Surprisingly, I found a once used teaser from Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age. It involved Nyder, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to skip the origins for a week and post this related one.
Terenezza Hopkins from ‘May I Ask For One Final Thing?’
I’ve talked quite a few times about heroes who come from another world. This is the whole ‘Isekai’ genre where a normal person from our world is either transported or reincarnated into a magical one. Something I stumbled onto a few months ago was the same thing happening with a villain. Not always with them being the main character either, but that can happen.
So, the concept is that the protagonist is up against a villain who has been brought over from another world. Like an Isekai hero, this enemy possesses enhanced powers and special traits, which makes them a challenging threat. This requires the hero born in the world needs to grow stronger in a way that matches this person who has basically been given cheat codes. It ends up being done without them either knowing or understanding the full situation until later. After all, the villain doesn’t typically walk around shouting they are from another world.
The odd thing is that the reader can swiftly notice something is off even if the villain isn’t revealed as being from elsewhere. It really depends on the author being subtle or not since it can be covered fairly easily. Yet, I notice it’s more common to have this Isekai’d villain act superior and dismissive to nearly everyone in the world. While a hero in their position is stronger and tries to be inclusive, the villain seems to use their strength as a reason to be openly egotistical. This ends up being done even when they are losing and have yet to demonstrate their power. I guess this shows part of their villain mentality is to think they are automatically better while heroes know they have to learn about their new world.
A villain from another world has a big challenge with the reveal. You need to make them appear to be from the new world while still having a few hints that there’s something a little weird. Otherwise, the reveal either feels like a last minute decision or it falls flat due to being obvious. There’s always the decision to make uncovering where this person came from as part of the story. I think that would clear things up because you start off knowing they appeared out of nowhere, but not necessarily Earth. Means you’re preparing people for a reveal without exposing too much.
One thing I like about this concept is that it can allow the villain to be ignorant of the world they are in. It makes one wonder why they want to conquer or destroy, which can boil down to them simply hating where they are. This also means their ignorance is entirely by choice. With heroes, they are lacking in knowledge and go out of their way to learn everything. A villain is more likely to not care about anything that doesn’t pertain to their goals, which results in an information gap. Given them being extremely powerful, this is where a weak point can be created.
I don’t know if I’ll ever use this type of villain even though it’s intriguing. There is a plan to show there is a connection between Earth and Windemere, but I’m still not 100% certain I want to do it. At least not overtly because I think two future characters still need to have this origin. Anyway, I don’t really want to try a villain like this because it doesn’t feel right for my world. This type of antagonist really needs to be handled a certain way and with a world that focuses on them. Otherwise, they’re going to lose some of their specialness because there are other villains from that world. Maybe I’m looking at it wrong though.
What do other people think of villains coming from another world?
I found this a surprising holiday since I know most adults refuse to openly goof off. We really are a weird species if we have a holiday specifically to remind people to have fun and be silly. Doesn’t sound like we normally live a healthy life to me. For today, I’ll be enjoying time with my son. That means Pokemon Go, cartoons, and watching him get into trouble in a video game. It’s a one-player and my entertainment is him blindly walking into areas with 95% confidence and 5% prep. Sometimes I work on a puzzle when he’s playing. If my son wasn’t here, it would be Pokemon Go, writing, and other things depending on the weather.
I’ll admit that I don’t know if all or any of that counts as goofing off. Silliness does ensue as long as stress isn’t high.
I’ve ended the week with a sore throat and maybe a little cold. Can’t be surprised since the weather dropped back to frigid after being warm. The wind made the temps a mess all week, which created one of those types of cold that wears you down. Had to be around a few people who had colds and haven’t learned to cover their mouths. So, I guess this was inevitable. Thankfully, I have a bunch of throat drops . . . Also, jellybeans, but that’s not any help here.
Now, I didn’t get very far with ‘Phi Beta Files’ last weekend. I finished the penultimate information and started the finale outline. Then, I got caught up in preparing for an upcoming event, emergency cleaning, surprise errands, and mostly had the energy for June blog posts. Probably for the best because I still can’t figure out how to work the initial mission for Phi Beta, which leads to them upsetting their main enemy and kicking off their final year of the academy. Thought about them being sent to help with a hostage situation, but they realize they’re the decoys. So, they’re going to make a mess and still succeed. Just need my brain to be in the right space to work it out. Exhaustion, stress, and a cold isn’t helping.
Work got crazy too because there were a few schedule changes. Not to mention some other situations that had us constantly thinking on our feet. This left me exhausted by the time I left, but I still went on to spend time with my son on the days he was with me. The days he wasn’t had an appointment and I tried to get Pokemon in without freezing my butt off. Honestly, I wasn’t truly exhausted until I woke up on Friday and the sore throat kicked in after my shower. It came and went all day too. I just hope I’m not sick when it’s time to leave for the father/son trip. That’s a ways off, but you never know.
