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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)
(April 23, 2014 - 11:54 am)
And I apologize for the wrong formatting in my entry, as I copied and pasted my form, the line breaks are all funky-wunky and I don't know why. Admins, if you could somehow fix that it would be cool.
I think I fixed it! I'm very proud of myself for figuring out how to do it without bothering our webmaster!
Admin
(July 6, 2014 - 8:42 am)
I haven't read any of these yet, but what about a villian...that's created by Fable? I don't know that's just a thought...
(July 6, 2014 - 9:23 am)
Oh, that's so cool! Yeah! I think you're where I am : a Good Idea Place. You should type that up. Congrats on making the best main character ever. ;D
Don't u agree?
(July 8, 2014 - 6:22 pm)
I think that is awesome idea! You rock!
P.S. So, are you going to create him/her? Becuase I would vote for a villain like that!.
Emily
(July 11, 2014 - 8:12 am)
Name
Alecto
Physical appearance
Alecto is fairly unremarkable-looking, with
mousy brown, shoulder-length hair, and light brown eyes, and of average size. She is 18 years old.
Background
Alecto, a mage, found her dagger, Stormtip,
in the crook of a tree outside her house one morning. Her parents had just been murdered by an evil
mage, and her anger and sadness summoned the knife. As soon as she saw Stormtip, Alecto knew
exactly what it did. She just knew.
Alecto was so sad and hurt that she decided to strip every other mage of
their powers and transfer them to herself, so Alecto could become the most
powerful mage in the world.
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA… So her first
victim was the mage who killed her parents; she took his powers, which killed
him. Now she seeks others…
(A note on mages and things: Stormtip is
entirely made of a red gemstone called Kyanon, the only one of its kind. A mage’s power lies in his/her eyes, so if
Stormtip makes contact with one or both of a mage’s eyes, his/her power is
sucked out through the Kyanon, then into whoever is holding Stormtip. This kills the mage. Anyone with a magical ability is a mage. The more unique a mage’s ability, the more
unique their eyes. *Fable*)
Lair (Hut? Castle? Cave? Ship?)
Alecto’s born ability is to control water, so
her natural lair is a ship. It is called
the Integrity.
What is the villain’s goal?
Alecto wants to strip all other mages of
their powers and become the most powerful mage in the world.
Attitude toward hero
Anger and annoyance; Fable is the only mage
who powers she has not taken on the first try.
How is the villain stronger than the hero?
Alecto is already quite powerful from the
abilities she has stolen. She can also steal
a mage’s power fairly easily.
How is the villain weak or vulnerable?
Alecto is too crazed and power-hungry, she
does not always know what power she has stolen before she steals it, and she
underestimates people.
Why are the main character and the villain in
conflict with each other?
Alecto wants to strip all mages (including Fable)
of their powers; Fable doesn’t want her—or anyone else’s—powers stolen.
Your Crowd Sorcery Sentence(s)
The mage didn’t know what exactly woke
her. Was it a cool breeze floating
across her face from the door being opened?
Was it the slight creak of the floorboards as a shadowy figure glided across
them, with seemingly no qualms about walking in the dark? Either way, she woke.
Alecto flicked on the light and pinned the
mage down in her bed. She started to
gasp, but Alecto slapped her hand over her mouth.
“I need to know two things,” Alecto told the
frightened mage. “If you do not tell me,
or you lie to me, I will have to kill you.”
She brandished Stormtip. “First,
what is your power? I know you’re a
mage, so don’t lie. Second, who is the
nearest mage, besides you?” Alecto
removed her hand from the mage’s mouth so she could answer.
“I am invulnerable to fire,” the mage
started.
“And?” Alecto pressed Stormtip into the mage’s
neck. Let her think it’s a regular knife, she thought.
“And I can’t tell you who the nearest mage
is. I don’t know,” she said defiantly.
“I know you’re lying. Tell me.”
Stormtip was pressed deeper. The
mage could scarcely breathe.
“Above the bakery downtown.” She opened her mouth to scream, but Alecto
brought her hand down again.
“You’re a clever woman,” Alecto whispered. “Too bad you have to die.”
The mage’s face registered shock and
confusion. Her eyes opened wide, and in
one quick motion, Alecto tapped Stormtip’s tip on each of them. The mage felt her power, her life force,
slipping away, just as Alecto was growing stronger. Alecto loved that warm feeling she got when a
new ability entered her. The woman collapsed,
dead.
Alecto left the dead mage’s cottage and headed
to the bakery.
(July 6, 2014 - 11:10 am)
I edited Lycan a bit. Here he is!
1. Lycan
2. He is a werewolf. In human form he has deep black hair and
explosively green eyes he wears black peasant's garb and an eyepatch. He is shockingly handsome. In wolf form he is a
huge black timberwolf.
