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Ericka Armstead

Dr. Guruswamy

Senior Seminar

April 29, 2018

My Twilight Fanfiction

“My mom gave me three extra whole dollars to use at the arcade after class.”

“Well my mom put extra pork belly in my lunch today.”

“….. My mom is making me stay after school for tutoring.”

The kids’ laughter at the third child inspired a smile on a young Junghwa’s face while

she continued to watch them in secret through the barred window. It was right after sunrise and

all the neighborhood kids had gathered to walk together to school. She liked to imagine herself

down there with them sharing what her mom had done for her the night before. She liked to

imagine friends laughing at her after receiving punishment for having bad grades or trying to

top her when her mother did something particularly kind. Junghwa liked to imagine having

someone else’s life... Junghwa liked to imagine having a life.

Footsteps echoed louder with each progression towards her room, and the remnants of

her fantasy ended while she frantically reached through the bars to shut her window. In her bout

of panic, her thin arm connected painfully with the iron hard enough to make her slap a hand

over her mouth to muffle her cry. Still, Junghwa continued to rush back to her bed, the quiet

whisper of her long nightgown brushing the ground, aiding her terror. Just as her knee made

contact with her mattress, the door to her bedroom swung open and all of the air in her lungs

disappeared, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

Today would be the day she’d be caught.

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The shrill ringing of her alarm sent her body springing upright in cold sweat.

It was just a dream.

Clutching at the front of her t-shirt with one hand, she patted over her racing heart with

the other, the end of the memory still fresh enough in her mind to make her react this strongly.

Two years have passed since and Junghwa couldn’t get over it. Subconsciously, she continued to

fear the heavy steps of her father walking through the door of her apartment and locking her back

in the room because of ‘rabid vampires’. Sliding her shaking finger across the screen of her

phone to turn off the annoying sound, she glanced around in hopes that no one was paying her

any attention. She decided to rest after her first class on the front lawn of the dance building

because the break between her classes was long enough to take a nap but short enough that she

wouldn’t have time to go back to her place.

It was just a dream.

Instead of taking the much-needed time to calm herself, she quickly gathered her blanket

and books and threw her bag over her shoulder, casting nervous glances around her before she

started her trek across campus. Scenes from the memory kept the dark-haired girl from looking at

anyone directly and the flashing of fragments had her head pounding.

Why couldn’t she forget? Why did she have to live in fear of an impossibility? She was

free now... but why did she still feel trapped? Why did he still control her?

“Fuck. I’m sorry—,”

Junghwa didn’t notice she actually ran into someone until she had her bottom eating the

asphalt and books scattered around her splayed body.

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“Oh no, oh no. I-I’m s-so sorry. It was all my fault. I should have looked up. I should

have watched where I was going. Please forgive me I’m always so thoughtless. I never know

how to look up. I’m such an awful per—,”

“Hey… it’s alright. I’m good. Just a little bump to the head.”

Junghwa still bowed profusely, apologies spilling as her slender fingers sought after her

dropped items. Her carelessness always put her into situations like this. Except… this time she’d

actually managed to knock someone else down. Junghwa kept her face hidden behind her deep

waves, afraid to look at the male voice that surprisingly didn’t sound angry, and embarrassed that

the real reason she couldn’t look at him was because he was a guy.

One… two… three…four books.

Where was the other?

“Here you go,” The not so angry voice sounded amused now and that slight change of

tone had her head tilting back to peek up at the owner. She didn’t look at him of her own freewill

though, a cool finger lifted her chin. “For a girl as pretty as you are… you sure do look down a

lot.”

As if he sensed the nervousness, he pulled away not long after he’d touched her, stacking

the last book on top.

“I-I’m sorry…” she whispered one last time.

