SPOILER ALERT Guys. I mean, look at this man. That hair and that jaw line? Stefan Salvatore has been with us since season 1, episode 1, and appeared in most of the episodes up until the end, where he… well, we’ll save that for the end. But seriously, this guy is an absolutely amazing character. Stefan ends up being one of the only vampires on the show that cannot drink human blood without going into a massive personal crisis, plunging him into his ways as a ripper. That’s right, he literally keeps going until the victim’s head… yeah, you get the picture. But as gruesome as this image is, it’s rooted in one of the most genuinely sweet and innocent traits Stefan has. He is extremely caring and values his compassion and humanity above so much. He has so much love in him, so causing harm and injury to others is obviously a bit of a sore spot. Speaking of love, with Stefan, you can talk almost entirely about four characters. “Four?”, you may ask? Yes. Four. Starting with Elena Gilbert, his first epic love and soulmate, Stefan spends most of the first few seasons with her, trying to make things work before she is ultimately drawn to his brother, Damon Salvatore. After that, Stefan has trouble finding true love again. After all, his heart was broken the first time by known villain, Katherine Piece, who turned him into a vampire and left him behind. His final and (in my own opinion) best choice of love was the fabulous Caroline Forbes. Her neurotic and passionate nature perfectly goes with Stefan’s compassion and loyalty. So who, might you ask, is his fourth “love”? None other than his brother, Damon. While obviously not a romantic love, the brothers share an amazingly intense bond that only grows and strengthens as the series continues. They constantly fall on each other and depend upon each other in times of need and crisis, and they always seem to be the one able to pull each other back from the edge. Stefan is also willing to do literally anything for Damon (and anyone he loves, for that matter). I mean, he literally DIES to protect Damon! Alright, that’s all I got on the hero-hair-wearer himself, tune in next time for the third piece of the epic love triangle, Damon Salvatore!
Month: January 2019
Elena Gilbert
SOILER ALERT!!! Elena Gilbert- the staple of the Vampire Diaries for the first 6 seasons. What a gal. First off, it must be said that Nina Dobrev does an amazing job portraying not one, not two, but three very different characters throughout the course of the Vampire Diaries- Elena Gilbert, Katherine Pierce, and Amara. It can’t have been easy going from a girl who cares so immensely about her friends to a truly evil force to a damaged lover. So overall- kudos to her! But let’s talk about the character. Season 1 brings us an Elena Gilbert still scarred by the deaths of her parents, but desperate to move on. With friends like Bonnie Bennet and Caroline Forbes, this seems entirely possible, and a normal life could have been in sight for her. Normal problems like a druggie brother (Jeremy Gilbert), an ex that was still hooked (Matt Donovan), and a parental figure still trying to learn the ropes (Jenna Sommers) could have been her only concern- enter Stefan and Damon Salvatore. She immediately falls for Stefan and his charismatic and mysterious ways, learning eventually to love both brothers. One of the most complicated and talked about relationships in the entire show is the love triangle between bother Salvatore brothers and Miss Gilbert herself. Time and time again, human Elena chose Stefan, preferring his kind, caring ways and his need to be the best version of himself. She falls for Damon, however, more and more as time goes on, especially after she turns into a vampire. He awakens a side of her that she never knew she always needed. Eventually the two are accepted throughout the cast as they end up making each other better, despite sometimes bringing out the worst in the other. Elena’s biggest flaw throughout the series is her heart. She constantly wants what is best for everyone else, even at the cost of her own happiness, safety, and even life. Heck, she even dies to save Matt! Isn’t it great to have a character whose biggest flaw is also their biggest strength? With Elena, we see that as she consistently goes above and beyond what we thought was possible, pushing the limits of reality and finding loopholes to save her friends. Speaking of friends, Caroline and Bonnie are two characters that always seem to be there for Elena no matter what. Even after her episode when she turned off her humanity, they always find a way back, and Elena works to give them everything. She insists that they do what is right for them. Her most memorable moments include the three of them just happy to be alive and around each other, but let’s not forget how Elena is more than happy to wait a few decades to live her life so that Bonnie can be happy. Well, that rounds out our most beloved heroine, see you next time with the original boyfriend himself, Stefan Salvatore.
