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

[legaleagle53]

Yeah. It's offensive to me, too.  It's what makes me respect Jen and Colin even more -- the fact that they probably know about this crap but ignore it, go about their business, and even go out of their way to be nice to their fans despite the actions of a few crazies who apparently have nothing better to do.  It's much more than I would probably do under similar circumstances, and I consider myself to be a pretty easygoing guy.

[Featherhat]

My first very young encounter with "Real person fic" was Hayden Christensen/Natalie Portman before Ep2 had even come out, when they were rumoured to have dated. It also included their non famous (real life) families. I thought it was horrible and have stayed away ever since, not to mention the general cringe factor. One fic author I know and admire who writes RPF said "but you read my fic when it was labelled Padme/Anakin" and it's basically the same thing.

 

I still don't like it one bit, but people who write those fics aren't actually dealing with the real people, they're writing characters (sometimes) based on the vague personas of actors, or even just their character with the names and places changed. It's not hugely different from the types of TV shows which recreate political stories/ripped from the headlines without the permission of the people involved in the end. This isn't an endorsement but it's basically what a lot of tabloids do all the time. Now if you taunted an SO with your views that would be a different matter.

Edited January 10, 2015 by Featherhat

[Dani-Ellie]

One fic author I know and admire who writes RPF said "but you read my fic when it was labelled Padme/Anakin" and it's basically the same thing.

 

I'd quibble with that. (Not necessarily with the person because I would just not read it rather than argue about it.) It's not basically the same thing, because Padme/Anakin (or Emma/Hook or Snow/Charming or any other combination of Character X and Character Y) are characters. Natalie/Hayden (or any other actor/actor) are not. I like reading the further adventures of the characters on the show/in the movie. I'm uncomfortable reading the fictional adventures of the real people who play those characters.

 

This isn't an endorsement but it's basically what a lot of tabloids do all the time.

 

I'm uncomfortable with tabloids, too, for the same reason as above.

 

I don't know, I guess I just think about how I would feel if I ever found out someone was writing a story that had me hooking up with a married coworker (in the case of Colin/Jen, at any rate). That's ... problematic on so very many levels. And I get that the people who write it can say, "Well, obviously this isn't real, I'm just playing, here," but why not just keep it about the characters, then? Or write an original story based on the RPF idea and change the names to make it Pretend Actor X and Pretend Actor Y working on Random Genre Show Z?

[Serena]

To play devil's advocate, what's the difference between RPF and a movie like The Theory of Everything or The Imitation Game (just to mention the two most recent ones)? I would say the problem is not writing fanfic, per se, but the people who think those fanfics are actually real and tweet them to the authors.

[Dani-Ellie]

I have issues with biopics as well, depending upon the level of fabrication. In a way, biopics are worse because they reach a much wider audience with their falsehoods. If it's a pretty faithful retelling of the person's story with only a couple of things heightened for drama, okay. If it's a complete "unauthorized biography of Person X"-type movie (think Lifetime's Aaliyah movie and I'm sure the upcoming Whitney Houston one), then no, not okay.

 

At least with the ripped-from-the-headlines crap that Law & Order used to pull, they would change the names of the people and highlight the fact that they were dramatizing and changing the real story.

[Faemonic]

I would say the problem is not writing fanfic, per se, but the people who think those fanfics are actually real and tweet them to the authors.

 

It can get complicated. But it

. These works refer to a person without any ground rules for how personal that really would be. Maybe the public persona

to meet the challenge of a world full of people who won't change their mind about something they don't know anything about and can't be quiet either. The cost if it's not, weighed against the greatest enjoyability that could be derived from such text (filtered through my own personal bias of course) is why I draw the line on this side of RPF instead of between RPF and libel. This isn't to say that there isn't middle ground between repressing your personal take on things and people (which isn't healthy) and feeling entitled to gossip just because it's not harassment (which also isn't healthy), just that there's common ground to contend with. These people are real and we share a planet. If it were fiction, legend, coincidental resemblance, or even cleverly disguised direct inspiration, then I say yay because it no longer refers to a person who can suffer undeservedly from the volume of someone else having fun. A fictional character, on the other hand, is like a persona without an ego, or like a copy without a reference, and that's what I think makes them fair game.

