Vampire discussion: the technical aspects

Well, my vampires are corpses that get possessed by spirits with a vigilante complex. The spirits control the corpse by growing a kind of grey, waxy skin over the body. The vampires fangs and claws are made of the same substance, only it's far more compact and sharp, obviously.

If they don't drink blood regularly the skin begins to dry out and become flaky. The vampires have some kind of mental block when it comes to their skin being damaged, so even though their intentions are initially good when they first possess a body, they end up killing people to drink their blood because they can't help themselves. They kill animals too, but they usually go for larger prey, like cattle, horses and people because they all have more blood.

That's all I can think of right now. DX

----------

pretty cool, JayElleBee. So how do your vampires process the blood? Yes, I'm the person who reads a book and wonders why the MC never has to use the bathroom. But even though bathroom scenes won't make it into the book, I still wanna know....

Are your spirits spirits of dead people, or another kind of non-corporeal being?

----------

"There's an old folk saying that goes: Whenever you delete a sentence in your NaNoWriMo novel, a NaNoWriMo angel loses its wings and plummets, screaming, to the ground.

Where it will likely require medical attention. "

I'm not entirely sure, but I'm toying with the idea of them having some kind of... well, sack in the chest cavity that collects the blood. The sack is full of little pores that gradually absorb the blood and spreads it through the make shift skin body thing and then it's assimilated. I'm trying not to make it too sciencey sounding, because I'm sure what I'm saying is a load of crap, but eh.

As for the spirits, I'm pretty sure they were humans once, but they certainly don't resemble them now. I'm fairly sure that they were probably people who were murdered or had something horrible happen to them, but the person responsible was never brought to justice, which would explain the vigilanteism they all seem to express.

----------

My vampires.

I spent a fair bit of time on them, getting them right so that I could fit everything into the story that I could, and I also talked to my wonderful husband until he had heard more than enough.

So, these vampires of mine. They have fangs, thats a given really. They drink blood, another given, and they are humans who have been turned into vampires via the exchange of blood.

So that's pretty basic stuff. They can read minds as well, but only other vampires and humans. They also have other nice little talents, not all of them, just a few.

They also have hair and nails that grow. They don't grow very fast, less than a quater the speed that human hair growns.

Then we have the whole burning in the sun and other such mythology. Mine do burn in the sun, kind of. Some do and some don't, which is the part of the mythology I worked the most on. I needed the main character to be able to go into the sun, but I wanted to keep the mythology as close to the standard stuff as possible. So I came up with the idea that the more powerful they are, the more potent their weakness is. I.e the sun. The power that they get is measured in a fairly exact way, when they feed, and they drain the blood of a human. That last piece of life that they drain, that gives them their power. The more times they kill, the more powerful they are, the more the will burn in the sun, to the point of death. Also, that power wanes, so if they stop killing their meals, as it were, then after a time they will be able to walk in the sun with few problems.

As for the whole vampires and kids thing. Not going there. As far as my own nice little world is concerned, vampries cannot have children in any way shape or form, unless you count the people they turn.

Chelle

These are the physical rules I had to come up with for my vampires.

The mechanics of the bite. When the vampire starts the bite, they inject two enzymes into the victim. one is to numb the area, the other an anti clotting agent. These are injected by the teeth, much like snake's teeth.

The blood enters the mouth were it is not only swallowed, but the entire mouth acts as a sponge, absorbing as much as teh blood as it can. The tongue has become specialized to act like a straw, so to speak.

When they are done, another enzyme is injected to stop the bleeding and close the wound.

I had to develop this in detail, because of how vampires are created in my story. If the last enzyme is not injected, then there is a chance their victim would become a vampire.

As for any waste, it comes off them is a dust that forms during the day when they are asleep.

----------

http://therathskellar.blogspot.com

I am very tempted to steal leapetra's blood absorbing idea... but alas, I already have one of my own!

Ooooh boy, my vampires:

How they Bite: My vampires have top and bottom fangs, the bottoms are just as tall as the other "normal" teeth, but are needle sharp. My vampires detach their jaw and "latch" onto the victim with thier bottoms, and puncture and "capture" with thier tops. The prey cannot move unless they really want half of thier neck to be left behind. However, my vampires HAVE to bite multiple times, as thier saliva has a healing magic on humans. The vampire must be constantly biting to keep up a good blood flow. This is how there aren't vampires rampant in the streets, because no one tells them about this, they have to figure it out for themselves.

Blood: They have to drink human blood, and cannot sustain themselves on any other animal's blood. They CAN drink blood cold (like, store it in a wine bottle for portability and have it later from a glass. Some do this.) In the transformation, they've lost all need for any nutrients, but mainly consume blood because something in they're body "craves" it. (The science, I'm not sure, but I'm still working this out!) Their digestive system has been altered so that blood absorbs and disappears through a process unknown to even vampire scientists.

How they Sleep: This includes sunlight. My vamps can be in the sunlight, if covered properly, for up to two hours before disentegrating. If longer than two hours, they'll burst into flame, and it's not too pretty, nor is it discrete. They can sleep anywhere that sunlight cannot reach them. (A coffin, a dark closet, underground, in a bedroom with black-out curtains and something shoved into the cracks of the door... wherever.) While asleep, they look more like a corpse than anything else. They loose all "beauty" that they may have had and thier skin takes on a greenish color, splotched with deep blue veins in arbitrary places around thier body. Sometimes the eyes are shut, sometimes they aren't. They don't breathe, and their jaws are always unhinged, as though the muscle has stopped working there.

Abilites: Run really fast, super strong, can turn invisible, can disolve into a vapor and go through window-cracks, key-holes, and other places.

Disabilites: Burst into flame if out in the sunlight for longer than two hours unprotected. Burst into flame if not first invited onto Holy Ground (this works a lot because most holy places have "Welcome" signs. It's as good an invitation as any.) Cannot enter a stranger's house uninvited. Form a mental bond with any human that has taken thier blood, and can feel their thoughts and emotions (this can be both an ability or disability, depending on how you look at it). Cannot sense damphirs, cannot sense witches. Cannot resist the urgings of thier sire, and can hear thier sire's mind.

Other: they need no nutrients, so hair and nails do not grow. They, however, can cut hair and nails, but it will never grow back. Some vampire women have shaven thier heads so they can change thier hair with wigs. Vampire men can have children with humans, but vampire women cannot carry children by vampire or human.

----------

http://writerlyjulia.blogspot.com/

First off my vampires are not dead. They have a fast heartbeat and warmer temperature.

They can go out in the sun if they've fed on enough blood. If not they burn up. Sunlight reveals red eyes and blood-darkened fingernails.

They're made by a transfusion of human and vampire blood. It's tradition for a newborn's first meal to come from his/her maker.

Since my novel is post-apocalyptic, they're pretty much ramming humans into the ground yet they leave nature relatively untouched.

They're not real prejudiced in their appetites but they do tend to go for predators(werewolves are considered the best tasting and have been hunted to near extinction).

Their fangs are sharp yet short and they tend to bite using all of their teeth.

----------

Newest project:

AfterEarth: an apocalypse tale...here's hoping I stick with it, and find a new title :P

UPDATE: Check my nano page for more info!

I used to have lots of questions like those too. I've read a LOT of vampire books, and really, it's up to the author. Vampires are not real creatures, so you can make up their rules.

As for how much blood, I saw a show on animal planet that said if vampires were real creatures, they would need to drink the blood of 12 humans a night to get the same amount of blood a vampire bat gets each night. But I've never seen that in a book. In my book, they have four sharpened teeth instead of two (like a vampire bat) and the older they get the less they need to drink. When they are first created, they'll kill as many as five humans a night before the blood lust stops. When they're older, they may only need to drink about once a week.

My vampires do not use the bathroom. All the blood is digested, but not in the way humans digest food. The vampire drinks blood to keep the magic that animates it active. It's not "food" for them, it's a necessary thing they need to drink in order to maintain their immortality. Since their bodies die when they are turned, if they stop drinking blood they do not merely lose their immortality, they die. They do not sweat either. Their hair and nails do not grow. As far as appearances go, their bodies remain exactly the way they were when they died.

When they do cry, they cry blood tears, since that is the only liquid filling their body. Their spit has healing powers, so after they bite a human they bite their own tongue and then lick the wound, hiding all evidence. I always liked Anne Rice's theory about why vampires could not have sex (they're dead!) but that's not the case with my vampires. They can have sex, but they CANNOT have children. The only way they could have a child is if it was a product of their human life. My vamps also can't enter a house uninvited, they can fly once they are older, they can read humans thoughts, and the only way to kill them is to destroy the heart and brain and then scatter the ashes. (Besides sunlight, that WILL kill them.)

Their hearts beat after they have filled up on human blood, but its just a part of the magic that animates them. It allows them to appear more human. They do not have to breathe, but most of them prefer to do so when around humans.

All the details are up to you though.

I tried to think of some of the old legends around vampires when I was thinking up mine.

Holy waters - Can burn and temporarily blind
Silver - Takes longer for them to heal, and they get a resistange to it the older they get though if used right it can kill them
Mirrors - They do have a reflection and can be seen
Healing - They heal very fast and mostly whilst they are sleeping. Exceptions to this are wood and silver
Sunlight - Kills them by burning them to ash. They do however get a resistance to sunlight the older they get
Crosses - No effect
Holy Land - Can enter
Garlic - No effect
Doorways - They can't cross if it's personal property but they can if its public.
Wood - Leads to blisters and burns and if used as a stake through the heart it can kill. White ash is most effective. Resistance via age.
Abilities - Very fast, very strong
Psychic - telepathic, telekinetic, mind control

Blood, necessary. Although human bloody is what the most desire they can survive on animal blood. Most good vamps do. When they are fledgings they need a lot of blood and can kill multiple times a night. The older they are the less they need. Once they reach about 100 they can live on 1 feeding every few days.

Personally I don't think they can have kids, I just don't think it would work. But they are more than capable of having good sex - a point I'm planning on proving in my NaNo.

Things such as toilet breaks I don't deem necesary, but most will shower. Also, they don't need to sleep but its better for them if they do. Especially is they are injured. Sleep is how they heal most.

Their superspeed can make them go so fast that they appear to be invisable, and their infrared vision allows them to see through some walls and pick up life within.

Soooooo, there's my vampires. What do you think? Am I missing anything.
Either reply on here or NaNoMail me =D

NotAlice xxx

----------

NotAliceInHerWonderland x

It seems my vampires are a bit different. The thing with my vampires is that they don't need blood to survive. They're addicted to human blood though. It's like a drug to them that they can never stop taking. All the usual things human's use like alcohol, illicit drugs, nicotine etc don't really work for them but one good bite is ecstacy for them. Althought the person being bitten might not agree, especially as most humans dont survive unless the vampire is able to control her/himself. My vampires still eat food though (I love my food so just couldn't take that away from them) one meal every other day usually suffices though.

