Monday, June 27, 2016

The Nosferatu Adventures s10 p17

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 265, chapter 265

Out of Time

"Did I just hear her say someone named Reuben is in the wall?" Arthur asked taking a half step towards the kitchen.

"She means that mouse again." Our heroine said quickly. "She's deathly afraid of them. Uh...boys..." she nodded towards both Rufus and Dagan who had already left the room while she was talking. Slapping her hands on the Detective's shoulders, the banshee turned him towards the door. "You were suppose to be back to work a half hour ago. You're late."  She watched as Arthur reached for the doorknob, the door not opening. The male tried again, tugging a little harder but still the door was locked. He flipped the deadbolt but nothing happened.  Gesturing towards it his eyebrows knitted together in puzzlement. "You know it gets...stuck a lot." our heroine replied glaring at The Seer over her shoulder. "It's the fumes...from the incense with the humidity. Yeah, jams it right up." she reached around him flipping the deadbolt a few times while moving at werewolf speed to remove the knotted shoe laces, Arthur unaware. It opened this time. "See, it just needs some...you're going to be late." Leaning down to kiss her goodbye, Arthur left the shop.
Our heroine closed the door behind her, actually locking the deadbolt this time, flinging her back flat against it. "Okay you. Why did you do that?"

The Seer shrugged. "It's not safe out there."

"Well you're starting to make it not safe in here. Did you feed today?" she asked moving towards him. The Seer shook his head then nodded.

"I'm full. All I had to do was stand beside Arthur."  You didn't have to be a vampiric creature to have felt the sexual tension in the room. She figured Edward wouldn't need to go to the strip club for days, all he needed was to stand between herself and this new pack that seemed to be forming without her approval. The undercurrent of a need for a pack alpha was already swirling around them like a coiled electric snake, and it was about to pounce.
Quentin disappeared into the bathroom, while Edric who had been pacing around the room, mumbled something about not signing up for this before stomping off to the basement.  This left our heroine and The Seer alone for the first time since they'd been brought to this reality.  Moving closer to her, Edward wrapped his arms around her shoulders tight, resting his chin on the edge of her temple. "It's not safe out there. There are vampires." he repeated over and over again, the hug getting tighter as he did, his hands moving in little circles over her shoulders and back.

"Are you still talking about Arthur? Babe, the only vampires are us. He's safer out there with the crooks and pimps and bad guys then he is in here with us." she sighed, returning the hug. There was a nice warmth to the male's body, his scent strangely comforting mix of wet dog and aftershave, causing her to let her guard down.

That was her first mistake.

Without thinking, she kissed him. Just a quick brush of her lips across his cheek. Smiling shyly, Edward kissed her back. Twice, before tightening his grip on her arms, holding her in place. His blue eyes flashed the amber-grey of the wolf, as he kissed her again. This time with a more violent undertone. Struggling our heroine felt as if something was surrounding her, causing all her energy to leave her body for the briefest second. She saw this black fog rising from Edward's shoulders to encase them both, hot tendrils hovering near her.

"NO!" the voice seemed to come from all directions at once, followed by a supersonic crash and blinding white light. Our heroine felt herself being ripped from her spot, from Edward by something that felt all too familiar. It was like the anti-vampire barriers she'd come to hate.
She was across the room choking, Edric kneeling beside her halfway blocking her from seeing Dagan pinning Edward to the floor. She had no idea what had happened, nor when Loki and Bacchus had arrived. She felt more than heard or even saw, Edric being shoved out of the way, as a clawed hand reached over grabbing her by the neck, lifting her off the floor.  "What part of you can't ever be with The Seer are you not understanding?! Huh?"

"Yo...aid tha..." she still couldn't breathe. "only danger...is Pan..." she swallowed hard, the salty copperness of her own blood as she felt her lip heal itself. "...wanting my baby. And I'm not pregnant so there's nothing for him to take."

Bacchus giggled wildly, a smile spreading across his face, his blue eyes shinning from across the room. "You sure about that one?"

"No. Noooo...oonnoo." she began to almost whine as she looked at Loki, still holding her by the throat. "Ah you didn't! Please tell me that day when..." the dark haired god dropped her back down letting her crash hard to the floor. "Bastard!" she slammed her fist into the center of his foot once, then as high up on his thigh as she could reach from her position. Loki just shook his head at her a suggestive grin cracking his lips.

"I know I'm irresistible, but Dagan, we're in a public place." Edward's voice seemed to break through the noise and confusion, causing everyone to turn to look in their direction. Our heroine using it as a chance to get to her knees, shoving both fists into Loki's thighs again. The god still didn't move.

"You okay?" Dagan asked still kneeling on The Seer's stomach.

"Yeah. Be better if you would get your boney knees out of my ribs."

The auburn haired male moved helping the other werewolf up. "No, I mean are you okay?" he wiggled his fingers near his ear. "Any voices telling you to eat paste?"

The Seer moved his one hand through his hair smoothing it down, before reaching over touching Dagan's neck. Dagan flinched his eyes questioning slits. He began to relax as if slightly drunk finding himself leaning towards the other male's palm. "I'm fine." The Seer replied tilting his head to the side, flexing and unflexing his hand feeling the surge of energy between his fingers."Pan's gone." he turned to look at our heroine. "and I wasn't meaning us when I said there are vampires out there, I meant there are vampires out there. Well one vampire. And your Detective Holmwood is about to become his lunch. Someone not saying any names here..." The Seer pointed to Bacchus. "brought another one of your exes into this reality. You know the famous one, Vlad. It's what tipped the scales enough for Pan to grab you."  Our heroine shimmered out of the shop leaving everyone in shock.

"Did she just..." Dagan asked in amazement, his eyes wide gesturing first to the door then to Bacchus. "that's like a god thing isn't it? How can she?"

"Might have something to do with the fact Pan just possessed the unborn demi-god she's carrying. Or the fact Loki here has been letting her feed off his blood." Bacchus replied moving his hands like weighing scales. "Take your pick."

"Yeah fine, blame it all on me." Loki answered bringing his left hand up to his forehead, his eyes closed.

"We are." Dagan, Bacchus and Edward all said at the same time.


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. Oh Loki shacked it up this time.)

Sunday, June 26, 2016

year 5 day 156 (night bleeds June)

movie: Interview with the Vampire
starring:Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise
genre: Drama, 
year:1994
format: DVD

plot: We follow the life of a group of vampires, as told by one member of a vampire family to a young reporter.

Based on the 1976 novel.

We're brought into this mysterious world of forbidden love. I've never really considered this a typical love story, but at the core of it, it's a love story. You've got a man grieving for the loss of his family, wanting to kill himself but not having the guts to do so. This in turn, makes him vulnerable to some of the worst elements out there. One of which becomes his killer/savoir/brother/lover.  Louis becomes entrapped in a world he never really wanted to be part of, but manages to make the best of.

The first half is that buddy comedy element going on, as the two vampires, Lestat and Louis, travel from place to place, destroying everything in their path, sometimes on purpose sometimes by accident. This then becomes a morality tale when they "adopt" their daughter Claudia. The last part of the film then becomes this action adventure plot, where our lone hero must overcome his past sins and gets revenge on everyone.

Some of my favourite scenes are the fires -both the plantation and the theater, the haircut, the stage play, the whores in the coffin.

