#anti bileven

[jacksonseymour13]

I love shipping "problematic" ships that cause people outrage 🤭

[i-yyzw-cq]

Not me finding out about bileven (the ship between El and B*lly).

It makes me want to throw my phone out of the window.

just found out byergrove is a thing. killing myself

[teambyler]

How does it look for a TikToker to say Byler fans are delusional and Mileven is "reality" but EVERY SCENE in the video is from s3 and not s4...

Oh and the same person ships Bileven and thinks El should be with BILLY of all people? Are we really thinking about what's best for El??

-teambyler

[finnickodaiir]

Um, billy x el? please tell me you're joking (PLEASE)

No, I'm not joking, it's a thing. Not as popular as Harringrove, but some people ship it. They call it Bileven or something like that.

[dalekofchaos]

Ya know I knew fans would ship H*rringrove because it’s the bully against reformed asshole with a heart of gold. But....why would you ship B*lleven???? Why would you ship an abusive asshole who is hellbent on killing her and her friends with a literal child? What the fuck is wrong with you?  🤢🤮

[assortedfruitsnacks212]

Dear fans of "problematic" characters, ships, and media,

I want you to listen to me very carefully. I've been thinking about this for a while, and it's time I said it out loud.

Hiding your preferences in fiction will not protect you forever. I repeat, hiding your preferences in fiction will not protect you forever.

Here's what happens instead. You get smaller. And because you get smaller, antis rush in to claim what should've been your space and get louder. It's intimidating, so you get even smaller to escape them. Then they claim the space that should've been yours and get louder. And louder. Repeat ad nauseam until you're shoved into a corner so small you can hardly breathe. And you can't live that way, so eventually you leave fandom. Cue the antis laughing and celebrating because that's exactly what they wanted: they've driven you out.

Now, that should be the end of it, right? Except it isn't. Fandom isn't a separate universe from the real world. You might feel like it is, but the two are intimately linked. It's no coincidence anti rhetoric has overrun western fandom at the same time that we're seeing a resurgence in conservative, reactionary politics.

The goal is the same across the board. They want to control every part of your life. If that fails, they'll settle for outright eliminating you. That's why antis are so startlingly casual about sending death threats. It's also why radical conservatives stockpile guns and fantasize about the day they get to use them. It's the same damn attitude, the same intolerance for anyone who thinks differently than them.

(What a tragedy that so many antis are some flavor of queer. They're parroting people who, in the real world, are itching to eliminate them too.)

If we don't get in the habit of pushing back, things are only going to get worse for "freaks" and "weirdos" like us. So I'm begging you to start building those push-back muscles. Draw a boundary, even if it's invisible to everyone but you, and plant your feet there. Tell yourself, "No, they don't get to chase me out any further than this." Then, as you get more comfortable, take your space back one step at a time.

It's okay if you have to start small. In fact, I encourage it. Think of the tiniest baby step you can take and do that.

Send an anon to a blog that's pro-problematic media (a great way to start voicing your opinions safely).

Create a sideblog that's totally separate from your main.

Turn off anons on your blog(s).

Hide your likes and the list of blogs you follow.

Message people privately who share your interests. If you feel a good vibe, keep the conversation going until you can call them friends.

Join a Discord server for your "problematic interest."

Block antis the second you see them.

Slowly, piece by piece, build a little community that supports you.

And then, when it feels right, start stretching your limits.

Send an ask without turning on anon.

Reblog a "problematic" post on your main.

Re-enable anons on your own blog (only if you want to - personally, I have no desire to do that yet, but I'm getting there).

And so on and so forth :)

Take it as slow as you need to, lean hard on your trusted friends, and don't be ashamed if it gets too stressful and you have to back off for a while. Dealing with anti bullshit is fkn hard.

And of course, always prioritize your health and safety. I would never tell a queer teenager to come out if they're still living with their abusive, homophobic family. Same with a "problematic" fan who's surrounded by antis!

Just remember, there are many more people like you than you might suspect. Both in fandom and out of it.

[disdaidal]

sry for coming to you but since I saw it mentioned on your blog, I always found Bileven to be appealing but am too ashamed to admit it anywhere on here because some users are very judgy of this ship and tink it's gross so I'm super intimidated sometimes I feel bad for even looking up content

I know what you mean. I don't ship it myself but I've tagged it in a few edits of mine and oh boy. I just think it's neat and I totally understand the appeal of it so I never thought much of it. After all, they're both just fictional characters and teenagers in the end, so what the heck.

You're allowed to like what you like and ship whatever you like. Fiction hurts no one and if it does, that's on them. Not you. If anyone ever comes to you about it, block them. Or if you don't want to deal with them at all, you can turn off your anon messages, too. Most antis are cowards and won't ever approach you unless they're on anon (trust me).

You're allowed to have fun. <3 Let the crybabies cry.

