Vampires, vampires, vampires!

Ah, vampires. Once so feared as vicious predators, now so stigmatized as sparkly pansies.

If you're writing a vampire novel this year, what will your vampires be like?

I'm edging towards the vicious predator end of the spectrum, but my vampires won't have superhuman strength or speed, or mind-reading abilities, or anything of the like. After all, humans have been at war with vampires for ten years in my novel, so obviously the vampires aren't supremely powerful. Sun will definitely kill them, and they absolutely will not sparkle.

Also, have you worked out the origin of your vampires? Will they be more scientific or supernatural? Or will it be a mystery?

Since I like having plausible (if not entirely possible) explanations for the supernatural in my literature, a virus will be responsible for creating my vampires. They essentially become a host to the virus, which puts all the cells in the host's body into a state of stasis - except the red blood cells, which the virus feeds on. Fresh red blood cells keeps the virus alive, and the virus in turn keeps the host's body animated. Hooray for co-dependent ecosystems!

So yeah. Tell us about your vampires!

I'm writing the first book in a four-part series about supernatural beings. This one is about vampires, the next will be werewolves, and so on.

Vampires can be good or bad in my novel. I prefer the traditional super-speed, super-hearing, super-strength version. Sunlight is uncomfortable and prolonged exposure can be lethal (every seen the Moonlight tv show?). A combination of staking and fire kill. And, no, they don't sparkle.

Honestly, I haven't given much thought to creature origins, but they'll probably be more supernatural than scientific. I may use my necromancers for this. A dying person, a few dark spells, some complicated rituals, and voila - Vampire! ;) Otherwise you need to be bitten.

I love your vamp origins though. I'm always interested to see people's scientific explanations.

Yeah I have vampires if I go for that story and like your's they will not sparkle !

Mine do have abilitys however although it's diffrent for each one, for example one can charm silver and one can walk in the sun. Their at war with each other now, their leader's insane and living in a fifty mile radius has become a fight or flight situation if you're undead.

Their exact origin is a mystery although I've worked out their blood needs to some extent. Mine can exist without blood as they are dead so really they can't die but being deprived of blood for a long time will eventually trap them into a imobile and painful state. Also whilst they are strong and fast they essentialy have human bodies which can't take the punishment and their bones are seriously weak meaning that they need human blood of their own type to heal themselves as they can't produce their own.

As for actual humans, I have any which won't be turned as yet and I don't really want the humans to make freinds with them on the basis that I wouldn't want to have to be introduced to something I was supposed to eat later on.

My story has vampires! They're pretty much ruthless predators. There's no shifting into fog or a bat, however they are capable of putting humans in a thrall and using them to do their bidding. There's also a strict hierarchy, with a sire and his creations, however they're not particularly kind towards each other. Their kills are messy and their feeding is frenzied. They can masquerade as humans but when they vamp out, they actually look rather shark-like, with a mouthful of razor sharp, jagged, uneven fangs.

This story won't go into detail about the origins of these vampires. The main character is completely ignorant about it and is only concerned with getting off the ship; the vampire hunter is far more concerned with killing them. Plus, he's a self-medicating alcoholic so. Yeah. Chances are he's not going to remember. everything that he's been taught except the important things, like survival and slaying. |D

For some reason, I've decided to write about vampires this year, and I'll admit that I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it.

There are three different types of vampires in my story, none of which sparkle.

The first type is more of a traditional type. They're pretty human in their conduct, but they still drink human blood and sleep in coffins. If they go too long without feeding, they'll likely loose control and slaughter the first human they see. Sunlight does not kill them, but it burns their skin and eyes horribly and makes it difficult for them to move. Otherwise, a good ol' stake will do the trick, and they'll avoid crosses at any cost.

The second type is the same as the first, with one crucial difference: they're not nearly as civilised. These vampires have been living in the wild for too long, and their minds have been taken over by an animalistic frenzy. Their primary goal is to feed. They're stronger than the first type, but also less intelligent.

