the profit motive is often in conflict with the aims of art. We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable — but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words.

I’ve had a long career as a writer, and a good one, in good company. Here at the end of it, I don’t want to watch American literature get sold down the river. We who live by writing and publishing want and should demand our fair share of the proceeds; but the name of our beautiful reward isn’t profit. Its name is freedom.

Thank you.

Ursula K. Le Guin November 19, 2014

This text may be quoted without obtaining permission from the author, or copied in full so long as the copyright information is included:

Copyright © 2014 Ursula K. Le Guin

{source}

[l0enelies-t]

Hi, I saw some anon explaining to you what proship is (basically saying that it's a huge age difference) and that's not fucking it. I'm gonna try to be as kind as possible and if you'd feel that I'm angry or even aggressive, it's because I'm really frustrated about this topic.

Proship is an idea that can be put in one sentence: "ship and let ship". So you like some pairing, but you don't like other, what should you do? Leave without giving your opinion and ruining people's fun. That's it. You are against harassment over fiction? Great! You are a proship.

It doesn't mean that you love pedoships or ship incest or other tabooish stuff. It means that if you see someone enjoying it, you are minding your own goddamn business. You can ask if it hurts anyone. The answer is no, it doesn't. You cannot hurt fictional characters, you cannot apply actual law on characters, but you can hurt real people, who are, you know, alive and have an ability to kill themselves over harassment (kinda learnt it a hard way). If it's your trigger, you block it bc your triggers are your responsibility and not some strangers on the internet. There are fucking studies that prove that the brain can and does distinguish fiction and reality (am too lazy rn, so only spent 1 minute but found a study from 1995 about it THAT'S HOW LONG WE KNOW) and If your brains cannot, you should check your cognitive functions on the basic level because being, for example, neurodivergent doesn't cause this inability.

So, yeah, sorry for the rant, I'm not angry at you but I'm frustrated that the BASIC rule and definition that have existed for decades are changed by people who don't understand a thing about being in fandoms.

Proship — ship and let ship. That's it.

PREACH!!

This makes a lot more sense to me now and I appreciate your help on explaining!! 🩷

This is very helpful and all that you’ve said is completely right.

Thank you so much anon!!!

[queenhelel]

Attention, members of the Pro-shipping, Com-shipping, and Dark-shipping communities!

Before we begin, I would like to make it clear that I firmly stand by the concept of the phrase, "ship and let ship" as long as it does not exceed from the boundaries of fiction. As the beholder, we should be aware of when to integrate fictional content into reality and when to refrain from doing so. We possess the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and to understand moral standards in the real world.

Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that there are aspects of our interests that are not suitable for younger audiences. While I advocate for freedom of speech, it is imperative to share these interests on a platform that is appropriate for the audience.

It has come to my attention that some members of our community share their ships on Tiktok. My babes, Tiktok is a platform that caters to a vast audience, primarily composed of minors who are often anti-shippers...

I understand that we have the right to share our interests and passions, but we must consider the limitations and drawbacks of using tiktok as a platform for such content, which can include:

1.) Tiktok caters to young audiences which are mostly MINORS - Let's face it, while there may be a significant number of adult users on Tiktok, it is important to keep in mind that the main purpose of the app is for children. As our content is mostly intended for adults, it's not similar to the tagging system that you see on writing or reading websites (ie. Ao3), where the hashtags are visible before seeing the content. Therefore, I suggest using a platform such as Tumblr or Twitter, which has a more robust tagging system that will help your content reach a more targeted and appropriate audience.

Speaking of tagging system...

2.) The tagging system on Tiktok is heavily nerfed - While it is possible to use appropriate hashtags on Tiktok, it's important to note that the platform's algorithm can still show users videos that they have previously indicated disinterest in. Based on my personal experience, even when I had already pressed the "not interested" button, such videos may still appear on my feed the following day. With anti-shippers lacking respect, it's important for us to be the more mature individuals and adapt accordingly. As such, I recommend sharing content on other social media platforms, such as Tumblr or Twitter, which have more robust tagging systems for reaching the appropriate audience.

3. Tiktok is not a suitable environment for our community - Given the misunderstanding and incorrect usage of the term "pro-shipping" by anti-shippers, TikTok has become a risky environment for us, as our stance has been unfairly associated with controversy. I have personally witnessed situations in which pro-shippers are subjected to harassment because of their opinions, and in severe cases, they even risk losing their followers, especially for those with a larger following. For your own good, it would be best to find communities that are more accepting of your ideas and opinions.

This concludes all of the topics I wish to share with you today. If you have any further suggestions or feedback, I would appreciate hearing your thoughts, as I am continually seeking ways to improve our community and make it a safe and welcoming space for individuals like ourselves.

Thanks for taking the time to listen to all of these ideas! Remember to take care of yourself and stay hydrated ♡

[shiny-jr]

Just wanted to say that the mythical creatures with twst sound so cool and the thought of swan maiden Silver made my heart skip a beat. He’d be so pretty~

– Warning: Slightly yandere? Not really though. Gender-neutral reader.

– Character: Silver.

– Note: Time to put Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" on full blast.

A long time ago, there was a young prince of a kingdom now long gone. From the day he was born, the prince was betrothed to a princess born around the same time in another kingdom. Yet, the prince, Silver can't remember much. All that he can recall from his youth as a child, comes in the form of confusing memories in dreams he can't distinguish from fiction or reality. No longer could he remember the face of his mother or father, or even the voice of the one that bestowed this cursed on him. For so long all he knew was the water and the moonlight.

When he was still a child, for some reason he never knew or no longer can remember, he was cursed to become a swan. For centuries he remained on his own, unable to communicate with those he once knew and never able to tell anyone about the curse. For several years, at least a century, he remained an awkward little duckling that slowly grew to become a graceful white swan.

