Updates
Although this month acted as more of a break for us, there were many creative pieces shared. Additionally, the sign-ups for the Book Club month and a member-run DnD campaign have been open to our members. We're looking to have more DnD campaigns on our server, so our members should keep an eye out for that!
Books in our community updated this month:
All That I Am -sun_jin
BNHA Chatfic! - _CloudyClo_
Things Worth Fighting For - UAStorytellers
Until I Met You (KiriBaku AU) - W8ASEC123
"Embers" bnha various - kyrpto
Art Showcase
The wonderful artists in our community never fail to impress. Whether it's canon characters, their own OCs, or fan art for others, they always put their all into their work, and it's nothing short of amazing!
Our first piece this month is a reference sheet from ThePhroggPhather for his character Hirohito! The fact he sketched this on paper was super impressive to us! Here is what he had to say about this piece:
"Hello!! I'm Phrogg, and this is a silly little reference sheet for my OC, Hirohito Tsutsumi! It's been a challenge to get into developing 'Hito's story as I'm a beginner writer and perfectionist, but I love creating content for my boy nonetheless. I began drawing this with little expectation besides a bit of fun, but I ended with more motivation to tell Hirohito's story! I hope to bring you all joy with this fanfic someday, and please help me in bringing it to fruition. Love ya, bye!"
Our next piece is from aBitGrim! They drew their awesome leading lady Rose in a Barbie inspired portrait! We're loving their Barbie pictures! Here is what they had to say about their piece:
"From the first time I saw this trailer to the third time I watched the film, I have been in love with the Barbie movie! Greta Gerwig's message of loving womanhood for all it's imperfections and the human experience moved me to draw my most unique OC in Margot Robbie's iconic cowgirl outfit. Like Barbie, Rose expresses adoration for unconventional features and shows beauty in little details that make her human. This movie has become one of my favorites, and I deeply respect the message it gives to everyone: you don't have to be perfect to deserve love and happiness."
The next piece for this month is a wonderful angsty piece by backyardboii of his character Hato! He always does an awesome job with his painting-style pieces!
Our final piece this month is a beautiful drawing of Juni_Penguin_'s Akihiko Mochizuki by sun_jin! They always utilize such intense colors, and we love to see it! Here's what they had to say:
"Sometimes when I'm in an art rut, I like to just scribble or draw random things. I got the idea for this piece when I started drawing a mirror and it clicked immediately: you know who's Quirk is perfect in this? Akihiko. I love drawing Jun's characters, they seem so ethereal and I loooove the pretty boys. I definitely changed up the style of his hair from the last time I gave this character a go! It was a challenge to figure out how to make things look reflective or 'shiny' but overall I enjoyed making this piece."
Character Spotlight
The storytellers have spoken, and the OC of the Month is...Tallulah Rosemary! Rose is the main character of aBitGrim's Bionic Bloom series.
Name: Tallulah Rosabela Gabriela Adele-Rosemary (Nicknames: Rose; Hero Name: Biónica)
Pronouns: she/her
Birthday: July 31
Quirk: Weapon: Weapon is a Quirk originating in Cuba with a very dominant gene that gives half the Cuban population the ability to shapeshift into one unique weapon. Rose inherits this power from her mother, and she grew up with the weapon form, Gauntlet. Her body is made of light and while she cannot shapeshift after losing her arm and leg, she has the power to summon brass knuckles around her real hand.
Class/Occupation: Former 1H Support vice rep, current 1A Heroics transfer
Featured Books: Bionic Bloom Series; I See Dead People; Havoc in Havana; Every Which Way; Dancing With Disaster
Here is what the author had to say about their character:
"For AFAB people, the women they see in fiction are often standards that society sets for them. Role models become the bar womxn have to meet, and modern fiction has created an unattainable goal that society expects AFAB people to reach for. This is true for all women in fiction, but even more for women in minorities. You can be a POC but you have to be light-skinned. You can have curls, but they have to be perfect, untextured curls. You can be fat, but you can't say "fat" you have to say "thick." You can be disabled, but you can't be weak. You can be queer, but you have to keep it to yourself. You have to be a strong female lead, so never ask for help, never feel emotion, and never act like a real woman.
