I Am All About Stories Where The Hero And Villain Know Each Other Very Well And Were Once Friends, But

I am all about stories where the hero and villain know each other very well and were once friends, but I could deal with it being used another way.

What if instead of being used for drama, for wistfulness and pleas to join the other side, it was more like the hero looking over a battlefield going Seriously, who does she think she’s kidding, she’s been using the same chess strategy since we were seven or the villain picking a headquarters in a specific climate because she knows the hero hates hot weather or deciding Send in some forces to round up all the copies of his favorite poet’s work, that’ll tick him off.

Or most of all them still having inside jokes with each other.

I made a slideshow about how to create a fictional character… I got most of the information from the ‘start writing fiction’ (free) course on the OpenUniversity website and found it incredibly useful so here’s a visual version for you :)

im so tired of stories that want to be epic and interesting so bad that they think turning friend against friend is the only way.

you know what i find epic? you know what i find really interesting?

stories where friends love each other so much that they search for a way to work together despite disparate beliefs—even though it’s fucking hard.

stories where the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood and found families are so strong that they fight for each other rather than against each other.

stories where an idealist and a pragmatist recognize and take advantage of the fact that they complement what the other is lacking, instead of getting into a pissing match about which way is better. stories where that partnership fucks villains up and makes the world a better place.

stories where shared history and knowing each other gets the weight it deserves rather than being used to elevate a character’s manpain or to emotionally manipulate a reader into caring about a story arc that is transparently about blockbuster panels rather than any real adherence to characterization and actually, sort of reeks of Patriot Act apologism in places

stories where moral complexity doesn’t mean being a fucking asshole to people who have been your best friends and family for decades jfc

stories where trust matters and stealing someone’s memories or agency isn’t seen as a the lesser of two evils because it’s not used as the only other option when faced with worldwide annihilation IN THE FIRST PLACE

sorry

sorry, i got off topic

stories where characters can be gritty and real and multifaceted because they act out of loyalty, faith, and friendship even when the odds are against them, even when it’s easier to do something else. 

JUST GIVE ME THIS: STORIES THAT GLORIFY FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE NOT THE EVIL THAT MEN DO IN THE NAME OF THE GREATER GOOD. SUPERHEROES WHO FIGHT BACK TO BACK. PARTNERSHIPS. TEAMS. FAMILY.

i’m so so tired of the circle jerk of betrayal and angst coming from WITHIN rather than ACTUAL SUPER VILLAINS damn

Including body language in your writing gives your characters more depth and provides a relatable, interactive experience for your readers.

I find that this helps me remember to add what’s happening in between a conversation, not just during it. I’ve started to describe how my characters sit in certain situations and their over all body and presence. It’s really helped me convey the power and the helplessness of some of the dynamics I have going on. 

250 ways to say ‘went’

Buy the Poster: WriteAtHome

the Bechdel test, the Ellen Willis test, ALL THE TESTS: or, a handy guide to feminist critiques of narrative

(reference for when i am trying to explain these to people and they are looking at me like “huh”):

the Bechdel test: does the story have a) more than one women, b) who talk to each other, c) about something other than a man.

the Ellen Willis test: if you flip the genders, does the story still make sense?

the Sexy Lamp test (courtesy of Kelly Sue DeConnick): can you replace your female character with a sexy lamp and still have the story work? if yes, YOU ARE A HACK.

the Mako Mori test: there is a) at least one female character, b) who gets her own narrative arc, c) that is not about supporting a man’s story.

the Tauriel test (which i made up in response to The Hobbit 2 [which passes] and Skyfall [which fails]): a) there is a woman, b) WHO IS GOOD AT HER JOB.

and in justification of my recent TV obsessions, i would like to note that Scandal, The Vampire Diaries, Buffy, and Nikita (ALL HAIL MAGGIE Q) pass all of these tests with flying colors.

UPDATE: i just discovered the Finkbeiner test and it is FANTASTIC.