Fangirls/Fanboys - Fandoms in General.

[edwardelricfreak]

Haha wow.

Oh my god.

Amazing.

Incredible

Astounding.

Racism = Not liking a fandom now

 

[clap clap]

10/10 argument, would not participate again.

Racism? o.o I didn't mention racism anywhere...

 

I guess maybe the Muslim thing, but that's just because both bronies and Muslims have that one group of people that do terrible things and the whole group gets hate for it.

 

I did say prejudice though, but that's not racism. There's racial prejudice, which you might be thinking of, though. c: That is what racism is, racial prejudice.

 

That simile doesn't work.

(also I think you mean analogy, not simile. Close, but not quite the right term.)

Edited May 29, 2014 by edwardelricfreak

[grimace]

IIRC the term brony was coined on 4chan by the people who made it their mission to spam ponies everywhere and make it as cancerous and godawful as possible.

 

God I remember seeing the very first pony threads on there and the slow transformation from ironic posts to a fulll huge fandom

[SandstormL]

Just poking my nose in here to state the obvious.

 

Not all fanboys and fangirls are bad, and they're not ALL out to annoy you by talking repeatedly about something or put people's lives in danger.

 

To me, people who take their obsessions, likes, and loves too far are NOT fangirls/fanboys, they're just... misguided... yeah...

 

I'm a massive fangirl of Megaman X and Sonic, but I try not talk about those two franchises constantly with other people, in fact, I usually keep my obsessive interests totally hidden and just let the other person talk about their own. I fear annoying others with my likes way too much to even so much as mention it.

 

I only talk about if I know there are a few gamers in the room, and even then, it's usually limited to references in conversation, unless the other person is a huge fan or a fan too.

 

I have friends I can talk about those two franchises all day with, I don't need to annoy everyone else. (though I wish I had more friends that loved those two franchises, ha ha. )

 

Fandoms are really fun, even if there's a ton of bad things out there in them, I still appreciate the fact there are fandoms and they exist.

Edited May 29, 2014 by SandstormL

[edwardelricfreak]

IIRC the term brony was coined on 4chan by the people who made it their mission to spam ponies everywhere and make it as cancerous and godawful as possible.

 

God I remember seeing the very first pony threads on there and the slow transformation from ironic posts to a fulll huge fandom

Mmm, I think it's kind of a mixture of both 4chan and meaning the male fans. 4chan is usually notorious for having some very weird stuff happen.

 

Still doesn't mean every brony is a terrible person, though, or that good people who are fans of the show shouldn't be called a brony, especially if they claim themselves as one and want to be called by that term.

 

SandstormL: yes, exactly. That's what I've been trying to say. :c

[SandstormL]

SandstormL: yes, exactly. That's what I've been trying to say. :c

I figured as much when I read your posts, so I decided to poke my head in here.

 

And also, fandom terms mean something different to everybody, so you can't staple one meaning to the term brony, or any other fandom nickname.

 

I will say that I hate the bad rep fangirls/fanboys get these days thanks to the focus on the bad ones, thanks to them, when you tell someone you're a fangirl/fanboy, these days they auto assume you're out to annoy them with your interests or do horrible things, this is simply not the case.

 

Just another reason why I keep my mad obsession with X, Zero and Axl (characters from Megaman X) to myself 99% of the time, I don't want to be judged, and I simply don't want to annoy people.

[edwardelricfreak]

Just another reason why I keep my mad obsession with X, Zero and Axl (characters from Megaman X) to myself 99% of the time, I don't want to be judged, and I simply don't want to annoy people.

OMG Zero!

 

I'm like not a fan of Megaman at all. Not that I don't like it, because I do, but I've never really played any of the games and have only seen some of one of the anime, but I love Zero. He's one of the few characters I know, I really like his design, and I have a kind of personal thing with him since my boyfriend is very much obsessed with him, too.

