Vampires have fascinated human beings for centuries in myth and
legend, possibly dating back as far as prehistoric times.[1] Vampire
superstition ramped up in the early 18th century, culminating in the
romanticization of vampire characters in such books as John
Poldori's _The Vampyre_ (1819) and Bram Stoker's novel _Dracula_
(1897). The fact that the vampire legend continues to persist into
the 21st century suggests that we have deep-seated love for the
fantasy of a dark, brooding, and handsome or beautiful transformed
human who might just suck our blood and live for thousands of years
at the same time.
If you'd like to be like a vampire, there are some particular ways
that you can adopt to give the impression of being a vampire, whether
for fancy dress, Halloween, or just because you'd like to adopt it as
a style for a while. Here are some suggestions on how you can be like
a vampire.
!! Steps !!
Do your research. It's important to know your vampire lore well.
It's not enough to simply watch current vampire shows on TV, or
modern movies, and assume that that is all there is to it. Proper
research will enable you to understand the history of vampires
through myth, legend, and folklore, and to obtain a better
understanding of why this mythical being thrills people so much.
Understanding the nuances well will help you to portray the
character better, as well as enabling you to respond to critics who
think you're just making it all up. Some things to do in the pursuit
of your research include:
* Read John William Poldori's _The Vampyre_. If you can't obtain a
copy, you'll find an online version at Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6087
* Read Bram Stoker's _Dracula_. This should be readily available in
a secondhand book store, but if not, check Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/345
Read modern vampire stories. There are thousands of vampire books,
comics, and graphic novels available to read,[2] some obviously of
better quality than others. Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series and
Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles are current well-known series.
You can find list of vampire novels, poems, anthologies, essays,
short stories, etc., just by doing an online search. There are
numerous sites devoted to keeping this knowledge in one place.
You'll need to make your decision based on quality of the writing,
interest in the specific characters, etc., but it's recommended that
you try to read at least one piece from each decade of the twentieth
century, to give you a good idea of how the vampire genre has
evolved over time.
* Watch vampire shows, such as HBO's "True Blood", and movies to get
a complete picture of how vampires are portrayed creatively. Look
out for theater and opera productions featuring vampires too -
dramatic, romantic, and highly entertaining all at once!
Vlad the Impaler is considered to be a vampiric source
Read the non-fiction. Non-fiction books cover two areas
– information gathered about vampires generally and
analyzed, and "real" vampire information. That's right,
"real" vampires. Throughout history, there have been
some people who have behaved like a vampire and for one
reason or another, have been found practicing rituals,
crimes, and activities that cause people to think that
they're vampires. The principal reason for learning
about these people is so that you've covered all bases
and can explain the difference between the myths, the
copy-artists, and the "truth". And there are some
believers who consider that vampires are real and walk
among us, in that they are people with "high pranic
energy" who drain the lifeforce from others.[3]
Obviously, what you believe is up to you, within the
parameters of not causing harm to others; just do your
research first.
* Check out the many websites containing the history, folklore,
legends, analyses, etc., relating to vampires and vampirology. For
example, Dr. Elizabeth Miller is considered to be a foremost
expert on Dracula,[4], and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry has
a number of articles on vampires.[5]
Adopt the demeanor of a vampire. There are many possibilities of how
a vampire behaves, most gleaned from literature, movies, and images
painted by a range of artists from painters to cartoonists. If
you're adapting these character traits for a play, a cosplay, or for
any other role playing or style purpose, the typical traits of a
vampire include (and this list is in no way exhaustive nor
authoritative as it depends on where you draw your "essence" or
"character" of a vampire from):
* A lover of the night-time, less enamored of the daylight. May even
detest sunshine, being highly photo-sensitive and prone to
sunburn. Enjoy your nighttime more than your day.
* Good overall and night vision. You might need technical help here
to avoid stumbling around outdoors on a moonless night, but if
you're the type who can keep reading when everyone else is
complaining it's too dark, this is a vampiric trait.[6]
* Intense, narcissistic, prone to dominate the limelight.[7] To call
someone a vampire in our daily lives often refers to a person's
proclivity to "drain energy" from us. People with a natural
tendency to this type of "dark energy" tend to be drawn to
vampires who easily represent a side of their personality to which
they can instantly relate. If you're not naturally brooding,
attention-seeking, and intense, it's not advised to change your
personality; these traits do wear most people down and tend to
lose you friends. If you want to practice this style of behavior,
keep it in moderation.
* Equally, a vampire can be withdrawn, sullen, demure, and silent
when their energy is spent and they need to "recharge". In this
case, seek refuge until your energy is restored.
* High sensitivity to temperature changes. Make comments about the
temperature, especially how cold or hot it suddenly feels. On the
other hand, others believe that vampires are not sensitive to
temperatures at all, and that enjoying having the coldest bedroom
in the house is a sign of being a vampire,[8] so you'll need to
decide which holds for you.
* High ability to heal well.[9] Do your bruises, cuts and scrapes
clear up quickly? If not, stick covering makeup over them!
