Ain’t No Lie Baby, Bye Bye Bye

**Read the finale letter at 12PM EST.**
***If you’re a true sadist like me, I included some music at the end to listen to while reading*** 

Dear Twilight-

It’s weird to be writing my last official letter to you after four years of a near contant stream of crazy, stupid, and awesome. While writing a different letter a few days ago I was searching for some particular pictures and ran across so many old, epic posts, that I sent UC an email titled “WE DID THIS SHIT!!” and then I just put a ton of links of us posing for pictures with people like Sam Bradley and the Bananager and stories from Twicons and a a little fanfic I wrote called Inside Our Home. YEA, we did do all. that. shit! And it was fun. A LOT of fun!

The last fours years have taught me so much about myself that I never knew was possible. You know how they say to make a habit you have to do something consistently for 30 days? Try writing something “creative” (I’ll use quote marks here because they weren’t ALL great!) EVERY DAY for almost 800 days and not learning something about yourself. Impossible! Even when I had bad days or off days I knew there were people out there who would want to read a letter the next morning no matter what. I learned that there were people who the only time they got to laugh during the day was at our site, I learned that people go through terrible things yet life moves on and sometimes Twilight or a couple of girls can help you get through it. Talk about motivation! Talk about life lessons.

The ship that launched a thousand blogs.

Things I’ve Learned:

• Just when I think I’m done I need to proof about 20 more times (yes, I love typos)
• I can blog in a stupor at 3AM from a friends computer after I vaguely tell him I have a “deadline” for a secret blog he knows nothing about
• Some people are SUPER amazing and awesome and treat you like family even if you’ve never met
• Some people are super mean and terrible and will Tweet about you from the same room instead of saying mean things to your face
• Twilight really does bring people together
• Krisbians will NEVER understand us
• Once someone finds out you blog about Twilight, they will tell EVERYONE
• Everyone is secretly (or not so secretly) fascinated by Twilight
• When you’re out of ideas or need a one liner UC is always a text or instant message away with a home run. She hits a lot of home runs. Though she probably doesn’t know what sport a home run comes from.
  . 

These girls

I’ve learned a lot in the last four years, but just like Victoria in the films I’ve changed a lot as well. Ok, maybe I haven’t become a totally different person in a heinous  red wig, but you get the point. In the last four years we’ve been writing letters…

• I’ve lived in 2 houses
• I’ve had about 4 different jobs
• I’ve traveled to 6 countries outside of the states
• I’ve covered 2 Twilight red carpet premieres
• I’ve interviewed Stephenie Meyer and actually said the words “Fuck, Kill or Marry” to her while others stared in horror
• I’ve gained too many friends to count
• I’ve re-discovered 1 unbelievable best friend and business partner

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UC once said that we could’ve been halfway through schooling to become doctors if we’d decided to apply ourselves to studying medicine instead of studying what hat Robert Pattinson wore to a bar the previous night. To that I say BORING!!! I’ll let the doctors do what they do best and I’ll stick to photoshopping Taylor’s face onto an alpaca. Cause that is totally normal. So who knows what will happen in the next four years, maybe Kit Harrington will tell us he needs to use the bathroom at a red carpet event or Ryan Gosling will agree to our polygamist lifestyle contract we created. Who knows, but one thing’s for sure, I want UC involved.
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We did it our way

After we started LTT and LTR UC and I would have regular discussions about how we could play with “the big kids” and get invited to special stuff and gain tons of readers. Every time we’d come to the conclusion that none of that was worth it if we couldn’t continue writing the blogs our way. I’m so glad we stuck to our guns and talked about Twilight  our way because it ended up turning out exactly how we wanted it to, it just took a little longer. But it was SO worth it. A big thank you goes out to each and every reader and follower we’ve had along the way for sticking with us and proving that what we were saying wasn’t totally crazy and that there were more Twilight fans out there who were just like us and wanted to be represented like we did. I hope we did you proud.
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This was the day I knew…

