Growth Is Bittersweet | Scrapping A Story You Once Loved

[@OliversAntics69]

Shout out to me for not putting each character on a separate layer, I love making things harder for myself

[@insertname6419]

As you should😖

[@hello.671]

It doesn’t really matter lol, that art is still amazing!!

[@damn9868]

Now that is a big oof.

[@kio4173]

Who doesn't love when they make things harder for themself? I most certainly love it by having difficult art ideas far out of my art skills. 😃

[@damn9868]

@@kio4173 Yep, yep.

[@BennyDrawsThings]

I barely started watching the video and honestly, no harm in scraping a story. If you don't enjoy it, then it's no big deal to change things up, maybe get rid of some characters, or just making a new plot. As long as you enjoy how it is in the end, then it really shouldn't matter. I do feel you though. I had to scrap one of my stories and basically get rid of all of my characters even though they all had good chemistry with each other and I've been having them all for three years. But I wasn't loving the story too much and I saw better potential with it. In the end, you do you, Oliver!

[@kio4173]

Yeah, I've scrapped at least 10 stories within the past 2 years and I still have 10 other ideas on the line-

[@Flareontoast]

Sometimes you just gotta scrap a story and have character exist in a "void" where you still draw them but completely ignore any plot they could be involved in lol

[@ellemurano6276]

Oliver: And then we have Andi's group where they're people, and that's about it. Me: That's the scariest premise of all, what do you mean?

[@gray7624]

I recently gave up, scrapping a story that I had basically been building for 11 years. It just wasn’t what I wanted it to be anymore. The characters will always have a place in my heart, but it’s just not what I wanted for them.

[@angelcakeart]

I've scrapped (or as I call "curbed") a lot of my stories, even ones I've been working on for YEARS, like when I first started writing. It's mainly just that the story is so outdated in my style and I'm too attached to changing it to rework it. I recently just gave up on one of my OLDEST stories I've been writing, where in the future I might totally rework it but for right now it's the best to just leave it to the side. And that's alright... I also have like over 50 stories (a lot are curbed cuz I had to do it sometime) so yeah it's probably better for my mental health 😂

[@sketchyghost_yt]

A tip on how to move on from old stories that at least I use would be to remember you can go back. Change isn't permanent unless you want it to be. I had all of my lore and character ideas written down, so no matter what I change it doesn't mean the old concept dies. Personally I find that relaxing, knowing I'm not ruining it. Tho it probably also helps I haven't touched the story in a hot minute ^^'

[@Mikes_ave]

Oliver: I was scared to change the story because it meant a lot to me Me: I WAS SCARED FOR CAIRO BECAUSE OUR BOY IS WATCHING HIS LIFE FLASH BEFORE HIS EYES

[@OliversAntics69]

ALADJDLSL someone save him

[@jennyfromtheotherblock]

I am in my late 20s, and started this one story when I was 12. It's actually quite a mature story, and I have always had specific plot points that I refused to give any second thought to. I wrote a timeline for each of those events when I was 21, the week before I decided to go back to college, actually, and came to the realization that the reason I was having such a hard time going forward with my story was because I needed to quit being stubborn and re-evaluate those main points. I aged up my characters a few years, too, and I even chose to kill off one of my main characters at the end of the series, something that I despise in content I consume, but I felt really brought my story around and explained something that was a bit of a major plot whole. I also made the decision to switch from a super dark theme at the beginning to a milder version of the same event that produced the same result. That led to my story going from a firm MA rating to a T+, which really cut out a lot of unnecessary plot and gave me room for character development with characters other than my main character. When I look back at what I originally had planned, it's crazy to think of some of the things my teen mind thought would be good content that would appeal to a wide audience. Now I'm slowly working on inking it with the intention of having parts 1 and 2 of 3 completed before I publish, as I want my readers to enjoy my characters as much as I do and want to do their story justice, even if the general theme for the whole thing has a niche interest (it's vampires and werewolves, btw, which I HATE reading now, but there you go) that's been really overdone.

