“
The Sōsuke Aizen you knew...never existed to begin with.
”
”
Sosuke Aizen
“
Pain, Victor had learned, turned people into animals.
”
”
Victoria E. Schwab (Vengeful (Villains, #2))
“
Can we start with the cat?” I asked, sitting. CATS, Hera typed. PERSEPHONE IS MY INTERN. Persephone looked at me and mewed. “Paid internship, I hope,” I joked. OF COURSE, Hera typed back. WE’RE ANIMALS, NOT MONSTERS. I paused. “Do you actually get paid?” I asked my cat. YES. “How much?” MORE THAN YOU.
”
”
John Scalzi (Starter Villain)
“
How quickly we devolve. People become animals the moment they are caged.
”
”
Victoria E. Schwab (Vengeful (Villains, #2))
“
I swear on St. Francis, the patron saint of all animals.”
Seeing Poppy’s hesitation, Beatrix added enthusiastically, “If a band of pirates kidnapped me and took me to their ship and threatened to make me walk the plank over a shiver of starving sharks unless I told them your secret, I still wouldn’t tell it. If I were tied by a villain and thrown before a herd of stampeding horses all shod in iron, and the only way to keep from being trampled was to tell the villain your secret, I—
”
”
Lisa Kleypas (Tempt Me at Twilight (The Hathaways, #3))
“
It was really very sweet, and so if someone asked me about Thornhedge, I would probably say that it is a sweet book, and then presumably someone would point out that the heroine is raised by child-eating fish monsters and the villain is torturing people and animating the dead, and I would be left flailing my hands around and saying, “But it’s sweet! Really!
”
”
T. Kingfisher (Thornhedge)
“
Homo sapiens is a storytelling animal that thinks in stories rather than in numbers or graphs, and believes that the universe itself works like a story, replete with heroes and villains, conflicts and resolutions, climaxes and happy endings. When we look for the meaning of life, we want a story that will explain what reality is all about and what my particular role is in the cosmic drama. This role makes me a part of something bigger than myself, and gives meaning to all my experiences and choices.
”
”
Yuval Noah Harari (21 Lessons for the 21st Century)
“
There are ancient beasts in the menagerie that will maul you if they feel threatened.” Thank God. Approach all the animals until one puts me out of my misery—got it.
”
”
Jasmine Mas (Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #1))
“
So the animals were stupid but powerful. They sound like most Spartans.
”
”
Jasmine Mas (Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #1))
“
[...] In a lot of ways, I guess Satan was the first superhero.”
“Don’t you mean supervillain?”
“Nah. Hero, for sure. Think about it. In his first adventure, he took the form of a snake to free two prisoners being held naked in a Third World jungle prison by an all-powerful megalomaniac. At the same time, he broadened their diet and introduced them to their own sexuality. Sounds kind of like a cross between Animal Man and Dr. Phil to me.
”
”
Joe Hill (Horns)
“
If we make our own history, if we tell stories that bring us together, we'll be stronger. It'll give us something to believe in. The sickos can't do that – they're no better than animals – but we can. Every battle we win we have to tell the story over and over, so that we can win more battles. People love stories. They've told stories since even before they could write. Myths and legends, stories of heroes and villains, gods and monsters. Real things happened, the story got told and then the stories became legends. That's what we've got to do – tell our own heroic stories.
”
”
Charlie Higson (The Fear (The Enemy #3))
“
If it's my family on the line, I will be as dark and black a villain as I need to in order to protect them.
”
”
Gray Fullbuster
“
Evie and her boss turned back toward the carriage. Kingsley was holding another of his signs, this one reading Halp. The Villain reached back, quickly ripping the sign from the animal. “Give me that, you little traitor.
”
”
Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain, #1))
“
There is nothing extreme about ethical veganism.
What is extreme is eating decomposing flesh and animal secretions.
What is extreme is that we regard some animals as members of our family while, at the same time, we stick forks into the corpses of other animals.
What is extreme is thinking that it is morally acceptable to inflict suffering and death on other sentient creatures simply because we enjoy the taste of animal products or because we like the look of clothes made from animals.
What is extreme is that we say that we recognize that “unnecessary” suffering and death cannot be morally justified and then we proceed to engage in exploitation on a daily basis that is completely unnecessary.
What is extreme is pretending to embrace peace while we make violence, suffering, torture and death a daily part of our lives.
What is extreme is that we excoriate people like Michael Vick, Mary Bale and Sarah Palin as villains while we continue to eat, use, and consume animal products.
What is extreme is that we say that we care about animals and that we believe that they are members of the moral community, but we sponsor, support, encourage and promote “happy” meat/dairy labeling schemes. (see 1, 2, 3)
What is extreme is not eating flesh but continuing to consume dairy when there is absolutely no rational distinction between meat and dairy (or other animal products). There is as much suffering and death in dairy, eggs, etc., as there is in meat.
What is extreme is that we are consuming a diet that is causing disease and resulting in ecological disaster.
