This is more of an observation than anything else, Iām not saying this to be mean to anyone or having a haha moment but more people need to speak up about how fandom spaces are being treated.
Fandom is supposed to be fun, a safe space for people to have discussions and share art or thoughts with people who share their passion yet now more than ever it has become deathly toxic to the point people are having to make private discord spaces because of it or are leaving something they love entirely. This is not okay. Itās not okay to spew hate at people over ships or anything else, itās not okay to call writers and artists despicable names to the point they are deactivating their socials and ending their comic runs because of fan behavior. Itās deeply disturbing to see the way some of you, not even some as itās a growing problem within certain fandoms, are treating other people. Iām not saying this sarcastically, Iām being serious when I say if a fictional character being shipped with someone other than their canon s/o is making you so irrationally angry that you feel the need to make disgusting comments under posts that arenāt harming anyone, you should take a step back or seek therapy. There are clear attachment issues going on here if you feel such despair over made up people.
Also for the newer comic fans popping up I want to emphasise that what happens in one run doesnāt mean it will be consistent in another. Your ships will be torn apart, put somewhere else and maybe come back together at another point, this is the way itās always been. Itās not serious enough to be crying over or hating on other fans or writers, editors etc. Marvel, DC and such do not care about the characters, the era of that is long gone, itās all about money now, being critical is always encouraged but come at people correctly. You are speaking to real life humans, agree or disagree all you like but you have no right in calling people terrible names or bullying anyone ever. The second you need to spew things like predator or groomer or that someone is misogynistic because the ship you like isnāt front and centre is the second your opinion is no longer valid. Thatās not okay, you should be called out for that particularly by the others in the fandom you are in and when that part of the fandom doesnāt speak up and instead encourages you, others in the community will ostracise you. Itās all well and good saying you donāt claim them or you arenāt like them but how are others supposed to know that when the majority of that side of the fandom is behaving this way? Call people out for being shitty, you donāt have to be mean, a simple āhey, thatās not okay and we donāt accept that in this fandom space.ā would do. More and more creators are moving on because of the treatment they are getting, soon enough the fandom will be dead and the same people who caused it will be whinging about not having any art or fics to read and thatās not including the professional creators who are being abused. Fandom space is about supporting one another, you donāt have to like everything and thatās okay but to actively go out of your way to be hateful to another person who is sharing something they love and doing no harm to anyone is not normal, you are the issue here. Do better.
Itās nice to have this confession space to air thoughts and grievances as it keeps people from harassing content creators because of your personal dislikes so also be mindful in how you treat the blog owners too. This is also a fandom space, these people are kind enough to have this space open for us so please keep it respectful for them too. Real life people should be more important than fiction characters or celebrities that we donāt personally know playing a brief role that will change when they retire etc. As I previously stated, if you feel such anger over other peoples opinions and ships you need to step back and get in touch with reality or talk to someone who can help you will whatever is triggering this response in you.
