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Digest - 2 Aug 2008 to 3 Aug 2008 (#2008-181)

Sun, 3 Aug 2008

There are 4 messages totalling 188 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

   1. Vampire Blood Injected in Human Characters
   2. Curiouser & Curiouser: vampires & guilt (2)
   3. PRAYER: I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

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Date:    Sat, 2 Aug 2008 14:05:18 -0700
From:    "Amy R." <akr@l.......>
Subject: Vampire Blood Injected in Human Characters

Reading fanfiction this morning -- specifically, in this case, a 2004
story by Kristen F. called "Unconventional Treatment Plan" (very mild
hurt/comfort N&N)
http://www.fkvoyage.com/fkfanfic/fife_kristen/unconventional_treatment_plan.txt
-- I was suddenly struck by a new-to-me thought about "If Looks Could
Kill," "Fallen Idol," and coming across in FK!  Just can't beat new
thoughts.  :-)

Anyway, as we all know, in the two canonical incidents in which human
characters are injected with vampire blood (ILCK and FI), the
patients become deranged.  And we've all asked a million times why
Natalie did it in FI, when she had seen what happened in ILCK, and
should have known better.  This is often chalked up to her increasing
desperation as third season grinds towards "Last Knight."  But what
if there is a difference between what Natalie administered and what
Sofia Jurgen (formerly Baroness) gave her patients?

Sofia's treatment provided her patients the appearance and sensation
of recovered physical youth.  Her patients, while regularly receiving
the treatment, looked decades younger than they really were (and of
course became disoriented and prone to violence).  When the treatment
stopped, or at death, they recovered their true age.  So here's the
thing: no one else in FK ever looks younger than they began!  Coming
across does not restore lost youth!  It restores lost vitality, but
does not alter physical appearance.  The crime boss in "Father's Day"
is the pivotal example, and of course Sofia herself is also an
example.  She looks the same age both before and after being
converted to vampirism (and this is key to her, as increasing age was
what she lamented to Nick).

Sofia's treatment must involve more than just vampire blood!  Mustn't it?

Well, maybe not.  Maybe the action of converting a person to
vampirism in FK immortalizes him at that moment, thus halting any
"youthening" effect that might otherwise take place.  And of course
the coming across scenario in FK may or may not involve blood
transfer to the new convert; we've got examples across that spectrum.

But if Sofia's treatment in ILCK did include more than just
injections of vampire blood, then Natalie's actions in FI make more
sense.  FI makes clear that all Natalie injected is Nick's blood --
undiluted, unmixed.  If Sofia was administering other substances in
addition -- and Natalie and Nick could have learned about this from
Bernice; or Nick from Sofia, directly or through Janette -- then
Natalie's action in FI can be defended as at least something that she
had not seen tested before.

Of course the boy in FI becomes deranged and violent, just like the
women in ILCK.  That little bit of consistency means a lot in
notoriously inconsistent FK; we have to conclude this is a canonical
effect of vampire blood on a human character in FK, at least in the
quantities witnessed.  But the boy doesn't become any younger, and
that _could_ perhaps be because there was something else in Sofia's
treatment, as easily as because he was just a young person to begin with.

Separately, this idea also led me to wonder whether the derangement
of human characters injected with vampire blood might be usefully
linked to the destabilization of "first hunger" as described by
Vachon in "Fever."  And, again only tangentially, about
paralleling/contrasting of Natalie and Sofia as scientists running
experiments relating to vampirism.

Just some thoughts...


Amy R.
akr@l.......
FK Site: http://users.LMI.net/akr/fk/
FK Blog: http://brightknightie.livejournal.com/

------------------------------

Date:    Sat, 2 Aug 2008 19:36:07 -0700
From:    Walter Doherty <wdoherty5@c.......>
Subject: Re: Curiouser & Curiouser: vampires & guilt

I'd say Richard's situation had more to do with a fledgling's overwhelming
desires.  Remember, a vampire needs to kill or at least glut himself/herself
on multiple people during first hunger.  Richard was left alone in Nick's
loft with nothing but cow's blood which would not assuage his thirst.  What
else was he supposed to do?

	Richard should never have been left alone.
	On the other hand, cow's blood should
	have been sufficient, although he would have
	become a carouche.

Until he killed that woman because his hunger was too great, Richard was
behaving more like Dexter than a psychopathic serial killer, i.e. he wanted
to be a vigilante for good.  On his situation I totally blame Nick and Nat.

