vampires, who likes them, who doesn't?

[Godzilax99]

Adding in my opinion. I will be more neutral in this. I do like vampire story, but some of them. I hate romantic vampire story where the girl will fall in love with a extremely handsome and charming vampire.. and the best thing is, the vampire actually like the girl not for her blood.. It's like huh?

I do agree with vampires being mindless, crazy blood sucking monsters rampaging the streets and sucking every ounce of blood from humans.. Pretty cool.

But like what Allen.Smith said, if you want to write vampire, write vampire. You can create a different style of vampire, or just twist the storyline a bit.. Be creative!

 

[Ireth]

I like vampires a lot, as should be obvious by the fact that I've put my own spin on them for my stories. My vampire characters are a mixed bunch: some are the psycho mass-murdering type (some more psycho than others), some have bypassed angst into stoic acceptance of vampirism without giving in to the urge to kill people, and some still struggle with the desire to be human again and not have to drink blood, meanwhile they avoid humans as much as possible.

I'm doing my best to keep the hero of my vampire novel in the "stoic" category; he's very young by vampire standards, which is the optimal angsting time, and I don't want any angst from him about feeding from humans. He very firmly believes that killing humans is wrong, which I think is a bit of a cliche in itself, but he doesn't go around whining about it. I do want him to be actually, honestly tempted by human blood, though, which might be a problem since I don't actually want him to succumb to temptation. The last thing I want him to be is a Marty Stu.

 

[Taro]

i like vamps, but they have to have their own spin to them in any of the stories i read. same with were wolves love em. just need their own spin

 

[Taro]

He very firmly believes that killing humans is wrong, which I think is a bit of a cliche in itself, but he doesn't go around whining about it.

reminds me of the tv show Angel.

 

[nlough]

I don't mind vampires, I agree they're a little over done nowadays but I don't mid them. I enjoyed Joss Whedon's take with Angel and loved it, preferred Spike more than Angel, so much cooler, and you never found him brooding. But overall I enjoy the nasty, brutal kind.

 

[Taro]

I don't mind vampires, I agree they're a little over done nowadays but I don't mid them. I enjoyed Joss Whedon's take with Angel and loved it, preferred Spike more than Angel, so much cooler, and you never found him brooding. But overall I enjoy the nasty, brutal kind.

Hehe Spike was an awesome character

 

[korabas]

I dislike Twilight A LOT! But I used to like vampires a good bit, from Anne Rice to I Am Legend. I think vampires are currently very over-used, as are zombies -- mainstream media seems to find something that is on-trend and then thrash it to death.

For me, thinking of the original Dracula, vampires are purely about sex, seduction, invasion and fear of the other. All these themes have disappeared from the current crop of teen vamp flicks.

 

[Ireth]

For me, thinking of the original Dracula, vampires are purely about sex, seduction, invasion and fear of the other. All these themes have disappeared from the current crop of teen vamp flicks.

Well, in Twilight's defense (can't believe I just typed that), once Edward and Bella got past their "I need to stay virgin and/or human until marriage" thing, all they ever DID was have sex. Along with all the other Cullens, apparently. And "invasion" was Edward's primary MO -- sneaking into Bella's room, removing parts from her car to keep her in one place, manipulating her in every aspect of life. Meyer just somehow decided that it was *~romantic~* and *~speshul~* for him to do that.

 

[Lorna]

Like anything, depends on how they're depicted.

I like vampires in: Nosferatu, Dracula, Lost Boys, Vampire Hunter D.

I hate vampires in: Buffy, Twilight.

 

[Mindfire]

I'm still trying to figure out when vampires magically became deserving of empathy. As an example, in the Skyrim expansion: Dawnguard, if you side with the Dawnguard, a league of vampire hunters, you encounter a vampire who tells you that what you're doing is morally wrong. Morally. Wrong. And she's not trying to deceive you either. She's serious. She actually thinks its morally wrong for you to go out there and kill the bloodsucking monsters who terrorize men and mer alike. W I could understand if she's saying it just to save her own skin, but it seems she- and Serana, your vampire companion (long story)- actually believe it.

When did it become morally wrong to kill vampires? Killing vampires is just about the most righteous kind of killing there could possibly be.

 

[Ireth]

I hate vampires in: Buffy, Twilight.

What don't you like about Buffy's vampires?

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I'm still trying to figure out when vampires magically became deserving of empathy. As an example, in the Skyrim expansion: Dawnguard, if you side with the Dawnguard, a league of vampire hunters, you encounter a vampire who tells you that what you're doing is morally wrong. Morally. Wrong. And she's not trying to deceive you either. She's serious. She actually thinks its morally wrong for you to go out there and kill the bloodsucking monsters who terrorize men and mer alike. W I could understand if she's saying it just to save her own skin, but it seems she- and Serana, your vampire companion (long story)- actually believe it.

