Vampires » blood

Blood is Life

Moonlight — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:00:21 +0000

“Blood is life.” I can’t even tell you how many times I have read that in various vampire novels. Picture it – you’ve got the wise and ancient vampire spouting out his long thought provoking monologue and, as if on cue, he tosses in that one line we know so well, “blood is life.” But what does that even mean? Well let’s take a look at the blood itself.

First off, without blood we simply can’t exist… obviously. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to every part of our body. It is 90 percent plasma, which itself is 55 percent water. The other 45 percent consists of amino acids, hormones, proteins, glucose and a handful of other much-needed antibodies that protect our body. Then you have that other 10 percent of blood that isn’t plasma, that part is the red blood cells that transport oxygen and white blood cells that are vital to our immune system. On top of that there are also platelets that clot the blood after an injury, you know, so you don’t bleed to death from a small paper cut.

This tasty blood is created in our bone marrow, oxygenated by our lungs and pumped through our bodies by our hearts. It keeps us at the correct temperature, and it’s absolutely essential for the brain to be constantly supplied with freshly oxygenated blood (it only takes about four minutes for irreparable damage to be done to the brain if the heart stops pumping lovely blood). Then, if all that wasn’t complicated enough, blood comes in an assortment of tasty flavors (as True Blood has shown us) – negative and positive O, A, B, and AB.

So with all that science in mind, maybe that’s what those vampires mean when they say “blood is life,” because as you can see, we need it to live. Or maybe that don’t mean it so literally, but more on the lines of “you are alive and therefore have blood, I am undead and don’t have it… unless I steal it.” You know, having blood means you are alive. Or maybe it’s just this big metaphorical issue. I suppose it depends on the author and the character saying the line.
What do you guys think?

- Moonlight

Lady Gaga likes to Dance in the Dark

Bryce — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:21:54 +0000

In her music, Lady Gaga sings about dancing in the dark; and along with that comes showing her your teeth, vampire grins and girls named “Baby” who are “vamps.” Call me crazy but I think Lady Gaga might be a vampire! Either that’s the case or she’s just recording a new kind of Goth music.

Personally, I feel it’s a little bit of both. Gaga embraces her freak nature and is certainly not afraid to let her flag fly! With this performer being on the scene for a few years now, I think her music has evolved; you had “Just Dance,” and that was quite bubbly and catchy – her messages and overall themes are getting darker and I say “bring it!”

Vampires of all ages can enjoy this mistress of the monster ball’s music; take for instance the songs “Dance in the Dark,” and “Teeth.” “Dance in the Dark” to me deals with a lonely girl who is misunderstood by her lover; no matter what, she embraces darkness and takes on life with a vengeance. That’s my kind of chick! And aren’t most vampires and those who are part of the Goth community misunderstood in one way or another? Let this song be your life anthem!

The song “Teeth” has to do with ass-kicking and not allowing yourself to take anyone’s s**t; mix in some sex and you’ve got a quintessential Lady Gaga song! In this song, she also asks to be bitten and begs for her loyal subjects to bare their fangs. If her lyrics aren’t sure-fire proof that Gaga loves the vampires of the world, I’m not sure what else will suffice.

Do you think Lady Gaga is a vampire?

- Bryce

Vampire Diaries: New Characters and their Quick Demises

veritas — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:28:14 +0000

the vampire diaries

It seems as though the producers of Vampire Diaries hopped on the vampire bandwagon at just the right time; the characters are young and fearless and the plot deliciously thickens week after week … but there’s one question that needs to be answered: why do new characters get killed off or disappear so quickly? Let’s take a look at 3 different examples…

Vicki – A small-town girl with a ton of baggage, Vicki had great potential to be a bitchin’ vampire’s apprentice. This character had a jaded outlook on life, and that’s what made her so unique; her teen angst shrouded her inner little girl. But when push came to shove (and it did), the producers decided to get rid of her … was her would-be storyline too strong for the overall show’s plot? Anyway, Damon brainwashed her family members after her untimely death. Don’t you think Caroline should have gone instead?

