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cousin_it comments on Luminosity (Twilight fanfic) discussion thread - Less Wrong
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Comments (435)
Edward wouldn't have become interested in her, and nothing would have happened.
Even if she weren't opaque, she'd still be extra-yummy-smelling and still have caused upheaval in Edward's life. Whether her opacity is really the reason she didn't get turned into a tasty snack is a question I've chosen not to address. I think the opacity exacerbated, but was not necessary for, Edward finding her romantically compelling.
Given Bella's inquisitive nature it seems likely that she would have found a way to immortality even without being super-vamp-bait.
It may also have been interesting if Luminosity was written from the perspective of a different character altogether. Perhaps Amanda. Not having been spoon fed immortal connections from day one while still being likely exposed to the risks of vampire attacks would be something of a challenge. Then she could develop her own more custom made vampire talent rather than inheriting Bella's (rather boring) one.
While it arguably contradicts canon, I like to think it's Bella's luminosity in Luminosity that caused the weird vampire talent. Her mind is just special.
Canon has her with the same talent (although luminous!Bella will develop hers along a different trajectory now that she's been vamped). It's not because she's luminous. It's just a magic thingamabob.
Right, that's the aspect that I thought contradicted canon. I can just pretend that canon doesn't exist, and the real reason in Luminosity isn't a magic thingamabob.
You don't think there could be a some kind of talent that is more directly associated with luminosity than being unreadable? Bella's thoughts, motives and feelings do not appear to be at all hard to read by conventional means. In fact, she seems to make a more than typical effort to make herself transparent.
Something Bella does seem to be good at is analysing the future impact of her decisions. That could lead to a more self-focussed version of Alice's talent. You could quite reasonably just palm off Bella's ability to Alice and use a modified version of Alice's talent for a fanfiction protagonist. Of course, if Bella's ability actually was closely related to luminosity it would defeat a lot of the point of the story. If she was luminous via super-power then we wouldn't be able to watch her putting in the effort to be self aware and rational manually. She would probably also experience a similar effect to Edward. He lost his ability to empathise effectively when he became a mind reader.
I was implying that she was super-powered via luminosity, which I don't think informs the same concern.
In that quote I was referring to my own suggestion.
Do you suggest that Bella should just not be given any witch power at all? (As a matter of personal preference I tend to like the protagonist to be given something apart from 'not acting like a moron', assuming the world is one that tends to include superpowers.)
I think the general principle is that the protagonist shouldn't have more than maybe one important advantage over most other characters. If most of the characters in the fic are non-morons, or superpowered, then that one's free. Luminous!Bella gets to be a vampire "for free" because she mostly interacts with other vampires; Rational!Harry gets to be rational because everyone else in MoR is smart too; but for Bella to be both luminous and a witch, without most of the other main characters in the fic being one or the other as well, wants a single cause.
Alice and Edward are the most significant Cullens, and have witchy powers. The antagonists include a large proportion of witches. Does this get Bella a witchcraft pass? Particularly since her power is one that only works in the context of other powers - it would simply not do anything in the absence of other witches.
Bella definitely gets a witchcraft pass... her power is boring. It's mostly there because female protagonists in romantic vampire fantasies usually get an immunity to the mind tricks of their vampire suitors. Basically so it gives them an excuse to be in a thrall that can only be explained by overwhelming sexual dominance.
I hadn't thought about it like that, but on reflection, I think that it does qualify for the pass. It helps, too, that it's not a general immunity to witches -- she's still vulnerable to Alice and Jasper, for example.
What about her control as a newborn? Does that count?
But extra yumminess isn't caused by rationality either! (Or is it? Maybe I'm missing some important detail here.)
Are you saying that you won't be happy with rationalist fiction unless there is nothing else about the character that's special?
If we're talking about wish-fulfillment fiction, I'd like most of the fulfillment to be causally attributable to rationality rather than some other quality (especially inborn).
It seems I made this point on LW many times, but few people agree. Oh well. The first time was my response to Yvain's recommendation of R. Scott Bakker. So I'm not singling you out for criticism, if that makes any difference.
(No, it isn't.)
I don't agree that nothing would have happened. Just probably nothing involving vampires.
Just as Harry, without a prophecy, would have grown up to found the Singularity Institute. You just wouldn't be reading a story about him.
Is this a Harry with or without the magic genes and magical parents?
Either way I would like to think that a rational Harry would end up becoming aware of the magical world and explore the potential of magical means to fulfil his universe optimising objectives.
I would.
Relevant threads: 1, 2.