Literally one of the biggest reasons I will never buy the take that Klaroline was “just fan service” or “never supposed to be a thing” is the fact that the show was already laying the groundwork before the episodes even aired. Like. Be serious.
Season 3, Episode 11 (“Our Town”) which aired on January 12, 2012 gave us Klaus delivering that whole soft, vulnerable, “there’s still beauty in the world and immortality isn’t a curse” speech to Caroline… and in the SAME episode he gives her a birthday present. Not just any present a diamond bracelet. You don’t accidentally write a centuries-old villain pouring his heart out and handing over jewelry in the same 42 minutes unless you’re deliberately building something.
And then you go back two months earlier to Season 3, Episode 9 (“Homecoming”), November 10, 2011 before he ever saved her, before the bracelet, before the fandom went feral and Klaus literally calls Caroline “pretty” out of the entire room. The camera freezes on her. His eyes linger. It’s not subtle. It’s not accidental. It’s not “oh the writers just reacted to the fans.” The episodes hadn’t even aired yet.
They were hinting at romance. They were planting the seeds. They knew exactly what they were doing.
But sure, tell me again how Klaroline was just “fan service.”
I can't sleep so I'm thinking about klaroline and I think I just realized that Klaus was the only one that acknowledged Caroline's mom's absence during the whole pregnancy and birth. We see Caroline go to her grave and say how she wishes she was there and KLAUS is the only one to say something. She only mentions to Stefan in passing that she went to her mom's grave but it is not about her it's about HIM and making him feel better. And well, Alaric calls one of the daughters Elizabeth. But I don't think anyone said anything about it. Klaus was THE ONLY ONE THAT ACKNOWLEDGED HER ABSENCE. That's crazy. Someone who had just found out about everything and who hadn't seen her in TWO YEARS. He was also the only one to tell her it was ok to want to keep the babies. It was ok to love them. THE ONLY ONE.
Would you please make a rant about your favorite fanfic tropes?
Wow! I didn’t expect to get an ask requesting another rant haha! And about the things I love? Ooh... Alright. Here we go;
My Top 4 [Klaroline] Fanfiction Tropes (why not 5? because I can)
1. Bed-Sharing
I think this may be my all time favourite trope, especially bed sharing where nothing happens. Why? Because the TENSION! I wrote a little bit of it for Psychedelic Kicks, though I would love to write it again later down the line, and nothing really happens in the bed in that scene but it’s just so perfect to feel that itty-bitty amount of space keeping them from making contact. And I don’t even care if there’s no kiss to be had, but if there’s touching? OH MY GOD. Just sweet little touches of fingers brushing against seemingly innocuous areas of the body or noses buried into people’s chests *squeal* (that’s a teaser for the next Psychedelic Kicks chapter - that you will not see for a whiiile). I feel like it’s just the most intimate you can get whether it’s romantic or platonic. There’s a comfort to be had in feeling so...comfortable (yes, I’m a writer, yes I just repeated myself) with a person that you could sleep next to them. I, as a person (as opposed to a robot - what am I talking about?), can seem quite open but when it comes to emotional and physical intimacy that extends deeper than my comfort zone, I let few people in (now, I recognise that’s a personal issue but hey lmao). So sleeping next to someone is just such a beautiful exercise in trust that it will never not be my favourite.
2. Mutual Pining
There’s something about two dumbasses having a crush on each other but lacking so much awareness and being wrapped up in their own crush to notice it’s mutual that gets me good. I wrote a drabble for Giulia called The Most Damning Reason that fits it to a tee (and yes, I’m recommending my own fics in this post). Lack of communication can be a lazy method of inciting conflict but for mutual pining? It just works. Because like I said, both parties are so conscious of their own actions that they can’t even see that the other person feels just as in love with them as they do. There are so many sweet moments to be had in a trope like this because they’re both doing things that they hope the other one will notice and stressing over their actions and reactions in equal measure. When they finally realise that it’s mutual, the happiness is such an overload! I adore it.
