Build Your Own Vampire Project: Period 5 Sucker For You

Build Your Own Vampire Project

Period 5 Team 5 Sucker For You

Team Members: Michelle Kwon, Sylvia Tang, Steven La, Amy Kuang, Xin Yan Zhu, Conrad Krawiec

Objective: The goal of this project is for your team to create the rules and attributes of your own vampire universe. While creativity is necessary, research is actually the focal point. The caveat is that your vampire universe must be based on research your team completes about stories associated with vampires from any point in time, history, folklore, or fiction. 

Vampire’s Ethnicity: Caribbean (by day!)

Justification: 

In Caribbean folklore, a vampiric character named a soucouyant is a reclusive old hag by day. These creatures frequently practiced voodoo and black magic, trading their victims’ blood for evil powers to a demon named Bazil.

Citation:

“Soucouyant - Folklore.” HORRORPEDIA, 18 Mar. 2019, www.horrorpedia.com/2015/01/08/soucouyant-folklore/.

Vampire’s Abilities: Able to shapeshift into a vampire duck at night, can change its gender, and survive on veggies!

Justification:

In Caribbean folklore, soucouyants have the ability to shapeshift. However, our soucouyant can shapeshift into a vampire duck! With pop culture characters such as Count Duckula and Quackula, who roam town at night, and female soucouyants, who are also known to shed their skin after daylight, our vampire molts from a voodoo witch into a vampire duck.

Moreover, since soucouyants are usually depicted as women and our vampire duck characters are male, our team’s vampire has the ability to switch genders as they please. In zoology, there have been rare cases where ducks are able to switch genders. Because ducks can alter their main sexual hormones from their respective gonads, ducks slowly shift into different plumage patterns, and ultimately gender identity. Since humans are not able to biologically switch genders involuntarily, our vampire has the ability to switch genders only while in duck form.

Our vampire will happily feast on human blood, but they can also survive solely on vegetables! Count Duckula (one character we based our vampire on), who appears to be an evil blood-sucking creature, is actually a vegetarian. So if there is ever a shortage of humans in the world, our vampire can still wreak havoc, gaining energy from tomatoes, celery, squash, and the likes.

Citation:

“Count Duckula.” TV Tropes, www.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/CountDuckula.

Galloway, Rory. “How Does a Duck Change Its Sex?” BBC News, BBC, 8 June 2017, www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40016817.

Markstein, Donald D. “QUACKULA.” Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Quackula, www.toonopedia.com/quackula.htm.

“Soucouyant - Folklore.” HORRORPEDIA, 18 Mar. 2019, www.horrorpedia.com/2015/01/08/soucouyant-folklore/.

Vampire’s Weakness(es): Sneezing in the sun, glowing when they are full until they're hungry again.

Justification:

In Born at Midnight, we follow the life of a troubled teen who is unable to fit in anywhere. Arrested during a wild high school party, despite her lack of participation, she was sent away to a boarding school. At Shadow falls, she learns about the supernatural world and, of course, there is a vampire. Unlike traditional vampires that are weak to the sun, the vampires in this world are actually completely immune to the sun. They maintain the stereotypical need to drink blood, sharper senses, and cold body. Maintaining a balance between the traditional vampires and the vampires created by Hunter, our vampire, would not be completely allergic to the sun. Instead, there would be mild reaction: a sneeze.

Drawing from 17 to 35 percent of world population with a mild reaction to the sun, our vampire would be totally ok in the sun and would only sneeze a few times during their first exposure to the sun in a while (ex: leaving the house for work). This is scientifically known as the Photic sneeze reflex. Our vampire would sneeze every time they are exposed to the sun after a period of time, and that momentary loss of their senses when they sneeze can be fatal.

In West Africa, there is folklore from Asanthi about a mythical vampire spirit. Stemmed from natives of modern-day Ghana, there is a belief of this vampire spirit that haunts people known as the "Obayifo". It is believed that this mythical spirit loves to drink the blood of children and would light up from underneath their armpits at night. Most notably, they are known for their love for food. Unlike traditional vampires, like those from the Interview With a Vampire and those from Born at Midnight, Obayifo love eating fruits and vegetables, with a strong love for destroying cocoa plants.

Borrowing from the Asanthi, our vampire would seek the blood of humans with vigor and would glow when they are full. This would be a great weakness for them as they would be visible at night. To compensate, the vampires would have to learn to drink and eat enough to not feel the hunger to prevent them from standing out at night.

Citation:  

“Obayifo: A Skeptical Look at the West African 'Vampire'.” Vampires, 5 Feb. 2012, www.vampires.com/obayifo-a-skeptical-look-at-the-west-african-vampire/.

Dean, Signe. “Here's Why The Sun Makes Some People Sneeze, According to Science.” ScienceAlert, 30 Oct. 2015, www.sciencealert.com/here-s-why-the-sun-makes-some-people-sneeze-according-to-science.

Hunter, C. C. Born at Midnight. St. Martins Paperbacks, 2013.

Vampire’s Reproduction: Our vampire doesn’t reproduce.

Justification:

Old hag by day, duck by night, our vampire lacks a means to effectively reproduce. Human women experience a transition into menopause at around 50. Considering the age of our vampire, she is no longer able to conceive a child and therefore reproduces through natural means. As for duck form, our vampire duck has the ability to swap genders freely but is unable to reproduce and create soucouyant offspring. The transformation is more of a facade rather than a complete change into a duck. As a consequence, the “duckpire” cannot breed with other ducks to create vampiric ducklings.  

