A Vampire vs Werewolf Debate: Who's Team Are You On?

A bunch of the lovely ladies I was fortunate enough to meet at Terry Kate's "Book Blogger and Publisher Conference" have scheduled a superb week of debates and talks about Twilight, Supernatural, and The Vampire Diaries. 
Go check out Terry's blog to enter The Battle of the Sexies Giveaway!

I will be the first to admit that, while I've read the first three books in the Twilight series, I am no longer much of a fan.  I used to be, when I hated reading--gasp!  Who would have thought that was ever possible!?--but I've long since moved on from shimmering vamps.  So while I may not like the Twilight books, I am guilty of dragging my ex-boyfriend (boyfriend at the time, I assure you) to see Twilight in theaters...and then going with my best friend to see New Moon.

Twilight was a laughable experience.  I was unimpressed, and voiced that disdain to a snickering boyfriend-at-the-time, who, ironically, insisted that we stay and finish watching the movie.  He was laughing and making fun of the horrible acting.

But New Moon... What made New Moon dazzling for me?  The guys!  Well... one guy.  Which brings me to the point of this blog post:

Are you Team Jacob, or Team Edward?

Here's probably a little unnecessary information on the two characters: Sir Lick-able Jacob is a werewolf, and Grease-ball Edward is a "shimmering, glimmering, glistening" vampire.I hope I'm not being too transparent about who I'm cheering for...

Alright, alright, so I'm cheering and drooling over jailbait, and I am not ashamed of this either!  Because apparently, he's not jailbait anymore!  I'm pretty sure that during the week that New Moon came out, ALL--and I am not kidding when I say all--the women that I know, and who saw this movie, were gushing over Taylor Laughtner's body.  Tall, dark, and handsome vs. pale and scrawny.  Sorry Edward, Jacob has stolen my heart.

But why has he?

I used to be obsessed with vampires.  This obsession was fueled by old school monster movies (IE: Dracula), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and my "Interview with the Vampire" DVD that my friend and I watched every. single. Friday. night.  Not kidding.  We were in love with Lestat and Louis.  We wished we were Claudia (minus the dying).  It was a weird obsession, mind you, but it was before vampires became mainstream.  Way before they were glorified into these mysteriously dark, sex-oriented monsters--or should I say sex idols?

Are they sexy now?  I suppose if you compare actual looks now to then, that, yes, they could be considered sexier.  Yet, despite the improvement in the choice of actor looks (to replace quality acting, in some cases), why have vampires become such an obsession with society?  I think it's because they represent immortality and good looks, and in a society where looks are prioritized over everything else, vampires are perfect. 

Dark and mysterious?  Check.
Do they generally look young and attractive? Check.
Are they sexy enough that people would want to sleep with them? Check.

As vampires were transformed from predators to possible love interests and mates, their glory was lessened in my eyes.  That's not to say that I don't enjoy reading about them stumbling upon their bride *cough*any of Kresley Cole's/Gena Showalter's books*cough* because hell, some of those vamps ARE still intriguing to me.  Maybe because while they're slightly more accessible, they're not completely humanized.  A lot of these other vampire stories?  Vampire vegetarians?  Bleh, no thank you.

Which leads me to my new and somewhat current obsession: werewolves. 

They're bestial, wild, and susceptible to fits of rage.  They're territorial (much like their vampire counterparts), social creatures, loyal to their pack and mates.  Despite this, I still adore them.  In fact, I love alpha males.  They are, in a sense, an embodiment of that wild-ness that vampires once displayed in my eyes.  They're inaccessible, and yet accessible all at the same time.  Commanding, yet yielding when it comes to a mate's wishes.  And, most of the stories they're in are usually very enjoyable if you know what I mean ;o)

Jacob is, in a sense, a teenage embodiment of these concepts.  When I read New Moon, I hated Bella.  I thought she was a whiney little emo brat who couldn't accept the fact that a corpse-for-a-guy rejected her.  I hated her even more when Jacob appeared, because I actually liked Jacob's character.  He was sweet, caring, and took care of Bella when she appeared to be unable to take care of herself.  I wanted a guy like that--not to necessarily baby me like Jacob did with Bella, but someone who would be there for me, to hold me close, to cheer me up, to feel possessive of me around other guys.  I hated Bella, because she was so transfixed on a vampire who was the physical embodiment of everything to avoid in a guy.

Granted, when I initially read the book after it came out, I was an Edward fan.  As time progressed, however, I started realizing that Edward was not a knight in shining armor.  He was possessive--but in a bad way.  Telling someone what to do does not equate to equality in a relationship.  And the truth of the matter was, Bella listened to everything he told her.  He was also stalking her.... Random guy you don't know that well sneaking into your bedroom and staring at you while you sleep?  Thanks, but no thanks.

I don't want to bash Edward, because I know that there are a lot of fans who prefer him over Jacob.  But if I had to choose one over the other?  I would choose wolf-boy, simply because his persona has traits that, even today, I will admit I admire.

You've all heard my rant now.  What about you?

Who's team are you on, and why?