Vampires

[thorn1ofmany]

Greetings, this is a thread for fans of the blood sucking children of the night.

What do you like about vampires?
What do you hate about them?
How would you change the vampire myth?
Do you have any good vampire stories?
What are the best vampire movies and anime?



Here is a link to a free online Vampire Game

[uc pseudonym]

I think the vampires of legend are interesting, though I'm more fond of certain variations of the concept, as opposed to the basic premises. Seeing as they are creatures of legend, variations are widely different. Some of these I just find sickening, others I find rather interesting.

Overall, I guess I would say I do not like an interpretation of vampires that makes them creatures that are inherently evil. I'm not a big fan of monsters, I mainly think of monsters as sources of experience points.

Ideally, I'd like to think of vampires as a separate race entirely, divorcing the myth from any form of siring. That, of course, massively changes it, but I truly do not care.

I don't really know any good vampire stories, but I've written one. Based on the concept in the preceding paragraph. It was really just a vehicle for a biting message about our society's obsession with anti-heros, though.

I don't watch vampire movies or anime, as in general I know I wouldn't be a fan of the style or method of presentation.

I believe that answers your questions. Anything else?

[Technomancer]

I'l have to admit that I'm not really that struck with many modern vampire stories. They seem to be a lot of annoying Goth stuff, or else just badly written pulp. There are a few good ones though.Personally, I'd recommend the TV series 'Forever Knight', which is about a vampire trying to repent and return to humanity. Terry Pratchett's book, 'Carpe Jugulum' is a worthwhile read, and one I greatly enjoyed ("Don't trust the cannibal just because he uses a knife and fork!").

[Saint Kevin]

Carpe Jugulum...That is a great title! I did like the character Blade, but more from the Marvel comics than from the character they made him into on the big screen. Unfortunately they did a bad job of capturing Blade's inner turmoil, and struggle for identity. That is perhaps the greatest strength to the vampire genre, one that has been overlooked (especially in hollywood) for way too long. I also like John Carpenter's Vampires (the movie). Good stuff.

[cbwing0]

I like the vampires, because I like horror in general, but also due to their unique combination of abilities (enhanced strength, sometimes flight/agility, not appearing in mirrors, being exceptionally hard to kill).

The concept of vampirism does present some interesting theological problems. For example, if you are Christian that becomes a vampire, are you still saved? Since you are dead, is your soul in heaven with your body on earth? Can vampires that weren't Christians before their transformation be saved? This sort of thing is what intrigues me about vampires.

As for good vampire movies/anime, Underworld was very good, as was Bram Stoker's Dracula. Of course most vampire films are horror films, and thus not suitable for younger viewers. The same is true of vampire animes, altough there are some very good animes featuring vampires (both age 17+), such as Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and Berserk (Nosferatu Zodd).

There aren't a lot of good vampire stories out there that will appeal to someone beyond the age of 12, at least not that I have read (Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" being a notable exception, although I read those when I was 12 ).

I wouldn't really change anything about the vampire myths (they are already diverse enough, as UC mentioned), mostly because I like werewolves more, and I want to see them win in a fight against vampires.

[Icarus]

Terry Pratchett's book, 'Carpe Jugulum' is a worthwhile read, and one I greatly enjoyed ("Don't trust the cannibal just because he uses a knife and fork!").

Have you read his Monstrous Regiment? There is a vampire in it who drinks coffee.

What do I like about Vampires? The fact that they burn away in the sun.
Dislike? The blood drinking thing is a bit off putting, but I kinda like that too.

I don't know enough about the myth to know what I'd change, nor do I have any good vampyre stories (I prefer that spelling, along with the name "Wyrm" for dragons.).

I haven't seen any v. movies but Underworld, and no vampyre anime. I'd look into Hellsing, but my mother would not like it if I brought that home.

[Technomancer]

I think I've read pretty much all of the discworld series, "Monstrous Regiment" included. As it happens, I think the first appearance of the temperance league was in "The Fifth Elephant".

[Bobtheduck]

The fifth elephant?

Anyhow, I entirely dislike vampire stories, though some games i play involve Vampires in a minor way (MGS2, the seiken densetsu series, though in those games it's not just blood, but lifeforce I guess)

Vampirism (the drinking of blood) IS a real thing in the US (and maybe in parts of Europe) They aren't bats, and they aren't immortal or undead, they don't necissarily bite people, but the drinking of human blood is a nice little cult movement. Usually, they drink each other's, but vampirism has extended into murder on a few occasions... That may be why I don't like the stories about it, even though I don't mind stories about wizards though wicca is a real thing... I don't know, the vampire thing just seems more disgusting to me, I guess...

