Why I Fangirl Damon Salvatore, by badboy_fangirl
First of all, he's a fictional character. Let's be clear that I understand the difference between fact and fiction. HE'S NOT REAL, Y'ALL. That's what makes him interesting: he exists in a realm different than my ordinary life.
Second of all, he's a supernatural being in a fictional world. He's a vampire-a creature which traditionally tends to be violent, creepy, and unkind to human beings.
Third of all, he's played by Ian Somerhalder, who just happens to be a wildly attractive guy from Louisiana.
These are the things you have to understand and accept going into this. I don't judge fictional characters by the same standards I do people in my real life. In real life would I be friends with Damon? No. In real life would I find his psychological damage fascinating and wonder if his creators will in fact find a way to make his journey back to humanity one that allows him to find true love, be happy, and perhaps adopt a puppy? No. Because there aren't VAMPIRES in my real life. I can tell the difference between these two worlds, and thus my love of the FICTIONAL CHARACTER Damon Salvatore seems to know no bounds.
Sometimes you just love a character. Those feelings can defy logic, and they don't reflect upon your personal principles. Sometimes, the compassion and empathy inherent in some people is piqued by the attributes of a character, and, I daresay, the performance of an actor. This is what happened to me with the character of Damon Salvatore.
As the very insightful and delightful littledivinity recently said, love isn’t earned. It just is. Even though I'm about to give you a list of reasons why, really, I love Damon Salvatore for no other reason than because I love him.
My appreciation of this character also follows a pattern. I loved Lincoln Burrows of Prison Break fame, and my favorite character on LOST was Sawyer (which, incidentally, Ian Somerhalder has been quoted as saying he based his portrayal of Damon on Josh Holloway's projection of Sawyer because he always wished he could have played Sawyer). In fiction, I tend to like damaged, angry men with ISSUES. It just so happens that with Damon, he's a Vampire man with issues.
When I began watching The Vampire Diaries, it was partly because I had also watched Ian Somerhalder when he was on LOST. I liked him on that show, and was sad when his character, Boone, died during the first season. However, it's not like I followed Ian at all. I had never seen any of the movies he was in, or tracked him in other television show appearances. I liked Boone, and then Boone died. So I let him go.
But then I started hearing buzz about TVD. Multiple people told me it was really good-people I trusted because we'd shared other shows. So, I gave it a shot. I rented the Season One DVDs. And the rest, as they say, is history.
I liked Damon right away. Even when he killed Coach Tanner, I liked him. When he snapped Vicki's neck? Still liked him. When he got his heart ripped out because Katherine wasn't in the tomb? Loved him. By the time S1 was wrapping up, I, like Alaric (whom he killed, remember) and Elena (who explains Damon fundamentally in episode 1x13-You know, I really think that Damon believes that everything he's done, every move that he's made, he's done for love. It's twisted, but kind of sad.), found that Damon, in spite of all of his flaws, had some pretty great qualities.
1) He loves his brother. Regardless of his issues with Stefan, he has always taken care of his "baby bro" in Stefan's moments of need. There is something so real about their relationship-because even though your family can drive you crazy, they are still your family, and even though Damon is a supernatural being in a fictional world, this truth comes through in his actions and reactions regarding Stefan. That doesn't mean he always treats Stefan judiciously, but I'd have to point out that Stefan often responds in a less than stellar way himself. They've got issues, baggage, and communication problems. Just like a real family.
2) He is a problem solver. When there is a situation in front of him, he finds a way to fix things. Sometimes he makes rash, and even stupid, decisions (like all people), but ultimately, it's his courage and nerve that gets the job done. You can count on him to be hard at work until he finds a solution.
3) He wears his heart on his sleeve. Pretty much the whole populace of Mystic Falls, and even out-of-towners, seem to know that Damon’s in love with Elena. (This is ironic since she seems to do all she can to avoid this knowledge.) With Damon, you know however misguided his actions are, they come from a place of goodness. He wants to help, protect, and keep those he loves safe. The problem is, of course, that his entire platform is warped by 150 or so years of living as a monster. His viewpoint is skewed. He battles himself on a regular basis, trying to quell the monster within so that his choices reflect his intentions. This is a very difficult process, and he’s still not getting it right-but the fact of the matter is, he wants to. He’s trying.
4) He will tell it to you straight. Now, I’m not saying Damon’s never lied, or misled someone by omitting certain information (see #3 as to why he’s done that), but when it comes right down to it, he’s not going to bullshit you. He tells the truth-painfully, sometimes, so much so that the hearer cringes under the assault. In Damon’s world, the truth hurts, but he doesn’t shy away from it.
