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Post 11: Fandom Emotions

When you're part of a fandom, there would be situations that you react to something. It could be a video, gif, fancam, photo, song, fanfictions, anything. Fans have huge connection to other fans wherein they interact with each other and share common things related to what fandom they're in. The article, Fandom and the Emotional Connection, written by Z. McAspurren, they call it 'the feels'. Fans feel different emotions as they react to something. It's already normal to act like that once you entered a fandom, especially if you're a fangirl or fanboy. Sometimes, there would be screaming, shouting, or even crying at some point. People might think that it's 'overreacting', but idols understand it because they wouldn't really expect this kind of reaction and appreciation.

"Fandom has a way of doing that to people, giving this deep emotional connection with the people who find themselves drawn into it"

When you're in a fandom, you act like family with other fans. You connect with each other, share your deepest emotions, and the only person that could understand you is each other. Who else could understand your random talk about your idol? It's only yourselves. Fans would go talk random stuff and talk about exciting things, but if you try to talk about it to other people, and they're not a fan of that idol, then probably they can't relate. This shows that fandom is a way for fans to communicate. Fans are friendly, hyper, and loves to have fun like their idols.

SNSD Jessica & Sunny
(c) songjinna

Next is shipping, now this is not literally about a ship. If you're a fan of a group, or a certain fictional character, you ship about two or three of them. To make things clear, I'll cite an example of a known group. I'm a new fan of them and I've seen the kind of fandom they have. Example, in One Direction, there are five of them. I would say, I ship Niall and Liam. Maybe Directioners (their fans) would think, "Oh, she ships Niam!" (Niall & Liam) It would be either, the two members together (pairing), or you have more than one favorite member in the group. It's the same as other groups or characters. The writer also stated that, "Shipping is a good example of the emotional connection that fandom is able to give its participants, though it's not necessarily the only example."

"Fandom is designed for people to share their 'feels' with other people, who are probably having similar 'feels'."

Fans, whether in the same country or not, local or international, they are all connected. This is where amazing friendship start between them and their idols that they truly adore, admire, and love. Fans give out each other fanfictions, they spazz, they talk about their idols, they make brilliant videos, fan arts, they send loving messages to their idols, they gather together in exclusive events, they share adorable pictures of them and their idols wherein they might melt, and all other interesting things. Being in the world of fandom is truly amazing without you noticing it, until you stop and think about it for a while. Fans will be grateful to know that there also others who are the same as they are. Same interests, same favorites, and they understand each other and most especially, you would be surprised that there also others who would have the same fan reactions as you. When you're in the world of fandom, you will not be alone. You have your fellow fans and your idol(s) with you.

Post 10: 2 Sides of Fandom

(c) Nikki Jurado Photography

Being in a fandom would probably have two things, the pros and cons. The Supernatural Fandom: Our Pros and Cons, an article written by NoLoser-cret, points out to the 'possible' or 'common' pros and cons once you entered a fandom. Let's start with the pros. Of course, being a fan has a big good outlook to society. Idols have said that, without them, they might disband or won't be able to continue their journey as an artist. Fans are their supporters and they are the reason why they kept moving forward and reaching out to their goal.

Another thing that is good about fans are their devotion, they are open to anyone, they share thoughts, carefree, and unite together as one. They do things that will make their idols proud and they are the ones who never give up on them no matter what happens. Idols would notice who are their true fans by just observing them. There are times that fans will not like the certain idol anymore because of a mistake they have done, like issues for example. Even though it would spread out in the internet or news, there's a part of you that you cannot resist the idol. You will still support him, as if nothing has happened.

Fans are also protective, charitable, and trustworthy. Together with their idols, they all come together as family. No one will be left behind. Also, they are also willing to help each other like charities, they donate money or other things and it will be sent to assigned places. People might stop and think, "Oh, they are this idol's fans!" Even if people belong to many different kind of fandom, either real life persons or fictional characters, they are the same. They have a heart that shows to the society that they are indeed a very proud fan of that idol no matter what other people say.