Lexi – This age-old blonde bombshell rolls into town to celebrate Stefan’s birthday like a good friend ought to, but Damon has other plans in mind. Long story short, Lexi finally got Stefan to admit his true intentions for coming back to Mystic Falls; however, she came off as a home wrecker after Elena stopped-by the Salvatore’s humble abode. Damon ended up framing the heart of gold time traveler just to cover his own selfish tracks. Was it jealousy that got in the way of brotherly bonding, or was Damon just a dead and heartless soul?

Anna – One of the more useless characters on Vampire Diaries, Anna is a user and abuser. She comes into the picture attempting to seduce the naïve Jeremy Gilbert, but it turns out that she’s just a mama’s girl. It was centuries ago that in the midst of the great vampire hunt, Anna’s mother Pearl was put away for all eternity with other practicing vamps. In the latest episode, those lost souls were “rescued” and Anna walked away scot-free with mama in tow … supposedly never to be seen again.

What characters do you wish stayed and which ones do you wish headed for the hills?

- Bryce

Vampire Diaries vs. True Blood: What your favorite vampire show says about you

veritas — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:52:44 +0000

You did the unthinkable; you invited them into your home, and they can return any time they so choose. The world around us is completely obsessed with the idea of the vampire; with such shows as Vampire Diaries and True Blood, two series that showcase hotties that arose from the dead, no wonder we are in the midst of the age of the creature that never dies. And to be completely honest, this craze is showing no signs of stopping.

If you were to poll people on the street as to what their favorite vampire show was, you would get completely different answers and for different reasons; you may hear what leading vampire is hottest and why or what love story is the best and for x-reason. No matter what conclusion you come to, people have their reasoning and that’s that.

Let us now tell you what your favorite competing vampire show says about you.

Vampire Diaries: You like change. Who doesn’t love a new generation of vampires that can walk among the humans in broad daylight while looking quite young for their true age? One more thing … you’re a bit kinky. Katherine had the Salvatore brothers wrapped around her pale pinkie like nobody’s business … after all, isn’t two better than one?

True Blood: You are a traditionalist, plain and simple. You don’t like to bend the rules, much like the producers don’t bend the rules on the way of the traditional vampire. A fan of this program is also quite pure, kind of like the love that Sookie and Bill share. All in all, you’re a bit bland to the taste but hell, no one’s perfect.

Where do you weigh in on the vampire saga scale?

- Bryce

Blue Bloods Autographed Book Contest Updates!

annimi — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:54:47 +0000

As you may have noticed, I have not posted the names of winners just yet, –I said I’d do it on January 1st. That’s because I’ve decided to extend the contest a little bit. We’ve gotten a lot of fabulous entries, but I want to be sure that everyone gets a chance to be in on this.

The contest winners will be announced on Valentine’s Day, February 14th!

If you haven’t ad a chance yet to participate, the details are:

Win a box set of the first three novels in the Blue Bloods series! Just send in a short article (at least 200 words) about which Blue Bloods character you identify with the most, and why.

OR!

Dress up as your favorite Blue Bloods character, and snap a photo. The best costume wins!

Send your articles and photos to: contest@darkness.com

If you love the Blue Bloods series, and Melissa de la Cruz, check out our exclusive interview!

