R U B A T O S I S

n. the unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat, whose tenuous muscular throbbing feels less like a metronome than a nervous ditty your heart is tapping to itself, the kind that people compulsively hum or sing while walking in complete darkness, as if to casually remind the outside world, I’m here, I’m here, I’m here. indepdenent multifandom multimuse penned by blossom est. 4/3/18 mobile navigation rules | muses | navi

[rvbatosis-a]

Lmao I am remaking this blog, same URL, but nothing is set up yet so bear with me while I move everything there

[rvbatosis-a]

Lmao I am remaking this blog, same URL, but nothing is set up yet so bear with me while I move everything there

[rvbatosis-a]

Lmao I am remaking this blog, same URL, but nothing is set up yet so bear with me while I move everything there

[rvbatosis-a]

Lmao I am remaking this blog, same URL, but nothing is set up yet so bear with me while I move everything there

[rvbatosis-a]

Lmao I am remaking this blog, same URL, but nothing is set up yet so bear with me while I move everything there

[rvbatosis-a]

Lmao I am remaking this blog, same URL, but nothing is set up yet so bear with me while I move everything there

[rvbatosis-a]

Lmao I am remaking this blog, same URL, but nothing is set up yet so bear with me while I move everything there

[rvbatosis-a]

Lmao I am remaking this blog, same URL, but nothing is set up yet so bear with me while I move everything there

[rvbatosis-a]

I sorta kinda wanna remake this blog

[cherryliqor-deactivated20180108]

listen I didn’t come here to ship it lightly ok I came here for it to consume my soul

[alecmacdowell-deactivated201406]

do you ever get mad because there’s so much wasted potential in characters and relationships and plotlines in some shows

[rvbatosis-a]

I have not abandoned this blog! I intend to come back at some point, it’s just that other blogs have much higher muse right now. So for the time being, I am putting this blog on a hiatus that should not be super long. I think once I set things up on other blogs and settle them in, it will be much easier for me to come back here and do my thing!

[peakymurphy]

Cillian Murphy in Anthropoid 2016

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GOOD MORNING, IT IS MY BIRTHDAY AND THIS IS GETTING REBLOGGED TO ALL OF MY BLOGS

[wordsnstuff]

Writing Good Villains

– Villains (or as intellectuals say, antagonists), are a huge part of every story, and many believe that it’s a simple job to create one. You simply throw some universal no-no’s into a pan, bake at 375 for 30 minutes, decorate with a face, name them something like Chernobog or Lilith, and then write a scene or two where they kill someone or blow something up and you’re done. That is, simply, not the case. Here’s a guide to help you avoid a sad waste of an opportunity.

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Make Your Villains People

They are individuals, with a past and family and demons of their own. They’ve fought their own battles, suffered their own losses, and been through their own share of pain. They have good traits and bad traits, just like the heroes of your story. Unfortunately, the bad traits have taken over in their case and resulted in harm to others. Your villains need to be well rounded characters. I’ve said this before, but villains are just like anybody else in the following three ways:

They are facing something we don’t know about and cannot understand

They are feeling things we aren’t aware of and, again, cannot understand

They are riddled with contradictory personality traits that they struggle to find balance between every single day

Show these things to your reader, because the best villains of all time have been the ones that we feel torn up about, simply because we relate to them in a way that reveals something about ourselves, or we understand them in a way that makes us feel conflicted.

They Got There Somehow

People are not born evil. People are not born with values and morals and personal beliefs. Villains are people, and they got to the point they’re at somehow. You need to make that somehow clear to the reader.  Maybe they grew up in a country where those beliefs are common, but the villain took them and applied action. Maybe your villain was hurt by someone or something and is now out to get revenge for all the pain they went to because of it. Show your reader the humanity behind the actions and they will hold so much more power.

