FFA Talent Show Winners!!

And The Winner is...

As most of the members of FFA already know, the months of May and June were dedicated to the launch of the very first FFA Talent Show. From May 13^th 2011, the entries poured in thick and fast, and the team behind the scenes were thrilled with the sheer overall quality of the pieces submitted.

Just a handful of entries included fabulous hair styles, heartfelt singing performances, inspiring photographs, beautiful artwork, fast paced choreography, and so much more. We, the judges of the FFA Talent Show, were simply amazed by the things our members can achieve in their spare time.

It was a difficult task indeed to select three finalists for public voting, and FFA actually ended up with four finalists due to a tiebreak situation. So, before the overall winner of the FFA Talent Show is announced, here we have a brief rundown of the four stunning entries selected as potential winners!

VampireMama – Tap Dancing Group Piece

A well-known face around FFA, Officer, and whip-wielder extraordinaire, who knew that VampireMama also possessed the amazing ability to tap dance? Clip-clopping her way across the stage, looking both poised and focussed, VampireMama cut an admirable figure in what was a group piece performed for her first adult dance show. VampireMama looked every inch the pro and I certainly found my eyes drawn to her as she performed the routine with her heart and soul. Well done, VampireMama.

Kelly Scholen-Johnson – Singing ‘For Good’ (from Wicked)

As a singer, the musical entries submitted were among my favourite to peruse, and, with her soft yet soulful voice, Kelly’s entry did not disappoint. The emotion she injected into her piece was evident, and I found myself transfixed by the spell Kelly wove until the very end of her entry. Singing is perhaps one of the most nerve-wracking acts to perform in public as largely, it is something you either can or cannot do. Kelly proved herself to be in the former category, and we both commend and thank her for entering her piece.

The judges of the FFA Talent Show are pleased to announce that VampireMama and Kelly Scholen-Johnson were voted in joint third place by the FFA community.

Flor Sdec – ‘Un Amore Per Sempre’ (on piano)

It was thrilling to see at least one musical instrument performance entry, and Flor Sdec certainly delivered with her mesmerizing piano piece. The ability to play an instrument (and well, at that) is an enviable one, and as far as the FFA team could tell, Flor gave a flawless performance. The sheer passion she injected into her piece was palpable, and certainly left me wanting to see more of Miss. Sdec’s wonderful musical talent.

The judges of the FFA Talent Show are happy to declare that Flor Sdec was voted second place by the FFA community.

This can mean only one thing, and that of course is that the FFA Talent Show has selected it’s worthy winner through two-stages of voting. We offer our congratulations to the brilliant...

Ashesatmidnight

With

‘Clary and Jace’

Ashesatmidnight’s first prize winning piece took an astounding seven hours to complete, and is a true testament to this artist’s never-ending talent. Inspired by the popular ‘Mortal Instruments’ book series by Cassandra Claire, this piece must have required a stunning amount of both imagination, and patience to complete. But we’re very glad she did!

* * *

Thank you to everyone at FFA who took part in the Talent Show by entering, helping to judge, or simply publicising the event. We hope that you truly enjoyed being a part of this, and would love to hear your feedback.

SilverSpoon (Officer Buffy’s Stake)

Junkin for Joplin

WARNING!!

Some pictures may be disturbing.

Please view with caution!

3.5 million cubic yards of debris.

8000+ structures destroyed.

130 people deceased.

Only the smallest fraction of pets accounted for.

Even before the massive tornado that devastated the heart of their city, Joplin was a community of survivors.

Forged when wartime efforts demanded lead during the Civil War, then later, zinc from local mines, Joplin’s economy faltered at the end of World War II.

But, unlike most other now long-abandoned mining burgs, Joplin fought on.

When US citizens first embraced the idea of road trips and leisure travel, Joplin was a highpoint on the main road that interconnected America, Route 66.

Located near major highways, Joplin held fast as a market center. Residents of small towns from Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma travel and reply upon Joplin for most everything not available at home.

Trust me when I say, that means just about everything.