What appeared like would become an eternity of being trapped in this small feathered body, was soon interrupted and shattered by a demonic being who approached the lake on a moonlit night. An energetic and strangely friendly ancient demonic entity, who the swan prince treated kindly and approached curiously as he floated gracefully on the water's surface, because he held no prejudice against unholy creatures of the night unlike how most feared them. The demonic being was charmed by the small swan, and instantly recognized that there was a curse at play. Silver soon learned that his name was Lilia, and Lilia promised to help break the swan's curse with the assistance of an entity even stronger than himself.

Lilia would keep his promise, and Silver would be able to turn back into a human again, but not without the curse leaving its mark in the form of white wings and the permanent ability to transform back to his feathered form whenever he pleased.

He had no idea how long it had been or where else to go once he became human once more, so the demonic being named Lilia happily took him under his wing, so to speak, and claimed him as his own son.

There was something Silver never revealed to anyone, and that was just how lonely it had been as a swan. Then when his memories began to fade, he was without even memories to comfort him. The days and nights went by one by one, he wasn't able to keep track. He had no idea exactly how long he was stuck like that. Perhaps it's one of the reasons why Silver isn't exactly too fond of being alone, because it brings back memories of the one thing he can remember for certain: the loneliness.

So when he decided to visit the lake he once resided in for so long only to see you, a human peacefully lounging just on the grassy banks under the shade of a tree, he was intrigued. You were shocked to see a man with silver hair, otherworldly eyes softly gazing at down at you, wearing pristine white robes, and with white wings on his back. For a moment you swore it must've been an angel, this must've been a dream–– 

Silver knew it was no dream as he happily and calmly approached you. After only an hour of getting to know each other and chat, Silver felt so at peace. It felt like he could just fall asleep under the shade, the wind creating a pleasant breeze as the sun continued to shine. He truly enjoyed your company. This was perfection–– until you announced you had to go and he jolted out of his peaceful state. As you reached for your book and began to stand, he reached out to gently grab onto your wrist as he pleaded softly, "Wait... don't go, please..."

[softguarnere]

Can I requests a oneshot with Ron Speirs x reader? everyone in easy thinks that big grumpy speirs holds a grudge against the reader bc he often gives her paperwork or smth but in reality he just wants to keep her around him out of protectiveness bc he likes her? But she doesn't know and thinks he doesn't like her either so shes kind of intimidated but also has a massive crush on him? But when he sees the reader with some other easy members he gets jealous and snaps so now he has to tell her that hes in love with her. Don't stress yourself, i just thought it could be interesting, thank youu

From Scratch

Ron Speirs x reader

Summary: No, what bothers you is that ever since he gained control of Easy Company, he’s done nothing but take opportunities away from you. You’re proud to be a lieutenant. But what’s the point of holding the rank if you never do any of the work that comes with it?

A/N: Thank you so much for the request, Anon! I swear I didn't forget about this - or the other prompts in my inbox. School has been keeping me busy this semester, so this took me a long time to write. But it's here now, and I hope you enjoy it! (This is written for the fictional depiction from the show - no disrespect to the real life veterans!) 💕🕊️

Warnings: mentions of war

“Uh oh!” Nixon singsongs when you step into the command post. “Looks like someone is in trouble.” He flashes you a broad grin as you make your way over to his desk and drop a stack of files with a heavy thwack! “What’d you do this time?”

Anger boils in your chest. Not towards Nixon. It’s not his fault. For his sake you try to keep your voice just as light and joking when you shrug and say, “Oh, you know, just the usual sort of thing. Got the scouting mission that I was supposed to lead taken from me and given to one of the sergeants.” You shrug. “No big deal.”

Except it is, and you both know it.

Nixon lets out a low whistle. “Damn. And might I inquire as to who arranged this?”

You roll your eyes. “Do you really need to ask?”

Speirs. It’s always Speirs.

Which seems unfair, somehow. You can still remember the first time you saw him, way back in Camp Toccoa, when he was in a different company, but already gaining a reputation for himself as one of the best runners. One time you passed him as you were going up the mountain and he was going down. He had nodded at you as he passed, and something about the niceness of the gesture made your heart jolt so fiercely that you almost tripped as you started on the switchback.

Then he went on to distinguish himself in other ways – the ever present whispers of rumors and stories that follow him like a cape made out of mystery – and suddenly, after he was put in charge of Easy Company, he didn’t seem so nice anymore. The rumors have never bothered you; Ron is a good leader, and you trust that he’s making whatever choices he needs to in order to keep the company safe.

No, what bothers you is that ever since he gained control of Easy Company, he’s done nothing but take opportunities away from you. You’re proud to be a lieutenant. But what’s the point of holding the rank if you never do any of the work that comes with it? (Well, besides paperwork, that is.)

The most frustrating part of it is that as angry as you are with him, you still feel your heart begin to hammer away in your chest whenever he enters a room – or race into triple time if you think he’s looking at you. How dare your own heart still feel so fondly towards him when your eyes can clearly see the obvious fact laid before you?

The fact being: Ronald Speirs dislikes you. Which kind of makes it feel as if someone is crushing your heart under their shoe, like a cigarette being ground out on the sidewalk, when you think about it.

You push the thought – and the feelings – aside. Or try to, anyway.

“I hate paperwork,” you mutter as you take a seat across from the intelligence officer. “Almost as much as he hates me.”

“I don’t think Speirs hates you.” When you fix him with an incredulous look, Lewis holds up his hands in surrender. “I mean, he might hold some sort of grudge against you, maybe, but hate you? If that were true, I think you’d be dead by now, (Y/N).”

You roll your eyes; it’s a conversation you’ve had before, and one that never fails to fill you with the smallest shred of hope that maybe Nixon is right about Speirs not completely hating you. “Well, now I hold a grudge against him for making me do all this paperwork.”

“You sound like somebody else I know. Ah, and if you speak of the devil, then he shall appear!”

Quick, confident footsteps approach the desk from behind you. Neither you or Nixon can stop the smiles that spread across your faces when Dick appears. Even something as simple as his presence has always been able to lighten the mood, and today is no exception.

