Frequently Asked Questions
The Hollywood Vampires F.A.Q. – Version 1.13
This is the place where I put all of the questions, and my answers to them, I hear the most concerning the Hollywood Vampires. I thought that this would be much easier for everybody, including myself, instead of writing out the answers every time someone asks a question, and even if you haven't wondered about any of the questions here, this could still make for a pretty interesting read. If you've got any questions about the Hollywood Vampires that aren't addressed here, go right ahead and e-mail me at guttervamp@hollywoodvampires.net, and I'll address them as soon as possible. If not, well, READ!
1. What the
heck is “City In Dust?” Why
isn’t it on the website? And I
heard that everybody dies in it? What’s
going on?
“City In Dust” is a story that I wrote over the Summer of 1999 as an Elseworlds-type story that took the Hollywood Vampires places they’d never, ever come close to before. Elseworlds is the name given to various books put out by DC Comics in which familiar characters are thrown into unfamiliar places and times, where nothing may be what it seem, and the rules can be partly or completely different from what everybody is used to . . . in a nutshell, Elseworlds tales are stories of alternate realities as they pertain to our favorite characters. “City In Dust” is a Hollywood Vampires Elseworlds story, one in which things have been changed so drastically that I don’t even bill it as a Hollywood Vampires tale, because it really isn’t. It’s an apocalyptic tale of good, evil, life, death, love eternal, and friendship, newborn and neverending, and I was quite pleased with how it turned out. But for those of you who’ve read it and are upset by the events within, don’t fret . . . “City In Dust” is not canon, meaning that it doesn’t fit into the rest of the Hollywood Vampires universe. What happens in it is only a possible future for the Vampires, a glimpse into what could be or what might be, but most very likely won’t be, so don’t let it bother you. This is a look into a mirror universe, not a look into the hardwired future . . . it was a story I did for the hell of it, just to see what happened, and while I was quite fond of the result, that doesn’t mean I even want it to be a canonical part of the Hollywood Vampires universe. Don’t worry, nobody’s really dead!
As for why “City In Dust” isn’t on the site, well, it’s something that’s available only to Hollywood Vampires newsletter subscribers. All too often you sign up for a mailing list for something or another, and all you get in return is a bunch of stupid junk mail that annoys you and wastes your time, and I wanted to give those of you who were kind enough to subscribe to the newsletter a little something extra to show for it, so that’s where “City In Dust” comes in. It’s a story I intend to only offer to newsletter subscribers for the foreseeable future, and a little way I can say thanks for letting me invade their mailboxes with my mutterings twice a month. Since it’s not a canonical part of the Vampire universe, those that aren’t subscribing aren’t missing out on an integral part of the world I’ve created, all they’re missing is a glimpse into a warped mirror on that universe, so I think in the end, it works out pretty well.
2.
What’s up with “Night Run?” In
that, Stacey, Tommy, and Dorian (where’s Wade?) are all obviously mortal,
while Steele is a vampire! Then,
beyond that story, everybody else is a vampire, too, with no mention of how that
happened . . . what gives?
Like “City In Dust,” “Night Run” is not canonical in the Hollywood Vampires universe . . . if you want to get technical, it never happened, so the events in it should be disregarded as being relevant to what’s going on in the other stories. “Night Run” is my prototype of the Hollywood Vampires, a story put together from an inspiration I got from a Roxx Gang song, and which in turn inspired the first draft of Unholy War, which was entitled Blood, Steel, & Rock ‘n Roll. “Night Run” was what helped set the shape and tone for the Hollywood Vampires universe I’d brought into creation, and while I think it’s a fine story, it doesn’t fit in with that universe, so, like “City In Dust,” it’s a stand-alone story that should be enjoyed for its own merits, rather than a part of the “real” Hollywood Vampires world. As for why Wade wasn’t in there, he hadn’t even been created yet when I wrote the story, and the same goes for all four of the female vampires . . . “Night Run” was the very birthing of the Hollywood Vampires, and at that point, not even all of the characters had come to my mind yet!
