Team Interview: neevebrody
Name: neevebrody a/k/a damn, for an introvert, I talk a lot
Team: War!
Let's talk about: neevebrody!
1. How long have you been writing fan fiction and/or making fan art and/or whatever else (vids, knitted goods, pornographic gingerbread cookies)?
I'm a late bloomer - began writing fanfic in mid 2007, so not very long at all. I've always been artistic/creative, everything from painting to crafts to decorating and now I've discovered the wonders of Photoshop!
2. Have you participated or are you participating in any other fandoms?
I started out reading in the Harry Potter fandom, which led me to slash, which led me to SGA. I write predominantly in SGA, but have written SGA RPS, Harry Potter (Snape/Black), Primeval and Oz. I love small fandoms and odd pairings and write Brendan/Vincent (two Flanigan characters), Brendan/Emmett and I've written a few Lionel Thayer stories. Just recently, I wrote my first Numb3rs fic as well. However, I consider SGA my fandom home.
3. What fanwork are you most proud of? Or, what is your favourite of your fanworks? (links, please!)
You know, this should be an easy question. There are various elements in many of my stories that I'm proud of, but I would have to say, right now, I'm most proud of The Last Word. It packs an emotional wallop in a relatively short story and depicts a lifetime of love and the unbearable reality of roads not taken.
I love thinking of John and Rodney being together no matter their age or where they are, so my One True Love Trilogy (which only has two parts thus far) and the Willow Grove Summit series are also big favorites. The Fallacy of Time and Years May Go By are future fics. Both mention character death, but the death does not occur in the fic itself, i.e. I don't actively kill anyone.
Also, I'm quite fond of the stories I've written in the Millerverse. I seem to have a special affinity for Uncle Mer and Uncle John.
As for art, I'm quite proud of the recent manips created for melagan's Sensual Magic series.
4. As far as creative processes go, what type of writer/artist are you? Do you create an outline/find photo references/make maps, etc., or do you jump in and go with the flow?
The closest I get to an outline is a scene outline and that's usually just for longer or complex fics. It's like a written storyboard where I "see" how I want to put it together and that's my framework.
I consider myself a 'layered' writer. I lay the bare bones foundation and scene descriptions, sometimes just dialogue, and then go back, layer over layer, to fill in. I'm a bit obsessive with each read-through, tweaking, editing, adding and taking away until I'm satisfied. I didn't start out writing this way, but after a while, it seemed my stories were missing something, so I've learned to take more time with them and also to set them aside for a rest before picking them back up for the final axe.
5. Where can interested readers/viewers find more of your work?
The good, the bad and the ugly can be found here:
LiveJournal
Dreamwidth (Master Fic List under 'Links')
6. Do you write original fiction (poetry, screenplays)? Do you create original art (comics, photographs, quilts, wedding cakes)? Care to share?
I have dabbled with some original erotica, but dabble is the key word here. Good erotica isn't as easy to pull off as you might think. I haven't revisited the story in a while, but as I develop, I get the urge to go back to it more and more.
7. How are you so awesome?
Old, am I, and wise.
Let's talk about: SGA!
8. What do you enjoy most about SGA and/or SGA fandom?
I came to SGA through the fandom, so I brought a lot of my preconceptions to the show once I started to watch. I loved how watching helped to flesh out what I had only imagined in my reading and was blown away by how close the two meshed. I've never really participated in another fandom, so I have nothing to compare, but the SGA fandom is so loaded with talent - artists and authors alike - that each story and each piece of art is like a free gift every day. Plus, I've met people through the fandom I would never have known otherwise, people who have become a huge part of my life. The intelligence and savvy of everyone involved, from the authors/artists to those who just read and comment, is just amazing. God, so many wonderful brains I'd love to stomp around in. Seriously, just look at the combined teams for this year's Match! Fic, meta, rants, opinions… they've all given me a different angle with which to look at myself, my perceptions and life around me. Where else could you get all of that??
9(a). Why do you ship McKay/Sheppard?
