Twilight Saga Q&A #3

[debussygirl]

Maybe Alice was focused on a vision or something, because the future was suddenly changing and shifting around her then.

[Adrienne]

This starts on a slippery slope. From Personal Correspondence #12:

Different topic: drinking human blood by pints. Carlisle’s a doctor. He could easily get access to donated human blood and live on that. Would it taste better, even cold, than animal blood. A hundred times better. No one has to be hurt except people in need of a transfusion. So why don’t they do it? Because it makes it harder to resist killing people. Satisfying the craving does not make them LESS likely to kill someone by accident in a fit of thirst. It makes them MORE likely to do it. Keeping that flavor off their tongue is a way to protect people.

So, while it is in theory possible for a vampire to drain some blood from a human without killing the human, given their desire for blood, at some point they're going to slip. They're going to think "Oh I can take a little more," and so on, until they drain so much that the human dies.

I agree here. It's like putting a chain smoker in a room of second hand smoke. Why bother with the temptation if it'll just make it worse?

From PC:

Q: Now here’s a question that came to mind while discussing the book with another friend. She’s a vampire romance novel -aholic and she wondered why Bella didn’t just prick her finger and let Edward drink from her every now and then. Personally, I thought that was a bit sadistic - like she would tease him with it. (I’m picturing Bella with a cut finger, waving it back and forth in front of Edward teasingly saying, "Come and get it!") Especially since we know how difficult it was for him to stop drinking from her the one time he had to. But still, what would happen, do you suppose, if Bella had a cut on her finger? Natural instinct is to put the cut to your mouth - at least it is for me. Edward tasted her tears in one scene. Would he be tempted to taste from a wound?

A: You picked up on the key to this question–why Bella doesn’t just let Edward have a sip now and then–in the difficulty he has stopping when he’s sucking out the venom at the end of Twilight. As Alice said, vampires frenzy like sharks when there’s blood "in the water," so to speak. (That’s why Edward was ditching Biology on the day they were blood typing. A normal vampire can’t handle being in a room with flowing blood. Carlisle is a one-of-a-kind exception to that rule. Edward is better than an average vampire, and he could probably resist a lot of finger pricks (Jasper could not handle that), but why risk it, right? The Cullens play it safe.) When Edward is drinking blood, he’s much wilder and less human than usual. That’s why Bella can’t go on a hunting trip with him. Once the blood gets flowing, all the Cullens (besides Carlisle, of course) become more like "real" vampires.

Edward can’t be around Bella when she’s bleeding without being in intense temptation–to the point of pain. A few drops would only make it worse. Like a few drops of water when you’ve been wandering in the desert for days… You’d totally suck down the whole gallon of Evian.

Even if the Volturi adopted this style for "humane" purposes, the way feeding on human blood is described, it seems more instinctual instead of a choice. It begans such a frenzy that is takes a huge amount of effort to stop. In BD when Bella caught the scent of a human, her automatic instinct was driving her closer to the human without even giving it a second thought. The only thing that stopped her was the instinct of self-preservation; Edward was following her. Then she realized what she was doing and took off in a different direction.

Carlisle has taken centuries to gain his self control and tried to convince the Volturi in his way of living. The Volturi have been living this way for thousands of years. Jasper has lived like that for a little over a century and has difficulty. I'd imagine the Volturi would have a much difficult time doing so. Carlisle can bite and stop bc of his learned self-restraint; Edward stopped bc he loved Bella. The Volturi don't even comprehend the bond Edward has with Bella and Aro never would've believed it if he hadn't seen it through Edward's eyes. The Volturi have no bonds with humans. And besides, they see humans as herds of cow, just food that catches their eye when they're hungry and nothing more.

Since vampires have acute senses and are able to hear whispers and sounds coming from a distance, how come Alice did not hear James voice through the cellphone when Bella was being threatened by him in the hotel scene? And the fact that she was in another room does not justify it, because his first words to her was while she was still standing close to Alice, just walking slowly away...

Could it be another of SM's loopholes in the plot?

This has actually bothered me before. I would think that if they can hear for long distances so clearly, hearing the voice coming out of a phone in another room would be no problem.

[dopeydm]

A: You picked up on the key to this question–why Bella doesn’t just let Edward have a sip now and then–in the difficulty he has stopping when he’s sucking out the venom at the end of Twilight. As Alice said, vampires frenzy like sharks when there’s blood "in the water," so to speak. (That’s why Edward was ditching Biology on the day they were blood typing. A normal vampire can’t handle being in a room with flowing blood. Carlisle is a one-of-a-kind exception to that rule. Edward is better than an average vampire, and he could probably resist a lot of finger pricks (Jasper could not handle that), but why risk it, right? The Cullens play it safe.) When Edward is drinking blood, he’s much wilder and less human than usual. That’s why Bella can’t go on a hunting trip with him. Once the blood gets flowing, all the Cullens (besides Carlisle, of course) become more like "real" vampires.

