Well I think the issue would be somewhat lessened if everyone was immortal, not just you. When I think about immortality, I think about one we all would reach with science, not just individual person.

Well I think the issue would be somewhat lessened if everyone was immortal, not just you. When I think about immortality, I think about one we all would reach with science, not just individual person.

Thing is that stories barely ever go that direction. Like this one, vampires are usually the exception.

Though I want to mention that "common immortality" brings its own troubles. If nobody dies anymore, there would have to be prohibitions on reproduction, because overpopulation would go completely out of control. Death is a very necessary factor to keep the balance in our universe. And if no new life can be born, then a huge aspect of human psychology would die off. The will to pass something on or to raise offspring is integral. Not everyone needs it, but that certainly would take away many people's drive to continue on.

BugDevil posted:

Well I think the issue would be somewhat lessened if everyone was immortal, not just you. When I think about immortality, I think about one we all would reach with science, not just individual person.

Thing is that stories barely ever go that direction. Like this one, vampires are usually the exception.

I meant when people discuss how being immortal would suck, they think about only them being immortal. I think about it in context of entire mankind reaching immortality or at least eternal youth, Only death by accident or murder. Then the whole "constantly losing everyone and feeling like I don't belong" is no longer a issue.

Death is not necessary in all fiction.

The Greek myth of Tithonus shows that people thought about it for a long time.

Swift, in Gulliver's travels, addressed the problem. The protagonist meets the "struldbrugs", a special kind of people that do not die, but keep on aging and slowly become vegetables, bringing to full light, the horrors of immortality without eternal youth.

Elves, in Tolkienverse, are all immortal (unless they are killed). That's why they just don't reproduce much, or the universe would be filled with elves. There's some sort of balance.

Some sci-fi authors addressed the immortality of a whole race in different manners. Either they ascend to become "pure energy" (and so stop consuming finite resources), or their minds are transferred into a matrix, so they essentially keep on living as data (whether they are still themselves or just a copy is another can of worms).

If Vampires really existed, they should cover the earth, since biting someone is supposed to turn them. Oh, right, this is the theme of 'I am Legend".

Thing is that stories barely ever go that direction. Like this one, vampires are usually the exception.

I meant when people discuss how being immortal would suck, they think about only them being immortal. I think about it in context of entire mankind reaching immortality or at least eternal youth, Only death by accident or murder. Then the whole "constantly losing everyone and feeling like I don't belong" is no longer a issue.

I got that... and I explained why that solution adds a variety of new issues that are even worse.

If Vampires really existed, they should cover the earth, since biting someone is supposed to turn them. Oh, right, this is the theme of 'I am Legend".

In 99% of vampire fiction the "turning" is a conscious action, not an unavoidable side effect. Most vampires obviously don't want to turn their victims into fellow vampires. That would result in more competition and more unpredictable loose ends. After all the only thing a vampire usually fears is something holy or another vampire.

last edited at May 19, 2019 8:11AM

And maybe Vampires can only survive with human blood... so if you turn everyone into a vampire....

There are many flavors of vampires.

Vampires feeding off vampires isn't unheard of.

There are many flavors of vampires.

Vampires feeding off vampires isn't unheard of.

Yes, vampires are probably the most diverse type of monster in fiction. And that is entirely because of how human they are. I'd still say cannibalistic vamps are rather rare. After all one bloodsucker cant get more out of another than that one "ate" before. If only vampires existed, blood would run out.

Unless we speak of the even rarer kind that produces their own blood and only feeds on life energy etc.

Apologies for a slight off-topic derailment.

Elves, in Tolkienverse, are all immortal (unless they are killed).

Actually, they can not be killed. Humans (and other mortals) can be killed, in which case their souls leave the Arda (the world where Middle-earth is located) and no one knows what becomes of them.

Elves, on the other hand, merely have their corporeal forms destroyed, while their souls go to the Halls of Mandos, an actual physical place in Valinor. There, they are judged, and can be given a new body. Finrod Felagund, for example, is specifically mentioned to be once again walking through the meadows of Valinor with his father, even though Finrod was "killed" by Sauron in Beleriand. Another example is Glorfindel, who had his first body destroyed in a duel with one of the Balrogs, was given a new one, and actually returned to Middle-earth (the only "killed" elf to have ever been given such an opportunity, they usually stay in Valinor once given a new physical form).
Of course, if the elf in question did some bad things, their souls will stay in the Halls of Mandos for as long as Námo, the Vala in charge, deems fit. Fëanor will never ever leave them, I reckon.

If Vampires really existed, they should cover the earth, since biting someone is supposed to turn them.

That is actually one of the weaknesses of Stoker's original Dracula, since he had no limitations in this regard. He could have amassed an army of the undead, and since his motivation was to conquer England, it always seemed like a glaring oversight on the part of the author that Dracula's only turning was poor Lucy, plus a failed attempt with Mina.

