Getting to Know The Author Behind Outcast : Flirtaus
Memes, dance challenges, anecdotes; there are a lot of things that ARMYs tend to spread through Twitter. However, no one would have guessed an interactive Horror fanfiction to take a hold of the fandom and trend for weeks. Even if you weren’t playing it, you would have definitely heard of Outcast.
For new ARMYs, however, here is a quick synopsis: A couple of young men have gone missing from Seoul with no explanation. At the same time, Hoseok, Yoongi’s best friend, convinces him to play a mysterious game called Outcast that is rumored to be the reason the boys disappeared. Yoongi begins playing and soon realizes that the men in the game look awfully familiar and that this game might be more than he can handle.
Flirtaus, the author of Outcast, granted us an interview to discuss Outcast and her new projects coming up:
What inspired you to write Outcast?
The horror genre has always fascinated me and I loved writing so mending the two was something I wanted to do! I looked up prompts online and outlined the base of Outcast as well as exploring horror fmvs online to get more inspiration! I wanted to make sure it suspenseful and scary so I did a lot of research to understand the elements needed to have both of those. Research, prompts, and my love for writing inspired me the most.
Were you a writer before this?
Yes! I’ve been writing since elementary and my first fully written fanfic was on Wattpad during the sixth grade. I’ve always written on AO3 though — I love writing and it’s a hobby I’ll never stop doing.
How did you get into BTS? When did you become an ARMY?
Around two years ago in late 2016, my friend introduced me to BTS! She started off with showing me the “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” dance practice and some of the their music videos and I immediately fell in love and that love only went deeper after finding out the messages behind their songs and how hard they work for us. They’re absolutely amazing.
What were your expectations for Outcast before it went viral?
I didn’t have many expectations just that [I hoped] people would enjoy what I wrote. When I started the account, around 100 people followed at first and I was even happy that one person was reading Outcast. I didn’t think anyone that Outcast would get big at all so I was just so surprised and grateful people loved my writing.
How did you feel when it did become viral?
Like I said above, I just felt so surprised and grateful — I personally didn’t think my writing and the way I outlined my plot was anything special, but the amount of love I got from everyone was absolutely amazing and it made me so happy.
What was your writing process for Outcast and is it similar to your writing process now?
This was actually my first blown “project” in this type of texting style. I’m usually more comfortable doing metaphorical writing — I like to get deep and leave a moral — and but I’ve adapted to the texting style too.
Who is your writing idol? Who is someone that you look up to in the writing community?
There’s a lot of people I look up to. Each fanfic/AU I read, no matter who it’s by, inspires me [through] their unique writing style and I love the way each writer captures emotions in their own way!
Were there any negative effects to the fame that Outcast brought you?
I wouldn’t call it fame, but there was seriously very little negative aspects! If I knew it was going to be bigger than expected, I would have definitely gone more in-depth into the plot because there were some minor plot holes! Another thing is more of a personal thing, I often got sensitive and nervous, but with the amount of support I had and have, it makes me feel a whole lot better.
What were the best reactions of what you remember from that time?
I remember the first hashtag that trended, I was so blown away. Everyone’s memes and theories were so amazing and I felt so happy that everyone was having a good time. Seeing people so happy and so together made me so happy as well.
Is there anything about Outcast you wish you could change?
Other than wishing I could have made Outcast’s plot more in depth, I wouldn’t change much. I love the way it is and for my first horror AU I was very satisfied with it!
Are there any lessons you learned/anything you took away from your experience with Outcast?
It’s taught me to keep writing and allowed me to keep growing with this style of writing! I want to keep growing and hopefully everyone will enjoy my writing.
The collaboration with Filmfic! How did that come to be?
Mira is so amazing and deserves the world! We both have separate accounts apart from our AU accounts and she had tweeted that she had an idea for a horror AU and wanted to collab with someone. I asked if we could and from then on we started on the idea! Personally, I couldn’t do an AU alone when school started because of the stress and time crunch, but having someone else working alongside me [allows] both split the work evenly and it makes it so much easier on the both of us
Can you give us a snippet of what we should expect? Maybe a 3–5 word summary?
The one word I can give you is suspense, there’s a whole bunch of suspense and also choices you need to pay attention to. Being observant is key!
Is there anything in your fanfiction portfolio outside of Outcast that you are proud of and wish people would focus on?
I haven’t written anything in fully on my own before or since Outcast. I do have my ao3 and an incomplete work there so there isn’t much to view! But it makes me happy enough that people like Outcast, I can only hope people will like future AUs as well!
What are your future goals? In writing, your army life, and personal life?
In writing, I hope to grow in my techniques and styles and recognize my style of writing. In my personal life, despite education and future goals for college, I love to sing and want to grow my singing and also acting. In my ARMY life, I wish to meet a whole bunch of people and finally stay on top of my dms — I love meeting so many people.
Is there anything you’d like to tell ARMY?
Let’s keep supporting BTS. They’ve given so much to us and we can give our love back. They love us and we love them and the fandom around you loves you as well! Let’s keep spreading love and happiness always. Let’s keep cheering for BTS!
Be sure to follow @flirtaus on Twitter for more future content
Interview by: Michelle Z.
Originally published at btsarmy.guide on October 2, 2018.
