Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom
Sunday, February 4th, 2018 4:24AM CST
Categories: Site Articles, EditorialsPosted by: Va'al Views: 30,481
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This piece is happening due to a conversation I've had with my partner, on at least three separate occasions, and following several attempts at 'fitting in' with a number of Transformers fan groups you might encounter across the internet. It's also, in some ways, an organic step in a longer conversation being had in the fandom since collecting was a thing, as shown by forum threads like those by Rodimus Prime, Burn, and myself among many others, or articles such as Maz's piece on burnout. Those, however, tend to revolve predominantly around toys.
Before we get into the meatier part of the piece, a quick background check: I grew up with Beast Wars (Biocombat, as it was known in Italy) though only really season one. I lost sight of most Transformers anything - bar some Italian-dubbed Car Robots episodes, and including Battimus Primal and Megalligator, under a bed during a holiday - until the 2007 live action Paramount movie. I slowly got back into the franchise from there, exploring Animated, picking up old toys I had in boxes and storage, but it was 2009 that fully sucked me in again, and due to other interests of mine, I eventually gravitated towards the comics.
Here's the 'confessional' part: I have yet to fully watch all of G1, and probably never will. I have seen the 1986 Transformers movie a handful of times, but have no real attachment to it. I am, to all intents and purposes and despite there being no such thing, a Fake Geek. And I am a Fake Geek for most of the fandoms I'm a part of, Transformers as much as Star Wars, comic books as much as sci-fi literature, contemporary poetry as much as roleplaying. I've dabbled in all of them; I have immersed myself, truly, in none.
Yet I stumbled into a number of online communities that were more than welcoming at the time, and have changed shape, some radically, some less so, since then. Seibertron.com is one of them, of course, for which I later became news staff, and have been for the best part of the past five years (holy shit). Twitter, Facebook groups, convention crews, are examples of others.
I have since become News Administrator, have met and keep in touch with professionals in the toy and comics industries, work behind the scenes at a number of Transformers-based events, and spend a lot more of the time I don't really have on something I find myself not always fully invested in.
If you've been active online in talks surrounding general science fiction material in the past year (from comic book movies to Star Wars to Transformers, too, though not as much) you might have encountered people discussing the difference between curative and creative fandom, denoting two different ways to enjoy and - dare I say it? - consume media which is part of a franchise. Curative fandom is the part more easily associated with 'wiki' style attention, curating an interest for information, references, knowledge seen as a collection of facts and trivia, assimilating the media offered by creators (official or not) of the franchise. Creative fandom is, on the other hand, the more hands-on interaction with a franchise: expressing your interest not necessarily through knowledge but generating new content, often unofficial, such as custom work, fan art, fan fiction, fan events, videos, shorts, even sh**posting, why not. Neither is the better way, of course, and neither is wrong, though both receive scorn from the other side despite a lot of fans finding themselves somewhere in between the two.
Myself, I'm squarely in neither. I don't consider myself creative in this sense, as I have never invested time in generating anything new except the handful of photocomics or paintjobs, and do not have any intention to develop drawing or writing or customising skills. I'm happy, really, with admiring other people's work. I'm also, for the reasons pointed out at the start, not a curator-type: I simply do not have the knowledge, or the interest, to be so. I thought I initially did, for the early IDW material, but have long since lost interest for that type of investment. I'm also, as many know, not really a toy collector any longer, at least not in the usually perceived sense of the word in toy fandoms.
If anything, then, I side more with an emotive stand, as Temple Phoenix suggested during the same discussion on Twitter. I cannot bring myself to call myself a 'critic', though that is technically what I do, through reviews and readings of media that I work with - be it Transformers, other comics, or any other medium I discuss - and while I do apply critical reasoning to my approaches to things, the emotive side is fortunately never far. (If anyone believes that the two are separate, that's fine. You're wrong, but it's fine.)
I do get invested in narratives, in stories, in interactions, dynamics, relations, spools, knots and unravelling, fictional or otherwise. It may be fleeting, or it may be lasting. I may drop something if I get tired with it, without seeing it to its end. I may pick something up halfway, or just sample it and never go back to it again. And that applies equally to media and physical objects, such as figures or artwork.
I spoke briefly to someone else on staff about this, and they replied - quite straightforward - with:
And at this stage, my honest answer is: I don't know. If I were not where I am with Seibertron.com, TFNation, and the comics world more in general, would I still be participating in fandom, in any way? And if not - why am I where I am?
This is the first part of a potentially monthly series exploring contemporary Transformers fandom through the perspective of a number of members of the community, starting with myself. If you'd like to contribute a post, please get in touch! And, as always, do join the discussion in the Energon Pub!
Before we get into the meatier part of the piece, a quick background check: I grew up with Beast Wars (Biocombat, as it was known in Italy) though only really season one. I lost sight of most Transformers anything - bar some Italian-dubbed Car Robots episodes, and including Battimus Primal and Megalligator, under a bed during a holiday - until the 2007 live action Paramount movie. I slowly got back into the franchise from there, exploring Animated, picking up old toys I had in boxes and storage, but it was 2009 that fully sucked me in again, and due to other interests of mine, I eventually gravitated towards the comics.
Here's the 'confessional' part: I have yet to fully watch all of G1, and probably never will. I have seen the 1986 Transformers movie a handful of times, but have no real attachment to it. I am, to all intents and purposes and despite there being no such thing, a Fake Geek. And I am a Fake Geek for most of the fandoms I'm a part of, Transformers as much as Star Wars, comic books as much as sci-fi literature, contemporary poetry as much as roleplaying. I've dabbled in all of them; I have immersed myself, truly, in none.
Yet I stumbled into a number of online communities that were more than welcoming at the time, and have changed shape, some radically, some less so, since then. Seibertron.com is one of them, of course, for which I later became news staff, and have been for the best part of the past five years (holy shit). Twitter, Facebook groups, convention crews, are examples of others.
I have since become News Administrator, have met and keep in touch with professionals in the toy and comics industries, work behind the scenes at a number of Transformers-based events, and spend a lot more of the time I don't really have on something I find myself not always fully invested in.
I've dabbled in all of them; I have immersed myself, truly, in none.
If you've been active online in talks surrounding general science fiction material in the past year (from comic book movies to Star Wars to Transformers, too, though not as much) you might have encountered people discussing the difference between curative and creative fandom, denoting two different ways to enjoy and - dare I say it? - consume media which is part of a franchise. Curative fandom is the part more easily associated with 'wiki' style attention, curating an interest for information, references, knowledge seen as a collection of facts and trivia, assimilating the media offered by creators (official or not) of the franchise. Creative fandom is, on the other hand, the more hands-on interaction with a franchise: expressing your interest not necessarily through knowledge but generating new content, often unofficial, such as custom work, fan art, fan fiction, fan events, videos, shorts, even sh**posting, why not. Neither is the better way, of course, and neither is wrong, though both receive scorn from the other side despite a lot of fans finding themselves somewhere in between the two.
Myself, I'm squarely in neither. I don't consider myself creative in this sense, as I have never invested time in generating anything new except the handful of photocomics or paintjobs, and do not have any intention to develop drawing or writing or customising skills. I'm happy, really, with admiring other people's work. I'm also, for the reasons pointed out at the start, not a curator-type: I simply do not have the knowledge, or the interest, to be so. I thought I initially did, for the early IDW material, but have long since lost interest for that type of investment. I'm also, as many know, not really a toy collector any longer, at least not in the usually perceived sense of the word in toy fandoms.
If anything, then, I side more with an emotive stand, as Temple Phoenix suggested during the same discussion on Twitter. I cannot bring myself to call myself a 'critic', though that is technically what I do, through reviews and readings of media that I work with - be it Transformers, other comics, or any other medium I discuss - and while I do apply critical reasoning to my approaches to things, the emotive side is fortunately never far. (If anyone believes that the two are separate, that's fine. You're wrong, but it's fine.)
I'm happy, really, with admiring other people's work.
I do get invested in narratives, in stories, in interactions, dynamics, relations, spools, knots and unravelling, fictional or otherwise. It may be fleeting, or it may be lasting. I may drop something if I get tired with it, without seeing it to its end. I may pick something up halfway, or just sample it and never go back to it again. And that applies equally to media and physical objects, such as figures or artwork.
I spoke briefly to someone else on staff about this, and they replied - quite straightforward - with:
I think it's mainly about joy. Does it make you happier to have the figure than not? Or do you find more joy in talking to people in the fandom? Or creating things? Or writing? Or taking photos? Or comics?
You can enjoy bits and pieces of a fandom without having to make yourself enjoy all of it.
And at this stage, my honest answer is: I don't know. If I were not where I am with Seibertron.com, TFNation, and the comics world more in general, would I still be participating in fandom, in any way? And if not - why am I where I am?
This is the first part of a potentially monthly series exploring contemporary Transformers fandom through the perspective of a number of members of the community, starting with myself. If you'd like to contribute a post, please get in touch! And, as always, do join the discussion in the Energon Pub!
Image via TFNation 2016 Photogallery.
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Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935816)
Posted by King Kuuga on February 4th, 2018 @ 5:29am CST
Posted by King Kuuga on February 4th, 2018 @ 5:29am CST
As someone who dreams big and falls short of those lofty ambitions ("I'm gonna read all of IDW, I'm gonna own every transformer from XYZ line, I'm gonna watch all the shows from both sides of the pacific") I can sympathize with this. I find myself sometimes drifting in and out of my interest in various fandoms, and the degree to which I want to interact with fans and the content varies from day to day. As of this point I haven't read an IDW comic since shortly before the beginning of Revolution (and I've only read scant issues before The Death of Optimus Prime), I skipped out on the Last Knight toyline entirely (until the other week when I finally picked up a few figures), the same could be said for RID15, and my email inbox is filling up with responses to forum threads I haven't looked at in a month. I got burned out on playing Earth Wars a few months ago and the only thing keeping me from dropping it entirely is the thought of the money I dumped into it shortly before I crashed. So let me just say, however much or however little you enjoy the franchise, and participating in the fandom, that's okay. Do what you want to do, what you feel up to doing, don't let yourself be pressured too much by obligation to do something you aren't invested in. You can work yourself back in later, but if you're not enjoying the here and now, there's nothing to be gained by forcing yourself to participate.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935817)
Posted by primalxconvoy on February 4th, 2018 @ 5:33am CST
Posted by primalxconvoy on February 4th, 2018 @ 5:33am CST
Thanks for that article, Va'al. I hope we can read more insightful articles like this, as it gives Seibertron a more human side than some other places on the internet. That's always a good thing.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935818)
Posted by Burn on February 4th, 2018 @ 5:47am CST
Posted by Burn on February 4th, 2018 @ 5:47am CST
Do I feel like I have a place in the Transformers fandom? There are times, when the answer is simply no.
For those that don't know by now. I live in Australia. That's a fair distance from the US and UK where the bulk of the fandom reside. That's not to say that Australia doesn't have a decent sized fan base, it does. I just don't live any where near it. I live in a regional part of Australia. A small town in Far North Queensland with a population of 20k.
There's a major city 100km's (60 miles) up the road but the "geek community" up there is more for a younger generation.
Suffice to say, my only interaction with other Transformer fans is via this website and an Australian forum and an Australian Facebook page. But again, I don't feel I fit in with the Australian sites because I'm too far away to attend meets. In fact, I've only attended one Transformer gathering and that was for the world premiere of the 2007 Transformers movie (and I didn't have to do anything because i_amtrunks was there to represent Seibertron.com!)
But even being a part of this site isn't smooth sailing. Some people can't see past the Admin title. It's not easy joining in conversations either. Chat about the new Power of the Prime toys? Oh you mean me having another bitch session about their lack of release in Australia? ugh. It's like being locked out and I have to stare in from the window outside as everyone gets to play with their cool new toys. Then months later I can run in and wave my new PotP Optimus Prime around and no one wants to talk it because they've got their new wave 3's!
And don't even get me started on the comics. IDW has reached a point where I'm expected to remember some small plot device from 10 years ago. Nope. Not going to happen.
I find myself often "living vicariously" through other members collection threads, though I rarely step into them due to time and also I feel there's still some animosity when discussions were held a while back about those threads and my views on them weren't well received. But that's in the past. I'm waffling ... really.
Transformers is what I collect, but I am not solely a Transformers fan (it's the only one I spend money on though)
I'm a life long fan of Doctor Who. But that fandom has become so incredibly toxic these days. Don't like the idea of a female Doctor? You get branded a crying man-baby. (I'm keeping an open mind though). I'm just not venturing there at the moment.
I'm a life long fan of Star Wars. I don't collect the toys (I had a couple as a kid), but I did collect the Expanded Universe novels. I read a smattering of the Dark Horse comics (oh yeah, there's no comic shops near by either) and now read all the Marvel stuff (we really need more Dr Aphra). But I steer clear of the fandom.
The X-Files was a big part of my life, but the fandom now basically consists of "shippers", "no-romos" like me aren't really welcome. Though I did make a friend through the fandom. Going on 20 years now, she's a shipper, I'm a no-romo, she's a vegetarian, I'm a carnivore. At least we agree that Scully is hot (I can't say the same about Mulder like she does though).