When finally noticing the young stranger’s appearance she was honestly taken aback at

his beauty. Standing about two heads taller, his body was slim, a dancer’s build, yet still

harbored a presence that demanded attention and dared a challenge. His black shoulder-length

hair twisted wildly back and forth all over his head, accenting and contrasting the rigid hard lines

of a sun-kissed face. His shrewd amber eyes, glowed with humor, probably aimed towards her.
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This guy would be terrifying if Junghwa had met him in the dark alley somewhere, although for

some reason… a part of her believed that he only wanted to appear that way.

One other characteristic of his caught her off guard— here was this foreigner in Korea,

yet he spoke the language fluently. He knew the difference between banmal1 and chondaetmal2.

Even knew slang. If it wasn’t for his appearance she would have sworn he was native. How was

this possible? Foreigners never took the time to learn their language so proficiently.

“You know? You also say ‘sorry’ a lot. S’okay. Really. It’s partially my fault as well.”

The stranger dipped his head a little, their gazes finally meeting, and his features softened just

enough to lessen her discomfort, “And it’s not all bad running into a cute girl.”

Junghwa felt like her face was on fire. Earning compliments from other girls was one

thing… but from guys—she just didn’t know how to take it. With all of those books hugged tight

to her chest and her backpack slung over her shoulders securely, she twirled so fast on her heels

it was a wonder she didn’t trip again. By the time she was far enough away it should have proved

impossible to hear that man’s voice, she heard a chuckle... loud and clear. That sound tickled her

ear right before she turned back around to face the same man she thought she’d left behind.

He’d caught up to her.

“Wait, wait. Before you decide to take up the 100-meter dash again. At least take your

blanket.” The stranger was amused. Junghwa could tell it took effort to keep that laugh between

that bitten bottom lip. Her flushed face deepened in color. “Here. Junghwa.”

1
Banmal or 반말 is Casual/Informal language used only between two close friends or towards
someone younger/of lower social status.
2
Chondaetmal or 존댓말 is Formal language used towards strangers or towards someone of
higher social status. i.e boss or teacher.
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How did he know her name?

The girl accepted the blanket with wide frightened eyes and the guy chuckled, nodding

towards the lavender fabric, “It had your name embroidered on it.”

The tension in her face reasonably eased but otherwise she just bowed at him in thanks

and took a step back ready to go again. This was just all too much for her. The talking... his

presence…

“Hey, Junghwa,” Once more with banmal and she didn’t even know his name.

“I think it would be nice to hear something other than apologies when you have such a

pretty voice.” His arm reached out to snag her wrist before she could run again, and he laughed

loudly drawing attention to them by a few passersby making Junghwa feel like she wanted to

hide. “I’m sorry this time, I knew how it would make you react and I still did it.”

So this guy was purposely making her nervous. But why?

“Are you one of this sicko foreigner guys who prey on young Korean girls?”

“…”

The two of them stared at each other for a heartbeat before he snorted and ruffled her hair

affectionately, “I’ll let that go because I teased you first and I know you didn’t mean it.”

This guy was so weird… were all boys like this? So persistent? Was it maybe the

American in him that made him touch her so freely? Junghwa shrank away from the strangely

comforting touch and hugged her books tighter to her chest with a shy smile.

“I got a smile out of you. Good. My name is Lucas, by the way. Lucas Taylor. Figured I

got your name, so you should get mine.”

Junghwa stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to continue a conversation that she’d

never really experienced past a socially expected bow.

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Lucas sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his tight skinny jeans with a shake

of his head, “You don’t really talk much, do you?”

Junghwa still didn’t respond to him verbally, just a shake of her head to prevent being

rude again.

“Well, you listen and I’ll talk. I’m new around here and I got a peek of your books and it

seems we’re going to be taking a few classes together. Any chance I can get you to stay with me

long enough to show me to the right buildings?”

When he asked the question this time he made sure she couldn’t look away. Something

about those golden eyes anchored her to her spot—rendering her paralyzed... nor did she want to

move. How weird. That should have sent off warning bells, the sound of her father’s demanding

voice should have said something then but in the thinning crowd, this guy... didn’t let her go.

