#fanculture and fan behavior

[dear-ao3]

not to invite fanwars but ive been noticing this trend (especially amongst certain george fans) of blaming peoples perception of things based on the fanculture. and as much as i hate to get involved with drama, especially since im seeing it play out in such a niche situation, but i know this is happening in other places. so: here it is, katya's advice to fans everywhere.

stop being fucking mean and policing what people post. thats it. people making fucking memes is not what makes people hate whatever you're a fan of. you're just mean. and no one likes you. if you dont like peoples posts, block them. its basic fucking fandom etiquette. and i'm not talking about not calling people out for actual harmful behaviors, i'm talking about people literally doing harmless fun. because if you're going to vaguepost and wish harm on people, you're just mean.

literally: just dont be mean. its so fucking easy.

[gusu-hotel]

Very Important post for every fangroup👍

Ya know the words of @rainbowsky as the wise eagle owl (as we would say in my country;) are true. It is not about the nice calm xfx, it is about the obsessive and toxic ones who seem to have conquered the online fandom world. The reason why I reblog this with high blood pressure is I just witnessed it again. Not on twt, on fb in a UT cast and bjyx group!(why I'm even in there?!). A toxic xfx or lets say anti was "educating" new TU fans about shippers, nasty ffs and the filthy yibo. A shitload of sentences full of the typical anti BS....I'm so sick of this because FB and yt are still social media platforms used by new fans and baby turtles to find content and other fans. I remember how these sh*t gave me a hard time as a new fan. And I don't get it. What is the intention of these people ? A personal crusade against shippers and DD? Why? I would ' understand ' it if this happens somewhere on chinese platforms. Then they are probably paid trolls but on fb in a random fangroup? Is it to release stress and fight against the mastermind and villain DD like in some cheesy movie? Safe the planet from shippers and their ffs? GG will never lose this damsel in distress image, will he? 😓

I think you are the one that proved me right by not posting the ask. Why are so afraid of everything I said it’s true. Why do you protect yibo fandom so much this what made me distance myself from bjyx even tho I used to love it. Yibo fans in twitter Can attack bjyx and have hundreds of rts but no bxg interfieres But when is a xz fan they get ratioed. Are bxg scared or yibo fans ? I never got it. Why are yibo fans so free to attack xz and bjyx and no one says anything. And if someone dares to you get mad smh

This is in reference to a previous post.

You must be new here, Anon. Otherwise you would know that I make it a policy not to post anti bullshit and lies on my blog.

Here's the thing - no matter how toxic and awful other fans are, those people stay in their own lane while many toxic XFX do not.

What do I mean by 'stay in your own lane'? Interact peacefully, and if you can't interact peacefully, stay out of BXG spaces. Stop posting in BXG hashtags. Stop posting harassing comments on BXG posts. Stop brigading BXG with harassing messages. Stop threatening to doxx and make BXG lives miserable.

I do not know a single BXG who is 'scared of DD's solos'. The idea is laughable. For the most part, they are easy to ignore and avoid. Yes, many of them are toxic and awful, but they keep those comments and that hate in their own spaces rather than push it out to BXG spaces. There are relatively few who try to cross over into our spaces to harass us.

By contrast, every single BXG I know is wary of toxic XFX because we've all experienced harassment from toxic XFX. We've all seen toxic XFX brigading BXG comment sections and filling our hashtags with hateful messages. Just go on Twitter or YouTube and see for yourself. I defy you to browse #yizhan or #bjyx and not find several toxic XFX posting anti-BXG hate under those hashtags.

I know you don't want that to be true. I don't want it to be true any more than you do. I want GG's fans to be respectful of his wishes and supportive of the guidance that he has given us. I want his fans to be kind like him. I want his fans to represent him in a positive light. More than anyone, including DD, GG deserves that after everything he's been through.

Here's where the problem lies, I think, for toxic XFX. You think people should be arguing online. You think attacking people is your duty, and the duty of every other fan, regardless of which camp they are in. You said as much in your message above. "Yibo fans in Twitter can attack and no BXG interferes."

You think it's our duty to defend and fight. It's not. Actually, it's our duty to stay out of fights. It's our duty to live and let live. GG himself has instructed us on this.

MTJJ are free to say whatever hateful shit they want within their own hashtags and spaces. So are XFX. Stay in your own lane.

When you cross over into our spaces to bully and harass us, we're going to notice. We are going to be upset. Hopefully we all block, ignore and report when appropriate rather than engage in arguments and fan wars, but we aren't stupid. We know who is invading our spaces with hate. Your reputation in this regard is earned.

I browsed through my Twitter block list the other day out of curiosity, and that says it all. Of 50-60 blocked accounts:

3 or 4 toxic BXG

5 or 6 toxic MTJJ

A few spam accounts

All of the rest are toxic XFX

Do those numbers represent the percentage of those fan groups that are toxic? Hell no. They only represent the percentage of toxic fans who cross over into BXG spaces. I don't bother blocking every toxic fan, because I don't need to. If they are staying in their own lane, I'll almost never encounter their hateful BS.

As I have said, every fan group, including BXG, are capable of being hateful and toxic. What makes it a problem is when that toxicity is exported to other fan spaces.

If you want to hate BXG, shit all over CP fans and gossip about how deluded and awful we are, I won't stop you. Feel free to say whatever you want about us, just have the courtesy to do so amongst yourselves rather than cross over into our spaces to harass us.

The problem isn't that you're toxic, the problem is that you are aggressive and harassing in our spaces.

