The woman, who has not been identified, was beaten to death and her remains were found on Saturday in a village 15 miles east of Georgetown, police said.

Police have arrested three people and are questioning others, Superintendent Balram Persaud said.

"We are still investigating," he said.

Some expressed surprise at the persistence of belief in Higues, a creature said to take the shape of an old woman who can shrink herself to enter victims' homes through a keyhole.

Πρώτα, μια αναδρομή. Το λοιπόν, η πρώτη ιστορία με τη συγκεκριμένη θεματολογία ήταν η "Carmilla", μια νοβέλα του Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Ως Ιρλανδός που έζησε στη βικτωριανή περίοδο, με τους γνωστούς πουριτανισμούς αυτής, δεν ενσωμάτωσε πολλές "ζουμερές" λεπτομέρειες στο έργο του, αλλά υποννόησε αρκετά για να δώσει υλικό στους κινηματογραφιστές των Hammer Studios, που γύρισαν τρεις ταινίες βασισμένοι στους χαρακτήρες του. Τα δικαιώματα του βιβλίου έχουν πλέον λήξει, και μπορείτε εύκολα να το βρείτε σαν e-book ή audiobook.

Καρέ από την ιστορία "The Vampire's Curse" που δημοσιεύθηκε στο Dracula των εκδόσεων Dell, τεύχος #1.

Πρόκειται σίγουρα για βιβλίο-σταθμό στη γοτθική λογοτεχνία, αφού έκανε μόδα εκτός από τον αναγραμματισμό των ονομάτων των βαμπίρ (που μας έδωσε αργότερα τους διάφορους Alucard), ακόμη και τα ίδια τα βαμπίρ, ως έναν βαθμό. Ωστόσο, αν πρέπει να διαλέξετε ανάμεσα σε αυτό και τον πολύ πιο γνωστό απόγονό του, τον Δράκουλα, θα σας πρότεινα απροβλημάτιστα το δεύτερο, αφού είναι πολύ πιο καλογραμμένο κι ενδιαφέρον, ενώ η Carmilla έχει και κάποια ενοχλητικά κενά στην πλοκή που δεν συμπληρώνονται ποτέ. Κι αυτό παρ'ότι ο Stoker έκλεψε εμπνεύστηκε πάρα πολλά συστατικά του μύθου του από αυτή, μέχρι και την αρχική τοποθεσία που διαδραματίζεται (η Στυρία της Αυστρίας -αργότερα τοποθέτησε την εξέλιξη της πλοκής στα Καρπάθια).

Πάντως, σεξουαλικές σχέσεις, είτε ομοφυλοφιλικές είτε όχι, και βαμπίρ ανέκαθεν πήγαιναν, αν όχι μαζί, τουλάχιστον το ένα σε σχετικά-κοντινή-χωρίς-να-γίνεται-παρεξηγήσιμη απόσταση από το άλλο. Ο Bram Stoker στον Δράκουλα περιέλαβε μια σκηνή με τρεις "νύφες" που προσπαθούν να αποπλανήσουν τον δύσμοιρο άγγλο δικηγόρο, κι αφού πρώτα μαλλιοτραβιούνται λίγο αποφασίζουν να τον "μοιραστούν". Την σκηνή περιγράφει αρκετά λεπτομερώς ο Jonathan Harker* στο ημερολόγιό του. Παράλληλα, αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι παρά τη θυληπρεπής εμφάνιση των βρυκολάκων σε πιο πρόσφατες παραγωγές, η ανδρική ομοφυλοφιλία συνήθως απλώς υποννοείται, σε αντίθεση με τη γυναικεία που εκδηλώνεται πιο ανοιχτά.**

Οι "νύφες του Δράκουλα" από τη μεταφορά σε comic που βασίστηκε στην ταινία του Coppola, 1992. Σχέδια του Mike Mignola, με τον πρωτότυπο διάλογο του Bram Stoker.

Όπως οι άνδρες βαμπίρ έχουν τον προπάτορά τους και την ιστορική τους έμπνευση στον βοεβόδα της Βλαχίας, τον Βλαντ τον τρίτο Drăculea τον Παλουκωτή, η αντίστοιχη γυναικεία φιγούρα είναι η Κόμισσα του Αίματος, η υποτιθέμενη μεγαλύτερη serial killer στην ιστορία, η Elizabeth Báthory της Ουγγαρίας. Καταδικάστηκε για 80 φόνους, ενώ ιστορίες τη θέλουν άμεσα ή έμμεσα υπεύθυνη για πάνω από 600. Και καθώς η πλειονότητα αυτών αφορούσε νεαρές κοπέλες, είναι φυσικό να μιλάνε οι κακές γλώσσες για σένα (όχι ότι σε απασχολεί αν σε αποκαλούν λεσβία πίσω από την πλάτη σου όταν είσαι -κυριολεκτικά- χτισμένη στο δωμάτιό σου κατηγορούμενη για μαζική δολοφονία, αλλά λέμε τώρα). Ωστόσο, οι μάρτυρες κατηγορίας έδωσαν καταθέσεις με ποικίλες διαφορές μεταξύ τους***, και σε συνδυασμό με τον πρότερο έντιμο βίο της κόμισσας (είχε βοηθήσει αρκετές φτωχές γυναίκες να ξεφύγουν από δύσκολες καταστάσεις, χωρίς να ξέρουμε αν είχε κάποιες υστερόβουλες βλέψεις hint-hint, nudge-nudge) οδηγούν μερικούς μελετητές να υποστηρίξουν ότι έπεσε θύμα συνομωσίας! Πάντως η κυρία ήταν από σημαντική οικογένεια που κυβερνούσε την Τρανσυλβανία εκείνη την εποχή, οπότε καταδίκη και επακόλουθη θανάτωσή της θα είχε επιπτώσεις που ο βασιλιάς Ματτθαίος ήθελε να αποφύγει, εξού και δεν καταδικάστηκε ποτέ τελειωτικά, αλλά βρέθηκε σε κατ'οίκον περιορισμό εν αναμονή της κανονικής δίκης, που βέβαια δεν ήρθε ποτέ.