Adze; firefly vampire of Africa

holiday — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:00:52 +0000

Who would guess that a firefly is among the most dangerous vampire in the world? In southern Togo and Ghana, the Ewe people have a myth of such a vampire, called the Adze. The Adze is a type of vampire creature who turns itself into a firefly or other insect to feed before returning to its human form. They can transform themselves into any number of common insects which are seemingly harmless, and very difficult to capture.
The Adze have a taste only for the blood of the innocent. They are hunters of children, and only children, and they especially like to feed on infants. They can also feed on palm oil and coconut water, and often will raid a village’s entire supply of these, but they become dangerously weak if they do not feed on the blood of children. An Adze can sustain itself without needing to kill any child. It can take enough blood to survive. However, if the Adze is deterred or thwarted from feeding for a long enough period of time, it will go on a ravenous frenzy for blood. Often when the vampire reaches this stage of hunger, even the victims who survive become infected with a deadly disease which eventually kills them.
The Adze can also have the power to possess a human and become a living vampire. When the Adze is captured, it will revert to its human form. A human sorcerer can also willingly become possessed by an Adze spirit for the abilities and powers they will gain. As an Adze host, they are able to change their form, like a shapeshifter, from human to something else by magic. When they are captured, however, the magic will be lost and they will revert back to their human form. This is the only way to destroy the Adze, but catching them is the trick.
There is no way to protect against an Adze. Nothing will keep them out, or keep a child safe from its attacks. The only measure that can be taken against them is capturing them and destroying their human form. The safest thing to do is keep your supply of coconut water and palm oil up and set a trap.

Roberta Hoffer’s Silentheart

Moonlight — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 13:00:24 +0000

Hey readers, remember a few months back when I wrote a post about the shocking new vampire book and the author that was not only signing the book in her blood but also printing some copies of the book in real human blood? Well, here laying next to me is my copy of Silentheart by Roberta Hoffer, blood-signed by the author herself.

I’ve just finished the book and am overall very pleased and impressed by Hoffer’s first novel. She takes a widely used subject, vampires, and turns in into something unique and completely her own. While most authors reuse the same old vampire plots and ideas, she mixes these old ideas with her own and the result is surprisingly refreshing.

The story itself follows recently divorced Sarah Abbott and her newfound freedom and with it, a new life. A new life that involves not only the discovery that vampires exist, but that she has vampires in her very own family. Through her vampire family she meets and falls madly in love with the vampire Carter. But as the old stories go vampire and human relationships are never easy, and it’s no different with Carter and Sarah. Their love brings new life and happiness but also jealously and betrayal. Roberta Hoffer does an excellent job portraying the deep emotions of each character, from the wicked villains to the sweet lovebirds. Silentheart is a novel about family, rebirth, and the quest and battle for true undying love.

With any book this one has its good and it’s bad. I’ll admit that the book starts off slow and is a bit redundant; it could have used some extra editing on that front. But after a few chapters it does pick up pace and keeps you hooked. I must also add that while this book is appropriate for any age, I think it’s one that would be best enjoyed by adults. A young teen may find the divorcee story difficult to relate to and may not care for the very formal speech that is used throughout the entire book, by ancient vampires and young humans. But with this said, anyone will love the vampire world Hoffer has created, adults or teens.

I can’t wait for what Roberta Hoffer has planned for us next.

- Moonlight

Real Kansas City Vampires

Moonlight — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:00:34 +0000

When you think of real vampires being discovered you think it would be in New Orleans or maybe New York but not Kansas of all places. But Kansas is the setting of this story, published in the papers on January 27, 1890 the article reports a real case of vampirism.

The article says that in an area just east of Kansas City police received a letter from a worried man living in the neighborhood, the man saying that if the police didn’t take care of the matter that the neighborhood would take it in their own hands. The issue? There was a religious group of bloodsuckers that felt that drinking blood cured the sick. Apparently there were people that were allowing themselves to be bled for those that were ill.

The officers investigated the matter and found that the man’s letter didn’t even tell half the story. Turns out that a year before a man named Silas Wilcox moved to the neighborhood. Wilcox had traveled through the country preaching the doctrine of doing good for the sick. Eventually he gathered enough converts and founded a sect, which he called the Samaritans. Doesn’t sound too bad right? It was fine until he started preaching that drinking the blood of others would cure all diseases, arguing that it was the Bible that said the blood was life.

When the police entered the home of a man named John Wrinkle they found two thin and sickly looking children. On the bed lay Wrinkle, when questioned about drinking the blood of the two children he of course denied it, as did the kids. But due to their bloodless appearance the suspicious officer had a look at the children’s arms and found them to be in terrible condition. Their arms were covered in scars inside the elbow, showing that they had been bled. When the proof was shown Wrinkle finally admitted to drinking the children’s blood, but said that the children willingly let him drink in order to heal himself.

