Classical2

FEEDING Ahem ... now we get into touchy realms. Real feeding is mostly by bite, but not in the neck. With the nerves, muscles and veins it is really dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. The reason for the fictional biting of the neck originated with the true belief that the carotid artery in the neck, where the pulse is normally taken (as opposed to the radial pulse, in the wrist) is the direct arterial link to the heart. It is not a vein, but an artery. This is one reason people where the wedding ring on the ring finger next to the pinky ... due to the belief that this finger connects to a vein that leads directly to the heart.The main difference being, when an artery is severed, it will continue to spurt the blood out of the wound with each heartbeat and is very difficult to stop. A vein is smaller in nature, does not spurt with each heartbeat, but flows steadily and will in most cases, stop bleeding on it's own. If direct pressure is applied, or a tourniquet used, it will stop the bleeding fairly quickly ... NOT so for an artery, which will pump the blood out of the body with every beat of the heart. This is a much more effective scene for a film or a play and easier to access if you want to kill someone quickly.
Real Vampires, such as Classicals, and many Inheritors feel protective toward human friends, mates and feeding sources -- known as "Sources", "Donors" or "Victims". Most Vampires do not kill their Sources, but do become very territorial about them. They feel possessive, as if they have pure and simple ownership. However, to be fair, many Inheritors do not feel ownership, but perhaps protective and territorial about their human friends and charges. MOST real Vampires consider humans to be food, period. You do not make friends with, or play with, or befriend, or have sex with, your food. My husband has said ... "Having sex with your human Source is like a human having sex with a cow before eating a hamburger." It is simply not done. However I know of many who disagree. Today there are rarely real victims. But indeed there are a few. A victim is said to be anyone who is used as a food source without their permission.
Donors, or as we call them -- feeding partners -- come out of the woodwork if they know a Vampire or Bloodist wants a donor. There is no reason to kill donors. There are alternate ways of feeding, such as, getting your blood from blood banks by buying it or stopping people waiting to go in and asking them if they will sell it to you instead. It is not against the law in this country to buy, sell or ingest blood. But this way you risk AIDS and other nasty things in you are not an actual vampire. Animal blood is easily gotten. Any butcher will sell you animal blood; Pig, cow, chicken, sheep, horse, etc. You have to take steps to sterilize it. But it is available. If you eat meat, even very well done, you ingest animal blood. A sizzling steak, roast or hamburger -- the sizzle comes from body fat, body fluid, water and animal blood. Plain and simple. Even if it is cooked to "leather" the blood is in the cells of the flesh. You eat it, no big deal ... get over it.

LONG LIFE All Vampires live much longer than humans. Classicals, and Inheritors as well, have more physical strength. Better nutrient consumption probably leads to this factor. Almost all Vampires are psychic. Not to be confused with Psi~Vamps, i.e. Psychic Vampires. Night-timers and humans are also psychic. It helps, but it is not really fun. More on this in later lessons.TEMPERAMENT Vampires, (no matter how nice they appear to be) if they are REAL, are killers. Killers who choose not to kill. But they are very UNPREDICTABLE and extremely strong. Even if you love a Vampire or befriend one, or they befriend or love you, remember always that Vampires are not human. You must never forget with whom (or what) you're dealing. EGOS Some Vampire's egos are worse than actors and psychics' egos. It comes with the territory. Many also have an elitist attitude even if they do not intend to be so elitist or know they have such an attitude. But many are devoted and loyal friends and spouses. Many delight in their lifestyle, others hate it. As with humans, to each his own. In addition to the medical problems already covered there are two specific problems Classicals face.
Condition One: ILLNESS The most serious is Toxic Time, usually encountered at between 80 and 120 years after being infected. There is a slow increase of pain, weakness, loss of concentration, psychic and mental capacity, along with a rising and falling fever, headaches, stomachaches and assorted minor to severe pains. Included also are a loss of appetite for food and blood and a general malaise, disquiet and frustration. The effects usually last for three to ten years. The condition results from the vestiges of the human body breaking down into the final forms of the changes caused by the altering and altered DNA. Two conditions occur; the slow change of the internal organs. This is accomplished as a result of the genetic and bio-chemical reactions on the human body as it surrenders to the altering DNA. It is caused by the increasing onset of the viral infection, which was spread originally to the body by the infection of the blood exchange or the bite, which introduced the infection and enzymes into the human body. Both conditions are normal and seem to be genetic and last three to ten years until the final cycle is finished.

The Classical Vampire can do nothing to slow, speed or prevent this process, it must simply be endured its' completion. At the end of the process the Classical may find his nature altered as the mental processes are also affected. The infected human body surrenders to the virus and no longer is considered human because the DNA is now fairly much changed ... i.e.: Altered ... in the Classical. Toxic Time is usually completed somewhere around this time as well. The time for completion varies in each individual.
The body, in a sense, dies because of the now completed and different DNA and gene structure. The body is no longer human because of the structure.
A Vampire who has fought to remain as human as possible, and has cultivated human friends, may come to feel great disdain for humans and lose all desire to associate with them. A kind and gentle Vampire may be more severely aggressive to the point to totally losing his humanity and seeking to hunt for sport or severe feeding. The urge to kill is always present. The need to let go and drain your source is more acute in some, as well as the sexual-like passions experienced by real Vampires during the feeding process. This is not to mean the Vampire engages in sex during feeding, most do not, but the feeding frenzy and passions during feeding are not unlike an extremely sensual sexual experience. They do tend to be deeper and more acute at the completion of toxic time. However, at least half of all Vampires' natures do not change. If they were humane before, there is a 50/50 chance they will be as humane after. Just as human women experience "change of life" (menopause) and must endure it, so must a real Classical endure Toxic Time. If a Classical says he or she has never experienced such a situation and they are past 120 in years after infection, they are not real. Just as all human females must pass through the change of life as a biological function, so must all real Classical Vampires pass through toxic time?
Toxic time is so called because of the release of TOXINS in the changing internal organs. Inheritors do not pass through this period. Their internal organs are infected from birth and develop normally due to the infection and the DNA they were born with.

Condition Two: The New Hunger We have just seen what the real and older Classical must endure -- not fun. Now for the youngest and newly turned ones, they have a condition called "New Blood" or "New Bloods". The surge of developing senses is overwhelming after being turned. The power and temptation to do something to take advantage -- JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN -- is very strong. With sudden surges of strength and psychic ability, many young ones go a little crazy until things level out in their brains and bodies. That is why a newly turned real Vampire is never left alone but constantly guided into the world he has just entered.
Classical Vampires all have the same problems and strengths, but Inheritors do not have these problems. Immortal and Eternal, there is really no such thing as immortal. All Vampires can die. Their lives, their existence (whatever you wish to call it) can end. If you drop a safe on a Vampire from a tall building he will probably die. But Vampires do tend to survive bad injuries, regenerate and re-grow some organs and limbs, as well as teeth. It takes huge amounts of fresh, living blood to keep a severely injured Vampire alive -- in other words, lots of donors. This is true for all Vampires, Classicals and Inheritors alike.
And now I am going to let you all in on a private joke of sorts. Within the world of the Classical there is a in joke, probably began by the Inheritors in their sometimes elitist attitudes, anyway they began calling the Classicals "Pales."Why? The original mythological connection to the Undead myth. A vampire was either dead and just stayed that way or, Undead given some unholy life by Lucifer. Of course, if you where dead you where pale, hence the name. Today most Inheritors still refer to Classicals as "Pales" and many Classicals have taken or adopted the title as their own.It is the "in" joke of most real Vamp communities.Feed well everyone, until next ... time.