#like creating the archive implies a level of capital-D Dedication

[naranjapetrificada]

i’ve seen the izzy anti archive post abt how they’re not even excited for s2 anymore bc the “gentlebeardies” have ruined the show for them. like i don’t want to tell anyone how to enjoy their fandom experience but they are very clearly just making themselves miserable by focusing on the part of the fandom that makes them upset and for their own sake i hope they take a break from the fandom and learn to re-love the show again. so to answer ur question, no i don’t think that person is ok sjsgjshf

Right! Life is so short (something this show and many of its fics have made me think deeply about and shed actual tears over) and it's a shame to spend so much time on something that presumably makes them unhappy? Although maybe it doesn't, it's entirely baffling to me so I can only guess.

As for "gentlebeardies" I've seen someone else ask this before but like, did people miss all the interviews where DJ and the cast talk about that relationship being literally the reason the show exists? We've all shipped non-canonically (in fact I would guess the overwhelming majority of queer ships in any fandom are non-canonical) but there's that and there's like, the level of resentment that makes you say "gentlebeardies" are ruining a show for you. That resentment is a little more understandable in other fandoms when there's been queerbaiting because of course you would resent a heteronormative canon there, but the canon relationship here is also queer. It just seems like such an outsized reaction.

Anyway I hope they maybe step away from it all if they need to. I've definitely been in situations before where being super deep in a fandom has taken the shine off the source material, which is always a bummer. In those moments it's always helped me to either step back completely or at the very least, take a break from fandom stuff to reengage with the source material that I liked in the first place. Never let fandom ruin something you love!