3. Born a werewolf, he must murder and consume people to keep himself
immortal. He has no conscience because of this and lusts for Fable's blood. Why? Fable's father was a Celestial being. Fable's father fought Lycan and put out his eye made with the purest silver, spun by the spiders of Argentum. If he can find Fable, her blood's magical properties will restore his eye.
4. He's a wanderer. He leaves after killing a few people and satisfying his hunger.He is also trying to track Fable.
5. To feast upon the blood of the hero, which has magical properties that will restore his eye.
6. See numbers 5 and 3
7. He's a cunning, charming man -who could easily tear you limb from limb if he wanted.
8. He is madly obsessed with killing the hero.
9. See numbers 8, 5 and 3.
10.
The milkmaid clutched the bucket of milk as she walked along the path
home. It was the night of the full moon, and it was making her nervous.
She shuddered and quickened her pace. What was that? She sloshed some
milk in terror, not caring about her soaked boots.
"Hello?"
What was that? WHAT WAS THAT? She started to breathe rapidly. Calm down. Don't scream. Don't--
A hand grabbed her shoulder.
"AAAAAH!"
She whirled around to see the smiling face of a young man.
"Lycan!" she yelp-laughed, "what are you doing out here? I'm glad you're here. I thought it was a bear! I picked the right night to be outside--"
"No. You didn't."
"What do--"
Far away in the farmhouse that she had been traveling to, no one heard
the milk bucket hit the ground. No one heard the tiny, terrified scream
that stopped in exactly three seconds. And no one, absolutely no one,
heard Lycan's high, cruel laugh.
(July 6, 2014 - 1:28 pm)
Sorry! fable's father put out Lycan's eye with a knife made of the purest silver spun by the spiders of Argentum.
(July 9, 2014 - 8:55 am)
Enjoy! :)
1. Name:
Mason Smith
2. Physical appearance:
Average height, muscular, blunt-cut dark brown hair, looks to be about 30 years old. He has mysterious deep blue eyes that seem to capture your attention right away and hold you there, and unusually long and dark lashes for a boy. He was born missing 3 toes on his left foot. Wears ragged work pants, T-shirts, and worn out old boots.
3. Background:
He was born Mason Graham Smith, an ordinary, everyday name to go with ordinary, everyday features...except for his eyes. Deeper than any natural human being's, his parents were curious and a little frightened as to why his eyes were so... Different.
Mason was born into a very poor family, and he had always longed for power, to be special, different,and to conquer his fears. Mason always wanted to be the best of the best. He did not want to grow up from a poor merchant little boy to a poor little merchant man. He longed for prosperity. He always knew, inside, that there was something special about him. But there wasn't, except for one thing...Mason had a power that over the years he has learned to control: anything he reads, even in his head, comes to life. At first, when he was very young, he had absolutely no control over the fact that the Cat in the Hat frequently showed up at their patched, worn down front door, a little old lady whispering "Hush" often appeared out of thin air in his bedroom (that was the size of a utility storage closet) at bedtime, and that Horton the Elephant busted through the south wall of their little house trailing thousands of monkey cousins, his trunk wrapped protectively around a dust speck (Mom and Dad made Mason give 'Horton Hears a Who' away after that). But soon he realized that if he focused hard enough, he could control what the character did once it showed up, even if he was powerless against the fact that they showed up at all.
His mom died when he was 14 years old from Influenza, a disease Mason knew they had cures for in the city, but they could never be able to afford the cures. That was when Mason knew he had to do something, be someone, he could not stand to see his future family die like this, with money being the only reason they were no longer living.
When he turned 28, just as he was finally ready to give up and accept that he would never be anything important, Mason heard of a prophecy that changed his life, changed the way he thought about life, and everything in it... If only he could just find the maker of this prophecy...
4. Lair:
A cavern under the roots of an ancient tree in an old, deserted forest.
5. What is the villain's goal? :
To have money and be able to live the life he has always dreamed of; a big house instead of the tiny shack he was raised in, new clothes instead of the hand-me-downs, hand-me-ups, and hand-me-overs he had become accustomed to as a child, and a car, maybe even two!
With money, he thought, the possibilities are endless.
6. Attitude towards Hero(ine):
Elation, at first, because he thinks he has found the person who will help him rise to fame and power, and he thinks he might have won her over, then frustration and and anger, because she won't help him with his plan and is quite stubborn about it.
7. How is the villain stronger than the hero(ine)? :
Growing up always teetering on the edge of homelessness has made him strong and muscular externally, and he is sly and a very good actor, he can make you believe he is anyone, and that his intentions are totally different from what they are. This is how he tries to get Fable to help him.
8. How is the villain weak or vulnerable? :
He is desperate to be rich, and tends to get edgy and uncomfortable around people who are strong in other ways.
