Damon & Elena Article: Ian, Nian, Delena and Bamon

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posted by delenasalvatore

I remember when the first unofficial pictures of 'Nian' emerged in 2012, in Paris. They looked so beautiful, so perfect together. I envied Nina. It was difficult not to, when she had everything. What made it worse was that I was going through something very painful in my own personal life, so...while other Delena fãs oohed and aahed over Nian, I never really could. I didn't mind looking at pictures of them and stuff, but even that was hard sometimes. I told myself that at least it was good for the show and for DE, and I just hoped that Nian would be a couple for a long time.

Today, no longer envious of Nian's love, I just feel extremely sad. I don't tend to follow celebrity gossip much, but I have to say something about Nian and Delena. I know the two are not connected, but for other fans, they were. They even had a name - 'Delenian'. Should the Nian break-up have an impact on the show, or on Delena? No, but it seemingly has. Now I want to make this clear: I am NOT hating on Ian or anything like that.

Various entertainment sites would have us think that the break-up between Nian has left Nina and Ian in a bad place, and while we should never completely believe what they say, even if it's not true, then it's bad because it casts them both in a negative light. But in interviews Ian has given recently, he seems unable or unwilling to talk about either Elena or Nina. Sure, he'll still talk about Delena - but it's not the same. In an interview for mtv News he talks about Candice, Kat and Bamon...but not Elena. link

"Kat and I actually have amazing chemistry on set and on the show because we share the same atuação coach...So there's a lot of weird, awesome, secret communication between Kat and I as actors.
And actually, probably one of the reasons why you don't see Bonnie and Damon together very much is because I don't think the powers that be want there to be much of a Damon and Bonnie storyline, or chemistry, because it takes away from what I guess is supposed to be, or what people think is supposed to be, which is this whole Damon and Elena thing. I'm excited for Damon and Bonnie to have a relationship that is super-layered and heavy."

Can I just reiterate: I AM NOT HATING ON IAN. But he DID say these things, and we have to deal with it, and also maybe work out why he said them.
I felt completely crest-fallen after I'd read this. I felt angry. I felt hurt. I felt betrayed. I felt sad. Is it any wonder that the Bamon fãs can read this and be like "Yes! He's on our side!"? One Bamon shipper wrote that Ian's 'contempt for Delena just shines through.'
I highly doubt that Ian is 'contemptuous' of Delena - in the same interview, he also says that he thinks Seasons 1 and 2 were the best, (and in my opinion, Seasons 1 and 2 had some of the best DE scenes ever.) Now, you might not agree with me, but I suspect Ian is trying to distance himself from Delena and there could be many reasons for that. It might be because of Nina. It might be because DE fãs don't support his new relationship with Nikki Reed and have been very vocal in their dislike on social network sites. It might be because he feels weird now that his ex makes up one half of a (very big) TV ship. It might be because he doesn't want to give people the impression, in case anything good he does say about Nina will be taken the wrong way, and make them think they're getting back together. Whatever the reason, I think it's becoming mais and mais clear that Ian doesn't feel comfortable talking about Delena, or at the very least, doesn't want to give them glowing reviews. Unfortunately, he's ultimately letting DE and Bamon fãs alike think that whatever negative thing he says about DE is a reflection of his hostility toward Nina. In Bamon's case, he's also feeding into whatever prejudices they already have about Delena and Elena and Nina, and thereby making them believe that 1) their ship will happen now and 2) that Ian ships Bamon and 3) that Ian never shipped/liked Delena anyway and 4) that 'Nian' was just a big PR stunt to make DE fãs excited etc. I think Ian wants to divert people's attention away from DE. How? por talking about Bamon.

Ian and Kat don't have any weird stuff going on between them, and they share the same atuação coach, so it's almost inevitable that Ian will feel happier and mais at ease talking about Bamon and Kat, than he does talking about DE and Nina. You could even argue that por composição literária a Bamon friendship into the story has helped to take some pressure off Ian and Nina, if indeed things are so very bad (so they don't have every scene together). That's not to say that Ian ships Bamon or wants them to happen as a couple - although at this stage, if he were to say that, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. One thing I do know - Ian IS right about one thing - if Bamon were to actually happen at this point in the story, after everything, then yes, it would take away from what is 'supposed to be', and that's the 'whole Damon and Elena thing'. The 'Powers That Be' are right about that.

