Food n Flix October (Hallowe'en Week 6)

Spudguns! it's been a few months since I last joined in the group, and I couldn't think of a spiffier way to cap off Hallowe'en Week this year then doing a little treat based on a movie of tricks.  The Food'n'Flix selection this month is Beetlejuice, and it's being hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

plot:  When a couple are killed in an accident, the find themselves stuck in their old house as ghosts with a new family. After many attempts to rid themselves and what they consider to still be their home, of the unconventional modern family, they hire a so called expert to help. The self proclaimed bio-exorcist offers them not only a free possession with every expulsion, but his help comes at a price. He wants to be able to keep his human form, and not be confined to the afterlife. Soon, the ghostly couple find that they have more than just the uber modern family to get rid of.

I do believe I've chatted about this movie back in year one of the blog. (I know I did, I'm just too lazy to search for the post)

Notes:  milk(the model truck) juice, wine, bread, garlic, coffee (mentioned) beer, chicken (wall decoration) apples, rum and bananas (the song) bottled water, Chinese food (Cantonese actually I think is what they said?) pop, tea, soy sauce, cow, chocolate bar, onions, lettuce, turnip, chives, tomato, radicchio, herbs, artichoke, green peppers, salad dressing, jam, spices, oil, ginger, fruit, peas (mentioned) Italian food (mentioned) shrimp cocktails with sauce, lemons, limes, ice, olives, martinis. 

I would love to say I had this great out of the box idea for this, but that would be a lie. It sort of stumped me, (I think that I've hit a food creative wall lately)   One of my favourite scenes actually has nothing to do with the main cast, but with the sidekick Otho during the ending of the seance; where he's stripped of his dark cool looking suit and ends up in the powder blue nightmare 70's one. And I desperately was trying to come up with something for it. Sadly, my creative food writers block got bigger.

But, as I was staring at the screen giving myself an ego attack, I thought about the blood red wedding dress Lydia gets "stuffed" into against her will. And I had it! So simple it hurts, but I made a really easy Stuffed Red Pepper.

I started with a basic mushroom fried rice.

Cooked the rice, added some chopped mushrooms, green onion, and a fried egg.
Mixed it together with a splash of oil and pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a splash of hot sauce.

I then gutted the pepper, stuffing it with the mixture and baking it for 20 minutes at 300degrees.

Sadly, I don't have a spiffy cute name for it (my creativity is suffering)  Don't forget to join in next month when the movie de jour will be Burnt, which is being hosted by Caroline at Caroline Makes. 

Hallowe'en Week p5 (night bleeds)

So this is day 5 of the blog's Hallowe'en week, and it happens to be the monthly vampire book/movie club day.  And I have a confession to make...I did not finish reading the book. I know, I'm the host to book club, but I failed to do my own homework before hand, and did not realize the book is 700 pages long. When I added it to the list, I thought it was one of Stephen King's shorter novellas.  So I ran out of time, and never finished the book half of the combo this month.

I did however, get around to Fright Night, and decided to give you a "what that movie inspired me to do" dish to soften the blow of no book half... The combo was suppose to be that of the neighbourhood being taken over by a vampire and no one believing the one person who knew.

What I am going to do, since I never officially listed anything for next month's combo, I'm going to extend this month's into next, and offer the choice of doing the originally planned combo of the book Frankenstein, and the 1994 movie version Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.( starring Kenneth Branagh and Robert De Niro)  So if you want to join in next month's Night Bleeds, it's a choice of Fright Night/Salem's Lot  or Frankenstein.   And since I've only got myself to blame for not finishing my homework...I'll be covering both.

Fright Night (1985):  Charlie Brewster is obsessed with vampires. When he spots the new neighbours moving a coffin in next door, he becomes obsessed with proving there is a vampire living there. When he goes to the police, telling them about the murdered prostitutes last being seen at the neighbour's, no one believes him. Turning to his local hero, a late night horror host Peter Vincent, Charlie finds himself in a battle for not just his own soul, but that of those closest to him.

The key elements in this movie are belief, respect, loyalty, courage, desperation and obsession.  This is probably the best bridge between the way horror movies had been and the direction they turned in the late 80's going forward. The vampire movies started to turn from the point of view of the hunters to that of the vampires, not too mention, the vampires went from being the village terrors to becoming slick, sexy, desirable ideals. The scenes with the character of Peter Vincent, do play out more like the classic vampire movies, with him having to prove that the vampire is indeed a supernatural creature. As well, as fighting off the Renfield character of Evil Ed. The apartment Peter Vincent (classic combo name of Vincent Price and Peter Cushing) is decorated to remind you of the old Hammer style films, as there were always garlic and crosses prominent throughout the "old inns, churches, castles".  The big theme in those old style films, was always having to save the soul of the virginal girls, which in itself was a metaphor for losing your virginity and becoming "an adult". We see this played out in the character of Amy. When the movie opens, we see her ready to give herself to Charlie, who's distracted by his "childish obsession" with vampires as he sees the neighbours move in with a coffin. Amy, later in the infamously cool dance club scene, is in turn seduced by the older man, and turned into a vampire. The dance scene in itself is very erotic and more than suggestive to the idea that she has "lost her virginity" to him. When we next see her, she's dressed similar to the "brides" in most classic vampire movies, and it's once again Peter Vincent who raises a cross shying her away.
There's a great line midway in the film, where the vampire Jerry Dandrige tells Peter Vincent that in order for the cross to work on him, Vincent needs to have faith in it. Lending to the idea, that because of him being an actor, he's lost all faith in anything other than the material. This line is repeated later on near the end, when Vincent does in fact hold Jerry Dandrige back for a few moments with the cross. I have to point out, that both Evil Ed and Amy are easily affected by the simple sight of the cross, implying one of two things; either because they are fledglings and therefore weaker, the cross has a lot of power over them; or their own faith and belief in the image of the cross is what causes them to buckle. Suggesting highly that the power of suggestion is greater than the sword. (you can also argue on a third idea, that because Dandrige is such an old creature, the Christian god has no power over him as he predates Christianity/has other religious beliefs)
The opening scene, also shows us a thin line between obsession and desires or even that of basic needs. As Charlie is easily distracted by what's going on outside of his window, ignoring his girlfriend. Sex becomes less a need for him as he lets himself become engulfed with his obsessions. We also have a vampire movie playing in the background of the opening scene, with "Mr. Peter Vincent the Great Vampire Hunter" who is shown holding his stake backwards as he begins to kill a vamp. This again gives to the idea of not paying attention to your surroundings, and not paying attention to the situation at hand. It goes on to lend to the idea that your personal heroes are fallible. In the end of it all, the cowardly "movie hero" Peter Vincent, turns out to be the real hero of the plot, as he's the one who kills the vampires. He does this because he's left with no choice not because he's brave and strong. His desperation is foreshadowed when he takes the kid's money to help Charlie to begin with because he's beyond broke. And again this shows you how he's lost faith in anything that isn't of the material world.

