Ooooooh, Damon, you are one beautiful, beautiful dude.

[firthgal]

Question. Why is it so damn hard to find OT3 icons of Stefan/Elena/Damon? Heck, just finding good Stefan and Stefan/Elena icons is wicked hard. Clearly the fandom preference is Damon/Elena (but the Damon/Elena comm really seems to hate Stefan, and just... I wouldn't be able to take that, so I didn't join, though I may crack soon if I want to read Damon/Elena fic). I only have three eps left of Vampire Diaries, by the way. *cries* This show is so fantastically good that I cannot quite believe it. Every episode is like one big thrill ride and I cannot get enough. I like that it goes for more of a horror/thriller style than a comedy style, gives it a very different feel from shows like Buffy and True Blood (though it still has its fair share of comedy, which is lovely), and the execution of the plot is beyond amazing (I am so not used to that with vampire shows). The further into the show I get, the more I OT3 the heck out of Stefan, Elena, and Damon. I just can't see how you can ship one without the other, it just can't be done (or, it can, judging from the very insistent Damon/Elena comm), but, you know, Elena can't be in a relationship with Stefan without Damon being boyfriendly with her too, and, well, Elena isn't crazy enough to go off and have a relationship with Damon and completely forget about Stefan. Just not going to happen (and, despite Damon's careless demeanor, he really can't live without his baby brother). I must say though that the later eps of season 1 have me really falling for Damon/Elena. I think the moment that sold me was Damon looking into Elena's eyes and desperately telling her that he couldn't protect her and rescue Stefan if she went in with him, and he did this little hair stroke that seemed to comfort her, and it was beautiful and amazing and so very human and even Saltzman could see that Damon has very real feelings for Elena. And as if that wasn't enough, they made me positively swoon during their dance at the Miss Mystic Falls thingy, so, yeah, I'm sold on them, definitely. I wasn't sure if I could be swayed for awhile there since Damon was so genuinely in love with Katherine (which made me think he only had a superficial interest in Elena), but after the tomb episode, it became clear that Damon really does have this weird, trusting relationship with her where she truly has become important to him, and somehow it seems so natural that Elena seems equally protective over Damon even though she knows he kills people without a second thought. So, definitely an interesting relationship there. And clearly Elena's love is with Stefan, but she's got this whole other thing with Damon that is becoming as equally intense and somehow he's been more dependable for her than Stefan has, which is just insanity. I don't know, I don't know. I guess I lean more towards Elena/Damon shipping-wise, but at the same time, Stefan and Elena have that epic love thing happening for them, and unlike most vampire love stories, this one is actually kind of healthy? Or at least it was until Stefan got addicted to human blood again... I don't know. OT3 FOREVER, BECAUSE I SIMPLY CANNOT CHOOSE. And because Damon and Stefan's relationship is quite epic in its own right, therefore it cannot just be pushed aside in the name of romance. OT3!

Anywho, it's kind of interesting how this fandom and the True Blood fandom are so very against the broody reformed vampire (and even the Buffy fandom is to an extent, though Angel is far more popular than Bill and Stefan, but the Buffy generation seems to have convinced the younger generation that it's cool to fall for the ridiculously violent yet charmingly snarky badboy vampires while it's just so totally lame to like the broody ones. Because UGH, who wants to be around a buzz kill like that, am I right? And yet millions and millions of young girls cream their pants over Edward Cullen, the lamest of the lame broody vampires. Had there been an Eric or a Damon or a Spike in that series, Edward would be far less popular than he is. His only competition (from my understanding) is that Jacob werewolf fellow, who seems as equally lame as Edward is, so I'm not surprised that they seem to have an equal amount of fans). But... yeah, in the case of Vampire Diaries, I have so totally fallen for the ridiculously violent snarky badboy vampire, but only because he is utterly delightful and beautiful beyond words. Lookswise, Stefan just doesn't appeal to me, so... that might be part of it. Shallowness prevails! But I still ♥ Stefan and his (mostly) steadfast determination to live without hurting any humans. He tries so hard, and he's all gentlemanly and sweet and lovely and understanding, but he's also got this serious badass in him that he keeps hidden away and I freaking love him. But Damon... oh do I love Damon and his wicked, wicked ways. But I think what really makes Damon a sympathetic character is that we get these tiny glimpses into his humanity, and he's so... fragile when he actually feels things. Guh, I love him.

