Top 15 Deliciously EVIL Villains

When we watch a movie, read a book, or play a video game, we want to root for the hero.  It’s only natural.  We want to enjoy their triumph, and to believe in the cause that they fight for.  And we also want to hate the villain.  We want to find them horrible, repulsive, disgusting, imposing and threatening.  That way, when the hero triumphs over them, we feel the desire to says, “yes!  You get the son of a bitch!”  But then there are those other villains.  The ones who are just so malevolent, so horrible, and so vile, but who just make it look so damn cool!  They are suave, clever, cunning, crafty, and in their own twisted way, very likeable.  You have an affinity for these characters, and have a lot of confusing feelings about them and their motives.  So, this is my list of the top villains who never made evil look like so much fun.

I hope you enjoy

15. The Riddler
Batman: Arkham City
When I first saw this character in the game, I feel immediately in love with him.  I just LOVE what an egotist this guy is!  He is so sure of his own genius, so egotistical and full of himself that he just loves every single moment of what he does.  Sure, he does lose, a lot, but at first, he just thinks that it is so much fun.  He mocks you, he berates you, he has so much fun.  His mission is to kill you, and to kill you in the most elaborate way, so that you know that it was him who did it, and that it was him who outsmarted you.  And bless for every hateful moment of it.  This guy was so fun to listen to.  The voice-work on this was perfect.  This character was dripping with ego, narcissism, and a need to prove how much better he is than Batman.  My only regret is that they didn’t make his puzzles particularly challenging, and I wish they had.  This is the Riddler.  He tests you to the limit.  That’s the point of his character.  But yeah, he was so much fun to listen to, and I loved every minute of it.  Hopefully you did too.

14. Maurice Levy
The Wire
You know, for a show that is supposed to be centered in realism and reality, and for as good as it is, I just love how evil this guy is.  Levy is a lawyer.  He represents the worst of the criminals in the city of Baltimore.  He has no qualms about legally representing whoever will pay his bills, and man does this guy own it!  There is no low that this man will not sink to.  While he doesn’t outright say that the drug dealers he represents should do horrible things, he isn’t against implicitly hinting that they should “clean house,” or “find out who can still hurt you.”  Even knowing that his clients are thugs and murderers, he will represent them without a second thought.  My favorite bit in the show is where he is called out on this.  Omar, my favorite character, is on the witness stand, and when Levy says that he is contributing to the violence of the drug trade, Omar throws it right back at him.  It is both funny and telling that he seems legitimately shocked by this.  Like he never considered himself part of the problem before.  But yeah, this character is such a horrible person, and bless his disgusting heart, because you love every minute of it.

13. Shere Khan
The Jungle Book
You should know, up-front, that there are going to be a lot of Disney villains on this list.  They just have a gift at making some of the most endearing villains.  I love so many of them, but these ones on this list are the ones who stuck with me the most.  And among them is Shere Khan.  I LOVE this character.  He is a tiger who is known throughout the jungle for how evil and what a vicious killer he is.  But what I love about him the most is that Shere Khan isn’t posing.  He is the biggest badass there is, and he knows it.  He knows, beyond a doubt, that he is the most badass ass-kicker in the jungle.  Because he knows this, he had a charming and terrifying smile.  Even when he knows that he is being lied to, he will still smile and still be like a gentleman.  Voiced by George Sanders, there is a gentlemanly and charming quality about him.  Even at his worst, you just love this guy.  I can’t say that I am a terribly big fan of this movie, but this villain is just great.  He makes the character all by himself.

12.The Sheriff of Nottingham
Robin Hood
Well, another Disney villain.  As much as I love Prince John, this was the villain who made me just fall in love with how evil he is.  This guy is such a bastard!  He finds all the incredibly ugly and often beyond mean-spirited ways of ripping people off.  He will smack on the broken leg of a man to find the money hidden there, use coins to bounce the other coins out of the cup of a blind man.  He even steals the money a kid gets on his birthday!  What an asshole!  But man, this guy just loves every minute of it.  He thinks that it is all so wonderfully amusing to watch the people’s reactions to him.  You can’t help but love this guy, despite how awful he is by seeing just how much fun he is having with his own inventiveness with his job.  He isn’t a particularly complicated villain, but honestly, he isn’t a very stupid villain, either.  This guy is genuinely imposing when he wants to be.  The scene ascending the tower where he and Robin Hood are fighting is legitimately frightening, so you can be a little bit afraid of, hate, and love this villain all at the same time.  What’s not to love?

11. Claire Stanfield
Baccano!
Man, this guy is one of the creepiest villains of all time.  What I love about this character is how good his motivation is, but how absolutely, 100% awful his tactics are.  His motivation is simple – to get the passengers of The Flying Pussyfoot to their destination.  There is a lot of crazy shit happening, and is killing off the people perpetrating it, often in the most gruesome way possible.  And he loves it to death.  He is philosophical about his killings, tying them in to the views on his life.  I won’t say what they are, but man, once you know, it is impossible to not to be in awe of how nuts and how strange this guy is.  This guy is one of the strangest characters that I have seen in anything, but how he goes about his business is just great.  I love every blood-soaked and gory minute of it.

10. Ladd Russo
Baccano!
I didn’t want to put two characters from the same show side-by-side, but in this case, it couldn’t be helped.  There is a saying that when you stare into the abyss, it stares back at you, and never has that been more true when looking at two characters on this list.  The first is Ladd Russo.  This character is almost a study in what it means to be evil, truly evil.  This character is violence incarnate.  He cares about nothing, absolutely nothing, beyond violence.  He wants to kill, tear apart, and destroy in ways that he finds amusing.  His own mortality seems to not interest him in the slightest, since he is totally assured of his own superiority before those he kills.  This guy views killing and mutilation has his first, last, and only reason to exist in this world.  Beyond that, it is just him enjoying every minute of it.  It is almost kind of surreal how much you like this villain.  Like I said, he is a monster.  He does horrible things.  He takes so much pleasure out of killing people that you can’t help but think of this guy as more than a little sick.  But at the same time, he just loves it so damn much!  He jumps around, he laughs, he just derives so much pleasure from it that it is nearly impossible not to find it so entertaining, even if it is horrible beyond words.  Right up to the gruesome end.

