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Prophet Tenebrae.
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April 11, 2009 at 1:46 am #82267
The Riddle
ParticipantI've been wrestling with this for a while now, and I frankly don't know how to work it.
Main female antagonist has physique-altering magic powers, and goes from transforming herself and her friends to changing the world's females into uberbuffed Amazons.
The main question is, why?
Rather than making it widely known that she is the cause of the changes, she "blames" them on a Goddess, calling herself the Goddess' emissary. Since, other than physical manipulation of humans, she really lacks deity-like powers, and could just as easily have a bomb dropped on her as anyone else. She was a typical young woman before she acquired her powers.
What would cause a woman to go from acceptant of today's society to changing it so women have the power? She was never an uber-feminist before, and to assume that just because she can, she would, doesn't sit right with me.
April 11, 2009 at 2:32 am #82268areaorion
ParticipantIt would have to stem from a new found disdain for men… all men. Maybe the pursuit or the acquisition of the power changed her somehow, someway (ie Raistlin from the Dragonlance series).
Could be an interesting back story.
April 11, 2009 at 2:50 am #82269ParticipantIt would have to stem from a new found disdain for men… all men. Maybe the pursuit or the acquisition of the power changed her somehow, someway (ie Raistlin from the Dragonlance series).
Could be an interesting back story.
Hehe, if I make -another- back story with this one, the few readers I have'll likely stop altogether.
Perhaps, because she is now superior to men, she feels that all women should be…I could go with that.
April 11, 2009 at 3:48 am #82270
TC2ParticipantAs soon as someone gets a taste of power and they like it, it would definitely cause perceptions to be skewed. If you were to reference it to say slavery, where a slave becomes free and suddenly has the power to free other slaves. That person would then start using their abilities to "help" others.
A different direction could even be that perhaps upon seeing her body transform, it excites her to see other females transform and so she would take any opportunity to make other women bigger and more muscular so that she can watch the show.
The last reason could just be pure insanity and she simply wants to dominate all the males in the world with her own female super army.
April 11, 2009 at 4:14 am #82271ParticipantA different direction could even be that perhaps upon seeing her body transform, it excites her to see other females transform and so she would take any opportunity to make other women bigger and more muscular so that she can watch the show.
I -like- that! Never even remotely occurred to me. Thanks!
April 11, 2009 at 4:52 am #82272stmercy2020
ParticipantAn alternative (although I quite like TC2's idea about getting a thrill out of seeing the transformation of other women, too) might be that she suffered some form of trauma that her powers were unable to fully protect her from; possibly she is drugged and assaulted; the drugs keep her from effectively using her powers and the assault leaves her feeling victimized. Desiring to never be a victim again and wanting to save other women from the same fate, she goes about her plan the transform the female population. Probably without fully considering the consequences…
April 11, 2009 at 3:47 pm #82273
AlexGKeymasterI've been wrestling with this for a while now, and I frankly don't know how to work it.
Main female antagonist has physique-altering magic powers, and goes from transforming herself and her friends to changing the world's females into uberbuffed Amazons.
The main question is, why?
Rather than making it widely known that she is the cause of the changes, she "blames" them on a Goddess, calling herself the Goddess' emissary. Since, other than physical manipulation of humans, she really lacks deity-like powers, and could just as easily have a bomb dropped on her as anyone else. She was a typical young woman before she acquired her powers.
What would cause a woman to go from acceptant of today's society to changing it so women have the power? She was never an uber-feminist before, and to assume that just because she can, she would, doesn't sit right with me.
Might be too deep for your story line, but how about something like absolute power corrupts absolutely. It's one thing to be changed yourself, or extend it to a few select others, but the shear arrogance to think that all women want to be changed physically in so radical a manner . . . well, she might have started off with the best of intentions (if only in her own mind, intoxicated in her power), but it will end badly for all concerned.
“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)April 21, 2009 at 11:41 am #82274Pug
ParticipantI've always thought the 'absolute power corrupts' is a bit of a cheat. Unless she is a completely disgusting cynic (Who are boring), from her perspective, she's doing good – or trying, like most of us.
I'd say it's something that gets started, and she is forced to do more and more to keep it from becoming an even bigger mess than it is, in a butterfly effect sort of way. From that perspective maybe you need to work out what her ability can and can't do – maybe her psuedoscience quantum tweaker can *only* improve women, but when she helps a woman, it affects woman according to how similar their mitochondria is. So she can't help any woman, without improving all of them . . . some. And once you've turned your best friends cousin into the school bully because you helped your best friend, you have to help the japanese girls she's picking on . . . of course, then you have to fix . . .
I leave the rest as an exercise for the student – <G>. Plus, I suck at writinng – <G>
Pug
April 21, 2009 at 5:17 pm #82275AlexGKeymasterI've always thought the 'absolute power corrupts' is a bit of a cheat.
I couldn't disagree more, especially if you start out with someone who is by nature good, and how the inner flaws of their personality can eventually overcome, even overwhelm what is – or once was, a basically good person and turning them into a repressive tyrant.
In fact, some would even say antagonists are the more interesting characters, not only for the writer to work with, but for the audience, too.
Unless she is a completely disgusting cynic (Who are boring), from her perspective, she's doing good – or trying, like most of us.
Always beware of the do-gooders in this world, they'll do right, all right . . . right by themselves. I.E. see James Michener 's "Hawaii" about the missionaries.
“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)April 21, 2009 at 7:15 pm #8227610-4
ParticipantWhat would cause a woman to go from acceptant of today's society to changing it so women have the power? She was never an uber-feminist before, and to assume that just because she can, she would, doesn't sit right with me.
In story terms an easy out would be a Doctor Jekyll / Mr Hyde dual personality which would allow for a quick back and forth in the characters personality.
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