The Rapture of the Kiss
- by Robert How,
December 1998
The Kiss
There have been many speculations over the nature of the Kiss,
when a vampire drinks from a mortal. Scientists have speculated
that, like a vampire bat, kindred release certain chemicals into
the blood preventing coagulation (this is certainly the case),
but also to mentally and physically paralyse their prey.
Whether the effect is chemical, psychosomatic or telepathic,
it creates an effect in the victim called Rapture. This
is an intensely emotional sensation, during which the victim
is so taken up with the feeling that they lose all sense of the
outside world. In fact it is so intense that their memory of
the moments before it becomes vague in comparison with the sensations
of Rapture.
Rapture is not necessarily pleasure, although for those who
have been seduced into the Kiss it might be. The Rapture is an
extension of the feelings the victim has in the instant they
are Kissed. If they have been jumped on from behind it is terror
or fear, the memories afterward are of pain and violation.
The human mind cannot fully comprehend the Rapture, and afterwards,
like a dream, their brain will try to rationalise the experience.
If it is the climax of a pleasurable seduction, they will rationalise
it as slightly rough but languorously penetrative sex. If it
is violent and brutal they will perceive it is a brutal assault
or even rape.
Many vampires can actually attune themselves to the Rapture
of their victims, revelling and sharing in the intensity of sensation.
Many Toreador certainly do so. This is not a vampire Power or
Discipline - it doesn't gain anything - but is a pleasurable
experience open to those vampires who choose to become attuned
to their prey.
Blood Dolls
Because the feelings of the Kiss are so intense, mortals can
actually become addicted to the Rapture. Constant exposure to
these intense feelings erodes the mind to such an extent that
mortals become always compliant to a vampire's bite. They become
intensely hedonistic, vague, and even self-destructive. Such
mortals become the Herd of vampires,
vampire addicts known as Blood Dolls.
Kindred Blood Addiction in Methuselahs
Some have speculated how all this relates to ancient vampires.
After thousands of years, many ancients, or "Methuselahs",
increasingly get the taste for the blood of other vampires, forcing
them to commit diablerie rather than come under the influence
of another.
Scholars have theorised as follows.
Ancient Kindred very often have low humanity. As such, they
can no longer experience much emotion, and their only emotional
experience is through the Kiss.
The Rapture of sharing blood between Kindred is the most intense
experience imaginable, far beyond even the ecstasy of the Kiss
of mortals. As a result, when Methuselahs drink kindred blood,
they give themselves over to an ecstacy they cannot experience
in any other way
As such, drinking Kindred blood comes from the desperate need
for emotional contact, which is the only thing stopping them
from giving themselves over to the Beast.
Quite a sad thought.
[ST's Note: Try using this idea in giving genuine emotional
pathos to a story involving an ancient kindred character.]
"Order of Draco", (c) Robert
D How, 1998
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