Υποτίθεται ότι η κόμισσα Bathory σημείωνε τα ονόματα κάθε ενός από τα θύματά της σε ένα βιβλίο, το οποίο υπηρέτες της ανέφεραν πως είχε τουλάχιστον 650 εγγραφές!

Ενδιαφέρουσες παρεκκλίσεις των γυναικών βαμπίρ, τόσο της Carmilla Karnstein όσο και των μεταγενέστερων, από το μύθο του Δράκουλα είναι το γεγονός πως φαίνονται να μην έχουν πρόβλημα με το φως του ηλίου.

Εν πάσει περιπτώσει, αρκετά το μπλα-μπλα, πάμε να σχολιάσω τις ταινίες που είδα.

Vampiros Lesbos

Τη σχολίασα προηγουμένως, οπότε δε θα αναφερθώ εκτενώς, αλλά δε μπορούσε να λείπει από αφιέρωμα σε λεσβίες βαμπίρ. Anyway, άσχημη σκηνοθεσία, ωραίες ερμηνείες, απολαυστική μουσική, και κάμποσο γυμνό. Αυτά.

The Vampire Lovers

[ wiki :: imdb :: tumble ]

Η πρώτη ταινία της Hammer τριλογίας που βασίζεται στους χαρακτήρες του Le Fanu. Πρόκειται για σχεδόν πιστή μεταφορά της νουβέλας, με μερικές προσθήκες για να την κάνουν μεγαλύτερη σε διάρκεια και πιο ενδιαφέρουσα, αλλά με τα ίδια κενά στην πλοκή (κι ένα καινούριο) που έχει και το πρωτότυπο. Μεγάλο ατού της ταινίας η απολαυστική γοτθική ατμόσφαιρα που σε συνδυασμό με τα old school εφέ και στυλ της ταινίας, την κάνουν μια πολύ συμπαθητική συντροφιά για ένα βράδυ, χωρίς βέβαια να πρόκεται για αριστούργημα.

Lust for a Vampire

[ wiki :: imdb :: tumble ]

Δεύτερη της τριλογίας, βγάζει με το ζόρι sequel από τον μύθο των Karnstein. Δίνει περισσότερο βάρος στους χαρακτήρες, αλλά πάσχει από άποψη πλοκής και η γοτθική ατμόσφαιρα που τόσο μου άρεσε, εδώ απουσιάζει εντελώς. Μια απογοήτευση, αλλά δεν πτοούμαι, η τριλογία δεν τελείωσε ακόμα.

Twins of Evil

[ wiki :: imdb :: tumble ]

Τρίτη και τελευταία ταινία, κι αρκετά διαφορετική σε στυλ από τις άλλες. Οι πρωταγωνίστριες είναι δύο δίδυμα "κουνελάκια" του playboy, και ναι, παίζουν τόσο άσχημα όσο φαντάζεστε! Τόσο άσχημα μάλιστα, που κάνανε dub τις φωνές τους από άλλες ηθοποιούς, για να το σώσουν κάπως. Ωστόσο από πλοκή πάει αρκετά καλά (είναι prequel των άλλων ταινιών), αν και ψιλο-μελό, και οι υπόλοιποι ηθοποιοί είναι καλοί με απολαυστικότατο τον Peter Cushing (που παρά την καλή ερμηνεία του, θα μείνει για πάντα γνωστός ως ο Grand Moff Tarkin που πίστευε στ'αλήθεια ότι οι αντάρτες δεν μπορούσαν να καταστρέψουν το Death Star). Έχει μόνο μία σκηνή που με αρκετά ευρύ ορισμό θα μπορούσε να θεωρηθεί "λεσβιακή", αλλά χάριν πληρότητας τη βάζω στην ομάδα για να ολοκληρώσω την τριλογία.

Vampyres

[ wiki :: imdb :: tumble ]

Η μόνη ταινία από αυτές που είδα που πλησιάζει στην κατηγορία των θρίλερ, με μια απολαυστικά ανατριχιαστική μουσική υπόκρουση και μια αρκούντως μυστηριώδης και ενδιαφέρουσα ατμόσφαιρα. Ταυτόχρονα περιέχει χορταστικές δόσεις αίματος, βίας, και γυμνού, αλλά τραβάει το σενάριο σε ώρα λίγο παραπάνω από ότι χρειάζεται. Συμπαθητική ταινία συνολικά πάντως.

Embrace of the Vampire

[ wiki :: imdb :: tumble ]

Αν σας ιντριγκάρει η σκέψη ότι θα δείτε την Alyssa Milano να γδύνεται, δείτε την. Αλλιώς μην κάνετε τον κόπο. Άσχημες ερμηνείες, ανέμπνευστη σκηνοθεσία, απλοϊκό και μελό σενάριο και η απαισιότερη μουσική υπόκρουση που έχω ακούσει ποτέ σε οποιοδήποτε είδος κινηματογράφου (και με τις τσόντες που έχω δει, ο πύχης για τη μουσική είναι πολύ χαμηλά!). Επίσης στις λεσβιακές σκηνές που περιέχει δεν συμμετέχει κανένα βαμπίρ, οπότε νιώθω ότι με ξεγέλασαν οικτρά.

The Hunger

[ wiki :: imdb :: tumble ]

Καμία σχέση με την (σχεδόν) ομώνυμη ταινία που κυκλοφορεί στους κινηματογράφους αυτήν την περίοδο. Εικαστικά όμορφη αλλά κενή ταινία, με ανούσια πλοκή και ελάχιστο ενδιαφέρον, το οποίο σχεδόν μονοπωλεί ο David Bowie. Δυστυχώς η συμμετοχή του περιορίζεται στο πρώτο μισό της ταινίας, με το υπόλοιπο να επικεντρώνεται στη σχέση Catherine Deneuve και Susan Sarandon. Παρά πάντως τα ενδιαφέροντα ονόματα στο καστ, οι ερμηνείες δεν είναι και τόσο εντυπωσιακές, χωρίς να ευθύνονται όμως ιδιαίτερα οι ηθοποιοί -όταν το υλικό είναι αδύναμο δεν υπάρχουν πολλά που μπορείς να κάνεις για να το σώσεις. Αν προσθέσουμε σε όλα αυτά και την ενοχλητική 80's αισθητική που τη διακατέχει, έχουμε συνολικά μια μάλλον αδιάφορη ταινία -εκτός αν πάντα θέλατε να δείτε τις πρωταγωνίστριες γυμνές πριν γεράσουν, οπότε να η ευκαιρία σας.

Vampire Diary

[ imdb :: tumble ]

Η καλύτερη ταινία της ομάδας. Και το τραγικό είναι πως είναι τόσο άγνωστη που δεν έχει καν wiki! Περυσινή παραγωγή στην οποία πρωταγωνιστεί η Anna Walton, που παίζει την πριγκίπισσα Nuala στο καινούριο Hellboy και είναι ΘΕΑ. Θεός και ο σκηνοθέτης, που έχει γυρίσει την ταινία σε blairwitch στυλ, με κάμερες που (και καλά) χειρίζονται οι πρωταγωνιστές, αλλά έχει καταφέρει να την κάνει και όμορφη (εκτός από "πειραματική"). Βοηθάει ότι η μία πρωταγωνίστρια έχει κάμερα της προκοπής και προσπαθεί υποτίθεται να γυρίσει ντοκιμαντέρ για τους goth, οπότε δικαιολογείται η καθαρή εικόνα. Αυτό που δε δικαιολογείται, αλλά δε θα με ακούσετε να παραπονιέμαι γι'αυτό, είναι οι πανέμορφες σκηνές με τις οποίες διανθίζεται η κατά τα άλλα αιματοβαμμένη και δραματική ιστορία.

Ο "εθισμός" της βαμπιρέσσας Walton στο αίμα παραλληλίζεται ευθέως με τα ναρκωτικά και τις καταστροφικές τους συνέπειες, και παρουσιάζονται οι επιπτώσεις που έχει στη σχέση της με την, ανθρώπινη, Morven Macbeth. Μια τρυφερή, δραματική και εντυπωσιακά καλογυρισμένη ταινία που συνιστώ ανεπιφύλακτα. Αν πάρετε μόνο ένα πράγμα από όλο αυτό το post, ας είναι αυτό: δείτε την.

Αυτά για τώρα. Προφανώς δεν εξάντλησα το είδος, ενδεικτικά υπάρχουν αρκετές ιταλικές ταινίες που δεν ακούμπησα καν, αλλά για να το κάνω αυτό ήθελα πολύ περισσότερο χρόνο από όσο είχα διάθεση να αφιερώσω... τώρα τουλάχιστον. Κρατάω το genre στο πίσω μέρος του μυαλού μου πάντως για να επανέλθω ίσως με επόμενο αφιέρωμα.

* για τον οποίο το σεξ με τέσσερα άτομα θα πρέπει να ήταν κάτι εξ'ίσου εξωτικό και σκανδαλιστικό με τα μπικίνι.
** Ευτυχώς για μένα δηλαδή, γιατί στην αναζήτηση ταινιών για να δω έπεσα πάνω σε πάρα πολλές πορνογραφικού περιεχομένου (όσο να'ναι, το keyword "lesbian" δε βοηθάει). Φαντάζεστε να ήταν πιο διαδεδομένο φαινόμενο τα yaoi vampires; Μπρρρρρ....
*** που μπορεί να οφείλονται και στον απλό λόγο ότι δεν μπορούσαν να θυμηθούν όλους τους φόνους λεπτομερώς -καθένας τους ανέφερε από 30 μέχρι 50 φόνους.

The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories, edited by Alan Ryan, is the title that should be in the library of every serious horror/vampire fan, for here shadows pursue and vampires haunt with a rapacity that tears not only the body, but the soul. This comprehensive anthology of vampire tales spans the decades from 1816 through 1984 beginning with the “Fragment of a Novel” written by George Gordon, Lord Byron, which has an interesting story behind the story. Lord Byron often traveled with his close friends, Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife, Mary Shelley. During a spate of bad weather while they vacationed in Italy, they read ghost stories to one another and decided that each would pen a ghostly tale; Lord Byron penned the “Fragment of a Novel,” Percy Shelley lost interest in the project, and Mary Shelley conceived her novel, Frankenstein, which was published two years later.

Thirty-two tales grace this volume with brief introductions of the stories and the authors by Mr. Ryan that are as entertaining to read as the stories themselves. There is even an excerpt from the “penny dreadful,” “Varney the Vampyre, or, the Feast of Blood,” written in 1845 by James Malcolm Rymer and while the writing is overly melodramatic, the vampire is stark and deadly. I could find no fault with any of the tales, some were more memorable than others, beginning with Lord Bryon’s “Fragment.” J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla” is here, and it is interesting to note that Bram Stroker admitted the influence of “Carmilla” on his own Dracula tale. 

So it is hard for even the Dragon to pick a favorite until I come to the final tale, “Bite-Me-Not or, Fleur De Feu,” by Tanith Lee. A lyrical fantasist whose prose I have long admired, Lee’s vampire story haunts us with her erotic tale of the doomed lovers, the vampire prince, Ferlouce, and the scullery maid, Rohise. Lee weaves her heartbreakingly ethereal tale with fathomless skill exemplifying the love of the damned and the beauty with which such love can flower. A most perfect ending to a perfect vampire anthology, you will put it down only to pick it up and read it again and again.

My Rating:  

It seems that Stephenie Meyer has managed to capture the imaginations of many with not just her words, but her musical inspirations for the Twilight series, as well as the actors and actresses tasked with bringing life to the Twilight movie characters. Vanity Fair, MTV, IMDB, and Entertainment Weekly have all jumped on board with extensive coverage.

