Omg *flails* what a wonderful message to receive! “Damn perfect”?! Well can’t confirm or deny that but I FRICKIN’ TRY.

I’m deeply moved. Couldn’t just toss in the usual reaction gif, too cheap, had to give you smtg a little more special. More of a story. You’ve heard it before but maybe this angle, this variation on it, will feel as fresh to you as it does to me. I’m rambling a bit and having trouble editing it back so you get a long post sorries LOOK WHAT U DO TO ME all these feels!

“I lifted the long wax wick, dipped it into an old flame, and carried the fire to a fresh candle, watched the little tongue grow orange and bright.

What a miracle, I thought. One tiny flame could make so many other flames; one tiny flame could set afire a whole world. Why, I had, with this simple gesture, actually increased the sum total of light in the universe, had I not?… 

Because it was
something I could accomplish, like the little candle flame in the church making another flame and still
retaining its own light – my way of creating, my only way, don’t you see? One moment there were two of us,
and then we were three.” – Lestat, Tale of the Body Thief

Why am I quoting this? Like the vampires, we are a “found family” rather than a natural one, bc we draw ppl into this and turn them into one of us, if the addiction can hold! I see that it’s taken hold of you as it has me ;D

It’s not a fandom for everyone, but for those of us who are in it, well, it feels like we almost had no choice, we are hopelessly addicted ;u; When I get messages like yours I can’t help but feel a little like Lestat, like I’ve helped to add a little more light to the world, bringing in fresh blood (pun very much intended!) who might have a new and intriguing perspective on things to share, maintaining the older blood that’s aged like a fine wine, admiring the talent of our fanartists, fanfic writers, meta-analyzers, etc. and encouraging them to keep making more to feed our insatiable need of it! We make great friends within our ranks. Ppl have even met their life partners through fandom.

I also love that ppl shoot me VC news from FB, Twitter, etc., so that I can transmit it out to you so fast that by the time other publications pick it up, we’ve known about it for days already, and have helped each other deal with its impact if necessary, as proper family members should ;]

My closest friends that I’ve made here have been made bc they are as appreciative of this series and its wonderful, addictive characters as I am. Messages like yours keep this blog running and I can’t thank you enough for that *cries*

Hit the jump for moar…

The image above is not a screencap but a manip of a few frames, which I made in Oct. 2013, just a few months after the birth of this blog. I didn’t think anyone would care much for this blog, I expected it would only ever be a place I could indulge my VC addiction privately in public, like someone playing solitaire out in a park. A place to post a few of my graphics, a little of my sense of humor, and gather what little fanworks I could find for my own pleasure. Ppl saw it, ppl responded, ppl wanted to play Cards Against Humanity with me (to expand on the original metaphor, lol), and the whole thing has grown into a conduit through which I’ve gotten back SO MUCH MORE than was originally expected! It brought the fandom I had been looking for, and for the most part given up on finding, right to me! 

Because you’re right, our fandom was dead, but only on the surface, driven into hiding by a creator who didn’t understand what fandom was and that it was a normal way to engage with canon. That sharing fanworks builds a community. There were plenty of us out there but few of us could find each other. We protected what little we had and shared it like contraband. She was within her rights and I don’t blame her for her actions, but as a result, I think we’re a much more appreciative group for what we have now than other fandoms who’ve had it easy from the beginning. I hope we are, anyway. 

A lot of my sensitivity and care comes from a place of gratitude, and although I am a secular individual, I do try to preach the gospel of gratitude and civility back out to this family we’ve created.

I had ONE Real Life VC friend when I fell into this fandom, and she had to endure the fire-hydrant blast of my VC addiction, at close range, for about 20 years! She’s still my best friend, but let me tell you, she is grateful beyond words that you have all stepped in to take more of the brunt of my addiction now. She’s the one who nudged me to start a tumblr blog in the first place, which I resisted, mind you, so you should all be thanking her, too ;D