Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Match #7: Bella (Seed #12) vs Janie (Seed #21) Goes to Janie

And the winner is...
Janie Grey


Welcome to the YA Sisterhood! Thank you in advance for your participation in our Tournament of Heroines! We hope you make some friends (and not too many enemies), discover some fantastic books, and have a lot of fun! 

Some general rules before we begin:

There may be some spoilers in the following post. We've tried to keep it fairly general, but overall, this Tourney will not be spoiler-free. So beware.

Secondly, You are welcome to write your own comments about either character in the comments section, but we will not tolerate rudeness. The minute it crosses over from logical argument into character bashing, your comments will be deleted and your vote canceled.  POLLS WILL BE OPEN FOR 24 HOURS AND WILL CLOSE AT 12:01AM EST ON DECEMBER 8th.


And now for the match....



I am Melina from The Pretty Nifty (YA) Reader find me on Twitter Here! And I am Bella's advocate!
It really seemed to me like fate when a pinch hitter was needed for Bella. I owe Bella my love of reading and I am truly honored to be her advocate. But her being her usual modest self she is the one honored to be participating in the tourney. She wanted me to say "Thank You.". Now here I am trying to do her justice. I know what many will think: "Bella's isn't the true heroine of this saga? She doesn't actually fight. (Save for Breaking Dawn)". Well I have thought long and hard about how to sway a few's minds. And guess what? It'll be easier than I thought. The Twilight Saga is one of the forefathers(mothers?) of the boom happening with YA and it's time to refresh some memories. Remind ourselves that Bella is a Heroine. In the truest sense of the world.
Team Bella
1. About Bella Swan
Bella is your usual, normal, shy and socially awkward teenager. (I remember how I immediately related to her.)She has a very pale complexion, and is unable to get a tan whatsoever, she has long, straight, dark brown hair, a widow's peak, she has a heart-shaped face adorned by unique chocolate brown eyes
When she completes her transformation, Bella has the crimson-red eyes of a newborn vampire and her every feature is enhanced and magnified, making her a beauty to behold.
Fashion wise, Bella mostly prefers to wear shirts, jeans and sneakers and a hoodie everywhere she goes, as she lacks the interest of fashion. 
Bella is modest, unassuming, kind, selfless, courageous and isn't afraid to confront life-threatening situations head-on. She is known to be clumsy and she constantly trips on her own feet. She has a sarcastic sense of humor and a passion for good books. 

2. Her Best Attributes
Simple, she cares! She cares about the people she loves and will do anything to protect them even if it means sacrificing herself. She is extremely modest and doesn't take herself too seriously. You'll never find Bells looking for the spotlight. Bella also has extreme self control, of which it is obvious in Breaking Dawn when she resists the smell of human blood with no apparent effort the first time she sees it. She can take care of herself and actually prefers it. Now, let's get into the supernatural element. If you remember Carlisle saying that a vampire's special power is simply a magnified human trait. Well Bella remains impervious to mental attacks/powers and after training, she is able to extend her power as a shield and protect others. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!? Pretty Heroine-like isn't it?

3. What makes Bella a true heroine? I'll tell what...
Let me start by saying what an honor it is for Bella to even be considered a heroine. We all know she'd never use that word to describe herself. She stumbled on her words and could barely get "wha..." out of her mouth when I told her she'd been nominated. And then she laughed it off.
Heroine Definition:
"A woman admired or idealized for her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities"

Noble qualities? Where do I start!? She is courageous, selfless, protective and brave, to name a few. She will stop at nothing to protect the people she loves.
Let's start here...
A few instances of Bella's Courage and outstanding achievements:
-Confronts what she believes is a vampire and isn't afraid.
-Runs away from vampiric protection to offer her life in exchange for her mother's.
-Jumps off a cliff and (tries to) ride a motorcycle.
-Befriends a bear-sized werewolf (and the pack)
-Goes to Italy to save Edward from being torn apart by thousand-year old vampires
-Fights off vampires while still human and survives.
-Risks her own life for her child (although I know every mother would.)
-Goes to extreme lengths (scouring the world) to protect her daughters 
-Shields more or less 50 vampire allies and werewolves from enemies.

