And a few more of your least favorite things

[exsequar]

I don't quite understand why bandom is looked at with such disdain by so many people. Never before have I felt so supremely judged simply for taking part in a specific fandom. I don't see this one as any different from any of my others - in fact, it's kind of Jsquared to the nth power. And I thought we were all gay friendly around here? So what is it about boys acting somewhat feminine that freaks people out? I just don't understand it. Does the music somehow not come up to some obscure standards? Are they too young? What is it that makes this fandom the subject of so much persecution? I've never been reluctant to post about a fannish obsession of mine before, and I kind of hate it.

This is just another set of boys. Another set of boys who love each other a lot, a lot a lot, and aren't afraid to show it. Another set of boys to write beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, gorgeous stories about, stories that reach out and touch you. Another set of boys to ogle and drool over and giggle at and flail about every time there's a new picture of them completely ignoring the concept of personal space. It's just more boys. So why does fandom at large make me feel ashamed?

I just had to get that out of my system. Moving on!

I did a lot of shopping today, and it was fun! My mom's fiance got me a $30 gift certificate to Borders, so I went and shop shop shopped, it was so much fun! I ended up with quite the haul:

• "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace - This author came to give a talk at my school last year, and oh, he was wonderful. I read one of his short stories before he came and he's so FUNNY! Incisively brilliant, too. This is his long novel and it was at a really good price so I couldn't resist.
  
• "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman - I've been wanting to read this one for a long time. I loved lyra_wing's Supernatural AU based on this, so I bet I'm going to love the book too.
  
• "Invisible Monsters" by Chuck Palahniuk - Damn you Ryan Ross! I probably won't like it, but who knows.
  
• Sci Fi magazine, with Katee Sackhoff on the cover (KATEE! ♥) and containing the fall TV preview.

Yay! So essentially I'm set on reading material for the next, oh, year. I've been reading so slowly lately, sigh.

I also took my sister to Staples for her school supplies, and then to various clothing stores for school clothes. I got myself some cute long sleeved things for Ireland, including a couple hooded tops because hoods = love. Even if they're not quite hoodies *g* So that was a fun afternoon, just us girls!


EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

*deep breath* Okay. Okay. So videos are simply exploding onto the internets from the two Decaydance fest shows recently - Cologne (on my BIRTHDAY) and Paris! And at Paris, Brendon fucking Urie dedicated a song to Ryan fucking Ross, who proceeded to look embarassed and pleased and then pull Brendon in for a hug. YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP YOU GUYS. OH MY GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I MIGHT COMBUST. The audio on the video is absolute SHITE, and I'm looking for a better version, but HUG, GUYS, HUG. The beauty starts about 1:05 in. I love how shy and pleased Ryan looks! Eeeeeee!

Other highlights: BRING IT with Gabe William and Travis! Who are all so snuggly together! It's ridonkulously adorable.
Panic! covering The Band's "The Weight" (?) - They do such a beautiful job with this song, I love it.
Panic!'s new song Middle of the Summer - Soooo good. Can I has new album naow? Kthx.
Panic!'s new song Nine in the Afternoon - Ryan introduces it (!) and that's what he calls it! Brendon sounds even better hear than he did at Virgin Fest, and I reeeeally love this song. Like a lot.
Build God Then We'll Talk - It's strange seeing them performing without their costumes and vaudeville troop and elaborate set design, but it's fun to just focus on the boys. You can't hear Ryan very well, alas, but they're as great as always! I love Ryan saying thank you to Paris near the end, and Jon coming over to Brendon's piano at the conclusion. Yay boys!

God, I can't even imagine how I would react to going to one of these shows. RYAN BRENDON JON SPENCER PETE PATRICK JOE ANDY WILLIAM CHIZ SISKY BUTCHER MIKE GABE TRAVIS VICKYT AND MORE ALL IN ONE NIGHT???? *dies* They must be having SO MUCH FUN traveling together!! If we don't get some priceless behind the scenes TAI TV or other videos, I will be muchly disappointed! I love all these boys (and girl!) to such a ridiculous degree. Whee!