 

Zero is just cool. He has a cool name, too. I like the word zero. o3o

[SandstormL]

I've never really played any of the games and have only seen some of one of the anime, but I love Zero.

You and everyone else.

 

Honestly Zero is so freaking popular it annoys me, he overshadows everyone else when the game is suppose to be about X himself, not Zero, but ah well, I love the guy anyway, and the dynamics of friendship between himself and X is pretty deep actually. The story looks light on the surface, but it's pretty heavy when you actually dig, ha ha. Megaman Classic, Megaman X and Megaman Zero all span over a story line, and there's a lot left untold between MMX and MMZ too, pretty heavy stuff. It's a depressing series.

 

Oh and there's no real anime of MMX sadly, there is an OVA called Day Of Sigma, it's around on the Internet somewhere, it's pretty good.

 

You should check it out sometime, especially if your boyfriend is into it.

 

And I'm going off topic, whoops. >.> Sorry people.

 

Moving on.. >.>;

Edited May 29, 2014 by SandstormL

[LadyFoxfire]

Is DC considered a fandom? I used to have several I was involved in, but it all slowly faded over time. I'm still a long-lived fan of Tolkien's Elves, Dungeons and Dragons... and DC now. I used to write/role play - used to play in the Anne Rice vampire fandom and lost interest because of all the drama, but it took manly long years before I got it out of my system. People on places like myspace and roleplayer can really make a fandom go sour for a person. *Shakes head sadly.*

 

Some others I still love:

 

Sailor Moon

Xena/Hercules

Star Trek (not a Trekkie though)

Stargate

Ghost Hunters International

Sex & The City

Two And A Half Men (not sure if that's a fandom)

Edited May 29, 2014 by LadyFoxfire

[octopi]

...Seriously? The not-all-men defence?

 

I acknowledged the fact that not all bronies are awful people. Obviously they're not. But the fact is that the vast majority of them are part of a system where 20% do terrible things and the rest stand around and either support or ignore what those guys are doing. Are you actually more upset about a few people being justifiably wary of bronies than the fact that there are bronies physically and emotionally abusing other people in the fandom while the vast majority watches on and does nothing?

 

Also as for the term brony, obviously it doesn't have a single set definition. But then, by that logic, why is the term negro offensive? It ''just means black'', so it isn't offensive, right? Yeah, no. Brony as a term has gained its negative association due to the things that self-identified bronies have done. It's fine if you want to identify as a brony but you really can't complain about people being wary of bronies due to the actions of the vast majority of them.

[pudding]

I'm just going to put out that the webcomic Lessa is a favorite of mine. The fandom is very small but has amazing art and a very interesting story. I really enjoy reading webcomics since they tend to update regularly and are usually amazing works of a creative mind. Speaking of which, the Dumbing of Age is another favorite of mine.

[Starscream]

I am a fangirl of a Transformers Fandom. I often find many fanboys (oddly not so much fangirls as far as I can tell) can get incredibly "rabid" regarding how things should go within the transformers universes.

 

I can understand a difference in likes - dislikes between series, sometimes the design of the characters can differ significantly - including their alternative modes (alt modes)

ie Optimus Prime has been:

Flat nosed Truck - mack type

Ape

Blue truck with red flames

 

And the fans can go insane over these design changes. Some saying it is great to see a different flavour and others going "old school"

 

I admit a dislike of the Michael Bay Movie Starscream - however I decided it was one possible universe of many and liked it for what he is in this universe.

 

Other Transformers fanboys (and sometimes fangirls) will say that "Michael bay violated, raped, ruined, killed or whatever" their childhood. This continues to perplex me as no matter what anyone does no, they cannot affect a change upon my childhood which has passed some 30 years ago.

 

Fangirls of the Transformers fandom can be at times incredibly creepy at times with their over sexualisation of the characters, including slash parings. I admit though to joining in with the creepy section with non slash parings. However when I write fanfic I attempt to keep in mind it is a children's series and some parents may not appreciate that sort of content. If there is questionable content (extreme violence or graphic gore) I would put a warning.

