New York Post Tries To Battle The Twi-Hype

New York Post writer, Ari Karpel, recently put out an article entitled "5 Reasons 'Vampire Diaries' Is Better Than 'Twilight'". Now while I'm actually a big Vampire Diaries fan, I couldn't help but get a little riled up at the the tone of this article and a few of the reasons Karpel gives.


Karpel's 5 Reasons VD is Better than Twilight:

1. Vampire Diaries came first.
2. Vampire Diaries is bloody and gory and full of killing.
3. These sexy vampires actually have sex.
4. Elena is an independent young woman. (And Bella, by contrast, is not.)
5. Had it with the Twi-Hype? Vampire Diaries is the underdog.


I could go on for hours about each of these, but I'll keep my responses simple because, quite honestly, that's all it will take:

1. Since when does first mean better? I can see why this would give VD itself more credit, as most think of it as someone trying to copy Twilight and get in on the vampire hype. However, it certainly doesn't make it better than Twilight - only separate.

2. Twilight has always been about the love story rather than vampires. Yes, there are vampires, but it is not ABOUT vampires. So you are right, that VD is more about blood and gore...but again, since when does that mean better? It simply means different, which is perhaps why Twilight has gotten such a strong following. It was nice to get a fresh and less disgusting vampire story in many fans' opinions.

3. K...clearly you haven't read the Twilight series...Breaking Dawn? Honeymoon? Pregnant with a half-vampire baby? Ringing any bells? Not to mention, sex is EVERYWHERE in these novels from Eclipse on out. It's just between the lines. It isn't so much morality that keeps them from having sex (though Edward is oddly moral for a vampire, it fits his character nonetheless because of the time period he is from), but the simple fact that Stephenie Meyer created her vampires in such a way that having sex with a human would almost assuredly mean killing that human. So, since she wanted to keep her main character around, she kind of had to keep them from jumping in the bed too quickly. Again, why is that bad?

4. Don't even get me started on this one. This may have to wait for a completely separate post. I'll just leave it at this. Bella IS independent. VERY. This arguement always bugs me. I'll have to write in more detail about this later.

5. This reason holds no validity. Being an underdog doesn't make something better.

Quite honestly, I think #5 is the only reason you wanted to write the article. You're tired of the hype so you whip out 5 things you like about VD, which basically summed up is blood, gore, sex, strong women, and the fact that it's not Twilight. Since Twilight has all but one of those things (and a bit less gore - it's a love story, not a horror story), I'm not really seeing your point.

Ok, I think I'm done for now. There is so much more that can be said about this stuff, so if you want to discuss you can comment or head over to the forum.

The full New York Post article is HERE by the way.

To My Class Full Of Haters

I am a senior in college, about to receive my bachelor of arts in English. I have read countless pieces of literature, both classic and modern, and have analyzed them till I could barely feel the tips of my fingers from typing. I love reading, and I read all different kinds of books.

My last semester in college, I took an advanced creative writing class, which I enjoyed quite a lot…except for the Twilight talk.

Of course, in an advanced level class, you can expect several of the students to believe that they are the brains of the world and that their opinion matters more than others. They have the highest class of taste, and they are so intellectual that if you don’t like what they like, it just means you’re too dumb to understand it.

Obviously, I am a Twilight fan, so the several times that Twilight was brought up as the example of what lower intelligence readers read…I was just a bit offended. Of course, the class would also go on to describe in detail all of the things they believe make Twilight stupid – Mainly sparkling vampires, vegetarian vampires, and Stephenie Meyer’s writing.

(By the way, I love how all of your arguments are things that have no bearing on what makes a book good. You claim Stephenie Meyer is too wordy and descriptive. That’s called a style of writing. Some people like it. If you don’t, then don’t read it and get over it. And seriously? You’re mad because Meyer decided to be creative with her vampires instead of making them just like everyone else’s? I thought creativity and individualism were supposed to be good things. Yet, you’re so annoyed that she didn’t make her vampires “how they’re supposed to be,” meaning just that she didn’t do them how YOU want them. News flash guys, vampires AREN’T REAL. So, just stop with the whole “Real vampires burn in the sun and have to drink human blood” thing. No, real vampires don’t do that…they sit on a page in a book being fictional, just like Stephenie Meyer’s vampires. Sorry for the rant…it’s what I needed to say all semester and never did. Moving on…)

What makes you so much better than me, twi-haters? Why is it that for the simple reason that I like a series of books or movies, you shove me into a group that you feel is not only beneath you, but as such is meant to be walked all over? Liking Twilight doesn’t mean you are stupid. It doesn’t mean you are insane. It doesn’t mean you have the maturity of a pre-teen girl. It’s a matter of taste, and nothing else.

And I’m sorry, but the phrases “good taste” and “bad taste” (if you were just about to say, well then, Twilight fans just have bad taste) do not have ANY substance. There is no such thing as good or bad taste. It is opinion. If you believe someone has bad taste, it simply means that their tastes do not line up with yours. And who cares? Just because someone doesn’t like what you like DOES NOT mean they are stupid or weird.

I am so tired of being degraded for liking a book series. The haters have become ridiculous at this point, and whether they simply want someone to laugh at or they need someone to feel superior to, it shouldn’t come to this, where people get their feelings hurt or feel like they can’t express themselves as I always felt in that class.

I know I'm not the only one out there. Twilighters, if you know want to add your two cents about the post or share a hater story of your own, here's the link to the forum. Go ahead, vent away!

RedPieces

What's up Harry Potter Fans?

