Admin FicRec

Author: Minerva-one
Story: Bittersweet Hurt
Status: WIP
Rating: M
Genre/Subgenre: AU/OOC Drama
Chapters: 9, 24,556 words
Published/Updated: Jan 26, 2008/Nov 16, 2008
Summary: Carlisle/Edward. This story examines the reasons why Carlisle made Edward a vampire - and the subsequent effect on their lives - the desire, the chaos, the hurt, the regret. Warning -- There will be sexual scenes. Drama, Angst, Desire, Sex, Slash
Story link: Bittersweet Hurt
Forum link: Bittersweet Hurt Twilighted Thread
AngstGoddess003's Rec:

Yes, my first rec is smutty Bromance. Stop eyeing me funny. You know you all love the E/C.

In the vast world of Twilight fan fiction, it can be a very difficult task to find a "Slash" fic that is even remotely tastefully done. I came across this fic one evening, and my immediate thoughts were "Hmm."

Excerpt: Edward stared at the keys of the piano as he continued to wipe sweat from his face. Carlisle could only stand frozen in place, watching this human boy, this perfect human boy, performing the most menial of tasks, and yet it was the most breathtaking thing Carlisle thought he had ever seen in his long years on Earth.
And at that moment, Carlisle understood precisely why he bothered to keep his compassion for the human race. It was for this boy alone.

It's OOC, but that's a big 'Duh' moment, obviously, seeing as how Edward and Carlisle are… together. If you can get past that, and onto the second chapter of the story, you learn more about why Carlisle decided to change Edward. There are some deviations from the canon plot line. Like, for instance, Edward's parents have already died from the influenza. There's also this annoying thing with vampire tears that always seems to bother me, but so many authors do that and unfortunately there's…

I digress…

Anyways, I was disillusioned from my past forays into various fics that delved into a… rather disturbing portrayal of Edward/Carlisle relationships. I was tired of the smut. Okay, so that's a lie. I loved the smut, but I wanted more emotion. Make me cry, damn it!

By the third chapter of this fic, I was intrigued. Like, seriously, furrowing my brows at the screen and pursing my lips for Edward's change. Carlisle had never taken human blood before and he was struggling with it. It was a glimpse at a very canon issue that I was thankful for.

Excerpt: Edward's blood had rejuvenated his body and spirit. They were a part of each other now, and always would be.

I sigh.

Edward then awakens and discovers his talent for mind reading, which is always interesting. Edward's OOC-ness in regards to discovering his fate may take some time getting used to. He isn't very broody yet when he finds out what he is and how it occurred. Because he has Carlisle, and he's become quite enamored by him.
So, there's this bath scene – (uneven sigh/bite lip/groan) – that could have been ridiculously filthy and smutty… but… it wasn't. It was sweet. I'm talking, seriously diabetic coma sweet and it totally redeemed my fears that this would become another piece of empty smut. It was a very integral bonding experience that set the tone for this relationship.

Oh, but then the smut comes of course. It's nice because when they hunt together for the first time, it's predatory in nature, exploring the erotic reaction to a vampire's thirst for blood.

Excerpt: He dropped to his knees in front of Carlisle, still unaware of Edward's presence. He sat there and watched, eager to lick the blood from Carlisle's lips.
The discovery of their lust for one another comes quite naturally under the gloomy backdrop of the dark woods and the reality of their vampiric fates.

There's language of course. Words used to describe – (grin/husky breathing/quirked eyebrow) – certain areas of the male anatomy. Things get fairly filthy, but the emotional elements of Carlisle finally having someone to share his existence with never falter. They are obviously still plagued by the normal burdens of being undead, blood thirsty monsters, but they now have one another to love and cherish and… uh… unicorn (I verbed it again?)… when those burdens weigh heavily on their consciences. Edward's constant affections for Carlisle spur this love affair between the two unfortunate souls.

