the-sympathetic-villain

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Masterpost: How to write a story?

Compilation of writing advice for some aspects of the writing process.

How to motivate myself to write more

How to get rid of writer’s block

Basic Overview: How to write a story

How to outline a story

How to come up with plot

How to create a character

How to make a character unique

How to name your characters (Masterpost)

How to start a story

How to write a prologue

How to write conversation

How to write witty banter

How to write the last line

How to write a summary

How to write a book description

How to write romance

How to write friendships

How to write emotions (Masterpost)

How to write an argument

How to write yelling

How to write anger

How to write betrayal

How to title fanfiction

How to write an unreliable narrator

First Person vs. Third Person POV

How to write character deaths

How to use songs in a fanfiction

How to name fictional things

How to write self-insert fics

How to write multiple points of view

Introducing a group of characters

Large cast of characters interacting in one scene

How to write dual timelines

Redemption arc

Plot twists

Fatal Character Flaws

Good Traits Gone Bad (x)

Slow burn

Explanation posts about writing terms

What is…

AU ideas

Favourite tropes

Tropes of the day

List of Genres

Drabble vs. One-Shot

Advice for writing relationships

Masterpost: how to write relationships + romance

More specific scenarios

How to write a bilingual character

How to write a character with glasses

How to write heterochromia

How to create a villain

Reasons for becoming a villain

How to write a morally grey character

How to write an inferiority complex

How to write a road trip

How to create and write a cult

How to write amnesia

How to write being stabbed

How to write a stratocracy

How to write a heist

How to write the mafia

Criminal past comes to light

Ideas for traumatic experiences

How to create an atmosphere (Masterpost)

How to write a college party

How to write royalty (Masterpost)

Paramilitary Forces/ Militia

Superpowers Masterpost (Hero x Villain)

Inconvenient things a ghost could do

A Queen’s Assassination Plot

Crime Story - Detective’s POV

Evil organization of assassins

Evil wins in the end

Causes for the apocalypse

Last day on earth

Liminal Spaces

Workplace AUs

Signs of co-dependency

What to wear in a desert

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

[the-sympathetic-villain]

if you could, would you get a cat today?

yes / no

if you already have a cat, then would you get another one

[the-sympathetic-villain]

WHAT KINDA CAT ARE YOUR MUTUALS

I REALLY WANNA SIT HERE AMD GO THROUGH TAGGING EVERYONE BUT I HAVE TO GO TO BED NOW SO I’LL DO SO TOMORROW!!!

[the-sympathetic-villain]

WHAT KINDA CAT ARE YOUR MUTUALS

I REALLY WANNA SIT HERE AMD GO THROUGH TAGGING EVERYONE BUT I HAVE TO GO TO BED NOW SO I’LL DO SO TOMORROW!!!

[the-sympathetic-villain]

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Tetris is getting a fandom after literally 40 years.

Explain yourself.

[the-sympathetic-villain]

How many musical instruments do you play (to any degree of competence)

None

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

More than ten

[the-sympathetic-villain]

yo for the record if you put something in my inbox and i never respond it’s not that i didn’t like it or read it it’s that i very very often see messages and go ‘oh i should respond to that’ and then i fucking forget until it’s like. been enough time to be weird

[the-sympathetic-villain]

You are a villain famous for “killing” heroes. In reality, heroes come to you to fake their deaths.

[the-sympathetic-villain]

A Simple Kidnapping

Hello Hello I love your fanfictions and I would like to ask you if you could do a fan fiction about Virgel fighting with everyone and before it's got result he got kidnapped. I just love Virgil he's my baby - anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: kidnapping

Pairings: none

Word Count: 2610

Fights in the Mindscape can be...bad. Bad enough that certain Sides take refuge in the Imagination afterwards. Virgil, however, is not one of the Sides that can shape the Imagination as effectively, and as such blunders into quite the troublesome situation.

