Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Switzerland?

Sorry for the absence of posts lately — I just checked and realize I actually have three whole followers for this blog! Whoa! Three! When did that happen? Just a friendly warning: I’m pretty certain my blog from now on will be dominated by Twilight and Superman, since I’m pretty devoted to these two fandoms more than any others. Of course, I won’t overlook Supernatural either, so you’ve been warned.

Speaking of Twilight, my topic for the week is Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Switzerland? I’d love to see your comments posted below about which team you fall on, especially since Team Jacob fans are coming out of the woodwork in preparation for the release of the “New Moon” film.

Which team am I on? Team Edward, of course!

Why? Here’s my logic. How could you possibly read “Twilight” without falling for Edward? And Edward in the movie? Dreamy. I know a lot of fans call him “the perfect man,” but I have to disagree. Edward has flaws — control freak, anyone? — and he has a pretty negative view of things until “Breaking Dawn,” not to mention, he is a vampire, so I hardly think he qualifies as perfect. But once he falls for Bella, it’s obvious he would do anything for the girl he loves. Plus, he truly loves and is devoted to his family and has a lot of old-fashioned qualities I find attractive. And Bella loves him so darn much, why wouldn’t I be on Team Edward? I know. I know. “New Moon.” Edward does something pretty horrible to Bella in the beginning of this book when he leaves her. Of course, he’s only trying to protect her, but did he really have to tell her he didn’t love her? Did he really have to tell her she wasn’t good enough for him? And the way he says it is so cold-hearted. Diehard supporters will argue it was the only way to keep Bella from following him. I know. But no wonder poor Bella sinks into a borderline suicidal state for the next several chapters. Stupid Edward bashed her self-confidence and made her feel the size of a crumb. At this point in the series, I was off of Team Edward and had defected to Team Switzerland (for those who aren’t aware of what that means, it means I didn’t want Bella with Edward, Jacob or anyone at that point. I was completely neutral). I almost stopped reading the book, but didn’t. This was a prime opportunity for Stephenie Meyer to convince me Jacob was the man for our Bella. I was open-minded. I actually liked Jacob in the first book and saw the potential. But by the time Jacob accompanied Bella and Mike to the movies halfway through “New Moon,” I was getting pretty irritated by Jacob’s immature, cocky attitude. Then he morphed into a wolf and became too arrogant for words. His constant and pushy claims that Bella loved him, she just didn’t know it yet grated on my nerves. She was still mourning Edward and needed more time and sensitivity from Jacob. Granted, Jacob was 16 years old and probably didn’t understand that. Thankfully, Edward returned by the end of the book and Bella and Edward had a shaky reconciliation that lasted through the beginning of “Eclipse.” But Jacob still loomed in the background. Bella’s BFF got on my nerves as his arrogance turned to outright jerkiness — seriously, tricking Bella into making out with you by telling her you’re going to kill yourself if she doesn’t crosses the line, wolf boy. Not that Edward was a patron saint either in this book. But at least Edward’s motives when manipulating Bella are always selfless. Edward wants to protect Bella. Period. Jacob only wants Bella and doesn’t care that her heart and happiness belongs with Edward. He’s determined to lure her aware from her true love, even after she punches him in the face and breaks her hand trying to send him the clear message that she’s not interested. Edward is clearly the more mature of the two rivals in “Eclipse.” And I know some ladies find arrogance a serious turn on, which is why I think Jacob has so many fans on his side, but I just can’t tolerate it. Sorry. I prefer self-sacrificing and devoted. That makes my choice easy. Team Edward, all the way. By “Breaking Dawn,” I’m firmly on Team Edward again, and thank God, Stephenie Meyer rewards me for it. Love that book. Love it.

So, again I ask, what’s your team, and why? Don’t get me wrong. I have a new appreciation for Jacob thanks to cutie pie Taylor Lautner who plays him in the films. I didn’t hate his point of view chapters in “Breaking Dawn,” so I’m about to re-read “New Moon” and “Eclipse” to see if I like Jacob any better now that I know how the story ends. I’m not holding my breath, but we’ll see.

If you’re a fan of Twilight and have an MP3 player, I’m starting a new feature by adding podcast reviews to each post. Want to suggest a podcast (Superman, Twilight, Supernatural or anything else) for me to review? Post it in the comments and I’ll check it out. Until next time…

PODCAST REVIEWS:

Mind Over Matter: A Twilight Podcast — I have to give to the hosts of this podcast. These ladies are very animated and entertaining, but I’m afraid their podcast overall is way too immature and negative for me to enjoy. I listened to three scattered episodes to be fair and doubt I’ll listen to any more. On their last podcast, they complained about the movie and movie’s cast (I’m sorry, did they actually comment on Rob looking gay holding the apple? I thought that scene was a smart nod to the fans of the books), bashed other vampire books on the market (hello? Reading is good), and mocked fans who planned to attend the midnight release parties. I think these ladies are mostly fans of the Twilight books, and I even questioned that sometimes. I know I’m not going to agree with every fan out there, and these ladies are quite funny — but their humor just borders on the immature and seems too disrespectful at times, which turns me off. It’s a fairly high-rated podcast, so check it out for yourself. Maybe you’ll be of a similar mindset. This one’s just not for me.

Twilight Series Theories — This podcast is by far my favorite Twilight podcast out there. Sisters Kassie and Kallie are hilarious, and I think they’re around my age, which makes them more relatable. Unlike other podcasts on Twilight, this one is more intelligent and the discussions are both mature and stay on the positive side (never heard them say a bad thing about any movie cast member — many of whom they’ve met, by the way, lucky devils), they really bring up some interesting book-related topics and they’re very interactive with their listeners, which helps balance their opinions quite nicely. If you like Twilight — book or movie — then you definitely need to hear this podcast. I’d almost bet my next paycheck you’ll subscribe after hearing only one episode.