Teen Wolf S4 and the Sea of Negativity (spoiler-free)

[vampthenewblack]

Apparently there's drama in regards to this season's offerings so far. I only see it second hand, a couple people have mentioned it's getting pretty hairy out there. A few people have expressed that they feel as though they should feel guilty for enjoying Teen Wolf at the moment, others that have been attacked for a simple reaction tweet.

That's really sad. I mean, I'm already hesitant to tweet so much as a 'loved that ep', not because I expect to be told I'm wrong, but because I fear being tweeted spoilers (abject terror of the whole 'right? wait till such and such happens next week!').

I am doubly grateful for my spoiler-proof bubble though. I don't have to deal with anyone else's anger or disappointment with the way the creators are doing things. It doesn't taint my experience, and I watch without fear, without someone else's expectations colouring my impressions. And without any spoilers whatsoever, all I've had is a kind of nervous high, the anticipation of something completely new when I sit down to watch an episode.

So I miss all the drama, never see a bit of it. I hear about it, sure, and I've got no problem with my friends having a bit of a vent to me. Plenty of space in the bubble btw ;)

I avoid my twitter timeline because spoilers, but as a bonus I don't see those fans that have a different opinion to my own. If I did, and I found it offensive, there's an unfollow button. That's a pretty easy fix. It sounds like there's a sea of negativity out there, though. Things get amplified via retweets and arguments, and I can imagine it could be impossible to avoid without resorting to something like my bubble.

I'd like to be able to tweet 'loved that ep', to add some positive to counter the negative, but I'm afraid that someone might jump down my throat for being 'wrong'. I'd like to be able to express the odd gasp of horror at something that happens on the screen without being attacked for my own personal feels.

But I'm not locked and don't want to be locked. I don't vet my followers, I don't check that they're from my corner of fandom (fanwork creator/consumers, rather than perhaps just the viewers who might not realise that if they don't like something, they can fix it?) or that they're not simply trolls, so I've really got no idea who will see my tweet.

That sucks. No one should be made to feel guilty for liking (or not liking) a thing. No one should be shouted down for having an opinion or expressing a reaction. There's a ship I want to see sink fast, another I need like air, but I don't dare express my feelings publicly because of what I hear is happening to other fans.

And that sucks. And it sucks that I've felt compelled to write 500 roundabout words bitching about a thing that, really, due to other reasons, I don't see anyway. I love fandom, it's a big part of my life, I just wish it wasn't populated by so many thoughtless idiots. It should be rainbows and cute bunnies with cotton-ball tails. We're sposed to laugh and cry and squee together, and instead we're ripping each other's hair out by the roots.

I'm thankful for my bubble, and I don't feel anywhere near as isolated within it as I have in previous seasons, but I wish that, at least for this reason, it wasn't so necessary.

Comments

[thraceadams]

THIS THIS THIS - like 1000% YES. I feel guilty for enjoying this season so much, I feel like I can't say I'm enjoying Malia and her funny ANYAesque ways. I'm actually glad for once that I've been out of town and therefore OFFLINE and have missed a whole bunch of drama. I've heard about it from other ppl that heard abt it, so I'm mostly shielded but so glad I missed it.

*clings*

[vampthenewblack]

Right? Malia is adorable. So Anya, and I can't believe I never made that connection. Maybe I should have, though it's a long time since I've thought of Stiles as the Xander.

I guess everyone's hating on her cos she's scratching and spooning Stiles? I'm not keen on that myself (it's the ship I'd like to sink fast, and not in favour of sterek ftr), but it doesn't stop me liking her as a character, or enjoying the show. I rant and shout at the TV, and then move on. And if the ship tickles someone elses fancy, I'm not going to question that. It's not like it affects my experience.

[thraceadams]

Yeah, I don't really think of Stiles as Xander, but Malia definitely reminds me of Anya for sure.

As for the ship, some of their interactions are cute. The scratching thing has me scratching my head LOL. We shall see.