Pandering vs Respecting Fans

Fans are the bread and butter of what can make or break your work.

It is their passion for whatever is what made and keeps whatever alive. Even if people in the fandoms still having trouble like say flames or ship wars or just wanting reviews for fics and arts or purity madness, whatever they love is kept alive by love.

And if a work is particularly spiteful, then they'll be spiteful back and create something better than the trainwreck. Just look at VLD and the vows of rewrites since the laughable finale.

So...insult these fans who kept what they love alive and well into the decades onwards and what you get?

These fans won't support you.

In my previous posts about woke culture, I mentioned not insulting fans and the casuals.

The casuals are the ones who look from the outside. They can buy stuff from a series they like such as graphic tees or toys. Funko Pops strived well here because it hits all the spots I previously mentioned in another post.

While the common rule is to not insult fans, don't insult the casuals too. Especially when they are in the outside looking in and don't know. Hell, in Gamergate and the geeky-gates out there, I have no clue what is going on and I just want somebody neutral and unbiased to explain both sides without any propaganda thrown in. Because of course, both sides would paint the other as the bad. When all I just want is somebody to tell me what both sides want and how the world can move forward via learning what people want.

But human nature is just that, I supposed.

Insulting your main consumer base or just consumers, in general, is not a good idea.

There is a difference between pandering and accommodating.

Pandering to fans means something along the lines giving what the fans want regardless of where the actual story and characters are going. It's what they want. Yes, fans can give encouragement and sprout out ideas and advice but giving fanservice without any rhyme or reason is not what most fans want.

Yes, fans do want to see whatever they like about a work onscreen or written officially. They can provide great ideas but it is not their work.

Fans love and critique. They can see imperfections and bring it to attention. However, they are still in love with the product. Of course, they won't easily accept whatever food would be given. They would still be critical but they still love the product and want the said product to move forward and do better or other products to that.

Above all else, fans expect a good story and character going in, not being lectured about ideals that overtook the story and idea. They won't even mind the politics if it's natural and isn't a sledgehammer.

Fans would not mind the female Doctor so much if it weren't for the fact they are being lectured and when they point out that the politics is ruining the story or the story just isn't good, they are called names precisely because they disagree about the story. Even in a civil discussion too!

Look at me! Let's pick something from the west and east respectively.

I know the flaws of Power Rangers and Kamen Rider but I still love it all the same. I do have my critiques. Linkara has his criticisms of Power Rangers, just look at his retrospective. Speaking of which, I hope Hasbro could revitalize the American adaptation of Kamen Rider, Power Rider. I seriously wonder how and if they would a Gaim adaptation, considering just how complex it is. I really wonder if they are going to make the main protag a god just like Gaim did.

Here's the thing: hate and love is a thin line. What actually kills something is apathy. If you don't care, whatever it is dies out with a whimper, not a bang. I won't name any here because I will make myself depressed just naming even one.

How about this? Fallout 76.

People complained because they wanted Bethesda to do better and wanted something fun that is worth their time and money. They are fans, fans who are willing to spend money.

Yes, everybody knew about the fiasco that it quickly led to Bethesda's state of affairs. Both Bethesda and EA became one of the most hated video games companies in recent history just based on this alone although lots of stuff led into it the mess catapulted them into infamy that would take years for them to regain any standing.

All fans want is a good product, a fun product where they have the freedom to critique. Critiquing does not mean hatred, no, it just means passion and love for a product they dedicated themselves to the fandom.

Because love keeps fandom alive and denigrating that love because of some nonsensical reason such as blaming them for something's failure on a basis of being an -ist and -phobe is stupid.

Look, fandoms of today are having trouble with the puritans and woke culture.

There is nothing wrong with being progressive and fans won't mind having better rep but being shoved into the food they are giving a chance too but forced to consume because of the politics in it that overtook storytelling. Fans have no problem if they weren't called names.

Fans are again the bread and butter. If it weren't for that, that something would somewhat die off.

Look, Pokemon does have some misfires as of late but the anime version won fans back, especially the return of Misty and Brock twice.

