08/24/2019, Vampire (Male)

Vampires: pretty much the go-to sexy monster. This particular species of non-human struck me as a good starting point because they’re basically the entry-level to fuckin’ monsters. Vampires come in many shapes and sizes, but bias heavily towards younger-presenting and attractive people. This is because most sirings (the term for when a human is turned into a vampire), roughly 80% according to most credible studies, are impulsive in nature, and of impulse sirings, 97% are romantic or sexual. Even the remaining 20% experiences a minority majority of 36% romantic causes, while other reasons such as , payment, or political gain make up smaller slivers. In addition to looking very human, even when revealing their true nature, this just means vampires are generally attractive humans with a sexy element of danger and a lot of admittedly enviable abilities.

When I say “vampire,” of course, I am referring to a human-turned-undead who subsists on the blood of living humans. They have fangs that are, most often, retractable, but mutations do exist where they become permanent, emit no body heat, and react extremely negatively to sunlight. There are plenty of non-humans who subsist on human blood, even ones who are “vampires,” of their own cultures, but given they have their own names and usually profoundly different morphology and sensitivities, it’s a misnomer to call anything but the Romanian variant described above a “vampire.”

Brief History-

Vampires and humans have a fraught relationship. While first cited by outsider biologists in 6043 BC when salt production in what is modern-day Romania drew interest of practitioners in need of the mineral for experimentation, it is suspected the Romanian vampire’s history dates back to primordial Africa (though don’t we all?). It is unknown what drove the vampires from Africa, but they remain a distinctly obscure creature there. Speculation offers two generally-accepted theories, that either the trickster god Anansi deceived their leaders in exchange for some great reward from tribal elder, or the highly-aggressive asanbosam was more adapted to contemporary hunting conditions and out-competed vampires into abandoning their territory for sheer survival. Asanbosam are nearly extinct today, of course, but they were the dominant blood-drinking creatures on the African continent before the impundulu’s shapeshifting abilities allowed them to organize humans in huge, bloody hunts for the asanbosam that put them in the position they remain in today.

In Romania, vampires began to insinuate themselves in positions of leadership, realizing that exposure meant certain . This habit continues to this day, but thrived most notably in the dark ages, where the lack of education and ability to isolate themselves allowed vampires to remain largely undetected. It is believed that by the end of that era, more than half of the French nobility were vampires or vampire-controlled. These nights were marked by exceptionally brutal feeding tactics. Where vampires before had certainly been able and known to kill humans in feeding, vampiric nobility used a combination of power and wealth to ensure they could simply have a human brought to them whenever they wanted, even more than one and often of specific preference. This led to the infamous Blood Fetes, social events attended on by vampires, their most loyal and ruthless servants, and those to be consumed. It was not uncommon for a Blood Fete to result in human deaths through carelessness or outright sadism equal to twice the number of vampiric attendants. Vampire hunting traditions began to spring up in earnest due to these egregious slaughters, and they remain the source of a great deal of enmity between humanity and vampires to this day.

Colonialism was when vampires began to integrate into human society rather than hide from or lord over it. Imperialist and racist policies implemented in that time period allowed many of them to take advantage of dehumanized groups as a food source no one would care about. They even could rely on the powers of the time to suppress uprisings, provided they used any level of discretion. The advent of chattel slavery in Europe and North America was the true pinnacle of this behavior, many vampires even moving their homes as the subsequent wave of abolition swept over the western world. This is, in short, why vampires are in such comparative abundance in the United States and, to a lesser degree, my native Canada (well, currently native). European vampires tend to be older and more powerful on average, but the Americas now host a tremendous population that not only outweighs all of Europe’s, but the world’s on a per capita basis.

The Civil War broke the backs of many an American vampire, suddenly losing not only their mortal influence, but a food source they had grown accustomed to. A resurgence of covert vampire hunters rose out of newly-freed African American communities, driving the primarily southern American vampire out west, where they could prey on exploited native peoples. Fortunately for socioeconomic development, vampiric thought leaders decided the Civil War and subsequent failure of the Confederacy was a sign they needed to take a more subtle hand in things, and the Night Council we now have largely peaceful relationships with today was formed to organize American vampires into civil union with humanity.

While it’s still sort of Calvinball over in Europe where ancient feudal lords make power plays in big, showy demonstrations while more forward-thinking elders attempt to unite into a more progressive movement, the Night Council’s authority has swept over all of North America, most of Mexico, and is making inroads in South America even as we speak. They hold a policy of non-lethal feeding, networks to aid in falsifying identities and networking among other Undead Americans, and a friendly history of cooperation with the Quiet Tower, my own people’s leadership, since they agreed to join forces against the Nazis and Imperial Japanese in WWII. Though politically-motivated, as in particular that the genocide in Europe of that age was being exploited by regressive ancient vampires and other less reasonable non-humans the Night Council and Quiet Tower both already had an axe to grind for, I still consider this a fairly proud moment in our histories. Especially compared to all the imperialism, because it’s not like practitioners didn’t take advantage of colonialism, either! Whoo. History. Is depressing.

