Buffy Seasons 6 & 7: An Alternative Viewpoint

Its no argument that seasons 6 & 7 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer has been rather controversial. With people saying its when the series started to go downhill. One of the complaints being is how unlikable the Scoobies has become. Most importantly Buffy. Before she was without a doubt a love or hate kind of character but the latter seasons really shifted her into the hate category. However lets take an alternate interpretation of her character in those seasons shall we?

At the start of season 6 Buffy died. Then got brought back to life. Yay. The problem with it? She was still buried and she woke up in a coffin. Ooooooh yeeeaaaaaah. And she had to scratch and dig her way out of her own grave. Then she discovers she's right back into the monster fighting chaos.

Now take this and add her previous traumas from the past seasons and add the fact that she mentioned she was in heaven before she was revived that can take a justifiably toll on a person's psyche. Something that would NOT take an episode to get over. No. This messed her up so bad that it had to take a season and a half before she is stable again.

Some could say why cant her friends help? Because they're wrapped in their own problems: Willow using powerful and dangerous magic, her crumbling relationship with Tara, Xander's anxiety over adulthood and getting serious with Anya, Giles being distant from the group, Dawns......It was a rough year for the gang. Lets leave it at that.

They're honestly the perfect examples of Shell Shocked Veterans. Buffy got the worst end of it though.

Put yourself in her position? She was forced out of heaven by her friends. One couldn't blame Buffy in growing resentful towards them because of that. And her treatment of Spike was her own way of venting out her frustrations, that and self destructive tendencies. Her having to fight her best friend who turned evil and came close to destroying the world didn't help much either.

Then Season 7 happened. Her first attempt at leading a group of potential Slayers was...messy. She wasn't a mother figure, more like the drill Sargent from Full Metal Jacket

A Slayer killed herself due to the mistreatment then Buffy called her a weakling. Just saying.

Buffy in alot of ways is a tragic character if you think about it. Before she became a slayer her biggest worry was getting a date for the prom. Not preventing the world from ending or monsters at her door. Then to add her leading a army full of Potential Slayers is like a parent not ready to raise kids being forced in a position to raise kids. Buffy was literally forced to grow up while never having the chance to experience what normal teens do. And to make things worse her friends had to experience it with her and they became just as fucked up as Buffy. You know the group is messed up when Faith's the sane one of the bunch!

Honestly Seasons 6 & 7 can be looked at as the group being a bunch of shell shocked veterans utterly broken by past events and go through a series of self destructive tendencies before trying to put themselves back together again. The last two seasons are Greek Tragedy in comparison to be honest.

Vision Quest

My planned goals.

Finish a story arc in one of my stories

Lose weight

Get a job.

Most Influencial Writers

There have been many writers that have inspired me to take up writing myself; a long list of them. So I'm going to showcase some key writers whom I felt have made an impact on my creative process. Lets get to it.

Top 5 Movies of 2015

Sup! With the year coming to a close I thought I'd do a top 5 ranking of my favorite movies of 2015, why top 5? Cause I feel 5 is a nice even number.

5:

A first ever three way tie between Kingsman, Spy, and Ant-Man. Despite the obvious differences they each have one thing in-common, they both surprised me in quality.

Melissa McCarthy is one of those comedic actresses I feel has potential and could really shine when given the right movie and I feel this was the right movie for her. And it had a old school spy film feel while being modern about it. What really sold me is how it gives me an Archer vibe.

I like McCarthy's character in that she plays a badass but more believably than you'd think. Without reaching invincible hero status in the process. First impression wise I'd put it on the same level as Kingsmen, I still do.

Ant-Man is a movie that came right when I was about to write the MCU off but Ant-Man managed to be genuinely entertaining. I thought all the characters played their parts well and I even liked the villain in this as he wasn't as irritating as most MCU villains whom isn't Loki and Hydra. Hell of a way to introduce Phase 3 into a promising direction.

Manners Maketh Man. The three M's of Kingsman. I remember coming into the movie with not so high expectations and afterwards I was like....Holy SHIT!!! This movie gave me a whole new appreciation of the spy genre. I'm pumped to see what the sequel has to offer!

