June Something: Harry Potter is the Schitt (Public Post)

[author_by_night]

https://squidgiepdx.dreamwidth.org/297595.html

Skipping around because what is order, anyway?

Compare and/or contrast your very first fandom obsession and your very latest fandom obsession.Under the cut - Harry Potter, Schitt's Creek, Buffy

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

And Xander and Ron share a bit of character DNA in terms of being the "least special" and most sarcastic, although I like Ron better than Xander.Agreed on all counts, both the similarities and liking Ron more (I do like Xander a lot, he was actually my favorite character in season 1, despite his very evident flaws, but I find Ron's development more satisfying). I would also argue that Willow and Hermione are similar characters, too, though Hermione has way more self-confidence -- not just the brainy sidekicks who do the book research, but both are capable of being ruthless in pursuing their goals (I mean, Hermione making her parents forget her so that they wouldn't worry about her? definitely seems like something Willow would think was a good idea, too). I do feel like HP never really explored that potential for darkness in Hermione's character the way BtVS did with Willow (even though drugs-I-mean-magic-addiction-is-bad-kids storyline was suuuper tedious and I could've done without), and so I find Willow more interesting than

[author_by_night]

I think Ron's development was much better. I think Xander's was okay when it came to being supportive of his friends, but everything with Anya was so terrible, and I don't feel he ever really came back from that. It was all about how bad HE felt

[hamsterwoman]

Oh, right, Xander and Anya's relationship. Yeah, that was not good. (I think the only thing I liked about that was the song in "Once More with Feeling"). But yes, he is definitely a character I liked more at the start and then progressively less as the seasons went on, while Ron, while he is flawed and falters, actually gets to grow. Of course, we also meet Ron as an 11-year-old, not a high school student, but still.

I think part of the problem is that we're not necessarily supposed to see Hermione's cringier moments as all that cringey, whereas we are with Willow, which does make it more interesting.

Yep, completely agree. Willow's darkness/potential for darkness is obviously acknowledged by the show, but I agree with you that I don't think we're meant to see Hermione's more ruthless moments as anything to worry about, because she's doing it for a good cause (which I think is the way Gryffindor morality goes dark, but I don't think that's what we're intended to take away from it).

Willow misused magic, but it was more of an

[rogueslayer452]

There is a reason why there were a lot of BTVS/HP crossover fics back in the day because of those similarities.

I think part of the problem is that spaces which are purely fannish are harder to findThis is true, yeah. Because I also agree that toxic fannish spaces will always exist, unfortunately, but it's easy to distance yourself from those toxic areas in a fandom and stay in your own little corner, it's definitely better by curating your own experience by following the right people and enjoying the fandom that way instead of engaging with every single part of that particular fandom. However, if a fandom doesn't have much fannish enthusiasm in terms of engagement it can be discouraging from continuing to be in that fandom

[author_by_night]

I remember there being a lot of crossovers back in the day! I didn't read them at the time because I hadn't discovered Buffy.

experience by following the right people and enjoying the fandom that way instead of engaging with every single part of that particular fandom.Exactly, as well as accepting that there will be "bad days" so to speak in every corner - not just the internet, but in life, honestly. People can be a-holes sometimes. The difference is when the entire fandom is like that, or at least an entire fannish space. Or when the a-holes dominate the space, which I'd say is more common, honestly

[rogueslayer452]

The difference is when the entire fandom is like that, or at least an entire fannish space. Or when the a-holes dominate the space, which I'd say is more common, honestly.

That, or, people not necessarily being assholes but just being overall negative. I've been in fandoms where it seems the majority of people end up disliking the direction of the story and all I see are rants and complaints, and believe me I used to be that person too where I would use my journal to rant about things. But it took a lot of emotional energy out of me and I stopped, it just wasn't healthy. And while venting out your frustrations can be good, doing so all the time and having an entire community in a specific fandom do the same thing can be emotionally and psychologically exhausting to deal with.

I'm not sure the "your ship is problematic" argument was as much a thing when I was more involved? That being said, I do think it still happened, it just got shut down fasterIt's certainly more of a recent thing, I think. I'm sure it happened before and, as you

[author_by_night]

And while venting out your frustrations can be good, doing so all the time and having an entire community in a specific fandom do the same thing can be emotionally and psychologically exhausting to deal with.

100%! And I did the same exact thing. It was not healthy.

Which doesn't work because you cannot convince someone to not ship something if they really enjoy the ship, nor can you convince someone to ship your preferred ship if they, in turn, don't like it. It's pointless and it goes nowhere. And really, all shipping wars are the same, and most recently it's just been repackaged with a "woke" appearance which, like all faux woke shit is merely performative.
Yeah, and that's an issue. It's performative and all about a reason to argue, which is gross and counterproductive to actual problems in the world

[veganhothead]

I also want a fic were Harry and Buffy get a drink in a pub and talk.

I'd read that!

[elizalavelle]

Ooooh somehow I didn't realize there was a place where these questions were coming from!

Toxic fandom makes me get out so quickly. I found the Supernatural Fandom to have people who were so obsessed with the actors that it was not healthy feeling and that made me never really want to get into the fandom at all.

[author_by_night]

Yeah, I never got into SPN but always noticed that and found it annoying. I just don't care about the cast that much. And I agree that for many fans, it got deeply unhealthy.

[elizalavelle]

I have an acquaintance who is/was super into Supernatural and her boundaries around the cast were zero and it made me really uncomfortable. She wanted to get to one of the conventions so she could tell Jared how his openness about depression had saved her. A few things

[heathersmoo]

I'm trying to get my roomie to watch The Creek with me because the episodes I have seen are hilarious and similar to thinks I watch with my roomie so I don't know why he is so resistant.