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Fic Talk => Featured Story of the Month => Topic started by: mare on April 01, 2015, 03:20:30 AM

Title: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 01, 2015, 03:20:30 AM


A long time ago in a galaxy far far away... I was a new author in search of someone to host my first story. I fell in love with the stories on Dreamer's Sanctuary and decided to ask the owner of the site if she would allow "Mizpah" to call her site home. Thankfully, she said yes and the beginning of a friendship was born.

I have known Julie probably longer than anyone else active in the fandom these days, heck even people who have left ages ago. Sometimes when I try to think back to when I first got into this fandom, it's hard for me to wrap my head around but Julie has been right there my entire fanfic life lol

I can say, I have seen her grow up. I remember her working in the summer, cleaning at her Mom's school? I remember her graduating high school and going off to college. I loved reading about her adventures in Scotland as she studied abroad. I cheered when she was hired as a fourth grade teacher and now seeing her settle into a house of her very own and working towards her Masters degree, I can't help but feel so proud of her.

One thing that really sticks out in my mind while reading "Broken" the featured story this month, I think I audibly gasped at the level of writing I was witnessing. Her writing in that moment had completely transformed and moved onto this higher plain that we are all now so used to when we think of a typical Julie story. To watch her evolution has been almost as fun as reading one of her stories.

I really could go on and on, but I'll stop because she's going to be receiving lots of love and rightly so.

I am so happy that you all love Julie as much as I do and that you have voted her #2 all time favorite author on AC.

Please leave your comments and questions for Julie in this thread and hopefully she'll be able to sneak in from time to time to answer some questions.

Congrats, Julie! Enjoy your month! :-)

Now here is The other half of your double rainbow...

Sent from my iPad
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 01, 2015, 03:23:34 AM
Julie.

Just what does one SAY about a writer like her? Julie’s been well known for almost as long as I’ve been into fanfic. I remember visiting Dreamer’s Sanctuary when fanfic.net still hosted Real People Fanfic. She’s a legend, pure and simple. One of the few from the “glory days” that didn’t go away. I became a fan of hers with a story I’m sure many don’t really associate her with these days called Identical and never stopped. She keeps getting better. Something I keep thinking isn’t possible! Because she writes so well and so you figure she reaching her peak and then she turns around and surprises you. I remember vividly how shocked I was that she wanted to collaborate with me personally. Mainly because she’s such a legend in this fanfic fandom. She’s not just a rainbow. No that sort of special beauty isn’t enough. She is truly a double rainbow in fanfiction. A spectrum of colorful talent that doesn’t fade away no matter what the genre. There’s no one else like her.

So here are the ways I know Julie is “Double Rainbow All The Way”.

D is for Decisive – This refers to the fact Julie will write the story she wants to and nothing will shake her from that once she’s committed. She doesn’t care if people like it or not. Look at her most recent Pandaskunk story. It’s random beyond belief and having the same sense of humor, I adored it. It parodies everything under the sun while still remaining coherent and keeping as many backstreet-isms as possible. It’s not the type of story that will bring in tons of reviews like most of her others but she doesn’t care. For her the reviews are secondary to the joy writing itself brings. In a fandom where I often see tweets mentioning a lack of reviews this sort of writing for one's self first is forever a breath of fresh air.

R is for Rainbow – Somewhat cheating. But by rainbow I’m referring to the fact she really HAS written in every single genre at some point or another. For horror she has countless kills in 1000 Ways and our collab Song For The Undead. Slash she has Sick as My Secrets or it’s one-shot prequel Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon. Supernatural we have Secrets of the Heart and Drama/Angst? We have countless stories like Broken or Curtain Call both of which incorporate romance. There’s fantasy with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Backstreet Boy. Not to mention the sci-fi in Hybrid or our collab 00Carter. While she favors Angst/Drama and considers it her best I think she shines equally in whatever she writes. Hell it was her writing that got me to read romance back when I hated all of it, and most recently BSB Slash.