What is extreme is that we encourage our children to love animals at the same time that we teach them those that they love can also be those whom they harm. We teach our children that love is consistent with commodification. That is truly extreme—and very sad.
What is extreme is the fantasy that we will ever find our moral compass with respect to animals as long as they are on our plates and our tables, on our backs, and on our feet.
No, ethical veganism is not extreme. But there are many other things that we do not even pay attention to that are extreme.
If you are not vegan, go vegan. It’s easy; it’s better for your health and for the planet. But, most important, it’s the morally right thing to do.
”
”
Gary L. Francione
“
The only person who killed almost as many animals as the Prince was his good friend Gaston
”
”
Serena Valentino (The Beast Within (Villains, #2))
“
If you’re going that far you could see all animals as having rights,” Seventy-three said. “Whether you think they’re smart or not.” “You eat fish,” I said to him. “True,” Seventy-three said. “Fuck fish.
”
”
John Scalzi (Starter Villain)
“
When the moral history of the 1990s is written, it might be titled Desperately Seeking Satan. With peace and harmony ascendant, Americans seemed to be searching for substitute villains. We tried drug dealers (but then the crack epidemic waned) and child abductors (who are usually one of the parents). The cultural right vilified homosexuals; the left vilified racists and homophobes. As I thought about these various villains, including the older villains of communism and Satan himself, I realized that most of them share three properties: They are invisible (you can’t identify the evil one from appearance alone); their evil spreads by contagion, making it vital to protect impressionable young people from infection (for example from communist ideas, homosexual teachers, or stereotypes on television); and the villains can be defeated only if we all pull together as a team. It became clear to me that people want to believe they are on a mission from God, or that they are fighting for some more secular good (animals, fetuses, women’s rights), and you can’t have much of a mission without good allies and a good enemy.
”
”
Jonathan Haidt (The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom)
“
Homo sapiens is a storytelling animal that thinks in stories rather than in numbers or graphs, and believes that the universe itself works like a story, replete with heroes and villains, conflicts and resolutions, climaxes and happy endings.
”
”
Yuval Noah Harari (21 Lessons for the 21st Century)
“
Dietary fat was singled out as the most villainous culprit responsible for weight gain and declining health. The food industry adjusted by replacing saturated animal fats with “heart healthy,” super-processed vegetable seed oils, and high fructose corn syrup. Soon, our average body weight started to rise, and it did so quickly.
”
”
Scott Abel (Beyond Metabolism: How Your Brain, Biology, and the Environment Create and Perpetuate Weight Issues …and What You Can Do About It)
“
Conspiracy theories—feverishly creative, lovingly plotted—are in fact fictional stories that some people believe. Conspiracy theorists connect real data points and imagined data points into a coherent, emotionally satisfying version of reality. Conspiracy theories exert a powerful hold on the human imagination—yes, perhaps even your imagination—not despite structural parallels with fiction, but in large part because of them. They fascinate us because they are ripping good yarns, showcasing classic problem structure and sharply defined good guys and villains. They offer vivid, lurid plots that translate with telling ease into wildly popular entertainment.
”
”
Jonathan Gottschall (The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human)
“
After enduring humankind's unrelenting persecution, the wolf had become something nature had never intended, "the curse of a generation of ranchers and the symbol of destruction across a wide and fertile land." It wasn't the wolf who was the villain, claimed Caras, but man, "eternally guilty of crimes beyond counting --man the killer, the slayer, the luster-for-blood --[who] had sought to expurgate himself of his sin and guilt by condemning the predatory animals.
”
”
Bruce Hampton (The Great American Wolf)
“
Thanks to our old friend non-zero-sumness, everyone’s happiness can, in principle, go up if everyone treats everyone else nicely. You refrain from cheating or mistreating me, I refrain from cheating or mistreating you; we’re both better off than we would be in a world without morality. For in such a world the mutual mistreatment would roughly cancel itself out anyway (assuming neither of us is a vastly more proficient villain than the other). And, meanwhile, we would each incur the added cost of fear and vigilance.
”
”
Robert Wright (The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are - The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology)
“
A shark does not ask for permission to rule the waters.
A bear does not ask for permission to rule the woods.
A wolf does not ask for permission to rule the forest.
A camel does not ask for permission to rule the desert.
A lion does not ask for permission to rule the jungle.
Trees do not ask for permission to rule woodlands.
Gravel does not ask for permission to rule mountains.
Light does not ask for permission to rule summer.
Wind does not ask for permission to rule autumn.
Snow does not ask for permission to rule winter.
Water does not ask for permission to rule the sea.
Plants do not ask for permission to rule rainforests.
Animals do not ask for permission to rule wildernesses.
Stars do not ask for permission to rule the sky.
Nature does not ask for permission to rule the world.
An eagle achieves more than a turkey in a lifetime.
A leopard achieves more than a hyena in a lifetime.
A fox achieves more than a rabbit in a lifetime.