I grew up in a small town in Kansas. We went to Joplin for everything from jeans and shoes to lumber and furniture.

Most small towns in the area have nothing apart from Wal-Mart and small grocery stores.

On the 4th of July, it’s where you went for a decent fireworks show.

The only place to get prom dresses before the internet.

Home to the only movie theater in the area for a period when I was young.

The place a decent date takes you.

Any population index will tell you Joplin is home to approximately 50,000.

Ask many from surrounding small towns, and they will say Joplin is their adopted hometown.

I know that I consider it to be.

The pictures barely scratch the surface of conveying the devastation.

So many stories go untold on a wide scale.

I’ll share just one:

Christopher Lucas.

Pizza Hut manager.

Father of two.

With the mile-wide tornado surging toward their restaurant, Lucas tried to get his 4 employees and 15 customers into the walk-in freezer.

Daniel Fluhart, an employee, said he continued to try to get people into the freezer even while the tornado was literally sucking them away.

Lucas tried to hold the freezer door closed.

The door flew open and more were sucked out.

Desperate to secure the door, Lucas wrapped a strap around the handle and his arm. Fluhart held Lucas, Lucas held the door, and everyone held fast.

“And then, when everything blew away, he was gone, the door was gone, everything…”

Everything except the lives Lucas gave his own to save.

Written by QFX

Christopher’s heroic, yet sad story isn’t the only one to come of this and so Junkin’ for Joplin began. We have many members (including two officers/admins) that live nearby to Joplin and were heartbroken to hear of the tragedy, so close to home. But J4J is proof that you don’t need to be close to tragedy to feel saddened, and a need to help those that have suffered.

Junkin’ for Joplin came about over a day of talk between admin, and what first began as an idea for one fundraiser, has become a fundraising ‘group’ in hopes that we can continue to do similar fundraisers in the future, to help those in need around the world.

How does it work you may wonder? Well, it’s really quite simple. People put things up for auction before auction day, and when auction day comes, bidders come and bid it out. But it’s the way that it’s done that may have a few people scratching their heads.

Here is how it is explained in the ‘rules’ document on the fundraisers forum.

Junkin' for Joplin is our first fundraiser and we want to make this as trouble free as possible, so following is an explaination on how it works and a few set rules.

We call upon all the talent from our members to help raise money for the tornado victims in the USA. This will be a different kind of fundraiser to the fic fundraisers you may have seen before.

We will be auctioning off members artwork and crafts and/or fics in a different fashion. If you have a crafty talent, and you can spare a few minutes for a great cause, please help!

Anything from knitting, jewelry making, to banner making and everything beyond. All we ask is that you post a picture, known as a 'donation banner' of what you have to offer in the Junkin' for Joplin album http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.213850578649586 , with a short explanation of what you're offering and if you have any set limitations. ie. Starting bid of $5 or will only mail to USA/Australian/Uk residents due to (whatever reason)

This auction will take place from Friday the 1st of July 2011, at 12pm/noon (GMT) until Saturday the 2nd of July at 12PM/noon (GMT).

All you have to do is put your bid in the comments and the highest bidder on each product at the end of auction is the winner!

All donations will go to The Salvation Army via thieir website http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-local/Ways-to-give and must be in American dollars. (please make sure you check the currency converter http://www.xe.com/ucc/ on the day to help you choose what to bid on.)

Once bidders have donated their bids and received their receipt, they need to email it, (along with the details of the product they bid on) to ffaafundraisers@gmail.com. Admin can then place 'PAID' under the product so that the owner knows they can then mail it.

That’s it! Not only have you now got something shiny and new, you’ve also donated to a great cause!

Now a few rules;

Donators:

1) Please make sure you are very clear with what you are offering. You can do this by either having a very clear picture or explanation of the item UNDER or ON the ‘donation banner’. Please do NOT write this in the comments.

2) Feel free to offer as many items as you would like, however please don't burn yourself out and/or give empty promises by offering more than you can give. We want everyone to come out at the other end happy for doing something great, not stressed and tired from their hard work.