9. Ratigan
The Great Mouse Detective
Man, not only is this character great, but the voice work for it is just perfect.  There is an incredible charm about Vincent Price that wasn’t understood during his time, and still isn’t understood now that he is gone.  This man has a gift with voice and inflection that only one other voice-actor I have ever been able to see has been able to accomplish.  This character is just great.  Every minute of him on screen is just wonderful to watch.  He is narcissistic.  He is self-loathing.  He hates when people call him a rat, but that is exactly what he is.  He’s clever.  He’s charming.  He’s trying so hard to be something that is socially acceptable and loveable, even though his character is a disgusting and deranged lunatic who is completely incapable of escaping his nature.  But every scene with him on the screen is so incredibly enjoyable.  You love every minute of it.  Sure, the guy’s plan is so weird and so dumb, but you can explain that away.  It’s Disney, after all.  Watching him sing, watching him dance, watching him revel in the deliciousness of his own plans, which he is 100% sure that he is going to get off without a hitch, it is impossible not just love this guy.  He might be a rat, but the voice work is one of the best that has ever been done.

8. Vicious
Cowboy Bebop
Remember how I said that Russo only cared about killing for the sake of killing?  Well, flush that down the drain for this guy.  Vicious really doesn’t care…about anything.  He has no relationships that he won’t end in the most violent way possible if he sees it as more advantageous.  He has no loyalty to anyone but himself and his own ambition.  He will kill anyone, often in the most gruesome way possible, seeing it as just a means to an end.  So, how can such a thoroughly awful character be deliciously evil?  Well, honestly, because you really are entranced by how horrible a character Vicious is.  There is just something so halting about his cold voice, his cold outlook on life, and his endless obsession with power and killing those who have hurt him before, and those who stand in his way.  It makes one think about real life.  The powerful have never seemed to care about throwing lives away.  It is just as true in America as it is everywhere else.  I guarantee you that President Truman hasn’t lost a wink of sleep about blowing up Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  It was just what had to be done.  So in a way, that is what Vicious symbolizes – our capacity to be pure evil, and be totally uncaring.  And from beginning to end, you are entranced by it.  A great villain, from a truly amazing show.

7. Fuhrer King Bradley
Fullmetal Alchemist
Now, before you ask, I am not including the reboot of the series.  It is no secret to people that I am not a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.  It was an action series, didn’t flush out anything, and to be honest, I was more disturbed by this character in the original series.  On the surface, the Fuhrer appears to be a kind man who cares deeply about justice, and who has a very nice smile.  Sure, he has an eye-patch, but he is just so kind that you can’t help but like him.  But then you start to notice that there is a darker side to this character.  You can’t quite put your finger on it, but there is something a little strange about the Fuhrer.  He is starting war after war after war, with no clear reason why.  He gets very angry, yet then turns around and acts like is all just business, and like he isn’t phased at all.  This character is very, very off-putting.  And it leads to one of the most disturbing and amazing reveals that I have ever seen.  I won’t spoil it for the five people who haven’t seen it, but man, it is so dark, so unbelievably disturbing that you can’t help but be in awe.  Once his evil is on, this man relishes it with a kind of passion that you can’t begin to understand.  He will kill anyone, destroy anyone who gets in his way, and he doesn’t feel the least bit bad.  It is a really awesome character, and I guarantee that at least one of the scenes with him will leave you amazed.

6. Sebastian Michaelis
Black Butler
Wait, how can one of the main protagonists of a series be a villain?  Honestly, it is pretty simple.  You see, Sebastian does good things.  Sort of.  His master does occasionally have him do the right thing, but not because it is good.  It is the means to an end.  Sebastian is a demon who made a deal with Ciel Phantomhive that if he helps him get revenge against the people who tortured and killed him, along with his parents, he will get the boy’s soul.  He will do whatever the boy asks, but at the end of the day, he cares for no one.  He cares about nothing.  He will kill whomever, destroy whatever, or beat anyone who his master commands him to.  But man is this guy likeable.  For being a horribly evil monster, Sebastian definitely takes his role as the butler seriously.  His voice is charming, regal.  He has a face that is passionate and dignified.  But every so often, you get to see that other side to his existence.  A side that only wants that sweet, delicious soul.  He describes it in one scene as “ambrosia,” saying that he got tired of the feast of unworthy souls he took to Hell.  That dialogue is so dark and so creepy that you do feel rather disturbed by this character for the rest of the show.  But at the same time, you can’t help but love watching him do his thing, and loving every minute of it.  He is, as he would say, one Hell of a butler.

5. Frank Fontaine
Bioshock
This character is totally unique among those on this list, for a number of reasons.  The first is that you never, and I mean never, see this guy.  Well, up until the very end.  Throughout the entire game, all you know of this guy is what you hear about, over the intercom.  Your first actual introduction of the character is through audio logs that he did.  Before coming to the underwater city of Rapture, Frank Fontaine had been a grifter.  A simple thief who happened upon a gold-mine of potential.  When, by chance, he happens upon the discovery of the substance of ADAM, and it’s potential to reshape life as we know it, he immediately works to develop this.  Eventually, his business becomes so massive, and his product becomes so addicting, that he becomes one of the most powerful people in Rapture.  The rest, is history.  I don’t want to spoil it, if you don’t know.  This guy is just so cool.  He has a very New York accent.  He is a criminal to his core.  But more than that, it is just the presentation of this guy that makes him so cool.  Most of the conversation about his character comes from other characters.  People who are affiliated with him.  And how they speak of him is with fear and reverence.  They acknowledge his brilliance, but are afraid of him because he is a thug, and he will fuck you up, if you cross him.  It is a really cool portrayal.  And when you finally get to meet him, yeah, it is just as big and booming as you expect.  It’s a great performance, from a very odd, and very cool game.

4. Lex Luthor
Superman: The Animated Series
You might think that this is a little cliche, but yeah, it had to be on this list.  I don’t have to tell you about who this guy is.  You already know.  But man, this delivery is just awesome.  From the very beginning, Luthor is totally unafraid of Superman.  When the two meet, Luthor just comes right out and says that he owns Metropolis, and he owns the people of the city, hinting that in a way, he owns Superman too.  That takes balls.  Major, major balls.  I love this performance, and I love this character.  It’s like Donald Trump, except Luthor knows that he’s evil.  I don’t really have much else to say but, he’s loads and loads of fun.

