Okay guys so I already posted this article on the Rant Thread when I first joined here a few weeks ago but something that I read on the internet regarding DE sparked me to put it where it should be which is on here & with some slight changes that I've made that I felt were too important to miss out :)
I find it very annoying when people say that Elena is trying to change Damon when in actual fact she is just trying to show him who he really is and more than capable of being, who he has probably been all along, the goodness has always been there deep-down inside of him, but with spending over 100 years putting on this facade of being bad its not really a wonder to me that he struggles to face upto his true feelings for Elena, and be who he really is, Elena believes in him shes sees the good in him when nobody else does and that pushes Damon to be better, but at the same time more than anything and above all he has to believe in himself and that right there is whats holding him back, because he knows he can be that guy for Elena but after going through what hes gone through, and putting on this constant facade of trying to be a bad guy for so long he finds it hard to face up to that this is who he really is.
To quote Andie Starr ep 2x13 - "Well maybe this is who you are now, love does that Damon it changes us" hearing Andie say this and from the look on Damon's face in this moment, he knows that what she says couldn't be more real or true to him, this is who he really is and he knows that but he can't handle it so he resigns himself. When Andie also refers to 'this girl' who Damon is in love with having a BF, Damon quickly lets her know that thats not the point, that it doesn't matter she has a bf. Damon doesn't mean that to sound as though he would happily go after his brothers gf, because then that wouldn't make any sense at all in reference to 2x08 Rose, where Damon was willing to give up his own chance of happiness for the sake of Stefans, he would do anything for Stefan he loves him & above all he wants to be loyal, but his comment about Elena having a BF not being the point is exactly what he meant. This whole situation for Damon is much much bigger than just Stefan thats why he doesn't really come into the equation for Damon, it doesn't really matter to him whether Elena has a bf or not,even if it is his brother, thats ultimately not going to determine his growing love for her, because Stefan has nothing to do with how he feels about Elena.
I believe that Damon recognises that his feelings for Elena are simply a one off that just get more and more powerful each time he sees or even thinks about her and thats why i think ultimately although at first Damon was quick to give up his own happiness for Stefan's he is starting to realise that his feelings are way to strong for him to deny, and fundamentally this is Damon's journey & Elena is a big part of that for him. I really do believe that if Damon were to compare his past feelings for Katherine & his feelings for Elena..he would come to the conclusion that although he thought that he loved Katherine at the time, falling in love with Elena has proved to him and helped him to realize that what he felt for Katherine wasn't love not even close what they had IMO was simply lust and more lust but nothing more it ends there, his love for Elena has made him realise that what he feels for her is what true love really is, and the feelings that he once had for Katherine don't even begin to compare to what he now feels for Elena, its like Ian said "Can you imagine loving someone all that time & then finding the exact same person but all the good qualities" qualities that he never found in Kat! The fact is that meeting Elena sparked a difference & a positive change in Damons Attitude she made him want to dig deep within himself & re-discover every redeeming quality about himself, making him want to be the better man for her sake aswell as his own.
Damon's relationship with Kat was all about lust, being selfish and getting one over on Stefan. Whereas with Elena its the exact opposite yes of course it's still very much about passion & the build-up of this intense sexual frustration going on between them, but more importantly its about being unselfish for her when it really counts, protecting her over anything, putting her and other peoples feelings before his own. Damon wants to be the better man not because of who Katherine was but because of who Elena is.
These are 2 Quotes imparticular that i thought mirrored this image of Damon perfectly:
Damon: "It means I care, Stefan. It means I'm changing and evolving into a man capable of greatness" This is Damon recognising that he is fully capable greatness, he is well aware of this but the more there is good in him the more it hides the bad & he struggles with that bcos hes so use to hiding behind this fierce mask.
Damon: "I love you Elena, and it's because I Love You that i can't be selfish with you"
This was a scene that moved me tears, I hardly ever cry at tv, so when i do i know its because ive just seen something spectacular, this was just acting of the highest order from Ian he executed this moment to perfection, every single line & emotion you could just feel with him you felt his heart hurting at how hopelessly in love he is with this beautiful creature infront of him, & what moved me even more was how he just said it in the simplest of terms like he could go on forever thinking & saying those exact words without a thought or care in the world for anything else because what mattered was that he was stood in this incredible heart felt moment with the only person that he has ever really truly loved & cared for, a moment that bared his heart & his soul for all too see, and to let us know that it will only ever be Elena.
