I've got this idea...

I've gotten this idea from a couple of dreams I've had recently, where it's one continuous scenario and the same people over and over.

I wrote down what I could remember after the second night, and I really want to do something with it. The problem is, I don't know what.

There's a "family" of three or four vampires. Two children, about 8 and 10 (one girl and one boy), one older woman (about late teens), and a man of indeterminate age. They, for some reason, live in either a tourbus or an RV, with darkened windows, permanently pulled shades, and the like. It's set in a place that seems like Anywhereville, USA, possibly on the West Coast. They all have pale skin and unusually dark hair. Everyone's eyes are different shades of brown. For some reason, they don't need to drink blood of any kind, but they don't have any food or drink (nor, apparently, do they need it) at all. The sun doesn't kill them, but they rarely leave their dwelling, or allow sunlight inside (perhaps they're just photosensitive, like the children in The Others.) Artifical light (like from a TV) is apparently fine. Crosses, silver, and other stereotypical anti-vampire methods have no effect on them whatsoever (which makes me wonder why the "vampire" label sticks so strongly to these people in my mind.)

The son likes videogames and watching sports on the tv, the daughter is a quiet girl who doesn't like to be drawn out of her inner self. She will draw things that don't seem to make sense, but follow some kind of internal logic. She rarely talks. The woman appears to be the main protector and decision-maker, especially for when they should bolt. The man hangs back, his role unknown.

I have no clue about names, and in the dream, they didn't address each other by name once.

They do occasionally go to outside events, to enjoy a feeling of normality, but they must wear sunglasses, and limit their time wherever they are. Seperation for any but a short period of time from each other is impressed to have uncertain but very dire consequences (physically, I mean). They act as if they're running from something, but they don't know what it is. Only that the need to stay ahead of an unknown is pressing them on. This little group is very protective of each other, and will very rarely allow a normal person in. When they do, it seems to be for the purpose of guarding the children.

Halp?

First, I suggest you flesh out their vampire traits. Go look at the Our Vampires Are Different page for a few ideas.

Next, get a sense of the why. As in, why can't they be separated? Why are they running from this thing? Because they have to? Because they want to? Why is it so horrible?

Your characters don't necessarily have to know these things, but you do.

After having read through the Our Vampires Are Different page several times, nothing is really coming to me. So, for now, I'll put that aside to contemplate later.

As for why they can't be separated, it causes something in them to malfunction, leading to physical pain for the seperated one, and an anxiety or panic attack. Why are they running? They're no longer sure. From my perspective, they're running because A) it's all they know and B) because they are trying to escape their millenia-old past.

They're so old (including the children), that they no longer remember what they're running from. There is much that they've forgotten. Perhaps they are trying to recover the knowledge they lost (I still have to figure out what that might be.) It is horrible because they have built their unknown terror to be so in their minds.

They don't know what it is, not anymore, but they're so afraid of it that they have, like children will do with the monster under the bed, built it up to all sorts of proportions.

As you can see, I have a lot more work to do on this, and this is literally my first crack at it. But, still, I think this will be interesting...

Protip: In order to be defined as "vampires" they need to steal stuff from other folks to sustain themselves be it blood, energy, semen, welfare, etc.

Otherwise you've just got a family of Computer programmers.

I say you make them a family of programmers, it'd be funnier, unless your story is serious.

The feeling I'm getting here is that these people aren't actually vampires, but people call them that because of the superficial resemblance (the pale skin and photosensitivity) and because they don't know what else to call them. I dunno if that'd work for you, though.

@Thelos: I know. I'm trying to figure out what they take. (And, as I said before, I don't know why the specific label of "vampire" stuck to these people in the dream of origin. I feel it's something I can play with, as you suggest.) I'm kind of in a crunch with schoolwork right now, but when I have some time later, I'll think about this.

@Steven: That might be plausible, for the boy at least. Although the work is serious.

