I know a good character will have bits of both, but they are always more one than the othr, which do you like them to be more?

I miss vampires who enjoy being vampires. Even a character like Spike who started out so fun loving ended up all soul having and repentful. I love the badass vamps who are having a great time being evil, I find them more charismatic, and lately there haven't been enough of them. Don't get me wrong, dark and brooding totally has an important place in the vamp mythos, but lately it's been all brood and no bite. I blame the fact that there is a vamp fad at the moment. To play into the teen vampire fantasy they are making every vampire the soulful broody boyfriend material, and it's too much. Even the evil vamps who do like being vamps take it so seriously, it's all drama and no fun. Vampires like early spike and sometimes Lestat were so cool because they weren't such drama queens about being a vampire, they didn't take it so seriously and it made them cool and more interesting.

The funny thing is, the more seriously a vampire character takes themselves the harder it is for me to take them seriously. Really, message to vampire writers: when you take your vamps too seriously, I CAN'T take them seriously. It becomes melodramatic and silly. I want another laid back, witty, badass vampire not another drama queen. I want a vamp who is going to be making evil jokes, not one who is saying things like "I am one of the dark ones. Fear me, mortal". Seriously, I have to restate my first sentance: I miss vampires who enjoy being vampires.

All the vamps I read about are brooding. I wanna see a vampire who actually likes that they're a vampire! I enjoy both, but the dark and brooding type has been done so many times that it would be nice to see one who, when learning a human knows about vamps, won't say "Please, stay away. I am too dangerous and dark. Fear me, and all you know. Stay in your own mortal world, for your own protection." Instead, they'll kill the human!

Spike
Eric
Damon

'Nuff said.

I like a healthy mix of both: broody and total badass. But i think mermaid-tail pretty much said it lol.

I want authors to give a rest with the brooding, thats pretty been done to death already so yeah...i know spike went from all badness to all soul broody but still fun to make him more sympathetic to the audience.

^__^

Mermaid-Tail, I whole-heartedly agree with everything you said. Very well put.

They more fun tham the broody vampires