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azuriteNot that I will, but IF I DID, any "Twilight" series fics I write would have the following plots (or answer the following questions):
* Why Bella is in love with Edward
* Bella acts more like a normal teenager: when she decides she might like Edward (note: not "irrevocably in love with" yet), she opts to try some very teenage ways of "getting his attention" as well as testing his limits around her (once she discovers the truth about him, but maybe before she confronts him about it/he tells her), including trying to seduce him.
- Does Bella even know she's doing it? Ohhh yes, especially when (by accident -er, happy chance- or some actual THOUGHT), she discovers he's stalking her in her bedroom at night.
- She also teases, which may end up answering the question "How do vampires get hard-ons?" My ideas of tease are not like fandom's, I would think, but then again, venturing too far into that fandom is like walking into the Jaws of Death, so....
* Bella had dreams of a career once... and watching [cable] TV reminds her of them. What does Bella consider being -despite being a vampire, or before, or...? (This one would obviously depend on which book/movie it took place in or between.) Bella as a CSI? A chef? A therapist? (If Carlisle can be a doctor, why couldn't Bella feasibly find a job? Or would her youthful appearance be her downfall in getting one and keeping one -at least, a live, in-person job where she DIDN'T travel, MIGHT be out in daylight, etc.?)
Fic, in this case, is not to show what wasn't seen in canon, nor does it exist to take some fascinating characters and put them in another universe (whether that's another canon or another universe altogether). It's to answer questions or explore characters in ways that SHOULD have been done in canon.
brainwashingbrainwashngbrainwashing! convertconvertconvert!
Some people say that "Twilight" was subversive in a good way, and the characters are so attractive because of how messed up they are. Maybe Meyer even acknowledges that, but I don't think the vast majority of fandom does. Hell, I don't think the books do. It's reminding me of the people that cried "foul" when Hermione and Ron got together in Harry Potter; people said their relationship was (and had been) abusive, and it had yet to be addressed by ANY of the characters within the book. I still think that's one of HP's weaknesses. No series is perfect, but put HP in comparison with the "Twilight" series and HP is more readable, the characters more realistic and better fleshed-out, and the world built to a more concrete degree.
It kinds of makes me sad/sick when I hear people describe "Twilight" as a "beautiful love story." I acknowledge that it's a YA novel, a romantic fantasy, a gothic fantasy or what-have-you, but there is simply nothing beautiful about the theme I have seen throughout these books:
CHANGE FOR YOUR MAN, IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GET HIM TO STAY WITH YOU/WANT YOU.
That's why I hated "Grease." Why should I like this series of books that has this girl with such low self-esteem and SO MUCH POTENTIAL and watch her crash and burn because she's so desperate (and crazy) in love with Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious? Why does Bella have to forego having ANY sort of a life (even her teenage years get twisted with Edward present for the bulk of the last half of them) prior to becoming Mrs. Cullen and having a baby, all within the span of a few months? WHY DOES SHE THINK BEING A VAMPIRE IS THE ONLY WAY? Because Meyer wrote her that way. Bella's not a go-getter, she's a giver-upper. There's nothing romantic about the idea of a woman sacrificing everything she is (or in Bella's case, ANYTHING that she is; she doesn't have much substance to her in the first place until she turns, at which point she's more or less Mrs. Mary-Sue) for a guy. There's just not.
And RPattz agrees with me:
“When you read the book,” says Pattinson, ... “it’s like, ‘Edward Cullen was so beautiful I creamed myself.’ I mean, every line is liked that. He’s the most ridiculous person who’s so amazing at everything. I think a lot of actors tried to play that aspect. I just couldn’t do that. And the more I read the script, the more I hated this guy, so that’s how I played him, as a manic-depressive who hates himself. Plus, he’s a 108 year-old virgin so he’s obviously got some issues there.” (from an interview with RPattz re: the movie)
And you ought to read the humorous but still factual recounting of Meyer's not-so-subtle injections of Mormonism into the books. No hating against Mormons here, but the truth is, her "fantasy" world isn't free of soapboxing. Not by a longshot. (Be sure to grab the Drinking Game Bingo Card for the books + Midnight Sun leaked chapters. It's on Part 3 of the entries.)
You know what would be awesome? If there was a site (or if FFnet did it) where people had their fics and you could add your real-time commentary as an overlay-- a'la Nico Nico video.
Because seriously, the commentary I'd be leaving on the FFnet section of "Twilight"? So much more worth my time than an actual well-thought out REVIEW in that fandom. I'd get lambasted if I even tried to give what I consider true concrit (which, in my mind, is not a synonym for "endless praise,") and I know it's not worth the effort. But quick-play commentary with full anonymity? I'd tap that. Somebody, make it happen!
Such an idea might come back to bite me in the ass, but I think overall it would help people improve and give those readers who never review a chance to say just WHY they don't usually bother, whether or not they've got more than the usual "LOL UPDATE PLZ" one-liners.
