8 Reasons Sam/Dean Fans Should Watch The Vampire Diaries
So, I found myself trying to explain the concept of Vampire Diaries to a fellow fan of Supernatural and when this was part of what I came up with--
What if Dean & Sam had both been involved with Ruby, and Sam had never gotten over her, went darkside, and never came back. And now it’s a century and a half later, Dean still can’t figure out how to save or kill him, and Sam - Sam just wants revenge for Ruby and to tear Dean down to his level, so they can be brothers again.
-- then I knew I had to write up this post.
8 Reasons Sam/Dean Fans Should Watch The Vampire Diaries
Stefan & Damon: Compelling people; Hunting things
1. Similar Themes (Or: Alienated Brothers, Brought Back Together)
Like S1 SPN, you have a younger brother who just wants to be normal, and the older brother who sneers at the idea, rejects regular society, and wants his brother to join his life of violence so they can learn to be a family again. Though instead of taking his brother on an endless roadtrip, Damon settles for taking up residence in the same house, causing havoc, and passive aggressive stalking.
They're a much darker version.
2. The Writers Care About Them
The brothers’ relationship has an actual character arc, like it has on SPN. They have (huge) issues and they talk about them. The relationship moves and changes. And it seems to be changing in a positive direction over the course of the season (though with some serious bumps along the road).
3. They’re Ridiculously Good Looking
Oh my, it's the LAW!
(Stefan's all, "oh noes!" while Damon's like, "huh.")
Damon is pulling out the bullshit charm offensive.
Stefan is thinking about all the ways this is probably Damon's fault.
Did I mention that Damon has this invasion of Stefan's personal space thing?
And, for people who like that sort of thing... They're shirtless a lot.
(I mean, you know, sometimes you just feel like getting nekked)
(and sometimes Damon's stabbed you in the ribs.)
4. It'll Never End
Damon: "I could rip your heart out and not think twice about it."
Stefan: "I've heard that before."
One of the reoccuring themes present in Sam/Dean fic is that even if one of them crosses a serious line, the other wouldn't be able to bring himself to kill his brother.
And despite how many times they think they’ve been pushed to the limit, no matter how ugly it gets, in the end neither Stefan or Damon can bring himself to permanently dispose of his brother. Oh, they threaten, they posture, one of them may come reeeeal close... but it will never happen. Stefan has a couple moments like Dean in the S4 finale, when he claims he’s done with Damon forever and everything he feels for him is gone, but then...
5. Us Against the World
"What do I mean, I'm perfectly safe! I have Damon, the self-serving psychopath on my side."
-Stefan
Despite their in-fighting, when something threatens from outside Damon often steps in to help to take care of it. And while often Stefan works against Damon's interests, he joins in on cover ups regularly as well.
(Damon also probably wants to share "their" girlfriend, but that's a whole 'nother story)
6. Pre-Series Possibilities
Just as we've recieved flashbacks from Sam & Dean's childhoods which have launched a thousand fics, (from high school PWPs to Stanford angst -- and, by the way, Katherine's downfall is so the Salvadore brothers' Stanford) there's a goldmine in Stefan & Damon's past.
Pre Stanford Katherine, the brothers were "best friends" and even falling in love with the same woman didn't set them at each others' throats. (Not that Damon was loving the sekret boyfriend role while The Good Son got to be with her in public.) The conflict - that damning break - has its roots in Damon's belief that Stefan betrayed him & Katherine, and broke Damon's trust.
And, seriously, the Katherine thing? We only see her sleep with them one at a time... but the subtext is so there! That vamp was all about the eternal incestous threesome.
"You have no idea of the future I have planned for us, Stefan. You, me, and Damon. No rules."
-Katherine, 1.06
Plus, we really know very little about what the brothers have been doing while apart (only hints here and there from Stefan of people he's known, places he's seen). It's been established that they haven't spoken for 15 years prior to the series. But that means they were talking... and anything more than that is open for speculation.
