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Delena - Blog Posts
(Comfort Characters part 4.) Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Dairies.
Me and my mom have been watching Vampire Dairies together for years now (my dad loves this show too, esspecially Damon). I'll be honest and say I sometimes find the drama boring and even cringey at times (do like delena however even though it's kinda problematic) and the older I get the more I'm like "what a weird and kinda dumb writing choice" but I love the intense lore and storytelling of this show and how much sorcery and magic there is, like I love that if I zone out for ten minutes when I zone back in I'm like "woooahhh, what the hump is going on?". I'm emotionally attached to so many characters on this show but Elena's been my girl since the first watch.
Stelena vs Delena; Neither Ship is Better…
As an avid fan of The Vampire Diaries I have been waiting with barely contained anticipation for the, unfortunately, what is to be the last season of this thrill-inducing show. Season 8 premiers in October and because I was impatient (and missing my weekly dose of Delena scenes) I read a few article about which ship they believed would be endgame. I stumbled upon an article that inspired me to write my own take on the main love triangle in the show. I know this is debate has been going on for as long as TVDhas been airing and even when the books were written by LJ Smith. I haven't completed reading the books yet so my opinion is based solely on the TV show. I would just like to remind anyone commenting/reposting/reading this that offensive comments are not appreciated even if you are defending your OTP and dissing someone's favourite character or actor is rude and usually uncalled for. Now moving onto the debate. I read an article explaining why nine commonly used argument for why Delena would not be a good ship are utterly rubbish. I believe the author was right because a lot of these arguments were completely invalid (The link for the article is at the bottom). I would also like to mention that while I do prefer Delena as a ship I do not hate Stelena. In fact I think they are cute and I ship them but they are not one of my OTPs (and yes I am aware I said one of. I just can't decide). To begin with I would like to address the issue of trust between Damon and Elena in contrast to Stefan and Elena. While Stefan technically didn’t lie to Elena about being a vampire he also tried to conceal for as long as possible; this, of course, is understandable. What person tells their potential crush/love/romantic interest that they are a creature of the night whose species drains people of their blood for survival? However, while Damon doesn't exactly lie to Elena he does conceal the fact that they met first from her. Some of you might argue that it is because he loved her and didn't want her to feel guilty about being with Stefan or because he thought he didn't deserve her but he still concealed the truth from her. Relationships work on trust. However we can all rest assured knowing that Elena also lied to both Salvatore brothers. She lied to Damon when she helped Stefan hide the fact that he had killed Enzo (although if you think about it Enzo was the one who moved out of Stefan's grip) in season 5 episode 19. She lied to Stefan when he came back from his time with Klaus and she pretended that nothing was happening between her and Damon in the end of season 3. My second argument is that many watchers of the show assume that Elena will end up with Stefan because he is the “good” brother; however, let’s not forget that Damon isn’t just the “bad guy”. The Salvatore brothers have complex personalities and both possess equal sides of malevolence and benevolence depending on the occasion. In fact, it appears that when one of them is being the “bad guy” the other is being the “good guy”. When Stefan leaves with Klaus after becoming a ripper; Damon is there to help and protect Elena through the tough time. Although in the beginning Damon threatened to turn Elena into a vampire to get Emily Bennett’s grimoire (spell book) to help rescue Katherine from the tomb and Stefan was the one who protected her. A reason many people use when saying they ship Stelena is that they are cute. Now I understand we all love cute things like me I love cute kittens for example but I don't think that's an actual explanation for why you ship it or why it's better than Delena because a lot of people can tell you that they are cute too. So, therefore, this is not an actual argument and I tend to disregard it whenever it is set during a debate. Don’t you agree? Lastly, considering that this is also vital to the building of a long term relationship I would like to focus on each couples communication skills or lack of thereof. It is stated on more than one occasion that Damon and Elena have a connection, an understanding that helps them to communicate without words and only with looks or simple gestures. However it appears that the same cannot be said for Stefan and Elena as it seems that they miscommunicate the wrong idea to each other more often than they actually communicate effectively. Many times during season 4 Stefan pressures Elena into adopting his “animal diet”. However good his intentions it still does not change the fact that it made Elena feel as if she had to lie to keep his respect and her place on the pedestal that Stefan had erected her on. The same cannot be said for Damon and Elena because, as I mentioned above, Damon understood Elena’s struggle and tried to help her through moderation not abstaining completely (opinions on whether this was a better solution or not are for another argument). During the funeral when he helps her with her “throwing up blood” problem, it showcases their connection so well. This is why I believe that Damon and Elena communicate better than Stefan and Elena. That is, of course, not to disrespect the epic love that Stefan and Elena shared for the first two seasons. They might not have Damon and Elena’s wordless understanding but their immediate chemistry from their first scene as Elena bumps into Stefan as she exits the boys’ bathroom made, us fans, ship them from the beginning. In conclusion, I think that neither of the Salvatores is essentially “better” for Elena but that each of them helped her in the time that she needed them the most and that it is up to each viewer to judge whichever brother is more suited to being with Elena. Link for Article; 9 arguments against DE that don’t make sense: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/damon-and-elena/articles/81318/title/9-crimes-nine-arguments-against-de-dont-make-sense