Actual Post Date: 12/15/11 - 4th Original Blog Post before I really knew what I was talking about surrounding the details of 'how Twilight was irresponsibly written & published'. You'll notice that I was MUCH nicer toward Stephenie Meyer (than I am now) because of my ignorance about her involvement. Plus, I've done WAY more research since then; and I would consider myself to be as much of an authority on the subject as anyone else at this point.
I WAS extremely familiar with Twilight OBSESSIONS when I wrote this post, however... THIS is why this post applies to what's going on with Twilight obsessions now - along with what the tabloids are doing to the Twilight fanbase.
Btw, If you need help dealing with an intense, stubborn Twilight and/or robsten addiction, CLICK HERE (different blog with no intro). This post is a very soothing read for most Twihards no matter who you're mad at. PROMISE - no more poking at your tender TwiHearts. You're not alone - LOTS of Twilight Fans are in the same boat because it IS HARD to get past an obsession like that when people and the tabloids are poking at you like they always have.
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For SO MANY Twihards - past & present - Twilight obsessions are NOT 'normal' obsessions.
"I feel just crazy. My poor family!! I can't even count how many times I've read the first two. And yes, what little of Midnight Sun is available, I've read twice. At first, I thought reading it from Edward's perspective would finally settle my obsession - because I realized the second (or was it third?!) time I read Twilight that I was re-reading just trying to figure out what Edward was thinking. But then of course, Midnight Sun isn't finished - so I'm still left wondering. And then of course I'm hoping she'll do the same thing for the other titles. I'm reading New Moon today - and keep wondering what's going on in Edward's mind."
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Original Post Beginning
What about those girls out there who are still so stuck in this muck? I think it's one of the reasons why we older girls refuse to question the storyline of Twilight any further. We're almost afraid to look directly at it. We can "feel" that something isn't right about it; but what if we see something else other than the beautiful fairytale that we have built up inside our minds? Some of us might not be able to handle it - truly.
And I know you know what I mean, even if you're "not in this place", now; you probably have been...
You don't quite feel right without at least one helping of Twilight every day in some form or another... It calls to you, you crave it. Edward Cullen is your own personal brand of Heroin in your head, eating through your life like meth.
You have a hard time thinking about anything else, sometimes. It is nearly impossible for you to hide your obsession from anyone; and you feel as intoxicated as Bella was with Edward in that one Twilight book scene, every time you watch Twilight - and you weren't even there.
In fact, she wasn't either - she's not real.
But you read this story and watch the movie, and this is how it makes you feel... stroking you inside like a warm, gentle breeze with Edward Cullen sparkling forever by your side in the sun, caressing you both inside and out...
Pay attention to it. It feels real, doesn't it?
Tell me again that it's an innocent little story that has no effect on our lives - WHY would you ever want to LEAVE it?!
And how mad are you at me right now - over the top? Do you wish you could look me in the eye and tell me a thing or two, without even hearing me out?
You wouldn't be so "hot" if you weren't so obsessed... It is like a drug, its exactly like a drug.
And now LOOK what has been happening to them through the tabloids for WAY too long. You KNOW this is not how ANY of the fictional/movie/hollywood obsessions of us 'big' girls EVER went - nor are they supposed to.
I WAS extremely familiar with Twilight OBSESSIONS when I wrote this post, however... THIS is why this post applies to what's going on with Twilight obsessions now - along with what the tabloids are doing to the Twilight fanbase.
Btw, If you need help dealing with an intense, stubborn Twilight and/or robsten addiction, CLICK HERE (different blog with no intro). This post is a very soothing read for most Twihards no matter who you're mad at. PROMISE - no more poking at your tender TwiHearts. You're not alone - LOTS of Twilight Fans are in the same boat because it IS HARD to get past an obsession like that when people and the tabloids are poking at you like they always have.
***************
This is a reply to a question that shoots off from the reviews of Twilight on Amazon. There are 5987 replies to this question, most of them similar to this one. Read more if you need more convincing.
For SO MANY Twihards - past & present - Twilight obsessions are NOT 'normal' obsessions.
