Does the fandom influence you ?

[Antho]

These days I realize that my perception of the series has changed since I am registered on forums, I see things differently thanks to the opinions of others .. So, I would like to have your opinions on it : What do you think ? Does the fandom has an impact on the opinion you have ? Because for me, it's a situation that brings positive and negative things..

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Well for me the fandom has made me appreciate the show more. The opinions of others either re-re-enforce my own opinions or it makes me question things. And when I go to watch the show I keep certain things in mind. I try to understand where people are coming from sometimes but I don't always get it. As long as people can be respectful, (and most Buffy fans are) then I enjoy the fandom.

 

[GraceK]

Absolutely. I have been a fan since the shows originally aired, I watched in real time. I own the dvds and swore I knew everything about the series. So I'm amazed constantly at how my views have changed and continue to grow the more I read other people's opinions and theories. I think it makes the series even better 🙂

 

[thrasherpix]

Yes. Most of the time I'd say this board has given me a more nuanced view of it (and I have been rewatching a lot of it because of this board, and catching things I didn't before, whether or not it gets pointed out here, and so many little things I'm surprised I missed, like when Xander calls his mom, says it's him, and then he has to say his name).

Today, this thread got me to consider something trivial I never had before (and have gone from believing #1 to #3, though it's not like I had any strong feeling or opinion here before). I used to hate the literal "loan shark" in season 6, but people talking about the dream images in the last episode of season 4 got me to appreciate it (and someone said something about it that made me laugh, but I forget what it was). And I had my mind changed strongly on something in season 7, but now I can't recall what it was (something about the Potentials), but then I generally don't care much for season 7 anyway. It wasn't too long ago that I was saying Buffy's behavior made no sense where she confronts Angel but reading the other fans talk about it I realized it did make a lot of sense character-wise.

But not all the time. I recall being surprised when an article actually made sense in how toxic Tara was to Willow, but upon rewatching episodes I could not agree with that (she was flawed, like all the other characters, so what, it typically takes tunnel vision to see a regular character as a perfect saint or complete scumbag). I vaguely recall mentioning something about the First vs First Slayer tongue in cheek and about everyone said the First Slayer was just about making Buffy even stronger, but I just couldn't agree with that as I recalled her control over bullets, making a minigun shut down, turned a rocket fired at her into birds, sent Adam's power pack into another dimension, and then after that the First Slayer attacks them in their dreams, so I just can't see the First Slayer as limited to physical functions...I don't recall why I dropped it, though, maybe I was busy, or maybe I felt it was too off topic, or maybe because I'd said what I did more tongue in cheek anyway.

 

[Bluebird]

Yes, but mostly negatively. Being involved in a fandom for 20 years means you've heard a lot of the same arguments. BB still has a lot to offer, but I don't take part in any other forums or fandoms at all any longer. I think it can become an echo chamber, with the Joss is God stuff and the lengths of fanwanking to justify the opposite of intention, and so on. Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon.

 

[thetopher]

Sure it has, in the way I view some seasons and characters. During debates I find that a certain level of hyperbole comes about (I'm guilty of this as well) ; people call characters evil or a Nazi or the worst ever when in fact they're just flawed characters.
I find that I've become more fond of some of the characters that draw unjustified (in my opinion) vitriol; Xander, Riley and Dawn for example. Not perfect characters but not the actual worst either.

Also my opinion of a fan favorite-Spike- has been altered by the fandom; I'm fairly certain the chronology of my posts will make that clear. I can't say I will ever be able to view Spuffy in the same way again, after interacting with some of its fans.

Same with seasons- to a much lesser extent. I watched through the last two seasons recently and realized that they weren't in fact the worst thing ever; they could be somewhat enjoyable and thought-provoking. Again the hyperbole from the fandom can make one lose perspective. They weren't awful to watch but nor were they brave and deep hours of television.
But interacting with the fandom had made me more aware of some of the problems inherent in the show and has crystallized some of my thoughts. I suppose that's what fandom can do at its best; help you figure out your own opinions by listening to others.

 

[Priceless]

I've not been here very long, but from what I've read, most people's views are pretty solid and it's virtually impossible to sway people on major issues, myself included. There is a difference between someone who's seen the whole show many times, and people who are new to the show, as I think it's only natural to change your opinon as a new-ish viewer, but if you've seen the same episodes many times, you're pretty set in your thinking and it would take a major new theory to make me question my own views. I find that what I loved, I love more now becasue of the fandom, and there isn't anything I loved that I now hate or vice versa. Or maybe I'm just too old and terribly closed-minded 😱😳

 

[Guy]

Same with seasons- to a much lesser extent. I watched through the last two seasons recently and realized that they weren't in fact the worst thing ever; they could be somewhat enjoyable and thought-provoking. Again the hyperbole from the fandom can make one lose perspective.

