I'm watching a rather interesting vampire movie called Byzantium and like most vampire movies it got me thinking. If you had the choice and all the available information would you choose to be a vampire, assuming it was a legitimate choice of course?
So pick your genre and say yea or nay. Give reasons where appropriate please.
Off the top of my head here are my choices.
- Dresden: Probably not for any of the three. They're societies are too b$*$&y for my liking.
- Byzantium: Probably as the only thing that seems to be a problem is the feeding. They're not even hurt by sunlight. They're not super strong or anything either. As best I can tell is that they're just immortals who have to drink blood every so often. I'd simply stick to violent criminals and/or terminally ill. Though I haven't quite finished the movie, so it's possible i'm missing some information.
- Twilight: yes, but only so I could murder as many of them as possible before they inevitably gang up to take me down. I hate that genre.
- Ann Rice: Maybe, but leaning towards no.
-White Wolf: If I got to be a Tremere with a low gen probably.
Yeah pretty much no all around, at least with the ones I'm familiar with. Haven't seen Byzantium nor played White Wolf/WoD but I'm familiar with everything else on the list, at least in passing (unfortunately, sister and mom are huge Twilight fans).
I'd be Dracula, because he had three wives...and still wasn't satisfied!
I almost forgot!
- D&D/Pathfinder: "ideal" undead would be a lich (Baelorn if possible), though even that's messy. Vampire's are kinda nasty. I might (stressing MIGHT) consider it as a means to an end to buy time to level up to 20 wizard, get the immortality trick, then get resurrected.
White Wolf - Absolutely. I'd be down for pretty much any clan too, except Tremere, cause they're kind of a bad pyramid scheme, and that's just too much to deal with for eternity.
Twilight - I mean, poor writing aside it seems like a sweet deal, assuming the angst doesn't kill you.
Anne Rice - I'd consider it, but it seems like a raw deal for new vamps.
D&D/PF - Probably not. There are way better undead options, like Graveknight or Lich.
Ravenloft - Grand-daddy of d20 gothic horror settings, I'd be all over it. Hook me up just for the flavor if nothing else.
Sy-Fy setting - Really dependant on how Sunlight works in space, but otherwise maybe.
Warhammer - Yup. I'd rock out vampire counts all day erry day
WH 40k - Nope. Plasma Rifles would ruin my day.
Star Wars - Yup. While no real "vampires" as we normally see them, there's plenty of Dark Side races that would work, or even just a wicked life stealing Sith lord would be rockin'.
White Wolf - Absolutely. I'd be down for pretty much any clan too, except Tremere, cause they're kind of a bad pyramid scheme, and that's just too much to deal with for eternity.
Twilight - I mean, poor writing aside it seems like a sweet deal, assuming the angst doesn't kill you.
Anne Rice - I'd consider it, but it seems like a raw deal for new vamps.
D&D/PF - Probably not. There are way better undead options, like Graveknight or Lich.
Ravenloft - Grand-daddy of d20 gothic horror settings, I'd be all over it. Hook me up just for the flavor if nothing else.
Sy-Fy setting - Really dependant on how Sunlight works in space, but otherwise maybe.
Warhammer - Yup. I'd rock out vampire counts all day erry day
WH 40k - Nope. Plasma Rifles would ruin my day.
Star Wars - Yup. While no real "vampires" as we normally see them, there's plenty of Dark Side races that would work, or even just a wicked life stealing Sith lord would be rockin'.
You may have a point about twilight. Idiotic teenage angst aside I suppose the Vamps have it pretty good all things considered.
White wolf I just want Tremere for the magic. I played one for years with my college group. He had more autonomy than most probably do, but still.
Most, yes. Some exceptions.
30 Days of Night; No. Ick. Really, ick.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer; No. Since I would be a demon and not really me. And really, really easy to whack. And apparently very stupid.
Blade-Nope, I'm not suicidal.
I second all of this.
I would choose no to any genre that's a gore-fest. Just not into it.
which is the one where I just basically sit around while looking rad and wearing sunglasses while not sparkling in any way shape or form?
works for me, though personally I thought the werewolves were way more rad than the vampires, in those movies
I wouldn't choose to be a vampire but if I got to choose which forced me into it... I'm inclined towards the vampires from "Forever Knight."
I wouldn't choose to be a vampire but if I got to choose which forced me into it... I'm inclined towards the vampires from "Forever Knight."
I'm not familiar with that one. What's their deal?
The only one I'd even consider is Selene from the Underworld series (and that's entirely due to Beckinsale), definite no to all the rest.
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As long as I keep free will and my alignment I'm in!