4) Please note that you are responsible for postage of your items, but if you are worried about the price, limit where you will post to. e.g. 'Will only post to USA'

5) Can't exactly take a 'picture' of what you're offering? (banners, outtakes etc.) Then please post a picture with the words on it. e.g. 'I x banner by Chaz' '1 X 5k one shot/outtake by Chaz'

NB: PLEASE I STRESS! If you are offering 2 of the same thing (this is more aimed towards crafts donations), please put them as separate pictures. This way there is no confusion over who won what. It also means more chances for others to win AND more donations for Joplin.

This is not necessary for those wanting to donate a piece of writing at a set price. eg. '1 outtake of my story for each person that donates $10'

Bidding teams are welcome, however we please ask that a ‘donation banner’ still be put up in the album, with details on who to contact (team leader) should they wish to put their name down. It is the team leader’s responsibility to let admin know when all bids have been donated and total amount donated so we can add it to the tally. We want everyone to know how much they have done for the Joplin victims!

*** ALL DONATIONS MUST BE UPLOADED TO THE PHOTO ALBUM BEFORE WEDNESDAY 29th OF JUNE! NO DONATIONS WILL BE TAKEN AFTER THIS DATE!

Bidders:

1) You bid on it? You buy it. Please don't bid on something if you're not willing to purchase it.

2) ALL items must be paid for (monies donated to the Salvation Army) and a receipt emailed to admin before Friday the 8th of July. Any items not paid for, will be re-auctioned.

3) Please make sure you communicate with the owners of your purchase regarding postage etc.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact admin of this forum.

We look forward to seeing all the great things up for donation and everyone enjoying their new purchases.

So now that you know what it’s all about, make sure you head to the FFA Fundraisers Forum to check out what’s up for auction. Don’t forget, if you are looking to donate something yourself, you have less than 24hours to get your ‘donation banner’ onto the album!

Here is a list of some of the things currently in the auction album

Copy of Dean Winchesters Necklace

Approx 550 photos from the Eclipse Convention

Fandom Foods cook book

Hand made picture frames

Rpatz bookmarks

Castiel cake topper

Pearl & agate necklace and earring set

Fandom Wreaths

Homemade knits (quilts & socks)

Harry Potter Recipes cook book

Custom portraits by AshesAtMidnight and HeatherBella

Story offers by authors such as MandyLeigh87, TexasBella, Celesticbliss, Kitsushel, Vamplorelover and many others!

Make sure you're there for auction day, July 1st! See you there!

Chaz & QuantumFizzx

Indie & Zen Weekly

Weekly Rec’s

Indie here again for the weekly recommendations; much apologies for no recommendations last week, due to outside circumstances beyond our control it just couldn’t happen. But this time we’re getting kind of back to basics with the combination of vampire and human stories; an alternate universe story. I tend to try to read at least one vampire story for every all human story and I love me some deep, deliciously dark and keep you on the edge of your toes vampire stories. All three of these stories have put their own twist to AU when it comes to the vampire mythology and characteristics and for that it makes them stand out and push away from the Sparkly vampire box. It was quite the task to decide and two of the rec’s can be found in our own FFA community but the third well I did something I haven’t done in quite a while…

That’s right, just for you guys I went fic diving for one and I have to say I came up with a goodie. This one is chockfull of suspense, mystery and definitely some action and will make you see some characters in perhaps a whole new light.

