Thoughts on 2023

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

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I’m tempted to leave this post as the above.  This started off as a rough year, took a slight turn in some direction, made an abrupt spiral, went up a bit, and then managed to go south and north at the same time.  In other words, I’m just going to do a good/bad list to cover everything because I can’t make a general concept.

  1. Bad– I began having anxiety attacks at night.  At least, I thought that’s what it was since I woke up gasping for air.  This led to me attempting a few anxiety meds with different levels of fail.  Somehow, blood pressure meds were added to the list and that met with the same levels of fail.  This health-based circus went from January to October.
  2. Bad– This one health event does deserve it’s own space.  I was sent to do a heart stress test because things looked a little off.  They always have.  I expected the treadmill like last time.  Instead, I was put into a scanning machine and injected with a medicine to simulate intense exercise.  This is done for people who can’t use the treadmill, which isn’t a category I fall into.  I was told the medicine would wear off fast, but I was feeling miserable for hours afterwards.  Still don’t know exactly why this was done to me instead of the other test.
  3. Good– I finally got re-evaluated for sleep apnea . . . in August.  Seems that was probably the reason I kept waking up feeling like I nearly died.  The anxiety attack joined in a few minutes after that because I assumed it was responsible.  My favorite part of the evaluation was after the I did the sleep test at home and mentioned I did it with an oral appliance designed to reduce apnea events: “Wait.  You had 199 events per hour WITH the appliance? The CPAP company will contact you as soon as insurance clears it and they will clear it.”
  4. Good– I got a CPAP machine and I’m acting getting quality sleep for the first time since maybe 2009 or 2010.  Consistent quality sleep at least.  I no longer wake up feeling sick and the fatigue I feel at the end of the day is regular instead of severe exhaustion.  Hey, that’s a good thing.  My blood pressure is better and the bad weather days aren’t battering my sinuses as much before.  Just have to work on the weight loss and I’ll be golden.
  5. Bad– THE LIFE EVENT!  This really just colors the whole year even though it started at the end of August.  It’s going to continue in 2024 too, so I’m not having much hope for the future at this time.
  6. Good–  I got to publish for the first time since December 1, 2021.  Do I Need to Use a Dragon? was fun to finally complete.  Did it sell a lot?  No, but I don’t think sales are in my future as an author.  Lack of marketing funds, contacts, and time makes that impossible.  I’d have to be discovered and promoted by someone who has all of that, but that doesn’t happen these days.  Maybe in the future.
  7. Bad–  I caught Covid for a second time in April.  This prevented me from taking my son to a cosplay contest.  It was rougher than the first time only because I didn’t get the meds until I had to go back in worse shape.  I missed my tenure celebration too.  At least I got a picture of my students with the poster for me and they saved the thing for me to take home.
  8. Good– I had a great summer with the life skills kids.  Sure, there were plenty of chaotic days for various reasons.  It was still a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to signing up for another.
  9. Good–  I get to be 100% Life Skills this school year.  Testing Center was fun at first, but I really like this type of schedule.  Noticing that I’m dressing down a bit with no more dress shirts.  This is really because I take two of our students to woodshop during 9th period and I need to be able to roll my sleeves up.
  10. Good– My son graduated from middle school with a few awards.  He got honor roll for 8 quarters straight too.  Then, he went on to start high school, which has been about as smooth as one would expect.
  11. Bad– Not liking how the world is looking these days.
  12. Good– The Lord of the Rings Lego set.  That was a fun build and totally worth the money and space.  Next year is going to have a 50 year anniversary Dungeons & Dragons set, so I’m going to start saving up for that now.  My son isn’t into Lego much these days, which means I’ll use the bonus points.
  13. Bad– No sales worth talking about in terms of books.  I didn’t get as much writing and outlining done as I wanted too.  This was mostly because of the health stuff and then, after I got that handled, the LIFE EVENT!  So, it did feel like this year was out to stop me from writing.

The score is 7-6 with GOOD winning, but I have to admit that I stretched a few things.  I also condensed some of the BAD into one thing.  Technically, the health stuff should have been divided up more with the medication stuff getting it’s own category.  As much as I want to say that this was a 50/50 year, the LIFE EVENT pushes 2023 into the bad category.  I mean, it threatens 2024 and could even cause issues with 2025, 2026, and 2027.  Not sure about after that.  Yeah, I’m not really liking how this year turned out and I actually still have November and December to go here.  I wrote this early because I figured it couldn’t get better or worse.  Any additions will be put below.