3. All Human AU
My favourite movie genre is Romantic Comedy. Always has been. So when I first got into Klaroline, these were essentially the only fics that I would read. I know I know there’s a lot of things that can become a limitation for a pairing like Klaroline when you move them into the AH setting, but if you do it right? OH it’s absolutely heart-destroying. The realist in me knows that romantic comedies will never truly represent the complexities of a real relationship, but it’s so nice to fantasise, is it not? It’s kind of like how...when you play the Sims, you live out all the excitement and idealism that can’t be had in real life (you know, like murdering your sims cheating on a billion different sims making your sim have a billion children building a dungeon under your house to trap other sims living in a mansion). I also really enjoy when a fic creates a good conflict between the pairing in AH because you really have to work with the world around them and it’s a good reminder that humans have flaws. I think when you’re so fixed in the supernatural setting, human mistakes can seem unforgivable but the beauty of human conflict is that one person is not always completely in the right all of the time but people can grow from their mistakes (I’ll stop there because that will turn into a rant about misogyny and all kinds of stuff).
4. Fake/Dating
In the future, when I have things under control, this is my next intended fic. For me this includes a combination of all three of the tropes listed above. So you just have to read the top three points to understand. I will add, however, that this trope allows the deliciousness of affection expressed under the guise of needing to ‘keep up the act’ and I adore it.
Warning: This is a rant after dedicating 9 years to Julie Plec shows.
The upside of The Originals ending is that I am free.
No more Julie Plec shows for this blogger, folks. You must hold me to this. If I even think about turning on Legacies then you must stage an intervention.
I won’t say The Originals series finale was the worst series finale I’ve watched. No, that title will always belong to How I Met Your Mother, but TO comes close! What a hot friggin mess.
Romance and Shippers Are Not Dirty Words
But let’s start with the PR blitz Julie did before the episode aired last night. After building her career off romance and the loyalty of shippers, JP declares 45 minutes before The Originals signs off that “It was never a show that was meant to thrive on romance.”
That’s just stupid.
The Originals has all kinds of shippy ships to ship and Julie Plec milked them for all they’re worth until she decided to kill off 50% of her cast, including the female protagonist of one of the largest Originals ships.
I am really tired of writers using romance to bait and hook viewers, but then arguing the show “isn’t about romance” (like it’s some kind of dirty word) because they don’t have the balls to make an endgame decision. Nor do they want to listen to the complaints of the fans they baited because, GASP, those fans want a happily ever after for their faves.
Writers tell us to fall in love with the relationship, but then are angry when we fall in love. The Originals is about family and ROMANCE, so let’s not argue otherwise because it’s nonsense.
Also, if all you care about is the romantic storyline in a show THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT AND YOU ARE JUST AS MUCH OF A FAN AS EVERYONE ELSE.
I wouldn’t say the finale was without romance. Freya & Keelin and Marcel & Rebakah were allowed happy endings. This is no small victory because the way this woman torpedoes ships these couples were not a done deal by any means.
However, the three largest ships on the show were all but ignored (Klamille and Haylijah) or had the rug yanked from under them (Klaroline).
The Ending
I was spoiled on the ending for The Originals before it aired, but that didn’t make it any easier. It was still a disaster zone. Klaus decides to kill himself to save Hope’s life and Elijah kills himself too because... why not?
If you are a hard core Vampire Diaries fan like myself then you know the original ending Plec and Williamson planned was for both Stefan and Damon to die. They would spend their hereafter looking after Elena living her human life (and she’s married to Matt or someone other rando). So, I couldn’t help but feel this ending was spectacularly lazy and recycled.
I do not have a problem with Klaus or Elijah dying. I have a big problem with both brothers dying. Elijah and Klaus existed in a toxic, co dependent relationship for the better part of a thousand years. Julie decides instead of freeing the brothers from that toxicity, they’ll go all in on joint suicide because family.
The preferable options were:
Option 1) Kill Klaus and Elijah lives
I am not a huge fan of killing Klaus merely because I think it lets him off the hook too easily. Yes, there was character growth with Klaus, to say otherwise is madness, but one or two decent things doesn’t outweigh a thousand years of being a monster. Klaus even asks Elijah in the finale if his sacrificial death makes up for all the years he was awful and Elijah basically says, “Yeah you’re good.”