UC – You told me you cried writing your name for the “last” time and I laughed. Well, I just wrote your name and started crying, so I guess we’re even. And I guess it’s finally hitting me. After four years I don’t think we have anything left unsaid on the subject but I want you to know you’re amazing and talented and special and a heck of a business partner. Really, without you pushing me sometimes things wouldn’t get done. I appreciate that about you and I appreciate that we both recognize our strengths and weaknesses and have pushed each other to shine in our strengths rather than try to be something we’re not. People have asked me how we’ve made it work when so many partnerships fail and I think it really comes down to just that, we both know what we do best and we do it. There’s no ego or passive aggressive BS, just two friends doing something they really love together. Who would have thunk it? We’ve seen, done and heard a lot of crazy shit in the past four years and I knew we were meant to be because we’d ALWAYS be on the same page about it. Thank you for getting me and getting us and having the same vision for this blog as I did. Now go wipe your eyes, we have another blog to blow up.
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So yes, Twilight, we came, we saw, we laughed and WE DID THIS SHIT. It’s been a mind blowing four years that I don’t think I’ll fully comprehend for many years to come.

Thank you for everything.
XOXO
Themoonisdown

PS See you at That’s Normal!

These guys

PPS A HUGE HUGE special hug and thank you to all those who have contributed over the years by sending in letters, commenting, tweeting, giving us ideas and generally just being supportive. We couldn’t have done it without you. To the LTT family – White Yorkie, The Font, Brooke and Mr. Choice. To all those past and present who have kept the forum lively and working- JodieO, Zephyr, KelBel, Kristin, Jena and Dancing Echoes. To our friends at Summit- Ryan, Matt, Ramzy, Nancy and Jack, thanks for accepting us and trusting our form of Twilight love. To Rob. Why not? To Meghan, there are 24 usable hours in the day. Someday I’ll use them all, like you. To the Twilight family of sites and Bitchin’ Bloggers: Will, Elena, Gozde, Lauren, Erin, Abbey, Allison, Andrew, Kaleb, Laura, Matt, Heidi, Lori, Jen, Kimmy, Michelle, Kate and Patty! You’ve been invaluable resources and most of all good friends! To my SoCal friends who happen to love Twilight, thank you for doing all that stuff with me. To our Twilight cast pals- Thanks for acting like we’re not crazy (we are). And an even bigger thank you to Stephenie Meyer for getting us started and for helping provide the amazing content we spent four years writing about. Thank you for getting us. Thank you for Edward and Bella and Jacob. Thank you for being the reason UC and I reunited. And really, the offer still stands. If you need a place to escape and a computer… the closet is open.
.

And because I never do anything without music… follow the jump for some tunes to listen to while you read this…

Continue…

45 Commented

#RIPTwilight – We swear this is the last one

Dear Twilight,

I sat down in front of my computer last night with the notes I’ve been jotting down the past week for my very last personal “Letter to Twilight” and I couldn’t do it. It was partially because I had two cats sleeping on my lap and I was uncomfortable. Partially because I had just written up something for That’s Normal and I really wanted to watch Revenge (then I realized IT WASN’T EVEN NEW. I CAN’T HANDLE THESE DAMN-WINTER FINALES), but it was a lot because this is really really really times 1 million bittersweet and I don’t feel ready yet to write down all the words that are in my head. Yes, I’m stalling. Yes, I’m sad about the end. Yes, I’m also excited for a “new chapter” in the online lives of UC & Moon and all the adventures to come, but I’m also really really sad that LTT is coming to a close. I know I’ll write about Twilight again on That’s Normal. I know that the LTT archives will be up here for YEARS to come, but this little community that we carved out in a big, scary fandom has meant the absolute world to me- YOU have meant the absolute world to me, and I’m just not ready to say good-bye.

So I’m not. Yes because I’m tired and it’s Sunday night as I type this and I haven’t talked to Moon all weekend & that’s pretty important when we’re writing a “HEY LTT SEE YA” letter together. But also because we got two other #RIPTwilight letters since Saturday & I think you should read them 🙂 Plus in my search for reasons why I love LTT so much I found the world’s best post, which we will revisit- so read on!

