#because Elena is really one of the only ones that actually sympathize with Damon

[slutisnotabadword]

Why is it okay Damon’s heart to be broken but it’s not okay for Stefan to get hurt?

No, i actually want answers.

Because the way I always see people say “poor Stefan” “Elena doesn’t deserve him” is ridiculous cause barely anyone says “poor Damon” “Katherine doesn’t deserve him”. And they act like that in the show!

Cause let’s be bffr.

What Katherine did… was a thousand times worse than Elena could ever do to Stefan. I don’t think y’all understand what Katherine actually did to Damon. So let me break it down.

Katherine strolled her way into their life, realized that there was not just one, but TWO, fine ass brothers. So, she started to play with them both. And when I say play, I’m not talking about some high school shit. Katherine was most definitely sleeping with the both of them behind the other’s back (that’s assuming they both didn’t know at the time). Damon was DEEPLY in love with Katherine, basically obsessed. And he did love her way more than Stefan did and Katherine fucking knew that. And she also knew that she loved Stefan more than she did Damon.

THE LOGICAL AND ETHICAL THING to do would to be cut Damon loose before things go to far… like it already had!

But did Katherine do that? Hell no. She fed them their blood, got them mfs killed, and just LET Damon search for her for over a 100 years when she knew damn well she wasn’t in that tomb.

Just sit down for a second and just imagine loving and missing someone for a century, and thinking that they love you the same and when they come back, they’ll give you everything that you dreamed of. The love, the hope, basically heaven.

And then when you finally find they ass, they tell you IN YOUR FACE, they never loved you and it was always going to be your brother.

I’m sorry but I would’ve had to delete myself, IMMEDIATELY. Taking off my daylight ring and stepping into the next ray of sunshine I could fucking find. Personally, I don’t even know how I would move on from that, or even how to LOVE again after that.

Kudos to Damon for sticking it out cause that would’ve been the last time y’all would’ve seen me.

[floripire]

‘ I was never defeated, only killed. ‘

vampire the masquerade: part 1 // @baby-royalty

"i take it this is the part where i ask doesn't being killed automatically imply defeat? even though we're both preternatural and therefore the aforementioned statement and everything it implies is a moot point?" floribeth pauses the episode of gen v on her phone, regrettably, right before jordan li and marie moreau actually kiss.

conversing with this particular vampire feels like a test that floribeth did not prepare for, which is something she hates because she's always prided herself on being intelligent and a good student.

conversing with this particular vampire feels like a high stakes game of chess, imbued with an extra element of surprise, because for the past ten minutes, floribeth has wondered why the dark haired vampire would even deign to speak to her in the first place.

you know, considering the whispers that follow lizzy around: petrova, salvatore, mikaelson. floribeth doesn't know what to make of it. of her. and, really, she doesn't have time to throw herself into figuring out yet another mystery when her sire is still out there.

a sire who, in turn, has been turned into a vampire by klaus mikaelson, whose life has been ruined by him. and klaus doesn't seem to care one bit beyond what derek machado's pack could have done for him, if their bodies hadn't rejected the transformation.

it doesn't matter now: the tennessee wolf pack is, and will remain forever, extinct.

though if floribeth was like klaus, she probably wouldn't care about this, either. derek machado would be nothing but another name. a human who was at the wrong place in the wrong time, or, worse, someone who deserved this lot in life. and floribeth would just be collateral damage. a footnote in the story. someone not even worth considering.

she's glad she's not like klaus. yet she also likes to think she contains multitudes: she can - and does - fiercely hate the man for what he's done to derek machado and paige billingsley and she can - and does - sympathize and empathize.

it must've been hard: being the world's first vampires, having to figure everything out on your own, watching the world change while you stay stagnant.

people, too, contain multitudes.

so too do the mikaelsons.

(so too do the petrovas.)

they're not just one thing, or another. they're not just evil, nor good. they just are. to some, the mikaelsons are friends, family, even lovers. to others, they're heinous villains, ruining all who come across them.

and yet.

floribeth is so tired of the mikaelsons sometimes. she's so tired of the self mythologizing, of the arrogance, of thinking the world is theirs because they were here first, of expecting people to fall at their feet, rarely - if ever, heh, more like never - taking responsibility for all the hurt they've caused.

(she's not expecting them to do anything of the sort because they're all deathly allergic to humility and very good at dodging the consequences of their actions but some recognition could go a long way. as well as therapy. but then again, half the preternatural world needs therapy at this point and floribeth is not about to share her therapist, emma tig, with anyone else except her fellow students.)

floribeth is so tired of white vampires sometimes.

because they get a pass that other preternatural creatures don't.

because they get to turn off their humanity switch and, afterwards, they'll get welcomed back with open arms just as fast. elena gilbert gets to turn off the switch until she turns it back on. and the same goes for caroline forbes - as much as floribeth loves and adores her.

damon salvatore gets carte blanche to hurt people and now there's someone who looks a lot like him running around town; someone whose voice floribeth recognizes from the radio.

hell, stefan salvatore gets to kill dorian williams' father and sister and that poor man ends up working in the very institution, named after, and celebrating the murderer of his family!

but oh, if bonnie bennett went off the rails, she wouldn't be forgiven. not as easily as others have been. if loren bennett ever decided to lean into her anger, people would call her dangerous for it.

(never mind the fact that the bennetts have been hurt so many times, have sacrificed so many things, and so many times, and never got so much as a sincere thank you for it; floribeth figured that if anyone deserves to go feral, it's them, but they don't because going feral like that is a white person's luxury.)

anyway, if rafael waithe leans into his lupine nature, he'd spend the rest of his days in the transition cells, being fed a steady supply of aconite.

if landon kirby ever decides to burn it all down, people would look for a way to put him down for good that very same day.

everyone looks at jed tien and brands him a bully and a villain, as if he wouldn't learn from his mistakes.

and if floribeth turned off her humanity, she wouldn't hear the end of it. if kaleb and mg did it, it'd be held against them for centuries.

as much as she wants to lead with empathy and kindness, the way her parents taught her, floribeth does know how the world works. knows that it's people - be they human or preternatural - will not look at her like they look at lizzy.

it makes her want to claw her eyes out; it makes her want to scream and then tear out her own vocal chords. it makes her want to scrape every single angry, ugly word she hides underneath her tongue out of her mouth with her fingernails before she can release them into the world.

they are both vampires but there will always be a discrepancy between them - between the way they're both treated by others, by the world at large.

so sue floribeth for being wary of the vampire pop sensation. this is going to be derek machado all over again, isn't it?

[darthkruge]

Kai Parker Imagine ~ Ignored

Summary: You’re Elena’s sister and are feeling pretty alone and ignored in Mystic Falls. One day, you meet a stranger who happens to understand.