	My feeling is that the ability to feel guilt
	about killing was removed.  Thus there was
	nothing to stop him.  It doesn't matter if
	those killed were bad guys, the point is that
	he killed them and didn't care a twit about
	that fact.

	I completely agree that Nick mishandled the situation.
	And Natalie didn't help.

Melissa Puzio


	Walt Doherty
	Phoenix. AZ

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Date:    Sun, 3 Aug 2008 12:01:53 -0700
From:    Laurie of the Isles <laudon1228@y.......>
Subject: PRAYER: I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

About 2:00pm yesterday afternoon, Mom and I were sitting in the
kitchen having a little late lunch.  There was a thunderstorm
outside, with some heavy wind. All of a sudden there was an enormous
gust of wind, we heard a clattering on the roof, and when I looked
out the kitchen window, all of a sudden our aluminum deck roof wasn't
there anymore.

This deck roof was only six years old, and had been guaranteed to
withstand high winds and heavy snow.  The wind gust had picked up the
whole deck roof, clattered it over the roof, damaging and pulling of
concrete roof tiles, including along the ridge line, and landed thing
thing in one whole 40 foot long piece in the cul-de-sac in front of
our house.  It was in the street, completely blocking the neighbors
drive way.  Luckily those neighbors were away.

We were at a loss at first about what to do.  We couldn't leave it there
blocking the neighbor's driveway and the street.  It was still pouring down
rain and there was still lightening in the area.  Mom called the guy who's
aluminum roof franchise had put the roof up, only to find out from his wife
that he had left the business.  He was out working at his new job, but he
wife said she would have him call us back.

I tried calling some friends to see if we could get some help moving
it.  The deck roof was about forty feet long and fifteen feet wide,
there was no way the two of us were going to be able to pick it up,
let alone move it.  A few of our neighbors came out to see if they
could helpl, but they are all older folks, and there was no way we
were going to ask them to try to move this thing.

Mom's brain kicked into gear, and she called the non-emergency fire
department number, and they sent a small fire truck with three big
firefighters who used the circular saw and other tools from their
fire truck to break the thing up.  A policeman came too, and he tried
to see if he could get a hold of a salvage company to come and haul
the thing away, but no luck.

The good news is, no one was hurt, nobody's property was damaged but ours.
Also, the guy, Steve who had built thing deck roof in the first place,
called us back, and he said that he would come and haul the pieces away.
He said that it was the first time he had ever heard of something like this
happening to one of the roofs he put up.  He was able to recommend another
company for when we are ready to replace the deck roof.

Mom put a call in to our insurance, and the woman at Farmer's Help
Point said an agent would call us back within four hours, but so far
no one has called.  We've got to get at least a tarp put on this
roof.  Luckily we know a really good, reputable roofing company that
has done good work for us before.

Mom is really, really stressed out.  Her mind starts coming up with all the
potential problems and tearing her up inside.  I'm having to reassure her
and remind her that it could have been much worse and that we'll work
it all out.  I'm a little shaky myself.

If folks would keep a good thought that we don't get much rain until we can
get this roof fixed, or at least get a cover up there, and that
insurance comes through quickly without much hassle, I'd really
appreciate it.

Laurie of the Isles
Laudon1228@y.......
http://1-mad-squirrel.livejournal.com/
"Dignity, always dignity." Gene Kelly in "Singing in the Rain"

------------------------------

Date:    Sun, 3 Aug 2008 13:58:59 -0700
From:    Libby Singleton <libratsie@s.......>
Subject: Re: Curiouser & Curiouser: vampires & guilt

Walter Doherty <wdoherty5@c.......> wrote:    **Richard should never
have been left alone.
On the other hand, cow's blood should
have been sufficient, although he would have
become a carouche.**

   And from what I recall, being a carouche was considered lower than
low.  I don't recall even Nick ever treating Screed as an equal. I
just can't see Nick allowing Richard to become a carouche.

   However, it'd be amusing to see a "cow blood carouche."  To
paraphrase the "Happy California Cow" advertising campaign, "Happy
cows blood means happy carouches!"

   Come to think of it, Richard might've been a lot more mellow.

   --Libby

------------------------------

End of FORKNI-L Digest - 2 Aug 2008 to 3 Aug 2008 (#2008-181)
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