3. Ali Al-Saachez
Gundam 00
One of this series’s problems was that it had a TON of characters, and very few of them got that development that they deserved.  But this guy is not among them.  Man, this character is cut from the same cloth as Russo.  He is a killer.  He loves to kill.  War and killing is all that he knows how to do.  In the opening to the very first episode of the very first show, he is on an intercom, telling his child soldiers to kill the enemy, while they are getting slaughtered.  This character is so evil.  So why do I find him deliciously evil?  Well, because he is just so entertaining!  A lot of it has to do with the voice acting.  It is Scott McNeil, and man does this guy shine in this role.  He makes the villainy of this character just seem so much more disturbing.  There is sadism and menace in every word he says.  But because it is delivered so well, you can’t help but just enjoy the performance.  It is that good.  You love to hate this guy.  Right up until the end, you can’t wait for this bastard to die.  I remember seeing him finally get what he deserves, and man, I was cheering!  He was just the kind of villain that this show needed.  A metric ton of fun.

2. Yagami Light
Death Note
I said in a previous review that I view Light as more of an anti-hero than a villain.  After further reflection, I can’t say that I see it that way anymore.  Light is the main protagonist of the series.  The story is told through his eyes.  But at the same time, look at what he is doing.  He finds the Death Note, and given that he is a brilliant mind, motivated partially by his desire to see justice done, he starts killing the world’s criminals.  He then decides that he is going to be the new god of this world.  He wants to remake it in his own image.  With this in mind, he begins a genocidal campaign, killing hundreds, if not thousands of people, all in the mission to prove how brilliant and how just he is.  But man, it is impossible not to like this guy!  And disgusting and morally bankrupt as his mission is, watching this man match wits with the detective L is such an enriching experience.  Not to mention listening to the insane monologues that he details his ideals for the world.  It is so impossible not to love this character to death.  He’s smart, he’s cunning, he’s so sure that he is going to win.  But at the same time, he’s charming, he’s presentable, and he looks so trustworthy.  You do want to like this guy.  It is when you see his private side that you see how foul a person he truly is.  I love this character, and I love this show.  It definitely was a show that lived up to all the hype.

And the most delicious villain that I have ever seen is…

1. The Joker
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
Now look, before you go off on me, I LOVE both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger’s performance with this character.  Both of them were awesome.  But here’s the thing – this is the one that felt like the Joker to me.  For real, when I close my eyes, and I try to imagine what this character would actually be like, the fact that pops into my head is this one.  Specifically the characters from Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.  If you want to know the reason why, it’s simple – the voice work.  This is another character who the voice makes, 100%.  Mark Hamill, who will probably be known for the rest of his life just as Luke Skywalker, is an AMAZING voice actor.  One of the best.  He brought this character to life in a way that will never, EVER be topped on the small screen.  Ever.  He is funny, he is insane.  He can let out that amazingly amused laugh, then turn around and be manic and angry.  Not only was this character funny, but he was frightening.  I think of the scene from The Animated Series, where he is going down a conveyor belt.  He gets these beams of light over him, and it is always the same – the smile.  The evil, twisted, disgusting smile.  I am so completely grateful that they kept his character in the two games I mentioned above.  But the one I truly want to focus on is the latter.  Arkham City, put simply, is the single best superhero story that I have ever seen played out.  Ever.  I won’t spoil it if you haven’t played or seen it, but man, what happens between Batman and the Joker in that finale is simply incredible.  I love every minute of it.  This game is awesome.  There is nothing that I do not like.  This character will probably be forgotten, but to me, this is Mark Hamill’s greatest role.  This is the role that he will always have in my mind as his magnum opus.  I just hope he gets the respect he deserves.  Along with a fucking award!

Until next time, a quote,

“You’re making me late for my spa treatment! I mean, it’s not like you’ve got a girl to save anymore!  Ooh, I’m sorry!  Too soon?”  -The Joker, Batman: Arkham City

Peace out,

Maverick

Top 10 Characters From my Childhood

You remember when you were a little kid, and you used to watch TV shows?  Remember when these shows were good?  Remember when there used to be stuff that was actually smart on TV?  Thankfully, it is seeing a resurgence, but the fact is that smart is not something that appears in overwhelming amounts anymore on TV, especially where kid’s shows are concerned.  Now, I was thinking about doing a post on the top 10 nostalgic kid’s shows that I grew up with, but rather than do that, I thought about taking the characters who really made an impact with me.  The ones who I remembered, even to this day.  The ones who really got me to thinking about stuff.  With that in mind, I give you my list of the characters from the shows that I watched, who have still stuck with me in a lot of ways, even today.

10. Tom Paris
Star Trek Voyager
If you are a hater of this show, piss off.  I happened to like it.  While there were elements that didn’t hit so well, like that stupid-ass outfit they stuck Seven of Nine in (seriously, did you see the episode where she is in uniform?  She was much more attractive in that!), they did a lot right, and it is a credit to the Star Trek franchise.  And by far my favorite character who me and the parents who sit down to watch was Tom Paris.  Paris was the helmsman, the pilot.  He was skilled at what he did and competant in many areas.  This guy had it all going on.  He was cool, he was fun.  He was a smart-ass, he was a rebel.  He would disobey and fight for what is right, even when it got him in a lot of trouble.  This was the character for the young guy’s crowd, and he was well-portrayed.  He wasn’t like Robin from Batman: The Animated Series, doing stupid stuff that incompetant writers feel can connect with younger people.  He was just himself, and it was fun to see.  I really liked this show, and he was a big reason why.

9. Evil Tommy/Green Ranger
Power Rangers
To anybody who was a kid in the early 90’s, you watched Power Rangers.  Don’t deny it!  Just accept that you watched this show, and that this was by far the coolest character.  I have always loved a villain more than a hero.  And when he was a villain, man was this guy cool!  He kicked so much ass!  He had the moves, he had the look.  Even his Megazord was a badass dragon!  He would kick your ass in and out of costume, and he was the thing that made the show.  Sure, when he became good, he was still cool, but let’s fact it, watching him beat the shit out of all the other Power Rangers was lots of fun, and when we got older, we could have fun imagining him and an evil Kimberly having crazy and kinky romps together! (She would turn evil for him.  He is that awesome) He was a really cool addition to a really silly show that we all watched and enjoyed.

8. Ms. Frizzle
The Magic School Bus
I don’t think that there is a kid who grew up in my generation who doesn’t know this bat-shit crazy broad and her utterly absurd and often dangerous adventures that she took her students on with a magic bus.  She was funny, weird, and enjoyably over the top.  You liked how much fun she was having, and how much she enjoyed her position in life.  You learned a lot watching her show, and since the lessons were fun, you wanted to get more of them.  The animation was interesting, and all of the characters in that show were unique.  Ms. Frizzle was most definitely a staple of my childhood because she made the idea of learning about the world exciting.  Ever since she has disappeared, PBS has seemingly lost the ability to make such likeable characters, every time I was baby-sitting and tuned in.  For real, she was a lot of fun, and I, as an adult, still think it’s a good show.

