As far as people you wouldn’t want to bump into in a dark alleyway at night go, Joseph Burris is right up there.
Burris has identified as a vampire for the last 23 years and now goes by the name Ludavik.
While the Colorado native was submerged in a gothic lifestyle for years before going full vamp, his obsession with the undead was cemented at the age of around 20 when he decided to taste the blood of a girlfriend after she accidentally cut herself.
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Have a listen to his story below:
Burris - who works as a bodyguard by day - then tried his own blood and was delighted by the taste, calling his blood ‘delicious’.
After a little research into exactly why he was so taken by the taste of his own blood, Burris stumbled upon vampirism, and decided from that day forth to live his life à la Edward Cullen and co.
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These days, Burris - who actually suffers from porphyria, a hereditary disease that means he burns easily in the sun - slurps up the blood of people he loves.
He explained: “I was always thinking outside the box of normal life to help me identify with more of what sat in my soul. I’ve only fed on the blood of a few trusted people and I prefer it to be the blood from lovers.”
Burris added: "I also only allow lovers to feed on my blood too because it’s an act of binding us to one another. It's more of a pledge to each other."
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He also explained that not all vamps have the same taste in blood, saying: “Blood tastes different depending on the person's lifestyle. You are what you eat.
"So for example, someone who eats lots of meat will have a more thick consistency and saltier tasting blood compared to someone who’s vegetarian.
"Someone who smokes will have a different flavour to someone who doesn't. I like the blood I drink to come from a healthy individual, it simply has every flavour in the right amounts."
Estimating how much blood he’s downed over the years, Burris reckons it’s anywhere between ‘22 and 25 pints’.
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"However, the human stomach can only absorb small amounts of human blood at a time," he added.
As for finding his ‘true self’ in vampire form, Burris said: "Being who you are should always come naturally from within. It should be so strong that others can feel who you are without any exotic clothes or actions of any kind.
"If you’re the real thing then it’ll come naturally, if not then nothing will ever happen."
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Topics: Weird, World News