A falcon achieves more than a vulture in a lifetime.
A lion achieves more than a sheep in a lifetime.
A leader achieves more than a student in a lifetime.
A saint achieves more than a sinner in a lifetime.
A prophet achieves more than a priest in a lifetime.
A master achieves more than a disciple in a lifetime.
A conqueror achieves more than a warrior in a lifetime.
A hero achieves more than a villain in a lifetime.
A maestro achieves more than an apprentice in a lifetime.
A genius achieves more than a talent in a lifetime.
A star achieves more than a critic in a lifetime.
A legend achieves more than a champion in a lifetime.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
A villain. The enemy. Sandor watched Sophie tug on her eyelashes—her nervous habit, back in full force. “Nothing is going to happen,” he promised, tucking her blond hair behind her ear with a surprisingly gentle touch for a seven-foot-tall goblin warrior. It definitely helped having Sandor back at her side—especially after almost losing him during the battle on Mount Everest. And Sandor wasn’t the only goblin at Foxfire anymore. Each of the six wings in the main campus building had been assigned its own patrol, with two additional squadrons keeping watch over the sprawling grounds. The Council had also added security throughout the Lost Cities. They had to. The ogres were still threatening war. And in the three weeks since Sophie and her friends had returned from hiding with the Black Swan, the Neverseen had scorched the main gate of the Sanctuary and broken into the registry in Atlantis. Sophie could guess what the rebels had hoped to gain from the elves’ secret animal preserve—they obviously didn’t know that she’d convinced the Council to set the precious alicorns free. But the registry attack remained a mystery. The Councillors kept careful records on every elf ever born, and no one would tell her if any files had been altered or stolen. A bubble popped on Sophie’s head, and Sandor caught the box of Prattles that had been hovering inside. “If you’re going to eat these, I should check them first,” he told her. Sandor’s wide, flat nose scented no toxins in the nutty candy, but he insisted on examining the pin before handing them over. Every box of Prattles came with a special collectible inside, and in the past, the Black
”
”
Shannon Messenger (Lodestar (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #5))
“
Who am I? What should I do in life? What is the meaning of life? Humans have been asking these questions from time immemorial. Every generation needs a new answer, because what we know and don’t know keeps changing. Given everything we know and don’t know about science, about God, about politics and about religion – what is the best answer we can give today?
What kind of an answer do people expect? In almost all cases, when people ask about the meaning of life, they expect to be told a story. Homo sapiens is a storytelling animal, that thinks in stories rather than in numbers or graphs, and believes that the universe itself works like a story, replete with heroes and villains, conflicts and resolutions, climaxes and happy endings. When we look for the meaning of life, we want a story that will explain what reality is all about and what is my particular role in the cosmic drama. This role defines who I am, and gives meaning to all my experiences and choices.
One popular story, told for thousands of years to billions of anxious humans, explains that we are all part of an eternal cycle that encompasses and connects all beings. Each being has a distinctive function to fulfil in the cycle. To understand the meaning of life means to understand your unique function, and to live a good life means to accomplish that function.
”
”
Yuval Noah Harari (21 Lessons for the 21st Century)
“
World Poachers (Sonnet 1502)
The western alliance didn't fight Hitler
because he tortured the Jewish people,
they fought him because he was't gonna
show anyone any special consideration.
Jews were never the focus of World War 2,
It was about the invaders being invaded.
Lo and behold, Nazis are the villain,
though England, Belgium, France, Spain
and Portugal caused far worse damage!
If you feel one way about Hitler,
and another way about Churchill,
your opinion is of no consequence,
living on a whitewashed dunghill.
Rushmore is a monument of massacre,
Buckingham is a palace of plunderers.
Till you denounce all atrocious heritage,
You're just animal heir to world poachers.
”
”
Abhijit Naskar (World War Human: 100 New Earthling Sonnets)
“
She gives just enough hints about him to make you wonder why he became so villainous. And if he dies, I’ll never learnt the answer.”
Oliver eyes her closely. “Perhaps he was born villainous.”
“No one is born villainous.”
“Oh?” he said with raised eyebrow. “So we’re all born good?”
“Neither. We start as animals, with an animal’s needs and desires. It takes parents and teachers and other good examples to show us how to restrain those needs and desires, when necessary, for the greater good. But it’s still our choice whether to heed that education or to do as we please.”
“For a woman who loves murder and mayhem, you’re quite the philosopher.”
“I like to understand how things work. Why people behave as they do.”
He digested that for a moment. “I happen to think that some of us, like Rockton, are born with a wicked bent.”
She chose her words carefully. “That certainly provides Rockton with a convenient excuse for his behavior.”
His features turned stony. “What do you mean?”
“Being moral and disciplined is hard work. Being wicked requires no effort at all-one merely indulges every desire and impulse, no matter how hurtful or immoral. By claiming to be born wicked, Rockton ensures that he doesn’t have to struggle to be god. He can just protest that he can’t help himself.”
