The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle, ch. 1
Reading this book is probably going to be a struggle, yes. Thank you for your apt titles, TVD. Alright let's do this shit.
So last book we left off with Stefan passed out after Damon nommed him, and Elena in a frantic hurry to find him because he is the light of her life after like, a week. Anyway, on the way she's runs into Damon, who is basically even more of a troll than in the show.
"Don't lie to me," she said, her voice shaking. "I know who you are. I know what you are. You killed Mr. Tanner last night. And now Stefan's disappeared."
"Has he?"
"You know he has!"
Damon smiled and then turned it off instantly.
"I'm warning you; if you've hurt him-"
"Then, what?" he said. "What will you do, Elena? What can you do, against me?"
Oh Damon, never change.
"My brother," he went on, "is a fool. He thinks that because you look like Katherine you're weak and easily led like her. But he's wrong. I could feel your anger from the other side of town. I can feel it now, a white light like the desert sun. You have strength, Elena, even as you are. But you could be so much stronger..."
Ugh, and here we go again with the ‘Katherine was weak and lame and not at all HBIC’. Just stop. I want my Katherine back and I want her back now. I am sick of this imposter Katherine. Also, I’m not even going to touch ‘a white light like the desert sun’. The fuck.
Okay so we’re 5 pages in. FIVE. And Damon is already trying to convince her to become a vampire. I don’t understand his motives or why he gives a single fuck, but I’m hoping that will come to light. Also I find it kind of funny that last book Elena practically begged Stefan to turn her but her first reaction is disgust when Damon mentions it.
"Why not?" he whispered. "Why not try it, Elena? Be honest. Isn't there a part of you that wants to?" His dark eyes were full of a heat and intensity that held her transfixed, unable to look away. "I can waken things inside you that have been sleeping all your life. You're strong enough to live in the dark, to glory in it. You can become a queen of the shadows. Why not take that Power, Elena? Let me help you take it."
QUEEN OF THE SHADOWS. WHAT. I feel like it should be noted at this point that Damon has met her only once before this, in which he stalked her in a classroom and tried to kiss her without saying much at all. She ran out of the room and that was that. I have no idea how he has this big idea in his head about how ~strong she is. Unless he’s been stalking her for ages a la show Stefan, but even then I see nothing in the way this character acted in the last book to show Damon any of her hidden ~strength. She’s whiny, manipulative and bitchy, and her entire life seems to revolve around being top of the school and complaining that her four year old sister is too happy.
Dear Damon, I think you have the wrong girl.
"And you can't intimidate me, Damon, or haven't you noticed? The moment Stefan told me what you were, what you'd done, you lost any power you might have had over me. I hate you. You disgust me. And there's nothing you can do to me, not any more."
His face altered, the sensuousness twisting and freezing, becoming cruel and bitterly hard. He laughed, but this laugh went on and on. "Nothing?" he said. "I can do anything to you, and to the ones you love. You have no idea, Elena, of what I can do. But you'll learn."
The thing that keeps getting to me is that she talks to him like they’ve known each other for ages and he’s got this long history of fucking around with her and Stefan. We’ve seen him interact with Stefan ONCE and Elena wasn’t there, and we’ve seen him stalk Elena once where nothing really even happened. I feel like there’s an entire fucking book missing between these two or something, I don’t know. “Not anymore?” ELENA HE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING YET, GAWD. Even in flashbacks Damon wasn’t a bastard because it was ~human Damon, and from what I remember Stefan hasn’t said anything to her about Damon being psychotic other than obviously mentioning that they’re both vampires.
Understanding the logic in these books is a struggle, let me tell you. ohohoho.
"Winter is coming, Elena," he said, and his voice was clear and chilling even over the howl of the wind. "An unforgiving season. Before it comes, you'll have learned what I can and can't do. Before winter is here, you'll have joined me. You'll be mine."
‘kay Damon. You’re starting to lose me. At least show Damon is hilarious and snarky and sarcastic in S1, this is just creepy. Also he’s using compulsion to make her not think about Stefan while he’s talking to her, but again she’s able to sort of clear it out of her and harden her resolve or some shit. I have issues with this.
1. Is book compulsion not a permanent thing? Only an in-the-moment kind of deal? Because this is very flawed and not all that useful, tbh. As soon as you stop using it the person they’re compelling would just be like “well that was dumb for that second there, I’m going to stop now”.
2. HEY DAMON. IF YOU CAN COMPEL HER TO FORGET ABOUT STEFAN WHY DON’T YOU JUST COMPEL HER TO GO WITH YOU AND JOIN YOUR CREEPY VAMPIRE HAREM.
So then Damon tells her that Stefan’s dead and there’s no point in looking for him, and then he ~vanishes into the night and we get this gem of a sentence to finish the chapter.
It was snowing on the first of November. Overhead, the sun was gone.
Wow. Thank you. That was so fucking profound I don’t know what to do with myself.
I’ve decided I’m going to do these a chapter at a time because otherwise this is going to end up ridiculously long. Chapter 1 of The Struggle already makes me want to tear my hair out, but I will embark on chapter 2 tomorrow, so help me God.
