#Anti-Heroes

[spacebubblehomebase]

"Red is the color of a rose, our love, your hair, and my heart. Red is the color of HER. Your painted lips. My work of art." 👩‍❤️‍👩 Nothing to see here! Just girls thinking of girls. ✨️ Can't believe it took me THIS long to realize I haven't drawn these two baddies. Besties who kiss AND tell, but it's just as well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Hope ya like this little doodle of mine, sis! 💕 -Bubbly💙

#spacebubblearts #myart #fanart #doodle #birthday #pamelaisley #harleyquinn #poisonivy #birdsofprey #dc #dcu #girlfriends #lesbians #bisexuality #comics #villains #antiheroes #red #harlivy #coloring #roses #hearts #gotham #batman #batfamily #canon #lgbt #couple

[reconstructwriter]

10 (More) Favorite Female Characters

Thank you @ankahikoibaat. To go with the supporting women’s wrongs theme…

• Madame Yu (The Untamed): Where she falls on the morality scale is strongly contested but she certainly twists my brain into moral knots (in a good way). You can't say she doesn't care though, even about Wei Wuxian who’s threatened hand-dismemberment is her breaking point. She’s also such a badass and I love how she went out with such a bang (while her husband went out with a whimper). • A’Yark (Kenobi the Book): Honestly both the leading ladies of this book could tell the story all by themselves, Kenobi’s PoV especially is almost inconsequential despite being the titular character. Of the two I find A’Yark PoV and her struggles more captivating, despite the author’s idea that ‘the hard desert breeds hard people’ *sigh* she still shines. Haven’t finished the book yet so I can’t say more about her. • Jane Roland (Temeraire) – she a badass dragon-riding, sword-swinging Captain (later Admiral) who makes 1800s generals gasp like scandalized victorian-era ladies! Just the way she likes too. But she’s of high rank in the British military force in the 1800s and has the kind of ruthless outlook you’d expect for the position and times. (even if Europe found dragon world countries a might harder to conquer) • Wu Zetian (Iron Widow): started out swearing vengeance for her sister, succeeds beyond all expectations (especially her own) and has to survive (and survive with) the consequences of her own actions. Finished by stomping the patriarchy with a giant robot dragon mech (why is this women’s wrongs?). Now THIS is what I wanted of the 90’s grimdark antiheroes and several things I hadn't known I wanted! • Yzma (Emperor’s New Groove) Everyone loves Kronk but not enough people give Yzma the credit for being the perfect villain in this classic. She’s evil without being apologetic or glorifying in it. She breaks so many evil woman cliches without even trying I love it. She and Kronk are the perfect comedic duo. This movie just wouldn’t shine without her giving it some evil homebrew polish! • Harley Quinn (Batman): She’s just to interesting! Hyper-competent sidekick who’s got a thing with Joker and Poison Ivy. She chose to help Arkham inmates for selfish reasons. Chose evil out of love. She’s done her damnest to finish that redemption arc. She came closest to killing Batman in the animated series but holds no grudge against him (unlike most). There’s just so much depth of character to her! • Lena Dupree & Simone Lenoir (Scooby Doo on Zombie Island) – okay two in one but they’re fantastic villains! Sob story and earned their evilness. They’re legit threatening and also the only time I’ve seen women transform into a feline and its actually shown as monstrous and not sexy. Like I can see what the monsterfuckers see in them…but you gotta be a monsterfucker to want to. • Romsca (Redwall) This was my favorite series as a kid and I only had two problems with it back then: 1) no sword-wielding female warriors and 2) always chaotic evil people trope. Romsca is THE BEST aversion to both! Badass braggart pirate captain who went through a redemption arc. Sadly died instead of like stealing Martin’s sword and living to be the champion of the high seas but cest la vie. • Daenerys (A Song of Ice and Fire): I like that she’s in-universe a black horse in the Game of Thrones. No one expects her to be a threat until she knocks on their door with dragons. Most of all though I appreciate that she breaks the stereotype of ‘heir to the throne returns’ (even if the show could’ve done a much better job, y’know, SHOWING that). She’s a conqueror, not a savior

No pressure tag @charmwasjess, @panther-os, @s-c-g-s-c-g, @beskad, @bolithesenate, @shinobicyrus, @amarcia, @dragonciphering, @gallusrostromegalus, @la-sopa

[scottishaccentsareawesome]

"You made a Devil's Bargain. Did you honestly expect me to stop being The Devil?" - Raymond Reddington (The Blacklist)

[fogonoputeirocaralho]

Death (Puss in Boots)

[coupleofdays]

The problems of roleplaying a villain

I've been thinking about a dilemma when it comes to roleplaying "bad guys", specifically in the game City of Heroes, but perhaps also in general.

