Thursday, August 6
Monday, June 22
Recommendation time!
Sorry it's been so long. I've had school, and work, and exams! And I'm currently in nerd camp...but I've got internet every day thanks to my course! :)
So, this fic is by dreaming_in_black_and_white (see her article a few posts back), and is called When Lightning Strikes.
Title: When Lightning Strikes
Author: Dreaming_in_black_and_white
Rating: K+
Reviews: 18
Word Count 6,133
Chapters 3
Summary: *BD SPOILERS* When Paul imprints, he gets one of the nastiest shocks of his life. Rachel is Jacob's sister, Jacob is coming home and worst of all a battle with the vampires is imminent. This is Paul's story. Please read and review!
Dreaming_in_black_and_white has a post BD story here, about Paul. There's BD spoilers, but who really cares? She's got a canon story about a guy whose struggling with his job as a wolf, and who just wants to be himself, but can't. It tells the tale of Paul's imprinting on Rachael, and how it affects the wolf pack as a whole. It's only three chapters in, but it's very good. :)
So, this fic is by dreaming_in_black_and_white (see her article a few posts back), and is called When Lightning Strikes.
Title: When Lightning Strikes
Author: Dreaming_in_black_and_white
Rating: K+
Reviews: 18
Word Count 6,133
Chapters 3
Summary: *BD SPOILERS* When Paul imprints, he gets one of the nastiest shocks of his life. Rachel is Jacob's sister, Jacob is coming home and worst of all a battle with the vampires is imminent. This is Paul's story. Please read and review!
Dreaming_in_black_and_white has a post BD story here, about Paul. There's BD spoilers, but who really cares? She's got a canon story about a guy whose struggling with his job as a wolf, and who just wants to be himself, but can't. It tells the tale of Paul's imprinting on Rachael, and how it affects the wolf pack as a whole. It's only three chapters in, but it's very good. :)
Monday, May 25
Affiliate Post - Fanfiction's Our Dirty Little Secret
So...I love being an admin for this blog. Why? Well, I'm now a host on the podcast, Fanfiction's Our Dirty Little Secret *cue All American Rejects music*
The podcast is just another way of the teenagers in the fandom trying to show themselves as good writers. Myself,
quirkyalice, Bitten and Smitten and XxBlue-Eyed-BellaxX are all hosts on it. You can find the website here, and the ITUNES STORE URL here! Please subscribe and review us!
The podcast is just another way of the teenagers in the fandom trying to show themselves as good writers. Myself,
quirkyalice, Bitten and Smitten and XxBlue-Eyed-BellaxX are all hosts on it. You can find the website here, and the ITUNES STORE URL here! Please subscribe and review us!
Subtly talking about the fandom...
Subtly Nice is a 17 year old fic writer, who specialises in writing canon one shots. She decided to tell TFK about her experiences in the Twilight fandom.
We may as well face the facts: some Twilighters are insane.
Not all Twilighters, of course. But the select few who want to kidnap Robert Pattinson, lock him in their basement and take cuttings of his Hair* to sell on eBay? They may want to seek professional help.
The majority of Twilighters, however, can empathise with the poor man who raises shrieks every time he moves a muscle (or just stands still looking pretty as always). Twilighters can be bashed on occasion for their frenzied shrieking and general lack of brains when Robert Pattinson is in the vicinity, but as a whole, we are not crazy. We are not brainless clones. We are not solely fixated on long, whimsical descriptions of what Edward Cullen looks like with his shirt off (well, okay, we are on occasion, but who can blame us for it?). The point is, when I found the Twilight community, I found what at first glance could be mistaken for a rabid pack of dogs. But as an active participant of the community, I found a group of very loyal, dedicated fans, who – no matter what age – were willing to welcome another fan into their midst.
Yep. The sane few of us out there are pretty damn cool.
I remember the very first time I started reading Twilight. I’m ashamed to say that I picked the book up, read the first 3 pages and then put it down again. First-person didn’t really appeal to me, so I forgot about Bella completely and went back to whatever the hell I did before Twilight came along and one-tracked my mind.