4:

Tom Cruise may be crazy but he's the right kind of crazy. This was probably one of my favorite spy films from this year. It was action packed and suspenseful and it had a pretty good villain IMO. I dare say I like this better than Specter.

3.

What can I say about this movie that hasn't been said? The latter Furious films are what I'd consider to be The Expendables done right. It isn't all wink wink at the camera. No the Furious films are an 80's action film in a modern setting. As Andre The Black Nerd would say its pretty much a superhero film. Its like they are aware of how crazy they're getting and is embracing every aspect of the crazyness.

2.

Whaaaaaaat?!!! Yup. Now this list took alot of processing and thought because the race for the number one spot is a pretty close one. After observing both films there is only one movie I felt deserved the tippy top spot. Unfortunately its not this one.

Don't get me wrong I like this movie. To me I find it ten times better than the prequels yet I felt it missed something to truly earn that movie of the year title for me.

I cant give a thorough review without spoiling but don't worry. Expect a full review by the first of January. All I can say is I'd recommend watching The Force Awakens. Hell bring family along if you want a family get together. You wont be disappointed.

1. 

Anyone who have followed my blog shouldn't be surprised by this. Mad Max: Fury Road had everything I wanted in a movie and more. It had a kickass action heroine in Furiosa whom had to work for her win mind you and it felt like a real movie, not the typical glamorized hollywood BS that I usually see from blockbuster films.

Mad Max was like getting on a roller-coaster. A fun and exhilarating thrill-ride that I'll never forget. If you haven't seen it then I say go pick it up on blue ray. Its worth every penny.

Hero vs Hero And Why I Don't Write Em

With both Superman v Batman and Civil War coming out the same year, 2016, there seems to be a common theme relating to them. Heroes vs Heroes. I remember when I first heard about the news of a MCU movie adapted from Civil War I was like"Why make an adaptation out of a crappy comic arc?" Especially when you look at the fact that it hardly got a proper build up. Look at Age of Ultron, the heroes parted on good terms. Now Tony and Steve are at eachothers throats?

Then you have Batman V Superman. I give props in that they managed to give a bit of a reason for Batman to fight Superman but lets be honest. I don't think it wouldn't have hurt if Batman just talked it out with Superman. Especially the moment he noticed that Superman was all the more willing to turn himself in for his actions in Man of Steel.

Same thing with Cap and Iron Man. They've known eachother to where they could have talked it out. But thats the logical approach. Another problem with Civil War is how hypocritical it all is. Tony wants to bring Bucky to justice yet they let Wanda go with a slap on the wrist in Age of Ultron. Double Standard much guys?

What I also don't like is how gimmicky the hero vs hero concept has been. And the cause of the conflict happens in the most unoriginal manner possible. Two heroes or a group of heroes fight due to a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding?! Now the first Avengers movie I didn't mind much cause at least it was implied Loki was manipulating things behind the scenes. Yet they still continue to fight eachother in Ultron then in Civil War. Its to the point that I question if The Avengers can go one movie without fighting eachother? Next thing I'll know is they'll fight eachother in Infinity War till Thanos show up.

And we will probably get the same situation when an actual Justice League movie comes. Which is a shame as I was kinda hoping that if DC really wanted to separate themselves from Marvel then the first act is to NOT have Superman and Batman fight. Have them meet, talk it out, then work together to fight a common enemy.

Another thing I don't like about heroes vs heroes is how stupid it makes both sides look. Avengers vs X-Men. That is all.

I think the best methods in hero vs hero are usually when a villain has been manipulating the whole thing.

For instance in Justice League Unlimited we had the Cadmus Arc. It had heroes vs heroes but in the end it was Lex, and Brainiac who was manipulating the events. And what helped a bit was that there was alot of build up that led to the Cadmus arc. And in the end the heroes admit their mistakes then matured because of it. Cause the heroes learned from their mistakes Marvel!

Then in another Justice League Unlimited episode it had superheroines fighting eachother but one half of the superheroines were mind controlled at the time.

It was....glamorous.! And once again the villain was behind it.