The third type is an evolved version of the first. The sun, stakes and crosses have no effect on them. They coexist with humans in a hidden community, and feed on servings from a local blood bank. They're stronger, faster and overall just a lot more 'perfect'. The only way to get rid of them is to rip and burn them.

In a way, the plot is based on a humans vs. traditional vampires vs. new age vampires conflict.
My main character is a vampire slayer and spends her time hunting down the wild vampires who threaten to destroy the peace in the all-human town that she lives nearby. My two main antagonists are traditional (and very old) vampires who wish to turn the entire human race immortal (albeit for very different reasons).

Oh, and just so it's said, a vampire slayer is born when their mother has had sex with a vampire prior to their birth. I see it as natures way of balancing out the vampire population. They're born with cross markings on the palms of their hands, and they're somewhat more tenacious than other humans, but other than that they're nothing special. Combat and slaying techniques have to be learnt.

No glittery vampires here. I'm still surprised that I fall into this genre this year, but I'm okay with it.

I have two types of vampires in my story: the traditional vampire and the Day Walkers.

Vampires live in the night and tend to live in cities where there are things to do at night. You won't find them in small towns that roll up their sidewalks at dark. They don't sleep in coffins, but do require a place to sleep that is free of sunlight. They can't go out for long in the daylight without dying. The only things that will kill them are prolonged exposure to sunlight, chopping off their heads or burning them. No steaks through the heart. No crosses. No holy water. They do need blood to survive, but they can drink animal blood as well as human blood. Their fangs are not visible unless they are about to drink. Their eyes look normal unless they are hunting, around flowing blood, or about to kill. Their skin is pale and they are immortal. They have can move so quickly that it is beyond human perception. They have super strength and struggle to keep it under control. They cannot change into anything nor can they fly. It is their strength that gives them the appearance of flight when they jump for long distances.

There are Elders who have been vampires for centuries. They have set down a few rules for vampires to follow to help them blend in to human society. One of which is the killing of Innocents. Vampires are not allowed to kill anyone under the age of 16. Nor are they allowed to turn anyone under the age of 16 into a vampire. Vampires are "made" by being nearly drained of all your blood and then drinking the vampire's blood.

There are also "Day Walkers." Day Walkers are vampires so they have all the same capabilities with one exception. Day Walkers are able to be in the sun, just like their name implies. Unlike vampires, Day Walkers are born not made. They have vampire fathers and human mothers. They typically kill their mothers during birth and rarely know their fathers. They age like human children until about eighteen or nineteen, when their aging slows. By the time they are twenty-five, they no longer age. Day Walkers are looked down on by most vampires. The Elders, however, know that they can be useful. They are usually given a job to do: hunt down vampires breaking the law. Day Walkers tend to run in bands of four to six. Very rarely will you see a solo Day Walker, unless they are hunting another vampire.

My story is a vampire book! My vampires live in Medieval Camelot. They do not sparkle, nor do they refuse eating. They drink blood from goblets and eat food once a month at huge banquets. They live forever but can die from serious wounds. Some of the vampires even have magical powers! Once in their forever lifetime, a vampire will cross paths with their bond which is an unbreakable tie between two. If a bond is made, the two forces of the vampires creates a bigger force thus giving them unbeatable power and strength.

I'm thinking more vampirism-as-an-illness this year. It's a virus that immortalizes cells, causes the victim to crave blood, even develop a nutritional dependency on it... But I sort of want to incorporate some supernatural elements outside of that: ghosts, "demon lovers," shadows, etc. I always feel so determined to reconcile it with science, though. Not sure how I'll handle that.

Definitely no sparkles. A very rule bound, "civilized" society, at least on the surface. But other than that I have no idea. I haven't done a vampire novel since my first Nano....so this is a return to a loved genre but I still have a lot of thinking to do to figure out what I want to accomplish.

vampires, yes, two types of them, neither sparkle and neither are immortal.

They are based on vampirism or "true vampires".
You are born with the illness though it is not hereditary. It is an illness that can get worse and worse, though it usually starts to show in puberty, this is called someone's awakening.
The first type is the blood type, they need fresh blood and they usually have their own donor for this. because their own blood does not contain enough energy for it to function properly.
The second type is the energy type, slightly more new-age and rare, but they need energy from something, some prefer nature, some prefer groups of people, some even prefer to use one person.

