#oc x canon art is literally so fun and self indulgent I love it so much 😭💙

[spicyliumang]

Feeling happi bc this is the most OC stuff I’ve done in 11 years I’m having the time of my life😭😭

[decafdoodlez]

I’ve been following you for a while now and I just wanted to say how much I love seeing your posts!! I’m a die hard RenRina fan now hehe. I literally kick my feet with excitement whenever there’s new lore on them. I am INVESTED.

Also, I’ve never been a big fan of older Ren but seeing your art really has me question my tastes.

Thank you for sharing your art and feeding the fandom with dope ass merch. I think your passion really radiates onto everything you post ^_^

Hi anon, thank you so much for this sweet message! <3

I'm so happy to hear that! I always worry about being a bit too much or offputting with my love for Ren and Rina, but I think most people follow me now know that I produce and post mainly OC x Canon content, and it just makes me happy to hear that some of you guys really like it and want to see more. <3 I'll definitely be feeding the RenRina enjoyers with more lore writing and a Mermay artwork soon! :D

Ahahah, I feel you! I started really liking younger Ren when I first played BTD and got into the fandom, but anyone who knows me knows that my preference in fictional men is always gonna be DILFs, haha! But I still do adore younger Ren, and pretty much buy any merch I see of him. BUT, I'm glad to hear I'm possibly influencing you to be a DILF Ren truther, heheheh. >:)

And thank YOU for liking what I put out! I create out of love for the character and my love for the community. I just joined this fandom in October of last year, and I am still just as excited to share the things I do as I was when I first joined the community. <3 I'm hoping with what I share actively encourages people who enjoy dark content to get into BTD/TPoF, and to be self-indulgent, make new friends, make art, make merch, and just have fun!

Thanks again for this sweet message! I appreciate your kindness, words like yours encourage me to continue creating. <3

[marshmallowprotection]

About your post regarding ocs, you are so right. And to that anon or anyone who reads this, your advice was so top tier and should be followed 100%

I mean that's the beauty of writing, is it not? It doesn't matter how crazy something seems if it brings you joy at the end of the day. Besides, some of the best characters or oc x canon fics I've ever read are ones that are so self indulgent. A lot of people love the same ideas, so to read it in someone else's work is always fun and exciting!

My cmc for example, she's for Saeran too. She's literally a run away princess, and yes it still follows the Canon ish plot of the game. Why? Because why not! It's fun! All of my cmcs are pretty out there tbh...And sure I may post my work, but it doesn't matter If anyone reads it or even if they have critiques on it.

That's honestly what I love about your page, you post a lot of stuff that others probably wouldn't just because you like to write for enjoyment. Your passion truly shows, and you have a great talent for writing. I also love how devoted you are to Saeran, it's nice to see other people who never lost that love for these characters. I grew up with them, I don't think I'll ever stop loving them. My cmc and Saeran story will literally always move forward, and I love seeing yours and reading them.

I do think the best lesson anybody can learn is that when you're creating something, you should be creating it because it's something that's fun and you enjoy doing it. If you're creating things because you want to make others happy and not yourself, that's not going to end well.

It's a good thing to want to make other people smile, but it's more important to make sure that you are taking care of your needs, too. You have to remember it's important to love yourself just as much as it is to love the people around you.

Sometimes, the best characters I've seen somebody create come from a place that people might consider “cringe or embarrassing.” Well, there is no such thing as cringe and people should be having some fun. I don't care how preposterous or ridiculous an idea is for your character, if you like it and you want to have fun with it, go for it! The only thing that matters, in the end, is that you are making things that make you happy.

If you want to know the best way to learn how to enjoy the things you create, art, writing, or whatever you do, then you need to let go of trying to please other people with the things that you create. You need to think with yourself in mind first and foremost. If you are doing that, then the people who are genuinely interested in that will come around eventually.

Sure, it might take some time, I know it's genuinely taken me a long time to get to the point that I'm at! But, because I've spent so much time focusing on writing things that make me happy, I feel a lot better than I did a long time ago when I was only trying to please everybody else. When you are happy with what you are creating, people can see it. People can see your enjoyment in your words and your creations.

I don't know how to describe it because it's just a feeling you get when you see somebody who's putting everything into something.

Creating things that make you happy shouldn't be done because you want to be popular or receive attention, not that there's anything wrong with wanting that because everybody wants and deserves validation in some form! But, if you are making something because you wanted to boom in popularity and you're not deeply invested in that very creation, you're only going to burn yourself out and just feel miserable in the process.