I disagree, but whatever Klaus dies. I do like the symmetry of Klaus wanting to kill his daughter in the pilot and dying for his daughter in the finale though.
This gives Elijah a chance to find happiness and purpose beyond redeeming his brother. Julie argued they already gave Elijah that story this season and he discovered all roads led back to Klaus. Uhhh... Klaus showing up on Elijah’s door asking for his help to find Hayley isn’t exactly Elijah finding his way back to Klaus, but okay.
This is what drives me nuts about Julie Plec. She acts like all of these choices just happened to her. YOU WROTE IT LADY!!!!! Stop acting like you’re an innocent by stander in all of this. THE CHARACTERS AREN’T REAL AND YOU CAN MAKE THEM DO WHATEVER YOU WANT.
Klaus argued against Elijah dying for Hope because what kind of man would he be if he allowed his brother to die for his only child? Well, I don’t know Klaus, the kind of man who always lets Elijah toe the morality line and do the emotional heavy lifting. Why stop now? (By the way, they could have easily magicked a way for Elijah to steal the Hollow and deny Klaus any say). But yes, I agree, Hope is Klaus’ daughter and he should man up.
If Klaus is going to die then at least give Elijah a chance at real happiness with the woman he truly loves- Hayley. So, let’s not kill her Julie!!!
Option 2) Kill Elijah and Klaus lives
This is my preferred ending. After they killed Hayley, and made Elijah culpable in Hope’s mother’s death, I thought this would be a fitting end for Elijah. He saves Hope’s life, is free of the eternal torment of living forever, spends eternity with Hayley, and sacrifices himself for Klaus’ redemption. This would instill a deep desire in Klaus to be a good guy for the next thousand years.
Julie also argued immortality is it’s own prison and what were we expecting in a show about vampires (meaning - they are all going to die). I agree with that statement in terms of Elijah and Rebekah, but not Klaus. He reveled in his immortality. Klaus loved being the strongest creature on earth. So, death isn’t a reward. In that sense it makes his sacrifice more selfless. However, I would have preferred to see Klaus earn his redemption by using his immortality for good for as long as he used it for evil. And yeah, if Caroline wants to come along, and they make a stop in Paris, I have no problem with that.
Closure
The Originals writers introduced the afterlife just like they did on The Vampire Diaries finale. We were able to see Josh and Hayley in heaven and at peace. However, The Originals did not give us this glimpse with Klaus and Elijah, their two main characters. Julie instructs us to essentially imagine their peace. That’s like stopping at the 1 yard line and telling the crowd to imagine a touchdown. It doesn’t count. JUST CROSS THE DAMN LINE!
At the end of the day, fans want closure from a series finale. They want to know the characters they love are going to be okay. This is why the Parenthood finale remains the best ever. You can have heroic deaths, but leaving the character open ended even after death is a little mean. I don’t think it would have been too much to ask to give Hayley & Elijah fans a scene of them dancing in heaven
or reuniting Klaus with Cami.
But that would make the show too much about romance I guess.
Family
If you want to believe Klaus and Elijah were each other’s happy endings that’s fine, but that’s a tough pill for me to swallow. The Originals was about family, but for most of the series (and their time on TVD) they were people related by blood doing absolutely despicable things to one another.
Yes, they rallied time and again, particularly when it was in service of Hope. I’m not going to say they didn’t love each other or their familial bond meant nothing. I too get warm and fuzzy about “Always and Forever” but there was plenty of toxicity to go around.
One of my beefs with the finale is it sort of glazes over a lot of that. It was more like The Originals: A Christmas Special than a finale. They look at pictures, make wishes and Klaus waxes poetic about how he secretly adored Kol (despite daggering him and generally making his life miserable for a thousand years). I mean... okay? Feels a little disingenuous, but maybe I’m soulless.
The two familial standout moments for me was Klaus saying goodbye to Hope and Klaus apologizing to Rebekah while making sure she can take the cure if she wants. Stellar all the way around. I felt all the feels and those moments were truly earned.
Caroline
So… what was the point of having Caroline on the show other than baiting the Klaroline fandom and ensuring their viewership? Cause I got nothing.
