Writing Blog Number 2

20250120 Utilising Peter's Evil Overlord List

Utilising Peter’s Evil Overlord List

After my last post ("20250117 My Most Hated Tropes" ), I had a thought – how could you use the infamous Peter’s Evil Overlord list   to help write a story about a, well, Evil Overlord?
         This, then, is an example of a scene I wrote using some of the elements of the list. And, yes, the character names mean something ("20250108 Naming Characters" ). It does make it more difficult for a writer to kill the bad guy, but let’s use our imaginations!
         So, yeah, here is a brief scene of the Evil Overlord and his brother, and some troops.


“So what’s one more death?”
         “Well, considering that one more death is mine, I think it warrants some serious discussion.”
         “Oh.” The tall man in the impressive red robes pondered this briefly. “Okay. Fine. What would you like to discuss?”
         The younger, much more handsome man currently shackled to a large wooden structure covered in spikes and dried blood looked thoughtful. “I’m your younger brother, Sceleratus. What would our mother say?”
         “One, brother or not, Bonitus, you led a rebellion against me. Two, I had our mother executed when I had our father executed, so the only way to find out what our mother is thinking would be through the use of a Ouija board.”
         “You know what I mean.”
         The older man smiled in his strangely disarming way. “Yes. Yes I do,” he nodded. “But it doesn’t change anything.”
         The younger man glowered at him with all the glowering he could summon to his eyes. “Now!” he suddenly cried.
         The three soldiers in the room with them suddenly turned their weapons on Sceleratus. He looked at them and then bowed his head a little, but still maintained eye contact – the perfect teacher pose. “Really?” he asked.
         The soldiers looked angry, but their eyes caught sight of one another. One started to giggle and before long all three were barely containing guffaws.
         “Wh-What?” Bonitus asked from his chained position.
         “Oh you guys,” the robed man said. “You almost had me going there.”
         “Wh-What?” Bonitus repeated.
         “Go on, what did he offer you?” Sceleratus’ smile was wide and almost avuncular.
         “Well, Your Lordship, Sir,” the first soldier said, “he promised us riches if we killed you.”
         “And Your Lordship, Sir, he promised us positions in his royal army,” the second added.
         “But Your Lordship, Sir,” the third finished, “this is a job for life, and while you are in charge there’s few problems for us, and you pay well. If you were to be deposed, Your Lordship, Sir, imagine the chaos.” The other two muttered their agreement.
         “Wh-What?” Bonitus asked yet again.
         Sceleratus now looked his brother in the eye. “Sorry, baby brother. Didn’t work.” He paused, really only for effect. “Kill him.”
         “Hang on…” But that was all that escaped Bonitus’ lips before the burst of three laser pistols ripped through his head and chest, and then the spiked wooden contraption was allowed to fall, skewering the dying body quite effectively in a multitude of sprays of blood.
         The robed man waited a few minutes and then checked the body for any signs of life. He nodded to himself and touched a button on his shoulder. “Captain Thorvald?” he asked.
         “Yes, Your Lordship, Sir,” came the response.
         “I have three soldiers here who were offered money to kill me. Deal with them, please.”
         The three looked at one another uneasily as a large man dressed in nice, form-fitting leather entered the room. “Right!” he barked. “You have three days of leave. Expense accounts will be forwarded to you within the hour.”
         “Thank-you, Captain Thorvald,” Sceleratus said, bending to once more check on his dead brother. The rebellion should be over now. Bonitus was his last living relative. But he could never be really sure, and so he would double the guards on the royal palace starting right now.
         He didn’t get to be the despot he was by being stupid about things.


Where to from here? No idea, but my head is telling me clones of Bonitus, or an unknown son. Still, this is just taking the Evil Overlord List and using its suggestions to create a more realistic and fun story.
         Of course, you might hate it. That’s fine. I don’t think it’s that bad for 15 minutes’ work.