Starnessa~Arrow Administrator Assisstant Admin member is offline
~You're only as limited as your horizon, if you can see past the horizon, than you have no limits~
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 893 Location: *Somewhere in my second life* Karma: 16
Re: INUYASHA!!!! « Result #1 on Dec 16, 2009, 11:12pm »
Well, while she's in her own country there are some actual cultural references, and when she's in Germany there are 3 that I counted, cause she wasn't in Germany long. When she goes to Phantasma, there is much to learn about that country. ^-^
Moirae Wooden Stick Sunflower of the Stars member is offline
You would lecture us of Fate?
Joined: Feb 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 46 Location: In your thoughts. Karma: 5
Re: Okay I'm bringing it up. Twilight. « Result #3 on Dec 11, 2009, 8:09pm »
Thank you for having an open mind. Aries is going to hate me for this. (She doesn’t want me fighting, but I don’t see it as fighting, maybe debating but I think it’s closer a real discussion.) In fact you have a strong rebuttal, which is what I was looking for. I personal started out neutral to the whole subject because I just don’t like having anything to do with VampFics. (Mother loves they and I saw Dead And Loving it very young and Interview With A Vampire and they both traumatized me to abhor anything involving vampires else someone was killing them. (But I recently caught parts of A Perfect Being,(Or something like that) a New Zealand, I believe, pysco drama that did have vampires but it played on themes of dominance and brutality versus humanity and compassion. A lot like Nick and La Croix from Forever Knight(Canadian show that was the original Moonlight. It’s on Youtube if you’re interested. It’s so’right.*rubs under nose* Most episodes I won’t watch but there are some that I can sit through.) Or Barnabas Collins.(The original spell turned vampire from Dark Shadows, the first supernatural drama/soap opera from the 60’s. Stand up and recognize!)) So I can respect your choice and if you had come to me asking for the same thing I myself would have talked about Twilight because I know of no other “toned down” story with vampires, but I would have discussed this very issue. Not my past experience, but the speed, themes, Mary Sue and what naught and left you to decide on your own.
As for keeping in mind that it’s a work of fiction, that’s all well and good, I don’t worry about it. It’s when tweens and young teens read it and are still developing their model of a healthy relationship and a normal romance and see Bella with someone who is making threats and lying to her father about injuries that I worry. At those ages (and beyond I’m afraid to report) kids aren’t listening first to their parents and are going with whatever their peers say and what the media presents. They are freshmen who want to have kids before New Years because Jamie Spears got pregnant and they present that as an agurement and I bet cha 20 bucks I could walk down the street sneak into a high school cafeteria and find a group of girls who would actively use Bella’s behavior as a valid agurement for what they do. (Because I promise you I can find a girl with evidence of a controlling relationship) I try to give people the benefit of the doubt but middle and high school proved that in most of the cases there it’s a waste of time.
I don’t remember him taking the stereo, I remember him taking out the ignition to keep her from going to see the werewolf fella. And the whole ‘protecting her’ excuse. From what exactly? No one has made any threats until the end of the first book. The werewolves haven’t made a move against her and they aren’t smashing trees to emphasis how they can smash her head in an instant.
The stalking that the most alarming was chapter six of Eclipse where she got done visiting with Jacob(Whom I propose we refer to as pup-pup from now on.) and she notices him following her. When she finally makes it home the lines go a little like this, “ “I’m going to go study,” I announced glumly as I headed for the stairs. “See you later,” Charlie called after me. If I survive, I thought to myself. Sounds like she’s scared. Sure you can say she’s being dramatic but she was worried during the entire drive because she went behind Eddy’s (I actually like the name Edward and don’t like the connection to this character. There. I said it. Hater talk. Now some Hatter talk. “ Does this crushed velvet go well with this plum?” “No you stupid apprentice, you never put a summer fruit a winter material! Go put up the new florals and if you mess that up-so help me!”) back and went to see the wrong friend. Who just happens to be the natural enemy of a vampire. Me? Imply something? No, not at all. *coughinsecurecough clears throat* Excuse me.
