THE SECRET VAMFEM FILES: AFTER THE FIRST NIGHT

What vampires really look for when they choose a woman again The first package showed us how vampires talk about VamFem.com applicants. The second showed us something very different. The first-night threads were full of bodies, clothes, photographs, stamina, jokes, fang chasers, disastrous dinners and women who arrived with completely wrong ideas about what vampires wanted from them. The second package was quieter. Not nicer. Quieter. The woman had already been chosen. The limousine had already arrived. Dinner had already happened. The hotel door had already closed. Morning had already come. And now the vampire had to decide something far more complicated. Did she want to see the woman again? One text file from the leaker contained a single sentence: Humans think getting through the first night is the hard part. Then: That part is easy. And below it: The second date is where we start looking at the woman instead of the applicant. A SECOND DATE MEANS SOMETHING According to the leaked discussions, most VamFem.com encounters remain what the public has always understood them to be. One night. Maybe a spectacular one. Maybe a disaster. Maybe something the woman remembers for the rest of her life. Then it ends. A vampire who enjoyed herself may still never ask again. That does not mean the applicant failed. It means the encounter was what it was supposed to be. But when the vampire arranges another date before the woman leaves—or contacts her again once she becomes available—the meaning changes. Inside The Back Room, everybody notices. One thread: SECOND DATE? VelvetRuin: VF-66109. OldBlood: What about her? VelvetRuin: Thinking about another. MaraNocturne: Why? VelvetRuin: Why what? MaraNocturne: Why another? VelvetRuin: Had a good night. MaraNocturne: You've had hundreds of good nights. No reply. Then: OldBlood: There it is. VelvetRuin: There what is? OldBlood: You don't know yet. That's why you're asking.** THE WOMAN USUALLY THINKS IT MEANS ONE THING The vampires think it means something else. A woman invited back may understandably think: She wants me again. That is true. But according to The Back Room, the reason is not always what the applicant imagines. One leaked thread: ScarletRoom: Asked VF-77214 if she was free next weekend. Ravenna: Reaction? ScarletRoom: Cried. Velours: Good cried? ScarletRoom: Very good cried. Ravenna: Does she know what this means? ScarletRoom: She thinks it means I liked last night. Velours: You did. ScarletRoom: Obviously. Ravenna: But? A pause. ScarletRoom: I want to see what she's like when she isn't trying to blow my mind.** THAT PHRASE APPEARS MORE THAN ONCE When she isn't trying to blow my mind. The first night is artificial by definition. The applicant has waited. Prepared. Chosen clothes. Changed clothes. Changed them again. Practiced answers. Imagined the vampire. Imagined the hotel. Imagined the bedroom. Imagined morning. Some women are so nervous they barely speak. Others become more aggressive than they would ever be in ordinary life. Some drink too much. Some perform. Some say yes to everything. Some try desperately to be unforgettable. The vampires know that. One thread: FIRST NIGHT LIES NewMoon: Lies? OldBlood: Not deliberate lies. NewMoon: Then what? OldBlood: Performance. Velours: Everybody performs on the first one. OldBlood: Exactly. NewMoon: So what are you looking for the second time? OldBlood: Her.** “THERE SHE IS” That phrase appears repeatedly throughout the leak. There she is. It seems to mean the moment when the woman stops behaving like a VamFem applicant and starts behaving like herself. One thread was dedicated entirely to those moments. WHEN DID YOU GET “THERE SHE IS”? Mireille: Second morning. No makeup. Hair everywhere. Told me my coffee was terrible. Velours: Romance is alive. Mireille: It was. Another: CountessGrey: Third date. She finally admitted she hates heels. Velours: BAN HER. CountessGrey: She'd worn them every time because she thought I expected them. OldBlood: There she is. Another: ScarletRoom: Fourth date. She yelled at me. Ravenna: About? ScarletRoom: Wet towels on the bathroom floor. Velours: How dare she. ScarletRoom: She was right. OldBlood: There she is.