Would This Freak You Out?

Consider this scenario, if you would:

You're interested in having a vamp (female) feed from you because you feel it would be a . . . em . . . pleasant experience (read between the lines). A like-minded buddy suggests a blood bar hidden beneath a local motel as a starting point for your venture. And you go. You don't consider this cheating on your wife because there won't be any actual sex.

So, you've been there for a bit over an hour trying to get through enough tequila to calm your considerable nervousness. Apart from some 'you're-in-the-wrong-place-and-you-know-it' stares, everyone's pretty much ignored you.

Then, just when you've decided you're leaving in another twenty minutes, this bombshell approaches you, sits in the booth with you, and begins to chat. The talk is going surprisingly well, actually.

Two things, however, have caught your attention:

1. She's addressing you by name. You haven't told her your name.

2. The things she's saying and doing are very nearly verbatum of the fantasy you've been playing in your head for the last little while.

So, my question is: Would this freak you out too much? Or would you go ahead and play it through?

Apsu said:

ETA: Just to make sure I understand, the guy is basically accepting an eternal curse just because it sounds like fun, right? I mean, I'm no expert on vampires, but being fed on by a vampire makes you a vampire too, right? What's the danger otherwise?

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No. The way I write them, it requires a great deal more than simply feeding from a human to sire a new vamp. The act of feeding - when it's done properly - doesn't leave any lasting negative effects. In fact, if the vamp is extremely skilled, s/he won't even leave a mark.

LisaHy said:

Part of it is going to be dependent on your particular vampire traits. Vampies are obviously a known entity to, at least, parts of your novel's society, so one would assume that the abilities of the vampires are known. Do your vamps have telepathic traits? If yes, it shouldn't freak this guy out. If they don't, then it probably would freak him out.

It all comes down to what your guy knows and what he doesn't.

Cheers, Lisa.

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I should explain my terminology. When I say "vamp," that doesn't necessarily mean specifically "vampire." "Vamp," in my writing, can refer to one of three similar but different beings: vampire, vix, or vyca. In this instance, the gentleman in question is rather ignorant of there being three different vamps, so while he thinks he's dealing with a vampire, the woman in question is actually a vyca. (So, to answer your question, vyca have "telepathic" [I shy from that word] traits, but not vampires. )

Sorry, I keep forgetting that I need to explain these things on this site. My bad.

TabithaTodd said:

Actually, not necessarily. In some lore, the vampire can only create or turn another into a vampire by a blood ritual that requires exchange of blood between the victim and the vampire or the victim feeding from the vampires blood.

That depends on how the author would perceive the vampiric lore. Does one bite do it or do they need to exchange blood or does the victim need to draw solely from the vampire...

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Yep. That's the way I do it.

The way I write it, the procedure for siring a new vamp is very specific and almost impossible to do by "accident" as it were (notice I said "almost"). It goes like this (again, in my writing; others may vary):

Step 1: Believe it or not, it's necessary for the human to agree first. Otherwise, the mystical processes just won't happen. Now, there's nothing saying that they have to know exactly what they're agreeing to, however . . . .

Step 2: This is where the feeding takes place. Important part here is not to let the human totally lose consciousness.

Step 3: It's necessary for the human to take a small amount of blood from the vamp.

That's it. The following night, you'll have yourself a new vamp. Then, the hard part begins . . . .

So, to get back on topic, there's no way this scenario is going to end in a siring. This guy's just looking for a "thrill" as it were (you know what I mean). That's all.

Thanks, everyone, for the thoughts so far. Keep 'em coming.

FOTSGreg said:

My first thought? Hooker.

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I'm sorry, I can't resist asking: Why?

Thomas_Anderson said:

I've heard about your vix and vyca before. Did you make those up yourself, or are they from actual lore? Just curious.

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A little bit of both, I'd say. All three - vix, vampire, and vyca - carry aspects that have been associated with vampires at one time or another. I just decided that instead of having all these different traits be true of vampires, I'd split it up into three different beings, which is more convienient for the way I work my writing.

Here's the basic breakdown:

Vix: The least powerful vampiric being. Vixes are pretty much halfway between human and vampire, mystically and in physical strength. They still have functioning bodies, so it's necessary to eat and drink regularly - and, of course, it's necessary to feed on human blood as well. Typically, vixes can go for a good while (but no more than a week or so) without any serious need for feeding, but the decision is up to them if they actually want to wait that long. Vixes are able to spend time in sunlight, though the longer they do the more uncomfortable it is - their body temperature rises quickly in sunlight and if left unchecked will kill them. Figure no ore than four or five hours at a time without cooling off in the shade for a while. Also, a vix can cast a reflection, but only if there's no sunlight present. Lastly, the long-standing belief of a vamp turning into a bat, according to my writing, is actually a vix's power, not vampires. But, just to be somewhat pseudoscientific about it, I write it that it's a group of bats (to account for the account of matter it takes to form a typical human) and not just one.

Vampire: My version isn't real different from what you'd typically imagine, so I won't go into any huge explaination. Fairly standard. I do say in my writing that they are the most common vampiric being.

Vyca: I could write a book just explaining vyca, so forgive me, but this is the Cliff's Notes version. The big difference about vyca is that they are a collective being. While there's several million (number to be determined) of them in the world, they all make up one single being - essentially all sharing one huge superbrain. They do have some "telepathic" power (I really try to stay away from that description, because it's not quite accurate) that's basically the same extra senses that vampires have taken to an extreme. Other than the much stronger senses and the collective, though, no difference from the other two. But it's the collective that makes them the most powerful of the vampiric beings.

Thomas_Anderson said:

What's the difference? Are vyca more dangerous than vampires?

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Matter of opinion. See above.

Thomas_Anderson said:

As for the topic, it depends. The guy thinks he's dealing with a vampire. How much does he know about vampires? Does he know they're not supposed to be telepathic? Are vyca worse than normal vampires?

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The most important thing to understand is that my vamps are not inherently evil. Now, some don't want to play by the rules, but that's also true of humans, isn't it? In this particular instance, this guy's only minimally familiar with the underworld, and he's going into this venture with quite a few incorrect assumptions in his head. The vyca he ends up dealing with happens to be the de-facto MC for this installment of the series, who is in her first night as a vyca. She's got one single goal in this scenario - and it's not the same as his. But, the guy is convenient for her, so why not play along with him if it gets her what she's after? The guy doesn't know this, but the trick for her is going to be making sure she does it right, because this will be her first time . . . .

Thanks for the interest.

Kyle

Thomas_Anderson said:

If they're all the same though, wouldn't her goal be the same as the hive mind? Or am I just misunderstanding the vyca?

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No, you're not misunderstanding. In a few hours from that point in the story, what you've just brought up will be the case. At the point in time this thread is speaking of, she's not quite fully transitioned into the collective. It's still her first night, and while the transition from human to vyca is complete, it takes quite a while to fully join the collective - about 12-15 hours, depending on the person. You just can't dump that much power into a person all at once - not without killing them, no matter what they are. At this point, she's about a third of the way there, so she's only got a minimal connection to the collective. She's basically on her own for a while yet (although there is someone - not another vyca - looking after her, just in case).