Open Thread: Oracle Hotline
Mar. 6th, 2026 12:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mithen posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
superhero_muses --What does your antagonist believe they're fighting for, and how do you ensure their motivations feel genuine?
Oh dear, here we hit a snag, which is I don't know for sure who my antagonist is! The Joker is dead in this Elseworld, and both Luthor and Zod are recently-defeated. I might look into Brainiac, or find a Batman villain who fits well with a steampunk vibe (I think there are probably plenty of choices!) I can never write the Riddler well, but a Victorian Riddler might be fun. He would definitely be bored and amusing himself, fighting to prove himself the smartest in this new age, and that will always be a very genuine motivation for Eddie.
Or Poison Ivy! An anti-technology Pamela Isley who hates all this new-fangled electricity and machinery and is fighting to return humanity to an agrarian age could be really interesting, hmmnmm. That might be inspiring!
Who is your antagonist right now? In general, I don't tend to focus as much on my antagonists, which I do think is a weakness in my writing...
Oh dear, here we hit a snag, which is I don't know for sure who my antagonist is! The Joker is dead in this Elseworld, and both Luthor and Zod are recently-defeated. I might look into Brainiac, or find a Batman villain who fits well with a steampunk vibe (I think there are probably plenty of choices!) I can never write the Riddler well, but a Victorian Riddler might be fun. He would definitely be bored and amusing himself, fighting to prove himself the smartest in this new age, and that will always be a very genuine motivation for Eddie.
Or Poison Ivy! An anti-technology Pamela Isley who hates all this new-fangled electricity and machinery and is fighting to return humanity to an agrarian age could be really interesting, hmmnmm. That might be inspiring!
Who is your antagonist right now? In general, I don't tend to focus as much on my antagonists, which I do think is a weakness in my writing...
no subject
Date: 2026-03-07 01:56 pm (UTC)They are slippery, like most villains. Will any be captured before the war begins? That's what Book V will explore. I just finished the first draft recently.
The antagonist in Book IV is Harvey Dent, poor tortured soul. He wants revenge on Bruce for his disfigurement (which wasn't Bruce's fault). Everything about Harvey is tragic. 🥺
BTW, both villains you named are great, but I'd go with Ivy. Her motivations will make great drama! ☺️
no subject
Date: 2026-03-27 03:15 am (UTC)Poison Ivy is definitely the way to go! Maybe some research about the environmental movement at the time would get me going...