** Another: NightLily: Second date. She looked at my dinner reservation and said, “No. That place is pretentious.” Velours: Keeper. NightLily: We went for tacos. SECOND DATES ARE OFTEN DELIBERATELY LESS IMPRESSIVE This may surprise applicants most. According to the leaked threads, some vampires intentionally make a second or third date less glamorous. No penthouse restaurant. No impossible dress. No limousine waiting outside a five-star hotel. No spectacle. One vampire explained why: If she only loves the production, eventually you need to remove the production. Another thread: DROPPED THE FANCY SHIT MaraNocturne: Second date with VF-70118. Ravenna: Where? MaraNocturne: My place. Ravenna: Dinner? MaraNocturne: Takeout. Velours: You romantic monster. MaraNocturne: Sweatpants. Velours: YOU wore sweatpants? MaraNocturne: Yes. Ravenna: Reaction? MaraNocturne: She laughed. OldBlood: Good. MaraNocturne: Then she took off her shoes, sat on the kitchen counter and ate noodles out of the carton. Velours: There she is.** BEAUTY GETS LESS IMPORTANT Not unimportant. The vampires are not pretending otherwise. But the leaked second-date discussions contain far fewer measurements, fewer comments about breasts, legs, curves or dresses. They begin discussing things that sound almost painfully ordinary. Conversation. Temper. Patience. Independence. Humor. Jealousy. Money. Sleep. Privacy. Whether the woman can be alone. Whether she expects constant attention. Whether she treats staff well. Whether she can tell the vampire no. Whether she can tolerate being told no. One discussion: NewMoon: What matters most after first night? OldBlood: Depends. NewMoon: That's useless. OldBlood: Fine. Can she exist without performing for you? NewMoon: Meaning? OldBlood: Can she sit in a room without trying to be sexy, clever, grateful, submissive, impressive or unforgettable? Velours: That's a high bar for humans. OldBlood: It's a high bar for vampires.** “PERMANENT IS TUESDAY AFTERNOON” The sentence appears in several leaked screenshots. The oldest version we found came from a discussion about women aggressively trying to become perma-girls. THEY WANT FOREVER BUT DON'T KNOW WHAT FOREVER IS OldBlood: Another woman asked me about permanent before she knew how I take coffee. Velours: How do you take coffee? OldBlood: Not relevant. Velours: Black. OldBlood: Stop. Then: OldBlood: Permanent isn't gowns, penthouses, feeding nights and eight-hour weekends. MaraNocturne: Eight? OldBlood: Focus. NewMoon: Then what is permanent? The answer: OldBlood: Tuesday afternoon. NewMoon: What the hell does that mean? OldBlood: Laundry. Grocery lists. Her being annoyed with you. You being annoyed with her. She gets sick. You get hungry. She wants Thai food and you don't eat. You leave at midnight and she doesn't turn it into a tragedy. She has friends you don't particularly like. You have habits she hates. She doesn't need entertainment every time you walk into the room. A pause. Then: OldBlood: Permanent is when neither of you is performing anymore and she still wants to be there. Velours: Plus shoes everywhere. OldBlood: Yes. Apparently shoes everywhere.** DAWN-GIRL One term appears repeatedly in the second package. Dawn-girl. It is not the same as perma-girl. A perma-girl is permanent. A dawn-girl appears to be a woman who might become permanent. A possibility. A woman the vampire has stopped treating as merely another applicant and started evaluating as part of her actual life. One leaked exchange: Velours: VF-72014 becoming a dawn-girl? Seraphine: No. Velours: Third date. Seraphine: Three dates means three dates. Velours: She has clothes at your place. Seraphine: One dress. Velours: And shoes. Seraphine: Temporary. Velours: Toothbrush? No answer. Velours: TOOTHBRUSH? Seraphine: I hate you. Velours: Dawn-girl.