 

It is important though to have fans of fandoms such as myself, since it does show the makers of the toys that we enjoyed it.

 

If we are looking to include offensive terms or derogatory terms Geewunner (G1) is a term to call fanboys and girls who are rabidly attacked to the G1 series. All in all though, it seems that the series you were introduced to growing up or for the first time will be the one you love the most - much like the 4th doctor is my doctor.

 

As for me.

Unicron trilogy is my least liked - esp energon. I enjoyed the Michael bay movies, but they are not the end all of movies - I prefer LOTR - ROTK CG wise. I grew up with G1 and the characters from G1 are my favourites, however Transformers Prime is my newest favourite as well.

 

Starscream/sunstar signing out.

[edwardelricfreak]

...Seriously? The not-all-men defence?

 

I acknowledged the fact that not all bronies are awful people. Obviously they're not. But the fact is that the vast majority of them are part of a system where 20% do terrible things and the rest stand around and either support or ignore what those guys are doing. Are you actually more upset about a few people being justifiably wary of bronies than the fact that there are bronies physically and emotionally abusing other people in the fandom while the vast majority watches on and does nothing?

 

Also as for the term brony, obviously it doesn't have a single set definition. But then, by that logic, why is the term negro offensive? It ''just means black'', so it isn't offensive, right? Yeah, no. Brony as a term has gained its negative association due to the things that self-identified bronies have done. It's fine if you want to identify as a brony but you really can't complain about people being wary of bronies due to the actions of the vast majority of them.

Um. What? Not-all-men? Where does that apply?

 

My point is that they shouldn't be judging EVERY brony based on the actions of the terrible ones. They're judging before they know the individual bronies.

 

And gee I'm sorry, what the hell are the rest of us supposed to do that anyone else can't? Why is it OUR responsibility to keep the abusive bronies in check? I'm pretty sure many don't do it because they've given up trying because they will ALWAYS be there and even if they do do anything, they're still going to get flak for being associated with the others. If you see someone, ANYONE being rude, abusive or spammy, report them. Don't engage in conversation. Don't be sucked into that vortex. Just report them on whatever site it is. It doesn't matter if they're a brony or not. If anyone abuses you or someone else for whatever reason, report them.

 

Also 'negro' means black in Spanish, where it wouldn't be offensive. However, the term was ALWAYS derogatory in the context of dark skinned people.

 

------

 

Wow why is it so hard for others to get what I'm saying?? It's one thing to not like the horrible people in a fandom/religion/race/other group, but it's another to be wary and judge ALL of them based on the actions of the few. THAT is my problem. THAT is stereotyping and THAT is prejudice.

 

I'm also trying to defend the rest of the bronies because I AM in the group looking outward while the rest of you guys are outward looking in. You're only seeing the bad and I'm trying to prove that no, not all of them are bad and nearly all of them are decent people who ALSO hate that stuff. The bad ones are NOT the "vast majority". They are the loud minority. There's a difference.

 

The reason why you probably don't hear/see the rest of the bronies is because: 1) they want to stay out of it, 2) they don't want others to know they are also a brony and also receive hate, or3) there's nothing much they can do that someone else can't. Most bronies also aren't ones to really talk about the fandom at all unless in an appropriate situation, like when ponies are specifically brought up or they're asked what they like (which was what this thread basically is about).

 

I will say this again, though, since I don't think my posts are going to change anything:

But okay, whatevs. I don't think I can change anyone's mind here about bronies. If you (general anyone) believe they're all terrible people, then I'm sorry you feel that way. It doesn't change who I am, though, and I hope this doesn't mean you will hate anything I do or say. :c

 

I really think that kind of mindset is what births prejudice, but okay. Regardless of brony discussion, this fits for any fandom.

[HeatherMarie]

There are *always* going to be mean, troll-y, abusive, or just downright obnoxious people in EVERY fandom. All of them. The 'bronies" are no exception, but they aren't the only ones.