Well that's certainly enough out of me, so shutting up now.

Comments

[inlipstickred.livejournal.com]

invisible monsters is one of my absolute favorite books, and was before i even knew ryan ross existed, for whatever that's worth.

DECAYDANCE WEEEEEEEEEEEE.

BOYS WEEEEEEEEEEEE!

don't let anyone give you shit about loving those shiny boys, dude. srsly. ♥

[rain-dances.livejournal.com]

I don't quite understand why bandom is looked at with such disdain by so many people.

I know, it's quite sad. BUT SCREW THEM. IF THEY DON'T WANT TO LOVE THE SHINY PRETTY BOYS THEN THEY'RE THE ONES MISSING OUT ON INFINITE JOY.

I can't wait to get home so I can watch the Decaydance vids! *squeals* \O/!!!!!!!

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

It's so hard though, I'm at odds with at least two people that I like and respect a great deal because of my involvement in bandom and I just. I don't know. Fellow fangirls were always the ones I could trust to let me do my thing, and now some of them are criticizing me for my interest? That makes me feel uncomfortable and unsafe in my own little haven. Sigh.

DECAYDANCE OH MY GOD. This whole tour is the best idea EVER, except how it happened a month too early for me to see it. But whatever, VICARIOUS LIVING FTW.

Well I'm certainly willing to give the book a try! I hope I like it!

[winterweathered.livejournal.com]

I really don't think it has to do with the boys acting feminine. I'd be really surprised if that's the case... since every time Jared wears pink or, you know, wears pigtails, everybody's panties explode.

I think it's the nature of the fandom - specifically, that it's music. People's tastes in music vary SO MUCH. Part of it is also probably about the fact that the bandslash boys are very 'mainstream' at the moment. They're on TRL, etc. I'd bet that when *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys were at their height, popslash got looked down on quite a bit. A lot of fandom favorites tend to be cult hits - like SPN and Veronica Mars - as opposed to MTV-friendly stuff.

This, obviously, is just my personal opinion. I am definitely guilty of giving people crap (in jest) for being in bandom. But for me, it has absolutely nothing to do with the boys acting 'feminine,' and more to do with me being grumpy because all my favorite authors are writing about people I know nothing about.

I've actually never seen a fandom take so many people by storm so quickly! It really seems like in the last six months or so a HUGE portion of my friendslist has gotten into bandom.

[crediniaeth.livejournal.com]

You are right, bandom is like JSquared. I'm not sure why it has the kind of stigma it does, 'cause it's not like it hasn't been around for years, just different names and faces.

I know I'm not into it because I'm just not into that music, so when my flist pops up with MCR or Panic! or FOB (the closest I ever got was All-American Rejects), it's just another opportunity for me to say "oops, can't participate" and move on.

I'll never fault you for the fandoms you play around in, and I hope that my friends offer me the same courtesy. I know there's plenty of my DW friends who are all "SPN? The Incest Fandom? Ew!" We just agree to disagree. We all play around in different sandboxes, and if bandom floats your boat, go all in sista. :)

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Thank you for answering me candidly and honestly, that's helped clear it up for me a lot. I've had one unpleasant encounter with a good friend who was pretty much strongly offended by the entire bandom aesthetic, so that's why I latched onto that as a sort of turnoff of the fandom. But in a general sense your reason makes much more sense - the mainstreamness turns people off. I, personally, kind of love that they're mainstream because we get interviews and material galore \o/ But I also understand the kneejerk "popular = bad" reaction because I've definitely had that in the past.

