Archive for March 2012
@FWAR_Contests - FreeWriters Poetry Contest
Welcome to FreeWriters Poetry Contest
We will be using ‘Free Verse’ style for our very first contest. Free verse is a form of poetry that does not necessarily follow to any specific meter patterns, rhyme, or any other pattern.
Free verse, despite its freedom, often still has some elements of form. Most free verse does observe a convention of lines and structure.
Although free verse requires no meter, rhyme, or other traditional poetic techniques, a poet can still use them to create some sense of structure. A clear example of this can be found in Walt Whitman’s poems, where he repeats certain phrases and uses commas to create both a rhythm and structure. Here’s a sample of his poem: Song of Myself
Because of a lack of predetermined form, free verse poems have the potential to take truly unique shapes. The poet is given more license to express and, unrestrained by traditional bounds, has more control over the development of the poem. This could allow for a more spontaneous and essentially individualizing factor.
Now that you have an idea of what we want for the contest, here’s the additional challenge for you. The poem you will write MUST use one of the picture prompts we are providing. When you submit your entry, you MUST to specify the picture number with it.
You can choose from the picture prompts here: FWAR Poetry Contest Picture Prompts.
Remember, only picture prompts we provided can be used. The poem to be acceptable CANNOT exceed 300 words. We can only accept three entries per participant. Learn more about our contest submission guideline here: Rules and Guidelines.
Please make sure to check the rules and guidelines section first to familiarize yourselves with the submission requirements.
You can submit your entries at freewriterpoetry@yahoo.com beginning March 25, 2012.
Deadline for submissions is on April 14, 2012, 12AM- Eastern time.
Voting shall commence on April 15-20. The voting link will be provided before the submission deadline is over. A first and second place winners will be awarded based on the poll. Depending on the amount of entries, we will decide to name a honorable mention entry should it becomes necessary.
Simple enough? Good! Start getting those juices flowing. We wish you all a fun time writing and the best of luck.
@TrulyAnonCntst Winners - Wolf Pack Fics
The Truly Anonymous Twilight One-shot Picture & Prompt Contest has concluded and there were some great wolf stories that placed!
There were 96 entries in total, of which 12 had a wolf in the main pairing! This means that one eighth of all entries were wolf stories. Were one eighth of voters wolf readers? Our writers need your support. Come out, read, and if you like their stories, by all means VOTE!! Diversity creates a richer, more open-minded fandom and we can't have that if all corners of this fandom doesn't come and get involved in all pairing contests and awards.
That includes judges, writers, AND readers.
Every person is integral for it to work!
Every person is integral for it to work!
* Best Pack Fic Winners *
The Water's Call by Mmsimpy09
Best Pack Fic: AH
Best Pack Fic: AH
The Dark Man and the Pale Man by light4dawn
Best Pack Fic: AU
Best Pack Fic: AU
* Honorable Mentions *
Fearless by Jezebel95
Happily, Tragically, Bittersweet Ever After by light4dawn -http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7949021/1/Happily_Tragically_Bittersweet_Ever_After
Loads of Time by willow2883
* Other Wolf Fics In The Contest *
Cleanse my Soul by mrstrentreznor
Finding Our Way Back by CarlieCullenBlack
Jake's Piece by mrstrentreznor
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7934301/1/Jakes_Piece (listed as E/B but... you'll have to read it to find out)
Mending Broken Hearts by astridt244
Sacred Grove by pattyofurniture
Temporal Winds by Sothe Sage
The Worth of a Soul by LadyofSpain
Congratulations to all the participants!
You can check out the rest of the stories
Truly Anonymous Twilight One Shot & Picture Prompt Contest
@TillTheWrldEnds Contest
Till The World Ends Contest
According to the Mayan calender, the world is ending in 2012.
But how does your world end?
We want to see you get creative in this brand new, one shot contest!
Was there a zombie apocalypse? Tidal wave? Exploding fireballs?
Does everyone die out or are there a few survivors to start over?
Is there an alien invasion?
All out war? Genetic mutations?
Environmental disaster?
We want to be thrilled, excited and scared to death for the end of the world. Nothing is too crazy or too creative, show us what you've got!
Accepting Entries:
March 19th through April 16th
March 19th through April 16th
Public Voting:
April 17th through April 20th
April 17th through April 20th
Winners Will Be Announced the Following Week Through our Twitter @TillTheWrldEnds
Questions? Email us at tilltheworldendscontest@gmail.com
For Info and Rules - FF Profile
Twitter - @TillTheWrldEnds
Affiliate Interview - @TwiVDFicRecs
"While working as a beta for SarahARivera (further known as Sarah), ajr818 (further known as Andrea) came up with the brilliant idea of starting a recommendation site that featured both Twilight and Vampire Diaries fanfiction. With Andrea being completely obsessed with Twilight fanfiction, and Sarah being completely obsessed with Vampire Diaries fanfiction, it seemed like the perfect team. This website is the product of that idea."
