i'd like to point out first, my del.icio.us tags include amtdi and non-con

You know, I thought I talked myself down off this one, because frankly, Twilight is not great literature and mounting a defense takes up valuable time reading non-con amtdi porn.

But you know, I just feel that inspired, plus I ran out of Dean/Castiel reading and my son still has Twilight in his locker. Go figure.

I have to know something; did I miss the memo that I'm supposed to be ashamed of being twelve? My apologies; see, when I was twelve? I never really considered to form my actions to meet an arbitrary standard that would come into existence twenty years later on my reading habits, because that? Would have totally pulled the Gor novels right out of my hot little hands.

As in, please to be putting down your AMTDI non-con for a second while ranting on how Twilight is ruining young girls. I will totally be there when fandom as a whole stops finding aliens made them do it rape as a fun and lighthearted fanfic pasttime. I mean, I will be there, but I'll still be writing it. Hell, throw in eroticized slave-fic with idealized sexual slavery and falling in love with your enslaver controlling boyfriend who stalks you...wait.

Writer responsibility comes up a lot with this, which I suppose is fair when one is writing cross-alien-species sexual hijinks and one is struggling to portray those sensitivity, or the reality of slave trafficking in the modern world, or hell, magical healing cock after rape and lets toss in mpreg for kicks, because there's a genre that's incredibly sensitive and socially conscious. I have zero interest in writer responsibility, to be honest, except for one key points--did they tell a story? That's it; that's where it starts and stops, with some codicils of audience. Twilight was readable to a huge group of people.

Maybe the mystery is the plotline? Because I agree; I cannot imagine why anyone would enjoy a fantasy novel about two people obsessively in love with each other and would do anything to be together.

You may pile your under the bed romance novels over to the left, please; lets do this right. Let's blackball the entire romance novel industry already. I want petitions against VC Andrews, Johanna Lindsay, Judith McNaught, Catherine Coulter, Virginia Henley (Okay, I could stand to lose her), and anything set in Viking England with a wee Saxon lass.

Seriously. I get hating them for being bad, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder; shaming young girls for something they've found to love is edging right into the reason I'm trying to stop myself from ever using the term "Like a twelve year old girl" again in any slash fic I write. Which will probably be something I'll have to pick up on beta because comparisons to teenage girls as insults to men is surprisingly common.

Please lay off the girls. And remind me again how Seeds of Yesterday ended. For the life of me, I couldn't find it with my other VC Andrews work.

Comments

[cjandre.livejournal.com]

Ummmm... Okay, I feel completely out of it. However, I picked up and read Twilight a few months ago, and enjoyed it. I didn't know anything about the fandom, or the background, I still have no idea what is going on with the LDS references? WTF?

I read it. It was fun. It had plot holes, but honestly not any bigger than in Harry Potter. It had a female main character that I probably would have been friends with in school - I was a rather overly dramatic teen, and even young adult - and there were "vegetarian" vamps and guardian werewolves! Yay!

What can I say? I chewed the bubblegum and enjoyed it.

The stalking thing? Came under the heading of vampire, in my mind, and most of the violence came under the heading of supernatural shit.

I honestly didn't even notice anyone saying Bella had to stay a virgin, and I remembered the difficulties of balancing a boyfriend and friends - a problem that haunted me right through my marriage and last boy friend. Seeing as how Twilight involved vampires and werewolves, I figured Bella's problems in this area was a bit exagerrated.

As a parent, well, my daughter hasn't read the book, mostly because she hates to read novels - but we did go and see the movie today. She's 11 and hid her face at even the vaguest hint of romance. All she wanted to see were the fight scenes.

:-)

But, while we have not had big discussions about stalkery behavior and choices about when to have sex in relation to Twilight, The Girl is a HUGE Buffy fan, and we have had many discussions on these topics in relation to Buffy and Angel. (She is allowed to get a new season for each birthday. We are up to season four.) Most of the time she rolls her eyes and reminds me that the show is a fantasy.

:-)

I would love it if Twilight made her read a novel. She adores manga and short ghost stories, but doesn't like novels.

And of course manga - you know there's no issues on the images of girls in manga. *snicker*

So of course we talk about it.

She rolls her eyes some more, often telling me all the little points about abusive characters, bad choices, good choices, and "what would I do in a similar situation."

Maybe I'm complacent, but I don't think so. I just don't think that there is that much to get worried about with this book.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

My love for you is epic.

[cjandre.livejournal.com]

Seriously, the whole big debate about Edward being the perfect boyfriend... if it is actually a debate... hinges upon the idea that he's a VAMPIRE with PSYCHIC POWERS. The reason teen girls fantasize about vampires with psychic powers as the perfect boyfriend is exactly because they don't KNOW any, and deep down they know there aren't any. The few individuals who grow up to take things to obsessive extremes and have their teeth re-done into fangs, would be choosing some other obsession if they didn't have vampires to think about.

In any case, the powerful, rich, obsessed, rather stalker- like behavior of Edward is firmly based in a rich cultural tradition. I was introduced to this archtype in highschool reading Pride and Prejudice.

Hello, Mr. Darcy.

:-)

[cjandre.livejournal.com]

I just had to update you on this conversation with The Girl this morning:

Responsible Mommy: Oh, look iTunes has the Twilight soundtrack for sale.

The Girl: I want it! Can I get it for Christmas?

Responsible Mommy: Maybe, we'll see. You could always buy it with some of your Christmas money if you want it that badly... So, what exactly did you like so much about Twilight? (Please note smooth transition to the topic of the story as opposed to the music... uh-huh. Smooth.)

The Girl: Everything! (insert pre-teen squeal)

Responsible Mommy: Well, you didn't like the romance that much, you could hardly watch the romantic scenes!

The Girl: Well, that's just because it was the first time I saw it! I'll get used to the romance stuff when I watch it again. I want to see it again. I hope the DVD comes out soon.

Responsible Mommy: (takes a deep breath, already strategizing how to discuss the overly controlling, possessive behaviors of Edward and set them in a healthy, critical context.) You know, Edward's behavior is kind of screwed up, don't you think?

The Girl: You mean the stalking and stuff? Oh, yeah! But that's why he's a vampire! (The look on her face is a combination of "Well, DUH, Mom!" and the standard eye roll.)



What can I say - I shall sleep well tonight, knowing that so far, The Girl can tell fantasy from reality.



:-)