I have a recipe...there is a bit more food than you would have first thought, mostly in the first half of the film. From casseroles, to burgers, chips, sloppy joes, fruit, beer, fries, pop, and a few drinks at the dance club.   Because we see the character of Jerry Dandrige eating apples more than a few times, I thought I'd make an Apple Brown Betty.

Slice up 3 to 6 large apples, placing them on the bottom of a pie dish, if you'd like you can add a light sprinkle of lemon juice to them to keep them from turning brown while you proceed,

Sprinkle both  2 teaspoons white sugar and cinnamon on them. You may add a pinch of nutmeg if you wish.

mix together 4 tablespoons butter, 2/3 cup of brown sugar and 8 tablespoons flour into a crumbled mixture, spreading over the top.
Bake roughly 45 minutes at 350degrees depending on your oven.

I know, so simple it hurts right?

I know my essay sort of blows this time around too. I've got bit more I want to say on Fright Night, which I will try to cover when I do the second part of this next month. I just didn't realize the book Salem's Lot was as long as it is, and just didn't allow myself enough time to get through it.

As I said, I'll extend this month's book club/movie combo to the end of November, and let anyone who wants to join in have a choice between it and Frankenstein. More on that later in the week with the official post.

Don't forget to check out Heather's offerings over on All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, this month, (here) she actually did the homework.

year 5 day 178 Hallowe'en Week p4

movie: Byzantium
starring: Gemma Arterton, Johnny Lee Miller
genre: Thriller, Crime
year: 2012
format: DVD

plot: When a young girl decides she's had enough of the life she's been living on the run with her prostitute mother, she finds herself admitting to her new boyfriend that she is in fact a 200 year old vampire, who's been running with her vampire mother from a group known as the Brotherhood.

Based on the stage play  The Vampire's Story

This started off as a brilliant movie. You've got two lonely women who are on the run from some horrible group of bad guys, the mother self absorbed Clara, with getting them a decent "trick" and the daughter  Eleanor gloomily fed up. Then we start getting into their back story, as they end up right where they had started 200 years before, in this sleepy little coastal town.  The mother pretends that she has no idea where they are, and that they have never been there before, while the daughter has a photographic memory, and details their lives before becoming vampires.

The idea here, is the mother was barely a teenager when she was first spotted by a military captain, who rapes her leaving her in a whorehouse saying he's given her- her future employment as a prostitute. She ends up pregnant as a teenager and hands her baby over to a convent. Few years later, dieing of consumption, Clara becomes a vampire. Secretly watching over her daughter, she's sent into a rage when she learns that the same man who raped her, has done the same to Eleanor, she kills him then turns her own daughter into a vampire as well. This puts them on the radar of the Brotherhood, a sect of all male vampires who's number one rule is that any female vampires may not sire another.

It's never officially stated, but you do get the impression that the captain is the girl's father; as the narration at one spot says "of all the harlots he created she was his favourite"  referring to the mother and through a few scenes, we learn that they had a mildly respectful relationship that lasted over a few years.

I found the ending to be a bit of a let down, as they end up picking different lives for themselves. This was done by the same director who did Interview with the Vampire, and there are moments when you can't help but think of the direct story between Lestat and Louis. Not too mention, with the captain Ruthven, and his best friend Darvell, has all the markings of the main characters from Dr. John Polidori's  Vampyre. (Ruthven is the main vampire in Polidori's legendary story)

what did I learn? This is a metaphor for what women have had to live through for the last few hundred years in order to gain their independence.

year 5 day 177 Hallowe'en Week p3

movie: Blade 2 Bloodhunt
starring: Wesley Snipes, Norman Reedus
genre: Action, Horror
year: 2002
format: DVD

plot: Blade has been hunting the vampires who kidnapped and turned his best friend and mentor, Whistler with the help of a new weapons expert named Scud. It takes them two years to find him, saving him just as a new threat appears on the scene. The pureblood vampires search the group out, needing their help to stop an new breed of vampire. One that not only feeds on their own, but turns them into Reapers. Reapers have a higher metabolism from normal vampires, and are unable to control their bloodlust, therefore having to feed every single day. When the group learn who's actually behind it all, a new level of trust sees the light of day.

Well, it's a sequel, so you know what that means...bigger bad guys, more explosions, and three times the blood.
This sort of became a trend in the last decade, the idea of vampires playing mad scientist or having a natural mutation. (Underworld, Daybreakers, Reign of Darkness, Red Blooded American Girl) And the whole thing of enemies working together against a bigger enemy.

This is pretty much a big shoot'em up film, with some witty banter between Snipes and Ron Pearlman, who plays the "leader" of the vampire soldiers called the Blood Pack. Most of the "rules" laid out in the first film regarding the houses is bypassed, in favour of just running around in the sewers shooting everything that moves. The timeframe this was shot leads you to see just where the goth subculture was really becoming used by mainstream television/movies as an blendable tool. From the costume design to the lighting, which in this case had a lot of earthy tones; compared to the first film which catered to stark neutrals (black, white, silver)  I get caught up in the look of this movie apposed to the plot every time I watch it.