A Race against Time by Tanglingshadows

A group of trackers. One target's scent. A continent. This is the Challenge, and Edward Masen is about find out that in world ruled by vampires, there's no such thing as secrets. AU

Tanglingshadows takes on the AU and her twist is that certainly vampires don’t sparkle and they keep their human eye color and humans are very, very much aware of them. In a world where these two coexist mixing the species is a forbidden taboo and looked down upon and taking and keeping human for a vampire mate is against the law, but our Edward is a lawbreaker and he has done everything to keep the secret of his one true mate, our human Bella. Honestly if I tell you more than that, I will be saying too much. This story is a fast paced, exciting read and it will keep you on the edge of your pants to the very end. It’s been nominated in the Vampies and well deserving of the nomination… so hurry and check this one out and leave some love telling ‘em FFA sent you J

My next recommendation is from an author that it’s no secret that I flove all of her work. In fact I almost want to say she specializes in AU and writes vampires like no other. She’s prolific and she definitely doesn’t skimp on anything. She is constantly leaving me stunned and that is no small feat or secret either. She broke her mold when she wrote this story and I think this whole story is the equivalent to maybe two chapters from some of her other stories. When it was originally released she was inspired by our own Officer Fizzy, that’s right, QuantumFizzx and two other well known authors by daily and sometimes multiple updates. If you haven’t figured out who I am talking about by now I guess I will have to tell you. The one, the only, Goldenmeadow. This time I bring you the story…

Love Advocated

"Sail on silver wings through this storm…I find my faith deserting me. The night is filled with cries." Wicked, wanton, witty. A fast posting, short vignettes story. DARKFIC jaded humor. AU. M. B/E

This story brings you a different kind of vampire all together. That’s right, Edward has wings and I seriously want to be cocooned inside of them with his arms and wings wrapped around me so tight I can’t breathe in nothing but him. Goldenmeadow brings a whole new vampire lore that I have never heard of and you’ll have to read to find out. Chapters are short, and it takes true art to be able to convey so much with so little and GM doesn’t disappoint at all. You could read this whole story on your lunch break but I don’t necessarily advise it because I tried to and well it didn’t turn out so well. It’s too hawt and left me panting for more. So if you work alone then maybe, just maybe it’s safe for the work place otherwise yeah you get what I mean… As always leave GM some love along the way and let her know the FFA or Indie sent you.

My last recommendation for our peek into the world of alternate universe is from a very dear friend of mine. She does these rec’s with me and you guys know her as our own Officer Porn Pusher, ZenOne. There is a reason why she’s been given the title of Officer Porn Pusher and if you’ve ever read anything she’s written you would understand why, and ok she does post some pretty hawt delicious pictures too. The one I have chosen is her entry from FFA’s FAGE 2, and while I promised myself I wouldn’t read any FAGE entries until I finished mine, I couldn’t resist hers and ok I might have helped in prereading and maybe a few WC’s with her for some sneak peeks. I bring you…

Thrill Seeker

Bella was a thrill seeker, but her thrills had always brought her fortune. One dark, stormy night, a fateful car accident brings Bella to her destiny and happiness that she never knew could be hers. A FAGE entry written for Sunsetwing.

Bella can’t wait to find her next challenge and she comes across it in ad from the paper that almost sounds too good to be true. From the get go you're wondering what is going on with these characters and why they act the way that they do. From the very beginning you’re treated to one very hot and steamy dream that makes you completely hot and bothered. And it doesn’t stop there; you gotta read to find out because I am not telling. Thrill Seeker was the winner of the gold award for Most Researched Story and the silver award for Best Use of Canon in the FAGE Awards. SO I bid you to go forth and read and leave some love for your Officer Porn Pusher and tell her Indie sent you ;)

Now here’s the lovely Officer Porn Pusher herself, to give you her awesome recs this week…

Hey peeps! My recs for this week are…

Bella Down Under by: Feralness Is Me

AH ExB. Awkward, broken, Australian Bella, meets arrogant, unpredictable Edward. Can the one person she cannot trust and the enemy of her beloved cousin, Jacob, be just the person to get her through the most heart-wrenching time of her life? Humour added.

Hell to the yes! This story is amazing. Edward is more than a little flustered/overheated when he meets our Aussie Bella with a dark past. To quote him:

“There was something about her; something about the way she'd tucked her hair delicately behind her ear and continued to gaze up at me; her expression completely unreadable…
My body temperature had shot up in that instant. I began to feel so over heated, and flustered that I had to leave and quickly!”