Citation:

“Menopause Basics.” Womenshealth.gov, 18 Mar. 2019, www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/menopause-basics#1.

Vampire’s Camouflage: Has two forms of camouflage, one being a physical camouflage, the other being an intermingling within groups that dominate the present culture: shapeshifting from its human form to a vampire duck, and blending into the mainstream LGBT + community.

Justification:

As they roam in the wild and are considered prey to many, ducks require some camouflage to increase their rate of survival. Female ducks have lackluster, brownish feathers, which help them blend into their surroundings. Though our vampire has the ability to alternate between both genders, it tends to shapeshift into a female duck rather than a male duck because of the female’s camouflage advantage. However, it doesn’t neglect its option to change into a male duck because it gives it a more flamboyant appearance. But in addition to being more attractive, though it may not be as helpful as its female duck camouflage if it wishes to blend into the earthy colors, it still possesses some degree of camouflage ability as it can hide amongst greenery instead.

Vampires have undergone many changes throughout the years due to many reasons, one of which is the evolution of the cultural needs and expectations of the time. For instance, in the late twentieth century, vampires began to exhibit a stronger connection between themselves and humans. This appealed to the “Hollywoodization” of many films during this period. To fit into the crowd, our vampire finds a large group to blend into, specifically the LGBT community. This works well with our vampire’s abilities because its gender is not defined, allowing it to be referred to as both “she” and “he”.

Citation: 

Gish, Will. “What Are Some Adaptations of a Duck?” Sciencing, 2 Mar. 2019, https://sciencing.com/adaptations-duck-8471637.html

Fountain, Jennifer A. “The Vampire in Modern American Media 1975-2000.” The Vampire in Modern American Media, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~elektra/thesis.html

Vampire’s Home: Mansion

Justification:

In many types of literature, vampires are the aristocrats that have the power and money to purchase mansions instead of coffins. In a short story published by William Polidori in 1819, the main character, Lord Ruthven, was an aristocratic vampire. This short story was considered East European folklore, influencing the future vampires to be aristocrats.

Most vampires such as Louis from Interview with a Vampire and Prince Vladimir from the Nightfall series were initially rich. Since vampires are practically immortal, they don't need to worry about health insurance and food since those do not require money. If the vampires do need money then they can work for a lifetime, Our vampire can most likely afford a mansion or maybe a couple of mansions. In the Vampire Diaries, the Lockwood family has their own mansion. Since our duck vampire is a modern-day vampire then, he will live in a mansion.

Citation: 

“Vampires Are Rich.” TV Tropes, www.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VampiresAreRich.   

Luckhurst, Roger. “Culture - From Dracula to The Strain: Where Do Vampires Come from?” BBC, BBC, 27 July 2015, www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150727-from-dracula-to-the-strain-where-do-vampires-come-from

“Nightfall (Series).” TV Tropes, www.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/NightfallSeries

“Lockwood Mansion.” The Vampire Diaries Wiki, www.vampirediaries.fandom.com/wiki/Lockwood_Mansion

Vampire’s Preferences: Warm weather and swimming

Justification:

Ducks are incredibly versatile species and live on every continent except Antarctica. Although she can live almost anywhere, our vampire prefers the warm Caribbean weather that is familiar to her. Because of her lack of internal body heat (from being a vampire and all) warmer weather is effective at keeping her body temperature high. This transfers smoothly into her duck form as birds are cold-blooded as well.

Additionally, ducks are waterfowl, meaning they spend a lot of time in the water. As such, our vampire enjoys swimming, especially in populated areas such as tourist resorts. Humans are attracted to a seemingly innocent cute duck. Our vampire uses this to lure them away and then pounce for an easy meal.

Citation:

“Duck Facts, Worksheets, Habitat & Species For Kids.” KidsKonnect, 22 Feb. 2018, www.kidskonnect.com/animals/duck/.

“Why Is Vampire Skin Pale and Cold?” Gods And Monsters - Ancient to Modern Mythology, www.gods-and-monsters.com/why-is-vampire-skin-pale-and-cold.html.

(Optional) Add Your Own: Our vampire is lactose intolerant!

Justification: 

Lactose is a compound found in dairy that cannot be digested unless lactase is present. Lactase is an enzyme that naturally deactivates as we mature. As a consequence, most people in the worldwide allergic to lactose, with the exception being the Caucasian demographic. Historically, mostly European countries and their derivatives consumed large quantities of milk, whereas other areas like Asia and Latin America did not. Our vampire, ethnically Caribbean, shares this allergy with the majority of the world, and cannot digest the lactose found in dairy products.

As for ducks, like all birds, they lack the ability to process lactose. As a result, the lactose goes through the digestive system undigested and can cause gas or other forms of discomfort.

Citation: 

“Can Chickens and Ducks Have Milk?” BackYard Chickens, www.backyardchickens.com/threads/can-chickens-and-ducks-have-milk.451035/.

“Lactose Intolerance by Ethnicity and Region.” Is Drinking Milk Healthy for Humans?,

milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000661

Thompson, Helen. “An Evolutionary Whodunit: How Did Humans Develop Lactose Tolerance?” NPR, NPR, 28 Dec. 2012, www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/12/27/168144785/an-evolutionary-whodunit-how-did-humans-develop-lactose-tolerance.

Wissman, Margaret A. Dairy Products and Birds, www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/dairy.html.