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shipperxPity poor Angel and what he has been reduced to.
I've read both defenses and bashes of the character indicating that Twangel is in character for Angel, but, honestly? I don't see it.
More below the cut.
I just have a difficult time buying that this is Angel. Yes, he has the qualities/flaws of being high handed, of at times believing that the end justifies the means, and -- on occasion -- saying to hell with them all and setting Drusilla on fire or locking lawyers in with vampires. But those are aspects of him, that's not all of him. Deep down, Angel wants to be the hero. It's not always easy and sometimes it happens wrong, but that's the underlying desire.
Yes. Angel can be high-handed, especially with Buffy. He can patronize her and think of her as just a girl. He can choose (and often has chosen) to make decisions for her. He can also set upon highly questionable courses of action (i.e. his feeling cornered into killing Drogyn and rationalizing that it was 'okay' because Drogyn was doomed anyway. It's a strained rationalization that I'm not entirely certain that I buy. But I understand that Angel needs that rationalization so as to continue to function. Without it, he'd be back to alley wallowing in rat feces).
However, there's a degree of magnitude involved in extrapolating Angel's behavior into Twangel's behavior that is astounding.
First, Angel isn't cornered this time. Twangel plotted to make these circumstances come about. He plotted to "push" Buffy into creating Twilight, much as the evil UnLocke pushes Lostees to make the decisions he wants them to make on Craphole Island over on LOST. Twangel, in an UnLockian/Smokemonster fashion, plotted what is more or less genocide (complete with setting the stage with anti-Slayer propoganda).
We aren't talking a few Slayer v. vampire hand-to-hand combat deaths -- we're talking thousands of girls in mass slaughter. If UnLocke is apocalyptic evil for his pushing, what is Twangel here? And how is that an acceptable extrapolation of Angel?
(And "the universe made him do it" doesn't fly unless it's given a hell of a lot more development in the comic than it has been so far. Exactly how did the "universe make him do it"? Foretold prophecy? Not acceptable. There's such a thing as self-fulfilling prophecy. For another, there hasn't been a prophecy yet that wasn't subverted in someway. He didn't 'have a choice'? Well then Dark Horse better get to work examining the consent issues they just created in #34. Again, unless they explain exactly how his agency was compromised, Twangel is responsible for his choices. Thus far they haven't explained Twangel worth shit. And, make no mistake, Twangel's choices are bad. Every bit as destructive and evil as UnLocke's.)
Also the timey-wimey-loopy 'it's destiny' disposing of the world like milk after its expiration date... but don't worry 'they'll survive' rationalization in #35 makes no damn sense! If the world is being disposed of like the remnants of a half-eaten salad down the garbage disposal exactly how do they 'survive'? It's an oxymoron. Either they've brought about the end of the world and left everyone to die or not. Pick an option Twangel. This is an either/or question, not all of the above.
Secondly, Angel is a masochist. Yeah, that sounds a bit extreme, and I don't mean necessarily in a BDSM sort of way. I'm just saying that Angel doesn't grab for personal happiness. Take "I Will Remember You" for example. It's the same delimma as Twangel but on a much smaller scale. Angel could have had Buffy, all he had to do was give up being the protagonist-hero. And he. couldn't. do. it. He shoves her away -- against HER will -- so as to go on being the cursed dark knight helping the helpless and for the possibility being 'the' guy playing ride to the rescue hero. Now, sure, we can say that unlike IWRY, Twangel doesn't have to give up being the very most special of speeeecial... but, still, we come back to the fact that Angel doesn't grab for personal happiness. It's not the way he functions.
He gave up the Gem of Amarra where he could've walked in daylight for no good reason other than so that he'd continue to suffer... because he thinks it's important that he suffer.
He insists (beyond reason) that he is going to hell, even though he had/has a shanshu with his name written on it. Why would he torture himself with the unshakable belief that he's going to hell no matter what in the face of a prophecy saying (or at least raising the possibility of) otherwise, unless it's essential to his psychological make-up?
Angel needs his angst like humans need air.
The concept of his saying "To hell with the world" isn't entirely out of character. The concept of his saying "To hell with the world, I'm gonna stay here in happyland and feel no guilt over it" is... someone else entirely.
That's not Angel. He can't be happy if he doesn't have something to brood over, if he's not feeling that he's being denied something. (Hell, even Liam had notions over how 'unfair' life must be to him, blaming his father for being bothered about supporting a fully grown adult son, complaining how his father was embarrassment for not doing stuff the way Liam wanted, complaining that he couldn't travel enough and was saddled with the burden of being adored by his sister.) Angel/Liam/Whoever needs to feel the world is stacked against him in order to function. I complain therefore I am.
