thefourthvine: Two people fucking, rearview: sex is the universal fandom. (Default)
Keep Hoping Machine Running ([personal profile] thefourthvine) wrote2010-06-29 08:41 pm
Entry tags:

WE LOVE YOU, EDWARD

The earthling is at a point in his life where he can go to restaurants, but it works better for everyone if, after I give my order (often to BB to relay to the waiter), the earthling and I go wander around outside until BB texts me to say the food has come.

Obviously, this means we pick restaurants based in part on the outside having nice places to walk. Tonight, we ate in one that's near a theater. There is a lot of nice landscaping, and a pedestrian area, and also there are multiple fountains. This means it is Earthlingland, basically. So the earthling and I callously abandoned BB to do whatever it is she does while waiting for the food, and went to visit the fountains.

Except immediately we noticed that something was different. There were - people. All over. Like they were camping. After some study, I figured out that they were more or less in a line, and that the line ended near the movie theater. I texted BB this strange news, and while I waited for her response, I inspected them further.

They were almost all female.

They were mostly young. (Although there were a few middle-aged ladies out there, too. I salute you, middle-aged ladies! Own your love!)

They were - oh. They were wearing TEAM JACOB and TEAM EDWARD t-shirts.

I carefully inspected the theater marquee, and observed that these people were almost certainly in line - at four in the afternoon - for a 3:00 a.m. IMAX showing of Eclipse, which is, for those of you on Mars (which I kind of was, I guess; I had no idea this was coming out), the latest movie in the Twilight Saga.

And, you guys, it was so awesome. Because I cannot remember the last time that I saw a lineup like that, of pretty much all fangirls, all young, all just - being fans, out there in public, like they had a total right to do it. Usually that is a privilege reserved for teenaged and twenty-something boys and sports fans! And they were so cute, all happy and waiting to see their own true love. (Which, admittedly, is not one I know much about; I know that Edward is a sparkly vampire, Bella is a clumsy mortal, and Jacob is a werewolf. I mean, Jacob doesn't even get an adjective, that's how little I know about Twilight.) And wearing their t-shirts proclaiming their allegiance to Jacob or Edward. (I guess there is no Team Bella? Or is that not how that works?) I kind of felt like I had found my people, even though there was no one wearing a t-shirt reading TEAM EDWARD DOES JACOB, which is, let's be honest, probably what my actual people would be wearing.

And, remember, I was there with the earthling, which meant that my first and foremost thought was: I am glad these t-shirts are all text only. And the second I thought that, of course, I noticed three girls with identical shirts that said TEAM EDWARD on the back but had full color renditions of Edward's face (and let me tell you how amused I am that I, even though I cannot recognize any faces, have come to know the outline of Edward's hair so well I can mostly recognize his; this is the price I pay for having an earthling) on the front.

The earthling noticed this shortly after I did. His first reaction was to try to join the line, and after I hauled him away, he stopped directly in front of the girls with full-color Edward and went: *staaaaaare*. Such was the force of his laser-like stare that the girls actually noticed him after a while and stopped talking in those slightly-too-loud voices that fangirls use when they get together (although I did not hear the word "cock" once, which was strange for me). "He likes your shirts," I offered, and they gave the uncertain giggles you hear from girls who are not entirely sure they get the joke but are pretty sure they are the punch line - you know the giggle, the one that says, "I'm such a good sport that I'm willing to laugh along with you as you laugh at me." But, no, girls! I was entirely sincere! My son did like your shirts, and he was probably wishing that they made Edward shirts in 2T, because he is devoted and dedicated to his membership in Team Edward. (Or, as it apparently must be written, TEAM EDWARD.)

