Vampires Going Public *Possible Spoilers*

[CharmedSlayer85]

Do you think the reason that Joss is having vampires going public is because of the popularity of the concept? A lot of vampire mythology coming out nowadays vampires are out in the open, think Anita Blake, Southern Vampire Series/True Blood, and I believe their out in the open in the Twillight series, but I don't read it so I don't know.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

I think he's playing off the current popular concept that vampires are cool and romantic and not...well, vicious killers.

These new vamps are losing the mission, man. They want to break your heart instead of stop it.

 

[palabravampiress]

I don't know where Joss is going with it... maybe more toward vilifying Buffy & co.?

I agree that these new vamps need to get with the killing, already. Don't they know they're supposed to eat people?

 

[white avenger]

Possibly this is going to be Joss' way of getting the military to accept Buffy and her army as allies rather than enemies. Remember what Maggie Walsh said back in Season 4: "Whereas we use modern weaponry and cutting edge technology, you, if I understand correctly, poke them with a sharp stick." It's that sort of contempt for the methods that truly work on vampires that is going to put the world's military and police forces up the well known creek without any hope of a paddle unless the Slayers and their allies come to their rescue. The average foot soldier carries an M-16, not a stake or a sword, and that mindset is going to lead to disaster when dealing with vampires.

 

[Tranquillity]

Do you think the reason that Joss is having vampires going public is because of the popularity of the concept? A lot of vampire mythology coming out nowadays vampires are out in the open, think Anita Blake, Southern Vampire Series/True Blood, and I believe their out in the open in the Twillight series, but I don't read it so I don't know.

That is a really great observation. I think you're right that Joss is making comment on/playing with the fact that Vampires are very much in vougue right now and they are very romantic (I mean, they're sparkly instead of wrinkely!) In Joss's world vampires aren't gonna be 'romantic and cool' and I would bet that people are going to pay for allowing the vampires to go public. Remember 'The Wish' - a world where vampire's were very public.

 

[ThatDarreinShow]

I agree... on another note, the Twilight vampires arn't out in the open. They very much keep what they are a secret.

 

[CharmedSlayer85]

Well in the True Blood series vampires do still murder, however unlike on Buffy there are some good vampires or neutral vampires more or less.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

If Joss has any gonads he could use this as a major offensive against the PC-minded world we have become; the population feels sorry for and assists the poor little vampire yet at the same time ostracize those vampire-haters that run around killing them. You can have vampire-rights activists protesting the slayers, picketing them, have EOE programs in place geared towards vampires where x number of hours have to be between sunset and sunrise. Restaurants have to sell blood or risk being labeled as segregated.. etc etc.. could have fun with the concept and poke a big stick (or stake) at society as a whole.

 

[Pulse]

If Joss has any gonads he could use this as a major offensive against the PC-minded world we have become; the population feels sorry for and assists the poor little vampire yet at the same time ostracize those vampire-haters that run around killing them. You can have vampire-rights activists protesting the slayers, picketing them, have EOE programs in place geared towards vampires where x number of hours have to be between sunset and sunrise. Restaurants have to sell blood or risk being labeled as segregated.. etc etc.. could have fun with the concept and poke a big stick (or stake) at society as a whole.

In my opinion this wouldn't happen though, or it would be less likely because I just don't think that these vampires would be up for it. I don't think the majority would be okay about having humans be on their side... like imagine what Darla would say about something like that

 

[Harm]

Trust me Joss is way to smart and ORIGINAL to be using anything to do with the ridiculousness that is Twilight. 😀

 

[Seraphim]

Joss Whedon is not one to bow to what's in vogue. His motivations may well be grounded in what's popular, but he's much more likely to satirize or deride what's popular than uphold it. 😉

 

[Evilyn]

Like stated above, in the Southern Vampire Mysteries (or True Blood, take your pick, it's the same f'n thing) not all of the vampires are "good". They still murder and feed, and not all want to "mainstream" which is what they call the vamps going public in that series. There are actually quite a few vampires that believe it's wrong for them to be out in the open and to associate with humans, because they view themselves as the top of the food chain and that you shouldn't "play with your food".

I think it's possible that Joss could utilize some of Charlaine Harris' theories (she's the author of the series, and has been published in 1 or 2 Buffy related books.) and take Buffy and company to a whole other level. In her books, it's never been said if vampires are souless creatures or not, or whether or not the soul affects their actions.

Anyhoo, I don't know where Joss is going with it, but I for one am all in the side of playing off the True Blood popularity. Way more than Twilight anyhow. The vampires in Twilight don't even seem like vamps, no vamp should be able to walk in sunlight, that's just wrong on soooo many levels.