Klaus and Caroline didn’t need closure. They had plenty of that on TVD. Caroline made it abundantly clear she was going to live her life without Klaus, minus a hot up-against-a-tree hookup to get it out of her system. And that’s exactly what she did.
What made Caroline’s presence on The Originals so enjoyable (other than it’s Caroline and she’s sunshine) is it felt like the characters were going somewhere new. We’ve had seven years of Klaus and Caroline dancing around their feelings, but the finale offered more of the same. We get a couple more “if only” moments and a tepid kiss.
Yes, Caroline kept the voicemail. Yes, she enjoyed all the wonders of New Orleans Klaus wanted to show her. Yes, she finally confirmed she cared for Klaus (but anyone who didn’t know that is daft). Yes, Klaus finally earned her respect and had a legitimate shot at a relationship with her for the first time, which makes his sacrifice so noble.
Eh. Caroline already had her noble, sacrifice-it-all-in-the-name-of–family love story (looking at you Stefan).
Everything with Klaus feels spectacularly redundant for her character.
And to not follow through on this line is criminal.
But that isn’t really the reason I’m ticked. It’s Julie Plec’s explanation for why Klaus and Caroline can’t be together.
It would dishonor Stefan.
Look, nobody (and I do mean nobody) loves Stefan Salvatore more than me. I subjected myself to an additional four years of crap storytelling just to make sure Stefan was okay in the end (yeah I know I could have just watched the finale, but I couldn’t abandon him) only for JP to kill my beloved in the FINAL FREAKING EPISODE.
But this “honoring Stefan’s memory” thing is crap.
Stelena Side Bar
Time to get real for a second. (D*lena and St*roline lovers now would be the time to look away). Stefan ended up with Caroline because The Vampire Diaries did him dirty with D*lena and they couldn’t get Nina back for their planned (yeah you read that right) Stelena endgame.
Julie Plec loves to put all the blame for how TVD ended on Nina Dobrev’s shoulders. Yes, Nina left the show and when she left in Season 6 I knew it was game over on Stelena and any hope of a reunion was lost.
I love Stefan, Caroline and their friendship. I begrudgingly got on board with the romance angle because sweet holy Zeus I needed something to be mildly entertained by in Season 6-8.
But let me be clear. Under no circumstances do I favor St*roline over Stelena.
Caroline Dries absolutely could have put Stelena back together before Nina Dobrev left the show. In fact, that was the direction the show was headed. Elena lost her memories of Damon and suddenly she’s taken aback with the gorgeousness of Stefan Salvatore.
(BECAUSE WITHOUT THE FREAKING SIRE BOND SHE STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH STEFAN SO WHY DIDN’T HER LOVE FOR HIM RETURN THE SECOND SHE FORGOT DAMON? OH THAT’S RIGHT IT WAS GOING TO UNTIL THE WRITERS SCREWED ME OVER). The memory loss storyline was going to be to D*lena what the sire bond was to Stelena.
Then all of a sudden the show turns on a dime. Stelena rebuild is over and it’s full throttle on St*roline. The episodes Dries/Plec would have been writing in January (right around the time Nina let them know she was leaving) put Elena rapidly back together with Damon. Then they dance in the street for some inexplicable reason in her final episode.
Kevin and Julie wanted Nina back for the final 16 episodes of Season 8 to put Elena back with Stefan, but she was unavailable. Guess what cupcakes? You had Nina for the same amount of episodes in Season 6. You had a half season, give or take, to rebuild Stelena.
There was absolutely no reason why STEFAN couldn’t have been the one waiting for Elena to wake up. Quite frankly, Damon’s struggle to maintain control would have been a lot more interesting because he would’ve had nothing to lose. Stefan would have focused on saving his brother the final two years of the show, only for Damon to sacrifice himself in the end. Damon would have earned redemption, proved he was finally worthy of Elena, and gave Stefan & Elena their happily ever after, WHICH WAS ALWAYS THE PLAN.
How do you not kill Damon after he says, “Because I am the big brother. I’m sorry I wasn’t better at it until now.” THAT’S THE PERFECT DEATH LINE.