"Let's get this burlap off you, must be quite itchy, no?"

Hands tug at the burlap sack over his head, carefully lifting it off. He blinks at the sudden brightness of candlelight as it rustles away. Another blink and a face looms in front of him. His eyes take a moment to adjust.

"Huh," the pirate captain says, tilting their head to the side, "you've got quite a nice face under there."

Virgil swallows, opening his mouth to speak when the captain raises their hand.

"Hush, hush, hush, come now," they say, petting him almost like a dog, "you don't want to make a racket, now, do you? You'll wake up the whole crew and believe me, you don't want that."

No. No, he didn't.

"There, see? That's much better. Now, all you need to do is stay quiet, alright?" They take a seat on the edge of their desk. "Otherwise, I'd have to gag you and that wouldn't be very nice. Get stains all over my nice fabric, nobody wants that."

Wisely, Virgil keeps his mouth shut. The captain smiles.

"There you go. I knew you were one of the smart ones. Unfortunately—" they stand to grab…a length of rope?— "I do refuse to extend the same courtesy to your limbs as I do to your tongue. You're one of the sneaky ones, aren't you?"

They begin to wrap the rope around Virgil's arms and legs. He stifles a sharp inhale. This is fine. This is…fine.

"The moment I take my eyes off you, you'll be gone in a blink, so…" They tie a knot and tug on it lightly. "Not too tight?"

He's shaking his head before he realizes it.

"Good."

Virgil glances around the room. It's a—is he on a ship, still? It looks like a cabin—but he's still in dock, aren't they? The ship was preparing to leave when he—

Oh, fuck, Princey's gonna kill me.

Something catches the candlelight and his eyes fix on the very sharp blade tucked into the captain's belt.

"Now, then." The captain settles back against the desk. "Why don't you tell me what you're doing sneaking onto my ship?"

Virgil's eyes narrow and he clenches his jaw. Playing along with the Imagination's characters when he has the safety of Roman or Remus is one thing, but neither of them are here right now and this…feels a little too much like one of Remus's plots for him to risk mouthing off.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, why did I have to run away?

"I know I said I'd gag you if you made too much noise, but I do expect you to talk." When Virgil still says nothing, the captain sighs. "Am I supposed to guess, then?"

They push slightly off the desk, walking a slow circle around the chair.

"You're young," they say quietly, as they settle back against it, "but you've been made to look older. You've not done it yourself, though. Someone's made you look older."

Virgil says nothing.

"You're stubborn, aren't you?" The captain reaches for his hands, brushing fingertips along his. "No calluses, your hands are soft, unworked…"

Their eyes flick up to catch Virgil's.

"Are you running from, or running to?"

With the captain's hand in his, there is no way to disguise the flinching twitch of his fingers.

"From, then." The captain lets him go, folding their arms. "What would someone like you have to run from?"

Words rise to the tip of his tongue and he swallows them back just in time, his lips curling into a snarl. It sounds too close to Janus scoffing that he was being paranoid again, Patton saying he was making a big deal out of nothing, kiddo. The captain quirks an eyebrow.

"Mm, sore spot, is it?" They lean down, hands on Virgil's knees, until they're almost nose to nose with him. "You've grown up sheltered. A life of safety, never having to work for what you want. What on earth could happen to make someone like you want to run?"

"You're not exactly being fair to the rest of us, Virgil. We've got things to worry about too, you can't monopolize being the only one worried about things."

"Yeah, it's not like you're the only one who goes through this. You have to let us be upset too."

A hand flashes up too quick, no—

The captain pauses. Virgil bites back a curse at how obviously he just flinched as the hand nears his face. Slowly, very slowly, the hand tips his head to the side. A finger presses lightly over the still-throbbing wound at his temple, just barely closed over.

"I didn't do that," the captain mutters, almost too quiet to hear, before the finger moves to tilt his chin back up. Virgil refuses to meet their gaze. They let out a sigh, their voice softening just the slightest amount. "You've gotten yourself into quite the mess, haven't you, little stowaway?"

