Extra Short Story: Poor Steve

Here's a random mini-Buffyverse story I put together. Thoughts welcome.

Steve never felt so alive. Power, is what he thought, power is what he was feeling. He had never felt this way before. He was stronger than ever and ready to take on the world. How did he get here, Steve wondered as he began to open his eyes. That's when he realized - he was trapped, trapped in a box. He had no idea what happened, he was frightened, he tried to remember how he got there as he began to bash his wooden cell.

He remembered a girl. A cute girl he met at a bar. She was leggy and blonde, and she seemed to throw herself at him. He couldn't remember her name - it was something musical, though. They flirted at the bar and she whispered into Steve's ear, "Let's go someplace more quiet." Her idea of more quiet was the alleyway behind the bar. She began kissing his neck, which led to her nibbling on his neck. It tickled at first - before she handed Steve a flask and said, "Drink, now." Steve drank a sip from the flask - a warm liquid that tasted like iron. That's when the biting got deeper and Steve went black.

He continued to bang on the wooden box and finally busted through the top. As dirt rained into the box, Steve pulled himself out. He shook himself off and looked around - he was in a graveyard, incredibly disoriented, and wearing an awful powder blue suit. That said, he still felt strong, powerful, but never more confused. He looked around, that's when he saw the gravestone behind him. There was his name, there was the date - the day of his bar visit.

Steve remained confused as he thought he saw someone coming towards him. He yelled out, "Hello there," and waved towards them. That's when he got a sudden hunger, an intense hunger that he had never felt before. It was more than a craving, it was a need. Steve needed blood - and he needed it now.

Steve looked up and thought that whoever this was would be the first meal of his new life as whatever he was. That's the last thing Steve remembered as he turned to dust.

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As Buffy walked away from the pile of Steve dust she thought to herself, "What a pity, they had to bury him in that terrible suit."

The Templar: Buffyverse Story Idea

After watching a LOT of Angel lately (finished Season 4 and starting Season 5), I had come up with my own idea of a completely separate Buffyverse character / show idea. The show / story set would be entitled "The Templar." Here's an explanation of the world setting.

The main character is Sir James, the Templar knight assigned to protect the Christian community in / around Washington, DC. The Templar knights have survived their official dissolution by the Roman Catholic Church and have been operating autonomously for centuries. They currently have one primary Templar in every major city around the world, each named for a book of the Bible. Sir Thomas Genesis is the Cheif Templar, based on Jerusalem.

The stories would involve Sir James protecting Washington, DC from supernatural as well as human threats. The stories would lead James to a few realizations - the fact that anyone can be a Christian, no matter what they look like; that non-Christians are important at keeping the world safe; and that working as a team helps.

The first few stories I had ideas for were as follows -

• James comes to DC as the official Templar relieving the retiring Sir Jonah II. An Representative (from a made-up district) who publicly claims to be a Christian, has recently been appointed House Minority Leader through an internal coup of Republican leadership. Representative Patterson has been a leading voice for conservatism - and at night has been sacrificing babies to Moloch in order to gain power. James and Jonah in his last mission uncover this demonic underbelly of Congressional pages and Congressmen to prevent Representative Patterson from continuing his hypocritical and evil crusade.
• James is contacted by a small congregation in a DC suburb. Pastor Neiman is a Parasite demon (like Merl from Angel), and much of the congregation are demons / supernatural beings. An anti-demon brigade has been picking off congregants indiscriminantly - ignoring the fact that they were peace loving Christian creatures. James realizes that even non-humans can be Christian and good. Pastor Neiman's son, Marvin, asks to train with him as a potential Templar apprentice - James takes him on.
• James is contacted by a Rabbi in DC who needs help. A man claiming himself to be a Christian missionary had been coming around his Synagogue, congregants have been disappearing since then. This leads James to find this underground group that who uses a warped version of Christianity to justify the murder of non-Christians. James for the first time sees how someone with ill intent can warp and manipulate the words of his faith for evil.

