Do people avoid OC stories?

[an_edward_chick]

I think any OC character needs to be able to stand alone without using the crutch of bringing other characters down. I hate it when people make characters out to be the "bad guy" completely out of canon in order to give strength to other wise weak characters.[/color]

I agree with this completely. I have tried to read many Bella/Jasper fics, but I have yet to find one that doesn't paint Edward in a negative light. It's a complete cop out to me if you have to bash the canon mate in order to make your preferred pairing acceptable.

[marielondon]

If you read back to my old posts, you'll discover that I completely agree with you on the whole "if Edward leaves Bella for an OC, there better be a damn good reason, vampires mate for life, etc.. etc.."

As for Edward having flaws, well of course he does, and they're blatantly obvious, I never said that. I don't like characters with no flaws, and as much flaws as Bella has, in all the Twilight Books, they were never once questioned.

She refused to wear Edward's wedding ring, she was ignorant towards Edward's feelings while she ran away to be with Jacob, she kissed another man, and did she once deal with any consequences for that?

No. All was forgotten, and that's what irks me. Not that she's flawed or that I have the perception that everyone else besides her is perfect, it's the way that SM never let Bella "grow and learn" from her mistakes, it's as if she never needed to be fixed, as if she were "perfect."

I don't know if that makes any sense..

I'm not sure if you only read the post that was talking about Resurrection, which by the way, held no justification for my opinions on OCs the story doesn't even have an OC! I was just simply referring to a good story that explained my annoyance with Bella.

No, I don't have to like it, and Edward is a fictional character, a figment of someone's imagination, everyone has their own Edward's. Mine doesn't have to get stuck with a Mary Sue because that's what SM canon said so.

Anyway, I did say before this that I will never stand to read a fic where they're bashing on Bella, Rosalie, Alice, Esme, or WHOEVER, insistantly just because they have no other reason for their significant other to leave them, I think I made that pretty clear.

It is VERY, VERY hard to find a good OC fic. Because it's very hard to make it believable that the Cullens would find another mate, you have to understand, OC lovers don't just go pick up and read any old story that comes along.

If you were to take the time and find a really good OC fic, you'd find that the author went through hell to make the relationship seem believable, and that they do a pretty good damn job.

It's definitely more challenging than writing an Edward/Bella fic, where Bella is completely OOC, and you must admit, a canon Bella isn't an easy find these days. Some great AU/AH stories have character so completely out of canon, that it's downright foolish to call it Twilight fanfiction, when all the author did was keep the character's names and looks.

Not judging though, like other people said, writers should write for themselves.

This is why it's fanfiction, this is why it's noncanon. I'm pretty sure that there are MANY MANY rules that the greatest Twilight fanfic authors have broken in order to make their story "work."

I understand why people have such an aversion to this, or a genuine hate. I get that it's not most people's cup of tea, but I don't see the whole, "the rule is vampire's mate for life," as being a good enough justification.

remember, It was also once believed that vampires were sterile.

I've read a fantastic fic where vampires could cry, which was impossible in canon.

and who really knows if vampires do "mate for life?" this might be a completely biased observation because of the Cullen's being lucky enough to find their soul mates.

I believe in mates, but mates do not equal love, do you think that Victoria and James were soulmates? Do you believe that they had an Edward/Bella romance? Where they mates? yes, Where they in true love? No one knows.

when it comes to fanfiction, just about anything could happen

and don't get me started on Mary-Sue self-insertions, Bella tops them all, she wins the prize.

[Lalina]

Well, if you want to go that route, Edward didn't *pay* for his mistakes either when he left Bella. He came back, she just forgave him and they moved right on. She never talked about her feelings over it or how he made her feel when he left and when he was gone. She remained silent in order to protect HIM and HIS feelings.

If anyone is really to blame for Jacob, it's Edward. If he had just manned up and stayed with Bella, she never would have developed feelings for anyone else at all and Jacob never would have started to fall for her causing all the grief to begin with.

And if Bella and Edward had TALKED about their true feelings instead of shoving everything under the rug, they may have been able to avoid what happened. Instead, Bella's inability to discuss it with Emo Edward for fear of hurting HIM, meant it manifested itself in another way. Her running off to be with Jake and eventually the kiss. The reason why there were no repercussions was because at the root of it, Edward knew it was his fault. If he hadn't left, that door would have never been opened to begin with.

