Vampire physiology question

[shapinglight]

We all know the whole 'unneeded breath' thing is silly, right? We do, right?
Vampires may not need oxygen to live, but they do need to breathe in order to speak. Fine.

But does it make sense to anyone else (as it does to me) that their breath would feel rather on the cool side? They have no body heat of their own. They derive it from drinking blood. But does that warm them up so much their breath would be as warm as a human's?

Opinions, anyone?

Comments

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I doubt they'd suffer overheating since they don't have a base temperature.

Which begs the question of how they don't freeze in cold places. We saw Angel in Ireland when it was snowing. I suppose they can go out for short intervals then rush back in where there's a fire. Like a snake or something.

[rahirah]

Magical antifreeze?

[shapinglight]

Yeah, they should definitely freeze in low temperatures. I guess you have to put them not freezing down to 'convenient magical exemption,' Barb says.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I guess it would be a fair trade for the bursting into flame in sunlight problem.

I'd think they'd like warmer places because food is more accessible. People tend to stay in their homes where it's warm in colder climates.

[shapinglight]

True. You would have to become a lot more cunning about getting people to invite you in.

[ringthebells]

I've always assumed they would freeze if exposed to sub-zero (Celcius) temperatures for long enough.

If they start out room temperature, though, it would take a long time for them to freeze (think about how long it takes to thaw a frozen chicken or whatever).

Plus (I just checked) the freezing temperature of blood is half a degree below the freezing temperature of water, so a light snow right around 0 degrees might still be in safe vampire range. :-)

[shapinglight]

:)

Hello, you.

Also, I love that you looked up the freezing temperature of blood. Only a fan would do that.

[quinara]

Someone had a fic once where the problem was that vampires did freeze in cold places, so Spike was having terrible problems on a supposedly romantic minibreak to the Northern lights, and was trying to battle through with enough furs to keep the cold out. (With a decent coat, after all, a snowshower in Ireland at around -2C or something wouldn't be enough to drop you straight down to freezing very quickly if Angelus had spent all day inside with a warm fire, so it would be realistic for him to go outside.)

But anyway, I always thought this fic made brilliant sense, and explained why Buffyverse vampires seem to flock to warm, sunny places with sometimes relatively short nights, rather than spending the winters in Stockholm and the summers in Chile...

[shapinglight]

It does make sense, and chimes in with what I wrote recently in one of my entries for the Fag Ends Anniversary Comment Fic Challenge, in which Spike told Buffy that vampires sort of shut down and hibernate when they get too cold (except that I think in my head, at the time, I thought he was lying).

What was this story called? Can you remember?

[quinara]

It was definitely a seasonal_spuffy fic... Maybe one of thisficklemob's?

[shapinglight]

Ah. I'll have to look it up. Maybe it'll give me an idea for what to write this round.

Nothing else has so far.