No one can anyone argue to me that Damon was the better man. (To be fair they were both terrible people, but Stefan was far less terrible IMHO.) Damon telling Elena Stefan is the better man before she wakes up makes a hell of a lot more sense than Stefan saying that about Damon, but whatever. The point is, the choice wouldn’t have been Elena’s but Damon’s (rather than Stefan’s) and it’s so freaking perfect I want to scream.
Anyway, back to yelling about Julie. So, she heaps all the responsibility on the ending for TVD on Nina because she loves to straddle fandoms and refuses to make a damn decision. Not that the D*lena ending was anything to write home about. Y’all got screwed over too. One crappy kiss and five seconds of holding hands isn’t exactly the glimpse into their happy life together that y’all deserved. Sweet mother of Moses, the Stelena fandom had a better glimpse of Stefan & Elena’s happy human life in 5x18.
Stelena side bar over. Back to talking about how ridiculous it is that Caroline can’t move on.
2) The Vampire Diaries had a big old conversation between Lexi and Stefan about how vampires have more than one great love because they are fucking vampires and live forever.
This was said after Elena chose Damon (for absolutely no reason other than it was Damon’s turn to get the girl) and Stefan was driving off to Cleveland or something. This was a difficult for me to accept in terms of Stefan’s character because he lived like 150 years without love until he met Elena. She brought him back to life. So TVD arguing that Elena was not Stefan’s only great love was kind of ridiculous, particularly since Elena was still alive.
The only reason JP/Dries wrote this line was to smooth the path for a potential St*roline romance. And why? Because immediately after this scene with Lexi, Stefan drowns in a safe all summer while Elena bones his brother. So, yeah they needed to cook up some hope for his character and, at that point, Elena was SO NOT IT.
So, now that Stefan is dead VAMPIRE Caroline can’t move on? The same Caroline who was Stefan’s second chance at love? Is a basic level of consistency really too much to ask? No it is not.
3) It’s been a DECADE since Stefan died. Caroline can move on because it’s HEALTHY
What an abysmal message to send to widowers. Sorry folks, if you lost your spouse you are suppose to live alone for the rest of your life because falling in love again dishonors your spouse’s memory.
If this storyline was taking place a year or two after Stefan died, then sure I can see the argument for Caroline moving on too fast, but that’s not what is happening here. There was an 8 year time jump. It’s been nearly a decade!!!
Let’s take the vampireness out of the equation as my friend @lipstickandwifi so eloquently said. A woman marries in her twenties and her husband tragically died the day after. She’s now in her thirties and someone from her past, who she always has had a connection with, is back in her life. And her children are almost grown. The answer is: GO FOR IT.
Also, Stefan would never want Caroline to be alone for her immortal life all in the name of his memory. He’d be the first one to say it’s okay to move on.
He may not love her object of affection, but he’s dead so he doesn’t get a say. MAYBE NEXT TIME DON’T BE SO WILLING TO DIE FOR DAMON, STEFAN. I have some anger issues I am still working through.
So, once again Julie Plec is pulling some bs reason and blaming Stefan for the reason Klaroline can’t be together rather than have the lady balls to say, “I didn’t want them to end up together.” Instead, she plays out forty different scenarios in these interviews, each one pandering to a specific fandom and giving them their happily ever after, but “INSERTS NONSENSE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE.” And Julie deflects any and all responsibility in the choices she made.
The Spin Off
The real reason Klaus, Elijah and Hayley all died is because of Legacies. I’d also say that’s the reason Klaroline didn’t end up together too. Julie Plec wanted Elena 2.0 - Hope to be an orphan so she can rehash the same story she told on TVD (complete with love triangle). Julie blames all these deaths on the actors not wanting to reprise their roles. It has nothing to do with Julie’s need to keep collecting a paycheck. Nope, not at all!
Absolutely no one can argue Legacies did not impact the ending to The Originals to me because it did. It’s fact. Julie Plec admits as much in countless interviews. Anything argued to the contrary is a PR campaign to get jilted viewers to watch the next show. I refuse.
2 shows + 263 hours of television + dozens of ships = 0 endgame couples. That's my shipper maths for Plec shows. Congratulations to the ships that survived. The rest of us got screwed over. I end yet another Julie Plec show with booze.
