Sexy/Not Sexy about Vampires

DavidZahir · Sep 16, 2009

I've always learned a lot by sharing and listening to others views about things, even when I myself have fairly strong opinions. Since I'm writing an erotic vampire story, here is my take on them...

Sexy: The mystery, the submission, the place where pleasure and pain meet, the loneliness assuaged by touch, the hunger of the prey and predator for each other, the blend of heat and cold, etc.

Not-Sexy: The smell of the grave, blood all over the place, skin hard as marble, addiction, bad breath (vampires are supposed to have terrible breath), gore, violence, etc.

What do others think?

JS Emuakpor · Sep 16, 2009

I can't imagine why a vampire would have bad breath. Dead internal organs? I think the marble-like skin is very sexy. Many people find violence sexy as well.

For me, the sexiest thing about a vampire would only be present in the very old vampires: they have lived a long time, seen a lot, learned a lot. A long-lived vampire could be a wealth of knowledge. To me, nothing is sexier than knowledge.

Not-Sexy? I dunno. But bad breath would definitely turn me off!

sunandshadow · Sep 16, 2009

Vampires can be quite different as developed by different authors. Don't just go along with 'how they're supposed to be', reinvent them to be maximally sexy and the best fit for your story.

To me vampires are unsexy if they are actually supposed to be evil or soulless or dead, hurt by holy water and crucifixes. I prefer vampires as aliens, vampires as secret old/animalistic subrace of humanity, or vampirism as transmissible and inheritable disease which has both benefits and drawbacks.

Synonym · Sep 16, 2009

The extra boost that many attribute to vampire sex, coupled with long experience seems attractive. The threat of violence, simmering near the surface and the attraction of the sheer novelty of another sub-set of humanity would be intriguing.

Turn offs are the manic blood-lust type of vampires, better suited to horror I think. If you are setting your story in this day and age, I think the path of the True Blood type of vampire would be more realistic. There would be vampire groupies and blood banks available to curb their worst hungers. This might explain the popularity of the show and books. Sexy vampires that are scary but usually restrain their blood taking to "sips" and rely on other means to quench their thirst. Scary, rare and attractive to those who are into risk-taking or thrills.

ELMontague · Sep 16, 2009

Vamps are the ultimate bad-boy.

Aggy B. · Sep 16, 2009

ELMontague said:
Vamps are the ultimate bad-boy.

This.

SFLP · Sep 16, 2009

Aggy B. said:
Vamps are the ultimate bad-boy.

Aggy B. said:

This.

Click to expand...

Ah, Eric, in the Sookie Stackhouse books. Definite badboy, definite sexy. (Didn't care for him much in the TV series, but only saw the first season, on DVD.)

The thing of it is, no two authors I've read in the last few years have the same set of "rules" or "...supposed to have..."

Nearly all the vamp books I've read in the last few years (Twilight excepted, of course) say that vamps give incredible orgasms. You left that trait out.

(Though as my husband, who liked the Southern Vampire series pointed out: "Sookie Stackhouse was a virgin; what the hell does she know about great sex?")

Will vampires ever actually be the "bad guys" again? Aww, what the hell. As long as they don't sparkle.

J.

ELMontague · Sep 16, 2009

Vamps by their very nature are bad. I think the point is exploring how we feel about it.

DavidZahir · Sep 16, 2009

Actually, I'm writing two different vampire stories.

The more overtly erotic of them is literally a re-working of Varney The Vampyre, a "penny dreadful" from the 1840s (and of course totally in the public domain). Imagine, if you will, Barnabas Collins as played by Jonathan Rhys Myers. At least that is how I picture him. So I suppose that makes him a bad boy--a fierce and proud man of peculiar honor, a melancholy romantic when it comes to women (as well as a genuine womanizer).

Synonym · Sep 16, 2009

My God. I saw the name Barnabas Collins and an errant brain cell fired. Dark Shadows, I haven't thought of that in ages, and I barely remember the show. How odd.

spasticpancake · Sep 16, 2009

DavidZahir said:
Imagine, if you will, Barnabas Collins as played by Jonathan Rhys Myers. At least that is how I picture him. So I suppose that makes him a bad boy--a fierce and proud man of peculiar honor, a melancholy romantic when it comes to women (as well as a genuine womanizer).

