"Media good, Fandom bad."
28/9/2024
This is a quote that I often hear in online spaces, "I really like [media], but ouugh the fandom...OUUUUUGH THE FANDOM!" Despite it being memed a lot, I agree with it. Many great media pieces have been criticized for having unwelcoming fandoms and forming stereotypes of nuisances, resulting in many not liking them, thanks to their fanbase. It's why, nowadays, people in online spaces have a DNI list, and it generalizes an entire fanbase of video games, shows, and even literature in some cases. One example I can think of is Regretevator. I like the game and enjoy the content produced for it. Yet, I intentionally avoid the fandom and partaking in anything related to it aside from commenting or posting something I made related to the game. The fandom is 20% hit & 80% miss. While I don't know how to describe most of the fanbase without sounding rude, it's best to say they're loud, very sanitized, and have some form of troubled past. I'm not saying everyone who loves the game is like that. It's more so that you'll find them hanging around more. Finding a group that likes the game and not falling into the majority type could be challenging. Enjoying content without interacting with the community is okay. Still, it can leave a sour taste when considering the media. However, I don't know about the perspective of someone who never touched said media but had a horrible experience with its fanbase. Thanks to what the fanbase did to me in 2019, I always think negatively about Homestuck. It's a long story that deserves a blog post on its own. But to cut it short, I never want to interact with or consume anything Homestuck-related because of it. I'm unsure if it's hypocrisy regarding the quote or justifiable if they've harmed you, but who knows? We all think differently, after all.
