May Activities 2012

Because I'm in that sort of mood to make you all read what I like to read, I am sending my lovely SPEWers into the land of D/A. And I'm not talking about Dumbledore's Army, though I suppose that could apply at some point. Nope. I challenge you to go forth and trawl the depths of the Dark/Angst category on MNFF and review.

However, since I'm also feeling cheeky, I'm going to put some stipulations on this. The story you are reviewing must meet two of the following requirements:

*Four or less reviews for a one-shot or, for a chaptered story, two or less reviews (on average) per chapter.
*Less than a hundred reads.
*Written by an author with five or less stories on their author page.


This is my way to fish out some dark gems, both for you to enjoy and for the authors to learn the joy of receiving due attention for their hard work. And then there were TQs. You know the drill: ask and answer at least one. A couple to get you started:

Are darker stories more or less emotionally investing for you as a reader? Does this add to or detract from your reading experience

If you are a fan of D/A, did you start there, or did you grow into it after a while?

This activity is due to be completed by 15th June 2012 by midnight US Pacific Time.

We did this a while back when I was a SPEW minion. I don't know if anyone but Hannah was still around when we did this, so it would be a great time to re-introduce this to SPEW.

The purpose of this activity is to show a little bit of love for stories you love that may not win a QSQ or a challenge, but they deserve to be recognised. This could be for anything, whether it be for making you cry or making you believe in a ship that had never sailed in your wildest imaginings or making you care about a character you never liked before. For an example of what I mean, please refer to this post from last March.

You get to pick your own categories, and there is no limit on when the fic was published on MNFF. Just show love for the stories that mean the most to you. :) And, just because I'm nice, there are no TQ requirements, but you can ask them if you wish. Feel free to discuss each other's lists amongst yourselves. Likewise, if you are on hiatus, feel free to participate in this activity, because it will be a fun one.

This activity is due to be completed by 15th June 2012 by midnight US Pacific Time.

Award: Best Rarepair
Author/Story: Glass/Soraya (xxbabewithbrainsxx)
Link: aquí
Reason: This piece is just simply beautiful. I was a little apprehensive of Loulily, but now, I'm hooked. I also loved your Lily; she was just so complex and real. :) Basically, Soraya converted me. No more Lily/OC for me. (but maybe a little Scily):) It was just so unique of an idea, but Soraya (as I said before) made me think there was no other way. Not many rarepairs do that.

Award: Best 'Based off a Song'
Author/Story: The Man Who Couldn't Be Moved by CoolCatElly
Link: here
Reason: Being a hard-core fan of The Script, I was super excited to see this fic. And then I saw that it was Next Gen. It was over. In all seriousness, though, I thought that she captured the song perfectly. The determination on Scorpius's part, and how he really truly loved her (maybe a little obsessively) really made me love the fic. :)

I'll update with more later (probs). :)

Ellie

Award: Best Characterisation of Canon Characters
Author/Story: Family Matters by LollyLovesick
Link: Here
Reason: I have been pretty vocal about my love for this story. By taking two minor characters who, in my opinion, have very heartbreaking canon backstories, and making it leap off the page. Barty Crouch Junior and Regulus Black are both so beautifully written--I sympathise with them completely and, at times scarily, see myself in their characterisation. The first person voices are distinctive and just this is so well plotted and carefully characterised, it makes for a great story.


Award: Blackest Humour
Author/Story: Brazen by Our Spew Queen
Link: Here
Reason: Black humour isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if it is, this story will have you laughing every second of it. While being darkly humourous, with a fantastic twist that makes me smile just to think of it, it is also beautifully in character with a post-war Draco.

There will be more....

Since I'm taking a quick revision break, I thought I'd have a go :) This should be fun, and I will edit in others during future revision breaks...