He returns the smile as he pulls up a chair from a nearby desk to join you, but not before glancing over both shoulders, searching.

“The devil?” He huffs a laugh. “Weird. You were already here, Nix.”

“Oh ha ha,” Nixon deadpans. He props his feet up on the desk and leans back in his chair.

Dick gently pushes his friend’s feet off the desk, which makes Nixon sit upright. For his part, though, Nixon doesn’t seem to mind it. Or mind that Dick sets more paperwork in front of him. Well, at least someone seems okay with filling out forms. Maybe if you’re extra nice, you can trick him into doing all the work that Speirs assigned to you.

Just as you’re trying to sneak your stack of files in with Nixon’s, Dick raises an eyebrow at you.

“There a reason that you’re stuck inside again, Lieutenant?”

You shrug. “Oh, you know how I just can’t stay away from office work. And how much I love to be bombarded with company gossip by Nix.”

Lewis puts a hand over his heart and gasps. “What?! You mean to tell me that you don’t hang around here because you enjoy my witty banter and winning personality?”

“Actually, I would rather – “

You’re cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind you.

Slowly, you turn to see Speirs standing a few feet away from where the three of you sit. Upon first glance, he looks a bit like a child standing on the fringes of a friend group on the first day of school, nervously waiting to see if he’s going to be invited to join in. But when the shock clears off, it’s impossible to miss the look in his eyes – there’s a darkness lurking beneath the surface that suddenly makes it so easy to see why every rumor thrown his direction sticks to him like he’s covered in paste. It makes your heart drop.

“Good afternoon, Captain,” Dick says, leading the charge bravely, as always.

After a nod and a brief salute, Speirs turns his attention to you. “Lieutenant (Y/L/N), I forgot to give you this.”

Your heart sinks when you realize that he’s holding yet another file full of paperwork. It’s such a setback that your heart can’t even bring itself to run wild when your hands briefly brush his as he hands it to you.

“Oh.” The words feel rough as sandpaper as you force them out. “Thank you.”

When you manage to meet his eye, Speirs has furrowed his eyebrows, which makes him look thoroughly annoyed. Standing so close, it’s easy to see the striking features of his face – like a marble bust of a Greek hero. He’s so handsome, even with the lines between his eyebrows and the frown tugging at his lips. It makes you want to reach up and smooth them away, let him lean into your touch so you can soften his features, molding them like clay into the gentle man that you imagine he might be under his tough exterior and the cold armor of rumors that make every line so harsh and so jagged to everyone else.

But you can’t do that. Instead, you’re separated from him by his armor, just like everyone else. You hate that you’ve caused him to look this way – to look at you this way.

“You know,” Speirs says, his voice quiet and as cold as the look he’s giving you. “it’s a lot safer here than it is on the line.” He glances back at Nixon and Winters before looking you up and down. “Get to work, Lieutenant.”

Then, just as quickly and as silently as he appeared, he’s gone.

It’s so cold, so impersonal. Your stomach turns to a block of ice.

Behind you, Nixon lets out a low whistle. “Well then.”

Get to work. Part of you wants to scoff, brush it off, and go back to your friends. The other part of you is chasing after him, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. Instead, you’re stuck standing there, staring after him, looking forlorn.

No, you decide. You can’t carry on like this.

The file falls unceremoniously onto the desk in front of Nixon as you toss it at him. “Finish this for me, will ya?”

Dick can’t contain the small laugh that escapes him when he sees the surprised look on Nixon’s face. You’re out the door before either of them can offer a proper response.

Outside, you don’t make it far. The door clicks shut behind you, and when you look up, you see him. Ron is a few feet away, coming towards you, closing the distance between you. Unlike a few moments before, he doesn’t look mad. The hard edges of his expression have softened into something like concern.

You stop in front of each other, each waiting for the other to say something.

“Can we talk?” You ask at the same time that Ron blurts out, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

You blink. “You’re what?”

Voices fill the air as a small group of officers approaches the command post. Ron gently takes your elbow and guides you aside so that they can pass, not seeming to notice or care what it does to your poor heart.

He lowers his voice as the group passes. “Can we talk? Privately?”

The Ronald Speirs wants to talk, alone, with you. There’s no question about it – you follow him.

He leads the two of you into one of the remnants of a building that soldiers have been quartering in. The skeletal remains of the structure probably provide no protection for whatever words he wants to exchange, but at least you can be away from prying eyes.

Alone, his dark eyes look you over. The motion isn’t as harsh as it was back in the command post. No, this is . . . gentle. Like he’s studying you.

You find yourself nervous under his gaze. Clearing your throat, you try to find your words. “You wanted to talk?”

Ron looks unsure of himself – something that you never would have imagined was possible. He runs a hand through his hair and sighs, the sound filtering through the hollowed out room you stand in like it’s the building’s last raspy breath.

“I was an accountant, back before the war.”

Whatever you thought he was going to tell you, it certainly wasn’t that. You raise an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

He nods. “I’m good with numbers; that’s my strong suit. Words . . . don’t work themselves out as easily. Some people mistake quietness for cruelness.” The dim light casts shadows on his face as he tilts his head. “You’ve heard the rumors, just like everyone else?”

Who hasn’t heard the rumors, the stories? Speirs can’t walk through a room without turning heads and leaving a trail of whispers in his wake.

“Yes,” your voice comes out as a whisper. Are they true? you stop yourself from asking, because with his sudden openness, you’re starting to question everything that you’ve ever known about Ron Speirs – everything you’ve thought you’ve known. Who is this man, really?

“I . . . didn’t mean to snap at you,” Ron admits, his voice as soft as the look that he’s giving you. “And I’m sorry about all the paperwork. I don’t have a grudge against you.”

You cringe. So he did overhear that part.

He wets his lips, not quite meeting your eyes. “I try to keep you off the line so that you’ll be safe. There’s no grudge or dislike or . . . I just wanted to keep you safe because – “ He cuts himself off with a deep breath.

