Pokkle and to a lesser extent Ponzu from Hunter X Hunter
While they weren't super strong or charsimatic, they were both compentent and had a lot of potential to become great recurring characters. Pokkle was one of the few people to pass the Hunter Exam with Gon and he was a pretty good guy, helping Gon find his father with his laptop and in the 1999 version advised Leerio and Hanzo not to cheat. While Ponzu didn't do much and failed the exam you do get the feeling that she was smart and compentent, you know someone who could pass the next exam( well if it wasn't for Killua one shoting everyone). Despite all these we see them get taking out like bitches by the chimra ants, Ponzu was shot in the head multiple times and Pokkle was poked in the Brain and fed to the chimera ant queen.
Lester from American Beauty.
Lives in a self inflicted hell with a wife obsessed with appearances and an apathetic daughter, and when things finally start to turn around, he's murdered by his homophobic neighbour.
This might be a bit of an obscure choice, but Danube from the manhwa Rebirth. The poor girl's life is Hell from beginning to end.
From the beginning, het father hated her for not being born a boy, so he verbally and physically abuses her whenever they're in the same room. Everywhere she goes, she's sexually harassed and belittled. The only person who genuinely loves her and cares about her is her (not by blood) brother Kalutinka. Kal becomes friends with the main character, the vampire Deshwitat. To expose Desh and kill him as well as Kal, Danube and Desh's lover Lilith are accused of witchcraft and imprisoned. Now, there's no one to help Danube, and she's brutally raped by the prison guards. The following day, she and Lilith are sentenced to death by hanging, which is an agonizing process where she's slowly being strangled to death. I know that hanging doesn't work that way, but it might've been intentional to draw out her death as much as possible and lure out Desh and Kal. Desh's and Kal's rescue mission goes horribly wrong, and the executioner decides to just behead the women. Despite agreeing to not let emotions get in the way, Desh rescues Lilith, leaving poor Danube to get her head cut off in a gory fashion.
Kal is killed after this and awakens as a God, since he was born as a God Seed. Danube's existence serves as his reason for becoming a harbinger of humanity's destruction, as well as a hatred for Desh for breaking their promise. Danube's life just gets shittier and shittier for every second she's on page. You just want to hug her...
Cole Phelps, for L.A Noire. True, Phelps was a bit uptight and smug, and his actions in the war delve into the realm of "OMG how can you be such a twat?" but at the end of the day, he was one of the few honest cops on the force and at least showed remorse for his war actions.
Then, he just gets shit on late in the game. His affair is revealed, isolating him from his family and the force, with no-one offering a shred of sympathy for the PTSD that probably fueled the affair. All the hard work he put in to rise to the top of the force is shown to be wasted, and ultimately he drowns to death without the real game's final villains getting the justice they deserve. To add insult to injury, one of said villains attends his funeral.
Also, as we seem to have delved into star wars - Ahsoka Tano. Jesus Christ, the amount of times she put her ass on the line to help others, then ultimately gets charged for a crime she didn't commit, is abandoned and found guilty by the order, and almost gets executed. Then when the order try to accept her back, the pricks cant even accept it's their fault and give her some "oh, the force moves in mysterious ways" bullshit - no apology or anything from them(apart from Anakin).
To be fair though, maybe it was for the best, what with order 66 and all...
I've heard of this Dresden Files before. An Urban Fantasy comic, right? Would you mind telling more a little more about it? (I've never really READ any of the comics before, and would like to know what a good starting point would be)
Well, you're right about the "Urban Fantasy" part, but only partly about the "comic" part. It's a series of books, and a few have been done as comics down the line. But it's first and foremost books. There's about 15 so far (plus some short stories that can be found in separate volumes), but the individual books aren't too long.
As for what it's about - Think film noir private detective, only he's a wizard in modern day Chichago (well, Chicago some 10-15 years ago) and focuses on supernatural cases. The whole tone isn't too serious most of the time, though, mainly because of the protagonist who's a smartarse (which pretty much every supernatural creature finds baffling). It starts out as more or less stand alone cases (one per book), but soon enough an overarching plot develops.
Notable things about the series is tight, witty writing with excellent pacing, great characters that exhibit actual growth as the books progress and a well established and consistent setting. Another cool thing about the setting is that it pretty much assumes every mythology is true, but still manages to present it all as an ordered whole.