7. Wufei Chang
Gundam Wing
This was the first anime that I had ever seen, and I was immediately drawn to Wufei.  He is a Gundam pilot who fights for honor, for his own sense of integrity.  True, he is fighting a battle for vengeance, but the fact is that he is fighting for what he believes is right.  A lot of people think that Wufei is sexist and hates women.  Not true.  He hates weak women.  When he met Sally Po and saw that she would keep fighting her guerilla war, knowing that all the odds were stacked against her, he showed a lot of genuine respect.  He hates women who are led by their emotions, women who let their kindness get the better of them, especially in military situations.  But he is an amazing warrior, and a hell of a pilot.  For it being the first anime I saw, I was introduced to the genre with an amazing show.  Gundam Wing challenged a lot of themes like the innocence of youth, the value of war, and what true peace really means.  It is a lot of fun.

6. Freakazoid
Freakazoid (Duh)
I think a lot of how I talk and my general approach to things that are legitimately serious came from this character.  This show still gives me big laughs, even now.  Partly produced by Steven Spielberg, this show was a parody of all superhero shows, and I love it.  Freakazoid is by far the strangest character ever to greet children’s shows.  He doesn’t take what he is doing seriously at all, and makes a big joke about it.  This guy really is a little bit nuts, and his villains are all totally not the stereotypes that we all assume we will see.  It’s kind of a bummer that the show only lasted two seasons.  I would loved to have seen how far they could go with this character.  But yeah, my way of saying things in strange ways and not taking a serious approach to the big stuff mostly came from old episodes of Freakazoid.  A great show, if you are ever in the market.

5. Sonic the Hedgehog
The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
It’s so ironic that I love the Nostalgia Critic’s videos.  He did a review of this show, talking about how bad it was, and how bat-shit crazy it is.  I remember being really young and looking forward to seeing this show.  I don’t know what it was, but I just loved watching it.  Maybe it is because I am a little bat-shit crazy myself.  I kind of dug the absolute insanity and the total lack of focus that this show had.  And I am also a die-hard Sonic the Hedgehog fan.  Still, I think what I liked about this character was how weird he was.  Normal bores me.  It bores the living shit out of me.  The more crazy and bizarre something is, the more that I generally tend to enjoy it.  Call me crazy, but the thing that I like about this show is that reality and comprehension have nothing to do with it.  It’s just nuts.

4. Garfield
Garfield and Friends
The late Lorenzo Music supplied his voice to a character who I have been a fan of for years.  I love the old comics, and this show was just fun.  Music’s voice will always be what I associate with this character.  He’s fat, he’s mean, he’s a complete jerk, yet for the same reason that we all love Dr. House, we love him because Garfield reflects a part of ourselves.  He reflects that part that does what it wants to be evil, and do horrible things.  The part of ourselves that is selfish, and feeds only our interests.  Garfield is the perfect example of how fun that can be, even if we never take part in it.  And I love him for it.  This was another of the shows that I just love because of how much I was able to bond with it.  And the title character was every reason why.  Lorenzo, rest in peace.  You won’t be remembered by everyone, but you will most certainly be remembered by me.

3. The Joker
Batman: The Animated Series
I love this show so much.  Not only was it grown-up and kid friendly, but the characters were amazing.  Mark Hamill’s Joker will always be the real Joker to me.  The laugh, the personality.  Everything about this character is exactly what I imagined.  He was disturbing, scary, and genuinely terrifying at moments.  It was the perfect portrayal, and even though I know that Hamill will probably just be remembered as Luke Skywalker, this is the role that he did greatest, for me.  I just love how electric this character is.  As much as you hate and are afraid of him, it’s almost impossible not to like him just a little bit.  My favorites episodes with him in it are in Superman: The Animated Series.  I just love how it doesn’t matter who he is bleeding or killing, it’s all the same to him.  This character is not only my favorite villain in this show, he is my favorite villain, period.  What a great performance.

2. The Brain
Pinky and the Brain
It is completely impossible not to like this character.  He is a great pun on evil geniuses.  This character is just pure fun.  He is a little lab mouse who was experimented on and now possesses massive amounts of genius.  His mission is simple – to try and take over the world (of course!)!  This guy and his accomplice/wife Pinky just play off one-another.  If you are asking why I call Pinky his wife, just watch the show.  These two are so much like an old married couple it’s scary.  They argue, they fight, they have moments.  They even show to genuinely have compassion for one-another, even if it almost always is coming from Pinky.  When I was a kid, this is who I wanted to be.  I wanted to be the Brain.  I wanted to take over the world.  Part of me still does.  Of course, his crazy schemes not withstanding, I just loved this character and how fun he was to watch.  He was so sure that his absolutely nuts ideas would work, and I think that’s just awesome.

And the #1 character that I looked up to as a kid is…

1. TJ Detweiler
Recess
I swear, I could do a character analysis about this guy.  I may just do that one of these days.  More than any other on this list, this is the character that I took the most away from.  TJ is so unique in so many ways as a kid’s show character, especially looking at the shows that are on now.  For one thing, he openly mocks authority.  He will disregard any authority figure that he doesn’t have respect for.  While many of the teachers and administrators at Third Street think that he hates them, he has shown that he pulls pranks on them because it is in his nature.  He is also not some lean and super-attractive kid.  TJ is most surely the everyman.  He is a bit chubby, but nobody makes a point of that because of his outgoing and likeable personality.  He is honest and has a very strong sense of justice, along with right and wrong.  He will protect the common kid, trying to help those that he sees as the down-trodden.  He is loyal to his friends and will fight for them.  But the part I took away most was the absolute lack of respect for authority unless they proved to be worth respecting.  You would NEVER see such a character in a kid’s show these days, and that bugs the shit out of me.  But yeah, more than any other, TJ is the character on this list who I try and emulate the most, even to this day.

Until next time, a quote,

“I don’t have a best friend.  I have five!”  -TJ Detweiler

Peace out,

Maverick

Why Batman: Arkham City is the best Superhero Critique Ever

This is a post that has been a little while coming.  I’m what you’d call a “poor gamer.”  I love a good story, and it is that which I follow.  Books, movies, video games, great stories come in all shapes and sizes.  And in this game is one of the best stories that I have ever seen.

There is a universal truth with gaming – the people who are into it are growing up.  And with people like my generation, who grew up with some of the oldest versions, we wanted our games to grow up with us.  To grow in an emotional and literary way.  We wanted a great story from the games that we play.  We wanted to be more intrigued, mentally, along with emotionally.  And the gaming industry has learned this lesson.