If you want to prove me wrong, then be kind or at least peaceful. If you want to prove me wrong, then stop attacking us in our own spaces and stay in your own lane. If you want to prove me wrong, find positive ways to support GG rather than warring and harassing others. If you want to prove me wrong, follow GG's instructions. Here they are, in case you've forgotten:

Everyone has the right to like and hate. No matter if you like or hate, it should be respected and allowed in their own spaces.

This right should be based on rationality and not hurting other people. No matter what field or age, your personal likes and actions should not cross the line or go against that field's ethics or morals.

No matter if it's on the internet or real life, everyone should be responsible for their own actions.

Even more, none of us should be represented by the label "XXX's fan."

Live a positive and healthy life.

Place more energy on your real life; less on the internet, the fighting, arguing and clashes behind a virtual ID, more on hard work and striving in real life.

We are against rebuking each other, we are against inciting conflict, against under-aged youths irrational consumer behavior and against any attempt to hurt others for whatever reason.

All the love should be positive and productive, hope that everyone can chase after their idols within reason.

Think calmly and don’t be disturbed by provocateurs and external factors that lead to war.

Avoid being provoked and used by others.

GG is not a child who needs protection.

These are all his own words and the words from statements released by his studio.

I myself preach the same thing to BXG all the time. Stay in your own lane. Don't engage in fan wars. Block and ignore, block and ignore, block and ignore. If everyone minds their own business, we could all peacefully co-exist. That's all any of us really wants.

And just to make it abundantly clear: I am talking about toxic XFX here, not ALL XFX. The vast majority of XFX are not like this. The vast majority keep to themselves and focus on supporting GG and doing good works in his name. I am talking here, about the toxic people who seem to think it's their solemn duty to harass and plague BXG in our own spaces.

If you aren't a toxic XFX, then awesome, we'll get along just fine by staying in our own lanes. If you are a toxic XFX, then I hope you'll do some reflection and soul-searching and realize what you are doing is disruptive and combative, harms GG, and goes against his oft-stated wishes.

And at the very least, I hope you will keep to your own spaces as GG specifically asked people to do in the statement he made on the anniversary of 22*7. I mean, anyone who can blithely ignore the wishes he stated on that day of all days - that is a special, industrial grade brand of shocking and appalling. How could such a person really say they love him and have his best interests at heart?

[dojaeyonghyuck]

tldr this isnt a new idea

1. Intro

so idolizing culture isn’t exclusively kpop- we see it in a lot of celebrity culture, religious culture, sports, media, etc

and usually with things like actors, musicians, the red carpet celebs in western media it feels like they accept it with grace, theyre above the idolization , it’s like of course people would idolize them they cant help but follow them? because of their talents or whatnot

and of course japanese idol culture is its own ballgame/separate thesis/a mess

but as a (thorough imo) enjoyer of kpop - i feel like they are given and accept the label of idol and really like fully encourage the act of idolization (ofc this is run by Thee System but that doesnt mean the idols arent actors in Thee system)

ie; - fansigns (buying 500+ copies to meet them for 2 minutes)

- buying food for fans who wait outside music shows at 1am-5am to cheer for them

- the companies telling fansites when their flights are

- encouraging fans to go to multiple concerts

- fanculture of pcs, signs, banners, collecting

- fanservice videos acting like bfs, etc

Anyway. There is Thee Idol and Thee fan.

2. Thee fan

i feel like there’s an addiction to meeting Thee idol, like continuing to go their fansign, following them to all their fansigns, seeing glimpses of them leave their cars

( ofc not excusing sasaeng behaviors bc that borders weird; tho ofc born out of Thee system + lack of ability to make repercussions )

so Thee fan has this idea in their head that they feel fulfilled after seeing their idol, a normal human being, that they can wait 2-3 days overnight on the sidewalk to get front row seats to [___]

(harries are like this too.) you saw your idol, that you have consumed, learned, feel like you /know/, but yet see as an… overarching comfort character? a deity? a phantom person?

3. Acceptance

with both sides of the relationship accepting their roles, is this thus a toxic or healthy relationship?

can it be healthy to have a powerdynamic so skewed?

will occasional fansigns demands/requests for aegyo, meowing, and humiliation, potential of large group boycotts for having a kid, pressure to stay single, straight, perfect looking, and perfect behaviors actually make the power balance given to the fans?

and thus comes how idols are different — the intimacy of dedication fans give to the idol in turn, because the idol is your deity you will sacrifice for, this supposedly creates an idol who has to give whim to the collective’s desires: what one gets one must give

4. Exhilaration

my conclusion to all of this is: this is kind of obsession obviously only applicable to a niche group, such as the GMA nct 127 overnighters who have too much time on their hands and exceptional will. but often i do think about the dynamics and the ultimate thought of not needing to deliver some Amazing Album/Performance (tho yes) (no one in this audience even had the GMA stream out/cared abt the 2baddies performance) but of holding the moods of a lot of people in precarious balance/riding the thin line of deity and regular person.

they are in a lot of ways creating a reason to live (seeing them/being entertained by/hope of a notice, a mention, reading vlive comment, replying to twitter question, making eye contact) , an all encompassing cycle that keeps a lot of people in the system of getting more hits of the high (seeing Thee idol) and getting Thee exhilaration, the suspense, the excitement, the adrenaline.

these are all emotions you can have perhaps, in love (romantic or not, wonderful experiences, etc) - but this Dynamic and their acceptance, encouragement, and Thee system creates those strong emotions when you have such a system that has such devotion, obsession, idolization.

this type of thrill + emotional turmoil is both a hit of happiness and yet the un-fulfillment of fully knowing/having perhaps… the ‘y/n moment of ur dreams’. but are these hits enough positive net for this relationship to be good? are they doing us a favor of continuing such a cycle of edging pure exhilaration? is this fulfillment the modern day catharsis?