The song for these chapters is I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab For Cutie
[audio:https://twilightguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/iwillfollowyouintothedark.mp3]
Starting a new semester of school is like being in a capsizing canoe: you’ll survive if you hold on tight, but everything else with you will immediately get washed downstream. I didn’t do much last week besides school and attempting to get a haircut only to find they were closed (as evidenced here) but I’ve finally gotten things back in reasonable order to start reading again, with special thanks to Martin Luther King and whichever wonderful person made it a celebration day off school 😀
Bella is getting to her party, and of course Alice hasn’t skimped on the decorations. I can’t help myself from trying to imagine what odd and unusual music Alice was planning to play at the party. Knowing how old she is, she might have ventured way back into old Gregorian chants or organ music; or perhaps something of this variety:
But then again, I think the survival of the partygoers is of some importance.
Jacob Black has a whole lot of guts to show up at Bella’s party — regardless of the fact that she punched him the last time they saw each other. Him going in to the Cullens house is almost as dangerous as me walking into the lair of a hunger-compulsive lion who particularly dislikes plaid. I don’t blame Jacob in the slightest for taking along an entourage. As far as the werewolves know, the Cullens might be keeping wolf-sized stew pots just for this very occasion.
It’s so tense in the Cullen’s house, it’s easy to forget that it’s actually a party. There’s a fight just waiting to break out in there, whether it’s between Jacob and Bella, or Jacob and Edward, or Jacob and Alice, or Jacob and Jasper (notice the connecting factor of these?). Where is Charlie when you need a police officer around to keep the peace?
Oh I know. He’s busy making music for Alice’s music education:
Then, the unthinkable happens. It only takes a second for it to work out, because Alice can see things happening — the moment that Jacob even considers working with them, she sees that as their future, and at the same time, sees that as their way of defeating the army of newborns. Of course, I couldn’t just leave it there, so I continued straight on into Chapter 18 (Instruction) to see what was about to happen!
For some odd reason, the scene with the Cullens and Bella all gathered in the baseball field at night is one of my favorites so far. It’s just captivating, imagining this dark place lit by moonlight, the eyes of the Cullens and the werewolves glimmering under the open sky as they gather to make plans. I don’t know what it is about this place, but I can’t help feeling like this baseball field has always been the place where things are calm and quite — just before the storm hits, and everything goes spiraling out of control.
It’s almost a bad omen, that they gather in this baseball field. The last time I remember this place, they were playing a game minutes before James, Laurent and Victoria arrived for the first time. Now, are they coming to this baseball field again, only for the tides to turn, and for their plans not to work as perfectly as they think?
Alice, of course, is still one of my favorite Cullens (Carlisle better watch out, because my favoritism for him is quickly being replaced). I don’t even know what it is anymore. I think after seeing Alice in the film, and being able to actually see the way she moves and fights, has given me a new outlook on her so that I can almost see just how powerful a fighter she is. She’s almost like a stealth fighter, where each move is precise and calculated, and she never wastes time hippety-hopping around when she can get her fighting done in a few swift motions.
Then Alice tells Bella to Just Be Good. Since when has Bella ever ‘just been good’? Those three words fall so far from Bella that one might hear them sobbing in the distant fog on a cold December night.
It worries me somewhat that with the vampires giving such wonderful instruction courses on how to defeat their species, the werewolves might start getting ideas. Why would anyone show their mortal enemies exactly how to kill them? It’s like giving the United Coalition Of Burglars a grand tour of your museum, complete with displays of your hollow air vent system, alarm control panel and ring of keys. Granted they’re showing how to fight newborns, but I’m sure there’s some key tidbits that might be used against the Cullens in the future.
I like how the vampires and the werewolves have made some type of treaty and are working together in this way. It seems like there really is a tiny amount of change coming over them: the fact that they are even working together means that they’re moving in the right direction to perhaps one day not want to murder each other. In the words of Edward: “To think it’s come to this, though! Trusting werewolves!”
Question for the comments: Which of these Cullens is your favorite: Carlisle or Alice? Or which one would you rather have on your side in a fight? 😀
——NOTES——
– I just added one of my songs as a free download on Youtube. Go check it out!
– Still working on the Robert Pattinson contest. Sorry it’s taking so long!
187 Responses
I love love love Alice! Her sense of humour and her cute rage is the best! Don’t get me wrong, I also love Carlisle but he didn’t snap James’ neck in the movie either (While looking completely girly and graceful at the same time)..
Alice! Definitely Alice!
Carlisle hates to fight, and Alice can tell the future, so I’d much rather have Alice by my side! And if I fought by her, that would mean I would get to see her! Yaay!