[mourntheantagonist]

Fucking annoying how people just assume shit is always done in bad faith, as if fans of Billy aren’t getting that same shit constantly. Making the assumption that liking a certain ship or character, whatever it may be, tells you anything about a person is fucking hilarious, and coming from an anon I assume to be a fan of Billy if they’re interacting with these blogs at all, is entirely hypocritical. There’s no difference in assuming a Bileven shipper is a p*do and assuming a Billy fan is an abuser and/or racist, or condones any of those things. There’s always gonna be people in fandom who like characters or have ships in bad faith, but that’s not indicative of everyone’s opinions and the “that says a lot about you” argument is such a stupid take.

I’d expect shit like this from the greater st fandom, but not fucking here, in this little corner of the internet.

If you have a problem with a ship or character, good, great, keep it to yourself or in anti spaces if you have to. If you think you have the right to go out and police what people like and ship, unfollow me please, because you’re incredibly boring.

hey, just letting you know that the people who run the strangerthings4theories blog are hardcore bileven (billy x eleven 🤢) shippers and they genuinely believe their gross ship is endgame

I don't agree with that ship

Jfc i haven't check my inbox, I work 12 hour shifts and I'm busy like damn give me a minute to answer

[jacksonseymour13]

Captains of the "Protect Billy at all cost" Gang. Are you a member?

[dalekofchaos]

When you find out there are actual people who ship El with....B**ly

[assortedfruitsnacks212]

Antis about Bileven: "It's illegal!"

Putting aside the incredibly significant fact that THIS. IS. FICTION (‼️‼️‼️‼️)—

—I love how the law suddenly has the final say here. Tell that to people in US states where abortion is now illegal or severely restricted. 🖕

It's even funnier when you realize the age of consent in Indiana was 16 in the 1980s (still is!), and El would've crossed that threshold all of three months after S4 😂 (El's birthdate: June 1970) Bet you don't like the law so much anymore, huh!

Now please, tell me more about how 18 is the ✨ magic age ✨ where your adulthood switch flips and you evolve like a fucking Pokemon. I'm sure there's no way you've been conditioned to believe that simply because it's legally convenient for governments to say, "Uhhhhh when you reach 18 we treat you like an adult so we can recruit you for the military. And capital can use you for labor. But if you're American you still can't drink! Nuh uh. Not until you're 21. Why? Hell if we know!"

Think about that. Billy wasn't even old enough to drink when he died. And you're acting like shipping him with El is the same as shipping her with a crusty old child predator 😂 Nah, they're BOTH babies. Now get lost lol

[assortedfruitsnacks212]

Show me your thorns and I'll show you hands ready to bleed.

[assortedfruitsnacks212]

The way there are only 3-4 regular posters in the Bileven tag here on Tumblr, but I had to block 5 antis taking cheap potshots at us

Congratulations, y'all played yourselves. I'm gonna fill the tag with ALLLLLL my content and you can't stop me 😘✌️

[assortedfruitsnacks212]

Sick with COVID and trying to find ways to amuse myself 😔 So I found this old post from years ago and decided to redo it!

Fanfiction Questions

Fandom Questions

1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?

Lord of the Rings in middle/high school! I was obsessed with it, and it was the first time I had reliable enough internet access to get involved in forums 🥰

2. What is your latest fandom?

Stranger Things!

3. What is the best fandom you've ever been involved in?

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2. I contributed work of my own for the first time and got a GREAT response. And that was before antis made fandom a warzone 🙄 so I wrote whatever I wanted and never got hate for it.

4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?

😬 I'm not gonna say I regret getting involved in Stranger Things fandom. But it's definitely the most annoying one I've ever been a part of. You can't turn around without bumping into an anti or some kid screaming about p*dophilia. It's so fkn cringe lol

5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for?

Donkey Kong, Super Mario, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, Gladiator, X-Files, the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Stranger Things

6. List your OTP from each fandom you've been involved in.

Atton/Exile (SW:KOTOR2), Mulder/Scully (X-Files), Reylo, Bileven

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you've been in.

Kylux, Finnr3y, Harringr0ve, M1leven (I see a pattern here lol)

8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom?

Billy Hargrove brain rot, July 2019

9. What are the best things about your current fandom?

The source material can be really fun 💕 I also met a couple of my bffs because of it.

10. Is there a fandom you read fic from but don't write in?

Not currently, but in the past I've read fic for the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Trek, Phantom of the Opera, The Office, Labyrinth, and probably more I've forgotten.

Ship Questions for your Current Fandom

11. Who is your current OTP?

Bileven baby 💖💕

12. Who is your current OT3?

I don't have any, though I could see myself getting interested in Bileven + Eddie at some point.

13. Any NoTPs?

See answer to #7

14. Go on, who are your BroTPs?

Too many 😆 I love the entire Hopper-Byers family dynamic, so that's several broTPs right there. Also El and Max.

15. Is there an obscure ship which you love?

Bileven is pretty damn obscure, so 😆💀

16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?

See answer to #7

17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?

Bileven is my only otp for the fandom. Still going strong after nearly three years 😌

18. What ship have you written the most about?

Bileven for sure. I think I've written over 200-300k about them so far.

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don't feel them?

I kinda wish I was more into J0pper? I mean, I do like them, but not enough to really feature them in my fic. It would add a lovely dimension to my giant AU though.

