#bamon letter

[ghost-bison]

Ok so in my French class we had to write a letter from a character's pov adressed to its author and I might have chosen Damon Salvatore and I might have actually done it and I might just have to read it in front of my entire class of fellow 20 y/o students idk

[queercherrypie]

I feel like I'm going crazy, because if I put the pieces of the puzzle together I can say that Damon and Bonnie are canonically in love. And I could write an entire essay about it pointing out scenes and parallels and lines and what they mean starting with Damon's letter to Bonnie. I kept thinking about this because I was rewatching this scene here.

He says that supposedly he has everything, but he has nothing. Bonnie is dying and he is desperately trying to save her life even if it means she wakes up and kills him. He's going to extremes because Bonnie just wanted to die. He manages to wake her up by talking about his relationship with Elena; teases her to the level that she rips his heart out. He literally gave his heart to Bonnie in the same place he gave his heart to Elena.

DUDE!!! WHAT?! I'm hallucinating all this and my brain has been corroded with fanfiction? Or am I really seeing this? Was Damon willing to die to save her life and basically saying he's in love with her? I'm going crazy, please someone from the TVD fandom tell me I'm not going crazy. 

He's in love with both of them and the last conversation Elena had with him was about how he can have both and I'm going to die on this hill!!!

The season 7 is basically Bonnie being teased by Enzo every 5 minutes about the fact that she's in love with Damon before he left her behind. He seems to be absolutely sure of that, you know why? He was spending time with Lilly who helped Kai with the plan. She had very open ears in that house and what I'm saying makes perfect sense when I think about it. Kai made Damon make a choice. What the hell happened in that Prison World?! Damon has thought a lot about this piece of advice he's been giving Stefan I wonder why...

[cancerian-woman]

I honestly think that Bonnie and Elijah could have worked beautifully.

I know this was a thing for Bamon to separate them a bit(S7, when Damon desiccates) but I think it could’ve been nice for Bonnie to see her hold grudges longer and see how the other person works to mend something. Elijah is no exception. He did betray/cause harm to her twice: one for not killing Klaus and two for orchestrating a Bennett witch to be killed.

I can imagine Elijah randomly appearing and being annoyed Bonnie doesn’t accept a letter as an apology or how a quick apology with a gift fix it. Actions speak louder than words. Bonnie is seen as more serious than her friends but can be just as cunning and willing to fight if someone she loves is threatened which is something Elijah can connect too as well. They’d have a push-and-pull relationship until they’d learn how to meet in the middle. Plus that connection through Ayana still exists.

I honestly can’t remember Kat and Daniel sharing another scene together after season 2 since Bonnie was so separated from the Mikaelsons. The plot kicked her out so much and Tyler when those two characters would’ve brought some interesting dynamics being the MFG’s resident witch and wolf.

If you want some bonlijah to read. I enjoyed: The Price of Redemption by Midnightrain6

[klonnieshippersclub]

What do you think about a Damon and Klaus rivalry over Bonnie? Even in a platonic Bamon scenario, I just see them pulling petty shit towards each other because they want Bonnie's sole attention. Klaus would a 100% pull something like this.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OisoF4TCLz4

Damon: Judgey, what are you doing?! Klaus: she’s with me, problem? Damon: Bonnie and I have plans to drink bourbon and play Monopoly. Klaus: sounds childish and it's not surprising that you'd want to be drunk so early. Bonnie: Hey! And I never agreed to any plans, Damon. Klaus: I adore your youthful spirit, love. I thought we could grab lunch. Damon: Bonnie is hanging out with me. Klaus: NO, she is- Wait, where'd she go?

I think that scene may be too tame for Klonnie. Bonnie likes her privacy but Klaus has no problem kissing her in front of anyone. Her friends don't like it. Actually, they hate it. He doesn't care and Bonnie appreciates the affection.

Klaus and Damon are guaranteed to butt heads over Bonnie. They both are super possessive and do not like to share. Damon's inferiority complex would have him acting up. Klaus and Stefan being former besties is one thing. It doesn't bother Damon as much because he knows Stefan is ashamed of his ripper ways in the 20s. Klaus marking his territory and Bonnie willingly being with him would set Damon off. They know better than to physically fight in front of Bonnie. She would kick their asses but Damon and Klaus would still compete for her time and attention.

I can't help but laugh every time Bamon is called platonic. They have some of the most romantic scenes in TVDU on an emotional level. Look at Damon's letter to Bonnie as evidence of this. "You, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, a mediocre crossword puzzle player and my best friend." The words "best friend" don't seem strong enough to describe their bond. Bonnie even struggles to define their relationship. They are more than friends but the TVD writers were too cowardly to write them into a romance. Instead, we have this pseudo love triangle with Damon being upset about Bonnie's relationship with Enzo. And they tried to force Denzo into the next Klefan. It didn't work for me. It all just felt like a waste of time because they were avoiding making Bamon real.