Hm. I’d have to say my favorite Cullen(s) are Alice and Emmett. I love Alice because…well, she’s Alice. She sees the future, she rocks at all things fashion (there are days I wish I had that kind of guidance, but most of the time it’s jeans and t-shirts for me), and she puts the boys in their place. And Emmett just cracks me up. When it comes down to a fight, though, I think I’d have Alice on my side rather than Carlisle, mainly because Alice kind of has the element of surprise going for her. No one expects her to go all Vampire/Ninja-of-Doom on them.
You’re definitely right about school. But since term started last week, I’ve only been to class twice because of the wonderful Iowa weather! And no class today makes me a happy camper.
Death Cab and “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” = made of win. And those albums covers are terrifying. O_O;
I can just imagine Alice playing Gregorian chant and organ fugues at the party. That would be priceless.
I would say it’s a bad idea for the Cullens to teach the werewolves vampire-killing tricks, but the werewolves really do need training to be able to defeat the newborns, and the Cullens really don’t want any werewolves to die. They’re really growing a lot closer than just a treaty. It’s more of an alliance, and seems to nearly border on friendship. OK, maybe that’s a stretch.
Anyway, between Carlisle and Alice, it’s hard to decide. I do have to say, though, that Alice is sometimes very superficial and a little annoying, while Carlisle never is. Carlisle’s pretty much perfect, but Alice is more interesting and fun. In a battle, Carlisle would be a great leader, but Alice would be more useful as a fighter because of her agility and skills. I really can’t decide between them. I love them both so much.
Well seeing as though Alice is my third favorite character, she beats Carlisle in my rankings. She’s pretty amazing.
There is no easy answer here. I would love to sit in Carlisle’s den and just talk to him – hear about his centuries of experience and knowledge. He is so compassionate and loving! But, if I wanted to hang out, have some girl time and do some shopping, Alice would be the one I’d choose, hands down!!
In a fight, I’d choose Jasper (I know that wasn’t an option…). He has the most experience dealing with newborns. Emmett would be right there at the top of my list, as would Edward. Of course, Alice would have to be there, seeing the future and helping everyone else. Carlisle would only be there because he loves his family and is trying to protect them!
Oh – and I have to say, I really think you looked into my parents’ music collection from the late 60’s, early 70’s. It’s scary – really scary!!
i’m glad to know i’m not the only that’s put too much thought into Alice’s music choices…hours and hours of my day have been devoted to just that.
omg! i’ve seen those album covers before! eeeekkkk!
let’s see….the movie showed us how great of a fighter alice is, so i would want her to help me in a fight.
but i love Carlisle…i mean his entrance in the movie…WOW! plus, he’s always so calm and wants to be good, you know? i think the rest of the cullens have learned alot from him and become more compassionate like him. they always go to him when they need to make a difficult decision.
i think i’m gonna agree with Tina on this one, i’d love to talk to carlisle and learn from his centuries of knowledge and experience, but i’d like to go shopping with Alice too. we could steal a porsche or two…. 😀
So, this is the first time I’ve stopped by your site, and I have to say, you are made of awesome. I’ll be stopping by a lot more in the future. 🙂
As for the post… LOL! Gregorian chant music all the way! I’ve been making up a Cullen family playlist with all kinds of old-fashioned music, and Gregorian chant music is at the top of the list because it reminds me of Carlisle. And speaking of which…
You just HAD to go and ask me to pick between my two favorite Twilight characters of all time, didn’t you? 😀 I love you for that, and I loved reading all the comments on this entry. It truly warms my heart to see so much Carlisle and Alice love!
As for my answer… I have to admit, Carlisle will always be my favorite Cullen (but just barely more than Alice). He’s just so compassionate and noble. But like I said, Alice comes in a close second, because she’s so darn fun, and she never fails to crack me up.
As for in a fight, though? I guess I’ll go with Alice, just because she’s so good that she beat Jasper. BUT I have to say, I think Carlisle might surprise us all, if he was ever forced into a situation where he had to fight (like for his family’s survival, for example). Sure, he’s generally a pacifist, but I just have this feeling like he might have some tricks up his centuries-old sleeves. 😉
(Btw, I’m sorry to hear about all the YouTube problems. That just sucks. Hope it gets sorted out soon. *hugs*)
i love this song kaleb! lol…
if i could have anyone on my team it would be alice for sure
I’m betting on Alice! While some of her visions are fuzzy, she is one persistant little creature. She is just as fiercely protective of Bella and won’t hesitate to squeal on her. She is a force of nature and you just can’t beat the Cullen women!
I would rather have Carlisle on my side because he has a sort of authority that will make the group you are fighting against almost question themselves.
Carlisle cause he’s pretty to look at and he knows people, he can hook you up with some bad a** vampires.
