Are Vampires Really Dead? [WARNING for younger members]

[Hero]

I was bored during HSPA's today. HSPA's are what Juniors take at my school to decide if they're going to graduate next year. Anyway. How can vampires really be dead? They can bleed when they get hurt, but when you die your blood becomes thick in a way. There's a correct word for it, but I don't remember. Vampires get feel pain, but all muscles and nerves die too when the body does. Also, vampires still have sex. How can vampires still produce semen when their body is technically dead. Same thing goes with them getting erections to have sex. You get one because of the blood tissue in that area (or so iI learned in health in like 7th grade...) so if there's no blood flow in the body cuz they're dead, how does that happen? LOL. Sorry this is some weird questions but... when you have 8 hours of testing things tend to HAVE to be answered or you go insane. lol

 

[Randy]

the word is "Coagulated", when the blood stops flowing, and clots.

And you must remember, that there is a slight bit of fantasy in the world of vampires. Theres a magic to them, so whatever rules of nature they break, its shrugged off with a "meh, its magic".

BUT yeh, I've always wondered about that. Especially the sex thing.

But it's all suspension of disbelief. If we pretend its all real, they will tell us a story.

 

[Angel's vision]

The life(pain, errections etc) could be down to the demon inside, while the body is technically dead, but the writers are using poetic licence.

I prefer to pretend it is real,that way i can understand it lol.

 

[Buffy Summers]

Why the "warning" bit in the thread title?

 

[Hero]

Why the "warning" bit in the thread title?

I thought it might be inappropriet for younger people to read. Vampires having sex and how do they get erections if they're dead, and stuff. I don't know. I put it just incase.

 

[Angelic Slayer]

I just always chalked it up to magic myself, lol. Not very insightful, I know, but given that vampires themselves are mystical characters, I figured why not? Also, the rules for vampire abilities/weaknesses/can and can't physically do seem to be overall pretty sketchy. Like just watching "Queen of the Damned" vs. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" there are huge differences (buffyverse vamps can't fly, for one), so every "verse" seems to make up their own rules, which has something to do with it I'm sure.

As for those specific examples, I assumed that for the erections/coagulation and all that fun kinda stuff, would have to do with the fact that they survive by drinking blood. So, since that's their only source of real nourishment, I assumed that it would be used to sustain any kind of blood-related bodily functions. And for semen, I'm not sure how they would produce it, but given that (in the buffyverse at least) they can't reproduce, I suspect that however it's "made", the semen itself is dead (just like the vampire to which it belongs).

That's what I came up with at least, again, a lot of it obviously has to just be pegged on magic and the supernatural for this.

 

[PrincessZombie]

Yay, magic! 😉 I think it's pretty much the fact that though the human host is dead, the demon inhabiting it probably isn't. Therefore the body works! 🙂

 

[Hero]

And for semen, I'm not sure how they would produce it, but given that (in the buffyverse at least) they can't reproduce, I suspect that however it's "made", the semen itself is dead (just like the vampire to which it belongs).

So, then how did Darla get pregnant with Connor?

 

[Angelic Slayer]

^ But seriously, it is, in a way, made "possible" by magic.

from wikipedia.com:

"Connor was born in November 2001 in Los Angeles, California, a "miracle" human child of two vampires, Angel and Darla. His birth was the result of a series of trials his father Angel undertook to save a dying and (at the time) human Darla in season two's The Trial. However, after he passed them, he discovered that Darla, having already died once as a human, could not be saved; humans can only have two chances at life. The life that Angel was owed by passing these trials was used for the miraculous creation of Connor."

If this is true, it would explain how Connor was conceived. As for how he was physically created, I would either guess that the powers maybe gave Angel "living sperm" that night, or the baby was somehow supernaturally "placed" into Darla (supernaturally being the keyword there, so magic. lol well hey, it happened on Xena!😉).

This would support the idea that male vampires have dead sperm (typically), and the other proof would be from Buffy. She slept with two vampires and didn't end up pregnant. And if that doesn't prove it (as she could phycially be unable to conceive a child) Anya, Nina, and Eve also both slept with Spike/Angel and did not become pregant. And numerous vampires have obviously slept with the two, including Darla, meaning that Connor is truly a one-time "miracle" in the buffyverse.

 

[LadyLavinia]

But the "demon" cannot turn a corpse into a vampire. The only way to create a vampire is when the body is still alive. So, how can vampires be dead?

"Dhampyr


A mortal offspring resulting from a union between a mortal woman and vampire male. Most people believe that vampires cannot procreate this way, this is false. It is rare, but occasionally a child can result from such a union.

Nature does not ignore the fact that the father is vampire. The melding of these two worlds of living and undead gives the dhampyr many strange abilities given by nature as a defense against vampiric influence. These abilities include quick movements, enhanced senses, longevity, unnatural charisma, the ability to resist the vampiric nature that is ultimately part of them, the ability to recognize those of vampiric blood, and the ability to withstand other vampires. These special abilities are what make dhampyr naturally effective vampire hunters, and can make their lives dangerous. Not all dhampyr become hunters, they may just as easily assume the life of the mortal parent.

The vampiric powers of the dhampyr are powered by blood, just as the vampiric father's. If a dhampyr feeds completely, a full meal, then the vampire part of its heritage will come to the surface and take over, they will suffer from bloodlust. This does not make them vampire, they remain mortal.

There are some dhampyr, however, that are able to use their vampiric powers without relying on blood. These are rare form of dhampyr, they are not hampered by the need to feed when the bloodlust calls them. The ability to withstand the call does not weaken this form of dhampyr in any way, they are still as dangerous and effective with their inherited abilities from their vampiric father.

