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Writing Angel & Xander - A pre-season
three (AtS) view
by Lar & Kassie
Angel is probably the most complex character in the Jossverse. There is so much to explore, and always an original idea to be had. However, this also makes him very difficult to "peg".
According to Jossverse, vampires do not change their essential nature once turned. Now, obviously, their killer instinct and need for blood is not a human trait, but some components of the human make it into the demon as well. This was demonstrated by VampWillow`s bisexuality, and by Darla`s assertion to Angelus that "who we are in life informs all we become (in death)." To me, this means that LIAM (Angel as a human), ANGEL (the vampire with a soul) and ANGELUS (the soul-less demon) are all versions of the same creature. They are a continuum, and not separate entities.
BEGIN PERSONAL RANT ((((I realize that this version of Angel-ness is at odds with some fan's belief systems. But according to every interview I have read with the stars and writers of this show, and every episode I have watched, Angel is not a uni-dimensional guy. He is not simple white hat. He is darker, and more intense, and to write him this way...well, that's where the challenge lies!)))) END PERSONAL RANT
Now, all that aside, Angel has his light and amusing moments. Witness his banter with Cordelia in A:tS, or with Xander in BtVS earlier seasons. Witness his wearing a pink motorcycle helmet in "First Impressions." Angel is a man who does not always take himself seriously.
This theme of FUNNY ANGEL can be played on quite well, particularly in slashfic. There are very few episodes which do *not* mention that others occasionally perceive Angel as gay. And he is always amused and confused at the assumption. "I wasn't hitting on you!" to a man in a bar in S1....etc. It makes for great fic fodder.
Angel has a sense of humor about himself, his situation, and even sometimes the horrors in his past. e.g. "Go to hell." - Kate. "Been there, done that." - Angel, S1. Never be afraid to make him laugh in a fic. Especially at his own expense.
Of course, the dark, BROODY ANGEL is the one we all initially fell in love with. And he is fun to write as well. It's not like he doesn't have a lot to brood about. And with that, let us commence to a brief Angel history:
Born in Galway, Ireland as Liam (last name unknown) in 1727 to an upper middle class family. His primary descriptive characteristic would likely be "hedonist". ((There are precious few LIAM fics out there. And since this has not been completely explored onscreen, maybe you can be inspired to use your imagination..... )) He drank to excess, slept with anything in a skirt, and stated aloud, "I am not afraid of anything with the exception of an honest day's work". In fact, on his last day of human life, he planned to steal all his father's silver to pay for himself and a friend to visit a whorehouse.
He never quite made it there. He was turned into a vampire by Darla (in 1753). ((There is a veritable plethora of ANGELUS fic in the world, but one can never have enough. More tips on writing the evil twin can be found later in this essay)). His hedonistic tendencies manifested in entirely new ways. His first act as immortal was to kill his own family. Now he enjoyed bloodshed and mayhem, and earned himself the reputation as the Scourge of Europe, one of the most feared and despised vampires of all time. He, Darla, Spike (aka William the Bloody) and Drusilla wreaked havoc for over a century.
Then he made a fatal mistake, although, according to numerous Joss-hints, it was simply meant to be. In 1898 he fed off a gypsy girl and was cursed by her clan. They returned his soul to him, and along with it, all the memories of what he had done as a demon, and all the guilt. Haunted by his past, he returned to Darla, only to be thrown onto the streets as an "abomination".
The next century has many blanks to fill in...and hey! That's completely what fanfic is for! We know only that he was in Montana during the Great Depression, ('City Of') and in the 1950's he took up residence in a hotel in California, ('Are You Now?')(where the current office of Angel investigation now resides). Sometime after all this, he ended up living on the streets. Again, why? We dunno. Write your ideas! In the 1990's he met up with Whistler, and the rest is history. Buffy/Angel history, to be exact, all of which is waaay too long to go into here. (see Timeline for more on Angel's whereabouts during these years)
But...during that century he spent souled, before he met Buffy...he was still not entirely a nice guy. He cared little for other people's troubles or pain, and although he apparently did not kill to feed, he watched casually as others around him killed others and themselves. He helped one woman in the hotel, under duress, and after he was betrayed by her, went back to his self-serving ways. Another great fic fodder.
