Mind Of Men: Why Women Love Vampires And Men Don’t
Posted by: John DeVore
Filed in:
guys
12:00PM, Wednesday September 9th 2009
When I try to explain my ardor for HBO’s trashy-fabulous soap opera “True Blood” to my dude friends, they either shrug and change the topic, or question whether I’ve been writing for ladyblogs for too long and am suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome. Dudes just don’t dig bloodsuckers, since vampires pretty much look like girls. We prefer zombies, because we love chainsaws, flamethrowers, and samurai swords. And because, on some level, we know that besides being vehicles for sperm, our other important, if lesser, genetic imperative is to defend our loved ones from hordes of unthinking, flesh-eating metaphors for current social anxieties.
My knowledge of “True Blood” will help me convince turbo-hotties to come back to my sweet fourth-floor walk-up in Queens, where I will love them forever, or until I have to call the unemployment office at 10 a.m., whichever comes first.
To most guys, vampires are the monster movie equivalent of that sensitive man-sponge in college who plays acoustic guitar in order to seduce chicks. They’re what you get when you cross your average Renaissance Fair enthusiast with a mosquito. And what’s with their greatest weaknesses being most kinds of Italian food, Sunday school, and the sun, which helps flowers grow? Really? Why women find date-rapey parasites who wear capes compelling must have something to do with deeply primal fears. A vampire is a monster, who looks, acts, and talks like a man. Who is passionate, romantic, and tortured. To surrender to this character is to play with fire. The vampire, in many ways, is the prototype of the bad boy. Women love bad boys – they’re exciting, and the chance to change him, to break him like a horse, must be an irresistible challenge. If self-destruction weren’t seductive on some superficial level, then no one would ever need rehab.
But I am like most guys in that I am a fan of zombie flicks. “28 Days Later” may possibly be my favorite movie ever. I’m also a fan of alien and robot movies, but more often than not, it seems women are more adept at dispatching those. Zombie movies indulge male power-fulfillment fantasies. We enjoy pretending to be dragon-slaying knights or bad-guy-perforating cowboys or Bruce Willis, saving our ex-wife from a skyscraper full of terrorists. Before any feminist blood vessels burst, let me explain that this fantasy goes hand-in-hand with a male-specific fear that speaks to ancient genetic programming. That for all our swagger, testosterone, and machismo, we cannot protect those we love. The disaster call for women and children to evacuate first isn’t chivalry, inasmuch as it’s evolutionarily smarts. The women and children will continue the species; the men are disposable. We fear being useless, especially once we have issued forth our baby-making essence.
In “True Blood,” the vampire Bill has decided to change himself, to fight his ferocious nature. He struggles to be a better, um, corpse. He rejects the cold, bloodthirsty vampirism of his peers, and tries to embrace those human virtues he once had: selflessness, mercy, kindness, and justice. In some ways, he’s less a vampire and more a superhero. Then he falls in love with someone he is told he shouldn’t. And his love for Sookie, a human woman, is a choice he has made, regardless of the scorn heaped upon him by the undead and the living alike. He protects her, despite his fears that he is completely impotent, powerless to defend her from a world that despises them both. And she returns the favor, despite her fears that underneath sweet words and passion is an animal waiting to pounce. A little bit for men and women.
I’m even ditching this coming Sunday’s beer-soaked bro-down—it’s the premiere episode of a popular show called “The NFL”—as I’m going to be watching the season finale of “True Blood” with Amelia. I’m watching it because my employment may or may not depend on it. And because chicks will dig it when I can talk about Eric and Maryann and Action Stackhouse; it’s how I “open” a pick-up artist-style “set.” My knowledge of “True Blood” will help me convince turbo-hotties to come back to my sweet fourth-floor walk-up in Queens, where I will love them forever, or until I have to call the unemployment office at 10 a.m., whichever comes first.
Sigh. Oh screw it. I love this show, without condition. I love that Alan Ball followed up his twee meditation on mortality, “Six Feet Under,” with a show that’s just about hot sexing and gratuitous gore. It’s a soft-core comic book, nothing more, nothing less. I fully accept that there’s a part of me that will always be a pear-shaped teenage goth girl. I mean, I’m reading the “True Blood” books, for the love of Godric. Horror movies, books, and television shows reflect our collective fears, and “True Blood” is awesome because it sneaks male fears into a female-oriented program. Also: because all the women are hot and sometimes they show their boobies.
TheFrisky.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network
Raugiel
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:08 am: [report]
I haven’t watched any True Blood, or viewed its related products. However, as an avid hater of Buffy and Angel (which this appears to be a remake of…) I will happily say that not all females are trapped in the throws of the vampire. Honestly, the “tortured lover” vampire makes no sense to me. Also, I love robot, zombie, and suit-mation movies. Give me Gamora over Ed Cullin any day of the week.
lostrun
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:08 am: [report]
I’m woman, and I prefer zombies over vampires. Twilight sucked, but Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead rocked!
Raugiel
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:09 am: [report]
@ lostrun - YES! Shawn of the Dead is still my favorite zombie movie!
Riley
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:17 am: [report]
28 Days Later is one of my all-time favorites.
I really like True Blood. It does have a deeper meaning regarding the gay community though. Especially evident with the Fellowship of the Sun’s treatment towards vampires. Nothing wrong with taking it at face, but there is something more to it.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:20 am: [report]
How Twilight Should Have Ended.
