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I don't get many people writing me, begging me to turn them anymore. I suspect
that's because I've let my views on the subject of "turning" be well
known in all the lists and groups I've associated with.
To wit: I don't believe in it.
Yes, I am aware that there is a "viral theory" of vampirism -- okay,
in that case, show me some studies of the virus. What? There aren't any? Why
not? Given the way the general public reacts to anything that isn't "normal,"
you'd think that if a virus transmitted via blood, saliva, or sexual contact
were on the loose, causing people to suddenly develop severe photosensitivity
as well as an exhausted lassitude or a malaise that persisted until they drank
blood (just a tiny bit), there would be a general panic. Studies would be done.
A rush for the cure would ensue. Or, if this virus had the coincidental side
effect of retarding the aging process, making people glamorous and sexually
charismatic, enhancing the intellect and psychic powers, and conferring strength
on the immune system, to hell with the negative side effects, everybody would
be queuing up to get infected.
But it isn't happening. There are no studies being done. The only people who
claim to develop such symptoms (after having been "embraced" of course)
are a handful of young weirdoes. Gosh. Funny thing, that.
Then there's the less clinical view -- to "become" a vampire, one
must be "turned." Given the Dark Gift. Crossed Over. Embraced. Which
can either involve some sort of magical ceremony, a near death experience, or
a sexually suggestive bite with or without bloodletting. Sometimes all three
experiences are supposedly involved.
This can be quite sensual and mysterious, and it's a romantic concept, but
to this notion I say: codswallop. There are plenty of vampires who always knew
that they were vampires. There are others, like me, who engaged in energy vampirism
from a young age without even having a name for it, and who later acquired a
taste for blood after a surprisingly pleasant experience that was more of an
awakening than a turning. I don't think we're "different," because
vampires are vampires. Why should there be different "species" of
vampire if we're all basically human anyway? (I won't go into the "what
soul do you have" question, that's another philosophical debate altogether.)
Vampires who "became" vampires after an intimate experience probably
discovered a new side to themselves that they had repressed for many years.
People who want to "become" vampires are either vampires already,
or they suffer from a delusion of what vampirism involves and they want the
side effects of it. It's only recently, you know, that the vampire in pop culture
has been portrayed as sexy, romantic, tragic, beautiful, powerful, rich, strong,
decadent, psychic, and all that -- including, oh yes, immortal (and ever-young).
Vampires in folklore are undead ghouls. They're gross. They're really gross.
Nobody found them at all attractive.
Talk of "the turning" or "the embrace" perpetuates an overly
romanticized stereotype. Becoming a vampire will not suddenly make you gorgeous,
powerful, and special. Vampires are no more gorgeous, powerful, or special than
anybody else. There are pretty vampires, and there are plain vampires. There
are vampires with a lot of social clout in the goth scene, and there are vampire
geeks (like me!) There are vampires who are very psychic, and there are vampires
who are about as psychic as a cement block. (More vampires are psychic than
not, but that's probably because people in the occult circuit are more likely
to come out to themselves as a vampire than "mundanes.") And ALL people
are special. We're all the star of our own stories. Only a very few of us are
ever going to be heroes, though. Most of these people will die in the process.
Deal with it.
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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