3.
Where are the vampire hunters at? Will
we ever be seeing vampire hunters in the Hollywood Vampires universe, or are
they something you don’t want to mess with?
Well, I'd like to offer up some actual information on what I'm planning to do with vampire hunters in my stories, but I can't, as I really don't know yet. I've been kicking around an idea for a few stories featuring Wade and probably Raven, and a vampire hunter or two, as I feel that any sort of interaction between those two extremely formidable vampires and a good, skilled vampire hunter can be extremely interesting and make for an enjoyable read. There's nothing definite on those stories yet, though Nathan and I have tossed around a few ideas here and there, and Nathan's given me a lot of food for thought where vampire hunters are concerned. What I have determined is that there's going to be several different varieties of hunters running around, some belonging to actual guilds, and some on their own, and the like, so that there's no one particular type of vampire hunter, so that they can be just as diverse and varied as the vampires themselves. That would also make things more difficult for the vampires who have to combat them, as they may never be quite sure what the hunter they're facing is going to do or what code of honor, if any, he or she may be following. Some may rely on more traditional weapons, while others will go all-out when it comes to technology, some will be a mixture of both, some may follow a stringent warrior's code of conduct and honor, while others may end up doing whatever it takes to bring a vampire down. Some might be mercenaries, doing it for money, while others will be doing it for personal reasons, as well.
4.
Do the Hollywood Vampires have accents?
They come from varied backgrounds, so do they retain their accents from
the homelands, or have they given them up in favor of bland, non-accented,
standard American English?
The way I look at it, the most successful vampires are chameleons. They are able to fit in with their surroundings exceedingly well, if not so much in looks, in bearing and other manners. For instance, people are less likely to be suspicious of someone who looks a bit different from the norm (like Steele, Stacey, or Brandi) if they speak like everybody else and don't give any further indication of unusual origins. After all, if someone talks like you, they can't be all that bad, can they? Though that may not seem like such a big deal today, back in medieval times, the ability to mimic those around you could be an essential skill, as superstitions ran at an all-time high, and anybody who spoke differently could have people suspicious of them immediately. Even today, that applies in applies in certain situations.
Think back to times when you were in the company of
people who were different and spoke differently than yourself . . .
For instance, if you were stuck in a town in the deep South, do you think
you'd start to develop a bit of a twang in your speech if you were there long
enough? Or if you were around a
bunch of potentially hostile rednecks that hate "city folk," do you
think you might cut back on your college-level English in favor of a more basic
manner of speaking, so that you don't get mocked and slapped around?
That sort of mimicry happens to all of us . . . when we're with different
company, we tend to unconsciously shift our speech patterns and maybe even our
actual accent to become more like those we're talking with, whether to
facilitate communication and put them or ourselves at easy, or maybe just to
avoid an ass-kicking.
I pride myself on my individualism and the fact that
I kowtow to nobody, but I find that I unconsciously shift speech patterns
depending upon who I'm hanging around with . . . I speak differently when I'm
with my friends from the country than I do with my friends from Chicago.
Humans are natural mimics, doing whatever we can to adapt to our
surroundings, whether it be a physical or communication environment, and
vampires are even better at it than people, because their senses are naturally
sharper and they've had more experience at adapting.
Which brings us to the accents.
As the Hollywood Vampires are currently in Los
Angeles, they tend to speak with American accents, though since L.A. is rather
multicultural, with people of all varieties running around, they tend to be
looser on their accents, letting flavors of other places and times come into
their speech now and again, depending upon the situation.
For instance, Clarisse might affect a French accent while luring in a
victim for dinner, as many find French accents very alluring . . . not only
that, but it's Clarisse's natural accent, as she comes from French royalty that
was living in Italy during the Renaissance.
Dorian, originally from England, likes to use his native accent for the
same reasons that Clarisse does: charming the pants off of his dinner!
Dorian has also been known to be able to speak in utterly flawless
Spanish, complete with an accent so well-developed that even native Spanish
speakers swear he's got Spanish blood in him.
