Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => Featured Story of the Month => Topic started by: julilly on April 30, 2015, 09:57:25 PM
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It has been nine (almost ten) fast and furious years since I responded to an ad on the Absolute Chaos homepage asking for anyone interested in moderating the archive. Two candidates were selected out of those who "applied" and that was the day I found my other half, the brilliant and wonderful Mare.
When Mare and I joke that we are two halves of the same brain it's not because we are so much alike, but rather because we are, in some ways, polar opposites, but compliment each other so well and are completely in sync. That's not to say we never disagree on things because oh boy, do we ever lol But being able to have a heated discussion with someone without it damaging your relationship is the sign of a true bond.
Absolute Chaos has been through a lot of development since we took the helm. We started this discussion board, developed the Felix Awards and monthly featured stories, and contributed to a stronger community of BSB fanfic writers than there had really ever been before. A lot of that is because of Mare. I have a lot of ideas, but usually fall flat on the execution portion but she is so incredibly organized and able to plan what needs to be done and actually follow through on it. I'm eternally grateful to Mare for everything she has done for AC, for all the times she's pushed us all to write, set deadlines for us and given honest feedback. I'm also grateful to her for putting up with me when I am, well, me and for the tough times we have gone through trying to keep this site together.
As a writer, I have a huge respect for Mare's abilities. I've always known her as the person who could write an entire story out of dialogue and have it be both vividly descriptive and emotional. Over time she has lost her interest in the fandom but has never failed to be involved for the sake of this community and that says a lot about her as a person. Mare has been through more than anyone here would ever realize and it gives her a perspective on life that she lays out in her writing. Loyal, honest, consistent and brilliant both musically and otherwise, I can't think of another person more deserving of the honour of being voted the #1 Greatest Absolute Chaos Writer of All Time.
Congratulation s, Mare. I hope everyone enjoys this month's feature, AC's 100th featured story, Hope is the Last Thing Ever Lost (http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=11140)
Now, here's some praise from your biggest fans ;)
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I waited until the last minute to write this tribute to Mare because I was trying to come up with a creative way of doing it, like writing a song parody or something equally fitting of Mare, but it's the end of April, and I'm about brain dead, and so it didn't happen. :(
However, the fact that I was unable to come up with something creative enough to honor Mare speaks to Mare's level of creativity and the fact that it trumps us all! Mare is one of the most creative writers I've ever known. I am always awed by the ingenuity I see in her stories. "Where does she come up with this stuff?!" I've often wondered as I've read them. From the random (Blueberry Pig and groundhogs galore!) to the downright twisted (MINE... and let's not even talk about Tim yet), Mare comes up with some crazy, crazy stuff, and I've always loved that about her! We're all a little mad here, right?
Mare is my longest fanfic friend who's still involved in the fandom. We've known each other since 2002, when she sent me her first story, Mizpah, to see if I would host it. The overall quality of the stories I hosted back in those days was not spectacular, so reading Mizpah was like a breath of fresh air! I was hooked on it immediately. I can still remember logging onto the school computers I was supposed to be taking apart and cleaning for my high school summer job so I could read her updates because I couldn't wait until I got home to find out what happened next. As the cliffhanger queen, Mare can still give me that same sense of anticipation with her stories, especially the suspenseful ones!
My friendship with Mare grew through our common love of talking about fanfic. Although we have given each other plenty of feedback over the years, we also share similar taste in stories and have many of the same favorite stories and authors. When Mare started the Yahoo Group Fan Fic Fun, which was like a book club that discussed a different featured fanfic each month, I joined, and that is how I really got to know her better. That eventually led to this forum, where Mare has continued to spotlight different stories and authors each month.
