“Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Their default sleeping position is fully horizontal, on their back, arms laying beside them. They don’t mean to. They’ll get into bed and fall asleep on their side, their stomach etc yet always wake up on their back. Sleeping on their back is not even something that's more comfortable than the rest of the sleeping positions, it just HAPPENS. (btw this is funny to me for absolutely no reason lol).

Animals are wary/scared off them. They pick up on that unnatural presence vampires radiate much quicker. It would take much more for a vampire to tame, say, a horse, or even befriend the friendliest of dogs.

Everything gets healed fully when a person turns. Not just wounds, scars and broken bones, but diseases too like asthma, chronic pain and even nearsightedness (lol, I wear glasses so this would be a dream). All this is because the body “resets” to the “vampire template”—Sharper vision and hearing, heightened speed and strength etc. A Vampire is (beyond) peak human.

They have a strange relationship with their mortality. They’re not truly immortal—They’ve just been cheating death for the past 100, 300, 1000+ years. Death is always a possibility, yet never a certainty and it puts them in a strange paradox. Life becomes a string of events that doesn’t end. They know that the next day they will have risen and everything will go on just as the day before.

Fresh blood straight from the vein will always be better than blood bags as the former lets them chase, snatch, feed and nurture the predator inside, all in one go. The latter does taste good, just not as good as fresh and warm blood. They get a muted version of the bliss that follows feeding, and the taste is worse. It’s not bad or disgusting, it’s cold. It goes down less smoothly and it thickens in their mouth as if their body is telling them to find a human to leech off of. “Stale” is the closest adjective.

In-universe, blood sharing is described as “personal”. It does not equal sex directly, but it is extremely intimate and heavily laden with sexual energy. It mirrors the neurochemical cocktail of sex: dopamine, endorphins, oxytocins(!!)—and it’s all magically enhanced. Blood sharing is better than regular sex for vampires. Both the vampire and the person they’re sharing blood with, whether it be human, another vampire, witch or any other supernatural creature, experience the euphoria, disorientation, lowered inhibitions vampires experience when they drink blood. It’s mutual, even when the person getting fed on is only donating, they experience something regardless.

Food doesn’t taste as good as when they were human. They can eat it, but they never enjoy it as much as blood. In general, blood is also easier to consume. A vampire's body is dead so they don’t expel waste like a human when they drink blood. The magic that made their body dead also replaces biology which causes their body to absorb the blood, keeping them alive but it’s never anything that has to leave them. But they will have to expel waste if they eat regular food.

Speaking of blood, It’s never the taste of blood a vampire enjoys, it’s the euphoric feeling it brings. Blood still tastes like blood—metallic and salty—yet the feeling they get is what helps them stomach it. It’s uncomfortable for most when they first turn but slowly they start to like it, or at the very least it gets easier.

(This is purely speculation. My knowledge of the science behind addiction is not extensive so do take this point with a handful of salt.) What makes a vampire addicted to blood (IE a Ripper) is an amalgam of genetics, personality, and (inner) character. Don’t be fooled, IRL anyone can become an addict. Fundamentally, we all have the same needs (love, comfort, belonging) and some just happen to be unlucky to be offered substances (blood) instead of a hug. In canon, we know that Stefan is a Ripper because Lily is one too, hinting that being a Ripper is something that goes in the Salvatore genes. So why does Stefan/Lily become a Ripper and not Damon? Well, initially, both brothers did not want to turn. Stefan didn’t know he was being fed vampire blood. Damon did but only because of the hope that he could spend an eternity with Katherine. Stefan accidentally turns because of the wave of bloodlust that hits him when he accidentally hurts his father and eventually the bloodlust takes over and he kills him. There's also a quote from Damon that pops into my head that I think will tie together this very long point neatly lol. From 4x04: “And you know what makes me able to drink my fill and leave someone breathing and not rip their head off like my brother? It's that I can revel in it. I can make it fun.” Damon didn't start off as comfortable with being a vampire, it was something he grew into. Stefan’s body has always rejected vampirism. From the moment he killed his father and turned, his nervous system was primed to internalize shame. His humanity shines through in the form of small gestures ex; It is shown through him putting his victim’s bodies together after he's drained them. Even in 2x15 with a flashback to Stefan in 1864, set shortly after his transition where he is in full Ripper mode, no humanity, and using women like puppets. He makes them dance, has them play the piano and feeds on them when he pleases. When he tries to make Damon join the “fun” and Damon rejects, finally tired of Stefan’s sadism and says he’s leaving, Stefan immediately snaps out of it. He pleads, says he’ll do better, and IMO Damon leaving is what makes Stefan’s humanity turn back on, or at least puts it on a “dimmer” mode. So when he meets Lexi while he’s feeding on wounded soldiers, he can accept the help she offers him. But he still feels deep guilt because of his actions. It’s the same with Lily. They share the same vulnerability, and what makes Damon different is that his relationship with feeding, control and guilt is fundamentally different to theirs, hence the quote from 4x04. Damon doesn’t carry the same shame and guilt Stefan and Lily do because he just does not care! Human beings are nothing but food for him, something he can toy with and discard as he pleases. The moment Stefan and Lily feed, they’re directly faced with the fact that they’re “monsters”. The fear fractures their self control, and once it breaks, they succumb and dissociate. They become “The Ripper of Monterey” and the woman who went from city to city, slaughtering anyone she could get her hands on. Their souls want to stop, desperately want to reject it yet the overwhelming shame and guilt stops them. TLDR: Guilt is what separates them. Lily’s/Stefan’s view is different from Damon's, who can enjoy what vampirism offers him because it offers him everything he wants in life. A Ripper is fueled by shame (Lily/Stefan). Damon can’t relate.

