What is Vampire ? part 3

Physiology

Vampire (Edward) displaying the enhanced muscle structure.

After the change, vampires' physical appearance and muscle mass is enhanced and perfected, eye color changes, and they no longer need to breathe, though they often still do so out of habit, and feel uncomfortable without their sense of smell - the first warning of an impending threat or the smell of potential prey. The ability to cut off airflow from their lungs allows them to remain submerged underwater for as long as they wish, and contributes greatly to their excellent swimming capabilities.
Vampires have uncannily powerful senses. As they grow older and more disciplined, vampires can learn to smell differences between the scents of various humans' blood, as well as scents of other things (like fabrics - the unique scent of denim). The range of their senses can be increased (thought only fractionally) through concentration.
They can hear sounds coming from several miles away, and even with their eyes closed, they can be sure that there are multiple people in a room thanks to their varied breathing patterns. They can hear the sound of a heartbeat, a pulse thudding in a vein, and words spoken too quietly or too fast for humans to detect.
Their enhanced vision allows them to see the smallest details, and extends into the ultraviolet region of the light spectrum. Vampire vision is unhindered by darkness, and is so acute that they view humans as blind, or "mud-eyed", in comparison. Bella describes her sight as being better than an eagle's. Vampires find wearing glasses or contact lenses to be uncomfortable or irritating because they see the miniature imperfections (ex. scratches).
Their bodily scent is based on their venom, and is pleasant, not only to humans, but to other vampires as well.
Their body's natural changes no longer occur. They cannot age or grow (things such as fingernails, toenails, and hair will no longer be able to grow - if they are cut they will never grow back. However, if an arm, leg, nose, or other such appendage should be removed [still painfully], it can be easily reattached. Since the venom is adhesive, coating the severed end with it will help it heal faster). They show no physical or mental illnesses and defects, and their voice becomes more alluring, melodic, and seductive. Their heart no longer beats.
The venom, and venom based liquids replace all of the natural chemical processes and functions in the body. It wets and pools in the mouth instead of saliva. It coats the eyes, burning through contacts after only a few hours, protecting them from damage and thus eliminating all necessity and reason to produce tears. It also lubricates them, allowing them to move around more easily within their sockets. A similar venom based liquid lubricates between the vampires cells allowing their hard stone bodies to move. If a vampire were to remain motionless over thousands of years, dust will actually begin to petrify in response to the venom based liquids, turning their skin powdery and similar to shale in texture, as well as their eyes which develop a milky film over their red irises making the eyes appear pink in color. This can be seen with the ancient Volturi members. These imperfections, however, do not affect the vampires impenetrability or compromise their vision, a vampire that stays motionless would be just as indestructible and sharp as a vampire remaining active.
As vampires describe themselves, they are unchanging, "living stone" beings frozen exactly as they were when they were transformed. (Though to another vampire, the granite-skin feels smooth, soft, and warm and not the icy-hard touch a human would feel). Requiring little or no change to produce sperm, males can still breed, while female vampires cannot, their bodies no longer accommodate the changes related to pregnancy. In male vampires, the venom takes on a form so similar to seminal fluid that can bond with a human ovum, making possible the creation of a human-vampire hybrid. The underlying biochemistry and physiology is currently unknown.
Vampires, although essentially immortal and indestructible, can be killed. Even a human could accomplish it under the right circumstances - venom and venom-based fluids are very flammable. However, humans are unable to compete with vampires in strength and speed, therefore they are unlikely to succeed. If a human were to succeed in lighting a vampire on fire , the vampire could simply take a quick high-speed bound to put it out. This is why it is necessary to rip a vampire's body to pieces before incinerating them into ashes, to prevent them from putting out the fire before it can do serious damage. This is the only known way to kill a vampire.
Thankr to their much greater physical abilities, Children of the Moon and shape-shifters are instead much better equipped to kill a vampire.

Lifestyles

Though there are a range of vampire lifestyles, the most common is nomadic. The majority of vampires move frequently, never settling permanently in one place. This pattern is partly an attempt to hide from the notice of humans. If too many humans disappear from one area, suspicion might be aroused and the Volturi might take notice. Also, if a vampire interacts regularly with humans, eventually the humans will notice that the vampire isn't aging. Another aspect is boredom. Vampire lives are so long that many keep up a continuous search for novelty.
A few covens are exceptions to this rule, and maintain semi-permanent or permanent homes. Doing this requires a great deal of subterfuge - if the coven wants to avoid suspicion and keep the Volturi from becoming involved - and most vampires don't care for the hassle.

Psychology

When a human becomes a vampire, all of his natural behavior, needs and characteristics are frozen within him forever, though they are also heightened at the same time. From the moment a vampire is made, his interests, dislikes and personality is permanently petrified. For instance, if a human with a loving character becomes a vampire, his or her passion is magnified, allowing him or her to love others even more intensely. Another example is if the human was ambitious and cunning, those characteristics become magnified as a vampire, thus making him a ruthless killer. The only aspect that does change is a vampire's outlook on the world.
Aside from their original personalities, they also have ferocious instincts and a compelling drive for consuming blood. The moment they give in to their thirst, all of their characteristics disappear and they could risk hurting one another by competing for the prey. The longer they abstain from blood completely, the harder it becomes for them to resist, and eventually they will give in to their thirst.
Once a vampire falls in love, that feeling never fades and that love is bound for eternity. As a general rule, only the bond between mates is strong enough to survive the competitive drive for blood. Larger covens are less stable, and usually end because of internal violencd. It is possible for a vampire to fall in love after he'd been turned, and that love will be just as permanent as any other.

Driven by fury and grief at James's death, Victoria prepares to attack Bella and Edward.

