My friend Nancy told me about le paradoxe, which is exactly what you think it is: “the paradox.” I’m not sure why it’s pronounced with a French accent, but it’s the idea that a solar eclipse bends one of our Vampire rules: the need to be in the ground during the daytime.
Just a reminder: sunlight doesn’t kill us and neither do stakes — not to imply we’re fond of either.
According to Nancy and confirmed by Parham, during the period of even a partial solar eclipse, it elates a euphoric reaction in Vampires and suspends our “corpus visage” from the moment of First Contact. Here’s a cool chart showing all that eclipse terminology and stuff if you’re interested.
And unlike mere mortals with retinas that can burn out, we can look at it all we like.
To repeat: unless you’re undead, NEVER look directly at the sun.
This said, I am planning accordingly… to “Ladyhawke” it but without all that priest-killing. I’ll be on the rooftop of Cedarcrest Sanctum next to my belfry — aka my lunarium — and I already have a beach lounge chair angled for optimal viewing. I’m thinking flip-flops and a bikini, the red two-piece I never get to wear anymore.
Maybe I’ve included an old picture of how I looked in it when I was still alive, or maybe I haven’t.
Wouldn’t you like to know.
See you all after the eclipse!
Take your power seriously. Keep each other safe. Be indomitable.
~ Janiss
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Life is precious; believe me, I get that — read: I’m a Vampire — but you cannot fully appreciate what you have until you’ve lost the ability to choose for yourself. History is littered with the casualties of loss of choice — both slavery and genocide in the extreme — often because those in power use it against those who needs their help the most. With the open global communication of today, it’s hard to sweep these kinds of activities under the carpet… we can see you, and we’re not putting up with it.
His eyes darted around in panic, finding himself in a hospital bed rather than tending one. I watched his shoulder lurch as he attempted to use his hand, but I had already told him he couldn’t use his arms or legs; he’d simply forgotten — also my doing. Did you know screaming sounds a lot like someone gasping for breath when they can only whisper? That was when I stood up from my comfortable chair. He recognized the illusion I had planted into his mind.
But what if you can’t? West Virginia is full of rest homes, both assisted and non-assisted (I’m not including hospice, which is an entirely different thing). Myself and a few volunteers have recently been paying these places a visit, looking for and and all discrepancies, opportunities for improvement, but mostly abusers and people who shouldn’t be working there — a bit of a pet peeve of mine.
No, it’s not mind-altering or earth-shattering, but there it is. A firm handshake simply isn’t a full-body catch-and-release embrace. Hugs are more intimate and more empathetic; they offer trust and earn trust in return. There’s even brain chemistry science behind it, such as in 
It’s true that a victim won’t fall immediately unconscious, but you’re neglecting the amount of blood a vampire needs to survive and how frequently they need it. Single pints (standard units of blood) are donated all the time at the Red Cross with few ever passing out; would it surprise you to know that a Vampire can subsist on as little as this each night? Sure, they may be a bit irritable and need much more if they’re healing from a grievous wound, but it’s enough. Ideally, three pints are more than adequate — three meals a night, if you prefer — and no one needs to die. If a Vampire chooses to feed once and get on with their evening, a victim could still survive this even if they pass out (and they certainly would).
Playing down the romantic angle for a moment, Vampires can mesmerize their victims. You knew that, right? What may look like willing submission doesn’t have to be, but a smart Vampire will find willing donors they can come back to. Bodies stacking up can be a problem, and anyone who watches “Forensic Files” knows how hard it is to disappear bodies in many places. Why bother? It’s not laziness, it’s efficiency.
Having shot down the “zombie theory” that being bitten turns a victim every time, this also kills the grade-school penny-doubling math-calc that wipes out the human race in thirty-four months. To be fair, Daybreakers was a fun movie about exactly that scenario (all except for the hilarious “cure” part), but the other factor missing is Vampires actively destroying one another competing for that blood bank. Did you think being turned made you instant friends? Nope, because Vampire are alpha predators, not pack-loving werewolves. In the same way killing off your food supply is bad for business, allowing other Vampires to roam your fiefdom is a signal to all that you’re either foolish or vulnerable.
None of our residents have parents still living, and while many hold out hope that their sons or daughters might call, this usually isn’t the case. We’ll be doing something for all of them later this evening — as we do every year.
Our town of Glenville, West Virginia, is small — a little over 1,500 people — but unlike much of The Mountain State, the population is increasing. Glenville State College has expanded, like the Waco Center that opened a few years back providing a field house for the college and the county — so named for the significant donations made by Waco Oil & Gas founders Ike and Sue Morris (names that are hard to avoid in these parts). My grandparents enjoyed the weekly publications of 
As an amateur stargazer thinking light years outside of the box, what are the possibilities of life (as we know it) developing on Earth at this time, tucked into this solar system sweet spot, where the balance of infinite variables allow all of us to exist? The more you think about it, the more the idea that all of this is chance or happenstance goes way down.
“Penny Dreadful” – I was hooked from the very first season. It’s actually refreshing all of the Vampires are bad guys (read: “True Blood” got silly), but Ethan Chandler played by Josh Hartnett makes me wish werewolves were real…and that I could have 
“Supernatural” – The Winchester brothers and Castiel. I’m good.
“iZombie” – If I only had one show to watch forever and ever, this is my go-to choice addiction right now. I need a girlfriend like Rose McIver in my life, but for now I enjoy thinking of Liv Moore as a shadowy reflection for myself. I also love Ravi, Blaine (in spite of himself), and Clive. Any episode of this program will have you laughing, crying, and thrilled at the same time. I even forgive all the Vampire tropes they stole to make zombies cool again.
Cedarcrest Sanctum 