Vampires VS Werewolves

Has anyone else noticed an interesting dynamic to the Werewolf and Vampire? Obviously, these are the two defining monster types in supernatural teen drama, but it seems like, as presented here, they are both after the same thing--dominance over others in relationships. The only difference is that the Vampire uses emotions and manipulation to gain dominance, while the Werewolf uses violence and physical action.

It seems as though in a game with both a Vampire PC and a Werewolf PC, they would be bent towards a major conflict or feud with one another. I haven’t seen them in action, though; would anyone care to recount their experiences with these two skins interacting? Of particular interest to me would be hearing if anyone has played a game in which the Vampire and Werewolf were intertwined.

(As a side note, I think these personality types show up repeatedly in conflict with one another in teen dramas, even if they are not explicitly made into vampires or werewolves. For example, in Buffy, Angel acts like the Vampire and is forever in conflict with Spike, who acts like the Werewolf).

If you want to look at it that way, it all goes back to Pride and Prejudice, or at least Bridget Jones' diary.  A smart young woman is caught in a love triangle between a socially adept young man and a serious one.  Colin Firth usually plays the "werewolf."

I agree that it is easy to see these as the two typical romantic triangle choices (perhaps even a Betty and Veronica). Although, one could see the werewolf as the less serious one as well. After all, the Werewolf has the whole "freedom through violence, running, taking" thing. And although the vampire is the more social of them, the Werewolf is still, definitely, Hot.

What really interests me about these two, though, is the fact that they are both seeking to control their love interest. It's not just "I want to be with you"; in both cases, it is "I want you to be mine. I want to own you." I think these do keep showing up in this genre, but I'm really curious about why. I guess if the standard protagonist really is the Mundane as represented by Bella, then it's a perfect fit. That kind of character is empowered by controlling types.

I'm actually really excited about how Monsterhearts offers the opportunity to see these characters in very different circumstances. If the Mundane's lover was the Ghost, it'd be a very different story. As mentioned, I really wanna see a Werewolf and Vampire involved with one another.

I think there are a lot of reasons why you often see the vampire and the werewolf as romantic interests, especially in a love triangle. First off, they're the most popular monsters in general. So if you want a supernatural love triangle, they're the natural go-to types.

They're also diametric opposites. They're both predatory. The werewolf is a physical predator, a metaphor for rape when you get right down to it. Man becomes ravening beast who takes and devours. He takes all the rules of civilized society and throws them right out the window.

The vampire is much more of a social predator. He takes those same social rules and plays them better and smoother than anyone else. He's the guy who a woman knows is bad for her but she falls for him anyway. He's the one who does socially unacceptable things but they're suave, sexy things that people secretly want to happen. If the wolf is a bit rape-y, the vampire with his erotic bite is pretty BDSM-y, forbidden but exciting.

Its a pretty natural contrast.

Those are some pretty accurate, insightful interpretations, although I don't think that's the only way to do it. A Vampire could also be an emotionless serial date rapist after a fashion. A werewolf could also be the emotional dom who actually cares. Well, what I mean is, their style is different, but one is not more "Good" than the other. All the Monsterhearts skins are Monsters (especially the Mortal).