Fandom and Viewer Issues: "Fan" Is Short for "Fanatic"

[daxx]

I am more bothered by the girls that ask Colin to marry them. One even said she wouldn't mind sharing with Helen. Creepy.

 

Edited because apparently I cannot capitalize the first letter of a sentence anymore.

Edited November 2, 2014 by daxx

[sharky]

The "Wahey" came from Colin doing that ALS bucket challenge, which some fans paid a little too much attention to if you get my drift (actor in wet skin tight clothes etc. etc.) And yea, I don't understand the fans who do that nonsense about birthdays and hi and such as well, or the cancer patients and sick kids. I understand if they are fans and want a pick me up but it just seems like pandering. The actors are assholes if they don't single that person out, they're assholes if they only respond to select sick kids, and they're assholes for flooding feeds with lots of them.

[myril]

And yea, I don't understand the fans who do that nonsense about birthdays and hi and such as well, or the cancer patients and sick kids. I understand if they are fans and want a pick me up but it just seems like pandering. The actors are assholes if they don't single that person out, they're assholes if they only respond to select sick kids, and they're assholes for flooding feeds with lots of them.

 

Not all are real fans, some are just attention seekers, Sadly some of these alleged cancer patients, sick kids and people asking for birthday wishes are fraud, on Twitter as well as on Facebook. No idea what some people get out of that, clickbait, high follower counts to sell, the feeling of being a great troll, but unfortunately you really have to more than double-check on that. It annoys me particular in these cases, because they make use of empathy, an empathy some people really would need and deserve, but these fraud creepers make it hard to take anyone at face value. Some are rather obvious fraud, a few quite elaborate, but enough people fall for it, and celebrities are sometimes just normal people falling for such stuff as well. Info about one documented case here and here Saw actually an actress retweet that fraud tweet, but found the tweet odd, that's how I stumbled upon this hoax.

 

But still some real fans have a problem with respect and boundaries. Or should call them stans (stalker + fan).

Edited November 3, 2014 by katusch

[sharky]

Wow katusch, how horrible that clickbait nonsense is. That's internet sock puppeting at its worst. Of course, I was also a Twitter user during the great #StopKony nonsense back in 2012 -- and yes, I thought it was nonsense back then too when all the other morons were retweeting and giving that stupid charity money. [#imsmarthumblebrag]

[KingOfHearts]

I'm seeing a lot of Frozen hate on Facebook, and I'm not sure why. Some folks say it's dragging out too long. Is it because Regina isn't at the forefront...? I personally think Frozen is the best thing that's happened to this show for a long time.

Edited November 4, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[FurryFury]

Is it because Regina isn't at the forefront...?

 

Exactly.

[InsertWordHere]

I haven't checked out facebook, but in other places I frequent, it's not just Regina fans. There also some Stiltskin fans and maybe some Snowing fans, but I think the Rumbellers are happier now that they've had their Belle-centric (although I do feel for them that Belle has been so underused in other eps). The cut Regina scene from 1.02, along with the cut Henry/Gold scene and the "deleted (but not really) shot we saw in the 1.02 promo of Emma trying to embrace Henry at the diner were all edited out because the show has turned into Once Upon a Frozen Hook (I know he wasn't mentioned in the above posts, but I see the Once Upon a Hook complaints constantly), according to some.

Edited November 4, 2014 by InsertWordHere

[Dani-Ellie]

Maybe it's just because the Frozen stuff is bringing Emma to the forefront, but I've been loving it. And since I still haven't seen Frozen all the way through, it's not like I was predisposed to like it or anything,

 

I also think that Hook being so prominent is a side effect of bringing Emma to the forefront. He's part of her story so yeah, he's going to be more prominent than, say, Regina, who's only tangentially related to the Frozen stuff. I know some of the Charming Family fans are upset that Hook's getting the moments with Emma they feel should have belonged to her parents (like going through her box of childhood mementos) but I also think there are valid character reasons for Emma doing so with Hook and not her parents, so I'm not as bothered by it.

[KingOfHearts]

I can see why people might feel it's becoming Hook's show. In addition to Emma, he's probably on screen more because he's a popular eye candy type of character. The network loves that. I don't mind him, I just wish we could get more back story to fill him out.

I always love it when Emma gets the spotlight. Unfortunately, her fans aren't as loud and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I have a feeling the certain other characters will get their screen time in 4B.