 

[Athena]

I think it depends on the topic being discussed. I mean any repeat fandom discussion of Spike vs Angel is going to retread the same old same old again and again, and that can get dull, but then someone asks a really valid question, or highlights a plot point I never thought of before as being vitally important to the show, and it reignites my feelings and passion. I'm always interested in hearing other people's points of view, even if they differ to my own, because there's a validity in pretty much everyone's opinion.

Some of my own personal thoughts and feelings about certain episodes or characters has changed because of interaction with the fandom. For example, I always disregarded Xander. I found him incredibly annoying and misogynistic, especially in the earlier seasons, and then I actually took a bit more time to get to know him through the fandom and through other people's experiences with the character and while I still think he is annoying and misogynistic, I really appreciated his character development more than I did previously. Sometimes you see things in black and white and sometimes you see shades of grey. I think it's really important to be open to others' views and learn from the fandom, as well as contribute to the fandom.

I used to love the show because I thought was perfect, but now I love it even more because of its flaws - if that makes sense?

 

[ILLYRIAN]

I'd have to say yes. Reading the intelligent comments by people.

 

[Last Watcher]

I used to love the show because I thought was perfect, but now I love it even more because of its flaws - if that makes sense?

I was trying to work out how to say pretty much that!

I used to watch it as just entertainment, switch off the brain & go along for the ride.......but after joining boards like this one I realised just how much more there was to it all...it opened my eyes to things I had never even considered, & changed my views on several of the characters....a couple of them quite drastically.
Still love the show though....and things that are pointed out by folk on here give me an excuse to rewatch episodes regularly......

 

[Bop]

Not really I know what I like and what I don't like and people would have to make a really good argument for me to change my opinion 😀
But of course the fandom has changed some of my opinions 🙂

 

[Ethan Reigns]

For those who weren't here, the shipper wars of 2013 left me wondering whether some of the viewers were watching the same program I was or whether there was a different but similar program with the same cast and characters that showed up somewhere else and where completely different things happened. This board is much more civilized now than it was back then but some of the entrenched opinions are still the same. I am not much of a shipper - if someone wants to hook up (or not) with someone else, no big deal for me.

I was uncritical of the conventional wisdom that Buffy was a feminist show but the opinions here have caused me to question that. It got worse when Marti Noxon took over - a female showrunner took an ostensibly feminist program and obliterated all traces of feminism. The fandom is not so sure about Joss' feminism anymore.

I am still not sold on the idea that redemption arcs are as good an idea as some people think. So Faith went through a redemption arc in both Buffy and Angel. Professor Worth could care less. But the fandom seems to love it.

The character arcs started at a low level, rose to a height, then arced down to a low level. Remember the core four in Primeval where Buffy fought with the combined efforts of other people? That was the apogee of her arc. She declined from then on, whether from gravity or gravitas. Remember Angel fighting the good fight against Wolfram & Hart? Then he joined forces with the devil, killed the Drogyn who was innocent and unleashed destruction on L.A. Both main characters end up lower than they started. This is my unpopular opinion that goes against a lot of the fandom.

Other than that, I have enjoyed some of the discussions and unique points of view of the fandom, so that is why I spend hours a day on this forum.

 

[Carrie Hopewell]

The fandom has influenced me a lot.

When I first watched the show, my views on it were very shallow. I shipped Bangel and loved Angel. Then, I started reading some threads and was kind of blown away by what people saw in the show, how much they read into it. I couldn't think like that initially.
When I joined this place, I did it because I had gotten obsessed with Buffy and Bangel. I was on one of those ship threads and thought that some arguments were missing from the conversation. My first post here was Bangel vs. Spuffy 🙄. The more time I spent here, the more I learned how to watch the show from a more interesting angle and how to get my point across. I wasn't much of a debater so it was hard for me to successfully argue with others - I usually just posted something, I didn't engage in conversation. However, steadily, disagreeing with others came more easily. I no longer questioned my own arguments when someone disagreed with them.
I have a lot more confidence now in my beliefs and in my capacity to argue my point of view. That was one of the major changes this had in me.

Another change is that this place in my own little safety net. I love being here. I feel very safe and self-assured.

It also helped me see the show differently. I liked Spike a lot better until I joined the boards. Now, I see all of his flaws and how inconsistent the show was in regards to him, and I pretty much hate him. Subsequent rewatches solidified my low opinion of Spike.

