Done for the spn_balthazar exchange over at LJ. It has already made its round on tumblr, LOL. Thanks for the heads up guys!
Tag: balthazar
Martini
Congratulations, @always-keep-writing! Here’s your prize for winning the Gif-a-Thon!
#Ugh this moment will forever kill me #Literally the only moment that we see Balthazar angry #and he’s angry at Cas #and I say at because he’s more upset that the plan will probably kill Cas #then he is about the plan in question #and yet (listen up fandom) he never once belittles Cas #or yells at him #or makes him feel like he is a lesser being #like he’s useless #This is being angry #WITH RESPECT
Because Balthazar loved Castiel, worts and all.
#this is the balthazar i wish the fandom acknowledged more #not just the celine dion/ titanic hate #he was an angel who lost his faith in heaven but never his love for his brother @rowdyhooliganism
FUCKING YES THANK YOU!!!! THIS ALL OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!
Well, fans aren’t interested in the real Balthazar. They think they already know him, that he was just a witty, flamboyant playboy who didn’t give a fuck. But when Cas met that Balthazar, he said “you’ve gone insane.”
There’s something more important and much more fascinating going on with him, more than just his relationship with Cas or anything he’s remembered for in fanon. Unfortunately, no one cares.
*rubs hands together* Let’s talk a little about Balthazar shall we? He’s incredibly fascinating.
Balthazar lies. He deflects. He makes jokes out of serious situations. He drinks a lot and has lots of sex with humans. All of these behaviors are pretty typical of a character who’s trying to cope with stress, disappointment, and/or depression. Taking him at face value isn’t right because we know he’s slippery when it comes to the truth. His whole “oh I hated the movie” line about Titanic is probably what he’s known best for but that’s shown to be a huge lie in that very episode. No, there’s something a lot deeper going on with him and I think his first conversation with Castiel in 6×03 really drives home the point.
CASTIEL
Why take them? Why run away?
BALTHAZAR
Because I could! What? What? I me– you’re the one who made it possible. The footsteps I’m following – they’re yours. What you did, stopping the big plan, the prize fight? You did more than rebel. You tore up the whole script and burned the pages for all of us. [ Laughs. ] It’s a new era. No rules, no destiny. Just utter and complete freedom.
CASTIEL
And this is what you do with it?
BALTHAZAR
Hey, screw it, right? I mean, dad’s not coming back. You might as well blow coke and jump on the bed. You proved to me we could do anything, so I’m trying everything. What difference does it make?
CASTIEL
Of course it makes a diff– it’s civil war up there!
BALTHAZAR
I know.
CASTIEL
If we can beat Raphael, we can end this! Just give me the weapons.
BALTHAZAR
[ Laughs. ] Do you know what’s funny about you? You actually believe that you can stop the fighting. It will never stop. My advice – grab something valuable and fake your own death.
CASTIEL
You’ve gone insane. Your little holiday is over. Raphael knows you’re alive by now.
To me, this isn’t about Balthazar being a playboy or a rebel, this is about Balthazar having given up. Nothing matters anymore. He took what he could to protect himself and left heaven because he decided whatever plan was in play wasn’t worth his life. Heaven is full of lies and God doesn’t care. He ran away because his faith was shattered and his life was in danger and now he’s not playing around just because, he’s trying to deal with it. He’s mention as being a “good soldier” several times, which we know is typical Heaven-speak for “follows orders and does a good job without questioning it” but that’s not the character we meet. Balthazar is a defector. He’s got his own opinions and ideas now, He doesn’t believe in heaven anymore and he doesn’t care about them either.
But that’s not to say that he doesn’t care at all. He obviously does care about Castiel (which I could talk about at length) but he also cares, at least a little, about doing the right thing. He could’ve ran after his confrontation with Castiel at the end of 6×03 but he chose to stay around and fight because even if he didn’t believe in Heaven, he believed in Cas. He might not have believed the fighting could be stopped in Heaven, but Cas wanted to try so he tried to help, probably because there was still a little part of him that wanted to do the right thing and had hope, even if there wasn’t much to have hope in. He was loyal to the people he chose to be loyal to (and no, going to Sam and Dean wasn’t a betrayal, it was what you’re supposed to do when you think your friend has gone off the rails and could get themselves killed). (And also, I’m still not sure about his introduction tbh. Selling weapons for souls? Especially when we later learn that he and Cas were trying to collect souls to stop Raphael? It makes me wonder if he was trying to take on Raphael on his own, though I suppose it could be argued he was just trying to get enough power to keep himself safe.)
Balthazar is complex. He’s a little lost and hopeless when we first meet him but he won’t show it. He’s a snarky asshole because it keeps him safe. He plays his feelings close to the vest. All these things scream of a backstory in which Balthazar realizes that there’s something rotten in Denmark and runs to save himself. It implies so much about who Balthazar is and what he’s not willing to do or be a part of and just how betrayed he really felt. Honestly, it frustrates me that we never knew exactly what it was that made Balthazar decide Heaven wasn’t worth it.
This is Not a Blog 