blueberryjanelle

Hello, all. This will be my "goodbye" journal, so it'll likely be fairly lengthy to read. Some of you have already said goodbye to me, which is fine, but if you haven't yet then leaving your goodbye comment below this journal would be wonderful

Anyway, I'll do my best to keep this somewhat brief, but there will be a lot of reflection (so you may need to read this in multiple sittings). I just wanted to remind everyone that I will look to reply to comments for up to maybe 5-7 days or so after this journal is posted, but that's it. So if you want to say goodbye and expect a reply back then please do that ASAP. I'll also ask to keep replies short, like if you comment and I reply, reply once more if you wish but try not to get into a huge discussion because once those days are up, I won't log on to check and I don't want to leave anyone hanging and waiting for a reply and such. That make sense? So please, say what you'd like in your original comment and keep the replies to a minimum so that when the time comes you would've said what you wanted to


Wow though, a whole decade. If you told me that when I first started writing I would've laughed. It's hard to believe how fast the time flies and the stories really do add up over time. I've seen a lot of people come and go and for me to have still been here for a whole decade is very cool, but also kinda odd.

I really don't like my older stories, and I've said so on many occasions I feel they got better after I switched my formatting style up around 2010/2011ish. For me, that's around the time I viewed them as "actually good". With the formatting, I've had people over the years tell me that once they opened up the story they already KNEW it was written by me because of the style and such. I thought that was pretty neat

How long it took me to write and post a story

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in a journal before or not, but I'll tell you how long it took me. I've always had ideas bouncing around in my head so I feel that I can say with full confidence that in the whole decade of writing, I've never had writer's block. I seriously cannot remember the last time that I couldn't think of what to write, I always had something I wanted to write about.

There's the actual writing part which maybe took 3-10 hours of sitting down typing, proofreading/editing, uploading on DA, writing up "artists comments" underneath, adding tags, then submitting to groups. So, the "average" length story for me took maybe 8+ hours? It's a rough guess, but it probably took more. I always put so much thought into the dialogue and the character interaction, and that's what I pride my stories on. Everything I write is on the spot, so unless I thought ahead and had a great one-liner for Kylie to use, for example, then everything was written then and there. As I wrote, I essentially saw the story unfold in my mind and wrote it down. So really, it's like 95% on the spot and improvised. As a matter of fact, a lot of the random and silly stuff you've read have been improvised on the spot and added in. "Hmmm, what would be something goofy I could have Kylie do? Oh, I know!" and then I'd write that in and things would unfold. Then a "reaction" to what Kylie did, for example, that'd take me towards a direction and there'd be a reaction to that. So really, stories just branched off into different parts while I wrote. It makes me laugh thinking about this, but for soooo many of my stories, I had a rough idea of how I wanted it to end, but after having my OC's do something (or if Kylie got involved) then the story would branch off and end in a completely different way than I was thinking it would. Improvising It really was a journey to go from beginning to end because even I didn't know how things would progress and how the story would end. So really, while you're reading it your guess is as good as mine That relates to another thing about my stories, and that's predictability. For me, I feel my stories weren't too predictable. Sure, you knew someone would swell up in some way (if I didn't give away a hint in the title), and with the dialogue and interactions and such, it was pretty much a free-for-all as to who'd swell up. However, a bunch of my stories take place at someone's house so the setting, I kept it somewhat familiar. But just when I thought I may have had a couple stories take place at someone's house, I'd switch it up and do something different. To sum up my point, I feel that as a reader, you didn't always know what was about to happen when you opened up a story of mine, and just when you might think you do, I switched things up on you and surprised you in some way. I either switch up the setting, who swells up and how many do, or I do something different with the expansions (like with one of my FAVORITE stories, Busty Berry). You're probably thinking of the traditional blueberry expansion, buuuuuuuuut I added a twist to it instead

