Most universes imply that it hinges on the faith of the wielder, though in some it's the beliefs of the vampire.
The Buffyverse is unusual in being very literal about the vampire's human soul having been evicted and replaced by a demon spirit. The demon is reacting to the symbol itself (and IIRC there are examples of other symbols working, not just Christian ones) rather than to the beliefs of any particular individual. In a universe with eleventy-three types of magic and multiple dimensions, religion basically functions as just another flavor of magic, so it makes reasonable sense.
But your guesses are more fun! (Also, I never even finished S1 of TVD, so I can't help you there.)
However, yes, I have thought about pretty much all of these things WAY TOO MUCH. :-D
Incidentally, vampires burn up in sunlight because it looks cool on screen. ;-> I have yet to come across a single example from before 1922. It's really fun to troll the snobs with that one. ("Now go *read* Dracula and think about what you've done. I'd suggest you check out some documentation on the FOLKLORE THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVED AND WERE AFRAID OF, which bears next to no resemblance what we see in literature or movies, but you might hurt yourself.")
I assumed that the cross and holy water working assumes that Christian theology is accurate in that 'verse or whatever, so like there actually is a (Christian) God and vampires are actually somehow tied to evil or soulless and that is why crosses/holy water ~pain them.
No because their bodies are technically dead. Unless you are a guy vampire in the Twilight universe in which case, you can if you haven't ejaculated since you first turned and then have sex with a human woman. LOL. OH TWILIGHT.
I read somewhere that it's not just a cross that works, it's any symbol of faith--but you have to actually believe it/in it for that to work. So a cross wouldn't help a buddhist or a jewish person, but say, a star of David wouldn't help a christian.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I never understood the cross thing tbh. I mean what if you were not Christian, would the cross still work? Like is it a mental block?
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
The Buffyverse is unusual in being very literal about the vampire's human soul having been evicted and replaced by a demon spirit. The demon is reacting to the symbol itself (and IIRC there are examples of other symbols working, not just Christian ones) rather than to the beliefs of any particular individual. In a universe with eleventy-three types of magic and multiple dimensions, religion basically functions as just another flavor of magic, so it makes reasonable sense.
no subject
no subject
However, yes, I have thought about pretty much all of these things WAY TOO MUCH. :-D
Incidentally, vampires burn up in sunlight because it looks cool on screen. ;-> I have yet to come across a single example from before 1922. It's really fun to troll the snobs with that one. ("Now go *read* Dracula and think about what you've done. I'd suggest you check out some documentation on the FOLKLORE THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVED AND WERE AFRAID OF, which bears next to no resemblance what we see in literature or movies, but you might hurt yourself.")
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
lol Twilight
no subject
omg why D: Edward Cullen's life is the saddest.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject