- Joined
- May 8, 2009
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- Location
- Los Angeles
- Website
- undeadwhispers.yuku.com
(I've started a similar thread in the Horror section, btw. Hope this isn't a no-no.)
What I'm aiming for to combine the horror and the seductiveness of the vampire -- a blend as it were of Lumley's Wamphyri with Meyers' Twilight vampires, of Anne Rice with 30 Days of Night. (Please don't take that too literally.)
My vampires have been infected with a supernatural organism that is slowly mutating them into something else. As time goes by, they are physically (and to some extent psychologically) less human. The vector for infection is venom. Said venom is also an opiate of considerable power, so to be bitten by a vampire will hurt but also induce intense feelings of pleasure -- enough to addict many. But most humans will reject the venom's mutation. Their bodies may start to change slightly (or not) but this will not last. Once a victim's system rejects the venom, the euphoric effect remains but does a lot more physical damage, which can easily result in death. Some people reject the venom instantly and they usually go into shock and die. Only a minority can actually become vampires--and this usually takes multiple exposures to the venom. Very rarely, someone begins the full transformation almost instantly.
Physically, vampires (or Nosferatu as they call often themselves) are stronger and faster than humans, with heightened senses especially smell and sight (bright light hurts their eyes). Canines and lateral incisors lengthen and sharpen slightly. Venom sacs develop in the upper palate. Their flesh begins slightly metamorphic -- closing over wounds automatically for instance, or healing damaged tissue almost by instinct -- and over time this increases. Elders, those who've survived a couple of centuries or more, usually learn to begin controlling this. However, such metamorphism is in a direction. Gradually it becomes easier to run on all fours, while a vampire's body becomes inhumanly narrow and flexible. Claws develop, the nose flattens and the face lengthens as the ears begin to point and hair becomes a pale fur. Fangs lengthen, as does the tongue, which becomes forked. This form is not ugly, particularly. It resembles a strange blend of a mink and a cat. Truly old vampires use their shapeshifting powers to make themselves look more human. Usually. Legend has it the final form is something either alien but lovely or transcendently hideous. Maybe both.
Vampires drink blood, and must do so at least once a week or so. Animal blood tastes different than human, because a vampire "tastes" the nature of the being. Animals cannot transform into vampires. However, the act of feeding creates a kind of psychic/spiritual bond. Details vary, but it is a truism that vampires "Are who they drink." To them, blood is delicious but they can become addicted to the sensations of other minds, especially if a feeding goes on too long. It is also true that the more a vampire feeds on blood, the quicker their metamorphosis proceeds. For the first several decades of life as Nosferatu, eating "normal" food is more-or-less the same as when human. But the taste for anything but red meat fades, until apples taste like wax and wine like flavored water. Elders only eat human food by an act of will, presumably to stave off their transformation.
When vampires sleep, they go dormant or hibernate. Elders can sleep for years and sometimes choose to do so, for decades even. The final transformation into a vampire resembles a cataleptic fit while the body rearranges itself.
Many vampires go mad or suicidal within a few years. Emotional attachment to their prey is a delicate balance all must confront. In all the world there are perhaps several thousand vampires all told. Some organize in the equivalent of secret societies, others as nomads or cults, while some are virtual hermits.
Killing a vampire requires inflicting too much damage for their bodies to heal. Decapitation and burning pretty much always work. Piercing a major organ and keeping it pierced (as with, for example, a wood stake) can do the trick, but the older the vampire the more damage it can take.
Generally, vampires are not fertile (although among the young there are exceptions) but their sex drives are more-or-less intact. Incubi and Succubi legends arose from amorous vampires. For that matter, the Count of Saint Germain and Gregori Rasputin are two famous individuals who were almost certainly vampires.
Some people with intense faith can wield that faith as a weapon against a vampire's mind. This requires something akin to fanaticism or monomania. Likewise some vampires have fairly extreme allergies to certain plants (garlic, roses, etc.)
Now, my questions and concerns:
Does this scenario make sense? Would it explain vampire folklore and the fact that the world remains unaware such creatures are real?
How strong and fast do you think these vampires should be? Those in Twilight are only a little slower than the Flash and are about the same strength level as Spiderman. This strikes me as too much, but maybe I'm wrong.
What do you suppose these vampires might be like as people? While I have my own views, odds are there are some aspects of this I've totally missed.
Do you think I should give my vampires some psychic powers? Or is that too much? Mind you, I'm not talking about can-read-every-mind-in-twelve-square-miles sort of thing. More like psychic powers as believed to exist in the real world, but stronger.
