Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?

Hello?

No, not yet.

I had to set up first.

She's on her way to the house.

Hey, I got this, okay?

I'm doing it tonight.

I think she's here.

I got to go.

Hey, baby. Mm...

Come in.

Hey, let's go upstairs, all right?

Oh, I thought we were gonna go see New Moon.

It's supposed to start... No. My parents are out.

Let's just stay in, right?

And look, I got you this.

What?

Do you like it?

I love it, it's beautiful.

Thank you.

Hey, you got your camera, right? Yeah...

Good, because I want you to photograph me.

Tonight,

I will be your muse.

Okay.

You... are so beautiful.

Do you love me?

Yeah.

There's something I need to tell you.

Okay.

I'm a nightwalker.

Okay. What's a nightwalker?

It's like a vampire.

I'm just gonna show you something.

Okay.

Hey, hey!

I didn't choose to be like this.

I-I don't know what you're talking about.

I need to go. No.

We chose you.

Chose me? For what?

The nightwalkers... we chose you.

Please just let me go.

No, no, you are not gonna go.

I love you.

What are you talking about?

Please, please.

We can have this eternal bond,

forever.

I'm tired of killing.

If I turn you, we could feed off each other forever.

You're acting really crazy.

Please just let me go.

No! No...

No, Pearl! Pearl, stop!

Please, please, just leave me alone.

Pearl! Get off of me!

It'll be better for the both of us.

I don't understand what you want from me.

Please, come on! Please, just let me go!

You're the most important thing in the world to me!

Come on!

Get back! (Grunts)

Ah!

Ah!

I never meant... to hurt you.

You're a nightwalker now.

And you are gonna thirst...

and kill...

until you find

your one true love.

Oh, no.

Vampires and sexuality.

Now, some argue that the insatiable thirst for blood,

that makes vampires metaphorically sexual creatures.

Bram Stoker:

He takes vampires as a sex metaphor

to a whole new level.

He creates Dracula as a queer figure.

So in contrast to Dracula,

what sort of bond would Van Helsing have

with his band of vampire hunters?

Rodger?

Heteronormative, yeah?

At least, it seems that way. Right.

So, their quest to end Dracula,

it's also to reaffirm

that their own homosocial bonds aren't queer.

Violet?

Okay, so then Dracula needed to be killed

because of Victorian homophobia,

but also because he was a murderer.

Right. Yeah? MALE STUDENT: What about Twilight?

What about it?

Well, the Twilight point of view is new, isn't it?

I mean, it makes vampires good and-and cool.

It makes everyone want to be a vampire.

Do you want to be a vampire, Dan?

All right. The Twilight books suck.

All right.

They don't all suck.

The first Twilight book was good,

because it made teen sex dangerous again.

Edward has to distance himself from Bella

because of her blood

and later, he won't have sex with her

because he's afraid he'll get too excited and kill her.

Interesting.

I'd like to see where you're gonna go with this.

In the past, teen sex was forbidden.

A pregnancy out of wedlock was, like, death.

But now, in our day, we have Teen Mom shows,

and everyone can just use condoms.

The first Twilight book was great

because it equated teen sex with death again.

And then they screwed it up in the later books,

when he starts holding out just because

he's a "Victorian gentleman."

And then they actually get married as teens to have sex,

which is just a way to cash in on teen sexuality

while trying to seem morally responsible.

It's absurd.

Very interesting thoughts.

You can all

catch them, too, on Leah's podcast for pop culture.

So, please, join it.

You know what?

I think we're gonna end on that.

Your next reading chapters will be listed in the syllabus.

Be careful of vampires. Good-bye.

Have a good day.

Hey, Leah! Leah, wait up!

Oh, hey, Bob.

Hey.

Ready for auditions tonight?

Oh, yeah.

I'm a little nervous.

Macbeth is tough.

Yeah.

You're gonna get Lady Macbeth.

I mean, you're amazing.

Thanks.

So you ready for the, uh,

country club Halloween party this year?

My parents told me that your mom's

been doing a lot of the planning?

Yeah, she gets so into it.

It's so embarrassing.

Um,

I'm gonna go study my lines, okay?

Yeah, sure.

Okay. I'll see you tonight?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.

All right.

Break a leg! (Chuckles)

Thanks.

And all our yesterdays

have lighted fools the way to dusty death.

Out!

Out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow.

A poor player that struts

and frets his hour upon the stage

and then is heard no more.

It is a tale

told by an idiot,