Ethics within the Vampire Community

Author: Masticina Akicta
Contributors: TheRedDragon1966
Date: 10 May 2022

What are Ethics

Ethics are rules to life by, rules to be a good and trust-able person. Rules that others within groups expect to go by so everybody can work together. And some are enshrined in laws to protect society.
Some are personal ethics, and the ethics of every person can differ based upon upbringing, religion, situation, and other influences. 
Ethics can be connected to life choices, like being vegan or vegetarian. Or trying to be as green as possible in the way they life. Or support certain causes or try to cause change into the world that one deems as positive. 
Every society has some form of ethics, expected behavior. Do not steal and do not kill for instance. There are laws for that, but it is also an ethical issue. Help other people when they need it, a common one, not enforced by any state law. But many will try to follow such. In short ethics are personal rules to life by, some enshrined by laws to protect society, others are personal. 

Vampirism and Ethics

Vampires have many problems, one of them is that they need to feed. Their choice of source can be quite limited indeed, sanguinary vampires will have little choice but through blood. Be it from a donor or even animal blood. Getting this is a topic that many sanguinary vampires talk about and there are guides written by them.  
Eros vampires, the succubus and incubus feed during sex. Getting consent is obviously an important part here. And they also need to find willing playmates/donors.
Psychic vampires have a bit more choice in resources and methods. But they have a bad name because untrained psychic vampires use the worst methods. You heard of them, they are either very draining personalities or caustic. They cause trouble, and things never seem to be right around them. This raises emotions and hence energy in the people around them which they feed off. They are sometimes called emotional vampires. And many guides have been written by energy workers how to deal with them.
There are many ways to feed for psychic vampires. Finding one that is both ethical and with consent is difficult, but within reach.

Choice of Feeding - Psychic vampire

As a psychic vampire I have learned a lot of things about safe feeding methods. 
So, lets start there. The most ethical way to feed is to find a donor, a willing person who can consent and you two talks through it and make sure it is done safely. 
But you can’t find a donor? You and many other vampires. So, what are your other options?
One of the most troubling methods is to cause a ruckus or trouble then feed from the energy released by others. You won’t end up with many friends that way. It is why we have such a bad name. Do you really want to be known as that troublemaker? Or person who always has a hard time/issues? 
Another method is to learn to control your tendrils which is part of your energy system. The tendrils can be directed toward the donor. See and feel the energy then nibble. This is how to connect to a donor over distance. You can also use this method while out in public place and you can gather hovering energy that is freely released.
A highly unethical method, and many vampires have done it, is by using tendrils to connect to an unknowing/unwilling person and feed from them. I shouldn’t have to point out WHY this isn’t the most ethical way. Sanguinary vampires would point out that this is like running around with lancets and attacking people. 
Instead, an ethnical solution is to feed from a public area, not targeting one or any group of humans. This requires human activity and movement rich area. Different locations have different levels of energy, a disco/bar can be delicious depending on the night, a shopping mall or busy train-station is fine. Remember: keep it ethical do not feed directly from others, but feed from the area. There is a difference here. This is where learning to filter and process energy will help too. I have survived for years on this more ethical diet. 
Nature is another option, the energy is slow, very slow, but with a bit of training and adjustment can offer some food value. Yes, you are munching trees, and no it isn’t very tasty! But if worst come to shove, aka Covid, you can survive on it for a while. Just not thrive. The early months of Covid, no travel, no nothing, all I had was nature and trees. I survived not thrived! 

Finding a Donor

The big D, donor that is! A person willing to give you blood, or energy. Better respect them for offering, and finding one is the big question.
There are a few websites that try to connect vampires and donors like The Black books: https://theblackbooks.net , and once people find out that you are a vampire some might become a donor. What can I say, vampires have that beacon thing, that won’t only attract other vampires but also donors and energy sensitives. Of course it is a bit of a freak magnet so buyers beware. Be double sure to check you you tell your true nature off.
A Donor should understand your needs, what their role is, and most important that it is done safe and with consent. In short, you talk through things, how it works, how to do it safe and tell them that they can say NO! I just saw some people from the BDSM community nod their head. Lets talk about the Donor Consent and rights.

Donor Consent and other matters

Before a donor can offer their energy and/or blood to you there are some issues. First, they need to understand what they are going to do. They need to consent and be able to consent. I am sure that some freshly awoken vampires will skirt that last part at times. Mostly as choices are little. 
What matters is that the donor knows what really is going on, that the method is safe, that you deal with the aftercare and that they can say STOP! They retain control. Yes, a vampire can be hungry but, the donor safety and health matters. 
A vampire also can decide depending on the situation if it is safe to feed. Sanguinary vampires highly probably require regular blood checks for blood born diseases. That is not a luxury! And if the vampire notices that the donor isn’t 100% stable or healthy, they should decide to post-phone the feeding. 
It sounds harsh to the vampires but treating people right opens up doors. 

A Sanguinary’s points of view

“A vampire may choose to seek out a human blood donor to alleviate symptoms and as a means of maintaining health and wellbeing. Often, a donor is chosen from within the vampire’s social circle such a family member, a spouse, lover, a friend, or an acquaintance. Exhausting these resources, the vampire may choose to advertise for a donor via a posted advertisement.
Both the vampire and donor need to be of legal age of consent, be mentally stable, fully competent, and able to understand and consent to the procedure of having blood drawn and subsequently ingested.
Please note that the legalities surrounding consent and the ingestion of human blood is complex is greatly dependent upon the country and region in which you live and well beyond the scope of this document.
The amount of blood ingested, frequency and methods utilized to extract same varies widely. Aftercare with the donor the next day to ensure they are feeling well and to check that a wound is healing properly. Discussion around how much aftercare; if any; is something that can be negotiated.
Blood screening to rule out underlying medical issues and contagious diseases should not only be expected but insisted upon by the parties involved. How often these need to be completed can be negotiated between the vampire and donor; and may be dependent upon the personal history and lifestyles. Be aware that when dealing with bodily fluids; even with the best of care, there are always risks. Do keep in confidence any personal disclosure of medical and personal information.
Abuse of any kind should never be tolerated or condoned. Including verbal abuse such as name calling, slander, ridicule, intimidation, verbal or physical threats, coercion, emotional, psychological, financial, sexual, or physical violence.
The nature of the relationship between vampire and donor is special and it cannot be understated as it is very much about consent, negotiation, and trust between the parties involved. People and situations are every evolving and thus negotiation and consent is an ongoing process. 
Remember, both vampires and donors are people. They have lives, careers, families, friends, and acquaintances and share the same emotions, feelings, and concerns as everyone else in society and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.“
- TheRedDragon1966

Donor Bill of Rights

One of the early things that rolled out of working together between different houses were things like The Black Veil, how vampires should behave, and The Donor Bill of Rights, how donors ought to be treated and their rights. The Black Veil is a topic of its own.
Neither of these are air tight legal documents but many vampires try to stick to these. 
The Donor Bill of Rights(External): http://www.neworleansvampireassociation.org/donor-bill-of-rights.html

Conclusion

Being a vampire and having needs is one thing, however, our behaviour should not cause others any trouble. We can find donors if we have them in the area. Psychic vampires can decide how they feed and from whom. They can also seek donors or find ways that don’t directly target other people. Some even feed or munch on trees. Sangs require a more physical resource, and this can be gained through temporal alternatives or finding donors. All this is to be done smartly, with care and ethical insight. Our needs don’t stand above those who can or are willing to offer it, and we need to take care of our donors too.