HaleyDewit and teampetrova like this

carambolas I think you made some good points though I don't agree with everyting you said. But I do think it's nice to read something rational & respectful about this issue at this spot so thanks for that :) I think the main reason Ian wants to differentiate himself from DE is the fandom to be honest. I don't think he has a problem with Nina. People with DE icons send him & his fiancee (plus everyone around him) so much hate on twitter & instagram, even dead threats every day that I wouldn't blame him for not wanting to talk about DE all the time. I was just on twitter & was disgusted about the things people with DE icons were saying to him. I also felt the need to differentiate myself from people who are just bullies. I don't want to be associated with people who send dead threats to anyone. I'm so disappointed I thought DE fans were better that that. All these hate accounts have so many followers on twitter that just makes me so sad. Also when Ian does talk about DE, some fans twist it around to make it about Nian, so I would think it's easier to just not talk about it that much. Also I don't think he's really been asked about DE a lot lately, since they are not the main storyline on the show right now. But Ian has been talking about Bamon since season 2 and how he wantsto work more with Kat, so that is really nothing new. But I do think it's easier for him to talk about Bamon than about Delena. Every single thing he says about Delena is but under a microscope & twisted around in 10 different way. But I don't think Ian has ever been nothing but professional about anything on the show. He respects & appreciates all of his fans more than anyone.

xoheartinohioxo The thing that i question is, does Ian realize how disrespectful and condescending he sounds towards "the powers that be"?? Looking specifically at this part of his quote- I don't think the powers that be want there to be much of a Damon and Bonnie storyline, or chemistry, because it takes away from what I guess is supposed to be, or what people think is supposed to be, which is this whole Damon and Elena thing. To me that reads so heavily of as Ian basically saying, "Well tptb are purposely withholding scenes for this pairing, even though I THINK THEY ARE AMAZING, because they want to force what some stupid fans think is the better pairing, which is fucking Damon and Elena. It was okay when Nina and i were dating and i loved her, but now that I'm engaged to an insecure fame whore, I'm going to act like Delena is the worst thing ever and ignore the fact that i used to promote them heavily and obviously supported their relationship!" Maybe I'm being a bit bitchy, but with the nasty things he's said - such as his Viagra comment in regards to Delena love scenes - i honestly see it that way. He's turned into a rude, unprofessional douche of a man child in my opinion. He fucking FIGHTS WITH KIDS/TEENS ON INSTAGRAM FOR FUCKS SAKE! All because they refuse to worship his precious fiance.

xoheartinohioxo I'm sorry Carambolas, but I've got to strongly disagree with most of your comment. Especially the last part: But I don't think Ian has ever been nothing but professional about anything on the show. He respects & appreciates all of his fans more than anyone. Making comments insinuating that he needs VIAGRA to act out love scenes with Nina... that's incredibly unprofessional, not to mention DISGUSTING. Plus, he flat out told his Instagram followers that if they don't love/support his relationship with Nikki, they don't really love/support him! :O That's such bullshit, and it's NOT respecting or appreciating his fans at all. There were/are LOTS of fans that never shipped/supported Nian, yet they weren't accused of not being real fans and not truly loving/supporting him! I don't really go on Twitter much so maybe it's just some phenomenon over there, but i NEVER see Nian/Delena fans sending death threats. I find that to be such a load of BS. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to see that it's mostly a case of fake "fans" trying to make real Delena/Nian fans look bad. It's happened many times before...