Excerpt: Living with someone who could read your thoughts certainly made less time for wallowing in one's self pity. Edward wouldn't let him, instead finding creative ways to take his mind off of his concerns. The boy was becoming quite skilled at distracting him.

Yeah. You'd be pretty excited about that shit too. Don't lie. But, they also have their moments of gentle and caring that will make you sigh dreamily as they grow closer and more comfortable with their places in each others' hearts and un-lives.
Excerpt: The nights were consumed with hunting and the wild frenzy brought on by the scent of blood, each slamming into the other with no abandon, wild and hedonistic and passionate. But the days - the days were spent in gentle touches and soft caresses, small whispers of passion.

Issues arise eventually, and I won't say specifically what they involve because it will ruin the best part of the story. Just know that it is deeply emotional and very sad when things begin coming between the pair. Edward's view of Carlisle's distance is heartrending and painful to read. The most recent chapter of this story will have you aching for their characters and wishing for their happiness together instead of the happiness they find in the canon story.

In conclusion, Bittersweet Hurt is an intriguing portrayal of two vampires seeking affectionate companionship and salvation from the agonizingly heinous vampirism that plagues their lost souls.

It's also pretty fucking sexy.

AngstGoddess003 is a new author to the fandom who has written one incredibly long and frustratingly epic fic [Wide Awake]. AG003 has zero credentials or impressive accolades, but she has very specific weaknesses for kittens, Coke, ans skinny white boys with guitars. She also has a soft spot for crude vulgarity and cookies. Unicorns are officially her favorite mythical creature.
The opinions expressed here are our own, and are not made on behalf of Twilighted
AngstGoddess003 on FF
Wide Awake Thread on Twilighted
My Girl's Unicorn Wide Awake LJ Community

Essay: Why Fanfiction?

Something I wonder about on occasion is the question “Why Fanfiction?” The Twilight fandom is one of many fandoms available on the Internet. There are House, X-Files, Harry Potter and countless other fandoms out there to suck you in. And suck you in, they do. For myself, my obsession with fandom and more notably, fanfiction, begun shortly after I read the first three books of the Twilighted saga. Breaking Dawn was still months away and I felt empty in anticipation. I resorted to the one thing I could always count on - the Internet.

I started off with Google and a quick search brought me to sites like The Twilight Guy, Twilight Moms and the Lexicon. I read all of their news blurbs and lived off those for about a week, but the fact side of the Twilight Universe only satiated a portion of my ever-burning desire for more. It probably fed it actually. I wanted interaction and discussion, but being an almost thirty year old woman, I wasn't finding many friends, colleagues or family members as taken in by the story as I was.

So I started venturing into various forums. I quickly saw that they were established and I was late to the game. I never felt particularly welcomed, nor did I feel any type of identification with most of the members. Let me say here that I am in no way saying these forums are bad, they just weren't for me.

Finally, I found a thread on fanfiction.

I was familiar with fanfiction, being an active reader in the Harry Potter fandom with a particular affinity for stories set in the future and next generation, but for some reason, I never thought to look up the availability of Twilight stories. Immediately, I ventured to FF.net, where I had read most of my HP stuff, and was delighted by the ample selection. This was no small fandom I realized. Immediately, I was drawn to the Alternate Universe/Edward Never Came Back After New Moon genre. I fell in love with Seducing Ms. Swan by Rialle(Twilighted)/DQRC(FF) along with many others. After about two weeks of living on my laptop, thigh burn from the heat of said laptop's processor and a very annoyed husband, I had found a ridiculous amount of stories. I devoured them all. All of a sudden, my selection had dried up.

That's when I realized there was a whole sub-genre of AU-Human. At first I was leery and extremely hesitant. I started off on some fics I will not name and was severely disappointed. I wasn't sure why at first until the thought struck me that the potential for the Human subgenre was huge. I knew I couldn't be the only one out there who saw this. I did another Google search, hoping to find a quality site like the HP fandom had that would feature only high caliber stories. Twilighted popped up and I found heaven in the form of Realize by Goo82. Finally, I felt the need for more Twilight in my life tampered down.

