Ughhh I Hate The Weird Pick-me Part Of The VC. Im A Vampyre But I Call Myself Vampirekin Sometimes Out

ughhh i hate the weird pick-me part of the VC. im a vampyre but i call myself vampirekin sometimes out of convenience for community building. i joined a discord server one time and it said something in the rules about otherkin being not welcome and a "personal fictional narrative" as opposed to the Totally Legit And Real Vampyre Community like get away from me ew

Eesh, so I stumbled across vampyrism validity politics because I barely stepped my toes into a vampyre forum (yeah, I'm using the "y" spelling for convenience) out of curiosity to see if there might be any discussion/posts regarding vampirekin (just browsed, didn't post). And it smacks of the holier-than-thou, "we're the only true vampires" nonsense that's so toxic to have around--they think they are the oldest kind of vampires/vampyres, they are the only serious ones while the others (psi/sang types) are just roleplaying & spreading misinformation (including that psi/sang vampyres aren't even a real experience or condition), they are part of an order with their own bible, & want to be seen widely as what true vampyrism is (to combat the misinformation) but at the same time don't want to be widely known about because others just couldn't understand the complexities of their vampyrism.

God I hate seeing negative gatekeeping, whatever community or subculture it may be part of. And of course I'm very much reminded of otherkin/therian negative gatekeeping. Honestly, they may be some form of "vampirism" (hell knows, the vampire terminology has been stretched & contorted a lot over time anyway, but I still think their experiences are valid), but I seriously doubt they are/experience the only valid form, especially the insistence that psi/sang vampyres are totally invalid. So yeah, I turned around & noped my way off that site (to clarify, it wasn't just one person in a stray post saying that stuff, it was a stickied thread about correcting misinformation about vampyres; this also wasn't on some small, obscure forum).

Edit: Oh yeah, & disappointing thing for me as vampirekin is they see themselves as inhuman (albeit, immortal) souls in human bodies, though I can't really relate to them beyond the 'nonhuman in a human body' part, especially the emphasis on magick & the occult. But just wonder what it would be like if vampirekin made their own community, as an offshoot of sorts from other vampires, & insisted that all other kinds of vampires who weren't vampirekin were just fluffies & roleplayers & we must be The Only True Vampires TM. That would be wrong & stupid. But that's what this feels like to me.

As a side note: what's with some communities not doing a better job of coining terms for themselves? Like why do so many kinds of people have to fight for the term "vampire" or "kin" when they could coin their own terms & maybe raise the usefulness of the terms & their definitions because there's not a dozen+ kinds of identity vying for who gets the sacred honor to use that term & be a "true vampire" or "true 'kin". I understand not wanting to be separate from certain terms, but sometimes it's taken to ridiculous extents, like with these supposed "true vampires" above who admit that the term 'vampire' doesn't do their kind justice & they are very different than what is meant by vampire/vampyre in that larger community, or kffers (instead of roleplaying) or choicekin (rather than using copinglink or otherlink).

I will literally never stop hating the "when are we bringing back ___" post format. It's ok. You can do something that everyone else isn't. Individualtiy won't kill you. Out-of-style clothing will not burn you. Old-fashioned behavior won't make you feel faint. It's okay. Go do that thing you want to and don't wait for society's permission.

"we need to bring back x" it starts with YOU

M3gan was a cute specufic movie. I laughed audibly when I realized it was supposed to be horror.

This thing, in the middle of a chase scene, starts singing fucking Titanium by Sia. Like, that nightcore song by the lady that made the vomit-inducing inspiration porn movie about autism. Not to mention how much of a pathetic excuse for uncanny valley it is. They had so much creative freedom and they chose to make it Conventionally Attractive Evil Robot.

There’s three types of vampyres -

Those that want to be Astarion from Baldur’s Gate

Those that want to be Stoker’s Dracula

And those that are Morticia Addams

Day 4 - if your kintype suddenly opened their eyes, what would they be looking at? Some old rustic ceiling, the walls of a coffin around me, cobwebs and dust and possibly small bits of sunlight shining through cracks in the walls. Candlelight illuminating the worn-down wallpaper and cracked roof .

