BUFFY VAMPIRES - DETAILED by AnonymousPoster

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BUFFY VAMPIRES - DETAILED

POSTED BY: ANONYMOUSPOSTER
UPDATED: Saturday, November 6, 2004 17:27
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VIEWED: 6182
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Saturday, October 9, 2004 4:08 PM

The process which a human body undergoes during that day or so that it takes to be converted into a vampire body is similar to the process of petrification that exists in nature, with certain plants. When a tree or plant becomes petrified, what happens is that over the course of years, the original biological elements of its cells are very gradually replaced by mineral elements... so gradually that the infusing minerals take on the same shape and appearance as the original biological cells. In effect, the original biological cells act as a matrix, or as a sort of "molding", for the incoming mineral deposits, and what you end up with is a gradual build up of minerals in the exact shape of a tree trunk, or a plant of some sort.

This same process, vastly speeded up, is what happens when a human body is transformed by the vampiric "curse", or infection, or mutation. Supernatural necromantic energy flows into it from an extradimensional source and replaces all the original human organic matter... but it does it gradually, and in such a way as to mimic the original cell structure. And the organic matter is not completely replaced, but is only 99.9999 percent replaced. A tiny amount of the original human cellular matter remains as a template, spread molecularly thin throughout the newly generated, unnatural vampire tissue which is made up of necromantic otherdimensional energy in more or less solid form.

This process is why vampires do not have souls. Since souls are intangible psychic organs they are not duplicated by this sort of necromantic petrification process, and as the original, natural body was transformed and replaced, the original soul attached to that body loses its adhesion and undergoes the metaphysical equivalent of evaporation into the ether.

This necromantic petrification process, explains the supernatural and superhuman powers of the vampire. A body composed of an unearthly energy we cannot rationally define within our physics can and will, by definition, defy the requirements of physics as we understand them.

This demonic, necromantic energy that makes up most of the vampire body is extremely responsive to the animating consciousness' psychic impulses.

Probably, over the course of thousands of years of existence, any vampires who 'live' that long gradually forget what actual, physical, metabolic life was like. These vampires would, theoretically, start to behave more like 'living' corpses... losing their 'human' perceptions and having them replaced by more direct psychic perceptions, ceasing to respond to purely physical stimuli, and, most likely, gaining more and more unlimited capacity for shifting the shape of their necromantic energy bodies into other forms... such as the classical vampires are supposed to be able to.

However, relatively 'young' vampires still remember very strongly what it was like to be alive, and they still respond as if alive. For example, while he a vampire's consciously aware of the fact that he doesn't 'breathe', or at least, doesn't have to, if he also subconsciously wants to smoke a cigarette while he's smoking that cigarette, the necromantic energy in the shape of his lungs 'works'. When two vampires want to have sex, their subconscious minds activate the appropriate anatomical parts, and, similarly, when a male vampire wants to have sex with a human female, his subconscious reactivates his reproductive system.

Of course, a reproductive system composed of necromantic energy is only a simulation, and no actual pregnancy would be possible without severe mystical intervention... but to all physical appearances, the male vampire would be perfectly functional. To a human lover who expected such things, there is even a convincing sensory illusion of an ejaculation, although the physical existence of the ejaculate is primarily ectoplasmic, and will just fade away or evaporate fairly quickly after the sex act is over.

Since an unnatural, extradimensional, demonic energy is the basis for vampire bodies, patterned after the human bodies they are replacing, virtually everything is possible. An unnatural energy does not have to follow the laws of our universe (and could behave entirely differently in another universe).

Since a vampire's necromantic energy body is more amenable to his own psychic manipulation, most of a vampire's strength is telekinetic and of the vampire's will, expressed through manipulation of the energy form he or she inhabits. This is why more highly motivated and ferocious vampires often seem to be faster and stronger and fiercer combatants than the dumber or more apathetic ones, and especially, why vampires seem so clumsy and vulnerable when they first get up out of their graves... their remaining human consciousness, having just awakened in a strangely transformed body, may not be fully attuned to the necromantic energy they now inhabit. They may also not be fully awake. Either way, they can't manipulate their bodies with their full capacity.

The reason vampires burst into flames when sunlight hits them is that Earthly sunlight contains some wavelength of radiation that is missing from the sunlight of 'demon dimensions', and that acts on necromantically energized 'flesh' the same way intense heat would act on ours. In fact, vampire flesh bursting into flames in sunlight is the Undead equivalent of radiation poisoning, significantly accelerated and condensed in time.