So yeah, when you live in a rural town, far away from capital cities, a town where it takes forever to appear, often weeks after being found in other parts of Australia, it's hard to be part of any fandom where you can't engage instantly with everyone else.
Pity me.
It's Monday in a few hours. Maybe banning someone will make that easier ...
For those that don't know by now. I live in Australia. That's a fair distance from the US and UK where the bulk of the fandom reside. That's not to say that Australia doesn't have a decent sized fan base, it does. I just don't live any where near it. I live in a regional part of Australia. A small town in Far North Queensland with a population of 20k.
There's a major city 100km's (60 miles) up the road but the "geek community" up there is more for a younger generation.
Suffice to say, my only interaction with other Transformer fans is via this website and an Australian forum and an Australian Facebook page. But again, I don't feel I fit in with the Australian sites because I'm too far away to attend meets. In fact, I've only attended one Transformer gathering and that was for the world premiere of the 2007 Transformers movie (and I didn't have to do anything because i_amtrunks was there to represent Seibertron.com!)
But even being a part of this site isn't smooth sailing. Some people can't see past the Admin title. It's not easy joining in conversations either. Chat about the new Power of the Prime toys? Oh you mean me having another bitch session about their lack of release in Australia? ugh. It's like being locked out and I have to stare in from the window outside as everyone gets to play with their cool new toys. Then months later I can run in and wave my new PotP Optimus Prime around and no one wants to talk it because they've got their new wave 3's!
And don't even get me started on the comics. IDW has reached a point where I'm expected to remember some small plot device from 10 years ago. Nope. Not going to happen.
I find myself often "living vicariously" through other members collection threads, though I rarely step into them due to time and also I feel there's still some animosity when discussions were held a while back about those threads and my views on them weren't well received. But that's in the past. I'm waffling ... really.
Transformers is what I collect, but I am not solely a Transformers fan (it's the only one I spend money on though)
I'm a life long fan of Doctor Who. But that fandom has become so incredibly toxic these days. Don't like the idea of a female Doctor? You get branded a crying man-baby. (I'm keeping an open mind though). I'm just not venturing there at the moment.
I'm a life long fan of Star Wars. I don't collect the toys (I had a couple as a kid), but I did collect the Expanded Universe novels. I read a smattering of the Dark Horse comics (oh yeah, there's no comic shops near by either) and now read all the Marvel stuff (we really need more Dr Aphra). But I steer clear of the fandom.
The X-Files was a big part of my life, but the fandom now basically consists of "shippers", "no-romos" like me aren't really welcome. Though I did make a friend through the fandom. Going on 20 years now, she's a shipper, I'm a no-romo, she's a vegetarian, I'm a carnivore. At least we agree that Scully is hot (I can't say the same about Mulder like she does though).
So yeah, when you live in a rural town, far away from capital cities, a town where it takes forever to appear, often weeks after being found in other parts of Australia, it's hard to be part of any fandom where you can't engage instantly with everyone else.
Pity me.
It's Monday in a few hours. Maybe banning someone will make that easier ...
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935820)
Posted by fenrir72 on February 4th, 2018 @ 6:23am CST
Posted by fenrir72 on February 4th, 2018 @ 6:23am CST
You presume too much for this site or any other online site! Been a fan of G1 like forever! Even before this site existed. There was no climax or denouement phases. If you "depend" on others or in this case, an entity to give yourself or your hobby validation then you are not a real fan! End!
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935823)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 4th, 2018 @ 7:18am CST
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 4th, 2018 @ 7:18am CST
Thank you Va'al for this very thought provoking piece. I'm no longer the same person I was when I first signed up here 4 years ago, indeed I dropped off the radar for a year and a bit because of different issues. Till that time I was collecting when able, and keeping up with all the IDW trades. It was actually the IDW stuff which flagged first as it started to become harder to get the issues (I like physical issues) so I fell behind and other things grabbed my attention again. It's only been the new power of the prime toys that's brought me back and i've started getting the collected trades of IDW again. The thing I've missed the most is actually just talking on the forums, that's just what makes me happy.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935828)
Posted by Va'al on February 4th, 2018 @ 8:02am CST
Posted by Va'al on February 4th, 2018 @ 8:02am CST
Thank you for the comments so far! I'm really interested in developing the series more, so do contact me in private if you'd like to contribute something (which is not specifically and exclusively about toys, that is my one guideline). 
A selection of responses follows:
Oh that is for certain! I wasn't looking for external validation or confirmation, just reflecting on the various areas that one can take part of a fandom - any fandom - to enjoy that franchise or interest, and how sometimes it can feel like you (or me, in this case) don't really fit in any of them.
The pressure is always self-imposed, I tend to find by talking to others too, with a good dollop of Fear of Missing Out. But "So let me just say, however much or however little you enjoy the franchise, and participating in the fandom, that's okay." very much so. Thank you.
Two things here I can identify with, too.
I really enjoy looking at other's photos, creations, enjoyment of toys or comics or possessions. I've played with and posed a lot of fellow fan's collections and figures at a number of events, but once I've taken a photo - and maybe not even shared it - that's it, the moment was that moment, I don't really feel like I need to, or want to, hold onto corollaries.
As for location: Italy, and my area in this case, can be challenging in similarly different ways to what you're saying, Burn. We don't have what I'd call 'distribution' (we don't have TRU either), we didn't get most comics (Panini has just started releasing translations of the post-Death of Optimus Prime material, we got little before that) except imports, and the online communities to which we gravitate are very much toy-based (FB groups, and the various anglophone fansites), and a lot of time, space, attention, and money, is devoted to non Hasbro or Takara items. Which is not my thing, but it is for others, clearly! And here's the 'hard' part again, as you say.
A selection of responses follows:
King Kuuga wrote: Do what you want to do, what you feel up to doing, don't let yourself be pressured too much by obligation to do something you aren't invested in. You can work yourself back in later, but if you're not enjoying the here and now, there's nothing to be gained by forcing yourself to participate.
Oh that is for certain! I wasn't looking for external validation or confirmation, just reflecting on the various areas that one can take part of a fandom - any fandom - to enjoy that franchise or interest, and how sometimes it can feel like you (or me, in this case) don't really fit in any of them.
The pressure is always self-imposed, I tend to find by talking to others too, with a good dollop of Fear of Missing Out. But "So let me just say, however much or however little you enjoy the franchise, and participating in the fandom, that's okay." very much so. Thank you.
Burn wrote:I find myself often "living vicariously" through other members collection threads, though I rarely step into them due to time and also I feel there's still some animosity when discussions were held a while back about those threads and my views on them weren't well received. But that's in the past. I'm waffling ... really.
[...]
So yeah, when you live in a rural town, far away from capital cities, a town where it takes forever to appear, often weeks after being found in other parts of Australia, it's hard to be part of any fandom where you can't engage instantly with everyone else.
Two things here I can identify with, too.
I really enjoy looking at other's photos, creations, enjoyment of toys or comics or possessions. I've played with and posed a lot of fellow fan's collections and figures at a number of events, but once I've taken a photo - and maybe not even shared it - that's it, the moment was that moment, I don't really feel like I need to, or want to, hold onto corollaries.
As for location: Italy, and my area in this case, can be challenging in similarly different ways to what you're saying, Burn. We don't have what I'd call 'distribution' (we don't have TRU either), we didn't get most comics (Panini has just started releasing translations of the post-Death of Optimus Prime material, we got little before that) except imports, and the online communities to which we gravitate are very much toy-based (FB groups, and the various anglophone fansites), and a lot of time, space, attention, and money, is devoted to non Hasbro or Takara items. Which is not my thing, but it is for others, clearly! And here's the 'hard' part again, as you say.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935832)
Posted by Cyberstrike on February 4th, 2018 @ 8:50am CST
Posted by Cyberstrike on February 4th, 2018 @ 8:50am CST
Sometimes the fandom leaves us. Gaming is a huge factor in my life but in the last few years I'm finding that the kind of games that I enjoy (single player RPG and single player action games) being made less and less and the games that I love get nothing but hate because they don't appeal to tastes of whinny entitled hardcore gamer trolls who do noting but hate a game and the people who love said game because of reasons and then there is just toxic nature of gaming culture especially on larger sites.
Hell I use my Xbox One and PS4 more for streaming movies and TV shows and playing Blu-Ray and DVD than playing video games.
Hell I use my Xbox One and PS4 more for streaming movies and TV shows and playing Blu-Ray and DVD than playing video games.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935835)
Posted by Va'al on February 4th, 2018 @ 9:03am CST
..that is a really intriguing take I had not considered. Thanks!
(I don't think it applies in my case, but an interesting route to explore, nonetheless.)
Posted by Va'al on February 4th, 2018 @ 9:03am CST
Cyberstrike wrote:Sometimes the fandom leaves us.
..that is a really intriguing take I had not considered. Thanks!
(I don't think it applies in my case, but an interesting route to explore, nonetheless.)
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935836)
Posted by Shock.wav on February 4th, 2018 @ 9:49am CST
Posted by Shock.wav on February 4th, 2018 @ 9:49am CST
Personally, I never consider myself part of any "fandom" or clique. Especially when it comes to Transformers. I like what I like, I collect what I want, and I watch what I want. Don't think about it too much and don't let your relationship with other fans affect you consideration of the things you enjoy.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935839)
Posted by meekus3 on February 4th, 2018 @ 10:00am CST
Posted by meekus3 on February 4th, 2018 @ 10:00am CST
An interesting look into the self and how the individual and the community can change.
My first gut reaction would be to say “why can’t you just enjoy your nerd-stuff? Why the examination of how you nerd-out compared to how others do it?” But then I remember my own story and have no room to talk.
I’ve been lurking in the background for about a decade, reading, watching, admiring...even worked up the courage to post a sighting of Animated Safeguard when no one else had... Recently I finally got some of my collection posted, and Va’al and Burn and many others welcomed me with open arms. It felt really good, being so warmly welcomed into a community
It also felt really weird being welcomed as a newbie when I’ve been lurking for so long. Sometimes I felt a bit like Kevin in Home Alone: big, loud family...lots of love, lots of tension, me invisible in the background (leave me home alone with some of y’all’s collections and a very happy kid I would be
)
The point I think I’m trying to make is that I get where you’re coming from, I think... I fell into adult collecting almost by accident...it was my dirty secret I kept hidden in the closet, that is until I stumbled upon the internet fan communities, and realized I wasn’t the only grown-ass adult still “playing with toys.” So even though I was a wallflower about it, I still felt a part of the community. Even during a period where I just wasn’t into collecting anything, I still felt like a fan, like a part of something.
So if I’m reading ya correctly, Va’al, you’re saying that the community, and the work, and people are what keeps you into it all, right? Not the collecting or the creating but the social interacting.
I guess when your main hobby is called “Transformers,” it makes sense that your interests would “transform” periodically...get it? Get it!?! (Oh I can hear all the groans and eye-rolls now.
)
My first gut reaction would be to say “why can’t you just enjoy your nerd-stuff? Why the examination of how you nerd-out compared to how others do it?” But then I remember my own story and have no room to talk.
I’ve been lurking in the background for about a decade, reading, watching, admiring...even worked up the courage to post a sighting of Animated Safeguard when no one else had... Recently I finally got some of my collection posted, and Va’al and Burn and many others welcomed me with open arms. It felt really good, being so warmly welcomed into a community
It also felt really weird being welcomed as a newbie when I’ve been lurking for so long. Sometimes I felt a bit like Kevin in Home Alone: big, loud family...lots of love, lots of tension, me invisible in the background (leave me home alone with some of y’all’s collections and a very happy kid I would be
)The point I think I’m trying to make is that I get where you’re coming from, I think... I fell into adult collecting almost by accident...it was my dirty secret I kept hidden in the closet, that is until I stumbled upon the internet fan communities, and realized I wasn’t the only grown-ass adult still “playing with toys.” So even though I was a wallflower about it, I still felt a part of the community. Even during a period where I just wasn’t into collecting anything, I still felt like a fan, like a part of something.
So if I’m reading ya correctly, Va’al, you’re saying that the community, and the work, and people are what keeps you into it all, right? Not the collecting or the creating but the social interacting.
I guess when your main hobby is called “Transformers,” it makes sense that your interests would “transform” periodically...get it? Get it!?! (Oh I can hear all the groans and eye-rolls now.
)
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935847)
Posted by ScottyP on February 4th, 2018 @ 11:30am CST
Posted by ScottyP on February 4th, 2018 @ 11:30am CST
I feel this way quite a bit lately. The Brand has this newfound yet somehow really haphazard clinginess to G1 and there are several echo chamber groups of fans that help give Hasbro the perception that this is the right thing to do. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, I'm sure that ultimately, money talks. I love G1, but after so many years I'm also ready to truly and actually move on from it.Va'al wrote:Cyberstrike wrote:Sometimes the fandom leaves us.
..that is a really intriguing take I had not considered. Thanks!
(I don't think it applies in my case, but an interesting route to explore, nonetheless.)
