Something to behold.
I tried checking through TVTropes's various entries to find a proper trope for a certain complex hero/villain relationship which has recently been written at the tGA RPing site. Here's the deal. I'll use the names Alice and Bob for this to keep the example as simple as possible:
Alice pretends to be a heroine but is in fact a villainess. In effect she's a mole who works as a sort of inside agent for the bad guys. Bob, meanwhile, is a hero who has a crush on Alice. They have many adventures together and grow closer as friends and comrades.
Bob, being the casanova he is, begins playfully flirting with Alice who either ignores his remarks or just lets him rant but chooses not to return his feelings. However, Alice slowly starts to see Bob in a new light, maybe even falling for him a bit. She doesn't let it show yet, though.
Then, on one night, Bob gets really drunk and thinks he can finally confess his feelings for Alice and tell her that he really loves her from the bottom of his heart. However, by dumb luck he bumps into Alice while Alice is doing a definitely villainous thing. Bob puts one and two together and realizes Alice has been a villainous agent all this time. He's shocked and hurt by her betrayal and because she had been lying to him all this time. He thinks the possible romance between them has only been her machinations to keep him under her control.
However, Alice now shows her affection for Bob and honestly offers him a chance to join her and the bad guys. She sees him as more than a friend; perhaps a potential love interest. By this point it's too late, though, because Bob has seen through her charade and he furiously refuses her offer. Bob keeps attacking Alice. However, Alice strikes him down, leaving him injured but alive. She leaves the scene with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
So, basically it's a hero <3 villain-pretending-to-be-hero-but-who-is-revealed-to-be-villain. It's almost like DatingCatwoman because both show feelings for each other, but instead of doing it simultaneously, they do it at different times. And when Bob finds out that Alice is a villain, he rejects her completely while being hurt by her betrayal. It's more of a VillainousCrush but not quite because Alice, while having feelings for Bob, doesn't lust after him and in fact discards him after his refusal to join her. However, she shows sadness in her eyes and thus proves subtly that she still cares for him somewhat even though she's hurt when he rejects her offer. It's not even a clear example of FoeYay either because at least one person has clearly confessed his love for the other instead of it being shown only subtly. Gahhh...
So, how am I able to categorize this complex relationship by using the tropes listed in TVTropes, then? It's one-sided affection at different times but also betrayal, villainous reveal and sort-of-remorse, a could-have-been romance that ended tragically because the two would-be lovers ended up being on the opposite sides of the conflict. The villain is willing to accept the hero into her ranks, but the hero isn't swayed that easily.
At times like this I wish TVTropes would have more specific tropes for these kinds of cases which aren't as clear cut as the more common VillainousCrush or DatingCatwoman examples. I wonder if I'll have to resort to asking the denizens of TVTropes to figure out this problem for me because no matter what I do, I can't make any of the villain/hero relationship tropes fit into the Alice and Bob example.
I wish categorizing things was easier in fiction than in real life.
That reminds me that at some point I need to continue the Darkness Within fanfic. I hate leaving a story unresolved but it's quite daunting to write a bigger story which doesn't really have that big of an impact in the greater scheme of things. It does offer some character development and shows "how we got here" but apart from those the plot itself is a bit hard to structure. It's like a weirdass buddy flick/road movie with some bloodthirsty murderers who slowly reform and become better people fighting against an impending apocalypse and enemy civil war at the same time. Plotting such a plot which jumps around so much is hard, not to mention trying to get all the characterization right. Still, I can't help but like the fact that I have a chance to develop such characters as Omaroch, Delora, Ferron and Belial among others.
There's one more tGA related thing I'd like to talk about. I've noticed that Strider has been visiting tGA every once in a while but hasn't posted. I haven't seen him online (either because he's invisible on AIM, shows up when I'm not online, or actually doesn't show up on AIM at all) but considering that he's been checking out tGA, does this mean he's interested in getting back, or is he simply curious to see if the site is still active? It's very confusing.