I am in love with The Vampire Diaries, is what I'm trying to say.

The 30 Day Shipping Meme
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand?

I think this one goes to House/Cuddy. No matter how hard I've tried in the past to see its appeal, I just don't get it. My f-list loves them, and, you know, on paper they are pretty much everything I love in a ship, but I just don't feel the chemistry at all, and more often than not their behavior towards each other offends me rather than excites me. For many seasons I saw nothing there but House wanting to get into her pants and being obscene about it, and Cuddy very intelligently refusing his advances, but somewhere along the way Cuddy got giggly over him and House suddenly had deep-seated emotions for her and the shoddy writing just made me want to puke. I just... I DON'T GET IT. I've tried so hard, I've read my f-list's lovely picspams and manifestos and what have you, I've watched their vids, and yet... House/Cuddy still fails to make sense to me. I think it will forever fail, mostly because the show has tried to make them out as the epic love story but had to retcon the first two seasons in order to do it, and when shows do that, it never sits well with me. But I think it mainly comes down to chemistry, and chemistry is such a subjective thing that I can't say that they don't have it, it's just that they lack the chemistry that appeals to me.


Day 01 - What is your current favourite ship?
Day 02 - What was your very first ship?
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now?
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry?
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry?
Day 06 - The best kiss?
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene?
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage?
Day 09 - The most believable relationship?
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life?
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing?
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding?
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing?
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing?
Day 15 - What is your favorite real life pairing?
Day 16 - What is the absolute worst pairing?
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did?
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing?
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning?
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing?
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why?
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why?
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great?
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly?
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out?
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving?
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating?
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand?
Day 29 - What ship had the best proposal?
Day 30 - Your favorite ship forever and ever and ever?

The 30 Day Community Meme
Day 07 - Least favorite episode

1x22 - The Art of Discourse

To begin with, Jeff/Britta and Pierce/Shirley are my least favorite team-ups on this show, and this ep focused heavily on both. Secondly, even the Troy/Abed stuff fell flat for me, and that never happens, so, that bummed me out. Mostly though, I abhorred that stupid duh-off scene in the cafeteria. Hated it with a burning passion, worst thing this show has ever done. Just... ugh, I really hated this ep. It was very disjointed and the jokes were tiring and it didn't have enough ensemble scenes. This show just doesn't work right if you split up the ensemble like that. Worst offense of all? There was barely any Annie. So, two thumbs down to this stinking episode.


Day 01 - Favorite female character
Day 02 - Favorite male character
Day 03 - Favorite episode
Day 04 - Favorite scene
Day 05 - Favorite quote
Day 06 - Least favorite character
Day 07 - Least favorite episode
Day 08 - Favorite Jeff moment
Day 09 - Favorite Britta moment
Day 10 - Favorite Abed moment
Day 11 - Favorite Annie moment
Day 12 - Favorite Troy moment
Day 13 - Favorite Shirley moment
Day 14 - Favorite Pierce moment
Day 15 - Favorite Señor Chang moment
Day 16 - Favorite other/guest character moment
Day 17 - Favorite ship
Day 18 - Least favorite ship
Day 19 - Favorite friendship
Day 20 - Favorite guest star
Day 21 - Least favorite guest star
Day 22 - A scene that made you happy
Day 23 - A scene that made you cry
Day 24 - A scene that made you angry
Day 25 - Something that happened that you wish didn’t
Day 26 - Something that didn’t happen that you wish did
Day 27 - Favorite cast image
Day 28 - What you want for Season Two
Day 29 - What your overall opinion was of Season One
Day 30 - Whatever tickles your fancy

Another meme! I was tagged by caffyolay

If you’ve been tagged, you must write your answers in your own LJ and replace any question that you dislike with a new question.