"What're you going to do with me?"

"It speaks," they murmur, "where did you come from?"

Virgil snaps his head up to glare at them. The captain raises their hands in surrender and moves back to lean against the desk again.

"Feisty little stowaway, aren't you?" They shrug. "So where will you go, then? You're not going much of anywhere right now."

They indicate the ropes.

"What was your plan, little stowaway? It can't have been to get caught so easily."

No. No, it had not. And for a moment, Virgil's mind fills with the possibilities of what could happen, of what happens to unsuspecting and foolish people in these types of stories who wander too far into the docks and stumble into the path of the wrong ship. Of horror stories and missing victims and waves that churn a little too easily for it to just be fish.

Then he remembers that this is the Imagination, and if anything actually bad were to happen to him, the twins would know about it instantly.

Then he remembers he's been kidnapped and there's been absolutely no sign of them.

The captain's been watching him with an inscrutable expression. Virgil tenses, taking stock of his body. No other injuries past what he already knew about, the rope's pretty sturdy but there's a good chance the chair isn't. That dagger looks really sharp.

"Oh, little stowaway," the captain sighs after a moment, "what will we do with you?"

His eyes don't leave the dagger.

The captain sighs again, before carefully removing the dagger from their belt and placing it on the other side of the desk.

…wait, what?

"I'm not going to hurt you," the captain says softly, "look, see? The sharp thing is over there now."

You don't need a sharp thing to hurt someone.

"Hey."

The captain is closer now. When did that happen? Their eyes scan his expression. The wrinkle of their brows seems sincere, as does the curve of their frown.

"I'm not going to hurt you," they say again as their eyes meet, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Virgil's arms flex in the ropes.

"If I untie you, will you try to run?" Virgil doesn't reply. "That's a yes, then. How about this: you stay here, in the chair, as you've been doing so nicely for me, and I'll let your legs go, okay?"

…better than nothing.

"Good. Hold still, alright?"

A very strong part of Virgil is tempted to kick the captain in the head as hard as he can, but that's not the smart option. He needs to be smart now.

"Very good," the captain murmurs as he pulls away, discarding the rope and standing up. "When's the last time you ate?"

Virgil blinks.

"Come on," the captain coaxes, suddenly much more patiently, "it can't have been easy getting here. You must be hungry, aren't you?"

Before he can decide how he wants to answer, his traitor of a stomach answers for him. The captain chuckles, walking over to a drawer and opening it, returning with a roll of bread in their hands.

"Don't be stubborn," they say, still speaking softly, softly, always softly now, as they hold the roll up to his mouth. "It's just bread. Good bread, but just bread."

Virgil warily opens his mouth to take a bite. The captain doesn't move, letting him tear off a piece of the bread.

…of course it has to taste good. Of course it does.

"Easy," comes the low voice as he tries to wolf down the bread in earnest, "I'm not going to take it away from you. You can slow down, don't make yourself sick."

He does manage to slow down, just a little bit. The captain doesn't say anything, just holds the roll still until he can figure out how to rip off the next bite. They place the last bite delicately into his mouth and smile.

"Better?" He nods begrudgingly. "Good. Are you thirsty?"

"Why are you doing this?"

To their credit, the captain only pauses. "Doing what?"

"This." He gestures as best he can. "Food. Drink. Not killing me."

"You make it sounds as if you're complaining."

Shit.

"Hush," they say, softer again, a slight bit of amusement in their voice as they continue to fuss with a bottle, "it's alright, I'm not angry."

"…that's not answer," Virgil prods warily.

"Believe me, I am not thrilled about using up precious rations," they say as they turn back, "but I would be less thrilled if you were to faint from undernourishment or dehydration. I'd be liable to handle your catatonic form and I don't think either of us wants that again."