Another prevalent vampire trait is that of a vengeful nature. Related again to their unchanging state, vampires are not forgiving; they do not move past an insult or injury. The most common example of vampire vengeance is the aftermath of the loss of a mate. When a vampire loses his mate, he never recovers from the pain. He cannot rest until the party responsible is eradicated. Centuries can pass without lessening the ferocity of his need for vengeance. However, it is possible to suppress that desire if they compel themselves to focus.
The second bonding force, and one that is able to keep a large coven stable, is ambition. Vampires are competitive by nature, and some vampires have been able to evolve this competitive disposition into a greater cause capable of uniting many individuals into a secure whole. The pursuit of power is that bonding cause for vampires. The Romanians were the first to do this successfully for a significant length of time.
The third, and rarest, bonding force is the vampire conscience. Very few vampires are born with or develop a value for human life. The consumption of human blood is such a known aspect of vampire life that few ever question it; the driving thirst for human blood seems irresistible. However, those who do learn to value human life in spite of this reality are able to subsist on animal blood. Vampires who live this way are sometimes referred to as "vegetarians". Animal blood is unappealing to vampires, and thus a difficult diet to maintain. Those who make the sacrifice, though, experience related benefits. In the absence of human blood, the competitive drive disappears. Vampires are able to form bonds of love in addition to the bond between mates. The weak coven alliance is replaced by a strong, family-style union. The Olympic and Denali covens are the only two groups to havd successfully adjusted to this diet.

Transformation

"The warmth inside my heart got more and more real, warmer and warmer. Hotter. The heat was so real it was hard to believe I was imagining it. Hotter. Uncomfortable now. Too hot. Much, much too hot."

―Bella

Esme Cullen being transformed into a vampire by Carlisle Cullen.

In Twilight, transformation from human to vampire is described as being "the sharpest memory they have of their human life." A human is bitten, and venom from glands inside the vampire's mouth is injected into the bloodstream.
Depending upon "how much venom is in the bloodstream, and how close the venom is until it enters the heart", the transformation could last anywhere from 2-5 days. During this time, the human will endure indescribable pain. Once the venom is injected, it is described as being "the beginning of the greatest pain you will ever understand". The venom then has to make its way all through the body. Next through the heart, and it will pump again and again in the heart until it starts meeting itself in the veins. Then it will burn all the veins until the heart stops beating. It moves slower than blood because it is thicker, which makes the transformation long-lasting. Each beat of the heart can only push it so far. The changing/burning process is slow. The venom has to saturate every cell in the body before the process can be completed.
There is no medicine that is strong enough to numb the pain; the best one could do is to immobilize the body.

Weaknesses

"We have to kill him. Rip him apart and burn the pieces."

―Edward

Victoria is beheaded.

In the Twilight universe, vampires are not known to be killed by human effort, are unharmed by sunlight, garlic, holy water, silver, any kind of stake, cross, and can enter homes without permission. Also, any kind of human weapon, including bullets, bounces off of them without any pain or harm done. The only known way to kill a vampire is to dismember his or her body and burn the remains before it can reconstruct itself. Thus their weakness is the strength of their kind or something as strong, which cannot be copied by humans, and fire that consumes them.
In the films, vampires are more vulnerable as they can be killed by severing their heads or biting it off their necks. However, fire is still the only known method to destroy them completely.

What is Vampire? part 2

Eyes

"I saved his eyes for last, knowing that when I looked into them I was likely to lose my train of thought. They were wide, warm with liquid gold, framed by a thick fringe of black lashes. Staring into his eyes always made me feel extraordinary-sort of like my bones were turning spongy. I was also lightheaded, but that could have been because I'd forgotten to keep breathing. Again."

―Bella Swan

A comparison of the eyes of two vampires: the red (Aro) are of a vampire who feeds on humans, and the golden (Jasper) of one who feeds on animals.

A vampire's eye color changes with both his/her age and diet. Newborn vampires show bright red eyes; a diet of human blood would darken them to a rose red color. However, a diet of animal blood would instead dilute the eyes to a golden color. Thirsty vampires show dark, onyx black eyes.
Only the Cullens (the Olympic Coven) and the Denali Coven are known to be vegetarian vampires, feeding only on animal blood. Their eyes are liquid topaz, or honey-golden, reflecting their diet. These eyes, however, are viewed as strange and somewhat unnatural by other vampires whose diet consist of human blood, such as James and Victoria, and whose eyes are of a vivid deep crimson, becoming even more vivid as they continue to feed on human blood, and a darker burgundy as they abstain. Newborn vampires are known for having incredible strength as well as brilliant crimson eyes. Bnth traits are caused by their own blood that still lingers within their tissues, producing the shockingly bright red eyes that "fade slowly over the course of a year" and incredible strength.
Meyer writes that, if a Cullen were to drink human blood, his/her eyes would instantly turn burgundy, and if two weeks were to pass without blood, his/her eyes would grow dark. If he/she were to return to a diet of animal blood, his/her eyes would become dark gold, and a lighter golden color, if they were to continue on animal blood. As a vampire's thirst grows, his/her eyes grow darker with it, until they at last become a coal black. In contrast, as vampires feed, their eyes become lighter. In addition to the thirst, the purplish-black bruises under their eyes become more pronounced as their thirst grows. Though if they have recently fed the bruises becomes less noticeable, and all but disappear (depending on how well-fed they are). The bruises indicate that vampires never sleep.

Teeth

A vampire's teeth appear no different than regular human teeth. They do not possess fangs. However, a vampire's teeth are flawless, unbreakable, and razor sharp at the edges. They are also incredibly strong, able to bite through almost any solid substance including vampire skin. On her first hunt as a vampire, Bella describes biting through a mountain lion's neck like biting through butter.

Abilities and limitations

A vampire's physical and mental abilities far exceed those of a human being. These traits vary between different vampires depending on what they were more capable of as humans. Certain vampires also develop one extra supernatural power that is developed from his strongest trait as a human.

Speed

Vampire (Victoria) running so fast she becomes blurry.

One of the most amazing among their abilities is their speed. They are able to run in excess of a hundred miles per hour, substantially faster than the human eye can see. When vampires run, they become "all but invisible". The Quileute wolves are noted to be one of the few things that can outrun them. This suggests that vampires are meant to move to a new location every so often. We see the speed of all the Cullens again during the baseball game. Emmett is described as "a blur around the bases", and Edward can move so quickly that he is able to intercept a ball that has been hit "like a meteor."
They can lay down and sit up within the same second, almost without having to even think about going through the motions. After being turned into a vampire, Bella describes her movements as being instantaneous.