7. Eat it, Twilight!
There’s a real horror component to the show. It’s never as gruseome as some of SPN’s finest moments, but still -- someone either dies or gets seriously bloodied in every episode. The vampires are real vampires. No one sparkles, and most of them drink human blood and think of most people as tools and/or food. They don't necessarily share our value system, and they all "compell" humans when useful. (Even 'good guy' Stefan.)
8. They’re Not Alone
TVD includes some seriously awesome women. Bonnie, Elena, Grams, Pearl, Anna, Katherine -- so much love for them. (and I heart the Sheriff, okay? don't judge me!)
NOW READ GALE'S AWESOME FANDOM PRIMER.
Fannish Material
There definitely should be more Damon/Stefan material out there, but here's some stuff to reel you in...
Vids
Tainted Love {Damon/Stefan slash}
One of the more gratuitously homoerotic slash vids I've seen recently. Takes advantage of the plethora of suggestive poses and looks these characters have engaged with each other, and then adds some constructed reality for a cherry on top. [vid post: http://community.livejournal.com/salvatoreslash/44804.html - download link in Comments]
Heads Will Roll {gen; Ensemble}
Very well put together recruiter vid for Vampire Diaries. "Sexy times, scary times. High school is all fun and games until someone gets sucked."
Damon's Sorry... Not! {Damon & Stefan}
Damon being a brother, Damon being a dick. Hey, he's a multi-tasker. (heh, some glimpses of Stefan's flat!disapproval! -- the Salvadore version of Sammy bitch!face)
Sick {Damon & Stefan}
Damon pushes and pushes, until Stefan pushes back. Or: Sometimes Stefan loses hope.
Protecting Him {Damon & Stefan}
The lighter side. Sometimes Stefan gets hope back.
Crash {Damon centric}
Damon being his immoral, obnoxious self.
Damon & Stefan: Vampires {Vampires}
Some of very un-sparkly vampires of Mystic Falls and their snacking habits. (Lots of Damon, but other vamps feature.)
Fic: Damon/Stefan
Changes {gen; slight Stefan/Damon undertones}
(724 words) Pre-series, Stefan tries to find his footing after death. "And that’s something else: Stefan’s been out here for hours, and he hasn’t seen his brother once. He’s heard him once or twice, but kept himself away for - why? Damon’s his brother. They’re in this together, the way they have been since Katherine had arrived. And yes, Damon’s angry at him, but it’s not like they haven’t ever quarreled. They’ll be fine. They’ll be fine, and then Stefan can finally relax long enough to find something to eat-- Something. Not owls, not rabbits. Something."
Straight Line Running Back to You
(6,085 words) This is gorgeous and so Damon it hurts. "Smooth little brother, he'll get it wrong every single time and that'll be the end of him. Their history is skewed and fucked up and scattered all over the United States and Damon wishes he could erase the most painful parts. In his head he's constantly rewriting what happened to them."
Perceptions {gen with slight Stefan/Damon undertones}
(2,600 words) An encounter in New York City in the 1920s. "As always when it came to Damon, he remained a fool."
Going to Love You With My Hands Tied
(1,500 words) Pre-series. Stefan ran to Venice years ago to escape Damon and their life of bloodlust and debauchery. Running from Damon isn't that easy though.
The Sum of Us
(2,454 words) Damon looks back across their history. The good parts, the bad parts, and everything in between.
Dirty Hands
(3,578 words) Damon POV; a history of obsession. " You started killing people because you were hungry or because you wanted to prove a point to someone or make up for why someone treated you wrong and now you're unstoppable. You couldn’t stop if you wanted to. You love every minute of it. Well, not *every minute*, but that’s true of any artist. […] He was the last solid thing about you. You didn't know how much more of this way of life you could handle. And then you went home to find him."
In the Darkness
(1,370 words) Coda to 1x6. “Stefan Salvatore woke with his heart pounding. The reason for his body's alarm was lounging in the chair next to his bed.”
Blows me home
(1,277 words) Post 1x9. The Salvadore brothers version of hurt/comfort. aka pooorn.