carambolas It's cool, we don't have to agree, just stating my opinion :)I guess if you don't go to twitter much you won't know of the amount of hatred & disgusting/vile things said under every pick of Nikki/related to Nikki that Ian posts, It just doesn't stop, it's under every single one of Nikki's instagram picture and so on. And it's always from Nina/Nian/Delena fans. Real Ian fans would never write such horrible things about the person he loves. Definiitely not to make anyone else look bad.I think what Ian was trying to say is just you don't really love him if you don't respect his relationship. That is all & that comment was after all the hatred he sees everyday. It was justified. What annoys me is that Nina always gets a free pass. She has made fun of Ian on several cases, said she prefers Matt/Elena just recently. Also on the TVD bloopers video she obviously was saying she was uncomfortable kissing Ian. Why is she not unprofessional when she says thing like that? There are always different rules for Ian & Nina. Ian jokes around alot and gets asked the same questions over & over again on cons..I don't think he knows what new to say anymore and then he makes bad jokes, But he shoudln't be crucified for it. Ian does respond to REAL fans too and appreciates the love & support form them, More than anyone I've seen. Everyone who has ever met him says how wonderful he is. But the hatred on twitter/insta is an everyday occurence for Ian & Nikki. And blaming it on fans trying to make look Nina/Nian fans is just ignoring it. It's not okay. Do you think it's okay to talk about Nina/nian under every Ian/Nikki picture. How she is so much better for him & Nikki should just die.Not to mention how Ian doesn't really love Nikki, how ugly & awful Nikki is & so on. Some delena fans were hoping for Ians marriage to fail, for Nikki to get a miscarriage & for them both to get cancer. And many people retweeted those comments. This is going on.. I hope you don't think that's okay?

delenasalvatore @carambolas, Thanks for commenting. It may well be that certain fans of the DE fandom are annoying Ian, but he shouldn't generalize them and assume that ALL DE fans are the same. Some DE fans are not Nian fans, (I wasn't particularly), and maybe he should keep his personal life private on places like Twitter and Instagram. I'm not making excuses for anyone in the DE fanbase who send Ian and Nikki hateful messages on social media - but I sometimes feel like some sections of the DE/Nian fandom are just extremely riled about Ian and Nikki because he never resorted to posting pics of his relationship when he was dating Nina on social media, or talked openly about their love life. And there's the fact that he and Nikki seemed to happen quite fast. I don't know, I just feel like maybe Ian should have been more careful about his new relationship when his romance with Nina was practically an institution. I'm not laying all the blame on him - I know there are some super nasty people out there, but when you're in Ian's position, you need to be aware that not everyone is going to love everything about you and how you live your life. Before Twitter and Instagram were created, there was a lot more distance between celebs and their fans. Now the celebs are practically inviting people in to be a part of their lives and to give an opinion on it. Not everyone's opinion is going to be good. Yes, Ian may have said he wants to work more with Kat in the past etc, but he never went overboard on the "BAMON! Holy cow! They have such AMAZING chemistry, and it's a DARNED shame the powers that be won't allow it because of those pesky DELENA fans!" Whenever Ian was asked about Bamon in interviews, I was always under the impression that he was just being polite, but he was never that invested in it, and he always said great things about DE that made you think he really cared about them and understood the dynamic. That seems to be totally missing nowadays. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I kind of do think Ian has a problem with Nina. He was always very supportive about DE at the beginning of the show. It makes me wonder why they broke up. Everyone assumed it was because Nina didn't want to get married, but you would hope, if that was the case, that there wouldn't be all this hostility between them. You would hope they could still be friends. But that doesn't seem to be the case at all and it makes me wonder why.

teampetrova Hey! Thanks for that great article :) I agree most of you said. I believe Ian is being unprofessional & nasty with his attitude towards DE fans. I understand he is in a difficult situation and some DE fans are really hateful and illogical, but he shouldn't consider the whole fan base as mean and cheap people and bullshit about our ship. I'm not saying Nina is completely innocent, but at least she isn't so rude in her interviews. I was really upset when they didn't appear in PCA, it was a great disrespect towards us. I've never been a hardcore Dobrevic/Somerholic/Nian shipper so I think I'm objective about this subject. I'm hoping actors' private lives will stop affecting the show and we can just enjoy our ship.

