Fangtasia

Fangtasia is a fictional setting in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of eight books written by New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris that were first published in 2001 and in tv series True Blood. It is a vampire-owned bar catering mainly to tourists. The purpose of vampire bars was "to let regular humans feel they’re walking on the wild side by being in the same room with the in-the-flesh undead".
Location and Design
The vampire bar was located in a suburban shopping center in Shreveport, close to a Sam's and a Toys'R'Us. Windowless Fangtasia has a façade painted steel gray. Above the red door was jazzy red neon with name of the place. Smaller writing under the exotic script of the bar's name saying "Shreveport's Premier Vampire Bar" was added later. Fangtasia's interior coloring was gray, black and red. The walls were lined with framed pictures which shown movie stars with fangs, e.g. Bela Lugosi, George Hamilton, Gary Oldman. The lighting was dim. The tables in the bar were scattred. There were the booths for vampires. There was also a case of warmed bottled blood on display. The bar counter looked like in any other bar with high stools beside it and a tip jar on it. The back of the bar was all grey. The back door was metal with FANGTASIA stencilled on it in Dead Until Dark and with the name of the bar put on in stick-on letters from WalMart and right below that, a large, black, stencilled STAFF ONLY in Dead to the World. If someone entered from the back the hall led to bar proper. On the right were the doors to Eric's office and the bookkeeper's room. On the left was the door to the large storeroom, which contained the employee bathroom with showers. Eric's office was a small soundproofed room. There were inter alia a desk, a wooden chair, a "power chair", a broad leather couch that Eric had bought in Living Dead in Dallas and a closet where Eric kept shirts.
Opening hours
The bar was open every night at six P.M. year-round expect Monday, though the vampieres showed up only after full dark. It was closed at two in the morning.

Fangtasia's rules
*“No biting on premises”
*“No lingering in the parking lot”
*“Conduct your personal business elsewhere”
*“Your patronage is appreciatied. Proceed at your own risk”
*Who hangs with who is something that nobody should notice.
Music
In the bar it could be heard music from KDED (or WDED), the all-vampire radio station based in Baton Rouge whose deejay was Connie the Corpse. Once there were a "live" performance by Renfield's Masters a vampire band.
Songs that were mentioned in the books:
*"After Midnight" Clapton’s version
*"Bad Moon Raising" Creedence Clearwater Revival
*"Night Moves" Bob Seger
*"Strangers in the Night" Frank Sinatra
*"One of These Nights"
*"Here Comes the Night" Van Morrison (to which Eric danced with Sookie)
*"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes"
Habitues
*fangbangers - humans obsessed with vampires who like to be bitten
*tourists
*owners
**Eric Northman - Sheriff of Area 5
**Pam - bouncer
*others
**Bruce the bookkeeper
**Clancy - Sookies least favorite vampire
**Gerald
**Indira
**Thalia
*employees
**bartenders
***Long Shadow - the Indian
***Chow - the Asian
***Charles Twining - the pirate
***Felicia
**waitresses
***Ginger
***Belinda
***Lizbet
***Elvira
Merchandising in Fangtasia
Fangtasia's trademark was white stylized fangs. The bar had its own little gift shop. The most often mentioned products in the books are T-shirts with Fangtasia's logo like the neon sign and various signs such as "This Blood's For You" or "The Bar with a Bite". The shop sold also glassess decorated with bar's logo and a sign "Fangtasia - The Bar with a Bite". The little white napkins used in the bar had some fangs outlined in black, with a single drop of red falling from the right fang and "Fangtasia" printed in jazzy red script on the opposite corner. Eric launched also a vampire calendars. In edition for women Eric was Mr. January, and in edition for men Pam appeared with whip. Pam suggested that it should be named "Fangtasia's Vampire Hunks". Pam's Toyota had a Fangtasia bumper sticker.
Interesing Details
*Sookie received bouquet from the bar staff with a card "Don't get shot anymore. From the gang at Fangtasia."
*Voice on the bar's voice receiver belongs to Pam.
*Fangtasia from tv series were shot in bar that acually exists - Alex’s Bar in Long Beach.
Bibliography
Fangtasia is mentioned in the following:
# Dead Until Dark (2001, ISBN 0-441-00853-4)
# Living Dead in Dallas (March 2002, ISBN 0-441-00923-9)
# Club Dead (May 2003, ISBN 0-441-01051-2)
# Dead to the World (May 2004, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01167-5, 2005, paperback ISBN 0-441-01218-3)
# Dead as a Doornail (May 2005, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01279-5, April 2006, audio book ISBN 1-4193-3730-0, paperback ISBN 0-441-01333-3)
# Definitely Dead (May 2006, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01400-3, audio book ISBN 1-4193-9326-X)
# All Together Dead (May 2007, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01494-1)
# From Dead to Worse (May 2008, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01589-4)

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