i am just a dreamer wearing sensible shoes

( vampire diaries )

I read an AWESOME Stefan character study last night i am the conscience clear by softly_me that just *nails* Stefan's characterization in a way that no one else has explored [to my knowledge] and Yes, THIS, and it fits so perfectly with last night. Stefan lives/dies as a reaction to the world around him. He lets other people make the rules and he follows them because he doesn't have a moral compass of his own because he lives/breathes/dies: rationalization

I can not believe I haven't posted recs since August. What happened to when I did them every Friday? Also? This has some self-pimping in it, 'cause I'm not ashamed to do shit like that.

Crossover
Burn Notice/Supernatural

Smoke On the Water by ratherastory Gen.

Whoever these two guys were, they weren't FBI. They were doing a pretty convincing imitation of Feds, but there was something about the way the two of them moved that belied the act. They moved in synch with each other, which pointed to a long-standing partnership, but if they were Bureau then they wouldn't have been together for more than a year, maybe two at most, and that wasn't nearly enough to account for the unspoken communication I could feel coming off them. Besides, the FBI isn't in the habit of pairing up new agents: it's one rookie and one experienced agent, to prevent screw-ups.

It was Page who gave them away, although I doubt anyone other than a trained operative would have spotted it. Plant was the decoy, all swagger and good looks and loud-mouthed questions, but Page was sizing up the room, sizing me up, and within about ten seconds I saw he'd planned all their escape routes and spotted the pistol I was carrying.

Fake!RPS/Merlin

Pairing Pendragon/Merlin meta-fic, *hysterical* and quite moving too. 80K. Merlin pursed his lips. It was a lot, but he’d read White (fuck he loved White) and it wasn’t like he was actually going to do his coursework. Well, he’d do enough, but the lure of fic was way too much. And it was technically practise. Can’t do a degree in editing without editing something, and he’d much rather edit the sexy adventures of his fictional namesake than his actual Uni work, which had rather different mistakes, a lot less romance, and definitely no porn.

He dismissed the idea that he was ignoring Pendragon’s comment (and if he could surround it in little hearts, he would. He’d already screencapped it for posterity.). He wasn’t avoiding, or ignoring, or anything else -ing. He was participating (shit, that was an -ing) in fandom. And meeting people. And stopping being such an NNF that he got seven responses to anything he posted if he was lucky. Guinevere80 wrote hot knights slash and got a decent comment count; he was fortunate

The Vampire Diaries/Supernatural

untitled by ignipes Gen. Meta-fic Dean fills Sam in on why they can't go to Mystic Falls. HYSTERICAL

Fringe

13 Ways of Looking at a Betrayal by rivkat Olivia, Olivia/Peter. I bet you I've read this half a dozen times already. "Liv," her sister says, and Olivia closes her eyes, wishing that she could cross the distance between Boston and Chicago as easily as she can (now) swap realities. "Are you trying to excuse him, or condemn him?"

Rachel only vaguely understands what's happening, but she seems to have accepted 'identical replacement' for now.

Olivia sighs. "A little bit of both?" she says, missing the old telephone cords that you could twist during your uncomfortable conversations. "Anyway, I should go. Give Ella my love."

"Always," Rachel says.

Harry Potter

The Best Revenge by Arsinoe de Blassenville Teen. Gen. One of the most enjoyable HP fics I've read in years. The author goes right back to the beginning and asks the question, 'what would have happened if Snape saw Harry's Hogwarts letter addressed to the cupboard under the stairs. In this fic, Harry is HAPPY. Adults take care of children. The Heads of House are intelligent, witty, capable, and AWESOME.


A Muggle-born Magic Draco/Hermione Regency AU. Hermione Granger finds herself in need of a way to pay off her father's debts after his death. Draco Malfoy, retired from the politics of the Isolationists, a group of pure-bloods bent on separating 'true' magic from lesser folk, finds himself in need of a tutor for his son, Scorpius, who appears to be incapable of magic and must learn to survive in a world without it. Draco also needs a wife and mother for Scorpius, to satisfy a promise to his unwell father. After she saves his son from an attack by Isolationists, Draco hires the Muggle-born Miss Granger for the former, and after a riot in Vauxhall Gardens and a scandalous discovery made by his mother, weds that selfsame Muggle-born for the latter. While making the best of her marriage of (in)convenience, Hermione discovers that Scorpius' history of wild imaginings and dreams is more than just imagination.
Luther

Single White Female Alice Alice lived at home during university and grad school. Her parents weren’t as smart as her, but they weren’t stupid enough to let their child live with a bunch of coeds and no real adult supervision. So by the time she turned eighteen, Alice was desperate to get out. She found a flat and grad student to share it with and told her parents she was moving out. They could pay for it. Or they could pay for it. Their choice.