Overall, highly recommended. Start with Storm Front and work your way from there. The first two books have been done as comics, as well as two short stories, though the comics come out once or twice a year so you're better off going with the books and maybe checking the comics out later.
As one of the few people here who watches WWE I'll say half the damn roster, but The Wayatt Family in particular. The Wayatt family is IMO one of the best gimmicks currently in the increasingly weak roster, excellent in the ring and absolutely goddamn amazing on the mic, and yet they never actually win at PPV events and are perpetually stuck in losing feuds with WWE's go to boring invincible supermen like Cena, Jericho, and the Usos. Also worth mentioning: Rybaxle a surprisingly likable and talented tag team that gets relegated to jobbing despite the crowd cheering for them, Damien Sandow who has been reduced from a love to hate heel to a absolutely awful unfunny comedy costume gimmick for no reason, Aberto Del Rio whose talent was so thoroughly wasted as WWE left him to float aimlessly in the midcard that he chose to not renew his contract, Kane who despite being a legend and having a great feud with Daniel Bryan not that long ago has been reduced to a joke to be repeatedly fed to the absolutely awful Roman Reigns, and Cesaro who went from a dominant heel with huge potential to a jobber who is never allowed anywhere near a mic.
I'd say in terms of narrative and creative potential, as well as the almost habitual abandonment of logic, reason, and the utter love for double standards which borders on the infuriating, Pro-Wrestling can be one of the most enjoyable guilty pleasures out there and that's before you even get to some of the physical feats guys like Orton are capable of. It may just be a soap opera in speedos, but damn...
Totally agree on poor Del Rio and Sandow (though I never fell for the guy, seeing him go the same road as Chavo is tragic).
From my POV I think Jericho is wasted on the Wyatts - I don't know why but those guys just don't click for me. I think I'm caught up in nostalgia though - when I think of Y2J it's circa 2003 against HBK.
For wrestlers that've been "Wasted" or under-appreciated I'll add Christian and Muhammad Hussan to the mix. I cannot articulate it clearly I'm afraid, but I've felt there was a major change to his character's treatment following Edge's retirement, though maybe I'm just paranoid. A morbid push that gave him a spotlight long deserved, and yet created a promise that could never be fulfilled... idk.
Poor Hussan on the other hand was one of the most talented (verbally & physically) individuals with a beautifully daring story-arc that sadly came too soon and too close to home. The latent fear of "home grown" threats, not just within the US but within much of the "First World," was definitely a risky one to explore - and the tragedy of the 7/7 Bombings lead to the network pressure that ended what might have been a fascinating story performed by an amazing individual.
Oh as it occurs to me - I remember seeing Rybak one cut a promo that was actually decent (acting, delivery, what have you) and yet it looks like now he is stuck in a "dumb muscle" role.
I can't help but feel that there is a narrative/creative conservatism gripping the company so terribly that, despite their means to produce quite a few different programs, they've limited the number of active stories to insanely dull levels. But that's a different thread I'm guessing...
----
Now for the written word;
I'd have to say, weird as it may be, the Baron. Good old Vladimir Harkonnen. A cruel, sadistic man driven by lust - in more forms than one, that poor slaveboy! And yet I always saw him as just another lord. A product of his time. Now that's not to excuse the horror's he permits, the suppression and slaughter of the Fremen, the Beast's tyranny over Arrakis, but to me he is as most other lords would be. A symptom of his time and place, and a gomjabbar could not have been a painless death.
In terms of depiction - I'd say Wellington Yueh is a different kettle of fish. Beautiful in the books [and given such pathos by the amazing Scott Brick audiobook (That guy is just a wonderful VA)], and I think pretty damn decent in the movie, but the miniseries? I can only recall three scenes; 1. I miss her. 2. Time for impromptu dental. 3. Think you've won?
Again, like good Canadian wrestlers, I'm biased towards. Don't think the version of Yueh in my mind will ever be perfectly manifested
From recent memory I'm gonna have to say Paz from Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.
In universe
Had a live bomb extracted from her without any anesthetic only to get killed by another one hidden in her vagina. And then there is the stuff that happened to her in the camp (assuming you collected all the tapes).