I do like the idea that the vampires have to admit in this, they aren't the all infallible creatures they are hyped to be in the original. There is just something about stories where the scary creatures are scared of something.

what did I learn: Dude, how can you not love a guy who calls himself Scud?

Hallowe'en week 2016 p2

Day Two 

What that movie inspired me to do

I think I mentioned once back in year one when I covered Edward Scissorhands, that it was one of the lest interesting Johnny Depp films for me. I know, a lot of people are gasping and fainting from hearing me say that, but it's true. But, this movie has been plaguing me for the last few months. (it's been on tv a lot the last month) Too the point, I couldn't get the family bbq scene out of my head. I wanted to do a version of the ambrosia salad that is shown, but try as I might, and I've tried a few failed times, I just can't seem to get the vegan marshmallows to work.  So instead, I dug deep into the recipe box and decided to make a Vegetable Alfredo dish. The recipe originally called for chicken, but I used tofu instead.

I used extra firm tofu, drained and just broken up into smaller chunks, frying it in a pan with salt.  Yes, salt.(tofu has zero taste on it's own if you've never used it)  Turn it every few minutes, like you would if you were pan frying chicken, adding a bit of water when needed.

While that's cooking, you can made a simple Alfredo sauce with flour, butter, cheese, ground black pepper and milk.  I used almond milk and a bit of water.  The cheese was lactose free vegetarian gouda.

I went a head and chopped up half an onion, half a red pepper, 1 cup of cauliflower, 1/2 cup green beans, 1 cup broccoli.
Steam the cauliflower, beans and broccoli, then toss with the raw onion and red pepper. 

Cook desired amount of  fettuccine to package instructions, drain and toss with vegetables. Add the tofu tossing it as well, then pour the alfredo sauce into the mix. Make sure it coats everything.

This sort of reminded me of the hair-do, the character of Edward has, and the bits of red; the cuts he makes by accident all the time, as well as the green hinting at the gardening he does through out.  Not only is this a super easy recipe, you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand.
 

Of course I have a copy, it is a version of Frankenstein after all...

Hallowe'en week 2016

Spudguns! It is I, your heroine, and heroin, Ardeth Blood, aka Nosferatu, aka ...I'm too lazy to type out the whole gimmick. And this would be day one of the Hallowe'en week.  Please don't be too mad with me, but this week sort of turned into an epic fail.  The amount of  "what that movie inspired me to do" posts I had originally in mind, just didn't come together.  I can say there will be at lest two recipes this week, and a handful of movie reviews. And of course, next week we've got Night Bleeds so...Anyways, on with the show...

Day One

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do The Time Warp Again (2016)

By now, everyone and their dog's grandmother has seen the remake that aired on tv few days ago. And if you've read any of my stuff over the years, you know how much of a fan I am of the original. So of course, I was glued to the tv set the other night when it came on. But dude, I got to say, it blew dog backwards.

The costumes were amazing, and casting Laverne Cox as the lead Frank'n'Furter; brilliant.  And then the rest was all down hill.  So I'm old, and didn't recognize anyone of the main cast, which is fine as it was geared for a younger audience. I was sort of sad to see Tim Curry was just a bit player as the Criminologist/Narrator.  And I get that the songs were changed enough to fit the times as well as the actors singing abilities, but...I was just so disappointed by the overall of it.

I'm one of those rare people who actually likes the original for the movie not for the fan interaction. (I really hate the whole party thing of it) Okay, so I'm the only one on the planet who enjoys the original for being a cheesy 1970's movie based on Frankenstein and B-drive-in films of the 50's/60's.  I think one of the main things that made the original so worthy was that it played on the metaphors while poking fun at the way things were produced in those horror/sci-fi/musicals of the 40's/50's/60's.  This remake, just slapped it in your face without really getting it.
One thing I didn't understand about the way the remake was handled, they allowed some fairly gratuitous groping, while completely taking out the "hint" of the incestuous storyline between Riff-Raff and Magenta. Really? It's one line and a kiss; but by removing that a whole set of taboos were removed. Isn't that part of what made the original what it was? The hinted at undertones of taboos (the god-factor of creating a new species, the bisexuality of the characters, the incestuous relationships, the addiction of lust/drugs, the cult like mind control Frank'n'Furter has over everyone, cannibalism) was where the original pulled it's strongest punches, and sadly, where the remake fell off it's high heels.

The ending scene, where Riff-Raff and Magenta arrive "transformed" into their space suits, made me groan too, as seeing the token Bride of Frankenstein hair-do gone for a bunch of silver balls, just felt like another slap in the face. I felt as if the actual Frankenstein plot of a man creating life on his own out of the dead, was shoved under the sexual pride of it.

With all that said, I would like to see what they would have done with the sequel, Shock Treatment? That's something that might have worked better with an update for modern fans.

The Nosferatu Adventures s11 p14

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 288, chapter 288

Out of Time...

"So let me get this straight." Edric said as he tossed the room key down on the little table. "You're a Frankenstein, cause of Dagan having been your mate. A Blacksmith, because of Reuben claiming you. Frankenstein again, Oaken because of sharing a soul with Rolf, Blacksmith again, Oaken again because of one of the lycanthropes during the 1400's, a Dracula from marrying Vlad..." he shook his head in a double take his mouth forming a tight 'o '.  "No wonder you willing had your soul removed." he opened the little grocery bag they had with them, taking out a small box of cookies.  Our heroine moved across the hotel room, wrapped in a large sweater. The scent clung to her mind, informing the banshee it belonged to Seward. They had found it draped over the back seat of Ruthven's car. "I thought you said that taking a mate was for life?"