[@dandyvandy3003]

My best advice is, you can always change it back. Trying something new with your story isn't permanent, maybe just think of it as an AU at first. Give yourself time to really think about the changes and if you like it better, you dont have to jump right in. I know that was my problem I couldn't get past this idea of "aaa its been this way so long and now its gonna CHANGE NOOO wHAT IF I DONT LIKE IT"

[@HarumiKindle]

I've gone through this exact thing, I've had characters since I was 13 or 14 (nearly half my life), and changing anything about them is always a journey lol. My character Harumi, who is my Andy lol, has been aged from 14 to 18 and now she's 25 lol. I wish you the best of luck in whatever endeavors you go on

[@itsnoneofyourbusiness3993]

Damn Oliver, killing us like that😭 Nah but fr, it takes a lot to scrap a story you put so much time in

[@Eldr1tchGl1tch]

I've been working on a project with my best friend for 2 years and now we're scrapping our story and making it again from the grounds up. Changing designs, names and world builds. The universe is the same, but the characters are starting to change more and more. And I think it's better this way, we're getting better at telling stories and it never was something consistent. It never had a end, but now we're finally pulling the puppy love out. And it's hard.

[@gameaccount7704]

I recently scrapped a story I had for my first ever OCs too! Ditching the mess of a plot that forced them into a box I liked as a kid, ditching character I only kept around for dynamics, etc was so stressful but so worth it (so far at least). I'm so happy to wrap my head around my own story, and flesh out relationships and personalities a lot more than I was able to before. I let myself be super indulgent, looked at what I gravitated to in AUs, what dynamics I liked, what'd make /me/ humoured. It's really brought them back to life. I had them all since I was 10/11. I am 20 years old now. It was hard, but if anyone still reading this feels like the want to, go for it!! You can always go back if you change your mind, there's no harm in exploring other avenues!! Don't get too hung up on the past, those are your kids and as their parent, ya gotta help them grow into their best selves! Fun Lil Fact: The OC in my pfp is my main and first ever OC. Wanna know how he started? He was a hetalia oc. He could still be if I didn't make the leap of faith to try and take him elsewhere. This fact haunts me but it also just settles the idea to change if you want to even harder in my head.

[@crazeddoodler9326]

Your insta story about us freaking out/ being SHOOK WAS RIGHT

[@tan_tanii]

I feel bad that you think that we're not going to love these characters anymore, BUT ITS OKAY! MABLE AND ANDY WILL ALWAYS HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART ( I say because they are my fav characters from this universe) By the way, the art is beautiful

[@ecowo57]

I think scrapping a story means you've grown as a writter, so don't pressure yourself to keep things in a way if do don't enjoy it anymore

[@avibebot]

I’ve had to make the same decision for my own first story. It’s sad times, but exciting to see how we grow and mature as people :)

[@marv5021]

i did the same thing to my first oc group, i never really liked their story but felt obligated to keep them because they were my first ever characters. then i made a new set of characters and love them sm, it takes a lot to scrap a story! also gg for keeping them all on the same layer 😔

[@tp1861]

Your avatar concentrating in the corner whenever you start drawing is just so adorable 😭❤️

[@Gleamiarts]

i've dropped a lot of stories and a lot of them i had massive plans for, like a big long form comic with generations of characters and lots of world building, time skips and even a bit of a slowburn enemies to found family. i then realised that i didn't have a plot that made sense and there were so many holes in the plot that it could literally strain spaghetti with it :/ so i just dropped the idea fully. now i occasionally just draw the characters from that world every now and then, but i don't have plans for turning it into a comic so far. i have this other story i've also worked on since i was about 16, that i have over time, scrapped the plot countless times and threw away most of the world building for it as well as a few characters. i wanted it to be a comic and had big plans for it, but each year i worked on it, i never felt ready. if i hadn't scrapped it, rewrote it and started from scratch, i wouldn't have gotten very far, so i'm so much happier with where it's going and that it is finally a comic :) and yeah it is hard scrapping work, especially if you've worked on it for so long that it's nostalgic and i know that feeling

[@gracelandsfool]

Hey, I love Andy and the storyline you've talked about. But watching you grow and doing what's best for you is what's important, so don't be afraid to do it man! I'm glad you made this choice, because it's important to make changes that you think will be the best for you.

[@matchamelon330]

I remember when I had to completely scrap my own story, because I didn’t like it and it didn’t feel right anymore, and I remembered how fun it was to redesign everyone and everything and rebuild the world, and it felt so awesome to fix it and say, “yeah!! I think i like this!!”

