#I'm sure there's actually tinhatters our there who think like this lol

[dapg-otmebytheballs]

hot take: i think dan and phil live together :/

anon this is so toxic of you to spread misinformation like this we all know dnp are just pressured to pretend like they're living together because of the evil fanbase that's always shipping them 🙄 the phouse is fake don't you know? that's why they don't show a house tour it's just a set, they're neighbours at best please stop spreading lies 🙄🙄 /j

[quillquiver]

Feel free not to answer I just wanted to say I think the whole approach to "season 16" is very much so an age thing. I PROMISE that's not me calling you old lol I just mean a lot of people who are super into it are in their late teens/early 20s and a lot of the people who are super not into it are late twenties/thirties/whatever. I say this as someone in their early twenties having a blast. I think it might have something to do with how fandom/the ways fans interact with the works is evolving, like me and a bunch of us were on spn tumblr as 13/14/15-year-olds and grew up with that old tumblr energy that invited this sort of mania, whereas people who were older at the time or had been in other fandom spaces before didn't really participate in that. I think a lot of us are very self aware and "tinhat" because it's legitimately fun for us. I'm not criticizing you at all because I totally get what you're feeling, your posts on it just made me think a lot about this.

No, this is great! I am definitely from a different generation of fans - and I’ve noticed a divide in age as well. I guess I’m just curious how people have the energy? Or is it that things aren’t taken so personally?

For context: when I started in fandom, it was something that had an element of seriousness and responsibility because it had to be - it wasn’t something talked about, and you didn’t flaunt yourself because you didn’t want to drawn attention to yourself or the community for legitimate fear of getting your shit taken down and being slapped with a lawsuit. I started at the very, very end of that, and because it was hard to find, and because there was community responsibility involved, there was a code of conduct that had to be learned and adhered to. So like, being a fan is serious to me, and it’s an important part of my identity.

I have been in SPN fandom for the better part of a decade, and on tumblr for longer than that. So I know that energy! It’s great! I just feel that it’s shifted from motivating fanworks to encouraging this weird grief spiral, where everyone constantly seems to be angry and upset, and then couch those emotions in social justice in order to legitimize them - when, to my mind, feeling them should be legitimizing enough! Fucking revel in your emotions, this is a space built to process them, specifically. We made a space for ourselves to do that.

I guess I feel like a lot of engagement in fandom just feels very high stakes now, when it used to be this really nice, low-stakes environment way more conducive to relaxation. Sure, there would be serious drama that would kick up every now and then, but it was never sustained like this. I saw posts of people who seemed to be legitimately upset there was no new drama from the KoC podcast - and I’m confused, because before 15x18, drama was something we all generally agreed to try and avoid. Or at least, we knew exactly who was wont to create it and steered clear if that wasn’t our thing.

But this is everywhere. I’m not kidding; I have probably unfollowed more people than I ever have because I’m trying to get my dash somewhere back to normal and nothing is working. Almost every other post across my dash involves some kind of academic theory or willingly buys into network conspiracy--Jensen’s silence is sexy, but given the atmosphere in the fandom right now, is anyone actually surprised he or Misha haven’t spoken up? No one knows what their NDAs look like, and if it were me, I’d keep my trap shut out of sheer self-preservation. 

And like, I love tinhatting. I have been cockles a cockles tinhatter for a long-ass time and I enjoy the hell out of it. But - and I’m definitely gonna sound old here - I feel like there’s an element of respect, not only for the cast, but honestly, mostly for the community at large, that seems to have been obliterated in the SPN renaissance. I think that because lots of young folks grew up at a time where fandom was generally widely accepted, and now are being catered to, and they have forgotten that this is an actual community, and that what one person does reflects on all of us. Tagging the cast in shippy posts? A big no-no. Because I can tell you right now that the person you’re tagging might see your username and think of you as an individual, but you are part of a community that has been Perceived for a long-time, and your behaviour reflects on alllllll of us. 

And last thing, I swear, but like. The posts. The posts that just say the same thing in different words: from different blogs, from the same blogs, all with this air of manic self-importance that ratchets my anxiety up to 11.... what is with that??? These things rack up hundreds of notes and I am mystified because not only have we covered this years ago, we covered this last week and the post is dated 30mins ago. There’s this obsession with being right and finding the truth and being smart and just rehashing that over and over and it’s exhausting to me. 

And I know I am currently coming off as an old fart who’s complaining about young people and screaming get off my lawn but I am genuinely curious: Is it that I just take things very personally? Is it that everything rolls off you loyal s16 followers? How the hell do you have the energy for this? Don’t you want to process your grief? Are you grieving? How do you interact with works? Like, how, from your perspective, is that changing? 

