#verisimilitude – Cedarcrest Sanctum

Immortal Affirmation – Vampire Verisimilitude

May 23, 2017Leave a comment

I am a Vampire. We notice everything and forget nothing. We drink the blood of the living to remain immortal. We prefer the night and avoid the sun. We are strong, fast, and very hard to destroy — not to mention the retractable fangs and talons.

It’s easy to accept that all evil stems from beings perceived as different from ourselves.

The Vampires I know were made, not born. We are not a race. Some sought it, some accepted it, and some had it inflicted upon them. It can’t be undone, but we can choose what we do with it.

I will not be evil. I have vowed to protect against those who embrace destruction and champion those who cannot protect themselves.

Vampires are not evil by nature, but we are survivors. We have a strong will to exist… the same as all creatures upon this Earth.

Those who easily take can also choose to ask, but we cannot exist by ourselves.

We are symbiotic, you and I — all of us.

Can you understand that? Everyone wants to live.

Please stop hurting one another.

We’re better than that.

Take your power seriously. Keep each other safe. Be indomitable.
~ Janiss

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Thinking Inside the Box – Vampire Verisimilitude

November 27, 2016Leave a comment

Crypts and coffins go with Vampires like garages and cars — they have to be someplace when they’re not active, right?

I’ve mentioned before that immortals require a place to rest, one with a bed of earth and deep enough to be completely interred. It doesn’t require being covered, but a sense of safety is paramount; if you’ve seen any of those movies where the fools disturbing a Vampire at rest during the day realize we’re not actually sleeping, you’ve got the right bloody idea.

As a reminder of what immortal rest feels like: the blissful bit of time when you feel like you’re falling asleep right after you hit the snooze button because you don’t have to get up just yet? That… except you never fall completely asleep. You stay right there: comfortably numb.

But what about those times when you don’t want to get up but you don’t feel like resting?

Ah, modern conveniences to the rescue! Of course Vampires can see in extreme low-light conditions, but a reading light never hurts — nor does a back-lit video screen with an in-crypt high-speed wireless connection and a charging cradle. Finish a book, interact on social media, do some light shopping, or binge-watch a season on Netflix. When Vampires were cursed to spend their days confined to a crypt, I’ll bet the culprits never suspected science would supersede magic.

Pro-tip: set your mobile device to vibrate whenever you don’t need sound. Any audible alert when you’re sacked out makes you feel like someone will be standing over you with a stake when you open your eyes — you don’t need that kind of negativity in your eternity.

Take your power seriously. Keep each other safe.
~ Janiss

Immortal Memories – Vampire Verisimilitude

September 11, 2016Leave a comment

How does disaster affect an immortal?

I was twelve years old on September 11th, 2001 — not yet an immortal. Daniel was my age, but his older brother Eric was a sophomore in high school and understood what was happening more than us. We all felt it: shock, helplessness, confusion, anger… everything. But how does someone who has been around forever come to terms with this kind of event?

Here is what three other immortals told me.

The Humanitarian Viewpoint:
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“I came from a time when if you wanted to travel, you walked; if you wanted to eat, you hunted. Most strangers you met outside of your clan were travelers instead of tourists and you traded instead of purchased. Having seen the world evolve from thatched homes to high-rise skyscrapers seemed too sudden, and three centuries of experience made me wonder what held them up — or how easily they might come down again. I passed the World Trade Center once on the streets of New York City, but I didn’t have the courage to go in; it’s a sad thing for me to admit.

“The towers intimidated me, and while I imagined they would one day be replaced as everything is, I didn’t suspect how little time they had left. It was a shared terror when I, like most people in America, saw everything on television. There wasn’t time to process it because we worried what else was about to happen, each staring unblinking at the screens as we prayed it wouldn’t get any worse. It wasn’t about why it happened; we just hoped we would find a moment to catch our breath.”

The Conspiracy Counterpoint:

“We were arrogant, and what we watched was a much-needed slap in the face. The United States wasn’t immune anymore, and we couldn’t ignore what the rest of the world took for granted. I remember being impressed with the first responders, seeing the self-sacrifice and personal risks to save anyone they could, but in the days that followed, it felt like Pearl Harbor all over again.

“I hate to suggest it, but Americans were more gullible in 1941; they never concerned themselves with the possibility that the Japanese might have been allowed their attack to prime the great war machine. The conspiracy theorists were more prevalent on 9/11, and the fuel for their worries was telling: how could our government not know this was about to happen? Why didn’t they stop it? Either it was allowed to happen or our elected officials were incompetent.”

The Washington Insider:

“In October of 1957, the Russians had beaten us into space. Forget about Hitler’s V-2 rockets raining down onto the British Isles; if the Commies then could launch something into orbit, who could say they couldn’t drop a nuclear warhead into the middle of America? That was what the Space Race and the Cold War was all about: fear — a positive emotion if you want to keep a society alive.

“Nine-Eleven is a reminder of what dedicated patriots have always known: eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. We became complacent and let our guard down. It was no one’s fault and everyone’s fault. What followed a single morning of horror was a reminder that we can all come together to help support one another. A little fear is always healthy because it creates a common cause, but it’s a pity it too often takes a disaster to remind us of that.”

Keep each other safe.

~ Janiss

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Role-playing Tips – Vampire Verisimilitude

April 3, 2016April 3, 20162 Comments

Isn’t the number of Vampires on social media amazing?

BuffyTheMaster Sometimes they use names like Dracula, Lestat, Carmilla, or some other literary undead character. They may further claim they are old or even ancient…you know, however far back their social media settings will allow them to go. The bad part, however, is some folks argue and/or DEMAND that other users treat them as the real deal — even if the other users aren’t role-playing. My favorites are the ones trying to be mysterious using cryptic phases like “you don’t know me” or “pray we never meet.”

It’s enough to make an actual Vampire laugh their ass off.

Hey, it’s cool if you’re role-playing. The best part of social media is being able to show the world only the side you want it to see, but let’s think things through logically.

What kind of Vampire are you? How long have you been a Vampire? What do you hope to gain online by revealing your presence to the world?

If you’re unsure, you’re in luck: I have a few suggestions.

Tip #1 – Take yourself less seriously. A real Vampire won’t mind if you don’t believe them; anonymity is your friend. Any creature that secretly preys upon the living or has a need that can only be satisfied by drinking blood isn’t exactly a safe individual to be around, and you never know who’s monitoring public communications. Whether you’re a Vampire or not, making threats online is not only a bad idea but is highly traceable; no one likes local law enforcement paying a visit to their crypt, okay?

Tip #2 – Try being less infamous. Claiming to be Lestat de Lioncourt, Count Dracula, or Countess Bathory is even more ridiculous. It’s like all the people who confess under hypnosis they were Joan of Arc in a previous lifetime. “There can be only one,” as Clancy Brown’s Kurgan might say. No one wants to be Dracula’s piss boy, but just take it down a few notes. “The Vampire in my village was destroyed, but no one knew she’d visited me first already.” Ooh, sounds like a cool story; tell me more! And why can’t you be a younger Vampire? How have the last five years been since you were turned? What were the best and worst parts so far?

Tip #3 – Dare to be vulnerable. This goes back to reasons for being on social media: you’re untouchable. “FEAR ME; I AM VAMPIRE!” doesn’t exactly scream authenticity, okay? But talking about the years gone by, the loved ones you’ve lost, or the wonders of modern invention, these are things all mortals can relate to that immortals suffer. I’m not encouraging whining, crying, or whatever “emo” is; just show a little honesty and relate to how others deal with it. Does being an immortal give you a sense of childlike wonder through the ages or crush you with painful memories?

As the Master commands: “Share!”

Disclaimer: I am not in any way suggesting that the information provided on this page came from an actual Vampire…but I’m not saying it didn’t, either.

Keep each other safe.

~ Janiss

Email janiss.connelly@cedarcrestsanctum.com
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Age and Treachery – Vampire Verisimilitude

January 3, 2016January 13, 2017Leave a comment

I am not alone.

There was a time — a very short one — where I had foolishly considered I might be the only Vampire left in the world. It was an irrational thought born out of fear for others, that maybe my own destruction would ensure what happened to me couldn’t happen to anyone else.

I vowed never to create another of my kind. I’m proud to say I’ve kept that promise.

FromTheDeskOfJanissSignature Since then, I’ve met and learned about other immortals, the survivors who’ve figured out how to subsist with humanity instead of draining it. As you can imagine, we each have a personal code of conduct, the things we will or won’t do, the imaginary lines we won’t cross.

As a result, we judge each other harshly. One of the things I’m most self-conscious about is how young I look. It’s been almost eight years yet I still look twenty-two; people in a close community tend to notice things like that. “You’ll figure it out,” the others tell me, “allowing yourself to age. We all do it.”

What I really hear is this: “Youth and talent are no match for age and treachery.”

Forget all that Anne Rice, Armand, and eternal-child Claudia stuff. While modern mortal culture champions remaining young forever and fighting age every step of the way, Vampires embrace it, settling on a later middle-age where they maintain a beautiful yet mature appearance. When you’re immortal, fifty is the new twenty, and people tend to dismiss someone who looks fifty-something for two decades than a twenty-two year old who hasn’t aged for twenty years. If you have ten times the strength, energy, and fortitude of a virile twenty-something, why look like a Spring Break party-goer when you can appear sophisticated, regal, and easily vanish into a crowd as a non-threat?

For the seducers among us, it’s not just about being the bait but enticing victims with the promise of learning a new trick or two from someone with experience. Think Lauren Hutton in Once Bitten — without the fully functional Vampire lair — and you’re on the right track.

Cougars with actual fangs.

Where’s all this coming from? Maybe because I’m heading toward thirty?

Oh, poor me, stuck looking twenty-two…how horrible, right?

Or maybe it’s that vow thing, the one I haven’t broken. All the personal code stuff.

I have some serious things to think about this year.

More later.

Keep each other safe.

~ Janiss

Email janiss.connelly@cedarcrestsanctum.com
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Creepy Fingers, Sexy Voice – Vampire Verisimilitude

December 27, 2015December 27, 2015Leave a comment

I’m just going to throw out two words: Frank Langella.

Timothy, as many of you know, has an extensive collection of Vampire movies and television shows, but one I’d never heard him talk about was the 1979 Dracula. When you hear about classic leading actors playing Vampires, the names Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee come up, but you don’t hear the word sexy. Powerful and dangerous, sure — these Vampires took what they wanted, but Langella’s Dracula seduced.

Timothy and I watched his new Blu-ray of the movie early Christmas morning. He won’t admit it, but I think Frank is a favorite of his.

DraculaFrankLangella And why not? The first time you see him, it’s only his fingers — long, slow, and deliberate — reaching for Mina tenderly but ensnaring her all the same. I think it was meant to be creepy…like watching a spider, but you still wanted to watch. The second time he is whole: tall, well dressed, moving with precision. His eyes linger and caress…wow. And his voice! Louisa once told me she knew I had been transformed from the quality of my voice, hearing that extra component that makes it “irresistible.” But hearing Langella pouring on the charm? Hearing him read a software agreement would be captivating.
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Making Christmas Memories – Vampire Verisimilitude

December 20, 2015Leave a comment

Staying active physically, mentally, and spiritually are problems for today’s Seniors. Idle hands, idle minds, and idle lives. Never mind the devil and his well-documented workshop; this is an important holiday ideology.

FromTheDeskOfJanissSignature People need purpose. Whether you’re starting out in life or approaching your so-called declining years, purpose fulfills us. Here’s where retirees and immortals have a lot in common: we both have a lifetime (or lifetimes) of memories haunting us. If you’re not a Vampire, those memories fade. Routine, hobbies, and memorabilia can help the elderly, but making new memories help hold onto old ones.

People need interaction. There’s nothing wrong with spending time alone — that’s a skill unto itself — but we’re social animals. Many of our residents have no other family or receive visits from relatives, so they have each and our staff. Looking forward to sharing with others provides purpose as well and keeps minds active.

People need people. I am suggesting to all of our supporters to make plans to visit with or contact your relatives, especially the ones who may not be with us much longer. Learn their stories and interact with them; you never know when they’ll be gone. The conversation is only one-way when you’re staring down at a headstone, Ebenezer.

Just think of me as three Christmas spirits rolled into one. With fangs.

Don’t wait. Get involved. Make memories.

This is what immortality is supposed to be: being remembered.

No one should need to seek out a Vampire for that.

Merry Christmas, everyone — and keep each other safe.

~ Janiss

Email janiss.connelly@cedarcrestsanctum.com
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Dracula’s Bucket Brigade – Vampire Verisimilitude

December 13, 20155 Comments

Have you ever thought about a Vampire having to deal with something completely mundane?

I had to laugh at this.

FromTheDeskOfJanissSignature We have alarms at Cedarcrest Sanctum for various reasons, not the least of which is a trespasser on the property. With the safety of our residents being paramount, we monitor for several possible emergencies, but imagine my surprise when a flooding alarm went off. As someone who sleeps deep in a hole in the ground, flooding is not high on my list of favorite things. Fortunately, the flooding was traced to a pipe that had broken due to a freeze, but we had to carry equipment down into a sub-basement to pump out the water. Truthfully, I was doing a lot of the carrying.

This got me thinking about Dracula — silly, right? For the record, there’s no such guy, but imagine he and his brides waking up one stormy evening to discover the crypt was full of water. “Egads!” he’d cry out in a thick Romanian accent (I have no idea what he’d say, so I’m rolling with this). “Quickly, my brides! Gather all the buckets and towels you can find! For the love of darkness, save the tapestries!” Then there would be burst of motion and activity as four Vampires started bailing out a crypt and moving things away from the leak to wait out the storm. Turning into a bat, he’d brave the pelting rain to survey the roof, finding the portion that had given way.

“Niña! Pinta! Santa María! Swoop down upon the unsuspecting village below the castle and use the cover of the night to snatch as many roofers as you can carry! Make all haste!” For full disclosure, I have no idea what the names of Dracula’s brides are, so I used Spanish ships — what’s he going to do, sue me for defamation of character? With the roofers secured, Dracula would use his command of the elements to make the storm over his castle stop so the roofers could fix the damage, then send them back to their village with a bag of gold each. Do you think that’d be enough to cover the workmanship plus free round-trip airfare to the castle and back?

Yes, I’m being silly, but I think the fictional King of all Vampires would be awesome at crisis management.

Keep each other safe — and dry.

~ Janiss

Email janiss.connelly@cedarcrestsanctum.com
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A Good Arrangement – Vampire Verisimilitude

December 6, 2015Leave a comment

Sorry there was no specific Thanksgiving message this year…as usual. A few of you know why — and no, it had nothing to do with becoming a Vampire.

Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday, but it’s been a while since then.

I adopted Christmas as my new favorite holiday afterward, basically moving up number two into the empty spot. Being the only child in a loving and well-off family didn’t suck and — as my mom used to say — I made out like a bandit. My dad would come back later and buy anything he’d caught me eyeballing.

FromTheDeskOfJanissSignature My mom was sneakier. Knowing dad would dote on me, she’d buy things for me I could re-gift to Daniel and Eric. Mr. and Mrs. Moore always seemed to be out of money at the start of school and right at Christmas, so up until we moved away, mom always “accidentally” bought things perfect for the boys. Dad must have known but he never said anything.

Seeing Daniel and Eric get something cool for Christmas that they couldn’t get for themselves always made me happy, but I think Mrs. Moore resented us for it. The only charity she wanted was from their oft-missing Uncle “No-Show” Par who she had decided owed her everything. Of course, I found out recently his absence wasn’t strictly due to avoiding Marie.

My point is this: I enjoy seeing others get something for themselves.

So, here we are in December. Colorful lights are going up in and around the small town of Glenville, West Virginia. Plans are being made and the 25th is just a few weeks away. I am blessed that everything I want this year is for someone else.

Sure, I wish I didn’t have to depend on so many others, but I give plenty in return. I wish the daytime didn’t make want to crawl into a dark hole, but there’s no fixing that. It’s not perfect, but we have a good arrangement, Cedarcrest and I, and the nights are wonderfully long this time of year.

Of course, this is usually the part of a Joss Whedon television show when the next Big Bad shows up.

Hopefully he/she/it is having a nice December holiday of their own and won’t come around until after the first of the year. If they want, I’ll even let them help take down the decorations.

If you’re reading this, please leave a few thoughts about your holiday plans. I’d love to read about them.

As always, keep each other safe.

~ Janiss

Email janiss.connelly@cedarcrestsanctum.com
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Sins of the Fathers and Trails of Tears – Vampire Verisimilitude

December 1, 2015December 4, 2015Leave a comment

Is there a statute of limitations for immortals? If someone wrongs an immortal and escapes their wrath into death, should their offspring suffer?

I’m not talking about reparations. I’m talking about pure revenge. This isn’t even a right or wrong question; it’s a question of motive.

Ruth recently mentioned Deuteronomy 5:9 to me, the often-misquoted bible verse: ‘…for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.’ Yes, that’s a bit specific and in no way forgiving.

Let’s say for example that Nancy Ward — for whatever reason — was still alive. Nanyehi was born into the Wolf clan of the Cherokee at Chota (the hills of Eastern Tennessee) in 1738. She rose to fame taking up arms against the Creeks after her husband fell in battle, earning her the title Ghighau, the “Beloved Woman of the Cherokee,” a powerful position of influence within the tribal government. With the creation of Fort Loudin on the frontier, Cherokee and colonists traded and sometimes mingled; Nanyehi took the Anglicized name Nancy Ward and learned English when she married English trader Bryant Ward. In contrast to her warrior instinct or perhaps because of it, Nancy sought peace between her native people and the encroaching colonists until her death in 1822.