I never thought I'd live to see the day when I would say this, but...
enough with the vampires already.

I mean really guys...what happened? Where did the days when people would give me a raised eyebrow when I mentioned vampires among my interests go? Obviously, far in the past. Nowadays it seems the response I get is "OHMYGAWD...me too!" Ugh. I'm pretty sick of it.
No, I'm not sick of vampires. I'm sick of the slowly dying reputation of vampires due to overdramatic, giggly little girls aging from about 6th graders to 12th graders. And certainly beyond that. But why now? How did vampires become such a mainstream pop-culture hit? Why is it that now when I walk into Barnes and Noble, I see rows and rows of cloned teen books about vampire romance novels? I've got three words for you people.
The Twilight Series.

There's a disgusting series if I ever read one. And don't tell me you've never heard of it. Because I know you have. There's no way you could NOT have heard of this highly overrated vampire romance series. And, okay, I'll admit it, the first book was good. The author is a decent writer and the plot capturing. I'd be lying if I said I was not enthralled with that one. However, the books beyond that were terrible. Simply put, they were good enough for marketing to little girls who want the perfect romance. The following books did not live up to the first one at all. And I find that disappointing. But that's life within the world of books, and it has happened to the best of authors, who simply die out after that one hit book, unless they write another bestseller.

Hasn't happened for this author yet. And yet she still gets a real big load of credit that I don't think she deserves.

That's just my opinion.

But, I digress, that is not what ticks me off about these books. No, what REALLY pushes me off my freaking rocker is the suddenly transformed concept of the vampire because of this highly marketed series.

Does anyone remember what vampires were before these series?
If you've read Dracula, any of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, or any other older classic vampire books, you know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the original notion of vampires and the genius authors who literally invented the vampire concept over decades of deep thought and general character development. Back in the day, vampires were terrifying. They were the reason you would lay wide awake in bed at night, afraid to sleep because of the fear that some horrifyingly beautiful creature would glide out of your closet, grasp you in its claws, and drink you dry without shame. It was morbid, that such a flawless being would do such a disgraceful thing. Yet it was beautiful. The whole concept was glorious.

And what are they now?

They're...a hot, sexy teenage guy in high school who feeds on animals instead of humans to coexist peacefully, all the while falling for a lowly mortal human girl? That's not a vampire. That's a freaking sex icon. It's like the '20s all over again, except worse, because now the target audience isn't adults. It's teens. And it's working.

Another problem I have with the whole evolving vampire concept is that the Twilight series especially seem to be promoting this ideal perfect guy for all the girls to fall in love with, because of course, every girl wants that perfect dream guy, right? That's what the main character got in this book, and in real life, such a notion is complete bunk (in the words of Mr. Hall). There is no such thing as the perfect guy, and there is no such thing as happily ever after. I'm not saying books need to stop using (or misusing) characters of fantasy. I'm saying we need to get a grip and realize where we are. The real world. 'Cause if I hear one more girl say they wish Edward Cullen was real, I will strangle her. -.-

If you want a GOOD story with a decent happy ending, try watching a few Disney movies. I highly recommend those for happy endings. =]

Or, if you're like me and sick of happy endings, then try watching a few anime. Those never end well. And they're so realistic it's amazing. You'd never think it from first glace. Try it sometime.

In a nutshell, if you've chosen to skip all that and go to the end, vampires have sunk from a symbol of terror to a sex icon, unfortunately, and I've had it with the amount of hype the romantic, tame vampire is suddenly receiving over the fantastic thrillers of the old days.

Help bring back Dracula! Hear hear!