 

Although, sure, there are some people who take characters in stories more seriously than some real living people take their public personas. It's all a bit vague, but these generally are my thoughts on the matter.

[daxx]

Someone I follow on Twitter made an epic post. Probably a bit rude, but people talking that way about Colin and Jmo deserve it, imo.

https://twitter.com/canadagraphs/status/557967631035011073

[Geeni]

That post could be applied to anyone who thinks ANY of the actors are together, to be honest.

[Souris]

Agreed. Well, except Gosh. ;)

[Alex]

Thanks for mentioning Gosh, because I was wondering how was Snowing (and Gosh) fandom before they said they were an item?

[Rumsy4]

That person who sent him the question was out of line, but come on... Canadagraphs is a set stalker/pap, isn't he? Him sitting on his high horse and calling someone delusional is the opposite of funny. So, apparently it's okay for him to stalk the set and take tons of pictures and videos of the actors, and troll the fans about releasing them.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Rumsy4

[YaddaYadda]

Isn't Canadagraphs a set stalker/pap?

 

Considering everything, are they not all set-stalkers?  I don't know if Canadagraphs is worst than the others, but whatever...people need to learn to separate reality from fiction.  This stuff is beyond awkward. I also have to say that before I started doing the whole message board thing...I never thought Canadians actually stalked actors and sets and all of that because it's so not part of the culture or maybe French Canada is that much different from the rest of the country.  I mean I saw Hugh Jackman walk down the street once near where I used to work (they were filming the last X-Men movie) and no one said boo to him.  

 

I feel like questions about actors' lives are a bit out there, but it really bothers me when I see people asking about their kids (like they do with Gosh and Colin) or their spouses.  Why does one even wanna know if Colin's family lives with him and if Ginny and Josh bring their kid on set.  It's just creepy and I don't understand the appeal at all.

[Amerilla]

You could argue there's a difference between paps and set stalkers. I think of the stalkers as people who are interested-to-obsessed with one or two shows or actors and hang out at open shoots for pics to post to their personal media feeds, or to get their pics taken with the actors. The paps in general seem less interested in the particular shows or the actors than they are getting shots they can post to their sites to drive traffic to their websites or build their visibility or social media reach.

 

From what I've seen, Canadagraphs is primarily an autograph and memorbilia dealer who secondarily does set photos of many of the shows and movies that film in Vancouver. "Once" is no different for them than Arrow or Supernatural or Falling Skies or any of the sets they haunt as their time allows. Posting set reports and pics is a way to get people to his/her site to see what they have for sale.

 

(For example, s/he posted recently posted set pics from 4x09, weeks after the episode aired, and explained the dilemma they run into with Once: the show tends to pack a lot into their location shooting, resulting a lot of pics that they don't always have the time to upload. "Whether its because of scheduling, or because something better pushes it back, there are some blogs that never get posted because once the episode airs, the viewership on them drops substantially....while SOME of you may still like to see the pics, the mass majority don't care & thus making a blog post for a couple hundred views, for the effort it takes, is time wise, not worth it." It's about the page views, period.)

 

This is not to say one is better than the other - just that it's a big tent, and not everyone is clustered around the same tent-pole.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Amerilla

[retrograde]

Yeah, that guy seems to be an autograph dealer and pap. I don't think he is invested in the show itself. He has said some pretty awful things about some of the actors on Twitter, and some of the fan set stalkers seem to have accused him of being a nuisance and making the actors uncomfortable. But that doesn't make what he wrote any less accurate. He didn't say people shouldn't gossip about the actors' personal lives and family members for ethical reasons (I agree he would have no leg to stand on there), he said the gossip itself and the line of reasoning (or lack thereof) behind it is stupid and delusional. He was a dick about it, but I can't say i have much sympathy for the question asker, either.

Edited January 22, 2015 by retrograde

[Shanna Marie]

You know you may be a wee bit extreme in your fandom when a pap is like "OMG WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU ARE YOU INSANE?" about your views. I don't expect it to influence the hard-core real-person shippers (because they're delusional), but those of us in touch with reality can probably rest assured that there's nothing untoward going on here because if the actors playing one of TV's most buzzworthy couples, one of whom is married, were actually carrying on an affair, you'd think a professional pap would be all over it with the slightest hint of evidence, and especially with photographs he could sell to TMZ, rather than saying, "Seriously? They're actors in a show, he lives here with his family, she's back to LA the moment she's done with work."

