The golden rules of shipping - A thread because apparently some of y'all need this spelled out for you

1. Don't sexualise friendships. Just because they hugged, doesn't mean they're fucking. You can make a joke or two but know your damn boundaries. Don't go on tangents about the sex life of people you don't know just because you think the ship is hot.

2. Don't fetishise LGBT relationships. No, they're not your sinful bunnies. And yes, that's a shitty thing to say. Just listen to people in the LGBT community. When we say we feel objectified by something you said, don't try to justify your actions. We deal with enough as is.

3. Please stop with the top-bottom discussion. First of all, loads of mlm don't like anal sex. Secondly, it's purely a sexual preference. It's not about who's bigger or who acts more feminine. And it honestly shouldn't matter either way what people do in their own private life.

4. Don't push the ships onto the members or their family. Just don't go under their tweets and comment your ship in all caps lock, it's that simple. Don't go around harassing their family or friends when they say to get your head out of your arse. Just respect them as people.

5. Know the difference between reality and fiction. Just because you read it in a fanfiction, doesn't mean the people are like that in real life. Just because you think they look cute together or look at each other a certain way, doesn't mean they're actually in a relationship.

6. Unless it is confirmed, none of your ships are real, get over it. Just because you interpret their friendship a certain way doesn't mean you're right. So stop fighting other shippers about who's ship is more real, because in that case you're both delusional.

7. Don't push a sexual orientation onto a member. Just don't look for proof that one of the members might be gay or bi. It's none of your business. And if you're making posts about it you're either pushing something on them that they're not or outing them. Stop it. Get some help.

Now before anyone starts up this discourse: no, this is not about your specific ship. This is about shipping in general. And if you thought "oh, this is because x-ship interacted recently" instead of "oh, shipping can indeed be toxic" you are part of the problem. Have a nice day.