(TW: discusses racism, mostly rude asks when people are calling it out.)

I have thoughts

A lot of mutuals or people I follow have been getting asks or straight up rude fucking messages basically boiling down to “if you discuss the issues you turn people away” or “it’s just fantasy it’s not that deep” or accusing people of getting too offended (which is funny because they’re LITERALLY getting offended over others taking issue with blatant racism but that’s another conversation), which is fucking bullshit. I’m not gonna argue about racism being in twilight because:

1. It is. You can’t find an argument supporting that there’s none and I won’t waste my time
2. If you’re part of this fandom and somehow think there isn’t after all this time and al this discussion after sixteen years, I don’t know how else to convince you

But what gets me is that it’s like people completely forget what high school English and History classes teach you which is to analyse and think critically about the media you consume. The whole fucking point is for you to make your own decisions about what’s in front of you instead of taking it at face value! And it’s not just about academics! You’re taught to do that with the news, the internet, and the things politicians say and make statements over.

And all you ever hear about politics is not to believe everything you read or hear! You’re taught that everyone and everything has an implicit bias. And it does. No author, no person, can really be truly objective. There is ALWAYS something to be learned when analysing and reading between the lines. (Smeyer is super open about it though, but you get the picture.)

So why in the world do you think that there’s no point in thinking critically about twilight? Or that it means that somehow that means someone hates it? (If anything it usually means they actually care about it a lot) For fucks sake people have been dissecting and overanalysing Shakespeare for centuries! Everyone I know had to read John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men in high school and no shade to anyone who loves it but it’s an objectively bad and problematic book, as it basically every piece of “classic” literature. But we still talk about it, teach it, discuss it. Because doing so is important. The most important thing we do with literature and media. There are entire conventions, fandoms, tv shows, podcasts, etc about Harry Potter MCU, DC, Star Trek and Star Wars where people take increible deep dives into these things and talk about the issues present in them, but you don’t see nearly as many people in those fandoms crying about how people who call out the problematic parts are “ruining” things, and if you do it’s never the most prevalent issue either. So WHY is this different?

You need to think critically about the media you intake and that includes the books and literature you read in your free time.

Wouldn’t it have been waaayyyy better if Edward could actually read Bella’s mind and still, STILL fell in love with her? Like. That would’ve been the ultimate “love the other for what they really are”. Absolute zero idealization. Just Edward being painfully aware of the sickening thoughts that plague Bella’s mind. And still be SHE’S THE SUN IN THE MIDDLE OF MY MIDNIGHT. Ugh.

I live in genuine terror

Instead of having three couples and one sad boi in your weird ass family you could’ve made them all part of a polyamorous relationship but polyamory is not the same as polygamy and we’re no longer in the 19th century ig

“My child is perfectly fine”

Ma'am, your child is Edward Cullen

Someone: *tries to guilt trip me for my obsession with Jasper*

Me:

Smeyer writing an actual story about a groomer and a baby falling in love when there was a whole potential plot line about Angela being a witch was right there is a war crime