What song are you currently addicted to?

Which, naturally, reminds me of Jeff/Annie, because I am currently obsessed with them. No, but really, I have had this master plan for awhile now to make a Jeff/Annie drabble fanmix (you know, where you write a drabble for each song on the fanmix), and this idea was mostly perpetuated by this song, but, you know, I fail at following through with things, so I doubt that said drabble fanmix will ever be completed, but one can dream, right? (pfft, no one would like my mix anyway since I would stubbornly make it mostly country songs)

What's your favourite season?



Fall! Because it's cool, but not too cold, and because it's colorful and lovely and peaceful. AND THE KIDS GO BACK TO SCHOOL. Which bummed me out when I was going to school, but now that I'm not and it gets my nephew out of the house for six hours, you can bet that I am loving it (I've been spending my days with my sis-in-law and taking care of the babies since she is still recovering, and good god does the house get hectic and loud when my nephew comes home. But hey, at least he keeps things interesting).

What’s the latest movie you watched?
Toy Story 3

What is the one skill you wish you had?
I wish I could draw really well, because then I could make any image in my head come to life. Do you know how much Harlequin style fanart I would whip out if I could? *sigh*

What’s your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
COMMUNITY. More specifically, Jeff/Annie.

What's your favorite musical instrument?
Um... guitar? If only because I have two of them (that I never play).

What web sites do you always visit when you go online?
Livejournal. YouTube. Whatever my f-list links to. That's about it.

What was the last thing you bought?
A set of fantasy books that I probably won't even like, because while I enjoy watching fantasy, I tend to hate reading it. But there was a fandom secret the other day that mentioned a teacher/student canon ship with an age gap, and... well, I couldn't resist. BUT WHY DON'T I MAKE USE OF THE LIBRARY? Because I'd have to get in my car. And drive. Oh, blast me and my laziness!

If you won 10,000 bucks today, what would you do with it?
Rent an apartment (of course, what would I do when the 10,000 bucks ran out? That is the real question)

Favorite time of day?
After dinner till when I go to bed, because I get to relax and play around on the computer.

What's the last thing that made you happy?
Honestly, I am pretty easy. Anytime a new Jeff/Annie fic pops up on my f-list, I get insanely happy (ficcy Friday is like heaven for me). But I get seriously giddy when people post fics for them that are over 20,000 words, because those fics tend to be plotty and full of ensemble hijinks and Jeff/Annie angst.

Do you want to learn another language?
YES! Cantonese, Korean, Tagalog, German... yes, these are all fandom related (though, technically, that first one could be family related)

Five things you can’t live without.
Family, computer, chicken, cable TV/internet, DVDs.

Comments

[irlandesak.livejournal.com]

I enjoy the heck out of these so I can ITA you.

I saw nothing there but House wanting to get into her pants and being obscene about it, and Cuddy very intelligently refusing his advances, but somewhere along the way Cuddy got giggly over him and House suddenly had deep-seated emotions for her and the shoddy writing just made me want to puke.

This. IMO, House is meant to be alone. Maybe a fling here and there along the way but ultimately, he's not a relationship person from what I can see.

And my problem with this ship is that the show presented Cuddy as the antithesis of Cameron (who I liked) in that she was not ruled by her emotions and would not be drawn the juvenile dysfunction that is Gregory House. Well somewhere along the way Linda Edelstein got it in her head that H/C had some torrid affair way back when they knew one another and that they're meant to be. And then she started pimping it in interviews making me realize that she and I had vastly different impressions of who Cuddy was because if I were playing Cuddy, a relationship with House is the last thing I'd want for her. It'd undermine the character.

And thus it began. For all the slack Cameron got that she was whiny and weak and least that's who she was supposed to be. She got ragged on on about it. But Cuddy, on the other hand, rarely stood up to House in any way that wasn't over by the end of an episode. She was all about *tsk tsking* sexual innuendo while encouraging it. House makes her look as weak as Cameron was supposed to be but the show doesn't acknowledge it. Or at least it didn't when I watched.

