ARE VAMPIRES REAL?
Yes, we are. And no, we're not going away. :P :)
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF VAMPIRES?
It's a matter of personal perception (what "type" they perceive
themselves as), and based on a person's feeding methods. People place
themselves into three "basic" types - those that drink blood,
and those that feed off energy, and those that need/use both. I'm not
going to get into the subtle differences between "living"
and "surviving" - enough other websites argue about that particular
topic, and I don't want to add to the chaos. I will say that it seems
to add...something...to the quality of life, the "what" it
adds appears to be up for debate by many many people. I just choose
not to argue with what works. There isn't enough scientific data to
verify or refute any of this - yet. :)
WHAT MAKES A PERSON A VAMPIRE?
More information can be found in the characteristics
FAQ page.
For The Record:
I am aware that some vamps say they can only use certain types of energy
or energy from certain sources only. It had been my opinion for the
longest time that the types were not relevant, however there are others
that seem to feel this is the case, so I'm giving a basic definition
here.
And before someone else e-mails me to mention it, yes I *am* aware of the
terms "sanguinarian", "pranic" and the like. They are
covered in my on-site dictionary, but not in this particular article because
this particular article is written in order to be understood by anyone. "Sanguinarian"
won't mean much to a random person on the street, only to people who have
some exposure to the community.
I'm also not getting into the talk of "immortal" or other
unusual types that are occasionally mentioned on message boards and
e-lists. I have not met any of those type(s) in person, so it is not
my place to comment on whether or not they're real until I do. (Hey,
at least *I'm* honest about it!)
Blood Vamps (sanguinarians)
Vamps that feed on blood, rather than just energy. (I know, "Duhhhh!"
*lol*) For this category, attempting to use energy feeding methods
may be damn near impossible, even when they do know how to do it.
Some people swear up and down there's energy in the blood, others
swear just as much that there isn't because, well, they can't tell...
Blood can be gotten from different sources: donors, eating rare steaks,
etc. (If a bloodvamp has no donor, what usually happens is that they're
in a perpetually Thirsty state of mind without adequate substitutes.
People in this category are the reason I have the getting
blood from a steak article on this site.)
Energy Vamps (psivamps)
There are many "subtypes" that fall in this category. I've
heard people describe themselves as "prana vampires" (some
even consider "empath" to be a vampire type, when it only
means you're able to read people's emotions. If you don't believe
me you can look here,
here,
here and here.
I *am* an empath, I *also* happen to be a vampire - it's not my fault
the vampiric community at large doesn't bother to look things up first...
*grump*), "elemental vampires", "sexual vampires"
, "astral vampires" (Not even going there...heh) and many
others as well as the more generic (to me) "psi vampire"
or "psy vampire" depending on the spelling. No matter how
it's described, it's still *energy* in some form. For other people,
the differences seem more important, swearing they can use one type
of energy but not another.
Those that use both blood and energy
(hybrids)
This seems to be a pretty typical combination for the majority of
vampires online, at least according to Suscitatio's survey results.
These are the vampires that can use - or need to use - both blood
and energy feeding for best results. Just one or the other doesn't
seem to work as well for long periods. The types of energy used will
likely vary per individual, the same as there are variations for people
who are just energy vampires.
IS VAMPIRISM A RELIGION?
Contrary to what "some groups" would have you think, no,
it's not a religion. A religion is a belief structure followed by a
group (however large or small) of people. Most vampires tend to have
different beliefs, outlooks and life philosophies, the same as everyone
else. There are vampires who are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist,
Wiccan, or any other religious (or non-religious!) path you can think
of. Those that promote a "vampire religion" are not selling
anything any more valid than any other religion. Just hold on to your
wallet, mmmkay? :)
ARE VAMPIRES IMMORTAL?
I won't entirely rule out the possibility, however I have not met any. If
I'm still around in 100 years in relatively the same physical condition I
am now, or actually meet one who can verify advanced age, I'll probably revisit
this question. :) Yes, I am aware there are those online who claim to be immortal,
but that always begs the next question - why is their grammar and spelling
so terrible, or another example, why do they only speak in "Internet
shortcuts"? If they've truly been around for a few hundred years already,
there would have been some substantial improvement in their writing
skills. And no excuses about about "using Internet shortcuts" to
save time, because that really hampers communication, and anyone as old as
they claim would find it just as annoying as I do, if not more so. :)
CAN VAMPIRES GO OUT IN THE SUN?
