#is astonishing to me. it's a side of the storytelling coin i can't fathom. i am obsessed with the nuances of the craft

[novelconcepts]

hey, can i ask - with no judgement, promise - why you/people tend to get attached to the actors behind beloved characters? is it a fellow creator thing? never really considered it and always been curious :) also, i love your writing and reread your taivan fics all the time

Mm, great question! I was honestly thinking about this just today, how much I'd rather not be this way. There are a few actors I can think of who I love onscreen, but the absolute second they step off a set, I couldn't care less about them--and that is the way I would prefer it for that whole field. They are, after all, complete strangers just doing their jobs. But for whatever reason, I find myself doing the attachment thing, and needing to stay very on top of any parasocial instincts. (I was not good at this as a kid. As an adult, I consider it essential.)

I guess some of it is a fellow creator thing, yeah. Writers can hide behind their work, but for actors, they are the work, to a rather large degree. It's hard to differentiate sometimes, not because the actor is the character (dear LORD the actor is NOT the character), but because that character would not be who they are if played by someone else. The little nuances, the intricacies of performance, whether or not improv is involved--it's all really married to that actor. Which is awesome, but I think also creates a bridge that can be hard to break. And the more input an actor has onset/onscreen, the more personal the character feels to the audience. I think that tricks a lot of people into (however involuntarily) associating actor with character, even when it's not appropriate to do so. Again, doesn't HAVE to be a negative thing, it's just something that's good to stay on top of.

The rest, for me, is just wanting to support an artist. You make things I love? It makes my life brighter. If there's an author writing books that change my life, I'm going to buy their books. If there's an actor creating characters that move into my heart, I'm going to engage with their filmography for the same reason. It keeps them able to do what they love, and that love shines through the work, which makes me want to keep watching. And that gets an infinite multiplier when the performer is queer, because I fucking love seeing queer artists thrive. I especially love when artists make queer art, or when they get to speak their mind in ways I maybe haven't considered myself. It's all just...enriching, I guess.

But, yeah, moral of the story: actors are not their characters, and there is definitely a line I'm careful to stay on one side of. I may not be able to help getting attached to some degree, but I can make sure I'm not being invasive or creepy about it. I dunno. Is that what you were asking? Did I tangent? Apologies. Thanks for reading the fic, I should have a new one ready tonight or tomorrow!