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935859)
Posted by Rated X on February 4th, 2018 @ 1:14pm CST
Posted by Rated X on February 4th, 2018 @ 1:14pm CST
Interesting read. Interaction with fandom is definitely a factor in these forums. Ive been to four Botcons and did get a chance to meet some of the old school senior staff for this site. Some have disappeared or taken a step back and passed the torch to a new generation of staff members from countries outside of the US. Needless to say, over the years the site has changed radically in so many ways. For a time, I was discouraged from posting here because I felt the newer staff was expecting people from the US to adopt the mindsets and etiquette of other countries when posting. Some people are not accustomed to those who are more outspoken than others. But after a while I realized you cant change people so you might as well focus their good side rather than the negative. I try to treat a forum conversation like a bar or a man cave conversation. Some people get it, others dont. Sometimes my urban tastes in music, fashion, or overall mentality also alienate me from others around here. Yes I got a couple stares at Botcon like "youre not one of us, you dont belong here". But I try my best not to let those people stop me from enjoying my hobby. The majority of the people I met including Seibertron himself were very welcoming and friendly. They get it that the Bay movies opened the flood gates of Transformers fandom to mainstream pop culture. They get that some of the sterotypes associated with sci-fi fans are out dated and represent only a small portion of the actual fandom. On the flipside, nobody on here is going to get along with everybody. Theres always going to be G1 guys. Theres gonna be Beast Wars guys. Theres gonna be comic and gamer guys. And needless to say people are going to clash. As long as they respect each other things should be cool. But I collect for me. I got a couple friends in my city that we hang out on occasion and talk transformers. But just like me, they all got outside lives. So I enjoy coming on here, for better or for worse. And smart phones make it easy. Its cool to have other fans online to interact with. But if the site goes down tomorrow, I still will enjoy the hobby in full.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935862)
Posted by Gordicon14 on February 4th, 2018 @ 1:31pm CST
Posted by Gordicon14 on February 4th, 2018 @ 1:31pm CST
I've been visiting Seibertron.com for over 5 years and i dont think i've ever posted anything. I enjoy seeing news about upcoming bots and articles about bots (like the favorite lists). I'm a mediocre curator and a dismal creator, but - like others - i enjoy seeing what others have created.
Fandoms are like cultural groups. Yes there are certain common traits that are groupable, but the diversity within the group should not be overlooked or under appreciated.
The human penchant to collect things is an interesting phenomenon i wish i understood better. In particular the desire to collect toys. I'm not much of a completionist (although CW and TR had so many good bots i kinda strayed in that direction). I do feel a certain fulfillment in finding a bot i've been looking forward to, especially when it is on sale. For me there is a therapeutic element to reasoning through a transformation and making sure everything pegs together just right.
On a darker note, i also feel frustration when i can't find the bot i wanted, or when i passed on a bot that i should've picked up, or when i realize my collection is becoming difficult to manage, or when i reflect on the materialism my hobby demonstrates, particularly to my kids.
I think it's a great idea to have more Seibertron articles on the nature of collecting and passion for transformers
Fandoms are like cultural groups. Yes there are certain common traits that are groupable, but the diversity within the group should not be overlooked or under appreciated.
The human penchant to collect things is an interesting phenomenon i wish i understood better. In particular the desire to collect toys. I'm not much of a completionist (although CW and TR had so many good bots i kinda strayed in that direction). I do feel a certain fulfillment in finding a bot i've been looking forward to, especially when it is on sale. For me there is a therapeutic element to reasoning through a transformation and making sure everything pegs together just right.
On a darker note, i also feel frustration when i can't find the bot i wanted, or when i passed on a bot that i should've picked up, or when i realize my collection is becoming difficult to manage, or when i reflect on the materialism my hobby demonstrates, particularly to my kids.
I think it's a great idea to have more Seibertron articles on the nature of collecting and passion for transformers
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935871)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 4th, 2018 @ 2:36pm CST
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 4th, 2018 @ 2:36pm CST
An interesting thread. Honestly over the years I've remained an outside observer of Fandoms and "communities" of things I enjoy. Especially online, some people can be a bit too intense, which makes you appreciate the safe anonymity the internet at times provides. I have considered conventions over the years, but ultimately in my eyes I just stick to solo collecting, while expressing the occasional view here and there.
I've thought this for the longest time. While I was into Transformers when the Sunbow series first started, I became a true fan through The Movie. Aside from being a practical demonstration that if the previously "incompetent" Decepticons actually mounted an all-out offensive, an army of jets, tanks, triple changers etc would easily wipe the floor with essentially a bunch of Car Bots. The main thing I really loved about it, was how Hasbro cleaned house and moved the plot forward in a massive way.
The backlash to their bold decision was the first time the problem raised in the above quote raised it's head. Some fans unable to accept change. The ever constant revivals of Optimus Prime ever since that movie highlight this problem more than any other. Fast forward to the end of G1 Sunbow - The Rebirth. Surrounded by the New futuristic designs of the Autobots and Decepticons, Prime couldn't look anymore out of place. More so a relic than Kup.
Ultimately they brought back Prime to please the few, but it didn't really change anything. The plot still progressed without him and those clinging onto a single character over the series itself, have led to the ever present recycling of G1 that has molded every new TF series ever since.
Beast Machines and the Takara Series might not be everyone's cup of tea, but they did push the story of Transformers forward in time, not just rebranding the same old song.
ScottyP wrote:I feel this way quite a bit lately. The Brand has this newfound yet somehow really haphazard clinginess to G1 and there are several echo chamber groups of fans that help give Hasbro the perception that this is the right thing to do. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, I'm sure that ultimately, money talks. I love G1, but after so many years I'm also ready to truly and actually move on from it.
I've thought this for the longest time. While I was into Transformers when the Sunbow series first started, I became a true fan through The Movie. Aside from being a practical demonstration that if the previously "incompetent" Decepticons actually mounted an all-out offensive, an army of jets, tanks, triple changers etc would easily wipe the floor with essentially a bunch of Car Bots. The main thing I really loved about it, was how Hasbro cleaned house and moved the plot forward in a massive way.
The backlash to their bold decision was the first time the problem raised in the above quote raised it's head. Some fans unable to accept change. The ever constant revivals of Optimus Prime ever since that movie highlight this problem more than any other. Fast forward to the end of G1 Sunbow - The Rebirth. Surrounded by the New futuristic designs of the Autobots and Decepticons, Prime couldn't look anymore out of place. More so a relic than Kup.
Ultimately they brought back Prime to please the few, but it didn't really change anything. The plot still progressed without him and those clinging onto a single character over the series itself, have led to the ever present recycling of G1 that has molded every new TF series ever since.
Beast Machines and the Takara Series might not be everyone's cup of tea, but they did push the story of Transformers forward in time, not just rebranding the same old song.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935890)
Posted by Burn on February 4th, 2018 @ 3:11pm CST
I feel the same. When Classics first appeared I hoped they this was the start of something, modern engineering applied to the characters I grew up with.
And we got that. Unfortunately though, several characters have received more than one update while others have been ignored, and at this point, I see a lot of those characters will continue to be ignored, so I would be okay if we move onto something else. Something new and fresh and not over-simplified.
Posted by Burn on February 4th, 2018 @ 3:11pm CST
ScottyP wrote:The Brand has this newfound yet somehow really haphazard clinginess to G1 and there are several echo chamber groups of fans that help give Hasbro the perception that this is the right thing to do. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, I'm sure that ultimately, money talks. I love G1, but after so many years I'm also ready to truly and actually move on from it.
I feel the same. When Classics first appeared I hoped they this was the start of something, modern engineering applied to the characters I grew up with.
And we got that. Unfortunately though, several characters have received more than one update while others have been ignored, and at this point, I see a lot of those characters will continue to be ignored, so I would be okay if we move onto something else. Something new and fresh and not over-simplified.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935899)
Posted by Wolfguard on February 4th, 2018 @ 3:34pm CST
Posted by Wolfguard on February 4th, 2018 @ 3:34pm CST
Speaking for myself with regards to anything I like and the fandom/groups I've encountered, I really don't try to fit into anyone else's comfort zones. I'm pretty loath to being part of any sort of group-think, group feels, and/or various forms of "monolithic thought" in any subject. In other words, I've never tried to "fit in" or find my place. I don't need to because it's all right here in who and what I am. Take it or leave it. I like what I like and what I don't, I state my opinion about it, or disregard it completely.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935922)
Posted by primalxconvoy on February 4th, 2018 @ 4:22pm CST
Posted by primalxconvoy on February 4th, 2018 @ 4:22pm CST
It's nice to see faces to the names and a little more about everyone. I think this is one of the site's strengths; the sense of personal connection and is something I've come to appreciate more than some other places online.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935929)
Posted by MECHdirge on February 4th, 2018 @ 4:41pm CST
Posted by MECHdirge on February 4th, 2018 @ 4:41pm CST
I grew up in the eighties, so have fond memories of the G1 era. I only owned a handful of Transformers—Brawn, Gears, Windcharger, Powerglide, Warpath, and Mixmaster. Instead, a friend and I created an RPG using Transformer characters and that has forever stuck in my memory. I watched a bit of a Beast Wars, but didn’t get interested in Transformers again until 2000, when I started working for a company that imported Japanese toys and anime merchandise before the big box stores caught on. I started picking up reissues and Beast Wars figures, Car Robots, etc. At first, it was a figure here and there. Since the Classics line appeared, I have been more ambitious. There are lines I skipped—like Animated and Masterpiece—but most series I buy the entire line. I’ve bought more third-party figures than I should have. I own over 900 figures now, working mostly on acquiring original G1 (‘84-‘87 mostly) toys and the Classics and modern takes on existing characters.
I don’t really participate in Fandom beyond the rare post on Seibertron.com. I haven’t been to any convention since 2004. I don’t have a single close friend that collects, although I have one friend at least familiar with the toys and G1 show and comics.
By and large, I have a difficult time connecting to Fandom. I’m in my mid-40’s and a semi-geek, college-educated (lit and history) but my background is in martial arts, sports cars, and basketball. I tend to get along with the blue collar crowd. I’m not especially social. I’m not really sure how you become part of the community sans the occasional post. I’m not a critic, pretty accepting of new figures (loved Classics, CW, Titans Return, new PoTP series). I don’t take photos of my collection, although I do display many figures (mostly G1 and a couple modern equivalents) in my man cave.
I don’t have a great reason for collecting. I buy a lot of RPG products (Pathfinder line, ShadowRun, the occasional other series) and some Lego sets (mostly superhero themed now that Harry Potter is retired), but I probably spend $2000-$2500 a year or more on Transformers. It’s not enough to hurt my spending, but just enough to make me question why I keep buying them. I read the gaming books even if I’m not playing actively, put Lego sets together, and am an avid reader in general. Transformers? They get opened, transformed once or twice and go on a shelf... collect dust, too. Yet.. my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and the first thing that came to mind was some G1 Transformers. I can’t really explain it. That said, despite taking very good care of myself, I’m having eyesight issues after forty years of type 1 diabetes. I’m no where near blind, but if my vision keeps going the direction it has, my interest in Transformers is over (and there is no point saving for my next car—2020 Stingray).
Anyway, I just thought I’d share my take of the hobby. I’m sure I’m not alone in my baffling interest in Transformers.
I don’t really participate in Fandom beyond the rare post on Seibertron.com. I haven’t been to any convention since 2004. I don’t have a single close friend that collects, although I have one friend at least familiar with the toys and G1 show and comics.
By and large, I have a difficult time connecting to Fandom. I’m in my mid-40’s and a semi-geek, college-educated (lit and history) but my background is in martial arts, sports cars, and basketball. I tend to get along with the blue collar crowd. I’m not especially social. I’m not really sure how you become part of the community sans the occasional post. I’m not a critic, pretty accepting of new figures (loved Classics, CW, Titans Return, new PoTP series). I don’t take photos of my collection, although I do display many figures (mostly G1 and a couple modern equivalents) in my man cave.
I don’t have a great reason for collecting. I buy a lot of RPG products (Pathfinder line, ShadowRun, the occasional other series) and some Lego sets (mostly superhero themed now that Harry Potter is retired), but I probably spend $2000-$2500 a year or more on Transformers. It’s not enough to hurt my spending, but just enough to make me question why I keep buying them. I read the gaming books even if I’m not playing actively, put Lego sets together, and am an avid reader in general. Transformers? They get opened, transformed once or twice and go on a shelf... collect dust, too. Yet.. my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and the first thing that came to mind was some G1 Transformers. I can’t really explain it. That said, despite taking very good care of myself, I’m having eyesight issues after forty years of type 1 diabetes. I’m no where near blind, but if my vision keeps going the direction it has, my interest in Transformers is over (and there is no point saving for my next car—2020 Stingray).
Anyway, I just thought I’d share my take of the hobby. I’m sure I’m not alone in my baffling interest in Transformers.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935962)
Posted by Ironhidensh on February 4th, 2018 @ 6:38pm CST
Posted by Ironhidensh on February 4th, 2018 @ 6:38pm CST
Man, I've shared my feelings on this topic several times, and I don't want to sound like a broken record.....but.......this is a really boring Superbowl so far....
I feel like I'm hitting this crossroads every so often, usually when a new movie comes out. Gotta say, as a fan since '84, and an almost 15 year member of these boards, I've seen a LOT of changes come through not just the fandom, but myself as well. Hell, if things don't change in 15 years, let along 34, you are doing something very wrong.
