by LynnS13

Vampires, Fantasy and all that's in between

One always wonders, in this world of stories, where do vampires fit in?

Though Wattpad did us an honor by bestowing a separate category for all our blood sucking, night loving creatures, I'd say they are pretty much at home everywhere.

Darkness, after all, is ever present.

I know because I write them. They are always in my head, taking some form or another, dragging me to places I didn't intend to visit. But still, I follow. Why? Because more than any other monster, vampires are the flip of a coin to our human self. The id unleashed, the void that is left when the anima is no more, (that "Other Me Meme" we all love so much) you catch my drift.

And today is my job to convince you that vampires are at home in fantasy.

Think of Fantasy as a tree. You love that ever green canopy with strong branches that stretch as far as imagination will allow, even touching the stars. And we like to rest against the thick of it all, where elves and sorcerers, and dragons battle... but what about the root?

Wasn't fantasy conceived, even before the written word existed, as a means to give shape to the things we both loved and feared? You know the story, it was gods that gave us fire... to escape the clutches of those who waited in the dark to hunt us. (I'm pretty sure that's how it happened, or perhaps it's a story recounted by one of those frights that live in my head).

The point is, vampires are quite safe in fantasy, even if they don't rise to the top. They never needed light to thrive. They are content to make their homes deep within, where the roots of fantasy dive into Horror and the  Paranormal.

I have several fantasy books that might well be different from the ones in your collection. As you can see, I'm a little dark and a dash twisted. I like my books defying reason. I welcome anything that I can't quite wrap my head around. Fantasy is meant to entice me and take me as far from reality as it is considered prescribable for the human mind. (I swear, I come back unscathed, but the jury is still out on that one).

I don't know why I keep warning you, but vampires, at least the ones I love, do not live in the pure and safe realm you have learned to trust.

They live in the house at the end of the lane, where all good things go to die and innocent fears to tread.

Dark Fantasy. Urban Fantasy. Vampires thrive there.
In these scenarios, Fantasy takes a turn into the supernatural and goes hand with horror. And if we take it to the busy streets of the 21st Century, where we have grown so attached to our technology, our reason, and the scientific fact... there's a chance for a field day. Because vampires, if well written, will find a way to break through every single reasonable expectation, until you must give up, and give in, recognizing that you are dealing with things that are not of this world.

Have you ever met someone that is unreasonably afraid of dolls? I have. When I asked he gave me a reason that made me smile. "They have everything a human should have, it's not natural." To which I answered. "You are not afraid of dolls, dear. You are afraid of pretense. You should be afraid of vampires instead because they are everywhere."

You don't believe me? Let's take a look at the last decade or so.

Vampires have been all over the place lately, and I'm not so sure if it is doing their reputation any good.

Yes, they are the mass-marketed stars of the so called "paranormal romance." They look at us, with longing, crimson tinted eyes, with heart-wrenching tales to tell and willing to fulfill their duties as bodice ripper masters, but that whole romantic sense has stolen something... Something that I'd love you, Wattpad writer, would help them retrieve.

Few authors know how to master the formula. Vampires are not simply bad boys. They are creatures who have a complex relationship with humanity and must balance affection versus the need to corrupt and destroy. I'll take your romance, as long as it reminds me that I should sleep with one eye open. And here is why:

Humans were never meant trust vampires and if they ever cross the line into "loving them", they should do with a whole lot of caution. Vampires are preternatural beings; perhaps the most disturbing characters when it comes to the many monsters out there. You see, they once were human, fitting perfectly on what we expect as a transient species on this globe, and yet, something happened.

Whatever that something maybe, it took them out of the equation, turning them impervious to the passage of time or the consequence of death. They are truly horrifying because they were once like us and now they are just a shell, something human in appearance. There is a chance there might be a scientific explanation, a disease of the blood, an affliction of the central nervous system, something akin to rabies perhaps. And then there is a chance that they might have just crossed an unseen door into another realm, a place where demons dwell, waiting for an opportunity to merge with a human, repelling the soul and replacing it with blood lust.

As we look for answers, there is one undeniable truth: Vampires do not owe us anything. They are no longer human, they don't even have to answer to human feeling. Whatever they do is prompted by their need of survival and it is quite easy to survive when one lives in the fringe of human perception, beyond human understanding.

Are you at least worried now? Do you still believe that story about lions falling in love with lambs? If you do... Maybe Romance is your better fit. If on the other hand, you see vampires as keys to an intriguing, yet dangerous puzzle, stay with me. 

I'll leave you some sample books now. None of them have happy endings. There's a whole world of wonders between Dracula and Anne Rice. And, if you walk beyond the Twilight landscape, you'll find darkness falls at an impressive rate out there.

Stephen King's Salem's Lot: Vampires are purely agents of evil in this one, and evil is sometimes perceived as a living, intelligent entity that resides in the Master's house and spreads through a small community, ripping it from the inside.

