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For real vampires an awakening is a stressful and painful, yet liberating,
part of their new lives. During an awakening there are a number of things
going on simultaneously within the realms of their mental as well as physiological
well being. These changes, thankfully, have been going on for a while,
prior to the actual awakening itself. If they didn’t, it would only
contribute to the confusion the newly awakened face. There are certain
things however, that unfortunately are unavoidable, such as bewilderment
on the side of family and disbelief from friends and peers.
For the newly awakened, life has just become mysterious, complicated
and hurtful. The mystery surrounding real vampires is both self imposed
as well as the result of the world’s disbelief in us in general.
Life becomes complicated because of the need for discretion in who you
confide in, if anyone. And it is hurtful because sometimes we choose the
wrong person in which to confide. For most, the actual event of awakening
is simply a confirmation of what has already been a life filled with turmoil
and suspicion. It is the validation of years of having known that they
were somehow different from those around them. Ironically, it is that
confirmation of the awakening that brings the greatest amount of relief
to a new vampire, who is struggling to find their identity and place in
society.
It is a period of time where a mentor is desperately needed and yet,
because of the sudden impact these changes can have, mentors can only
do so much. Fortunately, with the invention of the home computer, help
and understanding are a mere mouse-click away. With that click, comes
a feeling of being overwhelmed by the shear number of sites claiming to
be for vampires and/or otherkin. Out of all of these, maybe half will
pan out as being genuine sources of information. Those that are left will
generally fall into two categories. One being sites geared toward the
role playing community, and the other is those that have zero useful information.
The latter of these tend to be Hollywood driven in all that they present
as fact, such as those saying you can be turned into a real vampire by
another one. This is just a thimble of the misinformation these sites
offer. So readers beware, when searching.
Once you have found an honest and truthful vampire site, a sense of peacefulness
and general relief comes to the mind of the newly awakened. This is the
result of finally finding your place in society, or the sub-cultures of
it that make up the real vampire community. There is a distinct feeling
of finally belonging somewhere, and the warm welcomes from said community
by those who in their own past took that first step as well. Another thing
that the newly awakened discovers is just how organized the community
as a whole is. It starts with the distinction between the OVC or “Online
Vampire Community” and the (offline) “Vampire Community”
or VC. There really isn’t much of a difference between the two, except
for the obvious off and online aspects of them.
Each has their pros and cons and telling the difference can be very confusing
at times, especially for those who are newly awakened or just merely curious.
The understanding of both can be accomplished by first finding, and then
associating, with those vampires who have their feet in both the OVC and
VC. The online community is where one will find the majority of information
available to anyone wishing to know more about real vampires. This information
usually covers everything from blood safety, to feeding techniques, to
proper etiquette, as well as providing for social networking among like
minded souls. The VC is usually responsible for vampire related social
events as well as information pertaining to vampires. The distinction
is that the information originating from the VC is not so readily available
to everyone.
This brings us to how both of these are organized. The OVC is, for the
most part, comprised of resource sites, message boards, e-groups, and
social networks. The VC is made up of houses, covens and orders, with
some even having an online presence as well. The VC primarily hosts and
promotes social events such as balls, meet ups and workshops, as well
as any other functions in the offline world that require representation.
Either one of these can and should be considered important to the newly
awakened vampire. They can cut through the confusion that accompanies
any awakening. Understanding how the communities work together gives those
that have awakened a leg up on learning and excepting who and what they
have become.
A real vampire’s awakening can be an awkward, intense, and confusing
period and there is no time frame connected to it. This means there is
no age limit in regards to who can have one. And there is no set limit
as to how long they last. Awakenings are different for everyone, so the
paths taken to comprehend them and adjust one self to them are just as
varied from vampire to vampire. But as was put forth earlier in this article,
an awakening is both stressful and liberating. By looking for the resources
that are readily available and avoiding those sites which are not on the
up and up, an awakening, and the confusion that comes with it, can be
managed and coped with.
For real vampires, their awakenings are forever imprinted upon them.
They can be pleasant or they can be painful. There simply is no way to
determine which they will experience. But with information and a desire
to learn, the painful aspects can be minimized in order to start a new
way of life. Being a real vampire can be exhilarating at best, and tedious
at its worst. But for the new vampire, solace can be found. It is found
in knowing that no matter the age of other vampires or the amount of time
since their awakening, they all have gone through the trials and tribulations
of an awakening.
This article is presented as part of an ongoing
effort to present other views outside of, as well as within, the online
vampire community. As such, the views and attitudes 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 - use
your own reasoning and judgment.
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