The vampire lifestyle, vampire subculture, or vampire community (sometimes spelt as "vampyre") is an

alternative lifestyle An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle perceived to be outside the norm for a given culture. The phrase "alternative lifestyle" is often used pejoratively. Description of a related set of activities as alternative is a defining aspect of certain ...

and

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

based around the mythology of and popular culture based on

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...

. Those within the subculture commonly identify with or as vampires, with participants typically taking heavy inspiration from media and pop culture based on vampiric folklore and legend, such as the gothic soap opera '' Dark Shadows'', the tabletop role-playing game '' Vampire: The Masquerade'', and the book series '' The Vampire Chronicles'' by author Anne Rice. Practices within the vampire community range from blood-drinking from willing donors to organising groups known as 'houses' and 'courts' of self-identified vampires. The vampire subculture largely stemmed from the

goth subculture Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of Gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. The name ''Goth'' was derived directly from the genre. Notable post-p ...

, but also incorporates some elements of the

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

subculture. The Internet provides a prevalent forum of communication for the subculture, along with other media such as glossy magazines devoted to the topic. Participants within the subculture range from those who dress as vampires but understand themselves to be human, to those who assert a need to consume either blood or 'human energy'. Both types of vampires may assert that the consumption of blood or energy (sometimes referred to as auric or pranic energy) is necessary for spiritual or physical nourishment. Though the vampire subculture has considerable overlap with gothic subculture, the vampire community also has overlap with both therian and otherkin communities, and are considered by some to be a part of both, despite the difference in cultural and historical development.

Types of vampire lifestylers

There are several types of vampire lifestylers: * "Sanguinarians": (sometimes referred to as hematophages) consume the blood of others * "

Psychic vampires A psychic vampire (or energy vampire) is a creature in folklore said to feed off the " life force" of other living creatures. The term can also be used to describe a person who gets increased energy around other people, but leaves those other peop ...

": claim to attain nourishment from the

aura Aura most commonly refers to: * Aura (paranormal), a field of luminous multicolored radiation around a person or object * Aura (symptom), a symptom experienced before a migraine or seizure Aura may also refer to: Places Extraterrestrial * 1488 ...

or pranic energy of others in order to balance a spiritual or psychological energy deficiency, such as a damaged aura or chakra * "Hybrids": both consume blood and assert that they consume psychic energy * "Blood donors": willingly allow other members of the subculture to drink their blood, and may or may not exhibit subservience toward those who do * "Blood fetishists": use blood as a stimulant or sexual fetish, sometimes drinking it during the course of sadomasochistic sex * "Role-players" or "lifestylers": acknowledge that they are human beings roleplaying as vampires. Williams states that they may "dress up in vampire clothing, live a vampire lifestyle (e.g. sleep in coffins), and primarily participate in RPGs such as '' Vampire: The Masquerade''"

Explanations for blood-drinking

Renfield syndrome R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''.Sex researchers have also documented cases of people with sexual ( paraphilic) vampirism and autovampirism.Prins, H. (1985). Vampirism: A clinical condition. ''British Journal of Psychiatry, 146,'' 666–668.

Controversy

Christianity

Some self-proclaimed Christian vampire slayers have arisen in response to the vampire subculture. Online, they swarm vampire websites with hate mail and participate in other similar activities.

Types of vampire lifestylers

Explanations for blood-drinking

Controversy

Christianity

References

Further reading