As time goes on, the more I realize that one of the things I look for in a fandom is multiplicity of popular readings, especially with regards to shipping.  Monolithic fandoms tend to turn me right off, as a rule, or at least not hold my attention for very long.

Ooh, look, there I go, being pretentious again, what even does that mean?

Well, it means that:
… if most of the active fans in a fandom only talk &/or create transformative works about a single ship;
…if rare/crackships are actively devalued or even vilified;
…if only one kind of character is actively valued (especially if it’s only white male characters/actors and the canonical cast is more diverse than that);
…if actual/eventual canonicity is widely considered to be the primary value for a headcanon/ship (because, for most fandoms, canonicity is singular/monolithic); 
…if a few popular metas are treated as religious texts and required reading for anyone new to the fandom;
…if there used to be more multiplicity but somehow the fandom became more monolithic over time;

…THEN those are signs that often indicate a fandom that I will personally find off-putting, if not actively toxic.  The latter is even more likely if a fandom shows 3 or more of those signs.

Think of it like… gardening? or, more accurately, agriculture in general.  Monocropping, or the use of land for a single crop, is something that is super useful for those who value a certain kind of stability, but it also can have detrimental effects on the viability of the land over time, making that land less sustainable in the long run.  Similarly, I think that monolithic fandoms are less sustainable in the long run, because all of the fandom’s creativity is dedicated to upholding a single interpretation (or single set of closely-related interpretations) of the source material, which can easily be destabilized by one ~shocking~ sweeps-week decision by canon creators or one offhand joke in some behind-the-scenes interview.  

Moreover, monolithic fandoms tend to drive away ‘fringe’ creativity by newcomers who just want someplace to play with their own ships/headcanons for the fandom, and who may well have strengthened the fandom as a whole over time with their participation had they felt welcome.

And like, I know that some people think that it’s oymoronic that I’m both against ship wars and that I’m dead set against Certain Ships (or Theories) That Shall Remain Nameless (due to the behavior of their shippers/vocal proponents), but it really can be boiled down to this principle of ‘healthy multiplicity.’

I mean, I guess monolithic fandoms are fine for the kind of migratory fans who always find themselves in a fandom when it’s booming, but for fans whose timing is off (please note: this is an accessibility-of-fandom issue) or who tend to stick around a little longer, this kind of thing can be super detrimental to their enjoyment of fandom.

And it’s also important to note here that this is not a single-person issue, but a group-behavior issue.  Behaviors and attitudes in aggregate function differently than in isolation, so this is not meant to lay blame at any one fan’s feet.  It’s not unwise to interrogate one’s own biases and contributions to a fandom’s atmosphere of being welcoming (or not) to other fans with differing ideas, but neither is it essential to consider oneself solely responsible for a fandom’s overall trends.

But, of course, ymmv.

the solidarity between goths and all-pink femmes complimenting each others outfits in public is so important. society and my immortal teach us that goths and preps are natural enemies but it’s simply not true we are each others greatest allies in the war against boring fashion

I was once in town wearing my most punk, scenecore, aggressive outfit and walked past someone wearing the puffiest, frilliest, pastel pink outfit I'd ever seen and I just had to make a detour to compliment her!

I don't care what your clothing style is, if you dress as dramatically as that in any kind of outfit in public, you immediately have my respect!

I hate... fanon archetypes. You know how people sand down their blorbos to fit into the same handful of incorrect quote templates and then they forget their actual canon personalities because they've gone too long without engaging with the source material? I hate it. I hate it. He would not fucking say that. The joke was slightly funny when it was on the office or whatever but we've all heard it over and over with different characters pasted into it how are you still laughing please let me out

The funny character has no other personality traits. Also he's incompetent now. The one who's kind of prickly is just weirdly mean OR sad and did nothing wrong, take your pick. Gotta have the Sunshine Boy. Woman 1 is yass slay badass. Woman 2 is the rest of the cast's Mother. If there's only one woman, she can be both. Do you want to kill yourself yet

I didn't say a fandom but you thought of one, didn't you? That's because they all do this. All of them. You search the main tags for the media of your choice and you will find them there. The same incorrect quotes you've been hearing for years. It's like a time loop. It's my own personal torment nexus

it's not "am I good enough to do it?", it's "do I like it enough to be bad at it?"

Because what you do at first will always be crap. But crap makes good compost.

There’s no “I never had a bunk bed” or “we would sleep on the floor” getting out of it here. Take a hard stance and stick to it. I want people fighting to the death in the tags. Life is short and we don’t have time to not die on hills lads.

One of the worst parts of current internet culture is that it makes good old fashioned complaining so difficult. I don’t wanna cancel anyone or bully anyone, I’m not trying to form a hate mob I’m not calling anyone out, i just wanna bitch about something. Because complaining is fun, good for you, even. Is that too much to ask? Where is the room for shooting the shit?

Genuinely and unironically my philosophy abt music has expanded to “stop writing off music because it’s from a specific genre” and I think that could be applied to most mediums actually

Is country music really all bad or are you only catching snippets of christonationalist propaganda on the radio? Are horror movies always shallow torture porn or are you just thinking of trailers you saw for slasher movies? Are fantasy novels only for kids or was the last one you picked up Harry Potter? Is anime always fan service or are you just running into ecchi clips online over and over and over? Are you looking for good media or are you finding bad media and considering it representative?

because I'm endlessly curious: