Random Gamer Silliness

[Byron In Exile]

Despite any of the drama and melodrama flaws or plotting holes, I think it had moments of strategic brilliance, love, joy, beauty and humor.

You're talking about Angel, right?

Yes, I agree. And I absolutely loved the episode "You're Welcome." They wanted Gellar to do it, but they "settled" for Charisma Carpenter. And it was perfect.

I can pick on Joss for having a tendency to torture males, but it's not because he hates himself or is afraid of women so much as he just really...likes them and he'd rather take the hit by proxy.

Lol... that might be. I mean, the being afraid of women thing. The "take the torture on her behalf and the girl will love you" idea. Which is, admittedly, adolescent.

But we can't know, really. All we know is that he's very intelligent and very creative. And that we follow his creations around like puppies.

 

[Recidiva]

You're talking about Angel, right?

Yes, I agree. And I absolutely loved the episode "You're Welcome." They wanted Gellar to do it, but they "settled" for Charisma Carpenter. And it was perfect.

Lol... that might be. I mean, the being afraid of women thing. The "take the torture on her behalf and the girl will love you" idea. Which is, admittedly, adolescent.

But we can't know, really. All we know is that he's very intelligent and very creative. And that we follow his creations around like puppies.

Talking about Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Dollhouse is an aberration.

I couldn't follow Dollhouse, I found it to be a massive step back in creativity and writing. I was happiest when I slept through it.

I enjoyed a few supporting actors' performances and a few storylines (the millionaire who just wants to show someone the house he bought comes to mind) but I pretty much felt antagonized and betrayed otherwise.

Buffy and Angel and Firefly were hopeful and trying to do something good against the odds.

Dollhouse was just exploitive crap masquerading as something with meaning, set in a world with no heroes, just victims and a world with no hope. The last several episodes were so rushed, garbled and senseless that I took the sleep option and got through it that way.

 

[CNYCarol]

Let me see, something positive?

HE'S GONNA LOSE!

 

[Recidiva]

Lol... that might be. I mean, the being afraid of women thing. The "take the torture on her behalf and the girl will love you" idea. Which is, admittedly, adolescent.

This one...I don't know. It might develop in adolescence and have some level of selfishness to it there, but I know many men who simply consider it duty.

I've had this conversation over and over with Ulaven, and he just gets to a place where he knows that it's his job to die for me and the kids. I think it's my job to die for my kids, but he and I are equals and I should be allowed to die for him. He doesn't agree.

It actually came up during Dragon Age where if you're romantically involved with Alastair, he will NOT let you sacrifice yourself, and the game won't either. If you're romantically involved, you have no choice.

I spoke to the writer for Alastair and he thought it was desperately romantic and was disgruntled that I didn't appreciate it. Ulaven's in the same place.

I think it's hard wired. I don't think it's adolescent and I don't think it can be accessed by thought or words, it's just a reflection of an emotional calculation that I find to be a fact in many men, and isn't adolescent in the least.

 

[Recidiva]

Let me see, something positive?

HE'S GONNA LOSE!

This is a little too isolated for me to appreciate. Who lose what?

 

[Byron In Exile]

I remember him saying something like he didn't want to kill Tara, but he couldn't stand the idea of not being able to kill Tara. That says a lot right there of him as a person in conflict with him being a writer. I think he falls in love with some of his female characters, and although he admires his male characters, it's not...LOVE. His writing is often exploration of his own personal limits and he's doing it to learn something himself, so I'm not necessarily the intended audience. He's just doing his thing.

Again, I agree. He is in a position to work out his personal issues on a grand scale. With everyone watching. And this is apparently something he is comfortable with.

He's an artist. However, in modern times, the feedback is too immediate. It distorts things like a drug. And he's high, now. You can't create a Buffy or Angel or Firefly in that state.

He's listening to what people say, now, and it's my belief that it will drag him out the drain.

