Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 12:16:46 -0500 (EST)
Last Modified:1/10/2000
Vampires: The Real Thing
by Rune Thower
For the past two years or so, I have researched "real" vampires. The
method of my research has been observance of and discussion with those
people I have met who claim to be real vampires. I decided toheavily
research this topic when an acquaintance of mine claimed to actually be
a
vampire. Since then, I have cultivated this relationship into a close
personal friendship. She was my first contact into the world of vampires
and has been
my best research associate ever since. Special thanks to her and all
the other vampires who have been kind enough to talk about this condition.
Now for the nitty-gritty of real vampires as I have observed them.
I have been able to classify real vampires into several categories.
These are as follows:
Psychic Vampires:
These are people who, for whatever reason, derive nourishment from"feeding"
from the "life energy" of people around them. This form of
vampirism falls into the category more of meta-physics and the occult
than mainstream science. It seems psy-vamps have the ability to draw out
the
"chi," "manna," or plain energy of their victims. They do not seem
to have the craving for blood found in most other forms of vampirism. In
advanced cases, the vampire can choose from which victim to draw and
even which types of energy to take. The one with whom I have spoken uses
this
ability to heal others by feeding from the "negative" energy in the
victim's aura. From what I have heard from the "victim/patients," she is
quite good at what
she does. In less developed cases, the psy-vamp might not even know
about this condition. Other people around him or her might feel "drained"
from
the person's presence, and hence the vampire will usually have trouble
keeping friends. A good psychic can usually tell if a person is a psy-vamp.
There is no known cure, but a psychic vampire can learn to control
his/her feeding habits.
"Spirit-Influenced" Vampires:
These are, no doubt the most frustrating cases to study because they
differ so widely. In the one case I have been able to study, the vampire
was involved in demonology and either erred or made a pact he later
regretted. It seems that certain "spirits" or "demons" can give people
some of the characteristics of other types of vampires in exchange
for partial possession. The new vampire then has certain enhanced abilities
and, in exchange, allows the spirit to take over now and then. At first
this almost sounds like a form of symbiosis, but the human in the deal
soon finds that the spirit usually does things that are morally unacceptable.
He seems to be in a constant state of remorse for the things he's done.
He wouldn't go into details, but he did hint at murder. Also
in this catagory are the vampires who claim to have been changed by a visitation
in a dream or by the apparition of a ghostly vampire. Cases in this
category are documented in the book _Vampires_Among_Us_ by ???????.
I have not personally met any such vampire, but I have met people who
were visited but not changed.
"Viral" Vampires:
This is the category where I have had the most expirience. "Viral"
vampires are the ones that seem to have the most reason to call themselves
vampires. This "virus" is what causes the change to take place. It
is passed on through blood, sexual secretions, and occasionally saliva.
Transmission is usually deliberate and ritualistic. I have heard of
one case where the would-be vampire "got over" the virus, and a few cases
where the recievers died during the process. It is unknown if this
is an actual virus or if the effects are psychosomatic based on the archetype
of
the American Vampire. Nonetheless, the effects and changes associated
with this type of vampirism are real. The process of change is the
traditional exchange of body fluids in a ritual setting. The fledgling
commonly expiriences a near-death-experience at some point, sometimes
seemingly unrelated to the change into a vampire. Effects of the change
include photosensitivity, increased night vision, anemia, dual-personality
(one normal personality and another that takes over when the vampire
looses it's temper), a blood fetish, a craving for rare red meat, and if
the person had any psychic ability, this is increased. Sex drive is
first decreased then increased beyond the intensity before the change.
Most
vampires describe the sensation as like that of being on LSD during
a mild trip. From the descriptions, it seems to me to be more akin to the
effects of thojune, the halucigen in Absinthe. Either way, the sensuality
of a vampire is appearant. Some vampires notice a change in muscle
movement. It is more direct, smooth, rapid, and efficient. Most vampires
of this variety notice a slowed aging process. Depending on the strain
of
the virus, all of these changes are p resent to differing degrees.
I have not met any one older than mid-sixties, so longevity is debatable.
The
one in her mid-sixties I met looked like a sickly mid twenties. Her
lack of signs of aging was remarkable, but it remains to be seen how long
these
vampires live. The oldest one I've heard of anyone actually meeting
was in his nineties. He is rumored to have looked not a day over 60.
Vampires By Birth
This is by far the largest catagory of vampires I have met over the
'net. It seems that in some circles, the proper answer to the question
of "Are you
a Vampire?" is, "All my life." This type differs very little from the
viral
variety, if at all, other then how they got that way. Many vampires
by birth can
trace their vampirism through several ancesters, though not always
in a direct line. It seems that this type of vampirism may be genetic,
being a
recessive trait, according to one fellow researcher
I know. Many vampires by birth are somewhat indignant towards those of
the viral veriety, kind
of like a king from an ancient houde would be towards a king at the
start of a royal line. Vampires form birth do have their share of problems,
however.
Usually they don't know what they are. During puberty, they begin to
show signs of what they are, and may not know who to talk to about it.
This is
why so many of them talk about it on the 'net. It is rather impersonal
and don't have to be told to their faces that they are crazy, which, of
course,
they are not. Some, however are lucky enough to have parents and even
grandparents who also have this genetic trait, so it is much easier
for them to deal with what they are.
Immortal Vampires
What can be said? They are elusive. I've heard rumors as to their existance,
but despite intense research, I have not found any real proof.
One person I know claims to have spoken with one, but I cannot verify
his account. The theory I am going on is that immortals are possibly an
extremely powerful strain of the "viral" variety. The characteristics
are almost identical, with the exception of intensity. Again, this is a
virtually
unexplored topic because of the lack of evidence.
The White Wolf Games Connection
The emergence of White Wolf's Games' Vampire: The Masquerade has sparked
not only a surge of interest in vampires, but it has also given rise to
the
application of the game's terminology to real life vampires. The reason
for this seems to be two-fold. First, for those who wish to keep their
existance
as vampires relatively secret, at least to certain people, it is a
perfect excuse to get people to stop asking the wrong kind of questions.
("It's just a
role-playing game. See?" - Holds up a copy of the rulebook...) The
live-action version of the game is especially suited to that sort of excuse
. (Don't get me wrong, the vast majority of people who play this sort
of game are NOT vampires.) Second, The game gives vampires and
non-vampires, alike a common jargon. It is almost like a first dictionary
on the subject. As for the game itself, I have the same comment on it as
I do on all of White Wolf's other games: "Take reality. Make it interesting
and adventurous, add excitement and a whole lot of exaggeration,
and you get a White Wolf Game." This was originally my opinion
on their Mage: The Ascension, but I've come to apply it to every other
game
I've seen by them since. I am convinced that the writers there at least
know something about the real-world equivelants of their various topics.
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