Strength

"You are so soft, so fragile. I have to mind my actions every moment that we're together so that I don't hurt you. I could kill you quite easily, Bella, simply by accident... I could reach out, meaning to touch your face, and crush your skull by mistake."

―Edward to Bella on his strength

Ddward exerting his strength to save Bella.

Another enhanced trait is their unstoppable physical strength. A vampire is said to be thousands of times stronger than any human, able to lift objects hundreds of times their own weight. Edward feared his strength when first meeting Bella, and explained that there was barely a difference to him in strength between caressing her head and knocking it off. A good example of their strength is seen when Bella decides to arm wrestle Emmett after becoming a vampire. She describes the power in his one arm to be about the same as a cement truck moving downhill at over 60 miles per hour. She beats him, however, because she is a newborn at the time. Newborn vampires are always stronger than older ones, since their strength derives from the lingering human blood left in their body. Diet does not have a massive impact on strength, since it always depends on the individual vampire. A vampire's strength also enables them to leap incredible distances. Edward was able to leap over a 50 yard wide river with ease during Bella's first hunt as a vampire, while Bella was able to leap over twice his distance, while only using slightly over half of her full force.
A diet of human blood makes a vampire stronger than animal blood (though only fractionally). Vampires who feed on animal blood (vegetarian vampires) find that "big game" - predators like bears or wildcats - not only smell more appealing to them, but also make them stronger than the "weaker" blood of herd animals such as deer or cattle. Strength, of course, is not always physical. If a vampire possessed great mental strength and willpower as a human, he will find it easier to control his wild, animalistic instincts. Even so, if a vampire has not fed for a long time, he will be less likely to think clearly and more likely to give in to their thirst, attacking the first living thing he detects and draining it of blood within seconds, all without a single thought (human or animal). If, however, an unlucky human were to be near their vicinity, they will preferably attack him/her rather than the animal.

Senses

Bella exploring her new senses as a vampire.

A vampire's senses (smell, sight, hearing, etc.) are also greatly enhanced, which enables them to see, hear and smell things imperceptible to humans. While running, a vampire can see and sense everything that is around them, making him able to keep tabs of their surroundings and avoid hitting anything unnecessarily. Their sense of sight exeeds by far that of a hawk.
When a vampire hunts, he uses his sense of smell to find a prey and hearing to track its movements. Smell is most intense to vampires, since he can smell the blood of his prey.

Special Abilities

"Yes, well, there are some vampires who have gifts beyond the usual super strength and super senses. You've seen one aspect in... our coven. Gifts are rare - one in fifty, maybe - but everyone is different. There's a huge range of gifts out there, and some of them are more powerful than others."

―Riley

Jane's gift of tormenting illusion.

Most vampires find their key personality characteristics intensified by the vampire transformation in the same way their physical abilities are strengthened, but relatively few have abilities that can be classified as supernatural. More common would be a human with a love of learning becoming a vampire with an insatiable scholarly curiosity, or a human with a deep value for human life becoming a vampire with the strength to avoid human blood.
But a few vampires do develop additional abilities that go beyond the natural. These extra abilities are due to psychic gifts in the original human that are intensified in the resulting vampire. For example, a human who was very sensitive to other people's moods might develop the vampire ability to read thoughts or influence emotions. A human who had some limited precognition might develop into a vampire with a strong ability to see the future. A human with a good instinct for hunting might become a powerful vampire tracker. If a human already possessed a certain supernatural gift, this talent will be amplified many times after he is transformed into a vampire.
The proportion of supernaturally talented vampires to "normal" vampires is greater than the proportion of psychically gifted humans to "normal" humans. This is due to the same factor of temperament that results in more beautiful humans being selected to become vampires. Vampires are also drawn to gifted humans when they look to create companions. Some vampires actively seek out the gifted in the hope of utilizing that extra ability in their coven.
According to Eleazar, most vampire gifts are manifested in the mind, though there are certain exceptions. Benjamin was the best case - his power over the elements of nature is completely physical.
No gift ever works in the exact same way in two vampires, because no person (human or vampire) is ever exactly the same.

What is Vampire? part 1

Nature

Vampires are a supernatural species in the Twilight universe (other known species are werewolves and shape-shifters). It is known that humans can be turned into vampires, and vampire venom is nothing more than a deadly poison to animals.
Vampires are feral, predatory creatures, far more savage and beast-like than their human appearance suggests. They growl, snarl, hiss, and curl their lips back baring their teeth as signs of aggression when provoked. Even older "civilized" vampires (ex. the Cullens) can break their human facade and show their ferocious instincts. When they sense danger, they go almost immediately into a defensive crouch, after which they bare their teeth as a sign of warning. If the warning is not heeded, they will let out a feral snarl and attack. In a fight, vampires use both their hands (grappling) and their teeth. Their bites can sever the limbs of their opponent (vampire teeth are known to be able to cut through their skin) as well as kill (ripping out the throat). Their grappling can tear off limbs and is known as a better way to fight than just going for the kill (mostly inexperienced vampires and newborns do so).
When they hunt, they completely lose their sense of self and give in to their thirst, which can be dangerous to a nearby human.
Despite their natural instincts, vampires are also capable of human feelings, such as love, protectiveness, compassion, care, respect, self-control, empathy and remorse.

Nutrition

James bites Bella

"When we taste... human blood, a sort of frenzy begins. It's almost impossible to stop."

―Edward telling Bella.

