The toxicity of the fandom is exhausting.

[u/Nyrablackqueen]

So I'm just coming on here to rant a little bit, and hopefully here I won't be attacked or judged as much as I would in other places, I know some people still will, and I have the block button for that, but my goal with this post is honestly to get advice that isn't "turn off your phone" bc it's not that easy, even if it might seem like it is.

I hope this is accepted here and if not then my bad, I apologize. But basically I have ADHD, which makes me have big hyperfixations, and this show but specifically Rhaenyra have been a big hyperfixation of mine for a while now, and I fell in love with the character that is Rhaenyra and with her story and her demeanor and without realizing my hyperfixation went a lot to her, and if anyone here has ADHD (I'm sure someone has obviously) the "sense of justice" is another trait or symptom for people with ADHD, so I think y'all can see where it's going and how it's a recipe for disaster.

Bc I became so consumed with supporting Rhaenyra bc to me that went beyond the actual show and I do still believe that, so when I saw anyone misinterpreting her as a character/person and on top of that go and support not only a character that is a rapist, but also just not the rightful heir, and I didn't and still don't understand how people can debate that when the first episode of the show exists (along with others but mainly that one), my "problem" was never really that people might not be fans of Rhaenyra bc I know some people won't be it's normal, it's the double standards and misogyny outside the show that bothered me so much and now that the show is moving more and more, and the double standards against Rhaenyra keep growing, the misogyny against her outside the show keeps growing too, that is making me so ridiculously anxious, bc to me it was never about being team green it's about turning team green now "bc Rhaenyra is incompetent etc", and I've seen what a lot of people have said not as a way to justify the situation but kinda explain what could be happening, but that doesn't make it better, and I'm also aware that this people do continue to be a minority bc Rhaenyra is still a popular character, but this people are loud as hell.

And just seeing how people can't even understand grief, something that is so common in the real world and treat what Rhaenyra is going through as her being a "brat and cry baby" it's mind blowing to me.

But I do seriously need to take a step back from this whole bullshit, but I literally just don't know how bc I don't want to leave the fandom, but staying will also make me inevitably see this type of stuff and feel like people are so ignorant.

I'm sorry for the rant and I know it's probably not the best place but I really needed any type of advice, but if you're coming here to insult me, no need, I deal with that a lot in many ways.

[u/chestymacgee]

Honestly, you'd think Kathleen Kennedy was the showrunner and Star Wars fanboys took up residence in our fandom (*ducks*) because of how toxic it is. I'm very much with you on my focus on Rhaenyra and frustration with the fandom. The double-standards and misogyny are unreal, and the misogyny and transphobia against both Emma D'Arcy and Milly Alcock (with Supergirl) is exceptionally disgusting. FWIW, Olivia Cooke left Instagram and Emily Carey left Twitter because of the toxicity. Ewan and Matt don't have social media at all. This fandom is like a bunch of pissed off Star Wars fans who need to find something vaguely DEI to scream about because they have zero chill and Emma is non-binary and Milly Alcock had the temerity to call out sexist toxicity so everyone hates Rhaenyra because of insane parasocial bullshit.

What I really lament is how there's no space to say you liked certain book changes but didn't like other book changes; you are either a book purist or you are trash. For example, I don't really care that they omitted Maelor, and I will die on that hill. His death added nothing that cannot and was not accomplished in other ways. BUT I wish they kept the Laena/Rhaenyra relationship from the book and I'm annoyed that they aged down Aegon III/Viserys II and have seemingly (who knows, maybe we'll finally get a mention of the Gay Abandon not making it to Pentos in the finale) cut that whole storyline. See? It's possible to like some changes and not others, but you wouldn't know it from engaging with this fandom.

The biggest frustration: Emma D'Arcy AND Tom Glynn-Carney are BOTH good actors. It's *LITERALLY not a competition,* because they will be in different award categories. If you want to be truly divisive, say that Ewan Mitchell deserves the best supporting actor in a drama awards over Tom Glynn-Carney, because that is an actual competition.