#loyal sidekick

[evilhorse]

We’re looking for Wally West, ma’am.

[joncronshawauthor]

The Essential Guide to Assassin Fantasy Tropes

So, you’ve met the colourful ensemble of assassins in the realm of fantasy literature. Now let’s talk about the tropes that make these deadly darlings as predictable as a soap opera plot twist. You might think assassins are all about shock value, but let’s be honest—they’re as full of clichés as a politician’s promise. The Untraceable Poison The quintessential tool for anyone wanting to…

[sidetongue]

There are so many people in my day to day life who see dogs as just pets. So many people who don’t understand how much I’m struggling with Miller’s condition. Even people in my own workplace are surprised by how “hard” I’m taking it. The reality is these people go home to a partner or family of an evening, I go home to my dogs. That sounds really miserable and antisocial - but I’m an independent person and I’ve bought my own home and set up my own life and I’ve done it all by myself… except for the little pack of supporters who’ve been there through it all. Miller has been through it all.

Miller knew me when I was 18 and living with my grandparents; still a kid and having no idea about being an adult. Miller knew me when I went through my first break up, and she stuck around through the heartache. Miller knew me when I first ventured out into the big wide world; renting a “big girl house” with a friend and having a stable income and working towards my dreams. Miller knew me through my second break up, where I fled the country and went on a journey to “heal myself” and left her (and Henry) with my grandparents. She didn’t mind. She enjoyed the extra snacks. Miller knew me when I bought my first home, alone, and was right there beside me throughout.

She’s known me through my entire adult life. But I’ve known Miller through the day when she first came home… carsick on the passenger’s seat with only petrol station toilet paper to clean it up. I’ve known Miller through her “drug overdose” where she decided to snack on a pack of ibuprofen (again, with Henry). I’ve known Miller through horrific and uncontrollable ear infections. Where I thought the kindest thing was to let her go. Where I saw her in chronic, severe pain and several ear surgeries and procedures. I’ve known miller through her, um, “back end” problems, and having to remove stitches from her actual butthole. I’ve known Miller through her mellow years, where her only crimes are barking at a yellow lab on the beach or greeting our guests with a loud and persistent voice.

Today someone came to my house and there was no loud voice to greet them. She’s in a vet clinic cage, yellow as a highlighter, trying her hardest to stay alive. She’s 8 years old and has lived a life rich with joy and adventure, but my god I’m not ready to say goodbye yet. She’s not grey, she’s not creaky, she’s still got so much life in her. So many more rivers to swim in and songs to dance to and yellow labs to bark at. Every waking moment is spent agonising over my special little blue dog.

We don’t see leptospirosis where I am located. It’s very rare, and my vets have little experience with it. Today we contacted other hospitals in places were it is more prevalent so we can get a better idea of what we’re dealing with. It can take 7-14 days to see a turnaround. Miller is on day 4. I don’t know how I will afford 14 days of intensive care. I don’t even know how to think about money right now. I don’t know when the right time is to call it; to let her rest, or whether she wants me to keep fighting for her. Every minute is a nightmare and I miss my best girl.

[tracle0]

happy storyteller saturday! is red named red because he's a red mage or is red a red mage because he's named red? and also, what kinds of things did red and his sibling get up to when they were young? :3

Hello howdy happy STS :D!

So Red is a nickname that he uses obsessively and has for the last few years, since he endured and survived a colour swarm, and had his natural magical ability wildly boosted woah! Red's actual name is Kit. But that's lame, in his eyes, so. Red it is.

But to answer your question, he chose Red because he's a red mage. He also assigned most members of his team a code-name associated with their colour. Leaf for the green mage, Clem for the orange, etc etc!

Also also, when they were younger, Kit and his.... totally normal and completely fine sibling, Elan, got up to plenty of fun petty crimes! A lot of low-stakes heists and scuffles on the streets. They left their hometown for the big city, and slotted straight into the underworld, by his demand. When the two of them get split, it's because of an additional heist that just... goes badly wrong, really.

But like I said, there's no need to worry. Elan is totally normal and completely fine :)

[daviddcorenswet]

OLIVER MARKS; THE LOYAL SIDEKICK

“you can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”

[woollypurpleslug]

Ohohoho I LOVE plain coloured hats— so much opportunity for decoration!

I'm not finished with this hat yet by far; there is SO MUCH blank space left to play with!

Many thanks to Mr Bones Malone for modeling my hat for me, even though your head might be a teensy bit small— your assistance is always appreciated, good sir.

[puddleslimewrites]

Heroic Villainy (Villainous Heroics)

~

Concept: A Hero and Villain pair who are identical twins

~

"It's twice the income!"

"That you're stealing." Hero waved the stolen bills in the air for emphasis.

Villain crossed their arms over their chest and scowled. "You don't seem to have a problem with it when the rent's due."