[runa-falls]

recent reads - july '23

if you enjoy these fics make sure to reblog and comment to show your support for the writers!

(*) nsfw (**) dark (~) angst (^) fluff

series - [read a lot more this month bc of travel!]

poe dameron

alabanza*^~ - @brandyllyn [ao3]

“A mis-delivered message causes You and Poe Dameron to become anonymous penpals. But falling for each other via letter while at the same time falling for each other in the real world leads to more than its fair share of complications.”

din djarin

miscommunication*^~ - @ezrasbirdie [ao3]

“When the Mandalorian brings you aboard his ship to care for and protect his son when he’s away, neither of you is what the other expected. You’re both exceptionally bad at reading each other, and you’re afraid of what might happen when your past inevitably catches up to you.”

henry cavill 

crystal ship* (RPF - mafia AU) - @littlefreya

“Henry is the most dangerous crime lord in England, he has everything he wants and women throw themselves at his feet, but what really gets him off is what’s hard to get.”

(i usually never read rpf but littlefreya can make me read ANYTHING)

geralt z rivii

outlander*^~ - @leva [ao3]

“The witcher universe was cruel and unforgiving. You couldn’t imagine lasting a day in it yet here you were. It wasn’t all bad, the food was decent, some folk were nice and you even had your very own mutant bodyguard to boot. Not to mention Jaskier being your personal radio station on the road.”

kylo ren

cruel world*^~- @worm_girl [ao3]

"When Professor Ren moves in next door to your sorority house and you become one of his students, it is impossible for the two of you to ignore the pull you have to each other.”

[not reader-insert:]

reylo (my comfort ship)

all our days*^~ - @voicedimplosives [ao3]

"I can listen no longer in silence." The hologram projection of his strangely handsome face is cobalt blue, flickering, and full of static. "I must speak to you, Rey. You… you pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me that I am not too late.” 

bamon (TVD) (my other comfort ship)

spellbound*^~ - @ladyloec

“An AU of Bonnie and Damon in the Prison World, without Kai, but with a problematic blood shortage that leads to our favourite judgy witch and snarky vampire getting closer than anyone anticipated.”

one-shots (all are reader-inserts!)

moon boys

satisfactory pt.1 + pt.2* (pornstar!jake) - @whatthefish

weightless~ (steven angst) - @m00nsbaby

call me* (feral!steven) - @writefightandflightclub

acts of service^ (marc fluff) - @ivystoryweaver

nice job!*^ (sub!steven fluff) - @romanarose

nathan bateman

indulge me* - @leoluved

poe dameron

wasted on you*^ - @campingwiththecharmings

blue jones

a long night** - @melodygatesauthor

beg** - @“”

santiago garcia

just friends pt.1* and pt.2*~ - @campingwiththecharmings

say my name*~ - @writefightandflightclub

threesome: santi x reader x frankie* - @youvebeenlivingfictional

a midnight picnic - @sweetly-yours-and-mine

miguel o’hara

rendezvous* - @campingwiththecharmings (i’m so sorry i’m tagging u so much lmfao)

stitches and claws* - @astroboots halo* - @missdictatorme

surrender* - @romanarose

llewyn davis

anchor* - @bits-and-babs

ezra prospect

darkness* - @ezrasbirdie

joel miller

what comes after*~ - @softlyspector

frank castle

all up in smoke^ - @saintmurd0ck

raymond smith + tangerine x reader

who you belong to*~ - @youvebeenlivingfictional

[kmze]

Hi I'm Megh.I'm a new Vampire Diaries fan and have been reading your rewatch posts for a while now.They have indeed helped me see things from different perspective than I had initially perceived.Full disclosure: I'm not exactly sold on any of the romantic pairings and there are too many of them and too much shipping wars about them.LOL! I'm currently on the final season and 6 episodes away from the finale and I have a few questions for you

1.Was Enzo-Bonnie an afterthought because I just watched Damon-Bonnie letter scene and that was more compelling than the whole Enzonnie or Benzo relationship?

2.Damon-Elena and Klaus-Caroline are walking disasters but I have heard the former is endgame while the other one is adored by the showrunner for some reason. Is it true or just fandom theory that Caroline's & Klaus's love interests were killed to make way for Klaus-Caroline?

3. Did the writers put Caroline and Stefan with everyone because they wanted to or did they think that was absolutely necessary for their story ? I enjoy their dynamic but I felt like their constant isolation once they were together was a bit upsetting.

