Elena Gilbert and fanfiction

[upupa_epops]

I'm in the middle of finals right now, so I'm trying very hard NOT to do anything particularly time-consuming in fandom (you can't imagine how many fic and meta ideas I have when I look at my vocabulary handouts...), but I had this awesome discussion with youcallitwinter about how Elena is depicted in fanfiction, and now I have loads and loads of questions!

Comments

[scorpiod1]

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FINALS! *snuggles snuggles* *waves pom poms for you*

but ELEEEEEEEEENNNNNAAAAAAAA POST :D :D :D BEST THING TO TALK ABOUT. I'm not sure I've noticed any popular themes? I mean, I feel like I must have, but idk, I don't read much Stefan/Elena fic (because there's hardly any of it) and I don't read D/E fic very often and THREESOME FIC IS RARER LATELY and then most of my other Elena pairings hardly ever get written at all. I do hate the idea that Elena is just like Katherine, because while I do think she and Katherine are a lot alike and share a lot of commonalities, I think it's kinda simplifying the situation to say she is JUST LIKE KATHERINE. Idk it's a very line fine to go from "Elena being worried and insecure that she's turning into Katherine and having doppelganger issues" to "Elena is actually Katherine without the trauma and will eventually be just like her and that's what the writer wants us to believe." It is a lot more complicated like that in my head; like, I think a completely amoral Elena would resemble Katherine a lot but still be Elena, if that makes any sense? idk weird feelings.

hahaha the theme that annoys me the most is "THE KEY TO ELENA'S HAPPINESS IS TO SHOW HER EVENTUALLY MARRYING MATT AND HAVING BABIES" we have discussed this, but ADK;DASDAF I HATE IT SO MUCH. #still badly wants the fic where Elena gets to have normal and it just DOES NOT FIT HER AT ALL. I also want fic where Elena has no clue how to be a mother because there is this idea that Elena woudl be the most awesome mother because she's very nuturing and I didn't mind it at first but I've gotten super annoyed with that becaues nuturing and empathetic =/= good at being a mother. MAYBE THOSE FICS WILL STOP NOW THAT ELENA IS A VAMPIRE. Though I am worried about the fics that have her adjusting to being a vampire super easily /o\ IDK I READ A FIC LIKE THAT, IT MADE ME MAKE A FACE.

I try to write Elena as very damaged and traumatized and worn down but trying to repress and hide it and function? (it depends on where the fic takes place, tho) And as a very selfish person with relative morality and a streak of hypocrisy. SHE HAS GOOD QUALITIES, OBVIOUSLY but idk, I like to roll around in her flaws. The canon thing I'm mostly trying to fix, or would be trying to fix is "ACKNOWLEDGE SHE'S KINDA TERRIBLE, WORLD." Idk too many people think she's a saint, I'm all 'NO, NOT MY GIRL, STOP THAT." But also let her react and feel and deal with all her issues and horrible things that's happened her and being ANGRY about it too. Even if she doesn't deal in healthy ways. Unhealthy ways is more interesting anyway.

I'm...mostly comfortable with Elena's POV? Idk, I am much more comfortable writing her POV than most other people in this show (the only person I'm more comfortable with is weirdly Jeremy?) but I am currently working on an Elena/Katherine fic from her POV and I'M TERRIFIED I'M GETTING ALL HER ISSUES WRONG AND WRITING HER TERRIBLY AND SHE'S NOT REACTING ENOUGH OR SHE'S REACTING TOO MUCH AND I'M NOT GETTING HER ISSUES ACROSS WELL ENOUGH. IDK FINE LINES, I WORRY A LOT.

[upupa_epops]

Awww, thank you! *clutches you*

Idk it's a very line fine to go from "Elena being worried and insecure that she's turning into Katherine and having doppelganger issues" to "Elena is actually Katherine without the trauma and will eventually be just like her and that's what the writer wants us to believe." It is a lot more complicated like that in my head; like, I think a completely amoral Elena would resemble Katherine a lot but still be Elena, if that makes any sense?

It makes ALL THE SENSE! Elena is very much like Katherine, and they share some inborn traits, but Katherine's life experience is unique. Her cultural baggage, the experience of motherhood, loneliness... It's like... they have similar personality, but they're two different people? Neither polar opposites nor mirror images.

