Jump to content
Banner by ~ Ice Princess Silky
  • entry
    1
  • comments
    3
  • views
    1,382

Opinions on 'joining the herd' or any other fandom.


RainbowTashie

1,115 views

Opinions on 'joining the herd' or any other fandom.

 

I needed to write about this because it's something that's close to my heart even though I can be considered a hypocrite whilst writing this...
So you loved a fandom for as long as you can remember... for me it's pokemon(this is relevant I swear) and then people suddenly start rushing to it because it's deemed 'poplular'

 

 

 


Just imagine you were those first few people on 4chan, the original 'bronies' and then suddenly everyone joins the bandwagon, the question i'm asking is do you feel salty about it or are you just happy that the franchise you love is gaining popularity? The best example I can give you is Pokemon go.

b7179ddb6c690978848bcf4fb2031df890306ddf_hq.jpg


I've loved Pokemon since I was old enough to read, heck Pokemon games probably taught me to read properly. I had to tolerate all the bullying from pre school to high school. Then suddenly this little app gets loads of attention then the very people who gave me a hard time when I was younger are downloading it and playing it is it really okay?
Now I joined the MLP fandom purely by accident. I had a faze when I was about 15 about collecting my little pony toys this was during G3 guys (don't judge McKay?) and I would be the nerd in school with the MLP umbrella that was designed for 5 year olds and they would mock me. Then years down the line me and my special somepony were out of town and were in a toy shop. I saw a theme deck with a pony in the front I recognised as Rainbow Dash (little did I know how much she's changed since G3 lol) but I actually mocked the art style and thought it looked too cartoonish. But for a laugh me and him bought two decks cause we were staying at his family's pub and we needed to kill time.

98e46a32cd9817495c9e082aa3d4a3e9589c6f71_hq.jpg


When we got back I had no idea how complex this freakin game was! I mean last I heard MLP was for under fives. So hours later we figured it out had a few games and really enjoyed it and wen back the next day to buy some boosters (and by some I mean pretty much the whole case) now I've been known for fazes, I once had a thing about mine craft and animes such as death note an bleach but they fizzled out (which was probably what my boyfriend wanted to happen) I spent too much of our wages on poke merch as it was)

3b5a8df740d077c73fed20f976a8339b1a28d5ab_hq.jpg


But as you do you have a Google and change your Facebook picture to whatever you're into at the moment and the more I delved into the Internet the more I realised that 'bronies' adult males of this kids cartoon was a thing.

3814d8354aabff7558afc48f4b07176a7028104b_hq.jpg


So we got back from holiday pony cards and all and I remember having a couple of extra days off than him. And out of curiosity I watched this hyped up pony show and boom it was the second most hooked I'd been on anything. And I encouraged my normal adult male boyfriend to watch it too and Suprise Suprise he loved it. (Rarity is his best pony) I will insert a placeholder here of why I think Rarity is important for another blog...

e5cc280167d848ab620122f6f5cff468ebdb1952_hq.jpg


So tangent over when is and isn't it okay to board a hype train? With Pokemon go everyone had heard of Pokemon and have a basic idea of what it is about and I'm peeved it got so much popularity in pokego even if it is helping their stocks(Pokemon was my thing goddamnit!) if you go to my profile you will see a really derpy picture of me in my poke shirt when I was about 8... But then i joined this pony bandwagon with no remorse... Was I being too harsh? Because everyone has different experiences when joining a fandom was it right for me to assume people just want to get on board the latest trend only to leave it when it fizzles out?
Lemme know what you think about the issue and I apologise in advance for my gibberish...

3 Comments


Recommended Comments

There's nothing wrong with taking a look at what's popular--what matters is what you do after that.

Only stick with something if you really and truly enjoy it. (nobody likes a poser!)

You aren't any less of a fan just because you joined when it got popular! I never would have looked at MLP were it not for the hype it created!

I was actually really happy when Pokémon Go came out and got popular. For me, it was a grand opportunity to strike up conversations about something I've always loved with people I don't know or share any common ground with. Yeah, it's a little sad when people start dissing it because of its popularity, or when the hype fades away, but I just enjoy it while it lasts. Plus, now people are actually impressed by my Pokéknowledge. :P Did you know gen II is coming to Go soon?

 

Roll with the trends! Ride above them! Your fanhood is a badge of honour!

  • Brohoof 1
Link to comment

My biggest problem with a lot of people when something becomes popular is their attitudes. I've been a Pokemon fan since it hit the US. I had pretty much everything you can think of that was Pokemon related. In elementary and middle school it wasn't much of an issue. In high school I was regularly bullied for my pokemon stuff. Then toward junior year Hot Topic started selling Pokemon stuff. Suddenly the popular kids who had made fun of me just days before had Pokemon stuff. They didn't like Pokemon at all. They only had the stuff because it was popular. They started calling me a poser and said I only had Pokemon stuff to seem cool. That kind of attitude annoys me to no end.

On the other side of the coin you have the elitists that appear when things become popular. With all the comic movies I've seen a lot of long time comic fans become huge jerks to the new fans that legitimately like the movies, but don't read the comics. Some have actually had interest in the comics, but after getting bullied they no longer want anything to do with them. I really don't understand why an existing fan would shun a new fan just because they didn't get into it before it was popular. Some people weren't even alive or old enough to be a fan before something became popular.

My only other complaint when things become popular is how the price of merch skyrockets. Comics and Pokemon merch have become huge headaches due to price hikes. It's not a problem if something is actually worth the high price (well, it is for my wallet). I just really hate people that jack up prices to make a quick buck when something becomes popular.

Link to comment

Joking about the card's art style isn't so bad and thats just a first reaction to it anyways. Other people hated much harder and even intentionally who have become bronies after the fact. 

 

I haven't been the biggest fan over anything until this though. But I could be a bigger fan but I'm super shy about it irl. Otherwise I probably would be, I have like 5k pony pics on my pc lol. I even have some secret merchandise. Considering the cards (more specifically a RD tin) but don't want them to spot it in the mail and wondering why I am being secretive about it all the time. Plus mom would joke about it n tell family and I'd rather keep it to myself. Sorta getting off-topic, sorry lol.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Join the herd!

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...