the questions of our times: formality and vampires

[rm]

This, thanks to a discussion started by weirdquark. Please do visit the comments where you will learn many things including the many ways formality is structured in different languages (something my questions did not fully take into account, and I apologize for that), werewolf pack dynamics considerations, and whether there are vampires in France.

[Poll #1601631]

Comments

[weirdquark]

Although now I am curious to know what level of politeness you're supposed to address various creatures with in Japanese. Would you use the -masu form or the -tegozaimasu type uber-polite form.

Shouldn't it depend on the vampire?

If you're the sort of person who keeps a really wussy vampire for a pet, you'd call the vampire [shortened-form-of-name]-chan.

If the vampire is trying to get along as a human would in human society, you might call the vampire [name]-san.

If the vampire is an ancient creature of darkness in the traditional ancient creature of darkness style, you'd probably want to go with O-Kyuuketsuki-sama.

(One of the things my friends and I discussed was what sort of vampire should be referred to using "kyuketsuki" and what sort of vampire got "vampire" -- I can't remember now what sorts of patterns we found in different vampire anime.)

[weirdquark]

And if you yourself are a vampire, well, it depends on the level of formality of vampire society.

Though I feel that when Bella becomes a vampire she should call Edward "Senpai."

[kittydesade.livejournal.com]

... it probably should, as someone above me concluded, but now that brings up an interesting point of etiquette, as in, if you've been talking to someone and you just then found out that they were a werewolf/vampire/ghost/thing that goes bump in the night, would you change your mode of address? Assuming they hadn't taken offense. Or would you just go on as you were?

[weirdquark]

I guess that would depend on whether you feel that changing the form of address (I assume to something more formal) would read as "shit, I just figured out you could eat me" or "I just realized I've been being rude; let me fix that." Because the former might cause more offense than continuing at whatever level of formality you're using assuming they're human.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

I note that in the Takarazuka musical "Vampire Requiem", the vampire is European in origin (a Templar knight, IIRC) and everyone refers to him (and the big happy family of vampires that take him in) as "vampires." Especially noticeable in the perky, cheerful song, "Looking for Vampires."

How people addressed the vampire depended on whether he was pretending to be a lowlife or not. When he was a faux gypsy in the French court of the Sun King (having dance-offs with said Sun King), he totally didn't get -sama. But in his origin story, when he was a wounded knight, he got -sama. Later, in the dance club in Berlin, not so much. And I can't remember what the form of address was in modern times. He spent a lot of time in a glass tube, so not so much being addressed.