Oh, Matty Blue Eyes! How we all love your innocence and dedication to your morals. But man, can you be stupid! Alright, let’s be fair, Matt has gone through, easily the most stress of most of the characters in the vampire diaries (other than Elena). Yes, the Salvatore brothers have dealt with heartbreak and loss, but Matt is simply human, and lost much of his family within a few years. His sister, Vicki, was turned and killed, his mother died (but not before hooking up with his best friend), his entire friend group is insane, and he’s normal. Jeez. At least Matt Donovan’s humanity is one thing us TVD fans can count on when it comes to the series. With Matt, I want to talk about just that- his humanity. Matt is consistently seen standing up for what he believes is right and following his own moral compass. Why, you might question (if you don’t know TVD) is Mat one of the only characters not to be dragged in as a supernatural being? Because he is one of the only characters that refuses to take vampire blood to heal his wounds. Matt is a very traditional soul in that he wants to do things the human way, the right way. Time and time again he chooses to save human life in whatever way possible. He becomes the sheriff of Mystic Falls and works tirelessly to protect the town’s residents, even when the Heretics take over. And who is always seen trying to help Jeremy and Tyler when they are in their human states? Matt. What can I say? You can count on him. Except when he goes a little bit astray. Yeah, there’s that time when Matt is taken over by a Passenger and tries to kill people, but that’s more the Travelers fault than anyone else’s. And there’s that time when he goes on a road trip with Rebekah, and we all know how that goes… Matty getting some action! Oh and that little time when he accidentally kills his fiancee… but that was a sad day for all. It’s especially sad how the supernatural keeps messing up Matt’s life. I mean, the only reason his sister is dead is because of Damon, and the reason Penny (his fiancee) dies is because he thought it was a supernatural creature lurking in those woods. Sad beyond belief. Ok ok, Alaric Saltzman, professor and teacher extraordinaire, you’re up!
Month: February 2019
Deliberation Reflection
After helping facilitate a deliberation regarding single-use plastic intake and attending another deliberation about Maternity/Paternity and Child Care policies in the United States, I can appreciate the importance of continued collaboration and discussion about things we want to see change in our community. The areas of comparison I am going to be drawing from will be based off of the criteria for deliberative discussion as outlined by Gastil’s deliberation chapter. First I would like to talk about the creation of a solid information base. Both deliberations I attended did a great job of bringing in personal issues, experiences, and stories. This allowed for further discussion about a possible approach or solution to a topic. For example, having someone at the plastics discussion who had already given up single-use plastics altogether allowed questions to be asked about the process and if it was a plausible solution to delve into further. At the child care deliberation, participants brought in stories about their own families, such as one participant who expressed her parent’s frustration with not being able to spend as much time with her younger sibling as a newborn because of their financial need. This leads into a few social points that were also used well throughout both discussions. Respect of other participants was at a high, as people were receptive to the life experiences of others, especially when it came to the child care discussion. And as I said, the plastics group was able to get more questions in regarding other people’s opinions, asking for clarification. This mutual comprehension was also a major point in the child care discussion, with people consistently not being shy about speaking frankly when it came to what they thought about a certain topic. This in particular forces everyone at that discussion to listen carefully to everyone, considering their ideas and experiences, and replies that disagreed with opinions presented were respectful and understanding of the fact that everyone disagrees. For example, at the child care discussion, there was dissent regarding child care in the workplace, and people disagreed upon if this would be easier or harder on the children themselves. This point was not one we came to a consensus about, but both sides expressed their opinions openly without fear of being ridiculed or judged. One social point the plastics group did exceptionally well with was distribution of speaking opportunities. While the child care group sometimes had difficulties when two people spoke at the same time, the use of a single microphone eliminated that problem in the plastics deliberation, giving everyone the opportunity to feel they could speak and have everyone attentively listen. What I believe was a major difference between the groups, however, was the fact that the child care group’s solutions were very pointed and direct. They may have had deeper values behind them, but they were never addressed, and it was hard to make that connection when trying to prioritize key values. The plastics group had an excellent way of defining their approaches as broad topics that reflected individual and group values, such as education, reinforcement, punishment, etc.