Got a tad sidetracked there, but it does relate to how long it took me to write stories. Just when I thought I'd be about finished, I'd write more and more. Or just when I thought I'd see how things were going, I'd get an idea and everything would be thrown into a new direction and I'd keep going with it. Really, my OC's were what drove my stories. As I wrote, everything literally hinged on what they'd do. But I liked that because the stories were based on what they did, or what I could see them doing. So even for me while writing, I wasn't sure what would happen with 100% certainty. Honestly it was more like 20% having an idea of what I'd want to have happen and what I'd have "planned" to happen, with the other 80% being up to them and how the story progressed. I just put soooo much thought into everything I wrote, and with the "unknown" of my OC's (especially with Kylie), I never truly knew what to expect. So, my stories probably took at least 8 hours or so, but that's just for the "average-length" ones. For the last few stories I've written they've been pretty darn long, and those took FOREVER to write. I'd spend weeks on them and whenever I could, I'd pick up where I left off at. That in itself could be difficult trying to continue where you last saved the story and hope that you can recapture the flow. I got used to doing that over the years so that wasn't really hard for me to do. As you can probably see, and really the timing of that is just a guess, but it takes me quite a while to write stories and post them, and that's one of the reasons I feel it's time for me to go. I've been writing for a decade, and it's taken a lot out of me. I've still got more left in the tank, but at the same time I've already "moved on" in my mind and I want to spend time doing other things, like spend more time with my family instead of thinking about expansions and my OC's and putting that energy into writing them, etc.

An interesting thought about my OC's

It didn't occur to me until a few years ago when someone pointed out that OC's generally resemble the creator's personality in some way. That was really fascinating to me, and so I remember thinking about it. At the time I created them I just gave them different personalities and such, but I could definitely see where that'd be true.

Sabrina: sexy, flirty, clever, relaxed
Kylie: goofy, VERY random, fun, crazy, easy-going
Pandora: curious, intelligent, naive, fit/active, diplomatic
Clara: motherly, caring, passionate, innocent
Katrina: intelligent, scientific, meticulous

I realized each of my OC's represent characteristics of myself in some way. Sabrina is like my sensual/clever side, Kylie is my goofy/random/silly side, Pandora (well, since she's an alien) represents my curiosity for knowledge/fitness/intelligence/diplomatic nature, Clara is essentially my motherly side that loves and cares for others, and Katrina is my intelligent/scientific side. All of these make them unique in their own way and helps them stand out from the others. If you've read my stories for at least a little while, you've likely noticed these things about my OC's. Like if Kylie was in a story, chances are you probably began to think, "Hmmm, what crazy thing is she gonna say or do next?" Perhaps interestingly enough, Pandora seemed to act as like the voice of reason in some cases (interesting because she's not from Earth and is still studying how humans interact and such). She's an alien that knows lots of things about Earth and Earthlings, but at the same time she's constantly learning whatever she can (and as you may have noticed, Kylie messes with her and teaches her wrong things on purpose ). In all, they were a crazy blend of organized chaos (for the most part). Most of the time things took a turn but I kept things from getting too crazy

Character interaction and dialogue

I touched upon this a little already, but I really do feel it needs its own little category. I really prided myself on this and it's what I really enjoyed about writing, other than for the expansions, of course. Most of the reason stories took me a while to write was because I was busy thinking about what to have characters say, make sure that it sounds like something they'd actually say, and then have it flow and make sense within the story. When having five OC's in a story, that can be very tricky, believe me. But after a bunch of practice, I got used to it. This'll probably make me sound crazy, but while I wrote I literally imagined my OC's interacting in my head and just wrote down what I envisioned. Again, lots of stuff was pretty much improvised, but at the same time it felt like a steady-flowing back and forth between characters. I loved throwing in jokes, having OC's bicker with one another, and all that good stuff. Even after all these years of expanding, everyone is still great friends!

My fans, and "internet celebrity" status

First off, I wouldn't have written for a decade if I didn't have such great people support my writing and actually get excited to read my stories. I started out just looking to "give it a shot", and I did NOT expect to write for ten years (ew, I feel old ). I've had people ask me over the years something like, "So how does it feel to be a celebrity?" If you've asked that, I may have replied back with either or included within it, just because I never saw myself as a "celebrity". In fact, it really wasn't until a few years ago (two or three?) when one day I was like, "Wow, there's thousands of people out there that have read my stories!" Add in that I managed to get 700,000 pageviews not too long ago, and I was really blown away. Like, I never even thought about how many people have read my stories. I did a quick Google search and it says there are 195 countries. I divided my pageviews by the number of countries and hypothetically, about 4,000 people from every country in the world has viewed my profile. Obviously not everyone in every country has access to the internet (or have even been introduced to expansion/DA), but just to think of that hypothetical was really, really cool. As I type this, I have 2,807,463 story views, and as a writer, that's pretty darn cool, too

