Archives for 2006

So…how do you like it?  I was so surprised when everyone said they were going to miss the red leaves.  Those red leaves were always just a placeholder until we could get the art back for the header.  Sorry folks, but a sexy pic of Edward wins out over red leaves any day of the week! 

In case you are wondering, we had the work commissioned by Leela Starsky of Harry Potter fame.  Check out her work by visiting her personal web site.  Many many thanks go to her for getting the piece to us as fast as she did, and for putting up with all the fuss we made over it in the process.  She was sent so many pictures of possible “Edwards” it wasn’t even funny!  I think that the final product was well worth the effort.   We would ask that no one use the top pic for any icons or buttons just yet.  We will provide you with official items very shortly.  The image does belong to the lexicon as it was Imogen and I who footed the bill to have the work commissioned.  We respectufully request that you do not copy it for your own use.

Also, the vampire section has been updated with information on physiology.  Be sure to check it out.  We’ve also updated PC#7, once again using the Q&A section at MySpace for this section. 

We are still working on the message boards.  There just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done that i want to do!  But hang in there.  We will have them soon, as well as our chapter discussions and our buttons.  Watch for an offical announcement sometime this week.

Alphie

As a person is changed into a vampire, their physical appearance is enhanced, their eye colour changes, their hearing and eyesight becomes more acute, their heart ceases to beat, they no longer need to breathe. These heightened senses are invaluable to a vampire, both Edward and James, for example, rely on Bella’s scent to track her.

No further physical changes occur once someone has been transformed: "When someone becomes a vampire, it’s as if they are frozen exactly as they are in that moment." (PC1) Therefore, a vampire cannot get pregnant because this would involve a change in physical state, but if a pregnant woman were changed to become a vampire, then she would remain at that exact stage in pregnancy for all eternity.

Natural changes in the human body would not occur any longer. A woman would "no longer have any kind of ovulation cycle," (PC1), a man would no longer need to shave as hair would no longer continue to grow. Once cut, hair will never grow back, and we are given the example of Alice, whose hair is so short because "it was growing back from being shaved in the asylum." (PC1). Alice will never be able to have the long flowing locks of Rosalie.

 Other things, such as fingernails, also cease to grow, but it is worth noting that a vampire’s body is like granite, so broken fingernails are unlikely! There are certainly some perks to this lack of change: Alice, Rosalie and Esme would never have to shave their legs, and none of them would have to worry about putting on weight! The human need for rest and sleep disappears in a vampire. As Edward explains, "I can’t sleep." (TW9), and "most human fluids are absent… no sweat, no tears," (PC1) and no blood of their own.

However, the venom they possess acts like a form of "saliva… the venom makes their mouths wet, at least." (PC1) Circulation ceasing and lack of heartbeat are amongst the most obvious changes when someone becomes a "cold one" (TW6). The blood that is in them when they are changed, is slowly consumed within the first year. Stephenie Meyer suggests thinking of this like using up "the fat stores in your body." (PC4), and from then onwards, the only blood that floods the old circulatory system of a vampire is the blood they have consumed. "It lightens their eyes and flushes their skin slightly." (PC1) The skin itself becomes far more refractive than a human’s skin ever can be. It literally sparkles "like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface." (TW13). It is described as "shocking"(TW13) and also accounts for the days off school when the weather is sunny. Stephenie Meyer explains: "They sparkle because they have turned to substance that is somewhat like diamond. Their bodies have hardened, frozen into a kind of living stone. Each little cell in their skin has become a separate facet that reflects the light. These facets have a prism-like quality; they throw rainbows as they glitter." (PC7)

The body also becomes hard like granite or marble. A vampire is unlikely to be hurt or cut, simply because very little is strong enough to penetrate their flesh. We see how things that would kill a human put Edward in no physical danger at all: "The van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up."(TW3) Assuming something is capable of cutting through a vampire’s flesh,…there would only be blood if he/she had freshly drunk blood (and drunk a lot). Otherwise there would only be a bit of venom."(PC1)

Vampires can be killed, but humans and human tools are too weak to do it. The only sure fire way is for another vampire "to tear him to shreds, and then burn the pieces."(TW19) As far as James is concerned, "Emmett and Jasper took care of him," (TW24), so this destruction is obviously possible.