4.Realistically I'm supposed to believe Stefan got over Elena but the narrative seems to play up the triangle and Stefan-Elena for drama,maybe,intentionally to undermine caroline-Stefan.I know the ending and I know they didn't end up together but I would like to know your opinion.If the actress of Elena hadn't quit, how do you think the show would have handled stefan's relationship with Caroline?I think they had great potential and the lack of enthusiasm at times is just too obvious to be ignored.

5.Did the writers have any personal preferences when it came to characters and coupling?Did that affect the quality of writing?They clearly sideline Caroline and Bonnie's relationships a lot .

Thanks.

Hi Megh! Glad you are enjoying the recaps and welcome to the emotional clusterfuck that is this show and fandom, though it's pretty dead since the shows ended. One of the reasons I did my rewatch now was because I wanted to do it completely removed from the ship wars (which were easy to get caught up in) and watch from that perspective. Thanks for the questions! I put all my answers below

Sadly I don't even know how to answer this best SO MUCH SAME! I never felt anything for Bonenzo (we'll see if it changes during my rewatch) and found Bamon way more compelling. It's honestly because of the showrunners, none of them felt strongly enough about Bonnie to give her Damon as a love interest because in their minds she couldn't usurp Elena. They gave her Enzo because even though he's the most NPC on the show he's still a powerful white male and falls into the higher tier guys (though not as high as the Salvatores or Mikaelsons) which they finally felt she deserved after her S6 storyline. In a way that's because Damon was now shown as caring about her a lot even if it's never romantic.

I think both ships fall into the same category of "drawn to the bad boy, she can fix him" yada yada yada stuff that is a pretty popular trope. I don't think JP necessarily adored KC I think she adores Caroline and the way this show works is the more high-cachet men are in love with you the better your chances of survival are. Stefan and Klaus are like top tier in that regard. I think the KC stuff in TO S5 had more to do with the Legacies spin-off and having them tied to that as a way to draw interest to that show, since it starred their kids. But they weren't endgame and JP made a point after TO S5 ended that she didn't make them endgame because it would have dishonored Stefan. Because even though that season gave KCers more stuff from Caro's POV of like she does care about Klaus (and I think fans could theorize she could have fell in love with him) her falling for him never happened in canon. She wore all black (something she never does) and she had her rings around her neck the whole time so the essence of Stefan/SC was in every scene they shared. IMO JP never felt KC could usurp SC because I think she looks at it from Caro's POV which is Stefan > Tyler > Klaus in terms of who she loved the most.

As in giving them a lot of romantic pairings? I thought that had to do with the writers liking their characters and feeling the chemistry a lot. Stefan always had some woman pining for him because he was the romantic male lead. Caroline as she moved further up in importance of the narrative got more male attention because the misogynistic way this 'verse works. They also liked to parallel Stefan and Caroline's journeys. If you mean what went on with them in S7, that is a very long story and can pretty much be summed up as Caroline Dries hated them and tried to ruin them, then Julie Plec came back and fixed them, this breaks it down. For me though all of S6 and most of S8 they were great and the writers gave them great and powerful stuff, YMMV of course.

Since SE was the ShowTP in the beginning I think that's why there was always a draw to them based on that's what the show was built upon. I noticed during my rewatch how much the writers used nuance to keep certain ships "alive" as in reminding the audience they were a thing and maybe they could come back. There was ALWAYS a possibility that the show could use SC to prop SE and bring them back together and I think it didn't happen because the writers ended up caring about Caroline more than Elena as the show progressed. The thing with Nina leaving is they knew she was going to leave at the beginning of S6 and I don't think SE was ever more platonic than they were that season. And the writers had so much enthusiasm for SC that season so I can't agree with you saying they had a lack of enthusiasm (unless you mean S7 which see above lol). Of course I'm not the best person to ask that because SC makes me feel more than any ship ever has and even the stuff I don't like doesn't ruin the ship for me. I also never felt the pull of SE even if I understand why people do, the transference issues with Katherine and Stefan needing to play a part to be the perfect boyfriend to Elena turned me off about it (plus he let her die!!). If JP left before the end and KW took over then I could have seen him doing the implied SE endgame but JP loved SC more than any other writer and I'll die on that hill.

100% writers like fans have personal preference but for the most part the showrunner controls everything and their preference can dictate more of what's happening. Unfortunately for Bonnie none of the showrunners cared enough about her and she was often sidelined but Caroline got really great stuff in S6 because JP loves her and wanted her to shine. In the earlier seasons when KW was still around and even right after he left everyone still felt Elena as the center of everything (and I mean she was top billed it made sense) the other girls were sidelined the most. Like Caroline was treated horribly in S1 because KW saw her as nothing but a prop to Elena.

Hope I semi-answered your questions!

