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Heroes & Villians
Heroes and villains seem harder to define when somethings happen to blur the lines The villain style of justice may appear better than no justice at all When the system fails the victim and makes the victim feel so small Where are the Heros when evil abounds? Are they still around? Who fights for truth and justice throughout the land? Who is brave enough to take a stand? Remember heroes often are easily disguised as ordinary people and don't stand out in a crowd Their anonymity allows them to work behind the scenes they effectively crush the evil villains dreams. The Heros tirelessly fight for truth and justice and selflessly care for others in need. They support and encourage those that the villains of this world have knocked down. The villains can too easily be found courtesy of our television screen they often make a showing on the 6 or 10 o clock news they are promoting violence they don't care about anyone else's views. As far as Heros go you may discover that a Heros heart is contained inside of You. Hero or Villain? The choice is yours Today you could take a stand to right some societal wrong Today you can be strong and be a Hero to a friend or loved one or a stranger in need. To them can make a difference indeed. Hero's Traits: H elping E ncouraging R espectful O pportunity Perhaps these traits are within you Be the Hero that you long to see! Poem by Ann M. Johnson
Every story needs its hero and its villain. They are both important to the plot. I enjoy a villain who believes he’s the hero in the story. I also enjoy a villain who is clever, proud, vengeful, deceitful, merciless, and who totally embraces his dark side.
These are a few of my favorite villains:
Annie Wilkes from Stephen King’s Misery. A nurse and serial killer, Annie, rescues her favorite novelist Paul Sheldon from certain death after a horrible automobile accident. She sweetly nurses him back to health, only to break his legs with a sledgehammer after she finds out his plan to end her favorite novel series. She loved him, but she had to save him from himself. 😉
Cersei Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. Cersei was extremely clever and had many of the same characteristics of a hero but was completely misdirected. Everything she did was for “the good of the family,” especially, her kids, which she adored. Unfortunately, her eldest son and daughter were poisoned, and her youngest committed suicide.
Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. Dr. Hannibal Lector was charming, classy, well read, and highly intelligent. He was also a terrifying, serial killing, cannibal psychiatrist. He knew what he was and embraced his evil ways completely.
In The Rise of Gadreel, the main villain is Satan, who escapes his earthly prison with the help of Lilituen witches by absorbing the body and essence of a young sorcerer, Abigor Chailín. Abigor volunteered to be Satan’s vessel, even though he knew he would perish. During the process of absorption Abigor’s knowledge, experience, and innate magical powers passed on to Satan, who would take over his identity. The following excerpt is in Abigor Chailín’s (Satan’s) voice.
Excerpt:
The day moved at the pace of a three-toed sloth, and when evening came at last, bodies willing and able to do my bidding crammed the great hall.
“The time has come,” I said. “Gadreel and her allies, dubbed the Fearless Five, shall enter the gates of London soon, and we must be ready.”
A Lilituen monk stepped forward, his head hung to avoid eye contact, and he wrung his hands as he spoke. “Many have spoken of a persuasive phantom who accompanies Gadreel, as well as a warrior priest who shifts into a fiend at will, a mighty sorceress, and a rock giant.”
I watched him squirm for a while, and then stepped toward him.
“Look at me!” I said. His eyes met mine. “Peasants tend to exaggerate, making issues appear grander than they are. But even if matters were as they claimed, who cares? Have we not formidable warriors and sorcerers in our midst? And most importantly, you have me, and there is not a creature on Earth who can defeat me. Do you disagree?”
“No, Master,” he said. “The people of London, especially the peasants, suffer cold, sickness, and hunger. Their opinion of you, Master, if I may speak freely”—he paused and waited for my permission to go on—“has declined.”
“And why should I care about the opinions of peasants?”
“Because they may decide to join forces with the Fearless Five against us.”
“You stand in a room filled with mighty warriors, sorcerers, and demons, and you are worried about a handful of emaciated farmers? Oh ye of little faith.”
“God is on their side,” the monk said.
“You forget God is up there, and I am down here.” And with those words I placed my hands on the monk’s head, whispering a spell under my breath.
Soon, my hands took on a green aura, and his face came to be the color of a pickled cherry. He convulsed, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, blisters distorting his skin as it darkened to the color of a ripe plum. Steam exploded from his ears, followed by dark blood which also oozed from his eyes and mouth. I lifted my hands and he crumbled, dead, to the ground.