Plus, I'm sorry. Angel may be flawed like all characters (and should be), but he isn't a genocidal maniac!
Or, if he were a genocidal maniac (which with soul he wouldn't be), he'd at least feel really, really guilty about it and brood over it for a couple of eons. Angel wouldn't be jabbering about how he 'deserved' happiness or that it's okay for the world to be destroyed so that he might be happy. The world destroyed so that he could wallow in misery or because he decided it was hopeless, torturous hell? Sure. So that he could dance around happyland? Nuh-uh.
Angel can rationalize a lot of behavior to himself, but rarely if ever is it in the search for his personal happiness. Usually it's the polar opposite it's what he perceives rightly or wrongly as being for someone else's good. And if he did make such a screw-it-all I'm gonna be happy for ME choice, he'd then prattle about what a burden it was to have to make that choice.
Twangel? Pshaw! Don't give genocide and a destroyed universe a second thought. We can be happy now!
Angel might be a sucker for the concept of destiny, but he also likes to feel conflicted over it. The Whedonverse M.O. tends to be "Woeful is the weight on the shoulders of the oh-so-very-special." Twangel is now way outside the paradigm. Where's Twangel's internal conflict over some hella conflicted stuff? No where. Where's his pathological self-denial? Out the window. Hell, where's his curse? If he's so damn 'happy' where the hell is Angelus? Huh?
And I continue coming back to why doesn't Angel give a crap that he's sentencing his own child to demonic hell/death? He sacrificed a whole hell of a lot to give that kid a second chance at life, and now he destroys it without a second thought? Wha-huh?!
This simply isn't the Angel that I knew. Angel is better than this.
Come on, y'all! Angel is better than this!!!
This is one or two of his traits on steroids and Miracle Gro turned into a mutant fungus. This isn't the Angel I knew or the one I liked. This is some weasley PodPerson who makes no sense to me. None at all.
PS - And I guess I should take consolation that it's not Spike (currently) giving Twangel's arguments. If it were Spike saying/doing any of this stuff there would be a mob of angry on-line villagers carrying torches and pitchforks screaming about his selfishness, his unrepentant villainy, and the fact that he only wanted in Buffy's pants... which is, apparently, Twangel's M.O. now. Although that doesn't mean that I'm not expecting complete annihilation of Spike's character as well... only with less fandom coddling and sans any fan service. (What? No. I don't trust Whedon. It's called experience).
P.P.S. I've long had a very strong suspicion that the whole point of this comic is to destroy the ships. Scorched earth policy. There's an eerie pattern of giving the shippers what they say they want then rip it away. Buffy fell for Xander, but Xander was over her. And Bangels get their destined twu wuv only it destroys everything and Angel isn't Angel any more. And so for Spuffies, I only wonder what Joss thinks we want and how he will make a mockery of it. I suspect Spike rides in as hero thinking that will earn her love... except it doesn't. It never does. (Ruining what little of value there was in "Chosen" but why would Whedon let that stop him when it hasn't stopped him from mucking up everything else? Slayer empowerment is now the thing destroying the world. What's a ship against Joss deliberately destroying his feminiust street cred?) Buffy is all. Everyone else's story and characterization is expendable to serve the protagonist. Well, Buffy and core four (albeit Giles has had substantial chunks of his IQ removed). The vampires will be properly chastened and banished to IDW land. And shippers will have been tweaked, but, of course, ships never really die. They're just forced to ever more elaborate fanwanking.
P.P.P.S.: And now having seen the mock A/B/S "New Moon" cover. Jeez, Joss. FAIL! You can't be satirical when your own series is currently more ridiculous than the sparkly anti-feminist, baseball-playing, vacuous vampire who gives c-section with teeth pile of crap that you're trying to mock! You currently have Spike having acquired an interdimensional steam-punk space ship, Twangel having had a moral lobotamy, and Buffy having sex in spaaaaaace in the wake of a mass slaughter then traipsing around happyland in a freaking toga. You have no high ground on which to stand from which you're allowed to mock.
Now, we mock you.
This only makes Dark Horse, Joss, et. al. look petty and jealous that S.Meyer is making more money off of selling her ridiculous vampire crap than they do. (And, honestly, at this point S.Meyer's ridiculous crack is less cracked out and stupid than Whedon's... which is sad.)
