I had to think on this question for a while before I felt ready to answer it. I have been gracing Twitter with my antics and giving all a peek into my existence for just over a year now. Many, many things have happened in that time. Many that I am fond of, many that I am not so fond of, but many are memorable to me. In the end, I could not choose between two as "most memorable," so I'll share them both.
The first would be the turning of my newborn, @NolanFerrior. It was something that involved a lot of thought and discussion, between Nolan and myself, between @pamiravenscroft and myself, between myself and @RomanLucious, and I even sought the opinions and feelings of some of Nolan's closest friends... @LaceyStripped and @AbigaleDawson.
Weeks were spent debating if I could or should sever the bond between Pam and Nolan in such a way, and a great deal of uncertainty hung over the event since Nolan was a Werepanther during his human life. I had never turned one of the two-natured before and wasn't completely certain he could transition to a vampire, but it was a chance Nolan was willing to take.
The night Nolan chose to die, the two of us along with some of his closest friends and associates gathered for his final breaths and said goodbyes to the human who would never walk the earth again. It was a difficult event, but one that will probably haunt those present for as long as they exist.
The second would have to be Dracula Night. Every year, Fangtasia holds a celebration in honor of @PrinceVladTepes's birth and this year was no exception to that rule. It is a well known fact that I am quite a fan of the Dark Prince and this year, I was certain the Master would grace my establishment with his presence, putting me in an even better mood than I normally have on the occasion.
I spent the evening in a whirlwind. I kissed each and every one of my guests, from @BarmaidSookie to @NiftyJenny to @TeacherHalleigh to @AlyxConway to @RomanLucious. I don't particularly like to talk about that last one. There was expensive blood for my vampire guests, unlimited drinks for my human guests, entertainment for all, and, of course, the Prince.
But possibly what was most significant was a mutiny that occurred on that particular night. My queen at the time, Sophie-Anne Leclerq, had attempted to set me up for a crime I hadn't commit and had been caught doing so. I had shown my Queen only unwavering loyalty, but it hadn't been enough. She wanted to see my Deputy and myself ended... and quite frankly, I couldn't allow for such a thing to happen.
I enlisted the help of Texas (@Stan_Davis) and California (@QueenBlackwood). I had always been close to Gabrielle and respected Stan a great deal. After learning what Sophie-Anne had intended to do to me, they agreed to help me end the Queen of Louisiana. When she arrived to Fangtasia's Dracula Night party with her child, Andre, Stan and Gabrielle ended the pair of them while Roman and I stood guard at the door. Louisiana became a territory of theirs, and Roman and I were the first to pledge our loyalty, which hasn't wavered to this day.
Friday, October 22, 2010
What is your most memorable twitter experience?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Do you believe in karma? Soul mates? Destiny?
Absolutely, to all of the above.
Karma is a constant issue with vampires. A simple action in the heat of the moment can easily come back and bite you on your ass... literally. We know how to hold a grudge when we feel wronged, and there is no timetable we must operate on in which to seal our revenge. We must always consider the reactions to our actions. It's how we survive.
"Soul" mates I am slightly less certain on, if only because I am quite confident I do not possess a soul, at least not as it tends to be thought of anyway. What are soul mates if not people we are certain we are meant to share our existence with though? I am positive more than one of my children are "soul mates" of mine. I am positive @RomanLucious was meant to be a part of my existence as a brother in blood. I am equally confident I was meant to be in the godforsaken state of Louisiana surrounded by rednecks in order to find and uncover my fascinating telepath, @BarmaidSookie.
And I believe in destiny completely. I don't know how you can walk the earth as long as I have without thinking there is purpose, or something powerful guiding your steps. If I exist just to exist, it is tedious and monotonous. Without destiny, so much of everything we do is meaningless and insignificant. I have to believe there is reason, and that the fates guide us, whether we realize it or not.
You seem very fond of @SookieYTM care to share some things you like about her?
I find @BarmaidSookie to be one of the most remarkable beings I have ever encountered in all my existence. She is a rare human, one who has known too much of the world from her earliest days due to her rare abilities, but one who was not hardened by the thoughts of evil that often plagued her mind.
She knows compassion like no other. It is a foreign, undesirable thing to a vampire, but I marvel at how much she has. She has the ability to forgive those who do not deserve such a thing. She grieves for those who do not deserve it. She has an innate ability to care for any and all, regardless of what they may have done, even if they have wronged her.
I find that alone completely fascinating.