A is for Anal – This is a compliment in the best way. I know I have a little bit of a reputation for doing a ton of research but what’s so funny about that is that it originated from Julie. I remember when I first started writing Code Blue with her back in 2006. Mind you again, she was a legend and while I was excited to join the story, I was also very intimidated. I’d never done a medical drama before and I was writing with one of the greats. I saw just how much research went into this story and started adopting that into my own writing in my hopes to someday match her skill. The way Julie researches is insane. She’ll go through countless links to get every bit of information possible. But the really shocking thing? You can’t tell. She has that rare skill of being able to weave it throughout the story and if you didn’t know better you’d think she was following that rule of “writing what you know”.

T is for Torture – If there’s a writer who’s after my own heart in this sense besides Julie, I’d love to meet them. She just isn’t afraid to go there! She can kill a Backstreet Boy at the drop of a dime and doesn’t hesitate to give the real consequences of her plots. Whether she’s chopping legs or giving babies AIDS. She’s fearless. She’ll explore every aspect and without fear tell the story she planned to tell. I remember reading Broken and literally yelling at my screen “HOLY SHIT!” when she did her first go at “choppage” LOL. There were plenty of cancer fics back then but she was the first to take it to the next level. The same is still true now. She did a slash story as part challenge/part joke. It led to AIDS babies and dark moments but she never shied away. Just remember, she’s called the Choppage Queen for a reason!

W is for Weird – Julie is a little weird but that’s what’s so great about her LOL. This is the same girl who teaches by day and has a random things collection featuring things like Hitler Skunks! (No lie). She may say I’m creative but she’s the one with a weird enough brain to manage to take whatever crazy thing I think of and find a way to connect it back into a reality based idea/plot. How many people can do that? It’s easy enough to come up with the random shit, but it’s another to make them work! The way she’s able to find logic for ideas that have none amazes me every time. She doesn’t give herself enough credit for just how creative she truly is.

Across The Sky – Julie is the kind of writer that inspires you to be better. I really don’t think I’d be the writer I am today if I hadn’t become friends with her. Just as rainbows might inspire artists, she is the writer who helps you want to be more.

Julie you’re one of the best things I’ve ever found in this fandom and one of my best friends. You deserve to be so high on this list and I can’t think of anyone else to be the #2 author on AC. Thank you Mare for letting me write this long (and rambly) tribute to her. Congratulation s ZDR!



There you go! I didn't wanna forget to do it LOL.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 01, 2015, 03:26:07 AM
And now from someone you look up to and admire....


Julie:

I love reading your stories, especially the way you would describe a person made you feel like you were there!  I would look forward to updates and many times would find myself checking more than twice a day to see if anything was there!  So often you made me one pathetic soul searching for updates LOL.  You would keep me motivated when I was writing my own fan fics and I was flattered when you would leave me feedback on a story. It was always that little nudge to keep me going….
If I had to pick one story you’ve written that would be my all-time favorite, it would have to be the Broken Series. We both love to torture Nick and you would always graphically capture all the events and medical diagnoses! You always rocked!!
I admire you oh Queen of Choppage!!
Congratulation s on being author of the month! You deserve it!!
Carrie

Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 01, 2015, 03:26:45 AM
I'll be back with more love when I get home from school!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 05:49:18 AM
Aww, you guys!!!  Thank you so much!  Thank you first of all for the votes that earned me this spot on the list, but especially thank you Mare, Rose, and Carrie for those awesome tributes!  I had such a smile on my face reading those.  I had to get up an hour early for an event before school today, but I'm glad I made time to check this because it totally made my morning.  I have more to say, but don't have the time to post all my thoughts right now, so I'll be back at some point.

I'm excited that Broken is being featured this month!  I actually threw it onto the poll more as an afterthought because I felt like I needed a third story to round it out, and believe it or not, Broken had never been a featured story.  But even though I felt like I've talked about Broken a lot, I am always happy to talk more LOL.  Like Mare said, that really is the story that helped me grow up as a writer and take it to the next level, so it will always be special to me.

