#villain tips

[rpmemesbyarat]

Unsympathetic Evil Done Right

“You’re not gonna shoot a puppy, are ya Jack?!” “Yeah, in the face, why?” NOTE: NO SPOILERS! SPOILER FREE! A lot has been written about how to make nuanced, noble, and/or sympathetic villains done right. I think I’ve probably written about that too, pretty sure I have. But today I’m going to cover the equal and opposite quandary: How to make a purely evil, unsympathetic villain who knowingly delights in being evil, but not have them be one-note or boring? I think Big Jack Horner in “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” is a really good example, and he’s from a piece of media that is recent and popular enough that most people will know who he is, he’s not some obscure reference. That said, none of this contains any spoilers for the film, so if you haven’t see it, you’re safe, read on—if you DARE! I think there are a few things that make Jack really work. Firstly, he’s fun to watch while also being scary. He’s both hilarious and threatening, hitting that incredibly difficult sweet spot of being both comedic and a legitimate threat. It’s very difficult for bad guys to be both funny AND scary, since making something funny typically takes away its power to frighten us. But when a bad guy can do both, they become really fun for the audience. You’re not rooting for them, you don’t think they’re good people, but they’re damn entertaining. And yet, we still fear for the protagonist against them. We may logically know that of course the hero will triumph, especially in a children’s movie, but we have to at least wonder HOW that will happen. Jack’s established as a threat from the start, showing a cruel personality very early AND a vast armory of magical items combined with a task force of workers to help him. Even one of the other antagonists treats him with great caution. He’s still not the most dangerous of the lot (Puss in Boots sports THREE antagonistic people or groups) but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t find him the funniest, I bet. Part of Jack’s charm is how much fun he himself is having. He’s clearly just enjoying himself immensely up until the very end. He is ENTHUSIASTIC. He is ALL IN. Being a stoic, serious villain absolutely works better for a lot of bad guys, but these are typically for the ones who veer to the “purely scary” side, not the “scary and funny” side. Jack obviously loves what he does, and what he does happens to be being a bastard a lot. His callous disregard for the lives and wellbeing of everyone, including and especially his own men, is also played to the max for black comedy. Another part of his charm is his self-awareness; Jack very much knows he’s awful, and doesn’t try to disguise it in the slightest, nor does he lament it. There’s no scrap of shame at all, and he in fact mocks a character who thought it might be otherwise. Not only does the movie never ask you to feel sorry for him, he never does either. He does have a backstory to explain his motivations, and I like it because it does make it understandable WHY he wants what he does, it just also doesn’t make him sympathetic in the the slightest because it only serves to play up how callow and entitled that he is. You get an explanation that makes sense, but “making sense” for this character also means “emphasizing that much more what an asshole he is” Note that I do think unsympathetic characters can still have very sympathetic backstories and be done well (one of my fave baddies is like that) but that’s another topic, and not Jack. Finally, he’s not the only villain. As mentioned, there’s three antagonistic parties in this film. Of them, Jack’s the only one who could be called evil. One of the others is just doing his job/fulfilling his natural role and that threatens Puss. The other is competing with Puss & Co for the same goal, and is willing to do harm to the heroes to achieve it, but that goal really isn’t any more selfish or unsympathetic than Puss or Kitty’s own goals, and the character is very much a human being, as are her cohorts (though they’re not human, but you get what I mean!) So, Jack is a comically evil bastard who is evil through and through with no excuse, and he’s awesome and fun enough, but he’s also balanced by more nuanced villains who are really less “villains” and more “obstacles to the protagonist in some way” , one a force of nature, the other someone with a goal they can’t achieve without thwarting Puss’s goal. It is definitely hard to pull off in a movie especially because of the limited time, but I think having multiple types of villains in a single work—especially a series, like a comic book or a television show—really helps with pulling each type off that much better. The noble and sympathetic villains can play off and contrast against the complete monsters, and you don’t need to choose between one or the other. In fact, what tends to irritate me most in a series, is when ALL villains are a single type—they’re all super redeemable tragic misunderstood woobies, or they’re all 2D evil cardboard cutouts who eat babies for kicks, etc. People will debate with each other all day about which is more realistic, but I think what’s most realistic AND most interesting for a reader/viewer/consumer is a nice mixed bag of diverse villains. Diverse here meaning diverse personality, diverse motives, diverse ranks on the ‘terrible person’ scale, etc. Again, this isn’t doable in every work. But I think Big Jack type characters can still work well in a solo role as well. Good examples of this abound in the Disney Renaissance films—Scar, Ursula, Gaston, and Jafar are all the perfect combination of hilariously hammy and seriously scary that Jack taps into. This need not be limited to children’s media either, though I think it does work best there. But enjoyable “pure evil” villains in darker, more adult works can still be done, such as Freddie Krueger, some interpretations of various Batman villains, and, rather subtly, Hannibal Lector. The last one isn’t overtly bombastic, he’s not singing big musical numbers about his evil plans or cracking overt jokes every two seconds (though he comes close with his cannibilism puns in the NBC series), but he does have a wry and dry sense of humor, he’s very witty and cultured, and he’s very intelligent. He’s not funny per se, but it can be really interesting to watch him outwit others and pick them apart. While I’ve mostly focused on humor for what makes a baddy fun to watch because that’s the case with Jack Horner, it’s not the ONLY thing that can make them engaging either. Bringing up my point about “unsympathetic characters can have sympathetic backstories” from earlier too, Hannibal does have a tragic tale behind him, but it’s also undeniable he very much enjoys doing what he does for its own sake. Whether he’s truly unsympathetic or absolutely the reverse is probably more down to opinion, unlike Jack and the others, but personally for me he’s in the “just loves being a horrible person” category, and he’s still very interesting both despite and because of that! Some people will tell you that pure evil characters are automatically boring. I don’t think so. I just think most writers don’t put the effort into making them interesting and engaging to watch. And there are MANY ways to do that!

