What if Edward Cullen, aka Creepy Twilight Vampire Dude, had made the mistake of stalking a genuinely strong woman? This video answers that question in brilliantly-edited, hilarious fashion.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Ha!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Haha! Both funny and really well put together. Is he seriously that creepy in the movie and books?
Also, any idea what song is being played around the 3:20 mark, with the woman singing?
Posted by daventor (Member # 11981) on :
I did read the Twilight books, and enjoyed them, but yeah, if you apply real life to them at all, Edward is very much a creepy stalker. That was very well done.
Posted by BelladonnaOrchid (Member # 188) on :
Oh, that was so funny! It seemed really put together for a remix, even if the frequent costume changes were a bit distracting.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I was less distracted by the costumes than by the extreme differences in color between Buffy and Twilight. Buffy was warm and colorful, where as Twilight was stark, washed out and pale.
Obviously that's intentional, but you don't always notice it without extreme comparisons.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
Where was the Harry Potter scene mentioned in the credits?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Originally posted by Katarain: Where was the Harry Potter scene mentioned in the credits?
I think it was just music. Maybe.
I loved it!
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Awww...poor Spike. That schtick must work better in Washington than California.
Most of Buffy's brushoffs were originally to him for basically acting like Edward.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Wow, that really made me miss Buffy. I may have to go back and watch it again.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
Holy cow, and I thought the concept of Twilight was seriously creepy. Seeing those clips makes me wonder if the reality is actually much, much creepier than I imagined.
Posted by Dogbreath (Member # 11879) on :
Never read Twilight, and now I never will... Edward looks disgusting just from these clips, I can't imagine what a whole book/movie about him would be like.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Thanks for the link -- enjoyed it.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Katarain: Where was the Harry Potter scene mentioned in the credits?
Not sure, but I think there was a snippet of forest scene, and maybe a bit of creepy moonlit night.
Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
* Harry Potter spoilers below! *
The clip of "Edward" dying is actually Cedric Diggory's demise from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."
Posted by Christine (Member # 8594) on :
LMAO
Thanks!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tarrsk: * Harry Potter spoilers below! *
The clip of "Edward" dying is actually Cedric Diggory's demise from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."
Oh, of course!!!
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
I read all four of the Twilight books recently and if I hadn't seen the previews for the movies I might not have found Edward quite so creepy. If he had any sense of humor maybe.
I don't think of Buffy as a truly strong woman.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Edward is seriously creepy in both books and movie. In fact, I thought the movie did a good job of portraying the book faithfully. I listened to a lot of young girls that I taught and friends of my daughter whine about how the movie wasn't like the book and they didn't like it - I think the reason they didn't like it is because it was too much like the book. The stalker activity is easier to brush off in print than when you see it on screen.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
quote:I don't think of Buffy as a truly strong woman.
But she's about a million times stronger than Bella - even emotionally speaking. I would pay good money to see Buffy take out every last character in those books, except maybe Charlie. And as she wipes them out, I would eat popcorn and cheer.
The stalker stuff was creepy. The 'if he/she/it doesn't love me, I'll kill myself' stuff was nauseating. I waited in vain for even a hint that all this 'love' really was, as sick and twisted as I found it, or some nasty consequences, or a character to make a difficult choice, or something . Unfortunately, that didn't quite happen.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
quote:I don't think of Buffy as a truly strong woman.
Buffy was seriously flawed and loved a good dysfunctional relationship. But as angsty and occasionally twisted Buffy's love life was in the series, she's still miles ahead of Bella in the categories of character and maturity.
Besides, Bella was just boring. No real friends, no hobbies, no sense of humor, clutzy beyond reason, etc.
Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
Buffy was a strong woman because she was three-dimensional, not because she was flawless. Whereas Twilight fetishized stalking, BtVS showed how such behavior is incredibly destructive for both people concerned.
It's true that Buffy could be, at times, just as impudent, starry-eyed, and foolish as her Twilight counterpart, but she was just as often smart, cautious, and clever. More importantly, she learned from her mistakes, thought about the ramifications of her decisions, and grew as a person over the course of the show. She had brains, morals, and a strong sense of self, which is infinitely more than can be said about Bella.
Posted by Christine (Member # 8594) on :
What Belle, Bella, Shanna, and Tarrsk said. Posted by Sala (Member # 8980) on :
Oh, this was fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
quote:I don't think of Buffy as a truly strong woman.
Interesting, breyerchic, why not? That is, what characteristics of a strong woman do you think Buffy lacks?
Posted by Jamio (Member # 12053) on :
I loved that!