Perhaps the reason Demons 'lost their grip' on this dimension had something to do with the Sun's moving from one phase to another? Or maybe prehistoric Earth, back in Demon days, was perpetually wrapped in clouds, and when that changed, the Demons had to leave, because the unnatural energy they used as a basis for so much of their power, or perhaps that they even formed physical bodies out of was damaged and destroyed by the Sun's radiation?

Vampires turn to dust when they are destroyed because most of their 'body' is actually ‘dark energy'. When something happens to dispel that energy... and there seem to be two central nexuses of this energy, one in the brain, and one in the center of the chest... it vanishes, leaving behind only the remnants of the original human body... the 'dust' that settles to the ground. The energy's mimicry of the human body is so complete as to make the recreated 'heart' and 'brain' necessary to the continued coherency of the vampire body. A stake to the 'brain' would also kill a vampire, but the skull is generally too hard to make this feasible, and the chest generally makes a much better target anyway.

Wood is a mystically or supernaturally imbued material, in a way that plastic and metal are not. This is because wood retains some essential element of natural Earthly life that is inimical to otherwordly energies; an elemental force that plastics or metals do not have. Wood also stores within its cells, through photosynthesis, the same element that sunlight possesses, which destroys vampire flesh. Thus, when thrust into a nexus of necromantic energy, as exist in the center of the chest where the major circulatory system of the human body was, it instantly disrupts those energies, causing the seemingly solid energy of the vampire body to instantaneously disperse, and the relatively small amount of organic remains to crumble to the ground as dust.

Given that the brain is the most sophisticated, complex, and vital organ in the human body, a necromantically duplicated brain is an essential organ in the vampire body. The various nodes that command the energies of the various different portions of the body still lead into the brain, and the necromantic brain duplicate is still constantly active holding the necromantic energy patterns of the vampire body into a coherent matrix. Segregate the brain from the rest of the necromantic body and the energy flow is interrupted and thus, the necromantic energy almost instantly disperses... and again, the organic remnants of the original human body sifts to the ground as dust.

Because of magic necromantically imbued substances cast no reflections. As a result vampires do not reflect in mirrors and not only does vampire flesh not cast a reflection, but even the clothes vampires wear don't reflect because their clothes quickly become suffused with necromantic energy when a vampire wears them, and thus, take on the supernatural aspects of that energy.

Vampires only cast shadows from artificial light because artificial light, like other technological artifacts such as videotape, interacts with necromantic energy in ways not taken into account by the legends and literature about vampires. Vampires don't cast shadows in sunlight or moonlight, don't reflect in 'natural' objects like shiny surfaces, water, and glass... but do block artificial light, and make an impression on videotape stock.

Vampires cannot enter a private, 'owned' dwelling space without specific invitation. The imposed limitation is, in fact, so specific and powerful that vampiric flesh can interact with the 'no invitation' barrier as if it were a physically solid partition.

This has to do with the sensitivity of necromantically imbued material to psychic energy. People tend to universally regard their private quarters as havens, sanctum sanctorums, their safe places, their private territory, their dens... places where they are safe and secure, where no one else is allowed to come without specific invitation. Normal human bodies, natural to this world and material plane, can move freely within it. Vampiric flesh is composed of supernatural, otherworldly, extra-planar energy. It can move freely in any place where psychic barriers have not been put up against it, but in specific, limited areas that are held as 'private', it needs permission to enter.

Crosses (and other holy symbols) seem to affect vampires exactly the way heated metal would affect humans (forcing them to back away in pain from close proximity, leaving burns and brands on their flesh if they come into contact with them), and holy water works on them like a powerful acid. Certain religious organizations have the ability to invoke through prayerful incantation certain aspects and supernatural powers that are inimical to the necromantic energy vampires are composed of. The Catholic Church for instance, through prayer, is able to 'bless' certain objects with the power to disrupt, if only in the specific area touched, necromantic energy.

Fire is also harmful and even potentially lethal to vampires because fire is an elemental force of this material realm, and possesses certain natural mystical powers of its own against unnatural, alien intrusions into this plane from outside. In addition, necromantic substances are simply very flammable.

Vampire senses aren't like human senses. However, when a vampire brain picks up various stimuli and other data with its enhanced psychic perceptions, it translates them into familiar human terms... like aromas. But in fact, what vampires have is a sort of direct psychic perception of their immediate surroundings that, their brain interprets into a 'sense of smell'.