On the other hand, sometimes fans don't realize that they might be crossing the line. Most people call it as an "obsession". In my opinion, I wouldn't dare to call them that, most especially female fans. Like what I have said before, just because he/she is a fan, it doesn't automatically mean that he/she is obsessed with the idol. There are cases that fans over-react, scream loud, cry over because they saw their idol, but that is just a reaction of the happiness they're feeling inside. Fans are expressing their emotions, what they feel, the feeling that they want to feel when the day finally comes that they will be able to see their idols in person. Anyone would have that kind of happiness inside them.

The third thing that the article discussed about is, war between other fans. This is when news and issues come in. Some fans will say harsh or bad things about the other idols then the fans of that idol will fight back. Of course, that might result to a war. Honestly, people have their own opinions. If they dislike your idol, then fine. You have your own likes, there will be no haters if there are no fans. That's life.

Lastly, the big problem with haters. Well, haters are similar to antis. Fans could be affected by they haters of their idols because they say certain things and they wouldn't want that. They don't like seeing or hearing rude comments about their idol because they will get hurt. I have experienced that before and it was like breaking my heart to know that there are people out there who are saying these kind of rude things to the artists I admire so much. I would just think, "Why?"

Most idols today really look out for their fans. They want to meet every single one of them, they care for them, they hug them, cherish them, and most importantly, they protect them. Idols and fans are a big family in our society today. It is the kind of bond that will not be easily broken because of haters. Idols don't really mind haters. As long as their fans are there, they have nothing to worry about.

We all have our limits. As fans, we need to attend other important things, like studying for example. Including myself, we need to study hard and we feel motivated and inspired because of them. We don't know how much they are proud of us if we reached our goals in life. Probably, people will see that this idol's fans are hardworking and inspiring in any special way. It's fine to fangirl/boy but remember that there is a limit in anything we do. Anything that is too much is bad.

Post 9: Fangirls

"I'm not obsessed. I'm inspired."

That is something I always say since I'm also a fan of a guy artist. Being a fan of male artists is not that bad at all. It's like you're admiring someone and similar to female artists, they inspire you and they can change your life. And for most fans, including myself, it's true. adreamer28 have written that, Over obsessed fangirls inappropriate behavior needs to stop. Seriously, what does the word "obsessed" really mean? Yes, there are times that they are going far, but not all of them are like that. Not all of them will come to the point that they will invade their privacy, or follow them, or do anything just to hold or hug them. Other male artists really wants to meet their fans personally. Even though there's a huge fandom about their female fans, they really appreciate it.

There are times that female fans tend to do something inappropriate that the audience will see. Such things that will probably show their misbehavior once they get to see their idol that they love. Other than screaming their names, there are times that the whole venue was surrounded by fans, sometimes they get the chance to kiss the idol unexpectedly or climb on the stage just to get near him and hug him. It might be a bit disturbing to the audience and the other fans, that's why security are now increasing for the idol's protection. Yet again, not all fans have that kind of misbehavior. 

Idols inspire fans to do music, dance, motivate them to study hard, make them realize things they don't. All those little things that a male idol can do to make female fans happy. A pretty simple way they do just to make them smile. Most people don't realize that. They usually think of what society have already seen; their behavior. If you will notice in solo concerts, 90% are female fans. They tend to sing along, scream, raise fan boards with names on it, hug them if they could meet them in person back stage. Anyone will do those things when you're enjoying your moment in a concert.   

Also, anything is possible when you're a fan. There are times that only your favorite idol can make you smile even for just a little bit. Some people judge fangirls because of the news that other fangirls have done during concerts or other things. There was a situation that male artist's bodyguards are there to protect them and a fan will tend to go near the idol. Even though the bodyguard will not let the fan come close to him, the idol himself will tell the bodyguard that he wants to meet the fan and let her hug him. In these kind of situations, male artists really appreciates it when fans want to meet them personally. Deep down inside, you don't know how much they wanted to hug every fan they meet or spend time with them. The only time they can do that is when there's a fan meeting or concerts. 