I always read the "about us" on websites. I like to know who is behind the sites or what led them to the creation. After all, running and maintaining a site is not easy. It takes a lot of work and commitment.
Twi VD Fic Recs brings us that commitment. Not only do we get continuous recs for the Twilight fandom, they also offer recs for the Vampire Diary fandom.
So let us see who exactly Twi VD Fic Rec's is and how they wound up in the fandom...
Tell us about your site
We are a Twilight and Vampire Diaries fanfiction recommendation site. A couple of our main features are our Submit A Fic feature and our Fic Update tweets on Twitter. We also love to pimp out our Affiliates, both on our site and on Twitter.
Why did you decide to create the site?
We decided to create this site because both the Twilight and Vampire Diaries fandoms are huge and somewhat similar, having fans that crossover into the other. We both followed other fanfiction recommendation sites, but we were aware that there weren't very many sites that recommended fics from multiple fandoms. Wanting to keep somewhat the same theme (vampires), we decided that Twilight and Vampire Diaries would be two good fandoms to start with. We are looking to expand in the future though. Possibly into True Blood and maybe into something other than vampires, like Harry Potter.
What do you want your blog to accomplish?
With this blog, we are looking to accomplish pimping out stories that might not necessarily be known throughout the fandoms, which is where our Submit A Fic feature comes in.
How do you decide which fics or authors to rec?
Any fic that comes through our Submit A Fic feature will be rec'd, regardless of how many reviews or readers it has. It will be screened for content, but if it is free of content that we don't wish to support, we will rec it on our site. As for our regular recommendations on the site, those are just personal preference fics that we have read or found that we enjoyed and wanted to share with other readers.
Do you have any plans for the future of your site that you would like to share?
As of right now, we are looking to expand into other fandoms and maybe adding an interview feature with authors. That being said, we will be needed more staff to come on board in the future. There should be a form on the site soon for anyone wishing to become part of our staff, so definitely keep an eye out for that!
Favorite thing about the twific fandom?
My favorite thing about the TwiFic fandom is the people that I've met here. There are so many great people, and although there is a lot of controversy and negative comments in the fandom, these people stick through it and are completely supportive of fellow writers and followers.
How did you and the fandom find each other?
I was looking at the discussion board on Rob's IMDB page about four years ago, and I saw someone talking about the fic 'The Office' by tby789. Intrigued, I followed the link and read the story. From then on, I was hooked and couldn't get enough. Sarah (my co-admin) got hooked after I recommended fanfiction to her, and she started getting into the Harry Potter, Vampire Diaries, and Avatar: The Last Airbender fandoms.
What do you think is the most important component to a rec site in the twific fandom?
I think the most important component to a rec site in the fandom is to help stories that aren't necessarily well-known in the fandom. There are a ton of great stories out there that people just don't know about and don't get the recognition that they deserve.
How did you decide on the site design?
Currently, we are working on updating the site design, but when we originally did the site design we have right now, we were looking for a design that had a top link bar and enough room for a sidebar. As of right now, I'm not very happy with our site design, but we are working on it.
What is the key to a successful blog?
I believe the key to a successful blog is giving out information that people are going to want to read. If you don't have content that people are going to be interested in, you won't have any readers.
How do you grow your readership?
Definitely word-of-mouth. Twitter is really good at getting the word out about our site and getting us more readership.
Who are you founding members and current staff?
Our founding members are our only current staff right now, although like I said before, we are looking to add more staff in the very near future. Our founding members are myself (ajr818) and my co-admin (SarahARivera). I run the Twilight portion of the site, and SarahARivera runs the Vampire Diaries portion of the site.
Thanks for being affiliates with us!
http://twivdficrecs.wordpress.com/
Have You Ever Spammed Yourself??
Well I apparently have and it's not fun!
In an effort to create an actual Fandom Fanatic twitter, thought it was about time I did, I apparently spammed myself. Twitter Support said it was abuse. Though I have no idea how it was even possible as they shut my new account down in less than hour.
And Twitter Support being as lack luster as they are, has yet to reinstate the new account. I have tried for over a week sending emails, and they respond the same each time for me to just reply back, but still nothing. I completely give up. Support that is of no support is just stressful and not needed.