John Wrinkle was in such a condition that he could not be moved from his bed, but the children were taken from the house and placed in the Children’s Home. The officer was anxious to put a stop to the practice of blood drinkers, but it appeared there is no law which says it’s not allowed.

What do you guys think? Should there be a law of some kind so something like this doesn’t happen again? If there was what would that mean for the safely practicing Sanguinarians out there?

- Moonlight

Blood: The Last Vampire

annimi — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:26:14 +0000

As a big fan of the original film, and the live action film that recently came out, I figured, hey, we’re all about vampires, so why are we only covering American and European vampire contemporaries? Japanese vampires are pretty fabulous too! Let’s roll with it!

Film – Blood: The Last Vampire, 2001 – The film came first, as an anime, and before any of the anime series, or books, or the game, manga, etc., and was fiercely popular. It also had nothing whatsoever to do with the live action film that came out this year. B:tLV follows Saya, the “last original” vampire, who is actually more of a vampire human hybrid, without vulnerability to the sun, but with all kinds of vampire extra-sensory powers, and super-strength. The film is set only months before the Vietnam War, and follows Saya as she hunts chiropterans, blood drinking, winged bat-like monsters, for the secret organization the Red Shield.

Manga & Books – First the manga came to follow up as a sequel, bring Saya to the 21st century in Blood: The Last Vampire 2000, which is a little trippy, because it seems to have inspired bits and pieces of the latest movie, –such as that Saya’s been sent undercover to a high school, where she discovers that the chiropterans are able to transform into human beings. Saya also learns more about her past, but in the manga, Saya has a twin; a chiropteran that can transform, named Maya, who hunts down Saya, –considered by experimental scientists as the perfect one of the pair, –because she wants Saya to eat her, so that together they can become the perfect vampire. The light novels that followed were: Blood: The Last Vampire: Night of the Beasts, Blood: The Last Vampire: The Blood Which Invites the Darkness, and Blood: The Last Vampire: A Tragic Dream in Shanghai.

Anime & Games – The anime, titled simply, “Blood+” used to be a regular on AdultSwim, but got cancelled, boohoo. It wasn’t actually received very well, so, maybe they knew what they were doing when Blood+ bounced off the air and into obscurity. Blood+ is a bizarre, alternate universe, re-telling of the B:tLV original story. In the anime, Saya is an anemic teen with a happy life, until she’s attacked by a chiropteran, and discovers she’s the only one who can defeat them. Not exactly similar to the hardcore style of Saya in the film and manga is it? The game first developed for PS2 wa called by its original title, Blood: The Last Vampire, and was released in Japan in 2001. Dr. Brown of Animerica declared the game boring, and therefore labeled the game as such for everyone else, making it particularly hard to find on this continent. Can we all give a big hand to Dr. Brown? Yes, thank you Dr. Brown, for making life hard for the collecting gamer. The second game to come out was for PSP in 2006, called Yarudora Series Vol. 5: Blood: The Last Vampire, and including several new features for the B:tLV obsessed.

Live Action Film – B:tLV comes to the big screen, and thank god too, because I was dying, DYING, to see it. If you’re a fan, then you understand, if you’re not, then try to imagine a Bleach live-action movie. There, see? Exactly. Jaw dropping extended action scenes, enough blood and gore to make you gag, and a storyline that doesn’t really suck -that much-. What I love most about the movie, is that Saya’s action scenes, and the fight scenes in general, go on -forever-. The story wasn’t great, the character development was minimal, but the action and the cinematography were seizure-inducing gorgeous! If you’re a B:tLV fan, and you’ve been holding out because you think the movie will suck, stop it! You’ll love it, I promise.

The Vampire Diaries, Season 1, Episode 8

annimi — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:14:02 +0000

In this episode we’re introduced to Stefan’s oldest friend; the 350 year old Lexi, –she’s an absolute sweetheart, and the best part is, she’s older and stronger than Damon. So she can kick his ass any time. It’s Stefan’s birthday, and Lexi came to party with him. There’s maintenance to do after Vickie’s death; Matt, Jeremy, Stefan, and Elena all convince the sheriff that Vickie’s just left town. Matt and Elena are both giving Stefan the cold shoulder, but for different reasons; Matt doesn’t trust Stefan’s intentions with his sister in the last episode, and Elena is upset about all the drama following Stefan around.