“Perhaps he can’t,” he clipped out.
“Or maybe he’s simply unwilling to fight his impulses. And I want to know the reason for that. That’s why I keep reading Minerva’s books.”
Did Oliver actually believe he’d been born irredeemably wicked? How tragic! It lent a hopelessness to his life that helped to explain his mindless pursuit of pleasure.
“I can tell you the reason for Rockton’s villainy.” Oliver rose to round the desk. Propping his hip on the edge near her, he reached out to tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear.
A sweet shudder swept over her. Why must he have this effect on her? It simply wasn’t fair. “Oh?” she managed.
“Rockton knows he can’t have everything he wants,” he said hoarsely, his hand drifting to her cheek. “He can’t have the heroine, for example. She would never tolerate his…wicked impulses. Yet he still wants her. And his wanting consumes him.”
Her breath lodged in her throat. It had been days since he’d touched her, and she hadn’t forgotten what it was like for one minute. To have him this near, saying such things…
She fought for control over her volatile emotions. “His wanting consumes him precisely because he can’t have her. If he thought he could, he wouldn’t want her after all.”
“Not true.” His voice deepening, he stroked the line of her jaw with a tenderness that roused an ache in her chest. “Even Rockton recognizes when a woman is unlike any other. Her very goodness in the face of his villainy bewitches him. He thinks if he can just possess that goodness, then the dark cloud lying on his soul will lift, and he’ll have something other than villainy to sustain him.”
“Then he’s mistaken.” Her pulse trebled as his finger swept the hollow of her throat. “The only person who can lift the dark cloud on his soul is himself.”
He paused in his caress. “So he’s doomed, then?”
“No!” Her gaze flew to his. “No one is doomed, and certainly not Rockton. There’s still hope for him. There is always hope.”
His eyes burned with a feverish light, and before she could look away, he bent to kiss her. It was soft, tender…delicious. Someone moaned, she wasn’t sure who. All she knew was that his mouth was on hers again, molding it, tasting it, making her hungry in the way that only he seemed able to do.
“Maria…” he breathed. Seizing her by the arms, he drew her up into his embrace. “My God, I’ve thought of nothing but you since that day in the carriage.
”
”
Sabrina Jeffries (The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #1))
“
A person could still have what are considered to be “good” intentions and do something that does not benefit others. For example, in this old Anime show called MY Hero Academia, there was this villain called Stain who had really good intentions for heroes: he thought that heroes should live up to their potential and do their hero work out of dedication, not just for fame and money, but to enforce those ideals, he would attempt to murder heroes whom he believed did not live up to those ideals.
His intentions would be morally right by current philosophical standards on morality, but he was destroying members of humanity, which is not beneficial to those members. His intentions didn’t actually follow the duality, because although he intended for humanity to be heroic instead of greedy, he still had spite in himself, so part of his intentions were for the benefit of humanity, but the other part was not. They were, in fact, for the detriment of heroes he disliked. He was not COMPLETELY following the benefit-intention duality.
”
”
Lucy Carter (The Reformation)
“
Terror is an artery.
Running unfailing channels of bloodied thoroughfares by dint of the wilds beyond our knowing. Fluctuations and murmurs are audible within the splintered leeway of our preserve as a consequence of interstices modeled in such brutality. This appended artery offers no direction; idle and at times desultory. Bloodstained tracks and avenues guide casualties.
Terror, like death, is not complicated, nor is it simple. It is but routine—natural. To call it otherwise is to parsimoniously say that birth is effortless, hurricanes are facile, and earthquakes are meek when they are a lot more.
Myths, parables, and allegories lie in the construct of terror. Kings have fallen and succeeded in the yarns of terror. Simple men have been turned into heroes due to terror. Villains have been great orchestrators in the art of terror, allowing sole individuals and denizens to feel their makings. A soul never needed God to feel terror. The most nihilistic can undergo such a dreadful emotion. Animals are perfect examples of this. They are well-equipped creations to the world of terror and death, holding no cognizance to deity or creator.
Terror is quite exclusive as it is a function of the mind, conducted by the intersections and throughways of nerves and bounded to that alone. Although it approaches with university, like hunger or sickness, it is selfish by fashion and segregating in nature. But death is quite opposite… death is all embracing. Disregarded and glossed over, it is never reserved or inaudible, especially if you listen hard enough.
Death transmits a signal that can be discerned if you listen hard enough. Frail in birthing, the airing is not limited to the clairvoyant, though they are a standard audience. The most simple-minded can hear this. But they choose to ignore it for whatever grounds. Even in the obviousness of it when it comes in dream, awaking its public in night terrors and cold sweats, it should be heeded.
In lurk of dark uncertainties the signal should be adhered in this societal horrific caprice.
Death is a declaration waiting to broadcast the haunting awareness of our own deterrence.
And within these pages is its proclamation.