[@mochii_on_video]

my crops are dying, my skin is breaking out, my grades have tanked 😩🤚 /hj

[@Hambrrgr]

stories change a lot like the world so there is no harm is scrapping one to start a new

[@ghost_boy2724]

Proud of you for coming to this decision and acting on it !✊ can’t wait to see what amazing ideas you come up with! :D

[@brookeblades5845]

I'm really glad you made this video, Oliver, because I've been feeling the same way about my very first story. Again, I made those characters when I was 15, I'm 20 now and I've found myself drawing them less and less and I know it's because of the story, but now I'm feeling a bit better about scrapping it and starting over because of this video😊😊😊 Can't wait to hear about the new story once you're ready with it🖤💜🖤💜

[@Lucidly_cremated]

I support your decisions no matter what :)

[@olive2609]

as an artist and writer, I completely understand what you mean and don't blame you at all for the changes you've made! I personally have had to revamp a lot of old stories and change character personalities, designs, ages and their world, and while it was hard I'm very glad about the overall changes I've made and I think the story and characters are much better for it. This video was really reassuring and helpful in making me more confident in these changes so thank you, and I wish you the best with all your stories :)

[@arirose6310]

I had my own story that I really wanted to make, I started it in or just out of high school. It was very VERY inspired by ATLA and I constantly struggled with the direction I wanted to go and restarted its plot too many times. Finally, I put it on pause for some years and recently decided to scrap it altogether. But in the end, I feel like the spirit of the story has fed into all my other ideas and is the main inspiration for a lore book that I plan on making soon :)

[@chaotic_andromeda]

those chibis are adorable asdkdfskdls🥺

[@ris8065]

It’s interesting. Because I have a story kinda like that. I made it when I was between 10 and 13ish and instead of scrapping it and recreating everything, I reworked it and decided to use it as my first webcomic. It’s not the most creative plot, the characters aren’t the most unique, the world isn’t anything special. But I still love them all, I want to tell their story and learn about comics in the process. It’s a bit of a different situation, because even though I’ve grown out of this story, I still enjoy it enough to leave it the way it is. I have no idea if any of that made sense, I just found it interesting that we took such different approaches to a similar situation.

[@pidgeon2699]

this is sad, but really valid and im glad you have developed the story and your emotional intelligence enough where you can scrap or change certain stories that you hold dear to your heart. :)

[@starpeachy869]

An Oliver video on my birthday is the best!! But I'm scared because of the title😭

[@thenerdywizard]

This honestly helped me a lot! (I'm both an artist and a writer myself, and I've been thinking about aging up my characters and changing some things in their stories in the main universe that I write in.) I didn't know if I wanted to change their stories because I thought I would be somehow letting my 13-15-year-old self down (I'm 20 now). I'm not gonna scrap their stories, but I will make some changes to them.

[@lambcube5988]

As someone who tends to fixate on a new idea for a story and creating/recycling ocs for it, only for the excitement to wear off in a few weeks/months, I’d say that if you don’t feel happy or excited at the thought of working on a story, then change is needed. Working on a story ( whether that’d be world building, character design, etc. ) shouldn’t feel like a chore, and you shouldn’t feel obligated to keep it the way it is. I have this weird thought that my stories are super “self-indulgent”, but that’s kind of the point of writing/creating, isn’t it? I’d also say that you shouldn’t pressure yourself to write something super unique or out-of-the-box; if simple stories are what you want to create / you are most comfortable creating, then do it!! If you do want to create a unique story, know that these things take time, and that you are prone to make changes in the future :]

[@laureny3998]

I definitely support you scrapping/changing the story if you don’t feel the same way about it as before. Also, will there be new character biography videos for these relating to the new story?

[@OliversAntics69]

We'll have to wait and see 😉

[@stardoogalaxie9314]

Gosh the way you draw the underside of feet is immaculate Also, it's good that your scrapping or retooling this story of your characters! It's always good to start fresh!

[@dragondoodles78]

I get the entirety of this idea. I've scrapped ideas for stories/changed stories that im working on many times. There is nothing wrong with getting rid of an idea that no longer makes you happy. It's like a bad relationship, you want to work on the story because you feel pressured too do so, but you feel like you could make it SO much better if you just restarted. I've rewritten the entirety of my main story three times now, which was a GIANT pain in the butt, BUT it was worth it, because now I loves it verrry much.

[@andysartz]

That's a super common problem among writers. That's why we have that old saying about "killing our darlings". It's a very hard lesson to learn, but it's necessary. I'm currently working on the second draft of a novel. I started writing it when I was 13 (I'm 25 now) and I struggled SO MUCH with trying to keep certain scenes in it just because I felt attached to them. But eventually I had to let go. And it was the best thing I could have done. It fueled a whole new development in the story that's making it much more cohesive, believable, and interesting. I know it's a scary thing to do, but I'm sure it will be worth it, Oliver. Always looking forward to seeing your new creations. Much love!