Then we have the illustrious Twitterfeed. Their lack of support is just as stellar as Twitter's.
It seems they for whatever reason made my original account disappear and left the new one. When I tried to get a new password, they said I didn't exist. Very nice I thought. I obviously do exist because I still see the feeds, though some of them are double which I don't get. But whatever, I didn't want my affiliates to be affected.
Anyway, waiting for a week for them to respond.
Completely frustrating and over the top aggravating. Back to square one with the one twitter account and just a few double tweets. I can live with that. But I can not live with the lack of support.
If you are an administrator for a site, support tech, or customer service, you are supposed to respond to problems and requests.
Otherwise, people move on and just won't care. And on the occasion when an opinion is asked, it won't be a good one. Can't wait for one of them to send their "how am I doing" questionnaire!
Otherwise, people move on and just won't care. And on the occasion when an opinion is asked, it won't be a good one. Can't wait for one of them to send their "how am I doing" questionnaire!
Nothing ruins a product more than lack of service, fandom or otherwise.
Have been in a complete funk for a week over this. I am just going to have to shake it off and move forward.
Have been in a complete funk for a week over this. I am just going to have to shake it off and move forward.
And you know what else I say??
"Bofanopalia" to all that claim support but actually do not actually offer it, let alone follow though!
Well I feel better now.
@F4OvarianCancer
Fandom For Ovarian Cancer
A fandom fundraiser in honor and support of Mina Rivera
Compilations to benefit different charities and causes are certainly nothing new, and each one has touched many lives. What is perhaps different about this particular compilation is that it benefits one of our own, rather than a larger group. There are excellent reasons for dedicating the efforts of multiple writers, banner designers, beta readers, and others to benefit one individual – each one of those reasons has to do with the extraordinary person that is Mina Rivera.
Mina is asking that the focus be on fighting ovarian cancer.
This is an ugly disease and awareness is desperately needed.
For More Info and To Sign Up
To Follow On Twitter
New Cause ~ @Fandoms4Autism
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.
It is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways. Some people with autism are able to live relatively independent lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of specialist support. People with autism may also experience over- or under-sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours.
Asperger syndrome is a form of autism. People with Asperger syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence. They have fewer problems with speech but may still have difficulties with understanding and processing language.
How do people with autism see the world?
People with autism have said that the world, to them, is a mass of people, places and events which they struggle to make sense of, and which can cause them considerable anxiety.
In particular, understanding and relating to other people, and taking part in everyday family and social life may be harder for them. Other people appear to know, intuitively, how to communicate and interact with each other, and some people with autism may wonder why they are 'different'.
About autism -
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability. It is part of the autism spectrum and is sometimes referred to as an autism spectrum disorder, or an ASD. The word 'spectrum' is used because, while all people with autism share three main areas of difficulty, their condition will affect them in very different ways. Some are able to live relatively 'everyday' lives; others will require a lifetime of specialist support.
The three main areas of difficulty which all people with autism share are sometimes known as the 'triad of impairments' -
- difficulty with social communication
- difficulty with social interaction
- difficulty with social imagination.
It can be hard to create awareness of autism as people with the condition do not 'look' disabled: parents of children with autism often say that other people simply think their child is naughty; while adults find that they are misunderstood.
All people with autism can benefit from a timely diagnosis and access to appropriate services and support.
The characteristics of autism vary from one person to another but are generally divided into three main groups -
- difficulty with social communication
- difficulty with social interaction
- difficulty with social imagination.
Characteristics of autism -
The characteristics of autism vary from one person to another but as well as the three main areas of difficulty, people with autism may have:
- love of routines
- sensory sensitivity
- special interests
- learning disabilities.
- Causes and cures
What causes autism?
The exact cause of autism is still being investigated. However, research suggests that a combination of factors - genetic and environmental - may account for changes in brain development.
Autism is not caused by a person's upbringing, their social circumstances and is not the fault of the individual with the condition.
Is there a cure?
At present, there is no 'cure' for autism. However, there is a range of interventions - methods of enabling learning and development - which people may find to be helpful.
Diagnosis -
A diagnosis is the formal identification of autism, usually by a health professional such as a paediatrician or a psychiatrist.
Having a diagnosis is helpful for two reasons -
It helps people with autism (and their families) to understand why they may experience certain difficulties and what they can do about them it allows people to access services and support.
People's GPs can refer them to a specialist who is able to make a diagnosis. Many people are diagnosed as children; their parents and carers can ask GPs for a referral.
Different names for autism -
Some professionals may refer to autism by a different name, such as autism or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), classic autism or Kanner autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) or high-functioning autism (HFA).
