Not To Add To All The Megastar Confessions Lately, But I Would Like To Add My Perspective As Someone

not to add to all the megastar confessions lately, but i would like to add my perspective as someone who is a big starscream fan and also has megastar as my current favorite ship.

first of all, i think its important to mention that obviously not every fan is going to be into it in the same way. some people may choose to play with them in more comedic, light hearted scenarios while others may be more interested in darker scenarios that dig into it as an abuse dynamic. for some people it really does boil down to finding it hot in some way, and for other people it may be a combination of all of this, or some other reason entirely. i personally am open to most intepretations of the dynamic, but i do gravitate to stories where they are framed as an abusive relationship, because thats what i find most compelling.

i think its entirely fair to feel uncomfortable by certain types of content, especially when it deals with triggering subjects. but those stories still serve a purpose for the people reading them. is the same reason some people read tragedies, because it's an evocative story, and a lot of people are interested in complicated characters and relationships purely because it makes for a good story, and not because they lack the ability to tell its wrong. people are generally capable of engaging with complicated themes in fiction without wishing to advocate for them in real life. i think the only reason ships like megastar end up being so controversial is because theres this idea that shipping involves viewing something as romantic, when shipping can also just be about finding something interesting. i dont see why liking terrible characters is deemed okay, but liking terrible relationships is not. why is one more dangerous than the other inherently? people have an aversion to dark subjects when it applies to romance and sex specifically. and this is fair on a personal level but cannot be used against others with different boundaries and limits.

when it comes to people finding it hot, i think people have a very reductive view on it. power dynamics are a common aspect of kink, and some people choose to explore said power dynamics through fiction. it doesnt mean you cant acknowledge that a dynamic like that would be horrible if replicated, but fantasy is rarely meant to be 1:1 with our real life desires. most sexual fantasies are not literal. and where does the line between finding something interesting and finding it erotic begin? where does it end? most people i know who find the relationship hot are very self aware of the nature of it, and simultaneously care a lot about it on a narrative level and are very dedicated to analyzing it and giving it thought. fiction can evoke multiple feelings on a person, and its not going to make you feel the exact same as if it was a real situation. stories are not meant to be treated exactly like real life, theyre meant to be treated like, well, stories.

this isnt to say abuse apologism cant be expressed through fiction, but it honestly doesnt look like what most people think it does. fanfiction with problematic relationships in a sexual light is often meant to be read within a fetishistic context where its already understood that these relationships are an exploration of certain fantasies and not supposed to be replicated, while there are certain stories that, for example, attempt to justify the abuse or act like its not happening because the author genuinely believes it is okay, and part of reading things critically means being able to understand what message the author wants you to come across. this absolutely applies to fan works as well. its a very nuanced discussion that has more to do with being able to understand the themes of fiction works and their purpose, but people boil it down to "dark fiction is inherently bad, and using fiction to explore dark sexual fantasies is also bad and means you believe abuse is okay."

i would also add that as someone who has been abused, the reality is that for a lot of victims it does leave us with complicated feelings for our abuser that are difficult to reconcile, and fiction is an avenue to explore that. my sexual fantasies were definitely impacted by my trauma, and thats a really ugly and uncomfortable truth, we dont like to think of victims as having complex feelings on our trauma or "gross" trauma responses, but it happens, and judgement like this certainly doesnt create safe spaces for those of us with unpalatable responses.

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