What SHOULD vampyres be?

[Hawkmoor]

Honoured colleagues,
We have seen, in countless other forums, the question "What is a vampire" posted and debated unto the very nth degree of mortality... but... has anyone ever seen it asked what a modern day vampyre "should" be?

In everything, everywhere, there is an "ideal"... an idea of the "ultimate" and the "most perfect"... models, actors, artists, sports people... the list goes on. There are awards and ceremonies that honour and recognise the top in their field of endeavour... what then, should the "perfect" Human Living, or, Modern
Vampyre be, or aspire to be?

If I may expand on the question a little.

What am I asking for? Well, I am asking people to respond and tell me what characteristics ~ in their opinion ~ make a vampyre a vampyre.
For example: What are the characteristics that make a fish a fish - physical characteristics might include gills, fins, tails and they live in water.
or,
What are the characteristics that make a bird a bird - physical characteristics might include such things as wings, clawed feet and beaks.

When I ask "What characteristics make a vampyre a vampyre?" some of the responses might be:
They consume life-energy; they don't like sunlight, they say that they have heightened senses.

When I ask "what should a vampyre be?" some of the responses might include ~ "vampires should be smart/ cruel/
tolerant/ arrogant/ dismissive/ secretive" etc.

What should a vampyre be? How should they conduct themselves? What special things should they portray to other vampyres or non-vampyres?

If there are any further questions I would be happy to answer them. I look forward to your responses. Of course, I have my own ideas but I will refrain from posting them until the majority have had their say.

With compliments,
T

[malkavia]

personally i think we could possibly be the next step in an alternate evolution due to certain changes that happen when we awaken, some get smarter, develop more keen senses and what not.

what should we be in terms of how we conduct ourselves, well that is kind of hard to say because there are many different kinds of people why would we be any different? I personally am a bit of an arrogant narcissist for various reasons and can be a bit of a prick but at the same time nice, caring, nurturing and what not it just depends on what side of me you get on.

same thing applies to all people we are different colors and races blah blah blah now which ones i believe are superior, well that i will just leave unsaid

[Hawkmoor]

Many thanks for your input Malkavia.
With compliments,
T

[farewell]

I think that above all vampires should be open minded/ kind/ and cautious

[Hawkmoor]

Thank you Lady Ophelia; that reply does you great credit. Unfortunately we find ourselves; all too often, trapped in the squalid midst of some one's drama!

It is becoming increasingly difficult to look around the online vampyre communities and find something to be kind about I fear.

Nevertheless, with these... and other responses, I wrote the following article. I hope it will meet with your approval my friends.

To be a Vampyre, or not to be a Vampyre
By
Hawkmoor

Recently, I posed the following question in a number of online community forums;

“Honoured colleagues, friends...
We hath seen, in countless other forums, the question "What is a vampire" posted and debated unto the very nth degree o' fatality... but... hath anyone e'er seen it asked what a modern day vampyre "should" be?

In everything, everywhere, there be an "ideal"... an idea o' the "ultimate" and the "moste perfect"... models, actors, artists, sports people... the list goes on. There art awards and ceremonies and such like that honour and recognise the top in their field o' endeavour... what then, should the "perfect" Human Living, or, Modern Vampyre be, or aspire to be?”

There were a range of responses received over a month, some to be expected, some not. There were questions. Some people simply answered the question as it stood, without frill, without frivolity and without reading between the lines. Others were perplexed by the question and did not understand its point or aim. Still others attempted, for a variety of reasons, to turn it into a debate over morals and ethics. There were some who, as seems all too often to happen in many cases, rubbished the question, the intent behind it and the answers that were starting to come in.

The question itself revealed many personal biases and drew attention from many quarters of the community.

This was not an attempt, as some suggested, to force my own morals and ethics upon others but it was an attempt to quantify what it meant to modern, human living vampyres, to be what they are. I neither expect nor demanded anyone to agree with my views and beliefs; however, it does seem as though a great many share my outlook.

I will summarise now, the reactions and answers that were received and my own conclusions and thoughts in the matter.

The Question

The question was posted with the intention of gathering as many personal opinions as I could about what a modern, Human Living Vampyre, should be or aspire to be.

I wanted to discover how vampyres viewed themselves as an entity and to find out what the most popular notions of the characteristics that define a modern vampyre were.

For instance; when you say the word “vampyre” to the uninitiated the most immediate associations are ~ “Blood”, “Dracula”, “Crucifix (or cross)”, “Fangs”, “Anne Rice”, “Stephanie Meyer”, “Undead”, “Corpse”, “Transylvania”, “Coffin” ~ and the like. These associations, I would suggest, are the product of what we have been fed and led to believe. Mostly, the conceptions are formed by literature and the entertainment industry; an industry which has had an enduring love affair with vampyres since Murnau’s classic Nosferatu (1922).

The question I posed was aimed at modern vampyres themselves. To gather their thoughts on what it meant to be a vampyre in today’s world.

