Wide Awake

During my time being a member of the ever-expanding Twilight fandom, I have noticed one common denomiator in every situation that has occured in which backlash and outrage (or even just a massive explosion of universal emotion) has featured--obsession. I would like to say, right now, that I've noticed the Twilight fandom can and will get obsessed to the point of insanity about anything. Be it casting for New Moon, Rob's hair, comparisons with True Blood...

Here's one of the newest ones: Wide Awake.

What is Wide Awake?

Well... if you have to ask that question, it's clear you're neither a) an obsessed Twilight fan, or b) involved with the Twilight fanfic community. The answer for the uninitiated is: Wide Awake is a very long, WIP fanfic written by author AngstGoddess003. It revolves around a very different Edward and Bella--characters who avoid sleep in order to avoid reliving incredibly traumatic events of their past.

I held off for as long as I could. I saw it mentioned, referenced, raved about a bajillion times before I finally started to read it. You know what got me? When it became a thread on IMBd, a site for the movie. Yeah, that's when. And by doing so, I became exposed to the incredible obsession so many fans seem to have formed for this fanfiction.

I'm only on chapter five, and although what I've read is quite good, I am yet to see what the fuss is about. I started reading it the other day, and I'm determined not to get sucked in as hard as I did with another recent discovery of mine, Innocent, Vigilant and Ordinary. That one caused me to deflect sleep just so I could finish it. Not good for the bags under my eyes, at any rate.

There's already multiple fan-video-trailers for this fanfic on youtube, a livejournal community and a crazy fan following. This fic is about as big as it can get, and I can't see it waning just yet.

...Unless, of course, a new obsession is created. Like when New Moon starts filming.

Hana Pestle

What can I say? For once self-promotion on Myspace actually worked with me.

Usually, I get added by bands slash events slash people in general, hoping to promote their music slash event slash product. And whatever. I add them, and I never follow through. Heartless? Not really. I just presume that I was one of thousands added, and it'll work with SOMEONE, that someone not being me.

But, for some reason, I looked into this one.

And, boy am I thankful.

Hana Pestle. Where do I begin? From my random googling, she's apparently a singer/songwriter in her late teens, who is pushing to get her song "Need" on the New Moon Motion Picture Soundtrack. I figured she was just one of many, but then I gave the song a listen.

Picture a voice that sounds eerily similar to Amy Lee (i'm sure, a consequence of the producer being Ben Moody, who did his thing with Evanescence) and an intricate, haunting piano in the background, and you have yourself a perfect New Moon song. Seriously, I think this one has what it takes.

Check out her myspace, or click here to download "Need", and tell me what you think.