#And no more likely to conquer the world than any other evil.

[y-rhywbeth2]

Player: 'All that matters to me is that you're safe.' Astarion: 'I know. It matters to me, as well. I want to be able to protect you, too.'

He's manipulative, but also genuine, as we see from his response to Araj and his panicked reaction to Haarlep. But it does get me thinking, in light of the fact that the larger conversation is about the rite of ascension (which will totally absolutely 100% fix all his problems, he swears), how he's started factoring his partner into whatever he's imagining.

'Cause if you dump him at this stage of the relationship he's expecting it. He's just waiting for you to realise he has nothing to offer, but when he's the vampire ascendant he'll have everything (including the ability to protect himself and you from a nightmare world that produces monsters like Cazador possibly by locking you away in a room, depending on how serious he was being) and you'll have so many reasons not to leave him and lack the ability to leave him. One more plus to supposed absolute power!

'I give you wealth, power, pleasure - every decadence that can be afforded to a person? [...] You are my consort, and I will see you living the very best life. Even if you don't appreciate it.'

'You believed in me - believed I was enough just the way I am.'

I just love poking his character with a stick. (But seriously at what stage did the possessiveness and 'I want to lock you away in a room and keep you to myself' enter the picture, and how serious are you being about that desire?)

[beomcoups]

The 13 Gods of Olympus: A Seventeen collab

We’ve all heard the timeless legends of the ancient Greek gods—tales passed down through the ages. But what if those gods were still alive, walking among us today? In this modern retelling collab, 13 talented authors breathe new life into these immortal beings, reimagining them as members of Seventeen. Once a Greek god, always a Greek god, but now their divine powers and personalities unfold in a whole new world.

Hosted by @beomcoups and @wooahaeproductions

➵Title: Wisdom Doesn’t Falter to Thunder @drunk-on-dk ➵Pairings: Greek God/Heir!Seungcheol x Reincarnated (Metis) Fem!Reader ➵Greek God: Zeus ➵Genre: angst, smut, fluff, coworker au, reincarnation au, fantasy ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: Naturally, as one of heirs of his father’s tech company, Seungcheol had everything he could ask for in life - well, except for his father’s company. Seungcheol, like a thunderbolt, decides it’s time to take action regarding his stake in the company against his brothers, ultimately looping you, his wise advisor, into the mix. Will you be the one to help Seungcheol as he earns true leadership of the company? Or could the tale of you two be as disastrous as the story of Metis and Zeus?

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: as wild and untamable as the sea by @the-boy-meets-evil ➵Pairings: greek god!chan x reincarnated sea nymph!reader ➵Greek God: poseidon ➵Genre: angst, smut, fantasy, minor reincarnation ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: Chan remembers everything. Every little thing that's happened to him since his days as one of the twelve olympians. Poseidon to be exact. Even though he tries not to think about it now that he's living in modern times running a sad little aquarium, some memories are more vivid than others. Then, you stumble into his life and he can't explain the draw. You can't seem to figure out how this man is keeping an aquarium like this running when it seems like it's not that busy. Something about him really seems to put you off, despite the fact that he seems drawn to you. None of it makes any sense…until you start to remember.

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: the soulkeeper’s betrayal by @hannieween ➵Pairings: greek god jun x reader ➵Greek God: hades ➵Genre: angst, smut, fluff, fantasy, mystery ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: when Hades realizes that something has gone awry in the underworld, he has no choice but to ask for help from his estranged wife. Though not without paying a price.

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: Fated Strut by @beomcoups ➵Pairings: greek god!Jeonghan x model!reader ➵Greek God: Hermes ➵Genre: fluff, angst, smut, fantasy, doppleganger au ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: In a whirlwind fashion show, a part-time model's life takes a mystical turn when she becomes the muse for the captivating Greek God Jeonghan. Unbeknownst to her, she shares a deep connection tied to his past. As their chemistry ignites amidst secrets and rivalries, will love conquer their complicated fates?

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: All Is Fair In Love And War @okiedokrie ➵Pairings: Aphrodite Reincarnation! Joshua x Fem!Detective!Reader ➵Greek God: Aphrodite ➵Genre: Crack, Smut, Fluff, some angst ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: Joshua is the king of Los Amsterdam, not by blood, but by having the biggest network in the state. He gets caught up in an investigation regarding the assassination of one of his former clients, where he meets a detective who is strangely immune to his godly charms. Oh, right, he's the reincarnation of Aphrodite. Together they solve the case and find more than the mastermind in the process, maybe, they'll just find love.

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: Kadō @daemour ➵Pairings: Demeter! Dokyeom x Florist! Reader ➵Greek God: Demeter ➵Genre: Fluff, Angst ➵Rating: T for Teen ➵Summary: When the most notorious divorce lawyer in the city becomes a regular at your little flower shop, you're pretty sure it's a bad omen, for both your love life and your store. But with each passing moment, it looks like your flowers are doing better than ever…and perhaps your heart beats just a bit faster seeing Lee Seokmin.

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: Orion’s Constellation @staytinyville ➵Pairings: God!Vernon x Hunter!Reader , Vernon x Reader ➵Greek God: Artemis ➵Genre: Fluff ➵Rating: T for Teen ➵Summary: The story goes that Artemis fell in love with Orion but Apollo was jealous of that love. So he tricked Artemis into killing her love. This is a different retelling. One where rather then the huntress killing the hunter—the hunter followed the orders of the gods. And was repaid graciously.

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: The Prophet and His Muse by @idyllic-ghost ➵Pairings: greek god!woozi x reincarnated lover!fem!reader ➵Greek God: Apollo ➵Genre: romance, angst, fluff, smut, romance, fantasy, soulmate au, reincarnation au, deity au ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: In a world where ancient myths whisper through the fabric of modern life, a poignant tale of love and redemption unfolds. A god reunited with his eternal love. As this ancient bond stirs to life, he must navigate the delicate interplay between myth and reality—striving to rekindle a romance that defies time and embraces destiny’s call.

Read Here

➵Title: Forging the Threads of Time by @wooahaeproductions ➵Pairings: Professor/Greek God!Wonwoo x Reincarnated Female Reader ➵Greek God: Hephaestus ➵Genre: angst, fluff, smut, college au, reincarnation au ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: Wonwoo never expected to meet the mortal love of his life ever again and you never thought you’d feel so drawn to your welding professor.

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: king of kings by @aaagustd ➵Pairings: kingpin/crime lord!mingyu x journalist!(f)reader ➵Greek God: hestia ➵Genre: angst, organized crime au, arranged marriage, childhood enemies to lovers, mystery, supernatural, smut, loosely inspired by the story of King Thrushbeard ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: If you’d known all those years ago that you would have to compete for his heart, you would have never torn it to pieces.

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: the union of bacchus by @hobeemin ➵Pairings: dionysus/artist! xu minghao x (f) oc ➵Greek God: dionysus ➵Genre: supernatural, fantasy, greek god au, smut, romance, angst ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: As the God of Wine, you’d think he’d be just as lively. But no, this enigma of an immortal always kept others guessing. That is until he met her. She was more than he anticipated–mortal or otherwise. Somehow, she put him under a spell. Had he found his equal?