[daxx]

Canada graphs isn't the kind of pap that follows actors to the grocery store to get a shot of them. He is more an autograph hound. Sells on eBay, bought one in fact. So, not sure he would care about their personal lives.

[Geeni]

I think Canadagraphs is the guy who outwardly bashes the actors and makes up stuff about them if they don't stop to give him autographs. If he's going to be that childish about it, I'm glad they don't give him any, to be honest.

[legaleagle53]

I think Canadagraphs is the guy who outwardly bashes the actors and makes up stuff about them if they don't stop to give him autographs. If he's going to be that childish about it, I'm glad they don't give him any, to be honest.

 

So he's Canada's answer to Perez Hilton?

[daxx]

I think Canadagraphs is the guy who outwardly bashes the actors and makes up stuff about them if they don't stop to give him autographs. If he's going to be that childish about it, I'm glad they don't give him any, to be honest.

I did not know that about him. I had only noticed that he posts pictures of him getting autographs. I will remember that if I go looking for any more autographs :(

[sharky]

So he's Canada's answer to Perez Hilton?

He's not that cool. Back when I lived in New York, I would occasionally go to Letterman to see people come out after the show. I got REM's autographs that way. But in front of me was always at least two rows of pushy ugly balding guys in their 40s with binders full of head shot for people to sign. It was obvious they were there to get autographs to sell -- and this was the early 2000s so no Twitter or Facebook for them to post. So yea, it sounds like he's one of those guys. The actors know who they are and what they're doing there and I wouldn't be surprised if they were rude to him because he was pushing out real fans and hustling them for autographs.

[Featherhat]

I think it was Ewan McGregor during his SW years where he said it was always obvious who were the fans and who were they professionals. Because if they'd actually taken it out of the box the fans were only too delighted to have it personalised, and the pros just asked him to sign it " for their girlfriends" with only his signature in a place where it would be easy for them to scan and reproduce and how he absolutely hated that.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Featherhat

[FormerMod-a1]

Let's get back to talking about OUAT's fans, please.

[Souris]

Sean posed for the #NoH8 campaign against bullying and discrimination -- so of course the usual SQ Bad Apples are currently sending him hate over it on Twitter. Yeah.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Souris

[Geeni]

Jfc, what can they possibly find in a good cause to hate on him for?

[Dani-Ellie]

Even worse, the NOH8 campaign was started as a direct response to the passage of Proposition 8 in California ... which was the ban on same-sex marriage (which has since been struck down). So yeah, it's the epitome of ridiculousness and hypocricy.

 

The truly awful thing is, the NOH8 events are amazing. I went to one of their open photo shoots in Boston a few years back (so yes, I have one of those nifty pictures, too :)) and it was an absolutely wonderful experience built on togetherness and support. It's truly a wonderful thing but, as usual, these "fans" have to spread their vitriol.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Dani-Ellie

[Shanna Marie]

So, they're bullying someone for participating in a campaign to fight bullying, and attacking someone for standing up for same-sex relationships ... supposedly on behalf of a fictional, non-canon same-sex relationship.

 

Oooookay. Makes total sense. In crazytown.

[Faemonic]

So, they're bullying someone for participating in a campaign to fight bullying, and attacking someone for standing up for same-sex relationships ... supposedly on behalf of a fictional, non-canon same-sex relationship.

 

Indeed. They're attacking someone for being a vocal supporter of real life same-sex relationships, to protect their fictional ship.

 

If they don't like to think about it too much, he's just the face of the canon ball to their ship, but seriously. Seriously? Seriously! People have got to quit blaming and attacking the actors for the fictional characters they portray. If it's anybody's fault, it's the writers/executives! And that's not even really a fault! It's a job. In an industry.

 

Fandom retrograde and over-entitlement is just the worst.

Edited February 6, 2015 by Faemonic

[Serena]

Okay, I don't get it. I mean, I get that they just hate him because he's "in the way" - but they would never admit it. What's their "excuse"? They usually find a way to call the obstacles in their ship racist, homophobic or sexist. How are they doing it this time??

