A somewhat immodest proposal.

Let's face it, vampires used to be awesome.
A long time ago, vampires weren't so depressing.
They were SCARY. They were seductive, but don't let that fool you,
they wanted you dead.

Then, somebody went and screwed them up.

I'll just let this link here sum up my opinion of what vampires have become.

Anyone notice that we're turning into a nation of Bloodsucking Vampires?

Terrible, huh?
Unfortunately, I think vampires have been damaged beyond repair.
We'll need a replacement.

Therefore, I declare an alternative to vampires.
If you know me, you know I like oriental stuff, especially the mythology.
I'm also a huge fan of foxes.

So, those of you who've guessed what the alternative is are probably right.

I propose;


Kitsunes.
Kitsunes are usually foxes with magical powers that turn into women, seduce men, and then humiliate or kill them.

Of course, there are some exceptions.

One particularly romantic one would be this story.

Ono, an inhabitant of Mino (says an ancient Japanese legend of A.D. 545), spent the seasons longing for his ideal of female beauty. He met her one evening on a vast moor and married her. Simultaneously with the birth of their son, Ono's dog was delivered of a pup which as it grew up became more and more hostile to the lady of the moors. She begged her husband to kill it, but he refused. At last one day the dog attacked her so furiously that she lost courage, resumed vulpine shape, leaped over a fence and fled.

"You may be a fox," Ono called after her, "but you are the mother of my son and I love you. Come back when you please; you will always be welcome."

So every evening she stole back and slept in his arms.

Wasn't that sweet?

Of course, that isn't ALL they do, a good many kitsune stories feature them as shape-shifting pranksters, driving people nuts, and occasionally doing other things to them.

Unlike vampires, kitsune are quite cheerful.

Point is, kitsune are awesome, much more flexible than vampires, and WAY scarier if done right.

This is a goldmine of potential stories of all kinds.

Kitsunes have sense of humor, they can totally do comedy.
Kitsunes can be romantic too, if that story above is any indication.
And of course, kitsunes can be scary! (If done right.)

If you wanna read more, then visit this site.

http://www.cyberus.ca/~foxtrot/kitsune/kitsune1.htm