In that case it’s excusable to mess with a person’s memory, however in chapter 17 of Twilight Bella is complaining about being carried at the same speed as a semi truck and Edward “playful” says how he can change her memory. It’s not playful, it’s worrisome, it’s almost a threat. ‘course instead he decides to get his way by seducing her into agreeing. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. (Like at plum and crushed velvet.) Classic control. She clearly didn’t want to go to prom. Seeing as she hated school I doubt she would have gone if she had never met him. It’s disrespectful to her wishes and he forced her to go,she had no say in the matter. He might see it as a curse but instead of telling her where to go, be human and be happy darn it, he should be talking about it. Besides, what is wrong with being a member of the super-powered, glorious, sparkly, undead again? (According to S. Meyer anyway.)
See paragraph before last. And you can’t use the ‘safety excuse’ (I’m protecting her so that makes everything I do right.) because this is before the introduction of the other vampires. He just wanted to take her to the baseball game. (Baseball. Just add water to vampires. (*covers face* I don’t even like them and I have to ask why S.Meyer is doing this.))
She might be clumsy but it never mentioned her having trouble driving before she met Eddy and suddenly he has to watch her and force what’s good for her on her or she’ll find a way to take off her on head. And is the fact she’s a tasty meal the only thing she has going? It’s a long established theme that a vampire first takes interest in a human for unique blood or personal vendetta and circumstances keep them from being alone she he/she can’t drink the blood of the other and over time it develops into love. I find it hard to believe a 900 year old can sensibly go from 0 to 60 in a snap. But then S. Meyer could be accidently following a model that states that the mind and body are frozen at the time of death and never mature. Which would explain his melt down. Bella still has him beat, writing sonnets to each of his eyelashes (close enough) and going canonic for like 5 months after he leaves.
I don’t thing that’s a good example. It’s kept in the north american anime only. After their memories are reestablished in both the Japanese anime and manga he calls her Usako (sp?) which means Bunny which is a nick name as her Japanese name mean rabbit.(A play on the Japanese myth of the rabbit on the moon. Which makes in the mangas and the Japanese anime.) And if it was a pet name it’s still demeaning. Would you like it if you where out in public and your boyfriend did his baby voice and said you were such a cute little idiot for the 100th time. It’s embrassing.
I don’t see the translation. In the cases I’ve looked at thinking that your don’t deserve what you have comes with looking down on yourself or belittling who you are. Your depression lot. In contrast, believing yourself to be lucky means you’re happy and might have not have done anything be in the current situation but your aren’t going to think worse of your self for it. “I don’t deserve Ice Cream.” *Pushes ice cream away.* “I’m so lucky to have friends like you.” *group hug* Definite difference in attitudes.
How old is Bella? Oh yeah, less than my parrot. How does she know about love or what she wants in life? Less than my parrot, in fairness my parrot never have to go to high school but it can still argue with me. She only really made one friend and that was Pup-Pup and Eddy refuses to allow them to talk on the phone.*whispers* Pup-Pup might use he’s sparkle magic and smooth voice to make her fall in love and then when he drive to her house she would run into his volvo to drive off to places unknown at speeds previously unknown to eat her. Oh wait! Eddy has all those things! My mistake.
900 years and all he’s had is bear blood. In theory. 900 years among other humans who could have sprouted wings and took off and still not gotten Eddy’s attention. Going back to the tweens, they would read all of that and think it’s acceptable. It’s not. Threatening people is a federal crime. In this book it’s love. </3. I hate cute hearts.
900 years. Still can’t get a hold of those gosh darn vampire powers. Poor Eddy. Real abusers do “accidently” hit people. It’s never they’re fault, it’s circumstance or the other person’s. Never the person who caused the injury. True, tweens and young teens (and the sad third group) won’t however. They will think it’s okay. You’re doing the only thing they can for the one they ‘love.’
Yeah, but who pays attention to Shakespeare? Normally I wouldn’t mind it so much since it is a common theme but the media’s complete blind eye to it seems to validate it. Can’t someone discuss why it’s only acceptable to think in such a way in the world of La-La where Buffy can come back from the dead thanks to a spell cased by a red-haired lesbo who’s a Californa witch. Visualize!
