Slayer OR Vampire?

[Kaelaroth]

OK, this may not be the right board for this particular thread, but to me it seemed like the most fitting.

My question for you is, would you rather be endowed with the abilities and weaknesses of Joss Whedon's Slayers, or his Vampires, as seen on television programmes such as Buffy or Angel.
NB: This is not a versus competition. This is a choice of which you'd rather command the abilities of.
NB: for the purposes of this discussion, you need not be a woman to be a slayer, nor be particularly bad-ass to be a vampire.

A brief summary:
Slayers: Advanced strength: at least allowing them to punch through metal with a few tries, or throw someone tiwce their size and weight several feet. Top athletic ability: Slayers are incredibly fit, as much so as most top athletes. Speed and Reflexes: Slayers have incredible reflexes, allowing them to catch arrows or dodge bullets. Healing and Resistance: Most injuries are only a temporary annoyance for a Slayer with most wounds healing after a few hours. They're immune to most diseases, resistant to most poisons, and are able to shrug off most attacks. Slayer Space: Slayers have access to a personal dreamspace, where they can glean semi-true visions of the past or future, and contact spirit guides to help them on their quest. Slayers also have the ability ot sense vampires and demons nearby, but this erquires frequent use and training to work. Slayers typically die young, as their demonically powered intrisic self often makes them reckless and over-confident - and can often lead to fascination for death, or even an over-powering urge to die. Recent studies indicate that the spell binding demonic powers to the human will eventually wear off, leading either to a complete depowerment of the slayer, or the demonic force granting the host abilities taking control, destroying the Slayer's mind in the process.
Vampires: Vampires possess supernatural physical abilities such as enhanced strength (as much as a Slayer, if not more), agility (not as great as the Slayer), hearing, smell, and healing. They are immune to disease and poison, do not require oxygen, food, or water, but live on a diet of blood; prolonged periods of time without consuming blood can have an adverse affect on a vampire's higher brain functions and they alledgedly become "living skeletons". Vampires have the ability to morph into a more demonic form with a bumpy forehead, yellow/red/green eyes, and sharp, extended teeth (this process taking a second or so). In order to reproduce, a vampire must drain a human being of much of their blood, before forcing them to drink some of the vampire's blood. Their main vulnerabilites include a wooden stake through the heart, direct sunlight, fire, and beheading, but they can also be repelled or weakened by crosses and holy water. They cannot enter a human residence without invitation and do not cast reflections, although they can be photographed and filmed. Vampires, although they can be killed, are in fact immortal, and with a steady diet of blood can live forever, gaining more powers, like greater strength, hypnotism, and trangmogrification, as they age. Any magical powers are retained upon becoming a vampire, but if a Slayer is vampirised, she becomes only slightly stronger than the average vampire.

So, which would you rather have the abilities and weaknesses of?

[Selrahc]

The slayer. No real downsides. Vampires have numerous, crippling ones. Sunlight especially. Vampires get immortality, but most seem to only live a short time, because their bloodthirsty nature leads them into conflict. Also, I don't really want to be a soulless monster.

[lipe44]

Well, between the two you showed the choice is obvious. But if we could take a vampire like Blade or from the program Moonlight then i would prefer vampire...

[Catch]

Vampire, mostly because there's less responsibility. If you're a Slayer, every time anything supernatural pops up, you gotta schlep yourself over there and kill it, risking your butt every time, which doesn't exactly sound like my idea of a good time. If you're a vampire, you can spend a couple hundred years doing whatever the heck you want, provided it's at night. You'll live far longer than a Slayer, assuming you don't mess with her, and as you age, your powers only increase, so if you do encounter a vampire hunter, she's lunch.

I mean, how many did Slayers did Spike kill? Five? It's not really a position that you can retire from.

[Madmal]

Slayer, the responsability may be a burden, but you can grow to it. Besides, i don't like beign blood-dependant.

though, truth be told, i'd rather be a Lycanthrope, specially if i can be sentient.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Slayer, easily. Joss Vampires are the half-breed mooks of demonkind. Slayers may die young, but only because their enemies put a lot of effort into it. Vampires die "young" because wooden stakes pass through their rib cages like a wooden stake through butter. They also seem to get a lot dumber when they're turned, except in the case of Harmony, for whom that was impossible, and Angelus, who was some kind of fluke. Actually, come to think of it, the same suicidal overconfidence commonly ascribed to the Slayer probably goes for vampires too, which is why the in-all-ways superior Slayer can mow them down by the dozen.