"It is. Dagan actually died once, actual death. That caused Reuben to claim me. But Loki brought him back from the dead. That sort of undid Reuben's claim on me the first time." our heroine remarked without any emotion in her voice. "Sun is setting. Are you sure this is what you want?"

The sandy-blonde male crunched on a mouthful of the chocolate cookies, brushing the crumbs off his hands before reaching for one of the pop bottles that was poking out of the grocery bag. Downing two large gulps, he nodded. "You make it sound like a death sentence."

"Trust me, come sunrise you will think it is." her voice dropped forcing the hybrid to strain his sensitive ears.

"I can't claim you." he stated firmly his hands now at his hips. "You've said it, Bacchus said it." he gestured towards the door. "So it should work. It should be just enough of a distraction to keep me from being effected by the full moon ritual."

"If the sire bond is strong enough. If not...then you will be pulled back across town. Where Dagan and Matilda are. And you really would have wasted your time." she paced slowly back through the room inspecting the bathroom. "Not too mention your dignity." she mumbled.

"How do we know that they haven't..."

"They haven't. The ritual literally gets cut off cold when an alpha has claimed a mate and leadership of the pack. You would feel it. Reuben described it as electric wires and heat coursing through him."

"Weren't you pack alpha once?"

"Only for a short time, but it was different for me, because it was when I was pregnant with Loki's first heir. He's the one who actually got the alpha position. The second I gave birth the power left me. I had to fight Jarl for it. But anyways..." she let out a deep sigh running her hands through her short spiked hair. Sitting down on the bed, our heroine pulled her hands deep into the sleeves of the sweater, her nose buried in the cuff. Focusing on Seward's scent, she tried not to think about what would happen if Edric's plan failed.  The bed bounced as the hybrid flopped down beside her, his legs crossed, hands behind his skull. Our heroine glared at him unable to keep from smiling. "You're actually acting like you're on vacation or something. Like you are enjoying yourself."

"I get to one up Dagan. Of course I'm enjoying myself!" he shrugged. The bedside phone started to ring suddenly. "Um." Edric made a popping sound with his mouth. "Did you tell anyone we're here?"

"How could I? We didn't know we were coming here till you literally swerved into the parking lot at warp speed."

"Answer it." he nodded towards the chunky black telephone. Leaning over the female picked up the heavy receiver just as Edric slapped her thigh.

"Hello...yes this is...no I wasn't...thank you." she hung up. "We've got a problem." she started to laugh. "Um...Dagan and Vlad are in the hotel lobby."

"What?" the hybrid was off the bed and out the room door before our heroine could reply. "No! No! You know what? No!" Edric said coming back down the hall towards her, grabbing the door about to close it, then turned around stomped back in grabbing the room key. "Lock it! Lock the shacking door and windows!" he pointed at her then towards the wall before grabbing his sire by the neck planting a rough kiss on her. There was no emotion in it, the action was nothing more than Edric marking his territory, as his scent and saliva were all over her.

"Great." she said to the now locked door. "They're going to fight and I'm going to lose them all." she leaned her shoulders against the heavy wooden door. "Widowed divorced and abandoned in one fail swoop."

The auburn haired male wolf was leaning over the check in counter, his nails tapping on the smooth surface as they waited. He'd magick misted himself a black t-shirt, which seemed even more painted on than it really was. His blue eyes sparkling in the low humming lights. Vlad stood beside him, his hands clasped behind his back as he studied the photos on the lobby wall. Storming towards them, Edric demanded to know what they were doing there?

"It's nap time. Matilda and Rufus are back at the occult shop waiting with a big batch of sleeping potion for us. So come on." Dagan replied hooking his thumb over his shoulder.  Edric snorted.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." he glared at the older wolf. "Either of you." he pointed then towards Vlad. "I don't trust you two. I go out there into the parking lot and you will knock me over the skull with a crowbar if I'm lucky. Rip out my throat or something. No."

"We didn't sniff you out for you to argue. We don't have much time. Let's go."

The hybrid ducked his chin, pressing his lips together as he realized they didn't know about Nosferatu having removed her soul. If they did, they wouldn't have wasted their time trying to find him and keep him from claiming her. Edric still had the upper hand in the situation. His plan could still work, if he could just get them to leave. There was no way he was going back with them, no way he was going to be anywhere near Matilda when the ritual kicked in. "I'm not leaving her. Not before the moon rises."

"May I remind you, she is still my wife." Vlad said under his breath.

"Not for the last six hundred years." Edric answered. "She's here with me. That right there should tell you both something."

The three males turned almost in unison as the air around them shifted. Our heroine was standing suddenly a few feet behind Edric. "He's right you know. I'm here with him." she replied her right hand on the wall. She didn't want to get too close to Dagan, didn't want the werewolf to smell her too closely. She would smell different to him in a half a heartbeat.

"I'm not bowing down to him!" Dagan spat the words pointing at Edric.

"I didn't say you had to." our heroine commented never once breaking eye contact with her own sire. The auburn haired male shoved his hand through his hair slicking it back before rotating his shoulder, cracking his neck as if about to fight. The female smiled to herself. "I didn't say he'd be becoming the alpha. I just said, he's my choice." she reached for Edric's arm, forcing the younger male to stumble back a step. "Leave. Both of you before it becomes...please just go home."  Edric moved down the hallway back to their room, walking backwards the whole way never taking his eyes off of the older wolf. Our heroine dragging him, trying to keep her own emotions under control. Edric let out a short breath as he locked the hotel room door, his back and shoulders pressed against it. The look on his face was somewhere between relief and annoyance. His eyes were cast down, his jaw clinched as he began to tap his one hand on his knee. Our heroine was centimeters from him, holding her breath.

"Sire bond or no, he still gets under your skin huh?"

"For what it's worth."

"Hey, look at me please. Hi right here." he cradled her chin forcing her to look him in the eye. "I'm not going anywhere." he said smiling, his blue eyes sparkling. "There's nowhere to go. The sire bond has seen to that. It doesn't matter if you're mated to..." the hybrid clutched his stomach grunting.