Agreed. Covered already. But I will add. If it were me watching a 20 foot redwood fall under the fist of a seemingly normal guy would send me for the hills.
See baseballs and water.
She loves him so much that’s why she wants to suck lips.*coughcough* Once again, he’s controlling the situation and that’s what young audiences are going to pick up as normal. I don’t like still Betty Sue lying on her bed is going remember the poison fangs in those situations.
Mangas have a rating system and were written with a more mature audience in mind. Though I agree that the content doesn’t get look at alot, but you don’t have the same large scale notoriety Twilight has had. The media presents it as perfectly fine. And it seems to say that alot of these actions are normal when they’re not. The fact Eddy is as cold as a marble statue should serve to remind but a 12 year old girl is just going to swoon because that’s what the main character is doing.(The whole series is written in first person, the strongest way to engage an audience emotionally.)
I’m not personally after Twilight, if I found another book I found qualm with*coughWickedcough* and it was being presented to a young audience I’d discuss it as well. And I’m glad I didn’t find a raving fan girl who’s only rebuttal was, “OMG u r so stoopid. Twilight is teh best book evar! I love Edward! I wish he was real! I’d marry him in a heartbeat. Boo! No haters! Get a life!” Really? I think I’m done here. “Ha! Told u was stoopid. Edward=trueluv4evar.” And I forget where it was but- yea fairies! Acorn hats are their tea cups! I hope this ends quickly or gets shorter.
Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant. What fates impose, that men must needs abide; It boots not to resist both wind and tide. Desire nothing, Chafe not at fate, nor at Nature's changeless laws. But struggle only with the personal, the transitory, the evanescent and the perishable. Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.
Moirae Wooden Stick Sunflower of the Stars member is offline
You would lecture us of Fate?
Joined: Feb 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 46 Location: In your thoughts. Karma: 5
Re: INUYASHA!!!! « Result #4 on Dec 11, 2009, 5:44pm »
Ah, thank you, I was wondering. It sounds like a manga I almost read but it sounded too much like another manga that I read and I didn't like the conclusion. However this sounds like it might have more cultural references that I think really enrich the experience.
Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant. What fates impose, that men must needs abide; It boots not to resist both wind and tide. Desire nothing, Chafe not at fate, nor at Nature's changeless laws. But struggle only with the personal, the transitory, the evanescent and the perishable. Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.
Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant. What fates impose, that men must needs abide; It boots not to resist both wind and tide. Desire nothing, Chafe not at fate, nor at Nature's changeless laws. But struggle only with the personal, the transitory, the evanescent and the perishable. Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.
Starnessa~Arrow Administrator Assisstant Admin member is offline
~You're only as limited as your horizon, if you can see past the horizon, than you have no limits~
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 893 Location: *Somewhere in my second life* Karma: 16
Re: Okay I'm bringing it up. Twilight. « Result #6 on Dec 10, 2009, 1:23am »
Okay, I understand where you're coming from and I admit I see what you see now that you've pointed it out. And yes, if someone is looking deep into these books they might see this as you have seen it, or if they have known something like you described in their real lives they may see the signs you described more clearly. I know I'm only me and that, just like you, my opinion is not what the world at large may see. Having said that, here's how I see the books.
I wasn't looking for a deep story, just a story I would enjoy. I wanted a vampire story that was mostly romance, a little action, and not a lot of sex and gore. Twilight was the first vampire book I picked up that was like that. (A friend reffered me to it.) I started off reading this series knowing that it was fiction. I'm not one who believes Vampires are real. I believe Fairies are real, but that's a different point.
I don't recall Edward dismantling a car. I know he took out a car stereo that was in Bella's car when he tried to erase himself from her life to protect her. I think he might've threatened to dismantle a car, but I took it as a playful threat, not a true threat with any sort of malice behind it.
And I think he did follow Bella a couple times before she knew he was a vampire, but yes any normal person would fear for her life if she thought she was being followed and didn't know who it was. But she never did fear for her life when she knew Edward was the one following her. Actually she felt safe.