Stacey, whenever overly excited or just in a kidding mood, can affect
quite a few different accents he's picked up over the years, German being one of
his favorites as it sounds extremely harsh when he's cursing up a storm. Stacey is originally from Wales, as is Steele, and they both
can start to exhibit their old accents when relaxed or caught off-guard, and
Stacey has been known to start speaking in his mother tongue when he gets really
befuddled. Donita is from Italy,
most likely somewhere around Greece, and her accent can come and go, depending
on who she's trying to charm and what kind of mood she's in.
Tommy was an English monk during his early years, and his speech still
reflects that, as he tends to be very precise and direct when he speaks, and
when he's going on about a subject he particularly enjoys, he slips back into
his native accent without even noticing. Katheryne
originally hails from Norway, and a light Norweigian (sp?) lilt can come to her
voice now and again, usually if she's extremely pleased about something . . .
she also likes to use it to delight and charm potential victims, as a lot of
people are suckers for blonde-haired women with accents of that sort.
Brandi's Irish (literally) comes out when she's rip-roaringly pissed off,
though she has been known to speak with a light Southern drawl at times.
This comes from the fact that while riding with the Sisters of Fury
through mostly the Southern United States for a good four decades, she'd adopted
a Southern accent to better fit in with the locals, and also because she liked
how it sounded. She used it so much
that it's ingrained in her almost as much as her native Irish brogue.
As for Wade . . . who knows?
Along with the accents I mentioned above, the
Vampires are also able to imitate almost any accent on the planet once they've
heard enough of it, though they're better at some than others.
While Dorian's Spanish is excellent, with a beautiful accent, Steele and
Tommy can't quite get the hang of it (though they do much better than the
average mortal), and stumble on certain words, for example.
Just as some people get the hang of certain languages, dialects, and
accents better than others, the same goes for vampires, though they all adapt to
their surroundings as best as they can, usually unconsciously.
Like say if you dropped Clarisse right in the middle of the Bronx, she'd
be yukking it up with the locals in no time flat . . . getting used to the
idioms and other aspects of the dialect would take her a little longer, but
within a day's time, she'd be indistinguishable from a native, unless she went
French on them all of a sudden!
5.
Okay, we’ve noticed that Katheryne and Donita have a relationship going on
between them, so how about the guys? Are
any of the male Vampires gay, or are you strictly on a bisexual female kick, you
cretinous pig?
None
of the male Vampires are gay, though it wasn’t anything I set out to do . . .
it just happened that way. All five
of the guys were born of the music of Roxx Gang, which oozes rocker machismo,
attitude, and sexual energy, which is strictly heterosexual, and that’s how
they turned out. When I was putting
their pieces together, I envisioned them in the mold of the 1980’s gritty glam
rockers hanging out on the Sunset Strip, frequenting strip clubs, pursuing
women, and just doing the things that gritty glam rockers do . . . homosexuality
never crossed my mind during the creation process.
As for Katheryne and Donita, they just sort of happened to end up being
lovers, which I saw as a natural progression from how closely they’d been
entwined with one another for so long. One
might argue that could have been possible in the case of Steele and Stacey, but
then again, I simply can’t see those two cuddling up together near a fire,
while I can with Katheryne and Donita . . . they’ve just got too much of that
tough macho vibe going. It may very
well have been something of a bias on my part, though an unconscious one, as
I’m quite familiar with male/male relationships among vampires, thanks to the
works of Anne Rice. It might have
been an unconscious thing on my part to go in the opposite direction from
Rice’s writing, with more emphasis on female/female relationships in my
stories.