I'd hardly,if ever, do a hero vs hero situation and usually when I do it usually is in a friendly competition scenario. Not fight over something stupid. Even in my Buffy series when Buffy and Angel first met the meeting was cautious at best but the two of them had enough maturity to understand that they're facing a bigger threat. Buffy might not completely trust Angel but the more allies against The Master the better.

And in Into The Darkness. Violet, at the time, wasn't a big fan of vigilante heroes but was all the more willing to work with one when handling a common threat. To the point where they even become friends.

Violet: "And that is all me and Obsidian are"

Nancy: "Whatever you say Vi"

Violet: "I'm involved with Chun, you know this"

But yeah thats my stake on the concept. To those who like it power to ya but just be aware that if one must do it, be creative about it.

Netflix, Supergirl, and One Punch Man: Oh My

Granted I haven't been watching much as far as tv goes. I'd catch up on some netflix and stream some anime. Other than that I've been mostly surfing the web or working on my projects. And when it comes to superhero shows my top shows are Supergirl, One Punch Man, and anything on Netflix.

I give marvel this. They've been killing it with their shows on Netflix, with the success of Daredevil and Jessica Jones. And the way I'm looking at it I'm looking forward to season 2 of Daredevil more than anything involving the MCU that isn't looked at by The Russos. Cause what the Netflix shows have going for it is good villains, well rounded characters, and better storytelling thats more mature than most of the things I've seen in the MCU. I'm anticipating for a possible season 2 of Jessica Jones.

Supergirl has been a breath of fresh air for me. Its not often I see a superhero series that actually embraces superhero tropes or see a superhero that is actually, you know, happy and isn't angsting over some meaningless BS. It has some flaws for sure but I'd take this show over shows like Flash or Arrow because this to me has actual superheroes who actually enjoy life and doesn't mope all the time. Not saying you cant have angst. Sometimes angst is a must but not to the point where you just don't give a shit because its drama just for the sake of drama. I also notice it takes more risk when compared to DC movies. And that is one of the reasons why I'm not completely into Flash and Arrow but I'll get to that in a moment.

One Punch Man, the best way to describe it is a superhero show if superheroes doesn't pull any punches. And its FUUUUUUN. Not the MCU kind of fun but real fun. Creative characters, villains, and the arcs makes me want to tune into the next episode.

As far as the others go...

I've stopped giving a crap about Heroes, don't care about the shows on ABC, then there's Flash and Arrow.

I'd always credit Flash in doing what the MCU failed to do which is provide the same sense of fun and drama but as of recently its fallen in the same traps as Arrow. Not as bad but if not careful. And with me its not so much karma houdini's, eventhough its just as bad, but with me I'm tired of the typical wangst that comes from the CW shows

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Wangst

And honestly I don't want to be that guy who'd watch the shows just to complain about them. If I feel unsatisfied about a show then I take a break. Which is why I've took a break from the Thor films. Maybe I'll come back if I hear some good things of Flash and Arrow but from a reliable source. But that is where I am now.

Evil Crack Pairing

Yet strangely enough, it works! In a twisted and fucked up way.

Enemy Mine: How To Make It Work?

A common danger unites even the bitterest enemies.

— Aristotle

 

 

Before I get to the topic I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. 

 

The topic I want to discuss is team ups. Hero and Villain or Enemy Mine team ups. A concept in storytelling that have been misused more than handled well and the question in relating to the topic is can this Enemy Mine concept be used well?

 

Personally it can but only under the right circumstances. For instance. In Gargoyles the Manhattan Clan teamed up with Xanatos to combat Oberon because Oberon wanted to claim Xanatos and Fox's baby. What made this work is that both Fox and Xanatos were heading towards a face turn,if one assumes, and both of them have served time for their actions. So both Xanatos and Fox never came off as Karma Houdini's as they both payed for their crimes.

 

What also made it work is the target of their team up. Both of them wanted to save an innocent child from being taken by Oberon and there has actually been some legit human scenes from Xanatos and Fox. The desperate helplessness they both felt when trying to save Alex was enough to make you root for both villains. It also helped that both parties looked pretty good in this. Not once did Goliath and his clan looked stupid and since it involved. Also both parties are fighting for a noble goal. Fox and Xanatos is doing it to protect their child from Oberon while the Manhattan Clan is trying to save the child from Oberon's clutches.

