The vampiric claim, or, one of the fanon things that makes me cringe but I'm drawn to anyway
Of all the fanon things that make me cringe but I'm drawn to anyway, the most hilarious is the Vampiric Claim, a ritual that results in a bond that lasts forever, tying two life forces together (often times written such that if one dies, so does the other). An incredibly powerful piece of magic that can be invoked with a single, contextually common, word. Which doesn't require magical abilities or any training or indeed even intention for it to take effect.
We've all read it:
- "Mine!"
- "Yours!"
Done. Faster than a Vegas wedding.
Minimum requirements as observed:
1) Two parties, at least one of them a vampire. (In the BtVS fanfics I've read, the other is usually a human. Because...unexpected. Calls for research parties! Not sure if it applies to demons.) 2) Intercourse, and 3) The initiator has to bite and drink the blood of the submitter (and vice versa if the claim is reciprocated).
Variations:
Plenty, to make it interesting. :) Acknowledgement is usually compulsory to complete the ritual, but sometimes unnecessary, which could result in a partial claim(?), something still above a minion claim (not sure how that one's done). Usually reciprocated in a fic trying to portray commitment. Their lurve is 4eva! No seriously!!
Sometimes performed accidentally (usually one-sided), due to 1) claimer's total lack of awareness that a claim exists, much less how to perform one, 2) claimer's loss of control, i.e. the claim is an emotional outburst brought forth by the absolutely mind-blowing, amaaazing sex, or 3) claimee's total lack of awareness, in acknowledgement, of what the heck they are doing. (That's awkward.) Rarely, it's used to illustrate unreciprocated feelings or even an act of domination, as in, done purposely by the claimer sometimes against the will of the claimee.
Results:
Forms an everlasting emotional, sexual, and sometimes telepathic bond between the two. Called Mated, or Bonded. Cannot be undone. Cannot be broken. (Like an unbreakable vow in HP.) A real 'til death/dusting do us part deal. The life forces of the two are linked (death of one results in the death of the other, though I've never seen it happen in a story), or sometimes combined (neither will die while the other lives).
Similar to a bi-directional mind meld, both gain access to the other's thoughts and emotions. Of particular convenience to the fanfic writer (and readers) is the ability for each to sense the other's (usually sexual) needs, before proceeding to satisfying the heck out of them (yay!).
According to some writers, one can learn over time to fine tune the transmission of that telepathic bond, in order to close off one's thoughts and emotions to one's mate. (A very good thing indeed. Not that I plan to be claimed any time soon, but how distracting is that? I can hardly deal with my own digressive thoughts, but to have someone else's in my head at all times, whenever we're within some maximum physical distance deemed reasonable by the fanfic writer, regardless of what you're doing at the time, would be unbearable.)
Furthermore, the claim forbids either party from straying. A single kiss with another person can bring forth violent bouts of nausea and vomiting, for both in the mated pair, which seems rather unfair to the person who didn't do nothing. Cheating is physically impossible. (Would it be punishable by death? Which might result in the deaths of both partners? Hmm.)
A claim can also enhance existing abilities and bestow new super powers on the bonded pair. Several stories speak of Buffy with vampiric night vision after mating with Spike, and of Spike being more resistant to the sun. What a bonus! :)
What other after effects am I missing?
Reasons I'm drawn to it despite all the objections:
For the same reason that sometimes a PWP is what fits the mood. Because it's a guilty pleasure, like a fairytale that ends with, "And they lived happily ever after." Because it satisfies that craving in me to see my OTP together forever! It's decided once and for all! Because it illustrates commitment and presumably makes up for the fact that vampires can't easily get married (which is inconvenient in requiring that both parties be alive, pffttt!).
And because I can turn off my brain, and just swim in fluffy. Because it's just so much fun to read about the after effects of a claim, about a newly-claimed pair trying to adjust to new, heightened sensations, this incredible high of an amazing connection with your honey. It's the honeymoon period, extended (forever). And because when it involves Buffy, for example, there's often plenty of shock and fretting from Scoobies, and much glasses-polishing from Giles, all of which somehow makes me *squee*. (I just realized that it's the disapproval and facing that with defiance that's the turn on here. I know, it's the weirdest kink.)
Reasons this spell bothers me (other than that I take it far, far too seriously):
1) It's too powerful.