Games like Assassin’s Creed, Portal, Shadow of the Colossus, Bioshock, all of them have worked to not only amaze the eyes, but to dazzle the mind.  And they have succeeded.  Nobody can call any of those creations lacking in brains.  Whoever tries is an idiot.  They are people who want to defend the idea that something that engages a person cannot be emotionally vivid.  And I will admit, we aren’t to the point just yet where these things are a huge catharsis, but we are getting there.

And games like Batman: Arkham City are getting us there.  This game is incredible.  It is not only an incredible superhero critique, but it is also one of the best stories that I have ever seen.  It is the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum.  It tells the story of a new version of the famous prison, housing the worst of the super-criminals of Gotham.  An old part of the city was bought out and they took the prisoners from Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison, both of which were unusable after the events of the first game.  They took them, and put them in this walled-off community, free to roam and do what they pleased, so long as they didn’t try to escape.

But Bruce Wayne saw the problems.  This was a bad idea.  He just didn’t realize how bad it was.  The super-criminals had quickly taken charge over the inmates, grouping them into various factions.  These factions are at war with one-another.  Meanwhile, there are two dominant things that are happening.  1. The Joker is dying.  After his incident at Arkham Asylum, he now has a disease that is slowly killing him.  2. Huge Strange has taken over Arkham City, and is using everybody from the inmates, to the mayor of the city to keep things running.

I will say up front that there are a lot of spoilers here, so if you haven’t played this game, don’t read any further.  Play it, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.  While the plot about Strange and his mission within Arkham City is awesome, the fact is that it is the plot with the Joker that is the most incredible.  This role here is definitely the best of the Joker editions that Mark Hamill has played.  It still amazes me that he could do that creepy laugh at his age.  A testament to the skill of a voice actor, who really doesn’t get the respect that he deserves.  This was the best Joker that I have ever seen.

His final act is to give Batman the same disease that he has, dooming both of them to death if they don’t work together.  At first, Batman acts tough, and says that he doesn’t mind both of them dying.  This statement was the first thing that interested me.  Really?  You have no problem dying with your mortal enemy?  But the more you see this, the more you start to understand why these two characters are so much alike it’s scary.

This game is an incredible critique on the idea of a superhero.  Batman is a thug, plain and simple.  The only difference between him and every other thug is that he won’t kill people.  He will do everything else, torture people, break bones, whatever he wants.  The cops endorse this, which is even more scary.  Though, it is also a nifty critique at the cops when they will sit back and watch a man who openly attacks and brutalizes people, with approving eyes.

But Batman will do whatever he wants, to whoever he wants.  Think about this – so does the Joker.  While there is a rhyme and reason to Batman’s abuse of his power, the Joker is all about chaos.  When the Joker dies in the end, there is this incredible image that you see, and I thought the theme use in it was nothing short of incredible.  You see Batman, carrying his long-time nemesis.  He carries him out, and even lays him to rest in a very gentle way.  The image you see reminds me of the famous painting, “The Duality of Man.”  It shows Cain, carrying Abel, and you realize that while they were so different, they were so alike.

There was another great part in the game, where Batman is in the clock tower, and Joker talks over an intercom and tells him that at some point that night, one of them is going to die, and the other is going to be left, not knowing what to do with himself.  Since Batman is a thug, I think he cannot justify his own existence, believing that he is doing good, without having something that he cannot truly destroy.  I honestly wonder if, after the Joker dies, he would commit suicide.

Because there will come a day when all the destruction that he does in the lives of people will have to be answered for.  There wil lcome a day when he has to own up to what he does, and to admit what he has become – a destructive element who, instead of using justice, uses violence for his own ends, not even trying anything else.  He is not a hero.  He’s a man who does good things, but that is a by-product of his need to be violent, and destroy what he believes is the enemy.  It’s an incredible dichotomy, and it is perfectly shown in this game.

I love Arkham City so much.  Batman is totally incapable of doing the right thing, because he only can be violent, and exercise his will over others.  The truth is that Batman probably does belong in Arkham, alongside all the deranged monsters that he often does create.

This game was incredible, and it showed this hero in such an amazing light.  I still love Batman, but I love it more for the villains, and also more for the idea that heroes are not truly the good guys.  They are merely people who want to pretend to be good, while spreading violence and destruction.  How many millions of dollars has Batman caused in collateral damage?  How many people has he killed without knowing it?  Just a few of the many incredible questions that are not asked nearly enough.  And this game did it perfectly.

Until next time, a quote,

“If I am going to have a past, i prefer it to be multiple choice.”  -The Joker, Batman: Arkham City

Peace out,

Maverick

Top 10 Video Game Villains

Well, I thought now that I would do the villain characters from the games that I enjoy.  All of these villains are awesome.  They are the best of the best.  Some you may agree with.  Others you may not.  But again, this is my choice.  To me, the villain will always be more interesting than the hero.  Heroes are boring, they have rules, they have codes.  Villains are awesome, and can be so fun to watch.  Sometimes you love them, sometimes you hate them.  But you always want to watch them, and know what happens next.  With that said, I hope you enjoy.  I certainly have.

10. Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane)
Batman: Arkham Asylum
I love this character.  He is just the right amount of creepy and awesome.  Scarecrow has always interested me as a villain.  What I love about him here, as opposed to the comics or the Animated Series is that in this game, he is legitimately evil.  He wants to terrify people.  No really significant end, just terror, for terror’s sake.  And they gave him such a cool look.  On each finger of one hand is a needle.  Presumably it can make your mind fill with fright.  This guy, in this game, would give the Pumpkin King some nightmares.  It is legitimately freaky, and at the same time, so freakin’ cool.  This was an awesome game, and getting into this man’s nightmare was something that made it that much better.

9.  Jack Krauser
Resident Evil 4
I love this game so much.  The initial fight scene with Krauser is awesome.  It is the ultimate action scene in a game.  You have to press the right buttons at the right time, or else you die very quickly.  This scene was especially intense because it was so late in the game.  No more leniency.  You screw up, you die, and often in the bloodiest way possible.  But this dude was a cool bad guy.  He is slightly shrouded in mystery.  Clearly a military man, he was part of Wesker’s group, who was doing things to their own end, not concerned with the destruction they left behind.  The final fight sequence with him was both cool, and intense at the same time.  He doesn’t just want to fuck your shit up.  He wants to get inside your head, and then fuck your shit up.  It is a fun fight, and definitely one that keeps you on your toes.

