#what could be more beautiful than that

[swashbucklery]

Just wanted to say thanks for your 'queer as in i love you' tag. I always like seeing it. It's a good reminder that not everything about being queer is a struggle or adversarial even if the news/current events usually make it feel that way.

This was so lovely to hear, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that.

This year has been the first where I've been able to make a conscious effort to recover from the Being Essential Experience, and I have been thinking a lot about identity and what brings me joy and realized how much I missed the happiness and beauty of my queerness. Not that I became less queer during the past three years, but - being stripped down to a task or a role left so little space for personhood altogether. I am fortunate to be at a point in my life where I love my queerness so much and I'm grateful that it's a part of who I am. I love love love posts about other people nurturing their own queerness as I revive mine. Like a houseplant left unwatered on a radiator for too long, it's bouncing back.

And I think more than ever it's so important to incorporate both. Unfortunately one of the tasks of our community is resistance right now, and anger at injustice, naming injustice, is an important part of that. But another critical task is solidarity and community building. If our siblings are being harmed where do they heal, where do they find safety and care and affirmation and love. How do we stand with them so that they have the energy to resist again. How do we make sure that we are not divided, because a divided community is easier to harm than a whole one.

#if you were essential too #i'd appreciate if you hold back on venting your experience onto this post #but know that i see you and i feel it too #it happened and we were there #it's ok to feel however you feel about it #and also #it's okay to find it hard to be angry all the time #it's okay to feel tired of resisting #loving your queerness #whether that's gender-wise or sexuality-wise or a symphony of both #is one of the most beautiful ways to resist #loving each other not in the love-is-love normative way #but in the wonky edges messy hearts authentic queer way #finding new ways to be and saying yes this is good this is mine #instead of hollowing yourself out to love the way that is expected #to say see my love is just like yours do you approve #but instead loving in the way that feels right and honest #what could be more beautiful than that #queer as in i love you #queer as in fuck you #wibbly wobbly gendery wendery #bright things in dark times

[secondbeatsongs]

for anyone too young to know this: watching The Truman Show is a vastly different experience now, compared to how it was before youtube and social media influencers became normal

before it was like, "what a horrifying thing to do to a human being! to take away their autonomy and privacy, all for the sake of profits! to create fake scenarios for them to react to, just to retain viewership! to ruin their happiness just so some corporate entity could harvest money from their very humanity! how could anyone do something so evil?"

and now it's like, "ah, yeah. this is still deeply fucked up, but it's pretty much what every influencer has been doing to their kids for a decade now. probably bad that we've normalized this experience"

#the truman show #sbs rambles #I keep thinking about how children on popular youtube channels should probably have laws to protect them #social workers assigned to them maybe #I dunno #they did not sign up to have their lives sold for profit #but here we are #tho #I guess none of us signed up for it #and our data is harvested more than ever #god #high-tech capitalism sucks turns out #OH WAIT because tumblr is bad at getting context sometimes #let me specify: #I am not saying that the movie The Truman Show is bad or that it normalizes this #like all good sci-fi (because it is kind of sci-fi) it's there to warn us of what the future could hold #and it did that in a very good way - it's a beautiful movie #I could see someone with a bad faith take assuming I meant that it was part of the problem #it absolutely wasn't. it didn't normalize this; we did #youtube did and social media #it's us that's the problem #or more specifically: big corporations and a lack of regulation #that's the origin of most modern problems

[chessb0r3d]

i cracked the code.

#believing dirk is the worst guy because its what dirk thinks of himself #ignoring daves bisexuality and think hes a gay man in denial even when he explained hes bisexual #believing john 'im not a homosexual' egbert is explicitly straight while he makes out with his mcconahey and cameron posters more #than he kissed women(literally only once) #believing that rose is an edgy psyhcotic little bitch when she was neglected. she speaks elegantly to cover that shes silly and a total ner #and how did people forget that rose also writes gay wizard fanfiction. reads Wikipedia. and her beautiful artstyle as a result of neglect #(and by neglect meaning having SO MUCH TIME to draw) #jake wasnt into dirk. he also told di that he didnt like how brobot getting touchy with him during strifes #but as part of the repression 4(prospit kids). he refused on changing the bot settings #what jane said about roxy being better when she was drunk. it was fucking sarcasm. its the least insane shit you could say to a best friend #all the kids have issues and of course people get mad over a girl being sarcastic. #when KARKAT said THE SAME THING to rose when she was drunk on the meteor nobody bats an eye #trolls are just grey humans that are bugs. he doesnt get an excuse for being an alien. humans were made from KARKATS BLOOD #jade isnt all silly girl and is so FULL OF HATE towards the trolls. she called karkat a fuckass (VERY FUNNY) to do her a favor #“jade would rather have punched karkat in the fact then had a pleasent conversation with him.” #“she viewed the trolls as rude mean and cruel. and even thought that nepeta was just making fun of her. #despite it being that nepeta just wanted to roleplay and have fun." #dred.loki #I HAVE YET TO ADD MORE. THESE ARE JUST NOTES #homestuck #chss