"I feel just crazy. My poor family!! I can't even count how many times I've read the first two. And yes, what little of Midnight Sun is available, I've read twice. At first, I thought reading it from Edward's perspective would finally settle my obsession - because I realized the second (or was it third?!) time I read Twilight that I was re-reading just trying to figure out what Edward was thinking. But then of course, Midnight Sun isn't finished - so I'm still left wondering. And then of course I'm hoping she'll do the same thing for the other titles. I'm reading New Moon today - and keep wondering what's going on in Edward's mind."
Original Post Beginning
What about those girls out there who are still so stuck in this muck? I think it's one of the reasons why we older girls refuse to question the storyline of Twilight any further. We're almost afraid to look directly at it. We can "feel" that something isn't right about it; but what if we see something else other than the beautiful fairytale that we have built up inside our minds? Some of us might not be able to handle it - truly.
And I know you know what I mean, even if you're "not in this place", now; you probably have been...
You don't quite feel right without at least one helping of Twilight every day in some form or another... It calls to you, you crave it. Edward Cullen is your own personal brand of Heroin in your head, eating through your life like meth.
You have a hard time thinking about anything else, sometimes. It is nearly impossible for you to hide your obsession from anyone; and you feel as intoxicated as Bella was with Edward in that one Twilight book scene, every time you watch Twilight - and you weren't even there.
In fact, she wasn't either - she's not real.
But you read this story and watch the movie, and this is how it makes you feel... stroking you inside like a warm, gentle breeze with Edward Cullen sparkling forever by your side in the sun, caressing you both inside and out...
Pay attention to it. It feels real, doesn't it?
Tell me again that it's an innocent little story that has no effect on our lives - WHY would you ever want to LEAVE it?!
And how mad are you at me right now - over the top? Do you wish you could look me in the eye and tell me a thing or two, without even hearing me out?
You wouldn't be so "hot" if you weren't so obsessed... It is like a drug, its exactly like a drug.
And now LOOK what has been happening to them through the tabloids for WAY too long. You KNOW this is not how ANY of the fictional/movie/hollywood obsessions of us 'big' girls EVER went - nor are they supposed to.
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Now that I've done even more research; I would imagine that most of you Twi-hard book fans coming across this blog have already taken this argument head on many times - but you've already made your decision that Twilight is too important to you in your life, so all the unusual things about the dysfunctional Twilight storyline are forgivable.
Ok... But can we please just go over it one more time for those of us who are arriving late to the party?
I mean, I really do not understand... Back when the Twilight books were first popular, Twilight fans who had read the books were able to go into alot more detail than I can from just watching the movies. And the details I've come across are SCATHING (see side links). I guess I just want to know why these things are all Ok with everybody, you know?
For Twilight movie fans, I think its about not really knowing what's going on (I know I was clueless for awhile, coming in on the story through the movies)... We all just sort of got caught up in a rave. It is the "in thing" to love this story despite it's flaws. Why would we question it, its just a story after all...
But, look at all the revealing links I've found - and this is just the TIP of the iceberg! Actually LOOK at them - they are fascinating, I really had no idea until recently! Coming into Twilight through the movies instead of the books was obviously a much different experience. I honestly wonder what side I would have been on now, if I had read the books as most people have.
Would I still have recognized this story as an amateur attempt to rehash a dream-turned-sexual fantasy; or would I have remained practically hypnotized by Twilight's intriguing characters as much as so many Twi-hard fans still are. Would I still be excusing it or would I have been one of the people on the list trying to get people to listen in vain?
After you've gone through this stuff and/or read my story; IS Twilight - just the way it is - REALLY Ok?
I'm a Buffy fan from way back, and believe me - there are SO many things that could have been done with the Twilight storyline to make it really cool for everyone. Buffy always went way beyond the boundaries of make-believe reality - Joss Whedon would have been a really good person to help work out the kinks in Twilight. He's a master storyteller with things like this.
In both Buffy and Angel, our favorite characters were killed off for months and then brought (believably) back to life; and they even created a "believable" storyline in Angel where two VAMPIRES procreate (OMG, talk about a mother sacrificing herself - Darla literally stakes herself, turning herself to DUST so that her baby can be born!) - which should be an even more unbelievable storyline to achieve than a Human-Vampire hybrid baby.