Blood is the only component of a vampire's diet in the Twilight series. When they drink blood, it is absorbed throughout the body, and it satiates their thirst and makes them physically stronger, but not necessary for life. In the Twilight universe, vampires do not starve to death without blood; but their thirst will increase and their physical capabilities will decrease the longer they abstain from blood altogether. The absence of blood will result in them weakening mentally, inhibiting their ability to think with rational thought, and ultimately resulting in them losing all sense of humanity and rationality until they drink blood.
Human blood makes a vampire physically stronger, and smells most appealing - it is also the hardest to resist. However, they can receive the same nutrition from animal blood, though it smells unappetizing and makes them physically weaker than a human-feeding vampire, but only fractionally. After a vampire's thirst has been satiated, he can go on without drinking blood for a week or two.
Since newborn vampires still have their own human blood lingering in their bodies, they tend to be physically stronger and faster than older vampires, with sharper senses. This, however, doesn't last very long as the venom naturally consumes this blood throughout the course of the newborn year.
To a vampire, the taste of blood varies on a massive basis. Due to their acute senses, they can detect whether or not a human has recently consumed alcohol or drugs, because their blood tastes unclean and can leave a vampire with a nasty aftertaste.
A vampire who chooses to abstain from drinking human blood and instead drinks the blood of animals is referred to as a vegetarian vampire.
"Singers" are humans who appeal to one vampire more than any other human. A singer for one vampire is usually not a singer for another vampire. Singers are irresistible to a vampire, and it takes massive amounts of self-control to stop a vampire of draining the singer.

Physical appearance

"As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal — much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those like Edward, Jasper, and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey."

―Alice to Bella

A vampire's (Edward Cullen) skin sparkles when exposed to sunlight

Vampires are extraordinarily beautiful, some more attractive than others, such as Rosalie and Heidi. This is one of the several features meant to attract their prey - more specifically, to attract, fascinate, and (if necessary) seduce, unsuspecting humans. How physically appealing their prey finds them is determined by how desirable they were as humans themselves. If an already attractive human were to be transformed, their physical beauty would be "breathtaking". If they were of average interest, their attractiveness would be lower. If however they were not particularly pleasing to the eye, they would become average (as shown with James), but this is a rare occurrence, because vampires normally select exceptional humans to turn.
Vampires skin is described as "chalky", alabaster, or marble (because of its texture and feel, as well as its appearance). Regardless of original ethnicity, a vampire's skin will be exceptionally pale. The hue varies slightly, with darker-skinned humans having a barely discernible olive tone to their vampire skin, but the light shade remains the same. They owe their unnatural pale complexion to their lack of blood flow; once they reach the first anniversary of their transformation, they no longer possess blood of their own (though they still become slightly flushed after feeding). When the venom spreads, it also leeches pigment in the skin, so after the transformation is complete, the vampire loses nearly all its skin color, as well as any moles, freckles, scars, or any other part of the skin with pigment from their human life. Their strong resemblance to marble statues rests also on their skin's granite-like appearance and impenetrability, as well as the no longer need to blink - the venom-based fluid that resides in the eyes now fulfills the function of eyelids and also lubricates the eye so that it can move easily within its sockets. The vampire also is unable to produce tears after the transformation, as tears are used to remove objects harmful to the eye, and those objects would be unable to harm a vampires eye. A vampire may not move at all, if need be, and if they stay immobile for several thousand years, they will start showing the appearance of fragility or petrification, though their physical capabilities will remain unchanged. Aside from Aro's clouded, "milky" eyes, Bella notes that his skin - as well as that of his brothers, Marcus and Caius - looks like paper. However, though they feel closer to shale than granite, they are no more fragile than those remaining active.
A wise vampire will avoid exposure to direct sunlight, so not to be seen by humans during the day, unless the sky is overcast, since their skin sparkles like diamonds; their cells have become hard and refractive as if they were so many small prisms.

Newborns

"They're incredibly powerful physically, for the first year or so, and if they're allowed to bring strength to bear they can crush an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their thirst, and thus predictable."

―Jasper Hale

The Seattle newborn army: an army of newborn vampires.

Newborn or newborn vampire is the term for a vampire that has been transformed for less than one year. On average, a newborn's physical strength, senses and speed greatly surpass that of an older vampire because they still have their own blood lingering in their veins. As time passes, however, the venom in them will consume that blood, and the newborn's physical capabilities and thirst will slowly diminish until it reaches that of a normal vampire, by the end of its first year. A newborn's thirst for blood is overwhelmingly painful, described by Bree Tanner as being a "fire in the throut", and they will feed as much as possible to curb it.

Personality

Two newborns attacking each other for blood.

Newborns are often bloodthirsty, violent and uncontrollable. Their enhanced emotions are hard to control and they anger easily. They are also likely to kill each other to compete for blood. When they catch the scent of blood, their hunting instincts will take over and cloud their ability to focus, even the thought of being near blood is enough to make their thirst unbearable. However, as they live longer as vampires, their thirst will slowly diminish and become easier to manage. Their secondary human emotions and desires will mostly become dormant for a while, and resurface slowly over time.

Bella as a newborn

Bella Cullen was an exception to this rule, as she had time to think about her decision and therefore did not have the first brutal year that most vampires encounter. Carlisle Cullen showed an amazing control of his thirst for human blood as a newborn, which kept him from feeding on humans and redirect his thirst to animal blood instead. Rosalie Hale had never drunk human blood in her vampire life, though she had killed her murderers and their bodyguards by torturing them to death.
It is impossible to predict how long a newborn or an average vampire will remain vicious and bloodthirsty before their secondary desires and personality resurfaces, since every person is different.
Some indications which show a newborn are their bright crimson eyes (due to the blood left in their body at the time of changing), uncontrollable thirst (except in Bella Cullen's case) and incredible strength. In the Olympic Coven, Emmett Cullen was the hardest to contain when he was new because of his superior physical strength, though he did become a vegetarian successfully.

Physical description

The newborns are caught off guard by the Quileute wolves.

Newborns appear much like normal vampires with the exception of their eyes. A newborn's eyes are an incredibly bright crimson, indicating that their own blood is still in their system, though their heart is no longer beating. In a year that a vampire feeds on animal blood, their eyes will change from red to amber and then to gold. If he reverts to feeding on human blood, the eyes will darken to be almost a burgundy color.
Newborns are also incredibly powerful in the physical sense, being much stronger and faster than a regular vampire, with sharper senses, which allows them to easily crush an older vampire. As they become older their strength begins to wane, and after the first year, their strength will be reduced to that of an average vampire. In Breaking Dawn, Bella arm-wrestles with Emmett and wins easily because of her newborn strength.

Newborns in Seattle.

History

The Cullens against the newborns.

