jemariel:

jemariel:

rosemoonweaver:

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

I want this tattooed on me. 

Seriously, I don’t know when or why people started insisting that a ship has to be canon, will be canon, or deliberate to be worthy of enjoyment but I wish it would stop, frankly. You can love a ship where two characters are or aren’t written romantically and you can love ships where characters have literally never met in canon. Hell, one of my favorite ships in this fandom has a character that was essentially invented by the fandom! It’s all fun and worthwhile. 

If you’ll allow me to wax poetic for a minute, I personally think there’s a lot of value in admitting when you’re looking at the show through a specific lens. Like, if you’re being analytical and looking at it through a more “literary” perspective you can and should be aware of the lens you’re looking through when discussing certain tropes, themes, and elements. Like, you could legitimately look at SPN through the lens of modern American gothic (esp the first 3 season) and if your analysis starts to wind up a little….Fall of the House of Usher-y (I wonder how obscure a reference that’s gonna be) and it makes people a little uncomfortable with the implications… well that’s a valid reading. A reading that emphasizes destiel isn’t better or more correct than a reading that says everyone on SPN is doomed Greek-tragedy style. Basically, I really think the text can lend itself to all kinds of discussions about which characters fulfill which tropes in different genres (and I would adore getting into these conversations with people. Seriously. Give them to me any day of the week). 

I mean, generally, if you’re looking for destiel subtext you will find it. Same with sastiel or wincest or wincestiel or whatever. And there isn’t any shame in admitting you’re looking for it. There isn’t any shame in acknowledging it, either. What there is a bit of shame in, imo is giving people shit for reading things through that specific lens or claiming that your interpretation is the only right one. 

Okay, mini rant over! I agree. There is no shame in using ships to enjoy a show and there is no shame in admitting you’re only interested for certain ships. 

Send me unpopular opinions

*rallying cry*

I had more to say on this subject and my brain won’t let me sleep until I say it.

The other thing about this, with shipping specifically, is that by holding on so tightly to the idea that your ship is intentional or must be canon, you end up giving WAY too much power to the showrunners over your enjoyment of the show. The powers that be are under no obligation to do anything. But ultimately it doesn’t matter because the best part about fandom is getting to play in these samdboxes ourselves. Fanfiction, Fanart, gifs, manips, cosplay, fan mixes… whatever your flavor, it’s taking these toys and running with them. A good show like Supernatural will give you amazing toys to play with. It gives you building blocks. Whether you use those blocks to make a castle or a train or a city is up to you. Endless creativity. Endless combinations. That’s the joy of fandom. None of that alters the building blocks themselves, but it doesn’t make the creation any less lovely, or the act of creation any less joyful.

There is a great argument to be made that the story does not belong to the author, but to the reader. A story is only half complete until it is enjoyed by an audience. As such, it is entirely in our hands to decide what is important and what happens next. That’s what fandom *is.*

As a side note, by adopting a “ship and let ship” attitude, you avoid a lot of infighting with your fellow fans, and we’re all just here to have a good time, right?

“ship and let ship” is by far the best way I’ve found to engage with fandom and the shipping aspect of fandom, specifically. Getting bent out of shape over whatever other people are doing, especially when it’s something dumb like shipping, is not worth it. 

I would say that I do believe too many people give TPTB too much power over their enjoyment. Like, these people drop the ball at times. They’re never going to write it the way that you would, or in a way that will make everyone feel satisfied or happy. But that’s what’s awesome about fandom! YOU can write it the way that makes you the happiest! And absolutely, from an English nerd/”literary” standpointa story is nothing without the audience. It’s scribbles on paper or light on film without someone who cares. The author(s) make a thing, but the audience gives it meaning. (And multiple meanings, at that!)