A vampire from my point of view has the following symptoms, there is some variety, but generally this is it (but open to debate). I am not a spiritual person, or follow any religion at all, hence I've tried to orientate this essay from at least a scientifically plausible viewpoint. What I actually think a vampire is, is a subspecies of human whom with a few genetic differences (perhaps due to mutation/evolution, or nuclear mutation due to increasing background radiation on the planet since disasters like Hiroshima and nuclear tests, and also the ozone layer deteriorating which can let in cosmic rays etc.). This is not so hard to believe, only several genetic changes would be required, and seeing as how people are all physically unique anyway, a few more changes to make a subspecies with the following symptoms is not so hard to imagine. Apes for instance are genetically only one percent different from humans, so very little change is required to produce someone that is so close to the rest of humanity and yet also different. This brings about the possibility of calling them such names as "Homo Sapiens sanguinis" although in latin it doesn't really mean much to say that, it would be a fairly accurate way to scientifically describe this race of humans.

SUN AVERSION / NOCTURNAL NATURE

A Vampire can live a normal life throughout the day, and other people may not even see any difference. A vampire does need sleep as regularly as other humans (although sometimes more, if they do not feed, as they feel constantly tired), however they do prefer if possible to be awake at night and asleep during the day. The reason for being nocturnal is probably due to the fact that our senses are more acute (or maybe our senses are acute because we are nocturnal which would also make sense), or because hunting would have been traditionally easier at night; hunting during the daylight would cause serious problems with being so many people around who could easily threaten the vampire. So it is probably in natures design to make hunting, stalking and hiding easier, which fits in with the fact we do feel far more safe in darkness, night, and shadows. Being nocturnal is sometimes hard due to the light during the day waking you, or the noise of the day etc. However the night to a vampire is beautiful and peaceful, and you don't get inundated with so much energy in your senses that you feel much better. We do have to fit in with the rest of humanity most of the time however, unless luckily to get a night shift job, but if we do try to live according to our nature, we must make sure we get the right amount of quality sleep or we will suffer just as anyone else.

Vampires often suffer from bad sleep patterns, sometimes not feeling great from not feeding, or feeling amazing from feeding adjusts the amount of sleep needed, also fitting in with the rest of society during the day and then not feeling sleepy till much later at night can mess your internal clock up.

The Sun aversion aspect, is merely our nocturnal nature playing, nocturnal creatures do not like the sun, it is too bright and too hot, and makes us feel sickly - like heat stroke, it's like a constant irritation on our skin (like it's burning right through you sometimes), although some do burn severely some also do not, even though the irritation is still in abundance, burning is normally due to how pale you naturally are. Perhaps this is because our senses are so good that we feel it far stronger than anyone else. Also I have noticed that being in the sun too much does make you feel weaker and sometimes the need to feed gets stronger, and that UV (Ultra Violet) light also makes me feel sickly, and hurts my eyes. UV light is dangerous to normal people (it is the reason you get sunburn), perhaps vampires are more sensitive to this. I have noticed this purely by accident, and I have not heard of any others being this way, perhaps because they don't know, or it has just never come up.

VERY GOOD SENSES

Vampires have very good senses all round, they see very well at night time, I must stress that no one can see in the pitch black and do not make use of ultra sound like bats do, however as long as there is a small amount of light, we can see very clearly - for instance moonlight can light up everything enough for us to go about normal daily business, sometimes even reading. We can hear a lot if not clearly then we do at least hear more than everyone else, as in the whining of a television set (which can make you think people are wondering around which gets very confusing). A simple way to put it is that everything is just enhanced, yes some vampires need glasses etc., but that is merely a clarity thing whereas the amount of information our senses can take in are far greater than most people. This can get very annoying and vampires can get aggressive if there is too much and prefer more peaceful surroundings, and they tend to day dream/go into a daze more often (which is a human response for coping with too much sensory input), this can lead to actually noticing less than others, because your brain is turning off to the surroundings - although everyone is an individual and some may like the rush of information being sent to their brains.

EMPATHY

This can be blocked off, but it is easy for a vampire to feel what is going on, to understand other peoples emotions, a lot of people have said to me that I should be a councilor, and others have seemed to confide a lot in me - I'm not certain but perhaps this is because you can feel how those people are feeling while they are talking to you. This to some extent can get confusing if someone is very emotional then you can sometimes be unsure if you are even feeling your own emotions or whether you are merely acting how you are due to someone else. This along with increased senses is why a vampire can be considered very passionate as we feel things so much more intensely, both emotions and external things (at least when they are not confused which can happen a lot for reasons I have already given).