#still badly wants the fic where Elena gets to have normal and it just DOES NOT FIT HER AT ALL

I am writing a fic like that... No marriage and no kids, because she's only 18 in this fic, but still.

MAYBE THOSE FICS WILL STOP NOW THAT ELENA IS A VAMPIRE.

LOL, no, they won't. We'll have a boom of vamp!Elena fics on one hand, and a deluge of "fix it, human happiness" fics on the other. Elena could be a good mom, because, from what we know about Miranda, she had a great role model, but it's a CHANCE, not a GUARANTEE. I'd totally read a fic in which Elena sucks at being a mother.

Though I am worried about the fics that have her adjusting to being a vampire super easily /o\ IDK I READ A FIC LIKE THAT, IT MADE ME MAKE A FACE.

My latest pet peeve is Damon The Vampire Mentor. I mean... come on. It's DAMON. He can't take care of a plant. He will be worried sick about her, but he's incapable of teaching someone how to be a vampire.

SHE HAS GOOD QUALITIES, OBVIOUSLY but idk, I like to roll around in her flaws

That's why we're friends!

Good luck with your Elena POV!

[scorpiod1]

YEEES THAT. They're similar, given their circumstances, but they are both separate people at the end of the day, doppelganger issues aside.

I am writing a fic like that... No marriage and no kids, because she's only 18 in this fic, but still.

I WANT IT *MAKES GRABBY HANDS* Maladjusted, PTSD human!Elena, I want it :D

I totally agree that Elena could be a good mom and I think she'd definitely make a good "momma bear, hdu you mess with my kids" type, but aaaaah, I'm so tired of the assumption that she is suited for motherhood JUST BECAUSE CAROLINE SAID SO THAT ONE TIME and she is a ~ nurturing ~ person that I just want bad-at-motherhood!Elena fic out of spite.

AHAHA DAMON THE VAMPIRE MENTOR. Like, I think he'd be better than Stefan (which, no offense to Stefan, but I don't think he'd be a good vampire mentor either, I mean he worked with Caroline well but Elena is too close to his issues, and if the show were writing Stefan properly, he'd be a thread's closeness to falling off the wagon again and has no business mentoring anyone. TBH, Elena's best vampire mentor should be Caroline, tho my kingdom for having her run off instead and ending up with Katherine), BUT HE IS STILL REALLY MESSED UP, HE SHOULD BE NO ONE'S MENTOR.

THANK YOU. I am just a nervous spazz when it comes to writing, I MEAN I DIDN'T USED TO BE THAT WAY, but like, I QUESTION EVERY SENTENCE, SO I'M ALL *FLAILY HANDS*

[upupa_epops]

I WANT IT *MAKES GRABBY HANDS*

It's my heroinebigbang fic, so the bad news is that it'll prob be posted some time in July, and the bad news is that I feel morally obliged to finish it, because I already have an artist assigned.

Like, I think he'd be better than Stefan

Well, his attitude is certainly healthier than Stefan's, but somehow I can't see Damon lecturing Elena on vampirism ;). I could see him try to help her. But, at the same time, Elena as a human had a habit of letting Damon see the worst of her. So I imagine that, as a vampire, she would also direct her extreme emotions at him. Which would be extremely exhausting, and full of expectations. So I could easily imagine Damon trying to shield himself from Elena, treat her as an emotional burden, do everything he can to push the "mentoring" on someone else.

I QUESTION EVERY SENTENCE, SO I'M ALL *FLAILY HANDS*

I'm sure you can figure it out!

[scorpiod1]

THAT IS OKAY! I knew you were writing awesome Elena fic for heroinebigbang, JULY IS NOT THAT FAR, TBH.

So I imagine that, as a vampire, she would also direct her extreme emotions at him. Which would be extremely exhausting, and full of expectations. So I could easily imagine Damon trying to shield himself from Elena, treat her as an emotional burden, do everything he can to push the "mentoring" on someone else.

...i want this fic too. you give it to me *__* DAMON WOULD DO EXACTLY THAT.

[upupa_epops]

*lurking in before school*

...i want this fic too. you give it to me

That's more or less the fic idea I have for tvd bigbang ;).

