Anti-Spork: The Darkest Hour and Twilight - Additional Notes:
Last night, I dreamed about sporking. When I woke up, I was like, 'I HAVE NO LIFE.'
Anyways, I've thought a lot about the first chapter of the Darkest Hour since yesterday, and I've realised that the 'awkwardness' Edward's mind-reading causes is actually much, MUCH worse than I thought. It's actually pretty horrifying.
Think about it: he's being forced, against his will, to experience intercourse. Sure, there's no actual penetration, but the sensations are the same. He might as well have just had sex himself. And he didn't want it. There's a word to describe that kind of thing: RAPE.
Carlisle and Esme's activities, perfectly normal for any married couple, actually amounts to RAPE to their son. And Edward BLAMES HIMSELF for enjoying it. He hates himself because his body had an involuntary reaction to it. That is...so horrifying that I can't put my feelings into words. Rape victims in real life thought like this. His whole,'I'm a horrible person beacuse, when sex was forced on me, I enjoyed it.' thing was a very realisitc reaction to rape. And that's just horrible.
What's even more horrible is that his goal, his dream, is to be able to desensitise himself to being raped every night. Just because, one day, he might be able to ignore it, doesn't mean he isn't being raped. He'll just be numb to it. And he's completely okay with that: not stopping the rape, just becoming 'used' to it. Wait, he actually actively WANTS that.
He never even considers negotiating a compromise with Carlisle, he never even considers that Carlisle is at all responsible for the horrible situation he is in. He just assumes that it is HIS duty to get used to the rape, never considering that his comfort may be more important to Carlisle than being able to screw his wife. He honestly believes to be HIS responsibility to desensitise himself to one of the most brutal violations of privacy known to man, simply so that Carlisle can be happy.
When I said he was self-loathing, I didn't think it was that bad.
And this really makes Carlisle look a lot more like a jerk. Did he consider what these activities felt like to Edward? Did he seriously think that it was okay to subject his son to these things? He was with Edward for close to a decade now. Surely, he knows Edwar'ds personality better than that? Did he seriously think Edward will be able to get used to rape? Did he seriously think it was okay to request Edward to get used to rape?
I guess I can't really blame him, since he's caught up in a new relationship, and rape laws were more lax in those days. I doubt rape on males was even recognised back then.
But still, this realisation makes me very, very uncomfortable. It adds a whole layer of Fridge Horror to the series.
Edward came back to Carlisle at the end, right? So did the sex continue? Did he still have to go through such traumatising and humiliating experiences?
God, when I said Edward's life sucked, I really didn't imagine it sucked to this extent. This is past Butt Monkey, this is pushing him into the Woobie mixed with the Cosmic Plaything.
Go forward to: Chapter 1 Part 2, Section A
Go back to: Chapter 1 Part 1, Section C
Anyways, I've thought a lot about the first chapter of the Darkest Hour since yesterday, and I've realised that the 'awkwardness' Edward's mind-reading causes is actually much, MUCH worse than I thought. It's actually pretty horrifying.
Think about it: he's being forced, against his will, to experience intercourse. Sure, there's no actual penetration, but the sensations are the same. He might as well have just had sex himself. And he didn't want it. There's a word to describe that kind of thing: RAPE.
Carlisle and Esme's activities, perfectly normal for any married couple, actually amounts to RAPE to their son. And Edward BLAMES HIMSELF for enjoying it. He hates himself because his body had an involuntary reaction to it. That is...so horrifying that I can't put my feelings into words. Rape victims in real life thought like this. His whole,'I'm a horrible person beacuse, when sex was forced on me, I enjoyed it.' thing was a very realisitc reaction to rape. And that's just horrible.
What's even more horrible is that his goal, his dream, is to be able to desensitise himself to being raped every night. Just because, one day, he might be able to ignore it, doesn't mean he isn't being raped. He'll just be numb to it. And he's completely okay with that: not stopping the rape, just becoming 'used' to it. Wait, he actually actively WANTS that.
He never even considers negotiating a compromise with Carlisle, he never even considers that Carlisle is at all responsible for the horrible situation he is in. He just assumes that it is HIS duty to get used to the rape, never considering that his comfort may be more important to Carlisle than being able to screw his wife. He honestly believes to be HIS responsibility to desensitise himself to one of the most brutal violations of privacy known to man, simply so that Carlisle can be happy.
When I said he was self-loathing, I didn't think it was that bad.
And this really makes Carlisle look a lot more like a jerk. Did he consider what these activities felt like to Edward? Did he seriously think that it was okay to subject his son to these things? He was with Edward for close to a decade now. Surely, he knows Edwar'ds personality better than that? Did he seriously think Edward will be able to get used to rape? Did he seriously think it was okay to request Edward to get used to rape?
I guess I can't really blame him, since he's caught up in a new relationship, and rape laws were more lax in those days. I doubt rape on males was even recognised back then.
But still, this realisation makes me very, very uncomfortable. It adds a whole layer of Fridge Horror to the series.
Edward came back to Carlisle at the end, right? So did the sex continue? Did he still have to go through such traumatising and humiliating experiences?
God, when I said Edward's life sucked, I really didn't imagine it sucked to this extent. This is past Butt Monkey, this is pushing him into the Woobie mixed with the Cosmic Plaything.
Go forward to: Chapter 1 Part 2, Section A
Go back to: Chapter 1 Part 1, Section C