Torchwood is Not Fandom's Bitch

[bluejeans07]

I wasn't going to write this but then I read the entries from 51stcenturyfox, redstapler and rm, and thought about things in my little head for a moment.

No, I did not go to the Character Deaths Panel at Gallifrey this year because I think I probably would've laughed, especially hearing that someone started crying. My knee-jerk reaction to anything that gets fandom riled up and emotional has been to respond with my sense of humor and that's usually where my comics come from. When it goes on a for awhile, I end up drawing lots and lots of comics. But my comic would have been a channeled reaction to my laughter, and I don't think laughing would have gone over well inside the room

It might be cruel and insensitive to laugh when someone is clearly in pain, but I'm not feeling very apologetic about the way I feel and just telling me that I should be won't change that. Neil Gaiman once told a fan that, "George R.R. Martin is not your bitch." Likewise, I am not your bitch. TORCHWOOD is not your bitch. Russell T. Davies is very unapologetically, not fandom's bitch.

Fans do not own the series that they are a fan of in the slightest. They don't get a say whether a character lives or dies, they don't have a choice in what the story is. And honestly, they shouldn't! It'd be a boring story if they did and I'd rather see a story that's well crafted, dramatically intense, and be entertained. And yes, sometimes things are done because it WOULD get a huge reaction out of fans, whether good or bad, because this proves that people are watching, being engaged, and being interested in whatever the property is.

Personally, I think that fandom feeling entitlement from their properties is very arrogant. You don't become a fan to own the show, you become a fan because you LIKE what you're getting from the show. You are a consumer of the show and it's merchandise, but that doesn't get you to own any sort of rights to the show and the characters. You can certainly voice your opinion, but they don't have to take it.

Because, they are not your bitch. End of story.

Comments

[never-ender.livejournal.com]

Very yes!

[twjudy.livejournal.com]

yeah, when I heard about the reaction, i wanted to tell them, "didn't joss wheadon teach you anything? happy relationships always lead to death"

[lynxgriffin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it seems big in the DW/TW fandoms, but I think that sense of fan entitlement is in a LOT of big fandoms. It makes me groan every single time.

Just because a fan wants a story to go a certain way does NOT make it a good idea! In fact, I feel like there WAS a series (probably a webcomic) where the creator was trying to write the story based on where the fans wanted it to go...and the story ended up stagnating and just sucking, because there's no way you can please everyone.

Plus dude, that's what fanfic is for!

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

Who's red_stapler? ;)

(Thank you for the shoutout. And wordy mcword.)

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

I came away from that panel having learned two things.

1. If it made you cry, made you angry, made you react that strongly, then it's GOOD DRAMA! So stop being angry about it. It wasn't stated in those words. Not even close. But it's what I took away from it.

2. No one "gets a pass" on homophobia. Please don't use that phrase. It hints that the person getting said pass actually IS homophobic and is being allowed to be so because of whatever it is being argued. In this case, RTD was being "given a pass" on homophobic undertones of "Children of Earth" because of his being one of the most out-there gay men in Great Britain. It took me a half hour to realize that the phrasing was inaccurate and I now reject the phrase in almost any context.

[purple-shoes.livejournal.com]

Ummm I'm over here from Foxy's journal because I am a spying spy that spies on comments and things.

But I did want to tell you that you get agreement from this corner of peanut gallery, also.

On a side note, I'm just watching the run of Buffy for the first time, but Firefly taught me quick about Joss. My friend who got me into Buffy keeps asking me how broken up I am about certain things, and all I can say is "It's Joss. I knew what I was getting into." I pretty much apply that to all TV shows now, just to be safe, lol.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

...and this is why I love fanfic. :D

Comics fandom was brought up, which I think we'll see more about (I didn't take notes during, but someone did).

[thebluelady.livejournal.com]

It's funny, I have read about this panel from every angle now. What you say is true and I can see being disappointed when a character dies or becomes "not so cool" but to protest and whine and demand is just stupid. If you hate it that much go write and alternative reality fanfic ( or something ) I don't know. Stupid people.

As far as I go is wishing certain movies wouldn't get/have been made because they trash the story and characters, but aside from my own grumbling I'm not going to take to the streets ( or convention rooms ) in protest.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

♥

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

As someone else said, very yes.