It's 92 out today where I live. Thankfully I'm fortunate enough to have AC units and sit on my ass playing BG3. Some people aren't. If you're fortunate, go help a neighbor. Give them water. Offer them shelter in your AC'd home if you know them well. No one wants to overheat

For all of the northerners that stood up for Texas during our freeze and said, "Don't make fun of them, they've never dealt with this before. Their infrastructure isn't made for snow and freezing."

This one is for you.

Where I live 108°F with 80% humidity with no wind is normal.

Pacific North West is dealing historic best waves 35-40°C or 95-105°F.

First of all. Don't make fun of them for bitching about the heat. Just like Texas isn't built for a freeze and our pipes burst, Pacific North West isn't built for heat and a lot of their homes don't have AC.

If you live somewhere with a high humidity like 80+ HUMIDITY IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. The "humidity makes it feel cooler" is a lie once it gets beyond a point.

If you live somewhere with a lower humidity, misters are nice to cool off outside.

Once you get over 90°F (32°C) a fan will not help you. It's just pushing around hot air. (I mean if you can't afford a small AC unit because they're expensive as hell, by all means a fan is better than nothing).

If you have pets, those portable AC units aren't safe. If your pets destroy the outtake thing, it'll leak CO2. Window units are safer.

Window AC units will let mosquitoes or other small bugs in. Sucks, but that's life.

Now is not the time to me modest. If you have to cover for religious reasons, by all means. If you don't, I've seen people wear short shorts and a swim top. It's not trashy if it keeps you from getting heat stroke.

If you do have to cover up for religious reasons, look for elephant pants or something similar. They're made with a breathable material.

Shade is better than no shade, but that shit it just diet sun after some point. Don't think shade will save you from heat stroke.

I know the "drink your water" is a fun meme now, but if you're sweating excessively you need electrolytes. Drink Gatorade, Powerade, or Pedialite PLEASE. I don't care if you're fucking sitting in one spot all day. That shit WILL save you from heat stroke.

Most importantly. RESEARCH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAT STROKE AND HEAT EXHAUSTION PLEASE!

If you're diabetic and can't drink Gatorade, mix water, fruit juice, and either lite salt or pink salt

If you can afford it, cover windows with thick curtains to insulate the house

If you have tile floors, lay on them with skin to tile contact. If you don't, laying your head on cool counters works too.

If the temperature where you're at is hotter than your body temperature, don't wear heat wicking clothing. Moisture wicking is safe though.

Check your medication labels. Many make you more susceptible to sun and heat

-Room temperature water will get into your body faster. This is something I learned doing marching band in high summer in Georgia, and it saved all of our asses. Sip it, don't gulp it, especially if you're getting into the red; same goes for whatever fluid you're drinking. And just in general drink during the day.

-If you are moving from an air conditioned space to an un-air conditioned space, if at all possible try to make the shift gradual. When my dad and I were working outside and in un-ac houses a few years ago, he'd turn the air down to low in the truck about ten-fifteen minutes before we got where we were going. This way your body doesn't go from low low temps to high temps. S'bad for you.

-If you can, keep your lights off during the day. Light bulbs may not generate a lot of heat, but the difference is noticeable when it gets hot enough. I literally only turn my bedroom light on in the evening when it gets too dark.

Don't be afraid to just like... pour water on yourself if you need to. The evaporation will cool you off.

Put your hand to the cement for 15 seconds. If you can't handle the heat, it'll burn your dog's paws. Don't let them walk on it.

Dogs with flat faces are more prone to heat stroke. Don't leave them out unsupervised.

Frozen fruit is delicious in water.

Wet/Cold hat/handkerchief on your head/neck will help you stay cool.

Pickle juice is great for electrolytes! You can even make pickle juice Popsicles!

Heat exhaustion is more, "drink water and get you cooled off." Heat stroke is more "Oh my god call 911."

Image Description provided by @loveize

[Image description: an infographic showing the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The graphic is labeled "Heat Dangers: First Warning." Signs of heat exhaustion: faint or dizzy, excessive sweating, cool, pale, clammy skin, rapid, weak pulse, muscle cramps. If you think you or someone else may be experiencing heat exhaustion, get to a cool, air-conditioned place, drink water if conscious, and take a cool shower or use cold compress. Signs of heat stroke: throbbing headache, no sweating, red, hot, dry skin, rapid, strong pulse, may lose consciousness. If you think you or someone else may be experiencing heat stroke, call 911. End description]

Be safe.

-fae