I might go for Buffy Dracula, who's pretty close to Traditional Dracula, and properly unkillable. But otherwise, it's Slayer.

Or, actually, third choice: Slayer's geeky mundane sidekick. No powers and I get beat up a lot, but I get great plot protection (better than love interests, witches, or the Slayer herself), the best lines, and my pick of the female villains (past, present, or future). I think I'll go with this one.

[Kaelaroth]

I mean, how many did Slayers did Spike kill? Five? It's not really a position that you can retire from.

Two. One in the 1970s, and one in the Boxer Rebellion.

[Catch]

Right, right. I don't know where I got that number.

[Daze]

hmm.... being Slayer would be much more preferable to Whedon's somewhat pansyish, underpowered, rather dull Vamps.

However... we start talking about a White Wolf vampire.. or even an upper end Anne Rice one, then we can talk and change the equation a bit.

[Ditto]

I pick geeky side-kick, too. I'd prefer brainy-geeky side-kick, though, even without magic powers, because the brainy one doesn't get painfully kidnapped or have her eye plunged out as often.

Slayer vs. vampire, I'm torn. If I get to just be *a* Slayer, then there's not nearly as much pressure, though you really only have powers relative to the enemies you fight. Being a superstrong gal just going through life has somewhat limited applications, hm? Vampires have plenty of prey, usually no resistance (how hard is it to avoid Slayers? There's, like, ONE!), and having to hunt means you get to use the kicks a little more often. Sunlight is a big problem, though. I like sunlight.

[comicshorse]

Problem with being a Vamp. is you seem to spend a lot of time getting pushed around and sacrificed by older, meaner vamps

[Dervag]

I wouldn't want to have to kill or prey on people to stay alive, so I would definitely not go for vampire.

[Kaelaroth]

Sunlight is a big problem, though. I like sunlight.

Over both Buffy and Angel, various ways of vampires becoming immune to sunlight were introduced; such as Wolfram and Hart's necromantic glass.

[BelkarIsAGod]

Out of slayer and Vamp, I'd have to go slayer. You don't have to be sickly do-gooder to be one. Anyone remember Faith?

Edit: Given the choice, I'd go with geeky sidekick, too. So long as I had the soldier Guy stuff.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Vampire, because of immortality, dying young (even if its just a probability) sounds very bad, whereas living forever is my dream, getting nifty powers to go along with that is just a bonus in my book.

[JabberwockySupafly]

hmm.... being Slayer would be much more preferable to Whedon's somewhat pansyish, underpowered, rather dull Vamps.

However... we start talking about a White Wolf vampire.. or even an upper end Anne Rice one, then we can talk and change the equation a bit.


Actually, Joss' vamps are pretty brutal, the only thing is you have to remember you're watching them face off against a slayer most of the time so they are going to seem weak/close to normal humans. Watching Angel fight Penn, the puritan vampire he sired before he got his soul, you realise how strong, agile, and celeric vampires in the Whedonverse can be, though. Also watching him snatch loaded crossbows from people, or catching bolts/arrows (several vampires in fact do this) can help clarify it. You also have to remember, other than Spike, Angel, & Drusilla most vampires in the Whedonverse that are currently still walking around, are less than 20 or so years old. Vampires become stronger the older they get (The Master,Kikistos, Darla, ect) hence why Spike & Angel are a good gauge on how strong vampires can be. Plot armour also doesn't hurt in that aspect though.

On Topic:
I'd have to say Slayer if we're not doing the gender requirements, simply because there's really no drawback. Plus, there's no moral obligation to save the world when it's in trouble. I mean, I got three words for how I'd spend my time: Ultimate. Fighting. Championship. :D

Just kidding, just kidding.

[comicshorse]

Can't really see the Watcher'sCouncil letting you get away with that.

[NerfTW]

As shown by Buffy in Season 5, the Watcher's Council really just relies on tradition to keep power over Slayers. Faith was just sloppy.

You missed a lot of Slayer abilities, though. Rewatch the first episode. Slayers have all the abilities of a vampire. Except that wall climbing thing. They have enhanced senses, and most importantly, can detect vampires with a sixth sense.

There's absolutely no reason to choose vampire over Slayer except for the immortality. The Slayer is supposed to be the equal of a vampire in every way, without the drawbacks.

[TheRiov]

Vampire: Spike pretty much covered this all in "Fool for Love"

First lesson: A slayer has to reach for her weapon. A vampire already has his.
Secondly Lesson: Every slayer has a death wish. Sooner or later it takes hold. No matter how many battles they fight it just takes one vampire to have one good day.