How about a series that kept giving fans in a good way and not in a meme-y way too? Gundam! The new series accommodating new and old fans.

Square Enix knows FFVII is a favorite and a major part of childhood. They also know they have to pull in new fans too because people would want to experience what made FFVII great in the first place.

Even when fans are hesitant about the changes - because fans would be scared of changes -, they are at least open-minded to experience the new product because they love the thing so damn much and want to see the new lore and material.

Japan knows for the most part that fans are the thing that kept them alive. Why else would they have many geeky spots that are not in Akiba and Otaroad and Nakano? Even when they themselves have trouble because money and/or poor decision, at least their mind is in the right place. I prefer bad storytelling that is made from the heart than bad storytelling that politics and spite towards fans overtook natural storytelling.

Do I have to point out that Shounen Jump would throw just about any genre to the wall (Promised Neverland is a horror then look at One Piece which is definitely an adventure and then look at Captain Tsubasa, a sports manga), hoping to see what sticks? Do I have to point out studios can create just about any genre as long as they manage, hoping for what sticks? This is why a studio like Mappa have anime like Banana Fish and Yuri on Ice as well as Sunrise producing the mecha anime and Tiger and Bunny. They will produce just about anything as long as sticks to the wall. Many anime, underrated or otherwise, slipped through and remember, only a couple anime per season can actually grow a fanbase. Heck, look at light novels like Baccano and Violet Evergarden. They reward fans with many, many events like say a Sailor Moon Exhibit and USJ. Heck, just look at Red Bard telling you just how many merch is there out there for Evangelion and the Fate series.

Take this in contrast with the west with Doctor Who and Star Wars.

As mentioned in the posts I made about woke, woke does not get anything about the fandoms. Instead of understanding them or seeing their point, woke culture preferred to take the so-called moral high ground and present themselves in the right.

This is what happened to Star Wars and Doctor Who.

All fans want is respect for what came before and the evolution and betterment of whatever they love and that they are allowed to critique something as basic as storytelling issues.

That is common sense. Especially when respecting others' opinions which woke won't allow. Because of ad hominem.

All the Star Wars and Doctor Who want is exactly that. For the love of Godoka, even Power Rangers is regaining some level of faith with Beast Morphers! It shouldn't be that hard when even fucking Power Rangers is doing well because the staff recognized the need to have a good story. Seriously after the near trainwreck that is the Neo-Saban and half of the Disney Power Rangers, Hasbro knows they need to only win back old fans but also new fans. And it should be easy since fans flat-out wanted good stories since diversity is a non-issue with PR in the first place, kinda since there are oopsy moments like accidentally casting POC in the colors they 'rep' in. To be fair, they did realize their mistake.

Seriously, just mentioning Disney Power Rangers and the Disney Star Wars is insanely different. While Disney never got both series, Disney doesn't even like Power Rangers and relatively hands-off. Relatively because there are worst choices in there too. And Disney prefers to not have Power Rangers in their hands because that's how much they don't like PR.

And look at the Disney-era Power Rangers nowadays. Yeah, the worst decisions are there all to see including some of the terrible seasons of PR in the franchise. But after what came afterward in the Neo-Saban saga, people are willing to say the Disney era Power Rangers isn't as bad as many think.

Not the hot stinking mess that is Disney Star Wars. I think I would call Disney's handling of Star Wars that since it can mean many things and those things are true.

Comparing how the two series were handled by Disney is funny. On the one hand, it's relatively okay but on the other hand, it's a complete disaster. However, it's pretty clear that one is motivated by money and the other is motivated by 'what is this, I don't get it but okay if you people are enthusiastic about it, go ahead but we should have some kind of say in it even if we don't get it'. Seriously, I would rather take the Kalishplosions and the weak storytelling of OO over the forced storytelling of Disney SW any day.

Now Disney is stepping over Kathleen Kennedy, Rian Johnson, and the woke culture who white knighted the Disney Star Wars.

