but you'll always be my hero.

[ever_neutral]

 for eowyn_315 :

Top Five Salvatore Brothers Moments

THIS LIST WAS MURDER. JUST SO YOU KNOW.





#5





DAMON: You have two choices. You can feed and make her forget. Or you can let her run, screaming "vampire" through the town square.

STEFAN: That's what this is about? You want to expose me?

DAMON: No! I want you to remember who you are!

STEFAN: Why? So what, so I'll feed? So I'll kill? So I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up, and let them drive a stake through my heart, because at least I'll be free of you.
(1.02 Night Of The Comet)

(YouTube clip here.)


This scene will allllllways have a special place in my heart, for the sheer fact that it's a brilliant scene in a terrible, terrible episode, and the only thing in the whole show that persuaded me to keep watching after that episode. Thank. God. On a related note, it's where I really start to feel the Salvatore brothers and their fucked up relationship. So Stefan hits back with that killer "So I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again?" and. The look. on Damon's face. (middle right cap) Aaaaaand that's the moment that Damon Salvatore clicked, for me, right there. The one where I went: yeah, I know you; I know what you're about. (Incidentally, this might be when I start to stan Ian Somerhalder's every acting choice.) And there are no words to express my love for the fact that he rewards Stefan's cruelty ("at least I'll be free of you", a.k.a the moment I start to respect Stefan Salvatore), by letting Vicki go. Because he got what he wanted, basically--a sign that Stefan cares. Because Stefan cared enough to be cruel.





#4





STEFAN: (mimics Damon) So Stefan, you know, I've been thinking...I think we should start over, give this brother thing another chance. We used to do it "oh so well" once upon a time.
DAMON: (mimics Stefan) I don't-- Damon. I can't trust you to be a nice guy, you kill everybody and you're so mean-- you're so mean and-- (normally) You're really hard to imitate and then I have to go to that lesser place.
(109. History Repeating)

(Clip here.)


BECAUSE IT MADE ME LITERALLY LOL. Their comic timing and camaraderie is fab and as hostile as they are at this point in the series, there's such obvious affection. Turns me into a sap, pretty much.





#3





DAMON: I'm done here. With you. I'm leaving town.
STEFAN: You hate me. I know. I know. An eternity of misery and on and on. I know, but you don't have to leave town. Damon, I'll do better. I promise.
DAMON: No, you will get us killed. I'd rather leave you to do that to yourself.
(215. The Dinner Party)

(Clip here.)


ffffff- I hurt for them both SO MUCH in this scene. And I love this moment because it totally fucks up that "switch" myth/idea/thing. Stefan's feeding remorselessly on these women, but he still feels enough remorse and desperation to beg Damon not to leave him? The way Stefan pleads, "I'll do better", just makes me ache for the dude. This unforgivable thing he does to his brother, to make sure he doesn't lose him, ends up ensuring that he loses him forever. (Or so we think.) This is probably the last time Stefan openly tells Damon how much he needs him. And of course, Damon is so angry with Stefan that he tosses it away. (And then haunts him for 145 years just to see if it's still there.) Oh, boys.



Aaaaaand I'm cheating and squeezing this one in: (with bonus Lexi)


#3a





LEXI: You know the hate you're feeling towards Stefan? Towards everyone? You think you have it under control but you don't. It will get the best of you.
DAMON: Help him. He needs it.

(Clip here.)


Just. Sob. That "help him". Probably one of the purest examples of Damon's love for Stefan. Damon has absolutely no reason not to hate his brother. And yet. He utters that tiny, plaintive "help him", anyway. Even though there's nobody to help him, and he knows that. He just wants his brother to be okay, even if Damon himself won't be. And then he steps out into the world alone, and spends the next century and a half trying to forget he ever did anything that kind.





#2




(1.14 Fool Me Once)



Heh. No dialogue necessary. This is just a BEAUTIFUL demonstration of Stefan's empathy for Damon. He doesn't try to speak or console him--because Damon is inconsolable. He just sits down, and STARES at Damon, and there's such concern in his gaze. It's like, Stefan's looking at his brother and seeing that… Damon might be broken in a way that he can't ever fix. It's just a terribly sad moment, and beautiful nonetheless.





#1





STEFAN: I'm sorry.
DAMON: About what?
STEFAN: For being the guy who made you turn 145 years ago.
DAMON: Enough, Stef, it’s late. Don’t need to rehash that.
STEFAN: You know what? I’ve never said it at loud. I guess I just need to say it and you need to hear it. I’m sorry. What I did was selfish. I didn’t want to be alone. I guess I just needed my brother.
(208. Rose)


(Clip here.)