These are legitimate questions, and this was very long, so if you’re reading this I’m sorry. 

[surflove808]

I'm in complete agreement here. And I've got thoughts.  Shocker.

A: It's very difficult for me to imagine a 10 yr old boy having this dialogue with anyone... ever.

B: If this conversation was an invention by the OP to have a laugh, get attention for their ship or get notes by using their children to prop up their own headcanon... I have to ask, when is it ever "cool" or "funny" to use a 10 yr old to faux-legitimize a ship? Even if you're just fishing for attention for your Destiel Thang, this seems a bit, you know...much.

C: If this conversation has legitimately happened (heck...even if it hasn't), the whole "start them young" tag is soooo very creepy. Surely you have sexually mature friends your own age you can push the Good Ship Lollipop on? I would hope so.

Let's try a new slogan, shall we? Something like "#Start them when they're physically and emotionally mature enough to process fact vs fiction and adult sexuality as represented by artists/creators vs. interpretations by a subsection of the general public. Or just not at all."

That's way too long, I know. 

Hmmm... how about "#If you have to indoctrinate children and use your status as a parental figure in order to 'build an army' for your ship... Maybe it wasn't meant to be."

You know what? I'm fucking horrible at catchy tags. But contrary to what some of you might be thinking, I actually am very fun at parties!

Bottom line OP, I'm sure you're a great parent. I'm sure you were just being funny.  LOL, amirite??  But really, this might/could be a good wake up call for ALL shippers that take it too far. Who have lost the line between fact and fiction. Canon and headcanon. Decorum and infamy. This goes for you asshole Tinhatters who run anti blogs picking apart every aspect of these actors lives/wives/children/etc too. I see your bullshit and it's even uglier, albeit more covert.  

OP, I know you didn’t mean any harm, and I think we all know that.  It’s just.... maybe think a bit more about what you’re putting out there into the world.  “Raising the next generation of Destiel shippers”?  WHY.  IS.  THIS.  IMPORTANT.  ENOUGH.  TO.  DRAG.  YOUR.  KIDS.  INTO?  Or encourage anyone else to do the same, for that matter...

Ship away. I personally support the freedom to do that.  You can ship Dean Winchester with a doorknob if that's your kink.  But I'm damn tired of being force fed with the constant snickering innuendos posing as "fact", the threats, the infighting, the outright misinformation campaigns aimed at skewing perspectives of new viewers towards one ship or another as opposed to encouraging people to just enjoy the damn show for what it is and letting them interpret it however they want without pushing (you name it) agenda 24/7.  

The bombardment route is a tricky campaign to wage, people.  And it's a disingenuous and underhanded one at that.  "It's not a Tulpa"  (Dean doing his best Schwartzenegger impersonation).  I do think it's possible to manifest your thoughts and intentions into reality to some degree, but are we really wasting that energy on trying to butt into someone else's creative endeavor and life's work in order to be "right" about a theory?  Is it THAT fucking important that you get picked first at kickball??  

What if we stayed in our lanes a bit more?  Stopped being destructive.  I mean... is that possible? Can we do that?  Since when did this become a competitive sport? I know, I know...I tagged all sorts of things, but I’m just following your lead, people.  Sue me.  Show me a better way.  Lead by example.

I love this show and this whole crew as much as the next person. I'm invested...but even I've gotta say, ChuckDamn...

Get a grip.

This heller's conversation with her child is weirding me out.

A doll-face sent me this oddity she found in the main tags.  

@destielstuffandthings is the quintessential heller.  She is a notorious mistagger.  Her meta is ridiculous.  And she lies.  Look at this whole post.  This entire conversation is made up. [[I am sincerely hoping its made up.]] 

This felt very awkward to read. 

Which child gives a hoot about shipping?  They are still little and don’t care about love and romance.  The whole conversation was teetering on fake for me, until the daughter’s line gave up the game.  I doubt this clown even has children.  At least, I sincerely hope that she doesn’t. 

@destielstuffandthings:  Kindly keep your stupidity off the main tags.  The fan who notified me about this, said that your nonsense is all over the tags and it is annoying, so stop.  She and I both felt weird about this post.  And if you are a parent, then I worry for your children.  You sound weird.  Starting them young?  Are you mad?  And if, at the off chance, your child did say something like this, then the only logical reason as to why he did, would be that you are feeding this vulgarity to him.  You are inadvertently indoctrinating him.  Stop!  This is bordering on abuse.  Children don’t need to know things like sex and romance, before they mature.  Horrible mother!!!!  What is wrong with people???

@destielstuffandthings left this message for me, regarding this post.