9. Why are the main character and villain in conflict with each other?:
Mason is trying to use his power to become rich and powerful, but Fable doesn't want to go about finding a better life the way Mason is . She is wise enough to know that it will come with many casualties, conflicts, and consequences, something Mason is woefully ignorant of.
10. Your Crowd Sorcery Sentence(s):
Eagerness bubbled up in Mason like the water boiling in his banged-up cooking pot (that he had scavenged from a garage sale when the owner wasn't looking) behind him. He would finally be able to find the maker of the prophecy, the one who shared his dreams, his intentions!
He checked his reflection in the shattered pieces of glass hanging on the wall that he had managed to clumsily put together with superglue to form something that resembled a mirror, but you couldn't exactly call it that. Mason could only see bits of himself at different times; an eye, an ear, the corner of his ragged shirt, but it was enough for the time being. After all, he reminded himself, after you meet the maker of the prophecy, you will both be able to climb higher on the rungs of the ladder of life than ANYONE ever before!
He rubbed his hands together feverishly in the flickering tongues of light the firelight offered, then headed out into the dark, starry night.
(July 6, 2014 - 2:54 pm)
My villain's name would be Vampira, she would have long black hair, big dark eyes, a long hourglass body, and she would have pale skin.
She is the daughter of a poor farmer who worked her to death. She ran away when she was 13. She now thinks that she should be in charge of everyone.
She lives in a castle with her minions. Her goal is to become the queen of the world so she can wheedle out anyone who defies her.
She absolutely hates Fable Thachter and is scared of her because she can change the future at will with her story telling.
She is stronger than Fable because she has an army of followers and is very crafty. She is also very weak because she has no close friends and prefers to work on her own.
Vampira and Fable are in conflict because Fable wants to keep the world a free place.
Vampira turned around and saw that Fable was still waiting for an answer.
(July 6, 2014 - 3:06 pm)
OMG I HAD TO POST THIS BEFORE TIME IS UP. AGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
(July 6, 2014 - 3:26 pm)
Great sense of villiany! Love it
(July 7, 2014 - 4:21 pm)
Thanks ;)
(July 7, 2014 - 4:49 pm)
EXCLAIMER: CRYSTAL DOES NOT CARE SHE HAS POWERS. HE JUST WANTS REVENGE. HE MAY TRY TO MAKE HER WRITE STUFF ABOUT HIS PARENTS COMING BACK (not likely).
(July 7, 2014 - 9:02 pm)
I meant creator...
(July 9, 2014 - 12:58 pm)
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1. 1. Name: Lyirae Fasle
2. 2. Physical appearance:
Appears to be a small girl, her build slight and delicate. Her long, glossy
black hair nearly reaches her ankles and she wears a simple white dress when
hunting. Her face changes with the time of day; in the morning times she looks
like an innocent girl, with soft features and sweet brown eyes. In the evening,
her face disappears and she sets out to hunt.
3. 3. Background: Lyirae
used to live with her mother and father in a small twon by the sea. When she
was about twelve, her mother and father were killed by invading bandits. She
wandered the countryside, alone, until the fairies found her and ‘blessed’ her
with their gifts. She used it well at first, but soon became corrupted and
began the hunt. After the fairies found her, they made her younger to appear to
be about two or three.
4. 4. Lair: She lives in
a small cave on the side of a small mountain.
5. 5. What is the
villain’s goal? Her goal is to capture the face of every race and age of a
human in the world, she hungers of faces.
6. 6. Attitude toward
hero: At first she is indifferent, but soon becomes interested in their face.
She hungers for it and will do anything at all to get it. She also believes
that the hero was involved with bandits and nothing will sway this idea from
her mind.
7. 7. How is the villain
stronger than the hero? Well, you know, she can suck people’s faces off. But
other then that, she has unshakable faith in her goal and is extremely
stubborn.
8. 8. How is the villain
weak or vulnerable? She cannot speak and at night, she is blind but can sense
vibrations in the air.
9. 9. Why are the main
character and the villain in conflict with each other? Reasons stated above.
10.10. Your Crowd Sorcery
Sentence(s)
Lyirae crouched at the
edge of a grassy clearing, sniffing the air. Travelers were on their way.
She crept down into
the middle of the clearing and sat down, burying her blank face in her little
hands and simulating the sound of a child crying.
Soon she heard their footsteps
echoing around the silent wood. They conversed in a language she could not
understand and then one began to approach her, talking in a soothing tone. They
reached the stretch of grass immediately behind her.
She turned quickly,
springing onto the thin girl standing behind her and attaching her hands and
feet onto their clothes.
The job was done in a
matter of seconds and she left the clearing quietly, searching for her next
prey.
(July 6, 2014 - 4:09 pm)