After having to defend this vampire-nerd obsession for so long, I now feel a wave of relief that soon enough, many others will fall prey to this compelling series- I will merely be the one standing in the corner, pointing at you, laughing, and saying, "I told you so!"

Can't wait!

With a new episode of Ligeia now available on ROK Comics, creator Rodrigo D. Ricci has revealed more about the background to the character in a posting for the strip's Facebook page. What follows is a translation/adaptation of Rodrigo's posting, which is in Spanish...

Ligeia was created in the summer of 2006 in Italy, inspired by the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. The plan was that this vampire "with a touch of irony", drawn in a style echoing the work of Alex Toth and Frank Miller, would be the kind of work an Italian publisher interested in publishing a graphic novel by Rodrigo would like.

Unfortunately, neither of the two projects were realized and have been buried on Rodrigo's computer for some time. Then, when he put some of the pages of comicspace.com, a lot of people told him that they liked the character.

Ligeia is inspired by various sources. Poe first, mainly to capture as much as possible the environment with the use of black and white in high contrast. There's also elements of the Lovecraft, especially his lesser known work "Medusa's Coil" ( by Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop, read it online), more than anything because Ligeia's hair moves in a lively, bizarre way.

The strip also pays homage to movies like La Maschera del Demonio), directed by Lamberto Bava, more than anything because of the use of black and white in that film.

Physically, Ligeia is a blend between Barbara Steele and Edwige Feneche and other actresses of the Golden Age of film.

Rodrigo decided to make Edgar a pet cat to avoid the horrible cliches of Igor in some bad movies. As a character it works well: cats have an extraordinary personality. "They do not need to interpret any role, since they are the role," he says.

The story comes with the Nazis after reading the book Hanussen, a Jew in the court of the Third Reich. Rodrigo was astonished by this bizarre character, a Jew who was the magician of many senior Nazis, but hated by Gobbels who considered him a charlatan. Hanussen believed in The Temple of the Uunseen, but made the mistake one night at a party having a vision and predicting that a building would be burned, causing a major sea change in the Weimar Republic.

One day later someone set fire to the Reichstag and Hitler came to power. Shortly afterward, Hannusen was found shot dead in a park. (more about Hannusen here on Wikipedia. Werner Herzog made a movie about him in 2001 starring Tim Roth, and there have been others).

There is a definite morality to the comic although Rodrigo leaves the reader to choose whose morality they favour. Ligeia is a vampire, so in theory, evil. On the other side are the Nazis sent by Himmler, and those who might be the traditional heroes are a band of mercenaries, all united bya desire to loot the gold of the vampire.

"This series was born at time of many changes," says Rodrigo. "Gradually, publishers are leaving paper behind and transferring their attention to the massive audience potential of the web cell phones and the iPhone."

Any decision on the quality of the strip Rodrigo leaves in you hands, cordially inviting you to read... Ligeia!

Sins of the Night is the story of Acheron's Alexion [pronounced Uh-lex-ee-uhn], a former Dark Hunter who died a second time because of a betrayal by a loved one, and became a Shade. I didn't at first quite get the need for the article "the" before "Alexion." I thought it was rather impersonal and unfeeling to precede the name of Acheron's "other" (just borrowing this term, for lack of something better to use, from the Alexion himself) with an article, like he was nothing more than a worthless pawn in some game Acheron chose to play, which was farther from the truth. Ash loved his Alexion, and he loved Ash in return. And no, I don't mean it in a homosexual-love-sort-of thing, but a great bond among men who witnessed each other's pains and vowed to keep each other safe. Apparently, and you need to read the story to be enlightened, Alexion was not his real name. It was an Atlantean term, or something, that does not have a direct English translation. I haven't really figured out what it means, from reading the book. Maybe it could be translated into caretaker, second-in-command, protector, messenger, emissary, destroyer. Maybe not. Dunno. But a few pages and several minutes later, I started to find it rather rather cute when he was referred to as "the Alexion" or Acheron's Alexion. Detached yet possessive at the same time. It showed he was special, mysterious. The Alexion's real name was something, too. It was unique. Well, sort of. But I'd rather not mention it here to avoid giving a spoiler to those who haven't read the book yet and are planning to. Don't worry, guys, it's easy to figure out who he really was. Oh, but you'll have to go through pages filled with his pain or passion or happiness, though, to do that.

A few chapters before the story ends, I already had an idea what the ending would be to the Alexion and Danger's (Dangereuse was his heroine) story. But I was not disappointed it was predictable that way. The ending was perfect for them, and I'd not have it any other way. The Alexion's story also made me more impatient for Acheron's story. I wonder when it'll be available at bookstores here in Cebu? Patience is one of my virtues. But bah, when it comes to books, my patience is most often than not practically and virtually non-existent.

Anyways, if you haven't encountered any Dark Hunter - and would really want to - in your solitary wanderings in the dark alleys and scary corners, where the Daimons or their incarnations usually wait in the shadows for the perfect opportunity to strike at some innocent and not-so-innocent passers-by, you can visit this site.

Off topic: You might notice that the brand on the Dark Hunters, the double crossbow, would make a very good tattoo design. It was the first pattern I chose for mine, but I ended up having two paw prints instead. I'm still debating whether to get a new one or not. But if I do decide on it, I'd choose either that or Acheron's symbol that is also branded on the Alexion's shoulder: a sun pierced by three bolts of lighting. I thought would look rather nice on the shoulder blade. Or I'd get both. If only getting a tattoo wouldn't feel like what your feet would feel after you've danced barefoot on a very hot asphalt road, or the splitting headache you get when you banged your head on something seriously hard.

"You see, every person smells different, a different essence. If you locked an alcoholic in a room full of stale beer, he'd gladly drink it. But he could resist, if he was a recovering alcoholic. Now let's saw you placed in that room a glass of hundred-year-old brandy, the rarest, finest cognac-and filled the room with its warm aroma-how do you think he would fare then?" We sat silently, looking into each others eyes-trying to read each others thoughts. He broke the silence first. "Maybe that's not the right comparison. Maybe it would be too easy to turn down the brandy. Perhaps I should have made our alcoholic a heroin addict instead." "So what you're saying is, I'm your brand of heroin?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood. He smiled swiftly, seeming to appreciate my effort. "Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin."

