"FANS ARE GOING TO SEE IT ANY WAY THEY WANT": THE RHETORICS OF THE VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER FANDOM Renee Ann Drouin A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2021 Committee: Lee Nickoson, Advisor Salim A Elwazani Graduate Faculty Representative Neil Baird Montana Miller © 2021 Renee Ann Drouin All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Lee Nickoson, Advisor The following dissertation explores the rhetorics of a contentious online fan community, the Voltron: Legendary Defender fandom. The fandom is known for its diversity, as most in the fandom were either queer and/or female. Primarily, however, the fandom was infamous for a subsection of fans, antis, who performed online harassment, including blackmailing, stalking, sending death threats and child porn to other fans, and abusing the cast and crew. Their motivation was primarily shipping, the act of wanting two characters to enter a romantic relationship. Those who opposed their chosen ship were targets of harassment, despite their shared identity markers of female and/or queer. Inspired by ethnographically and autoethnography informed methods, I performed a survey of the Voltron: Legendary Defender fandom about their experiences with harassment and their feelings over the show’s universally panned conclusion. In implementing my research, I prioritized only using data given to me, a form of ethical consideration on how to best represent the trauma of others. Unfortunately, in performing this research, I became a target of harassment and altered my research trajectory. In response, I collected the various threats against me and used them to analyze online fandom harassment and the motivations of antis. The primary patterns from the participants in my survey demonstrate a community that was heavily influenced by online harassment from a vocal minority and attacked in both physical and digital spaces, facing slurs, doxxing, death threats, and, primarily, accusations of supporting child pedophilia and incest, as antis falsely claimed characters non-antis favored were related or underage. Further complicating fans’ trauma was the show’s ending, in which the woman of iv color lead was killed, and the queer character marginalized, resulting in a community left questioning if their harassment was worth the levels of trauma from both antis and the show itself. This dissertation contributes to our understanding of what online harassment looks like, how identity markers shape the rhetorics behind harassment, and what future studies are necessary to better address such harassment. Additionally, through my experiences with harassment, I option several steps future researchers should consider when performing, teaching, and planning research methodologies. v To the victims and survivors of online harassment and, as always, my Nana, Myra Gallagher Arasimowicz vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are countless people this project and I are indebted to for their trust, support, and faith. First, I want to thank all my participants who entrusted me with their truths and traumas. Without you, there would only be an empty page and my lingering frustrations over fandom. Your willingness to share with me is the only reason I succeed. Many of the participants were or became friends of mine. I want to extend an additional level of affection for the folks of H- WriteTeen, our old fandom writing group. You were there for me during the worst of the trauma, and I carry you in my heart forever. To my newer friends, your kindness and patience during this process has carried me across the finish line. Thank you, my online neighbors and friends. To my coheart (Brandie, Bailey, Lena, Brian, and bonus Annie): Thank you for the laughter, love, and kindness. Above all else, thank you for giving me a family in Ohio. There is no group I’d rather be in meetings, conferences, and classrooms with. I want to extend gratitude and affection to my extended BGSU family. Thank you for the past four years and the lessons I will carry with me. To Lee Nickoson, who deserves a sainthood for helping navigate me through this process. Even when I wavered and faltered, you guided me into finding paths onward. Your support and belief mean the world. To Neil Baird, who means more to me than Chris Pine and Henry Cavill combined: Thank you for making research engaging and approachable. The complexities are fun and the bad days are bearable when you’re leading the group. vii To Montana Miller, the She-Doc Mentor to D-Ruin, who would be my co-star in an ac- tion-ademic adventure movie: Thank you for challenging me to be the best version of myself as an academic and a person. To Salim Elwazani, for his thoughtful comments as my graduate faculty representative. Though not related by blood, I have been blessed with best friends who became sisters: Lindsay, Sam, Stephanie, and Lena. Lindsay, my loyal sister who watched this show with me and was with me every step of the way, even when I really tested your patience. Sam, my persevering, fierce sister who still picks up my phone calls even though it is a guarantee I want to vent about this project. Stephanie, my compassionate sister who dubbed VLD Adult Paw-Patrol and wore matching tiaras with me and kept me out of my head. Lena, my reincarnated Victorian era twin sister who just lets me vibe over everything through powerpoints and hockey complaints. You keep me both grounded and lifted up depending on how dramatic I’ve been. Even better, at any given time I have a crazy idea, I have someone in my corner not dismissing me but instead saying: let’s do it. To the countless other friends who inspired me, from Charlotte who battles time zone differences to keep up with my insanity to Ciarra, my first friend and the Piglet to my Pooh. To my forever mentors Miriam and Susan. I cannot emphasize how the community of love and support I am surrounded by has kept me going. I love and admire you all. To Taylor Swift, for writing and releasing five albums during the process so I had a constant soundtrack reflective of any mood. To Mozzie, the most beloved dog and bed-hog in the world. Thank you for keeping me company, and for serving as a furry space heater in the winter. viii My sister, Erin, the other half of my heart and soul, the universal constant in my life: all of the good in me comes from you. Thank you for a lifetime of bickering across a shared bedroom and supporting me at 2 AM because we don’t sleep. There is nothing I cannot survive or accomplish with you in my life. I promise to finally start watching the media you recommended to me. My Nana, Myra Gallagher Arasimowicz: Thank you for playing school with Erin and I when we were younger and fostering a love of reading in me. You felt we were the smartest kids in the world, and we work every day to prove you right. I wish you were here in more than spirit. My mom, Janet, who has loved me unconditionally, despite the fact I keep going on about video games and cartoons and superheroes. You always find humor in the worst days, and that skill and your love has kept me going. Thank you and Dad for feeding me as I binge wrote. And finally, to the world’s best dad, Rene Drouin. 28 years and a forthcoming PhD in rhetoric later, and I still do not have the words to express how much I love you. Thank you for everything. I do it all for you. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. MY SAFETY WAS OFTEN AT QUESTION”: A RHETORICAL HISTORY OF HARASSMENT AND FANDOM ........................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Literature Review.......................................................................................................... 4 Rhetoric, Technology, and Harassment ............................................................ 4 Fandom Defined................................................................................................ 12 Shipping ............................................................................................................ 13 Anti-Fans........................................................................................................... 16 Voltron’s Historical Contexts ....................................................................................... 17 Legend of Korra Walked So Queer Characters on Kids’ TV Could Kiss ........ 17 Audience Expectations for Diverse Representation ......................................... 19 Queering Lance: How the Sexual Identity of a Supporting Character Led to . Years of Targeted Harassment and Crime ........................................................ 20 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 23 Chapter Overview ......................................................................................................... 24 Significance ............................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER II. “I THINK THERE ARE THINGS TO BE LEARNED FROM HERE ON OUT, THOUGH”: RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES, METHODS, AND DEMOGRAPHICS ............................................................................................................... 28 (Auto)Ethnographically Informed Methods ................................................................. 29 Ethnography .....................................................................................................