With the quiet all around you, the frantic beating of your heart fills the silence. “You want to keep me safe?”

“Yes. If you’ll let me.”

Being in the same room as him felt impossible a few minutes ago. Now though, some inexplicable force draws the two of you together. You both step forward so that there’s hardly any space left between you. Something in the back of your mind wonders how things have changed so quickly. What else have you been wrong about?

“Who are you, Ronald Speirs?”

So close to him, you can see the smile tugging at the edge of his mouth when he replies, “There’s your answer: Ronald C Speirs. That’s all that I am.”

An accountant. Someone’s son, brother, friend who got drafted into the war. A man. The rumors and myths that shroud him fall away until someone you don’t know stands before you. You want to get to know him.

“Well, Ron, it’s nice to meet you. I’m (Y/N).” You smile at him, and it feels natural when he returns the gesture. “Can we maybe start over?”

Ron lets out a laugh and you could swear it was the sweetest sound in the entire world. “I would like that very much.”

[ohmerricat]

re: the post below. fantasy vs reality

a discussion in the notes got me thinking about the recent trend (perhaps not the right word, maybe “tendency”) of communist/marxist bloggers on here, especially those concerned with decolonisation (as we all should be), to blanket-condemn all media which “romanticises” pirates, cowboys, knights, outlaws, and other “historical” (in quotes because, let’s be real, it’s more legend than history when we talk about the modern portrayal of these lifestyles) morally dubious yet immensely alluring occupations. there’s been this discourse spreading: the idea that somehow indulging in art which presents these figures in a generally positive or fun light is the same as being uncritical of manifest-destiny expansionism (i.e. the notion of the ‘wild west’ and an ‘untamed frontier’ is colonial), christian imperialism (since knights participated in the crusades) or even an apologist of the slave trade (because some pirates engaged in it).

to which i say, plainly, bollocks. if you’re 16 or younger, your critical thinking faculties are an untrained muscle, your media analysis capacity not yet switched-on, then yeah, you’re allowed to be susceptible to the inability to distinguish between what’s cool in fiction and what’s permissible in reality. any older than that, i start getting doubts. i question the frankly patronising notion that an adult with a basic understanding of history and politics is incapable of recognising when something fictional doesn’t map one-on-one onto the modern world, whether that be the mechanics of a story, the interactions between characters, the beliefs and goals which drive them, or the social mores and cultural norms (hierarchy of gender, race, nobility etc) which they accept as fact.

you should be able to hold (more than) two truths in your head simultaneously. you should be able to cheer when the knight pulls the sword from the stone and reclaims his long-denied royal heritage to become a well earned leader, and, at the same time, recognise that we live in the 21st century where monarchy is a long-obsolete, unjust and inhumane system of government. same as you’d readily accept that somebody in a novel can cast a spell, but you wouldn’t believe that a real guy could set a tree alight with his mind.

all fiction is fantasy because we don’t live in history. yeah, we have sources, but they’re not perfect. even the author attempting to be as accurate as possible will inevitably sneak in some tiny anachronisms, even if in language alone. medieval europe didn’t have potatoes. you will find potato stew boiling in every tavern in the fantasy pseudo-german towns your protagonists take a rest stop in. that’s fine. that’s normal. pirates in reality were mostly cruel hardened criminals with no respect for human life, which is why they gladly partook in slavery as well as pillaging and looting, anything for profit. pirates in a show can be kind, considerate, a rag-tag team of outcasts and freedom fighters with views that most correspond with modern anarchism. as long as you know the difference, as long as you’re not pretending that this fantasy is how historical events actually happened, it’s fine. you’re good. go watch your bridgertons.

make sure to stay prudent and always tell the difference, though. never ever fall into the trap of wanting to ‘retvrn’, and that goes towards ever cottagecore homesteader. let fiction remain fiction, and work to better the world.

[darklinaforever]

No because once again, you are just repeating like parrots the same arguments over and over again that have already been dismantled and I don't care. As one of these anonymous messages says, it must be tiring and boring to post the same thing 24/7...

I know the definition of grooming as well as the true meaning of what is implied in a historical context. And obviously not you. I already did an entire post explaining this book and show grooming bullshit :

But all you care about is appearing morally superior and you look like a bunch of ridiculous fanatics. Or some ridiculous bigot, because I'm pretty sure it's the same person sending these stupid messages over and over again.

What is your problem ? You're bored ? Why are you spying on my accounts like that ? Seriously, why are you so obsessed with me ? I imagine him on the lookout for the slightest post on Daemyra that I make ready to pounce like a predator on its prey. My god, this person(s) must not have a life. It's sad. 😂

What do you expect ? That between the insults and the repetitions of the same stupid arguments over and over again for a long time I actually delete my account to please you ? Or that I suddenly say : Oh but my god you are right ! You delivered me from evil ! Daemyra is such a groomer ! Daemon is a monster who doesn't love anyone ! 😱😂

By the way, here is again the little free quote from GRRM Martin's book on Daemon, his favorite character whom he considers to be a gray and complex character. So your Daemon is BAD BAD BAD, well the author himself tells you no :

Over the centuries, House Targaryen has produced both great men & monsters. Prince Daemon was both. In his day there was not a man so admired, so beloved, & so reviled in all Westeros. He was made of light & darkness. To some he was a hero, to others the blackest of villains.

You really look like a bunch of disillusioned idiots. It must be hard when the true creator himself doesn't agree with you on what the character is.

It must also piss you off that these interviews for the series exist, right ?

There's no point in booing me because I say something that has already been said by the directors and screenwriters themselves. I don't agree with everything they say or do in this stupid adaptation, but at least we can agree on some points.

