A Reminder To Myself

“I can’t.”
>”But you want to, right? That’s the entire reason you’re even doing this.”
“Well yeah, but there’s just no way that I can-“
>”Can what? Match up to the rest of them? Do as well as they can? Pull as much attention as they do?”
“…Yeah.”
>”That’s fuckin’ bullshit and you know it. You’ve done a hell of a lot of work out there, even if it’s slow going, and you’ve gotten a ton of praise and positive criticism based on what you’ve put out so far.”
“Well yeah, but-“
>”Shut up a sec. You’re better than you think you are. We both know that. So why’re you having so much trouble writing?”
“…”
>”Look dude, I can’t help you out unless you tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m having trouble because I know there’s no way I can pull off plots as complex as theirs. No way my characters or writing will ever be as hype, no way my Stands will ever be as interesting. There’s just no way I can be their equal. I should just quit, man.”
>”What!? You can’t quit! What about the updates you’ve teased? What about the promises you made to yourself to catch up to the rest of them? What about the cool guys who always had something to say about your stuff? You can’t let them down like that!”
“Yeah I can. Who cares anyway, they’ve got much more talented people making stories in there. They don’t need someone like me shitting things up. There’s just no point in sticking around.”
>”So you’re gonna give up just like that? Throw in the towel and walk away from something you’ve spent the better part of 12 months on? Let all those plot threads wither and die, leave all those people on an eternal cliffhanger?”
“I can’t do ANYTHING on par with the rest of them: can’t make the plot engaging, can’t develop the characters properly, can’t even write good combat scenes, and you think that I can just go back and write for them like it’s nothing?”
>”Yes I do.”
“…”
>”Remember that first Stand you made? The very first one? Before you even knew about the thread? It grew into something you never expected, right?”
“Yeah?”
>”Yeah, it became the seed that grew into a brand new story. And after being tended to carefully, that seed is about to bear ripe and juicy fruit. The other works that have branched off from that first story are waiting to enter full bloom. You just need the right circumstances. And look, every so often someone will make a post about how much they enjoy or love the thread, and that enjoyment includes your stories.”
“…I can’t deny that, huh?”
>”Nope. So come on, get up and get moving, cast off the funk you’re in and write to your heart’s content. Create all the plot points and Stands and alternate universes you can think of, then smash ‘em together and find out what works! Creativity is literally infinite in this environment, so keep making things until you’re all tired out, then make some more!”
“Heh, thanks man. You always know what to say.”
>”That’s what I’m here for, my guy. Good luck with your greens. ｢Self Vs. Self｣ out!”
>Your Stand vanishes as you crack your knuckles in front of the glowing screen, inspiration flowing through your head for the first time in weeks, and begin to write

Stand Name: ｢Self Vs. Self｣
Stand Master: [spoiler]You, reading this right now[/spoiler]
Appearance: ｢Self Vs. Self｣ takes on the appearance of whoever summons it, right down to the smallest details
Ability: ｢Self Vs. Self｣ confronts the user with positive aspects of whatever situation they currently feel despair over. It offers advice, points out good feedback/criticism/comments, and comforts those who need it. It will continue to help the user until they make things better, no matter how long that takes.

[spoiler]We each have a ｢Self Vs. Self｣ inside of us. You just need to let it out. Listen to the positive voice in the back of your head.[/spoiler]