Moralists and censors who want to shut down people who create taboo fiction and artwork will claim their opponents believe that “Fiction doesn’t affect reality”.
⭐ We believe that fiction doesn’t reprogram someone’s morals.
⭐ We believe fiction doesn’t take away your free will.
⭐ We believe that blaming the actions of abusers on fiction absolves abusers of their guilt.
⭐ We believe that people are responsible for their behavior no matter what fiction they’ve read.
⭐ We believe that enjoying fiction about evil things doesn’t cause someone to do evil in real life.
THIS!
Also, I hope my dark hideous fiction affects people’s lives in reality in actual possible ways:
I hope it makes them consider how you don’t have to think you’re a Bad Person to do horrible things, and how a lot of people who think they are Bad People are often just people with serious morality hangups.
I hope it makes readers empathize or understand pains they haven’t experienced. I hope it makes them think about what life would be like for someone suffering. I hope it makes them consider the suffering around them with new eyes that see humanity now.
I hope it makes readers feel for pain they have experienced, writ LOUD on a page for the first time. Finally, finally, someone said it. In a fantasy story maybe, but it was said and they feel a little more seen and validated.
I hope it makes them cry, when they couldn’t cry over what they think are mundane problems in their own life that are really hurting them- but reading about torture and darkness lets them cry for someone fictional, and let out some of their pain at the same time.
AND
I hope it entertains them
or interests them
or lets them consider dark things without ever experiencing them. That’s justification enough for writing to exist.
