One thing I’ve always loved about vampire stories is that there are no hard rules. Vampires can be whatever the author wants them to be as long as they’re internally consistent within the story. This makes them extremely versatile monsters that can be constantly re-invented and none of them are “wrong”.

For example, sometimes all it takes to turn into a vampire is to be bitten by one. And sometimes you have to drink the vampire’s blood to turn. Or, sometimes a vampire can just drain your energy without transferring any blood at all.

Of course, the rules can also get a bit ridiculous. Maybe the vampire is required to obsessively count grains of rice first. Or maybe they’re required to hop around with their arms out (the chinese Jiangshi). Maybe they can turn into a wolf, a bat, or… fog.

So what’s the most ridiculous rule or type of vampire you’ve come across?

(For the image on this post I wanted the most ridiculous picture of a Jiangshi I could find. I went with a shot from Robo Vampire which has a really fun RiffTrax. The only other Jiangshi I’m aware of is in the NES game Phantom Fighter… because I’ve never watched any of the Mr. Vampire movies)

    • JerichoCross@lemmy.zipOPMEnglish
      4·
      6 months ago

      True, no matter how often they’re required to feed, you really can’t have vampires living for centuries eating that consistently. And with each new vampire also eating that often, you’re burning through humans exponentially.

      • jordanlund@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        6 months ago

        Best exploration of that was the film Daybreakers, where the bulk of humanity had been converted and the remaining humans were a dwindling natural resource. Great flick!

    • Bronzebeard@lemmy.zipEnglish
      3·
      6 months ago

      I never liked the media that had them spread like zombies. Just being bit isn’t enough to turn you. You have to not die from it, to start. So not every victim becomes a vampire. I prefer when it’s a deliberate choice - like they have to be fed some of the vampires blood or something.

    • WILSOOON@programming.devEnglish
      6·
      6 months ago

      Wait a minute, jou just made me think about something. Vampires cabt see themselves in mirrors, but what about make up? Do they just see floating foundation? Whats the average makeup routine for vampires?