"Damn!" the female said her delicate hands cradling either side of his face. "It's started and there is no way they have gotten back to the occult shop. I'm sure they haven't even left the parking lot. Shack!" she watched in horror as her fledgling doubled over in pain, his eyes having turned the amber-grey of the wolf, his fangs having broken through. Thick dark ropes of saliva dripped from the edges of his mouth, his hands taloned claws. He whimpered, trying to form a sentence but a strangled scream came out instead. Biting down on her wrist she forced him to drink. Edric's eyes were wet with tears of pain and frustration as he gnawed roughly at her flesh. Pushing her from him, he fell to the floor, his body convulsing, his vocal cords refusing to let anything but wet slick guttural noises escape.  Nosferatu's senses were in overdrive as she heard the low growl of the other wolf outside the window. Dagan had turned fully and was stalking his prey. "Oh this is going to hurt."  our heroine said as she fell beside her fledgling, one knee pressing down nearly all her weight onto his chest, as she grabbed him by the hair. Ripping a chunk out of his throat, she let him bleed for a moment.  The convulsions stopped. Edric's limbs began to relax, as the male was able to breathe through the pain.
The sandy-blonde male lay on the floor both hands over his face as he tried to will himself back to human form. It was no good. He was stuck in his version of a transformation, his mind thinking of nothing but the blood coloured corners of his vision. His ears were ringing with the echos of the other wolf still prowling just outside their room window. His scent heavy in the air. Edric's nose burned. Burned with the scent of the other male, burned with the scent of his own blood as it began to coagulate under him. Burned with the scent of his sire, who's blood sat thick on his tongue. The hybrid saw his sire leaning over him again, her lips moving but he wasn't able to pick out the words. She was asking him to do something, only it seemed her voice was underwater. She grabbed him by the shoulders pressing her nails into his flesh, the nerves refusing to register the sensation. He nodded without realizing what he was agreeing to, still trying to focus on her voiceless lips.  His own once again finding the edge of her wrist as he felt the weight of her arm crashing into his teeth. Then the pain stopped. His ears stopped ringing, his senses all rushing back to him in the same heartbeat. Edric realized that Dagan had left the area, the full moon ritual pulling the other male away from them finally. He had avoided the confrontation that our heroine had feared for him.  Craning his neck, the male looked over his own chest towards his sire. She was still kneeling beside him, her arm smeared with blood and saliva. Moving from him she stepped over the confused fledgling, walking into the bathroom."I'm covered in dog drool. I'm taking a shower."

"That wasn't so evil." Edric said managing to make it to lean on his elbows, his breath still laboured. His eyes went wide and he forced himself up to his feet pushing past our heroine, barely making it to the bathroom. The male threw up twice before falling back to the floor.

"I think you need the shower more than I do." Nosferatu commented tossing the towel and soap at him.

"So that's it? That's what all the horrible fears have been about?"

"Sort of. I've never seen it end this easy. There is usually a lot more blood and fur and dead wolves. Also, first time I haven't been pinned to a tree by a naked werewolf. So can't say for sure. How do you feel? Like other than the vomiting? Any bolts of lightening driven through your spine, or your brains on fire?"  Edric whispered no as he scratched his ear. "Huh. Then I am guessing Dagan hasn't found Matilda yet?"


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. 2 out of 3 falls...)

The Nosferatu Adventures s11 p13

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 287, chapter 287

Out of Time...

"What?" Edric said screwing up his nose. He moved from our heroine, kneeling on the bed still wearing his jeans. "You're killing me here. You know that right? Like seriously."  his voice dropped to a hush.  He was across the room his one hand in his hair, as he began to pace around. Twenty minutes before, they had been standing outside Edric convincing our heroine that he had been waiting for someone like her. Fifteen minutes before they were kissing and laughing, the tension between them finally broken. Ten minutes before, they had locked the doors to the building and made sure they were completely alone. Now the hybrid found himself walking in circles in the warehouse, shaking his head his eyes the pure white of the banshee. He didn't believe it, couldn't believe what she'd just suggested. he looked at her still laying on the bed, wearing only the oversized t-shirt. Running his hands through his hair the sandy-blonde male caught the sun slide behind the edge of the roof. Another couple of hours and none of it would matter. He was quickly loosing his handle on the situation.

She sighed as she got up from the bed, walking across the length of the building grabbing the coffeemaker. "I mean, really. We're not exactly in high school here." she mumbled scratching at her naked thigh under the hem of the t-shirt.

He gestured to the bed scratching his own thigh, mimicking her without realizing it. No one had ever questioned his sincerity when he'd suggested wasting a few hours. Then again, the stakes had never been this high. Edric wasn't used to being turned down by anyone. The sandy-blonde male was used to being the center of attention, with people offering him whatever it took to be able to sleep with him. But his sire wasn't taking his word for granted.

She began to hunt for a clean coffee mug. "You figure all you have to do is say all the right things and..."

"It wasn't just talk! I honestly meant it!" his voice rose in frustration, saliva sticking to his lips as he began to feel his spine tighten, and a ticking sound echoing in his brain. It would be dusk before they knew it.

"Then I'm sure you will mean it in twelve hours. After the full moon is set and the sun is up again." our heroine managed to sound both uninterested and flirty at the same time.

"The sad part is, I actually will." he all but jumped in place like a spoiled teenager his temper getting the better of him. "But in the meantime..."

Clearing her throat the banshee gave up her search for a mug and crossed back to where he was standing. Raising her arm to him so that her wrist was just under his nose she shrugged. "In the meantime." Snarling the male grabbed her wrist ripping into it, his right arm around her waist, his hand on the small of her back as he drank; holding her in place. Pulling his teeth from her flesh, Edric threw his head back, his eyes clouded; the amber-grey of the wolf flashing for the briefest second before returning to the pure white of the banshee. Dragging our heroine towards the bed, he brought his own arm up to her lips. Biting down hard on his shoulder, the circuit continued. "Oh! You weren't completely lying, were you?" she said as she found herself pressed tight against him.