Edited November 4, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Dani-Ellie]

I'm sure they will. This show is kind of cyclical in that regard, and I'm preparing myself now for 4B to have limited Emma screentime since we're getting so much of it now. (Who knows, maybe they'll surprise me, but I'm not holding my breath, basically. ;)) It would help if the show was able to handle an ensemble better but I also think some fans would do well to remember that this is an ensemble show, so the A-plot is going to (or should) rotate from character to character.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Dani-Ellie

[InsertWordHere]

Exactly, Dani-Ellie. We are just coming off the Regina-heavy 3B and the Stiltskin family issues ended up being the main takeaway from 3A, despite Peter Pan being Hook's origin story and the setup they had for Charming family issues. The Charmings haven't really had the spotlight since 2A, IMO. If Snow was being sidelined and GG wanted to work more, I would have issues with how things are going, but this seems to be working out with Goodwin's desired light workload. The vast majority of Hook's scenes are as an accessory to Emma and sometimes Charming or Gold. If it wasn't Hook in those scenes, it would be Charming or Snow or maybe Elsa. It would not be Gold or Regina. I wonder if the same people would be complaining if DQ's main plot was centered on Gold or Regina, not Emma.

[Rumsy4]

I think the writers have been focussing on Frozen the same way as they did with Zelena, but at least they've tried to integrate the backstories with all the main characters this time, even if it is contrived. With Zelena, her backstories were all tied to Regina. Even her connection to Rumple was a link to Regina.

I think the writers have created an imbalance in the storytelling by making it so Regina- and to a lesser extent, Rumple- heavy, for the past season and a half. To those who have Regina-fatigue, this season has been a breath of fresh air (except for the deep stink that was 4.05), but for Regina fans, they must feel the difference keenly. Snow and Charming suffer the most though, especially Snow.

[HoodlumSheep]

I feel so bad for Colin whenever I see those evil hashtags trending. Instead of trying to trend those things, I wish certain groups tried more positive trends like #MoreRumblePlease or something instead of character bashing. Killy is the boyfriend of the main character, so yes, he's going to get more screen time. Also, arcs do center around certain characters. Regina just had 3b and it sounds like she'll have 4b too. Rumple will probably be prominent in 4b too with how they are setting up the sorcerer's hat arc.

I'm just sitting here, twiddling my thumbs waiting for the day Snow becomes prominent again like in season 1, but you don't see me complaining about all the screen time Charming is getting (which he totally deserves all the screen time he's been getting lately).

Also, I too, believe Frozen has been good for Once. I've enjoyed the Frozen cast and will be sad to see them go. And that's coming from someone who is not fond of Frozen (I thought Tangled was way better).

Edited November 4, 2014 by HoodlumSheep

[RadioGirl27]

When we discovered that 4A was going to be about Frozen I was really wary, so I would have never imagined me saying this, but, really, Frozen (and the Disney executives controlling it) is the best thing that could have happened to this show.

 

About Hook, I don't think he is getting that much screen time either. He was quite prominent in "White Out" and "The Apprentice", but not that much in the rest. I mean, in the last two episodes combined he had no more that five minutes of screen time. Of course some other character fare worse, and I'm not saying he is not having enough screen time. But I just find this "stop once upon a Hook" complaints ridiculous.

Edited November 4, 2014 by RadioGirl27

[Souris]

It is utterly ridiculous. They think one minute of Hook is too much. I just hate that Adam seems to only pay attention to the screamers.

[KingOfHearts]

 

It is utterly ridiculous. They think one minute of Hook is too much.

I also know a lot of people who think one minute of Regina is too much. It all depends on who their favorite and least favorite characters are, and who you're talking to. Not defending them, just making a point. "Screaming" or being rude to crew members isn't right, I agree. I can just understand some peoples' feelings about screentime.

Edited November 4, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[unbrokensavior]

I just came across a "master list" of all the anti Emma things Lana has tweeted/said, and I'm really nervous this will cause a bigger fight than last summer's issue.

[Mari]

I just came across a "master list" of all the anti Emma things Lana has tweeted/said, and I'm really nervous this will cause a bigger fight than last summer's issue.

What happened?  (Because I probably should know, but have no clue about what kerfuffle you're referencing?)

[wingster55]

I'm suddenly curious of this list..mind directing us to it?

[unbrokensavior]

http://badass-savior-with-perfect-hair.tumblr.com/post/101788787919/lana-is-problematic

 

you can click the link I think.  It goes to where I reblogged the post on my blog.

 

*edited because I didn't know it would be clickable, thought it would be copy/paste

Edited November 4, 2014 by miley-avril

[daxx]

I have seen that master post since I follow the person that posted it. I do agree with it. Not sure it will cause any waves since the Emma stans are pretty low key and the evil regals cannot contradict any of the statements.

