text; un: sekiken

[bloodspring]

Hello. My name is Louis, and it’s been about a month since my arrival.

This is something I’ve been curious about since arriving, so I’d like to gauge the current community:

Are you, do you know, or have you ever known a vampire?

If so, I’d like to learn as much as possible about the vampires from your worlds. While one might have in mind a vampire they would call “stereotypical,” that is undeniably a relative label, and it interests me just how widely the differences can range under what may very well now be called an umbrella term.

For example: My race goes by the name “revenants.” For all intents and purposes, I would still classify us as vampires, as we are immortals sustained by drinking blood—but perhaps you might think other criteria more appropriate for determining whether or not one falls into the vampire category? I welcome any challenges or elaboration.

Some further questions for consideration:

• Do your vampires have fangs? Powers, abilities?
• What kind of blood do they drink? How often? How do they feed?
• What does a vampire’s immortality look like to you?
• Are vampires well-embedded in your world’s history, or are they more recent?
• What relationships do you or they have with non-vampires?
• How have other vampires adapted since coming to this world? Are there any particular hindrances you or they encounter?

These are just a few to prompt discussion, but don’t feel limited to these questions only. This is meant to serve as a collaborative gathering of information.

As all of this may be a sensitive or even unpleasant topic for some, I want to offer full transparency from my side of things, and welcome anonymous responses should anyone wish to protect their identity. Please share as much or as little as you’d like, and feel free to ask if there’s anything you’d want to know of me, as well.

Thank you for reading.

Comments

text | un: jasminum

[diplous]

Aren’t you a curious one?
I think I’d be interested in hearing your answers to the very same questions you posed, so maybe we can trade off.

[bloodspring]

Of course. I expected to share as much as anyone might want to ask.
Where would you like to start, then?

[diplous]

Have you ever encountered a vampire with no fangs before? I’d be interested to know how they fed it they didn’t. Seems inconvenient.

text; un: faust

[spectralsnipe]

I've never met one personally but there are vampires where I'm from, although they're actually a sub-group of a different race. They have a pretty infamous reputation for being bloodthirsty and ruthless but I can't really confirm if they live up to any of that.

[bloodspring]

What are they called in your world?
I can't say I'm surprised about a violent reputation. They were largely painted as monsters in my world, fictional horrors and such. Things that went bump in the night.
Until, of course, they weren't fictions anymore.

text; un: asura

[demonicbookworm]

[Isn't this the guy he's met in the library?]

You're a vampire? I had no idea...

Ah, this is Ruca. I'm sorry, I've only ever read about vampires in novels so I don't have anything to say on this subject.

[bloodspring]

Aha. Hello again, Ruca. Forgive me for not mentioning it. I certainly wasn't trying to hide it. If it had come up, I would've told you then.

Do you have any questions for me, then? There's a fair chance I'm a bit different from those you might've read about.

text | un: r.chambers

[herbmixing]

They're only folklore where I'm from, as far as I know. I've seen stories portraying them from vicious, mindless beasts to romantic heroes.

I'm more interested in it biologically.

[bloodspring]

Yes, that's essentially how it had been back in my world too, until the stories stopped being just stories.

It may interest you to know then that my people had been "turned" via parasite, rather than any stray vampire bite.

Can I answer any questions you might have on the biological side of things?

text | un: fantasma

[teaserving]

i sucked dracula's dick
i could tell you about that

[bloodspring]

[...... Okay, he'll bite.]

Alright. Go ahead, then. I'm listening.

un: sinistra | voice

[bisection]

No, never. There was no such thing in the tower. Not that I am aware of... Though, with the way that the Blaze distorted people... it is possible.

voice;

[bloodspring]

Thank you for your response nonetheless. Do you bear any opinion on vampires now, possibly after meeting them in this place? I admit curiosity for your "tower" and "Blaze"... but for the sake of staying on topic, if you have any questions for me, I'd be happy to answer.

un: zzz

[bust]

Starting a vampire support group?

[ Just a small tease. Louis' middle name is Kindness, after all. ]

There's vampires in the Sky Realm too. Some in my crew, but they're not here.

Still want to know?

[bloodspring]

It's not much of a support group with just myself in it. Haven't had much luck finding others yet.

You really have to ask? Of course I want to know.

anon

[miraclewhip]

Vampire hunter. Unlikely to murder you, in case that was a concern.

- Fangs, yes. They're part of the skull, and they grow in within a few days of the vampire being turned. Unpleasant process.

- There's some variation in terms of powers. Just about all vampires have physical strength and speed beyond what you'd expect from a human of the same build who'd undergone the same training. Shapeshifting of some sort or another is a common theme. You'd go in expecting most vampires to know at least a little magic but that has more to do with having more time to learn than a natural aptitude.