”
”
J.C. Whitfield
“
Something scurries from under the car and both of us remain still as a rat climbs up Gareth’s leg. Wait. Not a rat. A small drenched black cat meows its head off, its tiny claws grabbing on to Gareth’s pants for dear life. “Get it off me.” Gareth tries to wiggle his leg, but the cat holds on tighter. “So it’s not just dogs. You’re also afraid of cats?” I ask, amused. “No, I just don’t know how to deal with animals. They’re unpredictable little fuckers like kids.” “It’s probably just hungry.” I hand him the umbrella and crouch down. The cat lets out a pitiful meow, its tiny claws gripping Gareth’s pants. “Hey, little one. You’re freaking out this big, tall muscular guy who loves stabbing things. Mind getting off?” “I’m not freaking out. Just hurry up.” I chuckle and grab the cat, and it hisses, then meows in one long high-pitched sound. “Hard life this young?” When I stand up again, holding the cat in the palm of my hand, Gareth pulls away a little, eyeing it as if it’s a bomb. “Just put it down or something.” “It’ll die in this rain.” “Then let’s drop it off at a shelter.” “They’re closed this late. We’ll take it home and figure something out tomorrow.
”
”
Rina Kent (Kiss the Villain (Villain #1))
“
She drifted down the walk carelessly for a moment, stunned by the night. The moon had come out, and though not dramatically full or a perfect crescent, its three quarters were bright enough to turn the fog and dew and all that had the power to shimmer a bright silver, and everything else- the metal of the streetlamps, the gates, the cracks in the cobbles- a velvety black.
After a moment Wendy recovered from the strange beauty and remembered why she was there. She padded into the street before she could rethink anything and pulled up her hood. "Why didn't I do this earlier?" she marveled. Sneaking out when she wasn't supposed to was its own kind of adventure, its own kind of magic. London was beautiful. It felt like she had the whole city to herself except for a stray cat or two.
Despite never venturing beyond the neighborhood much by herself, she had plenty of time with maps, studying them for someday adventures. And as all roads lead to Rome, so too do all the major thoroughfares wind up at the Thames. Names like Vauxhall and Victoria (and Horseferry) sprang from her brain as clearly as if there had been signs in the sky pointing the way.
Besides Lost Boys and pirates, Wendy had occasionally terrified her brothers with stories about Springheel Jack and the half-animal orphan children with catlike eyes who roamed the streets at night. As the minutes wore on she felt her initial bravery dissipate and terror slowly creep down her neck- along with the fog, which was also somehow finding its way under her coat, chilling her to her core.
"If I'm not careful I'm liable to catch a terrible head cold! Perhaps that's really why people don't adventure out in London at night," she told herself sternly, chasing away thoughts of crazed, dagger-wielding murderers with a vision of ugly red runny noses and cod-liver oil.
But was it safer to walk down the middle of the street, far from shadowed corners where villains might lurk? Being exposed out in the open meant she would be more easily seen by police or other do-gooders who would try to escort her home.
"My mother is sick and requires this one particular tonic that can only be obtained from the chemist across town," she practiced. "A nasty decoction of elderberries and slippery elm, but it does such wonders for your throat. No one else has it. And do you know how hard it is to call for a cab this time of night? In this part of town? That's the crime, really."
In less time than she imagined it would take, Wendy arrived at a promenade that overlooked the mighty Thames. She had never seen it from that particular angle before or at that time of night. On either bank, windows of all the more important buildings glowed with candles or gas lamps or even electric lights behind their icy panes, little tiny yellow auras that lifted her heart.
"I do wish I had done this before," she breathed.
Maybe if she had, then things wouldn't have come to this...
”
”
Liz Braswell (Straight On Till Morning)
“
Give the Audience Something to Cheer For Austin Madison is an animator and story artist for such Pixar movies as Ratatouille, WALL-E, Toy Story 3, Brave, and others. In a revealing presentation Madison outlined the 7-step process that all Pixar movies follow. 1. Once there was a ___. 3 [A protagonist/ hero with a goal is the most important element of a story.] 2. Every day he ___. [The hero’s world must be in balance in the first act.] 3. Until one day ___. [A compelling story introduces conflict. The hero’s goal faces a challenge.] 4. Because of that ___. [This step is critical and separates a blockbuster from an average story. A compelling story isn’t made up of random scenes that are loosely tied together. Each scene has one nugget of information that compels the next scene.] 5. Because of that ___. 6. Until finally ____. [The climax reveals the triumph of good over evil.] 7. Ever since then ___. [The moral of the story.] The steps are meant to immerse an audience into a hero’s journey and give the audience someone to cheer for. This process is used in all forms of storytelling: journalism, screenplays, books, presentations, speeches. Madison uses a classic hero/ villain movie to show how the process plays out—Star Wars. Here’s the story of Luke Skywalker. Once there was a farm boy who wanted to be a pilot. Every day he helped on the farm. Until one day his family is killed. Because of that he joins legendary Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Because of that he hires the smuggler Han Solo to take him to Alderaan. Until finally Luke reaches his goal and becomes a starfighter pilot and saves the day. Ever since then Luke’s been on the path to be a Jedi knight. Like millions of others, I was impressed with Malala’s Nobel Peace prize–winning acceptance speech. While I appreciated the beauty and power of her words, it wasn’t until I did the research for this book that I fully understood why Malala’s words inspired me. Malala’s speech perfectly follows Pixar’s 7-step storytelling process. I doubt that she did this intentionally, but it demonstrates once again the theme in this book—there’s a difference between a story, a good story, and a story that sparks movements.