We love our Canadians

The end? I can handle these words when it comes to the end of a movie or the end of a book. Maybe even the end of the Mayan Calendar — okay, who am I kidding, I can’t handle that end either — but what I really can’t handle is the end of this little corner of my world. I found LTT in early 2009 and like many of us I was struggling with what real life had to offer. Twilight came into my life at just the right time, offered me the escape I so badly needed and brought about an obsession I hadn’t felt since my Grade 9 crush on a senior boy named Luke (lucky for Luke, blogs didn’t exist back then). Anyhow, I had never before felt such a passion for a story and had never been involved in a fandom. I had no idea what to expect but immediately felt at home on LTT. Being a professional in my real life there was no one I could risk discussing peacoats, meadows or mushroom ravioli with while keeping  my street cred. I honestly felt that each LTT post was speaking right to me or could have possibly been written by me …if I was that creative or witty.
LTT very quickly became apart of my morning routine. I remember several mornings cursing myself when I managed to get my computer fired up & coffee brewed before the days post went live. I also remember many late nights putting off sleep for fear of missing a new “can’t miss” thread in the forum. Some might suggest I be ashamed of the day (or five) that I spent an entire work day looking at trashy pap photos or the day I was late picking my child up from school or the day I blew off a very important doctors appointment because shirtless photos of Rob Pattinson hit the interwebs — but I’m not. At all. That’s Normal!

LTT has not only brought many laughs over the years and an escape from real life pressures, it has also brought into my life some of the most fabulous women (and a couple of men) who I am grateful to call friends of mine. I will forever be thankful to UC, Moon and the entire LTT group.

Happy Anniversary!!

Mrskowski

We met on a Plane
One of my favorite LTT connections is with “Plane friend”- a friend I made in college (we met ON a plane traveling away from or to college!) who I reconnected with on LTT!

Dear LTT, Steph, and everything else Twilight,

I don’t really know how to say “good-bye”.

I’ve felt this way before. There are some books/TV shows that see us through times of transition and that it’s hard to accept are really over, even when they are. Friends ended the year I graduated college and I STILL hope they’ll do a reunion show one of these years. Gilmore Girls was the show that saw me through getting married and the beginning of my (short-lived) teaching career. Harry Potter was one of the YA series that bonded me with my students and introduced me to the concept of midnight movie releases and, even better, midnight bookstore releases. I still miss every one of those series, and they still bring back all sorts of nostalgia for me.

Twilight, though, will always trump every other series send off, because it means the most to me, to the point where I don’t even know how to acknowledge that it’s really over. Twilight saw me through the two hardest things I’ve ever experienced: infertility and becoming a mom. Sparkly vampires were a perfect escape from needles and disappointing test results (at first) and then the much more enjoyable (but still yucky) things like spit up and messy diapers once my dreams came true.

I know this is a more emotional (yes, I admit I’m crying while I type this) letter than we usually do here on LTT, but I still wanted to share. Because Twilight–and all the millions of laughs we had here on LTT–have meant so, so much to me through the last four years.

And no matter what you say about being done writing about Forks, Steph, I am holding out hope that there will be that sequel narrated by Nessie and Leah. Honestly, I think it would make a perfect transition for sending my only daughter off to kindergarten…or middle school..or even college.

Love and gratitude from
The Plane Friend

A story so precious to us.. years later

I hope you remember MidnightCyn– I still see her pop up in the comments every once in awhile & know she reads religiously! If you don’t remember or want a refresher, here is Cyn’s full story, but to recap, Cyn had an accident that caused a 50-first dates-type reaction where every day was like learning everything all over again.. and Twilight changed her life. 

You’ve been my lifeline since you first posted my original letter and I cannot, no matter how hard I try, find the words to Thank, UC/Moon and all my Twilight friends! You all pulled me out of the dark hole I was living in and surrounded me with love, understanding and patience. Suddenly, I had friends again! I couldn’t wait to wake up and jump onto LTT (where I still go everyday) and these once total strangers welcomed me into their world without question or judgement at my obvious difficulties! I found support, comfort and the kindest people I have ever “met”. Most importantly, it was a safe place to go and share my love for all things Twilight with those that not only understood but felt the same way! I finally had a reason to laugh again, (the spit out your morning coffee kind of laughter) and most of all I felt like I belonged there, which for someone like me, I never thought I would experience that again.

