Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

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


Emma
  • Start Topic

Recommended Posts

 

Regina can't have babies. I know it's this show, and they will probably find a way to reverse that, like have drink water from the well, or something, but right now, Regina is barren. They should take that into consideration.

As far as I know, parts of their fandom had been hoping for them to have a little girl to add to their family of boys long before the show officially made Regina barren in that weird episode at the end of last season. And Parrilla and Maguire had both commented on wanting Regina and Robin to add to their family and how nice it would be for them to have a girl on Twitter and in interviews too, I believe.

 

Now, all of that doesn't mean they were promised anything and personally I don't see why anyone would desperately want for their favorite character to have a baby to begin with since babies on adventure type shows are pretty much always a bad idea.

 

But giving fans something they wanted, but in a way they most certainly didn't want it is something Kitsis and Horowitz do have a history of. And while some fans are certainly always way ott when it comes to these things... I honestly have a bit of a hard time blaming OQ fans for being so very, very done with this absolutely terrible trainwreck fo a story that seems to get worse everytime they touch it again. God knows i am and I'm not shipping anyone on this show.

Edited by RedKeep
Link to comment

I don't get how wanting a baby girl is something specifically original to the OQ fandom. Hasn't there been parts of the Captain Swan, Rumbelle, and Snowing fandoms who've been hoping for that, too?

Edited by Curio
  • Love 1
Link to comment
I love that person in the replies going "She just assumed you were a Swan Queen shipper!" when that person's Twitter name was JMoSwen. Yeah, Leanne took a huuuuuuge leap there. And why are they always threatening to block people? Last time with Jim, now Leanne? None of those people will ever tweet them unless they're tweeted first, so what does that accomplish?

 

But some OQers are being ridiculous (some spoilers there) too, claiming to be stabbed in the back because they had apparently asked the writers to give OQ a baby girl named Hope (which, way to steal your fanfiction from the Originals) and the show decided not to take story ideas from fanfiction? 

Whenever somebody's rude on Twitter it's usually because of a bad apple Swan Queen shipper. Shipper profiling! That Tweet was a hate crime against all lesbians (except for those scenery-chewing, job-stealing Sleeping Warrior shippers and Mulan Rouge.)

 

Although, it does surprise me that there are OQers  OQers are making sound furies, and over that. If it happens, can Hope be the reincarnation of Hook's guardian angel Clarence? And I want the Enchanted Forest to have an upgrade from medieval stasis to steampunk. Don't stab me in the back, A&E.

 

I can't take anyone seriously who calls a shipper group as privileged. If I as a woman of color is only privileged because of shipping a fictional couple and does nothing for me as a person of color than no thanks.

Denial of lived experience is one indicator, as is relative, situational, and intersectional privileges...but I would also look to the numbers being crunched in terms of demographics in economic strata, disproportionately affected by legislation, and pan-media representation. Statistics which this doesn't have. Because the academic world has systemic oppression developed over several generations, specifically honed against a specific ship in The Best Worst Show That You're Not Watching. Oh, wait, no: It's because this is a fandom.

 

I don't want to be the jerk that denies somebody's lived experience but I totally would wave my hand up and down in front of some people's faces to try to see if they still live on earth.

Link to comment

I feel like Adam's been put through the ringer today. And by a lot of tweets it looks like from shippers. One even tweeted the amount of screen time each ship has gotten so far in 5a. Ugh. Why can't they understand that characters (at least the lucky ones) have to take turns for some spotlight (it might not be good spotlight...). Like, this storyline is *supposed* (work with me, people) to be about Dark Swan, so I don't see why OQ per say would get a lot of screen time at the moment.

Edited by HoodlumSheep
  • Love 1
Link to comment

Well you reap what you sow. He's gotten exactly the type of fandom that they wanted. You know the section of fans that cries at a failed kidnapping, not for the kidnapped child, but for the kidnapper-murderer that got their plan foiled when the child wanted their dad instead of a kidnapper? Or you know when they practically jumped on a couch in glee and patted themselves on the back when fans got mad at the family that didn't invite separator of said family to their first family reunion dinner? They really can't complain when their whole fanfiction revolves around how Woegina is the biggest victim ever and then fans are constantly pointing out instances where Woegina is getting "victimized" again.

