Demon Slayer
(Originally posted on July 26, 2013. Pretty much self-explanatory since I played with demons all the time in my stories.)
Traditionally, demons are the bad guys. The monsters and eaters of human. There has been a slight change with characters like Inuyasha and Etrigan where circumstances have made the demon a hero. Typically, this is done with half-breeds and those that are bound to a heroic human. I’m talking fictional literary demon and not the religious type of demon.
Demons turn up a few times in Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower. Not just the Hellfire Elf, but several different types. You get a sense of demon society through one of them. That’s something came out randomly that I kept. Demons are always these monstrous, evil beings with nothing really behind them. You get the occasional world-domination or birth my child demons, but most of them are mindless creatures of destruction. Here the demons have a society that I plan on exploring as my various series progress. Will I make a demonic hero? I have a few planned including one or two that are full-blooded demons that make the conscious decision to fight for good. Demons can have honor too.
This has led to me getting easily bored with demons in stories. I don’t like the pure evil creature path that they’re given. It lacks depth and means they’re only useful for sudden fights or possession scenes. Only so much you can do with an exorcism scene. I hate to say that I don’t like demons in stories. Probably closer to say that I want them to get more depth and versatility. After all, I’ve read and seen stories where angels are the bad guys and fall from grace. Why can’t a demon rise to heroism?
So, what do you look for in your fictional demons? If you don’t typically read such books, what would you want to see when such creatures are used?
Legends of Windemere 
While I wouldn’t write about them, KPop Demon Hunters and Howl’s Moving Castle (book and movie) seemed to showcase them in the way that you described–with versatility.
LikeLike
It seems there is a trend of demons being more than evil. At least, you have one in the story that isn’t like the others.
LikeLike
I don’t typically read books with demons but your description of them sounds good to me.
LikeLike
Thanks. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love a good demon story. I’m quite traditional in that I like my demons to be scary – the sort that slowly infiltrate your life, generating a sinister atmosphere and keeping you guessing, with a gradual escalation of activity. The Exorcist did it well – I was creeped out for days after watching that for the first time.
LikeLike
Exorcist always creeped me out. Mostly the body contorting stuff.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m with you. In Asian culture you can see them with a bit more depth.
LikeLike
Good point. Wonder why that is.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No idea it it’s fertile ground for research.
LikeLike
I’ll have to look at the cultures. I think the west usually has demons as agents of Hell. The east may have them as being closer to ghosts and spirits.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not a fan of demons, myself. They are often flat characters who are evil just because they are demons
LikeLike
That’s a shame. I don’t see that as often. Some are if they’re used solely as monsters. I think in stories built heavily around Christianity, they’re more flat.
LikeLike
I’m not a fan of demons, myself. They are often flat characters who are evil just because they are demons
LikeLike
Blinking WordPress. It keeps making me sign in for every response, hence the repeated commdnt!
LikeLike
Demons, to me, are a classic type of monster that you don’t have to work too hard at. You say it’s a demon and everyone knows what you mean. The fun part is to create an interesting description, from humanlike with strange features (weird eyes, horns, tails) to grotesque monstrosities.
LikeLike
True. Though I do like when they’re given more depth. I feel like demons are similar to vampires in that they have plenty of potential for characterization.
LikeLike