If I may, I have a question.
What do we want from RnF? Speaking as a fandom?
I think it's clear that many people are looking for something from them but I am admittedly struggling to understand what it is. I'm going to lay out my current line of thought on this, and would love to hear any and all good-faith thoughts regarding it.
Do people want an apology?
We have gotten those in the past. When that happens, they have been picked apart and been called not good enough. What would another apology do? Either it would be not enough because the creators would continue to fall short of standards, or because the critical voices would find problems with it.
Do people want the creators to step down from the story?
Perhaps this is a goal and one I could even be accused of putting out there, albeit while tongue-in-cheek. If the story is truly as criticism-worthy as many would say, perhaps some people want Red and Flynn to retire from it. However, as this is an independent project being licensed by Webtoon and not owned by them, this would most likely lead to the end of Nevermore, not it being given to a new artist and writer team. While fan interpretations would doubtless spring up, those could do so without the canonical story ending, and none would truly be Nevermore as intended anyway.
Do people want the story to change to follow their suggestions and guidelines?
Something about this feels off to me. The current trend is to ask for racism to be front and center in the story, something that's been addressed on both sides by a number of users more passionate than I. I do see the point in many of the essays and arguments I've read, but as I spoke in depth about in my last essay, I don't feel that a story centering racism is a story that belongs to Red and Flynn and is theirs to tell. In fact, them telling it would make me rather uncomfortable and may convince me to leave the comic for good.
In my last essay I wrote rather discreetly, so I will make this blunt: in my mind, the critical voices are asking Red and Flynn to write more racism into their story, and to make characters more racist and less tolerant of diversity, and that sounds much more like something my girlfriend's MAGA uncle would write than something I would expect from my peer group. I'm frankly disappointed.
Do people want Red and Flynn out of the community spaces, and merely staying in their own lane, as it were?
I think that has already occurred. I can't speak to the last time I've seen them interacting here. Furthermore, when Red did leave tumblr, she was called a coward and criticized for that as well. So no, I don't believe people want them gone, just based on the evidence placed in front of me.
Do people want nothing from Red and Flynn, but rather to form their own place of community where open discussion, criticism, and critique are encouraged?
This feels more likely but there remains some reluctance for a number of reasons. First of all, the main tag is flooded with critique, drama, and discussion in blatant disregard for established tumblr etiquette. To be blunt, these people are acting badly in public (and here I will admit that I am a hypocrite, having posted in this manner in the main tag twice now, albeit I like to think I have noble reasons for doing so). If this was truly to build their own place for similar voices, the nevermore crit tag could be used as a primary base where they direct people to opt into it. Instead, all users, regardless of intention, are forced into their conversation, and yet many disregard or disparage dissenting voices.
Furthermore, my girlfriend mostly lurks in private Nevermore server. As a result, I often lurk there too- she asks for my opinion often. One could argue that these are the sorts of places where open lines of communication are encouraged and small groups gather. However, she has noted that while she has been greeted warmly and encouraged to speak more in chat, and while everyone has been exceedingly friendly to her face (or icon, rather), any voice that goes against the grain for certain issues is immediately sniped down, making her afraid to state her opinions. When she's shown me, I have noted that the user with the dissenting voice quickly falls into line with the general belief, or remains silent as the discussion progresses. To me, this is not free discussion.
I will give them points for having a closed criticism channel for many of these issues (they closed it midway through her time there), but it does mean that as someone who was made uncomfortable with the idea of misstepping and therefore lurks and has not requested access, she does not have access to any space to engage, however silently, with the critiques of others. Perhaps this is actually a point in favor for this bullet point, and may be considered precisely what I wondered if we wanted, and truly, I do believe this is likely. That said, it does not negate the issues with tumblr etiquette, and I've noticed many members of this server and known voices here on tumblr are one and the same. They are a vocal minority.
Do people want to change the past?
Possibly. This is, as we all should know, an impossibility.
Do people want to punish Red and Flynn?
When this was first presented to me as a thought, in my first essay, I argued against it and claimed it was unrealistic. That was partially due to my own framing of the situation:
As the rabid Patreon fans say, people are āout to getā Red and Flynn. This sounds paranoid, Iām going to dismiss it off the bat. No decent person is going to spend this much energy on someone they claim to hate.
It was brought to me by a number of people that this may be exactly what was happening, and it sounded quite paranoid. This changed when I phrased it differently for myself, examined it through the lens of my education and experience, and looked at the evidence presented.