There is something deliciously wicked when Lestat jumps into the burning house and screams at Louis about burning down everything. "Will you have us living in a field like cattle?" it shows the divide between the way the two men think. Louis just wants to have a normal life, while Lestat wants to live like a prince. He likes the comfort and status that their plantation has provided so far, but for Louis it's like being caged in. It's Louis' first real act of rebellion. The first time we see him make a choice on his own for his own sake, and not because someone forced him into something.

The scene where Lestat is teasing the woman after half draining her, locking her in the coffin; makes me laugh every time. The perverseness of it is slick in it's own way. Here he is trying his damnedest to get the one person on the planet he cares about to open up to himself, even if it's a torturous lesson. He's cruel because he knows it's the only way to get through to the stubbornness in Louis. And we see just how Louis is disgusted by that side of himself. He's shamed by his own very nature.

The realization that Claudia will never grow up, is one of the most painful scenes I think. Here we have a grown woman who is stuck in the body of a five year old. She is frustrated with her situation, not getting any results from what is essentially overbearing parents, and in doing something as simple as cutting her hair; realizes the truth of her own situation. The very lack of independence is what forces her to make such drastic decisions, and what basically makes her colder and less human than those who created her. (and this is where I can't help but compare it to the relationships in Frankenstein)  It's like dealing with a handicap that you never have a chance to be cured of.
This later on is what fuels Claudia to search out a "new mother" when she demands Madeleine be turned.

The scene later in the film, where after what is years of searching for answers, for more of their kind, the characters of Louis and Claudia find themselves at the Theater de Vampires. "Vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires".  The very quote sums up the whole idea of these villains. The group feel they are above society, above humans and therefore above the other vampires. When they find out about Claudia, they consider her an abomination. A creature who's very existence goes against not just their laws, but the laws of man. They - the group- do not see this relationship as a father/daughter one, but as lovers because that's how they view each other. Not as family but as love/marriages.
The scene that bridges this to the next of my favourites, is when the character of Estelle breaks into the hotel room right after Louis has been forced to turn Madeleine (the equivalent to vampire rape) and screams "It's time for Justice Little One!" always brings a smile to my face. The story's tone then turns even darker with that punctuation that, they who openingly feed mocking their victims, even they have standards that they won't cross.
Then of course, there is the second fire scene where Louis has the showdown with Santiago. It's like the best of the alphas fighting it out. Up till that point, we are to believe that Armand is the alpha of the group, but in fact it is Santiago.

what did I learn? Love will always come with a price.

Book: Louis, a centuries old vampire, is giving a young reporter a detailed account of his life from the time he's killed as a human, on ward. He speaks of the love/hate relationship he has with the vampire who made him, Lestat, and the love for the vampire child the two created together. He speaks of the despair he's felt over the decades, from loss, as well as the constant search for purpose, for meaning.

I have to say, this is the second time I've read this book. The first time was 30 years ago, when I was 12. I got so much more out of it this time around. Partly because I had been 12 when I read it last.  So the main themes here are loneliness, addiction, depression, fear, the search for higher purpose/higher powers, dominance, family values, acceptance, beauty, love...it can go on for awhile. Anne Rice covers a lot.
Anne Rice has been stated as written it during a dark time in her life, (the death of her daughter which is the base for the character of Claudia) and you feel that in the pages. You see the pinpoints of "what does it all mean? Why did you do this to me?" from the two main characters of Louis and Claudia, both subtly and in their dialogue/actions.

There is one scene middle of the book where Louis finally understands that Claudia is not a child any longer, and hasn't been for decades. He had been oblivious to the fact that just because her body stayed that of a 5 year old, her brain matured to her real age; which at that point in the story is 70 years old (she comments that they have been together for 65 years already) And the way she carries herself, the way she dresses and the topics of conversations, proves that she's more than an adult. It's punctuated farther with her making a comment about how she could pass for a "little person" like they've seen at the circus.
Claudia is the combined creature of both Louis and Lestat; both the good and bad traits they carry. As any child is a creation of both their parents. Louis refers to her as his daughter and him the father, but that's only after they have left New Orleans behind. Up till that point, Louis plays more of the mother figure, and Lestat the father figure, as it's Lestat who trains her to hunt.  It's clear from the start of the threesome, that Claudia has the same manipulative streak as Lestat does, as she uses it to control Louis on every level.
She's also the desperate reaction of Lestat to keep Louis. The two male vampires have been together for at lest 50 years before creating her, and Louis is tired of their relationship. On the night that he informs Lestat that he's leaving him in order to have a life of his own, Lestat turns Claudia. It's the vampire equivalent of getting pregnant in a desperate plea to save the marriage. Which, to this point has been a bit of an arranged marriage to begin with. As Lestat originally turned Louis in order to get his money.

In the book, Louis is grieving over the death of his younger brother. (movie version it's a wife and child) and you get the impression that at first, he sees Lestat as a bit of a replacement brother. But, it becomes vastly clear that it's a lover relationship gone wrong. The relationship, as well as most (Lestat/Claudia, Claudia/Madeleine, Armand/Louis,) is referred to as a Master/Slave relationship more that once. (just like the Dracula/Renfield relationship) Which mirrors in this case, the slave owners that they happen to be earlier on in the story when they still own the plantations. I've discussed this before in other posts, that -that in itself is a form of vampirism. The taking of someone's will/freedom/generosity on a continuous basis without ever giving back.  Part of this is shown in the fact whenever the two younger vampires ask for their personal history, Lestat denies them any relief. Which they turn the tables on him, by leaving him for dead and having to struggle to survive.

I loved the scenes where they talk about the physical pains, the physical reactions to not feeding. How they describe the pounding headaches, the feeling like their veins are going to explode, the after effects of the withdrawals. Which is a great metaphor for the effects, both physical and psychological for addiction. And the scenes when they are going for the feed, which is attuned to sex. They draw you in, both sides of the coin, the good and the bad of it. There is a perverse beauty to it.

The one big criticism I always had with the book was the ending.  I know that one of the big themes was being unable to let go of past hurts, but the idea that this all encompassing creature Lestat, would become a helpless old man practically drooling on his shoes, always pissed me off. I know that's weird to say, but it always felt like a cheat to me.

I'm going to shut up now.  Next month we're covering the movie Disney's Hocus Pocus and the novel Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fenu. I'll be back later in the week with the official on that.

EDIT NOTE... IF YOU HAVENT CHECKED OUT HEATHER'S OFFERING OVER AT ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE KITCHEN  YOU NEED TO...she made crawfish.

Friday, June 24, 2016

The Nosferatu Adventures s10 p16

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 264, chapter 264

Out of Time

The auburn haired male stood in the middle of the room both arms extended their full length, his chin down. Edric to his right, Arthur to his left. Our heroine and Detective Holmwood had returned to the occult shop to find Edric and Quentin still waiting for her, the sire bond forcing Edric to react protectively and territorial. The two nearly came to blows. "Alright alright alright! Enough!" Dagan growled towards them both, sniffing. He didn't like the idea of either of them, his own history with our heroine making him want to break both their necks. But Dagan at lest no longer had the sire bond controlling his mind. "Children settle down." he added a sing song tone to his voice clearing his throat. "Now, we're all going to just take a seat and act like non suicidal non homicidal people. No offence officer."


"Good luck with that." Quentin and Matilda both mumbled under their breath at the same time.

"Now, given I was pack alpha...I mean, ran the..." he gestured towards himself not sure what to say in front of Arthur. "As head of this household..."

"Head of this household? What are you Herman Munster?" our heroine asked crossing her arms under her chest giving her boobs a boost. The white bell sleeved dress she was wearing adding a comical note to her argument.

