A guy reads Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2009-2011)

Reading Eclipse: Chapter 11 (Legends)

The song for this chapter is Human by The Killers

[audio:https://twilightguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/human.mp3]

So, as most of you noticed, I didn’t post on my regular Thursday. My favorite email from yesterday went something to this effect:

Subject Line: EGADS!
>What happened? Where are you? Are you DEAD?
>I need a post. I wants a post. I must have
>its. Give its to usss. preciousss.
>

*hides*. This makes me all the more hesitant to actually go check my new PO box, having no idea what might jump out at me.

Anyhow, as I read chapter the eleventh, I realized that there are certain advantages to hanging out with a bunch of werewolves. First, you’ll probably never get that cold. Second, you are pretty much safe from any beast that wants to leap out of the shadows and kill you. And third, you will never, ever run out of food.

Especially if you enjoy hot dogs, chips and root beer, which is all Jacob’s friends seem to eat. It leads me to wonder if werewolves are as stuffed with cash as vampires are. I would hate to be the person who gets stuck with the food bill, especially since they eat in one meal about the same amount normal people eat in a week. Suggestion: why not simply buy a restaurant, get massive discounts on bulk food, and pay for it with the profits? I’m sure Charlie would be a customer — especially seeing that heaping mountain of steaks he had at the diner.

Charlie Should Seriously Cut Back On The Steaks
Charlie Should Seriously Cut Back On The Steaks

It’s so funny how these werewolves act just like human-shaped dogs. Having grown up nearly my entire life with at least one dog in the house, I can vouch that dogs can be sitting and eating a meal, then leap into a temper, and then leap back into being friendly again. Example (edited to save space):

“Jacob, gimme the hot dog.” Paul said.

“Hale no,” Jacob replied.

Despite the fact that Paul had eaten at least as much as Jacob, he glowered and his hands balled up into fists.

“*Rawr*,” Paul said.

“Sheesh.” Jacob laughed. “Kidding […].”

“Thanks, man,” Paul said, already over his brief fit of temper.

Eclipse pg. 240

It’s like trying to take a toy from a dog: dog wants toy, boy does not give toy, dog growls, boy gives toy, dog licks boy and grins. Even after a scuffle, all is forgiven and forgotten.

I liked it that the group is so welcoming to Bella — I wonder if it is part of a plan to make her feel more warmly towards them, so that Jacob might have an easier time convincing her against becoming a vampire. There seems to be an interesting tribal connection between them all that wasn’t so obvious to me before: all the werewolves seem to be sticking together with their relatives, from Harry Clearwater’s widow, to Billy Black, to Quil and Old Quil (and maybe Even Older Quil?).

The Quileute legends were actually quite interesting. It gave me a bit more depth to their story, and also just how painful and tragic a history is behind the tribe. The loathing and hatred towards vampires runs so deeply within the werewolves that their very history is intertwined with it.

Imprinting is starting to make more sense to me now: and seeing the love between Jared and Kim seems to have cast a new light upon it. The beauty of imprinting is that no matter what Kim looks like, or how insignificant she may feel, Jared adores her more than anything in the world. It is almost the purest form of love between them: that he can love her for any fault she might have, and doesn’t see any imperfection in her, because she was the one who was made for him.

Why does this remind me of Bella and Edward? I know I have said this before — how the truest form of love is showed by Edward in the fact that Bella is a plain, ordinary girl, and has so many faults, and yet he loves her more than anything; not in spite of them, but because he loves her just the way she is. There is a beauty to a love that is not based upon how someone looks, or how rich they are, or how many sweet words they might say. It is easy to understand why Bella loves Edward. What is harder to understand is why Edward loves Bella — it’s because he doesn’t love her for superficial reasons, he love her for who she is. In this same way, Jared has imprinted on Kim.

