A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls - By Red Page 0,38
finish the transformation; it was Stefan who facilitated Damon’s change into a total monster.
And then, knowing full well what he had created, Stefan bailed. We don’t know much about the years between his and 6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 105
8/27/10 10:36 AM
106
• A V i s i t o r ’ s G u i d e t o M y s t i c F a l l s •
Damon’s transformations and them meeting back up in Mystic Falls, but it’s apparent they didn’t spend much of it together. Stefan couldn’t handle what he’d created by forcing eternal life on Damon, so he spent his time doing—what?
Going to Bon Jovi concerts with Lexi, his vamp friend? Perfecting the art of hair gel application? Obsessively keeping journals of learning how to dance in the fifties and hoping it’d someday come in handy while wooing underage beauties?
We don’t know what he did. But we know what he didn’t do. He didn’t do a thing to stop a vampire he knew was actively victimizing and killing innocent people— a vampire he created. For all Stefan’s abstinence, every life drained by Damon was, by extension, drained by Stefan.
Also notable is the lack of vampire violence in Mystic Falls until Stefan decided to make it his home. It wasn’t until he settled there that Damon returned, followed by a slew of other vampires. They knew Damon would find a way into the tomb, and I think Damon waited until then because he couldn’t do it without Stefan—and he knew Stefan would help him. In spite of his protestations, Stefan never really tries to stop Damon. All of his efforts are woefully inade-quate, doomed to fail or be discovered. They’re self-sabotaging, even. Stefan doesn’t really want to stop Damon because he’d rather feel guilty about the past than make difficult decisions in the present.
Of course, Stefan doesn’t always act in his own best interest. He did save Caroline from Damon’s murderous intentions. If Stefan hadn’t slipped vervain into her drink, she would have been dead. But, wait a second—why’d Stefan 6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 106
8/27/10 10:36 AM
• D o n ' t B e F o o l e d b y t h a t N o b l e C h i n : S t e f a n S u c k s •
107
wait until he, personally, reached his breaking point to help Caroline?
He didn’t stop Damon from manipulating and compelling Caroline out of any fear for her safety. He didn’t care about all that time Damon was essentially raping her through compulsion or regularly snacking on her blood, leaving violent scars all over her body, or that Caroline’s life was in constant danger, dependent entirely on a very unstable Damon’s whims. Stefan waited because it didn’t affect him directly (in spite of the fact that Caroline is one of Elena’s best friends and Stefan professes to care about Elena). It was never about saving Caroline. When Damon became too threatening to Stefan’s way of life, Stefan finally stepped in and used her, poisoning her blood and turning her into a tool. He could have given her vervain at any point, could have protected her in the same way he did Elena, but he never bothered. It wasn’t his problem. Sure, he’d chastise Damon, but he wasn’t going to actively do anything to help Caroline unless he benefitted.
And when Stefan had Damon, who kills and kills without remorse or reason, unconscious and utterly vulnerable, what did he do? Locked him in a house, unguarded, and planned to let him wither away. Sure, Stefan felt bad when Zach died during Damon’s eventual escape, but he didn’t exactly seem shocked about it. And he certainly didn’t put up a fight when Damon demanded his ring back. Why? Because he never wanted Damon gone in the first place. He “tried,” and with that to assuage his guilty conscience, he could continue on his merry, selfish way.
6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 107
8/27/10 10:36 AM
108
• A V i s i t o r ’ s G u i d e t o M y s t i c F a l l s •
No matter how many times Stefan insists he’s done dealing with Damon, he never really tries to break off the relationship or get away from the destruction. Stefan has no problem dispatching other vampires who get in his way and has had ample opportunity to really eliminate Damon as