I didn’t want anyone coming online and thinking the admins had lost their minds.  Yes, the text has gone purple.  Yes, I know about the change.  It’s been done for a perfectly logical reason that you will all be aware of in a day or so.  Don’t fret.  I know that Red leaves and purple text look odd together… but the red leaves won’t be there for long.

Alphie

I’ve been contacted by several members of the site complaining about a failure in the registration area.  I’m very sorry for the problems, but there isn’t anything I can do about it.  The registration is set up through word press, and I have no control over it.  In many cases, it takes over twenty-four hours to receive your password.  Give it some time and meanwhile I will check with word press to see what’s happening on their end.  Again, I apologize for the inconvenience. 

Alphie

UPDATE!!  From reading the comments here it seems that you have to go looking in your BULK mail for the Twilight heading with your password.  Thanks to those of your who made me aware of this.

I received an e-mail from Stephenie today telling me that I had an error on the site.  Eleazar, who I had listed as one of the Denali “sisters” is actually a man.  Seeing as how I don’t want an angry male vampire after me demanding that I restore what is rightfully his, I have made the necessary corrections.  You can find them in PC1 as well as Eleazar’s bio.

We are very VERY close to making a decision on our chapter leader and our banner maker.  Thank you very much for all your interest.  We plan to be able to make the announcement sometime this weekend along with a slight site revamping.  We’ve had a piece of fan art done up that will be our new header and will end up changing the color scheme for the site.  Once we have the colors locked into place, we should be able to finalize the message boards and invite everyone to come and chat with us. 

Alphie

We have added a few things that we thought you would all be interested in.  First off, the vampire mythology section has been updated with the section on weapons.   Cool stuff there. 

Second, I recently visited the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer MySpace website and found a rather interesting set of questions from the members there.  I asked the moderator of the site if I could share those questions and the answers Stephenie gave with all of you.  You can check them out by visiting the MySpace website of in Personal Correspondence #6.

Lastly, I thought I would share with you that Stephenie has finished up the editing of New Moon.  This means that the book is one step closer to being in the hands of rabid fans!  She told me that the book currently chimes in at a whopping 566 pages!  That’s 68 pages more than Twilight for those of you keeping score.  Woo hoo!!

This whole page is a list of information gathered off of the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer MySpace website.  Feel free to check out the site.  I asked the moderator if it was all right to post this here, and she said to go ahead.  These questions come from various members of the site.  Many thanks to them for their curiosity.

Q. Do Bella and Edward ever find out why Edward can’t read her mind, or will it always be a mystery?

A. It’s not exactly a mystery. It’s for the same reason that Edward can read everyone else’s minds and Alice can see the future–Bella was born that way. This will be touched on in future novels.

Q. Has Edward (and the rest of the Cullens and Hales for that matter) gone to college? More than once? What did he/they study?

A. Yes, they’ve all been through college several times, and they’ve studied a wide array of subjects. They don’t always finish a degree–it doesn’t take them four years to master a subject, so they usually learn what they want and then move on. Edward has studied many languages, and he’s been through medical school twice–this helps Carlisle keep current without having to neglect his practice.

Q. Can vampires have sex?

A. Yes. Don’t think I haven’t put a lot of thought into this one. I’m not going to get technical, but rest assured, it is entirely possible.

Q. I’m also really curious as to how no one so far has caught on to the fact that Carlisle, being a doctor (and most likely using the same name) is the same doctor from the early 1900’s. I mean, don’t you have to have medical credentials and degrees or can he just make it up?  Also, what about the IRS? How are they filing taxes and things like that? or are they using fake identities which would make them criminals…?