It takes a lot of dedication to maintain any kind of site, especially a forum like this one, and while Chaos and Julilly are certainly vital parts, I think Mare is really the heart of the AC discussion boards. She has more posts than anyone else because she is usually the one starting conversations and coming up with fresh ideas to keep the forum alive. In addition to featuring 100 stories, she also runs the annual reading challenge, monthly writing challenges, the Felix Awards, and more. She probably puts more work into organizing these activities behind the scenes than any of us realize, and she does that on top of being a busy music teacher. Her passion for the Boys and for fanfic may have faded a little over the years, but her commitment to AC doesn't seem to have waned one bit.
Thank you, Mare, for your fantastic writing and all you have done for AC over the years. Your spot as our #1 author is well deserved! Congratulation s!
Mare, congratulation s on being #1! As a new writer, you have really made me feel welcome in the AC community, and I know that you are more than deserving of the first place title.
I started reading fan fiction in the late 1990s, but I stopped for a number of years because life got in the way. In fact, "Hope Is The Last Thing Ever Lost" is the story that made me decide to return to the fan fiction world and to finally find the courage to post some of my own work.
Mare, your stories have a way of sucking me in and tugging at my heart like no one else's. I have been reading your work since roughly 2003 (although I never left comments ... sorry!!), and I absolutely love the way that you portray the guys and the numerous complexities of their ever-changing relationships.
For me, the world of BSB fan fiction would not be the same without you and your contributions. Once again, congratulation s on your big win and thanks so much for reaching out to me and making me feel welcome on this site. Enjoy your month!
Erika (a.k.a. KeepThisSecret)
I had a feeling she'd be #1. Congrats!
Mare's stories are always totally realistic. There's some days where I have to think about if something BSB related is reality or if she wrote it in one of her fics. I've even read her one story - The Importance of Fly Fishing - probably about three or four times now. It's definitely one of my all-time favourites. Anytime she has a new fic I read it as soon as possible and check back frequently for updates. I recommend her stories all the time too if someone asks me which fan fics to read (esp. The Importance of Fly Fishing).
If any of you haven't read her stories you need to go read one - RIGHT NOW.
~Lenni~
Mare,
She's dubbed the Queen of Fanfic around here and with good reason. She has a skill that boggles my mind sometimes. She writes suspense with such an ease that I wish I had. You can't tell she's not as anal as I am persay with looking up details. Her writing is that convincing. She's someone I looked up to since her very first fanfic - Mitzpah. Her scene in "It Stays With You" is iconic where Brian carves MINE into Nick. Her twists and turns are ones you don't see coming till after you read them. Then you look back and you can see the hints and clues dropped off subtly and with a massive amount of skill.
Having Mare read one of your stories is probably the biggest compliment in the world. Essentially it's like if you just got a book published and Stephen King reached out to you to tell you he liked it. That's how much a compliment or a review from Mare means. Her bromances have this innate skill of tugging at the heartstrings and making you wonder years later if things you remember really happened or if they came from her fanfics. That's how real they feel. (example? Kevin calling Nick "Little Man" was debated on if he really did or it came from Mare lol).
Sadly Mare has dropped off from writing fanfic recently, which I understand. But her legacy in the BSB fanfic world still stands. Almost everyone who reads it knows one or more likely, several of her stories. They're just as rereadable now as they were back then.
Mare you deserve this more than anyone else and congratulation s! I know my rambling isn't nearly enough to cover just how epic and awesome you are, but I hope you enjoyed my attempt!
Mare is not only an amazingly talented writer, she's also a good friend and someone you can turn to when you just need to talk. When my fiance was ill in hospital, Mare was a shoulder to cry on. She also sends lush cookies!
Now onto her writing...
I've been a fan since joining to site back in 2008. I remember the first story I read was A Million Little Things (at least I think that was the first one, or it could've been The Importance of Fly Fishing). Anyway, I loved the way she wrote about the boys, it seemed so real and convincing, and I believed every word of it. I like that brotherly bond they have in her stories, and I'll always tell myself that Kevin calls Nick "little man", that's thanks to Mare!