[kiss-my-freckle]

This Bamon fan/Damon anti who hates Elena for being with someone who harmed her family/friends hilariously crapping on Enzo for Bamon's sake while hating Damon more outside of that. Damon being okay with being hated to save a life is a plus when it's Bonnie:

Julie Plec made Bonnie suicidal over Enzo. She did BE for someone caring about Enzo when none of the other characters would. Damon never encouraged Bonnie to give up and die for selfish reasons like Enzo did. Enzo only cared about how having Bonnie around would benefit him. While Damon was alright with Bonnie hating him as long as she lived. Enzo pistol whipped Bonnie and drugged her. While he constantly put her down and insulted her. Enzo was pining over Lily and didn't show Bonnie attention until Lily rejected him over and over again. And didn't look Bonnie's way until Lily died. Because of Enzo and his abandonment, low self esteem issues he was gladly ready to accept Bonnie dying as long as she died as his girlfriend and as long as she could spend her last breathes appeasing to his feelings. Bonnie was literally that man's last option remember he killed an innocent girl (STEFAN'S GIRLFRIEND) because Stefan hurt Caroline's feelings. Please Bonnie and Enzo was a joke. Stefan got the last laugh. BE fans are okay with a man who is willing to let Bonnie die for his own selfish feelings, doesn't mean that everyone has to buy into Plec's obvious attempt to shut Bonnie fans up. Enzo was the reason why Damon couldn't heal Bonnie with his blood. Which scared Damon even going into a coffin for 3 years because he believed that was best for Bonnie. Bonnie was still holding onto Damon's letter even while with Enzo. Bonnie nearly burn herself alive for Enzo. She had been put more fight into trying to get Lily to love him than he put into trying to save Bonnie's life after he poisoned her with pills. Enzo was ready to accept Bonnie dying without putting up a fight and was afraid to challenge her fixation on giving up on her life or sacrificing herself for a cause. Enzo didn't check to see if the pills where safe and just gave them to Bonnie to poison her with. Then was like "Okay Love" when Bonnie was going to give up on her life.

I have a great deal of issue with the way Enzo and Bonnie hooked up and the way he dealt with Damon choosing to desiccate next to Elena, but the rest of their writing was good. While I do have a problem with him crushing on Lily before hooking up with Bonnie, I have a bigger problem with them writing him to have a crush on Lily in the first place because it was awkward af. Enzo's hatred for Stefan ran deep, and he had reason to hate him. He has certain qualities that he shares with both Damon and Stefan, and I feel that combo is the reason he fights both brothers at one point or another. Out of every character in the show, I prefer Bonnie with Enzo. I will never be a Bamon shipper because they're meant to be best friends, period.

[bamon4bamily]

Irrefutable evidence that Damon was in love with Bonnie, but was oblivious to the fact (part 5)

Exhibit E

Season 8, Episode 10

Extract from the official TVD Transcript

DAMON: Hey.

BONNIE: Hey, stranger.

DAMON: Looks like I'm interrupting a reflective moment.

BONNIE: It's fine. I'm reflecting on the good things for a change.

DAMON: Wish I could say the same thing.

BONNIE: What you did while you were under Sybil's control wasn't your fault, Damon. You didn't have a choice.

DAMON: "Dear Bonnie. I’m a coward. I should be saying this to your face, not writing this letter but I know if I do, you'll talk me out of running away from all my problems. You're gonna make me face the future without Elena and you're gonna help make me the best man I can possibly be, same way she did. And I'm absolutely terrified of failing you both. So I'm leaving, because I'd rather let you down once than let you down for the rest of your life. And I hope it's the happiest life because you, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, a mediocre crossword puzzle player and my best friend. With great love and respect, Damon."

BONNIE: Gotta admit, it's a hell of a letter.

The Video Edivence

The Argument

 Ah, the letter… where to even start with this iconic piece of evidence! Let’s begin with the timing. Bonnie goes into Damon’s subconscious, and is the key player in being able to help Damon snap out of his comatose state. Just after Bonnie was in his subconscious, and helps him work through his issues, he finally finds the courage to let her know what he wrote in that letter…. coincidence? I think not!

 Now, let’s recap. In the previous exhibit we established that Damon’s decision to desiccate was for Bonnie, and that the only way he was going to manage to pull this off, was by having her think he was doing this for himself; and not telling her about his decision in person, but through a letter. A letter he knew she would be too pissed to read, giving him enough time to go through with his plan. This point is extremely important, Damon knew Bonnie wasn’t going to read the letter (or at least any time soon), he knows her all too well; reason why, it was the perfect medium for him to truly express his feelings and motivation. Another crucial point here, is that Bonnie assumed that Damon said goodbye through a letter, because that way he could imagine her reaction but not actually see it; which is why she says: “but that’s not my reaction, this is…”. He knew he could bare his soul in that letter, and that, when she eventually found it in herself to read it; she would understand why he made that decision. And so, three years later, that moment finally came. Except, she didn’t read the letter, he actually recited it to her, by memory! That alone, says a lot; I mean he freaking memorized it! You only memorize the things that truly matter. Now, on to the letter itself, and we are going to analyze the shit out of each word. Here we go…

 Dear Bonnie,

I’m a coward. I should be saying this to your face, not writing this letter, but... I know if I do, you'll talk me out of running away from all my problems.