ALL MY CREYS.

I… can't really speak coherently about this. Suffice it to say that that bolded quote is probably one of my favourite of the entire show. It's so, so simple, and yet it encompasses pretty much everything. And the looks. on both their faces. MONSOON ON MY FACE.

…

So yeah, that's my top five. FOR NOW. Honourable mentions: the last scene in 2.21 The Sun Also Rises; Stefan refusing to fight with Damon about Elena in 2.01 The Return; and their first flashback and huggggggs in 1.06 Lost Girls.

Comments

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYS.

They really, really are better together. MORE SCENES LIKE THIS PLEASE, SHOW. Gah.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

I am expecting epic Salvatore times for season 3. DON'T LET ME DOWN, SHOW.

[next_to_normal]

FLAWLESS CHOICES ARE FLAWLESS. SO MUCH LOVE FOR MY BOYS! BRB crying all the tears now.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

FLAWLESS QUESTION WAS FLAWLESS! ♥

*passes you tissues*

[wheatear.livejournal.com]

Awesome choices. That scene in 1.02 is brilliant and probably the only thing that kept me going because the rest was so bad omg. But the Salvatore brothers were amazing from the start.

Actually, I think that quote you bolded is interesting in terms of where the season finale left Stefan. Because I'm really curious now: what is their relationship like when Stefan is on a bender? When Stefan slaughtered that migrant village or whatever, where was Damon? Was he there enjoying it too? Enabling his brother's monstrosity? When did that change from the flashback scene when Damon clearly wanted no part in Stefan's brutality? SO MANY QUESTIONS. I want more flashbacks of the brothers and not just in 1864.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Haha, you too? *high-five*

All your questions are indeed... questions. I actually get the impression Damon and Stefan have never been murderous psychopaths together. Considering how disgusted Damon was with Stefan in that flashback, I feel like Stefan might have gone out of his way to never have Damon see him that way again? I wouldn't be surprised if all the times Stefan fell off the wagon were times when he was estranged from Damon. (Well, except for the most recent incidents...) That would be IC for Stefan. IDK. I could be totally off the mark here.

[wheatear.livejournal.com]

Me too. XD I don't think I would have stuck with it if I didn't have a lingering affection for the books though. I wouldn't have got past the first episode.

I actually get the impression Damon and Stefan have never been murderous psychopaths together.

Really? I can imagine that, but that quote about being brothers again suggests otherwise. And I wonder if it was Damon who tried to push Stefan off the wagon - because again that seems to be what he's doing in that scene. I don't know either.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

I... actually did go away and stop watching for a while. Then I tried again 'cause I heard it got better, lol.

Yeah, point. It's all very murky.

[upupa-epops.livejournal.com]

I actually get the impression Damon and Stefan have never been murderous psychopaths together.

Hey, this actually makes sense. They alternate, right? It works on a metaphorical level; we need a good brother and we need a bad brother, the juxtaposition must be kept, but who fits into which role is the variable in this equasion. I honestly can't imagine them indulging in monstrosity together, because for each of them the very image of a brother as a monster blocks the capability of doing the same thing.

Perhaps that's the reason why, after all, they both managed to keep quite a lot of their humanity. They are each other's links to humanity, whether they want it or not.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

YESYESYES. ALL OF THIS. You just basically summed up all my thoughts. :D

[spuffy-noelle.livejournal.com]

LOVE the Salvatore brothers! Especially Damon <3

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

LOVE THEM SO. <333333

[snickfic]

See, now there are two brothers who look like they might actually be related.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

...

You are being funny, right? 'Cause the general consensus is that the Salvatores don't look alike at all. So much so that people were speculating that one of them was illegitimate...

[snickfic]

Actually, no, I was serious. Mentally I was comparing them to my sibling pair of the moment, and as far as I can tell, they've got it all over the Winchesters. They've both got dark hair and big dark eyebrows and big wide mouths and noses that do not look ridiculously dissimilar (although I'm having trouble getting a good look at Stefan's from your caps).

But, I haven't watched the show, so my sample set is limited.

EDIT: Also I'm noticing how much Ian Somerholder makes me think of a pointier version of Rob Lowe. I think it's the eyes.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

HUH. Weird. Granted, I don't know much about ~looks~, but... I just don't see it? Heh, I think we'll have to leave this one.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

Oh, I have seen the Rob Lowe comparisons before. And yes, Ian is "pointier", lol. And they both have freakishly blue eyes...

