not to be all "old man yells at cloud" but i think that fandom being less lowkey of a subculture has led to this odd dynamic of interacting with/seeking acknowledgment from mainstream creators whereas, back in the day, we'd all be skittering away to hide at the thought of that

like, think of situations where actors get harassed for not liking a ship or for being a “wrong” addition to the canon — and on the other side, shit like queerbaiting that comes from writers who are aware of these very active fandom subcultures

fandom should go underground again I wanna draw my little pictures and write my little stories and not have anybody “known” look at me

the fact that everybody who liked this thread is mid-20s minimum.... The Energy.