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Buffy rejected her hot, conflicted, moody, stalkery vampire admirer.
No, wait...
Well, at least she did the second time.
Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
Exactly. She learned from her mistakes.
In all seriousness, though, I think this is a case where the execution makes all the difference. Buffy's relationships with Angel and Spike definitely had a touch of the creepiness that infuses Bella and Edward's "romance." But whereas Meyers writes as if this is acceptable behavior for a couple (indeed, she doesn't even seem aware that it could be construed as creepy), BtVS always emphasized that both of Buffy's vampiric relationships were troubled at best, and effed up at worst. Even moreso, they used the relationships to explore the raging emotions that give rise to such situations in real life, and how people (good and bad) react to them.
To give a specific example of what I'm talking about, consider Buffy and Giles's conversation after he finds out she slept with Angel (and in doing so, unleashed all sorts of nastiness upon Sunnydale). There is acknowledgment on both sides that she screwed up, that neither she nor Angel were thinking properly when it happened, and that the consequences will be dire for everyone involved, and quite a few others besides. Then Giles does something truly remarkable: he expresses his respect for Buffy, and his love and support. In one brief scene, we get a complex discussion about the mine-laden topic of teenage promiscuity, and a deepening of the relationship between a young woman and the man who is rapidly becoming her surrogate father.
Try to find that level of writing anywhere in Twilight.
Posted by adenam (Member # 11902) on :
Bella also constantly needs to be rescued/locked away for her own safety while Buffy herself gets rid the vampires and other evil creatures.
Posted by Christine (Member # 8594) on :
Vampire romance is, for some reason, currently very popular and I don't get why. It usually sucks, and Twilight is no exception -- in fact, it may be the epitome.
It took me ages to watch Buffy -- I only watched it about 2 years ago. All 7 seasons. I was wary of the vampire romance but glad I watched it because it really worked in that show. Buffy wasn't a weak girl falling prey to a monster, she was a strong girl with a human side falling prey to her own vulnerabilities.
Having found Buffy acceptable, I grudgingly went ahead and read the first Twilight book -- or at least 3/4 of it. But Twilight was everything that had kept me away from vampire romance...and it wasn't even written well.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I don't think people are reading just because it is a fad. I think Stephanie Meyer is a good storyteller - terrible writer but a good storyteller - and I think that she has really tapped into something.
I also don't think it's a mystery as to why the idea of the gorgeous, rich, brilliant, best-looking guy in school being madly in love with you and only you but also not being a threat in any way is so appealling. It's like The Corys in the Simpsons - it's understandable that a young girl who isn't a grown up yet and therefore does not want a grown up life would love the idea of the ultimate dangerous safe guy.
In other words, while I am not part of the phenomon, I'm not willing to dismiss it as just a fad followed by stupid people. I think that's fairly rude, but more importantly, it's missing WHY this is such a big deal.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:It usually sucks
Teehee.
I believe that Vampire Romances work because they tap into something psychological that's precisely what Twilight uses. Vampires appear most often to be preying upon young girls: they are sexy and dangerous, the dark stranger, the older man etc. The whole idea of Buffy is to reverse that, which is why the opening scene of Buffy is so important. From the first five minutes, the original appeal of vampires is turned on its head. The appeal was still there, though, of course and so the romance still occurred.
If we hadn't had Buffy, I think that Twilight would seem much more normal. Twilight belongs to an older vampire myth, whereas Buffy modernized it.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
I haven't watched either "Buffy" or "Twilight" but this was great! Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
quote:The latest in the hot and highly profitable line of pre-teen supernatural fantasy romance books, “Lightning” tells the story of a young and tragically misunderstood girl with low self-esteem, new to the area and the school, who falls in love with the one mythological being of horror she shouldn’t. Author Lyzabeth Mary Sue Powers wrote “Lightning” in segments for herself on her LiveJournal page over the summer of 2008, and was gratified to see such widespread appreciation from her bank account.
Read the first chapter!
=====================
“Lightning” by Lizabeth Powers
Chapter One:
I approached my new school with trepidation borne from past experience. No point in trying to fit in, as my alabaster hair and waifish looks automatically kept me from fitting in to any of the established cliques. My stylish clothes wouldn’t fit in here, nor would my professional hair style or my curiously clear teenage skin. I didn’t know what the kids at this school would be like, but as my own interests included reading books and brooding I was sure we’d have nothing at all in common.
Posted by Christine (Member # 8594) on :
quote:Originally posted by Teshi:
quote:It usually sucks
Teehee.