Is it really like that, is there forever one person we can't resist no matter how much we try? We can put them out of site and out of mind, but we still crave them. Why do we crave them when the high is almost always followed by an inevitable crash?

milk and apples

Un vampiro bien educado debe ser esquizoide por los bordes; retraído, concentrado y solitario por el centro, en los costados, emocionalmente frío, socialmente distante, absorto en sus pensamientos y sentimientos y cauteloso ante la inminencia de la intimidad con otros. Un vampiro educado bajo las normas de Carreño debe hablar poco, soñar despierto, preferir la especulación teórica a la acción práctica y utilizar la fantasía como modelo para enfrentarse a la realidad.

Below is a photo featuring a pair from my personal shoe collection (a portion of which is shown 'artfully' sprawled all over my bedroom carpet; and by artfully, I mean thrown sloppily in the corner). I bought these black Converse sneakers two years ago when Fitz and I dressed up as Wayne & Garth (i.e. Wayne's World) for Halloween (now THOSE pictures would have you in hysterics). They are the same little sneaks that Bella wears to her prom in the Twilight flick.

Apparently, great vampire minds think alike...

Bella is wearing a black Converse sneaker...Chuck Taylors to be exact. I would know- I have the exact same pair of shoes...and the proof that apparently vampires like Converse (in addition to Adidas, naturally).

It was the first time I hadn't checked what their formal dress was before the wedding and it was a mistake.  Vasyl was dressed in some outlandish gear with a stupid hat on.  So no pics of the stupid-looking groom.

The bride in a default gown.

Vampire father of the bride with fellow guest.

Sister of the bride, Romania, talks about the possibility of her becoming an auntie.

Parents of the bride with Jean and Caitlyn Langerak (ex dorm-mates of the bride and groom).  The atmosphere was a little tense.  Jean thought it best to stick to safe topics of conversation.

It appears that Demonica wants to be a vampire now too.

Readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of HBO's new series True Blood.  I first expressed excitement for the storyline and cast way back in July, months before the show premiered in the fall.  

Now through 6 episodes True Blood is getting better and better each week and I'm noticing that more and more of the popular blogs I read are referencing it in a positive light.  

Case in point: today Michael K named True Blood's Nelsan Ellis his "Hot Slut of the Day," and the comments section on DListed was soon flooded with praise for both Ellis' Lafayette character and the show in general.  

And then over at Egotastic! this afternoon they featured Anna Paquin's Sookie Stackhouse (warning, nudity, NSFW), and Mr. Egotastic! said he was on episode three of the series so far. 

So far True Blood hasn't done big things in the ratings department and reviews have been mixed, but I believe the combination of good writing, great acting, and Vampires, give the series serious growth potential.  Do any of you watch it? 

The clip above is great TV.  Lafayette, the gay drug dealer / short order cook, reacts to a bunch of rednecks who won't eat the food he's prepared for them because they said "it might have AIDS."  

Watch Lafayette take off his earrings and put those douchebags in their place.  Ellis is quite talented and steals many-a-scenes from week to week.  

And be sure to tune in to True Blood Sunday nights at 9PM on HBO.

[h/t: DListed]

~The First Time is embarrassing~

Anju träumt davon wie sie ihre Schwester beißt. Als sie aufwacht, ist es sehr still. Sie wünscht Boogie en guten Morgen. Doch der antwortet nicht. Als sie ihn hoch nimmt, ist es so als wäre Boogie nur ne Puppe. Doch dann antwortet er ihr. Sie geht ins Bad und da klopft es plötzlcih am Fenster. Sie macht das Fenster auf und da is ne Fledermaus mit nem Brief. Sie liest sich die Nachricht durch. Boogie findet es großartig, doch Anju nicht. Kenta fragt Karin, ob sie morgen etwas zusammen machen möchten. Maki beobachtet die Beiden von draußen. Karin ist überglücklich. Anju beobachtet sie dabei, wie sie en bento macht. Dann ruft Maki an und fragt, ob Karin morgen Zeit habe. Karin verabredet sich mit ihr noch vor dem Date mit Kenta. Anju fragt sie, ob sie sich noch daran erinnern würde an die Zeit als sie klein waren. Da haben sie mal zusammen en Schneemann gemacht. Karin verspricht ihr, dass sie, wenn Anju möchte, wieder einen machen werden. Winners Großvater ist nach Japan gekommen, um die Vampire zutöten. Karin und Anju baden zusammen. Nach dem Bad fragt Karin, was Anju gerne zu Weihnachten hätte. Anju sagt ganz leise Onne-chan. Dann sagt sie etwas lauter, egal was. In ihrem Zimmer: Boogie meint, dass es für Anju besser wäre, wenn sie Karin direkt sagen würde, wie sie sich fühlt und was sie für Karin empfindet. Er habe es satt, dass sie so darunter leidet. Er will es Karin sagen. Anju wird richtig wütend und Boogie meint, er werde es Karin trotzdem sagen, auch wenn Anju ihn in 1000 Stücke zerfetzt. Da wird Anjus Gesichtsausdruck etwas weicher. Am nächsten tag als Karin geht, macht sich Anju auch auf den Weg. Boogie fleht sie an nicht zu gehen, doch Anju hört nicht auf ihn. Sie geht zu Maki, die auf ner Bank hockt und auf karin wartet. Sie sagt, dass Karin eine richtig gute Person ist und adss macht sie eigentlich sauer. Sie ist neidisch auf Karin und da beißt Anju sie. Karin rennt schnell zum Park. Als sie ankommt, ist Anju voll mit Blut bekleckert?..ich weiß nicht, ob man das so nennen könnte...Naja..auf jedenfall streiten sie sich und Karin sagt dann, ich hasse dich zu anju und geht weg. Kenta wartet auf Karin. Anju geht nach Hause. Doch Boogie ist nur noch ne Puppe. Sie sagt, sie habe es endlich geschafft, dass Kenta und Karin für immer zusammen bleiben können. Dann fängt sie an zu heulen und ruft die ganze Zeit Onee-chan. Karin hockt auf ner Bank und bekommt ne SMS. Elda hat en Weg gefunden Karin in einen Vampir zu verwandeln.