loveofdelena look, everyone has the right to express his or her own opinion, im not disputing that. but ian seriously needs to consider the consiquences of his actions here, ian is a wonderful guy, and so lovely towards his fans, but he has to understand and be very aware of some of the things he says reguarding nina and delena, can be taken severly out of context. delena is a very loved and respected ship to most of the fandom, and to hear the actors of all people hating on it, is very hurtful. and it wont go down well with the fans who love and support it dearly. if ian, or any of the cast for that matter, has a problem with the fans, and how they are handeling certain situations. then the most appropriate option would be to IGNORE them, which for ian, would be the sensible thing to do. but instead of doing this the mature way, ian is feeding the trolls by awnsering back to them. and what irks me more, is that he is allowing his private life to take centre stage, and his biest opinions on certain ships in the show to cloud his judgement. im so dissapointed in him, i really thought that he knew better than that. and yes, i understand that he is probably lashing out at the fandom for not surpporting his relationship with nikki reed, but that is absolutely NO excuse to take it out on delena and nina. and yes, i know that nina is no saint either, she has done her fair share of insulting, so she is just as bad at times. but as teampetrova said, nina is never rude in her interviews, and weather ian likes it or not, not everyone is going to pleaseed with his perspective of what a healthy loving relationship is. and that just the way it is. if you cant stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen, its as simple as that. and i can certainly understand people who dont feel that a relationship were two people, who have only known eachother for a short amount of time, and completely out of the blue, anounce that they are engaged, can ever work out. its so beyond rediculous, that its not even funny.

HaleyDewit Honestly, I don't care if Ian and Nina are at odds with each other, as long as I don't see it in TVD. They OWE us! Whatever the fans have said or done, it's because of us they even have a job. When a restaurant has no customers anymore, they need to shut the place down. When a show loses its biggest fanbase, they better call it quits. Ian (and Nina) should consider that before playing with and lashing out at us.

delenasalvatore Thanks for commenting guys. @teampetrova and @loveofdelena, I agree that the best thing Ian can do is ignore hateful comments instead of getting involved in it, and I'm wondering if one of the reasons why he's being so off-hand about DE in interviews lately is because he has some kind of grudge against DE fans. Maybe he is resentful, because when he was with Nina, everyone supported them and he never had to deal with this amount of fall-out, whereas he and Nikki aren't popular, and he thinks that DE fans just see him and Nina and DE as the same thing, and he's very bitter about it. @HaleyDewit, well, it kind of bothers me that in this interview, Ian is being so condescending about DE and implying that he thinks Bamon's chemistry rocks, but how people never get to see much of it because the producers et al are forced to pander to Delena fans. If Nina and Ian are at odds with each other on the show, then that would be one thing, (at least we would never see it), but to make unchivalrous comments about one of the biggest fanbases on the show who has done nothing to support him is completely out of order.

HaleyDewit Well, that's what I meant when I said Ian and Nina should consider the fanbase instead of lashing out at us.

carambolas I don't know why people aren't focusing on the fact that he always has time for fans, travels all around the world to meet fans/goes to all the conventions. He is always so thankful for his fans. He always appreciates his fans & shows them so much love. He even responds to haters with kindness & respect. He handles the haters with maturity. He tried the ignoring at first but it just got worse. How on earth could anyone thing that ignoring this level of bullying would be the best choice? He has every rights to stand against bullying. He is also pretty much the only one in the cast that is still promoting TVD & doing all the interviews, why is that never discussed. He always says that he is happy so if you are his fans you should be happy for him. I know everyone can't be happy for him but if you are his fan, you should respect him & his choices, even if you don't agree with them. FYI Ian hasn't lashed out at all & hasn't bashed all of the DE fandom. Ever. Also I don't believe that DE comment from Ian was from an official interview? DE'rs are bullying Ian & Nikki relentlessly on social media.. do people here actually justify the bullying with...well he put his life & love out there, he should be prepared for the hate???????! Bullying is never okay. Period.There are no justifications for sending dead threats, hoping someone will get cancer, ebola,, miscarriage, divorce (plus always tagging them with the hate messages)... There just aren't. Sorry for ranting I'm just disgusted about the things that I see people with DE icons posting...every day. I love Delena & I hate seeing their fans getting associated with that kind of carbage. And I hate coming to the Delena spot here & seeing people bash Ian & his relationship with Nikki. Could we maybe keep the comments/rants about Ians relationship, professionalism and stuff like that in the ranting threat?or in this articles section? I mean off the delena wall in the future? Things like I'm upset that Ian said this and so on..? So people who just want to come to this spot for Delena don't have to see that kind of things on the delena wall? Would that be possible? I really hope so cause I would love to keep coming to this spot.

