Shipping outside the lines

Shipping outside the Lines

Twilight fandom – Jacob and Renesmee

By: @SheeWolf85

**If you have not read/watched the Twilight books/movies, particularly Breaking Dawn, be warned that this post contains spoilers. **

The Twilight fandom is huge and consist of a wide variety of genres, pairings, styles, and universes. Some are more well-known than others. I don’t think anyone would argue that Edward/Bella rules the Twilight fandom whether they are canon, alternate universe (AU), or all human (AH). They are found in nearly every nook and cranny in some form or another. Coming in a distant second-place would be Jacob/Bella. There are those who prefer the other Cullens – Alice/Jasper and Emmett/Rose, for example. And who can forget the other werewolves? Jacob/Leah, Sam/Emily, Quil/Claire, etc.


Then, in a far-away, seemingly uninhabited corner of the Twilight fandom, you have the itty bitty colony of Jacob/Renesmee people.


Renesmee herself is arguably the most loved and hated character in the Twilight saga. No matter which form she is in (child, adult, half-vamp, human), there will forever be someone who adores her and someone who curses or even denies her existence. It just comes with the fandom.


I should note here that I am one of the few who adores her. I have loved her since I first read the books a million years ago, and I will continue to love her. People have come up with reason after reason why she is an abomination and should be hated. They’ve blamed the fact that she is a half-breed, their dislike of imprinting, and even her name.


I would like to take a moment here to explain why I disagree.


To address the comments that her entire existence isn’t possible and that vampires and humans can’t breed, I’m going to reference a wonderful Tumblr post made by InspiringRoses (@PemberlyRosesxox on Twitter). To see the post, visit here - http://inspiringroses.tumblr.com/post/9067471983/you-know-what-makes-me-laugh. In it, she gives excellent examples of others half-human half-vampires, some very well-known.


Regarding imprinting, everyone has their own opinion. My personal belief is that those who hate it simply don’t understand it. A vast majority of the comments I’ve heard against imprinting complain that it strips the wolf of their free will, and they become a slave. I believe they’re only saying that because of Sam and Emily’s story. Sam imprinted on Emily, leaving Leah a heartbroken shrew. Sam had “no choice” but to leave Leah and go after Emily. Sam’s story is a frustrating one, yes. Jacob himself didn’t like the idea of imprinting because of it. In the books, particularly the first part of Breaking Dawn, he is bitter about the whole thing and has an attitude with some of the other werewolves. However, there also comes a point in the middle of Jacob’s book (not shown in the movie, mind you) where Jacob actually tries to imprint. He wants to be freed from Bella’s crap, and I can’t blame him.


Jacob didn’t like the idea of imprinting; however, it was his destiny. No matter how hard anyone disagrees or wants to fight it, it simply was since even before Stephenie Meyer wrote the first word of New Moon. History, literature, movies, and television are all full of examples of men/women/everyone denying and cursing their destiny until it finally happens and they see how beautiful and fulfilling it truly can be. In my opinion, the same is true for imprinting in Jacob’s case.


People complain about is how it was “unfair” of the author/screenwriter/director/whoeverelse to make Jacob imprint on Renesmee. They see how he was against imprinting and say that it was a sick joke for it to happen at all. And yet, I have seen these very same people say that Jacob should have imprinted on Bella. I’m confused; if it’s unfair to make Jacob to imprint, why would it be okay if it was her? It’s a double standard, and in my opinion, it’s brought on by jealousy.


Yes, jealousy. If Jacob hadn’t imprinted, he would have been left hurt and alone. For two and a half books, he’d been the perfect “broken hero” type. Readers who sympathized with him felt a strong desire to heal and protect. When he imprinted, that vulnerable side to him was removed. He was no longer damaged and crestfallen; he was whole and happy. There was no more need to protect and to heal, and those readers didn’t like it. Instead of being happy that their favorite character was once again a strong man able to stand on his own, they pouted and complained, said it was “unfair” and blamed the girl that took him away from them. It didn’t matter that she was just a baby.


Some people say that imprinting is all fine, but they’re disgusted by the fact that Jacob imprinted on a baby. To that, I say that they are misinformed. Imprinting is not a mating instinct. It’s true that, in the books, Jacob explains Sam’s perception that it’s a way to find someone who will breed stronger wolves. However, that is Sam’s belief. Billy, Jacob’s father, has another theory. They all have their own theories. Jacob’s theory is that it’s a built-in soul mate detector. We are given a first-hand look into the actual imprinting process in Jacob’s book in Breaking Dawn. In my opinion, that little snippet confirms Jacob’s idea about it.


I think the funniest thing I’ve heard in reference to someone’s anti-Renesmee speeches is that they don’t like her because of her name. I have to ask the question: would they like her better if she had a “normal” name? As the ever-popular quote says: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” If Renesmee’s name was Vanessa, Tiffany, Mary, or Kelly, she would still have been the same character.


Now I would like to give you some reasons as to why I like Renesmee so much.


First and foremost, Jacob was one of my favorite characters in the books. I won’t deny that I wanted him and Bella to get together in New Moon and most of Eclipse. By the end of Eclipse, I didn’t like Bella anymore. I was one of those readers that wanted to step in and make Jacob forget about her. I didn’t understand why she kept hurting Jacob, or why he kept allowing her to do it. I hated seeing him so hurt over her, especially in the first part of Breaking Dawn.


Renesmee was a relief for me. Not only did she end Jacob’s suffering, but she made sense of the whole thing. There was suddenly a reason for all of it, and that felt good.


Another reason I am for Renesmee is that she is a pure character. We are given some precise descriptions of her and her demeanor and abilities in the third part of Breaking Dawn. She is very smart and conscious of what’s right and wrong. She wants peace and harmony, and she is brave enough to face the leader of the enemy to help protect her family.


I always thought that Jacob deserved someone better than Bella. Bella was indecisive, selfish, clumsy, and annoying. Renesmee, even with the little we saw of her, was strong, brave, happy, and full of sunshine just like Jacob. She complements him perfectly.


When it comes to Fanfiction, people scattered all throughout the fandom have their own versions of Renesmee. Some will argue that her character in Breaking Dawn left a lot of room for creativity. I happen to agree with them, although not everyone does. At the end of the saga, she was chronologically just over a year old. Physically, she was four years old. I agree that she had a strong character already described; however, it would be very difficult to say for sure what she would be like as an adult. I’m a firm believer that, like with anyone else, time will change her. Maybe not drastically, but she wouldn’t be the same person after seven years. Experiences, knowledge, her own thoughts and emotions, and even her relationships with those around her will make her a different Renesmee than she was in the books.


In our little Jacob/Renesmee community, you will find stories ranging from friendship, fluff, and family to hardcore romance, angst, and drama. There are stories that embrace the idea that Renesmee will get together romantically with Jacob the moment she’s full grown, and others give her a chance to live and learn who she is before taking that step. In the AH group, you will find a wider variety of settings and plots. One thing we all seem to agree on, though, is that Jacob and Renesmee belong together and will, eventually, end up that way.


SheWolf85 is a fan fiction reader and author. She is a contributing guest blogger for the You Write What?! blog staff and a vocal supporter of the Twilight fandom. For more of SheWolf85's stories follow the link: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1034657/SheeWolf85.