Do Vampires Have to Drink Blood?

​As you know, I love vampires. Tell me there is a vampire in the story and I am there. For a while, when it came to writing, it seemed like my muse only gave me vampire ideas. Vampires are never going away, but you don't have to be limited to blood sucking undead that burst into flames in sunlight. There are five types of vampires that are more than bloodsuckers.

Sexual Vampires
Also known as a succubus or incubus, a sexual vampire sustains themselves by absorbing the sexual life force energies of the living. This usually happens during an orgasm. Partners may be willing or unwilling. Bodily fluids do not have to be consumed. They can absorb the energy psychically.

Emphatic Vampire
This vampire is sort of in the same vein as a sexual vampire. The main difference is they aren't limited to sex. They feed on the emotion of the people around them. You probably won't find fangs on these vampires as they aren't consuming the emotion via blood. Emotion can be positive or negative, but most often if it is negative the vampire is feeding from, they are the cause of those emotions and can scar the victim.

Psi-Vampires
This type of vampire usually don't harm those they feed on. They live on life force and the ability can work on single victims or crowds. Usually, victims don't notice they are being fed on. Depending on how much the vampire takes, effects can be as minor as fatigue. It is possible for a psi-vampire to drain a person to death.

Fat-Sucking Vampires
This last entry is one I know little about. It was mentioned during MIParaCon on a talk about vampires. I made a note because this was a twist on the myth I had never heard. Can you imagine if the sparking Twilight vampires drank fat?

This vampire originates from Peru, and yes, it really does drink fat.  "A pale-skinned vampire/bogeyman who roams the Andes and kills peasants in order to drain them of their body fat, the legend of the Pishtaco was basically plucked directly from the real-life horrors experienced by the indigenous communities of Peru and Bolivia during colonization in the 15th century." (source)

So, there you have it. Four vampires who don't only suck blood. Which one is your favorite? Have you heard of any other vampires that don't drink blood? What is your favorite vampire story? If you liked this post, you can check out my Patreon where Patreons get posts like this before anyone else as well as exclusive flash fiction.