"How does it feel to be one of the best, if not the best expansion writer in history?" Every time I had that question asked, or something similar mentioned in a comment or note, I wasn't really sure how to view that as. It's quite an honor to even be considered "the best", that of which I truly am grateful, but at the same time I always viewed that as other people's opinions. So, if they thought I was "the best" or "one of the best", then great. If not, that's cool too. Everyone has their own opinion so I never let it bother me. It really is an honor to even be considered in that, and something I never thought would happen when I first started writing. To see so many people feel that way really warms my heart

How to "read" my stories

You may wonder what the heck I mean by that headline "How to read" in how to look at my stories one by one. I've had people ask, "Well, how did your characters return to their normal size? Your last story had them swell up as a big as a house!" The simplest answer I can give is that my stories do not have any continuation with one another, unless they're a multi-part story or a mini series. So unless it's either of those, each story is essentially its own randomness. Now some stuff does carry over to others like character interaction and character development; in a few stories I've referenced things that happened in past stories I wrote. But those are pretty much it since they don't effect the main plot, generally speaking. I always thought of my stories as like a sitcom. Each "episode" (story) has something different happening and the characters swell up in whatever way and other than for some character progression, things are pretty much kept the same. Really, they're like random adventures. And each one, their expansion resets and it's on to the next one So hopefully that cleared that up if you were wondering. With the amount of stories I wrote, acknowledging every time that my characters returned to normal would've been tiring In some stories my OC's/me returned to our normal size, but that was clearly stated in them so that you knew. Each story, unless it's a series and such, is its own entity. I also wanted to make you think. My stories aren't just "someone expands, the end". Nope. You can look at them that way if you wish, but there's more to them. Character interactions, descriptions, jokes/humor, references, and ideas and concepts that can make you think. There's some stories that are short and to the point, so they pretty much are focused on the expansion. For others though, I focused on the expansions as well as other stuff going on that may not have been as easily noticeable. I wanted to get you thinking, and if you pay attention when reading, then you may pick up on some hidden jokes and references.

Regrets

Wasn't sure if I wanted to do this category, but I feel it's important in letting everyone know that things don't always go as planned, even for someone that's "one of the best" writers. Good life lesson. Anyway, I do have some regrets, and these aren't in any specific order. If I'm being honest (which I've always been with you guys) then I'd have to say probably my biggest regret is how much time I've really spent either writing or just being on DA. I really do enjoy all the stories I've written and interacting with you guys, but at the same time I wish I hadn't spent as much time doing that. Ten years is like a mini eternity Between the hours writing, editing, posting stories, to the countless hours logging on and checking messages and then replying....that's a lot of time. I logged on 3-5 times a week on average I'd say, and each time I'd spend an hour or two replying to people, or searching for artwork and stories by others. Writing-up journals took a bit of time as well (especially this one! ). So really, I spent a good 6-8 hours a week on DA at least, and that's just taking a minimal estimate. Factor in writing a story and that could bump things closer to 14+ish hours (if I'm really being serious). Now, I didn't write a story every week, and some weeks I didn't log on as much as others, but taking just a hypothetical estimate, add up all those hours and times that by 52 weeks, then times that by a decade. 8 hours per week x 52 weeks = 416 hours. 416 hours per year x 10 years = 4,160 hours. 4,160 hours / 24 hours = 173.3 days spent on Deviantart. Factor in all the stories I wrote, and really trying to take a good guess at it, then I've spent a good 300 full days of my life either writing, editing, replying to comments/notes, or typing up journals. So really, I've spent roughly 300 days of my life doing all that stuff. Almost a full year, and the scary thing is that it could likely be even more than that. Literally, a full year of my life, 365 days, spent writing and replying. All that time added up. The topping on the cake? I did it all because I wanted to, all for free. Didn't make a single penny. This paragraph may seem like I'm angry about it, but I'm not. I'm perfectly okay with all the time I spent on here and with writing. Though at the same time I wish I hadn't spent as much time. So, let that be a lesson to each of you, or just for writers or artists as a general reminder: be careful of how much time you're really spending doing this. If you enjoy it then great. But, if like me, you began to wonder how much time and if it doesn't make you feel good about truly how much time you're spending, perhaps cut down on the work or move on. And that's what I'm doing. Moving on.