[unbrokensavior]

 

 

Not sure it will cause any waves since the Emma stans are pretty low key and the evil regals cannot contradict any of the statements.

 

I'm torn.  I sort of want it to at least bring attention to how delusional some evil regals can be... saying someone deserves abuse is NEVER okay, and I think that people should realize how one-sided the evil regal/ugly duckling "fight" is.  Jen has never (to my knowledge) said anything negative about Lana or Regina, except for canon facts about what Regina has done, yet a certain section of the fandom thinks it's totally fine for Lana to be throwing insults at her colleagues.  

[shipperx]

Two other possibilities:

- fans might view Jennifer Morrison as their "peer" due to her age and social media savvy and familiarity (false familiarity from reading all her tweets and thinking they "know" her), versus Robert Carlyle as more of an elder, thus more restraint and respect. Thus, the differential responses to them.

- Rumbelle fans may be largely a different contingent of people than the fans who are fanatic about Emma's romantic pairings.

I'm going to say one factor is the obvious - gender. Women are more likely to be harassed. Just look at the raging $h!tstorm of Gamergate.

[sharky]

Not necessarily. Colin seems to get harassed on Twitter at times as well. At the very least people bitch and moan about Hook, but there's also the faction that takes things over the line to the point where it would be considered sexual harassment if he was an actress and frankly is sexual harassment regardless. The difference is that Colin rarely if ever responds to it, which is why maybe it doesn't seem the same with him.

I think the biggest factor here is engagement. Jennifer and Lana respond to fan tweets about interviews and character development and all that. Colin just posts pictures of his dog and hanging out with other actors at soccer games. Perhaps he's more savvy or more shy or whatever, but that engagement gives off a signal of what he will tolerate and respond to compared to other actors.

[Souris]

I've noticed JMo seems to have stopped responding to fans much and everything she's posting is pretty benign, unrelated to Once and/or unlikely to get hate from the usual suspects. Way to go, asshats!

Edited November 5, 2014 by Souris

[Dani-Ellie]

Which makes me sad. If it is all related, I understand that she's doing what she needs to in order to protect her own emotional health and stress level; I'm just sad that it's come down to this. One small but over-the-top group of bullies (I'm not even going to call them fans, because no fan would spew the kind of vitriol they were spewing at her at someone they in any way respected) has ruined it for the rest of us.

[Emma]

I'm kinda glad Jen has taken a step back from posting about Once (other than the bts pics). Not so much because the bullies may have pushed her past her limit but because she's posting about her other interests. Sure, it's mostly a skyline, hanging with friends, a bts peek at a new photoshoot, little side trips, and so on. It might be a small thing but it's nice to see her outside of the show and what makes her happy.

[Rumsy4]

I made this anti-Outlaw Queen post on my tumblr, and suddenly so many Swan Queen fans are reblogging and liking it. Heh I guess this is where SQ fans and anti OQ CSers can find a common ground. ;-)

[Serena]

It's one of those things that makes you rethink your entire life...

[Curio]

I was scrolling through the ouat-spoilers tag on Tumblr to see if any new tidbits have come out recently (they haven't) and stumbled across a post that quoted our Previously.tv forum by name. We're getting Internet famous, guys! (Don't worry, the actual Tumblr post isn't spoilery.)

 

Apparently, we are "a forum that behaves like a Soap Opera Community board." I think that was meant as an insult, but all I can do is chuckle at the irony because Once is the most soap opera-y show to ever scene chew its way through prime time. Once forces other soap opera shows to take a look at their own story lines and they desperately try to create even more convoluted family trees and plots just to match Once's amazing levels of soap-ness. So I guess that means I'm totally fine chatting with you guys on a "Soap Opera Community Board."

Edited November 23, 2014 by Curio

[sharky]

From someone on tumblr? Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black? ;-)

[myril]

Yeah, it's so soap opera to think that there could be a friendship between Belle and Hook - because friendship between men and women always translate to romance, so no way we might have talked about something different. Okay, if not following our discussion or doing some reading one could miss, that in the relationship thread we don't talk just romance. LOL

Edited November 23, 2014 by katusch

[HoodlumSheep]

Wait, I'm confused, did one of us state that the only way Belle could be useful was for her to befriend Killy? I don't seem to recall that?

Also, in the twitter-verse one of the writers for the last episode (Jerome Schwartz, is that his name) got hounded a little because of the heart color business. Poor guy. Not sure if the other writer has a twitter account or not. He even stated that the production stuff wasn't part of his job so the heart purity thing was out of his control and the BA's seem to be twisting his words.