This I Believe
Picture this: it was the night before the AP United States History Exam. A friend and I were hurriedly cramming useless information about railroads and charter colonies into our brains- naturally to no avail. After hours of tediously pouring over textbooks and pages of badly scribbled notes, I was beyond restless. Pushing myself up, I declared I needed something amazing to eat in a loud, interjectory voice, making my friend jump (or wake up from where he had been starting to nod off, somewhere around the election of 1860. In any case, I was hungry, and marching upstairs to fix myself something to eat seemed like the best plan. So up we went, and when I asked for suggestion on the most wonderful and amazing thing I could get to eat, I was given suggestions such as omelets, ornate cookies, or even some exquisite chili left over from dinner. However, I had already made up my mind, and I told my friend I was making oatmeal. “Oatmeal?” he said. I could almost hear the disappointed sneer in his voice “But that’s so plain and basic, and… boring.” “No, no.” I replied, “I’m not just making oatmeal. I’m making oatmeal cake.” My proclamation was met with furrowed eyebrows and a mask of confusion. I mean after all, who the heck knows what oatmeal cake is? The next half hour was spent with twirling spoons, glints of sparkling sugar, and the splash of shining droplets of water rolling off of bright, crimson strawberries, freshly washed. See, I showed him that by only adding a little bit of water and a lot of oats, you can make oatmeal that is stiff, hard, and can literally be shaped and cut. After making the “cake” and putting it in a bowl, sugar is then sprinkled on top. Actually, I shouldn’t say sprinkled, the sugar is dumped on top in a heaping mound, turning the entire structure white and glittery. Then, the cake is adorned with three fresh strawberries and served over a thin layer of milk, just to give it some moisture. When I was done, I proudly displayed my creation for my friend. “How did you do that?” he questioned, with a look of almost awe on his face. “Do what?” I mean, I had literally just showed him exactly what I had done to create my cake, hadn’t he been paying attention? “Make the little ordinary things so… extraordinary?” He finished. I later realized how right he was. I came to think about how I was constantly doing things exactly like that, seeing the possibility in even the simplest of things. When I went to New York City for the first time, I spent a good five minutes just staring and watching in fascination as a bunch of people went through revolving doors to get into a certain building. There was nothing grand about them, they were just revolving doors. But man, was it cool, almost elegant to see the constant flow and ebb of people coming and going, and the constant, dependable spinning of the glass panels that acted as spokes. I guess that’s what I believe in most in this world. It’s too easy to get swept away by the overwhelming business and commotion in the world, all of the constant noise. People telling you who to be, what to do, where to go and how to live. It becomes hard to listen to the silence and have any time for yourself. I think that is why I notice these little pleasures so much. Even in the few seconds that I am there, amazed by something perfectly ordinary, I get a moment or two to myself, to relax, almost like a reflection. I see the oatmeal and I have learned to appreciate that it is amazing and wonderful. I see the revolving doors, and I can’t help but notice that they are beautiful. It’s moments like this that keep me sane in a world of constant movement. So that is what I believe in. I believe in noticing all of the little beauties and the way the world can surprise you. I believe that anything can be a source of wonder and amazement. And I believe in oatmeal cake.
Oficial Blog Topics
My passion blog is going to be a discussion of Vampire Diaries characters. I haven’t done a blog like this before, in the style of a discussion about another creative work, so I’m excited to try this new style. This blog will include some spoilers, however, so watch out! I will start by discussing the main cast and move into lesser characters. I will be starting with Elena Gilbert, the main character of the first six seasons before Nina Dobrev left the show, next moving to Stefan Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett, Caroline Forbes, Matt Donovan, and Alaric Saltzman. Next I want to hit the Mikaelson family, Gemini Coven, the werewolves, and, of course, the staple villain of the entire show, Katherine Pierce. Ooh, I’m so excited! Along with Stefan, I can also talk about Silas and Valerie, Damon connects well to Enzo, Bonnie lets me bring in Jeremy, Caroline pulls her mom, Sheriff Forbes into the mix, Matt is attached to Vicky, and Alaric ties to Jo, Jenna, and the twins! Of course the Mikaelson’s will not only discuss the family dynamic with Niklaus, Elijah, Kol, Finn, and Rebecca, but I can also discuss their parents, Esther and Mikael, as well as someone like Hayley and Hope (Klaus’ knocked up werewolf and child). The Gemini coven is their own issue with those many twins, including Jo and Kai, but also Lizzie and Josie, and Liv and Luke. Prison worlds and even the Heretics and Lily Salvatore have a place here, too. The werewolves will cover Tyler Lockwood, more on Hayley, and minor characters important to the first seasons such as Mason and Jules, and can talk about the Lockwood clan overall, too, such as both mayors and their deaths. Katherine, well, what isn’t included here? Everything from the Salvatore brothers becoming vampires to the search for the cure, the race against time and the part when she Passengered into Elena’s body. Oh, and let’s not forget about her daughter, Nadia, and all the other people whose deaths she was responsible for. Overall, it’s gonna be a ride. My civic issues blog will deal with budget cuts in schools and the effect it is having on education. Things such as disappearing music and arts programs to worse buildings in desperate need of renovation, and all the way to fewer teachers being employed, or ones not qualified for the subject they are teaching.
Spring Semester Blogging Ideas
This I Believe. I believe in everyday small kindnesses and their ability to have an impact in someone’s life. I watched a video that was about a boy in high school. Everyday, this boy would go to one particular set of doors in his school and in between classes would just stand there, holding open the door for everyone. This was such a little thing, but he did it consistently every day for the next four years. He was beloved by classmates, who just thought it was so thoughtful, sweet, and unexpected. He was voted best liked in his grade, and almost everyone in that school knew his name. When it was time for him to graduate, everyone was devastated- it was almost like losing a tradition, or even a piece of a culture. At the end of his last year, he was asked why he did it, why hold open that same door that many times for that many people he didn’t even know, especially at first. His answer was simple. “I heard that if you do something nice, you make friends. I wanted to make some friends. Now I have friends.” I believe in loving everyone unconditionally and showing them their own worth in action and speech. When I was twelve, I was friends with a girl named Aurora. She was a beautiful soul, inside and out, always making me feel comfortable and welcomed. She was sixteen at that time. We sang in the choir together that whole year, having an amazing time laughing and talking. Near the end of the year, she stopped coming to rehearsals. I didn’t know why, but I had enough respect to not press her about it- if something was wrong, surely she would tell me? I found out about a month later that she had committed suicide. She was gone. She had had to drop out of school that last month because she was getting bullied so badly, and at home, the bullying continued in the form of online harassment. I wished I could have helped her. Been there for her. Shown her how loved she was. So now I take extra care, and if I love someone, I am going to tell them. As soon and often as possible, because who knows how badly they need to hear it? Passion Blog: I could continue with going through the process of a theatre production, letting you in on tricks of the trade, Or I could talk about The Vampire Diaries and the anguish that goes along with being a fan Civic Issues Blog: Does the United States government have the right to tell people how they are allowed to express personal feelings of attachment to others of the same gender? I could also do: What about cuts to funding of the arts to focus on STEM subjects?