Vampires... Your definition?

[Sara Fontaine]

When I think of the term 'Vampire' my mind automatically goes to Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac (I always loved those names for some reason). I read the books when I was younger, and while not the best writing in the world, those two characters really stood out to me. Lestat caters to what i assume is the preffered image; doing what he wants to get whatever he wants with confident arrogance and enjoys what he is and the things he can do. Louis fills the remorseful, sorrowful side in that it takes him so much longer to accept what he's become (without sparkling and turning vegetarian...).

In my opinion those two are everything that a vampire should be depending on how you would like to see them cope with their situation. Plus as an added bonus they keep some traditional lore in place; feed to survive, letal sun exposure etc. I also like the way they are described aesthetically; nails clear and sharp as glass, pearl white skin, piercing eyes... and all the flamboyant clothing of course.

 

[Nouw]

Christopher Lee. In any of his roles...

Vampire dentist FTW. Run Willy Wonka, run!

Made me laugh. So Middle Earth has Vampires! (They actually do) Starwars 7:Attack of the Vampires

The kind that have the following traits

Burns in sunlight
Drinks human blood
Weak to Garlic
Can't enter houses unless permitted
Stake to a heart=DEATH
Can turn into a Bat.

 

[Kris015]

Sparkling vegetarians with lipstick.

 

[Scott Guthrie]

One thing that's been bothering me lately is a small argument I've had with myself. What is the vampire? The reason I've been arguing is that there has recently been a lot of medias about vampires and all are depicted differently. So I wondered if the audience of "The Escapist" could help me find the general opinion of vampires.

The rules are simple:
1. Name your definition of a vampire and the reason for your choice
2. Don't post negative replies about a fellow members choice, it is thier opinion and not yours

In my opinion the most "vampire" vampire [http://www.google.no/images?q=Alucard&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:nb-NOfficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=X2CnTLvFJIjqOaCq6aAM&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQsAQwAA&biw=1280&bih=620] is Alucard from the manga Hellsing [http://www.google.no/imgres?imgurl=http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/Hellsing-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/Starstore_Catalogue_DARK_HORSE_COMICS_GRAPHIC_NOVELS_1909.html&usg=__E2Y4ylDT4cPoSZALRpEy8kDY7LQ=&h=545&w=400&sz=85&hl=no&start=0&sig2=qrvPRWW1U-0lIAEySqUwgA&zoom=1&tbnid=jgL3XJ20WoS_bM:&tbnh=161&tbnw=116&ei=oGGnTIW4B8SOjAfzovnlDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHellsing%2Bbook%2B1%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dno%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:nb-NOfficial%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D620%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=718&vpy=57&dur=2276&hovh=262&hovw=192&tx=121&ty=159&oei=oGGnTIW4B8SOjAfzovnlDA&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0]
My reason is that:
1. He has the right amount of pride and insanity to pull of incredible dialouge and personality.
2. When he drinks the blood of a human and kills it he can summon them forth as his minions, as blood is the currency of life.
3. He is a commander of blood, and if there is blood outside of a human in the vicinity he does not need to it, but rather it flows to him at his command.
4. He is immortal and can regenerate from any wound. No use with sunlight, a cross, stake or guns. He can regenerate even if his body totaly whiped out.

i must say dude i completely agree with your definition of a vampire

 

[Carlston]

As long as it is not to detached from the original vampire lore, almost anything is good.

Classics with crosses, garlic, can't cross moving water, all in the time where the supernatural and lack of science made anything believable.

But say Anne Rice having the looking on crosses, garlic, taken out...
Or Vampire from white wolf explain it's not the cross or garlic but your own inner faith that taps the supernatural itself and drives the creature away.

I like little spins... now the whole sunlight sparkling thing, to take a vicious predator and turning it into a lovey dovey teen perfect date...

It's a undead creature. "I'm a monster look at me."
Your glittering like a my little pony...if you burst into flames and burned ...monster yeah.

 

[Dfskelleton]

mainly because this one is cool.

 

[katsumoto03]

A vampire should drink blood to survive, burn in sunlight and be unable to enter the houses of others without permission. Why do so many pieces of vampire fiction forget about that last piece of lore?

Because it's inconvenient for Edward Cullen.
Those are my basic rules for vampires as well.

 

[dragonslayer32]

Dracula 2001 was the closest I think to a vampire.

Spoiler

It turns out that Dracula is Judas Ascariot, no crosses, no silver (because of the silver he betrayed Jesus for) no daylight because he killed himself at dusk (or dawn, can't remember) no holy water and he is the walking dead (because God won't let him die).

