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Chatterbox: Crowd Sorcery
Villain
Villain
Note: You have until Monday, July 7, to create a villain in time for voting. Go here to see the schedule.
One of the most effective ways to be sure a story will have conflict that keeps readers breathlessly turning pages is to introduce a villain—someone whose goals collide head-on with the main character’s goals. We fantasy readers can all think of unforgettable villains from our favorite stories, those scary or relentless opponents that make life so difficult for the hero or heroine.
Villains need more than special magical powers to become so memorable that they haunt our imaginations; they also need as much personality and feeling as the hero. In actual life, almost no one ever sets out to become a villain. Perhaps your villain is desperate to protect her homeland, or family, or dragon. Perhaps the villain’s very life is at stake. There must always be a why, a solid reason behind the evil the villain does so that it makes sense—at least to him or her.
Usually the plot will unfold if you can figure out the relationship of the villain to the main character and what the villain wants. For instance, in thinking about Quill, my heroine who comes out only in moonlight, I might wonder who cast the original spell on her grandmother and why. I’ll imagine it was a monstrous spirit-witch, Gershardt, who lives in a cavern beneath a pool in the forest. Gershardt’s spells can steal someone’s daytime essence, enabling her to take on a human form, leave the pool, and walk about in the world of mortals. But her spell fades over time so she is trying to steal Quill’s nighttime essence, too—although that would make Quill vanish forever.
In my example the stakes are high: the villain wants to continue living in the physical world, and so does the main character—whichever of them loses will disappear!
I might write for my Crowd Sorcery Sentences: “Gnarled hands rose from the water and gripped a tree root, followed by bony arms and a streaming tangle of white hair. Old Gershardt crept from the pool and stood dripping and frosty in the moonlight, blinking into the shadows with her pale blue eyes, chuckling through her toothless mouth.”
When I write, I try to keep in mind that, from the villain’s point of view, he or she is the true main character of the story, and it is the hero or heroine that is in the way.
- 1. Name
- 2. Physical appearance
- 3. Background
- 4. Lair (Hut? Castle? Cave? Ship?)
- 5. What is the villain’s goal?
- 6. Attitude toward hero
- 7. How is the villain stronger than the hero?
- 8. How is the villain weak or vulnerable?
- 9. Why are the main character and the villain in conflict with each other?
- 10. Your Crowd Sorcery Sentence(s)
submitted by Fred Durbin
(April 23, 2014 - 11:54 am)
(April 23, 2014 - 11:54 am)
1. Saiveth (SAH-ee-veh-th)
2. Tall, usually cloaked, white, sleek and combed hair with a widow's peak, right hand replaced with hook, old but intimidating face, unusually orange eyes.
3. Saiveth claims that Fables mother stole his hand, hence his hook. On the other hand, (no pun intended) Saiveth didn't know Fable was born, and Fable didn't know Saiveth existed, until the both meet each other by chance.
4. Saiveth lives in Havoc Manor, the Mansion where his parents raised him until they died of old age. Over the years, Havoc Manor has grown to match Saiveth's personality: Dark, dreary, and scary.
5. Saiveth mainly wants to get revenge on Fable's mother, and all the other people whole took something from him. Later on, he also gains interest of Fable's power.
6. He doesn't hate Fable as much as her mother, and admires her abilities once they are revealed to him. But when she gets in the way of his plans, Saiveth wouldn't hesitate to destroy her.
7. Saiveth is obviously older then Fable, and may have more experience with certain things. And although he doesn't have her power, he does know some sorcery, and also has her smarts.
8. When somebody steals something from him, he goes totally beserk. Although this state may be more dangerous then his normal one, it is by far more vunerable.
9. Saiveth is focused on vengeance, and doesn't like anybody getting in the way of that. But Fable doesn't want to lose a lot of people, especially her mother, who might save her from the prophecy.
10. "Where is she?" Saiveth kicked a chair into the wall of his room, shattering it to splinters. "I need to find that woman!" A stool was blasted into kindling as well. The master bedroom of his mansion was turning into a woodshed. Saiveth, finally exhausted, collapsed on one of the few remaining things in his room, his bed. He banged his fist on his white-haired head. "Think! I have to find her! But how?" He sighed. "And it's not just her. They've taken Everything. My hand, my wand..." Suddenly, his eyes widened. "That's it! My wand!" Saiveth got up, wrapped himself in his black cloak, and ran out of sight down the long corridor of Havoc Manor.
(July 6, 2014 - 4:35 pm)
(July 6, 2014 - 7:10 pm)
Name: Raven Jade
Physical appearance: The tips of her elf ears poke out from her long, flowing, dark hair. She has dark, mysterious eyes and a wicked smile. She always wears long, black dresses with flowing sleeves where she keeps her small magical items. Basically, very dark.