Teaser Read Here

➵Title: Do No Harm by @soongyeopsal ➵Pairings: doctor/greek god!hoshi x fem reader ➵Greek God: ares ➵Genre: romance, angst, smut, coworkers au ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: Ares proves to everyone that he can change by living his modern life as Dr. Kwon. But does that matter if you stay the same? This do-over’s prognosis isn’t exactly promising.

Teaser Read More

➵Title: unforgiven by @haologram ➵Pairings: greek god!seungkwan x reincarnated!reader ➵Greek God: athena ➵Genre: angst, second chance romance au, fluff…suggestive ➵Rating: 18+ ➵Summary: seungkwan may have been represented by his considerably heartwarming traits, but he ruined his own fate with his vengeful & prideful behavior. despite his flawed outlook, he can still see you in every lover — until it’s you, again.

Teaser Read Here

Thank you @hobeemin for creating the graphics for this collab <3

[ckret2]

please more evil ford please i stare with my puppy eyes for this i am obbsessed

Yeah all right, I've been working on some art. (For context, we're talking about this Evil Ford.)

Evil Ford is Evil as in "cheerfully works with Bill even after learning his full plot" and "is totally ready to conquer and/or destroy the world." But other than the shocking lack of basic ethics and the supervillain objective he's mostly the same guy—which means he still cares about his family. He's hoping to get them to join in on the world conquest plan.

Forty-odd years ago he went off to college promising someday he'd be a big shot scientist who changes the world and he'd make his family a fortune. If taking over reality doesn't qualify he doesn't know what does. The family can join him and his buddy Bill and rule the universe together. Pines Pines Pines Pines!

Unfortunately for him, the rest of the family still has normal moral compasses. And also they've met Bill.

Bill can't currently possess Ford due to Reasons; but even though he can't get in the driver's seat he still has permission to ride shotgun at any time. Ford talks to him pretty regularly. He HAS been caught doing this. Stan thinks he's just gone a little nutty from thirty years of isolation.

Naturally, since he was always on Bill's side, Ford's perception of events during Weirdmageddon is a bit different:

I finally made an official Evil Ford New Costume Character Design, check out his exciting totally different brand new look:

I decided that, since Ford is still basically the same person aside from his terrible life goals, he'd probably have the same fashion sense. And so... nothing changes except two tiny details lmao.

But he DOES have tattoos:

I traced a canon character model and took off its top to get a base to slap tattoos on, and then went dang... they gave him a big head and arms. He looks goofy. Anyway,

His forearms have less incriminating tattoos—just a birch tree and a sunrise. (The sunrise looks like the Journal 3 "The Muse Has Spoken" page.) The red text is the "triangulum entangulum" ritual; if anyone asks he'll go "it's uhh an ancient Sumerian poem about how great science is." It's not until he's topless that it's like "oh so he's a CULTIST cultist." The one exception is an unconcealed Eye of Providence on his right palm—but it's in an ink that's only visible in certain lighting. It's there so at any time he can point his hand at something and go "Bill are you seeing this BS?"

Of course, he still has the "hey now, you're an all star" neck tattoo. I didn't have room to draw it.

As you can see, he's made being Bill's right hand man a core part of his personality. Rather than spending 30 years scrabbling around the multiverse desperately searching for a way to destroy Bill, he spent 30 years chilling in the Quadrangle of Qonfusion as Bill's specialest favoritest Henchmaniac, and only scrabbling around the multiverse occasionally for fun & profit.

Here's a photo Bill & Ford took at a Nightmare Realm house party like fifteen years ago, three minutes before Bill started an argument and set the house on fire.

Most people have their wild party years in college, Ford has his in his 40s.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Ideas: Evil Plan

This trope is the reason "villains act, heroes react"; the villain needs to be doing something evil or the hero has no evil to thwart.

Some popular examples of Evil Plans:

Take Over the World: This is the most popular villainous scheme of all. The scale of conquest can vary depending on the setting and (or) the villain—some warlords are content to settle with conquering a city, a kingdom or nation, while Science Fiction or Fantasy overlords will go for nothing less than galactic, universal or even multidimensional domination.

The Evils of Free Will: A popular means to this end: by robbing everyone of their free will, they will have no choice but to serve their rightful ruler.

Assimilation Plot: Let's turn everyone into a single entity, whether they wish it or not.

Earth-Shattering Kaboom: Why take over the world when you can blow it up? Like Take Over the World, the scale of destruction also varies depending on the setting — some villains are content with merely destroying a city or kingdom (particularly if they feel the city or kingdom has somehow wronged them — i.e., revenge), while Omnicidal Maniacs may well wish nothing less than to destroy the entire universe or multiverse.

Kill All Humans. Related tropes: Feeling Oppressed by Their Existence: A character wants to get rid of a particular person or group of people just for existing. Absolute Xenophobe: Wants to destroy all other sentient life (human or otherwise). Omnicidal Maniac: Wants to destroy absolutely all life, sentient or not. Final Solution: The intentional extermination of a species/demographic is the answer to fix a perceived issue. Humanity's Wake: The outcome of this trope should the opposing species succeed in eradicating us.

In Their Own Image: Not happy with the world the way it is? Try tearing it down, and building it back up as something even greater.

The End of the World as We Know It: Not so much destroying the world or humanity as really screwing up civilization; though the former two may be involved in the bargain.

A God Am I: Forcing everyone to acknowledge their godhood (actual godlike powers optional).

Godhood Seeker: Make your character an actual deity.

Immortality Seeker: Pursue the quest for eternal life, no matter what foul deeds are needed to make it happen.

A Plot in Deed: Steal the deed to a plot of land and you'll own it, so why not steal the deed to somewhere good?

MacGuffin: Steal an ancient artifact with untold powers. This is usually done in the pursuit of one of the other Evil Plans.

Sealed Evil in a Can: Release the source of all Evil from its prison. This rarely goes well for the villain attempting it.

Revenge: You know that guy that wronged you in the past? It doesn't matter how petty or misplaced your grievance is, it's payback time. Time to kill him, or make his life a living hell.

Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: If you're already rich, get richer. Any scheme is fair game in the pursuit of the profit margin, be it theft, blackmail, or auctioning the world off to hungry demons. Unfortunately, this lust for wealth falls prey to poor planning.

Utopia Justifies the Means: You know how people keep hurting themselves and each other? Make them stop, by whatever means are necessary. No ill will required! Just like in Take Over the World, The Evils of Free Will often gets put into play here.

Dystopia Justifies the Means: People hurting each other? That's exactly what your society needs. Use all the means at your disposal to create a nightmarish dystopia where the forces of evil run rampant and people live in constant terror and corruption, just the way the villains like it.