A. The Cullens are criminals. Extensive forgery is definitely a part of their lives. They have to have new birth certificates, driver’s licenses, diplomas, passports, etc., every few years. Carlisle has to keep changing the dates on his certificates. But he does return to school occasionally. The "kids, " too, go to medical school now and then to keep him current. Edward’s been twice, Rosalie once (summa cum laude from Columbia). They do pay taxes–the IRS doesn’t check your photograph, they just want your money. Every seventy years or so, they have to fake a death to make that right. It’s very, very complicated. Lucky for them, they’ve got lots and lots of free time with the no sleep thing. And as for being criminals, well, most of them have committed LOTS of murders…

Q. Okay, this wasn’t a question, but an observation: And I really kind of hope Bella doesn’t just get a personality trait enhanced or whatever. I think that’s sort of… I don’t know, weird. Rosalie brought her ‘tenacity’, which I think seems to be sort of a suckish gift to bring into your, um, vampire life. Or the ‘capacity to love’. That was Esme, right? Hmmm… can’t remember. But I’d much rather have like Alice or Edward’s ability.

A. Yes, there is a big difference in the potency (for lack of a better word) of the qualities that vampires bring into this second life. There seems to be some confusion about this from some of the things I’ve read. I’ll try to explain it coherently, but I’m a little punch drunk from the editing, so bear with me: Okay, there are levels. Some vampires just have their personalities intensified. Esme is very loving and motherly–she becomes more so. Some vampires are unique in that they had slightly elevated abilities when they were human. Like Edward, who was always very sensitive to what other people were thinking without realizing it. Or Jasper, who was really charismatic, and could always talk people into seeing his side of things. When someone "special" like that gets turned into a vampire, that personality trait takes on a new strength, becoming more like a superpower than a trait. Some peoples’ strongest characteristics are physical rather than mental–like Emmett and his physical strength. And Rosalie with her beauty. ("AH HA!!" you are all saying. "But you said that Rosalie’s strongest trait was tenacity in the book!" To which I say, "Sometimes Edward lies." He had a reason–that will be in his version of the story.) Emmett and Rosalie are perfect for each other because they are both such physical people. But some characteristics skirt the line between "strong trait" and "superpower." Carlisle’s compassion-motivated self-control is really so incredible that it almost crosses the line into "superpower."

Now, the number of vampires with extra-special abilities (who were "special" when they were human) is disproportionately large (there is a bigger percentage of "special vampires" amongst ALL vampires than there are "special humans" as a percentage of ALL humans). There’s a reason for that, too. When vampires are choosing companions, they are drawn to the most special and beautiful of humans.

Q:  How exactly to vampires die? (In more detail than just ripping them up and burning them.) Is there a type of vampire heaven?

A:  They (the Cullens) don’t know. They’ve only seen other vampires cease to exist–but is it dying, really? Is there any awareness afterwards? Are you forever tied to the ashes of your body, or is there nothing, or is there an afterlife? This is, obviously, an important question to the Cullens, but they don’t know the answers and they all believe different things. This will be discussed in New Moon.

Q:  Is it possible that a human could kill a vampire?

A:  Er, not really. A big enough bomb would probably be hot enough to burn a vampire, but the vampire would have to agree to hold still and let it hit him.

"As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal… much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Edward, Jasper and I who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey…We’re also venomous."(TW20)

Strength, speed and appearance have been discussed elsewhere in the lexicon, but there are other traits that the vampires have to entice their victim. The most obvious of these is smell; even Edward’s breath lures Bella to him. "Sweet, delicious, the scent made my mouth water." (TW13) It literally pulls his victim towards him, so that they are entirely vulnerable to attack. As Edward states in TW13, it’s hardly necessary as he’s so strong and fast that a chosen victim couldn’t escape anyway. In that sense, he’s "the world’s best predator," (TW13) and he knows it.

The additional "weapons" that Alice, Edward and Jasper have are clearly outlined during "Twilight". Edward has the ability to hear thoughts, regardless of whether they are human or vampire, with just "one exception" (TW8) – Bella Swan.  Alice’s gift is to be able to see future events, although these are subject to change as the people involved make their decisions (TW14). Jasper can alter the mood around him, which is something that Bella notices the first time she meets him: "A feeling of ease spread through me," (TW15) even though she was understandably nervous about meeting the Cullen family.

