On a forum I love, I mentioned the "Gas Powered Stick" villain concept as something I learned from Bravest Warrior. Took me until recently to connect the dots that it was a parody of the "Artifact of Doom" trope: The Artifact of Doom is somewhat an unusual villain in that it is a (seemingly) inanimate object. Nevertheless, it's pure evil; and is a threat of corrupting all to The Dark Side. It may also cause Great Insanity, not to mention death, or worse. The Ring from the Lord of the Ring series immediately came to mind even before reading the article on it. One could argue the Force became Anakin's "Artifact." Even W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw" deals with decent into insanity all from one object. In reflecting on my past works (and WIPS), I've noticed that my characters create their own hells without the help of an object/artifact. Their slips of sanity or lapse into the dark side are self inflicted and cannot be blamed on anyone or thing other than themselves. It originated to explain away why a person of good standing would suddenly rebel against the norm ("D&D/Rock Music/Rap/Grand Theft Auto are turning kids these days into punks!"). As Oscar Wilde once said, "We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell" ('The Duchess of Padua', 1891). This, I feel, creates a deeper connection and a conflict not so easily solved after the object is thrown away away. What are your thoughts on the Artifact of Doom (or, as I will hilariously refer to as "Gas Powered Stick" until the day I am sued) trope? *** Does your story feature a "Gas Powered Stick"? Check out EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ARTIFACTS OF DOOM by Britton Perelman.
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November 2024
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