Hi! I was gonna ask, how do you feel about the teen wolf fandom? Especially Sterek. I just feel like as soon as I post anything Sterek I lose a ton of followers (not that it matters but still) and get hate from it??? Do you have to deal with that? Any tips??? I used to love being in this fandom but now it's all negative and I'm not so sure anymore...
dear anon, i have been there. it used to get me down, a lot, especially when i would get hate, or incredulous anons like “why do u ship sterek they’re not gay” or “uGH STEREK SUX” and to start with it enraged me, i would try and argue my point, apply logic, defend my shipping choices, it was hard! and it would wear me down, stress me out, fighting the shipping fight when both the writers and other parts of fandom made a mockery out of you. it made me lose heart.
but then!!! then i realised i was never going to win against a grey icon’d anon. i was never going to make them stop. and i was never going to see a sterek love story in canon from baiting jackass writers. SO. i decided to own my choice. i decided that, ultimately, i shipped sterek for myself, for my own joy, and i could only respond with humour, with a whatrugonnado attitude. some tips:
1. find like minded people. i am not a multi-shipper. and sometimes, if you’re lucky, you find people who are also OTP only minded, and you can absorb yourself in their love for your mutual OTP. OR, if it’s more your bag, find multi shippers that are chill about sterek. find multi shippers that are respectful. and be respectful yourself! tag!!! and understand, we sterek shippers, considered “the v bad sterek fandom” are now a v careful bunch. we have our own circles. some of us have been very personally, individually singled out and hurt because of our choice to ship sterek. and it’s AWESOME if you do, A+ shipping choices, i’m always down to talk. but remember that the sterek fandom as it was, does not exist. we all found our own like minded people down to a v specific sort of sterek shipping. just as there is no longer one “true” teen wolf fandom, there is also no one big “sterek” fandom. some of us are v v V bitter and do not watch anymore, but only ship sterek in fanon (hey! that’s me! sterek reuniting off screen in the rain? hell yeah that’s me); some of us are happy with what we got and continue to watch (and are rays of sunshine good LORD what u guys must go through every week, shout out to izzie who is tw’s truly biggest fan still and makes me glad about it because it’s so enthusiastic and positive, she’s great a+ recommend izzie); some of us didn’t even watch the show, but liked the look of sterek (well played u guys, u missed SO MUCH crap) ANY WAY, what i’m saying is, some people are happy to talk sterek, others may have moved on, so, find the people who are still comfortable with the ship on tumblr (not just doing it on skype where there are hotel make out scenes discussed ~cough, g). if that makes sense.
2. don’t let anyone tear you down for shipping sterek. it’s a fictional pairing, but you are a real person! (unless ure not, dun dun duhh!!!) but seriously, if someone makes you feel bad for shipping sterek, they’re maybe not for you. if someone bitches about sterek on your dash, mute them, unfollow them, do whatever you need to in order to create the best, most enjoyable shipping experience for YOURSELF. if someone doesn’t tag, ask them, if they won’t, maybe find a way around it to avoid the other pairings, or just unfollow. if someone posts too much of a ship you don’t like, unfollow! just remember it’s nothing personal. you can still respect and admire a person, but not like their shipping choices. don’t let them bully you into changing your mind, or backing down. just as many people have asked me to provide multi ship headcanons or write multi ship fic, i’ve only ever said no, and that is my choice. and i’ve had great mutuals that have been respectful of that.
3. be your own champion. create your own safe sterek space. make up your own headcanons, find fics, admire art, BATHE YOURSELF IN STEREK. they are, ultimately, why i got so deep into tumblr, and i’m personally never letting go, so, it’s always gonna be here, and somebody telling me i’m delusional or weird for shipping sterek isn’t going to make me click my fingers and go “lol ‘kay now i ship stalia, u have cured me omg thanks” nah.
4. don’t take it to heart. it’s not about you. i think maybe anons that send hate hope to stop you or change your mind, but at the end of the day, it’s not their business what you ship, it’s their choice to follow you or bother you, and it’s not your problem, it’s theirs. let them pass you by, delete them, make your tumblr your safe space.
5. fuck canon. make sterek yours. they’re ours now, anyway. oh yeHA