Is there a "toxicity" in this fandom?

[NeonTurtledude]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I say a bit, because they still have good moments in the final episodes/seasons. But they both do generally get dumber as the show goes on.

It's like Homer Simpson syndrome. In the beginning you know they're kinda dumb but not THAT dumb, but then as the show goes on them being stupid just becomes most of their character.

Michelangelo's decline in character development in a nutshell

[NeonTurtledude]

as for my own thoughts on the fandom and the drome being toxic...

The Drome: While I've only been on here for a few years, sometimes the wave of negative/off-topic posts was overwhelming and I would see some arguments happen, sometimes it did feel a bit strange being a younger fan who aligned with things that would usually be criticized on here, but I'm aware that I'm not as experienced and have only seen some tmnt iterations (87/03/2012/Rise and Mutant Mayhem) and none of the comics, that doesn't change that some rants felt like people complaining about iterations that weren't made for them or old people yelling at clouds.

I've also learned to be more critical about topics I enjoy or am linked with, whether that be related to media/fandom or politics, as long as someone isn't harming the other then it's fine.

But I don't think I've had any direct negative experiences with people on here, any toxicity I have seen is just from what I observe.


The fandom itself: Admittedly, I think there are some parallels the TMNT fandom has with the Sonic fandom and while we don't have any Chris Chan or Ken Penders equivalents, we do have to deal with arguments about iterations being preferred, specific character interpretations and some just sending un-necessary nasty comments to people.

That said, while "some" other young fans are more chill, they also have their own discourses (usually about shipping) and the bad lot tend to doxx people due to their drama.

There are good and bad TMNT fans in each generation, and we also complain about the same things (like April for example) but other fans (like Sonic fans) can also be annoying, there was a Twitter drama a while back where some Taylor swift fans just randomly started arguing with tmnt fans because they called them out on something.

I do think that I've learned more about tmnt/the fandom and life in general via these forums, it has been helpful knowledge, but it has also made me realize the good and bad that comes from online fandom forums.

Generally, for the most part, I've felt welcome here, but some details might need to be adjusted if more young fans were to join, (such as explaining the cubed stuff to them, new people won't know the "forum lore" that well compared to those of you who've been around the longest on here.

[Vegita-San]

forum lore is part of any LONG running forum, or community. you just have to take a while to get used to it, and then feel free to join in if one wishes.

as for iterations of TMNT: 98% of us probably came in with the 87 toon. then, you have the mirage die hards like andrew. MOST of us can't STAND anything made from Bay Movies, onward. IT may not be made for us, but it ALSO wasn't made for tmnt fans, either. In the 'so different, might as well be something else' category.

sometimes, the old man yelling at a cloud has a point. but the younger generation does not want to listen.

taylor swift fans fighting tmnt fans is a new one on me, though.

[NeonTurtledude]

yeah fair, some sonic fans are the same, while it's fine if some like the Paramount movies or the new games, other fans just want Sonic media that is good and well made and consider the Paramount films to be the "so different, might as well be something else" category, I admittedly liked them at first due to nostalgia but now I can see why they feel more Alvin and the chipmunks than Sonic.

I was introduced to the series via the 2003 series on citv as a kid, so that era was my childhood, and then in 2012, I got into 2012 and researching the 1987 series and the iterations that came before that (I think Doug walker's NC reviews is how I got into 87 tmnt).

I suppose with 2003 being the one close to the Mirage era did help me understand the tone of Mirage TMNT and why so many prefer it, that said, I do love the "campiness" of the 1987 era. It did also help the Irish animation industry via Dublin's branch of Murakami Wolf Swenson's studio
and as someone from Northern Ireland into that field
that stuff fascinates me.

sometimes, the old man yelling at a cloud has a point. but the younger generation does not want to listen.