I just wish A&E would sit down and write some definitive rules about the heart nonsense.

[Camera One]

Also, in the twitter-verse one of the writers for the last episode (Jerome Schwartz, is that his name) got hounded a little because of the heart color business.

 

Out of all the issues with the last episode, the heart color was hardly the biggest problem.  For pity's sake, everything is about the ships to these fandom folks.

[retrograde]

Not that I care what some random person on tumblr says, but this:

 

Gross, but not suprised the Hook stans always victim blame Belle and act like she's the worst ever because she doesn't like Hook.

Incorrect. Far as I can tell, people here dislike Belle because she is So. Boring. And also because she is an apologist for her husband's BS. But mostly because she is boring.

[YaddaYadda]

Belle has become devoid of personality.  And the writers don't seem to care much for her because they have not built any type of relationship for her outside of Rumple.

[Shanna Marie]

I dislike Belle because she props Rumple and likes him. I'd feel the same even if Hook weren't in the picture. She's learned about Rumple doing evil things, has even seen him be horribly cruel, and she has no problem with this and still stands by him. That makes it hard for me to see her as a good person. In some cases you could consider her naive because she believes Rumple's lies, doesn't believe what others say about him and chooses to think the best of him, but when she's actually seen him do horrible things and it doesn't seem to bother her or change the way she sees him, it crosses the line to making her be at least a little bit bad.

[OnceUponAJen]

People I've persuaded to watch the show since S4 started, have also remarked to me that Belle is kind of useless. I think she has Stockholm syndrome.

As for Once being a soap opera.....so much yes. In fact, I call the show "my soaps."

Edited November 24, 2014 by OnceUponAJen

[Rumsy4]

Well if people have nothing better to do than link to message boards, and pretend they are superior in some way, rather than have actual discussions with us about it...

[Camera One]

I don't understand the concept of tumblr too much.  So people ask her questions, and she just posts answers to them one at a time?  Tumblr seems to have lots of __ likes this., ___ likes this, ______ reblogged this, etc., but no comment section?  Or are there comments but few people post them?

[Faemonic]

I don't understand the concept of tumblr too much. So people ask her questions, and she just posts answers to them one at a time? Tumblr seems to have lots of __ likes this., ___ likes this, ______ reblogged this, etc., but no comment section? Or are there comments but few people post them?

Tumblr does have a "says" section sort of, last I checked but I left because the commenting system really is just unwieldly. I do like to link to some fun, smart stuff: this OUaT essayist and these recaps, but with stuff like what retrograde linked, it's just, well--haters gonna hate. Hook-haters appear to have particular difficulty containing themselves, although that might just be my own sensitivity because I like Hook as a character, but it might also be because some Hook haters have particular difficulty containing themselves. And when that's just directed in general, even at the character who isn't real and so his feeling's can't actually get hurt*--then I'd take that as part of their own process of getting over whatever unpleasantness Hook stirs up, and everybody's certainly entitled to that. What else is fandom for? That, and the more positive manifestations of that. But when actual Hook fans are personally attacked for having a personal perspective that prefers a fictional character, or Colin O'Donoghue gets stalked and trolled on his chosen social networks just for doing his job, then I'd say we've got a problem more problematic than Hook. The same goes for any character fans or character anti-fans and do not get me started on the shipper wars.

* unless what The Mad Hatter said was true about there being no fiction, only real-life reports in the wrong parallel dimension

Edited November 24, 2014 by Faemonic

[Minneapple]

From that Tumblr post-

 

I have my opinions on Hook and CS, but I prefer to share those on my own private blog, or not at all, because I know that there ARE Hook fans who like Belle and who take issue with this sort of commentary.

 

So what, you're just going to shut your mouth because a few people are going to be annoyed by you on the Internet? I suggest you write whatever you want and own it (er...within reason, I suppose). And if you tag something and someone doesn't like it, then fuck them. It's your post and your blog and if people dislike it, well, tomorrow they'll be busy hating something else because it's the Internet.

 

Tumblr seems to have lots of __ likes this., ___ likes this, ______ reblogged this, etc., but no comment section?  Or are there comments but few people post them?

You can comment, but it's...a lot rarer than it is on a forum like this. In fact that's why I was sad when TWoP shut down. Sites like Tumblr and Twitter don't have that community feel that TWoP once did (even though TWoP toward the end was pretty much a shell of its former self). It's more like a lot of people shouting their own opinions into nothingness. Tumblr is a very visual site and features a lot of gifsets, a lot of really nice original art and fanart -- but for the discussion, no. It's not that great.

