Hi all, it's me again.

I know I haven't been online for about a month or so, but this time it has nothing to do with work. It has to do with something that's been going on here on deviantart and I've kept quiet about it for far too long. After reading a journal entry related to this reason, I've pretty much decided enough is enough and I need to speak out. What is this something?

Twilight Haters.

For the past several months, all I've seen is this epidemic of Twilight Haters everywhere I look. Now whether you've read the book or not, like it or hate it, everyone does have the right to their own opinion. The thing, however, is how far you take that opinion before you start to sound ignorant. This especially goes towards people who dislike anything to do with the series and will go as far as any flamer/hater will go and make fun of anything or anyone who likes the series. I'll see comments on Twilight fan art that insult the artist for simply liking the books or journal entries making fun of Stephenie Meyer and Twilight fans on anything someone might have said against the series or what have you.

Whatever the case maybe, a hater is still a hater by any other name. If you don't like something, common sense should dictate that you simply don't review it or comment on it, let alone make fun of people (and make them feel bad) for liking something you don't like. It's called an opinion for a reason, if we all liked the same thing, the world would be kinda boring.

Everyone has something they hate, something they dislike, whether it's a TV show, anime, comic books, manga, cartoons, movies, or whatever else is out there, we all hate something. It's how you handle that hate that shows what kind of person you are. For example, I despise Spongebob, anything having to do with that cartoon makes me cringe and I consider it a form of mental torture. There are those out there who do like this cartoon for whatever reason and I'm sure there's fan art out there on this site. I don't go around telling those artists or those fans that they're wrong to like the show, it's their opinion and they have every right to it.

Spongebob not good enough of an example? Okay, I'll give you another one of my dislikes. Anne Rice.

For those reading this who are fans of her, I don't dislike her writing style since I have never picked up any of her novels and thus, it would be wrong of me to critique something I've never read. Why do I dislike her then? Because she banned all fan fiction based on her work, which in turn, bans the fan from expressing their love for her work in a creative way.

Now I have never said "All Anne Rice fans are stupid", but I have pointed out this fact to an artist I watch who has slowly been turning into a Hater because of her dislike for Stephenie Meyer. I was not nasty about it anyway and in turn, the artist was snarky in her response and has not replied to any other comment I put up in her journal entries or art work since. She was the one who wrote the recent journal entry that trigged the one I write to you now. I replied to her once again, asking if maybe she might consider the fact she maybe taking this hatred too far. When (if) I get a response, I'll update this entry with it.

Which leads me to another thing about the Twilight Haters that has been getting to me. Alot of the intelligent and talented artists I admire and have a great deal of respect for are now turning into malicious Haters. Before, they themselves use to talk about how cruel Haters were and how they needed to use their time in a more productive fashion. But since the Twilight series has become more popular, these very artists are turning into the very Haters they use to talk about. They draw the hate-art for the series and mock fans of the series, calling them stupid and accusing them of not knowing what good fiction is. Again, the concept of opinion comes into play. We all like something that someone else will hate. I'm a die hard fan of authors such as Jim Butcher, J.K. Rowling, L.J. Smith, and other authors who I feel do a fantastic job at writing. Now people out there may recognize these authors and have a dislike for them, but once again, it's a matter of opinion.

Another thing people seem to hate about the series is the human falling in love with a vampire concept. I hate to be the one to break this to ya people, but Stephenie Meyer is NOT the first author to do this. One of the authors I mentioned above, L.J. Smith, has written numerous novels on the subject, but there are always more to those novels than just the forbidden love aspect. One of the greatest examples of her well developed characters is a vampire by the name of Damon Salvatore from her "Vampire Diaries" series. For those of you who hate Edward Cullen, you will love Damon. He enjoys being a vampire to the fullest extent, he knows what he is and is proud of what he is and is not bothered by the drinking of the blood of humans to satisfy his hunger. He does not glitter, but he can walk into the sunlight because of stone he wears that protects all vampires from the sun. He type of vampire is more towards the traditional kind, he has fangs, wears all black, needs an invite to get into someone's home (which is played with in the book), and so on.

As I have stated before, there is also the blatant disrespect and cruelty towards fans of the Twilight series. These new haters won't take anyone whose read and liked the book seriously if they make a book suggestion and insults them to no end. Tell me, since when was bullying considered a good thing among geeks and freaks? Last time I checked, Haters and bullies were in the same category.

Another thing to consider doing the whole “Well Stephenie Meyer can’t write for crap and so and so writer is a million times better!” attitude. I’m sorry, but when you start talking like that, you open your self to have the writer you love and worship criticized and insulted by someone who hates that writer. If you can’t take it, then maybe you shouldn’t talk about a writer someone else likes just because you don’t.

Then of course there are everybody’s favorite thing in fandom, fantards. They are everywhere, they exist in every form that has a fan base there is, including the Twilight series. No matter what you’re a fan of, there is always a fantard to make true fans look like morons. Naruto and Bleach fans especially know what I’m talking about. And let’s not forget a good deal of these fantards are instigators for things such as Shipping Wars. If you don’t support the same shipping that they do, automatically you’re idiot in their world. Now for Twilight fantards, one little critique on the series and they are at your throat in a heartbeat. Here’s the thing, not everyone who reads Twilight is a blind little fantard. As I have stated before, there are intelligent fans out there who know there are flaws in the series and I have even talked to a few Twilight fans who still enjoy the series and admit flat out that Bella is a Mary-Sue.

One thing I want to make clear is that just because someone dislikes Twilight doesn’t automatically mean they are a Hater. Another artist I watch dislikes the series and made a little comic about it, yet she acknowledges that not everyone who likes Twilight is a fantard and will still take their book suggestions as long as it’s not the Twilight series itself. I honestly wish more people acted like her because she seems to one of the few anti-Twilight people out there who realizes that acting like a Hater will make you no better than the people who hate on your artwork and that there are intelligent people out there who have read and like Twilight.

Among all of this anti-Twilight chaos, I’ve noticed one little thing which I find to be very amusing. The Twilight Haters rant and rave about how horrible they think Twilight is, yet I haven’t heard anything about her other novel.

Yes, that’s right, Stephenie Meyer has another novel besides the Twilight series.

It’s called The Host and all I’m gonna say is that if you want make any judgments on it, read it first cuz I’m not gonna give ya any commentary on it.

And my opinion of the Twilight series? No comment. Those who know me already know what my opinion is and I do not want to justify the Twilight Haters or the Twilight fantards in anyway, shape, or form. I do, however, want the opinions of the people out there reading this journal entry. Do you think the Haters are taking their hatred too far? Are any artists you know and love becoming ignorant Haters of the series? I want the opinions of fans, haters, and those who merely dislike the series. And tell people you know about this journal entry and link them to it, I want comments and I want to know if I’m the only one out there who feels this way.