[cubbyyyy]

Andreils peaceful violence

In my other post I mentioned how Andrew and Neil are never afraid to point out each others flaws because they know the intention is never to actively hurt the other.

I wanted to expand on that.

Andrew and Neil both have violent tendencies. It’s a result of their life and circumstances. Life never showed them kindness, so they never learned it. They don’t know how to be gentle, they don’t know how to be kind, how would they? The world never was kind to them. Being raised with brutality, seeing the worst of human life doesn’t make room for much softness.

So they leash out. Andrew with his knives. Neil with his mouth. If someone does them wrong, they aren’t afraid to snap. Their temper is hard to control, life was too unfair to them to teach restrictions in their behavior.

Yet. They learn to show kindness, in their own way.

Nicky once asked who humanizes who in this relationship and the answer is both.

Their kindness is in their trust to say what’s on their mind and knowing the place it comes from. Both aren’t afraid to address each others flaws but for once in their life they learn not to leash out, not to snap as an answer. Why? Bc they know it’s what needs to be said and that’s the only reason why it’s being said at all. It’s not to hurt and it’s not to break the other. And they trust in that. Their bad sides aren’t overwritten, they don’t pretend like the other is flawless, they aren’t afraid to address sore spots, instead they take it in. And learn. It’s a peaceful violence. Pretending like their wrongs don’t exist would be brutality. It shaped too much of their characteristics to be overlooked or talked down. They would never learn to grow out of their tendencies if they wouldn’t hold the other accountable for it, so they do it and they know the kindness that comes from it. I want you to be better. We are better than this. We deserve more than this.

Their violence isn’t an answer, their violence became a question. You want to be like that? They say. It’s peaceful.

little extra;

Andrew and Neil are kind. They don’t let the other stay the way the are. They force each other to learn, to be better, to not give in. I see you and I won’t let you become what you think you are. Your future doesn't need to be as dark as you make it out to be. Lets become something together.

Andrew and Neil are gentle. I will listen but I hear the lie. I will point out that lie and wait till you hear it to. They aren’t nothing, they are everything and eventually they know it too.

Andrew and Neil are soft. I will kiss you rough while exploring every inch of you, feel every angle bc i want to know you. Your hand is rough and tender and all I can think about is how it’s your hand and how that makes all the difference.

#andreil #aftg #andrew minyard #neil josten #they are in love sir #and literally perfect for each other #I’m not lying when I say they are exactly what the other needs #they make each other human #they understand each other more than anyone ever could #and based on that they can help the other the most #brings me to my next point #they don’t judge each other based on what they do #they understand it #i really need to write that analysis about neil deeply understanding andrews core #neil found peace in andrew #andrew found peace in neil #and isnt that beautiful #the foxhole court #nora sakavic

[hyunpic]

HYUNJIN | 231112 INKIGAYO

#hyunjin #skz #bystay #stray kids #his pit is more bright and beautiful than what my future could ever be.. #gifs #can i swing you like you are the bell in church?

[guzhufuren]

gmmtv diversely yours, huh. and is gmmtv 2023's diversity in the room with us right now?

#mine #gmmtv #gls? nope. gl side couples? nope. trans characters with more than rare appearance? nope. qls? nope #a bunch of office romances and high school/uni bls aint diversity it's what has been happening for last 4 years #last twilight is the only diversity here but one show is not enough to take that big title of Diversely Yours really #moonlight chicken was beautiful but it was from the 2022s lineup #you could try calling only friends a part of diversity. but diversity on what? slutshaming? #negativity

[luck-of-the-drawings]

ohhh niklaus, how he enamors me!!

i DO love a good morally grey Antagonist, not just a grand villain, but another person, with such a rich life and history and power that we dont even know where to start fathoming yet.