An enemy mine situation can work but it has to be done in a tactful manner: both parties must look good in the process, done in a manner that it isn't morally questionable on the protagonist side, and handled in a way you can actually root for the villains involved. As the above example showcase.

Avengers: Infinity War

Eventhough the movie is long ways away it still doesn't hurt to provide my thoughts and expectations on the upcoming movie.

As most of you know the original director of the previous films Joss Whedon stepped down but the ones who are going to replace him leave me with some hope. Here is an example of why this replacement leaves me with some hope.

If you compare how The Russos structure of their films to how Whedon structures his latest Avengers film then you'd notice the differences on their styles of film structure. The Russo's are more story driven and establishes the characters in a manner that is more complex than what Whedon did in his Avengers films. Winter Soldier made me give a crap about Captain America and he made Hydra cool. Then you have The Winter Soldier himself.

That is all folks. If a guy can make Hydra and Bucky look awesome and threatening imagine what he'd do with Thanos? When compared to how Whedon handles his latest Avengers flick...these vids speak for themselves

I'm not even going to get into the problems this movie had as I made a topic relating to it awhile back. All I can say is this movie is a clear example that Whedon is showing his age.

Infinity War is looking to be the most epic of the MCU in comparison. Based on my expectations I can see some of the battles being taken in space. Although Earth will be the final battle as that is where everything began. As much as I'd like to see the battle end somewhere else having it all end on Earth would be a little poetic.

Depending on where Hiddleson goes from here I see Loki's arc coming to a full circle in this. Here is my theory as to what could happen. I see Loki 'dying' to redeem himself for his past actions and take Thanos with him.

There have been speculation as to who will die. I don't think any of the Avengers will die. Yeah Vision has the Gem but who says he doesn't have a backup body somewhere just incase? I think the person to bite it will be Loki. Here is why I see this as a logical solution.

Say Infinity War is the last time we will see Hiddleson as Loki then this will be the best way to write him off. Go out a hero...well anti-hero. Then we can say he got resurrected later as a completely different person and a different actor/actress to play Loki. With the right handling Loki's sacrifice could be moving despite the fact that characters being dead and coming back has been repetitive.

Normally I'd say it would be better if nobody died but honestly after Guardians made Thanos into a one note punchline a death is going to be the one thing that would make him threatening .

I expect Marvel Disney doing away with some aspects of Age of Ultron based on this article.
http://geektyrant.com/news/disney-considers-avengers-age-of-ultrons-14-billion-haul-a-failure

Hey if this means undoing Black Widows cant have children backstory and that....romance with Banner then I'm game. From the looks of Civil War they're gradually doing just that.

My concern with the MCU films is how less serious the heroes take threats. Winter Soldier is one of the few exceptions in Phase 2. So I'm intrigued in Thanos being taken seriously in this.

The safest bet I can say about Infinity War is, due to the individuals involved, I'm confident that it wont be as disappointing as Age of Ultron

Bully Characters

They exist. And much like bullies in real life it is not something that one cant just overlook. Its like having a pest in the house. If its ignored then it doesn't solve the problem, it just makes it worse. So to any writer looking to make bully characters I fully encourage it. But there are right ways and wrong ways to create bully characters. Lets get the wrong out of the way.

I don't give a shit if I get flack from this but it has to be said. As mentioned in my previous topic. The dude is an extremely unlikable character. I DARE say the guy is worse than Flash from Spider-Man and Mark from I Am Number 4. I'm serious.

At least the previous two get called out on their acts and the latter got his ass kicked. And, from a narrative standpoint, we are supposed to hate those characters as much as we do Biff Tannen from Back To The Future.

With John Bender however...ugh. Its like the movie was going out of its way to make us feel sorry for him by using the same "I act this way because I come from a broken home" narrative. I'm sorry but I'm really tired of this excuse. Its the same BS people use to make folks feel bad for serial killers. It doesn't change the fact that they kill people and hurt the victims friends and family in the process. Why should a bully characters actions get glossed over just because they have a crappy home life?