Frankly, I think there will be a gay vampire or two popping up in the stories at some point or another in the future, as gay males tend to be very interesting characters. I’m not going to consciously set out to create a gay male character, just as I didn’t set out to create a black vampire with Screamin’ Willie . . . Willie came into creation as a result of my thinking that Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was one of the coolest guys to have ever lived, and I didn’t sit down and say, “Okay, I’m gonna create a black vampire.” Screamin’ Willie just kind of popped into my head, tipped his hat at me, gave me a jaunty hello, and then proceeded on to his own story. Some day down the line, a gay vampire will probably simply walk out of my creative mists, wish me a good day, and then take his place in the Hollywood Vampires universe as though he’d always been there. He’ll probably be a pretty cool guy, too, as Nathan and I have noticed that all of the gay fellows we’ve ever known have been snappy dressers, had great taste in music, were incredibly amusing to speak with, and were always chock full of good advice . . . I write what I know about, so by drawing from those sources, if I create a gay vampire, he’s gonna be damned cool.
6. What's the deal with magick in the Hollywood Vampires universe? Are half-vampires the only vampires that can use magick? What about mortals?
Amongst vampires, generally speaking, only half-vampires (vamps) have access to the abilities that Katheryne and Donita possess, though not all vamps are endowed with magickal abilities. Due to the curious mixture of vampiric and mortal elements in their blood, vamps as a group are much more predisposed to having magickal capabilities than just about anybody else out there, and almost every vamp has some aptitude for magick using. Though understand when I speak of magick amongst the vamps, I'm usually referring to powers and abilities that come from their physiology and genetics, as the bodies of magickally-capable vamps generate a great deal of extra bioelectrical energy, which the vamp can channel and control, able to perform a great many feats with it after enough practice and refinement. That's what I'm referring to when I use the term 'magickal force energy;' that's the stuff that a vamp's body can generate and be used in all kinds of ways, from firing energy bolts, to levitating objects (or the vamp in question), or even teleporting if they know how and have enough energy to do it. Some mortals are also born with the ability to generate the particular kind of bioelectrical energy that can be used in a 'magick' sense, though it happens far less often than it does in vamps, and when it does, the mortal's capabilities usually aren't as formidable as that of a vamp's, though there are always exceptions. Speaking of exceptions, there have been a few full-blooded vampires through the ages that have been able to use bioelectrical magick, though none of them have become that way naturally . . . they've been the result of experimentation, both willing and unwilling, upon preexisting vampires with the blood of vamps and other substances. More often than not, these experiments, even if the subject does gain bioelectrically-based magickal powers, usually have ended in disaster . . .
Most of the 'high-powered' feats you see vamps like Donita perform are accomplished through the skillful manipulation of this energy, though don't think that bioelectrically-based magick is the only kind to be found in the Hollywood Vampires universe. Though I don't know most of the specifics for other forms of magick (there are several out there, some of which I don't even know about yet), I can tell you that if one knows the right syllables, motions, and procedures, they can perform some pretty considerable feats themselves, regardless of whether they're a vampire, vamp, or regular mortal. Granted, some people are going to have a better talent for this than others, just how some people can make a saxophone sing while others (like myself) can only use on to make sounds like an agonized goose, so not everybody can make good use of some of these other forms of magick, though with practice, almost everybody can make "things" happen if they wish. For instance, Tommy's done a great deal of study on ancient and mystical arcana, and he knows quite a few incantations and formulas that can do all kinds of different things, though he possess absolutely no magickal ability in the bioelectrical sense . . . all it takes are the right syllables and motions, and the occasional drawing with the proper angles, and he's in business. He guards this knowledge with great care, however, and very rarely discusses it with anybody outside of Donita and Katheryne, though he's told a bit about it to Dorian, who remains equally tight-lipped about it . . . Tommy is firmly of the belief that some things are just better left alone and only known about by people who won't abuse them. Donita and Katheryne, who are considered to be scholars in the realm of magickal study and lore, know even more about the topic than Tommy from their centuries of study and practice of magick, and have even addressed it in their book, Magnum Magickus: Practical Magick For The Inquisitive Vamp. The following is an excerpt from one of the chapters of the book, of which there are only four in existence, all of them in the Catacombs in L.A., so don't even try to find Magnum Magickus unless you know the right people or have some vampire blood flowing through you.