I read the passage from Wuthering Heights three times, in an effort to make it sink in, and on the third reading I realized who the characters were in this scene. Readers of my previous chapter post know that I’m having a hard time understanding why Edward lets Bella see Jacob, when they are supposedly in a relationship, and Jacob is obviously trying to jump between them. In one strange moment, I realized exactly what is going through Edward’s head, and why he seems to have become a somewhat unstable ally with Jacob:

“I never would have banished him from her society as long as she desired his. The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his heart out, and drank his blood! But, till then […] I would have died by inches before I touched a single hair of his head!”

I don’t know about you, but I can clearly hear Edward’s voice saying those words.

Question for the comments: would you rather be loved by a werewolf who has imprinted on you, or a vampire who loves you like Edward?

——NOTES——

– Thanks to the people at MuchMusic in Canada for mentioning my site! I don’t get the channel in the US, so if anybody recorded the clip, I’d love to see it.

– So, the Twilight Youtube Contest Of Awesome was the #2 most commented video on all of Youtube for 2 days in a row. Way to go Twilighters! Since it’s only been TWO DAYS (for crying out loud!) I’m sure the number of entries will continue to rise steadily, until I announce the winners (time TBA) ๐Ÿ˜€

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190 Responses

  1. Imprinting to me seems like something likened to an arranged marriage. Not being able to choose who you marry is not an ideal situation. It doesn’t mean you can never love the person, its just that choice is part of what puts the romance in love. There is something just a little more appealing to the way Edward loves Bella. He chooses to love her, he decided to love her and only her after 100 years of searching for that one person.
    I think that I would take either one if I could get it of course, but there is just something a little more romantic about choice than the whole destined to be together idea. It just seems more true.

  2. A VAMPIRE!!!!!!!! DUH! imprinting means that he doesnt have a choice, but having a vampire love you (like edward loves bella) is a pure form of love, and bella KNOWS that its because of her and not some weird imprint crap, i may feel this way because i hate the werewolves and jacob, i hate him A LOT, but honestly being loved by choice is SOOO much better than being loved because of an imprint

  3. ok, i’m trying to put my predjudices aside here, and though i totally love edward a billion times more than jacob, i’m not sure what i would like more. i like that with real vampire love, he has to actually notice the things about you and love them as his own choice, but getting imprinted on seems like a happier way to be together. it would be great if it was that easy. also, edward was able to leave bella, no matter how much he still loved her. werewolves cant stay away from their imprintees(?) for long, so that would eliminate any new moon possibilities. i’m still undecided though…

  4. Even though I’m totally on Team Jacob, I’d rather be loved by a vampire like Edward than imprinted. That doesn’t give me the feeling of free will which is the reason romantic love is so wonderful–they don’t HAVE to love you, but they do. Mature, deep love is a choice, not a feeling. Imprinting takes away the feeling of choice.

    But GOOO Jacob anyway! He’s happy in the end ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. erm. . . I think that They are both like the same thing either way my guy would give his life to protect me and I would have the total attention of the love of my life so I want me a lover I’m not picky on species

  6. Are you serious with this question? A vampire of course. I told my niece that is decidely Team Jacob that: Dogs are for pets not partners!

  7. Well. When I wonder who would I want more, an imprinter or Edward. It always seems to come to a tie. Only recently has my over view’s of the two changed. Imprinting in itself seems wonderful, but you fall in love with a person right away, and then your stuck in loving them for the rest of your life. Not to mention it’s pure love. But love, one that doesn’t just snap into place, but more glide into where it belongs, can be pure love also. In life we are suppose to go through trials to learn from them. Love is the same way. I would feel like whomever imprinted on me was forced , rather then want to be in love with me. Edward did love Bella at once for her scent. But then he began to love her in a diiferent way, a way in which her scent didn’t matter. I believe that that is the purest form of love, slowly realizing it’s there rather then, CRASH! It’s there. I don’t want love jumping out on me like that. That would just be a bad dream I would wish to get out of.
    But, that’s just my opinion. I also wish to say that I am a new fan of your’s Kaleb, and you are awesome.
    One last thing, I would be depressed for the rest of the day if I forgot to say this.