These first words clearly reflect he is talking to himself first. He recognizes he is a coward, that he couldn’t face Bonnie, and that he is running away from his problems… Except the problems he is talking about is not what you’d expect; giving the context we have already proven to be right, which is that he desiccated for Bonnie, not for Elena. He is acknowledging that he is running away from confronting his problems, which are, whether he sees it or not, the fact that he has fallen in love with his “lover’s” best friend, that he has no idea how to deal with it, how he could ever confront her (and here I refer to both Elena and Bonnie), or himself with that truth. I know, you might think, that’s a bit farfetched; but just bear with me, and I’ll prove it to be true.

 You're gonna make me face a future without Elena.

Let’s ask ourselves this question, why is Damon writing as if there is no future with Elena? Again, she’s just in a long-ass nap, so there would be a future with her…. The only way there couldn’t be one, was if he didn’t see one. Aw, the subconscious can be a little sneaky beash sometimes!

 And you're gonna help make me the best man that I can possibly be.

I have to take a breath here… Okay, all better now. Can we all agree that these words prove that the woman, Damon acknowledged as the one that can ACTUALLY help him become a better man, is the one and only, Bonnie Bennet!!! I mean, come on, clear as water!!!!!

 The same way she did.

Now, this was clearly a forced insert from the writers to make sure the audience knew Elena was the one that made Damon a better man. Maybe this could have fooled someone if they hadn’t already showed us that he in fact wasn’t. Damon did a hell of a lot of awful things when he was with Elena, and also in her name. So, this is obviously untrue, and a clear sabotage of Damon’s handwriting. What we did witness was that the only character development Damon ever got, the only time Damon did things because they were the right thing to do (not just doing right for someone, but doing right because it’s right), came out of his friendship with Bonnie. Sorry writers, we caught you tampering with evidence, so this specific line, is discarded.

And I'm absolutely terrified of failing you both.

We are going to discard the “both”, given the previous argument. Having said that, this is clearly Damon expressing, and admitting, his deepest fear is failing Bonnie! Not only by not being able to protect her, but also by not being the man she deserves.  

 So I'm leaving. Because I'd rather let you down once...

Extremely telling words; he has let down Elena, numerous times, said so by herself, so why would he say, “let you down once…”? Because he is obviously ONLY talking about Bonnie; this to reinforce the last 2 points; and the fact that the ONLY thing Damon couldn’t bear with, was failing Bonnie. As previously proven, this had NOTHING to do with Elena.

 than let you down for the rest of your life.

This conveys just how much Damon values Bonnie; he’d rather leave her than let her down; her happiness and wellbeing are above anything else. It also clearly shows how much he cares about what she thinks of him. And of course, how afraid he is of telling her how he really feels about her; his self-doubt about being a man worthy of her love, because he knows she deserves the world. Which is reinforced by the next lines…

 And I hope it's the happiest life.

If this is not indisputable evidence that Damon’s sole concern is BONNIE’S happiness, I don’t know what is! These words prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the ONLY time Damon has ever truly, selflessly, and sincerely, loved and cared for a woman, it’s this time; and that woman is BONNIE SHEILA BENNETT.

 Because you, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, a mediocre crossword puzzle player and my best friend.

I mean, come on, when has your “best friend” ever said something like this to you? And if they have, it’s because they are in love with you! This is clearly NOT PLATONIC! And it shows, yet again, just how much Damon cares for Bonnie. With a nice addition in reference to their cute bickering dynamic, a trademark in their relationship.

 With great love and respect,

Damon.

Let’s highlight, “great love and respect”, the only time Damon Salvatore has EVER uttered such words to ANY woman he has been related to. With Bonnie, Damon finally found what loving someone was truly about… It wasn’t about obsession, possession, codependency, or something that had to be “complicated”. In fact, it was as simple as: LOVE + RESPECT = TRUE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to understand. These words prove that Damon LOVES and RESPECTS Bonnie.

