Hey guys, I'm not a big blog on here, but I do want to toss this to the winds and see where it takes us.
There's been a lot of negativity towards OCs, in this rising "cringe" culture and in other communities. There has been a rise in people bringing hate for self ship and oc x canon, as well as fan characters and sonas, which especially affects the younger folks in our communities who are sometimes just now getting the courage and motivation to come onto the internet and show everyone their ideas.
I really want to bring encouragement to those that are receiving nothing but discouragement in all of this.
I think a lot of us have that ONE character. The self-insert. The Mary Sue. The Original OC-do not steal. The fan character.
The character that, as we've grown, we've either set them aside or have developed them into something that is either more "acceptable" or have given them a life and a story of their own.
The knowledge of what made them "cringey" should come with personal development and maturity and shouldn't be something that strangers define and criticize regardless of age, skill level, or understanding of the subject at hand.
That "cringe" can be one of nostalgia. It can be one of looking at where you started and seeing your own personal growth through your character. It can lead to developing your online persona and that one character can be the thing that defines you on the internet. That "cringe" can be one of realization instead of shame.
So here is where I'm going to propose to you guys to draw that OC of yours. Make a post about them. Update their design or description. Maybe even do a comparison, if you're comfortable enough to do so. Give yourself a chance to do a redraw of an old piece. I'm personally going to change my icon to my personal OC (the name of this blog) and dedicate a post to her.
If you do, tag it #MyOwnOC , #My Own OC , or #NotCringing . I'll personally track the tag and do my best to queue up the stuff I see!
Whatever you do, please encourage. Let's make a culture that provides helpful tips and criticism, guiding the people that are inspired by the media they consume to create. I know I was there once, and I'm pretty sure a lot of us are better for it. Let's give folks an environment that encourages creation instead of telling them that they are so bad that they make us have a physical negative reaction to what they do, yeah?
TL; DR: cringe culture tends to target newcomers/younger folks and discourages creative development. Post your own character that may have been defined as "cringey" in the tags #myownoc, #my own oc, and #notcringing and I'll reblog your character. Let's create an encouraging environment for creation instead of a shameful one.