4. What makes your girl better than her competitor?
Bella told me she would rather forfeit the whole tournament rather than try to push herself higher than her competitor. She's even asked me to give Janie the best of luck. 
You know Bella, she would never try to hurt anyone. (So unless Janie comes and tries to attack her friends and family, she's totally fine) Well, that and she just simply HATES being the center of attention. 

5. Anything else you’d like to add?
I do believe that without Bella there wouldn't be most of these heroines here not many may agree and some may but one thing is for sure Bella is an icon of our society. She and H.P. and Hermione helped bring to life so many more wonderful heroes and heroines. This shouldn't be a popularity contest because every heroine deserves to win. But whoever does win must deserve it most.

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 VOTE JANIE GREY
 Duty         Honor       Strength


Name: Janie Grey
Stats: Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning  
Affiliation: Human - Seeker
Weapon of Choice:
Dagger blade stake
Talents:
Slaying Vampires, Daychildren and all around Butt Kicking with her martial arts and dagger training
Location:
Baltimore 


Passed down through her Cherokee heritage, she is a Seeker. She hunts down Vampires and Daychildren. These Vamps are not of the sparkly variety..NO! They are nasty mean creatures. But the Daychildren are much worse! Vamp/Demon hybrids mean these vile beings posses demonic abilities and can roam in the daylight. Only Janie Grey stands between them and YOU!

Janie Grey was born to Slay!
Vamps and Daychildren Beware!

With her blade at her side
and her heart well protected,
She looks after everyone though she's been neglected.
Love's left her bitter
But she is NOT a quitter!

She's a kick-butt Heroine that keeps us safe
It's her job, It's her fate.
For Baltimore's streets it's never too late.

In steps Kai, he's not what he seems,
Blonde hair, green eyes and muscles so lean.
Can he claim her heart? Or meet defeat?
The two of them together is a fierce-some sight.
No one can Beat them in a fight!


Why is Janie a better heroine than Bella? Let me count the ways...

Born into a family of powerful women, Janie is tough. Trained in martial arts and dagger/stake technique from a young age, she is equipped with the knowledge and skills to hunt vampires and Daychildren.  No matter the job, she does what it takes to protect humans from the undead. Without Seekers like Janie, the world would be a different place. Janie sacrifices a "normal" teenage life to provide security to the people of her city. While you're sleeping she's hunting your worst nightmares.

Do you sleep better knowing Bella's around? Would the world really change without Bella?

HEROINES Posses...

Courage: Check!  “Can we kick some vampire butt already?”

Brave Deeds: Check!  "She could make that sacrifice. It was her job. In everything she’d learned recently about herself and the people around her, she always knew one thing. . .she was a good Seeker. No matter what, she’d get the job done."

Noble Qualities: Check!  "Five are vamps. They’re easy to kill. It’s the ones with demonic abilities that are sometimes a challenge.”

Can you say the same for Bella?


 Janie is a fantastic role model...

Janie is confident,  self-assured and self-sufficient, possessing the traits that should be applauded in females today. Although at times reckless and impulsive, she does what it takes to get the job done. Since her father's tragic death, Janie grows up fearful of getting close to anyone and lives by her own life lesson, "Love isn't worth the risk." Throughout the book she learns that putting faith in another doesn't always lead to pain. By learning to let people in,  Janie develops a greater sense of self and in return is able to perform her Seeker duties more effectively.

Can you say that Bella is a role model for confidence and self-assurance?

If you want a hardcore Heroine VOTE Janie Grey, she can kick Vampire butt all night & day!!

Did you vote for Janie Grey? If so make sure to visit #TeamJanie headquarters and sign up for the giveaway if she makes it through this round!!


**Voting is now closed**