Fandoms Feel Exhausting

Just a rant. More thoughts of mine.

Fandoms nowadays feel so, gatekeep-y? Pretentious? Like it feels constricting to actually have fun in them nowadays. Specifically how it feels like I have to get a special degree to call myself a fan of something. Like I don't understand that. Why does it matter when someone has joined? Actually no, when people get on others for not knowing something and everything about a character they like when you tell them you're in said fandom too. How some others will take it as a personal attack when you have a headcanon that doesn't match a character. Don't even get me started on shipping. And obviously, people are entitled to whatever emotions they feel about these topics and their personal feelings about their favs and their own headcanoned dynamics. It's just rather exhausting. It almost feels like school. 

Like you can't control how you feel, and I'm not judging anyone who have especially heavy interests in whatever fandoms their in. But like in most cases there's like a way to control how you react if you find someone else's take displeasing. I'm not saying this has to be the standard for everything. I'm just talking. Like some people want to interact with other people with a common interest, but then are put off by people who are just casual fans and get all nerd emojis(and not the good kind of nerding out) I mean the ones who want to act like they're better than you because they spent more time in a fandom or know more about it than you. How do I explain... I dunno, it's just annoying when some people think there have to be qualifications to be interested in something. Like you don't have to be involved with everything that's apart of a franchise to call yourself a fan. You can admire the smallest thing and it'd still count. Like it's an interest, not a religion. 

I myself can't dedicate myself to knowing all the nooks and crannies of information in something I was interested in just for fun or casually. Like some people don't do it on purpose, and again, not shaming anyone who uses their interests as a comfort, or it's a special interest. I just find it draining and overall off putting to be in some fandoms where I feel like I'm being shamed for not being well versed and everything. Like special qualifications, standards, the expectations? No bro, I just like it. Don't be like those English teachers who force you to yank something out of your tushy to over analyze the tiniest things. I'm speaking for my own perspective. Like seriously though, why does it have to feel like there's special qualifications or being a fan? Like if others are linked in like that, cool. But don't push that stuff on me, it's so insufferable. Generally I find myself staying away from most spaces dedicated to the fandoms I'm in. Better yet, keeping my yapper shut about having some dumb headcanon about a character because oh forbid it doesn't fit how they are canonically and now someone feels they've been personally attacked alongside someone that's not even real. Like okay this is YOUR reasoning for feeling like this, they're YOUR comfort. But that's not an excuse to treat other fans who aren't doing anything wrong like they're less than you or trying to make them feel dumb. It's just so draining, like having the fun sucked out of 

Gosh there's so many other layers to cover about this, but I don't got the time. Just my thoughts again, wanted it off my chest.