Oh, and I have already said I don't know how many times that I recognized that Daemyra had toxic aspects in the series version, except that, so what ? This will prevent me from shipping the Daemyra version of the series maybe ?! No. Love is not necessarily something pure, we have to stop the bullshit, especially in fiction. On the other hand, I maintain that there is nothing toxic in the book version. There is no such thing as a brothel. It's an invention of Mushroom. There is no voluntary abandonment of Daemon for 10 years. In reality he was banished under penalty of death. There is no Daemon leaving Rhaenyra to deal with childbirth alone. He was by his side in the books. There is no strangulation either. And once again, the age difference and the incest aspect are not real arguments as to a possible toxicity in their relationship, due to placing the relationship in its fictional and historical context from which GRRM draws inspiration, namely the feudal era, where age differences and incest were included in the customs of the time for specific reasons. Especially if we are in a family where incest has no impact due to their MAGIC BLOOD ! These elements are not evidence of toxicity. Open a history book. An age difference and incestuous marriage in a historical context does not necessarily result in toxic abusive relationships. This is bullshit.

Also, I don't have the impression that you will understand that the show is not the book. I always distinguish between the two and obviously you don't. Because what exactly do you believe ? That if Daemon cheats on Rhaenyra in the series, my world will fall apart ? No. My posts on Daemyra will continue because the book will always exist. You know, the book that has a different canon from the show, therefore implying that the canon of the series cannot interfere with that of the book. But you didn't remember the difference between the two. You prefer to mix it up to fix your pathetic vision.

The series is already shit. Even for the Daemyra relationship they messed up on a lot of points. And I'm not even going to start with the greens, Alicent etc. It is a disaster. The series itself is full of inconsistencies.

I will add that in reality you do not care about the so-called abuse that Rhaenyra suffered from Daemon. Otherwise you would care what Alicent and the greens team did to her. But you don't care. You even expect the show to write scenes of stupid abuse between Daemyra over and over again. Because you don't actually care about Rhaenyra. The proof tells you that no one can love the whore of Dragonstone, a nickname literally coming from the greens team. Bunch of hypocrites.

Once again I recommend going to the tumblr of @la-pheacienne and of @horizon-verizon to educate you on what the character of Daemon and the Daemyra relationship really is. The posts of @stromuprisahat are also pretty good in general on Fire and Blood.

The antis are really crazy. The bitch who should close her account apparently well she tells you to go fuck yourself and buy a life.

@aleksanderscult

[astroyongie]

Your take left a really bad taste and I don't think I'm gonna support your blog anymore.

That’s totally understandable (also I don’t think I’ve post the communication on Tumblr so I’ll do it now).

Please feel free to unfollow or block me if you want. You have all right not to agree with my opinion about the whole matter.

——

Hello everyone,

I’m writing this message after the events of this morning in Tumblr concerning the issue with Mia involving Soobin, Taeyong, Woozi (and maybe Mingi).

For those who don’t know, the scandal happened after people noticed that these idols have been consuming problematic manga fiction (containing ped*, gore, ect).

In my Tumblr, I have tried to express the fact that I believe that one person shouldn’t be judged by what they consume in fiction (making difference between fantasy and reality) while also condemning that indeed some categories are problematic (illegal even) and people should reflect on those.

This perception have made some people angry. I want to make clear I am not defending any idol (those who know me know I don’t care about what idols do) and that for me, the main issue is idols giving these fiction publicity when having a fan based that is mostly underage people. In their privacy people can read / watch whatever they want as long as it doesn’t influenciate their behavior and that they are a capable of distinguish fiction from reality (not necessarily talking of Mia but or any fiction that contains unethical themes -eg AOT)

With that said, I want to apologize to any person that felt uncomfortable with my way of dealing with the issue. I’m not responsible for what idols have said and done, and I condemn any act made by artists that give free pass to illegal matters.

Anyone is free to block me or unfollow me if you got uncomfortable with my words or if you don’t agree with it (which btw is okay, everyone has their own opinion). Idols shouldn’t come before morals. Doublestandars shouldn’t come before morals.

Please share love and understanding, stay safe and thank you.

[rotworld]

Hi there,

I want to rant about fetishes. I know I'm into the more violent stuff, and I'm pretty sure I know why (lifetime of self-hatred and trauma to boot), but recently I've been dabbling in the guro side of things and I feel ... guilty? Ashamed? Also idk how to filter guro so I only see the things that work for *me* (drowning, bruises, beatings) and not the other stuff (dec*pitation, graphic torture). At the same time I cant help but feel like I'm what's wrong with the world. Do you have any advice for me?

pretty heavy talk ahead. i’ll start with the advice and end with a personal anecdote if that’s useful.

i want to start by saying you’re not “what’s with the world.” there are a lot of reasons people seek out gore and graphic content. for some, it’s morbid curiosity and for others there is a fetish component. if you’ve been through something traumatic, i think there’s a draw to view violence from a “safe” distance as a form of catharsis. none of that makes you a bad person. but i also think it can cross very easily into a form of self-harm and become dangerous.

i don’t know you well enough to make assumptions beyond what you mentioned here. if you’re experiencing a lot of distress or discomfort, or feeling more negative about yourself, then you should stop seeking it out completely. it might be something that you view to “punish” yourself, or use to distract from other upsetting thoughts or feelings, especially if it’s something you’re looking for compulsively or extremely frequently. 

i also recommend cutting back on real gore, especially videos, if that’s what you’re looking at. those will desensitize you the more you watch them, and you shouldn’t be desensitized to real human suffering. those people in “infamous gore videos” don’t exist in a vacuum, they’re real people with childhoods and families who went through horrible things, and now it’s on the internet forever. if you’re worried that you’ve already hit that point of extreme numbness and don’t feel what you should or don’t feel anything, you’ll be okay if you stay away from gore for a while. those feelings you thought you lost will come back. when they do, i’d maintain that distance. stick to simulated gore in fictional horror media like movies or games instead.

