So, all you other yaoi fans out there, and really this applies to all forms of literature, you know that any story worth telling has to mean something to the reader. This rant/exploration of an idea can spiral off into thousands of directions, so forgive me for narrowing my scope right off the bat.
In yaoi, you will often find two types of relationships being developed. The fantasy relationship: [Student/Teacher - Boss/Salaryman] Generally a relationship between two characters that is more unlikely, and thus fulfills fantasies. [Like me sleeping with a cop someday :p]
The other is the more common relationship which usually occurs between [strangers - best friends - neighbors - classmates] These stories are usually less fantasy romance and more realistic "coming of age stories" where one or both characters struggles with their new found romantic feelings toward another character in a more believable environment.
So whats my beef? Well I hate that all the fantasy yaoi i read, has the characters involved in the taboo sort of fantasy relationship we all secretly wish for, and it works out for them. It makes it seem like that sort of thing is easily obtained in real life, which I can attest is not the case! [At least while you are still in high school. lol]
I can identify more with the love sick longing of the characters in the realistic yaoi, where sometimes love is painful and complicated in a real way, often leading to unrequited feelings, and flat out rejection. These stories bear more weight on the reality readers can expect to live out, and as such the lessons they contain should be held to a higher esteem. Instead, millions of girls worldwide now cling to their copy of twilight while turning out the nightlight and long for the day they too can be fought over by a vampire that sparkles and a werewolf with killer muscles.
[Side note: I would do all sort of censored things to Taylor Lautner if not for the fact my fanboy crush on Taylor Swift prevents me from eyeing her man candy!]
To round off todays entry..I point to another popular media to help shore up my point. To the few readers [3 from what I can tell] I have...that might be acquainted with the hit tv series "Glee". Kurt is a gay high schooler in small town america. [Shitty right?] Everyone picks on him because its a homophobic environment and in a recent episode he goes to an all boys boarding school to visit a rival glee club. As you can imagine..random pretty boy A "Blane..or Blake..or Boobhead...something like that." Is gay in his pressed and neat lil boy school uniform. Naturally they hit it off in a scene of awkwardly strangling kurts wrist while they skip merrily down a hallway together about 30 seconds after meeting for the first time. [I threw up in my eyes] This type of fantasy relationship is just what you'd expect right?! NO WAY! You find out in the same episode in a dramatic revealing gay kiss on tv, that the biggest bully in school, Kurt's tormentor is a closeted gay who hates Kurt because hes attracted to him and how open he is about his sexuality! I know right! There is a hefty dose of realism right there! Imagine a boy in high school gay bashing/picking on another gay kid because hes afraid of who he is and thinks that by bullying he can divert suspicion from his peers as to his own sexual deviancies! :P
He happens to be on the football team...which drags you back toward cheesy fantasy love..only hes a creepy stalker who terrifies the shit out of me....so it's ok! :P
Anyway:
Fantasy love is ok, as a story...but rare in real life. Shore yourself up hunny for the waves of reality you will be feeling in your teens and young adulthood. You'll get through it all I promise!
-CanadianCole:
Addicted to Yaoi!
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