“A-Ah… sure.”

“That’s a good girl,” he cooed, nodding towards the school.

At least he didn’t ask her any further questions and even gave her the freedom of

movement again. Junghwa took this precious time to both breathe and take in another good look

at him. He stood out—and not just because of the obvious darker complexion. Everything about

him screamed different. His voice was as smooth and alluring as the caramel of his skin. The

grace, in even the subtle gestures, reminded her of her comparison to a dancer in the beginning.

It was cloudy today, yet as he stood, she felt like he was the sun.

“As you seem a bit spooked by things that move, thunder is about to roll in quite soon

and it’s going to be loud,” he said, his teasing obvious this time. Her bottom lip threatened to fall

and earned her a boyish smile, “So I respectfully request we start moving, Miss Junghwa.”
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I’d rather you just continue using banmal with me rather than chondaetmal. It doesn’t

sound like you.

His chuckle caused her to look over at him carefully again before he spoke with that

amused smile of his, “I’ll remember that, Junghwa. We’re practically friends already if you’re

talking to me now, right?”

Now she was speaking aloud? Just one conversation with this guy was making her crazy.

Covering her mouth to make sure there weren’t any more slip-ups, she started walking hoping

he’d catch the hint to walk with her.

“Don’t worry you didn’t speak aloud this time!”

This guy was totally making fun of her now. If she could just get them to the next class

and she somehow wouldn’t get caught up in his weird spellbinding eyes she would be rid of him

forever, right?

“You walk pretty fast for a tiny thing,” he said as he just as easily caught up with her

pace.

The two of them finally walked up the stairs to the history building and the roaring of

thunder scared her into a jump. It wasn’t supposed to rain today. The door in front of them

opened and Lucas waited for her to pass through. There wasn’t any commentary this time and

the quick glance at his face didn’t seem to change his suddenly wary features.

What happened to that persistence from earlier?

Junghwa didn’t part her lips either. She led him through the long brightly lit hallways that

were unsurprisingly quiet during class hours and led him to her second class for the day-- hoping

that her tardiness didn’t draw too much unwarranted attention.

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“So nice of you to join us today Lim Junghwa. Please. Take your seat and we will talk

after class about your lax arrival.” Mr. Song’s face held a moment of disappointment before the

newcomer stole his ability to speak.

Good thing she was not the only one who felt stunned by his appearance. Everyone’s

silence bubbled up into bouts of conversation about the ‘hot foreign guy who’d followed

Junghwa in’.

Junghwa had finally reached her assigned seat next to her best friend Jinah when she

heard the most absurd of all the comments. She was dating this guy.

“Oh my God, Jung, spill. How do you know the hottie new guy and what can I do to

become his translator?”

Junghwa’s nose wrinkled up at her friend’s excitement and pushed the rebelliously dyed

blonde away from her arm. “It’s too bad because he already speaks Korean fluently. Doesn’t

even need a guide anymore because he appointed me. But we could switch if you want?”

As if he’d heard their exchange, he looked over at her and even from the back of the

room she felt the golden orbs peering right down at her.

There was no way he could hear her over all the people.

Flushing bright red, she broke the contact and rearranged her notebooks while listening to

Jinah declare her love for him.

“I mean just look at him. He looks like a bad boy. His hair is long, and he has yellow

eyes? They have to be contacts, I mean black people don’t really have colored eyes like white

people, do they? Whatever—they still look great on him.”

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Jinah wasn’t the only girl in the classroom who had completely fallen for the brown-

skinned, yellow-eyed foreigner. After the teacher introduced him, even the guys made way to

talk to him.

“Your hair is really cool. Can I touch it?”

Your eyes are so pretty. Are they real?”

“Wow—you’re the first real foreigner I’ve seen in real life!”

“Can you play basketball?”

“Can you sing?”

“Are you related to Obama?”