From there, I read every Human story available. At the time, there were maybe only thirty on Twilighted. I decided to try my hand at writing and thus, became more than a reader at Twilighted, eventually joining the forums.

This was something I just did for a long time. It was a hobby and something to fill my time off from work. Not until recently, when I realized I felt such a commitment to the fandom, community and fanfiction, did I ask myself why. I have since come up with a few answers for myself and wanted to share them.

The Twilight saga appeals on more than one front. It is a fantasy and a love story. It's epic in it's romance and traditional in it's delivery. It appeals to young girls' hopes for the sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of way. It appeals to more experienced woman in the sigh we have as we remember those dreams. We are fools for romance, and regardless of my personal issues with the saga itself, it doesn't change how the love story still brings me back to a time where I just knew I would have that one day.

I wanted more of that feeling, delivered with the names Bella and Edward for the main characters in particular. It's why I went on Google searches, but only through my fanfiction missions was I able to fulfill the overwhelming need for more of this love story. Only from the minds of others was my own need to constantly relive that feeling accomplished. I thank whomever came up with the concept of fanfiction everyday as I open up my gmail and read all the lovely updates awaiting my eager eyes and hungry brain.

Not many get why fanfiction is so prevalent in my life. I try to explain and most just shake their heads and call me a dork under their breaths. For some reason, it never bothered me. I was content and I had the in on the best secret ever, free literature featuring my favorite characters! I felt pity for those who didn't understand.

A colleague and fellow Twilight reader of mine once asked me if I felt fanfiction took away from the original story itself. I had to think long and hard on this to answer it from an articulated point of view. At first, I was ready to jump the gun and defend my beloved stories with the might of fifty Gladiators, but I knew that was rash. If I looked at it from an outsider's perspective and was honest I could find viable arguments for both sides of the coin.

It took me some time, but I was finally able to answer the question more for myself, rather than my colleague.

I find fanfiction to be more of an enhancement. Stephenie Meyer and her creation is cited by responsible authors and sites consistently as the number one rule of the fandom. It's kept Twilight in the forefront of our minds, thus perpetuating the economical aspect of the saga (movies, paraphernalia, music and much more). It's not just some nice little series I read awhile back.

Much of the work displayed in fanfiction is of such a high caliber, that they are very original in their own right. The names may be universal here, but each interpretation is it's own. The Human subgenre is particularly noted in this aspect. I can't tell you how many stories I have read that you could slap different names on the characters and I would pay $7.99 for mass market paperback to read.

In contrast, the AU and Canon genres both give us more of the Twilight Universe. You could not sell them as original work, but many give alternative answers to parts of the series we would like and enhance the original work. I recently went back and read Breaking Dawn so I could form an accurate assessment of my personal feelings towards the book. I kept thinking of Minisinoo's Cowboys and Indians while I read. I was looking for when Jasper might have formed his friendship with Leah. My imagination went wild with the possibilities. Jasper's character in canon all of a sudden took on a whole new layer for me. So what if my fic bled into the original? That's what true craft in these genres do. It made me look at the original work with new and more sympathetic eyes, thus endearing it to me more.

To argue for opposition against fanfiction, you could always say we are bastardizing the original work and taking it places Stephenie Meyer never intended and thus we should respect her craft as that. My answer is to look at the author herself. Ms. Meyer has never publicly negated the fandom, nor has she discouraged fanfiction like authors such as J.R.Ward. I like to think she recognizes the economical and sociological value of devotees. It keeps her comfortable and keeps us hooked, thus providing her with a continuous fan base for future work.

Another thing I noticed with fanfiction, most notably on Twilighted, is the aspect of community it provides. Unlike the other forums I visited, I was welcomed with open arms and was encouraged by peers of the realm. I met acquaintances that have now become valued and dear friends. I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere my quest for Twilight fulfillment disappeared. It turned into being a part of a community teeming with great minds with such creative capacity that I am constantly reminded how honored I am to stand amongst them. I hold such respect and gratitude for the friendships and assistance I have gotten from fandom in general. I've gained more from this personally than I can ever repay.

