The Alphaville Herald

The Vampires of Second Life

by Alphaville Herald on 27/11/04 at 9:26 am

By Miravoir Psaltry (reprinted from Players, volume 11)

In this story Miravoir, our intrepid chronicler of Second Life dancers, escorts, and furries meets some of the local vampires, and gets a great story, but also gets tapped! I warned her, I warned her?


A friendly SL vamp– Dargost Volos.

It’s been said that vampires are a figment dreamed up by the Catholic Church to scare young girls into being chaste. They aren’t really true, but simple fairy tales that kept the superstitious populace in fear, and the young virgins in doors.

Yet, the presence of bloodsucking creatures has existed in cultures and religions far older than the Catholic Church. The Babylonians had their Lilu and Lilitu. The Hebrews had Lilith. The Lamia and Empusa of the Greeks scared young men into being chaste. There are vampire myths in India, in the British Isles, and all around the world. So, it’s interesting to speculate why the vampire legend has been so enduring, and so entrancing to us mortals.

The vampire mystique, over the years, has become further couched in sensuality and charisma. People have a fascination with them even now, but it has become more friendly, more welcoming, even though the hint of fear still exists. Here in Second Life I would come across perhaps one Furry in a day, one alien, one D/s master and slave, but at least 5 or 6 vampires. Some are very free with their lifestyle, some, when questioned reticent, and some hide their true natures behind terse answers or cheeky jokes.

Vampire Seeki hangs out while Gweem stalks helpless Mir!

I put on my armor plated turtleneck and braved the streets of Transylvania and various nightclubs I knew vampires liked to haunt. What I found, curiously, is although female vampires are so prevalent in myth, it was next to impossible to get any to answer my questions. So, this vampire article is from a male perspective. Perhaps, later, I’ll do a second one from the female perspective.

I spoke to five toothy gentlemen about their particular existence as children of the night in SL. Gweem Engel and Dargost Volos were the most free in their information, but Sox Rampal, Enigma Stravinsky, and M.Z (he didn’t want me to give his full name) offered a nice picture of the variations of vampire personality and were thus, quite useful and all wonderful people to have taken the time to answer my questions.

Vampires in SL run the gamut of people simply interested in the fashion statement, to those so deeply entrenched in the role that they would frown greatly to be called mere mortals. I found those that fully embraced the lifestyle to be the most interesting, of course, and sought them out. Mira as vampire hunter – are you fanged ones trembling yet?

I love to hear the history of vampires, Dargost was a knight in england. sometime in the middleages, that was dying upon the battlefield when a (kind?) vampire soul came and turned him. Gweem, sadly, had a more horrifying experience, a big, rat-headed, snaggly-toothed Ductus waylaid him on the way home from a party. Fortunately, he was so inebriated that he didn’t even remember it until he was scrabbling out of the wood and dirt of his grave. Enigma quietly stated that he was turned by a master vampire (whom, he would not say – Nosferatu himself?). Sox said that he fell into a group of vampires called The Fang Gang, and seems to, by all accounts, willingly been turned. (It’s hard to say, he was a reticent one.) However, MZ wouldn’t tell me how he turned at all – very sad.

Why the attraction to the vampire mystique? I posed this burning question to my hosts. The major consensus is that vampires are seen as romantic and powerful. Gweem was especially amusing in saying, “We’re sex, we’re the act of violation. We’re rockstar gods.” He also went on to say that, “The Vampire life is a shot at immortality, it’s a shot at something bigger than yourself. Some people want to be vampires because it?s a somewhat exclusive club. Others want to be vampires because it gives them an excuse to indulge in their basest desires.”

Of course, the reasons to be a vampire are far more apparent than those that want to be the victim of a vampire. Why on earth someone would want to be a victim is beyond me. But, there are those that live to be a “blood doll” as Gweem says. Enigma does not feel a sane person would want to be a victim, so, i suppose a sense of madness exists in those that actively seek out the damned. I was asked by one of the vampires myself why I *didn’t* want to be a vampire. I saucily replied that pale ghostly white just isn’t Mira’s color. What can I say – I prefer a bit of health in my visage. I guess I’m not drawn in enough to throw away the need for life in return for being eternally undead. But we’re not here to talk about me. Dargost says that his victims have a certain quality that makes them readily visible to him. They have a submissive mien, a need to be controlled. Gweem laughingly replied that, ” The kiss (biting into someone, and feeding) packs a hell of an emotional/erotic punch. For a mortal it feels like a sustained orgasm, pumped up to a power of 10 or so. Most are deluded enough to think that their regent actually cares about them, which I suppose can happen from time to time. For the most part, a blood doll is seen like a prized calf, or a shiny new car. While it’s pretty, or useful, it will be showered with affection, esteem, and gifts. When it starts to get old, or the blood doll just isn’t keeping the lick interested, then the ‘relationship’ can go south pretty quick. I mean, it really sucks when your favorite car decides to put a stick in your chest just because she thought you were looking at another juice box.” So, the victim is seen as slightly divorced from reality, submissive, and perhaps, wanting to be turned into the vampires immortal beloved.

