Line #24 Tropers/Kilyle


1	'''Note:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD7Pj1mpkk4 Tiny Box Tim Day]] is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfEjuDCOJWc June 28th]]! It's a holiday for helping others, where you donate Time, Money, or Creativity to charity, and show appreciation to those who've made a difference in your life and don't get to hear thanks as often as they should. I created this holiday in 2016, to celebrate {{Markiplier}}'s birthday (which, hey, turns out to be FeliciaDay's birthday as well, which is funny because she played his wife in a skit once). Please check the Twitter hashtag [=#TinyBoxTimDay=] for more recent info about the effort.
2
3	!Stuff I've Done on This Wiki
4	Tropes I have suggested that actually got launched:
5
6	* ApeShallNeverKillApe
7	* IfJesusThenAliens
8	* CuriosityIsACrapshoot
9	* AloneWithPrisonerPloy
10	* SealedEvilInATeddyBear
11
12	...and now the '''So You Want To''' namespace, which I suggested and which is just starting to gather examples. I wrote up the SoYouWantTo/WriteAStory and SoYouWantTo/SeeATemplate, so the framework is there and ready to go.
13
14	Oh, and the BooksOnTrope page, too! A reference I return to frequently.
15
16	And speaking of adding to the site... I fuzzed up a rough version of the current TV Tropes logo - the one with the lampshade over the second T. Someone else converted the design to vector-based art, we tropers collectively haggled over colors, and there you have it. The first piece of major art I had a major hand in. Sweet.
17
18	!!Random Other TV Tropes Stuff I've Done
19	And now I've created a summary for the ''{{Abadazad}}'' series, which I'm putting a link to here lest I forget its name again.
20
21	I've actually suggested a lot more tropes, some of which likely got launched, and even suggested some names that got voted in. Doesn't help that I'm not always properly cookied up when I'm on YKTTW... but meh. More important that I add to the site than that I get credit for adding, yes?
22
23	!Who Am I?
24	!!My Online Identities and Content
25	As far as I have been able to determine, I'm the only person online, barring one other, who uses '''Kilyle''' as my ident. The name comes from t'Cael Zaniidor Kilyle, my favorite Rihannsu (Romulan) character, from the Star Trek novel Final Frontier (by Diane Carey). Almost any time you see a Kilyle somewhere, it's gonna be me; I've been using it for like twenty years, from my earliest excursions into the great waters of the internet.
26
27	However, since recently starting my [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmCyiOeedwFKB2RVBFPKbog YouTube channel]][[note]]mostly Minecraft and other games, some random animal footage, amateur cover songs, fanvids, and charity vids[[/note]], I have segued into the '''Arkylie Killingstad''' identity, thinking I ought to have one that I made myself instead of borrowed from a book. (Okay, I borrowed the surname from my favorite college professor, but that's acceptable, right?) I posted videos six days a week from October 24th, 2016, to October 24th, 2018, rarely missing an update by more than a day; since that proved unsustainable, I've switched to 1-2 vids/week[[note]](more sporadic around the holidays, when I'm focusing more on my writing)[[/note]]. Not saying they're great videos, but at least regular content so far. (I've been trying to put together some more interesting vids, including a StardewValley series with a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_rr-GLCC5o weird plot]] about me being a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQltBMSAvDs fugitive]] who everyone assumes is the new farmer, but it's difficult to get noise- and distraction-free time to record sound. Still, several episodes have been posted, and I've got most of the next one recorded; I just need to put time into splicing footage to audio and crafting the additional assets for the planned vid.)
28
29	Arkylie Killingstad is also the identity I use for my [[http://arkylie.deviantart.com/gallery/ Deviant Art]] account, as well as the pseudonym I publish under on [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2872557/Arkylie-Killingstad Fanfiction.net]] -- my family-friendly fanfics, the kind where if my collective friends and family saw them I wouldn't have to run damage control.
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31	For my ArchiveOfOurOwn content, I use the '''Zaniida''' identity, since it's more mature content.[[note]]I don't write erotica or gore/gorn, but I have published one (non-graphic, non-eroticized) rapefic and have two more in the works, as well as some torture stuff, some really creepy stuff, and some in-character ethics debates and so on.[[/note]] It shouldn't be that difficult to track me down if you were really interested, but if someone is familiar with my largely family-friendly [=YouTube=] channel and goes looking, they shouldn't run across my not-so-family-friendly content too easily. Is the idea, anyway.