The last thing about why fanfiction has reeled me in is the writer themselves. I think that this format allows many to find their own voice, style, technique and practice. It's a community of authors, not just fic writers. Most recently I was struck at the response to the first Twilighted sponsored Original Fiction Contest for Girl Power, Ghouls & Gorgeous Guys. I personally had the worst and best experience writing for it. I felt inept at the constant block I felt while trying to develop an original short story, but I persevered. It became about doing it, not winning. I wanted to prove to myself that I could branch out and accomplish something for me and by me. To say I had no assistance would be ridiculous. Without the friends I had on here, I may not of had the stones to stick to my guns. Luckily they rallied around me at all hours to encourage and keep me sane. It was a contest I started off doing, but in the end, it was a personal milestone I met as an author. The lessons I walked away with from that experience is priceless and I have applied all of it to the work I continue to do in my fanfiction and original work.

So, in the end, I answer the 'Why Fanfiction' question with personal conviction. Because it makes all of our lives a little bit fuller. It brings escapism and purpose. It's a mechanism for aspiring writers to practice their craft. Most importantly, it brings us together under one commonality and that is all the why I need.

smellyia is an administrator for this blog and writes in the AU-Human/angst genres. She is an active member of the Twilighted community and posts her stories Disaffected, When We Drove All Night and Congratulations there, as well as two original shorts. She also has too many dogs, a newly PS3 addicted husband and a pair of Ugg Adirondack Tall Boots in Obsidian.
smellyia on FF
smellyia on Twilighted

Housekeeping: Schedule Plan

Hi Everyone...Housekeeping Junk

Thursdays: We will post "articles" on aspects of the fandom...for example, this weeks will tackle the question "Why Fanfiction?" Mainly it will be us Administrators - myself, angel, emibella and AngstGoddess003 and perhaps the occasional GB who has a special expertise in a certain aspect of fandom to tell us about.

Sundays: We will post our weekly rec. We will alternate recs with admins and our Guest Blogger. We have had a great response and we are thrilled by the GB's we already have lined up....I'm pretty sure most of you know them :D

And enjoy today's GB blondie below!

Guest FanFic Rec: First Official Guest Blogger Is.....

Our Very Own BLONDIE!!!!!

Author: eibbil
Story: Finding the Key
Status: WIP
Rating: PG
Genre/Subgenre: AU/IC Drama
Chapters: 4, 14,720 words
Published/Updated: Nov 25, 2008/Dec 14, 2008
Summary: Bella woke up in the Phoenix hospital and couldn't remember how she got there. A year later, she's living in Jacksonville with her mother, but she still has no memory of her four months in Forks. Can she recover what she lost by returning?
Story link: http://www.twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=1539
Forum link: http://www.twilighted.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1694
The opinions expressed here are my own, and are not made on behalf of twilighted.net.

blondie’s recommendation:

In an AU land where there are many new characters and variants on Edward and Bella’s separation, this story is a breath of fresh air. Top off the originality of the plot with superb writing, and you have the makings of a story that will keep you hitting the refresh button on your browser, waiting for the next update. Written from Bella’s point of view with interludes from Edward, ‘Finding the Key’ is like twilight and midnight sun all wrapped up into one.

The premise of the story is that James’ attack on Bella resulted in her losing her memory of her time in Forks, and has no recollection of the Cullens or vampires. She’s spent her senior year in Jacksonville with Renee on the recommendations of her doctors, but her recovery is incomplete. The story opens as Bella decides that she must return to Forks in order to find the key that will unlock her memories.

