InsaneJournal

Tweak says, ""'Y-O-U', not 'U'!""

Mitchell (the vampire) (why_that_word) wrote in undertherainbow,
@ 2008-06-29 14:22:00

Entry tags:

miniver cheevy, mitchell the vampire, zillah

I know there are more of you out there. I can feel you I suppose, though I don't think I've meet any of you in person. It isn't common that I ask for advice, least of all from my own kind, but this is rather important.

How do you cope?

Are there really people here who nobody notices if they go missing? Do you somehow manage to feed but not kill? Are there alternatives that I don't know about?

I've tried feeding from livestock, other animals, but it's just not the same. Takes the edge off, but little else, and staying on the wagon is becoming increasingly difficult.

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deusexvampira
2008-06-30 12:14 am UTC (link)

Been told by a friend that you'd like to talk?

I'm Bill Turner, Miniver mentioned there was a vampire what needed some help.

Jack and I have come across several ways to avoid killing ladies and gentlemen, the most recent of which is blood banks. Some even are run by kindred spirits and are very sympathetic to our needs. The more old fashioned way we've found is through bottling and combining the blood with alcohol - it does go bad rather quickly, but it does take the edge off for when we don't feed.
And of course, then there's the most old fashioned way and that's going after scum. Might not be the smartest, or nicest way to go about things, but that's what we do for a full meal.

I'm guessing you're rather new to this? Under a hundred? We've found that our appetites are less so after a while, we can be sustained for longer with less, but that's not always how it works with every strain. Lord help you if you're the sort that gets hungrier as the years go by.

As far as coping otherwise, we've got talismans against the sun that let us bumble around in the day like normal men. I've taken up the notion to actually selling these, since there's quite a few of us around and it's a rather lucrative business, as well as a small market and high demand.

Anything else?

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why_that_word
2008-06-30 12:29 am UTC (link)

I'm fine being out during the day, so long as I stay out of direct sunlight. Of course, this usually means I'm the bloke with the umbrella, coat and gloves come July, but at least that makes me memorable.

Not yet a hundred, no, but near enough in the grand scheme. Alcohol alone is enough to take the edge off, so is just food, but that only helps for so long.

I've tried it bagged as well, even re-heated it's not the same without a pulse. That's what really drives me, I've discovered, the... feel of it, and this undeniable compulsion to just make it stop.

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deusexvampira
2008-06-30 12:40 am UTC (link)

You're a lucky one, then. Able to go out without too much concern, and to be able to eat.

However, that predator's urge does get a bit... Skiffy. I know what it's like. That's why I haven't given up hunting after this long. Again, scum of the earth works. Muggers, rapists, drug dealers, mafia, gangs. Depends on where you are, really, or where I am, I should say. And I know of quite a few interesting people, whether or not they're here, that can regenerate fast enough not to die from blood loss. I'd look into that venue if you feel the need to feed, but the worry of killing.

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	why_that_word 2008-06-30 12:48 am UTC (link)
	I might have to try that. The other main concern of course is making sure to stay out of someone else's territory. Back home territories were... iffy at best. Constantly changing depending on who'd overthrown whom and who was joining forces with whoever else. I did my best to stay out of the politics of it all, kept to the edges, no-man's land as it were. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

deusexvampira
2008-06-30 12:54 am UTC (link)

Aye, that's how it was for us, certain places. And I've heard the same said of other realities as well. As far as I know, London's pretty much a free-for-all, so long as you give proper respect to the others of us that live here. I keep tabs on who likes to hunt where. I prefer the little dregs off the Thames, Whitechapel and all that area. But there's enough annoyance in those areas, always has been, that there's plenty to go 'round.

Though, odd as it may seem, I've decided to stay clear of a certain street - not because of our kind, but because of a mortal man. I give him his space, just due to who he is, what he does.

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	why_that_word 2008-06-30 12:59 am UTC (link)
	Oh really? Not some sort of hunter is he? I was well enough back home, being best friends with a werewolf kind of made me a laughingstock, an oddity. Didn't mind it really, meant they left me alone, which was what I'd wanted in the first place. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deusexvampira 2008-06-30 01:04 am UTC (link)
	My fledge back home dates a werewolf. Funny how that works. And no, he's no hunter, he's just a barber. A very odd barber. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	why_that_word 2008-06-30 01:09 am UTC (link)
	... are barbers some sort of secret champions of the world where you're from? Predators know our own. So to speak. George would never hurt so much as a fly though, and my opinion on things is when in Rome stop killing the other Romans. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deusexvampira 2008-06-30 01:13 am UTC (link)
	Sweeney Todd, mate. Well that's a wonderful way to think. I've a question regarding your vampirism - you can eat and drink normally, but the urge to feed is there. Is it strictly necessary or just instinct? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	why_that_word 2008-06-30 01:17 am UTC (link)
	Both? It's hard to explain, really. Same sort of compulsion as wanting to make the pulse stop, if I go too long, if I don't keep control it takes over. Sates itself and leaves me to deal with the consequences. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

deusexvampira
2008-06-30 01:24 am UTC (link)

Oh. Alright then - if it were merely compulsory I'd have been rather perplexed.

I... might just have something for you to help deal with that, though I'd have to do a bit of studying to see what I came up with. I'm sure I've seen several things regarding predatory urges and a way to stave them off, I've just got to go back into my books to find them.

That being said, it'd be a great pleasure if you'd like to come over for tea some time. Jack and I are both very fond of guests, so long as they don't eat us out of house and home, or try to knick something or another.

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	why_that_word 2008-06-30 01:33 am UTC (link)
	Honestly the only thing you'd have to worry about having me as a houseguest is that I may lay claim to your couch and refuse to share. It's a curse. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deusexvampira 2008-06-30 01:42 am UTC (link)
	That's perfectly fine, so long as Jack hasn't already done that. Half housecat, the Captain is. As for me, I'm fully uninterested in couches. Hearths are much more up my alley. I've been told I'm so alike to a sheepdog that it's uncanny. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	why_that_word 2008-06-30 01:47 am UTC (link)
	Sounds to me like we'll get on just fine then. Any particular time that's good for you? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deusexvampira 2008-06-30 01:51 am UTC (link)
	We're not particularly scheduled men, though if you'd like to come by before or after you get off work, that would suit us perfectly. [Address], door's open, no need to knock, since our ward is usually there with his short sword. Never mind him, he used to be a spider monkey. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	why_that_word 2008-06-30 01:53 am UTC (link)
	Don't suppose that's one of those things that ever really wears off is it? I'll be around after work then. Only a half shift tonight, they've got the newbies in training for the other half. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deusexvampira 2008-06-30 01:59 am UTC (link)
	No, but he's mellowing out slowly. At least he's learned to type without using numbers for letters, mostly. Sometimes. When we don't allow him coffee. Right then. I'll have the kettle on when you come by. Meanwhile, I'll go see if I can find those things I mentioned. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	why_that_word 2008-06-30 02:02 am UTC (link)
	Well that's good at least. Won't worry about it too much. I'll see you then. And thank you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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