I've left the fandom at points, and the fandom has left me. I've been around long enough to know that we will more likely than not meet up again. Tastes change as often as the seasons, so it is normal to feel this way.
*HOLY SHIT!!!!! NETFLIX IS MAKING A CLOVERFIELD SERIES!!!!!!!*
I really feel Burn's comments. While I don't really live in the sticks, I don't have any fellow fans in my immediate circle of life. I have a few aquantices here that share my passions, but other than that, there is nothing to connect us enough to truely be friends. Outside of online forums, I feel very much alone in this hobby. At times, it makes it hard to carry on. Especially when you add in how easy it is to not just offend, but be offended online. It seems some people (even myself at times) hunt out the topics and conversations they dont' like, just to start some shit. It can make it hard to remember that by and large, the majortiy of people, even online, are good folk. We really are.
I feel like I'm hitting this crossroads every so often, usually when a new movie comes out. Gotta say, as a fan since '84, and an almost 15 year member of these boards, I've seen a LOT of changes come through not just the fandom, but myself as well. Hell, if things don't change in 15 years, let along 34, you are doing something very wrong.
I've left the fandom at points, and the fandom has left me. I've been around long enough to know that we will more likely than not meet up again. Tastes change as often as the seasons, so it is normal to feel this way.
*HOLY SHIT!!!!! NETFLIX IS MAKING A CLOVERFIELD SERIES!!!!!!!*
I really feel Burn's comments. While I don't really live in the sticks, I don't have any fellow fans in my immediate circle of life. I have a few aquantices here that share my passions, but other than that, there is nothing to connect us enough to truely be friends. Outside of online forums, I feel very much alone in this hobby. At times, it makes it hard to carry on. Especially when you add in how easy it is to not just offend, but be offended online. It seems some people (even myself at times) hunt out the topics and conversations they dont' like, just to start some shit. It can make it hard to remember that by and large, the majortiy of people, even online, are good folk. We really are.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935965)
Posted by primalxconvoy on February 4th, 2018 @ 6:52pm CST
Posted by primalxconvoy on February 4th, 2018 @ 6:52pm CST
I agree. For m, I believin "flying the flag", sotospeak, and take the cover off of the elephant in the room. However, by doing so (to be more inclusive), it can actually be more exclusive. I think, in part, it's also due to technical tools offered to users and staff (I wish, for example, there was a way to create sub threads within threads for different aspets of said discussion, which tags could then be used, or ways for bans/staff action to be given via dedicated Pm system that had site rules that could be selected easily for mods to click on, or even a "LIKE" button, which might reduce my own post count).
We live in a more global age, where Dinobot and other Tf names can cause offense, and where various social, politicl or other issues trickle down to a form of escapism for others (for better or for worse).
We live in a more global age, where Dinobot and other Tf names can cause offense, and where various social, politicl or other issues trickle down to a form of escapism for others (for better or for worse).
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935978)
Posted by Acesmcgee on February 4th, 2018 @ 8:11pm CST
Posted by Acesmcgee on February 4th, 2018 @ 8:11pm CST
Thank you for your piece Va'al. It was thought provoking and in some ways, touching. It was a very open and honest assessment of how you feel about your place in this fandom. It made me examine my place in this fandom, and I find in some ways I'm like you and in some ways I'm like other board members as I read their posts.
I agree whole heartedly with what your friend had told you on twitter though, do you find joy in what your participating in? What is the point in being a fan of something if you aren't enjoying it? So it isn't wrong to pick and choose what parts you enjoy. I love that there is enough of this brand about that we can do that.
If you do participate in the portions of this brand that you don't like, just so you can say that you are a true fan, I feel at times that people who do this, do it to say I'm better than you, a better fan, etc.
I've shadowed this site a while before joining, deciding in the end to join due to the fact that I don't ever see to much venomous attitudes and also the podcasts. The rambling, the derailments, the whole thing. I felt like I had found a group of people, based on the impressions I developed of all of you casters, that really was what it seemed like when I poked about in here.
So if I have to say that I disagree with anything about your piece, it's the title. You haven't lost your anchor, but by being you, you have actually cast a net. I imagine that a lot of the people on this site, overall, feel closer to you due to your participation in the podcasts, the little insights we can get by your opinions (hell you're a human, you're allowed a opinion, regardless of your title), and now this article of writing.
So thank you, thank you for being a part of this fandom. Thank you for being you. Thank you for raising this question and making us think, at least a little, about our drift in this fandom. Your part in this fandom, no matter where it lands matters as long as it matters to you, and for what good it all does, I will support that place you find, just as I would support the place that anyone finds, as long as they enjoy it. Find what you enjoy and most the fandom will rally to you I feel. Most everyone here I think are good, loving people, and would support you, I really believe that.
I agree whole heartedly with what your friend had told you on twitter though, do you find joy in what your participating in? What is the point in being a fan of something if you aren't enjoying it? So it isn't wrong to pick and choose what parts you enjoy. I love that there is enough of this brand about that we can do that.
If you do participate in the portions of this brand that you don't like, just so you can say that you are a true fan, I feel at times that people who do this, do it to say I'm better than you, a better fan, etc.
I've shadowed this site a while before joining, deciding in the end to join due to the fact that I don't ever see to much venomous attitudes and also the podcasts. The rambling, the derailments, the whole thing. I felt like I had found a group of people, based on the impressions I developed of all of you casters, that really was what it seemed like when I poked about in here.
So if I have to say that I disagree with anything about your piece, it's the title. You haven't lost your anchor, but by being you, you have actually cast a net. I imagine that a lot of the people on this site, overall, feel closer to you due to your participation in the podcasts, the little insights we can get by your opinions (hell you're a human, you're allowed a opinion, regardless of your title), and now this article of writing.
So thank you, thank you for being a part of this fandom. Thank you for being you. Thank you for raising this question and making us think, at least a little, about our drift in this fandom. Your part in this fandom, no matter where it lands matters as long as it matters to you, and for what good it all does, I will support that place you find, just as I would support the place that anyone finds, as long as they enjoy it. Find what you enjoy and most the fandom will rally to you I feel. Most everyone here I think are good, loving people, and would support you, I really believe that.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1935993)
Posted by dragons on February 4th, 2018 @ 9:29pm CST
Posted by dragons on February 4th, 2018 @ 9:29pm CST
After reading whole arrivals and reading title of article it doesn’t match up with what I was reading title of article says fandom what I got from reading it being transformer fan on different sites you grew out of being fan and changed over time you wanted be writer for Idw comics but never had chance and your plans had changed maybe you could be more clear what you are talking about comments are saying famdon to transformers fan series article was all over place and it didn’t make sense.,
I’m growing out transformers when I first made account all I look for is movie news old fans always complaining how they don’t like movies what they don’t realize is new fans don’t read comics and watch cartoons if live action bots look blocky and cartoony boring looking to new fans new fans will not be watching new movies and I will never ever be seeing cars driving around with transformers stickers on there cars and be seeing people wearing transformers shirts say transformers to new non fans before live action movies where made they say cartoon series they will not watch and if I had dollar for every member that says toy is mistransformed i be millionaire and same that can be said transformers movie bots don’t look human enough they are giant alien robots from another planet never had contact with humans on there alone planet out in space aliens don’t look human,.
Transformers fans can not accept change in movies and accept how movies make new fans out of people that don’t read and watch cartoons most fans don’t accept that change but fans can accept prime being firetruck and never complain and fans can accept giant alien robot riding carosel with human woman, and humans go on cybertron without needing space suit and not able float away but they can’t accept change in live action movies that is almost joke and not wanting new people who are getting into transformers because of movies slap in face I forgot mention big change blitzwing with three faces and three different personalities he’s big fan favorite on original fans but new fans don’t like little changes that in movies that close to cartoon cand comics
I’m growing out transformers when I first made account all I look for is movie news old fans always complaining how they don’t like movies what they don’t realize is new fans don’t read comics and watch cartoons if live action bots look blocky and cartoony boring looking to new fans new fans will not be watching new movies and I will never ever be seeing cars driving around with transformers stickers on there cars and be seeing people wearing transformers shirts say transformers to new non fans before live action movies where made they say cartoon series they will not watch and if I had dollar for every member that says toy is mistransformed i be millionaire and same that can be said transformers movie bots don’t look human enough they are giant alien robots from another planet never had contact with humans on there alone planet out in space aliens don’t look human,.
Transformers fans can not accept change in movies and accept how movies make new fans out of people that don’t read and watch cartoons most fans don’t accept that change but fans can accept prime being firetruck and never complain and fans can accept giant alien robot riding carosel with human woman, and humans go on cybertron without needing space suit and not able float away but they can’t accept change in live action movies that is almost joke and not wanting new people who are getting into transformers because of movies slap in face I forgot mention big change blitzwing with three faces and three different personalities he’s big fan favorite on original fans but new fans don’t like little changes that in movies that close to cartoon cand comics
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936000)
Posted by SureShot18 on February 4th, 2018 @ 10:21pm CST
I couldn’t agree more. It was something I began to realize in Titans Return but it is really becoming noticeable now with Power of the Primes. I just don’t feel like the main Generations line is for me anymore. I’m just not a fan of how G1 almost every figure has become since John Warden took over with his team. I’d much rather go back to the style of Thrilling 30. Because of this I’ve stayed out of the Power of the Primes thread for the most part(even though I do need to make sure I sing Slash’s praises at some point), knowing I wouldn’t have many positive things to say about many of the figures. As well as the Takara Masterpiece and Legends threads, since the cartoon accuracy Takara goes for can be more at odds with my tastes than what Hasbro does.
And even the figures that do look pretty good, I have a lack of interest in, since they are often characters I have no attachment to. It’s just not a part of fandom I feel like I can interact with as much as I’d like to anymore. Luckily, and many will hate me for saying this, third party is offering many figures that check all of my personal boxes.
Oh and that was a wonderful article Va’al. When I have more time I’d like to get more in depth with my participation as a whole, especially since my age might give a different viewpoint. However given how long I rambled on here, that might not be the best idea.
Posted by SureShot18 on February 4th, 2018 @ 10:21pm CST
ScottyP wrote:I feel this way quite a bit lately. The Brand has this newfound yet somehow really haphazard clinginess to G1 and there are several echo chamber groups of fans that help give Hasbro the perception that this is the right thing to do. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, I'm sure that ultimately, money talks. I love G1, but after so many years I'm also ready to truly and actually move on from it.
I couldn’t agree more. It was something I began to realize in Titans Return but it is really becoming noticeable now with Power of the Primes. I just don’t feel like the main Generations line is for me anymore. I’m just not a fan of how G1 almost every figure has become since John Warden took over with his team. I’d much rather go back to the style of Thrilling 30. Because of this I’ve stayed out of the Power of the Primes thread for the most part(even though I do need to make sure I sing Slash’s praises at some point), knowing I wouldn’t have many positive things to say about many of the figures. As well as the Takara Masterpiece and Legends threads, since the cartoon accuracy Takara goes for can be more at odds with my tastes than what Hasbro does.
And even the figures that do look pretty good, I have a lack of interest in, since they are often characters I have no attachment to. It’s just not a part of fandom I feel like I can interact with as much as I’d like to anymore. Luckily, and many will hate me for saying this, third party is offering many figures that check all of my personal boxes.
Oh and that was a wonderful article Va’al. When I have more time I’d like to get more in depth with my participation as a whole, especially since my age might give a different viewpoint. However given how long I rambled on here, that might not be the best idea.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936004)
Posted by avarathriul on February 4th, 2018 @ 10:53pm CST
Posted by avarathriul on February 4th, 2018 @ 10:53pm CST
Well said, very well said indeed.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936033)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on February 5th, 2018 @ 5:15am CST
Posted by Rodimus Prime on February 5th, 2018 @ 5:15am CST
I think self-reflection like this is good once in a while. It's not really a reboot, more like taking stock of where you stand in relation with the franchise and its many facets. You linked the thread I wrote about my own self-reflection 3 years ago, and the timing couldn't be better, as I have been thinking about bumping it with another update. But I guess maybe I will just include it with this response.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this post is at least in part a result of your struggles with the negativity surrounding IDW's recent releases? I don't have a lot to contribute to this unfortunately. Everyone relates to the fandom in his/her own way and we each place a stronger importance on different aspects of it.
I have been finding more satisfaction in the toys recently, just as my constant disappointment in the comics has pushed me to the verge of giving up on it. Unlike some of you who responded here, I like the CW, TR and PotP lines, especially because they have a lot of G1 call backs, and even though some of the figures have problems, the lines overall are above average to me. Since CW came out, I have become more enthusiastic about collecting, but I don't have a need to buy every piece of a line.
As for being an interactive member of the fandom, my involvement on this board is as far as that goes. I don't know anyone else in my real life who I could hang out with and talk about Transformers. I'm fine with that, as it has been said, this is just a hobby, it doesn't control my life. Honestly, I mean no offense or antagonism by saying this, but I don't care much about others in the fandom, especially those who try to force their viewpoints on others, regardless of what it is. We all like different aspects of the fandom, doesn't make some of us better than others.
