The villains I like are the ones that don’t just go after the Mc and his party. But can be felt actively moving around the story for unknown reasons the party crossing what’s left after the destruction the villain leaves in their wake. The villain you keep coming across who is powerful in their own right a reflection of what the mc was seeking to become. A force of nature that stays ahead of the party. You know when the villain makes an appearance that the party is in for a fight. Their arsenal of weapons vast and unknown but not over powered. A strict push and pull.
This remind me of Amon and Amon from Lord of the Mysteries. These guys were really terrifying playing 5D chess and pretty much trolling our MC for YEARS
@@TheTaleTinkerer It's basically a famous chinese webnovel in which we follow a man of our world transmigrating into the body of a freshly suicided guy in a victorianish world. The first thing he finds when opening his eyes is a glock and a note on his text book from the previus owner of the body saying "everyone will die including me". He then became to start looking for clues about his transmigration and eventually ends up being enrolled into a mysterious case of suicides and surnatural events around a stollen notebook. But this world of machines and canons also hides a dangerous and mystic world with Beyonders, incredible humains with Supernatural powers
One of my favourite villains of any book is MorningLightMountain from Peter Hamilton's Commonwealth series (sci-fi). It's such a fascinating perspective
My attempt at wrighting a creepy character, in one comment. I went with elves, and a lot of inspiration from real-life dynastic executioners : In the dim light of the enchanted quartz, she could see the face of her new "mother" of sorts. She was far more gracile than any human woman Marie had ever seen, and she honestly hoped it was only because of the dark she seemed that way. From a cloud of greying hair stuck out two very large ears, neither perfectly erect but not really droopy either. Marie was already sick from pain of the ceremony, but her heart sank when she heard those words: "You were very poorly behaved during the adoption. Ungrateful, spoiled brat...I understand why my darling Rudoeé was a bit bratty about being excised, after all, adolescents are rarely happy about the arrival of a new sibbling. Still a little selfish. But you...You should have been grateful and unresisting, and apologize for hesitating. Really, I always knew humans were bad, but not that they raised their daughters without the slightest bit of manners." Marie tried to walk closer to the exit of the temple, stumbling in the near pitch black darkness. The pain between her legs, the still lingering scent of cooking flesh, that if she wouldn't know the origin, she might have found mouth-watering instead of sickening. Rapidly, she realized she was cornered to a wall. Again, she misjudged her surroundings. Everything here was dark and the hard gabbro reflected almost every sound. Yet, she refused to appear weak : "I have a skirt...Well, protection clothes as you'd call it here, and it was confiscated for examination. Could you please talk to the Priests of Helisa to get them back. -Given how poorly you behaved during your ceremonie, I'd say you don't deserve it. However, if you complete all your chores and take your well deserved correction and give proper apology for your behavior, we might oblige. -But, mother ! She did thrash a lot during the ceremony, and was very rude to the priestess. Why I'm not allowed a treat also ? After all, I didn't even cry during it. " asked a young boy, her now "brother", although part of her wanted to explain to the kid that no, having her own skirt back was not a treat, although explaining him the concept of modesty would probably be more of a bother than it's worth. It felt surreal. Marie lost so much weight from the inadequate diet of mushrooms, she struggled to stay warm in only this shift and stockings. She never left the house, no matter how hot it was, without at least two petticoats. These caves barely above freezing point were a new type of hell, cold and dark. Honestly, they didn't seem to know the slightest thing about human anatomy. "Fine, I'll all get you soup tomorrow, and before any of you get jalous, no, humans cannot eat pata vulche." said the mature elven woman. "Still, Rudoeé, Marie, you still need to take your entire correction without whining or protesting. One pout, one tear, and your respective treats are cancelled, am I clear ? A bit of hesitation is natural, I suppose, but anything beyond that would not be accepted."
Okay: The horned skeleton guy was looking at me with his red eyes, in what I thought was a "The Office"-esque, fourth-wall-breaking stare. Judging by the smoke billowing behind him, I was pretty sure his eyes did not glow crimson naturally, but instead as a consequence of finding some of the Longbottom Leaf I had stashed the week before.
What are your thoughts about villains that are larger than life or forces of nature? I.e. a natural disaster, “The Darkness”, Death, aliens that are truly alien, demons, gods, incomprehensible horrors, etc. Obviously adding a human element to them may be counterproductive for the purposes of their effectiveness in most cases, so I’d imagine they’re best explored as part of a story’s themes? I’d love to see you make a video about the subject!
That could be an interesting video, yeah. Let me think about that one a bit and see if I cannot come up with an angle/idea on how to do such a video eventually :) I do agree though, yes, that in most of the examples mentioned by you, I'd probably approach it a bit different considering the nature of the "villain" in that case.
@@TheTaleTinkerer I've found your videos extremely helpful with organizing my ideas and outlines, so I definitely look forward to seeing what you come up with. I'm currently working on something that includes these kinds of overarching forces as well as more traditional villains, and I seldom see the former being discussed in writing guides or workshops.