It was never intended that the question become a debate over morals and ethics; an argument over which “vampiric path” was the right one and which was the wrong one. It was never intended to ignite anything other than an interest in furthering the definition of the modern vampyre.

The Responses

I received many responses indeed. Many that mirrored each other almost exactly and thus pointed to a shared opinion/image/definition of the modern vampyre. After sorting through the responses and grouping similar replies, I found that the most overwhelming and common response concerned the need for the modern vampyre to be:

"REAL to him or her self” also, “Simply, and I say this without hesitation or reservation, themselves.” And, “...completely honest about themselves, in the very least, to themselves.”

It would seem, then, that the base ethic is one of self-acceptance. This, I would suggest, is the same as for the rest of the world. A common human necessity mirrored in a “non human” community. This gives us the first clue as to what a vampyre should be ~ self aware and self accepting.

The next most common thread seemed to be the development of; and exercising of, wisdom and knowledge. It seems there is a strong perception, amongst modern vampyres, that wisdom, critical judgement and a common-sense use of knowledge is to be admired and cultivated.

This is evidenced by comments such as;
“…wise from learning from others, considerate of other feelings, knowing how to help others like him or not.”

"use our wonderful gift of charisma wisely and to educate our own kind to embrace the ideals that we subscribe to in our everyday life"

And,
“To act accordingly by whichever "golden" law or code that is justified by moral actions to the next individual.”

This leads us to believe that modern vampyres view themselves as being in possession of a natural talent to lead, and a natural desire to embrace knowledge and wisdom as tools, rather than weapons, and a desire to be seen not as “monsters” or “freaks” but as strong individuals whom are desirous of seeing something better than we have around us.

In this respect modern vampyres can be likened to some o’ the respected community workers and achievers whose selfless examples we admire in the news everyday. Is this a bad thing to aspire to? Not if they want to be accepted as a valid lifestyle group in the mainstream of human society.

From this we might draw a second inference: Vampyres should be ~ Teachers, Mentors and Leaders

A strong, and often understated, observation was made concerning discretion. The common associations which most people make when they hear the word “Vampyre” have left the modern vampyre in a somewhat unenviable position of being misunderstood if not hated. There is, some claim, a case to be answered on the basis of discrimination. That may be so but while we have to contend with a society that does not understand and does not condone some of the vampiric practices then the modern vampyre must, unfortunately, be somewhat secretive.

There are cases where individuals have had good, positive experiences with media representation and the like. There are those who are making a good living out of being a “vampyre”… good luck to them all but bear in mind comments such as;

"..fastiduous in their efforts to learn the art of self defense. The very fact that we are a Vampyre opens us up to a heightened chance we will be attacked either physically or psychically, if it hadn't happened previous to one's Awakening, it most likely will happen now that it has occurred.”

“[vampyres should] keep out of trouble as much as possible (which, IMHO, includes the media altogether), and do our best to help others needing help.”

And,
“but for fear of potential employers seeing me and thinking I'm a nut case. That is a very real concern for people involved in the vampire and therian communities."

Into which we might read that, due to their nature, and the public (mundane) perception of such, vampyres must be secretive.
There are people, human society people that still believe in the old folklore about vampyres; who still contend that vampyres are an evil race, hell bent on destruction of living innocents that need to be eradicated. They believe that there is a great need to destroy that which they don’t understand, or worse yet, fear.

Quote: "[vampyres should] eradicate the perception that others have of us as being vile, vicious creatures on the edge of insanity."

And,
[vampyres should be] “just like everyone else - we should try to be decent, honest, reasonable people overall, while keeping our nature hidden from public view."

We must ask ourselves, is this a misplaced paranoia or a real health and safety concern? Knowing, full well, the penchant for human society to shun, reject and ultimately dispose of things that do not fit in with the range of “normally acceptable”. I would suggest that is a chance not worth taking.

Following this train of thought, a most eloquent response was received from one well known community member who said;

“ know who to trust with your secrets, who to trust to feed you without knowing the truth (or without believing), who to never trust with anything."

Trust, a problem for modern vampyres as it is for modern humans. Drawing on the comments received and my own thoughts on this matter we could say that the modern vampyre needs to be ~ Shrewd, analytical and safety minded

The next collection of responses dealt with the perceptions of how vampyres should conduct themselves and in this one theme emerged very strongly; almost universally. The vampyre is seen, by many, as a very civilised creature, a creature of manners, grace and tranquillity. This all, it seems, belies the folklore descriptions that have been handed down to us. Many of the responses received were couched in the following manner.

“A vampire should also have manners wether in the OVC or not."

"be patient, vigilant and well spoken"

“should be the example, and not mocked by the critical eye of society."

And,
"someone with integrity and manners wether it be in the OVC or otherwise.”

