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Posted By: Drusilla Jul 14, 1999 - 10:21 am

HI =)

I have to admit, I also have this thing for vampires... they are so mystical, so ancient and.. they are forever!! I love Anne Rice and I used to wonder how it'd be like to actually be a vampire =p Ok, USED to... I think fantasy and sci-fi aren't involved here. Well, they could be if you start writing about vampires in the future or oin some other world than earth.. but they really are a myth.

Drusilla (nick =p)

Posted By: Gestalt Jul 20, 1999 - 03:03 am

I have to agree with you bobthemonkey , it is interesting stuff. Especially when the different cultures of the world are examined and compared to each other. Many similarities.

I can relate to your philosophy Tawien. I also place vampires in the Fantasy/Myth class. Fantasy when I write, Myth when I study, I guess, though when getting to the meat of a story, both overlap.
Many debates on the 'Soul' of Kindred, I've had.
I tend to lean that Kindred do have souls, as they know where they are from, and where they are now. They even know where they end up. They know right from wrong, and are aware of the history of their clan or family.
In the last year or so, White Wolf Publications has come out with the 'Kindred of the East'. I find this to be an exiting twist on the western ideas of Kindred. Instead of the bloody, messy, embrace from a western vampire, when an eastern mortal dies it's soul is ripped from the body and to sustain its existence it must feed on the Chi of others.
This isn't a new idea, but the first to be written out and published in a believable format.
Of course, I lean to White Wolf, as I use to RP.
In reference to your statement on Kindred having a choice about having a soul or not,,,, It is my belief that they don't have a choice. I think they all have a soul. Whether they act like it is up to the author. Even some mortals act like they have no soul, no remorse, regrets. Vampires were mortals and everything is carried forward, memory, body, mind, ect.

Snotolf and Master.
I Am Legend and the Omega Man are very good books. I have read both and was entranced. Those are examples of clanless vampires. Very well done works.

Drucilla, ahhhh, the Drucilla's I have know.
I use to LARP a few years back, my Sire was Drucilla de Sota. A name that I hold close in memory and soul.
Hmmm, ancient, forever. I like that.
Yeah! Fantasy, Sci/Fi, Myth,,,,, they are only categories to place like things, but some things spill over into the next. Vampires are one.

I've seen two space movies about vampires. Not very well done. I think vamp's are earth creatures and to me seem extremely out of place in space.

Posted By: Neal66 Sep 26, 1999 - 07:49 am

favorite vampire authors:
Brian Lumley-no one beats his Necroscope novels.
Laurell Hamilton-Anita Blake series is unforgettable blend of supernatural fantasy and hard-boiled detective novels.
Elaine Begstrom is also very good.

Posted By: Xemation Sep 16, 2000 - 09:11 pm

I've an interest in vampires also.
I've read that the legends of vampires in North America predates the Europeans colonizing.
I've thought about that off and on for several years. My idea is since the vampire mystic was part of Asia, Africa and Europe, could it of come to North America by the Asian fishermen who became lost and landed on the western shores long ago? Or is/was there something long ago that caused this world wide phenomenon?
Anyone have any comments on this I'd like to hear them.

Posted By: Keona Apr 19, 2001 - 01:52 pm

My name is Keona and I have an intrest in vampires, but I'm not saying I want to be one. I have one question and could someone answer it; can vampires catch a virus, like the measles, or a cold? I like vampires. (I guess I would call them more than intresting.)

vini, vidi, vinci,
Keona

[edited by The Master]

Posted By: The Master Apr 19, 2001 - 05:03 pm

I don't think so...at least I've never read/seen a story where a Vampire had a cold. I don't think they would be able to get one. They are the living dead...a virus needs a live host.

Posted By: Bmat Apr 19, 2001 - 06:48 pm

But the flesh is animated in some fashion, if there is no blood bringing nutrients to the cells and removing waste- what is the mechanism for that? I'd think that vampires could catch a virus- which is tiny invader of tissue...right? I just can't visualize a vampire with measles ...but microbes invade just about everything else. Maybe the question is not if a virus can invade the body of a vampire but if the vampire would have symptoms of virus-caused illness. I've argued myself back to the assertion that the flesh is being preserved in some fashion, if not by a circulatory system using blood, which would imply working bodily functions and the possibility of being ill. Would a vampire need to shower? What about using the bathroom? Does anybody have any insight on this?

Posted By: The Master Apr 19, 2001 - 11:00 pm

I just can't but think of illness as a "human" frailty related to our mortality. Vampires are immortal. They don't grow physically older than they were at death. I don't see how being able to get a disease could fit in with that. In most mythology, injuries that don't destroy the vampire (i.e. stake through the heart) affect them little and are "healed" very quickly.

I suppose your right Bmat...perhaps they could get a virus (carrier maybe?), but maybe they wouldn't develop the illness itself.

I'm not sure about bathing, I guess if they get dirty, sure. If you mean body odor...well, I don't think dead flesh would sweat! Needing to go to the bathroom is the body's waste removal function. I guess that question would depend on what are they actually getting out of the blood they drink? If its wholly absorbed, there's no waste left.

Posted By: Bmat Apr 20, 2001 - 11:55 am

So....if you dump a bucket of water on them they don't melt. [oops! wrong being]

Muscular movement is a chemical process which produces water, in humans anyway...which would require kidney function. Do vampires require oxygen? When they are in the coffin are they breathing? probably not since the coffin is closed. So what appears to be human flesh cannot be.

Are we to assume that the process by which vampires retain phyical integrity, and the way they produce movement, are magic, or supernatural perhaps...? Vampire bats are non-supernatural beings, but then one can presumably see them in a mirror.

Any more input on this is welcome. My thoughts on the matter have just about deceased.

Posted By: Keona Apr 20, 2001 - 12:35 pm

well, just wanted to know, Master I thought the same thing, but I decide to go to the experts! But why would vampires take a bath, when it is said they have a revolting odor?

Vini, vidi, vinci,
Keona