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--- lb:vampires [2025-05-02 18:17:52] – [Daybreakers] ninjasr
+++ lb:vampires [2025-09-22 16:57:50] (current) – ninjasr
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 **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.\\
 Oh, right, half-vampires half-humans are called [[playground:dhampirs]].
+<WRAP centeralign>
+[[lb:wnotes:vampires]]
+</WRAP>
 {{tag>mythology}}
-===== Description and Notes =====
+===== Description & 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//.
+I'll add their origin notes <del>a bit</del> 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.
@@ Line 11: / Line 14: @@
 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 =====
+There are a bunch of different vampire-like creatures across mythology, but I'll //mostly// be limiting myself to those I'm going to write include on the wiki.
+==== Iso Onna ====
+This is a Japanese vampire-like woman yokai. More to be added later.
+==== Jiangshi ====
+Chinese hopping vampires. I don't know anything about them, so I need to look into them first.
+==== Jubokko ====
+The [[lb:Jubokko]] is a yōkai that drinks blood. The twist? It's a tree.
+I would have never thought that a blood-sucking tree would be an interesting monster idea.\\
+Though that's mostly where the similarities end. I'm mentioning it particularly because I personally think it's pretty cool.
+It's described on [[https://yokai.com/jubokko/|yokai.com]].
+==== Nikusui ====
+//Another// kind of vampire woman yokai from Japan. Though these ones may be closer to cannibals.
+==== 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.
+==== Vetala ====
+My friend linked the [[wp>Vetala]] to me, suggesting it might be related to a vampire (then immediately changed his mind). I'll check later.
+==== Wendigos ====
+It was told to me by a friend that Wendigos are similar to vampires and...yeah, so I put them here. Though I won't expand on this section for now.
 ==== Zombies ====
-The relationship between [[playground: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.\\
+The relationship between [[playground:myth: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//.\\
+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.\\
+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.
+==== Chronicles of Darkness ====
+In comparison to [[lb:wod|Vampire: the Masquerade]], I think that [[lb:cod|Vampire: the Requiem]] does a better job with vampires. //Masquerade// has more complete and interesting lore, but //Requiem// has better vampire archetypes, aided more by the mix-and-match nature of the lore.
+Now, previously, I didn't think I needed a dedicated section for the //Chronicles of Darkness//, since I assumed vampires were exactly the same between the two gamelines...until I found some stuff while skimming thru //Requiem// splatbooks that made me pause.
+I think there's a very subtle implication that the vampires in //Chronicles// are //not dead// but instead in a strange in-between state. I assume this for two main reasons:
+  * Daeva can somehow have sex without using the Blush of Life.((:fn:>I'm getting this from the Daeva book, where there's a story where something like this ends up happening.\\ I will have to check it again later, though the implication is there because per the character explaining it (the man who decided to sex a vampire), the body warmed up //during// the sex.))
+  * Female vampires can get pregnant //somehow//.((:fn:>This one is more ambiguous because it's obviously unnatural and vampires are naturally sterile.\\ There are slight differences between the editions regarding dhampir, though I'm only sure about one. The only thing made clear about how they happen is that it's ‘unnatural’ with the implication that it's up to the players and Storyteller to figure out the actual mechanics.))
+Neither of those are possible in //Masquerade// (‘sfar as I know).\\
+This kinda implies that they aren't just dead, right?\\
+Though I did briefly forget that //Chronicles// has a more Lego approach to play and lore...so while the implication is there, it isn't like there is a ‘canon’. I personally prefer vampires as in an in-between state, so I guess they are.
+Anyway, one issue I have is with the sheer number of bloodlines in //Requiem//. I think it enters the realm of unrealistic if we assume they're all ‘canon’...but since //Requiem// and //[[lb:cod]]// have lore that functions like Lego, I assume it's more a pick-and-choose sorta thing, so it's not a big deal. Though it still raises the question of //where//the bloodlines come from and how they form. I don't think there's a concrete answer.
 ==== 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 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 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.\\
+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.((:fn:>I realized that part of this film is relevant to the [[lb:story character]] article, so I'll be writing something at some point.)) 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 films, this is a failure, but they succeed by the end. [[#Underworld]] also features synthetic blood, but it's not a plot point.
+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.
+==== Kumo Desu ga, nani ka ====
+[[lb:kumoka]] has Sophia and her butler as vampires, though the depiction of vampires is pretty standard.
+There is some stuff later that reveals <wrap spoiler>that the first demon lord was a company CEO who became a vampire prior to getting the job of Demon Lord. Also, vampirism is apparently a disease rather than being a trait of a distinct race. Sophia is a major exception for being a vampire who is ‘pure’: having been born as one</wrap>.
+==== 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.
+==== Power Rangers ====
+The main antagonists of [[lb:Power Rangers]] Lightspeed Rescue have a vampire theme. That's it for now, I don't remember much else besides a sexy vampire lady who I never really thought of as particularly sexy.
+==== Tolkien's Legendarium ====
+Vampires apparently exist in the [[lb:legendarium|Legendarium]] though they are never seen directly. The only ‘canon’ mention (that I remember) is in the Silmarillion, where Sauron takes the form of a vampire when he runs away one time.
+More will be added later.
 ==== Underworld ====
-I fist 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.\\
+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, 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.\\
+Though there is only //one// faction in this world...though, keep in mind that I only watched the first two films.
 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.
+==== WarCraft ====
+The vampires (Dread Lords) in [[lb:WarCraft]] work for the Burning Legion and, in WarCraft 3, they're heroes in the Undead.
+I //did// write that more is to be added later...but I don't know what else I could really say. The Dread Lords are very standard-ish vampires, except they don't seem to be affected by the Sun and they are explicitly demons.
+Apparently there are //other// kinds of vampires in WoW, but I don't know anything about them. Yet.
 ==== World 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.
-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.\\
 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.\\
+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.
-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.
-===== Worldbuilding Notes =====
+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.
-==== Temporal Hours ====
-Vampires have an interest in using unequal (temporal) hours. Why?\\
+One aspect of the worldbuilding that's actually kinda important (and possibly not present in //Requiem//) is the fact vampires are subjects/subordinate to their sire...and this goes all the way to the top of a given clan. This is the justification given for vampiric society being organized despite every vampire apparently being pre-disposed to backstabbing.
-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.
+===== Trivilinks =====
+  * I spun off worldbuilding notes into its own article because it got very long and complicated.