  • Love 9
Link to comment

Adam courts these kinds of "passionate" interactions, and thinks there's nothing wrong with it. I hold him partly responsible for the entitled attitude the the Bad Apples of the fandom possess. He may not be responsible for the way they act, but he is responsible for fanning the flames by responding to their rude and bullying behavior.

 

Those BA entitled fans (not just SQers I may add) get encouraged to take the same tone with the cast and crew and media people and bully them as well. Other examples are people tweeting "f*** you" to Adam whenever he posts anything they don't care about, or yelling at media people like Leanne, who are in no way connected to the show! I don't understand why Adam likes these unpleasant interactions. It's weird. 

Edited by Rumsy4
  • Love 4
Link to comment

So I just wanted to start by saying I've been reading these forums for a while now, but this is my first time posting. I started looking into these threads towards the end of The Season That Shall Not Be Named (season 4) because I was honestly starting to question my commitment to the show. The posts and comments I saw from rabid shippers across the fandom online were certainly not helping. And then I discovered the Previously TV forums! Seriously, the wit, humor, and respectfulness of this forum made last season a lot easier to swallow. With that being said, I've noticed that most of the comments from this season mostly Hail Captain Swan, and basically piss on everyone else, especially Regina (And A&E). I remember being so amused by everyone's comments last year, mainly mocking the show's storylines and wonky storytelling, but now all I see is unadulterated loathing for Regina, Rumple, and everyone who isn't Hook or Emma. 

  • Love 7
Link to comment

With that being said, I've noticed that most of the comments from this season mostly Hail Captain Swan, and basically piss on everyone else, especially Regina (And A&E). I remember being so amused by everyone's comments last year, mainly mocking the show's storylines and wonky storytelling, but now all I see is unadulterated loathing for Regina, Rumple, and everyone who isn't Hook or Emma. 

 

Thanks for posting!  It's always nice to see a new face.

 

Sadly, I think people might be fed up with more and more characters as the show wears on.  Rumple, for example, was still very salvagable at the end of Season 3.  But they really destroyed him in Season 4, which makes it difficult to enjoy his storylines now.  But there are still some posters who aren't only into CS!  As someone who likes Charming, Henry, Snow and all the supporting cast members like Granny and Grumpy, I understand your frustration, but try to hang in there with us!  It would be great to hear some of your thoughts about the show too.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

I don't think people here hate Snow (or Charming, etc. Exception is Regina). They hate what's been done to Snow. I was a fan. I WANT to like Snow. But even the most passionate Snow defender must admit, IMO, that the writers have done a number on her, and they don't seem interested in fixing it... they don't even seem to recognize there's a problem. 

  • Love 6
Link to comment

I feel like season 4 put the final nail in the coffin for many concerning Rumple and Regina. I know it did for me. They still have their moments, but I used to enjoy them well enough in season 3. I love Charmz and Snow, and the side characters they introduce. I honestly think more of us have a problem with some of the poor writing (which involves a lot of Rumple/Regina stuff) than the characters themselves. The toxic fandom doesn't help me like certain characters either.

I hope you stick around though, Janelle!

Edited by HoodlumSheep
  • Love 5
Link to comment

I have to say that IMO there have been some posts recently that have sort of crossed the border over into rudeness. This board heavily slants in the anti-Regina spectrum, but some anti-posts have taken a personal tone which I don't think adds anything to the discussion nor does it make the boards a pleasant environment. However, I think the mods are doing a great job in dealing with those kinds of posts quickly. 

  • Love 4
Link to comment

^ yes, they are very efficient, because I always end up missing out on the drama. One minute I'm checking the threads and the next thing I know there are apparently a handle of posts that have been deleted.

I wish the BA's would have the decency to at least wait and watch the episodes before they bash on the writers, etc. You never know; we could luck out and some of the stuff might turn out slightly better than we thought it'd be.

Honestly I'm looking forward to the mid-winter break in hopes that it'll give enough time for some of the fandom to blow off some steam.

