#or who gets excited for tie-in media and sequels and remakes and fanfiction and spin-offs | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mangled-by-disuse · 6 months ago

Text

so one of the things that annoys me endlessly is this phenomenon where, when I say I like something, people assume that means I want more of it, a different version of it, add-ons and bells and whistles, and i'm just like

no.

no, when I say I like tea, I mean I like tea. Not herbal tisanes, not "tea with--", no milk, no sugar, no fruit, no frills, just good-quality tea in a range of fermentations and colours.

when I say I like a hot bath, I mean the bath. Not bubble-bath, not bath oils and foams and salves and unguents, not candlelight and music and a zen space to sensually relax with a book and a glass of wine, just a hot bath in a normally-lit bathroom where I can unwind and get clean.

when I say I like beer, I mean I like beer. Not fruit-flavoured, not with a special something-something added, for the love of GOD not sweetie-flavoured, just a well-brewed ale or stout in a simple pint glass, in good company.

and that isn't because there's anything WRONG with the add-ons! these are not bad things! I know that for some people, a tea advent calendar with different herbal blends, or a luxurious foamy scented bath with candles and music, is what they mean by "I like tea" and "I like baths". but it would just be nice if when I asked for a green tea, people didn't assume I mean "with..."

anyway this post is about lord of the rings: war of the rohirrim

#lord of the rings #fandom #TO EXPOUND UPON THIS #1) the most common pushback I have had on this is “but you like fanfic!” and i cannot express enough that i like WRITING fanfic #this is actually one of the biggest problems i have engaging with fandom. i rarely want to Consume More Of The Canon (But Different)#i have not read more than a dozen fanfictions in the past decade and honestly in most of those cases i read them out of obligation #2) I am not saying War of the Rohirrim is necessarily bad #i haven't seen it. i mean my expectations are somewhere around floor level but it could surprise me by being great.#2a) my problem is not with the existence of “canon fanfiction” media it's with the expectation (among friends) that i actively want it #i have not watched rings of power either and again it's not that i necessarily assumed it would be bad. i just. kinda don't care?#this is not the story of which i am a fan! this is a different story with a different direction! the world is not what compels me!#3) i am not shaming or judging anyone who DOES interact with fandom that way #or who gets excited for tie-in media and sequels and remakes and fanfiction and spin-offs #but as with tea and baths and beer it is very wearing to feel like i am somehow interacting with fandom Wrong by NOT wanting that?#like. to me personally it is enough - in fact actively preferable - to have a bounded and complete Thing and enjoy it #to the extent where i increasingly struggle with very long/multi-era shows like star trek or doctor who #i just want tea!#AND LIKE TO BE FAIR THE TEA METAPHOR GOES FURTHER #because i actually do really like some masala chais #and my tea shelf has roiboos and genmaicha and also just A Pot Of Mint none of which are “just tea”#the issue is not “i never want things that fit into the 'same but different' category”#it's “I want people to understand that when I say I like tea I primarily mean that I like plain infusions of camellia sinensis”#“I would like you to tell me which brands of PLAIN APPLE CIDER you have before running through the list of fruit flavours”#“having candles next to my bath stresses me out and that doesn't affect my love of baths because i can simply not light any”

3 notes · View notes