Vampirism & The Human Vampire: A Lifestyle Support Thread

[Reinforest]

Vampirism & The Human Vampire
A Lifestyle Support Thread

Welcome to the Vampirism thread V.3.

'Vampirism' is a condition, the cause of which is currently unknown, which mimics certain aspects of vampire mythology, hence the name vampirism. People afflicted with vampirism crave and benefit from the regular consumption of either blood (sanguinarian vampirism) or metaphysical energy (psychic vampirism). The phenomena has been documented as early as the early 90's, but has likely existed for much longer. The afflicted typically refer to themselves as "vampires", or "human vampires". This, unfortunately, has caused a bit of confusion regarding exactly what a person with vampirism is claiming.

Are they neck-biting, coffin-sleeping, day-fearing creatures of the night preying on the living? Absolutely not.

Are they ordinary people with a condition that causes them behave somewhat vampire-like? Absolutely yes.

This thread exists for the benefit of self-identifying vampiric individuals on Gaia, as well as functioning as an information source for the curious. The post below this one contains a short FAQ regarding the nature of vampirism and what exactly life as a 'human vampire' entails. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. All that I ask is that you abide by the thread rules at all times, which are stated below.

Thread Rules:
• Follow the TOS & LD forum rules
• Be polite.
• Try to stay on-topic
• Do not spam, bump, or advertise
• While questions are encouraged, this is not a debate thread and should not be treated as such. Should you want to debate, create a thread in Extended Discussion and invite the thread regulars to join if they so choose.

Thank you.

[Reinforest]

Vampirism FAQ

The Term "Vampire"
The first thing to be aware of when reading this thread is that the definition of 'vampire' used here is different than that in popular media. People with vampirism are loosely referred to as 'vampires', but we aren't talking about being mythical night-stalking fiends. No one here is claiming that, or, at least, they shouldn't be.

The term 'vampirism' in regards to this condition has been in use for a long time and as since become the standard. This is likely because, as stated above, the condition's sufferers exhibit symptoms very similar to certain aspects of vampire lore. That cute little mammal that we call the 'vampire bat' also uses the term 'vampire' in this way. A vampire bat isn't a real undead vampire, it isn't going to turn into Dracula and bite you on the neck, but it has certain traits that make it similar to the idea of the vampire.

Some sections of the vampire community use alternative labels. The most popular alternate terms currently are 'sanguivore' and 'psychevore'. But these terms haven't caught on with the community as a whole, so in this thread we will continue to use 'vampire' or 'human vampire' for consistency. There are three (or four, depending on how you look at it) basic terms underneath the blanket term 'vampire' to help aid in defining things, which I will explain below.

Types Of Vampires
Here are the three types of vampires currently recognized in the community, as well as a fourth 'type' not directly related but relevant as a term.

Sanguinarian Vampires are humans that, due to reasons yet to be explained by science, crave and benefit from the regular consumption of human blood from outside sources, and suffer from withdrawal-like symptoms when deprived of it. Also referred to as sanguivores or sangs.

Psychic Vampires are humans that, due to reasons yet to be explained by science, crave and benefit from the regular absorption of metaphysical energies taken from others, and suffer from withdrawal-like symptoms when deprived of it. Also referred to as psychevores, psyvamps or psivamps.

Hybrid Vampires are humans that, due to reasons yet to be explained by science, crave and benefit from the consumption/absorption of both blood and energies taken from others, and suffer from withdrawal-like symptoms when deprived of them.

"Ageless" Vampires is a blanket term for vampires more closely mirroring myth, the legendary superhuman beings, vampires with real genetic differences from humans. Ageless vampires are not typically recognized as being related to vampirism, but the term is relevant as some use it in conversation as a way of distinguishing 'mythical vampires' from 'human vampires'.
The majority of the vampire community does not believe that ageless vampires exist. Please be advised that any comments posted here pertaining to inhuman vampires should be taken as the individual's opinion only.

What Makes A Vampire?
A person with vampirism is a person that, due to reasons yet to be explained by science, craves and benefits from the regular consumption/absorption of blood and/or metaphysical energies, and suffers from withdrawal-like symptoms when deprived of it.

I've underlined the important parts. A person is not a vampire simply because they like or crave blood/energy, as other conditions can cause this. The phenomenon is defined by a need to consume blood/energy in order to remain mentally and physically healthy, for reasons that can't yet be pinpointed through medical science. We hope that one day an explanation for the condition will be found, but as of yet no known physical or psychological conditions match.

Potential vampires are urged to first seek medical help and do a full evaluation of the situation before settling on vampirism as an explanation. I say again, the defining factor in deciding if something is vampirism is the absence of known diseases or conditions that cause similar effects.

Awakening & Turning
'Awakening' and 'Turning' are two terms often encountered on any vampirism page. I'll try to explain both as well as possible.

Awakening is the process in which a human vampire becomes aware of their vampirism. Once the process is started, they will typically begin to become more aware and will start to manifest cravings as well as other symptoms including moodiness, headaches, nocturnal tendencies, and more instinctual behavior. If they are a psivamp, they may find themselves suddenly aware of the energies around them. Vampirism typically begins to manifest at puberty, which is what makes it such a tricky subject. Many teenagers think they are awakening. Few really are. Awakening can be triggered by contact with a vampire who is already awake. It's unknown why this is, but this phenomena is commonly mistaken for turning.

Turning is the transforming of a regular person into a vampire. The majority of the vampire community agrees that turning is not possible. Ageless vampires, if they exist, are said to be able to turn. Never agree to meet a vampire offline to be turned, especially if you are a minor. It is not worth the risk of being kidnapped, raped, or worse.
There is a phenomenon called "sympathetic vampirism" which can be mistaken for turning. This happens when a particular person is fed from too much by a vampire, and begins manifesting the symptoms of vampirism to compensate.

Feeding & Donors
Human vampires, for the most part, feed via willing donors. Donors range from understanding friends to volunteers met through various websites and services. The community does it's best to make sure that the entire process is as safe, sane and consensual as possible. Medical information regarding blood extraction and risk factors, as well as the importance of testing for diseases beforehand, is usually posted on any vampirism website. Most (if not all) websites prohibit members from publicly looking for or volunteering to be a donor until the age of 18.

As with anything, there will always be certain individuals who choose to bypass safety and act recklessly. It should be known that such people do not reflect the community as a whole and that vampirism is NOT an excuse to commit illegal acts. Any person claiming vampirism who stalks, hurts, or otherwise feeds from an individual without consent is just a criminal.

If a vampire lacks a willing donor, or doesn't want to feed for moral reasons, they will likely seek out a 'substitute'. For sanguinarians, rare steaks and cranberry juice with salt are said to be apt at stopping the hunger for a short time. (Although, cranberry juice with salt apparently tastes horrible). For psivamps, draining electronic devices or 'ambient feeding' (feeding only on the energy people give off naturally in emotional situations) can sometimes get them by.

There is a document called 'The Donor's Bill of Rights' that gives an idea of what the job of a donor entails and the relationship between vampire and donor. That can be found here.

Further Reading & Resources
Here are some resources you can use to find out more about vampirism.

Sanguinarius.org
VCMB.org (Sanguinarius Forum)

[Reinforest]

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