Speaking of my son, he got a big award at school. He was one of their honorees at the ‘Breakfast of Champions’. This is done every year where teachers, admins, guidance, and office staff nominate students who stood out. My son’s guidance counselor nominated him for being kind, friendly, helpful, and maintaining his integrity. Basically, he’s a great kid who brings positive energy to the school. My son got a framed picture connected to the event to take home. He doesn’t want it posted here because he’s embarrassed if it goes too public. Needless to say, I’m really proud of him.
This weekend is going to be time with my son, which will include Pokemon, studying, and starting the packing list for our trip. He’s opted to take the SAT, so I got him a digital study guide with practice tests. I’m not pushing him hard to use it because I know that will get him to shut down. Told him to do a few questions every day he’s here for like 30 minutes. This way, he doesn’t start panicking. He has plenty of time to study and it’s really hard to do that for a test like this. All you know is that it’s about math, reading, and writing with no specifics.
Next week, I have a few appointments and events. It should be just as busy as this week, especially since it’s the last full one before Spring Break. I’m trying not to burden myself with massive amounts of stuff at home. The weather is brutal on my energy and body, especially my lungs. If it isn’t the cold, it’s the pollen. There’s also the big life event coming up in a bit that I need to prepare for. Spent most of last Saturday working on stuff for it, which stressed me out. That’s probably another reason why I didn’t get very far with writing projects. Light at the end of a brutally long tunnel might actually be coming into sight soon.
Television-wise, I recommend ‘Cross’ on Prime for anyone who likes crime shows and doesn’t mind some graphic content. I’m going to watch ‘Brooklyn 99’ now, which is kind of funny. I’ve gone from a cop drama to a cop comedy. No idea what I’m going to tackle after that though. My son and I finally reached season 2 of ‘One Piece’, which is our focus for now. Means we’re not touching anime for a while, but we won’t be able to watch Netflix while away.
Goals of the week:
Help son study for SAT and other tests.
Play Pokemon.
Tinker with ‘Phi Beta Files’ if I have the energy.
In the anime shown above, the main character makes a sacrifice, but it isn’t his life. I don’t want to give spoilers, but it is effectively his future. He makes a decision to sacrifice his future in order to defeat a powerful enemy and save the world. There are ways for him to recover what he lost as the story continues, but this is still a sacrifice at that moment. To be honest, I haven’t read or watched beyond this storyline. I only know what people have told me, which is obvious since the main character needs to stay in the story.
Anyway, this makes me think of other things that can be sacrificed besides ones life:
Time– This comes off as a weird one, but it keeps coming to my mind. It can range from giving up years of life without dying to simply spending time assisting with an adventure. I think this one is very subtle and gets overlooked, but there’s rarely attention given to it when it’s the latter. We don’t think about how some heroes or their allies have prior lives, which they left to accomplish their goals.
Money– This is similar to time in that we don’t think about it unless the author brings direct attention to the sacrifice. For example, billionaire heroes spend fortunes to create their tools and make other positive changes to their society. This isn’t overtly mentioned beyond us knowing they can do the things they do because they are rich. We do notice if one of them sacrifices their entire fortune to save the world and is now so poor that they can’t be the same type of hero. To be fair, I guess this category requires the most amount of suspending disbelief, which could make this sacrifice harder to pull off.
Power– This is the big one that I thought about putting first, but it seems the most obvious. Instead of sacrificing their life, a hero gives up their powers to either save or protect. I don’t mean a little bit of power, but all of it. One series I was heavy into ended with the main hero realizing the only way to win was to give up the powers they had dreamed of and cherished for their entire life. They do it and are left a powerless person, but still a hero. This is what made me think of this topic too because it isn’t something we see often. Heroes might give up a little power or find a way to regain it, but this story ended with the character losing it for good. I find this to be a bigger sacrifice than ones life because you have to continue living without being able to achieve the same heroic feats as before. The urge to save and protect is still there, but not the powers to do so. It creates a fascinating story of a hero who needs to find a new way of doing things.
A Physical Trait– We get close to sacrificing ones life, but this is more about giving up a limb, organs, or sense. This is typically done in the spur of the moment and possibly on a smaller scale than others. I find this tends to be when the person is takes a hit for someone else or tries to save everyone, but can’t entirely get out of the way. This can be risky for authors since it can be perceived as them not having ‘the guts’ to kill off a character. On the other hand, you now have a hero or ally who needs to adjust to a disability, which can be inspiring.