Arsenic
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:26 am: [report]
@Raugiel
I didn’t particularly like buffy/angel either, I HATE twilight (mary sue anyone?), and I love zombies, but I actually like true blood. It’s much more intelligent and sexy than buffy ever was, and manages to poke fun at itself without getting too cheesy, at least in the first season. Seriously, try the first season- it’s actually pretty good (minus the first episode of course).
_jsw_
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:29 am: [report]
@Riley: Agreed. There’s deeper meaning, and that’s part of what makes it so enjoyable. It’s got drama, humor, attractive people, subtle undertones, and, as JDV mentioned, nice breasts. I’m not saying it’s everyone’s cup of tea, but it does seem to be the anti-Twilight, and it also, again as JDV mentioned, it makes for great pick-up artistry. I mean, look: John is watching it at Amelia’s. I guarantee you that, as the hour goes on, her live-blog entries will become shorter, less frequent, less grammatically correct, and punctuated with seemingly out of place phrases like “Oh, God, yes!” The final ten minutes won’t have any entries until hours later, when she’ll write “Oh, and then they, um… killed the monster and, um, Bill said something in a Southern accent, and I think Eric had his shirt off.” If they continue with the “What we wore today” series, look for her to wear something that covers her neck, and note how tired she looks.
A day or two later, look for an uncharacteristically upbeat “The Mind of Man” article.
You dog, you, Mr. DeVore.
Shriekback68
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:32 am: [report]
I was reluctant to watch “True Blood” at first, as I find the whole “vampire” chic rather boring. But I have to admit: I got hooked. The writing is clever, the actors have a good chemistry with each other, and the show doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. Excellent series, IMO (so far).
Kati-Anne
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:42 am: [report]
I’m pretty sure the next pet I get is going to be called ‘Sookie’ so I can talk to it in a Bill Compton voice. Sookeh!
_jsw_
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 11:48 am: [report]
@Kati-Anne: Just be sure to use the Bill Compton voice, not Stephen Moyer’s real voice, which sounds a bit like Dakota Fanning speaking in a British accent.
R
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 12:01 pm: [report]
My boyfriend was a “bad boy” who I have now changed =D lol. I got him into Twilight and now he loves the whole vampire / werewolf thing. I’ve wanted to get into True Blood for a while but I haven’t had the time. I’ll probably start reading the books. I have a question though, does the show follow the books? or is the show just inspired by the books or something?
_jsw_
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 12:05 pm: [report]
@R: The show is inspired by the books, but, according to what I’ve read (not the books, which I haven’t, but reviews), there are differences which might become substantial over the run of the series.
hlnbabe
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 12:07 pm: [report]
it’s smutty soft-core porn. what’s not to love? bill compton can have his way with me anyday.
also, it’s not remotely similar to Twilight or Buffy. i insist you give it a try sometime, guy or girl. it’s a bit more gruesome, but filled with much better looker people.
_jsw_
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 12:11 pm: [report]
@hlnbabe: “but filled with much better looker people”
True, but in the second season at least, I think it’s fair to say that Alan Ball didn’t limit himself to just model-beautiful people in his casting nor in his nude scenes.
And I don’t mean that as a negative. It’s one of the ways the show distinguishes itself from others.
dudette
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 01:08 pm: [report]
I dont think that vampire movies typically fall under girl category. My Dad has always enjoyed a good (or bad-depending how you look at it-ha!) vampire horror flick. Actually, I think that vampires and zombies went hand in hand until about a year or so ago when vampires went soft. I hate these new series and movies like Twilight and True Blood about vampires in LOVE with people. Ugh. I want my monsters cold and out to kill, not realizing their emotions. The reason so many girls like “vampire” movies now is because its just a classic romance plot line disguised as horror.
skywalk
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 01:11 pm: [report]
My friend/patron just gave me this book:
How To Catch and Keep a Vampire
It is a riot!
Queen Frostine
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 01:22 pm: [report]
I’ve never liked vampires outside of Anne Rice. Rice’s vampires worked (for me) because Lestat was like Bruce Willis. He was the ego-filled action-hero guns-a-blazing, fighting, hunting type of guy who was often really funny. And when it wasn’t action packed, it was straight up smut. Which was always good.
effing hickster
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 01:22 pm: [report]
Shadow of the Vampire = best bloodsucker flick ever!
“Go ahead! Eat the writer! That will leave you explaining how your character gets to Bremen!”
hlnbabe
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 01:54 pm: [report]
@_jsw_ : i meant generally compared to Angel or Buffy. And you’re right, he does go all over on attractiveness, but the main characters are all smoking, guy and girl.
neongh0st
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 02:01 pm: [report]
As a renfair enthusiast, I feel the need to defend my brethren from your tiny slight. The guys I know from such events are good with their hands, able to rock the doublet, and fun when drunk. Not the weepy sensitive type.
Riley
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 02:04 pm: [report]
@neongh0st - You know they didn’t have the internet during the Renaissance.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 03:08 pm: [report]
FYI the October issue of Playboy is the “Vampire” issue.