I can see calling social services and having the character get help. Maybe have him atone for his actions. Thats the best way to go. But in The Breakfast Club he ended up befriending the ones he tormented and got hooked up with Claire. The same Claire he treated like shit and not once apologized for it.

Karma Houdini ten times worse than what Flash or Mark ever got.

Now lets look at bully characters done right.

That last one always gets me. LOL!  But these three are prime examples of bully characters done right. They get called out on their crap, they're layered, and there are instances where they are more than just standard bully characters. Also they're funny.

What also makes them good is that they at least have traits that makes em likable instead of you just want to see them die or get their asses kicked.

You actually get to see them develop and through time you'd be surprised at how much they've improved. Especially when comparing how they were before.

So when writing a bully character. Please don't take the John Bender route. Take the other examples shown below as a better alternative instead.

BTW. Nelson is a John Bender character done right. He comes from a broken home but his actions doesn't get glossed over and unlike John he usually gets his comeuppance. And gets called out on his actions. 

Doing A Competent Villain Right

What makes a good hero is a good villain. And sometimes that is true. But the definition of a good villain in my book is a competent villain. Not a villain who loses to said hero day in and day out because a hero winning nonstop with little to no difficulty is just boring IMO.

I want to clarify there is a biiig difference between a competent villain and a villain sue. For instance. Villain sues.

The only way they're in such a high position is because the heroes are written as incompetent idiots. I don't care what the haters think of these guys but IMO there was potential from these two. I think they could have made good villains in the hands of the right writer. But when you have a writer that is so in-love with these villains you'd see the way the writer expresses his love for them. I honestly believe Malcolm could have been a good villain and I'm not so blind with my hatred towards him to see he could have been a good villain. Same with The Light but by God were there alot of misfires. ALOT.

They're the definition of competent villains. And the definition of a complex villain but at the end of the day is still a villain. Mainly because these two have a goal and is more than willing to do amoral things to make sure their goal is achieved but what brings the complexity of the two out is they have some human characteristics as-well. They're also not afraid of having losses but they learn from their losses. Even Doctor Doom loose on occasion but he takes his loss and improves on them.

A competent villain can be done but be careful by not mistaking competency to villain sue.

No Internet Forums, With An Exception, From Me For Awhile And Other Things

It has been a busy year for me. With my RL stuff and getting a couple of web series I'm working on up and running. I'm saving up for a vacation trip thats going to happen next month. Where am I going you ask?

Cant wait! Also by next year I'm looking at getting into medical school. So my internet activity might be limited.

With that being said, I'm pretty much retiring from chat forums. Only my forum and MZP TV being a couple of exceptions. As I'd sometimes post writing topics at MZP and I still have my forum to operate and check up on from time to time. This isn't a temporary thing either. This is permanent.

Part of it is I have lost interest in forums as my focus has been on other projects. Me working on my web series and outside RL stuff. The other part is I'm just so uninterested in the drama that follows in the forums. Especially when it comes to Marvel/DC.

Just to make it clear I'm not on either side. In fact I'm one of the small few that likes both sides, when they produce good stuff. Cause regardless of what people say this isn't a sports competition. Its a bunch of fanboys complaining on the internet and gradually losing whatever dignity they have in the process. I more or less search TV tropes or read internet articles or surf streaming sites and binge watch a few episodes.

There comes a time when one feels they have to move on and I just need to move on from internet forums. And I feel there are things more important than arguing over the quality of the DCEU or MCU day in and day out. I'd give my thoughts on a movie or tv show then I'd be done with it. I'd rag on a movie every now and then but I'd know when to separate joking about a movie I don't like and obsessively hate on it.

Now to the other things. I've been devoting most of my time on developing a couple of web series. One is City of Adventures and another is A Heroes Journey. Awhile back I've hit a wall with City of Adventures but I'm starting to find enough inspiration to get back in the swing of things with that series. Its going to result in a bit of a revamp though. I'm liking where A Heroes Journey is going.

I'm also looking at doing a few blog topics. Doing a horror movie marathon next month. Looking forward to that one.

So that is my status and expect a horror movie review come next month.

Zombies....Whats The Point?