I'm not sure if you feel that you should belong to a certain group among the fans that is defined by what they like or don't like. You should do whatever makes you happy and comfortable. But be prepared to deal with the part of the fandom that doesn't share your thoughts and points of view on things, no matter how relentless they are. Remember, everyone likes and dislikes certain parts of the franchise. The key is to find common ground.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this post is at least in part a result of your struggles with the negativity surrounding IDW's recent releases? I don't have a lot to contribute to this unfortunately. Everyone relates to the fandom in his/her own way and we each place a stronger importance on different aspects of it.
I have been finding more satisfaction in the toys recently, just as my constant disappointment in the comics has pushed me to the verge of giving up on it. Unlike some of you who responded here, I like the CW, TR and PotP lines, especially because they have a lot of G1 call backs, and even though some of the figures have problems, the lines overall are above average to me. Since CW came out, I have become more enthusiastic about collecting, but I don't have a need to buy every piece of a line.
As for being an interactive member of the fandom, my involvement on this board is as far as that goes. I don't know anyone else in my real life who I could hang out with and talk about Transformers. I'm fine with that, as it has been said, this is just a hobby, it doesn't control my life. Honestly, I mean no offense or antagonism by saying this, but I don't care much about others in the fandom, especially those who try to force their viewpoints on others, regardless of what it is. We all like different aspects of the fandom, doesn't make some of us better than others.
I'm not sure if you feel that you should belong to a certain group among the fans that is defined by what they like or don't like. You should do whatever makes you happy and comfortable. But be prepared to deal with the part of the fandom that doesn't share your thoughts and points of view on things, no matter how relentless they are. Remember, everyone likes and dislikes certain parts of the franchise. The key is to find common ground.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936045)
Posted by Va'al on February 5th, 2018 @ 8:48am CST
Posted by Va'al on February 5th, 2018 @ 8:48am CST
A couple more selected responses, and a clarification: I am not looking to 'fit in' in any of the 'areas' I suggested in the piece. I was using talking point and existing categories to navigate my own thoughts. I obviously pick and choose, but as others have pointed out, sometimes having a community of any kind to rely on for a fallback can be.. nice? That was the main point, really.
I'm sorry you felt misled by the title, but I'm not sure why 'fandom' is not what I'm talking about in the piece.
Also, I've never wanted to be a comics writer (editorial I wouldn't mind, and I almost applied last time IDW had an opening). Just clarifying that too!
(The rest of your response gave me some serious fuzzies, so thank you.
)
I like that idea of the net, and it's something I'll think more about for further pieces. It goes well with what some other people have commented too, like primalxconvoy and this:
Perhaps so, yes! But what about finding hurdles in the interaction, when your interests don't entirely ..blend? mix? work as well with others? Not sure on the right word here. Take this example: I can listen to someone talk about their appreciation of a certain character, or setting, or series, but I wouldn't really have the back-up to return the same, or to participate in a conversation - it'd become a monologue of which I am the audience, in some ways.
Or, another example: talking about specific issues of comics series, or writers - I have a certain perspective from my studies and work on the comics medium in general, but not the curative stance to compare within this same framework that others might operate their own criticism in, and sometimes we can get stuck into that side rather than another. Which is fine! But it also means that if I get tired of it.. am I removing myself from that interaction? Am I behaving like a jerk? I dunno. Again, just talking points.
I will correct you, as the piece has been brewing for maybe three years now, I just finally had a framework to write it in! As for the other parts of your post, see my opening here.
dragons wrote:After reading whole arrivals and reading title of article it doesn’t match up with what I was reading title of article says fandom what I got from reading it being transformer fan on different sites you grew out of being fan and changed over time you wanted be writer for Idw comics but never had chance and your plans had changed maybe you could be more clear what you are talking about comments are saying famdon to transformers fan series article was all over place and it didn’t make sense.,
I'm sorry you felt misled by the title, but I'm not sure why 'fandom' is not what I'm talking about in the piece.
Also, I've never wanted to be a comics writer (editorial I wouldn't mind, and I almost applied last time IDW had an opening). Just clarifying that too!
Acesmcgee wrote:So if I have to say that I disagree with anything about your piece, it's the title. You haven't lost your anchor, but by being you, you have actually cast a net. I imagine that a lot of the people on this site, overall, feel closer to you due to your participation in the podcasts, the little insights we can get by your opinions (hell you're a human, you're allowed a opinion, regardless of your title), and now this article of writing.
(The rest of your response gave me some serious fuzzies, so thank you.
)I like that idea of the net, and it's something I'll think more about for further pieces. It goes well with what some other people have commented too, like primalxconvoy and this:
meekus3 wrote:So if I’m reading ya correctly, Va’al, you’re saying that the community, and the work, and people are what keeps you into it all, right? Not the collecting or the creating but the social interacting.
Perhaps so, yes! But what about finding hurdles in the interaction, when your interests don't entirely ..blend? mix? work as well with others? Not sure on the right word here. Take this example: I can listen to someone talk about their appreciation of a certain character, or setting, or series, but I wouldn't really have the back-up to return the same, or to participate in a conversation - it'd become a monologue of which I am the audience, in some ways.
Or, another example: talking about specific issues of comics series, or writers - I have a certain perspective from my studies and work on the comics medium in general, but not the curative stance to compare within this same framework that others might operate their own criticism in, and sometimes we can get stuck into that side rather than another. Which is fine! But it also means that if I get tired of it.. am I removing myself from that interaction? Am I behaving like a jerk? I dunno. Again, just talking points.
Rodimus Prime wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this post is at least in part a result of your struggles with the negativity surrounding IDW's recent releases? I don't have a lot to contribute to this unfortunately. Everyone relates to the fandom in his/her own way and we each place a stronger importance on different aspects of it.
I will correct you, as the piece has been brewing for maybe three years now, I just finally had a framework to write it in! As for the other parts of your post, see my opening here.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936047)
Posted by ScottyP on February 5th, 2018 @ 8:53am CST
Jumpy backspace key, you know?
I really like the approach taken (not necessarily the execution 100% of the time) by Cybertron and more recently, IDW. I'm aware IDW is a "G1" series, but is it really? It uses the concept and characters as a base, but at this point it's very new. The list of new characters is so lengthy at this point they've basically created the mythical "G3" with bots like Windblade, Drift, the DJD, Rung, and many others as the banner entries.
I think about RiD quite a bit in this context as well, and how Hasbro may have misread the market on this. It seems the intention was likely to attempt to capitalize on kids that were into Rescue Bots as toddlers, but they may have waited too long. Regardless, the super fresh cast of Decepticons (Starscream and Soundwave aside) is the best thing about it. A little bit more refinement to be more appealing to adults, with a little more depth and continuity (not necessarily "darker"!) and I feel like this could have been a huge winner.
Posted by ScottyP on February 5th, 2018 @ 8:53am CST
I'd quote from AllNewSuperRobot and Sureshot18 as well, but I'm on my phone so I picked the shortest replyBurn wrote:ScottyP wrote:I love G1, but after so many years I'm also ready to truly and actually move on from it.
I would be okay if we move onto something else. Something new and fresh and not over-simplified.
Jumpy backspace key, you know?I really like the approach taken (not necessarily the execution 100% of the time) by Cybertron and more recently, IDW. I'm aware IDW is a "G1" series, but is it really? It uses the concept and characters as a base, but at this point it's very new. The list of new characters is so lengthy at this point they've basically created the mythical "G3" with bots like Windblade, Drift, the DJD, Rung, and many others as the banner entries.
I think about RiD quite a bit in this context as well, and how Hasbro may have misread the market on this. It seems the intention was likely to attempt to capitalize on kids that were into Rescue Bots as toddlers, but they may have waited too long. Regardless, the super fresh cast of Decepticons (Starscream and Soundwave aside) is the best thing about it. A little bit more refinement to be more appealing to adults, with a little more depth and continuity (not necessarily "darker"!) and I feel like this could have been a huge winner.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936070)
Posted by Flashwave on February 5th, 2018 @ 11:50am CST
Posted by Flashwave on February 5th, 2018 @ 11:50am CST
Before I get intobthe discussion's discussion,
Va'al, I honestly feel like your place is right where you are. The old cliches about labeling everything apply, because you do have pieces lwft over, but I would argue there is at least 1 more taxonomy of a fandom, any fandom, or at a minimum a sublevel of the "curative" and that is the participative fandom. By that, I mean the people who are here for the social bonding, where in the topic of the fandom, Transformers, Star Wars, whatever is simply the catalyst for being here. These are the folks who find ways to be a part of the operations, who go to the Con, not out of any particular love for any one aspect but for the people they have met. Online boards certainly help open that side up to folks who otherwise couldnt have been in attendance.
Two examples, from my other, main hobby. I an an avid train nut, both model and real world, and want to make a career of it someday. I am a member of a model railroad club here in Indiana, and some of my favorite memories aare not the buying of things, or of going tobthings, but the things I have done with the people I have met. I loved the nights when we were sitting at the clubhouse, trains ran for maybe 20 minutes, but we sat and talked, bs'd really, for 2 hours. Then someone says "Its 9:00, I need to go home." and we talk some more, and soneone says "Its 10'o clock, I was leaving an hour ago. And then its 11, and then an hour later it magically has become 2:30 in the morning. The trains were just why we all walked through the door.
Even in the full sized, as kuch as I love a new train ride, I derive as much or more pleasure from being a part of thw ride for someone else. I had the pleasure of volunteering for 7 years on a local museum's Christmas trains, Trains to the State Fair, Pumpkin Patch train rides, and more. I love the trains, butvthe moments I think back on are rhe smiles Ivput on people's faces as a complete stranger.
I would suspect that you are in a similar position here, Va'al. And I woyld also suggest that you are still an important, if unsung, part of the curative. After all, is a review not a dissemination and presentation of the media?
I think the staff member who said it had it right. As long as you are having fun, stay right where you are. Thats the important part. These are toys, and toys without fun are a contradiction.
Myself, like most of you, I dont have a big local Transformer s Fan presence outside of two classmates. But I come here. I look forward to Va'al's reviews and the Podcast productions and whatever else ends up in front of me. I dont follow the forums like Ibshould, but thats mostly a time thing.
-------------
I do have to agree with this. I have said it before, during the Armada/Energon/Cybertron era there was outcry necause it want enough like G1. But here we are now with figures that are 98% carbon copies, and people are bored with them because they aren't new. I mean, I like them because I want around for G1 Dinobots, but I am very much ready for a Classics style take on figures that do new things with more current altmodes, or dare I say it? All new Characters in the Generations style. Things lie Lugnut, that RtS taje on his Animated figure is a brilliant example. I think.
Va'al, I honestly feel like your place is right where you are. The old cliches about labeling everything apply, because you do have pieces lwft over, but I would argue there is at least 1 more taxonomy of a fandom, any fandom, or at a minimum a sublevel of the "curative" and that is the participative fandom. By that, I mean the people who are here for the social bonding, where in the topic of the fandom, Transformers, Star Wars, whatever is simply the catalyst for being here. These are the folks who find ways to be a part of the operations, who go to the Con, not out of any particular love for any one aspect but for the people they have met. Online boards certainly help open that side up to folks who otherwise couldnt have been in attendance.
Two examples, from my other, main hobby. I an an avid train nut, both model and real world, and want to make a career of it someday. I am a member of a model railroad club here in Indiana, and some of my favorite memories aare not the buying of things, or of going tobthings, but the things I have done with the people I have met. I loved the nights when we were sitting at the clubhouse, trains ran for maybe 20 minutes, but we sat and talked, bs'd really, for 2 hours. Then someone says "Its 9:00, I need to go home." and we talk some more, and soneone says "Its 10'o clock, I was leaving an hour ago. And then its 11, and then an hour later it magically has become 2:30 in the morning. The trains were just why we all walked through the door.
Even in the full sized, as kuch as I love a new train ride, I derive as much or more pleasure from being a part of thw ride for someone else. I had the pleasure of volunteering for 7 years on a local museum's Christmas trains, Trains to the State Fair, Pumpkin Patch train rides, and more. I love the trains, butvthe moments I think back on are rhe smiles Ivput on people's faces as a complete stranger.
I would suspect that you are in a similar position here, Va'al. And I woyld also suggest that you are still an important, if unsung, part of the curative. After all, is a review not a dissemination and presentation of the media?
I think the staff member who said it had it right. As long as you are having fun, stay right where you are. Thats the important part. These are toys, and toys without fun are a contradiction.
Myself, like most of you, I dont have a big local Transformer s Fan presence outside of two classmates. But I come here. I look forward to Va'al's reviews and the Podcast productions and whatever else ends up in front of me. I dont follow the forums like Ibshould, but thats mostly a time thing.
-------------
SureShot18 wrote:ScottyP wrote:I feel this way quite a bit lately. The Brand has this newfound yet somehow really haphazard clinginess to G1 and there are several echo chamber groups of fans that help give Hasbro the perception that this is the right thing to do. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, I'm sure that ultimately, money talks. I love G1, but after so many years I'm also ready to truly and actually move on from it.
I couldn’t agree more. It was something I began to realize in Titans Return but it is really becoming noticeable now with Power of the Primes. I just don’t feel like the main Generations line is for me anymore. I’m just not a fan of how G1 almost every figure has become since John Warden took over with his team. I’d much rather go back to the style of Thrilling 30.
