The Twilight Years were already upon us

The Twilight Saga has gained a lot of infamy to the point of being nearly iconic of a bad book, just short of the book that was almost Twilight fanfiction, 50 shades of Gray.

There are legitimate problems with the book, which I'll address.  If you like it while acknowledging those flaws, go ahead.  You not liking the book is not the point of this blog.  The point is to shed some light on some history about the books.

First, the book did not start a vampire craze or change vampires to something sexual they never were before.  Vampires have always been sexual predators when they were called Vrykolak (spelling may vary depending on your resource for research), from the Romanian/Romani mythology.  This, along with a rash of mysterious attacks reported in a newspaper in the 1600's where the terms 'vampire' was first used, along with two similar books published before it, were all the cumulative inspiration for the famous Dracula.

In that book, which scholars say was the beginning of mainstream vampire novels, Dracula seduced several women, convincing nearly all of them into pre-marital sex before killing them.  Most film versions, from those trying to stay true to the book, to expansions, to spoofs kept the sexuality and made it a prominent part of the movie

Twilight didn't bring vampires to worrying about what they were or wanting to stick it to beautiful women, either.  That honor goes to Anne Rice of the Vampire Chronicles fame (and much infamy) and the Carpathians romance series.

Here's where things get tricky, and for several reasons.  The Twilight Saga did and did not do something new, and it's one of he more legitimate complaints against those who hate the series. Decades ago, fantasy short stories were all over magazines.  Dungeons and Dragons didn't exist, computers games were all text and one color, and the genre was proud to be a 'No-Girls-Allowed' club.  Sadly, this defined fantasy and still does today; nearly every story was blatant wish-fulfillment. While there was nothing wrong with escapism, these stories had a fierce male-empowerment edge, granting men voluptuous women who sought after nothing more than his muscles and what lay beneath his loincloth.

To this day, these stories and attitudes are what generate the sexism found throughout geekdom and nerddom. Men should be granted titles, men should be ornaments while weak men are those who don't conform to a testosterone-filled heterosexual ideal and strong women really just want to ride a man's maypole and will instantly become submissive to the might of one afterward.

The relevance to the Twilight Saga is only obvious when one considers the story if the genders of the main characters are switched.  Bella, the man, is perfect, loved by all, highly skilled while aloof in being learned and deep.  He is torn between two women, Edward and Jacob. The first is very proper, but refuses sexual congress despite wanting it so much due Bella's good looks, skills, depth, and aloofness, for he is afraid on the consequences and what his family would think. The second is a wild woman, a child of nature and magic, whose free spirit entices Bella.  The villain is jealous of how so many are drawn to Bella's attractiveness, and he uses both women to his gain with promises of sex and love, making not only them, but many others willing to die to protect him.

This is stick archaic fantasy, but now catered to women, but with the same male empowerment.  The ones who recognize this have the most legitimate complaint without seeing the history, merely the symptom of it.  For both those who look at the past and those who don't want a future spawning from the flaws of this book, the major question is the same: what if a woman threatened suicide after physically striking a man hard enough to make him bleed?

Happy Beer-Day!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

While it is debated as to whether the first harvest festival by Europeans was by the Spanish or the Pilgrims on the Mayflower (some even say the Vikings predated both and should be considered the first to celebrate a feat f giving thanks), Thanksgiving was declared an official holiday for the United states  in 1789 by George Washington and the official day was set by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 and most historians say it derives from the Calvinist holiday of giving thanks.

Though the reason has changed, we still today we celebrate goodwill towards others in time of need...actually, get rid of that 'still'. Originally, those we know as Pilgrims did not come directly from England to flee religious persecution, but from Holland, fearing they would lose their cultural identity, as the political and social environment was accepting of too many alternate philosophies and religions.

Originally the Mayflower was scheduled to land in the Caribbean to take part in lucrative trade in sugar, rum, and other newly discovered goods.  After many disasters involving poorly made ships (there were originally two, but one sprang a leak), disease, and starvation, the passengers requested they stop at what is now New England to replenish one of their most important supplies: beer.

Beer back then was not like beer today.  Beer back then was drunk by everyone, including children, and was the only viable beverage back then. There was no other way to purify water, save with a small amount of alcohol, and the only other options were seawater or body fluids (which they weren't going to even think about).

While today we think of a harvest involving many new world foods, such as pumpkins, potatoes, and turkeys, their harvest consisted of barely and not much else (barely is an overwintering cover crop and most of what they ate grew in the spring).  The celebration of eating food was later and not as celebrated as being able to drink healthy water.

Sadly, also spitting the face of idealism, the pilgrims were attacked by natives and ended up defending themselves using cannons against their attackers, giving the pilgrims something more to celebrate.

But these days are different.  We get together to celebrate peace, family, and all that we and have and can give.

Beer, Turkey, or just a can of pringles, share the wealth, health, and merriment.

History, History

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.

Remember, remember the fifth of November.
Kill the king, praise the Pope,

Guy Fawkes and his plan for murder--

Truly he is a symbol of hope

Remember, remember the fifth of November
and what it truly meant:

Indulgences and Inquisition.

Remember what his plan truly meant

Remember, remember the fifth of November…

Poor princess Elizabeth was only just nine.

But no one was equal, Protestants should die

And just like kidnapping and murder, it’s all perfectly fine

Remember, remember, the fifth of November,
freedom to worship does not mean just you.

Fawkes’ hypocrisy would never have been known

If his plan had gone through.

Whodunnit

Who ruined vampires?

Do you really want an answer?

Do you?

You. 

Anyone who thinks something like vampires can be ruined is the reason they’re being ruined.

Vampires are a world wide belief with hundreds of variations of time and place.  They embody man’s fear of the unknown and being helpless, be it by nature, mistrust of his arranged wife, for a baby’s health, for stalkers that you’re never aware of, for your own instincts, for what happens when one dies—or supposedly does, for someone’s immortal soul. Vampire stories can have been any length, from flash fiction to long series of novels.  They span stories of all mediums for all ages across all genres.

Tell me, is it one person who wrote a few books who wants to snuff out thousands of years of history across the globe, or people who don’t like a few books and are willing to burn the rest along with them? 

If trying to end creativity is what those who dislike the series push for, then I, sadly, side against them.

For all the faults of her as a writer, trying to actively end creativity of another is not one of them.  Can you say that about yourself?  If not, you ruin far more than just vampires and have only yourself to blame.