This meta is so interesting, thanks! I've been puzzling through it a bit myself.
I actually find myself wondering if, like the sun and the moon curse, the "switch" is actually somewhat of a myth? I mean, we know from being a vampire that everything is "heightened," so I could see how a new vampire who indulges in all the most hedonistic parts of being a vampire and who is reveling in being at the top of the food chain and compelling people to do what he or she wants could experience feelings of invincibility and superiority so that it FEELS like their emotions are shut off. But once some of that initial indulgence is out of the way, it becomes harder and harder to use it as an escape.
We haven't really seen any vampires yet who don't have any signs of humanity - even with their switch "on." Stefan in his flashbacks seemed to be indulging in the hedonism as a way of escaping the guilt he was feeling over his brother/father (similar to the way I might over-indulge in chocolate and wine after a bad day??). Damon, even in S1, tells Stefan that things he's done is HIS guilt to feel, and that he does feel it on occasion. Even early S1 Damon displayed moments of humanity - he clearly lived to mentally screw with Stefan, but still didn't *really* want harm to come to his brother. Even KATHERINE has her moments of humanity - the grief over her family, her reaction to Stefan's confession of love in flashbacks, even her drive to survive is very human.
So I wonder if by "the switch," what Rose meant isn't so much that it goes away, but that it gets harder to escape into the joy/hedonistic parts of being a vampire as you grow older? There is only so many times you can eat your favourite food day-after-day even if it is your favourite.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-05-05 01:42 am (UTC)I actually find myself wondering if, like the sun and the moon curse, the "switch" is actually somewhat of a myth? I mean, we know from being a vampire that everything is "heightened," so I could see how a new vampire who indulges in all the most hedonistic parts of being a vampire and who is reveling in being at the top of the food chain and compelling people to do what he or she wants could experience feelings of invincibility and superiority so that it FEELS like their emotions are shut off. But once some of that initial indulgence is out of the way, it becomes harder and harder to use it as an escape.
We haven't really seen any vampires yet who don't have any signs of humanity - even with their switch "on." Stefan in his flashbacks seemed to be indulging in the hedonism as a way of escaping the guilt he was feeling over his brother/father (similar to the way I might over-indulge in chocolate and wine after a bad day??). Damon, even in S1, tells Stefan that things he's done is HIS guilt to feel, and that he does feel it on occasion. Even early S1 Damon displayed moments of humanity - he clearly lived to mentally screw with Stefan, but still didn't *really* want harm to come to his brother. Even KATHERINE has her moments of humanity - the grief over her family, her reaction to Stefan's confession of love in flashbacks, even her drive to survive is very human.
So I wonder if by "the switch," what Rose meant isn't so much that it goes away, but that it gets harder to escape into the joy/hedonistic parts of being a vampire as you grow older? There is only so many times you can eat your favourite food day-after-day even if it is your favourite.