 

[Zorg Machine]

They burn in the sun. I don't consider it wrong that they don't immediately burst into flames (like in the Darren Shan books) but they do get harmed by the sun.
As far as other weaknesses go, stakes and silver are the main things and while I don't like the cross and holy water thing, it doesn't really matter. While I consider the whole running water thing to be false, vampires should have a natural dislike of large bodies of water.
And vampires needs a persons invitation to enter their home.

As for their needs, Vampires need to drink human blood at least once per week (though they get hungry every day) or animal blood four times a week (though they are never truly full if they only drink animal blood). btw, vampires don't poop.

And finally, the powers. Vampires are better than humans in most ways (strength, intellect, speed) and also have incredible regenerative abilities. I am of the opinion that only old vampires can turn into a swarm of bats but all vampires have a sort of hypnosis, they can fade into the dark (not really invisible but it's almost impossible to notice them if you are not looking) they can be completely soundless and some can summon/turn into a thick mist.

 

[Therumancer]

I see being a Vampire as something that is supposed to be as much a curse as a blessing. I think the problem with most Vampires nowadays is that they try and turn them into being superhumans, more than a monster, or something unpleasant. I guess becase it wouldn't be romantic otherwise.

I see the many and myriad weaknesses of Vampires as being the reason why they are just as pathetic as powerful. Crosses, running water, garlic, permission for entry, sunlight, etc... I feel that that package, and how it makes life so difficult, is part of the point, and that difficulty is why modern romance authors don't like to use it.

As far as being great seducers, well I'm not too sure about that.

To be honest I think Carmilla, and Dracula are the two prototypical sources for the vampires of modern lore. While kind of understated (written in 1872 I believe) Carmilla was lesbian in theme and did involve seduction, however it seemed to me that when it came to Dracula it was more a hypnotic thing rather than seduction.

Strictly speaking I'd say the female vampires are seducers, where the male ones as I envision it are far less so, but you might not realize that since they pretty much just say "do this" and their victim does through mind control.

 

[Canid117]

A vampire should drink blood to survive, burn in sunlight and be unable to enter the houses of others without permission. Why do so many pieces of vampire fiction forget about that last piece of lore?

Because there is no viable scientific definition except maybe psychological reasons and science makes vampires cooler to modern writers. Or their first experience with vampire lore was Blade which while a good movie was not exactly spot on with how traditional its vampires were.

 

[Blunderman]

I like to pick and choose between the different legends and conventions. I don't think there's a correct version since it's fiction and I don't care for those who say the original is more right than any interpretation of it.

1) A person has to drink vampire blood in order to turn. This is an honour that the vampire bestows upon the human, called "to sire" a human.

2) Vampires don't kill their victims. The bite causes a euphoric and calm sensation that allows the vampire to feed freely and then make off without the victim being fully aware of what's happened. Biting is not something vampires do while fighting.

3) Vampires need to drink blood to survive. Once or twice a week, I'd say.

4) Vampires are not animals. They're much closer to the human aristocracy, in an industrial underground kind of way. Behind the throne, Illuminati-style, hiding in the dark corners of society. They congregate in exclusive clubs and outlets.

5) Vampires do not have any magical, psychic or superhuman powers. At all. They're naturally more physically capable than humans, but they can't fly, read minds, lift cars or anything of the sort. The older a vampire gets, the stronger he gets.

6) Vampires do not explode, glitter or instantly erupt into flames in sunlight. Their skin starts to ash and they disintegrate.

7) Vampires are very seductive and passionate creatures. Humans find them very alluring and irresistible.

8) Vampires die from a stake through the heart, but are also vulnerable to serious bodily harm, like a shotgun.

9) Vampires do not need an invitation to enter anywhere. There are no magical anti-vampire barriers in peoples' houses.

10) Vampires can enjoy food and drink, but they don't have to eat as frequently as humans.

11) Vampires are not warmongering, primal savage beasts who pick fights with everyone and use violence all the time. Their primary interest is living a high quality life behind the curtains of society, protecting the secrecy of their existence and having the odd clan-dispute between the larger families here and then. Their one law is that nothing can be done that could risk the exposure of their existence.

12) Vampires have nothing to do with religion. They're not damned, demons, soulless, vulnerable to crosses or priests, nor are they vulnerable to blessed items or holy water. They simply have a biological condition.

13) Garlic is to a vampire just as it is to a human. It's certainly not a weapon to be used against them in any capacity.