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What to Do With Tuesdays?

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

I’ve been treading water on Tuesdays for a while because I haven’t had any really good ideas.  Not having a release coming up, I can’t do any promotional teasers.  It’s hard to find new teasers in the old books too.  Mostly because it’s been so long that I don’t remember all of the juicy parts that would work.  I wish I had a book I had no intention of publishing in order to post it here.  Sadly, I only have Darwin’s adventures and those are to be published one day.

I can’t ask what characters people want to see teasers about.  The same names always come up, so nothing new gets added to the blog.  The same problem goes for the books because there are a handful of favorites among my small audience.  For example, Ichabod Brook gets mentioned a lot even though his story collection barely sold when it was a big debut. So, what exactly can I do?

What do other people do on their blogs when they want to post?  Are there any interesting new ways to promote books?  I’ve used teasers, basic ‘buy it now’ posts, character interviews, and behind-the-scenes.  Figure there has to be something I haven’t tried yet.

Potential ideas:

  1. Future story ideas such as Phi Beta Files, a necrocaster concept, etc.
  2. Promote books for other authors or myself if nobody submits.
  3. Keep grabbing older teasers and posting them until I figure something else out.
  4. Questions 3 that relate to my books.
  5. Cry in the corner until an idea comes up.
  6. Use holidays to promote my books?

Before anybody says it, telling me to just keep the day blank and that I don’t have to post every day isn’t going to help.  Honestly, maintaining this blog’s posting streak is turning out to be one of the few things that give me a sense of accomplishment.  Is there anything fun I can do with Tuesdays?

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Merry Christmas Memes

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

The title speaks for itself.  Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates.  Congratulations on surviving the onslaught of music, lights, and jolly specials to all of us who just want to make it to December 26th.  Seriously, it seems to get more extreme every year.  Anyway, enjoy this holiday about a magical immortal who brings joy to others by reading a book about a magical immortal who . . . gets into violent brawls.  Check out War of Nytefall: Loyalty!

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Happy Last Minute Shopping Day!

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Can’t say I’m surprised that Christmas Eve is also ‘Last Minute Shopping Day’.  Well, I hope everyone hasn’t fallen into that category.  That way, you can just relax at home and rest up for whatever happens at night.  I assume the tree covered in lights comes to life and you have to survive its wrath until Santa Claus comes down the chimney with a milk-and-cookie-powered flamethrower to save you.  I’m guessing the wreath creates a protected room you can hide in and the presents act as tripping hazards for the enraged tree?  Anyway, enjoy the funnies.

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Goal Post: Let the Break Begin!

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Made it through the last week of work and now I get a week of Holiday Break.  It was a little touch and go halfway through in terms of health.  Don’t know why, but the final push towards this break always comes with a chorus of coughs and sneezes.  I probably caught a small cold near the end, but I’m already feeling better.  Mostly, I needed more sleep and fluids.  We’ll see if it stays away.

The week wasn’t that exciting because it was before the break.  My son had a bunch of schoolwork, so I did that and Pokemon Go with him.  The first part of the break he’s with his mom, which meant spending as much relaxing time with him as possible.  Last weekend was tons of Pokemon Go, including a brave trip to the mall during the holiday season.  Yeah, that game was the key event since we couldn’t do much else with the remaining time after homework.  The ‘life event’ got worked on too, which resulted in a lot of painful inner analysis.  I’d love to talk about that, but I can’t because it’s too personal and could cause trouble.  At least I have 5 days to think and get other stuff done.

Writing didn’t happen.  I tried, but the outline for Darwin & the Joy Path has collected some dust.  I’ll try to finish that this weekend.  I want to dig into ‘Phi Beta Files’ and try to get through at least the supporting cast and the first book.  Still leaning towards short stories that connect to create a whole tale.  Would episodic be the way to describe this type of book?  Either way, I’m going to try my best to work on that since January already has some projects waiting.  The writing of Darwin & the Joy Path and the editing of Darwin & the Fate Bracelet.  2024 should be productive even if other areas of my life are going to be painful.