 

do not get me started on the shipper wars.

 

Pretty sure ship wars will be the beginning of the end of humanity.

[Rumsy4]

So what, you're just going to shut your mouth because a few people are going to be annoyed by you on the Internet? I suggest you write whatever you want and own it (er...within reason, I suppose). And if you tag something and someone doesn't like it, then fuck them. It's your post and your blog and if people dislike it, well, tomorrow they'll be busy hating something else because it's the Internet.

That blog seems to be a Belle appreciation blog. So, it was kinda... nice of the blog-host to not mouth off on Hook and CS so they wouldn't upset their pro-Hook/CS followers. But answering an ask that bashed "Hook-fans", and actually linked to an outside forum to mock them, completely defeated that purpose/belied that pretense, IMO.

Even if people post on their own blog and tag it appropriately, I think they still need to be careful of what they post. Nothing is private on the internet.

[Shanna Marie]

It's more like a lot of people shouting their own opinions into nothingness. Tumblr is a very visual site and features a lot of gifsets, a lot of really nice original art and fanart -- but for the discussion, no. It's not that great.

Okay, now I see why I don't get tumblr. I want the interaction and discussion. Even a traditional blog has comments where people can reply with something substantial and initiate a discussion. Tumblr seems more like a frequently updated web site that allows people to give you pats on the back. I also don't really like the idea of Twitter because it seems like it's impossible to get to deep in that character limit, so it encourages superficiality (and that seems to encourage outrage because it's easy to read a lot into something that has to be pretty vague, so if you want to be offended, it's pretty easy). Also, I'm old. And I miss Usenet and the days of the alt.tv forums.

[Rumsy4]

You should check out the imdb message boards ;-)

Twitter can be awesome! The 140 character-limit is not a problem, as you are not limited to one tweet. It can be used as a convenient chat device with online friends. Several web-shows use twitter to enhance the narrative as part of their transmedia experience. Useful for getting/spreading information rapidly. I follow several professional and amateur bloggers, newspaper columnists, etc., so I can access their posts faster. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, Twitter has many uses and applications. You can also make your feed private.

Tumblr is much more messy and has many issues. It has a weird format, for sure--it has features of both blogs and Twitter. You can add your comments when you reblog posts, or you can reply to a person's post, or you can send asks. I do prefer having discussions in forums to tumblr, but I do love the pretty gifs and artwork.

I'm hardly young--I'm in my mid-thirties, and there are several people of varied demographics that use both social media platforms, I assure you. It's not all bad. ;-)

Edited November 24, 2014 by Rumsy4

[sharky]

I'm having the same problem with tumblr. I had a great Office fanfic community that had an awesome message board and was really cool, but tumblr doesn't seem to really allow that. I keep debating whether to start my own Once fanfic board because it seems like there could be some great discussions and encouragement from writers but I'm still not sure. I also lament the loss of the old-school community and discussion that was encouraged by things like LiveJournal.

[YaddaYadda]

Pretty sure ship wars will be the beginning of the end of humanity.

 

I thought it was Twilight, but I'm down with your idea too.

[RadioGirl27]

Yeah, I like tumblr for the pretty gifs, the fan fiction and the art work, but it's not a good place for discussion.

[ShadowFacts]

 

I'm hardly young--I'm in my mid-thirties, and there are several people of varied demographics that use both social media platforms, I assure you. It's not all bad. ;-)

 

Yes, you are young.  I'm hardly young, but you are young.

 

 

 

I dislike Belle because she props Rumple and likes him. I'd feel the same even if Hook weren't in the picture. She's learned about Rumple doing evil things, has even seen him be horribly cruel, and she has no problem with this and still stands by him. That makes it hard for me to see her as a good person. In some cases you could consider her naive because she believes Rumple's lies, doesn't believe what others say about him and chooses to think the best of him, but when she's actually seen him do horrible things and it doesn't seem to bother her or change the way she sees him, it crosses the line to making her be at least a little bit bad.

These grounds for disliking Belle are becoming very similar to my grounds for disliking Snow and increasingly, Emma.  They have been directly victimized by Regina and still prop her.  I'm not a shipper and not much of a fan of any of the characters anymore, maybe Elsa and Ingrid but they are soon gone, alas.

 

[Minneapple]

I like Twitter (I actually love Twitter) and Tumblr for what they're good for, but they aren't good platforms for discussion or for creating a community forum. Since my real life friends don't care to discuss TV like I do (they think I'm weird), that's what I enjoy about a place like this.