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Entire Thesis (pdf)

Chapters:

  1. Summary of Known Information
  2. The Order of Aurelius
  3. An Alternate Theory of Vampirism
  4. Appearance and Habitat
  5. Feeding Habits
  6. Preferred Victims
  7. Sexual Idiosyncrasies
  8. Torture
  9. Other Known Idiosyncrasies
  10. Pre-Death Biography
  11. Summary of Strengths and Weaknesses
  12. Conclusions

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CHAPTER SIX: Preferred Victims

William the Bloody's victim preference corresponds directly with previously mentioned aspects of his personality. That is, his attention-seeking behavior, his temper, and his well documented romantic nature. This trend results in victims that fall into two main categories: the random victim, who may be of any age, sex, or walk of life, and the attractive, young female. Special consideration will also be given to his fascination, indeed, obsession(1) with the Slayer.

It should be noted that the majority of common vampires exhibit little to no victim preference. Vampires feed on the blood of human beings to survive, and will normally choose whomever is the most convenient and/or easiest kill in the vicinity. The more evolved Aurelius clan, however, have shown themselves to be more psychologically motivated.

Indeed, vampires of the Aurelius clan may be categorized in much the same way as academia has categorized human serial killers. Using that model, the vampiress Drusilla would be classified as a Visionary Motive Type. This type of killer is considered insane or psychotic. They often hear 'voices' which tell them to commit a crime, and may also see visions. (2)

The vampiress Darla, and to a greater extent the vampire Angelus, could be classified as Lust Killers. These are sexual killers who derive sexual pleasure from the kill. In addition, the amount of pleasure derived is directly proportional to the amount of torture they inflict on their victims. Indeed, the more heinous the torture, the more aroused they become. Unlike the Visionary Motive Type, however, this type is in touch with reality. (3)

Using these classic serial killer models, William the Bloody would fit best in the category of the Thrill-Oriented Type. This type kills for 'fun.' They are said to get a 'high' from killing. They may be quite sadistic, and kill for the excitement it provides. (4) This thrill-seeking behavior has been well documented in previous sections of this thesis. Certainly it is the rare vampire who actually seeks out the Slayer. Despite his individual preferences, William the Bloodys choice of victims was also influenced by his hunting companions. Hunting with a group or as a pair (with Drusilla or Angelus), he is more likely to defer to their preference. This could be due to a desire to please or placate (as with Drusilla) or, in the case of Angelus, submitting to the more dominant male of the group. (5)

Left to his own devices, William the Bloody often seems to seek out the most challenging situation available, and can allow his temper get away from him. He has attacked an entire bar full of men after several of them apparently insulted his paramour, Drusilla. "We made the mistake of calling his woman a looney tunes," recalled one survivor. "I was lucky to get out alive." (6)

Drusilla and her well-documented insanity has gotten William the Bloody in dangerous situations on more than one occasion. Indeed, in Prague, while defending his mistress, he single handedly fought off an angry mob in order to save her after she entered an orphanage and attempted to turn several children.(7)

When not fighting off angry mobs, William the Bloody prefers the company of physically attractive young females. In her memoir of their friendship, which lasted over a year, journalist Anita Law recounts her impressions of William the Bloody. "He was in every way a charmer. From his looks, to his voice, to his manners, he was every girl's dream. I was just the old lady next door, the one whom he would drink tea with, play cards with, or for whom he'd fix the occasional squeaky door. I saw many young women enter his home. This was no surprise. It never occurred to me until later that I never saw one of them leave."(8)

In the vampire Slayer, William the Bloody seems to have found his ultimate potential victim. That is, she is strong enough to be his equal or better in a fight, providing him with the thrill- seeking, danger-seeking behavior he craves. The fact that he has outmatched two Slayers has also been the most obvious source of his considerable reputation, giving him the attention, admiration, and respect of his clan and peer group. And, finally, the Slayer is always a young, athletic female, the type to whom he seems most sexually attracted.

William the Bloody killed his first Slayer, Chen Ma, in 1900 in China during the Boxer Rebellion.(9) While there are no documented witnesses to this occurrence, it can be deduced that this event resulted in increased confidence for the young vampire,(10) as well as greater esteem among his clan members. He and Drusilla separated from the rest of the group shortly thereafter.

In 1977, William the Bloody killed his second Slayer in New York City. He deliberately traveled to New York to seek her out. After observing her for several nights, he finally initiated deadly contact in an empty subway car.(11) It was after this event that William the Bloody's reputation as the "slayer of Slayers" became well-known.(12)

William the Bloody's encounter with the current Slayer, Buffy Summers, was incidental to his quest to cure Drusilla, injured in Prague, by visiting the Hellmouth. Nevertheless, he fought the Slayer enthusiastically on several occasions, culminating in Ms. Summers' seeming defeat of William the Bloody by dropping a large church organ on him. He did, however, recover, and in fact teamed with the Slayer in order to defeat Angelus and Drusilla in their attempt to raise Acathla.(13)

This last development is curious; in fact, some would say, unheard of. Further attention to William the Bloody's relationship to the current Slayer is warranted.

NOTES

(1) Rupert Giles, A Watcher's Diary, Unpublished, 1962-1968

(2) Grant Nixon, Serial Killers: Motives and Victims. University of Washington Press, Seattle 1990: 65.

(3) Ibid. 68.

(4) Ibid. 72.

(5) Charles Greenberg and Lois Pearson, Master Vampire: The Alpha Male's Role in the Vampire Clan,. Little Brown & Company, UK Ltd., London 1980: 27.

(6) Brenda Newton, Vampires, Werewolves and Witches, Oh My!: True Tales of Surviving the Supernatural. Chronicle Books, San Francisco 1997: 139.

(7) Harry Brockman, ed., Famous Vampire Skirmishes . Never Never Publishers, Maple Park 1982: 178.

(8) Anita Law, The Vampire Beside Me. W.W. Norton & Company, New York 1982: 22.

(9) Sir Nicholas Brisby, "The Death of Chen Ma," Slayer Death Reports, (1914): 57.

(10) N. Bonaparte, Definitions of Stages in Vampiric Development. Private Collection, New Orleans 1845: 61.

(11) Bernard Crowley, A Watcher's Diary, Unpublished, 1960-1977

(12) Quentin Travers, et. al., Who's Who in the World of Damned Creatures. COW Publishing, London, 1988: 36.

(13) Giles, A Watcher's Diary.