“Still a better love story than Twilight” is a meme that centers around the famous/infamous romance of the “Twilight” saga’s protagonists Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Their human-vampire love affair intrigued fans and anti-fans as Bella fought tooth and nail to be a vampire like her lover while Edward tried his best not to kill hot werewolf Jacob Black, aka the third person in their angsty fairytale.
Indeed, there are better love stories than Twilight’s Edward and Bella — with one of the stories set in the universe itself. We’re talking about Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale, the adoptive vampire children of Carlisle and Esme Cullen.
Edward and Bella’s eclipsed the tale of Alice and Jasper; after all, Twilight is about Edward and Bella, primarily Bella and her struggles with being involved with a vampire and a werewolf (with dashes of teenage angst sprinkled in the pages).
But the love story of Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale is so underrated; it deserves a re-telling of its own. It’s like the Kristen Stewart girlfriend story; it’s a better tale compared to her love story with Robert Pattinson (sorry, K-Stew and R-Patz shippers).
So, if you’re looking for a better love story than “Twilight” in “Twilight,” here’s the tale of Alice and Jasper.
Before They Were Alice and Jasper Cullen
Before she was the “fortune-teller vampire” Alice Cullen, Mary Alice Brandon was an unwanted asylum patient in the 1920s. Her father placed her there, insisting that she was mad since she had “visions of the future.” In reality, he framed her after she found out that he killed her mother and tried to turn him to the authorities.
During her time in the asylum, Alice’s memories were erased due to the regular electrocution treatment she received. Despite the hard times, she found a friend in a compassionate vampire who transformed her into one when he realized a tracker named James wanted to drink her blood. Alice was James’s singer: her blood was very appealing to him; drinking her blood would have been James’s best meal. But since Alice was a vampire, he could no longer consume her. Thus, he killed her friend.
Waking up as a vampire, Alice had no memory of what happened or who she was. However, her visions were enhanced and the first clear vision she saw was of a man named Jasper Whitlock.
On the other side of the spectrum, Major Jasper Whitlock was a young member of the Confederate Army in Texas. A powerful vampire named Maria saw his potential and turned him into a vampire. Upon becoming a vampire, Jasper gained the gift of pathokinesis, the ability to manipulate the emotions of people. He used his skills to gain command over the army of vampires Maria controlled, training them to win the Southern vampire wars.
During his time with Maria, Jasper befriended a vampire named Peter. But Peter ran away with another newborn named Charlotte, his lover. Jasper let them escape and a few years later, Peter returned and told Jasper of the good life in the North. Jasper, tired of training newborns for Maria, decided to live with them. But he became emotionally depressed since he felt the pain of his prey, so he wandered off on his own.
Jasper tried to kill as little as possible, but his thirst always won. Depressed and alone, he lived on his own until fate directed him to Alice.
“You Kept Me Waiting Long Enough.”
Alice waited for Jasper for 28 years, practicing vegetarianism while she was at it. Finally, in 1948, Alice went to a small diner in Philadelphia and waited for Jasper, knowing that she would finally meet him in a couple of moments.
Jasper did not disappoint. He arrived at the small diner and immediately, Alice sat in front of him, talking to him as if they were close friends. According to her, he had kept her waiting for a long time. The baffled Jasper was awry at first, but his gift made him feel Alice’s joyful emotions, which impacted him greatly. He took her hand when she held it out and according to Jasper, for the first time in a century, he felt hope.
A Better Love Story than Edward and Bella?
Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale are the epitome of soul mates, aka two people tied by the red string of fate. Individually, they both had traumatic pasts: Alice was isolated in a mental facility while Jasper was forced to train newborns and later, had to deal with feeling the emotions of his prey as he killed them. In each other, they found love, solace and security.
Also, Alice and Jasper are complete opposites that make sense. Jasper is always the brooding one between them, given his serious military background. Plus, Jasper’s practicing his vegetarian vampire life causes him to be a bit stiff, as he’s trying his best not to break his new diet. On the other side of the spectrum, Alice is a bundle of glowing joy. She is known for being eager and enthusiastic about plenty of things. She is the beaming example of positivity while Jasper is the poster boy of brooding negativity. She loves home décor, he loves training.
Simply put: Alice is Jasper’s hope personified.
Think about it — he met Alice after spending years as a vampire who could feel the pain of his victims. He felt their confusion, anger and hunger. Once he was all alone, Jasper could feel the pain of his victims. Their pain stayed with him.
When he met Alice, he felt her hope and happiness immediately. Even though he didn’t understand her, he was drawn to her. And finally, he lived in the moment with the love of his life.
A Great Tag Team
Alice and Jasper are contrasting soul mates that complete each other — and Alice foresaw that twenty years before she even met him. Despite having the choice to change her vision and not wait for Jasper, Alice decided that she’ll wait for him for two decades. Indeed, as the old saying goes, true love waits.
Even during their life with the Cullens, Alice and Jasper work as a team. When the vampire James went after Bella, Jasper and Alice took her to Phoenix to hide from the tracker. Jasper uses his skills to calm Bella down while Alice attempts to foresee James’s plans. In Eclipse, Alice supports Jasper as he rallies both vampires and werewolves against an army of newborn vampires led by Victoria, the mate of James.
Finally, Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale are clearly devoted to one another. Alice’s feelings heavily influence Jasper’s decisions. He made the move to see the Cullens because she insisted. He was willing to travel and experience culture — as long as Alice insisted. There’s no questioning their effect on each other.
Alice and Jasper are like Harry and Meghan; they may not be William and Kate, but their story is more intriguing. Edward and Bella may be a central couple of the “Twilight” saga. But if there’s an unpopular opinion that should be shared, it’s Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale who had the better love story in “Twilight.”