Poke the Poodle: Their idea of evil is harmless behavior like cheating at Solitaire, jaywalking on an empty road, chewing gum in Singapore, pulling the "do not remove" tag off of your mattress, hiding your toothpaste, drinking the milk directly from the carton...

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[blushspatula]

Foreign Words

Reader, a young adult, is tired of their monotonous, stressful and depressive life. One day, they absurdly appears in the world of the famous Chinese play called "Journey to the West", but, surprise, they don't know Chinese!

Characters:

Reader.

Aka "little one" or "foreign".

They are a modern, ordinary human who accidentally appears in the ancient world of the Chinese play called "Journey to the West."

A human without magic, but that don't stop them. They are a boundless workaholic, probably managing money even in the middle of an ambush. When they're not trying to work on something (or everything), they can be found playing their beloved guitar, which they carries around like it's they best friend.

As an insomniac musician, Reader possesses the surprising (and worrying) ability to survive on an amount of sleep that would make any normal human collapse. While others are sleeping peacefully, they are awake, making up songs about their misfortunes (as a way of coping) and singing them. They are likely to solve problems faster, although sometimes their ideas are meaningless when sleep deprivation takes its toll. They also have a short-term memory most of the time.

"Who needs sleep when you can put your problems to music?"

They really misses sleeping in a normal bed. Please, someone have mercy on them.

Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong is small, but his power knows no bounds. Impulsive, he always acts first and asks questions later (if he asks anything at all). He doesn't have much patience for following orders, and if someone tells him what to do, he'll almost certainly do the opposite just for the fun of it. A rebel at heart, he's never been a fan of authority, especially if it comes from someone bigger or more important than him (which is almost everyone, given his size). Wukong doesn't have time to think before he acts. Plan? Nah! Better to jump headfirst into danger and see what happens. He's cunning like few others, always finding the quickest way out, or at least the most entertaining one.

However, despite his wild nature, Wukong knows how to get out of any mess he gets himself into (which happens more often than he'd like to admit). And when you earn his respect, he's loyal to the end. He defends his friends with an intensity that shows that, even though he has a hard time admitting it, he has a big heart. He may be mischievous and a bit chaotic, but he's always there when you really need him… Although sometimes you wonder if he does it for you or because he's just bored.

Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang is the kind of person who firmly believes that peace and understanding can solve almost any problem… Even if he’s surrounded by hungry demons who want to eat him. Wise in many things, he always has profound and instructive advice to offer, though sometimes his innocence leads him to underestimate how dangerous situations are (such as when he insists on dialoguing with monsters who would clearly rather devour him than listen to his profound words).

His compassion is so great that he feels bad even when he steps on an ant, making him a pacifist at heart. While his peers prefer the “hit first, ask questions later” approach, Sanzang always advocates dialogue and non-violence, though sometimes that tests the patience of his more impulsive protectors. Despite his apparent fragility, he has an inner strength that drives him forward, convinced that kindness can conquer even the most terrible evil. He'll probably ask you to put the staff away and try to talk him through it, though… Even if the monster looks like he wants to use it as an appetizer.

A pacifist by nature, he'd rather sit down and have tea with a demon than fight, which sometimes makes his companions wonder if he's a little overly optimistic… Or if he just doesn't realize how dangerous the situation is.

Zhu Bajie.

Zhu Bajie is the kind of fellow who is always looking for two things: food and a nap. A top-notch glutton, he seems to have a bottomless stomach, and if there's food nearby, it's sure to be on his plate… Or in his mouth. His personal motto is something along the lines of "work as little as possible and eat as much as possible." In fact, if he can avoid a fight and resolve the situation with a feast instead of a battle, he'll do so without hesitation.

Besides being a slacker, Bajie is a born comedian, always cracking jokes (sometimes too inappropriate) even at the worst of times, making him the comic relief of the group, though not always intentionally. Despite his good humor, he has one very clear weak spot: women. An incorrigible womanizer, Bajie always has his head (and eyes) set on any lady who crosses his path, which usually gets him into more trouble than he can handle. Although he sometimes gives the impression that he doesn't take anything seriously, deep down he's a loyal friend who cares deeply… As long as you don't ask him to make a stale joke about Sun Wukong.

Sha Wujing

Sha Wujing is the rock of the group, the kind of person who always remains calm, even when chaos is unleashed around him (and traveling with Wukong and Bajie, that happens quite often). With his cool demeanor and calm voice, he's the one who manages to bring some sanity to the craziest of arguments, though he rarely butts in directly. He prefers to observe in silence and speak only when he has something important to say, making him a comforting presence for his companions at times.

He's incredibly loyal, the first to offer to shoulder the group's burdens, literally and metaphorically. If there's something heavy to carry, a thankless task to accomplish, or simply someone who needs support, Wujing will be there without a complaint. His resilience has seen him overcome trials that would have broken others, but you'll never hear him brag about it. Humble to the core, he seeks no recognition or glory; he just wants to do his duty and protect his friends along the way.

Despite his serious and chilling appearance, Wujing has a warm heart and endless patience, making him an anchor for the group. In a team full of chaotic personalities, he's the one who remembers that it doesn't always take magic, humor, or impulsiveness to face challenges: sometimes, it just takes someone who won't give up and keeps going, one step at a time.

Bai Long Ma.

Bai Long Ma, once a dragon prince, lived a life of luxury and pride… Until one bad decision led to his banishment. Now, in his white horse form, he accompanies pilgrims with unwavering loyalty. Although he can speak, he rarely does, preferring to let his actions speak for him.

He is altruistic in nature, always willing to bear the burdens of the group without complaint. His presence is calm and pleasant, as if he carries with him a little bit of the majesty he once had as a dragon. Silent but noble, Bai Long Ma is the companion who is always there, strong and reliable, even when no one else notices.

PD: This character reference sheet may change. In any case, notice of any changes will be given.

[trickstarbrave]

went on reddit and saw the same dumbass take of "people just hate delphine because she's rude. she wants to punish a war criminal like paarthurnax and you guys only defend paarthurnax bc he acts nice even though he's killed and inslaved countless people" and got really mad about it again.

delphine does not give one flying golden scaled fuck about paarthurnax's war crimes. she wants the LDB to be a killing machine emperor and sees dragons as irredeemable monsters that exist as canon fodder to that end.

i'll believe in her faux moral superiority when i see her record of the great war. has she never killed or harmed an innocent person to save herself? never torched any fields? never lied and stolen? never killed a medic/healer? i don't frankly believe that she hasn't. she's shown she will do whatever she can to achieve her end goals, including using and throwing away people like malborn who have no means to defend themselves and have everything to lose by helping her.

