the vampire diaries fanfic writing tips

✧ forgotten mikaelson

just as a warning, this part does talk about abuse.

i have seen quite a few of these recently and i have also seen some negative comments about them so i thought i would jump in and give my opinion.

these stories typically follow the idea that hope has a twin and for whatever reason that twin is neglected by the family. usually davina marcel and kol are the only ones there for them while hayley, klaus, rebekah, elijah, and freya ignore them.

now are these stories realistic?

is it possible that klaus ignores his own kid?

is it possible that the family neglects another member?

yes.

entirely possibly. i don't see why anyone would say otherwise unless they're letting their own bias get in the way.

one thing we need to ask when writing something like this is: is it possible? to what extent?

it happens in families. parents favour one twin over the other. this is especially true if one kid requires more attention. for example, if one is sick sometimes the other is neglected because they're so focused on the one that's sick.

so i think these stories are especially realistic when it's the case that hope is the tribrid and the first born whereas the twin is human or just a werewolf or whatever. whether or not that part is possible i have no idea. they never talked about supernatural genetics like that.

just in general, sometimes siblings get favoured. sometimes one sibling excels more or needs more help or for whatever reason is just favoured. it happens.

so if hope is the one who people are going after, like dahlia or the hollow, is it unrealistic that the twin might be neglected?

it's not. it really isn't. in fact i would say that them not being neglected would be more unlikely because just time wise the family wouldn't have the time.

but what you need to ask yourself is: to what extent can this happen?

i think that it can get pretty bad because remember as the twin would grow older, they now have the ability to see it and feel that neglect themselves which makes it more difficult to fix.

as hope gets praised for her skills that could cause the twin to feel left out.

do i think that sometimes in writing it can be taken too far? yes. for example, sometimes i've seen it where klaus physically abuses the twin.

i personally don't think he would do that and certainly not because he just gives more attention to hope. i also don't think hayley would ever sit there and let him do that and same for freya rebekah and elijah. maybe you have a good reason as to why you think he would and why they would let it go, i personally don't think there is one.

do i think it's possible that they would pay more attention to hope on their birthday?

maybe? do i think they would leave the twin by herself no? but if they spend more time with hope would they have a better understanding of what she likes and wants for her birthday? yes.