![Parasitism [Vampires, Werewolves & Capitalism - A Queer Rust-Belt Noir]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalroadcdn.com%2Fpublic%2Fcovers-large%2F189327-parasitism-vampires-werewolves-capitalism.jpg%3Ftime%3D1788454710&w=640&q=75)
by Starfruitjam
Vampirism was supposed to be the ultimate career upgrade. Twenty years later, Graham is still waiting for the perks. Tired of grueling shifts and humiliating feeding procedures, he decides to take matters into his own hands. How? By smuggling supplies to the local werewolf clan. In exchange for a bite, of course. Can a blue-collar vampire and an anarchist werewolf survive ultra-capitalist hell? Probably. If only they could manage to work together. Welcome to the vampire-Marxist-omegaverse blend you didn’t know you needed! I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to use omegaverse to explore the limits of sociobiology, but here we are. Set in alt-history 1992 Michigan, Parasitism follows Graham, a (former) scab, and Julian, a (former) union organizer, as they try to survive the horrors of late stage capitalism. Because who would have thought that mass-creating vampires to provide the labor demanded by impossible rhythms of production could have ended badly? You will find: ◆︎ A species war that is actually a class war.◆︎ Dual POV, close third person limited and strong characters in their mid-30s with still the will to live (mostly).◆︎ Pulp tropes, treated way too seriously.◆︎ Labor Rights and Venture Vampirism◆︎ Sprawling worldbuilding in an alternate-history Midwest (but I like geopolitics so just give me time)✨◆︎ A very slow-burn M/M romance between two very complicated people◆︎ A fresh take on our favorite bloodsuckers 🦇◆︎A not-so-fresh take on werewolves and A/B/O dynamics (but they are played as horror, not romance).◆︎ Dark humor! I swear this is fun.◆︎ A revolution perhaps? BL if boys are disgruntled men over 35 and love is a mildly toxic codependency. 🚩 Before You Proceed🚩 This book deals with very dark themes. The world is bleak and the story starts with both MCs approaching their fracture point. It will get worse (especially in the first arc) before getting better. That said, this is not a hopeless story! There is vibrancy and beauty cutting through the doom and gloom. But yes, please be an adult and don't expect a particularly cozy time. And now, let's dive in! 🦇🐺
Current
10/2/2026
Peak #49
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Current
10/2/2026
Peak #28
0d
#2
9/30/2026
Peak #34
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#1
9/29/2026
Peak #43
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Observed Royal Road ranks are authoritative for lists where the story is active. Other eligible lists retain their Shadow RS ranks.
Overall Rising Stars Shadow RS rank
#6085 of 12,138 · 6035 below RS #50
By genre
beats 99% of similar stories
beats 2% of similar stories
beats 71% of similar stories
Firing on all cylinders
Traffic and conversion are both strong for a story this size. Readers are finding it and sticking — if Rising Stars is the goal, this is the moment to push.
Benchmarks: 8,060 active Royal Road stories, percentiles within the 20–49 chapters band, cohort of 2026-07-02. Conversion is measured as followers gained per 1,000 views over the recent window.
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