Good Villains Have A Point

Maybe not a moral one, or even a reasonable one, but a point that we could see, nonetheless. The best villains are the ones that have beliefs that come from a place we can fathom. Yes, there are classic tropes of “daddy issues” or abusive childhoods or things like that, but the true test of a good villain is the way they make your readers question their own values and beliefs. You have to present a good argument on both sides of a conflict, or the conflict comes off as pointless, and for the sake of conflict instead of resolution.

Make Your Villain Strong

Your villain needs to at least match the hero’s strength, in one way or multiple. For instance, if you’re writing a superhero story and your hero has powers but your villain doesn’t, give that villain some power that the hero doesn’t have and never could. Make it difficult. Easy conflict resolutions are boring, especially in the case of a villain-hero dynamic. Watching a strong, good-hearted hero beat a weak, 2-dimensional evil villain is like watching an ant get squashed by a boot, except way more drawn out.

Make a Strong Link Between The Hero and The Villain

This could be done in multiple ways. Maybe the hero and the villain are family members, or used to be very close, or love someone in common. Or, maybe your villain and hero share many characteristics, morals, and personality traits, but have very opposite approaches to accomplishing the same goal. Watching two complete strangers have a conflict is boring because there’s no opportunity for plot twists or internal struggle. 

Please Avoid Monologuing

Your reader will facepalm immediately at any hint of monologuing. You know you have an amateur villain when they a.) drag out their plans for stupid reasons instead of just meeting their goal(s) and b.) lay out their entire plan for the hero when they think there’s no possible way their enemy could ever escape, even though their security measures are rickety at best. Just.. don’t do this. Please. There are better ways of revealing information to your readers.

Make The Villain’s Scenes Enjoyable

Your reader doesn’t have to like your villain to enjoy the scenes they read involving them. Classic villains, like Loki, The Joker, Captain Hook, The Queen of Hearts, Gaston, even Cruella de Vil, all had traits that made them either relatable or entertaining, and that’s what made them so great. It’s easy to create a character that readers will hate. It’s not easy to also make that character entertaining. Bottom line is, a large part of your readers will be reading for the sake of just that: entertainment. Don’t skimp out on the villain. Those guys are a huge part of what makes a story a classic.

Show The Villain Being A Villain

This seems like it would be obvious, but it’s not. Too many times has there been a movie or a book where you see other characters talking about what the antagonist has done or said or believes, but you never actually see that individual doing things that make them so evil. I’m not saying you should include a scene where your villain just, like, mercilessly kills a puppy, but show your reader an instance where your villain is being the villain. 

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[andhungry]

richard siken sentence starters.

quotes are all taken from various poems out of richard siken’s poetry book crush.  feel free to change pronouns/etc if needed.

❝  tell me how all this, and love too, will ruin us.  ❞

❝  tell me we’ll never get used to it.  ❞

❝  there are so many things i’m not allowed to tell you.  ❞

❝  i swallow your heart and it crawls right out of my mouth.  ❞

❝  i want it back now, baby. i want it back.  ❞

❝  i’m sorry. we know how it works. the world is no longer mysterious.  ❞

❝  that’s a nice touch.  ❞

❝  i like him and i want to be like him.  ❞

❝  i’m sure you remember, i was on the phone with you, sweetheart.  ❞

❝  history repeats itself.  ❞

❝  there are many names in history, but none of them are ours.  ❞

❝  you could drown in those eyes.  ❞

❝  but damn if there isn’t anything sexier than a slender boy with a handgun, a fast car, a bottle of pills.  ❞

❝  sorry about the blood in your mouth. i wish it was mine.  ❞

❝  i couldn’t get the boy to kill me, but i wore his jacket for the longest time.  ❞

❝  you wanted happiness, i can’t blame you for that, and maybe a mouth sounds idiotic when it blathers on about joy but tell me you love this, tell me you’re not miserable.  ❞

❝  there is no way to make this story interesting.  ❞

❝  i want to tell you this story without having to confess anything, without having to say that i ran out into the street to prove something.  ❞