[next_to_normal]

Hahaha, seriously??

I mean, I was never like, "OMG look how alike they are!" but I also never thought they didn't look like brothers, either. And yeah, your caps somehow make them look really similar. I guess because they have similar facial expressions?

I am amused by this illegitmate brother theory. Obviously it's Damon, right? He is the product of a liaison with a woman of ill repute, thus earning his father's perpetual scorn.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

lol, yes, fandom was seriously speculatin'.

TBH, I have never really given the ~issue~ much thought. Apart from that they both have this ~pointy quality, as Snick mentioned above.

Obviously it's Damon, right? He is the product of a liaison with a woman of ill repute, thus earning his father's perpetual scorn.

IN ONE. ROFLMAO. *pets him*

[verdant_fire]

lol does that make Damon the Don Draper of the TVD universe?

I heard the 'Damon is illegitimate' theory recently and laughed as well, though the version I heard posited that Mama Salvatore had had an affair and Damon was another man's son. (In which case, Salvatore men would really have a thing for cheating women.) It is true that James Remar definitely looks like he could be Stefan's dad, so if we ever see the boys' mom in flashback, I wonder if she'll look like Damon? I mean, he had to get those looks from somewhere.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

lol, I did not even make the Don Draper connection. I like Damon a lot more, though.

Yeah, the 'Mama cheated' theory is the one I've seen mostly, too. And IA that Stefan looks way more like their dad than Damon does. I can't really laugh too hard at the illegitimacy theory because, well, Damon DOES look weird standing next to Stefan and his father? (Actually, Damon looks kind of weird in general, but that's what happens when you have really striking features, lol.) I would KILL to see flashbacks with their mother. I bet Damon does take after her.

[verdant_fire]

Damon is way more fun than Don. He is also much prettier.

I mostly laughed because of the ~melodrama~ of the theory. I don't necessarily expect siblings to look much alike, so I'd never really thought WHOA CUCKOO IN THE NEST until fandom pointed it out. It's certainly not impossible, though I kind of hope they don't go there, just because the Salvatores have enough family issues already and I guess I like it better if Damon's dad hated him JUST BECAUSE, lol. Given the theme of history repeating, though, I guess they could link it back to Klaus being a (literal AND figurative) bastard.

I really hope we see their mom at some point and find out what happened to her. I've always figured Damon was like her, and between the way Stefan blindly hero-worshipped their dad and Giuseppe's contempt of Damon, it would make sense for Damon to gravitate to the other parent. Plus I can totally see human!Damon as a momma's boy, lol. (And just think how screwed up it will be if their mom looks like Katherine and/or has a Petrova connection!)

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

Damon is way more fun than Don. He is also much prettier.

LOL! ITA. Not that Jon Hamm isn't a good-looking guy. But, not my type at all. Also, Don is way ~masculine. It's vaguely off-putting. I mean, Damon is pretty virile, but it's mostly gender performance, because deep down he is a girl.

/weird tangent

I guess I like it better if Damon's dad hated him JUST BECAUSE, lol.

I can totally buy that Giuseppe hated Damon just because he didn't fit or try to conform to his particular expectations of what a son should be. I really like the idea that Damon was just always this impudent freak, lol.

TOTAL WORD to Damon being probably like his mother. I have this whole theory that she was the one who nurtured those deeply romantic/idealistic aspects of his nature, since Damon was pretty bad at meeting the expectations of a what a ~man should be, and then after her death it all... got depressing. (LOL SO WEIRD. DAMON DEFINITELY HAS SOME FREUDIAN ISSUES GOIN' ON.)

[verdant_fire]

LOL! ITA. Not that Jon Hamm isn't a good-looking guy. But, not my type at all.

Right on. I mean, I accept that he's classically handsome, and I think he's a very good actor, but I just don't personally find him attractive. Oh well.

TOTAL WORD to Damon being probably like his mother. I have this whole theory that she was the one who nurtured those deeply romantic/idealistic aspects of his nature, since Damon was pretty bad at meeting the expectations of a what a ~man should be, and then after her death it all... got depressing. (LOL SO WEIRD. DAMON DEFINITELY HAS SOME FREUDIAN ISSUES GOIN' ON.)

