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--- lb:vampires [2025-05-01 05:28:23] – ↷ Page moved from playground:vampires to lb:vampires ninjasr
+++ lb:vampires [2025-05-06 09:10:41] (current) – [Daybreakers] ninjasr
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 ====== Vampires ======
-Vampires are blood-sucking creatures from mythology and folklore all over the place, though I don't (yet) know where the first vampires showed up...the modern iteration started sometime in the...17th century? I'll have to check.\\
+**Vampires** are blood-sucking creatures from mythology and folklore from all over the place, though I don't (yet) know where the first vampires showed up...the modern iteration started sometime in the...17th century? I'll have to check.\\
-I personally think that Vampire: the Masquerade has the best vampire lore in terms of a cohesive story.\\
-Buuut...I think that, maybe, Vampire: the Requiem actually does a better lore-job overall, though there are parts of Masquerade that are better. Requiem is at least better for mixing and matching.\\
 Oh, right, half-vampires half-humans are called [[playground:dhampirs]].
 {{tag>mythology}}
+===== Description and Notes =====
+I'll add their origin notes a bit later. Coincidentally, just like with [[lb:succubus|succubi]], I can rely on //Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite//.
+==== ‘Standard’ Vampires ====
+I'll write this out at some point, don't worry.
+==== Definitive Vampires ====
+I personally think that [[lb:wod|Vampire: the Masquerade]] has the best vampire lore in terms of a cohesive story.\\
+Buuut...I think that, maybe, [[lb:cod|Vampire: the Requiem]] actually does a better lore-job overall, though there are parts of //Masquerade// that are better. //Requiem// is at least better for mixing and matching.\\
+===== Relations =====
+==== Succubi ====
+I stated this on the [[lb:succubus]] article, but I think vampires and succubi overlap quite a bit. There was even a point where, apparently, vampires didn't necessarily have to drink blood...but any fluid that comes out of humans. Which, yes, includes //semen//.\\
+At this point, any depiction of a ‘sexy vampire’ is basically a kind of succubus as well.
+==== Zombies ====
+The relationship between [[playground:zombie|zombies]] and vampires is interesting in that, as far as I'm concerned, they're basically the same...except zombies are the lamer version of the vampire.\\
+Think about it: both are undead monsters that need to feed on the living. Just that zombies are, at least nowadays, tied to disease more than vampires...and vampires are also much stronger than zombies.
 ===== Media Depictions =====
+==== Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ====
+I had to include one of the greats. Though this is specifically concerned with the //film// and not the //book//.\\
+Vampires in this film are in de-facto control of the Southern US through their positions as aristocrats and plantation owners. They happily feed off of the slaves there and, honestly, I get it.\\
+They are almost exactly the same as the ‘standard’ vampire - hurt by silver, no reflections, superhuman strength, feed off of blood - except that...well, first of all, they can turn invisible. I don't think that's considered a standard vampire trait. And, second of all, they //can// go out in the sunlight...but they're presumably weaker. It wasn't really explained what the deal was though. They just prefer to wear sunglasses. The last important fact is that vampires can’t kill each-other for whatever reason. Some supernatural barrier prevents it.\\
+Their position as the rulers of the South falls apart during the Civil War, where the majority of them are slaughtered by the Union army.\\
+Oh, yeah, their feeding is also lethal about 99% of the time. Even if they don't drain you dry, they can leave you with a disease that, y'know, will end you.
+==== Daybreakers ====
+[[tmdbm>19901|Daybreakers]] is an interesting example for two reasons. The first is that vampirism is explicitly depicted as a (supernatural) disease. As far as I know, the only other thing that depicts vampirism like this is Plague Inc.\\
+The second reason is a bit more interesting: this is so far the only example I know of where vampires //rule// and do so //openly//. In fact, vampires make up a majority of the population.\\
+The premise is that sometime in 2008...I think...a disease started spreading from a bat. I-I know how that sounds, but let's continue.\\
+The disease turned people into immortal vampires. They could eat and drink like normal (apparently), though they still needed to feed on human blood. Not feeding on human blood makes them degenerate into more bat-like monsters. So...<wrap spoiler>there's some overlap with [[lb:yakuneve]]</wrap>.\\
+Most of humanity chose to become these inhuman monsters, while the rest didn't. The vampires now rule the world as if little has changed. At this point I realized I'm basically writing a review, so let's not get too into it. The point is that vampires are in charge and actively hunting down the rest of humanity.\\
+Vampire lore here is mostly the same. They feed off of humans, they can turn humans, they burn in the sunlight...but nothing related to silver or garlic. They're also pale and all have yellow/orange eyes.\\
+The film //does// end with a cure for vampirism...but it goes a bit further too, as the vampires also create synthetic blood. For most of the film, they continually fail to synthesize blood but end up succeeding by the end. [[#Underworld]] also features synthetic blood, but it's not a plot point.
+==== Night of the Comet ====
+Yes, seriously.\\
+I realized recently that the main bad guys in this [[tmdbm>18462|film]] are //basically// vampires. For some unknown reason, some of the survivors of the comet which wiped out humanity need to receive the blood of the remaining survivors. Though it's never really made clear //why// and what the difference is.\\
+If they don't, they start looking super pale, kinda gross and their skin sticks to their bones, as if their fat disappears.\\
+Definitely one of the more unusual entries here.
