#yeah ya'll were thinking “I mean if it's from the HP or some other respectable fandom then you won't get beaten up as badly...”

[generally-surviving]

does anybody else start writing au fanfics putting these characters into a different situation (i.e modern, sci-fi, steampunk, high school, fantasy), and slowly over the course of the story, these characters develop in new ways based on the differing environment and new situations that come with it, and you have a cast of lovable side character OCs that change the plot drastically because of their own situations interlacing with the plot

And slowly, the original outline becomes longer, and these non-original characters become almost unrecognisable even with the core aspects remaining, and there's a whole bunch of world building that you've carved into this stale world that was just supposed to house a fanfiction, until the entire creation could basically be it's own piece of media if you change the non-original character's names and appearances (because they really are just one step away from being OCs at this point due to how this world and your hands have shaped them).

And you really consider it. you've put so much effort into this, that you might as well go all the way and make it your own original work.

except you know that if anyone finds out that this started off as a fanfic then you'll be torn to shreds, or worse, if the story isn't as good as you think it is, then you'll STILL be torn to shreds, it's just 10x more personal.

or is it just me?