More regrets I have are not getting around to writing certain story ideas I've had. I've been fortunate enough to have so many ideas bouncing around in my head all the time and all I had to do was literally just pick one and start writing. Sometimes the "picking" part was the hardest. In my final story, Whitney Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, I ended up combining a few ideas because I wanted to at least get them into a story. Because really, that story itself had some sub-plot ideas that I had planned for a good 3-4 stories, easily. I could've even made a couple short series with the ideas. But, at least I was able to kinda get those in. I've always wanted to have all of us visit Pandora's (OC) home planet, and all the possibilities that could've brought. I love sci-fi stuff and that would've allowed me to get sciency and futuristic, in ways. Plus, with all the females on her home planet being able to alter their bodies (in certain ways ), I wanted to include Brad in the story and have him make jokes about not wanting to leave That would've been really fun from a science and thought-provoking standpoint, but also for comedy. Another one was where I wanted to kind of "re-write" Willy Wonka but have Violet's mom turn into the blueberry instead. Never got around to that and that's a big regret for me, sadly. I could go on about the ideas I still have, but I just wanted to show that I do still have ideas, and really, not everything goes as planned for people.

My impact on the expansion community

It's hard to believe I've had such an impact on people. I can't say how many times I've been told that I've been an inspiration for someone to write, become artists, or just get into this kind of fetish. Simply inspiring someone is such a great feeling but to do that for a bunch of people is something that's very cool. I never thought I'd be the one to do that, but since I've been around forever it seems, I guess it could make sense I've gotten comments from people that remember a story of mine being the first they read about expansion and that's what hooked them, I've had people say they remember when they first started watching me years ago, and all that is really fun to hear. I remember I started writing just for the heck of doing so, and I didn't know it'd turn into what I have on here today. Having the amount of pageviews I have as an expansion writer is kinda surprising because expansion can be a very specific thing and hard to find, but even as a writer in general, that many views is surprising (you generally see artists being the ones with tons of views). I've always felt that writing needed a certain creativity to be effective, because you have to describe things so that the reader can visualize what is happening. Whereas for artists, you can draw-up something and there's a clear visual. Not to knock artists because there's a lot of tremendous ones out there. Just in my personal opinion, I've felt literature has been cast aside in ways that it wasn't years ago. Society as a whole doesn't seem to have the patience to read like it used to. People have smaller attention spans, so it makes sense that people would rather look at a drawing for ten seconds as opposed to siting down and reading a story for fifteen minutes or more. Makes sense, right? So, I tried to get people interested in reading and show that reading can be just as much fun. I've always viewed it as this: with drawing, you're limited to what you can fit on a piece of paper or computer screen (unless you draw a multi-part comic) whereas with writing, there really is no limitation. You can write a story that goes on forever and all you have to do is keep scrolling down to read it. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that reading can be lots of fun and get you thinking, and that's what I wanted to do with expansion. To have such an impact on a large group of people is something I'll never forget. It's truly remarkable to have so many people genuinely care, and I really thank you for that.

How I'd like to be remembered

I'd like to be remembered for my honesty, friendliness, and my devotion to expansion. I spent a good part of my life just writing for you guys. All for free, too. I haven't made a single penny on anything. I guess if you can make money from expansion (which you really can), then do it. But for me, I never thought about money. I thought about writing about my OC's (and myself) and just having fun, goofy adventures. Money never came to mind as an option.

Another thing I'm proud of is that I haven't changed. After a decade, I'm still the same person. Wiser and older, but I'm still the same. I've treated everyone with respect and haven't looked down on anyone. And that's another thing, in that I've been fair to everyone. I didn't get the ego of, "Ooo, I'm a big fancy known writer, I'm better than all of you!" I never got that, never felt that. That's not who I am. I'm sure you've seen how nice and friendly I am in all the times that I've replied back to you guys. Most writers and artists don't take the time to reply back to their readers/watchers and that is something that really annoys me. People support you (maybe even pay for your stories/artwork), some even look up to you most likely, yet you never acknowledge them, never reply back, don't treat them like people, and don't even at the very least reply back to say "thank you" on a comment? Seriously? That stuff irritates me. Now that's just my opinion and everyone out there can do as they please. However, for me, I never ignored my readers. I always acknowledged people whenever I could, and for those that have commented on anything of mine, even just once, there's like a 99.9% chance I've replied to you in some fashion to thank you, answer a question you had on something, or whatever. The few times I didn't reply was either spam, different language, or if I felt your comment was creepy and didn't know how or if I even wanted to reply to it. Very few times that's happened where I haven't replied, though. And again, not that writers or artists need to reply to everything like I did, but I just wanted to take the time to show I cared for each and every one of you, and that I viewed you as equal. Sure, I'm a writer that lots of people seem to know about, but that doesn't make me any different than anyone else.

