This is for the various bits of info that Stephenie is kindly sending us for the write ups in the different sections. It will be added to again as we get more info!

Q: If someone’s bitten with loads of venom right by the heart, how quick is the conversion and is it more painful than a regular conversion? Were some of the Cullen’s transformations worse than others?

A: About the conversion process… If there is a lot of venom in the human’s system, the pain is more intense to begin with. Like fire, the venom burns through the body. So, with fire in more places, there is more pain at the outset. When Bella was bitten by James, the fire was only in her hand. Painful enough, but not as bad as if she had several bites. Of course, this is only at the outset. If James’ venom had been allowed to spread through Bella, it would have over time made its way through her whole system, and the pain eventually would have been just as intense as if she’d been deliberately infected with multiple, well-placed bites (jugular, wrists, ankles, etc.). So, all that early pain as the venom wound through her system is extra–an added portion of pain that doesn’t in anyway cut down the time or the intensity of the greater pain. The greatest pain begins when the venom is all the way through the body, through the heart, and it starts meeting itself in the veins again and then burning them dry. It moves slower than blood because it’s thicker. Each beat of the heart can only push it so far. The changing/burning process is slow. The venom has to leak through to every cell before it ends. It took Carlisle a little more than three days because his bites were not deliberate or well-placed. It can be as short as two.

Q: Do your vampires have any restrictions, like traditional vampires can’t enter a house without being invited in?

A: Almost all–well, I think ALL, actually, but I’ll play it safe–of the superstitions about vampire limitations are entirely false in my world. Vampires don’t really have any limits, other than the self-imposed guideline to keep their existance a secret. No unconscious periods, no problem with sunlight, crosses, garlic, holy water, wooden stakes, etc… These are all myths–deliberately placed in earlier centuries to mislead impressionable humans and make them feel safe. Vampires need no invitation to enter any house.

Q: Is there any more information you can give us about the Cullen house?

A: Something to remember, these rooms are ginormous. This is a really BIG house. Also, there’s a lot of unaccounted for space on the third floor euphemistically dubbed the “library.” This is where they do things that are technically illegal–like document forgery and computer hackery and all kinds of other shady stuff. There’s also a basement where they keep illicit things. It’s hard to get to, if you’re not a vampire.

It’s not a large window on the South wall–the South wall IS a window. It’s glass from bottom to top, all three stories.

Jasper and Alice do sort of share a room, but since Alice’s personality is stamped all over that room, and Jasper has his study, everyone thinks of it as Alice’s. Since no one sleeps anywhere, the room thing is a little vague.

In the living room, there is a gigantic flat screen television on the wall between the living room and kitchen/dining area. A grouping of couches/chairs faces the tv, and then there are other clusters of seats for conversation scattered throughout. There are a couple of computers along the wall that curls around the dining room to separate it from the living room.

We’ve uploaded the first batch of official buttons and icons and avatars for everyone to choose from.  They can be found in the links section of the site.  There are two sets, so make sure you use the correct item for whichever purpose you are wanting them for. 

The first set is for actually linking back to the lexicon from your own website or LJ or whatever.  These all use the official lexicon picture of Edward and/or Bella and cannot be used as a personal icon or avatar by anyone but the staff of the lexicon. 

The second set of pics is up for grabs by anyone who should desire to use them for any purpose they see fit.  Use them in siggies or as avatars or however else you want to show off your support for the lexicon.

Many thanks go to rgfawkes for putting them together for us.

Alphie

As the vast majority of you have pointed out, the cover for New Moon has been released and you can view it over at Amazon.com.  I would like to make it clear that the release date listed at Amazon is not an official confirmed date.  I spoke with Stephenie about it and the book is not set to be released until October.  Now, consider that this release isn’t going to be something like you might be used to with the Harry Potter books.  Some bookstores will have them out on shelves before others.  There is no midnight opening and selling of the books.  So it is possible that Amazon might start shipping the books out in September, but don’t hold your breath.  I think the important thing here is that we can all ohh and ahh over the picture and let the discussion begin over how well you like or dislike what you see.

Alphie

Chapter two discussion is now posted.  You can join in with the discussion over at the message boards.

Alphie

Chapter Number: Two

Chapter Name: Open  Book

Page Numbers:  29-52 (Hardcover)

Date of Chapter: January 19 – 24, 2005

Summary: It’s Bella’s second day at her new school and while it is a better day in some ways, in others it is much worse.

Mike continues to be very friendly, much to Eric’s displeasure, which Bella finds flattering, however, she is not interested in Mike and realises she will have to do something about his over-friendly behaviour.

Bella is also feeling more confident because she recognises more faces and people are looking at her less than the day before – something that, for Bella, is very important.

