A Decade in Review of TSChamp

In 2000, we started the 21st Century with my family intact. By the end, I was fighting with every fiber of my being to keep it together from a person that wanted to destroy it, my ex-wife.

In 2001, things got worse, we moved in with her mother.

In 2002, things continued to go downhill and things began to take a toll on me mentally. I was very angry.

In 2003, I moved out in February. I was robbed in June, which led me to almost homeless if my boss didn’t help me out. Moved into a motel.

In 2004, I moved into small one bedroom place. The proudest moment for me in this new Century because I did all on my own for once. Change career path from plumber to cable guy. By the end of this year, my ex decided to lie about Thanksgiving and with hold my children from me.

In 2005, the year started off with a very depressed person. One that was extremely angry, violent, and hated himself to point of suicide was a real option. In March, woke up on the 21, looked in the mirror, and decided that it was time for a change. I looked into the mirror for months and told myself I love myself. By October, I was stronger and clearer than I had been years. My son came to live with me due to the school calling me about his appearance and a note they found in his backpack. With a clear thought no matter what that I will be there for him, everyone else can go fuck themselves.

In 2006, still working cable growing more confident in whom I am and being a father. Family stuff came up and felt powerless to do anything about it. The internet war of the ex started by hacking my MySpace account and my blog at the time. Which I laughed at for the first time, I grow beyond her ability to hurt me anymore with these attempts to hurt me. Besides, turnabout is fair game. Adopted the saying, I am an asshole and damn proud of it. Developed a code of honor which is to do what I felt is right and damn the consequences. My son grows to know who he is and where he is going. Made honor roll for the first time.

In 2007, worked with predator hunt for 6 months at the beginning of the year, Change jobs to satellite and went back to cable as a contractor. Son made the honor roll for the second time. Disappeared from the Internet because of needing a break from the fantasy world and dealt with reality. Grow stronger and tougher. Son started High School.

In 2008, with the help of a good friend move into a two bedroom place to be closer to my other kids. Started watching from the shadows and disappearing before being noticed. Son stated his desire to become and animator in Japan.

In 2009, mother needed help. Moved in with me to get straight on her health and monies. Return to Internet as better person and more in control of who I am. Got hurt on the job and was let go. The year ended with a new job offer and promise of better years ahead.

That is it in a nutshell. In the past 10 years, there were a lot of changes on mental level. The sad thing is that I waited until I was 35 to start figuring out who I was and what I can be. A journey that I still make every day. I have become stronger mentally with the idea of who I want to be and where I am going. It is going to be one hell of a journey still because there is a lot more that needs to be done before I stop. In fact, I am just getting warmed up and everyone better braced themselves because things will get more interesting from here. Happy New Year!

Mary Jane Watson the Most Writer Abused Character

Excellent title isn’t it? It is excellent because it happens to be true. Writers have been smacking around Mary Jane Watson for so long that it comes as surprised that she is not drawn with black eyes. The main problem is the writers are afraid or don’t understand the character at all. The lack of research into this character is just mind boggling because this happens to be one of those characters with a rich history where there could numerous dramatic stories that can be told.

Mary Jane Watson could be seen as the one of the greatest creation by Stan and Steve. She was, on the surface, the polar opposite of Peter Parker. She was popular and looking to have fun all the time. That is how she was first presented when she was introduced in the world of Peter Parker. Peter by comparison was the outsider and looked on the dark side of life think there was nothing he could do right. Mary Jane Watson brought some light heartiness to the book that was needed because those early issue were pretty dark if you take in the context of how Peter felt about himself. Mary Jane brought some needed relief of the constant teenage angst that was going on the time when Pete was in High School.

As Peter’s character evolved, Mary Jane’s character also evolved beyond that of “Party Girl”. We learned that Mary Jane came from a home that had an abusive father. She put on a brave face in front of her friend with the whole “let's have fun” attitude because it was an escape for her home life. She ran from the dark aspect of life. Anytime one of her friends was going through a personal crisis, she would just go party and have fun. That was her stander operating procedure until Gwen’s death. That was first time she stops and faces a dark crisis because of what Peter meant to her. That was a major shift for the character. She went from the Party Girl to Peter’s best friend that was there for him because she knows his secret.