I HAVE THAT THEORY TOO. He was probably too 'sensitive' to be happy in the gender roles of the day--cf: how much hell he caught for 'deserting' the Confederacy, though it always felt more like conscientious objectorship to me--and his mother was probably the only one who loved him unconditionally without expecting anything from him. And speaking of how Damon has more issues than Rolling Stone, I'd love to know how old the boys were when their mother died.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

Oh, definitely too "sensitive". I bet he loathed the violence of war. Which is particularly poignant considering what a general type he is now. :\

And speaking of how Damon has more issues than Rolling Stone, I'd love to know how old the boys were when their mother died.

YES. I'm guessing Damon was about 12 or something. Which means that he had more time being close to their mother, while Stefan did most of his growing up under the care of their father, hence the hero-worship thing. Also it makes sense for Damon to start transferring his need for 'feminine attention' to potential girlfriends around the time of sexual development, lol.

[verdant_fire]

Oh, definitely too "sensitive". I bet he loathed the violence of war. Which is particularly poignant considering what a general type he is now. :\

Tragic irony is tragic. :( The Civil War was a brutal, nasty war, too, arguably even more so than usual. A lot of those guys died slow, agonizing deaths, and I'm guessing the first time Damon saw someone bleed out in front of him or get ripped apart by a Minie ball, he was done. I'm probably overthinking this, but since psychoanalyzing fictional characters is one of my favorite pastimes, I've wondered if his war experience is partly why Damon always seems to kill quickly. We haven't seen much of Ripper Stefan yet, but he seems like the type to play with his food before eating it. He has waxed poetic about the thrill of the hunt before.

YES. I'm guessing Damon was about 12 or something. Which means that he had more time being close to their mother, while Stefan did most of his growing up under the care of their father, hence the hero-worship thing. Also it makes sense for Damon to start transferring his need for 'feminine attention' to potential girlfriends around the time of sexual development, lol.

OUR BRAINS, THEY ARE AS ONE. When considering this, I thought, "At which age would losing a parent screw Damon up the most? The onset of puberty it is!" I too think that Damon and Stefan were probably each raised by different parents, and that could also explain a little bit of their co-dependency, since after their mom died, Damon would have been the only real link to their mother Stefan had left. I don't think the show has ever said, but I read somewhere that in the books, Damon was 7 years older, so that would have made Stefan a wee 5-year-old, and Damon old enough to feel responsible for him. As for Damon's psychosexual development, a) WORD and b) Oedipus complex, anyone? Spike had that going on too, and considering Damon's relationship with his father and the way he probably idolized his mother, I could totally see that happening.

(Tangent: I am itching to do a compare & contrast meta with Damon and Spike. I'm sure it's been done many times, but their characters just beg for it. Of course, I may have to rewatch Buffy. FOR RESEARCH.)

AHH YOU HAVE A DOCTOR WHO ICON. The Tenth Doctor era and TVD are my twin TV obsessions. I haven't really been watching this season, but "The Doctor's Wife" was amazing.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

I'm probably overthinking this, but since psychoanalyzing fictional characters is one of my favorite pastimes, I've wondered if his war experience is partly why Damon always seems to kill quickly.

DUDE. Brilliant. I LOVE IT. And yeah, Stefan is definitely more of a predator in that department.

When considering this, I thought, "At which age would losing a parent screw Damon up the most? The onset of puberty it is!"

LOLOL. *high five*

Ooh, I like that explanation for the boys' codependency, too. Especially since Giuseppe was so fantastically useless at providing emotional support for either of them.

Tangent: I am itching to do a compare & contrast meta with Damon and Spike.

UM, ARE YOU ME? I have had that in my head ALL WEEK. I don't think one exists? You should totally go for it. And then I'll like, have a party in the comments...

I have so pathetically behind on S6 of Who. Meaning, I haven't seen any of it. Been hearing a lot of squee, though.

[verdant_fire]

*high five received*

lol wasn't he though? Especially in that flashback in "Children of the Damned" where Damon was like "GIVE ME YOUR APPROVAL DADDY" and Giuseppe was all "LOL NO SON, YOU ARE A WORTHLESS COWARDLY WASTE OF SPACE!" Father of the Year, right there. Of course, it might just have been that he couldn't bear to look at Damon's flashback hair. But it's tragic either way. ;)

UM, ARE YOU ME? I have had that in my head ALL WEEK.