8. Sander Cohen
Bioshock
I don’t know what it is, but I love this villain.  Maybe it is because he is a villain, but is helping you.  He makes you do insane things, but he is trying to aid your cause, in the end.  Cohen is an artist, who has lost his mind in this underwater insane asylum that is Rapture.  He speaks with a creepy sing-song way, having you collect pictures of the dead in order for him to make his “masterpiece.”  The dude himself isn’t that hard to kill.  But it is the interaction that you have with him.  He goes from totally insane, to rather doting and caring.  He yin-yangs from manic to angry, to even depressed in the span of one conversation.  You never know what he is going to do.  It is a creepy interaction all the way through.  Even at the end, when he comes to personally commend your actions, you still don’t know what to think.  If you choose to kill him, you get some goodies.  But I recommend not.  Or at least, not until you get to the next area.  He gives you some goodies if you do.  Creepy bastard.  A perfect spice to a perfectly beautiful and insane game.

7. Sync the Tempest
Tales of the Abyss
This is a unique villain mostly because of his outlook on life.  A replica of the great leader, Fon Master Ion, Sync believes that his life is totally meaningless.  He is nothing but a piece of garbage that can be used by Master Van to kill.  So long as he continues to do Van’s bidding, he has worth to society.  And man can this dude be useful!  This is a villain who starts out weak, but by the end, if you haven’t done some serious leveling-up action, he is kicking your ass in the worst way.  He will beat your ass with his fists.  He fights without any weapon but his fists and his feet.  And even at the end, he keeps his viewpoint, even as his life is extinguishing.  I just love villains who fight bare-handed.  It’s something of a weird love of mine.  With your hands or your mind, that is what I love most.  A cool addition to a pretty cool game.  But that’s just me.

6. Vladimir Makarov
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3
This is a villain who I think is so cool because of his mind.  He is an extreme nationalist.  He followed the teachings of his mentor, Imran Zakhaev, until his mentor was killed in the first game.  Now, he has taken to the underground, becoming one of the most successful terrorists in the world.  But he never forgot his master’s teachings, and begins a plan to get the United States and Russia to go to war with one-another.  In Modern Warfare 3, he then has Russia go to war with Europe, with another brilliantly engineered terrorist attack.  It is a mastermind of deception, intrigue, and a very cool character.  Of course, how he dies in the third game is really freakin’ cool.  It was a lot of fun to see.  I loved these games, and he is one of the big reasons why.

5. Warren Vidic
Assassin’s Creed
You know, for as much as I hate this guy, I also kind of like him.  Hear me out.  He was an evil bastard, no question.  But for all his evil, he also wasn’t totally without merit.  Vidic is one of the heads of the corporation Abstergo, which is a shell-company for the Templar.  You don’t know this, of course, until the very end.  When you first meet him, you and he have dialogues, and a lot of what he says make a lot of sense.  I love how he is openly an atheist, talking about how you can put anything in a book and call it true.  But he is right about one thing – people are basically stupid, and do need a leader who can control them.  The libertarians are dead-wrong in thinking that people are smart enough to govern themselves, and that no significant government is needed.  But of course, he is an evil bastard, and all through the end of Assassin’s Creed II, I was screaming for Desmond to kill his ass.

4. The Riddler (Edward Nigma)
Batman: Arkham City
This guy is so cool!  I love this dude’s puzzles.  This is another instance where this game gave him the respect he deserved.  He is indeed a very worthy mind.  He tests every skill you’ve got.  This man doesn’t have a huge amount of combat skill, and that’s because he’s a thinker, not a fighter.  In this game, you have to outsmart his challenges.  Let me tell you, not an easy task.  He’s articulate, clever, and will endlessly taunt you.  It does make when you beat him in the end pretty fun, because you know that it was you who did it.  I did his challenges without anybody there to help me.  It took FOREVER!  And, it kind of sucked.  This game gave the challenges he had some respect, because they were deadly.  The risk of death was always present.  Yet-another reason why I liked him in this game.  Pity they couldn’t have put him in The Dark Knight Rises.  I bet Chris Nolan would have given him respect too.  Oh well, perchance to dream.  In any case, awesome villain, in an awesome game.

3. Sephiroth
Final Fantasy VII
This character is unique among all of these villains because of the game that he was in.  Final Fantasy VII spent the entire game talking about how this guy was the ultimate badass ever.  The moment you fight him, you are dead.  It is like it is decided before it happened.  The intro of the guy is just seeing the carnage and blood trail he left in his wake through the Shinra building.  His blade is left in the dead body of the Shinra President.  This guy’s badass-ness is made a point of in every part of this game.  It makes how weak he is in the last battle kind of sad, but hey, if they actually do do the smart thing, and remake this game, then they can fix that.  Like GameTrailers, I am skeptical of the point they made about remaking this game being a waste of time.  With a feature length sequel film, and several prequel and shoot-off games, this series has shown to be very popular, and a remake of this game would probably be the best selling game of all time.  In any case, he is awesome, in every sense of the world.  A one-winged angel you can remember.

2. Albert Wesker
Resident Evil 5
I have always had a soft spot for Wesker.  From his introduction in the first Resident Evil game, to this one.  In the first game, he was a badass who was pulling an inside job for Umbrella.  After the Tyrant tries to kill him, he turns on his former masters, and becomes one of the coolest badasses in video game history.  This guy amped himself up with a different strain of the T-Virus.  It made him fast enough to dodge bullets, strong enough to take most any kind of damage, and also, what’s the word?  Oh, right, bad-ass!  Like Sephiroth, he became a total pussy when he transformed, but hey, he was still awesome.  It really kind of bugs me that he is dead, but hey, I’ll always have the scene where he is in the mansion, beating the shit out of Chris and Jill, while dodging bullets, and moving so fast that dust is left in his wake, like Nightcrawler from X-Men.  Total awesomeness.

After some awesome villains, who will make the top of the list?

1. The Joker
Batman: Arkham City
Who else?  This is, by far, my favorite villain of all time.  In almost every incarnation I have seen of him, he is the coolest thing in the room.  But in this game, he shined.  I originally had a problem with his character because of the fact that he seemed to fear his own mortality, which I though was anti-thetical to his character archetype.  The Joker was insane.  I always thought that he would see death was just another joke, which he had the punch line to.  However, upon further reflection, I have some thoughts about this character.  I think this game was showing that he chose to make his final game a really good one.  He made Batman his dancing partner in a game that was for both of their lives.  I came to this conclusion after the last scene with them together.  Batman is looking at the Cure, while the Joker demands it in the shadows.  They both acknowledge that if he gives the clown the cure, he will go on to kill more and more people.  It is a good joke at the end that Batman was going to give it to him, even knowing that.  But this character was awesome.  Seeing his final game, and by far his best, was a performance for the ages,  This game was art, pure and simple, and for this character alone.

