tfa_kink | DISCUSSION/OFF-TOPIC POST

I am so glad the mod decided to make a "no prompts based on real life tragic events" rule. I've seen a few of those in the past weeks and there's another fic that was posted on AO3 today that is causing, rightfully so, a shitstorm in fandom.

Between segregation AUs and Nazi AUs, I'm disappointed in fandom.

I know this is a problem in many fandoms, but why do people think it's okay to write these types of stories?

When it's an experience the writer might have had, on might have had happen in their family/friend circle, I can understand those fics as a way of coping, but that tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

Ignorance, mostly.

Most of these stories tend to be written by people who don't have any personal connection to the historical events. For a lot of people, events that took place 50 or 70 years ago seem like ancient history so it's considered a "safe" setting that, presumably, no one in fandom has a connection to anymore (which is a ridiculous assumption, but it's made quite often).

J. J. Abrams has said that he took the Nazi Party and their relocation to Argentina after WWII as inspiration for the rise of the First Order, and the Nazi parallels in both TFA and the OT aren't really subtle. But an obvious parallel or allusion still doesn't justify writing fic about showing members of the Nazi party in a sympathetic or romantic light, and I know there are people in fandom who believe that because the link to the Nazi party was hinted at, it's okay to write about. Also, I think people forget that Abrams is Jewish, so I highly doubt that alluding to Nazis in the movie means he's condoning the actions of Nazis or the First Order.

Basically, people don't think before they write these fics. It's pretty bad that it's gotten to the point that I almost expect one of these AUs to pop up in every fandom I'm in.

From what I've seen in other fandoms, a lot of times it's just the author thinking it's ~2 edgy 4 u~ like they're the only ones brave or mature enough to tackle subjects like that.

What fic was posted today?

Hux is a Jewish Nazi. Kylo Ren runs away from his parents to join the Nazis. The two fall in love.

Here's a screencap of the summary and tags:

omg

Wut.

Oh dear.

Do...do they not know what the Nazis did to Jewish people?

Some of the comments though. "Intriguing settings". WTF.

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themodawakens - 2016-02-21 02:23 (UTC) - Expand

Oh dear. That's embarrassing.

lmao jesus christ

OH MY FUCKING GOD, I'm out.

Hux is a Jewish Nazi.
WHAT.

I don't want to give it any hits, so please tell me some of the comments address the inappropriateness

Looks like the fic and author's profile were deleted.

Honestly? As someone who is Jewish and lost a ton of family during the war, I'm actually more offended by the meteoric rise of Hux in the fandom as the big standout slash co-star-- this character who is both a blatant Nazi analogue and, coincidentally, the only other white guy available in the secondary cast-- than I am by a lone Nazi fetishist who is actually going to be open and honest about the fetish play they're engaging in.

I mean, come on fandom, let's not kid ourselves-- Kylux is ALL, BY DEFINITION, YES, ALL OF IT, lowkey Nazi kink. I'm getting the feeling that some of the enthusiasm in scapegoating this one author and driving them off ao3 for saying so out loud and crossing a very thin line into repellent historical fiction is basically just people being uneasy about how thin that line is in the first place.

I think he's the big standout slash co-star in this meme, but not in fandom as a whole. If you go by AO3 tags, Poe and Finn outnumber him by far.

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(Anonymous) - 2016-02-03 22:40 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2016-02-03 22:46 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2016-02-03 22:48 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2016-02-04 03:22 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2016-02-05 02:17 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2016-02-04 03:20 (UTC) - Expand

I don't see it that way but you do you I guess

I don't know if I'd call it a low-key Nazi kink since that implies anyone who ships it has a low-key Nazi kink and I don't think that's the case. I think a lot of people ship Hux with Kylo for the hate sex, because fandom loves its white slash pairings, and because some people see it as a darker/less fluffy alternative to Poe/Finn.

Yes, he was an unsubtle Nazi reference and the line is thin, but as someone who is also Jewish and had family who suffered and died during WWII, I don't think it's fair to go making implications about people having a Nazi kink unless they're actually making referencing to Nazism and anti-semitism.

Saying everyone who's into Kylux has a Nazi kink is... pretty gross of you, anon.

Pretty sure the reason so many people like the pairing is because of some combination of:
a) hatesex
b) they obviously drive each other nuts, but are also stuck relying on each other - so, fun dynamics
c) it's refreshing to have a pairing where you can write those stories just totally fucking one or both of them over, and you don't feel the slightest bit bad about it, because they're both horrible people
d) a lot of anons here also seem to have a particular interest in daddy-issue tropes, and this pairing has that in spades