Vampyre Spaces: High Society or Goth Cosplay

The Vampyre

The vampire has an allure to it whether we found them from our favorite book, television show, or game. Stories of immortal aristocrats, hellish creatures in abandoned buildings or distant caves, and everything in between, the vampire traverses many realms and wears many masks. They often have heightened senses and physical abilities on par with your favorite metahuman but cursed with a lust for blood and flesh. Sometimes this hunger is controllable and sometimes it is privy to outbursts of violence and destruction which all make for good stories.

In reality, we're not so powerful and don't hold high places in corporations or politics. Besides our cravings, we are not so different from the rest of the world. We don't have magical abilities or superpowers that the media often portrays. Although there are the Vampyres that practice magic and gather to work their rites, it is no more spookier than a Circle of Witches or a murder of Goths.

Cravings

We joke and play, we live and laugh, we work and study. We are, by all intents and purposes, quite human. We live and die, we get sick and we heal, we have limits and dream of impossibilities. We are different by degree rather than simply beyond human. What makes us stand apart is a thing we call cravings. Some prefer the poetry of Sacred Hunger or simply The Need, but it comes down to craving something that can only be satisfied by blood or other deep human exchanges of lifeforce.

We are not gods, we are not devils, we are not ancient spirits anymore than we are stardust gathered on a ball of water and oxygen floating through darkness in the middle of nowhere surrounded by spheres of gas and ice... just like every other human. There are theories, especially among Psi Vampyres, that we have unique energy bodies. Whether or not that is true does not mean we are somehow not human or to be held on a pedestal. We are not to be worshipped nor fetishized, we just want to exist.

Most Vampyres also do not carry the Otherkin label and many do not have any esoteric beliefs or practices. While I am biased towards esotericism being a practitioner myself, I am also aware, and respect, other Vampyres do not share these beliefs.

Lifestyle

People often misunderstand that the House structure is based off of 'Vampire: The Masquerade' and other popular media portraying vampires as higher society and protectors of some sacred truth. As cool as it would be to have Goths of the Coffin Table making decisions in a medieval castle with candelabras made of bones, it simply isn't like that. 

Fashion is always influenced by something external to us. While I have very little knowledge of designer fashion I do have a working knowledge of Punk and some Goth fashion. Like Punk and Goth, the Vampyre Community has its own fashion, influenced by Trad Goth, Bondage, among personal flair. You wouldn't call a punk rocker with patched jeans, studded battle jacket, and spiked blue hair a poser or 'not a real punk' so why would you call someone with fangs, black frilly shirt, Demonia boots, and horror inspired tattoos 'not a real vampyre'?

The lifestyle determines the fashion and we often like to express ourselves in our communities with clothing, jewelry, and body modification. To be a Lifestyler is to be a Black Swan or Vampyre that dresses in Goth attire. A Lifestyler may also have a 'witchy' aesthetic, or someone who's life is heavily involved in the Vampyre Community and may not particularly care for the fashion aspect.

Not all Vampyres dress in Goth or other attire and not all those that claim the Lifestyler label are Vampyres, and it doesn't matter either way. You will not know a Vampyre from the way they dress or even the way they act. We are human after all. The only real way you will know that someone is a Vampyre is if they tell you.

Conclusion

We are not bound by sacred laws gifted to us on High, we are bound by natural law like every other living being, and expected to uphold Laws of the Land as ordained by local legislation of the County and State. We are held liable for everything we do whether it is in a House, Coven, work place, school, or public space. We cannot turn anyone into a vampyre, and if you're begging, even if we could, we wouldn't.

The standards we hold are for the safety of ourselves and our donors. While the Black Veil is a fancy name, it is just a guide that certain Houses and Solitaries follow and is not Vampyre Law. Like the Wiccan Rede, the Black Veil is poetic expression of beliefs and practices of a fringe culture and not every House or Solitary follows it word for word. Many of us take influence from it, adding in or omitting what works best in our practice and aligns with our core values.

If you are newly Awakened or just curious, welcome to our Community. We are glad to provide you with resources for further education but we are not going to hold your hand nor do we want your undying devotion. We are a community not a religious organization, cult, or anything of the sort. 

As you can see we are neither high society nor Goth cosplayers. We are just people. Maybe a bit odd and eccentric at times, but still very much human.