As usual, my life has been fairly boring in terms of writing.  Didn’t play any video games or do any February blog posts.  When your goal is mostly to make it to the end of the week in good health, you don’t do much.  Sleeping with the CPAP machine is going really well.  I had one rough night due to stomach issues, but not enough that my score went lower than a 97.  Looking at this as a video game helps me keep it going.  I’m hoping to ween myself off the Zzzquil I’ve been using since January too.  Last night was a full dose, but I’m going to try a half or 3/4 dose tonight.  Wonder if I could just not use it and see how long it takes for exhaustion to reset my system.  Probably not a good idea, so I’ll be happy to get it to a half dose by the end of the break.

Today, I’m not going to be doing any outlining until later.  It really depends on how long it takes for me to build this:

This is a headboard that has LED lights and a phone charging station.  For over 13 years, I’ve been using an old headboard my dad made when I was in high school.  It’s good, but untreated wood and doesn’t span the whole bed.  The height on that one isn’t good because my head goes into the shelf unless I stuff pillows into it.  So, I found this one on sale and it’s been sitting in a box in my room all week.  A nice building project should be a nice way to start the break.  I’ll tinker with the outline once I’m done.  Mostly, I’m happy to have lights, so I no longer have to get out of bed to turn off the ceiling light when I’m already comfortable.  Small things in life.

Beyond the headboard and outline, I’ve got very little planned.  My friends are either far away or with their families.  I don’t get time with my son until Wednesday night, so we’ll have some plans for after that.  Local museum has their ‘Video Games through the Decades’ arcade set up, so we can go play there for a few hours.  Mostly, I just want to relax and enjoy myself.  January is going to be busy and brutal with a lot of things already planned out, especially in regards to the ‘life event’.  To be honest, I’m already dreading 2024 and hoping for 2025 to be better.  Doesn’t say much, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s not going to be a pleasant 2024.

Let’s just dive into goals of the week:

  1. Build headboard.
  2. Finish Darwin & the Joy Path outline.
  3. Work on ‘Phi Beta Files’.
  4. Sleep well.
  5. Bike every day.
  6. Puzzle work when need quiet.
  7. Watch the rest of ‘Almost Paradise’ and then ‘Blue Eye Samurai’ and ‘Vox Machina’.
  8. Laundry.
  9. Maybe buy a Lego plant set to decorate the new headboard.

In case I don’t remember tomorrow or Monday, Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates.

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The Art of Accidental Intimidation

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

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This is another one of those topics that I had on my list and totally forgot what inspired it or where to go.  Yet, I do feel compelled to write about it.  Not because I have a lot to say, but I’m curious as to what people think.

We all know that intimidation is when a person threatens another person into submission or some kind of activity.  This is typically done without using physical force, but that isn’t a standard.  In fiction, it’s more common for a character to do this through words, facial expressions, posture, or their reputation.  Intimidating another character is a sign of strength and general toughness.  They get what they want because they know how to push people the right way.

Then there are times when a character is intimidating by accident.  Most times this is done for comedic effect.  The intimidating character is there to do something benign or unrelated to what the others are up to.  Yet, their presence makes a villain think twice about acting or even blurt out a secret.  There might some actions being taken that are threatening when taken out of context.  For example, the intimidating character picking up a knife at a store could make a villain think they are about to attack, but they’re really out shopping for a birthday present.  Again, this is for comedy.

I’ve seen a few scenes where the physical intimidation is mixed with verbal, which takes a lot of skill.  The character will talk either directly to the unintentional target or to someone else in a vague way, which can be taken as threatening.  You need to get very good at writing sentences that can have two meanings depending on the situation.  I’m still trying to get the hang of that, which is why I’ve never attempted this.  I think adding a verbal effect helps in selling the accidental intimidation too because it touches on more than the target’s sense of sight.  Now, they’re hearing things that make them scared.

Another aspect of this type of thing could be the character’s physical appearance.  I noticed that they tend to be big, muscular, angry face and sometimes scars.  They don’t always look intimidating, but they happen to be in a mood during the scene.  I think I remember this happening in ‘Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple’ when at least one of his teachers showed up and accidentally scared Kenichi’s opponents.  The guy was big, muscular, scarred, etc. and was giving off an angry aura without meaning to.  I think that’s how it went.  All I really remember is that he was confused on why people were afraid of him, which tends to be a big part of the punchline.

Does anyone else have any thoughts or examples of this type of minor plot twist?  Any that aren’t done for comedy?

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Poetry Day: Haiku Collection 1

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

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(Today and next Thursday are collections.  I forgot that I put all of my haiku into one file, which reached 13 pages.  So, I split the collection in half.  Also, I know haiku are supposed to be about nature, so not all of these fall under the category.  Just don’t remember what you call a non-nature poem that goes 5-7-5 like a haiku.  Sure somebody in the comments will answer that.  Enjoy.)