Her day gets worse when she gives the wrong answer in Trig and has to play Volley-ball ending up hitting her team mate on the head with the ball – giving us further proof of her clumsy nature.

However, the worst part of this second day is that Edward Cullen is not in school and for some reason Bella can’t stop thinking about him and his behaviour of the previous day. She feels nervous and uncomfortable, waiting to see if he is in school. Bella feels as if his lack of presence is her fault, despite common sense trying to tell her otherwise. At the end of the day, as she is leaving school, Bella notices the car belonging to the Cullens and Hales, and their clothes. She realises that they look wealthy. Their car is expensive and well looked after and their clothes are particularly fine. Showing a high degree of insight and perception, Bella decides that the Cullens must live in Forks because they desire isolation.

After school, Bella goes shopping so she can start cooking Charlie proper meals after having discovered his inability to cook anything other than fried eggs and bacon. Once again Bella is playing a maternal role in her relationship with one of her parents, in this case her father rather than her mother.

After shopping, Bella checks her emails, discovering a series from her mother who appears to be a nervous character, worrying for little reason. Once again, Bella is forced to play the calm and mature adult, allaying her mother’s fears, and offering maternal advice to calm her mother down.

When Charlie gets home he is initially cautious Bella’s cooking. This shows how little he knows his daughter as he remembers her mother’s cooking and is concerned that Bella may take after her. His fears are proved needless.

After dinner they discuss the Cullens. Charlie likes them and obviously has little time for those in the community who are suspicious of them. It is a long speech for Charlie and reveals strong views on the subject.

While the rest of the week passes quietly for Bella, there is still no sign of Edward in school. She is still concerned that she may be the reason Edward is not there.

Bella spends the weekend cleaning, doing homework and sending her mother emails that say she’s happy even though she isn’t really. Bella also went to the library but is so disappointed in their selection that she decides to go to Olympia or Seattle later.

Back in school on the Monday it snows – much to Bella’s horror as she hates snow.

At lunch Bella realises there are five people on the table in the corner – Edward is back at school; Bella immediately feels unaccountably self-conscious and nervous.

In biology Bella is given as shock when Edward talks to her and they continue to converse throughout the lab they are working on, although his initial smile had made Bella incapable of speech, mesmerizing her like the faces of the Cullens and the Hales.. When working on the slides they have to identify their hands accidentally touch and Bella receives an electric shock that makes them both jump. Bella also notices that Edward’s eyes have changed colour, although he says he doesn’t have contacts. Bella find herself telling Edward all about her mum and Phil and why she’s moved to Forks. She doesn’t understand why she has done this.

At the end of the lesson Edward leaves the classroom as quickly as he had the last time. Out in the parking lot, Bella sees him staring at her. In frustration she reverses out of her parking space without looking and nearly reverses into another car. She sees Edward laughing at her.

Characters involved: Bella Swan, Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, Jessica Stanley, Mr. Varner, Renee Dwyer, Charlie Swan, Mr. Banner

Characters Mentioned: Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Jasper Hale, Emmet Cullen, Alice Cullen, Rosalie Hale, Phil Dwyer

Places visited: The Swan home, Forks High School, the Thriftway, Forks Library.

Memorable quotes:
“I’d been too mesmerized by their faces.”  
~ Bella explains why she never noticed the Cullens and Hales appeared rich.

“Did you get contacts?” 
~ Bella notices that Edwards eyes have changed color.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." 
~ Edward contradicting Bella’s suggestion that she has a face like an open book.

Important Information Learned:
Bella was so preoccupied by the Cullens’ and the Hales’ faces that she initially failed to notice their expensive clothes and car.

Bella’s never seen snow apart from on television.

Edward’s touch gives Bella an electric shock.

Edward’s eyes seem to change color.

Edward’s eyes are now ochre.

Two new additions to the Lexicon today, both in the Vampire Mythology section.

Read about the vampire diet of blood, or discover how to become a vampire in the Twilight World.

Imogen 🙂

The transition from human to vampire is said to be very painful, in fact it’s so bad that "The pain of transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life."(TW20). When James bites Bella in TW23, we witness this clearly. She compares the sensation in her hand to "fire", and words such as "screamed", "writhed" and "torture" enhance the agony that Bella endures even at the very beginning of the transformation process. As Stephenie Meyer points out, this is at the beginning of the conversion, "Painful enough, but not as bad as if she had several bites." (PC8)

 Edward speaks in awe of Carlisle’s transformation, explaining, "It’s a miracle he was able to keep silent, to stay undiscovered," (TW15) due to the agonies he would have endured. Carlisle’s conversion would have been particularly painful because "his bites were not deliberate or well placed," (PC8), therefore it took a little more than three days to become a vampire. The pain is so bad that for "every minute" of the transformation, "a victim would be wishing for death." (TW20)

 Alice is unusual in that she cannot remember her transformation at all. "She didn’t even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. She’d been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long." (TW22)

The transformation process is simple, assuming the vampire doesn’t drain the human body of blood. A human is bitten, and the venom is allowed to spread for a few days. The actual length of time a transformation takes is dependent upon "how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters to the heart." (TW20). The venom is pumped around the body as the heart keeps beating, and various physical changes occur as the poison moves. One of the changed that happens is the body’s "healing" (TW20) from the injuries that may have occurred to it, such as Emmett’s mauling by the bear.