I've read both defenses and bashes of the character indicating that Twangel is in character for Angel, but, honestly? I don't see it.
More below the cut.
I just have a difficult time buying that this is Angel. Yes, he has the qualities/flaws of being high handed, of at times believing that the end justifies the means, and -- on occasion -- saying to hell with them all and setting Drusilla on fire or locking lawyers in with vampires. But those are aspects of him, that's not all of him. Deep down, Angel wants to be the hero. It's not always easy and sometimes it happens wrong, but that's the underlying desire.
Yes. Angel can be high-handed, especially with Buffy. He can patronize her and think of her as just a girl. He can choose (and often has chosen) to make decisions for her. He can also set upon highly questionable courses of action (i.e. his feeling cornered into killing Drogyn and rationalizing that it was 'okay' because Drogyn was doomed anyway. It's a strained rationalization that I'm not entirely certain that I buy. But I understand that Angel needs that rationalization so as to continue to function. Without it, he'd be back to alley wallowing in rat feces).
However, there's a degree of magnitude involved in extrapolating Angel's behavior into Twangel's behavior that is astounding.
First, Angel isn't cornered this time. Twangel plotted to make these circumstances come about. He plotted to "push" Buffy into creating Twilight, much as the evil UnLocke pushes Lostees to make the decisions he wants them to make on Craphole Island over on LOST. Twangel, in an UnLockian/Smokemonster fashion, plotted what is more or less genocide (complete with setting the stage with anti-Slayer propoganda).
We aren't talking a few Slayer v. vampire hand-to-hand combat deaths -- we're talking thousands of girls in mass slaughter. If UnLocke is apocalyptic evil for his pushing, what is Twangel here? And how is that an acceptable extrapolation of Angel?
(And "the universe made him do it" doesn't fly unless it's given a hell of a lot more development in the comic than it has been so far. Exactly how did the "universe make him do it"? Foretold prophecy? Not acceptable. There's such a thing as self-fulfilling prophecy. For another, there hasn't been a prophecy yet that wasn't subverted in someway. He didn't 'have a choice'? Well then Dark Horse better get to work examining the consent issues they just created in #34. Again, unless they explain exactly how his agency was compromised, Twangel is responsible for his choices. Thus far they haven't explained Twangel worth shit. And, make no mistake, Twangel's choices are bad. Every bit as destructive and evil as UnLocke's.)
Also the timey-wimey-loopy 'it's destiny' disposing of the world like milk after its expiration date... but don't worry 'they'll survive' rationalization in #35 makes no damn sense! If the world is being disposed of like the remnants of a half-eaten salad down the garbage disposal exactly how do they 'survive'? It's an oxymoron. Either they've brought about the end of the world and left everyone to die or not. Pick an option Twangel. This is an either/or question, not all of the above.
Secondly, Angel is a masochist. Yeah, that sounds a bit extreme, and I don't mean necessarily in a BDSM sort of way. I'm just saying that Angel doesn't grab for personal happiness. Take "I Will Remember You" for example. It's the same delimma as Twangel but on a much smaller scale. Angel could have had Buffy, all he had to do was give up being the protagonist-hero. And he. couldn't. do. it. He shoves her away -- against HER will -- so as to go on being the cursed dark knight helping the helpless and for the possibility being 'the' guy playing ride to the rescue hero. Now, sure, we can say that unlike IWRY, Twangel doesn't have to give up being the very most special of speeeecial... but, still, we come back to the fact that Angel doesn't grab for personal happiness. It's not the way he functions.
He gave up the Gem of Amarra where he could've walked in daylight for no good reason other than so that he'd continue to suffer... because he thinks it's important that he suffer.
He insists (beyond reason) that he is going to hell, even though he had/has a shanshu with his name written on it. Why would he torture himself with the unshakable belief that he's going to hell no matter what in the face of a prophecy saying (or at least raising the possibility of) otherwise, unless it's essential to his psychological make-up?
Angel needs his angst like humans need air.
The concept of his saying "To hell with the world" isn't entirely out of character. The concept of his saying "To hell with the world, I'm gonna stay here in happyland and feel no guilt over it" is... someone else entirely.
That's not Angel. He can't be happy if he doesn't have something to brood over, if he's not feeling that he's being denied something. (Hell, even Liam had notions over how 'unfair' life must be to him, blaming his father for being bothered about supporting a fully grown adult son, complaining how his father was embarrassment for not doing stuff the way Liam wanted, complaining that he couldn't travel enough and was saddled with the burden of being adored by his sister.) Angel/Liam/Whoever needs to feel the world is stacked against him in order to function. I complain therefore I am.
