With the Twilight Renaissance upon us during an age of remakes, it was inevitable that there would be a reboot. The show is currently in its infancy, but it has caused plenty of discussion within the fandom: who’s going to play our main characters? What direction will they go with the storyline? Blue tint or no?

It’ll be months before we get any answers, but for now, we’ll ponder the possibilities of sparkly-skinned vampires in the age of TikTok.

On October 24th, we're holding a New Moon Brew 'N View at the Majestic Theater in Madison! GET TICKETS: https://majesticmadison.com/events/

Despite often being the punching bag of the internet, online fandoms are powerful, precious things. They’re spaces where people can find escapism and create friendships over a shared love of something as ridiculous as the Twilight saga. Even as adults, it’s cathartic and healing to reignite our obsession and to pay homage to our younger selves that grew up kissing Edward Cullen posters.

Fae, Kayla and Taylor, three of the administrators for the hugely popular Facebook group, Twilight Shitposting, reminisce on the past and present of the Twilight fandom. Together, we remind ourselves of why we fell in love in the first place, and how we can grow with media that is–seemingly–frozen in time.

Twilight Shitposting:
-Become a ratty and join the Facebook group here.
-Follow their Instagram here.
-Follow their Twitter here.

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Much like Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey spawned a renaissance for women across the globe; except instead of plastic Halloween fangs and Edward Cullen barbies selling out on shelves, it was blindfolds, human leashes and handcuffs. Even with its Mormon backbone, Twilight somehow had enough sultry moments to inspire author EL James to create the best selling erotica of all time, additionally inspiring a new wave of conversations about kink and pleasure in the mainstream. We take on the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and its vampy origins.

In the midst of the Twilight Renaissance, we know just how saturated the internet is with quotes and memes around the widely-loved (and hated) saga. But what does this world look like to an outsider? Would someone who has never interacted with Twilight even enjoy reading it today? Can the book hold up in 2023 to fresh eyes?

We challenged Shawn Johnson, the State Capitol Bureau Chief for Wisconsin Public Radio, to take on reading the first book cover to cover to test the longevity of Twilight and determine if we can recruit even an unlikely TwiHard.

Perhaps the biggest barrier for Twilight fans is reconciling the huge age gaps in the romantic relationships of the Twilight saga. How do we come to terms with Bella and Edward’s one-hundred year age gap, especially in the context of Edward being immortal? Can we ever justify Jacob and Renesmee’s epilogue romance, knowing he helped raise her? We attempt to unravel these relationships, Stephenie Meyer’s reasoning behind making them and whether there is anything redemptive from large age gap relationships.

LAST DAY TO NOMINATE US IN BEST OF MADISON: https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/best-of-madison/best-of-madison-2023-nominate-now/article_81bb44d4-9dae-11ed-8778-831b6146a870.html

Stephenie Meyer wrote Life and Death, a 2015 gender-swapped retelling of Twilight, for the ten year anniversary of Twilight. Through the retelling, she also intended to prove a point about her damsel in distress main character–that the story would be the same if Bella was actually Beau. The storyline, however, lacks freshness and provides more name swap confusion than introspection into whether or not gender sways the storyline. We dive into Life and Death so you don’t have to.

Check out the Gender Forking Podcast on whatever streaming platform you use!

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Twilight star, Ashley Greene, has joined the playing field, and we might be on the losing side. Her new podcast, The Twilight Effect brings a behind-the-scenes look at how the movies were made and what it was like being in the center of the universe–or just left of center. Is there enough room for the both of us, or should someone hit the road? We give you our full review of The Twilight Effect in our one-year anniversary episode.

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The Volturi are the lawmaking and enforcing body in Meyer’s vampire world. In many ways, they ensure that vampires stay safe and out of sight from humans. But concurrent with protection, they also keep a strict reign over vampires worldwide–locking down on ancient rules that the Cullens constantly have to question as their family evolves. We dive down the rabbit hole and question the necessity of vampire policing.

In this week's bonus episode, we take on the self-titled, "Most Difficult Twilight Quiz of 2020," and test our TwiHard knowledge, while our friends, Josh and Rachel, try to cheat in the background.

Take the quiz with us: https://www.buzzfeed.com/isabeldaly/impossible-twilight-quiz?fbclid=IwAR3xDy8Ie9SNjVgDCFWHMcQXRyz6MQ3-3OSImX7uLVdMN5wfrpgbOgczBcw

After a brief break, we return inspired by J-14, Tiger Beat, and Seventeen magazines, where celebrities’ faces were collaged together between headlines promising celeb drama and romance quizzes. It’s the pop culture episode, where we’ll dive into the spicy details of #Robsten and figure out if we’re more werewolf or vampire.

Want to take the personality quizzes with us? Links:
Which Twilight Character Are You? https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/oct/06/which-twilight-character-are-you-stephenie-meyer-life-and-death
Believe It Or Not, Your Favorite Christmas Songs Will Reveal Which "Twilight" Character You Are
https://www.buzzfeed.com/peeweehannah/what-twilight-character-you-are-based-on-your-favo-3r3koa99g1

In all the Romeo and Juliet drama of the Twilight saga, we never forget that wolves and vampires just aren’t meant to co-exist. But do the tensions between these groups mirror something darker and more real than just mythological rivalry? When the characterization of our creatures comes down to skin descriptions, we have to wonder, is Twilight racist?

We’ve finally finished Midnight Sun, and we have thoughts. Edward’s re-telling of Twilight adds a girthy 160 pages to the original plot of book one, and so much of it feels like deja vu. We gain some perspective into characters, get deeper looks at plot points and get inside Edward’s head, but is Midnight Sun actually a necessary addition to the Twilight universe?

We interrupt your normal programming with a quick true crime tale! We're a bit behind schedule, but we'll be back to normal in the coming weeks. Instead, hang out with us for a short episode on the UK's Twilight Killers, a pair of 14-year-olds who committed ruthless murders, then sat down to watch Twilight together. Get updates by following our Twitter: @sayitoutloudpod

If there’s one thing about Twilight that holds up years later, it’s the soundtracks. The emo-pop and grunge-rock-love songs in the first movie permanently changed our music taste (“It’s not a phase mom!”) for the better. On our less-than-formal review of the Twilight soundtrack, we go track-by-track and debate if any soundtrack has ever had the groundbreaking impact as Twilight’s.

We return to part 2 to ask, how do we comprehend the issues behind Bella and Edward’s relationship? Rhea Lyons, LMFT and owner of Yahara Healing and Psychotherapy, helps us break down the warning signs in their relationship and even some of our own. Part 2 of 2.

Check out Rhea: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/rhea-j-lyons-madison-wi/878938
Learn more about Yahara here: https://yaharahealing.com/
Nat’l Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/ or 1.800.799.SAFE

Are Bella and Edward the romance we should aspire to have, or are they a warning sign for what to avoid? Rhea Lyons, LMFT and owner of Yahara Healing and Psychotherapy, joins us to give her professional insight on how to assess their imbalances. Part 1 of 2, next episode 9/7.

Check out Rhea: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/rhea-j-lyons-madison-wi/878938
Learn more about Yahara here: https://yaharahealing.com/
Nat’l Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/ or 1.800.799.SAFE

We know she's not perfect, but is Bella Swan downright toxic? Could we be friends with her? How do we interpret her situationship with Jacob? We reflect on our former idealization of Bella's character and why her downfalls impact the way we view her now as a main character.

Alyssa and Jena trace back to their Twilight roots, digging up early TwiHard experiences as young tweens and explaining what made them fall out of love with the sexy yet mostly sexless vampire franchise. But the real question is--what keeps them coming back sixteen years later?