** THE FORUM CAN SMELL IT BEFORE THE VAMPIRE ADMITS IT One of the funnier patterns is how quickly other vampires recognize the signs. One thread: NightLily: VF-61108 again Friday. Ravenna: Third? NightLily: Yes. Velours: Dawn-girl. NightLily: No. Velours: What are you doing Friday? NightLily: Dinner. Velours: Where? NightLily: My kitchen. Velours: Dawn-girl. NightLily: Shut up. Ravenna: Staying over? NightLily: Probably. Velours: DAWN-GIRL. NightLily: I am deleting this app.** TRYING TO BECOME A DAWN-GIRL IS USUALLY THE FASTEST WAY NOT TO BECOME ONE This theme appears constantly. The vampires seem deeply suspicious of applicants who treat permanence as a prize to win. One thread: FOURTH DATE AND SHE HAS NEVER ASKED Mireille: VF-77162. Friday. Ravenna: Fourth? Mireille: Yes. Velours: Asked about permanent yet? Mireille: Never. Velours: Not even indirectly? Mireille: Nothing. Ravenna: Does she want it? Mireille: I don't know. Velours: And that doesn't bother you? Mireille: It's one of the reasons I'm still seeing her. Then OldBlood: OldBlood: The ones trying hardest to get kept usually want the position more than the person.** THEY REMEMBER THE UNDER-TABLE GIRL VF-88271—the applicant mocked in Part One after she repeatedly tried to prove she was “useful enough” to become permanent—appears again. The tone is very different. 88271 — SECOND DATE BlackRose: Took her out again. Velours: Seriously? Mireille: Good. Velours: Good? Mireille: Yes. BlackRose: Before dinner I told her nothing she did sexually would make me keep her. Velours: That's blunt. BlackRose: It needed to be. Mireille: Reaction? BlackRose: She looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her. Mireille: Poor woman. BlackRose: Then she asked why I invited her again. Velours: What did you say? BlackRose: “Because I have no idea who you are.” A long pause. Then: Mireille: That's actually good. BlackRose: She cried a little. Velours: Less good. BlackRose: Then she got angry. Mireille: Better. BlackRose: Told me we had all made her feel like an idiot. No one joked. Then: BlackRose: She was right.** AND THEN SHE CHANGED COMPLETELY The thread continues. Velours: So what happened? BlackRose: We ate. Velours: That's it? BlackRose: Yes. Mireille: Talked? BlackRose: Three hours. Velours: About sex? BlackRose: No. Mireille: Permanent? BlackRose: No. Velours: Vampires? BlackRose: Barely. Then: BlackRose: She told me about her mother. Her shitty first marriage. Her job. Her dog. Why she applied. Why she was terrified nobody would choose her. A pause. BlackRose: She ate the entire dessert this time. Velours: Progress. BlackRose: Huge progress. Then: Mireille: Another date? A delay. BlackRose: Yes. And finally: OldBlood: There she is.** “DO NOT CONFUSE SEX WITH COMPATIBILITY” Another pinned fragment: A spectacular first night proves you can have a spectacular first night. Then: That is all it proves. One response: You can spend ten unbelievable hours with somebody you would murder by Wednesday. Another: And spend a perfectly ordinary evening with somebody you miss for a month. Then: OldBlood: Do not confuse sexual compatibility with permanent compatibility. That sentence appears repeatedly elsewhere. SOME FIRST NIGHTS ARE TOO GOOD One thread suggests that an extraordinary first encounter can actually make evaluation harder. TOO MUCH FIRST NIGHT ScarletRoom: VF-71190 was ridiculous. Ravenna: Good ridiculous? ScarletRoom: Very. Velours: So second date. ScarletRoom: Maybe. Velours: Why maybe? ScarletRoom: Because I don't know if I like her or if I liked ten hours of insanity. OldBlood: Exactly why you need another. Ravenna: Less insane? OldBlood: Preferably with food and daylight involved.