#36
14th Apr 2010 at 6:57 PM
Though I am no big fan of Twilight, I will admit it is an... interesting series. I can honestly say it has been a bit influential on me, and were I to write vampire novels now, there would be only two aspects of the novel I'd borrow.
1) Venom. I like the idea of them having a venom, like a serpent or other predatory creature, and that it paralyzes. That makes them seem like they were part of the world from day one. And honestly, that is how I think Vampires should be. We need something to prey on humans, because they breed exceptionally fast, as a whole. And Vampires would naturally be in danger of being snuffed, not only by their own kind, but the occasional human, and other supernatural beings too. Plus, the three days of pain, that 'freezes' your body in that state; I like that too. Most people are utterly terrified of pain, Three days worth? 72 hours of pure torture? That would be enough to cause most people to retain their mortality.
2) Eyes. I like that the eyes change color with whether or not they fed recently. But the only alteration I would do with this is that you would have different colors (Violet, maybe gold, and a few other odd ones) based off what your normal eye color was. So, someone whose DNA contained the code for violet eyes, but they had been born with blue, would have violet eyes when they have just fed, and blue when they need a 'recharge'. And if you have heterochromia... same process, but seperate colors in the eyes.
But I wouldn't make them sparkle. Sorry. I like my vampires to become bbq in the sun. However, I think it should be a slow burn. Like, among vampire society, if you're a vampire and you break a law, their version of the death penalty is to first deprive you of blood, so you are only as strong as a human, take you to a remote area before sunrise, strip you of your clothes, chain you to a steel rod mounted on a concrete block deep in the ground, and leave you. By nightfall of the next day, there's nothing but a pile of ash where a bad vampire once was. I think Vampires are stronger than that to just go "Ohnoes! Sun! *burst into flame*". I like to think they could spend maybe a few minutes in the sun, if they really wanted, unprotected. Sunblock would help a little, clothing would work as a shield, but ideally, they should not go out in the day. They should smolder and steam in the sun. Like, they develop sunburns, then different degrees of burns, then it actually starts eating holes in them. Any time before being a pile of ash, there is a chance to save them. But it gets lower, the less of the vampire there is...
Hm. Now I am inspired to go write...