#jrwi fanart #jrwi riptide #jrwi show #jrwi riptide spoilers #niklaus hendrix #I AM IN LOOOOVE WITH NIKLAUS HENDRIX OUUHHHH OUHH #HES SO NEAT AND COOL AND I LOOOVE HOW FORBODING N YET GOOFY HE IS #HE REALLY JUST WATCHES THE PROTAGONISTS THRU A CRYSTAL BALL N NARRATES IT. TO HIMSELF. #SO JEALOUS OF THAT HALFLING LADY HE KIDNAPPED N TURNED INTO A MOUSE #HE WOULD JUST KEEP HER AROUND N TALK TO HER N TELL HER STORIES #PLEEEASSSEEE PUT ME IN A LIL CAGE IN HIS STRANGE LIL DIMENSION #I JUST WANNA KNOW GIRL IM CURIOUS #I DONT NEED TO FIX HIM HES ALREADY PERFECT #HE COULD PROBABLY FIX ME THO IDK #IM SO SO CURIOUS ABT HIS DEAL. WHATS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BLACK SEA? OR THE BLACK N GOLD EGG? #WHERE DID HE EVEN GET THIS POWER FROM? WHY DOES HE GET HIS OWN SILLY DIMENSION? HOW LONG HAS HE HAD THIS? #A PIRATE LORD WITH NO CREW... A MAN WHOS ALWAYS HIDING SOMETHING.. WHO SEES MORE AND KNOWS MORE THAN THE OTHERS #MY BEAUTIFUL BOY PLEAAAASE LEMME IN UR HEAD.

[sciderman]

You said that if you dated Peter or Wade it would make you miserable. Which– Okay fair, Wade does have a history of purposely hurting the people he loves.

But what about Peter? Why do you think dating him would make you miserable?

because I’ll always know I had the option to climb a 6’8 cyborg and I passed that up for a sweaty little twunk that I perpetually have to remind to bathe (sorry peter)

#I don’t know. I don’t think peter is good boyfriend material. I think his insecurities would get exhausting. #Wade has bottomless patience. me… I don’t know. I don’t think I could. I’ve got my own stuff going on. I don’t want a Project. #peter is definitely a project. and he needs someone with shed loads of patience and perseverance. #me I just. I wanna have a good time. so. come to me my big beautiful time traveller. whisk me away. #take me to the beach. you can disappear after I don’t mind I’m not needy. just spend a beautiful romantic week with me. #sci speaks #I don’t really know what kind of person I’m compatible with really actually. #all my relationships have been. pretty short. #and I don’t think it’s any fault of my own really. and I don’t feel any loss over them at all. like at all. I wish I did. but I don’t. #a sci has so very thankfully never felt heartbreak. #but it makes me kind of question what kind of person I am when it comes to this sort of thing. #because I really don’t know. #I don’t know if I want commitment. I don’t even know if I want sex these days. #I … weirdly… am so devoid of yearning these days. like I feel content right now on my own. I don’t even feel lonely. #I used to yearn but I think I’ve moved past it. and I kind of just want to have a good time. #and that doesn’t even . involve a relationship or anything anymore. like I don’t think I want one actually. it feels like I’m Over it. #it’s kind of great because I’ve never felt so calm in a long time. all because I decided that I don’t. actually Need anything. #I don’t need anything more than what I have. and that’s brought me rest after So Long being restless. #but if a massive time traveller came and whisked me away on sexy adventures how could I say no

[i-lavabean]

Aabria Iyengar should play Galadriel.

Audiobook, liveplay game, movie I don't even care, she'd be amazing in all of them.

#she just has 'beautiful and terrible as the dawn tempestuous as the sea stronger than the foundations of the earth' vibes #all shall love her and despair #quiddie #aabria iyengar #candela obscura #circle of tide and bone #tide and bone sealed my opinion in stone on this #also Liam O'Brien would be a very good Gandalf #and Sam Riegel could be Sam Gamgee #and Noshir would definitely kill it as Aragorn #i just need the tide and bone cast to do more drama stuff together please please please #this is what happens when I listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack after watching Candela Obscura

[crispywizardtale]

#Tutor appreciation post because that man should be illegal who allowed him to be this gorgeous #his visuals are insane but i also love his eye acting #his eyes are so beautiful and so expressive i enjoy watching him on screen #also dont get me wrong i love Yim and i will protect him the same way i protected Seng but im a little biased here.... #Tutor is extremely attractive to me and Yim is just adorable and im absolutely soft him #i have and will always stand by what i said. acting cringy and over expressing roles are more difficult to act out than acting serious roles #i have huge respect towards Yim because i know i could never do this #i love both of them so much #middleman's love the series #middlemans love the series #middlemans love #middleman's love #tutor x yim #tutoryim #tutor koraphat #yim pharinyakorn #jade x mai #mai x jade #also i am here ranting insted of watching everything else on my list....

