WARNING: IF YOU SHIP BAMON, DO NOT READ.
Before I joined fanpop, when I first became hooked on the Damon/Elena pairing, I would scour YouTube for new clips and videos of them. (The UK was so far behind!) One day I happened to find a webclip from 1x09 'History Repeating', and discovered that the people who had commented were positively gushing over Bonnie and Damon. I was stunned and a trifle aghast. There was nothing in the clip from what I could see that seemed to hint at a possible Damon/Bonnie romance. So where had all these fans of 'Bamon' come from? Why were they so excited at their 'chemistry' when he was threatening her and she was so obviously afraid of him?
That was my first introduction to Bamon - not through the show, but through their fans. Before that, I had no idea that a Bamon fanbase even existed. There was nothing in the show that inferred such a relationship could happen, and if I hadn't read the comments accompanying the webclip or joined fanpop, it's unlikely I would be any the wiser today.
Bamon remind me of the story 'The Emperor's New Clothes'. People are admiring something that isn't there.
It seems to me that a large portion of the DE fanbase are concerned that Bamon will happen - if not now, then in the future. I saw a fanpick question recently which seemed to imply that Bamon could, or would happen at some stage, which is ludicrous because nothing has happened thus far to justify that implication. What is more worrying to me is not the possibility that Bamon could happen, but that so many DE shippers fear they will. It's worth having a look at the way Damon and Bonnie have interacted and then asking ourselves if our fears about a Bamon romance/fling/hook-up are really justified; or if we're more afraid that the writers will heed the Bamon-obsessed shippers one day. This article is not intended to bash Bamon, but to discuss them in a civilised manner - but if anyone here is in any way inclined to ship them, please look away now, for your own sake.
I find it curious and rather bizarre that DE shippers still look upon Bamon with a mixture of revulsion and dread, as if deep down, they are afraid Bamon will one day get together and live happily ever after. Are there not far more DE shippers than there are Bamon shippers? Isn't the show based on a love triangle between Damon, Elena and Stefan? Isn't Damon in love with Elena? Doesn't Bonnie hate Damon, blaming him for the death of her grandmother and tried to kill him twice? Knowing these facts should be more than enough to allay our concerns about Bamon maybe some day happening, but instead, their shadow seems to continually hover over us, as if they are only two episodes away from a hot and steamy fling. Our fears about Bamon have made them more real and imminent than they have ever been on the show, and this is a bad thing. Persistently stressing that Bamon are on the horizon takes our enjoyment away from DE. It steals our time, energy and emotions which could be used for something good and turns them into something bad. However, that being said, I do understand why DE shippers react so strongly against Bamon, and I thought it would be helpful to look at the reasons why most DE fans don't like them and discuss them.
I think that if the writers had wanted Damon to get together with Bonnie some time, they wouldn't have made her quite so powerful. The truth is, Bonnie is significantly stronger than Damon, with the ability to immobilise him with a blinding head-ache at a moment's notice, and if she's really ticked off, set him on fire, perhaps even killing him. If Damon was a 'good' vampire like Stefan, then she probably wouldn't need to restrain him, but he's not. And I think Damon would resent having to toe the line with anyone - especially a witch.
Bonnie has proved to be a formidable opponent to Damon, and in the future, I see them at the most as tenuous allies who work together for a shared interest whether it's someone they care about, or a mutual goal. (If their lives, or someone they both cared about was put in danger, then it's in their best interest to work together for example.) Even being forced to work together doesn't make them friends - a lot would need to have passed before that could happen.
So what is it about 'Bamon' that fill so many DE shippers with dread, dismay or loathing? While some of you may hate the idea because you simply don't like Bonnie herself, I think it's definitely much more than that.
Perhaps we could be more forgiving of the Bamon-obsessed if Bonnie was a part of the love triangle/rectangle the way that Katherine is, but she's not. (In promos of Ian, Nina and Paul, have you ever seen Katerina lurking in the background?)
We could even see that the potential for a Bamon hook-up existed to a degree if their scenes had been written differently; if Damon had been the one to save her after she fell down and found herself in a pit in 1x11 instead of Stefan for instance. Or if Bonnie actually cared about Damon and vice versa. However, this is not the case. For a Bonnie/Damon romance, the writers would have to disregard everything that makes Damon who he is, and all the values of Bonnie's heritage. Bonnie comes from a line of powerful witches who neither liked nor trusted vampires. In 2x01 she warns Damon: 'I know what you are. You might have Elena and the sheriff and everybody else fooled but not me. One wrong move and I'm going to take you out.'
Basically, it would be extremely difficult to ignore the enmity that exists between the two of them and make a romantic relationship look natural. Bonnie and Damon would have to deny or repress a part of what makes them who they are - her powers as a witch, and the values which bind her to preserve and protect human life; and Damon's untamed inner darkness which makes him so fascinating as a character. If the writers were determined to turn Bamon into a reality, they would have to work twice as hard at establishing a friendship between them than they did with DE - a move that would take Damon far away from what's central to the show: the love triangle.