 

[Sean Renaud]

https://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/12/8/14/qQb9PgL-10SMM9EojoW0xg2.jpg

I suggest you find that child and either smother him in hugs or just plan smother him immediately if not sooner. If you think he's a problem now at 9 as a whiny bastard just wait until he's an over powered teen with a PS3 for eyes (it only does everything). Solve problems pro-actively!

I really do love his character creation. Which is why I'm so sad when he spatters them with acid. He spatters women with acid, but then heals them and makes them better than they were before.

Not so with the guys. You get acid and broken bones and chips in the head...

To be fair to Spike I think Joss's universe has a limited amount of awesome that has to be spread more or less evenly throughout the characters both on the show and in verse. Spike, who managed to be cool even with the chip most of the time had to give up his cool because Wesley could make much better use of it than he could. And Wesley came out of Angel like a fucking champ, his only downside is that like all the humans he fucking died. That was the curse of being human on Angel, you didn't fucking make it and he made it the finale which sets him as only a few hours a head of Gunn at worst. He did good. Damn good.

But, I have to say, Amy Acker broke my heart when she died.

She got better. Hell I'd go as far as to call that a fair fucking trade and a massive overreaction by Angel. Stupid stupid Angel.

Let me see, something positive?

HE'S GONNA LOSE!

STFU. You're in the wrong thread.

 

[Byron In Exile]

Oh, yeah. That was truly awful. But I've got nothing to say about it not belonging in a plot or being done in any way other than an expression of grief. Wesley was a great character.

It was heart-wrenching. And the first time I saw it, I wanted it to stop.

But then, the second time I saw it, I saw how beautiful it was.

"I want to stay..."

 

[Byron In Exile]

STFU. You're in the wrong thread.

Carol is obviously confused.

 

[Recidiva]

To be fair to Spike I think Joss's universe has a limited amount of awesome that has to be spread more or less evenly throughout the characters both on the show and in verse. Spike, who managed to be cool even with the chip most of the time had to give up his cool because Wesley could make much better use of it than he could. And Wesley came out of Angel like a fucking champ, his only downside is that like all the humans he fucking died. That was the curse of being human on Angel, you didn't fucking make it and he made it the finale which sets him as only a few hours a head of Gunn at worst. He did good. Damn good.

I think a lot of the success of Spike was simply because James Marsters is a fucking genius. Sarah Michelle and David Boreanaz are decent, but they're not genius. James Marsters generated his own awesome.

He was intended to last for six weeks and be killed off. He spanned two series because he was just too damned cool to kill. That's entirely the actor, that in a business sense, you know people will watch, and as a producer of a show, he's gold. No matter what you give that guy, he will steal the scene from you. He doesn't even need a line.

 

[Byron In Exile]

Oh, it does, and I'd rather have his brand of imbalanced than a lot of the balance otherwise available.

However, this post needs to have five characters, so: .....

Win for Lit!

 

[Recidiva]

It was heart-wrenching. And the first time I saw it, I wanted it to stop.

But then, the second time I saw it, I saw how beautiful it was.

"I want to stay..."

Oh yeah, it was horrifying, but exactly what grief is like.

When my daughter was born she was given a 1% chance of living at all and for weeks in the NICU the nurses would call me in to sit at her side and tell me she didn't have that much longer to live. I'd brush her hair and sing a song and hold her hand...and wait for her to stop breathing while trying to give her reasons to keep breathing.

She lived, but there is no doubt that scene is what happens when you love someone.

 

[Sean Renaud]

I think a lot of the success of Spike was simply because James Marsters is a fucking genius. Sarah Michelle and David Boreanaz are decent, but they're not genius. James Marsters generated his own awesome.

He was intended to last for six weeks and be killed off. He spanned two series because he was just too damned cool to kill. That's entirely the actor, that in a business sense, you know people will watch, and as a producer of a show, he's gold. No matter what you give that guy, he will steal the scene from you. He doesn't even need a line.

No arguing that James is pretty damned good and with the debatable question of Alexis Desinoff (or however it's spelled) easily the best thing on either show bar none. Do yourself a favor however DON'T WATCH DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION.