(Non specific) head canons for vampire characters. I just put them in where I find them fitting:

Point 3 makes me ponder about the Salvatore brothers a lot. Damon sees the world through a very black and white lens. He’s very cynical but it’s not a shallow version of cynicism. He does enjoy what life has to offer—sex, drinking, partying, feeding—but also the quieter parts—enjoying a good book, exploring a new city, trying new cuisine. He’s seen people cling to life like it means something, but to him? Life is just a long string of meaningless events, and the only meaning it could have is the meaning you assign to it. That’s why he indulges—because if life is pointless, you might as well enjoy the little it has to offer. But it’s also why he suffers. Because what if he’s wrong? What if there is meaning that goes beyond hedonism, and he’s just too far gone to see it?

When it comes to Stefan, he’s almost the opposite of Damon. To paint a picture: Stefan wants to lay down in the warm ocean and let all his worries, his guilt, his anxiety and his self hatred get washed away. He’s been guilt ridden from the moment he turned because of the murder of his father, and all the events that unfolded afterwards. It’s practically ingrained in his bones. They are similar in a sense where they both are searching for something more, and for Damon it’s like a scratch he can’t itch, but for Stefan, it’s peace he’s always wanted. As a vampire he knows he has a hundred lifetimes to achieve it yet he can’t stop the gnawing pit in his stomach from reaching it.

BLOOD ORGYS. It’s not P in V or any other variation but a bunch of vampires, other supernatural creatures and humans sharing blood. Drinking from each other's necks, wrists, thighs—wherever they feel like sinking their fangs in! Damon and Lexi loved them during his no-humanity phase in the 70s. New York was…something else lol. Stefan has also indulged in a few throughout his lifetime but he will deny it like no tomorrow.

Elena almost perfectly fits into point 8. She too struggles with what being a vampire means for her and clings to her humanity. She most definitely has the unfortunate chance of becoming a Ripper.

1. Vampires give off presence. Humans pick it up subconsciously. Eye contact feels like being pinned, and because of their predatory nature you feel as if you are being assessed for…something, and you can’t figure out what or why.

2. Gets overstimulated very easily. It makes them drawn to people with calming auras, steady heartbeats (bc they can zero in on that noise and soothe themselves) and unique scents.

3. Are naturally dominant in all their relationships (platonic too) because of their predatory nature. (Apex) predators are the top of the food chain after all and they want to keep it that way. They can’t help but enjoy the rush of power that comes with being faster and stronger. Yes, this includes in bed too.

3. A vampires body is cold because they’re dead, so they are starved for warmth, any kind of warmth but specifically body heat. They subconsciously lean closer to body heat and hold touches longer than they mean to. But there’s something about fire they find off putting. They don’t notice it but they stray away from any fire place, keeps a distance, gazes at the flames instead of using it for heat like everyone else around them.