Out of Universe
I was really disappointed that she got killed off at the end. While she was far from being one of the more memorable character in the MGS franchise I really felt that MGSV could have been an great opportunity to expand upon the character. It also would have also been nice to learn more about her especially since most of what you knew about her in Peace Walker was just a cover. Instead she gets killed off and it was really just for shock value. Her death won't affect Snake or Miller because their interest in rescuing her was solely to gain information on Cipher. The only person her death would effect is Chico but we have no idea if he survived or will even be in MGSV.
Basically I thought she was a wasted opportunity
beastro said:
The only thing that saved TNG was Gene dying during season 2 and allowing sensible minds to finally save the series from his wish-fufillment obsession and finally bring drama into the series. With that in mind, I can fully understand her decision.
Gene didn't die until season 5 (October 1991) though it was because of his ailing health that he was forced to give up creative control after season 2.
I'm gonna be super unpopular and say Ben from TellTale's The Walking Dead.
I just think he deserved better in the game and from the fans. I mean, he was just a kid. He was still in high school, he had no idea how to survive in the real world, much less the world that he had been plunged into. And because of that he wasn't on the same intellectual or strategic level as everyone else. Everyone else was an adult, someone who was out in the world with jobs, occupations, lives where they learned skills and lessons. Ben hadn't got any of that yet. But people [small](characters and fans)[/small] expected him to go from 0 to 60 in seconds regardless. I still feel really bad for him to this day. THAT dude did not catch a break...
Damn, that's a good one- that death was really heartbreaking.
For me, I'd go with the character James Bellamy from "Upstairs Downstairs"(1971) season 5, specifically in the final two episodes, "All the Kings Horses" and "Whither Shall I Wander?". I don't want to get into it right now, but the character, in hindsight, was tragedy personified, and as sad as it seemed, was heading that way from the start. I just couldn't see it- and when I could, I was already blinded by tears, no word of a lie.
Brilliant show, by the way. Wonderful rich characters. For those of you who like Downton Abbey, this is the show that came before it, from the same people who made it... and seems light years better, at least to me.
Did he really have to die after suffering so much during the series' run? He had to cope with a fucked-up girlfriend, her fucked-up brother, siblings who hated his guts for living his own life away from the funeral home, a mother who can barely keep things together, fighting off a hostile takeover of the business... and then, when things started looking up, BAM! He's dead.
That whole outcome pissed me off somewhat too but I guess it also kind of encapsulates what is more or less the whole point of the series, you can do your best but still get fucked over again and again and die unfulfilled. I reckon yeah, Nate was far too good for all the crap he had to deal with but I don't think I'd change anything.
Already mentioned a bit are various characters from the Ice and Fire series, unsurprising considering just many poor bastards bite it unceremoniously. Two fairly minor guys stand out for me in particular, Maester Cressen and Cortnay Penrose from Clash of Kings. Cressen it seems was a father figure of sorts to Stannis and dies in the intro trying to (at least in his mind) protect him from Melisandre and Penrose is the guy who blatantly refuses to give up Storms End and Robert's bastard kid to Stannis and gets shadow-demon thingied for it. I like to think they're both chillin with Ned and Robb Stark as well as Jeor Mormont among others in the 'cool more-or-less good guys who tried to do the right thing and got fucked over for it' section of whatever afterlife they have in that setting.
So in MLP there's this one episode where Rainbow Dash, a sport obsessed pegasus, breaks her wings and has to spend the rest of the episode in the hospital. There, bound to the bed, she is introduced to the magic of reading and Io and behold, finds out that reading is actually for everyone, not just nerds.
The best thing about this episode is that whenever Rainbow starts reading, we cut to the action in the book. There the protagonist is Daring Do, an Indiana Jones expy, that also has broken wings just like Rainbow. Not only are there some nice parody scenes with over-the-top death traps, which make the episode worthwhile, Daring Do also looks exactly like Rainbow Dash except for her colour, making for a neat touch that she is inserting herself into the novel. Overall it was a nice idea and well enough executed to make it one of the highlights of the second season... which gets totally ruined in the fourth.
There it turns out, Daring Do was actually a real person all along! All of the novels have been about real events, written by herself! Also, she still looks like Rainbow Dash because of reasons. It doesn't help that the episode this happens in is filled with dumb decisions, questions that never get answered and characters standing around doing nothing.
Daring Do never should have been an actual chracter in the show. She was a fine gimmick for an episode and made the world seem more alive by showing that even talking ponies in a fantasy world can have fiction about dumb action heroes saving the day. Making her a real adventurer, making her part of the world ruined her concept and subsequently her character.
