It’s probably telling that the last major fandom I was involved in was Sailor Moon in the late 90s and early 00s. I’m the kind of fan that can passionately care about a title/series/etc, and I can watch on my own for years and years and be happy, but the moment I dip my toe into a community I discover… people.
For example, The Office. I binged on the first three (American) seasons on Netflix, then at the time, the 4th seasons was still airing on TV. I think I discovered fan blogs for the show around season 5, and I excitedly checked comments on the newest episode to find that I absolutely cannot stand any of the people on the internet.
“This was the WORST EPISODE EVER.”
“…has totally jumped the shark.’
"This episode needed more _____.”
“This storyline needs to go.”
And I’m like… really? Worst episode ever? You don’t even know what the overarching plot lines of the season will be and how they connect and GH,0EA,;‘IKGWPAGK:EWAGJLE.
My kneejerk reaction is that everyone just needs to calm the fuck down. And maybe it’s just something unique to fans of The Office and other non-geeky ilk? Since TO is pretty planted in the mainstream? I don’t really think so. People are the same pretty much everywhere you go.
I guess being somewhat introverted, I’m even more of an introverted fan. Unfortunately, other folks can damper my enjoyment of a work with their opinions and such. I’ll just be over here in my corner, enjoying my fandoms on my own, kay?