Ende.

Le sol est glacé et craque sous les talons de Miss Pennington; pourtant l'air est doux dans cette clairière boisée . La nuit est tombée depuis quelques minutes déjà et la jeune soubrette dégraffe les premiers boutons de son chemisier pour mieux respirer. Une brume glisse entre ses jambes. Elle avance incrédule sur cette terre fumante de geysers, lorsqu'elle apperçoit enfin  l'imposante  grille en fer forgé du Manoir de ses nouveaux maîtres.

Bienvenus chez Hammer Production !

La hammer est la reine du système D. A sa tête, deux patrons - William Hinds & Enrique Carreras - à la recherche de la formule miracle :  Comment  faire un maximum de fric au cinéma avec un minimum d'investissement ?

La solution sera simple - pour tous les films, trois exigences: un seul et même studio, une seule et même équipe de tournage, et les mêmes acteurs en turn over.

Gains de productivité et rentabilité, voilà un doux programme qui sonne juste à l'oreille de tous les Vampires de la Terre.

Comme chacun sait, la contrainte est source de génie et  l'entreprise se révéla être une machine à produire des films cultes, citons au hasard   "Frankenstein s'est échappé",  "le cauchemar de Dracula", ou "Le chien des Baskerville" . Si on aime ce cinéma c'est parce qu'il y a un grain Hammer, une image Hammer ! Le style Victorien des décors  marquera à jamais l'univers des films d'horreurs et fantastiques des années 50/60.

 un mash-up special Hammer Girl

 Christopher Lee

Un nouveau genre était né, et de 1950 jusqu'au début des années 60 les Horror Movies de la Hammer feront fureur dans les salles de cinéma . Christopher Lee  n'oubliait jamais son fameux coup d'oeil  à la caméra pour faire frémir les jeunes spectatrices, un regard qui voulait dire " prend garde, après c'est ton tour". Les hommes n'étaient pas en reste, et nombreuses sont les victimes fraichements dévêtues qui s'enfuient en hurlant . On notera les prestations remarquées de Valerie Leon et Caroline Munro dont voici le joli minoi :

 V. Leon     et    C. Munro, des filles qui savent prendre l'image

Comme un tel  billet sans frillandises n'aurait aucun intérêt, voici tout d'abord l'affiche et le trailer video de "The Terror of the tongs":

 Quand on vous parle de Péril Jaune, c'est pas des conneries hein !

Voici enfin un clip Disco de 1977 du groupe "Soul Dracula" :

Titulo Original: Rosario+Vampire
Autor: Akihisa Ikeda
Género: Acción-Comedia-Romance-Ecchi
Publicación: Jump Comics
Tomos (Volumenes): ??
Fansub: Tsuki no Fansub, amante_anime, UTJ
Idioma: Español
Reseña
Rosario+Vampire es la historia de un chico, que luego de no conseguir entrar a ninguno de los institutos a los cuales se presentó, termina por asistir a una misteriosa escuela en medio de la nada. Pronto se entera de que en esa escuela todos son monstruos, tanto alumnos como profesores. Apenas llega, se hace amigo de una chica llamada Maka, quien resulta ser un vampiro, que sólo se interesa en el porque le gusta mucho el sabor de su sangre.
Da click aqui para ver los capitulos en dd

My daughter has been reading and re-reading the Twilight series books (Twilight,

New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn) for a couple of years now.  She has encouraged me to read them, which I will as soon as I get through my monthly book club book before the meeting day.

She has outlined the stories and told me bits and pieces about Edward, the handsome vampire and Bella the smart and not so beautiful girl he loves and the

danger she is in from his enemies. Her best friend, and Edward's rival for her affections, is Jacob, a werewolf. They all live in Forks, Washington. These vampires don't have fangs, and can be out in the daylight. All the vampires have different powers and are all beautiful. Their skin sparkles like diamonds in the sunlight. The story of these lovers is highly romantic, but fairly chaste compared to most romance novels of the day.

The author of these hugely successful books is Stephenie Meyer, an Arizona mom of 3.  She started writing based on a dream she had. The books have sparked such a huge following that websites have popped

up worldwide for fans to discuss, sell merchandise, fantasize and obsess. The fourth book, Breaking Dawn, was meant to be the last of the series as told from Bella's point of view, but Meyer had stated on another book, Midnight Sun, told from Edward's, point of view. When stolen pages began to appear online, she stopped the project.

In the meantime, fans around the world, and in my house, await the movie version of Twilight opening on

November 21, 2008. We have put together some of our designs which relate to the Twilight characters and some of the symbolism and imagery of the books.  We have the sun and moon,  apple, chess pieces, diamond, entwined hearts, a sunset and cool mountain designs.   These designs are not based on the book, but we had fun thinking of which ones related.  Let us know if you see more possibilities!

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For a Saturday night, things were dead. There wasn't a neck to be found anywhere. This town was just not what it used to be. It was time to pack it in for the night. Clyde decided to head down to the Bat's Wing, the local hangout for vampires. Trying to drown his misfortune over a few bloody Mary's, he noticed his old friend George sitting in the corner. He ambled over and fell into a chair at the same table. Turned out his old hunting buddy was not faring much better.