So, the extent of my venturing into Vampire Mythos is games like SD or MGS2. Of course, Vamp was the worst character on MGS2... So 1 dimensional... So boring... And, he totally distracted from the seed of reality that was woven through the games... Or totally destroyed... (of course, Ray helped that along)

[DrNic]

Greetings, this is a thread for fans of the blood sucking children of the night.

What do you like about vampires?
What do you hate about them?
How would you change the vampire myth?
Do you have any good vampire stories?
What are the best vampire movies and anime?

What do I like about vampires? They are dark, mysterious and bloodthirsty.

What don't I like about vampires? Most vampire movies contain sex and theres alway the odd one with gay/lesbian scenes in. Thats pretty much it, the fact that they are mostly evil just adds to the pure mystery and coolness of them. ^=^

How would I change the vampire myth? Make it so theres no connections between witch craft/demons and vampires; and also let them have souls, then I'd like to be a vampire. ^=^

Have you any good vamp stories? If you mean urban legends then I know of none at present (it would be cool to hear some though), but I am planning on becoming a anime cartoonist when I leave college and I AM planning on writing a vampire story (I've been planning it for the last 6 months but nothings been put on paper yet).

What are the best movies/anime? Hmmm...well I haven't seen any anime apart from Vamp Hunter D but that was pretty good (I wish the second was on region 2 dvd 'sniff'). But as for films...well thats a different story. Here are a few of the best:

Blade
Blade 2
From Dusk till Dawn
The Lost Boys
Queen Of The Damned
Interview with a Vampire
( Warning: all these films are 15+ in England so don't let any little kids see them)

Thats bout it. Kool thread...

[Haibane Shadsie]

A friend of mine is one of those kind of vampires, Bob. She's the one I put in the Prayer Room for her cancer... (and salvation). Lately, she's been telling me of her return to Catholocism. (She used to be Catholic, then, became kind of an atheist and a vampire, I think). I know her online, though I've met her in person a couple of times. First met her at Anime Expo.

Some things I like about mythic vampires and some things I don't... I rather like the confused state of life they are in - between life and death, I don't like the idea of them being inherently evil... I really like stories that have vampires who want to "keep their humanity".. vampires who want to be "good" despite the bloodlust creeping up inside of them, increasing... I don't like how vampires are extremely popular, as opposed to say, werewolves. You see lots of movies, books, and tv shows about vampires, not so many that focus on werewolves...

I enjoyed the movie "Interview With the Vampire," though I haven't read any of Anne Rice's books. I enjoyed "Hellsing". That anime is quite a good vampire story... you've got Alucard, (Dracula!) who is kinda forced to serve humans and doesn't really like it... he's magically bonded to Integra's family line, and you get Seras, who is a newly transformed vampire (Alucard did it to her to save her life, of sorts), and, clearly, she's struggles with her new vampiric instincts and doesn't really like them... so.. yeah, if you like horror and vampire stories, Hellsing = good.

As for Christian vampires... I was in a couple of round-robin story roleplays in which my character was just that. It was a weird, medievalish world that turned out to be post-apocalyptic (thanks to a plot twist in the story that one of the posters introdcued mid-story). My character was a princess who was turned, and was 300 years old. When I created her, I was quite inspired by Vash the Stampede at the time (pacifist gunslinger), so I created her to be pacifist vampire! (Nice little contradiction!). My character would wound hapless people with her sword, but never in a way that was lethal... drink blood from the wounds, then patch up the poor guy and leave him for someone to find and help. That's how she survived... take a little blood from wounds without killing. It was a very cool roleplay/story thing... someone else had a character that was a halfling vampire and vampire hunter, then there was this evil vampire queen character... Oh, it was very cool. I wish the other people involved in it would want to start it up again.

[uc pseudonym]

First off, Anne Rice is nuts. I haven't read any of her work, but she herself has convinced me that she is somewhat less than sane. But aren't we all...

The vampires I've created in stories (not that often of an occurance for me) generally exist as a race. They can actually live with humans perfectly normally, as they don't need enough blood to kill a person.

The concept of vampirism does present some interesting theological problems. For example, if you are Christian that becomes a vampire, are you still saved? Since you are dead, is your soul in heaven with your body on earth? Can vampires that weren't Christians before their transformation be saved? This sort of thing is what intrigues me about vampires.