Through our many years of experience and exposure to many different flavors of magick, we've discovered that, contrary to what many naysayers may say, there is a great deal of truth regarding the old-school belief of incantations and spells spoken aloud. Now, mind you, these spells aren't the hokey things you see in those fun old horror movies and storybooks . . . there is no 'bubble bubble, toil and trouble' here, and true magickal incantations go far beyond speaking aloud 'spells' that are little more than corny poems. We've discovered, not only from our own personal usage but from speaking with other half-vampires, mortals, and even full vampires, that there are certain syllables and sounds that, when put to the proper rhythm and even volume, can actually set up vibrations that, for lack of a better way of phrasing it, affect the fabric of reality. Now don't go and get the impression that if you go off and randomly say the wrong thing, the universe will rip open and you'll be sucked into a dimension ruled by giant rabbits, because the possibility of that happening is so remote we won't even comment on it. The vibrations (think soundwaves from speaking) can make a localized sphere of reality more pliable to manipulation, the size varying depending upon what incantations you choose, and from there you can speak more syllables that will take advantage of the 'softened' reality in your little sphere of influence, thus actually performing the action that you wish to perform. From studying old scrolls, books, and the like, we've found that virtually all of the incantations and spells we've found are comprised of one part that 'softens' reality and another part that does the actual work, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. It's interesting to note that in a lot of stories and movies, magick-users of many persuasions often have to go through some kind of ritual or a form of preparation, verbal or otherwise, before they actually get down to doing whatever it is they want to do . . . we both strongly suspect that this is a leftover bit of lore still clinging on from the days when spells and incantations were much more commonplace.
It's also of note that it's not just spoken sounds that can be used to affect reality and make it more pliable for one's uses . . . we've both seen instances were gongs, bells, drums, and other objects were used to create a series of sounds that affected a localized sphere of reality in a way to suit the needs of a particular magick-user. Most people don't truly realize the effect that soundwaves and specific vibrations can have on the world around them . . . with the right set of vibrations one can accomplish virtually anything, from helping one's luck in a game of chance to destroying an entire building (ask Nikola Tesla about that one). We've also found, with the help of Dr. Thomas Harcourt, that certain geometrical angles, forms, and structures can be used to affect reality in peculiar ways as well, possibly even to the extent that if one were skillful enough in their manipulation, they could use these curious angles to teleport to other spheres and realms of space, time, and dimension. Dr. Harcourt told us about at least instance where he suspected such a thing happening in a Massachusetts town in the first half of the 20th century involving a student delving deeply into obscure and nearly incomprehensible mathematical formulae and equations, who may have found out a great deal more than he let on to the rest of the world . . . the fact that he was found dead after a mysterious creature, described by a shocked witness as an oversized rat with disturbingly manlike features, had eaten the young man's heart right out of his chest does little to dispel the aura of mystery about the case. Dr. Harcourt and I (Katheryne) have done some studies on the mathematics Dr. Harcourt thinks that student was working with, and while neither of us have been pulled into a parallel dimension, what we've found has proved to be very interesting. However, dear reader, don't think that we're going to be inscribing any of the more risque formulae or incantations we've made mention about in this tome . . . there are good reasons behind the fact that much of this 'forbidden' knowledge has fallen out of more general circulation, the first and foremost among them being that if they're used irresponsibly, a great deal of trouble could come out of them, and you might risk violating one of the primary rules of magick use: don't conjure up something that you can't close or put back if it gets out of hand. There are some things that are just better off not being known by the majority of the population.
As you can see, there is more to magick in the Hollywood Vampires universe, and it's not just Donita changing the color of Stephen's fur or Katheryne blasting bad guys with her super-powerful force blasts. Remember in "My Koo Ka Choo" when Donita said a little good-luck spell for Stacey? That's an example of her putting those special vibrations mentioned before to good use, and she's so adept with her own biolectrically-based magick that there are times where she'll use incantations and certain syllables in conjunction with her own magickal energy to double or triple the effect of some spells, attacks, or defenses. Think of it as being something like the various programming languages for computers: all of them are roughly based on the same thing and work in roughly the same way, but the syntax, structure, and quirks of each language is different, and though you can often use different languages to accomplish the same tasks, there are cases where one language might be better than another or it might be advantageous to write a program that can take advantage of multiple languages. And then there are the cases where one language may be obscure and hard to master, but it can accomplish tremendous things . . . This stuff ain't card tricks and pulling rabbits out of hats, people.