Jonathan Rhys Myers is all well and good, but I think Barnabas Collins was sexy anyway.

Ruth2 · Sep 17, 2009

Ditto. Barnabas Collins so did it for me when I was in my early teens. Jonathan Rhys Myers? Not so much.

But I get your idea. The vampire with a tortured soul stirs a lot of emotions.

JS Emuakpor · Sep 19, 2009

Ruth2 said:
The vampire with a tortured soul stirs a lot of emotions.

Louis from the Anne Rice novels.

Rowan · Sep 19, 2009

I think the element of danger makes a vamp sexy, along the lines of what ELMontague said about them being the ultimate bad boy.

Someone asked why a vamp would have bad breath?? Think BLOOD breath.

Louis (Anne Rice) was incredibly sexy while still being very dangerous; True Blood's Eric Northman also. Even sparkly Edward was dangerous (as he continually reminded Bella).

Thomas_Anderson · Sep 19, 2009

I always thought the story of Spike and Buffy was very nicely done on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Didn't really like Angel when he was with Buffy, as he seemed to only have two settings; whiner and then psychotic killer. He was cool once he got his own show though.

SFLP · Sep 19, 2009

My 10 year old niece begged me to watch the Twilight movie. I've read the books (as well as many scathing reviews on forums and blogs). I didn't think they were that terrible...hard to get upset about something that takes you an hour and 15 minutes to read, ya know? Quick, easy read.

But the movie...gah. I watched it last night. And per her request, I watched it again with the commentary, plus the extra scenes, etc.

Eyebrows. That's all I have to say about the "good" vampires.

But the bad vampires...well, maybe it's just 'cause there was no character development. The guy who played James (Cam Gigandet) was cute, and I guess did an OK job of portraying a feral vampire. If he'd had more of a role, it may have worked into something.

Edi Gathegi, who played Lauren...well, I liked him in "House", but didn't really believe him in Twilight. (Then again, it was a movie full of unbelievable characters, except for maybe Alice and Bella's father.)

Rachel Lefevre, who played the bad "girl" vampire was sort of...not there. Is she in the second book? I forget. If so, I suppose there will be further (read as: some) character development in the next movie.

My favorite vamps in stories are always those like Louis or Eric, as opposed to the Bills and Edwards. James-from-the-movie might have been a contender, had he lightened up a bit and hadn't had his head ripped from his body by Alice.

Eh, at least I can tell my niece I watched it. Twice. Including the version narrated by director/Bella/Edward. Am I a good aunt, or what?

DavidZahir · Sep 19, 2009

This is actually proving quite useful. One of the interesting quirks I find in genuine sexuality that so often goes missing in erotic writing is the idea of who is a Top versus who is a Bottom? In RL people's fantasies are to be what they are not. Captains of industry are far more likely to be submissive, while those downtrodden in some way will probably have daydreams about being in charge.

But 'tis very much a matter of perception isn't it? Let us say a wealthy and old vampire, physically strong and attractive with all the good manners, skill, courage, willpower, charisma, etc. to seemingly be a master of all he surveys. Yet if he feels his life out of his control, if he views himself as the passive victim of a curse without end, then not only is the character more vulnerable and complex, but they are also more likely to be (to some extent) dominating as a form of compensation.

SFLP · Sep 19, 2009

Face it. Bad-boy vamps are sexy. I've never read a story where the male vamp is submissive...I'm sure they are out there, and it might be interesting.

For me, vampires are all about control, and so are Dominants...they just seem to go together in my head.

And the anti-heroes like Eric Northman I find sexy beyond belief, even in those non-erotic novels. (Weirdly, the only time they actually slept together in the books I've read so far - the first eight - was when he'd lost his memory and WAS sort of submissive. Really wanted her to screw the "real" Eric, though. lol.)

MargueriteMing · Sep 19, 2009

ELMontague said:
Vamps are the ultimate bad-boy.

Bad girls.

