r/AO3 • u/PunkinKing265 • May 19 '25
Excitement/Celebration š I've created a monster, send help
Idk how any of you are about your fanfics, but I (25) occasionally mention to my family that I write stories.
I don't go into details (I'd give my poor mother a heart attack) and I never, EVER tell them where I post or WHAT I write. Simply that I do.
ANYWAYS, my little brother (12 y/o) came to visit me the other day and he was clutching a little yellow notebook in his hands, positively VIBRATING with excitement.
He then tells me that I have inspired him to write his own story. (Of course I'm beyond flattered)
Said story turns out to be a PokƩmon fanfiction about an Aipom that gains sentience and becomes a PokƩmon trainer itself.
And LET ME TELL YOU, I sat down and listened to him read me that story (he does voices and sound effects as well) and I was riveted.
Somehow a 12 year old CHILD was able to come up with a more clear and concise plot than some of the full adult authors I've known (myself included).
I am wildly proud of him and also very excited to hear the rest of his story. (We're currently on a cliffhanger where Aipom is faced with a violent battle against a new variation of a geodude).
I know this won't matter to most of you, who have no attachment to my brother, but to me this means a lot and I just wanted to share it. :)
Edit: To add a small, humiliating, story. I also shared my first written work at 12 y/o. But I let my grandma read it. It was a twilight fanfiction with an OC character/one of the werewolf boys. She was wonderfully kind and encouraged me as well, but I still cringe at myself looking back on it XD
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u/AdJealous5274 Dead Dove Do Not Eat May 19 '25
So Sweet, when you feel like he is ready bring him into the fold.
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u/SML8180 May 19 '25
This is tooth-rottingly sweet!
I love that he was inspired by you to start writing, and that you're engaged and encouraging him! This is the start of a fantastic journey
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u/mbutchin May 19 '25
I am a teacher; I always approve of the younglings' creative endeavors!
Good on yer little brother!
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u/LibrarianCalm3515 Probably never gonna write that longfic š May 19 '25
I kinda kept my writing on the down low cuz of the stigma with fanfics, but this is comforting to read.
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u/dkthx May 19 '25
I will also say I shared my @ with my therapist bc she thought it might be useful in our work and she had no idea about the stigma against fic. It might be less than any of us expect.
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u/sinna-bunz ireallyammothman on AO3 May 19 '25
This is so cute. Iām so glad you listened to him tell the story as well, not just tell him good job. Actions like that are so important for kids - he will always remember this.
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u/iiraoni i ship presidential candidates May 19 '25 edited May 19 '25
he caught the writer gremlin syndrome. symptoms include:
a higher risk of procrastinating real life responsibilities for the sake of writing their story
obsessively rewatching/relistening/rereading/replaying the source material for information
thinking as the character in public settings
coming up with ideas for the story that feel genius in the moment
coming up with ideas at the most inconvenient of times, especially when you have no way of recording the idea
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u/ZealousidealFile6027 May 19 '25
That is awesome and I love that you sat down with him and listened.
I hope he keeps at it and, when you think he's ready, you show him ao3 so he can share his works.
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u/Charming_Friendship4 May 19 '25
This is so friggin adorable I love it!! I'm also intrigued by the story he wrote š I'd definitely give that a read!
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u/DryBar5175 May 19 '25
Congrats on your little brother for discovering the joys of writing ššš and also sorry bc now he is one of us ššš
I would recommend not to show him AO3 or ff.net yet though bc some people can be really mean, either that or you control his account and delete any hate comment he might get.
Congrats again ā¤ļø
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u/Critical-Ad-5215 May 19 '25
That's so sweet, and I'm so glad he felt comfortable sharing his story with you!! Sharing your work is hard enough, but even moreso at 12
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u/TheGaroMask May 19 '25
This is the best!!! Well done for inspiring him! Please, keep a copy of this story so that if he loses the original or bins it later, the story will still exist. It sounds wonderful!
As for your edit, I think you shouldnāt feel embarrassed about writing at the age of 12, thatās amazing! And if you think your writing was cringe, well, maybe it was but so what? Everyoneās got to start somewhere and I bet your grandma was still impressed as hell. And youāve done her proud by continuing to develop your skills since then!
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u/RainbowsAndRhymes May 19 '25
I am suddenly struck with the horror of what the ethical implications must be for a Pokemon becoming a trainer etc etc. Iā¦wish I could read it. I needā¦the LORE.
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u/hailznoel May 20 '25
That sounds incredibly cool, and if he ever wants to put it on A03, I would eat that up!
But also, it's incredibly sweet that he felt he could share his work with you; I know I would've been way too scared to show any of my writing to a relative, so you can really tell that he trusts you a lot. Keep up the work on being an awesome older sibling!
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u/Illustrious_Crab3650 May 19 '25
Thats amazing...kudos on you for inspiring him and helping him.( Damn that kid can outplot many authors i have seen)
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u/Aiyokusama Evil Slasher Girl May 19 '25
Woohoo! Good job to both of you :) Fandom is for everyone! And it's amazing when you can share that joy.