They chose to pay for it.


Make It Or Break It

by escritoireazul Also for me for Yuletide, also perfect. Emily, Payson, Gen. Sort of, Emily agrees, and she nods. But sort of, too, she thinks Payson is wrong. Because sometimes, what happens off the mat, that’s such a huge deal too. Like, she’s good and she’s getting better, but would she have been good enough for the Rock if she’d come out of another elite gym and not from the Y? How much of her story is the reason she’s here now, struggling to make the National Team? Can she really separate that from whatever talent she has?

Her story makes her Emily, and Emily is the one with that all-important skill. If it’s just about the moves, just about the technical skill, is Emily all important too?

Those thoughts make her head hurt. She puts them aside to deal with later.


RPS

The Doors of Time by felisbalnco Jensen/Jared ultimately NC-17. This is without a doubt, one of the finest AUs I have ever read, if not the best. The world building is truly astounding.

Sons of Anarchy

A Study of Courtly Love in Leather and Chrome by escritoireazul This was written for me for Yuletide. It is Tara and Tig and Courtly Love and it is perfect. Picture, if you will, the tableaux: The dark-haired beauty who will inherit the throne and rule beside her prince; all who cross her shall look on her and despair. Kneeling before her, head bowed, the knight who cannot bear to stand one moment more now that he has returned to his most beloved. Her hand, so delicate, outstretched to brush her fingertips against his hair.

She is no princess, this woman, but a doctor brave and true, and he no knight in shining armor.


The Good Wife
Vid

Shove It by bop_radar Kalinda Character study. Bop Radar is one of my favorite vidders and this vid is exceptional even by her standards.

Fic

Justitia's Hermes by turnonmyheels Cary character study I wrote for Yuletide. What? I think it's awesome. Life hasn't worked out the way Cary planned. He is going to rectify that as soon as he can. Spoilers through 2.08



The Vampire Dairies

Vids

Addicted by butterfly Damon gorgeous vid, beautiful visually. it can't help it though, because the actors are so fucking stunning

Dot Dot Dot by silviakundera Damon and Stefan awesome. funny. shiny

Run Fast by gigglemonster Caroline Forbes from beginning through the last aired episode, my notes read: fucking awesome, just like Caroline

Fic

Don't Hold It Against Me by smc_27 Adult. Caroline/Tyler "Stop avoiding me!" she hisses. He rolls his eyes like she's just the needy girl she was...until recently. "Tyler, this is..."

"Look, you saw me cry, okay?" he whispers, looking around to make sure no one can hear them. There's not even anyone else around. "It's not cool."

"It's fine!" She smiles and he narrows his eyes. "I cry all the time."

"You're a girl."

"So? Who cares? I just...I could...We could help each other." She shrugs one shoulder and looks at him, and he tilts his head and shakes it just slightly.

Yes, she's just given him the admittedly adorable look that has always, always gotten her her way.

"You're evil," he tells her. She actually laughs and he cracks a bit of a smile. "Fine. Whatever."

He walks away and she texts him before he's even at the end of the hall. She hears him whisper, "Goddamn," and laughs. When he turns to look at her, she just taps her ear and giggles when he looks totally confused.

She'll have to explain all that to him later.

The Fine Art of Poisoning by turnonmyheels NC-17 Damon/Katherine, Stefan/Katherine, Stefan/Katherine/Damon. In the Spring of 1864, Katherine Pierce poses as an orphan to gain entry to the Salvatore estate in Southern Virginia. She captivates the household with her beauty and charm. She has everyone under her thumb with one exception, Stefan Salvatore. Determined to seduce him without using compulsion, Katherine decides to use Stefan's only obvious weakness against him—his brother. Pitting the brothers against each other quickly becomes more than a game, turning into full-on obsession as Damon requires no compulsion and little seduction to corrupt his younger brother. As the triangle shifts and the body count rises, no one will remain unscathed.

Lame Ducks Don't Do Well as Parental Figures by badboy_fangirl. Jenna Sommers. The next time Jenna sees Andie, she's got this beautiful silk scarf tied around her neck in this abnormally stylish way and Damon Salvatore's hanging on her arm. Jenna gives herself a silent high five as she watches them nuzzling each other in a booth; that is until she turns around and sees the look on Elena's face.