delenaluv well my opinion is don't bite the hand that feeds you! i don't really care what his reasons or excuses are as far as his behavior and recent comments regarding nina or delena. he and his bride to be can get all the hate comments in the world and that still shouldn't give him the right to lash out and be ungrateful to the fan base that gave him whatever relevance he has as an actor or make such rude comments about his ex costar girlfriend he was with for 3 years! does he think that bringing that WHORSE (and i say that because i have a right to my opinion) to TVD cons is gonna make anyone like her more? he says to separate reality from fiction when he can't even do that himself! he says he wants privacy and respect and then takes her where she doesn't need to be. he goes to all these cons cuz he gets paid NOT just out of the kindness of his heart..let's be real! TVD fans pay big money to go and NOT to see his fauxancee! don't say pre nikki that life immitates art and delena make each other better to damon is not real and bamon had such crazy chemistry that they had to cool that shit down in the beginning. WTF is he even talking about when the reality is that kat graham stated that she didn't even like ian in the beginning and that KW even stated that d/e's chemistry was so undeniable that they tried to cool and slow it down by damon snapping jeremy's neck! BTW, if damon isn't real, then don't sign ur posts ian/damon cuz that just might confuse us idiots! when you date ur ex's good friend..and i said good friend cuz she was more than just an acquaintance of nina that met only 4 or 5 times in life! WTF is he even talking about? that skank and her ex went out with ian and nina and they've hung out just the 2 of them and nikki even went to nina's b-day parties every year. an "acquaintance" doesn't do that. then that whole if u don't love her u don't love me bullshit..seriously..how old is he? if him and nina didn't work out fine. be with someone else..but when that someone else is ur ex's good friend then be prepared for the backlash. the more he shoves her down our throats the more it will backfire.and then talking trash about nina, not appreciating the fanbase that won u 3 awards by down playing the fucking 6 year relationship buildup and COMPLETELY changing ur stance on delena AFTER nikki enters ur life is NOT gonna get him anywhere. for christ sake nina's mom is always praising him and what does he do is return.. say shit like he needs viagra to do scenes with her daughter. who the fuck is he kidding? last paley fest he couldn't keep his eyes off her tits and now he needs pills to get into character with someone he supposedly loved for 3 years! but i'm sure nikki's insecurities are something that ian needs to help her get over by talking like a dick! let's see after s7 when ian has nothing but free time and his foundation and looses whatever relevance and fame as an actor he has how long it takes nikki to bolt. too bad for paul he wasn't more successful for her to not have left him. IMO she is and was nothing more than an extra in a shitty movie franchise that's over! maybe her 3rd marriage before she is 30 will be her last. like they say..3rd times the charm!

loveofdelena To be honest with you, I couldn't care less about his relationship. I've excepted it, the very thought of it makes me want to vomit so bad, but I have excepted it. It is what it is. But what I can't stomach, is his praising of that insignificant shitty crack ship, and his hurtful insults towards delena. And his Viagra comment about Nina, i know he's angry but that was completely out of order. I expected better from ian of all people. I mean he used to praise Nina like there was no tomorrow, what happened to that ian? I wish so much that he never got with Nikki reed.

loveofdelena I cant stand the thought of somerreed. But I would NEVER wish cancer or miscarriage on a couple no matter how much I hated them. That initself is absolutely sick, and disgusting. And these trolls should be so ashamed of themselves.

delenasalvatore @carambolas, I'm really sorry you're upset, but yes, that comment from Ian was alas, from an official interview dated March 12th, 2015, for MTV. I personally don't care about Ian and Nikki, his relationship with her is his business, and I would certainly never say any kind of trolling or hate comments were OK in any situation, because it's not. But I can't stand the way he has suddenly gone from being understanding and sympathetic towards DE to being pro-Bamon, and 'Delena is meh because I don't love Nina anymore/Kat Graham totally rocks, it would be such a riot if Damon were with Bonnie instead'. Maybe Ian and Kat are good friends now, but that wasn't always the case. At the beginning of the show, they never even followed each other on Twitter as I remember it, and furthermore, when Nian were very much a couple. Kat actually PRAISED them, and said they were good people. But Ian hardly ever went out of his way to flaunt his romance with Nina on social media - in fact, both of them did their utmost to keep a low profile. They attended red carpet events together and so on, but for most of the time, the paparazzi followed THEM. In the early days before Nian became public and fans suspected something was going on, they pretty much had to do detective work to figure it out. Again, I'm not saying Ian and Nikki deserve getting hated on by Nian fans, but perhaps they could have been wiser about it before putting their relationship out there.