Story Submission:
All stories must be received by 11.59PM GMT Saturday 5/5/2012.
Receipt Submission:
All donations must be received by 11.59PM Saturday 5/25/2012.
Compilation Emailing:
We will begin to email out the compilation Saturday 5/26/2012.
Both authors and donors will receive the compilation.
Authors, feel free to share the comiplation with your banner maker, beta and pre-reader.
Author Post Date:
Authors are free to post their pieces on Saturday 6/30/2012
For more info Fandom4Austism blogspot
To follow on twitter @Fandoms4Autism
Survey Says....
I am posting a survey for an author looking for a little info from both sides of the fandom, vamps and wolves. I took the survey myself and it is a romantic survey looking at the different "teams" in the fandom.
You can click the Survey Says...pic to participate. The survey will also be posted on my site.
It's only a couple of questions so come participate and help an author out!
Guest Review by @kgqjill ~ Roads by @prassacut
Roads by Prassacut
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7001938/1/Roads
This story will captivate you from the first line of the authors disclaimer, I know where Edward's prostate is. -But I don't own twilight, until the last word of each and every chapter.
As soon as I read that opening statement, I knew this story was for me and God was I ever right, from that second on I was unable to put it down.
Prassacut's characters will take over your every thought, always leaving you wanting more, if nothing but for the fact that they are refreshingly open and honest.
I actually got to the point that I would pray for updates and when they'd ping my inbox, I'd drop everything just to read.
I've even went as far as taking it on my kindle food shopping one night, and then when my washer broke, yep! You guessed it, I took it to the laundry mat. Making a total fool of myself in front of other customers, with my stupid girly laughs and giggles while rolled up in a corner reading, to the point where someone actually came and sat down beside me reading over my shoulder and laughing along.
But I should warn you if sweet fluff or deep angst is your thing turn away cause you won't find it here. What you will you find is sweet at times definitely, and at others you'll find them sad. But the thing that will capture you the most is the brutal honesty of the whole story and the straight forward openness of the writing.
This slash story is like no other you will read, its not romantic but you'll find it its not sad either, but it will pull at your heart strings, it doesn't try to be funny, but you will find yourself rolling in your seat with tears running down your face.
Edward, is a no hold barred upfront, you get what you see, kind of character. Does he have his flaws? Well of course he does, does he have his kinks? Oh most diffidently and we love him even more for it. He's sexy without knowing it, he's loyal and caring without even having to try cause its him, its just Edward! Its the way he's been written.
Jasper, is so sweet and adorable, I think we all want to just take him home and make him ours. From his unbelievable inner monologue and ramblings to his inability to cuss choosing to use the work duck rather than the latter. You find yourself cheering for him at every turn.
Emmett, so funny and such a well put together character, he is the quirky boy next door protector and great best bud and as you soon find out very easily embarrassed and for Emmett to find himself in that predicament there's no shortages in this story.
Then there's Bex. Oh what can I say about Bex only that, all that read her wanna be her. She is a little old lady that will steal your heart and in an instant sell your soul if your not watching her close enough. She has bigger balls than all the boys in this story put together and you will love her for it.
So what does Prassacut do with these well written wonderfully put together characters, puts them in a car and sends them on a road trip.
This journey takes you from state to state adventure after fun filled adventure. There will be gay bars and sex shops gay bingo and maybe even the mention of kinky butler sex. You will laugh your ass off and at times you'll find yourself doing the ugly cry. But always you will come away satisfied.
So if you fancy a great read, I advise you to run not walk and find yourself clicking the link to Roads.
*As for me, I started reading this awhile ago and got sidetracked. I recently came back to it and am loving it all over again. Extremely witty and sharp. Love the "to the point" Edward and Jasper, oh Jasper. What the duckings! And Bex. Absolutely the best original character I have ever read!. Whether you are a slash lover or not, Roads is truly a fabulously well written story. ~ credoroza ~
*Banner by 17foreverlisa
Have a story you love and want everyone to know about it?
Be a guest reviewer!
It's easy, just click the banner and fill out the form!
*Banner by 17foreverlisa
Have a story you love and want everyone to know about it?
Be a guest reviewer!
It's easy, just click the banner and fill out the form!
Past Her Prime by @XquisiteProdigy
So I close the blinds and scuttle back to my recliner. And only one thought crosses my mind: I need to stalk your old, fine ass from the other window.
I expect her voice to be as sweet as a Georgia peach. To reflect the nectar that she is. Instead, her bushy brows scrunch into a frown. I give my best smile. And when she talks, I know my diaper is about to get full. "Who the cockamamie are you?"