Why is it that the majority of you Harry Potter fans think Twilight is the lamest thing on the planet? I mean really what's the difference, besides the obvious? I would think you guys would be the most understanding to the Twi-hards around the world, but to the contrary you seem to be the ones who dish out the harshest of criticisms.

It's kind of sad to me, because I get it now, I get you when you check fansites ten times a day for updates, I get that you love to wear your Harry shirt around, and I get that you spend hours and hours writing and reading fan fiction and drawing fan art, and re-reading the books and watching the movies over and over...I GET THAT...but YOU don't. Harry Potter to you is like Twilight to me...except you give me hell for it, and that my wizard loving friends is lam-o.

Honestly, what is it? Do you feel threatened by it? is it the sparkling that you just can't handle? Not enough action to keep you interested? I understand that, if Edward being a sparkling vampire is too much for you, that's fine and dandy...but don't call it stupid, better yet, don't call me stupid for liking it. Especially when your boy is out wearing a cape shooting sparklers from a stick... :)

Don't get me wrong, I'm a HP fan. Have been for years, I'm just really getting fed up with HP fans going around crashing all the Twilight fun! Let it be, go be a HP fan and stop judging the Twilight fans, we're really no different.

Anyways, I'm going to keep this short, it's been a long day, but I want to hear from some HP fans...what's really the deal here guys? Why can't we just all get along?

BlueCherry

Will Fanboys Strike Back?

I came across an article on firstshowing.net called, "New Moon Breaks Records, But When Will Fanboys Strike Back?"

Well, if you are anything like me then this sparked some interest, mainly because 1) a fanboy actually acknowledged the existence of New Moon and 2) This fanboy wants to strike back...whatever that means...

So I got to reading. The author of this article, who goes by Alex, doesn't do a whole lot of Twilight bashing himself (don't get too excited, the comments are insanity) but he does spend his time moaning about how his beloved fanboy movies are getting knocked out of record holding places due to a chick movie. Really, this dude is for real take a look:

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I'm wondering how or when the fanboys are going to strike back. As a die-hard fanboy myself I'm a little bit more than pissed off about this. I am thankful that it didn't break all of the The Dark Knight's records, but it's broken enough to get under my skin. So what movie can we fight back with? What is waiting out there?

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So he goes on to reveal the movies he thinks have the best shot at knocking New Moon out of a top box office spot, like Spider Man 4, Avatar, Iron Man 2. But he eventually places his bet with Toy Story 3. And concludes with this:

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You may be wondering why the heck I'm even writing about this. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've felt a sense of pride knowing that the movies at the top of the biggest opening weekend chart have all been superhero movies or fanboys movies that deserve that spot. Before Spider-Man 3 broke records it was other movies like Pirates of the Carribbean and Spider Man (the first one) and Transformers and Star Wars and X-Men that topped the charts. Plus there's already been a little battle, as Shrek the Third (a franchise I hate) nearly took a top spot in 2007 when it came out. But thankfully it was knocked out by these other movies.

So if you're a fanboy like me and upset that the wretched Twilight franchise has reared its ugly head on the box office charts, what movie are you going to get behind and support in hopes it will knock New Moon down a few knotches when it hits theaters?

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Pretty ridiculous right? This is so blatantly sexist I don't know what to say. If this had been a race issue instead of gender people wouldn't tolerate it. He would be in heaps of trouble.

What, are women less deserving Alex? Is that what you are saying because it sure comes off that way??

What really got me were the people leaving comments. I just find it so amusing how people speak their opinions like it's the damn truth. Once again it's the "all Twilight fans are stupid teenage girls, bored housewives, and stupid fad-hopping moviegoers around the world," or my personal favorite, "it's obvious Twilight is retarded, we all know," oh and I have to throw in this one commenter's question, "Why are boys associated with awesome films and girls associated with crappy preteen nonsense?" That's not really the best thing to be saying if ever want to have a real girlfriend there little buddy. Just sayin'.

I've never been one to care about box office numbers, but reading stuff like this makes me want to root for Twilight even more. And my pick for what movie will knock New Moon down..........Eclipse of course ;) and the Breaking Dawn....(part one) *crosses fingers* then (part two) *crosses fingers again*

If you'd like you can read Alex's article in it's entirety, and I dare you, leave a comment, let him know how you feel.

If you'd like we can further discuss in the forum HERE.

Blue Cherry

Hey Twilighters,

Have you ever told someone you like the Twilight series and been told that you were stupid for liking a book in which vampires sparkle? Have you ever asked where to find the Team Jacob t-shirts in a store and been given the stink eye by the salesperson? Have you ever overheard someone say that Edward Cullen is an abusive, controlling boyfriend or that Bella is the epitome of antifeminism and wanted to say wtf??

We have...and so much more...which is why, one day, we decided to fight back a little for Team Twilight, and ended up on the website TwilightSucks.com: the home for twi-haters and the mecca of all mocking and degrading of the books, movies, author, actors, and fans of the Twilight series. It's a place for twi-haters to discuss why and just how much they hate everything having to do with Twilight. Well, needless to say, it quickly becomes an impossible task to disagree with someone in the discussion board, as there are probably about 1000 twi-haters to every twilighter that goes on the site. We were just slightly outnumbered.

So, TwilightDoesNotSuck was created - an outlet for us and for anyone else who feels the need to rant about twi-hater encounters, fight against some of the crazy interpretations you have heard about Twilight, or just wants to discuss all the things that make Twilight NOT SUCK. :)

Join the Forum here to join the discussions! We can't wait to get the discussions going with you guys!

-RedPieces and BlueCherry