See you later.
*sigh*
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Guilty Pleasures and Demon Slaying
I have a confession. There are days when I'm worn out, exhausted, stressed out by trying to finish homework, when I find myself with a few hours free. Do I head to the computer and start typing away? No. Alas.
*sigh*
I go to Netflix.
Allow me to introduce....
Supernatural.
If you haven't heard of this show, A) where have you been? and B) watch it! It follows two brothers, Dean and Sam (the two on the left in that picture) and their buddy Cas (on the right), who isn't quite human, and their quest to... well... kill monsters.
As a writer, what do I appreciate about this show? Well...
A) Fantasy Elements - Demons, angels, vampires, werewolves, Roman gods, and different monsters from around the world try to feed on innocents. And headstrong humans called hunters track them down, figure out how to kill them, and save the day.
B) Characterization - TRUST ME on this. This show has the amazing ability to change the tone and style of relationships as the characters change, instead of just hanging onto the same-ol-characters-that-never-change of so many long-running TV shows. Sometimes the relationships change for the worse, constantly it's heartbreaking, but the writers and actors do such a good job of portraying it realistically.
C) Amazing cast - the kind any writer would dream of to play an adaptation of their book. Throughout the different possessions/secrets/plot twists, these actors adjust their character just enough, never too much.
So there's my guilty pleasure AND my recommendation. Supernatural! But only start to watch it if you're ready to get your heart ripped out. It's totally worth it.
XOXO
Bethany
*sigh*
I go to Netflix.
Allow me to introduce....
If you haven't heard of this show, A) where have you been? and B) watch it! It follows two brothers, Dean and Sam (the two on the left in that picture) and their buddy Cas (on the right), who isn't quite human, and their quest to... well... kill monsters.
As a writer, what do I appreciate about this show? Well...
A) Fantasy Elements - Demons, angels, vampires, werewolves, Roman gods, and different monsters from around the world try to feed on innocents. And headstrong humans called hunters track them down, figure out how to kill them, and save the day.
B) Characterization - TRUST ME on this. This show has the amazing ability to change the tone and style of relationships as the characters change, instead of just hanging onto the same-ol-characters-that-never-change of so many long-running TV shows. Sometimes the relationships change for the worse, constantly it's heartbreaking, but the writers and actors do such a good job of portraying it realistically.
C) Amazing cast - the kind any writer would dream of to play an adaptation of their book. Throughout the different possessions/secrets/plot twists, these actors adjust their character just enough, never too much.
So there's my guilty pleasure AND my recommendation. Supernatural! But only start to watch it if you're ready to get your heart ripped out. It's totally worth it.
XOXO
Bethany
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
And How Would You Like Your Villains?
I was thinking about villains the other day - about some of my favorite evil guys. And what I found is that, while I love my flawed, beautiful characters, sometimes I just love evil villains. Are you ever satisfied by pure evil? Or do you prefer a villain with a tried-and-true backstory?
As writers, we have characters we create to be ugly. Sometimes we don’t want a light side, sometimes we don’t want empathy or a compelling reason. Sometimes our characters are not normal people who went bad. Occasionally, we need a character that is so unreasonably evil, so unforgivably dark, that no reader in their right mind would defend him.
Not the ‘mommy-didn’t-love-me-so-now-I-kill-teddy-bears’ evil, not the ‘I’m-just-misunderstood’ evil. We need a villain who we don’t understand; a man who does evil things because they are evil. A woman who does unthinkable things for no other reason than she wants to.
Not the ‘mommy-didn’t-love-me-so-now-I-kill-teddy-bears’ evil, not the ‘I’m-just-misunderstood’ evil. We need a villain who we don’t understand; a man who does evil things because they are evil. A woman who does unthinkable things for no other reason than she wants to.
Why do we need such evil in stories? Because human nature can be dark without reason. The unforgivable villain is not just a character, but an extension of human nature - the part we fight against the most and fear the most.
When we see a flawed hero defeat the evilest evil-McEvil out there, we see victory against the darkness, against our own darkness. That is the truth behind the story, that’s why fiction is never just really fiction.
When we see a flawed hero defeat the evilest evil-McEvil out there, we see victory against the darkness, against our own darkness. That is the truth behind the story, that’s why fiction is never just really fiction.
So who's your favorite villain?
XOXO Bethany
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)