i love evil bad women who do bad things. i hate delphine because she is a badly written hypocrite.she is uninteresting and dull and the only reason the creators and some fans side with her is because they uncritically accept the idea that elves and dragons and any non-human species on nirn are morally corrupt and deserve all the suffering they are put through by humans. she would do the same things paarthurnax has done for a dragonborn emperor and do so gladly, saying it's different because the end goal is a dragonborn ruling over everything and making everything "right" in the world (by giving her power and acclaim in the form of the blades)

every intelligent life has great capacity for evil and for good. the very same drive to conquor dragons feel can even be used for protection, as seen in akatosh and paarthurnax, as well as some emperors. even still, actions driven to protect can harm countless other people because there is always a capacity for harm and to ignore that is to become complicit in that harm, thus turning it into evil. because evil is not a capacity for harm but a blind acceptance of it for your own gains.

the people who were harmed by paarthurnax forgave and celebrated him. they have protected him and both learned from and taught him. in that sense, he has atoned for his sins because the very people who were harmed by him and lost loved ones to have have accepted him when they could have hunted him down like theyve done to every other dragon. in that sense, how is anything we do to kill him thousands of years later "justice" when we have no capacity for the harm he's done? will killing him bring anyone he's harmed back? will it truly stop him from hurting anyone in the future? if we kill anyone with the capacity for harm, that means we have to kill everyone we come across. how is that just? how is that good?

this game fucking sucks for asking morally complex questions and then having the most dull and uninteresting non answers to it. you cant kill delphine because the answer is supposed to be she's right because shes a human who supports the old empire and anyone who stands opposed to that goal is bad and wrong. well the old empire fell because hes no longer needed in the world and she needs to get over it. martin septim's sacrifice made certain of it. why do we have to chase the glory days of a fallen empire to make things "right" in the world? the septim empire was fraught with much pain and suffering and crimes against humanity. who are we or delphine for that matter to decide that suffering was good and just? what truly makes our potential destruction and conquering of tamriel any more morally good than alduin's?

[wordstome]

symbiote König x reader

I'm not allowed to start any new aus/stories until I finish a few, but I need to expel these worms from my brain. (also remind me to write something about Eddie Brock/Symbiote Ghoap x reader later)

I don't know if you guys know much about Venom lore, but symbiotes don't have a default system of morality: they take on the same traits and moral values as their hosts. They were created as a sort of world-conquering mindless evil force, but when symbiotes bonded to hosts who wanted to do good, they took on those moralities and became ashamed of their purpose. After they imprisoned the dude who made them to be evil (Knull, btw) they just made up a lie that their species was naturally benevolent.

So picture this: symbiote König who's been captured alongside several others of his kind and brought to Earth by the Life Foundation to study their abilities. I like the idea of symbiote König being similar to Eddie Brock's Venom: he's had bad and good hosts, but the bad ones fucked him up really bad, so now he's the König we know: arrogant and confident in his proficiency in violence, but deeply awkward, lonely, and lost. Getting kidnapped and taken to yet another foreign planet to be poked and prodded and experimented on is just his luck.

But then there's you. A pretty little scientist, not much more than a lab assistant, really. Your first encounter with him consists of you touching a finger to the glass of his prison, and him, curious, moving himself to press his inky dark goop where your skin presses against the glass. You giggle before quickly remembering yourself and skittering away. Symbiotes aren't fond of sounds, but he wouldn't mind hearing that one again...

It's little encounters like that that endears you to him. It didn't take him long to decide he hated humans: they're slow and unintelligent and nowhere near as elegant of a killer as he is, and yet they've managed to trap him and torment him. He's quickly noted as being the most unpredictable and violent of the captured symbiotes. But he likes you, who visits him and talks to him. To you, it doesn't mean much: you may as well be talking to a lab rat, finding an outlet to vent your frustrations about your insane work hours, demanding managers, and meagre pay. To him, he's absorbing everything you tell him, longing to touch you without glass in the way. What would it be like to bond with you, he wonders? To merge symbiote with flesh, and become two moving as one?

He'd like to be inside you, in more ways than one perhaps.

He may have fucked that up, though. It wasn't his fault, that day. They were starving him, these idiotic humans, starving all of them. He had no choice but to eviscerate and wholly consume the poor man sent into his glass cage. But you had been watching, eyes wide in terror, as blood and viscera burst everywhere. If he had a heart, it would have ached as he watched you skitter away...

And yet...there may be something deeply wrong with you, just as there is something wrong with him. Because you're back the next day, a new fascination in your eyes. Instead of talking at him, you talk to him now, asking him questions he only wishes he could answer. If he could just reach you, he could communicate...

König gets his wish the day it all goes awry. A whistleblower breaks in and makes off with one of his breathren, and the next person to stumble upon the scene is his little scientist, who doesn't hesitate to start smashing the glass of his prison. "It's not right," you mutter over and over again. "It's not right..."

He can detect your heartbeat speeding up as he drags himself across the floor to reach you. You shy away out of instinct, and he pauses. There are alarms ringing out now, awful terrible loud sounds, and he would prefer to get out of here immediately, but he refuses to do anything that would drive you away for good. He watches as you heave a deep shaky breath, then reach out a hand to him.

He glides up your hand and wrist, working his way into your body, the symbiosis instant and easy. You're a perfect match. He knew you would be. The armed guards burst through the door, but you have nothing to worry about as he envelops your body. You become a six foot ten behemoth, face hidden by what almost looks like a veil—something he picked up from a former host. You're barely aware of what's happening, too overwhelmed and confused to parse what's going on. But he knows what he's doing.

After he gets you to safety, the two of you will have all the time in the world to get to know each other.

[kataraslove]

as someone who has recently read the reckoning of roku, it’s really not the anti fire nation propaganda that a certain subsection of fandom is making it out to be. yes, gyatso says those words to roku, but he’s angry - at both the world and at himself for the death of his sister. he later apologizes to roku. the book does not paint gyatso out to be in the right, and neither does it paint all fire nation citizens to be in the wrong. the narrative even makes a distinction between the good fire nation citizens (ta min and roku) and prejudicial fire nation citizens (sozin, primarily), and some morally ambiguous ones like dalisay, but they’re more or less abolished from any accountability for partnering with sozin.

avatar the last airbender does not do a good job at displaying much of the context associated with the crimes of the fire nation, aka the climate and perspectives that justified sozin eradicating the air nomads and many of the benders in the southern water tribe. we know from avatar that sozin wanted to conquer the rest of the world for fire nation domination and expansion, but we’re not given much insight into the causal factors that allowed him to conduct genocide and colonialism, beyond “he was able to do it all in one day with the power of the comet,” and “he was a very bad man.”

the reckoning of roku provides the context for all of that, the factors that contributed to sozin’s blood-thirst. which means seeing sentiment from sozin that view the air nomads - and their pacifist ways of life - as inferior and below human. the novel doesn’t particularly attempt to humanize sozin, not in the way that other medias do when exploring the backstory of their villain. at the end, the takeaway from the novel is that sozin is on the road to becoming the ultimate fascist we all know him for, but this time we’re provided more context into how he became that fascist, and why roku hesitated to kill him.

is it more critical of the fire nation than most of the franchise? yes, i would say so, and having a filipino author be the one to offer that commentary is an excellent decision by avatar studios. but the extent of the critique is still more or less along the lines of “this one guy was truly the operations behind it,” which is still consistent with what we’ve seen in atla. there’s nothing too radical introduced in terms of colonial theory, unlike what parts of the fandom are saying.

which leads me to my final point: if this is how badly a subsection of fandom (aka fire nation worshippers and zutara shippers [not mutually exclusive]) are reacting to the simple notion exploring how sozin committed genocide, then they’ve hit further rock bottom than i can imagine. not only that, but this type of reactionary behaviour risks alienating other parts of the fandom; for instance, fans of the avatar novels who otherwise would have given the ship and the shippers grace.

in other words, many of these hardcore shippers “criticizing” the roku novel have no one to blame but themselves if their behaviour leads to the alienation of regular fans. this loud subsection of fandom is so caught up in their one-sided, imaginary fantasy where everything in the franchise somehow revolves around aang/kataang vs zuko/zutara, that the Evil Bryke are always targeting them, to the point that they’ll fail to realize that the fire nation and fire nation characters are often absolved from accountability across the IP, and the fire nation is explored much more than the other nations are.