But, it worked for us fans really well because we were both invested in the characters enough to the point where we "wanted" to watch our favorite characters lives grow into families - and they gave us enough believable details so that our suspension of belief remained (relatively speaking) suspended. It was easy to forgive the creators of Buffy & Angel (and now True Blood) for any little altercation, because they respected our intelligence as fans.
We girls don't stop believing in fairytales, Stephenie Meyer's story as well as our own obsessions surrounding Twilight demonstrate that, clearly... If there is any "one" good compliment I can give to the book company and the movie studio. It is for recognizing the pure, raw sexual innocence of Stephenie's story, and how much it would appeal to girls.
I keep referring to it as a sexual fantasy like its a bad thing - but it is the reason why we girls are really so insane over it, and its time we give in and tell the truth about it. There is absolutely no reason to be ashamed of it - we girls are sexual creatures; and of course the "adolescent" ones among us are no exception, they are up-and-coming GODDESSES - Surprise! Yeah, we all love a good headboard-breaking, idyllic fairytale!
From what I can see, Summit Entertainment had an "almost diamond" in their hands - but I don't think they recognized it for what it was; and if they did, they didn't apply quite enough pressure, I think.
The creators of the Twilight Saga Movie Franchise should have known better; and they should have been listening to these valid complaints from people before these movies were made.
I mean, really... When Twilight originally came out in book form, before they were "all" out; apparently, this is what people were saying about it. I got this off of Wikipedia:
When first published, Twilight gained much critical acclaim. Critics often described it as a "dark romance that seeps into the soul" and praised it for capturing "perfectly the teenage feeling of sexual tension and alienation".
What the hell happened?!
I mean, the voices within these links almost HAD to be ignored since there are SO many of them; and they were probably ignored because it was cheaper to leave the story unchanged; and most people were fine with the story the way it was - leaving it "as is" was a sure thing in the million$ - why change anything?
Uncool.
Just hear me out, that's all I ask... I'd love to hear your opinion after you've read this with as much of a level head as you can allow for.
I read once in a magazine about a scientific study that was done on the brain... And the conclusion was that the Human brain (chemically-speaking) cannot distinguish between a "real" friend and a character they "imagine is their friend" on a TV show (that probably goes for books, movies and even dreams sometimes, too) - so the same feelings are present when we are interacting with either of them. ("Friends" was popular at the time, that's how long ago that was.)
I used to be like you... I was one of those "crazy" Twilight fans who used to stick up for it when all the Twilight-haters on the boards would go on about "what a ridiculous, idyllic fantasy" it was. So what?! I didn't see anything wrong with a modern day fairytale that had a happy ending - but I was talking without knowing what I was talking about, because I hadn't read the books and I didn't know the ending.
But I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about, now... I'm an over-thirty girl who was introduced to both the original Twilight & New Moon movies a few months before Eclipse came out - and became a HUGE Twilight fan! Yeah, I was sucked into this "phenomenon" for awhile, too.
Apparently, no one would listen back then; but I'm doing my best to see if we can all have a more civil conversation about it. It should be easier for everyone now that you know your Twilight movies are already done and are coming out exactly as you want them to; and as close to the original storyline as the movie studio can possibly make them - we're just talking and making post-judgements.
But somehow... I am perhaps one of the few inexplicably insightful Twilight Saga movie fans (I'm not celebrating) who has somehow been able to see through Twilight for what it is. My biggest clue was the unbelievable ending of Breaking Dawn's Human-Vampire baby storyline. Yeah, the one we're all so easily able to give excuses for, because its "so beautiful".
But how did I come up with the ridiculous idea of the Twilight story as being a sexual fantasy? After all, a woman having a baby doesn't have anything to do with this being a sexual fantasy, I know - although, I think it "can" if a baby is something you are really wanting in your life - it can be tied into your deepest desires, and for some of us that might actually be true.
And while I hate to burst your bubble (like mine was burst); its time we smart women (I know we're smarter than this) - stop making excusing for Twilight and demand from both publishing and movie companies; that this kind of irresponsible storytelling is unacceptable, even for (and should be especially for) young, adolescent girls.
What I think happened is... I think Twilight started out as a dream, just like the author claims; and then it turned into a sexual fantasy, and then a story (I explain how I came to that here and here in my first two blog posts). And then she continued the storyline beyond either her knowledge or interest in Vampires; completely ignoring the traditional Vampire lore that is built up in most people's heads regarding them.
