crazypenguinwriter

[crazypenguinwriter]

I am honored to have @rainbow-jabka translate the Foxytale series in Russian! AND THEY HAVE AN AWESOME ART PIECE AS COVER ART I MEAN LOOK AT IT I'M SO SO IN LOVE IT'S AMAZING!!!

So anyways, go check both the translation (link is in the reblogged post) and the artist @impipa out and give them some love!

woah what is it? yay, the first post in a long long time!

I'm so honored to do the translation of awesome @crazypenguinwriter fic series w Foxes in different fairytales au!!

also here's the cover for the translation of the 1st fic where Nicky is our little merman (and prince Erik is there too ofc) - made by lovely @impipa 🤩

gooo and check The Little Merman: here

OR the Russian translation: here

[crazypenguinwriter]

No Update Today

Hey all, no Foxytales Cinderella chapter update today. This week was a bitch and a half, and honestly I'm not going to force myself to finish it right now.

One of the things this week threw at me was my cat maybe being sick. The vet says it's probably stress (and he is a stressed mf'er, my little baby scaredy cat) and to come back if either more symptoms start to show or his symptoms get worse/stay the same for quite a while, so fingers crossed it's just stress. We've been doing some modifications around the house to reduce possible stress-factors (like giving him a bed that's closed, they call it a 'cat-house' on the website we got it at, and trying to be less noisy ourselves around him), so I really hope he'll get better soon. It's on my mind a lot if you can't tell from the ramble.

Anyways, see you next time!

Lots of Love,

Penn

[crazypenguinwriter]

The fourth installment of Foxytales!

And this time, we're covering Cinderella! A ball, political business, side-eyeing the Ravens and Moriyama's... all the while one girl escapes her situation temporarily to feel at ease (and maybe fall in love...). I cannot say more without revealing the entire plot, but just know that it's one of my favorite stories so far.

Please go give it a read!

[crazypenguinwriter]

Foxytales part 3!

And once again the Foxytales continues, with a one-shot this time!

It's about Renee and Allison, during the time Renee went on a solo-quest in The Prince and the Pea. No romance this time around, though I am still debating whether to make Renison an item in this world, so it can be viewed as a stepping stone in their relationship.

Anyways, next time a big ball will be held in Palmetto Castle, as someone got engaged and needs to let the whole world know (even though he doesn't really want to). And as we all know, a ball is a perfect way to provide an escape to individuals...

Feel free to guess what fairytale I'll be covering (that one should be obvious, but hey, maybe I'll learn something new), who's gotten themselves engaged (there's been a hint in The Prince and the Pea *wiggles eyebrows*) and which individuals (there's two, and unfortunately none of them is ma boy Neil yet) the latter sentence is referring to (one of them will be more of a guess than the other, but for one I can give a hint: the timeline in my series is coming up to a certain winter banquet from the AFTG series...)

Anyways, I hope you will enjoy this story! Penn out.

[crazypenguinwriter]

And now this one is also finished! Go read it if you're interested!

I don't know whether the next story will be up on Saturday, but I will try my best and see what happens!

The next story will feature a sweet knight on a mission to pay for her past and a rich girl who hates her parents, especially since they've locked her up...

Foxytales continues...

So, the story of our Foxes in Foxytales (fairytales+foxes=foxytales) continues, this time with Dan and Matt!

Go give it a read if you're interested! I will post the next chapter next week, probably (both want and don't want to follow a strict schedule, so I'm undecided but trying to keep up anyways).

[crazypenguinwriter]

Foxytales continues...

So, the story of our Foxes in Foxytales (fairytales+foxes=foxytales) continues, this time with Dan and Matt!

Go give it a read if you're interested! I will post the next chapter next week, probably (both want and don't want to follow a strict schedule, so I'm undecided but trying to keep up anyways).

[crazypenguinwriter]

Right, considering the current state of corporate politics on this site, and that it seems that only those affected seem to be actively speaking on the matter, it is up to I, the only fucking cishet on tumblr, to drag this out to a wider audience.

REBLOG IF YOUR ACCOUNT IS A TRANSFEM SAFE SPACE.

We need to show these higher ups how much we truly value them.

[crazypenguinwriter]

I finished it! The Little Merman is done and the story will continue in the rest of the series, if you wanna give it a go.

Next story can be uploaded next week, maybe the week after, I don't really know yet.

It'll feature a girl fed up with her suitors, a magical pea and sensitive boys going through a wringer, if you catch my drift ;)

Lots of Love,

Penn

So I did a thing...