Warnings: language, like one small innuendo, fluff :)

Words: 2024

She promised. She promised today she’d finally spend some time with me. It’s not that you need your sister’s attention everyday. Truly, you’re fine being on your own. You’ve gotten used to it over the years. But she cancelled the last three times to spend time with her boyfriend, Damon, instead. Again, you get it. You know she loves him. You know she’d probably prefer to spend her time with him and not you. But she promised and broke it again, blowing me off last minute.

That’s how you ended up here. Alone, in your house, on a Saturday night, staring at your refrigerator trying to pick out which leftover to reheat. You know what? Fuck it, I’m not just going to sit here alone. 

You pull out your cell phone, dialing Caroline’s number. 

“Hello!” The chipper blonde’s voice answers after the first ring

“Hey, Care! I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner at the Grill. Elena’s out with Damon again and I’m bored”. 

“Oh shit, y/n, I’m sorry but Stefan is like two blocks away and I was going to introduce him to The Notebook. Maybe another time? And Bonnie might be free, you should call her”

You sigh, “Yeah, alright. Thanks anyway. Send pics if he ends up crying”

She laughs “Of course, babe. Goodnight”

“Goodnight!” You say, hanging up the phone. 

You lean back against the counter, sighing. You know it’s not that deep, all your friends are in relationships and you aren’t, it’s a given that they’ll be busy on Saturdays. But you had a really fucking stressful week and you just didn’t want to spend another night alone. 

You decide it’s worth a shot, try Bonnie

“Hey! How are you”

You smile, relieved she answered. “I’m okay, kinda bored, though. You wanna meet at the Grill and get food? I haven’t eaten yet and wasn’t sure if you had plans…” 

“Sorry Y/N, I’ve actually been trying to perfect this spell from the grimoire all day and I’m exhausted. I swear, if I wasn’t so drained I would” 

Shit, she was trying to learn that tracking spell today!! I should have remembered! “Oh, of course, Bon! Don’t worry about it. Get some rest and take care of yourself!” 

“Thanks, you too!”

“Goodnight! Make sure to drink water”

Bonnie laughs, “You’ve always been the mom of the group. Goodnight” 

You hang up the phone and put it down, placing your head in your hands. Another night in, it is. You go back to trying to pick out dinner and realize that you might as well go to the Grill and pick up some food, anyway. You still have to eat and, to be honest, talking about the restaurant has given you a serious craving for their fries. You decide to order on your phone to make the trip as quick as possible. 

You get in the car, driving there, and see lots of people talking and eating together. Dejected, you try and keep your emotions in check as you get out of the car. You did not want to lose it at the Mystic Grill. The stress was just getting to you. You had exams this week and were studying non-stop, and after not being able to hang out and your sister ignoring and choosing her boyfriend over you, you were pretty fucking frustrated. Just a little bit more, then you can have the food and just go home.

Walking inside, you see Elena and Damon in the corner booth, smiling and laughing. You smile, happy for them. They really worked well together and after everything your family has gone through, you wanted your sister to be happy. She truly deserved it. You just sometimes wished the universe saved some happiness for you. You’d never been in a relationship, never had someone like you back. Sure, you didn’t need a relationship and you weren’t desperate by any means, but it would be nice on nights like this. 

“Order for Y/N,” You say, walking up the bar

“Yup, it’ll be ready in just a few minutes” the server replies

You smile and nod, pulling out your phone to check if you have any messages. None. Your heart drops a bit. You didn’t expect any, but it just feels like the day is compiling onto itself. Tears start to well up again and you lean your head against the wall, trying to force them back. 

“Hey, you okay?” You hear

You turn to look at the man who spoke to you and holy shit, he’s pretty cute. You wipe the tears from your eyes, “Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” You add a strained laugh at the end, hoping it helps him realize you aren’t completely insane. 

He doesn’t look impressed, rather amused by your poor attempt to hide your emotions. “You sure, gorgeous? Because, not to be rude, but you don’t look it”

“I am, I swear. It’s stupid, just a bad day. Just, everything on top of everything else,” You say, gesturing with your hands

“Yeah. I know what you mean. I’m Kai, by the way”

“Y/N” You say, shaking his hand. 

You’re broken from your thoughts by the server returning with your food. “Here you go, Ms. l/n” 

“Thank you!” You take the bag and smile

“Mr. Parker, yours will be out in just a second”

“Alright, thanks” Kai says, turning back to you

“So,” He starts, “I would ask you how your day has been, but I think I got a pretty good idea”

You laugh. “Yeah, I think this,” You say, gesturing to your face and appearance, “pretty much sums it up. But what about you? You had a better experience in this world today?”

“Well, good days, bad days. It’s all relative. But I guess you could say this one is looking up. I met someone recently. Beautiful, (h/l) (h/c) hair, about this tall” He says, holding his arm to just above your eye level.

“She seems lovely. You should introduce me”

Kai laughs and takes his food that’s now ready.

“So, you wanna get out of here?”

You take a step back, wondering who the hell could be so goddamn forward

“Sorry! Poor wording. I wasn’t talking about that. But I mean… if you’re game…?” 

You look at him, glaring but still clearly having a joking look in your eyes

He laughs and holds his hands up in mock-surrender. “Sorry, again, sweetheart. I just meant there’s a nice little lookout area nearby. I know the sun has already set, but it’s where I like to go to look at the stars.”

You notice that he gets a bit of a faraway look in his eyes that you know all too well. Perhaps he’s the perfect person for you to spend this evening with. 

“Sure, lead the way” You say. I mean, cute guy, possibly safe, why the hell not?

He quickly takes your hand and leads you out of the Grill. You try to catch Elena’s eye on your way out, but she doesn’t notice you. Kai, however, does. You see him look at your fallen expression and frown, following your gaze to your sister, then back to you. You shake it off, though, and smile back at him, continuing to walk to the exit. 

You walk a few blocks, talking about everything and, yet, nothing of immense importance. You missed just spending time with someone. Someone who wasn’t preoccupied or just hanging out with you because their first choice was busy. You missed the banter and the fun and feeling of freedom. You hated being in that house. You always felt so trapped there. Because even though, yeah, you could technically leave, you couldn’t do anything. You were still alone. 

He lets go of your hand to climb up onto this rock, then holds out his hand to help you do the same. Smiling, you open your food and begin to eat, him doing the same. You look into his eyes, smiling even more. Something about this boy just makes you happy. You don’t know why, I mean, you’ve just met him. But there’s just something about him.

He clears his throat, smiling right back at you, “So, do you wanna talk about it?”

“Um, I- I don’t know” 

“It’s okay if you don’t,” Kai says, stealing one of your fries, “But if you do, you can. I’ve been told I’m a good listener”

“Yeah, okay, yeah. That might be nice”

You start retelling the story of your sister and friends, all in relationships. He nods, knowingly. “I just, I’m glad they’re happy. I really am. Please, I need to make sure you know that. I want them to be happy. But I just wish they’d sometimes check in on me. I’m tired. I don’t want to be the only one alone,” Your voice breaks and you pause, a few tears running down your cheeks, “I don’t want to feel like without me doing all the work, I wouldn’t have a relationship with them. I just wish, at least once, they’d ditch their boyfriends and just get dinner with me”

You look at him, realizing he’s frowning and you start to back-track. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I know it’s not a big deal. Like, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that important. I was just having a bad day, I didn’t mean to like unload my trauma and abandonment issues on you, I’m sorry-”

He cuts you off, gently. “Breathe, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’m not mad at or upset with you. I just know the feeling all too well. Loneliness sucks, huh?”