The Seer raised his hand sitting on the back of the sofa his socked feet resting on the one cushion. "Me. I'm better then him at it. I ran the whole Fort for the Queen. I am the real head of the household." he looked around counting everyone in the room. "I'm who you need to be looking for. I'm always who you should have been looking towards. "

"Would someone like to tell me what the bloody hell is going on here?" Arthur asked his own hands out from his sides palms up.

"It's a long story." our heroine replied.

"Well start by telling me how this guy fits in?" he pointed towards Dagan.

"We were..." our heroine made a rolling gesture. "...there was bad blood..."

"Literally." Rufus and The Seer commented at the same time. "And flowers." The Seer nodded mostly to himself as he took the laces out of his shoes and tied them into a giant knot. "Had to dig her out of his uncle's flower..."

"and now we're not." she answered quickly. 

"She slept with my uncle." Dagan added, his eyes wide leaning back slightly from the shoulders.

"...bed." The Seer grinned getting up from his spot and moving towards the door. He placed one of the knotted shoe lace on the door's threshold, and the other on the knob.

"This one?" Arthur pointed towards The Seer.

She shook her head towards Dagan. "Can't ever let that go can you?" letting her hands slap her thighs, the dress exaggerating the gesture.

"I'm her witch doctor." he replied resting his chin on Arthur's shoulder. "You have soft hair." he started petting the top of Arthur's skull. Arthur was about to say something, but he just stood there for a extra long pause not sure how to process it all.

"Hey!" Dagan screamed pointing towards The Seer before leaning around everyone and grabbing his arm. "What did I tell you about touching stuff?" he let out a soft huff.

"It's always a bad idea." The Seer replied holding his hands up in the air. "Bad touching."  He cast his blue eyes down as he started to play with his tie, removing it, and tying it into more knots.

"How about I make us some tea? Or lunch?" Matilda stood then in the doorway of the little kitchen, one hand on the doorframe, the other at her throat.

"Can we have stew? I suddenly want rabbit stew...here comes peter cotton tail..."The Seer started to sing under his breath. "Rabbit stew makes you hop and jump and swirl..." he double checked the knotted tie before moving to the window, laying it across the edge of it.


Meanwhile...

2024
The Darkest Forest...

Reuben stood in the middle of the room, eyeing the wall. He had already moved the two bookcases over to the corners, so they left a two foot gap between them.  "You done yet?" Finn asked as he wandered into the darkened room, a large leather doctor's bag in hand.

"Almost." the werewolf replied as he placed the mirror between the two bookcases on the east wall. "There. Should do it." he took a step back, running his right hand over his beard.

"I still can't believe the Sea Witch actually told you the secret to making a magick mirror." the familiar said shaking his head. "Unreal."

"I know right? Which..." the dark haired male leaned over the edge of the one bookcase, grabbing another chunk of meat off the rabbit he'd caught and roasted. He didn't bother to tell Finn this was his third in two hours. Reuben had slowly slipped back into his old habits and addictions in the last few months since Dagan had been gone. Eating everything he could get his hands on being the top of the list. "But, if Loki wasn't such a douchebag and actually answered when we called, I wouldn't have had to." he raised his voice and eyebrow as he waited to see if the god would pop in. When all stayed silent, the werewolf shrugged, stepping back towards the mirror. "Okay nurse clawmarks, hand me the holy water."

The two followed the spell's instructions, and waited.  Within a matter of moments, the mirror's surface became covered in dust, odd patterns beginning to form in it before the colour seemed to change. Almost as if someone was turning the lights down. The two males moved closer to the mirror, as a tiny pinpoint of light appeared in the middle of it all. The little light expanding in what felt like slow motion. In actuality, it was. It took nearly another hour for the pinpoint of light to grow to the size of a fist.
The image that finally began to take solid form, was that of a small kitchen, a middle aged woman busily making sandwiches and tea. Music seemed to play in the background, as the woman sung along.

Shrugging again, Reuben tapped on the mirror. "Hello? Mirror Mirror on the wall, come and talk, tell me all."

The woman stopped dead cold as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't. Turning in a full circle, she faced the little mirror behind her. Dropping the spoon she had been using to mix the egg salad, she brought her hands up to her mouth. Stepping closer to her side of the mirror, she leaned in. "Oh my god! Reuben?" Matilda started to bounce up and down shaking out her hands as she reached out automatically to grab the little mirror that hung over the kitchen table. Stopping, sharply, she remembered the mirrors only worked when hanging. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Rufus! Dagan!" she screamed pointing at the mirror. "It's Reuben! He's in the wall!"


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me (straight up story. Right, like anything works the way its suppose to for our gang.)

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Coffee Talk June 22nd 2016

Spudguns!  How's your morning treating you? Or your evening depending on where and when you catch this.

So, you might have noticed that the One Movie A Day Challenge, this year has some gaps in it. That is both good and bad depending on your point of view.  Bad because that means I suck at finishing things, Good because that means I halfway got a life and don't have the same kind of time to sit in front of the tv and blog all day.

I am however, already starting to think about Hallowe'en week's posts. Which is ironic when you think about it.

Speaking of the never ending serial-soap opera The Nosferatu Adventures,  you know how the infamous vampire binder and lunchbox were written in because I had them in real life first; well faithful readers, you might remember the charm bracelet  Nosferatu is wearing in a few of the alternate realities (s4 p1) It's real too. Well, half of it is real. So far, I've gotten the bat, wolf, dream catcher, and a pirate ship...well pirate ship-ish. I know, it's suppose to be a pirate flag with skull and cross bones, but I had trouble finding one.
The Nosferatu Adventures has been a part of my life for the last 3 and a half years, which is amazing considering it was designed to be only 6 parts over the course of one year just as filler for the blog.  I eat, sleep and breathe these characters. It's not unusual to see me roaming the city mumbling about werewolves and sidhes and how Dagan would never say that or Loki has gotten too human.  I'm not kidding, I dream about these characters constantly, to the point I wake up in the middle of the night and start scribbling notes. I keep finding post-it notes from two years ago in the bottom of my purse, with ideas that I'm only getting around to now.

Okay, so I'm feeling little bit sentiment this morning. Cue up Dagan's 1950's playlist.

Earth Angel- by the Penguins
Still of the Night- by The Five Satins
Mr. Sandman- by the Chordettes
She Boom- by the Crew Cuts
Someone to Watch Over Me- by Frank Sinatra

Sunday, June 19, 2016

The Nosferatu Adventures s10 p15

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 263, chapter 263

Out of Time...

Loki hit the button on the tv remote, muting it. He' been watching it like a magick mirror for the last three days. It was his way of spying on our heroine and Arthur; as they had been held up in a hotel since the night they learned she'd sired Edric, and the scene before him didn't need any volume.

"Pouting before breakfast?" Bacchus asked.  Loki raised his hand just giving him the finger not bothering to turn to look at the other god. If he had, he would have noticed that Bacchus had once again changed his form. Walking across the room, Bacchus got in between Loki and the tv screen. "Of all the porn channels you rented this?" he made a noise as he shook his head. The dark haired god said nothing as he continued to sit there, his chin on his hands."You could always just kill the human." Bacchus continued, running his fingers across his forehead smoothing out the new hairdo, his hair a dark sandy brown. Clearing his throat he tugged on the edges of his leather jacket, a black t-shirt with the word Detroit on it in full view. 

"It's not like you to wear a shape more than once." Loki grumbled.

"Thought maybe the retro shape would cheer you up." he winked, the ice blue eyes sparkling, his full lips spreading in an evil grin. "Thought it was time to get the team back together. Go to the reality they're from and take their place for a night, wreck some havoc, win a few tag belts in the process."