And Emmett bless his heart –he’s my homeboy- is more than glad to point it out as often as he can throughout the story. I love this story! It is definitely a must read.

Second on my list this week is…

Stranger in the Elevator by: Celesticbliss/AcrossTheSkyInStars

What happens between two strangers in a broken, dark, crowded elevator? What happens after?

Sexy stranger feeling you up in an elevator, every girl’s dream right? Espesh if he looks like RPatz, I mean Edward.

Erm… a little warning, this story is smoking hot! It’ll leave you all hot and bothered.

“His hands tightened around my waist.
Oh yeah, I was right. Dear God, this man is gifted.
I felt his fingers grab the back of my skirt and pull it up.”

The author’s don’t disappoint. I am so glad they continued this O/S.

Last but most definitely not least we have…

Meadow Anniversary by: Glee68

Bella plans a surprise for Edward. Not easy to do. Bella is so nervous worrying about surprising Edward on their anniversary. Thankfully it goes well and she and Edward are in for a surprise themselves.

This story is so sweet. Thoughtful Bella, considerate Edward and a family to die for –literally-

Until next week...

Indie & Zen

Indie & Zen Weekly

WEEKLY REC's

Indie and Zen here again with your weekly rec’s to feed you’re ever growing addiction. Did you enjoy last weeks? We hope so, because I know we did.

There are several goodies to be found and devoured in this week's recommendation. To further live up to my officer name of Dark Indie I have two fics today that just scream angst and drama and make you wanna tear your heart out.

My bb's know I like to post lots of music on my page, and one day I happened to be on an Eminem kick; which got me thinking, 'are there any fics out there where Edward was like Eminem?' because that would just be too hawt and oh so darkly delicious. Well someone happened to recommend Robicorn’s one shot 'Love the Way You Lie.' Even though I post a lot of music, I haven’t read too many song fics in the past, so I decided to give it a shot. I will just say I was salivating at the end of this, dying for more. When I asked Robicorn if there was going to be more, low and behold I find out that she allowed someone to adopt it and its being continued. Now you know I don’t read WIPs but this one I seriously couldn’t pass on and now I can NOT stay away from. With this in mind, I would like to announce this week’s recommendation…

A continuation of Robicorn's one shot. Follow Edward and Bella along their path of destruction; will their anger and rage consume them? Can they make it out of this relationship alive? Rated M for language, violence and lemons. Twilight-E/B pairing.

Bnjwl has picked up the ball on this and has run away with it. With her first official chapter she shows us a small piece of kindling to their burning passion and each chapter gets better and better. Their relationship will have you on the edge of your seat wanting more and dying for the next update.

Seriously go check this out and let Bnjwl know Indie sent you because there is a special surprise that Bnjwl has in store for those who review and let her know that I (or FFA) sent you, so make sure you RnR!

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1941811/bnjwl

Her Blog: http://twilightbnjwlsway.blogspot.com/

Her Twitter: @bnjwl

My other rec is from an author we featured last week, our own Officer Spread’em AKA Vampiremama/Readingmama. VM is a truly prolific writer and if you read the rec’s from last week you know I am not steering you wrong this week. I have pretty much read most of her fics and I can tell you she is a writer like no other. I really can’t say enough good things about VM. The woman even wrote me my own one shot and its scorching hot too, but that’s not this week’s recommendation. This week I bring you Attraction vs. Compatibility.

Bella lives a charmed life; Edward has skeletons in his closet. They are drawn to each other but fight the pull, how could two people so different ever make things work in the real world. Dark themes and Canon Pairings.

I will let this little excerpt speak for itself:

"So now what?" Her eyes pierced into me while awaiting her answer.

I wanted to ask her to let me kiss her, but the words caught in my throat. Instead, I just leaned in and she tilted her head up in acceptance of my act. Two years I had wanted to kiss this girl. Two years I had spent wondering if her lips were as soft as they looked. Two years I had fantasized about what this moment would be like. The pressure of the situation was killing me.