"I shouldn't have to bring it up every time, you know this already!" Hero threw the money down and stomped out of the room.

Villain sighed and collected their hard earned money off the floor. Regardless of what Hero said, they still had to put in a lot of effort to earn it - probably way more than their heroic twin, too.

~

Sidekick watched their partner intently. Their eyes were glued to the computer screen on their desk, an intense focus on the game they were playing keeping their attention. Since they were distracted, Sidekick decided now would be as good a time as any to ask.

"Do you think they're up to something?"

"Hm?" That was more of a reaction than Sidekick expected. Usually it took a few tries to get Hero to notice they'd spoken.

"Villain."

[Hero] stiffened for just a hair of a second before their shoulders slumped, forcibly relaxed. "...Probably." They tried to go for nonchalant and were mostly successful. "You know how they like to be meticulous with their plans. Whatever they're up to, I'm sure they're just running in circles overanalyzing the last time we kicked their ass."

Sidekick hummed but didn't make any further comment.

Internally, [Hero] both sighed in relief and cursed their twin. Sidekick was getting suspicious.

It had been a week already. A week of no Villain sightings. A week of 'Hero' acting off.

A week of Hero being sick in bed and Villain doing hero work in their stead.

~

"I could be a hero if I wanted to." Villain didn't know why they took such offense. It was a stupid argument - one they shouldn't even be having.

Hero caught the edge in their voice, just like they always do. The animosity between them had dissipated by this point. There wasn't any heat left in their fight anymore. "You'd make a great one."

Villain's shoulders slumped. This was the kind of defeat they both hated. The kind where no one got to win. "I just... don't want to."

"I know." And they did know. Villain hated that they knew, the depth at which they understood, but they were also grateful for that.

They had their reasons, and so did Hero.

[boygirlctommy]

i madeeee sillay new characters and i love them

[ellebeauregard]

New Orleans + The Cloak's Shadow

I'm (finally) talking about my trip to NOLA (and sharing some pics!) in this week's blog post.

Lately I’ve been putting in some hours working on my next project, which takes place in The Cloaked Series universe. Which is probably why I found myself looking through my pics from my trip to New Orleans last fall and realizing I didn’t post almost any of them! (I was prepping hard for the release of Blood Bond at the time, which has nothing to do with New Orleans, so I can’t really blame…

[touchmycoat]

【反派的跟班】 / The Villain's Sidekick by 奉孝男神 was fun! Main man transmigrates into a novel world where he was given all the protagonist blessings that allowed him to become the strongest most legendary dude on the continent, which he was for like a thousand years. He basically Wei Wuxians it—invents shit, gets lauded for shit, gets demonized for shit. Ultimately he's betrayed and killed by a sidekick of his as he's trying to figure out the secret to immortality.

Cue second transmigration into the same world, different body, a thousand years or so later. He's the ungifted son of the butler of a super rich merchant family from a bloodline that used to be the emperor a thousand years ago. He finally recognizes the main protagonist of the novel, now a kid, and that his own young master (the spoiled son of the super rich merchant family) is the antagonist of the first arc. There's no mission—he's just mad that the protagonist seems to have a halo and is taking his stuff, a.k.a. the legendary artifacts from him a thousand years ago that he wants back, dammit.

He proceeds to fix the ungifted body he's now in, restore his cultivation, all while vibing with the young master and teasing the young master whom he finds hilariously adorable.

[7th-inningstretch]

starting to think i just like generally like sports lmao i get invested so easily you tell me what team to cheer for i'll die for them instantly

[archivedcoach]

wish beard knew it were okay to ask for help.

[kurthummeldeservesbetter]

just thinking about sam wilson <3

[hayatheauthor]

12 Red Herrings to Keep Your Readers Distracted

I’ve seen mystery/thriller authors use the same handful of red herrings too many times to count. So here are some (hopefully not as common) red herrings for your writing. 

1. The Unreliable Narrator's Bias

Your narrator can play favourites and scheme and twist the way your readers interpret the story. Use this to your advantage! A character portrayed as untrustworthy can really be someone innocent the narrator framed, vice versa. 

2. The Loyal Traitor

A character with a history of betrayal or questionable loyalty is an obvious suspect. They did it once, they could do it again, right? Wrong! They’ve actually changed and the real traitor is someone you trusted. 

3. The Conflicted Expert

An expert—like a detective, scientist, or historian—analyses a piece of evidence. They’re ultimately wrong, either due to bias, missing data, or pressure to provide quick answers.

4. The Overly Competent Ally

You know that one sidekick or ally who’s somehow always ahead of the curve? They’re just really knowledgeable, your characters know this, but it makes it hard to trust them. Perfection is suspicious! But in this case, they’re actually just perfect. 