Junghwa tried to ignore it all towards the last comment. At least their reactions weren’t

too negative. The last time they had a Japanese exchange student in their class, she was bullied

so badly she was forced to change schools. It was going to be annoying for a while but at least he

was occupied enough not to focus on her.

“Hey. Jung?”

Lucas’ voice was near her again and when she looked up she didn’t just have just his

attention; everyone was staring at her expecting a response. Blood rushed to her cheeks and on

any usual occasion she would have pretended she didn’t hear anything or lied and said their

actual teacher was starting the class, but although it was still their first meeting, she knew he

didn’t have the type of personality to just let it go.

“You’re still showing me around after this class, right? I feel like I’d get lost if you

didn’t.” There was a sing-song lilt to his voice that she hadn’t heard before now and it almost

made her wonder if he was encouraging rumors to start.

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One quick look around the room and clusters of duo and quads were whispering.

Probably about her. Probably about him too.

“My friend Jinah here said she would love to do it,” Junghwa interjected, pushing her

friend’s arm to snap her out of the half-drooling state, “right?”

The blonde perked up and stumbled over her words saying, “A-Ah? Ah... right. Yes. I’m

the class president anyway so it would be my duty to um... help you with whatever needs you

may have as a new student.” There was even a bit of aegyo3 in her voice as she spoke. It was

completely embarrassing.

“Miss Jinah, correct?” The golden eyes never strayed from Junghwa’s face but for only a

second, “I feel a bit more comfortable with Jung here. I hope that doesn’t offend you?”

“No! No… it’s alright. She did get to you fir- I mean you two know each other more.”

One could just hear her saying that through her teeth.

“That’s very kind of you. Thank you.” With a knock on her desk and a wink, he’d

released her from his paralyzing stare and turned around.

The mumbling only stopped once her second period teacher entered the class.

This year would be much more interesting than the last.

3
Aegyo directly translated to “baby cuteness” usually refers to acts such as raised tone and cooing usually done by
girls to get something in particular.
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Where Am I? The Absence of Color in Our Young Adult Fantasy

“Reading fiction is hypothesized to stimulate social contact in a way that minimizes

anxiety, allowing reduction of prejudice and development of empathy” (Guarisco and Freeman

56). The impact of fiction is a debate dating back to Plato. He abhorred the act of storytelling

because of its influential nature on youth and its ability to sway perceptions of justice and

morality, whereas his opposers believed that the creativity that fiction inspires benefits the

greater society (Aristotle). Whether or not the youth believed in the stories literally or thought

that actions were made for the sake of a friend, foe or for selfish gain, there was no doubt that

hearing or reading those fantastical stories had power. Hundreds of years later, young adult

fiction is an important genre taught in schools, except the selection of the books are limited still

to certain types that hold a very specific and obvious pattern-- Eurocentric characters. Most of

the stories that one can pick up in a store or read in a classroom hosts characters that do not

appear like a large portion of society. If what Plato, Guarisco and Freeman conjectures is correct,

then much of society lacks the representation in a medium that has a lot of power. The stories

introduced that are supposed to shape the morality, empathy, and sympathy of the younger

generation is skewed to one side of a very diverse spectrum. Although visible changes to the

race, gender, social economic, ability, and even sexuality of the lead characters in these books, a

popular part of the age-specific genre has yet to see the same major changes-- fantasy. These are

the books that include superheroes, witches, vampires, and werewolves—the mystical creatures

that tickle the imagination of young adults and children. Although the genre of Young Adult

fiction is shifting towards more inclusivity, the main character slots in the subgenres of

supernatural and science fiction still lack diversity. This absence of color is detrimental to not

only the way marginalized groups see and do not see themselves, it perpetuates them as the

‘other’ and gives rise to misconceptions formed by the dominant group in society.
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Quite a few novels have wiggled their way into pop culture initially from books and

eventually onto the screen. Twilight, one of the four books in a series by Stephanie Meyer, has

solidified a place in the Young Adult genre and in many classrooms. Twilight is about a teenage

girl named Bella who arrives to a rainy, green city of Forks, Washington to live with her father.

