#not @-ing them in fandomy content that's not meant for them

[cactuslester]

“Don’t you get tired of over qualifying your words for random people on the internet” YES GOD SAY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(context)

thank you anon! like i really feel this so hard because like i know we often can't help caring what other people think and can't help feeling like we need to overexplain ourselves for a myriad of reasons, some of them being that social media culture has bred such an environment of like constantly performing and being scrutinized and scrutinizing others to see who is saying exactly the right thing in exactly the right way, and it's like, of course it's always important to be aware and thoughtful about what we say and how we conduct ourselves, but really sometime the black and white mentality goes too far, and learning how to distance yourself and care less about what others think is honestly so vital to enjoying your internet experience and feeling free

and when it comes to the phandom and talking about dnp's relationship specifically, i think a lot of people (mostly outside of tumblr, i feel like most of us here Get It) are still stuck deep in that ~2012-2016 mindset. and like i get that era did a number on a lot of us, but dnp themselves have moved on, and we're allowed to move on too. like so many people on here have already said, it's perfectly natural to think dnp are in a relationship because, lbrh, they've made it pretty much as clear as they can make it without outright saying it. dnp are very aware of how we as a fandom operate and think and know that right now, they're existing in a space where they can be just short of being explicit about their relationship, such that those who actively keep up with their content Know What's Up, but it's not enough for any tabloid site to pick up and run an article on and get the public spotlight trained on them again. given that, i think it's fair for us to pick up what they put down, and anyone in the year 2024 jumping down people's throats for saying they're together just looks silly, and it's time that everyone who still cares about what those people say to just stop caring

#like a lot of ppl here have said recently like #what was bad about 2012-2016 was the invasion of privacy from some ppl in the phandom or shoving things in dnp's face #like if you're not stalking them or their family members #not trying to find and leak their address #not @-ing them in fandomy content that's not meant for them #you're fine #dnp are two gay men in their 30s who have been in the public eye for well over a decade #who are now out and free #and frequently make jokes about their relationship #i promise someone on the internet saying they're together isnt committing a cardinal sin #which ik all of us here know #but i think this is something ppl on some other social media sites need to hear #anonymous #answered #phan