PART 8 - KNOW WHO YOU'RE INTERACTING WITH AT ALL TIMES
This skill takes practice and an understanding of the various categories of results that can appear when you "scan" someone using your HUD. I find that my habit of scanning people has gotten rather keen over time, and in fact I do it in stores even when I'm not hunting. It's interesting to know who's around you and what contact, if any, they've had with Bloodlines Players in their past. There are a few basic categories that all avatars fall into in Bloodlines. I've provided a short list below for your quick reference, as well as an explanation of what you'll need to successfully "hunt" a person in that category. All the information to identify the proper category a person is located in can be found in the Local Chat area on your chat screen after completing a scan of that avatar.
THE FRESH VICTIM
A Fresh Victim is an avatar that has never allowed a Bloodlines Player to interact with them in the past using thier HUD. They've never accepted a bite request in the past and have never worn the Bloodlines HUD in game. In my experience, it's exponentially more difficult to bite a Fresh Victim as their avatar ages. For example, to convince a 30 day old avatar to accept your bite request is quite different than convincing a 1200 day old avatar. The more seasoned avatar has in many cases already decided to decline Bloodlines play for any number of reasons, and at some artificially determined point in time, started to consider it a badge of honor that they had never been bitten in the past. This is not meant to discourage you against fresh victims, but merely to alert you to the correlation between avatar age and success rate.
To be bitten a Fresh Victim must be older than 15 days of age. To claim their soul they will only need to have and wear the Bloodlines Thirst HUD.
Proper sequence of events: Bite them, Buy HUD, Wear HUD, Configure HUD.
THE LIMBO
An avatar who's soul is in Limbo has been bitten by a vampire before. Some don't even realize that they have been bitten in the past, if you can believe that. Many vampires are deceptive when they bite, and fail to explain to the victim the full implications of the bite request. When you scan someone and it tells you that their soul is in Limbo, it will also identify who bit them, as their soul is prepared to go to that person in the event they equip the Bloodlines HUD. To prevent that person from obtaining the avatars soul, and to ensure you receive it, they must be provided with a Wormwood Potion before they equip the HUD. Those who's souls are in Limbo tend to be more open to Bloodlines Play than others, as they've encountered it before. The level of their receptiveness tends to be based on their prior experiences with Vampires and Lycans. More previous negative experiences will translate into more work on your part to prove that you're not like all the others.
For a bite to count when the person is in Limbo, the avatar will need to have taken a Wormwood Potion first. This will restore their soul to them, whereby they can then be bitten by you and have it dog eared in your name. If they equip the HUD, then their soul will transfer to you.
Proper sequence of events: Buy Wormwood, they Drink Wormwood, Bite them, Buy HUD, Wear HUD, Configure HUD.
THE "WAS IN LIMBO"
This avatar has been bitten in the past, has already taken a Wormwood Potion, and is ready to be bitten again at their own discretion. They tend to be open to Bloodlines play, yet are very fickle about whom they choose to allow to bite them. This category can be tricky in that they tend to be saving the bite for "the right one", with no clear definition of what makes someone the right one. For a bite to count in this category, they only need to allow you to bite them.
Proper sequence of events: Bite them, Buy HUD, Wear HUD, Configure HUD
THE REGISTERED
This avatar has equipped the Bloodlines HUD System and has a registered status in the game. They are either a Vampire, a Lycan or a Human in the Bloodlines System. If they are a Vampire or a Lycan, any bite you proffer to them will draw Vital Blood from them in proportion to the amount of Vital Blood they have remaining. If they are a Human and have been bitten before, you will drain roughly 5% of their remaining humanity if you bite them. If they are Human and have never been bitten before, they will be more of a challenge. Many times these folks have chosen to equip the HUD simply for the scanning benefits you enjoy as an equipped player.
Proper sequence of events: Bite them and enjoy the Role Play
THE DESTROYED
This avatar was bitten before and became a Vampire or a Lycan, then did not feed as required to avoid being destroyed by The Curse. Basically, their Vital Blood or Vital Lumens were depleted to Zero. When they became destroyed the subordinate souls they had in their care were lost to the Abyss. All a destroyed Vampire or Lycan needs to become restored to life is either consume Vital Blood or Vital Lumens. Often this is simply accomplished by allowing them to bite or scratch you. A caution on the Destroyed however is that many who are destroyed are destroyed for a reason. Reasons vary, ranging from lack of interest or lack of funds, to outright dissatisfaction with their previous family or not fitting in with the group. Talk to these avatars and listen carefully for their individual stories. Though each story is unique to that avatar, you'll find that many consistent themes arise as you get to know people.
You cannot bite a destroyed Vampire or Lycan until they have restored themselves. This can easily be accomplished by allowing them to bite you twice. This will ensure that there is enough Vital Blood or Lumens in them to remain restored after you bite them back.
Proper sequence of events: Allow them to bite or scratch you twice, Bite them and enjoy the Role Play.
THE REVENANT
This category of Avatar has been bitten before, became a Human Blood Doll, and was fully drained of all their humanity. These avatars are basically the walking dead. They have 0% Humanity remaining, and only need to consume 5 Full Liters of Vital Blood or Lumens (depending on the HUD they own) to become a full Vampire or Lycan.
THE GARLIC NECKLACE
An avatar that has worn the Garlic Necklace has explicitly and overtly decided not to participate in Bloodlines Role Play or Game Play. Please do not disturb persons in this category as it's considered rude behavior. All residents in Second Life have the right to determine the fate and destiny of their individual avatars, and those who have equipped a Garlic Necklace should be respected in their decisions. Please do not disturb these avatars under any circumstances with talk of Bloodlines play.
THE ABYSS
If you run across an avatar that has a status result showing their soul is in the Abyss, this means they have been bitten, equipped the HUD and became either Vampire, Lycan or Human, and later, their Liege became destroyed. To save them from the Abyss, the avatar will need to consume a Hemlock Potion. I often find that persons in the Abyss had no idea they were in the Abyss to start with, and aren't very active players. Often they are humans that agreed to entertain the Second Life of a friend that played Bloodlines, but know nothing of Bloodlines individually. The benefit to meeting a person in this category is that should you be successful at inspiring them to resume play, this avatar will merely require a single Hemlock Potion to retrieve them from the Abyss and then later be bitten by you after they consume the potion. Once that process is completed, that soul will transfer to your possession for safekeeping.
Proper sequence of events: Buy Hemlock Potion, they Drink the Hemlock Potion, Bite them, Reconfigure HUD settings to pledge allegiance to you.
Tomorrow I'll explain the various potions and other things that Bloodlines provides to assist you with restoring or repairing avatars in the various categories we've described above. Check back soon! :)
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