Virgil's hands twitch slightly as the captain leans against the desk, the bottle finally in the light enough for him to properly identify it as a tankard of…something.

"And, as I said, I'm not going to hurt you."

"What's in that, then?"

"Ale." They take a sip themselves to prove it. "See?"

A hand cups his head and raises the tankard to his lips. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and drinks. The taste is…unfamiliar, but not altogether unpleasant. They keep it there until Virgil pulls away slightly, setting it on the desk.

"Now," they continue, "I may not be one of the captains in that precious upper circle, but I know my way around these parts well enough to recognize someone of the Prince's ilk when I see them."

Virgil tenses. The captain rolls their eyes—fondly? No, surely not—and taps his ankle with the toe of their boot.

"Don't look so frightened, little stowaway, I'm not exactly about to hold you for ransom, I'm not looking to have my ship slashed to timbers. I only mean that you're not exactly inconspicuous here."

"So?"

"So, if you're going to get caught sneaking around, you might want to know that not everyone has as discerning an eye as I do, and some of those pretty trinkets around your neck would have other captains ready to slit it over them."

"If you're aiming for comforting, you're really fucking missing."

The captain lets out a surprised bark of laughter. "Feisty! Where was this earlier? Is a roll of bread and a sip of ale all it takes to reignite that spark in you? I'm not in the habit of comforting stowaways, but I am quite practiced in telling people when they've been remarkably foolish."

Virgil glares at them and they shake their head, still chuckling.

"You're about as intimidating as a kitten, little stowaway, you can save your glares."

"What the hell do you want?"

"You're a fascinating creature," they say, "and I'd hate to see something truly awful happen to you. And I must admit, I am curious as to what could have happened to drive you so far away from the safety of the inland villages."

He bites his tongue. He's not going to spill his guts. He's not. The Imagination may be a great many things, but good at keeping things from Roman and Remus, it isn't. The captain doesn't say anything else for a long moment, before their boot nudges Virgil's ankle again.

"Where did that nasty head wound come from?"

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me, little stowaway."

"I don't know," he repeats, gritting his teeth slightly. "I was running—I don't—I only remember getting to the docks, okay? Then I woke up here."

He raises his head.

"Why do you care?"

"That's not the first time you've asked a question like that. Fishing for a certain answer, are we?" They tilt their head. "Or is the idea that someone cares even a little bit for you so foreign?"

What is it with the Imagination and making weirdly perceptive and insightful characters? Virgil squirms a little under the captain's gaze, which is probably enough of an answer in and of itself. Sure enough, the captain sighs.

"You're a bigger fool than I thought."

"What?"

"If you believe the Prince doesn't care for you, you're a bigger fool than I thought."

He can't stop the mirthless laughter that barks out of his mouth. "What the hell would you know about that?"

The captain opens their mouth to answer when a chorus of shouts and clanging steel comes from outside. They reach forward and undo the bindings on Virgil's wrists, giving him a look just as the door bursts open.

"He's unharmed, mostly," they say as Virgil turns around to see—Roman, standing there, Remus looming threateningly over his shoulder— "there's a head wound we can't account for."

"Virgil? Are you okay?"

"You…you came?"

The captain huffs quietly as Remus growls, Roman putting a hand on his shoulder with such an earnest expression that Virgil's chest starts to ache. "Of course we did, Virgil. We've been looking everywhere for you."

"Did this bitch hurt you?"

"What? No—no—we just talked. They didn't do anything."

The captain looks remarkably calm for someone with Remus's morningstar a little too close to their neck, but Remus only growls threateningly again before scooping Virgil into his arms and marching out of the cabin. The captain makes eye contact with him one last time, gives a small wave, and mouths don't be a fool before the Imagination bends and twists around them—

"I'm so sorry," Roman says as soon as they're back in the more familiar parts of the castle, "I should've—I didn't mean for that to get so out of hand, I'm sorry—"

"Me too," Virgil mumbles, "I didn't…I shouldn't have run."

