Fanfic Rec Wednesday – Love in My Box

I feel very blessed that I have friends willing to help me out with everything I do!

Today’s rec comes to you via Kristin (@Kdub_s).

Title: Love in My Box

By: cosmoandmarvar (@Cosmogirl7481 & @marvar29)

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782455/1/Love-in-My-Box

Why is it good?: I like the idea of falling in love through emails. And I love their Edward. He is a clueless Geekward. His misunderstandings of social situations is hilarious. It’s written very well. Cosmo and Marvar are a perfect team.

~~~~~

I haven’t read this one yet. A lot of people have told me to read it – that it’s really funny and sweet. At 27 chapters and just under 150,000 words, I think I’m going to start this next. Thanks KDubs!

Fanfic Rec Wednesday – Wisp

I would normally only rec completed fics because some people don’t want to read WIPs (work-in-progress) just in case the author flounces and we are left hanging, heartbroken, wondering what happens next. Also, many people won’t read WIPs because they are too impatient to wait for the next chapter in between updates.

Of course, there are many people who do read WIPs. It’s fun to be able to interact with an author during that creative process.

I want to rec my favourite WIP, Wisp by Cris  (@judo_lin). Read it here on fanfiction.net. 

This is one of the very first REAL fan fiction stories I started reading. Like most of the fics I picked up in the beginning, I found out about it by lurking around twitter and cyber-eavesdropping on people’s conversations.

I feel like this rec should come with a disclaimer. It’s not for the faint of heart …or stomach. The “Bella” character (Wisp) has endured the most horrific torture one could possibly imagine. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching, but if you can get through that, you also get to enjoy the heart-warming aspects of the story.

Many people may only see all that Wisp can’t do (for example, she doesn't walk and, at first, doesn't speak at all) and how much she is hindered by the loss of her abilities and even her sense of humanity. But I actually find the story uplifting in a way. Wisp’s innate ability to love is very strong and pure. She is fierce and protective when it comes to those she cares about, namely Edward or her cat, Pet. You don’t want to mess with her. (She literally bites.)

And Edward… oh Edward. *sigh* The same quality I liked best about “Originalward” (Stephenie Meyer’s Edward) is this Edward’s most prominent feature. He is unapologetically protective. It’s incredibly sweet. I adore him.

For me, Wisp is a ‘drop everything’ fic. When the update alerts hit my inbox, I am guaranteed a good read. I was hooked as soon as I started reading it. It’s been one of my very favourites right from the beginning. It’s well-written and compelling. Check it out.

Next Up – To Be Read

If you’re anything like me, your TBR (to be read) list is massive. I have over 500 downloaded copies of unread fics on my computer. And that doesn’t include the WIP (work in progress) links I have bookmarked. It can be very overwhelming when you’re trying to decide what to read next. I usually have around 5-10 completed fics that I am reading at one time, but I am quite easily distracted and tend to pick up more and more before I finish the ones I’m attempting to get through. I TRY to focus on one major one at a time and often restrict myself to refusing to touch anything else until it’s done, but I’m frequently unsuccessful. Sometimes you come across something (or it’s thrown at you) that you just HAVE to read. RIGHT NOW.

I was thinking about it and wondering what this factor is. I’m sure it’s different for everyone. I am constantly updating the priority ranking in my mental TBR list. (I do have an actual hard copy of this list, but nothing is ranked. Just listed.) There are several factors that push certain stories closer to the top. Subject matter, for one. (I will always pick up a new fic with a mentally unstable or damaged Edward, no matter what I’m in the middle of. That’s my weakness.) I think it goes without saying that well-written, attention grabbing summaries are important. They can make or break readership. There are even articles on how to write a good one – like this one. But what is even more important than that is the recommendations of other people. If a lot of people are reading and enjoying a particular story, odds are that it’s good and you should read it too. (Although, it’s not always the case. There have been a few “fandom favourites” that I’ve hated.) There are several Twilight fan fiction recommendation sites, including my new weekly column here, but in my opinion, the best recs come from your friends. 

My friends and I will discuss fic for hours. We hash out the minutia of WHY we liked certain stories, what could be improved upon but is still worth a read, and what to avoid altogether. I find that my tastes are more in line with some friends over others, and I will put their recs at the top of my list. You learn to trust various people’s recs. If you consistently like what they like, you know you’re in for a treat when they pass something new your way. Consider yourself very lucky if you have friends like mine! :) 

Even if you don’t have the never-ending TBR list issue, everyone has those particular points that draw them to new stories. I’m very curious – what is it for you that makes you rush to read something above all else?

Fanfic Rec Wednesday – Words with Friends/Strangers

I mentioned last week that I’m not a quick reader, but I still want to be able to do some recommendations for you, so I will be enlisting the help of my super-speed-reading friends from time to time. Every Wednesday, I’ll post a rec for you to check out. As always, I am very interested in your reactions to what you read. Let me know in the comments or over on twitter (@kmuffin88) if you read it and what you thought.

I'll be back next week with my own, but today’s rec comes to you via PurpleBrina17. (BTW, if you aren’t reading her Music Monday posts on FANdemonium Network, you need to! ~so far, here and here) 

Title: Words With Friends (BPOV) / Words With Strangers (EPOV)

By: Nolebucgrl (@Nolebucgrl) 

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6910604/1/Words-with-Friends / https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7176635/1/Words-with-Strangers

Why Brina says it's good:

“In this day and age with everyone online or on their phone, of course people are meeting online, in chat rooms, messages board, and through games. Such is the case with one (technically one story, but in two versions) of my favorite fics, ‘Words’. Bella is a normal college student and Edward is a movie star. They meet by pure luck. Read this and fall in love with these characters as they fall in love with each other like I did.

I like the story idea and the style of writing. It’s believable. The story is funny and sweet and has hella sexy lemons with a side of lemonade and lemon cake for dessert.”