Just like how vampires were the next big horror craze it would seem that zombies have been following suit as of late.

With shows like Walking Dead

And Z-Nation

And a plethora of zombie apocalypse movies that Hollyood is milking for all its worth.

There is no question as to why the zombie genre has been popular. With its metaphor of the human race fighting something that is going to be inevitable for them. Death. Its relentless and no matter what it will come for you.

Yet regardless of the metaphor I feel that zombies are about as terrifying as a flock of bunny rabbits. And if there is anything that Z-Films and TV Shows has taught me its that humans are more nightmarish than zombies.

Take The Walking Dead. The whole series is pretty much about mankind's battle against their own inner humanity. If they lose the battle then they become something worse than zombies.  Even Romero movies ask the question who is the real monsters? Zombies or Humans?

The tv series Game of Thrones even used the prospect of a Zombie Apocalypse in The White Walkers.

But just like how zombies in The Walking Dead are taking a backseat to mankind's fight against human morality the White Walkers take a backseat in favor of politicking and backstabbing.

The zombie movies in particular have reached a point of self parody. Shaun of The Dead showcased just how easily the zombie apocalypse could be stopped. And it wasn't too long ago that even zombies couldn't escape the Twilight treatment.

Just like vampires the zombies went from terrifying death metaphors to undead beings we like to fuck. Case en point.

The dude even went as far as to fondle her breast. So basically the movie is telling us that we shouldn't take zombies seriously and feel up the hottest zombie you see. For a Zomedy I admire this level of honesty.

What made the Night of The Living Dead movie work was that it was in a small setting, like a small town. It wasn't something that was globally spread. Cause lets be real the military would wipe out zombies in a matter of minutes. Unless we are talking about Super Unkillable Magical Zombies.

Why John Bender Is An Unlikable Character

There is no denying that The Breakfast Club is one of those timeless movies that even teenagers of today relate to because of its subject matter. To this day you find teen movies that have tried to mimic its style. But at the end of the day there can be only one Breakfast Club.

From its musical score, to its subject matter, and to its characters it has the ingredients to make a memorable movie. Right now I'm going to talk about one character in particular that some folks tend to look upon fondly. John Bender.

He's the usual teen movie archetype that you'd see commonly in teen movies. The Bad Boy. A troubled but handsome teen that comes from a broken home and is seen as the social pariah in high school. Then develops a more gentle side to him and we all know where this cliche goes. This isn't that kind of Bad Boy.

If it weren't for his interactions with Karl the school janitor I'd tell you the guy has zero redeeming qualities. Come to think of it maybe he doesn't.

Ever since detention began he never stops being an asshole. Say what you will about Andy but you have to give the guy props in being the only one to not only stand up to him but even put him in his place in a scuffle.

Eventhough Andy got detention for bullying a kid, an act that is looked upon unfavorably in this day and age, at least he deeply regretted the act.


John Bender on the other hand came in an asshole and came out an asshole. Lets not even get into his treatment towards Claire.

You have to ask yourself. Why is she attracted to him? Its not like she has to set her standards low. She could have gotten a guy better than Bender. When the movie was kinda teasing Brian and Claire a part of me kinda wanted those two together since Brian is a better choice than Bender. It would be a miracle if Claire and Bender last a day as a couple. And lets not forget that he never apologized for the crap he put her through. And even if they do last as a couple can you say abusive relationship?

He freaking made her cry. John Bender's the kind of guy you just want to see someone rough him up a few times. Hell I knew a guy like that in high school. I didn't think he was cool, I wanted to keep my distance from him. Years later when I was in college I encountered him again, he actually looked less of the creep I remembered and even went as far as to apologize for what an ass he was. I was like"Dude all thats in the past"

It got me to thinking maybe this topic was John Hughes intention. Sure the dude came from a broken home.

I think Linkara said it best. Its not always just the backstory that makes a character sympathetic. Its the characters actions. And judging from Bender's actions not only is he uncharming but he has the least redeeming qualities of the Breakfast Club crew. Lets not forget if it wasn't for him we wouldn't even go as far as to root for the principle in the movie. Also underneath that Bad Boy act the guy is really a wuss.