Plus, I'm sorry. Angel may be flawed like all characters (and should be), but he isn't a genocidal maniac!
Or, if he were a genocidal maniac (which with soul he wouldn't be), he'd at least feel really, really guilty about it and brood over it for a couple of eons. Angel wouldn't be jabbering about how he 'deserved' happiness or that it's okay for the world to be destroyed so that he might be happy. The world destroyed so that he could wallow in misery or because he decided it was hopeless, torturous hell? Sure. So that he could dance around happyland? Nuh-uh.
Angel can rationalize a lot of behavior to himself, but rarely if ever is it in the search for his personal happiness. Usually it's the polar opposite it's what he perceives rightly or wrongly as being for someone else's good. And if he did make such a screw-it-all I'm gonna be happy for ME choice, he'd then prattle about what a burden it was to have to make that choice.
Twangel? Pshaw! Don't give genocide and a destroyed universe a second thought. We can be happy now!
Angel might be a sucker for the concept of destiny, but he also likes to feel conflicted over it. The Whedonverse M.O. tends to be "Woeful is the weight on the shoulders of the oh-so-very-special." Twangel is now way outside the paradigm. Where's Twangel's internal conflict over some hella conflicted stuff? No where. Where's his pathological self-denial? Out the window. Hell, where's his curse? If he's so damn 'happy' where the hell is Angelus? Huh?
And I continue coming back to why doesn't Angel give a crap that he's sentencing his own child to demonic hell/death? He sacrificed a whole hell of a lot to give that kid a second chance at life, and now he destroys it without a second thought? Wha-huh?!
This simply isn't the Angel that I knew. Angel is better than this.
Come on, y'all! Angel is better than this!!!
This is one or two of his traits on steroids and Miracle Gro turned into a mutant fungus. This isn't the Angel I knew or the one I liked. This is some weasley PodPerson who makes no sense to me. None at all.
PS - And I guess I should take consolation that it's not Spike (currently) giving Twangel's arguments. If it were Spike saying/doing any of this stuff there would be a mob of angry on-line villagers carrying torches and pitchforks screaming about his selfishness, his unrepentant villainy, and the fact that he only wanted in Buffy's pants... which is, apparently, Twangel's M.O. now. Although that doesn't mean that I'm not expecting complete annihilation of Spike's character as well... only with less fandom coddling and sans any fan service. (What? No. I don't trust Whedon. It's called experience).
P.P.S. I've long had a very strong suspicion that the whole point of this comic is to destroy the ships. Scorched earth policy. There's an eerie pattern of giving the shippers what they say they want then rip it away. Buffy fell for Xander, but Xander was over her. And Bangels get their destined twu wuv only it destroys everything and Angel isn't Angel any more. And so for Spuffies, I only wonder what Joss thinks we want and how he will make a mockery of it. I suspect Spike rides in as hero thinking that will earn her love... except it doesn't. It never does. (Ruining what little of value there was in "Chosen" but why would Whedon let that stop him when it hasn't stopped him from mucking up everything else? Slayer empowerment is now the thing destroying the world. What's a ship against Joss deliberately destroying his feminiust street cred?) Buffy is all. Everyone else's story and characterization is expendable to serve the protagonist. Well, Buffy and core four (albeit Giles has had substantial chunks of his IQ removed). The vampires will be properly chastened and banished to IDW land. And shippers will have been tweaked, but, of course, ships never really die. They're just forced to ever more elaborate fanwanking.
P.P.P.S.: And now having seen the mock A/B/S "New Moon" cover. Jeez, Joss. FAIL! You can't be satirical when your own series is currently more ridiculous than the sparkly anti-feminist, baseball-playing, vacuous vampire who gives c-section with teeth pile of crap that you're trying to mock! You currently have Spike having acquired an interdimensional steam-punk space ship, Twangel having had a moral lobotamy, and Buffy having sex in spaaaaaace in the wake of a mass slaughter then traipsing around happyland in a freaking toga. You have no high ground on which to stand from which you're allowed to mock.
Now, we mock you.
This only makes Dark Horse, Joss, et. al. look petty and jealous that S.Meyer is making more money off of selling her ridiculous vampire crap than they do. (And, honestly, at this point S.Meyer's ridiculous crack is less cracked out and stupid than Whedon's... which is sad.)