Mental Stability– I don’t know how I would write this, but I know it’s possible. A character pushes themself so hard that they go crazy or simply break. That or they tangle with a telepath and win by snapping their own sanity. Anybody know how this one would work?
(Another silly poem about food? Guess I was hungry a lot when I was in my big poetry phase. Although, this seems to deal more with sleeping than eating. Doesn’t feel like I hit the mark as far as title and actual poem. I have no idea where the name came from.)
I tell of Princess Nadia Bocaj
The last of her great line
Who ruled these frothy halls
Known far and to the left
As the House of Gastramore
She sleeps within her hall
Among her pillows and her sheets
Nestled like an angel
For an entire year of slumber
That only she may break
Her hair is long and black
While her skin is ghostly white
Her servants tend her needs
Grooming as she snores
Waiting for her to wake
A year will pass
Before her lids rise up
And her lips open very wide
To release a violent shout
Summoning her chefs at once
Her chefs are well-prepared
They spent the year with smarts
Toiling over new creations
Maintaining their old favorites
Knowing their skills will soon be tested
Princess Nadia Bocaj is hungry
Since she’s burned off all her weight
She is nothing more than bones
It is time for her to feed
And feast before she sleeps again
The scene that made me think of this topic is from ‘One Piece’. Oden was a leader who sacrificed his life to save his retainers and people. He also sacrificed his dignity before that by dancing in the street every day for a while. Anyway, I know I’ve seen scenes like this in other stories, so I got to thinking about this ultimate sacrifice.
Since we are raised to believe that life is precious, giving it up to save others is a big decision. In fiction, we see many characters do this without hesitation. They feel that it is their destiny or it is better for them to die than others. Whatever the reasoning, it is fairly common for heroes, mentors, and other heroes to die in the hopes of helping their allies survive and progress in their adventure. While we might never do it ourselves, we can understand where the action is coming from.
This can go for villains as well. Even though it is done for darker results, there are loyal henchmen who will give up their lives for their masters. The main antagonist typically won’t do this unless their goal is something they don’t care about living to see. For example, a villain who wants to destroy the world might stay with the device that will do so to make sure it goes off. The interesting thing is that a reader can still understand what is going on and why. The villains are as determined as the heroes to win, so they will do whatever it takes.
All of this is why I think a sacrifice needs to be built up. The character doesn’t have to be shown as loyal and dedicated though. Those traits makes it more believable for them to do it without hesitation. Yet, a character who is unsure of themselves can still do a sacrifice and make it work by them openly wrestling with what they want. A shock death out of nowhere doesn’t really work here because the character needs to have been established as being capable of a sacrifice. It could even be to prove they aren’t selfless, which is harder to pull off.
There is something to be said for the accidental sacrifice too. I won’t say I don’t like this one, but it tends to be done for either comedy or comeuppance. I find this very difficult to pull off well because it can be seen as an empty shock death or the author having run out of ideas for the character. This is because it comes as a surprise to everyone and there isn’t the usual nobility one would expect. I’ve seen some people say it doesn’t really count as a sacrifice because the character didn’t mean to do it. That brings up the debate on if intent is necessary for such an act.
This is a plot event that I use a few times because I feel a sacrificial death can have a lot of meaning. It can get the survivors to think about their own actions and strive to become stronger. Basically, it’s a useful catalyst for growth, especially when you remove a more powerful character. Now, the remaining heroes no longer have this high-level ally to depend on, so they have to grow. I’ll probably use it plenty of times, but I am going to limit it to series where it makes sense. For example, it doesn’t really work for Darwin’s adventures.
So, what do people think about a character sacrificing their life? Is it an overused trope?
(Made this origin post really early on, so a lot changed for Nyder. He became the longest running minion and maybe the most loyal to Baron Kernaghan. Unlike the others, he wasn’t a field agent, so he had similar page time issues to his master. I needed a big reason for him to be away from Shayd. One of the most unexpected twists from my mind was that the Fortune family, if not Nyder himself, were responsible for the creation and spread of Weapon Dragons.)
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Early on in Legends of Windemere: Allure of the Gypsies, new villains are introduced. All of them are allies of the Lich and are on equal footing with him, but they tend to stay more to the shadows. All of them, along with Queen Trinity, were never in the original story that took place in game form. Villains weren’t a big thing because a game always focuses on the heroes. You don’t get any asides for the bad guys, so it’s not a priority to do character development for many of them. So, I had to make a group of baddies, including Nyder Fortune.