14) Vampires may be immortal but they have not existed long enough for anyone to know for sure.

15) Vampires are not vulnerable to silver. That's werewolves.

16) Vampires do not have white skin and they are not cold. They have normal human body temperature and their skin is like that of any common Caucasian (or of whatever ethnicity they may be of) without a tan. Their face does not change in any other way.

17) Vampires do not have any special eye colour. Their incisors retract and are thus hidden when not being used.

18) Vampires do not dress as flamboyant homosexuals or pimps. They favour elegance and black clothing, and female vampires often dress in very sexually provocative ways.

And the list goes on and on, including many points on how the various traits translate into game mechanics.

Oh, come on, I'm not the only one who thinks way too much about this subject...

 

[Infernai]

Either Alucard of hellsing or Kain of Legacy of Kain are among my two favorite vampires, i also like the bram stoker novel.

 

[voetballeeuw]

I really liked the vampires from Let the Right One In. Especially with the whole second "brain" forming in the heart.

 

[Mordwyl]

The essence of a creature may change but the characteristics shouldn't.

For example, zombies have been depicted in dozens upon dozens of ways, most notably the magical and the scientific. They're still rotting reanimated corpses. Vampires are immortal nocturnal monsters which prey upon blood for sustenance and are weakened and slain by holy objects, sunlight, smelly vegetables and pointy sticks.

Of course there are times a definition can be used without the creature not fitting the description. Elves can be workaholic pygmies or feral tall people adept at ranged weaponry to even the original form of what the locals now call orcs. Likewise a troll can be a gargantuan humanoid which regenerates injuries quickly, sometimes with an affinity for dark mystical rituals and voodoo, living under bridges to stalk goats or even people on the internet.

 

[Raykuza]

Dear everybody,

Neither Dracula nor any other vampire from Stoker's novel catches fire, explodes, disintegrates, or is even harmed in any way by the sunlight.

Thank you.

Love,
me

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

One thing that's been bothering me lately is a small argument I've had with myself. What is the vampire? The reason I've been arguing is that there has recently been a lot of medias about vampires and all are depicted differently. So I wondered if the audience of "The Escapist" could help me find the general opinion of vampires.

The rules are simple:
1. Name your definition of a vampire and the reason for your choice
2. Don't post negative replies about a fellow members choice, it is thier opinion and not yours

In my opinion the most "vampire" vampire [http://www.google.no/images?q=Alucard&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:nb-NOfficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=X2CnTLvFJIjqOaCq6aAM&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQsAQwAA&biw=1280&bih=620] is Alucard from the manga Hellsing [http://www.google.no/imgres?imgurl=http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/Hellsing-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/Starstore_Catalogue_DARK_HORSE_COMICS_GRAPHIC_NOVELS_1909.html&usg=__E2Y4ylDT4cPoSZALRpEy8kDY7LQ=&h=545&w=400&sz=85&hl=no&start=0&sig2=qrvPRWW1U-0lIAEySqUwgA&zoom=1&tbnid=jgL3XJ20WoS_bM:&tbnh=161&tbnw=116&ei=oGGnTIW4B8SOjAfzovnlDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHellsing%2Bbook%2B1%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dno%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:nb-NOfficial%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D620%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=718&vpy=57&dur=2276&hovh=262&hovw=192&tx=121&ty=159&oei=oGGnTIW4B8SOjAfzovnlDA&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0]
My reason is that:
1. He has the right amount of pride and insanity to pull of incredible dialouge and personality.
2. When he drinks the blood of a human and kills it he can summon them forth as his minions, as blood is the currency of life.
3. He is a commander of blood, and if there is blood outside of a human in the vicinity he does not need to it, but rather it flows to him at his command.
4. He is immortal and can regenerate from any wound. No use with sunlight, a cross, stake or guns. He can regenerate even if his body totaly whiped out.

I agree the Hellsing vampires are the most accurate representations of a vampire of modern times.

But then again it is heavily based upon Stoker's work

 

[The Night Shade]

The Bela Lugosi dracula

 

[willsham45]

Drink human Blood, If victim killed then are dead if not will become vampire them selfes and will be slaves to the one who converted them
They cannot enter a house unless they are invited in first
They cannot survive in sunlight
Can only be killed if spiked in the heart
Cannot stand garlic
Cross will burn skin

 

[Legendary Alucard]

Look at my name.. Do i need to say More

Im a big Fan of the DayWalker.. I think a Vampire needs Class like Dracula and not Like in Twighlight.. Some Whimp with fangs -.-