Posted by Staff | April 30, 2009, 23:15 (EST) | 16 Comments
Category: Books, Fandom, TV Series

The Vampire Diaries fandom is small by Twilight juggernaut standards, but we’re an especially fierce bunch. You only have to read through the comments on this blog (and on LiveJournal, Facebook, IMDb, Amazon, Twitter, MySpace, the Devil’s Playground, the Vampire Diaries discussion forums, various fansites and entertainment blogs/boards, and even on the official Alloy book site) to understand just how passionate we can be.

The possibility of a TV show has undoubtedly put a spotlight on the series. Some may even be discovering for the first time that we’ve been plugging along online for well over a decade, or that there is even a fandom to begin with. We’re seeing older fans come out of the woodwork, new fans just discovering the books, and of course curious folk from all over wondering what’s up with this TV show and the book series it’s supposedly based on.

So we here at vampire-diaries.net feel now is the perfect time to highlight the characters, quotes, and moments that are iconic in this fandom; the bits and pieces of canon that are important to us, and made us all fans in the first place. We’re calling this little venture “Fell’s Five” (because – well, we couldn’t think of a better title). Every week (until you, or we, get bored) we’ll tick off a Top Five list – based around a theme – of all the little things we love about The Vampire Diaries. And we hope you will join in on the fun.

Since Damon is on the fandom brain lately – shocking, we know – we’re kicking things off with a theme inspired by a recent conversation on Twitter. Below the cut: our picks for top five Damon quotes. Warning: Spoilers for the Original Series, ahoy!

#5: “I ran out of mercy for you a century ago.” (The Fury)
Your brother has just gifted you with an unexpected and vicious ass-kicking. The girl he thinks you killed – and the one you’ve been trying to seduce for weeks – just stumbled from the woods looking a little long in the tooth. Amidst the WTFery of her trying to tear open her true love’s throat and said true love throwing a temper tantrum, you’re wounded, irritated, and trying to maintain your signature cool demeanor. But you let something slip. Stefan is only aware of Damon’s presence in his unlife a few times, yet these words give away so much about how unaware little brother really is. A century ago. A century. That’s pretty recent in Salvatore years. That this line is said so matter-of-factly suggests that not only has Damon been keeping a closer eye on Stefan than the latter believes, he’s actually worked up enough energy to care about running out of mercy in the first place.

#4: “Brothers should be close.” (The Awakening)
Trust Damon (or is that fandom?) to load such a simple phrase with a dozen layers of innuendo – though we suppose this isn’t difficult when two-thirds of a thwarted threesome are related to each other. Throw five centuries’ worth of resentment and threats into the mix and you have a guaranteed cocktail of low blows and territory marking, with one brother increasingly furious at moves being made on his girlfriend and the other lecturing on how Sharing is Caring. They would later test this philosophy out with six months of cohabitation in Florence, where presumably Stefan caught up on reading Shakespearean tragedies while Damon resumed intimacies with blonde women and citrus fruit. But peel on this, Vampire Diaries fans: Is it possible that the strong companion Damon wants is actually Stefan? That he’s just been waiting for little brother to get over the whole “wah, I’m a monster” thing so they can rule Europe together? Let’s face it: The only thing hotter than a pair of vampire brothers fighting is a pair of vampire brothers getting along.

#3: “Interesting things happen in the dark…sometimes.” (The Awakening)
As far as pick-up lines go, “Interesting things happen in the dark” isn’t the most crackling log on the bonfire of creepy seduction. But tack a non-commital “sometimes” on the end and you’ve transformed idle observation into something closer to a promise (reverse psychology is so awesome). Rock stars get underthings thrown at them for far less. And if you happen to be Elena Gilbert, all alone with a devastatingly handsome young man in a high school gymnasium while the world’s going hazy like a Saved By The Bell dream sequence, you can hardly be blamed for the montage of interesting things that inevitably flash through your head (most likely to a Massive Attack soundtrack) before coming to your senses.

#2: “Get away from my brother. Before I tear your heart out.” (Dark Reunion)
Klaus made a fool of Damon once and Stefan dished out an ill-conceived reaming because of it. Outplayed and insulted, Damon walked away from his brother and Elena’s friends and disappeared into the woods, promising a healthy case of death for anyone who tried to follow him. When the showdown with Klaus at the old Francher place deteriorated to the point where Bonnie was the only one left standing, the outcome was beyond bleak – it was inevitable. So when Damon re-entered the scene with a wooden spear and these eleven words, it catapulted Dark Reunion (always a controversial book) to an entirely different level. The cavalry had arrived – and he was pissed.

#1: “The name is Salvatore. As in savior.” (The Struggle)
By all rights, Elena should have delivered a swift kick to the cogliones when Damon uttered this gem on Caroline Forbes’ roof while saving her breaking and entering ass. But – as is always the case with the eldest Salvatore – it’s all about the delivery, and he presents fact, arrogance, and charm with a James Bond-esque flourish. When Stefan tells Elena the meaning of his name, the full force of his self-loathing is behind it; for Damon it’s clearing the path to another pretty throat. If fandom could have a subtitle, this would be ours.

Agree or disagree with our picks? Sound off in the comments! And if you have a Fell’s Five you’d like to see, let us know and we’ll add it to the queue.

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