* Unable to maintain long-term stable relationships with most
people, although may hold a deep longing for one particular person
who may be deceased already (although not necessarily so). Do you
have a special person you're pining for? Or, perhaps there's a
historical character you can pin your undying centuries old love
to, and raise him or her as a topic of conversation now and
then...
* Soul-piercing gaze. A vampire may seem to look right through you,
right into your soul, or perhaps they don't even see you at all
but are focused on some other dimension entirely. Try not to spook
people out when attempting this; equally, don't be surprised if
people consider you to be "off with the fairies" rather than
perceptive; it's a hard look to pull off without annoying people.
* Being pale, whatever your skin color. Appears flushed after
consuming food, especially meat products. Try to keep out of the
sun, and keep your skin pale (or use makeup to achieve the effect,
see below).
* Little time for people they assess as "fools"; vampires consider
themselves highly intelligent and respect intelligence in return.
If you want to attract intelligent people, be intelligent.
* Of a serious disposition. Reserve your smiles for moments of real
joy and hilarity, not for commonplace happenings. If you're
someone who loves to laugh and smile, think of something sad.
* Speak in a low voice, perhaps make it husky, seductive, or
sensual. Listen to actors who played vampires in some of the older
movies to get a good idea of the voice style.
Dress like a vampire. Vampire clothing varies depending on the era
of vampire that you're looking at but on the whole, there are some
commonalities that seem to run through vampiric fashion: the
clothing is always of good quality; it tends to be dark (often
black), with some color relief (often red, white, or gray); it is
often sexy, maybe burlesque, or at the very least, shows the body
off to its best advantage; and it is flexible enough to allow for
stealthy night movements. A large cape is a traditional vampiric
item of clothing, although more modern vampires seem to have lost
this typical style; despite this, the cape is a "must-have" for
fancy dress or dramatic moments when acting!
* During the daytime wear large, dark (opaque) sunglasses to cover
your eyes and much of your upper face. Switch the glasses up a bit
by owning a few pairs, including a special pair for evening
events.
* Wear scarves, hats and other items that cover you up when out
during the daylight. Use an umbrella to keep off the sun (as
opposed to the rain).
* Keep your nails long. Make sure they're well groomed, however; a
vampire is proud.
* Dress very smartly and wear long, flowing or billowing coats.
* For a cosplay or fancy dress, have a friend carry a stake, garlic,
and a cross. Your friend can chase you and make an amusing parody
out of the traditional methods of getting rid of vampires (note
that some modern renditions of vampires cease to use some of the
traditional vampire frighteners, reflecting a more sophisticated
challenge).
Add makeup and accessories to appear like a vampire. Makeup can help
you achiever the pale pallor and darkness common to traditional
vampire appearance.
* Use white or very light makeup across your face to make it pale.
* Wear slightly dark makeup under and around your eyes. If your
school or workplace frowns on makeup, or makeup with such an edge
to it, keep this for evenings, weekend, and vacation time. Always
remove makeup before sleep; your skin needs to breathe.
* If you want to be a Twilight style vampire, consider adding
glitter to your skin to represent the "twinkling" experienced by
Edward Cullen in the daylight.
* Find some good quality fake fangs to insert if you don't already
have a nice set of pointy teeth. This is optional if you're
adopting a vampire style long-term, but probably essential for
costume events. Try to buy the fangs that look realistic and avoid
one with adhesive (custom fit fangs are cheaper in the long run).
* Consider adding differently colored contacts if you want a
different look for your eyes.
* Some people go to the trouble of having their teeth filed. This is
a drastic, irreversible measure; as such, it's not to be done
lightly.
* Find a plastic bat to attach to the back of your cape.
Move like a vampire. Vampires move with stealth and grace. Try to
sweep around as you walk.
* Consider gym, dance, or martial arts lessons if you're not already
graceful in the way that you move.
* Try to stay in peak fitness. Whatever your size and shape, it's
important to be fit and a vampire will benefit from being fit to
move easily and quietly.
Find other vampires to hang out with. Look for others of your kind,
with similar beliefs, interests, and knowledge of vampires. Spend
time discussing vampire lore, vampirology, vampire literature and
shows, and generally seek to have an enjoyable time together.
* Attend vampire conventions, meet-ups, and similar events to meet
like-minded vampire fans and vampires.
The vampire's iPod... Consume red food, as representative of what a
vampire would normally consume. Think red and find red colored food.
Berries are ideal, as are apples, strawberries, red cabbage,
tomatoes, anything using red food coloring, etc.
* Drink cranberry juice, raspberry juice, or red cordial drinks in
place of blood.
* Vampires have been portrayed as being anything ranging from
blood-sucking to vegetarians. The diet you wish to pursue is
entirely your choice. Theoretically, since vampires are
energy-intensive, you may wish to take care of overloading your
digestive system; most portrayals of vampires do not show them as
been particularly food fascinated.
* See "Warnings" below for consuming blood.
Have some vampire responses at the ready. To act in character, you
might like to respond to people with the following:
* When asked your favorite color: black, and maybe red.
* When asked your favorite place to sleep: in a coffin.
* When asked your favorite meal: smile and say, "anything red and
moist".
* When convincing a vampiric fact, make sure you say: "It's true!