A vampire's limited shapeshifting capacity, to switch from normal human appearance to Demonic Happy Face is a very limited and specific power, one that they have little or no conscious control over at first but that simply happens when they're enraged, or about to feed; however, older vampires learn to switch from one 'face' to the other at will.

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Sunday, October 10, 2004 10:40 AM

CREVANREAVER

I just want to say this is some really interesting and informative stuff you've posted AnonymousPoster, you rock!

This really explains a lot of their metaphysical aspects.

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Wednesday, October 27, 2004 5:36 AM

ANARKO

Quote:
Originally posted by CrevanReaver:
This really explains a lot of their metaphysical aspects.

Indeed it does!

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Saturday, October 30, 2004 2:57 PM

SPACECOWGIRL

Joss????? Is that you?

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Saturday, October 30, 2004 2:57 PM

SPACECOWGIRL

Joss????? Is that you?

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Saturday, October 30, 2004 3:35 PM

SOUPCATCHER

Quote:
Originally posted by spacecowgirl:
Joss????? Is that you?

Actually, this was originally posted on the blog of a Buffy fan back in May 2003. The post is about a third of the way down at the following link and has the header, "THE UNDEAD YET LIVE Part 2":
http://www.angelfire.com/blog/abehm/dsp/052003.html
The person who started this thread appears to have cut and paste the entry with only slight modifications.

*editted to add...
I didn't do a good job of communicating in this post so I'll edit it rather than add a new response. Looking back, I should have left off the commentary that came at the very end (since my main goal was to address the question of whether this was written by Joss, not to bring back the Anonymous Poster debate). The final sentence was unneccessary.

So here's what I should've posted:

It's not Joss, SpaceCowgirl. It's actually a fan of Buffy named Darren who posted this entry on his blog (link goes here). The title of the essay is, "The Undead Yet Live, Part 2" so it's probably a safe bet that there is a Part 1 somewhere on that site if you are interested.

There are three kinds of people: fighters, lovers, and screamers.

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Saturday, October 30, 2004 5:34 PM

WILLOWY

Yes. This poster frequently posts like this.

Cribbed from another site? Probably. I still like reading these things he posts. He seems to go to a lot of trouble rounding up these highly detailed and interesting essays and statements for us.

Whatever floats your boat, AP. Keep it up if you want to, although I think credit should be given to the original source.

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Saturday, October 30, 2004 6:23 PM

CREVANREAVER

Quote:
Originally posted by Willowy:
Yes. This poster frequently posts like this.

Cribbed from another site? Probably. I still like reading these things he posts. He seems to go to a lot of trouble rounding up these highly detailed and interesting essays and statements for us.

Whatever floats your boat, AP. Keep it up if you want to, although I think credit should be given to the original source.

The subject of AnonymousPoster forgetting to credit the sources was brought up a while ago.

http://fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=7526

And because of the attacks that were leveled at AnonymousPoster, that person has left Fireflyfans.

http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=8&t=7537

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Friday, November 5, 2004 9:27 PM

DOCNEBULA

I don't know if anyone will ever read this, but I am the author of the article 'Anonymous Poster' put part of here.

For those obsessed enough to want to, they can find much much MUCH more of my musings on BUFFY and ANGEL at:

http://www.javapadawan.com/calliope/mv39.html
http://www.javapadawan.com/calliope/mv40.html
http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/majorattitude/buffy7.html

You can also read my rantings on various other geek topics, like superhero comic books and science fiction, at:

http://www.javapadawan.com/calliope/martian-vision.html

and

www.angelfire.com/ny3/docnebula

Be warned, I have no life and write at great and tedious length on these things. ;)

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Saturday, November 6, 2004 12:42 PM

HAWK

I was this close to starting a new topic about that bullet thing.

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Saturday, November 6, 2004 1:14 PM

EMBERS

Quote:
Originally posted by SoupCatcher:
It's not Joss, SpaceCowgirl. It's actually a fan of Buffy named Darren who posted this entry on his blog

thank you soupcatcher...
I could never have believed it was Joss because Joss would have been MUCH funnier,
and not so wordy

actually this poster kind of irritates me that they always plagerize. I really think it would be more honest to give credit to the person they are quote (and have quotes around it). It is a form of stealing IMO

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Saturday, November 6, 2004 1:39 PM

DOCNEBULA

No one should mistake me for Joss. Joss is often funnier than I am (although in the stuff I write specifically AS comedy, I am pretty humorous), however, the major difference between Joss and I in this regard is that Joss clearly does not care whether his continuity works or not. He simply wants to tell an interesting story.