Thanks again! :)
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 01, 2015, 03:25:02 PM
I'm really glad you decided to include Broken in your poll because it's a classic!

Here's a little more love coming your way.


First of all, well done Julie, you totally deserve this! 

I've loved everything I've read of yours, even when I saw a slash story by you (which is not something I'd usually read), because it was by you, I knew it would be good.

I really love the way you draw the reader in and leave them wanting more at the end of every chapter.  You put so much detail into your stories that I sometimes find it hard to believe they aren't real.  I can totally imagine the boys in the middle of a zombie apocalypse or out on the road with Nick battling terminal illnesses.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 01, 2015, 03:26:08 PM
And here's Tracy....

Julie is just one of those writers that goes with whatever is thrown at her. I've seen her tackle a lot of different genres and topics. She's most well known for her medical dramas but I got to know her through reading 00Carter and a couple other stories as well. I look up to a lot of the girls at AC and Julie is one of them. One story I enjoyed was the one Harry Potter crossover she started. It was written as if JK Rowling herself had written it, which is amazing. I also love her morbid sense of humor. I enjoy her collaborations with Rose, it's a rare gift to find another writer that compliments you, but her and Rose work perfectly together. Sometimes you can't tell who is writing what, and I feel that is the mark of a great writer. I love to read Julie's stories because you never know what to expect. She is like a grab bag at genres. Congrats on getting the top ten you deserve it!


Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 01, 2015, 03:27:57 PM
And of course a thread about Broken wouldn't be complete without the stories biggest fan.

   Back when I first started reading fan fiction, I stumbled on this story called Broken...and I became OBSESSED.  I completely fell in love with the characters of Nick and Claire. After reading for a while, I found out that the author had a message board.  Thus, began an adventure that I will always remember and cherish. 
 
   Broken was the first story I read of Julie's.  To this day, it still remains my all time favorite series.  The emotion, the struggles, the ups and downs of this story...I felt like I was living it along with Nick and Claire.  Then came By My Side.  OMG...I'd never wanted to kill a fictional character worse than I did Jamie..lol  Snowplow anyone? :P  Every day I would rush home from work to see if the story had been updated (this was before smartphones!).  I would slam the bedroom door shut when a new chapter appeared so that I could read uninterrupted.  It got to the point where even my young son knew when a new chapter was posted..lol I was glued to the message board, chatting with the friends I'd made there, and Julie herself, about the stories I'd come to love so much.  I was even lucky enough to have a cameo in BMS! I was so excited and honored by that!  I even got a mention in the acknowledgemen ts at the end of the series because I would push this story (and I STILL do this!) on anyone and everyone in the fandom.  I think it amused the hell outta her..lol  The MOST honored I'd ever been is when I was upset because it was the end of the BMS story and she was going to post the ending the next day and I had to work early and wouldn't be able to read it.  Julie blessed me by sending it to me the night before it was posted so that I could finish it.  I don't think she realized just how much that meant to me.  But I just have a special place in my heart for these stories because of the stories themselves and the friendships that were created because of them. 

  I have always thought the Broken series would make an AWESOME movie..lol  And after the success that 50 Shades of Grey has had, it starting out as a fan fic, that dream is alive! lol 

  Julie and Rose also pulled me into their love of zombies.  That's another of my favorite story of Julie's (and Rose)...Song For The Undead.  And also their twisted minds have also inspired me to write a few stories to add to the collection of 1,000 Ways to Kill Nick Carter. 

  I've also had the pleasure of meeting Julie herself.  The first time I met her was in 2008 when I traveled to Bloomington, IL to see the Boys TIU show.  And then the cruises started.  This past cruise was probably the most EPIC cruise experience I had with Julie.  We all had such a blast hanging out, yet another memory I will never forget.

  Julie, without a doubt, is my all time favorite fic writer.  The characters she creates, the stories she tells....they suck you in, make you live the stories right along side the characters themselves.  I love the emotions they inflict on you.  I have literally sat in front of my computer and SOBBED, I have laughed so hard my stomach hurt and have rooted so hard for characters.  I've never read fic stories that quite effect me the way Julie's do, and that's my favorite part about her stories. 