I do have to agree with this. I have said it before, during the Armada/Energon/Cybertron era there was outcry necause it want enough like G1. But here we are now with figures that are 98% carbon copies, and people are bored with them because they aren't new. I mean, I like them because I want around for G1 Dinobots, but I am very much ready for a Classics style take on figures that do new things with more current altmodes, or dare I say it? All new Characters in the Generations style. Things lie Lugnut, that RtS taje on his Animated figure is a brilliant example. I think.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936074)
Posted by Va'al on February 5th, 2018 @ 12:12pm CST
I like it!
And thank you, I do have ideas for one or two pieces on where fandom gathers and the importance/influence of fansites over fandom, so I feel this will end up being woven into there too.
Posted by Va'al on February 5th, 2018 @ 12:12pm CST
Flashwave wrote:Va'al, I honestly feel like your place is right where you are. The old cliches about labeling everything apply, because you do have pieces lwft over, but I would argue there is at least 1 more taxonomy of a fandom, any fandom, or at a minimum a sublevel of the "curative" and that is the participative fandom. By that, I mean the people who are here for the social bonding, where in the topic of the fandom, Transformers, Star Wars, whatever is simply the catalyst for being here. These are the folks who find ways to be a part of the operations, who go to the Con, not out of any particular love for any one aspect but for the people they have met. Online boards certainly help open that side up to folks who otherwise couldnt have been in attendance.
I like it!
And thank you, I do have ideas for one or two pieces on where fandom gathers and the importance/influence of fansites over fandom, so I feel this will end up being woven into there too.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936077)
Posted by ScottyP on February 5th, 2018 @ 12:21pm CST
Posted by ScottyP on February 5th, 2018 @ 12:21pm CST
^ For the online presence, Transformers is an insane anomaly to me. A welcome one, to be sure, but some of the oldest (based on site age, not its users) and most active online communities are right here in the Transformers universe. The linkup of that with actual meeting-of-humans irl is only second to my experiences with the DDR community some 15 years ago, though that has dwindled to almost nothing these days. Before I go too far into making comparisons of ITG to the third party scene (which, holy crap, what a comparison there is!), I'll leave this post by just reiterating how lucky we are to have places like Seibertron to gather.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936082)
Posted by o.supreme on February 5th, 2018 @ 12:40pm CST
Posted by o.supreme on February 5th, 2018 @ 12:40pm CST
Nice reflections. It's good to see that while we are vastly different, we can all come together and recognize we all enjoy Transfomrers, for some reason it resonates with all of us, even if it is for a wide diversity of reasons.
I am 42, and like most boys in my peer group, I began to become interested in Transformers not quite at the beginning, but within its first year (I was still very much into MOTU when Transformers first came out, and took a while to make the change over). But the "playground talk" was always centered around the latest cartoon episode. There was little to zero talk about the comics, although I did begin picking them up with regularity after issue 25, there was ju7st never much discussion about them. In fact I used to write angry letters to marvel because the comics strayed so far from the animated series, and I wondered why they would often portray characters "completely wrong" heh... But I basically put my Transformers away in 1988, when I entered 7th grade. I would still secretly collect the comics, and watch re-runs odf the animated series, but my toy purchases were done for a while.
As a young adult I started picking up original series Transformers along with G2 and Beast wars in the mid late 90's, before the prices got too ridiculous. There really was no online fandom yet besides alt.online.transformers, but my foirst online experience would not be until 1998, so I basically came in just at the tail end of the "alt.toys" days. I spent many years on Ben Yee'ss message forum, where I discovered to me shock, horror at the time, that not everybody loved the animated series
, many especially fans in the UK loved the comics, and some guy named simon furman 
. I tried to get into the UK comics, but to me the art is so ugly, I just cant (though I am currently collecting IDW's bound volumes for completion sake). But I have to say I spent way to many hours arguing animated series vs. comic. Now I understand , its easier just to acknowledge that we all have our favorites, but also that many things exist beyond what we personally prefer. Also, to this day I cling to many head canon beliefs that are probably either inaccurate, or are for the most part just unpopular among most of the fandom. I will always prefer things that champion the original animated series and or anything from the Japanese series as well.
Speaking of which, when I discovered series such as Headmasters, Masterforce & Victory fairly early on (I had actually seen a couple episodes thanks to a Japanese exchange student in our school in 6th grade), and reading articles in fanzine sin the early 90's, I had been obsessed with finding and watching these. To me they were like the holy grail. The "True Continuation" of Sunbows series that we never got, but should have. At my first Botcon in 1998, I was able to procure some rather poorly copied VHS episodes (and they were the terrible English dubs to boot), but to me they were like unlocked pages of a sacred text that I had never seen before. Why wasn't everyone clamoring for this? (I thought)...well I came toe realize later, that again not everyone likes the same things about transformers, for some its not all about the animated series, and that's fine.
As for my place in the fandom, I used to think I had one, but getting married & having kids (which I do not regret), took me out for a long time. I sold my entire toy collection in 2006, and it wasn't until late in the Combiner Wars series that I came back, which is when I found my way to this forum. Currently the toys (which for a time were my least favorite aspect), are my most favorite. Animation has been a disappointment overall since Prime ended, and the IDW comics are just *meh* (although I know many fans enjoy them and I keep up with them despite my marginal interest).
I've been to 5 Botcons, and while I really don't have much contact with the fans that I did in the early days, I think the best aspect about being a fan now is enjoying the hobby with my son. He will be turning 12 in a couple months, but we both enjoy the current Generations toylines, and he definitely has his own different opinions about the animated series. He isn't much of a reader (I hope that will change), so he's never really read any comics beyond asking me questions when he sees me read them. He's seen all the animated series however, and oddly enough, although he wasn't even born when it came out, I believe his favorite to this date is Armada (poor kid LOL...) . So even my son and I have differing tastes, but we can enjoy the various aspects of Transformers together. I guess the most interesting thing about the journey has been discovering new things about the transformers I never knew about before, and coming to the realization that the opinions I hold dear are not only NOT in the majority, but are practically isolated to myself. This used to distress me quite a bit, but I've come to accept it and move on. Also I've come to realize that Transformers offer more disappointments than I initially realized. decades may go by before a particular animated series, or comic event, or toyline will really resonate with me, but I realize when these do come, I'm going to celebrate the heck out of them, because they are not going to last forever.
I am 42, and like most boys in my peer group, I began to become interested in Transformers not quite at the beginning, but within its first year (I was still very much into MOTU when Transformers first came out, and took a while to make the change over). But the "playground talk" was always centered around the latest cartoon episode. There was little to zero talk about the comics, although I did begin picking them up with regularity after issue 25, there was ju7st never much discussion about them. In fact I used to write angry letters to marvel because the comics strayed so far from the animated series, and I wondered why they would often portray characters "completely wrong" heh... But I basically put my Transformers away in 1988, when I entered 7th grade. I would still secretly collect the comics, and watch re-runs odf the animated series, but my toy purchases were done for a while.
As a young adult I started picking up original series Transformers along with G2 and Beast wars in the mid late 90's, before the prices got too ridiculous. There really was no online fandom yet besides alt.online.transformers, but my foirst online experience would not be until 1998, so I basically came in just at the tail end of the "alt.toys" days. I spent many years on Ben Yee'ss message forum, where I discovered to me shock, horror at the time, that not everybody loved the animated series
, many especially fans in the UK loved the comics, and some guy named simon furman . I tried to get into the UK comics, but to me the art is so ugly, I just cant (though I am currently collecting IDW's bound volumes for completion sake). But I have to say I spent way to many hours arguing animated series vs. comic. Now I understand , its easier just to acknowledge that we all have our favorites, but also that many things exist beyond what we personally prefer. Also, to this day I cling to many head canon beliefs that are probably either inaccurate, or are for the most part just unpopular among most of the fandom. I will always prefer things that champion the original animated series and or anything from the Japanese series as well. Speaking of which, when I discovered series such as Headmasters, Masterforce & Victory fairly early on (I had actually seen a couple episodes thanks to a Japanese exchange student in our school in 6th grade), and reading articles in fanzine sin the early 90's, I had been obsessed with finding and watching these. To me they were like the holy grail. The "True Continuation" of Sunbows series that we never got, but should have. At my first Botcon in 1998, I was able to procure some rather poorly copied VHS episodes (and they were the terrible English dubs to boot), but to me they were like unlocked pages of a sacred text that I had never seen before. Why wasn't everyone clamoring for this? (I thought)...well I came toe realize later, that again not everyone likes the same things about transformers, for some its not all about the animated series, and that's fine.
As for my place in the fandom, I used to think I had one, but getting married & having kids (which I do not regret), took me out for a long time. I sold my entire toy collection in 2006, and it wasn't until late in the Combiner Wars series that I came back, which is when I found my way to this forum. Currently the toys (which for a time were my least favorite aspect), are my most favorite. Animation has been a disappointment overall since Prime ended, and the IDW comics are just *meh* (although I know many fans enjoy them and I keep up with them despite my marginal interest).
I've been to 5 Botcons, and while I really don't have much contact with the fans that I did in the early days, I think the best aspect about being a fan now is enjoying the hobby with my son. He will be turning 12 in a couple months, but we both enjoy the current Generations toylines, and he definitely has his own different opinions about the animated series. He isn't much of a reader (I hope that will change), so he's never really read any comics beyond asking me questions when he sees me read them. He's seen all the animated series however, and oddly enough, although he wasn't even born when it came out, I believe his favorite to this date is Armada (poor kid LOL...) . So even my son and I have differing tastes, but we can enjoy the various aspects of Transformers together. I guess the most interesting thing about the journey has been discovering new things about the transformers I never knew about before, and coming to the realization that the opinions I hold dear are not only NOT in the majority, but are practically isolated to myself. This used to distress me quite a bit, but I've come to accept it and move on. Also I've come to realize that Transformers offer more disappointments than I initially realized. decades may go by before a particular animated series, or comic event, or toyline will really resonate with me, but I realize when these do come, I'm going to celebrate the heck out of them, because they are not going to last forever.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936093)
Posted by Flashwave on February 5th, 2018 @ 2:18pm CST
I can alreadyy tell this is going to be one of those topics thats darned impossible to keepvup with without a keyboard and a dual screen monitor. But I saw your comment abd I had to replybecause this is a question I have been struggling with. I agree ith your point that the stories struggle with reinvenying themselves only to retreat back to familiar ground. But more to your example, i have an idea in my head (I have a lot of those) for a fan fiction to throw the Protectobots, give or take a few cameos, into a storyline derivitive of Resxue Bots and the old Car Robots.up against cons like the UW Baldigus and the headmaster version of Scourge, Botcon Sky Byte, and a few others. The question I keep getting back to is "How do I justify a fire truck as the one left behind to look after humanity"? And the answer is,
He's not a fire truck. He just looks like one.
And I think, bad stprytelling aside, thats the point of the Autobots. They have guns.. They may not be as flashy as the decepticons, but the Autobots certainly were not unarmed. Heck, Tracks was runnung around with Missile Launchers in his Corvette.
Posted by Flashwave on February 5th, 2018 @ 2:18pm CST
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:An interesting thread. Honestly over the years I've remained an outside observer of Fandoms and "communities" of things I enjoy. Especially online, some people can be a bit too intense, which makes you appreciate the safe anonymity the internet at times provides. I have considered conventions over the years, but ultimately in my eyes I just stick to solo collecting, while expressing the occasional view here and there.ScottyP wrote:I feel this way quite a bit lately. The Brand has this newfound yet somehow really haphazard clinginess to G1 and there are several echo chamber groups of fans that help give Hasbro the perception that this is the right thing to do. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, I'm sure that ultimately, money talks. I love G1, but after so many years I'm also ready to truly and actually move on from it.
I've thought this for the longest time. While I was into Transformers when the Sunbow series first started, I became a true fan through The Movie. Aside from being a practical demonstration that if the previously "incompetent" Decepticons actually mounted an all-out offensive, an army of jets, tanks, triple changers etc would easily wipe the floor with essentially a bunch of Car Bots. The main thing I really loved about it, was how Hasbro cleaned house and moved the plot forward in a massive way.
The backlash to their bold decision was the first time the problem raised in the above quote raised it's head. Some fans unable to accept change. The ever constant revivals of Optimus Prime ever since that movie highlight this problem more than any other. Fast forward to the end of G1 Sunbow - The Rebirth. Surrounded by the New futuristic designs of the Autobots and Decepticons, Prime couldn't look anymore out of place. More so a relic than Kup.
I can alreadyy tell this is going to be one of those topics thats darned impossible to keepvup with without a keyboard and a dual screen monitor. But I saw your comment abd I had to replybecause this is a question I have been struggling with. I agree ith your point that the stories struggle with reinvenying themselves only to retreat back to familiar ground. But more to your example, i have an idea in my head (I have a lot of those) for a fan fiction to throw the Protectobots, give or take a few cameos, into a storyline derivitive of Resxue Bots and the old Car Robots.up against cons like the UW Baldigus and the headmaster version of Scourge, Botcon Sky Byte, and a few others. The question I keep getting back to is "How do I justify a fire truck as the one left behind to look after humanity"? And the answer is,
He's not a fire truck. He just looks like one.