The Shark Has Been Jumped
Pinky
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 03:37 pm: [report]
Still pining for Louis in Interview With a Vampire…not being a Pitt lover I still found myself mesmerized by his portrayal however, he was so beautiful and the character so tortured. I would have given him neck.
Sofjna
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 04:07 pm: [report]
@Pinky: I agree with you word for word on that one. However it was years before I would re-watch that movie since I thought it was horrible compared to the book.
@Riley: 28 Days Later sucked! Although I do kinda want to see Zombieland, I guess because I’ve read about it a few times in Fangoria.
Diana Laurence
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 05:09 pm: [report]
Good writing is good writing, John, glad you admitted it. Regardless of my love for vampires (and I have it bad), Alan Ball is irresistible.
—Diana Laurence (http://www.howtocatchandkeepavampire.com)
DancingGeek
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 07:54 pm: [report]
If you want to see a truly great vampire movie- 30 Days of Night- now THOSE are vampires!
I read all the twilight books they were “eh” but once I start something I have to finish. I have not seen the movie(not sure I can tolerate Kristin Stewart for that long).
I think the Interview with the Vampire movie did not do the book justice (plus Tom Cruise sucks - probably literally LOL)
impoddity
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 08:08 pm: [report]
@Pinky: I’m with you too about Louis, though I was more intrigued by Armand. My 8 year-old mind (the age of my first viewing) was blown. I call that the beginning of my fascination with vamps.
I have to say though, that the True Blood character I’d most like to encounter in a dark alley is Pam. I would gladly expose any one of my major arteries to her. It’s those pouty lips. She could suck on me all night long….
alpikann
wrote on September 9 2009 @ 08:39 pm: [report]
@impoddity Yeah, I’m definitely feeling Pam too.
I can enjoy a good zombie or vampire movie just like everyone else. I loved 28 days/weeks later even though in like the first scene I said something along the lines of “#&@$% the two colored eye kid’s a carrier” and was laughed at until the end of the movie when I was vindicated. My family has in fact made a zombie plan because we believe they are the most likely monster to happen in real life.
But I think my favorite monster is the werewolf, at least as far as books go. They seem to have so much more potential for the imagination to me.
stringbeans
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:22 am: [report]
@sofjna: what!? 28 Days Later was pure genius!
as someone who considers some of her favourite movies to include 28 Days Later and The Dreamers, i figured i would love all the violence and gratuitous sex in ‘true blood’ but instead when i started watching i was actually bored by it all.
also probably influenced in my dislike by the guy i was dating at that time considering his hero/idol to be jason stackhouse. way to feel valued.
TotallyRidiculous
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 08:21 am: [report]
I find it kind of odd that people say Trueblood is a female oriented program when it is chalk full of graphic nasty sex and gore. I think guys just don’t want to give it a chance because they think it is going to be like twilight.
Ellis
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 08:24 am: [report]
I think part of our attraction to vampires has to do with that whole noble thing Bill Compton (and Edward Cullen, etc etc) has going on. The characters are monsters who look like men - but who are determined to overcome that monster nature. They could overpower the women they’re involved with easily, and have a side that’s urging them to do so - but, they never would. What woman doesn’t want a man who’s willing to struggle that hard to conquer his inner demons/inner caveman/inner what-have-you?
Plus, they also protect their women from bad guys, but don’t make it look misogynist because the bad guys are supernatural creatures you can’t reasonably expect the mortal women to handle. Thus, we’re allowed to swoon over their knightly, super-protective natures.
Or maybe that’s just me. Hey.
Also, zombies are awesome.
kristy1584
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:08 pm: [report]
My boyfriend watched true blood bc he thinks the blonde chick in it is hot. I forget her name Anna Pasquin or something like that. Its a decent show as far as I can tell from the few episodes Ive seen. Anna whatever her name is supposedly gets naked a lot. (So says my BF)
Diana Laurence
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 07:15 pm: [report]
Very well said, Ellis. Vampires give women the chance to swoon without worrying that it’s not PC.
Gingee
wrote on September 11 2009 @ 10:09 am: [report]
Twilight was sort of silly.
However, the best love story, which is all they are, is the 1979 Dracula with Frank Langella. It has the most erotic, sensual scene ever.
It is beautifully filmed, and it is about a love story between equals. Sensous to the maxiumum possible.
Diana Laurence
wrote on September 11 2009 @ 10:37 am: [report]
Gingee, spot on! I’ve watched that scene over and over. Just love that movie and Frank Langella’s portrayal.
majicksand
wrote on September 12 2009 @ 12:15 pm: [report]
Never seen True Blood. I loved Buffy. My fascination began with the completely campy movie. It was so stupid it was fabulous. Twilight wasn’t bad when you consider it was written for teenaged girls. My fave zombies live (feed?) in Raccoon City trying to avoid Leon and Claire.
Gingee
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 07:02 am: [report]
Twilight - never read the book - and never will. I have read Breaking Dawn and now want that drug that will erase bad memories. That book reeks. It is so bad that the best destiny for it is to become Kitty Scratch Post.
The outtakes, the deleted scenes, made more sense. The one thing that irritated me was at the end, when Edward leaves his gal alone and Jacob appears. The director added that part for Jacob to tie into the next movie.