[@spinnenpfotedonnerclan5318]

I have huge respect for ppl like Oliver who are dedicated and "not-lazy" enough to draw a whole group of characters in one go OMG😂 (Without getting confused or super annoyed by all the sketch lines like I do lmfao) But tbh I know what you mean - I can't even change tiny things about my OC's without feeling weird and it's so bad when you realize the story you used to have fun with is actually edgy and cheap XD Recently let go of a whole story 'cause I can't continue it with the little contact to the friend I used to create it with and I still kinda miss it but it also suits how I and my life changed a lot. (Both in a positive and negative way) But I appreciate how you make your stories and ideas grow to not limit yourself

[@beckbock1420]

i love the art man

[@poodlestyle33]

Good god, the changing ages thing is incredibly relatable. I'm also an amateur artist working on their passion project (in my case an oldschool RPG game, rather than comic). When you predominantly use art as an outlet, a way to express your feelings and experiences in new ways that translate better to other people, you will always find yourself wanting the characters you're working on to be a similar age. It's a bizarre feeling to think of your beloved OC in a hindsight is 20/20 sort of way, in a world where this character you need to be relatable hasn't gone through the same life experiences and epiphanies that you have. And that isn't a bad thing, we all go through life phases and stages and those need to be represented. It simply makes more sense for us to write the focus characters as closer to our current state of being. So we age them up, over and over again. I don't think that's a bad thing, it shows us how comfortable we are becoming with aging. Because the knowledge that comes with it is vital to what makes us us. :)

[@ellemurano6276]

When it comes to scrapping things I get it. I mix and mash and change things all the time. What matters is where you want to go with it. And I totally get the enjoying watching one genre and enjoying writing another. I love slice of life and literary fiction but my brain constantly conjures horror/thriller and action ideas. So don't beat yourself up about changing your stories. If you think that's what's going to work, then we trust you.

[@Vapepencil]

Bro I had to scrap a whole story because I took a brake from developing it and then I hated it when I came back :/

[@rachelroach2417]

Watching your videos is extremely refreshing tbh because it puts into perspective how exactly I look at both art and storytelling. Your technique when it comes to shading/highlighting is absolutely mesmerizing and your approach to change within your stories that you care so deeply about is admirable. It can be hard to change something you once loved but some change is necessary I suppose.

[@user-yl3zz9zs5f]

Honesty, I just wanted to say thank you Oliver for making this video. I've personally been struggling with something very similar where i realized i much prefer writing fantasy stories as to slice of life, real world stories and that has really been a struggle for me because I've had these characters for so long and I care about them too much to scrap their story but the longer this contemplation goes on, the more i lose touch with those characters. And so again thank you for making this video because it really helps

[@yeri370]

Writings should never be rushed! And I totally understand why you decided to scrap the story because writers and creators should create a story that they enjoy and are memorable to them, so do what you like! 😉

[@porcupineslovearson.5080]

Around the end of the video I thought, "it'd be funny if one of them was hanging off a loos string on Andy's shirt" lol I thought it was a funny lil thought, anyways love your video's and support you decision!

[@Eldr1tchGl1tch]

Honestly I really feel the difference in what you enjoy consuming and what you enjoy making. I love thriller, romance and piece of life but I don't like writing them, well I like writing thriller but I'm not good at it. I think you made the right choice.

[@arkhamsworstaj]

Your Instagram story was right, this made me go through every stage of grief in the 5 seconds it took for me to click on this video. Edit: oH THIS WAS WHERE THE MIRO EYES THINGY CAME FROM HAHDJHSGDJH I SWEAR IM INTELLIGENT B)

[@moodybluez]

I remember watching a few videos on the story and really liking it but I’m really proud of you for deciding to scrap it as well!! Sometimes there are elements that don’t work out while others do. Sometimes the best thing to do is start with something new!

[@Regularly_Lazy]

I honestly relate to this a lot since recently I realized I really didn't enjoy writing my main story and the characters in it. Eventually, I decided to change the plot of most of the story and fixed my characters so their personalities actually made sense. Most of these characters were pretty old and I had made them a few years ago so it felt refreshing fixing them, I guess. I'm happy you aren't making yourself suffer and continuing with the story you don't enjoy making since I can understand being afraid to change things others may have liked but you don't. However, at the end of the day, you are the creator of your characters and their stories so don't be afraid to fix or scrap things that'll make it flow better. Besides, who likes a story that has no passion or care behind it anyway?