Tallulah Rose was made to break that cycle. She needed to be someone AFAB people can look up to and not need to strive to be something different. I wanted her to be a role model that didn't set a standard but taught everyone to love their body the way it was. She was written with the understanding that there is a large margin of womxn who feel looked over in fanfiction.
Plus-sized women; disabled women; queer women; immigrants; women of color; tall women; masculine women; motherless women; women in the workforce. These are all people that can see themselves in at least one story because of my main character, and it brings me so much joy to see comments and messages about people who say this is the first MC that reminds them of themselves.
Rose was never meant to be a conventional character, yet she's so unapologetically herself. She isn't the skinny, white, conventionally attractive MC we see everywhere, and that's okay. I was at first worried that a character like this wouldn't be embraced quickly. However, so many people tell me that they relate to her in a way, and I couldn't be more proud to see the love and acceptance she brings. I adore how Tallulah Rosemary leaves a trail of happiness wherever I show her off, spreading a message that women don't have to be the perfect fictional MCs in movies and books. They can be exactly the way they are and still be worthy of love. I love Rose, and I'm so happy to talk about her this month!"
Slice of Life Advice
This month, with our third official crossover being published and our fourth official crossover coming to an end in the writing process, we wanted to talk about our experiences working in groups.
When asked, 44.4% of our members said that they have worked on a crossover before, so we asked them about their experiences with this process.
FoxyPuff says: I love writing crossovers because I get to experiment with other characters that I wouldn't otherwise get to. When I ask the group questions, I truly don't know how they'll respond. It brings a freshness to the story when the characters are all from different minds.
aBitGrim says: My favorite part was looking at all the different character interactions within a story. Every author has a different style to writing and a new perspective with their characters, so it's so interesting to notice all the differences within unique point of views.
JunieWeathers says: It's a ton of fun! I've always struggled writing characters that don't belong to me, but the good news with crossovers is that it's a collaboration. You get to work with other writers and get to know how their OCs will act/react in different scenarios. If something isn't in character, it can be pointed out and adjusted accordingly. Plus, you get to learn a lot about other writers' characters as well as your own. Crossovers have always been my favorite type of projects to work on, and I highly recommend collaborating with other writers if given the chance.
It's always good to get advice from people, as writing crossovers within a group is a whole new ball game. With new characters, new writing styles, and new eyes to comb through your work, it may feel like there are too many things to focus on. We asked our members what they thought the most essential part in writing a crossover is.
FoxyPuff says: We need to all be conscientious of making every OC in character. Asking for input from all the other authors is essential
B3r1itz says: I would say that the most essential part of the process is communication. Some authors are likely to write another's OC out of character or miss out on something important to them, so it's important to talk with the other authors to make sure you're doing okay
We hope that this eases the minds of those who wish to reach out and work together with other authors. Writing crossovers has always been something we look forward to on our server. If you are interested in seeing how these turn out for us, then check out our account for our past and current crossovers! Make sure to give some love to the authors who have participated, as they put a lot of time, effort, and love into making these stories for our readers.
Ask the Pro Hero
Our Pro Heroes of the server; JunieWeathers, aBitGrim, and FoxyPuff; would like to open up the space to ask them questions. If you have a question for them, feel free to ask and they will provide their best answers!
Q: How did you get into MHA and why did you begin to write fanfictions about the story?
Junie: I can't exactly remember what got me into MHA, but I had some friends in college that were huge fans of it, sharing stuff on their social media and everything. It looked interesting. I think what really made me watch it, though, was a dear friend on Wattpad who suggested I watch it. While watching, I had the question, "what if someone got into UA who didn't want to be?" opposed to how Deku got into his dream school. I was losing interest in my Swanna Girl and Braviary Man trilogy, so I figured I would start a MHA fanfic based on the question I had while watching it.
