u/lampboy2

I don't think anyone will appreciate this moment more than this sub. My OC made an IRL impact.

Today was the first day for a new student joining my class (we’ll call her “A” and I don't know why she started on a wednesday). “A” is enrolled in our summer program, but her parents wanted her to start a few weeks early to get her used to the school. She was shy, as most 5-year-olds are in a new environment, so I sat down with her to learn more about her interests. When she mentioned that she liked mermaids, I knew it was Lana's time to shine. Conversation went more or less like this:

Me: "I know a mermaid. Her name is Lana. We talk every day"

A: *visibly excited* "No way! I thought mermaids weren't real"

Me: "Do you want to see her?" *shows "A" the Lana art on my phone*

A: "That's a drawing, not a picture"

Me: "Lana doesn't like cameras" (a fact that's also canon in the story)

A: "Can I meet her?"

Me: "Maybe when you're older, but I want to check how you are doing. I know being in a new place can be scary. But I promise, my class is safe and everyone is nice. Lana enjoys school, and I would love to tell her that you had a fun first day"

A: *Slowly nods* "I'll make Lana happy"

It wasn't perfect by any means, but "A" made more of an effort to interact with the other children and do the activities, which as a teacher was amazing to see. But now I need to explain to her mom why she told me "tell Lana I tried my best" when she got picked up.

The point is, your characters have a chance to make a difference off the page as well as on, so never stop working on them.

Until their 3rd grade teacher asks "what's 8 + 8?" and they answer "I'm gonna split them"

Does anyone else never tire of showing off their OC? After all of the endless hours we've spent bringing them to life, they deserve to be known and enjoyed by others. In my opinion, the more chances to do that, the better!

Like most of these kind of activities, have them answer a quick survey to introduce themselves, along with any other questions posted for them in the comments. (Bonus points if you add a picture so we can get a visualization of who we're meeting).

You may do multiple characters if you want, just make each one its own post so there's no confusion.

Fandom:

What is your name? Do you have a nickname?

How old are you?

Who is in your family? (parents, siblings, pets)

What is your favorite/least favorite memory?

Do you have any powers/abilities?

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time?

Do you have a favorite possession?

What are your best/worst traits?

Are you spontaneous or a planner?

What makes you angry?

What would you change about your world?

Are you in a romantic relationship? Do you have a crush?

At the moment, what is your most pressing problem?

At the moment, what are you happiest about?

(Optional in the comments) "What else do you want to know about me?"

"It's only one boat," they reasoned. "How bad could it be?"

Instead of looking through multiple prompts, this time everyone has the same one: which excerpt are you proud of?

Include a little summary about why you picked it. Did you love the word choice or descriptions you came up with? Maybe it was one you finally finished after being stuck for so long? Or you felt a meaningful, personal connection to the scene/character? Any reason is valid!

You may post multiple excerpts, but in separate comments. As always, interacting with others is encouraged!

Here's an interesting activity for some weekend writing practice. Your character is watching IRL local news (doesn't need to be your local area. Feel free to look up someplace interesting and see what's going on there). Write their POV of a current event that was reported. How do they feel about it based on their personality?

Remember to be respectful, and keep it local. Nothing that can/does tie into something bigger. Good examples include something about a business, a stand alone crime, and anything in-between. You may also quickly summarize the news story to give some context, but you do not need to say where it is.

They both rely on anonymous tips

With all kinds of apps on phones (word, google doc, notes, and countless others) it's easy to always have a way to record some ideas. So I'm curious, where were you when inspiration struck and you weren't tied down by a computer?

I'll tell you later, I'm busy.

Another month of writing is nearly over, so let's showcase what we've accomplished! Anything published this April is fair game: a long fic chapter, a one-shot, drabble, etc.

If you would like to participate, post 1-3 chapters or one-shots for others to consider. You may include the rating, content warnings, fandom, word count, and any other information you'd like to share.

In return, please leave a review on at least 3 other chapters or one-shots by different authors. Leaving a kudo as a first-time reader would be nice too. Then, after you have left a review, reply to their post here to let them know.

Your reviews should be thoughtful and show you have read the chapter/story. "Con-crit" "fandom-blind" and "from reddit" are opt in only. DO NOT include these in your review unless the author says you can. 

Deadline for entries: Sat May 2nd - 9 pm US Pacific PDT (UTC-0:700)

Deadline for reviews: Tues May 5th - 9 pm US Pacific PDT (UTC-0:700)

At the end of your post here, please keep track of the number of reviews you have made with something like "0/3 reviewed"

Trying something new can sometimes be scary, but necessary, for a character in their fic. For this activity, post an excerpt of your character doing something for the first time. Did they like/hate it? We're they instantly good, or had difficulty?

You may post multiple excerpts, but please do so in individual comments so replies are easier to understand. As always, engaging with and supporting other entries is encouraged!

In literature, sometimes the most iconic lines of a story are the very first or the very last ones:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" - A Tale of Two Cities (first line)

"Call me Ishmael" - Moby Dick (first line)

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect" - The Metamorphosis (first line)

"He loved Big Brother" - 1984 (last line)

“Anne’s diary ends here” - The Diary of a Young Girl (last line)

So I thought this might be quick and fun: pick one of your works (long fic, wip, or one-shot) and post the title along with the first/last lines (if it's a wip, post the last line you wrote so far). If it would help provide context, you may post the first/last two lines, but nothing more than that.

If you want to do multiple fics, you may do so in the same post as long as each one is labeled:

Title (long fic, wip, one-shot) -

First line(s) -

Last line(s) -

Then, comment on other posts if their lines grabbed your attention. Maybe you noticed a stark contrast between the two, or they just sounded interesting!