* Why Bella is in love with Edward
* Bella acts more like a normal teenager: when she decides she might like Edward (note: not "irrevocably in love with" yet), she opts to try some very teenage ways of "getting his attention" as well as testing his limits around her (once she discovers the truth about him, but maybe before she confronts him about it/he tells her), including trying to seduce him.
- Does Bella even know she's doing it? Ohhh yes, especially when (by accident -er, happy chance- or some actual THOUGHT), she discovers he's stalking her in her bedroom at night.
- She also teases, which may end up answering the question "How do vampires get hard-ons?" My ideas of tease are not like fandom's, I would think, but then again, venturing too far into that fandom is like walking into the Jaws of Death, so....
* Bella had dreams of a career once... and watching [cable] TV reminds her of them. What does Bella consider being -despite being a vampire, or before, or...? (This one would obviously depend on which book/movie it took place in or between.) Bella as a CSI? A chef? A therapist? (If Carlisle can be a doctor, why couldn't Bella feasibly find a job? Or would her youthful appearance be her downfall in getting one and keeping one -at least, a live, in-person job where she DIDN'T travel, MIGHT be out in daylight, etc.?)
Fic, in this case, is not to show what wasn't seen in canon, nor does it exist to take some fascinating characters and put them in another universe (whether that's another canon or another universe altogether). It's to answer questions or explore characters in ways that SHOULD have been done in canon.
brainwashingbrainwashngbrainwashing! convertconvertconvert!
Some people say that "Twilight" was subversive in a good way, and the characters are so attractive because of how messed up they are. Maybe Meyer even acknowledges that, but I don't think the vast majority of fandom does. Hell, I don't think the books do. It's reminding me of the people that cried "foul" when Hermione and Ron got together in Harry Potter; people said their relationship was (and had been) abusive, and it had yet to be addressed by ANY of the characters within the book. I still think that's one of HP's weaknesses. No series is perfect, but put HP in comparison with the "Twilight" series and HP is more readable, the characters more realistic and better fleshed-out, and the world built to a more concrete degree.
It kinds of makes me sad/sick when I hear people describe "Twilight" as a "beautiful love story." I acknowledge that it's a YA novel, a romantic fantasy, a gothic fantasy or what-have-you, but there is simply nothing beautiful about the theme I have seen throughout these books:
CHANGE FOR YOUR MAN, IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GET HIM TO STAY WITH YOU/WANT YOU.
That's why I hated "Grease." Why should I like this series of books that has this girl with such low self-esteem and SO MUCH POTENTIAL and watch her crash and burn because she's so desperate (and crazy) in love with Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious? Why does Bella have to forego having ANY sort of a life (even her teenage years get twisted with Edward present for the bulk of the last half of them) prior to becoming Mrs. Cullen and having a baby, all within the span of a few months? WHY DOES SHE THINK BEING A VAMPIRE IS THE ONLY WAY? Because Meyer wrote her that way. Bella's not a go-getter, she's a giver-upper. There's nothing romantic about the idea of a woman sacrificing everything she is (or in Bella's case, ANYTHING that she is; she doesn't have much substance to her in the first place until she turns, at which point she's more or less Mrs. Mary-Sue) for a guy. There's just not.
And RPattz agrees with me:
“When you read the book,” says Pattinson, ... “it’s like, ‘Edward Cullen was so beautiful I creamed myself.’ I mean, every line is liked that. He’s the most ridiculous person who’s so amazing at everything. I think a lot of actors tried to play that aspect. I just couldn’t do that. And the more I read the script, the more I hated this guy, so that’s how I played him, as a manic-depressive who hates himself. Plus, he’s a 108 year-old virgin so he’s obviously got some issues there.” (from an interview with RPattz re: the movie)
And you ought to read the humorous but still factual recounting of Meyer's not-so-subtle injections of Mormonism into the books. No hating against Mormons here, but the truth is, her "fantasy" world isn't free of soapboxing. Not by a longshot. (Be sure to grab the Drinking Game Bingo Card for the books + Midnight Sun leaked chapters. It's on Part 3 of the entries.)
You know what would be awesome? If there was a site (or if FFnet did it) where people had their fics and you could add your real-time commentary as an overlay-- a'la Nico Nico video.
Because seriously, the commentary I'd be leaving on the FFnet section of "Twilight"? So much more worth my time than an actual well-thought out REVIEW in that fandom. I'd get lambasted if I even tried to give what I consider true concrit (which, in my mind, is not a synonym for "endless praise,") and I know it's not worth the effort. But quick-play commentary with full anonymity? I'd tap that. Somebody, make it happen!
Such an idea might come back to bite me in the ass, but I think overall it would help people improve and give those readers who never review a chance to say just WHY they don't usually bother, whether or not they've got more than the usual "LOL UPDATE PLZ" one-liners.