When she said she was retiring from fanfic writing a couple of years ago, I was kind of gutted, so was really happy to see her post new stories again. Long may she continue!
Well done Mare, you totally deserve to be number one :)
Steph
Mare has been one of if not my absolute favorite fanfiction writer for a few years now. She was one of the first people I read when I came to this website. I have read every one of her BSB stories and its hard for me to even choose a favorite. She writes the guys in such a way where you think she was a fly on the wall.
She's written canon and AU, all different genres as well but my favorite is her suspense. I loved Shadow Woods for that and the way she writes Nick and Kevin.... capturing the brotherly bond the guys have. The Apartment was another one I enjoyed for the same reason. Her original characters were a grab bag as well. You never knew what you were going to get but knew you'd be in for a wild ride.
Her writing is just inspiring and made me want to try suspense myself. Her stories were ones I could read over and over again, and I have read several of them more than once. She also was a great reader as well, I always looked forward to getting a review from her because she was honest and supportive.
The first time I recieved a review from Mare was like receiving one from a celebrity (as silly as that sounds, she is famous in the Fanfic world) I look up to her, and hope one day I can be as good as she is. The number one featured author is something she deserves 100%. Congrats Mare.
From Tracy (DelphinaCarter)
Mare, congratulation s on being the number one author on Absolute Chaos!! I really can't think of any one more deserving. Your stories are always so well written and leave me wanting more!
But it's more than that...you're an absolutely gorgeous human being (from the short time I've known you through the internet!) and I'll always be grateful for your support in my writing and in...other things (you know what I'm talking about!).
I haven't been very active on Absolute Chaos or Twitter lately, but I knew I owed you a huge thanks and congratulation s.
Congrats again!
Jessica aka jess20
The reason why Mare is one of my favorite authors is her characters. She has a way to make her characters believable to me. Even these characters (The Boys) we think we know, she has a way of making me, the reader, look at the Boys in a new way. It makes me go "Ummmm!"
I met Mare during the "Golden Age" of BSB fan fiction. I don't remember which story it was (probably "Mizpah"), where I became a babbling fool about the story. Since then, I like to think of myself as her number 1 fan! *:) happy But, I think what I remember most about the first days was her reaction to some bad feedback. It made me angry! I think I said something like, "keep writing....don't let one person discourage you from doing something you love."
So in honor of you being Number 1 author, I thank you for sharing your love!
Love ya,
Pammy Whammy 8-)
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Today has been an utterly crazy day and not entirely good either so it was so nice to come in here & read all of the beautiful things you've all said about me. I truly appreciate all of you and will respond to each post seperately tomorrow when I'm a little more awake. Just wanted to say thank you!
I love you guys!
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It has been nine (almost ten) fast and furious years since I responded to an ad on the Absolute Chaos homepage asking for anyone interested in moderating the archive. Two candidates were selected out of those who "applied" and that was the day I found my other half, the brilliant and wonderful Mare.
When Mare and I joke that we are two halves of the same brain it's not because we are so much alike, but rather because we are, in some ways, polar opposites, but compliment each other so well and are completely in sync. That's not to say we never disagree on things because oh boy, do we ever lol But being able to have a heated discussion with someone without it damaging your relationship is the sign of a true bond.
Absolute Chaos has been through a lot of development since we took the helm. We started this discussion board, developed the Felix Awards and monthly featured stories, and contributed to a stronger community of BSB fanfic writers than there had really ever been before. A lot of that is because of Mare. I have a lot of ideas, but usually fall flat on the execution portion but she is so incredibly organized and able to plan what needs to be done and actually follow through on it. I'm eternally grateful to Mare for everything she has done for AC, for all the times she's pushed us all to write, set deadlines for us and given honest feedback. I'm also grateful to her for putting up with me when I am, well, me and for the tough times we have gone through trying to keep this site together.