  Julie, congrats on this achievement!! I am so happy for you and I am so happy that these stories lead to this friendship.  I look forward to more stories from you and more BSB adventures as well!  
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: Rose on April 01, 2015, 03:55:31 PM
Julie you deserve all this love and adoration so enjoy it!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: FrickFrackGirl on April 01, 2015, 06:29:47 PM
For a long time after reading these stories I kept watching Nick for a limp!!!

Congrats again Julie!!! I'm so happy for you!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 10:02:27 PM
Back again after a long day to read the rest of these tributes, and seriously, you guys are so wonderful!  Thanks for all your kinds words!  I want to respond to all of you, but I think I'm going to do so in separate posts because you know how long-winded I can be LOL.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 10:08:43 PM
Mare, it is crazy how long we've been at this!  I think I've also known you the longest out of all my fanfic friends who are still involved in the fandom and whom I talk to regularly.  It's been well over a decade!  I barely have any close "real life" friendships that have lasted that long!  I also remember sneaking onto the computers I was supposed to be taking apart and cleaning at my summer job so I could read the Mizpah updates you would send me.  I am a much better employee than I was then LOL, which speaks to the fact that you really have watched me grow up.  I was 17 when we first "met," and I'm turning 30 this month!  Who would have ever guessed then that we'd still be involved with BSB fanfic now? LOL

I think it's very appropriate that Broken was chosen to be featured this month because, of the three options, it's really the most representative of my writing and still probably the story I'm best known for.  I also appreciate what you said about it showing a transformation in my writing.  I've always felt that I grew up while writing Broken, both as a writer and as a person, and you can see it just in the way the quality of writing changes from beginning to end.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 10:13:40 PM
Rose, thank you so much for the colorful tribute! LOL  You are SO creative, and writing with you and even just talking with you all these years has made me more creative, too!  You bring out my best - and my most twisted! LOL  You are right; I've always been a little weird, but finding a friend who gets that side of me and is just as twisted in her own right has been amazing.  For 15 years now, I've felt that the internet is the only place where I can 100% be myself, and that's because of people like you who don't judge me for liking the things I like.  When I was writing Broken (and even now), I would have died if anyone I knew in real life had found out about it, but the fact that you guys like and appreciate it is really awesome.  Thank you so much for everything you said and for almost a decade of friendship!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 10:20:02 PM
Carrie, I hope you will read this.  I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I read your message because I could copy and paste it right back as a message from me to you!  Everything you said is exactly how I've always felt about you and your writing.  I've been reading your stories since 2000, as long as I've been writing, and they have always been a huge inspiration to me.  I was absolutely obsessed with stories like Trapped, Nick and Lizz, and of course Swollen Issues, to the point of checking your site multiple times a day in hopes of updates.  I used to try to emulate your writing, and that is exactly how Broken was born - by me obsessing over Swollen Issues and wishing I could write something that struck that level of emotion in my readers.  They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and it's true:  like Mare said, I've always looked up to you and admired you.  Every piece of feedback I've gotten from you has meant the world to me... even when it ended with "Kill Claire!"  :D
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 10:33:14 PM
Steph, thank you so much!  Who knew I would ever seriously write a slash story? LOL  I was surprised as you, but I really appreciate you giving it a chance!  Even though my storylines can be overly dramatic and "out there," I still try to make them seem as believable as possible given the circumstances I've created, so it means a lot when people says they seem realistic.  Thanks again!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 10:37:31 PM
Tracy, thank you!  It means a lot to me that you said I'm like a grab bag at genres because even though I'm mostly known for my medical dramas (which is fine because we all know that's my favorite genre), I really have tried to branch out, especially in the last few years since I finished the Broken series.  A lot of that, like 00Carter, was just experimenting and going with the flow, but I learned a lot about writing that way and am a much better writer because of it.  Thanks for the mention of my Harry Potter crossover, which I have neglected and need to get back to, along with SAMS and Undead and all the rest LOL.  Maybe talking fanfic this month, plus having a little time off with spring break, will get me going again.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 11:06:16 PM
And Jen, I shouldn't have been surprised to see a post like that from you in here because you always have the nicest things to say about my writing, Broken in particular.  You are, without a doubt, Broken's biggest fan, and you've brought so many people onto the Broken bandwagon, or whatever you wanna call it.  I can't thank you enough!!