You laugh, relieved you didn’t scare him away. “You can say that again”

“I am sorry about your friends. And you sister. I assume that was the one you were staring at back there?”

“Yeah, that’s her”

“Hm. I get it.” He says and you just know he does. There’s something about being abandoned and feeling alone in your own family that people may sympathize with, but they never really get it unless they felt it first-hand. 

You lean in, kissing him. He kisses you back and, shit, it feels good. You haven’t been close to a person in so long that when he puts his hand against your cheek, you involuntarily start crying. 

“Oh, I’m sorry! I thought-” He starts, pulling away

“No, no, no, Kai, it’s not you. I just wasn’t used to someone being there with me. It was just a bit overwhelming. But it’s not you at all. It felt incredible” Great, now not only does he know you’re lonely and sad, but also that you’re touch starved. Awesome.

Kai gently pulls you back to him, kissing you again. He wraps his arms around you, deeping the embrace and you do the same. You kiss him, only breaking apart when your head is swimming with the need for air. 

After a while, you both pull back and he rests his forehead against yours. You gently move your head and put it on his shoulder, his arm coming around you. You wrap yours around him as well, looking up at the stars, a goofy smile on your face. 

“Well, I defer to you, gorgeous. But if you ever need a break from the loneliness, I’m here. I know I can’t make it all better or anything. That hole from your family and friends is impossible to make go away forever. But I like to think I can possibly shrink it a bit. Or at least take away a bit of your pain” He says, looking at you deeply.

“Yeah, I think that could work,” You say, leaning in and kissing once more. You then gesture toward the stars and he follows your gaze. You spend the night staring at the galaxy, as if it’s just the two of you, and you know that you finally have someone in your corner. Someone who would pick you first. It’s a terrifying feeling that you’re not used to and, frankly, neither is he. But if he’s willing to try, so am I.

[salvatoreschool]

Vampire Diaries Universe: The 25 Best Characters, Ranked

For the first time since 2009, we’re entering a fall season devoid of any new offerings from the Vampire Diaries universe. And like Stefan Salvatore without his daily diet of forest friends, we’re insatiable.

Like so many longtime TVD enthusiasts (those of us to whom the word “thesmatos” really means something!), we’ve spent much of quarantine revisiting the weird, wonderful universe — from Mystic Falls to New Orleans and back again. We’re suddenly spending a lot of time with characters we haven’t seen in years. And we’re having a lot of feelings about them.

In celebration of the franchise’s 11th anniversary, TVLine has assembled another totally non-controversial ranking, this time of the 25 best characters from the Vampire Diaries universe — a category that also includes familiar faces from The Originals and Legacies. (In Legacies‘ defense, the franchise’s latest offshoot hasn’t been around as long to endear itself to us, but that didn’t stop four Salvatore School students from making their way onto our list.)

In lieu of new content from the TVD universe this fall, TVLine is looking back at our 25 favorite characters from the entire franchise, including stand-out favorites from its two spinoffs.

SPOILER ALERT: This ranking discusses major plot points from all three shows. If you haven’t finished The Vampire Diaries (Season 1-8), The Originals (Season 1-5) or Legacies (Season 1-2), proceed at your own risk. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

25. VINCENT GRIFFITH

Thanks to the magic of body swapping, the Mikaelson siblings have inhabited multiple physical vessels throughout the years, but none have remained in the family’s orbit quite like this Southern gentleman. Powerful, thoughtful and downright Shakespearean in his delivery (Yusuf Gatewood, ladies and gentlemen!), Vincent always has the greater good in mind. And as we learned in The Originals’ series finale, he helped Freya and Keelan pass that good along to the next generation.

24. LANDON KIRBY

Even though we’re still getting to know him, there’s already so much to like about this pure-hearted Mystic Falls townie. Not only is he the franchise’s first-ever phoenix, but he also looks like he could pass for Damon and Elena’s offspring — and that’s never a bad thing. We could tell he had a long future in this universe the moment he danced with Hope in The Originals’ final season. (So far, so good!)

23. JENNA SOMMERS

Like so many paved paradises, we didn’t fully appreciate what we had with Jenna until she was gone. Her death marked the end of Elena’s innocence — which is saying a lot, considering she was still mourning her own parents when The Vampire Diaries began. And if we’re being honest, Jenna was the ghost we were most excited to see again in the series finale. (For the record, Joseph Morgan has apologized on Klaus’ behalf for killing Jenna several times.)

22. TYLER LOCKWOOD

The First Son of Mystic Falls was kind of a jerk when we met him in The Vampire Diaries‘ first season. He was arrogant, aggressive and reckless — so it actually made perfect sense when he was revealed to be a werewolf. Fortunately, Michael Trevino’s character developed a little more nuance from that point on, especially via his Romeo and Juliet romance with Caroline. (After everything that’s happened since 2013, can you believe that they were once in a love triangle with Klaus?)

21. JEREMY GILBERT

Elena’s little brother (er, cousin?) went through a number of different, wonderful phases during his tenure in Mystic Falls. We loved him in The Vampire Diaries’ earlier seasons as the human embodiment of all things emo (he literally dated a ghost!), and we… um… appreciated his unexpected evolution into a shirt-ripping, wood-chopping vampire hunter.

20. CAMILLE ‘CAMI’ O’CONNELL

The Clarice Starling to Klaus’ Hannibal Lecter, this brave bartender was able to tap into the show’s darkest, most complicated character’s psyche in ways that no one named Mikaelson (or even Forbes) ever could. She helped him conquer a number of his demons in the few short years they spent together on The Originals, and like most people who play a significant role in Klaus’ life, she suffered the consequences. (Side note: Are we the only ones who really dug Cami as a vampire? Justice for that short-lived story arc.)

19. SHERIFF ELIZABETH FORBES

Of The Vampire Diaries’ many maternal figures, none put us through the emotional ringer quite like Caroline’s mother. We weren’t her biggest fans in the show’s early seasons, given her penchant for hunting the undead (including her own daughter), but hey, what was this show if not an endless series of redemption arcs? Also, if you don’t get a little choked up when Caroline felt her mom’s presence in the series finale, you don’t have a soul.

