I am a huge fan of fantasy and vacabulory. That is why I enjoy reading fantasy novels so much. It is undoubted that most fantasy novels you pick up is almost guaranteed to be written well. How else is there to aptly and accurately describe all those complicated 'magick' terms and mythical scenes often associated with the fantasy world?
Let me give you an example:
Good fantasy:
All of a sudden the midnight sky burst aflamed followed by shrieks of terror. A wave of fear swept the entire village as a magnificent red fiery beast soar past, its skin glistering in the moonless night.
Bad fantasy:
And then suddenly, someone screamed and everyone got scared because a dragon with oily skin fly past.
I was in ecstacy today when I accidentally stumbled onto this wicked website. It was sheer reading bliss for me as I went through Peter Anspach's "The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord". It is absolutely hilarious, wicked and extremely well written.
For those who are familiar with the cliche' scenes from any good vs evil battle stories, I'm sure you can appreciate some of these lines:
19. I will not have a daughter. She would be as beautiful as she was evil, but one look at the hero's rugged countenance and she'd betray her own father.
20. Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in maniacal laughter. When so occupied, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.
29. I will dress in bright and cheery colors, and so throw my enemies into confusion.
38. If an enemy I have just killed has a younger sibling or offspring anywhere, I will find them and have them killed immediately, instead of waiting for them to grow up harboring feelings of vengeance towards me in my old age
42. When I capture the hero, I will make sure I also get his dog, monkey, ferret, or whatever sickeningly cute little animal capable of untying ropes and filching keys happens to follow him around
58. If it becomes necessary to escape, I will never stop to pose dramatically and toss off a one-liner.
69. All midwives will be banned from the realm. All babies will be delivered at state-approved hospitals. Orphans will be placed in foster-homes, not abandoned in the woods to be raised by creatures of the wild.
83. If I'm eating dinner with the hero, put poison in his goblet, then have to leave the table for any reason, I will order new drinks for both of us instead of trying to decide whether or not to switch with him.
85. I will not use any plan in which the final step is horribly complicated, e.g. "Align the 12 Stones of Power on the sacred altar then activate the medallion at the moment of total eclipse." Instead it will be more along the lines of "Push the button."
91. I will not ignore the messenger that stumbles in exhausted and obviously agitated until my personal grooming or current entertainment is finished. It might actually be important
98. If an attractive young couple enters my realm, I will carefully monitor their activities. If I find they are happy and affectionate, I will ignore them. However if circumstance have forced them together against their will and they spend all their time bickering and criticizing each other except during the intermittent occasions when they are saving each others' lives at which point there are hints of sexual tension, I will immediately order their execution
119. I will not attempt to kill the hero by placing a venomous creature in his room. It will just wind up accidentally killing one of my clumsy henchmen instead.
130. All members of my Legions of Terror will have professionally tailored uniforms. If the hero knocks a soldier unconscious and steals the uniform, the poor fit will give him away.
144.I will order my guards to stand in a line when they shoot at the hero so he cannot duck and have them accidentally shoot each other. Also, I will order some to aim above, below, and to the sides so he cannot jump out of the way.
154. I will instruct my Legions of Terror in proper search techniques. In particular, if they are searching for escapees and someone shouts, "Quick! They went that way!", they must first ascertain the identity of this helpful informant before dashing off in hot pursuit.
189. I will never tell the hero "Yes I was the one who did it, but you'll never be able to prove it to that incompetent old fool." Chances are, that incompetant old fool is standing behind the curtain.
190. If my mad scientist/wizard tells me he has almost perfected my Superweapon but it still needs more testing, I will wait for him to complete the tests. No one ever conquered the world using a beta version.
201. All giant serpents acting as guardians in underground lakes will be fitted with sports goggles to prevent eye injuries.
For more, please check out http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html
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