And I think, bad stprytelling aside, thats the point of the Autobots. They have guns.. They may not be as flashy as the decepticons, but the Autobots certainly were not unarmed. Heck, Tracks was runnung around with Missile Launchers in his Corvette.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936098)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 5th, 2018 @ 2:32pm CST
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 5th, 2018 @ 2:32pm CST
The difference being that the Decepticons have always had a background as hardened warriors and/or gladiators. Seasoned combatants who revel in conflict. Barring the Wreckers and the Dinobots, the majority of the Autobots were medics, scientists, civilians within Cybertronian culture.
They only "won" within G1 due to the prevailing morality trope that is required for children's programs.
Marvel's original G1 comic series for example, made the further point that without Optimus Prime, the Autobots were completely useless. Whereas the Cons had several leaders during that series run and still held their own as individuals and/or a group.
They only "won" within G1 due to the prevailing morality trope that is required for children's programs.
Marvel's original G1 comic series for example, made the further point that without Optimus Prime, the Autobots were completely useless. Whereas the Cons had several leaders during that series run and still held their own as individuals and/or a group.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936108)
Posted by o.supreme on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:11pm CST
I believe it was even Huffer in the original MTMTE animated 3-part episodes that lamented something to the effect "We aren't fighters like they are". Which on the surface made the Decepticons immediately more appealing overall, but Optimus Prime was *somewhat* of a superhero among normal bots. Made all the more shocking when he died in TFTM.
However lackluster the Autobots may have been at times, I have always favored the good side (again in the minority), because for all that the common Autobots lacked, they made up for, when they would pull out an ultimate weapon such as Omega Supreme, which is why to this day, he is my favorite character. Early on, even the powerful Dinobots were shown to be outmatched by the likes of Devastator, but nobody could beat Omega Supreme! (horrible Marvel Comics Buzzsaw event aside). He was the Autobots atom bomb, only used when absolutely necessary (yes I'm exaggerating but you get the point
) Also the fact that he was the one Autobot shown to actually be feared by the Decepticons in various incarnations made him that much more appealing. Unlike Optimus Prime, who may have been respected by Megatron, Omega Supreme actually struck fear into the heart of evil, which resonates with me.
Posted by o.supreme on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:11pm CST
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The difference being that the Decepticons have always had a background as hardened warriors and/or gladiators. Seasoned combatants who revel in conflict. Barring the Wreckers and the Dinobots, the majority of the Autobots were medics, scientists, civilians within Cybertronian culture.
I believe it was even Huffer in the original MTMTE animated 3-part episodes that lamented something to the effect "We aren't fighters like they are". Which on the surface made the Decepticons immediately more appealing overall, but Optimus Prime was *somewhat* of a superhero among normal bots. Made all the more shocking when he died in TFTM.
However lackluster the Autobots may have been at times, I have always favored the good side (again in the minority), because for all that the common Autobots lacked, they made up for, when they would pull out an ultimate weapon such as Omega Supreme, which is why to this day, he is my favorite character. Early on, even the powerful Dinobots were shown to be outmatched by the likes of Devastator, but nobody could beat Omega Supreme! (horrible Marvel Comics Buzzsaw event aside). He was the Autobots atom bomb, only used when absolutely necessary (yes I'm exaggerating but you get the point
) Also the fact that he was the one Autobot shown to actually be feared by the Decepticons in various incarnations made him that much more appealing. Unlike Optimus Prime, who may have been respected by Megatron, Omega Supreme actually struck fear into the heart of evil, which resonates with me.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936109)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:22pm CST
Another thing about Omega Supreme that was quite unique was he had no counterpart and/or rival. In a series were virtually everyone is paired off, he stands alone. I suppose Sky Lynx shares that aspect too, but I never liked the Bird-Jet-Thing.
Now on the one hand I would really be interested in a new TR-style Omega Supreme. But, not as a Parts-Former. I dislike the Parts-Formers, almost as much as the Pretenders. Because transformation is the central premise of the entire series and if you ain't got that, you ain't a Transformer.
I think a new toy should be along the lines of the hugely underrated Animated interpretation of Omega, as the Ark itself. Alternatively stick with the G1 aesthetic but make him a Triple Changer instead.
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:22pm CST
o.supreme wrote:I believe it was even Huffer in the original MTMTE animated 3-part episodes that lamented something to the effect "We aren't fighters like they are". Which on the surface made the Decepticons immediately more appealing overall, but Optimus Prime was *somewhat* of a superhero among normal bots. Made all the more shocking when he died in TFTM.
However lackluster the Autobots may have been at times, I have always favored the good side (again in the minority), because for all that the common Autobots lacked, they made up for, when they would pull out an ultimate weapon such as Omega Supreme, which is why to this day, he is my favorite character. Early on, even the powerful Dinobots were shown to be outmatched by the likes of Devastator, but nobody could beat Omega Supreme! (horrible Marvel Comics Buzzsaw event aside). He was the Autobots atom bomb, only used when absolutely necessary (yes I'm exaggerating but you get the point
Another thing about Omega Supreme that was quite unique was he had no counterpart and/or rival. In a series were virtually everyone is paired off, he stands alone. I suppose Sky Lynx shares that aspect too, but I never liked the Bird-Jet-Thing.
Now on the one hand I would really be interested in a new TR-style Omega Supreme. But, not as a Parts-Former. I dislike the Parts-Formers, almost as much as the Pretenders. Because transformation is the central premise of the entire series and if you ain't got that, you ain't a Transformer.
I think a new toy should be along the lines of the hugely underrated Animated interpretation of Omega, as the Ark itself. Alternatively stick with the G1 aesthetic but make him a Triple Changer instead.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936112)
Posted by o.supreme on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:29pm CST
Posted by o.supreme on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:29pm CST
Well I don't want to go down the *parts former* rabbit hole again, because it got ugly in other threads, I just want to let that go. But Devastator arose as a decent rival for Omega Supreme. Additionally FT-20 (IMHO) is a great melding of actual transformation, and a faithful rendition to the original. I'm sure Hasbro could probably not come up with something like that which is affordable, but admittedly I cant think off the top of my head any other alternatives that appeal to me personally.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936115)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:35pm CST
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:35pm CST
To be fair, obviously prices vary by region etc but I bought TR Fort Max and Trypticon for about £100 each. Which given the size of them, made them perhaps better value for money than the MP Line. I imagine Omega Supreme would revolve around that price point and scale too. Although I don't recall Omega Supreme being in the same era as Fort Max and Scoponok, so I don't really know how he should scale against them. Taller than a Gestalt, smaller than a City Bot?
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936118)
Posted by o.supreme on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:40pm CST
More or less. Omega was about a head-and-shoulders taller (or about 10%) than the average Combiner. Since then, such as in DW comics, he was much bigger, but not quite as big as a cityformer. A Titan Sized Omega Supreme scaled about the same size as CW Devaststor, or the upcoming PotP Predaking would be a good fit.
Posted by o.supreme on February 5th, 2018 @ 3:40pm CST
AllNewSuperRobot wrote: Taller than a Gestalt, smaller than a City Bot?
More or less. Omega was about a head-and-shoulders taller (or about 10%) than the average Combiner. Since then, such as in DW comics, he was much bigger, but not quite as big as a cityformer. A Titan Sized Omega Supreme scaled about the same size as CW Devaststor, or the upcoming PotP Predaking would be a good fit.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936157)
Posted by WreckerJack on February 5th, 2018 @ 8:24pm CST
Posted by WreckerJack on February 5th, 2018 @ 8:24pm CST
I've been mulling over my response for quite some time. First I'd like to say that I can enjoy the series by myself. I know I can because as a kid I changed schools a lot so sometimes I'd have years where I didn't have any friends. That didn't stop me from enjoying my interests. Heck, there have been some times where I had lost friends because I didn't pretend to like things I did not.
That might seem a little bit harsh but I don't like pretending to like the 'cool' thing to make friends. While everyone at my high school was obsessed with 'gangsta rap' I never pretended to. I was into metal and if people thought I was uncool for that I didn't care. Being genuine and true to my self is paramount.
When it comes to Transformers, I started out just enjoying watching TFP with a friend of mine from college. Little did she know she created a monster. Shortly after finishing TFP I wanted more so I got into the comics, started researching the other shows and watching them. Most of this was done by myself. It did not occur to me that I would get into the fan community until later on.
I started talking to people online and made a few good friends. (And this was in a time in my life where I really needed them.) Transformers has motivated me to do a lot of good things. Helped me get over my fear of driving, is a common interest, helps me practice my repair skills and has characters that inspire me.
I'm here because TFs make me happy and as Va'al said, it should be about joy. I find joy in the entertainment of the series, in the creativity of the toys and in sharing this with other people. It's the fans that keep things going. Remember when I mentioned heavy metal above? Fans keep bands going with their support and we keep Hasbro making Transformers series with ours. Without the fans there would be no Transformers. I'd also like to point out if you see someone who has a faction symbol on their car or on their shirt then you have a potential new friend.
I see a lot of good in the TF fan community or "the fandom". I went to a small TF con in my local area and everyone was super nice. I felt like I fit in instantly. A lot for TF fans are smart and curious people who have an interest in how things work. As a person who loves to take stuff apart and fix it (TF figures especially) it's nice to not be the only tinkerer.
I think my place is to add positivity to the fan community. Whether it is through doing news articles, or just talking to people on the boards it's important to me to give something back. Seibertron runs because of all of us and so does the fandom. I'm glad I get to be a part of that.
That might seem a little bit harsh but I don't like pretending to like the 'cool' thing to make friends. While everyone at my high school was obsessed with 'gangsta rap' I never pretended to. I was into metal and if people thought I was uncool for that I didn't care. Being genuine and true to my self is paramount.
When it comes to Transformers, I started out just enjoying watching TFP with a friend of mine from college. Little did she know she created a monster. Shortly after finishing TFP I wanted more so I got into the comics, started researching the other shows and watching them. Most of this was done by myself. It did not occur to me that I would get into the fan community until later on.
I started talking to people online and made a few good friends. (And this was in a time in my life where I really needed them.) Transformers has motivated me to do a lot of good things. Helped me get over my fear of driving, is a common interest, helps me practice my repair skills and has characters that inspire me.
I'm here because TFs make me happy and as Va'al said, it should be about joy. I find joy in the entertainment of the series, in the creativity of the toys and in sharing this with other people. It's the fans that keep things going. Remember when I mentioned heavy metal above? Fans keep bands going with their support and we keep Hasbro making Transformers series with ours. Without the fans there would be no Transformers. I'd also like to point out if you see someone who has a faction symbol on their car or on their shirt then you have a potential new friend.
I see a lot of good in the TF fan community or "the fandom". I went to a small TF con in my local area and everyone was super nice. I felt like I fit in instantly. A lot for TF fans are smart and curious people who have an interest in how things work. As a person who loves to take stuff apart and fix it (TF figures especially) it's nice to not be the only tinkerer.
I think my place is to add positivity to the fan community. Whether it is through doing news articles, or just talking to people on the boards it's important to me to give something back. Seibertron runs because of all of us and so does the fandom. I'm glad I get to be a part of that.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936203)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 6th, 2018 @ 3:36am CST
I have four TF T-shirts. Two of which are about 10 years old and was a mistaken duplicate delivery, which of course I didn't mind at all. Three out of four of these boldly and largely display the Decepticon faction symbol. Note that's the traditional symbol, not the redesigns.
My favourite one in fact, the symbol takes up a good two thirds of the front of the T-shirt. My fourth one, bought a month ago, sports the entire Season 1 Decepticon roster in vehicle mode. I like how for the most part, the knowing smiles it raises in those of a Certain age and even newer fans I'd imagine. The faction symbols are perhaps more iconic than any single design of the toys. Likewise I have seen several real life examples of the metal faction symbols on a variety of cars and bikes. Which brings out a smile in me too.
I am somewhat fortunate to have two real life friends that are heavily into TF. More so than myself, given my lapses, which they have never had. I like the variety in opinion/taste among TF fans. That the series breadth it is vast enough for two similar people to like wildly different things.
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 6th, 2018 @ 3:36am CST
WreckerJack wrote: I'd also like to point out if you see someone who has a faction symbol on their car or on their shirt then you have a potential new friend.
I have four TF T-shirts. Two of which are about 10 years old and was a mistaken duplicate delivery, which of course I didn't mind at all. Three out of four of these boldly and largely display the Decepticon faction symbol. Note that's the traditional symbol, not the redesigns.
My favourite one in fact, the symbol takes up a good two thirds of the front of the T-shirt. My fourth one, bought a month ago, sports the entire Season 1 Decepticon roster in vehicle mode. I like how for the most part, the knowing smiles it raises in those of a Certain age and even newer fans I'd imagine. The faction symbols are perhaps more iconic than any single design of the toys. Likewise I have seen several real life examples of the metal faction symbols on a variety of cars and bikes. Which brings out a smile in me too.
I am somewhat fortunate to have two real life friends that are heavily into TF. More so than myself, given my lapses, which they have never had. I like the variety in opinion/taste among TF fans. That the series breadth it is vast enough for two similar people to like wildly different things.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936204)
Posted by BattleConvoy on February 6th, 2018 @ 3:42am CST
Posted by BattleConvoy on February 6th, 2018 @ 3:42am CST
Great post Va'al, hope we get more posts like these
When I was reading this, I thought it was a 'I quit' type post.
