And now to bring in the "attributes" as speculated by a writer who wishes to remain anonymous (yes, I do have permissions.)
Heightened senses, to one degree or another.
Such as:
Better hearing-being able to hear higher or lower-pitched frequencies, as well as things that are ‘quieter’ than most people can hear;
-better sight;
-the sense of touch is quite sensitive, you just seem to feel things better than most;
-more heightened sense of smell, as in you can still smell someone’s perfume in a room, even after they’ve been gone for days, it simply seems to linger, as well as seeming able to identify and pick out scents most people can’t;
-sense of taste is quite remarkable.
-This is not to say that all vampires have every sense to an “Nth” degree. For some, the eyesight may be bad, to where the individual would have to wear contacts. But, for the most part, these senses are exceptionally heightened.
-Quicker reflexes
-Some sort of blood-lust and/or a need to feed off of some sort of energy
-An affinity for the dark; dislikes being in the daylight, such as seeking shelter in shadowy environments and/or areas
-Functions better at night-most seem to be more awake after the sun goes down; you can think better at night; etc
-Some sort of ‘allergic’ reaction to the sun (whether it can or cannot be diagnosed by medical science is up to debate)
-Some variety of Empathy
-Better-than-average or ’strange’ nightvision
-An awareness of energies most people don’t notice
-Weaker-than-average immune system if they haven’t fed; stronger-than-average if they have
-An odd mix of a desire to be around crowds and a mild(or stronger) case of social anxiety disorder; this is usually due to the Empathic abilities a lot of us have. Too many thoughts and emotions invading all at once
-An unusual gracefulness that seems to manifest at odd times
-Depending on the situation, many seem to display traits and characteristics reminiscent of MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder). Frequently, this very well could be a manifistation of past lives making themselves known.
-An ability to pick people out of a crowd who seem to be ‘different’… unusual energies or what have you. This also goes with vampires being able to pick each other out.
-“Mood eyes”; eyes that seem to change color with one’s emotions
-Physically stronger in certain situations. This is not to say they could pick up a car and throw it a hundred feet because they get annoyed, of course. But, for some reason, their strength seems to get better depending on the situation; *especially* in an emergency or in a dangerous situation.
-Extreme cravings for unusual foods or which food doesn’t seem to satisfy. You may wake up at 4:30 am and have an odd craving for banana pudding. You just woke up, and *needed* banana pudding at that moment. Or, for some reason, you want coconut milk on your cereal instead of regular milk. Odd little things that, for some reason, you just cannot explain. I know, one night, I woke up –woke up completely– from REM sleep and needed pizza right now. It was about 5am, and I *needed* that pizza.
Unexplainable, frequent headaches
-Never seems to get enough sleep (insomnia). It doesn’t matter how much you sleep, or how little . . . you just never seem to be able to get enough sleep some days. Or, you’ll have days where you’re up for longer than 24 hours and, no matter what you do, cannot force yourself to sleep.
-Seems to heal more quickly than others (when well-fed). A cut or scratch seems to heal in a matter of hours (or overnight) as opposed to a few days. If you catch a cold or the flu, you seem to recover quicker than most people, if you have the energy available for your body to accomplish this.
-Seems to experience symptoms similar to the flu (except with no fever) when they haven’t fed frequently enough
Some sort of ‘artistic’ talent-be it poetry, writing, drawing, computer work, etc.-that seem to come out of nowhere
-Higher than average intelligence
-Seems to suffer from some variety of depression or bipolar disorder. This “symptom” and the one above seem to connect. It’s that whole “There is a fine line between genius and madness” thing. Me, I have a high I.Q. I also have bi-polar disorder. Most vamps I have met in my life seem to have high intelligence, and some sort of depression.
-Some variety of one or more ‘mental abilities’-empathy, telepathy, aura sight, precognition, etc.
-A strange ability to ‘hide in plain sight’. You just don’t want to be seen. And, for some reason, even though you’re in the middle of a large crowd . . . no one seems to even notice you. And this “ability” seems to fluctuate at odd times. Usually, though, it manifests during serious stressful situations where you just cannot “handle” things anymore for a while. It also, however, has a habit of ‘going off’ when you don’t necessarily want to remain unnoticed.
---I have X number of those traits… does that mean I *am* a vampire?
Maybe, maybe not. I have met several vampires that do not have more than one or two of these traits; then again, I’ve come across vampires who seem to have them all. I’ve also come across ‘normal humans’ that seem to display most of these traits. In the end, the only one who can *really* decide if you are or not, is you.
(As far as these attibutes go, I will neither confirm nor deny the actual existance of the vampire, and or any attributes contributed thereof. Draw your own conclusions based on whether or not this post is fact or fiction.)
