WTH?

[witchwillow.livejournal.com]

Is there some kind of vampire book curse? For authors I mean. If you reach a certain level of popularity, if they decide to do a movie (or a comic book) out of your series - you MUST then turn around and be absolutely crazy?

Then again, I dont' know that S.Meyer is crazy. I know have heard she had some skanky race issues in her books, a bit ala Joss Whedon's all white (99%) California. But I didn't and don't now that she's crazy. What I do know is that it's all over my online feeds that she just did something to piss the hell off her fans and well - whysofailsmeyer.

Specifically this thread here of angry would be fan mail.

These are some pissed off individuals.

Now I get that a writer owns his or her universe and can create any ending or any plot they so desire and if we, as readers don't like it - well we can take the book back to the store or the library and write up reviews and warn all our friends. But the curse I'm talking about, I've only seen happen with books related to vampires. And I am including Harry Potter in that. Where either the fanbase becomes not quite sane or the writer comes across as in it for the lulz. (Does anyone think LKH knows what Lulz is?)

Is there something we can pinpoint that leads to these moments of 'OMGWTFWASTHATSHITE?' Cause I'd really like to avoid it myself if that's the case or at least know if I should avoid writing about vampires at all. And is there an escape clause? I saw recently on the comm that the Black Dagger Brotherhood books (which I've never read) started off as porn and the author says upfront they're not likely to be for every and anyone. So does a disclaimer from the start save you (the author) ? Since I noticed some readers still going 'but what the bleeding crab grass was this crap?!'

ETA: I had a another thought here.

Comments

[bryant]

...

Dear Stephenie,
Where do you live?
I'd like to know so I could bomb your house.

That is really legitimately disturbing. Way beyond the bounds of appropriate response.

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

I'm not sure if I think it's real enough as it stands to be disturbing since the original post seemed to be letters you'd like to send but really wouldn't.

So I read it more as venting. But I agree, on it's own (without any context of why it was posted) it leans towards disturbing.

[christraven.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Even a shit-tastic author like LKH (and probably S. Meyer, though I don't know since I haven't read her books) doesn't deserve death-threats because of her lunacy.

Sporking and merciless skewering? Hell yes. Death-threats? Hell no.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Good gods.

I seriously hope all these people are just venting a deep frustration, because... Guh. I'm no fan of Meyer, but I feel rather protective of her right now.

Have these things been confirmed, this stuff about a daughter or whatever it is? People seem to be going apeshit over "Nessie" and the rumors.

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

I have no clue. The nearest I could make out is at some point, 'Bella' the girl star of the books has a daughter who then falls in love with Jacob - the beau Bella cast off for her Vampire Dearest.

But with the all caps and the screaming of PEDO and 'HOW COULD SHE!' and the cat macros - so many cat macros - I'm not sure what the hell is going on. Only that it's big.

Harry Potter Levels of Crazy, big.

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

It's pretty much confirmed the quote of the day form the new book released at Midnight matched a quote in the scanned 7 chapters that someone put online way before this quote went up.

Now some folks still doubt the Loch Ness Baby is going to grow to adult hood in 6 years bit and the third wheel in Mom's love triangle imprinting on her and thus going to eventually be her perfect match.

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

Threatening someone over a badly written book always crosses the line IMO.

I think what happens is authors in the vampire genre forget they aren't writing great literature. They are putting out entertainment for a not so demanding audience and get it into their head that they don't need editing. Add in the inability to separate their work from themselves resulting in them taking any dislike of their work as dislike of them personally and you've got a recipe for a meltdown.

I mean take Twilight I've said before in other posts on here that I think the Twilight Sereis is of similar quality to the Anita Blake books as far as characters and relationship dynamics go.(abuse treated as normal and healthy) Now it's similar to Merry Gentry as well thanks to the Loch Ness Monster.

Anyway the series began as a bad book that some folks enjoyed in a trashy way but with each book the dynamics have become weirder and more exaggerated. There are some truly disturbing themes present just like in LKH books that get ignored by a lot of the fans.

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

I'm more in shock at the pedophilic accusations I've seen thrown around online. That's what caught my attention and made me go "WTH?!"

Unfortunately, it's also what made me connect the situation to LKH and the Anita Blake books.

[entheogeneric.livejournal.com]

hahahaha

mia + batman = batshit crazy awesome

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

I just had it explained to me and interpet it thusly:

'Imagine if Richard got to leave and have his own life. But then Anita had a child, whom Richard then magically baby duck impressed on and when said child magically grew to a mature body in 6 years, she and Richard would be expected to be together forever'.

[daphne-gateau.livejournal.com]

LOL about Joss's Cali. So true. I really liked the Jamaican (??) slayer that showed up in season one or two. So bummed when she died.

Anyhoo, I think it's not uncommon for authors to lack racial diversity in any genre. It's not limited to vampires.

And I really think if an author is going to do a crappy job at ethnicity it's probably better they do not attempt. The easiest example being Hamilton's stab at making Anita vaguely Mexican. It doesn't feel like Hamilton bothered with any research into the role a necromancer might play in the Mexican culture at all. So, I think she should have just not bothered.

I'd be interested to know exactly WHAT Meyer did to piss off her fans so much. ?? I have a feeling it's not the racial problem.

