I looooooove talking <3 slash hj but I do agree that we should start discussing these things more. I'm sure at least some of the big responses we see towards all the dark and taboo fic out there is partially because the people doing the whole witch hunt thing feel a lot of shame and fear towards not only this type of content, but also their own reactions to it.

I think one of the big things that has helped me find some peace of mind when it comes to all of this is simply asking, "would I want this to happen in real life?" and the answer is pretty much always a hard no. Interrogating this sort of thing helps clarify for yourself where the line is drawn in the sand. Also, I find it prevents the unwanted spirals of, "maybe I'm the worst kind of person for enjoying this, what if I hurt someone" which came up about twice a week for me before I got ahead of them. shrug emoji.

To some extent I think the shame and the fear and the disgust can keep coming up even if you know the kind of person you are, if only because your brain likes to make sure of stuff. When the thought patterns become repetitive and obsessive is where I start getting worried. Honestly, when I've had that happen, I just take a break from anything Dark™ to help recalibrate and so I don't feed the shame monster in my head.

I looked at some of what cloudrages said and I really agree! Not only cause of the Big Thing (unlearning shame and self policing) but also cause the brand of noncon they bring up is perhaps the tastiest form of it...

Thank you for meeting me in the middle, man . Thumbs up emoji