32
33	Somewhat counter to the idea of keeping these identities separate... my Twitter handle is [[https://twitter.com/ArkylieZaniida ArkylieZaniida]]. If I recall, this was because [=ArkylieKillingstad=] turned out to be too long for the account name (sadface). I mainly use my Twitter feed to rant about things that annoy me or enthuse over neat things I encounter, but I also use it to provide information on my [=YouTube=] channel (e.g. if a video is going to be late)
34
35	!!My Interests
36	I'm a linguist by nature, a writer by calling. I love not only words, but other methods of communication. I've studied several dozen languages (latest count was something like 48, and that might be missing a few), although I've only gone in depth in Spanish and Japanese (and even those I'm not yet fluent in). I'm a conlanger with several languages on the back burner, and if I lived to see all my other writing projects to completion I'd probably still be alive in 2835.
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38	My current fandom (as of mid 2017), and the one that brought me back into the fanfic-writing game (and publishing on a collective site for the first time ever), is ''PersonOfInterest''. I love anything to do with Finch, especially related to Reese or Root, and Finch is the character I focus on most in my writing and in the scenarios I dream up. One of my current series is called ''The Many Kidnappings of Harold P. Finch'', because he is so eminently kidnappable! So far I'm about halfway through the first fic, but the idea is to have one fic per canon episode, where I find the most natural spot for Finch to get kidnapped, and write that scenario (you should see my notes).
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40	I've also recorded a podfic in Japanese (only one part of it posted, so far) and several in English, with an Italian one in the works. My podfic so far are mostly POI, one WelcomeToNightVale, but I also have aspirations to record a much lengthier one from WtNV as well as some from ''Slayers'' and one from ''LordOfTheRings'' (the Mellon Chronicles). It's been time-consuming and energy-sapping to do this but I expect the finished products will be quite enjoyable for both me and my listeners!
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42	Anyway.
43
44	!!On This Wiki
45	I'm nowhere near as active on this site as I used to be, but I still love it -- I love that it exists, that it's something I can come back to, like a comfort blanket, and learn from, and something that feeds my enthusiasm when I want to spend time browsing my favorite shows and seeing them picked apart, analyzed, and correlated.
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47	I hold to the optimistic wiki model, the idea of cream floating to the top (instead of dead fish), and I look forward to seeing this site get bigger and better--heck, have already seen it doing so, [[strike:day by day]] millisecond by millisecond. I advertise it when I can, and wish my friends would see the usefulness. Eh well, nobody's interested in ''everything'' good. (ETA: Friend Eric got hooked on this site! Hooray! Also, [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife I mourne your loss of innocence]].)
48
49	!Random Stuff
50	The [[http://www.angelfire.com/rings/ttt-subtitles/ funniest darn thing]] I've seen in over a year - thank you, TV Tropes. I'm in the process of laughing myself sick.
51
52	!!Analyses / Rants
53	Why I think Spike did not suffer {{BadassDecay}}:
54
55	Okay, so BuffyTheVampireSlayer had its share of problems as a series. Some of these were caused by outside factors and conflicts among the writers (the whole "Magic is Drugs" fiasco, urgh). Characters, even main characters, did a lot of horrible things to each other and few if any ever even bothered to apologize. (In one episode, Buffy practically bones Dawn's desired boyfriend (he was at the time in school and Buffy was at the time a school counselor), and Dawn walks in on them... and the end of the episode has ''Dawn'' apologizing to ''Buffy''.) More than a few times the cast overlooked the feelings and worth of characters outside their little group. So Buffy's treatment of Spike is just one of many problems in the portrayal of relationships. (Don't forget, Whedon's got a thing against people being happy.)
56
57	Still, the choice to use the Chip was, IMO, the start of an intriguing thought experiment. It spun Spike off in a new direction. It allowed him to stay in contact with the group, without being the BigBad or someone Buffy was honor-bound to attack. It forced him to stop killing without removing his desire to kill -- in strong contrast to Angel -- and it didn't add an instant layer of empathy for his victims. Spike's change was far more gradual and full of a great number of mistakes, quite distinct from Angel's overnight transformation.
58
59	Spike from his first appearance was, in contrast to every other vampire, defined by love. The seeds for his eventual form were sown early. He adored his mate, cared for and comforted her, valued her despite her infirmity -- the other vampires despised him for it. He valued Dru enough to show face to a Slayer and give up a room full of prey; to bide his time for months under Angelus's infuriating rule; to team up with a Slayer in an attempt to kill his sire (unheard of!). He loved Dru enough to return to kill the Slayer who somehow managed to take out Angelus (suicide!), and then to brazenly bargain with the Slayer using her friends as hostages. (Okay, so using a love potion isn't the best example of "love," but for vampires, I set the bar pretty low.)