#writeblr #writing #writing tip #writing tips #Villains #writing villains #villain tips

[lordgreenslimemold]

villain tip #2: be very vocal about your aromanticsm but also shamelessly flirt with everyone in order to build up an air of enigmatic yet playful loftiness around yourself

#villain tips

[writingwithfolklore]

5 Tips for Creating Intimidating Antagonists

Antagonists, whether people, the world, an object, or something else are integral to giving your story stakes and enough conflict to challenge your character enough to change them. Today I’m just going to focus on people antagonists because they are the easiest to do this with!

1. Your antagonist is still a character

While sure, antagonists exist in the story to combat your MC and make their lives and quest difficult, they are still characters in the story—they are still people in the world.

Antagonists lacking in this humanity may land flat or uninteresting, and it’s more likely they’ll fall into trope territory.

You should treat your antagonists like any other character. They should have goals, objectives, flaws, backstories, etc. (check out my character creation stuff here). They may even go through their own character arc, even if that doesn’t necessarily lead them to the ‘good’ side.

Really effective antagonists are human enough for us to see ourselves in them—in another universe, we could even be them.

2. They’re… antagonistic

There’s two types of antagonist. Type A and Type B. Type A antagonist’s have a goal that is opposite the MC’s. Type B’s goal is the same as the MC’s, but their objectives contradict each other.

For example, in Type A, your MC wants to win the contest, your antagonist wants them to lose.

In Type B, your MC wants to win the contest, and your antagonist wants to win the same contest. They can’t both win, so the way they get to their goal goes against each other.

A is where you get your Draco Malfoy’s, other school bullies, or President Snow’s (they don’t necessarily want what the MC does, they just don’t want them to have it.)

B is where you get the other Hunger Games contestants, or any adventure movie where the villain wants the secret treasure that the MCs are also hunting down. They want the same thing.

3. They have well-formed motivations

While we as the writers know that your antagonist was conceptualized to get in the way of the MC, they don’t know that. To them, they exist separate from the MC, and have their own reasons for doing what they do.

In Type A antagonists, whatever the MC wants would be bad for them in some way—so they can’t let them have it. For example, your MC wants to destroy Amazon, Jeff Bezos wants them not to do that. Why not? He wants to continue making money. To him, the MC getting what they want would take away something he has.

Other motivations could be: MC’s success would take away an opportunity they want, lose them power or fame or money or love, it could reveal something harmful about them—harming their reputation. It could even, in some cases, cause them physical harm.

This doesn’t necessarily have to be true, but the antagonist has to believe it’s true. Such as, if MC wins the competition, my wife will leave me for them. Maybe she absolutely wouldn’t, but your antagonist isn’t going to take that chance anyway.

In Type B antagonists, they want the same thing as the MC. In this case, their motivations could be literally anything. They want to win the competition to have enough money to save their family farm, or to prove to their family that they can succeed at something, or to bring them fame so that they won’t die a ‘nobody’.

They have a motivation separate from the MC, but that pesky protagonist keeps getting in their way.

4. They have power over the MC

Antagonists that aren’t able to combat the MC very well aren’t very interesting. Their job is to set the MC back, so they should be able to impact their journey and lives. They need some sort of advantage, privilege, or power over the MC.

President Snow has armies and the force of his system to squash Katniss. She’s able to survive through political tension and her own army of rebels, but he looms an incredibly formidable foe.

Your antagonist may be more wealthy, powerful, influential, intelligent, or skilled. They may have more people on their side. They are superior in some way to the protagonist.

5. And sometimes they win

Leading from the last point, your antagonists need wins. They need to get their way sometimes, which means your protagonist has to lose. You can do a bit of a trade off that allows your protagonist to lose enough to make a formidable foe out of their antagonist, but still allows them some progress using Fortunately, Unfortunately.

It goes like… Fortunately, MC gets accepted into the competition. Unfortunately, the antagonist convinces the rest of the competitors to hate them. Fortunately, they make one friend. Unfortunately, their first entry into the competition gets sabotaged. Fortunately, they make it through the first round anyway, etc. etc.

An antagonist that doesn’t do any antagonizing isn’t very interesting, and is completely pointless in their purpose to heighten stakes and create conflict for your protagonist to overcome. We’ll probably be talking about antagonists more soon!

Anything I missed?

#writing #creative writing #writers #screenwriting #writing inspiration #writing community #filmmaking #books #film #writing advice #antagonists #villains #writing antagonists #5 tips for creating intimidating antagonists

[saraswritingtipps]

Crafting Compelling Villains

1. The "Evil for the Sake of Being Evil" Villain:

This type of villain lacks depth and clear motivations. They simply exist to be wicked and cause chaos without any believable reason or backstory.

2. The One-Dimensional Bully:

This villain is characterized solely by their physical strength or intimidating presence. They lack complexity, depth, and fail to challenge the protagonist on an intellectual or emotional level.

3. The Overpowered and Unbeatable Villain:

This villain is excessively powerful with no apparent weaknesses or vulnerabilities. They pose no real threat to the protagonist, as their defeat seems implausible or impossible.

4. The Expository Villain:

This villain constantly explains their evil plans and motivations without any subtlety or nuance. Their dialogues become monotonous and predictable, diminishing the impact of their character.

5. T The Forgettable Villain:

This villain lacks distinct traits, memorable characteristics, or a unique presence. They fail to leave a lasting impression on readers and are easily overshadowed by other elements of the story

6. The Plot Device Villain:

This villain exists solely to advance the plot without any independent goals or desires. They lack agency and depth, merely serving as a convenient obstacle for the protagonist to overcome.

7. The Unrelatable Monster:

This villain is completely devoid of humanity or relatable qualities. They are monstrous in every sense, lacking any redeeming or understandable characteristics that could engage the audience emotionally.

8. The Placeholder Villain:

This villain is introduced briefly and abruptly, without any significant development or impact on the story. They serve as a mere distraction or temporary obstacle, leaving readers feeling unsatisfied.

9. The Inconsistent Motivations:

This villain's motivations and actions are erratic and inconsistent, making it difficult for readers to understand their choices. Their lack of clear direction undermines the credibility and coherence of their character.

#writing #writer on tumblr #writerscommunity #writing tips #character development #writer tumblr #writblr #writing advice #oc character #writing help #writing villains #write villain

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Crafting Compelling Morally Gray Characters: A Guide for Fiction Writers

In literature, there is often a clear distinction between good and evil. Heroes are portrayed as virtuous and villains as wicked. However, in recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity of morally gray characters - those who do not fit neatly into the categories of good or evil. These characters are complex, flawed, and often make decisions that challenge the reader's moral compass. In this guide, I'll help you explore the art of crafting compelling morally gray characters and how to make them stand out in your fiction writing.

What Are Morally Gray Characters?

Morally gray characters, also known as morally ambiguous characters, are those who do not conform to traditional notions of good or evil. They may have both positive and negative traits, and their actions may be motivated by a mix of good and bad intentions. These characters often blur the lines between right and wrong, making them more relatable and intriguing to readers.

Examples of Morally Gray Characters

Some well-known examples of morally gray characters include:

Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series: Initially portrayed as a villain, Snape's true motivations and actions are revealed to be more complex and morally ambiguous.

Jaime Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire series: Known for his arrogance and incestuous relationship with his sister, Jaime's character evolves throughout the series, showcasing his internal struggle between his duty and his personal desires.

Walter White from Breaking Bad: A high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine producer, Walter's character is constantly torn between his desire for power and his moral compass.

Why Are Morally Gray Characters Compelling?

Morally gray characters are compelling because they challenge the reader's perceptions of right and wrong. They are not easily categorized as heroes or villains, making them more relatable and human. These characters also add depth and complexity to a story, making it more interesting and thought-provoking.

The Power of Relatability

One of the main reasons morally gray characters are so compelling is because they are relatable. They are not perfect, and they make mistakes, just like real people. This makes them more human and allows readers to connect with them on a deeper level. When readers can see themselves in a character, it creates a stronger emotional connection to the story.