"You mean Nosferatu's original reality." Loki replied turning his own brown eyes up to look at the other god from under his lashes.

"It was her mind we raped first time we met her...well not the first time I met her, but the first time we presented ourselves to her as us." Bacchus said his one hand up fingers spread palm towards himself. He suddenly found his nails interesting. "and found she liked these images. These..." he stuck his tongue out as if tasting something. "...these men." he ran his hand down his thighs. "Wonder if they've aged much? These images?" Bacchus turned to the side sucking in his stomach. "Does this male make my butt look flat? You can tell me. I can handle it."  he snickered.

"Na, the hair makes you look dirty though." Loki responded biting his lower lip. Standing, the dark haired god stretched. "Actually, I could use the exercise."

Bacchus's smile brightened as he rubbed his hands together. "But you really can't go like that. Your suit..." he waved his left hand over the tv screen as the image of our heroine and Arthur fuzzed out like bad reception, causing Bacchus to slam his fist on top of it. The picture shifted then, exposing the two males in question selling a t-shirt with their logo. "He's changed his hair, and it seems fallen into a vat of paint...no wait it's just a tan. It'll fade I'm sure but if we're going to be them for a little while we've got to make sure we match the original copy."

"You're having way too much fun with this." Loki huffed shaking his head, his short spiky dark hair suddenly becoming shaved on the sides and back; the bangs growing about two inches hanging too long over his one eye.

"How you want to keep the real ones out of the way?  Freeze them? Send them to another reality? Your choice." he nodded running his right hand over his forehead again smoothing down his hair.

"Let's send them to that cinema reality. The one we sent everyone to few years back. Have them sit through a movie marathon for a day or so." Loki said snapping his fingers, a pair of red and black tights replacing his jeans. "What do you think?" he gestured towards the tights. "I don't know why this guy has to have a skull and crossbones on his ass?"

"You think he would try to distract from the fact its so flat not draw more attention to it." Bacchus nodded to himself, his lips in a duckbill. "Actually..." he ran his hand over the screen again switching the image to show them in a match. "I think...I think it's a skull...yeah a skull and swords. It's swords piercing a skull. He thinks he's a pirate or something."

"Pirate-Booty. I do like how his mind works." Loki smirked. "Who's pets are these two again?"

"Tyr's, I think. You've gone soft. The old Loki would have turned them to stone or locked them in a hell dimension. That pet of yours is too in your head."  Loki started to shimmer out of the room, gesturing to his ears indicating that he couldn't hear what Bacchus was implying.  Raising an eyebrow, Bacchus smirked. "Let's get her out of your head, and someone into her's."  he snapped his fingers then hit the top of the tv screen causing the image to change again before shimmering out of the room himself.

The lake on the west side of town suddenly appeared on the screen. The water rippling with activity, the surface cracking and bubbling as a figure leapt out of the water to land on the muddy bank. Vlad coughed, spitting up the cold muck of the lake, confused.


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. Well, he is a blood sucking fiend from beyond the gravel...er I mean grave)

Year 5 Day 155 (what that movie inspired me to do 47)

movie:Aladdin
starring: Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried
genre: Family
year;1992
format: DVD

plot: A young thief is tricked into sealing a magickal lamp by a wicked sorcerer, and manages to stumble across a Djinn who grants him three wishes.

Loosely based in the classic story

We all know the story, watched the cartoon either as kids or with kids, and find ourselves singing along without thinking about it. Right. So, I'll skip right to the moral of it...be yourself. That's really the whole thing. That and don't be greedy.

We see Jafar loose his chance to have the magick lamp because neither himself or his first henchman were worthy. They tried to fool the all knowing knowingness, and the henchman got turned into supper. Which, has always left me scratching my head about cause if it was just a giant sand castle how would he really eat anyone? I mean, do they just get buried or does he turn them into mud and expel it through a hot spring or something? Yes, these are the weirdo questions that I spend my day thinking about, which is why I am a writer.

We then see Aladdin stealing bread with his monkey, nearly getting killed by the royal guards because of it, but giving up the food for some children who are looking better than him. This makes Abu the monkey feel threatened, eating a large bite from his share only to hand it over to the kids too...is that hygienic?

In comes the princess who is one bad date away from being the queen, only to need to be saved by Aladdin. They fall in love and realize they can't be together because of their class-status.  Enter the magick genie who makes Aladdin prince for a day.

And suddenly, we have a murdering plot twist on our hands, as Jafar decides to marry the princess becoming king, and killing everyone who gets in his way.

I love this story. It's clearly not for kids. It's just the way fairy tales were meant to be, okay with way too much singing and dancing, but it's harsh, dark, and puts the fear of your personal god into you. It also is one of, if not the first Disney film to have the lead female strong enough to help fight.

what did I learn? Disney makes me cry.

Guess what....It's theme day again here! My friend Heather at All Roads Lead To The Kitchen, and I like doing these random movies every so often. And once again, neither Heather nor I told the other what movie we picked. I actually find this part of the game, very interesting. Can't lie, the big reveal is always my favourite part of it.

So, obviously this was my pick for today's theme, which is "Your Favourite Disney Movie".

My notes on what was seen- coffee, fries, bread, "salt" and "cinnamon" (I thought of because of the sand and snow) fish, melon, pineapple, banana, apples, lamb, wine, crackers, sugar-dates, pistachios, figs, roast pig, "jasmine rice" (her name) turkey, baklava, lobster, cheesecake, grapes, hummus, caesar salad, chicken ala king, goat, kababs, ice cream, pears, plums, oranges.

I wanted to do homemade crackers, but I really didn't know where to start. (it's now on my to-do list) so instead, given the amount of fruit in the film, I decided to go easy on myself and made a fruit salad.
I did a slight cheat, and used half fresh - banana, apple, blueberries, raisins, - and half canned - oranges and pineapple.  Though, I suppose you can't technically ever call raisins fresh...

 I added a few spoonfuls of yogurt and a sprinkle of nutmeg. The nutmeg I find works beautifully with the sweetness of the bananas and the raisins, while not being as sweet as cinnamon might.


Okay, so this is the point where if you haven't been to Heather's blog All Roads Let To The Kitchen, yet, you have to go there now...

Saturday, June 18, 2016

year 5 day 154

movie: Now You See Me 2
starring; Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson
genre:Thriller, Crime, Drama,
year;2016
format: Cinema


plot: A group of street magicians expose the worlds biggest corporate thieves with elaborate stage shows. This time, the jokes on them.

I sort of don't know what to say about this. You've got your set up, with the introduction of all the main players, both the old cast and the new cast, there are chase scenes ontop of chase scenes, and little street magic to really tie it all together. I was disappointed in this on certain levels. (I took two bathroom breaks during the film so you know my attention was not kept)  I feel one of the best elements was the fact Harrelson plays two different characters.
It was interesting casting Daniel Radcliffe as the "non magician" in this given he's famous for playing one of the most famous magi.

There is a scene where they are sent in to steal a microchip and have to pass it around while the guards search them. Which is a perfectly interesting scene, just it ran too long. They could have cut a few minutes off it. We see the object go through the group more than once, following it sometimes to the point it's blurred out. Such as the segment when Eisenberg's character stuffs it down his shirt and it travels by CGI down his pant leg to the floor. The jokes don't pay off the way they should have.

what did I learn? you can do a lot with a strobe light.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

year 5 day 153

movie: Christian Mingle
starring: Lacey Chabert, Corbin Bersen
genre:Drama, Romance
year:2014
format: Netflix Canada

plot: An ad executive feeling the pressure to get married and tired of the guys she's been meeting, joins a dating site for Christians, the only issue is she isn't.

