Everyone and their mother is posting about Pete and Ashlee today, and like, I have thoughts too but they're not that interesting and Kala pretty much expressed everything I've wanted to say. SO INSTEAD, I AM GOING TO POST ABOUT SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! Age and bandom and why I sometimes feel incredibly uncomfortable being 18.

Because, okay. I'm 18 years old and I've gone to shows and been around livejournal people (some of them that I've seen at more than one show) and they've fully ignored me. And that really sucks. At the Panic show, even though I'd never met natacup82 before and didn't have her friended, I talked to her. She was from livejournal, and that's all I needed to know. Hell, I've made friends at shows who were most definitely not from livejournal. I can be socially awkward and awful at conversation sometimes, but I try. I want to meet new people of all ages and from everywhere in the world and just have an awesome time at concerts.

I don't know. It's partly my fault, I'm sure, that those LJ people ignored me. After all, I could have initiated the conversation too. But. It's hard to invite yourself into a circle of people talking. You don't know if they want you. So, situation reversed, I try to reach out and include people. Maybe that's just me.

And I can't help feeling that part of the reason that people don't want to talk to me is because, hey, I look young. I'm wearing eyeliner. I must just be another scene kid. Never mind that I clearly know other people from fandom. And that makes me so incredibly angry, to think that people could judge me that way, to look at me and think "Yeaaaah...no. Not interested in talking to her".

I'm not sorry for being 18, I'm not sorry that I think it's fun to wear eyeliner. I'm definitely not sorry that I throw myself into concerts and dance around and sing my heart out and act like a complete fool. I'm enjoying myself. Try it sometimes, especially if you're going to shell out the money to go to a concert for a band you supposedly care about. It's disappointing, because I always assumed bandom people were the best kinds of fans around. Thanks for proving me wrong! Give me the teenies that love with all of their hearts any day. I'd rather see tiny 12 year olds in ridiculously awful homemade shirts bouncing around and clearly having the time of their lives than see people standing around acting ashamed to be there. That's not being a fan. That's being a douche.

I have to go make dinner now, so I'm done ranting....for the moment. But, feel free to tell me I'm wrong, tell me I'm overreacting and taking it personally. I don't know. Maybe I am. Discussion time!