Linking of two lives, forever! Performed in 5 seconds! Cannot be undone! No recourse!
2) It's too unrestricted.
Shouldn't there be at least the magical equivalent of a "Are you sure?" I'm asked this by my computer all the time for something far easily undo-able and with far less serious consequences. Send email without a subject. "Are you sure?" Submit a form with some personal opinion. "Are you sure?" But tying your physical, emotional, sexual, and even intellectual life to another's until one of you dies (which in some cases means both of you--sorry, you're just that committed), and the universe is all like, *shrugs* "Why not?"
Is there even a minimum age requirement? How does parental consent figure into the equation? What if one is coerced? Impaired? Under a spell? Suffering from temporary insanity? Amnesia? Especially in the BtVS universe, some of them are real concerns. Can you claim a cat? A mosquito? Don't you at least need some magical herbs? An incantation in a dead language? A sand circle? Or at least clear intent?
3) It's too easy.
A powerful, unbound spell that cannot be undone is invoked with a single word and requiring a single word in response. That reminds me of the incredibly dumb "Spell of Destruction" in the anime film "Castle in the Sky", where the spell to destroy a whole, vast city consists of a single word, "balse".
It's stupid because it's too easy to be done by accident. A baby learning to talk, a kid being silly, a guy slurring under the influence, a computer program pronouncing a misspelled word...could all stumble upon it by accident. And boom, a whole city, gone. Activation of something with irreversible and everlasting consequences should always require a confirmation, perhaps even a password. There should be an app for this, like there are a handful of apps that help determine when you're too drunk to text and thus prevent you from making a fool of yourself. Even a gun has a safety. In contrast, this piece of magic is entirely too trigger-happy.
What do you think? Do you enjoy claiming fics? Is there any way a vampiric claim can be altered to make it more acceptable?
ETA: And based on the replies...
You're all better, more discerning readers than I am. :) Yes, yes, must reject magical leash around romantic pairs, even if it's done to save the world. I'm guessing that everyone agrees that a claiming ritual makes for a silly spell?
*Looks longingly at my stash of PWPs* I guess those won't be judged too kindly, either? :) In their defense (or in mine), it's fantastic that my fandom produces high-caliber fanfics, but there's space for frivolous pieces too. It's rather like music, and one's preferences can change with the mood.
What other fanon elements (or tropes) should we discuss next?
We've all read it:
- "Mine!"
- "Yours!"
Done. Faster than a Vegas wedding.
Minimum requirements as observed:
1) Two parties, at least one of them a vampire. (In the BtVS fanfics I've read, the other is usually a human. Because...unexpected. Calls for research parties! Not sure if it applies to demons.) 2) Intercourse, and 3) The initiator has to bite and drink the blood of the submitter (and vice versa if the claim is reciprocated).
Variations:
Plenty, to make it interesting. :) Acknowledgement is usually compulsory to complete the ritual, but sometimes unnecessary, which could result in a partial claim(?), something still above a minion claim (not sure how that one's done). Usually reciprocated in a fic trying to portray commitment. Their lurve is 4eva! No seriously!!
Sometimes performed accidentally (usually one-sided), due to 1) claimer's total lack of awareness that a claim exists, much less how to perform one, 2) claimer's loss of control, i.e. the claim is an emotional outburst brought forth by the absolutely mind-blowing, amaaazing sex, or 3) claimee's total lack of awareness, in acknowledgement, of what the heck they are doing. (That's awkward.) Rarely, it's used to illustrate unreciprocated feelings or even an act of domination, as in, done purposely by the claimer sometimes against the will of the claimee.
Results:
Forms an everlasting emotional, sexual, and sometimes telepathic bond between the two. Called Mated, or Bonded. Cannot be undone. Cannot be broken. (Like an unbreakable vow in HP.) A real 'til death/dusting do us part deal. The life forces of the two are linked (death of one results in the death of the other, though I've never seen it happen in a story), or sometimes combined (neither will die while the other lives).
Similar to a bi-directional mind meld, both gain access to the other's thoughts and emotions. Of particular convenience to the fanfic writer (and readers) is the ability for each to sense the other's (usually sexual) needs, before proceeding to satisfying the heck out of them (yay!).
