The Vampire Diaries (novels)

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Fandom
Name: The Vampire Diaries
Abbreviation(s): VD, TVD
Creator: LJ Smith
Date(s): 1991/1992: original series
2009/2010: Return trilogy
2009-present: TV series
Medium: book, television
Country of Origin: US
External Links: VampireDiaries.com (official)
Vampire-Diaries.net (fansite)
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.
This is a page for the fandom surrounding the novels. If you want to learn more about the fandom surrounding the TV show, visit The Vampire Diaries (TV)

The Vampire Diaries is a YA book series by LJ Smith; it was adapted into a CW TV series by the same name.

Overview

The Vampire Diaries series consists of four original books published in 1991 and 1992 (The Awakening, The Struggle, The Fury, and Dark Reunion), and a new trilogy written to mark the author's return from her ten-year hiatus. The Return trilogy includes Nightfall (published February 2009), Shadow Souls (February 2010), and Midnight (due 2010-11).

Original series follow the life of Elena Gilbert, highschool girl without parents, who gets involved into supernatural side of her hometown of Mystic Falls. She enters this world accidentally via her vampiric boyfriend Stefan Salvatore and his older brother Damon, whom she reminds of their creator and old love Katherine von Swartzschild, together with her friends Bonnie McCullough and Caroline Forbes, accompanied by her brother Jeremy Gilbert. Their main opponents are Katherine von Swartzschild and Klaus.

Fannish Origins

I knew L.J. Smith (Vampire Diaries author) for awhile and can assure you that she was most definitely a Blakes, and Blake 7, fan. She also wrote some of the best B/A stories I've read, under a pseud, of course. And no, I can't tell you what it is, since I'd promised to keep it to myself. You'll also find familiar quotes and fannish inside jokes in the subsequent series about the witches, which I liked even better than the vampire ones. I have the impression that she got so wrapped up in her commercial writing that she gafiated some years ago now. [1]

Fandom

Many fans have noticed a startling amount of subtext in the original books. The Vampire Diaries is perhaps LJ Smith's slashiest work. Included is a deep friendship between Matt and Stefan, two male characters who bond immediately, and a famous (or infamous) broyay pseudo-rape scene between Stefan and Damon Salvatore in The Awakening. In the books, several characters make comments on 'kinky' threesomes. This has spawned a large amount of slash fanfiction, more so than in any of LJ Smith's other books, even Nightworld.

Fan Reaction to Nightfall

Reaction to the new trilogy has been incredibly mixed [2]. Many fans expressed dismay over the large number of inconsistencies and inaccuracies in Nightfall, including the heavy use of modern technology when it's still technically 1992. LJ Smith also made significant changes to the characters' personalities, especially Damon (a fan favorite), upsetting many long-time members of the fandom. Some have accused LJ Smith of not familiarizing herself with her books before writing Nightfall. In her defense, other mostly newer fans (who entered the fandom after reading the 2008 omnibus reprints of the original books) have pointed out that LJ Smith has not been writing for over ten years, so some inconsistencies can be expected and forgiven. LJ Smith herself has admitted it's not her best work, and blames the poor writing quality on problems with her editors. However, many fans remain unhappy with the direction of the new books, citing Nightfail's ridiculous plotline, vaguely homophobic references, and disturbing characterization that reads like bad fanfic.

Websites

In response to the flurry of activity and interest surrounding The Vampire Diaries, a new fansite was created in March 2009. Vampire-Diaries.net features the latest news on the TV show and books, as well as a comprehensive wiki, fanfiction archive, fanart gallery, and forum. There is also a twitter account and LiveJournal community.[3] An official but less comprehensive and more profit-oriented website, Vampirediaries.com, was later created by Alloy Entertainment to promote the TV show and books.

Archives

Communities

General

  • tvd_fans - welcomes anything and everything that is related to The Vampire Diaries, be it based on the books, the game, or the television series. 1600 members.
  • ontd_tvd - Oh No They Didn't comm
  • vd_fr - French LJ community for fans of the books and TV series

Fanfic

Pairings

  • damon_alaric - The first source for Damon/Alaric on Livejournal
  • damon_elena - Damon/Elena shippers from The Vampire Diaries, community is flocked. More than 2,000 members.
  • salvatore_sd - Flocked community completely about the relationship between Damon and Stefan as brothers
  • stefan_elena - Stefan/Elena shippers
  • tvd_slash - Dreamwidth community for fic, meta, icons, and other material relating to non-incest slash pairings
  • tvd_slash - a place where authors and readers can connect and enjoy slash fanfiction about the characters from both their television and book incarnations. Salvatoreslash and any future 'cest slash pairings are welcome.

Resources

References

  1. ^ from a fan in Rallying Call #18 (1996)
  2. ^ http://lj-smith.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=491
  3. ^ http://community.livejournal.com/tvd_fans/
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