I Choose The Bear

Demonic possession doesn’t work like that.

Sure, there was a demon.

But the demon was HIM. Spike was always an evolution and corruption of William. If it was an actual possession, then none of William would be there to find because it wouldn’t be William the entity that became “Spike”.

“Spike” would just be some random demon that identity-thefted “William” when it took his body.

The demon couldn’t have replicated “William”.

So the answer is that “William” was always in Spike.

So it’s not a possession. It’s a corruption.

That’s why “Spike” doesn’t just disappear when he gets a soul. Because he was never just a random demon.

He was “William” as a demon.

And “William” just fought the demon side of him.

And I really would argue that every single vampire in the Buffyverse is this way besides Angel. Angel is an outlier.

Angel is only a possession simply because Angel says so because he cannot reconcile with his dark side. He is ashamed of it. Reviles it. So he split-identifies from it.

Willow does the exact same thing with “Dark Willow”.

But no one says that Dark Willow is a different entity because we are aware that the dark magic corrupts her.

Basically… it’s just a psychological thing. It’s not real.

For one thing, it suggests that the line we hear in Lie to Me (That's not how it works. You die. And a demon sets up shop in your old house. It walks and talks and remembers your life but it's not you.) is the final authority, when the entire season that follows it is about reconciling with how wrong this is. It's something Buffy says to Ford; something she says that she was taught by her watcher(s), who were instructed by the Council, who is demonstrated in every. single. interaction. they have with any of our characters to be inherently self-serving, underhanded, ruthless, and incredibly black-and-white in how they not only view demons, but their own slayers. The Slayer is not a person, but a weapon, and their intent is to use that weapon the way THEY see fit. Weapons that can question the doctrine are dangerous.

Furthermore, this might have been the general conceit of the show at its inception, but the show outgrew its inception pretty damn quick. For instance, Angel wasn't supposed to survive past S2. He went on to his own show that is fundamentally about his struggle for redemption, which makes no sense at all without first acknowledging that he is responsible for his actions, whether they are souled or not. For if he's not, why even fight? Why not just say "that's not me" and walk away?

I don't really blame you, I'm just exhausted and your words unintentionally pressed a sore spot. I loved my father, and he loved me and did his best, but when I was a kid he would sneer at me anytime I seemed to not be curious about something he found interesting, and he would call me uncurious about the world. Which just wasn't ever true.

Demonic possession doesn’t work like that.

Sure, there was a demon.

But the demon was HIM. Spike was always an evolution and corruption of William. If it was an actual possession, then none of William would be there to find because it wouldn’t be William the entity that became “Spike”.

“Spike” would just be some random demon that identity-thefted “William” when it took his body.

The demon couldn’t have replicated “William”.

So the answer is that “William” was always in Spike.

So it’s not a possession. It’s a corruption.

That’s why “Spike” doesn’t just disappear when he gets a soul. Because he was never just a random demon.

He was “William” as a demon.

And “William” just fought the demon side of him.

And I really would argue that every single vampire in the Buffyverse is this way besides Angel. Angel is an outlier.

Angel is only a possession simply because Angel says so because he cannot reconcile with his dark side. He is ashamed of it. Reviles it. So he split-identifies from it.

Willow does the exact same thing with “Dark Willow”.

But no one says that Dark Willow is a different entity because we are aware that the dark magic corrupts her.

Basically… it’s just a psychological thing. It’s not real.

For one thing, it suggests that the line we hear in Lie to Me (That's not how it works. You die. And a demon sets up shop in your old house. It walks and talks and remembers your life but it's not you.) is the final authority, when the entire season that follows it is about reconciling with how wrong this is. It's something Buffy says to Ford; something she says that she was taught by her watcher(s), who were instructed by the Council, who is demonstrated in every. single. interaction. they have with any of our characters to be inherently self-serving, underhanded, ruthless, and incredibly black-and-white in how they not only view demons, but their own slayers. The Slayer is not a person, but a weapon, and their intent is to use that weapon the way THEY see fit. Weapons that can question the doctrine are dangerous.

Furthermore, this might have been the general conceit of the show at its inception, but the show outgrew its inception pretty damn quick. For instance, Angel wasn't supposed to survive past S2. He went on to his own show that is fundamentally about his struggle for redemption, which makes no sense at all without first acknowledging that he is responsible for his actions, whether they are souled or not. For if he's not, why even fight? Why not just say "that's not me" and walk away?

I don't really blame you, I'm just exhausted and your words unintentionally pressed a sore spot. I loved my father, and he loved me and did his best, but when I was a kid he would sneer at me anytime I seemed to not be curious about something he found interesting, and he would call me uncurious about the world. Which just wasn't ever true.