So this movie has been popping up in my "we recommend" on Netflix Canada for a while now. And I have hummed and hawwed over it, as it looked just a little too drab.  It does have that made for tv movie feel, but I don't think that it was.

With that said, if you strip away the religion in this film, it is got a great point.  Yes, I said if you strip away the religion in it. The core of the story is a woman who has no idea who she really is anymore. She's lost in the daily grind, feeling like she should be part of something she's not, nor is she really ready to be. This is clear to a few of her friends, but not to her.  The opening scene is her on a date who would rather be with another woman, and then her talking to her best girlfriends about it.  Pretty much the start to any Hallmark style movie. 

She states out loud what she's looking for in a man, and the universe takes her at her word. That's when she starts seeing signs, literally a commercial that is haunting her, for a dating site.  Which she feels is a safe way to go, given it's a Christian site. The story shifts then to the fact she is lying about her personal beliefs and she looses the guy.

The character has to deal with the fact her life is not what she hoped it would be like once she got to her 30's. She's in a job she no longer loves, her friends no longer speak her language, and she's at the point where she sort of doesn't like herself. The big crossroads we all at some point end up at. Meeting the semi-wrong Mr. Right, makes her admit she's no longer on the same path she was before she met him. That her lifestyle is no longer fitting for her.

what did I learn? Strip away the religion part of this movie, and you have one of the most common themes in any genre. The crossroads of life story. The starting over, without realizing that's what you are doing. The idea that you are searching for item A, which leads you to item B, because what you really need is item C.  Be yourself and you'll find what you really need.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

year 5 day 152

movie: Love and Friendship
starring: Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny
genre:Drama, Comedy
year:2016
format: Cinema



plot: A widow who's broke, wiggles her way into the lives of her friends, in order to find a wealthy husband for both her daughter and herself.

Loosely based on the Jane Austen novella Lady Susan

This is a Whit Stillman film, who made The Last Days Of Disco, which is one of my all time favourite films.  So when I heard that not only was he doing an adaptation of a Jane Austen story, but with the two leads from Disco, I had to go see it. 

Beckinsale plays this manipulative widow with a deliciousness, that lets you forgive the fact she's having an affair with a married man, while stringing along her friend's younger brother.  Watching Beckinsale and Sevigny together on screen, you can't help but see the chemistry between the two, as they sort of turn this into a slight buddy comedy. I can't help but compare this to Disco. In both films, the women are doing their best to find their footing in society's romantic waters without falling off a cliff, as each helps and under minds (in both movies) the others love life. Sevigny plays a wealthy woman, who's exiled from her own country by choice from what I can gather, while keeping her friendship with the Beckinsale character slightly off the main radar of her husband, as he disapproves of the widow's affairs. (all puns intended)

There is a coldness towards the daughter in this. As expressed in a scene where the lead is talking to her young admirer about how children pretty much suck the joy out of things. And she only wants to spend any time with her after the daughter has been taken in by wealthy friends.

I have one bit of a downfall here. There was a few minutes where the story happened off screen, and we the viewers only learn about it by means of "gossip" between two of the characters. It just jarred me out of the narrative for a few moments.

what did I learn? Just because you're over 35 doesn't mean you have to throw away the key.

Thursday, June 9, 2016

year 5 day 151

movie: Cuban Fury
starring; Nick Frost, Rory Kinnear
genre; Comedy
year: 2013/2014
format: Netflix Canada

plot: A once promising salsa dancer, tries to recapture his passion for the sport after finding out his new crush is taking classes.

This is little bit Footloose little bit Dirty Dancing.  You've got what I would love to say is a new twist on the romantic comedy, but it sadly is not. The idea of dance competitions as a way to get the guy/girl is a good one, but overdone in the last few years.

Thankfully, this is a comedy and doesn't take itself so serious as most of the dance movies in the last decade have been.   Nick Frost plays the lonely nerd to perfection.
I loved all the little 80's references that pop up in this.  "It's Goonie Time. You know what Goonie Time is?" has to be one of the coolest quotes I've heard in ages.
There is a scene between Frost and Chris O'Dowd that plays like something you would have expected from Steve Martin and Chevy Chase back in the day. A dance off that ran a bit longer than needed but reminds you that this movie is for fun and not to get too wrapped up in the "competition" of things.

The big theme here is just be yourself and do what you are passionate about, not letting anyone bully you or mock you out of it.  We see our lead being taken slight advantage of by his co-worker who is just that bit sleazy on all sides. Which of course, is because he himself is insecure.

what did I learn? Don't give up on something you truly love and don't stop believing.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The Nosferatu Adventures s10 p14

The Nosferatu Adventures 
page 262, chapter 262

Out of Time...

Our heroine shook her head just as The Seer wrapped his arms around her ribcage, his face tight to her neck. "Can we go back home now? To the lighthouse?" he asked "Alone." his tone was directed towards Edric as he glared at the other male over our heroine's shoulder.

"The lighthouse burned down years ago babe. Remember?" her voice was soft as she spoke to him, her hands on the sides of his face as she looked him in the eyes. "Have you fed today?"  The Seer shook his head licking his lips.

"What's with him? He slow?" Edric asked his own eyes slits.

"He had an accident, not himself right now. " our heroine said moving from The Seer just a centimeter, enough to turn looking at Edric. "When he recovers, trust me you don't want to be on his bad side. He's one of the most powerful man I've ever met, and I've dealt with gods." She started to move towards the counter reaching for the phone. The Seer was with her shadowing her every move. Dialing, she felt his breath on her ear. "Arthur, hey I'm running a bit late. I'm actually at the occult shop...okay..." she smiled as Arthur said something on the other end, The Seer having turned around his back flat against hers, as he continued to eye the newcomers. Instinctively our heroine reached her hand around them both to encircle The Seer's waist.  "Okay, I'll see you then." she hung up, turning so that her own chin was near The Seer's shoulder, when her breath caught. Dagan was standing in the middle of the room, Matilda following him on the stairs.

The female familiar went straight towards Quentin, seeing the blood. "What happened?" she asked.

"Um...I think he's eardrum burst."

 "No love spells for you." The Seer said pointing at Quentin. "None." he smiled that too confident grin of his. "Cause I really don't want to have my hands cut off again." he brought his left hand up to his nose. "I have pretty hands."

"I mean, man you rip a guy's arm off once in the middle of a crowd and you never get to live it down." our heroine said joking, her eyes locked with Dagan's.  "Ripper." she barely breathed the word as she watched the corners of his mouth curl in a meek smile. The auburn haired male took a few steps closer to our heroine, his hands behind his back.  A growl to his right caused him to stop mid step, rocking slightly on his heels as he turned to look.

"New toys?" the werewolf remarked as he made a noise with his teeth. "We got a lot to catch up on."

"Guess we should." our heroine replied still draped over The Seer's arms. "Consider that dress she's wearing a ref's shirt and stay in your corners for a few minutes." the female said gesturing towards Matilda as she made her way back outside, Dagan right behind her.

They stood a few doors down, near the corner of the street. Neither willing to be the first to talk. The energy between them was like a heavy roped wire tugging them closer. She had forgotten just how tall Dagan was till he was once again towering over her, his shoulders hunched so that he could look at her.  He breathed sending a blast of cinnamon across the top of her hair. Nodding, the male broke their silence. "I had Bacchus..." he brought his hands up between them pointing to first himself then her. "...couldn't handle the...specially after the dreams were over." his voice dropped to barely a breath. "The Seer wasn't the only one who missed you."

