Vampires: Types and Differences

Yet another post that I took from another forum that I believe belongs here as well.

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What is a real vampire? What are the different type of vampires and their differences?

There are often discussions about mythical/fictional vampires that most are already familiar with from myths, books, movies, television and role-playing
games. In actuality, there is only one type of vampire: real vampires. Real
vampires are individuals (mortal living humans) that have a genuine need for life force energies from outside sources because their bodies either consume
energy too quickly or do not produce sufficient life-force energy to sustain them.

"Types" of Vampires

Some will say that there are two main different methods of feeding on life-force energy; sanguine and psi; and that all other forms of feeding are subcategories
or specializations of psi feeding. Others will say that each feeding method is a different form of feeding, hence different "types" of vampires.

Sanguine vampires (or sanguinarians) are vampires who feed by drinking blood. However, it is not the blood itself that they are feeding on. It is the life-force
energy contained within the blood. Blood drinking is arguably the most potent form of feeding on life-force energy, and many sanguinarians can thrive for
many weeks from a single feeding. (A single feeding is often about an ounce or two of blood taken from a willing donor.) Sanguinarians often describe blood
drinking as a very fulfilling, very powerful and somewhat intoxicating experience. It also tends to be a rather intimate form of feeding.

Psi (or psy) vampires are vampires that feed psychically on life force energies. Psi feeding (in any form) can be done from an individual (most often a
willing donor) or from the ambient energies of a group or crowd. However, psi feeding can also be done from a person without the individual realizing that
they are being fed from, many Psi vampires may consider it to be unethical to do so.
In general, the person being fed from is not harmed by the feeding
in any way.
It should be noted that there is no difference between a psi vampire and a psy vampire, other than the spelling. As for the difference in spellings: psi is an abbreviation of psionic, while psy is an abbreviation of psychic. However both terms, psionic
and psychic, refer to psychic phenomena.

Empathic vampires are vampires who feed on
emotional life-force energies from the emotions of people. There are those that will say that vampires that feed
on negative emotional energies (anger, fear, etc.) are negative/chaotic vampires and are a subcategory/specialization of empathic vampires. Others will
say that negative/chaos vampires are separate from empathic vampires. The reason is that empathic vampires will usually feed on whatever emotions a person
is feeling without necessarily causing those emotions. However, often negative/chaos vampires will cause situations where negative emotions and chaotic
energies will be stimulated and then feed off of those energies.

Sexual vampires are vampires who feed on the life-force energies generated from having sex, especially the excess energies generated at the moment of orgasm.
They can do so psychically and/or from bodily fluids. Female sexual vampires are sometimes referred to as succubi (singularly, succubus), and male sexual
vampires are sometime referred to as incubi (singularly, incubus). Some will also refer to sexual vampires as tantric vampires.


Elemental vampires are vampires that are able to feed on the life force energies of the elements; earth, wind, fire, and water. Some will say that elemental
vampires are elementalists who are able to manipulate elemental energies and then convert those energies into consumable life-force energies. Others will
say that elemental vampires feed directly from elemental life-force energies.

Vampires who only use one method of feeding are referred to by the way that they feed (i.e., sanguinarian, elemental vampire, sexual vampire, etc.). Vampires
who are able to feed using some but not all psychic methods but are not able to feed sanguine are referred to as adaptive psi vampires. Sanguine vampires that are also able
to feed using some but not all psychic methods are referred to as adaptive vampires.

Other "Vampires"

One such group of people is referred to as leeches or energy leeches by some within the vampire community. Such individuals are people who have developed
the ability to manipulate and feed on life-force energies in many of the ways vampires feed; however such individuals usually do not have a genuine need
for the life-force energies that they feed on. They manipulate and feed on life-force energies for the feelings it gives them; usually a sense of euphoria,
power and intoxication. Leeches can become addicted to the life-force energies they feed on (much like a drug of some kind), and feel that they need the
life-force energies because they will go through withdrawals when they do not feed for a period of time. They will sometimes call themselves vampires,
and will sometimes try to be involved with the vampire community. However, their apparent need for life-force energies does not make them vampires, as
the withdrawal symptoms will go away with time. For real vampires, physical effects felt from not feeding get worse with time. It is often very easy for
real vampires to realize when an individual is an energy leech and not a vampire.