The Element of Surprise

Morally gray characters also add an element of surprise to a story. Their actions and decisions may not always align with what the reader expects, keeping them on the edge of their seat. This unpredictability makes the story more engaging and can lead to unexpected plot twists.

The Exploration of Morality

Morally gray characters also allow for a deeper exploration of morality in a story. By challenging traditional notions of good and evil, these characters force readers to question their own moral compass and consider the gray areas of morality. This can lead to thought-provoking discussions and a deeper understanding of complex moral issues.

How to Craft Morally Gray Characters

Crafting morally gray characters requires a delicate balance of positive and negative traits, as well as a deep understanding of their motivations and internal struggles. Here are some tips for creating compelling morally gray characters in your writing.

Give Them a Strong Motivation

Every character, regardless of their moral alignment, should have a strong motivation for their actions. For morally gray characters, this motivation should be complex and not easily defined as purely good or evil. It could be a desire for power, revenge, or even a sense of duty. This motivation will drive their decisions and actions throughout the story.

Show Their Flaws and Vulnerabilities

Morally gray characters are not perfect, and they should not be portrayed as such. They should have flaws and vulnerabilities that make them more relatable and human. These flaws could be physical, emotional, or moral, and they should play a role in the character's development and decisions.

Create Internal Conflict

One of the defining characteristics of morally gray characters is their internal conflict. They are torn between their good and bad tendencies, and this struggle should be evident in their thoughts and actions. This internal conflict adds depth to the character and makes them more relatable to readers.

Avoid Stereotypes

When crafting morally gray characters, it's important to avoid falling into stereotypes. These characters should not be one-dimensional or defined solely by their moral ambiguity. They should have unique personalities, backgrounds, and motivations that make them stand out as individuals.

Show Their Growth and Development

As with any well-written character, morally gray characters should experience growth and development throughout the story. They should learn from their mistakes and make decisions that challenge their moral compass. This growth and development will make them more dynamic and interesting to readers.

How to Make Morally Gray Characters Stand Out

With the rise in popularity of morally gray characters, it's important to make yours stand out in a sea of similar characters. Here are some tips for making your morally gray characters unique and memorable.

Give Them a Distinctive Voice

A character's voice is an essential part of their identity. It should be unique and reflective of their personality and motivations. For morally gray characters, their voice should reflect their internal conflict and the complexity of their moral alignment.

Create a Strong Backstory

A character's backstory can provide valuable insight into their motivations and actions. For morally gray characters, a strong backstory can help explain their moral ambiguity and add depth to their character. It can also create empathy and understanding for their decisions.

Use Foils to Highlight Their Morality

Foils are characters who contrast with the main character, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. For morally gray characters, foils can be used to showcase their moral ambiguity and challenge their beliefs. This can add depth to the character and create interesting dynamics between them and other characters.

Morally gray characters add depth, complexity, and relatability to a story. By challenging traditional notions of good and evil, these characters force readers to question their own moral compass and consider the gray areas of morality.

#thewriteadviceforwriters #writing #creative writing #how to write #writers and poets #writing tips #on writing #writeblr #writers block #authors on tumblr #authoradvice #writer #author #writerscommunity #morally grey characters #morally gray #morally grey villain #anti hero #writers #writers on tumblr #writerslife #writer stuff #writerscreed #female writers #writersociety #writing advice #writing help #writer tips #writing resources

[the-modern-typewriter]

Hey! Asking for some writing advice here.

How does one write a villain exactly. In a very simple world with no superpowers and stuff how do you give them motivation. How do you make them slowly descent into villainy. Somehow when the villain actually thinks they're doing the right thing until the very end?

Thx love

There are a few different questions here that I'm going to try to to unpick.

I'll start with a brief overview of the connections between protagonist + antagonist, just because recognising them can be really useful in shaping your own ideas. Then I'll dive into motivation. So.

Antagonist + Protagonist = CONFLICT

If you know your protagonist well, then you have all the ingredients you need to write a great villain/antagonist for them too. Here is why.

Your villain/antagonist is, at the most basic fundamental starting point, something that is between your protagonist and what the protagonist wants/needs. As a very simple example, if your protagonist wants to make sure that everyone is free, then your antagonist is going to in some way be involved with making sure they are not free. Once you know what your antagonist needs to do in a story, then it's a lot easier to pose the question to yourself of 'okay, why would someone do that?'

Villains often reflect an opposite or warped view of the values and motivations that your protagonist has. They mirror or foil your main character. So, your antagonist's motivation will often be either opposite to the protagonist (e.g, your protagonist is motivated by selflessness, so your antagonist is motivated by selfishness in some way) or they will be the same motivation or value gone twisted (e.g. we both have people we love who we would do anything to protect...it's the villains way of acting on that motivation that makes them the villain, not the motivation.)