Why is it surprising that a vampire says that killing vampires is wrong? Don't vampires have a self-preservation instinct?

When did it become morally wrong to kill vampires? Killing vampires is just about the most righteous kind of killing there could possibly be.

Only if you define vampires as inherently evil. Whether that's the case depends entirely on the mythos.

 

[Mindfire]

Why is it surprising that a vampire says that killing vampires is wrong? Don't vampires have a self-preservation instinct?



Only if you define vampires as inherently evil. Whether that's the case depends entirely on the mythos.

Well, if something wants to eat and/or kill you, I'd say killing it is justified, if only for self-defense. As for the vampires of Skyrim, their big introduction is that you walk into a castle and witness them nonchalantly feasting on a corpse. ...So yeah. And while I'm not surprised by the desire for self-preservation, the fact that they can claim it's morally wrong to kill them (without saying why) is puzzling. These creatures practically wallow in their evil. They worship an evil god, try to blot out the sun, and they feast on corpses.

 

[Chime85]

Like anything, depends on how they're depicted.

I like vampires in: Nosferatu, Dracula, Lost Boys, Vampire Hunter D.

I hate vampires in: Buffy, Twilight.

You read my mind. I much prefer the monster than the human in the vampire stories

 

[robertbevan]

i like a good vampire story. i want my vampires to be like gary oldman's dracula. creepy and old at home, charming and sophisticated when he needs to be, and a monster beast when he's feeding and/or ****ing.


what i'd really like to see an end to is every vampire story having an obligatory werewolf thrown in. i don't mind werewolves. but i don't want them in my vampire story. i'm willing to suspend my disbelief for one type of fantasy monster at a time.

and i really really really don't want to see any more stories about a vampire and a werewolf competing for some boring human girl. i'm not only talking about twilight. i've read like three or four books like that recently, and i don't like the trend at all.

i was really digging true blood through the first season and (i think) most of the second. (it's been a while.) but then, of course, they had to add werewolves to the mix, and i quit watching altogether when (you guessed it) sookie started making goo goo eyes at a werewolf.

what's wrong with just having a vampire in your vampire book?

 

[Steerpike]

I do like Buffy. Not necessarily because of how the vampires are portrayed there, but because of the show as a whole.

 

[Rikilamaro]

Ok, here's my two cents.

I like Twilight, Angel, Buffy, and all of the other vampire crap ya'll have mutilated. So, shoot me.

Vampires need to be interesting in your story for them to work. If all they do is grab and suck people dry there's no personality or character there. I like edgy vamps, like Anne Rice's versions - suave, but feral. The Thirst is a decent motivator, but there's got to be another layer or they're just mindless blood suckers - which is ~boring~!

The thing is, I'm tired of vampire stories. I started my RPGing with Vampire: The Masquerade, and that was 10+ years ago. Please, someone, stop the vampires from taking over.

Alex,

To answer your questions - use vamps if they fit your story. If you decide to go with your new race creation then by all means do so. Perhaps allying them with - or hiding them behind - the vampire legend may actually help you in your plot? A secret society shadowed by a secret race. Has potential in my mind. I hope this all helps, and it's 2 AM and my brain is a bit mushy.

 

[Rikilamaro]

what's wrong with just having a vampire in your vampire book?

I find this awesome, because my WIP has werewolves. I refuse to add vamps. One paranormal species at a time, dag-nabbit!

 

[Mindfire]

Ok, here's my two cents.

I like Twilight, Angel, Buffy, and all of the other vampire crap ya'll have mutilated. So, shoot me.

Vampires need to be interesting in your story for them to work. If all they do is grab and suck people dry there's no personality or character there. I like edgy vamps, like Anne Rice's versions - suave, but feral. The Thirst is a decent motivator, but there's got to be another layer or they're just mindless blood suckers - which is ~boring~!

See this ^ is a perfect example of what I don't really understand. Why do monsters need personality? Werewolves I get, because they're still partially human. But the entire point of vampires is that the have no humanity. They're soulless demons. That's why its okay to massacre them with impunity. Making them "human" sort of muddles the point and makes them seem less threatening. Or maybe I'm just saying this to be contrarian. I don't know.

I'd consider Underworld an exception to this, however, partly because their vampires are (sort of) science-based instead of magic or supernatural based, which is a game changer. And also because the movie was so awesome.

 

[korabas]

Well, if something wants to eat and/or kill you, I'd say killing it is justified, if only for self-defense.

Again, surely this depends on the mythos behind the vampire. What if the vampire is an infected or possessed human that is driven to kill against it's will? You could kill it, sure, but what if you could cure it instead? Is it morally right to kill a vampire just because it is the easy path? This reminds me of the argument behind whether or not to shut off a coma patient's life support. Well, sort of.

Also, check the story of I Am Legend. He kills the vampires without mercy, under the assumption that they are all violent and evil. The ending of the story reveals that the morality is reversed.