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Fan Fiction Spotlight - April 2017

Posted April 19th, 2017 at 03:40 AM by HS Codex

Fan Fiction Spotlight
Bloodlines, by Bro-man
By: The Grim Reaper’s Friend


Title: “Bloodlines”
Rating: 7.33/10
Votes: 3
Status: Not Active

The sad reality of the Fan Fiction forum is that the majority of what you read is unfinished. This does have the benefit of pointing you towards the really good fiction though, as those that are especially well-written usually garner the most readers and are subsequently finished.

This system isn’t flawless though. There are quite a few unfinished fictions out there that were well-written and great reads. One of those is “Bloodlines,” by Bro-man.

What made “Bloodlines” great was not the quality of the writing. I’m just going to say it: there are errors in grammar and spelling, and sometimes the wording is clunky. However, none of that matters.

What makes “Bloodlines” great is the plot. The plot makes up for any grammatical errors and then keeps going, making you realize how truly special this fan fiction really is. That’s because, unlike every other fan fiction I’ve read on this site, “Bloodlines” has something special: steady suspense.

It’s true. “Bloodlines” is the only fan fiction I’ve seen that has steady suspense. Sure, the occasional zombie story will have you on the edge of your seat as the hero tries to escape the undead horde, but that kind of suspense is brief. It’s there, and then it’s not. Up and down. “Bloodlines” isn’t like that. It engages the reader in a way I’ve only seen bestselling novels do. As I read it, I found myself wondering (along with the other readers) what would happen next. Everyone was speculating on what the outcome would be. On who was really on which side. On what the real plan was.

Bro-man was able to give his fiction something that most published authors would love to have in the bag. Reading it was downright fun, and something I wouldn’t mind doing again. Indeed, the only drawback was the fact that it was never finished. And yet, this keeps its magical suspense alive. The suspense never ends, because you never know the answers. You might think that’s a bad thing, but it’s not. Even now, almost three years after it was written, I still feel the pull to read it again.

And after you read it, I can guarantee that you will too.

Author Background (last active: August 2015)

Bro-man was one of those authors you use as examples in motivational speeches. You know, when you’re trying to convince everyone to keep going. That’s because Bro-man had a lot of reasons to stop writing, and what did he do? He turned out one of the best fan fictions I’ve seen, even if it was unfinished.

There’s no way around it: Bro-man had terrible grammar. I’m sorry if you’re reading this, Bro-man, but it had to be said. Keep reading. It gets better.

As I said, Bro-man had terrible grammar. His tenses shifted constantly, words were misspelled, and the sentence structure was all over the place. From 2009 to mid-2014, he ran a collection of stories titled “Battles of Valhalla.” Whatever you were doing in the forum, that thread was always near the top, because Bro-man never stopped posting. People even told him point blank that his grammar was bad (kindly of course, but still). He never stopped writing.

If anything, he tried to improve his writing. He did, some, but for the most part it stayed where it was. I always wanted to help him out somehow, because I could tell that, beneath all the grammar mistakes, he was actually a pretty good writer. I tried offering advice (having a reputation as a grammar freak, it seemed only right), but nothing really seemed to stick.

Until Bro-man decided to write a new story. I can no longer remember the specifics of the deal, but somehow I ended up agreeing to proofread his chapters before he posted them. I won’t lie. It was tough. However, as I corrected the chapters he sent me, I began to realize something: what I was reading was good. Really good. And better yet, Bro-man’s grammar was improving.

It was a perfect case of what a lot of first-time writers worry about: “Is my grammar good enough?” “How can I expand my vocabulary?” “I can’t write because I can’t spell.” A lot of people let those things keep them from their goals. Bro-man didn’t. He knew there were problems, and he wrote anyway.

It just goes to show you that you can’t let obstacles get in your way. I try not to see things as obstacles (“try” being the operative word here, of course). I try to see them as challenges—tests which will make me better if I can overcome them. That’s something that Bro-man definitely did, and it paid off.

Give “Bloodlines” a look. It’s one of those fictions you never forget.

Until then, this is TGRF, signing off.
Total Comments 1

Comments

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TheAverageFan's Avatar
I remember this being a good fic. I would say someone should go in and finally finish it, but only Bro-Man knew where on Earth it was headed. And that's one of the reasons it was such an intriguing story.

~TAF
Posted April 21st, 2017 at 10:48 PM by TheAverageFan TheAverageFan is offline
 
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