They are simply meant to be together. Whether you look at them as the best of friends, pining for one another, sleeping together, or deeply in love… they are each one's yin and yang. What one lacks, the other provides. They complete one another. Their dynamic is one that gives me hope that some day, in some life, I might have that.
9(b). What draws you to the pairing, what do you like and dislike?
First and foremost, their easy way with one another. Their banter, their fussiness, their little endearments that seem to come to the fore when they're around each other and the way they talk about each other when they're not. Their respect for one another and their love for and dedication to Atlantis. As I said, I fell in love with the pairing before ever seeing the first episode, and any feelings I brought with me were only cemented by seeing the characters on screen and by the way in which Flanigan and Hewlett chose to portray them.
9(c). Favourite scenes or episodes? Quotes? Screencaps?
My mind is a sieve for details, but let's see: The Brotherhood, Underground, Trinity, Echoes, Tao of Rodney, Inferno, The Shrine and Vegas stand out. One of my favorite elements: the looks - the eye-fucking. It's everywhere and the way some of the episodes were shot - close-ups for emphasis - there is no room for doubt that there was something between them, even if all that was, was a deep I'll-never-tell affection.
Something I missed so much in the later seasons, from The Storm:
SHEPPARD: Wait, wait, wait a second. Are these things even close to a transporter?
McKAY: Uh, yes, Elizabeth's is.
SHEPPARD: And mine?
McKAY: Uh, it's a brisk walk away.
SHEPPARD: And by 'brisk', you mean ... 'far'.
McKAY: By 'walk', I mean 'run'.
And John's ever faithful: SHEPPARD: Well, McKay will come up with something.
9(d). What other SGA pairings do you ship?
I'm not sure 'ship' is the right word. I'm pretty open-minded on pairings. I can read most anything and I'm sure at some point I'll try and write most anything. I've written OT4, I've written Lorne with various partners (I love Lorne), but I'm a dyed-in-the-wool McShepper.
10. Why did you choose to join Team War?
melagan asked this question as well. Short answer: because lavvyan was the Captain. What do you mean that's not enough? The opportunity to write for her team was one I couldn't pass up. Also, most of my stories/ideas fit better with a darker, more conflicted side, though I do usually try to make them happy in the end. Alas, that's not always possible. See The Lament of Consequence.
11. C'mon, you know you wanna! Just a bit of squee about your Match fic
I'm particularly proud of the genre and style in which I've chosen to tell my story. I can't tell you what that is, 'cause that would be… telling.
12. What are your 'tells'? How can a fic of yours be spotted in the wild?
I think I have a distinctive 'author's voice' (I'll make no claims as to the quality, but it is distinctive). So, I think if you've read a couple of my stories, you could probably spot me a mile away, but then, maybe not. Interesting question, if anyone else has a thought, I'd like to know.
Questions from others:
busaikko asked me about: tips for writing good sex scenes? (or, you know, good bad sex scenes....) *g*
My first inclination is to say to know the type of sex scene you want to write. I've seen people treat them all alike (like some ex-lovers who go through the same motions). Is it one that's down and dirty, or a bit more exploratory, or one where you just want the very essence of the act? They all have different approaches and follow-throughs. But the one thing they all have in common, okay two things, is a) emotion and 2) characterization. The reader has to believe it's John and Rodney having sex and not character x and character y, and they have to believe that whether it's a first time, established relationship or a kink scenario, John and Rodney have some emotional attachment to one another: that one elicits such emotion from the other. To even have casual sex, there's something. Something that the characters discover through the act that is perhaps unlike anything before. And, whether or not you go the long way around, with all the moves and internal dialogue, or (and I totally believe this can be done) use only a few sentences to describe your scene, set it up and make your reader want your characters to have sex as much as the characters do, or even more than they do if you're having trouble getting them together.