Physiology and Supernatural Abilities-

Vampires, physiologically speaking, are nearly identical to humans. The primary differences are that you’ll never see a vampire with a genuine tan, their body temperature sits around room unless they’ve fed very recently and/or fully, and their canines can elongate into specialized fangs for feeding, though some vampires find they cannot retract these since their initial manifestation upon siring. In terms of powers, vampires cover a wide scope, but have a few common ones: they are all tremendously fast and strong, even a sired child showing the physical prowess of a low-level Olympian athlete, they are notoriously hard to destroy by conventional means and heal from virtually all assaults in short order, they can all close wounds inflicted by vampiric fangs with a stroke of their tongue (useful to minimize casualties in feeding and evidence left behind! plus I’d just be fuckin’ polka dots if they didn’t, thanks, Billy!), powerful and specialized throat muscles allow them to extract blood from the human body exceptionally well, and they all have the capacity to sire a human into another vampire.

Siring is a simple, but oft-misunderstood process. It requires intentionality on behalf of the vampire, moving a single drop of their heartsblood to the surface of their skin, allowing (or forcing) a human to drink it, and then draining said human completely. After three nights, they will rise again at midnight if their body hasn’t been dismembered, cremated, or staked, a brand-new vampire. They do not, as some suggest, “infect,” their prey willy-nilly. This would be completely unsustainable for a non-decomposing undead species, too easily tipping the balance of not enough food to go around, much less the ability to feed discretely. You also cannot bite a vampire who is attempting to drain you to become one, they must choose to sire you. It is traditional, but not needed, to bury a soon-to-be vampire after their . Their body is no more sensitive to vampiric weaknesses than any other dead body as the change takes place, meaning being exposed to sunlight is perfectly safe until their transformation concludes.

Vampiric weaknesses are few in the universal sense, but there are a handful. All vampires handle sunlight poorly. While younger vampires go up in just moments, older ones may have a good minute or so to find cover again before igniting. A wooden object piercing their heart will destroy them with certainty, as will consumption by fire or decapitation. These are the only, I repeat, the only 100% reliable methods for dissuading a vampire. If you think you’ve killed a vampire and it’s not ashes, no, you have not. That said, it is true that if you are occupying a space as your “home,” for two or more consecutive nights, they do require your permission to enter. In larger public buildings, this is limited to actual apartments rather than the complex in question, but homes remain entirely impenetrable.

Vampires have a wide variety of myths surrounding vulnerabilities as well, though! As an old friend, Elwood Thompson, can attest to, vampires do not have innate fear or pain caused by holy symbols. Before and after his siring, he was a parish priest for a community of freemen in Georgia just after the Civil War. He’s specifically Baptist today, but he enjoys his work and feels no aversion to the cross or any other object of faith. Garlic does ward off some varieties of vampires, but most don’t even notice it, senses dulled to any smell or taste that isn’t blood dramatically upon siring. Burying a corpse that has been sired with a rock in its mouth will not prevent it rising, though it will probably piss it off something fierce. And finally, vampires do indeed have reflections, they simply do not appear in silver-based methods such as some mirrors and earlier photography processes. Silver causes discomfort in some vampires, but not a majority.

Finally, vampires have too many varied supernatural abilities between genetic lines, referred to scientifically as Legacies, to be listed here. The vampire you will see me with shortly was of the Atlas legacy, exceptionally physically powerful in all regards, even above other vampires. Billy has the fleshcrafting abilities of the Shaper legacy, while Elwood has the ability to fly common to the Loki legacy. These are just three examples of literally hundreds.

Propositioning-

So, how do you approach a vampire about sex? Well, mostly like you would any person! That’s why we’re starting here. Vampires have few universal personality traits, though older vampires have a distinct tendency towards pansexuality as societal hang-ups fade away when you have time to do anything and everything, so it’s really a matter of situation. That said, there are a few unofficial rules. For one, do not threaten to expose a vampire. In addition to this being incredibly rude, it heightens the chances they agree, take you somewhere private, and dispose of you. This is very different from an agreed-upon monitor to ensure your safety after agreeing to intercourse in the first place, but this should also be approached delicately. All vampires mentioned by name on this blog are done so by pseudonym or with a signed disclosure agreement. They take this very seriously due to the threat of vampire hunting lodges that still exist in the modern nights. Offering to “buy them a drink,” as it were, can be polite, but isn’t usually necessary. That said, feeding is an extremely intimate activity, and if a vampire agrees to feed off of you, honestly, the chances of it leading to sexual intercourse are pretty high. Not assured, but high. Just be ready, it’s going to feel way different than you think it will. Other than that, just make sure you’re ready for them to leave when you’re finished or make sure the place you retreat to be alone to has sufficient anti-daylight measures if you want your lover to have a morning after.

