Re: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Beware! Dresden spoilage ahoy!
Well I'm not sure how much of the sexism is authorial and how much character, I suspect some of both, however it does sort of bother me that Drsden himself is usually vindicated, even when he does things so extreme as turn over the hole world and course of a war because there is a child who shares some dna with him who he's never seen (I wonder if he'd be as extreme if it'd been a son?).
I also don't necessarily think Murphy's cryticisms of Dresden's opinions really can be seen as Butcher expressing a descenting view, not with all the rants on "a man's duty" we've had to sit through, and especially coming from a character who, for all the "oooh what a hard case she is" Dresden continually comments first upon her cuteness and then rescues (she was even a tied up damsel in destress on several occasions).
On that one I really don't know, but it's not something I like in the series. a very good crytic I read on sexism in fantasy said that it wasn't so much a matter of having every female character be brick, as just making female characters interesting, 3 dimentional people who have major importance to the plot, and indeed she sites several examples from game of thrones, both good and bad.
This is actually something I liked in Buffy, not because Buffy is nails, but because characters like Willow and cordelia (vile though she is), play a major part in the series and are rounded, interesting people.
The fact you've qualified every statement about human characters in the series pretty much shows my issue with a lot of Dresden, I actually preferd it when the paranormal world was huge and scary and wild and being a wizard just basically made you a prey animal with a few teeth rather than a prey animal with none. It's part of the invincible character syndrome I dislike from a lot of superheroes, that everyone has to b e a hardcase, ditto with the lack of exploraable world though I will say Drsden still has some great politics and factions, characters who are nicely shades of grey (I also thought lashiel was awsome), and some great atmospheric peaces from chases with zombie dinosaurs to some genuinely creepy moments, ---- I love the red court skin suits, it's such a vile idea and a completely new take on vampires.
I like the way the realworld connections of the various evil organizations tie in to the plot, though at the same time it'd be nice if they didn't basically make it feel like every human business and national personality who's name isn't marcone is a complete ponce and just another catspaw for one faction or another.
Actually if you want to see some wonderful human/vampire organization interaction try being human. There is a fantastic plot in the second series that though the nasty head vampire (who also happened to be a police inspector), was dispo sed of at the end of season one, sinse he's now no longer black mailing the pathologist, it's much harder to hide the vamps activities from the public. There's even a fantastic bit in season 3 where michel gets dragged into a police station and absolutely throws a fit at the threat of having his photo taken, ---- only for it to not show his image but and then be put down to cojmputer error, (yes, being human has fantastic social commentry).
Btw, one thing I personally like with Dresden is the fact that the gm of our long running mutants and masterminds game freely said he borrowed a lot of elements from the books, but always put his own spin on them. So, he had fae courts, and the winter court at arctus tour, but included both a winter and summer king, and also a third power, cammelot in the middle.
He even had a lashiel inspired character who was awsome, the love interest for one of the party who was an angel, which lead to some really fun plot.
In the last few sessions he ended up with a wizard called Thomas Rimer, who pretty much was! Dresden (he even had the coat, bad temper and the beerd). Our Gm did a pretty good job of simulating Dresden, Though amusingly enough he came to a sticky end sinse during a massive battle for the fate of the world Rimer nobbled the master mage and stuck his powers into a staff.
He was then wandering around with a hole set of magic devices all with various fae, angels, demons and other things bound into them, as well as the master mage's borrowed power in a staff, my character (wearing a magitech battlesuit), hit him with my despell magic power which had most of the things he imprisoned take big chunks out of him. I would've left it there and kicked him in prison but one of our less scrupulous allies who was a priest of hades (and quite narked that rimer had been messing with gods and angels), had him dragged to hades.
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