 In sum, through this letter we see a side of Damon he wouldn’t dare show anyone else; except… Bonnie. She, and only she, knows the real Damon Salvatore. As a closing statement: Damn! We gotta admit, that’s A HELL OF A LETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Nice addition, the actual letter evidence. This is what the letter really said, but since Damon was still afraid Bonnie might figure him out, he changed a thing or two while reciting it 😉

 Dear Bonnie,

I'm a coward. I should be saying this to your face not writing this letter but, I know if I do, you'll talk me out of running away from all my problems. You're gonna make me face a future without Elena, and you're gonna help make me the best man that I can possibly be. And I'm absolutely terrified of failing you. So I'm leaving. Because I'd rather let you down once, than let you down for the rest of your life. And I hope it's the happiest life, because you, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, mediocre crossword player, and my best friend.

 With great love and respect,

Damon.

 Till the next hearing! =)

[blairwaldcrf]

do you ever reread Damon's letter to Bonnie and just go feral

[whoracefitz]

sometimes I think about Bamon and get sad bc nobody is gonna write me a letter.

[damonsbitch]

Dear Bonnie,

I am a coward. I should be saying this to your face, not writing this letter, but… I know if I do, you’ll talk me out of running away from all my problems. You’re gonna make me face a future without Elena. Then you’re gonna help make me the best man that I can possibly be. The same way she did. And I’m absolutely terrified of failing you both. So I’m leaving. Because I’d rather let you down once than let you down for the rest of your life. And I hope it’s the happiest life. Because you, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, a mediocre crossword puzzle player, and my best friend.

With great love and respect,

Damon

[shewatchesandreadsthings]

Love Confessions

I have rewatched the Bamon letter scene for the millionth time and there is no way in hell that that wasn’t an indirect love confession. It’s just not possible.”I'm absolutely terrified of failing you both ” my ass! He meant to say, “I’m absolutely terrified of falling for you both .” 

This is the look (below) of a man who recognizes what he could have had, but also realizes what he would have to do to get it. And knows he won’t because he’s a coward. 

And I just can’t!

[seeing-you-differently]

Favorite Top Ships ⇢ The Vampire Diaries

#5. Damon/Bonnie

Three Reasons I Ship Bamon

#1. Enemies to Friends to Lovers Trope.

This trope holds a lot of development and is usually a slow burn over many seasons. When they first meet, they dislike or even hate the other. Later though, something happens, the two supposed enemies work together out of necessity and grow closer to one another.

They become close friends after this occurrence, willing to risk their lives for one another. The thing that makes this ship unique and so meaningful, in my opinion, is the moment where they chose to save their friend over a family member or loved one.

Yes, Damon and Bonnie were never lovers or had a romantic relationship of any kind but that doesn't mean I don't see the possibilities the two would have held for each other and how they would have had a great dynamic.

#2 Why Bamon over Delena?

While I have nothing against Damon and Elena together, I always thought that Damon had to live up to this perfect image Elena had of him in her head. With Bonnie, she already knew who he was and didn't make him live up to this image because she saw him for who he was, making him want to be a better person for her.

In his letter, he wrote, "I should be saying this to your face, not writing this letter, but I know if I do, you'll talk me out of running from all my problems." Damon has always been an impulsive person, relying on his heart and emotions to guide him, so he knew if he went to Bonnie, she would be able to talk him out of it and convince him to find another way.

He continues saying, "You're going to make me face a future without Elena. Then you're gonna help make me the best man that I can possibly be. The same way she did. And I'm absolutely terrified of failing you both. So I'm leaving. Because I'd rather let you down once than let you down for the rest of your life." Damon loved Elena, but he couldn't deny that Bonnie made him want to be a better person, just as Elena did. He cared for Bonnie and was afraid that if he stayed, he would only let her down.

#3 Dynamic Over The Seasons

Long before Bonnie meets Damon, she already hated him and formulated her own opinion of him. She cared deeply about Caroline since they were friends, and knowing what he had done to her only strengthened her resolve of hatred towards him.

The first time the two interact ends badly, which is to be expected. Bonnie makes her hatred for him clear and denies giving him the necklace. Damon doesn't like her either since he has always been used to getting what he wants since he became a vampire.

In season two, the duo finally becomes allies, although begrudgingly, to save Elena, leading them into a, albeit slow, growing friendship, which is shown when Damon refuses to leave Bonnie at the island in season four searching for her. When they find each other, they share their first hug.

The best moment that many people believed they shared was in season six, when they were trapped in the prison world. The two of them had to rely on each other, being the only people around, and begin opening up to one another and becoming close friends, depending on each other.

When they found a way out of the prison world, Bonnie gave it up, choosing to save Damon and leave herself stranded with Kai. Damon was, of course, distraught over this and wanted to find her, always having hope she was alive.

The reuniting was a sweet moment. Out of all the people Bonnie chose to see first when she came back, she chose Damon. She decided to make pancakes, something he made for her when they were in the prison world. When Damon saw her, he was in disbelief, and the two shared a big hug, happy to see the other finally.