Of course, you can not have your antagonist + protagonist connected in this way. This is often the case if the source of conflict in your story is not another actual character or if you have a more generic villain. Lots of great stories have generic villains. It typically just means the villain is not a focus. It might be, like, about the friendships made in the journey instead.

Motivations:

I find it helpful to think of all my characters having two motivations.

The external story-specific motivation. This is whatever the antagonist is trying to achieve in your particular story and where things like genre and superpowers etc come into play.

The internal motivation that is more universal. The internal motivation is, while still specific to the character, the driving emotions and values. With a villain, that is often hatred or fear or lust for power because they're villains, but as noted earlier it can be a twisted form of love, or a strong sense of an injustice committed against them. This shapes the external motivation (e.g. 'lust for power = I want the throne, 'fear' = I'm going to kill or belittle or control what scares me so I don't have to feel scared anymore', justice might equal revenge or gaining power to ensure that a wrong is corrected. ) It could also be a bias or a prejudice that they're raised on driving them, that they genuinely believe in. Lots of possibilities!

I think this is true of people as well. We have our foundational core beliefs and desires (to be loved, to succeed, to be accepted whatever) and then we have the things we try to get in the real world to meet those needs (whether they really will or not).

Either way, it's the second one that comes into play with the slow descent into villainy and the villain thinking that they're doing the right thing until the end. Because, initially, their heart genuinely is not in a villainous place. They may actually be doing the right thing at the start. And then bad things happen. They are changed by the journey. They are a protagonist gone tragic.

We all experience emotions that can drive us to behave poorly; the desire for revenge or recognition, to ensure that the people we care about are safe, to get money so that we can provide for ourselves and others etc. None of us are without prejudice or privilege. Those things do not make you a villain, but they can be an excellent starting place for one.

Think about times when you've messed up. A villain is often an exaggerated version of that. You start pushing your own boundaries because there is something you really want/need and, depending on how far you push that...do you feel like you can still go back? Or do you feel like you might as well finish it after everything. At what point do you breathe for air, look up at what you've done, and go shit.

That's the villain who realises way too late that they're the villain.

Final note: I've been using antagonist and villain pretty interchangeably here...but they have slightly different connotations. Your antagonist does not have to be a villain to be effective. They just have to be an obstacle to the protagonist. E.g. if two people are going for the same dream job or trying to win a competition, the other competitors are antagonists to a certain extent, but that doesn't mean they're villainous or bad people. Whether you have an outright villain will depend on your story.

I hope this helps!

Some going further questions to take with you.

Is your villain trying to stop your protagonist from reaching their goal? Or is your protagonist trying to stop the antagonist from reaching their goal?

How does the villain's external goal in the story reflect the inner need? Note. They are aware of their external goal. Most people are not aware of the inner goal in the same way.

Do you know what you want your stories themes to be? (This doesn't have to be complicated and it's fine if you don't, that's what editing is for). Your protagonist and antagonist often weigh in on these themes. For example, your antagonist might be a path the protagonist could have gone down, if they made a different choice or something happened differently in their past.

#villains #antagonist #writing advice #writing tips #writing talk #writing villains #writing tip #writing help #character creation #character building

[vebokki]

something something shen yuan pov

#dont ask me why but i was going to use this as the main example on my comm price sheet (full body) n then i was like . why am i doing that #eye candy maybe.... #but full body bingqiu will take that place #anyway comm me and help me keep the binghes coming. salute emoji #ill also take your binghe hcs as a tip i would love to hear them #luo binghe #svsss #人渣反派自救系统 #lbh #mxtx #svsss fanart #scum villains self saving system

[ahb-writes]

Writing Problem: The Villains Are Cartoonish, Evil-for-the-Sake-of-Evil

Problem: The Villains Are Cartoonish, Evil-for-the-Sake-of-Evil

Solution: Villains require just as much character development as the novel's heroes, protagonists, and perspective characters. Effective villainy incorporates consequential decision making, relatable character motivations, believable perspectives and experiences, and most important, intention. When a writer diversifies these facets of a so-named villain's free will, humanity, personal interests, and relationship with the story's main conflict, one is better-positioned to craft a more diverse and more engaging villain.