I'm blinded by her grin, and her teeth's are just as straight and as pretty as can be. I bet my whole half dollar collection she uses Polident. Just like me.
http://xquisiteprodigy.blogspot.com/
@fandoms4SO
The Special Olympics is a cause very near and dear to my heart. And while I support and promote all causes the fandom sponsors, the Special Olympics is a very personal cause for me.
Any support you can offer would be a thrill for me personally.
____________________________
Fandoms For The Special Olympics
We've reached a final deadline for all submissions for the compilation!
Author submissions are due by 11:59PM PST on June 1, 2012.
Teaser submissions are due by 11:59PM PST on May 15, 2012.
The compilation will be released on June 15, 2012.
Please email us at fandoms4specialolympics@gmail.com with any questions you have regarding submissions, teasers, etc. etc.
Thank you for your continued support!
Please help spread the word on Twitter, blogs, FFN, Twilighted, etc. etc. and we can start raising money today!
xoxo-Please help spread the word on Twitter, blogs, FFN, Twilighted, etc. etc. and we can start raising money today!
Nikki & Steph
For more info - Fandoms4SpecialOlympics blogspot
To Follow On Twitter - @fandoms4SO
Affiliate Interview - @underfictionate
We all know lulabelle98 and ToTheDreaming as the fabulous writers of The Long Walk Home, A Healing Touch, Beautiful Sorrow, and Where The Streets Have No Name.
But did you know they were behind Underficionated?
I remember when the site quietly made their entrance in to the fandom. I thought it was a great idea promoting the lesser known writers and stories. And since then, they have developed quite the following with continuous story rec's as well as reaching out to us to send in rec's that we love.
They are also two of the nicest people in the fandom. Always helping others with beta'ing and pre-reading. Always a thank you to whoever rec's or tweets their stories.
So let's see who they are...
But did you know they were behind Underficionated?
I remember when the site quietly made their entrance in to the fandom. I thought it was a great idea promoting the lesser known writers and stories. And since then, they have developed quite the following with continuous story rec's as well as reaching out to us to send in rec's that we love.
They are also two of the nicest people in the fandom. Always helping others with beta'ing and pre-reading. Always a thank you to whoever rec's or tweets their stories.
So let's see who they are...
Tell us about your site
Underfictionated aims to promote fics; any fic by any author. Readers recommend their favourite fic, and we post it on our site and tweet out the fic's updates.
Why did you decide to create the site?
Both myself and DreamOfTheEndless do what we can to help authors that need or want it. We thought that one more fic rec site wouldn't hurt, so Underfictionated was born.
What do you want your site to accomplish?
We hope that our site gets people reading more, and maybe they'll want to leave a review for the author too.
How do you decide which fics or authors to rec?
Very easily :) Readers, or authors, email in their fic rec to us, or they fill out the rec form on the blog, and we add it to our site.
Do you have any plans for the future of your site that you would like to share?
No immediate plans at the moment. We just want to help as much as we can.
Favorite thing about the twific fandom?
Meeting genuinely lovely people who are able to make you smile.
How did you find each other?
I beta for DreamOfTheEndless. We met back in March 2011, and have probably spoken nearly every day ever since! She also pre-read for my fics.
What do you think is the most important component to a rec site in the twific fandom?
Probably that the site offers a range of fics, not just the most popular ones
How did you decide on the site design?
We wanted to keep it simple and let the fic rec's speak for themselves. We contacted a banner maker that we had both used before, Mehek18, who created the blog's banner. We suggested that perhaps we could use images of Robert Pattinson from How To Be to Cosmopolis to show a change from "unknown" to "known"... or something along those lines :)
What is the key to a successful blog?
I don't know the answer to that!
How do you grow your readership?
We try to get the word out about us via twitter through our affiliates. We're grateful to every one of them!
Who are you founding members and current staff?
There's just the two of us; lulabelle98 and DreamOfTheEndless (ToTheDreaming on twitter).
Thank you both for entertaining my nosiness! I love knowing who is behind the sites I stalk and affiliate with!
Guest Review by @goldengirl2707
I've always love stories written by little furry cannibals. When I first discovered her work, it was the story "Fate's Idea of Fun". She'd written a warning at the beginning that caught my attention right away: "A Jake/Bella romance that throws all etiquette into the bonfire! Warning: Do not eat, drink or smoke while reading. Failure to comply could result in hazardous choking or burning." I giggled, thinking, "Well, this should be interesting." And boy, was I right!