18. FREYA MIKAELSON

The long-lost fifth Mikaelson sibling was a little rough around the edges when we first encountered her on The Originals, but the poor woman was in the midst of escaping a centuries-long imprisonment, so we cut her a little slack. And we’re glad we did, because Freya has since become one of the strongest, most inspiring and all-around likable characters in the Vampire Diaries canon. #FreelinForever

17. MARCEL GERARD

While it’s easy to get swept up in Marcel’s charm and swagger (we were robbed of a second karaoke number, by the way!), it’s important to remember just how far back his time with the Mikaelson family goes. When you consider that Klaus literally freed Marcel from slavery and raised him to lead New Orleans as his right-hand vampire, it adds a whole other layer of tension to their passionate power struggle on The Originals. Though he’s treated like an unofficial Mikaelson sibling, Marcel often feels like more of a Mikaelson than Kol — and definitely more than Finn.

16. REBEKAH MIKAELSON

Arguably the funniest (and most glamorous) member of the Mikaelson family, the woman Damon once referred to as “Barbie Klaus” never fai to tell it exactly like it was, beginning with her thoughts on then-lovebirds Stefan and Elena. (“Honestly, I don’t get you two as a couple.”) And Bex only became more complex as the years went on, from her desperate desire for humanity to her undeniable love for Marcel. Just don’t call her insane — she prefers “spontaneous.”

15. ALARIC SALTZMAN

In hindsight, Alaric’s journey from hot history teacher to hot headmaster of a supernatural school makes perfect sense. Still, it was impossible to predict back in The Vampire Diaries’ first season just how much of an impact the man formerly known as Warner Huntington III would have on this franchise. A drinking buddy to some, a father figure to others and a literal father to a lucky pair, Alaric has truly woven himself into the fabric of this universe like few others. (That said, we still wouldn’t recommend dating him if you value your life.)

14. SHERIFF MATT DONOVAN

Only one full-blooded human survived all eight seasons of The Vampire Diaries, and you’re looking at him. The pinnacle of mortal goodness, this blue-eyed patriot hasn’t always been on the same page as his vampire brethren, but that’s only because he didn’t want to see any more his friends and family get eaten. And we can sympathize with that!

12-13. LIZZIE AND JOSIE SALTZMAN

Asking us to choose between Jo (by way of Caroline) and Alaric’s daughters is an impossible task, which is ironic, considering the Gemini twins are literally destined for a fight to the death on their 22nd birthday. Besides, these sisters have always felt like a package deal, from the moment we witnessed their birth on The Vampire Diaries to the day we reunited with them as teenagers on Legacies. (They also popped up in The Originals’ penultimate episode, putting them in the prestigious category of characters who have appeared in all three series.) Despite their inherent connection, Lizzie and Josie really have grown into two very different people, a journey we hope will continue for years (and shows) to come.

11. MALACHAI ‘KAI’ PARKER

The fact that this remorseless, pork rind-loving psychopath ranks so high on our list speaks volumes about actor Chris Wood, who brought a refreshingly sassy vibe to The Vampire Diaries’ sixth season. The guy was so likable, fans were even ‘shipping him with Bonnie… as if that poor girl hadn’t been through enough already! You also have to give Kai points for longevity — even after his head got knocked off, he managed to make two encore appearances on TVD (Season 8) and Legacies (Season 2).

10. HOPE MIKAELSON

As we mentioned with Lizzie and Josie earlier, we feel like we’ve watched Hope grow up before our eyes… because we have. Given the epic circumstances surrounding her conception, birth and upbringing, an adult version of this character had a lot of hype to live up to, and Danielle Rose Russell has proven herself more than up to the challenge. Imbued with her parents’ best qualities, Hope’s power and passion make her both a formidable foe and an invaluable ally. Besides, Legacies showed us what the world would be like without Hope, and it was not a good place.

9. HAYLEY MARSHALL

We can’t even think about this fierce, fearless mama wolf without shedding a single tear. Hayley’s story was basically one long tragedy, from her complicated marriage with Jackson to her tumultuous relationship with Elijah. And then there was her untimely demise in The Originals’ final season, which… actually, let’s not talk about that. From the moment she gave birth, Hayley’s heart belonged to Hope, and it was in her most extreme maternal moments that Hayley’s true strength was on display. That’s how we’ll remember her.

8. ELIJAH MIKAELSON

Suits? Pressed. Hair? Immaculate. Vocabulary? Thicc. With his smooth moves and cunning intellect, Klaus’ extremely respectful brother could do it all — well, except keep the people he loved from meeting horrific ends. (Seriously, this guy’s track record for dead lovers is right up there with Alaric’s.)

7. BONNIE BENNETT

Simply put, this is the witch you want in your corner when things go south. Endlessly powerful and selfless to a fault, Kat Graham’s character spent eight agonizing seasons sacrificing herself — often literally, hence her multiple deaths — in order to keep her friends and family safe. No amount of bloody noses or dead boyfriends could stop this badass from crushing her enemies.

6. CAROLINE FORBES

Getting smothered to death was honestly the best thing that could have happened to Caroline, who evolved from a basic, boy-crazy cheerleader into a bad-ass vampire overnight. And that was just the first phase of her franchise-long evolution into the empowered, globe-trotting mother of two she is today. She’s also responsible for all of The Vampire Diaries’ memorable musical moments, from her sweet song for Matt to her devastating performance at Sheriff Forbes’ funeral. (Now if only she’d pay her old pals at Legacies a visit…)

5. ELENA SALVATORE

She may not have Katherine’s chaotic flare, but Elena deserves credit for carrying much of The Vampire Diaries’ dramatic and romantic weight for six years. And for that pink hair she experimented with in Season 4. On top of that, Elena also rolled with the punches better than almost anyone. (You’re vampires? I’m a doppelgänger? Now I’m a vampire? Now I’m human again? Now I’m in a coma? Sure, let’s do this.)

3-4. DAMON AND STEFAN SALVATORE

Two sides of the same brooding coin, these brothers were as proficient at breaking hearts as they were at breaking necks. And while their love triangle with Elena will remain the stuff of TV legend, their relationship as brothers was revealed to be the real heart of The Vampire Diaries in its final two seasons. Honestly, it’s too hard to choose between them, so we’re not going to.

2. KATHERINE PIERCE

Come on, when were you not excited to see this leather-clad lunatic on your screen? Deliciously twisted and infinitely more interesting than her human doppelgänger, Katherine was behind many of The Vampire Diaries’ most jaw-dropping twists, from her iconic encounter with John(’s bloody fingers) to her long-awaited return in the series finale. Honestly, putting Katherine on hell’s throne in Season 8 was merely a formality — she was always a queen.

1. KLAUS MIKAELSON

The man, the myth, the legend. To think that the monster who slaughtered poor, defenseless Aunt Jenna on The Vampire Diaries is the same person who gave it all up to save his daughter on The Originals… well, there isn’t a clap slow enough to commend that kind of growth. (Again, Joseph Morgan is very sorry about the whole Jenna thing!) By the time Klaus evaporated on the streets of New Orleans, it felt like we had explored every conceivable nook and cranny of his existence, from his traumatic childhood to his fatal romances — and we relished every second of it.

