You know that moment when you were a kid and you had pretty much figured out that Santa Claus wasn't real, but you wanted to believe in him so badly that you hadn't fully accepted it? That seems to be how One Direction fans are reacting to Liam Payne going solo. Some of them are still steadfastly optimistic that there is still hope of 1D getting back together and are refusing to think any differently, some are on the bubble and nervous about what this means for the future of the band, and some of them have lost all hope. They're like the kids of the playground who are so devastated that they believed in something that wasn't real for so long, they're screaming it at the top of their lungs so their classmates find out as well.
And part of what's interesting is that I don't know where I fall on that spectrum. Part of me stopped trusting in the lads the moment we lost Zayn Malik, and my fears were only confirmed by the hiatus and Harry Styles beginning his solo career. But, the rest of me really wants to stay optimistic that One Direction will make it work. Mostly because I want new music for them, but also because I refuse to accept that they would have misled me by continuing to insist they'd get back together when I was fighting my own theories that they wouldn't. All I'm saying is that it's a roller coaster, and while I'm sure at the end of the day all we want is for these good sweet boys to be happy, there's been a vast array of responses. And they go a little something like this.
This is the overall response in a nutshell: yay but it hurts!
A little shade from some people.
Eternal optimism from others.
Sometimes with actual video evidence to back themselves up.
And some people starting to get a little suspicious.
Or wishing they'd just pull the Band-Aid off and have it over with.
Some Directioners were worried about Niall Horan being abandoned by all his friends...
Or feeling betrayed themselves.
Hey, but maybe all of this is NBD.
Or maybe today is the end of our lives as we know them, and nothing will ever be the same.
So, yup, a vast array of reactions. And if there's one thing I can say about this fan base, they're having all of them, and they're having them loudly. Me personally, I'm keeping my fingers crossed in a cautious display of optimism, and also looking forward to hearing Payne's solo material. The best of both words, and it keeps me from tearing up.