Infinitas
(500 words) Post 1x10. A war waged in three short assaults. Or: Damon always gets what Damon wants.
The Portrait of Two Brothers {completely gen; Stefan, Damon}
(5,000 words) A series of stand alone one-shots, centered on Damon and/or Stefan. Canon through 1x11. So perfectly characterized that I'm in heaven.
"I mean, we can't just blame the lackluster environment on Zach. Especially since I killed him," Damon continues. Stefan rereads the sentence again. "I think it must be your natural bad taste. It appeals to you to sit here, all alone, in bad light surrounded by dusty antiques...Feeling the weight of your age, racked with guilt, obsessed with your own tortured existence and moral superiority."
"I'm reading, Damon," says Stefan, not looking up. "You should try it. It might give you something to enjoy other than the sound of your own voice."
"I read. Just the other week I read a culturally significant book about a girl and her vampire boyfriend."
Not Here
(2,200 words) Immediate coda to 1.14 'Fool Me Once'. Beside the fireplace, Stefan struggles to find his footing. Love and impossible grief. "Stefan feels the same sensation he always feels when Damon gets too close. It’s an uncomfortable awareness in his chest; a warning for fight or flight. Earlier in the night, Damon had leaned close to Stefan and asked him to admit he couldn’t wait to be rid of his older brother. He should have just responded straight away. Damon was only baiting him anyway. But he waited a little too long to respond, a five-second lull as he felt his face grow hot from the torches."
Break Me Open
(1,960 words) Coda to 1.17. At the end of the day, Stefan is just a hungry vampire. Damon takes advantage. Damon leaned in, just close enough to for his breath to ghost across Stefan’s face, barely out of reach. “Remember when we used to do that?”
Oblivion
(2,087 words) Post 1.18. In which Stefan manages to avoid some things, but not others. Exquisite. (My favorite D/S -- I loved every bit of this fic.)
Fic: Damon/Katherine/Stefan OT3
[warning: katherine = mind control non-con, mmkay?]
Taste
(1,200 words) Spoilers through 1x6 "Lost Girls". A flashback to better days... "There are always rules; there's no other way to break them."
In the Service of Beauty
(1,300 words) Oh, the games Katherine would play. I could believe this is a piece of what happened before. "Katherine was facing away from the doorway when they arrived, but she saw them in the mirror: Stefan with his earnest face, Damon in his gray uniform. Sometimes she fancied that the mirror's frame would hold them forever, like a photograph, preserving them in lines of shadow and silver. She turned her ring around so the lapis lazuli faced away from her palm, and closed her fingers around it. Come in, she said without words." [warning: this is katherine, duh, so it's all mind control non-con all the time]
House of Illusion
(2,000 words) Pre-Series. Summary: Katherine only wants a family. The Salvatore brothers will more than do. “Everything will work out this time.”
Transformation
(1,000 words) Pre-Series. Some facts Damon knows about Stefan, Katherine, and himself. "The first time without Katherine there is, surprisingly enough, exactly the same as if she were. Not that Damon doesn't miss her, horribly, terribly, 'As if a part of my soul were ripped out from me, Stefan,' he likes to say, pointedly, and Stefan will look guilty, because that's what Stefan does, is carry guilt around inside of him as if he enjoys it. It's how Damon knows then, that Stefan couldn't possibly love Katherine as much as Damon loves Katherine. She would not have stood for that kind of behavior."
What falls away
(3,500 words) Pre-Series. "You told me..." It was a struggle to remember, for some reason. "You told me you had plans for us," Stefan said. "The three of us. Tell me about them."
Damon sat up, looking struck. "You told me too," he said. "I remember now, that first night we--" He paused, whether out of deference to Stefan or Katherine it was impossible to tell. And though Stefan had known-of course he'd known, he wasn't a fool, and anyway he'd been able to smell Damon on her the first time she came to his bedroom, as soon as she'd stepped in the door-hearing Damon say it, or almost say it, sent a dreadful thrill down his spine. Of jealousy, or wanting, or the confused mix of both that he always felt when he imagined the two of them together.