** THE MORNING AFTER MATTERS MORE THAN WOMEN REALIZE The forum repeatedly discusses mornings. Not because vampires are fascinated by messy hair. Although apparently some are. They are watching the emotional shift. One thread: FIRST MORNING VS SECOND MORNING NewMoon: What's the difference? OldBlood: First morning she's still high on the experience. Velours: Sometimes literally vibrating. OldBlood: Thank you. Velours: Accurate. OldBlood: She's exhausted. Happy. Confused. Trying to remember half the night. Everything still feels impossible. NewMoon: Second? OldBlood: Less magic. More truth. NewMoon: What are you looking for? OldBlood: Does she still want breakfast with you when she already knows what you are like naked? Velours: That is almost romantic. OldBlood: Don't ruin it.** THE VAMPIRE ROBE TEST This may or may not be an actual test. The vampires argue about that too. One thread: ROBE THEORY Velours: I maintain you can tell a lot by what she does in your robe. Mireille: This is nonsense. Velours: It is science. Mireille: No. Velours: Woman who keeps tugging it closed and apologizing for being there: still applicant mode. Mireille: Or cold. Velours: Woman who steals it, makes coffee and refuses to give it back: promising. CountessGrey: Mine left wearing it once. Velours: SEE? CountessGrey: She thought it was hers. Velours: Even better. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE GLAMOUR DISAPPEARS One vampire described her third date: No hotel. No club. No dress. No driver. Another asked: What did you do? Laundry. The response: You invited a VamFem applicant over to do laundry? Answer: I was doing laundry. She came over. Then: And? She folded towels badly. That's your report? Yes. A pause. Then: I liked it. No one mocked her. FEEDING NIGHT This is where the tone becomes serious. A permanent human girlfriend eventually has to understand that vampires feed. Usually away from her. Usually from men. It is one thing to read about that. Another to watch the woman you are becoming attached to get dressed, leave at midnight and return hours later with the unmistakable aftermath of having fed. The Back Room contains long discussions about that transition. One: FIRST FEEDING NIGHT WITH HER THERE ScarletRoom: Left 12:11. CountessGrey: How was she? ScarletRoom: “Fine.” Velours: So not fine. ScarletRoom: Extremely not fine. Mireille: What did she do? ScarletRoom: Cleaned the kitchen. Mireille: That's not terrible. ScarletRoom: Twice. Velours: Oh. ScarletRoom: Came back 2:03. She was sitting on the sofa holding the same page of a book she'd apparently been reading for an hour. CountessGrey: Did she ask? ScarletRoom: Eventually. Mireille: What? ScarletRoom: Whether I enjoyed feeding. The thread went quiet. Then: OldBlood: What did you tell her? ScarletRoom: The truth. OldBlood: Good.** THE TRUTH IS SOMETIMES THE PART THEY HATE Another discussion: NightLily: She asked if feeding feels good. Velours: Does she want honesty? NightLily: She said she does. OldBlood: Then answer honestly. NightLily: I did. Mireille: Reaction? NightLily: Cried. Velours: Damn. NightLily: Then got angry at herself for crying. OldBlood: Tell her to stop doing that. NightLily: I did. Then: Mireille: Staying? NightLily: Yes. Mireille: Good. JEALOUSY IS EXPECTED The vampires do not appear shocked when women struggle with feeding nights. What they dislike is pretending the struggle does not exist. One thread: SHE SAYS SHE'S NOT JEALOUS CountessGrey: She is. Velours: Obviously. CountessGrey: Says feeding is “different.” OldBlood: It is different. CountessGrey: Doesn't mean she likes it. OldBlood: Also true. Then: Velours: What did she ask? CountessGrey: Whether I think about her while feeding. Mireille: What did you say? CountessGrey: Sometimes. Velours: Dangerous answer. CountessGrey: Honest answer. OldBlood: OldBlood: Better an uncomfortable truth now than a comfortable lie for six months.** “HUNGER AND LOVE ARE NOT COMPETING CATEGORIES” One of the most quoted lines in the second package came from a thread about feeding jealousy. NewMoon: Mine asked if feeding is better than being with her. Velours: Ouch. OldBlood: What did you say? NewMoon: I didn't know what to say. OldBlood: Hunger and love are not competing categories. Then: Velours: Write that down. NewMoon: Apparently somebody did.