Edited by HoodlumSheep
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Thank you all for your replies! I totally understand your frustration with this show and its writers because, you know, its THIS SHOW. I've personally decided to move past season 4 since I've realized it might actually be hazardous to my health to dwell on that mess of a season. I just try to blame the writers more for character's crappy life choices because honestly it they can do it, so can I. I also think that somewhere between the season hiatus A&E must have FINALLY had that Come To Jesus Moment because Season 5 is IMO the best we've seen since Early Season 2. 

  • Love 7
Link to comment

Agreed that it's general fatigue from the show/characters not improving that's causing issues.

 

I also think that somewhere between the season hiatus A&E must have FINALLY had that Come To Jesus Moment because Season 5 is IMO the best we've seen since Early Season 2.

 

 

Disagree, that description ("best since Early Season 2") still goes to 3A for me.  IMO, 5A is just like 4A: good but not great.  

Though hopefully, it'll have a better finale than 4A did.

Edited by Mathius
  • Love 1
Link to comment

I remember being so amused by everyone's comments last year, mainly mocking the show's storylines and wonky storytelling, but now all I see is unadulterated loathing for Regina, Rumple, and everyone who isn't Hook or Emma. 

I actually stopped watching because...Captain Swan was beginning to bore me. I'm just sticking around to keep up with the fanon. My loathing for Regina is adulterated (I still think her sass is fab, but the show doesn't do sass in moderation: it gets mean and homicidal, and then I've got to back away slowly) and Rumple's S4 arc was so, so, so wasted. He could've been something interesting. I wanted him to be something interesting!

 

Snowing. Umm. Are still there? Jared Gilmore's growing into his acting skills, I heard.

 

From what I've seen, S4 actually left a whole wave of negativity in all the sub-cultures of the fandom. There was an active effort here earlier this year for attempts to stay positive, and maybe it's too early into the new season to recover from what S4 left in its wake? I might get back into watching because I've heard that Ruby's coming back and I love love love her it has been too long. And

I hope they handle Mulan slightly better.

Always hoping.

  • Love 4
Link to comment

 

Like, this storyline is *supposed* (work with me, people) to be about Dark Swan, so I don't see why OQ per say would get a lot of screen time at the moment.

See, I think this is where the approach the show is taking with this half-season arcs is flawed and a constant source of frustration for viewers. Regardless of whether one likes them or likes the story they're stuck with, OQ had a massive bomb of a twist thrown at them last season. So benching them and refusing to explore the aftermath of said twist because they can only ever develop one story at a time is... problematic. And I do think their inability to balance their stories well is something that deserves criticism.

 

I don't read reactions of shipper fans outside of this forum and what I come across on Twitter sometimes, but if I imagine I were invested in the OQ story I'd be frustrated with how it's being handled too. I wouldn't even argue that they need a ton of screentime, but it is ridiculous that the characters had a grand total of 1 conversation about Zelena's Marian trickery and the pregnancy and that, too, was rushed and took place last season.

 

It's the complete absence of meaningful conversations like that, because the writers have half a dozen of new guest stars to deal with and most of the screentime is devoted to pushing the overarching plot forward, that I find disappointing overall, too. Because it affects so many characters and reationships. I don't understand why they refuse to write stories that cover 22 episodes instead of 11. It would make it so much easier to add more balance and structure to their writing and the Dark Swan arc would really lend itself to a full-season story.

 

Most other fans I know watch for their favorite characters/actors/relationships at this point and not for shiny new Disney toys every couple of episodes and when Horowitz and Kitsis keep promising every season that they'll return the focus to the core cast, but then a bunch of core characters are pushed aside again in favor of guest stars and plot, plot, plot... I can relate to the frustration. Fans on this show have a bit of a hard time voicing their crtiticism well, but then again Twitter isn't an ideal medium for it anyway. There's a lot of over the top aggression in Horowitz' Twitter feed every week, but I do think it's a bit of a "reap what you sow" situation as well.