Until next time, a quote,

“No one’s who you think they are, my dear.  Why spoil the fun?”  -The Joker, Batman: Arkham City

Peace out,

Maverick

Top 10 Villains in Animated Films

Something you begin to notice is that there are a lot of really cool villains is kid’s movies.  For real, some of these characters are fun to watch, and sometimes almost creepy.  This is a list that is paying homage to some of the really cool villains from the animated films for kids.

10. Sharptooth
The Land Before Time (1988)
This guy was a really freaky villain for a kid’s film.  Most of the power and terror that Sharptooth had was due to his primal nature.  The reason he ranks so low on this list is the reason he’s on it at all – he is a primal force.  What seperates him from all the other villains on this list is that Sharptooth (their name for all carnivorous dinosaurs, but in this instance, he is a T-Rex) is just an animal running on instinct.  His instinct is to kill.  And not to mention that in this film, he’s a real badass.  He fights it out with Littlefoot’s mother, mortally wounds her even after she kicked his ass, and survives falling into a bottomless pit.  Well, almost bottomless.  There is even some question later on as to if Sharptooth was truly killed when Littlefoot and his friends dispatched him.  He is a scary villain, and the primal aspect of his nature was well-explored and portrayed very well in this film.

9. Scar
The Lion King (1994)
How could he not be on this list?!  Really, Scar was expertly portrayed by Jeremy Irons.  He captured the evil and sinister nature of this character perfectly.  The reason he ranks so low on this list is because, as cool as he was, and as suave as he was, Scar became kind of a whiny bitch after he got power.  Most other villains who were evil power-seekers became pretty hardcore or crazy after getting their power.  He acts like it is more trouble than its worth.  However, he is still cool.  He manages to kill off one of the main characters, which few Disney villains have done, and he actually manages to stay pretty intense.  This character was more about brains than brawn, which some can argue makes a better villain.  We’ll come back to that point later.  But, though he was kind of a whiner towards the end, he was a total badass in the beginning, and has earned his spot on this list.  By the way, check out the link on Scar’s name.  That’s the song “Be Prepared.”  Not many know this, but two people sang that.  There was Jeremy Irons, the main voice of Scar, and Jim Cunningham.  I bet you can’t tell me where the voice changes. (hint, it’s in mid-sentence) It’s incredible.

8. Mewtwo
Pokémon: The First Movie (1998)
Regardless of the fact that this was a very crappy movie, it has a REALLY cool villain.  Mewtwo was the definition of what an ultimate badass was supposed to be.  He didn’t just want power.  That would have been easy to come by.  He wanted to destroy the ENTIRE planet, or at least all the life on it, and replace with clones.  And really, it isn’t so much what he wanted to do, it was the fact that he was powerful beyond all reason.  When he is first created, and told he is a clone, he destroys the institute he was made in without hesitation, killing everyone inside.  Then, when told he was created to serve humanity, he destroys Giovanni’s facility, potentially killing him and everyone there as well.  He can create a storm with a lazy wave of his hand, can just brush streams of fire away like they aren’t even there, and can even redirect Hyper Beams without even lifting a finger.  And he knows he’s badass, what’s more.  He knows there is no significant challenge to his authority.  Even when meeting his original, he views this as something to overcome, not a threat.  Mewtwo is, by far, one of the biggest badasses in the world of kid’s movies.  It makes the fact that this movie sucked so bad kind of horrible.  Really, it was almost unfortunate that this film had his name attached when it was such a disaster of a movie.

7. Almost all of the main characters
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Now, hear me out.  This was a situation in which a lot of the characters did a lot of not so cool things.  There was actually a blurring for a while as to who the main villain really is.  Part of what makes this a good film that Disney created was that you didn’t honestly know at points who to root for.  This is because all of the main characters had dirt on their shoes.  The widow abandoned Todd out in the woods, when she should have looked after him.  The Hunter threated the Widow that he would kill Todd now matter what.  Instead of calling the cops or something, the Widow abandons Todd to nature.  The Hunter then proceeds to break into a nature reserve to hunt Todd down, thereby breaking the law, and he even goes so far as to lay a bunch of sadistic traps designed to mutilate Todd and therefore make him easier to kill.  Copper, the hound dog, joins in this effort, mercilessly trying to kill his best friend.  Todd shows no mercy in the other direction of that.  And Todd also runs onto a train track, getting the other dog, Chief, to follow him.  He does so and gets a train to strike him in the process, nearly killing him. This was a good film in that it tackled a lot of social and moral issues, while still having some ambiguity as to who is right and who is wrong.  It was a good film to watch, and definitely worth checking out.

6. Shere Khan
The Jungle Book (1967)
Here’s another character who is a complete and total badass, and who is very well aware of this.  It’s not smoke and mirrors.  As badass as he believes himself to be, he is.  And all of the jungle knows it, what’s more.  This tiger, voiced brilliantly by George Sanders, was everything that Scar should have been.  He was poised, refined, honorable, and suffered no fools.  He even had a smile on his face while he is being lied to, and brutalizes those who do it.  He is a villain who tries to keep some of that refinement that a person (or tiger, in this case) should have, while still being a malicious bastard.  Refined, honorable, villainous, how can you not love?

5. Syndrome
The Incredibles (2004)
This villain is unique in that he wants what all the villains want – power, glory, etc.  But he also wants revenge.  While he kills off many heroes in order that he can perfect his machine, he does this with the intent of eventually getting back at Mr. Incredible, who he views as the hero who let him down.  This is a rather poignant story about how hero worship can go wrong.  And it also tells of how a hero should know their responsibilities to the fans that they have.  Syndrome is smart, sadistic, and very well done.  Jason Lee was perfectly cast for this character.  he can invent some really cool gismos, which some of them alone would have revolutionized the world, but he also is driven by the need to find the hero he worshipped, and destroy him.  It was a cool paradigm to watch, and his end, while humorous, was also kind of telling about our society today.

