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]

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.

[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.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

I'm starting to think this is going beyond Harry Potter Levels of Crazy. I dunno why, but I'm starting to think that some readers will try to cause physical harm if the book doesn't turn out the way they want.

Unless they did that with Harry Potter...? I've been out of the loop, never got into the phenomenon anyway.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Are there links? I'd like to see this for myself. I'm struggling to understand the psychotic weirdness of it all.

[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.

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

There was quiet a bit of crazy with the last Harry Potter book.

Though in some ways it was handled better. JKR for instance didn't sick lawyers on folks discussing the spoilers. Merely said she was disappointed the book leaked.

Also the HP fandom was so big(I mean Twilight despite being very popular in the US is a drop in the bucket compared to the HP market) the lunatic fringe group wasn't as easly noticed. Though there were some folks who burned the book on youtube and such.

I imagine we might see some of that among Twilight's crazier fans.

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

http://www.twilightsucks.com has a thread full of spoilers. (Like for Eragon there's a large Anti fanbase for the books)

http://www.fandomwank.com has a post on it. (Second one on the page last I looked) that also links to reactions and wierdness.

There are a couple of other places. Most of the fansites are down though cause Meyer asked that fansites shut down their forums and stuff to avoid spoilers.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

And my husband wonders why it's taken me almost a decade to finish my book.

I feel a lot of sympathy for Meyers in that she has to deal with these violently crazy fans...

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

There are two incidents that cause those things.

In the second or third book a werewolf imprints (as in will be in love with for the rest of his life) on a two year old girl.

It's described as he'll be in her life always as what she needs first a father figure, then a big brother, then finally when she's old enough the perfect boyfriend. Meyer misses the creepy predator grooming a child to be his future bride set up. The Fact the tribe the werewolves live with accepts imprinting as a good thing and a fact of life means this girl has pretty much no chance of ever having a life of her own.

The other incident is the end of this book where the werewolf that was in love with Bella the main character imprints on the half vampire baby at it's birth.

Meaning in six years when the mutant spawn is an adult he'll be wanting a romantic relationship with it. Despite the fact he once forced her mother to kiss him and got congradulated on it by her maternal grandfather.

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

I kind of loose sympathy when she got bent out of shape over folks saying Edward was abusive. Saying it hurt her that a character she loves was being accused of that.

She almost seems to be like LKH and seems to be too involved with her characters.

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

Ahh. I've mostly heard PoC complaints about the forced kiss and how it played into certain tropes. But with this added to it - not only was he in love with the mother, but now he'll be trailing after the child for the rest of his life?

So they both don't have any autonomy? And what about the child too, six years is not enough to mature into an adult - no matter what your physical body does.

That's... that's pretty damn creepy and it's putting the CoC in a hell of a position. Shit.fuck.damn.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Wow, these are amusing.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

She did? Oh, well then, never mind.

Lady, you wrote an abusive character. Own up to it.

[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]

There are a lot themes implied in the novels that are extremely sexist, skeevy or both and the author either doesn't realize or actually believes them.

Apparantly once a werewolf imprints they have no choice in the matter. One man left his wife for her sister after imprinting. He then mauled said sister when he got angry but it was okay she secretly loved him too and despite him scarring her for life they are totally in love and her sister is a jealous harpy who needs to get over it and stop letting her woman mind cause conflict in the pack.(His wife was the only female werewolf)

[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.

[obsidianwolf.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much it in a nut shell.

[tenaya-owlcat.livejournal.com]

Wait... seriously? Edward and Bella have a baby that grows up in 6 years and imprints on Jacob???

(Yes, I read the books, I was curious... which as we all know, killed the cat...)