Alice? Carlisle? Alice? Carlisle? The only thing that is putting me to favouring Alice is that I can actually spell her name. LOL :))
Although most people here claim they want Alice on their side, I have to say against them. I love her, of course, but I would rather have Carlisle on my side. His knowledge and experience with the Volturi would probably prevent the fight from happening in the first place. Stephenie didn’t do him justice in BD… he should have gotten the thing down a better road with the Volturi’s.
But that’s just my opinion. I still love Alice 😉 ^^
this is Twilight Guy- thought I’d share his website since I have recently discovered him…I knew of him but hadn’t checked him out. mel
Aww, it’s hard to pick one Cullen over the other…I like many of them…
Hum…I like (or love ?) Edward (of course !). But sometimes he gets on my nerves when he is with Bella (or maybe is it Bella that sometimes gets on my nerves when she’s with him ?).
I really like Emmett : he is funny, the strongest vampire and apparently a great brother to his siblings. I picture him like a big, nice (but really strong) teddybear.
I like Alice too. She’s great. But sometimes I’d just want her to stop moving and doing stuff. I picture her like a pixielike girl that can’t stand still in one place (even if she is a vampire and therefore a rock !).
But if I got to chose between Alice and Carlisle, I’d definitely go for Alice ! I don’t really know why though…
Carlisle, didn’t even have to think about it. He is my favourite Cullen overall, so yes, I’d side with him. Besides, he’s the one who knows the most, and the kindest. I’d trust his judgement all the way. Even if Alice can see the future.
“…the moment that Jacob even considers working with them, she sees that as their future…” Alice wasn’t able to see Jacob’s future, right? So, the moment he decides to help them, she sees the future concerning the fight turn black.
Regarding favourite Cullens: Carlisle really is my favourite. He has lived for so long, and must have been through a lot. And for a vampire to be able to practise as a doctor? That’s almost a superpower!
Maybe Alice would be more profitable in a fight, as she feels less obliged to show mercy. I don’t think great compassion is a favorable treat in a fight; being able to see the future is.
Alice would be my favorite of all the Cullens actually. I really like Carlisle of course, but he doesn’t seem as fun to hang out with.
In a fight I’d rather have Alice as well. She seems lethal and it also seems she can go from sweet to ruthless when the situation calls for it. Carlisle seems to reluctant to kill even when necessary.
Carlisle always has been and always will be my favorite Cullen (Edward just isn’t my type hehehe =3), but I think I’d much rather have Alice on my side of a battle–I think I’d feel safer if she was the one protecting me. Not that I don’t think Carlisle would protect me, but…I don’t know. He’s just too compassionate, too…I don’t know. I would never want to see him in battle. I’d just feel safer if Alice was watching my back, because she’s got the element of surprise on her. I don’t know. I love them both. =]
Alice, definitely. She is so fun and bubbly!! I’d get bored pretty quick of Carlisle.
As for a fight, again, definitely Alice. Carlisle would probably want to make peace – I’d rather just get on and kill them all!!!
Between Alice and Carlisle, I’ll go for Alice. But if I had to choose among the Cullens, I’d pick Emmett! I just love him. 🙂
For me, the Cullens go in this order:
Jasper, Alice, Edward, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie
I guess it would be good that Alice could see the future, but we can’t see what she sees so it would take time for her to explain.
But, for herself, her future seeing works out great!
And, Carlisle is much more reluctant to kill anyone, so it would be better to have Alice.
If I had a choice of all of the Cullens, it would be Jasper, because he is an awesome fighting machine
I think I’d want Alice on my side. Her ability to see the future would allow her to intercept any move made on either of us. That’s if it came to a fight.
I’d want Carlisle on my side as well. He’s excellent at being reasonable and talking out situations. So maybe he’d be able to prevent a full on fight.
I also like the point you brought up, Kaleb, about the Cullen’s teaching the werewolves how to kill vampires… the thought never even crossed my mind that they were essentially teaching the werewolves how they could kill the Cullens. But there is the treaty that makes them unable to kill each other.
Also, I wondered when you would find yourself at the ending of a chapter and not be able to stop from continuing to the next one!
Definately my favorite would be Alice. I have her t-shirt for Hot Topic actually, haha. Carlisle is just too…calm for me, I suppose. At least Alice has spunk.
Since we are on this discussion, I think it’s only fair that I wear my Alice shirt tomorrow to start my new classes at school.
Hmmm tough…i think i like Alice…though i have nothing against Carlisle. I just think he needs to loosen up a little. Alice is soo much more fun.