It was overhwelming that in the midst of Damon telling Elena that he loved her, he thought that he was being selfish, that is a line that makes me look at him for that one moment & really see that in this stripped down version of himself for all to see he alone doesn't see how un-selfish he is really being & that is a quote that speaks a thousand words, it is unfathomable to him that he is being anything but selfish towards Elena even though he is prepared to give up his own happiness for the sake of Stefan's, which for that reason I just cannot find the words to explain & do him enough justice on how much that strengthens my love for him as a character, because as the title of this article reads, this moment & Damons actions before it along with Elena Gilbert sparked the Evolution Of Damon Salvatore ;)
I find it very annoying when people say that Elena is trying to change Damon when in actual fact she is just trying to show him who he really is and more than capable of being, who he has probably been all along, the goodness has always been there deep-down inside of him, but with spending over 100 years putting on this facade of being bad its not really a wonder to me that he struggles to face upto his true feelings for Elena, and be who he really is, Elena believes in him shes sees the good in him when nobody else does and that pushes Damon to be better, but at the same time more than anything and above all he has to believe in himself and that right there is whats holding him back, because he knows he can be that guy for Elena but after going through what hes gone through, and putting on this constant facade of trying to be a bad guy for so long he finds it hard to face up to that this is who he really is.
To quote Andie Starr ep 2x13 - "Well maybe this is who you are now, love does that Damon it changes us" hearing Andie say this and from the look on Damon's face in this moment, he knows that what she says couldn't be more real or true to him, this is who he really is and he knows that but he can't handle it so he resigns himself. When Andie also refers to 'this girl' who Damon is in love with having a BF, Damon quickly lets her know that thats not the point, that it doesn't matter she has a bf. Damon doesn't mean that to sound as though he would happily go after his brothers gf, because then that wouldn't make any sense at all in reference to 2x08 Rose, where Damon was willing to give up his own chance of happiness for the sake of Stefans, he would do anything for Stefan he loves him & above all he wants to be loyal, but his comment about Elena having a BF not being the point is exactly what he meant. This whole situation for Damon is much much bigger than just Stefan thats why he doesn't really come into the equation for Damon, it doesn't really matter to him whether Elena has a bf or not,even if it is his brother, thats ultimately not going to determine his growing love for her, because Stefan has nothing to do with how he feels about Elena.
I believe that Damon recognises that his feelings for Elena are simply a one off that just get more and more powerful each time he sees or even thinks about her and thats why i think ultimately although at first Damon was quick to give up his own happiness for Stefan's he is starting to realise that his feelings are way to strong for him to deny, and fundamentally this is Damon's journey & Elena is a big part of that for him. I really do believe that if Damon were to compare his past feelings for Katherine & his feelings for Elena..he would come to the conclusion that although he thought that he loved Katherine at the time, falling in love with Elena has proved to him and helped him to realize that what he felt for Katherine wasn't love not even close what they had IMO was simply lust and more lust but nothing more it ends there, his love for Elena has made him realise that what he feels for her is what true love really is, and the feelings that he once had for Katherine don't even begin to compare to what he now feels for Elena, its like Ian said "Can you imagine loving someone all that time & then finding the exact same person but all the good qualities" qualities that he never found in Kat! The fact is that meeting Elena sparked a difference & a positive change in Damons Attitude she made him want to dig deep within himself & re-discover every redeeming quality about himself, making him want to be the better man for her sake aswell as his own.
Damon's relationship with Kat was all about lust, being selfish and getting one over on Stefan. Whereas with Elena its the exact opposite yes of course it's still very much about passion & the build-up of this intense sexual frustration going on between them, but more importantly its about being unselfish for her when it really counts, protecting her over anything, putting her and other peoples feelings before his own. Damon wants to be the better man not because of who Katherine was but because of who Elena is.
These are 2 Quotes imparticular that i thought mirrored this image of Damon perfectly:
Damon: "It means I care, Stefan. It means I'm changing and evolving into a man capable of greatness" This is Damon recognising that he is fully capable greatness, he is well aware of this but the more there is good in him the more it hides the bad & he struggles with that bcos hes so use to hiding behind this fierce mask.
Damon: "I love you Elena, and it's because I Love You that i can't be selfish with you"
This was a scene that moved me tears, I hardly ever cry at tv, so when i do i know its because ive just seen something spectacular, this was just acting of the highest order from Ian he executed this moment to perfection, every single line & emotion you could just feel with him you felt his heart hurting at how hopelessly in love he is with this beautiful creature infront of him, & what moved me even more was how he just said it in the simplest of terms like he could go on forever thinking & saying those exact words without a thought or care in the world for anything else because what mattered was that he was stood in this incredible heart felt moment with the only person that he has ever really truly loved & cared for, a moment that bared his heart & his soul for all too see, and to let us know that it will only ever be Elena.
It was overhwelming that in the midst of Damon telling Elena that he loved her, he thought that he was being selfish, that is a line that makes me look at him for that one moment & really see that in this stripped down version of himself for all to see he alone doesn't see how un-selfish he is really being & that is a quote that speaks a thousand words, it is unfathomable to him that he is being anything but selfish towards Elena even though he is prepared to give up his own happiness for the sake of Stefan's, which for that reason I just cannot find the words to explain & do him enough justice on how much that strengthens my love for him as a character, because as the title of this article reads, this moment & Damons actions before it along with Elena Gilbert sparked the Evolution Of Damon Salvatore ;)
