Third Eye Realm

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.