As a writer, I have a huge respect for Mare's abilities. I've always known her as the person who could write an entire story out of dialogue and have it be both vividly descriptive and emotional. Over time she has lost her interest in the fandom but has never failed to be involved for the sake of this community and that says a lot about her as a person. Mare has been through more than anyone here would ever realize and it gives her a perspective on life that she lays out in her writing. Loyal, honest, consistent and brilliant both musically and otherwise, I can't think of another person more deserving of the honour of being voted the #1 Greatest Absolute Chaos Writer of All Time.
Congratulation s, Mare. I hope everyone enjoys this month's feature, AC's 100th featured story, Hope is the Last Thing Ever Lost (http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=11140)
Now, here's some praise from your biggest fans ;)
Wow, thank you so much. We really are polar opposites but yet have so much in common. Funny how that works. Lol
your post made me feel all mushy. :-)
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Aww Julie - no worries about being creative. The fact that you even took the time to post anything especially since I know how crazy busy you are, is the highest compliment of all. Thank you for your kind words. It's funny but I sometimes forget about fanfic fun but I think that and phantasm is how I really got to know a lot of you guys lol weird it was such a long time ago.
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Erika - thank you and okay, maybe I'll forgive you for never leaving reviews. Lol
I'm so glad you came back to the fandom and started posting your stuff. Your stories are a breath of fresh air. I'm glad I helped you jump back into things!
Lennii!!! I always feel like I need a few exclamation points when it comes to you & your constant enthusiasm. I love how much you have loved the Importance of Fly Fishing. Thanks for always being so supportive!
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Rose- thanks so much. Being compared to Stephen King in any king of analogy is just mind blowing! I forgot that scene in It Stays. I'm a real whacko! lol I loved that whole little man debate. Sometimes I wish I could just force the guys to live in the world I made for them. Wouldn't that be nice? Hey sounds like a great new story idea! ;) lmao
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Steph - thanks! As for the cookies I dropped the ball this time around. Lol I'll make it up to you though, I promise. I'm so glad we became friends. You're awesome! :)
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Tracy - thanks so much for all the kind things you said. Since the very first time you told me how you're my number one fan, I've been so flattered and grateful. I have always appreciated your reviews and enthusiasm when it comes to my writing. Sometimes you have been my sole motivation to keep going. Thanks for always being there!
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Jessica - thank you for calling me a gorgeous human being. That was such a nice compliment! We miss you over here. I hope we see more of you soon!
Pammy - you've been supporting me for as long as I can remember. I mean even my very early Mizpah days you were right there. I love reading your feedback and your insight into my plots and characters. You sometimes make me see things I didn't even see. Thank you so much!
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Again I just wanted to thank you all and thank you to everyone who voted me into this countdown. It's nice to know that when I'm having a bad day, all I'll have to do is jump into this thread and read all the beautiful things everyone has said about me. I love you guys! :)
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One is lost
One is broken
One is a prisoner
Two are trapped
This summary grabbed my attention; but I think this story was one of the least reviewed by me. I know part of the reason for my lack of reviews was because it was posted during the school year; but, I think the other reason is that this story disturbed me. It disturbed me because I was ambivalent about Tim. My mind was saying he was the villain and I shouldn't like or care about him. But my heart was saying "poor man." He's so lonely and doesn't know how to interact with people. Throughout the story, I kept going back and forth between these emotions.
It's one of the things I like about your writing, Mare. Your villains are not cookie-cutter monsters. You did a great job of humanizing Tim.
Now, here's my question: where did the idea for this story come from?
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Thanks for the question, Pammy & sorry this one disturbed you.
Before the story idea showed up, it was Tim who made an appearance in my dreams as just this random character I was thinking of creating a story about. My brain went with an idea of writing a suspense but through the eys of a highly disturbed man making everyone actually empathize with and even like him & then he was going to kidnap someone which would throw a wrench into the readers conscience.