"Oh, god, Virgil, no, that's not your fault. That isn't your fault at all, I swear."

"Did someone hurt you?" Remus's fingers are gentle as he examines the wound. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I don't remember."

"We're gonna have Lolo look at you anyway. Oh, shit, little spider, I'm so fucking sorry—we didn't mean to gang up on you, it wasn't meant to be like that."

"…yeah." Suddenly, the rush of the argument followed by the oh-shit-I-was-just-kidnapped catches up with him and he all but falls into Roman's arms. "Oh, shit."

"Hey, hey, come here, shadow-ling, we've got you, you're safe now. Come one, let's—let's go get you patched up and then to movie night, okay? You're okay, you're gonna be okay."

As he's shepherded out of the Imagination, he can't help glancing over his shoulder one last time. Perhaps he'll have to track down that captain again once all of this is over.

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash  @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs@el-does-photography@princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv  @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance@whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti@ultrageekygirl@raven1508

[the-sympathetic-villain]

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Once upon a time, in the heart of a dark and rainy night, a creature appeared at an abbey, climbing through a window to into the room where the abbess was writing notes. It was a wretched beast, not quite human but neither did it resemble any animal that the abbess could name. It was dripping wet, with scarred skin and odd patches of thin, sparse fur, long cracked claws that scraped the stone floor, and sharp teeth so haphazardly scattered that it was hard to say whether there were two rows of teeth or one.

"What do you want, creature?" the abbess asked it calmly.

"I want to become a nun", the creature said. And there was no rule in the books that the abbess could remember that would prohibit a strange beast from becoming a nun, if it so desired. So, the beast was accepted into the abbey, and it took to life in the order as naturally as a shepherd dog to herding. She was a meticulous beast, first to wake and rise at dawn, neat and tidy with all tools and tasks she was given, dutiful and devout in all things.

No nun nor novice dared to question the creature's right to be there after the first time the she demonstrated that her teeth are not merely for decoration, and then apologised to the novice who had tried. The beast even graciously offered to mend the habit she had torn. After the incident, she was never bothered again. A handful of other postulants, novices and even a few of the nuns flocked to her, knowing that the creature would not allow anybody to be mistreated in her presence.

Watching the creature wolfishly lope across the abbey courtyard, with her ill-fitting, haphazardly placed cowl flopping as she went, the abbess contemplated the strange being. Despite of her sloppy, haphazard appearance, the beast really did have great potential to become a nun. A being so gentle and friendly could have done well just about anywhere, as would anyone so devout, but what made the creature such a good fit for monastic life was her love of routine. Waking up each morning at the same time, performing the same tasks and duties at the same time, the beast was not only tireless in her work, but actively delighted in regular routines. Which was why the abbey was such a good place for her, and she would one day make an excellent nun.

She was, without a doubt, a creature of habit.

[the-sympathetic-villain]

I mean that literally happened to James in the anime-

-and then I'm pretty sure it literally tries to kill them all.

Hey TC, were you ever one of those people who didn’t care for certain Pokémon, because they seemed weak, or at least until they evolved?

not that I know of, I like catching Magikarp, I think it's cute and I feel bad that people dunk on it for being weak

I actually think Gyarados should have been a friendship evolution lol or maybe the reason it's so aggressive and hard to control is because Magikarp is mistreated

[the-sympathetic-villain]

This. But also... watch it because it's good!

I don't want to spoil anything, but the concept is so unique. If you enjoy cosmic/apocalyptic horror, it's definitely worth the watch!

A little background as to why the Markiplier fandom is panicking about The Edge of Sleep.

So YEARS ago. Mark was in a podcast called The Edge of Sleep, which was adapted into a TV series... Which was never released

Until

Mark made a movie adaptation of a video game, Iron Lung. He's put all his energy into this film, directing, producing, editing, even starring in it. the movie is done, and he's working to get it released in theaters.