And to the sweet summer children anxiously awaiting Legacies, tattoo this on your heart “DO NOT TRUST JULIE PLEC.”
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Thus, this closes the door on both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. At least I can rewatch TVD S1-S3 (and 4x01 as the series finale). There’s always Season 4 of The Originals too.
Once again we’re hinted on a future between Klaroline. I know she’s moving on from her marriage, but she did feel that connection to Klaus. They have a very strong connection and it keeps being hinted that it’s not over.
Damon once told Elena, “it’s right, just not right now.” Maybe the timing was just off for Klaroline. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t right.
She told Klaus that if he weren’t dying, he could continue chasing her… but I think that was another clue for the fans. He won’t be chasing after her; she’ll be chasing after him.
This proves that she leaves the school in order to do something… a mystery. Hmm, what better mystery than to bring Hope’s father back alive, especially when Hope is without parents trying to find her place in the world. It still just doesn’t make sense why both Elijah and Klaus had to die. And why maybe that was noble to the “family” message The Originals was so big on, doesn’t mean that’ll continue on Legacies. He did die. The bad energy within him is dead, too. Elijah will be happy with Hayley in the afterlife, but Klaus’ story isn’t finished. His sole purpose in The Originals was Hope. And while what he did, proves what an amazing father he is, we’re now entering Hope’s story. She needs her protector. Just saying. And besides, Julie hinted in another article that they’ve brought characters back alive before… like Kol. Davina. Finn. Their mother. Shall I go on? Also, just keep in mind that Klaus didn’t burn after being staked. All Originals burn after being staked with the White Oak… something else is happening, and it’s really obvious if you’re looking closely.
And I truly think Caroline will go out and search for a way to bring him back. Maybe she’ll secretly be doing it the whole time. Maybe in the end of the season he’ll come back. And in bringing him back and working so hard to do so, I think she’ll prove to herself that he was right after all those years: he is her last love.
Everyone’s freaking about Klaus possibly dying in the finale, and some are worried Caroline will too. Let’s do a head count of what we know in the countrary:
- Julie mentioned in the ‘Legacies’ TV Line interview that she wants Candice to reprise her role, saying (in response to whether the audience will see [Caroline] again) “definitely” – even if “eventually” for cameos, but that Caroline is very much “alive” and referenced in the show. Julie went on to tease that Caroline is “absent [from Mystic Falls] for mysterious reasons” after the TO finale.
- Candice and Joseph filmed scenes in the middle of Mardi Gras, and made physical contact: they wouldn’t be able to do this if Klaus were dead (and we know for sure Caroline isn’t / doesn’t die).
- Klaus foreshadowed potential cures for The Hollow magic overseas, saying: “There’s always another way: somewhere written in some forgotten language; in some city lost in lava* likely lies buried the secret to having everything I want – all at once. But I’m not going to find it today. And today is all I have.”
(*City lost in lava very likely refers to Pompeii)
- Klaus and Caroline have a running theme of travelling the world together since their very beginning in TVD Season 3; need I remind you of the quotes, “I’d invite you to come with me but we both know you’re not ready to accept my offer. Perhaps one day; in a year, or even in a century, you’ll turn up at my door, and let me show you what the world has to offer.” [Klaus TVD 3x20] And, “Caroline – I’m standing in one of my favourite places in the world, surrounded by food, art, music ... culture. And all I can think about is how much I want to show it to you. Maybe one day you’ll let me.” [Klaus TO 1x01, deleted scene]
- Can’t remember which cast member said it, but their favourite Haylijah scene was yet to come (in the finale): potentially with them meeting in the afterlife. Not dragging TO writing, but it is possible they may recycle the TVD finale with Stefan dying in Damon’s place, so his brother could live a good life as a redeemed man with the love of his life. Elijah foreshadowed this when he fought with Klaus, “You tell those girls to take me instead, and you will take my life. Your daughter needs you Niklaus.” And he has alluded to his death as atonement for Hayley’s ever since he regained his memories – also, let’s not forget the whole “see you in the next life” stuff.
Anyway. Food for thought!