As for the author who said that vampires are bad boys: Nonsense. They’re carnivores, like humans are carnivores, and other than that, there is no reason why they cannot feel love, desire, hate, all that.
If anything, vampires such as Mick St. John (Moonlight) and Angel are Good Guys. They have the ability to be cruel, they have the power to take a life, but they have chosen to be good and to protect lives.
They’re not nice guys, they are good guys.
Diana Laurence
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 07:36 am: [report]
Gingee, I like that, “they’re not nice guys, they are good guys” (and Mick is a great character, BTW). Meanwhile, I do understand the author’s point: for many people, vampires represent the dark side of human nature, and we are drawn to the opposite of what society expects us to be. However, for others, vampires are more the way you describe them: perfectly capable of high moral conduct. In my book “How to Catch and Keep a Vampire” I talk about three categories: the good (like Mick and Angel), the bad (the kind that adopt a dangerous persona but are actually beneficient), and the evil (up to no good). I find I enjoy all three types!
Gingee
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 08:31 am: [report]
I do not understand this part:
for many people vampires represent the dark side of human nature, and we are drawn to the opposite of what society expects us to be (drawn to).
Who is in this society?
For me, nothing can be duller than the idea that a vampire is merely a carnivore, whose existance is sleeping and eating.
Any sane gal would want Mick St. John or a guy like him: He will never get fat, bald and wrinkled, he is intelligent, has to be to have survived so many years, and of course he is wealthy.
Mick and Moonlight on Fridays: The perfect combination: Kick the guys out of the house, this hour is for us.
Thanks for the info about yuur book. I will send to title to the Purchasing Section of the library.
*typed as I’m wearing my:
And then Buffy staked Edward. The End”
t-shirt.
Yes, I AM attening the tea party for Bella and Edward. Would LOVE to be there with a guy dressed like Edward Cullen or Frank Langella as Dracula.
Diana Laurence
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 08:57 am: [report]
Clearly we have similar taste in vampires! Spot on about Mick’s assets.
To clarify: Many women were raised to be cooperative, sociable, well-mannered, domestic, etc. Even nowadays I believe that is often true. (And to be fair, men are raised to be “good citizens” as well.) Deep down we all sometimes wish we could be selfish, antagonistic, wild, and dominating once in awhile. But most of us recognize that acting out these desires is not in our best interests. So we find ourselves fantasizing about people who ARE that way…for example, vampires. Because they are the embodiment of traits we are not able to indulge, they fascinate us. I’m not saying this is universal, but I do believe it’s common.
And thanks re passing on the book info! I very much appreciate it.
Gingee
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 09:28 am: [report]
Thank you for the reply.
There is a society of Vampire/Fiction fans, they will be thrilled to have a new (your) book.
AChanceAtHeaven
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 09:32 am: [report]
What submissive wouldn’t like a man biting her exposed, naked neck, owning her with his strong, manly teeth… um, that’s what my friend likes, I think…
_jsw_
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 09:35 am: [report]
@ACAH: I have a hard time seeing you as a sub. I await further comments for analysis.
AChanceAtHeaven
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 09:42 am: [report]
@_jsw_: I’m leather-clad right now, holding a whip in one hand while I type with the other, using my slave as a footrest…
_jsw_
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 09:46 am: [report]
@ACAH: There now, that’s more what I’d pictured. I’m glad you’ve stopped trying to pose as someone you’re not.
Gingee
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 10:49 am: [report]
My slave is typing for me, and if he’s a good boy, he might be allowed to finish licking the bottom of my boots. After he cleans the boots, he may be permitted a cup chilled cup of chicken’s blood. In another year - and if he does not bore me - I just might take a drink from his veins.
Diana Laurence
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 11:18 am: [report]
You guys rock my [leather] socks. You’re hilarious. Hey, Gingee, can you give me a URL for the society of Vampire/fiction fans, or some more info? I’m intrigued.
Gingee
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 12:23 pm: [report]
There is no URL for my group.
Wanna have some fun with the Wimps who know what we are and who drool at the thought of being with us:
Using velvet or crushed cotton, make a simple belt. No buckls, just tie the ends together. When ya see that guy who wants to be your slave (but will never ask), tell him to touch the cloth, see how soft it feels on his fingers.
The guy will blush a color not normally seen in nature, and he will have trouble standing.
Yes, I do tease a guy that way.
CheezeDoodles
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 07:06 pm: [report]
I absolutely hate any and all things vampire, True Blecch especially. As a native Louisianian, their hambone accents and craptastic acting are insulting on so many fronts, I can’t even express it without being over-the-top obscene. What “story” that can be divined through the lousy acting, it’s dumb as _ _ _ _. HBO has teetered on the fringe of being a porn channel since I was a kid in the 80s, and they should have done with it already and go full blue. A subscription to their channels isn’t worth it when there’s tons of free porn easily accessible here on the ‘net. Shoot, even the soft-core stuff they pander is out there, all free and easy for the taking.
Heave “Twilight” off a cliff while you’re at it. Emo teens with an eyeliner addiction and a predilection for nihilism are a bit overdone by this point. South Park’s episode “The Ungroundable” should be required viewing before anyone rents “Twilight.” The day the vampire fad finally plays its last, I will be thrilled.