Richard Matheson's I am Legend (if you even think of the Will Smith movie, you can't be my friend): This is a classic and a must read for those who like to experiment with possible scientific variables and those big existential questions like where do humans stop and monsters begin, whether or not certain... inclinations are acquired of if they are simply waiting within us.

Nancy Collin's Sunglasses After Dark: Demonic possession, corrupt psychic healers, other worldly beings thinly disguising their savage nature under human appearance. It doesn't get more unsettling than that. A vampire turned vampire hunter tries to make it through while striving to keep tabs on her sanity and whatever humanity she has left.

Poppy Z. Brite's Lost Souls: One word: Raw. Where Anne Rice paints a glamorous, decadent world of charming vampires, the New Orleans that serves as a setting for this novel is a deadly trap. It is a world of elusive virtue where humans are every bit as lost as the savage vampires who prey upon them. It's the closest to modern gothic as you'll get.

There are vampire books as there are genres out there, vampires are if anything, adaptable. I'm leaving you these four as a start up into the dark side of vamps. Now... Have you read anything interesting here on Wattpad that plays along these lines? Let us know. What do you expect on a good vampire read?

Example of Vampire Fantasy on Wattpad:
Court for Fairies by LynnS13

Synopsis:

Marissa has always lived in her mother's shadow-and that needs to change...

Paralegal Marissa Salgado is a quiet woman, an only child who has grown up in Adriana's long shadow. When she meets and falls in love with Esteban, a fellow employee at the law firm, Marissa finally starts to break free from her shell. While Marissa's mother is overjoyed to see her daughter happy and fulfilled, both Adriana and Marissa have a blood legacy that ties them to creatures of old-and love is indeed transformative when it comes to their kind.

Esteban never knew his father, nor was he aware of his half-human, half-fae heritage...

Esteban O'Reilly had no idea he was descended from the feared Alexander clan, a vicious faction of the Unseelie Court that demanded their payment in blood and sacrifice. When Esteban dies in a car accident, the women in his life are shattered, and his mother and grandmother are frantic to bring him back-no matter what it takes.

Magic has a price, and one life has to be exchanged for another...

Answering a request from Esteban's mother, Marissa agrees to spend a weekend at Innisfree, the family's country home. During her stay, she learns the fairies who haunted the O'Reillys for generations have now set their eyes on her. When the extent of Esteban's sacrifice becomes clear, Marissa must make a choice-the truth, or the man she loves.

With her life in danger, will Marissa finally acknowledge those who once swore to protect her? Will her own secrets step out of the shadows, or will she be destroyed by the dark Fae?

Excerpt:

The first encounter between Bastian Salgado and Adriana Popescu was defined more by violence than surprise. The dhampyr had been aware of both of her unusual customers for a while. Her instinct had warned her and she had listened enough to allow for this little drama to unfold. She took the gamble, though, of believing Bastian to be a reasonable gentleman.

In almost three hundred years, after leaving their native land and adopting an existence marked by secrecy, hunters became a thing of the past. In a world in which ever increasing technology devoured both religion and magic, coming forth was as risky for monsters as it was for those self-righteous bastards.

Just like vampires and their kind had been pushed further into shadows, the men who once persecuted them had all but disappeared in a world of books and neutral observation. And then, just a few weeks ago, her nest had been made to run and hide. She had never been happier. Hell, she might even give him a congratulatory smooch given the time. But there were never enough precautions for someone who was not a full-fledged immortal.

Between one fantasy and another, Adriana zoned out and allowed the man with the briefcase to get the best of her.

He spun her around in the alley, pushing her against the wall of a darkened building. Adriana felt her back hit the worn brick with force as her throat was painfully enclosed by a curved blade. It was pure silver, enough to permanently cripple her, as the vampyr blood in her system could not repair anything touched by the argentine metal. The threat was enough to make her instinct rage, but when in panic, the inner voice was no help at all.

The instinct would force her to act upon an enemy as if she were a full-blooded vampyr, killing her in the process if it was determined to be a way to protect the many. So she breathed in and closed her fists, steadying her pulse and letting the instinct know that though she had made a slight mistake, Adriana was still in control. Her instinct receded, listening.

Bastian pressed the weight of his body against her and was surprised not to feel the eerie cold of the touch granted to all vampires.

"What are you?"

Both Adriana and her instinct understood that question had opened a door. They made their best to work on that moment of doubt; the blink of his olive green eyes and the quick frown of his eyebrows denoted confusion. Humanity over duty. Adriana was about to try a winning hand. She smiled sensuously, showing perfectly even teeth, tempting Bastian to forget what had brought them to that alley in the first place.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk...Saint Sebastian." She clicked her tongue almost taunting. "I expected a bit more from my executioner."

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