The theme
for February blog posts is swoon worthy, and I’d like to discuss one of the
most swoon worthy couples from pop culture—Stelena (Stefan and Elena) from the
television show The Vampire Diaries (TVD). A television show can still be a
good learning tool for writing a YA romance because the audience of TVD is YA.
One thing
that makes Stelena a swoon worthy relationship, and more epic couple than
Delena (Damon and Elena) is that Stelena had more substance. From the second
Delena got together in Season 4, they just kept hitting the sheets—as if that
is a substitute for Damon ever becoming a better person or for a substance to
develop in their relationship. That is not to say that sexual content is bad.
It isn’t. And it deserves its place in pop culture (including YA pop culture)—but
sex does not equal a relationship. So, while Stelena might not have hit the
sheets that often when they date, at least they have substantial scenes—like
when Stefan reveals to Elena that he’s a vampire (early on in Season 1) because
he doesn’t want to lie (despite how he might risk alienating Elena).
Another
reason why Stelena is a swoon worthy couple is because they are not toxic. When
Elena is with Damon, she’s a different person. Sure. An argument can be made
that being with Elena makes Damon a better person. But Elena should not become
a different person just because of the man she’s dating. For example, part of
the way she becomes a different person is that she no longer cares about
morality when she’s with Damon. Like in Season 5 when Damon once again
threatens the safety of Elena’s brother, Jeremy, yet Elena doesn’t seem
bothered. Also, the old mantra, “if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck,
then it’s duck” applies. In Season 4 Episode 23, Elena admits her choice to be
with Damon is probably going to be the biggest mistake of her life. Well, news
flash: but that’s not exactly a good thing to feel about a relationship.
Furthermore, viewers see Stefan’s morality because he puts being a good person
above dating Elena when he bargains with Klaus for his blood so Damon’s fatal
werewolf bite can heel. That kind of deed reveals character since Stefan puts
his brother’s wellbeing over his romantic desires.
Respect is
another important element of a swoon worthy relationship. And I’m not just
talking about consent with sex. Consent applies to other situations too. For
instance, towards the end of Season 2, Stefan didn’t force feed Elena vampire
blood so she can come back to life when she is in danger, yet Damon force feeds
Elena his blood despite her not wanting to be a vampire. Sorry. That’s gross. Respect
is also present after Stefan and Elena break up. He never challenges her
decision to be with Damon whereas Damon never respects boundaries and always
flirts with Elena when she dates Stefan from Seasons 1 to the beginning of
Season 4. The contrast is clear. Life does become grey at points, but not to at
the expense of disrespecting boundaries.
Anyway,
the above is just my initial thoughts about why Stelena is more swoon worthy
than Delena, as I have barely scratched the surface on the topic. The point is,
having a good guy as a love interest should not be frowned upon when writing YA
fiction. Sometimes the nice guy really is the better man.
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