Nyder is a gnome who wears ugly colored clothing and is a mad scientist type. He works out of a big factory on Shayde and rarely gets involved in the action. The others tend to contact him for helpful tools or to request a Weapon Dragon. His family is responsible for creating the part dragon, part machine beasts that show up from time to time. His creation was primarily to explain them, so I was happy that he grew a little and developed other machines. Still not sure if he’ll have a connection to Fritz Warrenberg or not.
Personality-wise, Nyder is easily exasperated with his allies if he is in the middle of something. For the most part, he’s calm and collected while not carrying about what the others are doing. Some scenes he reminds me of a babysitter, who has mentally checked out of the job. As long as the others don’t get themselves killed or set the castle on fire, he’s okay.
What’s the future for Nyder Fortune? No idea. Being a non-combat character and more of a secondary reserve villain, he doesn’t get into the action. I give him a fight scene in the 5th book, but he didn’t care for it. Now, I can’t get him out of his factory unless his life depends on it. He’s really becoming the assistant and messenger for the big villain of the series instead of a field agent. Guess every evil group needs one.
Heroes or their allies sacrificing themselves in fiction has been around for decades upon decades. It’s a common trope that people don’t typically get upset about. Not unless it’s done poorly. So, why are sacrifices in fiction so common among authors?
Well, the most obvious answers would be that sacrifices are what heroes do. People expect the protagonist to grow, which can result in giving something up. It might not even be their sacrifice, but one by someone close to them. Think of Obi-Wan Kenobi giving up his life to help his allies escape. He wasn’t the main hero, but he gave himself up to drive the heroes forward.
The sacrifice doesn’t even have to be ones life. A person can give up a precious item or a dream to help another. It could be a sacrifice that takes them away from an impossible path to one that will truly make them happy. They aren’t dead, but they have changed and are no longer staying in one place. It can also be a sacrifice that solidifies a positive situation such as in ‘Gift of the Magi’. The husband and wife each sacrifice something they love for the other, which negates the physical presents while strengthening their emotional relationship.
Thinking more about why people are okay with sacrifices in fiction has me considering how we look at the real world. When a horrible event happens, certain parts of the news turn towards those who tried to help. Many school shooting stories have parts where students, teachers, and others died taking on the shooter. They are seen as heroes in the face of a situation they should never have had to face. On a similar, but not unexpected, level are military, police, and firefighters who are trained to handle danger and possibly sacrifice themselves for others. We’re really trained from childhood to accept that people will give up their lives and that’s okay.
Of course, the sacrifice needs to mean something and create change. Plenty of times, a character has been killed and it ends up being pointless. There is something to be said for the ‘died in vain’ twist, but it can turn the audience. This turns what could be an emotional event into a shock death, which serves no internal purpose. None of the surviving characters have changed and the story is the same with the exception of having one less cast member. So, one would wonder if this is even considered a true sacrifice since it should be giving up ones life, power, or something important to help. An example of a wasted sacrifice would be Chiaotzu in ‘Dragon Ball Z’ self-destructing to kill the Saiyan warrior Nappa . . . Only Chiaotzu died.
What does everyone else think of the ‘sacrifice’ plot twist?
Many think of the giant tortoises and maybe even Darwin’s finches when they think of the Galapagos Islands. Yet, there is another famous animal, which is the Marine Iguana. This is the only marine lizard and all subspecies are found in this region. For this reason, it is considered vulnerable due to climate change reducing its food supply, tourism, pollution, and invasive species eating their young. Being in such a restrained region, they are highly susceptible to having their populations damaged.
Let’s learn about this one-of-a-kind lizards:
Males can grow to 4-5 feet while females reach 2-3 feet.
There are 11 subspecies with each one on a different island.
Marine iguanas feed almost exclusively on algae and seaweed.
They can reach depths of 9 feet and hold their breath for 60 minutes. They usually settle for around 40 minutes though.
Their flat tails are used to propel them through the water. Sharp claws are used to move across rocks as well.
Their black coloration helps them absorb heat and stay warm when they dive underwater.
Males become colorful during mating season. They go from mostly black to blue, red, pink, and green.
They are hunted by Galapagos hawks, but adults can outrun these predators if they spot the attack.
Mockingbirds will give a warning call when they see the hawks, which helps the iguanas.
Finches, lava lizards, mockingbirds, tiny crabs, and fish will eat ticks and other parasites off the iguana’s bodies.
They have special glands that allow them to sneeze out saltwater.
Marine iguanas are fully protected under the laws of Ecuador.
An issue with removing introduced predators comes from cats and dogs. The feral dogs eat larger iguanas, but also keep the feral cats under control. Remove the dogs and the cat population increases to cause trouble. Only the plus side, black rats were fully removed in 2012.
Legends of Windemere 