That's why I'm so happy to write stories that make me happy. That means I’ll spend a few weeks working with my CMC! I’ll write her a story where she and Saeran can be happy and unlearn their trauma and it makes me giddy to see their world in print. Or! When I’m really feeling self-indulgent, I’ll go even further and write a self-insert story about myself and Ray.

Bonus points to me for when I write something I know that nobody but me and maybe three other people are going to read, but I'm writing it because I want to see what happens! It's good to want feedback and commentary, but it's just as important that you're having fun in the process of creating.

All of my ramblings aside, I hope that if anybody can take anything away from my rambling, it's that they need to enjoy what they're creating and have fun with it.

[synthwayve]

Thanks for the tag, Anna!

Disclaimer: I am not really a fanfic writer in the slightest, and my writing is not good. But it’s definitely fun to explore other creative options!

-I’ve jokingly roleplayed with @unbloomingblossom before, as one of their ocs! Please check out their work, they’re fantastic!

-I’m not sure what counts as beta-reading, but I have had someone proofread a script for me before(thank you blossom), and I’ve read works that are open to readers for beta-reading.

-I have written one(1) self indulgent BB fic, and I’m currently writing others/writing out my headcanons and fan theories. They probably will not see the light of day though x,D I consider it violating the 8th amendment to make people read my work.

-I will vomit absolute essays at authors whom I feel are down-to-earth enough to not be off put by my incessant chatter, as @karnaca78 and @wikipedianna know(though I usually have an abundance of thoughts about all the fan work I read, I’m just usually too shy to express it.) When the next chapters of your works come out? You will not hear the end of it. This is a threat/lh

-I love angst more but I’ll never turn down fluff

-I’ve written some OC fan fictions, but only one BB fic. Im not sure if that counts as 2 fandoms or not, so I left that one as a “?”

-My form of “research” is interrogating Blossom about OC and story details so I can incorporate it accurately in whatever im writing, and I love it. BB has made me SWEAT trying to research for writing, because im no historian nor am I particularly versed in the more serious/intelligent levels of the game. Im sure it would enhance my writing if I was, but I mostly just research to make sure im not explicitly destroying canon with my headcanons.

-My OC’s story outline is on version 8.3 (8 as in general story/plot rewrite, 3 as in third attempt to outline it start-finish) and I literally began version 9.0 last night.

-I think I’ve only received full-fledged “feedback” on my OC writing(both fan work and my own) but it sends my blood pressure skyrocketing. Sharing my writing has always been a challenge for me because I started out in spaces where I used to share writing semi-proudly, and then it would either get utterly torn apart/ignored entirely so I just gave up. It’s left me unable to share unless I am very directly told someone WILLINGLY wants to read what I’ve written(“I’ll read it if you wanna share!/feel comfortable sharing!” Will never ever get me to share. I need to be grabbed firmly by the shoulders and told “LISTEN YOU LITTLE WORM. I KNOW YOU’RE HIDING SOMETHING” to actually think “oh okay so they ARE interested and aren’t just trying to be kind/polite and I will not in fact inconvenience/agonize them if I share my writing”), which is difficult for the other party if I don’t talk about the writing existing in the first place! So sorry about that x,D Getting back into it has been insanely difficult and I still get very anxious after I share writing, but luckily blossom is very sweet and their reactions are always heartfelt. Thank you blossom for not obliterating me when I make your ocs cry.

-I have multiple unfinished stories, but hopefully my main OC’s story(TERMINAL LUCIDITY) will be the first to be finished. I’ve scripted out a 1st episode(I write more in the context of art/storyboards/screenwriting for my own ocs than I do in standard novel format), but may have to revise it with V.9.0

-I am the bane of every liberal art degree owner’s existence. I do big block writing(start-finish, no indenting, no breaks) and then move it from notes to docs to portion it out. Anyone who is professional about writing will die if they look at my notes app. I am sorry.

-12 current story ideas going, with TERMINAL LUCIDITY being the most developed.

-I am suffering from a terrible tea addiction. Do not send help

Everyone I wanted to tag has been tagged already I think ;0; so I will risk re-tagging them. Sorry if there are duplicates, if you aren’t comfortable with me tagging you, or if you don’t write fanfiction;0; @mrslittletall @galaxirin @fareehaandspaniards @ofsilentthings @katyspersonal @trustflowerrrblogs @fantomette22 @heraldofcrow

Thanks to @revewrites for the tag! :D

• I ADORE screaming in fics' comments. That's something I love about fanfic: you can actually talk to the authors fairly easily! I find the whole social aspect of fanfic very interesting and I've met amazing people through comments.

