Sparkly Vampires

I usually write my musings about things that really rev up my nerd engine. This month is about my opinion of the often maligned Twilight “saga” (sorry, I can’t help myself)

It would make perfect sense if I were into Twilight.  I was of the exact right age and geeky persuasion.  As you know if you read my last entry (click the link!), you know I am not adverse to vampires by any means. I had an Ann Rice phase, an anime phase that includes some strong vampire influence, followed by my affinity for Sookie Stackhouse.

But instead, I had an equal and opposite reaction: I became a huge Twilight anti-fan. All of my enjoyment came from despising everything to do with the franchise. There are plenty of channels to express this; the 'honest trailer' on YouTube is a particular favorite of mine. There are episodes of the podcast How Did This Get Made? devoted to it, which is high praise for a bad movie. I even went so far as to read a mocking chapter-by-chapter playthrough of Fifty Shades of Grey; the S/M sex novel originally started out as fan fiction worshipping the power dynamic between Edward and Bella. I’m sure it gets quite racy; I wouldn’t know, because I only read a blog about how bad the book is (I wonder if the author has picked her way through the sequels yet?)

But as I grew older and even dumber franchises gained popularity, I began to realize the Twilight fandom is as valid as any other, as much as I hate to admit it. Most people are biased against it because it‘s a romance that appeals to girls and women. Also, there are plenty of shows and comics that I love with deeply stupid and poorly written storylines, which has never deserted me.  I’ve even come around on Kristin Stewart in the last few years.  She may have an understated acting style - not everyone‘s cup of tea - but I don‘t find her as unwatchable as critics have suggested . I’ve also discovered that we have, uh, a lot in common.  

 So don’t diss on franchises you don’t understand. Or do...but know it’s a dick move, and if I ever run into you in public I will tell you as much.