Background: Daughter of the king and queen of the elves, who left her in the forest to die because they wanted a son for an heir to the throne. She managed to survive on plants and what meat she could find. Years later, she murdered her parents and appointed a new king and queen that were under her control. She also made herself their head sorceress, learning magic from books she took from her parents' private library.
Lair: A cave deep beneath the castle with a secret entrance in the castle dungeons. This cave holds all of Raven's magical items and secret spells.
Goal: To take away the powers of everyone in the realm, so that she will be the most powerful and can never be hurt again.
Attitude toward hero: Raven plots against the hero every waking minute. The hero is the cause of much distress for Raven.
How she is stronger than the hero: She has the collected powers of everyone in the realm, while the hero has only one.
Weakness: She hates light. Shine a bright light in her face, and she'll cower.
Why she's in conflict with the hero: The hero is the last person she needs to defeat, yet with all of her powers, the hero prevails.
Crowd Sorcery sentences: Raven dashed down the stairs to her spell books. There had to be something she could use against *****! With all her power, there must be something! And when she found it, she would finally accomplish her lifelong task. Then no one could ever hurt her again. Never.
(*****=the hero)
(July 6, 2014 - 7:17 pm)
Btw, the hero is supposed to be Fable, I just didn't know I was allowed to put that in.
(July 6, 2014 - 8:15 pm)
Hey, everyone! Please consider my entry:
Name: Derek Nightshade.
Appearance: He is completely bald, rather tall, and has milky white eyes because he is blind. Because of this, he carries a magic cane with a helpful talking skull (who can provide comic relief) on the end of it everywhere he goes.
Backround: The reason for his blindness and baldness is because of a fire that started on an old dusty book in his home when he was just a boy. Both of his parents died that day.
Lair: Derek's lair is a big house on the very peak of a mountain. The house, as well as many of his belongings, is made out of stone, because he has had a strong fear of flammable things ever since the day he was blinded and his parents died.
Goal: Derek's goal is to regain his hair and sight. His cane, possessed by evil spirits, told him an ancient prophecy: To gain back his sight and hair, he must find and kill the descendant of the author of the book that caused the lethal fire.
Attitude: Derek's attitude toward the hero is deep hatred. He does not know the hero personally, but is desperate to regain his sight and hair, and is blinded by the prophecy. It would be useful if the hero was somehow related to books or writing.
Strenghth: Derek is stronger than the hero because of his cane, which can guide him to do terrible but incredible things.
Weaknesses: Derek is weak because of his blindness and ridiculous fear of fire.
Conflict: The hero is in conflict with Derek because he\she cannot let the prophecy happen. If it comes true, not only will the hero die, but Derek will become so powerful that he will have the ability to conquer the world!
Sentences: The cold stone floor of Derek's eerie house was almost enough to drive any traveler off the mountain. The footsteps of the old man could be heard tromping across it for miles across the land. Foolish villagers had created legends about it, saying there were dragons or ugly trolls atop the mountain, but wiser and more experienced villagers knew the truth; that dangerous mountain had only one inhabitant; a blind old man with a dangerous cane. He had been perched on that mountain like a curse upon the village for what seemed like forever. Ever since that one little house in the village square had burned to the ground many years ago...
(July 6, 2014 - 7:57 pm)
Lupis
He is a Werewolf. His human form has pale skin, slicked back black hair with streaks of red through it. His wolfy form is a humanoid silver coated wolf with glowing red eyes and a coll black cape.
No one knows where he came from or wy he's evil, he's just EVIL!!!!!
He lives in a creepy foggy forest with a army of wolves. He resides in a cave.
His goal is to turn the world to eternal night.
He dosn't really know her she's just in the way.
He has superhuman strength, dark magic and an army of wolves at his disposal.
He is weakened by daylight or any bright lights, other than that......NOTHING!!!
Cause normal people like the sun.
(July 6, 2014 - 8:59 pm)
Hey! It's me, Sophie... First time on Chatterbox! I LOVELoveLOVE Cricket magazine... I first got Spider for my birthday, then started getting Cricket (my brother reads Spider now). Here's my entry:
Name: Sylvia of Aysrim
Appearance: White-blond hair, blue and silver dress, piercing eyes, no legs:)
Backround: Sylvia's mother was a ghost, so she has no legs. She floats around on a kind of blue mist and is avoided by everyone. She has a locket that when she opens it, she is transported to her special place, a touch that can take your memory, and her stare can suck your soul from your very body. Sylvia thinks that if she gathers enough souls and memories, takes them to her mother's grave (though she does not know where it is), and recites the incantation she carries in her locket at ALL times, she will turn human.