MOOD SWINGS

This can be due to the empathy or the senses, or can be instinctual due to bloodlust, or the animalistic nature, but mood swings tend to be inherent to vamps and can be sudden and very severe, from wanting to rip someone's head off one second to being very loving the next.

VAMPING OUT

This is really a severe mood swing, brought on mostly by severe bloodlust (see later). This is mainly when everything the vampire experiences becomes too much, and they go into a more instinctual nature, of course this can be controlled, but it can be violent and aggressive, and can make you lose a lot of inhibitions.

INCREASED STRENGTH

A vampire is generally stronger than a normal person of similar size, perhaps this is because a vampire uses more muscle power than the average 10% that most people use. This is most probably due to more of a need to hunt and an animalistic nature, this can be advantageous, but in today's society isn't actually needed too much, but it's there all the same.

ANTISOCIAL

Vampires aren't really antisocial as such, they just don't tend to fit in, and hence are undeveloped socially as everyone else, they feel different from others, and feel people cant understand them or perhaps would just like to make fun of what they are if it ever came out. Some people can also sense differences in a person, this sometimes comes out as though they think the person is eccentric, or just slightly different to the way most people should think. But generally there is something that causes a vampire to not be as social as others, although this isn't always the case, but more of a general thing.

VIEW ON THE WORLD

Due perhaps to empathy, or even just the way our brains may work slightly differently, we do have more of an understanding of everything and always seem to view things from the bigger picture, we see the world as a very small place and can even feel when things may go wrong globally (like an inclination that something is going to happen), this really isn't anything more though than just having a slightly different view point on everything, and perhaps mixed with the empathy and instincts as well.

EVIL STREAK

Vampires are not evil, however, this was the only phrase I could think of to describe what I wanted to say. By evil streak I mean, that the vampire is mainly more animalistic and instinctive, and hence has slightly different morals to others, whereas most normal people would think of the death of someone as being tragic and sad, I think most vampires would take the point of view that it is just a natural part of life and nothing more. If people are hurt they are less likely to care so much - although they can care and some do a lot but mainly about those close to them. This probably comes from being a hunter, if a hunter develops sympathy for it's prey then how can it hunt that prey. Even some vampires though take this a step further and can get enjoyment from others suffering, for instance mentally abusing the weak minded can serve to show you are more powerful than that person and can be a thrill. I think an old saying should be noted here, if a mosquito sucks the blood, of it's target, or a lion kills a zebra, does that make it evil? No it just means it's living by it's nature.

IMMUNE SYSTEM

Vampires tend to have a very good immune system, they very rarely (if at all) get ill, when others around them get ill they never seem to catch whatever it is they had. If they do get ill it clears up fairly quickly, unless it is something that is more physical, for instance a cut is never going to heal if it's continuously abused and kept open all the time. All though it may be irresponsible to say so, and also perhaps bigheaded, and I must say there is no proof so you should always go careful, it has not been known (as far as I'm aware) that a real vampire has ever had AIDS even though they like to drink a lot of blood, now this could well be due to everyone being careful, but AIDS has not actually been known for that long, and vampires are fairly old. Now I have a reason for this, and that's partly due to the fact of the good immune system and due to that we are able to digest blood (NOTE: normal people cannot digest blood, most will be sick if they have too much), hence either the virus is killed in the digestion process, or the immune system is good enough to kill it off, or there is just a natural immunity to such a virus (which is possible, as it has been documented that a prostitute was found to be immune to AIDS). This does not mean anyone should not be careful with bloodletting techniques and if possible to make sure the person is AIDS tested.

RESISTANCE TO DEATH

This in no way means immortality, a vampire can and will die, however although there is no proof, genetically it is possible for people to live far longer than they are now, and hence a vampire could have evolved to this stage and live to an older age than most others. Also due to the good immune system and better healing we are far more likely to survive damage that should be fatal, again I'm not saying we will survive it, but whereas a normal human could have a 5% chance of living through an accident this would be 10% or 15% for the vampire. If there is a chance of survival from being shot or anything at all, then that chance merely increases for the vampire.

