what do you do when your favorite fictional character doesn't have a last name?

I wonder if Angel was his real name or one he took after he was cursed .
 
Athena said:
William Pratt totally suits human William. I'm obsessed with Whedonverse names. There's usually a lot of thought put into them.

For example, Liam and William; both the same name. Liam is the Irish version of the British William, both descending from the German name Wilhelm. Angel and Spike are linked by etymology, as well as becoming soulled vampires in love with the Slayer. It's poetic. 😉
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Also, (people probably know this already) but William Pratt was the birth name of Boris Karloff, an actor who became well known for playing monsters in horror films in the 30s and 40s. I think that's a great reference because as we get to know more about Spike as the series progresses, it becomes clear that the Spike persona is something that he has intentionally cultivated. William takes on Spike the way an actor takes on a stage name and persona in order to create an niche for themselves.
 
I think myself that William took on Spike as a way to better protect Dru & for no other reason.
 
Spike was created to escape his own insecurities, to shove them under a persona. It's a direct knock on in characterisation that we can follow from William's humiliation at the party and his rejection. How he is perceived, what his image is, is such a major issue for Spike. This is why he is suicidal in Doomed, not only is he feeling less powerful when chipped, but he has totally lost his image and the sense of self he created to smother his insecurities about being perceived as weak/ineffectual too. 🙂
 
Lets not forgot that Dru had left Spike & he had been with her since he was turned so that was hard for him too .
 
ChaseRules said:
And sometimes it better to change your name too.
Spike is a lot more scary then William esp when you find out why he was called Spike.
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But Spike did add "the bloody" onto William because of his violent nature. It seems most vampires take on a new name after a while, question is do they choose it or does it get chosen by circumstances eg Spike was William the Bloody but "earned" the nickname Spike because of torturing people with railroad spikes. Angelus was "the one with the angelic face", Darla was not Darla's original name but means "darling/loved one" and Darla would often seduce her victims. Drusilla is the only one that has kept her original name as far as we know.


Giles: Oh, there you are.

Jenny: There who is?

Giles: Our new friend Spike. He's known as 'William the Bloody'. Earned
his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes. Very
pleasant. Well, here's some good news: he's barely two hundred. He's not
even as old as Angel is. (frowns) Oh.

Xander: That's a bad look, right?

Giles: I think your suggestion of running away this Saturday might've
been a good one. Spike has fought two Slayers in the last century,
and... he's killed them both.



So does Spike still go by William the Bloody but is just better known as Spike? Is William the bloody his professional name?
 
I didn't know Vampires had professional names 😀

And I guessing that his nickname like Dru was for Drusilla & Xander was for Alexander .
 
Puppet said:
My fanon heart likens Angel to be Liam O'Connor, for two reasons; it explains why he gave his son the name he did, and a musician I enjoy has that name, lol.
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I like how you think . I think now that a very good reason why he named him Conner 😀
 
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