Upon discovering Bully, i had a lot of fun playing, watching videos, and reading the surprisingly detailed character backstories and descriptions. And with so much talk of a Bully sequel, i wanted to throw my hat in and write about my own ideas.
Making Bully into a TV show.
Bully i feel has a pretty good story and interesting characters, but the game mechanics and missions leave much to be desired. So it would make sense to re-hash the story in a medium that is more equipped to explore it's story more thoroughly.
So here's a bunch of posts about me yapping on about how i would do that.
Summaries of the characters for the concept show, slightly altered to better make sense and fit the new medium. If you want more accurate character profiles, head over to the Bully Wiki.
Here's were i keep all the unorganised & miscellaneous stuff i've posted simply to get it out of my drafts. (don't expect any of this to be legible or organised)
Random Character Notes - a super long brainstorm i made while reading the character wikis
Ethan Robinson is a pretty one-note character. He likes martial arts to an extreme degree, and that's pretty much it.
But in my own mind, Ethan's character is a little more interesting.
Credit to GameClip YT for the thumbnail picture.
Ethan's home life isn't the best, as is true for most kids at Bullworth. His mother and father were never on very good terms, and stayed together during Ethan's childhood for his sake.
Many nights when his father came home late and his mother was too tired to argue about where he had been, they would put on a movie and 'pretend' to be a family. Ethan's father loved action films, particularly martial arts flicks.
Ethan watched (admittedly a little too young) titles from Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Chuck Norris, falling in love with them. The cool fights, action-packed stories, and how it was the closest to feeling like he was part of a normal family.
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At around 12, his parents divorced, and soon after he was sent to Bullworth. He clung to his love of martial art flicks, and quickly became known as the kid who wouldn't shut up about them.
This of course, made him a target for bullies, who would pick on him for his obsessive nature. That was until the incident.
Now there were many infamous incidents that happened at Bullworth, and this was definitely one of the big ones. One of the newest bullies at school was a kid named Wade Martin. He was troubled, with a lot of pent up anger he would take out on anyone or anything.
No matter the age, clique, status, or strength of another student (or teacher), Wade has probably picked a fight with them at some point. (with varying degrees of success)
Unfortunately for Ethan, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during one of Wade's outbursts, at the top of the main staircase.
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Neither Ethan, nor Wade can fully remember why they got into a fight that day, but they can definitely remember how it ended.
Whilst getting into a scrap at the top of the stairs, Ethan tries to pry Wade's hands of his collar. In doing so, Wade stumbles to the edge of the steps and in one switch kick to the shin, he's sent clattering down both flights of stairs.
Many students witnessed the fight, and along with Ethan constantly spouting about martial arts, they assumed he was some kind of prodigy. The kick wasn't actually that strong, or well placed, but the damage it did was enough for stories to start spreading, and for most to stop picking on him.
Ethan would have gotten into a lot of trouble if it wasn't for a few students piping up about how Wade had started the fight. Since most students had encountered Wade's troublesome behaviour before, they were more than happy to speak out against him, landing Ethan in less hot water.
Now you're probably wondering, how did Ethan and Wade end up in the same clique? And even more so, how did they become friends?
Well after their little scrap, Wade ended up in the infirmary with a few soft tissue injuries. Nothing too major but Ethan felt awful. After a string of apologies and various offers of doing homework or chores, they eventually end up spending more time together.
Ethan often stayed up late, watching rented movies on the common room's tiny TV, and one night Wade decided to join him. From then on, they watched movies together constantly, getting the attention of Tom Gurney (a horror enthusiast) and Trent. (a theatre/drama fiend)
As the bullies friend group grew, so too did the genres pitched at movie night, and it resulted in the seven of them crammed on the couch almost every night, stuffing their faces with whatever snacks they had snagged from Yum Yum's.
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These nights became the thing Ethan looked forward to the most. His friends, all together after a tiring day of prefect scolding, laughing and joking as a family.