"We as fans need to understand there is a line between us and the idol."

There is a boundary in anything we do. Male artists are humans too who are working hard to have money and give their family the best things, because fame is not their only goal; they think about their family as well. Fans can still be in contact with them through social media sites, especially twitter, wherein male artists will be able to respond to lucky fans they chose. Again, I will say, it's not wrong to be a fangirl. Just know your limits because the idol himself has his own life too. Anything that is too much can be wrong. Don't call someone, or a fangirl obsessed just because she loves the male artist. You don't know the story behind why she really loves him and supports him in any way she can. Even I, myself is a fangirl, I absolutely love two boybands, One Direction and SHINee. A fan's reason why they love the idol may be because of the looks, his smile, but for me, the first thing I noticed about these boys is their passion, their music, and their individual personalities. See? Everyone has their own reasons. 

Fangirling is not only based on real life boys. It could also be from an anime, a fictional character, a movie character, or from a book. Honestly, fangirls love to have fun. They party, imagine their lives with their bias, and they love unconditionally. 

Post 8: Fans vs Antis

People say that if there's a fan, there would also be an anti. Artists tend not to care about those people who try to bring them down or create numerous issues that are not true about them, because there are still a lot of people who support them. Those people are their true fans. Similar to the article, Bias & Fan: Fan & Anti, written by fanbrake on tumblr, fans do have a huge reaction towards their bias. It is kind of passion that only a number of people could understand. No matter what others say about their idols, they are still there by their side. Fans are always there to support, cheer, spazz, and believe in their idols endlessly.

"Each fan has their own reason for becoming a fan"

Personally, being a fan is not just about supporting them and listening to their music or buying their merchandises. Being a fan is from the heart. Most fans became a fan because of the artist's music, personality; if it's a group, then it could be because of their bond, their togetherness, and how they act like family. Of course, if you're a fan, even though there is a part of that artist that is not good, a part of you still love him/her. It is the kind of support that true fans will always have. Like what is mentioned in the article, if you say you like them because they're talented, well, it could be. But, literally, anyone can have those special talents like singing and dancing. Any other artist also have the similar things. There would always be that one thing why you love that idol and you will just thought to yourself, "Why do I love that idol so much?"

Like me, I'm inspired by the artists I support. There might be a lot of them, but it's true. Let's say, Taylor Swift for example, she inspired me to express what I feel through writing songs; Niall Horan from One Direction for inspiring me to play my guitar once again and the whole group for making me realize that every girl is special in her own way; and, Girls' Generation for helping me to be true to myself no matter what others say. It's a kind of special way that fans will remember why they continue to support them and have 'bias'. Especially younger fans who tend to find role models in life. Most of them looks for people who appear on TV, or popular ones. Since the music industry is popular in our society these days, most likely, they will be inspired to idols who are included in the music industry.

"Some fans fail to realize that their bias is a human being just like themselves."

Everybody makes mistakes and nobody is perfect. Most people or some idols say, "Perfect is boring". There are times that once that certain idol made a mistake, number of fans will not believe them or stop supporting them. Keep in mind that idols are humans too. Fame doesn't change anything, they just became artists. They make mistakes, fell down, and rise up again just like anyone. Your bias may act like rude sometimes but there's a part of you that won't let go because of that particular misbehavior that he/she have done right? This is something that antis may take advantage of. Instead of doing other things, most of them will notice any part of the idol that is not good. Similar to haters in other people's world. They will find things just to bring you down. But artists don't care about it.

Here's the thing, respect other people's opinion. If you dislike that idol, then, okay fine. You don't like him/her. But don't get to the point that you will do things to make the idol look bad to society. It would turn out to be very rude. Think of it, what if other people or fans will do the same thing to your favorite idol? Of course, you will feel the same thing they felt when you did the same to the idol in the first place. Everyone has their own opinions, likes, and dislikes. Remember, like what's written in the article, "There is no healthy fandom without criticism."