But the thing is that we're the *fandom* of these guys. And that is a cult group - we're not the teenyboppers screaming so loud your ears bleed at TRL or whatever. We're treating these guys just like we would any other fandom, and god is it FUN. I definitely understand that their music isn't for everyone, but. There just seems to be such a widespread active antipathy. And it makes me sad in my heart because, god, they're such precious and wonderful people and everyone dismisses them out of hand :(

It really has kind of swept through, hasn't it? I think it's partially the hiatus phenomenon, and bandom doesn't HAVE hiatuses, so it's a good temporary ship to jump to. But there's also their precious little faces! I couldn't resist, myself.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Bandom is like Jsquared on their gayest day ever, all the time. It's really quite marvelous.

I think bandom is perceived as the realm of the teenybopper, as the commenter above said, because the subjects are so very mainstream, but that doesn't mean the fandom itself is composed of those teenyboppers, you know? I think it's a mistaken conflation of two phenomena that are actually quite separate.

I appreciate your attitude dear, thank you! *huggles* And I hope I'm not boring you too terribly with my ramblings on. They're just so pretty! *g*

[inlipstickred.livejournal.com]

i don't understand why people would be, like, mean about it? frankly, there are people on my flist who are crazy about things that i think are totally lame (zac efron, come on! hell, to this day i honestly don't get the fuss over SPN, to be honest), but i would never judge them or criticize them for it. to each their own and all that. i really find it bewildering that people are giving you shit about it!

I WAS IN PARIS LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO. WHYYYYYY WHY WHY WHY? GOD.

[crediniaeth.livejournal.com]

That's a very good point. I like the way that the both of you think.

HEE. You're not being boring, not at all. Actually, sometimes I get the slightest bit sad because I'm not full of squee like you and others on my flist who are into bandom. I'm not sure if that will ever change, but I am a Nosy Nellie and have to know everything about everything. At the moment, bandom is a foreign thing to me. ;)

[cathybites.livejournal.com]

For me, this whole new era of bandslash grates me because I really don't like the bands. at all. and I fully admit it's because I'm a music snob and look down on them as pseudo-punk wannabes.

Plus I really hate the fake-lesbian ploy for attention, and that doesn't change at all for me just because it's two guys doing it.

That said, I don't really look down on the fans for getting into it. It's just really annoying when it's post after post on my f'list about it. But I've learned the beauty of Adblock, so I've been seeing a lot less of the icons, and I've pretty much trained myself to skip as soon as I see a mention of any of the bands in a post.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Hm, okay. I guess I can understand that. It just seems odd that for everything else, all fans are content to let each other enjoy everything at will, but when it comes to this it actually offends? I suppose they are a bit extreme, but I don't know. It's not like we've got clips of their music embedded in our posts that play automatically, or something.

As for the ploy for attention...to that I would say that you don't really know them well enough to make that kind of judgment? The Panic! boys put on a fascinating and unique show with elements of vaudeville and circus and all kinds of things. They don't, like, make out with each other for gratuitous attention, far from it in fact. Other bands may be guilty of that (cough, MCR) but I don't really think it's fair to lump them all in to that kind of assessment. And for the record, I think at least Brendon Urie and Gerard Way are mostly if not completely gay, while many of the others have at least bi tendencies, and that's just a function of the scene - it's not going to attract super straight guys in the first place. So while maybe sometimes they play it up for the audience's sake (though I still maintain Panic! really doesn't that much, they just actually have no sense of personal space) it's also just who they are.

I do understand getting annoyed by its prevalence, though. I decided on the whole if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them tack, myself, but then again I've loved the music for years so it was only logical.

[keraha.livejournal.com]

:/ I know what you mean re: people looking down on bandslash. Before getting into it, I didn't think I ever would. I didn't consider myself in the demographic (although I kind of am) and Pete Wentz's dick and guyliner weren't exactly what I was looking for in a fandom. But a few months and many picspams later, here I am, and the fandom is so fantastic that I don't regret it for a second. *shrug* Regardless of genre, people who make music, who use it as an emotional and social outlet, those are people who are have passion. And, for me anyway, passion is really the most attractive thing there is. The boytouching doesn't hurt either. ;D

Aughghg. Decaydance fest! I actually haven't been seeing that many links around, but I think my heart would explode if I went. Panic! And TAI! And everyone! (Speaking of TAI, have you seen the new video for "Everything We Had"? Aside from the pretty colors, William is creepy and there is no Butcher. TRAGIC!)