So many people I know who love H/C would constantly talk about how House needs someone more age appropriate than Cameron and someone stronger than Cameron who can stand up to his BS. Well that's great. Good point. But no way in hell is that Cuddy as she's portrayed by the show. Cameron, as messed up as she was, I understood her thing for House.

And House, as messed up as he was, I understood him rejecting relationships.

Cuddy? I just do not get. And frankly, I grew to hate her. One thing I hate is when shows "tell" vs. "show." The character of Cuddy is a prime example of that.

Man, can you tell this touches a nerve? H/C would be in my list for least favorite couple.

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha, this is why I love you. Yes, to all of this. House/Cameron I could completely understand, and even though I saw why it bugged people, at least the ship made sense from a characterization perspective. It was never meant to last, but it was meant to bring about character growth for both of them, which it did. House/Cuddy? I just never understood why Cuddy would want anything to do with him. Sometimes the show would give us some deep moments between them, but more often than not it was shallow development. Just... ugh. And I hear that Cuddy's characterization has only gotten worse as House/Cuddy has become a legit romance. I don't know, I just will never understand it. At all. But kudos to those who enjoy it (and really, the fandom for House/Cuddy is much better at writing them as a ship than the show will ever be).

[irlandesak.livejournal.com]

Sometimes the show would give us some deep moments between them, but more often than not it was shallow development.

This is just it. As friends? I bought them. If Cuddy were truly the strong woman she was supposed to be, House is the kind of guy she could care about in a way and even be somewhat of a "bro" but she'd be too smart to consider him as a romantic prospect.

And even as they were moving them towards being a couple, they kept giving them different goals. Don't even get me started on the soap opera "father my baby" story. Ugh!

I'm afraid of what they're going to have to do to House to have him in a relationship. I shudder. I enjoyed the early years of the show but I'm glad I gave it up.

And the biggest irony in this? The one person who has managed to stand up to House and walk away: Cameron. Masochist in me is wondering what the episodes she allegedly will appear in next season will be like. I don't think she had any scenes with House last spring.

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

And the biggest irony in this? The one person who has managed to stand up to House and walk away: Cameron.

Ha! Yes, I've always found this irony to be quite delicious. And if I'm honest, I've never seen Cameron to be the weak character that a lot of fandom makes her out to be. When she believed in something, she never backed down. When she wanted something, she'd put her whole heart into getting it, but she also finally learned when to give up and walk away. She faced her emotions head-on and did things about it, which, yes, got her into trouble more often than not, but at least she was brave enough to do it, you know? And she often did stand up to House, or at least ask him what he was playing at, and she would easily counter attack (she got to his emotional side and she knew it, and so she often used this to her advantage). They weren't as uneven as people say they were. But with House/Cuddy, it feels like all House does is walk all over her, simply because Cuddy used to be the strong woman. She was supposed to be the mature one that knew better, and just... ugh. As for making House a lovesick puppy, even for just the one ep where I saw it, it was rather disturbing. Like, it maybe sold me on the fact that House did love Cuddy, I just didn't know why, because I felt like the show completely failed on developing them as a romance. They just kind of shoved it in there and said, "Hey, guess what? House and Cuddy have a history, a romantic history that we chose not to mention until just now, AND SO CLEARLY THEY ARE IN AN EPIC LOVE AND CUDDY IS HIS ~SOULMATE~" Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. Granted, I haven't seen season 6, so perhaps they've cleaned some of that up, but according to most of fandom's reaction, I doubt it.

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

Thanks for doing this. :-) Anything by Tamora Pierce is meant to be quite good. I haven't read anything by her but have one pn my tbr pile - Alana I think.

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Ha, thanks for tagging me! Yeah, I've heard that this author is really good, and I've been wanting to read something from her for awhile, so, hopefully I'll enjoy it.

[laurelsing.livejournal.com]

Tamora Pierce is most excellent, IMO. I've read a fair amount of her stuff - started when I was probably somewhere between 7 and 10 years old :)

I believe I started with the Song of the Lioness quartet!