Two weeks later, I was dragged to a party by my sister (who incidentally is the epitome of Alice and wouldn’t take no for an answer). I reluctantly accepted my fate and grabbed the first book I could see before I headed out the door. I figured that if I had my head stuck behind a book, no one would bother me. Yes, I know, I’m such a Bella...
Can you guess what the book was?
At 2:00 in the morning, when my (now very drunk) sister found me reading in a corner and insisted that I drive home rather than her – despite the fact that at the time I was 16 and therefore not legally allowed to drive for another year – I barely took any notice. I’d been sucked into the world of Twilight with its absurdly relatable heroine (no heroin jokes, please) and the elusive, stand-offish yet charming Edward Cullen.
And we all know where it goes from there, right?
Once I’d devoured New Moon and Eclipse with equal enthusiasm, I thought I might as well try looking up the series on the internet. But as I soon found out, it wasn’t so easy to type the word “Twilight” into Google. There were literally thousands of fansites to choose from!
In the end, I narrowed it down to a few favourite sources that I still use now. It was then that I came across the fanfiction.
Fanfiction in the Twilight community was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I’d written and read a few Harry Potter fanfics before Twilight, but found nothing outstanding. Twilight fanfiction has a variety rarely seen online. Because Bella and Edward’s story is so timeless, their characters could be stripped down**, re-identified and given completely new surroundings – yet still keep the spark of the series that fuelled such obsession. Thus, the ever-popular ‘All Human’ category was born.
It was after reading a few of the ‘classics’ of our fanfiction that I began to notice a pattern. They were so well-written, so detailed... but something was missing. Where was the forbidden aspect of their relationship? The innocence, the constant struggles, the anticipation? As humans, their relationship just seemed too... easy. As much as we all just wanted Edward and Bella to ‘do it already’, I missed the cute, chaste banter they always shared.
So I started writing. And what did I write? Canon. PG-13. One-shots.
I know. Boring, right?
It’s no secret that in this fandom, NC-17, AH, multi-chapter fics are the only way to go if you want reviews. But as a relatively new fan, I didn’t want to hear about a Bella and Edward from an alternate universe. I wanted to expand the universe Stephenie Meyer had already given us. So I wrote the exact opposite of the norm – short, teen-rated canon fics. And that brings me to my final point on why I love our fandom so much: because although I have a tendency to stray off the path and write stories that no one in their right mind would ever actually want to read (six-year-old Charlie Swan playing with a toy race car, anyone?) I still can’t imagine a fandom where I would be better received.
The Twilight fandom has given me memory upon memory to share with fellow devotees. But more importantly, Twilight fanfiction has become a ‘fandom’ in its own right. There are fanfics with their own communities and followers, fanfics set to become published novels, and now, even teen fics are getting their own well-deserved spotlight.
And on that note, this teen still has revision to be getting on with. Damn you, Stephenie Meyer for ruining decent exam results with your addictive books!
Later today I'll be posting a review of a little known, well done twilight fic...and an affiliate post. Stay tuned!
We may as well face the facts: some Twilighters are insane.
Not all Twilighters, of course. But the select few who want to kidnap Robert Pattinson, lock him in their basement and take cuttings of his Hair* to sell on eBay? They may want to seek professional help.
The majority of Twilighters, however, can empathise with the poor man who raises shrieks every time he moves a muscle (or just stands still looking pretty as always). Twilighters can be bashed on occasion for their frenzied shrieking and general lack of brains when Robert Pattinson is in the vicinity, but as a whole, we are not crazy. We are not brainless clones. We are not solely fixated on long, whimsical descriptions of what Edward Cullen looks like with his shirt off (well, okay, we are on occasion, but who can blame us for it?). The point is, when I found the Twilight community, I found what at first glance could be mistaken for a rabid pack of dogs. But as an active participant of the community, I found a group of very loyal, dedicated fans, who – no matter what age – were willing to welcome another fan into their midst.
Yep. The sane few of us out there are pretty damn cool.
I remember the very first time I started reading Twilight. I’m ashamed to say that I picked the book up, read the first 3 pages and then put it down again. First-person didn’t really appeal to me, so I forgot about Bella completely and went back to whatever the hell I did before Twilight came along and one-tracked my mind.