I believe that Vampire Romances work because they tap into something psychological that's precisely what Twilight uses. Vampires appear most often to be preying upon young girls: they are sexy and dangerous, the dark stranger, the older man etc. The whole idea of Buffy is to reverse that, which is why the opening scene of Buffy is so important. From the first five minutes, the original appeal of vampires is turned on its head. The appeal was still there, though, of course and so the romance still occurred.
If we hadn't had Buffy, I think that Twilight would seem much more normal. Twilight belongs to an older vampire myth, whereas Buffy modernized it.
I actually do get it. I say I don't, but it's more a matter of scale than anything else...there's a core to vampire romance -- the dark and dangerous man wrestling with his own dark side -- that is appealing even to me. I spent a lot of time as a teenager reading such romance.
And to a certain extent, I even get the scale, though I think it's a study in human psychology rather than a study in literature. There are millions of published books out there and only a few climb to the top of that heap -- often not the best.
My best friend loves this book and we've talked at great length about it. We're never going to agree, but it's actually kind of refreshing to have a friend I can disagree with. Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
quote:Originally posted by Chris Bridges: And a good time to bring this up again:
quote:The latest in the hot and highly profitable line of pre-teen supernatural fantasy romance books, “Lightning” tells the story of a young and tragically misunderstood girl with low self-esteem, new to the area and the school, who falls in love with the one mythological being of horror she shouldn’t. Author Lyzabeth Mary Sue Powers wrote “Lightning” in segments for herself on her LiveJournal page over the summer of 2008, and was gratified to see such widespread appreciation from her bank account.
Read the first chapter!
=====================
“Lightning” by Lizabeth Powers
Chapter One:
I approached my new school with trepidation borne from past experience. No point in trying to fit in, as my alabaster hair and waifish looks automatically kept me from fitting in to any of the established cliques. My stylish clothes wouldn’t fit in here, nor would my professional hair style or my curiously clear teenage skin. I didn’t know what the kids at this school would be like, but as my own interests included reading books and brooding I was sure we’d have nothing at all in common.
This seems like parody, "Mary Sue"!?
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
It is parody, Blayne .
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Yes, it does indeed seem like parody.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
So did Twilight.
Posted by nik (Member # 2114) on :
quote:Originally posted by Christine: I actually do get it. I say I don't, but it's more a matter of scale than anything else...there's a core to vampire romance -- the dark and dangerous man wrestling with his own dark side -- that is appealing even to me. I spent a lot of time as a teenager reading such romance.
And to a certain extent, I even get the scale, though I think it's a study in human psychology rather than a study in literature. There are millions of published books out there and only a few climb to the top of that heap -- often not the best.
But you can have all of that written with skill and a strong, smart, resourceful heroine who isn't a self indulgent, willfully miserable, absolute bore of a human being.
Posted by Marek (Member # 5404) on :
reminds me of a piece of flare my wife showed me on facebook(or possibly myspace) that said: "and then Buffy staked Edward the end" that was a funny video, and luckily i have a Buffy dvd coming from netflix in the morning.
Posted by Christine (Member # 8594) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jamio:
quote:Originally posted by Christine: I actually do get it. I say I don't, but it's more a matter of scale than anything else...there's a core to vampire romance -- the dark and dangerous man wrestling with his own dark side -- that is appealing even to me. I spent a lot of time as a teenager reading such romance.
And to a certain extent, I even get the scale, though I think it's a study in human psychology rather than a study in literature. There are millions of published books out there and only a few climb to the top of that heap -- often not the best.
But you can have all of that written with skill and a strong, smart, resourceful heroine who isn't a self indulgent, willfully miserable, absolute bore of a human being.
Yes, exactly. Didn't I say something like that? Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: So did Twilight.
:: laugh ::
Posted by Jamio (Member # 12053) on :
quote:Originally posted by Christine:
quote:Originally posted by Jamio:
quote:Originally posted by Christine: I actually do get it. I say I don't, but it's more a matter of scale than anything else...there's a core to vampire romance -- the dark and dangerous man wrestling with his own dark side -- that is appealing even to me. I spent a lot of time as a teenager reading such romance.
And to a certain extent, I even get the scale, though I think it's a study in human psychology rather than a study in literature. There are millions of published books out there and only a few climb to the top of that heap -- often not the best.
But you can have all of that written with skill and a strong, smart, resourceful heroine who isn't a self indulgent, willfully miserable, absolute bore of a human being.
Yes, exactly. Didn't I say something like that?
Yes. I thought this was one of those conversations were everyone says the same thing over and over because we can't get over how true it is.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
quote:Originally posted by Christine: I actually do get it. I say I don't, but it's more a matter of scale than anything else...there's a core to vampire romance -- the dark and dangerous man wrestling with his own dark side -- that is appealing even to me. I spent a lot of time as a teenager reading such romance.
