If a vampire asks you if they may enter your home, and you answer "you may not" ...
If a vampire asks you if they may enter your home, and you answer "you may not" ...
Can they rush in after the first two words, before you say "not"? Can they enter if they stuff their ears before they hear the final word?
No. It is magic so they would not be able to enter partway through an answer as doing so would make it clear that the vampire knew it was really a no.
What’s the longest duration between may and not that would be valid in keeping them out?
I imagine it's the intent, so it doesn't matter how long.
How long until you start questioning if it will work and invite doubt? Or will you assume defeat if the vampire fills the gap with, “why, thank you my good sir”?
My understanding of the idea with many interpretations of magic is they are all just ways of focusing your will on the world.
Ergo, the words aren’t themselves the source of power, your expectation that the words will result in a certain outcome is.
Therefore, if your intention is to deny entry is strong, there could be a fairly good gap.
But on the other hand, playing around to try and see could create doubt and uncertainty, weakening the effect.
If the vampire knows it is intended to be a no then it doesn't matter. The person could never finish it as long as the vampire knows the real answer is no despite the words being stated not matching up.
I admire your confidence
It is a necessity when the vampires keep trying to get in!
They don't know until the third word, they only hypothesize it's a no.
If they are magically forbidden to enter without permission, but also don't know every language or phrasing of 'come on in', then there is a magical way to know intent without needing to hear all the words.
Otherwise they wouldn't be able to work with nods and hand motions from people who cannot speak, shrugs and grunts from drunk college students, etc.
It seems to me that the wording itself is unimportant, but rather the intention. So I would imagine no
Hear me out, so what if the vampire gaslights you into thinking that you already invited them in and they're so good at it that you really believe it? Does that establish intent?
Only if they can gaslight into giving them permission. If they convince you theyre a friend you havent seen since high school that would be the way to go.
This inspired me to keep a handheld mirror near my front door, for when someone inevitably asks if they can come in, I can grab it and do a very obvious vampire check
I hope your can find a mirror made with silver, most modern ones aren't, and that's why vampires didn't show up in them
The requirement isn't that vampires need to hear you say "You can come in," it's that you need to extend them a formal invitation and lower the barrier that protects your home. Theoretically, you could lie to the vampire, but they'd probably notice your barrier and wouldn't get fooled.
...you do have a barrier right? You properly consecrated the ground before moving, drew the sigils, and cleansed all existing evil spirits? 'Cuz otherwise, any old spooky creature will probably skip the pleasantries and just get you.
Pretty sure the realtor was supposed to handle all of that.
any old spooky creature will probably skip the pleasantries and just get you.
If they ain't paying rent I can surely make them uncomfortable enough to leave by just being myself.
I can surely make them uncomfortable enough to leave by just being myself.
BE AFRAID, CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
I etched the protection runes on the studs while my home was being built. Saves so much time!
A lot of people here are telling you that the answer is 'no' because the vampires must respect your true intent or rely on trickery to get you to willfully invite them in.
But the real reason is 'no' because vampires aren't real.
Sure Mr Suspiciously Pale Human, whatever you say, you still can't come in even if vampires don't exist.
Answering the question necessitates engaging with the premise. Refusing to do so and acting smug just makes you look like a dick.
That's what a vampire trying to enter my house would say.
But there's one asking to enter so it turns out you're wrong about that.
If someone pulls a gun on me I can't declare "bullets aren't real" and expect to endure being shot without taking harm.
I guess we could ask OP to try saying "you may not" and see whether he survives to post confirmation that it worked?
Okay can I come in then?
The only correct answer.
No, vampires usually leave that sort of "exact words" trickery to faeries and genies.
And in their case I think they'd let you finish speaking because they relish the challenge more than they want to simply squish you.
Imagining a vampire showing up to Wayne and Garth's studio.
"You may come in...... NOT!"
Borat's House:
"You may.... NOT come in."
"You mayn't."
this is why you start the sentence with "no, you may not".
a lot of humans do that, too. cut you off early and pretend they didn't hear the second part, stuff like that. happened to me a lot. caused me to rearrange word-order a lot.
