How do you like your villains?

[Leyelle]

I like my villains...

• Pure evil
• Sympathetic
• Morally gray
• More antagonistic than actually villainous
• Actually an antihero
• Okay, evil, but so cool/attractive that I WISH they weren't evil
• None of the above (add your answer in the replies)

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Tbh, some of these overlap, but if I was to break it down for my novels.

Damsel in the Red Dress has had three antagonists so far, and it will have another one in later books (assuming I get that far. I'll number them rather than listing them by name so as not to give spoilers)

1: Morally gray, more of an antagonist than an actual villain, sympathetic if you knew the backstory (but the MC doesn't so readers probably never will) and also kind of an anti-hero. They have good reasons...kind of...but achieve their goals in basically the worst possible way. also verrrrrry attractive canonically.

2: Pure evil. I have no sympathy for them, but they are attractive.

3: also pure evil, but more of an antagonist than a villain, also pretty, but I hate them with a passion.

Crystal Blue also has a number of villains, and some 'good guys' that are morally gray.

As for 'The Actaeon' he's almost pure evil, but also sympathetic. His snake is more sympathetic still, but also extremely evil. Also hot and sympathetic enough that I wish he wasn't evil, but he's undeniably villainous

[kyupol]

Pure evil but appears to be good.

[Laurent]

Pure evil and deceptive, I think I agree with @kyupol

[Stargazer31]

Handsome and morally grey with daddy issues.
Is that the right answer?

[Leyelle]

lol, I'm not sure there's a right option, it depends on context

[Lensing]

That´s an interesting question.
I accidentally clicked "more antagonistic than actually villainous",
I don´t even know what that means
Not sure if I can answer that question for my main villain.
She is intrigant and makes everything to get her enemies
fired or embarassed and she is happy when she sees her enemies
suffer and she does it out of jealousy (probably) and feels righteous about it.

[Lensing]

All my ex partners?

[Headypigeon4180]

I kind of like Camp Moustache twirling villains the best. Bachman in Hawk and Flo Adventures never ceases to amuse me lol.

[ArtGremlin]

This has made me realize that I only have three characters- wait no four, that are villains.
Villain 1: Demon, doesn’t really have a form itself but possesses a bird guy. Pure evil. (From my pirate story)
Villain 2: Betelgeuse, red star guy. He eats kids so I have to say pure evil. (From Star Hunters)
Villain 3: Demon Flame (That’s just what people call him. His real name is Kenneth), also a demon but a very different kind from #1. Demons aren’t the same thing in this story. I would say he’s morally grey, because he does lots of bad things (namely property damage) but there are somewhat sympathetic reasons behind him doing them. Not good reasons, but it would take paragraphs to explain lol. (From Fuego de Sombra)
Villain 4: Castillo Blanca. Human on a power trip. Her whole thing is seeking power and control, and she doesn’t have any good reason for doing so. But Imma go with Evil, but so cool/attractive that I wish they weren’t. Because she slayyys. (From Fuego de Sombra 2 yeah I’m writing a sequel instead of working on my comic)

[AmysGames]

I answered "none of the above," but my answer is actually "all of the above."

My villains are all over the spectrum. I have villains who genuinely believe they're doing the right thing, and villains who are unapologetically evil. I have villains driven by tragic backstories, and villains who are just following orders. Some of them are genuinely pleasant people in the right circumstances, but some of them would rather die than make friends.

All types of villains have their place, and I enjoy writing all of them. I don't really have a preference for any specific one, because they're all great in their own way.

[vfaqvrf]

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[MelancholicOtaku]

I love a good evil villain like they’re evil just because but I also have a fondness for the villain where they’re right but the methods are questionable.
Pure evil and morally grey.

[vfaqvrf]

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[beebutterbee]

I picked morally gray but honestly I think I write such different antagonists that I could pick one to fit each box most of the time if they are an antagonist I see them as irredeemable but sometimes they’re not actually evil and sort of just a jerk but honestly a jerk is still a person and they could learn to change.

But then I also write truly awful characters too who are not just grumpy pieces of crusty toasts but rather a real threat. I guess it depends on which character/story I’m writing! And I like to read characters that are well written (to me I I guess that’s subjective) but no matter what category they fit under.

Sometimes a story has a grouchy person that works as the antagonist because they’re the obstacle in the plot, but that character isn’t like a demonic entity you know? But then an antagonist could actually be repulsive lol some stories don’t have a tangible antagonist either, it can be their environment or the main character that’s a detriment to themselves. I think they can all be interesting to read.

[BoomerZ]

I like villains that don't know they are villains. That is how it works in the real world. Hitler, Stalin, etc thought they were doing good for their country and people. They never saw themselves as the badguy. Unless you are doing a comedic story ( "I am a villain because I am") or supernatural (a demon is evil because it's a demon), having a character know they are evil just doesn't make sense.

[NickRowler]

I like when they are an antagonist and sometimes they are justified in their feelings.

Like if the MC is an asshole and the antagonist takes it personally. Or setting up a morally grey situation where both characters have flaws and perks.

I also like when the antagonist then sort of becomes an ally to the MC but not really a friend. I know that's a bit of an anime trope, but I like the idea that someone can change and evolve over time.

Tho, I also find the parallel villain to be interesting. Where the villain has the same motivations and goals as the hero, yet it's their actions which define them. Think of something like Simba and Scar, they both want to be king. The actions of the film sort of has Simba reevaluate what being a king even means.

[Leyelle]

aye, i think i write all of them too, but was just curious about other people's preferences

[simonitropunk]

Many of "Lyza's Sandstorm" villains are just pure evil with their motivations. Monté crushes people's skulls by his bare hands... that's one example.

The look down on others and can be power hungry and not all villains are humans... evil can take in different forms and not just humans.

[MelancholicOtaku]

No give in to the hotness

[vfaqvrf]

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