[hellsbellschime]

Omfg Nesta Archeron is not Hayley Marshall wtf is this?! She was a crappy sister, but so was Elain. Everyone always blames Nesta for not stepping up to help their starving family, but Elain was the older sister too and yet she always gets a free pass. And yes Nesta is mean and cruel when people try to reach out to her, but her book was about why she’s that way. Why she constantly pushes people away because she would rather them hate her than see who she really is and then leave. I know you, Hillary, have not read these books so this is all meaning nothing to you. Sorry, but damn I will not deal seeing someone say Nesta is Hayley. That makes zero fucking sense. Nesta has depth and character development. She’s not a character everyone worships and praises for literally nothing.

rhysand from acotar often reminds me of damon salvatore but more likable ig? and also watered down. he’s often fancasted as ian too. actually the show’s main ship - feysand - is frequently fancasted as delena which is funny bc in sjm’s other series (throne of glass) the main ship rowaelin i’ve seen fan casted as klaroline in edits.

i mean sure nesta could be scarlet personality-wise but scarlet literally works for everything she gets, is consistently ambitious and bring herself back up from the ground. nesta doesn’t do any of these things she allowes her 13 years old sister feyre to risk her life going hunting for them and solely supporting their family while nesta abuses and belittles the shit out of her to the point were feyre is embarrassed to learn how to read because nesta used to make fun of her for it being illiterate. i can sympathize with nesta at certain points but she’s consistently terrible to the one person who ever gave a shit about her survival for reasons i don’t understand (and i didn’t even like feyre), and is incredibly inconsistent. her narrative is all over the place and she’s often described as things we’ve never seen her be.

In the originals hayley had scenes were everyone literally kneeled in front of her. In acotar it got so bad that for Nesta to be accepted by the main characters she had to literally kneel in front of someone who called her a waste of life when she was suffering from severe ptsd. I don't know how your anon can compare the treatment hayley got with the one Nesta got. If anything feyre is a blend of Elena hayley right down to being extra special and the pregnancy trope and the delena type of ship.

People often say Nesta was villainzed like she was literally awful to people who had done nothing to her what reaction do stans expect other characters to have towards Nesta when she went around being an asshole to everyone for no reason at all? And the worst part is that the one person that was never an asshole to Nesta is Feyre who is also the one person Nesta consistently emotionally/verbally abused for no reason.

people will shit on nesta but the praise the fuck out of rhys who is also absolutely awful misogyny smells

Nesta is the type of character obsessed with status she’s never gonna get back. But she literally never does anything to try and get it back. Interpret what you can from that.

ion like this anti nesta talk yall better be rhys antis too

hellacioushag said: i swear to the satan shoes if i see one more person say nesta is hayley…

tyrellsmoon said: nesta was sent to train because she was literally self-destructing not because she was having sex with people.

elainissus said: she is nothing like hayley

maevelin said: the sacrilege to compare nesta archeron to hayley… i am without words lol

maevelin said: lol… generally speaking the acotar fandom as a whole is a mess. hate or love characters… everyone gets passionate about them… and the fandom wars… wait till this gets adapted to a show… tvd to fandom wars will seem a fond memory lol

hellacioushag said: @maevelin oh god the fandom wars are already so intense right now i can’t imagine how bad it will be once it actually is a show. some fans on twitter just threatened to kidnap the author’s toddler for agreeing to adapt it in the first place. the crazy can only get worse from here.

maevelin said: @hellacioushag what the actual.. yeah i am not going to touch another kind of fandom fuckery like this with a ten foot pole… i am too old for that shit 😂…i didn’t survive plec for this lol

Jesus Christ.

[zalrb]

Elena stans always bring up how Elena has lot a lot of people in her life (her parents, Jenna, Jeremy at one point). They’re right Elena has been through a lot of tragedy at such an early age... and yet I still don’t find Elena to be a completely sympathetic character. Despite all this tragedy, something doesn’t click. Maybe it’s cause the show doesn’t really explore what all these deaths means to Elena i guess idk it’s hard to explain.

I think for me, I just never really felt that the deaths shaped Elena in any real way for them to matter as much as they should.

Like when we’re introduced to her in the pilot, she’s subdued.

and in 1x03 she doesn’t want to do cheer anymore

but that is essentially the extent to her sadness, like she says this

and Stefan says this

and I can believe that Elena’s life was in neutral but because we don’t see what she was like before her parents died and because we don’t see what she was like after her parents died and before she meets Stefan, and because she meets Stefan in the pilot and therefore starts to heal and feel better essentially from the moment we meet her

it’s more like I objectively know she’s sad because parents dying is sad. Whenever her parents’ deaths are brought up it doesn’t feel like it’s something that’s with her, it feels like it’s brought up for the purpose of plot.

Then Isobel dies, she’s compelled to let herself combust in front of Elena

Then Jenna dies

and Elena ALSO watches her get murdered

then she almost dies

and then John essentially dies at the same time

annnnnnnnnnnnd we don’t talk about it. Like it basically, immediately becomes about Damon

and in season 3, from what I can remember, the only sort of thread concerning Jenna and her being gone is the fact that Alaric is a mess and so his brilliant plan in 3x01 is to leave the two kids who lost their family members alone

And none of these experiences seem to shape Elena in any profound way, she just carries on. Like even when Jeremy dies, Elena doesn’t actually deal with that in any respect because it’s not even like she chooses to turn off her humanity as her way of dealing with the loss, Damon forces her to

so her having her humanity off isn’t actually her way of coping with the loss, it’s Damon’s way thrust upon her and when she gets her humanity back, Jeremy is alive two episodes later. And then nothing about her having her humanity off or burning down her house makes her a different person than she was.

And I believe that the show thought that they gave Elena a martyr complex because she’s so scared about losing anyone else that she would rather die instead but because the narrative protects Elena so much from her own martyrdom that doesn’t actually come across — she’s not the martyr of the show, Bonnie is and Stefan is, so that doesn’t work.

They hint at the fact that she’s drawn to vampires because they can live forever and therefore can potentially love her forever

but they don’t lean into it or commit to it so it ultimately doesn’t matter.

Like who is this Before Girl? I’ve never met her! If I don’t know who she is, I don’t know that you’ve actually changed and that these deaths have actually affected you. Not about death but in Gossip Girl, the show gives us flashbacks so we know exactly what Serena was like before she left for boarding school

and we see her go back to that Serena sometimes in real time

we ,don’t get this with Elena

And going back to death, in this movie Now and Then, one of the girls, her mother died when she was a kid (and part of her arc is figuring out that the way her mother died isn’t as beautiful and painless as her dad told her )

and so she’s obsessed with death and does things to try and make it seem less scary or less mysterious, like she pretends to drown to see which one of her friends will save her

and I’m not saying Elena had to do that but I never got the impression that she was shaped, she didn’t become colder or harder, she didn’t become more emotional or more sensitive, she didn’t repress, she didn’t disassociate, she didn’t do anything, it was essentially life is going on as normal until she had to sympathize with an antagonist/villain who basically had same story she did.