Writing Resources:

How Your Character's Failures Can Map A Route To Self-Growth (Writers Helping Writers)

Good Character Flaws: Create Complex Antagonists (Now Novel)

50 Questions to Ask Your Antagonist (Alyssa Hollingsworth)

Antagonist Starts Good, Becomes Drunk With Power (related, master list) (Writing Questions Answered; ahbwrites)

16 Villain Archetypes (Chosen by the Planet; ahbwrites)

How to Give Your Antagonist a Little Humanity (Fiction Writing Tips; ahbwrites)

How to Write the Perfect Villain (Jericho Writers)

How to Build an Antagonist (How to Fight Write)

Negative Trait Thesaurus (Evil) (One Stop for Writers)

Theme and Symbolism Thesaurus (Evil) (One Stop for Writers)

❯ ❯ Adapted from the writing masterpost series: 19 Things That Are Wrong With Your Novel (and How to Fix Them)

#writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #writing villains #writing problems #writeprob #novel writing #fiction writing #two dimensional antagonists #relatable characters #character flaws #complex villains #complex antagonists #drunk with power #villain archetypes #the perfect villain #how to build an antagonist #symbolism #thesaurus

[unboundprompts]

How do you make a villain unlikable? Not “badly written” unlikable, but more “I’m terrified of this guy, and I would not want to be caught alone in a room with him” unlikable. His main motivation for being a villain in the story is that he was the Elv king’s Hearthsman, which is basically the court mage of the Elv kingdom, but he became mad with pride, and began abusing his given power. He was to be put on trial by the court, but he slipped away in the night, taking a forbidden book of spells with him. I thought about calling him “The Butcher” since he goes around slaughtering people without being caught, like Jack the Ripper, but I was wondering what other names would work. I just want to know how to make him terrifying, and since he’s not in the story most of the time, I want the readers to be scared of when he’s going to pop up next.

How to Make Readers Fear Your Villain

-> 10 Ways to Make Readers Loathe Your Antagonist: helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com

-> How Do I Make My Audience Fear My Villain?: Reddit

Show Your Audience How High the Stakes Are

Show what the consequences of crossing this villain are. Show how powerful they are and what they are capable of. Why is this villain such a threat? Why are your characters so afraid of them?

Having your characters talk about how afraid they are of your villain will not have the same effect as having readers experience why your characters are afraid.

Include scenes of your villain demonstrating what they are capable of. Have scenes of your characters being afraid of the villain.

Give Your Villain a Clear Goal

What does your villain want most? What are they willing to do to get it? How far will they go to get what they want?

Do they believe that what they are doing is justified?

Make Your Villain Cruel

Villains that are cruel just for the sake of being cruel. Show your villain acting heartless and doing cruel things without remorse.

Give them a history of evil. This gives them credibility and makes the readers believe they could truly do something horrible.

How Your Other Characters Act Around the Villain

When the villain is mentioned in conversation, how do your other characters react? Does their demeanor change at all? What if the villain was in the room?

Flesh out your other characters' fear of the villain. Why are they so afraid of them? Did they do something to them personally? Are they afraid because of the stories they've heard?

Examples: An outgoing character who is usually happy-go-lucky going dead silent when the villain is mentioned. A character who is never afraid having nightmares about the villain.

Villain Name Ideas:

-> here are some name generators!

Killer Names - fantasynamegenerators.com (this one will give you more names similar to the vibes of "The Butcher")

Killer Name Generator - name-generator.io

Villain Name Generator - namegenerator.og

Villain Character Name Generator - blog.reedsy.com

If you like what I do and want to support me, please consider buying me a coffee! I also offer editing services and other writing advice on my Ko-fi! Become a member to receive exclusive content, early access, and prioritized writing prompt requests.

#writing prompts #creative writing #writeblr #ask box prompts #how to write #villain prompts #how to write a scary villain #how to make readers fear your villain #villain writing tips #writing tips #writing advice #writing help #writing resources #writing characters

[webshood]

despite being a "antihero/vigilante", Jason still gets nominated as villain of the year and depending on how much trouble he caused to Batman he actually gets the award, he is also invited to villain brunch and the villain water park day

#jason todd #red hood #dc comics #he's in the border and the rogues are afraid of excluding him #like what if the red hood gets upset about being left out and now ur dead #rogues of other cities don't even know he's not a “villain” anymore so they don't know why gotham rogues tip-toe around the guy so much #and it only serves to boost Red Hood's reputation as a villain that even villains are scared of

[writing-with-sophia]

Describing a villain's appearance in a natural way

Someone asked me how to describe a villain's appearance in a natural way, so today I take a little time to write this post.

One of the first factors to explain when a character emerges is their appearance. To make those descriptions more natural and less restrictive, you should combine them with other positive aspects such as personality and behavior. Here are some tips:

Use sensory details: Consider the five senses when describing the villain's appearance. What do they look like? What do they smell like? What do their voices sound like? What texture do their clothing or skin have? Is their appearance pleasant or unpleasant to the senses?