I don't want to draw the characters from Bully because I haven't drawn in years, but the I just saw someone draw Mandy suplexing Earnest and that made me reconsider...
This scene makes so much more sense if this character wasn't cut (Bully)
During the mission 'The Gym is Burning', when Jimmy is accused of being the arsonist, he defends himself by saying he only wants to stop the bullying.
And this is what Mr Burton says in return:
The blonde wrestler on the right is not seen anywhere else in the game; he's an axed character who was supposed to be part of the Jocks. There are a few more deleted characters in the game, so his removal doesn't seem too out of place, but upon exploring the content we do know about his character, his removal was clearly motivated.
Bob's character was rather unique. He was a Jock on the wrestling team, who was pressured by his father and grandfather to do well, and to be a 'real man'. And this decision to turn him into a real man was most likely motivated by him being openly gay.
This also explains why Mr Burton changes his mind when calling him a man, choosing instead to point at Bo.
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Him being left in this cut scene was most likely just an oversight. If they had caught this error, they would have most likely replaced Bob with one of the weaker looking Jocks, such as Kirby, or Dan.
But his inclusion here, plus what we know of his character, explains the motivations behind why he was cut in the first place.
Having an openly gay Jock causes some conflict within the faction. He doesn't play football, only wrestles, which of course would make the more prejudiced members uncomfortable.
Explaining this part of his character i assume was just too much for Rockstar to do at the time, and so his character was put on the chopping block in favour of more hidden queer characters and dialogue.
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If he was added into the game however, he would have created some really interesting dynamics and conflict. I plan to explore this in my concept of turning Bully into a TV show here.
Credit to the GTA Series Videos on YouTube for the clip.
For those who don't know, Bully has a handful of cut characters, and one in particular is rather interesting.
The guy on the left is Bob, and he would have been part of the Jocks if not for a specific part of his character that was most likely too much for Rockstar to show at the time. He could have been an incredible edition to the game, with an interesting story that also furthers development of the Jocks, Jimmy's, and Kirby's characters specifically.
I explain why he was most likely cut in a little more detail here.
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Bob would have been an openly gay, wrestler Jock under immense pressure to excel at sports, viewing athletic victory as the only way to gain their respect.
This leads to him having pretty low self-esteem, and although it's never confirmed as to whether they know if he's gay, either way it creates some really interesting internal and external conflict.
For my semi-rewrite, here's how i would pitch his character:
Bob is not a Jock, instead he's a Non-Clique student who's part of the wrestling team. He would have been a Jock, if not for one small thing. He's openly gay, and isn't afraid to show it.
The Jocks begrudgingly keep him on the team because he's the best wrestler at Bullworth, but they aren't particularly happy about it. Bob knows how they feel, and often plays up his queerness to mock them and their prejudiced views.
But at home it's a different story. His father and grandfather are unaware of his sexuality, and he overcompensates in sports to hide it from them. Bullworth is weirdly his escape, where he gets to be himself, even if it costs him friendship he would have otherwise had if he stayed in the closet.
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His character also helps develop the Jock clique themselves. They probably don't appreciate the stigma that he brings, with them being seen with him as almost confirming that the Jocks as a clique are gay.
He also helps to develop Kirby's character.
Kirby is rather worried about people finding out about his bisexuality. He sees the way the Jocks treat and talk about Bob, and since the only thing keeping Bob on the team is his skill, Kirby knows that if he were to be found out, they would kick him off the football team and he could kiss his varsity letter goodbye.
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Bob would most likely end up finding out about Kirby's sexuality, and an unlikely friendship could form. Bob is in a similar boat to Kirby, their sexualities being scrutinised and used as a way for those to treat them as lesser.
Over time, the two could most likely bond over this shared issue, with Bob helping Kirby to feel less ashamed, and Kirby giving Bob a genuine friend who sees him for more than his sexuality.
