haha yeah, I don't get any sort of ~revelation of attraction~ from Elena towards Damon in MMF. I mean, okay. I think Elena does feel -something- in that dance, but. it's difficult to articulate. I think if anything that was when she started to become truly attached to the idea of having him as a friend. Before that, I don't think she was very fussed.
If Damon isn't physically there, Elena doesn't give a flying fuck about his sexual attractiveness (is that even a word?) -- YES. I know exactly what you mean. And "self-conscious" is spot-on. When it's out of sight, it's out of mind.
Elena notices that she has some power over Damon, and I have an impression that she... idk, gets off on it a bit? Power itself is intoxicating (not necessarily in a sexual way), and here she associates it with the guy who is continuously provoking her sexually, so it might get a little mixed up. -- OH MY GOD YES. YES. YES. THAT IS EXACTLY IT. Thank you for articulating what I have been trouble expressing. She becomes attached to this messed up cycle where she exerts her emotional power over Damon to get him to do stuff--but she can't play this game without also accepting HIS "moves" (lol), i.e. his sexual provocations. So the more attached she grows to her position of emotional power (which isn't necessarily about Damon himself), i.e. the more that she "gets off" on it… the more attracted she becomes to Damon himself? Because the two get mixed up? Because really, the type of power she has over Damon is very specific. It's not common in any of her other relationships.
I't say that the actual attraction (as in, being attracted to him all the time, not just when they have those weird moments) happens off-screen, somewhere between s2 and s3. -- Huh. Interesting. What do you mean exactly by "all the time"? lol. Do you mean that she finds herself thinking about him when he's not there?
My theory is somewhat similar to yours, but different in some respects. Firstly, I would say that Elena is actually attracted to Damon in S1. She's attracted to him in the same way that she's probably attracted to random dudes on TV. There's no romantic attachment there, but she is drawn to his personality--from the beginning, actually, she is intensely aware of him. (Note that moment in 1x03 at school.) I think this is because she tunes in to the fact that he's not safe, from day one (that hand kiss!!!). Unlike with Stefan, she INSTANTLY recognises that Damon is a liar and a performer. And where her attachment to him grows is on that level where his mask comes off. E.g. "we have an understanding." I think THIS is where her emotional power ~issues start. It's not on a romantic level, because they're not romantically attracted to each other at this point. But on a very basic level, she is able to ~see through Damon when other people cannot, and she comes to value this a lot. It's why she experiences self-disgust when he lets her down (e.g. discovering that he killed Isobel).
So yeah, S1 = no romantic feelings, but basic attraction and platonic affection. S2, my feelings fall in line with yours--except for one major thing. I think S2 is where Elena does in fact start developing romantic feelings for Damon. But it's all subconscious. This is gonna be difficult to explain, SO BEAR WITH ME. (cont.)
Re: HUMONGOUS COMMENT PART TWO
If Damon isn't physically there, Elena doesn't give a flying fuck about his sexual attractiveness (is that even a word?) -- YES. I know exactly what you mean. And "self-conscious" is spot-on. When it's out of sight, it's out of mind.
Elena notices that she has some power over Damon, and I have an impression that she... idk, gets off on it a bit? Power itself is intoxicating (not necessarily in a sexual way), and here she associates it with the guy who is continuously provoking her sexually, so it might get a little mixed up. -- OH MY GOD YES. YES. YES. THAT IS EXACTLY IT. Thank you for articulating what I have been trouble expressing. She becomes attached to this messed up cycle where she exerts her emotional power over Damon to get him to do stuff--but she can't play this game without also accepting HIS "moves" (lol), i.e. his sexual provocations. So the more attached she grows to her position of emotional power (which isn't necessarily about Damon himself), i.e. the more that she "gets off" on it… the more attracted she becomes to Damon himself? Because the two get mixed up? Because really, the type of power she has over Damon is very specific. It's not common in any of her other relationships.
I't say that the actual attraction (as in, being attracted to him all the time, not just when they have those weird moments) happens off-screen, somewhere between s2 and s3. -- Huh. Interesting. What do you mean exactly by "all the time"? lol. Do you mean that she finds herself thinking about him when he's not there?
My theory is somewhat similar to yours, but different in some respects. Firstly, I would say that Elena is actually attracted to Damon in S1. She's attracted to him in the same way that she's probably attracted to random dudes on TV. There's no romantic attachment there, but she is drawn to his personality--from the beginning, actually, she is intensely aware of him. (Note that moment in 1x03 at school.) I think this is because she tunes in to the fact that he's not safe, from day one (that hand kiss!!!). Unlike with Stefan, she INSTANTLY recognises that Damon is a liar and a performer. And where her attachment to him grows is on that level where his mask comes off. E.g. "we have an understanding." I think THIS is where her emotional power ~issues start. It's not on a romantic level, because they're not romantically attracted to each other at this point. But on a very basic level, she is able to ~see through Damon when other people cannot, and she comes to value this a lot. It's why she experiences self-disgust when he lets her down (e.g. discovering that he killed Isobel).
So yeah, S1 = no romantic feelings, but basic attraction and platonic affection. S2, my feelings fall in line with yours--except for one major thing. I think S2 is where Elena does in fact start developing romantic feelings for Damon. But it's all subconscious. This is gonna be difficult to explain, SO BEAR WITH ME. (cont.)