The 2024 Odd Squad Secret Valentine's Exchange -- Final Results and Summary · 9:40am February 25th
"But Seren, it's past V-Day."
"But Seren, you said you wouldn't be posting non-pony stuff on FiMFic anymore."
"But Seren, shouldn't you be writing Solar and Lunar? Or Double Residency?"
Look, let me get through this and then we'll all be happy. S' all I ask.
So let me loop you back into the know on what, exactly, the Secret Valentine's Exchange is.
Here on FiMFic, you have Jinglemas. Everyone and their mothers know about JInglemas. It's a community-honored tradition that's fun for everyone involved.
Take that, apply it to the Odd Squad Discord server, expand it so it also includes non-fanfic media, and you have the Secret Valentine's Exchange. You enter three prompts into a Google Form, along with any specific requests, then names get shuffled and you get assigned someone random, whereupon you can choose to do one of their prompts, two, or even all three. (Okay, in this instance, it wasn't so random. The organizer explicitly paired up people who don't interact all too much in the franchise's Discord server. Which, really, I'll take for ten online socialization points.)
I got paired up with Ravioliet, who pops out AU ideas like a gumball machine and could lead back-to-back TED Talks on each one. They have the passion, drive, and inspiration to make all sorts of hypothetical scenarios...and some incredibly cool fanart to go along with it. I've always joked that Sinking Ship Entertainment should really look to the fans in terms of hiring for quality improvements to the franchise, but if there's anyone I'm yoting clear into the office for an interview, it's Ravi by far.
Among their prompts was one involving two of their OCs, Oriole and Orion. As I have never written a story with anyone else's OC in the 12 years I've been writing fanfiction, I decided to take the challenge. There were visual references and everything. Anxiety over "oh God, am I going to butcher these characters or write them flawlessly?" could kick it to the curb and get concrete burn on the butt.
The only problem was that I had to sift through the entire server to dig up tidbits on them so I could write in-character. And for a lazy ADD-ridden dum-dum like myself, that's just a tad too time-consuming for my taste. So I asked for a character reference document, one that showcased their personalities and quirks. (I am staring at all of you. You better be taking notes. If I ever get a fic request involving your OC then I'd like for you to cough up a personality reference sheet. Unless you like to revel in my anxiety. You like to revel in my anxiety, don't you?)
They delivered. Ten days before the exchange's deadline. Procrastination is a bitch no one should wish on anyone.
So now I had ten days to write a banger of a fic with two OCs I had never written before. Really, it's nothing as nerve-wracking as, say, a driver's test, or applying for a first job...but lemme tell you, in the realm of hobbies, it's pretty up there. Lest you forget my ADD, laziness and procrastination are working together and conspiring against me 24/7, so I'll be working on the fic and suddenly feel the urge to write in Double Residency or Solar and Lunar.
At the time I had begun writing Ravi's fic, I had finished reading a little story about a relatively little princess who discovers the not-so-little, very incredible drug known as caffeine: Luna is a Coffee Addict.
And reading through the character personality document, it began clicking in my head. A story about Oriole, a girl who is barred from having caffeine...somehow having caffeine. And hopping over to pseudo-Starbucks to do it. And dragging her best friend and work partner along with her. It was perfect. I could bang that out easy, and make it distinct from Luna is a Coffee Addict!
...Okay, "easy" was a bit of an overstatement. Knowing I wouldn't be able to finish the fic in time, I asked for an extension. I figured I'd be the only one who didn't even get their gift for their Secret Valentine finished on V-Day. Slap "Biggest Loser" right on my forehead and call me Shirley.
...
Yeah, no. A ton of people asked for extensions.
(It'd be too much to wager that everyone asked for extensions.)
So I got an extra nine days, with a deadline of the 23rd. Plenty of time to finish the story.
To my relief, my recipient very much liked their gift. And I proved to the world that yes, Marmy can write other people's OCs without butchering them horribly (in the literal or the metaphorical sense, mind).
Now, is the fic good? Personally, I'd say no. It's a meager 4.7k words, but I can already see a ton of flaws with it.
Is it for a lack of trying? Busted my ass for 12 days to get this story done. Absolutely not on your life.
Maybe someday, I'll rewrite the story with its many flaws fixed. Who knows. You, the people reading this, will have to see where my "write by the seat of my pants" mentality goes.
Either way, if you want to read Burning Issue, it's here. Even if the story isn't all too great, it served as a good challenge for me, both in ponefics and non-ponefics.
Like I said before, this will be the last non-pony blog post. If you want more non-pony talk, peek at my Tumblr. That's where that stuff will go for the foreseeable future.