I wish fucking Dru had gotten a bit more love than she did in grand scheme of things. I quite enjoyed her and that fairly unique brand of crazy that she brought to the table.

 

[Byron In Exile]

I think a lot of the success of Spike was simply because James Marsters is a fucking genius. Sarah Michelle and David Boreanaz are decent, but they're not genius. James Marsters generated his own awesome.

He owned Angel season 5.

He was intended to last for six weeks and be killed off. He spanned two series because he was just too damned cool to kill. That's entirely the actor, that in a business sense, you know people will watch, and as a producer of a show, he's gold. No matter what you give that guy, he will steal the scene from you. He doesn't even need a line.

But... he needed Boreanaz as the straight guy. I mean, who would win in a fight? Cavemen or Astronauts?

And they were about to come to blows over it.

 

[Byron In Exile]

Oh yeah, it was horrifying, but exactly what grief is like.

When my daughter was born she was given a 1% chance of living at all and for weeks in the NICU the nurses would call me in to sit at her side and tell me she didn't have that much longer to live. I'd brush her hair and sing a song and hold her hand...and wait for her to stop breathing while trying to give her reasons to keep breathing.

She lived, but there is no doubt that scene is what happens when you love someone.

My mother had to bury her daughter, my sister.

So... I know.

 

[Sean Renaud]

He owned Angel season 5.

But... he needed Boreanaz as the straight guy. I mean, who would win in a fight? Cavemen or Astronauts?

And they were about to come to blows over it.

Of course they were about to come to blows. That's what Angel does when he's on the wrong end of the argument. Cavemen would win that fight hands down. Wouldn't even be a fight.

 

[Recidiva]

No arguing that James is pretty damned good and with the debatable question of Alexis Desinoff (or however it's spelled) easily the best thing on either show bar none. Do yourself a favor however DON'T WATCH DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION.

I wish fucking Dru had gotten a bit more love than she did in grand scheme of things. I quite enjoyed her and that fairly unique brand of crazy that she brought to the table.

Alexis is good also. He was another character intended to be killed off, and embodied the prissy Wesley and the evolution to badass Wesley with perfection. But I don't really consider him to be the same genius. He was given a sane character arc and a lot to work with. Even with the original Wesley he wasn't likeable, he was a caricature. Good, but not genius.

Spike is always likeable and always, whether twisting someone's head off or tripping over something, has the audience's full attention.

Spike was given a lot of whack-job stuff to carry off and they did not write him consistently. He was the character dump for any comedy or poetry or silliness or evil or exposition that they needed that week, and he delivered on all of it. He made the script work for him and more importantly...was funny and soulful. His timing and silences and expressions, those things not in the script are better than anyone else's use of their time. That for me is why they kept him. He put in things that weren't written in his subtext, which gave writers something to build off in future episodes, more depth to discover, more backstory to explore.

I'll take your word for it and won't watch.

Dru was good and she did get some more time in Angel, but without Spike she was nowhere near as charming. She was pretty and she was crazy, but she didn't invest it with soul.

 

[Recidiva]

He owned Angel season 5.

But... he needed Boreanaz as the straight guy. I mean, who would win in a fight? Cavemen or Astronauts?

And they were about to come to blows over it.

Oh yeah he did!

He just reminds me of Fred Astaire. He can dance with a hat rack and make it do whatever he wants.

And even further...anybody on stage with him? Hat rack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pjlrrMvdtw

 

[Recidiva]

My mother had to bury her daughter, my sister.

So... I know.

Used up some tissues there.

 

[Sean Renaud]

I didn't know Wesley was intended to be killed. I figured him for written off the show after 3 but not killed. Mostly cus nobody cared enough, I can almost see the Mayor ripping his hearts out, apologizing to Giles for the mess on the floor and promising to pay for the dry cleaning, and then walking out and everybody looking down at Wesley and shrugging. I loved his evolution and unlike most his makes perfect sense.

