It's really sad to see people hide things that they once thought were worth showing to others.

Ever since COVID hit (at least this is how I experienced it) fandoms grew more unbearable to partake in.

People, who, more often than not, don't make art themselves and just engage with it (sometimes they don't even, no like nor comment from them) started making up reasons as to why certain kinds of thing to do on the internet are bad for you or for others etc.

But expressing scary or strange thoughs and opinions should not be punished. Thoughts like these should start conversations not smear campaigns. Humans have scary or strange thoughs. That's normal. And expressing them creatively shows others they are not alone in feeling a certain way and helping them feel connected and understood, helping them work through them.

And while I am all for proship and profic and anti censorship what I think is also really important to remember is being human and remembering that those on "the other side" are also human. Insecure, unhealthy, scared, hostile - but still human.

This is not just about being profiction or proship but, well, there's no label for people who think anti-harassment should be about things beyond fiction. Like— not all of the things I care about that are "controversial" are fictional.

It's important to be able to show sympathy towards those who did all the wrong things so they could learn how to do things the right way. This cannot happen if people are scared of being seen as monsters.

And so I want this post to encourage people to post about (the title says make art but it's not just that) things that they think others might find disturbing, strange, gross, mentally ill - whatever you've seen others say about similar things or projects. It might backfire but it also might do the thing that's supposed to happen - it might start a conversation.

Historically bad times always start with censorship (and self-censorship or censorship within the community) coming for human expression of the taboo and complex, morally grey thoughts, helping to set people against each other.

And it is important that fandoms have a place for people that have these thoughts because otherwise it's not going to end well.

I've been thinking about this idea of making separate blogs for "problematic" and "non-problematic" stuff

I used to think this would be a good idea, that this way nobody would find my controversial stuff and I would be able to interact with mainblr or maintwt.

But as time went on... I've realized that it's like trying to please someone you don't even like. Why would I want to be among these people who would leave me the second they find out I like something like incest fics or age gaps?

They would never accept you. Only a version of you.

And even worse was the thought of people like me from before, lurking and trying to find someone who understands them. If I were to hide stuff about me that would essentially be saying "don't be yourself. what you think and love is unacceptable. you should be ashamed and pretend to be normal"

And I wouldn't want that.

Normalize disliking things others like and still treating them (the person and the thing in question) with respect.

Normalize not having an opinion on things.

Normalize not knowing things and asking others about them.

Normalize doing research.

Normalize disagreeing with your friends' tastes.

Normalize having mixed feelings about things.

Normalize being proud and loud about things you're into.

Normalize trying to emphasize with those you have opposing views with.

If something doesn't HURT anyone

It's okay.

We're only human!

We are not perfect and nobody should expect us to be.

Honestly this.

Real scared of posting anything with my OTP because of how HATED it is and not even for the ship-itself-being-problematic reasons alone...

But guys. Don't be me.

Make whatever content you want.

Any characters, any personas based on anything and everything, any dynamics, any kinks, any fetishes.

Yes even RPF (yes even if the person is problematic)

Yes even incest. Yes even underage. Yes even non-con.

Yes even this one thing you're thinking of right now. No it's not too weird/awful/boring/stupid/OOC/etc.

No it doesn't make you a bad person.

No you don't secretly want to harm someone.

Good and Bad are subjective and even if you were bad - you knowing that means you can change!

Make self-indulgent stuff. Make stuff because it helps you cope. Make stuff even if you'll abandon it tomorrow!

Make stuff because you want to. Make stuff because you like it.

You can write/think/sing/etc about anything always as long as it's not putting real living beings in danger or encouraging it.

I can't tell this to myself because... Well. Your own words don't really matter to you because you think "no one else thinks like me."

But these are the words I've always wanted to hear. And if someone— if this makes someone feel better that's enough for me. If someone agrees maybe I'll even post that one thing I'm scared of posting.

Don't let antis stop you. Puritanism comes in waves so it'll pass. Fandom will heal. Proship will become the norm again. At least that's what I'm hoping for.