Some days she'd rather be lame than parental at all, really. It's only on this day that she realizes she's both.

Like a Dog With a Bone by eenaangel PG-13 Caroline/Tyler “Tyler Lockwood is following me,” she says in lieu of a greeting, or an apology. She glares at Damon like this is his fault-because even though they get along a bit now, she still likes blaming shit on him. It’s easier than having to find the actual responsible party and it soothes her ego to slap him around when the memories of his abuse resurface and she’s trapped in a haze of anger and bloodlust.

Stefan and Damon share an ominous vampire look that must be something they inherited from their father, because she can never look that serious/frustrated/amused/worried without also looking constipated (so she’s trying out her vampire looks in the mirror-she doesn’t really need to sleep as much and sometimes she gets bored). Stefan wanders over to the windows, peers through the blinds, and then gives Damon a grave nod.

“And you led him here,” Damon rolls his eyes, but doesn’t lose that amused light in his eyes. “Thanks Blondie.”

No Claim On You by summerstorm Gen. Caroline Forbes This one time they're having coffee together outside, a couple of weeks into spring weather, and Bonnie says, "So how are you dealing with, you know, the cravings?"

She's halfway through a sip so that it looks almost casual, the way her voice is soft and she looks all concerned and stuff, so Caroline spouts off some crap about the tricks she's learned to quell her thirst when it gets dangerous, and thanks Bonnie for asking.

It's kind of awkward, because she doesn't want Bonnie to freak out or think Caroline thinks Bonnie supports vampirism as a rule now, which means she can't say what she actually means, which is Thanks for asking like you're concerned about how I'm doing instead of like you're a criminal profiler trying to predict a serial killer's next move.

But it's not glaringly obvious in a bad way, she doesn't think. She just points out that what she's saying is kind of personal, as an apology, but Bonnie reads it as an accusation and says, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Not Your Rosalie Hale by iphignia939 Gen. Caroline Forbes

”Because it was safer if you didn’t know,” Elena says.

”But I wasn’t,” Caroline says – not rude or anything, because she gets it, now. She still thinks people messing with her head, like, once a week is messed up, but there are some things you don’t remember and stay the same. Like that nurse at the hospital. No one wants to remember being someone else’s salad bar. “Damon used me like a salad bar that gave blowjobs, and there was this dark-haired lady, and Stefan made me forget that night when he slipped me vervain to mickey Damon. I wasn’t safer. I was just stupider.”

And oh, man, now Elena’s crying. “I’m sorry!” Caroline says, waving her hands. “I mean, I’m not, really, because I’m not wrong, but I’m sorry I said it that way—“

”No,” Elena says, sniffling. She wipes at her eyes. “You’re not wrong. And – it’s kind of nice, actually, to know you’re still you. Only Caroline Forbes could say that that way.”

“Well, duh.” She shrugs. “I’m still me. I’m just bitey.”

The Pitchfork Play (Not) Its Part Well by havocthecat PG. Liz Forbes The vervain clears its way out of Liz's system in three days.

Throw Yourself From Skin to Skin by turnonmyheels Adult. Damon screws (with) Mystic Falls, episode by episode. Damon is a vampire. There will be death, rape, torture, sex, bloodplay, etc.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Alaric regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. He’d known better than to make small talk with Damon since the moment he met him.

“I’m sure Isobel is all ‘My darling girl, I can’t believe I let you go. Please come closer so I can drink your blood.’” Damon rolled his eyes and stared at Alaric. “And then Elena says, ‘No! You can’t drink my blood, but I’d like to get to know you, you’re my mother after all.’”

Alaric leaned back against Damon’s car and kept his eyes on The Grill. “Forget I said anything.”

“Generally speaking, I can’t even remember you exist much less your inane excuse for banter.”

The absurdity of the statement forced a chuckle from Alaric. “You are so full of shit.” Damon huffed out a noncommittal sound. “Seriously, you’re always, ‘Let’s go kill something, teacher!’ You can’t keep your hands off my weapons, you stalk me through town at any given opportunity, and now that my not exactly dead vampire wife is in town you’re shadowing every step I make.”

Damon kept his eyes on the entrance to The Grill and didn’t speak.

“I think you like me.” Alaric didn’t bother to hide the dopey grin on his face. “I think you want to be” -- he nudged Damon with his elbow and clasped both hands together in front of his heart -- “friends.”