IT'S POSSIBLE. Perhaps I am you, but from an alternate universe where they have zeppelins and strange varieties of diet beverages. If it's true that no Spike vs. Damon meta exists, that is certainly a grievous deficiency that needs to be rectified. And I do love comment parties. :D

I watched S5 and thought it was okay (except for "Vincent and the Doctor," which was fabulous), but I haven't seen any of S6 except for "The Doctor's Wife," due to the violent nerdgasms it provoked on the Internet. Neil Gaiman did do a pretty fantastic job with it.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

Of course, it might just have been that he couldn't bear to look at Damon's flashback hair. But it's tragic either way. ;)

OOOUUUUCH! XD NGL, though, I love the flashback!hair. IT IS PRECIOUS, OKAY.

Somebody should get on this Damon/Spike meta thing. *waits*

UGGHHHH 'VINCENT AND THE DOCTOR' THE BEST THING. Hit me in the gut.

I seriously need to get caught up on S6 already. Especially since I do love me some Neil Gaiman.

[verdant_fire]

NGL, though, I love the flashback!hair. IT IS PRECIOUS, OKAY.

LOL I'm glad it works for you. I do love how wide-eyed Ian plays flashback Damon--he's very childlike, which works, and also dovetails nicely into Damon's near-total lack of emotional development. Hee.

Somebody should get on this Damon/Spike meta thing. *waits*

I am thinking thinky thoughts about it. PROGRESS! I'm pretty sure I have some unpublished Spike meta on my compy somewhere, from back when I first watched Buffy a few years ago and was all SPIIIIIIKE MY LOVE. Plus I have a lot of practical RL things to deal with right now, and nothing focuses my creative energies like having a ton of stuff I should be doing instead. ;)

UGGHHHH 'VINCENT AND THE DOCTOR' THE BEST THING. Hit me in the gut.

PREACH. I was crying on my couch.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

lol, human!Damon is the most precious thing though. You just want to wrap him in blankets and feed him tea. A quality which has not really been lost over time, violent murdering tendencies and all.

Hahaha I have SO MUCH work to do irl right now as well, which typically is why I've been able to think about nothing but TV. :)))) I would love to see these thinky thoughts in more detail eventually!

I was crying on my couch.

So say we all.

[verdant_fire]

lol, human!Damon is the most precious thing though. You just want to wrap him in blankets and feed him tea. A quality which has not really been lost over time, violent murdering tendencies and all.

LOL true story. baby!human!Damon was likely the cutest thing in all creation. Also, I think you have just described how Damon spent 75% of his time with his mother. You know he's a secret cuddle fiend. He probably cuddled the living daylights out of all those women he compelled and made them listen while he talked about his ~feelings~, and then erased their memories so they couldn't tell anyone what a marshmallow he is. Caroline has some serious blackmail material if she ever wants to use it. ;)

Hahaha I have SO MUCH work to do irl right now as well, which typically is why I've been able to think about nothing but TV. :)))) I would love to see these thinky thoughts in more detail eventually!

EXACTLY. I find that procrastination focuses the mind wonderfully. Godspeed on your RL work, and thanks for the cheerleading; it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. xD

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

Also, I think you have just described how Damon spent 75% of his time with his mother. You know he's a secret cuddle fiend. He probably cuddled the living daylights out of all those women he compelled and made them listen while he talked about his ~feelings~, and then erased their memories so they couldn't tell anyone what a marshmallow he is.

SERIOUSLY. Well, except that that's probably more of a recent development now that he's admitted the fact that he HAS feelings. So, no cuddling before this season. I think he just used all those other women before now to bitch about how much he hates Stefan. :)

lol, these conversations we're having everywhere are epic. Seriously. People should be jealous.

[verdant_fire]

So, no cuddling before this season. I think he just used all those other women before now to bitch about how much he hates Stefan. :)

HAHAHAHA YES. I can so see that happening. He probably has a personal catechism of all the ways Stefan has wronged him, going all the way back to that time Stefan broke Damon's favorite toy when he was 2.

lol, these conversations we're having everywhere are epic. Seriously. People should be jealous.

ABSOLUTELY THEY SHOULD. Our conversations are both hilarious AND edifying. I bet we could both compile an impressively thorough TVD meta post just from these comments, lol. ALL SHALL KNEEL BEFORE OUR COMBINED AWESOMENESS. xD

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

He probably has a personal catechism of all the ways Stefan has wronged him, going all the way back to that time Stefan broke Damon's favorite toy when he was 2.

HAHAHAHA SERIOUSLY. Again I ask: Where is the fic???

