Twilight
Okay, so I just finished reading Twilight. I first heard about it over the summer when melanoo11 wrote about it in her lj and how everyone was talking about it. She said it was a vampire novel, so immediately I was intrigued. I kept hearing about more and more people reading it, but I didn't think about it until it was plastered on the shelves at Deseret Book during the holiday, along with the next two books. I heard it was more of a teen book and a romance, so I wasn't in a hurry to get my hands on it. Finally I caved and bought a copy at Wal*Mart one day as my splurge.
I hate to be a sheep and jump on the wagon, but really I loved the book. To be honest, Stephenie Meyer is a good writer, but the way she wrote drove me nuts in the first half of the book, though it wore down later on. I felt like there were voids, like all of a sudden the characters were done with the day in a sentence. I know vampires have super-speed, but some of the scenes with Bella drove me a little nuts. I felt like Stephenie all of a sudden changed her writing style part way through the book. This can be attributed to us seeing her a little differently as she fell in love with Edward, but it just egged at me for a while. Anyway, I loved the book.
In fact, I was very jealous. Is that dumb? I think I'm a very jealous person lately. I don't have the right to be in any way, as I didn't read the book when it first came out. But what I am stupidly jealous over is all the fandom that's going to go on. It's great that we can all bond over a great book (and soon movie), but now that everyone has read it, there will be even MORE vampires on Halloween, more vampire cosplay, more interest in goth-esque interests. Just like there are a million pirates ALL THE TIME because of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
As some may know, this past year I've put a bunch of puzzle pieces together and many have come to the conclusion that I'm a bit gothic at heart. Love the Renaissance, my favorite place to spend quiet time is in cemeteries, I love horror films, I've always had a fascination with Dracula (and even wrote an informative forensics piece for competition in high school on the 'Evolution of Dracula', from Vlad the Impaler to modern day vampires), and above all, a HUGE love and intrigue for vampires (and I am avid collector of vampire films, books, etc). It's something I haven't written about much or displayed because I didn't want to be one of those weirdo people with a twisted or fantasy obsession. As Eric and Liz have been around me most this year, they can vouch that I've been a freak about vampires a lot more than usual as I've discovered my passions. I've finally stepped up to the plate to my loves. I've always wanted to be that girl - the girl with quirky interests, the one that liked strange things that don't make up much of a combination, but that make her unique. This past year I've realized I AM that girl, so I've been owning up to my interests and passions.
So what is my point? I'm not sure. This is a very, very pointless rant that I attribute to my own inadequacies. I think what I'm trying to say, is that I don't want everyone thinking I love vampires because of this book, or because I'm like the next 17 year old girl that has a crush on Robert Pattinson (casted to play Edward, the vampire Bella falls in love with). First of all, I totally loved him in HP: GoF (swoon Cedric!) and Vanity Fair. Second, this book has nothing to do with my love for vampires and vampire culture, but my love for vampires has everything to do with my reading and loving this book. I don't know why I feel the need to prove anything, but I do. Because in a few months (and already), tens of millions of immediately post-pubescent aged males and females will be getting their hands on anything and everything vampire, dying their hair black, and patting dark circles under their eyes. My love and passion for things of 'gothic' nature will never be the same, because the finger will always be pointed at me for jumping on the bandwagon.
The same goes for Harry Potter. I imagined places like Hogwarts when I was 3 and 4 years old. My dad is a clown (Shriner) and did a lot of magic shows when I was younger. I knew how all the 'magic' worked, and the place in my mind was a place where the magic was REAL. I would sit with my headphones on listening to classical music, transporting myself to places beyond beauty of existence, where my mind could run freely and I had playmates (I'm an only child). I was always researching magical things. I was obsessed with witch craft books and movies, history. I feel like because Harry Potter came out (though I'm SO glad it did, as it made my childhood imaginings a reality), I'm just another typical person. I'm not unique.
Perhaps most people typically fall for this stuff, and imagine it. I'm not unique and quirky after all. I have no edge. Maybe everyone likes magic, witches, wizards. Maybe everyone is seduced by vampire folklore. Maybe I'm just an average joe.
What I should look at is that everyone takes each interest or passion to their own level and makes it their own. That is what makes us unique. For example, while I love true gothic culture, I'm not a gothic person by today's stereotype definition. I don't wear all black, have scraggly hair. I'm not pierced to death. I don't listen to gothic or emo music (minus the occasional enjoyed song). I don't really shop at Hot Topic.
I do, however, have a couple pairs of vampire teeth in my jewelry box. :) For fun, of course. I do have a variety of Dracula/vampire/monster movies I've started collecting, and some books. I do go weak in the senses just like I would were I being wooed by a real vampire. I am a very sultry and seductive person. I do have a brilliant imagination, and that is what makes me unique.
Who knows. But just so I feel better since I'm a bit edgy today, I wanted to state that for the record, I've totally been in love with vampires since way before this series came out. I've had the same intense, powerful, seduced relationships with educating myself on vampires as Edward and Bella have in Twilight. The minute I hear or see or read something about vampires, I've always fallen prey to the culture.
And /endrant.
Time to go buy the next two books over lunchtime.
(P.S. For the record, I think Stephenie Meyer totally should have got her way and have Henry Cavill cast as Edward, as he is nearly exactly how I pictured him, with a little lighter hair. I LOVED Tristan & Isolde and thought he was beautiful there! I think Robert Pattinson definitely has a vamp look though, so I'm okay with the casting decision there. As for Kristen Stewart...eh. I'm not a huge fan of her acting, and her face is all wrong in my mind. I also agree with Danielle Panabaker after seeing her and having Bella in my mind, though she's still not exact as I imagined, but pretty dang close!)