It's been quite a shitty week and honestly I'm so over it, but I also really wanted to finally post my fairytale AU so I did.

Go give it a read if you like AFTG and like fairytales. This first one will be about Nicky and Erik, with the other Foxes joining soon. I have planned all their fairytales out, but feel free to guess or give suggestions, as I'd love to hear those.

Okay I'm going to bed now. It's 2:44 and I unfortunately need to be able to function tomorrow.

xoxo

Penn

[crazypenguinwriter]

So I did a thing...

It's been quite a shitty week and honestly I'm so over it, but I also really wanted to finally post my fairytale AU so I did.

Go give it a read if you like AFTG and like fairytales. This first one will be about Nicky and Erik, with the other Foxes joining soon. I have planned all their fairytales out, but feel free to guess or give suggestions, as I'd love to hear those.

Okay I'm going to bed now. It's 2:44 and I unfortunately need to be able to function tomorrow.

xoxo

Penn

[crazypenguinwriter]

Hey, reblog this if you’re ok with mutuals messaging you and stuff!

Asking for my sanity :]

[crazypenguinwriter]

Character Creation

I wanna give my two cents on something.

So like, I've started to come across a lot of posts on Pinterest about creating entire lists on your characters from their name to their favorite plants and the way they count on their hands. And while there's nothing wrong with making lists for your characters, you don't need to know the favorite snack of every character you create. If you ask me, the most important things you need to know about your character are quite simple:

Their full name (including second, third, however many names they have)

Their age (you can do this approximately, if you don't know an exact number)

Their basic appearance (color of hair, eyes, are they tall/short/broad/slim). Do note the word 'basic', no details are necessary (though if a character has a trinket of some kind they always wear for whatever reason, this is included in the list)

Their personality, or what defines them. This helps you give them a correct voice (hotheads react and act differently than those with a level head) and can help you figure out how they'd interact with other characters. Now do note that this shouldn't be an entire essay or even a long list, as you should be able to see what's up with a quick glance.

Background. This includes family, friends, how they grew up... This one will be the longest, but shouldn't be too detailed either. Just enough to help you see where the character came from and what defines them, what goals they might have and what morals they gained overtime. These can tie back into their personality (and usually do, if I'm honest. We're a complex being filled with mannerisms that come from our history and culture we grew up in, so of course your character's personality is linked with their background)

Other things. Now this one is very, very vague, but here is where I usually put things that define my character but don't fit any of the previously mentioned things. Their favorite plant, if it's relevant to the story in some way (or you just got inspiration and wanted to put it in).

Do keep in mind that this is how I do character creation, and what works for me. If you're more inclined to fill in the essays and long lists of questions for each and every character go ahead, don't let me stop you. I just think that it's quite time-consuming, and I'd rather spend that time either writing the story or being busy with the world-building. Besides, characters change all the time, as we all do. Hotheads can learn to be calmer, level headed characters can learn to let lose and explode, naïve characters grow up and learn to be skeptical... The possibilities are endless, which is why I do my character creation this way. I also usually start with the most important characters (the protagonists, the antagonists) and add others when the plot demands me to. And I spend a long time plotting, so some characters get scrapped or rewritten so many times I've lost count, and I'm not going to spend every time that happens on the '50 questions I need to know about your characters' when I can be writing and rewriting the plot for the umpteenth time.

Anyways, that's my two cents on the topic. Have fun creating!

[crazypenguinwriter]

When you post a new chapter on your fanfic after almost a month of inactivity bc of school and distractions, and then leave it on the cliffhanger with one of the characters dying.

I love being a writer.

[crazypenguinwriter]

Me, in the morning: Okay, today is the day. We’re going to work on this story again! I have everything set up: laptop with Word open, YouTube with the playlist I made for this story to give me inspiration when I hit another block, Pinterest for the Dialogue Prompts... I can do this!

Me, in the evening: *while closing off after another day I spend watching True Crime/new videos from people I follow/listening to random songs and silently singing and or mouthing along/reading fanfics on AO3/playing the Sims4 (and probably creating a new family yet again, bc I’m hopeless like that)/basically doing anything but work on the story* *sees I have Word open with the document containing the story I wanted to work on* *stares at it* *sighs and bangs my head against my desk*

[crazypenguinwriter]

AFTG Headcanon involving the most ADORABLE blanket in existence

SO, a friend of mine had sent me a picture with her wearing this gorgeous blanket:

And the moment I saw it, I thought of Nicky buying one for every single one of the foxes and them wearing these during movie nights or when it’s cold.