Thank goodness we don't have to deal with this.

Still, I'm now going to go way too far on this topic. It would depend on the method of becoming a vampire: in the original Dracula he sold his soul to dark forces, which should tell us something about his destination. Or, if it isn't your fault, can you be held responsible? Different people have different ideas, so the answer would vary. I've toyed with the idea of a Christian vampire for quite some time, but never followed it.

Off topic, the Discworld series is great, though I haven't explored that particular book. Personally my favorite is the Thief of Time.

[Michael]

What do you like about vampires? [color='red']They're the allegory of the Republican party[/color]
What do you hate about them? [color='red']The mexican version eats poop[/color]
How would you change the vampire myth? [color='red']The psycho-sexual representaion[/color]
Do you have any good vampire stories? [color='red']Five syllables; Castlevania[/color]
What are the best vampire movies and anime? [color='red']See above[/color]

[Technomancer]

Anyone ever watch Count Duckula?

[Shinja]

count chocula?

[Hitokiri]

i havn't given that much thought of vampires until I started watching Hellsing (good anime by the way ). I guess it's ok .... not my cup of tea though

[DrNic]

I used to watch count Duckula...that show sucked a lot.

[supa dupa ninja]

I like the vampires, because I like horror in general, but also due to their unique combination of abilities (enhanced strength, sometimes flight/agility, not appearing in mirrors, being exceptionally hard to kill).

The concept of vampirism does present some interesting theological problems. For example, if you are Christian that becomes a vampire, are you still saved? Since you are dead, is your soul in heaven with your body on earth? Can vampires that weren't Christians before their transformation be saved? This sort of thing is what intrigues me about vampires.

"...and they were the living damned" I forgot where I got that quote but, it refers to vampires as creatures who lost there chance of entering the kingdom of God, while there souls are trapped inside their corporal bodies.
the myth that they are already dead is true, for they shall never be saved unless they're released from their mortal coils.

[Hitokiri]

now one hting confuses me...werewolves are weak against silver right??? Aren't vampires too cause in Hellsing I think thats what they use to kill them.

[supa dupa ninja]

now one hting confuses me...werewolves are weak against silver right??? Aren't vampires too cause in Hellsing I think thats what they use to kill them.

that just confused with other myths about slaying said creatures...
those who have watched the old 80's movie fright night know that vampires are allergic to Roses as werewolves are allergic to silver.

[Debitt]

I've been a fan of the fantasy-esque vampire since I was...oh, 12 maybe? Yeah, somewhere around there. The concept of the undead and all the speculation of what happens to the soul of a newly sired vampire always did interest me.

I don't really like any of the modern vampire stories out there these days, though. Books by Anne Rice and such just don't appeal to me, especially from a Christian point of view. Things like "signing the book of the devil" and being children of Satan (I'm not sure if that part's from Anne Rice or not, but I have heard it somewhere) just put up red flags, and I conciously steer clear of ANYTHING that could be Satanistic.

I more see vampires in my own way. They're still human, in the sense that they still have a soul (in fact, a vampire character of mine, Ayja Taeleck struggles to reconcile himself with God because he's guilty of what he's become, blah blah, angst angst) and the form of a human, but they're inhuman in the sense that they don't age, don't like the sun, drink blood, and can only be killed when they're heart is destroyed (I've had a few debates with my dad on this, because I say it doesn't require a stake to kill a vampire). --; But again, I don't do any of the can't go into a church, can't touch a cross, children of Satan stuff. Blahhhh~

[Minawa]

now one hting confuses me...werewolves are weak against silver right??? Aren't vampires too cause in Hellsing I think thats what they use to kill them.

I think that vampires differ from show to show, In Hellsing its not that the bullets are made of silver, but that they are made of crosses that they kill the vampires

what i wanna know is if the vampires in Hellsing are effected by sunlight or not, cause Victoria walks around in the day alot...

[Debitt]

Really really strong sunscreen? ^.^;

[Icarus]

Ray-Bans.

Oh, Bunnicula is a childrens book about a rabbit that sucks the juice out of vegetable.

[thorn1ofmany]

WOW!!!
I started this thread this morning, I came back tonight and surprise surprise. Thanks for all the feed back.

For the past 2 years I've been working on a werewolf/vampire story that has grown both in my mind and on paper into a very complex universe.

