#vampire art

So I figure I can update this as I flesh out her character more, but for now here's what I've got on her: How old is she? She's physically 22 but mentally 26.

What does she do for a living? She's a professional actress in the commedia dell'arte theater troupe "La Sopravvissuti", where she holds the position "first Zanni". Essentially, she has been with the troupe long enough that she has first pick of any Zanni roles (harlequin, pulcinella, scapino, and others).

Does she have any family? Her mother died in childbirth and her father died when she was 5. A pair of her paternal piblings and their kids moved into her home after her father's death, but when she was 7 she was kicked out and adopted by the leader and director of La Sopravvissuti, Signore Reggi. She considers Paola, one of the senior actresses her aunt, and appropriately calls her Zietta.

"La Sopravvissuti"? Yes! The troupe's name translates to "The Survivors", because many are immigrants, outcasts, and veterans. The troupe was originally Signore Reggi's father's attempt to reunite some of his war buddies and give them a creative outlet, and Reggi continues his father's work in very much the same way.

How long has she been a vampire? Four years! She's still getting the hang of it and coming to terms with it.

How did she get turned? As a way of supporting the troupe and covering expenses, each actor is expected and encouraged to seek out patrons, who will watch their performances and enjoy the progression of their careers. In efforts to see their "pet actors" succeed, many will provide lodging, clothes, allowances, or networking connections. Leila was turned by one of these patrons, who had seduced her into sleeping with him, and while intoxicated, he turned her. She did consent, technically, but he didn't tell her all the side effects of vampirism.

Does she feed on human blood? She does, yes! When her patron turned her he kept her locked in his mansion for a full season, until she had some semblance of control over her instincts. During that time she fed on people her patron brought to the house, but once she was freed from under his thumb and returned to the troupe, she still fed on strangers. After a couple of months she realized an obvious solution: asking for the consent of performers in the troupe, to "feed" during their menstrual cycles. It's her current go-to, so she doesn't hunt.

Wait so if that's how she feeds, is she queer? Yes! She doesn't have the same language for it in her time as we do now, but we would classify her as "pansexual" and "demiromantic".

Saw a cool ass reference photo n knew what must be done. Nat belonged in that. The other platforms i posted this to has the old version where i forgot his hair stripes (theyre new)