Because Disney cared about money and if something doesn't gain that, they would cut you off. Seriously, just look at the game studio that produced the Epic Mickey games. Thank god, not only they couldn't buy a Japanese studio due to Japanese law, but Square Enix is also a well-established studio. And if they know better, then they won't hire Rian Johnson ever again in the proximity of Star Wars.

Y'know it's bad when George Lucas is no longer the most hated person in the fandom. Like yeah, he is still hated but in comparison to how Disney is faring, Disney found themselves in backlash from both TLJ and TROS. People either don't like or like the other is in the opposite reaction and well... Disney Star Wars is not in a good place and the High Republic bs is making rounds with fans laughing maniacally in despair.

Disney wants money. Seriously if the ever-increasing prices in the parks are any indication, they want money and as a business, they need it.

Yes, people will still spend money on them. Fans will put in the money to support what they love.

Fanservice - and not just the showing off boobs, panties, and general cleavage kind -  can be okay. Sometimes, looking at the suggestions and advice from fans can be fun.

However, one must realize that while they are the bread and butter of whatever you are creating, they shouldn't be the end-all-be-all. Instead, fans act as the motivator and responders of what they love.

And sometimes they can get dangerous with it via abandonment as soon as it shows the slightest form of 'problematic'. As those fans are crazy just to abandon it for that alone.

No, I am not asking for spiting fans because what the hell are you thinking?

This is a jab at Voltron Legendary Defender's showrunners who is utterly spiteful towards their fans based on the bad behavior of a minority of fans. And it certainly doesn't help they are also spiteful towards the higher-ups too because they threw out the plan when the higher powers demanded Shiro to come back. Just why JDS and LM, just why? I can literally feel spite in the last few seasons, while previous seasons were able to hide the spite by sheer confusion of 'what the heck is going on, why is this happening'. Seriously, the spite comes off like a stink that doesn't help by the poor writing. Like I don't get the Clone Shiro character and arc at all or why Atlas is necessary or plot lines that were possibly bought up and dropped and what the hell happened to Romelle and Lotor is just... why... what is happening... And I'm mainly focusing on poor writing because there are just so many potential things that could be explored but were dropped. And I long since moved on from VLD too. I only bought it up because it's not only the recent example that is animated and just lost it at poor writing. I could also bring up GOT because it suffered a lot from poor writing too. But what we can do now is just move forward and create good stories.

Now the VLD fandom is being spiteful back with the rewrites. I haven't read the VLD AO3 section in a long time but I bet there are lots of rewrites and canon divergences to fulfill what they deem they want.

Or just want a better story. Either what they want - which is a thing in fandoms since forever - or a better story - because I'm pretty sure everybody in the fandom who don't like VLD's downward spiral wants something better than the sloppy poor writing that doesn't have the first clue of basic storytelling.

Look, only a minority of fans will be loud and vocal. And for worst, they are often the most heard and often 'represented' as all the fans. And when people see that only a small group, they think that's how the rest of the fandom behaves. The woke media found great pleasure in demonizing only just a small group just to present themselves as a higher moral person.

For the most part, fans just want a good story, either in their terms or what the author wants with their authorial intent. But a good story nonetheless.

Fans aren't expecting anything groundbreaking from the Sonic movie or the Birds of Prey movie. Yes, I will get to that soon.

All they want is something better. Something that doesn't force them to consume politics that disrupt story and characterization in an unnatural way.

I am willing to say that even Code Geass, for all its problems, doesn't force politics down their consumers' throats. And that show is fucking nationalistic and people have noted just how over-the-top and not subtle the politics and symbolism are.