"You change your mind then?" he asked wiping the blood from the edge of her mouth, licking his thumb. Gasping for air as the anger began to subside, he sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her with him.

"Not for a second. Come on, you really think I'm going to buy that? Huh?" she was sitting half on his lap. "Please. Don't think I don't know that you've been plotting and scheming all afternoon." she wrapped her arms around his neck once again unable to tear herself from his stare. "I just don't get what you think it will accomplish? You know right now Dagan is staying with Matilda and Rufus. The second the full moon rises both yourself and him will be like rapid dogs. Both will make a b-line for her. And unless they sedate him..."

"You said yourself. There isn't enough lycanthropes here in this reality for a pack. So while Dagan is under the influence of the full moon with Matilda; I'll be here with you." he kissed her shoulder as the thin shirt she was wearing once again fell down exposing it. The taste of her blood still tingling on his tongue causing him to repeatedly lick his lips.

"What part of this do you not understand? You can't claim me. No soul. Which means, even if there were enough for a pack, you can not become alpha. Not like that. Dagan will have a better chance because he will have claimed her."  our heroine's eyes became slits as she saw the grin spreading into Edric's eyes. "He'll have claimed her. She'll be his mate. For the rest of their lives. Oh you rat bastard."  The male hybrid tossed his sire down pinning her to the bed.

"And if my theory is right. Even if I can't claim you, the sire bond should be strong enough to counteract the full moon. If we are already..."

"Shacking and feeding." she replied. The male raised an eyebrow at her. "What? That's your plan isn't it?"

"You put it so delicately. Now, if we are already..."

"Ahead of the thing getting something straight between us." our heroine said without any emotions.

"You are going to be like this all night aren't you? One big dirty joke after another." Edric shook his head his eyes closed, chin down. "Unbelievable."

"You started it. Besides, not even dusk yet." she was trailing her fingertips through the smattering of hair on his chest.

"What'ya doing there?" he couldn't hold the grin back as our heroine shrugged. Echoing her, Edric shrugged as well, a slight awkwardness slipped over him, as he realized he was about to lose control of the situation. "But it should work." it was a statement not a question as the male shifted position once again kneeling; this time one knee on either side of Nosferatu, hovering on her thighs. "If Dagan claims Matilda as his mate, then come next full moon, we're all safe. The full moon shouldn't effect any of us again. And without your soul, it's just us wasting a few hours. Right." he nodded answering himself. "But the sire bond will need to be strengthened. Which means..." he grabbed her left hand, chomping down again on the soft underbelly of her elbow, swallowing a few heavy mouthfuls of her blood before ripping his own arm open for her.

"You're going to hate yourself come sunrise." she whispered holding his arm away from her, watching the wound heal. The sandy-blonde male saw a sadness creep into his sire's hazel eyes.

"No I'm really not." he replied. "I've meant every word I've said to you. I'm more than cool with us. You were right when you said the sire bond trumps everything." he ducked his face half laughing. "There is really no point trying to fight it. If my options are giving in to it, or shacking a familiar who used to be a timber wolf, or taking a human mate and pretending to be something I'm not; then..." he shrugged again causing the bed to shake. "I'd rather be with you."

"You're right, you're not going to hate yourself, you're going to hate me come sunrise. But, lest you're not trying to dress it up and say it's anything other than it is." our heroine said grabbing Edric's wrist bringing it to her mouth. "Bottoms up."

"Besides." he groaned as he felt the rush of his own blood being drained from him. "It would be extremely awkward having claimed someone else, and having to live next door to you anyways. The sire bond doesn't give much wiggle room for moving off campus." he bent his face to the mattress, slamming his free hand into it, before gripping the edge. His mind was becoming sharper with every rotation of the blood sharing. His veins singing with the infusions of her blood. Edric's breathing became laboured as he rocked back, the pressure on his arm released.

"No, no it does not." she sniffed, the blood forcing her to close her eyes relaxing into the mindlessness of the moment. A delicious heat spreading down her spine as her mind filled with colourful bursts.  Our heroine then felt herself being lifted off the bed suddenly and shook.

"What the hell?" Edric's voice was pinched. "Did you just fall asleep on me?"  he was leaning over her, balancing on his one elbow.

"What?" she opened her eyes the rainbows fading behind her eyelids. "Not...not...no."

"What was I just saying then?" he jutted out his chin, his hand slapping his thigh. Our heroine squinted wondering exactly when the fledgling had gotten totally naked?

"You were talking about not hating yourself in the morning."

"Fifteen minutes ago. You did fall asleep on me." the hybrid magick misted a pair of shorts as he moved from the bed. It was his turn this time to wander towards the coffee maker, checking to see if there was any in the little filter. "Unbelievable." he swore to himself as he dragged his thumb across his eyes. "I've dealt with a lot of bad..." he gestured towards the bed. "but someone falling asleep on me..." he tossed the sentence over his shoulder not bothering to look at her. "I didn't realize I was such a bore." he continued on his little rant as he hit the on switch, waiting for the hot water to hit the little mountain of grinds. The scent of the fresh brewed coffee hit the air, tickling his very sensitive nose; allowing him to take a deep breath clearing some of the cobwebs. Edric could have stood there all night just breathing in the aroma of the coffee, his heightened senses reveling in it. It was a new guilty pleasure he'd never admit he'd gotten into since becoming a hybrid.

"Your blood was just so calming." our heroine's voice was sluggish as she rolled over onto her side. "Had a nice calming effect." she yawned.

