I've been quarantine-binging vampire shows & wondered why Asian guys are rarely vampires. Then I realized that since modern vampires are “heroes” meant to uphold whiteness, we don't fit that role. 1/
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(Don't repost my art. RTs appreciated. Support my work👉patreon.com/joshualuna)
Vampires weren't always depicted positively. The origins of vampire lore are steeped in a sort of Orientalism, where Eastern Europe was othered as barbaric & dangerous to Western Christian values. The earlier depictions were more visibly monstrous & less human, like Nosferatu. 2/
But as the US consumed & assimilated vampire lore & the characters' origins moved from East Europe to West Europe to the US, the more vampires represented a superior, desirable whiteness. It's similar to how European immigrants to the US were vilified before they became white. 3/
In its modern form, the vampire—as seen in Interview with the Vampire, Twilight, Vampire Diaries, etc.—is no longer a grotesque, monstrous threat but the peak of white supremacist ideals: irresistibly seductive with superior strength & intelligence. They're now the hero. 4/
Part of this shift is due to authorship. Mainstream vampire stories written by men tend to suit the horror genre, while vampire stories written by women fit the romance genre. Yet what never changed is how vampire stories are used as propaganda to protect & promote whiteness. 5/
That's why Asian men don't fit the new narrative—ironically, we are considered too contemptible as humans to be redeemed as "good" vampires. As of now, we could only be portrayed as vampires in their original form. In fact, we've already seen an "Asian Dracula": Fu Manchu. 6/
Dracula & Fu Manchu are used as propaganda to portray the East as an infection that will overtake the minds & bodies of pure, civilized white people (esp white women) & ruin Western society. Christopher Lee—a white Brit known for playing villains—played both & used yellowface. 7/
But while we certainly don't want to return to that Orientalist lore, there's good reason to not want Asian men to join the new vampire lore either. One of the troubling features of the modern American vampire is their direct, unapologetic ties to slavery & the Confederacy. 8/
Louis from Interview with the Vampire is a plantation owner, Jasper from Twilight was a Confederate major when he was human, & Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries fought to "defend the South" in the Civil War. Their involvement is either glossed over or even praised. 9/
So how do you write an Asian male vampire? Well, you certainly don't ask white people or non-Asians to do it. Either vampire lore or how Asian men are perceived has to fundamentally change, but waiting for that is like waiting for a vampire to die of old age. 10/
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