#twilight characters

beth (bell??) swanp

genderqueer, probably played an instrument once, divorced/separated parents, moved to Fucks Oregon for [a reason?] and is staying with Dad, somewhere between book smart and street smart while always being a dumbass, adhd/anxiety, learning how not to be a pushover, oblivious but in the autistic way, would eat a whole ass crayon for the bit

eddy culver

old vampire but technically a young adult guy, wtf is “straight/gay”?, owned a leather jacket once and hated it, book smart but still an idiot, knows too much supernatural stuff to be considered your average vampire but who cares, probably has some variation of anxiety/ptsd/memory issues, not 100% “vampire vegetarian”

jakey wolfguy

definitely has some kind of guilt complex, family oriented but in a slightly concerning way, total nerd, definitely made some kind of art thing once, has a phobia of something stupid, great memory, hates texting, awkward indoor great dane vibes, simultaneously a total loser and popular kid

Dad swamp

very normal dad-type guy, family man except he’s bad at it and never stops trying anyway, definitely owns a gun of some kind but it’s debatable if he’s ever actually used it, looks like the most average guy from Anytown USA, fails the Cool Dad act so well it’s somehow charming in a sad clown kind of way, loves camping and cooking, has some insane life stories he’s told and more he’s totally forgotten

culver parent ppl

well meaning but genuinely fucking dumb sometimes, weirdly well adjusted to modern society??, dresses with a little something from every era, one can drive and one can’t, someone is definitely neurodivergent in this relationship but you’ll never guess who, is either freakily good at time or really bad at it

packguy family

close-knit community, welcoming but cautious to strangers, several varieties of protective/creative, some stories should be left untold to parents but everyone has witnessed or done something insane/stupid at least once without dying, generally just a very chill and normal family

grandma lady

REMINDER: I'm talking canon, not what people wish canon was.

RENESMEE

These thoughts have been long underdeveloped bc the fandom is very anti-Renesmee and it's not fun to try to talk to people about her, BUT:

I have never, do not currently, & will never dislike Renesmee as a character, as a device, nor even her name [bc below]

Renesmee is just a baby/kid hybrid, she was never going to more actively do much...so yeah, we don't get into her as much a swe do Bella...she's not the protagonist but BD kinda clues us in that she evntually will be in a later book or in its mere suggestiveness form the plot we get

I believe that even though it's very true that marriage and motherhood are the lynchpins to how Bella goes into her coming-of-age/vampire entrance to the disapointment of many fans (bc of issues w/conservative constraint of the value of womanhood to motherhood/marriage), Renesmee does have a narrative purpose outside of following the lines and steps towards Main Girl's forever. BD clearly was and is the opener to the rest of the vampire world Bella has both just entered and has passively "expanded" when she decided to become a part of the Cullens and fell in love w/Edward. Not only are we introduced to new and fascinating vampires through these two basically setting up event after escalating event to be together, these two literally make hybrids break out of their hidey-holes by esclating into creating what they first thought was a creature first of its kind that is simultaneously literally and metaphorically the "product" of their love/union. Their love literally cracks the "world" wide open. We see in BD's end that the Volturi are far from done w/the Cullens bc their perception of their control of vampires and vampire bodies becomes shaky upon hybrids' "discovery"; what does Aro say when things are settled at the end? That he will track down Joham and maybe spare Nahuel's sisters. Not just that, we hear from Edward that Nahuel maybe will begin to think of himself as less than a monster (Edward 2.0 👀? Will Renesmee be the "new" "Bella"?) Reading all this at the time, it felt like a massive cliffhamnger, and it seems Meyer eventually agreed.

Renesmee, like Bella, is a character who was meant to "crack" open the world. Like Hope of The Originals (who was clearly inspired by Renesmee). Renesmee, I think, represents and will "usher in" a new "phase" of the series exploring the consequences of "old rules" & "old boundaries" broken just as Bella (unintentionally) did [below].

