Gates open, come on in

Pink Floyd is my favorite band. Has been for decades. If you quiz me on the band members or the early albums? Nah not my thing. I love their work but it's not a goddamn trivia contest. They were just some dudes who did awesome work and were in the right place at the right time.

"Oh you like Pink Floyd? Name every song!"
"Nice try, but you forgot Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict".
- So I thought you were joking with that title and... ugh. Good thing people grow over time.
- I didn't know what that album was until I saw it for sale for 4$ at the disc store back in 2005 or so... can't say if I was disappointed or not... it's quite a trip to listen to!
Music fans seem to be the hugest gate keepers, the sort that wants to cross examine you when you wear a band tshirt.
"Oh, so you like Nirvana ? Name 5 of their songs"
"What ? They're a band ? I just thought it was a cool tshirt logo when I saw it at target"
That usually shuts them up 😁
Yeah sometimes lightning in a bottle happens, and a group of people are a conduit for something awesome.
I'm not against appreciating the work the people but into it, but. I guess no but. That's fine, too. Just not my thing.
Like I don't worship Carmack and Romero because of Doom, even though I'm obsessed with the game.

"I bet you don't even know the name and story of this obscure character that appeared in the background for 2.7 seconds, so you actually are not a real fan of [name of TV show, movie, book, etc]"

That's R3-T7 you're thinking of lol
Yeah but gatekeeping sucks.
O really loved it when yoda killed Captain kurk. Finally a Victory for Hogwards!
- Then you must really love the fact that a space alien from the future, posted a message in our time, from the fastest man alive.

You're allowed to ignore toxic people.

What if you have a bad memory and blank when you're put on the spot, so you like something but can't remember why you liked it when someone asks

This happens to me when someone asks what happened in the book I just read.
- "Idunno, people discussed things and stuff took place, I guess? 🤷"
I met a band I really liked, and told them so. Dude got defensive and was like, "Yeah sure... name the album you like!?"
Motherfucker I stream music I don't know album names. It was the first or second one, but now I nothing you. Still don't remember it, now the band name. Vapor

Only if you’re a dude. Fangirls MUST know every fact possible.

Rule.

/s

That's really stupid and it also seems to be what some people think.
Just like stuff, you don't have to prove to anyone that you like it by knowing a bunch of trivia. When someone asks you about obscure fact #278, ask them when they last got laid and fucking walk away. Those dipshits aren't worth your time.

But I enjoy learning all about the things I'm into.

Right, but the point of the OP is that you don't have to learn everything about something if you like it. You still can if you want to
You're allowed to geek out or nerd out about anything too. People who tell you to "get a life" for showing your interests and passions are no better than the gatekeepers of fandoms.
That's fine, just understand other people are allowed to like those same things without knowing everything about them.
- I don't want to share what I know about the stuff, I'm like a nerd knowledge dragon, hoarding my knowledge in a cave so no one else can see it.

Wait. I'm allowed to like a book series without running the 2nd largest Discord community for them?

Fuck, I'm doing it wrong ig.

Which book series?
- Dragon's Justice of course!
  /s

Some people can't tell the difference between liking a thing and hyperfixating

My ex was crazy into motorcycles. She would go ballistic when I said I also liked motorcycles and would always turn my head if one was going by. Thank fuck that's over

Same with hate I guess

For example, I hate The Flash. The only two things I know is that he's a mama's boy who breaks the multiverse out of grief, and the actor is mentally ill.
- I made the mistake of listening to Twitter. All the rhetoric around the release time convinced me the movie was going to be terrible and full of super weird CGI.
  I watched it. It really wasn't. The CGI was only weird when it was fitting for the story. Even the baby in the microwave made sense in context. The movie itself was actually better than the DCAMU's Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (though that's a bit of a low bar because that movie is probably the weakest part of the DCAMU.)
Its ok to hate people youve never even met

Isn't fandom and being a fan just an abbreviating expression of being a fanatic?

A shorter version would be "you can like stuff without being a fan"

For example, I'd say that I'm a big fan of Iron Maiden, but also that I like synthwave.

Maybe etymological roots or whatever but most people mean they just like x thing so they are a fan of it
Yes. It was originally an idiomatic overstatement, like how not when people say they “Stan” someone they’re not literally rifling through their bins and sending vials of bodily fluids through the post. Mostly,

I like the tweet even though I don't know the author of it

I love the Judas Priest logo and Electric Eye, but am just not a fan of metal in general. I have a Judas Priest shirt that feels really unfair to wear, because people will come to me thinking they've found a kindred spirit, but nah, my appreciation is as shallow as a fine fine crêpe

Just don't go all MAGA cult without knowing the basics about democracy and the basic platform differences between republicans and Democrats. That's how we end up with fascism and regret.

I'm not understanding what prompted you to go all Mr Political on this post lol

This guy is clearly not a real fan.