At around the same time, I was toying with a kidnapping/crash adventure story for the boys because we had all discussed that idea in a thread on AC. I wanted it to be a mystery as to who was who because in my head, I really wasn't sure myself how I wanted to pair everyone up. Of course I wanted Kevin & Nick as a pair but I also wanted to challenge myself so I opted for Howie instead. Anyway...while formulating the fanfic, Tim kind of said "Hey, use me in this!" So there it went lol
I'm glad you and so many others had those types of feelings concerning Tim because that's what I always intended for him. Maybe one day I will sit down and write him his own story.
:)
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Mare, how do you manage to be this awesome?
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It's not easy, but I do my best! :)
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I love Tim, in a twisted way. He is one of my most favorite original characters in fan fiction because there is so much depth to him, and that is what makes for a strong villain. Even though he was a threat to our Boys, I couldn't help but feel for him, in a way. He was batshit crazy, but he wasn't completely evil. I feel like he just wanted to be loved, but had never had a good example of what a healthy relationship looks like, so, as Pammy said, he had no idea how to interact with people. I love this story, and I'm so glad it was chosen because I think it's probably your best yet in terms of the character development and quality of writing.
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Mare, as someone who is very vocal about a dislike for original characters, what do you think about how much people talk about the original character in this story? Is it an incentive for you to turn this into a completely original concept?
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I love Tim, in a twisted way. He is one of my most favorite original characters in fan fiction because there is so much depth to him, and that is what makes for a strong villain. Even though he was a threat to our Boys, I couldn't help but feel for him, in a way. He was batshit crazy, but he wasn't completely evil. I feel like he just wanted to be loved, but had never had a good example of what a healthy relationship looks like, so, as Pammy said, he had no idea how to interact with people. I love this story, and I'm so glad it was chosen because I think it's probably your best yet in terms of the character development and quality of writing.
Thanks so much for saying that. I would agree with you. I feel like this fanfic was my best work. I'm really proud of every element of it and would choose this one to represent my writing. I am beyond flattered that you feel Tim is one of your favorite original characters, just wow! :)
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Mare, as someone who is very vocal about a dislike for original characters, what do you think about how much people talk about the original character in this story? Is it an incentive for you to turn this into a completely original concept?
Aww, I don't hate original characters at all. I think they are a vital part of good storytelling. What I've been vocal about is how I hate it when an original character becomes the MAIN character in a BSB fanfic. I feel like BSB should be the main characters in this fandom & that thinking on my part will never change lol
I feel like Tim is an example of an original character who plays an important role in the storytelling but remains just one component of the challenges the boys have to get through. I am completely flattered that so many people love Tim and as I've mentioned to Pammy in my reply to her, he was meant to be a main character in an original fic. But he kind of worked as the supporting guy in this one. I would definitely love to explore more possibilities when it comes to him, but as far as his life in BSB, his story is complete.
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Were you at all surprised by the reader response to this story?
Is there any behind the scenes info you think fans of the story would find interesting?
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Were you at all surprised by the reader response to this story?
Is there any behind the scenes info you think fans of the story would find interesting?
I was pleasantly surprised by all the new readers I gained for this one.
There really isn't anything interesting about the writing of this one except, I actually enjoyed writing it. I mean really enjoyed it and spent a long time trying to find the perfect poems to go with each chapter.
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What's your favourite scene and why?
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I have a few favorites from this story, but I think my absolute favorite scene was a Howie chapter called Shattered. It was the chapter where Howie is recaptured by Tim and reunited with Nick. Everything about that chapter I loved lol from Howie looking at himself in the mirror and not recognizing himself, to the scene with him explaining to Nick how he didn't get help and how sorry he was. Up to finally coming to the realization that the only was he was going to save himself & Nick would be to kill Tim and how scared and unwilling he was to do that. Writing such a vulnerable Howie was pretty awesome.
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Tim is a great original character, he's just so twisted and completely nuts! I loved how he kept on about his birthday, like they cared lol.