[bellonablack]

My latest pet peeve is Damon The Vampire Mentor. I mean... come on. It's DAMON. He can't take care of a plant. He will be worried sick about her, but he's incapable of teaching someone how to be a vampire.

...You have no idea how mad--if the show goes this route. With either brother. I will freakkkk outtttt. (not really but you know)

[upupa_epops]

Well, Stefan will certainly try to be the Vampire Mentor. Like he tried with Vicky and with Caroline.

[lit_chick08]

As someone who writes super cracky "Elena has a million babies" fic, I honestly don't think Elena would be a good mother only because I have this theory that Petrovas are not really good mothers; they're just not built for it. Motherhood requires a degree of unselfishness I don't think Elena has, and I don't think Elena would've been satisfied with a perfectly normal life. As we've seen with Katherine and Isobel, there seems to be a natural inclination within them to always want more than what they have.

Mostly I'm so sick of triangle fic, I just write whatever cracktasticness I can come up with to combat the "This is twu luv!" fics.

AND WHY IS THERE SUCH A LACK OF THREESOME FIC?

[upupa_epops]

I just write whatever cracktasticness I can come up with to combat the "This is twu luv!" fics

LOL, writing fic out of spite \o/. I do the same, only I go into doom, gloom and misery instead of crack.

[scorpiod1]

Ahaha, I meant no offense, just have a natural aversion to babies as it is (like, I loooooooove domestic fic an obscene amount but babies are such a dnw except in certain circumstances). THAT IS AN INTERESTING THEORY! I kinda agree and don't? Like, I am so into the idea that some women just aren't BUILT to be mothers and that's not inherently a shameful thing, it just is, some people are just like that (all my Isobel feels, tbh) but I think Katherine could have been a good mother if given the chance (idk I have this headcanon that she built up the idea of taking care of the baby she had out of wedlock herself if she had to, and she told herself it would just be her and the little baby and everyone else can go to hell, and then it was taken away from her because life sucks) and I think Elena could have been if her parents never died and there was none of this supernatural baggage in her life (though I've always conceived of her as a kid who didn't know what she wanted for her future anyway? So, idk, it's weird to picture an teenage Elena growing up normally in ideal circumstances without anyone dying, like, I don't know THAT Elena, so I'm not sure WHAT she would have done with her a life and if kids would have factored in). And like, what about the Petrovas we don't know? Some of them most have been inclined to motherhood or they could have cut off the Petrova line at some point.

I AM SICK OF TRIANGLE FIC. SO SICK. and so sick of the triangle, in the show, tbh. Though lol, I cannot write anything to combat the "TRUE LOVE" fics, cracky or not, much as I want to, my writing process is always slow and filled with a lot of handwringing xD

IDK. THREESOMES ARE HARD TO WRITE? I mean, they are, the logistics alone /o\ And atm, I'm kinda inching back from threesomes because i'm burnt out on both Salvatores and think Elena should run away with Elijah or Katherine or Caroline or Jeremy OR ANYONE NOT A SALVATORE.

[lit_chick08]

haha Oh, I took no offense. Don't worry about it. I feel like, at their core, the Petrova ladies are very much similiar. And, while Katerina probably wanted her baby and Isobel wanted her baby, I think they both would've come to the conclusion they just weren't equipped for it. And Elena could've been a good mother if her parents hadn't died, but I feel like even the glimpses we've seen of flashback!Elena show she was never quite satisfied with what she had, so I can't picture her staying in MF forever and joining the PTA.

I want Elena to run off with Katherine, Caroline, and Rebekah where they just go around like really awesome vampire Avengers except, instead of saving the world, they have sex with hot men and raise hell wherever they go.

[scorpiod1]

Yeah, I agree, I see your point , especially about flashback!Elena, I don't think she would have stayed in Mystic Falls either (though I'm not sure if she had any idea what to do with her life...like most teenagers, really, Matt was being a freak when he started talking about FUTURE PLANS!!!) like, tbh, she seems more inclined to want to go see the world and have something BIGGER than Caroline is, like, I'm sure Caroline wants that too at some point in her eternal life, but Caroline always seems to enjoy smalltown life for the most part.