”
”
Carmine Gallo (The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't)
“
In The Frog Prince, a beautiful princess drops her golden ball into a deep spring and must allow a frog into her bedroom to get it back, maturing thereby into a woman. Fairy tales and myth often place an odd creature on the path of the hero to signal an opportunity exists: turn right for good or left for evil. Of all the harbingers of change in fairy tales and myth—disfigured dwarfs, shriveled witches, even Yoda—it is reptiles (and amphibians) that are considered ugly enough without embellishment to awaken the part of the brain that listens to fairy tales. In real life, it is possible that reptiles have the power to switch off a person’s thinking brain and switch on the subconscious, opening the door to a person’s most deeply suppressed passions. Perhaps this is what makes reptiles so terrifying.
Coiled at the center of the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of the word fascinate is this: “of a serpent.” Evolved from lizards, deliverers of venom—snakes are the villains of the animal kingdom. And yet, throughout history, snakes have been recognized for their power to bewitch man, to deprive him of resistance, to draw him near.
”
”
Bryan Christy (The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World's Greatest Reptile Smugglers)
“
There are eaters and the eaten. The tiger does not resent the deer that gets away. The doe does not resent the tiger that captures her fawn. They are following their instincts. Plants and animals live;
humans need to judge, for we need to feel good about ourselves. That is why we create stories, full of heroes and villains, victims and martyrs
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana)
“
In books, even when bad things happened, better things seemed to follow. The boys and girls in the stories could somehow slay the dragon or save the wounded animal or solve the mystery. Good saved the day, and villains were banished forever.
”
”
Robin Lee Hatcher (Make You Feel My Love)
“
The animal tang of combat was in her mouth, that unavoidable rush of death flirtation and promise of discomfort washing over her body tight and coiled for the expenditure of all her energy. Whether it came at her in twos or threes, the setup was enough to make one swoon at the potential peril of it all: a neighborhood overrun by madmen, the meek cowering, and the desperate incursion of a few brave souls of which she was one.
”
”
Ian Lewis (Villains (The Reeve,#2))
“
The First World War (Sonnet 1501)
There are bigger villains than Adolf,
But they are not deemed villain
so long as they do white man no harm.
Two world wars count for nothing, compared
to the struggles of the rest of the world.
You only hear of two world wars, not more,
Because world history is actually white history.
White welfare has always been default human welfare,
Like today we humans deem animal welfare secondary.
Even the world map as you know is one big lie,
depicting an exaggerated size of the global north.
Rather than arguing over the planethood of Pluto,
How about you right the wrongs right here on earth!
Endeavor as human and reclaim your humanhood,
Work for actual human welfare, defying white denial.
There never was a world war, there was only white war,
The first world war has just begun, against violation.
”
”
Abhijit Naskar (World War Human: 100 New Earthling Sonnets)
“
The truth is,” Nadine purred into my ear, “since the moment we met, all I’ve been thinking about is you, me, and my favorite pair of scissors. I think I’d start by gelding you, like the vile animal you are. And despite knowing this? Despite hearing me tell you exactly what I think of you and how much I’d enjoy making you suffer?
”
”
Craig Schaefer (A Plain-Dealing Villain (Daniel Faust, #4))
“
Gothic is the genre of fear. Our fascination with it is almost always revived during times of instability and panic. In the wake of the French Revolution, the Marquis de Sade described the rise of the genre as 'the inevitable product of the revolutionary shock with which the whole of Europe resounded,' and literary critics in the late eighteenth century mocked the work of early gothic writers Anne Radcliffe and Matthew Lewis by referring to it as 'the terrorist school' of writing. As Fred Botting writes in Gothic, his lucid introduction to the genre, it expresses our unresolved feelings about 'the nature of power, law, society, family and sexuality' and yet is extremely concerned with issues of social disintegration and collapse. It's preoccupied with all that is immoral, fantastic, suspenseful, and sensational and yet prone to promoting middle-class values. It's interested in transgression, but it's ultimately more interested in restitution; it alludes to the past yet is carefully attuned to the present; it's designed to evoke excessive emotion, yet it's thoroughly ambivalent; it's the product of revolution and upheaval, yet it endeavors to contain their forces; it's terrifying, but pretty funny. And, importantly, the gothic always reflects the anxieties of its age in an appropriate package, so that by the nineteenth century, familiar tropes representing external threats like crumbling castles, aristocratic villains, and pesky ghosts had been swallowed and interiorized. In the nineteenth century, gothic horrors were more concerned with madness, disease, moral depravity, and decay than with evil aristocrats and depraved monks. Darwin's theories, the changing roles of women in society, and ethical issues raised by advances in science and technology haunted the Victorian gothic, and the repression of these fears returned again and again in the form of guilt, anxiety, and despair. 'Doubles, alter egos, mirrors, and animated representations of the disturbing parts of human identity became the stock devices,' Botting writes, 'signifying the alienation of the human subject from the culture and language in which s/he is located.' In the transition from modernity to post-modernity, the very idea of culture as something stable and real is challenged, and so postmodern gothic freaks itself out by dismantling modernist grand narratives and playing games. In the twentieth century, 'Gothic [was] everywhere and nowhere,' and 'narrative forms and devices spill[ed] over from worlds of fantasy and fiction into real and social spheres.