Personally, my feelings about it all is that all three of the characters in Eclipse were deplorable for different reasons and that is why it's my least fave book. SM doesn't *do* confrontation, obviously, so there was a lot of frustration over all of this. You think Bella got away with stuff? Yeah she did. So did Edward because SM never had these characters act REAL and talk out their issues. But placing blame on one, instead of both, isn't fair either.

As for James and Victoria, why would you assume they weren't mated for life? Victoria came after Bella (a mate for a mate) because of James' death. She created an Army of newborns to get to her! You think that smacks of a casual relationship? Seemed pretty serious to me. Just because they were sadists together, doesn't make their bond any weaker.

As for it being harder to create an OC than an OOC Bella, I'd have to disagree with that. I'd put them as equally difficult because even an OOC Bella has to have a back story and reasons why she is like she is. If the author doesn't provide that, it's shoddy writing all around. It's easier to get ppl to ACCEPT an OOC Bella, but not easier to create one. What I always wonder is, why write an OC for a mate at all? In this fandom, you can turn Bella into whoever you want (as mentioned) so if you hate the one SM created so badly, why not just change her into the Bella you want her to be. That's pretty much what everyone else does.

I'm sure there are wonderful OC stories out there for the Bella haters. But I'd bet quite a lot of them fall into the self-insertion category and actual true OCs are the minority.

[GraveYarder]

Goodness! My little forum topic has been busy over the last 24 hours! Sweet!

It is VERY, VERY hard to find a good OC fic. Because it's very hard to make it believable that the Cullens would find another mate, you have to understand, OC lovers don't just go pick up and read any old story that comes along.

If you were to take the time and find a really good OC fic, you'd find that the author went through hell to make the relationship seem believable, and that they do a pretty good damn job.

It is difficult! I hadn't realized how challenging it was, but I have learned a hellova lot researching for my OC (Since I am trying not to make her a author insert).
----
It frustrates me to death when you get a potentially good fic, but they spoil it with OCs. The more OC you add the less of a Twilight-based story it becomes; In my book it's just fiction at that point. For example, OC goes to college and falls in love with Edward (sans Bella..), and her three random roommates play large supporting roles. Negative. That is just to confusing. If you want to write a story with you and your three best buds do it! Don't cloud up the Twilight universe with it.

It's usually a turn-off for me when the story includes the "slighted" canon mate as that, unless the author truly has a brilliant reason for it and handles the entire issue with fairness and grace. It can be done well, but more often it starts to sound (at least to me) like an excuse to dump on a character they didn't like and that usually doesn't make for entertaining reading for me. In canon, vampires mate for life, so it's already unlikely that they would give up their mate of almost a century for some high school girl they met in the ER

I totally agree, Elise! Just a thought...but I think some authors find this so easy to do b/c of SM lack of romantic development btw some of her beautiful cast. Yes they are there, and they are "mates for life." But we never get to see the real romance of Carlisle/Esme, Jasper/Alice, and Emmett/Rose, for instance. Granted they appear to just be filler characters sometimes in canon. >.< However blasphemous that is, I think the lack of history/romance is an easy way to introduce a OC, for some.

I struggled with SM lack of realistic love/romance too. Being married and especially mated for life, requires a ton of communication, and work! heh. It would be nice to be able to skip those things though, and just have attraction :p

[Phoenix Rising]

I agree with everyone on the mate-bashing...it's unrealistic to believe that the Cullens would leave each other for an OC. It was pretty clear that, even though I think "mates" and "soulmates" are separate (V and J were mates, but not soulmates, for example), I was always under the impression that the Cullens were with their one-and-only. The only way in my humble opinion to do a vamp fic with an OC is to either leave out the mate entirely or to explain them away, like they were killed or something.

It is difficult! I hadn't realized how challenging it was, but I have learned a hellova lot researching for my OC (Since I am trying not to make her a author insert).

Oh my, yes! Google and Wikipedia were my best friends. With my OC, I had to make sure that the history was accurate, along with her timeline. Then I tweaked it from there. I didn't do much research on the Cullens though...I just wrote them as I saw them.

