Why vampires?
- Thread starter Jang
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I believe a lot of it revolves around the style and grace, the presentation commonly associated with a vampire. They are often hundreds of years old without the downsides of living to such an age (what with the curse of undeath and all), which means they can be very mature, move very smoothly and gracefully, and so on.
Possibly the fantasy of sharing blood, one of the most intimate "commodities" anyone has, holds an allure to some. For others it may be the thrill of danger, or a fascination with the unfamiliar, the strange and different.
Or the big flappy capes?
Possibly the fantasy of sharing blood, one of the most intimate "commodities" anyone has, holds an allure to some. For others it may be the thrill of danger, or a fascination with the unfamiliar, the strange and different.
Or the big flappy capes?
I think it's the duality of a monster that appears and acts human. The subtlety that a good writer can put into a blood sucking monster that plays classical music and reads poetry is almost limitless. The rules for how the curse works are increasingly poorly defined as different series add and remove things, so you it's a flexible archetype that you can manipulate to fit what you want to do as an author. If you compare Saya from Blood+, a traditional vampire like you'd find in an Anne Rice novel, Karin, and a twilight character they have very little in common in terms of strengths, weaknesses, and traits stemming from their vampirism. There's probably more to it, but that's all that really comes to mind for me ATM.
*Looks at the image url as the image tags aren't working*Ignignoct said:Doug said:
To be honest, the teeth and wings are more of a turn off to me that on, heh.
EDIT: Not that there are teeth in that specific image, its just in general, the stereotypical vampire lady would look sexier without wings/teeth/blood dripping down their mouths.
Vampires are the closest monsters to humans. And they have amazing abilities. So it appeals to the people who like magic and special powers. It appeals to those that like the idea of immortality. It appeals to those that are goth. It appeals to lonely housewives that love pretty boys that are dark and evil. The encompass so mush that they just appeal to a large number of people.
Vampires are so popular because of women. Women love vampires because of all the sexual overtones of the whole vampire mythos (moving amongst the shadows (the bad boy image), sensual danger (biting, necking, etc), and the beast within (he appears normal, but has a darker side...and could bring out her darker side as well)). Men, in turn, love vampires because women love vampires.
The only proper vampire is a demented human being that slashes your throat for your copper-flavoured life-fluid, with no motivation other than pure insanity.
Any other form of this is immediately rendered laughably non-scary and non-mysterious for me.
Any other form of this is immediately rendered laughably non-scary and non-mysterious for me.
different versions of vampire fables have been around for thousands of years in multiple cultures. what we now think of as vampires is the culmination of a lot of european folklore and then literature.
modern vampires are certainly so popular because of the sexual imagery. immortality and immaculate perfection are things humans are naturally fascinated by.
modern vampires are certainly so popular because of the sexual imagery. immortality and immaculate perfection are things humans are naturally fascinated by.
I think a big part of the fascination with vampires is that the idea of an older, intelligent, and immortal man is seen as sexy by many women, and the fact that they are very dangerous and are shown as being something they "can't have" only increases the sense of mystery and interest in them.
That, and regardless of gender, vampires represent the more animalistic side of humans (shown as being very raw and powerful) and many associate this animal behavior as being sexual in nature. The fact that female vampires are often shown wearing leather doesn't exactly help with people's sexual fascination either...
That, and regardless of gender, vampires represent the more animalistic side of humans (shown as being very raw and powerful) and many associate this animal behavior as being sexual in nature. The fact that female vampires are often shown wearing leather doesn't exactly help with people's sexual fascination either...
*thinks about straight necrophiliacs*Thunderhitler said:
*chugs brain bleach*
I'll stick with the vampires...
Yes, something like that.Pumpkin_Eater said:
Humans are appalled yet fascinated by the monster that seems to lurk just under the surface of their fellow men. Vampires were terrifying because they were the living (or undead) embodiment of the monster in control of the man. Blood was also pretty sacred in terms of things like religion and society, so the fact that Vampires drained your blood was also pretty chilling - it was akin to having your soul sucked out of your body and devoured by evil.
The recent sexual allure of vampires came about in how they actually feed and interact with humans. These Victorian European vampires are not terrifying, but seductive and tricky. They also embody immortality, which was slowly becoming an obsession in people.
Nowadays, it's the lure of the tragedy of newly formed vampires. These are usually people with the most to lose, and a lot of emotion. They get separated from the rest of humanity by their vampirism, so they feel excluded and solitary. Since that's a growing trend in today's society (that many of our youth are feeling isolated), the vampire is appealing because the benefits outweight the tragic loss of human contact. It makes them feel SPECIAL.
That and sex was ramped up to the nth degree in most modern vampire stories and games that most people enjoy reading, watching or playing vampires. That underlying feeling of isolation is still pretty prevalent, though.
Vampires, especially in their more modern iteration, are designed to have sexual appeal. They shapeshift to become more attractive. They lure their prey primarily through seduction. They bite people on the neck- something considered sexy on an unhealthy level by some- and turn you into something immortal. People like them because they don't actually kill you, and they look damn good while doing it.
I've always preferred lycanthropes, anyway. Sure, you're only one unstable outburst away from being a scratching post, but they make for a much more interesting story development-wise. "I'm in love with a human, I'll just make her one of me," isn't nearly as interesting as, "I'm in love with a human, oh gods no. What do I to suppress my urges in order to fit in/not kill her?"
I've always preferred lycanthropes, anyway. Sure, you're only one unstable outburst away from being a scratching post, but they make for a much more interesting story development-wise. "I'm in love with a human, I'll just make her one of me," isn't nearly as interesting as, "I'm in love with a human, oh gods no. What do I to suppress my urges in order to fit in/not kill her?"