Aha, well... No, this is not to discuss Vampires in the sense of how you feel about them, as that'd be utterly pointless on my end since I can't really discuss them. I went through the member documentations and such, and didn't really find anything, so... I'm curious to know what sorts of qualities/characteristics vampires possess. I, personally, have never really been into them and don't have a single character of said race, but since I've read the first book from the Twilight series (yay for joining hypes and only realizing it's a hype after the fact), I'm kinda curious. I discussed a bit with my best friend, but rather than go romping across the internet and getting a dozen different results for each search that may or may not have anything to do with anything, I'm curious to know what's common and such. I wouldn't care otherwise except for the fact that some of the facts that were always set in stone in my head (vampires drink human blood, for one, which was something that has been changed across many books, including Anne Rice's writings, according ot my best friend), aren't really... well, set in stone. And now that I'm taking a sudden interest, I'd be curious to know, like I said, what's common knowledge, what's not, etc. Besides, I'm craving something different at the moment, and I think a vampire would amuse me for the time being.

What I think I know: Vampires thirst for blood, garlic is evil, they don't have a reflection in mirrors or surfaces of water, sunlight is inherently evil, and silver is killer. Am I right? XD Hum.

What else is there?

I hope I put this in the right forum >>;

On my RPG board, which is with vampires, they're based on Dracula (naturally, since I am Dracula there...)... meaning ordinary vampires aren't happy with silver and sunlight, and holy objects of the Christian kind. They don't have reflections in mirrors...

they can cross water though, and garlic does nothing to them. Only the most ancient and/or powerful ones can shapeshift and usually only into one animal. Dracula of course can shapeshift into a wolf, into tons of bats and mist. Some have other powers, like mindreading, mind-changing and so on... and then they're also always stronger and faster than the ordinary human, and they have enhanced senses:)

but I really think vampires on roleplay-boards are different, depending on which vampire-genre the board supports and so on. My kind of vampires there are the Dragulian kind of vampires, not the Riceans (Anne Rice)... still I don't think there can really be made one member guide about vampires, because they can be so different, depending on who decides which kind and what powers they should have and so on, on each board...

Also depends on the vampire myth. There are soooo many from so many different locations and cultures, so no one take on vampires is true. I mean you got Dracula, you got Nosferatu, you got Chinese Hopping Vampires, etc. Irish vampires are rather terrifying.

So yeah, there are a LOT. No one view is wrong, and it's always fun to take a concept and give it your own personal twist.

Wikipedia has a lot of stuff about vampires. 8D

they're anal-retentive. If you throw sunflower seeds at them, they'll feel a compulsion to count every seed.

^ Whoa. Never knew that... o.O

Hmmm... Well my knowledge of vampires is so limited that pretty much everything but what I mentioned above is not known to me, especially that last comment about being anal XD. I find it all very fascinating, though. And I realize that because vampires are part of the fantasy genre that you can do whatever you want with them, but I still like to know basic traits, such as being pale or this or that, you know?

I checked out Wiki! XD There's a lot of information on there, so I only skimmed at the time. People always shun Wiki though so... A little skeptical at times, but I'll take another swing at it.

I'm looking to cultivate facts so that if I ever do create one, I have all of these wonderful things to choose from. Though from the sounds of it, it's about as open-ended as wanting to create a human character in a fantasy world, I suppose. XD Hmmm... Thanks for the replies so far =) I'm finding it very interesting.

My mother was telling me about one myth in which if you throw marbles at them they have to collect them all/count them, I can't really remember the full story. But with every vampire genre authors tend to bend the myths, Maryjanice Davidson has 'Queen Betsy' who (unlike her 'followers' and other vampires aside from her consort) is not effected by the stake in the heart/burst into flames/Christian symbolism and church.
So really you can bend a vampire 'rule' to how you wish it, most people drop the garlic thing and silver (has always regardless of what people say) only effect the werewolves.

Haha yeah... I think garlic and silver are just part of the mainstream kids vampires... At least, that's the only place I've ever seen it used and heard it used - not that I've read much, but I always seem vampires at Halloween >>;

Thanks for all of the lovely replies. =) It helped. If anybody else has anything to add, please do!

Question: What if the vampire is an athiest?

for my board, i made my own breed. i did the research and then compiled the information together that i liked for my vampires to have. that way, there are little bits of vampires from all over the world in mine.

i kept the silver but only as an allergy and the only reason garlic is a problem to them is because of their strong sense of smell. other than that, i threw out a lot of the other stereotypes and myths. the sun, of course, i kept, but i allowed the older vampires to be more tolerable of indirect sun and the ancients can walk in the day light.