As to the memory tampering, I assume you were talking about the car and ice incident and how Edward tried to get Bella to think he had been closer than she had thought? He had to hide the fact he wasn't human, I would do the same thing in his place and I'm not an abusive or controlling person. If he had been human then I would be questioning it.
Dragging her to the prom, I never saw it as a control thing. I saw it as Edward wanting Bella to at least attempt to enjoy the humans things in life, because it was by then that Bella was starting to want to be a vamp too and Edward (seeing it as a curse like he did) was terrified of that. I saw it as a distraction and a push to get Bella back into the human world as much as he could.
Also in arguments, Edward has a slight advantage. Being a vampire one of his abilities is being able to mesmerize his pray and that was distracting Bella in most of the arguments that they had, though Edward didn't mean to do it. I will admit though that when Edward thought it nessesary for Bella's safety he'd bring it to bare, but she got used to it and could stand her ground.
I'm sorry, but the way the author wrote Bella out, she was quite clumsy at times. Edward did have a right on the not allowing Bella to drive sometimes. He didn't do it all the time though. Being as he's a vampire and her blood was really alluring to him (which is a good part of the plot for this story) and being as his breath to any humans who cought whiff of it was alluring for them, there'd have to be acceptable and unacceptable physical conduct rules between them. And I think it's only realistic if often times Bella gets hurt because of it, she's human and as Edward put it several times, she's way more fragile then he is. He's a vampire and not much can hurt him physically. Emotionally though he did suffer a bad breakdown toward the end of New Moon and in the middle of Breaking Dawn.
When Edward first calls Bella an idiot, if this was for real, a lot of the readers would agree. After all she is putting herself in a dangerious situation being friends and then lovers with a vampire. Later on when he called her an idiot, I felt it was more of an endearing term. Kinda' like Darien calling Serena meatballhead even when they became lovers. Although admittedly, Serena still got mad at the term sometimes. Also, if Edward truly thought Bella couldn't live without him, he wouldn't have left at the beginning of New Moon and I don't recall him acutally telling her she couldn't live without him. I think Bella herself might have said that several times (a lot of real women and girls say that to their lovers) and Edward admitted at the end of New Moon that he now knew HE couldn't live without HER.
I am really sorry to say this, but a lot of real girls and women have low self-esteem issues. Bella doesn't nessesarily break the mold or nothing. And I figure that I would think the same thing about being too plain and boring for a sparkling powerful vampire who's lived over 900 years and has lived in almost every country. And as to not deserving him, a lot of lovers talk like that too. I've heard several who do not have abusive relationships talk like that. A lot of the time "I don't deserve him/her" to me translates to "I'm really lucky to have him/her". The charactor itself may not realize it, but that is what I read into it as.
If I were in her place and had no real friends or social life, but did have someone whom I loved as much as Bella loved Edward, I would probably choose the one whom I loved too. (I have thought about that a bit). Also, Edward does make attempts to let Bella have friends and a social life. SHE chose not to really nurture that. He did not stop her. Or attempt to. As to her isolating herself from her parents, I admit yes, she's willing to, but more toward the fact that it would keep them safe. And by safe, I don't mean to insinuate that Bella fears for her parents lives from the Cullens or from Edward himself, but from the rest of the Cullens race who are not like the Cullens. Vampires, once again. It may seem like excuses, but for these particular books, it's valid ones.
Everytime Edward warns Bella of the danger he could inflict upon her, I always saw it as him warning her about the 900 years of vampire instinct within him. He's laying it bare for her to see, and giving her the chance to turn away from him. After she accepts him, he keeps warning her until she becomes a vampire because she "is fragile" and he is still getting used to controlling his instincts. Also, I would think that even 'some' non murderious people might have murderious thoughts toward those that meant one of their loved ones harm. Even more likely if the person could 'see' their thoughts and knew in explicit detail what the offenders were planning on doing, like Edward could see. As to the 'wanting to kill her when they first met', that's where one of the big 'I'm a vampire, you're a human, this is a dangerious relationship' obstacale comes in that makes up quite a bit of the story. And as to the telling her of the murderious thoughts, I see it once again as the giving her the chance to turn away moment.
