(no subject)

[ocelot]

The one thing I'm absolutely unable to suspend my disbelief about in the Twilight books...

What happens when Bella (or, for that matter, any female in the town) gets her period?

Comments

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

Open bar?

Sorry....

[silkensteel.livejournal.com]

I believe Theodore Sturgeon wrote a story addressing that issue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Some_of_Your_Blood

[purdypiedad.livejournal.com]

This is why I *heart* you.

Bella was feeling, shall we say? Less than fresh, that day...

[lunalovegoddess.livejournal.com]

Like chum in the water, I'd imagine, attracting every vamp within piggybacking distance.

On a slightly more serious note, though, I'd often wondered when reading supernatural fiction involving vampires this very thing. How does an author explain it? Let's look to traditional vampire lore.

Denial:
Some never bring it up, most likely because of societal taboos. Let's face it; we are taught that we are unclean and unattractive during our periods. I can't think of any romance novel in which someone gets their period, unless the presence or lack thereof confirms or denies pregnancy.

Deviancy:
On rare occasion, if vampires and menstruation are brought up, the topic is presented as a deviant behavior. "Normal" vampires don't feed that way, but the insane and hedonists do. I have come across this only a handful of times in fiction, and it's presented as being unusual, even taboo, for any organized group of vampires.

Death:
Some state that when a woman becomes a vampire, that she is technically undead, and her life-giving capabilities cease to function, in which case, menstruation becomes superfluous, unnecessary.
Okay, fine; we'll go with this train of thought. That doesn't rule out the mortal women, though. If you figure that there are 100 girls in the high school, on average there would be 25 girls per week menstruating. If vampires were attracted to the scent, then the Cullens would never go to school, or else they would have to be extremely disciplined to ignore it.

My theory, then, is that menstrual blood is not attractive to vampires. In fact, it might be a deterrent.(Although, this does bring a funny picture to mind when you think about the series: During the movie "Twilight", when Bella enters the room and Edward sees her for the first time, he makes a weird face and then she sniffs herself. LOL)

And, finally, dhampirs:
I feel that this possibility encompasses all three examples above. Most often seen as abominations by vampires and humans alike, dhampirs generally have a human mother and vampire father. It is plausible that a vampire might be capable of fathering a child, since sperm is produced and stored in the testes until ejaculation occurs. If the internal temperature of a vampire is quite cold, some viable sperm might survive. However, fertilization would have to occur while the vampire is "young". After death, I'd assume that the body would stop producing sperm because, like menstruation, it would become unnecessary. Therefore, vampire pregnancies are rare.

The one notable exception, aside from Twilight, is Lynsay Sands' vampire series, in which vampires are descended from the Atlanteans and evolved alongside their prey. Their vampirism is not supernatural in origin. It is caused by advanced scientific nano technology; the nanos, fueled by blood, repair all damage to their bodies – giving them the appearance of vampires. Female vampires can get pregnant and carry to term, since the nanos recognize pregnancy as a natural state and not an illness.(This is regulated by the vampiric council to once every hundred years, as is siring a new vampire by transferring blood. Otherwise, the Atlantean subspecies would overpopulate the world and their prey would die out.)

Re: Bella was feeling, shall we say? Less than fresh, that day...

[kristeljohns.livejournal.com]

Denial:
Some never bring it up, most likely because of societal taboos. Let's face it; we are taught that we are unclean and unattractive during our periods. I can't think of any romance novel in which someone gets their period, unless the presence or lack thereof confirms or denies pregnancy.


Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (R.I.P.) Ashes in the Wind. (The characters are in a chaste marriage, and she has some issues with others not acknowledging her femininity due to her having had to disguise herself as a boy for many months.) Alaina is refusing to accompany Cole on an outing, saying that she is "indisposed." He thinks she is being petulant about a disagreement they had, as illness had been a favorite fallback of his late wife when sulking:

"Then I am bemused, madam--" he began, but Alaina snatched the cloth and flung it angrily to the floor.

"Bemused? Doctor Latimer!" she gritted, and blushed profusely at the necessity of having to explain. "Is it beyond your capability to realize that I am a woman? Do you know so little about women that you cannot imagine why I am genuinely indisposed?"

The dawning came, and Cole did his best to hide a smile of amusement. "I'm truly sorry, madam. I was not aware that your state was of such a delicate nature. As your husband I should realize your womanly inconveniences, of course, but being less than intimate with you, I am somewhat at a disadvantage."

But your point stands. I think the only reason Woodiwiss went there (and this was back in the 70s, even) was because the scene underlined the lack of intimacy within the marriage.

[basbleu.livejournal.com]

Charlaine Harris addresses this in one of her Sookie Stackhouse books (great series). IIRC, Sookie is having her period and both her vampiric love interests are attracted by the smell of blood but she just feels, well, periodical and tells them to back off (can't remember if she's actually involved with either at this point).