Since diving a little into the Bully fandom, I've seen a trend of people either loving or hating Gary. At this point, this guy's like marmite with how polarised I've since people's opinions.
So I need to know: who here loves him, who here hates him, and why?
(I love Gary because I shared his mindset and mannerisms/was unmedicated when I was an angsty boy in middle school π)
Here, iβve condensed their main traits into a short character profiles for my concept of turning Bully into a TV show.
Angie Ng
Angie is rather shy, and focuses on her grades out of fear of disappointing her mother. She gets especially nervous around boys, even those who pick on her, but her friendship with Christy gives her a little protection against them. She gets frustrated when people treat her poorly because of her race, and loves to gossip, frequently knowing more about what's going on at Bullworth than most.
Bob Vergow
Bob is assumed by most to be a Jock, but the Jocks refuse to let him into their circle because he's openly gay. They keep him on the wrestling team because he's the best among them, but make fun of him behind his back. At home, he's under immense pressure to perform well, as he sees athletic achievement as the only way to gain their respect.
Christy Martin
Christy is rather flirtatious and loves to gossip, no matter what or who it's about. As well as her brother, her father Mr Martin neglected her, and this has since lead to her developing self-destructive tendencies and thoughts, often thinking about suicide and self-harm. She suppresses these thoughts by living life promiscuously, although she'd never let boys get as far as those with Lola do.
Constantinos Brakus
Constantinos is a self-proclaimed pessimist, complaining about anything and everything, and never laughs. He was tricked into becoming the school mascot, and is constantly made fun of by he Jocks. He's since become numb to the ridicule, thanks to the meds he buys of Ivan. The only enjoyment he gets is from stealing, so much so that he's developed kleptomania, stealing simply for the sake of it.
Eunice Pound
Eunice is very insecure and clumsy, and this makes life at Bullworth difficult. She hopes that when she leaves that things will be better, and isn't a complete social outcast, often hanging around with other non-clique students. She's ashamed of her weight, and often laments that she should diet and join a sports team, but she's too afraid to start out of fear of being made fun of.
Gordon Wakefield
Gordon is arrogant and self-satisfied, his favourite topic of conversation being himself. He boasts about being recruited by several Ivy League schools but this doesn't get him much luck with girls.
Ivan Alexander
Ivan has troubles with hypersomnia, sleeping through the morning, during class, and even while walking to class. He suffers with depression and is on meds, but sells them to make money instead of taking them. he skips class every chance he gets, and does his best to blend in with the crowd.
Lance Jackson
Lance is rather friendly at heart, often worried about the amount of fights that break out. He does admit to judging people sometimes, speculating about their own motivations and issues, while ignoring his own - saying if people were just content with themselves, then everything would work out for them. He doesn't get why others see reading and nerdy, and is sometimes a little conceited, thinking his lack of interest in bullying and social climbing makes him cooler than others.
Ray Hughes
Ray was the newest student at Bullworth before Jimmy, he's incredibly friendly and a little awkward, struggling to make friends in a place with established hierarchies and cliques. He's fairly disillusioned, hoping to make lots of friends and was very sheltered prior to attending. He prides himself on his good attendance, and mundane hobbies.
Trevor Moore
Trevor chose to attend Bullworth based on its reputation as an elite prep school, intending to use it as a stepping stone to get into a prestigious college. When arriving, he was horrified to find the school full of bullies and maniacs. He's fairly aloof and a little joyless, having virtually no interests outside of academic success. He buys meds off of Ivan to dull his depressive thoughts and hopes that following a normal path in life will lead him out of this state.
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Gloria Jackson
Gloria is extremely intelligent, and likes to show off that fact. She has a one-sided rivalry with Sheldon, who's attends classes in higher grades than her. She vows to surpass him one day, and likes to boast about her intellectual opinions about chastity and banality. She isn't worried about the bullies, as she is protected by her eldest brother, Bo, who's part of the Jocks.