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Aww thanks! I modeled the birthday thing after some fully grown adults I know that are completely transfixed on their birthdays! lol
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Lol I didn't know that's why he's so fixated on birthdays but that's hilarious.
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Yes! I had to find a way to mock that lol
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Hilarious!
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As we come into the final week of this featured month, I hope everyone has taken the time to read Hope is... and have enjoyed it!
Mare, since you posted this story as you wrote it, is there anything you look back and wish you had written differently? What is it and why?
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The only thing I have really regretted about this story is my descriptions and actions during the van scenes. I really screwed those up big time because when I initially began writing the first scene after the crash, in my head I pictured a tour bus but when I wrote it, I went with a van. The problem was as I started to describe how the van crashed, I wasn't thinking van, I was thinking big tour bus. So a lot of those action sequences just don't make much sense, especially when the wolves finally show up. Believe me I cringed every time I read those scenes back knowing it was too late to go back and change things. We'll just have to go with the idea that it was a really big van I guess lmao...oops!
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Am I late? Well, mare is probably going to laugh at this hehe
Hello people! Greetings to everyone around, hi to those who know me and to those who are wondering who I since it's been years since the last time I posted here. I wanted to say something before but May has been an awful month in many ways and unfortunately some of the things that happened kept me away from here.
Mare, you know already what I think about your writing: You are amazing! The three of us (the Ms) are not writing fanfic anymore and in my case I'm not even reading it as much as I want but when I look back at all those years when I got to know this fandom and its stories, yours are the ones that come to my head first. You know, when talking about books and authors nowadays (especially since now those conversations are even more frequent in my life) I keep mentiong the hidden gems that can be found in the world of fanfiction, that is because fanfiction is not full of cringeworthy things as many people think (okay, we have to admit that there are some of those too but people tend to think that's all that it is) but fanfiction has also AMAZING things to offer and unfortunatelly not many people know about these stories. You, mare, are an incredibly talented author and I'm so happy to be your friend.
And you know I have yet to read this particular story (I went to your page and read a couple of things I had not read before so now there are only two of your stories I haven't read, one being this one) and yes, I know you are kind of used to me being late (but hey, I arrived early when we met!) but I promise not making you wait til next May for my review. Love ya!
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I admit, I smiled when I saw some new, random reviews from you! lol
Thanks, for the kind words. It was fanfic that brought the three of us together and I am so grateful for that. This story is the one I am most proud of and a fitting way to end my fanfic "career" I hope you do get around to reading it. As far as the other one, probably the one I started last summer, I wouldn't bother with that one. It's not that great and most likely will not be finished. lol
We need to catch up! Now that school is almost over, I'll have some free time to force myself to stay up later.
Love ya too! :)
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I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who voted me into this countdown and to those of you who took the time to come in here and say something sweet. Also thanks to Julilly for taking over this month lol
I love you all!
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I have some work to do if i hope to be on your skill level, but I was happy to get the chance to honour you! Hope you enjoyed your month :)
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Hi, Mare!
I'm really sorry if I'm running on Backstreet Time but I really hope it's not too late to let you know how amazing you are as a person and fanfic writer. I read lots of your stories in one sitting and that's how talented you are. I really hope that one day you'll get the itch to write again. Until then, I'd be patiently waiting. No pressure. :)
Thank you for being supportive and giving honest feedbacks. I wouldn't have had the courage to continue writing The Other Side of NC if you weren't giving me such awesome and honest feedbacks. Your support and warm welcome to new writers is really amazing. The BSB fanfic world wouldn't be as awesome as it is if you weren't on it (I hope you understand what I meant, I think my message is really confusing.)
Congratulation s and I Love you, Mare! :)
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Thanks so much, Ritz! That was so kind of you to say. I'm glad you are writing and I hope you continue to update The Other Side of NC.
You made total sense, just like you always do!
Love you back!