❝  tell me we’re dead and i’ll love you even more.  ❞

❝  you will be alone always and then you will die.  ❞

❝  i’m sorry i came to your party and seduced you and left you bruised and ruined, you poor sad thing.  ❞

❝  who am i? i’m just a writer. i write things down.  ❞

❝  i take it back.  ❞

❝  here is the repeated image of the lover destroyed.  ❞

❝  you still get to be the hero.  ❞

❝  what more do you want?  ❞

❝  love, for you, is larger than the usual romantic love. it’s like a religion. it’s terrifying.  ❞

❝  no one will ever want to sleep with you.  ❞

❝  you know that recently we have had our difficulties and there are many things i want to ask you.  ❞

❝  you had not expected this.  ❞

❝  walk a mile in my shoes.  ❞

❝  a man takes his sadness down to the river and throws it in the river but then he’s still left with the river.  ❞

❝  you are weak and hollow and it doesn’t matter anymore.  ❞

❝  hush, my sweet. these tornadoes are for you.  ❞

❝  that sounds overly valorous.  ❞

❝  do you love yourself?  ❞

❝  i don’t have to answer that.  ❞

❝  you wanted more.  ❞

❝  i had a dream about you.  ❞

❝  there’s nowhere to go. there’s nowhere to go.  ❞

❝  in these dreams it’s always you: the boy in the sweatshirt, the boy on the bridge, the boy who always keeps me from jumping off the bridge.  ❞

❝  will you love me even more when i’m dead?  ❞

❝  you didn’t show up. i kept waiting.  ❞

❝  i swallowed crushed ice pretending it was glass and you’re dead.  ❞

❝  i don’t really blame you for being dead but you can’t have your sweater back.  ❞

❝  you can sleep now, you said. you can sleep now. you said that. i had a dream where you said that. thanks for saying that. you weren’t supposed to.  ❞

❝  hello darling, welcome home.  ❞

❝  please keep him safe.  ❞

❝  i just don’t want to die anymore.  ❞

❝  you want to die for love, you always have.  ❞

❝  you didn’t think you’d feel this way.  ❞

❝  you saved my life. i owe you, i owe you everything.  ❞

❝  please, just for one night, will you lie down next to me, we can leave our clothes on, we can stay all buttoned up.  ❞

❝  you’re all i ever wanted and worth dying for, too.  ❞

❝  drive into that tree, drive off the embankment. ______, make something happen.  ❞

❝  we are not dirty.  ❞

❝  you keep singing along to that song i hate. stop singing.  ❞

❝  here is the sink to wash away the blood.  ❞

❝  this is not harmless. you are not breathing.  ❞

❝  i will come back from the dead for you.  ❞

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Dragon Age Asks: Warden + Companions

(Note: Many companions in Dragon Age: Origins can be killed, never interacted with or have their attempt for recruitment rejected by the Warden, thus if your Warden never encountered some companions, make sure to specify that in the tags!)

Zevran 1. How did your Warden react to Zevran’s failed attempt on their life? Were they amused? Angry? 2. Did your Warden match Zevran’s lighthearted attitude or were they more serious? What sort of relationship did they have? 3. What did your Warden know of the Crows before meeting Zevran? What did they think of the Crows afterward? 4. Did Zevran betray your Warden? How did they feel in the aftermath of Zevran’s decision? 5. How well did your Warden keep in contact with Zevran after the Blight? Did they ever see him again?

Alistair 1. What sort of attachment did your Warden form with Alistair, if any at all? Were they close due to their shared experiences as Grey Wardens? 2. Did Alistair’s parentage surprise your Warden? How did your Warden’s feelings on the nobility affect their relationship with Alistair? 3. Was Alistair reunited with his sister, Goldanna? What did your Warden think of her? Did they relate to Alistair with their own familial struggles? 4. How did your Warden respond to Alistair’s dislike of Loghain? Did they share Alistair’s sentiments or disagree? 5. What became of Alistair after the Landsmeet? How did your Warden feel about their decision of Alistair’s future?

