One of my favorite things to do when I finally let an idea become an official WIP is create a playlist. Songs that could be the soundtrack, songs that bring images to my mind, songs that fit the general vibe, songs my characters would like - and especially songs with lyrics that describe those characters.
ATOTB has had an ongoing playlist for a while now. And recently, I added another song to the list: Legends Never Die by League of Legends. It's catchy, fits some of my worldbuilding, and has a great cover.
I've heard this song used multiple times for other people's WIPs - stories of rising above your circumstances and beating the odds. But I've never heard it used as a villain song. Maybe it's because the tone is so triumphant. Maybe it's because the song has some good lines - about never giving up, about boldness, about hard work. Maybe it's because it inspires feelings of power and ambition.
But you know what it's really about?
Selfishness. And that vice right there is what makes Amalek the villain.
Let's dive in, shall we?
The Song
Seeking Your Own Glory
Legends never die // They become a part of you // Every time you bleed for reaching greatness // Relentless you survive
Those are some lines from the first verse/intro/thing that is repeated in the chorus throughout the song. The line that really stood out to me the first time I listened to it was "Every time you bleed for reaching greatness." Basically, every time you sacrifice for glory. But whose glory?
Yours.
That's a big part of Amalek's motivation throughout ATOTB. He wants to play the hero, to be admired and respected and feared instead of scoffed at and seen as lesser. He's done hiding in the shadows. It's time for the spotlight, and he'll stoop to less-than-moral means to get it.
Even better, this vice of Amalek's helps him serve as a foil for Myra, my MC. I love foil villains. XD
He pretended to be stupid. That’s what Irad had said concerning Amalek and his past. And even if it was all an act, I knew how deep others’ judgments could cut.
The words burst out of me the second before Amalek started another speech. “You aren't stupid, Amalek.”
Everyone froze as Amalek blinked, then looked at me. “Of course not. I’m brilliant.”
“But you don’t believe that,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes as much as the scrapes on my hands. “You still believe all the things he said to you over the years.” My voice sank even quieter as my heart ached for him - for what he must have gone through. “You think you’re worthless because of your bloodline.”
He hesitated, looking at me, before forcing a false laugh. “Of course I don’t!”
Another realization struck. I looked at Irad, whose eyes were wide. “And you think that if you’re worthless, then… everyone is.”
Irad swallowed. Hard.
“This makes so much sense,” I murmured. “That’s why you want to be king. Not to help your rebellion out, but to prove yourself? You’re doing this for you?”
You can accomplish a lot even if your motives stink to high heaven. But if your ultimate gain is your own glory, or fulfillment, or solving of your own problems, then you're fighting a losing battle. Nothing human will ever fill that hole inside you - not human praise, not completion of your human goals, not even your solutions to your problems. You're simply not able to do that. Why? Because you're the creation suffering under a curse that has warped God's good world and twisted everything in it. And the only thing that can unwarp that good is God.
Becoming the Savior
Legends never die // When the world is calling out your name // Begging you to fight
I don't know about you, but those lines invoke images of a world in need, begging for a hero. Begging for you to step up to the plate and save the day. And that's exactly what Amalek thinks he's doing - he thinks he's saving his people and land. And he believes he's right to do so, no matter the methods.
The sun had sunk behind the main palace building by the time we emerged again. My legs ached from carrying me up and down those steps after the long hours on horseback. I rubbed my eyes. Amalek stepped behind Irad and prodded him forward to the colonnade. The waiting crowd hushed expectantly as he began to speak in clear tones.
“As many of you know, the men stationed outside are Shilonites who are sick of this Zoarish oppression. They are here to help keep the peace as I fulfill our many plans.” He held the stone up. It glinted like the moon, eliciting approving gasps from the people below. I winced as I noted their dark hair. The few Zoarish were huddled near the back, murmuring to one another, many with hands hovering near weapons.
Sometimes it's hard not to try to save everyone and everything ourselves - especially if we've managed to fix hard situations before. But ultimately, we are powerless without the ultimate Savior: Christ. He's the only one who can truly save us and what we love. When we try to do our own thing without him, try to play his part as Savior... lots of things go wrong. Maybe you fail in your salvation and the responsibility crushes you with guilt. Maybe you create a monster from the thing you were trying to preserve. Maybe you yourself become the monster, so puffed up with your own "salvations" that you lose track of what's really important.