Gangrel vampire singing in the woods for all eternity with the strength to rip a bulldozer in half? Sign me up!
Blood tainted with HIV kills them.I wouldn't choose to be a vampire but if I got to choose which forced me into it... I'm inclined towards the vampires from "Forever Knight."I'm not familiar with that one. What's their deal?
It was the blood tainted with HIV that restored them. It was the cure that almost killed them.
I wouldn't choose to be a vampire but if I got to choose which forced me into it... I'm inclined towards the vampires from "Forever Knight."I'm not familiar with that one. What's their deal?
from wikipedia link:
***
Nick Knight, as well as several other vampire characters, demonstrated a number of superhuman abilities. As a vampire, Nick did not age throughout nearly 800 years of existence. In most cases he was invulnerable to harm from gunshot, blunt force trauma or blade. Vampires in the Forever Knight universe displayed also the powers of super strength and speed, enhanced senses, flight and a degree of hypnotism/mind control. However Nick's hypnotism did not always work, especially if the victim had physical evidence that proved opposite of what Nick would have them believe.
***
Anyway, the main chaacter was played by Geraint Wyn Davies, whose visual look in some of his scenes was the basis of how my sith character looked in a dark side SW campaign I played in. Much fun there.
His sire/creator was played by Nigel Bennett.
I liked the series quite a bit.
Edit: basically no to all choices
If you had the choice and all the available information would you choose to be a vampire, assuming it was a legitimate choice of course?
I'd probably be more open to becoming a werewolf over vampire. Some kind of were-big cat, like snow leopard or panther, would be preferable, but I could go for a werewolf-infection like the one in the first Howling... as long as it was the Elizabeth Brooks/Marsha Quist version instead of the "Pomeranian/Lhasa Apso" Dee Wallace/Karen White.
For gaming tradition, I´d probably say yes to some oWoD vampire - if not of a weak generation, and not some absurd clan.
Underworld? Maybe, I don´t recall all that much.
Anne Rice? Quite nasty overall, probably not.
No sparkling vampires for me, thanks.
What about "Being Human"? It is not too bad overall, but a simple flu can kill you in a nasty way. But if you happen to have some werewolf blood at hand, that is no problem either.
"True Blood" did not seem to be too bad in the beginning. I didn´t follow it beyond season 2, I think, as it seemed to degenerate into a "Monster of the week" serial too far for my taste.
Within a D&D/PF context, there are better choices, as mentioned above.
"Alright guys, first we go to mass in the morning, then head for some garlic bread and finally a walk on the sunny beach. Oh, and don't forget it's your mother's birthday tomorrow, so get her some roses"
Yeah, it'd be kind of problematic. No vampirism for me.
Okay, I'm unfamiliar with whatever roses do to vampires in whatever mythos.
which is the one where I just basically sit around while looking rad and wearing sunglasses while not sparkling in any way shape or form?
I do this every day, and I'm not even a vampire.
The idea of living that long and being able to master almost any set of skills in due time is pretty alluring.
However, obtaining blood seems like a pain in the rear. Although, one time my DM let me play a vampire PC (more like a spawn that gained vamp abilities as it leveled) once. It was tons of fun getting to use a sun parasol in the daylight if I ever had to go out and finding random people to feed on. However, the whole "not being able to cross running water" bit was soooooo annoying.
Okay, I'm unfamiliar with whatever roses do to vampires in whatever mythos.
I don't know exactly where it originated, but the legend of using roses against vampires has been going around for a few centuries at least, as far as I understand. It's part of real-world mythology, though, not a book or game.
Supposedly, roses work the same way as garlic for harming/keeping vampires away, particularly if presented in a wild state (that's it, a rose you pick from the countryside should work better than one you purchase at the florist).
As much as I hate vampires, if I had to choose I'd go Ann Rice; it would really be interesting to see how the power would affect me.
I believe that every person is important, that each of us carries with them a personal history and outlook that should be shared. While I accept that life and endings are a part of life, I'm still saddened when we lose someone.
I also believe that some people aren't worth that sentiment.
(There's that neutrality showing again :) )
So with immortality, I could share countless lives with people, have the time and capacity to learn everything there is to know, and really experience life, which would be amazing. However, I would also be a predator, a creature exalted above the current food chain.
With that kind of power...I would be lying if I said I'd never abuse it.
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Dresden: Hell no! Your options would be to end up a dessicated ambulatory corpse (Black Court), a blood-addicted Bat monster (Red Court), or a human with an uncontrollable demon inside of you which destroys your humanity and prevents you from every feeling love (White Court)
Pathfinder/DnD: Probably not; the bloodlust would drive you to evil, and honestly there are lots of drawbacks to compensate for the advantages.
