SM's Vampires Vs. Other Vampires

[Nena]

Discuss here the differences in between Stephenie Meyer's vampires and other vampires.

[garnetpixie]

I'm a huge Anne Rice fan. I do like the idea of vampires being able to go out in the sun...I think it would have added a whole new demention to Lestat. I do think it would be interesting to read about Edward or any of the Cullens from an Anne Rice point of view. I hope I kinda got things started...

[museicalking]

I'm a huge Anne Rice fan. I do like the idea of vampires being able to go out in the sun...I think it would have added a whole new demention to Lestat. I do think it would be interesting to read about Edward or any of the Cullens from an Anne Rice point of view. I hope I kinda got things started...

i agree with this. and yes you got things started!
and to be honest, though ive read tons of vampire books- i cant really compare SM's vampires to others.
and now, i dont see vampires the same! i try to go back to reading them, and i still cant! it hurts...

[waiting tobe dazzled]

After reading Twilight and seeing all of the abilities that SM’s vampire’s have, I can’t help but look at other vampire legends and think how weak they are. The Twilight vampires are virtually indestructible (short of fire) and to see all of the other legends where stakes and the sun and holy water can just end a vampire…not very impressive. Also that’s not taking into account the extra talents of SM’s vampires (the normal speed and strength as well as the mind reading, future predicting and all of the other talents that the vampire’s posses). I know that vampires from other stories have had special gifts but for some reason, the Twilight ones just seem so impressive. I was watching Interview With A Vampire (love Anne Rice) and whenever Lestat would come on I couldn’t help but thinking that the Cullen’s could totally take him.

[Em24]

I am so glad that this topic was created! This idea has been stewing around in my brain for a while and I just had to request the topic to see what other people thought.

For me, there are two parts to the differences between SM's vampires and other vampires.

1. The sun thing - I think that in having the Cullen's be able to go outside during the day, just not in direct sunlight, makes them more human in a way. They are more able to blend in with humanity when they are not relegated to the night. Having vampires that are restricted to night time adds to the sense of mystery and other worldliness. It moves vampires farther away from humans. So, in SM changing this vampire stereotype, so to speak, the Cullen's humanness is brought to the surface. This works both on the positive side as with the Cullen's traits of family, compassion, etc. and on the negative side with the Volturi's traits of power, vengence, etc.

2. Powers - The super speed, strength, indestructibility and "extra" gifts are the other part of SM's vampires. These traits sort of have the opposite effect as "the sun thing." They set vampires apart and move them farther away from humans. This tug of war worked well for me because it was as though the vampires had these two parts of themselves that were not always working together.

What are others thoughts on this? What do the differences between SM's and other vampires do for the story?

[debussygirl]

SM's vampires are the only ones I can really tolerate and like (in some cases, love). I've never liked the traditional vampire it creeps me out so much. I'm definitely not a horror chick kinda girl. So these vampires are just so great to me. Her vampires are very original and I like the Cullens' "veggie" diet. They're all just so human to me.

[edwardlikeshaystacks]

After reading Twilight and seeing all of the abilities that SM’s vampire’s have, I can’t help but look at other vampire legends and think how weak they are. The Twilight vampires are virtually indestructible (short of fire) and to see all of the other legends where stakes and the sun and holy water can just end a vampire…not very impressive. Also that’s not taking into account the extra talents of SM’s vampires (the normal speed and strength as well as the mind reading, future predicting and all of the other talents that the vampire’s posses). I know that vampires from other stories have had special gifts but for some reason, the Twilight ones just seem so impressive. I was watching Interview With A Vampire (love Anne Rice) and whenever Lestat would come on I couldn’t help but thinking that the Cullen’s could totally take him.

^ have you ever read the Cirque du Freak series, this is why I liked the Twilight series so much because the vampires had similar powers but not exactly the same.