Without Renesmee, the Volturi would not have chosen to to see the Cullens w/the express purpose of eliminating them all. Thus bringing with them those witnesses who were supposed to spread the usual news of the Volturi disposing "justice", but witnessed instead the Volturi having had wrong testimony, be proven over & over, damnedly wrong again when Nahel appears just in time, and possibly begin to doubt the Volturi's ability/interest to have the most unbiased judgements, its neutral-good "purpose", and thus its authority. We simply would not have had the next escalation or cataclysm and turning point of this magnitude w/o Renesmee. Something that publicly changes vampire politics, self-perception, and relationship to humans as much as a "new" creature does. Bella not having Renesmee would be just her finally being placed into the mold the Volturi forced her into (another vampire who happens to have an extradoridinary gift and has joined vamp world with beginning alpomb BUT was finally "settled") AND her staying human would have negated the story's very focus/"point".

BREAKING DAWN AND THE ENTIRE SERIES

Bella maybe killing someone accidentally, losing her parents forever, somehow not even becoming avampire and staying human prevents all of that EXPANSION. Because then we'd be constrained to just her (and maybe that's exactly what some people wanted bc of New Moon, but for others Bella getting what she wanted and becoming a vampire plus the things others may have wanted w/o even actually setting her sights on those things [kids] seems to be prelude to this "opening"). I myself still think that we could have more of Bella actually struggling more before she gets her self control but not too much for the themes. Which means no killing humans...perhaps instead a self-lockdown. Would also mean finally seeing why Edward and the rest have such a hard time w/vampirism, but again, not too much. just enough to realize that struggle into questioning herself similar to liek they did, but putting in mental labor to acheive her control. Call me a fence-sitter, I guess.

It was evident from the get go when the premise was there was an "impossible" love b/t a vampire and a human -> other "impossible" things were going to happen to disprove previously concieved notions of self and one's environment:

Bella confronted w/the fact that Renesmee being mostly her face makes her "better" in appearance and not "worse" lie she thought before the birth...admittedly, doesn't go any deeper bc no time like the newborn time and Bella's own frustrating self effacement...but it's there and its noteworthy bc it's one of the most clear moments where Bella is forced to perceive herself much more positively (a seemingly tiny example but a parallel/supporting device)

Jasper's belief in newborn self control and his entire persepctive of himself when Bella becomes a newborn and he witnesses her take to it much better // his falling for Alice and her devotion to him in all his "flavors"

Edward's being confronted with what "monstrosity" could mean (maybe tritely through love but that has always been the story)

Carlisle discovering he can eat anmals instead of humans and finally having hope after trying to kill himself multiple times; later seeing Esme's large capacity to love and realizing he's "loveable" as Edward seems to thru Bella

Rosalie though never fully being able to be happy, has Emmett and then Renesmee to apparently fill the gaps (eh) and thinking her selfishness "redeemed" by loving and being loved by him

In all, this series was not really over back then. It's likely never going to move from this "simple" storyline and map of "redemption" to something like some headcanons or some other wishes for Bella to make different decisions in New Moon or afterwards. Because yes, Meyer is Mormon...as C.S. Lewis was Catholic/Christian, his series literally made up and following several New Testament principles, the concept of Heaven, Jesus' life, death, and resurrection through Aslan, materiality vs spiritually in the last book, etc. Some stuff were just taken straight out of the Bible or Catholic canon and given new names or traits, etc. (I won't lie and say I ever expected pregnancy nor that I wasn't shocked...but bc it was a human-vamp child I was also excited about the possibilities when i first read it.)

Meyer wanted to express a love (whatever you wish to call it, it was written to be that) that was transformative, converting, nearly alchemical that was nevertheless enduring and "immortal" as the mormons' faith about dying and becoming "gods"; and it appears her own questions about Mormonism and the "natural man" (look it up, its a Mormon principle)'s implications of humanity/her own nature. Doesn't think about it very critically, but the ride and glimpses and sggestions of that perhaps gone-period(s)-of-reflection is still pretty intriguing to me, at least.

There's a way to acknowledge & study how Mormonisim has made Twilight's sexism without surrendering textual analysis OR invalidating and trying to deny the actual canon's emotional appeals, as flawed as the logic often is...and enjoy it. These are fictional characters...they only exist here.

As much as yall hate ai, I love that shit lol

Oh bitch you cannot be serious.

Oh bitch you CANNOT be serious.

I’ve notice almost all of the twilight fics I read the mc gets pregnant by the end … even if they’re a vampire…like how 😐. The plot would be so fire, and then when the mc gets changed into a vampire they’re like “oh no, my future, I’ll never get to have kids.” Ffffffuuuuck dem kids- IM LIT.