Another group of people that are sometimes involved with the vampire community and mistaken for being real vampires are blood fetishists. Blood fetishists
are regular humans who engage in bloodplay (cutting, bloodletting and blood drinking) usually, but not always, within a BDSM setting. Although blood fetishists
will often drink blood, they have no need to do so.

Yet another group of people that try to be involved with the vampire community are perhaps the most despised group of people by the vampire community; role
players. The most predominant ones are the role players that play Vampire: The Masquerade by White Wolf Publishing. However, role players can be anyone
who chooses to play the part of a vampire in any role playing game (RPG). What usually happens is that the role players begin to feel that they are the
characters that they are playing. The lines between reality and role playing become blurred for them, and they begin to think and believe that they are
vampires. Then they try to get involved with the vampire community, and try to pass themselves off as real vampires. However, they usually immediately
expose themselves as role players by using RPG terminology and ideas (such as the different types/races of vampire clans (Brujah, Ventrue, etc.*), claiming
to be immortal, being a member of a certain clan/house, etc*). Or, they come to the vampire community thinking that it is all RPG, and then find much to
their disappointment that the vampire community is a very real community with a low tolerance for role players. However, it should be noted that sometimes
playing role playing game may trigger the awakening of a latent vampire, and that there are some real vampires that also play role playing games for recreational
reasons.

There is also another psychological condition within the field of behavioral psychology known as clinical vampirism, or more commonly referred to as Renfield's
Syndrome, based upon the fictional character of Renfield from Bram Stoker's Dracula. Those that suffer from clinical vampirism, in most cases, are not
real vampires either. Renfield's Syndrome is described as a pathological and delusional disease, fetishistic and compulsive in nature, where a person (usually
a male) experiences a psychological need for blood with a strong sexual component. Generally, those that suffer from the syndrome often go through a progression
of stages beginning with auto-vampirism (drinking one's own blood) and progressing to vampirism (drinking the blood of others). The compulsion of the vampirism
stage may lead a person to committing criminal acts to obtain human blood, such as stealing blood from hospitals and blood banks or going to the extreme
of killing someone.

Another group of people that are often mistaken for being real vampires are criminal vampires, sometimes referred to as vampire killers or psychotic vampires.
These are individuals that have committed criminal acts that are considered vampiric in nature, generally anything having to do with the drinking of blood
or the criminal claiming to be a vampire. Some of these individuals may be in the final stage of clinical vampirism as described in the previous paragraph.
In most cases though, criminal vampires are individuals that are obsessed with emulating fictional vampires, either from watching movies and television
shows about vampires, reading (usually fictional) books about vampires, and/or playing vampire characters in RPGs. However, it should be noted that it
is possible that some criminal vampires may have been real vampires. It has not been proven either way whether any criminal vampires were real vampires
or not.

Characteristics of Vampires

No one knows nor has been able to determine what causes vampirism. The leading theory is that vampirism may be a combination of genetic, physiological and
metaphysical causes. One will often see vampirism referred to as a condition, and then compared to some other physiological conditions.

The key factor in determining if one is a vampire is going to be if one has a genuine need for life-force energies from outside sources and their traits,
characteristics and abilities are tied to their vampirism. Also, not all vampires will have all traits, characteristics and abilities. Just as every individual is different, every vampire
is different.

Physical characteristics:
• Pale skin
• Sensitivity to sunlight physically (i.e., sunburn easily) and/or visually
• Visual sensitivity to any light source
• Better night vision than day vision
• Eye color changing with mood or for no apparent reason
• Heightened senses
• Often feels hungry and/or thirsty despite an adequate food diet
• Extreme cravings for certain types of food or extreme cravings that can not be satisfied with food
• Often feel run down, fatigued, tired despite an adequate food diet and activity level
• Frequent headaches for no apparent reason
• Does not require very much sleep
• Often get sick with "flu-like" symptoms with no medical explanation when they go without feeding for a period of time
list end

Mental characteristics:
• Strong-willed; independent nature; confident
• Intellectual/highly intelligent
• Well-learned/educated, although not necessarily school-educated
• Predatory nature
• Dark nature
• Prefers nighttime over daytime; i.e., nocturnal nature
• Moodiness/mood swings/quick-tempered
• Mental and/or personality disorders (diagnosed by a medical doctor)
list end