Unfortunately a vampire who hasn't had a good bite in a while is a bit like a human whose just walked into a bar after a week lost in the desert. The longer they leave it before they grab a human and have a drink the less likely they are to be able to control themselves. On the other hand overindulging can bring on blood lust, a condition guarateed to get you an introduction to the local dhampir society. One-two bites a week is a good level of consumtion although a well controlled vamp may go a month before they need to find a bite. A vampire whose gone without blood for six months would be clinically insane and likely to rip a person to shreds the first chance they got. After a year they're pretty much catatonic and require vampire medical intervention.

The other thing about my vampires is the toxin they inject. I have two kinds of vampires one is created by a bite and is essentially a soldier. The other is born, they possess the ability to transform humans into vampires through the toxin in their bite if they wish. Transformed vampires are very powerful fighters and have the ability to heal almost instantly. The bite also gives them the ability to live longer. Born vampires are an extremely rare human genetic variant. They have the same strength, healing ability and long life that they pass on to their progeny but they often have other abilities, like being able to heal others or use a bolt of lightning to zap someone. It takes a number of years before they learn to use these extra abilities. Born vampires usually become the leader of a family or society of vampires that they transformed. Other vampires may join up if they've lost their sire or been cast out of a family/society.

There is a trade off though. The toxin in a vampire's blood makes their blood unstable in the prescence of sunlight. Skin is usually a good barrier and the darker the skin the better. If they're out in the direct sun and get a cut they're in trouble. If it's covered quickly then it may only just sting a lot and leave a scar. If it's a significant injury though their blood will react to the direct sunlight and begin to burn. Spontaneous combustion then takes hold quickly and the vamp is toast. For that reason most of my vampires like to avoid daylight. Foggy/rainy days are best if they want to do some daytime stuff as there is a greater chance of survival if they're injured.

My born vampires can have children if they're lucky but fertility is low. Transformed vampires can't as the toxin interferes with conception. Other bodily functions are the same as for humans as they are essentially still human, and still very much alive.

----------

Life is what you make it...in a galaxy far far away.

With my vampires I'm trying to walk that fine line between making most of the legends about them untrue and explaining how those legends came about. What I know about them so far is:

Creation: The victim of a vampire bite can become a vampire, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Vampires are animated by a sort of demonic virus or bacteria (I'm still working on the details) At first, this infection makes the person into an incubus (still mostly human, but needing to drain life force to survive). Eventually an incubus degrades to the point where it becomes a vampire - this is how most of them are created.

Physical Features: Vampires are deathly pale and cold to the touch. Their skin becomes drawn and sometimes even thin or brittle. Their eyes may cloud over. In short, they look like a day-old corpse. Their bodily functions no longer operate - no heartbeat or breathing. This makes it very hard for a vampire to pass for human, so they keep to dark places or ones with lighting that obscures their true nature (or, of course, vampire wannabe hangouts). This also makes it impossible for vampires to conceive or bear children, or even to have sex (not that they have any interest in such things any more).

Blood: Vampires need to drink human blood on a regular basis. They have degenerated to the point where they can no longer absorb life force directly like incubi do, but they can drink it from blood. Because of this, a vampire cannot, for example, steal from a blood bank; it is life the vampire needs, and blood "dies" very shortly after removal from the body. They don't have fangs, but human teeth are plenty sharp enough to draw blood. Vampires almost invariably kill their victims and dispose of the bodies where they won't be found. Not drinking will not technically kill a vampire, but it will speed up the degradation that made it a vampire in the first place (see below for why this is important).

Killing One: Vampires are incredibly resistant to damage. Not only do they have no working organs to destroy, but the virus actively heals any wounds they suffer almost as fast as they are dealt. For this reason, anyone who wants to kill a vampire had best be prepared to do a lot of damage at once. Sustained damage also works, making fire and acid popular choices for vampire hunters. Beheading usually works, but not always... best to follow up with burning just to be sure. Of course it should go without saying that a wooden stake in the heart will only piss a vampire off. Sunlight alone will not kill a vampire. What it does do is send the virus into a sort of hibernation, removing its ability to protect the vampire. A vampire in sunlight can be killed as easily as any human. Last but not least, if the vampire can be kept from feeding it will eventually degrade past the vampire stage and become a zombie... of course this stage is not without its own dangers.

Powers: Most of a vampires supposed powers are fiction. They are preternaturally strong and fast and their senses are heightened dramatically. Other than that, however, they really don't have anything over humans. Certainly they can't fly, shapeshift, or perform hypnosis. How do those stories come about then? Simple. In the old days, before almost all magical knowledge was lost, vampires could learn magic just like humans could.

Weaknesses: Again most of this is false - crosses, running water, lack of invitation... none of it will actually stop a vampire. Garlic is mildly irritating to them, but only a really concentrated garlic spray right in the eyes would really stop a charging vampire. Most of the weakness stories emerge from one facet of vampirism - vampires are all psychopaths. The degradation caused by the virus erodes their thought processes. This leaves them utterly incapable of empathy and wildly aggressive to boot. It has also been known to cause a host of more mundane mental disorders, hence the supposed aversion to various substances or conditions. Someone saw a vampire who refused to be near a mirror and spread the word that vampires could not stand mirrors - eventually this story mutates through multiple tellings until people think that vampires cast no reflection.

----------

I have several different versions of vampires (each unique to the story they're in) but here's the one that's worked out in the most detail.

My vampires drink blood because their bone marrow doesn't work any more. They're basically corpses with a Mind (as apposed to a brain. Brain is physical, the Mind is like the crazy thing that's taken over) that refuses to die. So, no working bone marrow but they still need to transport oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients etc around their bodies. So they get the blood by drinking it. If all they're eating is blood, then no, they don't use the bathroom because it's all getting absorbed into their blood stream. I imagine that they drink blood every 3 or 4 days (but that might change as I learn more about the natural cycle of blood in humans).

But a vampire would have to drink a lot of blood to get all the nutrients their body needs (the Mind needs) to keep itself from decomposing/falling apart. Not all vampires would be up for that. So they can eat and drink normal food, and to a greater or lesser extent, need to eat and drink normal food. This would be digested and the waste defecated out. BUT, because the stomach/intestines etc have been altered (by the Mind-virus) to absorb blood into the vascular system vampires have a finicky stomach. Foods that are too spicy, acidic, fatty etc cause them real trouble. So, no wine ("I don't drink... Wine"), vinegar, citrus fruits, spicy peppers, garlic, coffee, or fatty cuts of meat.

For male vampires, no semen! Because men produce semen throughout their lives. As apposed to women who are born with all their eggs already made. So a male vampire, who is basically a stubborn corpse, stops producing semen when they turn. Along the same lines, the nails and hair stop growing as well. It doesn't fall out very easily though, so my vampires aren't bald. But if they cut their hair, they better really like their haircut, because it isn't growing out.

Along the same lines: vampires don't go out in sunlight because they no longer produce melanin. Melanin breaks down when it's hit by ultra-violet rays (that's how it protects us) and because a vampire is dead they can't replace the melanin they loose. For a while they can go out in the sun, no problem. But the more melanin they loose, the more it hurts. They don't burst into flames, it's just really painful. The darker your skin is when you turn and the more careful you are about sun exposure, the longer you last before sunlight starts the hurt you.

As far as tears and boogers go. Well, I have no idea. ^^

Where super-human abilities are concerned, my vampires have some abilities but not all that many. They are faster and stronger than normal humans (higher muscle density) and they heal very fast (which makes them really ravenous after, because they've used so many resources doing it). This is because the Mind is greedy and very selfish and wants more than anything to keep on living. Things get rewired in a vampires body to accommodate this. Having a direct connection to the heart for one thing, because the setup the heart has while the body is alive that controls the pulse doesn't work when you're dead. But my vampires don't have any real supernatural powers. No flying, invisibility, shape shifting, etc.

This is all for True Vampires (the real Undead deal) as apposed to Daywalkers (who aren't dead yet and therefor are carriers for vampirism). (There's much more of course, but it doesn't really pertain to your question ^___^)

Okay, let’s see…my vampires!

- First and foremost, they do not have souls!
- They are created, or sired, when they consume the blood of the one who consumed theirs. Therefore, a vampire can only sire deliberately, thus there aren’t vampires running rampant.
- The older the vampire is, the more they can withstand normal weakness.
- Vampires have a connection with their Sire that they have with no one else. They cannot read minds, per se, but they are in tune to their Sire’s feelings and vice versa.
- Some vampires have unique powers, such as the ability to turn into animals, manipulate weather, or manipulate the mind. Often, one of these powers will be passed down to those they sire.
- Vampires can have sex, but they cannot reproduce. Male vampires cannot have children any more than females can.
- Their fingernails and hair do grow.
- Vampires feel only negative emotions. Lust, anger, despair, sorrow, etc. Because they have no souls, they cannot love, feel happiness, and the like.
- They cannot enter sunlight. However, the older the vampire, the longer he will be able to withstand the sun’s rays. No vampire, however, can stay in direct sunlight indefinitely without disintegrating.
- Vampires cannot enter any dwelling without first being invited. Things like welcome signs will due for public buildings.
- They cannot enter a religious building, no matter what the religion. Any religion that believes in some sort of God is off-limits to them.
- Likewise, they cannot touch a religious object without it burning their skin, such as a cross, a Holy Bible, holy water, etc.
- They DO have reflections.
- Garlic does nothing.
- They CAN eat, they CAN breathe, but they can choose not to.
- They do not use the bathroom unless they have eaten or drank anything other than blood.
- Vampires can be killed by prolonged sun exposure, a wooden/silver stake to the heart, or decapitation.
- They are very strong and very fast.
- The older the vampire, the easier it is for them to control their bloodlust. For instance, a three-hundred-year-old vampire would be able to be around a human who had cut themselves. A recently-created vampire would not.
- Vampires’ eyes are no different from what they were when they were human, unless they are thirsty. Then they are red.
- When a vampire is very thirsty, it is preparing to bite, or it senses blood, their fangs will descend.
- Vampires kill with a bite to the neck, and draining all of the blood from their victim’s body. In order to sire, they must find the willpower to stop about halfway through and cut their wrist, their abdomen, their own neck, and have their victim drink in return. It is easier for a vampire to sire the older he or she is.
- During the transformation process, the victim is in a sort of coma. They are dreaming, yet still very dimly aware of what is going on around them, yet they cannot move as their body slowly shuts down. They will not become immortal until their heart stops at the very last minute. The process can only be stopped by killing them. Once the transformation has started, they cannot return to being a human. If a vampire has ingested too much of their victim’s blood, they may inadvertently kill them instead of siring them.
- Vampires cannot survive without human blood. They cannot be “good” vampires and drink the blood of animals. Animal blood can sustain them, but not indefinitely.
- They are very cold, very pale. If they spend time within contact of something warm, such as a fire, human, etc, then, as normal, their skin would warm.
- They do not age. They keep the appearance they had when they died forever.

