“And he’s not… he’s not that good.
But then I thought, ‘Why should he be good just because he has had 200 years?'”
“But it’s a lot of pressure to say, why not go to Mars?
Why not go to the bottom of the ocean?
Why not cure cancer?
Write the greatest novel of all time?
It’s a lot of pressure on a vampire!”
It’s also a choice that stems from one of Nemati’s other main inspirations: introspective comedy.
His favourite vampire story specifically is What We DoIn The Shadows- albeit the movie, not the TV show.
He also “got a lot from the surprisingly verbose and well-researchedEncylopedia Of Vampire Mythology.”
It’s quick, practical, and is applied to a bunch of different mental health disorders.
It was also something that could be standardised and applied to a game.
“We’re trying to look at it as one tool that can be used,” he continues.
“Normally in therapy, there are a number of tools that you use.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is just one that’s meant for addressing the distortions themselves, not for trauma-processing.”
“I’m sure it’s good for the vampires as well to be aware.
That’s all I’m looking for, is awareness.
Not the idea that this is some sort of cure all - because certainly it’s not.”
He says these are analogies that disappear pretty quickly.
This is also where we get back to comedy.
Nemati notes that humour has always been a diffuser for talking about difficult topics.
This makes sense to me.
“The doctor vampire I have, he doesn’t want to be a vampire,” Nemati says.
“He doesn’t like vampires.
He thinks they’re horrible, and so he basically wants to cure himself of his own identity.”
Is it ‘normal’ for a vampire to hate being a vampire, or to be okay with it?
How ‘should’ a vampire feel about murder and drinking blood?
“Every vampire is going to have a different journey.
“So just like mortals, they do a lot of judging of themselves and of others.”
Which, neatly, reminds me of Edward Cullen again.
If ever a vampire needed therapy, right?
Vampire Therapist, which I now feel considerably more confident about, is coming toSteamlater this year.
