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Date Posted: 21:45:40 12/13/05 Tue
Author: Stake the Lurk
Subject: It's magic!
In reply to: Sunshine 's message, "Vampure physiology" on 14:59:08 12/13/05 Tue

The principle I always use when dealing with vampire physiology is to first assume the explanation is supernatural and then see if it can be explained naturally. Vampires are inherently supernatural beings animated through supernatural means, so it only makes sense that their physiology would be supernaturally driven as well. Which is why the “breathing” problem has never bothered me when it periodically pops up. How can vampires talk if they can’t breathe? Well, how can a splinter of wood jammed into their heart cause them to disintegrate into piles of dust? They’re both simply magical rules that effect vampires. Does it make sense that vamps can talk and smoke, but not breathe? It makes poetic sense, just like wood being the only thing that can dust them. They are in the world, but not of it. Thus, they can interact by talking and smoking, but they are denied one of the most fundamental activities of living creatures--breathing. The same logic can be applied to male vampire’s sexual abilities; they can have sex but can’t have children (unless they’ve got an unredeemed supernatural favor).

As for blood flow, they’re some contradictory evidence. A number of times it is implied that vampires have blood flow (without a heartbeat, this flow is obviously driven supernaturally). But then we have Buffy saying to Spike: “You don’t *have* circulation.” One theory could be that she was simply referring to the lack of a heartbeat and that vampires do indeed have some kind of slow, supernaturally-driven blood flow. However, that seems a bit weak to me. Another notion might be that, assuming vampire physiology is poetically driven, whenever the properties of a blood flow are required (whenever they bleed, when Spike compresses Dru’s throat, etc) the desired effect occurs. In other words, vampires only have some kind of blood flow when it is poetically appropriate. Although I find this theory more attractive, I feel it, too, is deficient. There are too many contradictions about blood flow within the series for even my basic principle to explain everything consistently.

Well, that’s my 2 cents on the topic.

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