• Researching is kind of a double-edged sword but I genuinely enjoy it. The research in itself is what I love most, just like in academia: reading through documents on a very specific topic just to add a few lines in a fic is actually a source of fun. And sometimes you end up not using any of it. That's life.

• Advanced HTML formatting functions are the bane of my existence. I have read through several guides on inserting footnotes and somehow it never worked.

• I received fic-related fanart twice and spontaneously combusted. Twice. (huh is that why I feel like I'm a roasting chicken right now)

• Well. I do want to write professionally someday, I guess.

Tagging fellow writer friends @a-simple-kazoo @rapturezoo @wikipedianna and anyone else who feels like joining!

(Blank template under the cut)

[weird-dere-fics]

Y’know when a character x character ship is so fuckin cute.

But also you fUCKING HATE IT bc it hurts that it’s not you and all you ever want is to see yourself in that position 🙃.

Especially if the ship is canon.

Don’t even get me started on if they canonically have a kid or two…

Sometimes I really wish I had the ability to art in some way close to the source material or even just the way I want so I could make the things with myself of what I see ppl create with ships. Shit that is so adorable and charismatic that would also be fulfilling to me.

commissions are cool but like imagine having money

I wish arting was as simple and fun as it used to be. No pressure or hatred on myself and my abilities for not being where I want them to be. Where every piece I made easily meant the world and I loved it with my entire heart. Where comparisons hardly crossed my mind and I just wanted to learn.

Don’t get me wrong I love to see canon x canon (and even canon x oc) art and I so readily want to love and support the beautiful minds that create it. It’s just a rough dichotomy of feelings to deal with sometimes.

Literally me a few minutes ago looking at multiple pieces of ship art, repeating this one phrase in my head with all these different meanings at the same time:

“I’m gonna throw up.” (this is so cute I fucking love it) (the artist is so talented literally wtf I kiss the ground u walk on) (why must this ship be real why is that not ME) (why can’t I make art like this? will I ever be able to? Am I really an artist?)

Just want my blorbos to be mine, I beg. U—U

Just wanna be the one my blorbos believe to have hung the stars in the sky. :c

Just wanna be able to meaningfully realize this self indulgent experience in that specific way.

Spurred on by a specific ship on my mind rn but ofc these feelings have arisen with other ones too in earlier times, and are bound to occur again in the future, as unfortunate as that is to say.

[marypsue]

fanfic: First 5 prime numbers!

why would you force me, a writer and known dumbass, to try to remember math stuff

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one? 

I was going to be extremely witty and paste in screenshots of the list of fandoms on my AO3, but tumblr is having a breakdown and won’t let me, so I’ll just go with the short answer: lots. 

There are different things I like about all of the different canons - and fandoms - that I’ve written for. I love cheesy jokes no matter where I go, but I also like the rich mine of angst and garish darkness that the Lost Boys have to offer. I love the fairy-tale structure and the heady romance of Labyrinth, I like how I can basically just write original fiction when it comes to the X-Men and it’s probably canon to something somewhere, and I appreciate the challenge of trying to nail the tone of RAM while still keeping the depth of character and the core of sincerity and emotion that I’m gonna end up bringing to anything I write about. (And also, projecting. Did I mention projecting?)

ROTG in particular stands out for the sheer creative freedom the fandom encouraged - we made up an AU where several different versions of the main villain (English movie, Finnish dub, book, concept art) lived together and attended the same university (along with multiple versions of the other characters) and it was sheer unadulterated crack. We wrote mythos. We wrote an expanded steampunk Treasure Planet universe full of high tragedy and classic-children’s-lit drama. We wrote poetry. We wrote ambitious crossovers and extraordinarily complex backstories for characters who ended up being Not That Deep. We wrote ridiculous comedy nonsense. We wrote so much fluff. My partner @gretchensinister created an entirely original fantasy alternate world and wrote a high fantasy novel inspired by the characters, which she’s planning to turn into an original series (speaking of, I will always shamelessly plug A Draught Of Light. If you liked A:TLA, you owe it to yourself to read it, and you don’t need to know anything about ROTG to enjoy it. In fact, you might enjoy it more not knowing anything about ROTG, though a few inside jokes might go over your head).

With that said, though, I think I have enjoyed writing for Gravity Falls the most. Partly it’s because of the skills I developed working in the other fandoms, so that now I feel confident enough in my work that I can stop worrying so much about making it good and just have fun with it. Partly it’s because the tone, the mood and the theme, of the series align with my interests and my values so well. It’s the kind of story that I would like to write, it’s the kind of story that I wish I’d written, and I love all of the characters so much but also can relate to so many of them, that getting to expand on it and play in its universe is just a treat and a joy. I may have found my forever fandom.