BROODY ANGEL was seen first in the early eps. of Buffy. He met her, he fell for her, he wanted to help her, but he had GUILT over who he is, and what he had done. Guilty Angel can be fun to write. Especially if you're into torturing those you write about emotionally. BROODY ANGEL was particularly noticeable in the last season he appeared on Buffy, after his return from Hell, when he realized he could never again be with the woman he loved, lest he risk losing his soul. BROODY ANGEL wears black, lurks in shadows, speaks in cryptic messages and occasionally a smart ass remark, and generally wears the weight of the world on his (broad...er...sorry) shoulders. This is the guy dusters were made for.
ANGELUS, on the other hand, or Angel unsouled, has no remorse for actions, past or current, is obsessed with Buffy, but certainly not in love with her, and seems to have very large goals like sucking the entire world into Hell. He is often partnered in canon with Darla and Drusilla, and in fanon with pretty much anyone, including Xander. Unless Xander was a vampire as well, it is hard to imagine anyone 'topping' ANGELUS in terms of sex and power play. According to Jossverse, he was simply the baddest muther in the valley. He is a sadist. He can, however, also be written (and has been seen) as annoying, arrogant, and rather lacking in fashion sense. While the leather pants work for me personally, he could have mixed it up a bit for variety sake. ANGELUS himself is almost as complex a character as ANGEL, in that we as yet are uncertain of the extent (and even length since Joss so sucks at calendar math) past relationship with most of the vampires he Sired, ran with, or was Sired by. An interesting bit of background info not appearing in the show can be found in the novelized version of "City Of."
The Angel in current A:tS S2 is a fascination amalgamation of all the aforementioned characteristics. He is a demon with a soul, a man who knows how to love, and how to kill, and although he has admitted often to enjoying both, he can technically have neither. His fight for "redemption" is the basis of the show and a lot of great fic. But in the end it is his inner struggle that makes any portrayal of this character truly memorable.
Now, on to attaction to Xander. There is always the "Xander is very pretty" argument, but perhaps it could be slightly deeper or darker. Angelus would be attracted to anyone in Buffy’s circle. He would already be in the general proximity of Xander most of the time due to his rigorous stalking rituals, and he would also always be looking for some sex or mental torture. Xander could be part of a plot to get to Buffy, become a fixation in his own right, or just be convenient. In the case of Angel, the situation is more complex. Here an attraction could lie in shared struggle against evil. Perhaps also Xander feels in need of redemption and we don't know it yet or why he feels that way. Or there's always the theory that two such gorgeous men couldn't possibly be around each other for that long and not give in to the urge to rip each other's clothes off and get down to the business at hand. That's why PWP's exist.
A few brief thoughts on pairings. Before you go off willy-nilly pairing up Xander and Angel, put some thought into the time frame of your story. There is ample opportunity to match Angelus and Xander in S2, and that's the time frame you probably want to stick with for that pairing, at least in the beginning. Angel and Xander, however, could have gotten together after that in S3 and beyond. Go ahead and create a little back story and have Xander and Angel pair up in S1. Give us a reason for the anger Xander seems to display towards the vampire. VampXander had his very own version of Angel to play with; he had Puppy. This happened in the Wishverse, and it could be interesting to work that dynamic a little. We got a small glimpse of it, and you can feel free to embellish that.
This is a popular pair in the fandom, and one that can be a lot of fun to work with. You can take them down into the darkest places, and something in each of the characters will respond to it. But you can also give them a softer side, let them enjoy what they're getting into, and make that work for the reader just as well. Above all, enjoy the material you're working with. I mean, LOOK at them ... how could they not be together?