ATTENTION: THIS IS FOR THOSE WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH OR HAVE WATCHED DAWSON'S CREEK. So if you haven't watched Dawson's Creek (Kevin Williamson's previous show before TVD), then you won't be familiar with any of these characters and relationships. This is an essay that I posted on Tumblr a few months ago comparing the ships of The Vampire Diaries to Dawson's Creek. Since there were so many silly comparisons between Damon/Elena and Pacey/Joey (laughable!), I felt the need to step in and make some comparisons of my own between the relationships on TVD and DC with their ACTUAL legitimate comparisons. Now pay attention fellow Bamonators. As you can see in my below essay, I have compared Damon/Bonnie to Pacey/Joey. Here is my essay and I hope you enjoy the Bamon comparison:


THE VAMPIRE DIARIES VS. DAWSON'S CREEK SHIPPER COMPARISONS


So the other day, I compared the relationships of Stelena and Delena from The Vampire Diaries, to the ones from One Tree Hill (Leyton and Brucas) and Smallville (Clois and Clana). Now, I am going to try to make comparisons between the relationships on The Vampire Diaries and Dawson's Creek. In all reality, I don't really like (actually, can’t stand) to compare the ships from TVD to DC, mostly because I find that the two stories and story lines are completely and totally different from each other and because of this, they should never be compared to each other. But considering that the creator (Kevin Williamson) of TVD was also the creator of DC (and also a fan of love triangles..yuck), I guess a comparison between the two wouldn't be so bad. Everything about The Vampire Diaries is remotely different from that of Dawson's Creek. Firstly, The Vampire Diaries is set in a supernatural town called Mystic Falls, where many supernatural species (including vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks, ghosts etc) and events are vibrant and ever so real. Dawson's Creek is not a supernatural show by any means and it is not set in a supernatural town. Dawson's Creek is set in the town of Cape side, which is a fictional city located in Massachusetts. Yeah, you see the difference already? Thought so. Not only are the settings and the story lines of both shows completely different, more then anything, the characters and their relationships are also entirely different as well. The characters of The Vampire Diaries are of course not only supernatural based, but they are also, I find, more intense in nature. Dawson's Creek’s characters were more...well, I can't think of a better word, but more boring and dull in comparison to TVD characters and this is to be expected. This is because when the supernatural of any kind is involved, there is bound to be more drama, angst and shocking revelations. This is not to say that I don't think Dawson's Creek didn't have its share of intense drama. It did, it just didn't have the same "oomph" that TVD does. While the drama on Dawson's Creek was more centered primarily on the love relationships, the drama on The Vampire Diaries is more centered on both love relationships and supernatural issues and drama. This is why comparing the two shows is preposterous but here I am, taking on comparing the two. Now, the primary reason for this post is to elaborate on the similarities (and the differences) between the ships on the Vampire Diaries and Dawson's Creek. I have been hearing a lot from people (delusional people mostly) and I am seeing them compare the ship of Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Diaries to that of Pacey Witter and Joey Potter from Dawson's Creek. All I have to say after seeing such a thing is: ARE YOU SERIOUS? Yes, DE'ers, that is another way of me saying, "You're fucking delusional". As far as I'm concerned, when I see these two relationships being compared with each other, I seriously crack up laughing. Bottom line, the point I'm trying to make is that in my honest and personal opinion, Damon/Elena are NOTHING like Pacey/Joey. But I'll get into more detail right now with my comparisons to all the ships on The Vampire Diaries and on Dawsons Creek. Here goes:

Damon/Elena = Pacey/Andie: Like I said, Damon/Elena are nothing like Pacey/Joey in my honest opinion. If anything, Damon/Elena are more and best comparable to the ship of Pacey/Andie from Dawsons Creek. Many of the DE'ers who are comparing the relationship of Delena to that of P'Jo (my ship name for Pacey/Joey), are forgetting about the most influential and important character in Pacey Witter's life, Andie McPhee. I'm sure a lot of you who watched DC are probably questioning, "Who's Andie McPhee, again?" Well, if you have watched the show from the beginning, then you would know that Andie was the first girl to have a huge impact on Pacey Witter's life as a whole. She "changed" him, influenced and inspired him to become a better person overall. Andie taught Pacey how to a better person in terms of his life overall. This included his life direction, his self-esteem, and she even taught him the ways of love and relationships. Andie basically helped to heal Pacey from within and this is why Pacey changed so much as a person because Andie enlightened him, made him realize that he is so much more then he never thought he was. Before Pacey met Andie, Pacey had low self-esteem, lacked any kind of self-identity, he was basically a lost, lonely individual. Pacey honestly couldn’t identify who he was as a person. Of course, no one really understands himself or herself when they are 15 years old (in Pacey Witter’s case) but at least they have an idea of where they’re going and Pacey had no such thing whatsoever. But then Andie came along and guided him through his path of finding his self-identity. Basically, Pacey learned from Andie, he learned about life and he learned many life lessons because of her. And because of her, is the reason why Pacey turned out to be the man he was at the end of the series. Her influence on him was so powerful that she helped to change him and his outlook on life. Let’s not forget that at the beginning when Pacey and Andie were dating, they were both really annoyed with each other. They had their own banter and their “playful” bickering with each other. In fact, at the beginning of Pacey and Andie’s relationship, it seemed as though Pacey and Andie actually mutually disliked each other. Andie was always somewhat easily irritated whenever she was around Pacey and Pacey was always extra snarky and sarcastic around Andie. But before they really developed a relationship, they had a friendship. Now, the reason why I compared Damon/Elena’s relationship to Pacey/Andie is because they share one MAJOR element in common: both girls in both relationships have influenced both of the men in the relationships to become better individuals. Both Elena and Andie have managed to “change” Damon and Pacey, with Elena bringing out bouts of Damon’s humanity, and Andie helping Pacey to find his self-identity. Elena is basically only part of a key (with Stefan being the other part) of helping Damon onto his path to redemption. The only other person who brings out Damon’s “humanity” other then Elena is his brother, Stefan. Many people would like to yell bullshit on that one, but everyone knows this is the reality and the truth. STEFAN HELPS BRING OUT DAMON’S HUMANITY. DAMON “LISTENS” TO STEFAN. It may not seem as though Damon listens to his younger brother, but just because he looks like he doesn’t on the outside, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t take what Stefan says to heart on the inside. Damon hides his emotions, hides his feelings and uses sarcastic humor to cover up whatever he’s feeling. The same goes for Pacey. Now I don’t want to make it sound like I’m implying that Damon and Pacey are in any way alike in terms of characters, because they are not, not even close. Pacey wasn’t the “bad boy” by any means, even though he was a bit of a rebel and he was a self-described “screw-up”. Despite the fact that he lacked self-identity, PACEY WITTER DIDN’T KILL PEOPLE. Pacey is a good person who was just lost and had no sense of self. But, like Damon, Pacey used his charm, humor and his wit to hide his true feelings because he was afraid of showing them; he was afraid of appearing weak and vulnerable. I guess you could say that this is where he and his best friend, Dawson were different. Dawson really had no issues in appearing vulnerable because that was who he was. And Dawson never felt the incessant need to use sarcasm and humor in order to cover up his true feelings. Dawson just expressed them whenever he felt like it. But Pacey always had an issue with this, always. He always had an issue with opening up to people and Andie changed that for him. This is the same thing that Elena did for Damon. Damon and Pacey share the same quality of trying to hide their true feelings, especially when it comes to their relationships with other people (i.e. Damon’s feelings towards his own brother, Stefan. He loves his brother, but he will never admit it to himself or to anyone outwardly out of fear of appearing weak). Damon and Pacey are also charming and yes, they are both womanizers as well. Damon loves lots of women and Pacey loves lots of women as well. Except Pacey doesn’t have a problem with long-term relationships and commitment the way that Damon does. Damon appears to have serious problems with holding a girlfriend (complete opposite of Stefan) and cannot seem to settle down with ONE GIRL. Because of this, Damon will probably never be happy in terms of love and relationships, unless he LEARNS, just like Pacey LEARNED. And Pacey learned, not