[celestesinsight]

Kalki 2898AD Release Trailer - Bhairava Character Analysis!

There are many theories circulating about Bhairava's character and its importance in the movie. Here's my two cents regarding this. And to be honest, it isn't entirely my views too. It's what we came up when discussing in the Varadeva Discord Server.

First of all, there's a huge chance that Deepika's baby is red herring and Bhairava is the real Kalki. Ashwathama will realise this at the end of the movie and change his stance.

But my favourite theory is Bhairava being Lord Shiva. When Bhairava called himself the 'living legend in Kashi' in the Bujji & Bhairava series, it kind of stuck with me. Who's more legendary than Lord Shiva in Kashi? And the story goes that Shiva gave Kalki the divine weapon, the all-knowing talking parrot and the white horse. Bhairava have all the three; we saw the weapon in the first promo and Bujji's brain and body are the talking parrot and white horse equivalent. if Bhairava is Shiva, he's actually protecting the baby while pretending to hunt him for the Complex as well as testing Ashwathama's determination for redemption. In Mahabharata, Ashwathama was born after Dronacharya performed several years of severe penance to please Shiva as he wanted a son who possessed the strength and bravery of Shiva. So, it would make sense that Shiva aids him in his journey of redemption.

What if Bhairava is neither Kalki nor Shiva? Then what is his character doing in the movie?

"Despite the endless opportunities spanning over the generations, man fails to redeem himself and he never will."

I think this quote by Kamal Haasan's character, Kali is the key to Bhairava's significance in the movie, if he is not the titular character 'Kalki'.

There are many worlds in Hinduism, but our Puranas predominantly talk about the Swarga (abode of Devas), Prithvi (abode of humans) and Patal (abode of demons). There are also three worlds in the film: Complex, Shambala and Kashi. Unlike Puranas, where there were three races inhabiting the three worlds, in the film, the three worlds are inhabited by the humans only.

The Complex is the place where God is banned. They treat Supreme Yaskin as the God. They have conquered the world and taken all the resources for themselves. In appearance, the Complex gives the illusion of Swarga, but it actually embodies the demonic qualities of Patal.

Shambala is the place where they still believe in God and hope for his return to save them. They fight the Complex and their unjust actions. They are safe haven for anyone who wants to escape the hold of the Complex. In appearance, they are an underground society (Patal), but they are actually the forces of righteousness in the desolate world, fighting on the side of God and thus symbolises Devas of Swarga.

Then there is Kashi, the last surviving city. They are neutral. They are neither the evil conqueror nor the righteous warriors. They are humans who are trying to survive in an unfair world. They are not on anyone's side, but their own side. They represent the humans of Prithvi.

"In this world, there's only one side to be on. Your own side."

Bhairava and the bounty hunters of Kashi are the representation of the man in Kali's quote. They embody the qualities of selfishness, greed, and going to any extent to accomplish their goals, without caring about the consequences of their actions.

To be fair, Bhairava isn't doing anything wrong. He's trying to survive in a world which has lost all hopes. But he's so caught up in this mode of survival that he can't recognise this new hope for a better tomorrow, that Ashwathama and the people of Shambala are seeing in Sumati and her baby. All he sees the 5-star bounty that is his one shot at entering the Complex. He's not realising that he's fighting for the wrong side, that he's fighting to keep the old hierarchies intact that had made this world a hopeless place for him and others like him in the first place. He's helping the people who are the cause of all his problems under the illusion of becoming one of them.

Bhairava represents the man who is given numerous chances by the God, but he's so trapped in the Maya (worldly illusion) that he fails to recognise him and hence, is forever doomed to be trapped in the cycle of suffering.

Will Bhairava recognise the truth before it's too late? Or he will handover Sumati over to the Complex?

Bhairava's action would decide if the world is worth saving or not. If God should keep his promise and take birth to save all the humans? Or he should just let the humans rot in the hell, they have turned the Earth into.

The movie is not just about Ashwathama's redemption, but also the redemption of the mankind, represented by Bhairava.

As Kali said, humans have given numerous opportunities by the God to redeem themselves, but they have failed each time. Like Duryodhana failed when he refused to give even five villages to Pandavas, when Krishna asked, leading to his defeat in the Mahabharata war. Maybe that's why Ashwathama is having flashbacks of Mahabharata when fighting with Bhairava. He is seeing his past self in him. When he went against the Lord himself, blinded by his ambition and loyalty for Duryodhana.

Humanity is given another chance. Kali is sure we will fail this time too. It's up to Bhairava now, if humans fail again or they finally succeed in redeeming themselves this time.

[whereserpentswalk]

Select an alternate universe to study abroad in for a semester. You'll be sent there with a new body that matches inhabitants of that realm. Little to no time will pass in your world, as time between dimension is entirely diffeent. Wherever you choose to go you won't be known to be from another dimension unless you tell people.

1- an endless forest made of massive trees, so tall no mortal soul has seen the ground or the unobstructed sky. The sentient races of this world consist of slender owl like humanoids, various insectoid races, short squat mushroom people, and a minority of rodent like creatures who live further down the trees. Technology in this world is as advanced as ours, but the aesthetics are more similar to our Victorian age. They say this world's heaven is deep above the trees, and this world's hell is deep below it, with each culture's religion having its own version of God/gods above an devils in the forest floor (outside of the mushroom people, who worship gods below.)

2- an endless system of volcanic caves and tunnels that demons and fallen angels come from. This realm is vast, and is ruled over by countless lords and kings, some truly evil, some merely strange. Demons and fallen angels come is countless forms, most looking somewhat humanoid, though with strange and unnatural distortions, from animal like parts to things humans would find much more horrifying. This is one of the few realms listed where they know what earth is, but they don't know much about it outside of myth.

3- an alternate earth where mythical creatures such as vampires, werewolves, deep ones, dragons, and witches exist. It also has a population of demons and faeries who came over generations ago. While they were in hiding for many millennium, they've now taken over most of earth, with humans being removed or conquered in some regions, and peacefully integrated into others. Though in both cases they are now a minority.