Focus on physical features: Describe the villain's physical characteristics such as their height, weight, body type, facial features, hair color, and eye color. Use descriptive language to give the reader a clear image of their appearance. However, you should just chose and describe what is most prominent, noteworthy, and can be considered a unique feature of that character. If you describe everything, including hair, face, eyes, lips, clothes, hands, etc., it will be incredibly long and uninteresting, and it will not impress the reader.

Use metaphor and simile: Using metaphors and similes can help create a vivid image of the villain's appearance. Comparing the villain's appearance to something else can help create a clearer image in the reader's mind. For example, you could describe the villain's hair as "wild and unruly, like a tangled forest."; their eyes as "cold as steel" or their skin as "pale as death."

Consider clothing and accessories: The villain's clothing and accessories can also give insight into their character and background. For example, a villain who wears all black and has a lot of leather might be perceived as more menacing than one who wears bright colors and flowing fabrics. Or, if the villain is very well-groomed and dressed in expensive clothing, it might suggest that they are wealthy or have a high status.

Use context: The context of the story can also help shape the description of the villain's appearance. For example, if the story is set in a medieval fantasy world, the villain might have a more archaic appearance, while a modern-day villain might have a more contemporary appearance.

Avoid cliches and stereotypes: While it's important to give the reader a clear image of the villain's appearance, be careful not to rely on cliches or stereotypes. E.g. describing a villain as having a scar on their face or a hook for a hand can feel overdone and lacking in originality.

Consider the impact on other characters: The way the villain looks can have an impact on how other characters react to them. For instance, if the villain is very imposing or intimidating, other characters might be scared or intimidated by them.

Don't forget about body language: The way the villain carries themselves can also be revealing. E.g if they are slouching or have a sneer on their face, it can suggest that they are arrogant or dismissive.

And here is an example of how to describe the appearance of my character who is a villain:

"As soon as he stepped into the room, he commanded attention. With his broad shoulders and imposing stature, he seemed to fill the space with his presence. His suit was impeccably tailored, the fabric hugging his powerful frame like a second skin. But it wasn't just his appearance that made him stand out - it was the air of confidence and authority that surrounded him. He moved with purpose, his gaze sharp and calculating, and his voice dripped with honeyed charm that was as dangerous as it was seductive. It was clear that this was a man who was used to getting what he wanted, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get it."

In this example, the villain's appearance is described in a way that reflects his personality. His imposing stature and tailored suit suggest power and wealth, while his air of confidence and charm hint at a ruthless and manipulative personality. By using description that reflects the villain's personality, the reader can get a better understanding of who the character is beyond just their physical appearance.

Remember that ultimately, the way you describe the villain's appearance should serve the story and help create a clear and compelling image in the reader's mind. By using a mix of descriptive language, sensory details, and context, you can create a vivid and memorable villain that readers will love to hate.

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[rpmemesbyarat]

I think there is absolutely a lot of be said for complex, nuanced villains, for ambiguous antagonists who have a gray morality and may even be in the right or at least have a point, etc. In fact, I’ve said plenty myself about that. But, I would also like to add. . .sometimes, a good ol’ fashioned “just plain evil” villain is okay too. You see, I believe that writing is like cooking in that there's seldom solid rules, and the same rules don’t apply for every recipe. Sometimes you need to add salt to make a dish better. Sometimes you need sugar instead. I think villains are the same way. Sometimes the best way to tell a story is with a nuanced, complex antagonist. And sometimes what will serve the story best is a 2D baddy mcevilpants. It’s just a matter of figuring out what will work best in the story YOU’RE trying to tell.

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[lordgreenslimemold]

been in my villain arc for a month + at this point and I think I'm gonna start posting about it

villain tip #1: you can get away with a lot more socially if you have a funny reputation. doesn't always matter if what you said/did was funny (but it helps) as long as you're known to be goofy! people will just give you the benefit of the doubt tbh

#it's like throwing eggs at god until one hits #villain arc #villain tips

[whatthehellami]

#writers on tumblr #writeblr #spilled thoughts #my words #writing #my writing #spilled ink #spilled words #writers #wip #villain x hero #character dynamics #character inspiration #writing inspiration #writing ideas #writing tips #dialogue prompt #writing prompts #prompts #romance tropes #writing tropes #book tropes #tropes #writeblr community #relationship goals #relationship

[whumpfish]

I cannot stress enough the importance of transformations that are not necessarily redemptive.

