But what are your thoughts on yaoi?

[sarashina_nikki]

Some things have been happening on my flist recently that made me want to take a step back and think for a minute. I mentioned some of this stuff on Twitter before, but, well, it's Twitter. Not exactly the prime location for navel-gazing tl;dr.

Comments

[oatmeal_cookie]

tl;dr to me forever, Nikki. UNF. ;D

lol mostly I'm sitting here, horrified at all of AI's dirty laundry laid out like this, point by creepy point. Only since you tweeted about the Merlin stuff did I ever really think about things from a different perspective. I mean, it's a given that the entire fandom is cray, and I think we've all accepted that we're all creepers in a way. Especially with Twitter and other social networking sites open to the public, everything's just so easy.

I think the difference between, say, Merlin and AI is that Merlin fandom is primarily based on a TV show. There are characters and an entire universe of canon that (supposedly) comes before the Real People stuff. But with AI fandom, all we ever had were the Real People. It's a flimsy argument, and it's mostly rationalization fail, but I think that's where the discrepancy between fandom attitudes comes from.

Back to AI, though... to most people there's only one rule: Everything On The Internet Is Fair Game. I think that's how it's going to be from now on, and I'm totally with you on never getting in too deep with any Real Person fandom ever again. I like to think I'm not really in AI fandom anymore, even. IDK, most of the time it feels like I just hang out with you guys on Twitter, occasionally flail over some midget who can sing (?), and when I get wind of the gross things that AI fandom does, I feel completely disconnected from it, like it's just a ~cautionary tale~ someone found on fandom_wank or w/e. I think I'd drive myself crazy (and be pissed off on a daily basis) if I didn't compartmentalize.

they have even less problem doing the same to others fans who they dislike

This is the thing that I hate THE MOST about all of this, the biggest reason why sometimes I feel like just deleting everything and just let everything go. How people are attacked and harassed and internet-assaulted and ragged on for deigning to have a different opinion, for saying stuff on their own freaking Twitter accounts, for phone numbers and addresses to be obtained - and to what end? I don't understand people. :|

That said - well. I like you a lot. So you're not allowed to leave me, ever.

[sarashina_nikki]

I agree the ease of it is partially why it's so pervasive. Twitter is a huge part of it I think, not only for the fact that information travels at light speed through Twitter, but that fact that everyone and their dog has one now, and keeping yourself up to date on every thing Adam's ex-boyfriend's mother says is now as simple as clicking the "follow" button.

And, yeah, all my issues with the fan-idol relationship aside, it's all the internecine fan stuff that soured me on AI the most. I've definitely cut myself off from the rest of the fandom as best I can. I don't visit any of the comms and I don't talk to anyone not already on my twitter feed. I'm just... done. Some of the nastiest people I have ever encountered in fandom are in AI. I've been debating all week whether or not to lock my Twitter and just be done with it.

Keeping you forever tho, obvs. <3333