betenoire_rp Application
2. Character Information
Name: Spike, aka William the Bloody, aka William Pratt
Livejournal Username: idolstolemylook
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Character Information II
Age/Appearance: Spike appears to be a young man stuck in late-70s punk, with bleached hair, a wirey ("compact and well-muscled") frame of average height, blue eyes and a scar on his left eyebrow. He is, in fact, over a hundred years old, though sources differ on his exact age. He has lived as a vampire since the Victorian period. Most often wearing black jeans, t-shirt, a red striped long-sleeve shirt, and black leather duster.
History: Wikipedia
Personality: Vampires are, typically, soulless, immoral creatures, hidebound to tradition and the time in which they're "born." Spike is a notable exception to the rule: while he is just as violent and immoral, he embraces a spectrum of human experience atypical for his kind. The inherent contradiction of his nature is the conflict between violence and love: he's selfish, impulsive, and irrational, but when he loves he loves entirely and that love can dictate his character. He is a romantic (small r and big R) as well as a villain, an opportunist and a slave to passion. He's a bad boy who would do anything for his girl. He's got ADHD as well as unshakable determination. His passion for life is, if anything, augmented by his "death."
Reacting against his staid upbringing and his own bookishness, Spike felt a freedom in his vampiredom that he fully embraced. He became a rebel, motivated by thrills and his love for Drusilla. These forces drove him for over a hundred years, during which he was not plagued by conscience or remorse. While it might appear as though he learned little, he did become a prodigious fighter and a decent tactician, though he's rarely patient enough to see his plans through and prefers to wade in fighting. He is a student of literature as well as popular culture, staying well in touch with the human world.
Several things happened after his arrival in Sunnydale which altered his personality, or at least how he related to the world, for good. First, Angelus' return upset the balance between himself and Drusilla, causing him to take sides with Buffy in order to "save the world"--which, after all, he enjoys living in. Second, his actions in doing so caused Drusilla to leave him, citing his "softness" and humanity as the reason. Eventually returning to Sunnydale, he was captured and a microchip was implanted in his brain which causes him pain whenever he attempts to hurt humans, leading him to seek asylum with Buffy and her friends. His adaptive nature in concert with his obsessiveness and thrill-seeking led to his falling in love with Buffy, his natural and actual enemy.
This obsession/love, while grounded in physical lust, engendered more behavioral changes. In essence, he turned from being Drusilla's monster to take the maxim "What Would Buffy Do?" as his moral guide, and even if he was doing it for selfish reasons, began to act in an unselfish and even noble manner. He withstood torture rather than give up Buffy's sister, Dawn. He fought at Buffy's side, and even after her death continued to protect Dawn and do Buffy's work, without the slightest hope of reward.
Though violent, restless, and passionate, Spike is also snarky and servant, especially when it comes to relationships and human nature. This does not include his own, however, which is an enormous blind spot for him. In a group, he is the one most likely to be standing aside and commenting on the action. In his interactions with others, Spike tends to use words as often as violence, especially once he's "neutered" by the chip. He can be very manipulative as well as politically astute, which isn't to say he refines his speech at all and is a terrible liar. He responds better to women than men when it comes to companionship. And while he is capable of taking charge, it is not a strong motivation for him if he can get what he wants otherwise. Just as causing pain is not a motivation for his violence--he acts for his own pleasure and the thrill. Both an opportunist and a romantic, Spike follows his impulses. That and his sensitivity and need for attention leaves him open to addiction and abuse, though he tends to bounce back and does not actually enjoy being used.
Sexual Preferences/Orientation: Spike is highly sexual, but also highly driven by love. When he loves, he is faithful, passionate, and loyal, and he's capable of tailoring his sex drive to that situation. When given the opportunity however, whether in a relationship or not in one, he enjoys sex a lot and enjoys variety. Canonically heterosexual, the hint of Angel/Spike as well as the general sense of fluid sexuality in the Buffyverse, added with his pursuit of novelty and thrill, convinces me he's functionally bisexual with a strong leaning towards women where relationships are concerned. He has no morals when it comes to sex (see: commissioning a sexbot version of his intended love object), aside from personal loyalty, which he would be capable of betraying should he feel he has been betrayed. Prone to obsessive love, he does not enter into it easily, though he leaves it even less so.
Powers: Immortality, accelerated healing, strength, speed, and physical prowess, heightened senses. Can be staked, burned with cross or holy water, beheaded, and burned with sunlight, though he's fairly tolerant of the latter. He's also a skilled fighter.
Reason for playing: I've always been interested in the question of morality as it pertains to Spike. Is doing something because one knows another would approve of it moral, or mere aping of morality? Does it count towards being a "good person"? At what point is morality internalized? What does it mean to have a soul? Spike's complex relationship to morality, his deep devotion to those he loves, his sense of duty despite his lack of conscience fascinate me. I always felt that the writers dropped the ball when they gave him a soul, revealed he was no different souled or unsouled, and refused to follow up. I want to know what makes him different from a human, or from Angel. I want to know why he's the same with or without a conscience. Taking him from the point I am gives me leeway to explore some of these questions, because he's deep in the mindset that he must continue Buffy's work and protect her family. How will Bete Noire work on those baser motives, even with her there? (And I would talk to Buffy's player about this, naturally.) BN also gives me the opportunity to give him a soul, to get rid of the chip, to do things with the moral questions Mutant Enemy refused to grey. It also allows me to go in several different directions with him, since he does have dark impulses as well as a potential for heroism which are both strong forces in the city.