Is This Possession?

Is This Possession? Blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Buffy, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel the Series, Eyghon, The Dark Age, demons, demonic possession, vampire, vampires, five by five
Angel’s inner vampire briefly fighting off the demon Eyghon, BtVS, S2 E8 “The Dark Age

I recently came across a video by Five by Five Takes on YouTube that delves into the nature of the vampires on Buffy: what they are, what it means to have a soul (or not), and whether the vampires are possessed by a demon, as is the standard (human) explanation on Buffy for where vampires come from.

It’s an interesting video, on a topic I’ve thought about before (see my post: “The Problem with Angelus.”) I don’t agree with everything discussed in the video; for example, the narrator questions why a demon would even want to possess a human in order to become a vampire. Because the demon loses all their memories in the process, the narrator suggests there’s nothing in it for the demons. I think getting out of hell and being able to walk the earth more or less freely would be a pretty big incentive. Most of the characters on the show who’ve spent time in a hell dimension don’t tend to speak of it fondly (despite repeatedly trying to open the Hellmouth– come on, guys). Besides the vacation from hell, I think being able to act on their violent tendencies and blood lust might also motivate the average demon. That’s just my opinion, though.

Spoilers Ahead

The video brings up an idea that I think is particularly interesting, which is whether the whole demon possession explanation for vampires is just the Watchers’ and Slayers’ way of dulling the trauma of killing people. If it’s a matter of a demon fully destroying the original human by inhabiting their body and absorbing their memories, then it’s a lot easier to kill without remorse, as opposed to killing a human who also happens to be a vampire (like the way the show claims that werewolves are still people and shouldn’t be slayed). It also could be a way for the Watchers Council to justify their own actions: when they let a demon infect a girl to make the Slayer, it’s acceptable because the Slayer is a force for good. When a demon infects a person to become a vampire, well, that just creates a killer. How the demon aspect affects Slayers is a topic for another time, though. For now, there’s plenty to consider when it comes to the vampires of Buffy, and this video does a good job of getting the ball rolling.

Personally, the idea of a demon stepping into a body and wiping out the actual human part of said body never entirely sat right with me. As the video points out, it would be a lot of effort for a demon to perfectly and consistently emulate the former person’s personality, mannerisms, and memories. It makes more sense that, while the soul might be gone, the person is still there. Probably.

Give the video a watch and tell me what you think about it. Is there still some human left in Buffy’s vampires? Share in the comments…

Can’t get enough vampires? Download my books now…

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

🧿

More Music for Vampires

More Music for Vampires, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, Bloodletting, Concrete Blonde, The Vampire Song, 90s music, punk, goth, alternative, music, Johnette Napolitano

Raise your hand if you remember Concrete Blonde! They weren’t around too long (although they’ve reunited a couple of times since) but they made an impression. Their album “Bloodletting” is damn near perfect, in my opinion. It’s moody, evocative, and lead singer Johnette Napolitano has a gorgeous voice.

More Music for Vampires, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, Bloodletting, Concrete Blonde, The Vampire Song, 90s music, punk, goth, alternative, music, Johnette Napolitano

I don’t think there’s a song I don’t like on “Bloodletting,” but my absolute favourite is, of course, Bloodletting (The Vampire Song). Give it a listen, and then go seek out more of their music. You won’t be disappointed.

(Trigger warning: the video includes images of rats, squirming maggots, and taxidermy.)

What do you think of this song or Concrete Blonde? Are you a fan? Share in the comments…

Want more vampires? Download my books now!

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

🧿

Renfield

Renfield, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, Renfield, Dracula, trailer, movie, movies, Nick Cage

Have you seen the new Renfield trailer yet? Hearing about a movie focused on this character, my first thought was this is a movie that no one asked for. Seeing the trailer, my first thought was that I can’t wait to see it (and not least because Dracula is played by Nick Cage). Take a look at the trailer and let me know in the comments what you think…

Can’t get enough vampires? Download my books now…

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! ♥

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

🧿

Elegy for a Friend

A good friend of mine just died unexpectedly. I’ve known him longer than anyone I’m not related to; he was in my life far longer than he wasn’t. I can’t picture what it’s going to be like going forward,

He was a huge influence on me, probably more than I’ll ever realize. One of his influences, for which I’ll always be grateful, was music. He introduced me to so many good bands: Bauhaus, The Cure, Henry Rollins, Stan Ridgway, The Residents, Devo, Dead Kennedys, Talking Heads. The list goes on. But the big one was the Ramones. They were his favourite, and they ended up being one of mine too.

So for Stuart, I’m sharing “Rockaway Beach,” written by Dee Dee Ramone, his favourite member of the band. Please give it a listen, and think about the people who helped you become who you are.

I also want to share this video that I saw a couple of weeks ago. It made me feel better, and hopefully it’ll help someone else feel better too.

Take care ♥

Aspasía S. Bissas

Music for Vampires

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

In the Buffy episode Surprise. there’s a short scene of vampire Drusilla dancing to a song. That song is “Transylvanian Concubine” by Rasputina. I loved the song as soon as I heard it, and it was perfect in the scene.

Buffy actually features a lot of good music, and even had a few bands play onscreen (Bif Naked, Cibo Matto, The Breeders, Aimee Mann…) But “Transylvanian Concubine” stood out the most to me. Give it a listen and see what you think:

Music for Vampires, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Transylvanian Concubine, Rasputina, Buffy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Surprise, BtVS, Drusilla, Drusilla gif
Drusilla grooving

What did you think of the song? What’s your favourite song featured on a show or movie, vampire or otherwise? Share in the comments…

Looking for something to read with your music? Download my books now…

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! ♥

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

🧿
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