I forgot that I sent you the end of BMS a day early, but that doesn't surprise me.  No one else would have been more deserving to be the first to find out how it all ended but you!

My whole "turn Broken into an original novel" project never really planned out, but the dream is definitely still alive.  I get inspired every now and then, especially lately with the "cancer couple" (I'm coining this term if it's not already a thing) being on trend thanks to The Fault in Our Stars and now the show Chasing Life.  You never know!

I think my favorite part of the fanfic community is how many friendships I've formed because of it.  Many of my current circle of BSB friends that I cruise and/or go to concerts with actually came out of this story - you, Laureen, Lynsey, and Liane, to name a few.  You were the second online friend I met in real life, after Laureen, and it's been so awesome to get to hang out with you more regularly the last few years thanks to the cruises.  You are always a blast!

Thank you again for 10+ years of your friendship and support for my stories! You're the best!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 01, 2015, 11:21:18 PM
For a long time after reading these stories I kept watching Nick for a limp!!!

Congrats again Julie!!! I'm so happy for you!

I have to confess, every time he tweets an article about advances in cancer treatment, part of me is like, "Good for you for caring about that, Nick," and another part of me thinks of Broken/Curtain Call and shudders.  It's scary how life can imitate art.  If only he knew! LOL

And btw, today, being April 1st, is the choppage anniversary in Broken universe LOL.  I only remember that because it happened on April Fool's Day in the story, which reflects my twisted sense of humor right there.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: julilly on April 02, 2015, 12:56:39 AM
There were two comments that got missed, sorry about that. Here they are so get ready to write some more replies! :)

Quote
I probably met Julie about 12 years ago, after I had decided to send her some feedback on one of her stories. We chatted online for years after that and eventually went to a concert together. We have since done almost everything bsb related together since meeting. I couldn't have asked for a better bsb buddy or friend.  

She has become one of my closest friends since that one night I decided to send her a giddy little email anxiously waiting for an update! She is not only a great friend, but she is also an amazing writer. It's because of her and her stories that I have met so many other amazing people in this fandom!  

So Julie, I owe you a huge thank you!  Enjoy your feature this month, you so deserve it!!!! -- Laureen


Quote from: julilly

I'm pretty excited to see that Broken was chosen to be your featured story this month. Honestly, I've read it at least three times. At least. Each time I discover something about it that I didn't notice the previous time (either that or I have the memory of a gnat, but I like to think it's hidden gems) that makes me feel like I'm reading it fresh.

Broken was one of the first medical fics I was ever really able to get into because it felt realistic. I found it believable (your hard work researching the topics apparent on every page), relatable (the dialogue and feelings always came off as being genuine and I could hear the character's voice's clearly in my head) and painfully honest.

In my view, Broken is the benchmark for all of your writing that came after it. Being such a large piece of work, it's easy to see the development in skill as the story goes on and I really feel that by the end of it you had set the standard for what all of your work that followed would achieve at a minimum. You've definitely refined those skills over time, but Broken is really what set the bar and I hope if there's anyone out there who hasn't read it (unlikely) they will take the time to do so this month.

On a personal, non fanfic note, I want to say how great it is to know you outside of this world. Getting the tour of Chicago this summer is a great memory that I will carry with me for a long time to come. It was great fun and I'm so glad you could be part of it. Thanks.