The author of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, was busy... I get this part. She was a busy mom with a full household to run; and she was probably taking the time to write for herself into the wee hours when she could - good for her! I understand how this story remained unchanged from her perspective... She wasn't thinking about doing anything extracurricular like researching Vampires. She already had the fantasy in her head and it was already perfect - for her.
But while the story of Twilight may "seem beautiful", its just a sugarcoated empty shell without the ooey-gooey milk chocolate center. The DVD packaging is beautiful, the sets are beautiful, the characters are beautiful and have great potential... But the story is entirely someone's own and no one else's.
Twilight was obviously a very intimate story, and it should not have been told to the world so irresponsibly. Instead, it probably should have been kept under the author's mattress to be taken out on special occasions just for when she was in the mood to indulge herself in her own strange, beloved little world.
But, she fell in love with it and probably had to talk about it; so she shared it with the people around her. And it was admittedly, a really interesting and fascinating kernel of a story - So, being the proud, supportive family & friends that they were, they probably all encouraged her to try and publish it. And the rest is history...
Is that so unbelievable, really?
Stephenie got "hung up" on her beautiful characters; she couldn't change anything about them - just like us amateur writers, do - as a woman (and an amateur writer, myself)... even though I am very angry with the way this story has been treated by the movie studio - I can't blame Stephenie Meyer; because she's just someone who got lucky, and this could have just as easily have happened to me. And jeez, if this ever does happen to me... I sure as hell HOPE that someone takes the time to fix my obviously amateur mistakes before serving it up "out here" to the world.
I'll stop rambling now and let you get to the hard stuff. You may still not agree with me by the end of our conversation; but for some strange reason, it is important for me to know that I'm not imagining this...
I'm doing this because Twilight could have been SUCH a cool story - and there's no reason why it shouldn't have been! I feel like I'm trying to get the Democrats and the Republicans to actually talk/listen to each other and work together!
Other Blog Posts Before the Cheating Scandal:
Nothing But LOVE for Our Beloved Twilight Character Actors!!
What DID Twilight book fans think was going to happen in Breaking Dawn BEFORE it was published - PLEASE, DO TELL!! ;)
Letter to My Little Twilight Sisters: Why I Keep Picking on Twilight
Letter to My BIG Twilight Sisters: Are You SURE Breaking Dawn is Ok?
I'm Reading Twilight Just to See for Myself
Heartbreaking video done by an ex-Twilight Fan 2008/2009.
Tech's Breaking Dawn Experience Book Reviews/YouTube Videos SUMMARIZED within this post first (she has alot of videos). THIS is where I originally learned that Stephenie Meyer's publishers originally didn't want to publish Breaking Dawn - among OTHER things. I HAVE read Stephenie's confirmation about this in her interviews.
Another Rant - WHY is Twilight Ok?
Recorded at the height of *my* obsession - YouTube Videos
What EXACTLY is wrong with Stephenie Meyer's 'vampires' within Twilight? (Includes my Breaking Dawn Part 1 & Part 2 MOVIE REVIEWS) - yeah, I eventually got around to watching them, Part 1 is WHAT ACTUALLY brought this blog to an END on 7/24/12, LoL!!
About the (now outdated) Twilight: Breaking Dawn Petition
The LAST post on this blog last updated THE DAY (7/24/12, but before I knew about) Kristen's photos were published: New Updated Twilight Petition for Professional Negligence and a Not-So-Final Farewell
AFTER the CHEATING SCANDAL POSTS (7/25/13 - Present):
WHY Do Gossip Mags Continue with PR Assaults on Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and their Twilight Fans? This post is very long because it starts with the OLD timeline on 7/25/12 with updates through 12/12 - THEN continues as a timeline from 1/12 through to the more recent PR assaults. Unfortunately, it is no longer 'as originally written' in here - I began splitting it up into little chunks when it started to get too long. (Yeah, I realize that it's still too long, ha!) It is STILL a great timeline. It started off NICE at the beginning because of the developing situation, but as time went on - it heated up. There are ALOT of additional posts that were created to support this post as needed, and they jump off the page at the most appropriate times - read them also, they are part of the post.
Ramifications of Wrong Writing in the Case of Twilight Addictions.
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