.. I will forever be grateful!

MidnightCyn

Mr. Choice’s last Letter

As much as I tried & hinted and promised all sort of leg hitches & special hugs, I couldn’t get my husband Mr. Choice to pen one last Letter to Twilight. However, just as he has shown me for FOUR years now, he cares. He knows how much LTT and you all have meant to me despite complaining about it and rolling his eyes more often than not. He knows what this has meant to me & has been nothing but supportive (supportive with a side of 2nd-hand embarrassed for his Twilight-obsessed wife) for all these years.

The other day I was in the middle of something important- probably looking up pictures of Joseph Gordon Levitt- and he told me to put down my computer to listen to something for 6 minutes. And for 6 long minutes we listened to his very first “Letter To Twilight” (which in fact was NOT really to Twilight and WAS a 6 minute “radio interview” with “Robert Paddleston”) Done years ago in 2009 long before we realized how embarrassing this would be, saved in the archives of the world wide web for all time, Mr. Choice spent the time ON HIS OWN to learn about my “hobby” that “boy” I crushed on and support it in the only way he knew how- making fun of it (I learned it from somewhere!)

And making me listen to it again, with my hands over my face and almost crying from 2nd-hand embarassment giggles is his one last Letter to Twilight.

Here is the original post from 2009. And you do NOT want to miss the audio below:

37 Commented

#RIPTwilight – Your Stories Day 5 – LTT friendships made

Post #4 (and the last post… we think) for the day!!! Follow along with the #RIPTwilight Tag so you don’t miss any of the stories!

Dear Twilight,

I blame it all on Wayne*. If he hadn’t taken his wife Narelle* out to dinner on Saturday, 27 April 2010 I wouldn’t have been babysitting Shiela* and Bruce* (*not their real names, Hale no!). I wouldn’t have watched Shiela’s Twilight DVD. I wouldn’t have thought “the acting, meh and meh, what do they see in RPatz? and good god! those wigs!! but the STORY…”

My Amazon account tells me I purchased 5 paperbacks, one hardback and a DVD on 30th April. Only one of these items didn’t have Stephenie Meyer’s name on it. And so my own brand of heroin began it’s addiction.

It was like being a teenager again – the bad side of it: uncertainty, mood swings, hiding in my room, obsession and feeling (even more) like the outsider.

I needed to talk but friends didn’t really understand and so I turned to the web but nothing seemed to fit. Such seriousness out there. And such hate. For a book about made up stuff. Then the Goddess let it be known she would be allowing subjects to attend her – Twilight Lexicon mentioned a transcript of the meeting on some Letters blog and thus I found my true Cullen home.

Letters To Twilight. LTT. It had to be. Even the initials are the same as mine. A matching Twilight obsession but t’is a true love: we see the quirks and faults, accept them, snark a little and still love.

Through Twilight and LTT I could escape RL for a little bit ‘cause being a grown up is HARD. You’re expected to be responsible and you need to support others. And sometimes not nice things happen in RL. At LTT I could at first watch and then dance amongst a worldwide crowd of intelligent, funny people who sympathised and shared, not just about the Twilight world.

Then, too too quickly time passed and suddenly BD2 was coming out and LTT would be ending and I needed to do something. So I went to LA. I went to Fan Camp. I saw the pretty people (and the actors). I got tipsy at the LTT party (yeah, ok, drunk). I got to make virtual friends real.

Twilight and LTT have given me a much needed reminder that it’s okay to not be grown up all the time. It’s okay to be sad and scared and, most importantly, that the opportunity to make new friends without judgement is one of the things that makes living so worthwhile.

RIP Twilight. And RIP Wayne, although you started it you didn’t get to see the end.
So let’s raise our Strawberry Loves and make a toast to moving onto the next fun thing in our lives.

‘Cause http://thats-normal.com

14 Commented

#RIPTwilight- Your Stories Day 5 – We’re still not done…

Post #3 for the day!!! Follow along with the #RIPTwilight Tag so you don’t miss any of the stories!