And here's a link to some good gen, slash, and het fic that's not Damon&Stefan centric.
What if Dean & Sam had both been involved with Ruby, and Sam had never gotten over her, went darkside, and never came back. And now it’s a century and a half later, Dean still can’t figure out how to save or kill him, and Sam - Sam just wants revenge for Ruby and to tear Dean down to his level, so they can be brothers again.
-- then I knew I had to write up this post.
8 Reasons Sam/Dean Fans Should Watch The Vampire Diaries
Stefan & Damon: Compelling people; Hunting things
1. Similar Themes (Or: Alienated Brothers, Brought Back Together)
Like S1 SPN, you have a younger brother who just wants to be normal, and the older brother who sneers at the idea, rejects regular society, and wants his brother to join his life of violence so they can learn to be a family again. Though instead of taking his brother on an endless roadtrip, Damon settles for taking up residence in the same house, causing havoc, and passive aggressive stalking.
They're a much darker version.
2. The Writers Care About Them
The brothers’ relationship has an actual character arc, like it has on SPN. They have (huge) issues and they talk about them. The relationship moves and changes. And it seems to be changing in a positive direction over the course of the season (though with some serious bumps along the road).
3. They’re Ridiculously Good Looking
Oh my, it's the LAW!
(Stefan's all, "oh noes!" while Damon's like, "huh.")
Damon is pulling out the bullshit charm offensive.
Stefan is thinking about all the ways this is probably Damon's fault.
Did I mention that Damon has this invasion of Stefan's personal space thing?
And, for people who like that sort of thing... They're shirtless a lot.
(I mean, you know, sometimes you just feel like getting nekked)
(and sometimes Damon's stabbed you in the ribs.)
4. It'll Never End
Damon: "I could rip your heart out and not think twice about it."
Stefan: "I've heard that before."
One of the reoccuring themes present in Sam/Dean fic is that even if one of them crosses a serious line, the other wouldn't be able to bring himself to kill his brother.
And despite how many times they think they’ve been pushed to the limit, no matter how ugly it gets, in the end neither Stefan or Damon can bring himself to permanently dispose of his brother. Oh, they threaten, they posture, one of them may come reeeeal close... but it will never happen. Stefan has a couple moments like Dean in the S4 finale, when he claims he’s done with Damon forever and everything he feels for him is gone, but then...
5. Us Against the World
"What do I mean, I'm perfectly safe! I have Damon, the self-serving psychopath on my side."
-Stefan
Despite their in-fighting, when something threatens from outside Damon often steps in to help to take care of it. And while often Stefan works against Damon's interests, he joins in on cover ups regularly as well.
(Damon also probably wants to share "their" girlfriend, but that's a whole 'nother story)
6. Pre-Series Possibilities
Just as we've recieved flashbacks from Sam & Dean's childhoods which have launched a thousand fics, (from high school PWPs to Stanford angst -- and, by the way, Katherine's downfall is so the Salvadore brothers' Stanford) there's a goldmine in Stefan & Damon's past.
Pre Stanford Katherine, the brothers were "best friends" and even falling in love with the same woman didn't set them at each others' throats. (Not that Damon was loving the sekret boyfriend role while The Good Son got to be with her in public.) The conflict - that damning break - has its roots in Damon's belief that Stefan betrayed him & Katherine, and broke Damon's trust.
And, seriously, the Katherine thing? We only see her sleep with them one at a time... but the subtext is so there! That vamp was all about the eternal incestous threesome.
"You have no idea of the future I have planned for us, Stefan. You, me, and Damon. No rules."
-Katherine, 1.06
Plus, we really know very little about what the brothers have been doing while apart (only hints here and there from Stefan of people he's known, places he's seen). It's been established that they haven't spoken for 15 years prior to the series. But that means they were talking... and anything more than that is open for speculation.
