#just because i'm pro delena does not mean I justify or excuse every little thing that happens between them

[buffysummers]

Hi! As someone who has watched TVD and BtVS as well, how do your opinions of Damon and Spike differ on a general level? I’ve seen many similarities between the two characters, but notice that you are strongly anti-spuffy and pro-delena and I guess I’m just curious at what makes them so different in your opinion! Love your blog btw!!

Hi! I don't really see a lot of similarities between Damon and Spike. They're both vampires, they both rock a lot of leather, they're both sarcastic. But that can be said of a lot of characters. For some reason, both fandoms are so hung up on this idea of Bangel=Stelena, Delena=Spuffy, Angel=Stefan, and Spike=Damon... simply because Julie Plec is a huge Buffy fan and both shows are about vampires. Does the TVDverse rip off a lot from the Buffyverse? Is it influenced and inspired in a lot of ways? Absolutely, but that does not mean they're the same. Also I want to point out that in no way does Buffy=Elena, and that's a massive distinction considering they are the two women involved with these dynamics.

You can draw comparisons between these four dynamics only on a surface level, in that Bangel are soulmates, and the show makes the claim that Stelena are soulmates. Elena and Damon start off as "enemies" (I use that term loosely because I don't ever really consider them enemies. Stefan sure wanted that, though) and Buffy and Spike start as enemies. Delena and Spuffy both fall into the same romantic trope of enemies-to-lovers (and I use the word "lovers" very loosely in terms of B/S), but so do so many dynamics. That does not automatically mean they're the same. This is a popular trope for a reason.

I watched Buffy way before I watched the Vampire Diaries, and I watched TVD as it was airing. I never saw the comparisons between Delena/Spuffy, although I did notice some between Bangel/Stelena. Bangel is just an incredibly influential couple though so it's not unusual for couples to be influenced by that dynamic, especially concerning vampire fiction.

If you're looking for a more in-depth analysis, my good friend @sulietsexual has written some amazing meta on this topic. I don't really have the energy to just reiterate what she says but I agree with most of - if not all- of her takes on this topic.