@Yamii: Mmh, that would certainly work, at least during the times when they want normal human company. The entire party is very old. They don't really want to be seen or noticed at all, and yet, they stand out. They look normal to your average person, but there's still something about them that cues peoples' interest and makes note of difference. The fact that they can't identify what that difference is makes those people feel uneasy.

The group members themselves question if they know the difference anymore. They've lost much over the centuries. Perhaps powers of some kind, certainly knowledge, and something more, yet to be determined.

edited 3rd Dec '11 11:51:45 AM by punkreader

Maybe the story could be about them re-learning their vampirism.

Word of advice: Make sure they turn into proper vampires, their skin should never sparkle in the sun.

Or something similar, if it's not vampirism that they're rediscovering... That's a thought.

Oh god! No, of course not! Never! Agh, Twilight! Getitawaygetitawaygetitaway!

-ahem-

Yeah, no Meyerpire sparkly-type shit. I'll likely have some biological mucking-up, but I have actual biology textbooks (advanced ones) to reference.

Okay, here's what I've come up with:

• They don't need food/drink, of any kind
• They're at least a millenia old, every one of them
• Their prescence around others may or may not harm said people
• They can't physically seperate from each other (with a distance of about 100 yards before it kicks in) without the separated person having a panic attack and anxiety triggered, until they return to the group
• They're running from something - but they don't know what that "something" is anymore
• They all have Super-Senses
• Stereotypical anti-vampire methods don't affect them at all
• They don't really use modern technology, aside from a TV, old computer, and a videogame system
• They don't seem to be related by blood
• They are religious (a hold-over from their former days)
• Animals generally don't like them, but they do have a cat

There'll be more coming, after I take a Physics quiz next class.

To be vampires, they'd have to consume something...maybe they're that "Something" has cursed them to never drink blood, leaving them eternally thirsty.

Right, but do they have to be vampires in the strictly traditional sense? I personally don't think so. Besides, a need for blood has been beaten to death so many times that I'm wary even touching it.

I do like your idea, though, of them being eternally thirsty. I've been reading a lot of especially speculative fiction lately ({{Phillip K. Dick}}, Ben Bova, etc.), and it's gotten me to thinking about science-fiction. Especially the "science" part. I do know that, in spite of my current battle with senioritis, ultimately, I want to go into a medical or science field. I've also started rereading Franken Fran - and, of course, reading that always gives me ideas.

Perhaps, instead of needing blood, they're eternally thirsty for a different chemical compound (or component), like a specific protein or hormone.

I'd add more, but my mental lightbulb just flickered out on this, and I have assignments I need to finish. I'll probably have more details (likely about the family) later in the evening.

Thoughts on the setting being some flavor of Cyberpunk? Or perhaps not, just a thought.

These people are definitely from Europe, at about 1000 BCE or so ("The Dark Ages").

Also, what if the "thing" that these people need is some sort of specific protein, or other bodily component (that isn't blood)?

Here're my ideas on the "something" that they're running from:

• They are being hunted/pursued because they are "a danger to society"
• This "something" isn't as large as an organization, nor is it a single person
• There are other people that are as old as this "family" is, and they might be feeding intelligence to this "something"

As for more details on the family, here they are:

The boy

• His name is Roderick
• While his physical age has remained at 10 or 12, he has more acquired skills compared to someone else at that age
• However, also due to the "not physically aging," he's still emotionally a 10-12 year-old
• He is relatively skilled with technology - however, due to their isolation, they can't really get their hands on much newer technology very often (and besides, where would they store it?), so his skill lies mainly in older devices and systems
• He tried going to school a couple of times, but it was generally a bad experience, because...
  • He had a difficult time relating to the other kids "his age", and thus making friends
  • The separation-triggered anxiety was constantly distracting, appearing to give him severe ADD-like symptoms
  • His specialized knowledge in certain fields was a trade-off for more basic knowledge, and he struggled with some of the basic concepts (like spatial relations, writing, and biological sciences)
• He enjoys videogames (also on older systems, namely the SNES), particularly puzzle-based, platforming, and adventure games
• He speaks in a somewhat monotone voice

