There is endless discussion in OUAT fandoms about who is the more “entitled” fandom. I see it all the time from all sides.
Once Upon a Time is a work of media-art that is written and produced by some individuals who have made themselves available on twitter. Just as any publicly viewable work with acclaim has been open to critique and judgement, this show is also open for critique and judgement. In the era of conventions and social media accessibility, it has made this type of communication a non-stop, 24/7 enterprise. It is entirely new for every single citizen to be able to approach artists with their feelings, desires and needs from the art they are consuming - tv media. Literally thousands of tweets are sent to show-runners daily. That’s a hell of a lot of critique to read, in addition to - you know - having a life and work to be getting on with.
Yes, it is entirely within one’s right to offer criticism and thoughts about media, but Adam Horowitz or the writers are not required to do anything beyond read tweets/blog posts/articles…if they see them and if they have the time. They certainly don’t have to respond to rude or nasty comments. However if they choose to respond, they deserve respectful discourse, as all humans do. Just remember that for as many people as you can find who share your opinion, ten+ times that amount of other opinions can be found in your fandom. When you start using language in your tweets/posts at showrunners that indicate you are an authority and therefore superior to others in your opinion; when you get irate that your changes aren’t being made for you because you have repeatedly pointed out how morally or intellectually superior your thoughts are; and when you start to insult and name-call the showrunners, actors, and fans because your opinions are the only valid opinions….then you…YOU are the one who is acting ENTITLED.
You are not superior. You are not more right. I don’t care what cause you think you are pushing through your interpretation of a show, I guarantee you there are others who are pushing for the same cause(s) and don’t interpret the show that way or want the same things you do. Therefore, you don’t deserve more privileges from the producers and writers than anyone else.
Fans who enjoy characters or couples that happen to have had what fans of other ships or characters deem “a good storyline” aren’t entitled. CS fans are not entitled because the couple we like is still going strong on the show. People who are satisfied or are even happy with the show the way that it is written aren’t more entitled. They’re just lucky. They saw something they liked and they kept liking it…and they still like it. Orrrrr. Maybe they don’t…maybe they like CS but they aren’t happy with how it’s been written. I mean, hell, some fans of CS dislike enough of the storyline that they stopped watching, despite liking CS. Some CS fans were also OQ fans and have quit the show. So, those who say all CS fans are entitled clearly don’t know what the word means. Out of all of my hundreds of CS mutuals, not one yells angrily at Adam when she doesn’t get what she wants. Ohhhhh, I’ve seen some CSers do this, but no more than those from other ships.
Frankly it’s just upsetting seeing people I know who are CS fans and who are facing daily challenges because of their race, gender, sexuality, or health, get called “entitled” because…they enjoy a love story that is currently on a solid course on the show. They certainly don’t deserve the foot-stomping ire of fans who didn’t get what they want from OUAT, whose core issue is “I wanted xyz and didn’t get it, but these people over here wanted CS and got it.” Maybe we did…But, we didn’t write it! We just watched it as it happened. The show didn’t give it to us because we demanded it. The show wrote it because they wanted to and it unfolded as we watched their creation. Screaming at the showrunners that you didn’t get what you wanted….
And don’t say it’s because we are always asking for CS sex or CS living together or CS marriage that you call us entitled. The per capita amount of things we ask for is the same as any other shipper/stan on OUAT. Are we supposed to stop being excited because somewhere someone hates the show? Top tip: When you expect fans of a couple you don’t ship to enjoy something less because you hate it and wanted something else - when you expect them to stop asking for more of what is being shown, because you didn’t get what you wanted - when you expect fans of other things to constantly offer counsel, support and a shoulder to cry on over things that they never connected with, and if they don’t, you’re going to treat them like shit and turn the whole damn fandom against them…
Now, as far as the actors and actresses cast in OUAT - with respect to them, there is a whole different kind of entitled behavior. The people who are acting in these shows are hired professionals chosen to act out art they didn’t write or produce. They have the right to give as much of themselves as they choose to give to fans, for their own mental and physical health and welfare. Everyone wants a piece of these actors and actresses, including real media outlets (not the fan-created blog articles) and paparazzi. With the ability to access actresses/actors on twitter, or at cons, there is this sort of false impression that everyone should get what they want from them. Lana Parrilla is this amazing woman who seems to have an endless well of energy to give love and support to fans of hers. She is a gift. And that is great…but…for many actresses and actors - whether they or their character belong to a group that is less represented on tv, which might draw a fan emotionally to that character/actor or actress - they don’t owe any fan anything more than to be a decent human being if they pass you on the street. Like anyone else in any other job.
The actors and actresses on OUAT give what they can, where they can. They all seem like lovely people. But none of them owes us anything. Fans that expect and demand actors and actresses say exactly what they want, give them exactly the type of interaction they crave, champion each and every one of their causes…
I’m entirely sick of people not recognizing when their investment in a ship or character on a show has warped their sense of human decency to the point that they feel if they don’t get what they think they deserve from a tv show they are entitled to lash out at whomever they chose.
I’ve had ships sink, and characters get shitty stories in book series, and other shows. I never once - NOT ONCE - berated the writers, actors or creators directly, or characterized those who got what they wanted as anything other than LUCKY.
tl;dr Critique and offer your judgements on storylines to Adam and the writers on twitter, respectfully. Gleefully tweet all the things you’d like to see. Enjoy what the actors and actresses give to you, however little or much it is. You are owed nothing. If you think you are and you lash out at producers, writers, actors, other fans, then you are acting entitled.
snowghoul
janainaart
jacobvanloon
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
dededos