Though Bella meets several of the Cullens, she feels only twinges – she doesn’t have any huge revelations (so far). Bella’s frustration is palpable, as it should be for our smart, perceptive teen. The detail incorporated into her memories shows how the author has dug deep to stay within the canon:

Voices speaking, but not words I understood. Music playing in my head, Debussy coupled with songs I didn't recognize. Screeching tires and soft, lyrical laughter. The crack of a baseball connecting with a bat – Charlie’s nightly baseball obsession mixing in with the random images, no doubt. Tree limbs flying, car doors slamming, the smell of lasagna. My blood type, cellular mitosis, trig equations. Salt air, rushing waves, and dancing blue fires.

Edward is kept in character, too, trying to maintain his distance, punishing himself for her sake:

When Alice had had her vision, when she'd told me Bella was coming back, my only thought had been to stay away from her. Horrid as the interminable days without her had been, I knew it was for the best. Bella was free of me, in the best possible way. Free to live her life without fear or pain, without the danger inherent in being anywhere near me.

Thankfully Edward isn’t quite as stubborn as he was in new moon, but the author has given him new challenges to face. The first challenge is how does he explain vampires anew to Bella? In many ways Edward got off easy when Jacob spilled the beans on the ‘cold ones’ in twilight; how will he handle broaching the subject this time?

Writing in canon is very demanding, but eibbil is up to the task. The research required to find the details that really make a story ring true can take an enormous amount of time. It is clear that eibbil (libbie spelled backwards, in case you hadn’t caught that) has invested a lot in this story, noting, for example, how Bella’s truck was never found after her trials in Phoenix. It’s a small detail (Bella didn’t drive the pickup to AZ, remember?), but it opens up so many believable possibilities for the author to work with.

This story is in its infancy, so many, many questions are yet to be answered, but this is the perfect time to add it to your alerts. The compelling writing and attention to detail will draw you in, as it has me, even this early on. I can’t wait to see where the story will take us – everything is familiar and yet unknown – the exact feeling an in-canon AU should have.

blondie is the award-winning author of thirteen posted stories of varying lengths. She specializes in writing in-canon stories; her current WIP is ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, Edward’s version of new moon. The mother of two and wife of one, she has been accused of having Edward locked in her basement, however, since her Northern California home has no basement, she’s resorted to digging holes in the backyard, hoping to find our glittering vampire.
http://www.twilighted.net/viewuser.php?uid=6 blondie on Twilighted
http://www.fanfiction.net/~blondieakarobin blondie on ff

Admin Rec: First Recommendation!

Author: Caligula42
Story: Irritable Grizzly Adams (IGA for the truly lazy)
Status: WIP
Rating: Mature
Chapters: 16, 50,837 words
Published/Updated: 9/16/08, 12/12/08
Genre/Sub-Genre: AU, Edward never came back after NM
Summary: Edward left Bella in the woods five years ago. Struggling to make a life without him, Bella finds herself still alone in an entirely different forest. But what happens if they are accidentally reunited?
Irritable Grizzly Adams by Caligula42
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4542110/1/Irritable_Grizzly_Adams
IGA Twilighted Forum
http://www.twilighted.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1461

Smellyia's Recommendation:

While this story follows in the most popular AU sub-genre of 'Edward never came back after NM' like so many others, it stands apart. This Bella is a very strong version of the character. She is definitely scarred and hurt from the experience, but the emotion is dealt with in a very layered manner. This Bella does not just deal with the abandonment of Edward, but the abandonment of all the Cullens. Bella has taken this less-than-desirable turn of event in her life and while it has shaped many of her decisions and the course of her life, she has found a purpose. Bella is a dedicated research assistant and occasional pimping for endowment money from The Man tool. Her perception of self is much more aware than in most fics and she embraces her womanhood rather than shying away from it. The character development here inspires sympathy, likability and most importantly, awe. Whenever I read this, I always wonder if the fate that had befallen this Bella was my own, would I have been able to do as she did? I would like to hope so.