Award: The "I Agreed To Beta This Without Any Idea Of What It Is About" Award
Author/Story: The Healer's Heart by ToBeSPEWQueen
Link: ici
Reason: Jess was looking for a beta for this story, but I had no idea about what it would be like. Not even the pairing or anything, lol. I knew it was by Jess, though, and that it would be well-written, and I just think I went on such a great journey with Daphne in it. I came to like Michael Corner and even start to ship Theo/Terry. :D

Award: The "I Want To Hug X Character" Award
Author/Story: Tempus Vernum by Acacia Carter
Link: here
Reason: You don't know how badly I wanted to hug Neville through all this. Jamie -- as is her custom, I've discovered -- put dear Neville through hell and back with this story, and considering I didn't really care for Neville this time last year, that's saying something :D

Award: The "ZOMG SHE'S SUCH A FAB BETA" Award
Author/Story: Alex/welshdevondragon
Link: well, here's her beta thread
Reason: Well, the clue is in the name :) I asked Alex to beta something for me last year, I think? I've kind of forgotten when exactly, lol. Anyway, she is hands down THE best beta I've ever used (out of the six or so betas I've ever used), and practically everything I've written in the past year has been betaed by her. She's helped improve my writing so much over the last year, so yeah. :)

Award: The Pairing Conversion Award
Author/Story: Joint first: High by Equinox Chick and Though The Heavens Fall by welshdevondragon
Link: High and TTHF
Reason: Carole and Alex basically sold me on Scily. Almost. I still love Scorose, but while I used to be quite sceptical of Scily before, I now look at it with grudging respect because of how they both portrayed Scorpius and Lily and their relationship dynamics. I like how Carole focused more on the lighter side to things, and Alex had darker version of their relationship in comparison, and most of all, I liked how both scenarios presented made the pairing believable and that I actually wanted them to get together.

Award: The Messed Up Love Triangle Award
Author/Story: He Loves Him by Celestial Melody
Link: heeeeere
Reason: I loved this story and the subtlety of it and the way it took what could have been a controversial pairing and made it into something that was not only natural but expected. This remains one of my favourite ever pieces on MNFF, and it's just a shame it didn't win a QSQ for anything, because I'm sure it would've been a contender for Dark/Angsty, Next Generation and possibly even SSP.

Award: Best Canon Romance
Story: "When the Weather Turns Fine", by welshdevondragon
Reason: Alex wrote this for me for the SPEW summer swap last year. The scenario is the last thing I'd have expected for a Percy/Audrey fic, but it works. Despite the weirdness of Percy accidentally getting his coworker pregnant, Percy stays in character. The situation gives the reader a glimpse of Percy being uncertain and not quite so serious and pompous. The characterization of Audrey is also wonderful. She complements Percy's character well; she's still serious, but she's more relaxed and less uptight than Percy.

Award: Best Lily/Snape Fic
Story: "Dark Requitem", by ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor
Reason: I liked the way Jess portrayed Snape's feelings for Lily. Far more than I think is healthy, Snape's feelings for Lily are seen as romantic, rather than flat out obsessive. In this fic, Jess shows Snape's obsession and delusion about Lily in a manner that, I think, is far more realistic.

-Meg

AwardBest Quirky Humour
Story and Author Dear Mrs Potter by DaisyMaeEvans
Reason I love the quirky humour in this fic. It had me laughing out loud in so many places, and no matter how many times I read it, it has the same effect.

AwardCutest Story
Story and Author Drool by mutualunderstanding
Reason This is another one of those stories that I can read over and over again and still feel the aweeeeeeeeee. So nicely written and so hilarious and definitely adorable.

AwardLongest Favourite Story
Story and Author Consequentially Yours by Nyruserra
Reason This has been my favourite story for years and years and years. I can read it over and over and over again and enjoy it every time. The characterisation, the description, and the plot are all amazing. Also the way that she bring the two characters together in such a believable way definitely makes it one of my favourite story ever.

Award Best Time Travel Story
Story and Author Smells Like Sirius Black by Soap
Reason This is one of the first time travel fics, and I love the characterisation of all the Marauders. This is the story that really got me into cross-gen pairings, and the one that got me into time travel fics.

Award The “I Am Falling in Love With Neville Award”
Story and Author Can’t Fight the Moonlight by Acacia Carter
Reason Every chapter just gives me a whole new reason to love this guy. I have never seen an author create a character that is just so adorable that I just want to hug him and cuddle him and make him mine.