"Ya know George, this place just ain't what it used ta be. I haven't had a decent bite in weeks. Picked up a hitchhiker the other day, but he had more beer than blood. I heard about this new place that is supposed be really thriving, so I think I'll just pack it in." "Ya, and how are ya supposed to get to this new place"? "That won't be much of a problem, got a buddy in town, he's not one of us, and I know he'll stake me" "Well, good luck Clyde. By the way, where is this gold mine? Just in case I get a chance to join you." "Chicago, in the states"

Chicago in the mid 1800's wasn't quite the metropolis it is today, but fresh blood was constantly moving in. The instructions on the box containing Clyde coffin instructed the baggage handlers to put it off to the side away from everything else. Clyde's buddy, a college professor from Transylvania state college had arranged for a visit with the newly opened Chicago University. Arriving a week prior to Clyde, he was able to tour the surrounding countryside to locate the ideal new home for his friend. Shortly after his arrival, a buckboard showed up and Clyde was loaded aboard. To protect himself the professor unloaded the box outside the cave and proceeded to remove the outer crate. Since it was bright daylight, Clyde did not dare open the lid, but when the sun went down, he could move his bed into the deep recesses of the cave.

"Ah, yes, this will make a nice little retreat. But I'm famished, wonder what kind of delicacies this new land has to offer." It was a short trek to Market Street. The sights were scary and the sounds even worse. But the air had an unreal aroma to it. Stumbling over a few winos, Clyde made his way to the source of the unique scent. The garb of the first erect person he saw was exotic. "Now this should be good", he thought to himself. "I don't smell any of that beer that damn near did me in back home". But, just as he was getting ready to make his move, his prey turned around. Ugly!!!! It was enough to stop a truck, had they been invented. Oh well, he wasn't after looks, just a quick nip to the neck. She raised her hands, and suddenly Clyde couldn't move! "What the..." he thought. "You, vampire, I got something better here". My blood is too thin for you, but take this back and drink hearty". As she lowered her arms, Clyde found himself able to move and had somehow acquired a vial of something. "I am the Great Mystic from Bombay. I cure all ills. (Hey, it's my story, if I want an Indian mystic, I can. you put what you want in your story). Clyde was more than a little ill at ease with this dame, but it was almost daylight and time to make tracks.

Ok, first night in a new home and what has he found so far? A sidewalk full of drunks and a dame that could stop clocks. Oh, a bottle of something to fix him up. With nothing to lose, he popped the cork and threw the mixture down. Then it threw him down. Clyde was out like the proverbial light. Good thing he was sitting on his ‘bed' when he took that Molotov cocktail. Clyde woke up, shook his head to clear the cobwebs and smelled the vial. "Looks red like blood and smells like cranberries. What did she put in that stuff? And what is that infernal noise?" It was dark so it should be safe to head back to town to find the real stuff. No more Bombay Blasters. He stepped outside his cave.

Whoosh! Zoom!!! Clyde saw the noisy parade of lights and covering his ears to shut out some of the noise, headed towards what he assumed to be a noisy crowd of townspeople carrying funny torches. Zoom!! "What the hell was that?" As the semi missed him by inches he turned around and headed back home. Badly shaken, but unhurt he laid down to settle his nerves. "I'll wait until tomorrow night. Maybe the crowd won't be so angry". He needed time to think anyway. The first question he had was, what were those things?

He couldn't sleep and couldn't go anywhere. It was almost daylight. He decided to straighten his place up and have it ready for his first conquest. This new country was sure strange he thought. "Well, maybe tonight will be better anyway. It is hard to find anyone alone during carnival time. Glad I brought my readin' material". With nothing but time on his hands, Clyde decided to work on his English. "Shakespeare wrote in English, guess I'll start there". Having learned that the present day head of the country is king Lear, and that the castles are full of ghosts, Clyde started to feel more comfortable with this new civilized society. "My kind of people, crazy kings and spooks. I'll step round tonight and let them know that one of their own has arrived".

It was a very productive day. Not only did he ‘learn' about modern society, he even brushed up on a foreign language. Clyde was ready for his foray into the local village. He had learned his lesson the last time he went out. The racket was still there, so he figured this was the nightly parade back from the king's fields. (It's in the book, all peasants' work for king's and lords). To play it safe he would turn left instead of right, so as to avoid the pilgrimage. Two steps, then splat, right into a tree. "Ok, no moving til the eyes get adjusted to this non-dark night". He had always been good at guessing the time, and it should have been pitch black by this time. Well, not having read a lot of science Clyde just figured this part of the world didn't get quite as dark as his homeland.

With his eyes now focused as well as can be expected, he headed towards the local village. This was one strange looking country. Not a lot of grass, and the ground was hard as a rock. Reaching the edge of another solid path, he bent down to inspect it. Whoosh! "What the hell was that", he thought. He looked both ways, and didn't see any lights. He did not know what it was that seemed to be aiming for him, but he did learn that there were always bright lights to signal the arrival. Seeing darkness both ways, he started walking over the hard surface. "This is a strange country, they even paint lines on their paths".

Making it safely to the other side, he headed for a cluster of lights he had seen. It was getting hard going, he had not had a good neck in weeks. The only one he had found had given him the most toxic tea he had ever had. He made a note to himself to stay away from Indian mystics. Off in the distance he spied an old man. It was not his preferred choice, but better than nothing. He could sense that he had better make this quick, dawn was not that far away. Closing in, he grabbed the old man and baring his fangs, prepared to take a nip. If it weren't for bad luck, he wouldn't have any at all. Before he could sink his fangs in, the old man whipped out a cross! "I don't get it, first an Indian mystic, now a catholic priest. I shoulda stayed where I was". But Clyde's luck was on the mend. This priest had a heart and took pity on Clyde. He asked him where he came from, and how long he had been around the area. Not knowing any better, Clyde told the priest, Father Joe, that he had arrived by steamer a couple of weeks earlier, and after drinking the potion given him by his first encounter, had fallen asleep for what felt like days. Father Joe asked Clyde what year it was. An obvious question since his outfit looked a little dated. "Why it's 1858, of course". "Hmm, let's step into the house, I have a little information that may come as rather a shock".