because he was in a direct relationship of boyfriend/girlfriend with Andie, but because of the INFLUENCE and IMPACT that Andie had on Pacey’s outlook. It had nothing to do with Pacey/Andie being together in a relationship with each other, it was the INFLUENCE AND INSPIRATION that Andie gave to Pacey that made him change as a person, not the actual relationship itself. Now, I could say there are similarities between Elena Gilbert and Andie McPhee. Both Elena and Andie are constantly obsessed with “doing the right thing” and they have a strong belief in what is right and is wrong. They both have strong sense of morality about life. Both have values, morals and a deep conscience. Elena and Andie have both endured loss and grief (with Elena losing both of her parents in a car accident and Andie losing her older brother Tim, also, in a car accident). Both Elena and Andie are looking for security and stability in their lives. Elena and Andie are/have both gone through the experience(s) of changing someone who has come into their lives, or influencing someone to become a better overall person (Elena with Damon, Andie with Pacey). So, when you look at both the characters of Elena and Andie from a logical standpoint and you break down their characters experiences and backgrounds, there are quite a few similarities between the two. Bottom line is, similar to the way Andie was Pacey’s “lesson”, ELENA IS DAMON’S “LESSON”. And because they (Elena and Andie) were these two individual character’s (Damon and Pacey) lessons, does NOT by any means, mean that they are meant for each other or they are meant to be together. This only means that they had/have to experience these feelings that they had or are having for these two women (Elena in Damon’s case and Andie in Pacey’s case) in order to give their BEST self and best love to SOMEONE ELSE. A man (or woman) can never truly love someone and give their BEST love to someone else unless they learn the LESSON first. YOUR LESSON IS NOT YOUR DESTINY. It’s is only a part of your journey to whatever your destiny is. And this is the case with both of these relationships. This is why I feel like when it comes right down to it, Damon/Elena are the most comparable to Pacey/Andie of Dawson’s Creek. The only difference is that Pacey/Andie have actually engaged in a relationship whereas, Damon/Elena have not. So, to all of those articles (biased articles, I should add) out there who believe that Delena are the next P’Jo, THEY ARE NOT, far from it. The fact that Damon/Elena sometimes engage in sibling like, brotherly/sisterly bickering and bantering does not equate to them being in any way comparable to that of the relationship between Pacey/Joey whatsoever. Joey didn’t help Pacey find his self-identity and she was NEVER his lesson, he was already aware of who he was and already had at least an idea of his identity, BEFORE he went into a relationship with Joey. Joey didn’t CHANGE Pacey as a person; he was already changed or had gone through a transformation when he fell in love with her. And it’s vice versa as well (Joey with Pacey). Damon/Elena are NOTHING like Pacey/Joey and the fact that articles and fans out there have the audacity to compare the two in any way is absolutely both preposterous and ridiculous. We can all have our preferences when it comes to ships on shows/films, but come on people, let’s be realistic here while we’re at it.

Stefan/Elena = Combination Of Dawson/Joey & Pacey/Joey: Now, I’m sure there’s some people who would automatically believe or think that the relationship between Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert on The Vampire Diaries could be or should be compared to that of the relationship between Dawson Leery and Joey Potter on Dawson’s Creek. All I got to say to that is WRONG. The way I see it, Dawson/Joey’s relationship is actually quite (or very) different from Stefan/Elena’s relationship. A lot different, actually. Most people would assume that Stelena’s relationship could easily be compared to D’Jo’s (my ship name for Dawson/Joey) but the fact of the matter is like I said earlier, there are such vast differences between the two relationships. First of all, most people would assume that Stefan Salvatore is Elena’s Gilbert’s “first love”. I got news for those people: HE’S NOT. I don’t know how many more times it has to be said but STEFAN SALVATORE IS NOT ELENA’S GILBERT’S FIRST LOVE. Comprende? I think many TVD fans forget about the character that is Matt Donovan (unfortunately, that’s not a shocker considering that he never gets barely any screen time!). Remember Matt, anyone? <Pauses And Thinks> Yes, him. The guy with the short cropped dirty blond hair and the clear, serene blue eyes, in which Katherine says, quote “his eyes are so BLUE”. Again, yes, that’s the guy. Here are the facts: MATT