7. Eat it, Twilight!
There’s a real horror component to the show. It’s never as gruseome as some of SPN’s finest moments, but still -- someone either dies or gets seriously bloodied in every episode. The vampires are real vampires. No one sparkles, and most of them drink human blood and think of most people as tools and/or food. They don't necessarily share our value system, and they all "compell" humans when useful. (Even 'good guy' Stefan.)
8. They’re Not Alone
TVD includes some seriously awesome women. Bonnie, Elena, Grams, Pearl, Anna, Katherine -- so much love for them. (and I heart the Sheriff, okay? don't judge me!)
NOW READ GALE'S AWESOME FANDOM PRIMER.
Fannish Material
There definitely should be more Damon/Stefan material out there, but here's some stuff to reel you in...
Vids
Tainted Love {Damon/Stefan slash}
One of the more gratuitously homoerotic slash vids I've seen recently. Takes advantage of the plethora of suggestive poses and looks these characters have engaged with each other, and then adds some constructed reality for a cherry on top. [vid post: http://community.livejournal.com/salvatoreslash/44804.html - download link in Comments]
Heads Will Roll {gen; Ensemble}
Very well put together recruiter vid for Vampire Diaries. "Sexy times, scary times. High school is all fun and games until someone gets sucked."
Damon's Sorry... Not! {Damon & Stefan}
Damon being a brother, Damon being a dick. Hey, he's a multi-tasker. (heh, some glimpses of Stefan's flat!disapproval! -- the Salvadore version of Sammy bitch!face)
Sick {Damon & Stefan}
Damon pushes and pushes, until Stefan pushes back. Or: Sometimes Stefan loses hope.
Protecting Him {Damon & Stefan}
The lighter side. Sometimes Stefan gets hope back.
Crash {Damon centric}
Damon being his immoral, obnoxious self.
Damon & Stefan: Vampires {Vampires}
Some of very un-sparkly vampires of Mystic Falls and their snacking habits. (Lots of Damon, but other vamps feature.)
Fic: Damon/Stefan
Changes {gen; slight Stefan/Damon undertones}
(724 words) Pre-series, Stefan tries to find his footing after death. "And that’s something else: Stefan’s been out here for hours, and he hasn’t seen his brother once. He’s heard him once or twice, but kept himself away for - why? Damon’s his brother. They’re in this together, the way they have been since Katherine had arrived. And yes, Damon’s angry at him, but it’s not like they haven’t ever quarreled. They’ll be fine. They’ll be fine, and then Stefan can finally relax long enough to find something to eat-- Something. Not owls, not rabbits. Something."
Straight Line Running Back to You
(6,085 words) This is gorgeous and so Damon it hurts. "Smooth little brother, he'll get it wrong every single time and that'll be the end of him. Their history is skewed and fucked up and scattered all over the United States and Damon wishes he could erase the most painful parts. In his head he's constantly rewriting what happened to them."
Perceptions {gen with slight Stefan/Damon undertones}
(2,600 words) An encounter in New York City in the 1920s. "As always when it came to Damon, he remained a fool."
Going to Love You With My Hands Tied
(1,500 words) Pre-series. Stefan ran to Venice years ago to escape Damon and their life of bloodlust and debauchery. Running from Damon isn't that easy though.
The Sum of Us
(2,454 words) Damon looks back across their history. The good parts, the bad parts, and everything in between.
Dirty Hands
(3,578 words) Damon POV; a history of obsession. " You started killing people because you were hungry or because you wanted to prove a point to someone or make up for why someone treated you wrong and now you're unstoppable. You couldn’t stop if you wanted to. You love every minute of it. Well, not *every minute*, but that’s true of any artist. […] He was the last solid thing about you. You didn't know how much more of this way of life you could handle. And then you went home to find him."
In the Darkness
(1,370 words) Coda to 1x6. “Stefan Salvatore woke with his heart pounding. The reason for his body's alarm was lounging in the chair next to his bed.”
Blows me home
(1,277 words) Post 1x9. The Salvadore brothers version of hurt/comfort. aka pooorn.
Infinitas
(500 words) Post 1x10. A war waged in three short assaults. Or: Damon always gets what Damon wants.
