I’m having very mixed feelings now (and both fans and people from the show have said it) about “but it’s ok because you can reclaim the story in fanworks.” It’s mainly a positive thing but looking at that in context with the backlash over 15.20, there’s a flip side to it

There are fans in multiple marginalized groups hurt by 15.20, everything from mental health to disability, not just LGBT rep. To tell people they shouldn’t speak up about the hurt or air their frustrations at being thrown away by the story is an othering dialogue.

This isn’t just about The 15 Year Show. Fans in marginalized groups are patted on the head over and over, by stories they love and support, this wasn’t worthy enough for official canon. They are asked to be silent, again. Yes reclaiming the source text is a positive thing

However, reclaiming the source text from corporations is something fans wind up having to do far too often as triange while their hearts are ripped out and their good faith in the story betrayed. I think it’s a systemic problem that it has to be triage rather than joy, so often.

This blowup over 15.20 isn’t mere discontent that some things didn’t go our way tied up in a bow. I never expected it to be “perfect” and was open to so many possibilities. But I was shocked at how exclusionary it was, how much it failed the arcs.