Even in Supernatural, there are discussions, there are [unhealthy] coping mechanisms that they do to deal with all the shit they go through and all the people they know that die and you just never really got that with Elena.

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, we don’t get many flashbacks of Iroh before we meet him in the show but we hear about him, we hear about him being the Dragon of the West, we hear about his military accomplishments (mostly his defeat because his life was shattered when his son died)

and see how powerful he actually is

but then his son died

and he regrets not being able to help him so his worldview changes and he does his best to help others

[scorpio-karma]

Unnecessary Drama TVD 2x17 Review

I guess this could be the title of the show, but feel this is especially true with this episode because right from the jump things are dramatic and I don't understand why starting with Jenna.  

Okay so since I haven’t been watching this consistently so I might have missed some context clues but rage and betrayal???? Rage and betrayal about what Jenna? Like, I understand being mad that they kept it from her but other than that am I missing something for this dramatic reaction to Isobel just saying hi. Have they been lying about something she knows about now to build up to this point, but even if so I don’t understand this dramatic reaction. Fundamentally I know why she’s being like this, the writers needed an excuse to send Jenna away. However with in the context of the plot it makes absolutely no sense and makes her seem childish in ways she’s not supposed to.   

And Elena, I guess I should be proud since she's never seemed more like a teenager than now, but blaming John for this. What even logic? Does she remember the argument she had a few episodes ago with Stefan about getting Isobel and they ended up with John TO GET TO ISOBEL. Looks like you're boyfriend's plan worked. Now I'm not advocating that she be mad at Stefan but you want to be irrationally mad why not direct it at the right person. All John has done since getting to town is protect his daughter which frustrated me whenever she'd tell him "not after everything you've done" WHAT HAS HE DONE? Someone sincerely answer that question because I'm drawing a blank. It's crap like this that fuels the mentality this fandom has of "you're mean to my favorite character so your a bad person" because if Elena, the character the writers are so keen on me caring about, does this why would the fandom be better. So he tried to kill Stefan and Damon, his logic of protecting Elena still stands since they haven’t really done anything worthy of “I’m different” in terms of vampires. 

Also, you know the more I rewatch this the more and more sympathetic I am towards John, and he seems more and more sincere. While I didn’t hate him in my first watch I was always suspicious of him and that’s because the characters of the show build this suspicion around him. Now knowing his endgame as a character I don’t buy into this suspicion anymore because he has always been honest and sincere about his motives as character and they never involve harming other people. He spent his who existence on making sure his daughter had a good life, he wasn’t about to let two vampires she “loved” ruin that. Granted not all teenagers are clueless and not all adults are always right, but in this instance teenage girl is clueless and needs to listen to the actual adults. 

I've never really realized how little I care about Alaric and Jenna as a couple until episodes like these. He really never seems like he cares about her that much until he's about to lose her which is a red flag in my book. And I guess that makes sense since there was really nothing to hold the ship together, it was just "you're attractive" and "you're attractive" and nothing went beyond that. They never had a deep connection and it shows in moments like these where he doesn't care about her unless he's about to lose her. 

Ford product placement. I know I sound like the CinemaSins guy but they are really not subtle about this. It doesn't actually surprise me much since when I used to watch it weekly back in the day I remember them doing this often especially with songs but it was always with the car. Before it was Bonnie's Prius other than that I don't remember what the car was I just remember "hey this is a great song" and then the network notified you what the song was playing. Product Placement! With this episode in particular it really bothered me with how they shot it because it pans to the rear of the car, shows the license plate, then like shows her in the car, and they make it seem really eerie like she's about to get run into, or someone is watching her but neither are happening it's just Ford product placement. It was like, thank you for this unnecessary scene and this unnecessary shot to please your sponsors.  

For all of Carol Lockwood's failings I'll give her this: she notices when her kid is it's missing which is more than I can say for most of the adult characters here. Did Jenna really even notice when they sent Jeremy away? I don't recall the Sheriff being all that interested in where Caroline was for those days she was with Damon? I guess she wasn't gone because they hid out at her place but seriously how didn't she notice anything going on with her daughter then? And Jenna literally ups and leaves when she feels like it.  It's what made her death actually sad—her love for her son which I'm glad for since TVD does such a bad job with familial bonds, but she is the only character besides John to seem like an actual parent. 

I still don't understand why Jeremy is there. Like I always knew he was third wheeling it on their plans every time I guess it was nice it was always about Bonnie but other than that I was like, dude you have no function, what are you doing here? I mean I guess Damon doesn't really need to be there, actually no, scratch that, he was needed to find the place and then after that he leaves which is what Jeremy should have of done.  

Which idiot hid the moonstone? I bet it was Damon, but I don't understand why he has it when Lucy gave it to Bonnie. Like I said I haven't been watching consistent enough, the episode this occurs I watched over a year ago but I don't remember Bonnie giving Damon or any Salvatore the moonstone. And can we talk about how lame the name is "moonstone" it gets more and more ridiculous the more everyone says it. It sounds like something written by a child. But serious I get he was going for “in plain sight” but the bathroom which is frequented by many people including one you let in who you don’t trust. Y’all shoulda left that with Bonnie who could at least seal it in a place with magic.   

Why are Bonnie and the Bennett’s the only one to be put through pain, like they're the only ones to have horrific deaths, and even worse, why do her ancestors insist on putting her through more pain?  

I thought it couldn't get more cringe worthy than when Damon was essentially reciting his lines earlier about trying to save Emily, but dear lord Matt. He doe not do anger well, he looks like someone told him, now, be mad, and gave the director the best he could muster up which isn't great. But he did better with the deception, even though I knew where it was going I doubted myself for a moment and thought maybe he was sincere. And his conversation about Caroiline with her mother saying “I think she died” while was actually very touching also just reminded me of the many times Bonnie died and it’s never confronted but Caroline, who I’ve noted on many occasions is barely relevant to the plot, has this confronted multiple times and she only died once. Just saying--this blatant favoritism toward Caroline that tends to always result in Bonnie being treated less than human gets on my nerves so much I can’t even enjoy what would otherwise be a great scene.    

I've seen a weird amount of hate for Isobel which I find weird. Not because she's a good character or anything, but because of how much of a blimp she is on anyone's radar. Even her actions compared to the others are so small. There could have been a nuance to her character and to a degree it's there because her motives were clearly protect Elena, but beyond that she was always kind of lackluster. Also added with Nina’s acting, or lack there of, when she dies in front of her just makes me even more confused as to why anyone cared enough to hate her. Even when Elena is saying she’s sad I can barely believe it because well Nina doesn’t sound sad when she’s saying those line, she just sounds like she always does which is why always found it hard to empathize with her in the beginning of the show. The only reason I knew she was sad about her parent death was because she said it, there was nothing that really emoted this feeling. If she can barely muster up feelings of grief how am I supposed to even sympathize about it. That just distanced me from feeling like they were real people that were in her life, and just made them random fictional characters to add a tragic backstory. It’s really no wonder why I never really cared about Elena from the start.