Skeletal Hands in the Sky

Boney hands stretch out

Across the velvet night sky

Bringing lethal light

 

Creepy When You’re Nice

You try to cheer me

When you are the cause of pain

Do you think me dumb?

 

An Honest Question

What is your excuse

When you are asked at  the end

If you lived your life

 

Another Honest Question

Do you have a friend

A compadre by your side

To help your life go by

 

False Survival

Eat the servant’s pill

And give up your very soul

To the greed machine

 

Secret Level

All gamers seek you

But only the best will reach

Without a walkthrough

 

Mountains of Shadow and Light

Mirror of my soul

As I gaze at the mountains

Half dark and half light

 

Fucking Bring It!

This shit ends today

I will no longer sit still

Freedom will be mine

 

R.B.M.L.

Read between my lines

See the story behind words

It may make you think

 

New Smell

My deodorant

Smells of cherries and vodka

I bought the wrong type

 

The Rabbit to Your Fox

I feel like your prey

A helpless jackrabbit trapped

Toyed with at your whim

 

We Have a House, so Why Are You Here?

My pen is in hand

Yet you sit within my reach

There are other rooms

 

Traffic Clot

The cars go nowhere

But I see the open space

We are traffic clot

 

Bumper Bitch

I see you back there

Nostrils flaring and eyes bulged

Hit my car and pay

 

The People That I Meet

My identity

Is forged by all the people

I meet on my path

 

A Sense of Something Broken

Something has broken

Leaving me drained and dying

I need time to heal

 

Drowning on Land

My body is soaked

With no shower to take blame

I pray for cool breeze

 

Endless Question of My Life

How do I succeed?

When all my time is taken

By those around me

 

Oddly Soothing

I watch the fan spin

Mesmerized by whirring blades

As I drift to sleep

 

Bad Timing

Inspiration hits

A fresh idea to work on

But I have no pen

 

Take a Step

Wander far from home

With no destination known

See where you end up

 

Were You Actually Listening?

You had two choices

Yet you answered yes or no

Need I ask again?

 

Ignorant Fool

Surrounded by fools

Never using common sense

Am I the real fool?

 

Lingering Burns upon My Spirit

Invisible scars

I still feel upon my mind

Making me hold back

 

Like the Moon and Tide

Rain changes our mood

The sound and smell takes our heart

Which way do you turn?

 

Dripping Blood into the Drain

Daily bloodletting

Flowing from the leg or chin

In the name of smooth

 

Giving With a Motive

You give to others

To get something in return

How dark is your soul?

 

Wisdom of the Jester

He speaks what he sees

Passing off the truth as jokes

Sage disguised as fool

 

Students for Life

Learning all the time

In the classroom and the world

We stop when we die

 

Bully

Predators of school

Drawn to the scent of weakness

Pain is all they know

 

Respect Where You Came From

We grow from our past

While the fools mock history

Proving their short sight

 

The Nameless

Ever watch a film

Wondering about the life

Of those with no name

 

Why Do I Even Try?

I plan for future

And every time I fail

When should I give up?

 

You Can Only Be One

Winners and losers

Two sides to every life

Do you know your side?

 

Finicky Feaster

You scoff at the meal

Picky mouth before manners

I pity your tongue

 

No True Master

Claim to know it all

You call yourself a master

You just stopped learning

 

Running on E

It’s a scary trip

Never knowing when it ends

Pray you do not crash

 

Lost Time

Those hours are gone

You will never regain them

Move on with your day

 

Red Light

I see the red light

Blocking all forward motion

Life at a stand still

 

Wednesday

Half my week is gone

The other half looms ahead

Already I yawn

 

Stumbling Toward the Weaker Years

As the years pile on

I feel my body rusting

Why do we waste youth?

 

Nature’s Alarm Clock

Tiny bird on sill

Singing at the rising sun

Why at my window?

 

Master of Mistakes

Each step a mistake

He keeps stumbling forward

Last fall coming soon

 

The Chill Begins

I can see my breath

The air striking like a lash

Summer is no more

 

Learning Curve

Learn from each mistake

Growing wiser with each year

No one is perfect

 

Bravery of Fools

A challenge to one

Is another’s foolish task

How brave do you feel?