DONOVAN WAS ELENA GILBERT’S FIRST LOVE. And not only that, Matt is also Elena’s best friend since childhood. Sound familiar anyone? Ah yes, that’s right, the relationship between Dawson/Joey. Dawson Leery and Joey Potter have known each other since they were kids (Clark/Lana are also similar in this sense). If anything, Matt/Elena is most comparable to Dawson/Joey; they share pretty much the same relationship background. Matt and Elena grew up together since childhood, and Matt knows everything about Elena and Elena knows everything about Matt and Matt constantly looks out for Elena. The same goes for Dawson/Joey; they both know everything about each other and Dawson looked out for Joey and supported her because he was her best friend. Because of both Matt/Elena’s and Dawson/Joey’s closeness, they would be labeled soulmates. Now, do I believe that there are first loves that are meant to be together? My answer is ABSOLUTELY, but then again, this is not always the case. But in both cases, they happened to not be “The One” for both female protagonists (in the case of Elena/Matt and Dawson/Joey, although there are still many debates about the latter). Stefan Salvatore came into Elena’s life after she went through a tragic experience, of when her parents were killed in a car accident. Elena felt empty, depressed and she was going through a melancholic stage in her life. It is certain that before her parents accident, Elena Gilbert lived the normal life like every normal 17-year-old teenage girl (just like 15-year-old Joey Potter, I might add) but as bad as this is going to sound, the car accident which claimed the lives of her parents was Elena’s “awakening”, that something very good was going to happen or come in her life. But this “good thing” would also possibly bring some pain along with it. Now, what or who is this “good thing” that came into Elena’s life? That’s right, Stefan Salvatore. Elena Gilbert met Stefan Salvatore for A REASON. Stefan Salvatore is not just any guy to Elena, he’s not just that random 17-year-old guy sitting in the cafeteria with his male buddies and discussing about sports, girls and cars. Stefan Salvatore and Elena’s meeting has a purpose. This is the same thing that I was talking about when I said that Stefan was meant to save Elena Gilbert’s life from that car accident. Why did it have to be Stefan? Couldn’t it have been someone else who found her? Why is it such a coincidence that Stefan was the one to find Elena Gilbert, save her life, watch over her to make sure she is safe and protected, and then join with her on this Earth in the current times, to love her and protect her and also, serve humanity with her at the same time? This is why I say that Stefan Salvatore & Elena Gilbert met for a reason; this is because like Clark Kent and Lois Lane and even Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, THEY ARE DESTINY. Not only did Stefan/Elena meet and were instantly drawn to each other, but they also met in what they call a “destined setting”, which is said to be when true lovers/soul mates/twin soul/twin flame pairings meet in a setting which is both totally unexpected and highly unusual. This describes the way in which Stefan first encountered Elena and then when Elena encountered Stefan. Elena’s first meeting with Stefan (on the TV show) was considered to be a “destined setting” as well, because of the way she met Stefan. She met him in both a totally unexpected way (the bumping into each other out of nowhere and being instantly drawn to him) and then meeting Stefan after coming out of the men’s washroom. How many people meet each other in that unusual and unexpected way, unless it was “meant to be”? I could compare it to the meeting of Clark/Lois on Smallville, with Clark in the cornfield naked with amnesia and Lois’s car getting struck by lightening, causing her to discover Clark naked in the cornfield and both of them meeting one another; destined setting right there, both unexpected and unusual. And we all know that the pairing of Clois is destiny. But I’m going off topic. The reason why I compared the relationship of Stelena to that both Dawson/Joey and Pacey/Joey are because I strongly believe (and I think in a logical fashion) that Stefan/Elena’s relationship has elements of both relationships. Stefan/Elena most definitely have the deep soul mate connection like Dawson/Joey. They both understand each other so well, share the same outlook on life, the same values, morals and beliefs, they are basically like best friends (like Matt/Elena), except Stefan and Elena have not known each other their whole lives. Yet, in such a short amount of time, Stefan/Elena bonded so quickly but felt like they’ve known each other for years, for their lifetimes, like Dawson/Joey because they understand each other so greatly, they “get” each