Twilight Fandom Blog

    The year was 2008 and cultural change was progressing faster than seen before, events such as the election of our first African American president, the launch of the streaming service Spotify, and one of the biggest movie premieres in history occurs, unvealing the Twilight series. The twilight saga is a collection of 5 movies that are orginallly based on books written by author Stephenie Meyer. The series surrounds characters Bella Swan, played by actress Kristen Stewart, who moves from sunny Arizona to rainy Washington in a small town called Forks. It is here she meets character Edward Cullen, played by actor Robert Pattinson, who is a strikingly handsome but extremely mysterious boy at her school. Bella is drawn to Edward and as is he to she. However, someone else also has their eye on Bella; Jacob Black, played by Taylor Lautner, who has an overwhelming sense of duty to protect Bella. It is not long before truths are revealed that Edward and his entire family are vampires who avoid drinking human blood. This truth brings about more information about evil vampires, werewolves, and other mythical beings. Bella is completely intrigued and becomes entangled in a dangerous romance with her immortal soulmate.

Figure 1: The Twilight Saga movies

    Since its original launch, twilight's fanbase has continued in growth. While Stephenie Meyer's books relased the story, the release of the movies is what helped make the fanbase what it is today. The movies made the storyline more personal to its audience, allowing them to form bonds with characters. Twilight has such a major fanbase there actually is a title for fans of the series: "Twihards". As defined by yourdictionary.com, a twihard referes to an avid fan of the series. Twilight's audience does include a large following of adolecsecnt females, however this is not a limiting factor as anyone of any race, age, gender may find themsleves intrigued by the series. Fans of the series can show their support in a variety of ways.

    One common way fans may particpate in this fandom is to write fanfiction. Fanfiction is any fictional writing written by a follower of a novel, show, etc. that is based on the existing work, but employs new ideas from the fan. Twilight fans are famous for participating in this way, using various online forums such as fanfiction.net or wattpad.com. There are fanfictions where Bella choose to be with Jacob instead, where Jacob falls in love with Bella's daughter Renesmee, and even stranger ones where Jacob and Edward end up together. The possibilities are endless in the eyes of its fans. (see Twilight Fanfictions on Wattpad for reference)

    Another common way fans may interact with this fandom is by visiting the town in which the movie takes place, which is know as Forks, Washington. Since the premiere of twilight, Forks has benefited largely off of tourists coming to the town strictly based on its involvement with the movie. In fact, there is an annual festival held in Forks called " Forever Twilight in Forks Festival" where fans may come and experience the magic that is the home of the twilight saga. You can get more information on the event and how to attend at Forever Twilight in Forks Festival.

 One of the most popular ways fans may show their participation in this fandom is by purchasing Twilight memorabilia. Twilight was so popular that there were endless items manufactured displaying the brands. This included blankets, lunch boxes, action figures, board games, and much more. These were all considered hot ticket items to have and many are still being sold for purchase today. A collection of twilight items may be purchased on Amazon.com.

Figure 2: Twilight memorabilia

    My personal connection to this fandom is that I would consider myself a former twihard. The newest movie of the series would always come out in November around my birthday, so for 5 years in a row that is what I did to celebrate. I would go with a group of friends and family to the theatre to view the newest movie. I loved the storyline of Twilight and the fantasy world it allowed me and other members of the audience to escape to. Although years have passed since any new twilight movies have been released, the fanbase remains strong. I am confident that if a new movie in the series were to be released tomorrow, there would be people lining up to buy tickets. 

 


References

"Film Memorabilia Twilight." Invaluable.com, www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/film-memorabilia-twilight-and-new-moon-quantity-of-100-c-65d762bf9d.

"Forever Twilight in Forks Festival." Discover Forks Washington, forkswa.com/ftffestival/.

"Historical Events in 2008." On This Day, www.onthisday.com/events/date/2008?p=2.

"Twihard Meaning." Your Dictionary, www.yourdictionary.com/twihard.

"Twilight Merchandise." Amazon, www.amazon.com/Official-Twilight-Merchandise-Store-Toys-Games/s?rh=n%3A1288130011%2Cp_lbr_characters_browse-bin%3ATwilight.

"The Twilight Saga." Pintrest, br.pinterest.com/pin/766808274026475824/?amp_client_id=CLIENT_ID(_)&mweb_unauth_id={{default.session}}&simplified=true.

"Twilight Saga Fandom." Insights into Media Audiences, audienceinsightsblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/twilight-saga-fandom/.

"Twilight Storiews." Wattpad, www.wattpad.com/stories/twilight.



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