~~~~~

I also really like this one but it's one of the ones I'm still in the middle of reading. I won't officially rec something until I complete it. So take Brina's word for it, and check out 'Words' – both of them. (I am partial to the EPOV, WWS, but they both have plot points that you will miss if you only read one.)

Fanfic Rec Wednesday – My Top 5

I’ve held off on doing fan fiction recommendations in the past. I felt a little like a fraud doing it. I’m a pretty slow reader and I haven’t been reading fic that long. In the time it takes me to finish one, my friends go through at least five. I take a lot of breaks to digest what I read, internalizing the characters feelings and thinking about their actions. I re-read certain passages over and over until I feel fully connected to the story. I also have a bad track record for reading completion. I had a long list of half-read stories I’m still “working on”.

All that said, I still have opinions about the things I have actually read. Strong ones. I have favourites and ones I hated, just like anyone else. Although I prefer to keep my negative opinions out of public media (my poor friends are frequently hassled at the oddest hours by texts messages about my fic rage though), I am more than happy to share the ones I enjoyed.

I decided to quickly run through my top five for your consideration. I’m not going to give you full-on reviews, because that’s already been done. These are older titles. Odds are, if you are a Twilight fan fiction reader yourself, you've already read them. If not, I think you should.

The Best I Ever Had by WhatsMyNomDePlume 

It's posted to read online here on fanfiction.net. 

Clipped Wings & Inked Armor by HunterHunting 

This one is no longer available to read online as fan fiction. It was pulled and recently published in two volumes as Clipped Wings (released yesterday! March 4, 2015) and InkedArmor (releasing May 13, 2013) by Helena Hunting.

 

Departures by TheFicChick 

This one was pulled from fanfiction.net in one of the site’s arbitrary purges but can be found on the author’s blog at theficchick.wordpress.com. 

Grasping Darkness by KiyaRaven 

This one is also on fanfiction.net here. 

Simply Edward by CaraNo 

The author pulled it from fanfiction.net but it is still available to read on her blog. caranofiction.wordpress.com 

If you’re ever interested as to why these five made it to the top of my list, just ask. I’m opting not to go into detail here right now because, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, I can be exceptionally long-winded. Read them for yourself to see how great they are, then let me know what you think.