Eventually, I managed to tow the earthling away by reminding him that there was a fountain calling his name. (Sorry, Pattinson. Awesome you may be, but fountains are even better.) And I spent the rest of the evening just a little more happy than I would otherwise have been. Because, okay, they may not share my precise interests, but I still felt great kinship to those girls, out there caring enough about fictional characters to line up twelve hours in advance to see them, visibly blissed out on that potent neurotransmitter cocktail fans on the cusp of a major fannish event experience. They cared enough to wear t-shirts with their favorite fictional character's name on them. They cared enough to bring copies of their Twilight Saga books to read out loud to each other while they waited in line to see the Twilight Saga movie. They cared enough that when the extra security guards (yes, the theater had laid on extra security guards, possibly because they feared some sort of confrontation between TEAM EDWARD and TEAM JACOB, and those were some confused-looking security guards, let me just add) came over to try to move their line around a little, at least one of them tried to get a guard to declare an allegiance to Jacob. (He didn't feel it, apparently.)

It was just. It was wonderful and awesome and adorable. And as I sit here, with my sleeping earthling in the next room, I am thinking of those girls still in line waiting for Edward and Bella and Jacob, and I am thinking: you go, girls. I hope the movie is everything you want it to be.

Oh, and girls? Please don't laugh along with people you think are laughing at you. Nothing you're doing is stupid or embarrassing. You care about something. You love something. It's important to you, and that makes it valuable. If people think that's funny? Please, please: just tell them to go fuck themselves. (Unless they are following a little boy who is staring at you in great awe, because that would be me, and trust me, I'm not laughing. And neither is the earthling. He thinks you're wonderful. Unless you're on TEAM JACOB, of course.)
happydork: A happy cartoon dog (Yay!)

[personal profile] happydork 2010-06-30 03:57 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, this post made me so happy.
foursweatervests: Natasha, hidden (I've got sunshine)

[personal profile] foursweatervests 2010-06-30 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
I have so, so many reasons why I hate Twilight, not the least of which is that Edward exhibits classic signs of an abuser and this movie sure teaches girls to prize that in a mate and blah blah blah.

But.

This post made me see the movies as, I don't know, something better than that. Because I remember being fourteen and in love with fictional characters who would be horrible people in real life, and, eventually, I realized that. It didn't stop my tremendous love for them, which is really what lead me to fandom. And that is worth all the Twi-hards (yes, that is what they call themselves) in the world, because maybe, just maybe, Twilight will lead them to fandom. And then we'll get the TEAM EDWARD DOES JACOB.
naraht: Moonrise over Earth (Default)

[personal profile] naraht 2010-06-30 10:55 am (UTC)(link)
...because maybe, just maybe, Twilight will lead them to fandom.

They're camping out to go to a movie! I think they're in fandom already. Maybe not the same branch that everyone here is in, but still fandom.

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azurelunatic: Vivid pink Alaskan wild rose. (Default)

[personal profile] azurelunatic 2010-06-30 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
I actually had fun reading the Twilight series, even though I expected not to. Jacob is a hunky werewolf. One of my high school friends recommended it to me on the strength of the characterization, and claimed that Jacob was the spitting personality image of one of our mutual friends, an ex-boyfriend of mine. She was not wrong.

It is written in the first-person voice of Bella, a slightly world-weary teenager who has had to be the grown-up because her ditzy mother has no common sense. The important thing to remember while reading it, to keep your sanity: the overblown descriptions are from the perspective of a teenage girl in first love. There are plenty of overblown descriptions, but keeping it in the perspective of "my teenage friend is telling me about her day at school" rather than "my god, this author uses a lot of adjectives" makes the difference between *headdesk* and hilarity.

I think that the author got issued stronger characters than she actually knew what to do with, because all the characters, including Bella, are vividly drawn. However, it does seem as if they jerk the plot around (the beginning is drawn way out, the end is rushed, the narrative structure seems to have toppled over under the trampling feet of the characters), and that she lacks experience in telling the characters that yes, they can do this that and the other, but to hold their goddamn horses and do it her way, because she's the author and it will be more awesome this way, trust her.

