#darkwolfgoddess

Two main reasons, I think:

1) People get so hung up on logistics they forget about theme. Yes, under like a million of (currently completely non-existent) restrictions, dark magic could be sustainable and used in a way that's safe for both the caster and the user. But that's clearly not what the show wants to do with it from a thematic standpoint. It's like if I took my personal views on monarchy (no I obviously do not support monarchies) and applied it to the show - which would be stupid?? The show wants to engage with certain concepts in particular ways. I can either choose to engage with the discussions they're having (what makes a good king) or be in denial about it and beat a dead horse of a topic they don't want to discuss (whether kings should exist) that they have every right o discard. But when you choose to not engage it speaks to like, a willful lack of media literacy, sometimes.

2) People fall into the trap of thinking what we do to survive is always healthy. And as anyone with unhealthy coping mechanisms can tell you, it's not. Yes, often times the things we do to survive are justified, but that doesn't mean they're ideal, sustainable, or good. This fits right in with how the series gives Dark Magic a lot of properties of cannibalism; outright consumption, finite ingredients, transactions between divinity and death and violation of social / moral barriers, etc. Cannibalism can also be something people do to survive, and it's tragic and complex and interesting from a fiction standpoint, but that doesn't make it Good tm

3) Compounding on that unwillingness to engage, they tend to fall into the dichotomy the characters themselves are living under and the exact things the show is trying to dismantle. Because if a character has the exact same cognitive dissonance as you (i.e. people lambasting Xadia for not sharing resources but then also condemning Harrow for sharing resources?? Which is it from an ideological perspective, Cheyenne??) why would you not just adhere to it if it already makes sense to you? This is why I've seen some villain / dark magic stans really hate and/or misunderstand the more 'heroic' characters, but I've seen many many more people who love the heroes also understand and sympathize with the 'villains.' It's why I not only enjoy the similarities between so many of the characters crossing over (Claudia-Ezran, Viren-Callum, Aaravos-Rayla, although there are many many other combos) but embrace and like examining those similarities.

The show itself tries to reject that “who is to blame? who should be punished?” dichotomy yet DM stans tend to fall right into it by often being biased heavily against the elves/dragons and ignoring everything humans have done, and it’s like... why don’t you just acknowledge what everyone has done, on both sides, and where you can go from here? You know. The Point of the Show

4) DM stans tend to believe the methods don't matter, only results and/or intentions. But in a show where basically everyone has ultimately the exact same motivations - to have the power to protect their loved ones - the methods are almost all that can matter. That, and the heroes are the heroes because they're focused on harm reduction.

5) Just every part of this bit of Harrow's speech being lived through directly (ATLA does something similar, with Ozai calling Aang weak, and the fans who hate Aang also don't see the irony lol):

Varian’s redemption was rushed, but all the parts that needed to be there were there. An important thing to remember is that Varian’s redemption wasn’t actually wrapped up until the end of “Be Very Afraid”. So his redemption was not done in a single episode like a lot of people say. 

Between the s3 premier and the ordeal with the red rocks, everything Varian needed to do to have a complete redemption happened

He had to live with the consequences of his actions for a year in prison and gained a clear understanding of how wrong he was.

He showed clear disinterest and discomfort doing villainy before he made the turn back to heroism. Even admitting that he doesn’t want to do this anymore and just wants to go back to being friends. 

He turned against Andrew BEFORE Rapunzel decided to give him another chance, taking the first step toward Redemption completely on his own

He was ready to sacrifice his life so that no one else had to get hurt because of his decisions. He was willing to die for Corona because it was his invention about to destroy it. No one else should have to clean up his messes. His hero’s sacrifice would have been completely by his own choice to stop a threat he set in motion.

after the kingdom is saved we see him still ostracized by the kingdom. Feldspar - who is usually very chipper and warm to others- wanting nothing to do with him and wanting him to leave. So this has been something Varian has been experiencing every day since the separatists were beaten. Even though Rapunzel forgave him, the harm he did wasn’t just washed away and forgotten over night.

He has clear PTSD with nightmares and flashbacks to his trauma and misdeeds. Showing he is still haunted by what he did.

He pushes through his fears for the sake of the kingdom to save them from the black rocks and in doing so is finally granted forgiveness from Corona’s people.

Oh yes, for sure! It was very hard for her to be at home with their kids, waiting every day to hear from him or make sure he was ok. She definitely did/does have nightmares from his war time.