people have said this before but just. to reiterate. ‘representation matters’ is the antithesis of ‘fiction doesnt affect reality’. you can’t claim both.
if you agree that positive representation (for example, well written, humanized gay characters) can normalize and help gay teenagers, then you inherently have to also accept that negative representation (for example, accepted and sympathetic pedophile characters) can normalize pedophilia to people. this is the same vein of the same critical thought. you can’t claim that representation matters if you also believe that someone writing ‘non con’ adult / child porn is fine since its fictional.
That was one of the most powerful lines I have ever heard. Lapis fighting through her PTSD to come help the only people she has ever cared about is absolutely wonderful. Such an emotionally broken character being able to stand up and shine where others couldn’t. She is the embodiment of a permanently damaged character. No amount of friends or love will take away the pain and despair she feels. To me, she represents the real struggle of chronic mental illness. Her showing she can’t just “get over it”. It is something that can never and will never go away. And she has people who love and support her anyway.
Even the people who hate her are part of her representation. Some get frustrated and mad that she still goes through her episodes of depression and PTSD. They want her to just get better. That she should be over it by now. People who are mentally ill get this all the time. Parents, friends, lovers. They think that it’s about fixing us. That a date, or a vacation, or some relaxing activity will just get rid of it. They often feel personally attacked when it doesn’t work. They often first feel bad that they couldn’t help, but then angry because they think we aren’t trying. They make it about how /our/ mental illness makes /them/ feel.
Of course, mental illness is not an excuse to be a toxic and abusive person. We have to take responsibility for our own actions too. But understand that mental illness is about the person going through it, not others. That it may never go away and if you love that person, that’s part of the package. Don’t get upset when your attempt to “fix” them fails.
Lapis and her defectors represent the real struggle millions of mentally ill people to through.
Just because two characters have an argument, or their relationship isn’t perfect, or they aren’t good for each other at a particular time, does not mean! That their relationship! Is inheritly!! Abusive!!! It’s only abusive once it becomes a pattern!
beinggayonmain 