#liw

do you ever just think how we witnessed a whole new genre come into existence (and then die again)? webseries as told via vlogs and transmedia postings, especially the literary inspired ones, were so unique in their way of storytelling. truly influenced by a bunch of people who have shipped their favorite vloggers and were like, what if that, but safer, because it's going to be fictional characters and the shipping is intended? truly influenced by a bunch of queer teens and young adults who started to realize they were allowed to tell their favorite stories in a way that includes them. a genre that figured out its own rules and limitations as it grew. a genre that blurred the lines between creators and fandoms because once you realize that anyone can do it, what's stopping you from giving new life to a thing you already love? we watched this genre from its first clumsy steps, to bold new professionalism. We watched anything from a bunch of college students with zero budget and someone's parents' house, to fully formed productions with financial backing and actors. We watched academic writing emerge on all of this. We watched our favorite shows get attention outside of the small fandom bubbles, win prizes, get into newspapers. and all of it was out there for free, most of it still is, made by some of the most creative people you have ever met, with so much love and passion it's impossible to even measure it. a whole new genre that existed in such a specific window in time, becoming a permanent part of internet history. damn, I'm still emotional over it.