My logic for all of this? Magic! I think I got everything...

----------

My vampires are the descendants of Lilith and Samael, who were cursed by God for having a forbidden affair.

They drink blood. It is absorbed into the body and used to fuel their supernatural abilities, just as humans use the energy from food to power their systems. They have to keep their systems at least relatively full, or they fall into a comatose state. That being said, if they do not use their powers, the level of blood in their system will decrease slowly over time and they would need to feed probably about once a week. Their cell reproduction has halted, so they do not produce their own blood, nor do they grow hair or fingernails--or form tears, boogers, or sperm.

The average human body has about 6 qts of blood. 1 quart equals about 2 pints. When you donate blood, they draw out a pint... or, about 1/12 of your total blood supply. In the US, you have to wait 8 weeks between donations (so yes, 6 times a year).

How many times a person could be bitten, when it comes to physical health issues, would depend entirely on how much blood the vampire was taken. There's nothing to say that a vampire could drink a quart of blood instead of a pint when they're feeding, or that a vampire has to feed from the same person all the time.

Now, onto the mythological aspect...

Vampires do drink blood. They are bothered by religious symbols, which make them feel very uncomfortable and unfocused. Items blessed by those of true faith do more damage to them than normal weapons. Holy water burns. They have an unnatural presence, which attracts and repels people depending on the person. They can exert their will upon susceptible humans, who can become nearly-mindless servants. They have supernatural speed, strength, and resilience, and become more powerful as they age. Some of them, but only the very oldest, have learned to change their shape.

Vampires do not give a damn about garlic or silver. They cannot go out in the sulight or stay on sacred ground during their daysleep. They are not killed by staking. They cannot have children through natural means as part of the curse. They have their own society which strives to protect vampires by making sure humanity does not find out they exist. They are very insular and interact with human society as little as possible.

My vampires are still evolving... literally in the book and in my brainstorming. ;)

Vampires and the other immortals aren't biologically "dead" but they don't work the same as living humans, either. It's more magical and dealing with spirits of gods. I haven't fully worked out the gods thing, but ultimately, vampires and immortal twins are like gods on earth. Their afterlife is to become part of the collective 'god spirit'.

So they make no biological sense haha. To become a vampire, a human must be given a second heart. Vampire spit (which heals and doesn't poison/kill) will fuse the old and new heart together. Then, vampire blood must be transplanted somehow into the blood stream, even if only a few drops because it will continue to infect most of the other blood gradually. The body will also quickly regenerate... DNA and skin and stuff. Once the transformation is over (within a few months), the vampire will stop regenerating/evolving unless it is injured, where it can regenerate cells and things needed to heal itself quickly.

The transformation means that the body becomes more ideal and athletic, which may mean losing weight or becoming more symmetrical in the face (which --> attractive) or gaining muscle. Their senses and perception/difference thresholds change, meaning they can be more attuned to stimuli around them. They can hear their muscles move, they can smell things that to us have no smell, and their eyes are more adaptable to changes (ie: sudden sunlight, smaller movements)--but they don't see 'better' or things further away.

Vampires must drink blood every few days, which includes any blood except for their own body's blood--so they can think other immortal's blood, human blood, or other vampires' blood. They are sensative to the sunlight and will gain a sunburn rather quickly depending on when they last drank. It's sort of a joke that the gods (who are above them which may = the sun) put on them, but they won't die. They aren't opposed to garlic, crosses, silver, stakes, etc. They are physically the strongest of immortals. New vampires are stronger at first because their body is regenerating and certain hormones are released that kinda make em go crazy. New hormones and chemicals found in vampire blood cause all of the changes to occur, in addition to whatever magical qualities go along with having 'god spirts' and two hearts.

My vampires can reproduce with vampires or humans. Vampire + vampire = vampire. Vampire + human = dead human if they aren't strong enough (if female) or immortal twins. Immortal twins are a cross between human and vampires and in mythology are called incubi and succubi. Mine are probably painfully different from normal legends, but that's another topic! They are telepathic or whatever and drink blood, crave meat, and crave sex. Hmm... vampires don't use the bathroom or grow hair/nails/etc. Immortal twins do. Vampires fall asleep but when they're out.. they're out! They sleep like they're dead.

I think my vampires have fangs, but some of them get them shaved down to look normal. This was another joke by the 'gods'--to see these godly creatures have to have fangs.

Vampires die when their brain is smashed basically. They might choke/die if they are completely drained of blood, or die if their heart(s) are injured.

They can also take drugs that don't involve digesting like alcohol or any kind of food for that matter. They'd have to regurgitate it or it'd just be very painful to have something stuck in your body that long--and it'd create bacteria and stuff to make them sick.

On that note, vampires don't really get sick. But in my novel the government has done some experimenting and created/altered vampires to have disabilities and illnesses. Not sure how it occurs yet.

I think that's all.. thanks for the topic! That helped me a lot haha. Some of it will probably change, too. :P

----------

Nanos:
Before the Hysteria -- 2009 (?)
The Fall of Young Foreign Things -- 2008 (12,118)
Other old WIPs:
Fern Boy -- 2007 (6,800)
A True Know -- 2005-06 (7,840 words)

I think the only thing I haven't seen mentioned was tears, which I read in one book that they cry blood.

And of course Dracula could walk in the daylight if he wanted to, the daylight myth came from the movie Nosferatu, which was a Dracula rip off. The burning in sunlight was suppose to prove that it was a completely different story (even though everything else was identical, bar names). Needless to say the courts disagreed and ordered "all" copies of the movie destroyed.

Has inability to cross running water (rivers) or the need to rest with native soil been mentioned?
-X

----------

"Maybe it's because of all the horrific things we've seen, but hippos wearing tutus just don't unnerve me the way they used to."

"I was raised to be charming, not sincere."

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No Matter, try again, fail again. Fail better."

I'm doing a vampire based book as well.

I'm pulling a lot of my vampire lore from a series of books from the Table Top RPG World of Darkness. They have a vampire game called Requiem that has lots of books with lots of ideas and different bloodlines, types of vampires and vampire clans. It's a very intresting universe.

I used to debate the technical discussions on vampires.. but in the end I don't think much gets solved. We can agree on two things, they burn (or some variation thereof) in sunlight, and need to drink blood to survive. After that there is generally accepted theories, but really it all depends on the person. I knew someone who said vampires should not and could not smoke cigarettes because apparently their skin is so paper-y and dry it would like them on fire from such close proximity.

As for where the blood goes.. thats always bugged me too. Presumably when we see vampires try and turn other vampires, or they get injured in a fight, blood comes from the afflicted area. How would it get there if they have no circulation? I'm not asking for a heart beat, but at least there must be something moving all that blood (well I guess not a lot of blood, but at least what remains in their body so that they can "feed" on it during the "day") or else it would just pool all in their feet or something.

So I just tend to conveniently ignore all of it.. because its just too damn confusing and most of us have our own opinions on how vampires work.

----------

NaNo '07: A Zombie Story (50k+, unfinished)
NaNo '08: Apocathaire (29k, unfinished)
NaNo '09: Undecided

Interesting questions...and my vampires aren't the traditional "vampires" so I don't know how much of this will mess with my brain!!! :)

My vampires digest blood - they have to go to the bathroom/dispose of the waste like everyone else, and whatever waste is in the blood now becomes their waste. They take everything out of the blood in there - nutrients and oxygen and everything. They also have to have quite a lot of blood to survive - so they hide their kills within times of war and plagues (so, yup, they time-travel, too).

Also? My vampires are not immortal, but since they are not of any one era, they are always slightly "out of place". Not enough to get noticed (they have to have enough skill to masquerade as everyone else - y'know, the whole duck-blind/camo hunting tricks), but the longer you spend time around them, the more you realise they aren't quite what you think.

They also have to be careful about who they drink from - they can get sick (their immune systems are loads better - they are highly evolved humans in my world) if they drink "bad blood". If they drink from someone with a fatal illness, depending on how strong they were (or at what stage the ill person was), they could come away safe, slightly ill (like indigestion or diarrhea) or really sick - or even die, themselves.

So all the usual - growing hair and fingernails: check! Tears, boogers and everything else: check! They can procreate as well (and are encouraged because their race is getting exterminated by non-vampires!!!). Fun stuff.

----------

I haven't a clue what I'm doing. Ever.
Stay Shiny. Keep Flyin'

My vampires are evolving creatures much like humans. They started off in the old days as horrible twisted meshes of demon and human and eventually evolved to the point where they look more human. The original vampire was a witch doctor who when performing a ritual accidently opened a crack into the netherworld, a low level demon reached out and scratched him as the oportal closed. From that scratch the man became infected with the demons essence as it took over and mutated his cells into a vampiric ones.

Blood: They drink it, the fresher the better though blood bank bags will work. Animal blood essentially works as a cheap supplement, it may sate them for an hour or so,but on the negative side s sparks their blood lust. Only newly turned can feed on animal blood during the first month of thier transformation Originally it started out with having to eat the whole person to replenish lost nutrients taken away by the vampiric virus. and keep the body in top condtion,however time has evolved the creature known as a vampire to be more economical in it's feeding so now it only takes the blood. The older generations though still require the entire body. They can eat and drink normal food,but it does nothing for them,it's like chewing gum, it tastes nice for a bit,but as the years go by it loses its flavor.

Weaknesses: Becoming a vampire gives you advances porphyria, so the sun..it kills them dead in the full on burn in the sun way. Silver gives them a burn and works if you need something to bind them with. Holy items don't work were propaganda spread by the vampires themselves to make hunter use idiotic methods to try and kill them. To kill them, decapitation,immolation, and mass exposure to sunlight work the best.

Strengths: Heightened senses,more physically fit than humans (faster stronger agiler).
Hypnotic stare: Actually a combination of a mental ability to "charge" dopamine within a person's brain via the ocular cavity and pheromones that cause a slight euphoria giving the impression of love and lust all rolled into one. Good if you dislike dating the normal way however this feeling in certain humans can cause them to become addicted to this feeling and obsessed with the person that gave them that. Thus they become what is known in my vampires culture as , Blood groupies.
Blood lust: Mainly happens when a matured vampire drinks animal blood, it kick their system into overdrive and they get a human equivalent of a adrenaline rush, able to bust through silver and ignore the burn at this point thier fangs become impossible to retract unless sated.
Healing: They can heal most injuries with the exception of amputated limbs. Get one cut off and it's gone.

