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General Vampyre Articles Collection

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Atlanta Vampire Alliance [AVA] 

Demystifying 'Real' Vampirism For The Rest Of Us

Psychic and sanguinarian vampires are individuals who cannot adequately sustain their own physical, mental, or spiritual wellbeing without the taking of blood or vital lifeforce energy from other sources.  Without feeding a vampire will become lethargic, sickly, depressed, and often go through physical suffering or discomfort.  

10 February 2013
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Atmostfear Entertainment

The Real History of Vampires of New Orleans and the Buffalo Community

The umbrella term “real vampire community” is used to describe “modern vampires” or “real vampires,” terms that refer interchangeably to people who consume human and/or animal blood (sanguinarian), absorb psychic energy (psychic vampire or psivamp) or both (hybrid), and do so out of a need that, according to my study participants, begins to manifest around puberty and derives from the lack of subtle energies their bodies produce.

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Black Rose Society

Penance and Punishment – Thoughts on Justice in Vampyre Society

Whenever gatherings of individuals turn into formalised groups, rules seeking to structure and regulate are a natural consequence. The Vampyre Subculture is no exception in this regard and its decentralised, fractured nature has led to a multitude codices, guidelines and rule sets. Many of them intended to not just ban unwanted behaviours, but also to make certain unspoken rules explicit. And while small infractions are usually not penalised, more serious violations can and do result in punishments ranging from public apologies up to banishment from a group.

9 November 2022
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Black Rose Society

Waking up to Awakenings – A critical exploration of awakening narratives in the Vampyre Community

Some concepts have been part of the subculture surrounding real-life vampires / vampyres for quite some time. The awakening is one such concept, among the most prevalent ones at that. It has been around since Michelle Belangers Psychic Vampire Codex, perhaps even longer, and has been undergoing many transformations and reinterpretations to this day. That being said, this article will not delve into different types or models, but instead presuppose a basic, implicit understanding of awakening in order to deal with the concept in a generalized manner.

30 April 2021
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Black Veil Vampires

Black Veil Vampyre / Vampire F.A.Q. 

Are Vampires Real?

Yes, but not in the ways you may think.  Living "Real" Vampires are human beings with a higher energetic need for vital life-force (Chi, Prana, Mana, Ki) than the average human.  If this Need goes unfulfilled, the Vampire experiences lower states of spiritual, physical, and emotional wellbeing. 

Unknown
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By Light Unseen

The Real Vampire Community's Early Days

This article will be expanded with further information as I collect it. I'll be delighted to hear from people who were involved in groups or networks prior to the 1980s and can share their experiences.

Unknown
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Cliff Notes

Real-Life Vampires: Myths, Legends, and Modern-Day Claims

The image of a vampire—pale, immortal, and thirsty for blood—has been etched into popular culture through countless books, films, and television shows. From Bram Stoker's iconic Draculato the modern TV sensation True Blood, vampires are a staple of Gothic horror and fantasy. However, the allure of vampires is not just confined to the pages of fiction or the silver screen. The idea of real-life vampires, individuals who claim to partake in vampiric behaviors such as drinking blood or adopting nocturnal lifestyles, exists in the realm of modern subcultures, myths, and alternative lifestyles.

5 November 2024
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Daily Dot

Why the Gothic vampire aesthetic is dominating fashion again

The Gothic vampire aesthetic never truly vanished—it was just waiting for its moment in the shadows. Now, it’s making a dramatic comeback, from Nosferatu-inspired fashion trends to dark academia and whimsigoth. But why now? With the release of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024) and a cultural shift towards the macabre, the vampire look is taking over runways, TikTok, and alternative fashion circles. Let’s sink our teeth into what’s driving this resurgence.

17 February 2025
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Daily Dot

The married British couple who claim to be real-life vampires (and, yes, they do drink blood and sleep during the day) 

From supernatural strength to an unfortunate taste for human blood, vampires have long enjoyed a terrifying reputation.

But according to a pair of real life British vampires Vanian, 53, and Ethereal Dark, 27, who both hail from Manchester, the reality of vampiric living is somewhat different.

Although they do sleep during the day and drink blood, the married couple insist that they would never take it unasked ('That would be assault!' says an outraged Vanian).

6 November 2014
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Daily Caller

Take People Who Think They Are VAMPIRES Seriously, Taxpayer-Funded Professor Urges

A social work professor at Idaho State University has published a 4,357-word paper in an academic journal urging social workers to treat people who pretend they are vampires in a totally sober and dignified manner.

08 July 2015
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Daily Caller

15,000 real vampires in the UK and they do more than just suck your blood

VAMPIRES are more than the myth or Twilight saga – they're REAL and drink more than just blood.

03 Jul 2016
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Deccan Chronicle

Vampires exist, and are being studied

 

Vampires walk among us. But these people aren’t the stuff of nightmares – far from it actually. That’s if you can find one. They aren’t necessarily looking to be found but when you do track them down, they can be quite friendly.

