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I want to suck your blood - Vampires and the vampire concept

Daniel Estacado said:
My view is that the city of NYC knows about the vampire lord living there. The neighborhood of Sesame Street is his territory, the dealers and gangs know this, so they avoid it. The government would have sent people in to deal with him, but he is useful.
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Personally I figure it's not *just* the Count- one vampire can be avoided after all, especially during the day.

But also? Oscar's there. He's just hanging out in the trash can all day and he sees what's going on. He can make some comments- if anyone comes after him he can retreat into the can. And he can pass on what he knows to the Count. Heck, the humans do too.

It's a community effort, and the Count's just part of it.
 
So I recently played Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines for the first time and am also getting into WoD lore and the like.

I wrote a small post reacting to the typical, yawn-worthy "outrage" of some about Bloodlines 2:

Love these comments about how "I don't want politics in my game!" Luckily a lot of people shouting them down and pointing out how the Anarchs are basically the most stereotypical and un-subtle Leftists ever. I've never heard so much Leftist jargon and propaganda in a video game as was said by Damsel in a few sentences.

And the other "argument" was "Kindred aren't mortals so mortal politics shouldn't concern them." Nines literally references the Depression as the source of his views. He hates the Camarilla because they remind him of the rich assholes who fucked over the common man back then. (lol at people calling the Anarchs Libertarians....) Lacroix, the power-mad autocrat, was in the army of Napoleon. There is an entire system about maintaining your Humanity.

Any good, well-written vampire story incorporates the vampire's mortal life and psychology into their new vampirific life and psychology. You don't just forget everything. In many ways, those fleeting mortal years probably effected Nines or Lacroix far more than their un-life given how much more pain and fear and deprivation they suffered.

It's like Beckett said "Life is a wonderful thing - too bad we're dead."
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What do you think of my overall point about how essential the vampire's human existence is to their vampiric existence?

I don't consume that much vampire media but it was a huge plot point in, say, Buffy or Ann Eirce's novels, the later of which focuses extensively on the psychology and sociology of vampires. Lestat comes of as a fop and the epitome of vampire decadence and culture in Interview but if you read the sequel and learn his backstory you learn he was an illiterate bumpkin in life and is just trying his best to (over)compensate. Louis was changed when he was suffering from loss and trauma and yearned for death. His immortal life is thus just as unhappy as his final mortal days. And Claudia...Claudia is just self-evident. She's the picture of tragedy and the horror of being a vampire.
 
Nikkolas said:
What do you think of my overall point about how essential the vampire's human existence is to their vampiric existence?
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Id say that it CAN be important, but it dosent have to be. Its obviously dependant on how vampirism work in this context, but with some standard Vampires, there are possibilities. Obviously, depending in how they lived, and how they died/changed, it will be a huge influence of their personalities.
However, if vampires are characters, i dislike the idea that they are forever stuck in their mentality, and cant ever change. If they arent completely unchanging, and dont have problems from old age in that regard, it may well end up the opposite. If theyve been a vampire for fivehundred years, what theyve done and experienced in that time may matter far more to who they are today then the 20 something years as a human.

So i guess that it adds one more question that should be thought about for anyone writing vampires. How much do they retain mental flexibility in the long term?

Wether vampirism itself affects the mind directly is a related thematic, but thats been discussed already, i think.
 
Xexilf said:
Id say that it CAN be important, but it dosent have to be. Its obviously dependant on how vampirism work in this context, but with some standard Vampires, there are possibilities. Obviously, depending in how they lived, and how they died/changed, it will be a huge influence of their personalities.
However, if vampires are characters, i dislike the idea that they are forever stuck in their mentality, and cant ever change. If they arent completely unchanging, and dont have problems from old age in that regard, it may well end up the opposite. If theyve been a vampire for fivehundred years, what theyve done and experienced in that time may matter far more to who they are today then the 20 something years as a human.

So i guess that it adds one more question that should be thought about for anyone writing vampires. How much do they retain mental flexibility in the long term?

Wether vampirism itself affects the mind directly is a related thematic, but thats been discussed already, i think.
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Ravenloft had it so that the older they were, the more set in their ways they were, to the extent that they lost the human ability to change classes and could only pursue the same one they already had, but tended to do so on an obsessive level, gaining additional bonuses in it.
 
Any fiction where vampires have a blender/mulcher machine with a filtration system to make the whole blood-sucking thing more easy?
 
