charloft Munday - Villains
1. What makes a good villain, in your opinion?
There is no 100% bad villain, just as there are no 100% good heroes. Either one would be boring as hell and there can be no suspension of disbelief in either case. I like a villain that you can find glimpses of that person's past - why they are the way that they are. When that happens, the reader can almost empathise with that character. It doesn't have to be emo, or overt. Some of the most powerful things can be articulated with a mere glance, a gesture, or just the smallest of nuances. Those kinds of things add to their complexity and makes the villain far more compelling.
2. Do you tend to write more for villains or heroes? I tend to write characters with more villainous qualities than not. In the character's mind, they know exactly what they are doing and why and as Faelyn is fond of saying, and the icon indicates, All is fair in the pursuit of power. Faelyn spent her life living by that creed because of who and what she is. Other characters, such as sheldonsandscia is a sociopathic little bastard. He does what he does and feels not the slightest bit of remorse, except in the very odd instance and with very few people. nomanselizabth does what she does because she is a queen, and as a monarch, unpleasant tasks that guarantee one's survival have to be undertaken. I don't know that any of them really sit around and dream up new and interesting ways to be villainous, however.
3. Who wins more often in your stories, the good guy or the bad guy? It's a toss up. Sometimes one side wins over the other, but everyone is a villain or a hero, depending on your point of view. My stories tend to be about survival and the character going for what he or she wants. Formulaic who wins and who loses scenario rarely enter into the picture.
4. Have you ever written a redeemable / reformed villain? A good guy turned bad? Yes. I wrote a muse from child to adult who was just sweet and cute and she slowly changed into something else that in no way resembled her former self. That was hard, because I really rather liked the inquisitive little girl that was there before she lost her innocence.
5. Are there any themes among your bad guys - do you tend to write zombie stories, fantasy villains, etc?
Again, it is about the redeeming qualities of each villain that my muses interact with. captainbarbossa, early on, in spite of his dangerous exterior and arrogance has things about him that provide those small moments of creamy delicious story flavour! 1st_of_the200 is a muse where you clearly do have a bit of sympathy for the Devil! There are lots of wonderful villain muses that my muses will itneract with. such as the Giovanni's from the World of Darkness fandom. It is a natural for Faelyn / Fanny since she is half Unseeliewhich means, "Unblessed" She even went as far to marry the "bad guy from the Three Musketeers fandom, The Comte de Rochefort as played by all_forme because they understood each other as more "heroic" muses wouldn't have. She can be diplomatic and benign, but she is more happyin her element with those who are comfortable with and openly seek power.
6. Are some of your antagonists non-villains, just at cross purposes from the hero?
I have NPC's for that purpose and most of them are just ignorant and foolishly try to stand between my muses and their stated goals. Of course each side has varying degrees of success, neither side can win all of the time. Besides, conflict is what drives a story.
There is no 100% bad villain, just as there are no 100% good heroes. Either one would be boring as hell and there can be no suspension of disbelief in either case. I like a villain that you can find glimpses of that person's past - why they are the way that they are. When that happens, the reader can almost empathise with that character. It doesn't have to be emo, or overt. Some of the most powerful things can be articulated with a mere glance, a gesture, or just the smallest of nuances. Those kinds of things add to their complexity and makes the villain far more compelling.
2. Do you tend to write more for villains or heroes? I tend to write characters with more villainous qualities than not. In the character's mind, they know exactly what they are doing and why and as Faelyn is fond of saying, and the icon indicates, All is fair in the pursuit of power. Faelyn spent her life living by that creed because of who and what she is. Other characters, such as sheldonsandscia is a sociopathic little bastard. He does what he does and feels not the slightest bit of remorse, except in the very odd instance and with very few people. nomanselizabth does what she does because she is a queen, and as a monarch, unpleasant tasks that guarantee one's survival have to be undertaken. I don't know that any of them really sit around and dream up new and interesting ways to be villainous, however.
3. Who wins more often in your stories, the good guy or the bad guy? It's a toss up. Sometimes one side wins over the other, but everyone is a villain or a hero, depending on your point of view. My stories tend to be about survival and the character going for what he or she wants. Formulaic who wins and who loses scenario rarely enter into the picture.
4. Have you ever written a redeemable / reformed villain? A good guy turned bad? Yes. I wrote a muse from child to adult who was just sweet and cute and she slowly changed into something else that in no way resembled her former self. That was hard, because I really rather liked the inquisitive little girl that was there before she lost her innocence.
5. Are there any themes among your bad guys - do you tend to write zombie stories, fantasy villains, etc?
Again, it is about the redeeming qualities of each villain that my muses interact with. captainbarbossa, early on, in spite of his dangerous exterior and arrogance has things about him that provide those small moments of creamy delicious story flavour! 1st_of_the200 is a muse where you clearly do have a bit of sympathy for the Devil! There are lots of wonderful villain muses that my muses will itneract with. such as the Giovanni's from the World of Darkness fandom. It is a natural for Faelyn / Fanny since she is half Unseeliewhich means, "Unblessed" She even went as far to marry the "bad guy from the Three Musketeers fandom, The Comte de Rochefort as played by all_forme because they understood each other as more "heroic" muses wouldn't have. She can be diplomatic and benign, but she is more happyin her element with those who are comfortable with and openly seek power.
6. Are some of your antagonists non-villains, just at cross purposes from the hero?
I have NPC's for that purpose and most of them are just ignorant and foolishly try to stand between my muses and their stated goals. Of course each side has varying degrees of success, neither side can win all of the time. Besides, conflict is what drives a story.