4- a version of earth that's both flat and entirely endless, with many sun's carving safe warm zones in the ice. Even with 21st century technology new lands are still being explored. Most social problems still exist, but things are looking a bit more hopeful, and the world's slightly nicer to live in. Cryptids, gods, magic and the afterlife are all proven to exist, even if humanity doesn't know much about them. Human bodies here naturally trend twords looking however the person inside them wants to look, and sexual attraction and pleasure don't exist.

5- an alternate earth where the kpg mass extinction never occurred. Dinosaurs remained dominant but kept evolving, leading to a sapient race eventually emerging from raptors. The raptors are currently at a similar technology level as us, though due to how they're mind works they've spent more time developing computers and mathematics than they have any other field of technology. Also don't mind the obelisk in the pacific ocean, nobody there knows what it does or who put it there either, and we won't put you anywhere near it.

6- a world filled with giant monsters of all kinds, some looking like massive dragons or Chimeras, others looking like more strange and colorful creatures. Though some animals are smaller, the smallest intelligent creatures are the size of bears, and the largest are much bigger than blue whales. Technology is limited in some regards, mostly as the inhabitants don't always need it.

7- the world of the faeries, strange and complex, and both terrifying and beautiful. Very little is known about this realm other than the strange and often dangerous creatures who come from this place. If you go here it's likely you will remember very little and enjoy very much.

8- a universe where humanity is completely isolated to spaceships and space stations, most of them the size of cities. Humans here are grown artificially, and have completely androgynous bodies that lack biological sex, and most of them combine their bodies with mechanical upgrades becoming cyborgs. Most humans never touch a planet, and those who do don't stay there for long. There are a few alien species with planetary civilizations, but almost all of them are strange and eldrich. Technology is incredibly advanced compared to ours, and quality is life is better. Most humans consider AI taboo, though normal computers are fine and commonplace.

9- a world where humans are entirely missing, but every species of mammal is sapient and humanoid. Birds and reptiles pick up the pace of animals in the ecosystem, as the mammals have created a global civilization. Though magic doesn't exist here, and technology is around a 21st century level, the quirks of each species have created a lot of situations impossible in our world. Though several nations exist, the main powers of the world consist of a group of powerful corporations, an ancient secret society, and the church of the dead gods, all of whom are locked in a cold war, that luckily keeps the nations of this world at peace.

10- a massive city, floating in the void, surrounded by eldritch horrors. Countless humanoids have made their homes in the city, most hailing from diffrent dimensions themselves, but permanently stuck here. Though many races here could pass for humans, none of them truly are, from the sirenia who have wings for arms and hands for feet, to the modutal who can take parts of their bodies off and swap them with other members of their race, to the subterranean vamire who eat raw meat and have albino skin, to the hyven whose minds are each split between two to five bodies. It's estimated between fifty to a hundred humanoids call the city home.

11- the abyss. Do not attempt to enter the abyss. We cannot assure your safety.

[conundrumoftime]

'this monstrous St Michael'

I doubt the TROP writers and showrunners meant anything in particular by setting Halbrand up as St Michael the Archangel in this shot beyond "looks cool :)", but bear with me okay because I was talking to @wyrd-syster about Les Miserables recently and it reminded me of something.

So first of all the St Michael comparison is because St Michael is very commonly portrayed in art as a figure in armour, standing over a conquered Satan in the form of a dragon or serpent, holding a long lance. e.g. this is Raphael's Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan (1516):

TROP Sauron is really not St Michael (the closest in Tolkien would be Manwë or Eönwë I suppose; the Ainur don't really correlate directly to angels). But at this point he thinks he is, or at least thinks he should be.

Which is what brings me back to Les Miserables. Here's Javert:

Javert was at that moment in seventh heaven. Without being fully aware of it, yet with a confused intuition of his own indispensible status and of his success, he personified—he, Javert—justice, enlightenment, and truth in their heavenly function of crushing evil. He had behind him and around him, at infinite depth, authority, reason, precedent, the conscience of the law, the vengeance of the law, all the stars in the firmament; he protected order, he called forth the thunder of the law, he avenged society, he came to the aid of the absolute; he stood erect in a blaze of glory; there was in his victory a trace of defiance and of combat; standing tall, arrogant, resplendent, he displayed, out in the open, for all the world to see, the superhuman bestiality of a bloodthirsty archangel, the fearful shadow of the act he was performing made visible in his clenched fist with the dull flashing of the social sword; happy and outraged, he held crime, vice, revolt, perdition, hell, pinned beneath his heel; he shone, he exterminated, he smiled … and there was an incontestable grandeur in this monstrous Saint Michael. Javert, though horrifying, had nothing of the ignoble about him. Probity, sincerity, candor, conviction, a sense of duty, are things that, when they go wrong, can become hideous, but that, even hideous, remain grand; their majesty, peculiar to the human conscience, persists even in horror.

Overall I think Galadriel is more of a Javert figure in s1 of TROP than Sauron is; she's the one whose fixation on justice has become something so all-consuming it leaves no room for weakness or redemption. (Whether Sauron is in any sense repentant is a whole other question, but her answer to even the suggestion of it is isn't "you're lying" but to tell him it wouldn't matter anyway: "no penance could ever erase the evil you have done.") But this particular Javert moment is very much Sauron.

From Morgoth's Ring:

And Letters:

One of the things I don't like about the time compression in TROP is that it speeds up this gradual 'relapse' so much that it's hard to trace it as the development of the character, vs. a brief dalliance with the idea of Doing Good followed by a "fine then" tantrum, but! TROP Sauron is still very much informed by what Tolkien said about 2nd Age Sauron and his motives and I do love it for that.

and: I especially love, when Tolkien talks about Sauron's corruption by Morgoth, the idea that this was part of the corruption; that it wasn't just Morgoth running Evil Bootcamp, but that Morgoth flattered him and praised him and fed into his pride so much so that anything 'good' he believed he was doing was misdirected from the start, because Mairon the Admirable couldn't conceive of any good outcome or plans that didn't feature him as the most special perfect talented brilliant centre of everything.