Nerx said:
Any fiction where vampires have a blender/mulcher machine with a filtration system to make the whole blood-sucking thing more easy?
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The Master in Buffy the Vampire Slayer had something like that in a episode, I think.

The Southern Vampires series by Charlane Harris (Tru Blood on TV) had the idea of synthetic blood replacing real blood for Vamps, and their coming out of the closet because they no longer need to hunt.
 
Shanejayell said:
The Master in Buffy the Vampire Slayer had something like that in a episode, I think.

The Southern Vampires series by Charlane Harris (Tru Blood on TV) had the idea of synthetic blood replacing real blood for Vamps, and their coming out of the closet because they no longer need to hunt.
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Man that show was super popular ten years ago. I remember the first couple seasons were okay but it got kinda dumb? I dunno.


Everyone just read World of Darkness. It's awesome.
Bloodlines Primer
 
ersonally I'm interested in seeing a vampire with all go the common and semi common powers associated with vampires but also many of the weaknesses. One of you he stage and hings about vampires is that they are very powerful but if written well can't be game breaking.
 
Meta Question:

How would vampirism be seen if it was given as a reward for life long and good serving Christians? In this his case what I mean is that since its conception coming a vampire is a reward for a life long Christian who has faithfully served and abused by the tenants of Christianity, though not their church or various churches. In essence here Vampirism isn't in opposition to the tenants of Christ but as a reward for following the spirit of the idea.

So yes you can make some mistakes but as long as you abide to Christian values, a certain extent relevant to your time period, you are granted Vampirism. To even things out here's a list of powers and weaknesses:

Powers:

  • Inhumanely strong, fast and durable to the point of being resistant to early modern weapons but not immune
  • Telepathy so long as they are touching the person in question
  • Shape-shifting into one kind of nocturnal animal e.g. a bat, a wolf and etc
  • Limited Flight e.g. over a kilometer
  • And of course immortality though they can choose what age they can look like so long as its THEIR age
  • Turn into wisps of smoke that allow them to move through small locks and doors
  • Excellent night vision and being nocturnal
Weaknesses:
  • Can not Cross bodies of water without assistance e.g. someone has to either carry them or they have to be place in a coffin and then pulled over
  • Powers do not work in the day time or with sunlight
  • They are still vulnerable to many of the weaknesses of humans such as fire unless said otherwise
  • Has to drink a cup of blood everyday to survive
  • Bound by the rules of hospitality and this can not enter a building unless given permission e.g. verbal invitation or a sign
  • Has to sleep like a normal human but not eat
  • Are sterile in creating other vampires. Human children not so much.
  • Always a feeling of something off about them if they don't mention their vampirism to normal humans. Not bad but just off
  • Bound to serve themselves to the spirit of Christianity for all time and to its call to arms e.g. if a Pope calls for a Crusade the vampires must serve in some form or perish

Altogether though how would this effect how Vampires are seen in the modern day and they way they effect our history. With all these limitations I can easily see vampires being only 1% of the population if that since it has a huge filtration rate and even then it's a choice for the people in question.
 
ThePoarter said:
Meta Question:

How would vampirism be seen if it was given as a reward for life long and good serving Christians? In this his case what I mean is that since its conception coming a vampire is a reward for a life long Christian who has faithfully served and abused by the tenants of Christianity, though not their church or various churches. In essence here Vampirism isn't in opposition to the tenants of Christ but as a reward for following the spirit of the idea.

So yes you can make some mistakes but as long as you abide to Christian values, a certain extent relevant to your time period, you are granted Vampirism. To even things out here's a list of powers and weaknesses:

Powers:

  • Inhumanely strong, fast and durable to the point of being resistant to early modern weapons but not immune
  • Telepathy so long as they are touching the person in question
  • Shape-shifting into one kind of nocturnal animal e.g. a bat, a wolf and etc
  • Limited Flight e.g. over a kilometer
  • And of course immortality though they can choose what age they can look like so long as its THEIR age
  • Turn into wisps of smoke that allow them to move through small locks and doors
  • Excellent night vision and being nocturnal
Weaknesses:
  • Can not Cross bodies of water without assistance e.g. someone has to either carry them or they have to be place in a coffin and then pulled over
  • Powers do not work in the day time or with sunlight
  • They are still vulnerable to many of the weaknesses of humans such as fire unless said otherwise
  • Has to drink a cup of blood everyday to survive
  • Bound by the rules of hospitality and this can not enter a building unless given permission e.g. verbal invitation or a sign
  • Has to sleep like a normal human but not eat
  • Are sterile in creating other vampires. Human children not so much.
  • Always a feeling of something off about them if they don't mention their vampirism to normal humans. Not bad but just off
  • Bound to serve themselves to the spirit of Christianity for all time and to its call to arms e.g. if a Pope calls for a Crusade the vampires must serve in some form or perish

