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(Disclaimer: this is not a sub tweet or referred to anything in particular, just a general reflection 
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When consuming media I am always fond of the watsonian pov: whether it’s a fictional narrative or a public persona performance. For me they are both forms of craft.
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When consuming media I am always fond of the watsonian pov: whether it’s a fictional narrative or a public persona performance. For me they are both forms of craft.
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So, in the same way I like to process fiction through my own emotional landscape, regardless of the author’s intentions and what is official canon, I also like to process public personas the same way. Like characters.
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“The author is dead” and “I don’t know this person’s private self” are the same mindset to me.
Public personas are a deliberate behaviour that serves a purpose. Usually they are based on some elements that are already there, in order to be sustainable.
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Public personas are a deliberate behaviour that serves a purpose. Usually they are based on some elements that are already there, in order to be sustainable.
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But it’s still a performance. And I relate to it that way.
I allow myself to focus on some behavioural aspects instead of others because I relate more to them. I enjoy having headcanons where I explore subtle motivations or internal turmoil.
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I allow myself to focus on some behavioural aspects instead of others because I relate more to them. I enjoy having headcanons where I explore subtle motivations or internal turmoil.
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Like a would do with a fictional character.
And I keep that line clear by avoiding any public behaviour or comment or post that could damage the actual human behind that public persona, because that would be an entitled dick move.
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And I keep that line clear by avoiding any public behaviour or comment or post that could damage the actual human behind that public persona, because that would be an entitled dick move.
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That’s why it’s really hard for me to open up or connect with other people in fandom, unless we share a similar emotional landscape and process lens.
(In my case it’s the venn diagram intersection of old, queer and neurodiverse. Plus kinky, for flavour.)
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(In my case it’s the venn diagram intersection of old, queer and neurodiverse. Plus kinky, for flavour.)
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Because I know that for some people the mere idea that their fave character/person may be something different from what they decided they are, is very discomforting. And they tend to react in an aggressive way when confronted with a different opinion.
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I have conflict-related trauma. I just don’t have the emotional tools to process it and I don’t want it in what is my space of decompression from real life.
So... yeah. That’s me. The person probably having an unpopular opinion about your fave.
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So... yeah. That’s me. The person probably having an unpopular opinion about your fave.
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But we don’t have to argue about who is right. The author is dead. We don’t know them. Every opinion is valid. Just live and let live. Mute, unfollow, block. Curate your corner of fandom. Be nice to each other.
We all have our pain and our wounds.
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We all have our pain and our wounds.
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And we’re using fandom to soothe them or purge them or transform them, through stories and headcanons and meta-analysises.
We’re all valid. We all deserve the space to do that.
~
(Thank you for reading this and thank you if you’re one of those people I can talk to.)
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We’re all valid. We all deserve the space to do that.
~
(Thank you for reading this and thank you if you’re one of those people I can talk to.)
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