[saintetheldredablogshorrormovies]

so im watching hannibal with the same friend who i watch supernatural with and weve got a system now of watching one supernatural episode followed by one hannibal episode

and i kind of love this cause i find the contrast so funny and interesting between supernatural (were on season 12) which is so stubbornly pro-redneck and hannibal which is so viciously terrified of rednecks haha

and i think this is important cause hannibal seems to have a lot of problems with american culture

after all it nods to flannery oconnor who was very disturbed by american culture too

see the way i see it is it correctly identifies the figure of the detective as one of the great symbols of the american ideal of individualism. after all in the history of detective stories they originated in a time where citizens were enjoying much more privacy in their lives. and all of a sudden the private, individual mind of the detective figure is the brilliant tool for justice rather than any kind of national institution or external strength

and will graham is a lot like that - the show makes clear that his MIND makes him an asset in a way that no one even with the same evidence can really compete with, he just sees it his own individual way

now in a typical detective story that would be a great thing but here it is kind of very worrying. cause will needs more external control input over his mind from other people and institutions than he ever really accepts. would it really be a bad thing for him to accept more institutional interference even if it made him less brilliant

and i feel like the reason we get all this american hunting imagery and the idea of hunting as an american family bonding ritual is because it is the essence of american colonisation and american power for the individual to turn the environment around them into objects (this is hobbs insistence to "use every part" of the hunted animal to decorate and furnish his home)

in american ideology everything outside you is conquered and it all becomes a part of your private world

which gives us the "evil minds museum" of this show which i am convinced is a pun/double meaning founded on the reversibility of the observer/observed in this show - as in, referring both to "a museum of evil minds" and also a model of the mind in which "the evil mind is a museum" - a place full of objectified versions of aspects of the world

but hannibal is a little different from the killers weve seen in the show so far in a key way (ive seen 3 episodes) - he does not kill and deconstruct his dead victims, he tries to break them down while living

i think he represents the simultaneous desire to turn people into an object to make them containable and to keep the essence of their life which could even be expressed as their sanctity, the "gods image" part of them (hence all the religious imagery of this show eg "this is my design" - alluding to the christian grand design idea in which everything is imbued with a sacred significance by god)

the push and pull between these two desires is what puts him and will in a state of endless stasis and tension

and this is the reason for hannibals cannibalism - wanting to eat something but also wanting it to be more than just meat to be consumed at the same time. trying to have both. trying to bridge that line

cause the first two killers of this show, hobbs and mushrooms, are founded on fears of self-sufficient communities, hunting and farming. the sound design in the mushroom episode even really calls attention to the diy aspect of it, sounding like diy wood instruments that might be made in some exotic/secluded community in the forest

so i guess the main message of hannibal in that sense would be that we need to exist in the same community, the same world. rather than everyone in this show simultaneously having the impulse to objectify and subject people to their own personal worlds. so that everything is fragmented and no one knows how to fucking talk to each other without killing/eating each other (lol)

[thedorkurge]

Illario Dellamorte is my favorite Veilguard character.

And it's because he makes sense.

A fatal flaw in Veilguard is that every character is made to be super agreeable and nice, and it means that their origins hardly even matter in the story of the game. Bellara isn't impacted by the isolationist nature of the Dalish, Neve has no controversial opinions on magic, Lucanis isn't jaded by his training, etc. (these points can be debated, sure, but generally I think they hold true).

Even the villains are painfully one-dimensional. Cartoonishly evil cultists, necromancer who wants to conquer a city, darkspawn who wants to blight innocent creatures. There's little room for nuance or motivation, because there are simply too many bad guys to actually go in-depth with any of them, and the game can leave no room for interpretation, because it depends on you being 100% against them. So an easy black and white hero/villain dynamic is what they choose to go with.

And then there's Illario. Sure, on the surface it's a classic plot, jealousy making him turn on his family. But it makes sense. Because it actually feels like a product of his upbringing.

The crows are... Very different in this game. This point has already been discussed to death, but I think it's obvious that they changed them a lot to make them fit the narrative they needed for the faction mechanics. However, we know from the other games that growing up as a Crow is hell. Even if Illario wasn't subjected to the same treatment as other "recruits" (typically slaves and orphans), he still grew up in an incredibly cutthroat environment. Both Illario and Lucanis lost their parents to the power struggles between the houses when they were just kids, and were sent to live with a grandmother who trained them to be killers. The same grandmother who likely chose her position over her own children. Lucanis even describes her methods as "torture", which says a lot coming from the guy who was locked up in the Ossuary for a year. And he was the favored grandchild. Caterina clearly never hid her favoritism either. Illario learned from an early age that the only way to succeed, to be recognized, was to kill and rise through the ranks. And while it seems that his skill set (charming/manipulating people) is less valued than the flashy methods of "The Demon", it was an excellent skill to have when it comes to surviving within the crows.

The crows are known for infighting, Ivenci even points this out in the game. Anyone raised by the crows would know that the greatest battlefield is your own home, your own parties. They know that their allies are also their greatest enemy. They know that the other houses could be plotting behind your back, and that they will take advantage of any perceived weakness (such as leveraging familial love to force Caterina to give up the seat of First Talon).

So tell me, what makes more sense after being raised in a place like this? Becoming a kind and shy coffee addict who trusts and adores the other crows? Or becoming a jaded social climber who uses everything in their power to strengthen their own position? One who would turn on his family before they turn on him, allowing him to take the thing he has been taught to value above all else: The title of First Talon? One who thinks that family members are disposable, and that the only way to come out on top is to betray them before they betray you?

Illario was allowed to have that kind of nuance because you get the option to spare him, but I think the game would have benefitted from more characters like this. Characters whose backstories mattered, characters who weren't deliberately evil, but rather a product of their environment. It would have made everything feel more real, more grounded in the actual world building.

I wish we got more content with this bastard man, because he's (to me) the most interesting villain the companions have to face, and it seems a shame to reduce his storyline to "he was just jealous".

[darkonekrisrewrite]

Whenever I see someone go "oh the League's actions can't be justified" or "their pasts don't justify their actions" or even "they're just evil"

I think two things

One

They're fiction, and are a lot more sympathetic than a lot of real people who face no consequences

Two

What the fuck were they supposed to do? Seriously what?

Your thoughts

Anyone who says things like that, likely hasn't had to (actually) fight for anything in their lives.

Saying that "the Lov's actions can't be justified" or that "their pasts don't justify their actions", can only be saying that from a place of assumed moral superiority and general comfort.

People who think like that in such rigid, self-righteous mental stances are usually-

A. The first to go back on their beliefs when things get tough.

B. The first to lose everything they have because they refuse to compromise on what they believe is right.

Because it is the truth, that the Lov didn't have any other options but to fight as hard as they could for their right to live.

They didn't get to choose how they were born or the course their lives took as children, so they could only try to cut out an existence from the hand they were dealt.

To destroy hero society, to even have a chance at a better life than being left to die (shigaraki and Dabi) and/or chased away to die (Toga and Spinner).

It's something very important to remember that while completely "destroying everything" isn't the right answer to what the Lov was looking for -

- Doing the "right thing" in their circumstances wasn't going to get them anything but suffering and death, all because of people (the bnha civilians and a number of heroes) who couldn't care less about them.

Anything good that happened in bnha's future (wether it's really true/makes sense or not), is thanks to the Lov's existence, at least 50% or more.

The Lov was never "evil", they were mostly right.

Also it's kind of hilarious that shonen fans say this stuff sometimes, they have to be either younger or just getting into manga/anime in general.

Because:

Orochimaru is chilling with the leaf village parents.

Frieza is teaming up with Goku to save the universe and getting back to conquering worlds.

Mayuri from bleach... enough said.

Patolli (the fake Licht) the elf from black clover, for a more modern example of a sympathetic shonen villain doing terrible things and still living despite that.