[wendy.livejournal.com]

Hey listen. I don't like bandslash and I could give you 100 reasons why. But the fact of the matter is that you DO. And if you had a friend give you serious shit about it then, well. They weren't much of a friend to begin with. That's the real issue here. Not YAY bandslash or NAY bandslash.

Anne, don't let people treat you badly. This obviously has upset you. You have many friends who accept you just the way you are. Isn't that what friendship is about?

[wolfling]

Well I'd never slag anyone's fannish interest, but for me the reason it holds no appeal is the it's real people but it's not thing. I really don't get into RPS of almost any type because there isn't really the same kind of canon you can sink your teeth into for emotional motivations and all. It's pretty much all fanon or surface stuff.

(And yes, I do read some J2 and I have no idea why that particular pairing seems to be the exception that proves the rule of my complete disinterest in RPS.)

But I'm always happy that other people have found things to be squeeful about; bandslash just isn't my cup of squee. ;)

[winterweathered.livejournal.com]

I, personally, kind of love that they're mainstream because we get interviews and material galore

TOTALLY. When I was into the boy bands, it was five or six years ago, when they were SO COOL, and it was like... every day, there would be something new to record or listen to or read or whatever. It was a magical time. Haha.

There just seems to be such a widespread active antipathy.

I really strongly think it's two things - first of all, that Pete is in the gossip rags all the time because of Ashlee, so the general view of him from OUTSIDE your fandom is that he's... THAT GUY. (I don't want that to sound wrong... What I mean is, the focus for people not in the fandom isn't really on his music or his words or his blogging or his Patrick-worship. It's on his penis pictures and the fact that he's banging a Simpson and that he was on One Tree Hill that one time.)

And the second reason for it, is the hiatus phenomenon. I know that occasionally, when I'm like YAYSAMANDDEEEEEAN! And then I come to LJ, and it's SpencerRyanPatrickPeteJoeRYANROSSOMG, I'm like... eh. But that's just because everyone is grumpy that their fandoms don't have summer tours.

Now I'm going to dream of a world where Jared and Jensen have a summer tour. *sigh*

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

I was trying to resist bandslash for a reeeally long time, because I knew once I caved it would all be over. I've loved the music of Panic!, FOB, and MCR for YEEEARS, and I've always had a thing for guyliner (nnngh) so it was pretty much completely up my alley, which was the problem! *laughs* And sure enough, it has EATEN MY LIFE. But I completely agree, there's so much here to love and be happy with, from those passionate boys (oh my, competence kink like WHOA) to the great fic to lots of fun squealing with friends. I love being here; I just wish there wasn't the taint of disapproval hovering over it all.

DECAYDANCE. Literally the best thing to happen ever :D

I HAVE seen the new video! Just a few minutes ago! And um, you're right, William is creeepy. He has like no emotions on his face, and I must say I thoroughly disapprove of the current incarnation of the mullet. And also, William darling? Stop pretending that song isn't about your breakup with Tom Conrad, KTHX.

Watching the video led me to the new Foo Fighters video though, which meant the new SONG, which OMG LOVE. I think the Foo Fighters are my favorite band of all time, and I reeeeeally love this new song \o/ However, what's hilarious is that in their video, they're performing the song in a big open space, and then, towards the end.... it floods. JUST LIKE RYAN TALKS ABOUT in that one interview (is it on the DVD? maybe) where he's like "we're sick of those boring performance videos where a band plays their song and then the room floods." HAHAHA. Oh Ryan Rossss. Oh Fooooos. *loves on everybody*

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

You've actually kind of hit on what I'm really worried about, that my friends here are only my friends when our interests converge. And that kind of sucks. But it obviously isn't true for the majority of my friends, just the select few, but those few do hurt. I'm glad I said something, though, I'm really appreciating all the reassurances. *hugs* Thanks hon.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Aha. Well that I can certainly understand. I would argue with the emotional motivations thing but that's obviously a matter of opinion and it's certainly true that there isn't as much in depth "canon" material as there is for a show or whatever.

