The Story of Cynthia, Author 'Atuy Galon', Started from NCT Local AU That Now Has Been Made into a Comic

Kapanlagi.com - Alternate Universe (AU) has now become a trend among young K-Pop fans. Not much different from fanfiction, AU is also a fan-made fictional story, but written on social media Twitter. Its presentation is also made contemporary in the form of narratives and fake chats to add depth to the story.

Cynthia is one of the AU writers (authors) who recently went viral. Her story titled Atuy Galon, featuring the visuals of Yuta NCT, successfully attracted attention. Packaged in an interesting story, the character named Atuy is portrayed as a gallon seller with a distinctive typing style that is funny and often offers gallons to her customers in a hilarious way.

KapanLagi.com managed to contact Cynthia, or as she is affectionately called Cyn, and she admitted that she initially just wrote AU for fun. Cyn did not expect her writing to go viral and entertain many people.

"Actually, at that time it was just pure fun, I had no intention of making an AU, just a regular joke with friends, but when I updated it, many people liked it, so I continued it into a story and it turned out to be viral and many were entertained," said the 25-year-old woman when contacted (16/10).

1. Never Met the Water Gallon Man

The woman who now works at a state-owned enterprise admits she has never met the water gallon man. The AU idea written by Cyn comes from her love for listening to her friends' stories.

"Honestly, I actually rarely and even have never met the water gallon man hahaha, I just often listen to my friends' stories. As for being a fan (Yuta NCT), yes, I am a huge fan," Cyn revealed.

Then those stories were collected and eventually became her inspiration to write the AU. Choosing Atuy as the main character, Cyn has indeed been a fan of Yuta NCT for a long time. Thus, Yuta was created in a local context so that many netizens feel related to the story.

"From what I know, most of the readers of this AU say that the story is relatable to everyday life and funny," she added.

2. Printed in Comic Form

Cynthia's success not only went viral and entertained netizens, but this AU is also being published in comic form by Bukune Publisher. Initially, Cyn had indeed planned to turn this AU into a comic because she wanted to depict the visuals and personas of each character to make them feel closer to the readers.

"When it comes to Atuy Galon, from the very beginning when I was offered to publish it, I had already thought about turning it into a comic, and it turns out the publisher also asked how about making it a comic, so we were on the same page. The reason I wanted Atuy Galon to be made into a comic is that I want people to see the visualization and persona of the characters I created, and the illustrator who draws the Atuy Galon comic, named Nunu, is really great at bringing these characters to life in her drawings," Cyn revealed.

During the process of making the comic, Cyn faced some obstacles. She felt down at one point and chose to take a break from social media due to some issues she encountered a while ago. Eventually, Cyn was able to bounce back and re-establish communication with the publisher.

"Honestly, the process was really quick, because I had taken a break too due to the pros and cons surrounding this story; there were several publishers who DM'd me to publish the book, but I hadn't responded to any of them. I asked my parents what would be best, and they disagreed because of the issues that had previously made me feel really down, and the situation wasn't conducive either. Until finally, when I was feeling better, one of the publishers DM'd me, Bukune Publisher, and I happened to be familiar with this publisher and liked some of the works they published. I finally asked for advice again and many of my friends convinced me that a big opportunity like this might not come twice, there's nothing wrong with trying, so I agreed." she explained.

3. How to Write and Build Characters

Atuy Galon Comic © Bukune

Cyn admits that she rarely thinks about ideas and concepts because she feels more comfortable writing spontaneously. Behind each of her funny characters, Cyn says that her inspiration comes from herself as she is often described as humorous by her friends.

"Every time I create a story, I rarely think about ideas and concepts, sometimes it just pops up spontaneously, and I don't even know where the thought came from. So whenever I have an idea that 'seems like this story would be funny', I quickly write it down for fear of forgetting it, hahahaha," Cyn said.

AU Atuy Galon tells the comedic story of a water gallon seller and his customers. So it's no surprise that this AU entertains many people, including the writer herself. Cyn admits that the moment that made her laugh the most while writing the character Teguh.

"I think almost everything, because actually some stories in my AU are based on what I experience in my daily life, even though it's not with a water gallon seller, and in this AU, I developed the story, hahaha. I mostly laughed when Teguh choked on kangkung (water spinach) and when Teguh borrowed money at the ATM," she concluded.

"If there’s an AU character I created that became my favorite, it’s Anton. I got my inspiration for Anton from Asahi TREASURE, whom I initially didn’t know at all. I started to find out about him because many people requested for him to be Atuy's brother, and I ended up really liking his character, so funny," she added.

4. Tips for Writing Comedy AU

In the world of writing, Cyn admits that this is her first time diving in. So far, she hasn't encountered any obstacles and feels she still has a lot to learn. However, Cyn is confident when sharing her tips for writing comedy genre AUs.

"I always get spontaneous ideas whenever I'm in a good mood. Because the genre of Atuy Galon is comedy, sometimes I don't want to overthink the ideas that have to be like this or that, because I'm afraid the story will end up not being funny if it feels forced. Just enjoy the process, let the words find you," she stated confidently.

5. Cyn's Hopes for the Future

Looking ahead, Cyn admitted that she wants to continue to grow as a writer. She even leaked that she is planning to create Atuy Galon season 2.

"Because I feel like I've already jumped in and the response has been very positive, so it would be a shame if I didn't take this opportunity for self development. My intention after this is to make Atuy Galon season 2 and I want to start learning how to write properly because the first concept was a mess and very random hahahaha. Besides that, since I'm still very new in this field, I'm also really clueless about everything. I want to improve the shortcomings from the previous season. Previously I said I’m not the type to think too much about how ideas and concepts should be, now I will try to think about these ideas and concepts so that they are more structured and directed, just to keep it neat," Cyn explained.

Not only that, Cyn also wants to convey a message to fellow writers and readers who have enjoyed her work. For her, writing is a process that must be truly enjoyed so that one does not feel forced and ultimately stressed to continue the story.

"Honestly, I’m still a bit shocked to be called a writer like 'really, am I a writer?' hahahaha. If I want to give motivation, it seems like I’m not quite worthy yet, hahahaha. What’s the message? In my opinion, writing really has to be enjoyed in the process. Sometimes lacking motivation to write and getting stuck is also part of the process, and I think that when writing, it’s best to write for yourself first because sometimes when I write Atuy Galon, it’s to entertain myself. If I think too much about the pressure from others that our story has to be like this or like that, I think it actually becomes a major block to continue the story that we are creating," said Cyn.

"I also want to thank everyone who has liked the work I created. I didn’t expect such positive responses from all of you, and I’ve come this far thanks to all of you, so thank you very much. You are also one of my motivations to write and to become better," she concluded.

Such an inspiring story from Cynthia, the author of Atuy Galon. For those of you who are struggling to write your work, don’t give up easily just because you feel your story is less interesting and hasn’t gotten many readers. By striving to give your best and always daring to try, opportunities will always be there. As Cynthia said, writing requires a process that must be truly enjoyed while also entertaining oneself.

https://www.newshub.id/interactive2/2409

(kpl/lmp)