other. But at the same time, Stefan/Elena is not EXACTLY like the Dawson/Joey dynamic either. This is where my comparison of Pacey/Joey comes in. Like Pacey/Joey, Stefan/Elena also share that “oomph”, that extra something something in their relationship that Dawson/Joey didn’t really have. As evidenced (especially on the TV show), Stefan/Elena have many light-hearted and fun-loving moments with each other like Pacey/Joey and even some funny, snarky banter between them, which gives the relationship of Stelena "the adorable factor". Stefan/Elena’s relationship is similar to Pacey/Joey’s in the sense that it is not all or completely serious all the time. It can seem like Stefan/Elena’s relationship is serious (Dawson/Joey) but they also have the fun as well (Pacey/Joey). The main reason why Stefan/Elena’s relationship seems to be so serious is because they are in a committed, solid relatioship which has incredible meaning, purpose and depth but this does not mean that Stefan/Elena have absolutely no light-hearted energy within their relationship, because they do. STEFAN & ELENA'S RELATIONSHIP HAS BALANCE. It may not involve the snarky banter but they do have a playful, lighthearted energy to their relationship (i.e. the beginning scene of 2.06 “Plan B” with Stefan/Elena acting playful in bed, with cute bantering, kissing and cuddling etc). Stelena is a relationship, which is serious, practical, meaningful, deep purposeful, understanding and trustworthy (Dawson/Joey) but at the same time, it is also a relationship, which is fun, light-hearted, flirtatious, playful, charming, sweet, affectionate, spark-full and vibrant (Pacey/Joey). If anyone watches the show in depth, then everyone can see how much Elena smiles when she is around Stefan, the same way Joey smiled a lot with Pacey because they share light-hearted, fun moments together. But at the same time, Elena is also able to engage in those deep, meaningful conversations about self-identity, about life, spirituality etc with Stefan whenever she feels like it, the same way Joey did with Dawson. Now, when it comes to individual characters, like most people would assume, Stefan Salvatore is not exactly like Dawson Leery. The people, who believe so, are beyond ignorant. First of all, Dawson is a human boy and Stefan is a vampire, two completely different species, therefore, meaning two different personalities and natures. Both guys are good by nature and have good intentions with sometimes rather brooding natures (similar to Lucas Scott) but the biggest difference is that Stefan has a significantly more badass, darker side then Dawson (and Lucas). But at the same time, Stefan is such a multi-faceted character, that he even has some elements of Pacey Witter in him as well. Like Pacey, Stefan can be playful, light-heartedly sarcastic, charming, fun loving and adventurous (there have been hints of these qualities in Stefan in the past mentioned in episodes). Stefan Salvatore has a fun-loving, charming and playful side like Pacey does. This is why I believe that the character of Stefan Salvatore is a combination of both the characters of Dawson Leery and Pacey Witter. Stefan can be both serious, responsible, and yes, brooding (Dawson) but he can also be playful, witty and adventurous (Pacey). When it comes to Elena, I wouldn’t say she is like Joey Potter by any means, however, they do share some similarities. They are both the main female characters, heroines and main protagonists of their respective series. Like Joey, when Elena gets angry, frustrated or pissed off (these emotions come out of Elena when it involves the well being of her friends and family), a certain spunk or “fire” comes out of her. In Elena’s case, it is referred to as the “Petrova Fire”. Katherine Pierce and Elena’s biological mother, Isobel, also possess this same quality, because they are all members of the Petrova bloodline. Joey especially becomes spunky, fiery and sarcastic when it involves her personal relationships with her family, friends and yes, even her romantic relationships. Both Elena and Joey have an indefinite spunky, sarcastic side (and Elena does not need Damon to bring out this side, she already possesses it!) except, Joey shows hers more often. Both Elena and Joey have endured the loss of a parent(s) so they understand the concept of grief and loss. Both Elena and Joey are/were looking for safety, security, and stability. Elena and Joey were both not particular “fun-loving” or fun people by nature. They are/were both girl next-door types, “Plain Jane’s” as some people would call it (except, Joey is more of a tomboy who doesn’t think she is beautiful; Elena, on the other hand is beautiful and popular) who were actually somewhat dull and boring; Joey was a tomboy, who didn’t like to play dress up and wanted a normal loving family (something she never really got due to her dysfunctional family life). The same goes for Elena: girl next door who wants a normal life, surrounded by her friends and her family with the elements of safety, security and stability on the side. Both Elena and Joey were faced with incredible drama in their lives but the dynamics of the drama are completely different. Joey’s drama was mostly family-based, because she has a lot of family issues (with the death of her mom, and her dad being a drug dealer etc) and they were also self-identity based, as well as personal relationships-based. Joey Potter has always felt unsure of her inner self, who she is and what she stands for. This is where Joey is significantly different from Elena IMO. Whereas, Joey didn’t really know who she was as a person and struggled with “finding herself”, Elena (both in the novels and the TV series), knows who she is, what she stands for, what her beliefs, values and outlook on life are, etc. Elena has self-identity, she knows who she is and what she wants out of life and she goes for it, because IMHO, she is emotionally stronger then Joey. On the other hand, Elena’s drama centers and focuses on supernatural events within her town but like Joey, her drama is also family-based as well. Except, it’s not only about her dysfunctional family background (her birth mother being a vampire, finding out she is adopted, finding out that she is a descendent (and a doppelganger) of the Salvatore brothers former flame, Katherine Pierce for example, etc) but it’s also about the supernatural events occurring around her and the fact that her personal relationships, such as her friends, family and yes, her own boyfriend, are linked to the supernatural as well (i.e. her best friend Bonnie being a witch, her close friend Caroline being a vampire, the love of her life Stefan being a vampire, an acquaintance of hers Tyler, being a werewolf etc). So both Elena and Joey have/had their share of drama, the difference is that they were inherently different in dynamic. Case in point, Elena shares some similarities with Joey and also, some differences. But individual characters aside, Stelena’s relationship have elements and qualities of both Dawson/Joey and Pacey/Joey, which IMO makes them a healthy, functional (and balanced) relationship. This is why I believe the comparisons of Stelena to Dawson/Joey and Pacey/Joey are legit and justifiable, because Stelena have elements of both ships.

Damon/Bonnie = Pacey/Joey: Now, onto my final relationship comparison: the relationship between Damon Salvatore and Bonnie Bennett from The Vampire Diaries and Pacey Witter and Joey Potter from Dawson’s Creek. Ah, Pacey and Joey, my favourite DC dynamic. When it comes right down to it, Damon/Bonnie are the most comparable and similar to the Pacey/Joey. Many DE’ers out there will probably be groaning with disagreement right about now but the truth is, I could care less. I am making comparisons between the relationships of TVD and DC based on logic and I am also using facts and my brain as well. The problem with most people who support Damon/Elena is that the support the ship with strictly their heart and not with their brains. This is inherently why I believe that many DE’ers lack facts and logic in their arguments as to why DE would be a good couple. Because from what I have seen, (and I have seen a lot across many various forums), none of their arguments make any sense whatsoever. I compare the Damon/Bonnie relationship to Pacey/Joey mostly because of the dynamic between the two couples; they are very similar in nature. But let’s start with breaking down and comparing the individual characters of Damon/Bonnie with Pacey/Joey. Like I have stated earlier, Damon is a very sarcastic, humorous, witty character that often uses all of these qualities to hide his true emotions and feelings, what he is really feeling on the inside. This is similar to what Pacey used to do as well. Whenever Pacey felt unsure of himself or his feelings, he would use his gift of wit to get himself out of hot water. Like Pacey, Damon has a hard time expressing his inner most feelings out of fear of appearing weak or vulnerable. Damon has the constant need to be in control, to look tough and strong and show absolutely little to no vulnerability and this is one of Damon’s weaknesses as a character. On the other hand, Pacey wasn’t the controlling, domineering (and abusive) kind of guy the way Damon is, but there were times when Pacey was rather aggressive and assertive in nature and like Damon, he did have a rather competitive streak. Both Damon and Pacey are somewhat short-tempered and impulsive, and don’t think before they act. And like I said earlier, both Damon and Pacey are/have struggle(d) with their inner self (with Damon finding his “humanity” and Pacey finding