[Dani-Ellie]

From what little sense I could make of the ranting, they're claiming homophobia masquerading as not. Sample tweet:

 

"@NOH8Campaign @sean_m_maguire @OnceABC LOL He is NOT an ally #howoffensive I am actually physically offended by this lie"

Edited February 6, 2015 by Dani-Ellie

[Selina K]

I'd be really impressed if Lana Parilla ever stepped up and said, "I love all of my fans, but please quit bullying my co-workers," since she can apparently do no wrong, either in the show or on Twitter. She shouldn't have to because people should be grown ups and realize that not voicing public support for your imaginary made up character pair is completely not the same as being anti same sex relationships that are real and occur in real actual life.

[RadioGirl27]

From what little sense I could make of the ranting, they're claiming homophobia masquerading as not. Sample tweet:

"@NOH8Campaign @sean_m_maguire @OnceABC LOL He is NOT an ally #howoffensive I am actually physically offended by this lie"

I'm so disgusted. The level of delusion of this people is off the charts. I'm sure that if Matt Bomer was the one playing Robin Hood (or Hook), they would find a way to call him homophobic.

[YaddaYadda]

This hurts my heart.  Being put down and well bullied for taking a stand when it comes to social justice.  How about that!  Wow...

[Dani-Ellie]

This just speaks to the complete and total double standard of these fans. Lana does a NOH8 picture and she's a goddess on earth. Sean does a NOH8 picture and he's a liar and a fraud. It's disgusting.

[Shanna Marie]

So ... he's a liar and a hypocrite for playing the role of a man involved in a heterosexual relationship that they perceive as getting in the way of the same-sex relationship they want to see? Or is there something else about him I haven't heard about?

 

And these are the people the writers and actors are bending over backward to placate with hashtags and scripts?

 

I think a wiser strategy would be to strangle them with silence -- ignore them entirely and not give further fuel to the fire. Ban the use of the #SwanQueen hash tag among anyone involved with the show and stop putting Emma and Regina in any scenes together unless they're completely plot-driven and other characters are there, just to spite them.

[legaleagle53]

So ... he's a liar and a hypocrite for playing the role of a man involved in a heterosexual relationship that they perceive as getting in the way of the same-sex relationship they want to see? Or is there something else about him I haven't heard about?

 

And these are the people the writers and actors are bending over backward to placate with hashtags and scripts?

 

I think a wiser strategy would be to strangle them.

 

You had me at that last sentence.

[Souris]

They seem to think that unless you comport yourself 100% to their liking and say only things they agree with -- AND also vociferously lobby for SwanQueen -- you aren't a real "ally" and simply can't be a true supporter of LGBTQ rights. If you support CS or OQ, then clearly you're homophobic.

 

Sean has been clearly against bullying and discrimination, I'd say more so than any other cast member, but that's somehow not good enough for them. He's the only one who I've seen actively take fans to task for bullying Twitter behavior, like the ones who were tweeting nasty thing to Christie; that might be part of why they dislike him so much, that he won't put up with their crap. They're just ugly and nasty to anybody that they perceive as being in the way of SQ, which somehow they think they're entitled to. They really give the rest of the SQ fandom a bad name.

 

I keep hoping that their ugly behavior will finally cause TPTB to wise up and stop coddling them, but so far it hasn't happened despite repeated occurrences. They keep getting praised for their "passion," which to me is just assholeishness and only encourages them.

[YaddaYadda]

It does take balls of steal to sit behind a computer and spew venom at people just because.  Some people are in need of intense therapy.  

[RadioGirl27]

And these are the people the writers and actors are bending over backward to placate with hashtags and scripts?

Yeah. Neither A&E or any other person involved with the show (I'm looking at you Lana Parrilla) are going to do anything about this. Instead of calling this people in their bullshit, they are going to keep coddleing them and rewarding them, giving them episodes like Breaking Glass and scenes like the shots in Heroes and Villains. This only perpetuates their bullying behavior. It's like telling them "Hey, keep insulting our actors and we would give you what you want". It's disgusting.

[RedKeep]

To be honest, going by what I have seen of this particular group of "bad apples" or whatever one might want to call them, I think they are long past the point where anyone from the show trying to call them out on their behavior would still have any real, lasting effect.