(The rest of this is going behind a cut for length because it turns out all of my answers are like this.)

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I…don’t get reader inserts. Especially the ones that include the little (y/n). (Partly because it jolts me right out of a story, partly because for the first while after the trend started, I was reading them as ‘yes/no’ and was extremely confused.) I understand that the intent is to create a story where the reader can easily imagine themselves as the protagonist, but…you have to give that protagonist some traits, and have them make choices, and in order to do that you have to give them some sort of a personality, and then 1) not every person who reads it will be able to go ‘oh yeah, that’s me’ and 2) you’ve got an original character anyway! 

I saw a post recently where someone had drawn a picture with the caption “this is what (y/n), the reader of my story x, looks like” and listed a set of personality traits/likes and dislikes, like, at that point…just give them a name! They’re an OC! 

With that said, though, like self-inserts, reader inserts are fun (for people who like that sort of thing) and harmless, and I really hope nobody’s being a dick about them. Fandom should be fun, and even if I don’t get that thing you’re doing for fun, that doesn’t mean you’re Doing It Wrong.

Also, I fucking love making up OCs, and if allowed, I would do nothing but that all day.

5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi chaptered stories, which would it be and why?

Oh, this is cruel. I should not have done this. 

So, there are a lot of them. Apparently some people don’t spend all their free time coming up with bullshit ideas that spiral wildly out of their control into full, developed narratives that require tens of thousands of words to fully express? I bet those people have cleaner bedrooms than I do. Also probably more money.

Again, I’ve gotten better at this with lots of time and practice, so a lot of my earlier stuff is less well-executed than I’d want it to be. There are still ideas that I like, and stuff I’m proud of finishing, but I wouldn’t say they’re favourites, because the execution is less skillful and less polished than some newer things. With that said, though, I still have a big ol’ soft spot for Northern Lights, which was my indoctrination into the genre of ‘wildly self-indulgent crossovers and rampant canon revisionism’. Same with It Was A Dark And Stormy Night, the first multi-chaptered thing I ever finished. You can see the seeds of some classic Mary tropes in it, including ‘what if we just took all the female characters who were mentioned once and develop them into fully-realised people with important roles in this story’, as well as some tropes that have since fallen by the wayside (I do not do nearly as much with fairy tales as I did when I was a teenager).

Dreamland deserves a shot at the title, as do Reincarnation Blues and Raising Stakes. But purely for scale, ambition, and how closely the execution matches the ideal version that exists only in my head, my absolute favourite multi-chaptered fic has to be Hive. I’ve been trying to write decent horror for eleven long years and Hive makes me feel like I’ve finally nailed it. 

7) When is your preferred time to write?

Preferred time to write is from midnight to 2am. 

Best time to write is literally any other time than that, probably. 

(I’ve read all the science and the thinkpieces. I am aware that the only reason 2am seems like such a good time for creative work is because you’re tired enough that your internal self-regulation is low and your inner critic is silenced, and also because it’s often the only time when we sit down and let ourselves focus on the work with no distractions - because there aren’t any. I’m working on introducing this environment into the rest of my day so that I am not in a permanent state of sleep deprivation. Funnily enough, writing in a dimly-lit room and working on a dimmed computer screen really seems to help.) 

11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Not that I can remember.

To be fair, I have received very few criticisms after posting that were about writing issues rather than matters of personal taste (and most of those have been along the lines of ‘so uh, I know you knew mentally what was going on in this scene, but the critical piece of information never actually made it to the page’). But…I also…take long enough to work on things and have so many damn things on the go that once something is posted, it’s posted, and I have to make a promise to myself to never touch it again, otherwise I would spend all my time nitpicking and never finish anything. If somebody’s noticed a legitimate issue or possible improvement, it is incredibly likely that I will go ‘oh dang why didn’t I notice that’ and then mentally file it for use in future stuff. I’ve only ever taken one fic down, and most of the edits I do after the fact are for tagging or author’s notes.

I did amend the ending of Any Misery You Choose, but that was less because I got criticism (people were actually incredibly nice about it!) and more because I was extremely dissatisfied with how the original ending turned out, because I hadn’t adhered to the plan I myself had made, because I was rushing to finish the damn thing. (Protip: don’t do that.)

(please, please, please let these actually be the first five prime numbers)