I'm sure you all remember the "popular" kids in high school, right? Well years ago, that was Brad and I. Everyone knew me, and I knew everyone. However, I wasn't mean, rude, or ignored anyone. We both acknowledged everyone in school regardless if they were deemed "popular" or not. I treated everyone the same. No rumors or gossip floated around while Brad and I dated, and there was no "drama". Know why? Other than being genuinely nice people, we treated everyone the same with respect. We had lots of fun, and we had friends all over the place. As a matter of fact, we still know just about everyone from when we were in school. As for the others that were mean to people and all that, they aren't friends with people they used to be friends with (from what I've been told). And really, if someone was mean or rude, then Brad and I didn't want anything to do with them. We cut that negativity out. So really, I think that's what got me into being the person I am today. I've always been friendly, welcoming, and caring. That's why sometimes in a journal or in a comment I'd welcome those that were either new readers or people that never commented to comment on my stories or journals, and that's because I wanted everyone to feel welcome. I wanted all of you to see that I'm approachable and that I'm not mean, rude, or that I'd ignore you with a "big shot" attitude. Because that stuff isn't me at all and never has been, same goes with Brad. We even had teachers say that we were good role models for others, and that was back when we were 17/18 years old. As I write this journal I'm still only 30 (though I'll be 31 soon - ew, I'm feeling old now ) but it also shows how mature we both were at such a young age. Follow that decade back when I started on DA and I started writing at like 20/21 or so (wow, time flies!). I'm not sure if I shared that story with you guys about my (or our) high school years, but I wanted to show that the person you've talked to (me) has always been the same person as back then. Because people do change, and "internet fame" can definitely change people. But for me, I'm still the same

I'll try to make this as quick of a paragraph as I can, but with my "internet fame", I never pushed any political views on you guys like others have or may have. Not that I'm a political junkie, but you hear about celebrities saying this or that (especially over the past few years), whereas I don't believe I've ever done that. If I did I feel like I'd remember, but I'm pretty confident I never have. I avoided that stuff because 1) we talk about expansion-related stuff, since that's the whole point of me writing 2) you guys can think for yourselves, develop your own opinions 3) I didn't want to use any influence I may have to change how you think and 4) I didn't want people to read or not read my stories solely based on politics (because that's how people think these days). I never wanted to use any influence I may have to change you in any way, because that's not who I am. And really, in my ten years on DA and talking to you guys, I truly believe that nobody can make a knowledgeable guess on which political party I affiliate myself with. Don't bother making any guesses because I won't tell you. You know why? Because the point of this paragraph is to show that you can think for yourself and that my political opinions (or really, any celebrities' opinions) shouldn't effect the way you think.

I'd also like to be remembered as someone who did what they wanted (in this case write what I wanted, while at the same time trying to include you guys in whenever I could). I'd get a really great idea for a story based around a certain expansion I thought would work best for it, but if I realized I hadn't written about another expansion for a little while, then I'd look to include that in too. This could also be shown in my blueberry stories, because I'd include A LOT of different expansions. I know that not everyone enjoys blueberry expansion, so by including other expansions within it, it could appeal to people more because there was bound to be something in there that you liked. I also wasn't afraid to try new things. Like with Kylie, Sabrina, And The Transformation Ray: Part 1 and Kylie, Sabrina, And The Transformation Ray: Part 2, I tried quite a bit of new things that I had never written before. That whole story was an absolute blast to write. I even wish I had tried those things sooner (because I would've written them more) but it never really came up. It's kinda funny too because I've had people say I introduced them to these random fetishes they never knew they had Like the honey expansion, or even foot expansion (which I started including a few years ago, mainly with blueberry expansion). I enjoyed trying things when I did, and I really enjoyed all the randomness

I'll make this paragraph quick, but I felt my stories got better and better with each one (I've always preferred my more-recent stuff than my old stories). Being that this is it for me on here, I feel like my last handful of stories were really, really good. And that's not me sounding boastful, I just feel like they were fun, thought-provoking, very lengthy stories that took quite a while to write, interesting, and very random. For me, I felt they were each instant home runs. In my mind, I'm "going out on top" in that I know I gave it my all and that I really feel it was quality work.

