An Updated Introduction · 2:24pm Nov 7th, 2017
Hey, Art here.
I've recently come into a fair amount of new follows. Maybe you appreciated something I wrote? Maybe you've just seen me release so many stories in a short space of time that you hit follow for the hell of it? Who knows? My reasons for following people are probably just as arbitrary as yours, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here, so I may as well allow you to get to know me a little.
So, I've been told by a good friend before that my blog posts are generally pretty fucking boring (so you know, that is verbatim), and I can imagine why. People who have followed me for a while may have seen that I generally post blogs regarding stories I've just released, in which case they're usually accompanied by a couple lines and an embed of said story, riveting stuff.
I'm going to try something different this time. Today, I'm going to talk about me, at least a little bit, and let you make your own opinions based on what I share.
First of all, I'm a university student. Not exactly a big secret that one, is it? As for what I study, that's English Language and Communications (as well as Mandarin, which I desperately need to catch up on). This means that I learn all those shitty nuances of grammar that no one cares about, know how to analyse a text (or anything with language in general, really), and have an understanding of the applications of English in the modern world, amongst other things.
Luckily, some of the skills I've picked up seem to translate into my writing pretty nicely. That is to say that I'm not a total fuckup when it comes to penning (or rather, typing) ponyfic, or whatever else I might be writing. In other words, I can take what in all honesty is a pretty mediocre idea and at least present it in a neat little bundle of prose. Not that any of my ideas are mediocre, of course. (Apart from the ones that are, which I won't name here. Christ, some are worse than that.)
What else can I tell you? I write a lot. At least, I write a lot by Fimfic's standards, and I've been labeled prolific a good few times. Why do I write a lot? How do I write a lot? What do I like to write? Will I burn out?
The answer to why is this: Writing relaxes me and I enjoy sharing my ideas. Pretty generic, I know (I can see what my friend meant by 'pretty fucking boring' now), but there's more to it. It's a means of catharsis, definitely, but it's also a great way to practice and hone my skills. That's pertinent in my essay writing, and will be in things I wish to pen in future, or may need to in further education or a job role. Basically, writing on Fimfic also helps me to become a better writer in general, which in turn means I produce better content for all of you. Everyone wins, really. (Unless you prefer the shitty writing, in which case I apologise and promise to get worse.)
How I write a lot: First of all, I have a really fucking weird sleep schedule. That makes a difference at times, because there are less distractions at night, etc. If it's a motivation question, music's a big help. Not worrying too much about making a process out of writing helps a great deal too. All that systematic, formulaic shit can really take the fun out of what you're doing. I suppose in regards to writing my philosophy is to sit down and do whatever you feel like doing. Recently I've been producing more, but I've gone days or weeks without writing a word of fiction since being on this site, don't be scared to do that.
...Or, you know, disregard everything I say on the topic. I'm the last person whose example you want to follow. That said, I can give writing advice, it's just generally not the same shit I actually practice.
What do I like to write? Adventure, comedy, romance, drama, you name it, really. I've used nearly all of the tags on the site by now, so I'm at least somewhat versed in everything. What I'd like my page to eventually be is a place that can satisfy almost any user's tastes to some degree, with the content coming out still being fresh, innovative, and in my own style. Like I said, no formulas, and that includes formulaic writing.
So you want a romance? I've got a few of those. You want a straight up comedy or political satire? Got a few of those too. Want a sad fic, or a horror story, a political thriller, or a SoL themed story, or even a drama? I've got all that shit and more, and this is only the first year.
But I'm not here to sell myself, I'm here to tell you about me. The last question on that little list there was whether I'll burn out. The answer to that is 'fuck knows'. (So you know, Fuck is an omniscient god.)
But seriously, how am I to know? I've started projects that have since been put on the back burner for a long time, but have also produced quite a lot more since then. Is that an indicator that I'll eventually lose momentum and stop writing completely? I just think it means I'm fickle, honestly.
And I am fickle. The reasonably manic output does come at a price, and that price is the content being varied and not always what I should be writing coming first. That being said, there are certain things that I do try to keep at the top of the list, especially when time constraints are involved.