I should point out that my boyfriend will watch anything vampire, even though 800+ hours of viewing it all points to the same base note: it’s lame, whether it’s Brad Pitt or that greasy English kid. He also loves extremely bad movies (viewed without the benefit of Mystery Science Theater 3000 commentary), and I am amazed we’re still a couple from all the hideous films he’s made me watch.
Gimme zombies any day. “Night of the Living Dead” scared the crap out of me (saw it when I was about 8), and though horror movies haven’t been good enough to scare me in a long time, I’ll still give 95% of new zombie flicks a chance.
Sami
wrote on September 13 2009 @ 08:46 pm: [report]
@Cheese Doodles
Oh you are from Louisians that explains how you feel about vampires after all your swamps have that creepy Sasquatch creature in it don’t they, I am a native Texan and I like vampires, werewolves, the enefitable half-breed between a human and one of the two, gargoyles, zombies, aliens, you get th picture; I like pretty much any monster except evil monster furballs and clowns, mimes, and mannequins. I personally think Twilight is kinda lame and Angel was better than Buffy only because there are more monster killing scenes in that series, I saw my first Dracula movie at the age of 5( the one with the spider women scene, I think it was the late 80’s one) while I feaned sleeping so my parents wouldn’t know I was watching it because we were at my dad’s friends house and he was a horror movie nut; I personally think if a vampire film/series involves too much lovey duvey it is stupid. I like the kind of vampire film with violence and monster killing and alot of weapons, and I am a girl JFYI so I guess this article was kinda wrong since I like vampires because of thier power and abilities not thier sexual aspects(though it is a plus); this view does extend to Anime with a slight difference and I am not revealing the difference here.
@JSW
no offense meant here but I just don’t like shows like Twilight(I do like the Moonlight series w/ Mick St. John but that is the only exception) because there is too much lovey dovey content for my tastes, I like movies with violence, explosions and weapons and if at least two of those is not in a movie/series I can’t stand watching it; I blame my early exposure(age 4) to 007 and Brisco County Jr.(a Cowboy Scifi movie that is really cool) and of course Ghostbusters for that view. Anyway if a vampire movie/series doesn’t have a non super lovey dovey plot line and at least some violence it isn’t a vampire movie/series in my mind, oh and where can I get 30 days of night I have been dying to see it after I saw “The Mist” or was it “the Fog” by Stephen King(it was a really good movie involving a military experiment that messed with space/time dimension barriers, but you don’t figure that out until the end) so you can you tell me where I can get it…
CheezeDoodles
wrote on September 14 2009 @ 04:48 pm: [report]
@Sami: I hear Bigfoot moved to Alabama because he was getting too much press and being “sighted” too often in Louisiana.
Sami
wrote on September 14 2009 @ 05:31 pm: [report]
@Cheesedoodles
Wow, I guess all monsters are moving out of state now; apparently the Thunderbird moved to New York to get away from the Publicity as well though I can’t say I understand it’s logic. Maybe it went to visit it’s cousin the Mothman?
How do you get those little smileys on your comments BTW..
CheezeDoodles
wrote on September 15 2009 @ 07:43 pm: [report]
LOL—you hauled out the Mothman! Classic. The boyfriend is convinced there’s a Chupacabra in the woods behind our apartment complex.
The emoti…I don’t know if you have to enable something in your profile to get emotis to appear when you do the necessary key combination. Can’t say I recall doing anything special in my profile to make that happen.
_jsw_
wrote on September 15 2009 @ 08:05 pm: [report]
@Sami” How do you get those little smileys on your comments BTW..”
See here.
Sami
wrote on September 15 2009 @ 10:20 pm: [report]
@cheesedoodles
Well if you live in the southern US he might be right, but it’s no big all you have to do is but a few goats heehee; but it seems El Chupacabra has started moving too because apparently he is now in Saudia Arabia as well.
@JSW
Thanks for the link I will check it out tommorow after school, see you guys later I have to go to bed…
Oh and watch out for the vampires, they hunt at night MUHAHAHA…
Scarlet Drawl
wrote on September 23 2009 @ 02:46 pm: [report]
I don’t like vampires because of the prototype anguished males they are. I personally like the seduction. Since the days of Bela Lugosi, Hollywood vampires have been romanticized and portrayed as seductive. Vampires are sexy. They sneak in your room at night and suck on your neck. Take away the ripping your throat open part, and that sounds pretty hot.
Aside from the fact that I love all of the occult mythical creatures, an escape from the ordinary is fun. I think people dig the vampire/occult genre because it allows them to step outside the box for a little while.
I think the obsession is making the programming a little campy. True Blood is ok, with the exception that Bill and Sookie are pretty annoying. I could deal with the Eric and LaFayette show. The accents are terrible (if you’re native southern) and the acting is meh…
Twilight…same deal…for Pete’s sake, the guy bursts into…SPARKLES?!? when he goes into the sun. Sorry but even for teenage girls, that seems a little…soft. I read Anne Rice as a teenage girl, I want my vampires to burn like the damned when the sun hits them…after all, that’s what they are.