Lair: Her magic locket/special place
Goal: Her goal is to gather enough souls and memories to (somehow) turn her human.
Attitude Towards Hero(ine): Sylvia hates (and is a little bit jealous of) Fable, because Fable won't/cant turn her human with her writing ability, and Fable can write and she can't.
Strenght over Hero(ine): Sylvia is stronger than Fable because she can fly (which she hates to show) and because she can change what Fable writes to anything but to change her fate, but she cannot write her own name.
Conflict Reason: Sylvia and Fable are in conflict because they are connected in a way they don't understand, and because Sylvia wants Fable to rewrite her fate, yet doesn't realize that Fable can't.
Weakness: Sylvia cannot write, and she is connected to Fable through her locket.
Sentences:
As Sylvia stared at the now frozen little boy and saw his soul begin to rise up from his pale and stiff body, she knew that she was supposed to feel satisfied, but strangley, she didn't. Instead she felt as if someone was..."Fable! What a lovely suprise," Sylvia said as she turned to face her friend turned enemy. Meanwhile, the boy unfroze and ran, crying, to his mother. "What is it with you lately? You know it's not nice to sneak up on your friends!" Sylvia smirked as she said this, because one week ago, she and Fable had been friends, but then...Fable caught Sylvia using her power, and it went downhill from there."And you know it's not nice to scare little boys," Fable replied cooly. "Aww, come on. I was only playing with him!" Sylvia teased. "Mmm-hmm. That's exactly what you said when.." Fable shuddered. "When I...When I...""When you...When you what?" Sylvia mocked Fable, even though she, too, hated talking, or even thinking, about their fight. "When I caught you, you know, doing your thing. The thing with the locket."
(July 6, 2014 - 9:37 pm)
Ok, heres my villain idea...Hope you all like it!
1. Name: Gavin Squall
2. Physical appearance: He has raven-black hair, and lost, ash-blue eyes. His clothes consist of a violet cape, tan-white shirt (ripped at the sleeves) straw yellow pants (kind of like a scarecrow) and brown boots.
3. Background: He was considered an dark child, and no-one dared look at him, except for Schell Pottenhapper.
4. Lair: An abandoned, burnt house
5. What is the villains goal?: To heal Schell, who is fatally ill
6. Attitude toward Fable: He doesn't blame her for going against his darkness. His darkness is furious with Fable though...
7. How is the villain stronger than Fable?: He isn't too much more powerful, but he can heal people, at the cost of his life force. His darkness has a staff that can steal others life force, however
8. How is the villain weak/vulnerable?: He can't control his darkness, and his healing power costs him his life force; which is almost gone completely
9. Why are Fable and the villain in conflict with each other?: His darkness is, not really him, but he doesn't blame Fable, for he is mad with himself as well
10. Your Crowd Scorcery Sentence(s):
He was circling the burnt house, thinking deeply. He can't lose it this time. He has to try. The darkness in his heart cannot be unleashed again. Never. As he snapped out of his thoughts, he found himself walking towards the nearest town. 'I need to find someone, who can stop this. This can't happen anymore, or the world would go to ruin.' As he thought this, a piercing screech resonated through the air. 'No! It can't! Stop!' His head pounded. It was getting closer. He looked up, and there it was. It had found him.
(July 6, 2014 - 10:59 pm)
Admins, please put my villain idea up for the voting. Thanks and see you guys!
(July 7, 2014 - 9:19 pm)
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1. Name: Gorf (frog backwards)
2. Physical appearance: Gorf has this uncanny resemblance to the frogs at the pond by “lost prince castle”. Of course he has normal, human shaped arms and legs and a human-like head. He also looks a little like the lost prince, although it’s hard to tell under the mud and weeds that cake his clothes, skin and face.
3. Background: Gorf the frog was just minding his business, when a young witch who was training to be an old witch called out to a handsome prince who was strolling by with his girlfriend. The witch switched Gorf’s body with the prince’s. Now, Gorf swims and splashes around in the pond as if he is still a frog. The prince confuses the other frogs by going on about how he is actually a prince. The people seem to have forgotten that the prince really existed as a human, and they refer to the story as a legend and use it to scare small children. “You better eat all of your vegetables or the lost prince will get you!”
4. Lair: Gorf lives in the swamp near “lost prince castle”.
5. What is the villain’s goal?: Gorf’s greatest wish is to be a frog again, so that he can jump far again, splash around happily and eat flies with pleasure, instead of misery. He would stop at nothing to achieve his goal.
