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Weekly Update - 55
🕑 Added 2021-03-22 20:35:11 +0000 UTCWe finally have a date for moving! It's a tentative date, but that's still way better than a shrug and an IDK.
So we should be getting ready to do this whole crazy move thing approaching the end of April, which is only a couple of months later than I hoped, and one full month later than we thought.
So yay! Exciting stuff. We'll be moving just in time for my birthday.
Comic this Week? Should be doable, I think...
Poster Progress!
Kiera - Shading and highlights, almost done!
Max - Still waiting for lines, (I think I'm scared of this one)
Riley - Shading and highlights, almost done!
Drawing: Page 98
Playing: AI Dungeon (STILL, wtf even is this game)
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I've talked exhaustively about villains already, and how I think it's better when they are sympathetic, at least in some regard, but I did mention that I wanted to talk separately about villains that are evil due to the grips of some form of psychosis.
It's pretty typical to portray such villains as the purest form of evil, but it probably doesn't come as any surprise that I disagree with that portrayal. The Joker just wants to watch the world burn? Perhaps, but maybe also he feels the world is broken and that he has to do something to change it. Even the worst psychopaths in history likely had motivation beyond just "doing evil for fun" though it might look that way from an outside perspective and many of them might be unable to explain it any other way.
In WRITING this sort of villain, I would still look for that inside perspective, figuring out WHY my psychopath is acting the way he does. I don't think anyone one wants to feel like they are a monster... with the exception of someone who has always been treated as such and chooses to embrace it, thus seeking satisfaction from fulfilling a role. Even so, no one wants to be the villain of their own story, no matter how twisted that story is. They are still getting something out of it. If I was going to write a character that skinned their victims and devoured their flesh, I would want to know WHY they do these things.
Perhaps they live in an altered reality, and are surrounded by monsters they feel they need to destroy. Perhaps they are delusional, believing they are gaining some kind of magic power from consuming that flesh that will ultimately enable them to save the world. The fact is, they are still the hero of their own twisted story, and in acting out their heroism, they are a monster in the eyes of everyone else.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that even psychopaths can be made into very rich, detailed and deep villain characters. Their motivations are pure, carnal, sometimes even feral, but they have motivations, and fears, and wants and goals all the same.
I dunno, this has been yet more rambling! You'd think that for as much as I like to talk about villains, I'd be able to spell that damn word by now.
Comments
Trick
Part of the reason I post these is to encourage discussion like this, so ramble away! I'm honestly a bit more of a Warhammer Fantasy person, but I still really like 40k and I appreciate it for what it is. Mostly, I think it's good to consider many different perspectives in any given conflict. If everyone thinks they are right, someone is definitely wrong. But who is wrong is often an interesting question too. I also love antiheroes and villains that ultimately turn out to be "in the right" as well. :3
Riley Vinet
I think it's important for a story to have relatable, or sympathetic characters that you can root for, feel attached to, or just relate to. Like you stated, villains are often portrayed as evil for the sake of being evil, and exist to be a punching bag for the protagonist. But sometimes, (Or, from what I've seen so far) villains are incredibly complex individuals, drawn into that kind of lifestyle through a life, or sometimes generations of constant shit barraging them. Most people don't decide that they want to terrorize populations, build giant weapons of mass destruction and enslave planets overnight. If anything, it's been Warhammer 40k and it's EXTENSIVE lore that has really changed my perspective on what we commonly refer to as 'The Bad Guy' in stories and fictional universes. (Yes, I am super-nerd) Everyone in 40k is the bad guy. Everyone commits atrocities and heinous acts. But more often than not, there is reason behind it. Like, to stop the advancement of the malignant and influencing Warp and Chaos, or to preserve one's species tettering on the brink of total extinction. We cannot forgive the Imperium for blowing up planets with millions, if not billions of people on it. But would it be preferable to let the Daemons invade the planet, and condemn those billions of souls be consumed by the warp, and tormented for all eternity by Daemons? You decide. Long ramble short - A good villain, is one that has motive, reasoning, and logic to back up why they do what they do. It can be a lame, stupid, or perfectly logical reason. But a reason nonetheless. And I for one, am excited to see what you end up doing with villains in your story. Sorry, I like to ramble sometimes.
