shocked by What?
members | rules | join
A few days ago I was told I ran a shocking, offensive, immoral, indecent site.
Because it contained references to homosexuality and bisexuality in anime.
Not because I archive extensive collections or lemons or because I archive pornographic images or because I was taken to personal attacks and assault on others' beliefs. It was because it contained references to homosexuality. Free speech apparently begins and ends with what is popular with any single individual, and my site was not popular with that single individual.
Or many others like him.
I don't ask people to accept my beliefs as their own, but I'd like to be treated with some civility. Unfortunately small groups are frequently oppressed or ridiculed and single people are the most open targets of all. Acting on my own I have incited vulgarities, threats, defamation, pointless arguments, and a nonstop barrage of insults. I don't regret creating a site about so-called "alternate lifestyles" and I don't regret meeting with tension. I regret that some people can't show enough restraint to not accuse me of abnormal and sickening behavior just for having an opinion.
I therefore submit for the audience's consideration a weblog clique to connect likeminded people together. People who are open to thinking about and discussing boys' love, girls' love, yaoi, yuri, crossdressing, transsexuality, and other related subjects as they occur in anime and manga. This clique is dedicated to promoting openmindedness. You don't need to be an avid fan of yaoi and yuri to join, but you need to be willing to talk about it without gagging or resorting to childish name-calling. An opinion is a great thing to have. An intelligent, thought out, comprehensive, informed opinion you are willing to share with the world is much, MUCH better.
Rules?
- This clique is for online journals only. You'll probably want an account with Blogger, Pitas, Scribble, or Gray Matter. I can't guarantee I'll accept a weblog from Live Journal since it gives far fewer options for the individual than the other services do. I don't even know if clique code can be placed on LJ sites. ^_^; Why is the clique restricted to online journals? Because that's where we think out loud and muse about things we don't always talk about on our sites. It's fun and educational to follow someone's line of thought. I'd rather read a diary (I'm a voyeur) than a formal essay because the former is probably more forthright than the latter.
- You don't need a regular homepage. This is a journal clique so a regular site is nothing more than a neat bonus.
- Present yourself as an openminded, civilized individual. Be honest with your opinions but don't ignore and dismiss everyone else's. Keep flaming to a minimum. I know disagreements are inevitable since weblogs are where some of us pour our hearts out but please keep in mind that your weblog is viewed by the public and the public may not be happy if you call Mary Sue Fangirl an imbecilic dipshit.
- Mention the subject matter. Just slapping code onto your page doesn't say much about how serious you are. If you want to defend a belief, you need to talk about it. This doesn't mean every post to your journal has to be about the latest craze in yaoi or your spiffy new yuri fic but you should talk about the subject(s) with regularity. Otherwise the theme of the clique doesn't make a lot of sense. We're here to spread ideas, not just generate traffic.
- Fanfic writers are very welcome. I know a lot of people write yaoi/yuri fanfics and post them to their blogs. That's on topic and it demonstrates opinion so it's welcome. The catch is that I would prefer if you didn't just slash straight characters. Please think about focusing a little time on strongly implied or canonical homoeroticism in anime and manga.
- Fangirls/Fanboys need not apply. If you can't speak objectively and intelligently about yaoi, yuri, and the other subjects listed above and all you do is glomp and drool and squeal with delight at the sight of shirtless bishounen, please join another clique more suited to your needs. There's always room for glomping and drooling and squealing but if that's ALL you do then this isn't the clique for you.
- Don't come across as an idiot. Nobody wants to read text that looks like tHiS, THIS, or dis. Proofreading every line of your entries isn't a big deal but please be coherent, okay? Not shooting off your mouth and making broad generalizations about groups of people or things is also recommended. Think before you post. The last thing we need is for yaoi/yuri fandom to look like a congregation of fools.
- Code must appear on your journal before you'll be accepted. Place the code on your journal page, submit that page to the clique, and wait.
These rules make me sound a lot meaner and stricter than I am. ^_^; I'll admit you into the clique (assuming nothing goes wrong) within a week. If I don't admit you within two weeks it probably means that for some reason you didn't get in. Possible reasons: I can't access the server hosting your site, you never mention yaoi/yuri/etc, you act confrontational and/or spend all your time complaining (the world has enough crybabies), you've joined so many rings and cliques that it's obvious you just want more hits, and there are probably a few other reasons but those are the big ones.
All set? Here's the code:
It's very simple, right? Even people allergic to HTML can use this code easily.
Submit? Email me and I'll add you to the list of members.
Members? Get to know them here. This is an exhaustive list of all people who have joined this clique. Once I accept your site I'll add you to the list.
Finished? You might like these pages:
Aestheticism.com
the first anime lesbian shrine
This Lesbian's Guide to Anime and Manga
Open Your Mind, Open Your Heart: YAOI & YURI Support on the Web
Shoujo-Ai Archive
The Yaoi Files
Support? I made a button. ^_^
This site is listed by the almighty and unsurpassed Anime Web Turnpike. My host is Tripod.