There is always something that your characters need/want from the other - or just one from the other - but there is a need there. Even characters who seemingly hate each other can find something... just a little spark... that might be all it takes to start. A suggestive word or a surreptitious touch. Maybe a fight or argument is the spark... there's always something and that's where you search your characters for the answer if you're having trouble. Let them dictate.
Another thing, though it doesn't need to be present in all scenes, is humour. If you give your characters something to laugh at or smile about or snark about, it's a good balance to the intensity of emotion you've created (sometimes deepening it)... and goes a long way to making the characters and the scene 'real' for the reader.
(I should add that this is strictly my opinion and the way I look at writing sex - I don't claim it is the only way or should be your way)
chkc asked: What is your favourite kind of story? Big, big epics? Or things that are full of fluff and shiny? Which types are the ones you generally write?
(a). I am a real fan of the short story genre. My early reading was filled with authors like Ray Bradbury, Poe, Shirley Jackson, etc. and I learned to get that "satisfaction" of the punch line or resolution or delicious irony sooner rather than later. As I got older, I began reading longer novels and I enjoy longer stories, but they have to really grab me at the beginning and compel me to turn the pages. I remember one night with the 4th Harry Potter book, reading until almost 4:00 in the morning because I kept saying 'one more page' - I could barely read the words.
I probably prefer the darker and more 'off the beaten path' stories to say a romance or fluffy story. In my fannish reading I like a bit of fluff, but to me, it doesn't always have the same impact as a story with angst. I think time is a big factor for me now too. I don't always have the luxury of getting to curl up with a nice long fanfic... even though I keep bookmarking them for when I do.
(b). It seems I write a lot about sex, or I did when I first started. Although, I've always thought my PWPs were just a bit more than all about the sex. These days, I get all these complicated ideas and plot bunnies to where my focus has changed to telling a story, and I don't mind going dark to tell that story or go wherever the story dictates. I've written death!fic (technically) but have never 'killed' anyone in a story... yet. ;) Oh, except for Kolya. The fic I write are generally shorter stories, though a few of late have been longer. That may come from my short story roots, or the fact that I haven't quite mastered the intricacies of plotting out a long (interesting) story. They really are two separate and distinct animals the way you approach them.
lentki wanted to know more about my writing process.
In addition to the above, I would say that it is different if I'm working from a prompt or challenge than my brain churning out bunnies. I'll think on a prompt for a few days trying on different scenarios to find the best one that fits. Once I have it, I'll try and picture the characters in that situation and then trust them and my Muse to get me started. Usually the characters will provide.
Now, with a bolt from the blue… things are different. I'll get a snatch of dialogue or a visualized scene and that starts to grow, making me scramble to get it down. I write a lot of ideas and such out longhand and then transcribe (which is a bitch if too much time passes and I can't read my own writing). Example: recently, the thought of Joe Flanigan in a leather skirt, blossomed into five pages of handwritten notes and me being late for work. It seems showering, hair-drying and driving are the main breeding grounds for this kind of thing. ;) Usually, ideas that happen this way are the happy accidents - some of them are effortless to write.
vida_boheme said: I always feel like you 'get' John more than a lot of writers. Is that because there is some aspect of his character that you particularly identify with/understand, or is it the challenge of opening up such a complicated character through a story?
First, I'm quite flattered by that. Let's look at John: takes it on himself to be the strong one, the protector; cares deeply but isn't always able to express himself; despite being a bit of a loner, craves companionship and love; willingly puts away his own desires for the sake of others; has been hurt in the past by family and possibly someone else; decisive; takes action when something needs to be done, damn the torpedoes and never looks back… Hmm, my answer would have to be… both. I do identify and I love miring myself in John's psyche - pushing him or bringing some minute or intricate part of him to light - whether it's facing his own fears or admitting he has feelings or coming apart in Rodney's arms. It is a challenge to do these things and keep him John Sheppard. I go to a somewhat familiar place when I try to step into John's boots during a story, and the thing I like best is to watch him break, even if just a little, to lose that precious self control either in anger or ecstasy. I don't see John as a superhero, I see him as a man, flawed as we all are - even and especially when he tries to hide it, and that's what I attempt to write.