I think fan discussion influenced my opinions on Btvs more than on Ats. My opinions on Angel are almost the same as when I first watched it.

 

[Blaze]

Yes it definitely does. Mostly the fandom usually makes me more critical of things. And when it doesn't, it makes me better at arguing things. My opinions aren't usually very easily swayed, but it has happened in the past.

Biggest example is Bangel and Spuffy. I used to like both ships, but the fandom has really soured me to them. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I definitely see the flaws more than anything else when I think of those ships. However on the bright side, the fandom has made me realize some crucial things that I used to glance over at first, like the abuse found with Spuffy in s6. However contrary to the opinion of a lot of people, I also find Bangel really problematic. That seems to be a trend with all fandoms that I like, if people view something with so called "pink coloured glasses" the opposite seems to happen to me and I view said thing more critically. However that is not often the case here. Actually the opposite happens quite often, where someone opens my eyes to a certain character or event that I had previously seen with those pink coloured glasses. Or they make me make me more sympathetic towards a certain character.

Sometimes I must admit the fandom makes me more argumentative. I always liked Kennedy, but hearing so many people despise her makes me want to defend her character even more. I'm still quick to defend my opinions, but I try to respect the opinion of others.

 

[Taake]

Yes, fandom influences me. For one, I don't think I'd be thinking much about the show anymore without it. Having someone else to talk abut it with has obviously kept it alive, and kept me re-watching and finding new things to love or hate about it. Basically, you guys are just feeding an old addiction 😛

It has also influenced my opinion about characters and events that maybe I hadn't thought that much about before. Or helped me clarify why I feel certain things about stuff in the show.

Same with seasons- to a much lesser extent. I watched through the last two seasons recently and realized that they weren't in fact the worst thing ever; they could be somewhat enjoyable and thought-provoking. Again the hyperbole from the fandom can make one lose perspective. They weren't awful to watch but nor were they brave and deep hours of television.

That's funny, I made the opposite journey. From thinking "not the worst thing ever, kind of enjoyable" to "ugh, I can't.even. They make me retroactively despise the whole show because it led to this", hehe.

 

[thetopher]

That's funny, I made the opposite journey. From thinking "not the worst thing ever, kind of enjoyable" to "ugh, I can't.even. They make me retroactively despise the whole show because it led to this"

Well I sorta did that as well; firstly I was all 'yay, this is really interesting/good' and then fandom happened and my opinion got a lot harsher (about Season 7 especially) towards the writing and character arcs.
And now I've sort of...gone back a bit; not to where I was before but like, appreciating what good there is whilst acknowledging the (plentiful) bad.

So either I'm a flip-flooping slinky spine or I'm clearly more evolved than you. 😛

 

[Mylie]

Fandom makes me more aware of all possible sides (pov, arguments, etc.) so it makes me understand the shows better, in a way.

It doesn't have an impact when it comes to what I love/dislike (I don't think I changed my mind on those things) though other than solidify my feelings. But it does help me understand the why of it all.

 

[POTN]

Yes it does. But I'm probably a somewhat unique case because I am constantly saturated by fan feedback.

 

[Guy]

I don't think that fandom influenced my opinion of the show in a truly significant way... The most significant change I can think of is my opinion of Dawn - I always loved her, but after discovering that the fandom HATES her (which was truly SHOCKING to me when I found out about it. It felt like discovering that everyone hates Willow, or that everyone loves Warren - it's just completely unreasonable!), I just started feeling incredibly protective toward her. I don't mind it when people criticize Spike, or Buffy, or Faith, or anyone else... But whenever I see people hating on little Dawnie (which happens a LOT, for some reason that I will never understand), it just feels like bullying, and I just get like:

mcqshield.wordpress.com/2016/05/04/trailer-breakdown-captain-america-civil-war/

So, fandom has made me love Dawn even more, somehow.

It also helped me see the show differently. I liked Spike a lot better until I joined the boards. Now, I see all of his flaws and how inconsistent the show was in regards to him, and I pretty much hate him. Subsequent rewatches solidified my low opinion of Spike.

That's funny, I made the opposite journey. From thinking "not the worst thing ever, kind of enjoyable" to "ugh, I can't.even. They make me retroactively despise the whole show because it led to this", hehe.

Well I sorta did that as well; firstly I was all 'yay, this is really interesting/good' and then fandom happened and my opinion got a lot harsher (about Season 7 especially) towards the writing and character arcs.

So basically, what you're all saying is - fandom was a mistake. I mean, if it makes you hate big chunks of the show... Isn't that a bad thing?