In addition, she feels so much more than I can ever imagine. I have bonded to my telepath enough to get a sense of her emotions and many I have not felt, not even fleetingly, in many lifetimes. And despite the fact that she has surrounded herself with the undead, I have never met a human more alive. She is so full of life, when I am with her, sometimes I nearly feel as if my heart could beat by mere proximity.
She is passionate and strong. She comes in a very pleasing package that would be far too easy to underestimate, but I have seen her go toe-to-toe with the best of us. If she can keep a thousand year old Viking Sheriff in line- and she can- there is nothing she is not capable of.
She accepts me as I am. Though she rejected me more times than I care to remember initially because of all that I am, she knows my flaws and still finds herself safe in my arms. She trusts me completely, I can feel that. She's been betrayed by vampires before, to depths that anger even me, but she does not hold me responsible. Instead, I am somehow a source of comfort for this amazing human. I can barely fathom that, but I would not want it any other way.
Possibly what makes me most fond of her is that she makes me want to be more than I am. She reminds me of feelings and things I have long repressed and forgotten. I am a selfish creature, I am proud of such a fact, but still, I want to care for her. I want to know her completely, and I actually desire to share myself with her. I want her to know me as few- if any- do. I want to trust her as completely as she trusts me. I want to have as much faith in her as she has in me. I want to have as much faith in myself as she has in me. I do not want to ever disappoint her.
Though we argue often, she challenges me. She challenges me in thought and conversation, and she challenges me to be a better person. She is effortlessly beautiful, yet somehow insecure. She is stunning and baffling, without realizing it. She is humble and kind, when she has no reason to be either.
She is my enigma, and I do not know what I would do without her anymore.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
I have landed myself in a predicament that entails a turning, or death, do you know of any vamp that has had this similar choice to make, and even if they did not want it, were forced into the change...Do they like what they are now?
Turning or death, there's really not much of a difference since they both involve an end. Every vampire in existence has had such a choice to make. Few of us that are older than the five years or so we've been "out of the coffins" were ever given the freedom to decide our fate, and there have been many vampires long past who have ended themselves because they preferred death to what they had become.
I did not choose this existence for myself. Had I been given the opportunity when I- quite literally- met my Maker, I imagine I would have chosen it, if only because I am not the kind who surrenders to death. I had no idea such a being existed as the one I became, but I adapted in time, and now cannot imagine anything else. This is my true nature. I do not desire anything but it.
I have made many vampire since I was turned. Most my age have. None of my children, with the exception of @NolanFerrior (and hopefully, eventually, @LaceyStripped) were given a choice in the matter, yet all of them have embraced this existence as much as one can, and that is the only reason they exist still today. One can educate themselves as much as possible, I went out of my way to prepare Nolan and Lacey for their turnings, but no amount of preparation ever truly can make such a choice easier. This version of death a vampire experiences instead of the simple end a human comes to expect is indescribable, and there is no anticipating it.
You would be hard pressed to find a self-loathing vampire. While I am sure there are some out there somewhere, we only last because we deserve to last, and you only deserve to last if you love what you have become and embrace it with every ounce of your being.
if a human kills a vampire, is the punishment death? What if the human was forced into doing it and it wasn't her fault and she tried not to but her hand was forced, is she at fault?
It depends who the vampire is, how and why they are killed, how much influence and power the vampire in question has, whether or not retaliation without exposure is possible, whether or not there is anyone to seek retaliation... the list goes on and on. Personally, I believe if a human manages to end a vampire without doing so in an underhanded way (such as attacking during daylight), the vampire wasn't truly deserving of this existence in the first place. There's really very little honor in being bested by a breather.
The circumstances surrounding why a human would do such a thing really matter very little in that regards. If a human is forced and there is someone who wants retaliation in existence, they really shouldn't expect to be allowed to voice their reasons for their actions, nor should they expect for the possible party to present any kind of understanding. If a human were ever in such a situation, I would say the best they could do for any kind of insurance in the situation would be to get the aid of more powerful vampires or beings and simply hope for the best while bracing themselves for the worst.
That being said, if a human ever wanted to kill @TruBloodBill, I won't be seeking any kind of retaliation as his Sheriff, nor would I make it easy for any other vampire to do so.
Just putting that out there...
Monday, June 14, 2010
how did you become sheriff of area five? what makes you qualified to be sheriff? do you hope to someday be king, like stan?