I noticed that the current vampire legend seemed to be loosely related to the BDSM lifestyle, so I asked the men about this too. Dargost said this was definitely a vampire thing. However, Enigma disagreed, he said that while vampires had a thrall over their victims, they weren’t out to control them. Gweem replied that it can go either way. Blood Dolls can tend to be conditioned to be submissive by their constantly being fed upon. And some vampires, because of the loss of their humanity, can tend to become full on Domitors while in human form they were merely pushy. So, my assumptions seem to be met with some validity. Part of the vampire mystique is control, in a sense.

I, having my curiosity piqued, asked my vampires what they looked for in victims. Gweem said he wasn’t a “chat up your meal” sort of vampire. He’s in, he’s out. There isn’t going to be a relationship there. You’re food – doesn’t matter what you’re like. Sorry folks. Dargost, on the other hand, looks for passion in his prey. He’s looking for that sublimely sensual mark that would draw a vampire in to feed… perhaps for hours. Sox says he’s only looking to feed on evil doers, (though he tried to welcome me into a nice vampire kiss… hmm… now I know reporters are about as loved as lawyers.. but really Sox!) Enigma, like Gweem isn’t looking for a relationship with his food. He looks for those weak, scared people walking alone in the dark. Now, I can see their point. Would you fall in love with your caesar salad? Your hamburger? Still, there’s a measure of seduction in the vampire’s kiss. I would say, beware ladies and gentlemen.

The physical characteristics of vampires in SL tend towards the Gothic, though Sox’s crew tend to wear heavy peach makeup and roam around SL as mortals. To those that naysay his group as being vampires at all, he replied that no one knows what they do and they like remaining a mystery. Let the naysayers neigh. They don’t care. Personality wise, Dargost claims that vampires exude sex, and Gweem agrees. “Vampires were made from sex, ” he says. But Gweem said that vampires also tend to have bad tempers and are slightly emotionally unstable. Not good friends to have, especially if you’re a mortal. Rather hard to maintain a friendship with a vampire when he’s chasing you around the room. I suppose that would tend to be tiring.

When I asked what irritated these vampiric gentlemen about other vampires, most said that arrogance was the primary quality in other vampires that upset them most. Gweem said, ” We’re all below someone. Somewhere theres a person or creature that doesn’t care about you or your politics or your clothes, and if you find yourself between them and a goal… Well, your ash.” Dargost complained, ” Some vampires feel that knowing all things vampire is the most important thing. They get so couched in acedemia that they miss the point of what it’s all about – seduction. And any that they feel do not know enough of the vampire history are deemed below them.” Enigma didn’t like the way some vampires like to show off to the mortals. He didn’t think it’s in good form to advertise. I must agree – easy way to get a nice stake in your heart by waving your arms about and saying, “Look at Me! Look at me! I’m a vampire!” But, I’m glad I found some forthcoming enough to let me know of their lifestyle.

Finally, most vampires would like to be treated with the same respect any other person in SL would like. As to how would they like us to see them, I think Gweem stated this the best in saying, “Boys, Girls, Children of all ages, understand that we were all mortal once. We were similar to you. There?s a chance that you could be just like us eventually. We’ve got super powers, cool clothes, and a really good dental plan.

Everyone one of us is an individual. That doesn’t mean we are all unique, far from it, but it does mean that some of us will be just like I’ve described, and others will be nothing like written.”

And that is that, make your own impressions about vampires but if there is a chance that you felt a bite on your way home one day, and suddenly you’ve become sensitive to light, and need spf factor 1 million sunscreen, we have included a lovely set of fangs, courtesy of Gweem Engel, as well.

Gween takes a turn on the cross.