But in a fight i would have Carlisle….he can calm things down a bit at least,…
Alice is definitely my favorite Cullen, hands down. She’s my favorite besides Edward. Don’t get me wrong, I’m kind of in love with Carlisle, but Alice is so bubbly and funny. As for who I would want on my side in a fight…I’m going to have to say Alice, and this is a pretty bad reason, but Carlisle doesn’t like killing people, I’m not saying Alice does but she wouldn’t be as…hesitant.
OMG! By the way, love love LOVE that the song for these chapters! That’s my favorite song that reminds me of Twilight and every time I hear on a podcast or something I start screaming.
Alice is definately my favorite Cullen. She’s only my second favorite character, though. Jake is number one!!
Haha, I started writing Jacob, but after the “C” I decided to write Jake, and it ended up as Jace, for those of you who know who that is!!! =D
I’d rather have Alice on my side in a fight because Carlisle is too compassionate to really fight anyone. But it would be extremely nice to have a doctor with 300 some years of practice nearby during said fight. And of the two, Alice is my favorite.
lucky, I had to go to school on Martin Luther King day… but we have had 3 days off for snow so I guess that makes up for it.
My favorite Cullen in emmett. I just can’t get past the teadybear. lol. but between Carlisle and Alice, i would want alice for her power, and Carlisle for his experience.
I would say alice jsut cause i would want to know if i got out alive.
even though my favorite cullen is Alice, i would much rather have Calisle be my partner in a fight since he has been around longer and knows many different ways to fight.
I think Alice is completely awesome. Who wouldn’t want a vampire who sees into the future on your side? I mean I can see how someone would choose Carlisle… I admit he does have good negotiation skills and he’s been a vampire way longer than Alice. But Alice is graceful and precise, she knows all the possible outcomes. 🙂 It’s like she always knows what to do. I named my car after her… haha. This is my first time reading your responses to the Twilight books, thanks Caleb for the enjoyment! :o)
Whoops, spelled your name wrong.. *K*aleb… =\
Alice all the way. No contest whatsoever.
Don’t Forget!!! In New Moon Bella goes to the Baseball Field and that’s when Laurent comes to get her! it mentions that place in like every book(that you read so far I don’t want to spoil BD for you)!
ALICE!! (Carlisle doesn’t want to hurt anyone so he would suck in a fight)
i would definitely prefer to have alice on my side in a fight over carlisle. carlisle would feel bad even about taking a bad vamp’s life. besides, he can’t see the future.
ALICE!!!! For both favorite and who I’d rather have with me in a fight. Other than Edward, Alice is my FAVORITE character. Carlisle ranks at about number 6 on my favorite character scale. (It goes Alice, Edward, Bella, Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, ect. Mind that they all fall VERY close together and even shift places depending on the day.
theoretically speaking, i think carlisle is the better fighter because he has three hundred years of experience. i wouldn’t underestimate him because he is non-violent. i would clarify why i think he is a better fighter than alice, but then i would ruin eclipse 4 you. my reasons are located in further chapters of eclipse. she is one of my favorite cullens though.
Carlise because I will be able to get closer to Edward AFTER the fight. You know that old saying- first the father then the son.
Alice because she’d be a great fun and would be able to see what we should do DURING the fight.
Funnily enough I’m a bit split about which is more important. Hmmmm.
I have always absolutely loved Alice. She is so awesome I wish she was my sister! And after seeing her fight in Eclipse (and tearing off James’s head in the movie)I would even want her more!
Carlisle has always been a fav as well. He just a good kind man who can do no wrong!
its always been a tie for me, I love carlisle but alice is a bundle of awesomeness of a different brand, but they’re both amazing so I cant pick! i love them both!
but in a fight I would pick alice everytime, carlisle is reluctant to fight, he’s a peaceful person by nature (yes I know how weird that sounds describing a vampire) and is just well against it to a point, like I said, reluctant.
alice has been with jasper for quite some time now and he’s the best, so alice learned from the best and she’s wicked fast, we’ve seen evidence of her fighting skills and to put it mildly she’s great. I’d definately want her on my side.
Lol. Alice is beast.
Garrett would be my first choice though, if he were available.
“Oh noes — Garrett protect meh!”
Alice for strategy, because of the whole knowing what’s going to happen (as long as there aren’t wolves around, I spose) but I think I’d prefer Carlisle because he’d be much more likely to stop the whole potential fight, and I’m not big on confrontation, let alone getting physical seeing as I have the strength of a noodle.
For a fight, I’d rather have Alice – because Carlisle is a “peacekeeper”. In general, Carlisle is my favorite character in the series. 😀
Easy.
Alice. Alice. In that order.
a) Alice shops.
b) Alice can fight.
I LOVE HER SOOOOOO MUCH!
And she just has a really great personality. Totally the type you’d want for a sister.
ilu!