The girl

• Her name is either Freja or Helle
• She is physically 7 years old, but is considerably older if measured solely by intelligence
• Her emotional "age," like Roderick's, remains at about that of a 7 year-old
• She is very quiet, and generally solitary
• She is fond of drawing pictures with crayons
  • Those pictures are often a mystery to others - they follow some kind of internal logic to the girl, however
  • They are often either dark or violent, such as one depicting a war scene (World War II, in that specific case)
• She shows an interest in international news programs, particularly those covering wars, revolutions, and the like
• She shows both the least fear of their unknown pursuant and the most fear of it (she does not understand it necessarily, but that makes it all the more frightening to her)

I'm currently unsure of her specific skill or skillset, and plan to develop what I come up with. Suggestions would be helpful.

The young woman

• Her name is likely either Petra or Helena
• She's physically and emotionally 18 years old
• She functions as the "caretaker" for the group
• She makes sure everyone is in good health, and is informed on the current set of rules(?)
• She is always on-edge, and has several nervous habits:
  • Biting her nails
  • Picking at her clothes
  • Tapping fingers or absentmindedly shredding papers in her hands
• She is good at observation, noticing small details
• She determines when they pick up and leave their current camp
• She may have psychic powers of some kind, or the ability to "listen" to energy currents
• She is extremely protective
• Her constant state of stress can and does affect her decision making

The man

• His name is yet undetermined, but may be Michael or some other old male name
• He appears to be about 40
• He is very quiet, and does not speak often, nor interact often with the others
• He seems close to the young woman, however
• He appears to function as the "glue" for the unit, a rock for them to lean on
• He has been with them for as long as any of them can remember
• He may know more about what they are running from, and what they have lost, than he is letting on
• He functions as something like the group's Lightning Bruiser, and has considerable skill with old weaponry
• His skill does not extend to modern weapons like guns

If you're feeling biologically experimental, incredibly old, unaging creatures would require things like synovial fluid and the like.

Synovial fluid, definitely. I'll do some more looking and see what else I might be able to use.

I like this idea a lot. It does strike me that yes, creatures need to consume something — even if they're magical. It does not have to be something that normally gives sustenance, of course.

Perhaps also something about their nature requires them to keep moving, not just their pursuer?

I'd be cautious about the "not skilled in modern weaponry" thing for the man. Modern weaponry is simple, and anyone who ever practiced with a crossbow could shoot a gun with little training. Perhaps not some complicated auto or semi-auto weaponry, but I bet you your average medieval knight could work out a revolver with no trouble, and be using it in battle in a few days. It's also not like he's just been dropped in the twenty-first century, either — he's lived every long year of it, seen the development of weapons of war.

If you really want him to not want to use guns, you're going to have to justify it, either for their kind as a whole or him in particular.

Morven has a point. A huge advantage of modern weapons- especially pistols- is that they require very little in the way of dedicated training. Automatic rifles and the like are excuseable, of course, as they are a lot more complicated.

I think that they should just have a aversion to guns, I've seen people with that.

Him having an aversion to guns would make sense. Especially if he lived through World War II.

And World War 1.

The most brutal thing about WWI wasn't the guns, it was the close combat. -Shudders-

What about the piles of dead caused by machine guns?

Guns are guns. Harsh, but usually efficient. I mean, sure, getting shot in the stomach sucks. However, nothing quite compares to having your face ripped in twain by a barely-sharp shovel.

Yes!

Right. And artillery shells, and mustard gas, and tommy guns, and... a lot of other weapons.

Incidentally, is there a trope for or involving motor homes?

edited 14th Dec '11 5:44:01 AM by punkreader

I've been wondering about their home, an RV or motorhome. However, I've spent a very limited amount of time in trailers/R Vs. I remember little, as well.

Who can help me out here? Has anyone ever lived in an RV/motorhome for an extended period of time? What was it like? What about spaces inside? I'll do some looking into R Vs and such later, but the setting isn't in this decade (it's anywhere from 1990 to 2000, give or take a year or two).

Thanks a bunch!