As for none of the characters being answerable to anyone, I think that's true for the books. No one really talked realistically about what happened...no one. If you read "My Yes, My No" by lolashoes, it provides a great "after Volterra" alternative that's much healthier and more realistic than anything SM did. Bella and Edward talk about what happened between them...sure it takes time, but the story is worth it and the characters function better as a result. Being a firm believer in communication=a successful relationship, I make sure that my stories include some discussions. Maybe not right away, but the characters will likely get some kind of closure eventually...not just an "I forgive you" and it's over.

I am guilty of tinkering with "canon Bella." I found her, as SM wrote her, to be rather unrealistic as a teenager, and I'll admit that she got on my nerves. My husband, who read the books as well (yes, all 4) told me he wanted to slap her, lol. I agreed with him. When I write Bella, I usually make her more aware and less naive, but I don't take it all away. I'm not out to create a completely different character, but I do take certain liberties, as do most authors in the fandom.

[marielondon]

Personally, my feelings about it all is that all three of the characters in Eclipse were deplorable for different reasons and that is why it's my least fave book. SM doesn't *do* confrontation, obviously, so there was a lot of frustration over all of this. You think Bella got away with stuff? Yeah she did. So did Edward because SM never had these characters act REAL and talk out their issues. But placing blame on one, instead of both, isn't fair either.

As for James and Victoria, why would you assume they weren't mated for life? Victoria came after Bella (a mate for a mate) because of James' death. She created an Army of newborns to get to her! You think that smacks of a casual relationship? Seemed pretty serious to me. Just because they were sadists together, doesn't make their bond any weaker.

As for it being harder to create an OC than an OOC Bella, I'd have to disagree with that. I'd put them as equally difficult because even an OOC Bella has to have a back story and reasons why she is like she is. If the author doesn't provide that, it's shoddy writing all around. It's easier to get ppl to ACCEPT an OOC Bella, but not easier to create one. What I always wonder is, why write an OC for a mate at all? In this fandom, you can turn Bella into whoever you want (as mentioned) so if you hate the one SM created so badly, why not just change her into the Bella you want her to be. That's pretty much what everyone else does.

I'm sure there are wonderful OC stories out there for the Bella haters. But I'd bet quite a lot of them fall into the self-insertion category and actual true OCs are the minority.

I understand, Eclipse comepletely ruined the relationship for me. Sometimes, I really wish I liked Bella, I really really wish I did. I think it just goes to show that girls (no woman here yet.) are a lot more critical of other girls rather than men. Because while I did acknowledge Edwards faults, I, like Bella, completely forgave him because I think that his reasons for doing it were completely justifiable.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe his actions were just as bad as Bella's, it really irks me that SM never had them talk about these things, it's what frustrated me the most of these books.

I know, I've tried, sometimes I wonder why I bother slaving away for hours trying to find just those OC minorities you talked about, when I can easily find a well-written E/B fic with an OOC Bella. I'm not sure why I can't, I guess my prejudice for her has grown so deep that I can't even stand her name anymore. I've tried to sit down and read them, but I can't finish past Edward checking Bella out. I don't know, I know it's crazy.

Graveyarder made an excellent pointn in that SM failed to give us that passion and romance with all the other Cullen couples, because of that, I find it hard for me to feel as though they should be together, I've never been the type of girl who believes in something "cus someone said so." I know their soulmates, yes, SM made it clear, did she show it very well? Besides all those "looks" they gave eachother that were so personal that Bella had the urge to look away, no. So I can't really buy it.

The whole love topic is so subjective, it holds a completely different meaning for everyone, what one person may believe could be the exact opposite of the other.

What if an OC author does not believe in soulmates, what if the only reason the Cullens are so "in love" is because they are eachother's first love?

The whole book is pretty unrealistic, by some miracle, all members of a large family found their one true love except for one, and by some other miracle, he meets his true love the moment he finds out she smells tasty and her mind is unreadable.

everyone has soulmates, even their daughter who got imprinted on the moment she was born! Now she doesn't have to waste her time finding her true love either!

there's a huge difference between your first love, and your true love. Sadly people who are with their first love can't see it.