[@paragonplays6919]

I'm not even four minutes in and I'm very personally invested. I could go on a huge essay about it, because I've got a project/worldbuilding thing/story that I've been working on/attached to since November of 1999. And I've gone back and forth during my most insecure and artblocky and uninspired times on just trashing it and giving up on my plans for it. I've genuinely struggled with it. And I'm currently struggling with updating the whole thing because I'm a much different person than I was in high school. I don't think it would be so hard if I haven't had such a rough spell for ten years and had actively worked on it and updated/tweaked it constantly. Thanks for sharing this, really. It is enlightening and reassuring. I don't feel quite so alone. Your characters are so fun and lovely to see. I don't know much about them yet, but I definitely love watching you work on them.

[@starryskyes5925]

I got so scared at first lol. But I understand why you’re changing the story. I just went through this as well with my oldest story. I came up with the idea like 3 years ago, lost inspiration, revamped it, and then ended you still hating the idea. So I get where you’re coming from. Whatever you end up doing with the characters I’m sure it will be great. Cant wait to see what happens with this cast. :)

[@kailoros6738]

GOD i thought they'd be gone for good (also: definitly excited to see where this story is going!)

[@stup1d.em0]

At first the title scared me but then I was thinking and I've rewritten entire stories because I didn't like the plot. So this is fine even if I didnt like that you changed the story, what's it matter? It's your story not mine. Do what you love not what other people want

[@AllieDrawzStuff]

I know how you feel. There is a cast of characters and a story that I have had for like 3-4 years now, and as much as I want to keep the original story, because of nostalgia, I decided to also make major changes to it. (one of them being completely changing who the main character is). I am a lot happier with the story now.

[@cupoffrog4973]

GOSH THIS VIDEO MAKES ME FEEL A LOT OF THINGS (in relation to my characters, I'm glad that you've decided that you'll change their story so you can be more happy with it!) I've been working on one specific story for years and recently I realised that I don't like their designs, I don't like how the story is written (I like the general idea still, it's just poorly executed. It's really bad-) and I don't like how many things have been kept from the very first rendition of the story because of how much I didn't want to change it. I've had problems with changing this story since around 2018-2019 which isn't too long ago but I have changed a lot since then. I've kept things that make no sense or that aren't relevant because I "didn't want to ruin it". I feel like that's how everyone feels to some degree? It's hard to explain. It's like it's not even your story anymore. It's past you's story and you don't want to upset them. Because they still love the story, it's you that doesn't. I think that's the best way I can explain it. This story used to be so important to me, it's still important to me but not in the same way I guess. It was important because I enjoyed working on it and I liked how it was done. But now, it's important to me because I am reminded of how much I used to enjoy it, not because of how much I still enjoy it. Which isn't much sadly. Things change over time and it is bittersweet, that really is the best word for it, it's so sad to let go but you know it'll be better in the end. I want the story to be something I'm proud of and really this video helped me realise how badly I wanted to change it. I just have to let go of the past and move onward. Thank you Oliver.

[@artistlee7068]

I have scrapped one of the very first story ideas I’ve ever had a few years ago, but few a couple years, I’ve been wanting to give them some closure. Last year, I had the chance to take a comic class and for one of the projects, I decided to bring back 2 of my oldest characters. The original story was an angels and demons chosen one story, but it was so cliched I dropped it. However with my comic class, I brought back 2 of my oldest characters for a sense of closure, focusing on where that original idea ever started: A boy who can see and Angel no one else can see. Instead of it being a chosen one story where the Angel is there to guide him, now it’s just a inner conflict on whether or not this Angel is real or a whole figment of his imagination. The Angel herself now has no clue why they have this connection. The comic was short (I might redraw it) and I left it ambiguous. I didn’t want it to be a big thing. And honestly, it truly feels like I have something for them that I’m happy with and don’t need to worry about. Also, the original antagonist I had for the OG story is now repurposed for a different idea I have (the focuses mostly on demons and one trying to live). It’s really nice when you can fully have closure for an older character and can move on from them and still want to draw them

[@kra_hme]

I use to have a vampire story, like Seraph of the End-ish, after a while I thought about it and it wouldn’t make for an interesting story would just be a copy of something that already existed so I went and I actually added it onto another story I have all the characters are like going to school because I’m in school, it spends over several years so they do actually become adults I find that a very good way to move the story along if you’re not happy with their ages

[@blueberry7835]

Usually, when I drop stories and characters, they come back ablazing, ready to kick my door down demanding a revamp but point is, totally aight to scrap stories, I hope you have fun with other ideas!! And bittersweet is definitely the right word, coz on one hand it can be a relief but the on the other hand it's really sad so- wish you the best :D

[@ecowo57]

I'm not lying when I say this illustration is so cool!!! I LOVE IT

[@gaming-anime-dragongleam8468]

Hey Oliver. I just want to say, as a fellow writer, you are doing great. I also scrapped my stories multiple times over before and I understand the attachments over old characters. I am still rewriting their stories and it is a pain. But being willing to change them is a great thing. You may be a better writer than you were when you first made them. You may have better ideas that may improve their stories. There is no need to apologize over this. They are yours first and foremost, you shared them and you can change them. You command their world.

