Vampire

[TwirlingString]

How can you not like werewolves? I love werewolves though I prefer vamps and wereleopards

[Celebréiel]

Originally posted by Jonathan
I've looked the word Vampire up:...
...2 a : one who lives by preying on others
b : a woman who exploits and ruins her lover

Oh, In that case...I can point you to plenty of vampires!

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I do like werewolves (the old ones anyway, I don't like the more modern hybrids at all). I just like Vampires much more.

[crickhollow]

you might try poking around castle ruins in central Romania...

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Yah, I was gonna suggest Transylvania. My brother says in a fantasy game.

[crickhollow]

yeah, who knows? old Vlad Tepes might still be lurking about over there. Look up Bran castle--one of his residences.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Or try Countess Elizabeth (I think Balory was the surname, but not sure). I've heard tell that she was a vampire.

[crickhollow]

that's Bathory--I just looked it up...wow... and, ew! Notice: she was from Transylvania as well...looks like eastern europe is the ticket.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Ah, thanks for the correction! And, yes, you see where the tales sprung from.

[Evenstar1400]

i was just thinking..... is there a vampire lurking among the threads here?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I don't think many of us believe in vampires, much less are one.

[gimli-son-of-gloin13]

New Oreans is home of the vampires ( also mardi gras )

[Elenka]

Originally posted by Jonathan
I don't want to dissappoint you, but you know that spells in real life doesn't work?

Now you're being plain insulting, and I'm taking it personally. Stop thinking of spells as concrete things, like waving wands and cauldrons and crystal balls, and start thinking of spells and magic as a spiritual thing. Not like religion. More like aura, and belief and...oh, I can't think of the word....just, existance.

See, everyone seems to think of spells and magic like Harry Potter-type stuff or broomsticks, etc. But it is really not like that. If you don't believe in the kind of magic I'm talking about, it's because you've sub-consiously cut yourself off from it. Or maybe you just don't pay attention to it.

Also, the remark about casting a spell and seeing what happens to you....nonsense! Just because you can't feel or see things doesn't mean it doesn't work! Spell casting is an art, a way of life almost. It's like altering the future or seeing things before they happen. There isn't always physical proof that things are.

Sorry if I'm not making sense or I insult people. I take a lot of crap from people about this, so I thought I'd better make my stand.

[crickhollow]

If you want to call that spell-casting, that's fine with me, but Jonathon was referring to elvishfaerie's post, and she sounds like she's following a recipe.

[Insidious Rex]

Since when do vampires cast spells anyway?

[Jonathan]

Originally posted by Elenka
If you don't believe in the kind of magic I'm talking about, it's because you've sub-consiously cut yourself off from it. Or maybe you just don't pay attention to it.

No, I don't believe it because that is the most reasonable thing to to.
However, it is hard to prove that magic doesn't exist. Let me draw some parallels with the theory of evolution. Many people don't believe in evolution, mainly because it is hard to prove its existance and understand it. But other things, like that the Earth is round, is easier to get and therefore people believe it.
Now, magic doesn't exist, but it's hard to prove it. Therefore there are people who believe in spell casting.

Originally posted by Elenka
Just because you can't feel or see things doesn't mean it doesn't work! Spell casting is an art, a way of life almost. It's like altering the future or seeing things before they happen. There isn't always physical proof that things are.

If I can't feel or see any proof at all that magic exists, then why should I believe that it does exist?
Spell casting might be an art and a life style, but that doesn't make magic work.
And what is most probable, that the future is altered by magic or that the future will be the same anyway?

Um, I guess what I'm really trying to say is that in real life, the easiest explination is most often the correct one. One can't assume that someone can use magic to do supernatural things, like altering the future, when no one can prove it. I hope I'm making sense.

[Silverstripe]

Actually, I would say that it's impossible to prove that magic doesn't exist. But then, it's also impossible to prove that flying purple cows don't exist. All we can say for certain is that there's no proof that they do.

For that matter, how are we to know that the laws of physics won't suddenly change tomorrow? Just because they have stayed the same, doesn't mean they have to. Maybe they change every ten billion years, or less. We'd have no way of knowing, but we have to believe something.

Unless you're going to be completely agnostic about everything but your own existance, that is.

[crickhollow]

Originally posted by Silverstripe
Actually, I would say that it's impossible to prove that magic doesn't exist.

This is what is known as "misplaced burden of proof". One shouldn't have to proove the non-existance of something. the responsibility falls to the person who claims the existance of something.

If I told you that there were Elephants in the room where you are sitting, it would be impossible to prove me wrong. I imagine the conversation going something like this.

crickhollow: There is an elephant in your room
Silverstripe: No, there isn't
crick: yes, there is--prove that it isn't there.
Silver: I can't see it.
crick: well, it's an invisible elephant.
Silver: I'm sitting in a pretty small room. I haven't bumped into any elephants.
crick: Well, this is a microscopic elephant.

[Insidious Rex]

Originally posted by Silverstripe
For that matter, how are we to know that the laws of physics won't suddenly change tomorrow? Just because they have stayed the same, doesn't mean they have to. Maybe they change every ten billion years, or less. We'd have no way of knowing, but we have to believe something.

In fact more to the point they havent stayed the same. In the first few seconds of the universes existance our current laws of physics did not apply. It wasnt till after whats known as "Planck time" (which is like 10 to the minus some rediculous number of seconds) that we see gravity emerge from the mish mash of what existed before that. Then the laws of physics that we know today came into being. And yer right. Who knows what will happen at the end of the universe. But then the universe cant end can it? confusing....

[Rána Eressëa]

Vampires don't exist, but yeah, some spells actually work. I've seen some done with my own two eyes. No such thing as flying or turning someone into a toad, or making someone fall in love with you exists -- but some little ones actually have real effects.