“Take away this filth,” I instructed my servants. They came forth and did my bidding in haste. “Anyone else have doubts? There’s no time for misgivings. Either you are with me or against me. Decide which it is, here and now.”
The assembled remained quiet.
“I shall take your silence to mean that you are with me and ready to do all that I ask of you. The whole of England is in peril, and so is the church. I’ll restore order, and the people shall keep the faith. First, drastic measures are required.”
Lilituens – A sect of witches and sorcerers which include demons and half-breeds with innate magical powers.
Fearless Five – A band of heroes that defend and protect human beings from evil forces. Gadreel, Dracúl, Thomas, Sabina, and Golem make up the Fearless Five.
I hope you enjoyed the post. Thank you for visiting!
I liked your villain choices, Vashti. Best wishes on the new release.
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Thank you, John. There are many others, but that would be an entire other post. 😉 xo
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😂
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You heroes and villains bit took some effort. I enjoyed the whole post.
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Hi, Craig! Thank you. I always sit at my typewriter and bleed. 😉 I’m happy you enjoyed the post. Have a great weekend!
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Great poem to share, Vashti! I do believe most of us have a hero inside.
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I believe that too, Denise! I’m glad you liked it. I thought it was lovely. 😀 xo
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Your writing hooks us like a rug, and we stretch out willingly! ❤
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Awww. Thank you, Annette! You always leave the sweetest comments. I appreciate you. ❤ xo
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I love your list of villains! Great post, Vashti, and best wishes with the series and latest book! 🙂
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Aren’t they great? They’re the kind of villains one loves to hate. Thank you for the kind wishes, my friend! I also wish you all the best with your new release. 😀 xo
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Quite a list of villains there. I don’t know Gadreel but that’s a great cover.
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Thank you! I’m happy you like the cover. Gadreel is a repentant fallen angel and the hero of the story. 😀
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Great poem, Vashti! Wishing you the best on your release. xo
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Thank you, Jill.😊 Enjoy your weekend!
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I agree with you on creating villains, Vashti! Satan and Lilith are great villains in this series. 🙂
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Thank you very much, Yvette! Villains are fun and challenging to write.🥰 Happy Saturday!
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What a great post! It made me pause and consider what is justice from both angles — villain and hero. Hope all is going well with your launch, Vashti. It’s a terrific series! ❤
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Hi, Gwen! I’m so happy you enjoyed the post. Thank you very much❣️
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I loved your poem about heroes. And I do believe there are bits and pieces of both heroes and villains in us all. 🙂 Great post, Vashti! Best wishes with your new release!
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You make a great point about there being a little bit of hero and villain inside everyone. I always thought there was light and darkness in all of us, so I guess that’s the same thing. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you!😊💕
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Heroes are always among us and within us unless we are pure evil such as Satan. I have but a few pages left to read of this amazing book. Each book in the series is my favorite! Congratulations, Vashti.
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I’m ecstatic that you’re enjoying this book, Karen! Awww. That means so much to me. I work hard at making each book I write better than the last. Thank you! ❤ xo
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A great extract, Vashti, and I liked the poem you featured. I haven’t read George RR Martin by Annie and Hannibal were horrific villains.
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Thank you, Robbie! Horrific, unique, and you just can’t help wanting to know what they’ll do next. Ha, ha! 😀 xo
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Another awesome share, Vashti. You’ve captured this moment in time brilliantly. Every day we have a choice.. our part in our collective story. Thanks so much for sharing. Bravo on the amazing reviews, too. Cheers to you, and wishing you a beautiful week ahead. xo
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I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the post, Natalie! Thank you for the visit, comment, and great wishes, my friend. Enjoy the new week! ❤ xo
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You picked some great villains, Vashti. Cersei is one of my favorites too. Oooh she was so bad. Wonderful excerpt too. A great read. Thanks for sharing!
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Hi, Diana! Cersei was definitely fun to hate. I’m happy you enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for your visit and comment. ❤
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You’re right, Vashti, there are unsung heroes. They are just ordinary people doing heroic deeds. Too sad that it seems villains make the news. I’m glad NBC has the Inspire America at the end of the Nightly News. I love the excerpt! ❤
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I’m happy you loved the excerpt, Miriam. Thank you! You’re right, it’s good to hear about the heroes once in a while. ❤
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Exactly, Vashti. I hope all is well with you! 💖
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