A vampire named Benito originally invented the idea of creating a newborn army, which were hard to stop, triggering the vampire wars of the south, and devastating their population as a result. This meant that the Volturi arrived and stopped them. A newborn army also appeared in Eclipse, created by a vengeful vampire named Victoria to destroy the Cullens and Bella. The newborns caused carnage in Seattle, with many people dying at their hands. When the Cullens find out that the army is moving in on them, they form an unusual allegiance with the Uley pack and initiate a battle against them, and win with much ease due to Jasper's knowledge of newborn movements and weaknesses.
In Eclipse, Jasper mentions a Mexican vampire named Maria who had previously created an army with Jasper's help. When the newborns grew and became of little use, he was to dispose of them. Except for one case, Peter, who was kept as a babysitter for the newborns. Later he ran off with Charlotte, after her newborn mark, to save her from being disposed of. Years later, they came back to him, inviting him to the North and its better life. He accepted the invitation.

Immortal children

Introduced in the novel Breaking Dawn, immortal children are human infants and toddlers turned into vampires. They are said to be so beautiful it takes just one look to be under their control. In addition, it is said that an immortal child's tantrum can kill people, since they cannot easily control themselves. Edward described them as adorable little children with smiles and dimples that would destroy a village in one of their tantrums.
It is presumed that while their mental age is stuck at the age they were transformed, they still have the vampiric gifts of enhanced strength and speed as well the the supernatural gifts of certain vampires.
Because they are too young to be controlled, the Volturi killed all those who could be found. Creating one has become the worst crime in the vampire world, under penalty of death for both creator and created. Under this law, anyone who knows about or stands by the child is also punishable under this law.
Even after the law was established, the Volturi captured two children to experiment on. However, no matter how many centuries they'd spent to teach them, they still could not be controlled or taught. Carlisle Cullen stumbled across these children during his stay in Volterra and learned of this law. After they determined that immortal children could not be tamed, they had the children destroyed.
In Book 3 of Breaking Dawn, Irina spotted Bella, Jacob and Renesmee hunting and mistook Renesmee for one, prompting her to report the child to the Volturi. Her mother Sasha had created an immortal child (Vasilii), and she had to witness her mother's and brother's executions.

Libishomen

Libishomen is the word that the people in South America (tribes like the Mapuche or the Ticunas), call vampires. Libishomen are blood drinking demons who prey exclusively on beautiful women. In the Twilight Saga, the vampire Joham, who believes that he is creating a new race by impregnating women with half-mortal, half-vampire babies (like Renesmee), would be called Libishomen. Joham has created half-mortals which include Nahuel and his half-sisters.

Deviations from traditional vampire legend

• Vampires in the Twilight universe are hard to destroy, as they are not harmed or deterred in any way by sunlight, holy water, running water, garlic, stakes, or crosses.
• Their bodies and skin are made of a material that is as hard as diamond (if not harder), to humans it is impenetrable.
• They are much stronger than most other vampires in fiction. Some are strong enough to stop a cement truck on a freeway with one hand.
• They sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight.
• They are reflected by mirrors and show up in photographs.
• They have no need for coffins; they do not sleep.
• They are not theriomorphic - meaning, they cannot transform their bodies.
• They do not have two fangs as all of their teeth are incredibly sharp and strong - strong enough to easily chew through steel, or their diamond hard skin.
• A vampire society has developed, with a conduct code that provides them with a greater chance of survival than if they were alone.

Enemies

A shape-shifter vs. a vampire

Vampires are said to have two natural enemies: werewolves and shape-shifters, to each of the creatures the other smells disgusting. These smells are too enhanced for a human sense of smell. Vampires are said to be stronger than shape-shifters, and can usually overpower them easily. In Quileute history, one lone vampire was able to kill two wolves at one time, and the same vampire managed to kill three of the four wolves that hunted him another time, while the fourth managed to rip him apart.
Vampires often fight among each other. There have been many cases throughout history where vampires created armies of newborns to challenge one another and gain territory.
If a vampire's mate is attacked or killed, then he or she will likely seek revenge, hunting down and killing the attacker.
In Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, the Cullens and La Push shape-shifters become allies, partially because Jacob imprints on Renesmee.

Breaking Dawn (film)

Billy reads Bella dan Edward's wedding invitation

Part 1

"Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age" "The child is grown, and puts away childish things." "Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies."

Bella narrating the opening line, by Edna St. Vincent Millay

The movie opens at the Black house, where Jacob Black storms out, phases and runs toward the forest. His father, Billy, tries to stop him to no avail. After he is gone, he picks up a note on the ground and realizes it is an invitation to Bella Swan and Edward Cullen's wedding. Charlie Swan, Renée and Phil Dwyer receive invitations as well.
At the Cullen house, Bella is trying on her bridal shoes at Alice Cullen's insistence while the rest of the Cullens are setting up the scenery. Back, at home, Bella packs up all of her stuff and reminisces about Jacob's dreamcatcher, which is still hanging on her bed. Edward appears and tells her about a time in his life when he went on his own and fed on humans who were almost as monstrous as he thought he was. Bella talks him out of thinking of himself that way. Just then, Emmett Cullen and Jasper Hale arrive and demand that Edward follow them to his bachelor party. Bella goes to bed and dreams about the Volturi and all of her human friends and family being dead, with Edward and herself stained with blood.

Rosalie and Alice prepare Bella for the wedding

The next day, Alice and Rosalie Hale prepare Bella for the wedding while Renée and Charlie arrive to give her an old silver hair clip with sapphires, which had belonged to Bella's grandmother.
Bella grows increasingly anxious and nervous when she walks down the aisle, until she sees Edward and all of her worries disappear. The wedding is a success and Bella and Edward are married. During the reception, Bella is greeted by the Denali Coven, but Irina becomes upset with the Cullens for inviting one of the wolves, Seth Clearwater, since they destroyed Laurent. Jacob arrives and dances with Bella, but he gets angry when he hears that Bella and Edward plan on making love while she is still human, which he foresees as dangerous. The other wolves arrive and stop him before he can make the situation worse.

Bella and Edward on their honeymoon.