Spike: And we just keep coming. But you can kill a hundred, a thousand, a thousand thousand and the armies of Hell besides and all we need is for one of us -- just one -- sooner or later to have the thing we're all hoping for.
Buffy: And that would be what?
Spike: One . . . good . . . day.



Spike: The only reason you've lasted as long as you have is you've got ties to the world . . . your mum, your brat kid sister, the Scoobies. They all tie you here, but you're just putting off the inevitable. Sooner or later, you're gonna want it. And the second -- the second -- that happens, you know I'll be there. I'll slip in . . . have myself a real good day.



Here endeth the lesson.

[Selrahc]

Unless you blow off the whole slayer thing, and just take advantage of having superpowers.

Faith tried to do that. In the post season 7 days, it would be easier for other slayers to do that.

Or if it was in the real world, then there is no great force of darkness to fight.

[Wizzardman]

Vampire.

As a vampire, there's really only one person in the world who's directly out to end you [ie the Slayer], and if you keep your head down, avoid areas with known Slayer Sightings, and learn subtlety, you should be fine. Whereas Slayers have the entire world's population of vampires and demons looking for a chance to have a Good Day. Honestly, vampires and demons are always looking for the prestige of killing the Slayer, and even post season seven, slayers are more interested in finding and fighting large groups of demons and monsters than focusing on tracking down every single little vampire.

Plus, if you're sensible, you do what Angelus did, and learn some decent tactics that don't involve a head on confrontation.

[Emperor Tippy]

Vampire.

I mean drinking blood would be annoying and the sunlight thing would be a pain but I would put up with it for immortality.

Now if we start brining Anne Rice vamps or the White Wolf vamps into this I am firmly on the side of the vampires.

[Ossian]

OK, this may not be the right board for this particular thread, but to me it seemed like the most fitting.

My question for you is, would you rather be endowed with the abilities and weaknesses of Joss Whedon's Slayers, or his Vampires, as seen on television programmes such as Buffy or Angel.
NB: This is not a versus competition. This is a choice of which you'd rather command the abilities of.
NB: for the purposes of this discussion, you need not be a woman to be a slayer, nor be particularly bad-ass to be a vampire.

......

It depends. Which race would make me look hotter?

[Vella_Malachite]

If it was any type but Buffy vampires, then vampire, so bad.

I mean, vampires just have pure vampire ownage. Slayers are cool, but then, anywhere but Buffy they're technically normal human. Correct me if I'm wrong. In Buffy-verse, Slayer. In anywhere else, Vampire.

And, yeah, in Buffy, vampires do the whole turning ugly thing. This sounds really stuck-up, but female vampires are hot as, and ugly vampires really don't do it for me.

[Kaelaroth]

It depends. Which race would make me look hotter?

Meh. If you're wearing vampy-demon form permanently, then you're gonna look ugly. But with vampires, at least you can experiment with a variety of different looks over your entire existence as an ageless immortal.

[GryffonDurime]

If I had to choose, and gender wasn't an issue? Sure, I'd take Slayerhood--prophetic dreams, sixth sense telling me when to vamoose and plenty of speed to help me do it.

For my money though, I'd rather be, as several have said, backup...most likely arcane ala late-7 Willow. Yes, yes, nothing says cheese like the wizard, but I'd say the Buffyverse has more than enough baggage attached to magic to make it slightly less pat.

[Renrik]

Slayer. Not even thinking about the powers, here's the reasons.

1. Beleive it or not, I actually am morally and ethically oppose to killing human beings and drinking their blood to sustainmy immortal life.

2. I like being in the sun. It is warm. I live in Minnesota, where it's cold and dark for a huge portion of the year, and I hardly get to see the sun all winter because I'm inside, huddling from the cold, so I really like to be warm and in the sun when I can.

3. I like silver. Silver is shiny.

4. I loathe Anne Rice and the way she made vampires into sensual, romantic being who only drink blood out of a dietary quirk. I also dislike over-angsty, remorseful vampires who either hate themselves and everyone else or who are constantly in a state of melancholy. I hate the punk-goth monopoly on vamprism. I hate the way all vampires these days seem to shop at Hot Topic for their clothes. I wantto kill the vampires. All of them. Because I can;t stand these mopey little punk-goth leeches, and I want the old-school vampires back.

5. If I'm a vampire, I get slain by Buffy. And that would suck.