one concept im super into is that like. being a vampire is hard. there are ways to make this easier, but those mostly involve joining a coven. so young vampires are vulnerable to being preyed on (ha!) by the coven system and locked into a society created by people older and richer and much better connected.
like. getting a job is hard bc your movement is restricted during the day. the covens have agreements in place with multiple people across multiple industries. they can help you get a job that is remote work or night shift, but you have to join the coven (agree to abide by their rules and participate in their conflicts with other covens) and also agree to give them ten percent of your earnings.
finding food (assuming you’re a moral person who doesn’t want to kill people) is hard. you can eat animals. you can attack people and feed on them without killing them, which is assault. you can try and buy donated human blood from hospitals. but guess who controls most of the black market human blood trade and doesn’t want to sell it to you at a fair price? it’s the covens! also, the covens have arrangements with people they drink from directly, so it’s not like they need the human blood, but being in control of the trade gives them a lot of power in the community.
a lot of times, your options as a vampire are: live in a beautiful, luxurious base where you get free food and accommodations, are able to get a job, have protection from hunters, and have people around that you can talk to, OR, live in poverty, isolation, and fear. covens as organized crime families where it’s really, really hard not to join one of them.