I did make them more fancy, my energytype vampire can feel someones energy signal and knows when someone is close and my blood type actually lose their eye colour depending on how bad it is for them.
Other than that, they can live in the sun (though are sensitive, burn easy etc) and have quite normal lives. But then, when your best friend can see your future, being able to sense someone that you know the energy pattern off is not that strange ;)

I have a vampire, well sort of... While he can feed on blood, what he actually feeds on are dreams, memories and emotions (think of those as the "basic food groups" on his nutritional pyramid). At least emotions leave chemicals in blood that he can take in. How he feeds on the others that don't, well, I have an idea how it would work but lets just say it's not going to be explained in the novel because he doesn't know, nor care.

And no, eating only dreams would not be healthy for him, and it would still cause people he feeds on problems. Even if he doesn't need to kill people, he's still definitely dangerous to humans and doesn't give a damn about that fact. He's not the kind to angst.

Strong sunlight would harm him or at least weaken him, but he lives in a steampunk city and the sun is dim and blotted out by all the steam and smoke.

I always end up wiritng vampire stories. I'd love to read a horror story again, not a sci-fi diesease. But I can be a sucker for the romance- but not the latest teen romance I was into that and out of that when I was about 8!

My vampire can be loving and caring, but he has his dark sides. I guess they can choose their sides in my story. Sunlight would kill him and that's why he must cover from it. In my story he drinks blood but doesn't need it too often, once in a while is enough. He just loses his special powers if he doesn't drink blood (in example he can't glamour people so well). My vampires do not need to kill the people they are feeding from.

I'm writing about vampires too. Mine are 'classic' vampires with a few other things thrown in that I've added myself. They are half demon reanimated corpses and only about a third of those bitten change. You can stop them changing with spells and rituals, but those are only known to a few older vampire hunters. Guns do no damage to them. Traditional vampire hunting weapons only lol. They need to keep feeding or they'll rot. There's no cure for vampirism in my world.

I have evil vampires, some are morally grey and I only have one truly 'good' vampire that's never really killed (once or twice when he was on the verge of starving). Their abilities depend on how they were as a human. Slight psychic abilities become full blown, natural athleticism becomes super speed etc. I also have a few dhampirs, which are genetic or 'born' vampires.

I have vampires in my novel this year! I will be using traditional vampires, with a few execeptions: they are completely comfortable in sunlight, although it does weaken them a bit. (no sparkling here, although I do love Twilight), the moon's light is a source of power, and when they die, only the body dies. The essance of what they were survives. Confusing, but crucial to my plot.

My vampires have similar "laws of nature" as The Vampire Chronicles (which... surprises no one *eyes screen name*) although not necessarily entirely the same. My vampires do have "super powers", but they don't all have the same ones. For example, MC1 can read minds, move super fast, and has moderate abilities in any other "super power" they might have. He's a pretty well rounded individual, and a very stable, mentally sound individual. MC2 is vicious, has super speed, and not much else. MC3 is the oldest of all of them, but has chosen to forget, and doesn't use any of his powers, or no longer has them, except some mind reading. They all have definite flaws, which is what makes characters interesting, imo. Sunlight burns them to death, but they don't explode into flames immediately (maybe after a minute). Stakes and other paraphernalia have no affect.

I would love to have a scientific explanation, or even a supernatural one, but I haven't come up with one I like. I might not even reveal it in the books if I did come up with one, but I want to at least know for myself! So, it's a mystery, even to me.

Aihhh... this is a tough one for me. I've always sworn that I would never write vampires, partially because I'm not that dazzled by them, and partially because I didn't want to butcher the fictional creation. Definitely not a vampire fan, despite having half of the books I own being about vampires, and being an ex-Buffy/Angel fan.

