Say no to Toxicity in Fandom
I guess I need to hop onto a SoapBox for a bit and get a few things off my chest.
Shipping is fun. It’s fun to imagine, write, draw, and support fictional characters into pairing off into romantic couples. There is nothing wrong with that and it’s meant to bring attention to a franchise. I’ve discovered shows and became a fan due to fanart that got me interested enough to try an episode and fell in love with the show.
However, what’s NOT okay is shaming people or getting into verbal attacks or arguments over fictional characters.
I’m talking about shipping wars that happened during Voltron Legendary Defender. OMG, the toxicity was enough to make me think another Chernobyl happened over the internet. Klance fans were particularly bad, especially when their favorite ship didn’t happen.
Yes, I will agree that Voltron did drop the ball towards the end with LBGTQ representation, but to send death threats to the creators and voice actors is crossing a serious line! Firstly, and I shouldn’t have to point this out, actors have little to no say in how their character is written or what happens in the show.
The actors of Game of Thrones didn’t particularly like how the last season was written, but they had to go through with it due to contracts. Breaking a contract could mean no getting jobs anymore to owing the studio money for breach. Not to mention, these people have to get paid for their work. So blaming an actor for what happens in a game, show, or movie is not right at all!
Same could be said for writers who don’t have much freedom with the material which happened in Voltron. Originally, the writers wanted to have Shiro outright die in season 2, but since he was such a popular character, the high ups pushed them to come up with a reason for to come back which forced them to shoe horn in the clone and have Shiro return to a team that no longer needed him and he got put to the side.
More recently is the death threats sent to Laura Bailey for her portrayal of Abby in The Last of Us Part 2
So let me get this straight? These people are threatening a woman and her baby, over a fictional character in a video game? Wishing her to have cancer over a decision she had no part in? It was a job, people! Laura Bailey does voice acting to support her family and her child! And this is over something that was done years before hand!
If you don’t like the game, give it a one star review and be done with it! There is no need to death threats to a mother and child over FICTIONAL characters!
Is it okay to be upset about what happens in a show/game/movie? Yes, it’s totally okay!
Is it okay to harass actors and creators because of it? NO!!!!
Is it okay to send strongly worded, but polite, letters to creators telling them how you are unhappy? Yes, it’s fine to show how unhappy you are and to critique and comment on events.
Is it okay to send threat deaths? NEVER!!!
And it’s not okay to harass people over enjoying the game/show/film which you dislike. I have friends who are big Star Trek fans, a franchise I don’t particularly care for, but we are still friends!
Why I’m bringing this up is because I am starting to see this toxicity creeping into the Hazbin Hotel fandom.
Already, there are hardcore ships in these shows with their being an actual Petition to Viviziepop (the creator) to make a certain ship canon.
As of this point, we only have two pilots, a prequel comic, and music video as our peek into this Hellish world. With the show being greenlit and Helluva Boss eps on their way, the fandom is ramping up.
So, please, don’t harass Vivziepop or her fellow animators about this show. If your ship doesn’t happen, it’s okay! That’s what fanart and fanfiction is for!