The Portrait of Two Brothers {completely gen; Stefan, Damon}
(5,000 words) A series of stand alone one-shots, centered on Damon and/or Stefan. Canon through 1x11. So perfectly characterized that I'm in heaven.
"I mean, we can't just blame the lackluster environment on Zach. Especially since I killed him," Damon continues. Stefan rereads the sentence again. "I think it must be your natural bad taste. It appeals to you to sit here, all alone, in bad light surrounded by dusty antiques...Feeling the weight of your age, racked with guilt, obsessed with your own tortured existence and moral superiority."
"I'm reading, Damon," says Stefan, not looking up. "You should try it. It might give you something to enjoy other than the sound of your own voice."
"I read. Just the other week I read a culturally significant book about a girl and her vampire boyfriend."
Not Here
(2,200 words) Immediate coda to 1.14 'Fool Me Once'. Beside the fireplace, Stefan struggles to find his footing. Love and impossible grief. "Stefan feels the same sensation he always feels when Damon gets too close. It’s an uncomfortable awareness in his chest; a warning for fight or flight. Earlier in the night, Damon had leaned close to Stefan and asked him to admit he couldn’t wait to be rid of his older brother. He should have just responded straight away. Damon was only baiting him anyway. But he waited a little too long to respond, a five-second lull as he felt his face grow hot from the torches."
Break Me Open
(1,960 words) Coda to 1.17. At the end of the day, Stefan is just a hungry vampire. Damon takes advantage. Damon leaned in, just close enough to for his breath to ghost across Stefan’s face, barely out of reach. “Remember when we used to do that?”
Oblivion
(2,087 words) Post 1.18. In which Stefan manages to avoid some things, but not others. Exquisite. (My favorite D/S -- I loved every bit of this fic.)
Fic: Damon/Katherine/Stefan OT3
[warning: katherine = mind control non-con, mmkay?]
Taste
(1,200 words) Spoilers through 1x6 "Lost Girls". A flashback to better days... "There are always rules; there's no other way to break them."
In the Service of Beauty
(1,300 words) Oh, the games Katherine would play. I could believe this is a piece of what happened before. "Katherine was facing away from the doorway when they arrived, but she saw them in the mirror: Stefan with his earnest face, Damon in his gray uniform. Sometimes she fancied that the mirror's frame would hold them forever, like a photograph, preserving them in lines of shadow and silver. She turned her ring around so the lapis lazuli faced away from her palm, and closed her fingers around it. Come in, she said without words." [warning: this is katherine, duh, so it's all mind control non-con all the time]
House of Illusion
(2,000 words) Pre-Series. Summary: Katherine only wants a family. The Salvatore brothers will more than do. “Everything will work out this time.”
Transformation
(1,000 words) Pre-Series. Some facts Damon knows about Stefan, Katherine, and himself. "The first time without Katherine there is, surprisingly enough, exactly the same as if she were. Not that Damon doesn't miss her, horribly, terribly, 'As if a part of my soul were ripped out from me, Stefan,' he likes to say, pointedly, and Stefan will look guilty, because that's what Stefan does, is carry guilt around inside of him as if he enjoys it. It's how Damon knows then, that Stefan couldn't possibly love Katherine as much as Damon loves Katherine. She would not have stood for that kind of behavior."
What falls away
(3,500 words) Pre-Series. "You told me..." It was a struggle to remember, for some reason. "You told me you had plans for us," Stefan said. "The three of us. Tell me about them."
Damon sat up, looking struck. "You told me too," he said. "I remember now, that first night we--" He paused, whether out of deference to Stefan or Katherine it was impossible to tell. And though Stefan had known-of course he'd known, he wasn't a fool, and anyway he'd been able to smell Damon on her the first time she came to his bedroom, as soon as she'd stepped in the door-hearing Damon say it, or almost say it, sent a dreadful thrill down his spine. Of jealousy, or wanting, or the confused mix of both that he always felt when he imagined the two of them together.
And here's a link to some good gen, slash, and het fic that's not Damon&Stefan centric.