part time creative, full time anxiety

Vittorio Reggianini (Italian, 1858-1938)

oftentimes around the discussion of taboo topics in fiction, I often hear about it can affect you because what you consume will have an affect on you as a person. After all, you are taking in information, and even subconsciously your brain can take matters from fiction and consider it fact. I didn’t explain it well but here’s an essay talking about it (with sources) https://www.hilarylayne.com/p/you-are-what-you-read

I just wanted to know your stance on it because it could be a problem if people aren’t mindful of how they read books. This topic fascinates me and I always want to learn more thankssss

quoting what I’ve already said before on this blog:

❝ if someone lets fiction affect their reality enough to the point they think bad things in fiction are okay in real life and start hurting real people (or start accepting it when bad things are done to them), because the bad things are portrayed as good things in fiction, then chances are that—with or without the fiction they consume—they’re already troubled and they need help. but their inability to separate fiction from reality is not artists’ problems or responsibility. artists are not their parents or babysitters.❞

fiction can affect audiences in the sense that it makes audiences be emotionally invested in it. it can even teach and help audiences understand some things better. but for normal people, fiction doesn’t affect them enough to the point they abandon their entire moral compass and start harming other people because of what they consume in fiction alone.

What are we COLLECTIVELY smoking? This is insane.

yeah this is just dystopian. fanfic writers don’t owe anyone anything. artists don’t owe anyone anything (unless they want to share the process themself). especially when you (general you) are privileged enough to get FREE contents to read and consume. if you don’t like it, if you suspect it’s ai-generated and if it bothers you, quietly leave.

this “witch hunting and demanding xyz from someone whose writing/creation you get to consume for free” is not only entitled and toxic but also damaging to the community you’re claiming to protect.