Twilight’s immense popularity meant that fanfics were inevitable and extensive. Here are some of Redditors’ favorites!
This year has been a promising one for Twilight alums: Taylor Lautner got engaged (via People), Kristen Stewart starred in the Princess Diana biopic, Spencer, and Robert Pattinson’s Batman has made waves – along with many other achievements and milestones from other cast members.
With all this progress, it’s hard not to remember what ties these stars and their old fans together: The Twilight Saga. While the series is now widely recognized for its on-screen success, true Twihards will remember the book series that started the entire phenomenon. The series continues its legacy in the way book readers and writers know best: fanfiction.
Midnight Massacre: Birth of the Volturi Twins by Tellytubby101
New Moon presented a new set of vampires for fans to get to know: the Volturi. While the series posits them as blood-thirsty vampires that abuse their self-proclaimed power, that didn’t stop them from becoming some of the most interesting vampires. Midnight Massacre: Birth of the Volturi Twins by Tellytubby101 utilizes this intrigue to mold Jane and Alec into two complex and more humanized versions of their lesser developed canon selves.
Redditor SatelliteHeart96 explained how the tale is “a short but really good fic about the end of Alec and Jane’s human life, execution, and transformation…. there are some slight inconsistencies with canon… but nothing too distracting. It’s not super well known but it deserves some recognition IMO.”
Ithaca is Gorges by giselle-lx
Not only is New Moon rich in the love triangle arc and teen angst, but it also has a very real and heartbreaking depiction of Bella’s declining mental health, and how Charlie – one of the most misunderstood movie characters – struggles with alleviating her pain after Edward’s departure.
Ithaca is Gorges by giselle-lx takes that narrative and switches the hurt onto Edward and Carlisle instead. The heavier fic is adored by fans such as Redditor gringottsteller who stated: it’s “not just my favorite fan fiction, it’s my favorite Twilight book. She managed to make New Moon into an exploration of what happens to a parent and family when an adult child is in crisis and making self-destructive choices. I cried through the whole thing.”
That Pain to Miss by HelenahJay
From his intense looks (not counting the one from their first bio class) to his old-fashioned manner of speech, Edward immediately won the hearts of many Twihards. Yet, he also faced a lot of criticism for his principles of morality, which frustrated fans who wanted him to turn Bella so the two could live happily ever after.
The fanfic, That Pain to Miss by HelenahJay, explores what would’ve been if the series had taken a different route early on. Reddit user FrankNFurter11 explained how it’s an “AU where Bella is turned when she gets bitten in the ballet studio. It is ExB, hurt/comfort, and Bella has amazing relationships with the other Cullens along the way,” unlike the Bella Swan of the movies who is considered one of the many whiny protagonists
Breaking Points by sugarbucket
The Cullen clan is a particular family – just ask Jessica Stanley, who has her opinions on their interwoven dating and family life. Outside of being shipped with Bella, the Cullen family is also shipped frequently with one another, since none of them are actually related. One of their more popular pairings is that of Edward and Rosalie.
Given their very opposite natures, competitiveness, and general hostility towards one another and their choices throughout the series, their pairing makes sense in terms of tension and the beloved enemies-to-lovers trope, epitomized in Breaking Points by sugarbucket. Redditor sck0619 said they “never thought I’d stray from the E/B ship but it’s so well written and explains their supposed hatred for each other. Next level angst.”
Welcome to Wonderland by xPaige Turnerx
