An important element of being a Pretender, a self-identified non-human, is the understanding that to the world at large one is deluded. Because the Upyreshi embrace the idea of being other than the majority of beings, the idea of being wrong about that is equally possible. To be an Upyre is like being Jewish or a Mormon; it is a matter of personal investment in a paradigm. A paradigm is a vision of reality that is subjective, through which one interacts with objective reality. Any paradigm that does not have enough points in common with that of the masses, so that one can not go unnoticed if needed, is not stable. In essence one should be able to adhere to the paradigm with no one being the wiser.

In legend the Upyreshi hunted for blood but times have changed and so the Upyreshi only get blood from animals or willing donors. Donors should be of legal age, sound mind and physical health and in no wise impaired as to the power of making choices. If animal blood is used it should be taken humanely from a healthy animal. Not all Upyreshi use blood as the biological medium of external life force energy which the Upyreshi do not naturally process but must get from humans and animals just as humans do from plants and animals. Some Upyreshi use sexual fluids in place of blood or other biological products and the same rules apply. It matters not if being Upyre is a racial or spiritual identity, an archetype to aspire to or a lifestyle choice, the Upyreshi must be able to function in the mundane world as though they were human but knowing they are other than human.

The Bible of the Judeo-Christians states to its adherents “[b]e in the world but be not of it,” showing that adherents are set apart from other humans or rather the majority of humans, which could be taken as meaning that adherents of the Bible are “other” than human. Upyreshi, like devotees of the Bible, are to live in the world but hold themselves to standards outside of those of the majority of sentient humanoids, i.e., not seeing themselves as being the same as the rest. To that end an Upyre must eat, sleep and be able to socially interact while being an Upyre. An Upyre must be able to sustain itself in the world via having a job, a home and enough contact with those outside the paradigm so that one is not out of touch.

To be overly visible in the world as an Upyre is to make oneself a target for those that would kill one simply for being Upyre. Likewise, to demand recognition of the world as being Upyre is to cast doubt on one’s investment in being an Upyre. For Upyreshi to demand recognition from humans does two things. First, it allows humanity, i.e., non-Upyreshi to define what it is to be Upyre, and secondly, by seeking recognition as a minority for voting rights and such, is to state or imply that one does not naturally have those rights. By being Upyre, the Upyre forgoes the security of being accepted by those who are not Upyre. It is for the individual to be true to oneself and be in touch with the reality of the masses enough so that one can get what one needs on one’s own resources rather than being the slave of the majority by seeking and being recognized as a minority. The balance between being true to oneself and dealing with objective reality is something every being must come to terms with, Upyre or not. Any valid paradigm would be broad enough to allow adherents to function in objective reality.