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Awesome, I'm glad to hear another yay for these books! I am usually pretty cautious about fantasy novels (especially since the last ones I got I just found way too confusing), but since these are geared towards the Young Adult audience, I figured the descriptions and names wouldn't be quite so ridiculous (for some reason YA fantasy fiction seems to appeal to me more than adult-aimed fantasy fiction).

[laurelsing.livejournal.com]

I'm with you all the way, there, I FAR prefer YA fantasy. For exactly the reason you mentioned, I think - names and descriptions that are ridiculous beyond belief. Like, I get that you would want to give your reader a feel of being in another world/place/time/whatever, but... you have to keep it in check for the reader to COMPREHEND it easily, otherwise there is no room for immersion at all because the reader is too busy being confused or trying to process all the strange information.

[otempora42.livejournal.com]

Re: Stefan/Elena icons: there's a few in this post, and the other Stefan/Elena icons I have saved are from casualclosure, worldofmagic, and sammie_marie, and my OT3 icon is from snagging, so you might want to check those out.

And also it's like you're READING MY MIND.

I think the moment that sold me was Damon looking into Elena's eyes and desperately telling her that he couldn't protect her and rescue Stefan if she went in with him, and he did this little hair stroke that seemed to comfort her

Oh, that's when I really started to ship them, too (well, in the rewatch. On my first viewing, I was very adamant about /not/ shipping Damon/Elena, and well, let's just say that the finale happened). And the Miss Mystic Falls dance just has WAY too much chemistry.

Elena can't be in a relationship with Stefan without Damon being boyfriendly with her too, and, well, Elena isn't crazy enough to go off and have a relationship with Damon and completely forget about Stefan. Just not going to happen (and, despite Damon's careless demeanor, he really can't live without his baby brother).

EXACTLY. Jeez, why can't more people get on board with the threesome? Because I also love Stefan - he's very protective of and gentlemanly towards Elena without being patronizing, and it breaks my HEART to see people on the Damon/Elena comm calling him boring. I love seeing him struggle (and occasionally falter. I love it when heroes screw up!) with his blood addiction, and he's so complex and somehow normal at the same time and, yeah, although I love Damon, I still think I'm more of a Stefan girl (although my favorite character is Caroline. Go figure).

But, anyway, what I really love about Damon is that his affection for Elena doesn't just change his relationship with her - it makes him nicer to /everyone/. I feel like Spike (I don't know if this is the same in True Blood, because I've only seen a few episodes) only ever tried to be good so that he could win Buffy, whereas Damon actually changes into a better person BECAUSE of Elena, not just FOR her. I love how TVD avoids the really common pitfalls of vampire stories (including the unhealthy/obsessive main couple), probably because the main writer/producer guy doesn't actually LIKE most teenage vampire stuff. Anyway, I find it so refreshing. And it's amazingly well-written and NOT a guilty pleasure!

So, yeah, basically TVD is the best show on TV right now, in my estimation. And it comes back a week earlier than most shows!

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Ooo, thank you muchly for the links! Took a ton from snagging (unfortunately, there was only one OT3 icon, so, we'll probably end up being icon twins).

But, anyway, what I really love about Damon is that his affection for Elena doesn't just change his relationship with her - it makes him nicer to /everyone/. I feel like Spike (I don't know if this is the same in True Blood, because I've only seen a few episodes) only ever tried to be good so that he could win Buffy, whereas Damon actually changes into a better person BECAUSE of Elena, not just FOR her.

YES! YES YES YES! This, exactly. I think you've just pinpointed the exact reason why I was never able to fully get behind Spike/Buffy (or Eric/Sookie, for that matter, though I think True Blood is pulling it off a bit better than Buffy did). Damon isn't changing to get the girl, he's just a better person simply by having her in his life. He doesn't expect or demand anything from her, he's content to simply be near her, and he's thrilled to be needed by her. Now, he's still killing people, but it seems like after the tomb incident, he only kills with purpose now as opposed to killing just for the fun of it. But the simple fact that he kills people is what will always keep Elena from loving him (at least, as far as I am into the series at this point, that's what it feels like). But yeah, TVD is definitely the first show to really pull me in with that kind of romance. Spike/Buffy was just a complete mess, and Eric/Sookie is in danger of becoming a repeat of Buffy/Spike (luckily though, Eric has his mind on many more things than just Sookie).