Karen Johnson
Karen is a sports fanatic, and constantly complains the school doesn't have enough activities. He hates how the girls aren't allowed to play most the the sports they offer at school, and bullies know to leave her alone as she's not afraid to go all out fighting them. She isn't happy with herself, wondering why she bothers with her looks at all, and is ashamed of her older brother François.
Melody Adams
Melody is a goody two-shoes, loves class, and wishes she could go seven days a week. On the surface, she's nothing more than a high achiever, but underneath she has some more sinister traits. For one, she attracted to bad boys, to a terrifying degree, even trying to get those she she's as bad boys in more trouble for her own amusement. And she has a really foul mouth; it makes you wonder what, or who taught her such awful language.
Pedro De La Hoya
Pedro is pretty weak, and rather susceptible to suggestion and bullies. He was coddled a little too much by his mother, and sent to Bullworth as a way for her to cut the apron strings. He is picked on constantly, and doesn't have many means of standing up for himself. This has led him to develop paranoia; he lives in constant fear that someone is always waiting for the chance to hurt him.
Sheldon Thompson
Sheldon is a very smart kid, taking classes way above his grade level, which often leads to his struggles in making friends with kids his own age. He tries his best to follow the rules, and is oblivious to the teacher's hatred of him. He thinks they are friends and even had a crush of Miss Danvers, making him a target for bullies.
Something I've noticed in Bully is that all the Nerds and a few Non-Cliques wear glasses.
So realistically, do you think some of the Nerds wear fake glasses? And do some of the other clique members wear contacts because glasses have become so associated with Nerds in Bullworth?
And if so, who do you think is most likely to be wearing fake glasses/contacts?
I don't want to draw the characters from Bully because I haven't drawn in years, but the I just saw someone draw Mandy suplexing Earnest and that made me reconsider...
Here, iβve condensed their main traits into a short character profiles for my concept of turning Bully into a TV show.
Ted Thompson
Ted is a classic dumb, strong Jock and captain of the football team. He's protective of his quarterback position, not giving others on his team a chance to try, even when they would clearly be better than him. He doesn't understand his or others emotions well, and uses his status in the school to not have to try to. He is supposedly dating the head cheerleader, although he, nor Mandy, act on this.
Damon West
Damon is the true leader of the Jocks, he masks his leadership to make Ted take any failing their clique may have. He's the main reason why the Nerds didn't take over the school once Johnny was ousted as king. He's the toughest, and one of the smartest, with his vice being his highly aggressive nature. He has a love for fighting, and picks on anyone and everyone, even those in his own clique.
Bo Jackson
Bo isn't particularly fond of his clique, but hangs around with them as some are his friends and he enjoys getting to constantly play sports. He values his education, and wants to leave Bullworth if he doesn't make quarterback the next year. Although he may just be making excuses to get him and his younger siblings out of the school, as they get picked on a fair bit when he isn't around. He is the only Jock that refuses to bully or pick on others.
Casey Harris
Casey struggles with his course work, and is terrified of being seen as a failure. This developed from his mother's abusive actions caused by alcoholism, which is why he is taken advantage of by Mr Burton, who forces him to do physically abusive workouts, and take anabolic steroids that cause him much discomfort. He counters these problems by acting full of himself, boasting on his success with women, even when his romantic pursuits are a complete failure.
Dan Wilson
Dan is a former Nerd, who fell out with Earnest, and ended up with the Jocks. To keep up his new clique status, he often bullies the Nerds, although he also hangs out with his brother, Thad, from time to time when he thinks no one else is around. He enjoys football, masking his nerdier interests. He's good friends with Kirby, although will still pick on him to fit in with the group.
Juri Karamazov
Juri sees physical power as the only true authority, taking steroids from Mr Burton and obsessing over every action he makes, worrying if it seems too feminine. He is paranoid of being seen as weak, probably due to his dysfunctional family who would abusive and torture him. His obsession of needing to be strong rules his life, effecting his friendship with his best friends, Luis and Damon.