4. Veryyy sensitive bodies. Especially their necks and wrists—any place where pulses go, but also scalp. They go quiet when someone touches those spots bc it’s sensory overload (in a good way).

5. Seem confident even though they may not be in the moment.

6. Biters. It’s their form of intimacy. Especially when they’re in love. Their mouths always gravitate towards their partners neck.

7. When someone gets bit by a vampire, it’s a very complicated feeling. There’s pain from their skin getting pierce, but also strangely exhilarating.

8. Very protective and territorial.

9. More energetic than humans. I reckon they can go 48 hours without sleep. They can get annoyed sometimes because they’re immortals and all this energy makes them restless and sometimes it can make them feel like they’re stuck in infinite loop.

Specific head canons for characters that are vampires:

Damon unintentionally circles people when they talk. He stalks rather than walks and tends to stand between people and exits. He has this sudden stillness when he’s irritated (like animals freezing before they strike). He cuts distance quietly and is incredibly stealthy. He knows he naturally stands out (bc he’s majestic as hell) but he also knows how to reel that in, it’s impressive really. Also point 8 fits into him the most out of all.

Both Elena and Stefan have to move or touch something close to them to suppress their blood lust. They twists their daylight rings around their fingers, tosses their car keys into the air, taps their foot against the floor, eats real food. You know when you’re bored and you open your fridge to see if there’s something to snack on? Yeah that’s them. But when they’re with each other this eases up, they get less tense as they have each other as their anchors. Their mere presence grounds each other and it allows them to breathe. Also leads to them having crazy sex.

Caroline is always on the go. Her schedule is never empty. It was never empty before when she was human either, but now as a vampire with extra energy she delights in knowing that she can use it even more.

Alaric fit into point 2 the most. He’s very overstimulated because he has an actual job lol and being a professor is time consuming. He becomes the epitome of a tired dad and he drinks alcohol a lot more.

Katherine picks mostly human for one night stands and avoids vampires. It’s not that’s she’s picky but mostly because of point 4. She’s also touch starved as hell, and tends to go for people she deems beneath her. They can be self conscious and have low confidence, or they can be very naive. If she’s in a dominant mood (which she always is), she will decide to sleep with werewolves bc they are strong so she likes wrestling them down. She’s also bi, thank you very much.

born into an dysfunctional family because of his abusive father, he learned early on how to read a room—the shift in energy, the way someone’s breathing changes, the tightening of a jaw. he’s excellent at picking up micro-expressions, tone shifts, even subtle changes in body language.

when he was young and helpless, he tried his best to diffuse argument with his father, but that’s only when stefan would be in crossfires. if it was just him and his dad? yeah, he’s most definitely ending up with a slap mark on his cheek. why should he back down? his father is the piece of shit in this situation, in any situation in fact! (that’s how i imagine his thought process, it’s messy (like him), but i hope everyone gets it).

Will forever love and mourn this scene bc it’s so perfect IMO.

Damon Salvatore was born to parents that he felt loved his little brother more. He fell in love with Katherine, another individual who preferred his little brother to him. His whole life he’s been deeply insecure, chasing a sense of security and love he can’t find. He thinks he’s found it in Elena but let’s be honest, even she tried to change him. That’s why he continuously lashed out because once more, he doesn’t feel safe. Her wanting him to change reaffirmed that there is something fundamentally wrong with him that needs to be fixed, and that’s why no one loves him the way they love Stefan.

But he doesn’t want to change, he doesn’t seek redemption because he likes himself as he is. Morally grey, deeply flawed, tough and mean. That’s who he is and he knows that. What he’s always wanted is for someone to see him as he is, and still stay. He’ll push and lash out, just to test those around him, to see if they’ll still care. And in that scene Alaric is furious, yes, but he still stays. He says “you’re my friend, but I’m not gonna let you act however you want without consequences.”

And Damon being Damon, is way to prideful to apologise for his behaviour, BUT you can tell he’s ashamed, that Alaric got to him, that he cares about what Alaric thinks. We see that he’s not only some egotistical maniac, we see that he needed that. Just the tiniest confirmation that even after this screw up, Alaric still care about him, that they were still friends.

And in a perfect world, Damon would cherish that with all his heart.

Stefan Salvatore.

1x19 | Miss Mystic Falls