Oh yeah, politics is a natural part of the story of CG. Because I can critique CG on all its flaws and I know people love it including my cousin and my brother's girlfriend. But I won't hit them over the head about whatever flaws because I'm pretty sure they're focusing on story and characterization than actually seeing the Japanese in a Japanese product. I would know because I discussed CG with my cousin who loves it. And right now according to my bro, she's right now a Kpop fan and I don't care about Kpop since it's not my thing but I can listen to it. Because the fans who even want to attempt analysis on a Japanese work without the full implications it's a Japanese work with all the culture and ethos and so forth in it...doesn't know a thing. It's fine if it's story and characterization since that's universal but knowing just how the foreign implications wherein a country's politics is different from the West is something else. This also goes to other foreign media because it's great to know about foreign perspectives and how they dealt with their stuff. And fans don't get that so I mostly avoid analysis beyond mere storytelling for foreign pop culture.

The two movies, Sonic and Birds of Prey, are for two different audiences. Yet the media pits them together somehow even when the common people don't regard them together as truly competing aside from just vying for attention in the movie theatre.

Yet the Sonic movie is doing well for various reasons and among them is respecting the fanbase and audience that they actually went out to support the film. Again, nobody is expecting a groundbreaking film but people went to support it because the studio and director went out of their way to correct.

While to most people, pandering and respecting is a thin line, especially in regards to a fanbase.

But regardless, the creator must know the fans are the bread and butter but also at the same time, not the end-all-be-all. Yeah, fans won't be civil and lash out when things don't go their way even when the creator is just polite. But they are passionate and do deserve their say even if the creator doesn't agree or realize the implications of what they say.

I just want fandoms to calm down and go back to normal, not take things to nonsensical and rancid levels to the point of destroying the creators. Hell, I am willing to give a chance to JDS and LM because I want them to do well and be better than their previous outing as showrunners that showed they don't know what they are doing. I won't condemn any creator that easily. All I want out of Steven Moffat, JDS, LM, etc is for them to be better. Actually out of all creators really. All I just want them is to create better stories instead of the wtf the story structure and lore is gone. Then again, I think I would take that over woke storytelling any day. Because at least theirs comes in some form of emotion.

There is a difference between cancel culture and making mistakes whether or not they can understand or not. Cancel culture is never good, just to be clear because, in the age of social media, we can apparently push out people who don't agree politically as long as there is a mob mentality. And sometimes it might wreck good causes.

Fans who are expecting perfection and purity and social justice only will be in for a rude awakening. Creators who are only putting in diversity for the sake of scoring points is in for a rude awakening.

Japan, Korea, and China built themselves an audience on what they are throwing at the wall and guess what they put first? Story. Because if the audience doesn't like it, the thing might die off.

This might be why those works have grown in popularity, even the ones I thought have small fandoms or at least not as big as it used to be. Hell, even with good word of mouth, the Pokemon anime is doing well too. Seriously, I didn't expect Naruto and Bleach to come up in the list of people are watching anime in flocks. Then again, those two used to be a part of the Big Three of Shounen Jump and I should've expected that, especially when anime and manga are rising in popularity. And people would rather choose a story over clearly forced diversity that overtook the story. Even now I see One Piece spreading in more popularity than usual and nobody can call it woke especially if you really look at it, Oda has a fascination with okamas and trans people so much that O-Kiku is seen as a trap instead. Seriously, I don't know where people are getting an idea why One Piece is woke in the first place when there are obvious fanservice - see Nami in her ninja costume - and the okamas and trans people are treated as people first, not diversity first since a lot of people in the fandom cried a lot about the badassery of Bon Clay and O-Kiku. And those are the most vehement that these characters are badass, not because they are trans, but because they are badass who has duty and friendship at the top of their minds. Like Bon Clay is not pure and all-around good when he helped burn down a city! If it was here in America, trans are supposed to be treated as good and pure and defined entirely as trans when we should be treating as equals, not put on a fucking pedestal! Hell, we fucking see Bon Clay take decisive action as a leader and we later see him the leader of Level 5.5 in Impel Down and he rightfully earned that! The only reason I see the ladies being covered up is that they're in fucking kimonos! Fuck, we see Ivankov for the sake of Godoka! People would notice he's an obvious play on Rocky Horror Show's Frank-n-Furter! We even learn of O-Kiku's sibling and we are still learning her character especially when they are foreshadowing if you know your damn Japanese for god's sake so to say One Piece is woke is untrue. People have criticized the WCI arc, especially the treatment of Big Mom, in the western sphere as unfeminist. In the West. And we're still getting fanservice in the Wano arc so I don't get where the idea One Piece is woke from! Speaking of, Japanese mangakas have a fascination with LGBT so I don't get where woke in Japan originated from since I keep up with anime and I would've learned an anime or manga is woke by fans leaving in troves and nobody is leaving One Piece in troves in the likes of Disney Star Wars! If anything, I saw more people checking out long-running anime and manga than ever before! Woke is defining a character entirely on their diversity for diversity's sake; just look at the marketing for Disney Star Wars and just Disney SW in general really. The Force is feminist, WTF. Did they know the Force is not a gender but is the source of every living thing? And that only some including women but not everyone will be Force-sensitive. Whatever, Kathleen Kennedy, I hope you have that humble pie that definitely has the ingredients of canon and harsh truths. No canon or base work, you say, Kathleen Kennedy? I say nope! It's already distressing to see SW in the state it is now but the way Disney wants to make money off it even after their failed movie trilogy showed all they want is the money and to pay back the debt.