** THE WOMAN HAS TO BE ABLE TO BE ALONE This appears to matter greatly. A vampire may be gone for hours. Sometimes unexpectedly. Sometimes because she needs to feed. Sometimes because vampire life does not operate on a human schedule. One thread: SHE PANICS WHEN I LEAVE Seraphine: VF-77110. Third date. Problem. Mireille: What? Seraphine: Every time I leave the room she asks where I'm going. Velours: That's annoying. Mireille: That's anxiety. Seraphine: I know. OldBlood: Permanent? Seraphine: Was considering. OldBlood: Slow down. Seraphine: Because she's anxious? OldBlood: Because permanent with one of us requires being alone sometimes without believing abandonment is happening. Then: Mireille: Talk to her before you decide for her.** THEY HATE NEEDINESS AND THEY HATE CRUELTY ABOUT NEEDINESS The forum is contradictory. One vampire: I cannot deal with clingy humans. Another replies: Then stop choosing women you know just came out of catastrophic relationships and acting shocked when attachment scares them. One: She texted six times in an hour. Reply: Did you tell her you would call? Yes. Did you call? No. Then: Maybe you're the asshole. MONEY BECOMES A PROBLEM The first night often includes luxury. The vampire pays. Cars. Hotels. Restaurants. Clothing. A human applicant can easily begin to misunderstand what that means. One thread: DOES SHE LIKE ME OR MY CREDIT CARD? DarkViolet: Third date and she asked whether we were shopping again. Velours: Were you? DarkViolet: No. Velours: Reaction? DarkViolet: Disappointed. OldBlood: Bad disappointed or normal disappointed? DarkViolet: Bad enough that I noticed. Another: Mireille: Stop buying expensive shit for women you're trying to evaluate. DarkViolet: I enjoy it. Mireille: Then don't complain when they think it's part of the relationship. THE ALLOWANCE QUESTION Another thread: ScarletRoom: Second date. She asked what permanent girlfriends receive monthly. Velours: Oh dear. ScarletRoom: Exactly. Mireille: Maybe she was curious. ScarletRoom: She had numbers. Velours: NUMBERS? ScarletRoom: Spreadsheet-level numbers. OldBlood: That is impressively unromantic.** SOME WOMEN ARE POOR AND THAT DOES NOT MAKE THEM GOLD DIGGERS The vampires argue about this too. One post: She cried over the shoes because they cost more than her car. Another vampire: And? I couldn't tell whether she loved me or the life. Response: It was your second date. She doesn't love you yet either way. Another: OldBlood: A woman being impressed by wealth she has never experienced does not automatically mean she is using you. Velours: Correct. OldBlood: The question is who she becomes after the novelty wears off.** HUSBANDS CHANGE THE TONE IMMEDIATELY The second package contained far more discussion of marriages and existing relationships than the first. One thread: SHE'S MARRIED Mireille: VF-66128 told me tonight. Velours: Husband knows? Mireille: No. OldBlood: Living together? Mireille: Yes. Velours: Why the hell is she on VamFem? Mireille: Because she says the marriage has been dead for six years. OldBlood: Dead marriages still contain living husbands. Then: ScarletRoom: Second date? Mireille: Not until she sorts it out. Velours: You liked her? Mireille: Very much. OldBlood: Then especially not.** “MY HUSBAND THINKS I'M AT BOOK CLUB” One screenshot: NightLily: VF-81071 told me her husband thinks Thursday nights are book club. Velours: Is there actually a book club? NightLily: Apparently. Velours: Clever. OldBlood: No. Stupid. Velours: I meant logistically. OldBlood: Still stupid. Then: NightLily: Worse. He has location sharing on her phone. Mireille: Does she know? NightLily: She does now. OldBlood: No second date until that's fixed. Velours: We really are running counterintelligence now.