I think she would've been reletively safe for a while longer if she had actually stuck to Edward, Alice, and Jasper's plan. But the human element kicked in and she decided she couldn't. When it came down to the fight between James and Edward and Edward and Jasper, Edward in the attempt to save her fast misjudged his strength. In the real world a bodybuilder might do the same thing.
I feel the need to point out that there are A LOT of young adult books out there with supernatural settings where the heroine or hero need to make up excuses for bruises, cuts and broken bones because the rest of the world would either not believe them or would try to hurt the supernatural creature in a missguided attempt to keep safe everything they hold dear. Sometimes the supernatural creatures are dragons, aliens, the creature under the bed, pheonixes, in this case, it's vampires. Yes, in real life Bella would look like an abuse victim, especially since it happens so much, but being readers reading a book we know the reasons behind the hurts.
There's plenty of stories out there where one or both lovers consider suicidal threats should harm befall their partner. Romeo and Juliet for instance, where they actually did go through with it. It's considered a classic and last I looked was either required or encouraged to be read at school.
The show in the meadow that Edward puts on, I once again took it just to be a 'bare all, what will you make of me and will you still accept me once you know all' sessions.
Since it is a supernatural book, and as you may have guessed by now, what you take to be Edward's excuses, I personally think they are justified. I admit I sometimes thought Bella was going a little overboard with taking the blame onto herself, but sometimes it was her fault, not every time, but there were a couple. And I think Edward came to the point where he knew arguing with her wouldn't get anywhere and he let her think it if she wanted to but he knew it wasn't true.
Also, if she does kiss him too hard and he loses control to human emotions and he opens his mouth while kissing her... She probably would die, but not because he ate her. His teeth are coated with poison, that's why kissing for them started out dangerious. Also, he seems to have control over himself when he initiates those kisses, it is Bella's human emotions and instincts that first lose control and start a chain reaction. But if you want to go back to Bella's arguement on that point, Edward's smell set her off and I'm sorry, he can't help that.
Since you mention the "honeymoon phase" I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you've read all four books.
In regards to the 'honeymoon phase' of Bella and Edward's relastionship, Bella wanted that part, she asked for that part, and she knew the riskes involved before they ever got to that part. Also, it takes us back to the 'vampires', 'missjudged strength' and 'losing control to instincts' parts. I truly do think he was sorry.
All throughout the four book series I never forgot that it was all fiction and that there was a vampire factor behind almost everything. Bella had a chance in most of New Moon to recover herself and her mind when Edward left. Had it been real life and Alice didn't have the power to see visions, Jacob might have helped her out of it, but whether he would have been any better of a lover comes into doubt too. He can sometimes missjudge his strength as well, being as he is a werewolf, and with his temper he is almost as dangerious as Edward. But when it comes down to it in Breaking Dawn, Bella is on equal ground with Edward. No more warnings, Edward is no longer as scared as he once was for Bella's safety, no more restrictions aside from the pracautions that must be kept to keep the race secret. And Bella isn't barred from seeing her parents, she just needs a little warning before they come. Also, I didn't read it until after I finished the series, but after the leaking of her story Midnight Sun (Edward's POV on Twilight) she put what she had already written up on her site and I have since then read it all. I know that in the author's mind she never meant for Edward to be an abusive controlling lover. From the way she writes and talks about the series I doubt it crossed her mind that someone might look at these stories that way. But I think that if we were willing to spend the time and energy to seek them out, we'd probably find many other supernatural (vampire or not) love stories that have almost the same pattern. I don't really see how Twilight's popularity would make more of an impact on its readers who more than likely have read many other stories akin to it before.
I've always taken it at face value and doing so I just see the stories as an entertaining, slightly unusual telling of a vampire love story, that was never real and will never be realler than in the movies on the screen. I never looked beneath the surface to seek the signs of an abusive relastionship and no one else I know, even the other ones who don't like or oppose Twilight have brought to bare this reason for their dislike. And unless pointed out, like you did for me, I don't think most of the readers would recognize it.
And let me point out that there are a lot of Manga's that probably have the same signs (if you want to look at it that way) and I believe (for now) that Manga's reach more of an "impressionable audiance" than Twilight does right now.