 

I'm hugely into a fandom where there's a *very* vocal minority who've been mean and abusive to the *actors* involved (through official Facebook and Twitter accounts). It really, really, really sucks that people would act that way, and my entire fandom is often seen as mean and childish because of that minority. It certainly doesn't mean ALL people in this fandom act that way, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?

 

There is really nothing that us 'normal' fan-people can do about the bad ones. We can't stop other people from being rude or abusive or whiny, we have no control over these people. And it's really, really sad that so many people see that negative minority and assume that all people in that fandom are like that.

[octopi]

It's not really about "assuming" that all the other people are like that as well. It's about being unwilling to approach people in that fandom in fear that they'll get one of the bad ones. Obviously that isn't anyone's fault, but you can't really say people are unjustified in trying to avoid being abused in that particular manner. And obviously there are people who think all fans of a certain thing are terrible as well, but those are also in the minority.

 

Personally I'd like to see more people who are willing to confront the bad parts of their fandoms. Mostly it just seems like the majority stands around and does nothing, then gets angry when other people point out that there are bad people in their fandom.

[edwardelricfreak]

Mostly it just seems like the majority stands around and does nothing, then gets angry when other people point out that there are bad people in their fandom.

So then do something about it. Someone in the fandom shouldn't be responsible for any other member. If you see a problem arise, report it or deal with it in some other fashion, but don't make the other members of the fandom responsible for the rest of the members just because they're in the same fandom.

 

And again, don't judge the whole group like that and be wary of everyone. Really the same could be for EVERY person as well. There are horrible people in this world. Are you going to be wary of every other human being right off the bat?

Edited May 29, 2014 by edwardelricfreak

[octopi]

Not an MLP fan, but I do try to pitch in with petitions and raising awareness and stuff like that whenever I can. I don't often encounter awful people in the fandoms I'm in. Complaining and helping aren't mutually exclusive. And I said "I'd like to see", not "oh my god why aren't these people doing this they're so horrible let's kill them".

 

Edit: Well in my case...basically, yes? I guess that's not a great attitude to approach the world with, but still. If someone's been hurt by a man (as an example), you can't really claim they're being sexist if they're wary about approaching other men afterwards.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Fractional Pi Day

[edwardelricfreak]

I know you're not really complaining about it, but still. If you (general) see bad shenanigans, try to do something about it. Don't get angry at the rest of the fandom. They are not responsible. It just seemed like you think they should be the ones taking more action.

 

Fine then, be wary, but not so much that you judge every man as being bad. I don't think anyone should have to be wary. Normally with the Internet you can see the bad action happen first instead of seeing the person, so that's why I think just being wary of certain bronies, trekkies, etc just isn't necessary. And don't attribute said bad actions to the whole community.

 

That's all.

 

----

 

Actually this is one of the reasons I have an add-on thing to turn off comments on youtube so I don't see fandom drama. I count Pewdiepie stuff in there as well. I hate seeing that drama everywhere.

Edited May 29, 2014 by edwardelricfreak

[Herk]

Obviously I hang around in the wrong (read: right) corners of the internet, that 4chan place sounds aweful. But honestly why is this about bronies again? There was a thread about them specifically a while ago and I remember the same kind of generally negative attitude there.

 

I'm a brony and I'm not ashamed of that (yeah I'm female I still like brony more than pegasister).

I'm a fantasy, sci-fi nerd.

I play RPGs (the pen and paper variant as well as LARP).

I'm a shameless comic book geek.

I write fanfiction.

I ship people without regret.

Even after all this years I get excited when I see the names Methos, LaCroix, or Hannibal/Face pop up.

I often ask myself what would happen if John Constantine ran into Crowley (SPN OR Good Omens) or how it would play out if James Robert McCrimmon would be a Highlander-style Immortal and met up with Mal Reynolds in the future.

I'm obsessed with DC description writing.