According to some writers, one can learn over time to fine tune the transmission of that telepathic bond, in order to close off one's thoughts and emotions to one's mate. (A very good thing indeed. Not that I plan to be claimed any time soon, but how distracting is that? I can hardly deal with my own digressive thoughts, but to have someone else's in my head at all times, whenever we're within some maximum physical distance deemed reasonable by the fanfic writer, regardless of what you're doing at the time, would be unbearable.)
Furthermore, the claim forbids either party from straying. A single kiss with another person can bring forth violent bouts of nausea and vomiting, for both in the mated pair, which seems rather unfair to the person who didn't do nothing. Cheating is physically impossible. (Would it be punishable by death? Which might result in the deaths of both partners? Hmm.)
A claim can also enhance existing abilities and bestow new super powers on the bonded pair. Several stories speak of Buffy with vampiric night vision after mating with Spike, and of Spike being more resistant to the sun. What a bonus! :)
What other after effects am I missing?
Reasons I'm drawn to it despite all the objections:
For the same reason that sometimes a PWP is what fits the mood. Because it's a guilty pleasure, like a fairytale that ends with, "And they lived happily ever after." Because it satisfies that craving in me to see my OTP together forever! It's decided once and for all! Because it illustrates commitment and presumably makes up for the fact that vampires can't easily get married (which is inconvenient in requiring that both parties be alive, pffttt!).
And because I can turn off my brain, and just swim in fluffy. Because it's just so much fun to read about the after effects of a claim, about a newly-claimed pair trying to adjust to new, heightened sensations, this incredible high of an amazing connection with your honey. It's the honeymoon period, extended (forever). And because when it involves Buffy, for example, there's often plenty of shock and fretting from Scoobies, and much glasses-polishing from Giles, all of which somehow makes me *squee*. (I just realized that it's the disapproval and facing that with defiance that's the turn on here. I know, it's the weirdest kink.)
Reasons this spell bothers me (other than that I take it far, far too seriously):
1) It's too powerful.
Linking of two lives, forever! Performed in 5 seconds! Cannot be undone! No recourse!
2) It's too unrestricted.
Shouldn't there be at least the magical equivalent of a "Are you sure?" I'm asked this by my computer all the time for something far easily undo-able and with far less serious consequences. Send email without a subject. "Are you sure?" Submit a form with some personal opinion. "Are you sure?" But tying your physical, emotional, sexual, and even intellectual life to another's until one of you dies (which in some cases means both of you--sorry, you're just that committed), and the universe is all like, *shrugs* "Why not?"
Is there even a minimum age requirement? How does parental consent figure into the equation? What if one is coerced? Impaired? Under a spell? Suffering from temporary insanity? Amnesia? Especially in the BtVS universe, some of them are real concerns. Can you claim a cat? A mosquito? Don't you at least need some magical herbs? An incantation in a dead language? A sand circle? Or at least clear intent?
3) It's too easy.
A powerful, unbound spell that cannot be undone is invoked with a single word and requiring a single word in response. That reminds me of the incredibly dumb "Spell of Destruction" in the anime film "Castle in the Sky", where the spell to destroy a whole, vast city consists of a single word, "balse".
It's stupid because it's too easy to be done by accident. A baby learning to talk, a kid being silly, a guy slurring under the influence, a computer program pronouncing a misspelled word...could all stumble upon it by accident. And boom, a whole city, gone. Activation of something with irreversible and everlasting consequences should always require a confirmation, perhaps even a password. There should be an app for this, like there are a handful of apps that help determine when you're too drunk to text and thus prevent you from making a fool of yourself. Even a gun has a safety. In contrast, this piece of magic is entirely too trigger-happy.
What do you think? Do you enjoy claiming fics? Is there any way a vampiric claim can be altered to make it more acceptable?
ETA: And based on the replies...
You're all better, more discerning readers than I am. :) Yes, yes, must reject magical leash around romantic pairs, even if it's done to save the world. I'm guessing that everyone agrees that a claiming ritual makes for a silly spell?
*Looks longingly at my stash of PWPs* I guess those won't be judged too kindly, either? :) In their defense (or in mine), it's fantastic that my fandom produces high-caliber fanfics, but there's space for frivolous pieces too. It's rather like music, and one's preferences can change with the mood.
What other fanon elements (or tropes) should we discuss next?