Buffy: No, because you would be dead, there would just be a demon wearing your face.
Twilight: Why not...apparently there is no real disadvantage, and you get super powers
Byzantium: If I am a dude, see above for twilight. If I am a women...um probably not, since apparently vampire cops are misogynistic bastards
We are the night: see above, only reverse sexes
Generally I prefer vampires to be something that is horrible and not a set of cool super powers. At the very least, it should be a curse.
I'd be down for several clans WoD wise. My preference would run to Lasombra (antitribu moreso), or Tremere. Any of the non hideous ones would be ok though.
I'd be fine with being a Rice, Underworld, or Hammer Films vampire as well.
I'd grudgingly accept twilight vampirism.
Most other depictions don't appeal much to me.
Dresden: Nope, the side effects would suck horribly.
Pathfinder: No, because there are too many restrictions and the whole, 'you are completely controlled by your new nature' doesn't really appeal to me.
Buffy: No, because they're not real vampires!
Twilight: As long as you keep the whiney, angsty vampires out of my sight. The sparkling would be kind of ridiculous, I could deal with it. Also not resorting to stupid bloodpacks. I'd have some food 'on tap'.
True Blood: Probably, so long as I got rid of my silver jewelry. I would also have to stake the 'authority', because I would not be ordered around.
White Wolf: Probably, unless it was from a cursed/weak bloodline or it was virtually impossible to control vampiric 'triggers' (Would hate to go into a feeding frenzy just from seeing a drop of blood or run away screaming from a lighter,). Would be any of the 'major breeds' from the new WoD except for Nosferatu, because I would not want to look like I was processed through a meat grinder! The other 4 suit my mentality perfectly: charming romancer of the fairer sex (Daeva,), genius-level thinker with a wide variety of interests with a penchant for subtlety and amazing insight(Mekhet,), wolf-like loyalty and primal emotions (Gangrel,), and obsessive megalomania and the need to control almost everything possible (Ventrue,). As for the 'Bloodlines', maybe or maybe not on a case-by-case basis.
Bram Stoker's Dracula: It would be awesome being immune to sunlight!
Ann Rice: Only if I could be cool like Lestat! Louis was much too mopey. I mean hey, you've got to eat, right?
Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC: Can we say yes? Well, so long as the daedric altar is taken out and the portal to the Soul Cairn is sealed to prevent any 'unpleasantness'. Death Hound pets and sedated Human cattle in the basement a plus! And so long as conversations do not loop and other video game mechanics be replaced with actual real-life ones that aren't wonky!
Darkwatch: Maybe, but I wouldn't sacrifice those virgins on the altar. Not very gentlemanly is it?
Legacy of Kain: Perhaps, if the world DIDN'T get reduced to practically everything going extinct.
Oathbound: Nope, the whole perma-death-upon-destruction does not sound too appealing. Otherwise it would be awesome!
Underworld: Indeed, especially if I get the whole Deathdealer attire, from either the middle ages or modern times.
Vampire's Rain: Maybe, because even though their inhuman power is showcased VERY well here, they still look squicky.
Vamp from Metal Gear Solid series: Maybe not a REAL vampire, but a nanotech 'vampire' could be pretty awesome!
Blade: Maybe, because even though those 'blood raves' look awesome, I wouldn't want to tick Blade and company off. I would value unlife more than that.
Fright Night: Yep, so long as I was in control (Not a controlled spawn,) and could shift to and from my 'big ugly' form at will.
Van Helsing: Those 'brides' bring the words 'probably so' to mind!
Helsing Anime/Manga: If I had power like any of those vampires, probably so! So long as none of the others turned on my anyway.
Trinity Blood: Possibly.
Hotel Transylvania: YES! I want to go 'BLEH, BLEH, BLEH, BLEH, BLEH!' and make the 'angry vampire face'. Oh, and throw parties with other cool monsters as well!
Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2: From the trailer I have seen, YES! Minus a few things I would prefer to omit if I were a vampire.
Medievil 2: Not sure, but the vampire girls were adorable!
That's all I can really think of at the moment on this topic!
Vampire Diaries. Besides the super speed, strength and the ability to alter minds, they also have the chance of obtaining day light rings (a witch can make one). Plus they seem to have a enough self control to attend high school just for the fun of it.
Dresden: Nope, the side effects would suck horribly.
Pathfinder: No, because there are too many restrictions and the whole, 'you are completely controlled by your new nature' doesn't really appeal to me.
Buffy: No, because they're not real vampires!
Twilight: As long as you keep the whiney, angsty vampires out of my sight. The sparkling would be kind of ridiculous, I could deal with it. Also not resorting to stupid bloodpacks. I'd have some food 'on tap'.
