Twilight Vampires

Bullgrit · Oct 28, 2011

I've seen the first Twilight movie, and I think the second one. (My wife likes the series.) I know about the sparkling thing. But seeing the previews for the next film, leaves me scratching my head.

Are Twilight vampires not undead? They can have sex and can make a baby?

What are the facts of Twilight vampires compared to the "standard" vampire?

Bullgrit

apoptosis · Oct 28, 2011

Bullgrit said:
I've seen the first Twilight movie, and I think the second one. (My wife likes the series.) I know about the sparkling thing. But seeing the previews for the next film, leaves me scratching my head.

Are Twilight vampires not undead? They can have sex and can make a baby?

What are the facts of Twilight vampires compared to the "standard" vampire?

Bullgrit

That way leads to madness

apoptosis · Oct 28, 2011

I figured i should try and answer and not just leave vague quotes.

I read the first book thinking it was a vampire novel. It is actually a harlequin romance novel with vampires.

all i really got from that book is that they sparkle in sunlight and do not burn.

Frankly the book is not really about vampires so my guess is that the author will do whatever she wants with their mythology (including contradicting itself) so that her Mary Sue hero can have all the wonders of the world with no real price tags involved.

Janx · Oct 28, 2011

actually, per somebody else I heard, a college professor made his students read it for some religion course. The story is a parallel to the Book of Mormon. With Vampires. That sparkle.

My wife read the first book when she bought the trillogy in e-book format. She regrets losing those days of her life.

To quote:
"anything that sparkles is a fairy or a unicorn."

Furthermore, the series teaches girls that "It's good to have a boyfriend."
And to let the boy come save you. Virtually all other modern urban fantasy features women protagonists who kick butt on their own merit.

In short, Twilight sucks.

Go watch Vampires Suck. It's pretty much the same story, but they actually know it sucked.

Bullgrit · Oct 28, 2011

For the record, I didn't start this thread to open the floor for bashing Twilight. I know the hate memes on the series. I really am just curious about the nature of vampires in Twilight.

Bullgrit

Umbran · Oct 28, 2011

Bullgrit said:
I really am just curious about the nature of vampires in Twilight.

I don't think the nature of vampires in the series is particularly well-established.

My understanding is that the author (claims she) didn't do any research on vampires before writing. She seems to be armed with information you'd get by cultural absorption (vampires drink blood, and don't age and die like humans), but in general she discards normal vampire tropes at her whim. Unlike the more usual fantasy or sci-fi author, she's not interested in exploring the "nature of vampires", and so doesn't write to present self-consistent lore the reader's intended to digest and ponder. As a romance, the vampires exist for their emotional impact, not for having their nature drive plot.

These vampires are humans transformed by the "venom" of a vampire. So, in a sense, they may not be "undead", so much as... mutated, infected, or altered humans. Her vampires are supposed to be rather fixed in form once they are transformed - a female vampire is no longer capable of the body changes necessary to support pregnancy, but the males can apparently produce viable sperm.

They are not adversely affected by pretty much any of the standard vampire vulnerabilities - sunlight, garlic, running water, holy symbols, or what have you. Due to their strength, speed, and durability, they're pretty much indestructible from a normal human perspective. They don't sleep, but do need to drink blood to survive.

TanisFrey · Oct 29, 2011

in the last book DR. cullen explains that vampires are humans affected by a poison that given them 2 extra sets of DNA strands. he also notes the werewolf have 1 extra set and the half also has 1 extra set of DNA strands.

So she does explain it some

Umbran · Oct 29, 2011

TanisFrey said:
in the last book DR. cullen explains that vampires are humans affected by a poison that given them 2 extra sets of DNA strands.

You know, it'd have been a whole lot better if she left it as "it's MAGIC". Really.

It's right up there with Blade 2's super-vampires, who don't have lower jawbones "so they an bite harder". Never mind that taking out the jawbone would mean there's no advantage of a lever, so the bite would be weaker...

GMforPowergamers · Oct 30, 2011

I have tried to find these things myself, and have found that no good answers are avalible inless you read the books (something I can not bring myself to do).

I know they have enhanced physical powers, and regen. They drink blood but not to feed (it may or may not be psycosamatic need) and at some point in the past half breeds were not unknown, but are now outlawed.

There may or may not be (two readers of the book disagree about this) 100+ year old half breed in the book.

TanisFrey said:
in the last book DR. cullen explains that vampires are humans affected by a poison that given them 2 extra sets of DNA strands. he also notes the werewolf have 1 extra set and the half also has 1 extra set of DNA strands.

is that a joke... :-S

a tripple or quad helex instead of a double? or do you mean cromasones (xy,xx)?

I think your best bet is to sit down and read the books. I know I have tried to find redeaming quality to work into rpgs with little luck

TanisFrey · Oct 30, 2011

TanisFrey said:
in the last book DR. cullen explains that vampires are humans affected by a poison that given them 2 extra sets of DNA strands. he also notes the werewolf have 1 extra set and the half also has 1 extra set of DNA strands.

So she does explain it some

Umbran said:
You know, it'd have been a whole lot better if she left it as "it's MAGIC". Really.

It's right up there with Blade 2's super-vampires, who don't have lower jawbones "so they an bite harder". Never mind that taking out the jawbone would mean there's no advantage of a lever, so the bite would be weaker...

AS in Humans have 23 gene pairs (see wiki on HUMAN DNA, Human genome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ).

She extend this scientific principle to vamps and the setting other supernaturals.

GMforPowergamers said:
I have tried to find these things myself, and have found that no good answers are avalible inless you read the books (something I can not bring myself to do).

I know they have enhanced physical powers, and regen. They drink blood but not to feed (it may or may not be psycosamatic need) and at some point in the past half breeds were not unknown, but are now outlawed.

There may or may not be (two readers of the book disagree about this) 100+ year old half breed in the book.

is that a joke...
a tripple or quad helex instead of a double? or do you mean cromasones (xy,xx)?

I think your best bet is to sit down and read the books. I know I have tried to find redeaming quality to work into rpgs with little luck

There was a major balance between half-vampires and infant vampires. Infant/child vampires do not age and are stuck with the mentality they have when turned thus they cannot control their blood thirst at all and the Voltari made it illigeal for anyone to create one.

The Voltari show up in the last book because they received a report that Bella made a child vamp, then kill the witness for missing informing them.

The only book series that I am explicative aware of giving a creature anything other than a single strand of RNS or the double helix of DNA is Ann MacCafey's Pern Series where the fire lizards and dragon have a triple stranded structure of their DNA