My lips touched hers softly at first. I held them there, to see if she was going to change her mind, but when an unsteady hand braced itself on my chest, I went for it.

Two fucking years and I'd never come up with anything nearly as good as this.

And that is just the beginning of what is in store for these two. The subject matter is one that you normally wouldn’t even think about and it’s handled with a realism that is certainly fitting for the situation. What is it you ask? Well, I already know and you have to read to find out. So go forth, RnR and let Vampiremama/Readingmama know we sent you!!!

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1816183/readingmama

http://www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/library/viewuser.php?uid=99

Now let’s look at what our lovely Zen has for us…

My first rec this week is for a non-twilight story called Possessions, written by none other than our lovely officer and author of the month, This Guilty Blood.

Jace Morgenstern is in love. Clarissa Fray's 'boyfriend', has his own boyfriend. It’s time for Jace to step up & move on from the past, but can Clary see him as more?

Don’t fret, even if you haven’t read Mortal Instruments yet, *shame faced Zen* this story will make complete sense. Poor Jace has wanted Clarissa for so long; will he finally get the girl? Or will tragedy push them apart? You’ll have to find out for yourself. BTW, Lemon? HELL TO THE YES!

Number two on my list this week is Fictionista Daily WitFit Because the Night, by Mephis1, AKA Udo Blick.

An Edward and Bella tale using the WitFit daily prompts. How does one recover after the fall from grace? A story of loss, healing, the search for redemption and love. Vampires may or may not be included.

Mephis1 NEVER ceases to amaze me by rising above and beyond with her word prompts. This lady has a way with words, taking them and weaving them into a thing of beauty, leaving you breathless and wanting more.

*yes yes that she does…I second that thought…Indie.

And last but most definitely not least, I rec to you, Letters to a Soldier by Officer Dark Indie AKA TLCullen132.

What would you say to a stranger? What would you say to them if they were so close but yet so far away?One name on a sheet filled with lists of names shouts out at you, what if this was your chance at a greater destiny?

I love this story and was given the honor of pre-reading it. Let me tell you Bella is AWESOME. Sending Edward- who she hasn’t met yet- a Maxium Magazine. That had me smiling…I wonder if he’s put it to use? LOL. Seriously, though? This story is touching, pen pals with a soldier? I’m sure all the troops would appreciate a friend, especially one like Bella. Will these two meet? You’ll have to read and find out.

SO we urge you to go forth and read and please leave some love…

Until next time,

Indie & Zen.

Giggle/Snort Awards

We all need a little bit of funny in our lives. When your down and just needing a laugh until tears are coming out your eyes and your sides are hurting because you’re afraid of peeing yourself, you look for those humorous fics. Giggle/Snort is a site that specializes in humor, nothing but humor 24/7, 365 days a year. They are also a site that encourages story postings from all fandom’s. Whether you read something that the Winchester boys did that had you on the floor in front of your computer rolling around; Or if Damon had a snarky line, that you couldn’t help but snort. Maybe Harry casted a spell that put him in quite the pickle that had you giggling in the middle of a crowded room? Or perhaps Kirk and Spock had some funny but questionable moments?

Well if you know any fics that are deserving of some great recognition, I got just the thing for ya. Giggle Snort is having their Second Annual Awards and they're looking for nominations from ALL fandom’s as well as original fiction. They’re taking nominations up to June 10, 2011 so please hurry and get them in so your favorite funnies are not left out in the cold.

Nominate HERE.

This PSA is brought to you by Officer Dark Indie…

A message from the organisers...

That's right, the 2011 Giggle/Snort Awards are officially open!

It's time to get your thinking caps on and send in your nominations. This year we're not Twilight exclusive so all fandoms and original fiction are welcome.

Everything from Big Bang Theory, to Harry Potter and Gilmore Girls. You write it, you find it funny, you nominate it!

Please spread the word about the awards! We're not too proud to beg, plead or offer bribes. Gasaway Alley will even get on her knees...

Last year was phenomenal but I'm sure we can make this year even better!

Chief Giggler