[@etheraea]

I think it's kinda cool to hear the behind the scenes and your thinking during the creation process of your stories, and props to you for being honest! I definitely think your heart has to be in what you make cuz it'll definitely show. I also relate a lot to like..the older I get the more I wanna make characters relevant to my age and similar to my interests and stuff. At first doing that makes me antsy because I'll feel compelled to make something quickly while I'm in my 20s but like...we've got time, even if it doesn't feel like it. I'm almost excited to see and compare my OCs from where they started to where they will end up. This is also another good reason to try out multiple stories you're interested in, because each time it can be something a little different with something a little similar. So honestly take your time dude, and like just have fun with it. I'm excited to see when your stories come out but I'm thankful you even share all of this stuff along with it, we're all just chillin on this little journey through your creations.

[@pencilassassin572]

I relate to this so much! Recently I had to scrap my own story for a number of reasons. The more I worked on it, the more I noticed that my magic system and worldbuilding made no sense. It got to the point where the inconsistencies started to weigh down the story and the characters. But I had been building on it for about half a decade so it wasn't easy for me to backtrack. I debated it for like a month but I decided to scrap it and start over. I think it was the right call imo. So glad I came across this video tho. It reminded me that it's good to start from scratch sometimes. Now I feel a bit more free to make a better story.

[@itsmaishio]

Not being afraid of changing your stories it's super important. I have 3 stories, One of them was extremely underrated and I didn't even bothered writing about it and focused on my other 2 stories. One day I was really bored and started to sketch the characters, change events and things... "I'm not attached to this story or characters and I don't really care about it, i have already my main 2 stories so I can do with this whatever I want" oh boy I was wrong. That story became my ONLY MAIN ONE. The other 2 are on big hiatus since I started them when I was an angst preteen and it's full of edgy stuff and it will be kinda hard to change them since I'm attached to them but I think I will make them work somehow someday. Anyway great video, change the story until you are satisfied with it, it will the best for all and amazing drawing! My hand would fall due so many characters haha ❤️

[@nanacakes456]

This really has inspired me to start remaking my old stories and characters as well^^ Thanks for sharing

[@lauracaldascarvalho]

Kinda off topic but you posted this when I was on my way to redesign a character of mine lmao

[@dustyballofdust9082]

What I do to get over the bitter sweet feeling of scraping a story is that I save the characters themselves and let go of the story. I basically save their personalities/ what makes them special and in time I’ll find a plot hole in a different story I’m working in and try to remake that character to fit the new story. Scraping a story is especially hard for me as I see my characters as almost the same level as human as me and that I just genuinely don’t want to throw them away and feel bad if I ever have too. So this method helps me a lot in letting go and I feel more happy when they find their place in a new story. I think this level of attachment might just be specific for me but it’s whatever, whatever works, works, do what you gotta do haha

[@jeangarcia8049]

It is sad but it is best to move on if you want to scrap a story. Tbh I have a similar situation with a story I made back in my hs years. It is hard to get rid of characters or stories one put thought and love into

[@meek537]

your art is so pretty omg / also scrapping your story is totally cool! it really only matters if you like it and want to pursue it

[@pokette]

very late but little animated icon oliver in the corner is very handsome and I love his hair

[@dandyvandy3003]

Only 3 minutes in but, SAME. I have a story I was working on for years when I was a teen, I love love love these characters but I found myself growing disinterested in the story and the characters general vibes. To the point I kinda forgot most of what was even supposed to happen and I kept forgetting how my characters would act in scenes. I was super afraid of changing anything cause it had been that way so long, but I was so not vibing with the story I was basically just dropping it. I finally sat down and made MAJOR changes and decisions that would help adult me enjoy the story and characters again. I used to be a bitter edgy kid and I grew into an optimistic really big into self improvement lad and no wonder I wasn't intrested anymore haha. Never be afraid to just restart, you can always change it back. I am actively working on my story again more then I have in years aaa. Especially since these characters helped me cope with a lot of things and I couldn't just abandon them

[@sarahgr17]

I know how u feel. I too just changed my story and the world. But instead of aging up I aged them down because I couldn’t relate to them as adults and I upgraded a minor to a major character. And yes it’s all over the place. Im just hoping to more on it more over the summer. Crossing fingers that I stay dedicated 🤞🏻

[@aliciadonut3200]

Keep working on your stories only if you enjoy them and if you don't, you can change what you want because it's tour story. I've scrapped and remade a lot of stories over the years and it's sad but if you feel like you'll love the story more that way then it's for the better. We love Andy and the crew and we'll be as hyoed as always to hear their new stories.

