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THE DARKNESS WITHIN: A Guide to Believable Darkfic by Character
Angel(us)
by Kita
Angelus
Canon: Angelus was "The Scourge of Europe" for over a century. Apparently one of the most infamous and feared vampires in Jossverse history, his hobbies as demonstrated onscreen have included rape, torture, mutilation, as well as the massacre of men, women and children. A true sadist, he gloried in others' pain and death. Darkfic about Angelus would take no stretch of the imagination.
How can we make it so? In the past: anytime before Angel loses his soul to the gypsies or after he loses his soul to Buffy. Present day: we are told that a drugged Angel loses his inhibitions sufficiently enough to think he is Angelus (Eternity). An AU where Angel never regains his soul is always another option, so long as there is some explanation as to how this came about. Angelus is usually portrayed as the antagonist in fic, and much less often as the victim of dark forces.
Creepy onscreen moments to draw from: Killing Jenny Calendar (Passions), torturing Drusilla (Becoming, Dear Boy) killing Holtz's family (Lullaby).
Warnings: Gore alone does not make for good darkfic. A laundry list of the vampire's misdeeds will do little else than make your reader lose their appetite. Writing about Angelus' motivations, thought processes, feelings (yes, he had some, most of them bad) etc. is a much more difficult task, but one in which the end result will be a more enjoyable fic. For more information on Angelus as a character, I recommend the following site: Blood Screaming: Your Guide to the Fanged Four.
Angel
Canon: Angel did not attain automatic hero status upon the return of his soul. In fact, as we see in 'Darla', he wished very strongly to continue to be a monster. Even though he was ultimately unsuccessful at it, he remained more recluse than Dark Avenger (Are You Now?). Angel in current day is still capable of exceptionally poor moral judgment, such as locking lawyers in wine cellars and firing his friends (Reunion). He admits to a continued attraction to blood and violence and often uses threats of bodily harm to get his way, even with those close to him. (Sombulist, Reprise, The Price). He has been shown to have a reckless disregard for innocents when he wants something or someone desperately. When crossed he does not hesitate to use violence, even against humans who he once considered family (Forgiving).
How can we make it so? Angry and/or desperate Angel is dark Angel. As we have seen onscreen, an Angel who loses the things or people he holds dearest is much less likely to subscribe to any human moral code.
On the flip side, Angel is also often a martyr. He is quite willing to die for a handful of people and sometimes for the larger cause. He has a deep seated belief that he deserves to suffer and is just as often portrayed in Jossverse as the tortured, brooding hero as the mean and nasty vampire. Angel is therefore just as at home in darkfic as the 'victim' in the piece as he is as the villain. The man spends a god 25% of his screentime in chains; inspiration is not hard to find.
Creepy onscreen moments to draw from: For DarkAngel as antagonist, "Frankly, I just can't bring myself to care" befoe locking tine wine cellar door (Reunion), slapping Darla around before fucking her through the bed (Reprise), and "You're dead, Pryce!" before smothering Wesley with a pillow (Forgiving).
For Angel as victim of dark forces: Being tortured by Vamp!Willow as Puppy!Angel in "The Wish", being tortured for past sins by any number of antagonists, including Drusilla (S2 Buffy, S2 Angel), Spike (S1 Angel), Holtz (S3 Angel), and Wolfram and Hart anytime they damn well please.
Warnings: Angel can be dark, creepy and downright mean, but he does have his limits. Angel souled is not going to kill the Scoobies, be cruel to Buffy, or torture Spike for fun without a damn good reason. And on the flip side, remember the oft repeated mantra: gore does not always equal good. Showing your reader Angel's guts in Drusilla's hands won't go a long way toward quality fic without the plausible explanation as to how they got there, why, and how everyone involved feels about it. For more information on Angel as a character, I recommend the following sites: City of Angel, Blood Screaming, and Slashing the Angel.