When the exploitation of vampires dies down a little, it’ll be safe for die hard fans to like them again. Besides, even if he sparkles, I probably wouldn’t turn Edward Cullen away from my window at night…
Sami
wrote on September 23 2009 @ 04:00 pm: [report]
@Scarlet Drawl
I agree with you on the Vampires bursting into flame when the sun hits them and most of what you said(except that True Blood and Twilight are good shows, EUCH), I personally think if the Vampire is too sensitive or lovey dovey it ruins everything; after allvampires are supposed to be creatures of the night not creatures of the romance novel…
I read Dracula when I was very young along with Stephen King, nowadays I am into the Castlevania Vampire series and the movies that stand up to my standards. Did you know there is a Interview With A Vampire movie out?
Jitterbugs232
wrote on September 24 2009 @ 09:40 am: [report]
It’s because of the romance thing, us woman well specially me love romance. The vampires in shows are romantic which is totally different from real life guys. My guy isn’t that romantic so when I see these shows its like wow I want that
Salamantis
wrote on September 30 2009 @ 02:31 pm: [report]
What interests me is the whole subtextual relationship between vampires and werewolves - particularly the males of the species(es). They possess a kind of complementarity.
Vampires are romantic seducers. They mesmerize their targets. They live for the night - not just when the moon is full, but ANY night; in that sense they are in control - self-control - as they can choose when to come to their objects of desire, and who that object of desire is. And we are indeed talking desire here; blood hunger is a metaphor for sexual attraction.
And their whole oral blood thing (hint: menstruation) is, furthermore, a metaphor for oral sex, which for women can be far more orgasmic than genital sex. This is why bitten women sport those beatific expressions of bliss. And why once taken, they are weak-kneed and enthralled, and keep wanting more. Because it’s soooo good for them. They just can’t get enough of it. And vampires may be dead while werewolves are alive, but, unlike werewolves, they do not change, and remain in a sense human, which werewolves during their change do not.
Werewolves are murderous rampaging rapists. They appear to be just like the rest of us on the surface, but are periodically possessed by an atavistic animalism that they cannot control. They do not select particular people to pursue, but when overcome by their lunatic lupine frenzy, fall upon any available target of opportunity. They do not seduce - they attack; they rage and brutalize like the rapacious beasts they are, and their carnal feast is upon the flesh of their victims, rather than their tasty squirting juices. And, unlike with vampires, it is never any fun whatsoever for the feastee, who typically does not remain alive for a repeat.
Gingee
wrote on September 30 2009 @ 09:23 pm: [report]
How many times have you been bit by a vampire?
Sami
wrote on September 30 2009 @ 10:34 pm: [report]
@ Gingee
Are we talking in reality or in my dreams?
Seriosly because in my dreams it doesn’t end well for the vampire at all, that aside I like vampires because they tend to be hot, charismatic, smart, and have super enhanced abilities and can turn into a bat etc.; but to be honest I would prefer the Vampire/Human hybrid myself..
Gingee
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 08:25 am: [report]
Ah, I was giggling at the previous post by SALAMANTIS.
My GFs and I would laugh out loud at the claim that the drinking of the blood is a metaphor for oral sex.
“which for women can be far mre orgasmic than genital sex.” Maybe for her, but certainly not for me and not for my friends.
“Blood hunger is a metaphor for sexual attraction.”
“They just can’t get enough of it.” That’s hilarious.
Gingee
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 08:55 am: [report]
Sami:
I’ve never dreamed about vampires, but I’d love to be one, for one reason: The speed and the ability to kill, and the ability to heal quickly.
I’m a bit irked right now because the real world is bleeding into my fantasy world, and being a vampire would be the one sure way to get rid of a Human Pest and her entire worthless family. I wouldn’t dirty myself by drinking their bloodl they’d be left for the vultures.
Dracula ia a joke, who wants to climb down a tower? Not me.
Change into a bat? ‘Bram Stoker had a limited imagination.
For this gal, the best of all was Moonlight, with Alex O’Loughlin, and I loved Mick, Beth and Josef. To me, they were what some people could be if they were Smart Workers: So well spoken, well dressed. I still drool over the clothes that those actors showed offf so well.
They were elegant and eloquent. Educated. The very best of what people could be, and thankfully, they stayed away from that oversaturation of sex, sex, sex.
Mick St. John, fictional though he may be, would get it: It is the totality of the person, the empathy, the love for others, the community, caring for each other:
And this old-fashioned chick/prude if you like, is so sick of reading about how we are slaves to our sex drives, and the one sure way to Keep Your Husband is: Yet Another Sexual Move.
One thing I have no desire to ever discover: What it would be like to be kissed by Edward Cullen. He’s dull. Been alive almost 100 years and all he does is count the cracks in the wall.
As my T-shirt reads:
“And then Buffy staked Edward. The end.”
*Note to self: This latest version of Romeo and Juliet will die down.
Sami
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 05:15 pm: [report]
Interesting info Gingee,
I personally only agree about the Mick St. John part because Twilight is too lovey dovey for me; give me a handsome Romanian vampire that kills and has super abilities in all areas instead any day . But that is just me, I have a question I would love to ask Bram Stoker; if Dracula could turn into a bat why did he even bother climbing down walls when he could just fly down?
Gingee
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 05:56 am: [report]
I never understood the drinking blood every day. Part of being an immortal vampire is that they:
Are cold,
Do not breathe,
Have a heartbeat,
and so I want one of the authors to tell me where does the blood go? Given that they do not perspire, why all the need for refills.