[@kiwiartist6592]

Im a bit late but homestly scarping stories you dont like is 100% good better not to stress abput not liking something. Im working on a book series myself and just scarpped tje last books and redid them amd love them a lot more then I did. Can't wait to see what you do with the new story!!

[@gloriousanimationz5244]

I understand sometimes you review your story and you realise that your story might not be as compelling as you like or you make it when your really young than you say"huh that's weird." But anyway I appreciate you telling us.🤗🤗🤗

[@meltysnowfox1569]

Man, I totally understand changing your story so you can feel more attached and happy with it! The characters from my main story were all cats when I first made them because I was obsessed with warrior cats art and was also in fifth grade lol, I had a hard time completely changing them into humans because I was attached to the way they were before but I knew I had to when I was drawing the "human au" almost exclusively. After that I run into more trouble because I felt like all the spice was gone from the story and I was at this weird point where I loved the characters but I didn't know what to do with their world and mainly the time period, I couldn't really iron out their designs because of this either.. Eventually I figured it out, just a little over a year ago, actually, when I first got into college! So yes it's been a long process but it was totally worth it because I love them much more now and I am very excited to tell their story! Can't wait to see where your story takes you! 💜

[@Livyyuh]

Awwww their story was really cool im glad you kept the characters and I respect your decision :> but like the thumbnail bruh gave me a whole gasp

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

My earliest coherent stories and character designs date from when I was in 1st grade, and consisted of a heavily "Winx Club" inspired group of anthromorphic lizard magical girls, the two oldest of which were a horned lizard named Liz and a chameleon name Camille. They were soon joined by a male bearded dragon named Drake, a frilled lizard named Freda, a Team Rocket-esque villain duo consisting of a female gila monster and male beaded lizard named Zing and Zang, a female bearded dragon love interest for Drake name Breda, and a male horned lizard love interest for Liz named Horny (no one told me it was a word, okay?) I scraped the entire universe in 6th grade because the world building was such a hot mess that I didn't even want to try and salvage it. I mean, Drake worked in a chocolate factor - chocolate's poisonous to lizards! And they were using crickets as currancy. Plus humans existed, but somehow failed to notice lizard-run chocolate factories...they were whimsical and fun, but as I started coming into my own as a person who obsesses over details, coherancy, and plausibility, they just didn't work anymore, and the frustration started to outweigh the fun in working with them. If I ever have children I might use them as bed time stories, and I always get a sense of nostalgia mixed with some "Oh God, what was I thinking?" embarrassment when I stumble across old drawings or stories featuring them. (Though obviously Horny would need a name change...) I've also got a somewhat more thought out urban fantasy werewolf thing that lasted from 4rth grade to 8th grade and got scraped for similar 'too many plot holes' reasons. That one's more cringe inducing than nostaligic - partially becuase there's also a 32 ultra-condensed version of the first portion of that storyline, which I cobbled togeather in 7th grade and...it's bad. It's...it's really, really bad. Just. Bad world building, bad character development, the antagonist doesn't even have a proper motive and may or may not be a literal dinosaur, there's too many randomly British people wandering around a small town in the USA that aren't British for any particular reason other than the fact that the song "Werewolves of London" exists, an angsty human trafficing subplot that's there but never goes anywhere and serves no narrative purpose...I keep it hidden under my bed as reminder of what must never be done again... That said, most of the storylines I came up with in jr high and later are actually good. They've continued to evolve since they were first concieved, and a lot of characters that were originally preteens or in their early teens have aged up into mid to late teens, and some from high school have aged into their twenties, but the core concepts are mostly still the same just more fleshed out. My tastes haven't really changed that much since then I guess... ^_^' As for target age group, I never really had anything specific in mind to begin with, though in jr high I was shooting for middlegrade until my mom pointed out that some of the more violent and dark content was more YA territory anyway...honestly, I still don't really write with a particular age group in mind, I just write what I want to write, and see how it winds up...

[@andysartz]

By the way, you had no right to give me a heart attack like that! The title should be "Scraping a story is hard but I'm not killing these characters, don't freak out" or something like that. XP

[@OliversAntics69]

Sorry, gotta get those clicks somehow 😔

[@eocmations3402]

@Oliver's Antics The masterpiece had turned out so gooooood and I loved listening and watching the video. You have really improved ur art style from the past few years being on KZbin and Instagram Oliver. Keep up the awesome work! You are one of my fav youtubers ever. I don't think I am gonna unsubscribe from you from now on. I'm going to grow as an artist too!

