Vampires

Vampires are living supernatural humans distinguished primarily by their dependence on blood, heightened hearing, an extended visual spectrum and an extreme sensitivity to sunlight.

Despite their portrayal in folklore, vampires are not undead. They are living people with a number of biological differences from ordinary humans.

Blood

Vampires require the regular consumption of blood because their bodies are unable to adequately produce haemoglobin and associated heme themselves.

Blood does not replace an ordinary diet. Vampires can and do eat normal food, with blood providing biological components their bodies cannot produce in sufficient quantities.

Human blood is not necessary. Animal blood can fulfil the same biological requirement and is commercially available for vampire consumption.

Blood can be prepared and served in a variety of ways. Different animal sources have different flavours, and temperature and seasoning are largely matters of personal preference. Salt is a common addition, while other seasonings such as MSG are also used.

Businesses catering to vampires may therefore offer a selection of blood in much the same way that a café might offer different varieties of coffee.

Sunlight

Vampires have an extreme sensitivity to sunlight, but exposure is not immediately fatal.

An unprotected vampire can usually tolerate brief exposure without injury. After several minutes, however, exposed skin will begin to burn. Continued exposure causes increasingly severe burns and blistering.

Sunscreen provides significant protection and makes ordinary daylight activity practical, although it does not reduce the risk to that experienced by an ordinary human. Even with sunscreen, a vampire can begin to develop sunburn within minutes of sustained direct exposure, with blistering possible after approximately ten minutes.

Short periods outdoors are therefore generally manageable. Extended exposure is considerably more dangerous, particularly without protection.

Severe cases can result in extensive burns requiring conventional medical treatment. An unprotected vampire remaining in direct sunlight for close to an hour, for example, could suffer serious injuries over much of their exposed skin.

Vampires also have a substantially increased risk of developing skin cancer as a consequence of their sensitivity to sunlight. Sunscreen, protective clothing and limiting unnecessary exposure are therefore routine precautions even when immediate burning is unlikely to become severe.

Sunlight does not otherwise prevent vampires from being awake or active during the day.

Hearing

Vampires possess significantly more sensitive hearing than ordinary humans.

They can detect quieter sounds and sounds at greater distances, allowing them to notice things that may be entirely inaudible to the people around them.

Heightened hearing does not necessarily make interpretation easier. Background noise remains background noise, and environments containing large numbers of competing sounds can limit the usefulness of the ability.

Vision

Vampire vision extends beyond the normal human visible spectrum and into infrared.

This allows vampires to perceive infrared information that is invisible to ordinary human eyes.

The ability is a natural part of vampire vision rather than a separate sense that can be consciously switched on and off.

It should not be confused with the highly processed thermal images produced by specialist cameras. What a vampire actually perceives depends on the wavelengths their eyes can detect and the conditions around them.

Physical abilities

Vampires do not possess supernatural strength.

Their physical strength, speed and general capabilities remain within normal human ranges. An individual vampire may of course be particularly strong or athletic, but this is a characteristic of that individual rather than of vampirism.

Their principal sensory advantages over ordinary humans are their heightened hearing and extended visual spectrum.

Vampires in society

Vampires live openly alongside the wider population.

Their biological requirements have consequently become part of ordinary society. Blood can be produced and sold for consumption, businesses can cater specifically to vampire customers, and workplaces can accommodate their increased vulnerability to sunlight.

Vampires can work in the same professions as anyone else, including occupations such as policing.

Many traditional stories about vampires contain exaggerated, distorted or entirely fictional versions of genuine vampire characteristics. The reality is generally considerably less dramatic.