That is true, some of my generation do tend to jump to conclusions a lot, but some of the older fans do that too,

taylor swift fans fighting tmnt fans is a new one on me, though.[/QUOTE]

for context, it was someone posting on a website called Letterboxd (not sure you lot know it, it's like a film ranking/listing site, similar to IMDB)

and the person's post was saying they preferred the Barbie movie over the Taylor Swift film, Swifties went nuts to where some young tmnt fans were trying to tell them to just chill and then as a result the Swifties started just being nasty and randomly spamming their posts with hate comments about tmnt.

so yeah, other fandoms certainly have their issues too.

[IndigoErth]

Taylor Swift fans vs TMNT fans... What is this universe we live in?

[NeonTurtledude]

it's an interesting universe for sure

[Cowabung-Gal]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Taylor Swift fans vs TMNT fans... What is this universe we live in?

Is Taylor Swift like a goddess to these people or something? I’ve heard that she could even motivate all of the young people to vote a certain way.

[NeonTurtledude]

Originally Posted by Cowabung-Gal

Is Taylor Swift like a goddess to these people or something? I’ve heard that she could even motivate all of the young people to vote a certain way.

to people who view her in a parasocial way, yes

[KROW]

All fandoms are toxic, it's just a matter of degree. I find this particular one is less so than others. We can get pedantic at times and over-analytical at others, but I don't see the majority of us going so far as to attaching our egos to this franchise. We don't have a cutesy name for ourselves, that's for damn sure.

I think the harshest it's gotten is scoffing at those who used to have the '80s toon on their TVs who call themselves fans, whereas we call them, "casuals" or doing the same at people who like a different version of the Turtles than others, like with the Rise series. Of course, this is just looking at it from face value and my own experience. I don't do Twitter so I'm not sure how deep it goes, if ever.

Overall I think this particular fandom is mostly decent.

[NeonTurtledude]

yeah that's understandable, I think some tmnt fans call themselves shellheads, not all of them though

and unlike Sonic and all, we don't have things like the Chris chan situation attached to it, there were the yaoi fangirls of the 2000s, but they aren't as active

[Coola Yagami]

We also don't have fans calling out death threats or wishing people would commit suicide like the Steven Universe fanbase.

[NeonTurtledude]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

We also don't have fans calling out death threats or wishing people would commit suicide like the Steven Universe fanbase.

well the older fans doesn't have that, but some of the younger fans can be nuts with their threats, doxxing people over opinions

[IndigoErth]

It's definitely better than some. I do think there is a degree of ego attachment these days with some people, more than what there used to be -- albeit less-so on the forum than elsewhere online, but not entirely absent -- and seen in the way some people will attack (rather than debate) or start throwing insults at someone who doesn't like or dares to criticize something they do like themselves. People are making things like fandom (likewise politics, etc) too much of a personal identity and react like it's a personal threat if what they like is criticized.

And some of it is grown-ass adults you'd expect better of. But I think some of them got swept up in it, esp with Rise having been so hotly debated, while it's hard to know that some of the fans they may have been agreeing and relating with (and possibly picking up behavior from) were, say, 14. And I kinda expect it out of people who lack the maturity to deal with feelings and disagreements like an adult, but adult fans... come on. *tisk*

The increased entitled attitude of kids now though isn't helping either. I know we all were that age once and takes time to outgrow that crap, but the utterly massive "ME" attitude (a good deal worse than the Millennial "ME" period) that has come about, to the point of threats and whatnot, and contributed to the toxic BS... wow.

I don't know how many times I've seen kids in the past threatening to "leave" a fandom (like anyone would give a flying monkey's ass if they did) because their art, or writing, or (very often) their OC no one cares about wasn't getting enough attention. Or more recently they push some non-canon idea or "ship" on others expecting to get validation for it and get upset when it doesn't happen. Omg, get over yourself and the belief that you are just OH so special. A fandom isn't about you and it's not a platform for getting attention or validation, sorry.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by NeonTurtledude

well the older fans doesn't have that, but some of the younger fans can be nuts with their threats, doxxing people over opinions

Within the Turtles Fandom????