I'm so glad I came across your video, mate. Your style and the way you speak about your interests (which are similar to mine) are truly inspiring. Keep up with your channel and all your projects. All the best from Mexico. 🎉
Depends on the group. In my experience, evoking this feeling in your players requires a lot of words. If your players have the investment and attention to listen to you for prolonged periods, it can work. The system you run can also affect this. It's really hard to pull of in systems that are designed for heroic play, in my opinion.
@@TheGoldenPhoenix-nm8qeIf you’re running something more heroic, what I have done is add mysteriousness to their abilities. Obviously if I present a vampire villain they’re gonna automatically know their weaknesses, but imagine a villain whose strength is not fully revealed. I have a villain that has a timepause ability, and another that can cleave through magical concepts, bypassing things such as concentration or magic items. But you GOTTA telegraph the strength to the players, or they’re gonna rush in
Sorry to hear that, if you look at this video though, you actually see that I'm not a particularly big fan of that trilogy myself, including the execution of Anakin's arc: czcams.com/video/yFl9fN5sUlw/video.html It's the character of Darth Vader in general that I still find as a good example :)
@@hebercluff1665 How on earth is this exchange relevant to democracy?Democracy is the people choosing representatives and leaders. Oh, and you "love the prequels". Then it's a fairly safe bet youhaven't cracked open a book since teachers made you.
@@hebercluff1665 You still haven't explained how the method by which a people chooses its government is relevant to having opinions on movies. Oh wait, do you think anything that involves more than one people voicing an opinion makes it "democractic"? Is that it? LMFAO
Find even more storytelling and fantasy writing advice in this playlist: czcams.com/play/PLDpOcpMPZP3D-KapKbtwA5mjPlEon9rad.html
The villains I like are the ones that don’t just go after the Mc and his party. But can be felt actively moving around the story for unknown reasons the party crossing what’s left after the destruction the villain leaves in their wake. The villain you keep coming across who is powerful in their own right a reflection of what the mc was seeking to become. A force of nature that stays ahead of the party. You know when the villain makes an appearance that the party is in for a fight. Their arsenal of weapons vast and unknown but not over powered. A strict push and pull.
How convenient! That is indeed the exact villain I am making an attempt to write.
This explains why Lovecraftian horrors contribute in making Robert E. Howard 's Conan the Cimmerian stories...
This remind me of Amon and Amon from Lord of the Mysteries. These guys were really terrifying playing 5D chess and pretty much trolling our MC for YEARS
Never heard of them before, but I'll definitely put it on my long research list, thanks for the tip :)
@@TheTaleTinkerer It's basically a famous chinese webnovel in which we follow a man of our world transmigrating into the body of a freshly suicided guy in a victorianish world. The first thing he finds when opening his eyes is a glock and a note on his text book from the previus owner of the body saying "everyone will die including me". He then became to start looking for clues about his transmigration and eventually ends up being enrolled into a mysterious case of suicides and surnatural events around a stollen notebook. But this world of machines and canons also hides a dangerous and mystic world with Beyonders, incredible humains with Supernatural powers
I also like making villains that are silent and schemers.
So cool perspectives. I know your not hugely popular, but very insightful guidance. Thx!
This video has inspired me to come up with a mini villain for my Call of Cthulhu campaign
That is amazing to hear. Thank you for sharing this, really appreciate hearing the video had some inspirational value for you :)
One of my favourite villains of any book is MorningLightMountain from Peter Hamilton's Commonwealth series (sci-fi). It's such a fascinating perspective
Never heard about that one before, but will put in on my huge research list. Thanks for bringing it up :)
another good villain is "the lich" from "adventure time"
Never heard of it before but just took a look. Might be fun to watch a few episodes to check it out - thanks for bringing it up :)
@@TheTaleTinkerer he doesn't really show your last 2 points, but he really exemplifies your other ones
My attempt at wrighting a creepy character, in one comment. I went with elves, and a lot of inspiration from real-life dynastic executioners :
In the dim light of the enchanted quartz, she could see the face of her new "mother" of sorts. She was far more gracile than any human woman Marie had ever seen, and she honestly hoped it was only because of the dark she seemed that way. From a cloud of greying hair stuck out two very large ears, neither perfectly erect but not really droopy either.
Marie was already sick from pain of the ceremony, but her heart sank when she heard those words: "You were very poorly behaved during the adoption. Ungrateful, spoiled brat...I understand why my darling Rudoeé was a bit bratty about being excised, after all, adolescents are rarely happy about the arrival of a new sibbling. Still a little selfish. But you...You should have been grateful and unresisting, and apologize for hesitating. Really, I always knew humans were bad, but not that they raised their daughters without the slightest bit of manners."
Marie tried to walk closer to the exit of the temple, stumbling in the near pitch black darkness. The pain between her legs, the still lingering scent of cooking flesh, that if she wouldn't know the origin, she might have found mouth-watering instead of sickening. Rapidly, she realized she was cornered to a wall. Again, she misjudged her surroundings. Everything here was dark and the hard gabbro reflected almost every sound. Yet, she refused to appear weak : "I have a skirt...Well, protection clothes as you'd call it here, and it was confiscated for examination. Could you please talk to the Priests of Helisa to get them back.
