THE UNNATURAL AGING PROCESS ; HOW FEEDING AFFECTS THE BODY AND RESTORES THE LIFE OF RED BLOOD CELLS / HOW OFTEN THE VAMPIRE MUST FEED. please do not reblog.
[ please note: images made with artbreeder to be a representation of how i personally see him in my head vs an accurate-as-possible-but-still-inaccurate faceclaim. ]
in truth, vladislav doesn’t ‘celebrate’ his birthday. more or less he observes it like one might observe a religious sabbat; and it fills him with a sense of passive grief. he knows that without the curse he sustained he would be long-dead by now, but there is still a pervading dread that comes with knowing he would have aged normally. during the month leading up to it, he likely abstains from hunting and drinking, allowing his body to age beyond the point when it had been killed by letting his cells age and die. (similarly to how he had in the book, allowing himself to look between 50-60 years old, respectively, and quite frail). much of this is from that sense of dread, and cyclical seasonal depression that closes in during the winter months after all hallow’s eve and samhain, lasting until late february or early march at least. (i’ve covered this in depth in previous posts.)
blood cells die because they are damaged - or in the count’s case, due to necrosis; when cells die due to lack of blood supply. without a blood supply of his own (non-working kidneys and other bodily/organ functions) the count cannot recycle his own cells, making blood-drinking a necessity so keep his own red count up. when his cells are fully replenished, his regenerative/healing abilities are at their peak, restoring his body (and all of its dying or dead cells) to the age and wellness that they were at the time of his assassination/rebirth. but when he does not drink or fasts, these cells gradually die off, causing him to age rapidly over the span of 6-to-12 months.
the count was thirty five when he died, and thus his ‘top condition’ is the prime of a thirty five year old man, though granted stress did give him aged attributes (such as early-graying hair, deep-set lines and brittle joints) - these traits are what first begin to become exaggerated during the aging process in his vampiric form. his hair will become peppered with gray streaks from the roots down, and the lines in his face will appear far less like smooth marble. they will deepen, and the roseate nature of his mouth will dull some in color. his hands will also become more misshapen, taking on talon-like attributes rather than the usual, claw-like nails that are situated on the ends of his skeletal fingers. he does not feel shame in aging. he recognizes when it happens, and passes through that period of his life (no matter how brief) as if it is a natural phase of what he is. he considers them to be life cycles, and during these times may pay special care and attention to the wounds that have been afflicted to him. particularly those still attached to the flesh on his neck and just above his heart. if he chooses to remain a certain physical age, all he needs to do is adopt a strict regimen of feeding to be sure that his cell count does not rise above or drop below the point that he has chosen. his preferred age is to appear somewhere between the ages of 38-40, as it allows him to feel a phantom accomplishment of reaching an age he never did whilst alive.