The teams are because of the Romantic Tension. For, you see, Bella is in Mad Deep True (first) Love with Sparkling Edward, yet Jacob is Hunky, Caring, and (most importantly) Not A Vampire. Also Not A Slightly Creepy Stalker. It is no secret that Bella prefers Edward, but perhaps she will be sensible and go for the guy who seems to care about her as a person, and who doesn't have a rather outrageously different power level? She tries to convince herself she might do this, and since she is seventeen, it's not a half-bad job. Plus, Jacob is smokin' hot. The Team you are on is the guy you think Bella should get with. Or at least get it on with.

I'm sort of on the TEAM COLLEGE EDUCATION side, but Edward had to be all NO SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE and Bella had to be all YOU.ME.SEX.NOW. (not that I blame her) so... thus book 4.

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tesserae: white poppies in the sun (Default)

[personal profile] tesserae 2010-06-30 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
They were all down at the Nokia Theatre last week - girls, team t-shirts, tents and a couple of TV satellite uplinks - for the premier on Thursday. It takes a special kind of love to camp out for 4 days in front of news crews who see nothing odd in the same behaviour in sports fans but love to nudge-nudge wink-wink when fans do it... I wanted to say basically the same thing, i.e., don't let anyone take this from you, you know?
out_there: B-Day Present '05 (Default)

[personal profile] out_there 2010-06-30 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
there was no one wearing a t-shirt reading TEAM EDWARD DOES JACOB, which is, let's be honest, probably what my actual people would be wearing.

Hee! So true.
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[personal profile] storm_petrel 2010-06-30 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
Man, I remember being sixteen and how I lined up all day for the midnight showing of Return of the King, while dressed as an Elf princess, no less. Good times :)
msilverstar: (LOTR: Aragorn)

[personal profile] msilverstar 2010-06-30 07:22 am (UTC)(link)
We only lined up at 9pm, but we'd bought tickets ahead of time, and middle-aged people don't do all day lines. No costumes, but it was fun!

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[personal profile] dragonfly 2010-06-30 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
I love this a lot.
norabombay: (Default)

[personal profile] norabombay 2010-06-30 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
I bought a Jacob T-shirt. If I'm going to see the movie on Friday, I might as well go ALL THE WAY.

Also, both Hot Topic and Torrid (plus size hot topic) have Twilight stuff 50% off clearance. You could get the Earthling his own Edward Cullen shirt.

And team "Edward does Jacob" would be in a bitter death fued with team "Jacob does Edward". This is fandom after all.
abbylee: (Default)

[personal profile] abbylee 2010-06-30 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
oooh, yes. There has to be a friend willing to sew an available shirt into an Earthling-sized shirt.

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[personal profile] fairestcat 2010-06-30 06:29 am (UTC)(link)
This whole post just makes me incredibly happy. FANGIRLS FTW \o/
msilverstar: (they say)

[personal profile] msilverstar 2010-06-30 07:21 am (UTC)(link)
visibly blissed out on that potent neurotransmitter cocktail fans on the cusp of a major fannish event experience.

I never even thought of that. Good times, those were!
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[personal profile] soc_puppet 2010-06-30 07:32 am (UTC)(link)
Only Team Bella shirt I've seen is over here. I think I'd like to see a case made for one, though, from any angle (that is, anywhere from "Let Bella decide for her own damn self who she wants to go out with!", to "Why the hell can't she have both?", to, as the one in the comic has it, "Get out now, girl!").
summerstorm: (doctor who ∫ amy and eleven)

[personal profile] summerstorm 2010-06-30 08:57 am (UTC)(link)
This is such a lovely post. And it details the exact reason I can't bring myself to resent Twilight. I may wish these girls obsessed over something better, or at least something that gave a better example and didn't paint seriously skewed relationships as an ideal, but... it makes them happy. It gets them to read and be sort of fannish and completely adorable and I just cannot hate something like that.
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[personal profile] ceares 2010-06-30 10:44 am (UTC)(link)
Apparently Kristen Stewart at least is Team Edward does Jacob. http://tinyurl.com/24wzwum

