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What really is a vampire?
The following article was written and copyright by: iCEhOT and may not be republished or reproduced in any form without written consent by the author. Contact info: e-mail, ICQ: 5240239.
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 plausable viewpoint. What I actually think a vampire is, is a sub-species 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 sub-species 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 doesnt 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. This 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, and also perhaps is why we are nocturnal, or maybe it's the other way round - more research is required on this aspect. Also I have noticed that being in the sun too much does make you feel weaker and sometimes the need to feed gets stronger.
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, 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, except perhaps for 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 - 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 counsellor, 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 intensly, 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 animallistic nature, but mood swings tend to be inherent to vamps and can be sudden and very severe, from wanting to rip someones 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 u lost 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 todays society isnt actually needed too much, but it's there all the same.
Anti-Social
Vampires arent really anti-social as such, they just dont 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 isnt 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 powerfull than that person and can be a thrill.
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 irrisponsible to say so, and also perhaps big-headed, and I must say there is no proof so you should always go careful, it has not been known (as far as im 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. This does not mean anyone should not be carefull with blood-letting 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 im 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 im 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, it is not needed to sustain life, merely to make them feel good and healthy and to curb the cravings to fulfil the addiction (note this isnt 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 pranic 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 lethergy 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, not energy (ie keeping 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 unnoticable 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.
Conclusion
One or two of these symptoms really doesnt 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 being predatory towards 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 ur mind also learns about ur 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 thru 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, commiting 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 u dont tend to notice it, but in the back of your mind changes that you dont know how to control are apparant. 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.
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