Edward takes Bella to Isle Esme, a present to Esme Cullen from Carlisle Cullen, for their honeymoon. That night, they consummate their marriage. The next morning, Edward is distraught because he has involuntarily hurt Bella, though she disagrees. They spend the next week exploring the islands and enjoying their honeymoon without making love, but Bella continues to persuade him. One night, she has a dream and wants it so badly to be real that she pleads with Edward and he gives in.
Back in La Push, Jacob is resentful of Edward and expects Bella to be dead by the time they return, and is anticipating the moment when he kills him.
Bella realizes that she is pregnant when she sees her unused tampons and feels something move in her stomach. Edward takes her back to Forks for Carlisle to remove the baby. Unwilling to give up the baby, she calls Rosalie for help.

Seth stays with Jacob.

Two weeks later, Jacob visits the Cullens and finds Bella pregnant at an unnatural rate. Despite everyone's warnings, Bella is determined to give birth and Rosalie is on her side. When the pack hear about this, Sam Uley decides to kill Bella to prevent the baby from becoming a threat to the nearby humans. Jacob, however, disagrees and embraces his rightful power as Alpha to separate himself from the pack. It doesn't take long before Seth and Leah Clearwater join him. Sam decides to surround the area and wait for an opportunity to strike. The Cullens hide in their house for the time being as they starve.
Bella's condition worsens throughout the days as her body rejects any kind of food. Eventually, Jacob makes a comment and Edward suggests that Bella try drinking human blood to satisfy the baby. She begins to feel better immediately.

Edward hears the baby for the first time

When Edward hears the baby's thoughts for the first time and learns that it has goodness and loves her parents, his hatred for the baby disappears immediately. Jacob helps Esme, Carlisle, and Emmett escape to hunt by distracting Embry Call, Paul Lahote, Quil Ateara V, and Jared Cameron. However, they are discovered by the two remaining wolves, Brady Fuller and Collin Littlesea. Back at the house, Bella tells Jacob the names that she has settled for the baby: "Edward Jacob" — shortened E.J.— if it is a boy, and "Renesmee"— derived from Renée and Esme — if it is a girl. Shortly after telling them the names, the baby's placenta detaches and Bella goes through an incredibly painful labor, with her spine and several bones being broken by the baby's struggle. Rosalie tries to get the baby out, but loses control when she opens Bella's womb. Edward proceeds with the surgery and acknowledges that the baby is a girl, calling her "Renesmee". Bella's heart stops beating after the birth, and Edward injects his venom into her system and fights to save her. The venom begins to take effect, but Edward doesn't notice it.
Jacob, broken by loss, cries in the backyard while Paul eavesdrops on them. The pack decides to make their move after being informed of Bella's death and confirming the baby's threat to humans. Meanwhile, Jacob goes back inside to kill the baby, who is now in Rosalie's care; but the moment he looks into her eyes, he imprints on her and all of his previous attachments become severed.

The Cullens fight the wolf pack

The pack arrives and a fight erupts between the Cullens and the pack. Leah, Seth, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle arrive just in time to neutralize their approach. When Sam readies to strike again, Jacob leaps into the backyard and tells them that he has imprinted on Renesmee, which has made her untouchable to the other wolves. Because of this, the wolves are forced to make permanent peace with the Cullens.
In the following days, Bella's transformation continues as her body heals itself. The movie ends with everyone standing warily still as Bella opens her eyes, which are now blood-red as a newborn vampire.
In a post-credits scene, the Volturi are informed of Bella and Edward's wedding and Bella's transformation into a vampire. The new secretary, Bianca, is killed by Demetri and Felix for spelling Carlisle's name without an 's'. "First it's the spelling, then the grammar," Aro claims. Marcus states that he, Aro, and Caius have no further business with the Cullens. However, Aro disagrees, saying the Cullens still have something he wants.

Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 log

After the birth of Renesmee, Bella, now a vampire, finds herself enjoying her new life and abilities. However, the vampire Irina misidentifies Renesmee as an "immortal child", a child who has been turned into a vampire, and because immortal children are uncontrollable, creating them has been outlawed by the Volturi. After Irina presents her allegation to the Volturi, they plan to destroy Renesmee and the Cullens. In an attempt to survive, the Cullens gather other vampire clans from around the world to stand as witnesses and prove to the Volturi that Renesmee is not an immortal child. Upon confronting the gathered Cullen witnesses, the Volturi discover that they have been misinformed and immediately execute Irina for her mistake, however, they remain undecided on whether Renesmee should be viewed as a threat to vampires' secret existence.

Production

Edward and Bella in Rio

DevelopmentEdit

Meyer stated in her Breaking Dawn FAQ that if a film were to be created, she thought it would have to be made into two movies because "it's hard to imagine it fitting into ninety minutes. The book is just so long! I can't imagine how to distill it—if I could, the book would be shorter."According to Variety, the studio had decided to split the 756-page book into two films, along the same lines as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Subsequently, Summit had to negotiate new deals with the main cast, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, since they were only under contract for four films.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson filming Breaking Dawn Part I.

Meyer also believed it may be impossible to make Breaking Dawn into a film, due to Renesmee, writing that an actress could not play her because she is a baby but has complete awareness, and that "the one thing that I've never seen is a CGI human being which truly looks real"; however, she went on to state that "they develop amazing new technologies everyday, and we've got a little time left." It is still however unknown whether Renesmee will be CGI, or if one/many actresses will portray her. There are also concerns about making a PG-13 movie adaptation, given the book's complex and graphic storylines, including the birth of a half-vampire, half-human baby. When talking about Taylor Lautner's next film for Summit Entertainment, producer Wyck Godfrey stated "Lautner will reprise his role of Jacob in Breaking Dawn beginning in late 2010, and it is likely that the final book will be divided into two films that will be shot back-to-back."

It was announced on April 28, 2010 that Bill Condon will direct the film. On July 5, on Twitter, Melissa Rosenberg, the official screenwriter for Twilight, announced that Breaking Dawn will remain a PG-13 movie. She added that, quote: "I think we can get awfully [hot] with PG-13. I'm not worried about the rating. I know a lot of fans are like, 'We have to go R to do it justice', but i don't think so. I think it's going to be pretty hot. Way hot!" Rosenberg says. Rosenberg was referring to the worry of some fans about the movie being rated R because of love scenes between Edward and Bella. She added that a lot can be done in a PG-13 movie, despite what skeptics may think or say.
According to Summit's Twitter and Facebook, the first film will be released on November 18, 2011 and the second on November 16, 2012.

