Where do you get inspiration for creating killers or villains?

[thecamrendutha]

this sounds fun! i draw a lot of inspiration from myths, folklore, and older literary works.
for example, nibelung, the demon king in my fantasy novel, was inspired by wagner’s der ring des nibelungen. in my story, he’s a being who once stole divine artifacts known as gnosis, fragments of cosmic knowledge. but instead of enlightenment, he glimpsed what mortals were never meant to see… and that drove him into madness.
i like villains who aren’t evil for the sake of it, but whose fall comes from seeking truth too deeply.

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[valerijsdombrovskis]

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[valerijsdombrovskis]

Thanks a lot, my friend
Unfortunately, it’s not really working out for me so far – I’ve reworked Chapter 1, finished Chapter 6, and the view count is still stuck at 19.
Sometimes I start thinking that maybe Tapas just isn’t for me… or I’m simply doing something wrong.
It’s a bit sad, I’m putting a lot of emotion into this story – but maybe I just haven’t found my reader yet.

[valerijsdombrovskis]

Another inspiration for villains... look at the mirror.

Take some of your own beliefs... and increase the ego dial on them to the max... then you have a villain.

That’s a great point – I often tell my students that the only real difference between a criminal and a law-abiding citizen is the level of fear.
For criminals, that fear threshold is simply lower.
So, continuing your idea – to create a true villain, you just need to turn fear down to the minimum.

[valerijsdombrovskis]

this sounds fun! i draw a lot of inspiration from myths, folklore, and older literary works.for example, nibelung, the demon king in my fantasy novel, was inspired by wagner’s der ring des nibelungen. in my story, he’s a being who once stole divine artifacts known as gnosis, fragments of cosmic knowledge. but instead of enlightenment, he glimpsed what mortals were never meant to see… and that drove him into madness.i like villains who aren’t evil for the sake of it, but whose fall comes from seeking truth too deeply.

Or perhaps not from the loss of truth – but from losing themselves in it?
Could you share an episode from your novel that shows your villain’s typical behavior or his search – maybe even a moment of reflection on that pursuit?

[kyupol]

You mean criminals have lower inhibitions? Yes. Also when we're between the age 15-20... inhibitions are lowest (at least I think).

I've done a lot of things that got me in trouble in school at that age. Predominantly fist fights. Even challenged one of my teachers... and officers (had compulsory military) made a scene that would have made me a TikTok viral video star if I was a student today...

[valerijsdombrovskis]

Yeah, that sounds about right – teenage years are basically the perfect storm of energy, ego, and almost no impulse control I guess we all had our “would’ve gone viral if TikTok existed” moments.
Makes me wonder – do you have a character who channels that same kind of raw, restless energy? The one who acts first and thinks later, maybe even mirrors that part of your younger self?

[kyupol]

Used to... back when I did self insert characters

This was based on a true event lol

[valerijsdombrovskis]

Something about that sounds very familiar

[marladravenauthor]

True crime documentary, movies, books everything!.
Some times I think, if I were to become a killer, wich will be my motivation based on my background?
So I can get in the character mind.

[valerijsdombrovskis]

True crime documentary, movies, books everything!.Some times I think, if I were to become a killer, wich will be my motivation based on my background? So I can get in the character mind.

Exactly – motive is everything. If you imagine “what would make me cross that line”, you get much truer, messier villains. Any particular background detail of yours you’d try first as a seed for motive?

[LWriter]

Depends, like for my current fantasy story, the main villain, Deadbone, was a combination of things. In many ways, the core of his character represents grief. In a very literal sense when it comes to the protagonist, too. And I accentuated that giving him a Dia De Los Muertos look (which he would find amusing since he eats bones hence the name), and reinforcing his and the protagonist Latin heritage. We have a closer connection to death than most, and I tried to weave that in the story and both characters, even if they are elves (he’s more like a kind of vampire created from an elf).

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[thecamrendutha]

well the story is still early, so nibelung hasn’t appeared yet. he’s only mentioned as a legend and folklore so far since the setting takes place 1200 years after he was defeated, but he will rise again.
episode 1 briefly tells about him and the great war he started.

Read After the Journey :: Before the Journey: The Tales of the Blonde Hero |...

[valerijsdombrovskis]

That’s a powerful concept – turning grief itself into the essence of a villain. I really like how you tied it to cultural symbolism and heritage; it adds emotional weight and identity at the same time. The Dia de los Muertos touch fits perfectly with the idea of memory and transformation. Sounds like Deadbone isn’t just a monster – he’s what grief becomes when it starts feeding on itself.

[valerijsdombrovskis]

I see – that kind of distant legend presence can be even stronger than a direct appearance. When a villain lives through myth, their shadow shapes the world long before they return. I’ll be looking forward to seeing how Nibelung’s story unfolds once he finally rises again.

[MelancholicOtaku]

The Lost Forest main villains are deities called The Old Ones which I based off on the Gods of Olympus from Greek mythology. They’re basically spoiled brats who have way too much power .

Read The Lost Forest | Tapas Web Community

[kyupol]

What manga is this again?

[LWriter]

Oh no, he’s a monster lol, the dude eats people’s skulls but also very much as you said. It tickles me when I can get that on a literal and not so literal sense at the same time. He’s a force of his own, but also one created by the protagonist’s central conflict, and she must resolve it internally (her emotions) as well as externally, defeating him.

[thecamrendutha]

exactly. even though he’s only mentioned through legends and stories, his presence still lingers in the world. that’s actually my favorite part of writing nibelung. he’s never truly present, yet you can still feel how people fear him.

[valerijsdombrovskis]

Oof, I’ll admit – a comment like that stings a bit, especially since that image’s actually from my own first episode. Every chapter in my webnovel has high-quality art, but I guess people often scroll by without opening it. I’m still trying to figure out how Tapas works myself – only about twenty views across seven episodes so far. Since you seem more experienced there, maybe you’ve got a tip or two on how to get a story noticed?