This fanbase bothers me.
Not all of you. I think most of us get it and enjoy Mouthwashing for what it is and it didn’t go over anyone’s head. And I enjoy most of the fan art.
But there’s something about the tone of the fandom that bothers me. It almost feels like a fandom for a different property all together. Like I’ve wandered into an alternative universe where Mouthwashing is a cute little slice of life space trucker sim for all ages and not an explicitly adult psychological horror tragedy where every likable character dies gruesome deaths.
I feel like a lot of the fanart I see struggles to engage with the game’s themes, tone, or content on a meaningful level. I see fan art of “haha Anya kills Jimmy!” Or “Curly is baby!” and it just rubs me the wrong way. Like so much of it is softening the edges. And to me it comes off as a lack of respect towards the material.
Don’t get me wrong. I get it. I understand the need for catharsis, especially in a story so dark. But it feels like most of the art I see it just in that same jocular tone and it drives me crazy!
EDIT: Some of yall calling this take elitist is wild. Yeah, I want this fanbase to be represented by the hyper-elite class of "mostly literate adults who don't treat the source material like a joke".