Some context for those of you unfamiliar with City of Heroes: It's an online game where you can create a superhero character, or, notably, a supervillain character, and go on heroic/villanous adventures with other players. The heroes and villains have separate areas in the game, though of course with some where they can meet and battle against each other. There's also a special area, a fancy, extradimensional night club called the "Pocket D", where heroes and villains can meet and socialize without being able to fight:

City of Heroes has a pretty vibrant and fun roleplaying community, where players get into the roles of their superhero/villain characters. Unsurprisingly, a lot of this roleplaying is done at the Pocket D, where the characters can meet, talk, have a drink, dance, and get into all kinds of exciting social interactions. It is this, I think, that might contribute to the dilemma for those who want to roleplay as a supervillain in the game.

When I recently got back into City of Heroes, I of course wanted to have both a hero and a villain character. My first idea for a supervillain was a guy called The Gargoyle:

My concept for the character was that he had actually started out as a masked crime-fighter during the 1930s, and then been thrown into the present day through some time-travel shenanigans (plenty of those in a superhero universe!). Then, he had discovered that his brutal methods, and his views that most members of minorities were "criminal scum" and "perverts", basically made him a bad guy now.

I still think that this could be a good concept for a villain in a superhero setting, a really unpleasant character that the heroes can defeat, or perhaps who eventually learns the errors of his ways. Sort of a commentary on the more problematic elements present in many old (and, let's be honest, some new) superhero comics. If I was writing a superhero story, I'm sure I could make use of him.

But soon after I started playing the game with him, and thought about visiting the Pocket D for some roleplaying, I realized that I absolutely did not want to roleplay as a brutal, racist, sexist asshole, for many reasons. While I am mature enough to know that writing about a bad person doesn't make you a bad person yourself, and I'm sure that most of the other roleplayers in City of Heroes are aware that you can roleplay as a jerk without being one yourself, I personally felt uncomfortable with doing that in this case, trying to get into the headspace of a unrepentant dickhead.

But even if I did, I realized that I probably wouldn't have many opportunities to have fun and interesting roleplaying conversations with other characters hanging out at the club. Especially considering that many of the other player characters, heroes or villains, are members of some minority or another. At best, The Gargoyle would end up standing in a corner and refusing to talk to anyone he considered being one of "those people", and at worst, he would probably piss off almost everyone in the club, to the point where they would refuse to talk to him (and would beat him up with various interesting superpowers).

Here, then, is the dilemma: There's a limit on what kind of villanous character you can create in City of Heroes, at least if you're interested in roleplaying with other people. Again, not because people would necessarily get angry at you "out of character", but because you'd have few opportunities to interact "in character" if your villain was genuinely evil, reprehensible and unpleasant.

I think this why most player villains I've seen in the game are some variation on "misunderstood anti-hero", "criminal with a code of honour", "good intentions with questionable methods", "crazy, but fun person", "outwardly nice but with a dark secret", or, in a few cases, "hero disguised as villain". My own "main" villain character that I eventually settled on is a charming "modern day Robin Hood" who steals only from rich people, and who might be kind of full of himself, but is still fun to talk to (at least I try to be that!). These are of course all interesting concept that can probably be varied in many fun ways, but I can't help feeling that it unavoidably leaves out some archetypes from superhero fiction.

Like I wrote at the start, this might be a dilemma specific to this particular game. I'm sure there are plenty of other avenues if you want to roleplay a genuinely horrible person with other people (and I am absolutely not judging anyone who wants to do that). But I suspect there might be other situations with similar problems, such as if you decide to make a "Chaotic Evil" character in a Dungeons & Dragons game, for example.