5. The Misleading Emotional Clue

Maybe one of your characters is seen crying, angry, or suspiciously happy after xyz event. Characters suspect them, but turns out they’re just having a personal issue. (People have lives outside of yours MC smh). Or it could be a cover-up. 

6. A Misleading Alibi

At first this character’s alibi seems perfect but once the protag digs into it, it has a major hole/lie. Maybe they were in a different location or the person they claimed to be with was out of town. 

7. The Odd Pattern

Have a seemingly significant pattern—symbols left at crime scenes, items stolen in a specific order, crimes on specific dates. Then make it deliberately planted to mislead.

8. The Misinterpreted Relationship

A character was secretly close to a victim/suspect, making them a suspect. Turns out they were hiding a completely unrelated secret; an affair, hidden family connection, etc.

9. A Forgotten Grudge

Create a grudge or past feud and use it to cast suspicion on an innocent character. Introducing an aspect of their past also helps flesh out their character and dynamics as a group + plant distrust. 

10. The Faked Death

Luke Castellan, need I say more (I will)? A supposedly innocent character dies, but turns out they faked it and were never a victim in the first place. They just needed to be out of the picture. 

11. The Mistaken Eavesdropper 

A character overhears a threat, argument, etc. They suspect B based on this convo, but turns out they just came to a false conclusion. (Or did they?)

12. The Forgetful Alibi 

Someone confesses to hearing/seeing a clue, but turns out they were mistaken. Maybe they thought they heard a certain ringtone, or saw xyz which C always wears, but their memory was faulty or influenced by stress.

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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[daviddcorenswet]

I need to talk about if we were villains by m.l. rio— as a former theatre major, the way that she wrote that freaking book just SPEAKS to me. I felt like I was back in those theatre classes. specifically, I had a bit of a moment reading page 40, when oliver talks about second and third year movement courses; it’s a bit of an inside joke between my friends and I that I had to take a clown class and prance around like an animal, and oliver talks about how they had to learn about clowning and animal work. I knew every single one of those characters. they are THEATRE KIDS to the bone. (not to mention the eccentric and questionable methods of theatre professors, which rio captures perfectly, and the fact that shakespeare theatre kids are fully a complete subset of their own.) the accuracy of this novel and the love and care with which she wrote it astounds me, as well as the love and care that she displayed for shakespeare’s texts. you can 1000000% tell that she has a masters in shakespeare just from reading the first few pages. there really aren’t enough words to describe how much I love this book, and I will SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS until the end of my days!!!!!!

[spicymancer]

If the Actirangers are the Five Man Band trope, what roles would they all fill? Obviously Blue is the Big Guy, and I feel like Grey is the Lancer. (Haha) But who would everyone else be?

(If you don’t know what I’m talking about, much apologies and I highly recommend Overly Sarcastic Productions’ video on the five man band)

"You merely adopted the TVTropes; I was born in it, molded by it...!"

*cough* Sorry yes, I am familiar! The Actirangers obviously follow the Super Sentai / Power Rangers archetypes but if we were to slot them into classic tropes:

Red: Leader Red is probably the simplest member of the gang and the one who most reflects his archetypical role as the Paragon, generically good heroic guy. A Captain America-esque baseball captain figure in the team. I should probably flesh him out more tbh. Green: Lancer (loyal) / Smart Guy Green is Red's second in command, and she's more sardonic in contrast to Red's earnest character. Green is heavily inspired by Garrus from Mass Effect and Zoe from Firefly. A steady, focused and competent lieutenant. Blue: Big Guy / The Heart Blue is leaning more into the gentle-giant style big guy, befitting a Hockey Goalie. Probably no small amount of Grin from The Mighty Ducks cartoon and Broadway from Gargoyles. I think he's the kind of person who's often underestimated. His kindness makes people assume he's foolish, and his gentleness makes people assume he's soft. And he can be a soft fool, it's only when he wants to be.

Pink: Lancer (foil) / Token Evil Teammate Pink is probably the character I center most of my own mental energy around. "Token Evil Teammate" is probably a little excessive, but she's probably the Ranger who's most willing to fight hard and is the meanest of the group in general. She's rich, angry, and working on it. She's the sort of person who struggles with loneliness even when surrounded by people who care about her due to her own self-isolating mental baggage. Her story (insofar as the Actirangers have a story) is about working through that. Yellow: Plucky Comic Relief / The Heart Yellow is just having a good time. She's the sort of friend who doesn't really occupy a specific role in the group but is happy to support anything that needs doing. She isn't the type to worry overmuch about the future and firmly believes everything will work out.

Gray is obviously the Sixth Ranger, and as of yet isn't really part of the core band. He's the resident angsty boy of the cast. Shadow the Hedgehog, Prince Zuko, etc. A little overdramatic and a little bit of an edgelord but please forgive him, he's still figuring himself out.

Pawnathan might also count as a Cowardly Sidekick? I dunno he's doing his best.