”
”
Carina Chocano (You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Train Wrecks, & Other Mixed Messages)
“
When rats are disgusting, it is because of where they live and why they live there. Rats are disgusting because humans are- we generate trash and sewage because we are indifferent to each other's sufferings.
”
”
Bethany Brookshire (Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains)
“
Are there other smart animals? Dogs, maybe?” NO DOGS, Hera typed. DOGS ARE THE WORST. THEY’LL SELL YOU OUT FOR A TREAT AND A HEAD PAT.
”
”
John Scalzi (Starter Villain)
“
Most comb jellies have little direct effect on humans, except through a minor role in marine food webs. One species, however, stands apart as the villain of the basal invertebrates. In the 1980s, the Atlantic comb jelly Mnemiopsis was accidentally introduced into the Black Sea, probably in ballast water carried by commercial shipping. Once in its new environment, away from natural competitors and predators, it reproduced rapidly – all the while consuming vast quantities of larval fish and crustaceans. Some (controversial) estimates placed the total seething mass of diminutive comb jellies in the Black Sea at over half a billion tonnes. The local anchovy fishery, already under heavy fishing pressure, was decimated. While ecologists debated what to do, a possible solution arrived, unplanned, in the shape of another accidental introduction. The newcomer was a second comb jelly, this time the voracious Beroe. Fortuitously, Beroe does not eat fish or crustaceans, but is instead a specialist predator of other comb jellies and nothing else. As the invading Beroe now feast on the Mnemiopsis, the fish stocks are showing gradual and welcome signs of recovery.
”
”
Peter Holland (The Animal Kingdom: A Very Short Introduction)
“
In the animated film Megamind, released in 2010,the villain (Megamind) finally defeats the hero he’s spent his whole life fighting against. The hero is your stereotypical macho male and embodies the idealised superhero masculinity. He is ‘defeated’ (spoilers)because Megamind traps him in a room made of copper and copper weakens his powers so he can’t escape. Why is this relevant, Hannah, I hear you ask? Well, how do you think the IUD works without any hormones in it? COPPER IS TOXIC TO SPERM!
I would just really love to know if the writers of Megamind knew this and that’s why they chose copper to kill off the hyper-masculine character. Surely it can’t be a coincidence.
”
”
Hannah Witton (The Hormone Diaries: The Bloody Truth About Our Periods)
“
And then, you know, the villain issued a constitution concerning the taxae sacrae poenitentiariae in which he exploits the sins of religious in order to squeeze out more money. If an ecclesiastic commits a carnal sin, with a nun, with a relative, or even with an ordinary woman, he can be absolved only by paying sixty-seven gold pieces and twelve pence. And if he commits bestiality, it is more than two hundred pieces, but if he has committed it only with youths or animals, and not with females, the fine is reduced by one hundred. And a nun who has given herself to many men, either all at once or at different times, inside the convent or out, if she then wants to become abbess, must pay one hundred thirty-one gold pieces and fifteen pence.
”
”
Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose)
“
CATS, Hera types. PERSEPHONE IS MY INTERN. -- Persephone looked at me and mewed. -- "Paid internship, I hope," I joked. -- OF COURSE, Hera typed back. WE'RE ANIMALS, NOT MONSTERS. (p. 62)
”
”
John Scalzi (Starter Villain)
“
How come Hitler is a bigger villain than the British monarchy, when Hitler invaded only 11 countries, while the British empire invaded 90 percent of the globe, that is, over 170 countries, and caused multiple times the massacre than the Nazis did! And while modern Germans are well aware of the nation's horrific past, and try their best to right the wrongs, like civilized, conscientious humans ought to, in barbarian britain however, over half the population still stand proudly behind the monarchy, let alone recognize the animal filth it represents, which till this day is unparalleled by any other animal regime.
Now to the reason why Hitler is officially a villain, but not the British monarchy. Hitler invaded white countries, while the British empire invaded mostly colored countries - and since colored life is cheap, but white life is priceless, Hitler is branded a villain, while the Brits are designated "explorers" and "bringers of civilization", a tradition which has been proudly inherited by the modern day British Empire - the United States of America.
