Time to Vote: Name this Post!

Okay, so you all gave us so many great suggestions for the post title! Thank you so much!! It was really hard to pick our top three, or four... I loved "Puddle Wonderful," which was suggested by my sweet friend Julia Gulia. But, I had to disqualify her because she is privy to lots of inside information about me - including my adoration of e.e. cummings poetry.

I also really liked Spank's somewhat dirty suggestions - "Rain On Me" and "Rain Over Me," but those both made me think of this...

Made with love by my very good friend Robs Swiss Miss.

...and that would lead to distraction. I'm sure you don't want to hear about Kemmett every Monday. Or maybe you do? *looks up hopefully* Okay, no.

So, after hours (or so) of poring over our choices - this how we came to our final choices...

Okay Meadow, so here are my top three. Send me yours.
Weekly Whimsy
The Rain Report
Rain Spouts




Okay, my favs are The Rain Report and Reading Rain-bow. I'm going to do the Geordi visor no matter what, so you might as well include it. ;) And, Cheryl seconded the Reading Rain-bow one, so that counts.





NOOOOOO! *stomps foot* Cheater.







So? *grins*







Fine! Then we're putting the vote to all four!

Weekly Whimsy - from ssherrill115
The Rain Report - from rxmeds96
Rain Spouts - from Monica (Mj)
and F*cking Reading Rain-bow - from MEADOW! (cheater)


I just snorted and almost choked on my twizzler. Seriously. I think we have to leave the title "F*cking Reading Rain-bow."






Okay, I'm dying at your "choking on your twizzler." Seriously?







*laughing maniacally* Well, here, choke on this...

OMG you are the f*cking master. I bow down to your genius. F*cking Reading Rain-bow might just win. And now I won't care because that is hilarious.





.... So that, my friends, is why you have four titles to choose from! Please vote and try, TRY not to let the visor influence your decision!



Psst... If the visor "Reading Rainbow: The Next Generation" wins, we'll do a random number drawing for a copy of Shiver. Because Rain is right, I cheated. And it was sooooo worth it. Also, that picture is now on my phone for every time Rain calls me. Mwahahahaha!



Dear Meadow, I'm never calling you again. Love, Rain

*wink*

Voting is open until midnight, Sunday, EST! And, we made a handy little voting poll thingie for you to place your votes! (At the top of the sidebar.)

Twiday: Scrapbooking with Bella

Sidebra with embroidered apples: So you all will understand if we indulge in a bit of Twilight at least once a week, right? Because, we don't have the strength to stay away anymore. We decided that Fridays at Whimsical Fic-ery will now be Twidays! Happy Twiday!

While watching New Moon I noticed something that I feel must be addressed to Bella directly:

Bella, Bella, Bella... Honey, you are quite possibly the worst scrapbooker I've ever encountered. Even my four-year-old would do a better job. Your mother did such a nice job of picking out a scrapbook and you resort to *shudder* Scotch Tape? And not even the invisible kind. *sigh*

Allow me to give you some tips.

First, if you MUST use scotch tape, do the little "fold it over into an 'O'" trick and put it on the BACK of the picture.

Second, today's new-fangled printers have this neat-o option called "Zoom" and "Crop." Maybe you should try it next time you want to cut your boring human self out of a picture with your God-like vampire boyfriend. Folding the picture in half is so 1995.

Third, I realize you're not a "girly-girl," but, really, c'mon. You couldn't even put in sticker? How about a ticket stub from some rom-com Edward took you to so that you'd forget how much you wanted to jump him? Maybe copy a page from Romeo and Juliet and use it as a background. SOMETHING.


Gee Meadow, I didn't know were such a serious scrapbooker. *imagines Meadow o-taping pictures of Rob into her scrapbook with big puffy hearts around them*






*glaring at Rain* I take my scrapbooking very seriously Rain. I use acid-free paper and tape so that the pictures don't fade.

Also, I don't scrap pictures of Rob. That would be sad. I only scrap ones of Rob as Edward. There's a difference.

