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WORKS OF<br />
DARKNESS<br />
fantasy begins to form. Unlike natural sexual interest, however,<br />
vampirism is viewed as the very incarnation of the forbidden. No<br />
socially acceptable means of gratification or release are available, and<br />
pathology presides over the remainder of the Neophyte's journey into<br />
the Blood Pool. At first, conversations with others concerning<br />
vampirism - real vampirism that can be practiced and experienced<br />
firsthand are kept in hushed voices, books are hidden away, and even<br />
thoughts are not thought too loudly lest they are broadcast to all the<br />
world.<br />
In order to become a vampire, so say the myths and folklore,<br />
the aspirant (or victim, as the case may be) must have his blood sucked<br />
by a preexisting vampire, must addictively drink the blood of others,<br />
must sell his soul to some devil or another, or, as is becoming increasing<br />
popular in fiction, one must drink the blood of a vampire, thereby<br />
ingesting the virus that will mutate their genes accordingly.<br />
As mentioned earlier, most living vampires feel that a draw<br />
towards their nocturnal habits and sanguinary practices existed from<br />
the moment of birth. While it is more likely that a predisposition in<br />
genes, or simply in personality, was triggered early in age by some<br />
environmental factor or occurrence, of any great or minor significance,<br />
it is accepted that the aforementioned draw was present throughout<br />
the majority of the person's life. Most often, the vampiric Dabbler will<br />
bridge fantasy with reality in the drinking of his own blood through<br />
self-inflicted wounds, intradermal syringes, or simple pinpricks on a<br />
finger. The metallic taste is as seductive as the idea of actually drinking<br />
blood, even if it is only a drop or two, and although no real amount of<br />
vital energy is reabsorbed through the blood, the stage is set for further<br />
experimentation.<br />
The Dabbler will quickly bore of a drop here and there from his<br />
own veins, and will either fall by the wayside, or will seek out others<br />
with, or upon, who he may feed. Likeminded friends make a good testing<br />
ground, although more blood seekers are being attracted to "feeding<br />
circles," where several people interested in engaging in vampiric<br />
bloodletting and drinking do so from one another. Most feeding circles<br />
require medical blood tests to be taken before admittance into the group,<br />
as well as any character screening each individual circle may designate.<br />
While the breaking of social taboos may stimulate the<br />
Neophyte's senses, and the familiar taste of blood may arouse some<br />
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