The CW has produced hit after hit TV show. The public was blessed with the 2000s teen show One Tree Hill. Gossip Girl impacted pop culture in a huge way, while propelling stars like Blake Lively into the celebrity stratosphere, and Riverdale is probably the hottest teen show on TV right now.

Oh, and The Vampire Diaries, a show I’ve just finished, was also a pretty big hit.

The Vampire Diaries arrived at just the right time. In the fall of 2009, the world was already a year deep into the vampire/supernatural mania the release of the film adaption of Twilight had created. People had the hots for all things furry or undead.

The premise of The Vampire Diaries is centered on a teen girl, Elena (Nina Dobrev), who is torn between two vampire brothers, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). The show was built around Elena as she is the character viewers( particularly teen girls) can relate to. But The Vampire Diaries was never truly about Elena-at least not entirely.

Some may counter this argument considering the show fell apart once Dobrev made her exit at the end of the sixth season , but the reality is that the show was on the decline starting in Season 5, which can be attributed to the writers’ lack of ideas and need to squeeze every single story out of this series until it died-the usual for many TV programs. The show suffered without Dobrev, but this could be chalked up to the fact that viewers were just used to her, she was like the icing on an already delicious cake, and the brothers had nothing to fight over anymore. However, the multi dimensional show was more than about the love triangle, and as time progressed, Elena’s choosing Damon was no longer a source of tension. As the tension diminished, Elena’s role became less important, just as her doppelgänger Katherine’s had once the Salvatores came to detest her.

Truthfully, Elena wasn’t that interesting of a character either , or more so she was overshadowed by Mystic Falls’ resident vampire brothers. The Vampire Diaries was always about the brothers. It was their bond, their relationship, and all of the centuries worth of conflict created between them that was the real love story and premise of the show. Their love was truly unconditional and was the only one that remained constant. Sorry to all of you Stelena or Delena shippers.

Damon and Stefan fight plenty, but at the end of the day, they can’t quit each other. They hurt each other too, but even Elena couldn’t tear them apart. Damon is all Stefan has and vice versa. When Stefan first became a vampire, he made Damon turn too because he didn’t want to be alone. When Damon was fighting in the Civil War, all he could think about was going back home to his little brother, and he often took his father’s beatings to protect Stefan.

Love is also about sacrifice, and both brothers made plenty of sacrifices for each other because of their undying loyalty. Stefan became Klaus’ puppet, and Damon let Stefan have Elena even though he was in love with her too

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One scene that I thought showcased their love really well was the moment in Season 6 after Damon returns from Kai’s prison world. “Wait” by M83 is playing, and Stefan looks so excited to see his older brother that he thought he’d lost forever. When they hug, my heart can’t take it; the brotherly love is just so beautiful and pure.

And in the series finale when they reunite, I can’t help but smile.

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Forever in my feels,

Myah