True Blood: Probably, so long as I got rid of my silver jewelry. I would also have to stake the 'authority', because I would not be ordered around.
White Wolf: Probably, unless it was from a cursed/weak bloodline or it was virtually impossible to control vampiric 'triggers' (Would hate to go into a feeding frenzy just from seeing a drop of blood or run away screaming from a lighter,). Would be any of the 'major breeds' from the new WoD except for Nosferatu, because I would not want to look like I was processed through a meat grinder! The other 4 suit my mentality perfectly: charming romancer of the fairer sex (Daeva,), genius-level thinker with a wide variety of interests with a penchant for subtlety and amazing insight(Mekhet,), wolf-like loyalty and primal emotions (Gangrel,), and obsessive megalomania and the need to control almost everything possible (Ventrue,). As for the 'Bloodlines', maybe or maybe not on a case-by-case basis.
Bram Stoker's Dracula: It would be awesome being immune to sunlight!
Ann Rice: Only if I could be cool like Lestat! Louis was much too mopey. I mean hey, you've got to eat, right?
Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC: Can we say yes? Well, so long as the daedric altar is taken out and the portal to the Soul Cairn is sealed to prevent any 'unpleasantness'. Death Hound pets and sedated Human cattle in the basement a plus! And so long as conversations do not loop and other video game mechanics be replaced with actual real-life ones that aren't wonky!
Darkwatch: Maybe, but I wouldn't sacrifice those virgins on the...
Why are Buffy vampires "not real vampires"?
Why are Buffy vampires "not real vampires"?
They're demons possessing a human body. It's not the original person, just an Edgar suit.
Why are Buffy vampires "not real vampires"?They're demons possessing a human body. It's not the original person, just an Edgar suit.
Every vampire type has their own twists, that doesn't make them any less a vampire. I've recently come to understand that this is how Pathfinder vampires work as well, that they're animated by negative energy but the actual soul of the person has moved on.
Back to Buffy: actually I've come up with a theory that vampires do retain their human souls. I know what has been stated in the show, but what has actually been shown contradicts this in many ways. I chalk up the contradictions to 1)not really understanding what a soul is and 2) pure propaganda perpetrated by the Watchers. The reason for the propaganda is to insure that Slayers kill with a true sense of purpose and clear conscious. It simply doesn't pay to have soldiers think that there is anything redeemable about the enemy after all. I'll go over specifics regarding my theory if you so desire.
Why are Buffy vampires "not real vampires"?They're demons possessing a human body. It's not the original person, just an Edgar suit.Every vampire type has their own twists, that doesn't make them any less a vampire. I've recently come to understand that this is how Pathfinder vampires work as well, that they're animated by negative energy but the actual soul of the person has moved on.
Back to Buffy: actually I've come up with a theory that vampires do retain their human souls. I know what has been stated in the show, but what has actually been shown contradicts this in many ways. I chalk up the contradictions to 1)not really understanding what a soul is and 2) pure propaganda perpetrated by the Watchers. The reason for the propaganda is to insure that Slayers kill with a true sense of purpose and clear conscious. It simply doesn't pay to have soldiers think that there is anything redeemable about the enemy after all. I'll go over specifics regarding my theory if you so desire.
The show is the only thing I have to go by. They state flatly that the person that used to have the body is no longer present. Regardless of if it is or isn't, that's not the point of this thread.
More to the point without actually knowing how it works as you've stated you have an alternate theory would you want to be a Buffy Vampire or no?
I'd even be a legacy of kain series vampire
THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS.
S$+@, I just want to be Kain himself :DIn general though, there's nothing I wouldn't like about being a vampire. Heck, I'm halfway there! Preternaturally pale skin? Check. Prefers the night? Check. Wears all black? Check. Despite body type that should stick out like a sore thumb, manages to somehow disappear in crowds/sneak up on people unawares? Double check.
So what I'd be getting is a legitimate excuse for not going out in the sunlight hours, immortality, and potentially super strength/agility and shapeshifting? All for the low low price of feeding on your fellow humans? Psh. Shut up and take my mortality!
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vampire types I'd be
Saga of Darren Shawn (aka Cirque du Freak): yes but not vampanese
Rosario Vampire: definitely my first choice of vampire
White Wolf: hmm probably, but I'd try for abomination ala part dragon werewolf vamp, sure I'd be a target if it got out (and it would) but the power woo
twilight: yes, I know they are part of a bad literary work (and an absolutely atrocious movie series) but the powers, come on who could say no to them,
skyrem: sure, don't really see much of a downside
I'm a little worried about becoming a twilight vampire. Do you HAVE to be all emo about your amazing good looks, sparkly skin, super strength, speed, immortality and grab bag power as the cherry on top or is that just the one character?