"Dreams?" she heard her own voice sound so mousy in the night air.

"When you were in the well. I had these dreams constantly of you. Well, I didn't realize that's what they were. They were all distorted and creepy, but the witch nun, Kendra, straightened me out, sent me through a portal to the past to find you." he brought his right hand up scratching his temple before running his hand through his hair slicking it back. "But Loki...Loki got you out first."  Our heroine saw something catch the light from the street lamp, under the edge of Dagan's shirt. Reaching over, she ran her fingers delicately across the leather necklace he was wearing, lifting it up from his hoodie. There on the end of the worn leather was her ring. The six sided ring Loki had once given her. The one the witch had stolen back in the 1400's.

"Wow. Thought that was long gone." she whispered as she toyed with the hexagon shaped ruby, the gold catching the light.

"I'm sure he's given you a new one by now. Many in fact." Dagan replied casting his blue eyes down at her hand.

"What? No. It's not like that."

"So you're not shacked up with him?"

"Yes. I'm sharing an apartment with him. Penthouse actually. He owns the building in fact. But...I'm dating a human. Cop. Arthur. Arthur Holmwood. Detective Holmwood..." Dagan said nothing just pointed to the occult shop eyes wide. "...no. Quentin..." she gestured to the wall as well. "He's Edric's friend...or something. Actually. Their whole vibe reminds me of your Uncle Victor and Bryon."

"He got a thing for zombies too?" he didn't remember having moved closer to her, but some how he had. The collars of  her hoodie colliding with the edge of his.

"Teenaged vampire novels from what I can figure."

"So let me get this straight. You're dating a human, living with Loki and you sired that guy in there. And from the way you were with The Seer, you're still..." he paused unwilling to say it. "still involved with him." he moved a half step back again.

Our heroine crossed her arms staring down at the small patch of ground between their shoes. "You make it seem so cut and dry. I'm not involved with Edward. Not the way you think. He's hurt. He needs a babysitter more than..."

"A mate?" Dagan leaned in, then quickly leaned back from the waist, his hands out at his sides palms up. "Hey I get it. You're way too busy juggling your other after hours activities." he spat between them, just missing the tips of both their shoes. He was instinctively marking his territory, and for once, our heroine was on the wrong side of it. "I don't know why I let Bacchus talk me in to coming here?" he turned around "You haven't changed." letting his hands slap against his thighs in disgust, the werewolf turned back towards her. "You were the one who broke us. Not me." he licked his lips scratching at his forehead, shaking his head slightly. "We could have been...we could have run the kingdom. Had the greatest pack but you just couldn't settle down could you?"

"I was your security blanket!" she interrupted him. He shook his head again, his eyes closed. When he opened them, they were the amber-grey of the wolf. Something so natural to see compared to the humanness of his face. It actually made him seem more vulnerable.

"You were everything. You broke my...jumping through that portal. Landing back with Vlad. You know that Reuben actually told me at first you died. Because he couldn't stand to tell me the truth, that you just didn't want to come home."  He took yet another step from her, walking in a tight circle doubling back. "And when I got up the nerve..." he dragged out the word his voice nearly a yell. "to come collect you, I find not only have you married Vlad, the bloodsucking king of all leeches, but you had an affair with The Seer's past life self, and that on top of it all, you ran off with Loki!"

"Do you even remember the last day we were actually together? Back at the vineyard eight years ago..."

"Nine. It's been almost nine." he held up his hands showing her his fingers.

"You flat out told me you didn't care about me!" she pressed her palm flat against her throat. "That you didn't want me."

"What and Loki does?" Dagan stumbled back a half step sniffing. "But Loki does." he dropped down to a crouch, his elbows on his knees, his fists clinched at his temples. "Damn it!" he screamed. He was about to say something when he stopped as he noticed our heroine's body language change. Turning he caught sight of the reason. There walking up the sidewalk was Arthur.
Sniffing, Dagan rotated his shoulder before running his tongue over the edge of his teeth. He seemed like just another human. Tall, blondish, average. But he knew better. He knew because the winds had shifted casting Arthur's scent in their direction. Only it wasn't Arthur's scent, it was Arthur's heavily mixed with our heroine's. The lycanthrope didn't need to ask, didn't need to pay attention to the way our heroine reacted at seeing him, her scent was all over him like a bad hand print.
Slowly the werewolf stood back up, snarling towards the younger male. His eyes dangerous slits as he watched the human male come closer to them, the street lamp casting shadows between them. The light dancing across Arthur's shoulders and face. Dagan's heart fell to the pit of his stomach as he spotted the streaks of grey in Arthur's hair. "What did you claim him?" he had crossed the divide between himself and our heroine, his nose screwed up, his hair sticking up from the speed of having moved, pointing towards Arthur. "What is he like your wife now or something?" he half snorted his eyes still cold slits of disbelief.

"I haven't claimed anyone. Nor have I been claimed. I don't think it works like that here, in this reality." she replied.   Dagan shook his head slowly as he began to back step from her, his hands once again out from his sides. Saying nothing, he turned as he ran down the street into the night.


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. That's why they are called loose ends...)

Sunday, June 5, 2016

year 5 day 150

movie: The Sapphires
starring; Chris O'Dowd, Deborah Mailman
genre: Drama, Music,
year:2012
format: Netflix Canada

plot: Four women form a band and tour Vietnam during the war.

Based on the stage play, which is based on a true story

Okay, right off, I didn't care for it. Musical right, but too much of the same songs, so two shots down from me. It didn't feel like a movie. Let me rephrase that, it felt like it was a stage musical trying too hard to fit itself into a movie. Which, it was.

It's about how these four women view the world and are viewed during 1968. They are Australian, Aboriginal, and single. One a single mom. So you've got a few dynamics going on here. The single mom, is looking for a faithful husband, while her older sister is doing her best not to fall in love with their manager. But she does and realizes it almost too late, as he's shot and thought dead. One of the women is black passing for white, which is almost a second storyline on its own; and brings up the issues of how kids were taken from their families and placed in "white" communities at that time. The fourth woman has the real talent but is legally too young to be there, which causes all sorts of strife between her and the oldest.

Just when you start to get your footing in this, it's over. The movie itself takes too long to get anywhere and when it finally does, you've long since lost interest.

what did I learn? I should just stop watching musicals all together.

The Nosferatu Adventures s10 p13

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 261, chapter 261

Out of Time...

The door to the little coffee shop seemed to open on it's own, the breeze entering the small front room first. The overhead lights buzzing and dimming as it did, causing the teenaged guy mopping the floor to stop and turn looking.  Our heroine stocked into the small building, her hands deep in the grey hoodie she'd magick misted for herself just seconds before. She didn't need to look around the nearly empty building to know who she was going to find. Somewhere in the back was her new obsession and his buddy. She snarled at the kid as she continued past him, her footfalls solid in their direction. Slamming open the door she entered the men's room. "Peek aboo." she hissed as she found the two of them smoking a joint in the last stall. "Really?" she let her eyes flash to the amber-grey of the wolf, this odd feeling of ownership slithered through her.

"Hey! This is the men's room." Edric said with genuine shock as he tossed the joint into the toilet.