Kirby Olsen
Kirby struggles with his need to feel more manly. He views himself and the weak link, doing everything he can to change this, from begging Mr Burton to give him steroids, to training to the point of exhaustion. He constantly raises his voice to feel heard, and boasts that he'll be the next quarterback. He is also bisexual, but he'll threaten anyone who knows, out of fear of being picked on even more and kicked out the Jocks.
Luis Luna
Luis is the only Jock that doesn't play football, cheering his friends on from the bleachers. He prefers to wrestle, talking steroids from Mr Burton, and wishes that he could get others to do his school work for him. He was childhood friends with Lefty, and grew up with many of the Greasers, but after a spat, he stopped speaking to them. Although he still carries many of their sentiments, like having good hair, cool clothing, and not hiding his thick accent.
Mandy Wiles
Mandy is the head cheerleader and self-proclaimed queen bee. As there aren't as many female students, she easily keeps them in line, relentlessly bulling those she sees as lesser than her. She hopes to become a model, and her obsession over her appearance has developed into bulimia nervosa. She dates the Jock leader Ted, but often goes around with other guys since Ted never gives her attention. Despite this she dislikes Lola, who she sees as a tramp.
Here, iβve condensed their main traits into a short character profiles for my concept of turning Bully into a TV show.
Johnny Vincent
Johnny is known for his hot temper, talent with bikes, and devotion to Lola. He is fairly paranoid about people talking/laughing behind his back, but is a decent person at heart. His affection for Lola often clouds his judgment and has left him somewhat estranged from his own clique. Even he doesn't know why he keeps going back to her.
Larry 'Peanut' Romano
Peanut was given his nickname by Johnny, due to their height difference at the time, which is the only reason why he tolerates it. He's aware of his unrequited crush on Johnny, but respects him too much to act on it, knowing it won't be reciprocated. He cares a lot for the Greasers, giving his all to help any and all of his friends, sacrificing his own needs in the process.
Lola Lombardi
Lola is known by everyone in school to be manipulative, attention-seeking, and promiscuous. She doesn't treat her boyfriend, Johnny, very well, often cheating on him and seeking out attention from other boys. But her personality may be her way of expressing her nihilistic worldview, with playing around with other people being one of the only ways she gets to feel genuine emotion.
Hal Esposito
Hal isn't concerned about his weight, in many cases, he's proud of it. He's pretty blunt and doesn't care who hears his odd thoughts, but he prefers to keep the reason for his excessive weight a secret. He keeps himself overweight to mask his feminine body shape, seeing it as the easiest way to make himself look more masculine. He's attracted to women his own size and hopes to start dating once he's old enough for medical intervention.
Lefty Mancini
Lefty is very conscious of his image, constantly parading around his Italian heritage and tough guy exterior. This behavior has gained him some vague respect amongst the Greasers, but at the cost of the respect of his childhood Luis. He self-medicates these anxieties with nicotine and cigarettes, always saying he'll quit tomorrow but never following through.
Lucky De Luca
Lucky is unusually mature, yet a little self-centered and thinks highly of himself. He preaches how people should stay in school, and hold an honest blue-collar job. He is a self-proclaimed 'nice guy' and boasts about his luck with the ladies, but can never seem to hold a girlfriend. He states it's simply because they get boring, but it is most likely due to his insufferable behavior.
Norton Williams
Norton has a snarky, sarcastic sense of humor that he uses to deescalate any given situation. He's the son of a police man, a loyal boyfriend, and wants to work an honest job in demolition. He's a little clingy, and talks about his girlfriend a little too much, but is a good friend to those who give him a base level of kindness, and helps keep the Greasers in line when Johnny is out dealing with Lola.
Ricky Pucino
Ricky is obsessed with bikes, so much so that it ended his long term relationship with his girlfriend. He talks about her more than Norton talks about his girlfriend, which is a difficult thing to achieve. He has a personal hatred towards the Jocks, as his girlfriend left him for a Jock. He hopes that one day he'll be able to win her back, even though he knows he needs to move on.