Self-reliance
Pick yourself up once more // Pick yourself up, 'cause // Legends never die
The general phrase of picking yourself up is repeated throughout the song, more and more intensely each time. It brings along ideas of no one coming to help you - or you not needing someone's help - and being able to shove yourself up off the ground even when everything is trying to drag you down. And this is one of the biggest lies Amalek believes: that he has to be self-reliant. That if he can't function without help, he shouldn't be functioning. That he should be able to think, act, or talk his way out of any and every situation. That having help is a sign of weakness.
And, unfortunately, I don't have a snippet that blatantly states this. It's more of an underlying mindset than something that comes out too much during the story. But, because having three sections and only two snippets is just wrong, I'll share another one just for fun. :P
“Welcome,” sneered Amalek, wrapping his hand deeper in Anah’s short hair. She winced and kicked backward, but their proximity kept her kick from being as powerful as she needed. Amalek pressed the blade closer to her throat. “Be still, mistress,” he murmured in her ear. “Or that pretty neck of yours will have a scar that you might find hard to heal.”
“I could give you the same warning,” Anah grunted, grasping her hair below Amalek’s grip with one hand and trying to yank it away. Her other fingers found the hilt of her dagger.
“Just the person we wanted to see!” I chirped, trying to keep Amalek’s attention off of Anah’s subtle movement. “We have some things to discuss with you.”
Irad cocked his head at me, dark eyes flitting from Amalek to me to Gilead and back again.
“Oh?” With a flick of his wrist, Amalek knocked the dagger from Anah’s hand and sent it spinning across the floor. He hadn’t even looked. “And what is that, pray tell?”
Anah closed her eyes and went as limp as a dishrag. It was a Zoarish self-defense tactic for times when your life wasn’t endangered - after all, deadweight was a lot harder to move than a stiffened victim.
Amalek didn’t even glance at his captive, instead letting go of her hair and wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her upright. His brown eyes flashed at my silence. “I didn’t think so.”
Edging closer, I fastened my gaze on Anah, who suddenly sprang to life and rammed her head backwards, probably hoping to clip Amalek’s chin with her skull. But he simply lifted the feature, allowing her to slam backwards into his chest. No effect. “Let go,” she grunted, twisting. He pinned her arms to her sides.
“You do know there’s four of us and only one of you, right?” I asked, sliding a step closer. Gilead seemed to be doing the same from Amalek’s right. But Irad remained slumped in the corner. “And three of us have been trained to fight.”
I wasn’t quite sure if that were true. Gilead had mentioned that he wasn’t very good in a fight, but he had grown up Zoarish. We all learned basic fighting skills as a part of our education. Surely he knew something. And even a drunk should be able to tell that those were bad odds.
“Really?” Amalek cocked his head at me, studying me with a half-bored expression. “Because as I see it, the only one who really knows how to fight well is currently trapped.” He flexed, causing Anah to grimace. “The other is blind. And that leaves… ah, yes. A girl who couldn’t stand her ground against me the last few times we met. I’m petrified.”
Truth is, humans are communal creatures. We need each other. We need God. Self-sufficiency simply doesn't exist. You're going to need help at some point in your life, from other humans and most certainly from God. I mean, as Andrew Peterson once pointed out, we rely on God simply to keep the Earth turning while we sleep so that we get sunlight again.
That's not to say that you shouldn't try to have independence of some sort. It's good to be able to take care of yourself, to be able to problem solve, to be able to go about life without having to call someone every five minutes to get you out of trouble. It's a balance, as many things are in life. A balance Amalek never struck.
Does your WIP have a playlist? Does your villain have a song? If so, what is it? What are three of your villain's shortcomings? Am I the only one or are foil characters the best?
Until next time,
Take courage, pursue Christ, and smile while you still have teeth!! :P
-Joelle
(P.S. If you want to listen to the whole ATOTB soundtrack, it's in the Authorized Personnel Only space. If you don't already have the password, you'll have to subscribe to my newsletter to get it. Yes, I'm baiting you. XP)
Whooaaaa. Excellent post, Joelle. high-fives Never thought about that song that way before... 🤔
Do I have a villain theme song? considers Maaaaaaybe Pumped Up Kicks. Sort of. XD It's catchy but if you actually listen to the words, 'twould probably fit a villain of the more insane variety. 😂