Twilight is one of those things I'm seriously torn about. I appreciate that it's building fangirls but at the same time I worry about the messages. I gave my twelve year old niece her copy with a note that pretty much said 'enjoy the movie, don't be the girl'.
unfinishedidea: (Default)

[personal profile] unfinishedidea 2010-07-01 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
Evidently, Roger Ebert is, too:

...as Jacob embraces and warms [Bella], he and Edward have a cloying cringe fest in which Edward admits that if Jacob were not a werewolf, he would probably like him, and then Jacob admits that if Edward were not a vampire — well, no, no, he couldn’t. Come on, big guy. The two of you are making eye contact. Edward’s been a confirmed bachelor for 109 years. Get in the brokeback spirit.

:D
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[personal profile] cereta 2010-06-30 12:51 pm (UTC)(link)
The earthling is wise beyond his years.

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[personal profile] vass 2010-06-30 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I am on Team Alice. Alice is very hot, and seems quite interested in Bella.

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bell: rory gilmore running in the snow in a fancy dress (btvs buffy & satsu)

[personal profile] bell 2010-06-30 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I love the love they felt for their fandom, and I am happy reading the love you felt for them. ♥ Also I think Earthling is headed towards the path of fandom! *nods*

*TEAM FANDOM*
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[personal profile] flourish 2010-06-30 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I went to a midnight showing! Partially to giggle (the movie was really bad, yo) but also just to be around that kind of fannishness.

TEAM JACOB is hotter, man!
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[personal profile] monanotlisa 2010-06-30 04:33 pm (UTC)(link)
(I guess there is no Team Bella? Or is that not how that works?)

TOO TRUE; THIS!


via_ostiense: Eun Chan eating, yellow background (Default)

[personal profile] via_ostiense 2010-06-30 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I haven't camped out at a theatre since the Prisoner of Azkaban midnight showing (also the only time I've cosplayed!). It was so much fun, and I'm glad these girls are having that experience, too!

[personal profile] wilhelminabenedict 2010-06-30 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I have really conflicted feelings about the fandom for these books. As you say, these are girls that are whole-heartedly into fannish activities, unabashedly touting their devotion, and that is really cool. On the other hand, their devotion and their desire is to emulate a series that is all about how an abusive relationship is hot and romantic. They're fannish about their own oppression. (And the love triangle: which one do you like better, the one that sexually assaults you or the one that emotionally abuses you and threatens to kill you? They're both such prizes.) And then I feel vaguely frustrated with myself, because I don't want to be trying/wanting to police other people's experiences, it would be ridiculous, but --

And now I'm not even sure where I'm going, or if I have a point. Just amorphous and confused feelings of frustration.

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litotease: (Default)

[personal profile] litotease 2010-06-30 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
...TEAM EDWARD DOES JACOB



*g*

(Taken from hinlalato.com)
juliandarling: (Default)

[personal profile] juliandarling 2010-07-02 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
WIN
lo_rez: green-on-black classic radar circular grid (Default)

[personal profile] lo_rez 2010-06-30 11:32 pm (UTC)(link)
(via the network) Thank you so, so much for this post. Just... thank you.
scintilla10: close-up of the Greek statue Victoire de Samothrace (ilovetoread)

[personal profile] scintilla10 2010-07-01 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
This post makes me full of utter joy. Thank you!
ladyjax: (Default)

Well done.

[personal profile] ladyjax 2010-07-02 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
Even though I, like many others, are ambivalent about Twilight as a whole, it burns my buns to have girls laughed out. What makes *my* particular squee any better?

juliandarling: (Default)

[personal profile] juliandarling 2010-07-02 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
I may hate Twilight (for a bunch of feminist reasons), but I totally agree with you about supporting these young people in their fandom. They remind me of my own LOTR fannishness at that age (oh twelve years old and standing at the theatre with my worn copy of the Silmarillion squeeing over Viggo Mortensen) :D And I think I'm still that twelve year old kid inside sometimes. And I was always so pissed when people laughed at me, so I'm sure not laughing at them, for sure.

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