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other characters were emo but some weren't
Non emo characters I can think of off the top of my head: alice, carlile, esme, that kid with the vaguely defined "elemental" powers, the one with the touch based stun attack was very energetic and confident, the one who could shut off your senses seemed content, uhh, some of the bad guys were aggressive but otherwise happy, emmet was like a large child which makes sense as developmentally his brain was frozen as a teen
emo characters: Edward, very much Edward, slightly less so was Jackob but that makes sense he was in wars and has PTSD, slightly less than him would be bella, and a few of the bad guys were emo
Amending my post above:
Discworld vamp: Yes, definitely. You're vulnerable to all the traditional vampire weaknesses, yes. But death, even through them, isn't permanent. It can be nearly so (ashes scattered in the ocean after you get burned up is a pretty good way to get rid of a vamp near-permanently in DW, and other such things) but if you can manage to get most of yourself gathered into one spot and get a drop of blood, you're back in action, no matter what killed you or how long you've been gone. In the meantime you're just in a sort of restful sleeping limbo.
And for those who are squeamish about dealing with feeding on other intelligent lifeforms, there's the Black Ribboners, so there's a support system already in place for that (Given, of course, you don't mind living in Ankh-Morpork...).
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(Given, of course, you don't mind living in Ankh-Morpork...).
I don't see how that question can have a positive answer.
Dresden- Well the choices are psychic vamp that can never love, horriable bat like monster ala dusk till dawn, or "living dead" complete with decomposition.....none of those options sound appealing.
Tru Blood (Sookie Stackhouse Novels)- As long as you avoid the sun and politics this one is pretty much all up side. There is even synthetic blood in this setting so the hunger isnt a problem. Yes to this one.
Twilight- aside from terrible authors and angst the only downside here is sparkles and having to deal with the thirst and you get a super power I'll take it.
Blade- Only if I can be a damphir like blade as opposed to a vamp being hunted by blade.
30 days of night- No sir! Ive only seen the movie but these vamps a little more than preditory animals that live to feed. While it is cool to see/read about vamps that only want to eat you I wouldnt want to be one.
Helsing- Yep once again no real downside aside from the thirst (and being hunted by a psychotic cyborg priest dude.)
Being Human- 3 downsides here. 1. vamp politics=bad 2. The thirst 3. Super lethal vamp flu. #3 is a deal breaker.
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Like pretty much everyone, I'd love to be a vampire if it was all upside with none of the grueseome consequences! :)
Most vampires appear to be able to feed off of animal blood without repercussions (although the Forever Knight vampires can get all Nosferatu-ey if they *start out* on animal blood as their first meal), and that's available at the supermarket butcher (or any real butcher), or even from pets or animal shelters or a farm, so the moral issues of drinking blood tend to be a non-issue. (Even D&D and VtM vampires can, by their game mechanics, subsist off of a quantity of animal blood that a *rat* can recover within 24 hours, no matter how un-thematic that is.)
The no daylight thing seems like a big downer, but all sorts of vampires seem to be able to get around that, including the original inspirations for the myth, and I'd prefer the sort that can function during daylight, over the sort that can stay awake during the day, but has to avoid sunlight (like Buffy vampires), and either of those way over those who are (like Anne Rice or WoD vampires) are comatose all day long, even if living underground or whatever.
Obviously, it would be pointless to become a vampire if it's the Watcher Council-canon-version from Buffy, in which your soul goes to hell and a demon moves in behind your face. (Although the show itself invalidated that statement dozens of times during it's run, as different writers vehemently (and publically!) disagreed on the metaphysics of it.) D&D vampirism (lycanthropy, etc.) shares some of that, in that your alignment automatically changes to Chaotic Evil, meaning that, you really aren't 'you' anymore. Plus D&D vampirism kind of sucks, having a laundry list of crippling restrictions, and a few powers that I wouldn't want anyway. (The last thing I need is mind control, for instance. Yuk. I have moral qualms about owning a pet. Dominating people? No thanks.)
But to, in the words of a cool vampire, 'You'll never grow old Michael, and you'll never die.' or another cool vampire, 'The light from that star is going to take a million years to get here. The reason you've never met a girl like me, is that I'll be here to see it.'
Yeah, that could be neat. For awhile.
Decades or centuries later, it could get all depressing, but, yanno, living too long is like having too much money or being too famous / good looking and worrying about whether people like you for you or not.
That's a problem I'd rather have than the opposite...