Hello, all – it’s another spit-ball session about the vampire story here. So, if such things are unnerving, here are some more cat videos and some
Lindsey
Stirling. If not, settle in and get ready for more thinking out loud. It might be things that I have mentioned earlier, but just with hang with me, folks.

The other thing that I don’t like about the current crop of vampire lit is that the metaphor needs to be changed up. Yes (I know this was mentioned in the previous post), I know that the vampire is the supernatural metaphor for sexual licentiousness stretching all the way back to that mad Irishman Abraham Stoker, but it doesn’t have to be that. In this particular book, I want the main antagonist in the story (that would be the vampire) to not be just a metaphor for the dawning of the Bloody Century (while I am going to use it, I want the vampire to really earn his pay), but also of the seductive nature of war – especially now when it’s so quick and almost mechanical. I am going to try to stay from the romantic issues, but not the personal. I hesitate to use the word bromance, but it is the best way to look at the relationship between our Friend from Wallachia and Mr. Harker, solicitor to Evil (no, I am not going to use those names – the only thing I fear more than the undead are their lawyers). The power of the vampire shouldn’t be just looking dark, brooding and hot in leather, but that it can say a word or two into our ears and we’ve gleefully thrown our conscience out the window. Whether it’s sexual licentiousness, bloody-eyed rage or sorrows that would drown the River Lethe – the vampire brings out the worse of us with an absolute glee found only in small children. Maybe the vampire isn’t doing the metaphor double duty – rather than for standing for the dawning of the Twentieth Century, it’s still standing for the ease and the availability of bloody gratification…which is the hallmark of the Modern Age.

Back to the bromance – how is it going to start? We could have our poor Harker-type is being harried by both the people above him and below him. He could have a command, but not a large command. He’s still in the field with his men, but they think he’s a little too soft for their tastes. There could be a Sergeant Slaughter type who almost regularly runs rough-shod over his orders. The high command – which never goes into the field, that’s for the common soldier, old boy – almost never backs up Harker, so he’s left on his own. Between his men, his superiors and the Jerries on the other side of No-Man’s Land – Harker has absolutely no friends. He even looks at the No-Man’s Land and briefly considers running out there and let the Jerries do him in.

Just as he’s getting ready to go over the top alone, a new leftenant shows up. He’s dashing, handsome and he’s got more than enough bravado to go around. He comes in and seems to take the young Harker under his wing:

Dracula: Leftenant Harker, there is a difference between reigning and ruling. If you permit, I shall show you the difference.

Harker: Why? You could run the whole unit better than I can.

Dracula: True, but I am not the one in charge of your men. You are.

And with that being said, he begins in instructing him on the finer points of rough military command. Everyone is impressed and shocked on Harker’s change of tone. Our Sgt. Slaughter is put down (not ‘sent to Puppy Island’ put down, but roughed up a little) a couple of times and Harker actually manages to get the higher-ups shaken enough to take note. The pair become closer and closer together, Harker even standing up for Dracula every once in a while. During the time of the novel, the weather seems to be constantly overcast and gloomy, but Dracula seems to be always of good cheer – a maddening infectiously good cheer that always comes to a head when they go over the top just behind the artillery. Harker’s fighting, which was always a little reluctant at first, is now manic. Dracula often times sits back and watches him the way the guest of honor watches a stripper at a bachelor’s party.

In the moonlight after a couple of months in the field and after one harrowing battle – Harker walks out to the latrines and spies Dracula standing atop the trench edge. Thinking that Dracula wants to end it all, he comes out to talk to him. Dracula turns to Harker and with bloody tears coming out of the corners of his eyes, he says only one thing that shakes the freshly minted warrior.

Dracula: Such beauty, Leftenant Harker…if only it could go on.

It’s not the best I can come up with, but we’re just looking into setting up the plot points. Just more spit-balling on my part, so it’s not going to be the best thing here.

However, Cat, Rabbit and Clover is coming along nicely. I am getting ready to hit the end of the first act and start the second with the main character getting the interview, and going to hit the second act with an eye to finishing it in maybe a couple of weeks. Still aiming hard for the August deadline, but it might be closer to the end of August (hoping for the 28th) than the 15th. I still like the book and the conceit, but working on really hitting the emotional distress of the crash-and-cash the main character has to do. With luck, I will get it done this weekend and maybe get some side things done.

Well, I should wrap this up by saying thank you for reading and please feel free to look at the books on the right written by either myself or dear friends. Thank you for reading this blog and feel free to blab about it to friends and family.

Sex boobs money

Sincerely,

Seething Apathy