Discussion For the Geeks - What Do You Think Makes Some Fan Communities Better Than Others?

[Celerity]

After watching Game of Thrones, I started reading the A Song of Ice and Fire (ASoIaF). Later on, I also started the Wheel of Time series. Maybe it's just been me, but I have noticed a big difference in how the two communities treat open questions and mysteries left by the author.

ASoIaF fans tend to like speculation and will even praise theories they don't necessarily agree with for being interesting. WoT folks, at least on Reddit, are much more hostile to speculation and basically have very few ideas about how the story could have played out differently. They post a lot more analogies and reactions to canon content rather than posting genuinely novel ideas. Their adherence to canon like its scripture reminds me of some of the more intense Lord of the Rings fans out there. Criticism of the author (Robert Jordan for WoT and J.R.R. Tolkien for LotR) is also pretty swiftly punished a lot of the time while making fun of GRRM has become a daily occurrence on his fan websites.

It got me thinking about why. ASoIaF draws a larger crowd, but I think the way GRRM writes contributes to what kinds of readers enjoy his books. A lot more is left ambiguous and open to interpretation. At least so far in my reading, ASoIaF characters are also more conflicted and morally gray. The fact that WoT is a finished product may also play into it. More people read WoT and LotR as kids or teens, but even Harry Potter fans who read at the same age aren't as hardcore about treating the books like The Bible.



Basically, TLDR: Why are some fan communities more insular and cultish than others? Have you run into problems yourself in such situations?

 

[WhatPowerIs]

I don't mind the insular or cultish fanbases. Even though WoT is a finished series it isn't totally complete given that the original author passed away before he was able to complete the story fully so they had to hand it off to a different writer, I suspect that may play some part. Also the community is smaller. But I prefer these smaller insular communities over the larger mainstream ones. Large ones can suck too obviously, just look at Star Wars, SW fans will eat up any slop Disney serves them up on a platter.

 

[Celerity]

I don't mind the insular or cultish fanbases. Even though WoT is a finished series it isn't totally complete given that the original author passed away before he was able to complete the story fully so they had to hand it off to a different writer, I suspect that may play some part. Also the community is smaller. But I prefer these smaller insular communities over the larger mainstream ones. Large ones can suck too obviously, just look at Star Wars, SW fans will eat up any slop Disney serves them up on a platter.

My experience has been the opposite. The most vocal Star Wars fans hate Disney.

 

[WhatPowerIs]

My experience has been the opposite. The most vocal Star Wars fans hate Disney.

I suspect we're on different corners.

 

[Celerity]

I suspect we're on different corners.

Maybe. I like parts of the EU better than what we got, but my experience is limited to KOTOR. I am only a casual fan. I don't love the Disney movies and particularly hated Rise of Skywalker, but I think they are better than the prequels. The original trilogy remains the best of the movies. The Mandalorian was pretty good TV, and I will probably watch Andor.

 

[WhatPowerIs]

Maybe. I like parts of the EU better than what we got, but my experience is limited to KOTOR. I am only a casual fan. I don't love the Disney movies and particularly hated Rise of Skywalker, but I think they are better than the prequels. The original trilogy remains the best of the movies. The Mandalorian was pretty good TV, and I will probably watch Andor.

I don't agree. I am familiar with KOTOR also and I like those games but I loved the prequels and the originals and I hated every sequel trilogy movie as they came out and I can't say I care for any of the new TV shows or side movies they're making. I sort of wish Lucas never sold his property off to Disney, they sullied his ideas, but the fans don't really even respect Lucas so I can see why he stopped giving a shit.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

Can't even imagine a good fan community.

 

[Celerity]

Can't even imagine a good fan community.

I mean, that's 100% fair.

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

Genshin fans are probably some of the worst for this. if you want to retain any level of sanity do not peep genshin twitter. Imagine a bunch of a
Americans constantly losing their minds over the skin tone of characters featured in a Taiwanese gatcha game of all things.

There's constantly some kind of shitstorm over cultural accuracy, when people don't seem to realize they are playing a pay to win anime style gambling simulator that's loosely based on a mix of various mythologies. You can't make serious parallels to ancient history and modern cultural diatribes (to try and win an argument or cancel someone on twitter) when the source material in question is mostly big titty anime girls saying cheeky one liners and blue haired femboy twinks taming dragons in generic fantasy scenarios.