From then on, I was hooked her on stories. Not only does she write "funny" amazingly well, she can write brutal angst, creative fantasy and sweet fluff. "Justified" falls into all 3 of these categories, with an extra dose of sweet.
"Justified" follows Paul, the wolfpack's notoriously aggressive wolf, as he meets his imprint, a homeless girl who doesn't speak. She appears in Paul's life in the form of a pick-pocket, stealing Jared's wallet while the two wolves are out in Seattle searching for an engagement ring for Kim. They chase after the thief, of course, who has disappeared into an underground tunnel. Upon finding her, she faints in fear, and Paul, a newly imprinted wolf, is overprotective and decides he is going to take her home with him.
The following chapters explore Paul's desperate attempts to gain her trust while nursing her back to health. She is confused and still unwilling to talk, leaving Paul frustrated, confused, and surprisingly sexually attracted to his mate. As a man, he doesn't understand female behavior in the slightest, especially when that same female doesn't verbalize her wants and needs. As a reader, I feel bad for the pair!! For Bella, who is called Ariel (like the mute mermaid) and Urchin (because she is so tiny), because she doesn't know what the "Paul-Man" wants, so she is constantly trying to guess, frightened that she will make "the wrong choice" and he will be angry. And for Paul, because he only wants to make his imprint happy, and is doubly confused by both the female gender at large and by the fact that Bella refuses to speak with him.
All the pack want to help, and only add to the drama! The female imprints of the pack are worried Paul will just mess it all up, and the other wolves inspire an overt sense of protectiveness in Paul's inner wolf.
I love this story because it is original, and explores a pair that is not very popular with the Twilight Fandom at large. Little furry cannibals manages to mix humor, angst, and romance into a sweet little fic that has so much potential. I can't wait to read each chapter as she posts, watching the characters develop and learn from each other. She also focuses on a topic that is troublesome for our society as a whole: homelessness. She makes you feel for her characters and root for them as the plot continues. She is an amazing writer and "Justified" will tug on your heartstrings and leave you giggling!
Spotlight Interview with @audreyii_fic
My first author interview is with a talented writer who is arguably the best, and most well-known in the wolfpack/team Jacob fandom of Twilight fanfiction
She is (drumroll please): audreyii-fic!
For Twilight, audreyii-fic has completed five multi-chapter stories, seven one shots (depending on how you define o/s) and too many drabbles / challenges to count!
She has won numerous awards and/or received honorable mentions from: The Underdogs, Jacob Black N Pack and Hopeless Romantic.
Without further ado, here she is!
How about an easy, predictable question to start? Is there any significance to your pen name and how did you come up with it?
Heh. I have a long standing love affair with musicals, and one of my favorites is Little Shop of Horrors. Audrey II is the alien plant that takes over the world. I don't know what that says about me.
Being a Jacob / Bella shipper myself, I know the notoriety you have in our corner of the Twilight fandom, but I was shocked to find most outside the wolf world hadn’t even heard of you! Do you ever participate in “all pairing” contests or challenges?
I'm notorious? Meep! (Though I suppose a lot of readers do have a love/hate relationship with my fics. I owe some people Prozac.) I've participated in almost no challenges, wolf-centric or otherwise, so no, I suppose there's not a lot of cause for anyone outside the J/B fandom to know me.
Why don’t you participate in more contests?
Honestly, it's because I've almost always got another fic going on! Aside from the accidental The Fire of the Sun hiatus, my WIPs maintain an update schedule of at least weekly, usually bi-weekly. The only times in the last two years that I *didn't* have a WIP either developing, updating, or needing to be updated were May, August, and November of 2010. I try not to commit to another project while my attention shouldn't be divided. (I do it all the time anyway, but never on purpose.) Ergo, yeah, I've only done a few contests.
I know you dislike the Twilight series of books, but you write wonderful fanfiction based on this source material. What keeps you coming back to these characters and universe?
Well-developed headcanon and a driving need to fix this drivel. The former is a result of two years of work and means ideas keep popping up. The latter is pure egotism. I'm like a carpenter in a condemned house, looking around at the wreckage and boasting, "I can *totally* repair this."
I’m aware that you write for other fandoms. Exclusive of the source material, is there one ship you prefer over the others? Is there one you enjoy writing more than the others?
Oh, dear. I think my favorite 'ship is still Sawyer and Kate from LOST. They've got it all: camaraderie, equality, a healthy respect for one another, and sexual tension that could burn the island to the ground. Plus, the other pairing in the triangle — Jack and Kate — is my most detested of *all* the canon 'ships to which my chosen pairs have lost. (This is prior to mid-season three, mind. At that point LOST went completely off the rails and I flounced.)