Team: War!
Let's talk about: neevebrody!
1. How long have you been writing fan fiction and/or making fan art and/or whatever else (vids, knitted goods, pornographic gingerbread cookies)?
I'm a late bloomer - began writing fanfic in mid 2007, so not very long at all. I've always been artistic/creative, everything from painting to crafts to decorating and now I've discovered the wonders of Photoshop!
2. Have you participated or are you participating in any other fandoms?
I started out reading in the Harry Potter fandom, which led me to slash, which led me to SGA. I write predominantly in SGA, but have written SGA RPS, Harry Potter (Snape/Black), Primeval and Oz. I love small fandoms and odd pairings and write Brendan/Vincent (two Flanigan characters), Brendan/Emmett and I've written a few Lionel Thayer stories. Just recently, I wrote my first Numb3rs fic as well. However, I consider SGA my fandom home.
3. What fanwork are you most proud of? Or, what is your favourite of your fanworks? (links, please!)
You know, this should be an easy question. There are various elements in many of my stories that I'm proud of, but I would have to say, right now, I'm most proud of The Last Word. It packs an emotional wallop in a relatively short story and depicts a lifetime of love and the unbearable reality of roads not taken.
I love thinking of John and Rodney being together no matter their age or where they are, so my One True Love Trilogy (which only has two parts thus far) and the Willow Grove Summit series are also big favorites. The Fallacy of Time and Years May Go By are future fics. Both mention character death, but the death does not occur in the fic itself, i.e. I don't actively kill anyone.
Also, I'm quite fond of the stories I've written in the Millerverse. I seem to have a special affinity for Uncle Mer and Uncle John.
As for art, I'm quite proud of the recent manips created for melagan's Sensual Magic series.
4. As far as creative processes go, what type of writer/artist are you? Do you create an outline/find photo references/make maps, etc., or do you jump in and go with the flow?
The closest I get to an outline is a scene outline and that's usually just for longer or complex fics. It's like a written storyboard where I "see" how I want to put it together and that's my framework.
I consider myself a 'layered' writer. I lay the bare bones foundation and scene descriptions, sometimes just dialogue, and then go back, layer over layer, to fill in. I'm a bit obsessive with each read-through, tweaking, editing, adding and taking away until I'm satisfied. I didn't start out writing this way, but after a while, it seemed my stories were missing something, so I've learned to take more time with them and also to set them aside for a rest before picking them back up for the final axe.
5. Where can interested readers/viewers find more of your work?
The good, the bad and the ugly can be found here:
LiveJournal
Dreamwidth (Master Fic List under 'Links')
6. Do you write original fiction (poetry, screenplays)? Do you create original art (comics, photographs, quilts, wedding cakes)? Care to share?
I have dabbled with some original erotica, but dabble is the key word here. Good erotica isn't as easy to pull off as you might think. I haven't revisited the story in a while, but as I develop, I get the urge to go back to it more and more.
7. How are you so awesome?
Old, am I, and wise.
Let's talk about: SGA!
8. What do you enjoy most about SGA and/or SGA fandom?
I came to SGA through the fandom, so I brought a lot of my preconceptions to the show once I started to watch. I loved how watching helped to flesh out what I had only imagined in my reading and was blown away by how close the two meshed. I've never really participated in another fandom, so I have nothing to compare, but the SGA fandom is so loaded with talent - artists and authors alike - that each story and each piece of art is like a free gift every day. Plus, I've met people through the fandom I would never have known otherwise, people who have become a huge part of my life. The intelligence and savvy of everyone involved, from the authors/artists to those who just read and comment, is just amazing. God, so many wonderful brains I'd love to stomp around in. Seriously, just look at the combined teams for this year's Match! Fic, meta, rants, opinions… they've all given me a different angle with which to look at myself, my perceptions and life around me. Where else could you get all of that??
9(a). Why do you ship McKay/Sheppard?