Congrats!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: FrickingKaos on April 02, 2015, 03:36:05 AM
Tracy, thank you!  It means a lot to me that you said I'm like a grab bag at genres because even though I'm mostly known for my medical dramas (which is fine because we all know that's my favorite genre), I really have tried to branch out, especially in the last few years since I finished the Broken series.  A lot of that, like 00Carter, was just experimenting and going with the flow, but I learned a lot about writing that way and am a much better writer because of it.  Thanks for the mention of my Harry Potter crossover, which I have neglected and need to get back to, along with SAMS and Undead and all the rest LOL.  Maybe talking fanfic this month, plus having a little time off with spring break, will get me going again.


You're welcome. I meant every word too. I felt grab bag was pretty accurate especially after pandaskunk LOL. I can't wait to see how SAMS ends after beta reading for you.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 03, 2015, 05:08:14 PM
Aww, I'm glad someone thought to contact Laureen!  I don't know if she'll make her way over here to see this or not, but thank you, Laureen!  Broken is the story that started our friendship, thanks to Laureen taking the time to send feedback, which led to many late night IM conversations and eventually a real life friendship as well.  Laureen only lives a couple of hours away from me, so she was the first online friend I met in real life and has been my concert buddy ever since.  I'm so thankful for our friendship!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 03, 2015, 05:11:21 PM
Julilly, thank you so much for your kind words!  You don't get all warm and fuzzy very often, which makes it even more special and meaningful when you do.  You are such a brilliant writer and are so good at making all the details seem realistic that positive feedback like that from you always means so much to me.

It's also been great getting to know you better and hang out in the real world!  I hope someday I can make it up to your neck of the woods so you can show me around!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 04, 2015, 03:55:30 AM
Aww, I'm glad someone thought to contact Laureen!  I don't know if she'll make her way over here to see this or not, but thank you, Laureen!  Broken is the story that started our friendship, thanks to Laureen taking the time to send feedback, which led to many late night IM conversations and eventually a real life friendship as well.  Laureen only lives a couple of hours away from me, so she was the first online friend I met in real life and has been my concert buddy ever since.  I'm so thankful for our friendship!

I know she's an important part of your life, I just didn't know her personally so I asked a few people for help. Luckily Julilly was able to reach out. I'm glad she was a part of this.

Now for my first question...

Why did you choose the type of cancer you did and did you know from the start that Nick's leg was going to go? Was there ever a time as you were writing this that you thought about killing him?
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 04, 2015, 11:18:47 AM
Why did you choose the type of cancer you did and did you know from the start that Nick's leg was going to go? Was there ever a time as you were writing this that you thought about killing him?

LOL There was actually a lot of thought that went into that decision.  I can still remember sitting on my bed, brainstorming a list of different types of cancer and weighing the pros and cons of each.  (Yes, there are "pros" when it comes to giving Backstreet Boys cancer.)  I had already written one cancer story where Brian had lymphoma, which is also what Nick had in Swollen Issues, so I knew that one was out.  I was inspired by Swollen Issues, but I wanted to be careful not to blatantly copy Swollen Issues.  Leukemia is similar, so I quickly crossed that one off the list too.  Then I started thinking about different organs and parts of the body, and eventually I thought of bone cancer.  Here is a dramatic reenactment of the discussion that happened between the little voices in my head after that:

:batman: (There's no devil smiley, so I'm using Batman instead):  Ooh, if I gave him bone cancer, I could amputate one of his limbs!

:angel:  *gasp* You can't do that!

:batman:  Just joking... maybe.

:angel:  That's just wrong.

:batman:  But interesting, right?  Not something you see a lot in fanfic.

:angel:  That's because it's crossing a line, permanently maiming a Backstreet Boy like that!

:batman:  But it might be fun...

:angel:  Come on, you couldn't really do that...

:batman:  It would be a challenge, for sure.  But I'm Batman.  I love a good challenge.

:angel:  You are sick.

:batman:  Heh... so is Nick.  I'm a poet, and I know it!

:angel:  You win.