Turning: Vampire turnings essentially work the old school way. You need to drink some of your intended turners blood and then they need to drink some of yours. The metaphysical element of this vampiric disease ,literally forcefully ejects the soul from the body. Once turned they become undead things that consist of exclusively flesh,blood,bone,and skin. They have no body fat.

Random other things: Most modern vampires use spray on tan places (night run spray on tans are booming buisness in vamp economy) to simulate looking normal and to cover their pale complexion.
Wampire baiting, is a vampiric slang for when modern vampires dress like thier from gothic or medieval centuries and go out to "vampire" clubs to hunt humans who want to be vampires
Vampires can get drunk,get high,and have sex
Most common source for fresh blood? Support groups, they have life consuming problems odds are they wont be missed is the vampire mentality.
Most modern vampires get their new undead names from the id on their 1st victim. Identity theft is easier than fabricating entire new documents.

That's about all i've got thus far.

I just spent the last 3 hours figuring out who and what my vampires are and than writing up an answer. YOW! What a long post this one is!

Here is my answer:

There are different types of vampires in my way of thinking, but for the book I am currently working on there are just two types of vampires, which I refer to as: True Vampires and Common Vampires. As you will notice from my answers, my entire vampire system is based largely on Dracula the book and Bela Lugosi's representation of the Dracula movie. So basically if it isn't happening in either the book or Bela Lugosi's version of the book, than you can bet it isn't going to happen in my book either. my vampire's are pretty much straight up Classic Dracula Style Vampires. (My other types of vampires - the ones not in my NaNovel 09 - are quite different from the True Vampires and the Common Vampires I am focusing on today.)

My personal guidelines (for True Vampires and Common Vampires, as seen in my NaNovel 2009) are as follows:

Creation:

"True Vampires" are evil men who were too evil for Hell and are cursed to walk the Earth forever, neither dead no alive and are thus Undead. They are humans whose souls have been condemned. Some men who are really black hearted, like Count Dracula (who is the main vampire in my book btw) can use black magic (aka super evil deeds and calling on demons for help) to turn themselves into a vampire. "True Vampires" are extremely rare, as few people are wicked enough to become one. They are immortal and can not be killed or defeated in any way, shape, or form, they can only be temporarily stopped, imprisoned, or delayed, which only lasts until they escape and rise again.

"Common Vampires" are people who became vampires by being bitten by a "True Vampire". They do not turn with just one bite. It takes a series of bites over many days. With each bite they grow weaker and become paler and more mindless/hypnotized. These are more like zombies than vampires. They are mindless drones who do the bidding of the True Vampire that turned them. Because they are humans who bodies were possessed (as opposed to humans who's souls are condemned) and thus are not actually 100% dead, but rather in a sort of animated coma, they are not immortal, can be killed, thus saving their souls from being lost.

For most Common Vampires, a stake through the heart will release them from the True Vampire's spell. For those that have been under the True Vamps spell for a really long time, they may also require decapitation, because the True Vamp's hold on them is very strong.

An added Note: Only the True Vamp that turned them into a Common Vamp has the power to control them. In other words an alternate True Vamp could not come in and give the Common Vamp orders, because they are hypnotized and will only obey the True Vamp whom they refer to as "Master".

Physical Features:

What does your vampire look like?

"True Vampires" are usually men (as women rarely commit the horrendous acts of evil required to become a True Vamp). They look just as they did before they died, only their skin is much paler and their bodies are as cold as ice. However they dresses and acted when they were alive, is how they continue to dress and act as the Undead.

"Common Vampires" are not yet dead. They are zombie-like victims of a True Vamp's spell. Common Vampires tends to be woman, because True Vampires have a tendency to go after female humans more often than male humans. They look exactly as they did before being bitten, except that they have a pale bloodless look to them, dark circles around their eyes, they have blood shot, blank, empty staring eyes. They look dead. They walk around in a trance, and no longer act like themselves. They kind of just stand around waiting for the True Vamp to give them orders and tell them what to do.

Do they retain their humanity? Do they have a conscience? Or have they detached? Do they have two sides to themselves, is the vampire a separate personality (more like a possession or a demon) with their human side fighting against it (or not as the case may be).

However they acted, thought, felt, talked, etc before they were a vampire, they continue to act. Their personality remains the same. Keeping in mind that they were most likely a cruel, emotionless serial killer before they died (which would be the type of person who would be condemned to walk eternity as a True Vampire), that means they are likely to be a cruel, emotionless serial killer after they died as well. In other words the type of person who would get turned into a True Vampire would be some one like Jack the Ripper, Adolf Hitler, or of course Prince Vlad Dracule III (who is the real life prince whom became the fictional Count Dracula btw), so if a True Vampire showed up, you can bet his pretty darned evil or he would not have become a vampire to begin with.

Like wise it is possible for them to have a change of heart and repent and try to spend eternity making amends for their prior wrongful deeds. In such a case, where they truly had a 100% change of heart and repented, they could move on in life and work towards becoming a guardian angel and than spend eternity helping mortals.

Do your vampires have growing hair and fingernails? Do their hair and nails still grow? Or are they trapped how they looked when they were turned (Anne Rice's vampires revert to how they looked when the died upon waking every evening. One character cuts her hair off every night.)

Not sure about the True Vampires, seeing how they are dead and all. I'll have to think about that some more. They are sort of trapped in how they looked when they died. They age though - really fast if they go to long without blood. But once they's had blood they revert back to the way they looked at the time they died.

The Common Vampires do have growing hair and fingernails, because they are not actually dead.

- Eyes – Are their eyes unnatural? A strange colour? Do they change colour depending on whether they've fed? (Twilight) Do they have a certain vividness to them, a strange gleam? (See Anne Rice). Do their eyes change when they're about to attack? (See Game Face) or do they have normal human eyes? Can they see in the dark? Does this give them a light sensitivity? Do their eyes glow or have animalistic traits?

Their eyes are whatever color they had before the became a vampire.

A True Vampire's eyes look the same a when they were alive, except when they hypnotize their victims than their eyes have and "animal glow" to them (like when lights hit an animal's eyes at night.) Their eyes are described as "glowing like hot coals" or "burning like fire balls" when they feed on blood - they sort of go into a frenzy over blood, and that's when their eyes start glowing.

They can see in the dark, in fact they can see in the dark better than in the day (like a cat or an owl) which is part of the reason they come out at night rather than during the day.

A Common Vampire, which is not dead, just mesmerized, looks the same, except they have dark circles around their eyes, and they have blood shot, blank, empty staring eyes. Like a dead person, the color is gone from their eyes, due to the extremely dilated pupils. In other words, they look dead.

- Game face – When about to attack, do they physically change? Do their entire features twist and contort (Buffy) or do their eyes change at all? (Moonlight has eyes going pale blue, Being human had them going black).

See my answer above for info about their eyes.

I never liked how the Buffy vamps twisted all out of shape into grotesque monsters. My vamps don't do that - though the True Vamps could if they wanted too, seeing how they can shape-shift (usually into wolves, bats, etc.)

True Vamps tend to have a heightened sexual appeal just before attacking, (they seem sexier, irresistible, gorgeous, etc) thus attracting the opposite sex to them, making it easy for them to lure their victim to them with less resistance.

Common Vamps do not shape shift or change appearance, they remain in their zombie like state.

- Fangs – Do they have fangs? (some vampires have a piercing tongue or sting instead) Are these fangs just elongated canines or lateral incisors? Are they hollow like a snake and secrete venom? Are they very sharp or just pointed enough to make biting a little bit easier? Do they grow back if lost? Do they retract? Alternately, do they have rows upon rows of sharp teeth (30 days of night) instead of just the usual fangs? How long are they? (TruBlood vampires have very long fangs). - I have a vampire race who don't have any fangs at all, they use knives to draw blood.

Depends on the book. I tend to change this to match the particular vamp I'm writing about. In some stories they have long snake like fangs that drip venom - very Cobra/Rattlesnake/Pit Viper - very sharp and deadly. In other stories they have near normal teeth, with only slightly more pointed upper canines - just pointed enough to draw blood.

My most often used reoccurring vamp (the sparkling silver skinned drag queen, seen only in my banned M-Rated adult books, The Twighlight Manor Series; and these books were written in the 1970s through 1980's btw, nearly 30 years before Twilight's sparkling vampires, which has caused some of my fans to point to Twilight and scream plagiarism, seeing how she used so many things out of my books, including the title) is a salamander mermen and thus has row after row after row of sharp piranha like teeth.

- Claws – Do they have claws at all? Are these more like animal claws or talons or simply long, very sharp nails?

Claws are one of the first things people notice about my True Vampires. They are somewhat like eagle talons. Very sharp and made for tearing flesh.

In my adult books, the drag queen vamps keep them cut in a more human like manner, and also paint them.

The Common Vamps have normal nails.

- Pallor - Are they pale? Are they blue, green, yellow? or some other unnatural shade. Are they deathly looking? Is their skin supple and soft to the touch or hard and stony/marble-like? (Twilight, Anne Rice) Is it more like the skin of a corpse? Is there any reason for any of this?

They are very, very pale, nearly as white as snow. Some have a ashen grey tint, others are stark white. They look dead and bloodless. Their skin remains soft to the touch.

- Can they shape change? Into what? (Bats, wolves and vermin are most common). If not into animals, can they become mist?

Depends on the story. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Common Vamps do not shape shift or change appearance, they remain in their zombie like state.

- Are they unnaturally beautiful? Do they just retain their normal human appearance? Are they hideous and deformed (Nosferatu). Does their appearance change depending on whether they've fed or not? (E.g: Do they retain their youth if fed but become hag-like without blood? Do they get a flush of life from feeding (warmer to touch, blushed skin etc). Do their eyes dull without blood? Do they become sluggish and sick looking?)

True Vampires look as they did before they died, but they tend to have a heightened sexual appeal just before attacking, (they seem sexier, irresistible, gorgeous, etc) thus attracting the opposite sex to them, making it easy for them to lure their victim to them with less resistance.

If they go too long without blood, they start to age rapidly, losing their eternal youth. They require blood, not to stay alive, but rather to stay youthful and to prevent themselves from turning into a dried up skeletal corpse with dehydrated "beef-jerky" skin. Drinking blood keeps them soft and fleshy. Vampires that refuse to drink blood, turn into dried up prunes and gain a skeletal grim reaper look to them. Just after feeding on blood they gain a warmer, rosy glow, and a slightly bloated look. They tend to sleep just after feeding, and by the time they awake a few hours later the rosy glow and bloated look has gone away.