 

Or in the words of the great Igor Oleman: "My fandom is ... random."

 

Do I talk about those things excessively to everyone I meet? - No.

Do I like to ramble on about my latest gaming sessions to a friend for hours? - Yes, certainly so.

Do I get the clue if they have enough? - I like to think I do.

 

Fandoms are all about being passionate and I refuse to be ashamed because I CARE about stuff and am not one of the "cool" dudes.

 

Anyway while the more "normal" fanboys wait for their football games... I'm off waiting for the new WTNV podcast.

[Hatsune Scratch]

I don't really care for fandoms anymore really, I was in the MLP:FiM fandom, but I stopped after S3

Now I kinda dislike fandoms most of the time, especially people who call themselves Otakus, as I think you shouldn't give yourself the title of that, or else in my eyes, you just come off as a weeaboo

[edwardelricfreak]

especially people who call themselves Otakus, as I think you shouldn't give yourself the title of that, or else in my eyes, you just come off as a weeaboo

Eh, it just means they're really into anime and/or manga.

 

Technically the term just means they're obsessed with something. It usually happens to be anime/manga, though, so it just developed into that.

 

I think I would consider myself an otaku, but I do have friends who are definitely much more like that than me.

 

I thought weeaboo (also wiabu) was the people that try too hard to pretend they're Japanese. Like, there are the people that are interested in Japan and its culture, the people that want to learn more (especially the language) because they're deeply interested, and then there are the try-hard weeaboos. Or, that's what I understand of it. I might be wrong. o3o

[Syiren]

This is an interesting topic. Over the years there have been some things that I've both loved and hated about different fandoms.

 

I could be considered a fangirl, but I don't go 'omg he's so cute! MINE!' For me it's mostly about respect for the character. Something they sacrificed, something they've been through, the brilliance they show when achieving or striving for their goals. There's also morals to consider. What are the reasons they do what they do? Does he attain power to control the world or does he do it to protect those he loves?

 

I'm a fan of many different series and music groups. Final FantasyVII, Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon, MLP, Disney, Code Geass, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Big Bang Thoery, Stargate SG-1, Linkin Park, Brony Music, Dubstep, Nickelback, Skillet, Owl City, Katey Perry, Backstreet Boys, Brittany Spears, Imagine Dragons, Cold Play, I could go on for quite a bit.

 

I'd consider myself a big fan of all of them and for some characters like Cloud Strife, Inuyasha, Sora, and Edward Elric I would call myself a fangirl. The reason isn't because I think their cute, (even if it's an added bonus) it's because of what they've been through, what they're dealing with and how they deal with it. I'm dealing with depression and as eye-rolling as it sounds, seeing how characters like these deal with their problems is helping me cope. Take Sora for example. He always tries to stay positive no matter how bad things get. Optimistic and trying to see the good in everything, that's how I'm trying to see things, even though my personal life doesn't seem to be getting any brighter anytime soon. My reason for becoming a fangirl is because these characters and these series have saved me from having more than one mental breakdown. While I'm not mental or insane by any means, life is far from easy. I realize that everyone has their own issues and problems that life throws at them, but everyone also has their own way of coping and in my opinion, respect and looking up to anime characters and talking ponies is a lot better than drowning my sorrows in drugs and alcohol.

 