 

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Deseret

They're real life vampires, and they are living among us

MIAMI — When fatigue is about to set in, the friends venture into a dimly lit wooded area at night.

It is the woman, with black hair down to her waist, who leads the way into Esplanade Park in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Her two male companions follow.

Sensing something lurking from a tree, she stops in her tracks.

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​Diggit Magazine

Contemporary vampires: Should we be afraid of the dark?

Real vampires live among us. Who are they, what indexes a "real vampire", and are they a threat to society? This article delves into what shapes real vampires into a deviant social group.

01 February 2020
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​Discover Magazine

What I Learned Studying Real Vampires

Interviewing vampires is not as glamorous — or easy — as it may sound.

17 May 2018
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​Discover Magazine

Are Real-Life Vampires Walking Among Us?

The "real vampire community" has existed since at least the early to mid-1970s and the vampires have a global reach.

13 October 2022
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HISTORY

Vampire History

Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon. They may be the best-known classic monsters of all. Most people associate vampires with Count Dracula, the legendary, blood-sucking subject of Bram Stoker’s epic novel, Dracula, which was published in 1897. But the history of vampires began long before Stoker was born.

13 September 2017
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HUFFPOST

Types of People Within the Vampire Community

In the modern vampire community, there are many designations of people who relate to in whole or part with the archetype of the vampire.

18 March 2016
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HUFFPOST

Father Sebastiaan's Vampire Guide : Los Angeles

The Vampire's Guide to Los Angeles

25 January 2017
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Independent

Academic in Wales claims UK has ‘subculture’ of 15,000 vampires – and launches academic study to assess their ‘satisfaction with life’

Dr Emyr Williams says real, blood-sucking vampires are a ‘global phenomenon’

28 May 2014
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The Enigmatic Vampires of New Orleans: Myths, Legends, and the Undying Allure

The vampire legends of New Orleans are a blend of European folklore, local history, and the city’s unique cultural melting pot. The origins of these legends can be traced back to the early settlers of the city.

21 July 2024
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Mamamia

Inside the bizarre world of "real vampires".

They drink human blood from ‘donors’, sometimes wear fangs and tend to be nocturnal. Most importantly: they believe they are vampires.

It’s not a phase. It’s their lifestyle. It’s their truth.

​

20 July 2015
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Medium

Vampire Kith and Kin : The Current Cultures of the Vampyre Community

Are there real vampires?

The Vampire Community generally agrees that in ideology, a vampire or vampyre fall into one of two major classifications and a third that combines the two, these are based on how they feed. Feeding is described as a need to sustain the body, mind, and spirit by the intaking of vital life force or blood from other sources, sometimes human.

16 January 2022
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Men's Health

New Study Confirms Existence of Real-Life ‘Vampires’

They ‘need’ to drink human blood, and no, we aren’t making this up

09 October 2015
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Sanguinarium

The Sanguinarium (www.sanguinarium.net) was a network, community and resource for the vampyre subculture and scene founded in 1995 by Father Sebastian as Clan Sabretooth in New York’s underground club scene.

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Vampire (lifestyle)

Rather than viewing their identity as a kintype, modern vampires practice a vampiric lifestyle. The vampire community is seen by some as a sub community of the otherkin community, but has a separate origin, culture, and experience.

Unknown
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Real Vampires Exist, and They Need Counseling Too

DJ Williams says that for a while, he was only as interested in vampires as the next guy. Then he met a woman who identified as a real-life vampire. "Up until that point I didn't know that there was such a community," says Williams, director of the social work program at Idaho State University

09 July 2015
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NJ

N.J. vampire subculture thrives on blood rituals, fangs

​Ra Ubasti strolls down Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair with the elegance of a Victorian courtesan. A black corset cinches her waist into a tiny circle, with a billowy blouse above and skirt below. Rain taps her parasol as she takes slow steps, walking like a bride to the altar.

15 October 2009
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Ny Daily News

5,000 vampires live in the U.S., drink donors’ blood for energy: report

There are thousands of real-life vampires walking among us.

At least 5,000 self-identified, blood-drinking vampires — people who consume human and animal blood because they feel that they need it to survive — live in the U.S., according to the Atlanta Vampire Alliance.

09 April 2019
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redevampyrica

RECENT VAMPIRE VAMPYRE COMMUNITY HISTORY OF A CLEAREST AND HISTORICAL VISION

Fact: We can only teach or transmit something to those who are willing to learn and who knows how to respect what we are and accomplish – not what they expected or demanded. 

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Refinery29

What It’s Like To Be A Real-Life Vampire

Though they may not all have fangs, it turns out blood-drinking vampires are very real — and they need help, just like everyone else. A recent study, published in the journal Critical Social Work, looked at a small group of self-identified vampires.

10 July 2015
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Sanguinarious 
Live Journal

Several new real vampire articles

I have several new real vampire articles for you to peruse.