Edited by RedKeep
  • Love 7
Link to comment

I do understand some critics about OQ and Snowing with Emma relationship less for SQ because 4b was heavily focused on them and 5x5 was too. I am not sure if still valide, but I read that Regina screen time is near Emma this half so not sideline like 4a. Rumbelle had a significant focus last year too ( good or bad) and 5x6 was big for them.

Concerning OQ and Emma relation with her parents by the spoiler for 5b it seems that will be more about them and CS will be separate for some episodes.

So, if I do look at the big picture I really believe it was the right time for CS to have focus and I am not sure if this arc is that CS heavy in screen time. They have signifiante scene and their relation appear to be the focus of the arc.

But, for me the narrative is organic and maybe the problem is Regina and Rumple narrative was too much too fast. I mean, how many times Regina can save Robin? and everybody? or Rumple and Belle reconcile? For me personally it is already enough!

But I still having not see Emma save Hook, maybe in 5b? and I will miss Emma- Hook interaction while she is doing it but I will not bahing the writers or twitter maybe just ff the scene that bother me like last year.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I think the reason OQ aren't even talking about anything regarding Zelena's pregnancy is because the writers realized they made an oopsie with this one. I think they wanted to have their "awesome" twist that Zelena was Marian, and didn't think further about what the pregnancy meant until people started pointing it out to them.

 

I think a lot of times, they get stuck on an idea they deem to be genius, and don't look at it objectively.

  • Love 8
Link to comment

I would suspect that some of the more recent less welcoming to other viewpoints attitude that might be showing here comes from the fact that because this forum has become known as less pro-Regina and more pro-Hook and Captain Swan than a lot of other spots on the Internet, it's started to draw some trolls. I don't think anyone seems to mind someone having a different opinion as long as those people are willing to discuss their opinions and perspectives. But there have been a lot more people lately doing what look like drive-by postings throwing out things no more nuanced than "Regina was awesome, Hook sucks, I hate Captain Swan" with no reasoning or thought, just to stir things up. The drive-by postings that seem to be nothing more than trolling get deleted, but responses that don't violate any codes of conduct don't always, and the result if you read the forum later is that the posters seem to be more hostile. And after so many trollings, people may be instinctively more defensive and less open to discussion.

  • Love 5
Link to comment
I don't understand why they refuse to write stories that cover 22 episodes instead of 11.

 

 

Because these writers only can do that with proper preparation. Otherwise, you get a Season 2 situation all over again.

 

Writing stories for 11 episodes is fine.  The real question is why don't they actually DO that, instead of still writing stories that cover 22 episodes and then squeezing those stories into 11 episodes?

Edited by Mathius
  • Love 1
Link to comment

I have no issue with someone having a different opinion from my opinions. That makes life interesting. What i mind and what has gotten to me lately in this fandom is the name calling and statements that are just pure crap. I happen to be a big fan of Bex Mader. I met her a few years ago on the set of Devil Wears Prada and found her to be one of the best people I've ever met. I was looking at her posts today for ET and people are making comments about not wanting to watch the show because of "Captain Rape." 

 

I get that people get offended by random crap. I get that some people just love to hate watch shows. I get that there are trolls. But what gets to me is the fact that these people are belittling people who have been raped.

Exactly this. Here's a GOOD post on Tumblr about it. I took fiction as a safe space through which to critique people position in the world, psychologically and culturally. When fandom takes on that much fervor and directs all that noise towards people for whom it means something, I've notice two things happen: 1. no more "movement rights" that acknowledge autonomous individual rights, and 2. ideological purity that attempts to stake its claim on fiction as an absolute and inarguable reflection of is fans or anybody else who interprets the fictional medium differently than they have.

Edited by Faemonic
Link to comment

^ probably. I had a dream that OnceUponAHook was trending on twitter (OnceUponATime was trending way above it though--what does that mean?). Basically I'm sad the anti-sentiment has begun to invade my dreams. :(

Edited by HoodlumSheep
Link to comment

Sounds like it. If these people were not on the shipper goggles they'd see how good that episode last night really was. I don't think you even have to be a Captain Swan fan to see that. Their was a big bombshell dropped. In any other show that would've gotten the audience jumping. The writers actually tried last night. lol But because it's this audience all they seem to think is shipping is important. For once someone on this show legit did something questionable and it was their main heroine.

