Even die-hard Twilight fans didn’t expect the re-emergence of fandom when Midnight Sun fell in their laps. Suddenly, social media, especially TikTok, picked the series up, dissecting it in every way possible. Scenes, books & movies were analysed, characters were discussed, and memes were made – in abundance.
Unlike the nature of fandom almost a decade ago – obsessive and defensive – this wave has brought an equal amount of love and hate. People now love to call out the series’ misogynistic, toxic and racist themes, all the while joining the fandom eagerly. This resurgence, dubbed Twilight Renaissance, has also guided people’s attention to something unique – published fanfiction inspired by the series!
Twilight and Fanfiction
The impact of Twilight is legacy-worthy, having been one of the first works to garner digital attention, thanks to the rise of social media. The fans camped on LiveJournal, Tumblr, and other such websites, significantly impacting the wave of fan communities. The fanarts, discussions, and fanfiction were in abundance; it’s no surprise that the fandom is now brimming with fanfiction. The stories fans came up with were really creative and rich, putting the same characters in different moulds and settings. Most times, even the vampire part – an integral point, no less – is removed from these drabbles, pulling in curious readers.
And yet, the fandom has faced unfathomable criticism, mainly because it’s made up of teenage girls fawning over the boys. Despite that, the fanworks did amass enough views and likes that the publishers got a whiff. With an eager, established audience, it became hard for them to not publish beloved fanworks. E.L. James’ Fifty Shades series is a prime example, having been revised from James’ own fanfic titled Master of the Universe. In this fanfiction, Christian Grey was still Edward Cullen and Anastasia Steele was still Bella Swan. They were changed – along with the story – once the book was on the route to be published.
Fifty Shades brought in favourable views from aspiring writers, who dreamed of turning their own fanfics into published works. Whereas, a sizable chunk of the population criticised it, deeming it dull and poorly written and a sad joke. One thing is for sure though – the series did open the doors for the other Twilight fanfictions.
Books you likely didn’t know are Twilight Fanfiction
As you can imagine, many stories have made it out of the designated fanfic-publishing websites. These plotlines cast Edward, Bella, Jacob and the rest of the cast in different settings and personalities. While many of these fanfic-turned-novels are hiding under your nose, sniffing them out is easy. How so? Because these novels always keep the essence of the original romance alive in their works.
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Gabriel’s Inferno – Sylvain Reynard
It’s no secret that Gabriel’s Inferno series is originally a Twilight fanfiction, often being compared to James’ Fifty Shades. Published on Fanfiction, The University of Edward Masen (UOEM) started as “an opportunity to try my hand at fiction writing”. Sebastien Robichaud then went on to become Sylvain Reynard and divide his fan work into three novels, the first being Gabriel’s Inferno.
Penned by Sylvain Reynard, it casts Edward Cullen as Gabriel Owen Emerson, the enigmatic Dante studies professor. He comes across the shy graduate student Julianne Mitchell (Bella) in his seminar and realizes they are somehow connected. And thus starts their sinful romance, where forbidden love and redemption go hand in hand.
Well, his tentative attempt did give the Twihards a unique, philosophically-influenced perspective on Edward and Bella!
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The Submissive – Tara Sue Me
Tara Sue Me’s The Submissive started out as a fanfiction, published in 2009. Its tagline reads the original that inspired a new genre, and as it turns out, it really did! According to this interview with Tara, E.L. James read this tantalizing erotica – among others – and wrote the Master of the Universe. One can safely say that The Submissive is essentially one of the inspirations behind FSoG. Besides Twilight, of course!
This 2012 novel features the story of Abigail King, a librarian who’s a submissive and sexually frustrated. She has her eyes on the handsome CEO, Nathaniel West, who she knows is an experienced dominant. So, when he opens up applications for new submissive, she’s quick to offer herself, leading to sex-filled weekends. Love soon blooms between them, but not without leading them right into angsty drama first.
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Beautiful Bastard – Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren – the author duo who has bagged a prominent place in the romance genre –started out as fanfic writers! Christina Hobbs first wrote a fanfic called The Office in 2009, where wealthy, successful Edward falls for his assistant, Bella. The two spark an office romance, and it basically dwindles into PWP (porn with plot). Unsurprisingly, the fanfic attracted thousands of readers, leading the overwhelmed Hobbs to take down the story.
However, after looking at Fifty Shades’ success, the duo re-wrote it, transforming Edward into Bennett Ryan while Bella became Chloe Mills. This book, Beautiful Bastard, released in 2013, became so successful that it became a full-fledged erotic romance series. It may not have vampires and werewolves, but it is amazingly sizzling!
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Sempre – J.M. Darhower
J.M. Darhower had put her heart and soul into bringing her fanfiction, Emancipation Proclamation, to life. It is a mafia story where Bella, born into slavery, is bought by Carlisle to work at his house. Meeting Edward, broody and broken, is like fate; the two soon fall for each other. His love prompts him to free her, but it’s not as easy when leading lives in the mafia. Their rosy romance is surrounded by the thorns of murder, betrayal, lies and secrets.
The fanfic was an absolute hit and was finally published in 2014. Bella became Haven Antonelli, Edward was put in the mould of Carmine DeMarco, and Carlisle transformed into Vincent DeMarco. It is a tad long but well-researched and deeply emotional, eliciting tears from every reader, fan or otherwise!
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Clipped Wings – Helena Hunting
Helena Hunting works her charm in Clipped Wings by weaving the most heart-wrenching story. Readers meet Tenley Page, who’s just shifted to a new city to escape her haunting past. She comes across Hayden Stryker, the handsome tattoo artist with a broken soul, who starts starring in her dreams. Things come to a head when Tenley asks him for a back tattoo, forging a sensual bond like no other! But their pasts soon catch up with them, driving a seemingly irreparable wedge.
Surprisingly, Clipped Wings – and Inked Armor, the second part – was first a Twilight fanfiction, published under the same name. Once you turn more than a few pages though, finding similarities becomes an easy task. Hayden’s possessiveness and broody behaviour scream Edward, while Bella’s self-destructiveness jumps out of Tenley!
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Puddle Jumping – Amber L. Johnson
Written by Amber L. Johnson, Puddle Jumping follows the story of Lilly and her first love, Colton. They part ways in their childhood because she’s accident-prone (rings a bell?) but reunite in her senior year. Getting to know Colton again stirs her old feelings. They deepen even more when she finds out how special he is (spoiler: he has Asperger’s).
Though this book follows a unique storyline and is high on the inclusivity radar, there’s no escaping Bella and Edward’s dynamics. Lilly’s love for Colton becomes her entire personality, so much so that her life revolves around him. Though oddly reminiscent, the gentle and sweet romance makes up for it. Moreover, readers find it hilarious that this was originally a Twilight fanfiction written by Johnson under the penname 107yearoldvirgin!
Final Words
Admittedly, most of the novels, if not all, were published in the early 2020s, when the hype of the series still lingered. But the Twilight Renaissance has taken the world by storm again, pulling focus on these books. There are many more fanfic-turned-novels that you can read, but for now, these few are a good place to start!
