petitebelette: (vampire diaries | damon | easy peasy)
Crystal ([personal profile] petitebelette) wrote2011-08-26 02:49 am

a great, dark, soft thing || tvd fic

This should actually go in a fic journal somewhere, but as I am between fic journals and do not have one (plus maybe three people in the fandom will have any interest in reading this) I'm just going to leave it here.



a great, dark, soft thing
the vampire diaries
anna-centric, damon/anna, circa 1864


She embroiders elegant and colorful designs in soft fabrics outside her mama’s apothecary, smiles sweetly at customers, and acts the dutiful, bright-eyed daughter of merely sixteen. In many ways she is exactly those things; she has never changed since becoming the hunter, the monster, the killer trapped in a child’s body. Anna has never truly slipped from under the guiding arm of her mother, where it is safe and easy, where she is loved by a controlling hand.







He is just a man, barely even that. Anna has seen striking blue eyes like his for lifetimes. She has seen the fierce goodness and wrath burning in him before; she is not just a girl.

There’s talk when he comes home from the war. People whisper and hiss about duty and loyalty and disgrace, they say, what a disgrace.

She watches the flint in those common blue eyes light, watches oftentimes when anger fills his fragile human frame. She watches how he loves, with a bitter and yearning abandon that’s willful and sacrificial, and lost, she thinks, he’s just lost.







Katherine’s claws are deep in him. Her tongue spins lies and her fingers weave trouble, as always. Anna observes because she is invisible. She studies the tangled knots and follows their path, and she wonders when Katherine will run out of string.

Her games always have messy ends. Anna has never found them amusing.







“Miss Annabelle,” he greets her in town. There is a lilt to his voice, and there’s something in his look, something secret and flashing and dear.

It’s a thrill, being acknowledged. She likes how it fills her up to the brim. Her lips turn up into a smile and she nods politely. “Mister Salvatore.”








An eagerness lingers; she wants to be acknowledged again.







There are nights filled with dreams of having deeper curves and sultry smiles without the innocence of youth. She longs to dance in dresses of deep red silk. He is her partner, gentlemanly and charming; he holds her perfectly right and perhaps closer than he should. She laughs gaily when he makes remarks he shouldn’t, and it is with a freedom that she has never felt but knows is just out of reach.







She flees Mystic Falls stricken with grief and terror. She does not stay to see the dark veins and bloodshot eyes tainting the foolish, beautiful elder Salvatore brother, or his sibling. Instead she cowers from memories of flames and churches and tombs, lashes out to kill and feed with tears flooding her eyes. There is nothing but wracking agony and dark promises and revenge fueling her forward. All she wants is her mother back.

She feels relief to be free; this is her secret.
ext_317107: (VD; Damon; so over this)

[identity profile] stainofmylove.livejournal.com 2011-08-26 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Fuck, this is wonderful. You've just made me excited all over again to hopefully be seeing Anna again come September. She's got such a different perspective on these characters and I think you capture that so well. I also love the subtly different way she is attracted to Damon in this (his blue eyes are "common" to her, so great). I've always felt that these two had a sort of connection and a similarity, I was so stoked to see this pop up on my flist this morning. Damn, I missed your writing <3

[identity profile] petitebelette.livejournal.com 2011-08-26 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
aslfkalk thank you omg. :3 I'm beyond excited to see Anna again. She really does have a different perspective on everyone and everything, and that's what has always made her stand out, at least in my eyes.

And god, okay, I ship this so hard. I always have. I'm so glad you see the connection between them too. They are both such ruthless characters who will do anything for the people they love, because actually inside they are just all gooey and soft. They had such respect for each other because of that, I think. And I definitely love to believe Anna was instantly attracted to him not at really all because of his looks (which seems to play a big part in a lot of Damon ships, and just with characters on the show in general) but because she sees a kindred spirit in him, and because he represents something honest and freeing to her when she still had her mother.