Caroline Forbes
I cannot even begin to tell you how much I adore Caroline. True, at first, I hated her. She was sassy, bossy, and an oblivious person, not to mention insensitive friend. But unlike for Elena and Stefan, her becoming a vampire was the best thing that could have possibly happened to her. Caroline Forbes as a human was needy and desperate, pushing everyone around and trying way to hard to be liked and adored by absolutely everyone. A control-freak extraordinaire, Caroline was the head of every committee and had a habit of treating other people the way she thought a queen should treat her subjects. Yikes. But after Katherine Pierce killed Caroline, turning her into a vampire as a power move, everything changed. At first, Caroline is a mess, and why wouldn’t she be? She wakes up in the hospital afraid and alone, craving blood. But she is somehow the only vampire ever to be an expert at restraint right away. She drains a nurse, yes, but not only does she leave her alive, she also learns how to compel her into forgetting. No one had to teach her the tricks of the trade, that’s for sure! Go Caroline. She figures out most of the ups and downs about being a vampire fairly quickly, and even confronts Damon with all the confidence we now know and love. No more was the pathetic girl who tried to be what everyone wanted her to be. Now, I know I’ve talked a lot about her transformation, but it’s because it is such an important part of who she is. When the cure to vampirism was brought into play, she is one of the vampires who says she wouldn’t take it, because she likes who she’s become. Her death actually made her become more alive, bringing out her truest qualities of loyalty and compassion. Okay, now for some juicy gossip. Caroline dates so many guys over the corse of the show, she is only second to the Salvatore brothers in terms of hookups in the main cast- but then again, they have had a century longer than her to cover their bases. Her original fling with Matt Donovan which ended in him finding out she was a vampire, her latter long relationship with Tyler Lockwood, and that weird thing with Alaric Saltzman where she had his babies because of some weird Gemini coven spell… yeah, that was a very creative way for the writers to work in Candice King (who plays Caroline) being pregnant. And that scene with Niklaus!?! Bad girl side of Caroline for the win! Finally her endgame relationship with Stefan which results in the wedding we’ve all been waiting for and one of the first purely happy moments of the show! (By the way though, everyone seems to forget that little thing she had with Damon… yeah, we all hated that, and would love to pretend it never occurred.) You know you can’t wait for our blue-eyed bus boy, Matt Donovan!
Bonnie Bennett
The littlest witch is here, and she’s as sassy as ever! What a journey Bonnie Bennett has been on! She started out thinking she was a simple psychic high schooler with a normal life. Then, in the blink of an eye, her Grams, Sheila Bennett, tells her that she is a witch, she finds out about her family’s long history in Mystic Falls, and is let in on the secret of vampirism. She is then thrust into the next decade of her life full of locator spells and other enchantments geared towards saving the people she loves. With Bonnie, there are plenty of relationships to discuss. Obviously her steadfast friendships with Caroline and Elena are important, as is her on again off again friendship with Damon. Then there are her romantic affairs, starting with Jeremy Gilbert, Elena’s little brother, and ending with Enzo, Damon’s vampire friend from another time. But what makes Bonnie special is her morals and steadfast ways, not to mention what characteristics make her… her. First off, it must be noted that Bonnie’s greatest strength is not her magic, but her selflessness and willingness to sacrifice herself for the ones she loves. Her greatest weakness? The other side of that same coin. Bonnie puts herself in mortal danger one too many times with the intent of saving her friends, leading to her actual death partway through the series when she chooses to bring Jeremy back to life. And although she eventually becomes the anchor to the Other Side, connecting her with the world of the living once again, she still makes the choice to put her comrades’ happiness above her own. By this extent, her loyalty can be discussed, and it can also be pointed out that it sucks how many times Bonnie has been betrayed by people she trusts because she put her faith in them (Jeremy literally cheated on her with a ghost. A dead person.). But enough about how she deserves better. Can we just say how absolutely brilliant she is and how strong? Throughout the series, she has arguably been through the most and suffered the most heartache. But she has never given up. And in her quest to save everyone, she has had to go with her gut many times. She isn’t content to just stand by and watch as her way of life is uprooted. She takes a stand against everyone she doesn’t agree with, at times including Damon, Klaus, and the heretics. Next time, our neat freak, Caroline Forbes
Damon Salvatore
Oh man, this one is a doozy. Please welcome to the stand Damon Salvatore, one of the most controversial characters on the entire show. Season one starts out with the heroine and hero being introduced, and, as any good show does, brings the first conflict and first bad guy into play. This is none other than the eldest Salvatore himself. Damon is introduced as a character to be disliked, if not hated. He comes in, killing and causing mayhem, and single handedly is able to deceive and cheat his way into the council of Mystic Falls. What a guy. Throughout the season, however, we get to know Damon. We realize that his flaws, while plentiful, are at least in part justified. After all, spending a century looking for one girl only to be tossed to the curb like garbage has got to mess with a guy’s head. Damon continues to grow and develop throughout the series, and by the end, he has transformed into a person capable of love, friendship, and sacrifice. I mean, all throughout the Vampire Diaries, Damon constantly puts himself in harms way to save those he cares about, such as Elena and, most of all, Stefan. But what I want to talk about most with Damon is his friendships. Okay, there’s no denying it, when it comes to a power couple, Damon and Alaric Saltzman are near the top of the list, the bad-guy-turned-good-guy and the Gilbert family stand-in guardian and mentor. Even though Damon turned Alaric’s first wife, Isobel- who, let’s not forget, is actually Elena’s biological mother- the two form a bond that is one of the most steadfast of the series. Granted, part of that bond is founded in their shared love of bourbon, but…. My personal favorite of Damon’s friendships is Bonnie Bennett. Originally, this little witch hated Damon’s guts, threatening to kill him many times and being one of the most vocal against his relationship with Elena. But like I said, this is just the beginning of their friendship. After they both get trapped on the mystical Other Side and sucked into a prison world with murderer Kai Parker, they become a constant in each other’s lives. Bonnie is the only true companion Damon has, and they become the closest of friends. Even when they get out, their shared experiences mean that they are the people that understand each other most in the world. Okay, next up, the little witch.