Mary Jane disappeared for a time, but she return to let Peter know that she knows he is Spider-man. Once again, another major shift in the character. Peter found someone that he could talk to about Spider-man openly and not feel like he was alone in the world. Peter was dating Felicia Hardy, Black Cat, at the time which made the relationship with Mary Jane complex. Mary Jane was the friend that had feelings for Peter beyond that typical “just friends”. He would come to her with problems about Felicia and about being Spider-man. They grew closer to the point where during the many breaks with Peter’s relationship with Felicia that they kiss during a fight about Felicia causing a thought bubble from Mary Jane,” That was like we were boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Peter asked Mary Jane once to marry him, and she turned him down. She didn’t want to deal with the whole Spider-man aspect of his life. When she did say yes to his marriage proposal, things got worse for the character because she was portray wrong by the writer. She became a supermodel. That turned some of the fans off because they thought it did not fit in Peter’s world. Then she became an actress, which also did not fit in Peter’s world. Then she was killed, that fit in Peter’s world. Yet, it did not work because many readers could not see Peter with someone else now because Mary Jane was the girl. She came back and they separated because, once again, Mary Jane didn’t want deal with Peter being Spider-man. Sensing a theme here? Mary Jane, after seeing Peter selfless actions as Spider-man, that it was something Peter needed to do and has to do in order for her to love him. That led to some the best stories with the marriage in years.

Now, that the history lesson is over we can look at the mistakes with the character. The biggest mistake that the writers make with Mary Jane; with Peter too, is trying to keep them stuck in the past. There has to be growth or the characters will become stale. Sure, you can say that they have to stay the exactly the same as they were first written, but you will kill the book fast because it will become boring. There were many stories that could have done within Spider-man that would have change how the readers look at Mary Jane. Some examples:

-Mary Jane could have decided to choose to help Peter by joining the Police force.
-Mary Jane could have become an activist for Hero’s Right during Civil War.
-Mary Jane could have gotten a degree in Criminal Psychology and tried to help Peter.
-Mary Jane could have become an Investigating reporter and covered why Spider-man is seen as a menace.

: There were many stories that could have made the character stronger beyond turning into a model or actress.

There is whole, “I can’t be with you because you’re Spider-man,” theme that writers love to use to the point where the readers want to puke. That was fine for the first couple of years of the marriage, but it should have stopped after that because they were not going to get a divorce. It is worn out theme that is used by writers that have no imagination and hate the character of Mary Jane. They rather slap her around so the reader won’t like her, and they can start to write Peter fucking everyone that will spread her legs in the Marvel Universe. This is where the writers come off like prepubescent fanboys. They can’t wrap their minds around the fact that the readership have changed and so have the character. They want their old Peter back damn it and nothing is going to stop that from happening. It is magic and the readers need to shut up about already is their thinking. The problem they have is that Mary Jane is popular character that people want to read about over and over again because that is what they want. Do they need reminding who pays for those checks they cash from Marvel? The readership’s money is where that money comes from in order that check to be any good.

Mary Jane could be seen as the abusive wife for the writers to smack around as they please because the readership allows it to happen. Yes, the writers have screwed Mary Jane so many times that she is the perfect metaphor for a ten cent hooker. The readership allowed this to happen because we did not say anything when it happens except when they get rid of the marriage. It is time to fight for Mary Jane too. The marriage coming back is important, but we must watch how Mary Jane is being used as a character because that causes some problems too. One main goal should be that a woman writes for Spider-man and not bunch of men that are going through a mid-life crisis.

Father's Failure

I have wanted to say something that is very personal and well painful for me. Those that know me know that I have children and one of them lives with me. I am very proud of my son because he is better than me. He strong of will and mind and will go far in this life. I have 3 other children. My oldest hates me because quite frankly I failed him. My other son remembers me, but he hates me also because I failed him too. My daughter doesn’t know me because I failed her also as a father.

I made a choice. A choice that I will have to live with for the rest of my life and it hurts every day. To explain, my children were being used as weapons to hurt me by my ex-wife. I saw the effect it had on my children and the harm it was doing to them. I chose to stop and for better or worst let them be so they had a chance. Yes, I could have force the issue called the cop and enforce my parental right, but the cost of doing that would be too high for me to bear. Children of a nasty divorce end up having major problems and that needed to be avoided at any cost even their love of me. I watch from afar as they grew up. Sneaking to my son’s track meets and my daughter’s school functions without being noticed by them. Leaving before they were over so they wouldn’t see me because I didn’t want their mother to see me. I will never know if it was the right thing to do for them, but I couldn’t bear to see them being used as weapons to hurt me.

I look at my choice as a way to give my children a choice to grow up and be functioning adults. I live with that pain in my heart every day of my life because they are never too far away in my thoughts and dreams. That is my failure and my cross that I had to bear for last 3 years. Now, things have change and a battle is coming. I have been preparing for this battle for the last 3 years and will spend all my time and energy to get my children back. To see them with the full force of the legal system behind me, and be damn the consequences to me because it is time to fight. I love something a let it go for a while, and now it is time to reclaim it with gentle hands.