 ==== Underworld ====
-I only heard of Underworld in reference to a lawsuit filed by White Wolf against it because they claimed copyright infringement in regards to the World of Darkness. It was settled out of court, though.\\
+I first heard of //Underworld// in reference to a lawsuit filed by White Wolf against it. This is because White Wolf felt their copyright was being infringed in regards to the [[lb:wod]]. It was settled out of court, though.\\
-Underworld and Masquerade have very surface-level similarities, but are quite different. First, vampires aren't dead...vampires are living creatures and specifically a sub-race of humanity.\\
+//Underworld// and //Masquerade// have very surface-level similarities, but are quite different. First, vampires aren't dead...vampires are living creatures and, specifically, an immortal sub-race of humanity.\\
 They're immortal, drink blood and can turn others via a bite...and, well, the sun hurts them. They're also directly related to werewolves and exist in a vampire faction, similar to the Camarilla...I guess.\\
 Though there is only //one// faction in this world...though, keep in mind that I only watched the first two films.\\
-There's also a worldbuilding issue in the sense that vampires cannot be descended from bats because vampire bats don't live in Europe. The story there is that all vampires are descended from the son of Alexander Corvinus. This particular son was bitten by a bat, which is why they have their blood sucking abilities and the weakness to the Sun. Though, again, vampire bats don't live in Europe.
+The origin story for the vampires is that there was a guy named Alexander Corvinus who got infected with the Plague but, instead of killing him, it made him immortal. He had three sons. One of them was bitten by a wolf, which is where all the werewo- I mean...//Lycans// came from. One was bitten by a bat and that one was responsible for all vampires. Then the last one was just a normal guy.\\
+However, there's a worldbuilding issue here. Vampires cannot be descended from bats because vampire bats don't live in Europe. This is actually an interesting quirk of vampire lore...since, well, as far as I can tell...the connection between vampires and bats is retroactive. Though all that matters is the fact it's a mistake.
 ==== World of Darkness ====
-This also includes the Chronicles of Darkness.\\
+This also includes the [[lb:cod]].\\
 I consider the World of Darkness (Vampire: the Masquerade) to have the most definitive portrayal of the vampire. Not only does it account for multiple kinds of vampires, but it also has detailed lore on the history of vampires...as well as a lot of really good worldbuilding, like the Masquerade, which just makes logical sense.\\
-That said, for the sake of inspiration, CoD is probably better looked at instead. It diverges more and has a sandbox-y nature to it, meaning you can better mix and match.
+However, after thinking about it for a while...I came to the conclusion that Masquerade doesn't really have the definitive vampire...with Requiem having that instead. The reason for this is that Requiem's clans are more broad archetypes, while the Masquerade clans are very specific and detailed. Of the Masquerade clans, I think only the Ventrue can be ripped out of Masquerade and plopped into another setting without it being obvious that they came from Masquerade.\\
+For an example of the other side of the coin: the Toreador. They're generally viewed as the ‘sexy’ ones...but they're also obsessive artists who can freeze in place to appreciate a sunrise. The Nosferatu are another example. Sure, they're ugly and whatnot...but they're also very good at gathering information, are extremely tight-nit and build sewer fortresses.\\
-Okay so...my thinking is this: Masquerade has great lore overall. It all fits together neatly and the //basic// vampire lore is basically the gold standard...but when you get down to specifics, it starts breaking down a little. Like, the Toreador are the ‘sexy’ ones, for example, but they're also obsessive artists. The lore fits, but it's also so specific that it can’t really exist outside of Masquerade. However, Requiem's clans are more generic (based on archetypes) which are more specific with Bloodlines. So the clans in Requiem are more malleable for further worldbuilding stuff.\\
+Masquerade's bigger contributions (which can be pilfered for other story ideas) are the Masquerade itself and the vague structure of the Camarilla. Though for more broad vampire tropes, Requiem is likely better suited.
-Considering that, Requiem's //probably// got the more definitive vampires since Masquerade primarily communicated the concept of clans, archetypes and the structure of the Camarilla (and the concept of the Masquerade) rather than...y'know, the specifics.
 ===== Worldbuilding Notes =====
 ==== Temporal Hours ====
-Vampires have a vested interest in using unequal (temporal) hours because they are defined as 12 day hours and 12 night hours. Since the times when night ends vary by day because of the positions of the Sun and Moon depending on the Season, temporal hours would be extremely useful, since you know exactly when the night starts and when it ends.
+Vampires have an interest in using unequal (temporal) hours. Why?\\
+Because temporal hours are defined as 12 day hours and 12 night hours. Normally, the times when night ends vary by day because the positions of the Sun and Moon vary day-to-day and depending on the Season. On the other hand, temporal hours are always based around when the day/night ends. This makes them //extremely useful// for vampires. Though the only real issue is that the length of an hour varies, at least you can keep track of exactly when the sun comes up.