So I was in the book store the other day in the "Paranormal" section and I noticed there was a book called "The Vampire Bible". And I look around and there's more like it, including books on werewolves, how to avoid these creatures, how they live, you get my point.
What I'm thinking is that people read these books plus the fake spells on here and think "No way! This is real!" And this may be the cause of the over-population of fluffs and roleplayers.
They are not exactly fluff. They are just paranormal fiction. Unless the authors bio says that they have studied for years and have fought countless vampires, or they have a pet werewolf, it's just a book for someone's entertainment. And if their bio does say that, put the book down and shun them!
Sometimes it's not easy to find fluff in books. Some people consider Ivan T. Sanderson unreliable because he believed in 15-foot penguins in Florida. What they don't take the time to realise is he was an intelligent man who came to that conclusion after examining carefully hoaxed footprints and several eyewitness testimonies. Unfortunately, some of his encounters have been compared to the legends of vampire hunters (Like fighting a giant bat in Asia, or insulting an African tribe and being run off until he could make an apology). All in all, he was a great, trustworthy source, who had a few unlikely ideas. Anything passing of a real figure as a monster hunter is almost certainly a fake, but you should check out unlikely stories before you hate on the author.
The word "Fluf" really gets on my nerves because some people on here call others fulffs just because they do not agree. Alot of people do not like Silver Ravenwolf but when you compare the content in her books to others its the same. She just calls chrisitans out and others do not like that. everyone was new once. This site gets alot of young new teenagers interested in magick. They just dont know better you dont have to call them fluff because of it samething with books.
@ sunshine, i'm not a Ravenwolf fan, not because she calls out Christians, but she gets facts wrong, and claims things have to be done her way or you're not a true witch. like if you curse someone, you're not a witch. granted, you wouldn't be following the Reed, but not all witches do that. that's why i'm not a fan, i'm not about to yell at people who like her, i just feel she shouldn't be the first person someone turns to when starting out.
in the astral, i've been told, werewolves and vampires are real. there are also spiritual werewolves/vampires. they don't transform/drink blood, but it's more spiritual, or energy related. but i'm guessing that's not what the book was talking about. these do muck up the pagan paths and confuse people, but i think it's more people misscategorizing authors because they don't know the religion. the occult doesn't really have an 'expert' so it's pretty open to anyone. i don't believe in alien abductions, but sure enough there's books in the 'new age' section talking about aliens. be it in Chapters, or in my local occult shop.
if i were you, i'd bring it to the shop owners attention that it's been improperly categorized. explain that it should go into a fantasy section or something. other than that, not much can be done. be sure before doing that though, you read the book, so you know it's not talking about the history of vampires, psi vampires, sanguine, astral vampires, and so on. if it speaks about them like they're physically real [like Buffy the Vampire Slayer] then it should be brought up.
regarding calling someone fluffy, i feel there's time when one should be called a fluff, but people misuse the word [like irony or depressed] someone asked if vampires are real, calling them a fluffy isn't necessary. someone argues with you that they are a thousand year old blood sucking vampire, you're wrong and they're right, then you can call them a fluffy. a fluffy bunny, to me, is someone who is convinced they are or can do something which isn't possible, and when you try to correct them [nicely] the person reacts angrily, shouting the odds, and refusing to accept your explanation.
Hmmm, maybe I read differently than others. I read 3 of Silver Ravenwolf's books when I was new; I took away the message that there is no "right" way & follow your instincts. Oh well.
A lot (if not most) of the books in the New Age section that are about vampires, werewolves, etcetera, are about the history & folklore. I don't believe in these creatures, but am fascinated by the subject. They don't belong in the fiction section because it is historical research. (won't say which, but I am speaking as a chain bookstore manager)
The only non-fiction occult vampire book I've read was "Vampires: The Occult Truth" by Konstantinos, which I felt was very very well done. I've never read anything else by Konstantinos, but that book was decent. It showed every aspect of vampires--from historical accounts, to psi vamps, to sanguine and then of course, he tears apart role players.
I agree that it is frustrating that some works of fiction are labeled Occult and then sold to unwary beginners as "legit." It presents false info and really contributes to the growing population of fluffy bunnies. I myself was given one as a gift. The person knew I was into magic and bought it for me not knowing what it was. It was titled Wizards , and it was one of the dumbest books I've ever read. I regifted it secretly >.> I appreciated the effort but the book was bogus. You have to be careful about some of the books out there! Common sense is a good thing to use while shopping for books.