[helinedmightbehere]

me when people say, "oh, this reminds me of an anti-hero who *proceeds to describe an anti-villain instead*"

[ultradude13]

Thunderbolts "movie poster"

[flexingtyger99]

The Mask vs. Beetlejuice

[ghostsandgod]

[ancientroyalblood]

The Psychology of Villains: Creating Memorable Antagonists

In the captivating tapestry of storytelling, villains are the shadows that dance across the pages, casting darkness and conflict that breathe life into the narrative. Crafting a memorable antagonist is a delicate art, one that requires an understanding of the psychology that makes villains not just formidable but compelling. In this exploration of the psychology of villains, we will dissect the…

[haorev]

“If you dare to write about less-than-charming characters, you don’t need to redeem them with an ending in which they see the error of their ways, mend their faults, and allow their flinty hearts to be transformed into a choir loft of goodness…Fiction can, and should, mimic life, with all it’s messes and discomfort and disquiet. Fiction should also prove just how complicated and troubled many people are.”

(Jessica Page Morrell, “Creating an Anti-Hero,” in Creating Characters: The Complete Guide to Populating Your Fiction, edited by The Editors of Writer’s Digest (Writer’s Digest Books, 2014): 141)

[joncronshawauthor]

Fantasy's Finest Anti-Heroes: A List of the Top 10 Characters

Anti-heroes are characters that possess both heroic and villainous qualities, making them complex and relatable. They often blur the line between good and evil, making them some of the most interesting characters in fantasy literature. Here are ten of the best anti-heroes in fantasy literature that you should check out. 1. Geralt of Rivia from “The Witcher” series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Geralt…

[urbansector]

Hősök és antihősök

Nem vagyunk a világ hősei. Egy jól kiépített nyugati országban gyalogolunk napi 20-25 km-t. 5km-ént kávézó, étterem ilyen olyan pihenőhely. Őseink kétszer ennyit is mentek. Mi vagyunk a világ hősei gondoljuk magunkról pedig csak a magunk hősei vagyunk. Vagy még azok sem. Azon elmélkedtem ma milyen is lenne úgy felöltözni olyan lábbeliben, egy váltáskával végigmenni egy ilyen úton ahogyan a középkorban tették.. Maximum egy bőrszandál egy vászonzsák az oldalon.. Nem egy mérnökök álltal tervezett hátizsák v cipő és nem kávé, péksütemény és kulacs.. érdemes ezen gondolkodni? .. nem.. mi a magunk hősei vagyunk. Még azok is valamennyire aki csomag nélkül ( előre viszik nekik) szervezett csoportként ballagnak .. mindenhol kávé péksütemény és kóla.. ma egy kicsi megértettem miért nem a világ hősei vagyunk.. kicsit inkább annak akarunk látszani mások elött..

Heroes an Anti Heroes

We are not the heroes of the world. We walk 20-25 km a day in a well-developed western country. Every 5 km, there is a cafe, a restaurant, a place to rest. Our ancestors went twice as far. We think of ourselves as the heroes of the world, but we are only our own heroes. Or even those. Today I was thinking about what it would be like to dress up in such footwear, to walk along a road like that in the Middle Ages with one shift.. A maximum of one pair of leather sandals and a canvas bag on the side.. Not a backpack or shoes designed by engineers and not coffee, pastries and a water bottle.. it's worth it to think about it? .. no.. we are our own heroes. Even those who go without a package (it is brought to them in advance) leave as an organized group .. coffee, pastries and cola everywhere .. today I understood a little why we are not the heroes of the world .. we want to appear as such in front of others ..

[redsnerdden]

Suicide Squad ISEKAI Reveals New Characters and Handlers

Listen Up, Your New Mission Is Here! Suicide Squad ISEKAI Reveals New Characters and Handlers #異世界スースク #SuicideSquad #DCComics #Comics #anime #SuicideSquadISEKAI #AnimeJapan2024

Warner Bros Japan released a new cast list for the upcoming anime series Suicide Squad ISEKAI. In the new cast list, we have three familiar faces and three new characters. Joining the series are Rick Flag, Katana, and the co-leader of Task Force X, Amanda Waller. Three new original characters were also included in the announcement, Aldora, Fione, and Cecil. The new cast members are: Image…

[animentality]

[cyallowitz]

7 Tips to Having Enemies Become Allies

Spider-Man and Venom The temptation to turn a popular villain into a hero can be pretty strong.  To do this, you need to make the two enemies stop wanting to kill each other.  Might not be an easy task because just saying ‘they get along now’ doesn’t work.  You have to put effort into the change.  So, what can help with this? If this is your main villain, you need to replace them with a new…