Ohhh, you know what, now that I think about it, it's kinda funny. The big bad is called Twilight and he has a major following of Twilight groupies...

...I don't know about you guys, but i've spent many hours debating why Buffy is better that Twilight (the books) with all these new vampire fans of the Hot Topic persuasion.

 

[Chase Summers]

Probably just a social statement on well, the state of entertainment. Buffy and the 'Verse has been in existance for over 10 years now. And all of a sudden t.v. people in our world loooove shows about supernatural stuff. I expect several exchanges of "Demons and vamps are real" with an undercut of "yeah, where have you been? or something more clever.

 

[Tranquillity]

And yet, from Harmony's blog a direct connection (lol):

AND you can check out my super insightful "guest blog" at MTV, host to my previously mentioned REALITY SHOW! Can you taste the excitement?! It's, like, making me feel all warm and tingly! No. Wait. That's Robert Pattinson... hey, he's cute!

MySpace.com Blogs - Harmony MySpace Blog


*Robert Pattinson plays Edward the vampire in Twilight and, yes, I'd have to agree with Harmony, he is cute 🙂

 

[Buffyverse Fan]

I hope the whole public vampire-thing is removed from continuity. It just seems to undermine the whole Buffyverse.

On Buffy: Buffy fought the demons around her to protect the world. It was all about her giving up her normal life to do what had to be done.

On Angel: He mainly secluded himself to the night because that's when the helpless fall prey to the unknown threat of vamps.

If vampires are public, then all Slayers & Champions are are stronger folks. It takes away the emotional depth & toll of being a Buffyverse hero.

These Quotes come to mind, and they're all but meaningless in the world "Harmonic Divergence" created:

"In the Dark"
Doyle: "So how long has it been between sunsets?"
Angel: "200 years, give or take."
Doyle: "Well you got to be feeling pretty damn good then, huh? I mean this ring "“ changes everything, don't it? - Yeah, it's spectacular, I know. But I do promise that there will be another one exactly like it tomorrow."
Angel: "Not for me."
Doyle: "What are you saying? That the city will be hit by a meteor before tomorrow night or"¦"
Angel: "No."
Doyle: "No. It's to horrible to say the other. I can't even bring myself to say the other."
Angel: "I'm not going to wear the ring."
Doyle: "That was the other. - You got a real addiction to the brooding part of life. Anyone ever tell you that?"
Angel: "Once or twice."
Doyle: "Care to explain? - I mean this ring is your redemption. It's what you've been waiting for."
Angel: "nah, it just looks like it.'
Doyle: "Angel, man, think what you're saying."
Angel: "I have. I've thought of it from every angle, and what I figure is I did a lot of damage in my day, more than you can imagine."
Doyle: "So what, you don't get the ring because your period of self-flagellation isn't over yet? I mean think of all the daytime people you could help between 9 and 5."
Angel: "They have help. The whole world is designed for them, so much that they have no idea what goes on around them after dark. They don't see the weak ones lost in the night, - or the things that prey on them. And if I join them, maybe I'd stop seeing, too."
Doyle: "And who'd look out for all the insomniacs?"
Angel: "I was brought back for a reason, Doyle, and as much as I would like to kid myself, I don't think it was for 18 holes at Rancho."
The sun sinks below the horizon. Angel takes off the ring, picks up a brick and smashes it. Big green flash of light.

"Chosen"
BUFFY: I hate this. I hate being here. I hate that you have to be here. I hate that there's evil and that I was chosen to fight
it. I wish a whole lot of the time that I hadn't been. I know
a lot of you wish I hadn't been, either. But this isn't about
wishes. This is about choices. I believe we can beat this evil.
Not when it comes. Not when its army is ready. Now.
Tomorrow morning I'm opening the Seal. I'm going down
into the Hellmouth and I'm finishing this once and for all.
Right now you're asking yourselves what makes this
different. "What makes us anything more than a bunch of
girls being picked off one by one?" It's true, none of you
have the power that Faith and I do. So here's the part
where you make a choice.

"You're Welcome"
CORDELIA
Do you ever wonder... Do you ever think about if we'd met up that night and had a chance to"”

ANGEL
All the time.

CORDELIA
(looks down)
Guess we missed our moment, huh?

ANGEL
Maybe we were meant to. Or maybe people like us just don't get to...have that.

CORDELIA
Angel, there are no people like us.

 

[Tranquillity]

I just have to say - The more I think about this the more it's blowing my mind!
I mean, Season 8 has a villian called Twilight and a world where Vampires are cool at the same time that in the real world The Twilight books/movie are huge and vampires are trendy - the irony is freaking hilarious...