18 November 2011
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Friday Links: Vampires Are Very Real Edition

Still thinking about metaphor. Maybe I’m always thinking about metaphor. Anyway, much as I love and am currently watching What We Do In The Shadows, much as I once loved and should probably re-read the Anne Rice vampire novels, much as Mallory and I watch Francis Ford Coppola Presents Bram Stoker’s Dracula religiously every year in October—I do think vampires are most effective when they are not aristocratic fuck-up main characters, but tertiary to real people with real difficulties. Sorta like all of us, reading this blog, are real people, suffering under the neck-fit bootheel of Wall Street/Silicon Valley/D.C. vampires.

08 March 2024
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Slaylebrity

Everything you need to know about real life vampires

Drinking blood isn’t what Hollywood makes it out to be, according to real-life vampires.
First of all, there’s no biting – that’s neither safe nor sanitary – and with too many vital arteries, the neck isn’t the favored spot. Transactions aren’t carnages leaving the victim lifeless behind in a dark alley, and nor do vampires sleep in coffins or burn in daylight. They’re generally cool with garlic. Most of them don’t even have fangs.

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Smithsonian
Magazine

There Are Communities of People Who Call Themselves Vampires

"They are not easy to find, but when you do track them down, they can be quite friendly," writes John Edgar Browning, of the Georgia Institute of Technology for Discover Magazine’s The Crux blog. He's writing about his study subjects—real-life vampires. 

01 April 2015
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SpeakingTree

Real Life Vampires Exist and Researchers are Studying Them

Vampires walk among us. But these people aren’t the stuff of nightmares – far from it actually. Just sit down for a drink with one of them and ask for yourself. That’s if you can find one. They aren’t necessarily looking to be found.

20 February 2016
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Steemit

Subcultures and Social Trends: Real Vampires – The Daywalkers and Undead Among Us

It starts possibly as a slow and gradual process, manifesting in puberty or possibly after some traumatic experience. It’s never some dramatic process that’s portrayed in movies and stories. Eventually though, with time and some trial and error, one learns how to curb the hunger. Becoming awakened is never an easy thing.

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Taylor Francis

The Socio-Religious Beliefs and Nature of the Contemporary Vampire Subculture

The contemporary Vampire Subculture can be defined as a multi-faceted, socio-religious movement with its own distinct collective community and network of participants who share a similar belief system and customary lifestyle that reflect their concept of the vampire.

02 Aug 2010
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The Conversation

What they do in the shadows: my encounters with the real vampires of New Orleans

Vampires walk among us. But these people aren’t the stuff of nightmares – far from it actually. Just sit down for a drink with one of them and ask for yourself. That’s if you can find one. They aren’t necessarily looking to be found.

25 March 2015
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The Daily Beast

Real-Life Vampires: We ‘Feed’ During Sex

Outside their community, real-life vampires exist mostly in secret. And once or twice a week, they drink human blood.

04 August 2015
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The Sun

GLASTO FOR GOTHS Inside the festival where real life British vampires go to drink each other’s blood before heading to kinky sex parties

Nearby a cloaked man is tying black rope around her lithe limbs, binding them together. With every tug, her arms and legs twist further behind, until only her taut torso and face are on show.

20 Jun 2019

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Real Vampires

Is there a scientific basis for the existence of vampires? A certain website—Steve Leighton’s www.Vampirewebsite.net—would have you believe there is. There’s even a Facebook page dedicated to it called “Vampires are Real,” which as of this writing, has 1,160 likes.

08 May 2014
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Vampyric Feeding: Redefining Need

My journey through vampirism began in an era where there was a lot of pressure both on individuals and on the community at large to come to a general consensus and form a homogenous belief set, identity, and lexicon. 

01 March 2024
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Meet the 'real vampires'

They work as doctors and lawyers by day but lurk as vampires by night. While they may not wish to suck your blood, there are plenty of willing victims on tap, according to a top US scholar on a subculture that emulates the undead.

26 January 2011
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The Beginning To The Present Time

Before I was online, I corresponded with people in the vampire subculture and people who said they were vamps, researchers, etc. Eventually, I was contacted by someone who later invited me to join a network of real vampires that they were trying to form, and it had a newsletter.

Unknown
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The Real Vampire Community’s Early Days

The following articles are posted here with the kind permission of the author, Vyrdolak (Inanna Arthen). They are cross-posts of articles on her own website resource for the OVC, By Light Unseen. Our own copy of her articles will be updated as and when she updates the originals on her own site. Links to the original articles on By Light Unseen are in the chapter headings and also below these in text form.

Unknown
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There’s a global community of actual vampires—and they’re afraid to go to the doctor

When we think of vampires, we generally think of the Edward Cullen and Dracula types who have captured the popular imagination for centuries. Pale? Check. Fanged? Check. Totally fictional? Check.

13 July 2015
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Vampire lifestyle

The vampire lifestyle, vampire subculture, or vampire community (sometimes spelled as "vampyre") is an alternative lifestyle and subculture based around the mythology of and popular culture based on vampires.

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Vampires are people, too

The vampire lifestyle, vampire subculture, or vampire community (sometimes spelled as "vampyre") is an alternative lifestyle and subculture based around the mythology of and popular culture based on vampires.

18 Jult 2015
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