 

Imagination Cataract

Once my dreams were bright

Then one day they fell to fog

Now my thoughts are gray

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7 Tips to Having Enemies Become Allies

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Spider-Man and Venom

The temptation to turn a popular villain into a hero can be pretty strong.  To do this, you need to make the two enemies stop wanting to kill each other.  Might not be an easy task because just saying ‘they get along now’ doesn’t work.  You have to put effort into the change.  So, what can help with this?

  1. If this is your main villain, you need to replace them with a new threat.  They can’t just walk away or be defeated then come back to be friendly without there being a new antagonist.  Otherwise, you have a big hole in your story structure.  You can’t just throw anyone or anything in there too.  The new threat needs to be as strong or stronger than its predecessor in terms of danger and impact on the overall story.
  2. A mutual enemy isn’t always needed to begin this new relationship.  This will have to appear at some point since the main goal of the story will be to overcome whatever the new threat is.  Yet, the former enemies might bond in a different way even before the newest big bad appears.  Maybe one searches for the other to get answers or some kind of item for their own use.  The former villain might show up for forgiveness if that can be seen as something they would do.  Fun to just play with the concept. Of course, this is fairly difficult to accomplish, so the ‘uniting against a common foe’ is the easiest path.
  3. If the former enemies are forced to work together, they probably shouldn’t be getting along perfectly. They ex-villain will especially be prone to not rushing to help their new ally. Self-serving habits don’t disappear quickly, so they will have to be eased into acting like an actual hero. Grandstanding and not working as a team would be common as well, but not to a point where they should be losing with no chance of recovery.  It could be something as simple as getting in the way or not listening to a plan because they have a better idea.
  4. Insulting banter and sarcastic mockery at failures is always a way to go.
  5. A source of friction can, and probably should, be that these two characters will have different methods.  At least at first.  The ex-villain may start off cruel, violent, and prone to use their former methods for good.  This would make them an anti-hero, which could pit their morality against the established hero.  For example, they could argue over killing or the use of torture.  Part of this storyline would be the villain growing out of their darker habits and/or the hero stepping out of their own comfort zone.
  6. If the history between these characters is highly toxic, you might have a lot of trouble selling the new alliance.  That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but you’re going to have to explain why they aren’t holding grudges.  In fact, they might be doing that for a very long time until a big event causes them to rethink things.  Maybe the ex-villain nearly dies saving someone to show they’ve changed. It could be a conversation followed by an act of redemption.  This really depends on what happened because there are definitely some acts that cannot be forgiven.
  7. There is a challenging option to have this alliance be one-sided.  The former villain might be forced into the partnership, so they aren’t really friends.  They will continue working together until they no longer have a mutual enemy.  Another possibility is that the former villain is working towards redemption by aiding the hero, but they are repeatedly denied any credit.  They will continue taking action in the hopes of earning what they want, but never get it.  It means they’re still ‘allies’, but only in that they are superficially working together.
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Revisiting Origins: Ichabod Brooks

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Ichabod Brooks

Would you believe he first appeared on this blog in April of 2013?  Well he did and here’s the post.

Originally Ichabod Jones, he started as a name that I couldn’t get out of my head.  I decided to peek down the rabbit hole after a few weeks of wondering why I liked that name.  Not much happened for several months, but one day a story evolved around Ichabod.  He was a loner in a world where people lived above a toxic cloud.  He was one of the few who could ‘dive’ into the old world and not be poisoned by the pollution.  So he would take assignments to recover items for people.  This was going to be a book where Ichabod got involved in rebels, survivors on the surface, and the truth behind the fate of the world.  It never made it beyond a brief explanation in one of my many notebooks.  So our apathetic hero remained in slumber until I wrote the poem in April and forgot him again.

Bring us to earlier this year and I found myself in the darker parts of Legends of Windemere.  Heroic spirits were being battered, Stephen was having sadistic fun, hearts were being stomped, and I really needed something more simple and upbeat to write.  I saw my son playing and got the idea of a short story where the hero was a father.  At first, he was going to travel with the kid like ‘Lone Wolf & Cub‘.  I’d never read that, but I knew of the basic concept.  Then everything changed by having the hero become a family man that is simply trying to earn a living.  At this point I wanted to make the man before I settled on the adventure and life details.