So now you know that I'm a fickle student that likes to write. Fuck, I could have saved you five minutes and just said that. Shall we delve deeper?
I'm in a relationship. A very happy, two and a half year long one, with many more years to come if I play my cards right. My girlfriend is absolutely wonderful, and she's helped me to keep my head on straight these past couple of years when nasty things like crippling anxiety were attempting to bend me over and screw me.
Yeah, anxiety. That's a big one. It feels that way right now, at least.
Maybe that's one of the things that's contributed to my heightened site activity recently, maybe it isn't. I've thought about it, and I honestly couldn't tell you either way, because I'm pretty unsure myself. All you need to know is that I'm finding it unreasonably difficult to go to the dreaded outside and be a functioning human being right now, which means I may be pouring some of my excess energy into being creative. (Yes, I also study. I'm not actively trying to waste my life.)
Anyways, hopefully I get over that and go back to being able to do everything in a calm and happy manner again soon. What else?
You guys. You people that follow me and write things on my stories telling me how much you appreciate this, or don't like that, or whatever else. You guys are all fucking great. Of course, the kind words are often a lot more gratifying than the mean ones, and they make me really happy, but even the mean ones show me that someone has taken the time out of their day to say something harsh and scathing to me. I'm not trying to actively encourage that, but I suppose I am. If you hate my shit, or you hate something about my shit, or you just hate me for whatever reason, tell me! I'm curious as to why, and words are a brilliant way of letting me know.
But as for the people who say the nice things? Oh boy. It's really fucking flattering. Like seriously, it's a massive confidence boost, and it definitely motivates me to put out more content—it makes me feel as if I'm improving. So you get a big thank you, always!
Anyone in particular I'd like to say a few words on? Of course there is! Here are a few users (in no particular order) that deserve a little said on their behalf. After all, at least in the context of this site and my time spent on it, knowing these guys is knowing me:
Ceffyl Dwr: Dude's a legend, 'nuff said. But seriously, a very talented author, typically specialising in romance and drama, and a wonderfully insightful person. He and I spoke via PM when I had recently joined the site, and I'd like to think that his influence contributed to my early development as a writer as well as my current! He's also just a straight up lovely guy, very fun to talk to and a great laugh, and invaluable when it comes to advice, whether that be in writing or other things.
It's not all one sided though. I like to think that I managed to play a very small part in dragging Ceffyl back onto this site, where he currently appears to be quite happy, so I'm proud of myself for that. Me and him are currently in the planning stage of what should be a fairly hilarious project, more on that when I have something concrete to share!
ChappedPenguinLips: Me and Chappie met through a Discord server, and instantly got talking after working out that we both appreciated rap music. Things took off from there and I got to know this all around awesome guy, always enthusiastic and nearly always with something worthwhile to say. (Sometimes it's just a meme, after all.) But seriously, this guy's awesome, and as a story approver he contributes to the site by doing the read read, approve approve stuff. It's in the name, really.
Chapped is also a better writer than he give himself credit for. Read one of his stories.
JackRipper: This is another awesome guy, also a story approver. Me and Jack actually met through me asking him to review one of my stories in a blog post on his page, back when I had like twenty followers and needed all the exposure I could get.
What I got was a really polite guy who had some positive things to say about my story, and that wasn't all. I got asked questions, we eventually got to talking, and now we talk pretty often. You've been great to me since we started talking, mate, and I'm glad to have met you. Jack's also a great writer in his own right, and likes to produce evocative stories with strong emotional impact. If you're in the market for something that'll make you feel, he's got a story for it!
Doctor Disco: Another great guy that I talk to whenever I get the chance. I'm immensely grateful to him for pulling me onto a project that actually allowed me to meet quite a few of the users I talk to now. If anything, he helped open me up to the people of this site.
Disco's an awesome writer with a lot or imagination and often something funny to say (a lot of his stories are similarly funny), he's also quite the prolific author, so you can expect something good from him often!
B_25: Tea or coffee?