I think it's safe to say that intent is what matters, not the technicality of communicating that intent. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intention
I would say, no, because the same magic rule prompting the vampire to ask permission in the first place also requires the answer to be complete. Otherwise, why bother? They would dart inside even before you had a chance to say "you" with the excuse that since you were taking too long you probably were okay with it.
I wonder if the magic rule understands double negatives. If you tell a vampire "You ain't never coming in here," can they enter? What about sarcasm? "Oh yeah, I'm definitely inviting you in."
I suppose it depends on if you can write a fun story around either one. Since every rule about vampires that sticks basically only has one thing in common, the writing in which it was featured was popular. If what you write around it isn't very good, then no, I guess retroactively that isn't how vampires work. But if it becomes popular and part of peoples canon in the future, then yes, that is exactly how vampires work, now.
I just realized that I'd be pretty safe from vampire infestations. I hate having visitors, and will make (up) any excuse to avoid them. "Sure, but I was about to leave to deal with a work-related emergency. I don't know when I'll be home."
...and then they can sit there alone until I see them leaving on my door camera.I don't mind visiting others, because then I can leave when I'm spent. At home, however, it's where I expect to be left alone.
You said "sure", you're done!
Assuming that vampires can be seen on camera
Assuming someone knocking on my door without being visible on my camera would get a response to begin with.
Usually, they only need permission once, then they can enter at will
With those implications, they'd never be allowed in.
Depends, is this vampire known as Brock Turner?
You mean the rapist Brock Allen Turner?
You mean Brock Turner the rapist?
They don't need to they just evict you instead.
A vampire mesmerizing a victim into allowing entry always felt like cheating to me
Yes, that would be cheating.
Isn't that the entire reason behind the rule, so that they could write a way for the vampires to circumvent it. They established a fake rule that never used to exist and then proceeded to prop it up over and over until the reader believed it to be law, and then when they least expected it, it was dashed to pieces in an instant.
Of course it's cheating, but cheating at what exactly? Cheating at a rule that never even used to exist, was written specifically to later be broken in that very same book. It's like any puzzle design in writing, like murder mystery, they usually create the puzzle backwards by thinking of fun solutions to problems they could then create to lead there.
If you live alone and vampire shows up at your door with a gun and shoots you dead, could it then enter the house
I'm sure it varies by setting but my head canon is it's about intent. They don't need to be granted permission explicitly, they just need you to explicitly want them to enter.
Just say no.
That's quite impolite, isn't it?
"Vell, you didn't have to be rude about it."
Let's not victim blame the vampire prey now. They do not owe a blood-sucking villain their time nor respect.
Thats why you summon Abraham Lincoln, the Vampire Hunter
They're fast, faster than you can imagine, don't look away and don't blink. Blink and you're dead.
"No."
"You mayn't" as well.
i guess not.
hollywood says vampires have to sparkly shine first.
some vamp lore says it is your invitation that counts and not the permission part.
some cultures need visitors to declare themselves human when knocking at your door.
Knock knock.
Who's there?
A human.
A human who?
A humangous 8 storey tall crustacean from the protozoic era.
The statement is more of a ritual appliance. I think the intent is key.
Yes. This happened to my cousin Ronny. He's undead now.
Yes. AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH! I thought you said I could enter your house. This is not my home.
Vampires and humans are not known for enforcing laws against each other. Stake it before you get eaten rule. Eat then deny you were not invited in rule.
I'm not sure there is "binding magical power" in the food's words, and if not, it's not worth considering the food's words. Not much recent history of "magical god intervention" stopping rule breaking, and there would need to be a "magical human+vampire governing interventionist god" there to supervise all interactions.
First of all, why would you fuck around with a vampire? Second, don't try a not joke with them. I think if you wait to long between the "you may" and the "....NOT!", you're fucked.
Similar question, what if you retract the invite after they've already entered the home?
This is vampire propaganda.
You're already at their mercy if they are talking to you.