Two weeks later, I was dragged to a party by my sister (who incidentally is the epitome of Alice and wouldn’t take no for an answer). I reluctantly accepted my fate and grabbed the first book I could see before I headed out the door. I figured that if I had my head stuck behind a book, no one would bother me. Yes, I know, I’m such a Bella...
Can you guess what the book was?
At 2:00 in the morning, when my (now very drunk) sister found me reading in a corner and insisted that I drive home rather than her – despite the fact that at the time I was 16 and therefore not legally allowed to drive for another year – I barely took any notice. I’d been sucked into the world of Twilight with its absurdly relatable heroine (no heroin jokes, please) and the elusive, stand-offish yet charming Edward Cullen.
And we all know where it goes from there, right?
Once I’d devoured New Moon and Eclipse with equal enthusiasm, I thought I might as well try looking up the series on the internet. But as I soon found out, it wasn’t so easy to type the word “Twilight” into Google. There were literally thousands of fansites to choose from!
In the end, I narrowed it down to a few favourite sources that I still use now. It was then that I came across the fanfiction.
Fanfiction in the Twilight community was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I’d written and read a few Harry Potter fanfics before Twilight, but found nothing outstanding. Twilight fanfiction has a variety rarely seen online. Because Bella and Edward’s story is so timeless, their characters could be stripped down**, re-identified and given completely new surroundings – yet still keep the spark of the series that fuelled such obsession. Thus, the ever-popular ‘All Human’ category was born.
It was after reading a few of the ‘classics’ of our fanfiction that I began to notice a pattern. They were so well-written, so detailed... but something was missing. Where was the forbidden aspect of their relationship? The innocence, the constant struggles, the anticipation? As humans, their relationship just seemed too... easy. As much as we all just wanted Edward and Bella to ‘do it already’, I missed the cute, chaste banter they always shared.
So I started writing. And what did I write? Canon. PG-13. One-shots.
I know. Boring, right?
It’s no secret that in this fandom, NC-17, AH, multi-chapter fics are the only way to go if you want reviews. But as a relatively new fan, I didn’t want to hear about a Bella and Edward from an alternate universe. I wanted to expand the universe Stephenie Meyer had already given us. So I wrote the exact opposite of the norm – short, teen-rated canon fics. And that brings me to my final point on why I love our fandom so much: because although I have a tendency to stray off the path and write stories that no one in their right mind would ever actually want to read (six-year-old Charlie Swan playing with a toy race car, anyone?) I still can’t imagine a fandom where I would be better received.
The Twilight fandom has given me memory upon memory to share with fellow devotees. But more importantly, Twilight fanfiction has become a ‘fandom’ in its own right. There are fanfics with their own communities and followers, fanfics set to become published novels, and now, even teen fics are getting their own well-deserved spotlight.
And on that note, this teen still has revision to be getting on with. Damn you, Stephenie Meyer for ruining decent exam results with your addictive books!
Later today I'll be posting a review of a little known, well done twilight fic...and an affiliate post. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, May 13
Soo...I need some reader advice.
Would you guys be interested in either (a) a twitter, or (b) a facebook group? I want people who read and follow the blog to decide. You can comment this post, or you can email teenfickicks@yahoo.ie.
Sunday, May 10
RIP Daddy's Little Cannibal
I just want to say RIP Daddy's Little Cannibal, who tragically died on Friday, May 8th 2009, after being hit by a drunk driver. The thoughts of the fandom are with her family at this time.
Thursday, May 7
Dreaming in black and white...and colour.
I've been a busy girl lately. This essay is from the AMAZING author,
dreaming_in_black_and_white, and it's on her experiences in the Twilight Fandom.
One year ago, I was still blissfully ignorant of the existence of Twilight fanfiction. I knew fanfiction itself existed, of course – thanks to the insistence of a friend who managed to somehow come across a Teletubby fic and was highly amused by the antics of Tinky Winky – but I never took it seriously.