Common Vamps rarely attack, and do not shape shift or change appearance, they just remain in their zombie like state and await orders from their master. They only attack humans if commanded to by the master.

- Do they have any physical abnormalities? (One nostril, furry feet, a bare skull etc. One vampire legend even has a creature who's skin is blackened from the funeral pyre, another had metal teeth and hooked feet.)

Only if they already had physical abnormalities prior to becoming a vampire, do they have physical abnormalities afterwards. They can however be damaged in battle (lose an arm, get a gashed face, etc.) and thus gain physical abnormalities after becoming a vampire.

- Are all of their kind only one gender? (Some vampires across the world are only male or only female)

"True Vampires" are usually men (as women rarely commit the horrendous acts of evil required to become a True Vamp).

Common Vampires tends to be woman, because True Vampires have a tendency to go after female humans more often than male humans (unless of course they are gay). The choice of who to attack is a very sexual thing. True Vamps tend to use sexual attraction in order to get their victim close enough to them, in order the bite their neck.

In my children's books, this fact is never mentioned, however the "law" remains the same: True Vampires are nearly always male and Common Vampires are nearly always female.

- Can they move soundlessly?

True Vamps can, yep. They are know for "appearing out of no where", not because they magically appeared, but because no one heard them come into the room, thus it seems like they magically appeared from out of no where.

Common Vampires are not so stealthy. Being in a zombie like trance, they tend to be some what clumsy and may walk into things.

Biology:

What makes your vampire a vampire

Being a parasite, like a leach that needs a host, is the only real requirement to make a vampire a vampire.

True Vampires need blood from a host and are undead. This is what makes them a vampire.

Common Vampires, are not really vampires, they are just mistaken for vampires because they look like True Vampires and are in a trance by the True Vampire that controls them. Common Vampires are in fact Zombies, not vampires. They serve as hosts and slaves of the True Vampires. They are not dead. They do not drink blood unless commanded to by their True Vampire Master. They have no free will of their own.

As I said before, I have many types of vampires and not all of them feed on blood or are undead. The True Vampires and the Common Vampires are the only two being used in my NaNovel '09 so those are the only two I've been mentioning in my answers here.

In addition to those two types, however, I have also used others

My Twighlight Manor Electric Eel Sirens are mer-folk vampires (and are a type of Fae or Faerie). They are very much alive, can be killed, and may or may not feed on the blood of their victims. They are only seen in my M-rated stories, because they are highly sexual and prey on human victims for sex, rather than for blood. They feed on the life force of humans, leaving their victims near comatose after an attack (an attack being more or less rape.) They are somewhat akin to incubus and succubus.

My Twighlight Manor Phookas, likewise are alive and can be killed, but are incredibly strong and can snap a full grown man's bones with their bare hands, so killing one is not easy. These are the darkest of my vampires, very much an animalistic monster, and a type of Fae or Faerie, best described as being a sort of demon. These human looking creatures, act like frenzied sharks and will not only drink the blood of their victims, but will also tear them limb from limb and gorge themselves on human flesh. These shape shifters can look like anything or any one - they are commonly known to look like your lover/spouse, in order to trick you into bed with them, where they have violent sex with you (usually killing you by the time they are done), than eat you in a very black widow manner.

Yeah - my Twighlight Manor books are pretty dark, violent, sadistic, and full of sex crazed, blood sucking, flesh eating, drag queen, cannibal vampires. It pushes all the limits and is high on graphic sex and brutal violence. My Twighlight Manor vampires can't go any where's near a YA or children's book, so that's why I'm not focusing on them in this question and answer session here.

- Do they breathe?

True vampires = They must, though I never thought about it before.

Common Vampires = Of course they do. They are not dead.

- Do they have a heartbeat? If so, is it fast? Erratic? Slow?

True vampires = They must, though I never thought about it before.

Common Vampires = Of course they do. They are not dead. In their zombie like state, I would assume it to be very slow though.

- Are they actually dead? Did they rise from the grave? (Some legends mention corpses coming to life if a cat jumps over the grave or if moonlight crosses the body)

True vampires are actually dead, but have not left their body and have not passed of their either Heaven or Hell, because they were so wicked and did such evil acts while they were alive, that they are cursed to walk eternity as the undead - a fate worse than hell.

Common Vampires? They are not dead. They are hapless victims of True Vampires.

- Are they immortal or do they still age? If immortal, do they get bored of living and destroy themselves? Dig themselves in and sleep for a few centuries? (Lestat slept for several centuries and emerged in the 1980s. The vampires in the World Of Darkness often do this). Does the magic keeping them "alive" only last so many centuries?

True Vampires are immortal; doomed to walk the earth for ever and ever. They can never dead, because they are already dead. You can temporarily defeat them, but you can never kill them, because they are already dead. They keep coming back. They always come back.

There is no rest for the wicked. They retreat during the day, but may or may not sleep. Sleep for centuries is not a thing they could do even if they wanted to. They can become trapped in a coffin for centuries, but they do not spend that time asleep, rather they spend it howling with rage and frustration as they try to claw their way out of the coffin. Once trapped in their coffin the only way they can escape is if some one still alive releases them yy opening the coffin. Thus it is possible for centuries to pass before they "return from the grave".

Common Vampires, unless released from their True Vampire Master's trance, will die a week or so after becoming his prey. Sometimes they are turned into True Vampires by their Master, but this is a rare occurrence that only happens when the True Vamp decides he wants to keep the Common Vamp as his bride.

- Are they cold to the touch? Room temperature? Hot?

True Vampires are cold. Very cold. Think, like you just stuck your hand in a vat of liquid nitrogen or dry ice, when you shake hands with them. This cold is so penetrating, that you can feel cold ait wafting off of their body, before you even get really close to them.

Common Vampires, being humans in a trance, are still warm, though they may feel slightly colder than is normal due to their being nightly drained of more blood by the True Vamp that is controlling them. Eventually (after a couple of weeks) they will die from blood loss and the True Vampire will seek out a new victim/host.

The best sure way to tell a Common Vampire from a True Vampire is to shake hands with them. The Common Vampire will still feel somewhat warm, while the True Vampire will feel like you have a hand full of dry ice.

- Can they reproduce? Does that ahem, area, work at all?

In my adult stories, sex seems to be what drives a True Vampire to attack their victims. They have a strong sexual desire, but the desires can not be fulfilled (part of their punishment, is that they must spend eternity wanting things they can not have, sex being the top of the list of things they want and can never have.) This is why they lure their victims in, than suddenly go into a rage and drain them of their blood.

In my children's books this subject (sex/reproduction/etc.) is never mentioned, alluded to, or hinted at in any way or form.

- Do they need to sleep? If so, how often and for how long? Is this a "sleep of the dead" (as in, they show no signs of life at all and are basically a corpse) or more like normal human sleep? Do they dream? Do they sleep in a coffin or have to keep native soil on them? (some stories have the vampire sleeping in several inches of blood (Carmilla)

How they Sleep:

The True Vamps: They sleep during the day. They can sleep where ever they want. They don't have to sleep in their coffin, though some just seem to do so for some unknown reason. Most prefer to keep the coffin hidden away somewhere and avoid sleeping in it, in order to avoid becoming trapped in it, as trapping a vampire in it's coffin is the best way to imprison it for centuries. They must however have the dirt from their grave with them. Thus they may keep a box of dirt under their bed, or fill their coffin with dirt, etc.

It's not so much that they actually NEED the dirt, as it is, they are very, extremely OCD and are compelled to have the dirt with them, otherwise they simply toss and turn, unable to sleep because all they can think about is how they need their grave dirt their with them. It's a psychological thing sort of like the kid that can not sleep without a teddy bear and a night light.

There is no rest for the wicked. They retreat during the day, but may or may not sleep and their sleep is far from restful. Sleep for centuries is not a thing they could do even if they wanted to. They can become trapped in a coffin for centuries, but they do not spend that time asleep, rather they spend it howling with rage and frustration as they try to claw their way out of the coffin. Once trapped in their coffin the only way they can escape is if some one still alive releases them yy opening the coffin. Thus it is possible for centuries to pass before they "return from the grave".

The Common Vamps don't really sleep, they just sort of stand there waiting for the True Vamp to give them orders.

- Can they sweat? If not, does this lead to problems dealing with temperature shifts? Do they sweat blood? Conversely, can they cry?

True vampires = I never thought about it before. I don't think they can sweat or cry. I've never known any of mine to do either, so they must not be able to, though I do not have an explanation as to why this would be.

Common Vampires = Of course they do. They are not dead. They are not likely to cry though, due to their trance like state.

- Can they be active during the day? What happens if they go into sunlight? (Do they combust? Or do they just run the risk of dehydrating. If they sparkle, kill this character NOW) Does sunlight strip them of their powers (Dracula) or have no affect at all? Does it hurt their eyes? Does it burn? Do they tan?

Because of their super pale skin, they have no resistance to UV rays and thus get super wicked horrendously awful sunburns, wick, do not kill them, but will weaken them something fierce. They do however get a stronger resistance to sunlight the older they get, so Count Dracula can go out during the day, providing the UV factor isn't too high (ie - on cloudy, overcast, or foggy days), but their sensitivity to sunlight does weaken them so they don't do it if they don't have to.

This applies to both True and Common Vamps, due to their pale skin.

- Healing. Can they heal unnaturally fast or do they have to feed to heal? Can they heal at all? Does it leave a scar? Can they regenerate lost limbs? Not heal from certain damage inflicted to certain areas (Heart, Brain etc) or by certain materials? (Wood, Silver, cold iron etc). Do they heal so quickly they run the risk of healing over bullets and such forth? (thus needing reopen the wound to dig them out) or does their body push out foreign objects as it heals? (Like Wolverine in the second X-men movie lol)

True Vampires heal very fast, mostly while they are sleeping. They can be wounded, injured, and weakened, and will return to their coffin to sleep and re energize. A wound that would kill a live mortal, will only slow down and weaken the undead immortal True Vampire. A wound that in a mortal would take weeks to heal, would heal in a True Vampire in just one night (or two). It's not an instant heal, but pretty close to it.

Common Vampires, being humans in an animated coma, are weaker than normal and thus are easily wounded, easily put out of commission, and have a very slow ability to heal. They are thus easily defeated, easily killed, and their true purpose is to serve as a device to slow up any attack on the True Vampire and allow him extra time to escape.

- Are they unnaturally fast? Strong? How fast? How strong?

True Vampires: yes
Common Vampires: no.

True Vampires can move faster, or rather they seem to move faster because they are so silent when they move. I;m not sure if they are actually moving faster or if it's just and illusion caused by the fact that you never hear them coming.