Grim: I was immediately interested in the idea of a superhero society and a school of kids with unique powers. Fanfiction helped me look at even more original characters other writers made, and I loved them! The only problem was most stories were the same, and I felt like I was reading the same plotline with very similar MCs over and over. I created Guns And Roses to provide something new, a story not set in the Hero Course without centering the canon cast, and one that included representation from all kinds of backgrounds through my two main characters, Rose and Q!
Foxy: I first got into MHA when a friend of mine insisted I watch the show instead of studying like we were supposed to. I was quickly hooked, but since we watched on his account, I could only watch when he was free. As such, I tried to find more material to get my MHA fix in the meantime, and that was how I found the community here on Wattpad. All of the wonderful fics here inspired me to write my own, but mostly, the one that inspired me was I Provide Protection by PuffedGill.
Book Recommendations
Our community is full of creative perspectives, whether it be writing, art, or reading! Lots of our members are avid readers who would like to share their recommendations with you.
Wattpad books:
Dancing With Disaster by UAStorytellers
"It's the first big group crossover we wrote. It was so much fun! There's action, dancing, and even a little bit of romance. There's something for everyone!"
~ sd1229
Deku, The Next Wielder of The Omnitrix by Rabbitzuu
"It's really well written book and it's structured really well, and if you want a book that will keep you on edge that's the book for you!"
~ Kyrpto
Off-Site Books:
Seasons of Blossom by Hongduck, Nomone (Webtoons)
"It's ROMANCE, and it's super sweet yet some heartbreaking arcs </3. Unlike most stories which focus on one set of characters and a single plot line, Seasons of Blossom has 4 plot lines, each in a different season, with many different romances intertwined in it. Perfect for fans of cute romance!"
Games
To do an OC Board, we compile images or things that remind us of certain OCs and set them up in a grid. From there, people can guess which square is for which OC. This is a lot of fun and helps us get to know OCs better. This month, we have OCs from aBitGrim, sd1229, Kyrpto, and FoxyPuff that have been featured in this edition of the magazine! JunieWeathers has created this board of phone cases that remind us of the OCs. Comment your guesses!
2023 Sports Festival Results
In the month of June, the UA Storytellers hosted our third annual Sports Festival! Here is the final bracket:
The competitors were: B3r1itz's Tatsuya Akiba, Kyrpto's Haruka Arashi, -butterfly--effect-'s Mio Asahino, --CL0VER's Mosi Baxter, QuaccSmaccSnacc's Emi Hoshi, FoxyPuff's Takara Juba, Juni_Penguin_'s Shinobu Murakami, and sd122d's Kita Yukimura! Here is a summary of our closing ceremony that took place over voice chat on the server:
In third place is Kita Yukimura! From a poll run on the server, Kita is also awarded as the 2023 Fan Favorite!
In second place is Haruka Arashi who held out until the very end with in-depth scenes and powerful attacks!
And in first place is Takara Juba! As winner, Takara's author, FoxyPuff has been interviewed about her Sports Festival experience and strategy:
JunieWeathers: Congratulations on your win for the 2023 Sports Festival on the Server! With so many amazing OCs that were submitted, there were a ton of amazing fights that ensued. It makes me wonder, why did you enter Takara in this year's Sports Festival rather than your other OCs?
FoxyPuff: Thank you so much! Well, admittedly, my other OC Koto hasn't gotten past a single fight in the past years. What I noticed was that, as strong as her quirk was, she couldn't really defend against any attacks, and that was what got her out so quickly. Takara, on the other hand, is my tank OC who can take a lot of hits. I wanted to try a new strategy where I focused on defense rather than agility. I guess it worked out
JW: That's really neat! Speaking of this new strategy, would you mind expanding on the details of your strategy for this year's Sports Festival? Like how you used defensive moves rather than agility, how it was used in matches, etc?