[zombie_boogie.livejournal.com]

I'm so, so happy someone else is watching TVD! I just recently picked up the series this summer. I watched the Pilot when it first aired, wasn't too impressed, but then picked up the series again because my friends list was full of flail. It's such a genuinely good show, it's insane. I really do like most of the characters and they're doing a great job with the plot. They give you enough tension so that you're dying to know what happens next, but at the same time they don't drag things out until you're sick of the storyline.

OT3 FOREVER. My preferences lie with Damon/Elena, but I wouldn't want to sacrifice the Damon/Stefan or Elena/Stefan dynamic either. I didn't really ship Damon/Elena until late in the season when he started to become more of an anti-hero. That scene in the rain under the umbrella? GUH. THE DANCING? GUH GUH GUH. How do they expect me to resist that when they are giving each other eeeeeyes? But I also love their bizarre little friendship. Can't Damon and Stefan just... share? I know it will never happen, but I can dream. I wish there was a genuine OT3 community out there (maybe there is?). I'm a member of damon_elena, but I don't really post or even lurk there because I don't really like the fact that the community openly supports Stefan bashing. I may always go for the snarky badboy vampire (lol I'm so typical) and I think the Damon/Elena dynamic is more compelling, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Stefan and Stefan/Elena. The latter is cute and a bit too vanilla for my tastes, but they are quite sweet with each other and relatively healthy for this type of show and a vampire/human relationship. And Stefan himself does have a lot of layers and his relationship with Damon is phenomenal. His struggle seems real to me, and as an added bonus he isn't full of self-righteousness like so many vampires of his type are (this show is overall pretty free of self-righteous bullshit period, which I find refreshing).

By the way, after I finished season 1 I wrote a massive thinky-thoughts post on the series here if you're interested (there are spoilers up to "Founder's Day", which is a fucking epic finale).

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Oh, I will definitely read your reaction post once I see the finale!

His struggle seems real to me, and as an added bonus he isn't full of self-righteousness like so many vampires of his type are (this show is overall pretty free of self-righteous bullshit period, which I find refreshing).

YES! I too love this about Stefan (and the show). He doesn't get too preachy and pretty much accepts that he can't change Damon, Damon has to change on his own if he wants to. I actually love how they sort of treat his lifestyle like that of a vegetarian, but then it promptly switched to the lifestyle of a drug addict once he got a taste of human blood again.

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

I am also all about the OT3 on TVD. I love Stefan/Elena but I also like the dynamic she has with Damon. With him wanting her and slowly beginning to love her and she is all "YOU ARE EVIL GET AWAY" but then having brief moments of *___* and then he is all ~TORTURED~ AND ~CONFUSED~ ABOUT THESE FEEELINGS. Hehehe I love it. I love watching him suffer esp. Everytime Damon gets smacked down by a woman on the show, my soul does a little dance. >D Basically I dont want Damon/Elena to get together for real and would rather them dance around each other till the end. Plus just think about how awful it would be for Damon to get jilted for his brother TWICE. Oh delicious suffering <3 I dont understand Stefan or Stefan/Elena hate. Stefan is a genuinely good guy, unlike those jerks Angel and Bill! (no offense or anything. I know you like them XD) but really I am pretty fond of Stefan and Stelena lol. They are adorb, just the right amount of angst. IMO
Also have you seen the S2 trailers? Katherine is coming back to wreak havoc and I cannot wait!

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha, oh, don't worry, I know that Bill and Angel are pretty bad dudes. I am in love with their lameness and how their respective shows make fun of them for said lameness, I think. Stefan, on the other hand, is a pretty decent guy.