in the past, when people have approached me about having guilt or shame about their interests, i generally told them not to worry. there’s nothing wrong with having noncon fantasies, or enjoying horror-themed erotica. as long as you’re able to distinguish fantasy from reality and don’t impose those fantasies on people who don’t consent to being involved in them, you’re fine. i stand by all of that. but this is about gore specifically which i feel is a little different. morbid curiosity or interest isn’t unusual but you have to keep it healthy and responsible. even if it’s purely fictional gore that’s giving you this reaction, you should still stop viewing it. it’s not “silly” or “weak” to acknowledge the emotional response you’re getting from something.

now the personal anecdote. i started writing explicit guro in 2016 (shades of it had been in my work before then). i had just graduated, i was feeling really lost, adrift and desperate for community, and i was extremely online. i followed a few people who reblogged real gore and went looking for it outside of tumblr a lot too. i was obsessed. i think i told myself it was “reference” for my work but it had the catharsis and fetish element for me too. these horrible things happened to other people instead of me, i could revel in it safely from a distance. but it wasn’t “safe,” it was harmful. it was so far beyond “curiosity,” it was a fixation and a crutch. i looked at it so much that it stopped feeling real and i forgot that the people in those videos were people at all. it was just a blur of gruesome, awful shit all the time. 

there wasn’t any single thing that made me stop. i think eventually it just wore on me too much. i wasn’t doing any of this stuff in moderation, i was online constantly, i was posting constantly, i was writing intense guro constantly. and there’s nothing wrong with making a lot of dark art, but i wasn’t engaging with any of my other interests or living my life much outside of it. i have boundaries i stick to for myself now. medical resources, roadkill, pictures people share consensually of their own injuries, things i might come across over the course of my normal life are fine. i don’t go looking for anything more extreme than that anymore, and i don’t even go looking for “acceptable things” all that often anymore. that kneejerk “god that’s awful” response that i’d lost is back. some people have a higher tolerance for this stuff than others, but i’m not “some people.” i know myself and i know what kinds of things i can become unhealthily reliant on and why, so now i’m much more careful. you know yourself best and you have to decide that for yourself, too.

[frozenambiguity]

Anonymous asked:

Hey, mun. What are your thoughts on heavier/proship content?

Ah. The question everyone keeps wondering about. Answer under read more because it got long.

Ooc; Hi there. Sorry it took me a while to reply, I have been a bit busy asdfgfds. To put it simply: I have no issues whatsoever with portraying heavier or darker concepts in fiction. I roleplayed for an entire decade in a fandom widely known as highly "problematic" content-wise, and I absolutely loved the characters and how wicked the plot could get (and if you know Diabolik Lovers, then you really know how wicked it can get). 

I think the main point here is the ability to distinguish fiction from reality. Writing a gruesome scene does not make you a violent person, for example. So, really, it is all about knowing your preferences and your partners' and respecting boundaries.

I strongly believe that, even if you enjoy something and someone else does not, that fact alone should not taint your entire relationship as a whole. You can still find other points of interest, without reducing your entire friendship to a specific topic you disagree about. But, again, I speak for myself. I know that, unfortunately, some people disagree and this is a red line for them. And that is okay — if so, we can go our separate ways.

As for the proship part, listen — I have been around for a long time. As such, I also know that people have different interpretations about what being "proship" means. Too many, in fact, to keep track of. So what I will say is that I follow the "ship and let ship" policy. Of course, people can have ships that they cringe a bit thinking about. But does that mean that one should straight up harass people or vague about them for it? No. Far from it. Again, it is all about knowing your boundaries. Will you stop being friends with an amazing person just because they view or write X and Y romantically? Not me. I can just — skip those types of posts in the dash, for example. Try to curate my space a little, because I can appreciate whatever else that person is bringing to the table. 

What I mean to say is, sincerely, I do not think our tastes in fiction define us as people. And another big sensitive topic here is that interpretations can be different. Cultures are different. People are different. I will write about this because it is relevant when it comes to Kaeya and I am pretty sure that is what you want to know: I do not care about fandom discourse, i.e. Ragbros vs KLK.

Some can view it as a familial type of bond and that is okay (though, please bear in mind that the entire thing about Kaeya being adopted is not real. It is a mistranslation, as they are sworn brothers and not adopted brothers. And I am being impartial here).

Why am I talking about this? Because of objectivity. You may view them as familial because that is your personal experience and you play the English version of the game and that is what you are comfortable with. And that is okay. But that does not mean that people who view them romantically are wrong or should be crucified or considered monsters.

I have seen KLK enjoyers being bullied to the point that they stopped writing the characters. Stopped drawing them. Lost their passion for something just because they knew they would be met with anger and intolerance. And now, just to be safe, they prefer not to create any content or address this type of topic because of backlash. They have to censure themselves because of others. And that is absolutely devastating. If you ever took part in any of this, I hope you reconsider your actions thoroughly. Fandom spaces are to be shared, not to be owned, "cleansed" or dominated.

To this day, in asian communities, KLK is considered the original BL clickbait couple of the game. And, to this day, they still are a very famous ship in those communities. 

This is to say: do I have an issue with Kaeluc//Luckae? No. Not at all. I write KLK with a very dear friend and we are happy in our little own bubble. Isn't that what writing is about? To feel emotion in and through our interactions?

However. Does that mean that I will approach every single Diluc with the intent to ship? No, not really. The fact that some people may think so is... astonishing. I, too, appreciate the familial aspect of their bond. Because, romantic or platonic, they are each other's home. They are important to each other, to the point it almost transcends friendship or a romantic relationship. To quote Kaeya: "Perhaps we're fated to be doomed together".

Regardless of the nature of their relationship, their fates are bound.

And, to put a bit of perspective on the matter, I, too, started in the "ragbros" team, even before creating this blog. To the point when my friend told me they were shipped a lot, I remember staring deeply into nothing for a few moments. Only to let out a dramatic "HUH?????" afterward. Laughs. But then I started to talk with more people, started getting more insight, to the point where I don't really mind the ship. And that, if you choose to view them as a ship, they are one of the strongest and most complex ships out there — right next to Haikaveh. Trust me. Even as platonic, their relationship is very deep and meaningful.

