i love you damonsalvatore 1864 i cant tell u how hilarious it was tht aftr seeing ur username the 1st time i knew ud reccomend the best vampire series at some point!

The story seems meant to reflect Romeo and Juliet, only in a modern and supernatural world that gives teens like me, who love vampires/werewolves, dragons, and other scifi/fantasy things another, nicer take on it.  As for Romeo and Juliet "sucking," no, it does not.  It's a rather well-written script, with witty banter and characters that, while they may not be realistic according to our times and customs (Yes, I know, people don't fall that deep into love with eachother in less than three conversations), they still capture our love or our disgust with their innocence and blatant naivety. Bluntly, they make us feel something. If we take the time to understand the text in Romeo and Juliet, we may find ourselves interacting with the main characters as if they were real, laughing at their follies, swooning, or snorting, as the case may be, at their sappy flirtations.  When their plans get skewed we know just what will happen.

As far as Twilight, I did enjoy the book.  Stephanie Meyer added a nice touch by using Bella's english reading assignment (Romeo and Juliet) to forshadow this morbid and unlikely romance between the 'vampire' and the narrator. I admit, a lot of the time I was imagining myself as Bella, but that's almost what makes this book so good. Bella is entirely human, entirely average, (as to Kristen's portrayal...I will acknowledge that the character she was trying to portray didn't have a distinct personality, or have one at all, other than lonely, angsty teenager, so given the circumstances, she did alright), while Edward is described as extremely handsome, and whether your type has bronzed hair or not doesn't matter, because it is a book and you can imagine whatever hair you like, and whichever face as well, which isn't something movies allow you to do (and frankly, Robert Pattinson isn't my ideal stud, and his interpretation of the role seemed more overprotective than loving, which also isn't my favorite choice). 

I think it's interesting that the first time she actually sees him, he constantly is glaring at her, and doesn't want to touch her, which, for a girl like Bella, who hasn't had many friends (and would therefore care if people seem to hate her for no conceivable reason), could lead to: avoidance (as much as possible; there's no reason to try and put yourself where you not only don't belong but are also not wanted), or confrontation. Since avoiding him is taken away by her biology class, well...

I don't think vampires are sparkly and unkillable and whatnot, nor that people with 12-pack abs actually turn into werewolves when said sparkly freaks are nearby (no offense intended to sparkle-lovers), but that really isn't the point of the story.  And the point? Enjoyment.  Whether you like it or not, the book contains a well-thought out universe using age-old ideas presented in a new, and interesting, way.

The movie, however, I did not like. Partially, this distaste is due to the actors' portrayal of the two main characters, but mainly it is the ommittance of the longest (and my favorite) conflict of the first book: Edward in the sunlight.  The director took his shame and her curiosity and turned it into a drive to scare her away, and her hormonal tendency to overlook the fact that he's a killer addicted to blood, and his favorite type? Her! She turned the revealing of his sun-bared skin from a symbol of his love and trust in her to not run from him or laugh at him, or even tease him, into an embodiment (however that is spelled...) of a desire to, somehow, get her to stay away from him. Albeit it's supposedly for her own safety and thus still an act of love, but it loses some of the meaning, I think.

Yeah I know, really long bunch of blah, blah, blah, but hey, just because a piece of art has been talked about by too many people doesn't make it any less a work of art.  Not all teachers hate Romeo and Juliet, and not all teens are adoring fans of the Twilight Saga, or Taylor Lautner's abs.  I like Stephanie Meyer's writing for her wonderful ability to draw the reader in as the main character, and her books always draw me into whichever universe she's created in whatever book I choose to read by her.  It's a lot of fun to be able to go through experiences with her characters, but also to contrast myself with them; what I would do differently in their situations, and if I'd really do anything different at all.  She makes me laugh; she makes me cry, and everything in between.  I'd recommend reading her books to anyone, as long as they're read, and not watched ;)