Telling an interesting story is one of the most essential elements in good fiction, but I am obsessed with continuity and I don't care who knows it. I love BUFFY because the characters are wonderful and the dialogue is usually great, I hate BUFFY, when I hate it, because obviously nobody really cares all that much about keeping the internal metaphysics consistent. Joss clearly couldn't care less about the inherent contradictions in Spike saying "Well, vampires don't breath, you know" AS HE LIGHTS UP A CIGARETTE... and there are endless other problems with the way vampires are defined, in the Buffy universe. It simply doesn't make sense. I want it to make sense, because I want to believe in the reality of the Buffy Universe (although I wouldn't want to live there, I do like to think of the characters as 'real', I think that's an important element of good fiction, too). Therefore, I spend a lot of time and effort trying to make it make sense.

Ultimately, there is only so much you can do, in the face of such utterly determined writer/producer apathy about essential details. Spike lights his lair with torches... TORCHES, for the love of God. WHY? Vampires can see in the dark, he has electricity (I don't know how), and open flames are one of the few things that can kill him (and kill him awfully darned quick, too). We never see him light those torches, and he never changes them, and yet, whenever Buffy breaks in to search the place, there they are, burning happily on the walls. This makes no sense... and it makes no sense that the First Evil, looking like Drusilla, would torture Spike by drowning him when we are constantly reminded by him and every other vampire who ever gets a line of dialogue that 'vampires don't breathe'... but, clearly, Joss had better things to do that trouble himself MAKING his other wise wonderful fictional universe make sense.

Actually, I am maligning Mr. Whedon. He has provided us with a sensible explanation, it's simply an intolerable and unacceptable one to any true BUFFY fan. In the execrable sixth season, he explained everything for us... Buffy's universe is not real; she is actually insane, and locked up in a loonie bin, and simply hallucinating the entire thing. It's a very handy rationale; anything that doesn't make sense doesn't have to, because, well, it's all just a delusion.

I hate that explanation, and will continue trying to find better ones that do not dismiss a fictional reality I love as being nothing more than a hallucination. However, I very much believe that Joss doesn't really care whether the universe makes sense or not, and if he were forced to provide a sensible explanation for the myriad contradictions we have seen (a small fraction of which I have explicated above) he would finally just say admit that providing that explanation was the purpose behind the asylum episode. And then say something like 'get a life, fanboy' and hang up the phone.

So, there are many differences between Joss and I. Yes, he's funnier than I am, on these subjects, however, that's also because he just doesn't take this stuff at all seriously. I don't know, maybe I shouldn't, either... but I have too much respect for the effort that went into the world to want to just dismiss it all as the ravings of a madwoman.

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Saturday, November 6, 2004 2:53 PM

CALHOUN

Vampires are NOT real.

Just my 2 bobs worth.

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Saturday, November 6, 2004 3:08 PM

CREVANREAVER

Docnebula, or Darren, or whatever your name is, I just want to write that I think your a pretty clever guy with some great theories.

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Saturday, November 6, 2004 3:52 PM

EMBERS

actually Darren, Joss is always funny, on every subject...he can't stop himself.
On zero sleep...after having been up all night filming 'Serenity' and flying to Chicago, he gets on stage to do a Q&A, and the puns just keep falling from his lips non-stop....

I would say that the biggest difference between you and him though, he doesn't take himself as seriously as you take yourself.

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Saturday, November 6, 2004 5:22 PM

DOCNEBULA

Quote:
Originally posted by CrevanReaver:
Docnebula, or Darren, or whatever your name is, I just want to write that I think your a pretty clever guy with some great theories.

Thanks. Always a pleasure to be appreciated. ;)

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Saturday, November 6, 2004 5:27 PM

DOCNEBULA

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
I would say that the biggest difference between you and him though, he doesn't take himself as seriously as you take yourself.

LOL. First, I meant no disrespect to Mr. Whedon, I admire his talents enormously. I just find it extremely frustrating when the fictional worlds I love most don't make sense. Joss has his priorities, I have mine, and he's a far more successful man than I am. Nonetheless, I love BUFFY, I've bought all the DVD collections, I feel I'm entitled to whine.

Having said that, I don't take myself as seriously as you seem to feel I do. I just take absurd geekish nonsense like how in the world vampires have sex with real human beings when we are constantly told that they don't even breathe, VERY seriously. I am a writer myself; I feel it's part of the deal to make my fiction make as much sense as possible.

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