Bella clutching feathers from the destroyed pillow.

Producer Wyck Godfrey announced that the first part will cover the wedding, the honeymoon and the birth. The film ends just before Bella "embarks on her supernatural transformation". Godfrey said about Jacob's book, "The story will break from [Bella] and follow Jacob throughout the course of the movie as he struggles with his own dilemma. There is a sense that as Bella and the Cullens deal with her pregnancy, the world is still turning outside with Jacob."

Filming

In July 2010, Summit announced that the movie will be shot in Vancouver, Canada, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Both parts will be shot simultaneously as one project. Filming officially began on November 1, 2010 in Brazil. The first scenes were shot in the Lapa District in Rio de Janeiro for one night. A long city block was rented for shooting, and Summit Entertainment paid residents 50 to 500 reais (30 to 300 in American dollars) to not allow paparazzi or fans to overlook filming from their windows. Moreover, owners of bars and restaurants were paid 10,000 and 20,000 reais (6,000 to 12,000 in American dollars) to stay closed for the evening to eliminate noise and provide a clear street. The honeymoon scenes are shot in Paraty for Isle Esme, an island only accessible by helicopter and boat.
In February, the cast re-located to Vancouver to shoot the wedding scene and the rest of the movie.Some scenes from in the book will be changed in the movie adaptation. For example, in the book Irina (played by Maggie Grace) is too upset at the Cullens for not allowing her to destroy the wolves, who killed Laurent, to attend Bella and Edward's wedding. However, the picture below clearly shows Irina at the wedding in the film.
It took about four to five weeks to shoot the ending sequence of Part 2 which would consume about twenty-seven minutes of the film. The sequence was shot using a green screen and fake snow with 75 actors on set.
The wedding scene in Part 1 was shot under tight security. A helicopter hovered above the set, off-duty police officers surrounded the location, and sheets and umbrellas were used to protect the set from aerial shots being taken. Kristen Stewart spoke of the wedding scene at Comic-Con, describing it as "insane." She also said that it was "secret service style. The crew was incredibly inconvenienced. No cell phones, etc. They wanted to keep the dress secret." Filming wrapped on April 15, 2011, ending the franchise's three years of production since March 2008. However, on April 22, what is believed to be additional scenes that will fit into the honeymoon sequence were filmed on St. Thomas Island in the Caribbean.

Costume design

In October 2010, it was announced that Michael Wilkinson would be the films' costume designer. However, Bella's wedding dress was designed by someone other than Wilkinson. Stephenie Meyer's description of the dress was "a simpler style than the frillier Edwardian stuff. ...Elegant white satin, cut on the bias, with long sleeves.” At first, fashion designer Zac Posen was rumored to be the designer of Bella's wedding dress; however, these rumors were proven false when Posen tweeted: "Heard the bella/twilight rumor. It's just that. I design for real women like Kristen Stewart and Anna Kendrick." In April, Summit announced Carolina Herrera as the designer of the dress. Stewart described the dress as very tight, but still liked it and thought that it was "very pretty." Meyer told USA Today that the dress was "an interesting mix" and has a "vintage feel, but at the same time, there's an edge to it".
Concerning Alice's bridesmaid dress, its designer remains unknown, so, presumably, Wilkinson might have designed it. Ashley Greene describe the dress as "magical and beautiful" and spoke about the designing of the dress, saying, "We wanted to have all the bridesmaids fit together and also have their own identity. So, we took a little bit of Alice’s past and put it into her dress.” Corsets were added to all the cast's wedding dresses, but were removed during filming because the cast felt uncomfortable wearing them while dancing.
Alfred Angelo has been named the exclusive and official licensed manufacturer of Bella’s bridal gown. The gown is a replica of Bella's wedding dress and is marketed under the brand Twilight Bridal by Alfred Angelo. It was revealed in late November 2011, following the release of Part 1, and is currently available in Alfred Angelo Signature Stores and independent retailers worldwide.

Cast

Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner were under contract to make four films. However, since Breaking Dawn was announced to be split into two movies, they renewed the movie contracts and other paperwork. On June 2010, Summit officially confirmed that a two-part adaption of the fourth book would start production in late 2010 and was made clear that all major actors, including the three lead roles (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner), the Cullen family (Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, and Jackson Rathbone), and Charlie Swan (Billy Burke), would be returning for both parts.
Mackenzie Foy will play Bella and Edward's half-human half-vampire daughter, Renesmee Cullen, who was announced on October 6, 2010 by Stephenie Meyer. Eliza Faria, Rachel St. Gelais and Sierra Pitkin will act as Renesmee's body doubles, with Mackenzie's head placed on their bodies. Actress Christie Burke may be featured as adult Renesmee in a flashforward scene.
The following actors have been added to the cast, but their characters are yet to be announced: Masami Kosaka and Wendell Pierce (only confirmed to play a human character).

Wherewolf

Shape-shifter

Jacob in his wolf form

Shape-shifters, often mistaken as werewolves, are descended from the ancient spirit warriors of the Quileute tribe. Back then, warriors and chiefs could leave their bodies and wander as spirits, communicate with animals, and hear each other's thoughts. However, a change impacted the tribe members hugely during Taha Aki's leadership and permanently changed their powers to shape-shifting into giant wolves.

When a member of the current generation comes across the scent of vampires, his physique will build before he phases for the first time.