I haven't quite finished season 1 yet, so I haven't watched the S2 trailor, but I was definitely hoping for the return of Katherine, so I'm happy to hear that she comes back! Dude, hopefully S2 will be just as epic as S1 was.

[midnightxgarden.livejournal.com]

Thank God you're watching Vampire Diaries because I know I'm going to have a huge squee-age post when the show comes back in a couple weeks. And I will admit, I am a member of the Damon/Elena community and it freaks me out a bit (or a lot), but mostly I just use it to read fic (about 70% is pretty terrible) but once you get through the finale, I have a list of good ones.

I too ship Damon/Elena, but I have nothing against Stefan/Elena or really Stefan. I just wish that awesome episodes like the one with Lexie happened more because Stefan really is a good guy (more so than most other vampires that are portrayed as "good") and I want to like him more than I do, more than Damon, but I can't. I said it when I posted about it the last time but I honestly believe Damon is what they intended for later seasons Spike to be in Buffy.

Plus, I just love that these characters are actually thinking and that all of the secondary and tertiary characters are actually interesting and well developed. I mean, I want to smack Jeremy half the time, but I still kind of love him. And Alaric was the best thing they ever did to the show after it started. Actually, I really do love this show, and it's really weird that I do.

[midnightxgarden.livejournal.com]

Also, The Immortals is one of my favorite book series of all time. I reread them this summer and although the writing isn't spectacular, the plots are fun and the characters are amusing and well written. Plus, Daine is just awesome and I love Numair. :)

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

This pleases me to hear! Now I'm pretty darn excited to read these books.

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

I want to like him more than I do, more than Damon, but I can't.

Oh, same here, dude, same here. It's just that Damon is so magnificently well written that it's impossible not to love him. I tend to have a soft spot for anti-heroes, and that's exactly what he became by the end of season 1. I was just fascinated by his transition and how well the show convinced me that, hey, this guy has some genuine good in him. When he started being motivated by the need to protect Elena and Stefan, it got me. Particularly that moment where he has Isabel pinned and he actually says something about how she shouldn't mess with the people that he cares about. That just made my jaw drop, that he actually admitted this, and to a potential enemy no less. That coupled with the little moments of friendship between Damon and Elena, he just became this wonderful morally ambiguous character that is easily sympathized with, even though, you know, HE KILLS PEOPLE. I think Saltzman said it best when he told him, "Hell, you're a dick and you kill people, but I still see something human in you." Speaking of which, Alaric/Damon = greatest teamup ever, I love those two so freaking much.

I said it when I posted about it the last time but I honestly believe Damon is what they intended for later seasons Spike to be in Buffy.

YES! I saw that post, and really, it was what finally gave me the kick in the pants to watch this show. Spike's characterization in the later seasons have always bugged me, mostly because the show tried to say that he was a good person, that he changed because of Buffy, but... he didn't. Even with his soul back, he still didn't do anything good because it was good, he did it because he wanted to win Buffy's love. He never once changed into a better person, ever. He was still the same self-serving Spike who demanded Buffy's love because, "Hey, look, I got my soul back! FOR YOU!!! WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME? LOOK AT ALL I'VE DONE!" And, well, that was just it, that was why I never for one moment thought that Buffy ever loved him. He was kind of a pathetic creep who did nothing with selfless intentions. Mind you, I still loved him as a character, but I never actually saw any growth there. Season 4 brought about the most character growth for him, and that was simply because he had forged a sort of weird frenemy relationship with all of the Scoobies that gave him a sense of belonging and purpose. Seasons 5, 6, and 7 kind of undid that growth in my eyes. Just... ugh, the Buffy/Spike relationship was handled in the most wrong way possible. And The Vampire Diaries really drives that point home by the way it handles the Damon/Elena relationship and the growth of the Damon character.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD I LOVE TAMORA PIERCE.

I recently reread that series and realized how ridiculously formative that relationship was for my shipping preferences.

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Ha, I have a feeling that I'm really going to love this teacher/student ship.