 

What's annoying is those same people will watch the next episode and be bitter just because they are not getting their way.

Edited by mjgchick
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Polldaddy is super easy to cheat on so it wouldn't surprise me. However, SpoilerTV uses a different poll system and the results are equally torn between the best and the worst ends of the voting spectrum and most of the reactions I've seen on Twitter have been very torn between loving everything about it and rejecting it completely for a number of reasons. Technically all polls can be manipulated and technically people could create dozens of usernames on Twitter to create the impression that their opinion is backed up by a certain number of people... But generally speaking it does look like the episode(s) generated very polar responses in fandom, to me anyway.

Link to comment

Also remember that I think the AfterEllen poll is going on or just finished. It doesn't take much to edit the bot code and use it for something else. Plus, these grade polls don't get as much attention as the relationship polls, so it would be easy to manipulate.

 

ETA: And yep! Looks like you're all correct. Seems some SQers mobilized to vote on both the SpoilerTV and TVLine poll.

The amount of Captain Swan they’re shoving down our throats is getting ridiculous. The others ships like Rumbelle, Swan Queen, Snowing and Outlaw Queen deserve a better plot and more screen time.

Let the producers and writers know what you think about the last episodes sending them messages via twitter:

OUAT | Adam Horowitz | Andrew Chambliss | Jane Espenson | Jerome Schwartz | Brigitte Hales

Don’t forget to vote:

TV Line: Birth

TV Line: The Bear King

SpoilerTV: Double Episode

Edited by sharky
Link to comment

Polldaddy is super easy to cheat on so it wouldn't surprise me. However, SpoilerTV uses a different poll system and the results are equally torn between the best and the worst ends of the voting spectrum and most of the reactions I've seen on Twitter have been very torn between loving everything about it and rejecting it completely for a number of reasons. Technically all polls can be manipulated and technically people could create dozens of usernames on Twitter to create the impression that their opinion is backed up by a certain number of people... But generally speaking it does look like the episode(s) generated very polar responses in fandom, to me anyway.

But that's probably thanks to how divided the fandom has become. As of late you have CS on one side and the other is SQ, Rumbelle, (even more OQers seem to be jumping on board with the anti-CS stuff), and I imagine some Snowing fans are jumping on board too with how Snowing is getting treated. Granted this doesn't apply to everyone in those fandoms, but from what I've seen on tumblr, the fandom has gone from sort of getting along to being fractured 60 different ways because of 60 different ships to having certain ships basically team up based on certain sentiments, so now the fandom's becoming more divided in 2 rather than a zillion different ways.

But that's just my opinion based on what I've seen in the parts of the internet that hang out in.

Edited by HoodlumSheep
Link to comment

I think what's sad is that these people are shooting themselves in the foot by doing this intra-fandom torpedoing. This won't lead to changed story-arcs--but it might lead to early cancellation.

Link to comment

Life's too short to get that upset about a TV show.  I got mad at Angel when Charisma Carpenter was fired.  I just quit watching.  I didn't go to message boards or blogs to complain about it.  Just quit watching and moved on.  

  • Love 2
Link to comment

It may also lead to A&E assuming other negative, un-tampered polls aren't valid as well. So if one day the majority ACTUALLY thinks an episode sucks, they may be like "Oh, it's just a few trolls with bots."

  • Love 5
Link to comment

Yeah I just quit when a show doesn't let me escape the real world. I've quit so many shows because it just wasn't fun to watch. I get hate watching but when you are cyber bullying then you need to check yourself.

  • Love 5
Link to comment

The issue with this show is that the half season arcs are so different from each other that there's always hope that a certain pairing or fandom will get the main focus at some point. This forum was a negativity nightmare during 4B because most of us hated the direction the show was going in, but 5A is completely different now that the tone and character focus has changed. If we're allowed to complain about the nonsensical Author plot that made absolutely no sense and the terribleness of Emma sucking up to Regina for nearly an entire season, I can't be hypocritical and get angry with other fans who now happen to dislike this current arc, even though I happen to enjoy it. The only time I get upset is when the fans take it too far and call each other names, personally attack others in private messages, or get nasty with the writers and actors directly on Twitter.