    YOUR AWESOME KALEB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. Defiantly vampire, but a werewolf could grow old with me. And I would feel bad putting a vampire through having to resist my blood.

    So I don’t know.

  9. I would say that I’d rather be imprinted. Not that I wouldn’t want to fall in love with a vampire, but with a werewolf I would grow old and so can he. With a vampire I would grow old but he wouldn’t (unless of course I was changed). But then ,still, I really don’t have much of a desire to live forever. Plus with a werewolf they would never leave you, while a vampire still has the free will of leaving you (i.e New Moon).

  10. I’m very biased.
    So, very biased.

    I would love to be loved the way Edward loves Bella but imprinting would also be nice (especially if the imprinter was a certain wolf named Seth Clearwater :P).

    #161: Yes Edward left, but he didn’t want to, and he was only doing it to protect her from all the dangers of being in close proximity to a family of vampires. And a vampire wouldn’t fall out of love with you. Like Edward said, a vampire is like stone in almost every way. Once an emotion as strong as love has been experienced, it’s like it’s perpetually carved into their mind. It’s a permanent change.

    Kay, back on topic. Jeez, I really don’t know. I wouldn’t mind either. I like cold weather and love Edward, so I’ll go with vampire love. ๐Ÿ˜›
    It DOES seem more voluntary to me so, yeah. ๐Ÿ˜€ <3

    Great post Kaleb! I love Even Older Quil!

  11. I don’t know who I would have love me more. Sure, a werewolf could imprint on me, but that’s because he loves me on site. A vampire, on the other hand, loves me either for my blood or just me, or both, like in Edward’s case.

    Seeing Jared with Kim, though, sheds a new light on it. She loved him before he even noticed her, which just seems a bit weird.
    And if it’s an imprint, it could always hurt when the fight it, or when the imprintee doesnt return their affections.

    A vampire, on the other hand, literally lasts forever, unless someone like the werewolves jump in and ruin it or something…

    ‘Even Older Quil’? Wow. He must be /really/ old… XD

  12. Why is it so much easier for Bella to love Edward than for Edward to love Bella? Though that may not have been what you meant, you made it sound like the perplexing thing about loving Bella is that she isn’t as ‘pretty’ or perfect as Edward is.

    That sounds like Bella’s being interpreted in a more superficial way… and that looks are taken into account a lot more than they should.

    Edward being beautiful hardly does anything to hide his many faults.

    Sorry, though! To answer your question, I wouldn’t like an imprint. Even though it’s a secure way to know for sure that THIS is the person you’re supposed to be with, isn’t that too much on the ‘force of nature?’ People cannot be forced to love someone – even if they’re the person’s true soulmate.

    It doesn’t seem right. You never found your true love, you only had the chance to lay eyes on them.

    And if you never imprint on anyone… well, isn’t that the way things should have been in the first place?

  13. That’s extremly hard! Um… I would have to say I’d rather have a wolf imprint on me, but then have edward love me as well. It’s too hard! It’s hard cause I’m in love with Edward, but once you read breaking dawn (not giving anything away) you just don’t know. I mean, in Twilight Edward is soooo sweet and loving towards bella, but then so is Jacob in New moon.

    I don’t know. I think I’ll stay neutral on this one, edging towards Edward. No offence to anyone in Team Jacob.

  14. The first thing about this post thats great, “rawr”.
    But about a werewolf or a vampire..
    I dont really know, but i think a vampire, because with a werewolf my life would be limited still, but with a vampire, i would have forever to be that happy. Completely happy. And then there is all the bonuses to it, you can have your own mind, unless your around Edward. But I do still love them both (;

  15. I would sooooo chose Edward because he would love me for me not because of imrinting or a compition for who is better for you. Edwards bond with bella is natural(well as natural as it it can get) he loves her for who she is clumsyness and every thing she has atrackts him to her (not just her blood)but their love is stonger than anything even jakes love for bella is weaker than what bella shares with
    Edward.Of course maybe if jake was less than a jerk than i would consider trying to be friends with him but he keeps trying to break up bella and Edward.It might just be me but I think that is just sick and wrong to ruin something like what bella amd Eward share wiht each other.

