#so it feels less overwhelming when you're watching/reading the piece of fiction???

[musical-chick-13]

Can somebody please explain to me what the appeal of vampires is.

#I'm genuinely curious #people seem to go absolutely feral over this concept and I want to KNOW I want to UNDERSTAND #and there are some really excellent vampire aus that I love and I want to love them MORE because I want to GET IT™ #because all I see are like...societally conventionally attractive people with fangs. who maybe (depending on The Lore™) #can't go out in the sun. and that just...doesn't resonate with me? #like I understand metaphors for 'othering' and the concept of monstrosity but I feel like that gets a little lost if there isn't anything #actually UNPALATABLE about them. like if they just look like what we culturally have idealized in human appearance then how can #they serve as a metaphor for ostracization or being misunderstood? #is it primarily an aesthetic thing? is it a *danger is sexy* thing? #but ordinary humans can be plenty dangerous too (see: 90% of the female characters I'm obsessed with) #so is it in the sense of you can vicariously experience that danger and heightened emotion in a situation that's removed from reality #so it feels less overwhelming when you're watching/reading the piece of fiction??? #like I have seen this used effectively as a metaphor for marginalization (undead murder farce) and an exploration of how society #defines a 'monster' (shiki) but that doesn't seem to be the way most people or works engage with this concept #is it just that people like when characters are covered in blood because I DO understand that one lmao #I just feel like vampires have been branded as a Key Aspect of Bisexual/Gay Culture and I feel like I am on a separate plane of existence #because It Is Not Clicking For Me #(tbh I feel like there are a lot of Quintessential Queer Experiences™ that don't apply to me but. that's a whole separate thing.) #ANYWAY would love to hear people's thoughts! #I am cooking up a Meta Post™ about fandom reaction to the concept of monstrosity and I want to gather as much information as possible

[miscelunaaa]

You and your writing are so interesting to me. I feel like if anyone looked at the range of ideas and themes in your work they would have to acknowledge that fanfic is real writing and is no less creative than writing a novel or a short story. I know this is Tumblr and that wasn’t in question here, but I just am fascinated to watch you grapple with real issues in your writing and be led into grappling with them alongside you. And you’re a good writer! Like you just have this unpretentious, effective prose that lets the reader actually sink into the story. I sometimes think it’s funny that you are writing these deeply personal, original creative works, but like, Taehyung will just happen to be there. Anyway, I know writing regularly is really hard so just know there are people out here who enjoy your writing and think you’re cool. Maybe this is a weird message to be writing at 6:37AM on a Thursday. Oh well. Hope your day is off to a good start! My Vyvanse is kicking IIIINNNNN

I've started and stopped this reply like three times because there's so much here that I'm like "let's just unpack this let's fucking goooooo" but suffice to say I've been thinking about this all morning in a very good way, I promise.

So first of all thank you, wow, I'm like legitimately overwhelmed by your praise. It means so much to me, and that's hard to articulate.

I also want to say that fan fiction is indeed real writing!! I used to be one of the people who talked down about it and sweet fucking christ I was so wrong??? Writing fics has been the most liberating writing experience imaginable. There's no limitations it feels like as far form goes, and for the longest time, that's what I struggled with. I've learned so much while writing, and I want to encourage people who've thought about writing to just fucking do it. Even if you never share it. It's worth doing it for the learning about the craft and about yourself that happens.

I'm just floored by the fact that you feel immersed and that you thing it's both pretentious and effective ☠️ I'm .... wow??? wow. It means I'm getting it right, or rather, I'm hitting the standard in my head that I want to hit. Grappling with anything is hard, but when you read about something and it hits home like that, I hope it means you feel less alone. To paraphrase Jimin: remember that there's someone out there, somewhere in the world, that understands you. I've mentioned that I write to feel less alone, and it's partially because I think even the scary fic is in some way a gift, a hug, a reassurance that I'm not alone, and neither are the folks who read it and feel it. We have each other, and it's not a lot, but it can enough to help us get through whatever we need to get through.

Anyway that's a whole ramble but I think it remains that fics are like any other art, even if it's not taken as seriously as some bigger, grander work. It's still art, it's still worthy of something. While I was writing No Shade in the Shadow, Husbeard said “This feels like something I would read in a collection of short stories” and I was like “You aren’t wrong, but the difference is that if I keep Taehyung in this, I don’t have to fill out his character as much and I think more people will read it.” I could have submitted it somewhere (I don’t honestly even know where, however, I’m not sure what there is for fantasy writing magazines) and gotten paid like 150-500 bucks for a story I’ve been thinking about for years, or I could share it freely with people who will understand Taehyung and maybe the story too. I don't mean to shit on people who would have or have indeed made the decision to sell a story, but I do think that my decision is valid in its own way as well.

Writing is so hard sometimes, and laying it all out there on the internet is hard too! But it's so worth it. Every piece you work on means you get better at what you're doing, every little bit of feedback can help fuel the fire. Sometimes you only need a crumb to keep you going!

I really really appreciate you writing in and sharing your vulnerability with me! It means so much :) My day has been off to a pretty good start, this weird May heatwave in the US not withstanding. I hope yours is going well too and that you're finding the good brain juice!!

#asksss #anonymoose #fic:shade