I don't think Spike was so much a dump as it was they didn't know what the fuck they were doing in season 4 because so much of what they established during the initial 6 week run of Spike ran contrary to everything else we learn (even with some creative filling in the gaps) and for a while he an Anya seemed to be fighting over who got to be the new Cordy. It's been too long since I watched through that and made a new list of nitpicky things that make you wonder why they chose to do that.

You know the first Buffy game is pretty good, it's got a bit of platforming towards the end (and admittedly frustrating mostly because it wasn't a platforming game and thus lacks some of the precision needed for exact jumps. But all around solid gameplay, good writing everybody but Sarah shows up to do their own voices and the Sarah stand in they found is supposedly who was going to do the animated series had it gotten started and her Buffy is pretty spot on. Like if you didn't know it wasn't the real Sarah you might think she sounds a bit off just like everybody else cus they aren't used to working in a booth instead of on a set. Story is solid and it definitely nails the charm. (Though it really does make you want to know why they never started making Holy Water Balloons in the show. I know if I was Xander or Cordelia the back seat of my car would have two buckets filled to the brim with Holy Water balloons at all fucking times.

 

[Recidiva]

I didn't know Wesley was intended to be killed. I figured him for written off the show after 3 but not killed. Mostly cus nobody cared enough, I can almost see the Mayor ripping his hearts out, apologizing to Giles for the mess on the floor and promising to pay for the dry cleaning, and then walking out and everybody looking down at Wesley and shrugging. I loved his evolution and unlike most his makes perfect sense.

I don't think Spike was so much a dump as it was they didn't know what the fuck they were doing in season 4 because so much of what they established during the initial 6 week run of Spike ran contrary to everything else we learn (even with some creative filling in the gaps) and for a while he an Anya seemed to be fighting over who got to be the new Cordy. It's been too long since I watched through that and made a new list of nitpicky things that make you wonder why they chose to do that.

You know the first Buffy game is pretty good, it's got a bit of platforming towards the end (and admittedly frustrating mostly because it wasn't a platforming game and thus lacks some of the precision needed for exact jumps. But all around solid gameplay, good writing everybody but Sarah shows up to do their own voices and the Sarah stand in they found is supposedly who was going to do the animated series had it gotten started and her Buffy is pretty spot on. Like if you didn't know it wasn't the real Sarah you might think she sounds a bit off just like everybody else cus they aren't used to working in a booth instead of on a set. Story is solid and it definitely nails the charm. (Though it really does make you want to know why they never started making Holy Water Balloons in the show. I know if I was Xander or Cordelia the back seat of my car would have two buckets filled to the brim with Holy Water balloons at all fucking times.

I think Spike and Xander ended up being the dumps. Xander was given emotional internal exposition and veered between being perceptive and being a raging asshole. Spike was given external exposition and had to handle gambling with kittens and being "The Doctor" with aplomb. None of those things made any sense at all but were worth watching him do.

The only game I remember was the one I got with my first X-Box. Is there a new one?

Yeah, I always thought that nighttime was the worst time possible to hunt vampires. Dig them up during the day or check their nests during the day. Done by noon. Sunnydale saved. And she always said that guns don't help. You know what? I think they'd help.

 

[Sean Renaud]

See I don't buy Xander as the dump so much as just the regular guy. The guy who's closest thing to a super power is some latent military knowledge that mostly fades by season 4 anyway. He's there to play the damsel also since can't have girls in trouble. Though you make a solid point. I thought kitten gambling was a bit silly and it's more a matter of everybody managed to get through that with a straight face that impressed me. Then again maybe they didn't, James was having WAY too much fun with Puppet Angel in Smile Time. Way too much. I didn't know there was that much fun to be had in this world.