Actually, forget all I just said, who knows? I don't know, if SM says their soulmates, then their soulmates. Don't listen my to inchoerent ramblings anymore

[Lalina]

Well, I think SM didn't focus on the others because it was a love story about Bella and Edward (and sometimes Jacob! )

The impression that I got was that vampires are frozen in time, yet there are rare things that can affect them profoundly. Love/finding their mate being one of them. And when they find that one true mate it is irrefutable. (Edward in Midnight Sun describes this mostly, I don't know if you've read it. I know some die hard fans have refused to) So while I do know that some vampires can be with one another without bonding/mating (Jasper and Maria come to mind) when they DO in fact find their mate, there is no denying what they feel nor is there any changing it.

I'm not completely against OCs, I kind of wrote one myself in my first AU (kind of because the character is canon but she was killed off in Eclipse - Bree) in my case, she is a villain however so the rules are slightly different - DEFT not a Mary Sue! heh... But for me, it would just be easier to swallow if Bella wasn't in the picture at all. And since I've never despised Bella (I've wanted to smack her hard a few times, but didn't hate her, her actions were no worse than Edward or Jacob's IMO) I don't find the need to search out OC stories. Lucky me, I guess!

[marielondon]

Lalina, I read your Bree story! I really liked Bree too, well, until she got all hardcore evil, then I was all... woah. Still, she was immensely entertaining, ever since I read these two Edward/Bree fics on livejournal (one had the main pairing as Bella/Jacob) they were oneshots, yes I know... I suspect that my next read's summary will go somewhat like this:
Edward, heartbroken by bitchy Bella, meets an equally despaired rock, will they find their way to tru3 l0v3? Edward/Bella in the beginning, but don't worry, Edward/Rock in the end! lolz.



Anyway, I've been thinking of writing an Edward/Bree fic with a side pairing of Bella and Jacob. I don't know though, haha. It's such a completely random pairing, but hey... Edward wanted to save her during the Newborn Battle, he even stood up for her when they wanted to kill her! Tis' love! I feel it!

[Lalina]

Oh did you? Cool

You know what's funny? The story you described was the one I had set out to write! lol... When I read Eclipse and they introduced Bree I was POSITIVE SM was going to pair JxB and that Edward and Bree would end up together. It was just so uncertain how things would end, and I thought there HAD to be a reason why she introduced a 15yo female vampire. Knowing Carlisle, I thought for sure he would insist on adopting her. Anyway, I had concocted a whole alternate ending in my head in about 5 seconds and then she got killed!

After I discovered fanfic, I thought about writing that story. But as I got into it, a few things happened. The power I had originally planned for Bree wouldn't work (I wanted her to be able to remove other's memories, forgetting that Bella would be immune) Bree's story with her step-father formed and it went more toward the macabre shaping her in a way I hadn't intended and I realised I really AM a BxE shipper at heart (Altho I did have Team Jacob sentiments quite a bit during the series, as well) Needless to say, the end product was nothing like I imagined! But I loved writing that story regardless!

[marielondon]

I do the exact same thing! I have this nice little, unangsty, not very complicated story to write.

I sit myself down... and by the time I'm finished with three chapters, the ending has changed! The plot has gotten more angsty! And I need to rewrite the last chapters to reflect that and add more info. *slaps hand to forehead*

I'm still not entirely sure why SM introduced Bree like that, and then killed her off right after. I think it would've further deepened the plot if Carlisle where to adopt her and she would've developed a little crush on Edward. So maybe that way, Edward and Bella could've talked about these feelings that would've been felt now on both sides, and then come to an understanding that they're both at fault, and ultimately, these mistakes have been learned from..

Eclipse really made me believe that Bella was going to choose Jacob, so like you, the moment I saw Bree, I was like... omg! she's going to be Bella's Jacob to Edward! Because he wanted to keep her as well, I mean... he didn't want her to get killed.

the two stories I'm referring to are I see you, and I never should, and Temporary Insanity also which concentrates more on Bella and Jacob, and Edward and Bree are more of friends to eachother. Well, come to think of it, neither of them are straight Edward/Bree stories, it's more of a friendship. But still, they're very, very good. Sadly, they're both one shots!