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So you woke up one morning and there, standing before you in the mirror is
the same person you've been staring at for.... HOW many years? But lately something's
bothering you... You don't look any different, not really. You feel pretty good.
But... something doesn't seem right....
You scrutinize the person in the mirror, in minute detail. You see all the
flaws and all the things that have drove you crazy for years. You see the same
hair and the same eyes... or are they? It's tough to pin point, but SOMETHING
is different. Or, maybe the tip off is that you're over 40 and NOTHING really
IS different! How very odd!
I remember when people started to admire the fact that my looks have never
really changed. I can't even tell you how many old friends have walked up to
me and told me that I haven't changed since I was 19 years old. They are wrong,
of course. I've changed a lot! But, if you haven't seen me in years, you wouldn't
know that. I don't remember who first pointed out to me, that I came to a point
where I stopped looking older and settled into what I look like now. I think
I was going through some family albums just before my mother died. My sister
pointed out that I look better than I did 10 years ago... I thought about it
a lot, for a week or so, then I came to my computer and started comparing pictures
of myself, stored on my dusty hardrive... It was true. I've changed, but I haven't.
I DO look better than I did 10 years ago. In fact, I look younger! How very
very odd!
Vampyric aging.
Its not, you understand, that I haven't changed over the years. I'm an older
vampyre. I've been drinking blood for over 25 years. In fact at this stage of
my life, its my primary source of sustenance. At 14 years old, I looked 20.(Never
got ID'd drinking underage in bars). By the time I was 20, I'd already lived
a hard life and my eyes showed it. I was never ugly... but I looked worn, sometimes.
Pregnancy didn't agree with me... I gained a LOT of weight in the course of
bearing 4 children. My skin stretched, I got a few wrinkles under my eyes, from
lack of sleep and crying all the time as two marriages fell apart over the course
of 20 years. I thought I was aging, and not even very gracefully!
Then something odd happened to me. I went through about 3 years of being very
sick. I looked TERRIBLE! I had problems with my lungs, I had problems with my
heart. Every muscle in my body hurt, all the time. I had two heart attacks,
in a 6 month period. I thought I was going to die! Then, when I was sure I would
rather be dead, than alive and live like this any longer, it just stopped. I
got better.
One day, some time ago, I went to the mirror to get ready to go out for an
evening and realized... something was different.
I looked OK. I decided to skip most of the complicated makeup ritual I usually
went through. My skin looked fine. A bit of eyeliner, some lipstick for my always
pale lips... perfect.
I started losing weight. Not a bit at a time... a LOT, and at once! In a matter
of months I lost over 40lbs. I started to feel good! OK... something is DEFINITELY
up! I realized that, when I was working as a barmaid and 22 year old guys were
suddenly trying to take me home. I had to produce ID on three occasions in one
month to convince young men that I was old enough to be their mommy!
So I started to wonder if other vampyres went through this....
We don't talk about it much, 2nd stage vampyrism. a few years ago, it was one
of those things NO ONE discussed. But I started asking around and was BLOWN
AWAY by the number of similar experiences among vamps in my age group.
What was happening to us? I can't even begin to tell you how amazed I was...
My aging had changed!
I turned on the 'puter and started comparing pics of me over the years. Here,
in a nutshell is what I found:
| Lady CG at 30-ish |
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| Lady CG at 38 |
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| Lady CG today (over 40) |
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Its not as easy as you might think to get used to it. I had a well established
concept of who I was and what I look like. It changed. Pleasantly, but a change,
non the less. It took a while to get used to it.
These days I've learned to like it, love it and take FULL advantage of it.
I combine it with Vampyric Charm, to get what I want, and I combine it with
magick, when charm fails. I can attract almost anyone in a room, using my gifts
and intuition. And a even though a few years have passed, I've seen no signs
that I'm aging much at all... in fact... I'm STILL getting improvements in strength
and stamina, and the speed of my brain functions.
So its not all bad news! Being a vampyre is full of surprises, and not ALL
of them are bad. Just be prepared for it. I'd have gotten through this much
more easily if I hadn't thought I was losing my mind! IF you're going through
it, and you're tempted to check yourself into a sanitarium, Don't. You're fine.
If you go through 2nd stage or Vamp menopause, as we fondly call it, (we know
that not ALL vampyres go through this and or subsequent stages) its going to
happen to you .
Its one of those wonderful vampyric coping mechanisms that help us Thrive.
Carpe Noctum
Lady CG
This article is presented as part of an ongoing effort to present other views outside of, as well as within, the online vampire community. Those of us who consider ourselves vampiric don't always look at things from the same viewpoint due to our life experiences. As such, the views and opinions contained in this article are entirely those of the author(s), and may not necessarily be shared by SphynxCatVP. The webmaster is not under obligation to update or otherwise keep current the contents of this article. Most importantly, only you can decide for yourself whether this article or any of the author(s) other views are useful or applicable to you - you are responsible for using your own reasoning and judgement, so judge wisely.
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