BASICALLY I'M JUST SO GLAD YOU UNDERSTOOD EVERYTHING I WAS TRYING TO CONVEY. /rolls. Thank you so muuuch.

[identity profile] littledivinity.livejournal.com 2011-08-26 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
This is SO gorgeous. I'm really mad the person above me already mentioned the 'common' blue eyes, because that was my thing. But no, this is really beautiful and great. WELL PLAYED, madam.

[identity profile] petitebelette.livejournal.com 2011-08-26 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Why thank you. :3

[identity profile] ever-neutral.livejournal.com 2011-08-27 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
FFFFUUUUCK THIS IS AMAZEBALLS. I have a soft spot in my heart for this ship too, and this couldn't have been more perfect. WRITE ALL OF THE DAMON/ANNA.

[identity profile] petitebelette.livejournal.com 2011-08-27 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
HOW IS IT THAT EVERYONE (as in three) PEOPLE ON MY FLIST HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR DAMON/ANNA AND I'VE BEEN LIVING WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION? lskdjglergksjdfo. aughaugh.

Thank you so muuuuuch! I have a feeling I'll be writing more eventually.

[identity profile] mollivanders.livejournal.com 2011-08-27 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, Anna. Love the pov capture here, between the young girl and the old woman.

[identity profile] petitebelette.livejournal.com 2011-08-28 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you. :D It's a delicate balance.

[identity profile] boggie.livejournal.com 2011-08-30 03:49 pm (UTC)(link)
This is so lonely. I'm not even sure what else to say about it, except that I really enjoyed it.

There's such an interesting feeling of being overlooked or tucked away to this, a quiet longing and a sadness that's a fascinating blend of youth and wisdom.

Thanks you <3

[identity profile] petitebelette.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
:333 Thank you so muuuuuuch.

That's definitely the feel I was going fooor.

[identity profile] youcallitwinter.livejournal.com 2011-09-27 08:13 am (UTC)(link)
Oh my god, what is this fic even? I honestly thought I was possibly the only person in the WORLD who shipped these two and had written for them and now there's this and I'm pretty sure my life's complete.

The style is lovely, it's evocative and quiet and I especially love this constant contrast wherein she sounds so old when she's thinking about him and then the moment he acknowledges her she's a teenager again. And that hint of what it means to be stuck on just the edge of being a woman. I also love the reference to his "common blue eyes" because usually we're all more than a little in love with Damon Salvatore's eyes, and Anna's lived long enough to not be.

Basically, why weren't we friends before?! D:

[identity profile] petitebelette.livejournal.com 2011-09-27 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I thought I was the only person! For so long! Jesus, okay, brb reading ALL YOUR FIC at this point klsdjfsa;

Thank you so much! Hnn, it's pretty much exactly what I was going for and damn, everyone loves the common blue eyes bit. I should just frame it or something. It's true though; Anna has lived long enough. Appearances don't mean quite the same things to her.

I HAVE NO CLUE! D: I'm so glad we fixed it.

[identity profile] dante-kent.livejournal.com 2011-09-29 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, this is gorgeous. I always felt like Damon and Anna were underexplored, because they are both the survivors of this whole 1864 disaster. Neither have moved on, they still live for what went down, and they cross paths in their unrelenting desire to fix what happened, because their lives have been on hold since. Damaged people (vampires). Love them.

Your writing style is beautiful, and it really suits Anna. She's not flashy or dramatic or loud, but she sees things, and she understands things. Her simultaneous fascination and condescension towards Damon is so fitting, because she's older and stronger and often smarter then him, but he's also Damon, and he has this appeal to him. And they're kindred spirits, controlled by someone they love and willing to be controlled because of that great love. This is such excellent writing. I'm so glad I found this story! Hope to find more from you soon.
energybar: (crap)

[personal profile] energybar 2011-12-29 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
So, so beautiful. I can't even.

THANK YOU FOR LINKING ME, WIFE.