So, an interesting question. Why would Buffy have problems with the cops, as regards vampires? They're dead already; you cannot kill them under any actual definition of the law. :-)

So far as I know, there are no laws about killing demons infesting human bodies. Harmony is not Harmony as she was when she was alive. She has many of Harmony's attributes and charactersitics- but that ain't Harmony in there. I suspect the comic will gloss over this... willing suspension of disbelief...

Dana5140 | October 04, 12:29 CET

In my opinion, I'm not sure that there's a huge suspension of disbelief required in order to accept that law officials would not look favourably upon somebody terminating the existence of a being that the general population looks at in a positive light. Moreover, just because the public is now aware of vampires doesn't mean that they know everything about them (like we do). I'd be willing to believe that it's not common knowledge to the vampire loving populace that the process involves a demon taking up shop in your body.

[ edited by Axed84 on 2011-10-04 16:11 ]

Axed84 | October 04, 15:55 CET

As the whole Darla story line suggests, vampires aren't just demons setting up shop in someone else's body. It's more complicated than the party line from the watcher's council suggests.

Maggie | October 04, 18:09 CET

But it is confusing. :-)

Dana5140 | October 04, 18:45 CET

What's confusing about the police giving you hassle if you off a sentient being?

norwie | October 04, 21:15 CET

No law for it, that's what. What's confusing is the legal status of doing so, natch. They cannot hassle you if you are not breaking any laws. But this is a "deep" read, of course. :-)

Dana5140 | October 05, 12:46 CET

You assume an awful lot. For one, we do know the public knows about vampires. For two, we do know the public loves said vampires. Why assume that there are no rules/laws concerning them? Why assume that even if there are no laws to follow a jury wouldn't rule against a vampire killer?

Since - thinking things through - there are a lot of new implications on what constitutes a human, or to whom human rights/general law apply to: with what little we saw (Talk shows! Game shows! Rallies! Political speeches!) i find it hard to decide for certain what would and what wouldn't be a reaction by police forces to what constitutes of a murder of a sentient being - a being who is loved by the public - and therefore wouldn't assume that laws/police decide that "vampires are really dead (oh, really? maybe our definition of dead is wrong!) and cannot be killed". That's - against everything i see every day on TV, or in the newspapers.

(Mind you - i'm not saying the public, or law would be right to grant full citizenship to vampires. But what we know of the story so far i find it hard to believe that public opinion would look the other way if you killed one of their new pets...)

norwie | October 05, 13:03 CET

I don't think the law is very clear on vampires, myself. Maybe there are some fun old laws on the books in some places though.

Sunfire | October 05, 16:07 CET

If I recall correctly, there's at least one state that passed a law making it illegal to kill or harrass a Sasquatch - just in case it turns out that they DO exist...

Rowan Hawthorn | October 05, 17:17 CET

Cryptozoological conservation! I like that. I can only imagine the state level legislation that would be going down while Harmony and the like are on people's tv screens. Bills to recognize equal vampire rights. Bills to protect America's youth from the negative influence of vampires in pop culture. Bills to define marriage as between two breathing humans with bloodflow. Congressional scandals involving sponsors of those bills caught in vampire trysts.

Sunfire | October 05, 18:59 CET

Dana5140, Axed84: Thing is, I don't know if the law is capable of recognizing that, which is where the question comes in. Could end up an interesting wrinkle of the general public splits into factions on it.

Maggie:True,, although all that really seems to mean is the vampire demon is basically a spark animating the body, not a pre-existing demon with a separate personality. The vampire personality develops after the rising.

Of course, since I'm fixated on my main ficverse, Harmony *is* (well was until late 2005 when she picked up a secondary shanshu) still the same person in there, she's just more up-front and vulgar about it as a vamp.

DaddyCatALSO | October 06, 22:01 CET