I am literally begging people to learn how to participate in fandom through a lens other than shipping
The thing is that people often go to fandom spaces specifically to explore niche fantasies they aren’t getting from non-fannish spaces and real life.
I think people will look at someone’s fandom blog and think “Is this is the only thing you care about in life?? Your world is so small! You’re thinking is so narrow!” when in fact the person has an entire life outside of that particular fandom blog, and the content on their fandom blog only pertains to one specific niche interest.
I love found family stories! I love media with complex non-romantic relationships! I don’t look for these things in fanfiction, because I already get everything I want in that regard from the original fiction and media I consume, and from my real life relationships with actual living breathing friends and family. I read fanfiction specifically looking for the things I have difficulty finding elsewhere. So the scope of fanfiction I read is fairly narrow.
That’s not because I am narrow. It’s because I have a whole life outside of fandom participation.
It is of course frustrating to discover that other people are not in fandom for the same reasons you are. But please don’t assume that someone’s fandom persona represents their entire personality.
If someone is only into fandom for shipping reasons, that’s not a character defect they need to fix. Remember that people have lives outside of fandom, and no one is obligated to be in fandom for the same reasons you are, and want the same things out of fandom that you want.
We are all here for our own reasons.
Legit this? Fandom is something people do for fun. Let them engage how they want. If I go to Disney World and spend the whole time in the gift shops, don’t assume I’m having less fun or am somehow less fulfilled in my experience than someone who spent the whole time riding rides or getting pictures with characters (and certainly don’t decide to judge me for it just because it’s not how YOU think people should spend their time at Disney World).
People engage in leisure activities in the ways they choose and that’s actually pretty much their own damn business.
