Am I the only one that feels suffocated by all the sex and shipfics? · 4:39pm Nov 18th, 2014
Okay, folks. I'm gonna be serious, and speak my mind in the process. I simply ask that I not be straw-manned, as is often the case whenever someone with a Biblical worldview speaks up... Tolerance is disagreeing without hating each other, and NOT accept me or shut up.
Don't get me wrong, I'm progressive in a lot of ways. I challenge negative stereotypes, both in the secular world and in the church. I'm far from your average Christian, heck, my baptist church paid my way to BronyCon this year so that I could take copies of a Gospel DvD there and pass them out. It was my idea. (Speaking of, if you by any chance were there and recieved one from me, please PM me.)
I listen to hardcore genres of metal and the like. I'm not sure what category I'd fall under, as conservative or liberal, because I share some views from both sides. I mention these things so that you know where I'm coming from.
However, my worldview is what's considered "pre-modern." There is right, there is wrong, there are no in-betweens or gray areas, and that is because of an objective authority that goes by many names throughout the Bible. You know who I'm referring to.
I also struggled with a lot of sexual confusion in my early teens before coming to know Christ. I've put a lot of that sort of thing behind me, and MLP was the start of escaping the source of much pain and awkwardness.
So, imagine how I feel sometimes when I'm searching for fanfics and the majority are shipfics, when I just want to read a good story that isn't about something in my old life. (Same-sex shipping kind of resurfaces painful memories of when I considered myself bisexual.) Thankfully, due to site options, I can't see clopfics. *shudder*
I guess, putting aside my moral compass which says it's wrong, the question I have is one of necessity. Is it really necessary to write a romantic story about two female characters who are just close friends? Is it really necessary to take these characters to the sexual extreme?
Last I checked, we watch a show that is for the entire family, and if we're struggling for a positive image in the world where all can come and feel accepted, I would think we'd draw the line somewhere. Especially with children 12 and younger involved, I can't tell you how many kids were at BronyCon. I'm extremely paranoid of my 8-year-old niece finding the dark underbelly of our community and her mother thinking less of me by assuming I'm involved with it.
I think in some sense I fear brony's street cred becoming as bad as furries, I'm friends with several. Half of them view yiff*, the other half don't. (*the furry's equivalent to clop.) It's ironic, because my friends that DON'T view it recognize yiff is the reason people think poorly of them, but those that DO argue that it shouldn't affect how people think of one another. The reality is, that it DOES affect how others view them, and that they are CHOOSING to view such material. It's not who they are. In other words, I'm not a brony by birth. Or a Christian by what my family believes. Or straight by who I date. These, and many more, are all choices we make in life. (And if you argue sexuality isn't a choice, I'm going to ask you whether or not you chose to have sex the last time you did. Or whether or not you chose to masturbate. Whatever sexual thing you may have done, it was a choice.)
Now, I take a little less issue with grimdark, as death is a sad reality of everyday life. I myself am writing a zombie fiction, as my very few followers know. I think it is healthy to be reminded of that reality sometimes. Death often gets people thinking about mortality, and the possibilities of what happens after death. I am aware of the atheist argument that we become worm-food. I, dear reader, don't have enough faith to believe that. Especially when my own father defied medical science by surviving a form of electrocution that very few people walk away from. I can't remember exactly how many, but I'm certain it was less than 10. But sometimes I do become concerned about this, because: Proverbs 8:36 "But those who fail to find me (Wisdom**) harm themselves; all who hate me love death." (**Context added)
In short, I'm not angry or hateful towards the people writing these things. It's difficult to describe, but I guess I could put it into words like how I titled this: I feel suffocated by the amount of these fictions.
You have every right to disagree, I am not looking for argument. I'm simply giving critical thinking. My intent is constructive, maybe to get more people thinking about the community's direction. I just ask that I be treated fairly and maturely, as I have been treated with hostility in the past when discussing my views. God bless.
I feel ya bro, the clop fics are annoying. There are too many of them here
I know I'm a little late with this, but I give it a hearty AMEN.