But I've always had this character, nicknamed Mix, that has been...supernatural. I've never put a label on him because I couldn't decide what he was (albeit I now just call him my little chameleon) But I need to have a race or species for him in my novel. And I watched 'Let Me In', and with some info about Sumerian folklore from a fellow writer, I've decided to smack the vampire label on him.

So, my vampires are of legend, but with a twist. They're not beautiful, or flawless in appearance, and there's nothing physical about them that makes them stand out from the crowd. They do, however, trigger the human instinct of terror - the typical fight or flight response - but they have the ability to manipulate their own auras as to put the people around them at ease. No mind-reading or shapeshifting happens. They're also very strong and very fast, and have the mind for strategy. But they feed only on those who attract them, which would be the people they can see a little bit of darkness in. They don't necessarily HAVE to feed, but they do when the urge strikes.

I have a question, though.
Exaclty why is it that vampires burn in the sunlight?
Mine don't, only because I can't find a logical/believable explanation as to why they would turn into ash in the sun.

Considered having a few types of Vampires should I head this direction for my novel... All of which will share similiar traits.

This is just an idea for my novel. :3

- Sunlight kills then. (Humans sacrificed walking out under the sun, part of a pact/spell/curse to become Immortal taken thousands of years ago.)
- Another part of the pact would be - In order for the Vampires to substain youthful looks, Immortality, and more. They must drain victims of their blood, and use that as a life source for themselves. Basically, a life for a longer life.
- If the Vampire can't feed, the Vampire will get weaker and weaker until death.
- If the Vampire has no head, the vampire can't feed, and dies.
- Because of the 'pact' (curse) they took, Vampires are unable to cross Holy or blessed items. They are also unable to enter a Church, or home, without permission.
- The more blood a Vampire drinks, the more lifesource they can control, this enhances their looks and abilities.
- A vampire can offer his/her curse to another, under the strict rules of the coven. This can happen through a ritual, where the Vampire takes half of the Human's blood, and then offers his/her victim their blood. After the ritual has finished a newborn is created, ready to be taught how to control their thirst for blood.


Basically, thousands of years ago, a pact was made between Humans and some sort of supernatural force. This ended up with their being the first set of pureblood and powerful Vampires.

Over time, the curse has weakened, but those purebloods still remain. Well, some of them do.


Will add more, if I can think of any. :3 Was written at College during a free.

I am so glad to hear we're done with sparkles. I was thinking this past spring that I was going to do a very non-sparkly set of short vampire stories for NaNo. But I got ahead of myself and published them last month... oh well, on to "haunted" houses that kill people.

I am a science-minded individual, but I love paranormal. So I find it interesting when people think of clever ways the supernatural came to be. Looking forward to reading new takes on one of the oldest monsters!

Wow. Thanks for the link imaginepageant!
I saw a documentary on children who suffer from that a while ago. Poor, poor kids!

Anyway. I forgot to mention, my vampires are immortal.
Immortal as in, deathless, never decaying, imperishable. They live for eternity. Which is why I'm running with my theory that vampires don't NEED to feed. If something can't perish, it doesn't need anything to sustain it. Like honey. It's the one food that will never rot, never go off, never expire. You don't need to add anything to it, it just is what it is, naturally. Same with my vampires' immortality.

Bet nobody has ever made that comparison before, huh? XD

But my vampires are evil and it's in their nature to do horrible things, and like attracts like, which is why they have their fangs out for the bad people in the world. It's not a way to rid the world of evil, either, that's not their intention. That's just an indirect result of them targetting people with 'bad' blood. That, and the fact that they'll get really sick if they so much as dared to drink the blood of an innocent person. In the story it's because the 'good' in the innocents repels them. But it's really just because I'll inflict all kinds of pain and torture on them if they tried to kill off any of my other characters. Mix has issues with sharing his spotlight with anyone else. I need borders to keep him in check.
Stupid, egocentric, jealous muse.

Anyway. I'm going to try to make my vampires a bit more realistic. I always thought it's such a major contradiction to claim a vampire is immortal, but yet it HAS to feed to live, it has to HUNT to sustain itself, or heal itself, or become more powerful. That defeats the object of being immortal, in my opinion.