So last book we left off with Stefan passed out after Damon nommed him, and Elena in a frantic hurry to find him because he is the light of her life after like, a week. Anyway, on the way she's runs into Damon, who is basically even more of a troll than in the show.
"Don't lie to me," she said, her voice shaking. "I know who you are. I know what you are. You killed Mr. Tanner last night. And now Stefan's disappeared."
"Has he?"
"You know he has!"
Damon smiled and then turned it off instantly.
"I'm warning you; if you've hurt him-"
"Then, what?" he said. "What will you do, Elena? What can you do, against me?"
Oh Damon, never change.
"My brother," he went on, "is a fool. He thinks that because you look like Katherine you're weak and easily led like her. But he's wrong. I could feel your anger from the other side of town. I can feel it now, a white light like the desert sun. You have strength, Elena, even as you are. But you could be so much stronger..."
Ugh, and here we go again with the ‘Katherine was weak and lame and not at all HBIC’. Just stop. I want my Katherine back and I want her back now. I am sick of this imposter Katherine. Also, I’m not even going to touch ‘a white light like the desert sun’. The fuck.
Okay so we’re 5 pages in. FIVE. And Damon is already trying to convince her to become a vampire. I don’t understand his motives or why he gives a single fuck, but I’m hoping that will come to light. Also I find it kind of funny that last book Elena practically begged Stefan to turn her but her first reaction is disgust when Damon mentions it.
"Why not?" he whispered. "Why not try it, Elena? Be honest. Isn't there a part of you that wants to?" His dark eyes were full of a heat and intensity that held her transfixed, unable to look away. "I can waken things inside you that have been sleeping all your life. You're strong enough to live in the dark, to glory in it. You can become a queen of the shadows. Why not take that Power, Elena? Let me help you take it."
QUEEN OF THE SHADOWS. WHAT. I feel like it should be noted at this point that Damon has met her only once before this, in which he stalked her in a classroom and tried to kiss her without saying much at all. She ran out of the room and that was that. I have no idea how he has this big idea in his head about how ~strong she is. Unless he’s been stalking her for ages a la show Stefan, but even then I see nothing in the way this character acted in the last book to show Damon any of her hidden ~strength. She’s whiny, manipulative and bitchy, and her entire life seems to revolve around being top of the school and complaining that her four year old sister is too happy.
Dear Damon, I think you have the wrong girl.
"And you can't intimidate me, Damon, or haven't you noticed? The moment Stefan told me what you were, what you'd done, you lost any power you might have had over me. I hate you. You disgust me. And there's nothing you can do to me, not any more."
His face altered, the sensuousness twisting and freezing, becoming cruel and bitterly hard. He laughed, but this laugh went on and on. "Nothing?" he said. "I can do anything to you, and to the ones you love. You have no idea, Elena, of what I can do. But you'll learn."
The thing that keeps getting to me is that she talks to him like they’ve known each other for ages and he’s got this long history of fucking around with her and Stefan. We’ve seen him interact with Stefan ONCE and Elena wasn’t there, and we’ve seen him stalk Elena once where nothing really even happened. I feel like there’s an entire fucking book missing between these two or something, I don’t know. “Not anymore?” ELENA HE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING YET, GAWD. Even in flashbacks Damon wasn’t a bastard because it was ~human Damon, and from what I remember Stefan hasn’t said anything to her about Damon being psychotic other than obviously mentioning that they’re both vampires.
Understanding the logic in these books is a struggle, let me tell you. ohohoho.
"Winter is coming, Elena," he said, and his voice was clear and chilling even over the howl of the wind. "An unforgiving season. Before it comes, you'll have learned what I can and can't do. Before winter is here, you'll have joined me. You'll be mine."
‘kay Damon. You’re starting to lose me. At least show Damon is hilarious and snarky and sarcastic in S1, this is just creepy. Also he’s using compulsion to make her not think about Stefan while he’s talking to her, but again she’s able to sort of clear it out of her and harden her resolve or some shit. I have issues with this.
1. Is book compulsion not a permanent thing? Only an in-the-moment kind of deal? Because this is very flawed and not all that useful, tbh. As soon as you stop using it the person they’re compelling would just be like “well that was dumb for that second there, I’m going to stop now”.
2. HEY DAMON. IF YOU CAN COMPEL HER TO FORGET ABOUT STEFAN WHY DON’T YOU JUST COMPEL HER TO GO WITH YOU AND JOIN YOUR CREEPY VAMPIRE HAREM.
So then Damon tells her that Stefan’s dead and there’s no point in looking for him, and then he ~vanishes into the night and we get this gem of a sentence to finish the chapter.
It was snowing on the first of November. Overhead, the sun was gone.
Wow. Thank you. That was so fucking profound I don’t know what to do with myself.
I’ve decided I’m going to do these a chapter at a time because otherwise this is going to end up ridiculously long. Chapter 1 of The Struggle already makes me want to tear my hair out, but I will embark on chapter 2 tomorrow, so help me God.