MargueriteMing · Sep 19, 2009

SFLP said:
Will vampires ever actually be the "bad guys" again? Aww, what the hell. As long as they don't sparkle.

J.

How about Louis and Lestat played by Arsenio Hall and Jim Belushi? Workable?

MargueriteMing · Sep 19, 2009

SFLP said:
My 10 year old niece begged me to watch the Twilight movie. I've read the books (as well as many scathing reviews on forums and blogs). I didn't think they were that terrible...hard to get upset about something that takes you an hour and 15 minutes to read, ya know? Quick, easy read.

But the movie...gah. I watched it last night. And per her request, I watched it again with the commentary, plus the extra scenes, etc.

Eyebrows. That's all I have to say about the "good" vampires.

But the bad vampires...well, maybe it's just 'cause there was no character development. The guy who played James (Cam Gigandet) was cute, and I guess did an OK job of portraying a feral vampire. If he'd had more of a role, it may have worked into something.

Edi Gathegi, who played Lauren...well, I liked him in "House", but didn't really believe him in Twilight. (Then again, it was a movie full of unbelievable characters, except for maybe Alice and Bella's father.)

Rachel Lefevre, who played the bad "girl" vampire was sort of...not there. Is she in the second book? I forget. If so, I suppose there will be further (read as: some) character development in the next movie.

My favorite vamps in stories are always those like Louis or Eric, as opposed to the Bills and Edwards. James-from-the-movie might have been a contender, had he lightened up a bit and hadn't had his head ripped from his body by Alice.

Eh, at least I can tell my niece I watched it. Twice. Including the version narrated by director/Bella/Edward. Am I a good aunt, or what?

I have a problem with any vamp that can walk around in the daylight without bursting into flame. The whole sparkling thing is just a little extra nonsense.

MargueriteMing · Sep 19, 2009

DavidZahir said:
This is actually proving quite useful. One of the interesting quirks I find in genuine sexuality that so often goes missing in erotic writing is the idea of who is a Top versus who is a Bottom? In RL people's fantasies are to be what they are not. Captains of industry are far more likely to be submissive, while those downtrodden in some way will probably have daydreams about being in charge.

But 'tis very much a matter of perception isn't it? Let us say a wealthy and old vampire, physically strong and attractive with all the good manners, skill, courage, willpower, charisma, etc. to seemingly be a master of all he surveys. Yet if he feels his life out of his control, if he views himself as the passive victim of a curse without end, then not only is the character more vulnerable and complex, but they are also more likely to be (to some extent) dominating as a form of compensation.

Instead of saying "what they are not," rather say "what they don't get to be."

DavidZahir · Sep 19, 2009

MargueriteMing said:
I have a problem with any vamp that can walk around in the daylight without bursting into flame. The whole sparkling thing is just a little extra nonsense.

Actually, there is nothing in folklore suggesting that sunlight does any damage to any kind of vampire.

Thomas_Anderson · Sep 19, 2009

Yeah, but in original folklore vampires were only a very small step above a zombie, and not even remotely sexy.

Besides, the sun thing is so ingrained in modern lore that without it, vampire stories just seem weird.

DavidZahir · Sep 19, 2009

But Dracula as well as Carmilla and Varney the Vampire all have vampires walking around during the day.

I like the idea presented in the movies Bram Stoker's Dracula and Razor Blade Smile, positing that vampires simply don't like the day because it weakens them one way or another. This was the same notion used in Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series.

Sexy/Not Sexy about Vampires

DavidZahir

Malkavian Primogen

JS Emuakpor

I lurk. Therefore, I am.

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Synonym

ELMontague

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think

SFLP

Just tell me to shut up.

ELMontague

DavidZahir

Malkavian Primogen

Synonym

spasticpancake

The future needs a big kiss

Ruth2

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda

JS Emuakpor

I lurk. Therefore, I am.

Rowan

Thomas_Anderson

SFLP

Just tell me to shut up.

DavidZahir

Malkavian Primogen

SFLP

Just tell me to shut up.

MargueriteMing

MargueriteMing

MargueriteMing

MargueriteMing

DavidZahir

Malkavian Primogen

Thomas_Anderson

DavidZahir

Malkavian Primogen