Certainly! It's just not fun because most of us varying degrees of
photosensitivity. How well it's tolerated depends on the person - it's
affected, at least in part (but not entirely), by their genetics. For
example, someone who already has pale skin will already be very prone
to sunburn if they're out in the sun too long. Someone who tans easily
certainly won't burn as badly under "average" exposure times,
if at all. Someone who gets migraines to begin with, often finds that
any bright light - not just sunlight - with sufficient exposure, is
a trigger for migraines.
Personally, I'm a big believer in liberal applications of QUALITY sunscreen
(I have a list over here),
and keeping a good portion of my skin covered while in the sun. (I also
take sufficient Vitamin D supplementation to make up for the fact that
I deliberately get very little sun exposure.)
DO VAMPIRES HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BLOOD-BORNE DISEASES?
Absolutely! Blood itself has more diseases than you probably know, and being
a vampire does not make you immune to them, regardless of what some nutjobs
out there would have you think.
Some blood-borne diseases include: HIV/AIDS, Herpes, Gonorrea, Ebola,
Hepatitis, Syphilis, Hepatitis, Septicemia (bacteria in the blood, causes
blood poisoning, one of the reasons a person's bite carries the risk
of being dangerous) variant Crutzfield-Jacobson's disease (wasting disease)
and Spongiform Encephalopathy (one name for the human form of "mad
cow disease" - 'spongiform' comes from the appearance of the affected
brain - it has holes, like a sponge) just to name a few. And as an additional
note, some "stomach bug" viruses can also be transmitted by
the blood (just what a vampire would need, feed and then in a day or
two, spend about 24 hours in misery. I'll pass, thanks, I've done that
at least once already...)
WHAT ABOUT THEIR DONORS?
Chances are that most realvamps don't have enough medical knowledge
to know how to use the instruments they choose, or how to sterilize
them properly, or have enough anatomical knowledge to know where to
use them safely, without causing harm. I can respect that some people
prefer the bite method, however, they need to be aware of the amount
of germs carried in the mouth - and I'm sure their donor would appreciate
not having them passed along. For instance, some major arteries are
located in the neck, groin, inner thigh, wrist, upper inner arm, and
so on. Cut into one of those, and you'll suddenly have a lot more blood
than you expected, and likely a VERY dead person to try to explain.
No returning from the dead in that situation.
Spending some quality time with a decent book on anatomy - a large
copy of Gray's Anatomy is recommended, because that IS a medical school's
book of choice for anatomy classes) the paperback sized one is often
too small to read - but other, unfortunately also expensive, medical
anatomy books with color plates will also work to provide the necessary
knowledge.
(i.e., if you're going to do it, DO IT SAFELY!!!)
CAN VAMPIRES EAT NORMAL FOOD?
*burrrrp* Yes, and enjoy it quite well, thank you. Rare steak anyone?
There are some foods that tend to not agree with some of us, but which
foods disagree are not the same for everyone - believe it or not, some
of us CAN tolerate garlic quite well, and eat it regularly. There are
still food allergies to consider, and ailments like Chron's
Disease or Celiac Syndrome
that will prevent a person from eating certain foods, however that will
be an issue whether or not a person is a real vampire.
AREN'T PEOPLE CLAIMING TO BE VAMPIRES JUST CRAZY?
We're actually more sane than you think. Of course, that begs the next question:
Crazy relative to what? Religious fanatics who refuse to have a reasonable
conversation with anyone who doesn't agree with them? Politicians who insist
on taxing the poor and giving to the rich (as if THAT is ever a sane way to
support a country...)? Sports fans who paint their faces and bodies in the
teams colors and run around half naked, screaming, during half-time? People
driving while talking on their mobile phone, and being unable to control their
car as a result? "Crazy" is all a matter of perspective. :)
This article is presented as part of an ongoing
effort to present other views outside of, as well as within, the online
vampire community. As such, the views and attitudes contained in this
article are entirely those of the author(s), and may not necessarily
be shared by SphynxCatVP. The webmaster is not under obligation to update
or otherwise keep current the contents of this article. Most
importantly, only you can decide for yourself whether this article or
any of the author(s) other views are useful or applicable to you - use
your own reasoning and judgment.
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