Well, since I'm watching The Lost Boys anyway, I think I will just talk about my own type of vampire. Well... the type I use most anyway... These are more like a race of people rather than the kind in Anne Rice books (and many other vampire stories). That is to say, they reproduce the way humans (and other mammals :3;) do, and if they bite another human (or whatever) that person will not become a vampire. The group that I've mostly concerned myself lives in the forest (formerly the Raincrystal Forest, but which needs a new name since I don't particularly like taking Scully's :3;), in their own city. Unfortunately, unlike many modern vampires, they cannot hide the fact that they have fangs (which means it's nearly impossible to hide themselves unless they keep their mouths shut), and, obviously, they don't shift between a 'vampire' and a 'human' persona (like Buffy vampires) because they don't have the latter.

In appearance they're mostly human, aside from their fangs and their ears, which are slightly pointed (less so than an elf's, but definitely moreso than a human), and their skin, which is universally milky pale. They hate direct sunlight, simply because their skin is so frail--standing in direct sunlight won't kill them immediately, but it would be uncomfortable and they start to sunburn after only ten minutes of exposure. It would take about twenty-four hours to kill them, but only half that for them to develop serious sunburn. This is why they chose to live in the forest--the canopy is especially thick over their city, so it protects them from the sun.

They are not immortal, although their lifespan is much lengthier than a human's just because they have better immune systems and they do not age as quickly in general. Old for them would be 280-300 years (although some, of course, have lived longer), but they can't live forever--either they succumb to some disease (they're immune to a lot, but not everything), they are killed, or their bodies simply give out (or, if they're deprived of blood, they starve). They do need blood to survive, however, it is considered a huge taboo to bite a human being. They would never bite anyone they cared about, as in their society that would just be akin to trying to bite their hand off or something. They usually drink animals' blood, and they can subsist on blood alone for a long while, but they'd eventually need a bit of regular food as well. They can survive on regular food for a far less period of time, as they need to drink blood at least once every few days. If they do not, their bodies will begin to deteriorate rapidly, and in a few more days they'll be gone.

As for the other myths--they don't like lots of garlic, but, I mean, who does? It's pretty repugnant in large amounts. :3; They can't see their reflections in normal mirrors, although a lot of them have enchanted mirrors to resolve that problem, and they don't cast a shadow. However, holy water and crosses and the like don't bother them, as they are not undead or inherently unholy beings. If you staked them through the heart they would probably die, but then again, if someone staked me through the heart I would probably die as well. =P They can't come into houses unless invited; if they try they'll be repulsed by an invisible force. The reason for this is actually a curse that was put on the entire race a long time ago, but that's another story. ^^;

And, again, they do not bite people, at least, the majority do not. To most of the people in city, even suggesting such a thing would get you a lot of stares (kind of like suggesting that a person eat another person) and possibly even into worse trouble. This is why Raikal (one of the two vampire characters I've fleshed out) is ostracized in his city, due to rumors that he drinks the blood of humans (and other things). They haven't kicked him out, since they are only rumors, but they would love to find an excuse to do so. ^^;

So yes. Them's is my vampires, or the foremost kind (there's also soul vampires, which are entirely different and much more disgusting sort)...they have a clan name, but I forget what it is just now. n_n