- Amount of blood necessary varies with the situation the same way the need for food intake varies in humans, but more dramatically. Blood is a source of healing as well as a food source. Doing too much vampire-y shit means you need more sooner. Some vampires can supplement blood with other foods, others can't. Animal blood works fine as a rule, but sensitivity to it's common and can be debilitating. They feed through the mouth, the way humans do. It can be bottled or stored in other ways but if you do that you have to find a way to keep it fresh unless you're meaning to ferment it properly. Theoretically a vampire could go for a few months at least without needing blood but it'd be fucking torture.

- Ageless, really hard to kill.

- They've always been around, by all accounts. Documentation I've seen starts 400 years ago, but that doesn't mean there isn't more. Just not more I've seen.

- Relationships between vampires and humans are currently strained. the church's stance is still that they don't actually exist, despite overwhelming recent evidence. Before the current shitshow, it varied. Heard about human farms to the east. They get less common the closer you get to my part of the world. Their boss didn't care for the concept. Sometimes you get horrible shit, sometimes you get vampires protecting a community in return for blood from their humans. Most of the time you get something in the middle.

[bloodspring]

[sekiken liked this post]

Thank you, this was incredibly informative. I can see a number of similarities already, from what you've told me.

Human farms in particular sound... disturbing, to say the least. For better or for worse, our vampire population was contained to one city, but I could not say for sure whether or not other communities had risen in other parts of the world.

If I may ask, how did you come to be a vampire hunter? Is it a popular profession where you're from?

If you have any questions for me as well, I'll do my best to answer.

Voice UN:scarletdevil

[remilia_scarlet]

My, you are quite the curious one. I have seen vampires discussed in many ways. Sometimes as objects of fear. Other times, people spoke in awe. I have, however, never seen such open and honest curiosity. My name is Remilia Scarlet and, as you could likely guess by the fact I even deigned to respond, I am a vampire.

I am willing to answer any questions you may have to ask, but first I feel compelled to make a correction. Merely sustaining one's self on blood is not enough to make one a vampire. There are only two ways one can make that claim. One must be either born a vampire, or turned by one.

[She says this with some pride evident in her voice, it seems likely the label means a great deal to her.]

Now, where shall I begin? Surely some of your questions are more important to you than others.

voice;

[bloodspring]

Thank you for your response, Remilia. Of all those who have yet replied to this, you are the first self-identified vampire. I can't say I'm surprised not many are jumping to announce themselves as I had, however. I'd come from a place where we outnumbered humans by a wide margin, so I feel no reason to hide what I am here, either.

As for which questions are priority... You bring up a fine one. If that is your definition of a vampire, which of the two methods do you fall under? How does one turn, and have you ever turned another?

I'd also like to ask how you stayed nourished on your home world, and if that's changed since coming here. Have you had any difficulties adapting?

And perhaps another: What of your relationships with non-vampires? You can speak of your personal example or of the race as a whole, if you'd like.

text; un: percival

[vassalize]

In the interest of proper information trade,
I'll supply you with what I know so long as you answer me the same of your revenants.

There are vampiric beings in the crew back in my world,
though you are spared of their overzealousness for the time being. They didn't follow me here. They mainly control dark-aspected magic and can eat regular food from what I've witnessed.

[ If they drink blood, he hasn't seen them do so, but it's not entirely unlikely. He hasn't exactly spent a long time around them... ]

[bloodspring]

I could ask for nothing more than a fair trade.

Overzealous... Would that be said of all vampires where you're from, or just the ones you're acquainted with?

While I'm capable of enjoying regular food as well, ultimately it provides no nourishment. We would partake just to break the monotony of things, and feel more connected to our human lives. But it was a rare indulgence, considering the food insecurity in our corner of the world.

As for magic, I bear an affinity with fire, though it varies between revenants. Some can harness other elements, such as ice, lightning, sand and even blood, while others might hold no magic at all.

Do keep the questions coming if you have them.

text; un: no

[terribletwos]

so you're like mosquitoes/

[bloodspring]

Sorry, but it's going to take a bit more than a swat to kill me. And I usually listen better when I'm obviously wanted gone.

video; un: ardeur -- DO YOU MIND A REALLY LATE TAG-IN??

[baisant]

A collaborative gathering of information.

[Jean-Claude tilts his head to the side, a softly curious smile on his face.]

Do you not think it is a risk, mon ami? To admit your nature in so open a way? For all to see. There are always those that might wish you harm, even in so open a city as this may seem.

video; NOT AT ALL!!!

[bloodspring]

[Louis shakes his head, the fringe normally obscuring one red eye swaying softly.]

It's not that I hadn't considered such beforehand. But no progress was ever made without some measure of risk, and I have reason to believe the risk here is minor; as we're all people displaced from our home worlds, so too are we parted from our prejudices of circumstance...

It's within anyone's right to feel afraid of what I am, but should anyone wish me harm like you say—at the very least, they won't have an easy time killing me.

Well, that aside... Did you have any questions for me?