Day 8 (Bonus Day): Overall Damon in S4 Appreciation.
I know I'm late, but I wasn't, properly, on my Tumblr for a few days so here it goes:
In Season 4, we saw the glimpses of sass and anger we are so used to seeing in Damon and while he is a character that grows every season, the growth seen in Season 4 was phenomenal.
In 319, he told Elena he won't make the choice easy for her. He implied that he won't lash out, he won't do something stupid to sabotage everything and help Elena in her choice back then. Season 4 just proved that, almost.
Yes, in 401 he would have killed Matt and Elena saw the glimpse of him that could sabotage everything, but she also heard the reason. She saw him lash out, but heard how it was all for her, because she couldn't get what she wanted. And how was she to react to that? However, even though he "lashed out", he was there for her. Forgetting all of their complications to help her feed, to help her transition, to help her. And he didn't screw it up.
In Season 4 we saw a mature Damon, an alone Damon. We realized how much he has lost too (Alaric, Rose, Stefan), we saw the eternal differences between him and Stefan (selfishness, the definition of love) and we also saw him being wanted.
We saw Elena fight for him, which was so important because for three seasons he has been the one who had no one who would stand up for him. Yes, the Sire Bond questioned her stands, but the Season Finale just validated the truth behind everything she said. We also saw Damon's insecurities and we went a little deeper into his character than him just being the "Eternal Stud" (this has probably been the case in every season, but just like heightened emotions in Vampire Elena, Season 4 heightened the depth of Damon).
What I liked best about all of this character development and character growth in Season 4, is that it didn't change Damon. It didn't make him more of a saint in his actions or anything. His priorities didn't change. He may have grown as a person, but Damon is still Damon and he isn't sorry (which is super important).
Day 7 (June, 1st) (late) - the moment that surprised you most.
Damon and Lexi in the 70s, that was the moment that surprised me. I thought that the reason why he killed her in season 1 was out of spite or hatred, not guilt. I was shocked when they slept together and he told her that she had worked.That only lasted a few minutes because as we see during the morning after, it was all a set up. It being a set up didnt really surprise me at all and I was kind of relieved that it had been just a set up. During the kissing i was totally shouting "noooooo" and was fooled into thinking that he had developed some feelings for her tho.
Damon in Season 4 Appreciation Week - Day 8 - Overall Damon in s4 Appreciation
Season 4 has been hard on Damon. Definitely worse than any other season.
Because when your happiness is ripped away after you've barely gotten a glimpse of it, it's cruel.
Because when you think that you unintentionally violated the will of the woman you love, it's cruel.
Because when everyone tells you that you're unworthy right after it finally looked like you had a chance, it's cruel.
But what I love is that Damon has never given up. Yes, he let Elena go. Yes, he believed and kind of accepted that she would go back to Stefan once un-sired. But at the same time, he never completely gave up hope. After everything he's been through, Damon still believes in love. He believes if not in happily ever after, then in however many moments of happiness he will get. Because for him, in the end it's worth it.
I love Damon because he's been at his highest and his lowest but he stayed faithful to who he is. He's proven it many times. He evolves, but he doesn't change. He has amazing character growth, at the same time staying painfully himself in every way.
Damon S4: Appreciation Week: Overall Love for Damon Salvatore
Selfless While Being Selfish - Ric Appreciates Damon Too | "Graduation" | 4x32 (gif not mine. an rp I've wanted to do but had no one to do it with or time, so I made it into a drabble/short fic.)
Alaric returned back to the river bank holding a bottle of bourbon by its neck. Damon was where he left him, laid against a near by rock - and not looking so good. "Found this in your car," he said holding up their most common denominator and shaking the contents a bit. Damon opened his eyes, and after seeing what Ric was talking about - managed a small smirk of approval.
"Figured you might need it." Alaric stated, taking a seat next to Damon's right hand side, a deep sigh escaping him.
"Yeah," Damon replied. He swallowed and closed his eyes. "I've had a really crappy day."
"Looks like it," Ric took a swig of the alcohol first. He started to pass the bottle over to Damon but paused. "Before you get any ideas, this isn't some last farewell drink like the one you pulled on me. I didn't come back from the other side for this." He didn't come back just for his best friend to die senselessly. That said, he passed the bottle over.
"Hm," Damon smirked weakly before taking a good swallow of the whiskey. The familiar taste and sensation of it helped just a little bit. "Well, getting shot up with werewolf venom kind of put a dent in my plans too." He glanced over at Ric and passed the bottle back to him.
