I started to wonder about vampires and everyday life. Yes, we suspend disbelief for most of this stuff in order to concentrate on the "real" story...that of the romance and passion between the hero and heroine.
But let's talk about some "real life" issues a vampire might face. They can't all be rich, can they? Live in mansions, own expensive cars, never work? Right?
So...how does a vampire get a birth certificate? A driver's license? Social Security number (in the US)? Does a vampire pay taxes?
Maybe there's a secret central Vampire Identification Unit that works solely on providing necessary documentation like fake passports, licenses, birth certificates. And, now in the age of advanced technology, these could be updated quite easily.
Surely a 300-year-old vampire can't provide an original birth certificate. In fact, a new one would have to be issued every 30 + or - years to keep the vampire in question "looking" close enough to be in a particular age bracket. With eternal youth at whatever age a vampire was first bitten and "turned", you could only say, "I've had plastic surgery" so long before people would get suspicious.
Now that I'm dwelling on all this, what about resumes? Do vampires get phony ones? Would anyone do a background check and start asking questions?
I guess moving every 30 or so years would help, but new "ID proof" would surely be needed even then. What about voting? Can vampires register? And, here's another question from a far-off tangent from the inquisitive side of my brain...what costume does a vampire wear on Halloween?
Sigh.
I'm thinking way too much about this. I should sit back and enjoy a vampire romance book at face value...as a romance without pesky "hows" getting in the way.
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I refuse to allow bureaucracy and paper work to "suck" the sexy-fun out of Vampirism! lol It's true a three hundred year old Vampire probably should re-test for his or her driver's license. Especially if the first license was issued in 1923... And it's equally true that Vampires can mistakenly get involved with shady business schemes lose their opulent lifestyles and end up working the night-shift at Wal-mart... Its sad but it could happen. They would need a Social Security number then. I would think they would enjoy a good scare on Halloween as much as anyone else and dress up like blood-donors.
ReplyDeleteXXOO Kat
LOL Hilarious, Marianne. These books are pure fantasy and escape.
ReplyDeleteLove the blood donor costume idea, Kat!
ReplyDeleteSandy, fantasy and escape is right!
Thanks!
In my crazy imagination, vamps have the ability to mess with a human's mind - making a policeman think they had a license or the HR person at Wal-Mart sure they saw a valid SS card. This way they're not bogged down with pesky paperwork! And I have to assume they think Halloween is for amateurs!?
ReplyDeleteI have created a rather detailed backstory about vampire society for a dark paranormal romance that I'm writing and these were some of the things that I had to think about. One thing to remember is that it is so very easy to commit identity theft these days, that a vamp would have little trouble going into business supplying fresh ID to other children of the night.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, there is the vampire's ability to mesmerize humans. It might not be that much trouble for a vampire to make a someone see what he wanted them to see on an ID card.
What a fun post. I personally just believed one of the vamps had the ability to hack into the computer and create his own identity. Work-- well of course he's invested in all the right stocks so he has a fortune. lol Paranormal Fantasy or is it FANGasy.
ReplyDeleteUnless vampires go public, they'll have to live via the underground economy, or else live in countries where the government doesn't pay too much attention to what goes on right in front of their noses! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks, all, for your comments. Sexy vampires are intriguing and we just ignore the "real" questions in order to go with the story. A "dark" hero with a past...even a vampire...draws a reader to understand his story!
ReplyDeleteMarianne/April
False IDs shouldn't really be all that difficult for vampires--or other immortals (as in Highlander). You can borrow a baby and acquire a birth certificate and SSN in a false name, or you can forge a birth certificate. In either case, you then stash the certificate and SSN card in a safety deposit box or similar place for 20-30 years. When you need a new identity, you use the documents to bootstrap your way to all the other documents you need. "Yes, that's my birth certificate, and here's my SSN..."
ReplyDeleteLather, rinse, repeat.