I became Sheriff of Area Five by spending centuries working my way through the vampire hierarchy. I proved myself as a warrior, as a Maker, as a leader, and as a tactician. I devoted time and energy to establishing alliances with other political minded vampires. I shed blood for my kind, I took my beatings, and I never complained.
Shortly after turning @pamiravenscroft, I made the journey with her to the New World which was far from an easy venture at the time for a vampire. Few of the undead called America home, and I was one of the oldest. In a time when the world was less than vampire accommodating, I had survived and proved my tenacity. My knowledge and experience was valued, and I was given the chance to prove I had what it takes to possess such a position of power.
Not even close to all Sheriffs are my age. In fact, I am considerably older than many of the Kings and Queens in various territories. One day, I aspire to be a King. My children often remind me that if I ever intend on becoming such a thing, I must learn to better control myself, more particularly, my temper, but I believe it will happen when the time is right.
What is happiness and or completion to you? What do you think it is? Do you think when you find it you will know you have it?
To me, happiness and completion go together hand-in-hand. One cannot truly possess happiness unless they are complete. One cannot be complete unless they are happy with everything around them.
I vaguely recall a genuine happiness from my mortal life. It was a feeling of pride and joy, a feeling that could not be fought. It was a smile that wouldn't waver and a pleasure that had nothing to do with physical satisfaction or temporary, fleeting successes.
Such things for a vampire are no doubt as impossible and as implausible as I believe them to be. We have eternity ahead of us. How can one ever truly be complete? Happiness of today will not last forever. We know such things. I have watched everything I have ever known pass away and evolve into something new and strange while I never change. I have walked the earth century after century and nothing has remained as it is but me. How can I be happy when I know anything I enjoy tonight will only end eventually? How can I feel complete when I know my existence will not be ending any time soon? If I am completed tonight, is existing any longer even fruitful? Necessary? Hardly. What is eternity if you do not always strive for more?
I don't know if I would recognize either if I truly had them. I like to think I would. I have seen others find happiness. I wish it for myself more than I care to admit. I will always seek it. If I ever manage to find it, I hope it as powerful as I believe it to be, and it will be worth any consequence such feeling causes.
What happens to human emotions when one becomes vampire? Do they disappear, decrease, twist in some way? Beyond hunger, lust, possessiveness, anger...what do vampires feel?
Whether we choose to admit such a thing or not, vampires are capable of feeling anything and everything a human feels. Good, bad, or somewhere in between, we are capable of it all. Do we all allow for ourselves to feel everything? No. Do some feelings become difficult to have over the course of time? Undoubtedly.
We often talk about letting our feelings die as we do, but truly, it's mostly in regard to feelings of guilt. A vampire cannot allow himself to feel guilt as a human would. It's simply impossible when we prey upon the very race we once belonged to for sustenance and for survival. We can't regret death, nor being a murderer, not when it means survival for ourselves. Do I regret things? As much as I would like to say I am without such a burden, I am not. Do I ever feel guilty for doing what I must to survive? Never.
And that's really what being a vampire is about. We feel and admit to feeling only what will help us survive and thrive in the world we find ourselves perpetually bound to. Feelings of affection, feelings that go deeper than lust, anger, annoyance... they are costly. They set a vampire up to put others before himself. They create vulnerabilities. When it only takes a moment of vulnerability to end our existence, is the price of feeling "love," "happiness," "compassion," or anything else worth second death?
Well, that is up to each vampire individually. To me, nothing is worth second death.
Do I remember clearly what feelings were like when I was alive? I remember feeling everything more. As it is now, my feelings are stunted and cautious. It is easy to feel mistrusting, suspicious, angry, enraged, and lustful. They keep me guarded and safe, whole, and still present. Am I capable of feeling more? I like to believe I am, but the risk of doing so is so undeniable, I do not know if I would ever allow for myself to do so even if the opportunity presented itself. And if I did, actually admitting to such aloud would be nearly unthinkable.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Do you believe that vampires can experience love as deeply as humans?
I don't think I actually believe vampires are capable of being loved or loving another. It's not in our nature to show the ultimate compassion towards another, and we learn from the night we first rise onward that the most important thing in this world is to protect our existence with all that we are. When you love someone, they become as important to you as yourself, and that's something risky, dangerous, and even foolish, and we know this. And when it comes to being loved, I have a difficult time believing any can look at us and see us as more than a dangerous being. I have heard vampires claim to love another and humans claim to love vampires, but I can't say I believe it is anything more than a brief relationship of convenience and companionship. Perhaps that is enough.
