The more I read the reactions to the JenMish panel at PurCon, the more disheartened and nauseated I become. It is disturbing in the extreme to see how hateful people are being on both sides, over, and I cannot stress this enough, FICTIONAL CHARACTERS in FICTIONAL SITUATIONS. Are we still children fighting over how we play pretend? I literally don't understand the fandom divide over ships of all things.
A few things everyone can stand to remember: 1. Art is a tool we use to process what it means to be human, both in the creation and the consumption. This includes fan fiction/fan art.
2. As such, THERE IS NO OBJECTIVE ABSOLUTE TRUTH IN ART, AND ALL INTERPRETATIONS ARE VALID.
3. All ships have some kernel of truth in them, at least for the people who believe in them
4. You don't need the permission/blessing of the actors to ship the characters. Their interpretation is no more or less valid than your own. They do not own the characters.
5. Stop harassing actors about your personal interpretation. Reread numbers 4 and 5 as much as you need to to let it sink in.
6. A ship doesn't need to be explicitly canon to be important and transformative. And I say this as a rabid Xena/Gabrielle shipper in my youth. They never fully *went there*, but it still meant a lot to me as a young queer girl.
7. Destiel, Wincest, Wincestiel, Team Free Love, Sabriel, Samstiel, Samifer, (whatever the name is for Dean and Benny or Dean and Lee or Dean and whoever), Saileen, Samwena, etc., etc., etc. They are all meaningful to someone, or they wouldn't exist.
8. You don't like a ship? Cool, don't indulge in it. Move on and let other fans have their own opinions. There is literally no need to tear others down.
9. Lastly, specifically on the topic of Wincest: I have found the vast majority of those stories to be written by people who are using their Free Will™️(heavy irony) to process something, not by people fetishizing abuse. So close your eyes and don't look as you walk the fuck by because maybe, just maybe, not everything is written/created for your specific consumption. And FFS stop piling abuse on people because you literally have no idea who's been through what.
