you know that tumblr post that goes "I don't want my fantasy media to be realistic, I want it to be convincing"?

I think a corollary to this is I don't want my fandom experiences to be unique, I want them to be sincere

That's why I enjoy reading the same tropes over and over again. Those authors are writing those stories from a genuine love of both the tropes and the characters.

It's why I enjoy 17 gif sets about the same 3-second interaction on screen. Each one of those sets was pulled and recoloured and captioned and adjusted because each one of those gif makers wanted to capture that moment and celebrate it.

It's why every "I'm glad you enjoyed it" reply makes me smile when I get one on a comment I left. Because I know replying to comments is hard and kind of awkward, but I also know that the author really *is* glad and I'm happy that I could let them know I enjoyed their work.

I love things that are new, sure. But I also love things that have been done a million times already because I know the person doing it loves that thing too. I love the love they're showing. I love the genuine joy and celebration and community it fills me with.