So in MLP there's this one episode where Rainbow Dash, a sport obsessed pegasus, breaks her wings and has to spend the rest of the episode in the hospital. There, bound to the bed, she is introduced to the magic of reading and Io and behold, finds out that reading is actually for everyone, not just nerds.
The best thing about this episode is that whenever Rainbow starts reading, we cut to the action in the book. There the protagonist is Daring Do, an Indiana Jones expy, that also has broken wings just like Rainbow. Not only are there some nice parody scenes with over-the-top death traps, which make the episode worthwhile, Daring Do also looks exactly like Rainbow Dash except for her colour, making for a neat touch that she is inserting herself into the novel. Overall it was a nice idea and well enough executed to make it one of the highlights of the second season... which gets totally ruined in the fourth.
There it turns out, Daring Do was actually a real person all along! All of the novels have been about real events, written by herself! Also, she still looks like Rainbow Dash because of reasons. It doesn't help that the episode this happens in is filled with dumb decisions, questions that never get answered and characters standing around doing nothing.
Daring Do never should have been an actual chracter in the show. She was a fine gimmick for an episode and made the world seem more alive by showing that even talking ponies in a fantasy world can have fiction about dumb action heroes saving the day. Making her a real adventurer, making her part of the world ruined her concept and subsequently her character.
Huh... If Daring Do did metaphorically stood for what fictional characters could connect with the same way we could with "our" fictional characters, then of course Daring Do did deserve better from that narrative standpoint... I mean, maybe Season 4 still could of had the introduction to the author of the Daring Do books, but find out that the book series is her way of expressing how she yearns to go on similar adventures as the character she created, despite being an archaeologist... Not only can Rainbow Dash learn that even the author she adores is also a regular pegasus just like her (akin to respecting one's writing process, I think), but the author can learn how what she does for a living outside of writing the books is adventurous in its own right, I guess...
But, then again, as Season 4 proved, that's not what Daring Do, the character, was suppose to represent after all... which, in turn, does make this a borderline case after all...
Then, he just gets shit on late in the game. His affair is revealed, isolating him from his family and the force, with no-one offering a shred of sympathy for the PTSD that probably fueled the affair. All the hard work he put in to rise to the top of the force is shown to be wasted, and ultimately he drowns to death without the real game's final villains getting the justice they deserve. To add insult to injury, one of said villains attends his funeral.
the whole "affiar" thing comes really out of the blue...and feels Jarring....particually I think because we know Cole has a wife and girls yet never see his personal life...so we as players assume its not important untill it all comes out of the blue
as I underatand this was due to the usual cuts and changes that come with a troubled development
Tyr Anasazi from Andromeda. He is the sole reason I kept watching that show (and the fact I had 3 seasons of DVD's, yet never remember ever buying it). He was a character I absolutely despised for about the first season, before I started to accept how brilliantly and well realized his character was.
Unfortunately, due to some shoddy writing, the character was never consistent, but he was always the same throughout the show. A good guy and a bad guy. His own hero, but perhaps a villain to the show. It is hard to describe, but you never really knew where he stood.
Unfortunately, he left the show, got turned into a simpering generic bad guy and that was that.
If you like sci-fi and can repress cringing from terrible CGI and some bad acting, Andromeda seasons 1-3 is fairly good.
Nouw said:
Most of the characters in Fate/Zero. Yeah, I'll probably carry this salt with me until the day I die.
Clemens is a very hospitable person who Ripley warms up to. After all she's been through, she deserves a break (spoliers: don't watch Alien 3 if you want a happy ending). Instead, just after he confides in Ripley why he's a doctor on a prison colony in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, he's unceremoniously axed off by the alien. He's never mentioned again.
85 was just a guy running a (all things considered) peaceful prison colony until Ripley shows up with what can only be described as a demon from hell. He's not a local, just a company man (as is constantly pointed out) and just wants to go home to his family. He doesn't take kindly to Ripley's requests to basically accept the fact he's a dead man simply by being in her presence. When he realizes that the company is evil and attempting to capture said demon, he lashes out at them and is fatally shot. His resting place is in the crusty floor of the furnace of the hellhole he merely worked in.
You know what? I'll throw in Ellen Ripley, the crew of the Nostromo (save Ash), the crew of the Sulaco and the colonists as well for obvious reasons.
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