I remembered Ichabod Jones and changed him into the middle-aged father/husband with a reputation for taking on dangerous jobs.  The personality came about as writing, but I started with the idea that he was dedicated to his family.  He talks and thinks about them quite often.  Even a part of his contract involves allowing him to claim a souvenir for his son.  This was the new hero of Windemere, who wasn’t going to have epic struggles like Luke Callindor.  He was only out to make a living and sometimes his assignments went a little out of whack.

Now for anybody who remembers a few months ago, Ichabod Jones was revealed to already exist in a comic book.  Entirely different character and world, but why take the risk?  So I took suggestions and votes where ‘Brooks’ took the gold medal.  I’ve gotten used to calling him Ichabod Brooks and I like what he’s become.  How many adventures will he have?  I don’t know.  It really depends on the reception, but he might become a summer release and, if he gets enough traction, I’ll try to make the next one a compilation of short stories.  So fingers are crossed that Ichabod is greeted with positivity and can be a recurring hero for me to work with.

2023 Thoughts– I made the above post long ago before his short story came out.  It would be a year later that I published The Life & Times of Ichabod Brooks.  People really enjoyed the character and I loved writing him.  He stood out from my other heroes due to him showing his age and being focused on providing for family.  Ichabod wasn’t trying to save the world or defeat a great evil.  He took jobs for money because his family had to eat and bills don’t pay themselves.  Will I ever write the rest of the Ichabod Brooks stories?  I don’t know.  The books never sold even though people enjoyed his adventures when I posted excerpts.  Maybe I’ll get the last 11 that I have notes on finished one day and give him some closure.  Only time will tell.

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When Enemies Turn Into Allies

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Vegeta, Goku, and Piccolo

For those who don’t know the Dragon Ball franchise, I will explain.  Goku is the guy in the middle who has been the main hero since the beginning.  Piccolo (green guy on right) was the final villain of the original Dragon Ball series.  When Dragon Ball Z began, Piccolo slowly began turning into a good guy and eventually befriended Goku.  Vegeta (angry guy on left) was one of the early main villains of DBZ.  He eventually became an ally of Goku even though he really hated him.  Not sure I can go with friends, but I haven’t seen the newest series.  Anyway, these two were enemies of Goku and then they became allies.

The ‘enemy turned ally’ trope is fairly common though.  I remember it in comics like whenever Magento joined the X-Men.  There have been video games where you get to play a long-standing villain such as when Bowser teamed up with Mario in ‘Super Mario RPG’.  Plenty of novels have this trope too.  One could even call it cliche, but it’s one that I never seem to see get any pushback.  Not on a grand scale, at least.  The turn is usually accepted at some point as long as things are done well.  I guess an author who wouldn’t do it well might not keep an audience long enough to do the turn too.  Then again, I might just be lucky and not found many terrible ones.

I’ve always found this character twist to be fun.  You have this villain, who is typically defeated and replaced by a stronger one.  Since they aren’t dead, they can still be active in the story.  The choices tend to be join the new baddie as a henchman or decide to join the hero.  This ties into redemption arcs, which I think appeal to people because it gives us hope for forgiveness in our own lives.  It can also create some interesting friction and comedic sparring since you can’t have the former enemies be friendly right away.  Well, you can, but it might seem forced.  The angles you can go at this subplot are fairly numerous because you can take it in a variety of ways.

Now, you might wonder why an author would do this too.  I know I have.  I think it can usually come down to two things:

  1. The author really liked the former villain and wanted to keep them going.  They also saw that there was a chance to make them a hero or anti-hero.  There is a love and desire to not retire them just yet.  Of course, this can backfire if the audience doesn’t share the author’s attachment.
  2. That’s why you have the second scenario where the audience loves the villain.  It’s not because the character does bad things, but they garner sympathy and are seen as a multi-faceted figure.  An author might see this and decide to change their plan to maintain their audience.  It isn’t just for fame though because one has to see what others see in order to make it work.

I’m sure people can think of why this shouldn’t be done.  A villain who has crossed certain lines really can’t become close friends with a true hero.  They might work together if forced, but there isn’t a solid relationship there.  I’m not talking about villains who are routinely trying to betray their new side here, but ones that genuinely try to change their ways.  There’s a limit to what people will forgive for though, which is understandable.  It isn’t the same for every person too, so you need to prepare for some backlash.  This should be why you don’t see this trope very often, but you do see it a lot.  Maybe most modern villains aren’t as evil as the ones in the past?

Anyway, what do you think of heroes and former villains becoming friends?  Any favorite examples?

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