User blog comment:Sockstar1/Creddie fans prepare yourselves for iSeddie/@comment-3092491-20110606012342/@comment-3092491-20110606213803

Oy, long post *goes to read*

"He doesn't have to do any of it. He could let his show stand alone. He doesn't need to do anything with the fandom. But he does, because he enjoys the popularity, and it helps him hype the show."

I actually agree with that. He could not participate in the online fandom at all (which would be a very good idea for him) but he does, because of the popularity and because it helps him hype the show (is hyping your show a crime?) and because he really likes his fans and *wants* to interact with them. At least I think so.

I don't think Dan is planning an iSeddie season that's all filled to the top with Sam and Freddie. I think the main focus will still be wacky comedy, but there will be a small thread of the building relationship between Sam and Freddie - which honestly you could say has always been going on, just very subtle, since they went from hate to friends to love (one-sided) over the course of the show - just now it will be slightly more blatant cause we're coming in for the home stretch. Big deal. You act so indignant about this. And you say it's hypocrisy in him wanting people to watch "mostly for the comedy" but still doing romance story lines. I don't understand that. I can see hypocrisy, or at the very least mean teasing, elsewhere, but not there.

You ever written anything Sockstar? I know you have. I don't understand why its so hard for you to grasp that someone could write a show mainly for comedy and still be very fond of this other part of the story the involves romance (that will ultimately be used for a lot of laughs) and want people to continue to watch the show for the funny, and if they like the romance that's a big plus cause he really likes it to, but he doesn't see it as a good reason to stop watching because he just wants it all to be funny in the end.

Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can't it be both "for the comedy" and "for the romance" - he likes both and wants you to want both. And I think him believing that comedy should come first and shipping shouldn't be the main focus is not in any way cancelled out by him writing episodes like iOMG and making a recurring storyline in this next stretch.

I don't disagree with you that he doesn't have to write his blogs or interact with fans or try to keep both sides watching by "pandering" to them - but that doesn't stop the fact that he WANTS everyone to keep watching, regardless of what he's doing, so it's his way of trying. Sure, it might be the wrong way to go about it but I don't think he does it with malicious intent.

I honestly can't disagree that Dan feeds the fire - and I don't want to get into the hypothetical of whether he understands that he's doing that or not, cause I don't know the man, and the only thing I can think for sure is that he'd probably laugh at us all for trying to sort out his intent.

He may very well be a hypocrite and he may very well pander to the other side of the fandom to keep them watching while he goes the other way in the show, and everything you're criticizing him for right now may be absolutely true - but still, a part of me sees it from a perspective where I can sympathize with him a bit because he's may be doing iSeddie but I don't think he ever intended for there to be a rivalry and the only reason he started feeding the rivalry was when he realized it might be the cause of him losing fans. Not smart, but like I've said several times already: I will always think Dan's main goal is to make people laugh and I can only theorize that the only reason he does some stupid stuff to the fans is because he honestly does think shipping shouldn't be the main focus and his audience should enjoy whatever he does with the story romance-wise. That if his show stopped being funny then that'd be a good reason to stop watching, but if a certain couple didn't get together he doesn't understand why you don't just accept that.

Really, I'm just thinking out loud...But I think the main problem may just be that Dan ultimately finds this "rivalry" amusing - and he can't help but poke something with a stick if he thinks its funny - he's Dan Schneider.