Stray Thoughts
With the popularity of vampires in books and movies, I started to think about why women love vampires so much. Think about it, from Edward Cullen, to the BDB brothers, to Eric Northman and Damon Salvatore, there is a sexy vampire to suit every woman out there. So today, I am going to discuss the reason I have fallen in love with vampires.
1 # Sex appeal. Guess this was probably an obvious first choice, but I can’t help but love that male vampires don’t develop beer guts or male pattern baldness. Of course, they are also unbelieveably attractive and dangerous. I don’t know about you, but that combination is enough to draw me in right there. Beyond their looks, they can pull you in with just a look and make you feel like you are the most beautiful, sexy woman in the world. And speaking of sex, most male vampires have been around long enough to have perfected their technique in the bedroom. Think about that for a moment…
#2 Another reason I love vampires is that I’m fascinated with the idea of being with a man who grew up in an era where culture and manners were the norm. Men learned how to dance and play the piano. Opening doors and pulling out chairs were not something they had to think about doing, it was automatic. One of my favorite scenes in Twilight was the scene in Edward’s bedroom where he grabs Bella and starts to dance. There is just something so romantic (and sexy) to me about a man who knows his way around a ball room. I know there are much less romantic aspects to how men were raised centuries ago. However, this being a fantasy and all…well…I’ll just ignore all that for the moment.
#3 Speaking of fantasy, a big reason I fell in love with the vampire genre was that it provides a wonderful escape from reality. I am happily married and am completely in love with my husband. But, let’s face it, he’s an imperfect human male. I can’t imagine Edward Cullen farting in bed or Eric Northman burping the alphabet. So, for a few precious minutes a day, I can spend time with a sexy, strong, mysterious man that has escaped many of the imperfections our wonderful human mates have acquired.
#4 Another lure of the vampire is their supernatural powers. They are immortal, strong, fast, and some even have the ability to read minds or influence emotions. I for one can’t help but love a guy who doesn’t need a jack to change a tire and who can clean the house in 1.5 seconds. Think of the possibilities!
To sum it up, I think most women (including myself) love vampires because they are sex personified with the thrill of danger thrown in. They are portrayed as sensual creatures with carnal appetites, hypnotic lure, eternal beauty and supernatural powers: they are the perfect male fantasy.
What do you think? Why do you love vampires so much?
Aw, but we love all of the imperfect human males in our lives. =)
I don’t know if I speak for all of us when I say this, but I don’t actually want to BE a vampire, we just like reading about them. *wink* I’m fairly certain that if I ran into Wrath on the street, I’d slink away in fear, but in my mind I’d be all “hey there, lovah…”
Hi, sorry, “imperfect human male” checking in here. For the record, I would like to state that I do not have male-pattern bladness; I do not have a beer gut; I have never, EVER, tried to belch anything. As far as the farting in the bed thing, I hope that’s an exaggeration.
I would also like to apologize to all involved for not being a “sexy, strong, mysterious man”. I am not “sex personified”, nor am I particularly dangerous… I am also not “unbelievably attractive”. So, on behalf of all of the “imperfect human males” in your lives, we are sorry. We’ll try harder next time. :)
Hey Kari,
You know, I would love the opportunity to have my work published but I guess it comes down to a confidence issue for me where that is concerned. I’ve always been a writer but I never considered the possibility of actually having work published until I recently delved into this world of fan fic. Who knows…maybe my confidence will grow and I can reconsider it as an option. The story might never had been written if it weren’t for Sue & Heather urging me to do so after reading my first chapter. :D
Saluki & Jules -
Thanks so much for answering my question! In fact, I think this statement, more than anything, caused a switch to flip on in my brain:
To your question about the popularity of fics that take away the appeal of the series – IMO it is because canon is much harder to write and the “universe” for stories can be perceived to be limited. By taking the characters AH, the sky is the limit.
This makes a lot of sense. I can definitely see how it would be easier to write AH, because you don’t have to adhere to a bunch of canon rules and boundaries set by the series. (Believe me, I’ve been attacked by the canon Nazis, so it’s understandable that some writers may find it intimidating to write canon.) Also, you wouldn’t have to worry about nearly as much research, unless, of course, your story is set in another time.
Even still, I can’t see how it would be all that appealing for readers to be subjected to various rehashings of “Painfully shy Bella Swan meets outgoing, super-popular Edward Cullen. Will true love ensue?” or “Super-popular Bella Swan meets emo, socially inept Edward Cullen. Will true love ensue?” Or whatever the popular AH trend is right now. ;)
Also, Jules, I like that you said this:
Not only that, with the Twific world having expanded to the levels it has, they are more likely to garner an audience for their work.
So you’re admitting that your fic IS original fiction, but you decided to write it as Twilight fanfiction to garner an audience that the names “Edward” and “Bella” guarantees. I totally get that. If you’d posted it online as original fiction, you would’ve gotten like three readers. lol.
But even still, I can’t help but wonder why you didn’t write it as a novel to try and get published? Just politely curious. ;)
Again, thanks for the responses, ladies!
-Kari
Agreed with everything you said Saluki, and wanna add a couple things.