 "The greatest pain begins when the venom is all the way through the body, through the heart, and it starts meeting itself in the veins again and then burning them dry. It moves slower than blood because it’s thicker. Each beat of the heart can only push it so far. The changing/burning process is slow. The venom has to leak through to every cell before it ends." (PC8). The final stage in conversion happens when "the heart stops"(TW20), at which point the human becomes a vampire.

Apart from the physiological differences with blood between a vampire and a human, blood is also important as the sole diet of a vampire. Whether animal or human blood it is important to consume it regularly; without it, they will weaken mentally and be less capable of rational thought and action.

We are told that blood varies massively in flavour. Emmett’s preference for "grizzly" and Edward’s for "mountain lion" (TW10) may be indicative of their hunting styles and personalities, but animals don’t really appeal to vampires. The "bigger the animal, usually the better it tastes. Predators are the most tasty" (PC7), but even then it’s insufficient. As Edward explains it: "I’d compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians, our little inside joke. It doesn’t completely satiate the hunger, or rather thirst. But it keeps us strong enough to resist." (TW9)

Human blood is what vampires truly crave, but even then, there is a vast range of types of human blood available, some more potent to different vampires than others. Bella’s blood smells "appallingly luscious" (TW19) anyway, but to Edward she is exactly his "brand of heroin." (TW13). She is "some kind of demon, summoned straight from my own personal hell,"(TW13) to torment him with the smell of her blood, and he later admits that she tastes "better than I’d imagined." (TW24)

This type of appetizing blood seems to be rare. Emmett has only come across it twice, "once stronger than the other,"(TW13) but unlike Edward, he succumbed to the temptation. Other vampires, like Jasper, seem to be oblivious to the differences in smell or flavour of human blood.

 Carlisle is even more of a rarity. As a vampire, he is capable of dealing with human blood without seeming to experience the natural desires of the vampire. Even when Bella is severely injured by James, Carlisle is described as "methodical"(TW24) and very focused on his task.

 It is also worth noting that when a vampire draws blood from a human, it usually results in a complete draining of the body. "It’s almost impossible to stop, once you get started, that’s why so few vampires are successfully created." (PC7)

James is driven "mad with thirst" (TW23) when Bella’s blood is spilled. Alice describes it as being "like sharks, in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible." (TW20) She uses the word "frenzy" to describe the feeding, which gives a sense of the complete loss of control a vampire would have and why the body would be so completely drained of blood.

Edward sees his ability to stop drinking Bella’s blood as evidence of his love for her. He admits: "It was impossible.. to stop… Impossible. But I did." (TW24)

This evening, we were appalled to see that some ‘fan’ of Twilight thought it was acceptable to steal material from the Twilight Lexicon, and reproduce it on another website as their own. You can see an example of this on this page where our timeline has been reproduced without permission. This thief has also taken character bios and other parts of the lexicon, freely admitting that they had taken it from us, despite our copyright notification at the footer of each Lexicon page.

At the Lexicon, we take a very dim view of this copyright theft. All material posted on this site belongs either to us, or to Stephenie Meyer herself. Anyone who reproduces this material elsewhere is violating the ownership of the documents here. To prevent this again, we have instructed a lawyer to draw up a terms of service, which will be posted on the site, to give us further legal recourse, should this kind of theft happen again.

We will not accept the stealing of our hard work. We work hard on this site because we love Twilight and the world that Stephenie has created for us and want to share it with all of you. A copyright violation complaint has been made with the webhost of the site that has stolen our material and we expect the relevant sections of the site to be removed forthwith.

Alphie & Imogen

Loads of changes on the site this week. You’ve already admired our new look, so now feel free to wander over to our new discussion forums and join in with the Twilight chat over there. Share theories, ask questions, ponder vampire lust (yours or Edward’s!), and have fun!

If you’re already registered on the Lexicon, then you are automatically registered under the same user name and password on the boards. You don’t need to re-register.

The chapter discussion part of the Lexicon is underway, with the Preface and Chapter 1 already posted. Thanks and a massive welcome to both Hannah Beckett and Pelirroja for taking on the job and joining the Lexicon team.

Enjoy!

Imogen 🙂