Blog of Note: Just Emma!

Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing another amazing blogger in this community who has been my friend for a very long time, Emma Dawnrider. A fan-fiction icon among the bloggers, Emma is the quirky, cheerful blogger who I just love to be around and chat with. Emma writes the wonderful blog, Just Emma. She's the one who has stuck around my caffeinated presence during NaNoWriMo events and I anticipate to be a friend for a long time coming. I am honored to have sat down with her - virtually, of course - and ask her a few questions.

Destiny's Travels: So, who are you? 

Emma Dawnrider: I'm just Emma! Though I do take on many roles, especially since I roleplay a lot - so I know quite a bit about changing personalities. I play the cocky pirate, brave captain, angry prince, quiet deckhand, naïve sorceress, the list can be (and is) endless.

Heckhounds, I've played the antagonist before (didn't last very long though). Though I am mostly the one and only [awesome] (what? Who said that...) me, me is contrived of many different aspects. Take a rubber band ball for example - never heard of one? How sad, it's just how it sounds: a ball made of rubber bands. Basically each rubber band is a trait, and all those traits combine into one being (for example... me! :D). And of course you and you and you over there - think about it... we can all be bouncy rubber band balls! Anyway, concerning the question: oh yes, I am most definitely me.


DT: Tell us a little bit about your blog and what you intend to do with it. What are your future plans? 

ED: Well, when I created the blog it was a test to see if I would use blogger or not. I used to have a personal wordpress blog that only my friend read (oh those were the good ol' days), but I looked into blogger once I found that people had fansites for Wizard101. This was actually a HUGE step for me, as it introduced me to this freaking amazing community, awesome fanfics, cheats (shhh), funny podcasts, and so much more. From the time I started, I never ever expected to have so many readers, find myself on other blogrolls (how that touches me is beyond words, I love you guys! :D), and to get woven into this community. My blog is mostly my personal game updates and fanfics, but I try to make them enjoyable, laughable, and interesting, as well as bring a new spin of writing to what's left of us - I can only learn from the best, those who have left us and those who've stepped up now :)

DT: I'm very interested in your writing. Tell us about it. 

ED: Ah yes, writing, I've a lot to say about that. First off, I've read about 50% of the W101 fanfics - and that's all thanks to the computer crashing, and therefore finding the fanfic page in the first place. Secondly, it started with The Tale of Sierra Winterbreeze, that's basically Shakespeare IRL. I know so many were inspired by her writing, and myself included. However, I also noticed there was a reoccurring theme in a lot of W101 fanfics (I can't speak for P101 ones since I've read few), so I decided to take a step off the everyday "let's beat Malistaire who's trying to take over the world and the Spiral is real life" kind of thing. This is seen in my finished-being-edited Generation WizBot, where the Spiral is completely ------- *spoiler*! Shadow Rising may seem like the original "evil Malistaire with a twist" idea, but I expand greatly on the concept of it being different through it's sequels.


DT: You play a multitude of games. What fueled your decision to run a W101/P101 blog, out of all others? 

ED: Wizard101 was the first MMORPG and videogame I played. EVER. Yes, let that sink in. I was definitely NOT a fanatic gamer when I started, though it may surprise you. But from there it opened up the whole world of RPGs and other games that I've fallen in love with. I remember being super excited five (aye, FIVE) years ago when exploring the KI website and seeing that they were coming out with a new game. At the time it was unnamed, but yes, P101 certainly didn't spring up in only a year or two (it bothered me so much when I actually read that - where I can't recall). When I first created the blog about 3.5 years ago, I was a noob and stupid, wanting to following the footsteps of those, past "universal" bloggers. And it was tons of fun, and it's still tons of fun. Though they may have left, I've only been curious to look around at everyone else and enjoy this amazing community of people with common interests. So it's not really "why did I choose W101," because the answer is "it was the only game." At one point I was going to convert my entire blog into a universal game-blog, but in the end there was no way I could give up W101 - not for anything. Naturally P101 merged with it since they're both from KI.


DT: What do you want to see in the next P101 story arc? 

ED: What!!?? O_O I don't know! I'm not even half way through the first story arc :p Well, either way, apparently we never find El Dorado in the end, so I'm guessing we never do - but the second better have something to do with actual plot development, NOT pointless monkey quests (I have been so close to strangling Monquistadors it's not even funny). Your posts about chess and the armada and the insight of Captain Avery have flipped my view point of the entire game upside down, tied in a knot, and is now hanging like a limp, half cooked noodle. So honestly I have no idea what to expect!


DT: Lastly, can I have your autograph? Please? 
ED: Of course! Anything for an awesome friend like you. :)

I later asked Emma how she got the signature GIF working, and so I decided to create one of my own.

Thanks for the fun time, Emma! Be sure to visit Just Emma, everyone!

Keep Traveling!