I bet we could both compile an impressively thorough TVD meta post just from these comments, lol.

lol, don't tempt me.

[upupa-epops.livejournal.com]

He might've not realized the violence of the war until he actually saw it. I mean, at the time culture used to romanticize war a lot, with the entire "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" etc. The very first American book in which the author acknowledges how horrible war is was published after the civil war, before that - nothing. So my theory is that Damon went to war willingly and eagerly, and then experienced some sort of the clash with reality. Just like the people of the Lost Generation, I guess? I actually love the idea that in the 1920s Damon probably went to Paris and used to get drunk with Hemingway, because it was the first time when his personal experience of war (which, due to his vivid imagination, idealism and sensitivity, was much worse and stronger than that of his brothers in arms) became an experience of a generation.

Actually, the experience of war seems to be the only important experience that the brothers do not share...

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

I actually love the idea that in the 1920s Damon probably went to Paris and used to get drunk with Hemingway, because it was the first time when his personal experience of war (which, due to his vivid imagination, idealism and sensitivity, was much worse and stronger than that of his brothers in arms) became an experience of a generation.

HA! Love it.

Actually, the experience of war seems to be the only important experience that the brothers do not share...

Interesting. *strokes chin* I'm inclined to agree that Damon probably had a rude clash with reality re: the war. His entire existence is about having rude clashes with reality, really.

[bluesuzanne.livejournal.com]

OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. I CAN'T. BOYS. I JUST. :(((((((((

04 was on my shortlist for funniest scene, because they are just priceless and adorable and such complete brothers with it and oh my god?

Also completely adore 02... and I think part of why Stefan is looking at him the way he is, part of why he is allowing Damon - allowing himself - this quiet closeness, is because what he's seeing right there is Damon's humanity. He's seeing that Damon does feel. That the problem is almost that he feels too much. And god, there's just something so poetic about Stefan caring that Damon lost Katherine now, when he didn't care enough not to pursue her himself before. Like. I think he finally gets that his big brother isn't really bigger than him, that there are ways in which he's smaller and just more little and lost... and I think he finally gets that whilst he may have wanted Katherine, Damon needed her. Which I think is also something he know about Elena and it's why he's so conflicted about the situation - internally, of course, he's pissed that Damon has this thing with his girl, and that comes out in little jibes and moments that get nastier than they should ('You'll never have her respect'). But on the other hand he's almost ridiculously decent about the situation - almost glad... because if Elena is what Damon needs in his life to be able to be him and not the monster, then Stefan desperately wants him to have her.

IT'S SO WONDERFUL.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

JUST. THEY'RE MIMICKING EACH OTHER AND GRINNING AND THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL. I CAN'T.

I think part of why Stefan is looking at him the way he is, part of why he is allowing Damon - allowing himself - this quiet closeness, is because what he's seeing right there is Damon's humanity. He's seeing that Damon does feel. That the problem is almost that he feels too much.

YES. OMG, all your thoughts, all of them. Seconding everything for all time. Especially about how Damon needs. Because, that's Damon's biggest insecurity, that he'll always NEED people more than they need him. Particularly Stefan who, at the end of the day, has never needed people the way that Damon does. The one exception, of course, is Damon, whom Stefan needs like he has never needed anything else in his life. MY GOD. THEY ARE ACTUALLY SO BEAUTIFUL.

[softly-me.livejournal.com]

BOYS!!! Ugh, this post killed me.

#1 was unquestionably the only redeeming quality about that episode. These two were my reason for watching back then. Well, them and Vikki, so THIS SCENE IS PERFECTION. #3 is also one of my favorites, especially Stefan calling Damon back so desperately. I like how you brought up the switch because I really hadn't thought about it in relation to this scene. I think in many ways, it's easy for a vampire to not care about the humans he feeds on (hunter-prey dynamics and all that), but Stefan would never not care about Damon and this is far before he learned to pretend not to care.

And, yes, all the others too. The boys are too perfect. Definitely need more of them next year.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

I'M GLAD YOU'RE DEAD? :D

Haha, you mean #5, right? Because: yes. Salvatore bros and Vicki: insta-love.

I tend to be of the opinion that the "switch" is generally bullshit. Like, it's just heightened self-delusion. Which makes that scene all the more poignant because Stefan can't lie to himself about Damon. Not successfully, anyway. Though he tries. They both try. Dear boys.

Next season best DELIVER on the brothers front, I tell you. Rather than any focus on romance, I'd really rather more development of the brothers' bond.