They are simply meant to be together. Whether you look at them as the best of friends, pining for one another, sleeping together, or deeply in love… they are each one's yin and yang. What one lacks, the other provides. They complete one another. Their dynamic is one that gives me hope that some day, in some life, I might have that.
9(b). What draws you to the pairing, what do you like and dislike?
First and foremost, their easy way with one another. Their banter, their fussiness, their little endearments that seem to come to the fore when they're around each other and the way they talk about each other when they're not. Their respect for one another and their love for and dedication to Atlantis. As I said, I fell in love with the pairing before ever seeing the first episode, and any feelings I brought with me were only cemented by seeing the characters on screen and by the way in which Flanigan and Hewlett chose to portray them.
9(c). Favourite scenes or episodes? Quotes? Screencaps?
My mind is a sieve for details, but let's see: The Brotherhood, Underground, Trinity, Echoes, Tao of Rodney, Inferno, The Shrine and Vegas stand out. One of my favorite elements: the looks - the eye-fucking. It's everywhere and the way some of the episodes were shot - close-ups for emphasis - there is no room for doubt that there was something between them, even if all that was, was a deep I'll-never-tell affection.
Something I missed so much in the later seasons, from The Storm:
SHEPPARD: Wait, wait, wait a second. Are these things even close to a transporter?
McKAY: Uh, yes, Elizabeth's is.
SHEPPARD: And mine?
McKAY: Uh, it's a brisk walk away.
SHEPPARD: And by 'brisk', you mean ... 'far'.
McKAY: By 'walk', I mean 'run'.
And John's ever faithful: SHEPPARD: Well, McKay will come up with something.
9(d). What other SGA pairings do you ship?
I'm not sure 'ship' is the right word. I'm pretty open-minded on pairings. I can read most anything and I'm sure at some point I'll try and write most anything. I've written OT4, I've written Lorne with various partners (I love Lorne), but I'm a dyed-in-the-wool McShepper.
10. Why did you choose to join Team War?
melagan asked this question as well. Short answer: because lavvyan was the Captain. What do you mean that's not enough? The opportunity to write for her team was one I couldn't pass up. Also, most of my stories/ideas fit better with a darker, more conflicted side, though I do usually try to make them happy in the end. Alas, that's not always possible. See The Lament of Consequence.
11. C'mon, you know you wanna! Just a bit of squee about your Match fic
I'm particularly proud of the genre and style in which I've chosen to tell my story. I can't tell you what that is, 'cause that would be… telling.
12. What are your 'tells'? How can a fic of yours be spotted in the wild?
I think I have a distinctive 'author's voice' (I'll make no claims as to the quality, but it is distinctive). So, I think if you've read a couple of my stories, you could probably spot me a mile away, but then, maybe not. Interesting question, if anyone else has a thought, I'd like to know.
Questions from others:
busaikko asked me about: tips for writing good sex scenes? (or, you know, good bad sex scenes....) *g*
My first inclination is to say to know the type of sex scene you want to write. I've seen people treat them all alike (like some ex-lovers who go through the same motions). Is it one that's down and dirty, or a bit more exploratory, or one where you just want the very essence of the act? They all have different approaches and follow-throughs. But the one thing they all have in common, okay two things, is a) emotion and 2) characterization. The reader has to believe it's John and Rodney having sex and not character x and character y, and they have to believe that whether it's a first time, established relationship or a kink scenario, John and Rodney have some emotional attachment to one another: that one elicits such emotion from the other. To even have casual sex, there's something. Something that the characters discover through the act that is perhaps unlike anything before. And, whether or not you go the long way around, with all the moves and internal dialogue, or (and I totally believe this can be done) use only a few sentences to describe your scene, set it up and make your reader want your characters to have sex as much as the characters do, or even more than they do if you're having trouble getting them together.
There is always something that your characters need/want from the other - or just one from the other - but there is a need there. Even characters who seemingly hate each other can find something... just a little spark... that might be all it takes to start. A suggestive word or a surreptitious touch. Maybe a fight or argument is the spark... there's always something and that's where you search your characters for the answer if you're having trouble. Let them dictate.
