Vampires and Consent

Having binge-watched Legacies, a fantasy tv series about witches, werewolves, and vampires that’s feminist and queer, I decided it was high time I watch the original series, The Vampire Diaries. It turns out the original series (at least the first couple seasons) is overwhelmingly straight and downright triggering in its depiction of predatory behavior. A human character is an abusive boyfriend who tries to rape his girlfriend. A psychopath vampire is continually treating humans as prey and practicing non-consensual blood drinking, hypnotism, and gaslighting.

I keep feeling fury and impatience for this predator, Damon, to be staked through the heart — or empty ribcage devoid of a heart — or simply burned alive in sunlight. Anyone who’s been gaslighted or otherwise manipulated, and anyone who’s been sexually harassed, assaulted, or raped must surely feel triggered watching this show. For that matter, anyone who’s been targeted by predatory narcissists and/or narcissistic sociopaths — who demand that empaths walk on eggshells — must be triggered while watching this show.

I recently read a vampire novel called Stake Sauce by RoAnna Sylver. Stake Sauce puts consent above the desires of vampires, whether it’s consent to enter a home or consent for physical intimacy.

In Stake Sauce, a vampire needs to wait to be invited into the protagonist’s apartment every…