6. Attitude toward hero: Confused at her human ways, jealous that he doesn’t have her powers
7. How is the villain stronger than the hero?: He understands swimming strokes that humans don’t know about, and has very strong legs from all of the hopping he did, which enabled him run long distances and run very quickly. He also can understand frog’s languages, which can teach him more about Fable Thatcher, who the frogs enjoy gossiping about.
8. How is the villain weak or vulnerable?: Gort has almost no understanding for human customs, which can get him into tricky situations. Although he knows how to talk, because the prince knew how, he often chooses the wrong words and gets others angry or annoyed at the wrong times.
9. Why are the main character and the villain in conflict with each other?: Gorf wants Fable Thatcher to write that he is a frog, so he can be a frog again and forget about revenge and craziness and his longing to be a frog.
10. Your Crowd Sorcery Sentence(s): Fable Thatcher had never really been afraid of Gorf. She stayed clear of him for sure, he was some crazy weirdo, but he never seemed dangerous. But now Gorf wanted her to test her powers in a way that she was scared to do. He asked reasonably, with a kind voice, although she had seen something behind his neutral expression. Years of anger and sadness boiling together, something even Fable Thatcher, the worlds greatest writer could not describe. It terrified her, and she knew that if she made a mistake trying to help him, he would never forget. But she didn’t want to help, she was too afraid of what her powers would do.
(July 7, 2014 - 12:08 am)
Hey guys, please vote for Sylvia. i was gonna make her the hero, but i was DEVASTATED when i learned that time was up. i am glad that Fable won, though!
Anyways, i decided that Sylvia made a better villian than sidekick, so anyways...
Sylvia says:
"Vote for me, or else, I will take your soul"
(July 7, 2014 - 6:28 am)
Name:Darkboy Dragonbender, Appearence: Muscular, usaully wearing a black jumpsuit.
Backround:Was created by Fable during her earliest story. Was plunged into a world of misery.
Goal: To destroy Fable before she was even born, therefore erasing himself.
Attitude twords Heroine (Fable): Absulutley horrible.
The villian is strong and Fable only let hiom have 1 weekness
The villan's weekness is the football of starry nights.
My sentance is: He was created by Fable as a strongman wanting to commit suicide. Only one thing will let him, the football of starry nights.Unknown by him, Darkboy seeks to go back in time and destroy Fable before she was ever born, thereby erasing all her stories and commiting suicide.
Darkboy Dragonbender
(July 7, 2014 - 7:19 am)
Name:Darkboy Dragonbender
Appearence: Muscular, usaully wearing a black jumpsuit.
Backround:Was created by Fable during her earliest story. Was plunged into a world of misery.
Lair: A magicly transformed hut. Outside is superssmall, inside is gigantic.
Goal: To destroy Fable before she was even born, therefore erasing himself.
Attitude twords Heroine (Fable): Absulutley horrible.
The villian is strong and Fable only let hiom have 1 weekness
The villan's weekness is the football of starry nights.
They are in conflict because Darkboy was created be Fable to never be happy.
My sentance is
He was created by Fable as a strongman wanting to commit suicide. Only one thing will let him, the football of starry nights.Unknown by him, Darkboy seeks to go back in time and destroy Fable before she was ever born, thereby erasing all her stories and commiting suicide.
(July 7, 2014 - 7:21 am)
Take a look at my villain, Saiveth! You'll find him on page 9.
Also, check out my sidekick, Lirdof!
Please vote for both of them! Thx!
(July 7, 2014 - 8:58 am)
name: Vlamina
apperance: black long wavy hair, large pointy ears, wears a sleeveless black dress with dark blue gems at the top, dark blue eyes, dark red lips, claws, long teeth.
backround: She used to be a nice princess named Vara. she had an older sister, and they were compeating for the throne. Their mother got very sick. Vara's older sister, Larca cared for her. Vara wanted to be queen so badly she killed her mother and blamed it on her sister. She did this by poisoning a drink and giving it to Larca. She said, "It's for Mother, to get well." After Vara proved to be guilty, Larca became queen and Vara changed her name to Vlamina. She has been honouring the evil spirits ever since.
lair: Vlamina lives in the dark woods. There is a large oak tree with very big roots. in these roots there is a gap just big enough to crawl through. When you go in there is only the light of a dimly lit torch. In front of you there will be a tunnel leading to a room. In the room there is only a torch and a cat. This cat is Zoesa, Vlamina's evil guardian of her 'house'.
the villans goal: to get her crown back.
how she is strong: She has powers to destroy, and can camoflage into her surroundings.
how she is weak: She'll do almost anything to become queen.
how she's in conflict with arajhan: Arajhan is protecting queen Jhena and Vlamina knows that without protection jhena is vulnerable to her tricks.
(July 7, 2014 - 12:33 pm)