I can't help but feel a bit paranoid whenever I see a registered user actively checking out tGA but never posting. Kind of reminds me of that Dravaris fellow a few years ago. Also, where is Ashi? He checked tGA out not that long ago but I wonder if he'd still be interested in joining up. I could think of a way to get his kitsune character into the story easily but then again, there are quite a few members who once posted but don't anymore. We'll see how things go from here...
I decided to watch a select few episodes of RahXephon again to see if I still held the series in high regard. Needless to say, the series has remained as impressive as the first time I wrote about it in LJ but now this second viewing let me see a few things from a new perspective and thus gave me a deeper appreciation for all the references, foreshadowing and characterization which go on in the background.
A few scenes worth of note:
Asahina's death. The "Goodbye" bit gets me every single time. This is among the saddest scenes in the series and lets one know how big bastards the villainous Mu are by forcing two close friends go through such a traumatic experience. =(
Kunugi's heroic sacrifice, and Ayato bonding with RahXephon. Two great scenes intertwine in a fascinating way. If you go out with a bang, this is how you should do it.
The beautiful kissing scene. This is still my favourite out of all the memorable scenes in this series. When you wait for dozens of episodes to see this scene happen and it pays off handsomely, you can't help but feel joy for two hearts that have once again been connected. The way they stretch the romantic scene and how it has the memorable line "The person I love is the current you" is just wonderful. And dat music (a track called "Adolescent" in the OST) is so pretty. As a sidenote, I managed to make the scene match perfectly with the music from Beauty and the Beast broadway's finale; pretty cool, huh? ^_^
The opening of the final episode. Instead of giving us the regular opening tune, we get a wonderful, contemplative moment with one of the most touching scenes between the sisters. The whole "earn your happy ending" thing truly shines in this short (a little over 1 minute) clip before the actual episode title comes in.
Watching the series again was a nice trip down the memory lane. It's a sign of a good series when you can appreciate it as much as you did on your first viewing. =)
I'll only talk briefly about the Rebuild of Evangelion movies because they need proper reviews when discussing their intricacies. However, what's worth noting is that even though they're advertised as retellings of the Neon Genesis Evangelion saga, it's not so clear cut if you look at the subtle hints in the films themselves. First of all, the first Rebuild film has imagery which closely links it to certain scenes shown in End of Evangelion. Some roles play out differently, but what really caught my attention was Kaworu's frickin' line at the stinger of the second film when he explains that "this time I'll make Shinji happy". If the "this time" isn't referring to the original series, I'll be surprised. The only reasonable explanation for those words as well as the visual hints at EoE is that Rebuild of Evangelion films are in fact set after EoE or in some weird alternate continuity which the plane-shifting EoE events somehow affected. Either way, the Rebuild films seem to give the characters one more chance to earn their happy endings, although the remaining two Rebuild films will reveal whether this is Hideaki Anno's intention or just some mindscrew (this is NGE, and NGE is famous for its mindscrews, after all...).
Anyway, I really like how the big budget in these films show. There's lots of good animation, and the plot has been trimmed into sizable chunks which make sense. I also like some of the alternate interactions between characters as well as that people aren't as big jackasses in the Rebuild films as in the original series and EoE. The score by Shiro Sagisu on both films has been gorgeous, combining famous NGE tunes with proper orchestral and choral layers. I can't help but like epic choral tracks such as "Angel of Doom", "At the Very Beginning" and "The Final Decision We All Must Take" among others, but there are also beautiful gems such as the inspiring "Give Me Wings" which has a lovely children's choir, a pretty melody, and it's played in a poignant scene at the end of the second Rebuild film which also has a stunning, heartwarmingly romantic sequence.
Here's the epic Rebuild of Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance ending. I like Shinji's determination to save Rei in this one, even though it totally changes the plot of the original series by a large margin by the time the film ends on a big note. It'll be very interesting to see how the third Rebuild film will continue from here, particularly after I saw the stinger which came after the credits (but which isn't included in this clip).
Perhaps there's some hope for NGE after all. The only thing I'm somewhat worried about is the shoehorning of the new character Mari into the proceedings. What role will she, a character who never appeared in the original series, play in the future Rebuild films? Will the fourth Rebuild film be the new, mindscrewy (but logical) End of Evangelion? I guess only time will tell.