A lot of DE shippers complain that a good portion of Bamon fans also ship SE. Bamon is a means to an end, which is Stefan and Elena. If Damon is with Bonnie, it gets him out of the way, and SE are good to go. (It's funny that no-one ever mentions what Elena would think about all this.)
And so; not only does the possibility of a Bamon relationship threaten the future happiness of DE, it also by its very nature, virtually guarantees that Elena will end up with Stefan. Pairing Damon up with Bonnie takes Elena's choice of who to be with away from her. Such SE/DB shippers line of thinking can be summed up as: 'Since Elena is bound to pick Stefan anyway, then let Damon have Bonnie. It's a win-win situation for everyone!' (Except us of course.)
It hardly needs to be pointed out, but this scheme is a total cop-out. Even if Damon was to fall in love with someone else, why would it be Bonnie? (It's not like Elena and Bonnie are the only girls in Mystic Falls.) Furthermore, it would make a mockery of Damon's love for Elena that the show has painstakingly built up, step by step, brick by brick throughout the course of the series (at least 5 years.) Sometimes love hurts. This is not 'Breaking Dawn: Part 2' when a character miraculously falls in love with someone else just because the girl he truly wants isn't available. Maybe people think that putting Damon with Bonnie is more satisfactory than him ending up alone, but to me, it sounds very forced indeed. Kevin and Julie risk incurring the wrath of thousands of fans all over the world if that were to happen.
In a recent poll by Hollywood Life, Damon and Elena were by far the most popular couple on 'The Vampire Diaries.' When quizzed on who Damon should be with out of all the girls on the cast, more than 75 percent of votes went to Elena. Bonnie won only 18 percent of votes. Moreover, when polled on who Bonnie should be, nearly 60 percent voted for Tyler, compared to those who voted for Damon: (under 20 percent).
It's very difficult - almost impossible - for most people to imagine Damon and Bonnie as a couple. It's understandable why DE shippers can't bear the thought of them together. Bamon don't make any sense at all, and makes Damon's love for Elena look cheap. I'm sure a lot of you wish the Bamon ship just didn't exist. It's important to remember that Bamon are a disparate group -that is, something that is so different, they can't really be compared to the superfandom of DE, or even SE. (Well, we could compare them, but Bamon would always come off worst.)
For some of you, this article may have done little to still your fears of Bamon. You might have legitimate reasons for those fears, but constantly worrying about Bamon just makes them look like they are a force to be reckoned with, and they're not! The Bamon fanbase will probably always exist to some degree, but just because they exist, it does not mean they are a threat. We do not have to let Bamon constantly overshadow the future of DE. They are only as powerful as we allow them to be.
Before I joined fanpop, when I first became hooked on the Damon/Elena pairing, I would scour YouTube for new clips and videos of them. (The UK was so far behind!) One day I happened to find a webclip from 1x09 'History Repeating', and discovered that the people who had commented were positively gushing over Bonnie and Damon. I was stunned and a trifle aghast. There was nothing in the clip from what I could see that seemed to hint at a possible Damon/Bonnie romance. So where had all these fans of 'Bamon' come from? Why were they so excited at their 'chemistry' when he was threatening her and she was so obviously afraid of him?
That was my first introduction to Bamon - not through the show, but through their fans. Before that, I had no idea that a Bamon fanbase even existed. There was nothing in the show that inferred such a relationship could happen, and if I hadn't read the comments accompanying the webclip or joined fanpop, it's unlikely I would be any the wiser today.
Bamon remind me of the story 'The Emperor's New Clothes'. People are admiring something that isn't there.
It seems to me that a large portion of the DE fanbase are concerned that Bamon will happen - if not now, then in the future. I saw a fanpick question recently which seemed to imply that Bamon could, or would happen at some stage, which is ludicrous because nothing has happened thus far to justify that implication. What is more worrying to me is not the possibility that Bamon could happen, but that so many DE shippers fear they will. It's worth having a look at the way Damon and Bonnie have interacted and then asking ourselves if our fears about a Bamon romance/fling/hook-up are really justified; or if we're more afraid that the writers will heed the Bamon-obsessed shippers one day. This article is not intended to bash Bamon, but to discuss them in a civilised manner - but if anyone here is in any way inclined to ship them, please look away now, for your own sake.
I find it curious and rather bizarre that DE shippers still look upon Bamon with a mixture of revulsion and dread, as if deep down, they are afraid Bamon will one day get together and live happily ever after. Are there not far more DE shippers than there are Bamon shippers? Isn't the show based on a love triangle between Damon, Elena and Stefan? Isn't Damon in love with Elena? Doesn't Bonnie hate Damon, blaming him for the death of her grandmother and tried to kill him twice? Knowing these facts should be more than enough to allay our concerns about Bamon maybe some day happening, but instead, their shadow seems to continually hover over us, as if they are only two episodes away from a hot and steamy fling. Our fears about Bamon have made them more real and imminent than they have ever been on the show, and this is a bad thing. Persistently stressing that Bamon are on the horizon takes our enjoyment away from DE. It steals our time, energy and emotions which could be used for something good and turns them into something bad. However, that being said, I do understand why DE shippers react so strongly against Bamon, and I thought it would be helpful to look at the reasons why most DE fans don't like them and discuss them.