Friday, April 2, 2010
how do you deal with discrimination?
Just as in most things, it depends on the situation and the circumstances. In no way do I believe all who discriminate against my kind need to "pay" for it. I am just as guilty of discriminating against others as many are of discriminating against me. People can judge me, my business, and my kind all they like so long as they do it peacefully. When violence is the core of the discrimination, I'm pressed to do things I would be foolish to acknowledge publicly.
i hear you can fly. What else can you do that is attributed to your kind?
That is not just a rumor, I am capable of flight. It is my gift and something not many vampire at all are capable of.
Vampire attributes are almost entirely what they are rumored to be. I am capable of glamor, which is a powerful influence on a human mind. I have impressive (mostly unfathomable to humans) strength, agility, and speed. I can see with complete and total clarity in total darkness. I can hear whispered words across a crowded room as clearly and as easily as if they were spoken into my ear. And for those vampires I am tied to in significant amounts of blood, I can communicate with them wordlessly.
is mainstreaming a rouse of lust under the guise of love for humans, just so vampires can keep a willing blood donor?
This question actually made me chuckle upon first reading it simply because truthfully, those of us who refuse to be caught dead claiming to be a mainstreamer are far more likely to have and keep willing blood donors than those who actually mainstream. Since we left the coffin, a vampire is hard pressed to do much of anything without finding a human who is curious of or actually in search of being bitten. The opportunity is around every single corner. We're not hard pressed to find willing donors.
Mainstreamers are the joke of the undead population, if only because it's like claiming you're less a vampire than the rest of us. Mainstreaming, in general, is a joke, a rouse, a farce, just as you suspected. None of us are fooled by it, simply because it doesn't truly exist. We all are aroused by the smell of blood. If we had to choose between the fresh blood of a warm human and a microwaved bottle of something synthetic created in Japanese labs, guess what every single vampire would choose. Anyone who actively claim to be mainstreamering has some kind of hidden agenda, whether it's to keep a willing blood donor or to "fit in" better with humans or some other motive, it's definitely bullshit.
when, if you have, did you stop sleeping in a coffin? Are they really as comfy inside as they look? If so..what's up with that? I mean the person in a coffin is most usually VERY dead, why the pillowy interior?
I do not sleep in a coffin unless I must, and the only time I must is when traveling or when I am staying some place unequipped for vampires during the daylight hours. I prefer spending my death in a light sealed room, in the comfort of a bed, and have for decades. Even before we left the coffin and were privy to inventions created to cater to my kind, it was not such trouble to find a house with at least one completely interior room. Some vampires cling to the old ways even now, but I can't and won't claim to understand it.
As for their comfort... I can't say it's incredibly comfortable, because it isn't, at least for a vampire of my size. It is incredibly confining, and while they do tend to have a very "pillowy interior," there is little room for any kind of movement, despite the fact that we tend to enter them before the sunrises and stir from our death before the sun completely sets. There is nothing more annoying then being trapped immobile in a confined space while waiting for the sun.
As for why... coffins are the cars of the afterlife. They are a status symbol. Yes, a cheaply made wooden box suffices and will serve it's purpose, but is that what you wish for everyone to recall as your final statement to the world? Coffins are as elaborate as the one who lays within them. No one wants their last impression to be something repulsive or halfassed.
What's with this wave of asking/taking vacation time, from your Fang employees?
Part of me wishes I knew, simply because I am growing tired of allowing the vampires who work within it time away from their duties, but truthfully, I understand it in full. Fangtasia, while a successful nightclub filled with humans who are willing to fawn all over and stare longingly at those of us who practically consider it home, is very trying. Each of us have very... intense existences and personas that are a far cry from the silent, brooding demeanors we must plaster on for the masses who travel through the doors on a nightly basis in search of a "dangerous" experience. It can be difficult to balance our personal, professional, and political existences when the club and the humans who flock to it demand so much of our attention.
On top of how quickly monotonous it can grow and how trying it can be, the whole idea of working nightly is almost foreign to many of us. Before the Great Revelation, holding any kind of traditional employment was nearly impossible. The habit of being able to go where you want to, do what you want, and do it when you want to can be hard to break when you've practiced it for centuries.
That being said, the next vampire to get time off for a vacation from Fangtasia is me.
what do you have to say to people and vampires who say you have gotten "soft"?