Safe Sex-

There are some distinct upsides to sex with vampires over humans. For heterosexual pairings, the lack of risk of pregnancy can be very convenient. While vampires produce sexual fluids like humans as part of their disguises, vampiric ovum and sperm is, without exception, as dead and useless as the lungs they still technically have. Sidebar, while lady vampires are capable of producing a surprisingly warm lubrication from their vagina, expect it to be actually rather cold if you get one squirting. Male vampires, that semen is going to be CHILLY, trust me. But it’s not altogether unpleasant if you’re ready for it. Vampiric flesh also has no benefit to any known STI, meaning that you are incredibly unlikely to catch any diseases from intercourse. That’s just handy, not to mention nice for society as a whole. BUT. But. There are things you should still consider. Feeding is very important to address. If you don’t want to get bitten, well, I just think you haven’t tried it, but your body, your choice. Make sure to discuss and agree on this with your partner, as it is a very natural part of vampiric sex to bite your partner, even other vampires. If you do want to be bitten, make sure to set limits. A one- to two-tenths feed will produce a pleasant, hazy sensation that can considerably amplify orgasm. If you want to know how you feel about this, I suggest safe experimentation with erotic asphyxiation. While feeding is more intense in many ways, they are overall similar experiences. One-tenth, you can probably go again in a few hours, but you’re going to be tired as hell the next day if you do. Two-tenths, more reaction, but … well, you’ll need a little to recover and probably some supplements. Foods and vitamins increasing red blood cell production will be necessary if you want to have an every-day kind of sex-and-feeding life with a vampiric partner. Three- to four-tenths is legitimately dangerous and it can be important to have transfusion equipment your partner is trained in nearby if you become from blood loss. As a rule, a vampire who performs a five-tenths feeding is going to kill you. Even though it’s not guaranteed at that point, willingness to reach it is usually indicative of predatory behavior. Unless you are durable well beyond the human norm or, as in my case, are a practitioner capable of preparing countermeasures and discussing such things in advance, this is not safe sex and you should not participate in it unless you are willing to die for the experience. While I can say I found my ten-tenths feeding extremely pleasurable, I’m a noted masochist and was only dead for a minute or two before my contingencies kicked in. That, and I did it with someone I trust.

However, we should breach the topic of siring: if you want to be a vampire, you need to die first. Now, if you want to be safely assured that you are being fed a vampire’s heartsbood and thus will be able to make the transition, there are certain signs to feel for. For one, while blood has a distinct taste, heartsblood from a vampire is notably sour and sharp. It’s not unheard of for unscrupulous vampires to hide sour fluids just beneath their skin to try to trick discerning potential partners into letting them be drained uncontested, but it is very rare. Still, it is harder to replicate the tell-tale bitter aftertaste. Additionally, the majority of humans experience a profound sense of connectivity upon ingesting genuine heartsblood, senses sharpening dramatically for a few moments and sensations, such as those experienced in intercourse, increased roughly twice over. All of this should allow you to tell your partner’s intentions. DO NOT agree to a siring where they’ll give you the heartsblood “after,” or “in-the-moment.” The former wouldn’t do anything even if they did, still leaving you just completely dead, while the latter is extremely risky as it’s too likely a vampire will be lost in the thrill of a complete drain to remember before it’s too late (if they intended to at all).

For practitioners, I recommend a few specific elixirs and fortifiers. If you can’t make an Achilles fortifier (and yeah, it is … pretty serious work), a Sanguinary Lift fortifier should increase your blood reserves if you want a little more feeding play, likely to an effective twelve-tenths rather than, well, the ten it’s usually measured in. B-Type fortifiers are excellent restoratives, though you risk an ill-intentioned partner sticking around long enough for you to revive or otherwise defacing your corpse, from which this offers no protection. An measure is an Apollo’s Kiss elixir, which will basically assure your partner’s if they attempt a five-tenths or greater feed, but this must be combined with one of the aforementioned fortifiers or outside medical attention if you intend to survive the encounter as well. A Mercury Contingent elixir is never, NEVER a bad idea, but price can be prohibitive if you don’t have an adequate laboratory to synthesize ingredients in and have to buy them instead. Fucking highway robbery, I swear.

Now, that more or less covers our introduction. Who wants to get railed by a vampire?!