5) He’s funny. He uses humor as a defense mechanism sometimes, but also, in general, he just looks at things in a light frame of mind. I’d guess, a long time ago he came to the conclusion that if you don’t laugh you’ll cry, and so he chooses to laugh.
6) He’s loyal. Once you have his devotion, as long as you deserve it, it’s yours, forever. Because he’s a vampire, and he’s probably going to be around for a long time.
7) Despite what haters at large might think, Damon feels remorse-and the type of remorse he feels is what makes him redeemable for me. Damon’s remorse-and the reason he’s chosen not to deal with that for such a long time (which again is a very “real” experience in the midst of a fictional story)-is because he knows that change is required. Change is hard. Nobody likes change is an old adage, is it not? Certainly Damon feels badly because of the consequences of his actions making people he wants to remain in his life shift away from him, or hate him, and this is a normal and natural feeling. But he also told Stefan once upon a time not to try to take the blame for Damon’s actions, despite Stefan’s hand in the course of those events. Make no mistake-as a viewer, I blame Stefan for a lot of it. But I like that Damon’s bigger than that, and that he realizes at some point it all became about him. He owns who and what he is. And really, that’s the first step towards change, for anyone.
While he’s working out how to navigate that, and while the humanity within him fights against the powerful monster that he’s allowed himself to be for a very long time, I, as a fan, get to experience those things with him. His journey is fascinating to me. Seeing his victories and mistakes is both heartwarming and heartwrenching.
Now, I get that not everyone on the planet likes all the same things as me. To bring balance to the Force or whatever, there have to be Stefan fans, and people who just don’t get Damon. Some people find him annoying, aggravating, and wish he’d die.
I’m not one of those people. And I realized after he killed Jeremy, that even though I really want him to get Elena in the end, that more than anything I want Damon to find his humanity for his own sake. If he gets the girl in the end, that will just be the bonus. The bottom line, when it comes to this character, is that even when I don’t agree with his actions, I always understand why he did what he did. He doesn’t befuddle me like Stefan, and even sometimes Elena, does. Damon’s actions always come from a pure place of truth-not that the actions themselves are pure, but that his motivations are. I get him.
It’s my hope for the character, and the writers who are creating this journey for him, that he comes to the point where gets himself, and he can start making decisions based on good intel. And because he’s a heterosexual man beneath that vampirism, I’m thinking the love of a good woman is what will make this journey of transformation not only satisfying for me, but will ultimately make me really glad that I stuck with him through it.
Julie Plec, one of those writer’s said, “...the road from villain to hero is a bumpy one. It’s not always going to be pretty.”
And I’m good with that.
Second of all, he's a supernatural being in a fictional world. He's a vampire-a creature which traditionally tends to be violent, creepy, and unkind to human beings.
Third of all, he's played by Ian Somerhalder, who just happens to be a wildly attractive guy from Louisiana.
These are the things you have to understand and accept going into this. I don't judge fictional characters by the same standards I do people in my real life. In real life would I be friends with Damon? No. In real life would I find his psychological damage fascinating and wonder if his creators will in fact find a way to make his journey back to humanity one that allows him to find true love, be happy, and perhaps adopt a puppy? No. Because there aren't VAMPIRES in my real life. I can tell the difference between these two worlds, and thus my love of the FICTIONAL CHARACTER Damon Salvatore seems to know no bounds.
Sometimes you just love a character. Those feelings can defy logic, and they don't reflect upon your personal principles. Sometimes, the compassion and empathy inherent in some people is piqued by the attributes of a character, and, I daresay, the performance of an actor. This is what happened to me with the character of Damon Salvatore.
As the very insightful and delightful littledivinity recently said, love isn’t earned. It just is. Even though I'm about to give you a list of reasons why, really, I love Damon Salvatore for no other reason than because I love him.
My appreciation of this character also follows a pattern. I loved Lincoln Burrows of Prison Break fame, and my favorite character on LOST was Sawyer (which, incidentally, Ian Somerhalder has been quoted as saying he based his portrayal of Damon on Josh Holloway's projection of Sawyer because he always wished he could have played Sawyer). In fiction, I tend to like damaged, angry men with ISSUES. It just so happens that with Damon, he's a Vampire man with issues.
When I began watching The Vampire Diaries, it was partly because I had also watched Ian Somerhalder when he was on LOST. I liked him on that show, and was sad when his character, Boone, died during the first season. However, it's not like I followed Ian at all. I had never seen any of the movies he was in, or tracked him in other television show appearances. I liked Boone, and then Boone died. So I let him go.
But then I started hearing buzz about TVD. Multiple people told me it was really good-people I trusted because we'd shared other shows. So, I gave it a shot. I rented the Season One DVDs. And the rest, as they say, is history.