"Yeah, that's pretty inconvenient." Ric agreed.
"Tell me about it,"
A small moment of silence passed. After briefly glancing down at the bottle in his hands, he looked back over at Damon. "You know, I never got to say...thank you, for that," He smiled a bit. "I tell you I didn't want anyone there in the end, and you do the very thing I told you not to do." But he was grateful that Damon did.
"You've met me, Ric." Damon started, voice just above a whisper, as heavy eyelids closed. Each word seemed to take some amount of effort now. "I'm stubborn."
Truer words were never spoken. Watching from the other side, Ric saw that first hand. When it comes to being stubborn, Damon did a lot of very stupid things. But being stubborn also meant he wasn't going to leave the people he cared about. Ric knew Damon wasn't 'stuck' taking care of anyone this whole time. He chose to be there. Whether Damon would admit that or not, well, Ric wasn't going to hold his breath. Damon was also an idiot, after all.
Ric's smile diminished as he thought about other ways in which Damon's stubbornness was making things difficult at the moment. Things were just not looking good, and Ric could save him right here and now - the cure sitting in his jacket pocket. But Damon was fading fast, they didn't have much time.
"I got a hold of Stefan back there," Ric said, relatively casual - given the situation. He just wanted to keep Damon talking. After throwing Vaughn in the river, he initially went to the car to get Damon's phone. He called Stefan to let him know what was going on before bringing the bourbon over.
"They're trying to get a hold of Klaus. In the meantime, Stefan told me to try to get you to take the cure. I know its a waste of time, you're not going to take it." Ric looked over at Damon when he didn't respond immediately. The sense of time became so loud and noticeable to Ric - and it hadn't been that way for a while now. It was worrying, but also familiar. He just had no way of knowing how long Damon could wait for Stefan and Caroline to come through.
Another smirk tugged Damon's lips before he uttered: "It's thousands of years past its expiration date, its been passed around to everyone...don't you think I'm sick enough Ric?" The thing will probably kill you the moment you take it. A joke, of course.
Ric thought about it for a second, the doom and gloom getting suddenly sliced in half by Damon's typical humor and Ric let out a hearty laugh, almost in disbelief by how skilled Damon was at deflection. Ric always did appreciate Damon's inappropriate comments (sometimes). They were amusing, and in a lot of ways, had some truth to them.
Hearing Ric laugh, Damon's smirk turned into a grin and they sat for a second in the humor. They were both thinking the same thing - yes, the circumstances really sucked. But they missed this. They missed each other. It's what prompted Ric to get Damon to take this cure anyway.
"Seriously, Damon." He was a little exasperated. "Why not just take it?"
"...it's been more than 170 years, Ric." Damon's eyes blinked open just a bit in bemused thought. "What's another 50 in the scheme of things?" Damon was pretty sure he overstayed his welcome for a couple of centuries.
"Well," Ric said, considering his point. "There is Elena," He knew what was going on with those two, but Ric brought it up for no other reason than just to remind Damon of things to live for. Of reasons why the kids needed him around. And they did.
He swallowed and closed his eyes again, his voice slightly weaker. "Her brother ended up dead, and I told her to turn off the switch," He paused, taking a shallow breath. "...so much for taking care of the kids, right? I really screwed up that one."
Ric nodded. Watching him, he wrinkled his brow a little, mockingly incredulous. "But this is Mystic Falls. Do you really expect things to not end in tragedy?" And out of anyone, Ric would know.
"Touche," he admitted wearily. After a pause, he said slowly. "Just...make sure Elena gets the cure. I want her to have it." In short, it didn't matter. All the reasons why he should take it just didn't matter. That this line of conversation was over.
Ric stayed quiet, not sure if he could make that promise. He couldn't promise that he could sit here and do nothing much longer, and the thing he wanted to do - Damon wasn't going to like.
"You did okay, you know." Ric added. "You stuck around to help. And that's enough for me."
A small sound of an exhale escaped Damon's throat and he didn't respond. Damon's skin was clammy and pale, Ric's heart sunk.
"Damon?" When he didn't wake up, Ric immediately grabbed the phone and dialed Stefan. Waiting wasn't an option anymore and he'd be damned if he didn't do something - when at the core, if it meant lives of anyone one attending that graduation - Damon wouldn't wait. He was stubborn, he was a dick, and he screws up - but in the end, they needed him.
It was just that simple.
(From mun: Apologies for a crappy portrayal of Ric! I don't usually play him lol)