As for the Buffy game, yes you have the one of which I speak if you got one with your X-box rather early in it's cycle. There is a second one called Chaos Bleeds. The story is debatably stronger, Allyson Hannigan was a big enough star by this point (American Pie and all) that she doesn't show up to voice Willow. The game is quite as good in my opinion but it almost makes up for it just with the cast and story since the First and Ethan Rayne team up to do some dimension bending you get to play as Buffy, Faith, Willow (that bitch is so OP it's not funny. It's depressing to play a pathetic slayer after her), Spike, Xander (gods above he sucks), and Sid. Frankly Sid and all the confusion surrounding him is almost worth the game alone.

Yep. I'm a day time hunter. Find lair, open holes in roof and walls, leave. Rinse, wash, repeat. But it seems like Faith is the only person that has ever occured to and she only did it to get Buffy out of school otherwise she likely would have waited until sundown too. But then again she wrestles alligators nude. I don't suppose you can get me a real life Eliza Dushku doll. I can make her Faith when I want, or I can make her that girl from Jay and Silent Bob if I want. I'll feed her and make sure she gets plenty of exercise!

 

[Recidiva]

See I don't buy Xander as the dump so much as just the regular guy. The guy who's closest thing to a super power is some latent military knowledge that mostly fades by season 4 anyway. He's there to play the damsel also since can't have girls in trouble. Though you make a solid point. I thought kitten gambling was a bit silly and it's more a matter of everybody managed to get through that with a straight face that impressed me. Then again maybe they didn't, James was having WAY too much fun with Puppet Angel in Smile Time. Way too much. I didn't know there was that much fun to be had in this world.

As for the Buffy game, yes you have the one of which I speak if you got one with your X-box rather early in it's cycle. There is a second one called Chaos Bleeds. The story is debatably stronger, Allyson Hannigan was a big enough star by this point (American Pie and all) that she doesn't show up to voice Willow. The game is quite as good in my opinion but it almost makes up for it just with the cast and story since the First and Ethan Rayne team up to do some dimension bending you get to play as Buffy, Faith, Willow (that bitch is so OP it's not funny. It's depressing to play a pathetic slayer after her), Spike, Xander (gods above he sucks), and Sid. Frankly Sid and all the confusion surrounding him is almost worth the game alone.

Yep. I'm a day time hunter. Find lair, open holes in roof and walls, leave. Rinse, wash, repeat. But it seems like Faith is the only person that has ever occured to and she only did it to get Buffy out of school otherwise she likely would have waited until sundown too. But then again she wrestles alligators nude. I don't suppose you can get me a real life Eliza Dushku doll. I can make her Faith when I want, or I can make her that girl from Jay and Silent Bob if I want. I'll feed her and make sure she gets plenty of exercise!

As for Xander, the vengeful dipshit who tells Buffy to kick Angel's ass is not the same insightful man who urges her to go after Riley. I think they even made fun of this fact with the episode where they get split into two and then they both crack up with "Kill us both, Spock!" (nerd joy)

Ethan Rayne! Robin Sachs. One of the best voice actors.

Eliza is meh for me. She's too twitchy. I want to put her head in a vise so she's forced to use an expression instead of a flounce. Too many female actors are completely incapable of standing still. Male actors too, but they're socially less likely to twitch and flounce and toss hair and think that's emoting. I think she did better in Tru Calling, maybe had better direction.

 

[Sean Renaud]

See I kinda side with Xander in both of those scenarios. I know I wouldn't have told Buffy heading into a life or death (not just for her, but for the entire world) with Spike as her back up that she should be stalling because Willow's gonna try the spell again. If anything I would have lied and claimed Willow slipped back out of consciousnesses because you couldn't afford to have her stalling. The world was about two seconds from ending when she did win. Going after Riley was the right thing too. I can't fault him on either choice. I did like that split persona thing with Xander.

I'll have to look into Robin Sachs voice acting, anything I should recognize just off the top of your head?

Oh, I'm supposed to care about her acting? My mistake.

 

[Byron In Exile]

Of course they were about to come to blows. That's what Angel does when he's on the wrong end of the argument. Cavemen would win that fight hands down. Wouldn't even be a fight.

rofl!

You see what Spike is doing, there, right?

These two are just magical.