A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls - By Red Page 0,67
TV series are burdened with a darker dilemma; they must feed on human blood to complete the transformation, or they will die. While the vampires of the books can effectively choose to leave humans alone and live guilt-free, the TV series vampires are likely burdened with the fact that they began their current existence at the expense of human life—possibly the lives of people they care about.
Whoa, Stefan bites Elena in the books?
On a regular basis?
When it comes to biting, the show certainly takes the award for being more painful (and, if we’re honest, probably more realistic). In the books, vampire bites can be savage, with throats torn at in a gruesome manner, but they can also be tender, even pleasant. When vampires feed with a view to 6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 186
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being gentle, they simply leave two holes behind to mark where they’ve been snacking, and—providing the victim is relaxed—it can be a very pleasant experience. Both Elena and Matt give blood willingly in the books and come away from it none the worse for wear. Indeed, Elena and Stefan exchange blood as an intimate expression of love in lieu of sex. Given the vicious nature of bites in the TV series—seen in graphic detail with Caroline’s expressions of pain and the hideous marks left all over her flesh—it’s hard to see blood exchange involving biting ever being something as gentle and romanticized as it is in the books.
You weren't kidding about the book and the TV series being completely different, were you?
Aside from basic character, mythology, and story similarities, the books and the TV series do take very different directions from each other. The biggest reason for this is that the TV
series has more time to expand on the story, allowing for many more subplots and character introductions. If it stuck to the book content alone, then the whole thing would be over and done with in five episodes! Where’s the fun in that?
So the result is that the TV series uses elements from the books—the love triangle between the brothers and Elena, Katherine’s machinations—and introduces its own unique story lines for everyone to sink their teeth into.
Vampire Diaries fans long ago realized that using the books to work out what was going on in the TV series was an 6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 187
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exercise in getting a first-class headache, and TV series fans will also realize that when they read the books themselves.
On a positive note, it does mean that everyone gets to enjoy the books and the TV series without one spoiling the other.
Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it?
That’s not to say that the books have been ignored. As we mentioned, the TV series is littered with all kinds of shout-outs to the novels. The fun is in trying to spot them, from mentions of well-known place names, to key events, to scenes that have been adapted to fit in with the TV series, but are instantly recognizable to fans of the books.
You know, despite al the differences, I recognize these themes love, friendship, family, loyalty . . .
While characters and events differ between the books and the TV series, the themes of love, family, and friendship remain a central focus in both. Though relationships and the events that shape them may be different from what you expected, the core story of Elena’s love for Stefan, her family, and her friends remains intact. It is a story about how love makes people stronger, about how standing together as a family—be it forged by blood or friendship—makes it possible to overcome the darkness. While Elena in the TV
series certainly appreciates the family she has, especially in light of losing her parents, and goes to drastic lengths to protect those she loves from harm and anguish, Elena’s 6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 188
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journey in the books leads her to the realization that her family and friends are what matter to her most, leaving her willing to do anything to protect them from the outside forces threatening the town of Fell’s Church, no matter what the cost.
Both the books and the TV series are also, at heart, a love story between Elena and Stefan—a story of events that tie the two together. Theirs is a love that should, by all rights, be doomed, and yet their passion for each other helps them overcome the odds, and not even death can keep the pair apart.
Welcome to Fel 's Church. We hope you enjoy your stay as much as we do.
Still with us? While delving into the Vampire Diaries book series won’t provide much insight into the twists and turns of the show, you may come away with a better understanding of the old-school Vampire Diaries fandom’s inside jokes, cryptic references, and why certain hints get some of us so excited.
(After all, it’s the book fandom that fueled the anticipation of Tyler’s little secret for months before the first hint was ever dropped in the show, though Michael Trevino himself has certainly reveled in those possibilities from the start.) And, perhaps, it will provide you with a new appreciation for how the TV show has adapted facets of the books into its own unique vision.
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While it took us a while to adapt to the nature of the TV
series, we are as passionate about seeing the story unfold on the screen as any other fan. We hope that you, in turn, will be entertained as you turn the pages of the books and see The Vampire Diaries’ story in an entirely new way.
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reD anD vee are the co-runners of Vampire-Diaries.net, the first fansite devoted to the Vampire Diaries TV and book series. They have been friends for over a decade, having met through their mutual, longtime love of the book series. Now they regularly argue over the TV show and obsess over when/how in the world the Founders got their hands on Emily Bennett’s grimoire. Red hails from the United Kingdom, Vee from Arizona, and they can be found on Twitter at @tvdnews. And they stick by their mantra:
“It’s Stefan, not Stephan.”
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Document Outline
Dedication
Contents
Introduction
Women Who Love Vampires Who Eat Women
Bonnie Bennett: A New Kind of Best Friend
The War Between the States
Ladies of the Night. Unite!
In Which Our Intrepid Heroines Discuss the Merits of the Bad Boy Versus the Reformed Bad Boy with the Help of a Couple of Dead Women Who Know About Such Things
You're My Obsession
Don't Be Fooled by that Noble Chin: Stefan Sucks
Case Notes: Salvatore, Stefan and Salvatore, Damon
Damon Salvatore: Vampire Hunter
Sweet Caroline
Dear Diary...
A Visitor's Guide to Fell's Church
About the Authors