"Yeah and?" she sauntered past him, swinging her hips just a little too much; turned and started to head back towards the front door. "Don't have all night. Well, actually yeah I have all eternity, but...not waiting any longer. Outside now."  The two males followed, Edric grumbling the entire way. "Turn." our heroine stated flatly. "I need to see your fur," she raised her elbow, hand still in her pocket.

Edric ran his hand over his fallen mohawk leaning closer to her. "What?"

"I need to see what colour your shacking fur is. So I know what brand label to slap on you. What bloodline, clan, pack to shove you to. Understand?"

"You sired me." he replied pointing at her. "Doesn't that mean we're like joined or something?"

"Yeah it does. But, I've been chalk full...long story. Just I need to know what colour your fur is okay so hop to it. Transform into your wolf self."

"Doesn't he need the full moon for that?" Quentin asked as he headed back into the coffee shop. "Anyone want anything?"

"Get back here!" our heroine said her tone near growling. "I'm not finished with you either." she replied. Turning her attention back to Edric she gestured towards the back alley. "I'm beyond serious."  The three went behind the row of dumpsters and squeezed through the tiny alley towards the next building. There they were covered in shadows, as Edric tried to transform into a wolf. Shaking out his hands, the male rotated his neck as if he was about to into a yoga position, spreading his feet hips length apart. "Come on!" our heroine yelled at him as she began to pace first back and forth then around him in a circle. The male closed his eyes listening to the sound of her breathing as it blended with the echo of her footsteps, her heatbeat and finally the sound of her blood in her veins. That's what seemed to trigger it. That distant echo of rushing. It caused his ears to twitch then his nose as he began to sniff the air.
Before he realized it, his fangs had begun to cut through his bottom gums, his eyes having turned to the amber-grey of the wolf, his hands claw like talons. His normally smooth shaven face had about three days worth of stubble on it, his ears tiny points.

And that was it. The transformation stopped. There was no bones shifting, cracking with pain. No human cries becoming animalistic grunts as his vocal cords shortened and transformed themselves. Not much of a muzzle replaced his perfect nose. He either wouldn't turn completely or couldn't.

"What are you defective?" the female asked in disgust. "Whatever. Okay rules. Full moon, stay away from me. I mean it. The full moon causes male werewolves to go insane and force themselves on the nearest supernatural female. That means me, and any witches you might come across. But given magick is different here, I doubt the type of witches you find here would count. Rule two, we can't be too far from each other ever. Otherwise, you know how you tracked me down, yeah it's like that. We go bit insane when we're apart. That's got more to do with the banshee part than the wolfy. Rule three, don't bite anyone! Ever. got it." She nodded to the two of them, grabbing Quentin's wrist to look at his watch. "Love to stay and chat some more, but I have a date to get back for." she moved from them but only got two feet before hearing the noise.

She stopped dead cold in her tracks as the growl became louder. Turning our heroine felt it more than heard it begin. The growl turned into a full on scream. She took a step back ducking as the window to the building they were standing beside exploded beside them.  Looking over at the cause of it, she saw that Edric's eyes had gone the pure white of the banshee, his top row of fangs doubled.

"Okay...that's...unexpected." our heroine said tilting her head to the side.

"What?" Quentin screamed leaning towards her, a small trickle of blood coming down the side of his ear. "Anyone else hear that loud ringing?" 


Meanwhile...

The Seer stopped what he was doing, his head suddenly between his hands as he squinted his eyes, before squeezing them tight. His neck snapped back as his eye lids fluttered. Slowly he stood up, his movements controlled, nearly robotic as he turned towards the front door. "Why doesn't she just feed him her blood? Or the fledgling's blood? That would heal him..." he tilted his head to the side, his eyes now the amber-grey of the wolf as he stood by the window, waiting. He continued to talk to himself as he ran one hand through his short curly hair, smoothing it down. "I'm sure she won't care but I need to know." he mumbled as he ran his hand then down his body smoothing out his clothes. "I have to go now. I have to make sure the lights are on at the house...no that's not right. I have to make sure the lighthouse is on...no that's still...she's here!" His face lit up like a little kid's at christmas morning, as the door to the occult shop opened revealing Nosferatu. She had some redheaded guy's arm around her shoulders, practically carrying him, and a very angry looking male behind her. "You don't belong here." he said to the redhead following our heroine through the small room. "You're not one of us. You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be here either." he turned suddenly getting between the female banshee and the new male werewolf. "It wasn't suppose to be your turn. It was suppose to be Harker. That was my plan. I planned it that way. I brought..." he pointed to himself then brought his hands up together locking his fingers. "I brought her and the pirate together. Love spell. One of mine. So you shouldn't be here." The Seer turned just as quick back towards our heroine smiling at her. "Hi.Hi. Hi. I missed you."

"Hi babe. Rufus!" she screamed. "Rufus, we've got a problem!"

The Seer leaned over our heroine's shoulder, practically resting his chin on it. "pppsssttt. Wanna know a secret?"

"What babe?" she asked as she did her best to dump Quentin onto the sofa without knocking everything over in the shop.

"I was going to come over during the full moon but I feel asleep. Yeah, but I wasn't the only one. Huh-uh. Dagan did too. Bacchus made us sleep."   Our heroine stopped in mid-move, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Wh...what do you mean Dagan did too?"

"Yeah. He's upstairs." The Seer said too casually as he picked invisible lint off his clothes. "Rufus isn't here. He's walking the new puppy."


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. Well Holy Jay Lethal's Boots Batman...I just like saying that.)

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Night Bleeds Announcement Post

This would be your official June listing for the all vampire book and movie club.  This month's selection is  Interview with the Vampire. Both the original book from 1976 and the 1994 movie version  

Rules- watch the movie, read the book, then blog about it. If you are inspired to cook/bake/craft something from one or both, then add that to the blog post.

Deadline- Sunday June 26th 2016. 

The post must be current (month of June 2016) with a link back to this post or the Night Bleeds page. And drop me a comment letting me know you are taking part with your post link.

As always, if you are in the Thunder Bay area and would like to join the physical book club, let me know.

Friday, June 3, 2016

year 5 day 149

movie: Neighbors 2 Sorority Rising
starring:Seth Rogen, Zac Efron,
genre; Comedy
year; 2016
format; Cinema

plot: With 30 days left to sell their house, a couple find themselves the victims of bad location.

So what can I say about  this?  I think I laughed once. Just once, when the Efron character was covered in beef drippings and ran across a picnic table of steaks.

The main couple, are trying to sell their house, and are in Escrow for 30 days. During that time, the new buyers can come and go as they please, to do inspections. The day after signing the deal, the old frat house next door is rented by a group of freshmen starting their own sorority. The sorority is trying to breakdown some of the gender issues slapped on the female students, by making the house the first to be legally allowed to throw parties.

The Efron character is kicked out of his apartment by his roommate who is about to get married, and ends up going the only place he can think of, his old frat house. While there, he learns of the girls' plan and begins to help them set up the sorority, but before long he realizes what a mess he's created and begins to help his old neighbors get rid of them.

I didn't find it funny. The whole equality story would have been better set in a drama. It had moments when it reminded me of Revenge of the Nerds, like when they were selling their "pot pies" and the whole idea that the drifters were taking back their dignity. But otherwise, the duo of Efron and Rogen were wasted in this. They should team the two up for something completely different and actually use their chemistry better.

what did I learn? I had no idea what Escrow meant before watching this.  I don't care how hot the guy is, men really should never do strip teases. Ever.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

The Nosferatu Adventures s10 p12

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 260, chapter 260

Out of Time

Dagan leaned on the plastic cover of the grey machine his delicate senses twitching and echoing with each dull hum of it. This was the sixth book he'd photocopied in the last half hour, his werewolf speed doing him no good as it was the copier that controlled the moment. His patience was wearing thinner by the second.