Accepting the old man's offer of coffee (he asked the father to take a sip first), and sitting down in very strange surroundings, he was all ears. "Clyde, right? Ok, here is a calendar, you slept a little longer than you thought". "I guess you are correct, I left in May, and this says July". "I suggest you look at the year also". "Funny", thought Father Joe, "never knew vampires could faint". The smelling salts revived him. "This says 2002! That can't be right? That means I slept for close to two hundred years! Hmm, there may be something to that though, things did look a little strange when I got up". "In what way"? "Well I started towards the village and I saw a whole string of lights moving very fast. I figured it was the village pilgrimage back from the king's fields. I must admit that you have much bigger wagons than we had back home. Then tonight I found a rock solid path that was painted, and almost got hit again." "Clyde, I may be able to help you. Where do you live?"

Accompanied by the Father, Clyde led the way back to his cave. Getting smarter, when he found the rock path, he stopped and looked. Clear both ways he stepped across and pointed out the odd paintings. Father Joe laughed. "This is called a highway". The painting is used to divide it in half. Those strange lights you saw belong to cars and trucks. I will explain what those are when we get back to the house, but let's continue on". As they approached the cave, Father Joe surveyed the area. "You are fortunate to still be around. Your cave is right underneath the interstate". They went back to the father's house so he could fill Clyde in on modern life.

Father Joe lived on the outskirts of Chicago. He explained modern vehicles and gave a brief rundown on modern American life. It took many hours to explain that we don't have kings in this country. Cars were even harder to explain. Clyde knew now that he should never have left home. How is a poor vampire supposed to survive in this kind of environment? Again, Father Joe had an answer. "Look Clyde, it is just not safe to go around biting people these days. With all the drug use and Aids, I don't think it would be a wise idea. I have an extra typewriter I don't use, since I got the computer. Don't ask, you don't want to know what that is. Why don't we take that and some books back to your cave? I volunteer for the Red Cross, so I think I can provide all of your ‘food' needs. I'll throw in a few extra bottles of Geritol to help keep your energy up.

After a few weeks and several hundred pages, Clyde had finished writing his memoirs. The response from publishers was overwhelming. With the use of special sunglasses, it was determined that Clyde could be out in the sun for short periods of time. Him and Father Joe started doing book signings all over the country. Getting Clyde into a car the first time was not too hard. But this poor vampire was not going to test his luck any further and try flying! He did not study much science, but he did know that whatever goes up, must come down, and he could imagine how those things came down. Nope, airplanes were out. Clyde stays on the ground.

--------------------------------

I've been reading Buffy fanfiction for many years now, but incredibly periodically. One thing I do notice is that the fanfiction community has seemed to carve out its own reality in terms of the Buffyverse that mirrors but differs slightly from details in the show. These details may be small and insignificant, but what happens is its written into one story, which is read by many other ficcers, who unknowingly incorporate it into their fic and soon the entire community believes something happened in the show when it never really did. These are called "Fanon" (fan-canon). While reading this webpage that summarizes several canon vs. fanon, I thought the following common mistakes in fanfiction are worth note to all you fanficcers out there.

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5. "Blood tears. Jossverse vamps do not shed blood tears."

Interesting because: In all of my fic adventures, I have never come across one fanfic that mentioned blood tears. This means to that there is a vast section of Buffy fic that I have not explored if this is a common enough occurrence to warrant "fanon" level. That, or the authors I read are at least smart enough to leave this obviously fabricated detail out of their story. We've seen vampires, especially Spike, cry multiple times, and nowhere in any of those episodes were there any blood tears. I'm sure if I had come across it in a story, I would have stopped reading the story immediately.

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4. "That vamps make a purring sound when having sex, when they are content, or when they are aroused."

Interesting because: Ok, yes, I knew this one was made up by the authors, but I've come across it so often in fiction I just began to accept it as part of the alternate fic-verse. It's funny that it became so common, though; I guess the thought that vampires sound like a cat when they're banging is a real turn on for ficcers? I'd love to see someone trying to explain to their partners why they want them to purr the next time they have sex.

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3. "That Buffy's first name is Elizabeth. It's not; it's Buffy."

Interesting because: Wow. This is another one that is so simple and so accepted in the fic community, that I never thought it could possibly be wrong. I personally never said her name was Elizabeth, and I've never really liked any AU where her name is Elizabeth, but I had just gone along with the idea that her drivers license would have read Elizableth Anne Summers. Huh, I guess ficcers had an easier time accepting that this girl kicks vampire ass on a nightly basis than believing her name could really just be "Buffy."

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2."That Buffy smells like vanilla."

Interesting because: It's Hilarious!!! I literally laughed for a minute when I read this one. It's amazing how such a tiny detail that is included in almost every fic I have ever read has never once been mentioned AT ALL on the show. It really makes me wonder what fiction was so widely read originally that this made-up tidbit permeated at least the entire Spuffy community, and who knows what else.

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1. "That Spike has ever called Xander or anyone else "whelp""

Interesting because: Wooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Seriously? I mean, in pretty much every fic...really? Spike never called him that? NEVER?! But, then why do I always know who he's talking about when he says "the whelp?" This doesn't make sense. My world is spinning. My mind is blown. This is by far the most interesting thing I've read about fanfiction in a long time.

Keep reading! I'll keep the great blog posts coming! Just one itty, bitty request (you already know what it is). Comment! Leave me more comments, I love them!

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Ok so I want to take this moment to announce a *new* feature on the blog! Since it's October, and Halloween comes up soon, I'm going to start a new series! It's going to be Halloween-ish themed, something scary, possibly something vampire themed (I started a vampire story once before but then stopped it..but who knows lol)

So, keep your eyes out for my new series!

(By the way, that IS my own picture of the moon. It came in handy didn't it? lol)

Un toton de vampire parce que l'halloween approche pis que je suis siiiiiiiii festive. En fait, il s'agit de la boule d'Anna Paquin dans la série True Blood. (Cliquez sur la pic pour la version NSFW)

source

Now Damien was finally a vampire and not just the son of one.

The contessa moved out (but now she's in the bin - I'll have to put her on an empty site somewhere).

Damien wasted no time in turning Serena into a vampire.

Now they could live long and see their grandchildren and great grandchildren... 

Not long to wait - Lithia is pregnant - but whose kid is it?

The movie opens on 11/21, just in time for my birthdaay.