No one is "out to get" Red and Flynn. However, people are out to enforce their idea of proper behavior... and this something Red specifically has not been known to take.
As I mentioned above, the culture of the server my girlfriend lurks in is a culture that asks people to conform to set opinions, whether that is its intention or not. The tumblr culture among "crit" blogs and users is much the same; it asks for agreement, co-opting common social, moral, and academic arguments in order to claim that their position is the correct one and make it more uncomfortable for dissenters. This leads to interesting takes that have become all too prevalent, takes including "people who do not support adding racial violence, racial trauma, segregation, and systemic oppression into the comic are the racist ones." Takes that ultimately want the authors to write characters being racist... something I personally believe would lead to even more criticism and cancellation, and rightfully so.
The so-called fans of this comic bend over backwards to create a catch-22 for the creators and for any fans they view as siding with said creators. They have established a culture of groupthink in their own personal circles and believe they can enforce it in the fandom. Many fans do not fall in line. Most notably, Red herself does not.
I have begun to believe that the fandom is not trying to get something specific out of Red and Flynn; they are trying to punish them for not following the social norms that they set up, that they want so desperately to be universal. Since Red and Flynn (and many fans) do not follow those, they must be punished in order to show them the consequences of not falling in line. Only through conforming to the group will the punishment cease.
Do people want Red and Flynn to conform?
I believe so. I believe that at this point, the criticism is not about building a community, or at least it is not about that here on tumblr. I believe that it is not about wanting a specific change, nor about driving Red and Flynn to the outgroup. In fact, I believe that it is about wanting them, needing them, to be part of the ingroup.
So with that in mind, shall we look at what conforming looks like? Do note that this is all my own speculation - none of this next segment should be taken as fact, as I can only speak for myself.
I believe conforming would start with an apology that is not truly an apology, but is instead groveling. Red is expected to get, metaphorically speaking, on her hands and knees and beg for forgiveness. She is expected to take every fault that the critical fandom has assigned to her and agree that it is true, and then ask for how to repent or how to gain forgiveness. The point of this would be to effectively get her signature on what happens going forward. She has admitted wrongdoing, so she cannot be trusted to make her own decisions. She has placed her fate in the group, and so they must make decisions for her. They now have something to point to if Red ever disagrees with them, or if anyone else speaks up. "Red herself admitted she cannot be trusted; Red admitted she has done wrong."
After that, she is expected to execute the will of the group faithfully. Missteps will be punished harsher than they would with other ingroup members. She must conform completely or be punished - and the punishment now would not just continue the theme of trying to punish her by destroying her reputation, but additionally, by threatening her back to the outgroup, all while the metaphorical contract she signed taking full responsibility weighs over her head.
The comic would belong to the people she will have given herself to, not to Red herself.
I also truly believe that the people in this situation would not be satisfied with the project, but would also want Red's time, energy, and reputation on their own turns. Being friends with Red, and all would consider themselves friends, would mean asking her for favors and approval and perhaps even endorsements. Refusal to conform would, again, be met with punishment.
I will leave it to you to determine how this sounds. I believe for some, this is in fact the ideal scenario. I believe this is what is wanted from Red, and to a lesser degree, Flynn (specifically, I believe they want the same from Flynn, but that she has given them less potential hooks to bring her into the group with. I believe that is why we see people consistently trying to find those hooks, such as with AI accusations, plagiarism accusations, the debacle with the Independence Day art, and the complaints about how often the comic goes on break due to art being too slow).
People want something I have not thought of.
This has some potential. I am hardly all knowing, and I am usually not particularly involved in this fandom outside of lurking. That said, I believe everything has been covered under one or more umbrellas in this essay. I am more than happy to respond if I am wrong.
So, a conclusion:
I believe that the state of the fandom is one that is created by a small, yet vocal, community that has become rather engaged with groupthink. I believe that the only way to combat it is to speak up and speak against, hence why I have lately come out of my lurking hidey hole to release two essays. I believe that if people try to speak against it, be they fans or Red and Flynn themselves, they will attempt to punish us.
I believe we must not let that dissuade us.
Staying quiet gives them power. Staying quiet is what causes groupthink. Any research into groupthink will show you why we should not want it anywhere near the communities we frequent in our free time, hoping that they will bring us joy.
Do people still want this fandom to bring joy?
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FURTHER READING:
The Psychology of Groupthink and the Desperate, Dangerous Desire for Social Acceptance
Donāt Rock the Boat: How Groupthink Keeps Society Complicit in their Domination
Groupthink: When People in Groups Make Irrational Decisions
Groupthink
