I feel so dirty on this one.
First, I feel sick just putting any Twilight picture on here. I’ll make things better for myself with a picture at the end. Second, this isn’t supposed to be a Twilight bash, so I’m going to get some history out of the way first. Okay, maybe a rant and I hope people answer the question too.
Prior to Twilight, vampires were menacing and vicious. Even the good ones had moments of going bad or a reason for why they were neutered. Angel had a soul. Spike had a chip in his head. Morbius still had a moral compass. Yet, they still killed and took on a monstrous appearance at times. Unless you’re in a comedy or a kid’s show, a vampire needs to be a monster. Then came Twilight and vampires are now seen as . . . I don’t even know what to call them. Eunuchs? Bitches? It isn’t even the series fault because Meyers never set out to destroy the vampire mythos. It’s the idiot fans that never knew real vampires or are harboring long desires for David Boreanaz only they want him to look like he did in the 90’s.
As much as readers and vampire fans cringe if someone says the word ‘twilight’, writers got nailed on this one. I remember reading about publishing companies rejecting anything that had vampires because they were getting swamped with Twilight clones. I don’t remember this ever happening with Harry Potter. Somewhere in this time, people were made to believe that anyone could write a book because Stephanie Meyers did it. So, they all tried to do exactly what she did and, somehow, they did it worse. This in turn made it a challenge and near death sentence for an author to write about vampires. As someone whose second series will be vampires, I’m angry because I’ve been planning mine since 1999. Though, mine will definitely be the blood, gore, and violence vampires. No daytime disco ball, high school trolling bloodsucker that thinks mortal jailbait will make the perfect wife because (I assume) she smells better than the other girls. Seriously, Angel did it better and it was revealed there was a reason for him being there beyond waiting a wife.
So, what do I look for in vampires? Viciousness. I can get behind a hero vampire just as much as I can get behind the monster. For me, a vampire can have a consciousness, but they have to always be at war with their monster side. There needs to be the drinking of blood and the path of bodies in their wake. Whether it be victims or villains, I don’t care as long as that ferocity and bloodlust is there. I enjoy them having a seductive, sensual appeal too because there’s always been something about the vampire mythos that makes them attractive to mortals. It can be hypnosis, an aura of attraction, or being damn hot, but their attractiveness is one of the things that sets them apart from the ugly monsters. A drooling werewolf (with or without shirt) will make you run on sight. A charming vampire that you don’t realize is a monster will bring in the suspense of ‘will the mortal figure it out or is this one a snack?’
Again, not to bash on Twilight, but you really can’t avoid that when vampires come up. Yes, I got in a vampire discussion over the weekend with a stranger and it did not go well. So, throw your hat into the ring on this one. What do you, as a reader, look for in the beloved bloodsuckers? Here’s a palate cleanser for the Mr. Shparkles picture:
Forgot caption
It’s so beautiful
