Rational Twilight: Luminosity

Author here. Few things:

1. I would really prefer if links would go to my own website rather than FF.net. The FF.net one is just an inferior mirror, and I don't even correct typos there, just because the user interface is so bad.

2. Answering Aoede's questions:

"is it possible for a vampire to become fixated on a 'mate' whose orientation does not allow the attraction to be returned? Or does the mate bond override orientation?"

Unspecified in canon; in Luminosity, no, everybody winds up mated to someone of approximately the correct "type" for non-magical attraction.

"What about transgendered individuals who have made no modifications to the appearance they were born with — if the process takes orientation into account, then does it work on the basis of gender identity, gender presentation, anatomy, or SRY?"

Again, unspecified in canon. My ruling: If you have a person A and a person B, and they are vampire mates (or one is a vampire mated to the other, a human), then A is attracted to B's whatever-mishmash-of-sex-and-gender-characteristics and vice-versa. Once the actual magical bond kicks in (i.e. once they meet), then even departures from this mold will not affect it. For instance, a vampire who is attracted to female personalities but not female bodies would have to meet a MTF transgendered mate before significant biological intervention took place, but if they met first and then interventions happened, this would not bother the vampire.

"In Luminous-canon, only male werewolves can imprint on people, and (was it only Bella's hypothesis or confirmed?) this is for reasons of passing on the werewolf gene(s) — what does that mean for gay male werewolves? Werewolves born with male anatomy but who identify as (straight and) female?"

I don't have a way to confirm the hypothesis in the story (exactly how would anyone verify what the imrprinting is for?), but yes, that is what it's Officially For. Imprinting can override native homosexuality (in fact, there is a character for whom this happened; I'll go into that a bit in Radiance). It would not "override" transgenderedness in any meaningful sense (wouldn't give the physically male, mentally girly wolf a different, masculine personality), but it could make her attracted to (a) woman if she weren't already. Werewolf super-healing and wonky body chemistry would make any attempts to physically transition intractable before quitting one's wolf. Quitting the wolf doesn't end the imprint, and neither would hormones/surgery/whatever; once it's there, it's there.

"Or vice versa? What about infertile or asexual male werewolves? Does the imprinting go away if the werewolf becomes infertile afterwards?"

Once the imprint is there, it's there. Imprinting can override native asexuality like it can override native homosexuality. A werewolf born infertile would not imprint; one that was sterilized later would keep an existing imprint if there was one but not make a new one if there wasn't.

"Can a vampire feel a attraction to a mate who is in fact an inactive werewolf? If so, can that bond survive the werewolf's activation?"

Unspecified in canon; I rule yes and yes, although it'd be a difficult sort of relationship.

"And after a werewolf imprints on a person, can the imprinting survive that person's being turned into a vampire later on?"

Yes, but it'll traumatize the wolf rather a lot.

Thank you for your clarifications! Damn, when gender, sex and orientation are dissociated like that and you mix amgical attractions into the mix, it does boggle the mind...

Right! And it even has the handy dandy color-scheme switcher for those of varying tastes. I'll go edit my link after postando esto.

And — whoo. As Raw Power said, thank you for the clarifications — such an intriguingly complicated tangle when magical elements get thrown into an already complicated aspect of people.

CHAPTER IS OUUUUUUUUUT

Good way of distracting the readers from the inevitable, almost not mentinong Jacob at all and keeping the focus on everyone else, and nice move subtly and naturally setting up a Love Triangle in the meantime.

So, on one hand, Imprint Is Serious Business, on the other, Elspeth and Cody are both members of a very rare species. If Cody isn't a Graceful Loser, Jacob will SUFFAR. And Jacob Suffar means All Clan Suffar.

I'll stop playing Captain Obvious now.

edited 11th Nov '10 7:58:48 PM by RawPower

Given the source material, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but... did there really have to be a Love Triangle? At least we can be reasonably sure all parties concerned will handle it better than canon did.

Maybe not Jacob. And we don't know about Cody. But Elspeth definitely will.

Love Tropes! What is love? Oh bay don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more!

And, of all parties concerned, I firmly believe the Author will handle it best.

edited 11th Nov '10 8:02:52 PM by RawPower

/just read the new chapter

Tropes Are Tools, Sarah. And execution is king. The phrasing of the introduction of the complicating event amused me, though, so I'm currently more optimistic in my expectations.

Oh, I've been around long enough to know that Tropes Are Not Bad, but this one in particular usually rubs me the wrong way. I mean, The Hunger Games was well-written overall, and the love triangle therein still got annoying in the third book. YMMV of course.

Chapter is out, and it was fun.

Courtesy link, please?

Chapter 7: Prisoner

...damn

Read this whole thing and liked it. In descending order of quality (parabolic curve):

• Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
• Team 8,Luminosity,Radiance
• ToyHammer
• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...
• How I Became Yours
• My Immortal

edited 23rd Nov '10 4:08:39 PM by AckSed

"I MAY BE A HOGWARTS STUDENT" Hargirid paused angrily. "BUT I AM ALSO A SATANIST!"

Chapter 8: Fader

YOU HAVE TEARJERKED ME, DAMN YOU! WHAT SORT OF AN EVIL CLIFFHANGER IS THIS! I... I... ARG!

...

With all the witches and the clever use of their powers this is starting to feel like Jojos Bizarre Adventure... Which is completely fine by me.

I wonder if any witch has the power to stop time... Dropping steamrollers on people should be easy.

DANG.

So, Alice is probably still alive, and everyone else who was useful?

I Knew It!.

Oh yeah? In which post did you say that?

I knew it was a case of Never Found the Body, but I really thought he was dead. I mean, given that we didn't know about the power-copier, there was no reason for the Volturi to keep Edward when he had lost his mate.

This is very interesting...

Could it be that Alice was among them at all?

I had thought Like You Would Really Do It at first, but as it went on I became more convinced. Still, for now I'm assuming this is some sort of illusion.

^^I can say it without having posted my suspicions. :-)

Actually that's definitely possible.

-_-

edited 24th Nov '10 12:46:47 PM by RawPower

Chapter 9: Father

This chapter is just nasty. For some reason, the final scene, instead of feeling like a Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming, felt frightening and tense and weird and I'm full of anticipation...

Okay, we need a soundtrack for the latest events. How about the best Evil Plan soundtrack ever? Plus, the title seems adequate: Low Of Solipsism.