In SM's vampire world, I don't think Living Donors is possible. It reminds me of Blade 3 (I think that was the movie, warehouse full of blood donors).
If any of you saw Access Hollywood last night or the link from the home page. They have a deleted scene of Edward sucking on Bella's finger... (I am glad they cut it form the movie.) After seeing that scene, it made me think of the other vampire lores and how I think they were trying to blend them in together for this movie. I try to keep them straight. Other authors - living donors, Stephenie Meyers - shark frenzies.

[roseaurora]

Since vampires have acute senses and are able to hear whispers and sounds coming from a distance, how come Alice did not hear James voice through the cellphone when Bella was being threatened by him in the hotel scene? And the fact that she was in another room does not justify it, because his first words to her was while she was still standing close to Alice, just walking slowly away...

Could it be another of SM's loopholes in the plot?

They thought it was Bella's mom... I just figured she didn't listen in to give Bella privacy. She had no reason to think it would be James calling...

[perfect.shade.ofblue]

if vampires go into a feeding frenzie when theres even a trace of blood around, then why were they able to store all the blood in the house and be around whilst bella was drinking it whilst pregnent in BD?
You'd think that they'd drink it all/steal it from her or somthing lol

[ringswraith]

if vampires go into a feeding frenzie when theres even a trace of blood around, then why were they able to store all the blood in the house and be around whilst bella was drinking it whilst pregnent in BD?
You'd think that they'd drink it all/steal it from her or somthing lol

Years and years (and years!) of abstinence. They're tougher than the usual vampire, so they can interact with humans mostly normally and ignore the blood, but (with the notable exception of Carlisle) they avoid any temptations whenever possible. (For example, take Edward on blood-typing day in Biology.)

Plus, with all the tension caused by Bella's pregnancy, that blood was probably the last thing on their minds.

(The blood in those packets probably smells off to them, too. Speculating, of course. )

[perfect.shade.ofblue]

if vampires go into a feeding frenzie when theres even a trace of blood around, then why were they able to store all the blood in the house and be around whilst bella was drinking it whilst pregnent in BD?
You'd think that they'd drink it all/steal it from her or somthing lol

Years and years (and years!) of abstinence. They're tougher than the usual vampire, so they can interact with humans mostly normally and ignore the blood, but (with the notable exception of Carlisle) they avoid any temptations whenever possible. (For example, take Edward on blood-typing day in Biology.)

Plus, with all the tension caused by Bella's pregnancy, that blood was probably the last thing on their minds.

(The blood in those packets probably smells off to them, too. Speculating, of course. )

haha, nothing worse that skanky blood

but, when bella got a tiny papercut everyone reacted in soem way to it...i just dont think jasper especially would be able to resist a nice cup o' the red stuff

[ForJazz926]

I think it's just the Cullens and the Denalis that would have had an easier time keeping the self-control in check - just because they are used to it due to the committment they have made to their way of life. Because of the way they have learned to control their thirst, they are also able to be more "human" than other vampires - more sympathy, more compassion, and tighter emotional bonds to individuals other than their mates. So not only were they stronger in resisting, but they were more able to focus on the real issue - Bella was preggers with a vampire baby.

That being said, I think most of the friends who came to witness for Renesmee would have been able to resist as well. Newborns are really the only ones who are completely consumed by their instincts that way. Look at the way James didn't immediately finish Bella off when she began bleeding. It's also a matter of choice - which is a theme throughout the saga. They don't want to take unnecessary risks, but they also have to be able to stop themselves when it isn't rational to attack. Otherwise the one vampire law, "keep the secret," would be compromised every day, because humans have unexpected accidents constantly.

I might be remembering this wrong, but I thought the "frenzy" begins just when they taste human blood - not just see it or smell it. I thought skipping the bloodtyping was just a precaution against unnecessary risk and temptation.

[ringswraith]

Probably because it's fresh- not to mention Bella's a singer, so she's even more appealing than the typical human.

(Midnight Sun spoilers!)

Both Emmett and Jasper note Bella's scent. Of course she doesn't smell to them the way she does to Edward, but still.

[therealmrswhitlock]

if vampires go into a feeding frenzie when theres even a trace of blood around, then why were they able to store all the blood in the house and be around whilst bella was drinking it whilst pregnent in BD?
You'd think that they'd drink it all/steal it from her or somthing lol

Whenever blood is drawn, anticoagulants are added to keep it from clotting in the storage unit. The Cullens can smell them, and so the blood is less than appealing, especially if it's cold. I imagine that makes it much easier to resist. Remember when Bella was in the hospital after Phoenix and she had to have a transfusion? Edward said it made her "smell all wrong for a while. I didn't like it."