Alright, this is a preview of the Twilight/SPN meta which will accompany the fic.
You all know that I kind of like Twilight, right? Like, I've read all the books and I go to midnight screenings and stuff? I like it in a very qualified way, where I understand why it appeals but also am very aware of its flaws. I also think the treatment of Twilight fans (including by SPN and its fans) is really messed up and hypocritical and sexist.
...does this mean we can't be friends?
When I say the fic is meta I mean in that it points out the differences between the two things, but maybe more importantly, the similarities.
It's very interesting how different Bella's dialogue sounds coming from Dean, how much easier it is to take him seriously. How even when I have them reacting in similar ways, and saying nearly the exact same words, he reads as much more active, as having more agency than she does. Part of that is because Dean's still a hunter (albeit a young, inexperienced one), but certainly a huge part is that he's a man.
Cas maps very easily onto Edward, from the stilted dialogue to the abrupt exits from scenes, to the tendency to watch the person with whom he has a profound strong bond he's never felt for anyone else before while they sleep. Not to mention the whole torn between the nature of his species and newfound loyalty to humans thing.
And that's canon. Add in a lot of the delicious tropes of Dean/Cas fanon and the alignment is even closer.
I want this fic to appeal to both Twilight fans and non-fans. It's not really parody (or, if it is, it's a parody of Supernatural). It doesn't bash Twilight in any way. In fact, it's quite a straightforward re-write, lovingly done. Watching the movie again (very slowly, scene by scene) does make me notice its flaws, of course, but it also reminds me why I love it -
the music, the misty forests, the way it captures the exhilarating anxiety of high school cafeterias, the way it's a love story between the two most awkward people in the universe, the way Bella spends their entire courtship on the offensive even though she's scared -
And I want it to be interesting to non-fans because hey, it's turning out like a not-atypical Dean/Cas fic! If someone had never seen Twilight and I omitted any reference in the header, they probably wouldn't think anything was off about it at all.
It's great fun to examine the tiny changes that seem to make all the difference. Re-casting Bella as male, obviously, and the high schoolers throwing themselves at her as female. Replacing Charlie and Jacob with Sam, a much more informed and competent ally so that Dean has a real friend who doesn't see him as competition and isn't trying to get into his pants, where Bella was completely isolated. And of course, huge black wings are much less over the top than sparkling skin, right? ...right?
Anyway, we'll see how it turns out. It's very different than anything I've ever written, anyway, especially in terms of process (I am basically matching the film scene by scene), and has been a really interesting thought experiment, regardless of the quality of the final product.
...does this mean we can't be friends?
When I say the fic is meta I mean in that it points out the differences between the two things, but maybe more importantly, the similarities.
It's very interesting how different Bella's dialogue sounds coming from Dean, how much easier it is to take him seriously. How even when I have them reacting in similar ways, and saying nearly the exact same words, he reads as much more active, as having more agency than she does. Part of that is because Dean's still a hunter (albeit a young, inexperienced one), but certainly a huge part is that he's a man.
Cas maps very easily onto Edward, from the stilted dialogue to the abrupt exits from scenes, to the tendency to watch the person with whom he has a profound strong bond he's never felt for anyone else before while they sleep. Not to mention the whole torn between the nature of his species and newfound loyalty to humans thing.
And that's canon. Add in a lot of the delicious tropes of Dean/Cas fanon and the alignment is even closer.
I want this fic to appeal to both Twilight fans and non-fans. It's not really parody (or, if it is, it's a parody of Supernatural). It doesn't bash Twilight in any way. In fact, it's quite a straightforward re-write, lovingly done. Watching the movie again (very slowly, scene by scene) does make me notice its flaws, of course, but it also reminds me why I love it -
the music, the misty forests, the way it captures the exhilarating anxiety of high school cafeterias, the way it's a love story between the two most awkward people in the universe, the way Bella spends their entire courtship on the offensive even though she's scared -
And I want it to be interesting to non-fans because hey, it's turning out like a not-atypical Dean/Cas fic! If someone had never seen Twilight and I omitted any reference in the header, they probably wouldn't think anything was off about it at all.
It's great fun to examine the tiny changes that seem to make all the difference. Re-casting Bella as male, obviously, and the high schoolers throwing themselves at her as female. Replacing Charlie and Jacob with Sam, a much more informed and competent ally so that Dean has a real friend who doesn't see him as competition and isn't trying to get into his pants, where Bella was completely isolated. And of course, huge black wings are much less over the top than sparkling skin, right? ...right?
Anyway, we'll see how it turns out. It's very different than anything I've ever written, anyway, especially in terms of process (I am basically matching the film scene by scene), and has been a really interesting thought experiment, regardless of the quality of the final product.