** EX-BOYFRIENDS ARE OFTEN MORE DANGEROUS THAN HUSBANDS Several threads concern former partners. One: HE WAITED OUTSIDE HER JOB CountessGrey: VF-70211 says ex is harmless. Mireille: Of course she does. CountessGrey: He sat outside her workplace for forty minutes yesterday. No jokes followed. OldBlood: VamFem security? CountessGrey: Already informed. ScarletRoom: She has another date scheduled? CountessGrey: Saturday. Mireille: Change pickup location. CountessGrey: Done. Then: OldBlood: Tell her why. Enough information to make decisions. Protection without information is control.** SOME VAMPIRES WANT TO “HANDLE IT” The forum appears to push back on that instinct. One thread: DarkViolet: Give me his address. Mireille: No. DarkViolet: I can solve this. Mireille: She did not ask you to solve it. DarkViolet: He's stalking her. Mireille: Then protect her. Do not turn her life into your revenge fantasy. Then OldBlood: OldBlood: We protect women. We do not replace one controlling man with a controlling vampire.** SECOND DATES CAN BE CANCELLED FOR SAFETY One screenshot: ScarletRoom: Had to cancel VF-77140. Ravenna: Why? ScarletRoom: Ex followed the car after the first date. Ravenna: Shit. ScarletRoom: She thinks it was coincidence. OldBlood: Was it? ScarletRoom: No. Mireille: Does she know? ScarletRoom: Enough. Ravenna: Will you see her again? A pause. ScarletRoom: When it's safe.** THE WOMEN WHO SAY “YES” TO EVERYTHING This becomes a red flag on later dates. One thread: EVERYTHING I ASK SHE SAYS YES Seraphine: Restaurant? VF answer: Whatever you want. Seraphine: Movie? VF answer: Whatever you want. Seraphine: Weekend? VF answer: Whatever you want. Velours: Easy. Seraphine: No. Creepy. Mireille: Ask her what SHE wants. Seraphine: I did. Velours: And? Seraphine: “Whatever makes you happy.” Then: OldBlood: That's not compatibility. That's fear.** THE FIRST “NO” IS IMPORTANT One vampire wrote: I don't seriously consider permanent until she tells me no about something. Responses followed. Velours: That's dramatic. OldBlood: No. That's smart. NewMoon: Why? OldBlood: Because until she can disagree with you, you don't know whether you're dating a woman or managing an audition. Another: Mireille: My girlfriend's first no was a restaurant. Velours: Romantic. Mireille: She said, “I'm not putting on that dress for food I don't even like.” OldBlood: There she is.** SOME VAMPIRES DELIBERATELY TEST BOUNDARIES This produced one of the harsher moderator discussions. One user wrote: I intentionally asked her for something I knew she wouldn't like just to see whether she'd refuse. The response from OldBlood: That's manipulative bullshit. Another: NewMoon: Isn't the point to see if she can say no? OldBlood: The point is to create a relationship where she CAN say no. Not manufacture traps. Then the moderator: MODERATOR: Do not “test” applicants with manufactured discomfort. Observe. Talk. Ask. You're dating humans, not training animals.** “SHE MADE HERSELF AT HOME” That phrase is usually positive. One thread: CountessGrey: Fourth date. Came out of shower, found her reorganizing my refrigerator. Velours: Why? CountessGrey: Apparently I store vegetables incorrectly. Mireille: Do you? CountessGrey: That is not the point. Velours: Dawn-girl. Another: ScarletRoom: Mine changed the thermostat without asking. Velours: War crime. ScarletRoom: I was freezing too. Another: NightLily: She has a coffee mug now. Velours: Oh you're done. NightLily: It is one mug. Velours: That's how it starts.** CLOSET SPACE IS APPARENTLY SERIOUS One thread: HOW MUCH CLOSET BEFORE WE CALL IT? Velours: One dress? OldBlood: Nothing. Velours: Shoes? OldBlood: Still nothing. Velours: Drawer? OldBlood: Maybe. Velours: Shelf in bathroom? OldBlood: Dangerous territory. Velours: Half the closet? OldBlood: You already know the answer. Then Seraphine: Seraphine: This conversation is why I tell none of you anything.