"If you use to much power you die," how doesn't anyone else already know this? That's literally what killed her Grams which brings me to Bonnie, she always knew this, saw it happen, but why is she so keen repeating history. If she truly believes her powers are meant for more then she should probably know that they were meant for more than saving Elena’s life. But of course this is The Elena Diaries so that’s never going to happen. Instead we’re going to have Bonnie’s mother risk her life and leave her daughter all to protect Elena, because that makes a lick of sense. 

Bonnie their secret weapon, nothing has ever been more cringe worthy. Seriously watching Damon and Stefan discuss Bonnie like she’s an object they possess has never sat well with me. This is again one of those moments where I can’t get on board with Stefan as a character because he isn’t better, he’s just better than Damon and in this moment he’s proving to be the exact same as Damon if not worse because he’s the first to note this--he was the one to look back at the situation and point her out as their object leading the conversation there.

Klaus in Alaric’s body, you know I always felt he did possession bad especially in season 3, he just seemed like a creep and not in the way he was supposed to, but here he did an exceptional job. I almost wish Joseph Morgan had taken more cues from his portrayal because he managed to get the “ancient being” in his voice and mannerisms better. It’s like with JM they just told him “be British and use Shakespearean English” and called it a day. I’m not saying I didn’t like JM version of Klaus, but it’s clear where they started going wrong with this character. With the way Alaric is portraying him he is the most intimidating he’s ever been and that’s because everything built around him is actually living up to the hype. The show later just paints him as a whiny man with daddy issues and no real goals because trust me his plans get ridiculous after that and they dropped pretty much everything about Klaus from season 2. I probably would have enjoyed Klaus more if he had stayed this version, or at the very least did something worth while because I think we can all agree that the hybrid subplot was just a complete mess and pretty much marks when Plec took over as show runner because she has never been able to see the full picture. She just writes as she goes and hopes they connect at some point. psss, they never do.

Overall the episode was frustrating, but every episode is which is why I have to have at least two drinks before watching. Which I honestly don’t know why I do. I got drunk for the finale and that didn’t make anything seem even the slightest bet better, so why would it now. However in my defense, the finale is a complete incomprehensible mess so nothing was going to make it better in the first place.

[heonlywantsexanddrugs]

So I finally watched last week's episode of TVD. Some interesting things that were glossed over. But first, a mini rant lol. Caroline is not Elena, nor does Caroline have to fight for Stefan the way Elena did. What Caroline did was the right thing for her sanity and well being. She told Stefan when he was done being a douche bag druggie and wanted help she would be there. And she was right to that. Every man and relationship she has destructively fought for that man has walked away. Taking a piece of her with them. Caroline does not and should not have to be Stefan's salvation. That being said, I found it strange that she tried to get through to Damon. That is until I realized that Damon wanted to be saved. He wants his mind back and his will to be his own. So she tried to help him fight...for himself. Objectively Bonnie and Enzo were okay. Honestly they remind me of a watered down version of DE/BD. There's something off there. I can't put my hand on it, but something is wrong. Also did everyone just forget what the hell Kai said about loopholes!? Does that no longer apply now? Also that fight lacked any real passion. I actually yawned twice. Damon in this whole episode was meh. I don't sympathize with him as much as I think the writers want me too. So he's the brother with self control. He's the one that only kills out of necessity? Okay, but so what? Elena should not be the only thing that makes him redeemable! What the hell TVD!? So I like this Stefan. I honestly believe that he is actually the monster that he's portraying. I believe that's where he feels more like himself. This was how he was when he first became a vampire, before becoming a Ripper. He was free of the expectations that he feels are holding him back. I believe that this Stefan is the closest to the "real" Stefan. I like this Stefan because he's not wearing his burdens like a costume. Both Elena and Caroline have never really seen the real Stefan, nor do I think they could love him. This Stefan is not the mask he wore to be seen as the good brother, this Stefan is the stripped down honest Stefan, plus his blood addiction. Seline and Sybil were honestly just catalysts to make all this happen. Their significance is gone and soon so will they. I like that they showed Bonnie is a hero with or without her witch powers. But I wish that she had them back. I also believe that whatever is going on with Enzo is connected to her not having her power. One of the many reasons why Enzo and in extension Bonnie are fighting to get them back. Okay, I'm done. I would love feedback. Good bad or incoherent lol.

[zalrb]

Different anon here, I agree the problem with tvd wasn’t elena, it was the writing. And it’s obvious because after Nina left it didn’t get better. My issue was that elena never lived up to the hype. There was no depth or substance to her character. The writers just expected us to believe that she was this incredibly loving person whose friends would constantly fight for. For example they never go into detail as to why Bonnie has so much love for elena and is willing to die for her. 1/2

“Different anon here, I agree the problem with tvd wasn’t elena, it was the writing. And it’s obvious because after Nina left it didn’t get better. My issue was that elena never lived up to the hype. There was no depth or substance to her character. The writers just expected us to believe that she was this incredibly loving person whose friends would constantly fight for. For example they never go into detail as to why Bonnie has so much love for elena and is willing to die for herWhich never made sense because they never had any flashbacks or sentimental memories that explained the reason for this strong bond. And the writers constantly made everyone who disagreed with elena an outcast. Like in season 1 Caroline/elena are frenemies but the writers switched it up to them all being friends. And Katherine being the bad version of elena. I agree as well about Stefan and Bonnie having the potential to be protagonists.”

Well I go into great detail about the problem with Elena quite often: 

Elena does have a clearly defined personality the problem is that the personality lacks follow through and therefore it doesn’t have clearly defined execution.

Elena is supposed to be a deeply empathetic and compassionate person who loves passionately and makes reckless decisions to keep those she loves safe. She is supposed to be a caretaker, which is why in 2x04 when Caroline is trying to drive a wedge between her and Stefan she tells Elena she’s too maternal not to have kids. She is supposed to be understanding and non-judgemental, which gives her the ability to ‘see the good in everyone.’ She is also supposed to have “darkness” in her because she will do morally questionable things to ensure the outcome she wants and she can be emotionally manipulative although that’s mostly towards Damon. And after watching season 2, I’m realizing she is supposed to have a legit martyr complex.

But like I said, the problem is follow-through. Elena can’t have a martyr complex when the narrative works so hard to keep her from actually having to sacrifice anything, the intent to martyr herself is not enough because it makes the audience go, easy for you to say, Elena, you don’t actually have to be the Bonnie in this situation, do you?