During her stay, she encounters this group of gorgeous people who stand out from the average

student in the school. Circumstances prove the need of help from a vampire and unravels a

relationship with Edward Cullen and his vampire family. Twilight is a great example of the

fantasy Young Adult genre. It includes engaging characters, a suspenseful plot, and a forbidden

romance—a perfect mixture for teenage girls.

This book had the opportunity to add just one more ingredient to this recipe, the leading

Bella or Edward being someone of a different race. The story would be forced to include another

layer of rich culture, unlike the historical dynamics between merely the werewolves and

vampires, that would single-handedly distinguish itself from its literary counterparts. Alexander

Hidalgo, author of a chapter in Genre, Reception, and Adaptation in the Twilight Series,

explained that the book already did include different races:

Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga and its film adaptations not only feature people of

color but also address race directly. The novels and the films enrich our understanding of

race by exploring notions of both metaphorical and literal race. Three metaphorical races-

humans, vampires, and werewolves inhabit the series, and the last two only relate to each

other through deep racial prejudice […] Through the Quileutes, Meyer explores literal

race by both showcasing their isolation from mainstream society and celebrating their

ability to remain aware of the world of magic through their oral culture and strong tribal

ties. (Hidalgo 79)

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While true that the presence of different “races” in the book could be projected as a story of

overcoming preconceived stereotypes-- the majority of the characters still appeared exactly the

same. In the beginning of the story, Bella, the main character, expressed her concerns over her

lack of tan skin and the questions that might arise because of it. When she arrived at the

classroom, however, she was surprised to find she was not so different after all: “[The

classmates] were two girls, one a porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown

hair. At least my skin wouldn't be a standout here” (Meyer 9). Meyer’s repetitious use of pale

skin, and its beauty might be unintentional, but it contrasts the darkness of the werewolves’

brown skin. The vampires’ white skin shines like diamonds, but the werewolves typically hide in

the shadows where their dark fur were perfectly masked. Books such as Twilight, Harry Potter

and Vampire Diaries all create new worlds of familiar and unfamiliar fantasy characters and all

are depicted as those who have Eurocentric features. It continues a cycle that has yet to break

where characters that are fantasy-- hero or villain-- must be white. And as such in Twilight,

persons of color are often pushed to the background and are minor characters walking in the

shadow of the protagonists.

The debate about what books is considered canon is also ongoing. Shakespeare, Bronte,

Wordsworth, and Emerson are all categorized as real, “cultured” literature that should be taught

in school. And of those books that include or are written by people of color only a minute group

rarely finds a place in American classrooms. According to Sandra Hughes-Hassell, writer of the

article titled, “Multicultural Young Adult Literature as a Form of Counter-Storytelling”, the

continuous showcasing of literature that only includes the dominant culture shows the children

from a young age, “that they are kingfish [and] here seems to be little chance of developing the

humility so urgently needed for world cooperation... as long as children are brought up on gentle
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doses of racism through their books” (212). The children in the classroom are conditioned to

believe that main characters, and characters in general, are only white and that it is acceptable.

These are the same children that become future writers only to repeat the cycle and create books

that only include characters they have seen from their past. This is especially problematic

because the ideas of a white dominated culture and society extends beyond the bounds of

literature. It is difficult to feel empathy and sympathy for the other when the other and their

culture haven’t been taught or introduced. Coombs and Mayans’ article, “Insider or Outsider”

includes an anecdote of a teacher who lived in a predominately white area that started to grow

with a population of Latino families and “[increased] the diversity of religions, cultures,

languages, and beliefs … these changes necessitated increased awareness of and empathy toward

differences among the students and [the] school and within the larger community” (45).