BLOODLUST

This is the need to have blood. I must stress, that like any physical addiction, it is not actual lusting after the blood (as far as I'm aware with most vampires). It is more that you feel bad, depressed, and lethargic, or any variety of withdrawal symptoms, and they come and go, sometimes they are very strong, and sometimes they are very weak - but the site or smell of blood can make the vampire salivate and make the feelings of addiction inside them much worse. The blood is only needed by the vampire as far as physical addiction goes (and as such the nutrients required in the blood), it is not needed to sustain life, merely to make them feel good and healthy and to curb the cravings to fulfill the addiction (note this isn't merely a mental thing, it does keep you physically and mentally healthy, the cravings are physical, and the effects of not feeding cannot be controlled easily even though one may try). There are many who say it is a need for franc energy, and that blood is the strongest form of this energy, I although cannot say for certain, I believe this to be false. I believe that without the feeding, it seems like we are very low on energy, with lethargy and depression, and just cant be bothered with life or anything. When we feed it feels and seems as if we have been given a rush of energy, and we temporarily lose those "down" feelings and moods and become full of life just like anyone else, perhaps more. I believe this is merely giving the body what it's after and not energy (i.e. keeping healthy), and perhaps can be likened to needing certain vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. I must stress the body does not know it needs blood, as with any addiction it is the mind knowing what you need and sometimes is why the awakening can take such a long time as you are trying to figure out those addictive feelings and why you never have any "energy" to do anything, and what they mean, inside of you. Vampires can also digest blood, whereas normal humans cannot, they would either vomit or not feel great (blood is a natural emetic), their stomachs are not designed to digest it, sometimes vampires get acid burns in their stomachs more than most due to the fact that vampires can digest blood and it takes a lot stronger acid to do that. The craving, is generally always there, sometimes it goes, or becomes unnoticeable but it can also go through a varying degree's of strength - many a time when it gets this bad I get in such a depression I really want to die, I have been shaking from it had to hide in toilet cubicles from the sudden change in feelings inside you, it can be gradual or very sudden and I personally have even doubled over from it.

The best reason I have heard for why vampires have the bloodlust is that it is an evolutionary step, which is there to put us above humanity in the food chain. This idea might seem absurd, but humanity in general is out of control, to have a subspecies above them in the food chain (but where there is very few vampires, and a large number of humans) adds a slight element of control and protection of the planet than what otherwise left to it's own devices destroy the planet. Nature has a food chain in order to keep control of everything on the planet, the few numbers of vampires are it's control for us, and we are the control for the rest of humanity. Although many vampires also might have problems with this, but is probably due to being raised by humanity and having trouble accepting what they are - if one was raised by a herd of cows (not likely I know but the principle is the same) then I very much doubt that person would go to McDonalds and eat a Big Mac. For most vampires the breaking free of previous ideologies, thoughts, and restraints presents a huge problem (not all, there are groups around, in the underground scene who do live exactly according to a vampires nature...but no more will be said on that).

CONCLUSION

One or two of these symptoms really doesn't make anyone a vampire, the symptoms are part of our genetics which are all interrelated and combine and effect each other to form the vampire/vampyre depending on which spelling you prefer, the bloodlust I believe is the main part, the others change slightly between vampire, and even some feel the bloodlust differently and stronger or weaker than others, but is still the most important symptom.

It is easy to see how the other symptoms can relate to each other and to our primary goal of "hunting" or being predatory for the purpose of obtaining blood. The awakening is just like vampire puberty, you're body changes very slightly, on a cellular level (no it's not an obvious change) - things just start changing enough to produce the symptoms, and your mind also learns about your new nature, once this "awakening" is over it is then that the symptoms really surface, until then you are being led up to that stage by nature - just as a child is led through the teen years of puberty to adulthood. You are born into this, I have not found anyone to have ever been changed, or another vampire who has ever claimed to be able to change, it is a possibility perhaps but nothing more. This process can take many years and can start at different ages, it all depends on the person, and to some extent may require some sort of mental trigger to kick it into action, it can cause many emotional problems, and some instability, hence the person tends to act a little strange - perhaps they take drugs, or need psychological help, committing suicide can happen also. These are probably mostly related to not knowing what is going on, and also not being aware that something even is happening as consciously it all happens very slowly so you don't tend to notice it, but in the back of your mind changes that you don't know how to control are apparent. This is from my point of view what a vampire is, there is probably more to it, and perhaps I have not made myself clear on all points, but I think generally this defines it. Also I hope I have made it obvious that being a vampire is not fun, it has some advantages but there are disadvantages too....in general it is not like the movies and we suffer more than most.

DISCLAIMER

Yes, vampires are true, and I have described them from my research, personal experiences, and views. But my many of my reasons and ideas here are all theoretical. There is no proof for this, other than thought proof. Thought proof is where one makes conclusions based on what is the most logical assumption to make.

~iCEhOT, 9 June 2003

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