Another thing, though it doesn't need to be present in all scenes, is humour. If you give your characters something to laugh at or smile about or snark about, it's a good balance to the intensity of emotion you've created (sometimes deepening it)... and goes a long way to making the characters and the scene 'real' for the reader.
(I should add that this is strictly my opinion and the way I look at writing sex - I don't claim it is the only way or should be your way)
chkc asked: What is your favourite kind of story? Big, big epics? Or things that are full of fluff and shiny? Which types are the ones you generally write?
(a). I am a real fan of the short story genre. My early reading was filled with authors like Ray Bradbury, Poe, Shirley Jackson, etc. and I learned to get that "satisfaction" of the punch line or resolution or delicious irony sooner rather than later. As I got older, I began reading longer novels and I enjoy longer stories, but they have to really grab me at the beginning and compel me to turn the pages. I remember one night with the 4th Harry Potter book, reading until almost 4:00 in the morning because I kept saying 'one more page' - I could barely read the words.
I probably prefer the darker and more 'off the beaten path' stories to say a romance or fluffy story. In my fannish reading I like a bit of fluff, but to me, it doesn't always have the same impact as a story with angst. I think time is a big factor for me now too. I don't always have the luxury of getting to curl up with a nice long fanfic... even though I keep bookmarking them for when I do.
(b). It seems I write a lot about sex, or I did when I first started. Although, I've always thought my PWPs were just a bit more than all about the sex. These days, I get all these complicated ideas and plot bunnies to where my focus has changed to telling a story, and I don't mind going dark to tell that story or go wherever the story dictates. I've written death!fic (technically) but have never 'killed' anyone in a story... yet. ;) Oh, except for Kolya. The fic I write are generally shorter stories, though a few of late have been longer. That may come from my short story roots, or the fact that I haven't quite mastered the intricacies of plotting out a long (interesting) story. They really are two separate and distinct animals the way you approach them.
lentki wanted to know more about my writing process.
In addition to the above, I would say that it is different if I'm working from a prompt or challenge than my brain churning out bunnies. I'll think on a prompt for a few days trying on different scenarios to find the best one that fits. Once I have it, I'll try and picture the characters in that situation and then trust them and my Muse to get me started. Usually the characters will provide.
Now, with a bolt from the blue… things are different. I'll get a snatch of dialogue or a visualized scene and that starts to grow, making me scramble to get it down. I write a lot of ideas and such out longhand and then transcribe (which is a bitch if too much time passes and I can't read my own writing). Example: recently, the thought of Joe Flanigan in a leather skirt, blossomed into five pages of handwritten notes and me being late for work. It seems showering, hair-drying and driving are the main breeding grounds for this kind of thing. ;) Usually, ideas that happen this way are the happy accidents - some of them are effortless to write.
vida_boheme said: I always feel like you 'get' John more than a lot of writers. Is that because there is some aspect of his character that you particularly identify with/understand, or is it the challenge of opening up such a complicated character through a story?
First, I'm quite flattered by that. Let's look at John: takes it on himself to be the strong one, the protector; cares deeply but isn't always able to express himself; despite being a bit of a loner, craves companionship and love; willingly puts away his own desires for the sake of others; has been hurt in the past by family and possibly someone else; decisive; takes action when something needs to be done, damn the torpedoes and never looks back… Hmm, my answer would have to be… both. I do identify and I love miring myself in John's psyche - pushing him or bringing some minute or intricate part of him to light - whether it's facing his own fears or admitting he has feelings or coming apart in Rodney's arms. It is a challenge to do these things and keep him John Sheppard. I go to a somewhat familiar place when I try to step into John's boots during a story, and the thing I like best is to watch him break, even if just a little, to lose that precious self control either in anger or ecstasy. I don't see John as a superhero, I see him as a man, flawed as we all are - even and especially when he tries to hide it, and that's what I attempt to write.