So the leg choppage idea kind of started off as a joke, but once it was in my head, I couldn't get rid of it, so that was the direction the story was heading from then on.  It doesn't seem like a big deal to me now because I've done so much worse since, but at the time, amputating a Backstreet Boy's leg (and it was always a leg, for whatever reason) seemed like the most horrific thing I could do.  I had killed Backstreet Boys before, but somehow, permanently disfiguring one and making him live with it seemed worse.  There's probably some psychology behind that, maybe me being a teenage girl at the time and overly concerned with my appearance and how others saw me or something, because I look back now and I'm like, "Meh, there are so many worse things that could happen to you than losing a leg."  But I was really nervous about doing it and researching it and writing it realistically because I was way out of my element at that point.  But then, the challenge of it was also what made it appealing to me.

I don't think I ever seriously considered killing Nick in this one.  It probably came up at some point early on in the planning of the story, but I was kind of like, "What's the point?"  I knew I was going to torture him so much that it just seemed too cruel to kill him after all of that.  I'm all for fictional cruelty to Backstreet Boys, but at the end of the day, I like a happy ending.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: crz4kaos23 on April 11, 2015, 08:44:27 PM
Aww, I'm glad someone thought to contact Laureen!  I don't know if she'll make her way over here to see this or not, but thank you, Laureen!  Broken is the story that started our friendship, thanks to Laureen taking the time to send feedback, which led to many late night IM conversations and eventually a real life friendship as well.  Laureen only lives a couple of hours away from me, so she was the first online friend I met in real life and has been my concert buddy ever since.  I'm so thankful for our friendship!


Julie I made it!!!!  It's been quite awhile since ive posted in any forum.  It's not because I've moved on or forgotten,  it's just life got busy!   Julie,  thanks for mentioning this to me on our drive home today,  if not for that I don't think I would have seen this.  What else can I say that others don't already know...in the words of my teenage self You Rock!!!   :D
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 11, 2015, 11:15:29 PM
You made it!!  Thanks, Laureen! :)
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: Rose on April 12, 2015, 01:19:04 AM

Julie I made it!!!!  It's been quite awhile since ive posted in any forum.  It's not because I've moved on or forgotten,  it's just life got busy!   Julie,  thanks for mentioning this to me on our drive home today,  if not for that I don't think I would have seen this.  What else can I say that others don't already know...in the words of my teenage self You Rock!!!   :D

Laureeeeeeen! I miss you guys :( lol.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: Carter-Orange on April 16, 2015, 02:18:50 PM
Well done Julie, and I loved this story so much!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 16, 2015, 10:05:09 PM
Thanks!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 17, 2015, 06:43:55 PM
When you were writing Broken, did you know you'd end up writing a sequel or did that idea come after the fact?
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 18, 2015, 11:13:22 AM
I didn't plan on a sequel from the beginning.  Broken pretty much went how I had planned it, but somewhere toward the end, when the romantic storyline between Nick and Claire was heating up, I thought it might be fun to explore their relationship more in another story.  I knew I wasn't going to have them get together officially until the end, but that didn't leave much time to see them as a couple, so that's where the idea for By My Side came from.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 18, 2015, 02:05:59 PM
Which story did you have more fun writing?
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 20, 2015, 07:13:30 PM
Oh, that's a tough one.  I loved writing both of them, probably more than any other story I've ever written, and tend to think of them more as one continuous story than two separate ones, since I wrote them back to back.  I may have enjoyed BMS a little bit more just because I was so into the characters at that point, but Broken was fun to write too.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: mare on April 25, 2015, 05:07:14 AM
That makes sense.

Do you have any new stories in the works?
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 26, 2015, 03:04:09 PM
Haha, no.  I need to finish Sick as My Secrets and the other unfinished ones before I start anything new.  My master's class has taken up almost all of my free time this semester, so I haven't written any fanfic since January or February.  Hoping May will be more productive.
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: RokofAges75 on April 30, 2015, 09:21:04 PM
Just wanted to say thanks for the love this month!  Maybe it will inspire me to write more next month now that my class is done!
Title: Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
Post by: julilly on April 30, 2015, 09:31:29 PM
Congrats again Julie, hope you enjoyed your month!