7. Why is it that there are cases in your stories where one vampire knows that another individual is a vampire, too, but there are other instances where a vampire can't tell? Is there a reason behind this, or are you just sloppy and do junk like that as convenient plot devices?
Ahem, well, I can tell you that there's definitely a reason behind it, though it took a while to get it all figured out in my head, which is probably why I haven't addressed it before this. One thing I'd like to unequivocally state here, so that you can etch it in stone for all time, is that all vampires and half-vampires (vamps) are NOT created equally. I view my vampires (meaning vamps, too) as being very much a different species of humanity, and just like people, they're not all the same in terms of abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and the like . . . while there are a good number of common traits just about all vampires share, there are plenty of differences between vampires in my little universe. Just like how Brandi can lift a car over her head and toss it while Tommy wouldn't even bother trying, not every vampire's powers of detecting the presence of other vampires is the same, and there are many factors involved, such as age, experience, and natural tendency towards that ability, among other things. Just like how some people can easily pick out each individual Spice Girl's voice in a song while others can't tell them apart to save their lives, there are some vampires who are just very adept at detecting others of their kind, and are usually never wrong. Sometimes it's because the individual in question has had a lot of experience with other vampires and can pick up very subtle cues even from a distance (like in "My Koo Ka Choo" how Stacey knew Brandi was a vampire right away, even though he was on the sidewalk and she was on her motorcycle out in the road), or perhaps due to the fact that the vampire has a sharp nose and can actually detect a distinctive scent in people that happen to be vampires, or they might even just have a natural knack for it, which could be due to any number of varying factors. At closer range, however, the rules change a bit, and when vampires are in close proximity to one another, it's almost impossible for them not to be able to detect one another; from across the room, one vampire may not be able to detect another, but if they were to pass or brush against each other, then both parties would likely know . . . it's only when there's some distance involved that things can become questionable.
Keep in mind that just because one vampire detects another doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to immediately be buddy-buddy, get hostile, or even acknowledge each other; some do, and some don't. That's especially true in larger communities like Los Angeles, where vampires are pretty commonplace, and for many vampires are just a natural part of the scenery, so they often don't go out of their way to make contact if they notice one another . . . some are naturally talkative, while others just like to be left alone. Others will simply converse with each other or whatnot and never bring up the issue of their vampiric natures, as to manner vampires, being a vampire is a regular part of their lives and isn't something that's discussed or bandied about all that much. Just like when two black or white people encounter one another, they don't immediately and always bring up the issue of race or what it is to be black or white, as that's not something that all black or white people constantly dwell on, and they often just want to talk about music, the weather, how crappy the food at a certain place is, or some other such thing. Some vampires are always stuck on the issue of being a vampire and are always talking about it, even after centuries, while some vampires could care less, as they find other topics more interesting . . . there's usually much more to a person's life and interests than simply being black, white, or a vampire. But I'm getting off the subject . . .