So did I, thanks to the Bronte sisters.
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
"Lightning" took me back to high school English classes where a couple of classmates collaborated on a serial story called "Rose." It was about a woman and her vampire lover. They would read a chapter every so often, and the class would crack up. One aspect was Rose's negligee - pronounced "sha-swa" but spelled differently every time. Unfortunately I lost my copy years ago.
I enjoyed the video. I haven't seen Buffy or Twilight but I have read all the Twilight books. (I read a wide variety of things.)
Edited to add: I should point out that as a teenager I read my dad's collection of Doc Savage books, so Twilight didn't seem all that bad in comparison. Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :
In my opinion, Twilight is the quintessential naive "good-girl" fantasy. She wants to enjoy her sexuality without the danger of going all the way. She wants a passionate man who loves her enough to keep her safe. I think it's about desiring the experience without being truly at risk. Me, now that I am grown, I prefer a little more edge to my fantasies. I want dangers real, and choices to have consequences. In Twilight, Bella never really grows up, and neither does Edward. It seems to me that he's been 17 all of his hundreds of years. That makes it much easier to appreciate Twilight. Just figure that when you become a vampire in the Twilight world, you never age emotionally or psychologically, just like your sparkly immortal body.
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
quote:Originally posted by nik: @Kwea: I loled.
Whoa! Has Twitter infiltrated Hatrack already?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
First of all, of course it has.
Second of all, that particular phrasing (perhaps with an additional space or two) has been common since long before Twitter tweeted.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
Well, I finally knuckled under to some friends at work pestering me and read the first book.
Overall it was mediocre at best. The substantially disturbing parts - and there were lots - along with the substantially boring parts - there were even more of those - were counterbalanced overall for me by my interest in the Cullen family, and the Native-American Indian tribe near the town, and the interactions between the two.
And, of course, there was lots of implausibilities or outright I-don't-buy-it moments. For one thing, Bella is to me only marginally interesting. She's certainly not - aside from physical characteristics - not anywhere near as interesting as Edward suggests. Her thoughts aren't especially insightful or amusing, her words aren't either. Her reaction to Edward isn't particularly interesting, given that he is apparently the heroin of eye-candies, and has an intense and curiosity-provoking reaction to her the first time they meet. Her lack of fear of his vampire-ness isn't really very noteworthy either, because lots of people overlook incredibly big flaws in their crushes. Especially their first real OMFGHE'SSOBOOTIFUL@ crushes.
Edward isn't interesting either, or certainly not very much. His attraction to her is initially at least purely physical, and he literally can't help his desire for her. So...he trains himself to control himself, that was mildly interesting, but as far as couples-in-love go, not very. The things he cites about her that are so interesting are, to me, so not very interesting I can't help wonder if he's just lying, either to himself or both of them.
And oh, of course the creepy parts. Breaking into her house, stalking her, watching her sleep, reading the minds of her friends to follow what she's doing...some of these can be forgiven or rather understood but still criticized because of his particular attraction to her. But the spying on her conversations? And when she calls him on it, he specifically doesn't say, "I'm not going to do it again," and is only reluctantly apologetic for it.
I can see mildly-interesting, starstruck Bella not being very concerned with any of this. People in love are often stupid, and teenagers in FIRST love are sometimes the most stupid category of people on the planet. I would've liked someone in the situation - maybe from the supposedly-well-adjusted Cullen family? - taking Edward or Bella aside and saying, "Hey, love is fine, but let's talk about boundaries, respecting them, and most of all insisting the other person respect them."
It was tedious how literally every boy in the story is attracted to Bella, and how her human friends basically get her cast-offs. It would be slightly less tedious if she merited that amount of attention.
I liked Jacob the most, I think. Even if he does inexplicably seem to crush on her quite a bit. His father is intriguing-what incidents in the past does he know about that the Cullens aren't telling?
I might read the next one, because I've heard it has very little Edward, and lots of the native americans.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
Careful with the sequels. I also liked Jacob at the beginning. He had hobbies and friends and a good relationship with his family. All the things Bella and Edward lack or ignore. But Meyer absolutely destroys his character as his feelings for Bella increase. Jacob's friends later in the series are interesting but sadly, also very disturbing.
Posted by Clive Candy (Member # 11977) on :
It doesn't seem like Edward Cullen would have found Buffy attractive in the first place.
Edward Cullen was attracted to Bella because of Bella's innocence, because of Bella's need for protection. Because of Bella's femininity.
