Thinking on the nature of being British, well that and vampires.
Back in 2005 on live journal I remember having a bit of a brainwave based on Alan Rickman talking about what the British could teach the world about sex.
He said “Take a large dose of repression, mix it with guilt and add smut to taste.“
So in July 2005 I wrote a post about this.
“It got me thinking about all those Harry or Draco or Severus stories where they are vampires, but something always seemed off, then I realised what it was.
You see when we write vampire stories we have them turning into sexual and sexy predators. This is partly because of the sexual imagery of Bram Stoker's enthralling novel Dracula. Well that and the total pansies that are Anne Rice's vampires, although I did like Interview with the Vampire. But I think everyone writes them as seductive creatures.
However what if we took the idea of a British vampire with all the problems of being a British gentleman in the past. Or even nowadays. How can he seduce his victims when he is repressed, with that bit of guilt about sex. Think about how British romantic comedies work, remember Charles in 4 weddings, think about Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones. “
Then someone else wrote a really good short story about this very awkward type of vampire. Another friend did so also. This led me to think that several people would have different ways to portray the idea of the difficulties an old fashioned British Vampire would have getting a bride and/or victims.
The idea was that not just vampires should be written about, but British monsters in general.
Any fandom or original writing, but they must be British and Repressed.
“See and he can be hot but keeps thwarting himself from getting vampire brides because it isn't proper to make a move on them, so his intended victims keep making matches with other guys. Then he can't do anything about it because he is honorable and shy.”
I'd created a small community for the stories to go on.
I then wrote a short story, it's on old livejournal and I wanted it somewhere else.
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The trials of dating
The trouble with being a vampire in the modern world was just how hard it was for a girl to find a man when your sire had just gone and got himself killed. Just how hard was it for a man to know that when the sun is up, to at least use a high factor sun protection cream of say SPF 1000. Or ideally wait until midnight? But Piers had sleepily stumbled out of his crypt at midday and was now a crispy fried sire.
Daisy was finding the dating world a bit hard at the moment. Her last date had gone a bit Pete Wong, was that the term? Her friend Dione kept saying it all of the time. The times and morals had changed. Women seemed to be more forward, wearing fewer clothes and in general exhibiting less class.
Dione had been a handy guide; she had found Daisy just after the vampire came across the remains of her fried paramour. The Werewolf had recognised that Daisy was a vampire and surprisingly had taken Daisy under her wing, well paw so to speak. Dione's boyfriend Mike was an ex werewolf hunter, somehow Dione had convinced him to put aside his silver weapons. The couple seemed to live in domestic bliss, apart from the odd times when Mike would forget Dione's Silver allergy when buying presents. Plus Dione's monthly problem could occasionally cause some fights.
Dione had declared it a girls night, after Mike decided to give her a silver necklace for their anniversary, again. Dione felt he was doing it on purpose at this point. She was going to stay at Daisy's lair for the next few days, so Mike could think about what he'd done. Dione had been snippy the previous evening when she stomped in and declared it was over. When she'd asked if she could stay with Daisy, she'd felt obligated to say yes.
It was becoming a pattern now, Mike and Dione would have a fight, they would make up. Dione would be insufferably smug and loved up. While Daisy really missed Piers. But this time Dione swore that this was it, she needed to be footloose and fancy free.
Daisy didn't think Dione would be alone for long. She wasn't picky in Daisy's opinion.
When she and Piers had courted, he'd visited in the evenings for months. It was surprising her family hadn't insisted on him visiting during the daytime. He'd been awkward and she did her duty, determined to be pleasant to this strange interesting man. But he proposed she said yes, and then he drained her. No church wedding for a creature of the night.
Somehow the modern way of courting seemed lacking to Daisy. Although the night hours suited her condition. Dione was fortunate that she only had the full moon to worry about.
So now they were here, in the smoky nightclub, filled with sweaty bodies. Daisy wouldn't have been happy to snack here, let alone take someone home.
Daisy looked around the nightclub, ghastly place, how could she use her feminine powers of seduction if her suitors couldn’t hear her voice? Dione had also taken Daisy's dress sense in hand, the first time she had emerged from her crypt for a night out, the werewolf had taken one look at Daisy's attire and dragged Daisy back inside. The werewolf quietly remarked on hard it must be to put your makeup and dress when you couldn't see your reflection and made over Daisy.
Daisy still wasn't sure about the new look, the baby blue twin set with the faun linen skirt still seemed wrong. But it was a nice change from heavy velvet. Dione headed back with two Bloody Marys, both for the Werewolf, Daisy wasn't all that thirsty. Yes, her last date still rankled, especially as Dione had pushed her to chat up the darkly attractive man. It had been going so well, they had similar opinions on art and had visited similar areas of Eastern Europe. It was only at the end of the evening when he'd walked her back that it had got a bit ...awkward.
Dione had it easy, at least she could go out in daylight, she was only indisposed with her time of the month once a month. Although she still kept complaining about the time when she synced her menses with the other women in the office and was bad tempered twice a month. Mike had been upset to say the least.
As Daisy scanned the room she noticed her last date in the club. Blast! She wasn't in the mood for the embarrassing awkwardness that meeting him again would cause. It was a shame, he really was sexy. She motioned that she was leaving to Dione. Dione looked puzzled, so Daisy had to indicate her last date. Daisy discreetly left at speed.
Dione caught up with her outside. “Honestly Daisy you could have stayed. Vedran wouldn’t have spotted you.”
“Dione that is the last time I ever take a suggestion for a date from you. I’m never going to find another man. I’m too different, too old, I’m from another century!”
“What about that blond? You seemed to like the look of him.”
Daisy’s eyes widened as she kept on walking, “The twenty year old? Nope not a chance!”
“Look I’m sorry Vedran tried to stake you, but how was I to know he was a vampire hunter. Don’t let a small set back like that put you off! I mean look at me and Mike, we managed to get over our prejudices!”
Daisy hated the way Dione was smug about her man. She stopped and glared at her friend. “Didn’t the fact he was a friend of Mike’s alert you to the fact he might not like vampires?”
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I also had another story idea, from a Male Vampire's perspective and the last Vampire hunter. She's been too successful and the work has dried up.
But I'm stepping away from that idea for now. I already have enough WIP in intial draft. I need to finish the stories I am working on. By finishing I mean get them from my head and onto the page.