When Elena is trapped in a supernatural coma, Damon is given a chance to get her back when Bonnie gets severely injured. The choice he made, though, was to save her, something he wouldn't have done before in an earlier season, even if it meant he would not see Elena.

Damon has always been an impulsive person, so it wasn't that surprising when he chose to desiccate until Elena woke up. He had everything planned out the goodbye and all the letters, but the thing he didn't count on was Bonnie coming and waking him up.

After this, their friendship was rocky. Bonnie was hurt with Damon leaving her without saying goodbye and only leaving her a letter, something she did not read. It was only when she later became the huntress that she forgave him. When she was attacking him, he realized he would not kill his friend and chose to tell her how much he admires and cares for her.

The two don't share many big moments after this and hold a strong and close relationship the rest of the season. The relationship the two had held many bumps, and it felt realistic. They were enemies, allies, then becoming friends, bonding in the prison world. The two chose one another over themselves and others and held a relationship many would hope to have.

Someone honest. Someone who doesn't make you become a better person but instead helps you, who makes you want to be one for them. They are the one person who you can rely on when you need help. Even if they annoy you almost all the time, you're okay with being with them forever.

[zutaralesbian]

Bamon! :))

Why I ship them (or why I do not): I think they would have been the true enemies to friends to lovers ship if they had been allowed to be canon, which is right up my alley. I think Bonnie would have challenged Damon in a way Elena often didn’t imo. And in turn I think Damon would have taught Bonnie to be more selfish and less self-sacrificing.

My favorite moment between them: That scene in S8 when he recited the letter he wrote to her. The fact that he literally mesmerized everything the letter said 😭 “You Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, a mediocre crossword puzzle player, and my best friend.”

My least favorite moment between them: It wasn’t really a scene between the two of them but the episode where Damon turned Abby (after he and Stefan flipped a coin to decide WHO would do it) made me see red for weeks.

The character I prefer: Bonnie by a looooong stretch lol. I have a soft spot for Damon because of my attachment to Bamon but I know he isn’t shit lmao.

A fanfic idea for them that I would love to read or write: It’s been a loooong time since I’ve even thought about TVD or Bamon fic tbh. But back in the day S6 AU’s were my shit. I think it would be cool to read a fic where their romantic storyline starts when they agree to have a frenemies with benefits arrangement while they’re stuck in the prison world together. But then they both accidentally catch real feelings and don’t know what to do when they return home.

What I would have changed about how canon handled them if I could: Well I would have made them canon first off lol. I think I would have started creating that enemy dynamic with canon underlining sexual tension between them way earlier in the show and would have made a Bamon/Delena/Stelena love square (because that’s pretty much what the dynamic is in the books) that would have eventually ended in Bamon/Stelena. Also Bonnie would have met Damon first and had gotten her memory of it compelled away because that was a Bamon moment from the books that JP stole and gave to DE and I’m still bitter.

Thank you! :)

[nikkiruncks]

Positives of the tvd finale:

Stelena reunion

Elena reuniting with her family

Defan scenes

Bamon stares

Barolena being together (I don’t fuck w them after s2 in canon but they were v sweet)

Tyler and Vicki in the background watching over Matt (srsly they deserved better (as characters ofc))

Steroline (I don’t even ship them like that but the I will love you forever scenes were sweet)

Stexi

Negatives of the tvd finale:

Dullena

Stefan saying that Damon was the better man

Daroline cuddling

Caroline reading a letter from klaus (why would kl*us write a letter to his former baby camp crush he hasn’t spoken to 4 yrs, or after his boyfriend died)

Tyler never got to see Care for the last time

Elena not knowing Damon killed Tyler

There’s more but that’s all I can think of at the top of my head

[kmze]

I have got no clue what math story is or if Dries actually knows it or what was going on.But the entire season felt like a loop.And there was a pattern that was being followed for e.g Rebecca's episodes which I believe were 7×05,7×12 and 7×18.

7×05 Stefan says he will kill Julian.Cancels Date with Caroline.Don't remember whether he called her or Caroline called him.That wide shot of Caroline sitting alone in her dorm room was so painful to watch.Julian's soul is brought back into his body.

7×12 Stefan leaves to go save Damon's ass.Didn't text Caroline back.Kills Julian.Caroline alone in the hospital dying.