Buffy on the other hand was a skank.
Posted by Dobbie (Member # 3881) on :
quote:Originally posted by Clive Candy: Edward Cullen was attracted to Bella because of Bella's innocence, because of Bella's need for protection. Because of Bella's femininity
Did you girls get that? I think you know which ones I'm talking to here.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
Hmmm...all of them? Anyway, maybe it's because I just read the damn thing, but that was transparent, even for you, CC:)
[ November 29, 2009, 02:02 AM: Message edited by: Rakeesh ]
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dobbie:
quote:Originally posted by Clive Candy: Edward Cullen was attracted to Bella because of Bella's innocence, because of Bella's need for protection. Because of Bella's femininity
Did you girls get that? I think you know which ones I'm talking to here.
It's a right treat when a man with such preferences states them clearly. Saves time, that.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
He ought to wear a sign or something-saves even more time:)
The funny thing is, of course, desiring such a partner in and of itself means the one who wants that is less suited to be a protector. Not just because it means the person desiring that is badly sexist, though of course that's true too, but it's a way of saying, "I want a grown-up sycophant."
Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
No need for a sign, just put CC under a light. I guarantee you he'll sparkle.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
And that's another thing that was dumb about the story: to be killed, vampires have to be torn apart literally and incinerated? Pft. What nonsense. They have no weaknesses. Even if they were discovered, it would amount to serious inconvenience, not danger.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Grown men who like the helpless are the ones who know that only the stupid and brainless are likely to give them the time of day.
Posted by Occasional (Member # 5860) on :
You would think that Twilight would be a bomb. Well, it has made lots of money and lots of fans, many of them adults. Its not even the only one of its kind. Why so popular? That is the question that all criticism seems to ignore. Mostly I think taking shots at the books has become a fad or status symbol. I honestly can't answer to the popularity because I am not a fan, but I do recognize its popularity can't be dismissed.
I can't stand "Edward is a creep" any more than I can "Edward is dreamy." For me, they come out sounding like the same high-school rhetoric about the popular boy.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Because criticizing everyone is SO much more sophisticated. You call everyone immature without nuance or evidence of any understanding! How clever and insightful you are!
Posted by Amanecer (Member # 4068) on :
quote:His attraction to her is initially at least purely physical, and he literally can't help his desire for her.
I thought the fact that he can't read her mind was a big part of the attraction. I could buy that after everyone being an open book to him, a closed book (even not that interesting of one) would be incredibly appealing.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I think the popularity is easily understood - the books are about obsession, and the reader gets a bit caught up in the obsession.
What bothers me about Twilight is the message that a boy who tries to dictate who you can be friends with, and wants to watch you while you sleep and follows you around under the guise of "protecting you and making sure you don't get into trouble" is something desirable or God forbid, romantic. It's not - it's stalkerish and creepy.
I teach 12 and 13 year old girls and I have girls around the age that this stuff is marketed toward and I am concerned about the message they are getting. I wouldn't be so concerned if I didn't know that too few of my students have healthy relationships in their own homes to model. I'm not so worried about my girls - my oldest has read Twilight and we've discussed it and yes, laughed at it. My students though, live in a world defined by crime and violence and I don't want them getting any more reinforcement that control=love.
Naturally, I can't control what they read (and yes, part of me is just thrilled that they read at all), and it's not my job to teach them how to handle relationships - way beyond my scope as a teacher they see 50 minutes a day, five days a week. But still...because I care about them I worry and wish they were reading things that displayed much more healthy relationships.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
quote:I thought the fact that he can't read her mind was a big part of the attraction. I could buy that after everyone being an open book to him, a closed book (even not that interesting of one) would be incredibly appealing.
That was a part of it, but unless he goes about peering into every mind he encounters, he wouldn't have been aware of that initially-which is when the attraction first happened. Maybe he would have been equally attracted to her without the pheremonal qualities of her blood...but we'll never really know.
At any rate, if memory serves, he talks about things she does and says being interesting-and, really, they're just not. Unless you literally salivate being around her in the first place.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I actually don't mind that part - that's the fantasy. The most awesome guy in the world adores you, and you don't have to do anything or be special already.
Sure, it's unrealistic, but that's why it's a fantasy. That part I think is fine.
What Belle said bothers me a great deal more.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
That's fine as fantasy, it's just where it goes wrong with me is where that stuff is posed as a good relationship or something. It's just not. And of course all the stuff Belle says, too.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
The idea of adoring someone and thinking they are wonderful without them actually being the most beautiful or brilliant sounds pretty good to me.
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