One thing that I really REALLY dislike about fandoms is when they are so obsessed with a character or person that they believe the person is either going to marry them or belongs to them or they see them as a god. Please, take no offense, but Justin Beiber fans are a good example. Naturally not all Beiber fans are psychotically obsessive, but there are a few who need a serious reality check. When one asks you what song you like best and your answer is, "I don't like JB" and they freak out and ask "Wtf's wrong with you?!" and pretty much explode into a rant and go on about how epic or handsome or cute or sexy or amazing he is, then they're going a little overboard. Why do I not like him? It has nothing to do with his music or who he is. It's his actions. How much trouble has he gotten into? Drugs, fights, abandoning a pet monkey in some country, racing down his street, his friend killing someone by running them over in his car, (not his fault, but still), vandalizing his neighbor's house, throwing a fit in a photo shoot because he didn't want to wear a hat after keeping the photographer waiting 3-6 hours, making thousands of fans waiting at a concert or two because he was running hours late and some he appeared wearing a strange gas mask. (how is he suppose to sing with that on?) My personal opinion about JB? I think he let the fame go to his head. He used to be a good kid, but through the years he's let it all go to his head. I don't respect him, I don't listen to his music and I don't care to anytime soon. If someone else likes him, that's fine, I won't dis him when you're around, but please, don't try to shove how 'awesome' you think he is down my throat.

 

I do think some fans take it too far when it comes to their fav series, but as long as it doesn't affect others then that's their own business. One thing that really bothers me is with MLP fan made videos. I'm not talking about videos like the MLP version of Let it Go from Frozen, or Ponifying different characters or whatnot. It's the gory, R-rated videos that bother me. Why? Because originally this is a show for kids. As such kids also look up videos on youtube. My niece was tramatized when he watched a video where Pinkie Pie was cutting off Rainbow's wings and ripping open her rib cage all while both of them were singing some eerie cheerful song. There are other vidoes she saw, but that one really scared her. She's only eight years old and was looking for episodes and nice amvs. Because of what she saw she is no longer allowed to watch MLP on youtube because its too easy to accidentialy come across these videos. If you're going to make a gory R-rated video with cartoon characters made for little kids then please, be responsible and put a warning on the first fifteen seconds so that kids will not its not a PG video. Other than that I enjoy the series very much. and the Original music is amazing! Living Tombstone and others like him are just amazing with they can do.

 

So, yeah that pretty much sums up what I think about fandoms. As for the Fangirls/boys I don't mind them at all really. It's only when they try to force their own opinions on someone else is when it becomes a problem.

[MasterWeavile898]

There was a thread about them specifically a while ago and I remember the same kind of generally negative attitude there.

Yeah, that was me >_<

 

I have to agree with the arguments from earlier. I personally no longer have no problems with bronies, but I can understand others seeing the term with negative connotations. In the same manner I won't trust a person until I've gotten to know them, someone else mightn't trust a certain group of people. I also do still kinda dislike the group of bronies that talks about "loving and tolerating" me to death. Makes me feel sick and want to punch them. I wish there were more like RD (friend of mine from elsewhere, uses RainbowDash as his screen name) Who would act their virtues instead of angrily shoving them in your face

 

I also admit I'm kinda a part of the sick and twisted part of the fandom now (not the, um, sexual part, just like, Cupcakes and stuff) I don't really do that much tho

[Hatsune Scratch]

I thought weeaboo (also wiabu) was the people that try too hard to pretend they're Japanese. Like, there are the people that are interested in Japan and its culture, the people that want to learn more (especially the language) because they're deeply interested, and then there are the try-hard weeaboos. Or, that's what I understand of it. I might be wrong. o3o

Eh, you're riiiiiight, but it's also kiiinda wrong, I'd check Urban Dictionary, as Weeaboo is technically an insult really

[edwardelricfreak]

Oh yeah totally, weeaboo is full-on insult. Just like "Wapanese".

 

But otaku itself isn't an insult. I think that's mainly because 1) there was something about a murder case in the 1980's or whatever that talked about the murder being an otaku and 2) people confuse it with Wapanese/weeaboo.

 

Urban Dictionary has some reliable definitions, but I wouldn't use it to find actual meanings of any word, slang or otherwise.

[octopi]

I believe otaku is used pretty widely in Japan as an insult referring to people who are obsessed with manga and anime. Even though Japan is famous for all the weird stuff happening there, there's actually a huge stigma against being abnormal. You know when people are all like "omg I want to move to Japan and learn the language and watch all the animes"? Yeah that's not going to work out for them.