Another interesting character in this story is an OC. Dr. Ryerson is a father figure who is Bella's boss. Caligula has blended him so seamlessly into the Twilight world that I swear he has been there all along. Instead of portraying him as a sappy and annoying overbearing Father type, Dr. Ryerson is a gruff, but endearing man. He is dedicated to his work, but extremely protective of Bella in a very subtle way. He is more the friend who really gets it, rather than a pushy confidante. I'd like to point out here how difficult it is to create an OC that not only blends, but also adds another dimension to an already established universe. I have only seen this done well twice before (ELISA in the Evening Falls series by Avalonia/Ava Sinclair and Ryan in What A Horror by Ereeen).

The author herself uses such a lyrical format in her descriptive prose that every paragraph seems like I have been transported into another world without even noticing I've moved, but yet everything remains so very real. I am astounded by her wordcraft constantly. Descriptions like calling Edward's hair "anxious antennae" is what I live for in this story.

Caligula also uses her subject matter (research, setting) in a knowledgeable manner. She has had real experience/exposure in the settings and research making her story accurate, but also interesting. Not only has Caligula been able to create a very believable AU, but she has also been able to create a story that is all her own. Her writing is beautiful, realistic and full of heart. It transports and builds. It's truly a hidden treasure and I think it's more than worthy of our precious time.

The addition of this story to the AU genre is a welcome one. Many fics in this genre portray a stagnant and unrelatable Bella or an Edward who gets off too easy. Rarely are stories in this genre so in depth with the emotion and backlash of such a loss in life, that it's difficult to find resonance in them. This story brings all of that about in a unique format.

So please, take an evening to read this, it only took me about an hour to catch up completely on it, and hopefully, you will be tapping your fingers for an update as I am right now. Leave her a review (she is sadly low on these at only about 187 on ff.net) that tells her what she has done for you today and go post on her forum at Twilighted.net. She doesn't post her story on Twilighted, but hopefully that will change. She would be a wonderful addition to the community. Caligula responds to most, if not all, but is truly kind and grateful, not to mention she owns 2 pairs of Christmas socks (that's a WIN deal in my book). That's an added bonus for us readers!

And if you read this fic because you saw this post...please let the author know!!!

smellyia is an administrator for this blog and writes in the AU-Human/angst genres. She is an active member of the Twilighted community and posts her stories Disaffected, When We Drove All Night and Congratulations there. She also has too many dogs, a Call of Duty addicted husband and a pager that never stops beeping. http://www.twilighted.net/viewuser.php?uid=2555 smellyia on Twilighted
http://www.fanfiction.net/~smellyia smellyia on ff.net

Housekeeping, bleh.

So a few bits. I am about to post the first rec and that will give you an idea of how future recs from Guest Bloggers will be formatted. In addition to recs, we will be posting interim blogs that will discuss the fandom, give encouragement and some may even be in congruence with the fics...we want to give you things to ponder about this experience and we encourage comments here, but moreso on our TLYDF thread on Twilighted.net that we have started in the Twilighted lounge. Hopefully it will garner some additional reader/author attention.

TLDYF Link on Twilighted.net forum:
http://www.twilighted.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1680


In addition to this, AngstGoddess003 has kindly volunteered her AMAZING photoshop skills for the graphics we have now! On the bottom of the page are available avi's and siggies to use for your blogging, Twilighted forum and Gchat profiles....they are so purty. A big round of applause and gushes of thanks go to the lovely AG.

In addition to this blog, we have joined forces to steer us away from the dark side with emibella's Music Sunday's blog. The goal of this is to enhance our musical minds for inspiration to write the fic we all adore so much. It's an amazing blog full of intelligent musical assessment and mass emails that put the underground into your box....please take a moment to check it out, follow it, get on the email list. Link below as well as to the right of this page.

http://musicsundays.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or concerns, please email me at smellyia@gmail.com

amelia aka smellyia

Vive La Revolution!

Welcome one and all!

