if there’s one self-care skill I really wish fans would develop – especially fans of continuing media, where you get into a thing before it’s finished – it’s the ability to say “this is no longer the story I wanted it to be” and walk away
(and I am not exempting myself from this! there are definitely periods in my past media engagement which would have been less negative for my mental health if I’d been able to do this, rather than banging my head in increasing frustration as the story veered further and further away from what I had always thought its arc was supposed to be.)
you gotta marie kondo this shit. if the story no longer sparks joy for you, then let it go. and you can grieve for that! that loss of potential, that happiness you might once have had with it. you can be frustrated and sad and bitch about it in your group chat. but you have to let it go.
because the alternative is trying to force the creator to change course to comply with your vision and historically? the success rate of that is very, very low, and far more statistically likely to result in the destruction of the thing entirely. which might sound tempting and satisfying in those moments of frustration but in the end, honestly, is not going to make you any happier. (and is definitely going to make other people unhappier.)
what will make you happier is finding some other story that is more like what you wanted. because it’s a vast vast world out there, and people are creating stories and media faster than ever. yes, even queer media, yes, even PoC driven/led media. no one person will ever be able to consume them all. find something out there that brings you joy, that is the story you wanted. and the rest? let go.
