If you’re trying to access the Multimedia section, it has been temporarily removed, as the Gallery was in fact broken (there were THOUSANDS of Dark Angel photos on the Gallery, yet it would only display one character’s folder??) and many of the images on it had such huge file sizes that the Gallery hogged a large portion of my website’s disc space. I hope to put many of the images back online when I can, and of course get the DA fan vids, episode clips and soundbytes etc back up.

Don’t forget that while there are many parts of the site that are MIA, the fan fiction are is still in action, as are the fanlistings. Go check them out now – bip bip bip!

And, feel free to leave me comments with your suggestions on what you think should be at TBW – feedback is always welcome, ESPECIALLY when it’s genuine and not the vast amount of spam I’ve been wading through!!

Tonight I found myself looking over TBW’s fanlisting collective and reminiscing (kind of a pun there, as my original fan fiction name was Sorrow Reminisce) about the good old days when Dark Angel’s online community seemed vast and never ending. Now the fandom is a shadow of its former self. Less than a shadow. (What’s less than a shadow??) Of course, it’s been a bloody long time since its cancellation, so it’s to be expected really… And though still rated as my favourite show, it’s been a really long time since I’ve dusted off my dvds and actually watched an episode. .

Sometimes I wonder if there’s any point keeping this website around? It’s been so long since I’ve checked my webstats, I don’t even know if TBW gets any hits any more? But looking over my old fanlistings makes me feel nostalgic and sentimental. I kinda feel like updating the site with that missing trivia/DA quotes page, or adding some more fan fiction to the archive, or even harvesting some more fan fiction writers from fanfiction.net or where ever it is now that people go to for their fandom fix… Maybe even – gods forbid – actually finish some of those WIPs I’ve never got around to completing… *snorts*

Okay, but not tonight. It’s after midnight. But, maybe sometime this year.

But what I really want to know most of all right now is “Hello??? Is there anybody out there??”

In completely off-topic and inconsequential news: I recently hired the Dark Angel PS2 game and although I clocked it a couple of years ago (with the help of a detailed level-by-level walkthrough I found online), I’m now floundering on… some level. The one after Max defeats the stingray guy and jumps onto the ship. Stupid timers. I keep fighting the urge to track down that walkthrough again. Incidently, I have a theory on why Manticore has been replaced by some other covert group, but I’ll go into that some other day. Goodnight!

Fan Fiction Archive: I’m midway through the task of converting the fan fiction categories to subject/timeline/character rather than standalone/multi-chapter. This way if a person is for example, wanting to find a story centering on Manticore, there’s a category dedicated to ‘em.

Gallery problems: Something has gone wrong with the main page of the Gallery. I’m trying to figure out how to fix this…

Staff wanted! TBW needs manpower to make updates on Dark Angel cast. If you have the time to dig out valid cast news on a fairly regular basis, please contact me and include the actor/actress you’d like to be a news staffer for. Depending on whether you’d like to be an Informant or Reporter, you’ll get your own TBW.org account and email. Further info on the Staff page.

If you’ve come to this site as a new fan browsing for cast info or hoping for news on a season three, I urge you to take a little detour and delve into some Dark Angel fan fiction. Even if you’re highly skeptical on the validity of fan work, you may be pleasantly surprised to find there are stories out there that can numb the grief in discovering there hasn’t been, and never will be, a season three for Dark Angel. A few good reads are suggested at the end of this little article. But first, allow me to settle into my rocking chair, tuck the granny blanket around my knees and do a little reminiscing on my own rabbit-hole tumble into fan fiction…

When I first found my way onto a Dark Angel fan site (in search of episode spoilers) and spotted a link to fan fiction, I laughed aloud at the idea of such a thing. It was my earliest foray onto any kind of fan site, and so at that point in time, the thought of writing stories based on a TV series was just a wee bit crazy to me. In fact, the idea of obsessing over a TV show in general was something I thought happened only people in need of intense psychotherapy.

So, I poked around the fansite, checked out what was coming up in the next few episodes (just out of boredom, not because I particularly cared or anything), and completely ignored the ‘fan fiction’ link for a good week or so before a skeptical form of curiosity got the better of me and I found myself back at the site and clicking the link – just for a laugh, of course.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, as my family came to view it) I happened to find a really good story. The kind so skilfully written it seemed as if a Dark Angel episode were playing out inside my head. I read fics that captured the psyche of the characters in a way the show itself never could. Stories that filled in the ‘missing scenes’ of episodes I had seen and those I had yet to watch, and in the case of the latter, I was often disappointed when the long-awaited episode finally came on the NZ telly, and wasn’t quite as good as the fan fic based on it. (Somewhat like watching the movie after reading the book.)

Eternity’s “April” gave a new reason for Zack’s stoic personality and emotional suppression. Mystic’s beautiful explorations into pre-escape Manticore gave the characters depth as well as a history I could believe in. The writers of Nuns With Pens persuaded me that Alec made for more than just a great antagonist, Scot Jane’s “Dinner Party Series”made me laugh until I cried, AntipodianOpaleyels “May Angel’s Lead You In” simply made me cry. And Zeke’s “Contingency Plan” opened my eyes to a whole new interpretation of the runes!

For me, if you haven’t figured it out already, fan fiction was definitely the pivotal ingredient that transformed Dark Angel from a good TV series into an alternate universe in it’s own right. I watched the show, read the books, bought the action figures. But with the show cancelled and no chance of a renewal -ever, Dark Angel would have ended for me there and then had it not been for the fan fiction which kept the post-pulse world alive.

And as long as there are fans out there with the talent to write, it will continue to.

Your thoughts?

If you’e a die-hard fan, I’m curious to know what it was about the show or the fandom which turned you from Casual Fan into a Fan Obsessed? Furthermore, feel free to add to the Suggested Reading by leaving a message in the comment form or emailing me: admin (at) thebrokenworld.org

Suggested Reading

Dark Angel Virtual Season Three – This may well be the closest you’ll get to a third season. VS3 is a very well thought out, cleverly collaborated effort by several fan fiction writers to continue Dark Angel.

Unsatisfactory by Mystic
Before a training mission, Ben ponders whether any of the X5′s are nomalies. (Setting: Manticore 2009)

Cogit Ergo Sum by Mystic
Zack begins to retain knowledge of his former self.(Setting: Summer after Freak Nation)

Drowning by Drea Jackman
Suddenly cast out of the only life he’s ever known, Alec is alone and dealing with it the only way he knows how. But, who’ll be there to throw him a life line when he’s going under?

Thump by Roonblah
First story in the Moon series. Alec is shot in the ass. Who does he go to for help?

The original TBW, our forum was born on New Years four years ago when Enigma and I sat online chatting (while everyone else in the world was partying) and had a random 4am inspiration to create a Dark Angel messageboard that could be open to all fans, regardless of shipper preference and all that kind of blah blah woof woof.

Anyway, hope everyone has a safe New Years holiday!

On another note: I’ve finally revamped Terminal Collective the portal of all the Dark Angel related fanlistings TBW has to offer. So if you’re a fan of DA fan fiction, or William Gregory Lee, or John Savage, or Ames White, Transgenics, Ben, and a dozen or so other DA subjects, go check out Terminal Collective and add yourself to a fanlist! (Because I’m sure you have nothing better to do, right? *note sarcasm*)

Oh and also, I finally wrapped up The Broken World Awards a few days ago, but have had no chance to announce it here until now. Not all winners have been contacted yet, so if you have won an award for your fan fiction/site/art and have not been contacted by me, feel free to kick my non-transgenic ass.

Anyway, hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas and go hard on the sherry trifle (Mmmm… trifle…)