”
”
Abhijit Naskar (Bulletproof Backbone: Injustice Not Allowed on My Watch)
“
The war is over. Let someone else play at being the hero.' 'I'm not a hero,' Shane said. 'I know that. But I'm not a villain either. I'm a king.' He turned away from Anya, and his eyes fell again upon the hunched horror Yumaris had become. 'And a king uses all the tools at his disposal.
”
”
Nick Eliopulos (The Book of Shane: Complete Collection (Spirit Animals: Special Edition): Complete Collection)
“
Critics of capitalism often decry the “greed” that animates successful entrepreneurs. The real problem, however, is not the amount of money made by people at the top; it is the systematic suppression of people at the bottom. The real-life equivalent of the Monopoly player who has to mortgage all his money-making assets to pay his debts is the hand-to-mouth day laborer who, unable to pay his car insurance, loses his car and, unable to drive to his job, is unable to pay his rent. The villain here is not necessarily the avarice of the banker who loaned this poor fellow his money in the first place. It is the unstable dynamic of a system that mercilessly drives some people down to the bottom through a succession of cascading misfortunes. To experience the board game version of this kind of misery vortex in Monopoly is to appreciate the advantages of the welfare state, which, when it is functioning properly, does not just take money from rich people and give it to poor people. It also softens the iterative feedback dynamics within the system so as to ensure that minor nudges—a lost job, a criminal conviction, a divorce, a medical setback—do not create feedback effects that ultimately produce a full-blown personal catastrophe. Job training, public health care, a humane justice system, community housing and support for single mothers are examples of programs that can achieve that effect.
”
”
Jonathan Kay (Your Move: What Board Games Teach Us about Life)
“
Yes, I know,” I tell him. “Yeah, you know that I’d become what they call me. That if I catch even a whiff of her scent, I’ll go wild. I’ll become an animal and I’ll snap my teeth and I’ll snarl. And nothing would calm me down except her, except the sight of her, the taste of her. You know I’ll become a villain for your fairy pussy.” My hands creep up his chest and my fingers cradle his bruised jaw, my thumbs rubbing his stubble. “A gorgeous villain.
”
”
Saffron A. Kent (The Wild Mustang & The Dancing Fairy (St. Mary’s Rebels 1.5))
“
Maybe I like the pain. Maybe I’m the type of woman who responds to calculated cruelty and animal savagery more than pretty romance and sweet platitudes. Maybe I like the kind of man most people think is a villain, and maybe I’m the kind of woman who is more dark than light.
”
”
Giana Darling (Enamoured (The Enslaved Duet #2))
“
There is much darkness on the move too. Where there are heroes, there are always villains. We'd all be wise to be wary of opportunists.
”
”
Maggie Stiefvater (Hunted (Spirit Animals, #2))
“
You're aghast at the fact that I'll bring an animal from Cloral or a weapon from Eelong, yet you are quick to bring something that is far more intrusive. You bring ideas, Pendragon! You were raised on Second Earth, and you are all too quick to impose what you feel are the higher morals of that territory on all others. How is that any different from what I have done?
”
”
D.J. MacHale (The Quillan Games (Pendragon, #7))
“
Think of the cafeteria as a road map to where you belong.” Danielle pointed to the beautiful people in one corner. “Princesses and Princes over here. Then you have Heroes—leading ladies and gents that aren’t royalty—Sidekicks, Villains, Pirates, Faeries, Future Animal Friends, and the ones scattered are extras—not too important but important enough to be here. Like I said, everyone sticks to their own kind.”
“Who are you?”
“Cinderella of course,” Danielle giggled.
”
”
Angela Parkhurst (The Forgotten Fairytales (Forgotten Fairytales, #1))
“
History teaches us that animals can feel a person’s aura,” Augustus said. “A protector chooses you—not the other way around, like most wrongly believe. When it’s clear that an animal wants to bond with you, you lock eyes and say ‘domus.
”
”
Jasmine Mas (Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #1))
“
So much of our surprise, our fear, and our vindictiveness when faced with a pest is a result of our own ignorance. When we see a coyote in the street, a rat in our trash can, or a squirrel in the attic, we are at a loss. When we don't know what to do, we feel helpless. Vulnerable. When we realize how helpless we are, shame follows immediately behind. We want the problem—and the animal causing our shame—to go away.
”
”
Bethany Brookshire (Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains)
“
But what made them both pause was the small green animal Benedict had gripped in his fist. Kingsley.
”
”
Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Apprentice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain, #2))
“
He was of the opinion that animals didn’t have legal standing to form unions,” Morrison said. “How do the cats feel about that?” “Most of them are in management.” “Cats are fucking class traitors,” Who Gives a Shit said. “Furry little quislings is what they are.
”
”
John Scalzi (Starter Villain)