I think the last to ep really advanced KC relationship, I mean they started the episode bickering and joking like they always do, but very fast it became a very final and desperate situation for both of them. I dont think they would be ready for a kiss if not for this whole mess, and that is what was so great about it, because they both got lost in it, it was the result of this inexplicable need to be close to each other in such a terrible time, they didnt have time to hide anymore +
+ I dont think they can even articulate what they are feeling for each other in words, only that they dont want it to end, so they express that physically. After all this years they are still very unsure and timid about the romantic connection they share, so if Klaus lives, the relief will make them take another step, like a full kiss this time, but Im not expecting declarations of love, I dont think they are ready for that at all. What do you think? ily
HOLY PANDORA’S BOX OF FEELS, ANON. 😭😭😭
(Can you tell I am by no means recovered from the new KC content or this ask? 😂)
Let me start off by saying how much I appreciated the progression of Klaroline in 5x12 because we got a little bit of everything. They started off playful and provoking and light, which is a realm they’ve always flitted in and out of together no matter how fraught the situation, no matter how dire the circumstances, only for the tension to slowly ebb and build into reevaluations and explanations about their past/present - who they once were, what they once thought or did or felt, how they’ve both grown since “a long time ago,” the ways things are different now yet still the same as they always have been - which then culminated into this nostalgic blending of old and new feelings while they attempted to navigate their present distress. (AKA: transferring the Hollow from Hope into Klaus)
Then they tacked on the “time is running out” trope for extra measure, so there’s a sense of urgency that expands between Klaus and Caroline the longer they’re together in the episode. Multiplying tenfold every time they interact. Building and welling up inside of them until they can bear it no longer, desperate to find release in something as small as a look, a word, a touch…
It’s all about Klaus and Caroline allowing themselves to really, truly, feel the connection they share before it’s too late and there’s nothing left except questions that have no adequate answers, you know? I’d argue this is truer for Caroline in particular, though. In the past, Klaus has been more open with himself and her about the depth of his attachment whereas she’s been more prone to denial. Fear, too. So in a sense, since he’s been waiting for her to admit then reciprocate his feelings for a good fifteen years now, it’s more significant for her to unload these pent-up emotions than it is for him.
And although it hurts to watch them digest that ‘this is it; this - right here, right now - might be all we have left together’ finality, I love it because it acts a propellent. It pushes their unresolved feelings to the surface. It forces them both to examine, express, or acknowledge what’s between them in a painfully grasping way they probably wouldn’t have otherwise. With time always on their side before, when or why would they have felt the need to try?
It’s simple: they wouldn’t. Not with such pressing intensity and swirling emotion, anyway.
Klaus’s imminent demise, however, throws them into a “now or never” moment. They’re faced with the choice to either do something or nothing. You can almost hear the words reverberating around them wherever it is they’re tethered together throughout the episode - now or never, now or never, now or never - and how it trods on their hearts with galloping feet. All of those unspoken somethings, all of those beautiful, unexplored possibilities that lie dormant between them–they bubble up with a vengeance. They tick down to zero with the doomsday clock hovering too close in the distance to pluck at emotions they don’t fully comprehend yet but feel with such force and ferocity they can’t ignore them. And, as a result of that, like you mentioned, Klaus and Caroline gravitate toward one another physically.
There are no words.
There are plenty of words to say, of course, but what are the right ones? The enlightening ones? What are the words that will be able to convey in explicit terms what it means if they don’t want this “thing” between them to be over, if they’re not ready for it to end when it hasn’t even had a chance to begin yet? To truly live and flourish?
A kiss becomes the only outlet that would appease the burning behind their eyes. A kiss becomes the only thing that would halt the ‘what if’ and ‘if only” and ‘but I care about you’ regrets clawing them up on the inside without reprieve. A kiss becomes the only way they’d able to show the other how much they want what they’re about to lose, how they want to cling on like hell to something lingering just out of reach.
The fact of the matter is that Klaus and Caroline don’t have any clear answers. Just feelings.