  • Love 4
Link to comment

That's what we're saying. Hate watching and hoping you get your way is one thing but cyber bullying and tampering with polls is silly. Trending Once Upon a Hook is a ok in my book but when you give the actors, writers and apposing fandoms death threats then you need a timeout.

I loathed the Author plot but you won't have any receipts showing me going to Lana, A&Es Twitter accounts bashing them or threatening their lives. That just takes to much time. lol

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Maybe I missed something, but I don't see anything about using bots in that tweet. The original poster is trying to rally the troops, so to speak, to block vote and generate a result that's more to their liking. But while I would consider that silly and a waste of time, it hardly qualifies as cheating or as confirmation of anyone even going so far as to use bots on a silly little internet poll like that. And organized block voting is something I've seen every single corner of the OUAT fandom do before. If that's what Mitovich is talking about, he's definitely overreacting and I find it impossible to believe that it's never happened before in TVLine polls with all those passionate shippers that read their articles.

Link to comment

If that's what Mitovich is talking about, he's definitely overreacting and I find it impossible to believe that it's never happened before in TVLine polls with all those passionate shippers that read their articles.

 

Matt said he could see the tampering backstage. And he's called out people quite a few times in article comments for using different screen names from the same IP to post multiple comments. So he can see IP addresses. He's savvy about that stuff. If he says there's botting, I believe there's botting.

Edited by Souris
Link to comment

They would be beyond silly if they would announce or talk about using bots that openly online, that is something to discuss and exchange the scripts and tools for doing so via good old ICQ or other channels like that. But have no doubts that there are attempts using bots or other ways of manipulation in pools on some of those sites for the silliest reasons. But after all it is called shipping wars, win by all means necessary. I am sometimes just glad, that we watch TV shows all safe and sound at our very own homes (usually) and don't have to come together in some huge arena for that. Could be a call for riot police otherwise.

 

But sorry, I can't take TVLine.com or any other site doing such polls serious. No person seriously into statistics can. At best it could show a trend of interest of people regularly coming to the site. It's still mostly random and not representative. As long as it is done for just fun entertainment okay, but it's nothing for serious numbers. If I get that right from the tweet they are using cookies to control the voting - so not much of a control there. Not even additionally setting IP addresses as marker is much more of a control. It's an invitation for a competition of who can rally the most people (or eventually bots) and shout loudest.

Edited by myril
  • Love 1
Link to comment

I did the unthinkable and responded to some of the mess that's bogging Adam's feed. I wonder if a troll will come after me. There are tweets about the whole, "Hook jumps to get Emma's attention=horribly abusive, etc." and I just had to repsond. i couldn't help it. I can recognize that it can be an issue for some, but you can tell most of those tweets are being used to attack CS rather than actually bring light to the issue. Emma did the exact same thing when she dived straight into the raging sea in 3x01. It's the Double Standards that made me cave.

***ooh they responded to me! I'm in the deep end now. Apparently, Emma jumping was not in context with the debate they were having with Adam, because CS weren't in a relationship at that time. I can see that, the only thing I don't agree on is that Hook jumped to get info rather than for reasons centered around their relationship.

Edited by HoodlumSheep
  • Love 1
Link to comment

Henry did it in S1 when he ate the pie and didn't David do it when he jumped in front of Snows arrow? I mean it practicality runs in the family.

Let me go make some popcorn and read Adam's mentions.

Edited by mjgchick
  • Love 6
Link to comment

I refuse to get a Twitter account, so would some kind soul please ask one of the writers if they can clarify the continuity error about the Barnaby ring on Hook's finger? It would be much appreciated!

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I refuse to get a Twitter account, so would some kind soul please ask one of the writers if they can clarify the continuity error about the Barnaby ring on Hook's finger? It would be much appreciated!

 

We might get an explanation that the original was the liver of Zeus fashioned to look like a ring. ;-)

  • Love 2
Link to comment
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...