Since dhampyr are mortal, they are not affected by the sun anymore than any other mortal would be. If they have tasted blood, the brightness of the sun will make them uncomfortable but they do not suffer as vampires do. They have no need to fear the sunlight. Dhampyr have at times been called "Day Walkers" because of the tolerance to sunlight.

Dhampyr who are embraced become vampire. They lose all dhampyric traits they had before the embrace, including the ability to withstand the sun.

Upon reaching adulthood, the dhampyr will begin to have dreams. In these dreams, they will see images of their father. These dreams serve to bring the father and child closer together. The dhampyr will be drawn to find the father and will eventually seek him, at times to kill their sire.

 

[Angelic Slayer]

But the "demon" cannot turn a corpse into a vampire. The only way to create a vampire is when the body is still alive. So, how can vampires be dead?

So maybe that's exactly what happens, it's said several times in Buffy that vampires are dead, but maybe they're not totally dead. I mean they obviously have brain functions and such, can feel pain so their nerves are working, but they don't have a beating heart or body heat, yes? So maybe the demon takes over at the very last breath, when the victim is still alive, and somehow only keeps the bodily functions alive that it needs.

Vampires 'reproduce' by siring humans so that means they really don't need sperm/eggs, they drink blood to survive which gets rid of the need of a heartbeat or production of their own blood, they don't need to breathe so air is not an issue- don't need their lungs working, and without near as many major body organs alive as a human would have, they wouldn't have to worry about body heat.

Think about it, when a human gets cold, we use our body heat to keep warm. If we get too cold, our blood-flow (and that heat) goes away from our arms and legs, and is directed to our chest and abdomen area, to keep our major organs warm enough to work and keep us alive. So in theory, if a vampire did not need any/most of these organs, there would really be no need for them to produce their own body heat, as they very well can't freeze to death like we can.

Not the most detailed of explainations, but given the "knowlege" we have of vamps, it (in some very odd way) makes sense.

 

[MentPatient]

Ooo! Let's settle the dispute with the answer... "it's magick!"

😀

 

[eunsoma]

aren't they undead? like not alive but not completely dead. I think that they're dead before they wake up as a vampire after just being turned, but when the demon takes controll they become 'undead'. In other words, the human is dead the demon isn't, it's must inside a dead body (undead). Wouldn't this be like Illyria? Fred is dead but Illyria just has her as a 'shell'. Consider vampires bodies as a shell.

 

[Mesektet Ra]

It's funny you guys should mention this, because I've been breaking down the science of the Buffyverse vampires lately.

Here's what I've got so far [it doesn't include everything, and a lot of stuff is, again, left to magick or the demon that resides in vampires]. This is all the stuff I've come up with regarding body mechanics in Buffyverse vampires.

I've included stuff about siring and souls too if the body mechanics leaves any open questions.

THESE ARE JUST THEORIES. I got bored one day and wrote this stuff down.

Body Mechanics:

- vampires are dead people, reanimated; meaning they don't breathe, are always at least room temperature [except when after feeding, when the body has a semblance of warmth]
- their hearts don't beat; the blood they drink breaks down into the blood stream by some twisted form on disgestion/osmosis
- they can eat human food, but it doesn't process; and they CAN taste it [it just doesn't have the same flavor as blood]; also, they have the same reactions humans would [i.e., THEY PEE]
- by the demon DNA, they acquire the ridges and fangs; bones shifting and changing shape at will
- aspects of the demon are [as brought unto the human body by possession]: preternatural strength, super healing, the ability to move without sound at will, enhanced speed, smell, taste, and sight
- THEY CAN HAVE SEX. Vampire males can get erections through the magick of the demon taking over the human body
- they can't procreate; sperm is useless and dead [if there is any at all; I'm still figuring at one out]
- the blood doesn't congeal because of continous movement of the demonically possessed human body; blood is always moving

Siring:
- blood exchange; vampire blood is the toxin that kills the human body, readying the human body for possession by demon spirit
- vampire blood is like a deep-rooted virus; changes DNA patterns to accomodate the demon; a demonic molecular takeover
- has mystical roots; not a scientific molecular takeover, but a magickal one
- once a vampires sires a human, the newly risen vampire becomes a part of the sire; blood bond; part os the possessing demon is of the sire
- body dies; makes room for incorporeal demon spirit

Souls:
- souls are incorporeal, but quantifiable; they are able to be seen, and contained
- a soul is the moral guide; meaning that it is the intristic desire for one to do right
- vampires are, mostly, soulless creatures; vampires with soul are an anomoly
- souls can be 'forced' onto a vampire by outside means; i.e. magick
- after a person dies, their soul goes into the ether, or 'astral plane', where, by magickal means, it can be taken from and replaced into the body; people die, but their souls live on; if they become a vampires, their soul still exists
- when a soul is replaced into a vampire, the demon spirit isn't eradicated; it gets pushed aside, still residing in the dead human shell, but the human soul is a stronger influence

 

[Angel's vision]

Amen Mesektet Ra! And also a good example of a day walker is blade!
Plus Conner i think was concieved because of that second chance Angel tried to give Darla, but couldn't so the powers gave them Conner i like to think, rather then Jasmine saying it was her influence.

 

[LadyLavinia]

But you cannot create a vampire from a corpse.

How can vampires be considered dead if they cannot be created from a dead body? The whole mythology seems to contradict itself.