[NeonTurtledude]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Within the Turtles Fandom????

Yep, mostly in the twitter tmnt community from what I've seen

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Let's not forget Batman fanboys who believe he can defeat everyone with prep time.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by NeonTurtledude

Yep, mostly in the twitter tmnt community from what I've seen

Over what? The Donnie/April ship?

I remember from the Steven Universe thing everyone was into the fact that they portrayed chubby characters, so they bullied a fan to near suicide over them drawing one of em (the chubby pink one, idk her name) with a slim figure.

EDIT- oh and to top it off, the creator of the series backed the fan, pretty much 'let them enjoy the series the way they want' and these Twitter Freaks went after the creator. -_-

[NeonTurtledude]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

People are making things like fandom (likewise politics, etc) too much of a personal identity and react like it's a personal threat if what they like is criticized.

The increased entitled attitude of kids now though isn't helping either. I know we all were that age once and takes time to outgrow that crap, but the utterly massive "ME" attitude (a good deal worse than the Millennial "ME" period) that has come about, to the point of threats and whatnot, and contributed to the toxic BS... wow.

I don't know how many times I've seen kids in the past threatening to "leave" a fandom (like anyone would give a flying monkey's ass if they did) because their art, or writing, or (very often) their OC no one cares about wasn't getting enough attention. Or more recently they push some non-canon idea or "ship" on others expecting to get validation for it and get upset when it doesn't happen. Omg, get over yourself and the belief that you are just OH so special. A fandom isn't about you and it's not a platform for getting attention or validation, sorry.

Exactly, I agree with this, I've seen this a lot, but I've also been guilty of it at times when in other fandoms, people get too "rejection sensitive" about stuff like that which results in the unnecessary defensive reactions.

I think Autism also effects this attitude when people "Hyperfixate on a specific series or fandom and make it too much of their identity

and a lot of people in fandom are in it due to fixating on series
but when the person gets too attached that's what results in weird behaviour

I have autism, and sometimes my hyperfixations have been out of control but I'm trying to manage them better, TMNT is one I try to be chill about.

Admittedly I used to be like that on google+ (a social media similar to facebook that never took off) I wouldn't threaten to leave a fandom, but I would complain if my ocs wouldn't get attention, I've since then realized part of the reason it barely got attention was the art quality not being good.

I was a teenager then though so things did eventually change

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by NeonTurtledude

Admittedly I used to be like that on google+ (a social media similar to facebook that never took off) I wouldn't threaten to leave a fandom, but I would complain if my ocs wouldn't get attention, I've since then realized part of the reason it barely got attention was the art quality not being good.

I was a teenager then though so things did eventually change

I think some of the issues are that many of these people just.... don't grow out of it, sadly.

I mean I'll probably always have a crush on 80's April but I went from being too young for her, just her age, to now being too old for her. I mean, I know she's not a real and just a cartoon and I won't flip my **** or threaten people online over fans shipping her with whoever. To be honest, even back when I was a kid,( let's pretend the internet we have now existed in the 80's), I wouldn't care if people shipped her with this person or that person. I mean even as a kid I understood if I had a crush on her, so did millions others, presumably.

But kids these days.... like idk..... they have serious issues separating reality from fantasy. And by kids I mean even modern day people in their 20's. They're still stupid chuckleheads.

[NeonTurtledude]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Over what? The Donnie/April ship?

I remember from the Steven Universe thing everyone was into the fact that they portrayed chubby characters, so they bullied a fan to near suicide over them drawing one of em (the chubby pink one, idk her name) with a slim figure.

I don't know the exact details but it was probably that, and I remember that Steven Universe drama, some SU fans are still very weird, thinking they can call Rebecca Sugar a nazi just for having bad writing and character designs

like yeah bad writing and questionable designs are weird but there's no need to insult a jewish creator like that