This idea of a "Strong Vampire Demon" and a "Weak Vampire Demon" comes from an interesting article in Five Seasons of Angel by Margurite Krause "It's a Stupid Curse"
The truth is, distinctions between beings with souls and those without is nebulous at best. Although Drusilla and Spike, in season two of Buffy are pure demon, without souls, they are also obviously, devotedly in love with one another. In fact, when the Judge first meets them ("Surprise" B2-13), he complains that they carry a "stink of humanity" about them. Despite bthe fact that they are undenialby dmons, and capable of great evil, Dru and Spike also are cpable of loyalty, devotion, tenderness, concern, love, - all traits associated with human "goodness" and the possession of a soul. Spike carries this un-demonic behavior to the ultimate extreme when, during Buffy season five, he falls hopelessly in love with the Slayer- not at all the proper way for a vampire to behave.The problem, I believe, arises from the fundamental nature of vampires. Not all demons are created equal. We have already noted that different kinds of demons display different levels of morality - good, neutral or evil. but even among the specific, inherently evil demons that become vampires, some appear to be more powerful than others.
An average vampire wears its host body the way a human wears clothing. The original personality and mannerisms of the dead person are visible, but the individual characteristics and fundamental nature of the possessing demon shine through. most of the vampires enountered on a routine basis by Angel and his Team, or Buffy and the Scoobies seem to be of this type. The primary urge to kill and destroy with the remnants of the human personality providing little more than window dressing over the core of insatiable evil.
In contrast, when a realtively weak demon rises as avapire, whatever individual personality the demon may have originally possessed is overridden by the personality of the human body it inhabits. Drusilla, Harmony and Spike all seem to be vampires of this type. The human Drusilla had visons of the future and was driven insane by Angelus, and both of these factors continue to dominate her personality as a vampire. The personality of vain, dim-witted Harmony seems completely unaffescted by her transition from human to vampire - the influence of the demon is discernable only when she actually vamps out and tried to bite someone. As for william, it might be tempting to think that his original human personality, the sensitive, emotionally needy young man and bad poet, has been replaced by a powerful vampire persona, the callus snarky Spike. But in fact, Spike's evolution over the years has proven the opposite to be true. Flashbacks show Spike's origins as a vampire (for example "Lies my parents told me" B7-17, and "Destiny" A5-8 ) reveal that Williams loving and generally eager-to-please personality remained dominant after he died. "Spike" is the ersult of Williams gradual reinvention of himself; a tough-guy protective shell for someone who's a softie at heart.
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What happens, then, when an exceptionally powerful demon takes possession of a human body to become a vampire? The demon dmoinates and few if any traces of the human host remain. Which is exactly what we see when we compare the personalities and behavior of Angel and Angelus.
I find this concept facinating, and I am seeing traces of it in our LABN vampires. Especially those we knew some before they were vamped. Tash, or fallen sister, has a pretty run-of-the-mill vampire possessing her. It is a nice balance between the Savvy/tough Tash and the cruel/malicious vampire.
Benji, on the other hand, seems to be one of these 'weak' vampires who stugles to push the host into actions he really doesn't care to do. You can almost feel the tension within him as the inner voice sreams "KILL" and the outer body shrugs and checks his 8-ball. Nice.
Anyway, I wanted to share this article snippet becasue there is an idea here that might bear examination within the LABN storylines. Oh and pardon my slapdash transcription.
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