Vance Medici
Vance has a very awkward yet amiable sense of humor, having an ongoing rapport with Norton. He cares a lot about his hair, and many of the others tease him for it, although they always come back to him when they are having hair-related troubles. Sometimes he catches himself talking about impressing women, before realizing he's been openly gay for a few years and doesn't have to pretend anymore.
Here, iβve condensed their main traits into a short character profiles for my concept of turning Bully into a TV show.
Derby Harrington
Derby is the self-proclaimed leader of the Preppies, and thanks to his enormous wealth and influence amongst the school board, few question it. He is a master manipulator, seeing most as disposable assets. He's not afraid to get his hands dirty, but will use everything at his disposition to avoid it when possible. His deep-seated snobbery often gets in the way of personal relationships, even those who tolerate him don't for very long.
Bif Tremblay
Bif is the best boxer and strongest member of the Preps, but in recent months he has taken to over-working himself and relying on pain killers to quiet his mind. He struggles with his personal feelings towards Derby, knowing he and the others are being manipulated but is rendered powerless by his affection to do anything. Bif is fairly laid back about his status and wealth, not judging others by their own, but he's still a little conceited.
Bryce Montrose
Bryce exerts an aggressive level of classism, due to his own financial status being in ruin. His father squandered his family's wealth on gambling, booze, and women, and their stocks suffered massive losses. He is forced to work a summer service job at the Golf & Yacht Club to pay for his school tuition, lying that it is simply a way to establish connections. He relies on massive exaggeration to maintain his façade, terrified his friends will discover his poverty and stop speaking to him.
Chad Morris
Chad is secretly insecure about his physical appearance, having had a nosejob and wanting to start steroids. His ideal standards are based on Westernised and Eurocentric beauty standards, ones that he struggles to fit into. He used to run track, sing in a glee club, and act in drama club, but his insecurities caused him to leave many of his interests behind. His dog Chester is one of his few comforts, often ditching class to spend time with him.
Gord Vendome
Gord is obsessed with two things, clothing and poor people. His taste in fashion is expensive, and his taste in people is cheap. He sees poor people as a kind of 'forbidden fruit', and is attracted to those he feels he shouldn't be with. He derives pleasure from doing things his parents wouldn't approve of and often wonders what it would be like if he gave up his money. Although he would never go through with it, as he doesn't want to give up his love for lavish clothing.
Justin Vandevelde
Justin has a keen interest in sports, whether that be boxing, swimming, or throwing eggs. He wants the Preps to integrate with the Jocks, going as far as to get on their good side by selling them test answers, that he buys off Mr Hattrick. He boasts of his friendship with Derby, although much of his motivations for friendships are fuelled by his interest for men, and his distaste for women.
Parker Ogilvie
Parker is desperate for validation, wanting friendships and the companionship of a girl but completely baffled as to how to achieve that. He wonders why friendship can't be bought, and struggles socially to make genuine friends, even within his own circle. He is fairly nice to people below his status, but his sanctimonious behaviour means most don't want to return his gestures of friendship.
Pinky Gauthier-Harrington
Pinky sees herself as a princess, and expects to be spoilt by everyone. She dislikes her step-mother, as she is only 6 years older than her, and she thinks her parent's divorce was her fault. From a young age, she hung around those of lower class, developing a mild fascination with those who live less well off. Despite her bratty attitude, she still donates her clothes, compliments people regardless of social standing, and prefers to hang around 'poor people.'
Tad Spencer
Tad is very focused on his social standing, putting on a fake English accent to fit in. His father is overbearing and abusive, almost to a comical degree, forcing Tad to overthrow Derby and become head of the Preps. His attempts to become their leader are usually unsuccessful, and only further in tanking his self-esteem. Like many in his clique, he is a product of inbreeding, and suffers more than others from it.