To give you all a better idea of what it is: it’s being sold as a fox ‘snuggle blanket’ by the Dutch company HEMA for €12,50 (which is $14,69 according to Google, for all the Americans out there) and it’s literally a blanket with a hood and pockets to put your hands in (which are AMAZIIIIIINNGG). I bought one myself recently and fell in love with it all over again, and since it has a fox-design as a hood (no stitched-on claws near the pockets for your hands unfortunately, bc that would have been even more awesome and adorable), it’s a perfect thing for the Foxes to have.

So now I imagine Nicky seeing these when visiting Erik and going to the Netherlands for some reason (maybe to see some sights, as the region I’m from has a lot of German tourists all year long, since it’s so close to the border and apperantly has a great river and nature or whatever; I never understood this, but who’s gonna question the tourist? Not me), and Nicky seeing this in the HEMA. So of course he buys one for all of the foxes, causing them to be sold out at that particular HEMA and bringing them back to them when he returns to America. Matt immediately loves it because it’s a great excuse to go hug Dan and Neil at random moments (since it’s a ‘snuggle’ blanket). Dan likes it because it’s cozy and gives her an excuse to have more movie nights where she takes pictures of the entire team sitting in their mandatory blankets to put on the wall. Allison loves it because it’s the best blanket to use after having a shower, since it’s softer than bathrobes and she especially gets cold after showering in the winter, something the blanket helps for as well. Renee likes it because she knows she’ll use it after graduation and just like her uniform, it will remind her of the Foxes and everything they all had gone through and achieved as a team and individuals. Nicky obviously loves it to curl up in front of the tv or when he had just woken up and was stumbling through the place trying to get to the coffee while staying warm and cozy. Aaron only accepted it because Nicky insisted and Andrew sometimes uses it, and he likes to put it on when he and Katelyn stay in on date-night and just cuddle on the couch (again, it’s a ‘snuggle’ blanket, so you’re almost obliged to grab someone to cuddle with when wearing it), so it’s usually at her place (and she uses it as well). Kevin likes the idea of it being another thing that bring the Foxes together as a team, but when it’s late at night and he’s studying he always uses the fox-blanket instead of a regular one, since it’s more comfortable and warm. Neil loves everything fox-related (personal headcanon of mine; whenever Neil sees something with a fox on it, he has to buy it, since he loves to collect memories of them and the fox-things help him remind himself of the team and everyone in it), and uses it frequently when wandering around the room on a lazy day. Andrew likes it because it’s warmer than a usual blanket (since it covers your head with the hood) and because he knows of Neil’s obsession with everything foxy and secretly thinks that’s adorable, which made him raise the percentage out loud when he sees Neil walking around with the blanket. He is also frequently seen with the blanket on, so when he and Neil both have the blanket on and they cuddle on the couch (watching Exy games or something), he usually hugs Neil from behind to let Neil know he wants to cuddle (I think they get over some ‘yes or no’ questions and use actions instead to make their intentions clear at some moment, when Andrew feels a lot better in his own skin and his relationship with Neil; it’s still usually Andrew using the actions instead of Neil, since he doesn’t want to unintentionally upset Andrew by suddenly touching him without consent) and they snuggle together on the couch, usually falling asleep like this at some point, which adds another picture of the two of them on the wall, in their fox-blankets, Neil on top of Andrew and Andrew having both arms around Neil, hood covering most of his face. And last but not least, Nicky also buys one for Wymack, who begrudgingly accepted and secretly adores it. He uses it in the morning while making coffee to fuel his energy for the day, so none of the Foxes knows he does (which is another ongoing bet) but both Abby and Betsy have seen him with it, Abby smiling sweetly and Betsy smiling amused when they meet up in his apartment for whatever business or meeting they had planned that day.

So yeah, this is my personal headcanon involving these adorable blankets! This might be all gibberish for non-AFTG fans, but IDGAF. These blankets are adorable and I wanted my babies to enjoy them as well, even if that’s only in my head.

LOL (Lots Of Love)

Penn

[crazypenguinwriter]

Creating A Title

You’ll probably look at the title of this post and think I have some magical formula, the answer to the most annoying problem when writing: what will I call this story? Well...

I don’t. I don’t know the perfect solution, I struggle with this issue with almost every story I write.

But, I do have some advice, advice that has helped me as well.