-Given how poorly you behaved during your ceremonie, I'd say you don't deserve it. However, if you complete all your chores and take your well deserved correction and give proper apology for your behavior, we might oblige.
-But, mother ! She did thrash a lot during the ceremony, and was very rude to the priestess. Why I'm not allowed a treat also ? After all, I didn't even cry during it. " asked a young boy, her now "brother", although part of her wanted to explain to the kid that no, having her own skirt back was not a treat, although explaining him the concept of modesty would probably be more of a bother than it's worth. It felt surreal.
Marie lost so much weight from the inadequate diet of mushrooms, she struggled to stay warm in only this shift and stockings. She never left the house, no matter how hot it was, without at least two petticoats. These caves barely above freezing point were a new type of hell, cold and dark. Honestly, they didn't seem to know the slightest thing about human anatomy.
"Fine, I'll all get you soup tomorrow, and before any of you get jalous, no, humans cannot eat pata vulche." said the mature elven woman. "Still, Rudoeé, Marie, you still need to take your entire correction without whining or protesting. One pout, one tear, and your respective treats are cancelled, am I clear ? A bit of hesitation is natural, I suppose, but anything beyond that would not be accepted."
That was cool. What is happening though? These human children have been offered to Elves?
@@dylans0630 No...Human got kidnapped by elves after she accidentally went into their territory. And she's teenager of 17-18.
@@Lilas.Duveteux cool
Okay:
The horned skeleton guy was looking at me with his red eyes, in what I thought was a "The Office"-esque, fourth-wall-breaking stare. Judging by the smoke billowing behind him, I was pretty sure his eyes did not glow crimson naturally, but instead as a consequence of finding some of the Longbottom Leaf I had stashed the week before.
What are your thoughts about villains that are larger than life or forces of nature? I.e. a natural disaster, “The Darkness”, Death, aliens that are truly alien, demons, gods, incomprehensible horrors, etc.
Obviously adding a human element to them may be counterproductive for the purposes of their effectiveness in most cases, so I’d imagine they’re best explored as part of a story’s themes? I’d love to see you make a video about the subject!
That could be an interesting video, yeah. Let me think about that one a bit and see if I cannot come up with an angle/idea on how to do such a video eventually :)
I do agree though, yes, that in most of the examples mentioned by you, I'd probably approach it a bit different considering the nature of the "villain" in that case.
@@TheTaleTinkerer I've found your videos extremely helpful with organizing my ideas and outlines, so I definitely look forward to seeing what you come up with. I'm currently working on something that includes these kinds of overarching forces as well as more traditional villains, and I seldom see the former being discussed in writing guides or workshops.
I'm so glad I came across your video, mate. Your style and the way you speak about your interests (which are similar to mine) are truly inspiring. Keep up with your channel and all your projects. All the best from Mexico.
🎉
Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate the support and will continue my best to keep improving and delivering valuable content :)
As the White Walkers say:
First video. Immediate follow.
Thank you for the support, really glad to hear there was something useful for you in the video :)
I wonder if this can be used for TTRPGs?
Depends on the group. In my experience, evoking this feeling in your players requires a lot of words. If your players have the investment and attention to listen to you for prolonged periods, it can work.
The system you run can also affect this. It's really hard to pull of in systems that are designed for heroic play, in my opinion.
@@iratevagabond204 Makes sense. Thank you for letting me know.
@@TheGoldenPhoenix-nm8qeIf you’re running something more heroic, what I have done is add mysteriousness to their abilities. Obviously if I present a vampire villain they’re gonna automatically know their weaknesses, but imagine a villain whose strength is not fully revealed.
I have a villain that has a timepause ability, and another that can cleave through magical concepts, bypassing things such as concentration or magic items.
But you GOTTA telegraph the strength to the players, or they’re gonna rush in
Study Raistlin.
Putin and nethanyaou comes to mind...
You lost my attention and a new subscriber when you use stupid prequel Star Wars as your example.
Sorry to hear that, if you look at this video though, you actually see that I'm not a particularly big fan of that trilogy myself, including the execution of Anakin's arc: czcams.com/video/yFl9fN5sUlw/video.html
It's the character of Darth Vader in general that I still find as a good example :)
I'll subscribe now out of spite. I love the prequels. I love democracy...
@@hebercluff1665 How on earth is this exchange relevant to democracy?Democracy is the people choosing representatives and leaders.
Oh, and you "love the prequels". Then it's a fairly safe bet youhaven't cracked open a book since teachers made you.
@@kentjensen4504 it's twisting a quote. "I love democracy. I love the Republic."
@@hebercluff1665 You still haven't explained how the method by which a people chooses its government is relevant to having opinions on movies. Oh wait, do you think anything that involves more than one people voicing an opinion makes it "democractic"? Is that it?
LMFAO