Thank you

I wanted to end off by saying thank you to everyone. I've spoken with some very sweet people, made some friends on here, and have enjoyed my time over the past decade. Making it a full ten years was something I never thought I'd reach, but I did it. If I didn't have such amazing people read my stories and enjoy them as much as they have, I wouldn't have written for all these years. Thank you for caring so much to read my stories, drop comments, wish me happy birthday over the years, and even check in on how my family and I are doing. It means so much that you guys cared enough to do all that, and I hope I was able to return the favor to all of you by writing for all these years and replying back whenever I could. I never looked down or ignored you guys, and I felt like I was like a motherly figure, in a way. I cared, I helped, and I feel like I brought positive vibes to an online world that can be rather harsh. With every story I relayed what I imagined in my mind so that you could picture it in yours. I added jokes and humor to try and bring at least a smile to your face if you were feeling down, but also some thought-provoking stories that made you think and imagine the what-ifs that could happen, get you interested in expansion even more, or just give you something to read if you were bored. After a handful of years it became apparent that I could be seen as like a role model for some people, and I wanted to live up to that for those that may have seen me as one. Other than being older and wiser, I'm still the same person as when I first started writing ten years ago. My stories will be left up so that you can read them whenever you wish to (just remember that I won't be replying to comments since I'm leaving). To touch upon that a little more, I've been asked, "Will you return?" My answer to that is no, and maybe. There will always be a chance I'll return in the future, whether it's a few years or more. But being truthful, I truly don't intend on returning to writing. Deep down I want to write forever, but at the same time I feel it's taken a lot of my time and I want to spend that time doing other things in my life. Leave me on your watch list if you wish, but I'm not promising I'll ever write a story, or post another journal again. I want to be clear with that, because I don't want to get anyone's hopes up, including mine.

I suppose this is it, my friends. I've written my "last" story and I'm about to post my "last" journal for the final time. Leading up to all this was difficult, but oddly enough I haven't cried nearly as much as I thought I would. Thinking about posting my final story or journal has been strange to think about. Deviantart is the only site I currently use, so if I do return at some point in the future, then you guys know where to find me But, I'm truly at peace with my decision and moving on.

I've already gotten some "goodbye" comments, but if you haven't yet said goodbye to me and you wish to, then please do so under this journal. I will check and reply to comments for maybe up to a week after I post this, so again, please comment ASAP if you wish to do so. Also, say all that you'd like in your original comment and keep replies to a minimum (once these 5-7 days or so come up and I stop checking, I don't want to leave anyone hanging for a reply). I anticipate getting a bunch of comments so please keep in mind that I'll look to keep things short whenever I reply back to you. I'm going to try and keep things as short as possible because otherwise I'll be typing up another story just in comments I also politely ask that you leave a comment here and not in note-form, just to make it easier on me to see and reply to comments all together

Saying goodbye is always difficult, and this is where the tears start to fall. I wanted to write this journal because I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye With saying that, thank you to everyone for reading my stories (as well as this lengthy journal ) and for allowing me to be goofy, silly, and random with stories over this past decade. I'm thankful for the friends I've made and for chatting with so many sweet and caring people. There's always a chance I'll return one day, but again, I don't anticipate that happening. I hope you enjoyed reading about my OC's and myself interacting and getting into random adventures just as much as I enjoyed writing them. After all these years it's hard to believe they're made-up characters because they feel like real friends that we all actually know (though I guess in a way, they are real ). Thank you for caring and being so supportive of me and my family for so long. I've always enjoyed reading your comments on my stories and journals, and I'm thankful for all of that. For those that do, thank you for considering me as "one of the best" within the expansion community. It was an honor being a leader for this community and welcoming others into it for so many years. All of you will always hold a special place in my heart, and I'll never forget you guys. Thank you for letting me into your life, and I hope that I was able to impact you in a positive, heartfelt way. I love you all!