Altogether though how would this effect how Vampires are seen in the modern day and they way they effect our history. With all these limitations I can easily see vampires being only 1% of the population if that since it has a huge filtration rate and even then it's a choice for the people in question.
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It would be neat, imagine if some priest decided to 'turn the other cheek' and let them in. Instead of burning they 'converted' and partake in eucharist (which they need in abundance) instead of feasting in blood. Now their diet is holy water and wine.

I see the Church using them as their personal hitsquad or Vatican guard to strong-arm folks who go against their tenets or want to dismantle their faith, like they would chill with science fellows but if someone decides to 'debunk' the teachings of Christ they are toast.

The Swiss Guard are about to get upgraded.
 
Nerx said:
It would be neat, imagine if some priest decided to 'turn the other cheek' and let them in. Instead of burning they 'converted' and partake in eucharist (which they need in abundance) instead of feasting in blood. Now their diet is holy water and wine.

I see the Church using them as their personal hitsquad or Vatican guard to strong-arm folks who go against their tenets or want to dismantle their faith, like they would chill with science fellows but if someone decides to 'debunk' the teachings of Christ they are toast.

The Swiss Guard are about to get upgraded.
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They still drink blood and follow the spirit of the teaching of Christ. The Vatican would be seen as illegitimate to them and they are by and large decent people.
 
Nerx said:
I guees they can work as black ops
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Would be interesting to see a Christian Vampire, this is coming from an atheist, and how it would effect church doctrine or Christianity as a whole. Particularly when most of the vampires are women who chose such. Makes things very interesting when people talk about the "choice".

An example is shown below:

It is as if I am being pulled by an unnatural force, burning all the way. I feel the pain that our lord faced when sacrificing himself for us and the agony he experiences every day. It is important to remember this as all good Christians do. He sacrifices for us and we sacrifice for him. And that is the essence of the choice. In death he sacrificed to give us the opportunity and sanctity of all humanity. In this second life, it is we, who ensure that this sacrifice is not wasted. The test is different for all. For me it was being pulled down by a swarm of bodies while climbing a mountain where every step was a struggle and every mistake disastrous. To climb to the top is not easy but the rewards seem worth it
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ThePoarter said:
Would be interesting to see a Christian Vampire, this is coming from an atheist, and how it would effect church doctrine or Christianity as a whole. Particularly when most of the vampires are women who chose such. Makes things very interesting when people talk about the "choice".

An example is shown below:
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Benandanti - Wikipedia

The Benandanti Werewolves – Strange Unexplained Mysteries

Secret Society Benandanti — Werewolves and shamans in the service of Christ « Encyclopedia of safety

They can easily be fitted to the werewolf shamans of God , I mean you can repent until you die
 
WRT Christian vampires, there's the Confessor from Astro City.

And man I wish there was a way of talking about that that didn't spoil the surprise.
 
Tbh some ideas from Buffy, Blade & Underworld could use some more focus

* Vampires with martial arts can be done with plenty of wonder, especially playing off the whole Chi thing. Instead of that they can get the 'vitality' aspect from subsuming blood/lifeforce which would then be harnessed to improve their skills/physical&mental stats. Imagine a being who lived and honed their skills from the Kamakura until the Edo Period before venturing outward to see the world.
* Vampires with guns are a fun idea considering their heightened senses, heck being able to sense/smell blood at a distance makes for great tracking or aiming your long range options. Let them brandish their holy sigil while you blow off their heads from a city away.
 
Concerning guns, have there been any stories where a double-tap to the head with normal bullets is enough to take down a vampire?

I rather liked how it was done in Cursed with a werewolf killed with a point-blank shot to the forehead with an ordinary police gun because blowing their brains out of their skull was sufficient to count as a 'beheading'.
 
Gul Damar said:
Concerning guns, have there been any stories where a double-tap to the head with normal bullets is enough to take down a vampire?

I rather liked how it was done in Cursed with a werewolf killed with a point-blank shot to the forehead with an ordinary police gun because blowing their brains out of their skull was sufficient to count as a 'beheading'.
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Many, probably any where vampires are not very super and not very magical.

Hell, the original dracula might have been, if you catch him in daylight, given he died to a few hits with a mundane knife.
 
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