So? Just because one has more views doesn't make it better. It just means teens, who can barely express their emotions and deal with their immature problems, turn to the movie to 'experience' something they are lacking in their lives through the characters they are watching. And, to top it off, some (not all-I'm not fond of generalizing) teen girls watching these are more shallow than a kiddy-pool...

I completely disagree. Their love is based solely on LUST! When I look at them, I see Romeo and Juliet with a somewhat happy ending. Bella is young, and most likely falls for Edward because she's awed by the fact he cares for her even though, in her opinion, she's 'plain Jane'. Steph Meyer tried to give their romance depth, but I believe she failed at it, unfortunately.

I do, however somewhat agree with you on the rules principle, but here, it's Damon who kind of broke them to begin with. Most of the other vampires tried to remain off the radar.

Having read both books and see the movies and the show (which happens to be my guilty pleasure), I can't help but fully (110%) side with the Vampire Diaries.

First of all, Twilight has several flaws. (These have been developed all over the internet-anyone can find them by searching Google if you're interested) The characters are shallow, in my opinion, and lack much depth. Bella is insecure and needy- the only thing I can sort of admire about her is her stubbornness when it comes to being friends with Jake (standing up to Edward for what she wants). Edward is too controlling, a stalker at one point and abusive in different senses of the word (again, in my opinion). There are so many scientifical and inconsistency errors I picked up on when reading the novels that irk me to no end. (Yes, I know-I shouldn't read them if I don't like them but that's my choice to make) Anyway, I can write essays on this topic, which is why I choose to turn to Vampire Diaries instead.

Secondly, with regards to the character development in the show, which is my primary focus, I strongly believe it's very well developed. The plot line is very consistent, characters are developed to the nth degree (yes, I have noticed that the triangle gets primary focus but that's happens in every show not just this-it's what sells), AND there is something redeemable about evil characters. For instance, Klaus is pure evil BUT when he helped Caroline at the beginning of s.3 (can't remember which episode), you can easily see there's still a sliver of humanity left that he chooses to bury deep down.

Next, Elena is a girl who can a) stand up for herself, b) doesn't rush into things without thinking them through-even if her reasoning is at times flawed (we all make mistakes though-it's human nature), c) when she makes up her mind, there's usually no turning back (Bella is indecisive and gives in to peer-pressure more often than not), etc...

Third, the characters have a background which gives them a 3D appearance of sorts. Damon and Stefan's pasts are what drives them to make the decisions they make; their pasts shaped them into who they are. Moreover, one can easily see their personality shown in everything they say, in their actions and in their relationships with others. What I love about them, is that you can so very easily empathize with what they are going through (their relationships and problems they face aren't cliche-it's not all 'OMG! My boyfriend did this, what should I do?') Some of the problems they face are things most teenagers will have to face at one point or another in their lives- death of a parent, dealing with grief, obviously relationships [family or otherwise], school and going to college, sacrifice [of different degrees], etc...

Lastly, minor characters play a significant role in the plot. For example, take Katherine. She isn't one of the main characters, yet without her, there would be no Damon and Stefan because they would have died in the 1800s, possibly from old age- who knows? Another example, Klaus- without him, there would be no big problems with the curse and Stefan's Ripper side, etc- he actually is the reason for many, many twists in the plot. And as I previously mentioned, even these minor characters have a 3rd Dimension to them.

There's more, which I might add if I remember, but that about sums it up for now.