MinaH
wrote on October 10 2009 @ 09:08 am: [report]
FOR THE LAST TIME 28 DAYS LATER IS ABOUT A FORM OF HUMAN RABIES NOT ZOMBIES. If they were zombies, they couldn’t starve to death. Just a technicality I like to mention - why because I love zombies (I know, Shaun, don’t say the ‘zed’ word)and not a fan of a bunch of sullen fashion victims. Werewolves are cool though.
Sami
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 09:46 am: [report]
@MinaH
I am guessing you have seen “Shaun of the Dead” and the “sometimes they come back” trilogy, oh and I have never seen 28 days later so I did not know it wasn’t about zobies.
@Gingee
Good question and one I have always wondered myself, Where does all that blood go that vampires drink anyway?
Gingee
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 10:20 am: [report]
Have you seen Twilight? That movie has two things: Great pbotography, even though Mizz Meyers knew nothing about Forks, Washington. In that area, anyone who owns anything but a truck is the odd one. It is near a rain forest, which is gorgeous, and yes, been there:
The other thing is the music. Love The Black Ghosts.
There’s a scene where Edward is supposed to get this vicious look on his face, but instead he looks as if he is going to kiss Bella’s would-be assailants. They, of course, flee rather than be kissed by a guy who wears orange lipstick.
Breaking Dawn is when it gets so silly. Bella needs a comforter to snuggle with Edward. Then she gets pregnant, is dying, so he injects her with the venom to change her before she can die/turn 19. Can’t have an older woman/younger vampire. *laughing*
On the plus side, as she and Edward Cullen are both Popsicle People/Vampires, they can cuddle without danger of frostbite.
In the first movie, Edward took Bella to the mountain top so she could see his diamond like skin, they were in the meadow, filmed at Griffin Park in Los Angeles, and the sunlight did not harm Beautiful Edward, but in the next one, he’s going to kill himself by going into the sun in Italy and she rushes to stop his Suicide.
Apparently, this is when Carlyle Cullen decides that Bella must become one of them.
About the happy couple:
The kid has the stupidest name: Reneesme - a combination of Renee and Esme, and Edward, Bella and Renesmee get their Together Forever, happily hunting animals and oh, yes:
The book does not mention it, but Bella gets to watch her family and friends die.
F o r e v e r.
majicksand
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 10:41 am: [report]
@gingee: Minor clarification. Walking into the sun would not have killed Edward. The Italian vamps would have killed him for exposing their secret. The sun part wasn’t the suicide, the exposing part was.
Oh, and Bella is still older at nearly 19. Edward is only 17.
Almost forgot. One more thing. One of the main reasons Edward is so against turning Bella is the fact that she will not be able to have a normal life, will be separated from family and friends, and will eventually watch everyone she has ever known age and die. It’s actually one of the main themes throughout the series.
You don’t have to like the story, but at least get the facts straight before you slam it.
Gingee
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 11:33 am: [report]
O vey. So kill me already, I did not read the first two books.
And yes, I am aware that Edward is against turning Bella, but his reasoning is off. He will live forever, he will have other loves, she has once chance and he’s willing to let it slip away.
What a wretched creature. His previous 90 years were spent counting cracks in walls, he meets The One who gives him a rsason to live, sort of, but he is going to allow her to perish. He should have been staked just for that.
One thing that irritates me is that prom bit, where Edward tells Bella he will be right back, and this was written so that Jacob could be there, as a lead in to the sequel. It’s a small scene, but it is wrong.
There’s a reason this series is called Anne Rice for the Unintellectual.
majicksand
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 12:00 pm: [report]
Actually, Gingee, I think Edward’s reasoning is very sweet. Essentially, he loves her enough to let her go. Becoming a vampire will alter her entire world, and he’s not sure she realizes exactly what that means in the long term. I’d be much more disappointed in a hero who thought, “hey, cool. I finally get what I want, nevermind what it may do to her. She’ll adjust, right?” That would be a rather selfish take on the situation.
I don’t think of this series as “unintellectual”. It’s simply intended for a younger audience. I tried to consider it through the eyes of a teen, so I was able to enjoy it more.
Gingee
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 12:18 pm: [report]
Yes, but being dead will most certainly affect Bella. She just won’t be.
At least if she is alive/undead, whatever term works, she still has the ability to reason and can decide, after two or three thousand years, that she’s had enough, she’s ready to end it.
It’s selfish and paternalistic for Edward to presume that Bella does not/cam not anticipate what might happen.
It’s not only teens who enjoy this mish-mash. I have a T-Shirt that reads:
“And then Buffy staked Edward. The End.” and adult women tell me that they love this series, that it is the Romeo and Juliet of 2008.
*brain hurt*
majicksand
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 12:51 pm: [report]
I don’t know, Gingee, I remember being 17 (Bella’s age at the beginning of the story), and reasoning was not my greatest skill. Even as an adult, the concept of living forever is tough to grasp. We just have no frame of reference. To a teenager, ‘forever’ = next week.
As far as ‘deciding she’s had enough’, that would be suicide, therefore, morally repugnant to many people. There’s also the minor point that suicide as a vampire in this mythos is damn near impossible. Carlisle tried it many times and in many ways before accepting his new ‘life’.