Psychic abilities (although not necessarily psychic feeding methods) and metaphysical characteristics:
• Empathy
• Telepathy
• Mind reading
• See and read auras
• Extra-sensory perception (ESP)
• Clairaudience, being able to mentally hear things from a distance
• Clairvoyance, being able to mentally see things from a distance
• Clairsentience, having knowledge that one can not explain
• Audiovoyance, being able to see and/or hear spirits and possibly communicate with them
• Telekinesis
• Pyrokinesis
• Astral travel/astral projection
• Psychometry
• Precognition/visions
• Past-life memories, especially vampiric past-life memories
• Experience déjà vu quite frequently
• Able to sense other vampires (often referred to as "vamp radar")
• Most are either born vampires or experience an awakening to their vampiric nature later in life, usually in their teen years but it can happen later in
life
list end

Differences between Real Vampires and Mythical/Fictional Vampires
• Real vampires are not undead creatures. Real vampires are living humans.
• Real vampires are not immortal. Real vampires are mortal humans. However, some vampires may believe they have immortal souls, may believe in reincarnation
and may have past life memories.
• Real vampires are not demons. They are humans.
• Real vampires are not superior to humans. Real vampires are humans with a need to obtain life-force energies from outside sources. They are perhaps different
from most humans, but not superior.
• Religious symbols do not ward off or bother real vampires by simply being held up at them. Beating or hitting a real vampire with said religious symbol
may be a different story.
• Holy water does not affect real vampires other than it gets them wet, and getting them wet might annoy a real vampire.
• Silver does not bother most real vampires. Some are allergic to silver. Others will use silver for its metaphysical properties to control and/or focus
shielding and/or feeding techniques.
• Yes, a real vampire can be killed if one drives a stake through his heart and chop off his head, but so will most regular humans if one does the same
to them. Also, real vampires do not turn to dust or rapidly decompose when one kills them. By the way, killing a real vampire is murder, and will result
in a person being arrested and put in prison.
• Real vampires do not have superpowers. Some may have heightened senses and abilities, though.
• Real vampires do not fly, unless they are in some kind of flying device like a plane or helicopter.
• Real vampires do not burst into flames in sunlight..
• Real vampires do not sleep all day and stay up all night. Although many real vampires have nocturnal natures, most also have daytime lives that they must
deal with as well.
• Real vampires do not have to sleep in coffins, and they do not need to have their native soil with them when they sleep.
• Real vampires do not "turn", "embrace", "sire" or "change" someone into a vampire. There is no such thing as a vampirism virus, and one can not become a vampire by getting bit, or by drinking a real vampire’s blood.
• Real vampires are not bloodthirsty killers. They do not feed on and kill victims. Most real vampires feed from willing donors in safe manners, never risking
harm to their donors.
• Real vampires cast reflections. Some even enjoy looking at their reflections. Some enjoy it too much. Others do not enjoy looking at their reflections.
Just like most people.
• Real vampires do not have fangs, although some may choose to have their teeth shaped to look like fangs or wear fake fangs. Some people have naturally
occurring fangs, but that does not necessarily make them vampires.
• Real vampires are not automatically rich, and do not have fancy possessions. Many real vampires have to work regular jobs for a living.
• The lifestyles of real vampires are not romantic and glamorous like those seen in movies, television or described in books. Many vampires lead regular
lives, have families, have to pay rent/mortgages/bills, and deal with everyday things like everyone else.
list end

There is no definitive way or "test" for determining if one is a real vampire or not. Determining if one is a real vampire is a personal
journey, and should not be taken lightly. One needs to do research and eliminate any other explanations (i.e., medical reasons for certain characteristics)
before assuming that they are a vampire. A person needs to determine for themselves if a real vampire is simply what they are or what they desire to be.

hmm..0.0..this pretty much answers my Q..thank you for puting this up lin

you all know who it is,
tiffy!!!!!

Dear Lindiel,
A great post well done, very informative. I would like to discuss it with you at some point as well.


Darkest wishes
-Sam

I'd like to point out that, being a feminie term from the Latin, the word is "succuba" with its plural "succubae." It is a common mistake, but if given some thought, it's easily discernable. Languages such as Spanish and Italian are Latin-root languages, and share Latin's arbitrary gender structure. When terms reference living beings (or, in its original meaning, spirits) with a definite sex, especially if there is a different word referring to each, the gender matches the sex of the being. Therefore it is "succuba/succubae" and "incubus/incubi."

Not trying to be rude or hijack the thread, but I know that I find it irritating after a while, I'm sure others do as well.

Thank you for that information Mystere. I hope to read more of your posts soon.



Darkest wishes
-Sam