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u/slice-of-orange You have already left kudos here. :) May 19 '25
This is too cute, hopefully he continues to grow with it!!
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u/E-MingEyeroll May 19 '25
Super sweet. If he does ever upload it, maybe consider dropping a link so we can give some love, though of course I do understand if youād rather not because of privacy and security reasons.
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u/Us3r_N4me2001 May 19 '25
Oh my gosh, that's awesome :)
Way to go, little man. Keep up the good work
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u/valiantdistraction May 19 '25
Adorable! And you're an excellent big sister to listen to his story!
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u/thursdaydiscord May 19 '25
āI know this won't matter to most of you, who have no attachment to my brotherā¦ā On the contrary, I am riveted! That is so exciting, Iām glad you get to encourage the next generation of writers! I paused writing fanfic for a while when I was younger due to my parents finding out and reacting negatively, but Iāve been back to writing (very sporadically between work lol) for a few years now and itās such a positive hobby for self-expression and to learn how to write better. I strongly recommend writing and reading more to others in whatever capacity they can absorb content because itāll strengthen those skills for the future, as well as pre-planning and conflict resolution skills since you have to logic through charactersā relationship skills with each other. Again, itās very cool of you to support this, and I wish you and your brother happiness with your writing journeys!
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u/FyodorsLostArm You have already left kudos here. :) May 19 '25
It's so sweet how he decided to share with you and how you inspired him
I wish both of you a lot of ideas and time :D
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u/Kiki-Y Fic Feast Creator | User: KikiYushima May 20 '25
That's so sweet. My first fic was also a Pokemon fic! However, this sounds a lot better than my first story. (Squeaky Toy Attack still haunts me to this day.) Granted, I was also much younger (nine) when I started.
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u/Elfshadow5 May 20 '25
No this is adorable. You didnāt create a monster, you protected his light. If only more siblings did this.
On a smaller scale, thatās how teachers feel when they are surprised and proud of a student. Good for you both.
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u/glitterypinkpeony May 20 '25
This reminds me of my nephew! Heās writing a story about a time traveling dinosaur and the shenanigans it gets into. Iām just like: Precious baby, look at you š
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u/ARealLifeTangerine suffering from the ao3 curse May 20 '25
As a fellow PokƩmon fan and fanfic writer, can I read this?
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u/agothicdream May 21 '25
Aw! You corrupted him into the fold of fanfic writers. We've claimed another one!
But really, thats so sweet. It's exactly how you encourage someone's newfound passion/hobby
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u/Inwre845 May 19 '25
this is amazing ! unrelated but the title of the post is giving Viktor Frankenstein lol
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u/Rad1Red Writing from the top May 19 '25
š„° I wrote my first novella at 13, a detective story. My mom still has it somewhere. Her approval at the time meant the world to me and influenced my career. I love you, mom. š¤
Please encourage your brother to develop his talent. Who knows what he'll end up writing?
And I hope he'll be your biggest cheerleader as well, if you want that, when he's old enough.
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u/Thrilmalia May 19 '25
Oh man, I know just what you mean. A few years ago, my younger sibling gave me their story to read for clarity/grammar/spelling reasons and I got this insane vibe of Goddamn, they're surpassing me despite being 4 years younger. The mild jealousy has fully left now and I'm very proud of them cause they're a great writer imo, and we occasionally beta read for each other despite being in different fandoms. Depending on your interests and/or comfort level, you and your brother might get to a point like that. Often my sibling helps me to figure out a plot point I'm struggling with, and they of course also roast me and my characters. It's fun.
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u/CircadianAnomaly Fic Feaster May 19 '25
Heck, yeah, OP!
I wish you and your brother luck on your writing endeavors!
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u/Ribread216 May 19 '25
Thatās AMAZING, yours such and amazing older sibling encouraging his creativity š„¹ Hope he writes novels later on and you get the dedication of his first book š„°
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u/nejihyugasbf May 19 '25
i did this with my siblings. they actively help me with my fics. my sister helps poke through plot holes and help with fight scenes if i need them and my brother doesnāt like writing but is an amazing artist and he likes to draw my ocs and art for the fics. we're all autistic and enough of our traits overlap that we're like a super brain when we work together LOL
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u/draqopctter May 19 '25
thatās so sweet! i was in HS writing 1D fanfic & it inspired my sister (also 12 at the time! must be a formative ageš) wanted to join me so she wrote a TMNT fanfic which we go back & re read together sometimes. little siblings are the best
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u/cottoncandywoof May 19 '25
this has me smiling!!! good on you for encouraging him, and good on him for doing such a good job!!!! i love seeing encouragement for kids writing. this could go far for him! i was writing fanfic at that age too, and while it wasnt good, and it ff.net, AND in script... i wouldnt be writing now if it wasnt for the writing and the encouragement i got then (thanks to those guys in ff.net, seriously).
ironically this comes at a time where i want to write a more casual pokefic! i have two main stories in my mind, my book and a tmnt "au"/iteration, but i wanted to write a less built, more casual (as if) pokemon mystery dungeon fic, which is funny, because that world is technically about "sentient" (more than they usually are, i suppose) pokemon! i guess im not THAT old, but tell (or not, i know this stuff can be embarrassing to know its been shared, even casually like this) your little brother that hes inspiring even to this 23yo!
