In short: a yaoi fangirl.
Here, I will not deny it: I enjoy yaoi as much as the next girl. However, with any fanbase, hobby or social group, negative stereotypes are attached. I've met various peers younger than me who were watching hard-core shows and reading explicit doujinshi before their freshman year in high school. In all honesty, these cases make me wince. My first encounter with doujinshi was when I was roughly fourteen or fifteen; my fanfiction career didn't start up until I was sixteen; and I've only recently watched my first BL anime this past January, that being Junjou Romantica which is arguably on the tamer side of the spectrum than certain other shows. This being said, I'd like to share a few of my views on the yaoi world, flaws and upsides alike.
Marik Ishtar and Yami Bakura from Yu-Gi-Oh! Artist currently unknown.
First of all, if you're an anti-yaoi girl or a straight guy, you may currently be partaking in two actions: scratching your head or sighing with relief.
First: you may wonder why a girl like Hikari, who comes from a conservative family and approaches a one-year anniversary with her heterosexual partner would enjoy and obsess over... Well, gay porn for lack of a better word. This goes for the massive LGBT population within the anime, game and cosplay community - why would a lesbian enjoy seeing two guys go at it?
I brought this up in discussion with a professional therapist. She very easily stated that sexuality and pornography (though not all yaoi is porn) are two very separate areas. The best example is pointing out how a homophobic man will drool over the sight of two girls kissing - how is a teenager squealing over her laptop any different?
As for the second option - the relieved exhale - save it. It doesn't matter what fandom you love, what shows or movies you have stocked up on Netflix. No one can escape a slash pairing.
If you're trying to argue, claiming you don't partake in anime or manga, that you only play Portal, not Final Fantasy, it doesn't matter.
Whatever the medium, whoever the characters, slash has invaded everything from Harry Potter to South Park. I once stumbled across a picture putting Peeta and Gale from The Hunger Games into each other's arms.
Kyle and Stan from South Park. Art credit goes to greteling on deviantArt.
Moving on: stereotypes.
The conventional fujoshi and weeaboo are lumped together forming a terrifying image of a girl with bubble gum-pink hair looking at you wide-eyed and crying in a high-pitched mispronounced voice, "SO KAWAII DESU!!!"
I'm fortunate not to have these people in my life.
A while back, I was discussing Soul Eater with Spoonychan, an well-known cosplayer and online friend of mine. Her most recent cosplay is that of Death the Kid, and I brought up a recent event I'd been at where a couple was cosplaying said character and Soul together as a slash pairing. We both agreed that we didn't approve of the couple, myself being a strong supporter of Soul and Maka and a closeted lover of Black Star and Tsubaki together - both are heterosexual pairings.
Spoony's older YouTube videos date back to roughly four years ago most of this - guess what - supporting yaoi and shonen-ai while her former cosplay partner, Arxaith, turned me into the fanfiction writer I am today. This doesn't mean, however, Spoony has to only partake in same-sex pairings.
Is this sinking in, yet?
Nick and Ellis from Left 4 Dead 2. Art credit goes to Kaizokukaze on deviantArt.
Shizuo and Izaya from Durarara! Cosplay credit goes to NamelessCosplay on deviantArt.
- Much luvz, Hideki