4. Maleficent
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
This woman is totally and completely mad.  Unlike Mewtwo or Shere Khan, she doesn’t exactly think about how badass she really is, but she is well-aware she has a lot of power.  Her motivation is to kill the daughter of a King who didn’t invite her to a birthday party.  Yeah, it sounds kind of pathetic, but she treated this simple mission of snubbing the king like it was war.  She viewed it as such too.  She used all the power that she had to make this goal come to pass.  And she was, what’s the word…oh right, badass.  She could not only throw down in her human form, but if that isn’t enough, she can change into a freakin’ dragon!  She is powerful, elegant, cunning, classy, everything that a good villain should be.

3. The Joker
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Mark Hamill took this character to a whole different level in the creepy and insane department.  This is probably the role that he will have with me that made his career.  This character was absolutely terrifying in the animated series that came before it.  That laugh he had still gives me the creeps.  In this film, you get to see a little bit of something that doesn’t come up much with this character – his intellect.  The Joker was not just crazy, he was smart.  He was a very clever and crafty fellow, who could come up with a plan in a pinch.  In this film, you get to see how he is using his brain power to not only get himself out of trouble, but to figure out who is hunting him.  It was a very good film, and this character made it so.  This was a tribute to the skill of Mark Hamill, and I look forward to the Joker coming back in Batman: Arkham City.

2. Unown
Pokémon 3: The Movie (2000)
Now, this is a character who needed to be mentioned.  It’s not just one character is the interesting part.  Alone, the Unown are not that much, but it is together that their power and their terror comes to bear.  You see, these creatures are able, in a group, to alter matter however they want.  For real, they can change matter on the subatomic level however they choose.  In this film, they bond themselves with a little girl.  They make whatever she dreams come true.  One could argue that the key villain of this film is the little girl, but really, all of her power comes from these creatures, who are pretty much able to do what the character of God does in the bible – whatever they want.  Anything they will, happens.  They truly are all-powerful.  Well, almost.  The reason they are not at the top of the list is because, as incredibly awesome as their abilities are, they don’t have a personality.  It is like Sharptooth in that regard.  But they are so high because, while they aren’t devious or crazy, they are able to do what none of those on this can – warp the word however they want.  That makes the fact that they are villains that much worse.

And the number 1 spot goes to –

1. Chernabog (aka. The Devil)
Fantasia (1940)
Who else could it be?  Here is a character who not only inspired terror then, but now, with the release of Fantasia on blu-ray, is recapturing the minds of children today.  He was a character who truly represents all evil.  Chernabog was not a villain in any tradition sense, but he is on this list because he overcomes that.  And in a way, there was a battle.  The profane and the sacred fought it out here.  The sacred only had the light of dawn to greet it.  But Chernabog is the greatest representation of what evil is in our nightmares.  He is a force that crushes all good, all happiness, all feelings that are right.  He is a character who has all evil with him.  And there isn’t a singe aspect of him that isn’t terrifying.  While the Devil of the biblical text is perceived as a character who cannot be seen, if he could, this would be it.  I remember as a small child being scared stiff by this character.  It was an incredible piece in this film.  It was one of the most controversial segments of the film.  It was an incredible performance, without words, sound effects, or actions.  Modest Mussorgky’s tune, A Night on Bald Mountain, set up one of the scaries segments of a genuinely fantastic film.  This character cannot be topped because while he is not a villain at all in the traditional sense, one could think that all other villains follow his lead.  This character is terrifying, and deserves his place, without a doubt.

Great villains will always have a place.  Hit me back where I should tackle next.

Until next time, a quote,

“And when I’m old and I’ve had my fun, I’ll sell my inventions.  So that everyone can be superheroes, everyone can be super!  And when everyone’s super…no one will be.”  -Syndrome, The Incredibles

Peace out,

Maverick

Most Days…Introjection

Most days, I have believed that somehow, I would be able to find the right path.  I believed that I could eventually find a niche that I could fit in.  Things would work out, at least on some level.  Only now am I beginning to understand, that I am probably going to be destined to be one of the billions of people who wanders this world aimlessly, trying to get by, but failing.

There was this girl who I was in love with, a few years ago.  Her and I had become something amazing.  After she died, something inside of me died with her.  Some part of me that I had never known was gone.  I never told anybody about her, about us.  I was going to get around to it, eventually.  For real, I was.  It’s just, I liked having something be just mine, something that only I know about.  My little secret, that I carried with me.  It was nice.  Then, the powers that be took her away from me.  I was alone in the world, again.

I should have learned then that that is probably how I will always be.  The thing that I want most will always be the one thing that I cannot have.  Perhaps that is kind of an old story, I guess.  It seems that everybody has it.  But with me, I kind of thought that the things that I was looking for weren’t completely beyond reason.  I thought that what I was looking for was actually pretty kosher with what is possible.  Instead, even that may just be asking too much.

Absolutely nothing has gone right this semester.  I keep hoping that maybe, just maybe, the forces of reality will conform and give me something that I want.  But, like always, it is all a lie.  I am starting to envy the Joker.  That scene in The Dark Knight when Batman pushes him off a building, and he is laughing the whole way down, I wish I could be like that.  That sounds really nice.  To just not care about existence, to be able to laugh the whole way down as you are heading to have your face meet concrete, it just sounds so freeing.  Granted, death doesn’t scare me, but I am unable to not care about life in the same way.  Believe me when I say that I regret that most every day.

So, my job has been the latest thing to turn on me, and all because my boss is a ruthless person.  I give her ruthlessness credit.  It is not without merit how she has used it.  Part of me actually admires this cold-hearted woman.  She has thrown the book at the people who work for her, but I don’t figure that matters too much.  It’s all about the newspaper.  This newspaper which so many around campus think is nothing but a joke.  What a miserable thing it is that this is how things are.

I keep going.  I keep wanting to believe that maybe, if I work at it, if I just keep going, it will all make sense, that something will work out.  I don’t know what part of me that naivety comes from.  I should have learned when I was 14 that that isn’t how it works.

So, most days, I want, desperately, to believe that somehow, some way, things will happen.  Instead, I am all too aware that that isn’t how it is going to be.  It just makes me want to cry.  It makes me want to cry so much.  But after Camille died, I don’t think I can anymore.  I don’t think that I have the ability to feel the sadness that is there.  Some part of me, a very long time ago, just went away.

Until next time, a quote,

“Ah, the great spiral of death.  Summoners defeat Sin, the bringer of death, and give their lives in doing so.  Guardians give their lives to protect their Summoner.  The Fayth are the spirits of the dead.  Even the Maesters of Yevon are unsent.  Only Sin is revived, and then, only to bring more death.”  -Auron, Final Fantasy X

Peace out,

Maverick