First of all, we as women have a “Florence Nightinggale Gene”, that thing inside of us that cause us to want to take care of something or someone and make it all better, whether it’s a stray puppy or baby. A lot of these vampires aren’t entirely perfect and have their own issues, such as Edward’s self-loathing, Stefan’s guilt over Katherine and his brother, or Rhage’s actual curse of becoming a beast and his womanizing. But one good woman is all it takes to help them see the light, so to speak, and become better. Can we honestly say we’ve never looked at a bad boy and thought “Yeah ok so he doesn’t call and he’s always late and he is a horrible flirt, but I can fix him”? It’s like that with the vampire.
Then, to add to the FNG thing, they literally cannot survive without the female. They need her blood in order to keep going. And how romantic is it that we can provide them with the one thing they need more than anything else in the world (Save for Mary and Jane in the BDB, but you get my point)?
And lastly, the obvious kink factor. They bite. Hello?! HOT!
Just my thoughts about why we love vamps so much.
Hey Kari!
I had to respond to you too. I agree with what you’re saying. The first story I wrote was canon and when I first entered the world of fan fic, that’s all I would read as well. After completing my canon fic I didn’t think I would write any other stories. Well, boy has that changed. First I am working on an AH fic but I am also working on a canonish fic about Jane of the Volturi.
I was inspired to write my own AH fic after a conversation I had with Sue about my dad. It just came to me afterward, while I was on a solitary hike and I had to write it down. I had always wanted to write about my dad (he was actually in the midst of writing his own biography when he passed) but I certainly never thought it would be in the realm of fanfic. I think after writing the canon fic, the creative juices just started flowing and the ideas invaded my brain unexpectedly.
I think many people turn to writing AH because they have stories in their heads that they want to put out there and the characters of Twilight serve as muses. Not only that, with the Twific world having expanded to the levels it has, they are more likely to garner an audience for their work.
That being said, of course, a few amazing exceptions aside, nothing will ever have quite the allure of a well written canon fic. Those are the characters I fell in love with first and will always be the versions that garner my deepest affection.
I totes agree with everything!
I got butterflies (I’m not kidding) just reading about the “bedroom dance” scene from Twilight.
I’m a ridiculous romantic at heart and something about the thought of being with a centuries old man and experiencing the old fashioned gestures that have been all but forgotten in these modern times. Of course I love my husband endlessly, but there’s just something irresistable about the undead that I can not deny.
I have a question – If we supposedly love vampires so much, then why is AH so popular?? I’m trying to figure this one out – If it’s the supernatural qualities of the books that drew readers in & made us fall in love, then why the popularity of fics that take away the initial appeal? Would SM’s books have been so popular if Edward had been a normal human boy, and Twilight had been just another teenage romance novel? Of course not.
So again, why the popularity of fics that take away all of Edward’s appeal – the fact that he’s a vampire? I realize that clearly I’m in the minority on this opinion. I checked out a new site recently that had 94 AH fics listed, and 11 “canon” fics. Yes, 11. I’m astounded by this.
The supernatural is what draws us to these TV shows/books, and yet we enjoy taking away the aspect that appealed to us in the first place? Am I the only one who’s just not understanding this? Is the Harry Potter fandom overrun with fics about ordinary teenagers with no supernatural abilities? It’s been about a year since I’ve read HP fic, but last I checked, the answer to that question is no.
And where is the line drawn between Twilight fanfiction and original fiction with the names “Edward” and “Bella” tacked to the main characters? Especially when this supposed fanfiction is so far out there that the main characters don’t resemble the characters from the novels in any way, shape, or form – except, perhaps, in physical traits.
Sorry about the soapbox, Heather. I think it needed to be said, because I know I’m not the only one thinking it. Sorry if I’ve offended any AH authors out there. It’s just my personal view – clearly, there’s an audience for these types of stories.
Anywho, to answer your question, I first fell in love with vampires when Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise portrayed Louis and Lestat in the film adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. I gobbled up all of Rice’s novels, and thus my love affair with Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and all things vampire-related began.
Vampires are portrayed in literature as being beautiful, seductive, and charming, and yet there’s the ever present sense of danger that appeals to our love of bad boys – even while knowing that it’s unhealthy. Vampires are the ultimate fantasy, even while we recognize that the reality would be anything but desirable. ;)
-Kari
Kari – I totally agree with the points that you made about AH fiction becoming so popular. I started out reading canon fic and then after a friend started recommending AH stories to me, I began reading those as well. At first, it seemed like the the characterswere still written in a way they resembled the characters in the books. But, the longer I read AH, the more it seems like I am reading original fiction. I have to admit, I do enjoy reading AH, but my perception has shifted so that I don’t look at it so much as Twific anymore. I do read and write write both canon and AH and enjoy both, but again, I see your point. In fact, after I finish my current AH fic, I am going to expand my canon story because I want to get back to the “roots” of Twific.
To your question about the popularity of fics that take away the appeal of the series – IMO it is because canon is much harder to write and the “universe” for stories can be perceived to be limited. By taking the characters AH, the sky is the limit.
But, in the end, it is the book characters that I fell in love with, and nothing in the fan fic world can take away from that. And thank goodness for that – I need my diversion from real life!