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

Magical half vampire baby is the main stickign point.

The runner up in the love triangle getting a mystical love match with the newborn mutant named Renessme nicknamed Nessi is running a close second.

[ayako.livejournal.com]

I feel like a jerk to say this but I think that this post kinda off topic. We've already had one Stephenie Meyer post with comparision to LKH. Having another one seems unnecessary especially when the connnection to LKH is vague at best. This is just my opinion so if other people or our mod feels differently then that's fine. :)

Cheers.

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

At the moment the comments are going everywhere. But I'd still like to know at what point do authors writing UF think that absolutely anything goes and the fans will accept anything because a) UF is really ALL supernatural fantasy and b) stuff about vampires and werewolves doesn't have to be realistic.

If the mods want me to delete it, I'll save the page first and then do so. But it seemed something that would interest the community to me - because there's this growing community for Meyer akin to Lashouts.

edit

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

*really is all supernatural romance

[siedhr.livejournal.com]

While I agree with you with the off topic business, I'm personally enjoying the discussion and there's a very interesting comparison to be made between the two authors and the patterns of abuse in their "oeuvres". I'm of the school that literature should be enjoyed by comparison and in context. If it stands by itself without it, then it's truly GOOD in my eyes.

Now I find myself wondering...

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

Do you think LKH reads Twilight and SMeyer reads the Anita Blake or Merry Gentry novels ? Because where is this idea that true love is obsessive, creepy, robs you of agency and self determination and involves copious levels of abuse coming from?

And if SMeyer is Mormon and her happy ending is based on that - the what will LKH's happy ending be?

Re: Now I find myself wondering...

[dan-lian.livejournal.com]

There WILL BE NO ENDING!

Re: Now I find myself wondering...

[siedhr.livejournal.com]

There are plenty of books that see true love as woman falls for strong/abusive man and then "turns" him. Barf! Almost all bodice rippers (which is why I don't read any). It's the "all a man needs to be a good man is the love of a good woman". I think I just quoted LKH. O_o

But no, it's been a staple in literature for a very long time, and especially in women's lit. I think it was a self-defense mechanism since so many relationships were abusive and demeaning to women. So there had to be hope, but there were few, if any good male models. From there stemmed this "he will be better after he falls in love/I love him". They only wrote what they knew.

[siedhr.livejournal.com]

I don't think Smeyer is crazy. I think there's a terribly sad story hidden underneath there. She said she wrote those books for herself as means of escape. Many women, scratch that, most people have escapist fantasies starring them as empowered people. Now think about Smeyer's fantasies...

And compare with LKH's escapist fantasy.

[amamelina.livejournal.com]

whoa! Wait! So, it's true that Bella and Edward will have a kid that will be magically imprinted as Jacob's one true love? I thought that was a joke!

Uh, ew. Even if the kid magically grows up to an adult without the actual years, how mature will the kid be? One second a baby, the next an adult has to do some psychological damage. And to then have a "one true love"...

Please tell me this is a joke.

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

I was discussing this in a forum online with someone and they brought up an excellent point.

Even if by some miracle of forced author happy ever after juice the Loch Ness Baby learns and matures as fast as she grows.

She won't get any socialization with anyone but the Cullens and Jacob. Her growth rate means she can't go out in public until she's fully grown or folks will notice.

After all if this month you meet baby Nessie and then a short while later Toddler Nessie. It's going to stick with you.

That should cause major problems.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I think that people are pissed off with Stephenie Meyer because SHE CHANGED ALL THE RULES OF HER STUPID DERIVATIVE SPARKLEVERSE AT THE LAST MINUTE.

I think that people are pissed off with LKH because she changed the Anita books from cracktastic vampire-hunter stuff to endless Doom*Crotch angsting. (It seems to me that the Merry Gentry books started out as Doom*Womb angsting from jump.)


Basically, I think authors will (and should) piss off readers when they take the easy way out, especially backpedaling on key worldbuilding elements. Also, Mary Sues and Gary Stus.

And also Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses (http://ww3.telerama.com/~joseph/cooper/cooper.html), all of which LKH and SMeyer have committed over and over.

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

People keep telling me that because it's writing for YA Bella's supposed to be a shallow shell that teen girls can put themselves into; that she's a stand in shadow for a reason.

But that only scares me more. Because then teenage girls are imagining themselves with no agency and completely wrapped up in hormone addled love affairs as if it's the end all and be all of their lives.

Moving on from that, I agree that when authors completely change the rules to their world building that fans have a right to be upset. What I don't get is when other writers / other people say the world is the author's so they can change it if they want to.

Cause then I wonder - what's the point of establishing rules in the first place?

[rin-x-x.livejournal.com]

The moment she posted about Bella liking Jacob and all of this magical werewolf love bullcrap, my brain started screaming "LKH SYNDROME! LKH SYNDROME!" and it ruined in the entire series for me. The love triangle was horribly written. And there was no way Bella would end up with Jacob, unless she just really wanted to just completely fuck up her series.

[rin-x-x.livejournal.com]

If vampires go nuts for the smell of blood, what does Bella do when she has her period? ''Gross,'' says Meyer

OOO. PERIOD BLOOD. BE AFRAID.

ROFuckingL.