[antisisyphus]

i keep thinking back to a quote by some architect who was arguing that the most sustainable architecture is the architecture that doesnt get torn down bc we will be (hopefully) constantly finding newer, cheaper, more efficient, ways of being "sustainable" so trying to make the most sustainable building is a moot point. in 5 years it will be outdated & if all it has going for it is "was once a very sustainable building but isnt anymore" well. that isnt much. the point was that the architect was saying that classical/romantic architecture (often considered very beautiful & worth saving which i could get into but that a whole other thing) is sustainable bc of its beauty. bc of the value we put on it. bc we dont want to erase or tear down things we find beautiful or important. i dont really have an end thought but im just musing on the importance of beauty & how aesthetic value can extend itself into material value & also how beauty (infinite) is hoarded by the rich as if it is a finite source. inch resting

#i feel like this could be a thesis but i dont know enough about anuthing to make it more than a post #the whole othr thing i could get into is how classical/romantic architecre is often held up as the most beautiful style #which is very eurocentric. #but also delegitimizes other reasons for wanting to keep a building around #ie historical importance #im just thinking about the endless capitalistic cycle of creating mass produced soulless buildings #from the catalogue homes from the 50s to the white box condos of now #where they get made & sold as New and Modern and Cutting Edge #and then in a few years (when they arent new or modern or cutting edge no one likes them so they get redone/torn down #and often those renos are ALSO souless and just fit more New and Modern and Cutting Edge appliances/architecture #this creates a lack of conse4rvation of “ugly/cheap/poor” buildings which is. again a whole other thing #also what im saying isnt new. and can be applied to many other aspects of capitalism/comsumerism #anyways

[darlingod]

The Queen of Nothing

Jude:

#Jude: fuck it idc anymore I’ll get hurt #Cardan: WARRRR ISSSS OVERRRRR #it’s hilarious like every reread of the series Jude’s denial gets funnier #imagine Cardan if could read this shit #Cardan: glittering hatred what the fuck…wait #Cardan: “awful smile”? what thE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN #jude duarte #jurdan #queen of nothing #cardan greenbriar #Cardan reading ch4 tcp: ok ok oh eW Locke I’m skimming that shit.. okkk.. “and Cardan is even more”……… #Cardan: …. #Cardan: “AND CARDAN IS EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THE REST”? *slams book shut* jude if you doNT GET YOUR FINE ASS OVER HERE RN

[philzokman]

natsume soseki did not say "don't say 'i love you', instead say 'the moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it'" FOR NONE OF YOUS TO WRITE IT INTO UR FICS!!!!!!!!

#BSD FANDOM ESPECIALLY!!! HES OUR GUY!!! HES THERE!!! #i say this very loosely bc like idk how it went #its a rumour that he said this right #but like fomr what i remember #natsume soseki was an incredibly talented translator but i think he preferred writing original novels #but he was one of the pushers of colloqusalised translations rather than direct which was more popular at the time #so one of his students came up to him w a novel translated from english to japanese and in part of it #one of hte characters said 'i love you' #BUT apparently natsume said that wasnt very realistic in japan due to cultural norms (iirc) and saying ' i love you' would seem too intimat #therefore instead of saying that #say something like 'the moon is beautiful tonight isnt it' #ANYWHO USE IT MORE!!!! i watched a kdrama a while back that used that (hype bc the premise was they were at a publishing firm) #and hwen i say ive never thrown myself across the room harder #pretty pretty please use it also do not take this story time as truth im stupid as fuck and also could be completely wrong but im p sure #thats how it went idk #FHDSJKF #lea.txt #bungo stray dogs #bsd #sobbing violently #bungou stray dogs #natsume soseki

[sysig]

@vernors tags are so incredibly correct (Patreon)