Wynne 1. What did your Warden think of Wynne’s views on the Circle? Did they have different experiences regarding the Circle? 2. How did your Warden respond to Wynne’s comments if your Warden romanced someone? Did they tell her it was love or that the relationship was purely physical?  3. How did your Warden feel about the Spirit of Faith within Wynne? Did they see it as possession? 4. Did your Warden go with Wynne to meet Aneirin, her one-time apprentice? What did they think of the encounter? 5. What did Wynne choose to do after the Blight was ended? Did your Warden  stay in touch with her?

Leliana 1. What was your Warden’s position on the Chantry? Were they wary of Leliana due to their religious beliefs or lack thereof? 2. Was your Warden curious about bards? If they had the opportunity, would they choose to become one? 3. If your Warden received Leliana’s personal quest, what did they choose to do with Marjolaine and why? 4. Did your Warden believe that Leliana was telling the truth about her vision from the Maker or were they skeptical?  5. How well did your Warden get along with Leliana? What was their relationship like?

Sten 1. Had your Warden ever met a Qunari before Sten? What did they expect? 2. What did your Warden think of Sten’s beliefs that people’s roles are determined at birth? Did they agree? 3. Did your Warden retrieve Sten’s sword? Did your Warden’s choice to give it to him or withhold it affect their relationship with Sten at all? 4. How did your Warden speak to Sten? Did they fight with him often or were they more humorous in their responses? 5. Was your Warden amused by Sten’s love of cookies?

Oghren 1. What did your Warden think of Orzammer? Were they impressed or did they become disillusioned with the city, like Oghren did? 2. What were your Warden’s feelings on berserkers? Were they frightened of them? Were they a berserker themselves? 3. What was the fate of Branka? If she was killed, was your Warden regretful? How did they act around Oghren afterwards? 4. What was the relationship between your Warden and Oghren? Were they friendly or merely reluctant companions? 5. Did your Warden stay on good terms with Oghren after the Blight? If Oghren got back together with Felsi, did your Warden ever go to meet Oghren’s child, who was named after the Warden?

Morrigan 1. What was your Warden’s first impression of Morrigan? Did they trust her or were they cautious around her? 2. Did your Warden agree to help Morrigan kill Flemeth? Why or why not? 3. How close was your Warden to Morrigan? Did your Warden respect her abilities as a witch of the wilds? 4. Did your Warden attempt to find Morrigan after the Blight? Did they ever succeed in meeting her again? 5. Was Morrigan’s ritual completed? What persuaded your Warden to go through with it or what caused them to refuse it?

Loghain  1. Did your Warden respect Loghain’s experience as a warrior, if not as a ruler? 2. How did your Warden react to Loghain’s fierce love for his daughter? Did they share a strong sense of loyalty to their own family? 3. What did your Warden think of Loghain’s suspicion and dislike of Orlesians? Did they consider it to be ill-founded or accurate?  4. What was your Warden’s opinion on Loghain’s decision to abandon King Cailan and the Grey Wardens at Ostagar? What did they think of Loghain afterwards? 5. Did Loghain survive the Landsmeet? If he did, why did your Warden choose to let him live?

Shale (N/A if The Stone Prisoner DLC was not played) 1. Was your Warden interested in golems upon meeting Shale? Did they think of golems as weapons or sentient beings? 2. Did the realization that Shale was once a living dwarf surprise your Warden? How did that change their views on golems? 3. Did your Warden aid Branka or Caridin? Did their choice affect their relationship with Shale? 4. How did your Warden’s relationship with Shale change during the Blight? Was their relationship maintained after the Blight? 5. What did your Warden make of Shale’s “bird issues”?

Dog 1. Who’s a good boy?!

Other Dragon Age Asks: Hawke + Companions, Inquisitor + Companions