Vampires 101

[bigmoneygrip]

Not sure if this has been discussed elsewhere. I did a quick and dirty search and didn't see anything. If it has, and I missed it, I apologize.

My question is this. When a new vamp is sired, why is there so much disparity in the time when the new vamp rises? Sometimes it seems like mere minutes (like Jesse in "The Harvest"), other time it must be days (time for the deceased to have a funeral and be buried). I'd be curious as to some the reasons for this.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Hmm. Good question. I think it's just plot modivated, honestly. In the case of Spike, he says he got a "proper burial" and didn't rise until after it. This appears to be the same with Holden Webster in "Conversations with Dead People". He's wearing a suit, right? When he's fighting and analyzing Buffy in the graveyard? But then, it takes forever for the vamps to rise that Spike buried in the basement in S7. But as you say, in the case of Jesse, it was very quick.

Honestly, I don't think there is a reason. Different vamps just rise at different times 🙂 Some take their time and some dont. It might have been explained somewhere though...

 

[Washburne]

Not sure if this has been discussed elsewhere. I did a quick and dirty search and didn't see anything. If it has, and I missed it, I apologize.

This is embarressing. For me. I always "help" people link to other threads when I can. And I know this discussion has been up since I was the one asking. Not sure if it was on bb or in VH though. And what the thread was since I´m sure I didn´t start a completely new thread for it. So all I can say now is that it never made sense to me either. Excellent question. 😉

 

[Black Eye Guy]

I would assume it's the same as giving birth, sometimes it can take an hour, other time 48,totally random.

For another theory, how about it depends on the amount of blood the vampire gives back to the victim.

Like just say how vamping works (and this is only my theory on how it works,) The vampire bites and drains a person, to turn them though they have to out their blood into them. The Vampire cells go about infecting the human ones converting the human to a vamp.

Now if a vamp drains a little blood and puts in a little blood the change over would take longer, where as if the vamp takes loads and gives loads the conversion doesn't take as much time.

The rate of infection could also be in relation to the size of the person, it would take longer to convert a bigger person, Jesse was a small skinny kid, the others were bigger men?

 

[ILLYRIAN]

Two vampires in a graveyard, talking about the third vampire. Must have been to much liquid in the cookie dough..............he hasn't risen yet!

 

[T.I.P]

Maybe older, stronger vampires(like luke) are able too do it quicker, and with young vampires it takes longer?

 

[white avenger]

It's probably a combination of the amount of blood drained from a victim and the amount that they are given. In "Helpless" when the Watcher/vampire first wakes up, the one who had sired him says something to the effect that he was afraid he had "taken too much (blood)" and the newbie wasn't going to awaken in time.

 

[itsxpaperdoll]

I would assume it's the same as giving birth, sometimes it can take an hour, other time 48,totally random.

For another theory, how about it depends on the amount of blood the vampire gives back to the victim.

Like just say how vamping works (and this is only my theory on how it works,) The vampire bites and drains a person, to turn them though they have to out their blood into them. The Vampire cells go about infecting the human ones converting the human to a vamp.

Now if a vamp drains a little blood and puts in a little blood the change over would take longer, where as if the vamp takes loads and gives loads the conversion doesn't take as much time.

The rate of infection could also be in relation to the size of the person, it would take longer to convert a bigger person, Jesse was a small skinny kid, the others were bigger men?

I think that this is more or less accurate, it's like an incubation time. When you get infected by some disease, sometimes it takes quite a long time before you actually get ill, sometimes not so much. All depending on how helathy you are and how many bacteria or viruses or whatever you got rampaging through your bloodstream.
It's either that, or it just depends on the writers 😛

 

[MichelleBFT]

An interesting question, one that relates to something I was thinking about earlier today: Why does it take different amounts of time for individual vamps to dust? Some go poof the second they get staked. Others have enough to time make a witty remark or even get off another punch or kick before they dematerialize.

The "this is a tv show" answer is obviously that it's all about plot and convenience. Buffy's fighting ten vamps at once and has to get one out of the way before she can get to the rest? They go quick, bing bang poof. But in situations like The Freshman, Sunday was such an in depth character for a one-ep appearance, she gets to emote before she gets poofy.

But the "this is a verse" answer is that it's dependent on individual vamp and probably individual sire.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

An interesting question, one that relates to something I was thinking about earlier today: Why does it take different amounts of time for individual vamps to dust? Some go poof the second they get staked. Others have enough to time make a witty remark or even get off another punch or kick before they dematerialize.

The "this is a tv show" answer is obviously that it's all about plot and convenience. Buffy's fighting ten vamps at once and has to get one out of the way before she can get to the rest? They go quick, bing bang poof. But in situations like The Freshman, Sunday was such an in depth character for a one-ep appearance, she gets to emote before she gets poofy.

But the "this is a verse" answer is that it's dependent on individual vamp and probably individual sire.

I think the dusting thing had alot to do with budget. In the early seasons, it seemed to take less time for them to dust. In the later seasons, it takes longer and is more stylized, like with the skeleton showing underneath and all. The slower the dust, the larger the budget?

 

[MichelleBFT]

I think the dusting thing had alot to do with budget. In the early seasons, it seemed to take less time for them to dust. In the later seasons, it takes longer and is more stylized, like with the skeleton showing underneath and all. The slower the dust, the larger the budget?

I disagree... I mostly wasn't talking about different styles of dusting, which of course evolved with technology over the years. I'm talking about from the moment of stake-to-heart impact to dusting, not the duration of the process of dusting. Sunday, to use the same example again, gets a stake in the heart, and stands there looking annoyed for a couple of seconds before she begins to dust. Other vamps, less important vamps (vamps who get fewer or no lines, basically), usually go from 100% there to completely dusted is far less time than that.

 

[Uncle Rory]

All things considered this is where the Buffyverse most loses me. I am assuming that Joss' version of Vampire mythology was taken from "Interview with the Vampire" in which they interchange blood to create more of their kind. In the "Classic" Vampire films there was no interchange of bodily fluids - They bit you, you died, you rose again.

I think the whole turning to dust and interchanging blood thing doesn't enhance Vampire lore at all. They are just extensions of the myth to make it more palitable for a 42 minute television program. I much prefer the idea of the Vampire as a wandering creature, leaving a path of bodies or undead in his path.

Not to go all negative because I'm not about critisizing the show, I love it. My only concern is that each consequent interpretation of Vampirism seems to be taking the teeth out of the myth. Angel, although he had a soul and fought for good still had the ability to scare. Edward Collins (did I get that right?) from Twilight couldn't scare my 6 year old niece. Kind of a Care-bear with fangs.

I hope the next time Vamps go through a resurgance that they get back to basics.

Uncle Rory

 

[MichelleBFT]

I think one of the most important things Joss brought to vampire lore was to give vamps the ability to be more than just toothy badasses. Harmony, for example, in S5 of Angel-- until Angel and co take over at W&H, she had no incentive to stay "clean," but she did so for months before she had to (company policy). She made a choice. Despite what Riley might think, there ARE varying degrees of evil being. A vamp who doesn't drink human blood, honestly, it may not have a soul, per say, and it may technically be evil, but if it's not doing any damage... then who cares? It evolves vampire lore, IMO.

Have you read the second book from the Twilight series? I only just started it (I'm maybe 1/5 in) but they do talk about the lore of souls and conversion and such. There doesn't seem to be a hard line on whether vampires in that 'verse have souls or not, like in the Whedonverse there are vamps who just go with being vamps and live however they choose, and there are vamps like Harmony who elect to control themselves simply because they can.