Now, I realize that having this sort of view on the matter may be considered a "sensitive" topic (although, sincerely, I don't understand why). And following this philosophy also brings other types of questions along: when people have "if you write incest, dni" in their rules, do they mean KLK? I assume they do, just to be safe. But again. They are objectively not related nor incest, so the seed of doubt is always planted there. 

TLDR: People have boundaries, and it is important to respect them mutually. However, one should not reduce friendships to something they disagree about, nor end them because of that. Also, I hate that this sort of topic has become something seen as "taboo" or "drama". Please. There are more important things to care about than silly little pixels.

[thisisallthehattersfault]

Statements that are true

All fiction is allegorical, and is often used to teach life lessons and impart morals on younger audiences.

Children's media usually covers moral themes. "Stealing is wrong" "Kindness is important" etc.

In order to do this, Children's media typically has very simple black-and-white morality, that don't break the bonds of what would be acceptable in real life. If the main character of a kid's show does something, that something is usually a good and correct thing to do. This is because children are young and impressionable, and need these concepts spelled out for them.

The theme is not the "moral of the story."

The theme is the philosophical concept the story revolves around. Themes can be vague, messy, and complicated. A story can have multiple related themes. A long or complex story will have sub-themes and secondary themes.

Adult media almost never has a "moral of the story."

Adults are not children, and should not be impressionable. They should not need concepts spelled out for them. Adults are supposed to have their own internal sense of right and wrong, and their own opinions on morality. Adults can read stories that deal with dark topics and amoral characters without believing that these things are okay in real life.

If you are incapable of doing this, that's a You problem, and you are responsible for limiting your own media consumption and improving your skills with discernment. If you really can't distinguish fiction from reality, consider seeing a therapist, since there may be a deeper psychological issue there.

Fiction is often used as an escape, or a source of catharsis and wish-fulfillment. People read stories that distract them, or give them something they feel they lack.

All fiction is allegorical. The things in fiction that grant catharsis and wish-fulfillment are very rarely things that people actually want or approve of in real life. The purpose of fiction is that it is fictional, and fake, and not real.

All fiction is allegorical. Often, to emphasize the allegory and enhance the themes, stories will use symbolism and metaphor.

American public schools objectively suck at teaching how to spot symbolism and metaphor, or how to decipher what they represent.

Symbolism is not multiple choice, and it is not universal. Good writers do not pick from a list of symbols to slap onto their stories. Symbolism gets it's meaning from concepts within the story, not from assumptions about what concepts the audience will hold. The color blue only symbolizes sadness if the story has established that the color blue symbolizes sadness.

Symbolism is used for two reasons -- to foreshadow or to elaborate. If a story outright tells the audience about something, then that something does not need symbolism. If the character is visibly crying on screen, "the curtains are blue" is not symbolism. They're just blue. However, if the character is smiling, and the story has established that the color blue symbolizes sadness, then "the curtains are blue" might be symbolism that the character is only pretending to not be sad. Think of symbols as speaking in code.

Children often struggle to understand symbolism. The symbols in children's media is simple, and obvious.

Adults are supposed to be able to recognize, understand, and decipher symbolism. If you cannot do this, that's a You problem, and you are responsible for your own inability to understand the media you consume. You should take the time to study symbolism, learn what your teachers failed to teach you, and stop making bad-faith assumptions about every story you watch or read or listen to.

Sometimes being upset by fiction is the point. Sometimes being uncomfortable and confused is the point. Sometimes reading a book that gives you bad feelings and ruins your mood is a good thing. You cannot grow as a person while staying in your safe little bubble. The entire reason some stories deal with such uncomfortable topics is to give the audience a safe way to experience and explore those concepts. Your discomfort tells you important things about yourself. Listen to the lessons your body is telling you.

If a story making you sad or upset or uncomfortable feels like a personal attack, that is a You problem, and you are responsible for either admitting you aren't mature enough to read or watch adult content or, if you are old enough, preferably admitting that your hurt feelings are part of the problem, and taking steps to make peace with your own discomfort.

[daydreamerwonderkid]

I totally forgot I followed you till one of your Atlantis asks ended up on my feed. Absolutely wild people really thought it was real lol but I got a whole bunch of video essays to watch now. Love that shit. Can't say I'm surprised Nazi's ruined but it's something new I learned today rip

Anyway, hope ya day is fabulous

A good question to always ask yourself when it comes to any conspiracy theory is: Who stands to benefit from my ignorance?

Conspiracy theories are a popular topic with my family. Not because we believe in them, but because we find them funny and we're also interested in the history of how they came about. There's also a wide variety of well written fiction that take inspiration from conspiracy theories.

The most important thing to the people who spread conspiracy theories, however, is to break down others' ability to distinguish fact from fiction. Conspiracy theories thrive on the ignorance of well meaning people.

Sure, most people are fully aware psychics are not real. But MK Ultra was something that actually happened so is it really that much of a stretch that something like the Montauk Project happened? And what if there are now people walking around with latent psychic abilities that the US government doesn't want us to know about? Maybe that psychic on Twitch really does have mystical powers and can truly commune with the dead?

Or how about the fact that Area 51 is a real US air base? The US government did go out of its way to suppress information of classified aircraft, but what if they really did discover aliens? What if they're still hiding the knowledge of extraterrestrial life for their own gain and to suppress a global panic over potential invasion? What if the US government is in cahoots with the aliens and there's been a thousand year long invasion that we're all ignorant to? What if aliens really did teach the Egyptians how to make the pyramids?

That's how conspiracy theories work.

The more mystical and salacious a conspiracy theory, the better. It's even better if the conspiracy theory can make you feel tricked or taken advantage of. Because guess what? Conspiracy theories are designed to give you an answer you were never looking for in the first place. That's what makes them so compelling and powerful.

If you can get someone to question their own reality, you can convince them of anything.