Villains who have done far worse and still got better endings.

[dcdreamblog]

Do you have any personal theories on why every alien warlord this side of the Milky Way wants to conquer Earth? I’ve met a lot of people who seem to blame Superman and superheroes for attracting them, frankly I think I’d rather have a hundred failed attempts than one success on that front, but that’s just my two cents. What’s yours?

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that Earth isn't actually under attack any more than any other inhabited planet in the galaxy.

(Two members of the Green Lantern Corps intercept a member of the "Sinestro Corps" above Coast City, CA. Their names are unknown but our GL is heard calling them names that sound like "Lock" and "Bearear"? Which is which is unknown)

Think about it from say...what we know about the Green Lanterns. We know that our world falls within "Sector 2814". We don't know how large the sectors are but even if we assume the coincidence that OUR Lantern is at the very end of the list, that's 2814 parts of the galaxy that need active space cops as powerful as GL.

Hell we don't even know if our number of Lanterns is abnormal, it could be that every sector has two, or three, or five lanterns! It could be we actually have a lower amount than the average!

If other parts of space have Lanterns we can assume they also have other superheroes. We have evidence of these other heroes, from our perspective just popping into our lives and then popping back out. The ultimate in intergalactic sonder when you consider that every one of those heroes is the Superman of their own world, with their own Justice League meeting to attend, or whatever.

From the evidence we have, I choose to believe thusly:

Wherever intelligent life arises, there is the threat of that intelligence being used for evil. And when it is, there are those, of any species, who will stand in opposition to it.

[agronzky]

⠀⠀⠀𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐀 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐑𝐏.

⠀⠀⠀Anyone who knows me or has rp with me knows how much I love building ambiguous — or grey, if you prefer — characters or villains. The drama, the chaos, the complex plot… It all makes everything more interesting, especially once you get bored of characters who are exclusively nice, naive and suchlike. Even so, it's a construction that needs to take several factors into account and be very delicately written so it doesn't become a trigger rather than a character.

⠀⠀⠀For this reason, below I've provided some tips on how to create villainous characters for rp, taking into account various traits, setting and also demystifying the fact that not every villain is a soulless monster. Anyway, on to the guide.

Deep and personal motivations.

⠀⠀⠀Convincing villains usually have compelling and understandable motivations, even if their actions are highly questionable. It's the premise of them being right in their quest, but using the wrong means to achieve it and ultimately losing their reason. This brings a sense of humanity and it's even possible to feel connected to what led this person to become a villain. You can truly see how they lost the way.

⠀⠀⠀Another point is the fact that not everyone wants to conquer the world, nor do they have the ambition to have a lot of money or power. Think of plots about revenge, twisted love, the quest for justice or fear. Generally, a character's deepest motivations give them more determination to fulfill their goals because it comes from something much more internal and traumatic. Give them a proper reason and make them lose the way, this is gonna make everything feel real, convincing and interesting to developed.

Moral complexity.

⠀⠀⠀The simple truth is the days of people liking completely cartoonish characters are long gone, and nowadays many people don't like those who are evil simply for the sake of being evil. This is because it's too out of touch with reality. Obviously there are people who are like that in real life, but the vast majority is more complex than this. Humans, in the end, are very complicated and, probably, will never truly understand why we are the way we are.

⠀⠀⠀To get away of this cliché and cartoonish form when creating your character, try to develop moral nuances and internal dilemmas which can explain their actions. Put a small fragment of morality in the character, make them question themselves a few times as to whether they're on the right path… Remember yin yang: there's a little tiny good inside the evil. This tip can be used for any character, when you think about it, but it's very important for those who want to create villains.

Human traits, personality and vulnerabilities.

⠀⠀⠀Like any human being, provide your character with traits unmistakably human, such as fears, insecurities or personal relationships that will impact them, to make them more realistic. Just because someone is doing something morally wrong doesn't mean they've lost all touch with their humanity, especially since not every villain is a psychopath who has no empathy for anyone. It's always very interesting when a character believes they're doing what's right or good for someone else, and this is their motivation. 

⠀⠀⠀Also bring some weaknesses to the character, whether physical, emotional or psychological. This provides room for development and also ways for other characters to access them in a more specific way, either to get to know them better or to retaliate against them at some point.

⠀⠀⠀You know that line "Do you like my personality? I created it especially for you!"? Well, consider how the character behaves and bring in more layers when making the personality. Take into account how they behave in different situations and with different people.

Charisma and a magnetic nature.

⠀⠀⠀The fact is that bad guys aren't unbearable one hundred per cent of the time, they need to know how to live in society and captivate people. So define unique and appealing traits for the character, whether they're genuine or merely a façade. It's always interesting when, within the plot, most people don't know about the evil or wrong side of a character because it gives them more room for development. Maybe make them ashamed of what they're doing and try to hide it as best they can. And just think about real life: do we truly know the people around us?

Connection with other characters.

⠀⠀⠀Nobody lives completely alone since we're in a society and this makes us having connections, for more simple they can be. Thinking about that, create connections with other characters to bring more motivation and drama to your muse, such as an old rivalry, a complicated personal relationship or a surprising connection which generates tension. You can also create connections that actually bring their good side to light, you know? It's also always good to add a certain complexity, to have troubled moments, wounds that haven't healed fully, secrets being revelead, etc.

Questions for creating villains.

What are the character's main motivations?

What is the character's origin story? What led them to become what they are today?

What are the past traumas or events that have shaped their worldview?

How does the character justify their actions morally? Does they believe they are doing the right thing?

What are their weaknesses and vulnerabilities?

How does the character present themselves to the world? Are they masked, manipulative or showy?

What do they want to achieve through their actions?

What are their emotional reactions to obstacles and challenges?

How do they justify their actions to themselves? Is there any sense of internal validation?

How do they relate to the authorities or the law?

How do they see themselves? Do they see themselves as the hero of their own story?

How do they react when their plans fail?

What do they feel when faced with the possibility of redemption or change?

Other small (and important) advice!

Corruption arcs are also super interesting, leading a good character to become bad over time and through traumatic situations. Redemption arcs are also sensational. The point is: nobody was born a villain and nobody has to die a villain.

Leave clues indicating your character before fully revealing your motivations. Also try to leave some motivations completely secret, using them when the plot calls for a surprise. In the best "surprise, bitch!" style.

Think about how environment and culture can influence beliefs and actions.

A villain doesn't have to be a psychopath or murderer. There are arcs of revenge and corruption which can be created without going to such extremes.

It's obvious, but always respect other players and the limits they impose. As I said, a villain isn't always doing evil and being a complete asshole, so make sure you know what kind of approach the other person will prefer.

Always be careful when approaching topics which are triggers and avoid them as much as possible. As I said, it's not necessary to go down this route, but if you do, always keep a firm grounding when writing, because triggers are complex real-life situations that always need to be handled delicately.

The end, for now.

( Be with Morgana, my good girl gone bad ♡ )