The 'ship I enjoyed writing most was probably Max and Alec from Dark Angel, though. That just flowed so easily and naturally. But I've learned far more from writing Jacob and Bella than anything else I've ever done, and therefore it's the pairing I'm most satisfied to have worked on.
Which multi-chapter story, and which one shot, of your own did you enjoy writing most? Which do you feel were your best work?
Enjoy? Hmm. For multi-chapters, I enjoyed Pieces of the Memories the most (though it doesn't entirely count as a multi-chapter; it's more a collection of drabbles). It was so effortless that it made up for all the crying I did.
I think the Holiday Smut Prompt "A phone call transcript" is actually the most fun I had on a one shot, but I really loved working on *all* the Holiday Smut Prompts. That was a cool month.
I don't know how many people would agree, but my best work is "Different Kinds of Milk" — drabble #5 in Pieces of the Memories.
Do you have a recurring theme/moral/message in your stories?
It always comes back to how hard it is to grow up, and the pain of the lessons you learn along the way. Loss of innocence — and in that I don't mean sex, I mean learning how gray-scale the world really is and how limited your own influence can be — is absolutely necessary in order to survive in life. But that doesn't mean it's not sad.
Have you ever read an Edward/Bella fic? If not, is there any circumstance that would lure you to do so?
No, I haven't, and no, I'm not going to. The fact is that I read few AU fics, fewer AH fics, and no OOC fics; my interest in fanfiction has always been canon-deviation (how one or two differences can change the outcome of the story, and to what extent), and I don't support Edward/Bella in canon. Edward is a vampire.
The only way they can be together is for Bella to become a vampire as well, and I don't consider that to be a positive ending for a teenage girl with her whole life to live and a lot of growing up left to do. So since I don't support canon-based E/B, and I'm not interested in AU/AH/OOC, there's nothing for me out there.
I know you are a fan of Robert Pattinson. What is it about him you like so much? Do you feel he did a good job portraying Edward in the movies? Why or why not?
My non-sexual crush on Robert Pattinson is deep and pure. He's such a troll. He hates Twilight, and he's incredibly open about it (I have no idea how he gets away with that without Summit coming down on him like a ton of bricks). He's like the leader of the anti-fans, and that just tickles me to no end.
That being said, yes, I think he does a decent job in the movies; in Twilight there were even times he made me like Edward. The scene where he has to put up with his family meeting Bella for the first time was just precious.
What is it about Jacob that you love so much?
Part of it is a fondness for his archetype; he's the guy who loves the girl as-is, and for that he's rejected. That's the common theme of all my sunken 'ships — no, really, *all* of them — so that immediately pinged my radar. Also, I've got a major weak spot for guys who get as badly fucked over as Jacob did. I always want to help them.
Do you like Bella, or do you put up with her because she’s who Jacob wants? What is it about her that you do, or do not, like?
I put up with her because she's who Jacob wants. (One of the most interesting things to me, fic-wise, has been to explore various plausible ways that she could be redeemed; if she doesn't grow up a lot, and I mean a *lot*, then I can't support the pairing.) She's selfish, narrow-minded, shallow, and a complete user. I don't mind her too much in the first half of Twilight, but in the second half she was so annoying I thought my eyes would bleed. I was sympathetic to her in New Moon, if she was going to grow out of her issues... until Italy. After that I just don't believe Bella can be redeemed. When she turned away from the Volturi victims, I was done.
The thing is, I think I could forgive most of this (not Volturi, but before then) if Stephenie Meyer considered Bella's problems to be *flaws* that needed overcoming. But they're not; Meyer doesn't actually believe Bella is flawed in the slightest. That makes me want to shake things.
What is your position on imprinting?
It's a cheap deus ex machina made to excuse Bella's treatment of Jacob. (He was never in love with her in the first place?! He only wanted her ovum?!) While I've seen it decently managed in fics, as presented in canon it's beyond appalling. This has not stopped me from writing several hundred thousand words on the subject.
Vampires are a popular mythical creature that exists in many books and movies; however, every version, or interpretation, of the vampire myth has it’s own particular characteristics. What is your opinion of Stephenie Meyer’s version of vampires?
I could deal with Meyer's mythology if she hadn't called them vampires, because they're not. They're more like blood-drinking fae. (I could also deal with the mythology if the mythology was consistent... but that's another can of worms.)
What about the wolves? What is your opinion on Stephenie Meyer’s portrayal of the Quileutes, the pack, and the physical characteristics she gave them?