I think that if the writers had wanted Damon to get together with Bonnie some time, they wouldn't have made her quite so powerful. The truth is, Bonnie is significantly stronger than Damon, with the ability to immobilise him with a blinding head-ache at a moment's notice, and if she's really ticked off, set him on fire, perhaps even killing him. If Damon was a 'good' vampire like Stefan, then she probably wouldn't need to restrain him, but he's not. And I think Damon would resent having to toe the line with anyone - especially a witch.
Bonnie has proved to be a formidable opponent to Damon, and in the future, I see them at the most as tenuous allies who work together for a shared interest whether it's someone they care about, or a mutual goal. (If their lives, or someone they both cared about was put in danger, then it's in their best interest to work together for example.) Even being forced to work together doesn't make them friends - a lot would need to have passed before that could happen.
So what is it about 'Bamon' that fill so many DE shippers with dread, dismay or loathing? While some of you may hate the idea because you simply don't like Bonnie herself, I think it's definitely much more than that.
Perhaps we could be more forgiving of the Bamon-obsessed if Bonnie was a part of the love triangle/rectangle the way that Katherine is, but she's not. (In promos of Ian, Nina and Paul, have you ever seen Katerina lurking in the background?)
We could even see that the potential for a Bamon hook-up existed to a degree if their scenes had been written differently; if Damon had been the one to save her after she fell down and found herself in a pit in 1x11 instead of Stefan for instance. Or if Bonnie actually cared about Damon and vice versa. However, this is not the case. For a Bonnie/Damon romance, the writers would have to disregard everything that makes Damon who he is, and all the values of Bonnie's heritage. Bonnie comes from a line of powerful witches who neither liked nor trusted vampires. In 2x01 she warns Damon: 'I know what you are. You might have Elena and the sheriff and everybody else fooled but not me. One wrong move and I'm going to take you out.'
Basically, it would be extremely difficult to ignore the enmity that exists between the two of them and make a romantic relationship look natural. Bonnie and Damon would have to deny or repress a part of what makes them who they are - her powers as a witch, and the values which bind her to preserve and protect human life; and Damon's untamed inner darkness which makes him so fascinating as a character. If the writers were determined to turn Bamon into a reality, they would have to work twice as hard at establishing a friendship between them than they did with DE - a move that would take Damon far away from what's central to the show: the love triangle.
A lot of DE shippers complain that a good portion of Bamon fans also ship SE. Bamon is a means to an end, which is Stefan and Elena. If Damon is with Bonnie, it gets him out of the way, and SE are good to go. (It's funny that no-one ever mentions what Elena would think about all this.)
And so; not only does the possibility of a Bamon relationship threaten the future happiness of DE, it also by its very nature, virtually guarantees that Elena will end up with Stefan. Pairing Damon up with Bonnie takes Elena's choice of who to be with away from her. Such SE/DB shippers line of thinking can be summed up as: 'Since Elena is bound to pick Stefan anyway, then let Damon have Bonnie. It's a win-win situation for everyone!' (Except us of course.)
It hardly needs to be pointed out, but this scheme is a total cop-out. Even if Damon was to fall in love with someone else, why would it be Bonnie? (It's not like Elena and Bonnie are the only girls in Mystic Falls.) Furthermore, it would make a mockery of Damon's love for Elena that the show has painstakingly built up, step by step, brick by brick throughout the course of the series (at least 5 years.) Sometimes love hurts. This is not 'Breaking Dawn: Part 2' when a character miraculously falls in love with someone else just because the girl he truly wants isn't available. Maybe people think that putting Damon with Bonnie is more satisfactory than him ending up alone, but to me, it sounds very forced indeed. Kevin and Julie risk incurring the wrath of thousands of fans all over the world if that were to happen.
In a recent poll by Hollywood Life, Damon and Elena were by far the most popular couple on 'The Vampire Diaries.' When quizzed on who Damon should be with out of all the girls on the cast, more than 75 percent of votes went to Elena. Bonnie won only 18 percent of votes. Moreover, when polled on who Bonnie should be, nearly 60 percent voted for Tyler, compared to those who voted for Damon: (under 20 percent).
It's very difficult - almost impossible - for most people to imagine Damon and Bonnie as a couple. It's understandable why DE shippers can't bear the thought of them together. Bamon don't make any sense at all, and makes Damon's love for Elena look cheap. I'm sure a lot of you wish the Bamon ship just didn't exist. It's important to remember that Bamon are a disparate group -that is, something that is so different, they can't really be compared to the superfandom of DE, or even SE. (Well, we could compare them, but Bamon would always come off worst.)
For some of you, this article may have done little to still your fears of Bamon. You might have legitimate reasons for those fears, but constantly worrying about Bamon just makes them look like they are a force to be reckoned with, and they're not! The Bamon fanbase will probably always exist to some degree, but just because they exist, it does not mean they are a threat. We do not have to let Bamon constantly overshadow the future of DE. They are only as powerful as we allow them to be.
I had to include this amazing fan art by Chryso
