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Description
Twilight Meme from

I know there is a longer Twilight Meme, but I figure since I've never done one before I should do the shorter one first. I'll probably do the bigger Meme for it after I read Eclipse. I have to steal it from my friend first. xD

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Bella Rant:

What do I think of Bella?

I love her.

And I am sick and tired of everyone bitching about her.

I don't like Bella because I can see myself as her or because she's an "everyday girl". No, I like Bella for her depth. A depth I find most people overlook. I'm tired of hearing people say she "has no personality" or "she complains too much". It only shows that you have no understanding of the complexity of her characterization.

I would like to say now that I know there are some people out there who also like Bella (or at least dislike her while understanding the depth Meyer put into her) so I'm sorry for this rant. But I think it needs to be made. So, I'm going to try and dicuss my understanding of Bella. I am NOT saying it is correct, but this is my perception of her depth.

It seems Bella's personality is based, for the most part, on one simple fact: she cares about others. That's not complex, you say? This factor, however, ripples through nearly all of the rest of her personality traits. Lets explore some of those branches. One side-effect of this quality is that she accepts others for WHO they are, not WHAT they are. Now, in a normal world, this would simply mean she doesn't care what gender, race, sexuality, etc. that other people are. But this is also the perfect set up for vampires and werewolves. She loves the people, regardless of anything that might be associated with their outward appearance.

Another effect deals with her empathy, and cannot simply be explained in an over-hanging sentence. Bella is empathetic, so she easily relates to others' situations and problems. This also allows her to easily forgive and tolerate others' actions. This means she prefers to not blame others for certain things she sees as resonable or unavoidable. Unable to blame others, all that critical energy is forced onto herself. She cannot control others (and cannot blame them due to her emapthy) so she blames the one thing she CAN control; herself. Obviously this is an over simplified statement of that progression, but it can make the point clear. She plays the "blame game" on herself not because she wants to be annoying or because she's stupid, but because she cares too much to blame others.

Another effect of her empathy is she doesn't want to bother others or be a burden. Because she can empathize with the feeling of having someone trouble her, she avoids doing anything of the kind to others. This means that she might have what seem illogical desires to, for example, stand on her own when she's hurt or, as on her birthday, not make a fuss (though there are also other deep issues with the birthday I won't go into).

And, my observations on self-confidence issues: Bella is empathetic and therefore that means she is sensative (even if emotions stay bottled up). Her lack of self-confidence is, in fact, a unconcious safety device. By constantly thinking that she isn't good enough (especially in the case of Edward who she adores) she protects herself for when/if the day comes that she truly isn't. This is clearly shown when Edward brakes up with her in New Moon. She easily accepts the pain of it all because of that safety device. True, he was lying, but if he hadn't been it wouldn't have been healthy for her to be in denial. So, while yes it is a very poor mental safety net, that is the purpose it is meant to play, even if it doesn't well.

There are other things about Bella I could rant about, such as her depression, but I think I've done enough preaching. The fact of the matter is, I don't see her as a flat, simple school girl and I would hope no one thinks that's what Meyer wanted her to be.

So, you don't have to agree with me, but I had to get it out. It was bothering me. xD

PLEASE do not post counter-arguments in comments or anything. You can say if you agree or not, but I just wanted to get my opinion out. I don't want to start anything over it really. It's just clogged in my brain and I had to put it SOMEWHERE even if no one agrees. xD;

Twilight (c) Stephenie Meyer

Description
Twilight Meme from

I know there is a longer Twilight Meme, but I figure since I've never done one before I should do the shorter one first. I'll probably do the bigger Meme for it after I read Eclipse. I have to steal it from my friend first. xD

-----
Bella Rant:

What do I think of Bella?

I love her.

And I am sick and tired of everyone bitching about her.

I don't like Bella because I can see myself as her or because she's an "everyday girl". No, I like Bella for her depth. A depth I find most people overlook. I'm tired of hearing people say she "has no personality" or "she complains too much". It only shows that you have no understanding of the complexity of her characterization.

I would like to say now that I know there are some people out there who also like Bella (or at least dislike her while understanding the depth Meyer put into her) so I'm sorry for this rant. But I think it needs to be made. So, I'm going to try and dicuss my understanding of Bella. I am NOT saying it is correct, but this is my perception of her depth.

It seems Bella's personality is based, for the most part, on one simple fact: she cares about others. That's not complex, you say? This factor, however, ripples through nearly all of the rest of her personality traits. Lets explore some of those branches. One side-effect of this quality is that she accepts others for WHO they are, not WHAT they are. Now, in a normal world, this would simply mean she doesn't care what gender, race, sexuality, etc. that other people are. But this is also the perfect set up for vampires and werewolves. She loves the people, regardless of anything that might be associated with their outward appearance.

Another effect deals with her empathy, and cannot simply be explained in an over-hanging sentence. Bella is empathetic, so she easily relates to others' situations and problems. This also allows her to easily forgive and tolerate others' actions. This means she prefers to not blame others for certain things she sees as resonable or unavoidable. Unable to blame others, all that critical energy is forced onto herself. She cannot control others (and cannot blame them due to her emapthy) so she blames the one thing she CAN control; herself. Obviously this is an over simplified statement of that progression, but it can make the point clear. She plays the "blame game" on herself not because she wants to be annoying or because she's stupid, but because she cares too much to blame others.

Another effect of her empathy is she doesn't want to bother others or be a burden. Because she can empathize with the feeling of having someone trouble her, she avoids doing anything of the kind to others. This means that she might have what seem illogical desires to, for example, stand on her own when she's hurt or, as on her birthday, not make a fuss (though there are also other deep issues with the birthday I won't go into).

And, my observations on self-confidence issues: Bella is empathetic and therefore that means she is sensative (even if emotions stay bottled up). Her lack of self-confidence is, in fact, a unconcious safety device. By constantly thinking that she isn't good enough (especially in the case of Edward who she adores) she protects herself for when/if the day comes that she truly isn't. This is clearly shown when Edward brakes up with her in New Moon. She easily accepts the pain of it all because of that safety device. True, he was lying, but if he hadn't been it wouldn't have been healthy for her to be in denial. So, while yes it is a very poor mental safety net, that is the purpose it is meant to play, even if it doesn't well.

There are other things about Bella I could rant about, such as her depression, but I think I've done enough preaching. The fact of the matter is, I don't see her as a flat, simple school girl and I would hope no one thinks that's what Meyer wanted her to be.

So, you don't have to agree with me, but I had to get it out. It was bothering me. xD

PLEASE do not post counter-arguments in comments or anything. You can say if you agree or not, but I just wanted to get my opinion out. I don't want to start anything over it really. It's just clogged in my brain and I had to put it SOMEWHERE even if no one agrees. xD;

Twilight (c) Stephenie Meyer