How do these vampire traits sound?
I’m working on a vampire story set in 1850’s England and would like some criticism on the traits I’m thinking about using as the corner stone of my work 
And was actually inspired to write it because I hate Twilight and wanted to write a good vampire story reminiscent of Anne Rice and Bram Stroker ^^
-Vampires cannot enter a home unless invited. Once they have been invited once, they can reenter as many times as they’d like.
-As with traditional lore, vampires love to count and/or untangle things (hence the idea of scattering rice grains in a vampire’s coffin)
-Do not have to sleep in coffins, nor do they have to be on native ground
-Vampires can control animals, namely bats, owls, foxes OR wolves.
-Vampires will keep whichever eye colour they had previous to death / being bitten
-Hawthorn, holy water, crucifixes/crosses repel vampires, but the strength of religious symbols depend on the faith of the user AND all the aforementioned methods are rarely, if ever, fatal. EG. A crucifix coming into contact with a vampire’s skin would burn and leave a scar but would not kill.
-To kill a vampire, one must either, a) stake it through the heart, decapitate it, burn the remains and scatter the ashes over holy ground OR b) bury the body face down at a crossroad.
-Sunlight is not fatal! It makes it very uncomfortable, as vampires are much more sensitive, but will only cause a slight burning sensation (like sunburn) and will rid the vampire of his/her powers and abilities. May also cause fatigue, hives, cold- or flu-like symptoms, etc.
-Fangs are very similar to human canines only slightly longer and sharper.
-Vampires have no reflexion but do have a shadow.
-Can have a conscious, though it’s somewhat rare
-Pale skin except for after feeding. The skin will remain rosy for 2-4 weeks depending on how much blood has been consumed
-Average to exceedingly beautiful. Vampires, even if not gorgeous, are alluring by nature.
-Can eat (and some may even enjoy) human food. The nutrition is not needed and can be considered a “luxury” of sorts.
-Ages very slowly (after centuries), though drinking fresh, human blood will act as a “fountain of youth” and rejuvenate the vampire, physically making them appear younger and healing any wounds, and mentally curing any headaches, pain, etc. from extended exposure to sunlight, hunger, etc.
-Heightened senses. Can only smell the copper in blood only when it is exposed to oxygen.
-Better night vision than humans.
-No heartbeat.
-Cold skin
-Hearing the prayers or chants of a priest will cause pain to a vampire by the way of headaches, hives, etc.
-Sexually promiscuous
-No shape-shifting or flight
-Can become a vampire by: committing suicide, improper burial, dying with vengeance, being cursed by a witch, forsaking the Church, being possessed by a demon, or being bitten
-Easily fatigued during the daytime hours, may need to rest often.
-Will have headaches or flu or cold-like symptoms for no medical reason due to hunger or extended exposure to sunlight.
-Nocturnally-natured (sleeps better during the day, naturally prefers night)
Please tell me what you think ^^ if there are any more I should add, tell me <3
Thank you~
I think I’ll add:
-Becoming a vampire through: having a mother who was bitten during pregnancy, drinking a vampire’s blood (in general), being killed by a vampire (rare chance)
-Being unable to cross running water To Joss: I’d have to disagree with you extensively here. First, I don’t think Meyers can write anything–especially romance–well. Her publisher doesn’t know a thing about grammar, either.
Secondly, vampires (or any mythological being) needs to stay within the confines of that race’s abilities. I.E., Meyer’s creations are not vampires by definition. By taking away the limitations of vampires, you are, as such, turning them into (and I quote) "angsty teenagers with fangs". Just like you wouldn’t remove the limitations on humans by saying: "these humans can breath underwater, withstand fire, fly, and magically regenerate." Because then they wouldn’t be humans at all, now would they?
With all that behind, I’d like to read your story whenever you finish with it, it sounds quite interesting, actually.
And my entire story is focused on the difficult romance between a vampire and his human friend / lover / person
February 5th, 2010 at 9:10 am
They’re okay. It’s always great to veer from the norm, which is what I like about Twilight’s vampires. They sparkle, so the author wasn’t afraid to use her creativity and think outside the box, and that’s what I think authors shouldn’t be afraid to do. It sux when most vampires are pretty much the same. Personally, I like the romance aspect with vampires compared to the Anne Rice version. But, then again, I love romance in general.
I’m also writing a vampire story and have gone back to some of the old (though, not traditional) traits, like garlic and holy water. Like yours, my vamps age (naturally) slowly, too, and they can die from old age. Mine isn’t a romance, but it has romantic undertones. It’s kind of funny, because it started as an ode to Twilight (Meyer can write great romance), but turned into something very different. I’ve posted this question 3 times, and two times I was told it was nothing like Twilight and the other time some people commented about how it was a Twilight knock-off when they obviously didn’t read it. *shrugs* http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlTNZ4itOGmjVw4j6.Do3YDty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20091113171942AAevc0P
I have to say, though, that I didn’t go into as much detail as you did about my vamp characteristics, but maybe because mine don’t have that many limits; my vamps are more like humans and their vamp traits have to be trained, like you would teach a child to walk.