One year ago, I had nonetheless started my own story using Stephenie Meyer's characters. Clichéd as it may sound, I'd had an idea in a dream which continued to plague me for several weeks before I finally gave in and decided to write it down. Naturally, as I was supposed to be revising for a number of fairly important exams, I had plenty of time. (Note: Do not try this yourself. Fanfiction as revision doesn't work terribly well.)
When I eventually did discover that I wasn't alone in hearing Bella and Edward's voices in my head, I still didn't quite understand just how big a fanbase the series had. Honestly, if I had, I don't know if I'd have ever plucked up the courage to take the plunge of publishing my first chapter. One year on, I'm immeasurably grateful that I did.
Beside an obscene amount of American slang, innuendo, and probably far too much about Robert Pattinson, I've genuinely learnt an amazingly wide range of things which would never have come up otherwise. To a girl who never fangirled over anything – who didn't even know 'fangirl' was a word, much less a verb – I couldn't have anticipated the depth of an online community brought together by shared love of a book. The site I personally stalk is Twilighted – the sense of community is staggering, the amount of talent awe-inspiring, and the people I met there absolutely amazing. It took me about an hour to log off the first time I really talked to anyone on there, being half-afraid that they wouldn't remember me the next time I logged in. I was, of course, completely wrong, and several months down the line...
Yes, they know enough about me for my parents to be utterly horrified if they knew. They know things about me my best school-friends don't. There's a reason for that, besides their obvious awesomeness. One of the things which finally drew me out of my shell and into the fanfiction community was the lure of anonymity – of being able to be myself without actually having to face anyone. I'm shy. (Cue laughter from anyone I've spoken to on Twilighted...) But seriously, being able to interact with new people, without any interference of sometimes overbearing Real Life friends, without the prejudice of what you look like or what you wear...it's something you really can't do anywhere but the internet, and I think I picked one of the best places. Everybody I've met is just brilliant and it's opened my eyes to people and cultures I'd otherwise have had no contact with. Age and nationality have absolutely no bearing in the fandom, and it's so refreshing.
I think I realised I was obsessed about the time I hit several hundred posts on the forums and was genuinely excited about it. My suspicions were confirmed when something happened at school and my first reaction was that I had to go and rant about it in the General Complaint Box. Then there was the online gathering on Christmas day when we'd all had enough of 'spending time with the family'... Obviously, I'm not the person to talk to about maintaining any sort of balance between fandom and real life. Do as I say, not what I do. I'm a hypocrite.
I honestly think that joining a fandom is something which every teen should do at some point. School life is actually fairly sheltered – mine more than most perhaps – and there are so many things which lessons in a classroom really can't teach you. On Twilighted I've had conversations about everything from grammar issues and cooking to Heroes and shoes; my taste in music has been exponentially widened, and there have been shoulders to metaphorically sob on. Any question you have may be answered by anyone ranging from fourteen to forty, advice from people who seem to have done and seen everything – or if they don't they've got some pretty good advice about it anyway. Even better, you don't have to worry about it getting back to your parents or that girl at school you don't like and would tease you mercilessly about it. I may be biased, but it's pretty great.
For those lurkers who feel they're too nervous to take that first step? Whether it's posting your first story, introducing yourself to a website of total strangers, or even leaving your first review on a story – just do it. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Someone might leave you an angry message or call you a loser for spending time talking about a book? I haven't met one of those yet. Instead, the first to talk to me were parawhore and Quirkyalice, and now I've got a whole bunch of other 'virtual' friends – who are only virtual because I've never met them.
I can't really think of anything more to say. If this article had a theme or any continuous thread of thought at all, please let me know. I think that the gist of it was that fandom life is fun...don't start a story when you're supposed to be revising...and make sure you leave enough time to do your schoolwork around fandom life. Speaking of which, I'll be off to finish my history essay now.
dreaming_in_black_and_white is a fan fiction author who has written one full length story, and several more one-shots. If she is found on the Twilight forums (her name over there is dreaming), please tell her that she has A-Level exams in a week or so.
dreaming_in_black_and_white, and it's on her experiences in the Twilight Fandom.
One year ago, I was still blissfully ignorant of the existence of Twilight fanfiction. I knew fanfiction itself existed, of course – thanks to the insistence of a friend who managed to somehow come across a Teletubby fic and was highly amused by the antics of Tinky Winky – but I never took it seriously.