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61	Beyond this -- moving out of love for Dru and into love for Buffy -- the progression of his feelings and their expression seems to me a superb display of character growth. The contrast between beginning and end couldn't be clearer: He started so low!
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63	First, he realizes he's attracted to her (oh shoot). Not sure what to do. Hangs around her, insults her, pines for her, steals her underwear. Dresses up his lover to look like her. All very immature and schoolboy-ish, low and creepy, the stalker.
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65	Then he tries to change for her, to find ways to make himself acceptable to her. The "I didn't drink from the disaster victims" is a superb example of the gulf between the Hero and the Villain-struggling-to-crawl-out-of-the-muck. I've never seen a more vivid depiction of the "filthy rags" we humans try to hand God, thinking He'll be pleased with our "good works". Spike tries to inject himself into Buffy's life, but moves far too fast -- although I wouldn't expect more from him, since he's so naive to begin with. Unfortunate.
66
67	He declares his intentions -- gets rebuffed in the strongest way. It's a low point that almost, almost makes him go back to who he had been. When Dru tries to bring him back into the fold, Spike may pass it off as the Chip, but that's not what's holding him back. If it were, he wouldn't have been shocked by the death of the two victims, nor would he have hesitated over drinking (I would even call that "trying to gather the nerve" or even "coax himself"). He's not what he was. He will never be again.
68
69	Then he seizes an opportunity to tie Buffy up, make her listen to him, take him seriously. She's taken him lightly far too often, and his manhood is at stake. But he also turns on Dru. Again, he offers Buffy the best "good works" he can dredge up: He's willing to stake his sire for her. And she sees the offering as filthy rags. But within minutes he offers something a little more valuable: After declaring his intention to let Dru kill Buffy, or perhaps kill them both, when the chips are down, he stands with Buffy. As Dru rightly points out, he's beyond repair.
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71	Buffy locks him out, which he needed. Wake-up call. And soon enough he commissions a Buffybot. Kinda spooky, but there's a lot of positive ways to look at this. One is, in using the Buffybot, he isn't out stalking Buffy, which he might otherwise be doing. Also, his sex play is hardly what you'd expect from a vampire. It's still childish (affirming his BigBad-ness, for one), but it's tender and neither abusive nor unromantic. And it maintains Buffy's role as Slayer, instead of moving her into a Spike-centered orbit.
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73	Not only that, but he never meant for her to see it. It was a private way of dealing with his feelings, and, as I said, I set the bar pretty low for beings who don't have a conscience to begin with. He's authentically ashamed when Buffy finds out.
74
75	Stepping back a moment, wasn't that Spike ready to die rather than betray Buffy? His love may not extend beyond Buffy, Dawn, and Joyce, but it's gone a few steps beyond a mere crush. Now he's willing to act as babysitter to a couple of mortals. And not only has he connected with Joyce, but he's treating Dawn -- repeatedly -- like a person with a mind and a will, instead of as a child or a forbidden snack. (In fact, he's treating her better than most of the Scoobies treat her.)
76
77	And then we have Spike the Warrior back for a couple eps, again going against the wishes of the traditional vampire, and now willing to risk himself personally for Buffy. Now he's controlling his temper (consider how S2 Spike might have reacted when Tara opened the shades and burnt him) and even being reassuring to people he still considers little more than "Happy Meals on legs."
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79	Then in the finale, he sees Buffy down and he, unlike the rest, just breaks down. Part of it his own sense of failure. In less than one season, his cocky attitude has been worn away to the point where he sobs in public (and he's not even drunk).
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81	I could detail the next two seasons; the relationship has its highs and lows (deep, deep lows), and I disagree with some of how they presented it. But in general, most of it reads well. And over the three seasons Spike moves from pining and possession through self-sacrifice to a complete overlooking of self ("It's not because I want you... not because I can't have you... it has nothing to do with me; I love who you ''are''").
82
83	The highlights of his journey include:
84
85	# Holding up under Glory's torture
86	# "I know you'll never love me"
87	# Protecting Dawn after Buffy's death
88	# Acts ''just like he did toward Drusilla'' when he first meets Resurrected!Buffy -- it's about you, do you need anything, what can I do?