Elena being empathetic and compassionate doesn’t really work that well when she’s dating the man who single-handedly terrorized each and every one of her friends 

*note* from another post of mine: 

If Elena can’t help but try and find a modicum of goodness in everyone around her that she would do mental gymnastics to find something in Damon, then her empathy would have to be a huge problem, like it would kind of have to drive her crazy. Like there’s a scene in Grey’s Anatomy when Meredith and Derek are fighting because they have a patient who is a serial killer and Meredith sympathizes with him and Derek is like, he is a fucking serial killer! and she watches his execution because she wants to show compassion and she sort of has a breakdown because of it

[cont’d] and she doesn’t even come across as a good friend because when she is with her friends, if they’re not talking about her problems and are instead talking about Caroline’s issues and the one, two times they talk about Bonnie, Elena doesn’t say much, she usually just shrugs or makes a noise (and that’s not Elena’s fault, that’s the writing’s fault).

Her being maternal and caretaker doesn’t work well when Elena doesn’t actually do much to show this. All she really does is hug people and that’s not enough. When Jeremy is a legit drug dealer in season 1 and gets into a fight with Tyler when he’s drunk and has an actual bottle, Elena literally lets Jeremy walk away, she pretty much let’s Jeremy do his own thing, if she’s as worried about him as the show is trying to tell us she is, then that’s when Elena goes to the smokers den and drags him into class, it’s when she’s blowing up his phone and calling everyone he hangs out with. She needs to be involved not passively concerned.

And the other thing is because Elena is supposed to be such a nice person and the show just wants to make her this wholeheartedly good person they forget that good people can have complex emotions. 

*from yet another post of mine* 

the show wants to show that Elena is so understanding and can see things from every possible perspective that she could hug Tyler even after he brought a werewolf to the lakehouse and tried to hunt her and Stefan and kill them and I’m just kind of like … … I don’t buy it because you guys aren’t really selling it because you don’t give me the details that make that kind of behaviour seem realistic and not Mary Sue-ish. What I would need for that to be realistic is a scene, a quick one, where Damon is telling Elena that Tyler is a threat and needs to be killed and Stefan is saying that Tyler doesn’t need to be killed but he’s still potentially a threat and Elena being like well Damon you killed his uncle and all of us helped cover it up and now that he’s found out I don’t exactly blame him for being angry at us, he has every right to be angry at us, I have no idea what I would do if Jeremy wasn’t wearing the ring when you killed him so I think we just need to approach this with understanding since Tyler is in his right! And then she and Stefan go to the lakehouse and what happened happens and Tyler is MORE visibly shaken by what happened because Tyler is just kind of like “oh. my bad”

but if he was actually like on the ground, crying being like, I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S RIGHT OR WRONG ANYMORE and Elena kneels next to him and holds him then I could buy that.

Once again, in BTVS, Willow endangers Buffy’s younger sister Dawn because she’s going through a magic addiction and it creates a situation where Dawn actually slaps her and Buffy is walking away from Willow and Willow like falls to the ground, crying, saying she needs help

and even though Buffy is FURIOUS she still comforts her

[cont’d] Elena should have that. Elena should struggle with the idea of martyring herself, she should be like Stefan, do you really think I want to die? I’m seventeen, of course I don’t want to die, this entire situation sucks but what sucks more is that everyone else is bending over backwards doing things that will get them killed to make sure I stay alive, I would rather just be dead. You can call me selfish if you want, but none of you are dying if I can help it. Just something like that. Instead we get her having a breakdown over the fact that she was supposed to grow up and have kids and not become a vampire, they should’ve changed that to her breaking down about the choice she made but also not regretting it.

But characterization is not a problem unique to Elena. Damon has PLENTY of contradictions:

Season 1 was all about how Damon would do anything to get Katherine back — it’s not like Elena awakened in Damon the capacity to feel because he’d been feeling and waiting for Katherine for over 100 years. So when Stefan and Damon have that exchange in 2x01 when Stefan goes on and on about how Damon feels something for Elena and he won’t let Katherine come in and destroy that part of him and in season 3, when he’s like “I get it, Elena, I care too much. How ironic.” I’m sitting there like but that part of him was NEVER destroyed! Damon’s problem is that he can’t handle what he feels so he kills people because it’s easier than dealing with his shit. If anything it was Stefan who was unwilling to feel, unwilling to be vulnerable and let someone in and meeting Elena forced him to do that […]

And Damon doesn’t even try to hide the fact that he feels emotions deeply when he kills people because he’s hurt, he’s not stoic and he’s not a brooder, he doesn’t hide how he feels.

And I’ve spoken about the friend dynamics:

With Caroline and Elena I said that I would want actual development there. One of the issues with Elena is that the show just wanted her to be all around likeable, she had no problems with anyone and if anyone had problems with her it was a that person thing not a them and Elena thing. But Caroline and Elena would be more believable as friends and more interesting as friends if they started out as frenemies, if we kept it here

and we found out more about their backstory and how things used to be when Elena’s parents were alive, Elena essentially being the Serena to Caroline’s Blair except not as close as Serena and Blair yet close enough for Elena to care if Caroline got hurt

then Caroline became a vampire and got introduced into that world and through saving her life from Damon and Stefan teaching her and her just being around all the time and Bonnie not fully embracing the vampirism thing, the two of them got closer and became friends more than frenemies

I think that would’ve been better and I would’ve development over they’ve all been BEST friends since they were kids.

For Bonnie and Elena, I need a reason why Bonnie and Elena are bonded for life. I need a reason why Bonnie would go so hard for Elena and I need reciprocity. The issue with TVD is that the writers seem to think that hugging all the time shows closeness because really that’s all Elena does for Bonnie, she hugs her

and they have great chemistry as friends but they don’t have a story. What Bonnie and Elena need is an understanding that only they get.

but these aren’t problems that only relate to Elena and her friendships, I have a post about all of the friendships here: http://zalrb.tumblr.com/post/171218100600/do-you-have-any-posts-explaining-why-tvd

But the issue I was having with that anon is that they kept conflating characterization with agency because for the way all of the characters are actually written, Caroline or Jeremy or Jenna or Alaric or Enzo or Matt would not make better “less boring” protagonists because they are not active. Is there potential in having them as protagonists, yes, but there was potential in having Elena as a protagonist too. As I said, Bonnie is the one who actually goes through an active journey and has to save people and has to sacrifice and has to learn spells and battle ancient vampires so aligning with her would be radically different than aligning with Elena but not so much anyone else and as you said, we see that in seasons 6-8. Caroline’s storyline in season 6 doesn’t go anywhere. Her mother died but Stefan and her relationship to him is really what we focus on, like seriously, they make her confront him about their relationship at her mother’s funeral and then have her turn off her humanity because he wouldn’t tell her he likes her. How is that any better than season one? In season 7, she’s impregnated without her consent and knowledge and instead of focusing on how that would affect her, we focus on Ric’s feelings. She doesn’t drive plot, she reacts to story. Bonnie was stuck in a Prison World with two serial killers then she was stuck in it alone and became suicidal and then had to claw her way out of the world, that’s an active plot and she drove it.