We, the public don't know why, but we know that some doors have been locked on the release of Iron Lung, however some big wigs somewhere have promised that if his popularity alone can put Edge of Sleep in the TOP TEN a lot of doors will open for Iron Lung. He wasn't allowed to even say where it would premiere, nor was it advertised AT ALL

So now, Edge of Sleep has shadow dropped on Amazon Prime in the US. Three days BEFORE they even told Mark it would air. In order to get this man's work out in theaters this thing has to get to the top ten by word of mouth alone.

So. Watch Edge of Sleep! It's an apocalyptic horror. There are some mild gore warnings (blood, knife mutilation, brain dissection, self harm). Even if you can play it in the background and let it run just so it gets views thatd be helpful.

Stick it to the Hollywood Bigwigs! Show them YouTubers can have an audience! Open some doors for creative people trying to show their work to a bigger audience!

[the-sympathetic-villain]

So I have read several people complaining that they can't be expected to know the "unwritten rules" of fandom. So here's what I wish people knew:

Fanfiction is fiction.

Fictional people are not real.

Fictional people do not have rights.

Fictional people cannot be abused.

Reading or writing about something does not mean the desire to do or support it in the real world.

If I find art upsetting/triggering/disgusting/outraging/unpleasant/squicky/distressing/offensive, it is on me not to read it, not the creators and hosts to remove it.

Curate your own experience. The back buttons exist for a reason.

If you don't trust yourself to do that, get someone you trust to do it for you.

Fandom is an adult space. Adults create and own and host fandom spaces. If minors want to participate, then the onus is on them and their parents/guardians/trusted adults to ensure they participate appropriately, not on strange adults to stop being adults.

You often don't know the assault status or mental health status or neurotype or race or nationality or religion or gender or sexuality or age of a creator or consumer, and they do not have to disclose to you to justify their fantasy.

AO3 is not a safe space. It is not intended to be a safe space. Proceed accordingly.

Just because you don't like something or find it offensive doesn't mean it is a "problem" that "has to be dealt with".

Most characters in anime are not white.

There is no onus on you to reblog or share anything.

Everyone makes mistakes in fandom and is less than their best self sometimes.

Persistent pseudonyms encourage long term relationships.

Ship wars are stupid.

Someone else enjoying things does not impact on your own enjoyment of other things.

Tagging and warning is a courtesy, not a requirement. Assume any fic might contain untagged content.

Rating is an imprecise art, not a science.

Don't hassle IP creators.

Most people who are in fandom are hoping to make connections based on a shared passion.

Trying to profit from transformative fanworks puts us all at risk.

No one is obligated to share your head canon or fanon.

Being kind rarely fails to pay off.

It is okay to block and remove people who make your experience unpleasant. You don't have to placate them. (Learn from my mistakes).

Britpicking is a good thing.

You don't have to justify why you like a canon/pairing/trope/kink. Sometimes navel gazing is fun, but you don't have an obligation to explain yourself, especially to strangers. I share the overwhelming desire to refute an unfair accusation, but the people accusing you are rarely doing so in good faith, so you're batting a losing wicket.

I'm not your Mum. (Well, okay, a very few of you can call me Mum or Mom, but if you are one of them you already know who you are ❤️)

If you aren't mature enough to take responsibility for your online experiences, you aren't mature enough to be in fandom spaces.

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Oh btw Yzma is a golden example of a likeable non sympathetic villain. The audience knows she is totally evil and pretty much un redeemable but the writers and character designers did such an excellent job of making her so likeable and visually appealing A fucking plus

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Janus normally: Fuck capitalism. It's a rigged system that keeps the underprivileged poor and isn't fair. You shouldn't have to work three jobs to afford basic necessities.

Janus, playing monopoly: Sorry, if you wanted to win you should have tried not being poor.