Dear Twilight,

so this is it. You’re leaving. Fine. We all know how well that worked out last time! But just in case you’ll actually be able to stay away this time, let me tell you a little about what you mean to me, okay?

When you came into my life in 2009, I was in a slump. You energized me, made me remember what it was like to dream impossible dreams, what it was like to be in love. I sort of rediscovered who I was and who I wanted to be, and started making some changes in my life. You brought love, sex and sarcasm back into my life, in that order.

Because then I discovered LTT, and a bunch of fantastic women of various ages who shared one trait: they all knew how to love something passionately, to the point of nerdiness, without ever letting that stop them from fondly poking fun at it, and at themselves. It was like joining a religion where the followers make fun of their religious leaders and gods every day. And a religion with a sense of humor can never turn into a cult. It was also a community where people were generous with their love and support as well as their sarcasm, and where random comments made you think and important issues were raised and dissected tweed seriously. (Like how vampire erections really work.) It made me feel Normal, when not much else did. I will miss it – a lot.

This feels like graduating from college (if you had a good college experience). You know that you have to move on to someplace else, but you really hate leaving all those wonderful friends you’ve made behind. That’s how I feel now that LTT is shutting down, even though I still think our love is forever, Twilight. Not because you’re a bunch of sparkly vampires but because this kind of love IS forever. (And if I kill myself next year, jumping off a high cliff, I will still have had some really fun years with you, so it’s still worth it!)

A thousand hugs and kisses!
MariaCecilia

P.S. If you see Rob around, tell him he can come to my Halloween party dressed as Edward, anytime. I have Heineken and Hot Pockets. Seriously. Second turn to the left after the dumpster.

“Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” -CS Lewis

Hi ladies,

That’s the quote that came to mind, when I saw your post “The Time has Come”. I knew that inevitably this would be happening, so here I am writing to you one last time. This is what I think of when I think about your blog. I’m not the only one. When I finished reading the Twilight series, back in February 2009, I was all by my lonesome. No one told me about the books or the movies, so it was serendipity that I found you guys. It is through you that I connected to Random Acts of Rob, and met some of my dearest friends there. I also found out about fan fiction, because of The Forum. Without fan fiction, I wouldn’t have been a part of RAoR’s fan fiction fridays. Now I’m a part of a book blog called Bookish Temptations. It’s the circle of life. *giggle*

Here are some of my fondest memories:

Your letter to Xavier Samuel. That’s the first letter I read here. I remember laughing out loud at work, with my head down on the counter. I was thrilled to realize that I was actually normal in my obsession, in the great scheme of things.

Thanksgiving 2009 post. The first time my name is featured on a post. I was so thankful for Edward and Chris Weitz that year.

All Things lead to Twilight. My own personal letter was posted on LTT. How cool is that?

My husband’s letter to Rob. Robert Thomas Pattinson. Seriously, how could I not talk about Rob. When my husband mentioned in passing that he wanted to thank Rob and Stephenie for that matter, I immediately wrote a letter to him, and again it got posted. That’s so normal.

Twilight soundtrack posts. I loved all of the posts about music. There is alot of really great music on my iPod because of you guys.

One day I would love to meet you guys in person, but would probably embarrass myself, being the fangirl that I am. If you are ever in Chicago, give me a head’s up, so we can meet. I’ll buy you a drink. It’s the least I can do, right?

Thanks you guys for bringing so much fun and joy into my life. I look forward to more laughs at That’s Normal too.

Huge crazy fan girl,

Katherine aka katiebird

7 Commented

#RIPTwilight – Your Stories Day 5 – For all the Lurkers out there

Post #2 for the day!!!  For all you Lurkers out there: WHY ARE YOU LURKING??? We need you! We got this letter from thelurkingcricket this week & it about killed me. How many of you are lurking in the corners, creeping by the sidelines, laughing with us, considering yourself one of us and we don’t know you at ALL? This makes me sad! I want to know you! 

But seriously… lurkers are some of our favorites… because no matter when we hear from you (and we usually eventually do– except for you – yep I see you lurking there!) it’s like we’ve known you for years… wahhh

Dear LTT

After reading the letters from avid LTTers this past week I felt I should buck up and finally write to you. As far as the LTT gang is concerned I am a nobody…or as one LTTer so hilariously put it one of those “lurker/reader”.