[@Lizzie-dm6ox]

I'm realizing now that i also have a very unhealthy attachment to my story. i made it like a year ago, and it was my first real story, and i have some of my friends role play through it, and i really developed the plot. I now realize that the plot is absolute garbage, and i cant even think through it anymore, cuz i don't have a solid plot. There are so many holes in it, and there isn't really a goal, or ending, and the villain's are kind of just there to cause trouble and don't have ANY motive TuT. I Love the characters so much, but i think i really have to redo the story if i want it to be any good at all. thank u for helping me realize this lol. the story is basically, trashy voltron+twilight with a mix of magical girls and slight mystery and it used to have cat people but i scrapped that a while ago

[@celeste_bdraws6489]

I had the same issue as well, feeling to attached to the old story, but something I did was create a new one and compare it to the old one, I picked out the things in the old one that I liked and picked out the things I liked in the new one. It’s hard, but you feel so much better after you do. Hope this was somewhat helpful!

[@NuNudelarenta]

I've been through the exact same thing my character Cecil who was originally just a Andy rip off that was based off of cotton candy is now a Russian badass I get it and honestly if you're not happy with the story scrap it I did the same thing with one of my other concepts and it would just wasn't working all in all I support all of your decisions over as long as it does not get rid of Andy and Luca being in a relationship

[@Godly_Message]

How does he draw everyone so frickin attractive? T.T

[@campcampfan1012]

As a person who loves to write it’s hard to scrap a story especially when writing for it so long I remember spending two years writing a story, I loved writing it hell I even wrote it during detention and got a lot of trouble writing it but at one point I just didn’t like it anymore and I scraped it. I have had a lot of stories that I scraped, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles. For now I have two stories I’m working on and one that’s a webcomic but I keep some things from my other story in my webcomic

[@nootnootman6353]

noot noot

[@nolailaaaa]

I really really like the layout of this illustration :)) , i like the cuteness of luka , rory And like the whole gang , they look suuuppeerr cute and sweet ⭐

[@Plasmacat13]

I feel this so hard. I have a story I've been working on since before even high school that I still work on now at the age of 24. I originally planned to make it a webcomic but after a while I realized that I was happier keeping that story to myself and working on it in private as a hobby rather than making a comic of it and started writing a different story to make a comic of. And now, a few years later, I'm starting to realize that I need to put THAT story aside too because the personal experiences that I based it on are no longer super relevant to me as a person anymore and I don't connect to it anymore.

[@chaotic_andromeda]

I'm working on a draft for some of my characters, but it felt so weird to scrap a story i was super invested in at one point. It was a nice idea and I had fun for a while, but lately I've fallen out of love with it and I had to let it go. I may come back to it, but I also feel like I'm doing myself a favor by working on things I enjoy more right now.

[@yezzyjames]

As a writer I have scrapped/changed/reworked a story so many times. It's what we do. Love the art btw. :}

[@quagsirelover7935]

you weren't lying about the title giving us a heart attack. but I'm happy you were able to come to terms with yourself, and I'm excited to see the changes that come to this story! pls do remember that your art is for yourself and that you can't hold on to one way of things (idk how to explain shit) just to please other people :D also I don't know how you had the patience to do a piece like this I would cry just trying to do the lineart

[@kenzie9413]

Oliver you should do a video revealing the story of the previous plot of Andys story since the story has now changed so drastically and it would no longer by spoilers.

[@palwasha6048]

I'm actually really excited to see their story and character development

[@imyourdadnow5291]

Unrelated, but the way you draw hair reminds me of ribbons, and personally I find it quite pretty 💛💛

[@furuyawn]

i think reworking their story is a great idea! slice of life is insanely hard to make interesting so i def understand why you would want to do something different with them. also side note: i would love to hear spoilers about how their original story would have gone if you had kept their story! i think it would make a fun video lol

[@Duhgel]

Damnnn, that's some dedication to draw for 17 hours, it looks really good tbh/gen

[@tiaryzi8853]

This gave me a scare but then I remembered I know nothing much of your story. Just your precious characters haha. I’m also in a similar situation except I have a story I’ve been revamping but I am missing the sticky glue that ties the plot points together. That missing thing is concepts, so yeah it’s understandable and common feeling. Edit- I forgot to add looking forward for the new stuff and your ocs!