Thanks for not being all judgey :)

[impertinence.livejournal.com]

Fans mocking other fans for the fandoms they choose makes me laugh, because, damn. To the rest of the world, we're all freaks.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

God, right now all of our favorite bands are touring. Together. It's like daily orgies or something, wtf. I can't even handle this level of awesome! *g*

Oh, PETE. Yeah, sadly, that's very true. And god, I love the guy, I really really do, but he is not exactly all warmsquishy all the time even when you do pay attention to everything he actually does as opposed to what gets into the tabloids. He's a shrewd and ruthless businessman, honestly, and also has some psychological issues, most notably an extreme Peter Pan complex. He's a really complicated guy, and you kind of have to accept certain things about him as just who he is, but when that gets distilled down into tabloid fodder... ugh. He doesn't come out pretty.

RYANROSSOMG. *cough* Sorry :D Yeah, I kind of feel guilty that I have all these new fun toys while everyone else is sunk in the hiatus blues! :( Don't worry, only a month to go! Winchesters soooon!

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Haha, excellent point. Pot, meet kettle! Or something.

[black-regalia.livejournal.com]

I don't really get how people who like RPS would look down on bandslash...

That's a little weird >>

For me, I'm just kinda creeped out by RPS in general. I don't like JaredxJensen, etc. I don't say bad things to people who like it or bandom, though. I just stay over in my incestuous corner of fandom.

...It's obviously not like I have some kind of moral high ground >>

I can imagine that in interacting with people who don't really get RPS, you might get the feeling they're looking down on you by not participating in your squee -- I often get that feeling, when I'm squeeing and being all dorky, and someone else is over there giving me the 'wtf' eye.

But if there're people out there who write RPS and give you stink over bandslash...Well. That's queer.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

I really don't think it's the RPS factor that people are reacting to negatively, not at all. It's more a combination of things - people disapprove of/strongly dislike the music itself; people think the whole thing's too mainstream; or people only know of Pete Wentz's reputation, which is unfair and terribly skewed by the stupid tabloids. It's a unique blend of things that you either love or hate, I guess.

[mona1347.livejournal.com]

Dude, what? People are actively shitty about the bandom thing? That's lame.

I mean, you know this, but I'm not into it. I'm really picky about RPS in general (b/c I'm oldskool and it still makes me feel a vague sense of stalkery shame - yeah, I know, I'm trying to get over it) and bandslash just doesn't "service" me. But those are MY tastes. I could give a crap what people do, and actually find the whole NSync/Backstreet and now Panic/FOB/etc to be wildly endearing in my fannish sistren. I GET why people are into it, I'm just not.

Jesus, come ON, fandom. THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE! We're big porny geeks who like freaky shit The Mundanes don't understand! Who the hell cares whether it's fictional characters or actors or bands or boybands or boybands who wear eyeliner and glitter or whatthefuck ever? See my icon for more details.

I'm dismayed, though not shocked, especially now at the end of hiatus season, that people are crappy about it. *sighs and eyerolls* You post what you want, babygirl. If they don't like it? They don't have to read it.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

*snuggles into your arms* Yeah they are :( But I don't let my squee get TOO harshed. BECAUSE OMG MY OTP HUGGED ON STAGE LAST NIGHT SERIOUSLY WHAT. Sorry sorry, kind of bursting with joy here ;) Ilu babygirl, and I will keep singing my fangirly song to the heavens, don't you worry.