thevolturidiaries

[thevolturidiaries]

i think we should stop calling them baby names so people remember they’re not just naming a baby but also a future twenty seven year old with a resume

[thevolturidiaries]

The tags contain a sentence you even thought you’d read

#Jesus was canonically a vampire in the twilight universe

[thevolturidiaries]

Literally the best part of Breaking Dawn is Renesmee getting sad that she doesn’t sparkle like the others, and Bella saying “You’re the prettiest” followed immediately by Edward saying “I have to disagree” right in front of her

Like I get Edward can’t turn off the Bella Compliment Machine but imagine being self conscious about your looks and your mom is like “oh honey I think you’re the best looking one here.” And then your dad walks in like “What? No she’s not.”

[thevolturidiaries]

Jane: Sir, a teenage vampire is outside threatening to expose our secret if he can't commit assisted suicide.

Aro: That's impossible, Marcus is right here.

[thevolturidiaries]

Edward will insult Bella twice and gaslight her three times in a single conversation and then spend the day moping bc he doesn’t understand why she wants to throttle him

#I’m rereading twilight and boy did I forget how hilarious this book is #twilight saga #notice me senpai #twilight

[thevolturidiaries]

#visually stunning

[thevolturidiaries]

imagine you had no knowledge of what sex was and then suddenly you’re watching a sex tape of yourself. you’re a teenage amnesiac in ye olde repressed 1920 when bang, out of the blue your magical powers are like hey did you know it’s your destiny to blow this war criminal’s back out

[thevolturidiaries]

why the wolfpack is more relatable & sets a better example in 2020 than the cullens ever did in 2005

tl;dr: because the wolfpack represents america’s changing values while the cullens embody america’s old system of values

throughout the series, smeyer places the cullens on a pedestal & holds them up as the ‘ideal.’ this is because the cullens encapsulate what 2005 america valued & saw as ‘perfection.’

based on what bella finds attractive about the cullens & what smeyer chooses to show about them, here are the american values that the cullens represent:

wealth: not only $$$ as a status symbol, which is used to separate the cullens from the humans. but also using wealth/materialism as a means to say “i love you” (the yellow porsche edward gifts alice, the island carlisle gifts esme, etc.)

european beauty standards: pale skin, light eyes, et cetera, are praised & valued by bella. darker-skinned vampires exist but are “othered” in text.

perfection without effort: perfect memory, perfect motor skills, perfect beauty - all it takes is 3-5 days of excruciating pain. i would describe it as an empty meritocracy (which for some reason boomers LOVE ??)

individualism over collectivism*: the cullens using their time/resources to only benefit themselves. (& bella) *(i genuinely believe this is slight character assassination by smeyer. MOST of the cullens are part of the civic-minded GI-generation & would be raised to be more collectivist, as the majority of the cullens experience generational traumas like Spanish Flu, WWII, Great Depression, etc.)

european culture: the italian volturi defined as being ‘royalty.’ deference to european status quo by the end of BD.

do americans still value these things? yes. do they value them as much in 2020 as they did in 2005? i would argue no. i think for many, the cullens aren’t as sexy, desired, or lusted after as in ‘05 bc they symbolize an outdated american value system.

now, let’s compare these values to the values the wolfpack demonstrates throughout the series:

experiences > wealth: not only does the wolfpack place higher value on experiences (dinner with friends & family, bonfires, storytelling, cliff diving), but they express their feelings for others through actions, not expensive gifts (see: the bracelet charm that jacob carved for bella; leah dunking on bella on jake’s behalf in eclipse)

beauty as a result of personality, not looks: bella describes the physical features of the wolfpack as attractive in an “othering” way. but personality/characteristics & physical features do go hand-in-hand in these descriptions. when bella describes jake as beautiful, she’s taking into account his sunny personality - by contrast, descriptions of cullens/edward are all about physical features.

perfection/gain through effort: a BIG theme of new moon is seeking & accepting (& rejecting) a state of perfection/peace. that’s what the motorbikes symbolize: taking broken, shitty things & putting in the effort to fix them into something fun, new, & exciting. jacob becoming alpha is another example, as it takes a huge personal sacrifice w/ much to gain.

