Wattpad brings you a guest post from our newest Featured Story writer TNEvans:
Twins. The literary battleground is littered with them. Good or evil. Popular or studious. Separated at birth. Icky, too-close relationships (really V.C. Andrews, incest isn’t sexy, ever). The tropes of twins may not be endless, but they are extremely popular. And whether or not the stories work, readers eat them up. Twins are a fascinating and foreign concept to many people, so the ideas of twinness are often developed through pop culture references.
My first exposure to twins was through cartoons. I didn’t learn until I was older that cartoons might not always be the best place to learn about new things. I didn’t even realize that most of the characters were twins when I was watching them.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum never really struck me as more than funny, chubby guys in weird outfits and ridiculous hats that made me chuckle. I didn’t realize that they were twins until I was older and finally read Alice.
He-Man and She-Ra were favourites of mine, but I didn’t really understand that they were siblings, let alone twins when I was watching the show. I know they talked about it, that’s how she was introduced. But, an embrace like this with my brother would have been all full of grossness, so I just didn’t accept them as brother and sister.
I, like most girls my age, loved the beautiful Wakefield twins from Sweet Valley High. Their perfect faces and matching gold lavalier necklaces that we read about in every single book were things to envy, but for me, they were trumped by another set of sisters.
My favourite good girl/bad girl twins were Heather and Erica Farrell from the original Degrassi series. Their relationship was much less off-putting than the much loved, slightly abusive relationship between Jessica and Elizabeth. Heather and Erica were the epitome of identical twin stereotypes with their huge heads of matching curls, their matchy-matchy clothes, and their twin swaps. But they weren’t perfect. Their problems were relatable, and I loved them for it. At the ripe old age of ten, I thought this was what all twins did, and I was jealous that all I had was a crummy little sister.
While it’s easy to immediately think of identical twins, fraternal twins tend not to get the play they deserve. As a teen in the 90s, I spent many hours following the dysfunctional relationship between Brandon and Brenda Walsh from the original Beverly Hills, 90210. He was the studious, do-gooder, who could do no wrong– even if he did manage to hook up with a new girl almost every episode for the first four seasons. She was the rebellious, unpredictable, self-absorbed sister who somehow found a way to make absolutely every situation about her. I see some of their relationship in my own twin writing. I don’t really like the girls, and I let the boys get away with more than I should. I suppose I could blame this on my crush on Jason Priestly, but for now, we’ll call it character development.
My favourite set of twins, the ones that currently trump all others, come from a book I just read: Poppet and Widget of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Red-headed brother and sister twins whose only home is the strange and wonderful circus where they were born. Much like the circus, they have talents and abilities that can’t be easily explained. Their relationship is exceptionally close, but not in a creepy way. These two grow up together but are able to adapt their relationship to accommodate others. Poppet is a strong female character with a whimsical side. Her ability to predict the future gives her a level of interest beyond her twinness. Widget is a storyteller. He is one of my favourite characters in modern literature. His ability to bottle sense memories is a chapter that will stay with me for a long time. These two are identified by more than just their status as twin. Their skills both tie them together and make them unique. I adore them as characters, and they remind me why I love reading.
Check out TNEvans’ mystery/suspense fiction about fraternal twins who are exact opposites:
Penelope and Ash might be twins, but that doesn’t mean that they’re anything alike.
Penelope’s always existed on the sidelines of their school - by choice. She’s never cared much about school or grades. She’ll just concentrate on her running, her small group of girlfriends and getting through her senior year.
Ash thought this would be his perfect year. He’s the school paper editor, with a perfect story opportunity in a local serial killer. He couldn’t be more excited. With his perfect popular girlfriend and his rugby team friends, he intends to rule the school for one more year.
But nothing is going as planned, for either of them…not by a long shot.