For that matter, I'm open to listening to any and all suggestions or ideas. Can't promise to go with any of them, but I promise to listen.
Thanks in advance!
What I'm aiming for to combine the horror and the seductiveness of the vampire -- a blend as it were of Lumley's Wamphyri with Meyers' Twilight vampires, of Anne Rice with 30 Days of Night. (Please don't take that too literally.)
My vampires have been infected with a supernatural organism that is slowly mutating them into something else. As time goes by, they are physically (and to some extent psychologically) less human. The vector for infection is venom. Said venom is also an opiate of considerable power, so to be bitten by a vampire will hurt but also induce intense feelings of pleasure -- enough to addict many. But most humans will reject the venom's mutation. Their bodies may start to change slightly (or not) but this will not last. Once a victim's system rejects the venom, the euphoric effect remains but does a lot more physical damage, which can easily result in death. Some people reject the venom instantly and they usually go into shock and die. Only a minority can actually become vampires--and this usually takes multiple exposures to the venom. Very rarely, someone begins the full transformation almost instantly.
Physically, vampires (or Nosferatu as they call often themselves) are stronger and faster than humans, with heightened senses especially smell and sight (bright light hurts their eyes). Canines and lateral incisors lengthen and sharpen slightly. Venom sacs develop in the upper palate. Their flesh begins slightly metamorphic -- closing over wounds automatically for instance, or healing damaged tissue almost by instinct -- and over time this increases. Elders, those who've survived a couple of centuries or more, usually learn to begin controlling this. However, such metamorphism is in a direction. Gradually it becomes easier to run on all fours, while a vampire's body becomes inhumanly narrow and flexible. Claws develop, the nose flattens and the face lengthens as the ears begin to point and hair becomes a pale fur. Fangs lengthen, as does the tongue, which becomes forked. This form is not ugly, particularly. It resembles a strange blend of a mink and a cat. Truly old vampires use their shapeshifting powers to make themselves look more human. Usually. Legend has it the final form is something either alien but lovely or transcendently hideous. Maybe both.
Vampires drink blood, and must do so at least once a week or so. Animal blood tastes different than human, because a vampire "tastes" the nature of the being. Animals cannot transform into vampires. However, the act of feeding creates a kind of psychic/spiritual bond. Details vary, but it is a truism that vampires "Are who they drink." To them, blood is delicious but they can become addicted to the sensations of other minds, especially if a feeding goes on too long. It is also true that the more a vampire feeds on blood, the quicker their metamorphosis proceeds. For the first several decades of life as Nosferatu, eating "normal" food is more-or-less the same as when human. But the taste for anything but red meat fades, until apples taste like wax and wine like flavored water. Elders only eat human food by an act of will, presumably to stave off their transformation.
When vampires sleep, they go dormant or hibernate. Elders can sleep for years and sometimes choose to do so, for decades even. The final transformation into a vampire resembles a cataleptic fit while the body rearranges itself.
Many vampires go mad or suicidal within a few years. Emotional attachment to their prey is a delicate balance all must confront. In all the world there are perhaps several thousand vampires all told. Some organize in the equivalent of secret societies, others as nomads or cults, while some are virtual hermits.
Killing a vampire requires inflicting too much damage for their bodies to heal. Decapitation and burning pretty much always work. Piercing a major organ and keeping it pierced (as with, for example, a wood stake) can do the trick, but the older the vampire the more damage it can take.
Generally, vampires are not fertile (although among the young there are exceptions) but their sex drives are more-or-less intact. Incubi and Succubi legends arose from amorous vampires. For that matter, the Count of Saint Germain and Gregori Rasputin are two famous individuals who were almost certainly vampires.
Some people with intense faith can wield that faith as a weapon against a vampire's mind. This requires something akin to fanaticism or monomania. Likewise some vampires have fairly extreme allergies to certain plants (garlic, roses, etc.)
Now, my questions and concerns:
Does this scenario make sense? Would it explain vampire folklore and the fact that the world remains unaware such creatures are real?
How strong and fast do you think these vampires should be? Those in Twilight are only a little slower than the Flash and are about the same strength level as Spiderman. This strikes me as too much, but maybe I'm wrong.
What do you suppose these vampires might be like as people? While I have my own views, odds are there are some aspects of this I've totally missed.
Do you think I should give my vampires some psychic powers? Or is that too much? Mind you, I'm not talking about can-read-every-mind-in-twelve-square-miles sort of thing. More like psychic powers as believed to exist in the real world, but stronger.
For that matter, I'm open to listening to any and all suggestions or ideas. Can't promise to go with any of them, but I promise to listen.
Thanks in advance!