Just what is a vampire?
Whew, this is a hard one...and one that can't be summed up in 50 words or less!

Well, we're not all beautiful, undead creatures that roam the night, killing any human we cross...Actually, we're the guy next door. We're the Smiths and the Jones of the world. We blend in and we play by the rules. We pay bills. We have car payments. We have jobs and we have worries. We live normal lives and do normal things.

So what makes us so special?
I don't know actually...I think we're just normal people with an abnormal need. Do we drink blood? Yes. (unless you're a Soul Sucker, or "psy-vamp" as I hear them called of late. But this is not about psychic vampires. Anyone can do that...but more later on this, ok?)

Do we kill people and drain them dry?
Hell no. (You think prison's hard as a human, try it as a vampire!) Incompetent as they may be portrayed on TV, cops in the real world are smart. They can track blood traces that go back three years! You think we're stupid? Never think for a moment that there are stupid vampires... they may be ignorant or lack common sense, but you can't be outright stupid and survive. (I don't care what Forest Gump says!)

Are we immortal? 
No, not in the common sense of the word...some vampires reincarnate again and again (but so do humans) and we all have great immune systems...that's not to say we won't get the flu or chicken pox or something (we probably will just as easily as you) but, chances are, we'll get better faster. And it takes more to put us down (alough a double-barrel shotgun will do it nicely I imagine) We'll heal more things and quicker than most, but we do not come back from the dead, or walk away from being fatally wounded, ok? Under the right circumstances, I'd say, yes, we will have a longer lifespan than the average human, but not by centuries.

Are we divided into cliques, clans,  or groups like in Vampire: The Masquerade?
No. We have our friends, we have our enemies, same as anyone. (We have pecking orders, I suppose, like anyone, but those are always subject to opinion) The only real division in vampires is Natural (born) vampires, and Created ("turned") vampires.  Natural vampires are those that are born this way...although, the need to drink does not manifest itself until adolescence or even adulthood. (Average of say 16-23 years old) Generally, the vampire will start having weird dreams-things he/she can almost recognize, but not quite. Most of the time, someone the soon-to-be vampire knows will start being around more-maybe pushing conversations in new, odd directions. But not always...no two are going to be alike, and for crying out loud, please don't think that just because you had a dream with blood or vampires in it, you're suddenly going to turn into one. Created vampires are those who are "turned." Don't even think of asking me how or if you can be turned cause neither will happen. Trust me, you wouldn't really want it anyway...

Can vampires have children? Does it run in families?
Unless the vampire is afflicted with some other physical ailment, of course we can! And yes, it can run in families, but again, not always...there's not a lot that's set in stone. If you or your partner (or both) are vampires, you can have a child who's one too. But, you can be Joe Schmo and have a vampire child as well. I believe that the odds improve if both parents are, but there's no guarantee.

Do vampires eat food (besides blood)?
Yes!! We'd be pretty damned scrawny if we lived on blood alone!! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, popcorn at the movies, hell yeah! I love food.

What about all that sunlight, crosses, garlic, stuff?
Oh, this is my favorite part (not)...*deep breath* sunlight suck only in that it's too bright (we do have slightly more acute senses, so it's annoying, but no more than that), crosses mean nothing beyond the value placed in them by a wearer (cross, pentagram, little-red-Hindu-dot-no religious symbol will ward off vampires-we're not evil afterall!) Garlic is one of my favorite things...garlic bread, garlic sticks, mmm...mmm...good. Now, it can happen that a vampire has an allergic reaction to garlic (my poor Love), but that's nothing more than a coincidence. What else? No, we can't change forms (period)...no, we don't need permission to enter a home...yes, we do have reflections in mirrors (unfortunately!)...There are no problems with us crossing running water...We do not fly....Basically, if you read it in an Anne Rice novel, it ain't true.

Do all vampire women have huge, unnatural breasts and a penchant for wearing lingerie in public?
Oh, yeah, and we wear capes too. It makes us feel like superheroes... (can you feel the sarcasim?)

Can vampires read minds/control people/dominate thoughts?
Hmm...this is one of those questions that can't be answered fully on this kind of broad base...Most vampires tend to use more mental control than your average human (and Natural vampires have much more control than created ones)....does this mean we can get you to kill someone for us? Probably not...I think it might be possible to "push" someone a little...give them the nudge they needed to do something they had already been contemplating...We can scare someone I'm sure...maybe even give them nightmares...we can kinda let some basic things be known from one vampire to another (like, "let's take this outside") but this is very limited and not really at all like the telepathy of TV.

So vampires can recognize each other?
Yup. We generally always know when another is around...although, if you are a very weak vampire in the presence of a very strong vampire, you may not notice him/her if they want to remain anonymous. I usually get a "chill" of sorts that warns me...that's just me though...other people I'm sure, feel it other ways.

Where do vampires come from? Is there a cure?
Who knows...No one really even knows what exactly it is that makes a vampire a vampire...ideas range from genetic differences, to different species/race, to a difference in the soul/spirit...who knows? Not me, that's for sure.