Yours,
Mikko
Alice pretends to be a heroine but is in fact a villainess. In effect she's a mole who works as a sort of inside agent for the bad guys. Bob, meanwhile, is a hero who has a crush on Alice. They have many adventures together and grow closer as friends and comrades.
Bob, being the casanova he is, begins playfully flirting with Alice who either ignores his remarks or just lets him rant but chooses not to return his feelings. However, Alice slowly starts to see Bob in a new light, maybe even falling for him a bit. She doesn't let it show yet, though.
Then, on one night, Bob gets really drunk and thinks he can finally confess his feelings for Alice and tell her that he really loves her from the bottom of his heart. However, by dumb luck he bumps into Alice while Alice is doing a definitely villainous thing. Bob puts one and two together and realizes Alice has been a villainous agent all this time. He's shocked and hurt by her betrayal and because she had been lying to him all this time. He thinks the possible romance between them has only been her machinations to keep him under her control.
However, Alice now shows her affection for Bob and honestly offers him a chance to join her and the bad guys. She sees him as more than a friend; perhaps a potential love interest. By this point it's too late, though, because Bob has seen through her charade and he furiously refuses her offer. Bob keeps attacking Alice. However, Alice strikes him down, leaving him injured but alive. She leaves the scene with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
So, basically it's a hero <3 villain-pretending-to-be-hero-but-who-is-revealed-to-be-villain. It's almost like DatingCatwoman because both show feelings for each other, but instead of doing it simultaneously, they do it at different times. And when Bob finds out that Alice is a villain, he rejects her completely while being hurt by her betrayal. It's more of a VillainousCrush but not quite because Alice, while having feelings for Bob, doesn't lust after him and in fact discards him after his refusal to join her. However, she shows sadness in her eyes and thus proves subtly that she still cares for him somewhat even though she's hurt when he rejects her offer. It's not even a clear example of FoeYay either because at least one person has clearly confessed his love for the other instead of it being shown only subtly. Gahhh...
So, how am I able to categorize this complex relationship by using the tropes listed in TVTropes, then? It's one-sided affection at different times but also betrayal, villainous reveal and sort-of-remorse, a could-have-been romance that ended tragically because the two would-be lovers ended up being on the opposite sides of the conflict. The villain is willing to accept the hero into her ranks, but the hero isn't swayed that easily.
At times like this I wish TVTropes would have more specific tropes for these kinds of cases which aren't as clear cut as the more common VillainousCrush or DatingCatwoman examples. I wonder if I'll have to resort to asking the denizens of TVTropes to figure out this problem for me because no matter what I do, I can't make any of the villain/hero relationship tropes fit into the Alice and Bob example.
I wish categorizing things was easier in fiction than in real life.
That reminds me that at some point I need to continue the Darkness Within fanfic. I hate leaving a story unresolved but it's quite daunting to write a bigger story which doesn't really have that big of an impact in the greater scheme of things. It does offer some character development and shows "how we got here" but apart from those the plot itself is a bit hard to structure. It's like a weirdass buddy flick/road movie with some bloodthirsty murderers who slowly reform and become better people fighting against an impending apocalypse and enemy civil war at the same time. Plotting such a plot which jumps around so much is hard, not to mention trying to get all the characterization right. Still, I can't help but like the fact that I have a chance to develop such characters as Omaroch, Delora, Ferron and Belial among others.
There's one more tGA related thing I'd like to talk about. I've noticed that Strider has been visiting tGA every once in a while but hasn't posted. I haven't seen him online (either because he's invisible on AIM, shows up when I'm not online, or actually doesn't show up on AIM at all) but considering that he's been checking out tGA, does this mean he's interested in getting back, or is he simply curious to see if the site is still active? It's very confusing.
I can't help but feel a bit paranoid whenever I see a registered user actively checking out tGA but never posting. Kind of reminds me of that Dravaris fellow a few years ago. Also, where is Ashi? He checked tGA out not that long ago but I wonder if he'd still be interested in joining up. I could think of a way to get his kitsune character into the story easily but then again, there are quite a few members who once posted but don't anymore. We'll see how things go from here...
