It's such a strong word, really

[onlyinthislight]

Dear certain members of the KH fandom, I understand that there are some mean fans out there who bash characters for no good reason, or who do have good reason, but are unnecessarily mean about it, but can I say this, to you.

Not everyone who DISLIKES a character is a hater, or HATES that character.  I know you may not mean too, but I've read one too

Comments

[crysiana]

This is definitely something that people need to remember. I don't dislike Xion myself, but I don't think that anyone is required to like her. And no one has to justify that dislike. I do think that most (if not all, I didn't read the whole thing) of the posters in the previous post on the comm are talking specifically about members of fandom who expend a lot of energy on actively touting their antipathy towards certain characters. Which, as you say, is completely different from merely disliking a certain character.

[pig_catapult]

Word to this.

[onlyinthislight]

This rant isn't directed to just the recent rants, but to all the rants/comments to the rants in general I have seen ever since Days came out. It's not just this air of "basher's suck" that I can totally agree with, it's this need to go the extra mile and explain why it is not okay to dislike a certain character because of so and so. Like, it's okay if you dislike a character because of reason A, but not reason B. I'm all for defending characters from stupid prejudices and such, but there's a line here between doing that and being over-defensive, where you feel the need to discount every argument for dislike against a character, to decide for others what is and is not valid reasons for liking and disliking and so forth

[darknessdivine]

I think what most people are aggravated about is the whole 'YOU MUST NOT LIKE SO AND SO BECAUSE THEY'RE STUPID AND SUCKY' type of basher, cus they're kinda louder and tend to be rather pushy. (Fic, art, rants, etc.)

So you don't like character A, have at it. You're not shoving said dislike down everyone's throat and trying to convince them to feel the same.

[onlyinthislight]

That's not what I have an issue with, I agree with what you say, my beef is with this over-saturation of guidelines and arguments for what is and is not okay justifications for character dislike, and the bit of a stigma that has been created (unintentionally) against people who dislike a certain character, the black and white typecasting of fans as either lovers or haters, especially for fans who happen to dislike a character who is being heavily bashed and defended.

Like, "Hate Xion all you want, as long as I find those reasons for doing so acceptable."

Disliking =/= bashing. :

[darknessdivine]

You do ave to admit, that the ones that bash characters will find any, and I mean any reason to hate on a character; it's almost an art. ('Kairi's too girly; but Namine's jsut cuuute!')

I can see where that'd get grating, being told how and why to like/not like a character, but it might have something to do with how prolific character bashers are. As I said, they're rather loud, and it gives those who find a character unappealing and Not Their Cuppa a bad name. Sometimes people assume 'You don't like Character X = BASHER'.

[cp_jacksparrow]

I'm hoping this isn't a response to me (I don't *think* it is, but still...) I said in my post you ARE allowed to dislike characters for reasons of your own (I may not agree with it, but I did say that I'm fine with someone not liking Kairi or Xion for lack of character development.) I was ranting about real, blatant hate, and how the hater won't let up on it.

But I do agree with much of what you're saying here. If you told me you don't like Xion, then I'd be willing to hear you out before making judgement. So long as you're rational about it, and don't do things like spreading hate clubs, hate fic, and relentless bashing (like you-know-who), then I'll acccept it.

[onlyinthislight]

It wasn't really you, it was at a lot of rants recently. I understand, Xion, Kairi, Sora -bashing, it all sucks, but it gets to a point where white knighting goes too far, where you look for hate where there is none because you've been unfortunate enough to be exposed mostly to the extreme haters out there, and that doesn't do anybody any good

[userfriendly_x]

this. oh god, this. i'm not running around with a "I HATE XARMY" t-shirt on or anything. i just don't like xion. if i'm asked to justify that one more time, i will kick somebody!

[fortuna_s]

(don'tcha ha...DISLIKE the English language and its failure to make a different word for second person plural? XD)

[fortuna_s]

*Standing ovation of ONE*

Oh fellow Xion-disliker, I find this rant top-notch, and award you with 14 INTERNETS.

TBH, I liked the idea of Xion BEFORE the games came out, if only because more females = more femslash fodder. And I'm just never quick to judge a character. But...out of the "Kairi Faced Characters" as I'll call them, I find I'm liking Xion the least, and Naminé the most. Kairi herself... I'm still torn on.

As far as Xion herself goes...I might start experimenting with her in fanfiction, just to see if I can turn a character I don't care much for into something interesting to me. We'll see.

(...AFTER I finish IatMFM OF COURSE.)

[onlyinthislight]

Yeah, I can't hate Xion, simply because she's a younger character and it's a game, but she does bore the life out of me, which is just a matter of taste. If I want to express in an appropriate place that she does bore me and why, then I'm not bashing, I'm expressing. My reasons may not gold true for other people, or even make sense, but they are my reasons, and I don't intend to sway other people with them, merely express myself.

I won't deny their aren't trollsome bashers out there, but for every one of them there is a perfectly nice and rational person who also dislikes something or someone, and that's okay.

[mzminola]

I don't analyze and pick a part why some people like so and so, can I and others please have that same courtesy back when we don't like so and so?

As individual Fandom Haters are not accurate representatives of the Dislikers as a whole, well, neither are you. Some non-hating-yet-still-strongly-disliking fanfolk do pick apart why a character is liked, or ask the likers to "clarify why they're so fond of a such a blatantly terrible/boring/insert-your-adjective-here character". Or go "I know others like her, but she's such a Mary Sue, I don't get it, can someone explain it to me?"

Just because you aren't doing something doesn't mean we aren't allowed to call out the people who are doing something

[cp_jacksparrow]

"Just because you aren't doing something doesn't mean we aren't allowed to call out the people who are doing something."

Thank you! My thoughts exactly.

[onlyinthislight]

"As individual Fandom Haters are not accurate representatives of the Dislikers as a whole, well, neither are you. Some non-hating-yet-still-strongly-disliking fanfolk do pick apart why a character is liked, or ask the likers to "clarify why they're so fond of a such a blatantly terrible/boring/insert-your-adjective-here character". Or go "I know others like her, but she's such a Mary Sue, I don't get it, can someone explain it to me

[mzminola]

Exactly! No one is representative of of anyone but themselves, so if someone is ranting about someone who is Very Clearly Not You...then they're not demanding things of you, or being discourteous towards you.

Assumptions do make things quite irritating, totes agreement there. Especially since I like analysis, and assumptions get in the way of them. Approval for reasoning is pretty ludicrous too, I must concur, especially since a lot of it boils down to a combination of Interpretation of Canon, and "your milage may vary".

There is a way to be in communities without seeing them on your friends page. Clears up clogging wonderfully.