Authonomy Update: 56. Today is the last day of the month, and tomorrow Pearl will go down 5 spaces. As we're clawing our way to the top, we should be at 50ish soon. Yea!
eclipse
So my eldest daughter and I joined a big group of friends (hers and mine) for the midnight premiere of Eclipse last night. They were all troopers and sat through Twilight and New Moon first (and saved seats for us...thanks, guys!). We just showed up for Eclipse and had fun hanging with our friends!
Now, I've read all four of the Twilight series books. I've even read the one posted online, Midnight Sun (part of the first book told from Edward's POV). Quite honestly, writing aside (which is a whole other conversation), Meyers tells a good story. Vampire boy meets human girl. Werewolf boy meets same human girl. Love triangle ensues. Hearts wrench. Ahhhhh...
I love that Meyers has morals and her characters convey things like, sex before marriage is wrong. She even tries to make her main vampires good by their being "vegetarian," meaning they suck the blood of animals, not humans. A stretch, but still, she tried.
But, this is where my disappointment came last night.
The characters manipulated each other the whole way through to get what they wanted.
Edward wants Bella to marry him. Bella wants Edward to change her into a vampire. They both want to consummate their love, but Edward won't before marriage (good for him!) and Bella won't marry him until she is changed (hmmm...). However, she finally agrees to his proposal.
Then, Jake loves Bella. Bella loves Edward. After stealing a first kiss, Jake tells Bella that he won't kiss her again until she asks him to. Jake goes off to fight vampires while leaving Bella upset that he's mad at her. She calls out for him to kiss her before he leaves, he turns back for a long passionate kiss, while Edward (her fiance!!!) is standing not far from them.
What?? What??
And this is what happened in the theater: During that kiss, much sighing was heard.
And all I could think of was that my teenage daughter and her friends were watching this movie that was telling them, "It's okay to manipulate others to get what you want. It's okay to be manipulated."
C'mon, Hollywood! C'mon, Meyers! Thousands, maybe millions, of teenagers will get that same message loud and clear. You threw a great teaching moment away with this movie. By the very nature of being wildly successful among impressionable kids, you have a responsibility to them. In my opinion, you blew it.
Good thing my daughter and her friends have good parents to help them process it.
On another note:
They showed a preview for Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Now, CS Lewis is an awesome story teller. At the end of the trailer, a guy down in the front of the theater yelled, "For Narnia!!" I wish we all had shouted it. :)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
chase
Authonomy Update: 65
I entered the skiing chase scene (rewritten and edited) in a contest. Here's the scene (and the word cloud). Skis is the number one word in the scene.
I think contest would be the number one word on my blog.
Nope Authonomy. Nope Pearl. :) Have a lovely day!
Skiing Chase Scene • Pearl Edda
I whacked Iven with my ski pole. Right across his cheek.
Not very ladylike, I know, but I was ticked. I mean, we’d avoided each other all week, and had just patched things up when he pushed me – after insulting my skiing. Really? Like skis hadn’t been strapped to my feet every winter since – I don’t know – forever?
He didn’t look fazed. Instead he perused the darkening mountain behind us. “We need to go, Mia,” he said, rubbing the pole-inflicted welt. “Now.”
And then the egomaniac reached toward me again.
I harrumphed, planted my poles, and propelled myself down the slope. Keenly aware that he pursued me. Mad that I was a little pleased.
Traitor heart.
Olivia and Tait had already veered off onto a little used run, a drainage that cut through the forest and narrowed into a chute, and I shot off the lip, dropping down after them. Towering pine trees clustered together on either side of the trail, only allowing light to sneak through in muted patches, and I could barely track Olivia’s bright red jacket as it darted through the murky labyrinth.
Iven skied, wordlessly, beside me. The forest, too, was still, and the only sound came from our skis schussing in sync. I almost laughed from the stupidity of it all when I sensed something behind me. Its cold, dark shadow curled around my boots like wisps of smoke. It squeezed my ankles – firmly, once – and then backed away.
What the crap?
I looked toward Iven, but he grabbed my arm. “You said you could ski, Mia,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Do it now. Like your life depends on it.”
He again pushed me, and I surged forward. This time he didn’t follow.
My hammering heart shot into my throat, and I brought my skis together while bending my knees. I realized the moguls of our previous run were nothing compared to the speed of the trees coming at me now. As boughs slapped me, their snowy blankets exploded, peppering my body with icy crystals.
Knowing better, a lot better, I ignored the cardinal rule of every horror movie ever made and glanced back. My entire body heaved as I immediately faced forward again, gasping in short, staccato bursts, while rapid-fire questions erupted in my brain.
What the heck? What the heck? What the heck is THAT?
I forced myself to keep on top of my skis, but a numbing breath streamed up my back. A low growl and what sounded like the snapping of teeth followed, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight on end.
The owner of the shadow had arrived.
And I was alone.
Bwahahahahahahhaha (Okay, I just tacked that on at the end. :))
I entered the skiing chase scene (rewritten and edited) in a contest. Here's the scene (and the word cloud). Skis is the number one word in the scene.
I think contest would be the number one word on my blog.
Nope Authonomy. Nope Pearl. :) Have a lovely day!
Skiing Chase Scene • Pearl Edda
I whacked Iven with my ski pole. Right across his cheek.
Not very ladylike, I know, but I was ticked. I mean, we’d avoided each other all week, and had just patched things up when he pushed me – after insulting my skiing. Really? Like skis hadn’t been strapped to my feet every winter since – I don’t know – forever?
He didn’t look fazed. Instead he perused the darkening mountain behind us. “We need to go, Mia,” he said, rubbing the pole-inflicted welt. “Now.”
And then the egomaniac reached toward me again.
I harrumphed, planted my poles, and propelled myself down the slope. Keenly aware that he pursued me. Mad that I was a little pleased.
Traitor heart.
Olivia and Tait had already veered off onto a little used run, a drainage that cut through the forest and narrowed into a chute, and I shot off the lip, dropping down after them. Towering pine trees clustered together on either side of the trail, only allowing light to sneak through in muted patches, and I could barely track Olivia’s bright red jacket as it darted through the murky labyrinth.
Iven skied, wordlessly, beside me. The forest, too, was still, and the only sound came from our skis schussing in sync. I almost laughed from the stupidity of it all when I sensed something behind me. Its cold, dark shadow curled around my boots like wisps of smoke. It squeezed my ankles – firmly, once – and then backed away.
What the crap?
I looked toward Iven, but he grabbed my arm. “You said you could ski, Mia,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Do it now. Like your life depends on it.”
He again pushed me, and I surged forward. This time he didn’t follow.
My hammering heart shot into my throat, and I brought my skis together while bending my knees. I realized the moguls of our previous run were nothing compared to the speed of the trees coming at me now. As boughs slapped me, their snowy blankets exploded, peppering my body with icy crystals.
Knowing better, a lot better, I ignored the cardinal rule of every horror movie ever made and glanced back. My entire body heaved as I immediately faced forward again, gasping in short, staccato bursts, while rapid-fire questions erupted in my brain.
What the heck? What the heck? What the heck is THAT?
I forced myself to keep on top of my skis, but a numbing breath streamed up my back. A low growl and what sounded like the snapping of teeth followed, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight on end.
The owner of the shadow had arrived.
And I was alone.
Bwahahahahahahhaha (Okay, I just tacked that on at the end. :))
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