I think the physical characteristics of the wolves, together with the function of the Pack, is actually pretty decent. The subject of the Quileutes — and how she treats Native issues — is another matter entirely, one that is almost too awful to go into in detail. If I think about it for too long I become so disgusted that I want to quit fic and the fandom entirely.
Personally, I feel there were many things that were started by SM in the books which she never expanded on, explored, or resolved. What is the one thing that bothered you the most, that you wish she expanded, explored further, and/or resolved? Yes, I am only asking for one thing.
Oh, man, just one... I think Meyer's complete failure with Bella and Charlie's relationship may have been the worst. There was so much potential there, and what wasn't dropped was destroyed. Appalled forever.
Which book of the Twilight Saga did you like most (or hate least as the case may be) and why?
Uh. That's hard. I think I have to go with the first half of Twilight, before the meadow scene, because until then I still thought the *point* was that Bella was getting dazzled by the pitcher-plant vampire and would grow out of this crap. (And yes, I know picking only half is a cop-out. It's the best I can do.)
What did you like most about the Twilight Saga and why? What did you like least and why (yes, I am asking you to select only one thing [again])?
What I like most is the *potential*. Meyer actually set up some very good themes to explore; that's why there's so much to write. Of course, then she came to the exact wrong conclusion *every* time. She's batting a thousand on that, which sometimes makes me think she's the Stephen Colbert of the YA world. How else could she write a girl whose main characteristics are a hatred of cold and clouds and damp and *blood*, and then make that girl's happy ending be *vampirism*? Seriously.
What I like least is the romanticization of suicide. Bella and Edward declare they cannot live without one another and repeatedly declare their intent to kill themselves if harm comes to the other; Edward even attempts to go through with it. Instead of being shown as a sign of a frightening, unhealthy, co-dependent relationship, Meyer presents this as a sign of their pure love. That goes beyond poor writing. It's dangerous.
What are your three favorite Twilight fanfic stories written by others? What is it about each of these that make them stand out from other stories you have read?
My three favorites are:
"Engine Heart" by ophelietta
"Untitled: The Tale of a Boy" by runningsissors http://community.livejournal.com/theair_thesun/54553.html
"The Two Hundred and Seven Days After" by monroeslittle http://monroeslittle.livejournal.com/11193.html
All three of those authors are *gold*, and picking favorites from their work is like picking a favorite ice cream flavor. (Sad, sad, emotionally destructive ice cream.) All three explore that favorite theme of mine: Growing up, and the pain behind it. I'd cut off my left leg to have half the talent of any of those women.
(Honorable mention goes to sleepy_sheep683's Breaking Dawn: The Musical. It's not really a fanfic — it's a comic book — but dear God in heaven, it is nine kinds of brilliance. http://sleepysheep.weebly.com/breaking-dawn-the-musical.html)
It should be noted, however, that this is by far the most intelligent, talented fandom I've ever participated in, and I've been doing this for sixteen years. Good fanfic is everywhere.
I know you’ve just finished up your gender swap story, Boys with Girlfriends, and posted a couple of one shots. Are you working on another multi-chapter fic for the Twilight fandom? If so, will it be a Jacob/Bella story? Any info you’d like to share about it with readers?
I think Boys with Girlfriends is the last one. I can't think of another subject I want to explore, or a writing style I want to play with. I mentioned above that I don't like to crawl far away from canon, and eventually you just run out of possibilities. That being said, I'm sure casual one-shots and drabbles will continue to pop up, and in particular I'd really like to spend some more time with Diablerie (my Jacob/Renesmee fic) if I ever get into the mood to write graphic violence again. I'm working hard on original fiction right now, and whenever I do that for long I become discouraged and run whimpering back into the waiting arms of fanfiction.
And... also... the thing is, I've said "This is the LAST ONE" — and believed it! — after every single story I've finished. And I haven't gone a single month without posting a Twific since I started in April 2010. So, uh, we'll see.
You can find all stories written by audreyii-fic at:
and:
Follow on Twitter - @audreyii_fic
If you haven’t read her work before, go now and read!
Pick anything; it’s all good!
Pick anything; it’s all good!
*Note from interviewer: I hope her addiction to Twi-fanfic runs deep, and she rises to find something else to write about that she hadn’t thought of before (because the possibilities truly are endless)!
@light4dawn
Our resident Jacob Black fanatic and lover, writing Jacob fics since 2011. With 13 stories to her credit, she has carved a niche in the world of the wolves. Sarah is both a Torch Award and Hidden Star Award nominee. A banner maker for her own stories and you can see all the pretty on her Twilighted account.