Right, right. Of course there's a difference. *shakes head no*

Help for Haiti - Twilight Style

We're sure you're aware of the crisis that faces the people of Haiti right now. In an effort to help, the amazing MsKathy is putting together an ebook compilation from over 100 fanfic authors. All you have to do is email her a copy of your receipt showing you donated at least $5 to any charity to help Haiti recover from this disaster. Then, on January 25th, you'll receive an email containing a PDF or Word doc of the stories. Click the link or picture below for more information:

http://mskathyff.blogspot.com/2010/01/haiti.html

We'd also like to share that Ginger's generous husband, Mr. Ginger, whose hobby is photography, is offering a free pic in HQ digital format to everyone who donates $5 through his site. 100% of the proceeds will go to Red Cross Disaster Relief in Haiti. Check it out and spread it around: http://haitianrelief.blogspot.com/




I'm incredibly proud of all of the ways this fandom has banded together to help in times of need. I will be writing a one-shot to be included in the compilation and I need your help: Leave a comment and tell me what you'd like to see me write.  I'll pick one as the prompt for my piece and will give whoever suggested it a shout-out.

Do you want something sweet? Something dark? Something lemony? If you want a fic where Bella is a video store clerk and Edward rents porn, I'll write it. (That's actually not a bad idea... Hmm...) *winking*

Aaaand.... GO!

Oooh... Jane... *shivers*

Hey everyone! In case you hadn't noticed, I'm fascinated with the way writers use characters in their fics. I also have a thing for a good villain. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for a truly evil glare.) I was given the opportunity to combine those loves and write a piece about Jane for The Lazy, Yet Discerning, Ficster. If you're interested in that sort of thing, check it out! I have some great recs and somewhat amusing observations. Also, I get to talk about myself in the third person. Good times!

When is Edward Not Edward?

One of my favorite things about the Twifandom is the thriving fan fiction community. I will fully admit that it took me by surprise. I didn't expect to fall in love with so many different versions of these characters. As a writer, I was thrilled for the opportunity to flex my muscles and grow, whileThere is a debate, however, as to how viable "fan fiction" would be as original fiction. Could the stories we adore on FFn and Twilighted ever truly stand alone?

I feel that with a bit of effort on the writer's part, the excellent ones could. I may have discovered them because of Bella and Edward, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't read them if they were about Sally and Jo. I say it would take work, however, because we assume a lot about Bella when we read her name in a fic. We know she's going to be average, have brown hair and brown eyes, and probably be a klutz. It has made writing about Bella easier because I don't have to go back and reiterate a lot of that. If I wrote a story about a Charlotte, however, I'd have to tell you all of that.

While discussing this very issue on Twitter, my friend Original_Audience said this:

"I think one of the nice things about fanfiction is that allows me to read a completely new story and/or a continuation without having to completely relearn the characters. It like when you finish a book that was so good that you start it over again because you feel like you would miss being in that world.

A lot of the AH stories in fanfic could stand as independent stories, but not having to relearn the characters is convenient for the reader. It's like we're all talking in the same code. "Bella" just means "female lead character." "Edward" means "Bella's eventual love interest." "James" means "bad guy" and "Tanya" means "skank." I think that a lot of the reason people in fanfic are resistant to stories that aren't B/E is because it feels like the author is not using the right code, but really they're just keeping us on our toes.

I'm really happy for the authors who have a story that is different enough from canon to shop it for publishing. Most of the time I haven't really been seeing those characters as "Bella and Edward" any more than seeing them as "Romeo and Juliet" or "Adam and Eve." The name isn't the character, it's more of a placeholder, KWIM?"

I think that's the perfect way to describe what the majority of my fanfiction experience has been. Aside from a few Canon Breaking Dawn alternatives, those are the stories that resonate with me. Those are the ones where I could take Edward and Bella out and they'd still be interesting.

So, I wanted to start a discussion: Do you read fanfiction? Do you write? What do you think? Is Edward ever not Edward for you?

Name This Post... Please!

First things first. We need a title for this weekly post! Each week, I’ll share what I’m reading along with books I’ve recently finished and what I think about them. Sometimes it will include spoilers, but don’t worry, I’ll always alert, and sometimes it will just be a chance for me to share my thoughts on a book and hopefully hear back from you all with your thoughts.

