No, not really. That's what a lot of the arguments about religion and systems of government all boil down to. The idea that men are all created equal is almost a new concept, and one you can easily say isn't true, because all people have different bodies or capabilities from each other. Monarchies are also predicated on the idea that royalty's lineage is what makes them special from birth. Napoleon, America, a few others were all trying for a more Democratic Republic system like ancient Greece, but even then, America divided people based on skintone and allowed slavery until only a few decades ago my time, and had to have a huge civil war to ban it. Napoleon wasn't completely doing away with aristocracy either. His wife was royalty. And he was an Emperor himself.
That is exactly how the two greater vampires I know get their blood ethically. They buy blood from the willing, who also have to be healthy enough to sell it. As a Doctor I helped ensure precisely that. A lot of impurities go into blood, and any little thing could change the taste completely! Killing someone would be a terrible travesty, not just because life is sacred, but from a purely practical standpoint, if you found one you liked the taste of, how would you get more? And the more someone starts to enjoy it, the sweeter it tastes -- I'm told.
Men do, absolutely! [A giant grin!] But in the 19th century, most of them aren't willing to admit it, unless it's via violence or some other deemed socially acceptable form of masculine balderdash. [Nope, Arthur LOVES women! He thinks women are the greatest. It's men he doesn't like! -- Not individually, but collectively men globally. Individually, he likes most people. Though he gets insanely conpetitive with authors.] And I'm not human enough anymore to be able to experience a vampire's bite the same way. [Just winks. Despite that alarming statement.] I could ask Sebastian, but he'd either think I was coming onto him, or slap me with his gloves for what is quite obviously not purely intellectual curiosity on my part. So I only know of women willing to talk -- at length -- about their experience with the bite. And all the vampires I know are male. Most women have more sense, and haven't gotten themselves turned. [See?]
I can't say as to your acquaintance. I can't imagine anyone mistaking Sebastian as a slave. But he has more freedom than anyone he works for. I can't think it would be possible without severe psychological breaking however. Vampires are stronger and faster than humans, but they need blood for anything and even just denial, disgust, or fear can turn the blood repellant.
I do think lifelong is... too long. It's hard to imagine you'll be the same person in a few decades, and worse knowing how different the whole world is one year to the next, but it was designed to protect women. In theory. [Both hands up!] In France they are far more liberal about it. One night affairs are perfectly reasonable, and Kings have had all manners of multiple consorts at the same time. Perhaps that's the difference? In Great Britain: the English King kept divorcing his wives in order to marry a new one. In France, they didn't care. Same with same-sex relationships. In England, they're illegal. A playwright got sentenced to hard labour for it, well he was also propositioning children, but when it's a man propositions teenage girls they don't seem to care as much. France is very live-and-let-live about it all.
Bubble universes. [Thinks that over.]
Not always. I wrote a lot of my early stuff for children. But instead of the world I know nothing about, I wrote about the things I know and I -- [He clenches a fist. He feared they'd never get to see. Hoped to give them hope. Hoped to make them live a little longer.] I wanted to teach them in the way schools couldn't. [Loosens the grip!] Practical things. I daresay I think I would have enjoyed it more if I could write about places like this.
[Hope. Cheery things. Less macabre death. Honestly of course he's a vampire, what else would he be other than undead?]
no subject
That is exactly how the two greater vampires I know get their blood ethically. They buy blood from the willing, who also have to be healthy enough to sell it. As a Doctor I helped ensure precisely that. A lot of impurities go into blood, and any little thing could change the taste completely! Killing someone would be a terrible travesty, not just because life is sacred, but from a purely practical standpoint, if you found one you liked the taste of, how would you get more? And the more someone starts to enjoy it, the sweeter it tastes -- I'm told.
Men do, absolutely! [A giant grin!] But in the 19th century, most of them aren't willing to admit it, unless it's via violence or some other deemed socially acceptable form of masculine balderdash. [Nope, Arthur LOVES women! He thinks women are the greatest. It's men he doesn't like! -- Not individually, but collectively men globally. Individually, he likes most people. Though he gets insanely conpetitive with authors.] And I'm not human enough anymore to be able to experience a vampire's bite the same way. [Just winks. Despite that alarming statement.] I could ask Sebastian, but he'd either think I was coming onto him, or slap me with his gloves for what is quite obviously not purely intellectual curiosity on my part. So I only know of women willing to talk -- at length -- about their experience with the bite. And all the vampires I know are male. Most women have more sense, and haven't gotten themselves turned. [See?]
I can't say as to your acquaintance. I can't imagine anyone mistaking Sebastian as a slave. But he has more freedom than anyone he works for. I can't think it would be possible without severe psychological breaking however. Vampires are stronger and faster than humans, but they need blood for anything and even just denial, disgust, or fear can turn the blood repellant.
I do think lifelong is... too long. It's hard to imagine you'll be the same person in a few decades, and worse knowing how different the whole world is one year to the next, but it was designed to protect women. In theory. [Both hands up!] In France they are far more liberal about it. One night affairs are perfectly reasonable, and Kings have had all manners of multiple consorts at the same time. Perhaps that's the difference? In Great Britain: the English King kept divorcing his wives in order to marry a new one. In France, they didn't care. Same with same-sex relationships. In England, they're illegal. A playwright got sentenced to hard labour for it, well he was also propositioning children, but when it's a man propositions teenage girls they don't seem to care as much. France is very live-and-let-live about it all.
Bubble universes. [Thinks that over.]
Not always. I wrote a lot of my early stuff for children. But instead of the world I know nothing about, I wrote about the things I know and I -- [He clenches a fist. He feared they'd never get to see. Hoped to give them hope. Hoped to make them live a little longer.] I wanted to teach them in the way schools couldn't. [Loosens the grip!] Practical things. I daresay I think I would have enjoyed it more if I could write about places like this.
[Hope. Cheery things. Less macabre death. Honestly of course he's a vampire, what else would he be other than undead?]