Have you ever had one of those days when it seemed liked nothing was going your way? That's exactly how my day was going. First, I woke up this morning to find that there was a leak in my bedroom ceiling that was leaking cold rain water all over my face. Secondly, at my job at the hospital, a patient threw their lunch all over my uniform just because they didn't have their green jello. And last, but not least, my car broke down in the middle of traffic...Yeah, not the best day I've ever had.
“Hey, Alex.”
“What's up Lucy?”
“I need some help, little brother?”
“What happened?” He sounded worried.
“Don't worry I'm fine, but my car isn't. I need you to pick me up.”
“Sure, where are you?”
“I'm at a small Car Repair place on Baker's Street.”
“I'll be there in 30 minutes.”
“I'll be waiting outside.”
“Just stay put. It's already dark and, to top it off, it's raining.”
“I know, but the smell of emission fluid is starting to make me sick.”
I stepped outside with my umbrella and leaned against the wall; the smell of the rain completely drowned out the smell of cars and oil. I sighed contently. I always loved the sound and smell of rain ever since I was a young child; I found myself beginning to doze off. “Excuse me, Miss?” I was abruptly awoken by the sound of someone's voice; I hadn't even heard anyone approach. I lifted my umbrella slightly to look into the eyes of the person who spoke only to find an extremely attractive man staring down at me. He was a brilliant specimen; from his bright hazel eyes that seemed to glow in the dark; his short black hair that was darker than the night that surrounded us; his tall and slightly muscular physique that made me feel smaller than usual; and his voice which was as smooth as velvet. “Are you okay...
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...ary creature.” I stared straight into his bright hazel eyes until I caught movement from my peripheral vision. “There you are Nathan, we've been searching everywhere for you.” There were two new faces on the scene. One of them was average height with light olive skin; he had medium length brown hair that looked as if it hadn't seen a comb in a long time; and pale blue eyes that were as clear as the sky on a beautiful sunny day. The other guy was average height and gangly with pale white skin; he had short platinum blond hair that was neatly kept; and his brown eyes were like two drops of melted chocolate. “Who's you're friend?” The brown haired asked. Nathan stepped closer to me, “Can't you see, Julius?” he took my face in his hands and stared intently into my eyes, “It's Gaia.” “L-LET GO OF ME!” I slapped his hands away, pushed past the other two men and took off.
J. Gordon Melton, in the excerpt “Sexuality and the Vampire” published in his The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (1998), explains that vampires have a sexual appearance that started from their origin in Dracula. Melton supports his statement by analyzing the monsters' transition to sexual beings through the stories of Dracula’s desires, multiple countries’ erotic tales revolving around vampire-like beings, the manifestation of sensual themes in literary, stage, and screen works, and their current evolution of the once terrified immortals to loved heroes. The purpose of this essay was to outline the seductiveness of the written immortal creatures in order to explain the fanged-mammals’ appeal beyond their terrifying monster abilities.
Carmilla is an example of a woman who loves her food far too much. Carmilla is consumed entirely by her food, even sleeping in a coffin of blood: “The limbs were perfectly flexible, the flesh elastic; and the leaden coffin floated with blood, in which to a depth of seven inches, the body lay immersed” (Le Fanu 102). There exists a unique relationship between the vampire and their victims. Food becomes defined in terms of victimhood, distinctly separated from humanity’s general consumption of meat. The need for human victims makes hunting synonymous with courtship, as intense emotional connections are established between the vampiress and her food. As seen in the intense relationship developed between Laura and Carmilla, the vampire is “prone to be fascinated with an engrossing vehemence, resembling the passion of love, by particular persons” (105). For Carmilla, cruelty and love are inseparable (33). The taking of the victims’ blood for sustenance is a highly sexualized exchange of fluids from one body to another. The act of consumption is transformed into an illicit carnal exchange between the hunter and the hunted.
His skin is pale, with slicked-back hair, lips blood red, and his pearly white teeth sharp; he’s Dracula, the original vampire. Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula, which was written in 1897, started the vampire craze that still lasts today. It has sparked numerous novels, movies, and songs across the world through the year, and its popularity is still growing. As times have changed, so have Dracula and his predecessors. Dracula is about Count Dracula meeting this human Jonathan Harker for business and Jonathan along with his friends learn that Count Dracula is a vampire. In the end Count Dracula is killed before he can reach the safety of Transylvania. Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula is the pinnacle of all modern concepts of vampires; however, the modern concepts of vampires are superior because of the traits of the vampire characters, the central idea of the storylines, and the historical context from which the vampires are based.
In Dracula, Bram Stoker portrays a clear battle between the “traditional woman” of the time and the “new woman.”. Stoker uses the contrasting characters of Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray to depict this evolution in women and, also, to paint an image of the reaction to this advance, expressed by both men and women.
