A reminder to myself

It is OK to be interested in the things that I am interested in, in the ways that I am interested in them. If those around me don't get it, oh well, their loss. If they're mean and dismissive and shitty about it, then they suck and I should treat them in a manner befitting someone who sucks (e.g. I did once ghost someone for being mean about Gamera). If they adopt the kinda slightly patronising feigning interest thing... tbh I don't really know what to do with that but like I think it comes from a positive place of wanting to engage in social discourse with me.

There's the similar issue where the way I engage with something I'm interested in differs from the way others engage with the thing - e.g. when a fandom is Weird. I should remember that it is not necessary to change how I am doing things to match them, there's no particular reason why they're right and I am not. It is important to remember that people are weird or suck or gatekeepy or just kinda small-minded and I can just go "oh well they're weirdos".

I need to free myself from feeling like I have to meet others' expectations about how one learns things. It is very much totally acceptable to know about a thing from "I read about it online" and this is sufficient explanation for anyone who questions it. My habits around discovery of art and media are in fact Good Actually as they lead me to learn about more and better interesting things.