Thank you for your patience if you actually finished reading all this, I didn't meant to make it so longwinded.
Starnessa~Arrow Administrator Assisstant Admin member is offline
~You're only as limited as your horizon, if you can see past the horizon, than you have no limits~
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 893 Location: *Somewhere in my second life* Karma: 16
Re: INUYASHA!!!! « Result #7 on Dec 8, 2009, 10:23pm »
Synopsis INTRODUCTION When Yuna Lee's mother moves to Germany to pursue a music degree, she's left to stay with her father, a university professor, and her three older brothers, who are fiercely overprotective of her. During her summer vacation, she visits her mother in Germany, where she falls off a cliff and is rescued by Rieno, an 18-year-old knight living in the land of Phantasma. Rieno makes a deal with Yuna that because he has saved her life, she must marry him and become his queen. Indebted to him for saving her life, Yuna is torn between her normal world back home and life as Phantasma's Queen. The Queen's Knight is another manwha classic from the creator of the bestelling shoujo series, I.N.V.U." It's a series that I really like, so far I've bought up to volume 7. There's up to volume 13 out and I think it's ongoing still. "manwha is the Korean version of manga"
Starnessa~Arrow Administrator Assisstant Admin member is offline
~You're only as limited as your horizon, if you can see past the horizon, than you have no limits~
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 893 Location: *Somewhere in my second life* Karma: 16
Re: B2M « Result #8 on Dec 8, 2009, 10:09pm »
CLAMP School Detectives is a trilogy, 3 books that's it. As far as I know CLAMP isn't planning on continuing it. As to onemanga.com they don't have it. As to mangafox.com they got up to chapter 12 and haven't updated since Oct 16, 2007. I've read all three books though, and I loved them all, but my favorite was the third one. A bit more grown up then the first two.
Moirae Wooden Stick Sunflower of the Stars member is offline
You would lecture us of Fate?
Joined: Feb 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 46 Location: In your thoughts. Karma: 5
Re: Okay I'm bringing it up. Twilight. « Result #9 on Dec 8, 2009, 12:03pm »
Well the first red light was Edward's erratic behavior in the early chapters but as time went on many things started to fit the mold(Dismantling a car in order to control where Bella went, following her to the point she fears for her own life, etc.). I'm not trying to offend anyone, it's not my style to attack someone else they have it coming but this is a filled in list of signs of an abusive relationship from HelpGuide.org. I do keep in mind that given enough time a bored enough person can use this for any relationship but given that there isn't really a resolution and this series is directed toward young girls who are at the most risk, it's an issue, for me at least. I've seen stuff like this in real life and there's never a happy ending. Abusers use the following tactics to remain in control of their victims:
Dominance. Abusive individuals (for example, Edward Cullen) need to exert control over their partners. By say, making their decisions for them (“Bella, please just do this my way, just this once.” Or, the “memory tampering” in chapter 17 of Twilight. Or dragging her to the prom in the epilogue), and expecting to obey without question (the whole of chapter 18 when Bella attempts to argue with Edward). Further example of this can be found in the fact that Edward refuses to let Bella drive, and their carefully constructed “rules” on what physical conduct is acceptable and unacceptable, rules which often come to Bella’s detriment. Humiliation. An abuser will do whatever they can to make you feel bad about yourself, or “defective” in some way (i.e. Edward’s conversations with Bella through much of Twilight revolving around the fact that she is an idiot for being with him, she can’t survive without him, etc.) The idea is that you are the crazy one, and if you believe you’re worthless and can’t find someone else, you won’t ever leave. Bella makes comments in Twilight and early on in New Moon to the effect of “I am too plain and boring for Edward, I don’t deserve him.” This is the product of naturally low self-esteem, and, in realistic characters, the fact that her lover calls her an idiot whenever he can. Isolation. The abuser needs their victim to be dependent on them, and will often try to do this by cutting you off from the outside world. Edward seems to perpetuate this less on his own, as Bella readily throws herself into it. She has no actual friends in the series beyond Edward and his sister, Alice. Her only social activity is working at the local sports store, if you can call that social. She is willing to isolate herself from her parents as well, if it would mean getting to spend eternity with her abuser. You could argue that Edward is manipulating her into this. Threats. Abusers will threaten violence on their victims in order to exert further control. In the Twilight series, this is a little