Inclusion of minority groups in literature will give the exposure to different cultures needed in

the classrooms to increase empathy and understanding between the students. Although diverging

from the canon and shifting to more multicultural literature is harder in the public-school system

because of standardized testing, introducing characters outside of the stereotypes can prove to

positively enhance the classroom environment (Hayn and Burns 135). The impact of including

multicultural literature in the classroom does not end with changing the perceptions of the

dominant culture but it also eliminates the other and validates the people of color in the

classrooms of their experiences at home. Growing up in a community and classroom that

continued to show images of only one culture narrows one’s ability in perspective taking.

Representation is key. It is important to note that young adult literature is many

teenager’s first exposure to more authentic, complicated, and real life situations. Young adult

literature often includes characters like the average reader—or at the very least like someone
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they have known—and for that reason it is important that they do see someone that resembles

themselves. As mentioned previously, stories and books have power. Meyer’s Twilight became

popular not just as a novel but as an on-screen powerhouse. The images she presented in the

books were on cups, posters, t-shirts of “[Edward’s] dazzling face […] and flawless lips” (Meyer

23). Her worldwide platform as a leader in pop culture could have offered something different

than the usual pale vampire as the lead and explore more of the Amazons or Japanese vampires

mentioned in the texts. Even unintentionally, a dialogue passes between the reader and writer

whenever they release a work. If the undercurrent of the story is that vampires, (who are the

epitomes of worldly and other worldly beauty) are always pale then a child that is easily

impressionable will start to associate that with themselves and that of others around them. Molefi

Asante describes the job description of a writer that pursues a public market:

The fact that a writer seeks to establish a persona of a non-interested observer means that

such writer wants the reader to assume that an unbiased position is being taken on a

subject. However, we know that as soon as a writer states a proposition, the writer is

implicated and such implication holds minor or extreme consequences. (Asante 267)

The responsibility of a teacher who exposes their students to the information and literature out

there is to give wide varieties of thought and culture and ideas to promote perspective taking.

This method encourages intelligent and healthy relationships between people of different ethnic

backgrounds.

Change is an arduous and long process. It takes recognition of an issue and the desire to

act on it. In the classrooms, libraries and in stores there is a starving market for representation in

the fantasy and science fiction genre. The inability to see oneself in a medium that is powerful—

powerful enough that it has been advised to stop teaching it in classrooms and society—it is
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obvious what changes need to happen. Minority groups still do not have a place in mainstream

literature and in the books taught in classrooms. The images that are shown are often in direct

contrast to how they not only appear physically but in what was taught in homes and in their

culture. It is extremely prudent to use the platform that might be taught to the younger generation

to encourage growth and celebrate culture.

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Works Cited

Aristotle. Aristotle's Poetics. Hill and Wang, 1961.

Asante, Molefi Kete, and Diane Ravitch. “Multiculturalism: An Exchange.” The American

Scholar, vol. 60, no. 2, 1991, pp. 267–276. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41211906.

Coombs, Dawan, and Maicheal Mayans. “Insider or Outsider.” The Alan Review, vol. 43, no. 1,

Fall 2015, pp.45-55.

Guarisco, Martha, and Louise M. Freeman. “The Wonder of Empathy: Using Palacio’s Novel to

Teach Perspective Taking.” The Alan Review, vol. 43, no. 1, Fall 2015, pp.56-68.

Hayn, Judith, and Sarah M. Burns. “Multicultural Adolescent Literature: Finding the Balance.”

Teaching Young Adult Literature Today. Edited by Judith A. Hayn and Jeffrey S. Kaplan.

Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, pp. 135-153.

Hidalgo, Alexandra. “Bridges, Nodes, and Bare Life: Race in the Twilight Saga.” Genre,

Reception, and Adaptation in the Twilight Series. edited by Anne Morey, Ashgate, 2012,

pp. 79-94.

Hughes-Hassell, Sandra. “Multicultural Young Adult Literature as a Form of Counter-

Storytelling.” The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, vol. 83, no. 3,

2013, pp. 212–228. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/670696.

Meyer, Stephanie. Twilight. Little Brown & Company, 2005.