A good solution is found in "Fevre Dream", a regrettably often overlooked title from none other than George R.R. Martin. Vampires in this novel are more a separate species, rather than undead creatures, so they can not turn anyone. They can live for thousands upon thousands of years, and although it is hinted they can die of natural causes, it happens so rarely it is not worth mentioning. The reasons why they have not overpopulated the Earth are actually discussed in the story. For one thing, they can reproduce only with each other. Secondly, they almost completely lack the sexual drive, it is something that stirs only very rarely. Thirdly, their females tend to die horribly when bearing children.

last edited at May 19, 2019 4:42PM

UranusAndNeptuneAreJustCousins posted:

Apologies for a slight off-topic derailment.

Elves, in Tolkienverse, are all immortal (unless they are killed).

Actually, they can not be killed. Humans (and other mortals) can be killed, in which case their souls leave the Arda (the world where Middle-earth is located) and no one knows what becomes of them.

You forgot Beren!

Anyway, my point still stand. If elves were reproducing at the same rate than humans, middle-earth would be crowded with elves since they don't age past a certain point.

As for Valinor, we will just say it's a place with infinite room and resources, like Hell or Paradise.

Well the little vampire in this story seems to be able to choose when to turn someone, since when asked point blank she said "you won't become one, I just sucked, that's all". So this incarnation seems to have a "poof ur a vampire" switch she's gotta turn on to vampire-ize anyone. Which makes sense.

Though the "eating normal food" most of the time to get on while "sucking blood to stay immortal" thing makes me ask why she needs to have someone stab her to end her immortality; why not just stop sucking blood like a relentless loli mosquito?

In some lores, vampires and werewolves die from a stab in the heart with something silver. Silver bullets also kill werewolves.

This is actually good, but all of his yuri starts being promising and ends up getting canceled / being yuri clickbait. I hope he redeems himself with this one.

This is surprisingly good, pretty funny also, I will really enjoy reading this to the very end.

Edit: Also, I was wondering why I felt pretty nostalgic when seeing the art style, I'm surprised to see it was the same author as Prism, I was like 12 and closeted when I read that one, maaan, nostalgia wave, I was so dissapointed it never got finished, I hope this one does end up getting finished, and hopefully it's not bait like some ppl claim with "Stretch" which I haven't read.

last edited at May 21, 2019 5:07AM

This is surprisingly good, pretty funny also, I will really enjoy reading this to the very end.

Edit: Also, I was wondering why I felt pretty nostalgic when seeing the art style, I'm surprised to see it was the same author as Prism, I was like 12 and closeted when I read that one, maaan, nostalgia wave, I was so dissapointed it never got finished, I hope this one does end up getting finished, and hopefully it's not bait like some ppl claim with "Stretch" which I haven't read.

Prism is one fond memory of mine as well.

Stretch... is a good manga, but the ending is unsatisfactory. In a nutshell: it's one of those stories where two girls start living together -- they are friends, one of them needs a place to stay, and the other one (who has an apartment) takes her in -- and it's obvious that guest girl has a crush on host girl, so we genre-savvy readers naturally expected the story to go the way of, say, A Room For Two: after living together for a while, the two girls fall in love!!! <3 Sadly, it never happened. The readers got tired of waiting for a development that never came, the manga lost popularity, and it eventually reached its end not with a bang but a whimper.

This manga shows more promise. Hey, we had a love confession within three chapters, right? That's more than Stretch did in 45 chapters!

I don't really get what's going on with Jirou at dinner. Obviously he was punished for something?

Either way, the ability to mentally dominate everyone around you sure is handy ...

I don't really get what's going on with Jirou at dinner. Obviously he was punished for something?

I think Aria had forbidden Jirou to mention "that thing" to anyone but he'd let it slip.

last edited at May 29, 2019 1:58PM

I'm loving this. Pretty interesting... and well, it's a trope buuuut vampire's sure are sexy (okay, except... pls don't mention the book and movie series with T, lol)

This is pretty fun so far. Ichika is so super gay for Aria, it's both cute and funny.

For the next chapter, I'm betting that the other girl, Sena, had been bitten by another vampire that's in the area, though Ichika will think it's Aria at first.

imo this wasn't a good chapter, in the sense that it didn't really answer anything but instead gave us yet another question... Like, I could've been fine with just the last 5 pages ? that's the feeling I get.

And lol, yeah let's take away most of the vampires weaknesses but let's make the bite something orgasmic xP

did I see that right? did somebody get hit in the face with a ball in a manga and NOT pass out instantly or need to be carried to the infirmary?

Somehow although I've seen this premise countless times in yuri, this manga just makes everything so weird.

Probably the manservant and the fact that the protagonist is so hopelessly in love with someone who seems to care little for her.

last edited at May 29, 2019 4:04PM

Yay! My favorite author

That panel in the middle of page 10 is really hot.

Is she cheating on her? ._.?