#Doodles #SCII #DAX #ZEX #Legit could not stop thinking about them until I finally got it down to paper lol #It is so silly and it makes me very happy hehehe ♪ #ZEX is a worm he's a silly guy ♥ #Gosh those first two were so fun to draw haha ♫ Head tendrils especially but also big tears! Love big tears #I really need to find somewhere to use that big cartoony tear shape again it is so silly and I love it haha #VUX with one big goofy eye rather than one big beautiful eye hehe #Why would he act so silly and melodramatic (other than the fact that he is?) Sure throw some alcohol into him lol #At least it was only DAX who saw him like that - DAX has enough ammo on him already it's fine lol #Yet more from the tags because yes!! DAX loves ZEX while fully informed! It's lovely! <3 <3 #Although thinking about all the ZEX fans that were blindsided once he was excommunicated - poor them I guess lol #DAX gets to keep his silly little Admiral because he knew exactly what he was getting into lol #It's a very fun dynamic #The thought of DAX packing while rumours fly - ''Oh yes I didn't know at all. Why am I still going? You know how it is with loyalty'' #''Too stuck in my ways. Aren't I tragic'' pffft ♪ No sympathy!

[fragmentedblade]

Goodness, apparently Argenti's One and Only is named in Chinese after Rocinante, which is so fitting for him, especially with Himeko's words about him in mind

#How she says maybe the beauty he seeks may disappoint him if he hound it #How he may not recognise it for what it is blinded by what he seeks #But overall his every act and his words fit so much #How his approach to knighthood is more a portrayal of a knight than a knight and so how is a little chimerical #And yet how precisely for that in the end after knowing him he feels more sincere‚ movingly sincere #And makes one regain hope and illusion in the world and everything seems more worth it‚ brighter and beautiful #Because yes he may be weird and deranged and risible but after spending some time with him one can't help but think he makes sense #Yes people can be and should be and even are kinder. Yes every little battle can be a joust that feels larger than life #because this is our life. His grandiose acts are silly but he is honestly trying to be helpful and fair and kind and he feels so sincere #that the silly acts end up being endearing first and admirable at last #And after everything‚ after meeting him‚ one can't help but regard the world with wonderstruck eyes again #Because everything is as beautiful as he said it was. How could I forget? #I talk too much #I should probably delete this later #Argenti #Traces #I'm sorry if this appears in the tag but I wanted to save the Rocinante reference #Edit: doesn't entirely fit but Velite has a bit of Sancho Panza in this context

[bisexualamy]

I see people talk about fanfiction and novels being different mediums a lot, and while I don’t necessarily disagree, I don’t feel like I understand either. In your opinion, what makes them different mediums from each other? What decides that two things are separate mediums like in general? It’s totally cool if you don’t wanna answer this btw, I know it’s kind of a lot

No worries I think that's an interesting question! With any categories, the boundaries on this are going to be fuzzy, but the reason I believe they're different mediums is that fundamentally, on a metatextual level, the languages are different. What do I mean by this? Let's use film as an example, a medium that I'd argue is very obviously a different medium than novels, even if we may not be able to articulate all the reasons why.

What are some attributes of film that differentiate it from novels (another storytelling medium) or paintings (another visual medium)? Films and novels are both storytelling mediums, but films have visual and auditory components. They also mainly consist of storytelling through visual cues and dialogue. Exposition is given visually or in media res by characters speaking. In a novel, your omniscient narrator giving you a few paragraphs of background on your main characters is common, and so expected it probably flies over the reader's head. In a film, a narrator doing the exact same thing for all the main characters often comes off clumsy. It takes you out of the story in a film, where it doesn't in a novel.

Film is also a time-based medium. A film unfolds over time, and you cannot experience the entire film in one moment or glance. That's not true of a painting (at least traditionally). With a painting, you can view the whole painting in one look. Now, you can sit with a painting, pick out details, analyze the craft or ponder it for a long time and watch as new aspects jump out at you. Fundamentally, however, if you wanted to view a whole painting in one look, you can, and it would still make sense. You cannot do that with a film. On the other hand, a painting is typically not an auditory experience. To do so would be an experimental use of the form. In modern film-making, the exact opposite is true. Music, dialogue, and environmental sound, all of these things are essential to how a film tells a story. To not use them would be considered experimental or odd.

These are three different mediums with three different "languages" in how they interact with their audience. They may share parts of their languages, like I said above, but they don't speak the same language. What works well for one medium can come off clumsy or strange in another.

I believe fanfic and novels have sufficiently different languages that they should be considered different mediums. Both of them are short or long form written mediums telling some sort of story. But fanfic's relationship to its source material is such an inherent trait that novels do not have. The relationship doesn't have to be positive (it's often, in fact, argumentative or strained or dismissive), but the relationship exists. Even in AU fanfiction. Even in fics full of OCs.