"Da...Dag...Dagan." Matilda's soft voice fought to be heard over the rumble of the copier. "What are you doing?"

"Saving your books." he opened the plastic shielding tossing the finished book at the familiar before gathering up the pages. Which promptly slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor. "And you know, it took me more than a few tries to figure it out too. Give me a typewriter any day."

"And why might I ask were you copying these books?"

He simply pointed in the direction of The Seer. "He's working on a new one." The auburn haired male handed her the first book The Seer had been attracted to. In pieces. "He said he only needed a few of the spells, few of the pages on herbs."  Matilda cleared her throat at the sight of the destroyed book, turning to gaze at her friend and charge, who was silently sitting on the floor gluing photocopies into a small notebook. "What happens when he gets his full brain back?" Dagan asked leaning closer to her, handing her half the scattered pages he'd picked up off the floor.

"I don't know? He's never had all his memories since Loki brought him here. It's been our job to suppress Pan, and in doing so, keep most of his memories from him."

"So he's been a bucket of cauliflower for all this time?" Dagan asked suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his hand, rubbing the webbing between his thumb and finger.

"No. This didn't start till recently. When Loki first brought us over, Edward and me that is, he was himself. Mostly. Writer actually. Loki created this set of fake memories for him, a whole past even had him writing for a soap opera My Gothic Kitchen. Then one day he lost control. That's when Rufus was brought over to help. "

"Any idea what triggered it?"

"Not sure but it was about the same time Nosferatu showed up." Matilda tried to keep the hint of jealously from her voice.

Dagan grunted letting out a sigh. "You think the two of them being so close triggered it?" he felt a sudden heat burning his throat at the thought of them having such a connection.

"Yes and no. Honestly Dagan, I think it has more to do with what she brought with her than her." Matilda cast her eyes down suddenly embarrassed. The familiar turned first to step around him then stopped sidestepping back a half step positioning herself so that The Seer couldn't see her face, as she lifted up the destroyed book she was still holding.

"His Grandmother's spellbook? The banshee has it? Of course she still has it. She would have died for that thing." Dagan's own voice dropped a notch.

"It's what made the soap opera so good. His writing the spells they used, all his natural knowledge on the topic of magick. Without even realizing what he was doing." the familiar bit her lip, her eyes threatening tears. "More than once Rufus and I had to go to the studio and meddle with production because of it. The props department never had a clue that things he'd written in were the real deal." she sighed closing her eyes. "That's not all. He's got a similar book. Prized possession. I don't even think he realizes it's real worth?"

"Here?" Dagan pointed to the floor his own blue eyes wide. Matilda nodded gesturing for the shapeshifter to follow her. They crept up the stairs to the second floor bedroom. Closing the door behind her, her hands shaking as she did, the familiar caught the hem of her long skirt in the door for a second. Distracted by needing to free the material, she prayed Dagan hadn't noticed. Crossing a few feet she opened the doors to her closet having to climb up on a chair to reach the back of the top shelf. Carefully she unwrapped the large piece of green velvet-ish material showing Dagan the book.

"I hid it when we brought him here the other day after Nosferatu broke him out of his apartment. This book..." she put her hand on it fingers spread. The werewolf 's whole face twitched as he leaned his ear closer.

"It's humming." he interrupted her.

"It's really powerful. I think, no I know for a fact, this is one of the pieces from the broken book."

"Broken book?"

"His Grandmother's is part of it. There were stories back in the Darkest Forest about a book that had belonged to a god, or demon or something. It was destroyed, split, ripped up. Scattered around by knights. I'm fuzzy on the details, I was a timber wolf still when I heard the stories."

"And one of those ended up here?" he placed his hand just an inch above her's nearly afraid to touch the book's cover. He didn't need to be a witch himself to feel the heat coming off the thing. "So we patch it up with some duct tape and..."

"No!" she nearly screamed, her eyes wide. "That would be dangerous. No, we have to keep it separated from the rest of it. If the book Nosferatu has with her, Grandmother's book, comes too close to this one, there's no telling what could happen. Power like that would be a beacon to...to...to..." she shook her head wrapping it back up returning it to its hiding place.


Meanwhile...

2024
The Darkest Forest

Kendra raised the small jar swirling it around waiting to see what colour the child's blood turned. Sighing, the witch put the jar back down on the wooden table with a hard thug before making a clicking sound with her teeth. "Well, you're right to be worried. The child is ill, only it's not medical." she moved around the room slowly one hand now at her hip. Tilting her head to the side, her dreadlocks brushed the shoulder of the cream coloured blouse she was wearing.  "This is what you get for mixing a Banshee with a mystical god." she moved her hand from her hip waving it around wildly. "All sorts of nonsense. And that's not even the worst of it." she turned her back again to Finn as she started to remove the shells and bones from a small selection of more jars. "It's the curse."

"Curse?" the familiar asked having dropped his thumb from his mouth where he'd been biting it.

Kendra nodded. "Hum-hm. Curse. That William you've got there. He was conceived by magick right? Loki pulled a piece of the soul from a werewolf and jammed it into that banshee am I right?"  Finn nodded grunting. "Huh. Right. That banshee that was mated first to one of those Frankenstein boys, had been pumped full of Victor's blood. Oh yeah, I know all about what that Doctor Victor's been doing all these years. Shame. There's nothing to do about this. Unless..."

"Unless? Unless what?" Finn asked suddenly feeling responsible for the kid.

She let out another deep sigh as she continued to mix ingredients into a pot. "Told you it's the Frankenstein family curse. Only two children a generation." she chuckled to herself. "Loki wanted to repopulate his lycanthropes. He tricked himself on this one. Every new one he...creates, uncreates the one before it."

"So you're saying..." Finn waved his arms around in a pretzel formation. "...that Nosferatu..."

"Not winning any mother of the year awards." 


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. Yeah digging into the vaults to past seasons for some loose ends...s8 p19 if you want to refresh your memories)

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

year 5 day 148

movie: Grandma
starring: Lily Tomlin, Sam Elliot
genre; Drama, Comedy
year: 2015
format: Netflix Canada

plot: When a teenaged girl shows up on her grandmother's door asking for money, the two spend the day going across L.A. trying to collect old debts.

This was a cute film, that was suppose to pack a punch. I thought it worked as a comedic tour for Tomlin, but didn't get much of the buddy film-ness it was suppose to give.

We see the Tomlin character, grieving over the loss of her former wife, and thus forcing her current girlfriend to break up with her. When only hours later, her granddaughter shows up pregnant, asking for cash for an abortion, we're taken through a citywide day trip while they revisit the grandmother's lost friends/lovers.
There is a scene where they end up at the house of the baby's father, and he gets beat up by the Tomlin character. This is sort of balanced by the grandmother going to her ex-husband's house. Both women have to face the men who broke their hearts, neither handling it very well. But their biggest fear is actually having to tell the girl's mother that she is about to have the abortion. Both grandmother and granddaughter, seem to be terrified of the over worked career woman.

The generation gap is expressed fully in this one. From the point of view of the hippy grandmother, to the corporate single mother, down to the drifter granddaughter.

what did I learn? I know this was a women's rights type of film, but I think it could have done better if it let go of the message it held in it's hand so tightly, and had either been a straight up comedy or a straight up drama. It just seemed to loose something in translation.