Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. "I am a different monster than I was, a year ago. But I find, I like these new fangs much better." quote by leilah ali. Monsters, vampire, vampires, fangs, empowerment

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

Check out some other fanged monsters– download my books:

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

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World Bee Day

Honor the Gods has written a great post on an important topic. Keep reading to find out about how you can help bees…

honor the gods

Roman statue: Antinous as Aristaeus

🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝

Aristaeus is the son of Apollo and the huntress Cyrene. He was raised by nymphs, from whom he learned the rustic arts of bee-keeping, mead-making, and cheese-making. He also studied with the centaur Chiron, from whom he learned the selection and uses of medicinal herbs. Aristaeus taught these arts to humanity and was widely revered as a benevolent deity.

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Today, May 20, has been designated World Bee Day by the United Nations!

Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.

You can help by:

  • planting a diverse set of native plants, which flower at different times of the year
  • buying honey from local farmers
  • buying products from sustainable agricultural practices
  • avoiding pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in our…

View original post 320 more words

And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To…

This is Doug Jones:

And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires

You might not recognize his face, but you probably know him from such roles as…

And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires, Pan's Labyrinth
Pan’s Labyrinth
And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires, Star Trek
Star Trek: Discovery
And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires, Buffy, the Gentlemen
And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires, Buffy, the Gentlemen, Hush
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

He also plays Baron Afanas on What We Do in the Shadows. I’ve raved before about how good his makeup is when we first see him, but it gets even better.

Spoilers Ahead

When we’re first introduced to Baron Afanas, he’s a looming figure– a terrifying, ancient vampire coming to check on the progress of Nandor and crew in conquering the New World for vampire-kind. When his coffin opens and we get a glimpse of the Baron, you’d swear you’re looking at a prop, not a person. When he moves, its a thing of beauty; the makeup and prosthetics move with him naturally. Although WWDitS is a comedic show, there’s nothing cheesy or jokey about how the Baron looks. It’s amazing to watch.

And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires

Later the Baron is burned by sunlight and apparently dies. The vampires bury him in the garden and move on. Weeks later they hear a voice coming from his grave, and dig up the very-much-alive Baron, although there’s not much of him left, and what is left is pretty crispy. The makeup is different, but just as good. He looks exactly what you’d expect a charred partial vampire to look like. I think the reason he always looks so good is because the focus is on practical effects and makeup instead of CGI. I wish more effects departments would do the same.

And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires, the Baron burned, the Baron burnt

Finally the Baron is healed in time for Nandor’s wedding. Not only healed, but also rejuvenated– he’s back to looking like himself in peak condition (much to Nadja and Lazslo’s delight). The makeup is a lot lighter, but just as skilfully applied. The Baron looks creepy but also compelling. If you saw him on the street, you’d instantly know he was a vampire. I can’t wait to see what they do with him next.

And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires, Nandor's wedding
And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To... blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. What We Do in the Shadows, Baron Afanas, The Baron, Doug Jones, vampire, vampires, Nandor's wedding

Of course the Baron wouldn’t be half as interesting without Jones’s performance. He’s a talented and nuanced actor, and you know you’re going to get something good when you see his name in the credits.

Speaking of credits, here are the members of the makeup department, a group that too often go unnoticed (I copied it from IMDb; clicking on individual names will take you to their IMDb profiles):

Daniel Curethair department head
Randy Daudlinspecial makeup effects artist
Suzanne Diazmakeup department head (as Suzy Diaz)
Emma-Lee HiltonProsthetic lab technician / prosthetic lab technician/artist
Chris Lyonsspecial effects teeth
Carol Mitchellhair stylist
Lukas Pressassistant hair stylist
Luke Stalker-Switzermake-up effects
Karlee Morseprosthetic lab technician (uncredited)
Ken Niederbaumerkey makeup artist (uncredited)
Brad Proctorspecial makeup effects technician (uncredited)

This will probably be my last What We Do in the Shadows post, unless someone has a suggestion for a topic they’d like to see? Otherwise, let me know what you think of Baron Afanas, or any other vampire. Who do you think looks most authentic? Share in the comments…

Can’t get enough vampires? Download my books:

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

🧿

Give from Your Heart (Vampire Approved)

Give from Your Heart (Vampire Approved), blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com.  Give blood, donate blood, blood banks, giving, charity, pet blood donation, acts of kindness
Photo by Allec Gomes on Pexels.com

Considering how much of it exists in the world, it’s surprising (or maybe not) that blood banks are perpetually short of their key product. Blood and blood components are needed to help people with various medical conditions (including those with blood cancers), for surgery, and for emergency situations, like during childbirth or after a car accident. When there isn’t enough blood to go around, the consequences are devastating. So today’s post is to ask you to please consider donating blood, if you can– it takes only about 30 minutes. You’ll be rewarded with the warm sense of having done some good in the world (and a treat).

Your local vampires would approve 🧛

For more information on donating blood:

Canadian Blood Services: https://www.blood.ca/en

Société canadienne du sang: https://www.blood.ca/fr

American Red Cross: https://www.redcrossblood.org/

NHS Blood Services: https://www.blood.co.uk/

If your local agency isn’t listed, try doing an online search for blood services in your country/region.

(By the way, veterinary clinics need blood too. Find out more here, or search for pet blood donations in your local area: https://www.canadiananimalbloodbank.ca/#!cabb )

Wishing you a bloody good weekend…

Aspasía S. Bissas

PS: Reading is a great way to pass the time while you’re donating blood. Stay on theme and download one of my books.

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books, Amazon
FREE Blood Magic: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

🧿

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. "I have a deeply hidden and inarticulate desire for something beyond the daily life" by Virginia Woolf

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

🧿

If you like reading about the unusual and extraordinary, download my books:

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books, Amazon
FREE Blood Magic: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

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