Well, we're back on vampires. Specifically, what kills them. Really, what causes them harm at all. It's a question of how much I want to follow tradition, and how much I want to make it up.
Traditionally, vampires are vulnerable to stakes, sunlight, decapitation, fire, silver (sometimes), garlic, holy symbols, and running water. Sometimes, they can’t enter a home without being invited, and they’re obsessed with counting things (suddenly Sesame Street makes so much more sense).
In my world, I'd say anything that doesn't immediately kill them can be recovered from. Decapitation kills you pretty immediately, so we'll keep that. Stakes to the heart, yeah, instant death.
Sunlight, on the other hand, well, that's interesting. Why? Well, because I said so. Because maybe I can do something with it. See, I have created creatures with a very low body temperature. Don't you think that being out in direct sunlight would make them much too warm? Hyperthermia, is what I mean. In your average human, that's a body temperature over 105°F. So maybe someone with a usual temperature in the 50s might want to hang out somewhere cool and air-conditioned, like an ice cream shop.
So, being susceptible to higher temperatures could cause some problems for a person (or person-like being). Could that be a point of conflict in this story? Something our "hero" might need to deal with or overcome? I think so. Maybe he's something important to do but it's 97° and not even partly cloudy.
As for the other stuff, like garlic and silver, I don't know. We'll see. It seems kind of hokey to me.
What do you think, readers? Any piece of vampire folklore I definitely should or should not include?
Title Source - Marianas Trench - Astoria
No comments:
Post a Comment