Thanks for reading!
- Janelle

Hi, all! Hard to believe, but I just posted my final story. I wanted to send one last story post reminder with this journal, while also reminding you that I plan on writing a "goodbye" journal sometime soon, so please save your goodbyes and such for that journal

I had a lot of fun writing this one. Blueberry expansion means a lot to me so it was only fitting for my final story. I've planned on writing about blueberry expansion for my final one, so I'm glad I was able to do that. It's also my second-longest single story, which I thought was neat

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy my take on the chocolate factory and enjoy the read on my final story. I'll post my final journal soon, so that'll be the next/final post you likely see from me. It's been an amazing ride and I love you all!

Hello all. As I've mentioned off and on over the past few years (and over the past year specifically), I believe the time is now for me to conclude my writing career within the next couple of weeks. I have already started writing my final story, and hope to have that completed ASAP. I don't normally tell you guys what I'm writing before it's posted, however this one is different since it'll be my last. I've mentioned in the past that for my last story I'd like for it to be blueberry expansion, and that's what it'll be (though there will obviously be a bunch of expansions thrown in). Blueberry expansion is what got me into this fetish, so I felt it'd be a great way to conclude it. However, this story will be BIG. And I mean that in that ALL my OC's will expand, as well as myself - going out with a bang! It'll also make you think a bit and I'd say it'll be it's own "Wonka universe" from what you have read in the past (it'll be like my take on it, with a few twists). I began writing it a few days ago, but I'm already halfway, or maybe a little over halfway through it. Right now the file size is at 22.5KB, which is a little more than I'd consider a "normal" length for one of my stories.

I thought about what I wanted to write, and I don't believe I've EVER written about the Chocolate Factory. Ever. Literally ever. Whole decade on DA, not even once. So you get the idea If I did, then it must've been around when I first started because I don't ever remember writing about the Chocolate Factory before, but I'm pretty confident I haven't. I just didn't want to fall into a "cliche" of writing blueberry stories while in the setting of the factory, because I feel that's where a bit of them are generally located. However at this point, it's pretty much the perfect setting for me to use. I thought about having just one or two OC's expand, or even just myself, but I didn't think that'd be "big" enough for a final story. So this one has everyone growing!

Also, this isn't time to get sad just yet. I've got the story to complete first After that, I will post my "goodbye" journal, so please save any goodbyes or whatever you wish to say for that journal. I will keep logging on and reading/replying to them for a short time after, but then that'll be it. So when I do post that journal, I will read them and reply to you guys.

That'll be a fairly lengthy journal I imagine, so I apologize in advance But I do have a bunch of things I'd like to share, and I believe you'll enjoy reading it. I wanted to keep this journal as brief as I could so I'll save stuff for that journal in the near future. Back to writing my final story!

Edit (June 8): By "going out with a bang" I meant that I plan on writing a story with a lot of expansion going on, with all my OC's (including myself) expanding. There will be no popping

"The deviation has been removed in accordance with our policies and should not be resubmitted."

I logged on and saw that a story of mine had just been taken down. That story was Three's A Charm. I suppose of all my stories, THAT would be the one that would've been taken down (because of what happened in it ), but here's the thing....that story was posted six years ago. SIX. Why all of a sudden is it an issue to the point where it needed to be taken down? Not sure.

A couple weeks ago I posted How 'Mature' Can Writing Be On Deviantart?. Could there be a connection? I believe so. Otherwise, why would a story that's been up for six years suddenly be taken down out of the blue? In a way I guess I was surprised it was still up for years, however, the timing of it just seems really odd to me, especially shortly after I post that journal (and perhaps coincidentally, my ten-year Deviantart anniversary). It's also probably been six or seven YEARS since I've had a story taken down, but yeah, just had to wait that six years after it was posted to take it down. Yup, makes sense. Whatever, though....just wanted to point these few things out and see if that sounded fishy to you guys as well. I was thinking about starting a new story today but that really put me out of the mood. Maybe some coffee will help

Sooooooo, my ten-year DA anniversary was a couple of days ago. TEN years. A whole decade. I really can't believe it. A few years ago I didn't think I'd stick around long enough to see it, but I made it. It's a great personal milestone and it makes me feel better with all the time I put into writing over the past decade. I've seen many people come and go so to hit the ten-year mark is really special for me

Anyway, I wanted to keep this journal fairly brief I've also got some news to share with all of you within the next few weeks. Thank you to everyone for all your support over the past decade