And there are plenty of people out there who are more than happy to take genuine harmful advantage of you.

[serrph]

is your fictothropy stuff more like, you are just x character completely in personality and physicality, or like you have all of their history too? so like your personal experiences of life also include whatever your fictothropic type had, and there’s no real difference? how do you distinguish your fictothropy from a fictionkintype? I’m also psychotic and I identify as fictionkin myself but like, the line between “I think I am x thing” and “no, I Am x thing” is awful blurry sometimes so like, curious as to your perspective on definitions or experience.

Response under cut as I will be talking about delusions and reality-checking triggers and it's long so proceed with caution

In order to help put better context for this I will first explain what a fictothrope is for posterity.

So fictothrope is a term I came up that's meant to be synonymous with clinical zoanthropy/lycanthropy but with fictional characters and/or species, and similar to how zoanthropy differs from therianism, the difference between a fictothrope and fictionkin is that it's tied to a delusion and there's a physical aspect to it, so you physically are that character. Now granted I do not consider myself delusional, however I wanted a word and definition to help explain to others (mostly nonpsychotics) what my situation is like on a medical level.

Regarding my situation as being physically that character, it's more or less that I was in my own "canon" and some omnipotent figure picked me up by the scruff of my neck, put me in this body, and am slowly putting the pieces together from amnesia of the life I should be in (this is not the same as dissociative amnesia btw), but still having moments where I can feel myself finally breaking past the veil and my true self comes through.

The ultimate difference between this and fictionkin is fictionkin is often the result of a past life situation and getting memories from that former life, while with this it's "I physically am them but stuck in a different body, world, and timeline" again similar to clinical zoanthropy but fictional. I want to be clear that this situation doesn't make me more valid than someone who's fictionkin or anything, kin experiences are just as real, but to double-bookeep and reality-check myself, it's literally a result of a delusion, even if it isn't to me and I just physically am Serph and Jacket in the flesh but with a weird veil over it dhfhg.

If you feel that ultimately this is fitting of your situation you're welcome to use the term, however if your experience is still more of a fictionkin ordeal that's completely fine and I wouldn't ever consider you less or something just because how we experience it are different.

I do hope this helps a little, and feel free to ask more questions if needed.

[icedmetaltea]

Why do you like yandere stuff so much? No judgement, I'm just wondering cause I noticed a lot of people like it and I just can't wrap my head around it, so I wanted to ask a few people who enjoy it

WELL it's a bit of a loaded answer... I obvs can't answer for everyone, so this is just my personal take:

(pretty long and also just ioewjgfuireuiver kinda emBARRASSING so ima put it under here)

A bitch be lonely. I think that's the most common thing that draws people to the trope. Like, if you're someone who grew up without friends like me, the idea of being solely idolized by someone, like given their complete attention is just rlly appealing to me. To be loved, to be wanted, to be worshiped no matter how much your brain has convinced you that you're not worthy of love is just *chef's kiss*

The attention. This is kinda the same as the first answer but for me a big thing I love in the trope is when I- or well y/n, more correctly- gets praised a lot and treated like they're the most important thing in the world. I already have awful self-esteem so I like being told I'm perfect and wonderful as I am (TヘT) I think most people also have this mindset.

Being taken care of completely. No more worries about bills, food, shelter, etc... cause it's all taken care of for you (whether u like it or not so you don't have to feel guilty about it lol)

The whole power dynamic. I don't rlly have a sub/dom kink or at least not the mainstream kind (?) but I do enjoy the idea of being able to let go and just be myself without having to worry about judgement or societal norms- because, well, said character has already broken out of what's considered acceptable by kidnapping you or whatever so we're already past that lol.

Kinda adding onto that, being able to be flawed without, again, worrying about putting someone off. You can be ugly, socially inept, talentless, fuckin' stupid, whatever, and it's all okay. You don't have to fit in with anything society deems attractive- said character is flawed enough themselves to find you perfect.

The danger aspect. I love horror in general, so it's kind of like that for me. I have severe anxiety so being able to just feel scared for a while can be incredibly cathartic for me.

The "reframing" thing. In case you haven't noticed, yandere stuff for me tends to be pretty light-hearted. While I'm totally cool with people enjoying yandere stuff with tons of blood/violence/etc, I usually go for "softer" stuff, like stalking, kidnapping, etc. In a way, I'm taking something that makes me feel helpless and scared and making it something that brings me an odd sort of comfort. I suppose this is a way I can cope with anxiety- by taking some form of fear, like how I often feel helpless and trapped during panic attacks, and putting it in the context of when I'm helpless and trapped but in the arms of someone who wants nothing more than to protect me and would literally crush anyone/anything that tried to hurt me aaaAAA ❤️

The fact that it it's fiction! Fiction is a beautiful thing, where you can tackle potentially traumatic things without irl consequences. Would I want anything like this irl? NO!! Stalking/kidnapping/what have you is absolutely vile if it takes place in real life. Even stuff like be very controlling of a partner (unless you have their complete consent and have talked this stuff out ahead of time/have a safe word and all) is entirely unhealthy and toxic. In fiction?? Go for it. It can also be a great way to cope with intrusive thoughts if you suffer from those as well.

That being said, it's absolutely not for everyone, and I imagine most people would find the trope to be disgusting and horrific- and that is completely understandable and okay! It's up to people (who I'm assuming and HOPING are 18+ bc if you're a minor it can be way harder to distinguish reality from fiction and lead an immature person to believe any of these traits like being controlling/ultra possessive are okay irl and maybe even encourage them to seek out abusive relationships/yandere stuff tends to be thrown in with stuff like violence, sexuality, really disturbing stuff in general, etc so when I say all these things, it's coming from my ADULT perspective) to be discerning of what they can handle both mentally and emotionally. If it leaves you feeling gross, creeped out, or disturbed in some way, stop and avoid it.

Alright, sorry for the ramble! As you can tell I'm pretty passionate about it. I hope that answered your question somewhat! ✨