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sabotabbyBut, uh.
I'm going to recommend fanfic. Twilight fanfic.
If it helps, I will add that it's a critique in story form—a remix of Twilight by someone who is clearly quite smart. The premise is that Bella is thoughtful and self-aware. The other characters are recognizably themselves up to a certain point, after which the story takes strange and unpredictable twists as Bella—re-imagined as intelligent, logical, and rather feminist, if flawed—turns the vampire-and-werewolf established order on its head. Along the way, it deconstructs both the failures of SMeyer's worldbuilding, the racist, sexist, and heteronormative narrative of the original books, and the problematic power imbalances of paranormal romance as a genre.
It didn't immediately grip me, as the author—intentionally, I assume—doesn't deviate much from SMeyer's rather flat, prosaic style, but the more I read, the more I couldn't stop reading. It's clever, nuanced, and an excellent read for a day when the weather's hovering around -16°C, not including windchill.
Luminosity can be found here. There's a sequel, which I'm afraid to dive into lest it suck up all of my time.
I'm going to recommend fanfic. Twilight fanfic.
If it helps, I will add that it's a critique in story form—a remix of Twilight by someone who is clearly quite smart. The premise is that Bella is thoughtful and self-aware. The other characters are recognizably themselves up to a certain point, after which the story takes strange and unpredictable twists as Bella—re-imagined as intelligent, logical, and rather feminist, if flawed—turns the vampire-and-werewolf established order on its head. Along the way, it deconstructs both the failures of SMeyer's worldbuilding, the racist, sexist, and heteronormative narrative of the original books, and the problematic power imbalances of paranormal romance as a genre.
It didn't immediately grip me, as the author—intentionally, I assume—doesn't deviate much from SMeyer's rather flat, prosaic style, but the more I read, the more I couldn't stop reading. It's clever, nuanced, and an excellent read for a day when the weather's hovering around -16°C, not including windchill.
Luminosity can be found here. There's a sequel, which I'm afraid to dive into lest it suck up all of my time.
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 12:04 am (UTC)I did what now?
I'm glad you like my story, but I think you're giving me a wee bit too much credit here.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 12:13 am (UTC)But seriously, you did a hell of a job turning a story where the boy possesses all the power (inevitably, by virtue of him being a perfect, godlike creature) around so that the girl's the one with agency. Not to mention fleshing out the characters and mythology that SMeyer completely sidelines. I find this mightily impressive.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 12:40 am (UTC)*takes a bow*
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Date: 2011-01-24 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 03:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-25 02:11 am (UTC)