#bad fans

[puckyeah1]

The bizarre-o sense of entitlement is truly next level embarrassing.

[fansplaining]

Episode 206: Bad Fans Revisited

Woobies, poor little meow meows, anti-heroes, and problematic faves: in Episode 206, “Bad Fans Revisited,” Flourish and Elizabeth use a listener voicemail on getting invested in morally dubious fictional characters to revisit a perennial hot topic in fandom. Specifics discussed include the heightened language of performative tags, blurred lines between fiction and reality, what a dark AU can offer that a dark original story might not, and yes, Lestat de Lioncourt. Plus: Flourish lets you know how you, too, can become a Certified Villain Fucker (there’s a test!). 

Click through to our site to listen or read a full transcript!

[mrchalamet-mrstyles]

"Styles is not the most online person — he uses Instagram to look at plants and architecture posts, has never had the TikTok app, and calls Twitter “a shitstorm of people trying to be awful to people” — but he’s still aware of how those small, toxic corners of the internet are treating the people closest to him. “That obviously doesn’t make me feel good,” he says, carefully. It’s a tightrope he’s treading in discussing this. He wants to — and does! — see the good in his fans, but there’s no denying that like every large online community, this one has a faction that runs on hate and anonymity."

[nikonothere]

Someone showed up at his door in his house in the country, it was a reporter. The guy was lucky nobody was home…

This I remember too, but I was referencing the one where the lady (if memory serves) showed up at the door to his flat in the city, took photos of the name plate and rang the doorbell for awhile. She's also lucky no one answered.

It's so gross and invasive. I'm a nobody, and having someone show up unexpectedly is already anxiety-inducing. I cannot imagine how much scarier it would be for them.

[a-tired-doctor]

What the actual fuck??

I can't even begin to say why this is wrong, I mean yes he is probably one of the single most handsome, good looking, best dressed and more talented man right now. But for fuck sake that doesn't give you the right to go to his workplace and do that, and that's coming from a doctor who has had patients masturbating under their hospital bedsheets when I'm trying to explain their condition, so please lady don't do that, fans are better than that.

[unbound-shade]

Every nerd argument I end up in only reinforces my "practice satisfaction" approach to pop culture. So many pretentious arguments to set themselves apart from "mindless consumers". So much insistence on nothing ever being good enough, or sometimes even competent, propped up by the same pretentious gatekeeping that produced stereotypical characters like the Simpson's Comic Book Guy. Inventing fences just to claim that the grass is suddenly greener anywhere but where they are.

There's always justification for actual criticism, but enjoying what you enjoy comes first. If you and other fans are getting what you want and need from something and can reasonably explain why and the person you're talking to won't let that be ok, you're talking to an asshole. Letting people enjoy what they enjoy and focusing on enjoying what you enjoy should always come before sucking the joy out of others for a chance to look smart.

Liking things shouldn't be a constant uphill fight against people who also claim to enjoy those things, but only ever shove others back down the slope.

[babsistiredofyourshit]

I'm sure the friends of the girls from the Ace panel are so embarrassed. Respect needs to be taught to everybody, and I'm glad Mackie threw it back at 'em.