In the Cirque Du Freak series, the Vampires:
-super strength
-super speed, they "flit".
-the ability to be exposed to the sun but not for more than a few hours.
-the ability to be a half vampire (done by the exchanging of blood between and vampire and human)
Half Vampires have some of the same powers as full only weaker (they can't flit though) but they can be exposed to sun for longer periods of time.
-dont age for a VERY long time. It takes centuries for them to look even a year older.
-feed on humans by making a slit in their throat with their nails, suck blood but don't kill them, then re seal the wound with their saliva (can be used to heal)
-are divided into two categories: vampires and vampanese (have a purple skin tone because of their excess blood intake, they kill their prey.)

So you can see some similarities.

[waiting tobe dazzled]

After reading Twilight and seeing all of the abilities that SM’s vampire’s have, I can’t help but look at other vampire legends and think how weak they are. The Twilight vampires are virtually indestructible (short of fire) and to see all of the other legends where stakes and the sun and holy water can just end a vampire…not very impressive. Also that’s not taking into account the extra talents of SM’s vampires (the normal speed and strength as well as the mind reading, future predicting and all of the other talents that the vampire’s posses). I know that vampires from other stories have had special gifts but for some reason, the Twilight ones just seem so impressive. I was watching Interview With A Vampire (love Anne Rice) and whenever Lestat would come on I couldn’t help but thinking that the Cullen’s could totally take him.

^ have you ever read the Cirque du Freak series, this is why I liked the Twilight series so much because the vampires had similar powers but not exactly the same.

No but I will defiantly check it out.
It sounds interesting. Is there some sort of love story in it as well or is it purely vampire based?

[edwardlikeshaystacks]

No but I will defiantly check it out.
It sounds interesting. Is there some sort of love story in it as well or is it purely vampire based?

Unfortunately, it is not a love story and it is ultimately focused around Vampires along with other "freaks" (hence the title) this including the bad vampires, the Vampanese. There is a little romance, but it is not touched upon quite the same as Meyer does it but they have similar ideas. (human girl, vampire boy)

Here's a little summary:
Two school boys get tickets to see a freak show, one being Darren who is the main character. At the freak show, Darren and Steve see a performance by Mr. Crepsley (coughcoughVampirealert) with his tarantula, Madame Octa. When the shows over, Darren eventually steals the spider and it bites his best friend. He goes back to Mr. Crepsley to find an antidote...on the condition that Darren becomes his assistant as a half vampire.

I don't want to give away too much, but this is definately a page turner as well, if you like Twilight's action packed side, you'll surely enjoy this one.

[ringswraith]

I didn't see this thread before, but I have been puzzling over Stephenie Meyer's version of "vampire" versus others.

I agree with Em24 about the sun issue, and how this humanizes the Cullens. Sunlight was always a limiting factor for the more "traditional" vampire. I also agree that this weakness in traditional vampires does make them more monstrous as a result- distancing them from humans.

Regarding the superpowers: While the ones mentioned in Twilight seem very esoteric (even somewhat mutant-like- e.g., X-Men), vampires have always been cast with powers above and beyond humans. Plus, there are the vampires with even more abilities: shapeshifting, turning into mist, command over vermin or some sort of creatures, etc.

Let's give some concrete comparisons. Take Angel, of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer fame. He is a vampire in every sense of the word: unable to get under direct sunlight, burned by holy objects, super strength and speed, immortal, and oh yes- drinks blood. However, he was cursed and his soul restored to him. (Recall that in B:tVS, vampires lost their souls when turned.) This gave him back a conscience, and so he drinks pig's blood and strives to make the world a better place. However, he's still a vampire. Another example of someone trying to rise above and beyond his lot in (un)life.

If anyone is into role-playing, I'm sure comparisons can also be made to the Vampire RPG published by White Wolf. During the course of creating your vampire character, you have many considerations: her bloodline, her powers, her skills, her personality. Knowing a little bit of the powers you can choose for your character in this RPG, the abilities presented in Twilight aren't so farfetched.

Finally, I would like to add that the Twilight vampires are cast in a very romanticized light. Many vampire stories paint them as the bad guys, the monsters, the ones that should be- must be- destroyed. Stephenie Meyer succeeds in painting them in a fashion that allows them to be seen as conflicted, eccentric, and very passionate creatures- it's like seeing the other side of the coin.