 

These same people are quick to turn on Parrilla when she dares to interact with Maguire or supports her canon story and then, for a while, focus on Morrison and act like she is the one they truly care about and consider their fav. Until she does something that pisses them off too and then they switch back to Team Parrilla... it's a rinse and repeat process. And it applies to the writers too. Right now they think of Scott Nimerfro as their "ally" in the writer's room, a while back it used to be Jane Espenson.

 

The writers and actors should just block or at least ignore them on Twitter. That's the best strategy I can think of. It's always the same names involved in these things. Some might be so obsessed that they have or are willing to create multiple accounts. But in general I think blocking some of the "big" names that are well-known to anyone who keeps up with all things OUAT on Twitter would be a good start.

 

As long as some of the writers (Horowitz in particular) and actors keep engaging them, keep giving them attention every single time they try to start new drama? They'll continue.

[Camera One]

Like this pointless exchange, for example:

https://twitter.com/AdamHorowitzLA/status/563862299266412544

 

If you check the original poster's twitter, he's actually retweeting people who are telling him/her that Adam did nothing wrong, and retweeting Adam's responses rebuffing him/her.  It's really bizarre.  If only Adam would stop responding to these people and maybe respond to legitimate questions.  Has anyone actually asked him why there is so little Emma/Snow, and if there can be more of it?

Edited February 7, 2015 by Camera One

[Curio]

Adam should really stop tweeting altogether. Conversing with fans on Twitter is basically the equivalent of having an argument with a 4-year-old: you can use all the logic and reason you want, but you'll still lose the fight. Or maybe he should just stick to only posting set photos and episode title names.

[Camera One]

Or maybe he should just stick to only posting set photos and episode title names.

 

Don't forget those idiotic script teases.  "Hook! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

Edited February 7, 2015 by Camera One

[sharky]

I'm not sure if this counts as a fandom issue since it involves the guy who I think is an autograph hound, but that Larry guy was bitching on his Twitter to JMo and Lana for not coming out to sign autographs during a location shoot. That led to this exchange with a passive-agressive coda from Kat that made me giggle.

 

Katrina Tan ‏@katmtan  2h2 hours ago
@BastardSonVan Are you actually for REAL?? You should understand it is NOT their obligation to come out for you all the time!!!

 

Larry Andreutti ‏@BastardSonVan  2h2 hours ago
@katmtan Actually wanted them to come out for the other fans that never met then; I actually think of others now and then; you should try it

 

Canadagraphs ‏@canadagraphs  1h 1 hour ago
@BastardSonVan @katmtan no offense Larry, but you probably hinder their chances.

 

Larry Andreutti @BastardSonVan
@canadagraphs @katmtan yes, I'm beginning to think that too although I somehow doubt they'll be much better without me; maybe worth a try

 

Katrina Tan ‏@katmtan  1h 1 hour ago
@BastardSonVan @canadagraphs give it a shot then!

 

The thread is also here [starts with a spoiler about filming] and you can read Larry's Twitter feed here. I just find the whole thing a bit amusing. You know it's bad when another set visit regular calls you out for being too much of a set visit regular.

[AnotherCastle]

Rober Carlyle comes out of his Twitter hiatus for the Skin Deep anniversary and thanks fans.

[legaleagle53]

Meanwhile, Adam pisses off yet another section of fandom by rubbing salt into an old wound:

 

https://twitter.com/AdamHorowitzLA/status/566349921335246849/photo/1

[YaddaYadda]

Trying to take advantage of the horror that is 50 Shades and Jamie Dornan's possible impending stardom?  They would never do that!

[legaleagle53]

And to do it in such a tone-deaf manner?  Perish the thought!

[Souris]

Does Adam actually think that posting about Graham will in any way alleviate the anger of people who have been complaining that his murder by Regina was never punished on the show? Talk about poking a bear with a stick. Dumbass.

[RadioGirl27]

Not a very clever move. I mean, I didn't even like Graham and I'm still mad with the way his murder was handled, so imagine his fans.

[Serena]

You know, I'm pretty sure that script is proof that 50 Shades was in no way a downgrade for Jamie Dornan. It says "she didn't want to do it, but he made her." Let that sink in.