In a great response to a post about community I did on the wonderful Twilighted, a community for high quality Twilight inspired fanfiction, we have decided to take our Revolution to the streets.

Many of us authors in this fandom adore the Free High Quality work provided for us. We appreciate the time and effort it takes for each author to post the crack we live off of. With this fandom virtually exploding with genres and subgenres, we felt it was time to love on the underdog. You know who they are. The writer who gets no recs, no accolades and no love. That is the one of the purposes here...to steer you lazy, but discerning ficsters to the hidden treasures. To give you countless hours of escapism, humor, angst and everything in between! We will be doing this by in-depth highlighting, assessment and recommendations on why you should give something a shot. It's like the book club reviewers guide to fic! We will also be including some of your favorite fic authors in our posts...they will give you THEIR hidden treasures and why you should be in the know.

Now some of you may have already read the following, but indulge us bleeding hearts in a slightly militant hippie moment...this is our TRUE reason for doing this...

The other purpose is to perpetuate the community. We have very strong feelings on this. We are a community of support and love here. We hold each other up when we can't do it for ourselves. We assist each other by advice, recommendations and friendship. We have formed little communities within this large one we have been so blessed to be graced with.

In this type of community, there is no room for debasement of others and disrespect, regardless of what our personal preferences are. It makes the threads of a community weak.

To us, it's not about the popularity, it's the craft. And while many of the more noted fics are excellent in their own right, be it smut or plot driven, we think the smaller fics that don't necessarily steer towards the trends should be recognized for their quality.

We find it amazing that there is such passionate feelings against or for certain types of stories and people have every right to voice their concerns, but we think the way in which it is done should be respectful. So it comes down to this, regardless if you prefer certain fic, it does not negate the craft it takes to write creatively in any genre. To publicly strike that down is negligent. The motivation to do so is questionable. We may not like the content of some fics, but others do. So obviously, the talent resonates somewhere.

We are a diverse community made up of many different types of authors, each who bring something unique to the table. We say embrace rather than negate. Our differences are what make us intriguing. It's a COMMUNITY. Support the whole. Be a pillar of it and promote what you love rather than tear down what you don't. Take the time to review and post. Take a moment to be a friend within your circles. That is why we chose to post here, where we could PROMOTE the stuff we love. We feel it's a much more positive way to bring about change and work out our own personal frustrations in fandom.

Also, we find authors fall into to the trap of just writing and not necessarily reading. We think it's time to start really giving back. Take a few minutes, an evening before bed, on your iPhone as you stand in line at the grocery...read something new and be bold...REVIEW. Give back to the ones who have helped you along the way and made you smile with their lovely words. Be a READER AND A WRITER. Be a fully contributing member to the community. We get so much personal pleasure from our own reviews, give that back to someone else.

We try to be big purveyors of this theory, because we think all of our lives have been changed by this experience. Many of us have found our dreams again. Many of us have found something we didn't know was missing. Many of us have found a home. We try our best to be contributing members and to give back a smidgen of what has been given to us. That task is daunting, considering we feel like what we have been given is priceless, we don't feel like we can ever thank enough, share enough or support enough. We do our best, and as we've said a hundred times over, we try and to us that's what counts. It makes us a part of this world as much as you all are a part of ours. So in that respect, you are tremendously valued to us and we can only hope to return the favor one day. We start here, by supporting these authors that deserve it and have given us their time to help us to become established and respected within this fandom. We continue by POSITIVE posting and reviewing to others as opposed to focusing on just our own, because only after we make the decision to act like a community full of RESPECT and SUPPORT can we be one.

Lurves ~ amelia aka smellyia, angel, angstgoddess003 and emibella

Disclaimer: This blog is meant to enhance the Twilighted Community, NOT take away from it. We will encourage story and forum posting on Twilighted and will rec only fics that fall under the guidlines of Twilighted. This is your newsletter to help you navigate the world of Twilight fandom and the Twilighted Community, because that's what we're about...enhancing the Twilighted Community in the most positive way we can!