- Cold and misanthropic villains who learn to care for the people close to them

- Coerced villains/minions running away–not to help the heroes, but to help themselves

- Villains who have dedicated their life and existence to The Cause who develop agency, who begin making their own decisions for their own reasons, whether or not they are GoodTM decisions 

- Bigoted villains who learn to stop being a dick in that specific area

- Villains otherwise driven by hate who reevaluate their motives if not their purpose

- Heroes so dedicated to The Cause that they stop caring for the people around them

- Heroes who stop caring in a healthy way, who become jealous or excessively competitive 

- Characters on all sides with trust issues who learn to trust, if only one or two individuals

- Selfish characters who learn self-sacrifice, even if it's only for fellow team members instead of a hero team or a Noble CauseTM 

- Characters who stand up to their abusers/refuse to be taken advantage of anymore in their interpersonal relationships outside the context of switching sides

There seems to be a growing expectation and even demand in fandom that villains be redeemed/redeemable, that heroes only become more GoodTM, and that anything else is somehow shortsighted or glorifying bad behavior. But people don't only grow in one direction, and personal progress doesn't have moral requirememts. Personal change doesn't have moral requirements. 

People can learn to love, to trust, to grow, to think for themselves without experiencing a major paradigm shift, and people don't always experience major paradigm shifts for the better. The fight for GoodTM and its necessity can actually be highlighted by a hero who goes bad and must then be defeated by former allies. Agency can actually be more profound if it doesn't conform to expectations or tropes within the story, because it becomes twofold: the character in question liberates themselves not only from the restrictions imposed on them by their circumstances/leaders but from those imposed by the reader/viewer as well.

#my fav character in the castlevania animation is literally isaac #i always wanted andromeda to acknowledge the villain that dylan was slowly becoming #but i wish there was more #writing #writebrl #writing advice #writing tips #whump #whump prompt #writing prompt #tropes #hero tropes #villain tropes #writer #fiction #fanfix #fanfic

[the-modern-typewriter]

Do you have any advice on writing a truly scary villain?? How do I make them genuinely terrifying but also still realistically human y’know?

The short answer is 'be specific', think about all the ways that humans can be scary, and show how the villain is scary/human by the story stakes/other character's reactions to them.

The longer, more rambling, answer is...

Whenever I think about villains, and a lot of the study that goes into villains/monsters, I think about the idea of either the Self or the Other.

Villain as Self:

The self is the us, in 'us vs them'. It is what we recognise within ourselves when we look at and explore villains.

This often comes with a realistically human motivation. For example, it could be that the villain is motivated by greed, recognition or desire for power or control (flaws that many of us have) or fear, desire to protect ourselves/our loved ones (good qualities that many of us have that become warped) and all these motivations ultimately lead the villain to do awful thing. We don't think we'd do the bad thing ourselves, but there is an uneasy terror in recognising that actually we might.

Alternatively, it is the villain who is well-respected and loved. The person we trust. The person we feel safe with. Except, we're not safe. And we can't tell, because we think they're just like us, and in many ways they are, and that's horrifying.

This kind of villain is always the dark side of our own society, our own assumptions and ideologies and belief systems. They are very popular at the moment.

We as a people are deeply uneasy with our own monstrosity.

Villain as Other

The 'other' is the 'them'. It's the fear that many of us still have with what is different to us, or what we don't understand or know.

This is the villain that is the random stranger, not secretly your best friend. It's, historically speaking looking at literary canon, the cannibal savages in different cultures. It's aliens. It's monsters where the scary thing is that they have no humanity, nothing we can reason with, a morality that is completely different to ours etc.

We as a people are still deeply uneasy about what we don't understand, even if many of us are trying to be better about it.

Some villains are a mixture of the two, but broadly speaking, you're considering the Villain as Self vibe of villain. I mention both because I find it interesting, and because our ideas of otherness are so often tied with our ideas of monstrosity that I can't not!

Scary nowadays often looks very much like someone persecuting what is considered 'other' or 'different'.

What is actually scary?

The first part of writing a genuinely scary villain is tapping into something that is genuinely scary.

While the vague can work, when it comes to villains that are realistically human, specificity is your friend. We understand these people, or at the very least we know and recognise them. And it's not a broad threat of 'end of the world' that tends to scare us most, it's much more personal.

We don't want to get hurt. We don't want to lose someone we love. We are scared when we realise we completely misjudged a person we trusted. We are scared when we see someone do something terrible and have a gut lurching feeling that, in their circumstances, we might do the same thing because we absolutely recognise the feeling and the motivation. We are scared when we see villains who persecute people just like us, because we know there's an uncomfortable sliver of truth to it.

Story stakes

All the above bit is all to do with your character understanding and construction. The internal bit. The premise of your character.

Story stakes is external and how you apply your character in your story. In short - if there is clearly no chance of your villain ever winning, and nothing bad ever happens and you just tell people that they are scary, the reader has no reason to believe you.

Have other characters react in terror to your villain. Have the villain's actions and goals have consequences in the story. They must be a genuine threat within the story world, even if they lose in the end. I hope this helps!

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