I decided to watch a select few episodes of RahXephon again to see if I still held the series in high regard. Needless to say, the series has remained as impressive as the first time I wrote about it in LJ but now this second viewing let me see a few things from a new perspective and thus gave me a deeper appreciation for all the references, foreshadowing and characterization which go on in the background.
A few scenes worth of note:
Asahina's death. The "Goodbye" bit gets me every single time. This is among the saddest scenes in the series and lets one know how big bastards the villainous Mu are by forcing two close friends go through such a traumatic experience. =(
Kunugi's heroic sacrifice, and Ayato bonding with RahXephon. Two great scenes intertwine in a fascinating way. If you go out with a bang, this is how you should do it.
The beautiful kissing scene. This is still my favourite out of all the memorable scenes in this series. When you wait for dozens of episodes to see this scene happen and it pays off handsomely, you can't help but feel joy for two hearts that have once again been connected. The way they stretch the romantic scene and how it has the memorable line "The person I love is the current you" is just wonderful. And dat music (a track called "Adolescent" in the OST) is so pretty. As a sidenote, I managed to make the scene match perfectly with the music from Beauty and the Beast broadway's finale; pretty cool, huh? ^_^
The opening of the final episode. Instead of giving us the regular opening tune, we get a wonderful, contemplative moment with one of the most touching scenes between the sisters. The whole "earn your happy ending" thing truly shines in this short (a little over 1 minute) clip before the actual episode title comes in.
Watching the series again was a nice trip down the memory lane. It's a sign of a good series when you can appreciate it as much as you did on your first viewing. =)
I'll only talk briefly about the Rebuild of Evangelion movies because they need proper reviews when discussing their intricacies. However, what's worth noting is that even though they're advertised as retellings of the Neon Genesis Evangelion saga, it's not so clear cut if you look at the subtle hints in the films themselves. First of all, the first Rebuild film has imagery which closely links it to certain scenes shown in End of Evangelion. Some roles play out differently, but what really caught my attention was Kaworu's frickin' line at the stinger of the second film when he explains that "this time I'll make Shinji happy". If the "this time" isn't referring to the original series, I'll be surprised. The only reasonable explanation for those words as well as the visual hints at EoE is that Rebuild of Evangelion films are in fact set after EoE or in some weird alternate continuity which the plane-shifting EoE events somehow affected. Either way, the Rebuild films seem to give the characters one more chance to earn their happy endings, although the remaining two Rebuild films will reveal whether this is Hideaki Anno's intention or just some mindscrew (this is NGE, and NGE is famous for its mindscrews, after all...).
Anyway, I really like how the big budget in these films show. There's lots of good animation, and the plot has been trimmed into sizable chunks which make sense. I also like some of the alternate interactions between characters as well as that people aren't as big jackasses in the Rebuild films as in the original series and EoE. The score by Shiro Sagisu on both films has been gorgeous, combining famous NGE tunes with proper orchestral and choral layers. I can't help but like epic choral tracks such as "Angel of Doom", "At the Very Beginning" and "The Final Decision We All Must Take" among others, but there are also beautiful gems such as the inspiring "Give Me Wings" which has a lovely children's choir, a pretty melody, and it's played in a poignant scene at the end of the second Rebuild film which also has a stunning, heartwarmingly romantic sequence.
Here's the epic Rebuild of Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance ending. I like Shinji's determination to save Rei in this one, even though it totally changes the plot of the original series by a large margin by the time the film ends on a big note. It'll be very interesting to see how the third Rebuild film will continue from here, particularly after I saw the stinger which came after the credits (but which isn't included in this clip).
Perhaps there's some hope for NGE after all. The only thing I'm somewhat worried about is the shoehorning of the new character Mari into the proceedings. What role will she, a character who never appeared in the original series, play in the future Rebuild films? Will the fourth Rebuild film be the new, mindscrewy (but logical) End of Evangelion? I guess only time will tell.
Yours,
Mikko