TheCementMixer

After publishing my last post , I had old friends and acquaintances crawl out of the woodwork to share with me their war stories of the Twilight fandom. The Jacob versus Edward debate and fan fiction rivalries, it was only incredibly validating. Their battle scars sparkled like diamonds, and I studied them thoroughly. Once I was a passing bystander to the Twilight movement, now I was a historian. They sent me their old fanfiction, with all of the self-inserts and civil war re-imaginings included. It felt like a form of indoctrination - I was the newest member of their vampire coven and nod they were ready to share with me an even deeper secret: The Twilight fandom is alive and well.     A quick Edward and Bella doodle by my friend Superbork, Much like the vampires from the very books they cherished, the fandom had quietly been operating beneath the surface of the world. For proof, I went to the Twilight subreddit and found a burgeoning community of fans - almost 20 tho...

The year is 2008; you're in middle school. Iron Man released, there's a new Grand Theft Auto game, and it's been two years since the last Harry Potter . Oh, also Obama's just won the United States presidential election - you know how big of a deal that is, but you lack the insight to understand what makes it such a big deal. Whatever the case - things are good, and there's no lack of cool things to look forwards to. These continuous, long-running series keep your mind swirling with possibilities and excitement - every day is a test of patience that will reward you and your fandoms with a whole new influx of activity. Then something happens - the kids in class are talking about something different - the popular kids, even. Eventually, your friends fill you in - Twilight, a romance movie that has vampires with sparkling skin. "That's dumb," you say - and you continue to say it the next year, and the next year, and the next year. But you say it dif...