"What, and Dagan's never did?" he bit his nails suddenly not wanting to hear the answer. Edric willed the banshee to say she never drank Dagan's blood like this, but he knew from her confession about the sire bond getting out of control that wasn't the case. A tight ball of jealousy sat in the hybrid's chest physically hurting. Pouring the now hot coffee, he carried his mug towards the bed again, sitting down beside her on the edge. Slapping the back of his knuckles on her leg, he waited for her to wake up again. "Answer me."

"I'm up."

"Dagan's blood. Did it cause you to need a nap?"

"No." she sighed looking at Edric through blurry eyes. "I mean, it calmed me down from the bloodlust, but...it didn't make me feel like this. Neither did Reuben's."

"Reuben? Hold on a second. You telling me Dagan, your sire, isn't the only one who you regularly shared ..." he gestured then towards her, tilting his neck to the side. "How?"

"We are banshees. We drink blood and there were no blood bags where my pack was. My pack were willing to let me fed off them. I've never kept that secret." she moved over a few centimeters for him to lay back down. The male hybrid cracked his neck turning from her for a moment, staring at the floor.

"So for you this really does mean nothing? It really is just shacking and feeding?" there was a hint of hurt to his voice that he hadn't expected himself.

"There is still time before the full moon rises. And as much as I hate to say it, Matilda is prettier than me."

Edric threw his coffee mug across the length of the warehouse watching it smash into pieces, the dark roasted liquid flying in an chaotic arch. "I don't shacking want Matilda!"

"See, I told you strengthening the sire bond was a bad idea." our heroine commented gesturing to the mess. "Makes you all crazy and possessive."

"That's it! I'm tired of this." he cast his eyes once more towards the window, noticing the shadows having changed again. Edric was rapidly losing time, as the full moon was getting closer every minute."We going to finish this or what?"

"Darling, we haven't even started this." she commented reaching for a blanket.The male ripped the quilt from her body, tossing it onto the floor. "I'm sort of cold there buddy."

"Yeah, well get over it! Cause it's nearly sundown and we don't just have that to worry about, we've wasted too much time already and Quentin and Ruthven will be back at some point."

"Oh hold your crickets! All you need is a three count. All any of them has needed to claim me in the past. Getting the pack alpha position and stopping the full moon ritual."

The male hybrid said nothing as he made a face, reacting as if he'd been slapped, blushing. He was about to stretch out on the bed beside her, when as if on cue, the door started to rattle the sound of Quentin's voice telling them to let them in.  "Damn it!" Edric turned sharply on his heels, heading towards the warehouse door. Opening it for his friends, the hybrid let out a deep sigh. "This is just messed up. Ridiculous." he said magick misting a pair of  jeans again, shoes and a long sleeved shirt he pointed at our heroine. "You seriously still with the plan?"  She sighed nodding. "Fine!" he crossed to the locked storage box, grabbing it in one hand before tossing the first article of clothing belonging to the female he spotted, at her.

"What's this for?" she asked tossing it back down on the edge of the bed. Edric swore as he scooped up first the blanket he'd tossed on the floor, then with his free hand lifted our heroine off the bed; wrapping the blanket around her and tossing her over his shoulder.

"We'll be back in the morning." he said taking two of the blood bags still in Ruthven's hands. "Be in a hotel."   He left the two humans in complete confusion as he stormed out of the building.  "I'm borrowing your car!" he screamed tossing Nosferatu into the backseat of Ruthven's car before roaring out of the parking area.

"Plan? Did he say plan?" Quentin asked.

"I think he did." Ruthven remarked in puzzlement.

"Plan? What plan?"


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. Think someone's a little strung out?)

The Nosferatu Adventures s11 p12

The Nosferatu Adventures 
page 286, chapter 286

Out of Time...

"Go." our heroine said pointing towards the door of the warehouse. "You want the position of pack alpha so damned badly. Go, get it. Shack Matilda and claim your prize. Or wait till the moon is up, then you won't have a choice because you will fight Dagan for the chance. Assuming he doesn't figure it out first." the banshee crossed her arms turning from him.

"Wait wait wait." Edric raised his hand towards her, closing his eyes. "You knew about this?"

"I knew it was a possibility." she kept her back to him as she began to gather up the notes and photocopies.

"And you said nothing?" he bowed his head slightly so that his chin was almost touching his chest. Sniffing deep, Edric shifted position, his hands now on his hips. "Matilda's a dog..." he shrugged. "I mean, not that she's ugly, just that she used to be an actual canine before Loki made her human. It's not the same thing as being a shapeshifter."

"She's the only other supernatural female in this reality. The full moon ritual will be triggered. You and Dagan are the only lycanthropes here now, since The Seer removed his soul. Unless we sedate the two of you; the two of you will be effected. And it's the need to have a mate that it causes."

"What happens if you just sedate Dagan?" he breathed into her hair. Our heroine could feel the air shifting around them, as Edric began hatching a plan. "What happens if one of us is taken out of the equation?" he inched closer to her, his one arm now over his chest, the other at his mouth as he started to nibble on his nails.

"It will still affect you. You will still go after her." Nosferatu's voice became a whisper.

"And you're okay with that?"

"God no!" the words were out of her mouth before she realized it. The male hybrid smiled behind her back, his eyes sparkling with victory. It was all he could do to control himself from balling up his fist and making a cha-ching gesture.

"Did you just admit I mean something to you?" he teased reaching out to grab a handful of her shirt. "Was that jealousy from you? Wait. You don't have a soul, how can you be jealous?" he was still holding onto her shirt.

"Of course I'm jealous. It's all I can do to keep calm around you. The sire bond..."

"Oh shack the sire bond! Yeah okay it's really powerful, but why..." he forced her to turn to face him. "Look at me. Hi. Right here." he pointed to his eyes, letting them shift to the pure white of the banshee. "This is only part of it."