loveofdelena Sorry but I've got to agree. Him and Kat used to not get on well. What changed?

loveofdelena ian needs to seperate his real life from his on screen life. and focus all his energy and emotions on delena, and only then will he be able to concerntrate on the show in peace. and as for his comments about wanting bamon to be together??? really ian, really???? you couldnt have decided this a few years back before delena began their relationship? you just had to decide it now?, when your character and nina's are in a firm and solid true love relationship??? im sorry ian, weather you are pissed off with us fans or not, do you really have to be so dilluded as to want such an underdeveloped, and insignificant crack ship to happen?? seriously?? so one minute you are all for delena, and now that you and nikki are togther, its all about bamon for you??. well, all i can say to this, is be prepared for for utter dissapointment. and please dont be so ignorant when you know quite well that delena are a done deal. infact it doesnt even need to be justified. delena is SO endgame, its not even fiunny. you say that bamon have amazing chemistry, and that you dont think that delena will happen, well here are few pointers that i think you should and need to consider when you are speaking of the onscreen relationships... 1: BAMON- little to no development whatsoever. hardly ANY scene's or stories togther at all, and no, a few episodes, and a couple of friendly scenes together, does not equal true love and soul mates material. 2: bamon- no romantic chemistry whatsoever. delena- HEAPS of romantic chemistry. 3: bamon-no strong solid base to form a realtionship at all. delena- strong and solid friendship, and six years worth of development. 4: delena-the writers LOVE them. bamon-insignificant to them. 5: it is WAYtoo late in the series to even consider this a potentional couple. this speaks for itself. delena- has a HUGE fanbase. need i say more?? bamon- the size of this fanbase completely PALES in comparison too delena. and i could go on, but i think you should get the point by now that bamon is just not happening, and its as simple as that.

Crystasorrow I agree that what some delena/nian shippers say about Nikki and him is out of line, however, what Ian himself behaves like and has said upon delena has made me lose quite a bit of respect for him. And others here are right...Ian didn't flaunt his relationship with Nina ever and it seemed like back then he was more mature about things. If fans really love him, they'll love nikki too? Give me a break! Not everyone is going to like who certain ppl have relationships with. That's just the way it is. If fans don't like Ian with nikki that much, to me that's saying something upon which his behaviors, commentary, etc are completely irrational...especially towards delena fans. To me that says that fans largely preferred the Ian that was with Nina in general. It also makes me wonder if it is true that they split just because Nina wasn't ready for marriage. It seems even fishy to me as to how Ian and nikki just decided to get together like they did, and not take any time at all to decide upon engagement...It just seems to me that Ian has gone a little crazy ever since he and Nina broke up...he just seems to be becoming more of an immature douche nozzle lately.

delenasalvatore @Crystasorrow, I always found the rumoured 'not ready for marriage' reason rather odd and unsatisfactory. To me, you don't simply end a relationship just because one of you isn't ready for marriage and the other one is, especially if you love each other (and Nian clearly did). I wonder if it was something more cataclysmic, especially given how fast Ian jumped into another serious relationship and his recent comments. Sometimes, when men suffer a particularly devastating loss, or the bereavement of a partner, then they go crazy and rather than take the time to deal with being alone, they dive into a completely unsuitable relationship. I know 2 cases of men who lost their wives to cancer who ended up in bad marriages. I think Nian's break-up must have shaken Ian up to some degree, and that has at least partially influenced his super-quick engagement to Nikki Reed. I also think it's suspicious that Nikki herself has gone through a divorce, which suggests that perhaps she and Ian are in a similar situation and emotional state.