20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking?

Not really? My tastes are very well established by this point 😂

Author Questions

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?

A long, rambling fic for Donkey Kong at like, age 9-10

22. Is there anything you regret writing?

Nope! It was all necessary to my artistic development ☺️

23. Name a fic you've written that you're especially fond of & explain why you like it.

My current Billy Lives AU! It's the first fic that feels truly raw and heartfelt, like it springs straight from the essence of who I am. Working on it has also taught me a lot about the writing process, honed my writing voice, and helped me unlearn limiting beliefs.

24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

My Billy Lives AU. I've written a lot of material that I haven't even published yet. I'm rewriting/editing it as we speak 😆

25. What's your most popular fanfic?

A short A/B/O fic I wrote for Reylo. Over 10k hits, good god. That fandom was so horny lmao

26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles?

Song titles and lyrics, phrases from the text that have thematic significance.

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?

Writing summaries 😖 I've gotten better at it, but it's still annoying trying to condense a big ol' story into a paragraph lol

28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of?

I would like it to be from my Billy Lives AU, which I think has lots of illustration-worthy moments. Hell, I've got a list of illustrations I'd make myself, if I could just recover from my art burnout...

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?

Not really. If I genuinely need help with something, I have a couple friends I can ask, but usually I just wing it on my own. I'm too impatient to wait on someone 😂

30. What inspires you to write?

Powerful emotions, resonant themes and symbols, yin/yang and Hades/Persephone pairings, sad grumpy men who are practically begging for redemption arcs, music

31. What's the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

I've gotten several lovely comments that I hoard like a mound of crack. My favorite ones lately say things like "your writing is poetry," "it's so visceral," "cuts you right to the bone." But my top favorite has to be this one:

"I love how you write Billy, because it's so LEGIT. Everything you have him do or say just feels so accurate and true to his character. Like, I can imagine it all happening and playing out in front of me."

I work hard on his characterization, so hearing that had me buzzingggg!

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?

Oh hell yeah. I draw from a variety of genres depending on the scene I'm writing. For my Billy Lives AU, I've used ambient, heavy metal, all flavors of rock, TV/movie soundtracks, '80s pop, and more.

33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?

All three! I've written a lot of oneshots lately to explore ideas outside of my giant AU, which def counts as a huge epic (rip me 💀). I also have a multi-chap in progress.

34. What's the word count on your longest fic?

Over 100k. Only half of it is published right now.

35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?

I used to, but I don't anymore.

36. What's your favourite genre to write?

Sci-fi horror, romance, drama

37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?

Both depending on my mood. My default is third person, but sometimes I switch to first to shake things up and/or internalize the characters' voices.

38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?

I usually go for canon characters, but when I sense a gap in the story I'm not above creating an OC to fill it. I'm never gonna stop bragging about how one of my OCs seemed to anticipate Eddie Munson 😆 (mostly in style and backstory, less in personality).

39. What is your greatest strength as a writer?

I make my readers feel a lot of things. Also I've been told multiple times, "I can see it happening so clearly! 😭" So... good descriptions??

40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?

Perseverance. I tend to come up with complicated epics that would take years to write. To this day, I've yet to finish a single one. Goddammit though, I'm gonna do it someday 😠

Fanfiction Questions

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:

None. The fanfics I want to read right now are so incredibly specific I doubt I could find them anywhere 🥲 so I'm just writing them myself.

42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:

I'm too lazy to link anyone 😅

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?

Everyone who's left a kind comment on my work, and fellow Billy fans who can tolerate differences in opinion (a VERY small number 🥲).

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?

Bileven for sure

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

To this day I still remember some creepy Phantom of the Opera fic I read years ago...

46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why?

Worship The Flame, which has the most material to read (50k published so far) and really demonstrates my skills imo.

47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why?

AO3 by far. It's clean and organized, I get more interaction there, and hate comments have been easy to deal with. Ff.net is just useless now. Tumblr is okay, but it's extremely hard to get views, and hate comments are more common.

48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not?

Sometimes! Depends on how strong my reaction was to the work and how much energy I have that day. I haven't read any fic lately though.

49. Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?

Oh, yeah. I care a lot. A single good comment can lift me out of a writing funk and give me the motivation to keep going. It literally just happened last week 💕 (Thank you kind commenter 💕💕)

Also, reblogs are the only way to get views here. The fics I'm most passionate about tend not to get reblogged (1. they involve a rarepair, so they're niche to begin with; 2. people are too scared to reblog Bileven content). So I cherish every one I get.

50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction?

Idk, I just fell into it in elementary school. It felt natural. Still does!

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

Gush: I love the incredible creativity of fandom! Also, I LIVE for taking back stories from white male creators who have no idea what they're doing. And from corporations who shoot for the lowest common denominator. (Capitalism kills art, tell your friends)

Rant: STOP HARASSING FAN CREATORS FOR MAKING STUFF YOU DON'T LIKE. Oh and let's NOT do the whole censorship thing. We tried it and it was awful. Thank you.