Suggestions for ideas / thoughts on this idea are welcome.

5 Funniest Buffy Episodes

Comedy Central points out the top 5 funniest Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes. All great episodes, especially The Zeppo. Check it out.

Buffy Reunion

Here's an article from IGN where a panel of former Buffy castmembers, writers, etc. all met together in an awesome way. Yes, this included Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Prinze, James Marsters, and even good old Seth Green. It seemed like it would have been an awesome panel to see...I wish I did.

Something to Sing About

In the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More with Feeling," has some wonderful music that I've talked about at least once before here. One song that I didn't pay as much attention to at first was "Something to Sing About," which discusses Buffy's emotions about coming back from the dead. The profound aspect begins with the first verse and I think it can apply to...well, many people --

Life's a show
And we all play our parts
And when the music starts
We open up our hearts

It's all right
If some things come out wrong
We'll sing a happy song
And you can sing along

Where's there's life
There's hope, everyday's a gift
Wishes can come true
Whistle while you work
So hard all day
To be like other girls
To fit in in this glittering world

Don't give me songs
Don't give me songs
Give me something to sing about
I need something to sing about...

It's profound in many ways. The emotions evoked by these lyrics is amazing and what it means both in and out of context is great. Think about the desire to fit in, the desire to be understood by everyone around you, you want to be accepted by those who care. It's an interesting song and Sarah Michelle Gellar pulls it off far better than Jewel would have (as Whedon initially had intended, according to Wikipedia).

Everyone feels like they need something to sing about from time to time. They need something to make them more fulfilled in life -- something may seem missing. This whole introduction sets that stage. Joss Whedon has a way with words, so it's not surprising that he's able to come up with such clever and meaningful lyrics. Read them through and think about them.

Angel and the Joss Whedon Realization

I've realized completely at this point why there are so many people who believe that Joss Whedon is a master storyteller. I began my Joss Whedon fascination a long time ago and I didn't even know it. He was one of the primary script writers for Toy Story -- as a big fan of that film, must say that it was incredibly well written with witty dialogue.

It was later on that my friend Yanni got me to watch all of Firefly before going into the theater to see Serenity, one of my favorite movies of all time. That led into me watching Buffy. I already knew I enjoyed the same group of storytellers and most especially, the fanciful ideas of Joss Whedon. I found Buffy Season 1 on sale for 15 bucks and picked it almost on a whim. I loved every episode and have watched over and again every episode since. I even got my 12 year old sister hooked on the show, asking to borrow seasons of Buffy and asking me rather detailed questions about the show on a regular basis.

Now after finding out that I got a $150 Best Buy gift card for my new cell phone and that seasons of Angel were on sale, I picked up the first two seasons on DVD. After watching the first eight episodes, I've realized that Whedon and company are masters at storytelling. To go from cowboys in space ala Firefly; to all the complications of high school written cleverly and with almost epic action; now I'm watching Angel which is a detective style drama with witty dialogue and very in depth characters. Frankly, I can't wait for Ripper.

Whedon and his team of writers have masterfully crafted nearly every single genre and he's only ready for more. I know I'll be here waiting as excited as ever to hear the new stories told by this storytelling team. I also realized how relatable the characters are -- despite their demonic or superhuman characteristics. There are many complaints that can be made about the writing and styles of Joss Whedon -- but above all, he's an amazing entertainer and a great storyteller.

Ripper Confirmed

The Buffy spin-off they've been talking about for a long time, the Giles based BBC series "Ripper" has apparently been given the greenlight by the BBC, Tony Head, Joss Whedon, and the approval of Fox. According to Whedon, it looks like it'll be a 90 minute made-for-TV feature about Giles -- but no matter what the format, I know I'm overly excited. Those who know me know that I'm a big Buffy dork. Gifts of "The Long Way Home" graphic novel are always appreciated...