Unimpressive vampires
Sep. 18th, 2007 01:12 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
easol.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
lkh_lashoutsYou know, I've been thinking for a LONG time about why I'm underwhelmed by LKH's vampires. Yeah, they have the whole foppish Euro anime charmer thing down (just once I'd like to see a good-guy vampire who keeps making social faux pas), complete with Lestatian Franglish.
But they're really kinda lacking in individuality or personality. As far as I can tell, successful vampires have to have basically two kinds of slants:
1: They have to be bad and/or powerful, smart and impressive, like Dracula. Aside from being the Sauron of vampire fiction, he's impressive because he's powerful, cunning and deadly enough to scare us out of our socks, and STILL has a personality. Nuff zed.
2: They have to have some unique slant on the typical vampire mythos, or the vampire has to have some kind of special personal quirks. For the former, think the postapocalyptic sci-fi world of "Vampire Hunter D," or the hopping Chinese vampires of "Mr. Vampire," or even the quiet, socially withdrawn Haji of "Blood+". For the latter, think Butcher's Thomas Raith, who's a gorgeous slob, carries a shotgun and a Cavalry sword, and can be as funny as his brother.
I think that once LKH's vampires fit vaguely into the first category -- they gave no new spins to the vampire mythos, nor were they quirky or funny. But they did come across as dangerous and impressive, and there was Machievellian scheming going on. JC was no Dracula, but he wasn't too predictable.
However... LKH basically destroyed that when Anita became the Powerfullest Person in the world. The good-guy vampires are emasculated ; they don't seem dangerous, they never plot or manipulate, and for all their supposed power they answer to Whorenita. The bad guys aren't able to do much either, and are usually reduced to lying in bed sending bad dreams to Anita, or sitting on the sidelines saying nasty things to her. Sometimes they even get into fights with her, which they always lose.
So summed up, her vampires are not really impressive anymore. And they've never been unique.
Maybe I'm being too critical, or too analytical, but this is the impression I've gotten. Does anyone else feel this way?
But they're really kinda lacking in individuality or personality. As far as I can tell, successful vampires have to have basically two kinds of slants:
1: They have to be bad and/or powerful, smart and impressive, like Dracula. Aside from being the Sauron of vampire fiction, he's impressive because he's powerful, cunning and deadly enough to scare us out of our socks, and STILL has a personality. Nuff zed.
2: They have to have some unique slant on the typical vampire mythos, or the vampire has to have some kind of special personal quirks. For the former, think the postapocalyptic sci-fi world of "Vampire Hunter D," or the hopping Chinese vampires of "Mr. Vampire," or even the quiet, socially withdrawn Haji of "Blood+". For the latter, think Butcher's Thomas Raith, who's a gorgeous slob, carries a shotgun and a Cavalry sword, and can be as funny as his brother.
I think that once LKH's vampires fit vaguely into the first category -- they gave no new spins to the vampire mythos, nor were they quirky or funny. But they did come across as dangerous and impressive, and there was Machievellian scheming going on. JC was no Dracula, but he wasn't too predictable.
However... LKH basically destroyed that when Anita became the Powerfullest Person in the world. The good-guy vampires are emasculated ; they don't seem dangerous, they never plot or manipulate, and for all their supposed power they answer to Whorenita. The bad guys aren't able to do much either, and are usually reduced to lying in bed sending bad dreams to Anita, or sitting on the sidelines saying nasty things to her. Sometimes they even get into fights with her, which they always lose.
So summed up, her vampires are not really impressive anymore. And they've never been unique.
Maybe I'm being too critical, or too analytical, but this is the impression I've gotten. Does anyone else feel this way?
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