  16. Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite novels. If you’ve ever read it you would understand that passage so much more. The full passage isn’t in the book. I strongly suggest reading Wuthering Heights!

    MY ANSWER : Loved by Edward, seriously, werewolf imprinting freaks me out.

  17. Vampire. The imprinting love is real, but its not chosen. I would rather have some kind of control over it.

  18. Vampire like Edward, DUH!!!!
    I have 2 jokes for you…
    1. How do you stop Jacob Black from attacking you? Throw a stick and yell “Fetch!”
    2. How do you irritate Edward Cullen? Get him a dog and call it Jacob!!!

  19. Then again…
    Imprinting has it’s benefits, It’s just so romantic that you were MEANT for someone. so…
    I DON’T KNOW!!!

  20. No question there- Edward. it is more normal in a way where theres the choice Bella can love him he can love Bella but where as JAke its ur with him and he’s with you forget everyone else matters. It more romantic the first way rather than the latter. ๐Ÿ™‚

  21. I say the Vamp way. Yes, imprinting is great in the adoration, and you will be their forever love, no questions asked. But in the Vamp way, it involves having a choice in loving the other person. You aren’t Made to love this person. You Want to love this person.

  22. I just want to say that I really love reading your thoughts on the books. It’s so interesting to see what a guy is thinking while reading them. The only reason I’m commenting is b/c of the song chosen for this chapter. The Killers is one of my favorite bands and Human is my favorite song by them! I was just excited that someone thought of that song for this chapter… lol

    I’d also like to say thank you for being a nice guy and not a total jerk about women. Some one will be very lucky to be with you someday. You truly seem to be understanding and geniune in your thoughts on how relationships should be. We all want to be loved for who we are and not just what we look like. And I’d rather be loved be a vamp like Edward than be imprinted on.

  23. I have a soft spot for anything hairy. I'm always freezing, and the “marble lips” always give me the creeps. I think it's way cool if a guy morphs into a giant wolf. I'll let you all have edward, and run away happily with my imprinted werewolf.

  24. I would rather have a vampire (like edward:) to love me rather than a werewol has imprinted on me . i look at what happened to sam and emily and leah and its a pretty sad situation for them. If i ever was to be the one (like emily) i would feel really bad for the person who was to be like leah. I know that the love would be strong and true also but I would have to wait until he imprints on me . Unlike a vampire who had always loved me and didn't need to be imprinted on me to love me forever. I also do find the imprinting love werewolves have beautiful but as jessica says.. they have no control over it.. and a vampire like edwatd does and it feels better to be loved that way

  25. I think obviously a vampire, because he has the choice of looving ME werewolves doesnยดt have an option

  26. I think obviously a vampire, because he has the choice of looving ME werewolves doesnยดt have an option

  27. Imprinting works bothways so does the lovestory of Edward and Bella. Its destiny so noone has a choice whom to choose, it will just happen.

  28. Edward of course! ๐Ÿ™‚ It's a good thing that I dated regular boys and met my husband AFTER reading the twilight saga, if I had read it first I could have never been satisfied with only being loved as a mere mortal can love. Edward Cullen- raising the bar for boyfriends everywhere.

  29. I would rather be loved by a vampire like Edward he truly loves her. Jacob may think he loves her but he might just want to take Bella away from Edward just because how much they hate each other.

  30. I would choose Edward, most definitely! He has a maturity beyond Jacob. Funny, I liked Jacob a lot before he became a werewolf. He seemed much more mature and insightful then. Now he lets his beastly manner (and bitterness) take over. Edward fights against his vampire nature while Jacob gives in to his wolfy nature. I think it takes a special strength to overcome one’s basic nature, which Edward does.

    Jacob may be hotter looking but I really like Edward’s personality (and maturity) much better.

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