One must also take into consideration that just as not all vampires are equally adept at picking up the presence of another of their kind, not all vampires are very easily detected, no matter who they're dealing with. Some vampires, like Wade or Raven, can mask their presence so well when they want to that they could be in a room full of other vampires, and nobody would be able to tell that they were a vampire . . . or even that they were there at all. This brings us to the vamps, who, as a group, are very hard to detect by vampires, especially by those that haven't had any prior experience with them in the past. The mortal elements in a vamp's blood, not to mention the fact that vamps tend to eat a lot more 'regular' food than full-blooded vampires, work to mask any distinctly vampiric scent they might have. There's also the fact that after centuries of abuse and prejudice aimed at them from countless full-blooded vampires, most vamps are incredibly good at hiding their vampiric nature from the world . . . the ones that couldn't hide it usually wound up dead before long. Most full-blooded vampires, unless they've had a lot of experience with vamps (like say Tommy or Steele), usually can't pick a vamp out of a crowd for anything, and even then it can be very iffy depending upon the vamp in question. For example, Katheryne is especially adept at hiding her presence, and nobody knows she's a half-vampire unless she wants them to. One surefire way for a vampire to tell if another is a vamp is to taste their blood, as vamp blood has a distinctive taste that's neither mortal nor vampire, but a combination of both, and it's extremely rare when a full-blooded vampire misses that . . . but fortunately for the vamps, they're good at making sure potentially dangerous vampires never get a taste of their blood. Even in Los Angeles, where prejudice against vamps is strictly forbidden, as the community is one of freedom and is open to all manner of misfit vampires, and for the first time, vamps are looked upon as a valuable and welcome part of the community, the vamps don't flaunt their presence all that much, as centuries-old habits that helped them survive for so long are very hard to break. On the other side of the coin, almost all vamps are very adept at sensing when another vampire's near or when a person is a vampire . . . it's another habit that was born of necessity and survival, as when one has to beware of full-blooded vampires and the danger they represent, it was essential to be able to know when one was nearby. To this day in Los Angeles, many vamps will have conversations and even hang out with full vampires for periods of time, never letting on that they know the other person is a vampire or that they're a half-vampire, simply because old habits die very hard. One final thing to take into consideration in all of this is the age of a vampire . . . younger vampires without a great deal of experience are less likely to be able to detect another vampire than an older vampire who's been around the block a few times, but as I mentioned before, there are vampires with a great aptitude for this, so there are always exceptions.
So in summary, there are times and situations where a vampire can detect the presence of another, but there are just as many instances where said vampire can't tell . . . as I said, I look upon vampires as a different, highly-powerful, and capable species of humanity, but they're not infallible gods, so they're definitely not omniscient. Oh yeah, and it does serve as a convenient plot device at times, though I do my best to stay consistent . . . if you catch any inconsistencies, let me know!
8. What's the deal with Wade and Raven? What in the world kind of relationship have they got going, and how do they know each other? Are you eventually going to get around to answering that question, or are you just intending on leaving us in the dark forever?
Raven and Wade have a very . . . interesting relationship and history with one another, and their pasts are closely linked together. Little hints of that are scattered around in "The Dance," especially in Wade's flashback scene, though that little sequence ends up raising more questions than definitive answers . . . The explosive nature of the relationship is also touched upon at the conclusion of "The Dance," and while I'll definitely come out and say they've got very strong feelings and love for one another, it's a sort that's not really easy to pin down; there's elements of genuine affection and romance there, but there's also a strong streak of competitiveness and challenge in it, too. It's a love that they both enjoy very much and is an integral part of each of them, but it's also something that could end up getting them both killed because of it, too. When one takes each vampire's personality and drives into consideration, it's really sort of a natural extension of that . . . Wade's got a great deal of ferocity and viciousness just beneath the surface, not to mention his tremendous determination to do what he thinks is right, while Raven is one of the most intensely individualistic and strong-willed people you'll ever meet; those two are absolutely incapable of having a more "standard" sort of relationship, and what they have together is very much like themselves, highly unique and more than a little dangerous. I've got plans to someday tell the entire story of their origins and look very closely at their relationship and how their histories are tied together, and from the way it's looking, it'll be the focus of an entire novel somewhere down the road, as there's a lot to tell! "Ascent" is the working title of the story at the moment, and though it'll probably be a few years before I sit down and start work on it, I will be dropping further hints about the two in other stories later on down the road, to further fuel speculation and give the readers something to wonder about. Though I plan on revealing a great deal about the two and their past, I don't want to do it too soon or reveal too much too fast, as I think the speculation is part of the fun with those two, as well as a fun part of their mystique . . . there are some things I may never fully answer, just so the readers will have something they can fill in with their own imaginations, but rest assured, I've got definite big plans for Raven and Wade.