Origin
The legend goes that one spirit warrior, Utlapa, wanted to use this power to enslave neighboring tribes, the Hohs and the Makahs. Unwilling to use the warriors' powers for such monstrous purposes, his chief, Taha Aki banished him from the tribe. One day, the chief left his body in a hiding place to sweep through the valley in his spirit form, searching the area for anything that may pose a threat to the tribe. Utlapa followed him and possessed his body, then cut his own body's throat to prevent Taha Aki's return. The chief wandered for a while in spirit form, watching the thief do horrible things on his people. One day, the chief's spirit found a large, beautiful wolf in the woods. Though jealous of the wolf's physical form, an idea came to him. He asked the wolf to share his body with him, and the wolf agreed. Rushing back to the village as the wolf, he met a party of warriors, and tried to make himself known by yelping Quileute songs. One of the warriors, an elderly man named Yut, realized that the wolf was under a spirit's control, and, disobeying the usurper Utlapa's orders not to enter the spirit world, left his body to talk to the beast. The false chief, alarmed at Yut entering the spirit world as he feared that his treachery would be revealed, killed the warrior. Taha Aki became enraged, and lunged to kill the man; his emotions were too much for the wolf, and it transformed into a magnificent human, the glorious flesh interpretation of Taha Aki's flawless spirit. The false chief was killed, and things were rapidly set right. Taha Aki sired many children, and found out that his sons, at the age of manhood, could transform into wolves as well.

That is how the wolves came to be. The whole pack is made of the descendants (to however many degrees) of that original wolf. Thus far only one woman, Leah Clearwater, is known to have become a shape-shifter.

Phasing

Phasing appears only when vampires are in the neighborhood and the tribe is in need of protection. Jacob explains, "There's no exact age... it just builds and builds and then suddenly—" It appears to occur roughly when a boy reaches manhood, and is accompanied by a sudden growth spurt lasting for about two months.
Only males were believed to be able to phase until the transformation of Leah Clearwater, which surprised everyone, even though "she's a direct descendant [of the spirit chiefs], all right." (Edward Cullen , Eclipse).

Jacob's transformation

The transformation can happen at any time, and isn't dependent upon a full moon. In young shape-shifters, the change is involuntary, since they have not yet learned to control it. Phasing often occurs due to a loss of temper, and Paul is known to be the most volatile pack member, erupting into his wolf form at the slightest provocation. The effects of this sort of transformation is shown in the relationship between Sam and Emily, and the disfiguring injuries she suffered when he lost control near her.
Transformation or "phasing" is a sudden and violent process. The initial transformation seems to be triggered by anger, and Jake explains that his own phasing was staved off by his happiness with Bella: "I was like a time bomb. You know what set me off? I got back from that movie, and Billy said I looked weird. That was all, but I just snapped. And then I—I exploded. I almost ripped his face off—my own father!". Sam Uley 's transformation also supports this, as it "took him two weeks to calm down enough to change back."
Jacob's point of view explains the transformation back into human form: "I ignored him [Jared], closing my eyes and pulling myself together again. It felt like the air was trembling around me, shaking out from me in small waves. I lifted myself up on my hind legs, catching the moment just right so that I was fully upright as I shimmered down into my human self." (Jacob Black, Breaking Dawn).
Jacob seems to find phasing between wolf and human form easier than most. "Even Sam couldn't have phased on the fly like that. He saw Paul losing it, and it took him, what, half a second to attack? The boy's got gift." (Embry Call, New Moon). Jacob later explains to Bella that this may be due to his ancestry: "It takes some practice to phase back and forth, but it's easier for me… because Ephraim Black was my father's grandfather, and Quil Ateara was my mother's grandfather."

Strength

Paul in his wolf form.

In human form, their strength is extremely close to being superhuman, and in wolf form at its peak and nearly equivalent to that of a vampire. A full pack can easily overpower and kill any vampire, and, as seen in Eclipse, is a formidable force when dealing with an army of newborns. Bella notes that Jake handles her "too roughly", and that, when he hugs her, it's so "crushing" that it nearly suffocates her. He doesn't seem as aware of his strength as the vampires, but this could be due to the newness of his phasing.
Discussing being a wolf with Bella in New Moon, Jacob explains, "It's what we're made for, Bells. We're strong, too," showing that the wolves are linked by both strength and ferocity.

Physiology

Jacob can withstand cold temperatures due to his constant body temperature of 108.09 F degrees (42°C).

Shape-shifters have a body temperature of about 108°F. Bella feels it first on the way home from the movies in New Moon, when she believes Jacob has got a fever. Vampires' temperatures are lower than humans'; it is possible that the wolves' and vampires' physiological differences reflect the tension between the two species.
This high temperature allows the shape-shifters to withstand very cold weather and makes it difficult for them to become overheated. It also makes it very difficult for vampires to harm them in combat, due to vampires being extremely sensitive to high temperatures. After Bella becomes a vampire, she describes Jacob's skin as like "touching an open fire" and "unbearable to the touch."
The shape-shifters can heal and regenerate very fast and completely. While not immortal if they choose to quit phasing, these capabilities allow them to continue fighting even after serious injury. In some cases, however, this accelerated healing can be detrimental. After Jacob was crushed by a newborn in Eclipse, his skeleton healed before Carlisle could set his bones, forcing Carlisle to break a number of them to induce proper healing. In Breaking Dawn, Jacob comments that even a bullet through his temple might not be enough to kill him. However, this healing factor is not completely reliable and can be neutralized if vampire venom is inserted into the shape-shifter's system. While venom alone isn't generally enough to kill a healthy shape-shifter, it can be fatal in combination with other injuries.
The actual transformation between human and wolf is described in the greatest detail in New Moon. Certainly the initial transformation is not easy, and is very disconcerting and confusing.
While their skin is much more durable than that of a human being (to the degree that the bones in Bella's hand are broken when she punches Jacob in the face), it is not granite hard like a vampire's. In their wolf form, their fangs are strong enough to penetrate a vampire's skin. Bella witnesses this for herself during the climatic battle in Eclipse when she sees Seth easily biting through Riley's skin.
The wolves bear an animal scent that makes them unappetizing to vampires, making it easier for vampires to resist the temptation caused by their blood. It is possible that their scent is less revolting to vampire hybrids due to their half-human sides.

Tattoo

Tattoo of a shape-shifter (above)

In the movies New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn, the members of the pack all have the same tattoo on their right shoulder.
The tattoo was created for film merchandise much like the Cullen Crest and the Volturi symbol. The tattoo features the image of two wolves to create the face of a third.