The premise is that werewolves and vampires are not made but born. In other words if you are bitten by a werewolf you do not turn into one. If you are bitten by a vampire you do not turn into one. The only way to be a werewolf or a vampire is to be born one (of course there are exceptions, but that gets a little complicated). Neither werewolves or vampires are immortal. Werewolves can change at will and vampires (at least in outward appearance) are indistinguishable from humans (due to retractable fangs). Vampires need to drink blood in order to live, it can be any kind of blood. However, human blood is a kind of addicting drug to vampires. It enhances their strength and regenerative abilities, but it also whitens their skin and eyes so that sunlight can kill them. Another interesting twist is that when vampires drink blood their bodies convert it to “Vampire Blood.â€

[EireWolf]

Hmmm... interesting concepts...

I liked the movie "Interview With a Vampire" although I can't recommend it to younger viewers. I liked the character of Louie a lot.... so much angst. Didn't really like the cheezy ending, though.

[Haibane Shadsie]

Oh, that's a cool concept, thorn! I like that new take on vampires... the whole...blood can be made into rengerative medical stuff...

In Hellsing (according to manga... the version that I watched in anime form was a rather dubious fansub - gift from aforementioned friend), the bullets in Alucard's guns and such are made of silver, but are made of blessed silver. Anderson's blades are the same way. They are made of silver blessed in a church, melted down antique silver crosses and stuff.

Werewolves, in popular myth, can be killed by a silver bullet. Vampires by stakes through the heart, garlic, and holy water. The garlic thing, I've read, probably originated from old superstitions from when people would go back to gravesites to exume bodies after presuemed "vampire attacks". Back in medieval times, embalming wasn't very good, where it was practiced at all... so people would wear
garlic around their necks to cover up the corpse smells.

BUNNICULA!
I grew up on those books! I ADORED those books as a kid! Does anyone remember "The Celery Stalks at Midnight"? Chester the cat was convinced that the veggies bunnicula sucked the juices from would come back to life as ghoul-undead vegitables and terrorize the neighborhood... he and Harold and.. Howie, was it? All set out on a mission to put toothpicks through the hearts of all Bunnicula's spent veggies.. heheh. I miss those books. Thanks for the memory flash!

[Azier the Swordsman]

One word: Castlevania!

[uc pseudonym]

Your idea is quite interesting, thorn1ofmany. Especially the fact that the hunting is mutual. I would, perhaps be interested. However, I should also mention that:

The premise is that werewolves and vampires are not made but born. In other words if you are bitten by a werewolf you do not turn into one. If you are bitten by a vampire you do not turn into one. The only way to be a werewolf or a vampire is to be born one (of course there are exceptions, but that gets a little complicated). Neither werewolves or vampires are immortal. Werewolves can change at will and vampires (at least in outward appearance) are indistinguishable from humans (due to retractable fangs). Vampires need to drink blood in order to live, it can be any kind of blood. However, human blood is a kind of addicting drug to vampires.

Up to this point, it is exactly the way I generally set things up. Interestingly, however, in regard to blood: my vampires had no blood. Their veins flow with a form of ectoplasm. If they drink enough blood they can bleed, but otherwise they're bloodless.

That's the great thing about legends. You can do whatever you want with them and be just as legitimate.

[DrNic]

now one hting confuses me...werewolves are weak against silver right??? Aren't vampires too cause in Hellsing I think thats what they use to kill them.

I am now going to be really sad and tell you everything I know and have read about vampires...( 'shut up you fool' I hear everyone shout)

Most importantly, there are many many many vampire legends from different countries and these legends concern vampires with different characterists and weakness' etc etc...

Silver IS one way of killing vampires but only in a certain legend. There are many different ways to kill all these different types of vampires. For instance, some English vampire folklore says you can kill a vampire by cutting its head off (seems fair enough to me, no head = dead), but there are also ways to stop them without killing them. One way is to sprinkle seeds in their coffin because apparently when they wake up they start counting the seeds, by the time they are finished its sun rise and they lose count. The cycle repeats itself. Another is to bury a vampire at an unmarked crossroad. This confuses vampires because they don't know where to go when they wake up.

I hope this answers your question Hitokiri (in a rather long winded fasion I may add)

[thorn1ofmany]

my vampires had no blood. Their veins flow with a form of ectoplasm. If they drink enough blood they can bleed, but otherwise they're bloodless.

My vampires are somewhat similar. They don't have veins or hearts. Thier bodies are kind of like sponges, so thier blood does not really flow, but oozes. The more blood they drink, the thicker thier blood becomes and the more powerful the vampire gets. So my vampires technically have blood, its just no quite the same as human blood.