This is especially true when the subject is vampires -- those blood sucking denizens of the dark that thrive on the lives of others.
I was scheduled to have a number of interviews lined up, and one of the things we would be discussing is the presence of actual vampire cults in Manhattan -- particularly in the lower East Side, where much of the action of Bitter Things takes place. I did a good deal of research and discovered there is, in fact, a group of individuals who self-report as vampires. The name of the group is the Court of Lazarus -- and I was able to wrangle an invite to one of their meetings.
I met two interesting vampires in particular -- one was the Keeper of the Scrolls, de Sade (like the marquis de Sade) -- who was very personable and friendly, although he told me he doesn't like people and I was the exception (which made me preen, I must admit), and the second with the Regent, the Queen of the Damned, Naamah Aeterna. She was an absolute delight - engaging, warm, funny. I was a little disappointed by how nice everyone was! I'm kidding -- I was very much at ease with everyone, and I was thankful for that.
Not All Real Vampires Are the Same
Nocturnum says "the vampire community is often loosely categorized by the three principal feeding methods. A blood vampire, or sanguinarian, is a living vampire who drinks blood to satisfy some need. Blood may arouse them sexually, revitalize their physical, emotional, or spiritual well being, and some even some believe it gives them extra strength."
Another type of vampiric feeding practice is psychic or psi vampirism. "Psy-vamps feed off of and manipulate energy and aura. Whether they take it from human beings, living organisms or even other psy-vamps, the effect on the victim is one of weakness and draining."
Related to the Psy-Vamp is the Elemental Vamp: "The Vampire takes the energy into himself, thereby gaining vitality and strength. Many psy-vamps also use empath, an ablity to read a person's emotions and feelings with very little effort. Also, usually psy-vamps possess a skill almost like ESP, in that most can sense things with uncanny accuracy. In addition, there are also psi-vamps, which use energy in much the same way as psy-vamps, but can also feed off of other energy sources (electricity, storms, even sunlight)."
The third common type of real life vampire is the Fashion Vamp or Lifestyle Vamp, who can be defined as someone whose main affiliation with the vampire community is through the look: black, goth, etc. Corvis says lifestyle vampires are those drawn to the archetype, and the Gothic aesthetic.
Do sang’s actually drink blood?
They do but in small increments. Blood in significant quantity can make you sick.
Do they drink it straight – or do they mix it in with other things?
Depends on the person, some do use it straight, but it can be mixed with wine.
How might a sang drink blood? Right out of someone’s vein?
A vein would be too severe a cut. Normally it is done with a diabetic lancet or cut with a small razor. The practitioners usually extremely safe and follow rules of conduct laid out by the Elders.
How did you become one / accept yourself as one? What was your first moment of true vampirism like?
I’ve always been fascinated by vampires in any form. I recall reading Bram Stoker's classic back in middle school for the first time. Embracing the Darkness; Understanding Dark Subcultures was the result ofthat effort, complete with a chapter on the vampire subculture. During this time I became close friends with vampire author Michelle Belanger, and Don Henrie, the popular television icon who walked onto the screen, instantly seeming to embody our conception of the vampire archetype. As discussions with other Elders and members of the online community over the next four years continued and I researched more, I felt my initial work had only scratched the surface. In fact, most of my writings since have been deeper explorations into all the ideas contained within my original work, detailing the key elements in greater length.