The Vampires in The Vampire Diaries aren’t just ridiculously sexy undead creatures who drink blood. They’re faster and stronger than the average human being, and they have super hearing. And yes, they burn in the sun (or, most of them, anyway.) But what is it about these particular vamps that makes them so…compelling?
People in my life can not believe I watch TVD. And they’re right. There’s a lot of pretty gruesome violence that goes on in the show. As a highly sensitive person, I’ve always steered clear of strong images and especially violence, because it affected me too strongly. A single image from a movie could give me nightmares for weeks. So how on earth can I manage The Vampire Diaries? And why do I love it so much?
I’ll keep the answer to how I can tolerate all the violence for a later post. For now, let’s talk about my favorite theme in The Vampire Diaries: Heightened senses. Everything is magnified. Vampires experience everything to the extreme – and I relate to this on a deep level.
1. Senses are heightened.
2. Senses operating at super-speed.
Sometimes we can really be uncomfortable in our own skin.
3. Anger becomes rage.
There are good things and bad things about being a highly sensitive person. It’s usually not a cake-walk, and we don’t exactly get the benefits of super-strength and speed.
Beautiful things are more beautiful.
You live more intensely. Love more powerfully.
Anger becomes rage.
When you’re sad, you’re in despair.
Grief, loss…can cripple you.
4. It sucks.
Sometimes just the fact that we feel can really suck.
5. We don’t do anything half-speed, and that includes falling in love.
6. Don’t underestimate the allure of darkness.
It’s so much easier to fall into the darkness, to give in to the part of you that wants to be numb and shut down.
7. Sometimes the trivial things are not so trivial at all.
Like getting out of bed.
(Note to TVD fans: yes, I realize nobody in this particular quote is a vampire. You know what I’m trying to say.)
8. One minute I think I’m fine, the next minute I feel like I’m dying.
Life can feel like a roller coaster, constantly flitting between extremes. We want to be okay so badly, but things can change so fast, and something as simple as the temperature in the room rising a few degrees can make us want to jump out of our skin.
9. So sick of crying.
And it’s not always from sadness or anger, sometimes I’m crying from allergies, or tiredness, or because someone is talking to me and that’s making me anxious even though inside I feel fine.
10. We. Feel. Everything.
Oh, man. What I wouldn’t give to be able to flip my humanity switch some days.
11. Sometimes hope really is the only thing that keeps me going.
12. There are times when it seems like all you feel is pain.
13. Fear of regressing.
Always standing on the edge of the pit you just climbed out of. The pain being with you all the time. The fear that one day you’re not going to want to fight anymore. Yep. Been there, Stefan.
14. It’s completely normal.
TVD also offers answers and affirmations. First: Your emotions are heightened. I promise you it’s completely normal.
15. Keep fighting and remember you’re not alone.
16. Accept yourself exactly the way you are.
17. Once you can hurt, you can love.
And sometimes we have to ask, what is the point? What do we gain from all of the pain we feel? What’s the point? And here’s Lexi with an answer: Love. That’s the point.
18. You tell yourself that you’re strong enough.
And what do we do? How do we get through a day when everything is extreme, regular city noise can be deafening and a faint winter sun can blind us?
You tell yourself that you’re strong enough.
And you make friends who are there to remind you in case you ever doubt it.
19. Don’t sit back and wait for the good parts to happen. But forgive yourself for trying to be happy during the bad parts.
20. But at the end of the day, we would never trade places with someone else.
I love this show. I love both of its spin-offs. I hope it lives at least as long as its oldest characters.
Liora Sophie 