Crossover! Friday Night Lights/Gossip Girl

All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade by lexiesloan Blair/Tim

“Texas?” Her mother’s nose wrinkles in the same manner and Blair has to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing. “But… I thought we were all going to Paris this summer.”

“Mother… I really need something different,” she tries to explain even though she doesn’t know if she can. She isn’t sure that even she fully understands it.

Eleanor stares at her for a moment and Blair holds her breath. “You’re already so different, Blair,” she says, standing up, coming to her and Blair tilts her chin up so their matching dark brown eyes could meet. There is a moment of silence and then Eleanor sighs. “Texas?” She says again and Blair laughs.

Glee

‘Cause You’ve Got An Awfully Long Way To Go by paperclipbitch Puck/Kurt, Finn/Kurt, PG-13

“Or be banged by Finn, whatever, I don’t know what gets you off,” Puck shrugs, “I mean, you look like you bottom, but-”

“Oh my God,” Kurt says helplessly and it sort of comes out as a whimper. He must still be asleep, this cannot possibly actually be happening. Puck cornering him by his locker and discussing his sexual preferences is just too unlikely and ridiculous, even after all the other weird shit that’s gone down recently.

“Hey,” Puck says, “for all I know you get all animalistic and bossy in bed and that’s cool too, you know, if you want to top the shit out of Finn. I kind of doubt it ‘cause you’re carrying a girl’s purse and also you make that chick in Legally Blonde look manly, but whatever works for you, I guess.”

Iron Man

Concession by obsession_inc Gen. Incredible what-if fic. Pepper Potts [and Tony Stark] have disappeared and Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair reporter investigates

There are thousands of available pictures of Pepper Potts and she is out of focus in every one of them. Every one features some combination of Tony Stark, weapons manufacturing mogul, foreground; Virginia Potts, personal assistant, background. If it wasn't so infuriating, it would be damn near poetic. Christine resigns herself to having to request Pepper’s employee badge photo from Stark Industries, fighting their (understandably less-than-forthcoming) H.R. department for a picture that will end up looking more than a little bit like a mug shot. Which, under the circumstances, is a tasteless bit of irony that Christine could do without, regardless of her editor's opinion to the contrary.

Star Trek

A Member of the Nightshade Family** savoytruffle Adult. Mirror!verse. Spock has a plan for dealing with the new captain. McCoy agrees to take one for the team. Kirk hasn’t quite learned the meaning of “too good to be true.”

“I’ll bet he has…” McCoy skims through Kirk’s file, shaking his head as he goes. “So, this…kid fucks a paraplegic a few times and calls him ‘Daddy’ and he gets command of the flagship?”

“Positions in the Empire have been awarded on less logical bases.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

“It would hardly be in my interest to construct a strategy based on falsehoods,” Spock notes. “And this conversation would proceed more quickly were you to curb your habitual use of redundant human idioms.”

McCoy rolls his eyes. “This conversation would proceed more quickly if you’d stop using three times as many words as you need to make your goddamn point, but you don’t see me holding my breath, now do you?”

Spock raises an eyebrow. “I will assume that question is rhetorical.”

The Vampire Diaries

Buddy Ficlet!! by rivkat

At least he was here, with her, instead of trying to fend off five werewolves all by himself. Elena wondered if it was something about being over a hundred years old, or at least about not growing up with the macho ideal so many guys her age seemed to obsess over: when Damon looked at a situation that he couldn’t handle, he actually showed some realism.

Well, sometimes.


But It Can Be Won by silviakundera Stefan/Elena/Damon OT3
The first time Elena Gilbert thinks she fell in love was a wince-bright sunny day. The memory is vivid, stained glass clear:

The grass smells freshly cut and the necklace he fastened is warm from the sun (but she’d thought it was his palms, so large when they’d settled on her shoulders). It singes the front of her throat as she smiles at him. He is so mysterious and new, and she likes that, likes the impossibly perfect way his mouth fits over hers. He said he wanted her to have this.

It's nothing like Matt and his sandbox, stole-your-toys grin. It's like running away from home, convertible top down, the wind in your hair.

He thanks her for pushing him; she’d always wanted to push somebody.

oh, this is it, she hums in her head. this is what I’ve been waiting for.

**

She’s wrong.

The Quick brown Fox by entangled_now Damon/Alaric NC-17

He's careful not to slice into the skin because Alaric is already a heady combination of sex and rage and guilt, and adding blood to that would be too much like chumming the water.

Damon only has so much self-control after all.

Vid

All the Same to Me by SilverVintage82. Fantabulous Damon character study vid.