The most stereotypical weapon that a vampire has is their teeth. Meyer’s vampires are somewhat different to the vampires of legend in this regard as her "vampires do not have fangs" (PC1). Instead, their teeth are razor-sharp, and combined with their strength, it makes it very simple for them to rip their way through flesh to drink blood. The "human neck is like butter," she explains. "This isn’t the neat-and-tidy, two-small-holes-in-the-neck kind of vampire attack that you see in other vampire mythologies." (PC1) This leads us onto the fact that the vampires are venomous. Edward does pull away from Bella when he kisses her: "he’s just worried about her safety. Yes, the venom does pose a danger to her. It’s not like acid … it has to be in the bloodstream to cause any problems, it won’t hurt her skin. However, say she had a sore in her mouth, or that she’d bitten her tongue". Even if that wasn’t the case, Edward’s teeth are sharp as razors. She could cut her lips or tongue on them easily." (PC5) Venom is the thing that causes someone to turn into a vampire, and this is dealt with fully in a later section of the lexicon.

Hello everyone!

I’ve been thrilled by all the interest in being a chapter leader for the site, as well as all the requests for a message board.  I just wanted to bring everyone up to speed on where we are in the process. 

First off, I’ve had a few people send me e-mails simply asking for the position of chapter leader.  Sorry folks, but I can’t make a decision without seeing a sample of your work.  Fill out the discussion questions and send me a copy in a word document so I have something to compare when making a final decision.  We will be choosing our leader (or leaders) sometime late next week.  There is still time to apply should you be interested in the job.

The message board is very nearly up and running.  We would have had it open this weekend had I not had a medical emergency in my family.  My little daughter has been sick and we had to take her to the hospital where she was put on an IV and held over night for observation.  She is home now and doing well, but mommy and daddy (who is doing the coding) are pretty tired.  We will get to it as soon as possible so everyone can have a chance to chat.  It seems to me that once we are able to chat back and forth with each other, this fandom will really take off.

Lastly, I wanted to point out that I added the link to Alice Cullen’s bio.  Somehow her name didn’t get listed in the character bios.  She’s been here, you just couldn’t find her!  So now you can, should you be so inclined to go and read up on her. 

Thanks for all the support!  I’m glad everyone is enjoying the site.  More this week, I promise.  Check back for updates in the vampire mythology section as well as some more correspondence from Stephenie herself. 

Alphie

WOW!  I’m a bit stunned to have so much traffic so fast!  This proves that fans are ACHING for more Twilight.  In case you didn’t see, Stephenie announced on her website that the first chapter of New Moon will be printed in the paperback version of Twilight this May or June, so we don’t have long to wait for more Edward and Bella.  Visit her website for more information about  New Moon and upcoming book signings. 

I got an e-mail from Stephenie explaining the strength aspect of the vampires in a bit more detail.  This came from a few unanswered questions we had while trying to write that section of the mythology.  I’ve added Stephenie’s response to the end of PC5 in case you would like to read what she said.  We will make corrections to the strength section in the next few days.

I’ve also added the Denali Sisters to the character bio section.  They are Tayna, Kate, Irina, Carmen, and Eleazar and were mentioned in PC1.  If our author was anxious to get them to us, then I can only imagine they are more important than she is letting on.  In case you are wondering, the Cullens lived in Denali before they moved to Forks.

I’ve also added a few minor snippets to the timeline to include the Denali Sisters as well as Carlisle’s stay in Italy.  I’ve also added the information on that visit to Carlisle’s bio and will soon have the bios for the three vampires he met there posted as well.

I think that’s it for now.  We still haven’t made a decision on our new staff members.  Please check out the "Join the Staff" area for more information.  I’m glad everyone seems to be enjoying the site.  Would anyone be interested in a message board?  I’ve been tempted to set one up here at the lexicon, and in light of recent traffic, I just might do so.  Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Alphie