Since 2009 I have been lurking and reading LTT and LTR. Like many it is the first site I visit every morning, followed by my bank and then gmail. So it would be rude of me to not let the number one site I visit know how grateful I have been for the hilarious, but still twilosophical insight into the world we all just can’t seem to get enough of. I never commented or wrote a letter, until now. I just checked the site religiously, giggling under my breath and many times covering my mouth to muffle the giggles turned laughter trying to avoid getting caught.

But caught I was…eventually I couldn’t hold in the LTT/LTR funny and my husband found out. Instead of all my sentences starting with “Today on NPR I heard this story….” (I have an hour commute) they began to start with “Today my blog wrote….”.* (Yes, I just referred to your blog as my blog even though I have had nothing to do with it other than lurking and reading. But it is the only blog I have ever read and therefore to me and my husband it is mine.) I was eventually found out by my boss as well and realizing it would be worse if I tried to deny or hide my obsession, because that would make it a weak spot and susceptible for torture, I proudly looked at him and declared my ever-lasting love to LTT and Twilight.

From that moment on, although I was still too scared to actually join LTT in any real way, I openly read, followed, and discussed LTT with any person that showed the slightest inclination for Twilight. This site has given me so many things over the years…a link to people who understand the need for more Twilight, but also understand the big picture; 15 minutes in the day where I can turn everything else off and just go to a happy place…that I feel I need to do more than just stare sadly at my computer on the final day. So instead of being sad when the time comes, I have decided I will eat a “last meal” to commemorate the fun I have had stalking my first and only blog – I consider That’s Normal to be an extension of this blog. I will eat mushroom ravioli, because that is fitting, and drink a bottle (or two) and think about the good reads and the smiles it always brought me.

Thank you UC, Moon, and all the contributors to LTT!

theLurkingCricket

*Light bulb: create audio versions of the archives and I can fill my hour commute with LTT/LTR rather than NPR which would be totally normal! I LIKE THIS IDEA -UC

Here are UC & Moon as the original Twilight lurkers

Next time invite me to your Twilight parties

Dear LTT,

I am writing to tell you about my beautiful experience with The Twilight Saga.

The Twilight Saga has definitely had a huge impact in my life. Starting with the books. I remember reading the first one and instantly falling in love in with the story and of course the one and only Edward Cullen. Next came the excitement of the movie!! I remember seeing the pictures of them filming and thinking “Whoa, what a hottie!” I knew they had selected the best Edward (which was the most important to me. I mean, I knew they couldn’t have selected the best Bella. Hello? I never received the call I had gotten the part!).

I have such wonderful memories from watching all 5 premieres online, actually waiting for ROB to make his appearance, to leaving work at 5pm and change into my Twilight gear and head to the movies to be first in line for the midnight premiere (then go home, get 2 hours of sleep and go right back to work. Hey, its Twilight! Its soooo worth it!), to the excitement of the DVD release, to even hosting my own Twilight Party!! It made a special bond for my sister, my cousin and I. We were all such Twilight Fanatics!

I have to give a special THANK YOU to my husband for putting up with me and my Twilight Addiction. Not only did he go to every single midnight release with me, not only did he buy me everything I wanted that was Twilight related, he never once looked at me like I was crazy and never called an intervention on me. The only think he says is he is SO grateful we got married before Breaking Dawn because he doesn’t think he could have handled paying for our wedding to be EXACTLY like Bella and Edward’s! So again, Thank you Sweetheart for putting up with me and my obsession! I love you! Xoxo

And of course, Thank you to LTT for all the laughs, the stories and the good times. I will definitely miss it all.

*sniff*
*sniff*

Kristie

PS. The pictures are from one of my Twilight Parties! I painted the wine glasses, made cupcakes with vampire fang markings, I made a CD of the best Twilight Songs from the soundtracks and tied it up with a fork that says “I Love Forks!”, I covered Twislers with a “Type A Blood” and the other photo is a close up of one of the glasses I painted!

18 Commented