Sometimes, there's a take so absurd on Twitter/X that it makes us tilt our heads in confusion. This is one of them. Read this exchange. Names have been mercifully redacted to protect the idiotic:
FICTIONAL SEX IS COERCIVE BECAUSE CHARACTERS ARE BEING FORCED TO DO THINGS BY THE AUTHOR I AM SCREAMING pic.twitter.com/e8huMYEzuf
— 🌈Dr. Frizzle (@Swilua) October 9, 2023
I mean, wow.
someone called this “gloriously brain melting” and that is maybe the only proper take on it
— 🌈Dr. Frizzle (@Swilua) October 10, 2023
'Gloriously brain melting' is the best way to describe a lot of things we read on Twitter, honestly.
Wait until they hear about authors killing characters without their consent
— Charly (@zplerhop) October 10, 2023
They'll probably have a stroke, honestly.
This is amazing
— Texas Warren G. Harding Massacre (@PopeAwesomeXIII) October 10, 2023
William Shakespeare: Famed murderer
That jerk.
By this "logic", all fiction should be abolished, because every situations fictional characters are put into is "nonconsensual".
— Rowan Driftwood 👷🏻⚧️🖖🪫 (@pica_scribit) October 10, 2023
That's the only outcome of this logic. This writer often says progressivism/wokeism creates a cultural desert, and this is what she means.
I need you all to know that I've been sent this post on 3 separate occasions and each time I read it I feel like I am being gut punched by every single line like I'm on the floor in a bar fight and the last line is someone smashing a barstool over my head. https://t.co/MFHxfNjees
— ✨Aedric✨ Writingway on AO3 (@necromeowncy) October 10, 2023
That's really how it feels.
I’m all for getting rid of sex scenes in books, but not because made-up characters can’t consent, but because they’re cringe af.
— Elijah the Middleborne (@TheMiddleborne) October 10, 2023
And half the time it seems like the author has never had sex before https://t.co/GMPfugPJyY
They can be cringe. But arguing fictional characters have no agency is even worse.
Where do people like this COME from? https://t.co/zrLh47ZbtA
— Daddy Warpig (@DaddyWarpig) October 10, 2023
We honestly don't know. Is there a full moon or something?
just when i was growing overwhelmed with the hideous takes flinging about on twitter dot com, this post reminded me that sometimes the Internet breaks people's brains in ways that are truly magnificent https://t.co/8nQ03lcfNb
— Robert Evans (The Only Robert Evans) (@IwriteOK) October 10, 2023
Truly magnificent.
I've been staring at this for 10 mins and can't comprehend https://t.co/QiClmHwmT2
— Actually_Tina_im_a_sandwitch_FFXIV (@Actually_Tina) October 10, 2023
Don't try too hard because it'll make your brain hurt.
If you don't giggle at the idea of telling someone this in all seriousness and coercing them into considering what the deeper implications are for their morality you aren't alive inside. https://t.co/LvglYTrIjP
— Charles DeGlopper (@bronzebarbarian) October 10, 2023
We giggled. Hard.
Aaaaaand now I’m dead. https://t.co/f9xQsEi5N2
— Heather B (@BoulwareH2) October 10, 2023
So are we.
I've expected this take for years now, it's kind of inevitable if you think about it, but I'm still blown away seeing it actually appear in the wild https://t.co/w6V7fujJjq
— a Denim is forever (@denimneverdies) October 10, 2023
You called it.
Ok but what if I ask my fictional characters and they say it’s ok. https://t.co/iMRt8mRyqb
— Jessica Ellis (@baddestmamajama) October 10, 2023
I guess that works.
but they're not- but they dont- but they can't - THEY'RE NOT REAL JANET https://t.co/sUIpbMy7ga
— Ren 🦆 💙 (@mastershearts) October 10, 2023
Some people apparently don't know what 'fictional' means. Or what writing is.
NO FUN!!!! NO PLEASURE!!!!! NO IMAGINATION!!!!! ALL THINGS FOR THE RIGHTEOUS GLORY OF CHECKING OFF THE CORRECT BOXES!!!!!! CONSUME TO ACHIEVE MORAL ENLIGHTENMENT!!!!! NEVER FOR ENJOYMENT OR YOU ARE A DEGENERATE!!!!!! https://t.co/pn3smJK3Y5
— beetle 🥀 (@astarionsrose) October 10, 2023
Honestly, it's like modern day Puritans with 100% less joy.
I think there's a sociological/anthropological research paper about these weirdos and they conclude that they're in some sort of a cult that is currently undergoing a purity spiral. https://t.co/fGHrilZF1F
— mii-lennial hipster tumblr art hoe ☕ (@PearlteaRizzy) October 10, 2023
That would be a fascinating read.
Unironically, I think you could probably get "writing fiction is intrinsically violent because characters cannot consent and are manipulated and coerced by the author" published in a journal somewhere. https://t.co/pznyIafO7U
— Osita Nwanevu (@OsitaNwanevu) October 10, 2023
Surprised it hasn't already.
I need you all to know that I’ve been holding on to this screenshot for a year, waiting for the perfect opportunity to gift it to the world. Sending it to @Swilua was that perfect opportunity ❤️ https://t.co/Pdwpa6nRH0
— Hannah (@thecolorhannah) October 10, 2023
Truly, you have given the Internet a gift.
We are reaching unprecedented levels of terminally online I didn't think possible.
— Arcflame Arcanum @TakingItEasy (@ArcflameArcanum) October 10, 2023
Fictional characters cannot consent. They don't exist. They are nothing more than a medium an author or creator uses to convey an idea through.
People need to get this through their heads. https://t.co/Ju9F1UzY4h
We honestly believe some people aren't capable of this.
Everyday, takes on fiction here are getting worse and worse and I’m just https://t.co/5sxM1gNhgb pic.twitter.com/39smn072XP
— ☁️FlyingRotten☁️ (@CamilleCailloux) October 10, 2023
So are we.
Every time I'm about to leave Twitter, the good lord sees fit to deliver unto me a jewel. https://t.co/xKVPVFDL6I
— Josh Olson (@joshuarolson) October 10, 2023
It really is a jewel.
As any author can tell you, the characters are the ones driving the bus here, we're just taking notes and writing up the incident report. There is no forcing them to do anything. https://t.co/6v2bWLTOlT
— Jamie Jackson - Humanoid (@VillainLeaning) October 10, 2023
Yes. Writers will always tell you the characters are the force here, and they are leading the author, not the other way around.
A non-sequitur, but appropriate:
the fact that i am at risk of seeing a 14 year old's opinion at any time of day on the internet is a human rights violation
— Mousvy Ratvy (@5e_ivy) March 15, 2021
This is so true.
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