"It's all of it! Don't kid yourself." she shook her head. "You want there to be more than there is, to justify it to yourself." she poked his chest. "So you can force yourself into believing it is okay to throw your heart out the window, your values down the drain. But it's not okay. Being bound to someone for all eternity who you don't respect, who you're not really attracted to! It sucks! It hurts knowing that given the choice they'd be anywhere with anyone other than you. So no! Edric, the sire bond isn't just part of it. It's all of it." she moved from him crossing to the door of the warehouse. "I should have had Bacchus remove it when he was here. At lest then you'd be free to go."

"You ever consider I maybe actually want you in my life?" he breathed the words to no one. Turning he followed her out the door, across the small parking area. Grabbing our heroine by the arm, he forced her to stop dead in her tracks. "You said before Bacchus showed up, that you think Landin is in my league because he's good looking. What makes you think that's all I am looking for?  I've had that. I've had really beautiful options in my life and it didn't amount to crap in the end."

"I've heard this speech from Dagan over a decade ago, and it didn't hold water then either." she tried to shove him off but Edric held on tight.

"And it never occurred to you that maybe he was telling the truth? Huh?" he tilted his head to the side, licking his lips, his eyes returning to their human blue. The gesture didn't soften his stance any, it just managed to make him look fiercer.

"That what, he cares about me? That he loved me? Did you fall down and smash your skull open when I wasn't looking?" she snarled.

"The guy crossed space and time for you. Literally! And don't try to blame it on the sire bond because he had Bacchus break that. There is no reason for a man like him...someone so out of your league as you plainly put it, to follow you if he wasn't in love. And I mean soul crunching love." he smirked seeing the complete terror in her eyes. "That scares the hell out of you. That someone...specially someone like us; could value you. Looks fade..."

"Yours won't. Dagan's won't. Not for a thousand years. You'll be five, six hundred and you will barely look forty. You will always be this beautiful. Powerful in every regard. Besides, we both know it was just nonsense. Just something to label it while he used me to get to the top. To be alpha without anyone challenging him. I was a possession for him! A jewel in a king's crown." she managed to move from Edric this time, putting a few feet between them. "If you're so determined to fight the idea of Matilda, then go take a human mate. Live the next fifty or so years pretending to be human."

"I don't want to be human." he breathed. "This is messed up!" he ran his hands over his face growling in frustration. "Nosferatu! I'm standing here telling you that I'm okay with it! I'm more than fine with the idea of claiming you. Of giving in to the sire bond."

"That just doesn't make any sense!" she turned and started to walk away from him, heading back into the bushes. The sun was already starting to move in the sky, heading out towards the baseball field, mid afternoon shadows growing on the ground.

"Is it that hard to believe I find you appealing?"

"Yeah it is." she replied as she continued to stalk away crunching leaves and gravel as she did.

"Damn it. You aren't the only one who dreamed of someone decent. I wished for you too."  Our heroine stopped moving. Unable to catch her breath she stood there in the half shade of a small tree. "I refuse to believe that it's an accident you turned me. There, I said it." he let his hands slap his thighs. "I believe you were meant to come into my life. To change it. Course, I didn't think it would be to this drastic an extreme, but..." he licked his lips moving towards her, the ground feeling as if it were going to open up and swallow him. "Ever thought that maybe you're out of our league? I'm not talking about the alpha security thing, or the half god blood thing either. I've felt more at home with you the last few weeks then I ever have with anyone before. And I'm not kidding, this is messed up. We're messed up." he gestured towards the warehouse. "But not once in this whole time, have I shied away from you."  he was standing now beside her, millimeters from her shoulder. "I've never once suggested breaking the sire bond and that's because I have no intention of doing so. I'm not Dagan. I'm not Loki. I'm not Arthur. I'm not anyone else from your past. You're not anyone from mine. Thank god!"

"That's not fair. You don't get to be the hero. You don't get to be the white knight and slay the dragon saving the princess. You don't get to be that one.You don't get to be that guy! He's someone else. Someone less..."

"Less what?" he raised an eyebrow. "Less intelligent, less interesting?" he tilted his neck to the side "Less attractive?" he raised a finger after each, before turning pointing all three fingers at his chest. "Maybe I want to be the hero, the prince charming." his tone became neutral as he turned slightly towards her dipping his one shoulder. "Your prince charming."

"There are no prince charmings only toads. So you don't get to waltz in after all this and just be..." she backed away a few steps from him.

"And just be what?" he raised both hands palms up making a come hither gesture as he took one step slowly towards her, placing one foot in front of the other with authority, his tongue darting to the corner of his mouth. He caught a dark mass of clouds overhead out of the corner of his eyes, momentarily hiding the sun. Once again reminding him he was on a time crunch.

"This." she took another shaky step from him.

"Why not? And don't say it's the whole looks thing again. Remember, Beauty ended up with the Beast. At lest in the cartoon version."  Edric waited for her to say something. The hybrid grunted when he spotted the shadows beginning to move again across the edge of the tree signalling he had maybe four hours tops. "That's really your only argument isn't it?" another devilish smiled crossed his perfect lips. Reaching for her, he grabbed a hold of her waist, pulling her tight to him.

"You're wasting your time. No soul, can't be claimed. I hold no power for you. There's no security blanket anymore here. No instant alpha, no leader of the pack." she whispered into his shoulder. Edric pressed his nose against her ear letting his eyes flash the amber-grey of the wolf before returning to their human blue. Our heroine relaxed into defeat, wrapping her hands up under his armpits.

"We're immortal we've got nothing but time."


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. Beauty and the Beast...)

night bleeds announcement October

Spudguns! it's that time of the blog month again, where I tell you that for the all vampire book/movie club selection for October, is...

Combo:  Salem's Lot by Stephen King, (book) and Fright Night (1985) dvd.

Rules: you must have a blog, the post must be current (October 2016) you must link your post to the Night Bleeds page or this post, please leave a comment here or on the actual post on post day to let me know you've joined in. If you're inspired to cook/bake/craft something from either or both add that to your post.

Deadline: Sunday October 30th 2016

As always, if you are in the Thunder Bay area and would like to be part of the physical book club, leave me a comment.