I liked Damon right away. Even when he killed Coach Tanner, I liked him. When he snapped Vicki's neck? Still liked him. When he got his heart ripped out because Katherine wasn't in the tomb? Loved him. By the time S1 was wrapping up, I, like Alaric (whom he killed, remember) and Elena (who explains Damon fundamentally in episode 1x13-You know, I really think that Damon believes that everything he's done, every move that he's made, he's done for love. It's twisted, but kind of sad.), found that Damon, in spite of all of his flaws, had some pretty great qualities.
1) He loves his brother. Regardless of his issues with Stefan, he has always taken care of his "baby bro" in Stefan's moments of need. There is something so real about their relationship-because even though your family can drive you crazy, they are still your family, and even though Damon is a supernatural being in a fictional world, this truth comes through in his actions and reactions regarding Stefan. That doesn't mean he always treats Stefan judiciously, but I'd have to point out that Stefan often responds in a less than stellar way himself. They've got issues, baggage, and communication problems. Just like a real family.
2) He is a problem solver. When there is a situation in front of him, he finds a way to fix things. Sometimes he makes rash, and even stupid, decisions (like all people), but ultimately, it's his courage and nerve that gets the job done. You can count on him to be hard at work until he finds a solution.
3) He wears his heart on his sleeve. Pretty much the whole populace of Mystic Falls, and even out-of-towners, seem to know that Damon’s in love with Elena. (This is ironic since she seems to do all she can to avoid this knowledge.) With Damon, you know however misguided his actions are, they come from a place of goodness. He wants to help, protect, and keep those he loves safe. The problem is, of course, that his entire platform is warped by 150 or so years of living as a monster. His viewpoint is skewed. He battles himself on a regular basis, trying to quell the monster within so that his choices reflect his intentions. This is a very difficult process, and he’s still not getting it right-but the fact of the matter is, he wants to. He’s trying.
4) He will tell it to you straight. Now, I’m not saying Damon’s never lied, or misled someone by omitting certain information (see #3 as to why he’s done that), but when it comes right down to it, he’s not going to bullshit you. He tells the truth-painfully, sometimes, so much so that the hearer cringes under the assault. In Damon’s world, the truth hurts, but he doesn’t shy away from it.
5) He’s funny. He uses humor as a defense mechanism sometimes, but also, in general, he just looks at things in a light frame of mind. I’d guess, a long time ago he came to the conclusion that if you don’t laugh you’ll cry, and so he chooses to laugh.
6) He’s loyal. Once you have his devotion, as long as you deserve it, it’s yours, forever. Because he’s a vampire, and he’s probably going to be around for a long time.
7) Despite what haters at large might think, Damon feels remorse-and the type of remorse he feels is what makes him redeemable for me. Damon’s remorse-and the reason he’s chosen not to deal with that for such a long time (which again is a very “real” experience in the midst of a fictional story)-is because he knows that change is required. Change is hard. Nobody likes change is an old adage, is it not? Certainly Damon feels badly because of the consequences of his actions making people he wants to remain in his life shift away from him, or hate him, and this is a normal and natural feeling. But he also told Stefan once upon a time not to try to take the blame for Damon’s actions, despite Stefan’s hand in the course of those events. Make no mistake-as a viewer, I blame Stefan for a lot of it. But I like that Damon’s bigger than that, and that he realizes at some point it all became about him. He owns who and what he is. And really, that’s the first step towards change, for anyone.
While he’s working out how to navigate that, and while the humanity within him fights against the powerful monster that he’s allowed himself to be for a very long time, I, as a fan, get to experience those things with him. His journey is fascinating to me. Seeing his victories and mistakes is both heartwarming and heartwrenching.
Now, I get that not everyone on the planet likes all the same things as me. To bring balance to the Force or whatever, there have to be Stefan fans, and people who just don’t get Damon. Some people find him annoying, aggravating, and wish he’d die.
I’m not one of those people. And I realized after he killed Jeremy, that even though I really want him to get Elena in the end, that more than anything I want Damon to find his humanity for his own sake. If he gets the girl in the end, that will just be the bonus. The bottom line, when it comes to this character, is that even when I don’t agree with his actions, I always understand why he did what he did. He doesn’t befuddle me like Stefan, and even sometimes Elena, does. Damon’s actions always come from a pure place of truth-not that the actions themselves are pure, but that his motivations are. I get him.
It’s my hope for the character, and the writers who are creating this journey for him, that he comes to the point where gets himself, and he can start making decisions based on good intel. And because he’s a heterosexual man beneath that vampirism, I’m thinking the love of a good woman is what will make this journey of transformation not only satisfying for me, but will ultimately make me really glad that I stuck with him through it.
Julie Plec, one of those writer’s said, “...the road from villain to hero is a bumpy one. It’s not always going to be pretty.”
And I’m good with that.