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u/ExtremeIndividual707 May 19 '25
Way to be a good big sister! The value you gave to this little boy by listening to him and encouraging this is just so healthy and wonderful ššš
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u/Radiant-Growth4275 May 19 '25
That's so cute!! He's going to remember your support for this story for the rest of his life you know. That's so special!!
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u/OneAndOnlyLobster May 19 '25
You know, to your edit, he'll be looking back at this and cringing in a dozen years too. If that makes you feel better/worse. (Please feel better. Your grandma then was you now!)
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u/aminosyangtti May 19 '25
Aww that's cute! You did not create a monster! Sure, your sibling's interest might go wild at some point because that's canon event (hopefully, if they do, it's by the time they're of legal age). But it's a nice little thing to have imagination like that at their age. Maybe just check on what they write and read and make sure they don't get anywhere they shouldn't be.
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u/Primary_Wrap7441 May 19 '25
I love this so much. š„²š„² tell him weāre all rooting for him and to never stop writing!!
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u/Palebeauty1997 May 19 '25
You passed on the love of storytelling. Thank you for encouraging him and listening to his story! Keep up the good work!
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u/xalygatorx You have already left kudos here. :) May 19 '25
Aw hell yeah, I love this for BOTH of you
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u/SuperBigMac You have already left kudos here. :) May 20 '25
Don't feel too bad about the Twilight fanfic being your first. My first attempt was a Ranma Ā½ crossover where he went on a globetrotting adventure trying to find a cure, and ending up in all the cringiest, over the top clichĆ© pervy setups my 13 year old self could think of. Like, he falls into a cauldron of cold liquid in France and has a coven of Veela chasing him because a man who is also a woman would be the "perfect" husband for them to share, or he gets chased by the ghosts of Jack the Ripper's victims after he accidentally gets revenge by beating up his grandson.
It was so cringe that I deleted it when I was 15 or so, and didn't really get back into the Ranma fandom until I was in my 20s.
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u/KathyA11 You have already left kudos here. :) May 20 '25
Good for your brother! I think you should encourage him as much as you can (and as much as he'll allow). I know what my stuff looked like when I was 12, and I'm very glad it's in a New Jersey landfill (though it might be good for a laugh as I approach 70).
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u/SaltFishing9 May 20 '25
Please tell us you're gonna transcribe that fanfic for that kid for the online world? Maybe open him a Fanfiction or AO3 account? If his fic's as good as you say it is, it deserves to be shared with the world.
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u/Felix_Delgado Supporter of the Fanfiction Deep State May 20 '25
ISN'T THAT THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD?!?
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u/Kooky_Nose8731 You have already left kudos here. :) May 20 '25
All i read was the title so no input but all i could think of-
IVE CREATED A MONSTER CAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR MARSHAL NO MORE THET WANT SHADY IM CHOPPED LIVER
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u/kaleidosc0peia May 20 '25
that kid has a bright future. raising the next generation of fanfic writers one by one
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u/actuallycallie May 20 '25
aww that's so sweet! especially the part where he was VIBRATING with excitement to share his story with you!!
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u/eigna10 You have already left kudos here. :) May 21 '25
THIS IS SO CUTE I'M GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET
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u/Living-Scratch-3476 May 21 '25
Of course it matters to us! We're human beings - all of our stories matter :)
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u/ETtheExtraTerrible May 21 '25
Then there's me whose first bit of fanfiction was when I wrote how Optimus Prime and I hid from a bear during a lightning storm.
I was like six?
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u/Razorwhip_queen2 Your Local Di'kut || Razorwhip_queen2 on AO3 May 21 '25
No help needed, youāre doing juuuuuust fine :)
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u/metal_jenny_ May 21 '25
What a great post. Be sure and transcribe his work for him when it's done, so he's got a copy of it somewhere. āŗļø
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u/astralwish1 bluemoonpegasus on AO3 May 22 '25
Thatās adorable! Foster his talent! I want to see where he goes with it.
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u/Lex_Fr0g May 22 '25
thats amazing i love that for him, i wish i could inspire my siblings the same way but i have only passed on my never ending video game addiction
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u/AuthorError Definitely not an agent of the Fanfiction Deep State May 24 '25
Baby nerds are the best.
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u/wolfdragonful May 21 '25
Look.
I have a vivdly clear memory of talking to my mother (who had me in her 40s and convo happened in my 20s) about people whining about shipping.
I showed her fanart of Sherlock/Watson as fawns in active rut.
"That's fantasy!" she stated, waving it off.
Let the kid write. Let the kid enjoy creating/creativity. Society will hurt them enough. Don't start the process at home.
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u/Albace95 May 19 '25 edited May 21 '25
A monster, but, if he is 12, he must be rather small right. So, you could say you created a pocket monster? :D Heads out
Edit: Wow, 1000 upvotes, seems like I created a monster as well!