You see, I am learning to become a teacher (the real study I do is called ‘Academische Pabo’, or in English: ‘Academic Teacher’s College’, if I have to believe reverso context; it’s a little more complicated than this, but basically I do both a universal and a college education, but then combined. This means I will have two diploma’s in five years, and therefore will have more knowledge and more options to chose from when looking for a job, although I really, really want to become a teacher, so yeah), and one time, we had to create a creative writing lesson. My idea was based on a lesson I had on my own, when I was 8/9. So basically, we had to name a word (either an article, an adjective or a noun) and our teacher would place those together and create titles (for example, the purple rabbit, or a good skyscraper) and then chose one title to write a story for.

I relayed that idea to my professor, and she immediately told me not to. When I asked why, she said something like: “The title comes last. You first create the story, and then come up with a title.”

Needless to say I was a little flabbergasted, because yeah, that is true. A title has to fit the story you want to write after all, so it made perfect sense to first write down the story and then come up with a fitting title. It surprised me that I hadn’t realized that sooner, since it sounded so obvious.

So yeah, long story short, I changed the lesson, gave it to the class I was having my internship at and they all had a blast writing their stories, and then continued using the advice my professor gave me when I began a new story.

It helps me, as knowing I don’t need to have a title right away gives me the peace of mind to just create the characters, make up the plot and then just start writing.

And to be fair, the best inspiration hits me on unexpected moments anyways. Like, in the middle of the shower, which means I either have to jump out, run towards anything I can write on and write it down, or kind of sing-song the thing I want to remember because otherwise I’d forget. So not having a title and just having one hit me in the face days after I started writing the story helps me create ones that make me smile and think ‘Yes, that’s the one.’

One example of this is a story about two singing groups who are rivals and have been for years, but only because the schools they’re based in are rivals, and those schools are rivals because the people that own them are in a long-standing family feud and their heads feel the need to show off their business by competing against each other and seeing who comes out on top. On every. little. thing.

So it’s no surprise that the son of one of those heads gets enough, runs away, is kidnapped back (the police found him and brought him back against his wishes but in favor of those of his parents) and ends up in one of those groups, but instead of fighting against the other group, he proposes they make an end to it once and for all by entering a nation-wide competition together.

There’s a lot more drama and shit involved, but this is the basic premise of that story. A story I started writing without having a title.

That is, until I listened to a song called Stand Out, Fit In, by One OK Rock. And it fit perfectly. With everything I wanted this story to be, with the plot, with most characters, with what the protagonist is fighting against by going against his family. And that’s when the top of my Word document with that story changed from ‘No title yet; musical-book’ to ‘Stand Out, Fit In’.

Since I have no idea where I can post original content online apart from Wattpad and feel like I’ve outgrown that, I will probably just write and read it on my own before maybe gaining enough courage to send it to a publisher and then yeet my laptop out of the window because wait why did I just send it oh my God they’re gonna hate it they’re gonna hate me fuck. But yeah, it’s one example of me creating a title after I had already started writing the plot/story and then being hit with inspiration.

So yeah, in conclusion: don’t try and crack your head open because you need to have one right this instant. Just start writing the story and let inspiration hit you. You can’t force it, even if you want your story to be out in the world right the instance you put some letters on paper. Just let it come naturally, because in my experience, the best ideas come that way.

I hope this helps! Thanks for reading this long-ass text!

LOL xxx

Penn

[crazypenguinwriter]

Introduction

Hello! Welcome to my blog!

On this blog I will post things I do as an amateur writer (what books/fanfics I’m working on, struggles, you know the drill) and I will give tips and trics on how to better yourself as a writer, things I learned along the way. Just wanna give my two cents sometimes, ya know?

I am currently writing a big fairytale AU fanfic series for All For The Game (right now the only fandom I’ve actually written fanfic for), but I also have original works and would like to get published one day, but who knows.

Some things about me: born and raised in the Netherlands, still studying (with a delay, because of mental health reasons) to become a primary school teacher, love reading, doing arts and crafts and gaming (favourite games right now are the Sims, Stardew Valley and Minecraft), love music as well, and well, I love to write stories. Haven’t run out of imagination or inspiration, though the motivation to write and the headspace have been tough from time to time.

Anyways, thanks for reading this and I hope I manage to remember I have this blog and need to post things (thinks of my Wattpad-stories who haven’t been touched in like, one to five years) (and I will never touch again, exept maybe some of the original work that had been sitting in my drafts there).

xxx

Penn