I'm sorry about that rant but I saw somebody say One Piece is woke and I blew up here. And the damn situation with Disney Star Wars and those who spearheaded the woke.

What fans are passionate and loving but also critiquing about what they love. I know this because my cousins, as well as myself who are fans of something, do critique what they love. I know this because I discussed whatever with games and anime. My aforementioned cousin loves Code Geass but is aware of the flaws. However, I notice in our discussion, only story and characterization came up.

They aren't the enemies. Calling them names and assumptions will damage moving forward with the forward.

Again, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, DC, Marvel... no wonder Japanese and Korean works are shooting into popularity. All I can think of now is Alfred watching anime and listening to Kpop while eating his burgers and fries as his country's famous works of pop culture burned behind him and his collection of Funko pop displayed somewhere in his houses, Tony joining in and crying. Considering he is likely an anime fan for a long-ass time, I won't call him a weeb. And Arthur sipping tea and turned off the TV once the Doctor Who aired and went for his laptop instead to listen to some Kpop.

Because if these personifications are literally the general, then while they would care for geeky things, disinterest will wane, especially for products who don't know good storytelling if it didn't hit them over the head with a sledgehammer because all they care about is politics first, not story and characters first.

All I just want for DW, SW, ST, DC, Marvel, and other works currently ruined by a spiteful woke culture which don't respect the lore and basic storytelling... is for the fans, not only to continuing what made them love it in the first place but to keep that love alive because those franchises need more love more than ever, especially when it's currently handled by disrespectful hostility from people who simply don't get it and only using it to spread their politics.

All these fans don't expect you to be a fan but for you to respect what came before. Just look at Nicholas Meyer. He wasn't a fan of ST but he still went out of his way to research via talking with actors and watching old episodes. And what has he granted the fans? Wrath of Khan and Undiscovered Country! The former movie is called one of the greatest SciFi movie of all time and revered in ST circles.

What fans want is not only respect for them but also the source material and lore, what came before. Fans are allowed to criticize something that destroys what they love. Just look at DW with the recent trainwreck being Timeless Children. I mean I long since quit watching DW, well nuWho since Eleven since the writing is just crazy. But then again, from what I have been hearing, ever since that new showrunner, Chibnall, is far more worried about politics than writing a good story. Look, RTD is fucking gay and he has LGBT and POC characters in there but the fans aren't raging over that in RTD's era but over Chibnall's era where he prioritizes whatever identity you have over characterization and story. I'm pretty sure at this rate, people would prefer Moffat over Chibnall just based on woke culture alone.

Again, respect fans, source material, lore, what came before that made the franchise so big. Fans are allowed to criticize because they love the product and do want the product to do better. People, in general, will criticize the flaws because whether or not they love or hate it, they are still allowed to comment on the flaws. Criticizing does not mean hate. Especially hate for diversity and representation. Fans won't mind if it's natural and isn't placed above storytelling.