I'm glad it wasn't
Or a sexist pig.
Btw, most fan bases are toxic mate, which is a sad thing and putts people off certain franchises. (Look at the Rick and Morty fanbase, they are insulted just because of one fan attacking a Mcdonalds.) It's one reason why fans of a show must be careful about what they do.
When I was reading this, I thought it was a 'I quit' type post.
I'm glad it wasn't
Burn wrote:I'm a life long fan of Doctor Who. But that fandom has become so incredibly toxic these days. Don't like the idea of a female Doctor? You get branded a crying man-baby. (I'm keeping an open mind though). I'm just not venturing there at the moment.
Or a sexist pig.
Btw, most fan bases are toxic mate, which is a sad thing and putts people off certain franchises. (Look at the Rick and Morty fanbase, they are insulted just because of one fan attacking a Mcdonalds.) It's one reason why fans of a show must be careful about what they do.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936207)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 6th, 2018 @ 3:53am CST
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 6th, 2018 @ 3:53am CST
Yeah, there is a line between fan and fanboy. That line is a level of obsession that can be quite intense, toxic and creepy. I always try to maintain a bit of perspective when relating my interests to others.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936211)
Posted by Burn on February 6th, 2018 @ 4:10am CST
This is something a lot of people forget. I've seen many posts on this forum over the years along the lines of "you think this fandom is bad? You should see ..." or the reverse "... is a much better fandom than this one!".
It's a combination of words on a screen (inflictions can be hard to convey through the written word for most people), the anonymity people believe they have (they can't touch me! I'll say whatever I want!), different cultures (I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've said something which us Australians say every day but is considered offensive in another part of the world), different beliefs ... the list goes on.
It's a big ol melting pot, and I've seen many people over the years breeze into the forums, and then quickly breeze out because the melting pot, for whatever reason, wasn't for them. And I have no doubt a few of those have questioned where they stand amongst the fandom and if they want to be a part of it.
Posted by Burn on February 6th, 2018 @ 4:10am CST
BattleConvoy wrote:most fan bases are toxic mate,
This is something a lot of people forget. I've seen many posts on this forum over the years along the lines of "you think this fandom is bad? You should see ..." or the reverse "... is a much better fandom than this one!".
It's a combination of words on a screen (inflictions can be hard to convey through the written word for most people), the anonymity people believe they have (they can't touch me! I'll say whatever I want!), different cultures (I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've said something which us Australians say every day but is considered offensive in another part of the world), different beliefs ... the list goes on.
It's a big ol melting pot, and I've seen many people over the years breeze into the forums, and then quickly breeze out because the melting pot, for whatever reason, wasn't for them. And I have no doubt a few of those have questioned where they stand amongst the fandom and if they want to be a part of it.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936213)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 6th, 2018 @ 4:35am CST
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 6th, 2018 @ 4:35am CST
I do have to wonder why some fandoms have gotten toxic (or maybe why the small minority have gotten considerably louder), while the subject is probably beyond the remit of this thread, it is something I've thought about recently.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936214)
Posted by Burn on February 6th, 2018 @ 5:14am CST
The world is becoming more and more sensitive and easily offended. You've also got a younger generation coming along and joining fandoms.
Doctor Who is a great example of that divide, you've got the classic Who fans who are in the 40+ range, and the modern Who fans who range from teenagers to late 20's. Imagine being a 40 year old trying to reason with a 20 year old why Tom Baker is vastly superior to Matt Smith!
Posted by Burn on February 6th, 2018 @ 5:14am CST
ZeroWolf wrote:I do have to wonder why some fandoms have gotten toxic (or maybe why the small minority have gotten considerably louder), while the subject is probably beyond the remit of this thread, it is something I've thought about recently.
The world is becoming more and more sensitive and easily offended. You've also got a younger generation coming along and joining fandoms.
Doctor Who is a great example of that divide, you've got the classic Who fans who are in the 40+ range, and the modern Who fans who range from teenagers to late 20's. Imagine being a 40 year old trying to reason with a 20 year old why Tom Baker is vastly superior to Matt Smith!
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936216)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 6th, 2018 @ 5:25am CST
Tangent I know but, I'm in a bit of a weird place when it comes to Doctor Who. Wherein growing up, The only Doctor I knew of was Sylvester McCoy.. and the cancellation of the show. Alongside The one-off Paul McGann Movie, which I did enjoy. I always felt it's a shame how the 8th Doctor ended up with the short 'audio only' straw. As far as New Who, while I am a fan to varying degrees, the only New Doctor I liked so far was Christoper Eccleston. Whereas most people I talk to raved about David Tennant, who I couldn't stand.
End Tangent.
Tangent two, regarding the over sensitivity of the age we live in, a friend once said to me that David Bowie must have been the Nexus of Reality. Because it all went to hell with his passing.
End Tangent 2.
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 6th, 2018 @ 5:25am CST
Burn wrote:Doctor Who is a great example of that divide, you've got the classic Who fans who are in the 40+ range, and the modern Who fans who range from teenagers to late 20's. Imagine being a 40 year old trying to reason with a 20 year old why Tom Baker is vastly superior to Matt Smith!
Tangent I know but, I'm in a bit of a weird place when it comes to Doctor Who. Wherein growing up, The only Doctor I knew of was Sylvester McCoy.. and the cancellation of the show. Alongside The one-off Paul McGann Movie, which I did enjoy. I always felt it's a shame how the 8th Doctor ended up with the short 'audio only' straw. As far as New Who, while I am a fan to varying degrees, the only New Doctor I liked so far was Christoper Eccleston. Whereas most people I talk to raved about David Tennant, who I couldn't stand.
End Tangent.
Tangent two, regarding the over sensitivity of the age we live in, a friend once said to me that David Bowie must have been the Nexus of Reality. Because it all went to hell with his passing.
End Tangent 2.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936218)
Posted by WreckerJack on February 6th, 2018 @ 6:04am CST
I'd guess people with certain personality types are more drawn to things they can relate to. I often wonder why particular fandoms seem to attract people with toxic behaviors more than others. I know we shouldn't stereotype people but it's partially true. I have a theory that the toxic ones usually have their own set of issues. Its not the thing they are into that is the problem, it is their behavior.
Take anime fans for example. I have known a lot of creepy and disrespectful people who were into anime. I came to realize that it wasn't the anime that was the issue but the obsessive nature of the fans. For the record I know tons of really cool people who enjoy anime. I myself have enjoyed DBZ and Rourni Kenshin so please do not think I am being rude or judgmental of anime fans as a whole, I am using it as an example nothing more. I am well aware that most anime fans are regular people and I don't want anyone to misinterpret my example.
You don't see Transformers fans out there making engine revving sounds at the grocery store or talking like Optimus Prime 24/7. Yet, I have known anime fans to talk in a weird mix of Japanese and English or do embarrassing things like imitate anime characters in a setting that does not warrant it. I often wonder why fans of certain fandoms do things like this and do they realize that what they are doing is very off putting?
I think another part of it might be social isolation. When someone suffers from a mental health issue they may take comfort in something in an unhealthy way. This is known as addiction. It's not just alcohol and tobacco that people can addicted to. Some people are hooked on gambling, online gaming or whatever it is that helps that person escape. I don't doubt some people who are obsessively interested in fiction are suffering from an addiction issue.
This can be very isolating and unhealthy. If people (especially young people) miss out on social time and don't learn social ques they may be rejected by their peers. This may lead to them delving further into being isolated instead of getting help. I don't want to sound like I am putting these people down, it just bums me out that people leave their issues to fester and I wish I could just give them a respectful nudge.
Another issue that comes up sometimes is bullying within fandoms and that really grinds my gears. I remember this from other fandoms I was in as a teen. A popular person in the fandom was usually the person to do it too. They would have their personal army of trolls and when someone disagreed with them they'd manipulate others to insult and dogpile them into oblivion. Some would go as far as purposely trying to frame that person as some type of bigot to get them in trouble whether it was true or not. (Crying wolf does no one any good because it makes true cases harder to believe.)
When it comes to this kind of toxic person I suggest just block them, don't talk to them and don't give them any attention at all. There is no reason to take something fun and turn it into some kind of drama game. People need to be aware of this kind of person and avoid them. If you take away the attention they so crave, you will take their power away with it.
That was a lot, but it has been on my mind for a long time so have a brain dump.
Posted by WreckerJack on February 6th, 2018 @ 6:04am CST
ZeroWolf wrote:I do have to wonder why some fandoms have gotten toxic (or maybe why the small minority have gotten considerably louder), while the subject is probably beyond the remit of this thread, it is something I've thought about recently.
I'd guess people with certain personality types are more drawn to things they can relate to. I often wonder why particular fandoms seem to attract people with toxic behaviors more than others. I know we shouldn't stereotype people but it's partially true. I have a theory that the toxic ones usually have their own set of issues. Its not the thing they are into that is the problem, it is their behavior.
Take anime fans for example. I have known a lot of creepy and disrespectful people who were into anime. I came to realize that it wasn't the anime that was the issue but the obsessive nature of the fans. For the record I know tons of really cool people who enjoy anime. I myself have enjoyed DBZ and Rourni Kenshin so please do not think I am being rude or judgmental of anime fans as a whole, I am using it as an example nothing more. I am well aware that most anime fans are regular people and I don't want anyone to misinterpret my example.
You don't see Transformers fans out there making engine revving sounds at the grocery store or talking like Optimus Prime 24/7. Yet, I have known anime fans to talk in a weird mix of Japanese and English or do embarrassing things like imitate anime characters in a setting that does not warrant it. I often wonder why fans of certain fandoms do things like this and do they realize that what they are doing is very off putting?
I think another part of it might be social isolation. When someone suffers from a mental health issue they may take comfort in something in an unhealthy way. This is known as addiction. It's not just alcohol and tobacco that people can addicted to. Some people are hooked on gambling, online gaming or whatever it is that helps that person escape. I don't doubt some people who are obsessively interested in fiction are suffering from an addiction issue.
This can be very isolating and unhealthy. If people (especially young people) miss out on social time and don't learn social ques they may be rejected by their peers. This may lead to them delving further into being isolated instead of getting help. I don't want to sound like I am putting these people down, it just bums me out that people leave their issues to fester and I wish I could just give them a respectful nudge.
Another issue that comes up sometimes is bullying within fandoms and that really grinds my gears. I remember this from other fandoms I was in as a teen. A popular person in the fandom was usually the person to do it too. They would have their personal army of trolls and when someone disagreed with them they'd manipulate others to insult and dogpile them into oblivion. Some would go as far as purposely trying to frame that person as some type of bigot to get them in trouble whether it was true or not. (Crying wolf does no one any good because it makes true cases harder to believe.)
When it comes to this kind of toxic person I suggest just block them, don't talk to them and don't give them any attention at all. There is no reason to take something fun and turn it into some kind of drama game. People need to be aware of this kind of person and avoid them. If you take away the attention they so crave, you will take their power away with it.
That was a lot, but it has been on my mind for a long time so have a brain dump.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936230)
Posted by Dr. Caelus on February 6th, 2018 @ 9:03am CST
Posted by Dr. Caelus on February 6th, 2018 @ 9:03am CST
My experience of any 'fandom' (and I use that term very broadly) is that it can be like a long elevator ride with a flatulent middle-aged man, who brags about the volume and potency of his gaseous emissions, and will ***** you out for being 'overly sensitive' or 'too easily offended' if anyone else in the confined space so much as wrinkles his or her nose.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936237)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 6th, 2018 @ 10:14am CST
Habelieve me I've done this as well though you still have some years on me burn.
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 6th, 2018 @ 10:14am CST
Burn wrote:ZeroWolf wrote:I do have to wonder why some fandoms have gotten toxic (or maybe why the small minority have gotten considerably louder), while the subject is probably beyond the remit of this thread, it is something I've thought about recently.
The world is becoming more and more sensitive and easily offended. You've also got a younger generation coming along and joining fandoms.
Doctor Who is a great example of that divide, you've got the classic Who fans who are in the 40+ range, and the modern Who fans who range from teenagers to late 20's. Imagine being a 40 year old trying to reason with a 20 year old why Tom Baker is vastly superior to Matt Smith!
Habelieve me I've done this as well though you still have some years on me burn.
Re: Losing the Anchor: My Place in the Transformers Fandom (1936242)
Posted by o.supreme on February 6th, 2018 @ 10:21am CST
Posted by o.supreme on February 6th, 2018 @ 10:21am CST
Its nothing new though. It's hard to believe that Star Trek TNG came out over 30 years ago. Prior to the Internet, fans could only argue Kirk vs Picard at conventions, in fanzines and chain penpal letters. I remember Night Court actually poking fun at that. Night Court anyone remember that? Anyone...anyone....
I sympathize however. Long gone are the days of me arguing for the original series over BW, or RiD, or Armada....most fans are going to be most closely connected to the series of their formative years (usually between 6-12), it just makes sense.
I sympathize however. Long gone are the days of me arguing for the original series over BW, or RiD, or Armada....most fans are going to be most closely connected to the series of their formative years (usually between 6-12), it just makes sense.