his “self-identity” and purpose). So both of the individual characters of Damon Salvatore and Pacey Witter share some traits in common and they also have many differences in character as well. When it comes to Bonnie, her character is just as complex as Damon’s. Bonnie is this normal girl-next-door, who discovers the truth about her ancestry, her background and the fact that she is a Witch. At first, Bonnie is greatly overwhelmed by this and what she is capable of but she is also trying to learn to control her powers, the same way that Damon is trying to control his power, bloodlust and his impulsiveness when it comes to harming innocent humans. Bonnie is comparable to the character of Joey Potter in the sense that both Bonnie and Joey have a similar nature in terms of personality. Like Joey, Bonnie is spunky, fiery, sarcastic, independent, snarky and yes, she can be rather bitchy at times. Joey and Bonnie are also quite misunderstood as characters and individuals. Bonnie is inherently a STRONG female character, like Joey. Although both Bonnie and Joey deep down inside under the strong façade have a sense of insecurity and uncertainty about themselves, especially about their identities and who they are. Joey had issues with trying to identify who she is and what she was good at and Bonnie struggles with her identity as a powerful Witch. The main difference is that Joey is completely human and Bonnie is supernaturally linked, with being a Witch. Like Joey, Bonnie is fiercely loyal and protective of her friends and family, the people she cares about and she would do anything for them. Both Joey and Bonnie can be rather self-righteous in nature and they had/have the tendency to believe that what they believe or think is more often right then not. Bonnie and Joey are both highly opinionated and yes, can be borderline judgmental (Pacey has mentioned that Joey is too opinionated and Damon calls Bonnie “Judgey”). Both Joey and Bonnie have personal issues and drama, except while Joey’s drama was more personal/family relationship based, Bonnie’s is more supernaturally and personal identity based. Now that I have compared the individual characters, I will now compare the dynamic and relationship of Damon/Bonnie to Pacey/Joey and how they are similar/different. Pacey/Joey and Damon/Bonnie, I personally feel, are very similar pairings. If anyone can recall in the beginning of Dawson’s Creek, Pacey/Joey were classified “frenemies”. Pacey/Joey appeared to have been somewhat repulsed by each other and they were constantly at each other’s throats. Pacey and Joey would engage in constant bickering and bantering with each other and they would constantly try to outdo each other with their snarky comments and humor. Both Pacey and Joey shared this in common, the same way Damon/Bonnie do. Like Pacey/Joey, Damon/Bonnie are sarcastic and snarky characters. Pacey/Joey’s bantering back and forth with each other was to basically hide their sexual tension and attraction towards each other. This is the same for Damon/Bonnie. Whereas Damon/Elena’s bickering gives off more of a brotherly/sisterly, sibling vibe, Damon/Bonnie’s banter gives off more of a sexual tension/attraction vibe, similar to that of Pacey/Joey. The smoldering looks, the fiery glances and yes, the playful eye sex between Damon/Bonnie makes them easily comparable to Pacey/Joey. Damon/Bonnie’s banter is playful and it’s sexy and Damon is actually witty and funny (his true personality), when he bickers with Bonnie. However, when Damon banters with Elena, something goes missing, his dark charm and wit are automatically taken away from him and I don’t find that Damon is all that funny when he bickers with Elena. This is because Elena takes the “spark” out of Damon. Like Pacey/Joey, Damon/Bonnie have that “spark”; that certain “fire”. And no, it’s not about just eye sex and intensity, it’s about their (Damon and Bonnie) strong auras. Both Damon and Bonnie are irrevocably strong characters. Damon is a powerful vampire and Bonnie is a powerful witch. Like Pacey/Joey both had to go through journeys and certain experiences in their lives in order to find and come to terms with their individual identities, both Damon/Bonnie “understand” each other because of their supernatural identities, with Damon being a vampire and Bonnie being a witch. And yes, in the beginning, Pacey/Joey eventually did form a strong bond/friendship with each other (after they stopped the playful and flirtatious banter with each other) and they actually realized that they were really attracted to each other and liked each other a lot. Pacey/Joey just used their sarcastic humor with each other in order to conceal their true feelings for each other. And this seems to be the same direction in which Damon/Bonnie are taking in terms of their relationship on the