7×18 Stefan dying.Wants to write a letter to Caroline.Flashback of Stefan saying Caroline sent his letters back unopened (which was Julie's attempt to damage control).Stefan's soul is back into his body. (This is why I feel like they should have had Julian's soul in Stefan's body because that storyline ending abruptly felt weird)

What's interesting is this isn't the first time Stefan's soul was brought back.It happened before sometime in 7×10 and they never showed how it happened.Stefan said Bonnie pulled him out.Bonnie said Nora pulled him out(7×11).It never happened on the screen.In fact,they diminished Bonnie's importance in 7×10 when it came to Damon being pulled out.The importance was more on Damon and Lily and how his remorse for her death was the trigger which was absolutely OKAY and yet Bamon was still sidelined while we had an entire episode of Stalerie melodrama just to taint SC even more.Also in 7×16,the 'date' goes smoothly unlike in 7×11.I mean I know 7×11 had far more depth while 7×16 was extremely superficial.Later on,When Stefan died(went back into the stone),Val told Damon we brought him back before.WE? Before?When?She wasn't there in Damon's hell episode.I don't remember whether it was Julie or someone else but they said this episode was filmed right before Christmas and everyone was exhausted and just wanted out.Do you think this was one of those cases where an actress is replaced because the original one is not available?

There were some similar elements going on in 7×18 as that in 7×10.

Caroline: If Julian scorches Stefan's body,we can't get him back.

Damon: Noone's scorching his body yet.

Julian stole Stefan's body & scorched it.

This was one loop in Damon's hell.In another loop, Stefan was already back & said Caroline pulled him out first. It turned out, in reality,Stefan did manage to get out first & tried to move forward with Caroline but somehow still being haunted by Damon and the guilt of letting him go.

In 7×18, that vampire whose soul was in Stefan's body ran off and tried to scorch real stefan/Marty.Damon and alaric managed to stop him.Stefan is pulled out.But it was Val who did the spell.Not Caroline or Bonnie or Nora.So was he in the stone this entire time and what was shown before was not real?

Anyway,so Val got tons of screen time here. In the end ,she asked him to go back and make things right with Caroline.You know what this reminded me of? In 7×12,Caroline asked Val "I want you there with him(Stefan)." This was after she found out stefan went to MF to save Damon.Up until this point,Val was pretending to take care of her but Caroline's words were almost like words of approval for her.It's like she got the green-light to be HER. I don't know if I'm making any sense here or what Julie intended but it would have been better if they had at least explained the situation properly instead of straight up derailing the main couple of the season.Another point in 7×18,she said I could have been the love of your life too but in 7×03,she was bragging that she was the first love of Stefan's life.This proves she was an unreliable narrator,right?Because I think it was Katherine who was Stefan's first love or atleast before he knew what she was and then it was Elena?

I feel like a total crazy person right now because the plot was straight-up abomination in the name of storytelling.🤯

P.S: In one of my previous asks I had mentioned "spinning the globe" as a SC reference because Stefan was spinning the globe in his room while leaving voicemails for Caroline in 6×20 and it was a Sonnenshine episode.That's why it annoyed me so much.Elena's locket was a Stelena thing which was somehow turned into a Delena symbol.Globe/snowglobe was a SC symbol and it was used in a SV scene just like the coffee one.

Yeah I'm sorry Anon I really don't remember anything with Julian and burning Stefan's body and what that was all about. I thought the point with the stone was the person in there needed to do what the stone was trying to teach them and then a witch could pull them out. So Stefan's hell was drowning with Damon and he needed to let go of Damon because that's what the stone was trying to tell him. So Stefan let Damon die and then Bonnie was able to pull him out. Then Damon's hell was forgiving his mother and that just took longer because Damon is stubborn, then once he did that Bonnie pulled him out. I don't remember her saying Nora was involved but maybe she was. The post coming out of the stone they were loop-y and for some reason kept wanting to burn bodies. I don't care that much about the date being ruined because the date was kinda weird anyway (I do hate that scene in 7x05, I try to pretend it doesn't exist) it didn't feel like them. I much prefer the date in Caroline's head with the greenhouse and eating fast food, that was so much more them.

Part of the problem with 7x16-7x18 is that Caroline couldn't be in those episodes because Candice was on maternity leave, I think she only took like a month off before coming back for 7x19-7x22 so I don't know how much could have been done to really include her in the storyline. Nora was dead by 7x18 and I think Bonnie was still hidden so Val it was, I thought Damon said something like "I'm only working with you because I know you'll do whatever it takes to save Stefan" Eh I mean that was kind of the point with Val, when she first showed up she thought she had a chance to get Stefan back and didn't see Caroline as a real threat. Then eventually she got what she wanted and became "everything" to him (because he had no one else) but as soon as that wasn't the case she gave up. I think it's so funny she was ready to team-up with Alaric in 7x17 and then she went inside Stefan's head in 7x18 and gave up the next day. Like Damon said as soon as that scar was gone she knew it was over.

I remember the spinning globe, I don't remember the "something more" from 6x19.