more subtle and insidious. Edward warns Bella that he could hurt her, that he could lose control at any moment. In chapter 8 of Twilight, he admits to having murderous thoughts regarding the ruffians Bella was accosted by, to further illustrate how dangerous he is. Even more shocking, he tells Bella later that he wanted to kill her when they first met. Every chance he gets, he “warns” her that he could murder her at a moment’s notice. Worse, his attempts at “saving” her often end in physical harm coming to her anyway, such as the James “conflict” and Bella’s birthday party in New Moon. Bella learns to make excuses and quick stories for the bruises, cuts, and broken bones she sustains, in a rather unsettling mirror of an abuse victim’s behavior. That’s not to mention Edward’s vague suicidal threats, should anything happen to Bella. Intimidation. Abusers will often try to scare their victims into submission. Edward in chapter 13 of Twilight, jumping around, smashing trees, showing off how fast and strong he is, in an attempt to make Bella frightened of him. Do I really need to say more? Denial and blame. Abusers are very good at making their own excuses for their actions, and shifting the blame. Again, this is a little more subtle in the Twilight series. Edward blames his behavior on being a vampire, on having to resist human blood, and on having buried his humanity for so long. In a supernatural setting, it’s hard to say that these excuses are not justified, but they are still excuses. Bella, again, readily assumes the blame for anything bad that happens to her as a result of Edward’s actions. Edward will occasionally make the token effort to convince her this isn’t the case, but there are a few times where she shoulders the blame unhindered. Edward has also told Bella that if she gets hurt, he’s going to blame it all on her. He also seems to think that if she kisses him too hard and he eats her, that’s going to be her fault as well. Abusers will also exhibit signs of remorse after periods of abuse, entering the “honeymoon phase” of the cycle. They will make it up to the abused in whatever way they can, in an attempt to keep the victim with them. They may say “I’m sorry I hurt you,” when what they mean is “I’m sorry I hurt you, because I might get caught.” This creates further conflict in a victim who would otherwise leave the relationship–”when he’s not making me feel like garbage, he’s very sweet.” Edward writes songs for Bella, and offers to buy her expensive gifts. Then he refuses to let her drive and warns of the threat of violence if she open-mouth kisses him.
Bella, as well, exhibits signs of someone who is abused. She accepts the blame readily when terrible things happen, especially when it was through no fault of her own. She suffers mysterious injuries, and will have elaborate tales for how she sustained them (“I fell down the stairs and into a window”). She has incredibly low self-esteem, and considers herself lucky to be with Edward. She is always ready with an excuse when Edward begins to treat her coldly, hurts her, or otherwise emotionally abuses her.
Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant. What fates impose, that men must needs abide; It boots not to resist both wind and tide. Desire nothing, Chafe not at fate, nor at Nature's changeless laws. But struggle only with the personal, the transitory, the evanescent and the perishable. Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.
Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant. What fates impose, that men must needs abide; It boots not to resist both wind and tide. Desire nothing, Chafe not at fate, nor at Nature's changeless laws. But struggle only with the personal, the transitory, the evanescent and the perishable. Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.
![[Home]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/home.gif)
![[Help]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/help.gif)
![[Search]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/search.gif)
![[Calendar]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/calendar.gif)
![[Login]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/login.gif)
![[Register]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/register.gif)
![[Live Chat]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/chat.gif)
![[Search This Thread]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/search2.gif)
![[Send Topic To Friend]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/buttons/sendtopic.gif)
![[Print]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif)
Author
![[avatar]](http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g288/SMBento/Avatars/0007.jpg)
![[yim]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/yim.gif)
Logged![[image]](http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p188/PopPrincessPrinny/Starnessa%20Arrow%20Tags/Starnessaarrowglittername2.gif)
![[image]](http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p188/PopPrincessPrinny/Starnessa%20Arrow%20Tags/SarawatariYumi.gif)
![[avatar]](http://i25.tinypic.com/6pcbjm.gif)