show. Damon/Bonnie could be best described as “frenemies”. They are “friends” in the sense that Damon/Bonnie help each other, but they are also rivals/enemies at the same time. The same way that Joey used to constantly put Pacey in her place (by using her sarcasm and her sharp wit), is the same way that Bonnie frequently puts Damon in his place. The only difference is that not only does Bonnie put Damon in his place using her verbal sarcasm; she also puts Damon in her place by using her powers, her gift of Magic. Like Pacey/Joey, Damon/Bonnie would be a playful and very dynamic relationship, shall Bamon ever happen on the show (and I seriously hope it does, I personally think they would be awesome and entertaining to watch). I have always found Pacey/Joey’s relationship to be entertaining and this is what I feel the Damon/Bonnie relationship will be as well. Damon/Elena are much too opposite in terms of character in order to be in a romantic relationship that is healthy and successful. Damon/Elena’s relationship is not healthy at all. Elena can’t handle a guy like Damon; she is nowhere near powerful or strong enough to put up with Damon. Elena is strong-willed but she is no Bonnie in terms of power and strength. Bonnie is a significantly stronger and tougher individual then Elena. One of the reasons why I think Bonnie would be a great match for Damon is because he needs a strong girl, a girl who is able to keep up with him and a girl who is on equal ground with him in terms of personality, aura and power. Damon likes strong and powerful women (hence, the reason for his attraction to Katherine) and Bonnie fits that category. Bonnie is a good individual with good intentions but she is also rather badass and tough when she wants to be. The same could be said for Damon but it’s reversed. Damon is the bad boy who is powerful, brash, impulsive but deep down he has goodness in him. He just needs the right woman to love him (and ONLY him), accept him, and help bring it (his humanity) out. If I didn’t think Damon/Bonnie were a good match, didn’t have things in common and weren’t compatible, I wouldn’t have compared them to Pacey/Joey. I believe that I compared both of these couples based on logic. I will always believe that Damon/Bonnie would be a strong, fierce, powerful and interesting couple and that is why I support them 100%, both in the novels and in this case, the TV show.

Now, there are still many (and I mean many) who are still debating over whether Joey should have ended up with Pacey (God, even I have friends who are still debating over it). But regardless, this was not a decision made up by the fans (although, they may have had a slight, only a slight influence); this was strictly the writer’s decision. However, I do believe that it was always KW’s decision from the very beginning of the series to have Dawson/Joey be endgame and personally, I didn’t complain because I would have honestly been fine with whether Joey chose to be with Dawson or Pacey because I shipped both couples. With that being said, the triangle of Joey/Dawson/Pacey should NEVER be compared to Elena/Stefan/Damon. Why do I say this? Because the dynamic of Joey/Dawson/Pacey does not involve FAMILY. The triangle dynamic of Elena/Stefan/Damon however, DOES INVOLVE FAMILY and this is where it is totally and completely different, very different. DAMON AND STEFAN SALVATORE ARE BROTHERS FOR ALL OF ETERNITY. The Vampire Diaries’ love triangle is not one to be taken lightly at all or by any means, because it involves the relationship of BROTHERS, it involves a “blood brother bond”. Dawson/Pacey were best friends who looked out for and supported each other since childhood and that is, by no means, a shallow, un-meaningful bond or relationship. But Stefan/Damon are/were not only best friends, but they are also SOUL MATES, who have spent 150+ years with each other, and they are BLOOD; that’s what makes it a whole lot different than the triangle from Dawson’s Creek. There is absolutely NO COMPARISON when it comes to the two love triangle dynamics from TVD and DC. This is why I get annoyed when I hear about people comparing the TWO TRIANGLE DYNAMICS, not necessarily the “minor”, broken down relationships within the triangles. Because to me, not only are the characters and storylines completely different, the relationships and the interactions between the characters (especially the MAIN CHARACTERS), are completely and totally different. The main reason I support the couples of Stefan/Elena and Damon/Bonnie is because I believe that both of these couples are highly compatible and are/would be great matches. I wouldn’t ship them if I didn’t think so, because if I didn’t think so, then it wouldn’t make sense. I ship couples that MAKE SENSE. And I ship with my brain and not just with my heart. Thank you for reading.