Girls who like Boys who like Boys – Ethnography of ... - Yuuyami.com

Seen from a long-term perspective, regardless of the initial motivators
that have incited a fan to participate in slash/yaoi communities, the fan is not a
function of the source text, or in other words what she/he is a fan of. Because
the fan acquires a fan-mode of identity, i.e. identifies as a “fan,” and because
online fandoms’ structures allow for easy accessibility of a huge array of
localities, the fan is not limited to that one gateway fandom. She/he will be
drawn to be a fan of many things, either concurrently, or consecutively. Thus,
the character/show/game/person worshipped may become, metaphorically, the
center of the universe, but it is the fan who places that text in the center, who
has the power and control to do so.
I use both terms “slash” and “yaoi” distinctly. Yaoi itself is an
acronym for the Japanese phrase Yama nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nashi or “no
peak, no point, no meaning.” It is the terminology adapted when referring to
male-male sexual stories and the acronym derived from the phrase refers to
the nature and character of these stories: “no peak, no point, no meaning” then
is describing the lack of content and development. As one can see in the literal
translation of the term, at least historically speaking, yaoi did not come with a
lot of subtext or justification, and was legendary for its lack of plot and
abundance of blunt, non-subtle eroticism.
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