I am well aware that teens are not the only ones reading these books. I’m 36. My point was that they were written for teens. Admittedly, I was coerced into reading the series in the first place, but I’m glad I did. Assessed in the proper perspective, it’s not a bad story. Light reading has it’s place.
Gingee
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 01:57 pm: [report]
Oh dear. I thought that Stephenie Meyer wrote this because of a dream and she wanted to see what happened.
If you want Light Reading, thers is a series called The Vampire Diaries, and the TV show is actually better than I expected. It’s ALL about teenage love, drama, secrets, and more drama.
As for Twilight, I do have my photo of Welcome to Forks, Washington on MySpace. and masy as well confess that I have an Edward Cullen birthday card and the Halloween card.
The one thing about Edward Cullen and the others: It’d be so great to be 17 and NOT have a BF presurizing one for sex.
The very idea of living forever makes me wince. I’ve nothing against life, but it is precious (to me) only because it is finite.
majicksand
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 04:51 pm: [report]
See, Gingee, think back to being 17 with wild hormones. The hottest guy you’ve ever laid eyes on wants to be with you, but he’s a vampire. Not a nasty, evil, kill you sort of vamp but a sweet, sexy, cool one. You can’t be together as long as you’re mortal. Do you give up on your ‘one true love’ or choose to give up everything else and become a vampire?
I’d have a hard time weighing my options and making a choice like that. I can’t imagine having to do it at 17.
Good for you for being willing to admit you’re a closet Edward fan. You should read the first two books. The story moves pretty fast, and there’s really no way to see how it all comes together if you don’t start at the beginning.
Thanks for the recommendation on the Vampire Diaries, I’ll check it out. I recently read the House of Night series by P.C Cast and her daughter Kristen. It’s another in the teen vampire genre that I got talked into. The writing style leaves something to be desired, but the story is compelling nonetheless. Definitely fluff reading.
Gingee
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 05:23 pm: [report]
Easy choice. I’d choose to become a vampire.
Vampire books would not be on my list of must-reads. More of a fan of Malcolm Gladwell and Steven Pinker.
Anne Rice’s best book was Interview With The Vampire, the next one about Lestat was okay, but the rest were rubbish.
Sami
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 06:00 pm: [report]
@Gingee
No, I prefer to read the book before I watch the movie(I was one of the thousands of Harry Potter fans who actually read the ENTIRE series that were dissapointed by all the HP movies) the nook is the original and rarely does the movie follow the same storyline; as for Twilight I havn’t read a Vampire novel or series lately because I have been stuck on the “Eragon” series. I would read it but I personally prefer the Romanian vampires myself with thier HOT accents and abilities and I don’t want to spoil my mental image of the perfect vampire, I might eventually venture into the untraveled waters of the “Twilight” series but until I find out the ending to the Eragon series or get a friend who makes me read it that isn’t going to happen. No offense to the Twilight fans out there but I just can’t seem tp grasp the idea of “teenage Vampire+Romance” maybe a “half-breed Vampire/human hybrid+romance” but not a teenager, once again no offence and yes I have watched the Lestat movie and I must admit it was good..
Sami
wrote on October 12 2009 @ 06:04 pm: [report]
Oh and one more thing, I am with Gingee on the turning into a vampire thing I have the best and worst genes in my family so I would choose vampire; I mean really unless I could become a werewolf/vamp hybrid…
majicksand
wrote on October 13 2009 @ 08:41 am: [report]
I’d most likely choose to become a vampire too, but the realization that I would then have to watch my children age and die would be rough on me. I’ve watched what it does to a parent to have to bury her child. It nearly destroyed my mother. I’d really have to think about it before committing myself to that fate voluntarily.
ootie grl
wrote on October 21 2009 @ 03:17 pm: [report]
I like vampire and zombie movies. ok just scary movies in general. I wasnt aware guys disliked them so much. shawn of the dead is pretty funny
Gingee
wrote on October 21 2009 @ 07:49 pm: [report]
Who cares? There is a term for men like that: Left overs.
It is unreasonable to expect any two people to share all likes and dislikes. It is also reasonable that when the male becomes a pain about his preferences, one kicks him to the curb and waits for the next generation of guys to come of age.
Anyway, these men who dislike the gorgeous guys in today’s Vampire movies can take a clue from the Canadian singer, last name is Buble: When he heard his GF’s reaction to seeing a hot guy, how she would like to ‘Break off a piece of that,’ he manned up and did not react as he did in the past, with a meltdown, pouty, being jealous and all the rest.
These men can either get over themsselves or we’ll get under a new guy.
Gingee
A fan of The Vampire Diaries and of Hannibal Lector
Symian
wrote on October 28 2009 @ 07:11 pm: [report]
This article makes me wonder what type of fluffy vampire things people watch. It’s fine for a vampire to look good, but they are killers. Blood thirsty, no holds barred, kill you in front of your children creatures of the night. The Twilight series has vampires that sparkle! When did blood sucking damned beasts become fodder for lonely women? I’ll take Alucard over any girly vampire mentioned on this post and the origional Nosferatu over that Brad Pitt’s poorly played vampire any day!