89	# Truly respects and mourns Joyce (has nothing to do with Buffy)
90	# Honestly concerned for the safety of Dawn (ditto) on multiple occasions
91	# Tries to get Buffy to acknowledge that he is capable of love (which he is) and that their relationship should be more than merely physical (which it should)
92	# Tries more than once to say "If you're just using me, leave"
93	# Getting his soul, of course
94	# Here's the clincher: "You have to kill me"
95	# The Speech (wish I were worthy of a speech like that)
96
97	See, that "You have to kill me" moment happened with Angel, too. It's that moment when you are ready to give up your own right to exist because you believe that (a) you forfeited it and (b) you are doing harm by existing. It's at that point that the change is really ''real''. At least, in this type of fantasy. Spike put his life on the table, and luckily Buffy was in a good mood when she dealt the cards that day.
98
99	But yeah. Spike had a great character arc, even if I dislike some mini-arcs the writers decided to embark on. And yeah, I'd write the whole thing a little differently were I making a remake. But I don't think the journey was wrong or bad or ill-chosen. I think it did something worthwhile, and something out of the ordinary. And I think it worked.
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102	Decided to put up my opinion on ''{{MASH}}'' here, instead of adding it to the MASH talk page, as it's long:
103
104	After the show left the purile comedy stage, it did get very good. But you gotta ignore the anvils. Concentrate on the characterization. Klinger was always amusing, and Radar generally endearing, but it was the introduction of Colonel Potter, Hunnicutt, and Winchester that really got the ball rolling. Blake was useless; Potter was both antagonist and friend, and had the just the right amount of backbone to moderate his crew of misfits. Trapper was ''TheSidekick'', basically another version of Hawkeye; Hunnicutt became just as good a friend, but contrasted Hawkeye on a number of levels (and still managed to play the best pranks). Burns was a stereotype, one-dimensional and incapable of growth; Winchester was a human being who fluctuated between cultured self-control and explosive outrage, who on multiple occasions showed great humanity, nobility, even a heartbreaking realization of his own shortcomings, and who at the end was not the same man he had been at the beginning.
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106	On top of that, the show went into greater detail on Father Mulcahy, including his determination and willpower, ability to manipulate others as needed, and ability to reach out and actually help those who were having a crisis of faith (including Hawkeye, if I'm recalling that correctly, albeit not often or life-changingly). It showed the humanity in Hot Lips and changed her, softened her, connected her to others (and I don't mean just physically). It brought Hawkeye out of the nothing-but-laughs circle and pushed him through a wide range of situations, emotions, and connections. The show still had its laughs, but now there was substance and relationships, and a certain level of continuity when they recalled older characters or considered the way people had changed. Moving out of the strictly-sitcom category was the best thing they could have done.
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108	As for the anvils, well, everything has a political opinion in it somewhere, and their was just excruciatingly obvious. And you can overlook it, but if you give up on the series you're missing a lot of gold to be found both apart from the anvils and beneath them. Anvils aren't pleasant, but they aren't the end of a series this good. And some of its anvils were pretty well chosen, such as what they put in the time capsule (Radar's teddy bear, for all those who came to the war as boys and left as men...). The show wasn't all anvils, and even the anvils weren't all {{Glurge}}.
109
110	The anti-war screed, by the way, is just the most obvious anvil. At least one other was their permissive attitude about indiscriminate sex. Even the priest didn't have much to say (and the one time he was told to be more forceful on the subject, the advice was bad advice). The show did acknowledge that marital infidelity is wrong (but something the marriage could recover from, an excellent message), but had nothing bad to say about singles who sleep around, and, of course, ''AManIsNotAVirgin'' (well, softened a bit by the end of the episode: ''Guess you don't have to get experience just yet, Radar'').
111
112	And for a less anvilicious treatment of a subject, I'd say they did well by the subject of faith. They didn't ridicule it, didn't push it to the side; it became the basis for several episodes, including those focused on the main characters, and they explored the subjects of fear, panic, phobias, and life after death, albeit in at times a cursory fashion. And of course they brought in Sydney Freedman a few times for consistently appealing stories.
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114	If you don't like the anvils, at least take a look at the way the rest of the show was handled. It did so much so right that it has the tropes you need to make a winning series, and you just have to find them. I'd start with ''Passion and Compassion'' (''ElfQuest'''s theory on compelling stories) and ''Sympathetic Characters Dealing with Near-Constant Jeopardy''.
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Context Tropers / Kilyle