THAT IS THE GREATEST IDEA EVER, LADY VAMPIRE AVENGERS RAISING HELL AND HAVING THE BEST TIME and then they have a foursome, YES. I forgot to mention Rebekah in my list of people I want Elena to run off with, but I keep thinking "she just tried to kill her tho." THAT NEVER STOPPED ME FROM SHIPPING IT (like, most bonds on this show are built on attempted murder), but I feel like they should work that out first xD

[lit_chick08]

I feel like Caroline would have ended up Carol Lockwood, completely content to be the biggest fish in the small pond.

I WANT ALL THE FABULOUS LADY FEMMESLASH AND THERE IS NONE TO BE FOUND. To hell with the Salvatores; let's just keep the flawless ladies together.

[scorpiod1]

Omg that is brilliant, tbh, i love it. She'd be a nicer Carol Lockwood :D

BECAUSE FANDOM NEVER GIVES ME WHAT I WANT? No one writes femmeslash, I have to write it myself at some point. BUT YEEEEEEEEEEES. I like the Salvatores, BUT THEY ARE ON NOTICE.

[youcallitwinter]

CAROLINE IS MY FAVORITE SO JUMPING IN IN ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT HER \o/ WHICH IS WHY KLAUS/CAROLINE TBH. I mean he's the first guy who told her that the world is bigger than Mystic Falls, and that she's more than Mystic Falls. Although I always read her as wanting more regardless, like she wants to be all things all at once and would want more no matter how much she got, I can't imagine her being satisfied with MF. And I feel like Klaus/Caroline is all about Caroline; because that isn't so much about ~romance and spending eternity together, as it is about what Caroline wants and what she can let herself want, now that she's going to live forever. Klaus is all LEAVE WITH ME, YOU CAN HAVE ALL OF IT, but he's just opening the gate to let her know she can always have all of it with or without him, which is why shipping this forever #no regrets

Although I don't know what Elena wanted before all the Salvatore shenanigans because this show has totally messed that up; they'd made far too many things too token; she wanted to be a writer, but we haven't seen that explored beyond 'HEY SHE KEEPS A DIARY'. I keep feeling like Elena is rarely defined outside of her relationships. And that's true of Caroline as well. I mean, I have no idea what the hell they want, if they want anything at all outside of the 'right' guy and saving people. I feel like I could invent all the headcanon I want about it, but it's still true that the show doesn't particularly seem to care. The flashbacks of 3x22 were ridiculous and useless (except the drowning part, cuz that was awesome!) because they never established Elena; all they did were offer a counterpoint to her relationship then to her relationship now, which really shouldn't be the most important thing about her. And all the Elena-as-a-person-contrasts were LOL-worthy, because seriously they restricted it to her jumping out of bed (WHICH NO TEENAGER DOES TBH) and being happy, instead of how she wakes up now. WHY IS SHE HAPPY, TELL US THAT SHOW. And even Damon's compulsion, "you want a love that consumes you" etc etc, you know, it all comes down to true love, which is all that everyone wants apparently.

And to hear 17 year old Matt talk about marriage and stuff seems hilarious and not true because Matt should be the damaged one what with Vicki and his mother being who they are ---whatever happened to his father anyway? I think they're sort of not exploring any of the things they're setting up beyond the main three (and even there the Salvatores get a LOT MORE individual exploration than Elena ever does). Caroline's resentment of her mother, that was so freaking EPIC, because obviously she sees something wrong with her mom for her dad to have left them for a man, which is just such a natural reaction, GUH. But also, what would it be like for Caroline to have an openly gay dad in a town like Mystic Falls where everyone knows everyone and you can be sure that the mentality would be really, really closed off to something like that. Maybe that's where her romantic insecurities stem from, the fact that she wasn't good enough a girl to keep her Daddy at home, and needs to compensate by making guys love her.

Ditto Bonnie-- WHAT ABOUT HER DAD? She lives with him, but he's never there, how does that reflect on her overall personality and characteristics; and having lived all your life with knowing that your mother left you? I think Tyler was one of the best explorations of that damage because his dickish behavior in S1 was clearly perpetuating a cycle of abuse re: Richard Lockwood. But there too, it wasn't so much an exploration as behind-the-scene, we-won't-ACTUALLY-say-this-is-what-we're-showing.

Mystic Falls has the worst parents in the world D: And that was WITHOUT all the supernatural shenanigans, which makes it interesting to wonder what kind of parents these uber damaged children could have been.