{im} A Note on Prisonward

I’ve received a few unhappy comments about the last chapter, specifically how Edward is manipulating Bella. I replied to one of my readers, who has been creeped out by the whole situation from the beginning and always gives an honest opinion, and I wanted to share it here.

I find the varying degrees of people’s opinion of Edward very interesting. On one hand, there are the people who think the situation is crazy “but we all know it’s Edward *omg squee!*” On the other are the people who think he is creepy and manipulative and probably really a bad guy with ulterior motives.

I try not to make my characters black and white. I like them to be realistic. (Okay, okay, realistic to an extent. It is fiction for the purpose of entertainment after all, and on top of that it’s fanfic.) But I feel like no one ever wants to look at them that way. When I was writing HitGoS everyone said how terrible and evil Edward was, but looking at his circumstances, and that he was a vampire, I think the way he acted was pretty understandable and didn’t necessarily pin him as a “bad guy.” There weren’t very many people who were like, okay, I can understand why he’s acting like that. It was out of character for him, just as it would have been out of character for canon Edward to kill everyone in the science room or break into the Swans’ house and NOM Bella, but he still seriously entertained those ideas. What if he had? Would that have made him inherently bad? Or could it be written off as a mistake? In fact, if you look at Edward’s treatment of Bella throughout Twilight, I think you’ll find that he is very… maybe manipulative isn’t the right word. But he’s very controlling and overbearing. Anyway, I digress.

What if IM Edward doesn’t have evil intentions? What if he’s not intentionally being manipulative? And even if he is, just because he’s not planning to chop Bella into tiny little pieces doesn’t mean he’s a perfect person. Can he not have good intentions but poor execution of decisions? He’s spent a third of his life behind bars. If an opportunity presents itself that he believes will make his life easier, is it really surprising that he would jump on it?

The same goes for Bella. When I was younger, I let a guy walk all over me. I was dumb and naive. I didn’t know better. I didn’t know how to say no, and I really didn’t realize it was even happening until much later. And now that I’m even older, I wonder if he even realized what a jerk he was being at the time. Did he change? I don’t know. Once I grew a backbone I didn’t stick around to find out.

There are some things that no amount of schooling or parental advice can help prepare a person for. Some things people need to learn on their own. I believe a protagonist character has to have some redeeming quality, but if the purpose of the story isn’t to show how they develop and grow as a person, then what’s the point? If everyone started out (or finished for that matter) perfect, then where’s the adventure? How does that saying go… It’s not the destination, but the journey.

I hope this doesn’t sound defensive. People have a right to their own opinions of course, and I don’t expect everyone to like it or the direction it takes. I just hope people will look at it with an open mind and see the gray in between.

Comments (5)

  1. smutty jen July 27, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    pfft…ooza honey…if these readers dont like it tell them to go away..politely of course!!!!!…..I on the other hand fckn love itttttt..xx

  2. MedusaInNY July 27, 2011 at 5:43 pm

    I’m having a hard time with the manipulation factor. I don’t see it that way. He has been honest and up front the whole time. He might have been hesitant to give her all the details until they got to know each other better, but he didn’t LIE.

    As for this last chapter. He told her not to offer something she wasn’t sure of because he would NOT SAY NO!

    The whole time she was thinking about things, she was rationalizing. She was saying she knew her feelings were weird, but she couldn’t help them. She was going over things in her head. If she would have been all “Squeee! he’s getting out now I can love on him and make him perfect,” them YEAH – but she’s SMART. She knows what she is doing is NOT going to go over well. She knows it isn’t going to be rainbows and butterflies.

    He HAS a place to stay. He told her that! She did NOT have to invite him into HER house. He told her he had a pre-approved place to stay and that he could afford it, so her inviting him into her house is all on her – I can’t see him being the one to force her into making that choice.

    Anyway, that is my thoughts. I think the story is fabulous and that you are doing a wonderful job writing it!!

  3. Credorosa July 27, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    I like your story very much. But I also enjoyed GoS very much as well and loved and agreed with the ending. And even though I love canon, I do enjoy non-canon if written well. And though I am a Twilight purist, E&B must be together for me to even consider the story, I’ve never had an issue with a darker non-canon Edward. You are a very good story teller and you write non-canon real well. But most don’t want to see that sad to say, it is disappointing. I for one can only hope you continue and stay with us so we can enjoy more of your talent.

  4. edaddict3254 July 27, 2011 at 6:33 pm

    just another small addition to the existing comments…

    ooza’s story desription says friendship/romance. it doesn’t list hurt, drama or angst as dominant factors in this story. that’s not to say that there might not be some, but i would certainly hope that if it was her intent for her story to take that course, we would have had some prior warning…

    besides, i tend to believe that edward in innately good. he took a couple of wrong turns, got lost. i don’t think he’s looking to take advantage of or hurt the one person that could be holding his road map in her hands. the fact that there’s a pretty high level of chemistry between these two makes it all the more juicy.

  5. icKaren July 28, 2011 at 10:25 am

    Ooza, I am a huge fan of gray, and without some drama and wrong turns there wouldn’t be any stories to tell. And never mind fiction, life contains these detours and pitfalls as well.

    I see Edward as struggling to become the person he truly wants to be. But he has been locked up for so long that I am sure he is struggling to imagine who he is in the outside world, and he will need some help and support to find himself and a new direction in life. He is actually smart to want to be with Bella, because he lacks support from his own family. With Bella, he will try even harder to be who he wants to and should be.

    I am loving your story and happily anticipating more.

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