I don’t know if you’ve read the "About Us" but I suck royally at titles. It’s true. I asked Meadow for her input on this and she quickly suggested “Reading Rain-bow,” which I have rejected. Not because it’s horrible, but because when I considered it for a minute, she responded by saying, “Yay! I get to make Lavar Burton jokes! Can I photoshop you with a Geordi visor??"

sidebra with visors on the cups:
Lavarr Burton was the host on Reading Rainbow. He was also this guy who wore a visor on Star Trek.

So, yeah, that’s out. And here’s the part where I beg
ask for your help so I don’t end up with a visor photoshopped over my face. I’m so desperate for that not to happen that I’m offering up a prize for the person who picks the winning title - a free book! So, leave your suggestions in the comments – I’m open to anything that does not lead to Lavarr Burton jokes. Meadow and I will pick our top three and then put it to vote – the winner will receive a copy of Maggie Steifvater’s wonderful book, Shiver, because it’s one of my most favorite books, and she is one of my most favorite writers. You should seriously check out her site - she's adorable.

And if you’ve read Shiver, then we’ll pick something else – either way – free book!

As for what I'm reading this week... well, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I can't lie - I'm reading New Moon right now. *sheepish grin* I'm re-reading because I was waiting for a big old shipment of books to come to my doorstep and I grabbed New Moon off the shelf to compare it with the movie (it's been a while since I've read it - I usually skip it). I have to say, it’s amazing how different my reaction to the book is now that I’ve seen the movie. New Moon was always my least favorite in the Twilight saga, but now I really love it. I finally get it. In my past readings, I would scurry through until the end, but this time I was really interested in Jacob's character and actually began understand him better. *clamps hand over mouth* Wait, did I really just say that? *sighs* Yes, yes I did.


And, again, please! Leave your suggestions for titles in the comments! Please spare me the visor!!

Books Have Pretty Boys

Source: @ROBkrisTENLOVERS

I'm pretty sure everyone has seen this by now, but seriously, how could I not post it? Emmett and Stefan together? It's like the Cosmo people were sitting around and said, "You know, we like Rain. Let's give her a special treat." I'm pretty sure they were also trying to kill me because upon watching the video, I first lost the power of coherent thought, then lost the power of speech, and finally, I think I stopped breathing. I'm sure Meadow can attest to this, as she and I were on the phone trying to have a serious blog-business conversation.

So, let's link this back to book-talk, shall we? Obviously both characters are from books, so that's easy, but Meadow also asked me if Stefan and Emmett looked like my version of Stefan and Emmett. That got us talking about how we imagine characters when we read and our reactions when they are cast for the screen - big or small.

Kellan is a perfect Emmett for me - big, beefy... and that silly grin. He's perfect. And, honestly, Stefan and Damon are perfect too. When I heard The Vampire Diaries was going to be a tv show, I immediately googled the cast and was extremely happy with both choices. And Paul Wesley as Stefan does have sex hair- almost, but not quite, just like Rob as Edward, so that didn't hurt. And Damon...his character is dark, dangerous, and sexy. Ian Somerhalder is easily all that and more, so I was not disappointed there either.

But, truth be told, when I'm reading the characters are usually pretty hazy. I'm extremely plot driven, so the details of a character are often more vague in my mind than say, the setting or the action. It's not until a second reading that a character really starts to become fully realized in my reading. All that being said, I've completely cast The Hunger Games film, but that's for another post.


*laughing* Yes, I'm on the phone with her chatting away about the sidebar and icons and serious stuff, and she goes all incoherent-drooling-pile-of-estrogen on me. But, having watched the video, I can kinda understand. *wink*

As for book characterizations vs. movie/tv characterizations, I tend to find that my mental image is vague UNTIL a role has been cast and I realize I don't agree. Like, Rosalie. Did I have a clear idea of what she looked like? No. But I sure as hell knew she didn't look like Nikki Reed.


*nods head in assent with Meadow* So what about you all? Do the "real-life" versions of your leading literary men, or women, let you down? Or do they make it more fun to read, and re-read?

sidebra with fleece underwire: Meadow, I did my homework and watched the Hangover and yes, Bradley Cooper is perfect for your James in Frozen Spring.