FP: Well, in past years, I relied on the agility of my characters to dodge attacks, but it wasn't enough. I wanted to try a strategy where my OC meets every attack head-on and doesn't miss a chance to defend. There was a rule that if you rolled below a 10 with the defense stat, you would take extra damage, but I knew that Takara would be one to risk it, so I rolled to defend against every single attack. Her defense stat gave me a bit more wiggle room on that roll.
JW: I love that you were able to learn from previous years and took what you knew about the rules to create a strategy. Of course, Takara is known for her defensive stat, but would you mind walking me through all the stats she had for this year's Sports Festival and explain the reasoning behind them?
FP: So I decided to give Takara a 4/5 for strength due to how hard a hit from a rock would be. While it would hurt a lot, it also requires muscle for her to wield those attacks, not to mention hold the jade firm when the hit lands. It requires more muscle than she has already built up, so while she can hit hard, she can't do as much damage as she could with more training. For her speed, I gave her a 3/5. While she's tiny and strong, her jade weighs her down enough that she has no discernable speed boost. For agility, Takara is less than average, so I gave her a 2/5. Her jade is bulky and gets in the way of her joints, so she would need to retract it all to even have a chance at being flexible. For intelligence, I won't sugarcoat it, she gets a 2/5. While Takara is good at memorizing and recalling facts on a short-term basis, she isn't great at logical thinking and reasoning, which is generally what we use this stat for in the SF. And finally, I gave her a 5/5 for defense. It was said to use 5s sparingly because a perfect score should be very rare, and I figured what better to use it on than a girl made of rock? Even in her own story, it's very hard to land a meaningful hit on Takara because her jade protects her so thoroughly and generally hurts her opponents.
JW: You definitely put a lot of thought into it, and it all makes sense with who Takara is! There were a ton of matches that happened in this year's Sports Festivals. What we're some of your favorites to watch/compete in and why?
FP: It's difficult to choose between the ones I competed in. In the first match, Takara and Emi utilized the arena and the space between them well, which allowed for unique attacks on both our parts. In Takara's fight against Kita, it was fast paced and full of witty banter. And in the final match between Takara and Haruka, there were some crazy strong attacks being thrown around. It was really cool to see how Takara fared against all the elements Haruka threw at her. Of the other matches, I can't deny how insane the Mio vs Mosi match was. There was a crazy number of nat 20s, and I was practically bouncing in my seat from how intense it was getting.
JW: It was so much fun to see how different every single battle was this year. Each of them was super unique and left me on the edge of my seat. There was so much that happened, it makes me wonder what your favorite part of the whole Sports Festival was?
FP: I think it has to be getting to see all the new competitors out there having fun. As it was my third time competing, I knew what to expect, but getting to play with new members and new OCs keeps the event fresh and exciting!
JW: Having new people join the Sports Festival always makes it so much fun! I always love the creativity that is brought. Is there else you'd like to say to anyone reading it?
FP: I think the DMs did a lovely job this year, and I can't wait for next year's!
This picture from QuaccSmaccSnacc shows our lovely winners on the podium!
The Storytellers would like to give a super special shout-out to our Dungeon Masters, aBitGrim, JunieWeathers, and eVolution04 who dedicated their time to make sure this event ran smoothly. We are so grateful for the time and effort you guys put into this! Thank you loads to Toco (eVo) for being our MVP in stepping up to the plate and helping our admins with Dungeon Master duties!
Give our winners a round of applause! We look forward to next year's Sports Festival!
Future Events
We're starting our Book Club Month this August! Whoever wants to participate will set a goal for how much they want to read and we'll keep up with it throughout the month. We also have fun prompts and prizes planned!
Review Book
With summer in full swing, we have plenty of time to get to reviewing your books. Feel free to submit your story and we'll take a look at it and leave some feedback!
Farewell
We hope you're having a wonderful season, and wish you the best of luck on all your endeavors. Remember to go PLUS ULTRA!