In canon compliant and even canon divergent fics, this relationship is more obvious. These fics are both conversations with the source material as much as they are stories. They're playing in the author's sandbox, or they're wrecking their sandcastle and building something else. They're saying "I like/dislike what you did with this specific story, and I'm going to show you that by rewriting or expanding it." They take large aspects of the author's story whole cloth: the characters, the setting, the magic system, the tech, etc.

These fanfics often have little exposition at the top because they presume a familiarity with the characters, the world, or both. This alone makes them really different from novels. Creatively and seamlessly integrating exposition, immersing your audience in a new world and convincing them to stay, is a really important aspect of a novel that these fics don't have to contend with. This alone fundamentally changes how you'd structure a story.

For AU fics, both fics in AU settings and AU fics full of OCs, the above still applies. These fics are still a conversation with the source material. Something about the source material compelled an author to flip it and remix it and change it around. That conversation might be "in the source material, these characters suffered, and I don't want them to suffer any longer" or it could be "I felt the story had a vacancy that this OC fills" or it could be "if these characters had the time/awareness/ability to grow closer, they would've fallen in love." These are all direct commentaries on the original work.

An exercise that I believe illustrates this point the best is to try and adapt an AU fanfic to an original work. Try to file the serial numbers off. I've done this with some of my fic, and it just doesn't work. You don't realize how much you presume the audience knows until you have to cater to an audience who knows nothing of the source material. That hilarious joke you wrote? Turns out it's only funny because it's a nod to this character's original characterization. This awesome climatic plot point that ties the whole story together? Turns out in relies on a specific bit of lore, a quirk of the magic system, or an aspect of the character's past history or personality. Now that this is a novel, you have to back-fill all of that exposition. And you can try to do that, but watch how your story gets clunky and bloated. You will have to start viciously killing your darlings, as you realize that your favorite scene is beautiful in a fic, but sounds awkward and out of place in a novel. Soon, you're basically just rewriting the whole thing to fit a different medium.

Many fanfic writers are extremely talented. And much of that talent, that wit, that perfect line that you can't get out of your head, is integrally informed by your knowledge of the source material. The irony falls flat without having read the source books. The relationships suddenly feel shallow when you don't have seasons of backstory to deepen them. You do not realize how much of fanfic writing consists of this back and forth until you go looking for it.

And here's the thing: if your fanfic has a totally AU setting and it consists of completely original characters, I'd argue that's just a novel posted to AO3. If all you need to do is change the names to make it work, that's a novel. This is why Clueless is inspired by Jane Austen's Emma and not an AU fanfic of it. If you've never read Emma, if you went into Clueless not knowing that Emma was the inspiration for it, you'd perfectly understand the movie.

In fanfic, the source material is always present. It can be obviously present with canon compliant fic. It can be antagonistically present with canon divergent or AU fic. And it is still present, floating in the background, with totally AU fic. Ultimately, the changes a fanfic author makes to the source material are, themselves, as integral to the fanfic as the words on the page. It is a dialogue with the source material: what it did well, what it could've done better, what this author believes is the essence of the story, or the world pushed to its limit, that even though we're in space or in a coffee shop or 1920s New York, we're still, on some level talking about the source material.

This is an aspect of fanfic I love that novels do not have. Novels have a lot of other great stuff! I love novels! But while novels are often engaged in a dialogue with their present society or their predecessors in a genre, that conversation is much more nebulous than it is with fanfic. You can read Slaughterhouse-Five or Gravity's Rainbow, and while knowing their contexts helps you understand them on a deeper level, that is unnecessary to their enjoyment. They are fundamentally more standalone works than fanfic will ever be.

This is ultimately why I think comparing fanfic and novels is comparing apples to oranges. They're different mediums. They use different languages. They require different skills and they fill different artistic niches. You might as well be comparing a film to a painting just because they're both visual art.

#ok to rb #this is not the point of the post but people do often compare films to paintings ('every frame a painting etc') #it's perfectly valid and super cool to compare fics and novels as two different mediums #by doing so we gain a deeper understanding of both mediums #bc all art is a conversation with other art #but this is not what these posts are doing when they say 'see! fanfic writers are more talented than lots of published novels!' #they are treating both as the same form and making an argument that fanfic is slighted within this medium for a presumed lack of skill #which to me is like comparing a film to a painting by saying #'reblog if you know cinematographers who compose more beautiful shots than any jackson pollock painting!' #hailing frequencies open #Anonymous #thank you for this! i'm recovering from bottom surgery and this was excellent enrichment that i could do from bed #apologies for the long post but i feel like it's better than putting the whole thing under cut #long post ///