I think their almost-kiss in conjunction with Klaus’s coming sacrifice opened a gulf of revelation for them both. There’s no going backwards from ‘I don’t want to lose you’; and while it’s not something Klaroline say to one another out loud in this episode, it’s overtly implied in their words, in the intimacy of that hovering smooch. That moment was huge for their development because it positioned them on the path where they’re both almost ready to give in to a love that could be. To reciprocate–finally!
(You know, if only Klaus wasn’t about to die at the end of a few more clock chimes. *cries*)
I don’t think Klaroline are at the place for love declarations, either, but I’d argue they’re at a place where they’re starting to accept what they mean to each other and how they might will want to share that in an actual!kiss if Klaus survives. It’s the next logical step. More than that, it’d pave the way for them to be able to be together and to express their love to each other one day when they’re ready. ❤️
Can u please compare klaroline to st*roline and how different Caroline loves them
I’m usually not the one to write those long metas about my OTP comparing them to my NOTP unless I’m asked a specific question I prefer to reblog other people’s. That being said I think I’ve done at least one meta containing the gist of this questions answer. I’ll try and summarise my thoughts and add some links at the bottom.
First I want to start by saying that I don’t think Caroline loves Klaus. I believe she had and has very intense feelings for him, very conflicting confusing feelings for him.
But their relationship wasn’t developed nearly long enough for me to concede that Caroline loves Klaus or is in love with him.
I think Klaus’ love for Caroline is intense, selfish at times
but more importantly, I think Klaus is an important part of Caroline’s development as a vampire because while Stefan may have taught Caroline to cope with her vampirism Klaus was part of her accepting and dare I say, embracing it.
I am firmly in the camp that Stefan never really got over Elena and that his love for her was so strong that he could never have loved Caroline with the same intensity. I believed he loved Caroline, I believed she was his best friend, that he would die for her but I think it was just love, not necessarily a platonic love (although to me st*roline’s dynamic worked so much better when they were brotherly and sisterly) but not an intense life-changing love either.
Caroline rightly pointed out that Stefan treated Elena way better than he treated her in terms of letting her make her own choices and giving her the respect she deserves.
I think this is partly because Stefan has always felt responsible for Caroline (remember that sibling-like bond we talked about?) it’s not an excuse for ignoring her wishes but their dynamic has always been: Caroline is struggling with vampire stuff, Stefan is here to help and vice versa. They’re good friends I don’t think they know how to be in a relationship.
@julieplec
I think for Stefan, Caroline was convenient and Caroline seemed like the next best thing and the right choice but I think they were kidding themselves. Stefan settled for her.
As for Caroline. I think Stefan was her ideal. Stefan was the perfect boyfriend to Elena especially in Caroline’s eyes
he was also the perfect guy in general, handsome, gallant, just, kind, heroic, he didn’t drink from humans if he could help it and he saved her in a sense. He taught her how to cope with vampirism and the morals and survival techniques he showed her, lined up perfectly with her own view of right and wrong.
Caroline is very pragmatic and Stefan by all accounts on paper was the sensible option. Especially after she tried to follow her heart with Tyler who broke it despite the fact that he was supposed to be the love of her life.
Caroline’s always strived for the ideal. She’s a perfectionist, she holds on to the idea that she can craft her world perfectly around her if she tries hard enough. It’s evident in her speech to Klaus in 5x11
The notion of having a normal life and still keeping moral superiority is absurd if you’re a vampire, a fact Klaus consistently attempts to point out to Caroline
and yet Caroline still clings to it and she clings to Stefan because he fits that nice neat framework.
I also think Caroline doesn’t see Stefan for who he is but this idea of him she has worked out in her head. While Elena runs toward ripper!Stefan grabs him by the face and says: I’m here, I accept this. Caroline turns away and says: no this isn’t you, this isn’t the Stefan I know and shuts her eyes and buries her head in the sand (something she can’t and has never done with Klaus I might point out)
Without realizing that gallant, good Salvatore, hero hair Stefan, is one-half of the coin and the ripper is the other. Stefan has many flaws most of which I think Caroline refuses to acknowledge until they become a huge problem in the relationship.
Stefan is complacent and passive in his relationship with Caroline while he was extremely active with Elena.
Idk where full-on, romantic Klaroline would have taken us but romantic!SC was going nowhere fast…