collectivism > individualism: found family trope illustrates the millennial/gen-z value of collaboration, cooperation, & choosing the collective. despite the trouble that bella causes the wolfpack, they still band together to protect her from victoria. emily cleaning & fashioning clothes for the pack is another example of valuing the whole over the individual.

cultural equality: even tho smeyer clearly portrays the cullens as better than, the text does not support her ideas. bella holds the cullens as this aloof, detached bunch that are so out of her league. meanwhile, the indigenous stories told & wolfpack/quileute events held throughout the series consistently guide bella, give her answers, & provide her with a sense of community that doesn’t exclude her based on her perceived imperfections.

tl;dr [the long version]: twilight was popular in 2005 bc middle-aged women who were brought up in a materialistic patriarchal society loved the cullens for upholding the old order of american values & the “rewards” that come with it (“you too could someday marry a rich, beautiful, perfect ‘bad-boy’ who showers u w/ expensive gifts”).

by contrast, the twilight renaissance loves & values the wolfpack in 2020 bc millennials & zoomers who are coming back to this series with full-fledged opinions/identities about how society should work are attracted to the caring, collectivist, hard-working nature of the wolfpack - & the values of a changing, beautiful, shiny new america that they represent <3

#ooof

[thevolturidiaries]

Aro has oil paintings of every vampire he meets. This painting of Jane and Alec is proudly hung up in the hallway.

#got me thinking abt a Jane and Alec that are just kids #rather than the horror movie twin stereotype they are made out to be #groomed to do bad things by bad people

[thevolturidiaries]

Share ur gf Edward geez

[thevolturidiaries]

okay but edward should have thanked rosalie at the end of breaking dawn. she supported his wife through her pregnancy and protected her and their daughter while edward sulked and tried to pimp bella out and if it wasn’t for rose i honestly think he wouldn’t have had anything at the end of the book and she deserves CREDIT

#Rosalie is probirth Edward is pro abortion and Bella is pro choice #choose ur fighter

[thevolturidiaries]

Bella was rlly like “I’d rather freeze to death”

And Jacob was all “don’t be like that babe :(“

#eclipse Jacob was something else lmao #twilight saga #notice me senpai #twilight #jacob black #bella swan

[thevolturidiaries]

[thevolturidiaries]

credit to op. lost my shit when i saw this

[thevolturidiaries]

You have been warned

[thevolturidiaries]

wish Bella's grandmother's Alzheimer's had been an actual part of the books. it would have made bella's fear of aging much more real and sympathetic. rather than some superficial 'i don't wanna look old' thing, it's a very real 'i don't want to be wracked by a horrific disease and die slowly in front of everyone I love' thing.

it would also be a good argument for making her a vampire tbh. 'bella what about your future!' the future where my brain dies over a period of years and I lose any autonomy I once had? That future??? sounds great edward tell me more about that future

[thevolturidiaries]

ANYWAY if you’re lowkey twilight trash like me, here’s the list of the storytellers new voices of twilight saga short films that were judged by a panel of all women and all directed by women in order from 7th place to 1st

7. The Groundskeeper (the story of Alice’s escape from the hunter who pursed her dir. by Nicole Eckenroad)

6. Turncoats (the story of how Garrett and Carlisle became friends during the revolutionary war dir. by Lindsey Hancock Williamson)

5. Sunrise (the story of Benjamin and his affection for Tia written by Alanna Smith and dir. by Amanda Tasse)

4. Masque (the story of Esme’s shift from vampire to human and Carlisle is in there somewhere I guess dir. by Cate Carson)

3. Consumed (the story of how Jane and Alec became members of the Volturi written by Cullyn Doerfler & Megan L. Reese and dir. by Maja Fernqvist)

2. We’ve Met Before (the story of Alice and Jasper meeting for the first time written by Thea Green and dir. by Yulin Kuang)

1. The Mary Alice Brandon File (the story of Alice’s time in the asylum and past dir. by Kailey & Sam Spear)