V is for Vampire Diaries

My guilty pleasure.

Given the amount of quality televisual experiences available, I do worry that my two 'must watch' programmes are a series about teenage vampires and a matchmaking show for people with more money than sense.

Maybe I just need a complete break from the more serious side of my life. Today I've been writing about the acquisition strategy of a cloud hosting company - I need some light relief.

The Vampire Diaries is delightful in that it doesn't really take itself too seriously. The plot has more holes than a pair of torn fish net stockings, but well, who cares? It's the eye candy that draws me in. Such pretty boys... I am but a shallow creature.

Firstly there's delicious Damon who likes to take his shirt off at regular intervals (though possibly not as often as one would like) and mainly wears black. He has this slightly wonky smile that sets the heart a-flutter and a very hard stare when he's being protective of those he loves. He's flawed, he's angry, short-tempered and fun.

Elijah is back. It wasn't fully explained where he went, but I figured it out as I saw him pretending to be a doctor in another show - must have been handy to be near all those blood bags. Elijah is a more of a gentle soul as vampires go; a romantic, less impulsive than Damon - but possibly easier to handle.

Klaus is a proper baddie. The cast seem to forget this on occasion and cut him the kind of slack not normally given to someone that murdered members of your family and close friends. Sometimes the script writers like us to see into his troubled soul when he gets his paints out and comes over all sensitive. However, underneath the oil paintings and creativity he is still a psychopath - albeit one that has a rather 'puppy dog' meets 'come-to-bed-with-me' smile.

Alaric was rather tasty too but unfortunately they killed him off.

So, we await with bated breath the next instalment. Will Elena recover her humanity? Will Caroline fall for Klaus? Will the scriptwriters come up with a more interesting plotline than Silas - the supernatural creature that can pretend to be anyone he wants to be (conveniently negating the need to pay for an extra actor)?

Stay tuned...

Vampires and bookish learning

I'm missing my weekly dose of eye candy as The Vampire Diaries is on a break. Seriously, don't they know I need my Damon fix?

Interesting that authors put their vampires through High School again and again and again (we're talking Cullens and Stefan here)... I mean if you could pass for 18, wouldn't you rather go to University?

These withdrawal symptoms included a train of thought along the lines of what I would do with my time if I suddenly became immortal. This might sound incredibly geeky, but you know what, I'd love to keep learning. Just imagine how much you could absorb over centuries, what an expert you could become and how you could use that amassed knowledge for the good of the world.

The past 12 months or so have seen me devour business, self-help and spiritual books. As I read each, I'm finding links and patterns that excite my brain cells, deliver solutions and spark creativity. Imagine an eternity of building recipes from your learning. Who knows... you might even find the elusive Philosopher's Stone.

My brain is giving greedy gurgles at the mere thought of it, although I do wonder if my own personal hard drive has a maximum capacity. Is there only so much I could take in and process? Would my operating system crash? Could I build my own upgrade?

Food shortages

I have this recurring dream, well nightmare really, that the world has been hit by a zombie apocalypse. Few humans remain and those that do live under the radar of the predatory flesh eaters.

In my dreams I am pursued by hordes of these repulsive creatures, shambling towards me like a never-ending tidal wave of rotten flesh. Vacant eyes stare as they are propelled by just a primeval instinct to feed.

And how they feed – ripping into limbs, gorging without taste, smell, or indeed any other sensory pleasure. It’s pure savagery, like the proverbial fox among the chickens.

As creatures from horror go, they lack and little need any form of sophistication, intelligence or cunning. It’s all about the power of the pack, a very large and greedy pack. There’s no thrill in the chase, no sense of victory when you capture your quarry. It’s just mindless feeding for seemingly no purpose, after all it’s never really explained why the zombie must eat flesh. Will they all die when they run out of living creatures to provide their three meals a day?  Is it just an unnecessary compulsion? What's the point of zombies anyway?

And then there’s the issue of them destroying what few humans remain on the planet - that’s where I have a real issue. You see, I'm not particularly concerned about being eaten by the vile creatures myself… it’s more that I worry about what they’re doing to my food supply....

;)

Seriously, nobody ever thinks about how the poor vampires will manage during a zombie apocalypse do they?

[For the uninitiated, this devilishly handsome fellow above is the rather delicious Damon Salvatore. Mean n moody, but ever-so-sexy blood sucker from the Vampire Diaries. Obviously he shouldn't be confused with flesh-eating rotting Doris at the top of the page. She lurched her way out of my imagination and dragged herself onto the page dripping pus... nice....].


Vanessa, from A Fanciful Twist is having a Halloween Party. I like to pen a few words of fiction on these occasions. This is a little on the short side this year, but what it lacks in substance I hope it makes up for in drool-ability. And, if you have any zombie nightmares, here's hoping Damon Salvatore will be on hand to rescue you!

Look into my eyes

What to do this evening? Hmm...

How about spending a couple of hours staring into the compelling eyes of Damon Salvatore (who I am missing terribly since the last season of Vampire Diaries finished), or...

Paint a picture of a vampire for the Butterfly Effect challenge....

Now, I wonder, could there be a way to combine the two?

And if the end result doesn't look much like him? Well, who cares?  I got to gaze at the dreamy Ian Somerhalder for an hour or two which can only be a good thing! Shame I didn't quite capture that sardonic grin. Oh well, always next time...

He does look pretty creepy though, sneaking out of the darkness with all that blood-red light reflecting off his features. I don't think you need to see the fangs to know that this is no ordinary mortal. This is predator, danger, but at the same time there's something that draws you inexplicably in... Swoon....

I don't often draw men, but this whole exercise has actually taught me an important lesson. It's really rather a pleasant way to spend an evening! I'm off to practice some more. I do believe Hugh Jackman needs to be captured on canvas next...

Sharing for Paint Party Friday too.

A postcard from Romania

It turns out that Romania has these nesting dolls as well as Russia, which is just as well because I was having a hard time coming up with a postcard design this week that didn't involve vampires in capes in Gothic castles.

Even this little lady nearly got fangs. What can I say, I've already told you I watch too much Vampire Diaries...

So, we're back on the Postcard challenge where the apparent Lothario Y has meandered across to Eastern Europe from Singapore on what appears to be a quest to find beautiful women in all four corners of the globe. I think we need to read between the lines though...

When will these two ever explain to each other who they are and what they are doing gallivanting about the place so much?

(Back story here)

***

OK, couldn't resist one little Dracula reference... This is a digital play I did a couple of years ago. Silly Mina!

Original post here

If you go down in the woods...

Every evening this week, just before lights out, I have been taking a trip into the Nevernever - the land of Fairy and Elf where you have be careful what you promise to talking cats and danger hides behind every tangled trunk in an enchanted forest. It's a parallel universe whose entrances exist only where there is belief... Do you believe in magic? Be careful next time you open your fairy tales... you may just find yourself falling in... The Iron King by Julie Kagawa.

If you wonder why you've never seen a fairy, it's because they are so well camoflaged. I'm warning you though - try not to look too deeply into those dark eyes. This one is looking for a new plaything and I'd advise against it being you...

I've also been sucked into devouring episode after episode of The Vampire Diaries... After watching the first couple of shows and laughing at the absurdity and craving drama with 'grown ups', somehow I became mesmerized... Must be something to do with those beguiling eyes... Sorry Twilight fans - but, much as love Edward's broodiness, this one gets my vote!

It's Paint Party Friday today. Zip on over and enjoy the fun!