Through an examination of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula and Jonathan Demme’s film Silence of the Lambs, there is an analysis into how the qualities of the vampire manifest fear and how this shapes the manner in which society responds to it. This is achieved through a feminist reading of the overt sexuality that accompanies the vampire coupled with a psychoanalytical reading of psychological acuity. Dracula and Silence of the lambs both evidently belong to the gothic horror genre because of their association with the disruption and transgression of both social and psychic limits within their societies. Dracula can be read as a novel of reverse colonisation, describing the civilised world-facing invasion by the vampire’s primitive force; late Victorian society sees it’s own imperial practise emulated back in monstrous form. Contemporary society overindulging in its use of the vampire has established it as extraneous, creating a reduced effect of revulsion and fear towards the vampire and thus a devalued consequence in the response of society. Silence of the lambs can be seen as an updated narrative of reverse consumerism as Hannibal’s “compulsion to feed on humans” is a reflection of the monstrously exaggerated civilization of the 20th century. Therefore these examples show how the qualities of the vampire manifest fear and how this shapes the manner in which society responds to it.
which has the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a winged
Looking out across the stone-paved road, she watched the neighborhood inside the coffee colored fence. It was very similar to hers, containing multiple cookie-cutter homes and an assortment of businesses, except no one was there was her color and no one in her neighborhood was their color. All of them had chocolate skin with eyes and hair that were all equally dark. Across the road to her right, a yellow fence contained honey colored people. She enjoyed seeing all the little, squinted almond eyes, much smaller then her own, which were wide set and round. One little, sunshine colored boy with dark straight hair raised his arm and waved his hand, but before she could do the same back her father called her into the house. His lips were pressed and his body was rigid, the blue of his eyes making direct contact with her
Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s “Why Vampires Never Die” (2009) really touch a very valid point on how we view vampires and also their history, where they come from, how and where they were created. We also see how long vampires have been around, are they real or fake. In addition how we view vampires today compared to how they were viewed decades or centuries ago also how there in our everyday lives. I personally never believed the way we view vampires today as being real but I think they might be real when it comes to spirits.
I peered around through the rain, desperately searching for some shelter, I was drowning out here. The trouble was, I wasn’t in the best part of town, and in fact it was more than a little dodgy. I know this is my home turf but even I had to be careful. At least I seemed to be the only one out here on such an awful night. The rain was so powerfully loud I couldn’t hear should anyone try and creep up on me. I also couldn’t see very far with the rain so heavy and of course there were no street lights, they’d been broken long ago. The one place I knew I could safely enter was the church, so I dashed.
Humanity has always been fascinated with the allure of immortality and although in the beginning vampires were not a symbol of this, as time passed and society changed so did the ideas and perceptions surrounding them. The most important thing to ask yourself at this point is 'What is immortality?' Unfortunately this isn't as easily answered as asked. The Merriam Webster Dictionary says immortality is 'the quality or state of being immortal; esp : unending existence' while The World Book Encyclopedia states it as 'the continued and eternal life of a human being after the death of the body.' A more humorous definition can be found in The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce:
It was a beautiful night. It was perfect for a walk. As I strolled further into the park a figure approached me. It was as dark as pitch so I couldn’t make out who it was. It was late; you wouldn’t usually see anyone at this time. My heart was beating faster and faster. The strange thing was I wasn’t frightened; it was just my heart beating rapidly. As the masculine figure approached, I began to walk slower. That was when I heard the voice.
The grass was soft and green, reserved for those who wanted to lie down or sit. A sweet aroma of flowers overflowed near by like s shinning light, but was hidden by the untrimmed bushes and wildly growing trees. Up above me was the beautiful, high noon blue sky spotted with fluffy, white clouds and airplanes flying by. I emerged into the parking lot and stopped happily as a squirrel under a tree. Hesitating to proceed anywhere further I took a few minutes to treasure the moment of silence and peace. As my girlfriend and I got out of the car to get ready for the picnic, she happened to be distracted by the water; a rhythmic ongoing resemblance of rhythm in her heart. The water was clam and beautiful in every aspect. To me she was like a wave, never stooping to catch attention or go unnoticed. Before doing anything else, we began setting up the picnic. By the time we ware done, her temptation was unbearable and was finally unable to overcome it, consequently she eagerly ran towards the water pulling me right behind her. Each step was like an imprint in my heart, a fossil that would always remain the same and special inside me forever.
It was a dreadful afternoon, big droplets of rain fell directly on my face and clothes. I tasted the droplets that mixed with my tears, the tears I cried after the incident. The pain in my foot was excruciating. It caused me to make a big decision of whether I should visit you or not. I decided I would. I limped towards my bright, blue car where my bony, body collapsed onto the seat. I started the engine up but at the same time being cautious of my bleeding foot. I then drove to the destination where I was bound to meet you. I was bound to meet you after three years of counselling from my last appearance with you. I guess all I can remember is the scarring....
Today was the worst day of my life. My mom gave me good and bad news. The bad news was so horrible. The good news was very surprising. The bad news was so bad, that I started crying. My mom told me that I was MOVING!!!
Stepping outside, I instantly notice the fresh, wet scent of earth. As I continue walking, I willingly allow the sprinkling droplets to envelop my entire body. My shoes are soon soaked; with each step I take, I feel a puddle of water move beneath my feet. The rain hurls itself violently on the dark, slippery pavement. My hair is dripping with ice-cold raindrops which plummet to the earth with every movement I make. The numbing effect of the icy downpour is finally setting in. Fierce thunder clouds sneak into the murderous sky and flashing lightning strikes begin. The rain falls faster and heavier. My feet move quickly as I run down the road. I rush into my house and proceed to stare out the window and observe the vicious storm that is only beginning. The weather has the uncanny ability to promptly change a mood. Rain holds several emotions that could be considered polar opposites; they range from cleansing to depression, love to anger, and life to death.