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![]() Angel s1e9 This question is rarely examined in depth on Buffy or Angel and the characters have a disturbing tendency to either tip-toe around it or resort to cliches. Cliches range from Giles' "You're looking at what killed [the host]" to Angel's returning soul. Unless Joss drops a bombshell on the show, the safe assumption seems to be that even Vampires don't know what they are. The most popular theory on the 'net is the demon-possession one, and this certainly has its strong points (especially when tied to Pippin's corruption theory). Yes, this theory is very strong, but it seems to have several holes. First, where are these demons coming from? We know that there are "hell" dimensions, and we know that there are demons, but many of these demons can cross to our world in limited form. How they can do this is worth a whole 'nuther analysis, but the fact is they can come accross and are stronger than vampires. As proof, I offer the dialogue in Angel's Hero episode, in which Vampires are referred to as the weakest of all half-breeds. Some may say that these lines don't indicate that Vamps are the weakest all *demons* just of the hybrids. I say that logic seems to indicate that full-breeds are stronger than half-breeds, and if you want to argue with that, well I love an open discussion, but you'll need more proof than wishful thinking. The point of all this is that demons don't need to become Vamps to wreak havoc on Earth--there are more efficient ways. Further, possession is not usual demon MO. Demons, as depicted in the Buffyverse have corporeal bodies; Vampire possesion acts more like some kind of spirit. The point is that these so-called "demons" do not act like demons as we know them. Ergo, logically, they are not demons as we have come to know them. Secondly, we have to wonder why a demon would want to use any of the traits of the human. Perverting them, yes, that makes sense. But Vampires like Spike and the book-worm the Judge fried [Dalton], they display pure human emotions, like love and intellectual curiousity. I can't see any demon hanging on to these humanities. Alright, so I've hopefully established that Vampires are not, we ought to look at what they are. Well, lets start with the easily quantifiable, their physical characteristics. Vampires are basically human beings. They are not actually dead in the biological sense. They respire enough to smoke. They have some kind of circulation, as they experience intoxication and narcotic related effects. They heal at an accelerated rate. Despite this, they are somehow not alive. They have no pulse. They do not have enough breath to perform CPR. They cast no reflection. Well, how do reconcile these things logically? We don't. Its magic, it has its own rules, and these must fit them. Magic lets duality exist physically as well as spiritually. Trying to rationalize how all this can happen is a waste of time, the best course is simply to catalogue what we know. Human Form: Virtually identical to normal humans in appearance. Doubtless somewhat stronger than they appear, but not at their maximum strength. They rarely, if ever, seem to try and tackle the Slayer when like this. They are ruthless, but not always as aggressive as when in combat. Snarly Form: Obviously the combat form, it is stronger and possibly faster than the normal form. It has pronounced fangs. The theory we'll work from here is that form comes from "unleashing the beast" fully, super-charging the body with dark energy. This has the side affect of making Vamps more aggressive in this form (this is not conclusively proven, but it has circumstantial evidence in its favour, not the least of which is Angel's reluctance to assume this form). Needing Blood: My theory here is that there is something magical about Earthly animals, especially humans. The human body cannot survive without this magic (for the reason why Vamps don't have this magic, see below). This energy is concentrated in the blood because it is the life fluid. Vamps drain it to renew their darkness-augmented-but-basically-human bodies. The enhanced darkness that is in their blood infects anyone who ingests it after losing some of their energy. This is how Vamps are sired. Okay, now on to Vampire origins. This is highly theoretical, but unless I missed something it should make some sense. Earth not like the dimensions of light or darkness. Earth combines both. Everything on Earth is a composite of "evil" and "good" energies. What Vamping does is drains a large amount of that light energy, replacing it with darkness. This turns a balanced person into a demon-souled person. Depending on the original personality, shreds of it may remain (ironically, it seems that the more totally non-evil a human is, the more evil the Vampire is). Vampires are demons under this theory, but demons that are literally derived from humans. Theoretically the good parts of the soul like a conscience and the ability to love are consigned to limbo. When a Vampire is killed, the entire soul is reunited and the artificially enhanced evil fades and goes where-ever souls go. Things like the gypsy curse on Angel return the good parts of the soul without getting rid of the demonic parts. He has all the makings of a normal human, plus an extra dose of demon-ism. Okay, now what kills or hurts a vampire and why? First, wood through the heart. Why wood? Because it is organic and tough. Why the heart? Because it is the centre of the circulatory system (which contains the super-charged blood). Second, severing the head. We rarely see this happen, but it works. The head contains the centre of the thought--without that centre, the body cannot hold together. Third, crosses. Why crosses? I don't think it is Christian, or at least not entirely. The cross has come to symbolize something very simply and very strongly, and that quantity is an anathema to Vampires. I am talking about forgiveness of sins. Can you imagine any concept more sickening to a creature based entirely around causing pain. I can't. Fourth, Holy Water. This one is a bit less clear, but since it seems to work for water blessed by any religious figure, so I'd say it has to do with purity. Opinions
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