They are very strong. A True Vampire can easily crush and man's neck or lift him up by gripping his throat, just using one hand.

Common Vampires are much slower than normal, due to their weakened state from loss of blood and due to their being in a trance. They are also far weaker than normal, for the same reasons.

Can they get sick? If not, do they carry disease? Can they infect their victims with this illness?

True vampires = They must, though I never thought about it before. But yes, I would assume they could get sick and/or carry illnesses and spread them to their victims. I've just never had occasion to use such events in any of my stories as yet.

Common Vampires = Of course they do. They are not dead.

- Do they bleed?

True vampires = I don't think they can bleed, seeing how they are dead and all. I've never known any of mine to bleed, so they must not be able to, though I do not have an explanation as to why this would be. It is one of the ways to tell a True Vampire from a Common Vampire.

Common Vampires = Of course they do. They are not dead. It is one of the ways to tell a True Vampire from a Common Vampire.

Tell-tale signs:

How can others tell it's a vampire?

Number one best way: shake their hand. They are colder than a deep freeze. You can probably tell before you shake their hand, as the room gets colder when they enter it, because their body is like it's giving off dry ice.

In Filipino legend, a specially prepared oil of coconut and various herbs would begin to boil if a vampire was nearby. Does this sort of thing ever happen?

Yak Butter turns rancid when True Vamps are around. This weird fact was created by me as a result of a NaNoWriMo DARE. :)

Another sort of vampire caused blights, crops would fail and plants wither in their presence. Does this sort of thing ever happen?

The trees and grass and plants around a True Vamp's house are always dead and brown and shriveled up. I believe this may be largely due to prolonged exposure to the cold air that the True Vampires give off.

Do they cast a shadow? Is it a normal shadow?

I have no idea. They so rarely go outside on sunny days that I never noticed.

Do they show up in photographs? If so, do they show up normally?

The do not photograph. The photos come out a blurred snow haze, and often cameras stop working after they touch them.

- How do animals react toward them? Hostile? Fearful? Submissive?

Depends on the animal and the vampire. Some react violently and try to attack the vampire. Some are terrified and flee at the presence of the vampire. Some are indifferent and don't notice the vampire. Some will follow, obey, and help the vampire. I have no idea what causes the difference, nor do I try to explain it.

Can they cross running water?

I see no reason why they can't. They often do. All my books are set in Southern Maine, where it is next to impossible to go any place without crossing running water of some sort.

Powers/Abilities:

- Do they have magical mystical powers? (Hypnotism, mind control, control animals, shapeshifting, spider climbing, mind reading) Explain how these work. Do they need some sort of focus? (Some vampires had a magical hat, I'm not kidding! How about an amulet or ring of some sort?) - Do they have an unusual method of locomotion? (Hopping? Flying? There's some who split off their upper torso and others who fly around as a disembodied head. Some even have their feet on backwards)

Common Vampires do not have any special powers or abilities. They are just zombie-drone minions of the True Vampires.

"Regular" True Vampires have the following abilities:

Movement Abilities:

-Inhuman Speed
-Unearthly Reflexes
-Vertical Ascension (climbs walls)
-Gliding (with help of cape)
-Bat Form
-Mist Form
-Flight
-Move Silently

Offensive Abilities

-Fangs
-Vampiric Claws
-Enhanced Senses
-Animalistic Frenzy
-Superhuman Strength
-Mind Control
-Wolf Form
-Horrific Transformation
-Glamor

Defensive Abilities

-Fast Healing
-Impervious to bullets
-Intimidation

"Super Powerful" True Vampires (such as Dracula) also have these additional "rare" abilities:

Rare Movement Abilities

-Clown Frenzy
-Astral Projection
-Dodge Daylight
-Spider Climb
-Cat's Grace
-Shadow Conceal

Rare Offensive Abilities

-Pyrokinesis
-Corrosion
-Control Mall Santas
-Ironic Annihilation
-Purge Blood
-Pestilence
-Mummification
-Blood Soaked Vengeance (Carrie)
-Hellfire
-Demonic Familiar
-Bloodletting
-Vampire Lord
-Summon Horseman
-Shadow Transformation
-Bone Spikes
-Demon Summoning
-Telepathy
-Drain Youth
-Raise Zombies
-Invisibility
-Shadow Manipulation
-Blood to Ashes
-Command a Wolf Pack
-Command Rat Swarm
-Cause Madness
-Intoxicating Bite

Rare Defensive Abilities

-Veil of Thorns
-Winged Guard
-Premonition
-Indestructible
-Iron Skin
-Create Illusion
-Immunity to Religious Icons
-Immaterial (can walk through solid walls)
-Resistance to Sunlight
-Immunity to Silver

(This list of abilities was copied from the Zanga Game Vampire Wars, btw) I liked it so I decided to use it for my own vamps.

A Common Vampire can not do any these things. Because they are a drone they have no special powers to speak of. It is one of the ways to tell a True Vampire from a Common Vampire.

Weaknesses/Disabilities: Are they repelled by holy symbols? How about Garlic? What about Prayer? How do you kill them? What repels them? Holy water, religious symbols, garlic, wild rose, salt. Some are repelled by pregnant women (Dhampire: Stillborn) or old women (Fillipino myths).

Can only certain weapons or materials harm them? (Silver, cold iron, consecrated items, certain woods? Plants?)

Any weapon can harm them, it's just that those made out of iron or blessed with Holy Water do more damage.

Holy waters: - Can burn skin and temporarily blind, but it depends upon the faith of the person throwing the water. Weak faith = weak effects. Strong faith = strong effects. In other words, in the hands of an atheist, the holy water would have no effect at all, while in the hands of the Pope it may just disable the vampire for years.

This only works with True Vampires, not Common Vampires.

Silver: Silver is for werewolves NOT vampires. What do you think Dracula's medallion (the one he always wears round his neck on a red ribbon) is made out of?

Iron: Gives of strong energies, which can completely over power a weaker vampire. Even Dracula is effected by it some, though not much. Note that Iron only works on True Vampires, not Common Vampires.

Iron horseshoes are hung over doors in barns to keep vampires from draining the cows and horses (real folklore, which I also use in my books).

Iron boot scrapers are left on door steps to keep vampires out, because if a vampire (who are all extremely OCD) sees a boot scrape he is compelled to clean his boots and touching the iron sends him packing. (another real folklore that I use in my books.)

Coffin nails are made out of iron (more real folklore) to keep a vampire from opening his coffin and coming out of it, thus trapping the vampire in the coffin until such time someone (most likly grave robbers) opens the coffin thus removing the iron nails from the lid.

Any sort of coffin nails iron or otherwise will keep a Common Vamp locked in, because of their weakened state.

Mirrors: Do they have a reflection? If so, is it normal or twisted? Blurred? Inhuman?:

It's not that vampires do not have a reflection. It's that they do not recognize their reflection. When they look in the mirror they expect to see themselves looking as they did when they were alive, and they are always shocked and horrified by their ghastly chalk appearance. Thus they refuse to have mirrors near them and will smash any mirror they see.

Vampires can be deflected from an attack, by showing them their reflection, which causes them to attack the mirror and than run away in horror. This only works with True Vampires, not Common Vampires, as Common Vampires in their zombie-like state do not see their reflection or anything else for that matter.

Sunlight: Because of their super pale skin, they have no resistance to UV rays and thus get super wicked horrendously awful sunburns, wick, do not kill them, but will weaken them something fierce. They do however get a stronger resistance to sunlight the older they get, so Count Dracula can go out during the day, providing the UV factor isn't too high (ie - on cloudy, overcast, or foggy days).

This applies to both True and Common Vamps, due to their pale skin.

Crosses: Same as Holy Water, but not limited to crosses - any religious icon from any faith will work. Weak faith = weak effects. Strong faith = strong effects. In other words, in the hands of an atheist, the cross would have no effect at all, while in the hands of the Pope it may just disable the vampire for years.

This only works with True Vampires, not Common Vampires.

Holy Land/Church: Can not enter if the congregation is holy and faithful. Same as Holy Water: Weak faith = weak effects. Strong faith = strong effects. In other words, if the congregation has a lot of hypocrites, sinners, and/or atheists in it, the church would have no effect at all and the vampire could walk right on in with no problems at all, while a congregation filled with super faithful orthodox devotees to their faith could keep a vampire at bay baring him from entering the church and if their faith was strong enough they may be able to weaken and thus disable the vampire for years.

This only works with True Vampires, not Common Vampires. A True Vamp may send a Common Vamp into the church in his place.

Also, even when entering a church full of unfaithful - the invitation to pass the doorway law still applies. See Doorways, below for more info on this.

Do they have extremely sensitive hearing? Eye sight? Smell? Can these cause complications? (Strong sense of smell may explain the repulsion to garlic for instance. Sensitive hearing leaves them vulnerable to being deafened by loud noises)

Yes. Yes. and Yes. True Vampires have extremely super sensitive hearing, eye sight, taste, and smell. Also their skin is pretty sensitive.

The end result of this is, they can't go outside on sunny days with out risk of severe sunburn and "snow blindness" (temporary blindness caused by bright light). When they do go outside during the day, they wear dark glasses and carry parasols (Chinese rice paper type) to shade their faces.

Their cloths have to be made of soft non-allergenic fabrics which is why much of their wardrobe is made of silk, silk velvet, satin silk, spun silk, ect. in order to avoid skin irritation.

They like quite neighborhoods away from traffic, children, barking dogs, gangs, etc, due to their overly sensitive hearing. As a result they will often live on the farthest outskirts of town, or in a big well sound proofed house/castle far into the woods or outside of town. When entering a vampire's house, he will always ask you to remove your shoes and wear soft slippers, so that the sound of your shoes does not give him a headache.

Due to their sensitive eyes, they will have only soft light bulbs in their house, if they even use light bulbs at all. They are more likely to use gas lights or kerosene lamps or candles which give off a soft glow. They may have no lights in their house at all, keeping in mind that they can see better in the dark than in the light and so really have no need for lights at all.

Their taste buds pick up even the faintest of tastes with an overwhelming power. When they do eat and drink normal foods, they will choose things with very bland flavors - white bread for example. They avoid all things with a strong taste: garlic, onions, chili peppers, etc.