Is there really anyone- alive or dead- foolish enough to speak those words? I truly hope not, because ignorance such as that is hardly curable. I have walked this earth for over a thousand years. I have fought uphill battles I was given no chance of winning. I have seen and done terrible things all for the sake of surviving.
Everything I do now, today, is because of that, because I have seen the world completely, both it's blessings and it's curses. While my physical form hasn't changed since the fateful night I died, I have evolved, grown, and come to where I am now, and I am completely certain where I am now is a place any vampire should consider themselves fortunate to be.
If that is mistaken foolishly as "softness," perhaps that's only to my advantage. I don't feel it is my responsibility, nor in my best interest to educate those who mean nothing to me. Let them remain oblivious. When the dust settles, I will remain, while they will be lost to the ages.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
What is one lesson you've learned in your time as a vampire that you would pass on to a newborn vampire?
All things in this world are temporary and subject to being ended at any time. Because of that, always protect and consider your existence above all other things, or it will be over before it's truly begun.
Do you think the internet was an additive factor in the decision for your kinds Reveal, in that it also allowed for anonymity in communication but now, an efficacy in your "coming out" so to speak. And do you enjoy "chatting"?
No, not remotely. If anything, the internet was a great tool for before we left the coffin. The convenience of the online world allowed us to bank, shop, book trips, arrange meetings, etc. etc. etc, at any hour of the night. We were no longer restricted to hours of operation that favor the daylight, and we could communicate with others without ever having to worry about whether or not they knew too much or suspected us of anything when concealed behind a wall of anonymity.
Truly, when the Japanese invented synthetic blood and the debate as to whether or not to leave the coffin took place, the internet was one of the single greatest arguments as to why there was no reason to come forward.
I do not have the luxury of spending much time online "chatting," nor do I fully understand all the capabilities of the e-world. I'm not Compton after all. Most of my time online is spent with a clear goal in mind that I work toward until attained and by then, I am anxious to leave the damned electronic behind to return to my night.
it seems the vampire act to be recognized as actual citizens of the world has alot to do with paper work, why is this act of government so important for/to you?
For a nation founded on the principle's of democracy and equal rights, it is truly insulting that since we have acknowledged our existence, vampires have done nothing but fight an uphill battle to gain even the smallest rights for ourselves. We have been in the New World for as long as humans have been, many of us have called it home for centuries, yet the government has decided because we lack a heartbeat, we are second class citizens, something infuriating from a governing body of very temporary mouth breathers. Is it too much to expect the same rights any 18 year old born in this country is given? I do not think so.
The government, while having no objection to taxing us, has gone so far as limiting what industries we can own and operate businesses within, deprived us of a vote, does not offer us equal representation, and even has had the audacity to tell us we cannot legally wed. We have had to fight for every single thing we have been given since leaving the coffin, so of course the Vampire Equal Rights Act is important to me, as it should be all vampires. We are not even expecting special treatment, just the same treatment as all others.
since being vampire is now a very public affair, how have you managed to hold on to your privacy?
I keep my residence, otherwise known as my daytime resting place, as my private sanctuary. Only a select few have any knowledge whatsoever of it's whereabouts and whenever too many people learn where it is, I pack my belongings and find somewhere new. When I desire my privacy, I simply go home. If such a thing is not an option at any given moment, I simply go into downtime and take myself out of the chaos for a moment. Humans may find such a thing rude, but my sanity means more to me than any thing else ever could.
You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?
First, I would wonder what I am doing going to a doctor's office. Human medicine men are moos/clucks/quacks, whatever the expression is. Assuming the news was delivered by an actual healing doctor like that annoying dwarf Ludwig, I imagine my condition would be bad enough that I would be incapable of doing anything beyond waiting out the time, and there would be no concealing it from others.
That being said, I assume I am meant to answer it as if that was not the case, so I will give it a try.
a) No. If I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt my second death was upon me, I would share the information with no one. It would only needlessly upset those around me long before my loss occurred. It would pain me to see their pain and that is hardly the way to spend my certain final days.
b) I would carry on as normal as I could and make certain my affairs were in order so that once I was dusted/met the sun/poisoned/drained/decapitated/dismembered/whatever, things were ready to be carried on in my eternal absence and functioning as they should.
c) No. I have already faced and met death. I was graced with the gift to conquer that death, but I have walked this world long enough to know all things come to an end. What is beyond? Is there anything beyond? Would I meet damnation, or is being eternally on this plane the true damnation? I do not know, but I have found death to be quite the adventure. Perhaps second death would be as well.