Lestat spoke to me last night." Or use any other famous vampire in
your sentence (do some research online to draw together
appropriate one-liners).
Find yourself. True understanding of the self can only come from
introspection deep within, and not from trying to emulate another
being or style. If you're attracted to being like a vampire because
you connect with the essential traits portrayed as being "vampiric",
it may well be that you're simply finding a cool outlet for your own
personality style. On the other hand, it may be that you're using
this as an excuse to not do the hard work of working through the
more negative, troubling, or confusing aspects of your personality
or life; or, you might see the romanticized image of the vampire as
outsider resonating with your own pain. Whatever your motivation,
excusing negative behavior or bad faith attitudes by covering them
in a layer of fantasy won't do you any favors in the long term. Even
those who believe that real vampires exist consider that a person
who is vampiric by nature needs to learn to control their ability to
drain others and to learn more self-awareness.[10]
* If you're seeking to be like a vampire because you want to lord it
over other people, disempower others, and mess with their lives,
try rethinking your destructive tendencies. Behaving like a
vampire in order to bully others, to make yourself seem more
important than anybody else, or to cause harm to others is
unacceptable behavior. This kind of approach will not win you
friends, and will most likely cause you to be ostracized and
despised.
* Modern vampires are depicted as being in control of their
bloodlust and emotions as a matter of choice. Living among human
beings and being almost human, modern vampires have powers (a
blessing) but are bloodthirsty (a curse) and this sets up an
eternal struggle for them.[11] Being like a vampire in modern
times can include enjoying a sense of mischief, taking pride in
your intelligence, and having a willingness to always ask
questions about the consequences of your actions.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* Stick to the shadows, and whenever you're in the sun, wince in
pain and request to go into the shade (optional).
* Stare longingly or mysteriously at people as they walk away
(optional).
* The music you listen to depends on the type of vampire you want to
be – classy types tend to go for opera with a dark theme (for
example, _not_ the Can-Can). Requiems are nice. If you're more of
a punk-goth modern vampire, classical may be more your style.
* Goth can be very similar to the vampire lifestyle in some cases.
* Avoid going around to people saying you're a vampire, or even
mentioning it. Vampires don't do this in the stories, and your
visual portrayal of a vampire should be adequately obvious to hint
at your "vampire nature".
* Sometimes, stay awake at night and sleep all day.
* If someone cuts themselves, discreetly lick your lips. Don't make
it obvious or you'll seem like a freak, and don't make any noise
while you do it or you'll seem pretentious. Just part your lips
slightly and run your tongue along your bottom lip, keeping your
eyes on the blood. Make it look as if you have to drag yourself
away from looking at it.
* Vampire traits tend to reflect traits noticed in introverts,
empaths, psychic and highly sensitive people. These similarities
are probably not a coincidence, as vampirism is but one attempt to
find an explanation for certain personality traits that tend to be
poorly understood by the often more dominant and less sympathetic
or empathic, extroverted community.
!! Warnings !!
* This article is about role playing or masquerading as a vampire.
It is not about going so far as to perform acts of bloodlust or
creating a vampire cult, actions which are perverted at best, and
possibly criminal.
* Immortality is a desire, not a reality.
* Avoid provoking any fights over your vampiric "beliefs"; be the
mature one.
* Avoid spreading rumors about people sucking blood, slitting
throats, etc.; that's a form of bullying and is harmful to other
people's reputations.[12]
* Chill on weirding people out too much; it's not cool.
* Be kind to yourself and be friendly, in a sense. You don't want to
end up without any friends!
* There is a high possibility that people will make fun of you if
you aim to be like a vampire as a style in your everyday life.
Don't attempt this unless you're capable of ignoring their jibes.
In addition, avoid falling into the trap of feeling superior over
other people; this merely puts you at the same level as anybody
criticizing you.
* Some people who consider themselves to be vampires do drink human
blood. They term themselves "sanguinarians", and claim that they
only consume clean blood from consenting adults.[13]. The reality
is that drinking anyone's blood is unhygienic and potentially
dangerous to your health; it can spread disease, such as HIV and
AIDS, as well as diabetes. Depending on the origins of the blood,
you may also be committing an offense, or find yourself committed
to a mental health institution.
* Equally, don't go around "biting" people. This is offensive,
dangerous, and taking things to a ridiculous extreme. The human
mouth carries more bacteria than a cat's or dog's mouth, making it
highly dangerous if a bite is hard enough to draw blood,[14] let
alone the fact of the pain involved, and the immorality and
illegality of inflicting such harm.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Dark makeup
* Good Gothic classical metal bands on your iPod or whatever
* Vampire fangs (optional)
* Dark clothes
* Long coats (optional)
* Pins for your clan sign(optional)
* A few friendly friends who want to join as well
* White out contacts (optional)
* Cape
* A vampire medallion (optional)
* A red notebook (optional)
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Be Goth
* How to Get the Vampire Look
* How to Look Like a Twilight Vampire
* How to Scare Someone on Halloween
* How to Act Like a Modern/Common Vampire
* How to Cope With Someone Who Thinks They're a Vampire
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
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