Garlic: A big bad super wicked extremely powerful no-no for both True Vampires and Common Vampires. But there is nothing magical about it, it's an alergy thing. Due to their heightened senses, vampires (both True and Common) are wicked sensitive to strong smells and strong tastes. All strong smells and flavors cause problems for them, so if no garlic is handy, you can throw onions at them too. Garlic however is different. In addition to the strong smell and flavor, True Vampires are especially allergic to the acidic juices of garlic. Garlic burns the flesh of a normal human, causes watery eyes, and stings the tongue. So when used against the sensitivities of a vampire the effect it a hundred times worse than it is on a human. Garlic itches and burns the skin, causes swollen eyes and sinuses, temporarily blinding the vampire, and over all is pretty much effects them as if you had just taken a bath in poison ivy juice. A vampire's allergies to garlic can put them out of commission and into the sick bed for weeks. Garlic is the number one way to keep a vampire at bay. They simply can not tolerate the "allergy effects". You can disable and extremely weaken a vampire if you can trick them into eating garlic, and if you can get a string of garlic cloves around their neck.

Garlic: A big bad super wicked extremely powerful no-no for both True Vampires and Common Vampires. But there is nothing magical about it, it's an alergy thing. Due to their heightened senses, vampires (both True and Common) are wicked sensitive to strong smells. Garlic burns the flesh of a normal human, causes watery eyes, and stings the tongue. So when used against the sensitivities of a vampire the effect it a hundred times worse than it is on a human. Garlic is the number one way to keep a vampire at bay. They simply can not tolerate the "allergy effects". You can disable and extremely weaken a vampire if you can trick them into eating garlic, and if you can get a string of garlic cloves around their neck.

Doorways: Can they enter a home uninvited? What happens if they try to do so? (In Let the Right One in, the vampire literally haemorrhages and bleeds from every orifice if they try it, in Buffy and Being Human, it's like there's an invisible force barring them.) They can't cross if it's personal property unless they are invited in. If the head of the household invites them in, they are able to keep coming back. If any one other than the head of the household invites them in, they must be re invited after each visit, until the head of the household invites them, and than they can keep coming back without farther invitation. This applies only to True Vampires.

In most cases they can if it is public building. Say a grocery store or restaurant where "the public is welcomed" to just walk in. Welcome signs, Yes We Are Open Come In sings, ect, all act as an invitation, thus allowing the vampire to enter.

However, when there is a sign such as "By Appointment Only", they could not enter without an invitation.

There is no magic or special powers involved in any of this. It's an OCD thing and is purely psychological. The vampire simply truly believes he can not enter any place without an invitation and thus you could keep a vampire out of your house simply by hanging a sign on your door that says: "Sorry we are closed, come back later".

This also results in vampires only ever entering a public building during it's open hours. If the sign says open 9AM to 5PM, than the vampire could only enter between 9AM and 5PM, otherwise he would need some one to specifically invite him in between 6PM and 8AM.

Common Vampires, because they are humans in a trance are not effected by the invitation rule, and thus the True Vampire will often have a Common Vampire minion, which he can send into houses and do his bidding, without the need of gaining an invite into the house.

Wood: Is only a minor deterant. Only sacred woods, such as Hawthorn, Dogwood, RoseWood, etc, have any real effect. It's a combination of an allergy thing, and the faith of the believer thing. See Holy Water.

Mustard Seeds, Matchsticks, Sunflowers Seeds, etc: Do they have a form of OCD? (Some oriental vampires had a compulsion to count grains of rice left scattered, this would distract them till morning stopping them from hunting that night)

My Vampires are extremely OCD. It's on the the things you will see EVERY SINGLE ONE on my vampires with. It's like becoming a vampire does something to their mind and fills them to overflowing with all sorts of weird phobias that they have no control over.

Due to a True Vampires, extremely overblown OCD problems, you can easily escape an attack, by grabbing a handful of whatever small object is near by and tossing them into the air. When they scattered across the floor, the vampire will scramble to pick them all up and count every single one of them. Thus it is handy to keep a bag of mustard seeds, matchsticks, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pepper corns, marbles, gum balls, or and other small easily scattered object in your pocket.

This only works with True Vampires, not Common Vampires.

Knots and Shoelaces: Once again, due to a True Vampires, extremely overblown OCD problems, you can easily escape an attack, or otherwise slow down a vampire by hanging knotted ribbon or ropes in their path. A common real modern day myth/practice it to tie a pair of sneakers together and than throw them over the telephone wire in front of your house or place of business, to keep vampires out. (Ever wonder why you always see a pair of sneakers hanging from telephone wires in the city - well now you know.) If a vampire is chasing you and you have time, take off your shoes, tie them together and throw them over the nearest wire or tree branch.

The purpose of this action is similar to scattered small objects. A vampire, due to his OCD, is compelled to stop whatever he is doing and focus all of his attention on untieing the knots and than placing the ropes, ribbons, or shoes in order, all lined up in a neat row.

This only works with True Vampires, not Common Vampires.

What happens when they're destroyed? Do they turn to dust? Do they revert to the age they should have been had they been mortal? Do they rapidly decay? Do they just remain looking like a human corpse?

True Vampires can not be destroyed - they are immortal undeads, people whom have already died.

Common Vampires on the other hand: Because Common Vampires are not actually dead, they can be killed, however, they usually don't need to be killed to break the spell they are under. All you really need to do is undo the hypnotism that the True Vampire did to them, and than put them on bed rest and give them some blood transfusions. However, people are too stupid to ever think of doing this, and usually react by thinking the only way to protect themselves from the Common Vampire, is to stake it's heart, cut off it's head, and bury it's body face down in a coffin that has had the lid nailed on with iron nails.

The hypnotism will wear off on it's own if you can keep the victim away from the True Vampire that is controlling them. The best way to do this is to put the Common Vampire in a small cabin full of mirrors, with mustard seeds scattered on the roof of the cabin and the floors inside it, and have the Common Vampire wear a crown of garlic on their head and another around their neck. Than, never invite the vampire in, replace the mustard seeds every time he starts removing them, replace the mirrors as fast as he breaks them, and make sure she never removes the garlic cloves from around her neck. After a week or so of this the Vampire Master will give up and look for a new and less well protected victim and the spell will be broken, thus the Common Vampire will come out of their trance and return to their old normal human self again.

Can vampirism be cured? If so, how? (In the Lost Boys, killing the head vampire would cure those who had not yet tasted human blood.)

See my last answer.

- Do they feel pain?

Yes, but they are more resistant to it, thus can take quite a bit of pain before the pain becomes unbearable enough for them to back down.

Common Vampires, being entranced, feel nothing and will not stop coming at you until you kill them, which is not too hard to do.

- Can bullets hurt them? What about other normal weapons? Can they be suffocated or drown?

Anything can hurt True Vampires, it just takes a lot more of whatever it is, to do the kind of damage it would do with a human. But, being immortals, their wounds no matter how severe they are, will never kill them.

Blood/Manner of feeding; The all important question of blood:

- Do they feed on blood or life force? Do they also eat flesh?

In my children's books, the vampires are never actually seen to be drinking blood or attacking humans. It's hinted to, and every one knows that is what the vampire does when he goes out at night, but it's never an on screen action. My goal is a scary bedtime story for children, not terrorizing them into sleeping with every light in the house on.

A vampire gone on a frenzy, will eat the flesh as well as drink the blood. In my rather violent (and written for adults) Twighlight Manor series, feeding frenzies are common place, with the vamps going into rabid-like fits attacking their victim and tearing them to pieces, gorging themselves on the blood, drinking it straight from the heart itself after tearing open the chest and ripping out the rib cage, than relishing the heart, eyes, and brain far above all else.

In either case, blood is what keeps a vampire going. They won't die without the blood, but they will dry up like old brittle bones if they don't keep drinking it. They will also age and start falling apart (like the CryptKeeper) if they don't get enough blood. Blood keeps them young, soft, and youthful.

Common Vampires do not eat or drink unless told to by their "master" the True Vampire. Likewise they will only drink blood if told to do so by the True Vamp that controls them.

- Do they need to drink blood to survive? Or are they simply addicted? (Being Human)

See my last answer.

- What happens if they don't feed?

See my last answer.

- Will animal blood suffice or does it need to be human blood?

Blood is blood, they'll take whatever is handy at the moment. Human blood is preferred, but whatever is handy will do if no humans are around. Though, my vamps never go after animals in my children's books, because when I was about 12 I read a vampire book for kids, which had a vampire go after the MCs dog and turn the dog into a vampire, and I had nightmares for weeks after that. So I never write vampires going after animals in any of my children's stories, and rarely do I do so in my adult stories either.

- Can they drink packaged blood? Or does the anticoagulant make it unpalatable? Do they need to have fresh living blood?

Blood is blood, they'll take whatever is handy at the moment, but warm, fresh, pulsating blood from a still beating heart is strongly preferred. Cold, stale, unfresh, unpulsating, packaged blood is a last resort if nothing else is available.

- Do they have to drink the blood or can they inject it? Will a blood transfusion work just as well if not better than drinking?

Blood is food, injections will not work.

- Can they eat normal food? What happens if they do?

Though they don't need to and thus don't eat normally, they can eat in order to keep up appearances. For example if an unsuspecting human invited them over for a dinner party, they could ea whatever was served (providing such things as garlic and onions or any thing else they are allergic too, were not served).

True Vampires can eat and drink regular normal foods, but these do not seem to sustain them well. The nutrients are not absorbed the way they were when they were alive. As a result they drink blood to get the nutrients, because for some reason it's the only way they can. No idea why that is, I don't know much about medical/biology stuff so I didn't bother to work out all the details. I simply said it and thus that made it so and my readers will just have to take my word for it.

Common Vampires do not eat or drink unless told to by their "master" the True Vampire. Likewise they will only drink blood if told to do so by the True Vamp that controls them.

- Do they bite? Where? (Neck, upper thigh, wrist? Chest?) If they don't bite, what do they use instead (Fingernails/claws? A knife? A straw)

Neck. The True Vampires almost always, they go for the neck. No. Always. I don't think I've ever written a True Vampire that DIDN'T go straight or the neck.

I did once consider having a vampire that lost it's teeth, using a straw to drink the blood. I'm guessing the straw would have been sort of a thin metal pipe to stab them in the neck with first. I never wrote that one though, just considered using it for a really elderly vampire that had lost it's teeth.

Though in my Twighlight Manor series, feeding frenzies are common place, with the Phookan Vamps going into rabid-like fits attacking their victim's chest and tearing them to pieces, gorging themselves on the blood, drinking it straight from the still beating heart itself after tearing open the chest and ripping out the rib cage and lungs, etc.

How they Bite:

Exactly like Bela Lugosi did in Dracula: Mesmerize victim with flashy wow factor.

*Runs down stairs flapping huge satin cape while jumping from the stairs pretending to fly like superman.* (Or in my more adult books, they do a Tim Curry and flash their sequined underwear at you.) :)

Now that he's got your attention (and you are wondering what the hell a grown man is doing running around in sequined underwear and flapping his cape at you) - hypnotize them.