One year ago, I had nonetheless started my own story using Stephenie Meyer's characters. Clichéd as it may sound, I'd had an idea in a dream which continued to plague me for several weeks before I finally gave in and decided to write it down. Naturally, as I was supposed to be revising for a number of fairly important exams, I had plenty of time. (Note: Do not try this yourself. Fanfiction as revision doesn't work terribly well.)
When I eventually did discover that I wasn't alone in hearing Bella and Edward's voices in my head, I still didn't quite understand just how big a fanbase the series had. Honestly, if I had, I don't know if I'd have ever plucked up the courage to take the plunge of publishing my first chapter. One year on, I'm immeasurably grateful that I did.
Beside an obscene amount of American slang, innuendo, and probably far too much about Robert Pattinson, I've genuinely learnt an amazingly wide range of things which would never have come up otherwise. To a girl who never fangirled over anything – who didn't even know 'fangirl' was a word, much less a verb – I couldn't have anticipated the depth of an online community brought together by shared love of a book. The site I personally stalk is Twilighted – the sense of community is staggering, the amount of talent awe-inspiring, and the people I met there absolutely amazing. It took me about an hour to log off the first time I really talked to anyone on there, being half-afraid that they wouldn't remember me the next time I logged in. I was, of course, completely wrong, and several months down the line...
Yes, they know enough about me for my parents to be utterly horrified if they knew. They know things about me my best school-friends don't. There's a reason for that, besides their obvious awesomeness. One of the things which finally drew me out of my shell and into the fanfiction community was the lure of anonymity – of being able to be myself without actually having to face anyone. I'm shy. (Cue laughter from anyone I've spoken to on Twilighted...) But seriously, being able to interact with new people, without any interference of sometimes overbearing Real Life friends, without the prejudice of what you look like or what you wear...it's something you really can't do anywhere but the internet, and I think I picked one of the best places. Everybody I've met is just brilliant and it's opened my eyes to people and cultures I'd otherwise have had no contact with. Age and nationality have absolutely no bearing in the fandom, and it's so refreshing.
I think I realised I was obsessed about the time I hit several hundred posts on the forums and was genuinely excited about it. My suspicions were confirmed when something happened at school and my first reaction was that I had to go and rant about it in the General Complaint Box. Then there was the online gathering on Christmas day when we'd all had enough of 'spending time with the family'... Obviously, I'm not the person to talk to about maintaining any sort of balance between fandom and real life. Do as I say, not what I do. I'm a hypocrite.
I honestly think that joining a fandom is something which every teen should do at some point. School life is actually fairly sheltered – mine more than most perhaps – and there are so many things which lessons in a classroom really can't teach you. On Twilighted I've had conversations about everything from grammar issues and cooking to Heroes and shoes; my taste in music has been exponentially widened, and there have been shoulders to metaphorically sob on. Any question you have may be answered by anyone ranging from fourteen to forty, advice from people who seem to have done and seen everything – or if they don't they've got some pretty good advice about it anyway. Even better, you don't have to worry about it getting back to your parents or that girl at school you don't like and would tease you mercilessly about it. I may be biased, but it's pretty great.
For those lurkers who feel they're too nervous to take that first step? Whether it's posting your first story, introducing yourself to a website of total strangers, or even leaving your first review on a story – just do it. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Someone might leave you an angry message or call you a loser for spending time talking about a book? I haven't met one of those yet. Instead, the first to talk to me were parawhore and Quirkyalice, and now I've got a whole bunch of other 'virtual' friends – who are only virtual because I've never met them.
I can't really think of anything more to say. If this article had a theme or any continuous thread of thought at all, please let me know. I think that the gist of it was that fandom life is fun...don't start a story when you're supposed to be revising...and make sure you leave enough time to do your schoolwork around fandom life. Speaking of which, I'll be off to finish my history essay now.
dreaming_in_black_and_white is a fan fiction author who has written one full length story, and several more one-shots. If she is found on the Twilight forums (her name over there is dreaming), please tell her that she has A-Level exams in a week or so.
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