** FEEDING NIGHT CAN MAKE OR BREAK IT The forum repeatedly returns to this. The woman may understand intellectually that the vampire feeds from men. But living through it changes things. One thread: NightLily: First feeding night together went badly. Velours: Define badly. NightLily: She waited awake until I came back. Mireille: That's normal. NightLily: Then asked if he was attractive. Velours: Ah. Mireille: What did you say? NightLily: Yes. Velours: Brave. NightLily: Stupid? OldBlood: Honest. Then: NightLily: She cried. OldBlood: Still honest. “DO NOT LIE TO MAKE HER FEEL SAFE” A moderator post: Do not tell a human feeding means nothing if that is not true. Another line: Do not tell her you feel nothing. And: Do not turn feeding into sex just because she does. A reply: What if she asks details? OldBlood: Ask why she wants them before you answer. Sometimes humans are looking for information. Sometimes they're looking for a weapon to hurt themselves with. Know the difference. DAWN-GIRLS HAVE TO SURVIVE THE NEXT DAY TOO The leaked threads make clear that vampire relationships involve consequences humans may not expect. The woman may be radiant and euphoric after the encounter. She may also be exhausted. Sore. Overwhelmed. Unable to move much. Unable to think clearly. One vampire: She insists she's fine and then walks into walls. Another: Mine tried to go to work after two hours sleep. Took her keys away. Response: Did she agree? Eventually. OldBlood: Do not infantilize them because they're exhausted. Help. Don't decide everything for them. THEY TALK ABOUT ENDURANCE DIFFERENTLY ON LATER DATES The first-night threads joke about three-hour girls and sunrise girls. The second-date threads become less impressed by sheer stamina. One vampire: She can go eight hours. Great. Can she spend eight normal hours with you? Another: I know women who are spectacular all night and unbearable by lunch. And: Permanent isn't winning the bedroom Olympics. Velours replied: Please never say bedroom Olympics again. “SHE IS GREAT IN BED” GETS MOCKED One thread: NewMoon: Considering VF-66220 for another date. She's amazing in bed. OldBlood: Anything else? NewMoon: Funny. OldBlood: Anything else? NewMoon: Beautiful. OldBlood: Anything else? NewMoon: What are you looking for? OldBlood: Exactly. Velours: OldBlood woke up violent today. THE THIRD DATE IS WHERE THINGS GET DANGEROUS Not physically. Emotionally. One thread: Mireille: First date is fantasy. CountessGrey: Second is curiosity. Velours: Third? Mireille: Third is where someone starts getting hurt if you don't know why you're still doing this. No jokes followed. Another: OldBlood: By date three, ask yourself whether you're exploring a relationship or simply enjoying access to someone who is becoming attached. That comment had been pinned. SOME VAMPIRES KEEP WOMEN AROUND TOO LONG The forum is not gentle about that. One thread: SIX DATES AND YOU “DON'T KNOW” Mireille: Either you know something or you are wasting her time. DarkViolet: I'm thinking. Mireille: For six dates? DarkViolet: She enjoys herself. OldBlood: That does not absolve you of responsibility. DarkViolet: She's an adult. OldBlood: Correct. So speak to her like one.** WOMEN CAN SAY NO TO PERMANENT The leak repeatedly shows vampires reminding one another of something public fascination tends to forget. A woman being considered for permanent status may not want it. One discussion: Velours: VF-55018 still seeing you? MaraNocturne: No. Velours: What happened? MaraNocturne: Asked whether she'd consider permanent. Velours: AND? MaraNocturne: She said no. A pause. Velours: Really? MaraNocturne: She likes her job. Her apartment. Her sister lives nearby. Doesn't want to build her life around mine. Velours: You okay? MaraNocturne: No. Then: OldBlood: Respect her anyway. MaraNocturne: Obviously. THE WOMEN WHO WANT THE NIGHT BUT NOT THE LIFE This appears to be a recognized category. One vampire: She loves being chosen. Loves the nights. Loves the clothes. Loves waking up in my bed. Does not want me permanently. Another: Can you live with that? Apparently I have to. Then: Velours: Humans remain inconveniently autonomous. “SHE CHOSE HERSELF” One leaked thread: Mireille: VF-71008 ended it. Ravenna: Why? Mireille: Said she realized she was rearranging her entire life around waiting for me. Velours: Damn. Mireille: Said she liked me too much to become someone she didn't like. No reply for several minutes. Then: OldBlood: Good woman. Mireille: Yes. Velours: You going after her? Mireille: No. Velours: Why? Mireille: Because she already answered.