That's the first question this dude ever asked me, and it doubled as our introduction. When I responded that I didn't drink either because I purposely avoid caffeine, he thought I was a total monster and ran away.
And then, some weeks later, I commented on a blog post of his. I wrote some long rambling shit as I always do whenever I have an opinion on something, and he seemed to appreciate it. Soon after, I get a pretty comprehensive and complimentary comment on one of my stories from him, and we began talking more from there.
B is a great guy. He's really devoted to writing, and has a lot of talent to share, even if he doesn't see it all of the time. I'm glad to have met you mate, and I've gotta thank you for any good advice you've given me about writing or just things in general (my boy's a philosopher, don't you know?), and for introducing me to yet more people on the site.
Not Enough Coffee: This dude is absolutely brilliant to talk to. I've not known him very long, but the conversations are always interesting, he's really friendly and approachable, and generally just an all around great guy. Also, he's got a great taste in music, and he's a good laugh too.
Also, he's a writer. I've not had the chance to read too much of his stuff yet, but what I've seen is definitely good, and not the kind of writing you expect from someone that hasn't been on the site for long at all. Go and check him out.
There are other people I would mention but I don't know if I know them well enough to do so. I wouldn't want to repeat the generic 'I like this person' comments over and over. Everyone I've talked to on Fimfic is inherently awesome in some way or another, don't worry. (Except you reading this now, you're shit. Yup, even if you're on the list, sorry.)
Oh yeah, before I forget? Go and follow all of those dudes. I am, and it's great.
So what was this introduction? A little about me, a little about you guys, a little about my writing, and a little about some of the awesome users on this site. Well, I'm pretty happy with that.
...Yeah, I know, 'pretty fucking boring'. I'll get back to writing horsewords instead.
But seriously, if you reached the end, thanks for putting up with my talk talk talking, pat yourself on the back.
And also, comment! Say whatever you like. If you follow me and I don't know you, I'd like to have a chance to know what you're about. Can be as little as a sentence or the opposite for all I care, I want people to feel that they can be social here!
Thanks for reading!
AAIQU
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Chappie isn't the only one with memes!
All jokes aside, however, you are one fantastic dude. Never would've imagined becoming your friend when I came onto the site myself, but here we are now. Wow! And look at all this horse fame. Trash! Heh, you deserve it mate. Up and at 'em!
And I truly appreciate the comment about always having something funny to say. Thanks mate!
Allons-y!
Nice to get to know you know you a bit more, man. You seem like a pretty cool guy. /) Been meaning to just pop in and randomly say hi to you, but eh. I’m an awkward little shit.
I guess I should add a few words about yours truly.
The three things I’m not sure I’d manage to live without: Friends, drawing and music. Friends are awesome to have. Drawing is the one thing I can do decently, and want to put time into. Coping. And music’s just great in so many ways.
I’m whiny, a bit too talkative and very moody at times. The kind of person you’d come to regret putting into your life. According to others, I’m ‘nice’, ‘fun to talk to’, ‘understanding’, ‘loving’, and other crazy shit like that at times. I can’t say I believe that much.
More boring stuff. If you’re still here, why? You shouldn’t be. Anyways, apart from what I’ve mentioned, I like reading, writing, playing chess, chatting, hanging out, drinking, cooking on occasion, learning things, stuff like that. All to an extent. And I have a cat.
All in all, I’m a sad little nerd.
(I wrote too much.)
I love you.
Well now I know my place in the world.
Let's talk about art. So, this guy here is a wealth of knowledge. Every time I talk to Art I either learn something new, or more about myself. The extensive talks about whatever on Discord always brings a smile to my face, especially when he shares his ideas. . In fact, I'm humbled and honored to have helped Art with some of his most recent works. I also jump in joy when I wake up to see a message form him
I think anyone reading this should read more of his serious stuff. I know this guy is fun, and a good laugh, but his deeper works tend to shine compared to his comedy. I hope to make more happy moments with him, and I hope others will as well.
I'm insanely jealous of your talent and your ability to output words. I love your rants and when you go off the rails, but, more importantly, your beard.
am now your rival.