Damon heads off to the sheriff’s to deliver a box of vervain; apparently, Stefan and Damon have been telling people that Zach is out-of-town too. Damon is devising a plan to get rid of the hunters and give them a vampire to keep them away from he and Stefan. Bonnie isn’t too thrilled with her crystal, the necklace her ancestor wore, but her Gram convinces her to always wear it. Bonnie heads over to Elena’s house to see what’s going on, and finds the majorly depressed Elena hiding in bed. To cheer her up, Bonnie demonstrates her new witch-y powers. Elena heads over to talk to Stefan, and instead, finds Lexi in her towel; awkward! Meanwhile, Damon is using his vampire Jedi-mind-trick on Caroline to get her to take the necklace from Bonnie, and throw a party that night at the ‘Grill.’

Lexi convinces Stefan to go with her, but he stops at Elena’s first to explain the presence of Lexi, and invite Elena to Caroline’s party. She gets the deal with Lexi, that they’re just friends, but decides she wants to stay home. At the party, Bonnie tries to take the crystal from Bonnie and it shocks her; when she reports what happened to Damon, he calls her shallow, and useless. While Caroline heads off to get wasted, Stefan stops Matt and tries to explain what was going on with him trying to give Vickie an ‘intervention.’ Matt seems to thaw a little, but he’s still angry and upset with Vickie for leaving. Outside, Damon is setting his plans in motion; when he spots a couple kissing nearby, he attacks the boy, and grabs the girl to give her a little brain melting. He goes back in the bar, and talks to Elena for a bit, –who seems to have magically appeared at the party despite not wanting to come, –and she asks if he added anything to Jeremy’s brain when he erased his memory. Damon evasively claims he only took away Jeremy’s suffering.

Outside, the police discover the body of the boy, and the girl sitting beside him. Inside, Lexi approaches Elena, and talks to her a little about love, and loving a vampire as a human. Lexi gets through a bit, Elena thaws toward Stefan, and joins him at the pool table. Lexi heads over to talk to Damon, letting Stefan and Elena have their alone time. Lexi and Damon chat about his diabolical plan, but suddenly, the sheriff enters with the girl, who points out Lexi as the boy’s killer. The sheriff strolls up, shoots up Lexi with vervain, and hauls her out of the bar. Stefan and Elena follow out the back. Lexi attempts to struggle, and the sheriff shoots her; just as Elena and Stefan are coming around the wall, they witness Damon stake Lexi. Though Elena tries to stop him, Stefan confronts Damon, fights him, and stakes him, –but only in the stomach. He tells him they’re even, since Damon saved his life, and he is now sparing Damon’s.

Caroline is carried away by Matt; she’s totally smashed, and he comforts her, and takes her home, then holds her while she sleeps. Elsewhere, Bonnie is having a nightmare, running through the forest, when her ancestor warns her of an “it” coming for her. Bonnie wakes up in the woods, still in her pajamas, out in the cemetery. Phew, what an episode! God, I wish Damon would just give it up, and the two brothers could just bond for god’s sake. And just when things were turning up with Stefan and Elena, Damon has to go and kill someone else, –and possibly brainwash her brother. Jeez; a girl just can’t get a break.

I’m also kind of worried about Caroline. Hopefully, Damon just stays away, because I think her and Matt would make a really sweet couple. She deserves someone to be nice to her, even if she is flawed; it’s a symptom of humanity. I also really liked the Lexi character; totally stupid that she’s already dead, but I guess she also would have been a third wheel in the series. So far it looks like Damon’s “diabolical master plan” is to completely isolate Stefan, and then maybe kill him. Too bad, –Damon is uber-hot, and I want him to stay, and be less of a douche. Just a little less!

Vampires » blood

Blood is Life

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