** AND THEN THE FORUM GOES SILENT Perhaps the strongest sign that a woman is truly becoming part of a vampire's life is not more discussion. It is less. The applicant number disappears. Questions are ignored. Jokes stop. One thread: Velours: Anyone heard anything about VF-66109? Mireille: Leave it. Velours: Permanent? Mireille: Leave it. Velours: That is basically confirmation. Then: OldBlood: No. It is basically “leave it.”** The conversation ended. Another: Ravenna: 77162 still active? Mireille: Private now. No one asked another question. FROM APPLICANT TO PERSON One moderator fragment appears to explain the silence. When the relationship becomes serious, stop using the applicant number publicly. Another: She entered VamFem as an applicant. She does not remain an applicant forever. And: At some point she becomes someone's girlfriend. Treat her accordingly. THE FIRST NIGHT IS NOT THE AUDITION Perhaps the most important misconception revealed by the leak is the idea that the first night is an audition for permanent status. The vampires repeatedly say the opposite. One post: If she spends the first night trying to prove she'd make a perfect perma-girl, she is proving nothing. Another: The night tells me whether I want another night. Then: The morning tells me whether I want breakfast. Then: The second date tells me whether I want to know her. And finally: Everything after that tells me whether I want her around when none of this is exciting anymore. WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES A DAWN-GIRL? The leaked discussions do not produce a checklist. But certain qualities appear repeatedly. Not perfection. Not obedience. Not endless sexual enthusiasm. Not beauty. Not money. Not even endurance. Independence. Humor. Honesty. Boundaries. Adaptability. The ability to be alone. The ability to disagree. The ability to let a vampire leave and trust that she will return. The ability to understand feeding without pretending it does not hurt. The ability to remain herself inside an extraordinary life. One post summarized it more crudely. NewMoon: So what makes a good dawn-girl? OldBlood: A woman who doesn't disappear into you. Velours: That's annoyingly good. OldBlood: I know. THE MOST UNEXPECTED THREAD IN THE PACKAGE The title: WHAT MADE YOU KEEP HER? The answers were short. She made me laugh when I was angry. She never asked me to make her life smaller. She told me no. She hated my apartment and said so. She slept while I was gone. She stopped being impressed by me. She had her own money. She didn't need mine. She needed mine and wasn't ashamed of it. She loved my feeding nights less than she loved me. She called me an asshole when I deserved it. She made friends with my staff. She refused to quit her job. She quit her job because she hated it, not because I asked. She looked terrible in the morning and didn't care. She stole my robe. She stopped asking permission to use the kitchen. She started saying “our bedroom.” And one answer: I don't know. One day she was visiting. Then one day she lived there. THE LEAKER'S LAST MESSAGE The second package ended without another folder. No tease. No promise of more screenshots. Just a text file. It read: You wanted to know what vampires really look for. Then: Most of us don't know until we see it. A blank line. The beautiful ones are everywhere. The willing ones are everywhere. The ones who can survive a long night are easy enough to find. Another blank line. The rare one is the woman who wakes up after all of it, looks around at the impossible life you've shown her, and somehow remains completely herself. Then one final sentence: That's the one you ask to stay until dawn.