"Looook intwo mah eyezzzzzz. You a undah mah conwrol. Ah vant your blood."

While you stand there wondering what the heck this guy is saying, he takes the opportunity to grab your neck and bite. :)

I just love overblown over the top theatrical vampire stunts. :) I especially love it when they run by flapping their capes. I got a thing for guys in capes (and sequined underwear). :)

So the whole thing is basically "Look at the weird gorgeous guy in the cape running circles around me, I wonder what he's doing, I wish I could understand what he saying, oh wait, why his biting my neck? Help, he mesmerized me with his flashy cape so long that I didn't realize he was about to tear my throat out! AAAAArrrrrrrrrrrrrgggghhhh!!!!!!!. . . . yes . . . master . . . . anything you say . . . master.. . . I'm . . . coming . . . master."

I love Bela Lugosi's Dracula. Any vampire that doesn't act like Bela Lugosi isn't a real vampire in my book. Unless of course he's acting like Tim Curry's Dr. Frank-N-Furt, than it's okay to not act like Bela Lugosi's Dracula. ;)

If they hunt, how do they do it? Do they have a specific sort of person (only women, only blonds etc etc) or animal they prefer?

I explained this a ways back, but basically all True Vampires are males and all their "Common Vampire) victims are females (unless the True Vampire is gay).

- How often do they need to feed? (every night? Every fortnight? Once a month? )

Depends on the story and how the plot is going. Usually True Vamps need blood every night or at the very least every once every three days.

So, vampires drink blood, but where does it go?

Uhm . . . in their stomach??????????? Seems like the logical place for it to go.

Do they use the bathroom?

I would assume they must. It never occurred to me to think about it.

How much blood are they drinking, anyway?

Who the hell knows. As much as they vant.

Killing One:

You can't. I sort of already explained that back when I was talking about how they are created.

Society:

How do vampires function politically and socially

True Vampires are pretty much loners and keep to themselves. Because you got to be pretty darn wicked to become one, there actually are not too many True Vampires out there. You are not likely to meet more than one in your entire life time, and there would rarely be more than one in your local town.

Once in a while, a dictorial vampire will come a long and he'll pretend to be a mortal so as to work his way into politics and take control and use his power to kill lots of humans. (Adolf Hitler for example, in my books, would have been very likely a Vampire, which would explain how he had gained such power so fast.)

Do these vampires have a social hierarchy? How is it sorted? (By age? By power? By merit or by eliminating your rivals? Are they ruled by committee or government or by a single individual? How are these leaders selected or are they self-appointed? How structured is their society?)

Nope. They are loners. If you did find a few that banded together it would be sort of like a tribe or a gang. They would pick the strongest/wisest/whatever to be the leader, and they would create whatever survival of the fittest type laws they could think of to live by.

A note here, that when vampires start moving in packs, they are likely to be pretty dangerous and far more animal like in their attacks. They are more likely to go into frenzies, and they are more likely to act out of brute violence. They would be harder to reason with and harder to drive out of your town.

Vampires are pretty territorial though, so banding together into groups is highly unusual and would only happen in rare instances. If more than one vampire showed up in the same town, they would more likely fight like a pair of pit fighting roosters and whom ever was more powerful would take over the territory while the other would flee to a different town.

- Do they have laws? What are they? How are they enforced? Is it regional? International? Is each city independent or are their overall laws that all vampires across the globe adhere to? (I.E is there a masquerade law (Vampire: The Masquerade) preventing vampires from revealing their existence to the mortal world?)

See my last few answers.

How is the creation of new vampires dealt with? Is it restricted or regulated? What are the punishments for creating a vampire without permission? What are the prerequisites for creating a new vampire (What sort of person do they select? Why?)

This question does not apply to my vampires.

Upon creating a vampire, does the sire remain with the new vampire and teach them or is it normal for them to be abandoned and left to fend for themselves?

This question does not apply to my vampires.

Is the relationship between sire and childe/fledgling close? Do they have any mystical connection to each other?

This question does not apply to my vampires.

Are your vampires solitary creatures or do they form groups/Covens? How do they get along with other vampires? How about other supernaturals? (Werewolves for instance)

I just answered this a few questions back.

Are your vampires territorial or nomadic? What happens when another vampire strays into their territory?

I just answered this a few questions back.

One Final Added Note: In my adult books (which are very M rated adult books and no publisher will touch them so I have self-publish them) my True Vampires are the same as everything else on this list, except the have the added feature of looking, dressing, and acting uncannily like Tim Curry's Dr Frank-N-Furt (and the rest of the crew) from Rocky Horror Picture Show. (My second fave vampire movie, after Bela Lugosi's Dracula.) So in my children's books, my vampires stay more Dracula style, but in my adult books my vampires toss their cloths aside in a very Transylvania Transvestite Vampire gone Mad Scientist insane sort of way. :) I love Tim Curry's transvestite vampire almost as much as I love Bela Lugosi's Dracula. Heck, I love all drag queens and crazy cannibalistic, rock signing, mad scientist, vampire drag queens are even better. :)

Plus, I'm a huge Liberace` fan, and I've always thought of him as looking like a glittering vampire, so my adult book vamps got a touch of Liberace-ism in them too. :)

=====================================================
=====================================================
=====================================================

Off Topic P.S. To

I LOVE YOUR SIGGIE GIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!

----------

Incubus: Fear the Night

http://twitter.com/EelKat
http://www.facebook.com/EelKat
http://eknano.blogspot

My vampires are a race, separate from humans, rather than being undead humans.

They can generally live off of animal blood.

They have long lives, 300-400 years, which can be extended to near immortality by drinking human blood from time to time.

They can go out in the sunlight, but they are much weaker than they are at night. Though they can be active during the day, if they fall asleep while the sun is up, then they will not wake up until sunset.

The vampires in my book also have much different characters. The two main vampires:

Jacob Beaumont - He is a gentle and kind ruler. He feeds twice a year from humans. He typically has young women throwing themselves at him, eager to give their lives for him. He treats the victims, and their families especially well, making sure that his victims, in particular, experience a night of extreme pleasure, before he gently drains them of their blood.

Dragomir Dimitrov - A bloodthristy and ruthless ruler. He feeds off of humans as well, but he'll take any unsuspecting victim who happens to be nearby, violently killing them, and taking of their blood.

Ahh, vampires. Everyone does them differently. As for me, I do them... well, all sorts of ways, but my favorite vampire setting works like this. The vampires are more like modified humans than something undead. Their digestive system works in the same general fashion (meaning they would still use the bathroom the way humans would), but changes such that they can only absorb nutrition from blood (they can consume food, but it will simply pass through their systems, may make them feel sick; additionally, their tastebuds change, or start out, depending upon whether they were born or turned, so that human food may begin to taste rather strange or unappealing). They can get nutrition from animal blood, but human blood is more nutritious and generally considered tastier.

Their lifespan is extended, but not a whole lot; they can generally expect to live anywhere from 100 (on the short end) to 200 (rather longlived, but possible). The process of aging does not stop, but it does slow down - that's why they live longer. They don't really get anything in the way of magical powers; their strength and speed are somewhat augmented but not beyond the limits of humanity. They can produce offspring, and vampire/human offspring might be possible, but they'd turn out human OR vampire in their bodily processes, not a blend of both.

They do have a marked weakness to sunlight. The way it works is that sunlight does not kill them on contact, but prolonged exposure without protective clothing and/or sunscreen will cause them dizziness, skin and eye irritation, headache, nausea, etc. and will eventually cause them to pass out. Prolonged or repeated harmful exposure may lead to chronic illness or death. The younger a vampire is, the more sensitive it is to sun. A very young child may die after a few hours of unprotected exposure; an adult likely would only be sick for a few days.

There are less vampires than humans in the world. Otherwise it'd be tough to sustain the populations, although the fact that they can, and often do, drink from animals helps immensely in explaining why it's sustainable. I ran this as a roleplay setting once and the question of "How much blood can they drink from a human and how often?" actually did come up, raised by players (god, that was a great group). I can't remember how the discussion ended up. I might try to find it later, but I would have to dig through over a hundred pages of out-of-character chatter. xD

For my why's, I do come up rather short, but the fact that they continue to have biological processes is, again, because they're really just modified humans rather than undead. I hesitate to say they're not supernatural (I have a different setting with similar vampires in physical capabilities tied to a distinctly supernatural heritage, being created to preserve the blood of four almost godly powerful demons), though, as I haven't fully explored that yet.

Sort of on topic because I think this thread made me come up with the idea is that "sparklepires" exist but they aren't real vampires. (note: I've never read any twilight books and am certain that vampires do not sparkle)

They are corpses that have a magic elemental trapped in them. They go around trying to absorb magic so they don't die, which isn't that hard as long as they don't expend any magical energy. Usually they live near a natural magical spring in hopes that they will gain enough magical energy to return to wherever the hell they come from.

They are mistaken for vampires because they are dead, have no pulse and are unable to eat or drink. Also they can gain some energy from draining mortal blood, though only in the most extreme cases (witches and sorcerers work better). Finally they are similar to vampires in the requirement of a weakened victim to drink the sparkepire's blood to become a sparklepire, all this does is split off a really small bit of the original elemental into the new host. The new sparklepire is in terrible near death agony until it get enough magic to survive, which requires it to be brought to a magical spring.

In general all sparklepire hate Stephenie Meyer for letting the world know they exist and more importantly mistaking them for vampires. Now news reports of sparklepire massacres have swept the nation as vampire fans and angry vampires hunt them down and kill them.

-X

(even if it is off topic it wasn't long like most of these posts)

----------

"Maybe it's because of all the horrific things we've seen, but hippos wearing tutus just don't unnerve me the way they used to."

"I was raised to be charming, not sincere."

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No Matter, try again, fail again. Fail better."

Well, hair and nails grow even after you die so my vampires do have growing hair and nails.

Mine sleep, partially because when you have mortal characters too it can be hard to have the mortal go to sleep while the vampire just stares at them broodingly (think Twilight).

My vampires, when they're born, have lots of adrenaline but ultimately it's contested whether or not vampirism is a disease. Some people think it is. Part of why a lot of them are so strong is that their bodies have the increased predatory instinct and because through years of life they're able to develop and hone skills humans don't even know about.

I don't want to get too far into the mechanics because I'm always worried about someone using my ideas...

My vampires are, with a few exceptions, normal biological organisms that use the bathroom and grow hair and fingernails like everyone else. They also have tears, snot, semen, all that stuff.

As far as blood... they drink enough blood to make a person pretty woozy (or die, if the vampire lets them), but their venom helps preserve the human's life as the person must be alive for them to feed.

----------

This is a myth.

But we're writing fiction, so you can, of course, do whatever you want.