The bond between a vampire and their maker is a strong one.

It's something truly special.

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1012 BC - 972 BC

Edvard Munch, 1893. A vampire woman with red hair embracing a man.

Vampire Puberty

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A while ago, I told you about the turning process. This is the process that makes non-vampires into vampires. But what I didn't tell you was that there's a whole process afterwards.

The fact is that unlife is confusing for a first timer. I know, I make it look easy. To tell you the truth, I've been at this a long time. When I started, I was just as timid as many newly-fledged vampires are today. And for good reason.

There's almost nothing harder than growing your fangs. It really bites. Anyone whose had wisdom teeth grow in will almost know what I'm talking about, except instead of coming in gradually vampire fangs come in imediately all at once. Ouch.

One thing that doesn't come all at once are your powers. I know, what a rip off. It took me six weeks to learn to turn into a bat on command, and it took me eight to learn how to do mind control and even then it was very basic. But as you get older, the time feels smaller and smaller.

Other things that suck about getting turned:

• Switching up your sleep schedule.
• New food aversions. Like allergies but worse.
• Learning to put on makeup/do hair with no mirrors.
• The sun is way harder to avoid than you thought.

You thought puberty was bad? This time, you're not just becoming an adult. You're dying and being reborn. Your DNA is being overwritten. You are changing fundamentally.

Tethered

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It's not all bad.

I won't tell you if this is true or not: but according to some lore vampires die when their maker is killed.

If true, this would be because of the deep bond created between a vampire and their maker.

This is the closest bond you will have in all of your unlife. This vampire was present at the exact moment of your turning. This vampire took your life and gave you something much more precious in return; eternity.

You may go your separate ways, but there will always be a part of you that knows how to return to one another. It is like a hightened sense, a homing beacon, that can guide you both back.

Like I've said before, there are no real "rules" that govern vampirekind like many humans imagine. But there are social conventions that the vast majority of vampires obey simply because it is in everyone's best interest if they do. This supernatural tether means that the main social convention vampires follow is this: Always help your fledgeling after you've turned them. I don't know what would have happened to me if my maker didn't follow this rule. I would have never been able to figure this shit out on my own.

...

Don't ask me about my maker.

Embracing

Some vampires prefer to call it "embracing" rather than "turning."

I would like to reinterate that there is no way to turn yourself back into a human. Once you're in, you're in forever.

But we call it embracing for a reason. Remember those social conventions I mentioned? These come in very handy for even the oldest vampires. Vampires recognize their own very easily and while I'm not here to pretend that we're all buddy-buddy there is a kind of solidarity between vampires in certain situations. Vampires will (with like two exceptions) always seek to aid each other if a hunter is present. Many vampires live in groups for a safety-in-numbers kind of deal. Vampirism does not automatically guarantee you friendship or even civility with other vampires, but there is a sense of loyalty among us that is hard to come by these days. When a human is turned, they are embraced into this loyalty.

Yes, there is a lot of vampire in-fighting. Many vampires hate each other very much and have big bloody pissing contests that go on for thousands and thousands of years. But I have personally seen vampires who wanted to kill one another kill hunters together and it warms my cold dead heart.

It is our makers' jobs to guide us in the transition from humanity to vampirism, life to living death. It is not an easy task. I know I always say that no one should become a vampire lightly, but no one should turn humans lightly either. It is a very serious and permanant committment for everyone involved.