It seems to be a common enough thread and should it really come as a surprise to us? The quintessential vampyre has been portrayed as an aristocratic nobleman of some far flung European domicile, naturally, along with the assumption of nobility comes the association with grace, style, sophistry and good manners. Are we guilty then of believing our own press?
I do not think so. My honoured parents brought me up to be polite and respectful; to be well spoken and conduct myself with some dignity and aplomb. I, in turn, am trying to teach my own bairns these same values. I am firmly of the opinion that good manners and respect toward your fellows are essential ingredients to becoming respected yourself and to becoming a better person. We all strive to be better, we all wish for better position and more respect… I suggest that if we practice this toward others then it comes more readily to us. It does not matter whether we are talking vampyre or mundane here, it is a basic principle of society that civilised conduct is acceptable and lauded while bad manners and an uncouth mien are not.

I would also go so far as to suggest that, as a different “species” or “off shoot” of Homo Sapiens Sapiens, we should make every effort to rise above the normal levels of behaviour and lead by example; an example that is set, in the tenets of grace, style, good manners and good conduct. We owe it to ourselves, let alone anyone else, and it is not a sign of weakness to show that one can rise above the petty.
From this we might venture to say that the modern vampyre should be –
Polite, courteous, well mannered and well spoken.

We are now lead to the very heart of what it means to be a vampyre. Throughout history the vampyre has held a reputation; a reputation as a hunter, a predator. In the modern world we are graced with the presence of a great number who adhere to our lifestyle and our presence and willingly give of themself so that we may feed our needs. Such donors are a source of strength to us; they remind us not merely of what we are but also of our responsibilities.

Possibly the most succinct comment I received in this particular matter was:
“ ..seeking out that which will sustain them. I personally believe that to intentionally starve oneself is one of the closest things I can put up against the concept of Sin. (While I hardly mean to suggest "feeding through any means," I simply mean to imply that starving oneself into a state of 'Vampyric Anorexia' really serves no constructive purpose.’

Vampyres are predators; pure and simple. Historically speaking, in myth and folklore, right on through to the present day this base precept of the nature of the vampyre cannot be denied or changed and I would suggest that any vampyre who does not entertain this as a commonality is denying themselves and their own inherent nature.

It doesn’t matter whether a vampyre is a Sanguinarian, Psi, Empath, Elemental or any other… we are predators and in this we each draw our own lines of what is acceptable and what is not.
One comment that was received, in my opinion, epitomises the nature of the vampyre. Quite simply put, without malice or spite, it read:
"An ideal vampire cares for his livestock"

This speaks to having conscience, to having morals and compassion. It may seem, on the surface, as being rather dismissive and derogatory but consider this… does the lion over-feed in his world or does he only take what he needs?
Given the seemingly popularly accepted fact that we hunt; that we prey – that we must, I believe that it is even more important that we do so with conscience, high moral values and strong ethics. We are not the vile, vicious, evil undead monsters of someone’s fictional imagination. We are a variety of humanity with certain physiological differences that need caring for just as any other person on the planet needs to care for their health.

Amongst the many responses received the most common theme of all was that vampyres should be vampyres, and should be:
“..completely honest about themselves, in the very least, to themselves.Nothing useful can be learned, and very nearly nothing is ever gained, from lying to oneself. One may choose to be discrete, but there is really nowhere to hide from one's Self."

"open and honest and is true to himself or herself"
And
“Simply, and I say this without hesitation or reservation, themselves.”

We are vampyres; we are here and we are here to stay. We are part of the modern world, just like air travel, plasma screens and taxes. We are real ~ we cannot deny this fact but neither should we risk ourselves and families in being what we are.

Because of our heritage, our folklore and historical visibility we need to exercise great discretion in all places and at all time, in doing so we may remain above reproach. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves “represented” by those who have only their own best interests at heart. We cannot stop this but we must make it clear, in my opinion, that we don’t necessarily subscribe to what the “televamps” (television vampyres) say about themselves, as being valid for all of us. We are, as is any other being, individuals.

Indeed, I would agree with this statement:
" well aware of his/her surroundings for the sake of critical judgement. If not us, then who would use the simple term of "common sense" to act accordingly in all of lifes endevours? We should be the example, and not mocked bythe critical eye of society."

Furthermore, I absolutely agree with the statement that:
[The vampyre should] "command the nature of what virtue definitively means. Though the act of vampire is the nessessary "need to feed', does not mean we are not a virtuous and honourable "species."

IN CONCLUSION
The modern vampyre should be
Self aware and self accepting.
Teachers, Mentors and Leaders
Shrewd, analytical and safety minded
Polite; courteous, well mannered and well spoken.
Honest to themselves, true to themselves and proud to be what they are.

©Hawkmoor, 2009

NOTE: All comments quoted in this article are actual responses received after being posted in a number of online forums. They have been presented anonymously to preserve the comfort and “safety” from harassment of the respondents. Should anyone wish to verify their authenticity they are on public display around the OVC.

[Avatar.Alex]

@glacialis

Well Done!!